.^^ /^V^-o -^Z ;^\ %/ /^%id^ % 
 
 
 .-^-^^ 
 
 
 , " " ° " 
 
 '?'_ 
 
 °o 
 
 :%:wi^:^. 
 
 ^bv 
 
 0^ .'v:,'. <> 
 
 
 
 \' ..^ 
 
 
 
 ^" 
 
 ^ A. 
 
 ^ 
 
 .G 
 

 C 
 
 . " • * ' \'j 
 
 
 
 ^oV^ 
 
 ^°--<^ 
 
 
 
 % 
 
 < o 
 
 
 
 ^^ .9^ 
 
 ^^ -^^ 
 
 
^^" 
 
 "K^ 
 
 ^0^, 
 
 A <- 
 
 .^^ :» 
 
 ^ "^^ 
 
 .^ 
 
 rS-' 
 
A' 
 
 V * 
 
 ^b * 
 •» o 
 
 
 
 
JUpuMish^d byM. n^rruu. l'':Uu.^ \ 
 
LETTERS 
 
 WRITTEN ON BOARD 
 
 His majesty's ship the Northumberland^ 
 
 AND AT 
 
 SAINT HELENA; 
 
 IN WHICH THE 
 
 CONDUCT AND CONVERSATIONS 
 
 OP 
 
 NAPO LEON BUONAPARTE, 
 
 AND HIS SUITE, 
 
 3)URING THE VOYAGE, AND THE FIRST MONTHS OP HIS 
 RESIDENCE IN THAT ISLAND, 
 
 ARE FAITHFULLY DESCRIBED AND RELATED. 
 
 BY WILLIAM WARDEN, 
 
 Surge<»i on board the Northumberland. 
 NON EGO, SED DEMOCRITUS DIXIT. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 FUBLISHED BY M. THOMAS, NO. 52, CHBSNUT STREET: 
 J. Maxwell, Printer. 
 1817. 
 
 v-z^Y^'W^ 2-- 
 

 e.< 
 
]^J INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Having sailed in my professional 
 character on board the ship which car- 
 ried Napoleon Buonaparte to aS"^. 
 Helena^ and ha\1ng remained several 
 months on the island, the inquiries 
 concerning him, on my return to Eng- 
 land were so repeated, that I may be 
 said to have been in a state of perse- 
 cution from the curiosity which pre- 
 vails respecting that extraordinary 
 character. Circumstances, connect- 
 ed with my profession, gave me fre- 
 
 A 2 
 
quent opportunities of conversing with 
 him; and with the principal persons of 
 his suite, I may be said, particularly 
 during the voyage, to have lived in ra- 
 ther intimate society. 
 
 The subjects of various conversa- 
 tions with him and with them, I com- 
 mitted to my Journal, from whose 
 pages the following Letters were 
 formed, with such additions as might 
 occur to my recollection at the time 
 they were written. — No idea, howev- 
 er, could be more remote from my 
 mind, than that they would extend be- 
 yond the circle for whose gratification 
 they were composed. But a wish for 
 their publication seemed to meet me 
 wherever I went; the most minute 
 circumstance respecting the present 
 
vn 
 
 point of Napoleon's career, appeared 
 to excite an extraordinary interest, and 
 I have yielded, rather reluctantly, to 
 become an Author from persuasions 
 I scarce knew how to resist; and to 
 wliich I had some reasons to suspect 
 resistance might be in vain. Whe- 
 ther these Letters will answer the 
 general expectations of those who 
 have seen, and of a still far greater 
 number of those who have only heard 
 of them, I do not consider myself as 
 qualified to judge. All I have to say 
 in their favour is this: — That every 
 fact related in them is true; and the 
 purport of every conversation correct. 
 It will not, I trust, bethought neces- 
 sary for me to say more; — and the 
 justice I owe to myself, will not allow 
 me to say less. 
 
 William Warden. 
 
. Vlll 
 
 Fac Similes of the writing of extra- 
 ordinary men are, I am told, particu- 
 lar objects of research, and therefore I 
 have introduced the graphic charac- 
 ters of Napoleon, in a note on ge- 
 neral Bertrand's Sketch of the Battle 
 of Areola. 
 
 The Medal was struck on Nap o- 
 LEON'S marriage: the original, which 
 is in gold, was presented to me by 
 general Bertrand. He considered it as 
 of great medallic value from its rarity. 
 I have since heard however, that these 
 medals are by no means uncommon^ 
 at least in inferior metal. But be that 
 as it may, an apology will not, I pre- 
 sume, be thought necessary for hav- 
 ing given an engraving of it. — At the 
 same time it may be proper to observe, 
 
V * 
 
 Fold-oi 
 
 Pfacehol 
 
IX 
 
 that the smaller circle is the size of the 
 medal. The emblematic representa- 
 tion was enlarged for the better illus- 
 tration of the design. 
 
LETTERS 
 
 JROM 
 
 SAINT HELENA, m. &c. 
 
 At Sea, 
 
 HY dear- 
 
 It is, certainly, not the first time 
 that I have been induced to exclaim — how 
 strange and unexpected are the occur- 
 rences of life; how frequently is the calm 
 of to-day succeeded by the storm of to* 
 morrow, and the ordinary course of Na- 
 ture interrupted by phenomena, which 
 the philosopher himself is puzzled to ex- 
 plain: But the world of politics illustrates 
 
12 
 
 tiie doctrine of wonders as much as the 
 operations of the elements. — Nothing, I 
 presume, could have been less probable to 
 the view of captain Maitland's mind when 
 he was ordered on duty off Rochfort than 
 the voluntary surrender of the ex-emperor 
 of France and his suite, with bag and bag- 
 gage, on board the Bellerophon. To have 
 taken the ship in which he might have at- 
 tempted to make his escape, was a natural 
 expectation, as it would have been a proba- 
 ble event; but the manner in which such 
 an extraordinary^ person submitted himself 
 to his custody, must have taken him, 
 which could not have happened in any 
 other part of his duty, by surprise* In- 
 deed, to compare small things with great^ 
 I cannot reconcile to my common notions 
 of probability the subject of my present 
 epistle, and that the letters which you 
 would naturally expect to receive from me, 
 instead of the common topics of a sea 
 voyage, should contain an account of the 
 conduct, and information respecting the 
 character of Napoleon Buonaparte, from 
 
13 
 
 tKe personal opportunities which my si- 
 tuation so unexpectedly afforded me. 
 
 Such has been the attention which this 
 eminent person has attracted; so great the 
 daily crowd of boats, and other vessels fil- 
 led with curious spectators, (some of 
 w^hom it is confidently said, have come on 
 purpose from remote parts of the country, 
 and even from London,) to snatch such a 
 glimpse of him as could be caught at the 
 distance they were obliged to keep from 
 the Bellerophon^ on whose gangway he oc- 
 casionally stood; that I feel myself more 
 than justified in supposing the most trif- 
 ling particulars, respecting him and his 
 suite, to be welcome to you and those of 
 our common friends, to whom you may 
 choose to communicate them! and of this 
 you may be assured, that I shall inform 
 you of little that occurred after Napoleon 
 put his foot on the deck of our ship, but 
 what I myself saw and heard. My piece- 
 meal narrative, for such it must be, will 
 have the merit of authenticity, if it should 
 
14 
 
 be thought to have no other. I have 
 written down every thing respecting our 
 distinguished passenger, as it has hitherto 
 happened; and I shall continue to do so as 
 circumstances occur, in the way best suit- 
 ed to a seaman, by adopting the form of a 
 Journal. You must, therefore, expect 
 nothing but a succession of detached ar- 
 ticles; a recital of domestic occurrences, 
 if I may use the expression, on board a 
 ship, as they occurred, when the ex-em- 
 peror offered himself to my observation; 
 and I shall begin with his short passage 
 from the Bdlerophon to the Northumber- 
 land. 
 
 On the 3d of August, 1815, his ma- 
 jesty's ship Northumberland^ captain Ross, 
 bearing the flag of admiral sir George 
 Cockburn, who was selected by govern- 
 ment for this important duty, weighed an- 
 chor from Spithead, and, after having 
 contended with adverse winds, came with- 
 
15 
 
 in sight of the Berry-head, a head-lan(i 
 forming the extremity of Torbay, at an 
 early hour of the day. She was there 
 joined by the Tonnant, captain Brenton, 
 bearing the flag of lord Keith, admiral 
 of the channel fleet, accompanied by the 
 Bellerophon^ captain Maitland, the latter 
 ship having on board Napoleon Bi;o- 
 NAPARTE. — As soon as signals were ex- 
 changed with the approaching ship, a sa- 
 lute w^as fired from the ISorthumherlandy 
 and answered by the Tonnant. — Lord 
 Keith, having had an interview with sir 
 George Cockburn, anchored under Ber- 
 ry-head, to avoid, as it was supposed, the 
 eager curiosity of the very numerous visi- 
 tors in all descriptions of vessels, who 
 constantly surrounded the Bellerophon. 
 The remainder of the evening passed 
 without any occurrence that is worthy of 
 notice. 
 
 On the following morning, the count de 
 las Casesy chamberlain to the ex-empe- 
 ror, came on board to arrange the requisite 
 
16 
 
 accommodations for his fallen master. The 
 baggage followed — nor shall I attempt to 
 describe the universal and anxious curios- 
 ity which was displayed on board, to see 
 the effects of the extraordinary personage 
 to whom they belonged; the sole remain- 
 ing possessions of a man who had so late- 
 ly commanded the art, industry, and pro- 
 duce of many kingdoms: But it was not 
 calculated to gratify the expectation that 
 awaited his arrival. One mahogany case 
 indeed, was distinguished by the imperial 
 arms, but the rest exhibited no better 
 figure and appearance than the properties 
 of an itinerant theatre. 
 
 The count de las Cases does not ex- 
 ceed five feet and an inch in height, and 
 appears to be fifty years of age, of a mea- 
 gre form, and with a wrinkled forehead: 
 His dress was a French naval uniform. 
 His stay on board the Northumberland 
 did not exceed an hour; but, while he was 
 employed in the hasty discharge of his of- 
 fice, his diminutive appearance did not 
 
17 
 
 fail to invite observations from the inquis- 
 itive beholders. Some of them, I could 
 fancy, expected herculean figures to be 
 employed in the service of a man who had 
 lately bestrode so large a portion of Eu- 
 rope. If there were any under such im- 
 pressions, and we never can answer for the 
 impressions of the moment, they had cer- 
 tainly forgotten, if they had ever been in- 
 formed, that Alexander the great, the 
 mighty lord of vanquished nations, is rep- 
 resented in history as a man of small sta- 
 ture — and, indeed, they were shortly to 
 be convinced, that Buonaparte himself 
 would not gratify any expectations of an 
 athletic figure. 
 
 From eleven to twelve we were prepa- 
 red to receive Napoleon on board — and 
 lord Keith, as it may be presumed, from 
 a noble delicacy to his situation and feel- 
 ings, declined receiving the usual compli- 
 ments attendant on his rank, that they 
 might, according to their settled form, de 
 volve on the ex-emperor, whose sounding 
 B 2 
 
18 
 
 titles had passed away with the power that 
 bestowed them. The rank of general is 
 considered as adequate to all his claims 
 on a government who never acknowledged 
 him under any other. A captain's guard 
 of marines was arranged on the poop, to 
 wait his arrival, with orders to present 
 arms and the drum to beat the roll 
 thrice; the usual salute to a general oflS^ccr 
 in the British service. 
 
 The barge of the Tmxnant reached the 
 Northumberland in a -few minutes after it 
 left the Bellerophon.^ Our quarter-deck 
 was covered with officers, and there were 
 also some individuals of rank, who had 
 come round from motives of curiosity, to 
 view the passing scene. Besides the ob- 
 ject of general attraction and attention, the 
 
 * I have been given to understand that Buona- 
 parte's conduct on board the Bellerophon had been 
 such as rather to conciliate the good humour of all 
 onboard, so that his departure was not attended with 
 the slightest mark of disapprobation or disrespect, 
 but with that kind of awful silence which accom- 
 panies the fatal close of a public execution. 
 
15 
 
 barge contained lord Keith and sir George 
 Cockburn, marshal Bertrand, who had 
 shared in all his imperial master's for- 
 tunes, and the generals Montholon and 
 Courgoriy who had been, and still continued 
 to retain the titles of his aides-de-camp. 
 As the boat approached, the figure of Na- 
 poleon was readily distinguished, from his 
 apparent resemblance to the various prints 
 of him which are displayed in the windows 
 of the shops. The marines occupied the 
 front of the poop, and the officers kept the 
 quarter-deck. An universal silence pre- 
 vailed when the barge reached the side, 
 and there was a grave, but anxious aspect 
 in all the spectators which, in the opinion 
 of others as well as myself, was no small ad- 
 dition to the solemnity of the ceremonial. 
 Count Bertrand ascended first, and having 
 bowed, retired a few steps to give place to 
 him whom he still considered as his mas- 
 ter, and in whose presence he appeared to 
 feel that all his most respectful homage 
 was still due. The whole ship's company 
 seemed at this moment to be in breath* 
 
20 
 
 less "expectation. Lord Keith was the 
 last who quitted the barge, and I cannot 
 give you a more complete idea of the wrap- 
 ped attention of all on board to the figure 
 of Napoleon, than that his lordship, high as 
 he is in naval character, admiral also of 
 the channel fleet, to which we belonged, 
 arrayed in the full uniform of his rank, 
 and emblazoned with the decorations of his 
 orders, did not seem to be noticed, nor 
 scarcely even to be seen, among the group 
 which was subject to him. 
 
 With a slow step Buonaparte mounted 
 the gangway, and, on feeling himself firm 
 on the quarter-deck, he raised his hat, when 
 the guard presented arms and the drum 
 rolled. The officers of the Northumber- 
 land^ who were uncovered, stood conside- 
 rably in advance. Those he ap[)roached, 
 and saluted with an air of the most affable 
 politeness. He then addressed himself to 
 sir George Cockburn, and hastily asked 
 for the capitaine de vaisseau^ who was im- 
 mediately introduced; but finding that he 
 
21 
 
 did not speak French, he successively 
 spoke to several others, till an officer of 
 artillery replied to him in that language. 
 Lord Lowther, and the honourable Mr. 
 Lyttelton were then introduced to him; 
 and, in a few minutes, he intimated a de- 
 sire, though more by gesture than by 
 words, to enter the cabin, where he conti- 
 nued for about an hour. 
 
 His dress was that of a general of 
 French infantry, when it formed a part of 
 his army. The coat was green, faced with 
 white; the rest was white, with white silk 
 stockings, and a handsome shoe with gold 
 oval buckles. He was decorated with a 
 red ribbon and a star, with three medals 
 suspended from a button-hole. One of 
 them represented the iron crown, and the 
 others, different gradations of the Legion of 
 Honour. His face was pale, and his beard 
 of an unshaven appearance. Indeed, his 
 general aspect justified the conjecture that 
 he had not passed the preceding night in 
 sound repose. His forehead is thinly co- 
 
22 
 
 vered with dark hair, as well as the top of 
 his head, which is large, and has a singu- 
 lar flatness: what hair he has behind, is 
 bushy, and I could not discern the slight- 
 est mixture of white in it. His eyes, which 
 are gray, are in continual motion, and hur- 
 ry rapidly to the various objects around 
 him. His teeth are regular and good; his 
 neck is short, but his shoulders of the 
 finest proportion. The rest of his figure, 
 though a little blended with the Dutch 
 fulness, is of a very handsome form. 
 
 It may be thought, perhaps, that I am 
 very minute in my description of this dis- 
 tinguished person, — but I fancied you 
 would expect it of me, and that your well- 
 known predominant curiosity on the sub- 
 ject must be gratified by it Besides, I 
 may be naturally induced, from my stu- 
 dies, my profession, and my habits, to ex- 
 amine the human figure with an anatomi- 
 cal eye; and, on particular occasions and 
 with particular objects, I have sometimes 
 ventured, for I may safely acknowlege it 
 
23 
 
 to you, to indulge a reverie as to the con- 
 formation of the human frame, and deduce 
 notions, erroneous enough perhaps, from 
 a comparative view of corporal form and 
 structure, with intellectual capacity and 
 leading dispositions. Indeed I am ready 
 to acknowledge that I actually presumed 
 to play Lavater a little with the late em- 
 peror of France and king of Italy — but I 
 shall not trouble you, at present, with the 
 result of my vagaries. 
 
 On returning upon deck, he engaged in 
 conversation with lord Lowther, Mr. 
 Lyttelton, and sir George Byngham, for 
 an hour before dinner. It is understood 
 that he complained of the severity with 
 which he was treated, in being consigned 
 to pass his days on the rock of St. Helena, 
 buffeted by the winds, and amidst the waste 
 of waters; and that he could not compre- 
 hend the policy or the apprehensions of 
 England, in refusing him an asylum, now 
 that his political career was terminated.* — 
 He continued to repeat a succession of 
 questions to the same effect, with some 
 
degree of impetuosity; but it would be 
 taking a liberty with Mr. Lyttelton, who 
 principally maintained the discourse with 
 him, to repeat that gentleman's replies 
 from the inform.ation of others. I shall 
 only observe, that they were accompanied 
 with that courteous address which might 
 be expected of him. 
 
 In a conversation which I had with 
 count Bertrand on the following day, he 
 complained in very forcible terms, of the 
 needless cruelty of their allotment. The 
 emperor, he said, for that title he conti- 
 nued to receive from his attendants, had 
 thrown himself on the mercy of England, 
 from a full and consoling confidence that 
 he should there find a place of refuge. He 
 asked, what worse f^ite could have befallen 
 him, had he been taken a prisoner on 
 board an American ship, in which he 
 might have endeavoured to make his es- 
 cape. He reasoned, for some time, on the 
 probability of success in such an attempt; 
 and they might now, he added, have cause 
 
2S 
 
 to repent that his imperial master had not 
 risked it. He then proceeded : — 
 
 ^^ Could not the emperor, think you, 
 have placed himself at the head of the ar- 
 my of the Loire? and can you persuade 
 yourself that it would not have been proud 
 to range itself under his command? And 
 is it not possible — nay, more than proba- 
 ble, that he would have been joined by 
 numerous adherents from the Norths the 
 South, and the East? Nor can it be de- 
 nied that he might have placed himself in 
 such a position, as to have made far better 
 terms for himself than have now been im- 
 posed upon him. It was to save the 
 further effusion of blood that he threw 
 himself into your arms; that he trusted to 
 the honour of a nation famed for its gene- 
 rosity and love of justice; nor would it 
 have been a disgrace to England to have 
 acknowledged Napoleon Buonaparte as a 
 citizen. He demanded to be enrolled 
 among the humblest of them: and wished 
 for little more than the heavens as a cover- 
 
26 
 
 ing, and the soil of England, on which he 
 might tread in safety. Was this too much 
 for such a man to ask? — surely not: nor 
 could such a man imagine, in any moment 
 of depression, if it were possible for such 
 a spirit as his to be so depressed, that the 
 boon would be refused him. It might ra- 
 ther have been a subject of pride to Eng- 
 land, that the conqueror of almost all Eu- 
 rope but herself, sought, in his adverse 
 fortune, to pass the remainder of a life, 
 which forms so splendid an epocha in the 
 history of our age, in any retired spot of 
 her domains, which she might have allot- 
 ted him." 
 
 He acknowledged that Napoleon had 
 consulted him as to the probable magna- 
 nimity of the English government, on the 
 measure then in contemplation; but in this 
 instance, he said, '* I refused the opinion 
 which he requested of me. It was not from 
 any preconceived opinion to the prejudice 
 of the English nation, no, — far from it, 
 ><hat I hesitated for once to obey him. But 
 
27 
 
 I could not allow myself to become his 
 counsellor in such a critical moment, and 
 on a matter of so much importance to the 
 comfort of his future life and the honour 
 of his name. I was not afraid of any per- 
 sonal injury being offered to him: of that 
 I entertained not the shadow of an appre- 
 hension; but I thought it not impossible 
 that his liberty might be endangered, as 
 indeed it was, by the resolution of that 
 hour. I was so agitated by my hopes and 
 my fears in alternate succession, that I 
 could only beg of him to accept my loyal 
 and faithful assurance that I would wait 
 upon his fortunes whatever they might be; 
 but it was for him alone to shape the way 
 to them. Nor can I express," he added, 
 ^' how much I rejoice at my persevering 
 resolution; for had any opinion of mine 
 been accessary, in the slightest degree, to 
 the situation in which I now behold my 
 emperor, I should never again enjoyed a 
 peaceful moment.'^ The terms in which 
 he expressed his thoughts, and the tones 
 which animated them, proved the state of 
 
28 
 
 his feelings. There was a kind of soldier- 
 like resolution in his manner; but I could 
 perceive that sorrow was in his heart: 
 and firm as I am in my loyalty as an En- 
 glishman, and proud as I am, and as every 
 man, born in our glorious island ought to 
 be, of that distinguished name, and though 
 his enthusiasm betrayed him into senti- 
 ments and opinions, in which I could not^ 
 by any means, acquiesce, I do not hesi- 
 tate to acknowledge my disposition to ad- 
 mire the emotions of this faithful French- 
 man. 
 
 Madame Bertrand's complaints were 
 different in their character as well as lan- 
 guage from those of the count her husband: 
 her air and manner were sometimes even 
 accompanied with a gleam of distraction. 
 ^^ What can you think," she once said to 
 me, ^' of my situation? does it not appear 
 to you to be most lamentable; and where 
 are expressions to be found that can suit the 
 description of it to the poignancy of my 
 feelings? What a change for a woman 
 
29 
 
 who had held a high rank in the gayest and 
 most splendid court in Europe; where her 
 consequence was such that thousands 
 sought her smiles and were proud to bask 
 in them. -The wife of count Bertrand, 
 grand marshal of the palace of the empe- 
 ror of France is now destined with her 
 three children, to accompany an exiled 
 husband to an insulated rock, where the 
 pride of station, the pomp of life, and the 
 song of pleasure, will be exchanged for 
 a scene of captivity; and such, with all 
 its promised attentions and indulgencies, 
 it must appear to us, surrounded as it is, by 
 the barrier of a boundless ocean.'' 
 
 She was curious to know what the peo-^ 
 pie of England thought of her husband; 
 when I told her that, as far as I could judge, 
 they entertained an higher opinion of him 
 than of any marshal of France, and that 
 his faithful attachment to Napoleon had a 
 romantic air which was not without its ad- 
 mirers in England. It was, indeed, in 
 consequence of that determined feeling, in 
 c2 
 
30 
 
 opposition to what might be supposed to 
 be his real interest, and the earnest entrea- 
 ties of his family, that madame Bertrand 
 had well nigh completed an act of suicide. 
 The agonizing attempt to throw herself 
 from the Bellerophon into the sea took 
 place, it seems, in the evening of the day 
 when Napoleon was informed of his future 
 allotment, and, probably, at the moment 
 when the afflicting communication was 
 first made to her. 
 
 The little Bertrands are interesting chil- 
 dren: the youngest is between three and 
 four years old; the eldest is a native of 
 Trieste, and w^as born when his father was 
 governor of the lUyrian provinces; the se- 
 cond is a girl of an animated disposition, 
 that betrays occasional symptoms of vio- 
 lence. The military character appears to 
 have almost exclusively seized on the in- 
 fant minds of these sprightly urchins: from 
 morning till night they are employed in 
 fencing, marching, charging on a half- can- 
 ter, in imitation of cavalry, &:c. &c. in 
 
31 
 
 which the girl joins with a true Amazon- 
 ian spirit, under the direction of a little 
 French boy, who, I presume, was born in 
 a camp. 
 
 When I accidentally mentioned to ma- 
 dame Bertrand, that it had been generally 
 supposed she intended to have remained 
 in England, for the education of her chil- 
 dren, she, with a kind of wild, but inter- 
 esting expression of countenance, not un- 
 usual with her, vehemently exclaimed, 
 *' What, sir, leave my husband at such a 
 moment ! That is a degree of heroism 
 which my heart disavows: though in a 
 year, perhaps, I may be induced to re- 
 turn,'' And on my suggesting that a fa- 
 vourable opportunity would be offered on 
 board the Northumberland^ she appeared 
 to acquiesce in the probability of such an 
 event. 
 
 Neither count or madame Montholon 
 can speak English: he is a handsome lit- 
 tle man, and she a very elegant woman; 
 
32 
 
 they have one Gommon comfort, and they 
 seem to think it so, in a charming little 
 boy: you must perceive, that I am by de- 
 grees, though rather in an irregular man- 
 ner, making you acquainted with the 
 whole of our curious party; but you must 
 be sensible that it is the best mode which 
 I can employ. 
 
 Buonaparte, previous to his leaving the 
 Bellerophonl was, it seems, recommended 
 to select three of his suite to accompany 
 him to St. Helena, Bertrand was, at that 
 time, supposed to be particularly proscrib- 
 ed; but it is understood, that lord Keith 
 took upon himself the responsibility of in- 
 eluding such an attached friend in the num- 
 ber of the exiled generals attendants. 
 The others were the count de las Cases, 
 who had been a captain in the French navy, 
 and is a man of literary attainments; gene- 
 ral count Montholon, and lieutenant-gene- 
 ral Gourgond, his two aides-de-camp, who 
 were devoted to his fortunes. The latter 
 officers served him in the Russian cam- 
 
33 
 
 paign, and describe the winter which they 
 encountered there in all its horrors. The 
 Russian cavalry they extol; but represent 
 the Cossacks as easily dispersed. They 
 do not appear to hold the Prussians in very 
 high estimation, but consider them, at the 
 same time, as superior to the Austrians. 
 The English infantry, at the battle of Wa- 
 terloo, filled them with absolute astonish- 
 ment; but they represent our cavalry as 
 much too impetuous; they probably found 
 them so on that glorious day. 
 
 In a conversation with count Bertrand, 
 which happened to glance on that subject, 
 he could not hide his sensations. The lit- 
 tie he said, was in a plaintive tone, though 
 expressed with candour, and accompanied 
 with expressive shrugs of lament?ation. 
 " We fought that day," he said, " for the 
 crown of France; but you gained the bat- 
 tle, and we are undone." I asked him 
 whether he had read marshal Ney's letter 
 to the duke of Otranto, in defence of his 
 conduct on the bloody field. That public 
 
34 
 
 cation, it appeared, he had not seen; and 
 when I informed him in what manner the 
 marshal had censured his master's con- 
 duct, and that, in the public opinion, he 
 was thought to have cleared himself from 
 the imputation of erroneous conduct; — 
 '' Well, well/' he replied, '' Had I been in 
 the command of marshal Ney's division, I 
 might, perhaps, have done worse: but, as 
 I was, I saw much to blame ;" but, in com- 
 paring Buonaparte with Ney, he cast his 
 eyes upwards to the heavens, and suddenly 
 lowering them to the earth, he exclaimed, 
 with a very significant action. *' Indeed, 
 indeed, the difference is equally great." 
 
 From the information I received in my 
 conversation with our French guests, it 
 appears that the emperor's abdication in 
 favour of his son, is a matter, which, as 
 far at least as my knowledge extends, has 
 been altogether misconceived in England; 
 I mean as referring to the immediate and 
 approximate causes of it. If the commu- 
 nications made to me were correct, and I 
 
35 
 
 am not willing to imagine that they were 
 invented merely to impose upon me, a 
 gniiid political scheme was contrived by 
 Fouche to out- wit his master, and it prov^ 
 ed successful. The name of that crafty 
 politician and ready revolutionist is never 
 mentioned by the members of our little 
 cabin Utica without the accompaniment 
 of execrations, which it is not necessary 
 for you to hear, as it would be ridiculous 
 for me to repeat. Not Talleyrand himself 
 is so loaded with them as the arch- be- 
 trayer, who has just been mentioned. It 
 was, indeed, a decided opinion of the mo- 
 ment, among our exiles, that Fouche would 
 contrive to hang Talleyrand; or that the 
 latter would provide an equal fate for the 
 former; and that if they both were sus- 
 pended from the same gibbet, it ought to 
 be preserved as an object of public respect 
 for the service it had done to mankind, by 
 punishing and exposing two as consum- 
 mate offenders as ever disgraced the so- 
 cial world. The Historiette to which f 
 have alluded, was thus related. 
 
