o the _character_ of Buonaparte, the dissonance is, if
possible, still greater. According to some, he was a wise, humane,
magnanimous hero; others paint him as a monster of cruelty, meanness,
and perfidy: some, even of those who are most inveterate against him,
speak very highly of his political and military ability: others place
him on the very verge of insanity. But allowing that all this may be
the colouring of party-prejudice, (which surely is allowing a great
deal,) there is one point to which such a solution will hardly apply:
if there be anything that can be clearly ascertained in history, one
would think it must be the _personal courage of a military man_; yet
here we are as much at a loss as ever; at the very same times, and on
the same occasions, he is described by different writers as a man of
undaunted intrepidity, and as an absolute poltroon.

What, then, are we to believe? If we are disposed to credit all that
is told us, we must believe in the existence not only of one, but of
two or three Buonapartes; if we admit nothing but what is well
authenticated, we shall be compelled to doubt of the existence of
any.[9]

It appears, then, that those on whose testimony the existence and
actions of Buonaparte are generally believed, fail in ALL the most
essential points on which the credibility of witnesses depends: first,
we have no assurance that they have access to correct information;
secondly, they have an apparent interest in propagating falsehood;
and, thirdly, they palpably contradict each other in the most
important points.

* * * * *

Another circumstance which throws additional suspicion on these tales
is, that the whig-party, as they are called--the warm advocates for
liberty, and opposers of the encroachments of monarchical power--have
for some time past strenuously espoused the cause and vindicated the
character of Buonaparte, who is represented by all as having been, if
not a tyrant, at least an absolute despot. One of the most forward in
this cause is a gentleman, who once stood foremost in holding up this
very man to public execration--who first published, and long
maintained against popular incredulity, the accounts of his atrocities
in Egypt. Now that such a course should be adopted for party-purposes;
by those who are aware that the whole story is a fiction, and the hero
of it imaginary, seems not very incredible; but if they believed in
the real existence of t