A WHOLE LENGTH PORTRAIT

OF

NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE, Emperor and King.

Taken from the Life at Bayonne, by Don Pedro Cevallos; and published cum privilegio ;.

Or, An

Exposition of the Practices and Machinations, which led to the Usurpation of the Crown of Spain, and to the Means adopted by Buonaparte to carry it into Execution; by Don Pedro Cevallos, First Secretary of State and Dispatches to his Catholic Majesty, Ferdinand VII. At a period when the nation has made and continues to make the most heroic efforts to shake off the yoke of slavery attempted to be imposed upon it, it is the duty of all good citizens to contribute, by every means in their power, to enlighten it with respect to the real causes that have brought it into its present situation, and to keep up the noble spirit by which it is animated.

To make known to Spain and the whole world the base means resorted to by the emperor of the French to seize the person of our king, Ferdinand VII. and to subjugate this great and generous nation, is a duty well worthy of one who, like

myself, is in a condition to discharge it; inasmuch as circumstances placed me in a situation to be an eye-witness of the events which preceded the catastrophe of Bayonne, and in which I bore a part. It was not in my power to do this before, in consequence of personal restraint, and from not having collected the documents necessary to accredit my statement. Some are still wanting, which it was necessary to burn, in consequence of dangerous circumstances, in which every thing was to be feared; others have disappeared through the various incidents connected with that unhappy period; but those which I now present are sufficient to prove the atrocious violence committed against our beloved king Ferdinand VII. and the whole nation.

Though the conduct of Spain towards France since the peace of Basle (a very interesting portion of its political history in these latter times,) is intimately connected with the important events which form the subject of this Exposition, it is not necessary to dwell even upon its principal periods. It will be sufficient to state, what the whole nation and all Europe know, that the political system of Spain has constantly been, during this time, to preserve friendship and the best understanding with France, and to maintain, at all hazards, the ruinous alliance concluded in 1796.

To attain this end, there is no sacrifice which Spain has not made; and as the preservation of the prince of Peace in the high degree of favour he enjoyed with Charles IV. depended in a great measure upon the continuance of this system, it was maintained with the greatest constancy and indefatigable attention. Fleets, armies, treasure, everything was sacrificed to France; humiliations, submissions, everything was suffered, everything was done to satisfy, as far as possible, the insatiable demands of the French government; but the

idea never once occurred of preserving the nation against the machinations of an ally, who was overrunning Europe."

'The treaty of Tilsit, in which the destiny of the world seemed to be decided in his favour, was' hardly concluded, when he turned his eyes towards the West, and resolved on the ruin of Por tugal and Spain; or what comes to the same pur pose, to make himself master of this vast peninsula, with a view of making its inhabitants as and the League of the Rhine. happy as those of Italy, Holland, Switzerland,

At this very time the emperor was revolving in his mind some designs fatal to Spain (for he began to disarm her), by demanding a respectable body of our troops to exert their valour in remote regions, and for foreign interests. This he effected without difficulty, and there was placed at his disposal a gallant and picked force of 16,000 men of all descriptions.

The enterprize of making himself master of Spain was not so easy as Napoleon imagined. It was, above all, necessary to find out some pretext plan of subjugating a friendly and allied nation, for carrying into execution the daring and gigantic that had made so many sacrifices for France, and which this very emperor had praised for his fidelity and nobleness of character.

that disregard to delicacy in the choice of his Nevertheless, being accustomed to act with

imagines that the conquest of the whole world, the destruction of the human species, and the havoc of war are conducive to true glory, he resolved to excite and foment discord in the royal family of Spain, through his ambassador at this court.

means, which is characteristic of the man who

The latter, though perhaps not iniated in the grand secret of his master, succeeded in seducing the prince of Asturias, our present king and màster, and suggested to him the idea of intermarrying with a princess related to the emperor. The affliction which his highness laboured under from a conjunction of circumstances, as lamentable as notorious, and his anxiety to avoid another connection into which it was attempted to force him, with a lady selected for him by his greatest enemy, and on that account alone the object of his aversion, induced him to acquiesce in the suggestions it was to meet the approbation of his august par of the ambassador; but with the stipulation that, rents, and under the impression that it would strengthen the friendship and alliance then subsisting between the two crowns. His highness, actuated by motives so cogent in a political point of view, and yielding to the solicitations of the ambassader, wrote accordingly to his imperial majesty.

A few days after our beloved prince wrote this letter, occurred the scandalous imprisonment of his august person in the royal monastery of St. Lau

rence, and the still more scandalous decree which was issued in the name of the king, and addressed to the council of Castile. There are very strong reasons to believe, that the unknown hand that frustrated this feigned conspiracy was some French agent employed to forward the plan which Napo

leon had formed.