56 
 
 On Napoleon's return to Paris, after his 
 disastrous defeat at Waterloo, and when 
 he may be supposed to have been agitated 
 by doubt and perplexity, as to the conduct 
 he should pursue in that extraordinary 
 crisis; a letter was offered to his attention 
 by the duke of Otranto, as having been 
 received by the latter from prince Metter- 
 nich the Austrian minister. It was dated 
 in the preceding Aprils and the diplomatic 
 writer stated the decided object of his im- 
 perial master, to be the final expulsion of 
 Napoleon the First from the throne of 
 France; and that the French nation should 
 be left to their uninterrupted decision, 
 whether they would have a monarch}- un- 
 der Napoleon the Second, or adopt a re- 
 publican form of government. Austria 
 professed to have no right, and conse- 
 quently felt no intention to dictate to the 
 French nation. The final and ratified ex- 
 pulsion of the traitor, (such was the ex- 
 pression) is all the Austrian emperor de- 
 mands of France. 
 
37 
 
 Kapoleon seized the bait, and immedi- 
 ately abdicated in favour of his son: but he 
 had no sooner taken this step, than he dis- 
 covered the double game that Fouche was 
 playing. The letter was a forgery, and it 
 soon appeared that the emperor of Austria 
 had it not in his power, if he had ever in- 
 dulged the contemplation, to clothe his 
 grandson with political character. 
 
 After he quitted Paris, the ex- emperor 
 and his suite pursued an uninterrupted pro- 
 gress to the sea-coast, and it is their opinion 
 that they might have continued in an inac- 
 tive state, and without any reasonable ap- 
 prehension of disturbance, for a much 
 longer time than Buonaparte's impatience 
 would allow, in the vicinity of Rochfort. 
 
 — On his first arrival among us, he oc* 
 casionally expressed a wish to be informed 
 of the contents of the English newspapers; 
 but as it could not be a pleasant circum- 
 stance to him, to be made acquainted with 
 the (manner in which his character, con- 
 D 
 
38 
 
 duct, and circumstances v/ere necessarily 
 treated and observed upon by our journals, 
 there was a delicacy maintained in the 
 avoiding a communication of their con- 
 tents. That truth is not to be spoken, or 
 in any way imparted, at all times, is a pro- 
 verb which was now faithfully adhered to 
 on board the Northumberland The count 
 de las Cases had indeed offered to qualify 
 his general in the course of a month, to 
 read an English newspaper, with the re- 
 quisite intelligence of the language; an un- 
 dertaking which it is not very probable he 
 would have been able to accomplish; but he 
 could not induce his master to become his 
 scholar: for the matter was cut short by the 
 following reply. — '^ I well know that you 
 think me a very clever fellow: but be that 
 as it may — I cannot do every thing; and 
 among those things which I should find 
 impracticable, is the making myself master 
 of the English language, in a few weeks/' 
 
 — Here I shall conclude my first letter: 
 or, as it may prove, the first division of my 
 
^9 
 
 epistolary narrative; at all events, it will be 
 ready for the first opportunity which oc- 
 curs for its transmission to you. — If it tends 
 to your amusement, or, in any degree, to 
 the satisfaction of your curiosity, tant 
 mieux: but be that as it may, it will give 
 me the opportunity of saying— How do 
 you do? — God bless you! as well as offer- 
 ing my sincere regards and kind remem= 
 brances to our common friends. 
 
 Adieu, &c, &c. 
 
40 
 
 AT SEA 
 
 My dear , 
 
 I renew my desultory occupation: — la 
 tache journaliere^ telle que vous la voulez. 
 On the first day of his arrival on board, our 
 distinguished passenger, displayed rather 
 an eager appetite: I observed that he 
 ^ade a very hearty dinner, which he 
 moistened with claret. He passed the even- 
 ing on the quarter-deck, where he was 
 amused by the band of the 53d regiment; 
 when he personally required them to give 
 the airs of" God save the king,*' and " Rule 
 Britannia.'' At intervals he chatted in a 
 way of easy pleasantry with the officers 
 who were qualified to hold a conversation 
 with him in the French language. I re- 
 marked that, on these occasions, he always 
 maintains what seems to be an invariable 
 attitude, which has somewhat of impor- 
 
41 
 
 tance in it, and probably such as he had 
 been accustomed to display at the Thuille- 
 ries when giving audience to his marshals or 
 oiScers of state. He never moves his hands 
 from their habitual places in his dress but 
 to apply them to his snuffbox; and it struck 
 me as a particular circumstance t . which 
 I paid an observing attention, though it 
 might have been connected with his for- 
 mer dignity, — That he never offered a 
 pinch to any one with whom he was con- 
 versing. 
 
 On the subsequent day he breakfasted 
 at eleven. His meal consists of meat and 
 
 claret, which is closed with coffee.- At 
 
 dinner, I observed that he selected a mut- 
 ton cutlet, which he contrived to dispose 
 of without the aid of either knife or fork. 
 
 He passed much of the third day on 
 deck, and appeared to have paid particular 
 attention to his toilette. He receives no 
 other mark of respect from the officers of 
 the ship than would be shown to a private 
 D 2 
 
 .^- -. 
 
42 
 
 gentleman, nor does he seem to court or 
 expect more than he receives. He is pro- 
 bably contented with the homage of his 
 own attendants, who always appear before 
 him uncovered, so that if a line were drawn 
 round him, it might be supposed that you 
 saw an equal space in the palace of Saint 
 Cloud. 
 
 He played at cards in the evening: 
 the game was whist, and he was a loser. It 
 tiid not appear to be played in the same 
 way as is practised at our card-tables in 
 England; but I am not qualified to explain 
 the varieties. 
 
 The whole of the next day Napoleon 
 passed in his cabin. It was generally per- 
 ccived by his attendants that he was sea- 
 sick; but he was either so little of a sailor, 
 if that can be supposed, as not to know 
 the ordinary effects of the ship^s motion on 
 persons unused to the sea, or he suspect- 
 ed that his megrim arose from some other 
 cause; for, it stems he would by no means 
 
43 
 
 allow the salt water origin of it. None of 
 his pt Ir I presume, would venture, on 
 the o..v...oivjii, to repeat to him his brother 
 Canute's practical lecture to his courtiers, 
 on the unmannerly power of the ocean. 
 
 Among his baggage were two camp- 
 beds, vvhich had accompanied him in most 
 ot hi . campaigns. One of them, a very- 
 improbable destination when it was first 
 constructed, was now an essential article of 
 his cabin; the other was no longer to give 
 repose to some military hero, in the hurry 
 of a campaign, but is pressed by such a 
 marine heroine as madame Bertrand, 
 amidst the dashing of waters. They are, 
 however, altogether as comfortable as the 
 combined skill of the upholsterer and the 
 machinist could make them. They are a- 
 bout six feet long and three feet wide, with 
 strong green silk furniture: the frames are 
 of steel, and so worked and shaped, as to 
 surprise by their lightness and the conse- 
 quent ease with which they are moved. 
 When I happened to be seated on one of 
 
44 
 
 them, I could not but reflect on the battles 
 of Wagram, Austerlitz, Friedland, &c. &c. 
 
 This was a situation, where the politic 
 cian and the sage might be inspired, as it 
 were, to contemplate the changes and the 
 chances of the world; but as I do not pre- 
 sume to possess enough of those charac- 
 ters, either distinctly or collectively, to 
 justify my engaging in a train of reflection 
 on these affecting subjects, I shall leave 
 such employment to your better thoughts, 
 and the exercise of your enthusiastic pro- 
 pensity. 
 
 Notwithstanding it blew fresh, and 
 there was considerable motion, Buonaparte 
 made his appearance upon deck between 
 three and four, p. m. when he amused him- 
 self with asking questions of the lieutenant 
 of the watch: such as, how many leagues 
 the ship went in an hour? — whether the sea 
 was likely to go down? — what was the 
 strange vessel on the bow of the Northum- 
 beriand^ — In short, enough to prove that 
 nothing escaped his notice. But I could 
 
 ^ 
 
45 
 
 not help smiling when I beheld the man 
 who had stalked so proudly, and with so 
 firm a step over submissive countries, tot- 
 tering on the deck of a ship, and catching 
 at any arm to save himself from falling; for 
 he has not yet found his sea-legs. Among 
 other objects of his attention, he observed, 
 that Mr. Smith, who was taking the usual 
 to-and-fro walk with his brother midship- 
 men, to be much older than the rest; and, 
 on this account, he appears to have asked 
 him how long he had been in the service; 
 and, being answered — nine years — he ob- 
 served, that surely is a long time.— It is, 
 indeed, said Mr. Smith, but part of it was 
 passed in a French prison; and I was, sir, 
 at Verdun, when you set out on your Rus- 
 sian campaign.'' Napoleon immediately 
 shrugged up his shoulders, with a very sig- 
 nificant smile, and closed the conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 I must here tell you, once for all, if I 
 have not already made the observation, 
 that he seldom or ever omitted an opportu- 
 nity of askhig a question; and it was about 
 
46 
 
 this time that he made a most unexpected 
 inquiry of our orthodox chaplain: whether 
 he was not a Puritan? I need not tell you 
 what would be the reply, and you may 
 conjecture, probably, what might be the 
 feelings of a gentleman clothed in canoni- 
 cal orders, and firm in canonical principles, 
 when he was saluted with such an interro- 
 gatory. 
 
 He wished also to have his curiosity 
 gratified respecting a religious community 
 in Scotland called Johnsonians^ who he un- 
 derstood, were a very active set in that 
 part of Britain. His conversation, at all 
 times, consisted of questions, which never 
 fail to be put in such a way, as to prohibit 
 a return of them. To answer one question 
 by another, which frequently happens in 
 common discourse, was not admissible 
 with him. I can conceive that he was ha- 
 bituated to this kind of colloquy, when he 
 sat upon such a throne as that which sup- 
 ported him, and before which no one spoke 
 but when he commanded utterance: nor docs 
 
47 
 
 he seem disposed to lay it aside when he sits 
 in the cabin, stands in the gangway, orpa- 
 troles the deck, of a ship, where he is sub- 
 ject to the control of its commander. The 
 foundation of this singular question, there- 
 fore, was not attainable. As in the various 
 plans he had laid for invading our tight 
 little island, as the song has it, it is not 
 improbable that he might have looked to- 
 wards the Hebrides, as capable of favour- 
 ing his design; and if so, doctor Johnson's 
 Tour thither might have been curiously 
 consulted, and may I not deduce these 
 Johnsonians from such a combination of 
 circumstances? — Many a doubt has been 
 reconciled by more vague conjectures: 
 that eminent writer's opinions, however, 
 as you will probably suggest, are not al- 
 together calculated to form a sect on the 
 other side of the Tweed. But, badinage 
 apart ^ I should be glad to know the origin 
 of these Johnsonians^ and if we should be 
 tossed and tumbled in the course of our 
 voyage, into a sufficient degree of familiar- 
 ity for me to ask the question of the ex- 
 emperor, I will endeavour to be satisfied. 
 
48 
 
 * He appeared to be very much struck by 
 two long-boats (gigs) placed with their 
 bottom upwards on our launch on the 
 booms: their singular length attracted his 
 notice, while their particular use and ap- 
 plication produced such a succession of 
 inquiries on his part, as almost to suggest 
 an opinion, that he entertained a suspicion 
 of their being a part of the naval apparatus 
 peculiarly provided to prevent his escape 
 from the island to w^hich he was destined. 
 The answer he received was a quiet re- 
 mark as to their general employment in the 
 British fleets; to which he made no reply. 
 
 The name of Talleyrand happening to 
 occur in the course of conversation, with 
 our French shipmates, tlie high opinion 
 entertained of his talents by the Buona- 
 partists was acknowledged, without re- 
 serve. On my asking at what period he 
 was separated from the councils and con- 
 fidence of Napoleon, it was replied, at the 
 invasion of Spain. I then observed, that 
 the reports in England, respecting that cir- 
 
49 
 
 cumstance were correct as to time, and I 
 presumed were equally so as to the cause; 
 his unreserved disapprobation of that bold 
 and adventurous enterprise. This met with 
 an instant contradiction; which was follow- 
 ed by a most decisive assertion, that the 
 prince of Benevento approved of the Spa- 
 nish war, and founded his recommenda- 
 tion of that measure on his unalterable 
 opinion, which he boldly communicated 
 to the emperor, that his life was not se- 
 cure while a Bourbon reigned in Europe. 
 
 I entered further on this subject with 
 madame Bertrand, and she actually and 
 most unequivocally asserted, that Talley- 
 rand was in secret communication with 
 Napoleon when they were last at Paris, 
 and that he would have joined them in a 
 month. His proposed departure from Vi- 
 enna to take the waters at Aix la Cha- 
 pelle was under the cloak of indisposition, 
 to conceal his duplicity. ^' Can you per- 
 suade yourself, madame,^' I said, '' that 
 Talleyrand, if he had the inclination, pos» 
 
50 
 
 sessed the power to influence the court 
 of Vienna in favour of the son-in- 
 law." '' The court of Vienna! "she ex- 
 claimed, " O yes, yes: he has the ca- 
 pacity to influence all the courts of 
 Europe! If he had but joined the em- 
 peror, we should, at this instant, have 
 been in Paris; and France would never 
 
 more have changed its master." -Of 
 
 this man's virtues I heard no eulogium: 
 but you will now be a competent judge 
 how his political talents were appreciated 
 in the French circle on board the Nor- 
 thumberland. 
 
 On my asking count Bertrand w^hich of 
 the French generals had amassed the great- 
 est portion of wealth; he, without the least 
 hesitation, mentioned Massena; though, he 
 added, they have all made very considera- 
 ble fortunes. Macdonald, duke of Taren- 
 tum, he appeared to think had made less 
 than any other. Of Davoust, duke D'Eck- 
 muhl, he spoke, to our extreme astonish- 
 ment, in an animated strain of panegyric, 
 which was instantly met with an outcry 
 
51 
 
 from all who heard it, respecting the con- 
 duct of that officer, at Hamburgh, which 
 we represented as atrocious beyond exam- 
 ple. This he would not allow; on the con- 
 trary, he described him as a zealous, cor- 
 rect, and faithful commander; and far from 
 being destitute of humanity; as notwith- 
 standing his notions of military obedience, 
 which were known to be of the most rigid 
 kind, he did not act up to the severity of 
 his instructions. As for his taking a bribe, 
 Bertrand declared him to be incapable of 
 such baseness; and asserted, from his own 
 knowledge, that a very large sum had been 
 offered him to connive at the sailing of 
 some ships from Hamburg in the night, 
 which he refused with the disdain of a 
 faithful soldier and an honourable man. 
 
 Count de las Cases, also took up the 
 subject of the marshals of France, and 
 spoke of them with very little reserve. 
 He described Massena as having been ori- 
 ginally a fencing master; but, that, previ- 
 ous to his campaign in the peninsula, he 
 was considered by the French nation as 
 
B2 
 
 equal, if not superior, to Buonaparte in his 
 military capacity. From that period the 
 count represented him as having dwindled 
 into absolute insignificance. He is avari- 
 cious, he said, in the extreme, though he 
 has only one child, a daughter, to inherit 
 his enormous wealth. He then proceeded 
 to relate the following circumstance of the 
 marshal, as the accidental topic of the mo= 
 ment. 
 
 " The preservation of the army, on 
 crossing the Danube, was boldly attribu- 
 ted by the soldiers who composed it, and 
 consequently re-echoed as the opinion of 
 the nation, to the superior skill, and per- 
 severing courage of Massena. It ap- 
 pears, that a sudden and impetuous inun- 
 dation of the river had destroyed all possi- 
 ble communication between its right and 
 left bank, when half the French force had 
 passed it. The remaining half were with- 
 out ammunition, when Massena threw 
 himself into the village of Estling, where 
 he withstood fifteen repeated attacks of the 
 
53 
 
 Austrians, and eiFected the escape of that 
 part of the French army from the destruc- 
 tion which threatened it. The eulogiums 
 which the army and the nation lavished on 
 Massena, for his conduct and the successes 
 which crowned it, partook of that clamo- 
 rous character which implied no inconsi« 
 derable degree of blame and censure on 
 Buonaparte himself, who was supposed to 
 have felt it, But he contrived, neverthe- 
 ess, to dissipate the opinion, by conferring 
 the title of prince of Estling on Massena, 
 as the merited reward, and magnanimous 
 acknowledgment of a service on which 
 depended, for the moment, the success and 
 honourable issue of the campaign. Soult^ 
 he said, was an excellent officer, and AVy. 
 brave to a fault; but Suchet possesses a 
 more powerful intellect, with more enlar- 
 ged information, and political sagacity, as 
 well as more conciliatory manners, than, 
 any of the marshals of France.'' 
 
 He then mentioned admiral Ganthaume, 
 and asked what character was assigned^, 
 
 E 2 
 
54 
 
 in the English news-papers, to that naval 
 officer. I repUed, that they gave him no 
 small credit for his spirit in advancing out 
 of port, and his success in getting back 
 again. '^ Yes," he answered, with a sig- 
 nificant look and tone, " cood at hide and 
 seek." — He was the friend of Louis, and 
 then of Napoleon, and then of Louis again: 
 he is, in fact, what you call the Vicar of 
 
 , I assisted him in completing 
 
 the verbal expression, by adding the word 
 — Bray; which he immediately caught, 
 and exclaimed, — '^ Aye, aye. He is the 
 vicar of Bray. — He is an old man," the 
 count added, " but his indiscretions," 
 which, however, he did not particularize, 
 ** were rather of a juvenile nature." 
 
 In the afternoon our chief passenger 
 continued longer on deck than he had done 
 before, and his countenance denoted a 
 feeling of disquietude. His questions all 
 related to the state of our progress, and 
 marked an impatience to arrive at the ter- 
 mination of his voyage. He probably ex- 
 
55 
 
 pericnced some degree of inconvenience 
 from his confined situation, having been 
 long accustomed to exercise that border- 
 ed upon violence. His appearance, I un- 
 derstand, was rather meagre, till about the 
 time that he became first consul. If he 
 had been otherwise, his campaigns in 
 Egypt were sufficient to have reduced him: 
 but though his exertions both mental and 
 corporal have since been such as to destroy- 
 any constitution but his own, which must 
 have been of an extraordinary internal 
 texture to have enabled him to sustain 
 them, his health has rather been improved 
 than impaired; and, during the last ten 
 years, he has gradually advanced into cor« 
 pulence. 
 
 It is a singular circumstance that 
 count Monthoion, whom I have already 
 mentioned as one of the imperial aides-de- 
 camp, is the son of a general officer of that 
 name, whom Buonaparte served in the 
 same capacity during the revolutionary 
 war.— All the family^ except his father 
 
56 
 
 and himself, have been decided royalists, 
 and are possessed of large properly: but 
 the general is dead, while the son has sa- 
 crificed fortune, and abandoned his family, 
 to share, with his wife and child, the ex- 
 iled state of his former sovereign; whom 
 it is his pride still to love and serve under 
 that title, and with all the feelings of duty 
 and loyalty which his enthusiastic fidelity 
 attaches to it. 
 
 I give you madame Bertrand's descrip- 
 tion of young Napoleon, as very beautiful, 
 in order to introduce his father's laconie 
 English account of him. The boy, he 
 says, resembles him only in the upper 
 part of his form. *' He has one grand, big 
 head/' The same lady, speaking of the 
 Buonaparte family, represents the female 
 part in terms of no common admiration. 
 With the exception of the princess Piom- 
 bina she describes the sisters as possessed 
 of extraordinary beauty: with these char- 
 ming women, therefore, and to use the 
 
57 
 
 expression of the grand, big head of them 
 all, I shall conclude my second grand big 
 letter, 
 
 &c. &c. &c* 
 
58 
 
 At Sea, 
 
 MY DEAR- 
 
 I have already, I believe, mentioned 
 to you that it was thought a becoming at- 
 tention to the feelings of the French party 
 to withhold from them the sight of the 
 news-papers, which were sent off to us 
 before we sailed. 
 
 Count Bertrand took an opportunity to 
 ask me if I had perused them; and, on my 
 replying, as you may suppose, in the affir- 
 mative, he proceeded to question me as to 
 their contents. I accordingly informed 
 him, that they had observed on the secret 
 visit he was believed to have made to Paris, 
 previous to Napoleon's return to France. 
 His countenance on my communicating 
 this circumstance, instantly indicated a 
 
59 
 
 strong feeling of resentment; and it was 
 evidently disclosed by the manner in which 
 he replied. '* I well know" he said, '* that 
 the English news-papers have accused me 
 of visiting Paris in disguise, some months 
 before the emperor's departure from Elba. 
 But I solemnly declare that I never set 
 my foot in France in the way that has been 
 attributed to me. I might have gone to 
 Italy, if I had pleased, but I did not quit 
 Elba for a moment till my emperor quit- 
 ted it. It has also been asserted on simi- 
 lar authority. That I had taken an oath of 
 fidelity to the king: an assertion that is 
 equally groundless; for I never once be- 
 held a single individual of the Bourbon 
 family of France." 
 
 I give you the account of Buona- 
 parte's return to France, as it was casually 
 and briefly related to me. — '' The duke 
 de Bassano was the chief actor. Individ- 
 uals had gone from several departments 
 in France to Elba, and the then emperor 
 had been introduced to suspect that the 
 
60 
 
 allies determined to send him to the island 
 to which he is now destined. On what 
 authority this apprehension was ground- 
 ed, not the most distant idea was commu- 
 nicated. It is certain, however, that he 
 entertained it with such seriousness, as to 
 induce him to make the resolute attempt 
 in meditation, before the connecting plot 
 was ripe for overt measures in France. 
 Even after his little army was embarked, 
 a despatch arrived from his friends, which 
 contained the most earnest entreaties to 
 postpone his enterprise, if it were only for 
 one month, — Whether, if he had received 
 them before he had quitted the island, 
 they would have been sufficient to check 
 his impatience and quiet his alarms, was 
 not a subject of conjecture: but be that as 
 it may, whatever the counsels were, they 
 arrived too late to be followed: — the die 
 was cast.'* 
 
 A circumstance occurred to-day which, 
 as you may well imagine, created no 
 small degree of interest among our pas- 
 
 I 
 
61 
 
 ^^engers, as well as a busy scene of inter- 
 rogation. — a French brig, with the white 
 flag flying, bore us company. 
 
 General Gourgon amused us with a 
 variety of details respecting the campaigns 
 in Russia and the Peninsula, which he 
 himself witnessed: of these I shall only se- 
 lect two or three: for recitals which will 
 enliven the monotony of a quarter-deck, 
 may not be worth communicating to those 
 who are surrounded with the varieties that 
 are to be hourly found in the large circle 
 of social life. — He described the intense- 
 ness of the frost in Russia with a degree 
 of astonishment that afforded us some 
 amusement. You may easily guess the 
 wonderful contrast of situation, when a 
 Frenchman, the native of so fine a climate 
 and who had been serving in Spain, found 
 himself transferred to a part of the globe 
 where the tears became globules of ice on 
 his cheeks; and where the soldiers, stu- 
 pified as it were by the cold, in the act of 
 ishaking themselves, to recover their feel- 
 
 F 
 
62 
 
 ing, would frequently fall down and in- 
 stantly expire. 
 
 He also mentioned the following cu- 
 rious circumstance at the siege of Saragos- 
 sa. — The French had mined a convent, 
 where a body of Spaniards had taken re- 
 fuge. The besiegers had no intention to 
 destroy the building, but merely to blow 
 up a wall, in order to frighten the besieg- 
 ed mto a surrender. The explosion, how- 
 ever, extended further than was expected, 
 and a considerable destruction of the 
 Spaniards took place; but sixteen of them 
 were described to escape, as you will ac- 
 knowledge, in a most extraordinary man- 
 ner. They, it seems, ascended the spire 
 of the church, taking with them an ample 
 supply of arms and ammunition, with 
 which, notwithstanding the utmost efforts 
 of the French, they defended themselves 
 with admirable gallantry and resolution 
 for three days. But this is not all: at the 
 end of that period it was discovered that 
 they had made their escape from the peri- 
 lous situation, to the extreme astonishment 
 
63 
 
 oF the besieging party; who, as pious ca- 
 tholics, might be justified in attributing 
 it to the saving interposition of the guar- 
 dian saint of the convento The means, 
 however, which they employed were of 
 mortal contrivance. By the aid of pack- 
 thread which had been conveyed to them 
 from an adjoining building, they contri- 
 ved to draw up a sufficient quantity of 
 ropes, with which they let themselves 
 down from the elevated fortress, and ef- 
 fected their preservation. This I think, 
 may be added to the numerous histories 
 of Castles in the Air: or, if I dare venture 
 any thing like a pun to you, of Chateaux 
 en Espagne. 
 
 During the evening Napoleon addres- 
 sed his inquiries to captain Beatty of the 
 marines, who speaks French with great 
 fluency. They related to the regulations 
 and discipline of the marine troops, ^c. 
 is?c.. Nor could he have chosen an officer 
 who was better qualified to gratify his mi- 
 iitary curiosity on the subject which at this 
 
64 
 
 time employed it, — Captain Beatty had 
 served with sir Sidney Smith in the east, 
 and was at the siege of Acre; an event 
 that is not among Buonaparte's most plea- 
 sing recollections. When, however, he was 
 informed of this circumstance, he treated 
 it with great good humour, and seizing 
 the captain by the ear, exclaimed in a jocu- 
 lar tone, " Ah, you rogue, you rogue; were 
 you there?" — ^He then asked what was be- 
 come of sir Sidney Smithy when he was told 
 that the gallant knight was at this time 
 on the continent, and had submitted a 
 proposition to the congress at Vienna to 
 destroy the corsairs on the coast ot Bar- 
 bary, an instant reply was given, *' That it 
 was, as it had long been, most disgraceful 
 to the European powers, to permit the ex- 
 istence of such a nest of miscreants." 
 This opinion confirms, in some degree, 
 what has been suggested respecting a pro- 
 position that Andreossi is said to have 
 been instructed to make to our govern- 
 ment, during the short peace with consu- 
 lar France. In this interval of hostilities^ 
 
65 
 
 a notion is entertained that the first consul 
 proposed a co-operating expedition be- 
 tween the two powers to destroy, root 
 and branch, the piratical states of Barbary; 
 on which occasion, as the story goes, he 
 offered to supply the military force, if En- 
 gland would engage to furnish all the 
 naval implements, necessary to give effect 
 to an enterprise so honourable to them 
 both. — If such propositions were actually 
 made, there can be no doubt that sufficient 
 reasons then predominated for hesitating 
 in the acceptance of them; and the hasty 
 renewal of the war put an end to all fur- 
 ther deliberations, if any^ had ever existed, 
 on the subject. 
 
 The next inquiries which Napoleon 
 made, were respecting the British artillery 
 service: they were addressed to the captain 
 of artillery on board, whom he found com- 
 pletely qualified to answer the numerous 
 questions which he addressed to him. I 
 understand that his first entrance into the 
 army was in the artillery corps, and the 
 j2 
 
66 
 
 subject was consequently the more ii^ 
 teresting, and a very few weeks only hacf 
 passed away since he had fully experienced 
 our field tactics in th t branch of war- 
 far . — ^He descerd d into all the minutiae 
 of the servi e, and inquired into the state 
 and discipline of the non-commissioned 
 officers, bombadiers, miners, and privates- 
 of every character. T ie education of the 
 cadets was also scrutinized, and he par- 
 ticularly asked, i: they were instructed by 
 professors in mathematics, natural phi- 
 losophy, chymistry, &c. — ^ and in order 
 that there migh be a clea^^ understanding 
 as to the specific terms of art, he called the 
 count de las Cases to assist in this scien- 
 tific conversation. The only observations 
 he made were those of surprise at our 
 bringing twelve-pounders into the field, 
 and the strength, as well as perfection, of 
 this branch of the British military force,, 
 of which he seemed not to have enter- 
 tained an adequate comprehension. 
 
 I premised, at the outset of my epis- 
 ^.oiary narrative^ that you were to expect 
 
m 
 
 giidden transitions to tery unconnected 
 objects; and I now give you an almost 
 laughabk example, by passing from the' 
 artillery of England to the crown jewels 
 of France, of which Buonaparte recover- 
 ed, as I understand, but one article, which 
 was a diamond cross, whose value was- 
 estimated at twelve thousand pounds ster- 
 ling. I am also informed, that when 
 Grouchy telegraphed the capture of the 
 duke D'Angoulesme in the south of 
 France, an order was instantly returned, 
 that whatever property was found in his^ 
 possession, should be instantly restored to^ 
 him. 
 
