MEMOIR, &c., OF THE LATE EMPEROR NAPOLEON. (Concluded from our last)

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 143, 8 April 1873, Page 3

MEMOIR, &c., OF THE LATE EMPEROR NAPOLEON. (Concluded from our last )

DISACrRITMKNrS Will! THE VSbl-IIH/i. The: new President sought t^> govern b/ nncl with the Assemfelv. But conflicts soon uiw between tho legislative and exlcutire powers. The / s^embly desiivd to j.o\ prn the President, find the President sought to rule the J^embly The contest -was continued on diveis subject- throughout the year 1849. The President's notion* of his duties (lid not accord with those of the V«embly, and the Prudent, while holding his own in the comb.it, turned Ins attention to the army and sei-ured the devotion of the generals and soldiers. He made a /?»«m -Imperial progress through the depiu-l mente, frequently reviewed the troops, and prepared the nation to acquiesce in his long-cherished designs. During tlm protracted interlude there were frequent changes of ministry, and it was onh tow irds the end of 1851 that #le Presided was able to surroii'id himself with friends on whom he could thoroughly depend lie desired to revise the Constitution, and especially to repeal the law of 1819, which substituted restricted for "univers.il si.flrnge. ITc wished to appeal, not to any *c'ect b d\. howetev wide, but to the whole mass of adult lieiiciaiicu. NiK coup di.tat. Towards the ond of ISSI, +he A's^nbly felt thnt it was engaged in a conflict ioi existence, and rumoins of r. loup d't'.at were 10-ninun ; but that body torn by dissensions, and forming t^e scent of passionate debates, had not the skillor the cour »e to take adequate defensive measures. At the end wf ember tie Impeiiilisfc plot was ripe, and history will remember the names of the conspirators. They wt re -ni addition to the aich-scheniei— tho Count de Moiny, then Minister of the Interior ; M. Fialin de Persigny, and Gcner.il Leroy de St. Arnaud. Napoleon 111. survived them all. On the 2nd of Decemler, 1851, Parw was placarded with a Pi esidential decree dissolving the Legislative Body The pi oclamatinn was "set up ' at the dead ot night by tho compositors in the Government printing office, a gendainie standing behind each workman. Diffctly atteiwaids wauants were handed to a bevy of comftissaiies oV pohce'Hn waiting ; and, by the orders of the President, a "host of' members of the Assembly were ai rested in thtir beds and flung into prison. The politicians thus kidnapped included General de Lamoricieie and M. Thiers The lattei was, after a few days' detention, politely conducted over the frontier, by the bridge of Kehl, into Germany. Strange irony of fate ! The veteran statesman had to pass (into exile through that Strasbourg which had been the scene of Louis Napoleon's first and abortive attempt to seize upon power ; and eighteen years after tho coup d' flat the Germans were bombarding Strasbourg, and w resting it from defeated and distracted France. The seizure of the representath cs of the people bein consummated, tho troops, commanded Arnaud, occupied Pai is m fo> cc. A ] arge number of deputies assembled and declared themselves en permanence, but were driven oft by &oldiers. The High Court of J ustice met, and declared the Piecident guilty of high treason ; but the tiojps dissolved the com t betor<j the decree could be signed. The action of the President and his agents was ctmjletely successful ; but tle success was giavely marred by those mrssaeres in the stieets, the precise origin of winch has nevei been ascertained, although the clitics of the Empire ath'im withiut hesitation that their object was merely to nispiic tenor by a wanton display of power. Pans w as placed in a state of siege, and universal suffrage was restore 1 by dec-ec No measures were neglected to crush the spiiit of opposition in the provinces, and hundieds of families mourned the loss of relatives seized and carried off to Cayenne without trial. The coup d' elat was an act of violence ably conceived and unflinchingly executed It secured the Pregident in the possession of absolute pow er. lie devised a fresh constitution suited to his own notions of absolute personal government. MADE EMPEROB. He took] t a vote or plebiscite on the doings ef the 2nd December, and 7,500,000 Frenchmen readily confirmed Ins conduct, and gave him authority to rule for ten years. In the beginning of 1832 decrees fell in showers on the countiy, who&e institutions were again remodelled. A Senate bpiung up, a Legislative body, a Council of State. The press was placed in the strictest fetters. But on the whole Fiance was satisfied; stocks rose; order was secured j and a new era of speculation dawned upon the counti y. A year afterwards, again on the 2nd of December, the Prince Piesident had the gratification of obtaining a fresh popular vote, which, by millions as before, ratified his transition from the headship of a nominal Republic to the Imperial Thione. Four yeais atter he landed in France as a Deputy, he corresponded with crowned heads as Napoleon 111., anil be^an a leign memorable in Fiench history for a host of brilliant successes— not obliterated e\en by the tempestuous and destiucthe climax of Sedan. iii-> MiKiuicK, ivi> mn biktji of hie riiixi i. niPDKiAL. As it was fitting for the re-founder of a dynasty to do, he was scueely settled on the thioue when he thought of perpetuating his line ; and in Fanuary, 18j.'», it was formally announced that his intention was to wed Mademoiselle de Montijo, Countess of Teba — a Spamsh lady, siul to have Scotch blood m her veins, whose beauty and grace arjj familiar to all who have teen or heard ,ot the Kmpiess Kugenie. On th? 2!) th and 30th of Janua'iy the iu,u riage, which caused considerable inteiest thioughout Europe fioni its apparently romantic character, was celelii.iteil ; and from that cventjjjfiowed perhaps a greater concern <m the part of the Imperial Government for the altans. of the Roman Catholic Church than would have been the case but for the influence of the tldvole and perhaps, even somewhat enthusiastic Empress. Not for^more th.vi thiee yeais, however, was there issue from the union ; but, in March, 18.16, only a few days before the conclusion of the treaty which ended the Russian Avar, a boy was born, who, as ex.-Prince Imperial, now pursues his studies at the Woolwich Royal Military Academy. THn WAR WITH KU.SBIV: ANOTHER VISIT TO ENGLAND. The main facts of Napoleon's twenty years' Imperial power are familiar to the present generation. " The Umpire," he said, "is peace;" but within two years of that declaration a war broke out which threatened to be European. The Emperor of the French had a difference w ith the Czar respecting the holy places, and the dispute •was so conducted that in 1854 Napoleon 111., with England for an ally, was waging War, for the defence of the v^ultan. Into the met its or demerits of the quarrel we will not here enter ; the allies, quitting Bulgaria, descended on the Crimea, won a victory in the field, and began that siege of Sevastopol which is so famous as a landmark in modem history. The French Emperor reaped the greater share of the glory : but the war did more for lain— it aflirined his position At bonce and abroad. He had visited England — Queen Victoria had visited him ; he became a Knight of the Garter ; opposition was stilled ; peace even was negotiated in Pans : France was captivated t by the dawning glories of a new Napoleon. Europe became aware that she had to reckon w ith a man of great mark and inscrutable designs. His internal rule was severe and unrelenting. He waged continual war with French intellect — with the lesser aud greater lights of the press ; but at the Mine time he promoted industry, and gave an impetus to financial entei piise which formed a striking feature of his reign. To none of the great national and international convulsions which have distinguished the past half-gtncra-tion, since the treaty of Pans in 1836, was the Emperor Napoleon a stranger.

