Napoleonic Literature
Memoirs of Constant - Vol. I
Chapter X
Influence of the journey to Normandy on the mind of the First Consul— The evolution of the Empire— Memories and history— First ladies and first officers of Madame Bonaparte— Mesdames de Rémusat, de Cramayel, de Luçay, de Lauriston— Mademoiselle d’Arberg and Mademoiselle de Luçay— Prudence at court— MM. de Rémusat, de Cramayel, de Luçay, Didelot— The palace refused, then accepted— Bawbles— The servitors of Marie-Antoinette better treated under the Consulate than since the Restoration— Fire at Saint-Cloud— The watch chamber— The bourgeois bed— How the First Consul went down to his wife's room at night— Duty and conjugal triumph— Excessive severity toward a young woman— Weapons of honor and the troopers— The baptism of blood— The First Consul following the plough— Laborers and councillors of state— The Republican grenadier becomes a laborer— Audience of the First Consul— The author introduced into the General's cabinet— A good reception and a curious conversation.

THE journey of the First Consul in the richest and most enlightened departments of France must have banished from his mind many of the difficulties he might at first have dreaded to encounter in the execution of his schemes. Everywhere he had been received like a monarch; and not he alone, but Madame Bonaparte had been welcomed with all the honors usually reserved for crowned heads. There was not the slightest difference between the homage paid them then, and that with which they were afterward surrounded even under the Empire, when Their Majesties made journeys through their dominions at different epochs. This is why I have entered into some details concerning this one; if they appear too long, or too devoid of novelty to some readers, I beg them to remember that I am not writing merely for those who have seen the Empire. The generation which was a witness of so many great things and which was able to see close at hand, and from his beginnings, the greatest man of this century, is already giving place to other generations which cannot and could not judge except on the testimony of that which preceded them. What is familiar to this person, who has examined it with his own eyes, is not so for others who need to have somebody relate to them what they could not have seen. Moreover, details neglected as futile and common by history, which makes a profession of gravity, are perfectly suitable to simple souvenirs, and sometimes enable one to understand and judge an epoch well. It seems to me, for example, that the cordiality of the whole population and of the authorities toward the First Consul and Madame Bonaparte during their journey in Normandy, sufficiently shows that the chief of the State would not have to fear a very great opposition, at least on the part of the nation, when it should please him to change his title and proclaim himself Emperor.

Not long after our return, a decision of the consuls accorded to Madame Bonaparte four ladies to assist her in doing the honors of the palace. They were Mesdames de Rémusat, de Tallouet, de Luçay, and de Lauriston. Under the Empire they became ladies of the palace. Madame de Luçay often occasioned a laugh among the servants by little traits of parsimony; but she was good and obliging. Madame de Rémusat was a woman of the greatest merit, and very sensible. She seemed a trifle haughty, and that was the more noticed because M. de Rémusat was full of good-nature.

In the sequel, there was a lady of honor, Madame de la Rochefoucauld, of whom I shall have occasion to speak later;

A lady of the bed-chamber, Madame de Luçay, who was replaced by Madame de la Villette, so gloriously known afterwards by her devotion to her husband;

Twenty-four ladies of the palace, Frenchwomen, among them Mesdames de Rémusat, de Tallouet, de Lauliston, Ney, d'Arberg, Louise d'Arberg, after-ward the Countess de Lobau, de Walsh-Sérent, de Colbert, Lannes, Savary, de Turenne, Octave de Ségur, de Montalivet, de Marescot, de Bouillé, Solar, Lascaris, de Brignolé, de Canisy, de Chevreuse, Victor de Mortemart, de Montmorency, Matignon, and Maret;

Twelve ladies of the palace, Italians;

These ladies were on duty every month, so that one Italian and two Frenchwomen were always together. The Emperor would not, at first, have misses among the ladies of the palace, but he relaxed this regulation for Mademoiselle Louise d'Arberg, since Madame the Countess de Lobau, and Mademoiselle de Luçay, who married Count Philippe de S?gur, author of the fine history of the Russian campaign. These two young ladies proved by their prudent and reserved conduct that it is possible to be discreet, even at court;

Four ladies d'annonce, Mesdames Soustras, Ducrest-Villeneuve, Félicité Longroy, and Eglé Marchery;

Two chief lady's-maids, Mesdames Roy and Marco de Saint-Hilaire, who had under their charge the grand wardrobe and the jewel cases;

Four ordinary lady's-maids;

A reader.

