Toussaint, without being in overt rebellion against the mother-country, had assumed great airs of independence. The expedition was to be commanded by General Leclerc, who was not without capacity, and had done well in Italy and in Egypt. His chief eminence, however, arose from his having married Pauline Bonaparte, sister of the First Consul. He was the son of a miller of Pontoise, if the name of miller may be applied to the rich owner of enormous mills, doing a very large trade. This miller had given a first-rate education to his son as well as to his daughter, who became the wife of General Davout.

While General Leclerc was getting ready for his departure, the forces destined for the expedition were assembled by the First Consul in Brittany, and, as was customary, these troops up till the day of their embarkation found themselves under the command of Bernadotte, commander-in-chief of the Army of the West. Now, as is well known, there was always a strong rivalry between the Armies of the Rhine and of Italy; the former were much attached to General Moreau, and had no love for General Bonaparte, whose rise to the head of the Government they had seen with regret. On his side the First Consul had a great preference for the soldiers who had fought with him in Italy and Egypt; and though his antagonism to Moreau was not as yet fully declared, he understood that it was to his interest to get the troops who were devoted to Moreau as far out of the way as possible. Accordingly the regiments intended for the expedition to San Domingo were nearly all selected from the Army of the Rhine. Thus separated from Moreau, they were very well satisfied to find themselves in Brittany under the command of Bernadotte, Moreau's old lieutenant, who had seen nearly all his service with them on the Rhine. The expedition was to consist of about 40,000 men; in the Army of the West proper there were an equal number. Thus Bernadotte, whose command extended over all the departments from the mouth of the Gironde to that of the Seine, was for the moment at the head of an army of 80,000 men, the majority of whom were much more attached to him than to the head of the Consular Government.

If Bernadotte had been a man of a stronger character the First Consul would have found reason to repent of having given him so important a command; for, as I can now state, without injuring anyone, and simply as an historical fact, Bernadotte conspired against the Government of which Bonaparte was the head. In regard to this conspiracy I will give some details, all the more interesting for never having been publicly known, perhaps not known even by Bonaparte himself.

Generals Bernadotte and Moreau, jealous of the First Consul's rise, and dissatisfied with the small share which he gave them in public affairs, had resolved to overthrow him and place themselves at the head of the Government, taking as assessor someone used to civil administration, or some clear-headed lawyer. To accomplish this end, Bernadotte, who, I must say, had a knack peculiar to himself of winning the affection of officers and soldiers, visited the provinces throughout his district, reviewing bodies of troops and employing every means to attach them more firmly to himself. Towards the subalterns he employed every kind of cajolery, money bribes, promises of promotion, while in private conversation with the chiefs he ran down the First Consul and his Government. After having brought the great number of the regiments to disaffection, it became easy to drive them to revolt, those especially who were destined to the expedition to San Domingo and looked upon this service as a form of transportation.

Bernadotte's chief of the staff was a general of brigade named Simon--a man of ability but of weak character. Being enabled by his position to be in daily correspondence with the heads of regiments, he abused his opportunity to make his office the centre of the conspiracy. A major named Fourcart--whom you remember as a poor old sub-librarian with the Duke of Orleans, a place which I got him out of pity for his thirty years of misery--was then working under General Simon, and became his principal agent. Going from garrison to garrison under the guise of performing his duties, he organised a secret league, which was joined by nearly all the colonels and a great number of superior officers. Their opposition to the First Consul was stimulated by accusations that he was aspiring to the crown--an idea which would appear not to have come into his head as yet. It was arranged that the garrison of Rennes, consisting of several regiments, should start the movement, which would then spread like a train of powder through all the divisions of the army. As it was necessary that in this garrison some one regiment should be the first to declare and carry the others with it, the 82nd of the line was summoned to Rennes. Colonel Pinoteau, its commander, an able man, active and brave, but somewhat excitable under a phlegmatic exterior, was a creature of Bernadotte's, and one of the most eager leaders of the conspiracy. He undertook to arrange that his regiment, in which he was very popular, should be the first to declare.

