For this conspiracy ideal
Was soon succeeded by one real.
While the First Consul, with delight,
Was going to the play one night;
His carriage pass’d a narrow way,
Where an infernal barrel lay—
This barrel of a sudden blew up,
And the combustibles all flew up.
With great dismay was Boney filled,
No wonder—some were hurt and kill’d;
The windows of the carriage broke,
And most tremendous was the smoke:
The coachman luckily enough,
Had taken plenty of strong stuff;
And, not regarding any evil,
Drove thro’ the passage like a devil;
His whip applied when there was need,
And saved his master by his speed.
Had coachee been of drink no lover,
With Nap it would have been all over.
The Jacobins (for, as related,
This party the brave Consul hated,)
Were mark’d for this assassination,
And many suffered transportation.
Indeed our hero firmly swore,
(As he had often done before,
For he would swear thro’ thick and thin),
The British had a hand therein—
It seems the gentleman forgot
John Bull disdains a wicked plot.
Cobbett, of course, improves the occasion.[58] ‘Miserable slaves! For an instance of base flattery, surpassing anything we have hitherto seen, take the following from the Chef du Cabinet: “The explosion of the infernal machine broke twenty-nine pictures, out of thirty, which ornamented an apartment in the street of St. Thomas. The single picture which escaped, was that of the Chief Consul. One would be ready to affirm (mark this) that the same God, who watches over the life of the first Consul, protected even his likeness”!!! What Emperor was it that talked of making his horse a Consul? An English blood horse would be disgraced by becoming the successor of Buonaparte.’
And again:[59] ‘Buonaparte’s embracing the Parisian addressers, puts us in mind of the good old ceremony of the thief’s kissing the hangman.’
CHAPTER XXII.
GENERAL FAST—ADULTERATION, AND COMPULSORY SALE OF STALE BREAD—WAR IN EGYPT—THE BOULOGNE FLOTILLA—NEGOTIATIONS FOR PEACE—RATIFICATION OF PRELIMINARIES—RECEPTION IN ENGLAND—GENERAL REJOICINGS.
It is sad to take up the very first number of the ‘London Gazette’ for 1801, and find ‘A Proclamation for a general Fast,’ which was to be held on February 13, the reason wherefore is stated thus: ‘We, taking into Our most serious consideration the heavy Judgments with which Almighty God is pleased to visit the Iniquities of this land, by a grievous Scarcity and Dearth of divers Articles of Sustenance, and Necessaries of Life &c.’
The war bore grievously on the Commons, and, consequently, Napoleon was in like measure abhorred. Nothing short of the thought of approaching famine could have caused Parliament to pass, and the king give his royal assent to,[60] ‘An Act to prevent until the Sixth Day of November, One Thousand Eight Hundred and One, and from thence to the End of Six Weeks from the Commencement of the then next Session of Parliament, the manufacturing of any fine Flour from Wheat, or other Grain, and the making of any Bread solely from the fine Flour of Wheat; and to repeal an Act, passed in the Thirty-Sixth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, for permitting Bakers to make and sell certain Sorts of Bread, and to make more effectual Provision for the same.’ This took effect on January 31, 1801.
‘An Act to prohibit, until the First Day of October, One thousand eight hundred and one, and from thence to the End of Six Weeks next after the then next Session of Parliament, any Person or Persons from selling any Bread which shall not have been baked Twenty-four Hours.’ This Act was 41 Geo. III. cap. 17, and it recites the reason in the preamble: ‘Whereas it is expedient to reduce as much as possible, at the present moment, the consumption of Wheat flour. And whereas it appears a considerable saving would arise if Bread was prohibited from being sold until it had been baked a certain time, &c.’ The penalties of non-compliance ranging from 5s. to 40s.