person, when provoked, and his religious zeal gets the better of his political prudence, has remained silent, though seemingly contented.

Two rather insignificant authors, of the name of Varennes and Beaujou, who published some scandalous libels on Christianity, have since been taken up, and after some months imprisonment in the Temple, been condemned to transportation to Cayenne for life; not as infidels and atheists, but as conspirators against the state, in consequence of some unguarded expressions, which prejudice or ill-will alone would judge connected with politics. Nothing is now permitted to be printed against religion, but with the author's name; but by affixing his name, he may abuse the worship and gospel as much as he pleases. Since the example of severity alluded to above, however, this practice is on the decline. Even Pigault Le Brun, a popular but immoral novel writer, narrowly escaped lately a trip to Cayenne, for one of his blasphemous publications; and owes to the protection of Madame Murat, exclusively, that he was not sent to keep Varennes and Beaujou company. Some years ago, when Madame Murat was neither so great nor so rich as at present, he presented her with a copy of his works, and she has been not only unfashionable enough to remember the compliment, but wished to return it, by nominating him her private secretary; which, however, the veto of Napoleone prevented.

Of Napoleone Buonaparte's religious sentiments, opinions are not divided in France. The influence over him, of the petty, superstitious, Cardinal Caprara, is therefore inexplicable. This prelate has forced from him assent to transactions which had been refused both to his mother and his brother Joseph, who now often employ the Cardinal with success, where they either dare not or will not show themselves. It is true, his Eminence is not easily rebuked, but returns to the charge unabashed by new repulses: and he obtains by teasing more than by persuasion; but a man by whom Buonaparte suffers himself to be teased with impunity is no insignificant favourite, particularly when, like this Cardinal, he unites cunning with devotion, craft with superstition; and is as accessible to corruption as tormented by ambition.

As most ecclesiastical promotions passed through his pure and disinterested hands, Madame Napoleone, Talleyrand, and Portalis, who also wanted douceurs for their extraordinary expenses, united together last spring to remove him from France, and Napoleone was cajoled to nominate him a grand almoner of the kingdom of Italy; and the Cardinal set out for Milan. He was, however, artful enough to convince his Sovereign of the propriety of having his grand almoner by his side; and he is therefore obliged to this intrigue of his enemies, that he now disposes of the benefices in the kingdom of Italy, as well as those of the French empire.

During the Pope's residence in this capital his Holiness oftent made use of Cardinal Caprara in his secret negotiations with Buonaparte; and whatever advantages were obtained by the Roman Pontiff for the Gallican church, his Eminence almost extorted; for he never desisted, where his interest or pride were concerned, till he had succeeded. It is said that one day last January, after having been for hours exceedingly teasing and. troublesome, Buonaparte lost his patience, and was going to treat his Eminence as he frequently does his relatives, his ministers and counsellors, that is to say, to kick him from his presence; but suddenly recollecting himself, he said, "Cardinal, remain here in my closet until my return, when I shall have more time to listen to what you have to relate." It was ten o'clock in the morning, and a day of great military audience and grand review.. In going out he put the key in his pocket, and told the guards in his anti-chamber to pay no attention, if they should hear any noise in his closet..

It was dark before the review was over, and Buonaparte had a large party to dinner. When his guests had retired, he went into his wife's drawing room, where one of the Pope's chamberlains waited on him, with the information, that his Holiness was much alarmed about the safety of Cardinal Caprara, of whom no account could be obtained, even by the assistance of the police, to which application had been made, since his Eminence had so suddenly disappeared. "Oh! how absent I am!" answered Napoleone, as with surprise; "I entirely forgot that I left the Cardi- nal in my closet this morning: I will go myself and make an

apology for my blunder." His Eminence, quite exhausted, was found fast asleep; but no sooner was he a little recovered, than he interrupted Buonaparte's affected apology with the repetition of the demand he had made in the morning; and so well was Napoleone pleased with him, for neglecting his personal inconvenience, only to occupy himself with the affairs of his Sovereign, that he consented to what was asked, and in laying his hand upon the shoulders of the prelate, said: " Faithful minister! were every prince so well served as your Sovereign is by you, many evils might be prevented, and much good effected.” The same evening Duroc brought him as a present, a snuff-box with Buonaparte's portrait, set round with diamonds, worth one thousand Louis d'ors. The adventures of this day certainly did not lessen his Eminence in favour of Napoleone or of Pius VII.

