BOURRIENNE, Louis Antoine Psalmlet de, French historian and diplomatist: b. Sens, 9 July 1769; d. Caen, 7 Feb. 1834. He was educated with Bonaparte at the school of Brienne, where a close intimacy sprang up be tween them. On their separation in 1785. when Bonaparte set out to attend the &Ole Militaire in Paris, they vowed an eternal friendship. At the age of 19 he proceeded to one of the Ger man universities, with the view of studying law and languages. He returned to Paris in 1792, and renewed his early friendship with Bonaparte, who employed him in drawing up, together with General Clarke, the text of the Treaty of Campo Formio. From this period Bourrienne's diplomatic career commenced. He accompanied Bonaparte as his private secre tary on his expedition to Egypt, and afterward continued in that capacity on his elevation to the consulate. His avarice had already brought him to the verge of ruin, but, nevertheless, in 1804 he was nominated by the Emperor his Minister-Plenipotentiary at Hamburg. Here his duty was to maintain a close watch on the methods of enforcing the Continental System.
He removed about 1,000,000 francs from the public treasury and this led to his recall and removal. In the end of 1813 he returned to France, where he received the appointment of director of the posts, and in 1814 was made prefect of police. On the abdication of Na poleon he paid his court to Louis XVIII, who, on his restoration, nominated him a minister of state. The revolution of July 1830, and the loss of his private fortune affected him so much that he lost his reason. He was removed to Normandy, and spent the last two years of his life in a lunatic asylum at Caen. where he died. His sur Napoleon, le Direc toire, le Consulat, l'Empire et la restauration,) edited by Villemarest (1829-31), contain many interesting particulars of the youth of Napo leon, and also of the history of the Directory and consulate, although they are blamed for want of accuracy in many points of detail.