Lewis Goldsmith
Encyclopedia
Lewis Goldsmith was an Anglo
-French
publicist
of Portuguese
-Jewish extraction.
. Soon afterward, in 1802, he moved from London to Paris
. There Talleyrand introduced him to Napoleon
. With Napoleon's assistance, Goldsmith established the Argus, a biweekly publication in English reviewing English affairs from a French point of view.
In 1803, according to Goldsmith's own account, he was entrusted with a mission to obtain from the Comte de Provence, the head of the French royal family and subsequent King Louis XVIII
, a renunciation of his claim to the throne of France in return for the throne of Poland
. The offer was declined. Goldsmith says he then received instructions to kidnap Louis, or to kill him if he resisted. Instead, Goldsmith revealed the plot. Until 1807, however, when his Republican
sympathies began to wane, Goldsmith continued to undertake secret service missions on behalf of Napoleon.
in London. By 1811 he had become strongly anti-republican, founding the Anti-Gallican Monitor and Anti-Corsican Chronicle (subsequently known as the British Monitor) through which he now denounced the French Revolution. He proposed that a price be put on Napoleon's head by public subscription, but found himself condemned by the British government. Later in 1811 he published Secret History of the Cabinet of Bonaparte and Recueil des nmnifestes, or a Collection of the Decrees of Napoleon Bonaparte; and in 1812 he published a Secret History of Bonaparte's Diplomacy. He claimed Napoleon then offered him 200,000 [francs?] to discontinue his attacks. In 1815, he published An Appeal to the Governments of Europe on the Necessity of Bringing Napoleon Bonaparte to a Public Trial.
in 1837. He died ‘of paralysis’ after an illness lasting several months, in his home on the rue de la Paix, Paris, on 6 January 1846.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
-French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
of Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
-Jewish extraction.
Allied with Napoleon
In 1801, Goldsmith published The Crimes of Cabinets, or a Review of the Plans and Aggressions for Annihilating the Liberties of France and the Dismemberment of her Territories, an attack on the military policy of PittWilliam Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
. Soon afterward, in 1802, he moved from London to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. There Talleyrand introduced him to Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. With Napoleon's assistance, Goldsmith established the Argus, a biweekly publication in English reviewing English affairs from a French point of view.
In 1803, according to Goldsmith's own account, he was entrusted with a mission to obtain from the Comte de Provence, the head of the French royal family and subsequent King Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
, a renunciation of his claim to the throne of France in return for the throne of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The offer was declined. Goldsmith says he then received instructions to kidnap Louis, or to kill him if he resisted. Instead, Goldsmith revealed the plot. Until 1807, however, when his Republican
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
sympathies began to wane, Goldsmith continued to undertake secret service missions on behalf of Napoleon.
Anti-Napoleon
Goldsmith returned to England in 1809. At first he was arrested and imprisoned, but soon was released and established himself as a notarySolicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in London. By 1811 he had become strongly anti-republican, founding the Anti-Gallican Monitor and Anti-Corsican Chronicle (subsequently known as the British Monitor) through which he now denounced the French Revolution. He proposed that a price be put on Napoleon's head by public subscription, but found himself condemned by the British government. Later in 1811 he published Secret History of the Cabinet of Bonaparte and Recueil des nmnifestes, or a Collection of the Decrees of Napoleon Bonaparte; and in 1812 he published a Secret History of Bonaparte's Diplomacy. He claimed Napoleon then offered him 200,000 [francs?] to discontinue his attacks. In 1815, he published An Appeal to the Governments of Europe on the Necessity of Bringing Napoleon Bonaparte to a Public Trial.
Later life
In 1825, he moved back to Paris, publishing his Statistics of France a few years later. His only child, Georgiana, become the second wife of John Copley, 1st Baron LyndhurstJohn Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst
John Singleton Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst PC KS FRS , was a British lawyer and politician. He was three times Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.-Background and education:...
in 1837. He died ‘of paralysis’ after an illness lasting several months, in his home on the rue de la Paix, Paris, on 6 January 1846.