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Page 16
While Bernadotte was preparing to fill the high station to which he had
been called by the wishes of the people of Sweden, Napoleon was involved
in his misunderstanding with the Pope,
--[It was about this time that, irritated at what he called the
captive Pope's unreasonable obstinacy, Bonaparte conceived, and
somewhat openly expressed, his notion of making France s Protestant
country, and changing the religion of 30,000,000 of people by an
Imperial decree. One or two of the good sayings of the witty,
accomplished, and chivalrous Comte Louis de Narbonne have already
been given in the course of these volumes. The following is another
of them:
"I tell you what I will do, Narbonne--I tell you how I will vent my
spite on this old fool of a Pope, and the dotards who may succeed
him said Napoleon one day at the Tuileries. "I will make a schism
as great as that of Luther--I will make France a Protestant
country!"
"O Sire," replied the Count, "I see difficulties in the way of this
project. In the south, in the Vendee, in nearly all the west, the
French are bigoted Catholics and even what little religion remains
among us in our cities and great towns is of the Roman Church."
"Never mind, Narbonne--never mind!--I shall at least carry a large
portion of the French people with me--I will make a division!" Sire,
replied Narbonne, "I am afraid that there is not enough religion in
all France to stand division!"-Editor of 1836 edition.]--
and in the affairs of Portugal, which were far from proceeding according
to his wishes. Bernadotte had scarcely quitted Hamburg for Sweden when
the Duke of Holstein-Augustenburg arrived. The Duke was the brother of
the last Prince Royal of Sweden, whom Bernadotte was called to succeed,
and he came to escort his sister from Altona to Denmark. His journey had
been retarded for some days on account of the presence of the Prince of
Ponte-Gorvo in Hamburg: the preference granted to Bernadotte had
mortified his ambition, and he was unwilling to come in contact with his
fortunate rival. The Duke was favoured, by the Emperor of Russia.
As soon as he arrived in Sweden Bernadotte directed his aide de camp,
General Lentil de St. Alphonse, to inform me of his safe passage.
Shortly after I received a letter from Bernadotte himself, recommending
one of his aides de camp, M. Villatte, who was the bearer of it. This
letter contained the same sentiments of friendship as those I used to
receive from General Bernadotte, and formed a contrast with the
correspondence of King Jerome, who when he wrote to me assumed the regal
character, and prayed that God would have me in his holy keeping.
However, the following is the Prince Royal's letter:
MY DEAR BOURRIENNE--I have directed M. Villatte to see you on his
way through Hamburg, and to bear my friendly remembrances to you.
Lentil has addressed his letter to you, which I suppose you have
already received. Adieu, care for me always, and believe in the
inalterable attachment of yours,
(Signed)CHARLES JOHN.
P.S.--I beg yon will present my compliments to madame and all your
family. Embrace my little cousin for me.
The little cousin, so called by Bernadotte, was one of my daughters, then
a child, whom Bernadotte used to be very fond of while he was at Hamburg.
Departing from the order of date, I will anticipate the future, and
relate all I know respecting the real causes of the misunderstanding
which arose between Bernadotte and Napoleon. Bonaparte viewed the choice
of the Swedes with great displeasure, because he was well aware that
Bernadotte had too much integrity and honour to serve him in the north as
a political puppet set in motion by means of springs which he might pull
at Paris or at his headquarters. His dissatisfaction upon this point
occasioned an interesting correspondence, part of which, consisting of
letters from Bernadotte to the Emperor, is in my possession. The Emperor
had allowed Bernadotte to retain in his service, for a year at least, the
French officers who were his aides de camp--but that permission was soon
revoked, end the Prince Royal of Sweden wrote to Napoleon a letter of
remonstrance.
Napoleon's dissatisfaction with the Prince Royal now changed to decided
resentment. He repented having acceded to his departure from France, and
he made no secret of his sentiments, for he said before his courtiers,
"That he would like to send Bernadotte to Vincennes to finish his study
of the Swedish language." Bernadotte was informed of this, but he could
not believe that the Emperor had ever entertained such a design.
However, a conspiracy was formed in Sweden against Bernadotte, whom a
party of foreign brigands were hired to kidnap in the neighbourhood of
Raga; but the plot was discovered, and the conspirators were compelled to
embark without their prey. The Emperor having at the same time seized
upon Swedish Pomerania, the Prince Royal wrote him a second letter in
these terms:
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