 You may probably have observed that 
 eur chief passenger does^ not make his 
 inquiries^ at random. —-Indeed, he always 
 addresses them to such persons as, from 
 their official characters, are particularly 
 qualified to give explanatory answers: or^ 
 which may be the most probable circum- 
 stancCy the ofiicial appearance of persons 
 whom^ he accidcntly encounters suggests 
 
68 
 
 the subject of his interrogations, as his 
 curiosity directs itself to the apparent de* 
 partments of those with whom he at any 
 time converses. He might, therefore, be 
 induced to take me in my own way, when 
 I was an object of his notice; and physic 
 seems to be no unpalatable subject with 
 him. He thinks very highly of exercise 
 on horseback, as more conducive than 
 any other to the preservation of health; 
 and I have been informed that during his 
 passage in the Bellerophon, and confident 
 in the expectation that he shouM be re- 
 ceived by our government, he frequently 
 anticipated his enjoyment of the field- 
 sports in England. 
 
 Every one remembers the threatened 
 invasion of England in 1805, and the va- 
 rious conjectures which were formed on 
 this momentous subject. It was not, ac- 
 cording to my recollection, by any means, 
 generally considered as practicable; nor 
 did any very great apprehensions prevail 
 that it would be attempted. I will, how- 
 
6$ 
 
 ever give you my authority for the actual 
 intention of carrying it into execution, 
 Buonaparte positively avers it. He says 
 that he had two hundred thousand men on 
 the coast of France opposite to England, 
 and that it was his determination to head 
 them in person. The attempt, he acknow- 
 ledged to be very hazardous, and the issue 
 equally doubtful. His mind, however^ 
 was bent on the enterprise, and every pos* 
 sible arrangement was made to give effect 
 to its operations. It was hinted to him, 
 however, that his flotilla was altogether in- 
 sufficient; and that such a ship as the Abr- 
 thumberla?id would run down fifty of them. 
 This he readily admitted: but he stated 
 that his plan was to rid the channel of En- 
 glish men of war," and for that purpose he 
 had directed admiral Villeneuve, with the 
 combined fleets of France and Spain, to 
 sail apparently for Martinique, for the 
 express purpose of distracting our naval 
 force, by drawing after him a large por- 
 tion, if not all, of our best ships. Other 
 sq-uadrons of observation would follow* 
 
70 
 
 and England might, by these manoeuvres^ 
 be left sufficiently defenceless for his pur- 
 pose. Admiral Villeneuve was directed, 
 on gaining a certain latitude, to take a baf- 
 fling course back to Europe, and, having 
 eluded the vigilance of Nelson, to enter the 
 English channel. The flotilla would then 
 have sallied forth from Ostend, Dunkirk, 
 Boulogne, and the adjoining ports. The 
 intention was to have dashed at the capital, 
 by the way of Chatham. He well knew, 
 he added, that he should have had to en- 
 counter many difficulties; the object, how- 
 ever, was so great as to justify him in 
 making the attempt. But Villeneuve was 
 met on his return by sir Robert Calder; 
 and having suffered a defeat, took refuge 
 in Ferrol. From that harbour he was pe- 
 remptorily ordered to sea, according to his 
 original instructions; but contrary to their 
 most imperative and explicit intent, he 
 steered his course for Cadiz. ** He might 
 as well," exclaimed Napoleon — raising his 
 voice, and increasing his impetuosity, '* he 
 might as well have gone to the East In- 
 
71 
 
 dies." Two days after Villeneuve had 
 
 quitted his anchorage before Cadiz, a na- 
 val officer arrived there to supersede him. 
 The glorious victory of Trafalgar soon fol- 
 lowed, and the French admiral died a few 
 days after his arrival in France: report 
 says — by his own hand. 
 
 Having given such a specimen of his 
 active spirit, I am about to surprise you, 
 perhaps, by the information that this man, 
 who, in the course of his career, seems 
 scarcelv to have allowed himself time to 
 sleep, while he, for so many years kept the 
 world awake, is now become the most de- 
 cided sleeper on board the Northumber- 
 land. During the greater part of the day 
 he reclines on a sofa, quits the card-table 
 at an early hour in the evening, is seldom 
 visible before eleven in the morning, and 
 not unfrequently takes his breakfast in 
 bed. But he has nothing to do, and a no- 
 vel will sometimes amuse him. 
 
72 
 
 It had been a favourite conjecture, 
 in several of the newspapers, that Buona- 
 parte, who had risked death in so many- 
 forms in the field of battle, and whose 
 courage cannot, I should suppose, be li- 
 able to suspicion, would, nevertheless, play 
 the coward at last, and put an end to his 
 life, rather than suffer the disgrace of be- 
 ing sent a banished man and a captive to 
 St, Helena. The prevalence of such an 
 opinion reached the ear of the object of it, 
 who calmly replied, — *' No, no, I have not 
 enough of the Roman in me to destroy my- 
 self." 
 
 The subject was continued in conse- 
 quence of the incidental mention of Mr. 
 Whitbread's name, and the unhappy ter- 
 mination of his life. That circumstance, 
 as well as the political character of Mr. 
 Whitbread, was not altogether unknown 
 to Napoleon. After having described him 
 as a faithful and active friend to his coun- 
 try, but who never betrayed any illiberal or 
 lo^cal prejudices against the enemies of it, 
 
73 
 
 he seemed disposed to attribute the la- 
 mentable event to the moisture of our 
 climate. He was not ignorant of the ef- 
 fects ascribed to our gloomy month of No- 
 vember, and multiplied his questions as 
 to the prevalence of fogs in our island, and 
 their supposed effects on the physical sys- 
 tem of its inhabitants, so as to produce 
 those hypocondriac disorders and the tee- 
 ditim vitt^j to which self-destruction is fre- 
 quently imputed. He reasoned for some 
 time with no common ingenuity on the 
 unexpected topic, and concluded with 
 this decisive opinion: " Suicide is a crime 
 the most revolting to my feelings; nor does 
 any reason present itself to my under- 
 standing by which it can be justified. It 
 certainly originates in that species of (ear 
 which we denominate cowardice (poltro- 
 neriej. For what claim can that man have 
 to courage who trembles at the frowns of 
 fortune. True heroism consists in becom- 
 ing superior to the ills of life, in whatever 
 shape they may challenge him to the Gom» 
 bat.'' . 
 
74 
 
 General Montholon is of a very cheer- 
 ful, lively disposition; but madame, sa tres 
 ohere femme^ is in continual application to 
 medical assistance. Her emperor on in- 
 quiring of Mr. O^Meara the state of her 
 health, repeated the question of Macbeth, 
 in the following manner: — 
 
 " Can a physician minister to a mind diseased, 
 " Or pluck from memory a rooted evil?" 
 
 ^* Madame Montholon," he continued, *^ is 
 alarmed at the idea of St. Helena. She 
 is destitute of that firmness so necessary to 
 her situation, and irresolution is a weak- 
 ness that is unpardonable even in a wo- 
 man."* It is, indeed, very evident, that 
 we are indebted for the company of the 
 
 * Mr. Q'Meara was surgeon on board the Bel- 
 lerophon; and, when Buonaparte's medical atten- 
 dant declined a continuance of his professional 
 duties, he volunteered his services; a circum- 
 stance highly approved of by the commandei^ of 
 the channel fleet. Nor should I be satisfied with 
 myself if I did not bear testimony to his superior 
 skill in his profession, to the honour of his cha- 
 racter, and the virtues of his heart. 
 
75 
 
 ladies in our voyage, to the romantic de- 
 votion of the gentlemen their husbands to 
 the object for which it was undertaken. 
 Madam Bertrand could not even persuade 
 her femme de chambre to quit Paris, till 
 she had obtained permission for the wo- 
 man's husband and son to accompany the 
 suite, 
 
 I shall now proceed to give the ac- 
 count of an interesting conversation which 
 I had with the count de las Cases on the 
 final resolution of Napoleon to throw him- 
 self on the generosity of the English go- 
 vernment. He prefaced his narrative with 
 this assurance; *^ No page of ancient his- 
 tory will give you a more faithful detail of 
 any extraordinary event, than I am about 
 to offer of our departure from France, and 
 the circumstances connected with it. The 
 future historian will certainly attempt to 
 describe it; and you will then be able to 
 judge of the authenticity of his materials 
 and the correctness of his narration. 
 
^^ From the time the emperor quitted 
 the capital, it was his fixed determination 
 to proceed to America,^ and establish him- 
 self on the banks of one of its great rivers, 
 where, he had no doubt, a number of his 
 friends from France would gather round 
 him; and, as he had been finally baffled in 
 the career of his ambition, he determined 
 to retire from the world, and beneath the 
 branches of his own fig-tree, in that se- 
 questered spot, tranquilly and philosophi- 
 cally observe the agitations of Europe." 
 On my observing that the good people of 
 Washington might entertain very differ- 
 ent notions of his philosophy, and rather 
 contemplate with apprehension such a co- 
 lony as he would establish, Las Cases re- 
 plied, *^ Oh, no; the career of Napoleon's 
 ambitin is terminated," He then pro- 
 ceeded. 
 
 " On our arrival at Rochfort, the diffi- 
 culty of reaching the land of promise ap- 
 peared to be much greater than had been 
 conjectured. Every inquiry was made. 
 
77 
 
 and various projects proposed; but, after 
 all, no very practicable scheme offered it- 
 self to our acceptance. At length, as a 
 dernier resort^ two chasse-marees, (small 
 one-masted vessels) were procured; and it 
 was in actual contemplation, to attempt a 
 voyage across the Atlantic in them. Six- 
 teen midshipmen engaged most willingly to 
 direct their course; and, during the night, 
 it was thought that they might effect the 
 meditated escape. ^' We met," continued 
 Las Cases, " in a small room, to discuss and 
 come to a final determination on this mo- 
 mentous subject; nor shall I attempt to 
 describe tlie anxiety visible on the coun- 
 tenances of our small assembly. The em- 
 peror alone retained an unembarrassed 
 look, when he calmly demanded the opi- 
 nions of his chosen band of followers, as 
 to his future conduct. The majority were 
 in favour of his returning to the army, as 
 in the south of France his cause still ap- 
 peared to wear a favourable aspect. This 
 proposition the emperor instantly rejected, 
 with a declaration, delivered in a most de- 
 G 2 
 
78 
 
 cided tone, and with a peremptory ges- 
 ture, — That he never would be the instru- 
 tnent of a civil war in France. He de- 
 clared, in the words which he had for some 
 time frequently repeated, that his political 
 career was terminated; and he only wished 
 for the secure asylum which he had pro- 
 mised himself in America, and, till that 
 hour, had no doubts of attaining. He then 
 asked me, ^s a naval officer, whether I 
 thought that a voyage across the Atlantic 
 was practicable in the small vessels, in 
 which alone it then appeared that the at- 
 tempt could be made. I had my doubts,*' 
 added Las Cases, '' and I had my wishes: 
 the latter urged me to encourage the en- 
 terprise; and the former made me hesitate 
 in engaging for the probability of its be- 
 ing crowned with success. My reply in- 
 dicated the influence of them both. I 
 answered, that I had long quitted the ma- 
 ritime profession, and was altogether un- 
 acquainted with the kind of vessels in 
 question, as to their strength and capacity 
 for such a navigation as was proposed to 
 
79 
 
 be undertaken in them; but as the young 
 midshipmen, who had vokmteered their 
 services, must be competent judges of 
 the subject, and had offered to risk their 
 lives in navigating these vessels, no small 
 confidence, I thought, might be placed in 
 their probable security. This project, 
 however, was soor abandoned, and no al- 
 ternative appeared but to throw ourselves 
 on the generosity of England. *' 
 
 ^^ In the midst of this midnight coun- 
 cil, but without the least appearance of de- 
 jection, at the varying and rather irresolute 
 opinions of his friends. Napoleon ordered 
 one of them to act as secretary, and a let- 
 ter to the prince regent of England was 
 dictated. On the following day, I was 
 employed in making the necessary ar- 
 rangements with captain Maitland on board 
 the Bellerophon. That officer conducted 
 himself with the utmost politeness and 
 gentlemanly courtesy, but would not enter 
 into any engagements on the part of his go- 
 vernment; and with the exception of lieu- 
 
80 
 
 tenant colonel Planat, every person in the 
 suite of Buonaparte buoyed themselves 
 up with the hopes that they should receive 
 at least, the same treatment which had 
 been manifested to Lucien Buonaparte in 
 your country; and w^ith that consolatory 
 expectation w^e arrived off the coast of 
 England." 
 
 The performance of divine service, as 
 is usual on board his majesty's ships, to 
 distinguish and offer due hont)ur to the 
 sabbath day, happened to introduce a dis- 
 course on the subject of religion with the 
 principal persons of the suite; when we 
 were generally informed that their chief 
 had thought proper, after dinner, to speak 
 on the subject of religious faith: his opi- 
 nions it was not deemed necessary to com- 
 municate any further, than that they were 
 generally of the most liberal and tolerat- 
 ing character. One circumstance, how- 
 ever, it was thought proper to assert, as 
 from his own instant authority — That his 
 profession of the faith of Mahomet, and 
 
81 
 
 avowed devotion to the crescent, in Egypt^ 
 was a mere act of policy to serve the pur- 
 pose of the moment. This fact appeared 
 to be asserted with particular energy, from 
 the knowledge possessed by the party com- 
 municating it, of the abhorrence which 
 Buonaparte's having declared himself a 
 mussulman, excited in England. But the 
 zeal of the moment was not calculated to 
 throw any new light upon the manoeuvre, 
 or to soften the original opinion entertain- 
 ed of it. Indeed, I ought to have told 
 you before, in order to account for any 
 apparent knowledge of the opinions gene- 
 rally prevailing in England, respecting the 
 French revolution and the leading charac- 
 ters in it, previous to the peace of Amiens, 
 if allusions should have been made to 
 them, — that the count de Las Cases had 
 resided among us as an emigrant, till that 
 event, 
 
 I shall here observe, that whenever an 
 opportunity offered, the zealous attendants 
 of Napoleon, never failed to represent hin\ 
 
82 
 
 in a manner, that might lessen any unfa- 
 vourable impressions, which they supposed 
 the English entertained respecting him, 
 whether personal or political. The im- 
 petuosity of his temper being mentioned, 
 it was not denied; but his frequent, and 
 even habitual correction of it was illus- 
 trated by these two anecdotes, which De 
 Las Cases, related as facts, among many 
 others, known to himself. He related them 
 in the following manner: 
 
 ^^ I was at St. Cloud, when captain 
 Mieulieuse waited upon the emperor on 
 his return from England. He had been 
 taken in the Didon, by an English frigate, 
 the Phoenix, commanded by captain Ba- 
 ker.* On my introducing him, his ma- 
 
 * A short time previous to the battle of Trafalgar, 
 the Didon \vas sent from Ferrol by admiral Vil- 
 leneuve to ascertain what English ships were off 
 the coast. This frigate, carrying 44 guns, and 330 
 men, had instructions to avoid fighting; but falling 
 in with the Phoenix of 36 guns and 254 men, com- 
 manded by captain Baker, her small size seemed 
 
83 
 
 jesty said, in a very harsh tone of voice, 
 ** So, sir, you surrendered your colours to 
 an enemy of inferior force: how can you 
 answer for your conduct?" — *' Sire," re- 
 plied Mieulieuse: *' I did my utmost; my 
 men would fight no longen" ^' If so," 
 answered the emperor, *' when an officer 
 is disobeyed by his men, he should cease 
 to command: therefore begone." About 
 six months after this mortifying reception, 
 and when his conduct had been inquired 
 into, he was appointed to the command of 
 a squadron at Venice. 
 
 ^* The emperor had a confidential se- 
 cretary, a man of superior talents, who was 
 
 to justify the French captain in disobeying his or- 
 ders: he backed his main-top-sail and lay -to till the 
 Phoenix ranged up along-side, and commenced the 
 action; when, after a most determined conflict of 
 three hours, part of which time they were on board 
 each other, the Didoii struck, being a complete 
 wreck. I was at that time surgeon of the Phoenix, 
 and can therefore bear testimony to the admirable 
 conduct and bravery of captain Baker, his officers 
 and crew, on this memorable occasion. 
 
84 
 
 blessed with a disposition so mild, and a 
 temper so smooth, that it was almost im- 
 possible to trouble the one, or to ruffle the 
 other. The impetuosity of his imperial 
 master, with the uncertain and unreasona- 
 ble hours when he was frequently sum- 
 moned to his duty, and the calm prepara- 
 tion in which he was ever found to per- 
 form it, sufficiently proves the character 
 that has been given of him. Napoleon 
 seldom took a pen in his hand; his general 
 practice was to dictate to others, which he 
 did with the rapidity of thought: and if an 
 idea struck him in the middle of the night, 
 the secretary in waiting was instantly sum- 
 moned to transmit it to paper. This offi- 
 cer had happened, on one of these hasty 
 occasions, to have mistaken an expression 
 as it was dictated to him, and, for this acci- 
 dental mistake, was dismissed from the pre- 
 sence in terms of the severest displeasure. 
 The next morning the emperor sent for 
 his secretary; and when the latter entered 
 the saloon with his usual placid and undis- 
 turbcd countenance, the emperor, with 
 
85 
 
 rather an angry look, demanded of him if 
 he had slept the preceding night? and, on 
 being informed he had enjoyed his usual 
 hours of comfortable repose, this reply was 
 given: — then you have been more fortu- 
 nate than me; so take your pen,' and a 
 decree for a very liberal pension to the se- 
 cretary was instantly dictated." 
 
 It was wished, also, to counteract a no- 
 tion which was imagined to prevail among 
 us, that Napolean did not possess the ac- 
 tive spirit of gallantry towards the ladies, 
 without which a Frenchman does not be- 
 lieve that any generous, noble, or heroic 
 virtue can exist. Such an opinion, if it 
 prevailed, was considered by his zealous 
 champions as a most foul and groundless 
 assertion. Among other proofs of his more 
 tender nature, it was said, that he was sin- 
 cerely attached to Maria Louisa; and it 
 was added, a fond look from her eye would 
 command any thing from his heart. (Re- 
 member, it is a Frenchman who speaks.) 
 At the same time it was avowed, that 
 
 H 
 
86 
 
 though she might possess his more perma- 
 nent affection, her majesty was known to 
 suspect the possibility of his straying into 
 an occasional infidelity. 
 
 It is indeed very well known, that the 
 English ladies whom he saw from the 
 gangway of the Bellerophon, drew from 
 him very animated expressions of admira- 
 tion. Miss Brown, a daughter of general 
 Brown, is said to have fixed his exclusive 
 attention, while she was in a situation to 
 remain an object whose features could be 
 distinguished. 
 
 You may remember, perhaps, that some 
 years since, when the marquis of Wellesley 
 was secretary of state for the foreign de- 
 partment, that sir George, then captain 
 Cockburn, who commanded the Implaca- 
 ble was particularly chosen to conduct a se- 
 cret enterprize with baron de Colai, a Pole, 
 to rescue and secure the escape of Ferdi- 
 nand VII, of Spain, who was at that time 
 confined in the castle of Valency. — I have 
 
 1 
 
87 
 
 now the means of throwing some light 
 upon that interesting transaction, by the 
 communications of those who were well 
 acquainted with what I must consider as 
 the unfortunate conclusion of it. 
 
 All that could be done by the active, 
 patient, and unremitting vigilance of cap- 
 tain Cockburn, to whom so important a 
 part of this secret design had been entrus- 
 ted, was accomplished; and it need not be 
 added, that the officers under his command, 
 shared his persevering spirit. They, in 
 due time, arrived at the spot, where the 
 baron was to enter upon the part assigned 
 him in the bold and dangerous stratagem; 
 and, as an essential accompaniment of it, 
 money and jewels were artfully concealed 
 in different parts of his dress. He hoped 
 to return in about a month, and all the ne- 
 cessary signals were arranged in order to 
 secure his retreat with his royal prize to 
 the ship. Nothing more, however, was 
 heard of the baron; and the Implacable 
 after a long-continued, tedious, and ever- 
 watchful cruise, returned to port. 
 
88 
 
 The enterprising Pole now became the 
 subject of various conjectures. He was 
 successively considered as having betrayed 
 his trust, or seized as a spy, and put to 
 death; or that the weak, infatuated prince, 
 for whose deliverance the enterprising ba- 
 ron had devoted himself to so much dan- 
 ger, had betrayed the plot, and involved 
 his romantic adherent in the fatal conse- 
 quence of such a discovery. But the mys- 
 tery of the poor baron's fate was now to 
 be unfolded. The necessary witnesses for 
 the purpose were in court: Savary, who 
 was minister of the police of Paris, at the 
 time of this secret expedition, was in the 
 suite of Napoleon, and could have no ob- 
 jection to tell all that he knew of the busi- 
 ness, while his master was on the spot to 
 confirm or correct the statement. There 
 was no difficulty, therefore, for sir George 
 Cockburn, in his present high official cha- 
 racter, to become acquainted with the 
 finale of the bold baron's adventures; con- 
 cerning which, it may be presumed, his 
 
89 
 
 generous nature felt something more than 
 curiosity. 
 
 The baron, it seems, had arrived in safe- 
 ty at the point to which he was destined, 
 but almighty love appears to have demand- 
 ed his first attentions. A lady, to whom 
 he was ardently attached in Paris, was an 
 irresistible object of attraction, and to that 
 city he bent his first steps: but he had not 
 been two hours within its walls before 
 some of Savary's myrmidons seized the 
 unfortunate and imprudent Pole, stripped 
 oflP his clothes, with their valuable conceal- 
 ments, and consigned him to a prison. So 
 far the stratagem failed of success: but 
 Buonaparte wished to know whether the 
 imprisoned monarch was privy to it. A 
 proper person was therefore selected to per- 
 sonate the baron, and with all his false pass- 
 ports and rich clothes, introduced himself 
 to Ferdinand; but though the guards were 
 purposely withdrawn, to give all possible 
 facility for his escape, the imprisoned king 
 h2 
 
90 
 
 dared not encounter the danger ot trie 
 attempt. 
 
 On our approach to Madeira, the ha- 
 zy state of the atmosphere precluded the 
 possibility of seeing the island, until we 
 got close between Puerto Santo and the 
 Deserts. The latter rocky island is al- 
 most perpendicular, and has some slight 
 resemblance to St. Helena. This circum- 
 stance I mentioned to De las Cases, and 
 he instantly communicated it to Napoleon, 
 who had quitted the dinner- table sooner 
 than usual, and joined a few of us on the 
 poop: but the comparison of what he now 
 saw, with his gloomy notions of the place 
 where he was shortly to abide, produced 
 not a single word. He gave an energetic 
 shrug, and a kind of contemptuous smile, 
 and that was all. — The sloping front and 
 luxuriant aspect of the island of Madeira 
 could not but excite an unpleasant sensa- 
 tion, when contrasted with the idea he had 
 entertained of the huge black rock of St. 
 Helena. — I had presented Johnson's Work 
 
91 
 
 on the Influence of Tropical Climates on 
 European Constitutions to his perusal. 
 That writer has been very lavish of his en- 
 comiums on St. Helena; but he acknow- 
 ledges that he only lay at anchor off it for 
 three days; and its acute reader ridiculed 
 the glowing descriptions which were found- 
 ed on such a transient and imperfect view 
 of the place. 
 
 A sirocco wind had blown for forty- 
 eight hours previous to our arrival at the 
 Madeiras, and had done considerable dam- 
 age to the vines of the island. — The cir- 
 cumstance will be indubitably attributed 
 by the superstitious inhabitants to the 
 malign appearance of Bounaparte on their 
 coast; and all the saints were probably in- 
 voked to hasten our departure. 
 
 With the fine landscape of the ricli and 
 fruitful spot before us, I conclude tliis let- 
 ter My next may, perhaps, inform 
 
 you of our arrival at the barren and rocky 
 scene of St. Helena. But, wherever I may 
 
92 
 
 be, you well know, I trust, with what 
 truth, 
 
 I am, &c. &c. 
 
 W. W. 
 
At Sea, 
 
 MY DEAR- 
 
 Our great man seldom suiFered a 
 day to pass without making particular in- 
 quiries respecting the health of the crew; 
 and the nature of such diseases as then 
 prevailed among them, with the particular 
 mode of treatment. The complaints then 
 prevalent on board the Northumberland re- 
 quired a free use of the lancet. We had a 
 young, healthy, florid crew, on our quitting 
 England, with constitutions liable to be in- 
 fluenced with increase of temperature. He 
 seemed to entertain a very strong prejudice 
 against bleeding, which he called the San- 
 grado practice, nor did he fail to treat our 
 first conversations on the subject with a 
 degree of humour and pleasantry, which 
 proved that the great events of his life had 
 not driven from his recollection the so- 
 
94 
 
 lemn statire of Le Sage. He urged the 
 propriety of sparing the precious fluid, un- 
 der an apprehension of its deficiency, when 
 as he conceived, the food on board a ship 
 was not sufficiently nutritious to restore it. 
 A Frenchman, he exclaimed, would never 
 submit to the discipline of the Spanish 
 doctor. And on my observing that the 
 French did not eat quite so much beef as 
 Englishmen, he peremtorily denied the 
 fact; — ''to the full as much," he said, " but 
 ihey cook it differently." — He was, how- 
 ever, open to conviction; and when he had 
 been made to understand the general 
 health of our fleet, and had witnessed the 
 good eflects of the practice which he had 
 so forcibly reprobated and ridiculed^ he 
 no longer argued against it; but always 
 mentioned it w^ith some facetious observa- 
 tion. On meeting me, he would apply 
 his fingers to the bend of the opposite arm 
 and ask — " well, how many have you bled 
 to-day?" Nor did he fail to exclaim, 
 when any of his own people were indispo- 
 sed — " O bleed him, bleed him! To the 
 
95 
 
 powerful lancet with him: that's the infal- 
 lible remedy." He had, however, seen 
 
 the good effects on madame Bertrand. 
 That lady was attacked with an inflam- 
 matory fever, when she submitted to lose 
 two pounds of blood, as well as to abstain 
 from wine and all animal food: but the 
 sangrado system effected her cure, and con- 
 firmed the proselytism of her emperor to 
 the practice. 
 
 Of his own state of health he has good 
 reason to boast: and when it is considered 
 to how many various climates he has ex- 
 posed himself, and what a succession of 
 toil he has undergone during the last 
 twenty-five years, the excellent health he 
 has enjoyed, and still enjoys, is altogether 
 astonishing. He declares that he has been 
 but twice, throughout his life, in such a 
 state as to demand medical aid. He took 
 a dose of physic for the first complaint; 
 and the second, being a pulmonic affec- 
 tion, required a blister. Mr. O'Meara, 
 
96 
 
 his own surgeon, speaks with admiration 
 of his temperament, and says, that his 
 pulse never exceeds sixty-two. His own 
 spontaneous account of himself is, that 
 he is very passionate; but that the violence 
 of his disposition soon subsides not only 
 into tranquillity, but into coldness and in- 
 difference. I have never heard that, in 
 speaking ofhis constitution and uncommon 
 state of health, he ever hinted at the ad- 
 vances of age, or calculated the probabili- 
 ties of his enjoying length of life. He has 
 indeed been known to say, and to repeat 
 the opinion, that he ought to have died on 
 the day when he entered Moscow^; as he then 
 had arrived at the summit of his military 
 glory. It has been even said by some 
 of his few surrounding friends, that he 
 should himself have determined not to sur- 
 vive it. 
 
 i must beg leave to return to the subject 
 of blood-letting, as a conversation took 
 place which had escaped me, and is an ad- 
 
97 
 
 ditional proof of his curiosity or anxiety, 
 or perhaps both of them respecting it. He 
 called me to him on the quarter-deck, and 
 asked the following professional questions: 
 " Can a person, labouring under a tropi- 
 cal disease, requiring what you call the 
 free use of the lancet, promise himself an 
 equal share of health, eighteen months 
 after, as he had before the system of deple- 
 tion?" — ''.How long are the vessels filling 
 after being partially emptied of blood; and 
 what quantity can the human body lose 
 without produciog death?" After reason- 
 ing for some time on the subject of these 
 questions, I surprised him with the account 
 of a very extraordinary case then subject 
 to my treatment. — A seaman was put on 
 the sick list; the disease an inflammation 
 of the stomach. On the second day the 
 pulse beat 150 in the minute, and not an 
 article of food or of medicine was retained 
 by the stomach for two minutes. In the 
 course of three days the patient lost fifteen 
 pounds of blood; when the pulse, though 
 
98 
 
 still full, was reduced to 87 beats. No- 
 thing solid remained on his stomach for 
 three months, nevertheless the man reco- 
 veredc This you will say was a case in 
 point; and enough to make any one a con- 
 vert to the application of the lancet. He 
 described to me a pulmonic complaint 
 with which he was affected on his return 
 from Egypt; and asked me what treat- 
 ment I should have adopted in his case. 
 " Would you have done as Covisart did? 
 he blistered me twice." I replied that, 
 most probably, I should have bled previ- 
 ous to the application of a blister, as in the 
 commencement of pectoral affections, they 
 are generally attended with inflammation. 
 The conversation afforded me, as 1 thought, 
 rather a fair opportunity of asking him, if 
 his sleep was generally sound; I felt at the 
 time, that it was an adventurous question; 
 nor would it have surprised me, if he had 
 turned away without giving me an answer; 
 but, with a look more expressive of sor- 
 row than displeasure, he replied, *' No: 
 
99 
 
 from my cradle, I have been an indifferent 
 sleeper." 
 