Tin: CAMPAIGN IX ITILY— HUMBLING ACtSTIU Y. J&w Crimeiiu war had brought Italy into the foreground, aw} enabled him to carry out the Imperial policy of humbling the House of Austrin. He hud taken up the Papal cavie, and occupied Rome as protector of the Holy See ; but he »u not disposed to show any consideration for the Power which, after 1815, obtained the reversion of Italy. Orsim attempted hi-j life, but went to the scilt'old satisfied with the Emperor's intentious. There were mysterious meetnigs between Count Cavour and Napoleon 111. at Plombicres. The autumn of 1858 was big nith rumours of coming conflict. On the Ist of January, 1859, the Emperor broke the spell of ampense by intimating bis dissatisfaction to tho Austrian Ambassador. Negotiations dragged through live months, and then war became inevitable. Tho French army descended on Italy with great promptitude. Victory followed victory — Montebcllo, Palcstro, Maguita, Murignano, Solfenno. Brought face to iace with, the Quadrdateral, and fearing that Prussia might join in the fray, Napoleon suddenly mado peace, and Lombardy passed into the hands of Victor Emmanuel as a present from the French Emperor. His design was to create m Italy a Confederation of States, dependent on France, with the Pope for President of the League. That scheme was frustrated by popular uprisiugs, the statesmanship of Cavour, and the audacity of Garibaldi. Italy became one, and Napoleon claimed tho price secretly negotiated for his assistance — Nice and Savoy. For a long tune tho French fleet supported the King of Naples, but it was at length induced to rctiio from Gneta by tho firmness of the British Government. Nevertheless tho French held Rome until a later period. When they gave it up, Garibaldi mado a fresh onset ; De Failly defeated him at Mentana, and tho Roman occupation did not terminate until 1870, when every French soldier was requiml to fight Germany.