All was ready for the explosion when Bernadotte's resolution failed. He wished, like a true Gascon, to get his chestnuts out of the fire with a cat's paw. So he persuaded General Simon and the principal conspirators that it was indispensable for him, in order that he might be in a position to seize the reins of government on the spot, after conferring with Moreau and concerting plans on this important subject, to be in Paris at the moment when the deposition of the Consuls was proclaimed by the Army of Brittany. As a matter of fact Bernadotte wished, while reserving the power of profiting in the event of success, to avoid being compromised if the thing was a failure; and General Simon, no less than the other conspirators, was short-sighted enough not to see through the scheme. The day for the rising was therefore agreed upon, and he who had planned it and ought to have taken the lead was clever enough to get out of the way.

Before Bernadotte's departure for Paris, a proclamation was drawn up addressed to the people as well as to the army; many thousands of copies, got ready beforehand, were to be posted up on the eventful day. A bookseller of Rennes, to whom the secret of the conspirators had been imparted by General Simon and by Fourcart, undertook to print this proclamation himself. This was well to secure the prompt publication of it in Brittany. Bernadotte, however, desired to have a large number of copies of it in Paris, as it was important to publish it in the capital and throughout the provinces the moment that the Army of the West had raised the standard of revolt. There was, however, some danger in applying to a Paris printer; so Bernadotte, in order to have a number of the proclamations at hand without compromising himself, adopted the following course. He told my brother Adolphe (for whom he had just got a commission as lieutenant in the Legion of the Loire) 1 that he had his authority to accompany him to the capital, and that, as their stay there would be long, he advised him to bring his horse and dog-cart. My brother was delighted. He filled the 'boot' of his vehicle with luggage of all kinds, and entrusted the transport of it to his servant, who was to come by short stages, while Adolphe went off in the coach. As soon as my brother had started, General Simon and Major Fourcart stopped the servant on some pretence or other, opened the boot of the dog-cart, and took out the luggage, replacing it with parcels of the proclamation; then, having shut everything up again, they sent poor Joseph on his way, not dreaming what sort of luggage he was conveying.

Meanwhile the First Consul's police, which was just beginning to be well organised, had got wind of some plot going forward in the Army of Brittany, though they knew neither its objects nor the movers in it. The Minister of Police thought it his duty to warn the Prefect of Rennes, M. Mounier, who had been a famous orator in the Constituent Assembly. By an extraordinary chance the prefect received the despatch the very day the conspiracy was to break out at Rennes during parade. It was fixed for noon, and the time was now half-past eleven. M. Mounier, to whom the Minister had not been able to give any precise information, thought that in order to obtain it he could not do better in the absence of the commander-in-chief than apply to thee staff. He sent word, therefore, to General Simon, begging him to come to his house, and showed him the Minister's despatch. General Simon, believing that everything was discovered, lost his head like any child, and told the prefect that in fact there did exist a widespread conspiracy in the army, that unhappily he had taken part in it, but that he now regretted it. Then, if you please, he unfolds the whole plan of the conspirators, names their leaders, and adds that in a few moments the troops assembled on the drill-ground are at a signal given by Colonel Pinoteau about to proclaim the overthrow of the Consular Government. Imagine the astonishment of M. Mounier! His position was by no means an easy one in presence of the guilty general, who, though he had been at the first moment bewildered, might come back to his senses and recollect that he had 80,000 men under his orders, of whom 8,000 or 10,000 were at that moment massed not far from the prefecture. The position of M. Mounier was most critical. He got out of it cleverly.

General Virion, of the gendarmerie, had been charged by the Government with the formation at Rennes of a body of infantry gendarmes, towards which every regiment of the army had contributed some grenadiers. These soldiers, having no common bond of union, were consequently outside the influence of the colonels of the line, and recognised only the orders of their new chiefs, the officers of gendarmerie, who were themselves, according to the regulations, under the orders of the prefect. M. Mounier, therefore, sent instructions at once to General Virion, bidding him bring up all the gendarmes. Meanwhile, fearing lest General Simon should change his mind and should get away and put himself at the head of the troops, he coaxed him over with fair words, assuring him that his repentance and his confession would extenuate his fault in the eyes of the First Consul, and bade him surrender his sword and repair to the Tour Labat, escorted by the gendarmes, who at that moment arrived in the court. There, then, was the chief mover of the revolt in prison. While this was taking place at the prefecture, the troops of the line, massed on the drill-ground, were awaiting the hour of parade, which was also to be that of revolt. All the colonels were in the secret and had promised their assistance, except M. Godard of the 79th, and they hoped to see him follow the movement.

