d that this man, so wonderfully
endowed, had such completely false ideas concerning England, its vital
forces and intellectual progress. He would not admit any ideas
contrary to his own, and sought to explain these by prejudices which
he condemned."--Cf. Forsyth, "History of the Captivity of Napoleon
at Saint-Helena," III., 306, (False calculations of Napoleon at
Saint-Helena based on his ignorance of the English parliamentary
system,) and Stanislas Girardin, III., 296, (Words of the First Consul,
Floreal 24, year XI, quoted above.)]

[Footnote 2342: Cf., amongst other documents, his letter to Jerome, King
of Westphalia, October 15, 1807, and the constitution he gives to that
kingdom on that date, and especially titles 4 to 12: "The welfare of
your people concerns me, not only through the influence it may exercise
on your fame and my own, but likewise from the point of view of the
general European system.... Individuals who have talent and are not
noble must enjoy equal consideration and employment from you. ... Let
every species of serfage and of intermediary lien between the sovereign
and the lowest class of people be abolished. The benefits of the code
Napoleon, the publicity of proceedings, the establishment of juries,
will form so many distinctive characteristics of your monarchy."--His
leading object is the suppression of feudalism, that is to say, of
the great families and old historic authorities. He relies for this
especially on his civil code: "That is the great advantage of the
code;... it is what has induced me to preach a civil code and made me
decide on establishing it." (Letter to Joseph, King of Naples, June 5,
1806.)--"The code Napoleon is adopted throughout Italy. Florence has
it, and Rome will soon have it." (Letter to Joachim, King of the Two
Sicilies, Nov. 27, 1808.)--"My intention is to have the Hanseatic towns
adopt the code Napoleon and be governed by it from and after the 1st of
January."--The same with Dantzic: "Insinuate gently and not by
writing to the King of Bavaria, the Prince-primate, the grand-dukes of
Hesse-Darmstadt and of Baden, that the civil code should be established
in their states by suppressing all customary law and confining
themselves wholly to the code Napoleon." (Letter to M. de Champagny,
Oct. 31, 1807.)--"The Romans gave their laws to their allies. Why
should not France have its laws adopted in Holland?... It is equally
essential that you should adopt the French monetary s