 Adieu, &c. &. 
 
100 
 
 At Sea, 
 
 MY DEAR- , C/ In^ 
 
 I shall begin this letter, by introdu- 
 cing a very interesting person to your at- 
 tion; and who, in our various quarter-deck 
 conversations, had not been hitherto men- 
 tioned. It was the empress Josephine.-— 
 Her name happening to occur, she became 
 the spontaneous subject of very animated 
 eulogiums; when she was represented as 
 possessing a sweetness of disposition, an 
 elegance of manners, and a certain melo- 
 dy of voice that irresistibly charmed every 
 one, without any exception "as to situa- 
 tion or capacity, who were admitted to 
 her presence. The sudden death of this 
 excellent lady was very generally lamen- 
 ted, and is attributed to a very extraordi- 
 nary circumstance, and a very exalted 
 personage. I will relate the event to you 
 
101 
 
 in the words, as far as memory serves, in 
 which the count de las Cases conveyed it 
 as an undeniable fact to me. Josephine, 
 it seems, had so far won the admiration 
 and high esteem of the emperor Alexan- 
 der, that his imperial majesty used to dedi- 
 cate many of his leisure hours to the plea- 
 sure of her fascinating conversation. His 
 visits were not only frequent but continual 
 during his stay at Paris. Her state of 
 health was but indiiFerent, and on some 
 particular occasion, her physician had pre- 
 scribed medicines of a nature that requi- 
 red the utmost care and precaution, and 
 an absolute confinement to her chamber: 
 but, at this time, the emperor paid one of 
 his visits, when her respect for him render- 
 ed her incautious, and she received the 
 imperial guest in the usual manner. They 
 walked, during the time of his stay, in the 
 gardens of Mai- Mason; and the conse- 
 quence of this promenade wa> fatah she 
 was seized with a violent inflammation in 
 the lungs, which defied all medical assis* 
 tance, and in a few days she was no more, 
 I 2 
 
102 
 
 From the same authority I give you an 
 account of her marriage with Napoleon, 
 which certainly differs, as far as my recol- 
 lection serves, from the credited histories 
 of that event: it is not, however, for me 
 to attempt a reconciliation of opposing 
 narratives; but to relate, for your amuse- 
 ment, what I have heard, and the author 
 of my information: it is as follows: — 
 
 An order which was issued by the con- 
 vention to disarm the citizens, occasioned 
 the introduction of Buonaparte, then a ge- 
 neral, and high in military command, to 
 Josephine. Her husband was said to have 
 suffered eighteen months before the cir- 
 cumstance about to be mentioned. He had 
 left a son, Eugene Beauharnois, at this 
 time a most interesting youth, who took 
 an opportunity to address the general on 
 the parade, and solicit his father's sword; 
 which, according to the late order, had 
 been removed from his mother's resi- 
 dence. Buonaparte, charmed by the re- 
 quest, and the animated modesty with 
 
103 
 
 which it was made, instantly granted it. 
 The mother wrote a letter the following 
 day to thank the general for his kindness 
 to her son. This grateful attention pro- 
 duced a visit on his part, and the lady not 
 being at home, she sent a note of apology 
 and particular invitation. An interview of 
 course followed: He was instantly capti- 
 vated, and in six weeks they were married. 
 It has been generally thought, I believe, 
 that the second marriage did not obliterate 
 his regard for her: and it is here asserted, 
 by those who were qualified to form a cor- 
 rect opinion of the matter, that he would 
 have given more evident proofs of his re- 
 gard, if the jealousy of the second empress 
 had not interposed to prevent them. 
 
 Having induced you, perhaps, to sup- 
 pose that Napoleon was susceptible of 
 love, I shall introduce madame Bertrand 
 to persuade you, that he is not without a 
 capacity for friendship. She related, ia a 
 very impressive manner to us, the last in- 
 
102 
 
 From the same authority I give you an 
 account of her marriage with Napoleon, 
 which certainly differs, as far as my recol- 
 lection serves, from the credited histories 
 of that event: it is not, however, for me 
 to attempt a reconciliation of opposing 
 narratives; but to relate, for your amuse- 
 ment, what I have heard, and the author 
 of my information: it is as follows: — 
 
 An order which was issued by the con- 
 vention to disarm the citizens, occasioned 
 the introduction of Buonaparte, then a ge- 
 neral, and high in military command, to 
 Josephine. Her husband was said to have 
 suffered eighteen months before the cir- 
 cumstance about to be mentioned. He had 
 left a son, Eugene Beauharnois, at this 
 time a most interesting youth, who took 
 an opportunity to address the general on 
 the parade, and solicit his father's sword; 
 which, according to the late order, had 
 be^n removed from his mother's resi- 
 dence. Buonaparte, charmed by the re- 
 quest, and the animated modesty with 
 
103 
 
 which it was made, instantly granted it. 
 The mother wrote a letter the following 
 day to thank the general for his kindness 
 to her son. This grateful attention pro- 
 duced a visit on his part, and the lady not 
 being at home, she sent a note of apology 
 and particular invitation. An interview of 
 course followed: He was instantly capti- 
 vated, and in six weeks they were married. 
 It has been generally thought, I believe, 
 that the second marriage did not obliterate 
 his regard for her: and it is here asserted, 
 by those who were qualified to form a cor- 
 rect opinion of the matter, that he would 
 have given more evident proofs of his re- 
 gard, if the jealousy of the second empress 
 had not interposed to prevent them. 
 
 Having induced you, perhaps, to sup- 
 pose that Napoleon was susceptible of 
 love, I shall introduce madame Bertrand 
 to persuade you, that he is not without a 
 capacity for friendship. She related, in a 
 very impressive manner to us, the last in- 
 
104 
 
 terview with Duroc, duke of Frieuli, and- 
 his afflicted sovereign. 
 
 That officer, who, as it will appear, stood 
 high in his master's regard and confidence, 
 was struck by a cannon-ball, as he was re- 
 connoitring the position for a night en- 
 campment of the army, and his bowels fell 
 to the ground; when he had the extraor- 
 dinary resolution to collect and replace 
 them with his own hands, on tlie spot. In 
 this hopeless state he was removed to a 
 neighbouring cottage, where he survived 
 twenty-four hours. A mortification soon 
 took place, and a very offensive smell be- 
 gan to issue from his body, which continu- 
 ed to increase. After he had been some 
 time in this state, the emperor came to vi- 
 liit and console him. The dying man, after 
 expressing his acknowledgments to his 
 master for this gracious act of kindness, 
 which he accompanied with sentiments of 
 the utmost loyalty and devotion, recom- 
 mended his wife and daughter to the im- 
 perial protection; and then entreated him 
 
105 
 
 to depart, lest the effluvia proceeding from 
 him might be attended with infection. 
 She represented Napoleon's grief as per- 
 fectly romantic, and stated as a fact, that 
 he lay, for it is not to be supposed that he 
 slept, a whole night on the stone which 
 covered the grave of his friend. 
 
 She also mentioned that he possessed 
 an equal attachment to Lasnes, duke of 
 Montebello, who was killed at the battle 
 of Esling, when a similar scene of afflic- 
 tion and regard took place. That brave 
 officer had been obliged to submit to the 
 amputation of one leg just below the knee, 
 and the other just above the ancle. Buona- 
 parte and Bertrand visited him in this un- 
 happy condition, on the left bank of the 
 Danube. Bertrand was endeavouring to 
 console him by comparing his situation to 
 that of the brave Caffarelli, when he, with 
 a certain eagerness of expression, thus in- 
 terrupted him: '' The attachment of Caf- 
 farelli to the emperor was cold, when com- 
 pared with the affectioo which I feeL'' 
 
106 
 
 It was on a Sunday, at the admi- 
 ral's table, that Buonaparte catechised the 
 chaplain of the Northumberland in the fol- 
 lowing curious and unexpected manner: 
 though the learned divine is well qualified 
 to have answered a far more profound in- 
 quiry respecting the faith which he teaches, 
 and the things that belong to it. 
 
 How many sacraments does the church 
 of England acknowledge? 
 
 Two — Baptism and the Lord's supper. 
 
 Does not the church of England consi- 
 der marriage as a sacrament? 
 
 No. 
 
 What are the tenets of the church of 
 England? 
 
 The tenets of the church of England are 
 Lutheran, or episcopal protestant. 
 
 How often is the sacrament of the Lord's 
 supper administered? 
 
 In the churches of the metropolis, and 
 other cities and large towns, the eucharist 
 is observed monthly; but in the country 
 churches, where the population is not so 
 
107 
 
 large, quarterly. The festivals of the nati- 
 vity of our Saviour, ©r Christmas day; of 
 the resurrection, or Easter Sunday; the 
 descent of the Holy Ghost, or Whit- 
 sunday; and the feast of St. Michael, are 
 the quarterly observations of the eucharist. 
 
 Do all the communicants drink out of 
 the same cup? — They do. 
 
 Is the bread made use of in the sacra- 
 ment common bread? 
 
 The bread is of wheat, and the best that 
 can be conveniently procured. 
 
 Supposing that wine could not be pro- 
 cured in the administration of the sacra* 
 ment, would any other liquid be allowed 
 as its substitute? 
 
 It is not at all probable that a case of this 
 kind ever occurred: wine being to be 
 procured in every part of the kingdom. 
 
 Do the bishops frequently preach? 
 
 Seldom but on extraordinary occasions. 
 
 Do they wear the mitre? 
 
 I believe I may venture to say — never. 
 Though I cannot affirm whether the arch- 
 
108 
 
 bishops do or do not wear the mitre, when 
 they crown the king. 
 
 Have not the bishops a seat in the house 
 of peers? 
 
 They have. 
 
 How long is it requisite for persons 
 who are candidates for holy orders at the 
 university, to have resided there? 
 
 Four years: — but previous to their be- 
 coming members of the university, they 
 are generally seven or eight years at a clas- 
 bical school. 
 
 Of how long standing must a person be 
 in the university, before the degree of a 
 doctor of divinity? 
 
 Nineteen years from the time of his 
 matriculation. 
 
 Which are the most approved places 
 of education for the candidates for holy 
 orders? 
 
 The universities of Oxford and Cam- 
 bridge. 
 
 Are there many puritans (meaning pres- 
 byterians) in England? 
 
 There are a great many. 
 
109 
 
 What are the religious tenets of the 
 church of Scotland? 
 
 The tenets of that church are calvinis- 
 tic. They do not allow episcopacy or the 
 government by bishops. They are pres- 
 byterians, because they hold the govern- 
 ment of priests, and presbyters or elders. 
 
 To whose custody are the registers of 
 baptisms, marriages, and deaths commit- 
 ted? 
 
 They are generally entrusted to the care 
 of the minister; but it is a more regular 
 proceeding to keep them in a strong chest 
 which remains in the vestry-room of the 
 parish church. This chest is guarded by 
 three locks of different construction; so 
 that it cannot, or at least ought not, to be 
 opened, without the concurrence of three 
 persons — the minister, and the two church 
 wardens; who, each of them, possess their 
 official and separate key. — The idea of 
 keys and locking up, might not excite sen- 
 sations altogether pleasing to the extraordi- 
 nary captive, for here he closed his inqui- 
 ries. 
 
 K 
 
110 
 
 It may be said that every thing is pos- 
 sible, if it should please God; as was ob- 
 served according to the story, by a Dutch 
 burgo-master, when a man was brought 
 before him who was accused of having bit 
 off his own nose. But at all events, it may 
 be considered as a very striking article of 
 the chapter of improbabilities, in any pre- 
 ceding part of Bounaparte's life, that he 
 should ever be found catechizing the chap- 
 lain on board an English man of war 
 bound for St, Helena, respecting the forms 
 ceremonies, tenets, &c. of the Anglican 
 church. 
 
 — The ceremony of crossing the line, a 
 day of jubilee to the voyagers of every 
 maritime nation, is so well known, that 
 it would be superfluous to give a minute 
 description of it; though more than usual 
 ceremony was displayed on the present 
 occasion: and it must be acknowledged 
 that the French party submitted with the 
 best grace, that is to say, with the most 
 perfect good humour, to the novel free- 
 
Ill 
 
 cloms of the marine Saturnalia: — Nor had 
 the Neptune and Amphitrite of the day 
 any cause of complaint. They were seated 
 in a boat filled with water, the throne a 
 match-tub, and the sceptre a painter's 
 brush. They were surrounded by their 
 Tritons, consisting of fifty or sixty of the 
 most athletic men in the ship, naked to the 
 waist, and bedaubed with various colours, 
 each bearing a pail of salt water, to drench, 
 more or less, the subjects of the briny god. 
 The license of the pastime may be im- 
 agined, when captain Ross, who com- 
 manded the ship, received the contents of 
 one of them with perfect pleasantry. 
 
 — Bertrand, Montholon, Gourgond, and 
 De las Cases, with all the domestics, pre- 
 sented themselves to the temporary, but 
 potent Neptune, and received, with the 
 necessary cheerfulness, their share of his 
 ablutions. The two former led their chil- 
 dren forward, each of them presenting, 
 from their extended little hands, a double 
 Napoleon as their offering to the presiding 
 deity of the deep. A sea-boy sung the 
 
112 
 
 song of '^ The snug little island," some of 
 whose lines were not very complimentary 
 to the enemies of Great Britain, but not 
 an unpleasant look was produced by them. 
 The ladies viewed the scene from an ele- 
 vated position, and appeared to be equal- 
 ly amused and astonished at the festivities 
 of it. Neptune was rather disappointed 
 that Napoleon did not make his appear- 
 ance, though he acknowledged the so- 
 vereign dignity by sending his tribute.— 
 In short, harmony prevailed to the close 
 of this festive medley. 
 
 —You, my dear friend, who have af- 
 forded a vigilant attention to every part 
 of Napoleon^s extraordinary career, and to 
 satisfy whose prevailing curiosity con- 
 cerning hiTi, I have become a writer of 
 biography, such as it may prove; you, I 
 say, may remember, though it does not 
 occur to me, that a rumour prevailed after 
 the treaty of Tilsit, of a projected mar- 
 riage between the emperor of Franc e and 
 a Russian princess. — This circumstance 
 
113 
 
 seems to be acknowledged here; and it is 
 said, moreover, that the failure of this 
 negociation arose from the bigotry of 
 the lady's royal mother, who insisted on 
 the establishment of a Greek church in 
 the palace of the Thuilleries. — I merely 
 state it as a little article of our political 
 chit-cat, for your political amusement, 
 
 ~I recur once more to the person of 
 this object of your inquisitive spirit, as it 
 leads to circumstances (I know they will 
 not be thought trifling by you,) which are 
 coimected with this additional description 
 of it. He has an uncommon face; large full 
 and pale, but not sickly. In conversation, 
 the muscles suffer little or no exertion: 
 with the exception of those in the imme- 
 diate vicinity of the mouth, the whole 
 seemed fixed, and the forehead perfectly 
 smooth. That of a Frenchman is ge- 
 nerally wrinkled, from the habitual, mus- 
 cular exertion of the countenance, which 
 we denominate grimace: but however ear- 
 nest Napoleon may be in conversation, he 
 K 2 
 
114 
 
 discovers no distortion of feature. When 
 he wishes to enforce a question, he some- 
 times employs his hand, but that alone: 
 and were I describing a petit maitre^ I 
 might attribute the display to its uncom- 
 mon handsomeness. He sometimes smiles, 
 but I believe he seldom laughs. — I have 
 never observed, when laughter has pre- 
 vailed around him, that he has caught the 
 pleasant infection. The interesting chil- 
 dren on board, who amuse every body, 
 do not attract his attention. There is a 
 large, good-tempered Newfoundland dog 
 who is a frequent and rather a rude play- 
 fellow of these urchins; and in a situation 
 where no active entertainments are exhi- 
 bited, the interludes of these performers 
 afford no small degree of amusement to 
 those around them. But they have never 
 won a smile, that I have observed, from 
 the ex-impcrial spectator. — Once, indeed, 
 when Bertrand was in conversation with 
 his master, the count's little girl, intruded 
 upon it, with a story which all her father's 
 prohibitions could not silence. On this 
 
115 
 
 occasion Napoleon took her by the hand, 
 heard out her little tale, and at the con- 
 clusion kissed her. But this very uncom- 
 mon attention was probably paid to the 
 child as the only mode of getting rid of 
 her, which might not have been painful to 
 the feelings of the father. 
 
 You will say, perhaps, when you have 
 read a little further, that we are very much 
 in want of amusements on board a ship, 
 which we certainly know as well as you, 
 and that we are pleased with little things; 
 however, as you are the father of children, 
 I will tell you something which I think 
 will amuse you. Frequent attempts are 
 made on the loyalty of the little Bertrands, 
 by courting them, in very seducing ways, 
 to say, Vive le roij and vive Louis dix huit. 
 But the two eldest are loyal children, and 
 true, and never fail to reply with, vive lem- 
 pereur. The youngest of the three was, 
 however, at length, bribed by irresistible 
 sweetmeats, to say, vive Louis dix huit;^ 
 for he, like other cautious politicians, 
 
116 
 
 could not be persuaded to go all lengths, 
 and add, vive le rot. But this daring de- 
 fection neve-r failed to be followed by the 
 reproaches of his uncurruptible brother 
 and sister. This charming boy is said to 
 bear a strong resemblance to the young 
 Napoleon, and has acquired the title among 
 us of John Bull, which he triumphantly 
 retains; and if asked who he is, appears 
 pleased to exclaim, Jean BoolL 
 
 You have known me long, and have 
 been acquainted with my general views 
 in life: but who can foresee what he may 
 come to? and could you suppose that I 
 should ever be a teacher of the English 
 language, and to the late grand marshal of 
 the palace of the Thuiileries; though I have 
 reason to be proud of my scholar for his 
 amiable disposition, soldier-like frankness, 
 and cultivated mind. He speaks English 
 intelligibly, but with a very French accent. 
 This he wished to improve, and I under- 
 took to read with him. Such has been 
 my task for an hour or two every day dur- 
 
117 
 
 ing the last fortnight. We have gat through 
 the Vicar of Wakefield with great success; 
 Roderic Random, the never failing novel 
 of a seaman, now occupies us. The sea 
 terms and the seaman's language are ra- 
 ther peq^lexing, as my persevering scholar 
 will not suffer a single sentence to pass by 
 without the best explanation that I can 
 find. The Tour of Doctor Syntax yet re- 
 mains, and will probably last us to St. 
 Helena. 
 
 As you have desired me to omit no- 
 thing, however trifling, that relates to, or 
 is authentically related of, our chief passen- 
 ger, I shall just mention that count Ber- 
 trand, in the history which he gave of the 
 German campaign in 1807, took occasion 
 to observe that Buonaparte had very seL 
 dom employed spies. He appeared, in the 
 course of his warfare, to know but one in- 
 stance of a person being engaged by his 
 master in that capacity, which was in 
 Italy; at the same time he acknowledged 
 that the services performed by him were of 
 
118 
 
 considerable importance. In speaking 
 also of Napoleon's talents, for which he 
 uniformly avows the most profound admi- 
 ration, he expressed himself to the follow- 
 ing effect: — '' When I was first admitted 
 to the emperor's confidence, he employed 
 me on a particular service, and no zeal 
 was w^anting, on my part, to execute it; 
 but I found it, as I thought, to be imprac- 
 ticable; and I did not hesitate to submit 
 my opinion to him that it was so. It may 
 be so to you, he replied, but in what man- 
 ner did you proceed? I accordingly ex- 
 plained the means I had pursued. You 
 have failed, he said, in following your 
 plans: now see what success you will have 
 in pursuing mine. These he explained — 
 I adhered to them of course, and succeed- 
 ed. I then determined never again to sup- 
 pose that any commands of his could fail 
 of being fulfilled; and in any future ope- 
 rations which he entrusted to me, the idea 
 of impossibility never occurred to my 
 thoughts in the performance of my duty, 
 
119 
 
 or was forced upon mc by my experience 
 in the failure of it.'' 
 
 I have observed, that at cards, our ex- 
 traordinary man plays rather a negligent 
 game, and loses his money with great good 
 humour. Nay, he is frequently inaccurate 
 in reckoning his points, &c. but as often, 
 most assuredly, to his loss as his gain. At 
 chess, indeed, which is a scientific game, 
 independent of fortune, and considered as 
 being connected with a leading branch of 
 military tactics, he may not possess, per- 
 haps, the same indiiference. However that 
 may be, I shrewdly suspect that Montho- 
 Ion, when he plays with him, takes care 
 to be the loser. I have read, though I 
 know not where, that some great com- 
 mander, on being beat at chess by one of 
 his officers, was so infuriated by the jea- 
 lousy of the moment, that he drew forth 
 a pistol and despatched his conqueror. I 
 wonder whether the aide-de-camp has ever 
 heard this story. 
 
120 
 
 Having crossed the line, the south-west 
 winds occasioned our making a sweep off 
 the gulf of Guinea, before we were en- 
 abled to shape a course for our destined 
 port. The declining sun of the 14th of 
 October, 1815, shot out a parting ray ere 
 it sunk beneath the horizon* Under this 
 small illumined space, was obscurely- 
 perceived the lofty peak of St. Helena* 
 The memorable morning soon dawned 
 which was to usher in the commencement 
 of Napoleon's exile. This new feature in 
 his history will be the subject of my next 
 letter. 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
121 
 
 ST. HELENAj 
 
 MY DEAR 
 
 The sensation excited in the little 
 interesting colony of St. Helena, on the ar- 
 rival of this extraordinary guest, may be 
 more easily imagined than described. 
 Curiosity, astonishment, and interest com- 
 bined to rouse the inhabitants from their 
 habitual tranquillity, into a state of busy 
 activity and inquisitive solicitude. 
 
 Napoleon did not leave his cabin for a 
 full hour after the ship had anchored in 
 the bav: however, when the deck became 
 clear, he made his appearance, and ascend- 
 ed the poop ladder, from which he could 
 examine every gun that bristles at the 
 mouth of James Valley, in the centre of 
 which the town of that name, and the only 
 
 L 
 
122 
 
 one in the island, is situate. — While he 
 stood there, I watched his countenance 
 with the most observant attention, and it 
 betrayed no particular sensation: he looked 
 as any other man would look at a place 
 which he beheld for the first time. — I 
 shall also take this opportunity to mention 
 that during the whole voyage, from the 
 moment the Northumberland set sail from 
 England, to its arrival at St. Helena, I 
 never saw any change in the placid coun- 
 tenance and unassuming manners of our 
 distinguished shipmate; nor did I hear of a 
 discontented look, or a peevish expression, 
 being remarked by any oiher person in the 
 ship. The ladies, indeed, discovered some 
 distress on the first view of their rocky 
 cage; but their general conduct on the oc- 
 casion, displayed a degree of self-posses- 
 sion which was not expected of them. 
 
 The first object of the admiral was to 
 make the necessary arrangements for the 
 accommodation of Napoleon and his suite, 
 and the lieutenant governor's house was 
 appropriated for that purpose, till a proper 
 
123 
 
 place could be prepared for his fixed resi- 
 dence. It was not, therefore, till the 17th 
 that they disembarked. — After sun-set, on 
 that day, when the inhabitants of the town, 
 wearied out in wailing for the spectacle of 
 Bounapart's landing, had retired to their 
 homes, he according to the wish he had 
 expressed, passed unobserved to the house 
 where he was to pass the first night as an 
 inhabitant of St. Helena. 
 
 ' — At an early hour of the following 
 morning, the general was on horseback, 
 accompanied by sir George Cockburn. 
 They ascended the mountain to Longwood 
 which was to be the tranquil residence of 
 a man, on an isolated rock in Africa, who 
 had possessed gorgeous palaces in so many 
 of the splendid cities of Europe. 
 
 About a mile from the town, and mid- 
 way up the mountain, stands the country, 
 house of a most respectable man and a 
 merchant of the island, Mr. Balcombe: It 
 is named The Briars^ and is situated on a 
 level spot, which might almost be imagined 
 
124 
 
 to have been formed by art in the steep as- 
 cent. It occupies about two acres, and is 
 bountifully supplied with water, by whose 
 irrigating influence a pleasing and con- 
 trasted scene of vegetation, enriched by 
 fruit trees, has been produced; and seems, 
 as it were, suspended between the heights 
 above and the depths below. Here Napo- 
 leon, on his descent from Longwood, was 
 induced to call; and such was the hos- 
 pitable importunity of the amiable master 
 of the mansion, that he relinquished his 
 intention of returning to the valley, and 
 thereby avoided the public gaze that was 
 waiting his appearance. 
 
 On an elevated mound, about fifty yards 
 from the house, is a gothic building, hav- 
 ing one room below, and two small apart- 
 ments above. This masonette Napoleon 
 chose for his residence, till Longwood 
 could be completed. There was no choice 
 in the arrangement of this confined abode: 
 the ground-floor was, of course, occupied 
 by him, while De las Cases, with his son, 
 
125 
 
 who was a page, and the valet in waiting 
 were to possess the upper story. 
 
 A few days after he had fixed his resi- 
 dencc at the Briars^ I called to pay him a 
 complimentary visit, v/hen I found him re- 
 clining upon a sofa, apparently incommo- 
 ded by the heat. He had been, he said, 
 amusing himself with a walk in the garden; 
 but that towards noon he found it neces- 
 sary to shelter himself from the sun, be- 
 neath his little roof. He appeared to be 
 in very good spirits, and expressed himself 
 With great civility to me, as^ well as in his 
 inquiry after the officers of the Northum- 
 berland. After some general questions 
 respecting the restrictions on visiting him, 
 he said, '' I find there is a considerable 
 force on the island, full as many as the 
 produce of the place is capable of main- 
 taining. What could induce your go- 
 vernment to send out the fifty-third regi- 
 ment? There was, surely, a sufiicient force 
 before for my security; but this is the way 
 that you English people get rid of your 
 l2 
 
126 
 
 money. ^' To this observation I did not 
 hesitate to reply: '* When a measure is 
 once resolved upon, you, general, will ac- 
 knowledge it to be the best policy to em- 
 ploy all the means that may secure its be^ 
 ing carried into complete effect. '^ You, 
 my friend, may think, that I hazarded his 
 displeasure by my answer; but the man- 
 ner in which he received it, convinced me 
 that he was better pleased with my frank- 
 ness, than if I had hammered out a com- 
 pliment, in which manufactory you well 
 know that I am but an unskilful workman. 
 I now took my leave, and strolled down 
 with count Bertrand to dinner. 
 