In men, the personnel of the household of Her Majesty the Empress was composed in the sequel of:

A first equerry, Senator Harville, fulfilling the functions of chevalier of honor;

A first chamberlain, General of division Nansouty;

A second chamberlain, introducer of ambassadors, M. de Beaumont;

Four ordinary chamberlains, MM. de Courtomer, Degrave, Galard de Béarn, Hector d'Aubusson de La Feuillade;

Four chief equerries, MM. Corbineau, Berckeim, d'Audenarde, and Fouler;

A major-domo-general of Her Majesty's household, M. Hinguerlot;

A private secretary, M. Deschamps;

Two chief valets de chambre, MM. Frère and Douville;

Four ordinary valets de chambre;

Four ushers of the chamber;

Two chief footmen, MM. Lespérance and d'Argens;

Six ordinary footmen;

The kitchen and sanitary officers were those of the Emperor's household. In addition, six of the Emper-or's pages were always on duty near the Empress.

The first chaplain was M. Ferdinand de Rohan, former Archbishop of Cambray.

Another decision of the same epoch settled the functions of the prefects of the palace. The four first prefects of the consular palace were MM. de Rémusat, de Cramayel appointed later as introducer of ambassadors and master of ceremonies; de Luçay, and Didelot, since prefect of Cher.

Malmaison no longer sufficed for the First Consul, whose household, like that of Madame Bonaparte, daily became more numerous. A more extensive dwelling had become necessary, and the First Consul decided on Saint-Cloud.

The inhabitants of Saint-Cloud had addressed a petition to the legislative body, asking the First Consul to be so good as to make their chateau his summer residence, and the Assembly had hastened to transmit it to the First Consul, supporting it, even, by its own entreaties, and by comparisons which it believed flattering. The General formally refused, saying that when he should have acquitted himself of the functions with which the people had charged him, he would consider himself honored by a recompense awarded by the people; but so long as he should be chief of the government, he would never accept anything. In spite of the determined tone of this response, the inhabitants of Saint-Cloud, who had the greatest interest in having their request granted, renewed it when the First Consul was appointed consul for life, and this time he consented to accept it. The expenses for repairing and furnishing it were immense, greatly surpassing the estimates, and yet he was dissatisfied with the furniture and adornments. He complained to M. Charvet, concierge of Malmaison, whom he had appointed concierge of this new palace, and whom he had directed to supervise the distribution of the rooms and to look after the furnishing, that the apartments prepared for him were like those of a kept woman; that there was nothing in them but bawbles, and knick-knacks, and nothing of importance. On this occasion he again gave a proof of his eagerness to do what was right, without disturbing himself about prejudices which still had much weight. Knowing that there were at Saint-Cloud a great number of the former servitors of Queen Marie-Antoinette, he told M. Charvet to offer them either their former places or pensions; the greater number resumed their places. In 1814 people were much less generous. All the employees were sent off, even those who had served Marie-Antoinette.

The First Consul had not been long installed in Saint-Cloud when this château, once more become a sovereign residence, was very nearly a prey to flames. There was a guard-house under the vestibule of the centre of the palace. One night when the soldiers had made too much fire, the stove became so hot that an armchair which was shoved against one of the hot-air holes which warmed the salon took fire, and the flame promptly communicated itself to all the furniture. The officer of the post noticing it immediately notified the concierge, and they ran to the room of General Duroc, whom they awakened. The General rose in all haste, and recommending perfect silence, they organized a chain. He got into the reservoir himself, together with the concierge, to pass the buckets of water to the soldiers, and in two or three hours the fire, which had already devoured all the furniture, was extinct. It was not until the next morning that the First Consul, Josephine, Hortense, in a word, all the inhabitants of the château, were apprised of this accident, and they all testified, the First Consul especially, their gratitude for the care that had been taken not to awaken them. To prevent such accidents, or at least to render them less dangerous in future, the First Consul organized a night guard at Saint-Cloud, and, in the sequel, in all his residences. This guard was called the watch chamber.

