then mounted the President's seat, and summoned the representatives to retire. 'The General,' said he, 'has given orders.' Some of the deputies and spectators began now to leave the hall; the greater part continued firm, and sustained the shouts by which they reprobated this military intrusion. The drums at length struck up, and drowned further remonstrance. 'Forward grenadiers,' said the officer who commanded the party. They levelled their muskets, and advanced as if to the charge. The deputies seem hitherto to have retained a lingering hope that their persons would be regarded as inviolable. They now fled on all sides, most of them jumping from the windows of the Orangerie, and leaving behind them their official caps, scarfs, and gowns. a very few minutes the apartments were entirely clear; and thus, furnishing, at its conclusion, a striking parallel to the scene which ended the Long Parliament of Charles the First's time, terminated the last democratical assembly of France." In A provisional consular government was appointed, consisting of Bonaparte, Sieyes and Roger Ducos. This victory so complete over the legislative assemblies of France, working a thorough revolution in the government, was won without the loss of a single drop of blood. As first consul, Bonaparte took upon himself the disposition of all important offices. The other two were mere cyphers, and readily submitted to his dictation. France had suddenly become a despotism. He again placed himself at the head of the army, and victory followed victory, wherever he took his march. There was nothing it appeared impossible for him to achieve. The whole nation become idolaters at the shrine of his fortune, and he is declared consul for life. At this period, it was in the power of Napoleon to have caused to be organized a well regulated form of free representative government, on rational and permanent principles; but all his love for France was merged in his high ambition. He might have been a second Washington, but chose the part of Cromwell. CHAPTER VI. All Europe looked upon Bonaparte as master of the destinies of the civilized world. That peace and war was at his disposal, and in his will involved the happiness and repose of nations, or their misery and convulsion. He might now have won for himself the gratitude of surrounding millions, which would have outlived his life, and transmitted his memory with honor to remotest generations. His military achievements had never been surpassed, and he ought to have been satisfied with the measure of his fame, which was full to overflowing. By such a course, the dark spots in his character would have been lost amid the blaze of his glory. But unexampled success had made him mad, and like him of Macedon, he thought nothing gained, while ought remained to conquer. Among the powers of the earth, which had never bent the knee to this god of clay, was the great, glorious and ever unconquered kingdom of England. She had not looked on with indifference at the giant strides of the proud usurper; and although secure in her. wave-girdled isle, she could not brook the arrogance of the mighty conqueror, but threw herself in the van of his enemies. We have already seen that the French nation could deny nothing to Napoleon. They had made him commander-in-chief; first consul; consul for life with absolute power, and now almost by acclamation, the tribune and senate declared him hereditary emperor on the 30th April 1804. And the abject multitude cried "Long live the emperor!" and kneeled down at his foot, while the yoke of despotism was fastened about their necks. He was crowned at Paris and Milan with his empress Josephine. He placed the crown of Italy on his brow with his own hand, repeating aloud the haughty motto attached to it by its ancient owners: "God hath given it me; let him beware who would touch it." Bonaparte about this time was exceedingly anxious to make a separate peace with England, and made repeated personal overtures to their king with that view, but without effect. They had thrown themselves between the lion and his prey, and would not be satisfied with less than the general pacification of Europe. They met him constantly in the battle field and were the only nation able to compete with him with equal numbers. On the ocean they were greatly his superior, as the battle of Trafalgar will bear witness, where "Nelson of the Nile" sealed his last glorious triumph with his life. The unfortunate event of the battle of Trafalgar was not, however, permitted to darken the brilliant picture of Napoleon's victories. Kingdoms fell beneath his arms; and he gave away as trifles, the thrones of Holland and Naples, to his brothers Lucien and Joseph. He now became exceedingly anxious for an heir to his throne, and nought could satisfy his growing ambition, but the prospect of being father to a line of kings, that should reach to the end of time. All hope for this had long since been abandoned, from his present marriage, and he anticipated that after his death, his empire would fall to pieces, and the reins of power be "snatched by some unlineal hand; no son of his succeeding." This idea was a drop of gall in the cup of his success, and he finally determined on a divorce and new marriage; and the time for the divorce was fixed upon. "The fatal day at length arrived. On the 15th of December the Imperial Council of State was convened, and for the first time officially informed of the intended separation. On the morrow the whole of the Imperial family assembled in the grand saloon of the Tuilleries. Napoleon's was the only countenance which betrayed emotion, but ill-concealed by the drooping plumes of his hat of ceremony. In the centre of the apartment was placed an arm-chair, and before it a small table with a writing apparatus of gold. All eyes were directed to that spot, when a door opened and Josephine, pale but calm, appeared leaning on the arm of her daughter, whose fast-falling tears, showed that she had not