爱爱小说网 > 其他电子书 > the origins of contemporary france-5 >

第70章

the origins of contemporary france-5-第70章

小说: the origins of contemporary france-5 字数: 每页3500字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!






'34' Roederer; III。; 332 (Aug。 2; 1800)。



'35' Papers of Maine de Biran。 (Note communicated by M。 Naville。)

Letter of Baron Maurice; prefect of Dordogne; to M。 Maine de Biran;

sub…prefect of Bergerac; transmitting to him by order of the minister

of the interior a blank form to be filled up by him presenting the

〃Statistics of young ladies belonging to the most notable families of

the arrondissement。〃 The form annexed contained several columns; one

for names and given names; others for the future inheritance of real

and personal estate; etc。 A clever or energetic prefect; provided with

this list; was able and was expected to take an active part in

marriages and see that all the large dowries were appropriated on the

right side。 … 〃Memoires de Madame de …;〃 part 3rd; ch。 VIII。; p。

154。 (These very instructive memoirs by a very sincere and judicious

person are still unpublished。 I am not authorized to give the name of

the author。) 〃It was at this time that the emperor took it into his

head to marry as he saw fit the young girls who had more than 50;000

livres rental。〃 A rich heiress of Lyons; intended for M。 Jules de

Polignac; is thus wedded to M。 de Marb?uf。 M。 d'Aligre; by dint of

address and celerity; evades for his daughter first M。 de Caulaincourt

and then M。 de Faudoas; brother…in…law to Savary; and in stead weds

her to M。 de Pommereu。 … Baron de Vitrolles; Mémoires; I。 19。 (His

daughter was designated by the prefect of the Basses…Alpes。) … Comte

Joseph d'Estourmel; 〃Souvenirs de France et d'Italie;〃 239。 (Details

of this description of the young ladies to be married and the circular

from the duke de Rovigo; minister of police。) the eight column of the

form was 〃reserved to describe the physical charms and deformities;

the talents; the conduct and the religious principles of each of the

young ladies。〃



'36' 〃Statistiques des Préfets。〃 (Doubs; by Debry; p。 60; Meurthe; by

Marquis; p。 115; Ain; by Bossi; p。240。)



'37' 〃Statistique de l'Ain;〃 by Bossi; p。 1808。 From 1140 in 1801; the

number of employees and others under state pay amounts to 1771 in

1806。 This increase is attributed by the prefect to causes just

stated。



'38' Napoleon; 〃Correspondance。〃 (Note of April 11; 1811。) 〃There will

always be at Hamburg; Bremen and Lubeck from 8;000 to 10;000 French;

either employees or gendarmes; in the customs and depots。〃



'39' One officer may be counted to every 50 men in the infantry; in

the cavalry 1 officer to every 25 or 30 men; …  This ratio of one

officer to every fifty men indicates that; among the 1;700;000 men who

perished between 1804 and 1815; there were 24;000 officers; which

gives about 3;000 vacancies per annum; to which must be added the

vacancies due to the wounded; disabled and and retired。 It must be

noted; moreover; that the death or retirement of an officer above the

grade of second…lieutenant makes several vacancies; vacancies which

are more numerous the higher the rank。 When a captain is killed

there are three promotions and so on。



'40' 〃The Revolution〃 III。; 335。 (Laff。 II。 p。 250) … Already; in

1795; the need of competent and specialized men was so great that the

government sought; even among royalists; for financial and diplomatic

heads of these services; it made offers to M。 Dufresne and to M。 de

Rayneval。 …Ib。 406。 … (Cf。  〃Mémoires〃 by Gaudin; Miot de Melito and

Mollien。)



'41' Words of Bouquier; reporter of the law on education (session of

the Convention; Frimaire 22; year II)。



'42' The reader is recommended to do as I have done and consult

biographies on point; also the souvenirs of his grandparents。

(H。A。Taine。)



'43' Thibaudeau; 〃Mémoires sur la Consulat;〃 p。88。 (Exposition of

motives by Roederer to the corps Législatif; Floréal 25; year X。)

〃After all; it is the creation of a new currency of quite different

value from that which issues from the public treasury; a currency of

unchangeable worth and of an inexhaustible mine; since it lies in

French honor; a currency which can solely reward actions regarded as

above any recompense。〃



'44' Thibaudeau; ibid。; 83。 (Address by the First Consul to the

council of State; Floréal 14; year X。) … Also 〃Mémorial〃: 〃Old and

corrupt nations are not governed the same as young and virtuous ones;

sacrifices have to be made to interest; to enjoyments; to vanity。 This

is the secret of the return to monarchical forms; to titles。 crosses;

ribbons; harmless baubles suited to exciting the respect of the

multitude while at the same time enforcing self…respect。〃



'45' 〃La Légion d'honneur;〃 by M。 Mazas; passim。 Details on the

nomination ceremonials。 〃The veritable date was July 15th; as the 14th

was Sunday。 Augereau and about sixty officers; 〃bad fellows〃 who

disliked the mass; refused to go into the chapel and remained outside

in the court。



'46' Several generals; Lecourbe; Souham ; etc。; were excluded as being

too republican or suspect and hostile。 Lemercier; Ducis; Delille; and

Lafayette refused。 Admiral Truguet; through pique and discontent; had

at first declined the grade of grand…officer; but finally changed his

mind and became at first commander and then grand…officer。



'47' 〃Les Cahiers du capitaine Coignet;〃 passim and pp。 95; 145。 〃When

the ceremony was over; handsome women who could get at me to examine

my cross; asked me if they might give me a kiss。〃 … At the Palais

Royal the proprietor of a café says to him: 〃Order whatever you want;

the Legion of Honor is welcome to anything。〃



'48' Mazas; ibid。; p。 413。 … Edmond Blanc; 〃Napoléon; ses institutions

civiles et administratives;〃 p。 279。 … The number of decorated; at

first; was to be 6;000。 In 1806; the emperor had nominated 14;500; and

taking his entire reign; until his fall; about 48;000。 The real force

of legionaries; however; then living does not surpass at this time

30;000; of which only 1;200 are in civil careers。 At the présent time;

