Letter from General Menou to General Bonaparté, Firft Conful of the French Republic; dated Marfeilles, January 6, 1802. Citizen First Conful, THE Inftitute and the Commiffion of Arts are returned from Egypt. The citizens who compose these two societies merit your particular favour. Many of them have brought home articles of great value, either relative to collections of different images, or of drawings. You will judge, in your wifdom, what measures ought to be taken for publishing the result of the labours and the researches of these two focieties. I must particularly recommend to your notice the following citizens: Fourier, a man of the most exalted knowledge, and who has rendered very important fervices in Egypt; he was chief of the administration of juftice; he brings back some very interefting memoirs.-Nouet, an indefatigable aftronomer, remarkable for his zeal and morality.-Peyre, an architect of confiderable talents.-Dutalu, one of the most diftinguished defigners in Europe.-Gerard, engineer of bridges and roads: he brings a collection of very important remarks upon Egypt. He fucceeded the Citizen Fourier in the divan of Cairo.-Conte: I cannot find terms fufficient to describe the fervice he has rendered in Egypt: honour, patriotism, and the pureft morality, combined with the most profound and the most exact knowledge, upon an infinity of objects, form the character of this excellent man.-Coutelle laboured with much zeal in the fearches which I ordered at the pyramids. Chempy, replete with zeal for the common cause, and diftinguished for his morality, has rendered to us fome important fervices.-Delille, botanist.-Savigny and Geoffry, naturalifts. Defgenettes Larrey Lepere, chief engineer of roads and bridges.-Jacotin, principal of the geographical engineers. All, in a word, deferving the attention of government. Thofe whom I have not mentioned, belonging to thefe focieties, are young men, but have, notwithstanding, fome claims to the national gratitude. Health and profound refpect, Citizen First Conful, ABD. MENOU, Obfervations in the French official Paper, relative to the Sailing of the Breft Fleet for the Weft Indies. IT is ever with increafed aftonishment we obferve the long articles contained in the English journals, and the fpeeches of the members of their Parliament, relative to the failing of the Breft fquadron. It is difficult to conceive how, when we are in a state of peace, an expedition deftined to St. Domingo, to re-establish the the tranquillity of that ifland, can occafion the least apprehenfion with regard to Jamaica. We trace in these speeches not the fentiments of civilized Europeans, but the fears of the Tartars of Thibet. For the honour of the civilization of the prefent age, let us not make ourselves appear more barbarous and ridiculous than we really are. Such puerile difcuffions, which merely indicate a want of faith in the men who provoke them, are directly contrary to the orders given at Breft at the period of the figning of the preliminaries of peace. Upon the prefect of that department demanding inftructions, referring to the probability of Admiral Cornwallis's fquadron being compelled by stress of weather to take refuge in Breft, he was anfwered, that he fhould not only allow the fquadron to enter the port, but should even avoid adopting any extraordinary precautions; for it is the most ferious infult that can be offered to civilized Europeans to afford them reafon to think that it is even fuppofed poffible they can have recourse to a line of conduct of which the first principles of honour and the rights of nations have excluded an example *. Speech of Citizen Devifmez, at the Head of a Deputation of the Legislative Body, to the First Conful, on the 3d February 1802, on his Return from Lyons to Paris. A FOREIGN nation, which founds its claims to liberty upon the exploits of an hero, has ever been defirous that its power fhould be advanced under the aufpices of a wife chief. In a city in which you are on the point of obliterating the remembrance of the greatest misfortunes, the wifh of the Italian republic has been fulfilled. Glory to him who owes his conquefts as much to the admiration of his virtues as the terror of his arms; who knows how to govern as well as to conquer; whofe thoughts prepare, and whofe actions realize a benefit to humanity! Happy France, which reflects the glory of the magiftrate who prefides over its fplendid and magnificent deftinies. Faithful organ of a nation by which you are cherished, the Legiflative Body is anxious to exprefs thofe fentiments which it participates in common with you. How delightful a confolation is it to us, that in the midst of the joy your return has univerfally produced, we can offer to you the juft tribute of our fincere congratulations! *On the day after the minifter for foreign affairs returned to Paris from Lyons, the above article appeared in the Moniteur, January 1802. The The First Conful's Anfwer. "IT was the glory and interest of