Memoirs of Napoleon, vol 15 | Page 8

had been my prisoner at Hamburg. The Prussian General
immediately reminded me of the circumstance. "Who could have
foreseen," said he, "that after being your prisoner I should become the
protector of your property? You treated me well at Hamburg, and I
have now an opportunity of repaying your kindness. Heaven knows
what will be the result of all this! One thing, however, is certain, and
that is, that the Allies will now make such conditions as will banish all
possibility of danger for a long time to come. The Emperor Alexander
does not wish to make the French people expiate too dearly the
misfortunes they have caused us. He attributes them to Napoleon, but

Napoleon cannot pay the expenses of the war, and they must be paid by
some one. It was all very well for once, but we cannot pay the expense
of coming back a second time. However," added he, "you will lose
none of your territory; that is a point on which I can give you positive
assurance. The Emperor Alexander has several times repeated in my
presence to the King my master, 'I honour the French nation, and I am
determined that it shall preserve its old limits.'"
The above are the very words which Blucher addressed to me. Profiting
by the friendly sentiments he expressed towards me I took the
opportunity of mentioning the complaints that were everywhere made
of the bad discipline of the troops under his command. "What can I
do?" said he. "I cannot be present everywhere; but I assure you that in
future and at your recommendation I will severely punish any
misconduct that may come to my knowledge."
Such was the result of my visit to Blucher; but, in spite of his promises,
his troops continued to commit the most revolting excesses. Thus the
Prussian troops have left in the neighbourhood of Paris recollections no
less odious than those produced by the conduct of Davoust's corps in
Prussia.--Of this an instance now occurs to my memory, which I will
relate here. In the spring of 1816, as I was going to Chevreuse, I
stopped at the Petit Bicetre to water my horse. I seated myself for a few
minutes near the door of the inn, and a large dog belonging to the
innkeeper began to bark and growl at me. His master, a
respectable-looking old man, exclaimed, "Be quiet, Blucher!"--"How
came you to give your dog that name?" said I.--"Ah, sir! it is the name
of a villain who did a great deal of mischief here last year. There is my
house; they have left scarcely anything but the four walls. They said
they came for our good; but let them come back again . . . . we will
watch them, and spear them like wild boars in the wood." The poor
man's house certainly exhibited traces of the most atrocious violence,
and he shed tears as he related to me his disasters.
Before the King departed for Ghent he had consented to sign the
contract of marriage between one of my daughters and M. Massieu de
Clerval, though the latter was at that time only a lieutenant in the navy.

The day appointed for the signature of the contract happened to be
Sunday, the 19th of March, and it may well be imagined that in the
critical circumstances in which we then stood, a matter of so little
importance could scarcely be thought about. In July I renewed my
request to his Majesty; which gave rise to serious discussions in the
Council of Ceremonies. Lest any deviation from the laws of rigid
etiquette should commit the fate of the monarchy, it was determined
that the marriage contract of a lieutenant in the navy could be signed
only at the petty levee. However, his Majesty, recollecting the promise
he had given me, decided that the signature should be given at the
grand levee. Though all this may appear exceedingly ludicrous, yet I
must confess that the triumph over etiquette was very gratifying to me.
A short time after the King appointed me a Councillor of State; a title
which I had held under Bonaparte ever since his installation at the
Tuileries, though I had never fulfilled the functions of the office. In the
month of August; the King having resolved to convoke a new Chamber
of Deputies, I was appointed President of the Electoral College of the
department of the Yonne. As soon as I was informed of my nomination
I waited on M. de Talleyrand for my instructions, but he told me that,
in conformity with the King's intentions, I was to receive my orders
from the Minister of Police. I observed to M. de Talleyrand that I must
decline seeing Fouche, on account of the situation in which