NAPOLEON THE THIRD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 249, 20 April 1912, Page 9

NAPOLEON THE THIRD.

1 REMINISCENCES OP A PHYSICIAN. * The Revue de Paris is publishing some I curious souvenirs of Napoleon 111., from | the letters of Dr. lJarthez, physician to \ the Prince Imperial. From them we ! learn that Napoleon 111. limped ; »i his walk, always leaned a little to his left, and that whin he ran he jerked his arms and shoulders as if to help his legs, which seemed very short. When he stood still his head was always a little -to one side, never set straight forward. The back of his head was remarkably disproportioned. The base of the skull was wider than the apex. The Emperor was fond of teasing his entourage. .Shortly after his marriage someone at a dinner spoke of trees that had bpen planted the day that the Empress Eugenie was born. "They must be pretty old now, .thirty-six at 'least," said Napoleon. "Haw insolent of you!" replied the young Empress, laughing; "you want, to make me out older than I am." The Empress was fond of dancing, and they often had a quiet little ball by themselves. On such occasions General Ney used ito play the piano, and he played well. The Empress Eugenie took part in little quadrilles or '"boulangers," 'but what she liked most was the "Carillon of Dunkirk." One night Napoleon 111. amused everybody by hopping a tluee-step, jumping a<bout, and performing acroibatic feats like a yo-ung man; j and he wound up by reciting the words of the song "Dis." When he attempted to sing it was usually a failure. Napoleon ITI. understood nothing about paintings, but he took great pride in .praising Horace Vernet, Meissonier, and Rosa JJonheur. As to the youn" Empress, Dr. Barthez says that none of her portraits gave an exact idea of her. j She is pretty, handsomer, more gracious, more full of life than any portrait that I have seen of her. The outlines of her form are of a remarkable purity \ delicacy. Her oval face, a little long is very regular, though a little con- | fined over the temples, but very characI teristic. Her eyebrows, which are very j fine, are clearly outlined, and fall a little . outside. Her comolexion is generally pale." i The doctor then speaks of the dresses oi /the day, .which were voluminous, hut the Court dresses, he says, exceeded anything that was seen in Paris. The Emperor had no end of jokes on what he called the cage. All the court ladies, he said, stood in cages, with their dresses hanging round them. The Empress paid I llm very often in his own coin.