Tin: mkxicvx atntvim:. In the interval between the Italian and tho Austro-Prus-sian w ars, tho Emperor entered on an adventurous policy in America. Ho allied hinis>elf with tho clerical party. England and Bpain at first joined, in the armed pressure put on Mexico, but they receded at the first glimpse of tho Imperial project, which wa3 to found a Latin empiro and seat the Austrian Archduke Maximilian on the t none. The French lrjnt forward olone, and met with a reverse at Puebla. Eeniforceinciits were sent out, and finally Maximilian was du-<-l ired Emperor, to mnet his death nt Quaretai-o. During tvs remarkable con'o t, the United States were torn by a great civil war. The Emperor wished England to intervene on behalf of the Confederates, whone success was held essential U tho saftty of the Mexican England declined, and so soon as t^c Fedeial Government, had triumphed, tho IM-ench found it expedient to quit ti.e l.md ol' Monttvtuinu. Indeed, none ol Napoleon's loicigu projects piospcred except tho expedition to China, where, with English allies, Ls

to'diers uwlcr General Coiuiu do Monlaulmn, now Couut of Palikac, captured PAm, and sacked the Summer Palace. In Europe his policy, alter 1850, w as> irresolutely pacific He did not join the Danes, lie looked on during the first part O the war of 1860 ;he su i! e ed " :in hour of anguish "on learning that .Austrian power hud coll..pscd on i lie held ot Sudowa; but lie Jiacl the batisf.iclton of rcieiung Venice from Austrin, in order to hand over the city and Uiu Terra Finna, including the Quadrilateral, lo Il.ih. Tin: wab with GKiiirvNY \mmiit: mucuok's i vlt.. In 187J occurred the turning-point of hi*- career. In May [ of that jear all France was agitated .ibout tl.e pldhivctte, the object of which ■was to sceuie the throne of France to the Prince Imperial, his onh child. The counh'y <>t course decided in accordance with their Emperor'a wishes, and t len Napoleon gave utterance to the significant woids, '' We must at the present time moro than e\er look iciirlcash forward to the future" Many weeks did not elapse bMorc the llout uzullciii dispute biought him into collision with Prussia. On the 15th Jul\ the Minivers uunounced war again°t King William, and asked for lar»e votes to carry it on both by sea and land. Within a week the French and German armies camo into collision. So great was the dclat of the French generals that it wa-> uimeiaally believed this would be a short war, and the \ieion on their side; but still greater was the public ot>ton»iimont when the news came to England of their succesinj dc.'cttx Tl.T 1 . • Emperor and the Prince left Paris and went to the scene of the w-ir, but the Prmce was soon tent back. The Empress remained with his army, sustaining them under all reverses, until his crowning di^nster of Sedan, when ho jturrendmd upwards of 10J,000 men. Then followed the flight of the Empress from Paris, the siege of the capital, the Revolution, and all the horrors of the Commune m its train. While tins was proceeding, the Emperor of Fiance and Germany h.ul met, the result being Napoleon's detention for a short t.meatWilhelmshohe. \V hen peace betw ecu the two countries ■w as concluded, Napoleon was released from his captivity, a id he camo again to England to join the Empress and the Prince. He soon afterwards took up Ins residence at Clinichurst, wherehelivcdmgrcatprrvacy ; the onh demonstrations being such family fetes as are commonly celebrated among the French. He died, as has before been stated, on the morning of the 9th instant at Clnslehufut. j

