he Parisians
secretly ridiculed the new courtiers. This greatly displeased Bonaparte,
who was very charitably informed of it in order to check his
prepossession in favour of the men of the old Court, such as the Comte de
Segur, and at a later period Comte Louis de Narbonne.

To give all possible solemnity to his accession Napoleon ordered that the
Senate itself should proclaim in Paris the organic 'Senates-consulte',
which entirely changed the Constitution of the State. By one of those
anomalies which I have frequently had occasion to remark, the Emperor
fixed for this ceremony Sunday, the 30th Floral. That day was a festival
in all Paris, while the unfortunate prisoners were languishing in the
dungeons of the Temple.

On the day after Bonaparte's accession the old formulae were restored.
The Emperor determined that the French Princes and Princesses should
receive the title of Imperial Highness; that his sisters should take the
same title; that the grand dignitaries of the Empire should be called
Serene Highnesses; that the Princes and titularies of the grand
dignitaries should be addressed by the title of Monseigneur; that M.
Maret, the Secretary of State, should have the rank of Minister; that the
ministers should retain the title of Excellency, to which should be added
that of Monseigneur in the petitions addressed to them; and that the
title of Excellency should be given to the President of the Senate.

At the same time Napoleon appointed the first Marshals of the Empire,
and determined that they should be called Monsieur le Marechal when
addressed verbally, and Monseigneur in writing. The following are the
names of these sons of the Republic transformed into props of the Empire:
Berthier, Murat, Moncey, Jourdan, Massena, Augereau, Bernadotte, Soult,
Brune, Lannes, Mortier, Ney, Davoust, and Besaieres. The title of
Marshal of the Empire was also granted to the generals Kellerman,
Lefebvre, Perignon, and Serrurier, as having served as
commander-in-chief.

The reader cannot have failed to observe that the name of Lucien has not
been mentioned among the individuals of Bonaparte's family on whom
dignities were conferred. The fact is, the two brothers were no longer
on good terms with each other. Not, as it has been alleged, because
Lucien wished to play the part of a Republican, but because he would not
submit to the imperious will of Napoleon in a circumstance in which the
latter counted on his brother's docility t