书城公版The Origins of Contemporary France
35302100000871

第871章

details of spoliation in Switzerland, Lombardy, Lucca and Piedmont. -The following figures show the robberies committed by individuals: In Switzerland, "the Directorial commissary, Rapinat, the major-general, Schawembourg and the ordinance commissary, Rouhière, each carried away a million tournois." "Rouhière, besides this, levied 20 per cent. on each contract he issued, which was worth to him 350,000 livres. His first secretary Toussaint, stole in Berne alone, 150,000 livres. The secretary of Rapinat, Amberg, retired with 300,000 livres." General Lorge carried off 150,000 livres in specie, besides a lot of gold medals taken from the H?tel-de-Ville at Berne; his two brigadier-generals, Rampon and Pijon, each appropriated 216,000 livres. "Gen.

Duheur, encamped in Brisgav, sent daily to the three villages at once the bills of fare for his meals and ordered requisitions for them; he demanded of one, articles in kind and, simultaneously, specie of another. He was content with 100 florins a day, which he took in provisions and then in money." - " Massena, on entering Milan at eleven o'clock in the evening, had carried off in four hours, without giving any inventory or receipt, all the cash-boxes of the convents, hospitals and monts-de-piété, which were enormously rich, taking also, among others, the casket of diamonds belonging to Prince Belgiojoso.

That night was worth to Massena 1,200,000 livres." (Mallet-Dupan, "Mercure Britannique," February 10, 1799, and "Journal," MS., March, 1797.) On the sentiments of the Italians, cf. the letter of Lieutenant Dupin, Prairial 27, year VIII.; (G. Sand, "Histoire de ma vie," II. 251) one account of the battle of Marengo, lost up to two o'clock in the afternoon; "I already saw that the Po, and the Tessin were to be crossed, a country to traverse of which every inhabitant is our enemy."[124] Mallet-Dupan, ibid., number for January 10 1791. "December 31, 1796. Marquis Litta had already paid assessments amounting to 500,000livres milanais, Marquis T., 420,000, Count Grepi 900,000, and other proprietors in proportion." Ransom of the "Decurioni of Milan, and other hostages sent into France, 1,500,000 livres." -- This is in conformity with the Jacobin theory. In the old instructions of Carnot, we read the following sentence: "Assessments must be laid exclusively on the rich; the people must see that we are only liberators.... Enter as benefactors of the people, and at the same time as the scourge of the great, the rich and enemies of the French name." (Carnot, I., 433.)[125] Ludovic Sciout, IV., 776. (Reports of the year VII., Archives Nationales, F.7, 7701 and 7718.) "Out of 1,400 men composing the first auxiliary battalion of conscripts, 1087 cowardly deserted their flag (Haute-Loire), and out of 900 recently recruited at Puy, to form the nucleus of the second battalion, 800 again have imitated their example." - Dufort de Cheverney, "Mémoires," September, 1799. "We learned that out of 400 conscripts confined in the (Blois) chateau, who were to set out that night, 100 had disappeared." - October 12, 1799: "The conscripts are in the chateau to the number of 5 or 600.

They say that they will not desert until out of the department and on the road, so as not to compromise their families." - October 14, "200have deserted, leaving about 300." - Archives Nationales, F.7, 3267.

(Reports every ten days on refractory conscripts or deserters arrested by the military police, year VIII. Department of Seine-et-Oise.) In this department alone, there are 66 arrests in Vendémiaire, 136 in Brumaire, 56 in Frimaire and 86 in Pluvi?se .

[126] Mallet-Dupan, No. for January 25, 1799. (Letter from Belgium.)"To-day we see a revolt like that which the United Provinces made against the Duke of Alba. Never have the Belgians since Philip II.

displayed similar motives for resistance and vengeance."[127] Decrees of Fructidor 19, year VI. and Vendémiaire 27, year VII.