Fortunately the Spanish nation was deeply im pressed with its situation, entertained a just opi

nion of the good disposition and religious principles of their prince of the Asturias, and suspected instantaneously that the whole was a calumny fabricated by the favourite, as absurd as it was audacious, in order to remove the only obstacle which then opposed his views.

It is already known, that on the imprisonment of the prince of Asturias, his royal father wrote to the emperor (no doubt, at the suggestion of the favourite), complaining of the conduct of the ambassador Beauharnois, in his clandestine communications with the prince of Asturias, and expressing his surprise that the emperor had not come to a previous understanding with his majesty on a subject of such pre-eminent importance to sovereigns.

As the imprisonment of the prince of Asturias, and above all, the most scandalous decree fulminated against his royal person, produced an effect completely contrary to the expectations of the favourite, he began to be afraid, thought proper to recede, and to mediate a reconciliation between the royal parents and their son. With this view, as is stated in the Abstract of the Escurial Cause, circulated by the council in consequence of his majesty's orders of the 8th April, he forged certain letters, and made the prince of Asturias sign them while a prisoner, which being delivered into the hands of the royal parents, were supposed to have softened their hearts; and by these singular means did this innocent prince obtain a nominal liberty.

This was the state of affairs when a French cburier arrived at the royal palace of St. Laurence, with a treaty concluded and signed at Fontainbicau on the 27th of October, by Don Eugenio Izquierdo, as plenipotentiary of his catholic majesty, and marshal Duroc, in the name of the einperor of the French. Its contents, as well as those of the separate convention, constitute Nos. 1, 2, of the documents annexed to this Exposition. It is worthy of observation, that the department of the ministry, of which I was at the head, was totally unacquainted with the measures taken by Don E. Ezquierdo, at Paris, as well as with his appointment, his instructions, his correspondence, and every part of his proceedings..

The result of this treaty was to render the emperor master of Portugal with very little expence; to furnish him with a plausible pretext for introducing his armies into our peninsula, with the intent of subjugating it at a proper opportunity, and to put him in immediate possessionof Tuscany. The favourite was to have for his portion the Algarves and Alantejo, in full property and sovereignty: but the emperor's answer to the let ters of the royal father had not yet arrived; it was completely uncertain what it would be, and this filled him with fear and anxiety.

The intimate relations which the favourite maintained at that period with the grand duke of Berg, though the medium of his confidant Izquierdo, flattered him to a certain degree with the hope that everything would be settled to his wishes, though the interposition of a few millions might be necessary. But neither the favourite nor his confidant knew the real intentions of the person they were treating with at Paris. In fact, the instant the emperor found that the favourite had committed himself, and the royal parents were brought into discredit, he shewed no dis

position to answer his majesty's letters, for the purpose of keeping them in suspense, and inspir ing them with dread, in the hope that they might form the resolution of withdrawing, though at that time he had not completed his plan for taking an advantage of such an occurrence.

The grand duke wrote to the favourite, that he would employ every means to support him; but that the negociation was rendered very delicate, owing to the extraordinary attachment which prevailed in Spain towards the prince of Asturias, and, the consideration due towards a princess who was cousin to the empress, and in consequence of the part the ambassador Beauharnois, her relative, took in the business. (1).

Now it was that the favourite began clearly to discover how much his credit had sunk, and he gave himself up for lost, in consequence of being deprived of the support of his imaginary protector: the emperor of the French. There were no means now neglected by him to endeavour to ingratiates himself with the grand duke of Berg; every sort of expression, every kind of deference was em ployed for this purpose; and the more effectually to avert the impending storm, he prevailed on the royal parents to write to the emperor direct, and to request his consent to the marriage of one of his cousins to the prince of Asturias.

Meanwhile the emperor of the French appeared to be very much dissatisfied with the conduct of Izquierdo, and kept him at a distance, in order to cut off this direct mode of communication, and to make himself more impenetrable.

His imperial majesty set off on a journey to Italy, with that studied parade which all Europe has wit nessed, giving it such an air of importance, that it was to be presumed he was going to fix the destinies of the world. But there is reason to surmise, that his real object was no other than to divert the general attention to that quarter, for the purpose": of misleading the other states, whilst his real de signs were directed to the invasion of Portugal and Spain.

This artifice and dissimulation did not, however, prevent the discovery of one of the articles in the secret treaty of Fontainbleau, by his expelling, with the greatest precipitation, from Tuscany, the queen regent and her children, and plundering the royal palace, and seizing all the public funds of a court that was ignorant of the existence of such a treaty, and had committed no act of forfeiture.

Whilst the emperor kept Europe in suspense by: his journey to Milan and Venice, he thought fit to answer the letters, which he had some time before received from the royal father, assuring his majesty, that he never had the slightest informa tion of the circumstances which he communicated respecting his son the prince of Asturias, nor ever received any letter from his royal highness. (2).