 It was not till some time in November, 
 that I paid a second visit to the Briars^ 
 whither an invitation to dine with Mr. 
 Balcombe had called me. As I reached 
 the spot some time before the dinner- hour, 
 I proposed to amuse myself in examining 
 the cultivated spots, attached to the do- 
 main. I accidentally took the path which 
 leads to the gardens, and at the gate where 
 it terminates there is a narrow goats' pas- 
 
- 127 
 
 sage, whose sides are lined with prickly 
 pear bush. At the angle formed by the 
 two paths, I met Napoleon clattering down 
 from among the rocks in his heavy mili- 
 tary boots. He accosted me with an ap- 
 parent mixture of satisfaction and surprise; 
 and reproached me in terms of great civi* 
 lity for my loag absence. There was a 
 rough deal board placed as a seat between 
 two stones, on which after having brushed 
 away the dust with his hand, he sat him- 
 self down, and desired me to take my 
 place by him. — Las Cases soon joined us, 
 for in scrambling through these rocky 
 paths, his master, badly as he walks, had 
 got the start of him. On all sides of the 
 spot where we were seated, rocks were piled 
 on rocks to the height of a thousand feet 
 above our heads, while there was an abyss 
 of equal depth at our feet. Nature seems 
 in a sportive mood to have afforded this 
 level space for a semi- aerial dwelling; and 
 while I was gazing with some astonish- 
 ment on the barren wonders of the scene 
 around me- — '* Well,'' said Napoleon^ 
 
128 
 
 with a smile, " what say you to it? — and 
 can you think that your countrymen have 
 treated mc kindly?" — I had but one an« 
 swer to such a question; and that was, by 
 not giving any answer at all. — His con- 
 versation then turned upon the state and 
 character of the island, of which, he ob- 
 served, all the books he read respecting it, 
 during the voyage had given a very partial 
 representation, unless there were parts of a 
 more pleasing aspect than any he had seen 
 in his rides to Longxvood^ which compre- 
 hended the utmost extent of his observa- 
 tion. His conversation was, on this oc- 
 casion, as on all others when I have been 
 with him — easy, goodhumoured, and fa- 
 miliar, without the least taint of his former 
 greatness: and whenever the topic would 
 admit of it, he never failed to give an air of 
 cheerfulness to his remarks. On my 
 mentioning the activity of the admiral in 
 superintending the repairs at Longwood, 
 and that it would probably be ready to 
 receive him in the course of a month; — 
 he replied, \ our admiral knows, 1 doubt 
 
129 
 
 not, to a moment, in what time a ship 
 may be got ready, but as an architect, I 
 think his calculations will fail. — I main- 
 tained, however, that whether it was upon 
 land or sea, sir George Cockburn was of 
 a character that would ensure success in 
 whatever he might be called upon to un- 
 dertake. — I added, that the officers were 
 actually employed in accompanying the 
 seamen to Longwood, with the materials 
 necessary for its completion. He then 
 inquired after those gentlemen whose 
 names he endeavoured to recollect; and 
 expressed a wish to see them as they pas- 
 sed. *' If,'* said he, " they will be con- 
 tented to visit me as you now do, in the 
 fields; as my present habitation, which 
 serves me for breakfast, dinner, and bed- 
 room, is not precisely calculated to receive 
 company." 
 
 The Briars had derived, and will ever 
 retain a certain degree of celebrity, from 
 its having been the unexpected residence 
 of Napoleon^ and this circumstance will, I 
 
130 
 
 doubt not, bring to your recollection, the 
 various instances where remote and ob- 
 scure situations, which never formed the 
 smallest speck on a map, have by accidental 
 events, become important points in the ge- 
 ography of the historian, — Napoleon fre- 
 quently makes one of Mr. Balcombe's 
 family parties, where he is neither trouble- 
 some nor intrusive, but conducts himself 
 w^ith the manners of a gentleman, and a live- 
 ly demeanor that promotes the general 
 vivacity of the domestic circle*. — I have 
 not heard of any instance of his discontent 
 but on the following occasion. — Since he 
 has been at the Briars^ an officer of cap- 
 tain's rank is constantly in attendance there, 
 and becomes answerable for his person. 
 This, I understand, has occasioned remon- 
 strances to the admiral, who has not 
 thought proper to answer them with any 
 relaxation of this duty. 
 
 * I have since seen, in the English newspapers, 
 accounts of his playing at cards for sugar-piums, 
 being impetuous with a child, and engaging in 
 something like monkey tricks; for which there is 
 not the kast foundation of any kind. 
 
131 
 
 Napoleon having complained of the in- 
 tnision of visitors, during his stay at the 
 Briars it afforded the admiral an opportu- 
 nity of executing the orders transmitted 
 from England with a degree of delicacy 
 which whoever has the pleasure of know- 
 ing him, must be satisfied that he would 
 prefer. It was accordingly ordered, that 
 no one should be permitted to visit Long- 
 wood^ withou a passport from the admiral 
 or the governor. 
 
 On his removal thither, certain limits 
 were assigned him for exercise, around 
 which a cordon of centinels were stationed. 
 While he continues within the circle he 
 experiences no additional vigilance; but 
 when he ventures beyond, an officer is on 
 duty to attend him. The latter circum- 
 stance, which he considers as irksome, 
 disposes him to confine himself in a great 
 measure to the gi ounds of his mansion. 
 
 The indisposition of general Gourgond 
 occasioned my passmg much of m\ time 
 at Longwood. The disease^ from its com- 
 
132 
 
 mencement, had assumed very unfavour-- 
 able appearances; and my friend Mr. O' 
 Meara, whom I have already introduced 
 to you as the ex -imperial surgeon, was 
 desirous that we should be together du- 
 ring the treatment. 
 
 My first visit, on this occasion, was 
 attended with some particulars, which, I 
 presume, from your rivetted attention to 
 the principal character in the scene, you 
 will not think unworthy of being related. 
 About six in the evening I reached Huts- 
 gate^ a small house on the Longwood road, 
 about a mile from the principal residence, 
 and the habitation of count Bertrand. It 
 consists of two small apartments below, 
 and the name number above. But in this 
 cottage, health reigns, the children are 
 charming, and care seems to be banished 
 from it. — A volume might be filled with 
 all I know of this family. Most of my spare 
 hours during the voyage were dedicated 
 to reading English with the marshal; and, 
 in return, he gave an history of some of the 
 campaigns in which he had served. He 
 
133 
 
 would often say, *^ You are de bad master; 
 you will hear all, and speak to me none.'^ 
 Napoleon, when inquiring after me, du- 
 ring our passage, would ditstinguish me 
 by the title of Bertrand^s friend. Ma- 
 dame insisted upon my dismounting from 
 my horse and accompanying her in the 
 carriage to Longwood, as her husband had 
 gone on before. It was now growing 
 dusk, and as we approached the house, 
 we saw her emperor, as she always call- 
 ed him, and Bertrand in conversation close 
 to the road-side. ^* Now,'' said the la- 
 dy, '* let us surprise them: show yourself 
 at the carriage window as we pass; when 
 they will fancy a gallant, and it will remind 
 them of Paris tricks.'' We passed them 
 at a quick pace; I obeyed my instructions^ 
 and, having handed the countess from the 
 carriage, she left me to go and explain who 
 the stranger was. In a few minutes I re- 
 ceived a message from Napoleon himself, 
 with an invitation to dinner. I very readi- 
 ly accepted it, as you may imagine; and 
 was rather pleasingly surprised at it; as he 
 
 M 
 
134 
 
 had for some time confined his guests to 
 his own suite. I had no means of presen- 
 ting myself, but in my riding equipments, 
 and in such guise I made my entre. Ge- 
 neral Montholon, in full dress, received 
 me in the anti- chamber, and introduced mc 
 to an adjoining room, where Buonaparte 
 was engaged at chess with the count Ber- 
 trand. He received me with the com- 
 mon salutations, very civilly expressed, 
 and, on my taking a position behind his 
 chair, as if to observe the game, he con- 
 tinued the contest. There was little con- 
 versation among the party in the room; 
 and that was carried on in a kind of res- 
 pectful whisper, which, as I knew not how 
 to adopt, was interrupted at times by the 
 thorough-bass of my answers to the ques- 
 tions which were addressed to me. 
 
 A very short time before dinner was 
 announced, general Montholon whispered 
 in my ear, that I was to take my seat at 
 table between tlie emperor 'u,\\A iht grand 
 marshml. Here are honours for you, aiid 
 
135 
 
 I will give you leave to figure your plain, 
 humble, unassuming friend in his eleva- 
 ted station. 1 cannot say that my situa- 
 tion resembled that of Sancho Pancha, 
 because every dish was at my service; 
 but a piece of roast beef or a leg of mut- 
 ton, with caper sauce, would have afforded 
 a relief to my appetite, which has never 
 been familiarised with ragouts and fricas- 
 see s, I had Napoleon on my right, and 
 the marshal on my left; and there was a 
 vacant chair, that had the air of ceremoni- 
 ous emptiness, as a reserved seat for Ma- 
 ria Louisa. A bottle of claret and a de- 
 canter of water was placed by each plate: 
 but there was no drinking to each other at 
 dinner; and if you did not help yourself 
 during the time it lasted, the opportunity 
 would be lost, as the wine vanished with 
 the eatables. The service of porcelain 
 far exceeds in beauty whatever of that 
 kind I have beheld. The silver plate is 
 massive, and decorated with eagles in cu- 
 rious abundance; the gold service appear- 
 ed in the desert. The entertainment last- 
 ed ibout an hour, and so frequent were 
 
136 
 
 the questions of my host, that from the 
 perplexity I suffered in conjuring up an- 
 swers to them, I scarce knew what I eat, 
 or what I drank. I will endeavour to give 
 you a general specimen of his convivial in- 
 quiries. 
 
 Have you visited general Gourgond? — 
 Yes, general, I came to Longwood for that 
 purpose. How have you found him? 
 Extremely ill. What is his disorder? 
 Dy sentry. Where is its* seat? In the 
 intestines? What has been the cause? 
 Heat of climate on a constitution peculiar- 
 ly predisposed; but remove the cause and 
 the effect will cease. Had he been bled 
 in the first instance, it is probable that the 
 disease would have been less violent. — 
 What remedy is now proposed? The 
 functions of the liver and other viscera 
 are deranged: To restore them, therefore, 
 to a healthy action, it will be necessary to 
 have recourse to mercury. That is a bad 
 medicine. Experience has taught me the 
 contrary. Did Hippocrates use it? I be- 
 
137 
 
 lieve not. He had great faith in simples. 
 Yet, he is considered as among the first 
 physicians. He might, nevertheless, have 
 derived great advantages from modern dis- 
 coveries. Does not nature endeavour to 
 expel morbific matter; and may not the 
 present painful straggles be an effort of 
 nature to rid herself of what is obnoxious? 
 I have been taught to assist nature. And 
 could not you do so without having re* 
 course to this dangerous mineral? Expe- 
 rience has convinced me that mercury, 
 provided it produces salivation, is infalli- 
 ble. Then go on with your mercury. 
 
 Have you lost many men on board the 
 Northumberland? We have had the mis- 
 fortune to lose several. Of what disease? 
 Dysentry and inflammation of the liver. 
 Have you examined them after death? In- 
 variably. What was the appearance? Ex- 
 tensive suppurations of the liver in the 
 one disease, and gangrene of the intes- 
 tines in the other. What is death, or how 
 do you define death? A suspension of the 
 M 2 
 
138 
 
 vital functions, the organs of respiration^ 
 and the action of the heart. When does 
 the soul quit the body? That is a ques- 
 tion I do not presume to answer with a 
 precision which would satisfy you: for, in 
 cases of suspended aninuuion and in syn- 
 cope, man is to all appearance, dead; 
 yet, by artificial means, resuscitation is 
 ,j)roduced and life preserved. When do 
 you suppose that the soul enters the body? 
 I am not sufficiently skilled in metaphy- 
 sics to give a satisfactory reply. The fa- 
 culty of thought appears to be the dawn- 
 ing of the soul; and to whatever perfec- 
 tion reason attains, then the soul is most 
 perfect, at least then man becomes the 
 most responsible for his actions. Here 
 the conversation ended to my great satis- 
 faction, as it seemed to be taking a turn 
 too profound for my philosophy: you will 
 say, perhaps, that part of it was not calcu- 
 lated to whet the stomach of any one at 
 dinner, but a medical man. I fancy, how- 
 ever, that, to your appetite, it will prove a 
 savoury dish. 
 
139 
 
 Napoleon now rose, and was followed 
 by his party into a card-room when whist 
 succeeded. He appears to be master of 
 the game, but plays with a kind of care- 
 lessness, and good humour, as if he pre- 
 ferred loshig his money. He stayed half 
 an hour longer this evening than was usiral 
 with him, and during that time he walked 
 up and down the room, continuing his pre- 
 vailing habit of asking questions. On his 
 taking leave, Las Cases, m his good hu- 
 moured way, said, '* Well, this has been 
 a day of questions: indeed, 1 fear it must 
 be a punishment for you to dine with us, 
 it is so like undergoing an examination: 
 but you may be assured, that your an- 
 swers afford satisfaction, or you would not 
 be troubled with so many questions.'^ 
 
 In a few days after, the arrival of a ship 
 from England induced me to take a ride 
 to the valley; and, on my return in the 
 evening, I was informed, that Napoleon 
 desired to see me in general Gourgond's 
 apartment as soon as I returned; and there 
 
140 
 
 I found him waiting for me. On my en- 
 trance, the first question related to the 
 progress of the general's disorder: when 
 he suddenly changed the subject. " You 
 have been at the town; and is the ship just 
 arrived from England — if so, I suppose 
 she brings letters and newspapers. Cer- 
 tainly; and I have looked over a file of the 
 Courier. — Is there no Morning Chronicle? 
 I have not yet seen it. The other papers 
 which I have just had a glimpse of, were 
 the Times^ and a provincial paper. — What 
 is the news from France? I did but slight- 
 ly glance over the French news. Be that 
 as it may, you remember, I suppose, some- 
 thing of what you read; so let me hear it, 
 I saw some articles respecting you; but the 
 principal part of the French news which I 
 had the opportunity of examining, related 
 to the trial and sentence of marshal Ney. 
 
 Napeleon now advanced a step nearer to 
 me, but without the least change of counte- 
 nance; — ''^ What," said he, " marshal Ney 
 has been sentenced to be shot." — I replied 
 
141 
 
 *^ It was even so: he addressed the minis- 
 ters of the allied sovereigns, but in vain: 
 he urged in his defence the 12th article of 
 the convention: he pleaded on his trial that 
 he was deceived by you: that the procla- 
 mation of which he was accused, and 
 made a part of the charges against him, 
 was written by major general Bertrand; 
 and that he was deceived by your report 
 of Austria and England.'' Count Bertrand, 
 who was in the room, quietly observed, 
 that marshal Ney had a right to save him- 
 self if he could; and if fabricated stories 
 w^ould answer his purpose, he could not 
 be blamed for employing them. But he 
 added, *' respecting the proclamation, it 
 was an assertion equally false and ridicu- 
 lous: marshal Ney could write himself, 
 and wanted not my assistance." Napoleon 
 made no comments on the account which 
 had been given to him. One solitary ex- 
 pression, indeed, broke from him, and that 
 was, '^ marshal Ney was a brave man." 
 
 I mentioned a report, as stated in one of 
 the London papers, that an apprehension 
 
142 
 
 was entertained of an insurrection in Paris, 
 on the event of marshal Ney's sentence 
 being carried into execution. " An in- 
 surrection," said Napoleon, with a kind of 
 contemptuous calmness, '' pugh! get the 
 troops imder arms! Has the duke of Wel- 
 lington left Paris? I really do not know. 
 Are the English and allied forces still in 
 the vicinity of the capital? — The English, 
 I believe, are still in its neighbourhood; 
 but it appears, from the papers, that the 
 Russians and Prussians have retired upon 
 the Rhine. That disposition of them, he 
 replied, is altogether the most proper. — 
 But how is it, he continued, that among the 
 papers which are sent for my perusd, I so 
 seldom see the Morning Chronicle. That 
 was a question, which 1 did not pretend to 
 answer. I thought proper, however, to in- 
 form him, with some little curiosity to see 
 how he would receive the intelligejice, 
 ?riPiing EK it may appear, that, accordme to 
 the papers, a Parisian had been sentenced 
 to pay a fine for pubHshing a caricature in 
 which he was represented. He permitted 
 
143 
 
 pie to describe it, which 1 did in the Ian- 
 guage of the paragraph: *' On one side of 
 the print appeared the figure of Louis 
 XVIII, surrounded by his family, with the 
 inscription, ' This is well;'* and on the other 
 side, that of Napoleon attended by his fa- 
 mily, with the motto, * This is better.^ " 
 **Pugh!" said he, " what nonsense! but 
 such trash will be propagated, from some 
 idle motive or other:" and with this ob- 
 servation he retired to his apartment. 
 
 General Gourgond's disorder assumed 
 a very dangerous appearance; and the 
 symptoms seemed to announce a fatal ter- 
 mination. His spirits, indeed, were so 
 sunk, that he refused to take the only 
 medicine that promised the least chance of 
 relief; and even though it continued to be 
 administered by contrivance, and subter- 
 fuge, he must have become the prey of his 
 melancholy apprehensions, if that voice 
 which he dare not disobey, had not urged 
 a sharp, and as it proved, a saving remon- 
 strance. *' V\ hat ridiculous behaviour is 
 
144 
 
 this,'^ said Napoleon to him; *^ and what 
 are these silly fears of your own creation, 
 and which you appear to be fond of in- 
 dulging, by refusing the means of dissi- 
 pating them. How often have you faced 
 death in the field of battle, without the 
 least sensation of fear; and now you are re- 
 solved to yield to his power, as if you were 
 afraid to resist him. What a childish ob- 
 stinacy! Play the fool no longer, I beg of 
 you, but submit to the remedies with 
 cheerfulness, which can alone promote 
 your restoration to health." This reproach 
 softened the paiient's obstinacy, he be- 
 came submissive to the regimen prescrib- 
 ed, and recovered. Some short time after, 
 Napoleon said to me, ^' Well, you doctors 
 have performed wonders with Gourgond: 
 if, however, there had been a priest on the 
 island, he would have discharged you both, 
 and trusted alone to his treatment: but for- 
 tunately for him, such a thing as a confes- 
 sor was not to be found." 
 
145 
 
 I am about to vary the scene, but I 
 follow the track of the distinguished exile, 
 whenever I have the opportunity; and I 
 now call you to attend him among the Ar- 
 cadians of St. Helena. When he takes his 
 exercise on horseback, he generally bends 
 his way through a deep ravine, luxuriantly 
 covered with vegetation and used for pas- 
 ture. The road is narrow, the place lone- 
 ly; and he, in a sentimental or poetical 
 moment, had named it " The valley of Si- 
 lence.'^^ On ascending this contracted pass, 
 the eye is greeted, and on the first occasion 
 might probably be surprised, by the resi- 
 dence of a farmer. Here the confined tour- 
 ist, on his first excursion, determined to 
 snatch a probable amusement; by paying 
 a visit. Fortunately for him, the family 
 were taken by surprise; for the . pprehen- 
 sion of such a guest would have emptied 
 the house of its inhabitants. Master Legg, 
 the tenant of the mansion, a plain honest 
 countryman, met him at die door, when 
 the extraordinary visitor, on the invitation 
 which he received, dismounted from his 
 
 N 
 
146 
 
 horse, and accompanied by the count de 
 las Cases, entered the house, familiarly 
 took his seat, and, as usual, began his in- 
 terrogatories. 
 
 Have you a wife? Yes, and please you, 
 sir emperor. Have you any children? Six. 
 How much land have you got? A hun- 
 dred acres. All capable of being cultiva- 
 ted? No, not one-half. What profit does 
 it bring you? Not a great deal; but it is 
 much improved since you, Mr. emperor, 
 came amongst us. Aye, how do you make 
 that out? Why, you must know, sir em- 
 peror, we do not grow corn in this here 
 island; and our green vegetables require a 
 ready market. We have generally had to 
 wait for the arrival of a fleet; and then, rat 
 ^em, they would sometimes all spoil: but 
 now, sir general, we have a prime sale for 
 every article. Where is your wife? Dang 
 it, and please you, I believe she is scared; 
 for I see my children have all run out. 
 Send for them, and let me be introduced. 
 Pray have you any good water? Yes, sir; 
 
147 
 
 and wine too, such as is to be had from 
 the Cape. 
 
 The good woman's alarm had by this 
 time subsided; and she was persuaded by 
 her husband to make her appearance, and 
 entered with every mark of respect, and 
 some astonishment. Napoleon, De las 
 Cases, the farmer and his wife, forming a 
 partie quarree^ for your philosophic and 
 profound contemplation, sat down to four 
 glasses of Cape wine; and when they were 
 emptied, the visit concluded. 
 
 The good man and his family had been 
 placed so much at their ease by the cour- 
 teous demeanour of their unexpected 
 guests, that the subsequent visits laid them 
 under no restraint; and even the little chil- 
 dren used frequently to express their 
 wishes by inquiring of their mother, 
 " When will Boney come and see us 
 again?" 
 
 But there is another farmer, whose name 
 is Robinson, who like his neighbour Legg, 
 
148 
 
 occupies his acres of garden ground, which 
 are divided into enclosures by fences of 
 earth enlivened by the aloe and the prickly 
 pear. Here, as in the former humble ha- 
 bitation, the honest simplicity of rural life 
 appears in all its native colours: but there 
 is a flow^er of no common beauty that 
 adorns the spot; a very pretty girl of about 
 seventeen, the daughter of the owiiers of it. 
 She is what we should call in Scotland, 
 ''a very bonny lassie." Whether it was the 
 primitive sincerity and innocent manners 
 of these honest people, or the native charms 
 of the rustic nymph, or the picture of con- 
 tentment that they presented to their vi- 
 sitor, which attracted him, I shall not pre- 
 tend to determine; but his visits became so 
 frequent, that the relations of these good 
 people in the town, recommended precau- 
 tion respecting their daughter, who was 
 then forbidden to make her appearance 
 whenever the great man favoured the farm 
 with his visits: this circumstance he soon 
 observed, and accordingly ceased to con- 
 tinue them. 
 
149 
 
 I shall not wait for any additional occur- 
 rences, which are uncertain, with a view 
 to lengthen my letter. If any further in- 
 formation occurs, it may form the subject 
 of another epistle. I therefore seize the 
 present opportunity of assuring you that 
 
 I am, &c. &c. 
 
 W. W. 
 
 N 2 
 
150 
 
 ST. HELENA, 
 
 MY DEAR 
 
 I began to think that my last letter 
 would have concluded the little history 
 which I have compiled from the living 
 documents around me, for the amusement 
 and gratification of your anxious curiosity. 
 If it has answered that purpose, I shall 
 be satisfied; and I am happy to continue 
 my disjointed narrative, with some unex- 
 pected notices that may be equally inte- 
 resting, as far as the term can be applied, 
 to those which have preceded them. 
 
 It is near six weeks since I have visited 
 Longwood, or have had any communica- 
 tion with the inhabitants of it. Chance, 
 however, conducted me to a party where 
 I met De las Cases. After some general 
 
151 
 
 eonversation on the arrival of the new go- 
 vernor, he informed me that his master had 
 made frequent inquiries after me; and had 
 even expressed his surprise at my absence. 
 *' We have not seen you," he added, 
 " since your resuscitation of general Gour- 
 gond; and I cannot but feel curious to 
 know, whether your acting as a stranger, 
 arises from any disinclination on your part, 
 or a particular prohibition from the admi- 
 ral? I replied, '' neither the one nor the 
 other: but, at the same time, I thought it 
 became me to attend to the general orders, 
 and I could not justify myself in request- 
 ing a passport to Longwood without hav- 
 ing some ostensible reason." " But I wish 
 very much," he answered, ** to cpnsult 
 you about the health of my son." " That 
 reason is sufficient; I will immediately ap- 
 ply to the admiral, who is now in the room, 
 and have no doubt of his ready acquies- 
 cence." I was accordingly engaged to 
 breakfast with Napoleon on the following 
 morning, at eleven o'clock. The violent 
 rains, however, disappointed me; but I 
 
152 
 
 took the earliest opportunity of fulfilling 
 my promise. The breakfast hour was 
 passed when I reached Longwood, and its 
 master had been invited by the serenity 
 of the day, to take an earlier walk in the 
 garden than was his general custom. I 
 presume that he had observed me as I ap- 
 proached the house, while he was screened 
 from me by an intervening hedge. As I 
 had exceeded the breakfast hour, after 
 which he generally retires to the solitude 
 of his apartment, I did not expect to see 
 him; and to say the truth, unless there had 
 been a prospect of obtaining some novelty, 
 my dear friend, for your entertainment, I 
 should rather have felt a relief in the idea 
 that I was not to be exposed to one of his 
 rapid examinations. I soon, however, met 
 the count De las Cases, who, presuming 
 that the great man had retired for the day, 
 proposed my accompanying him to his 
 apartment, where, he said, after you have 
 seen my son, we will take a few peeps 
 into our history, which I know will interest 
 you, as the work itself will interest the 
 
153 
 
 whole world, if we have perseverance to 
 get through with it. 
 
 I do not recollect whether, in any of my 
 former letters I mentioned, from the au- 
 thority of this gentleman, who is the ama- 
 nuensis of the historian, that Buonaparte 
 was seriously and laboriously engaged in 
 writing the Annals of his Life. I had al- 
 ready been informed by the same person, 
 that the campaigns of Egypt and of Italy, 
 and what he styles My reign of an hundred 
 days^ or some such title, were completed;* 
 and that the intermediate periods were in 
 a progressive state. I therefore was look- 
 ing forward to a very curious morning, 
 and hugging myself on the approaching 
 view of such manuscripts as were to be 
 unfolded to me: but this expectation was 
 disappointed by a message from Napoleon 
 to attend him in his room. As I knew 
 that my visit would not be one of mere 
 
 * This work includes the interval, or some 
 portion of it, between the abdication of Fontain- 
 bieau and that of Paris, 
 
154 
 
 ceremony, I prevailed upon my companion 
 to accompany me, as his interpretations 
 are always given with such aptitude and 
 perspicuity, and besides, afford me time 
 to arrange my answers. There was some 
 little finesse employed in making this ar^ 
 rangement, as the forms of the court at 
 Longwood are most respectfully observed 
 by the attendants on it. 
 
 On entering the room I observed the 
 back of a sofa turned towards me; and on 
 advancing I saw Napoleon laying at full 
 length on it, with his left-arm hanging 
 over the upper part. The glare of light 
 was excluded by a Venetian blind, and 
 before him there was a table covered with 
 books. I could distinguish among them 
 some fine bound volumes on the French 
 Revolution. The heat of the day had oc- 
 casioned him to dismantle himself of coat 
 and waistcoat. The moment his eye met 
 mine, he started up, and exclaimed, in 
 English, in a tone of good humoured vi- 
 vacity, '* Ah Warden, how do you do?'' 
 
155 
 
 I bowed in return; when he stretched out 
 his hand, saying, ^' I have got a fever." I 
 immediately applied my hand to the wrist, 
 and observing, both from the regularity of 
 the pulsation and the jocular expression of 
 his countenance, that he was exercising a 
 little of his pleasantry, I expressed my 
 wish that his health might always remain 
 the same. He then gave me a gentle tap 
 on the cheek, with the back of his hand; 
 and desired me to go into the middle of 
 the room as he had something, to say to 
 me. I now congratulated him on the pre- 
 servation of his health, and complimented 
 him at the same time, on the progress he 
 appeared to have made in the Engli:^h 
 language. ^' I certainly enjoy," he said, 
 '^ a very good state of health, which I at- 
 tribute to a rigorous observance of regi- 
 men. My appetite is such that I feel as if 
 I could eat at any time of the day: but I 
 am regular in my meals; and always leave 
 off eating with an appetite: besides, I never, 
 as you know, drink strong wines. With 
 respect to the English language," he con- 
 
156 
 
 tinued, " I have been very diligent: I now 
 read your newspapers with ease; and must 
 own, that they afford me no inconsiderable 
 amusement. They are, occasionally, in- 
 consistent, and sometimes abusive. In one 
 paper I am called a liar^ in another a ty- 
 rantf in a third a monster^ and, in one of 
 them, which I really did not expect, I am 
 described as a coward; but it turned out, 
 after all, that the writer did not accuse me 
 of avoiding danger in the field of battle, or 
 flying from an enemy, or fearing to look at 
 the menaces of fate and fortune; it did not 
 charge me with wanting presence of mind 
 in the hurry of battle, and in the suspence 
 of conflicting armies. No such thing; I 
 wanted courage it seems, because I did 
 not coolly take a dose of poison, or throw 
 myself into the sea, or blow out my brains. 
 The editor, most certainly misunderstands 
 me; I have, at least, too much cour- 
 age for that. Your papers are influenced 
 by party principles: what one praises the 
 other will abuse; and so vice versa. They 
 who live in the metropolis where they are 
 
 I 
 
157 
 
 published, can judge of passing events and 
 transactions for themselves; but persons 
 living at a distance from the capital, and 
 particularly foreigners, must be at a loss to 
 determine upon the real state of things, 
 and the characters of public men, from the 
 perusal of your journals.'^ 
 
 Napoleon appearing, as it were, to be 
 speaking out, and in a humour to deliver 
 opinions, instead of confining himself to 
 asking questions, I was determined to 
 speak out too; and I had no doubt that 
 I should lead him into an interesting con- 
 versation, or induce him to wish me a 
 good day. 
 