On what small things do the destinies of empires turn! Colonel Pinoteau, a thoroughly determined man, was to give the signal, and his regiment, the 82nd, already drawn up in line, was impatiently awaiting it; but Pinoteau, in combination with Fourcart, had been busy all the morning arranging for sending out the proclamations, and while thus preoccupied he had forgotten to shave himself. Noon struck. Colonel Pinoteau, on the point of starting for parade, perceived that his beard was not shaved, and hastened to do it; but while he was proceeding to this operation, General Virion, accompanied by a large number of gendarmerie officers, entered the room hurriedly, seized his sword, and, informing him that he was a prisoner, had him taken off to the tower where General Simon already was. A few minutes' delay and Colonel Pinoteau would have found himself at the head of 10,000 men, would certainly not have let himself be intimidated by the capture of General Simon, and would have accomplished his plan of revolt against the Consular Government; but he was surprised by General Virion, and what could he do? He had perforce to yield.

After making this second arrest, General Virion and the prefect despatched an aide-de-camp to the drill-ground, with orders to tell Colonel Godard of the 79th that they had a message from the First Consul to communicate to him at once. As soon as he joined them they told him of the discovery of the conspiracy, and of the arrests of General Simon and Colonel Pinoteau, and bade him unite with them to suppress the rebellion. Colonel Godard undertook the duty, returned to the drill-ground without letting anyone know what had just been imparted to him, gave his regiment the order to march on their right flank, and brought them to the Tour Labat, where he joined the gendarme battalions who were guarding it. There he found also General Virion and the prefect, who were causing cartridges to be distributed to the loyal troops, and they awaited the upshot of events.

Meanwhile, the officers of the regiments who were stationed on the drill-ground, astonished at the sudden departure of the 79th, and not able to conceive what was delaying Colonel Pinoteau, sent to his quarters, and learnt that he had just been taken to the tower. They were at the same time informed of the arrest of General Simon. The sensation was great. The officers of the various regiments held a consultation; Major Fourcart proposed to march at once and release the two prisoners, and afterwards to carry out the movement agreed on. The proposal was received with acclamation, especially by the 82nd, who adored Pinoteau. They hastened to the Tour Labat, but found it surrounded by 4,000 gendarmes and the battalions of the 79th. The assailants were no doubt more in number, but they had no cartridges, and even if they had had any, it would have been distasteful to many of them to fire on their comrades for the sake of merely bringing about a change of persons in the established Government. General Virion and the prefect harangued them, bidding them return to their duty. The soldiers wavered, and the leaders, seeing this, did not venture to give the signal for an attack with the bayonet, the only available means of action. The regiments fell out gradually and retired to their barracks. Major Fourcart remained alone, and was taken to the tower; the poor printer also.

On learning that the insurrection at Rennes had been abortive, all the officers in the other regiments of the Army of Italy disavowed it; but the First Consul was not taken in by their protestations. He hurried on their embarkation for San Domingo, where nearly all came to their end either in battle or through the yellow fever.