In the early days of the First Consul's residence in the palace of Saint-Cloud, he slept in the same bed with his wife. Etiquette supervened later on, and in this respect somewhat chilled conjugal tenderness. In effect, the First Consul ended by occupying an apartment rather remote from that of Madame Bonaparte. To go to her he had to pass through a long servants' corridor. The ladies of the palace, the serving women, etc., had rooms on either side of it. When the First Consul wished to pass the night with his wife, he undressed in his own room, whence he issued in a dressing-gown and a bandana handkerchief around his head. I walked in front of him, carrying a flambeau. At the end of this corridor was a staircase of fifteen or sixteen steps which led to Madame Bonaparte's apartment. It was a great joy for her to receive a visit from her husband; the whole house heard of it the next day. I see her still saying to every newcomer, and rubbing her little hands: "I got up late to-day, but you see it is because Bonaparte came to spend the night with me." On that day she would be still more amiable than usual; she repelled nobody, and we could obtain whatever we wanted. For my part, I have often tried the experiment.

One evening when I was conducting the First Consul to one of these conjugal visits, we perceived in the corridor a very well-dressed young man who was coming out of the room of one of Madame Bonaparte's women. He tried to slip away, but the First Consul cried out in a loud voice: "Who is there? where are you going? what are you doing? what is your game?" It was simply one of Madame Bonaparte's valets. Stupefied by these hasty interrogations, he replied in a frightened voice that he had been executing a commission for Madame Bonaparte. "All right," returned the First Consul, "but don't let me find you here again." Persuaded that the gallant would profit by the lesson, the General did not seek to learn his name or that of his fair friend.

That reminds me that he was much more severe in regard to another lady's-maid of Madame Bonaparte. She was young and very pretty, and inspired very tender sentiments in two aides-de-camp, MM. R—— and E——. They sighed incessantly at her door, and sent her flowers and billets doux. The young girl — at least such was the general opinion of the household — gave them nothing in return. Josephine liked her very much, and yet the First Consul, having noticed the gallantries of these gentlemen, displayed great anger, and had the poor young woman sent away, in spite of her tears and the entreaties of Madame Bonaparte and those of the brave and good Colonel R—— who naïvely swore that the fault was all on his side, that the poor little thing deserved nothing but praise, and had never listened to him. All was unavailing against the resolution of the First Consul, who replied to everything by saying: "I will have no disorders, no scandals in my house."

 Whenever the First Consul made a distribution of  weapons of honor, there was a banquet at the Tuileries, to which all were admitted indiscriminately, no matter what their grades might be, who had shared in these rewards. There were sometimes two hundred guests at these dinners, which were served in the grand gallery of the château. General Duroc was master of ceremonies, and the First Consul was careful to recommend him to intermingle common soldiers, colonels, generals, etc. It was the former especially that he ordered the domestics to take good care of, and give them plenty to eat and drink. These were the longest repasts that I ever saw given by the Emperor; here he showed a perfect amiability and unconstraint; he made every effort to put his guests at their ease; but with a good many of them he had trouble in doing so. Nothing was funnier than to see these honest troopers holding themselves two feet away from the table, not daring to approach either their napkin or their bread; red to their ears, and their necks stretched towards their general, as if to receive the countersign. The First Consul would make them relate the lofty deed which had earned them the national reward, and sometimes shouted with laughter at their singular narrations. He persuaded them to make a good meal, and sometimes drank to their health; but with some, his encouragements failed to overcome their timidity, and the footmen would take away their plates one after another, without their having touched them. This constraint did not prevent them from being full of joy and enthusiasm on quitting the table. "Au revoir, my heroes," the First Consul would say to them, "baptize those new-born babies for me as soon as possible" (pointing with his finger at their sabres of honor). God knows that they did not fail to do so when the opportunity came.

This kindliness of the First Consul toward common soldiers reminds me of an anecdote that happened at Malmaison, and which gives another reply to those accusations of pride and severity that have been made against him.

