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have sometimes been arrested。〃 … Ibid。； p。149： It has been stated in
the public journals that in 1801 the court in session at Lille had
condemned 135 refractory out of the annual conscription； and that
which holds its sittings at Ghent had condemned 70。 Now； 200
conscripts form the maximum of what an arrondissement in a department
could furnish。〃 …Ibid； p。145。 〃France resembles a vast house of
detention where everybody is suspicious of his neighbor； where each
avoids the other。 。 。 One often sees a young man with a gendarme at
his heels oftentimes； on looking closely； this young man's hands are
found tied； or he is handcuffed。〃 … Mathieu Dumas； III。； 507 （After
the battle of Dresden； in the Dresden hospitals）： 〃I observed； with
sorrow； that many of these men were slightly wounded： most of them；
young conscripts just arrived in the army； had not been wounded by the
enemy's fire； but they had mutilated each other's feet and hands。
Antecedents of this kind； of equally bad augury； had already been
remarked in the campaign of 1809。〃
＇138＇ De Ségur； III。； 474。 … Thiers； XIV。； 159。 （One month after
crossing the Niemen one hundred and fifty thousand men had dropped out
of the ranks。）
＇139＇ Bulletin 29 （December 3； 1812）。
＇140＇ De Pradt； Histoire de l'Ambassade de Varsovie；〃 p。219。
＇141＇ M。 de Metternich； I。； 147。 … Fain； 〃Manuscript；〃 of 1813； II。；
26。 （Napoleon's address to his generals。） 〃What we want is a complete
triumph。 To abandon this or that province is not the question； our
political superiority and our existence depend on it。 〃 … II。； 41； 42。
（Words of Napoleon to Metternich。） 〃And it is my father…in…law who
favors such a project！ And he sends you！ In what attitude does he wish
to place me before the French people？ He is strangely deluded if he
thinks that a mutilated throne can offer an asylum to his daughter and
grandson。 。 。 。 Ah； Metternich； how much has England given you to make
you play this part against me？〃 （This last phrase； omitted in
Metternich's narrative； is a characteristic trait； Napoleon at this
decisive moment； remains insulting and aggressive； gratuitously and
even to his own destruction。）
＇142＇ 〃Souvenirs du feu duc de Broglie；〃 I。； 235。
＇143＇ Ibid。； I。； 230。 Some days before Napoleon had said to M。 de
Narbonne； who told me that very evening： 〃After all； what has this
（the Russian campaign） cost me？ 300；000 men； among whom； again； were
a good many Germans。〃 … 〃Souvenirs〃； by PASQUIER （Etienne…Dennis； duc；
Librarie Plon； Paris 1893。 II。 110。 （Apropos of the Frankfurt basis；
and accepted by Napoleon when too late。） 〃What characterizes this
mistake is that it was committed much more against the interests of
France than against his own。 。 。 。 He sacrificed her to the
perplexities of his personal situation； to the mauvaise honte of his
own ambition； to the difficulty he finds in standing alone to a
certain extent before a nation which had done everything for him and
which could justly reproach him with having sacrificed so much
treasure and spilled so much blood on enterprises proved to have been
foolish and impracticable。〃
＇144＇ Leonce de Lavergne； 〃Economie rurale de la France；〃 P。40。
（According to the former director of the conscription under the
Empire。）
BOOK SECOND。 FORMATION AND CHARACTER OF THE NEW STATE。
CHAPTER I。
I。 The Institution of Government。
Conditions on which the public power can act。 … Two points forgotten
by the authors of the preceding constitutions。 … Difficulty of the
undertaking and poor quality of the available materials。
Every human society requires government； that is to say an authority。
No other machinery is more useful。 But a machinery is useful only if
it is adapted to its purpose； if not it will not work； or may even
work contrary to its purpose。 Hence； during its construction； one must
first of all consider the magnitude of the work it has to do as well
as the quality of the materials one has at one's disposal。 It is very
important to know beforehand whether it will lift 100 or of 100；000
kilograms； whether the pieces fitted together will be of iron or of
steel； of sound or of unsound timber。 … But the legislators had not
taken that into consideration during the last ten years。 They had set
themselves up as theoreticians； and likewise as optimists； without
looking at the things； or else imagining the them as they wished to
have them。 In the national assemblies； as well as with the public； the
task was deemed easy and simple； whereas it was extraordinary and
immense； for the matter in hand consisted in effecting a social
revolution and in carrying on an European war。 The materials were
supposed to be excellent； as manageable as they were substantial；
while； in fact； they were very poor； being both refractory and
brittle； for these human materials consisted of the Frenchmen of 1789
and of the following years； that is to say； of exceedingly sensitive
men doing each other all possible harm； inexperienced in political
business； Utopians； impatient； intractable； and overexcited。
Calculations had been made on these prodigiously false data；
consequently； although the calculations were very exact； the results
obtained were found absurd。 Relying on these data； the machine had
been planned； and all its parts been adjusted； assembled； and
balanced。 That is why the machine； irreproachable in theory； remained
unsuccessful in practice： the better it appeared on paper the quicker
it broke down when set up on the ground。
II。 Default of previous government。
The consequences of the years 1789 to 1799。 … Insubordination of the
local powers； conflict of the central powers； suppression of liberal
institutions； and the establishment of an unstable despotism。 … Evil…
doing of the government thus formed。
A capital defect at once declared itself in the two principal
compositions； in the working gear of the superposed powers and in the
balance of the motor powers。 … In the first place； the hold given to
the central government on its local subordinates was evidently too
feeble； with no right to appoint these； it could not select them as it
pleased； according to the requirements of the service。 Department；
district； canton； and commune administrators； civil and criminal
judges； assessors； appraisers； and collectors of taxes； officers of
the national…guard and even of the gendarmerie； police…commissioners；
and other agents who had to enforce laws on the spot； were nearly all
recruited elsewhere： either in popular assemblies or provided ready…
made by elected bodies。＇1＇ They were for it merely borrowed
instruments； thus originating； they escaped its control； it could not
make them work as it wanted them to work。 On most occasions they would
shirk their duties； at other times； on receiving orders； they would
stand inert； or； again； they would act outside of or beyond their
special function； either going too far or