attained the resignation of her mother. Both were dressed in the simplest manner; Josephine's dress of white muslin, exhibited not a single ornament. All rose on her entrance. She moved slowly and with her wonted grace to the seat prepared for her, and, her head supported on her hand, listened to the reading of the act of separation. She heard with composure, but with tears coursing each other down her cheeks, the words that placed an eternal barrier between her and greatness, and bitterer still between affection and its object. Pressing for an instant the handkerchief to her eyes, she rose, and with a voice which, but for a slight tremor, might have been called firm, pronounced the oath of acceptance; then sitting down, she took the pen from the hand of the count St. d'Anglesey, and signed." "Victorious monarch! on whose haughty brow, Glitters a more than kingly diadem; The fervent love of that warm, faithful heart, Whose virtues shed new lustre on the throne? False man, beware! High Heaven that heard the vow, In vain-the haughty victor in his dreams, Empress! the hour is come, when thou must yield Pale, sad and motionless she sits, where late, No royal robes her graceful form adorn, He for whose sake, those trappings once were worn, 'Tis done! The word, her trembling hand hath traced, Shall it be before that throne be graced, By one so virtuous, and so deeply wrong'd; To her was empire promis'd, not to thee!" Soon after the divorce of Josephine, he espoused Maria Louisa, archduchess of Austria. By this marriage he obtained indeed, an heir for his throne; but soon after he had no throne for his heir! Europe combined against him, fortune and friends deserted him; he fell and was exiled to the island of Elba. Josephine upon her divorce retired to the beautiful villa of Malmaison, and still retained to the hour of her death her devotion to Napoleon. On the 29th May 1814, she died in the arms of her children; and her last words were, "The island of Elba! Napoleon!" Again with a few followers, regardless of his abdication and oaths, Bonaparte left the island of Elba, landed in France, was joined by the multitude and was again seated on the throne. "The captive usurper, Hurled down from the throne Lay buried in torpor Forgotten and lone. Fate broke through his slumbers; And leagued him with numbers But why prolong the tale. The combined nations of Europe made common cause against him. A second time he is dethroned, and securely confined to a barren rock in the midst of the ocean; and guarded with ceaseless vigilance. His affairs were never pros perous after his separation from Josephine. Both appear to have been children of destiny, and their common fates united in one. Finally, he died, on the fifth of May 1821; "And left a name at which the world grew pale, To point a moral and adorn a tale.' Errata. On the 66th page, in the fifth line from the bottom for "lord” read "'queen." THE DELAWARE RAIL ROAD. At a special session of the legislature of Delaware in June 1836, Charles Polk, then governor of the State, recommended in his message to the General Assembly for the first time, the project of a rail road to connect Norfolk, Richmond, and other southern cities with Philadelphia, by the shortest possible route through the peninsula; and on the 20th June 1836, in pursuance of his recommendation, a charter was granted to a company "to locate and construct a rail road of one or more tracks, from any point on or near the Wilmington and Susquehanna Rail Road, or the New Castle and Frenchtown Rail Road: thence to the southern line of this State in a direction towards Cape Charles, or the southern part of the peninsula via Millsboro', Dagsboro' or otherwise, with full power to locate and construct the said rail road, or any lateral projection or projections thereof to the town of Lewes, to the town of Seaford, on the Nanticoke river, or to any other points or places, within the limits of this State." This grant of power, which confines the company incorporated to no one particular location, and authorizes the construction of a rail road to any point or place within the limits of the State, was accompanied by the grant of other powers equally liberal and beneficent to the corporation. It was provided, that the company's stock should be primarily divided into 40,000 shares of $25 each; that the company might go into operation whenever 20,000 shares, that is $500,000 should be subscribed-"that the company should be free and exempt from all manner of taxation for any stock, tolls, or other property whatsoever, for the period of fifty years from the passage of the act: and that every thing in the act contained, should be construed most favorably for the corporation; that the charter should be forever held and considered as a public act; that it should be perpetual, or without limitation as to time; that the company should, at all times, and from time to time, have power to increase its capital stock by additional subscriptions to an amount or to amounts sufficient to effectuate the objects of the act, and construct the rail roads contemplated by it, and from time to time to borrow money for corporate purposes or uses, not exceeding in the aggregate or whole amount so borrowed, a half a million of dollars." By the same charter it was also provided, that the "company should have full power to purchase and hold all real estate necessary for the purposes of the said rail roads, or any of their works; to buy and build wharves, houses and shops for corporate purposes; to purchase and hold steamboats, to ply in connection with the said roads, to any other place or places whatsoever; and to contract with the owner or owners of any steamboats and any, other rail road company, for transportation and passage to and from the said roads." The most ample and summary powers were given for condemning lands necessary for said rail road, by directing the appointment of five commissioners to assess and certify all damages on the whole |