1806.

Alarm of the city of Hamburg—­The French at Bergdorf—­Favourable orders issued by Bernadotte—­Extortions in Prussia—­False endorsements—­Exactions of the Dutch—­Napoleon’s concern for his wounded troops—­Duroc’s mission to the King of Prussia—­Rejection of the Emperor’s demands—­My negotiations at Hamburg—­Displeasure of the King of Sweden—­M.  Netzel and M. Wetteratedt.

At this critical moment Hamburg was menaced on all sides; the French even occupied a portion of its territory.  The French troops, fortunately for the country, were attached to the corps commanded by the Prince de Ponte-Corvo.  This military occupation alarmed the town of Hamburg, to which, indeed, it proved very injurious.  I wrote to Marshal Bernadotte on the subject.  The grounds on which the Senate appealed for the evacuation of their territory were such that hernadotte could not but acknowledge their justice.  The prolonged stay of the French troops in the bailiwick of Bergdorf, which had all the appearance of an occupation, might have led to the confiscation of all Hamburg property in England, to the laying an embargo on the vessels of the Republic, and consequently to the ruin of a great part of the trade of France and Holland, which was carried on under the flag of Hamburg.  There was no longer any motive for occupying the bailiwick of Bergdorf when there were no Prussians in that quarter.  It would have been an absurd misfortune that eighty men stationed in that bailiwick should, for the sake of a few louis and a few ells of English cloth, have occasioned the confiscation of Hamburg, French, and Dutch property to the amount of 80,000,000 francs.

Marshal Bernadotte replied to me on the 16th of November, and said, “I hasten to inform you that I have given orders for the evacuation of the bailiwick of Bergdorf and all the Hamburg territory.  If you could obtain from the Senate of Hamburg, by the 19th of this month, two or three thousand pairs of shoes, you would oblige me greatly.  They shall be paid for in goods or in money.”

I obtained what Bernadotte required from the Senate, who knew his integrity, while they were aware that that quality was not the characteristic of all who commanded the French armies!  What extortions took place during the occupation of Prussia!  I will mention one of the means which, amongst others, was employed at Berlin to procure money.  Bills of exchange were drawn, on which endorsements were forged, and these bills were presented to the bankers on whom they were purported to be drawn.  One day some of these forged bills to a large amount were presented to Messrs. Mathiesen and Silleine of Hamburg, who, knowing the endorsement to be forged, refused to cash them.  The persons who presented the bills carried their impudence so far as to send for the gendarmes, but the bankers persisted in their refusal.  I was informed of this almost incredible scene, which had drawn together a great number of people.