Last November, some not entirely unknown persons intended to amuse themselves at the Cardinal's expense. At seven o'clock one evening, a young Abbe presented himself at the Cardinal's house, hotel de Montmorin, rue Plumet, as by appointment of his Eminence; and was by his secretary ushered into the study, and asked to wait there. Hardly half an hour afterwards, two persons, pretending to be agents of the police, arrived just as the Cardinal's carriage had stopped. They informed him, that the woman introduced into his house in the dress of an Abbe was connected with a gang of thieves and house-breakers, and demanded his permission to arrest her. He protested that, except the wife of the porter, no woman in any dress whatever could be in his house, and that to convince themselves, they were very welcome to accompany his valet-de-chambre into every room they wished to see. To the great surprise of his servant, a very pretty girl was found in the bed of his Eminence's bed-chamber, which joined his study; who, though the pretended police agents insisted on her getting up, refused, under pretence that she was there waiting for her bon amie, the Cardinal. His Eminence was no sooner told of this, than he shut the gate of his house, after sending his secretary to the commissary of police of the section. In the meantime, both the police agents and the girl entreated him to let them out, as the whole was merely a badinage; but he remained inflexible, and they were all three carried by the real po

fice commissary to prison. Upon a complaint made by his Eminence to Buonaparte, the police minister Fouche, received orders to have those who had dared thus to violate the sacred character of the representative of the holy Pontiff, immediately and without further ceremony transported to Cayenne. The Cardinal demanded, and obtained a proces verbal of what had occurred, and of the sentence of the culprits, to be laid before his Sovereign. As Eugenius de Beuharnois interested himself so much for the individuals involved in this affair, as both to implore Buonaparte's pardon and the Cardinal's interference for them, many were inclined to believe that he was in the secret, if not the contriver of this unfortunate joke. This supposition gained credit, when, after all his endeavours to save them proved vain, he sent them 72,000 livres, 3000l. to Rochfort, that they might, on their arrival at Cayenne be able to buy a plantation. He procured them also letters of recommendation to the governor, Victor Hughes, to be treated differently from other transported persons.

LETTER VIII.

MY LORD,

Paris, August, 1805.

I WAS particularly attentive in observing the countenances and demeanour of the company, at the last levee which Madame Napoleone Buonaparte held, previous to her departure with her husband, to meet the Pope at Fontainebleau. I had heard from good authority," to those whose propensities were known, Duroc's information, that the Empress was visible, was accompanied with a kind of admonitory or courtly hint, that the strictest decency in dress and manners, and a conversation chaste, and rather of an unusually modest turn, would be highly agreeable to their Sovereigns; in consideration of the solemn occasion of a Sovereign Pontiff's arrival in France; an occurrence that had not happened for centuries, and probably would not happen for centuries to come." I went early, and was well rewarded for my punctuality.

There came the senator Fouche, handing his amiable and chaste spouse, walking with as much gravity as formerly, when a friar,

he marched in procession. Then presented themselves the senators Sieyes and Reederer, with an air as composed, as if the former had still been an Abbe, and the confessor of the latter. Next came Madame Murat, whom three hours before I had seen in the Bois de Boulogne, in all the disgusting display of fashionable nakedness, now clothed and covered to her chin. She was followed by the pious Madame Le Clerc, now Princess Borghese, who was sighing deeply and loudly. After her came limping the godly Talleyrand, dragging his pure moiety by his side, both with downcast and edifying looks; the Christian patriots Gravina and Lima; Dreyer and Beust, Dalberg and Cetto, Malsburgh and Pappenheim, with the Catholic Schimmelpennink, and Mahomed-SaydHalel-Effendy, all presented themselves as penitent sinners imploring absolutions, after undergoing mortifications.

But it would become tedious and merely a repetition, were I to depict separately the figures and characters of all the personages at this politico-comical masquerade. Their conversation was, however, more uniform, more contemptible, and more laughable, than their accoutrements and grimaces were ridiculous. To judge from what they said, they belonged, no longer to this world; all their thoughts were in heaven, and they considered themselves either on the borders of eternity, or on the eve of the day of the last judgment. The truly devout Madame Napoleone, spoke with rapture of martyrs and miracles, of the mass and of the vespers, of agnuses and relics of Christ her Saviour, and of Pius VII. his vicar: had not her enthusiasm been interrupted by the enthusiastic commentaries of her mother-in-law, I saw every mouth open, ready to cry out as soon as she had finished, Amen! Amen! Amen!

Napoleone had placed himself between the old Cardinal de Bellois and the not young Cardinal Bernier, so as to prevent the approach of any profane sinner, or unrepentant infidel. Round him and their clerical chiefs, all the curates and grand vicars, almoners and chaplains of the court, and the chaplains of the Princes, Princesses, and grand officers of state, had formed a kind of cordon. "Had," said the young General Kellerman to me," Buonaparte always been encompassed by troops of this description, he might now have sung hymns as a saint in heaven,