Immediately on hearing General Simon's confession, although victory was not yet secure, M. Mounier had sent off an express messenger to the Government, and the First Consul debated whether he should have Bernadotte and Moreau arrested. We postponed this step for want of evidence, but in order to get it he gave orders that all travellers coming from Italy should be searched. While this was going on, the worthy Joseph arrived tranquilly at Versailles in my brother's dog-cart, and great was his surprise when he found himself collared by the gendarmes, and in spite of his protestations taken off to the Ministry of Police. You may suppose that on learning that the carriage which this man had brought belonged to one of Bernadotte's aides-de-camp, Fouche very soon had the boot opened. He found it full of proclamations, in which Bernadotte and Moreau, after speaking of the First Consul in very strong terms, announced his fall and their own accession to power. Bonaparte was furious, and sent for the two generals. Moreau said that he had no authority over the Army of the West, and declined all responsibility for the conduct of the regiments composing it. This objection, it must be admitted, had some force; but it made Bernadotte's position all the worse, since he, as commander-in-chief over all the troops in Brittany, was responsible for the maintenance of good order among them. Nevertheless, not only had his army conspired, but his chief of the staff was the manager of the undertaking, the rebel proclamations were signed 'Bernadotte,' and more than a thousand copies had just been seized in the carriage of his aide-de-camp. The First Consul thought that such clear evidence would crush and overwhelm Bernadotte; but he had to do with a trebly-dyed Gascon as cunning as any three. Bernadotte professed surprise and indignation; 'he knew nothing of it, absolutely nothing. General Simon was a scoundrel, and Pinoteau another. He defied anyone to show him the original of the proclamation signed in his own hand. Was it any fault of his if some crazy fools had had his name printed beneath a proclamation? He disavowed it and the guilty authors of all these proceedings from the bottom of his soul, and yielded to no one in demanding their punishment.'

In point of fact Bernadotte had been clever enough to let General Simon conduct the whole business without putting into his hands a single word of writing which might compromise himself; thus reserving to himself the power of denying everything in the event of the conspiracy failing and General Simon accusing him of having had a share in it. The First Consul, though convinced of Bernadotte's guilt, had only half-proofs, and upon these his council of Ministers judged that it was impossible to base an indictment against a commander-in-chief whose name was very popular in the country and in the army. In the case of my brother Adolphe they were less particular. One fine night he was arrested in my mother's house, at a moment when she was already overwhelmed with grief. Her eldest brother, M. de Canrobert, who had been living quietly with her, had been imprisoned in the Temple upon a charge brought by some police agents of having been present at meetings held with a view of reestablishing the old Government. My mother was busied in taking all possible steps to prove his innocence when another and more terrible disaster befell her.

My two young brothers were being educated at the Prytanée Français. This establishment owned a large park and a country house at the village of Vanves, not far from the bank of the Seine, and during the summer the pupils used to go there for a few days' holiday. Those who had behaved well were allowed to bathe in the river. Now it happened that one week, on account of some schoolboy misdemeanour the principal had issued a general prohibition of bathing. My brother Theodore was passionately fond of this sport, so he and some others of his schoolfellows decided to enjoy it without the knowledge of their tutors. Accordingly while the pupils were playing about the park they climbed the wall at an out-of-the-way spot, and ran off towards the Seine. The day was very hot, and they were streaming with perspiration when they leapt into the stream. Hardly were they in the water when they heard the drum beat for dinner. Fearing that their absence from the dining room would reveal their escapade, they dressed in all haste, ran back, climbed the wall again, and arrived panting just as dinner was beginning. In these circumstances they would have done well to eat little or nothing; but schoolboys do not think of such things. They made a hearty meal as usual, and were all taken seriously ill--Theodore worst of all. He was seized with violent inflammation, and carried to his mother's house in a hopeless state, and it was while she was going from the bedside of her dying son to the prison of her brother that they arrested her eldest son. As a final stroke of disaster, poor Theodore died. He was eighteen years old, an excellent lad, his disposition as gentle as his frame was fine. I was deeply grieved to hear of his death, for I loved him dearly. The disasters which fell in succession on my mother led those who had been my father's truest friends to take all the more interest in her. First among these was the kind M. Defermon, who was working almost every day with the First Consul, and never lost an opportunity of interceding for Adolphe, and more especially for his mother in her trouble. Finally, Bonaparte replied one day that though he had no very high opinion of Bernadotte's good sense he did not believe him to be so devoid of judgment as to take a lieutenant twenty-one years old into his confidence when conspiring against the Government. Moreover, General Simon had declared that it was he and Major Fourcart who had put the proclamations into the boot of young Marbot's dog-cart. Consequently, if he were to blame he could not be very seriously so, but that he did not intend to release Bernadotte's aide-de-camp until Bernadotte came in person to request it.