HIS LAST MOJUIM'tf. i At ten o'clock on Thursday morning, the 9th instant, Sir i Henry Thompson entered the bedroom of the patient, and j was surprised to find that the pulse, which up to that time had continued -to beat with great regularity — 75 to 80 — suddenly became weak. The learned docfcjr buw immediately that Napoleon 111. had only a few moments to live; he apprised his colleagues, who shanxl his opinion, and the Empress was immediately mtoruied of the change that Lad taken place for the worse. Her Majesty at once repaired to the bedside of her husband ; but ho did not appear to recognise her — he \va? s nking rapidly, notwithstanding tiic smill do=es of brandy which were ordered to be given to him, and produced a momentary reaction. The Empress at once ordered a telegraphic message to be sent to M. Gallon, at Woolwich, begging him to bring the young Prince Imperial to Clnslehurst at once ; and then sent for the Abbe Goddard, the parish priest of of Chislelnirst. The priest arrived a few moments afterwards and administered the last Sacrameiiient to hih Majesty. The Empress, the Duke de Eassano, Viscount Clary, Count Davillier, JI. Pietn, and lladanie Lcbreton were Kneeling by the bedside, and nothing could be heard in the room but the prayers of the priest and the sobbing of those present. I'hc religious ceremony terminated—during which the Emperor appeared to give signs of consciousness -the Empress approached the bedside, and embraced the Emperor. Ihe patient then made signs that he wished to give the last kiss to his devoted w lfe, alter w Inch he made a slight movement lieaved two sighs, and expired. The Empress, hitherto perfectly calm, could no longer restrain her feelings ; she uttered a cry of anguish and despair, and fell, fainting, on a chair; her Majesty was obliged, shortly afterwards, to be removed to her own apartment.

the rosT-Moirmt exajiixatio>. The post-mortem took place oh the 10th in«taut, and the general result was to show that the .Emperor had been suffering not only from tho mechanical mitation of n vesical calculus, which, it was the object of the operation to to remove, but from long-standing disease of the kidneys of i fatally insidious character. Disease of this kind so undermines the system that the choice of ono operation or the ather hardly in any degree affects the chances of life. So far as theiminediate results of the operation arc concerned, they illorded a triumph to the surgeon, '(those skill was put to a severe test, and whose proceeding;* in the dark were subjected to a \isual scrutiny of a searching kind. 'JLhe result was to show that tho manipulations had been perfect. The Bt'iiiJt Medical Journal a.clc.l s to the published statement of ;he medical attendants some facts as to the chemical composition of the calculus, which seems to ha\e been of ;i peculiar and uuusuul kind, and will be submitted" to further •xaniination. Those who- lm>o known how long the Emperor lias been suffering from evident signs of a di&tressng malady of tho kind will not be surprised to read that Drevious consultations had been held in 1868 and 1670, and Jial already it was Icared that the disorder to winch ;he Emperor hri.d fallen s victim was at hand. It is indeed stated in V Union M4diea!e, a French paper quoted in the Daily News, that on July 1, 1870, a consultation was held, it which it was decided that an operation ought to be performed ; that this, however, was ie»istcd for political ■easons, and that the Emperor's hie was sacrificed to theseconsiderations. We have good authority lor stating hat this announcement is contrary to the fact. TLe Emperor jad never submitted to any kind of examination which could tsccrlain the facts alleged until October last, and the presence of u. vesieal calculus was not determined until he was jlaced under chloroform recently, m December, by Sir tlenry Thompson, with the concurrence of Dr Conncau and I Baron Corvisart.

EMUALMIXCr Till; BODY. A correspondent furnishes the follow ing aceouut of tlic ;mbalming of the bod}', and further details of the funeral irrangemcnts : — The process of embalming the body of the Emperor took place on Saturday, Mr C. 11. G.irstin (formerly of Westminster Hospital) and his assistants attending. The only persons present at the embalmment of his Majesty's remains ncre Dr Conncau and Dr 1c Earon Uorvibart, the confidential medical attendants of the Emperor. The embalming process, which was commenced at half-past ten, was not concluded till three o'clock. Shortly after the embalming, the Empeior's remains were clothed in the uniform he wore at Sedan.

