‘All the generals attached to Buonaparte, those who supported him in his usurpation, and those who were with him in Egypt, bear an exact resemblance to the minions and favourites of the Roman Emperors. These men have the public treasure almost entirely at their disposal. General Lasnes, one of the Consul’s chief friends, spends the enormous sum of _five hundred thousand livres_ (upwards of twenty thousand guineas!!!) a month, at Paris, where he and his aids de camp occupy one of the most magnificent _hotels_ in that capital. Buonaparte, not being able to supply his favourites with sufficient specie for defraying their unbounded expences, grants them _congées d’exportation_, i.e. an exclusive permission to export various articles the exportation of which is prohibited by law; these _congées_ are sold to mercantile men, who purchase them at a very high price.’ ‘To the facts, which we stated on Monday, respecting the prodigality of Buonaparte and his creatures, we may add the instance of General Ney. This Republican Bashaw has fixed his head-quarters at Neubourg, at the expence of which place, his table is furnished at the rate of _ninety pounds sterling a day_! The French have a proverb, the truth of which they and their neighbours now experience to their sorrow: “Il vaut mieux qu’une cité soit brûlée, q’un parvenu la gouverne”--A city had better be burnt to ashes, than submit to the rule of an upstart vagabond.’[57] CHAPTER XXI. PLOTS AGAINST NAPOLEON’S LIFE--THAT OF OCTOBER 10, 1800--THAT OF DECEMBER 24, 1800--NUMBER OF PEOPLE KILLED AND INJURED--NAPOLEON’S PORTRAIT. The two plots against Napoleon’s life which occurred in this year must not be forgotten. Let us have Combe’s version, which does not much exaggerate the facts of the cases:--