The First Consul went out very early one morning, dressed in his gray overcoat, and accompanied by General Duroc, to walk in the direction of the machinery of Marly. As they were walking and talking, they saw a laborer who was tracing a furrow and coming towards them. “Say, my good fellow,” said the First Consul, stopping, "your furrow is not straight; don't you know your trade?" "At any rate, you can't teach it to me, my fine gentleman; you would find it very hard work to do as well." —"Nonsense!" “You think so? well, try it," replied the honest man, ceding his place to the First Consul. The latter took the handle of the plough, and, urging on the horses, wanted to commence the lesson; but he did not make a single step in a straight line, so awkwardly did he take hold. "Come, come," said the peasant, laying his hand on that of the General to take back his plough, "your work is good for nothing; every one to his trade; you go and take a walk, that is your business." But the First Consul did not continue his walk without paying for the lesson in morals he had just received from the laborer. General Duroc gave him two or three louis to reimburse him for the loss of time they had caused him. The peasant, astonished by this generosity, left his plough to go and tell his adventure, and on the road met a woman to whom he said that he certainly thought he had met two big gentlemen (gros messieurs), to judge of them by what he still had in his hand. The farmer's wife, better advised, asked him how the two promenaders were dressed, and from his description divined that it was the First Consul and one of his friends. The good man was dumfounded for a time, but the next day he took a fine resolution, and having arrayed himself in his best clothes, he presented himself at Malmaison, and asked to speak to the First Consul to thank him, as he said, for the fine present he had made him the day before. I went to inform the First Consul of this visit, and he ordered me to introduce the laborer. 1 The latter, while I was absent on this errand, had, to use his own expression, taken his courage in both hands to prepare himself for this great interview. I found him standing in the middle of the antechamber (for he had not dared to sit down on the benches, which, although of the simplest, appeared to him magnificent), dreaming of what he was going to say to the First Consul to show his gratitude. I marched before him, he following, putting his feet down on the carpet with the utmost precaution, and, when I opened the door of the cabinet for him, politely urging me to go in first. When the First Consul had nothing secret to say or dictate, he was willing enough to leave the door of his cabinet open. This time he made me a sign not to close it, so that I could see and hear all that passed.

The honest laborer commenced, on entering the cabinet, by saluting the back of M. de Bourrienne, who could not see him, occupied as he was in writing at a little table placed in the embrasure of the window. The First Consul looked at him making his salutes, threw himself back in his armchair, one of whose arms he was, as usual, tormenting with a penknife. At last, however, he began to speak in this fashion:

"Well, my good fellow" (the peasant turned round, recognized him and saluted again), "well," pursued the First Consul, “has the harvest been good this year?"

"But, saving your presence, Citizen my General, it has not been so bad as all that."

"To make the earth bring forth," resumed the First Consul, “it must be dug up, isn't that so? Fine gentlemen are good for nothing at that work."

“Without offence to you, General, the hands of the bourgeois are too soft to manage a plough. It needs a solid fist to move those tools."

"That's true," responded the First Consul, smiling. "But big and strong as you are, you ought to be able to handle something besides a plough. A good musket, for example, or else the hilt of a fine sabre."

The laborer drew himself up with an air of pride: "General, in my time I have done like the others. I had been married five years when those b—— of Prussians (pardon, General) entered Landrecies. The requisition came; they gave me a musket and a cartridge-box at the town house, and march! Ah well, we were not equipped like those big fellows I saw just now on entering the court."

He meant the grenadiers of the consular guard.

"Why did you quit the service?" continued the First Consul, who seemed to take great interest in this conversation.

"Faith, General, every one in his turn. There are sabre thrusts enough for all. One hit me here" (the worthy laborer stooped and showed his head, pushing aside the hair), "and after several weeks in the hospital, they gave me leave to return to my wife and my plough."

"Have you any children?"

"I have three, General; two boys and a girl."

"You must make a soldier of your oldest boy. If he behaves himself well, I will take charge of him. Adieu, my good fellow; when you have need of me come back to see me." Thereupon the First Consul rose, asked M. de Bourrienne for some louis, which he added to those the laborer had already received from him, and ordered me to take him away. We were already in the antechamber, when the First Consul called the laborer back to say:

"Were you at Fleurus?"

"Yes, General."

"Could you tell me the name of your general-in-chief ?"

"Well, I should think so! It was General Jourdan."

“Good; au revoir." And I led the old soldier of the Republic away, enchanted with his reception.


1. The author of the Memorial cites an anecdote of the Emperor at Saint-Helena, similar to that I am relating here. His Majesty professed the highest esteem for the cultivators of the soil, and took pleasure in consulting them even on matters foreign to their occupations, but on which their good sense and experience might suggest to them a sound opinion. He used to say that he made known to the peasants the difficulties of his Council of State, and communicated to the Council of State the observations of the peasant.  Return to paragraph text.
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