January 1804, I called on Fouche, who informed me that he had been at St.
Cloud, where he had had a long conversation with the First Consul on the
situation of affairs. Bonaparte told him that he was satisfied with the
existing police, and hinted that it was only to make himself of
consequence that he had given a false colouring to the picture. Fouche
asked him what he would say if he told him that Georges and Pichegru had
been for some time in Paris carrying on the conspiracy of which he had
received information. The First Consul, apparently delighted at what he
conceived to be Fouche's mistake, said, with an air of contempt, "You are
well informed, truly! Regnier has just received a letter from London
stating that Pichegru dined three days ago at Kingston with one of the
King of England's ministers."

As Fouche, however, persisted in his assertion, the First Consul sent to
Paris for the Grand Judge, Regnier, who showed Fouche the letter he had
received. The First Consul triumphed at first to see Fouche at fault;
but the latter so clearly proved that Georges and Pichegru were actually
in Paris that Regnier began to fear he had been misled by his agents,
whom his rival paid better than he did. The First Consul, convinced that
his old minister knew more than his new one, dismissed Regnier, and
remained a long time in consultation with Fouche, who on that occasion
said nothing about his reinstatement for fear of exciting suspicion.
He only requested that the management of the business might be entrusted
to Real, with orders to obey whatever instructions he might receive from
him. I will return hereafter to the arrest of Moreau and the other
persons accused, and will now subjoin the account of a long interview
which I had with Bonaparte in the midst of these important events.

On the 8th of March 1804, some time after the arrest but before the trial
of General Moreau, I had an audience of the First Consul, which was