 I accordingly replied, ^' I really think 
 that you must possess more patience than 
 my countrymen are disposed to allow you, 
 if you really wade through all the columns 
 that have been filled on your subject. 
 You cannot, general, suppose for a mo- 
 ment, that the extraordinary events which 
 have taken place, and of which you have 
 o 
 
158 
 
 formed such a prominent part, would not 
 be considered and observed upon with 
 great freedom by a thinking people Hke 
 the English, and who have the privilege, 
 and may they ever possess it, of speaking 
 and writing what they think." I was pro- 
 ceeding in full swing and in a very patrio- 
 tic way, when he thus interrupted me. 
 ^* This calling of names, and these scold- 
 ing epithets, only serve to amuse me; but 
 there are observations in your papers, 
 which produce far different sensations. 
 You havt:'^ he continued, '' a writer whom 
 I greatly admire; I believe he is of your 
 country, a Scotchman — Macpherson, the 
 author of Ossian. There is also a p>crson 
 of the name of Belsham: on what subjects 
 has he written?" I replied, '* that I be- 
 lieved he had written an account of the 
 reign of our excellent sovereign." ^* Yes," 
 he said, '' your laws permit you to write 
 of kings, of ministers, of measures, and of 
 one another." '' Yes," I replied, ** such is 
 the privilege of Englishmen; and, posses- 
 sing the infirmities of human nature, they 
 
 i 
 
159 
 
 may sometimes abuse it. Misconception, 
 party spirit, and perhaps factious minds, 
 may, at times, tend to propagate and sup- 
 port erroneous, and even violent opinions; 
 but the love of justice and of truth, forms 
 the genuine character of an Englishman," 
 *< Nevertheless," he observed, *' you ap- 
 pear to handle my character rather roughly: 
 and more so, since I have been in your 
 power." ^^ To that opinion, general," I 
 answered, rather quickly, '^ I must beg 
 leave to address a direct negative. You 
 have not always had the leisure to examine 
 English publications which you enjoy at 
 present; but I do assure you, that from the 
 time of your becoming first consul of 
 France, to the moment when you set your 
 foot on the deck of the Beilerophon, the 
 English press has never ceased to fulmi- 
 nate its displeasure against your and this 
 without exception, for the parties who dif- 
 fered in every thing besides, expressed btft 
 one and the same opinion of you. This, I 
 presume, you must have known at the 
 time, though the vast projects that have 
 
160 
 
 occupied your mind, may have prevented 
 your memory from retaining a detail of our 
 literary offences: your official papers, how- 
 ever, marked their perfect acquaintance 
 with the hostility of our journals, and re- 
 turned their paragraphic missiles in every 
 direction. You were rather angry with old 
 England, when you ordered the Moniteur 
 to call us a * Nation of shopkeepers:' A 
 great commercial nation we certainly are, 
 and may we ever remain so: for it is that 
 commerce which has proved a fountain of 
 resources, whose failure would have pre- 
 vented even the native and irresistible 
 bravery of Englishmen from making the 
 late immortal additions to our national 
 glory. But we are also a most noble- 
 minded, magnanimous and generous peo- 
 ple; and were never known to insult a con- 
 quered enemy; nay, how often has it hap- 
 pened that both our sailors and our 
 soldiers have risked their lives to save a 
 fallen foe. Even whtn you had thrown 
 away one of the brightest diadems ia 
 Europe, and had accepted a slender seep- 
 
161 
 
 tre in Elba, you were instantly treated with 
 comparative mildness by the more prevail- 
 ing public opinions in England. And now 
 that you are, as you choose to term it, in 
 our power^ a general feeling of a generous 
 nature is known to be excited: Yes, sir, 
 there are numbers who would have re- 
 joiced to hear that you had bit the ground 
 on the field of battle, who are now dis- 
 posed to wish you every comfort that can 
 be safely allowed in your present situation. 
 If the Northumberland had overtaken you 
 in a French man-of-war, endeavouring to 
 make your meditated escape to America, 
 every officer, and every sailor and soldier 
 would have been bravely engaged in the at- 
 tempt to take, burn, sink, or destroy the ship 
 that bore you; yet, as you have readily ac- 
 knowledged, you were treated by them, du- 
 ring the whole of the voyage, with every 
 gentle, manly, and polite attention. And, if 
 I may venture to speak of myself, I shall beg 
 leave to add, that I was bred up in the ha- 
 tred of you: nay, that no proofs of holy 
 writ were more strongly imprinted in my 
 o2 
 
162 
 
 mind, than the truth of the then universally- 
 prevailing opinions concerning you; never- 
 theless, I am ready to show you every per- 
 sonal courtesy, to be thankful for the ci- 
 vilities I have received from you, and to 
 offer you such service as I am permitted 
 by the benevolence of the government 
 which I serve, and may be consistent with 
 those regulations which its political wis- 
 dom has thought necessary to provide, for 
 the safeguard and ultimate security of your 
 person." 
 
 I was resolved to speak my sentiments 
 with freedom, and you may now think my 
 good friend, that I did not balk my resolu- 
 tion. I could not, indeed, forbear to defend 
 the generous temper of Englismen, when 
 it received such an attack. My candid 
 sentiments and unreserved language ap- 
 peared, however, to meet my auditor's ap. 
 probation, and he asked me, to my great 
 surprise, if 1 remembered the history of 
 captain Wright. I answered, '^ Perfectly 
 well; and it is a prevailing opinion in En- 
 
163 
 
 gland, that you ordered him to be murder- 
 ed in the Temple." With the utmost ra- 
 pidity of speech he replied, '* For what 
 object? Of all men he was the person whom 
 I should have most desired to live. Whence 
 could I have procured bo valuable an evi- 
 dence as he would have proved on the trial 
 of the conspirators in and about Paris. 
 The heads of it he himself had landed on 
 the French coast." My curiosity was at 
 this moment such as to be betrayed in my 
 looks, '' Listen," continued Napoleon, 
 ^* and you shall hear. The English brig of 
 war, commanded by captain Wright, was 
 employed by your government in landing 
 traitors and spies on the west coast of 
 France. Seventy of the number had actu- 
 ally reached Paris; and, so mysterious 
 were their proceedings, so veiled in im- 
 penetrable concealment, that although ge- 
 neral Ryal, of the police, gave me this 
 information, the name or place of their re- 
 sort could not be discovered. I received 
 daily assurances that my life would be at- 
 tempted, and though I did not give entire 
 
164 
 
 credit to them, I took every precaution for 
 ray preservation. The brig was afterwards 
 taken near L'Orient, with captain Wright, 
 its commander, who was carried before the 
 prefect of the department of Morbeau, at 
 Vannes: general Julian, then prefect, had 
 accompanied me in the expedition to 
 Egypt, and recognised captain Wright on 
 the first view of him. Intelligence of this 
 circumstance was instantly transmitted to 
 Paris; and instructions were expeditiously 
 returned to interrogate the crew, separate- 
 ly, and transfer their testimonies to the 
 minister of police. The purport of their 
 examination was at first very unsatisfacto- 
 ry; but, at length, on the examination of 
 one of the crew, some light was thrown 
 on the subject. He stated that the brig had 
 landed several Frenchmen, and among 
 them he particularly remembred one, a 
 very merry fellow, who was called Pi- 
 chegru. Thus a clue was found that led 
 to the discovery of a plot, which, had it 
 succeeded, would have thrown the French 
 Hation, a second time, into a state of revo- 
 
165 
 
 lution. Captain Wright was accordingly 
 conveyed to Paris, and confined in the 
 Temple; there to remain till it was found 
 convenient to bring the formidable ac- 
 cessaries of this treasonable design to tri- 
 al. The law of France would have sub- 
 jected Wright to the punishment of death: 
 but he was of minor consideration. My 
 grand object was to secure the principals, 
 and I considered the English captain's 
 evidence of the utmost consequence to- 
 wards completing my object." He again 
 and again, most solemnly asserted, that 
 captain Wright died in the Temple, by 
 his own hand, as described in the Mont- 
 teiir^ and at a much earlier period than has 
 been generally believed. At the same 
 time, he stated, that his assertion was found- 
 ed on documents which he had since exa- 
 mined. The cause of his inquiry arose 
 from the visit, I think, he said, of lord 
 Ebringtop. to Elba, and he added, '' That 
 nobleman appeared to be perfectly satisfi- 
 ed with the account which was given him 
 of this mysterious business." 
 
166 
 
 I was so far encouraged by the easy, 
 communicative manner of the ex-einperor, 
 that 1 continued my observations without 
 reserve: I, therefore, did not hesitate to 
 express my doubts respecting the time 
 that Capt. Wright remained in the Tem- 
 ple previous to his death. To satisfy me 
 in this particular, Napoleon turned over a 
 long succession of pages in a late publica- 
 tion of Mr. Goldsmith's, which had been 
 brought him by sir Hudson Lowe. I do 
 not recollect the title, which is probably 
 familiar to you, who have suffered nothing 
 that relates to the government of France 
 to have escaped you, but I could perceive, 
 that it consisted of extracts from the Mo- 
 niteur, &c. during the imperial reign. 
 As he referred to the index he frequently 
 pointed out the name of IVright^ spelled 
 Eighty and with a confident expectation, as 
 it certainly appeared to me, of finding 
 some document, that would confirm his 
 account. The author, however, either had 
 not been able to discover any written tes- 
 timony, to mark the precise time of cap-. 
 
16: 
 
 tain Wright-s death, or had intentionally 
 withheld it; and the latter Buonaparte re- 
 peatedly and firmly insisted must have 
 been the cause of any doubt remaining as 
 to the truth of his assertion. 
 
 As he turned over the leaves of this vo- 
 lume, he acknowledged that many of the 
 reports were genuine, but with frequent in- 
 accuracies and mistatements; and, if my 
 memory is correct, he particularised that 
 which was given of the battle of Marengo. 
 But he did not stop here; and continually 
 desired to know whether I perfectly com- 
 prehended his meaning, as that was his 
 most earnest wish. And now, to my ut- 
 ter astonishment, he entered upon the 
 event of the duke ITEnghierCs death. 
 This was atopic that could not be expect- 
 ed; and particularly by me, as there ap- 
 peared even among his followers, who 
 \vere always on tip-toe to be his apologists, 
 an evasive silence or contradictory state- 
 ments, whenever this afflicting event be- 
 came the subject of inquiry, which had 
 
168 
 
 occasionally happened, during the course 
 6f our voyage. Here Napoleon, became 
 very animated, and ofted raised himself on 
 the sofa where he had hitherto remained 
 in a reclining posture. The interest at- 
 tached to the subject, and the energy of 
 his delivery, combined to impress the 
 tenor of his narrative so strongly on my 
 mind, that you need not doubt the accura- 
 cy of this repetition. He began as follows: 
 
 ^^ At this eventful period of my life, I 
 had succeeded in restoring order and tran- 
 quillity to a kingdom torn asunder by fac- 
 tion, and deluged in blood. That nation 
 had placed me at their head. I came not 
 as your Cromwell did, or your third Ri- 
 chard. No such thing. I found a crown 
 in the kennel; I cleansed it from its filth, 
 and placed it on my head. My safety 
 now became necessary, to preserve that 
 tranquillity so recently restored; and, hi- 
 therto, so satisfactorily preserved, as the 
 leading characters of the nation well know. 
 At the same time, reports were every 
 
169 
 
 night brought me'^ (I think, he said, by 
 general Ryal,) " that conspiracies were in 
 agitation; that meetings were held in par- 
 ticular houses in Paris, and names even 
 were mentioned; at the same time, no sa- 
 tisfactory proofs could be obtained and 
 the utmost vigilance and ceaseless pursuit 
 of the police was evaded. General Mo- 
 reau, indeed, became suspected, and I was 
 seriously importuned to issue an order for 
 his arrest; but his character was such, his 
 name stood so high, and the estimation of 
 him so great in the public mind, that, as 
 it appeared to me, he had nothing to gain, 
 and every thing to lose, by becoming a 
 conspirator against me: I, therefore, could 
 not but exhonerate him from such a 
 suspicion. I accordingly refused an order 
 for the proposed arrest, by the following 
 intimation to the minister of police. ' You 
 have named Pichegru, Georges, and Mo- 
 reau: convince me that the former is in 
 Paris, and I will immediately cause the 
 latter to arrested.' Another and a very 
 singular circumstance led to the develop, 
 p 
 
170 
 
 ment of the plot. One night, as I lay agi- 
 tated and wakeful, I rose from my bed, 
 and examined the list of suspected trai- 
 tors; and chance, which rules the world, 
 occasioned my stumbling, as it were, on 
 the name of a surgeon, who had lately re-^ 
 turned from an English prison. This 
 man's age, education, and experience in 
 life, induced me to believe, that his con- 
 duct must be attributed to any other mo- 
 tive than that of youthful fanaticism in fa- 
 vour of a Bourbon; as far as circumstan- 
 ces qualified me to judge, money appear- 
 ed to be his object. I accordingly gave 
 orders for this man to be arrested; when 
 a summary mock trial was instituted, by 
 which he was found guihy, sentenced to 
 die, and informed he had but six hours to 
 live. This stratagem had the desired ef- 
 fect: he was terrified into confession. It 
 was now known that Pichcgru had a bro- 
 ther, a monastic priest, then residing in 
 Paris. I ordered a party of gens d'armes 
 to visit this man, and if he had quitted his 
 house, I conceived there would be good 
 
171 
 
 ground for suspicion. The old monk was 
 secured, and, in the act of his arrest, his 
 fears betrayed what I most wanted to know. 
 * Is it,Vhe exclaimed, * because I afforded 
 shelter to a brother that I am thus treated.' 
 The object of the plot was to destroy me; 
 and the success of it would, of course, 
 have been my destruction. It emanated 
 from the capital of your country, with the 
 count d'Artois at the head of it. To the 
 west he sent the duke de Berri, and to 
 the east the duke D'Engbein. To France 
 your vessels conveyed underlings of the 
 plot, and Moreau became a convert to the 
 cause. The moment was big with evil: I 
 felt myself on a tottering eminence, and, I 
 resolved to hurl the thunder back upon the 
 Bourbons even in the metropolis of the 
 British empire. My minister vehemently 
 urged the seisure of the duke though in 
 a neutral territory. But I still hesitated, 
 and prince Benevento brought the order 
 twice, and urged the measure with all his 
 powers of persuasion: It was not, howev- 
 er, till I was fully convinced of its neces- 
 
172 
 
 sity, that I sanctioned it by my signature. 
 The matter could be easily arranged be- 
 tween me and the duke of Baden. Why, 
 indeed, should I suffer a man residing on 
 the very confines of my kingdom, to com- 
 mit a crime which, within the distance of 
 a mile, by the ordinarj^ course of law, jus- 
 tice herself would condemn to the scaf- 
 fold* And now answer me; — Did I do 
 more than adopt the principle of your go- 
 vernment, when it ordered the capture of 
 the Danish fleet, which was thought to 
 threaten mischief to your country? It had 
 been urged to me again and again, as a 
 sound political opinioa, that the new dy- 
 nasty could not be secure, while the Bour» 
 bons remained. Talleyrand never deviated 
 from this principle: it was a fixed, unchange 
 able article in his political creed. But I 
 did not become a ready or a willing con- 
 vert. 1 examined the opinion with care 
 and with caution: and the result was a per- 
 fect conviction of its necessity. The duke 
 D'Enghein was accessary to the confedera- 
 cy; and although the resident of a neutral 
 
173 
 
 territory, the urgency of the case, in 
 which my safety and the public tranquilli- 
 ty, to use no stronger expression, were in- 
 volved, justified the proceeding. I accor- 
 dingly ordered him to be seized and tried: 
 He was found guilty, and sentenced to 
 be shot. The sentence was immediately 
 executed; and the same fate would have 
 followed had it been Louis the Eighteenth. 
 For I again declare that I found it neces- 
 sary to roll the thunder back on the metro- 
 polis of England, as from thence, with 
 the count d'Artois at their head, did the 
 assassins assail me. 
 
 *' Your country also accuses me of the 
 death of Pichegruy I replied, *' It is 
 most certainly and universally believed 
 throughout the whole British empire, that 
 he was strangled in prison by your orders.'* 
 He rapidly answered, " What idle, disin- 
 genuous folly! a fine proof, how prejudice 
 can destroy the boasted reasoning faculties 
 of Englishmen! Why, I ask you, should 
 that life be taken away in secret which the 
 p2 
 
174 
 
 laws consigned to the hands of a pubHc 
 executioner. The matter would have been 
 different with respect to Moreau. Had he 
 died in a dungeon, there might have been 
 grounds to justify the suspicion that he 
 had not been guilty of suicide. He was a 
 very popular character, as well as much 
 beloved by the army; and I should never 
 have lost the odium, however guiltless I 
 might have been, if the justice of his death, 
 supposing his life to have been forfeited 
 by the laws, had not been made apparent 
 by the most public execution. '^ 
 
 Here he paused; and I replied, ^' There 
 may, perhaps, be persons in England, who 
 are disposed to acknowledge the necessity 
 of rigorous measures at this important pe- 
 ridd of your history; but none, I believe, 
 are to be found who would attempt to 
 justify the precipitate manner in which the 
 young prince was seized, tried, sentenced, 
 and shot.'' He instantly answered, *' I was 
 justified in my own mind; and I repeat 
 the declaration which I have already made, 
 
175 
 
 that I would have ordered the execution of 
 Louis XVIII. At the same time, I solemn- 
 ly affirm, that no message or letter from 
 the duke reached me after sentence of 
 death had been passed upon him." 
 
 Talleyrand, however, was said to be in 
 possession of a letter from the royal pri- 
 soner addressed to Napoleon, which they 
 who are well qualified to know, declared 
 he took upon himself not to deliver, till it 
 was too late to be of any service to the 
 WTiter. I saw a copy of this letter in pos- 
 session of count de las Cases, which he 
 calmly represented to me as one of the 
 mass of documents, formed or collected to 
 authenticate and justify certain mysterious 
 parts of the history which he was occa- 
 sionally employed in writing, under the 
 dictation of the hero of it. Do not startle — 
 the letter was to beg his life; and to this 
 effect. — It stated his opinion that the Bour- 
 bon dynasty was terminated. That was 
 the settled opinion of his mind, and he was 
 about to prove the sincerity of it. He now 
 
17G 
 
 considered France no otherwise than as his 
 country, which he loved with the most 
 patriotic ardour, but merely as a private 
 citizen. The crown was no longer in his 
 view: it was now beyond the possibility of 
 recovery: it would not, it could not be re- 
 stored. He therefore requested to be al- 
 lowed to live and devote his life and ser- 
 vices to France, merely as a native of it. 
 He was ready to take any command or any 
 rank in the French army, to become a 
 brave and loyal soldier, subject to the will 
 and orders of the government, in whose 
 hands soever it might be, to which he was 
 ready to swear fealty; and that, if his life 
 were spared, he would devote it with the 
 utmost courage and fidelity to support 
 France against all its enemies. Such was 
 the letter which as it was represented to 
 me, Talleyrand took care not to deliver 
 till the hand that wrote it was unnerved 
 by death. 
 
 Napoleon continued to speak of the 
 Bourbon {^mWy—'' Had I," he said, ''been 
 
177 
 
 anxious to get any, or all the Bourbons in- 
 to my possession, I could have accom- 
 plished the object. Your smugglers offer- 
 ed me a Bourbon for a stated sum (I think 
 he named 40,000 francs) but, on coming 
 to a more precise explanation, they enter- 
 tained a doubt of fulfilling the engage- 
 ment as it was originally proposed. They 
 would not undertake to possess them- 
 selves of any of the Bourbon family abso- 
 lutely alive: though, with the alternative, 
 alive or dead, they had no doubt of com- 
 pleting it. But it was not my wish merely 
 to deprive them of life. Besides, circum- 
 stances had taken a turn which then fixed 
 mc without fear of change or chance on 
 the throne I possessed. I felt my se- 
 curity, and left the Bourbons undisturbed. 
 Wanton, useless murder, whatever has 
 been said and thought of me in England, 
 has never been my practice: to what end 
 or purpose could I have indulged the hor- 
 rible propensity. When sir George Rum- 
 bold and Mr. Drake, who had been carry- 
 ing on a correspondence with conspirators 
 
178 
 
 in Paris, were seized, they were not mur- 
 dered.^" 
 
 Here he ceased to speak; and as I was 
 determined to gratify my curiosity as far 
 as his present communicative spirit would 
 allow, I was determined to continue the 
 conversation. I accordingly observed, 
 ^^ that of all the undertakings which com* 
 posed his wonderful career, no circum- 
 stance had excited such astonishment in 
 England, as his expedition to Russia, be- 
 fore he had brought the peninsular war to 
 a termination, which at that time appeared 
 to be an attainable object." I paused, ex- 
 pecting a reply on the subject; however, 
 he gave none; but, as if he had not heard 
 my observation, proceeded to a renewal 
 in some degree, of the former topics. 
 
 < * In looking over these letters, for the press, I 
 felt a doubt whether this observation respecting 
 sir George Rumbold was made at this time, or at 
 some other; or whether it proceeded from Buona- 
 parte or count de las Cases: but I am positive that 
 it was made by one or the other. 
 
179 
 
 " Your country,'' he said, ^* has accused 
 me of having murdered the sick and 
 wounded of my army at Jaffa. Be assured 
 that if I had committed such a horrid act, 
 my very soldiers themselves would have 
 execrated me; and I might have looked to 
 their ceasing to obey me. There is no oc- 
 currence of my life to which I gave more 
 publicity than this. You have an officer, a 
 sir Robert Wilson, who has written very 
 copiously on the subject of my campaign 
 in Egypt." As he repeated the last sen- 
 tence, he assumed an air and tone of sarcas- 
 tic jocularity; and then asked me, if I had 
 read sir Robert's publication. I replied in 
 the affirmative: '' It is possible," he said, 
 " that he wrote from the testimony of other 
 people equally prone to error as himself: 
 he cannot pretend to have done it from his 
 own observation. Can vou tell me." con- 
 tinned Napoleon, '* whether sir Sydney 
 Smith, in any official communications to 
 your government, attempted, in any way, 
 to corroborate the testimony of sir Robert 
 Wilson." I could not, at the moment, suf- 
 
180 
 
 ficiently recollect the purport of his des- 
 patches, to determine the point, but I re- 
 plied, as I felt, *' That he had not." This 
 reply however, indecisive as it was, ap- 
 peared to afford him considerable satis- 
 faction, as he instantly repeated — *' I be- 
 lieve so: for sir Sydney Smith is a brave 
 and just man." I here observed that 
 " There are many in England who ima- 
 gine your jealousy and hatred of sir Syd- 
 ney Smith influenced your conduct to- 
 wards captain Wright." He smiled with 
 astonishment at such an idea — the thought 
 of coupling the two names appeared never 
 to have entered his imagination. " Ridicu- 
 lous! nonsense!" was his reply. He then 
 entered on the following narrative. 
 
 ^' On raising the siege of St. Jean de 
 Acre, the army retired upon Jaffa. It had 
 become a matter of urgent necessity. The 
 occupation of this town for any length of 
 time was totally impracticable, from the 
 force that Jezza Pacha was enabled to 
 bring forward. The sick and wounded 
 
were numerous; and their removal was my 
 first consideration. Carriages, the most 
 convenient that could be formed, were ap- 
 propriated to the purpose. Some of them 
 were sent by water to Damietta, and the 
 rest were accommodated, in the best pos- 
 sible manner, to accompany their com- 
 rades in their march through the desert. 
 Seven men, however, occupied a quaran- 
 tine hospital, who were infected with the 
 plague; whose report was made me by the 
 chief of the medical staff; (I think it was 
 Degenette). He further added, that the 
 disease had gained such a stage of ma- 
 lignancy, there was not the least proba- 
 bility of their continuing alive beyond 
 forty. eight hours." I here exclaimed in a 
 dubious tone, the word — seven? and im- 
 mediately asked whether I was to under- 
 stand that there were no more than seven 
 — " I perceive," he replied, '* that you 
 have heard a different account." " Most 
 assuredly, general: sir Robert Wilson 
 states fifty. seven or seventy -seven; and 
 speaking more collectively — your whole 
 
182 
 
 sick and wounded." He then proceeded 
 — '' The turks were numerous and power- 
 ** ful, and their cruelty proverbial through- 
 " out the army. Their practice of muti- 
 ^^ lating and barbarously treating their 
 '^ christian prisoners, in particular, was 
 *^ well known among my troops, and had 
 " a preservative influence on my mind and 
 " conduct; and I doafiirm, that there were 
 " only seven men whom circumstances 
 ^' compelled me to leave as short-lived 
 ** sufferers at Jaffa, They were in that 
 ** stage of the disease which rendered their 
 " removal utterly impracticable, exclusive 
 " of the dissemination of the disease among 
 " the healthy troops. Situated as I was, 
 ** I could not place them under the protec- 
 " tion of the English; I, therefore, desired 
 ^* to see the senior medical ofliicer, and ob- 
 ^^ serving to him, that the afflictions of their 
 " disease would be cruelly aggravated by 
 " the conduct of the Turks towards them: 
 " and that it was impossible to continue in 
 " possession of the town, I desired him to 
 " ^ive me his best advice on the occasion. 
 
183 
 
 " I said, tell me what is to be done? He 
 *^ hesitated for some time, and then repeat- 
 *' ed, that these men, who were the objects 
 '' of my very painful solicitude, could not 
 '' survive forty-eight hours. I according- 
 " ly suggested, (what appeared to be his 
 *' opinion, though he might not choose to 
 ^* declare it, but wait with the trembling 
 '' hope to receive it from me;) the propri- 
 *' cry, because I felt it would be humanity 
 '^ to shorten the sufferings of these seven 
 '^ men by administering opium. Such a 
 " relief, I added, in a similar occasion, I 
 " should anxiously solicit for myself. But, 
 " rather contrary to my expectation, the 
 ''' proposition was opposed, and conse- 
 '^ quently abandoned. I therefore halted 
 " the army one day longer than I intend- 
 ** ed; and, on my quitting Jaffa, left a strong 
 '^ rear guard, who continued in that city 
 '' till the third day. At the expiration of 
 '' that period, an officer's report reached 
 '^ me, that the men were dead." — " Then, 
 general," I could not resist exclaiming, 
 '* no opium was given," The emphatic 
 
184 
 
 answer I received was — ** No: none! — A 
 '^ report was brought me that the men died 
 ^^ before the rear-guard had evacuated the 
 '' city." 
 
 I again interrupted him by mentioning 
 that sir Sydney Smith, when he after- 
 wards entered Jaffa, found one or two 
 Frenchmen alive. '' Well," he answered, 
 ^* that, after all, may be possible 1" It was, 
 I think, at this period of the conversation, 
 that he stated his being in possession of a 
 letter from sir Sydney Smith, written in 
 very complimentary language, which ex- 
 pressed the writer's astonishment, as well 
 as praise, on the accommodations which 
 were contrived and executed to transport 
 the French sick and wounded from Acre 
 to Jaffa, and thence across the desert. 
 
