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Versailles, chez un M. Venis ancient fournisseur de Bonaparte, aujourd'hui Royaliste ultra, a substitué 4,000 en pièces de deux francs d'argent aux 84 mille francs en doubles Napoléons d'or. Quant aux diamants, il les avait fait jeter dans la Seine pour les cacher par un pêcheur qui avait une maîtresse qui s'est brouillée avec lui, a denoncé le fait à la Police, qui a fait repêcher les diamants.

Ce Maubreuil, gentilhomme Breton, est proche parent de M. de Sesmaisons, gendre de M. d'Ambray, Chancelier, et beau-frère de M. de la Roche Jacquelin. Pendant les 100 jours, Bonaparte le trouva dans les prisons de Paris; il l'en fit non pas sortir, mais chasser avec mépris. Il s'enfuit à Gand, où on craignit qu'il ne vint gagné, par Bonaparte, pour assassiner le Roi. Il y fut arrêté, conduit en prison à Bruxelles, de là à Wesel, d'où le credit de M. de la Roche Jacquelin et de M. d'Ambray le firent sortir. Arrivé à Paris, il y a été arrêté de nouveau, parce qu'en effet de grands personnages peuvent avoir intérêt à ce qu'il ne reste pas établi qu'on ait voulu faire arrêter et voler la Reine de Westphalie. Il était depuis un an au secret lorsqu'il a été mis en jugement. Ses complices ont été écartés et on voudrait donner à cette affaire le caractère d'un simple vol d'un particulier, et même d'une simple escroquerie, susceptible d'être jugée à la Police correctionnelle, et dans le vrai ce n'est pas autre chose. Mais Maubreuil, audacieux et déterminé, ne l'entend pas ainsi. Il veut que le Gouvernement le fasse évader avec cinq ou six cent mille francs, ou il veut présenter les pouvoirs et les ordres en blanc qu'il avait du Gouvernement provisoire, et, dit-on, de Monsieur, comme une commission d'aller assassiner Bonaparte. On est convenu que cela ne le sauverait pas, et ne l'empêcherait d'être condamné à mort, si son procès va aux assises, mais il veut courir la chance de la mort ou de la fortune, et croit que le Gouvernement fera sa fortune plutôt que de s'exposer au scandale de l'instruction publique de ce procès.

Le Gouvernement y est fort embarrassé, attendu l'éclat qu'a

fait la première séance au tribunal de la Police correctionnelle, où Maubreuil a déclaré hautement qu'il avait éte envoyé pour assassiner Bonaparte. On ne l'a pas laissé continuer, et les journaux ont en défense de rapporter ces détails. Voilà où en

est l'affaire. Si comme on le craint le tribunal de Police correctionnelle se déclare incompétent, ou l'affaire ira aux assises, ou il faut faire évader Maubreuil, et même il est déjà bien tard.

Paris 4 Mai, 1817.

Il a transpiré de Londres ici, il y a déjà quelque tems, une espèce de mémoire de Ste. Hélène. On l'a lu avec une grande avidité. Je suis, si non convaincu, du moins persuadé, qu'il a été écrit sous la dictée ou la direction de B. Malgré les anachronismes, il y a son style, son orgueil, son despotisme, sa vigueur, son ambition sans limites et sans un but fixe, son absence de toute espèce de bonté de cœur. On soutenait devant la Marquise de Coigny que ce mémoire n'étoit pas de Bonaparte. "Il y en a donc deux," répondit-elle. Au surplus, ce mémoire, que le Roi a lu trois fois, a plutôt diminué qu'augmenté ici les amis de B.-les constitutionnels surtout sont indignés des principes qui y regnent.

8 Mai, 1817.

M. Patrault, domicilié a Villemontiers, arrondissement de Montargis, est décédé le 29 Avril dernier dans une maison de campagne qu'il possédait dans cette commune. Il fut le précepteur de Bonaparte à Brienne, puis son secrétaire intime pendant ses campagnes d'Italie, et l'accompagna même en cette qualité en Égypte. Son opinion toute républicaine le brouilla avec son élève; lorsque celui-ci se couvrit de la pourpre consulaire pour usurper la dictature à vie, il rompit avec lui et se retira modestement à Villemontiers. Il était bienfaisant, et ses manières obligeantes lui conciliaient les affections de toutes les personnes qui le connaissaient.

M. Patrault avait beaucoup d'esprit. Il est à croire qu'il a

laissé des notes intéressantes sur ses relations avec l'homme extraordinaire, dont il a suivi quelque tems et peut-être préparé la fortune.

