berty of conscience. My system was to have no predominant religion, but to allow perfect liberty of conscience and of thought, to make all men equal, whether Protestants, Catholics, Mahometans, Deists, or others; so that their religion should have no influence in getting them employments under government. In fact, that it should neither be the means of serving or of injuring them; and that no objection should be made to a man's getting a situation on the score of religion, provided he were fit for it in other respects."

NAPOLEON'S TOTAL DISREGARD OF HIS OWN

PRIVATE INTEREST.

As soon as Napoleon joined the army of Italy, he proved himself to be a man born for command. From that moment he filled the theatre of the world; he occupied all Europe; he was a meteor blazing in the firmament; he concentrated all eyes, riveted all thoughts, and formed the subject of all conver sations. From that time every gazette, every publication, every monument, became the record of his deeds. His name was inscribed in every page and in every line, and echoed from every mouth.

His generalship was, moreover, characterized by the skill, energy, and purity of his military administration; his constant dislike of peculation of any kind, and his total disregard of his own private interest. "I returned from the campaign of Italy," said he, "with but three hundred thousand francs in my possession, but I might easily have carried off ten or twelve millions ;—that sum might have been mine. I never made out any accounts, nor was I

ever asked for any. I expected on my return to receive some great national reward. It was publicly reported that Chambord was to be given to me, and I should have been very glad to have had it; but the idea was set aside by the Directory. I had, however, transmitted to France at least fifty millions for the service of the state. This, I imagine, was the first instance in modern history of an army contributing to maintain the country to which it belonged, instead of being a burthen on it."

When Napoleon was in treaty with the Duke de Modena; Saliceti, the government commissary with the army, who had hitherto been on indifferent terms with him, entered his cabinet." The commander d'Este," said he, " the duke's brother, is here with four millions in gold, contained in four chests. He comes in the name of his brother to beg of you to accept them, and I advise you to do so. I am a countryman of yours, and I know your family affairs. The directory and the legislative body will never acknowledge services. This money belongs to you; take it without scruple and without publicity. A proportionate diminution will be made in the duke's contribution, and he will be very glad to have gained a protector."" I thank you," coolly answered General Buonaparte, "I shall not for that sum place myself in the power of the Duke de Modena !-I wish to continue free."

A commissary-in-chief of the same army used often to relate that he had witnessed an offer of seven millions in gold made in a like manner to Napoleon by the government of Venice, to save it from destruction, which offer was refused.-The emperor smiled at the transports of admiration

evinced by this financier, to whom the refusal of hiş general appeared super-human—an action much more difficult and noble than the gaining of victories. The emperor often dwelt with a considerable degree of complacency on these anecdotes of his disinterestedness.

"When I was placed at the head of affairs as consul," said the emperor, "it was only by setting an example of disinterestedness, and employing the utmost vigilance, that I could succeed in changing the conduct of the administration, and putting a stop to the dreadful spectacle of directorial peculations. It cost me an immense deal of trouble to overcome the inclinations of the first persons in the state, whose conduct at length became strict and irreproachable. I was obliged to keep them constantly in fear. How often did I repeat in my councils, that if my own brother were found to be in fault, I should not hesitate to dismiss him."

No man in the world had ever more wealth at his disposal, and appropriated less to himself.-Napoleon, according to his own account, possessed as much as four hundred millions of specie in the cellars of the Tuilleries. His extraordinary domain. amounted to more than seven hundred millions. He has said that he distributed upwards of five hundred millions in endowments to the army. And, what is very extraordinary, he who circulated such heaps of wealth never possessed any private property of his own! He had collected, in the museum, treasures which it was impossible to estimate, and yet he never had a picture or a curiosity of his own!

On his return from Italy, and on the eve of his

departure for Egypt, he became possessed of Malmaison, and there he deposited nearly all his property. He purchased it in the name of his wife, who was older than himself, and consequently, in case of his surviving her, he must have forfeited all claim to it. The fact is, as he himself has said, that he never had a taste nor a desire for riches.

"If I now possess any thing*," continued he, "it is owing to measures which have been adopted since my departure; but even in that case it must depend on a hair's-breadth chance whether there be any thing in the world I can call my own or not. But every one has his relative ideas. I have a taste for founding, and not for possessing. My riches consisted in glory and celebrity; the Simplon and the Louvre were, in the eyes of the people and of foreigners, more my property than private domains could have been. I purchased diamonds for the crown; I repaired and adorned the imperial palaces; and I was often surprised to find that the expenses, lavished by Josephine on her greenhouses and her gallery were a real injury to my JARDIN DES PLANTES and my MUSEE DE PARIS."-Las Cases' Journal.

A MEMBER OF THE LEGION OF HONOUR.

THE extraordinary changes which have taken place in the military establishment of France, since the Napoleon dynasty, and the rooted antipathy entertained by the Bourbons towards all officers of that period, has naturally subjected a large portion of those veteran commanders to depend upon their *The deposit at the house of Lafitte.

scanty half pay for subsistence; one of whom, in order the better to support himself, concealed his military rank, and became the proprietor of a cabriolet, which he drove for hire. This poor fellow happened upon one occasion to be employed by an officer of the royal guard in full regimentals, who, after having made numerous calls in very distant rections, was still desirous to proceed, notwithstanding the driver's expostulating, on account of the jaded state of his horse. The coxcomb used very authoritative language and a blow ensued on the part of this royale militaire, which was no sooner inflicted than a duel was proposed by the proprietor of the vehicle. The challenge was ridiculed in the first instance by the assailant, on account of the seeming disparity existing between them: in reply to which the poor half-pay Napoleonist, producing the cross of the legion of honour, always kept concealed beneath his vest, informed the royalist officer of his rank in the army, and the numerous campaigns in which he had signalized himself, and then concluded by remarking, that he conceived he was in every respect entitled to gentlemanly satisfaction from one whose epaulets had never yet been tarnished by the cannon's smoke. This appeal could not be resisted, and a meeting was the result, in which the veteran soldier made his antagonist pay with his life for the unprovoked insult offered to his honour.

The cross of the legion of honour, which was instituted by Napoleon, consisted purposely of five points, in order that it might not in any way bear the resemblance of a cross. It is worthy remark, that he denominated the first class, who wore stars upon their breasts, as grand eagles, and not grand crosses,