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Every year, on the 25th of August the j day of St Louis, the pupils of the Military . School in honour of the King, were per- mitted, almost without restraint, to give themselves up to pleasure, and the most noisy demonstrations of joy. Every species of punishment was suspended during that happy day; and it is easy to fore-see, that it could seldom pass without being attended by some accident. but, without blaming or excusing that too great indulgence of our masters, I will only recount that of . which was an eye-witness.
Whenever a pupil had reached the age of fourteen, a custom which we kept up with great care gave him the privilege to purchase a certain quantity of gun powder for St Louis' day : and during the fortnight which preceded the solemnity the young people of that age associated together to prepare fire works. The indulgency went even so far as to instruct them with some . small pieces of artillery some muskets and pistols, which were fired to anounce the day. What joy ! what moment perhaps the most happy of their lives.
So complete and so animated was the| general pleasure amongst the scholars as to render mere remarkable the indifference, real or affected which Bonaparte testified on that occasion being the last year (1785) which he passed at the school of Brienne.
