CADOUDAL, GEORGES, the of a poor miller, was born in 1769, in the neighbourhood of Auray in Lower Brittany. lie received that education of the mind, with religion for its basis, which has always distinguished the western population of France. Oue of the first to answer the call to arena of the royalists, he collected, in March 1793, a body of 50 Bretons, traversed the woods, fought eeveral combats, and joined the main army at Fnugeres. He was afterwards present at the siege of Granville, at the battle of Mans, and other engagements. Next, assisted by his steadfast friend Lemercier, ho achieved an insurrection in the Morbihan. This was his talent : none of the patriot leaders knew better than Georges how to move the passions of the simple peasantry, by his denunciation of the republic and his advocacy of the Bourbons. In 1794 he was captured by a party of republican soldiers, and emit as a prisoner to Brent.
After a few months' captivity he made his escape, with several of his companions, and became a leader (chef de canton). In July 1795, during the misunderstanding between the `'endear generals and the emigrant officers, after the landing of Puisaye and Quiberon, Georges strove hard to rescue a portion of the Chounn army from the disaster which followed. The royalists were fearfully slaughtered by the army of Roche. bnt Cadoudal effected the retreat of a atroug party. He soon took upon himself the conduct of the insurrection in Lower Brittany; and, irritated at the conduct of the leaders of the late starred expedition, he organised an army of peasants, admitting neither noble nor emigrant officer to any share in the come:laud. During the latter part of 1795 and the early part of 1796, the great military talents of Hoch° tried most severely the patience and endurance of the Chou: use; still their hardy leaders kept them from disbanding.
Then followed two years of inaction, whilst the faithful Chouan was waiting for the signal to be eent from Paris to resume the offensive. In January 1799, George@ Cadoudal, who had never dissolved his little band, intimated to the royalist leaders that everything was ready for a speedy insurrection. The following August he mustered his forces,
and occupied the camp of Beauchtme. Other chiefs united their bands with hie, but Cadoudal'e was the most considerable, and, submitting to his authority, they invested him with the chief command of the Morbihan and COteselu-Nord. A great civil war was imminent ; the flames had spread through the provinces of Marne, Normandy, and Brittany, when the abrupt explosion of the great conspiracy of the 18th Brumaire paralysed the royalists and raised Bonaparte to power. The inflexible Chouan resisted still, fought the battles of Grand-Champ and Elven (1800), and was the last to think of peace.
Georges Cadoudal now went to Paris, and became the object of the First Consul', admiring notice. The master of France used every art to win him over to his service, but nothing could shake the oonstancy of this rude chief. Bonaparte then strove to arrest him; but the Chouan fled to England, where he was treated with great distinction. The Cnmto d'Arteeis, with his own hand, gave him the cordon rouge in the king's name. Towards the end of 1300 he returned to Brittany, again evoked the loyalty of that population, and ordered several spies to be shot, whom the First Consul bad sent as emissaries to entrap him.
In 1802, being once more In England, he allied himself with Pichegru to overturn Bonaparte. Georges proposed to attack him openly, and cut through his guards. To this cud, he tended secretly In France on the 21st of August 1803, and making his way to Paris, lay hid there for six months, waiting for the signal to be given by Moreau and Pieliegru. At length, on the 4th of March 1301, he was surprised in • cabriolet., near the Luxembourg, mid captured by a party of pollee, after he had killed one man and wounded another. At his trisI he boldly avowed his devotion to his 'legitimate' king. Ile was condemned to death, :sod executed on the 25th of June, at the age of thirty.fire. " Hie mind," said Napoleon, "was cast iu the true mould ; In my hand. be would have done great things. I know how to aprreciate his firmness of character." (Mog. bracers. ; Bonrrienne ; Alison, History of Europe.)