Letters to the Editor
NAPOLEON IN CAPTIVITY
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Snt,—That writers treating of the conditions attending Napoleon's detention at St. Helena should feel it incumbent upon themselves to animadvert unfavourably on the character, and stress the disqualifications of Sir Hudson Lowe for the duty assigned to him, while naturally a matter of national regret, can surely not be otherwise than accepted as confirmatory of the view that the choice made by the English Government when they appointed him to take charge of the Emperor was anything but a happy one.
Your correspondent cites in this connexion Lord Rosebery and Herr Emil Ludwig—both writers of repute, whose views as to Sir Hudson Lowe are in the main substantially confirmed by the official reports rendered to his Government by Count Balmain, Russian Commissioner at St. Helena from 1816 to 1820, which, translated into English, have recently appeared in book form in this country.
Count Bahnain, while recognizing the Governor as a man of probity, honour, and culture, describes him as narrow, incapable of supporting the responsibility of his office, meddlesome, mistrustful, intractable, and as impossible to do business with.
Your correspondent affirms that Napoleon chose Longwood himself, but is this really the fact ? The Emperor, after being prisoner on English men-of-war for more than three months without setting foot on land, was taken ashore at Jamestown after dark on the night of October 16th, 1815, and at ten o'clock the following morning started with Admiral Cockburn to ride out to Longwood, where he is reported to have expressed himself as satisfied with the situation.
From such a cursory inspection, how could he tell that the site was, as Lord Rosebery says, " swept by an eternal wind, shadeless and damp," and infested by rats ? The road from Jamestown to Longwood, which, be it remarked, the writer _ traversed but a few weeks ago, passes close by " The Briars," where Napoleon, without returning to Jamestown, put up that night and, indeed, remained during the two months which intervened before he went into occupation of Longwood nn December 10th. The road does not, however, pass within miles of Plantation House, which the Emperor never visited, and which may not then have been considered available because in the occupation of the Governor, Colonel Wilks, but which might well have been made available when the latter retired in the following April.
How under these circumstances can Napoleon be said to have exercised any. power of choice in regard to residence ? If the official report of Count Balmain is to be believed, Sir Hudson Lowe, on being asked by him one day why the French had not been established at Plantation House, after giving various other reasons, used these words, " I should have to live at Longwood. Lady Lowe is not very well, and I will never sacrifice my wife's health to Bona.parte's whims."
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