PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE EMPIRE.*
"MY step-father is the Comet and we are the tail," said Hortense of Napoleon. St. Hilaire's Personal Recollections of the Empire might be called a book about the tail of the Comet. It entertains tho reader by glimpses of Napoleon standing, as it were, in front of a little group of relations and erohcgis, and its perusal leads to reflections upon the littleness of greatness. St. Hilaire could not even suggest genius, though his belittling of his hero is wholly unconscious. " Un roi est quelquefois oblig6 do coremettre des crimes, cc sont les crimes do sa position," said Napoleon. The sentimental good deeds and the sordid bad ones chronicled in these memoirs arc not due to the temptations which beset exalted station. As we see him here Napoleon is always stooping, whether he is playing the Lou prince among his soldiers, theatrically conceding a favour to his courtiers, or arranging to get rid of a husband who stands in his Ivey. The romantic love-affair, whether true or mythical, who shall say ? but which is commonly alleged to have served to distract Napoleon's stay in Cairo after the occupation of Egypt, has a chapter devoted to it. The lady was a bride, "attractive in a sweet, modest way," and considered to be singularly devoted to her young husband. "Unfortunately, Napoleon was at leisure!" He ellipse(' himself by transforming part of the city into a miniature Paris. Ho made a - public garden out of what had been the private garden of one of the Pashas, and fates of extraordinary beauty and splendour were held in it. Thousands of coloured lights twinkled in the Egyptian night ; fireworks, soft music, wine, and the gorgeous costumes of the officers and the ladies left noting to be desired which could appeal to the senses. Here Napoleon first met, and was conquered by, the "modest, and attractive" wife of his Captain. "Little by little ho influenced the soul of this lady." At first she "opposed this pursuit with innate feelings of her love for, and duty to, her husband ; but the hero at last overcame all obstacles." Other difficulties, unconnected, however, with the lady's hesitation, confronted Napoleon. "The husband was a man of honour. A trick was played on him. Ile was promoted to the rank of Colonel of a cavalry regiment, and received orders to embark immediately for France." The liaison continued till Napoleon left Egypt. We will quote St. Hilaire's description of its termination :—
• "The night preceding Napoleon's departure the poor Ariadne had a presentiment of her approaching abandonment. She went into the Palace Garden hoping to see him quietly. Ile was there, but with Generals Menge and Berthicr in close conversation. She hid behind the trees, but did not lose sight of him for a moment, watching all his gestures and trying to guess his thoughts ; but his countenance was impenetrable. Be evidently had seen her, as suddenly she heard him say quite gaily to Berthier 'Good gracious there is a little lady over there who is watching us,' and he then left the garden. Pew' Mine. , weeping bitterly, retired to her house, and found herself a widow for the second time."
"A woman without remorse is a sad and pitiable conquest," sighed Napoleon upon one occasion. Some such incident as the Egyptian intrigue perhaps inspired the cynicism.
In spite of the Lea that St. Hilaire does not attempt to set Napoleon before his readers as a world-conqueror, the most interesting pictures in his book have a battlefield as a background. After a battle Napoleon would ride about the field in a theatrical manner and show kindness to a few individuals among the wounded and dying, whether of his own or of the enemy. On these occasions he would sigh, would even sob, over the horrors of war. "The heart speaks louder than politics," he said one day to Berthier, in reference to the wounded ; "glory then loses all its illusion." But if the " illusion " of glory was occasionally lost to the mind's eye of the Emperor, it remained with his officers until nearly the end. One day Napokeen "saw a general engaged in an unnecessary light. Being found fault with by the Emperor, he answered Sire, glory is like champagne, it goes to one's head.'—` But the blood of the soldiers cannot be compared to wine, which is easily thrown out of the windows. You should, if necessary, spare your brave brigedea replied the Emperor. 'See what is left of it—only half.'—' Enough for another time, sin.'— 'What a man I' said the Emperor, as he rode away."
The story of Achille Zaleski, who, dying upon the battlefield, recalled • Personal Ilecolleciions of tl. Empire. By M. Tulle Marco St. Malts. Translated by Constance Dr La NT4rr. London: 8Iinplitn, Micrshall, wad CO. [Cs. meta.
to Napoleon the notice he had on one occasion bestowed upon him as a child, would be touching if an air of theatricality did not destroy its emotional 'value, though "Napoleon sobbed" and arranged the funeral :— " Two days afterwards he sent for General Zaleski. 'General,' he said, in a grave voice, 'your son has fallen bravely on a Field of Honour.'
—‘ Yes, sire.'—' He has a sister, has he not ? Yes, sire, she had only him and me.'—` And me also,' Napoleon said quickly. 'You are)eaving me out. I will at once place her in my Imperial Institution at Ecouen, and I will settle her marriage portion when the time arrives. I decorated your son before he died. I make you this morning Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.'—` Thanks, thanks, sire ! But, oh,' bursting into tears, ` my poor son ! Nothing can replace him.' Napoleon wont up to him, and, putting his arms round bun, said in a broken voice : 'Pity your Emperor, and embrace him, for ho also is very miserable and suffers in seeing others suffer.'" The lady received no marriage portion, for when she grew to woman's estate Napoleon was in St. Helena. The most human trait which these personal recollections allow to Napoleon is his feeling for children. His distress over the death of a drummer-boy, whose legs were shot away when as yet he had not reached twelve years old, seems to have been genuine, and descriptions of children's parties at St. Cloud have a certain tenderness intermixed with the tawdry splendour of their
magnificence.
A great many stories are here brought together about the incognito wanderings of the First Consul. They are each one duller than the last. Napoleon at night being refused a potato which a soldier is roasting for himself, bargaining for a china vase with a woman who offends him by expressing a longing for peace, or seeking a night's lodging at the house of an old lady and eating her supper, recall like tales of Haroun al Raschid, and even King Alfred and the cakes. They are interesting chiefly as showing the longings of the great man to see the world as it is, not through the coloured atmosphere of inevitable flattery. Now and then, however, Napoleon would brush aside this undue homage without having recourse to masquerading :— "After the first campaign in Prussia, Napoleon hardly gave himself time to rest before visiting each room in the Tuileries to examine and judge of the repairs and renovations which had been done during his absence. According to his habit, he criticised everything, and found fault with architects, who, he said laughingly, wore the ruin of Empires.' Then looking out of one of the windows he asked M. de Fleurieu, super- intendent of the works, why the top of the Arc de Triomphe was covered with canvas. 'Sire, it is on account of waiting to see what space is needed for your Majesty's statue, which is to be placed in the ear between the two geniuses who guide What, what does this mean ? ' exclaimed Napoleon. 'I will not have it.' Then, turning to M. Fontaine, the architect, he asked : Was my statue in the design you showed me ? No, sire, it was that of the god Mars.'—` Well, why am I to take the place of Mars ? '—` Sire, it was not my idea, it was that of M. Denon, my fellow-architect.'—` Denon acted very wrongly,' said Napoleon impatiently. 'Flattery, always flattery ! And people think they please me by it. The statue must not be erected.'"
St. Hilaire does not quote a striking saying of his hero which would have further illustrated his attitude in this matter : "La poesie, la peinture, la sculpture, doivent mentir, mais mentir avec grandeur, avec charm°, avec pompe." Coleridge said that, transcendent as was Napoleon's influence over his entourage, it could not have survived a year of peace. Could they have freed themselves from the spell of martial glory they would have seen Napoleon as a small man. How- ever untrue this dictum may have been, it is impossible not to remember it when reading this book.
Previous page
