From Central Missouri State University’s “Joseph Fouche“:
Fouché established an organization of policing and intelligence gathering that was decades ahead of its time. Napoleon, frequently on military campaigns, depended on Fouché’s information to maintain control over France and his military effectiveness. Six days a week, every week, Fouché sent secret reports to Napoleon. The information represented an incredible array of topics:
1. Palace gossip.
2. Audience reaction to a new play.
3. Stock market prices.
4. Desertions from the army.
5. Arrests of foreign agents.
6. Results of interrogations.
7. News of crime.
8. Offenses by soldiers.
9. Fires.
10. Rebellion against the Gendarmarie.
11. Intercepted correspondence.
12. Visiting personages.
13. Public reception of news of victories.
14. Shipping news.
15. Indiscretions of Fouché’s enemies.
16. Contractor’s tenders.
17. Agitation against the draft.
18. Suicides.
19. Prison epidemics.
20. Progress of construction.
21. Unemployment figures.
22. Extracts from inter-ministerial correspondence.
23. Persons detained or under special surveillance (Stead, 1983, pp. 41-48).