(1) All this appears from the correspondence of the favourite with the grand duke, which the lat Ler carried off from the office of the secretary of state, during his lieutenancy,

(2) Compare this statement, with the contents of the letter (No. 3) from his imperiul majesty to king Ferdinand, in which he acknowledges having received the letter written to him by the prince of Asturias, on the suggestion of ambassan dor Beauharnois.

Nevertheless his majesty consented to the propesed intermarriage with a princess of his family, undoubtedly with; an intention of amusing the royal parents; whilst he was sending into Spain, under various pretexts, all the troops which he had then disposable, and was studiously propagat ing an idea that he was favourable to the cause of the prince of Asturias, and thus endeavouring to captivate the good opinion of the Spanish nation. -The royal parent, struck with the terror which this conduct of the emperor naturally inspired, and the favourite being still more astonished, opposed no obstacle to the entrance of the French troops into the peninsula; on the contrary, they gave the most effectual orders that they should be received and treated even on a better footing than the Spanish troops.

The emperor, under the pretence of consulting the security of these troops, ordered his generals, by stratagem or force to get possession of the fortresses of Pampeluna, St. Sebastian, Figuieras, and · Barcelona, which alone could present any obstacle to an invasion. They were accordingly taken by fraud and surprize, to the indignation and sorrow of the whole nation, to which the French still affected to profess friendship and ailiance.

The emperor, conceiving himself already master of all Spain, and thinking the time had arrived for accelerating his measures, thought proper to write a letter to the royal father, complaining in the bitterest terms, that his majesty had not renewed his application for an imperial princess for his son the prince of Asturias. The king was pleased to return for answer, that he adhered to his former proposal, and was willing that the marriage should immediately take place.

Some important proceeding was still necessary to carry the project to a proper degree of maturity; and the emperor, not willing to trust it to writing, thought he could not find a better instrument than Don Eugenio Izquierdo, whom he had detained in Paris in a state of great dejection and terror, that had been artfully impressed upon him for the purpose of his more effectually executing his commission, by impressing the royal parents and the favourite with the same feelings.

In his state of things, the emperor ordered Iz quierdo to repair to Spain, which he accordingly did, in a very precipitate and mysterious manner. According to his verbal statements, he brought nó proposal in writing with him, nor was he to receive any, and he had orders to remain only three days.

abroad of the intention of the royal family to aban don their residence (a resolution clearly indicated by the many preparations which were going on), when discontent and fear were depicted in the most lively colours in the features of all the inha bitants of the capital, and of all ranks and classes: of persons. This alone was sufficient to induce their majesties to refute the ramour, and to assure the people that they would not abandon themate

Nevertheless, such was the general distrust, such the magnitude of the evils which must have resulted, and such and so many the symptoms of a determination to emigrate, that every one was on the alert, and all seemed to be impressed with the necessity of preventing a measure pregnant with so many mischiefs. The danger increased, and the fears of the public kept pace with it. The consequence was, that the cominotions of Aran juez, on the 17th and 19th of March, burst forth like a sudden explosion; the people being led by a sort of instinct of self-preservation. The result was, the imprisonment of the favourite, who, without the title of king, had exercised all the functions of royalty..

Scarcely had this tempestuous scone taken place, when the royal parents, finding themselves de prived of the support of their favourite, took the unexpected but voluntary resolution, which they had for some time entertained to abdicate their throne, as they accordingly did, in favour of their son and heir the prince of Asturias.or

The emperor, ignorant of this sudden event, and perhaps never supposing that the Spaniards were capable of displaying such resolution, haɖɔ ordered prince Murat to advance with his army towards Madrid, under the idea that the royal! family were already on the coast, and on the point of embarking, and that far from meeting the slightest obstacle on the part of the people, all of them would receive him with open arms, as their deliverer and guardian angel. He conceived, that the nation was in the highest degree dissatisfied with their government, and never reflected that they were only dissatisfied with the abuses which had crept into the administration of it.

The instant the grand duke of Berg was apprized of the occurrences at Aranjues, he advanced with his whole army to occupy the capital of the kingdom; intending, no doubt, to profit by the oc casion, and to take such steps as should be best calculated to realise, by any means, the plan of › making himself master of Spain.