On learning Bonaparte's resolve my mother hastened to Bernadotte to entreat him to comply with this condition. He promised faithfully to do so, but days and weeks went by and he did nothing. Finally, he said to my mother, 'It will cost me a great deal to do what you ask, but no matter: I owe thus much to the memory of your husband, and to the interest which I feel towards your children. I will go this very evening to the First Consul, and call upon you when I leave the Tuileries. I feel certain that I shall at last be able to announce to you the release of your son.' It may be imagined with what impatience my mother waited during this long day, her heart beating at the sound of every carriage. At last eleven o'clock struck. No Bernadotte appeared. My mother went to his house and learnt that Bernadotte and his wife had just started for Plombières, and were not expected back for two months. For all his promise, Bernadotte had left Paris without seeing the First Consul! My mother, in despair, wrote to General Bonaparte. M. Defermon undertook to deliver the letter; and in his indignation at Bernadotte's conduct he could not refrain from recounting his behaviour towards us. Bonaparte exclaimed, 'Bernadotte all over!'

M. Defermon and Generals Montier, Lefebvre, and Murat pressed strongly for my brother's release, pointing out that if he had known nothing of the conspiracy it was unjust to keep him in prison, while if he had had any knowledge of it he could not be required to inform against Bernadotte, whose aide-de-camp he was. The First Consul was struck by these arguments, restored my brother to liberty, and sent him to join the 49th Regiment at Cherbourg, not choosing that he should be Bernadotte's aide-de-camp any longer; but probably, with the mnemonic system peculiar to himself he entered in his head the words, 'Marbot, aide-de-camp to Bernadotte--Rennes conspiracy.' Anyhow, my brother never got back into favour with him, and some time later he was sent to Pondicherry.

Adolphe had passed a month in prison; Major Fourcart remained there a year, was cashiered, and ordered to leave France. He took refuge in Holland, where he lived for thirty years in a state of penury, reduced to giving lessons in French. Ultimately, in 1832, he thought of returning to his country, and one day during the siege of Antwerp I saw a kind of threadbare old schoolmaster enter my room, whom I recognised for Fourcart. He confessed that he had not a sixpence. While offering to help him I could not refrain from philosophic reflections on the strange ways of fortune. There was a man who in 1802 was already a major, and whom his courage combined with his ability would certainly have advanced to the rank of general if it had not occurred to Colonel Pinoteau to shave himself at the moment when the conspiracy of Rennes was on the point of breaking out! I brought Fourcart to Marshal Gérard, who also remembered him; we introduced him to the Duke of Orleans, who was good enough to give him a post in his library, with a salary of 2,400 francs. He lived fifteen years there.

As for General Simon and Colonel Pinoteau, they were sent to the island of Ré and confined there five or six years, until Bonaparte, on becoming emperor, set them free. Pinoteau vegetated a little time at Ruffec, his native town, until the Emperor, on his way to Spain in 1808, halted there to change horses. Colonel Pinoteau presented himself without flinching, and demanded to re-enter the service. The Emperor, knowing that he was an excellent officer, put him in command of a regiment. The admirable way in which he led this during the Spanish war earned him, after several campaigns, the rank of major-general.

General Simon also was restored to the service. He commanded a brigade of infantry in Masséna's army when we invaded Portugal in 1810. At the battle of Busaco, when Masséna made the blunder of delivering a front attack on Lord Wellington's army, posted on a height very difficult of access, poor General Simon, wishing to wipe out his fault and recover the time which he had lost to his promotion, dashed forward bravely at the head of his brigade, cleared all the obstacles, climbed the rocks under a hail of bullets, broke the English line, and was the first to enter the enemy's entrenchments. There, however, a shot fired point-blank smashed his jaw, just at the moment when the English second line repulsed our troops, who were hurled back into the valley with considerable loss. The unfortunate general was found lying in the redoubt among the dead and dying, with scarcely a human feature left. Wellington treated him with much kindness, and, as soon as he was fit to be moved, sent him as a prisoner of war to England. Later on he was allowed to return to France, but his horrible wound did not permit him to serve again. The Emperor gave him a pension, and nothing more was heard of him.