mirable man, has pleased me so much that I give its substance:

"On fixing my attention on the men who reflect honour on the
army, I have remarked you, citizen, and I said to the First
Consul--'La Tour d'Auvergne Corret, descendant of the family
of Turenne, has inherited its bravery and its virtues. One of
the oldest officers in the army, he counts the greatest
number of brilliant actions, and all the brave name him to be
the most brave. As modest as he is intrepid, he has shewn
himself anxious for glory alone, and has refused all the
grades offered to him. At the eastern Pyrenees the General
assembled all the companies of the grenadiers, and during the
remainder of the campaign gave them no chief. The oldest
captain was to command them, and he was Latour d'Auvergne. He
obeyed, and the corps was soon named by the enemy the
Infernal Column.

"'One of his friends had an only son, whose labour was
necessary for the support of his father, and this young man
was included in the conscription. Latour d'Auvergne, broken
down by fatigue, could not labour, but he could still fight.
He hastened to the army of the Rhine; replaced the son of his
friend; and, during two campaigns, with his knapsack on his
hack and always in the foremost rank, he was in every
engagement, animating the grenadiers by his discourse and by
his example. Poor, but proud, he has refused the gift of an
estate offered to him by the head of his family. Simple in
his manners, and temperate in his habits, he lives on the
limited pay of a captain. Highly informed, and speaking
several languages, his erudition equals his courage. We are
indebted to his pen for the interesting work entitled _Les
Origines Gauloises_. Such rare talents and virtues appertain
to the page of history, but to the First Consul belongs the
right to anticipate its award.'

"The First Consul, citizen, heard this recital with the same
emotions that I experienced. He named you instantly first
grenadier of the Republic, and decreed you this sword of
honour. _Salut et fraternite_."

The distinction accorded so readily to Latour d'Auvergne by the First
Consul, himself a hero, who could better than any other contemporary
among his countrymen appreciate the glory he was called on by Carnot to
reward, was refused by the gal