 I here took occasion to observe, " that 
 a late English traveller, a distinguished 
 scholar and learned professor of the uni- 
 versity of Cambridge, had excited a very 
 general doubt respecting the accuracy of 
 
185 
 
 this particular part of sir Robert Wilson's 
 narrative. Dr. Clark, the person to whom 
 I alluded, had," I said, " travelled through 
 Turkey, and, as I believed, by the route 
 of Aleppo and Damascus to Jerusalem, 
 and from thence to Jaffa, where he remain- 
 ed some time. This gentleman, whose 
 character stands high in the world, may 
 be said to contradict the testimony of his 
 countryman, sir Robert, respecting the 
 charge which the former may be said to 
 have brought forward against you. Though 
 he merely states that he never heard of 
 the cruel transaction; but very naturally 
 observes, that if such an extraordinary 
 event had occurred as the murder of such 
 a number of Frenchmen by their own ge- 
 neral, some traces or recollection of so 
 horrid an event, and of such recent occur- 
 rence, must have transpired and been com- 
 municated to him during his residence 
 there." A question instantaneously fol- 
 lowed: '' Has this traveller said any rhing 
 of El Arish?" My memory did not serve 
 me sufficiently to give an answer.— 
 9.2 
 
186 
 
 ^^ Well," he continued, ^^you shall also 
 hear the particulars of El Arish and the 
 garrison of Jaffa. You have read, without 
 doubt, of my having ordered the Turks 
 to be shot at Jaffa." '^ Yes, indeed," I 
 replied, '' I have often heard of that massa- 
 cre in England: it was a general topic at 
 the time, and treated as a British mind 
 never fails to consider subjects of that de- 
 scription." He then proceeded — '^ At the 
 period in question, general Desaix was 
 left in Upper Egypt, and Kleber in the 
 vicinity of Damietta. I left Cairo, and 
 traversed the Arabian desert, in order to 
 unite my force with that of the latter at 
 El Arish. The town was attacked, and a 
 capitulation succeeded. Many of the pri- 
 soners were found, on examination, to be 
 natives of the mountains, and inhabitants 
 of Mount Tabor, but chiefly fi:om Naza- 
 reth. They were immediately released, 
 on their engaging to return quietly to their 
 homes, children, and wives: at the same 
 time they were recommended to acquaint 
 their countrymen, the Napolese, that the 
 
187 
 
 French were no longer their enemies, un- 
 less they were found in arms, assisting the 
 pacha. When this ceremony was cone ud- 
 ed, the army proceeded on its march to- 
 wards Jaffa. Gaza surrendered on the 
 route. That city, on the first view of it, 
 bore a formidable appearance, and the gar- 
 rison was considerable. It v/as summoned 
 to surrender: when the officer, who bore 
 my flag of truce, no sooner passed the 
 city wall, than his head was inhumanly 
 struck off, instantly fixed upon a pole, and 
 insultingly exposed to the view of the 
 French army. At the sight of this horrid 
 and unexpected object, the indignation of 
 the soldiers knew no bounds: thty were 
 perfectly infuriated; and, with the most 
 eager impatience, demanded to be led on 
 to the storm. I did not hesitate, under 
 such circumstances, to command it. The 
 attack was dreadful, and the carnage ex- 
 ceeded any action I had then witnessed. 
 We carried the place, and it required all 
 my efforts and influence to restrain the 
 fury of the enraged soldiers. At length, 
 
188 
 
 I succeeded, and night closed the sangui- 
 nary scene. At the dawn of the following 
 morning, a report was brought me, that 
 five hundred men, chiefly Napolese, who 
 had lately formed a part of the garrison of 
 El Arish, and to whom I had a few days 
 before given liberty, on condition that they 
 should return to their homes, were actu- 
 ally found and recognised amongst the 
 prisoners. On this fact being indubitably 
 ascertained, I ordered the five hundred 
 men to be drawn out and instantly shot." 
 —In the course of our conversation, his 
 anxiety appeared to be extreme, that I 
 should be satisfied of the truth of every 
 part of his narrative, and he continually in- 
 terrupted it, by asking me if I perfectly 
 comprehended him. He was, however, 
 patience itself, when I made any ob- 
 servations expressive of doubts I had 
 previously entertained respecting any part 
 of the subjects agitated between us, or any 
 unfavourable opinion entertained or pro- 
 pagated in England. Whenever I appear- 
 ed embarrassed for an answer, he gave me 
 
189 
 
 time to reflect! and I could not but lament 
 that I had not made myself better acquain- 
 ted with the events of the period under 
 consideration, as it might have drawn him 
 into a more enlarged history of them. 
 
 He now returned to the subject of sir 
 Robert Wilson, and asked me if I knew 
 any thing of his military character, and the 
 tendency of his writings; and if the latter 
 had added to his fortune. I replied, that 
 I could not speak upon either, from my 
 own knowledge; but I was induced to 
 suppose from the services in which he 
 had been engaged, he mtist have stood 
 high in the opinion of those who employ- 
 ed him; and I had also understood that his 
 works were considered as having been 
 very honourable to him both as a writer 
 and a soldier. ^^ Pray can you tell me," 
 he continued, '' from what motive this 
 officer has acted in the escape of La Val- 
 ette, the decided and avowed friend of the 
 man whom he has so wantonly calumnia- 
 ted?" I was here, as it may be supposed, 
 rather embarrassed for an immediate re^ 
 
190 
 
 ply, but he gave me full time to collect 
 myself; and I answered, *' That I had no 
 doubt they were such as did honour to his 
 heart; whatever imputation may have been 
 passed upon his judgment and his discre- 
 tion. Somewhat of an adventurous and ro- 
 mantic spirit might have governed him: 
 but it never was imagined by any one, 
 that he was influenced by sordid or pecu- 
 niary motives: that idea never seems to 
 have occurred, when the transaction was 
 the subject of universal consideration and 
 inquiry. There was not, I thought, a 
 person in England who received him or 
 his companions, with a diminution of their 
 regard for the part they had taken in this 
 mysterious business." In an instant he 
 observed, ^* I believe every word you 
 have .said, at the same time you may be 
 assured, that money would not have been 
 wanting to save La Valette. I desire you 
 also to give your particular attention to 
 my opinion, which is a decided one. That 
 this act of sir Robert Wilson, fortl.e pre. 
 servation of La Valette, is the commence- 
 
191 
 
 ment of his recantation of what he has 
 written against me.^" It is a coincidence, 
 perhaps, not worth mentioning, but is a 
 shigular circumstance, that we had a son 
 of sir Robert Wilson, at this time a mid- 
 shipman on board the Northumberland, 
 
 My curiosity now grew bold, and I was 
 determined to try whether I could induce 
 Napoleon to satisfy me as to the particulars 
 of a conversation . between him and Mr. 
 Fox, relative to the infernal machine, 
 which I had heard related by the honoura- 
 ble Mr. Bennet, who took passage with lord 
 W. Stewart, in the Lavinia, from Lisbon 
 to England, in the year 1807. 
 
 * La Valette, I believe, was a great fovourite 
 of his late emperor; and I well know, that every- 
 one of the suite expressed the'greatest joy at his 
 escape. I remember hearing general Bertrand 
 say, that during the whole time La Valette was in 
 the post-office, not a single instance of unnecessary 
 rigour was known to have taken place; nor was 
 the peace of a private f&mily ever disturbed in the 
 slightest degree. 
 
192 
 
 I prefaced my inquiry by observing, 
 that an account had been published, and 
 was veiy generally believed in England, 
 stating a conversation between him and 
 Mr. Charles Fox, at St. Cloud, that to 
 myself was very interesting; and as I heard 
 it related by a gentleman of rank, talent, 
 and character, I had entertained no doubt 
 of the general fact as he related it. Napo- 
 leon, in a most good-humoured way, said, 
 ^^ Repeat it — I shall remember." — I then 
 proceeded. 
 
 1* 
 
 " The account, general, is as follows: 
 As you were one evening going to the 
 theatre, you encountered great danger of 
 your life, by the explosion of a machine, 
 to which the title of infernal was after- 
 wards applied. This engine of destruction 
 was said to have been placed in a norrow 
 street through which you were to pass. 
 The rashness of you coachman, it is said, 
 saved your life: for finding a vehicle pla- 
 ced in such a manner as would have pre- 
 sented an insurmountable difficulty to a 
 less timid driver, he gave speed lo his 
 horses, and the wheel of your carriage 
 
193 
 
 coming in contact with the machine, overset 
 it with great violence, and immediately after 
 you had passed, the explosion took place." 
 " That," he replied, *' is true : your informa- 
 tion is correct.'* "And it is also said, that 
 you went to the theatre, and enjoyed the 
 play as if nothing had happened.'' He now 
 nodded, or rather made a slight obeisance. 
 " And it is also asserted, that in a conver- 
 sation you had with Mr. Fox, at St. Cloud, 
 on the subject, you accused the English of 
 having invented the machine for your de- 
 struction." — "That is the fact," he said, 
 " I certainly did." "And that you parti- 
 cularly alluded to Mr. Windham.'' " Yes, 
 Mr. Vandam.^^ — "It is also said, general, 
 that Mr. Fox contended it was not of 
 English invention, for that the crime of as- 
 sassination was repugnant to the national 
 character. He also particularly defended 
 Mr. Windham, who, he said, though he 
 had differed in politics, he knew to be an 
 honourable man, and incapable, as a British 
 minister, of sanctioning such a dishonoura- 
 ble transaction." Napoleon remembered 
 
 R 
 
194 
 
 the conversation, and acknowledged that he 
 accused Mr. Windham. I now ventured 
 to ask him if he continued of the same 
 opinion. " Yes," he said, ^' the English 
 ministry were instrumental to the plot. 
 Their money has gone for that and other 
 extraordinary purposes." My English 
 blood was a little up on the occasion ; and 
 my reply, depend upon it, was to the follow- 
 ing effect. — ^^My nation detests an assassin 
 more than it does a coward : indeed he is 
 the worst of cowards ; and I do not believe, 
 tliat there is a British heart which does not re- 
 volt at the thought, and subscribe with an 
 honest and glowing sincerity to the opinion 
 of Mr. Fox." — He gave me no answer, 
 but I could perceive that he was not con- 
 vinced : and he still retains his original be- 
 lief in the contrivance of the infernal ma- 
 chine. 
 
 I now discontinued the subject, and ap- 
 proached the chimney-piece to examine a 
 small bust in marble, which appeared to me 
 to be exquisitely sculptured. When ^ he 
 
195 j 
 
 saw my attention to it, he exclaimed, ^' that 
 ** is my son." Indeed the resemblance to 
 the father is so very striking that it is discer- 
 nible at the first glance. On one side is a mini- 
 ature also of young Napoleon, and a highly- 
 finished portrait of his mother, Maria Louisa, 
 on the other. 
 
 He now complained of a pain in the great- 
 toe of his right foot ; described the sensa- 
 sation he felt, and asked if it betokened the 
 gout. — I requested to know if he could trace 
 the disease of gout to any hereditary trans- 
 mission. ^' No," he replied, neither of his 
 parents ever had the gout ; but, recollecting 
 himself, he added, "that his uncle, cardinal 
 Fesch, had been very much afflicted by it." 
 
 I remarked, that even when the disease 
 was known to be hereditary in families, at- 
 tention in early years, to exercise and diet, 
 often retarded its approach, and, when it 
 came at length, would render the disease 
 more mild. 
 
 I observed to him, that, considering the 
 
196 
 
 active life he led, it did not appear that he 
 
 took sufficient exercise to preserve himself 
 
 n a right state of health. He replied, " my 
 
 * rides, indeed, are too confined ; but the 
 
 * being accompanied by an officer is so very 
 ' disagreeable to me, that I must be con- 
 ^ tent to suffer the consequences of abridg- 
 ' ing them. However, I feel no inconve- 
 ^ nience from the want of exercise. Man 
 ' can accustom himself to privations. — At 
 ' one period of my Hfe I was many hours 
 ' on horseback every day, for six years ; and 
 ' I was once eighteen months without pass- 
 
 * ing from the house." 
 
 He now returned to the grievance of be- 
 ing watched by an officer. **You are ac- 
 " quainted," he said, '' with the island of St. 
 '' Helena, and must be sensible that a sen- 
 '' tinel, placed on either of these hills, can 
 '' command the sight of me from the mo- 
 '^ ment I quit thijs house, till I return to it. 
 ^' If an officer or soldier placed on that height 
 '^ will not satisfy your governor, why not 
 '* place ten, tw^enty, a troop of dragoons. 
 
197 
 
 " Let them never lose sight of me, on ly keep 
 " an officer from my side. '^ 
 
 BeUeve me, my good friend, I do not 
 grudge the pains this letter has cost me, that 
 I might be clear in my recollections and ac- 
 curate in my report. — I know the pleasure 
 it will afford you, and that reflection repays 
 me. Future circumstances can alone deter- 
 mine, whether you will receive another St. 
 Helena letter from, 
 
 &c. &c. &c. 
 
 W. W. 
 
 R 2 
 
198 
 
 St. Helena, 
 
 MY DEAR 
 
 The arrival of a fleet at the island from 
 India, and which will afford the means of 
 conveying my last letter, has already en- 
 abled me to begin another. This circum- 
 stance crowded the little tovni with passen- 
 gers, who were all, as usual, eager to see 
 Buonaparte. The countess of Loudon dis- 
 embarked from this fleet; and, during her 
 stay at St. Helena, was accommodated at 
 Plantation-House, the residence of the go- 
 vernor. In compliment to this lady a dinner 
 of ceremony was given on the following day, 
 by sir Hudson Lowe ; and an invitation was 
 dispatched through general Bertrand to ge- 
 neral Buonaparte, so arranged in point of 
 politeness and etiquette, as to justify an ex- 
 pectation that it would be accepted. This, 
 however, happened to be the first invitation 
 which he had received ; and some remarks 
 passed, that it had rather the appearance of a 
 wish to gratify the countess, than an act of 
 
199 
 
 particular civility to the person to whom it 
 was addressed. I know that it was received 
 in this light at Longwood. Count Ber- 
 trand delivered the governor's card, which 
 was read and returned without a word of 
 observation. " Sire," said marshal Ber- 
 trand, " what answer is it your majesty's 
 pleasure that I should return ?" " Say, the 
 emperor gave no answer." 
 
 I passed a considerable part of the after- 
 noon of that day in Napoleon's apartment : 
 and, as usual, was employed in answering, 
 to the best of my information, such as it is, 
 the various questions, which he thought pro- 
 per to ask me. His enquiries were particu- 
 larly directed to the nature, circumstances, 
 and state of the fleet which had just arrived : 
 Our trade to India, and the numerous Eng- 
 ligh which appeared to be constantly passing 
 to and fro, between India and Europe. In 
 the course of this conversation I happened 
 to mention the hope entertained by the 
 strangers in the town of being gratified by 
 the sight of him as he passed to the Planta- 
 
200 
 
 tion- House, to dine with the governor. This 
 little piece of information proved to be fort 
 mal a propos, as it produced the only symp- 
 tom of petulance I had witnessed in my va- 
 rious communications with the ex-emperor; 
 and it was displayed in tone, look, and ges- 
 ture, in his very brief but hasty reply. — 
 ^' What, go to dinner, perhaps, with a file 
 of soldiers to guard me !'' — In a few mi- 
 nutes, however, he resumed his usual cool 
 manner, and continued the subject.-^" Af- 
 ter all," he said, " they could not, I think, 
 expect me to accept the invitation. The 
 distance is considerable, and the hour unsea- 
 sonable; and I have almost relinquished the 
 idea of exceeding my chain, accompanied as 
 I must be by an officer." 
 
 The countess of Loudon left the island 
 without seeing the ex-emperor, and is said 
 to have acknowleged her disappointment on 
 the occasion ; and if I may venture an opi- 
 nion, but remember it is altogether my own, 
 I think the regret is mutual. 
 
201 
 
 He asked me some days after, if I had 
 seen the countess. I answered in the affir- 
 mative; and added, that she had honoured 
 the Northumberland with a visit, and, as it 
 was usual with all visitors to the ship, she 
 was shewn the cabin which he had occupied 
 during the passage, I thought also, it would 
 amuse him to be informed that curious 
 strangers generally chose to indulge their 
 fancy by sitting down in his chair. '' And 
 did the countess," he said, '' do the chair 
 that honour?" Unfortunately I could not 
 speak with certainty on that item of his in- 
 quiry ; not having been in the cabin at the 
 time. He seemed, however, to enjoy the 
 whim of sitting in his chair; and continued 
 his questions. " Would it, do you suppose, 
 *' have appeared indecorous to the people of 
 " England, if the countess pf Loudon had 
 '* visited Longwood ! Could it have been 
 "thought incorrect in any degree, if the 
 " lady, in company with madame Bertrand, 
 " had paid me a visit in this garden ? Many 
 " ladies, on their return to England, have 
 " been introduced to me in that manner. 
 
202 
 
 " Had the countess of Loudon expressed 
 " herself fatigued by the voyage, or had been 
 '^ indisposed from any other cause, I should 
 "have been pleased to wait on her." — I 
 could only say, in return, '* that I was a 
 " countryman of her ladyship, and if, by 
 " any chance, I should have the honour 
 *^ of possessing the opportunity, I would 
 " certainly intrude myself so far upon her 
 ** attention, as to inform her of your polite 
 "disposition towards her." 
 
 He now dashed at once on a subject so 
 totally different from any thing you can ex- 
 pect, that I would give your sagacity its full 
 play for the rest of your life, nor fear your 
 stumbling upon it. It was, as usual, in the 
 form of a question, and your impatience 
 will, in a moment, be satisfied. 
 
 " Have you," he exclaimed, " any know- 
 " ledge of physiognomy ?" — " Not from 
 "study." — "Have you read Lavater?" — 
 " I have read some extracts from his works, 
 "and that is all I know of them." — " Can 
 
203 
 
 *^ you judge whether a man possesses talents 
 ^^ from observing the features of his face ?" — 
 " All I can say, general, is this : that I know 
 " when a face is pleasing or displeasing to 
 ^' me.'' — " Ah," he replied in an instant, 
 " there it is — ^you have found it out. Have 
 " you observed sir Hudson Lowe's face ?" 
 • — ** Yes, I have." — " And what does it 
 *^ promise ?" — '' If I am to speak the truth, 
 " I like lady Lowe's much better," — ^He 
 now laughed, and I was thinking how to 
 get rid of the subject, which had a tendency 
 to be an awkward one, as it might be ad- 
 dressed to me. He, however, gave me no 
 time, and proceeded to draw comparisons 
 between his late and his present guardian ; 
 but in a vein of pleasantry, as it appeared, 
 and with such a rapid succession of ideas, 
 that I did not, by any means, comprehend 
 his expressions, or the objects of them. 
 
 I happened to be at Longwood, when 
 Mr. Raffles, the late governor of Java, and 
 his suite, obtained permission to visit the 
 grounds at Longwood. The anxiety of that 
 
S04 
 
 gentleman to see Buonaparte was extreme : 
 his curiosity was a perfect rage, and the ut- 
 most was done to accomplish its gratifica- 
 tion. In short, though indisposition might 
 have been pleaded, an hour was appointed 
 by the ex-emperor to receive the ex-gover- 
 ndr ; and the latter had not words to express 
 his delight at the manner in which he had 
 been received. 
 
 In a short time after Mr. Raffles had taken 
 leave, I received a message from Napoleon 
 to join him in the garden. On my arrival 
 there I found him surrounded by his whole 
 suite, mesdames and messieurs, with the 
 carriage drawn up, saddle-horses by it, and 
 all ready for immediate departure. My ap- 
 pearance, however, disarranged their inten- 
 tion : For, instead of stepping into the car- 
 riage, the principal person of the scene turn- 
 ed round, as if to address me. I bowed, 
 removed my hat from my head, and instantly 
 replaced it : while the marshals, counts, and 
 general, stood with their hats under their 
 arms. That circumstance did not altoge- 
 
205 
 
 ther disturb me ; though my gallantry was 
 somewhat embarrassed on account of the 
 ladies, whose petticoats were blowing about 
 them from a smart, and rather unmannerly 
 
 breeze. " Do you know,^' he said, ^' this 
 
 governor of Java?" — '^ I know no more of 
 him than from the introduction of to-day," 
 — " Do you know any thing of that island ?" 
 — " What I know of it is merely from the 
 information of others." — " The Dutch have 
 represented it as a pestilential climate ; but 
 I believe that a more favourable opinion is 
 now entertained of it." — " I believe so : at 
 least we have not found it so bad as, from 
 previous accounts, we had reason to ex- 
 pect." — ** Have you ever seen a case of the 
 plague ?" — '' Never." — " Do you know 
 the disease ?"— '^ My only knowlege of it 
 proceeds from what I have read." — " Thfe 
 army of Egypt suffered much by it ; and I 
 had some difficulty in supporting the spirits 
 of many of those who remained free from 
 it. Yet for two years I contrived to keep 
 my soldiers ignorant of what I myself knew. 
 The disease can only be communicated 
 s 
 
206 
 
 through the organs of respiration.'' — I re- 
 plied, '^ that I had understood actual contact 
 would convey it." — ^^No:" he said, "I 
 visited the hospital constantly, and touch- 
 ed the bodies of the sick to give confidence 
 to their attendants ; being convinced by ob- 
 servation, that the disease could only be 
 comnmunicated by the lungs. At the same 
 time I always took the precaution of visiting 
 after a meal and a few glasses of wine ; 
 placing myself on the side of the infected 
 person from which the wind blew." — We 
 must have been at least twenty minutes in 
 conversation, with the suite in all the for- 
 mality of attendance, when I thought it 
 proper to make some show of retiring ; but 
 he would not take the hint, for a considera- 
 ble time. At length he made a slight 
 bow, and led madame Bertrand to the car- 
 riage : he followed ; and I stood to see 
 them drive off: observing, however, that 
 there was a vacant seat in the carriage, he 
 hailed me to come and take a ride with 
 them : I, of course, accepted the invitation ; 
 and I declare, if it had been a party in a 
 
207 
 
 jaunting car to a country-fair in Ireland, 
 there would not have been more mirth, 
 ease, and affability. 
 
 The carriage drove oft' at a pretty round 
 pace, and the pleasantry of Napoleon 
 seemed to keep pace with it. He began to 
 talk English ; and having thrown his arm 
 half round Madame Bertrand's neck, he 
 exclaimed, addressing himself to me, 
 *' This is my mistress ! O not mistress- 
 yes, yes, this is my mistress!" while the 
 lady was endeavouring to extricate herself, 
 and the count her husband bursting with 
 laughten He then asked if he had made 
 a mistake, and being informed of the Eng- 
 lish interpretation of the word, he cried out 
 " O, no, no — I say, my friend, my love; 
 No, not love; my friend, my friend." The 
 fact was, that madame Bertrand had been 
 indisposed for several days, and he wished 
 to rally her spirits, as well as to give an un- 
 reserved ease to the conversation. In short, 
 to use a well-known English phrase — He 
 was the life of the party. 
 
208 
 
 The circuitous windings of the ride at 
 Longwood may extend to five or six miles ; 
 and in our progress, with a half comic, 
 half serious countenance, he asked this very 
 unexpected question : — *' In the course of 
 your practice, and on your conscience, how 
 many patients have you killed?" — It is not 
 unlikely that I looked a little surprised; but I 
 calmly answered, " My conscience does not 
 accuse me of having caused the death of 
 any one.'' He laughed, and continued, " I 
 imagine that physicians may mistake dis- 
 eases : that they may sometimes do too 
 much, at other times too little. After you 
 have treated a case that has terminated fa- 
 tally, have you not reflected with yourself, 
 and said — well, if I had not bled, or vice 
 versa, if I had bled this man, he would 
 have recovered, or if he had not consulted 
 a physician at all, he might have been now 
 alive/' 1 made no reply, and he con- 
 tinued his questions. 
 
 *^ Which do you think are the best sur- 
 geons, the French or the English ?" — ^^ The 
 
209 
 
 English, undoubtedly/'—" But wherefore?'* 
 — '' Because our schools are better. There 
 is more system in our education ; and the 
 examination is such as to establish the fit- 
 ness of any candidate for the profession 
 before he is regularly admitted into it.*' 
 — " But in point of practice will you not 
 allow that the French surgeons have the 
 advantage of you ?'^— "In practice, gene- 
 ral, the French are empirics, though they 
 do not vend nostrums like our quacks 
 in England- They are, in fact, more 
 guided by experience than theory. But you, 
 sir, have enabled my brethren in the Eng- 
 lish army to be tolerable proficients in field 
 practice. Napoleon smiled at my reply, 
 and immediately proceeded to a question, 
 which, though it is not altogether discon- 
 nected with the former subject, I did not 
 
 expect. It was this. " Who is your 
 
 first physician in London?" — '^ That is an 
 enquiry which I did not expect, and cannot 
 take upon myself to answer : there are so 
 many physicians of eminence there, that it 
 would be hazardous to mention a favourite 
 s 2 
 
210 
 
 name.'' — '' But have you no particular per- 
 son in the profession that takes the lead ?'' — 
 ^^ No, indeed ; there are, it it is true, fash- 
 ionable physicians, who have their run for 
 a season or two, or even three ; but I could 
 not give the preference to one, without doing 
 injustice to fifty. I could, I think, more 
 particularly distinguish eminent surgeons." 
 
 " What is the general fee ?" " That 
 
 frequently depends on the rank and fortune 
 of the patient.'' — " What is the highest 
 that you have ever known?" — ** I really 
 cannot give a precise answer to that ques- 
 tion : no particular sum in that way at pre- 
 sent occurs to me% Handsome fortunes 
 are sometimes acquired by practice in a few 
 years ; but that falls to the lot of but few, 
 whom particular circumstances, and distin- 
 guished patronage, as well as professional 
 skill, have raised into great celebrity." — 
 " When Corvesart attended my wife, the 
 empress Maria Louisia, on the birth of my 
 son, he was ordered three thousand Napo- 
 leons. I wished, at one time, that the em- 
 press should be bled, according to your 
 
211 
 
 practice, but Corvesart refused : she was in 
 a very full habit. You are much employ- 
 ed on shore, are you not, as well as on board 
 of ships?" — " I am sometimes asked to visit 
 the patients of my friends." — " Do they 
 pay you well?" — " I never yet accepted of 
 a fee. While I serve, I am satisfied with 
 my pay." — " What does your king allow 
 you ?" — '^ Two hundred and twenty pounds 
 a year." — ^^ You have been all your life at 
 sea, have you not ?'^ ^' I have, indeed ; and 
 during a space of near twenty years."— 
 "Does your king provide for you after- 
 wards ?" — " Yes, sir, he does. At the ex- 
 piration of six years service, he allows me, 
 provided I am no longer in employ, six 
 shillings a day: but that sum is not in- 
 creased for any subsequent service, until I 
 have completed thirty years." "That, I 
 think, is not an adequate remuneration." 
 " I think so too, general ; however, I have 
 no right to complain, because I knew 
 the conditions before I engaged; and, in 
 England, we are never obliged to do so 
 against our inclinations." " Is it not 
 
212 
 
 very expensive living in the island of St, 
 Helena?'' — "Very much so: a stranger 
 cannot board under thirty shillings a day.*' 
 " How, then, do you contrive to live ?'' — 
 " At present, by the hospitality of a very 
 kind and generous friend ; and, occasional- ^ 
 ly, I have recourse to the fare of the North- 
 umberla.nd." He continued his questions, 
 and I my replies, as you will perceive. 
 " The army must be an enormous expense 
 
 to your government, is it not ?'' " Not 
 
 more, I trust, than it can maintain. It is, 
 I fancy, greater than the navy.'' *' But from 
 what cause ?" — " The expense of the army 
 is oftentimes, and indeed necessarily in- 
 creased, I conceive, from its local situa- 
 tion." '' And why not the navy ?^' " The 
 latter is merely stationary, and the former 
 more or less permanent." "Is not Eng- 
 land more attached to its navy than its ar- 
 my ?" — " The navy is certainly consider- 
 ed as its more natural, essential, and effect- 
 ual defence ; but the army will sometimes 
 raise its head very high, and be regarded 
 with a rival favour when it is crowned, as it 
 
213 
 
 so often is, with laurels : such a field as 
 that of Waterloo can hardly find adequate 
 
 gratitude in the hearts of Englishmen.^' 
 
 To this observation Napoleon made no re- 
 ply, nor did he give an unpleasant look : — 
 But he changed the subject. 
 