The recent example of the determination taken by the royal family of Portugal, seemed to have fully corresponded with the views of the emperor, and there is reason to think that his imperial majesty promised himself a similar success in Spain. But he must have been very ignorant of the Spanish character to flatter himself with such expectations. Scarcely had the first report gone 070

his majesty best calculated to conciliate the good will of the emperor. Not satisfied with having communicated his accession to the throne in the most friendly and affectionate terms, the king aps pointed a deputation of three grandees of Spain to proceed to Bayonne, and in his name to compli ment his imperial majesty. He also appointed another grandee of Spain to pay a similar compli ment to the grand duke of Berg, who had alreas: dy arrived in the vicinity of Madrid, shoop and you

One of the contrivances which the French agentimmediately had recourse to, was to assure tha: king, and to spread the rumour in all quartckspi 2h bas "Lorab at jeg.old sto

that his imperial majesty's arrival might be expected every moment. Under this impression, the necessary orders were given for preparing apartments in the palace suitable to the dignity of so august a guest; and the king wrote again to the emperor, how agreeable it would be to him to be personally acquainted with his majesty, and to assure him with his own lips, of his ardent wishes to strengthen more and more the alliance which subsisted between the two sovereigns.

"The grand duke of Berg had, in the meantime, entered Madrid at the head of his troops. He was no sooner acquainted with the state of affairs than he began to sow discord. He spoke in a mysterious manner of the abdication of the crown, executed by the royal father in favour of his son, amidst the tumults of Aranjuez, and gave it to be understood, that until the emperor had acknowledged Ferdinand VII. it was impossible for him to take any step that should appear like an acknowledgement, and that he must be under the necessity of treating only with the royal father.

This pretext did not fail to produce the effect which the grand duke intended. The royal parents, the moment they where informed of this circumstance, availed themselves of it to save the favourite, who remained in confinement, and in whose favour prince Murat professed to take an interest, for the sole purpose of flattering their majesties, mortifying Ferdinand VII. and sowing fresh matter of discord between the parents and the son:

In this state of things, the new king made his public entry into Madrid, without any other parade than the most numerous concourse of all the inhabitants of the capital and its environs, the strongest expressions of love and loyalty, and the applauses and acclamations which sprung from the joy and enthusiasm of his subjects a scene truly grand and impressive, in which the young king was seen like a father in the midst of his children, entering his capital as the regenerator and guardian angel of the monarchy.

The duke of Berg was an eye-witness of this scene; but, far from abandoning his plan, he resolved to persist in it with greater ardour. The. experiment upon the royal parents produced the desired effect; but whilst the beloved king, who came to the throne under such good auspices, continued to be present, it was impossible to carry the plan into execution. It was therefore necessary to make every effort to remove Ferdinand VII, from Madrid.

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happy consequences to the king and the whole kingdom.

At the same time that the grand duke of Berg, the ambassador, and all the other agents of France, were proceeding in this course, they were, on the other side, busily employed with the royal parents to procure from them a formal protest a gainst the abdication of the crown, which they had executed spontaneously and with the accustomed solemnities, in favour of their son and le gitimate heir.

His majesty being incessantly urged to go to meet the emperor, painfully hesitated between the necessity of performing an act of courtesy to his ally, which he was assured would be attended with such advantageous results, and his reluc tance to abandon his loyal and beloved people under such critical circumstances.

In this embarrassing situation, I can assert, that my constant opinion, as the king's minister, was, that his majesty should not leave his capital until he received certain information that the emperor. was already arrived in Spain, and was approaching Madrid; and that even then, he should only proceed to a distance so short as not to render it necessary to sleep one night out of his capital.

His majesty for some days persisted in the resoJution of not quitting Madrid until he received certain advice of the emperor's approach; and he would have probably continued in that determi nation, had not the arrival of general Savary added greater weight to the reiterated solicitations of the grand duke, and the ambassador Beauharnois.

General Savary was announced as envoy from the emperor, and in that capacity demanded an audience from his majesty, which was immediately granted. At this audience he professed that he was sent by the emperor merely to compliment his majesty, and to know whether his sentiments with respect to Fiance were conformable to those of the king his father, in which case the emperor would forego all consideration of what had passed, would in no degree interfere in the internal concerns" his majesty as king of Spain and the Indies. of the kingdom, and would immediately recognise

The most satisfactory answer was given to general Savary, and the conversation was continued in terms so flattering, that nothing more could have been desired. The audience terminated with an assurance upon his part, that the emperor had already left Paris, that he was near Bayonne, and on his way to Madrid.

Scarcely had he left the audience chamber, when he began to make the most urgent applications, to induce his majesty to meet the empe ror, assuring him that this attention would be very grateful and flattering to his imperial ma jesty; and he asserted so repeatedly, and in such positive terms, that the emperor's arrival might be expected every moment, that it was impossible not to give credit to his assertions. It was in fact very hard to suspect that a general, the envoy of an emperor, should have come merely for the purpose of deception.

desire to contribute to their happiness, by putting an end to this dreadful crisis, triumphed in his generous heart over every feeling of repugnance and apprehensioa.