France to affure for ever the deftiny of a republic the created. "I trust that its conftitution and its new magiftrates will effect its repofe and happiness. “That repose and happiness will not be diftinguished from ours. Our profperity can never be unconnected with the profperity of the nations by which we are furrounded. "I have in the course of my journey acquired the most flattering recompence in return for the efforts I have made for the country. I have chiefly received the free and unequivocal expreffion of the public opinion by the affurance of private confidence, conveyed in the fimple language of the merchant, the manufacturer, and the farmer: all have required that the government should be faithful to the principles it has developed. It is upon that alone they found their expectations of happiness. "I was already overflowing with gratitude for the marks of intereft and approbation with which the nation had honoured my firft efforts. "I feel, however, impreffed by fentiments ftill more profound than those by which I was before actuated. "The facrifice of my whole existence can never repay the fatiffaction of the emotions I feel. I experience an additional pleasure at your affociating your wishes with thofe of the nation." A deputation of the Tribunate, with Citizen Delpierre, the prefident, at their head, was introduced, on the 2d February, to an audience of the First Conful. Citizen Delpierre, after expreffing the fatisfaction felt by the Tribunate on the return of the First Conful to the metropolis, and congratulating him on the teftimonies of the public opinion and gratitude manifefted to him, both on his journey to and at Lyons, addreffed him in the following terms: ་ "It is not furprising that the author of fo many bleffings, and the object of fo many hopes, fhould be invoked by a people juft created, as a guide to fhorten the period, and alleviate the crifis of their infancy. The cares you are about to bestow on this new people form a temporary facrifice, which is made to the genius of the French republic by that man who, having created the nation, could not deprive it in its earliest moments of the affiftance of his counfels and affections." The First Conful anfwered, "That the organization of the Italian republic was a facred duty to the French people; that he faw with pleasure the principal members of the Tribunate unite both in cordiality and intention with the great authorities of the republic; and that these fentiments were neceffary to the happinefs of the people-the only true glory-while every other confideration was of no moment." Addreffes Addreffes of a fimilar nature were made to the First Conful by the tribunals of caffation, of appeal, the council of prizes, the tribunal in the firft inftance, the tribunal of commerce, &c. &c. Citizen Treilhard, at the head of the members of the tribunal of appeal, obferved, "You render each day your contemporaries witneffes of new prodigies. It is to posterity that the task will belong to fix your rank in fociety, and that of a century, which Lyons is already enabled to call your own." The First Conful having thanked the tribunal for their fentiments, added, "that good laws and impartial tribunals contributed more than any other thing to the happiness of the people." PARLIAMENTARY PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. FIRST SESSION. The Seffion was opened by Commiffion, on Thursday the 22d of January 1801. His Majefty's most gracious Speech to both Houses, on opening the Bufinefs of the Imperial Parliament, on Monday, the 2d of February 1801. My Lords and Gentlemen, AT a crifis fo important to the interefts of my people, I derive great fatisfaction from being enabled, for the first time, to avail myself of the advice and affiftance of the Parliament of my united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This memorable æra, diftinguished by the accomplishment of a measure, calculated to augment and confolidate the strength and refources of the empire, and to cement more closely the interests and affections of my fubjects, will, I truft, be equally marked by that vigour, energy, and firmnefs, which the circumstances of our prefent fituation peculiarly require. The unfortunate courfe of events on the continent, and the confequences, which must be expected to refult from it, cannot fail to be matter of anxiety and concern, to all who have a just feeling for the fecurity and independence of Europe. Your aftonishment, as well as your regret, must be excited by the conduct of those powers, whofe attention, at such a period, appears to be more engaged in endeavours to weaken the naval force of the British empire, which has hitherto opposed fo powerful an obstacle to the inordinate ambition of France, than in concerting the means of mutual defence against their common and increafing danger. The representations which I directed to be made to the court of Petersburgh, in confequence of the outrages committed against the VOL. XI. 3 S ships, |