the guard.”—­“Certainly, I see that very plainly, Citizen General; but why are you mustering them?”—­“Citizen President, I am going to make an inspection of them, and order a grand maneuver.  Forward—­march!” And the citizen general filed out at the head of his troop to rejoin General Bonaparte at Saint-Cloud; while the latter was awaited at the house of the citizen president, and the breakfast delayed to which General Bonaparte had been invited for that very morning.

General Marmont had also entertained at breakfast the officers of the division of the army which he commanded (it was, I think, the artillery).  At the end of the repast he addressed a few words to them, urging them not to alienate their cause from that of the conqueror of Italy, and to accompany him to Saint-Cloud.  “But how can we follow him?” cried one of his guests.  “We have no horses.”—­“If that alone deters you, you will find horses in the court of this hotel.  I have seized all those of the national riding-school.  Let us go below and mount.”  All the officers present responded to the invitation except General Allix, who declared he would take no part in all this disturbance.

I was at Saint-Cloud on the two days, 18th and 19th Brumaire.  I saw General Bonaparte harangue the soldiers, and read to them the decree by which he had been made commander-in-chief of all the troops at Paris, and of the whole of the Seventeenth Military Division.  I saw him come out much agitated first from the Council of the Ancients, and afterwards from the Assembly of the Five Hundred.  I saw Lucien Bonaparte brought out of the hall, where the latter assembly was sitting, by some grenadiers, sent in to protect him from the violence of his colleagues.  Pale and furious, he threw himself on his horse and galloped straight to the troops to address them; and when he pointed his sword at his brother’s breast, saying he would be the first to slay him if he dared to strike at liberty, cries of “Vive Bonaparte! down with the lawyers!” burst forth on all sides; and the soldiers, led by General Murat, rushed into the Hall of the Five Hundred.  Everybody knows what then occurred, and I will not enter into details which have been so often related.

The general, now made First Consul, installed himself at the Luxembourg, though at this time he resided also at Malmaison.  But he was often on the road, as was also Josephine; for their trips to Paris when they occupied this residence were very frequent, not only on Government business, which often required the presence of the First Consul, but also for the purpose of attending the theater, of whose performances General Bonaparte, was very fond, giving the preference always to the Theatre Francais and the Italian Opera.  This observation I make in passing, preferring to give hereafter the information I have obtained as to the tastes and habits of the emperor.