 ^' Where," said he, ^^were you educa- 
 ted?"— I replied, " in Edinburgh."— "You 
 have very eminent professors there, I know: 
 I remember doctor Brown's system was in 
 repute during my first Italian campaign. I 
 have read of your other men of note, and I wash 
 you would call them to my recollection by 
 repeating their names." I accordingly men- 
 tioned Black in Chemistry ; Monro in 
 Anatomy and Surgery^ and Gregory in 
 Physic ; but, at the same time I observed , 
 that while I particularized these distinguish- 
 ed characters whose pupil I was; I could 
 name others of equal merit in the different 
 
 schools of the British empire. -" I never 
 
 knew," said Napoleon, " but one physi-- 
 cian who was infallible in his diagnostics. 
 He was certain in his discovery of the nature 
 
214 
 
 and seat of a disease; his name was D ubos; but 
 strange to say, he could not prescribe : and, 
 consequently, would never undertake the 
 treatment or cure of a complaint whose char- 
 acter his acumen could so accurately pene- 
 trate." I observed, '' that he had a ytry able 
 surgeon wdth him in Egypt, monsieur Larry/' 
 ^' Yes,'' he answered, ''he was excellent in 
 his field arrangements ; but I have had men 
 with me, who, in scientific knowledge, 
 were far superior to him." '' Mn Percy,'' 
 I said, '' who joined you on the morning of 
 the battle of Austerlitz, had the reputation 
 of superior professional talents." '' Ah,'^ 
 he exclaimed, with a glow on his counte- 
 nance, '' how did you know that?" I must 
 either have read of it in Larry's Publication, 
 or heard it mentioned by general Bertrand." 
 — He continued. 
 
 " It was my intention in France to have 
 classed your profession into three divisions. 
 I have always respected it : it is a science 
 and more than a science; because it re- 
 quires a knowledge of several : Chemis- 
 
215 
 
 try, Anatomy, Botany, and Physic. For 
 
 the first class I should have selected the 
 most eminent of the profession.'' "But 
 how, general, would you have discovered 
 them ?" — " By their reputation, income, 
 and the figure which they made in the 
 w^orld." " But would not that plan be lia- 
 ble to objection? many men of merit live 
 
 in obscurity." " Then there let them 
 
 remain," he said, "what else are they fit 
 for ? if I were to choose a surgeon from your 
 fleet, should not I take him from the North- 
 umberland in preference to the little brig ?'' 
 — " There general, you may also be mista- 
 ken." " No, no, no; a man of talent in every 
 station and condition in life will discover 
 himself. Depend upon it I should be safe, 
 in a general sense, in adopting my own 
 plan. The first ranks should have had 
 some honorary marks of distinction, exclu- 
 sive of that respect in private life which 
 their education will always command. The 
 third class should be humble in the ex- 
 treme ; nor would they have been permit- 
 ted to administer any thing beyond the 
 
216 
 
 most inoffensive medicines. '^ '' Perhaps, 
 sir,'' I remarked, " after such an arrange- 
 ment, you might, according to our English 
 custom, have submitted future candidates 
 to an examination." ^' Yes,'' he repUed, 
 " that might have been right." 
 
 " A physician," continued he, " appears 
 to me to resemble a general officer. He 
 must be a man of observation and discern- 
 ment, with a penetrating eye. Possessed 
 of these qualities, he will discover the 
 strength of the enemy's position. Thus far, 
 doctor Dubos could go, and no farther. A 
 sagacious practitioner will just employ suf- 
 ficient force to dispossess the enemy of his 
 strong hold : a force beyond that might in- 
 jure the citadel. Now, I think, if you car- 
 ry your mercury too far you must do mis- 
 chief: so I say of the practice of Sangra- 
 do." 1 then expressed to him my sur- 
 prise at the general good health which he 
 had uniformly experienced during the sin- 
 gular vicissitudes of his extraordinary life. 
 " Yes," he said, '^ my health has been very 
 
217 
 
 good. When the talian army was en- 
 camped in the vicinity of swamps, many 
 suffered by fever, while I had not any com- 
 plaint ; as I observed temperance and a 
 generally abstemious balancing between 
 my appetite and the powers of my digestive 
 organs. I had, at the same time, exercise 
 sufficient, both of the body and the mind." 
 — " It was reported, however, that you were 
 very ill on your return from Egypt.''— -~ 
 " I was very thin ; and at that time subject 
 to a bad cough. For my recovery I was 
 indebted to doctor Corvesart, who blistered 
 me twice on the chest." '' Report also 
 said, that you were then subject also to an 
 
 eruption, at least on the skin. Your 
 
 friend Goldsmith says so." — " Yes," he 
 answered, " I will tell you." — Never shall 
 I forget the pleasant manner in which he re- 
 lateci this anecdote. 
 
 " x\t the siege of Toulon, I commanded 
 a small battery of two guns. One of your 
 boats approached close to the shore, and 
 firing their gun, killed two canonneers by 
 
 T 
 
220 
 
 ^ — " Have you read them?'' — " I have in- 
 deed, and with more than common in- 
 terest." — " And what occasioned this par- 
 ticular feehng of interest ?'' — " There is 
 more truth and candour displayed in these 
 two publications than any I have hitherto 
 read ; and more particularly the work of 
 Mr. Boyce, which I should wish you to 
 see.'' — " Why, then, did you not buy it for 
 me ?'' — " There happened, general, to be 
 but one copy on the island, and it was pur- 
 chased by a gentleman, on his way to China, 
 who wished me to read it ; that, by cor- 
 recting any inaccuracies I might ooserve, 
 the work would become doubly interesting 
 to his friends in that part of the world.'' 
 " Is it like the work of Helen Maria Wil- 
 liams?" — '^' Very superior, and much more 
 authentic." — ^^ Of what does it treat?" — 
 " Your motives for quitting Elba : your 
 subsequent conduct, from your landing at 
 Frejus till you embarked in the Bellero- 
 phon. They still, however, represent you 
 as subject to violent fits of passion, taking 
 hasty strides across your apartment, with 
 
221 
 
 other impetuous marks of anger and disap- 
 pointment. There is also a pathetic story 
 i-elated of the introduction of general Solig- 
 nac, when he waited upon you from the 
 chamber of deputies, to urge your abdica- 
 tion. This author, as well as Paul, whose 
 letters are under a feigned name, gives very 
 interesting particulars of Waterloo. It will, 
 I think, make you smile, general, when I 
 tell you that your guide La Coste is nqt 
 forgotten. He is represented as having 
 
 been most dreadfully frightened." 
 
 " Frightened! at what?" — " At the balls, 
 sir, that were flying about him. It is said 
 also, that you, at the time, rallied and con- 
 soled him with the assurance, that it was 
 much more honourable to receive a ball in 
 the breast than in the back. Besides, he is 
 made to complain, that he was very inade- 
 quately recompensed for the labour and dan- 
 gers of the day ; that a single Napoleon w^as 
 his only reward." Napoleon instantly re- 
 plied, with an intelligent smile, " It might 
 .as well have been said five hundred." — J- 
 continued :— • 
 
 T 2 
 
222 
 
 *' Mr. Boyce appears to me to have been 
 %^ery attentive to accuracy in his report of 
 the two contending armies." '' What num- 
 ber," I was instantly asked, ^Moeahe give 
 to that of France ?'' " He quotes from an 
 officer, and makes them to have been seven- 
 ty thousand." — The reply was — *^ I had 
 seventy. one thousand : and how many Eng- 
 lish is it stated there were in the field ?'' — 
 '' Including the German Legion, I under- 
 stand there were thirty thousand British 
 troops ; which, united with the Belgians, 
 Hanoverians, and Brunswickers, formed 
 a whole of sixty-eight thousand men."— 
 *' How many Prussians were there imder 
 Bulow ?" — ^^ I cannot correctly say, per- 
 haps fifteen thousand." — " iVnd how many 
 on the arrival of Blucher, in the evening?" 
 — ^* I really do not know : but it is said 
 that the duke of Wellington acknowledges 
 how very happy he felt at the appearance 
 of his old friend ; and that the person did 
 not exist who could have been more wel- 
 come to him in the course of the evening 
 than Blucher." 
 
223 
 
 Ever since I had enjoyed an occasional 
 communication with Napoleon, I never 
 ceased to be animated with a strong and cu- 
 rious desire, to learn his opinion of our re- 
 nowned commander. I had repeatedly 
 .heard that he did not withold it, but I could 
 never ascertain the fact on any certain 
 authority. The present moment appeared 
 to afford me the opportunity which I had so 
 anxiously sought ; as he seem^ed to be in a 
 temper of more than usual communication 
 and courtesy, though I have never had rea- 
 son no complain of either. At all hazards, 
 I therefore resolved to make the trial ; as it 
 might be the only opportunity I should 
 ever possess.—" The people of England,'' 
 I said, " appear to feel an interest in know- 
 ing your sentiments respecting the military 
 character of the duke of Wellington. They 
 have no doubt that you would be just; and, 
 perhaps, they may indulge the expectation 
 that your justice would produce an eulo- 
 gium of which the duke of Wellington 
 might be proud." Silence ensued : I be- 
 gan to think that I might have gone rather 
 
too far ; for it is most true, that I had never 
 before addressed him without looking full in 
 his face for a reply, but my eyes dropped 
 at the pause, and no reply was made. 
 This, however, was the second question I 
 had ever asked which remained a moment 
 unanswered. 
 
 At the same time, he did not appear to 
 be in the least displeased; as in a few 
 minutes he renewed the conversation with 
 this enquiry. " You mentioned a Review 
 
 — ^ what does it contain ?" " Criticisms 
 
 on new publications as they appear ; and this 
 number observes upon three publications 
 that relate to you : one in particular, said 
 to be by a lieutenant of the Bellerophon.'* 
 — " What could he find on my subject to 
 work up into a book ?" — ^' I am almost 
 ashamed, general, to repeat to you the trash 
 these publications contain : indeed, it sur- 
 prised me, that so respectable a work as this 
 review should condescend to notice them, 
 and quote such silly falsehoods ; nor can iX 
 .be accounted for in any other way, than .a 
 
225 
 
 desire to gratify the public impatience to be 
 informed of every thing and any thing that 
 may relate to you. It contains, among 
 other misinformations, accounts of your 
 conduct and demeanour while you resided 
 at the Briars. You will judge of the inge- 
 nuity of its inventions when I add, that he 
 mentions your being angry with one of the 
 little girls, because she was ignorant of your 
 coin, the Napoleon. You are also represent- 
 ed, on the same authority, as having been 
 in a great rage with one of her brothers, for 
 having shown you the picture of the great 
 mogul on a pack of cards. Nay, sir, mon- 
 sieur De las Cases does not escape : for he 
 is sent to the side-board to play at Patience^ 
 until the new pack would deal with more 
 facility."—'' Your editors, '^ said Napoleon, 
 ^^ are mfinitely amusing : but is it to be 
 supposed that they believe what they w^ite ?'^ 
 ^' At least, sir, I presume, that they hope 
 to amuse those who read. There is, how- 
 ever, another work, which, from its appa- 
 ^•ent authenticity, has been received with at- 
 tention. It is written by a Frenchman, the 
 
226 
 
 abbe Pradt." I was now perfectly con- 
 founded by a general, and, as . it appeared, 
 an involuntary laugh ; with an exclamation 
 of ^' O, the abbe!" — It appears that this 
 personage was the very humblest of the 
 most humble adulators of Napoleon : he had 
 been in a low situation in the police, but 
 possessed qualities that are favourable to 
 advancement in such times as those in which 
 he lived. ^' He had both cunning and hu- 
 mour," said Napoleon, " and I took him 
 with me when I went to Spain ; and, as I 
 had to wage war with monasteries, I found 
 the abbe a phalanx against the dominion of 
 priests. De las Cases,*' he added, ^' will 
 give you fifty entertaining anecdotes of the 
 abbe. Can you tell me what is become of 
 him ?" — " I really have not heard. He 
 also gives a description of your return to 
 Warsaw after the disasters in Russia ; which, 
 I doubt not, would amuse you. He de- 
 scribes a tall figure entering his hotel wrap- 
 ped in fur, more resembling a being of the 
 other world than any thing earthly. — It was 
 Caulincourt. He says, likewise, you were 
 
22r 
 
 concealed at the English hotel, where lie 
 procured you some excellent wine. This 
 review, however, does not spare the abbe^ 
 who declares that the subjugation of Rus- 
 sia was inevitable, had it not been for the 
 sagacity of one man : ' And pray,' says the 
 Reviewer, ^ who is this man ? — Why no less 
 a personage than the abbe Pradt, who would 
 have it thought that by his roguery he out- 
 witted his master.''^ Napoleon does not 
 often laugh ; but the story, or the idea of 
 the abbe, or perhaps both, brought his 
 risible faculties into complete exertion. 
 
 Unroll your map of Flanders, my friend ; 
 display it in due form on your table, and 
 follow me, if you can. I was this morn- 
 ing curiously gratified by a military descrip- 
 tion of the various movements of the 
 French army, on Napoleoii's Chart ^ from 
 the day it passed the Sambre to the event- 
 ful battle of Waterloo. I naturally ex- 
 pected, as you may suppose, a detail of 
 those various circumstances by which it 
 Was lost, or, which amounts to die same 
 
228 
 
 thing,— The whif and the wherefore it was 
 not gamed. My conjecture was not ill- 
 founded, for Gourgond proceeded to point 
 out to me the errors which were. committed 
 by some of the principal commanders in 
 the French armv, and proved so fatal to the 
 last great eifort of their imperial master. 
 These he traced with a readines-. and per- 
 spicuity which induced me to imagine, at 
 the time, that I clearly comprehended the 
 whole. Nevertheless, I have my doubts, 
 whether I shall make the errors of these 
 blundering captains as clear to you, as they 
 were, m my fancy, made apparent to me. 
 
 N i?oleon, it seems, was completely igno- 
 rant of the movement made from Frasnes. 
 by count Erelon (Drouet), on the 16th. 
 For when he appeared near Ligny^ Napo- 
 leon actually deployed a column of French 
 to oppose him, mistaking his force at the 
 time, for a division of the Prussian army. 
 Erelon was now made acquainted with the 
 defeat of the Prussians ; and, without think- 
 ing it ne. ssary to have any co;ui..unication 
 
229 
 
 with Napoleon, as to future operations, re- 
 turned to his original position. That di* 
 vision of the army, therefore, became totally 
 useless for that day both to the emperor 
 and to marshal Ney. Grouchy, losing sight 
 of Blacher, and taking the circuitous route 
 which he pursued, was represented as hav- 
 ing committed a most fatal error. While 
 the right wing of the French, in the batde 
 of the 18th, was engaged in defeating the 
 flank movement of Bulow, of which they 
 were perfectly apprised, marshal Ney had 
 orders to engage the attention of the 
 English during this part of the action ; but 
 by no means to hazard the loss of his troops, 
 or to exhaust their strength. Ney, it ap- 
 pears, did not obey the order, or met with 
 circumstances that rendered it impracticable 
 for him to adhere to it. He was stated to 
 have contended for the occupation of a 
 height, and thus weakened his corps, so that 
 when the imperial guards were brought to 
 the charge, he was unable to assist them. 
 I understood that Napoleon had crossed the 
 Sambre with 111,000 men. In the battles 
 u 
 
230 
 
 of Ligny and Quatre Bras he lost 10,000. 
 Grouchy 's division consisted of 30,000 de- 
 tached to follow Blucher, leaving an effec- 
 tive force, on the morning of the 18th, of 
 71,000. I hope you wdll comprehend my 
 account, which I think was the purport of 
 general Gourgond's statement to me ; though 
 I do not know any two characters more lia- 
 ble to a small share of perplexity, than a 
 sailor describing a terra fir ma battle ; and a 
 soldier entering into the particulars of a na- 
 val engagement. But, by way of climax, I 
 was assured that the report of Buonaparte's 
 standing on an elevated w^ooden frame to 
 obtain a commanding view of the field of 
 battle, is altogether a misrepresentation. — 
 It was, on the contrary, a raised mound of 
 earth, where he placed himself with his staff; 
 and the ground being sloppy and slippery, 
 he ordered some trusses of straw to be placed 
 under his feet to keep them dry, and pre- 
 vent his sliding. 
 
 Tftis was the last visit I paid to Napo- 
 leon : and when I took my leave of him, he 
 
rose from his chair, and said, '^ I wish you 
 health and happiness, and a safe voyage to 
 your country, where I hope you will find 
 your friends in health and ready to receive 
 you/' 
 
 I had been uniformly treated with such 
 respectful kindness, and, in some degree, 
 with such partial confidence, by general 
 Bertrand, Mons. De las Cases, and, indeed, 
 by every one of the suite, that I could not 
 take my leave of them without a consider- 
 able degree of sensibility. A more amia- 
 blCj united, and delightful family than that 
 of general Bertrand I never yet saw : nor is 
 his affection as a husband, and his fondness 
 as a father, less striking than his fidelity to 
 his master. 
 
 And here I conclude my Narrative. 
 
 If any other little matters should occur to 
 my recollection, I can make a kind of post- 
 script of them. The sketch which you 
 
 desired of St. Helena, may be the subject 
 
232 
 
 of conversation hereafter, by your hospita- 
 ble and friendly fire- side, In the mean 
 
 ^ime, and at all times, 
 
 I am, &c. &c, 
 
 W. W. 
 
233 
 
 ADDITIONAL NOTICES. 
 
 Captain Piontowski^ an officer in the 
 Polish troops attached to Buonaparte's per- 
 son, who had accompanied him to Elba, and 
 had a command m the little army that land- 
 ed in France, formed one of the suite which 
 accompanied the ex-emperor to England* 
 He was, however, refused to attend the 
 exile of his fallen master. The disappoint- 
 ment he suffered, on the occasion, was ex- 
 treme; and he still continued to persevere 
 in his application to follow that fortune to 
 which a sense of the most ardent and affec- 
 tionate duty impelled him. Notwithstand- 
 ing a lady from France, to whom he had 
 been betrothed, joined him at Plymouth and 
 married him, he still most zealously adhered 
 to his original object ; and, having at length 
 obtained the sanction of government, h^ 
 took his passage in a store-ship for St. He- 
 lena. The arrival of this faithful follower 
 was not expected: Napoleon, however, 
 could not but be sensible of his attachment, 
 and received him with kindness. But 
 u 2 
 
234 
 
 neither his situation nor his manners were 
 such as to associate him with the suite, nor 
 did his modesty appear to expect it. An 
 apartment was assigned him by thq generals ; 
 and Mr. O'Meara, the surgeon, thinking he 
 was neglected, with that goodness of heart 
 and generous nature which distinguishes his 
 character, made him welcome to his table. 
 Such were the amiable and unassuming 
 manners of the romantic Pole, that this dis- 
 tant treatment of him was a subject of gene- 
 ral animadversion ; and a want of generous 
 feeling was attributed to Napoleon, for in- 
 attention to such an evident example of 
 fidelity. But this afterwards appeared to 
 be a groundless suspicion. The captain 
 occupied his garret during the night, and 
 occasionally amused himself with his gun 
 during the day ; happy in the enthusiastic 
 satisfaction of sharing the fate of the great 
 object of his Idolatry. It happened, how- 
 ever, in one of his sporting excursions, that 
 his piece accidentally went off in the act of 
 loading it ; and very severely wounded his 
 right-hand. With this mischance Napo- 
 
235 
 
 leon became acquainted, and expressed a 
 desire to see and console him : but, pre- 
 vious to the execution of this kind inten- 
 tion, a female servant of general Montholon 
 was removed from one of the very comfort- 
 able rooms at Longwood, and Piontowski 
 was conveyed thither. The following day, 
 Napoleon paid him the projected visit, but 
 without suspecting he had been in any other 
 apartment, and amply repaid his devoted 
 Pole for the wound in his hand, by giving 
 such a warm delight to his honest and faith- 
 ful heart. 
 
 In speaking of different diseases to which 
 the human frame was subject, a favourite 
 topic with Napoleon, when a professional 
 man was by any means admitted to him, 
 the small-pox happened to be mentioned ; 
 and he instantly entered upon the discovery 
 of vaccination, with which he appeared to 
 be perfectly acquainted, and whose benefi- 
 cial eifects hcmentioaed with the highest 
 
236 
 
 encomiums. Nor did his observations close 
 without their usual finale an interroga- 
 tory. '' Have not the people of England 
 given me some credit, for my having adopt- 
 ed, encouraged, and indeed decreed, the 
 rigid observance of Dr. Jenner^s system ?" 
 
 The quiet, unassuming demeanour of the 
 persons composing the suite of Napoleon, 
 never knew any interruption on the deck 
 of the Northumberland, where we held our 
 conversation, but when general Gourgond 
 chose to display the bloody track of his 
 heroic feats in the field. No idea, however, 
 is intended to be conveyed of his exceeding 
 the real prowess of his military character ; 
 but only that he loved to talk about it^ when 
 his former companions in arms were silent. 
 Among other proofs of his hair-breadth 
 'scapes, he was fond of exhibiting a sword, 
 whose renown, as well as that of its owner, 
 was engraved on the blade ; and whose in- 
 scription related, that with this mighty and 
 
237 
 
 glorious weapon he saved the life of Napo- 
 leon, in Russia, when it was threatened by 
 the uplifted arm of a fierce and avenging 
 Cossack. 
 
 The following is a correct abstract of a 
 conversation had with general Bertrand ; 
 when, and particularly at the commencement 
 of it, his feelings appeared to be very strongly 
 
 excited, He acknowleged very fully, 
 
 and lamented very sensibly, the too extend- 
 ed grasp of Napoleon's ambition. '* It was 
 *^ in itself a grand and noble principle, and, 
 " left to its own original objects, and confin- 
 " ed to its natural operations, might have 
 ^* proved a source of extensive good and 
 " untarnished glory. But evil councils, and 
 " who can, at all moments, and under all cir- 
 " cumstances, repel their insinuating or mo- 
 *^ mentary influence, provoked the excesses, 
 " which have been so often seen to strip the 
 " most commanding of all passions, of its 
 "associate virtues.'^ Here his opinion 
 
238 
 
 seemed to point to Maret, duke of Bassano, 
 as the cause of unspeakable mischief, and 
 an example that inferior spirits are some- 
 times permitted to influence minds of a far 
 higher order; and not unfrequently to their 
 
 dishonour, if not to their ruin. " Napo- 
 
 " leon," he added, " is a most extraorcJinary 
 " and wonderful man. — The conversation 
 proceeded, and I replied. 
 
 " That is not to be doubted : but I wish 
 ** to see more of the ordinary man in him. 
 '^ Could I but observe him endearingly 
 *^ caressing children, as you, general, do 
 " your Hortentia and your Henry ; or play- 
 " ing with a dog, or patting his horse, I 
 *' should consider him with very different 
 " sentiments from those which I now feel.'' 
 — " Believe me, dear doctor, he is a mam 
 "totally different from all others." 
 
 " That may be : but I want him to pos- 
 *^ sess certain qualities in common with 
 " ordinary men, and I wish you would tell 
 ^^ me that he discovers, at any time, the feeU 
 
239 
 
 *^ ings of affection and tenderness ; the capa- 
 " city to be a kind husband and a fond 
 "parent." 
 
 " That I can most assuredly do. He is 
 " not without a heart, in your sense of the 
 " expression. But he does not, cannot, will 
 "not make a parade of it. Is it possible 
 " that you should expect any thing of a 
 " frivolous, or trifling appearance from him; 
 " and, in a character like his, the amiable 
 " playfulness of private domestic life, might 
 " have such a semblance ; besides, the in- 
 " dividual feelings of the man must, after 
 " all, be lost to those who only view him in 
 " the blaze of his public life." 
 
 — "But that blaze, general Bertrand, is 
 " now extinguished ; and I wish for his 
 " sake and the honour of human nature, that 
 " the symptoms of love, tenderness, and at- 
 " tachment might appear, in some direction 
 " or other, to beam from him." 
 
 " You may believe me, when I assure 
 
240 
 
 *^ you, that though they may not have ap- 
 ^* peared to you, they are by no means want- 
 " ing in him. — By way of example, ima- 
 " gine a day as it used to be passed at the 
 ^^ Thidlleries: I will describe it to you. — 
 " At six in the morning he would be exa- 
 " mining a Russian dispatch ; at seven, the 
 "same from Vienna; at eight, he might 
 " visit a work of art ; at ten, a review succeed- 
 " ed ; at twelve, the reception of some de- 
 " partment ; at one, the affairs of the army ; 
 " at four, a prefect demanded audience ; at 
 " six, perhaps, he had appointed to meet 
 ^^ the empress, whom he would treat with 
 " every mark of kindness and affection ; ad- 
 " mire, with a Parisian gallantry, the em- 
 " broidery of her gown, the folds of her robe, 
 *^ the flowers in her hair, or the display of 
 " jewels on her person : while he would con- 
 " tinue devoted to her, till public business 
 "again required his attention; to which he 
 " was ever in a state of preparation. He 
 " was never sensual, never gross, but in an 
 
 " unceasing state of action.'* Count De 
 
 las Cases continued the subject 
 
241 
 
 " He never speaks of himself; he never 
 ^^ mentions his achievements. Of money 
 ^Mie is totally regardless; and he was not 
 '^ known to express a regret for any part of 
 "his treasure but the diamond necklace, 
 " which he wore constantly in his neckcloth^ 
 ^* because it was the gift of his sister, the 
 " princess Bourgoise, whom he tenderly 
 " loved.'' This he lost, after the battle of 
 Waterloo. 
 
 I was naturally induced to make a sketch 
 of the state and position of our passengers, 
 at the moment when we came to an anchor, 
 off St. Helena; but, having mislaid it at the 
 moment when I wrote the account of our 
 arrival in one of the foregoing Letters, I 
 then stated it from the general recollection 
 of the instant. Having now recovered the 
 sketch, I have added it as a more exact pic- 
 ture of the scene, and which I have been 
 persuaded will not be considered as an inj- 
 pertinent repetition. 
 
 X 
 
242 
 
 The morning was pleasant, and the'breeze 
 steady : at dawn we were sufficiently near to 
 behold the black peak of St. Helena. Be- 
 tween eight and nine, we were close under 
 the Sugar-Loaf HilL The whole of the 
 French party had quitted their cabins, with 
 the exception of Napoleon, and taken their 
 respective stations, — On the right stood 
 madame Montholon, with her arm entwin- 
 ed in that of the general, her husband. Her 
 look seemed to ask a cheering influence from 
 him : I could fancy that she said — " If this 
 is to be my lot, still I have you for my 
 comfort; and there is Tristram, that little 
 darUng, who will be a comfort to us both.'' 
 On the poop sat madame Bertrand, and the 
 marshal stood behind her. I was the only 
 unoccupied person belonging to the ship^ 
 and could therefore, undisturbed, contem- 
 plate the scene around me. I was afraid to 
 approach madame Bertrand, for I was near 
 enough to perceive an action in the muscle 
 of her throat which betokened a sob. — De 
 las Cases, resting his arm on the shoulder 
 of his son, was stretchino: his little fiq;urj ou 
 
243 
 
 tip-toe, but in vain, to look over the gang- 
 way ; but all his exertion would not enable 
 him to see more than half- way down the 
 mountain.— General Gourgond endeavour- 
 ed, by a smile, to suppress what he felt ; for 
 
 he had no female to console him. The 
 
 servants were gazing widi open mouths, 
 and all their eyes ; while the children, un- 
 conscious of island or rock, or prison or 
 palace, were performing their little evolu- 
 tions as usual ; when the Newfoundland 
 dog Vv'Ould occasionally break in upon their 
 hollovv^ squares. — We did not see Napo- 
 leon till the ship had anchored in front of 
 the town. About eleven he made his ap- 
 pearance. He ascended the poop, and 
 
 there stood, examining with his little glass the 
 numerous cannon which bristled in his view. 
 I observed him with the utmost attention, 
 as I stood beside him for near half an hour; 
 and couid not discover, in his countenance, 
 the least symptoms of strong or particular 
 sensations. • He afterwards rallied madame 
 Bertrand on the elegant stockings she wore 
 on the occasion ; when she tried to check 
 
244 
 
 the tear ; but it would not do, She ex- 
 claimed, " Oh, doctor W- , we are in- 
 deed too eood for St, Helena !" 
 
 THE ENC. 
 
 H 52-79 
 
 « 
 


 
 
 xOv^