. The life of Napoleon I, including new materials from the British official records . Government the excuse for interference : and aforce invading that land overpowered the levies of thecentral cantons.^ The imposition of a centralized formof government modelled on that of France, the wrestingof Geneva from this ancient confederation, and its incor-poration with France, were not the only evils suffered bySwitzerland. Despite the proclamation of General Brunethat the French came as friends to the descendants ofWilliam Tell, and would respect their independence andtheir property, French commissi


. The life of Napoleon I, including new materials from the British official records . Government the excuse for interference : and aforce invading that land overpowered the levies of thecentral cantons.^ The imposition of a centralized formof government modelled on that of France, the wrestingof Geneva from this ancient confederation, and its incor-poration with France, were not the only evils suffered bySwitzerland. Despite the proclamation of General Brunethat the French came as friends to the descendants ofWilliam Tell, and would respect their independence andtheir property, French commissioners proceeded to riflethe treasuries of Berne, Ziirich, Solothurn, Fribourg, andLucerne of sums which amounted in all to eight and ahalf million francs; fifteen millions were extorted inforced contributions and plunder, besides 130 cannonand 60,000 muskets which also became the spoils of the 1 Mallet du Pan states that three thousand Vaudois came to Beme tojoin in the national defence: Les cantons d^mocratiques sort les plusfanatis^s centre les Frangais —^a suggestive viii EGYPT 165 liberators.^ The destination of part of the treasure wasalready fixed ; on April 13th Bonaparte wrote an urgentletter to General Lannes, directing him to expedite thetransit of the booty to Toulon, where three million francswere forthwith expended on the completion of the letter, and also the testimony of Madame deStael, Barras, Bourrienne, and Mallet du Pan, show thathe must have been a party to this interference in Swissaffairs, which marks a debasement, not only of Bona-partes character, but of that of the French army andpeople. It drew from Coleridge, who previously had seenin the Revolution the dawn of a nobler era, an indignantprotest against the prostitution of the ideas of 1789 : Oh France that mookest Heaven, adulterous, blind,Are these thy boasts, champion of human kind 1To mix with Kings in the low lust of sway,Yell in the hunt and join the murderous prey? . .The


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1901