Lewis Goldsmith facts for kids

Lewis Goldsmith (born around 1763 – died January 6, 1846) was a writer and political agent. He was from England but had Portuguese-Jewish family roots. He is thought to have been born in Richmond, a town near London.

Working with Napoleon

In 1801, Goldsmith wrote a book called The Crimes of Cabinets. This book criticized the military plans of William Pitt, who was a powerful British leader. Soon after, in 1802, Goldsmith moved from London to Paris, France.

In Paris, a French diplomat named Talleyrand introduced Goldsmith to Napoleon. With Napoleon's help, Goldsmith started a newspaper called the Argus. This paper came out every two weeks. It talked about English news from a French point of view.

In 1803, Goldsmith said he was given a special task. He was asked to get the head of the French royal family, who later became King Louis XVIII, to give up his claim to the French throne. In return, Louis would be offered the throne of Poland. But Louis said no to the offer. Goldsmith claimed he was then asked to remove Louis from power, but instead, Goldsmith told others about the plan. Goldsmith continued to work on secret missions for Napoleon until 1807. Around this time, his support for the French Revolution started to fade.

Some people believe Goldsmith also worked on a book called Revolutionary Plutarch (1804–05). This book was written by French people who had left France and were living in London. If this is true, it means Goldsmith might have been working for both sides at the same time.

Changing Sides

Goldsmith went back to England in 1809. At first, he was arrested and put in prison. But he was soon set free. He then became a notary (a type of legal official) in London. By 1811, he had strongly turned against the French Revolution.

He started his own newspaper called the Anti-Gallican Monitor. Through this paper, he now spoke out against the French Revolution. He even suggested that people should raise money to offer a reward for Napoleon's capture. However, the British government did not support this idea.

In 1810, Goldsmith published two books: Secret History of the Cabinet of Bonaparte and Collection of the Decrees of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1812, he published another book, Secret History of Bonaparte's Diplomacy. He claimed that Napoleon then offered him a large sum of money to stop his attacks. In 1815, he wrote a book called An Appeal to the Governments of Europe. This book argued that Napoleon should be put on public trial.

Later Life

In 1825, Lewis Goldsmith moved back to Paris. A few years later, he published a book about the Statistics of France. His only child, Georgiana, became the second wife of a famous lawyer named John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst in 1837.

Lewis Goldsmith died in his home in Paris on January 6, 1846. He passed away after being ill for several months.