Lord Kerry, who edited The Secret of the Coup D'Etal,
which was published last year, has now collected together several groups of letters from the Rowood papers on The First Napoleon (Constable). Many of these are letters or notes made by the Comte de Flahault, who was the devoted aide- de-camp of the Emperor and was with him during the Russian campaign and through to his banishment to Elba. There are letters, also, from Admiral Keith, who was in command of the Channel Fleet at Plymouth at the time of his surrender, and from Lady Malcolm, whose husband was stationed at St. Helena during Napoleon's confinement there. The letters make good reading ; but it is tantalizing that none of the writers was reflective by nature, and it never occurred to them to set down their own impressions of the Emperor, except very superficially, or to record many personal details.
But some interesting conversations with him are here, and a few good anecdotes. • * *
Previous page