December 1; 1888 (documents furnished by the records of the Légion

d'honneur); there are 52。915 decorated persons; of which 31;757 are

soldiers and 21;158 civilians。 Under the empire there was in all 1

cross to every 750 Frenchmen; at that time; out of 50 crosses there

were 2 for civil services; while in our day there are nearly 20。 (QUID

informs us that on 30…11…1994 the strength amounted to 207;390

persons。 SR。)



'49' Edmond Blanc; ibid。; 276…299; 325 and 326。 (List of titles of

prince and duke conferred by the emperor; and of gifts of 100;000

francs rental or of above that sum。)



'50' Mathieu Dumas; 〃Mémoires;〃 III。; 363。



'51' Napoleon; 〃Mémoires。〃



'52' Compare with the Brothers Grimm's fairytale: 〃The Fisherman and

his Wife。〃



'53' Thiers; 〃Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire;〃 V。 III。; p。 210。



'54' Thiers; ibid。;  p。195 (October 1806)。 Napoleon; in one of his

bulletins; had mentioned Murat's cavalry alone; omitting to mention

the infantry of Lannes; which behaved as well。 Lannes; disappointed;

did not dare read this bulletin to his men; and spoke to the emperor

about it。 'What reward can they look for if they don't find their

names published by the hundred…tongued voice of Fame which is under

your control!〃 Napoleon replies: 〃You and your men are children …

glory enough for all! 。 。 。 One of these days your turn will come in

the bulletins of the grand army。〃 Lannes reads this to his troops on

the great square of Stettin and it is received with outbursts of

enthusiasm。



'55' Madame de Rémusat。 III。; 129。



'56' The Revolution;〃 pp。 356…358。 (Laff。 I。 pp。 825…826。) … Marmont;

〃Mémoires;〃 I。 122。 (Letter to his mother; January 12; 1795。) 〃Behold

your son zealously fulfilling his duties; deserving of his country and

serving the republic。 。 。 。 We should not be worthy of liberty if we

did nothing to obtain it。〃



'57' Compare the 〃Journal du sergent Fricasse;〃 and 〃les Cahiers du

capitaine Coignet。〃 Fricasse is a volunteer who enlists in the defence

of the country; Coignet is a conscript ambitious of  distinguishing

himself; and he says to his masters: 〃I promise to come back with the

fusil d'honneur or I shall be dead。〃



'58' Marmont; I。; 186; 282; 296。 (In Italy; 1796。) 〃At this epoch; our

ambition was quite secondary; we were solely concerned about our

duties and amusements。 The frankest and most cordial union existed

amongst us all。 。 。 。 No sentiment of envy; no low passion found room

in our breasts。 (Then) what excitement; what grandeur; what hopes and

what gayety! 。 。 。 Each had a presentiment of an illimitable future

and yet entertained no idea of personal ambition or calculation。〃 …

George Sand; 〃Histoire de ma vie。〃 (Correspondence of her father;

Commander Dupin。) … Stendhal; 〃Vie de Napoléon。〃 〃At this epoch

(1796); nobody in the army had any ambition。 I have known officers to

refuse promotion so as not to quit their regiment or their mistress。



'59' Roederer; III。; 556。 (Burgos; April 9; 1809; conversation with

General Lasalle written down the same evening。) 〃 You pass through

Paris?〃 〃Yes; it's the shortest way。 I shall get there at five in the

morning; I shall order a pair of boots; get my wife with child and

then leave for Germany。〃 … Roederer remarks to him that one risks

one's life and fights for the sake of promotion and to profit by

rising in the world。 〃No; not at all。 One takes pleasure in it。 One

enjoys fighting; it is pleasure enough in itself to fight! You are in

the midst of the uproar; of the action; of the smoke。 And then; on

acquiring reputation you have had the fun of making it。 When you have

got your fortune you know that your wife and children won't suffer。

That is enough。 As for myself; I could die to…morrow。〃 (The details of

this conversation are admirable; no document gives a better idea of

the officer of the epoch。)



'60' Compare with the idea of an ideal Chaver (kibbutznik)。: Melford

E。 Spiro;  wrote 〃Kibbutz。 Venture in Utopia。〃 60 and described how

the Israeli kibbutzim as early as 1917 wanted the ideal kibbutzim to

be:



Loyal to his people

A brother to his fellows

A man of truth

A helpful and dependable brother

A lover of nature

Obedient to the orders of his leaders

Joyful and gay

Economical and generous

A man of courage

Pure in thoughts; words; and deeds  (opposition to drinking; smoking

and sexual relationships)。



'61' Balzac has closely studied and admirably portrayed this type in a

〃Ménage de Gar?on。〃 … See other similar characters in Mérimée (〃Les

Mécontens;〃 and 〃les Espagnols en Danemark〃); in Stendhal (〃le

Chasseur vert〃)。 I knew five or six of them in my youth。



'62' Words of Marshal Marmont: 〃So long as he declared 'Everything for

France;' I served him enthusiastically; when he said; 'France and

myself' I served him zealously; when he said; 'myself and France;' I

served him with devotion。 It is only when he said; '

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 1

你可能喜欢的