Sir Charles Stuart to Lord Castlereagh.

Paris, May 19, 1817.

My dear Lord-The return of the messenger Littlewood from Madrid having put me in possession of your lordship's private letter, dated the [blank] of April, I lost no time in conferring with the Russian Minister upon the subject of its contents. General Pozzo di Borgo, at my request, communicated the accompanying Memorial and its enclosures from his Court, which adverts to the machinations of the refugee French in Brussels, and in the different countries where they have sought an asylum, remarking that the projected journey of M. de Viel Castel from the Low Countries to England, for the purpose of conveying the correspondence of his associates to their friends in America, had principally drawn his Imperial Majesty's attention to the subject.

We agreed that it would be expedient to avail ourselves of an early opportunity to mention confidentially to the Duke de Richelieu the statement contained in your lordship's letter respecting the assistance the Duke of Orleans has conveyed to persons of this description in the Low Countries, before we should notice the subject in our conversation with his Serene Highness.

We severally saw the Duke de Richelieu afterwards, and his Excellency assured me that he had commented upon the dangerous tendency of this proceeding in his first meeting with the Duke of Orleans, after his Serene Highness arrived from England, stating that he was desirous of receiving a direct explanation, which might be conveyed to the King, and thus prevent the mischief likely to arise, if either party should manifest an appearance of reserve, or a desire to avoid meeting so delicate a subject.

VOL. XI.

A A

His Serene Highness, he assured me, admitted that the solicitations of his Royal Highness the Duke of K—— had induced him, about a year or fifteen months ago, to entrust to that prince a sum of £200, for the relief of the distressed French refugees in the Low Countries, under an express condition that, in appropriating this money to their use, they should not know from what source it had been derived; that he had heard with infinite surprise that the condition had not been observed; and that the money had passed through the hands of Lord K, who had brought forward his Serene Highness's name, in announcing the donation, under circumstances which rendered him anxious to have an opportunity of justifying his intentions by the unreserved statement of the whole truth, especially as he knew that an erroneous notion prevailed that this transaction had led to subsequent intercourse between his Serene Highness and those persons.

These details were afterwards repeated to me at Neuilly by the Duke of Orleans himself, who informed me that the King was perfectly aware of everything that had passed; and he added that, far from having perceived any change of sentiment on the part of his Majesty, on this occasion, he felt particularly gratified by the liberal manner a transaction (to say the least, very liable to misinterpretation) had been viewed by the King and his Ministers.

Believe me, my dear Lord, &c.,

CHARLES STUART.

Mr. Charles Bagot to Lord Castlereagh.

Washington, June 3, 1817.

My dear Lord-I received, on the 8th of last month, your lordship's letter of the 21st of March, and I must be allowed to trouble you with a few lines to thank you for it, and to say how much it has flattered and gratified me. The manner in which you have been good enough to speak of my services here has, I assure you, relieved my mind of no small share of

anxiety, and it has operated as the best encouragement which I could have to persevere in my endeavours.

I have but little to communicate to your lordship by this mail. You will no doubt be a good deal surprised at learning by my despatches that, after all that was said last year by Mr. Monroe, the American Government is not prepared to make their proposition respecting the Fisheries, or rather that they are not willing to bring it forward at this moment. It is certainly possible that Mr. Monroe had, in fact, no settled proposition to make last year, and that his request to be permitted to make one was only an attempt to prolong the negociation, and with it the suspension of our measures against their fishing-vessels: but I believe that I have assigned in my despatches the true reason for the delay which is now proposed, and that the President wants to avail himself of the opportutunity which he thinks is afforded him of propitiating the people of Boston during his intended visit to them, by affecting to consult their wishes and be governed by their advice upon the subject.

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I think that the business is now certainly postponed till the autumn in the mean while, I have given Mr. Rush clearly to understand that the orders for the exclusion of American fishing-vessels from our coasts are in full force, and will continue to be acted upon.

I have been much embarrassed by the letter of the Portuguese Minister to me, upon the revolution in Pernambuco. Fortunately for me, his application was obviously premature, and I was enabled to parry it by telling him so.

I believe Mr. Rush has not yet made up his mind whether he will accept the mission to England or not. The narrowness of his private circumstances, and the very insufficient appointments of the situation, are the grounds of his hesitation, but I think that he will finally determine to take it.

I have the honour to be, &c.,

CHARLES BAGOT.

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