No. 4
Milan.—He arrived here on June 2nd, and met with a great reception. In his bulletin of June 5th we find him assisting at an improvised concert. It ends, somewhat quaintly for a bulletin, as follows: “Italian music has a charm ever new. The celebrated singers, Billington,50 La Grassini, and Marchesi are expected at Milan. They say they are about to start for Paris to give concerts there.” According to M. Frédéric Masson, this Paris visit masked ulterior motives, and was arranged at a déjeûner on the same day, where La Grassini, Napoleon, and Berthier breakfasted together. Henceforward to Marengo Napoleon spends every spare day listening to the marvellous songstress, and as at Eylau, seven years later, runs great risks by admitting Venus into the camp of Mars. At St. Helena he declares that from June 3rd to 8th he was busy “receiving deputations, and showing himself to people assembled from all parts of Lombardy to see their liberator.” The Austrians had declared that he had died in Egypt. The date of No. 4 should probably be June 9th, on which day the rain was very heavy. He reached Stradella the next day.