LVIXG IX STVTK. At the lying in state lust Tuesday, the 14th, the -nails of the Chapclle Ardente were hung with black vchct drapery, relieved with the Imperial Crown and the cjpher "X"— silver candlesticks with lighted tapers surrounding the corpse. The Emperor's remains were enclosed in three coffins, the lid of the outer one being ornamented by the Imperial crow n, j the cypher " Jf," and a Latin cross in silver, and a silver plate bearing the follow ing inscription :—: — NAPOLEON 111 , EmI'EKEUR DE3 FRAXCAIS, N6 a Paris lo 20 Avril, 1808, Mort a Caiuden Place, Chialehurst, le 9 Janvier, 1873. E.I.P. Familiar portraits have stamped the visage of Xapoleon 111 onallminds; and we habitually recall him with thnt peculiarly formal moustache, the eudspointcd,and turned rigidly outward. But as at Sedan they drooped, by tho evidence of eye-witnesses, with no formality or artificial arrangement, so it was on Tuesday. Tho cordon of the Legion d'llonncur, the French equivalent lo our Order of the Garter, but in hue more closely suggesting the English ribbou of the JJath, crosses the dark blue uniform. The decorations are thu plaque of the Legion d'lionncur, the Cross oi a Chevalier of that order, tho Military Medal, and tho Medal of Italy. Lj ing beside the corpse aro the msigma of the Garter -those emblems of the knighthood which Napoleon was pioudcst to have won. His sword lay also with him on the other side ; and the military k6pi rested on his feet. The inner coffin, which alone contained the body, wat enclosed early on Tuesday in the richly adorned external bier, sent down by Mossr3 Banting, the undertakers. There w ere, in fact, three coffins, as is customary ; one being of lead. The outer one was covered with Genoa silk \ civet of so durk a tint that, in any but a clear, strong light, it seemed dead black. Covered with a pall of the samo rich, dark violet velvet, having deep flounces of gold satin, powdered with Imperial gilt bees, the body as it lay in state was hidden, wit 111 1 the exception of the face. From twelve until four o'clock on Tuesday all pei sons m mourning attire who presented thrmsclu's at the entrance of tho "house, wore permitted to enter and pay their last tribute to tho departed. Tho hall, which is approached directly iroin the entrance porch, through a lobby lit by a massive chandelier, was fitted up as a Chapelle Ardente. Orer the' coffin was a canopy, draped with the tricolor, which excluded tho daylight from above ; and round the bier were large wav tapers in silver candlesticks of great size. The hall had been hung with black velvet, ornamented only by the cypher and Imperial crown. The funeral took place on Wednesday, and the remains of the Emperor were deposited in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Chapel, Cmslehurst. The day w as gloomy, but there was no rain, and as tho morning w ore on an nnmouso number of persons assembled near Camden Place. Several hundred privileged attendants gathered in the grounds of tho mansion, and amongst the o waa a. deputation i'roni Paris. There wiis a very strong muster of end and military members of of old Imperial Court, most of whom wore tho decorations w'lich 1 ad bmi conferred upon them by the late Emperor. Precisely at eleven o'ebek the coilin, picccdcd by a group of o -c'esiastics, was, brought out and placed in the hearse, which, drawn by eight horses, li ad the Imperial arms and cjpher emblazoned on iho panels lumiediuloly following tho remain-* walled ho Prime Jmpenal, with un o\eml head ; then came Prin o Kipolcvn, Pi nice Lueien .Bonaparte, and Marshals C'anrobcrL and Lvbumf.

An absurd nnstake led on one occasion Lo the temporary confinement ot the late Lord Chancellor oi Ireland in a mad-boit^e His lordihip hud received .111 iiuLnoiiiviblc report of Ibis particular av\lum, and, being anvoiis to judge for himself, he drove up 1.1 1 close cir, \McliOLit Living sent uny mt mat i< 11 of In- c >■> mg When the porter refused In 11 admi-stion, he ciud at h ,(,—•' 1 uui the Lord Chancellor " "' Oh, Lord Ohancello ■, e<i 1J " svid tli(> with .1 u'l'iu as he opened f'e gat<- — ' stop 111 ; it's all ri^ul We li.t»c seu'ii ot you here aln.idi. Oip got loomi laJ ucek with t'lc Kinperorof (Jlaua, but [ thought both of you were b i.-k " By this time his lordship \mu within the gale, ,md a b.iteli of borders sunvnoued by the porter took In-u m < lmrg.' Jl «as not till lie l.ad beut for hw seereiar^ that ne obt.iinod release. Si'kam-engine.Tokes.— Engineer Stone, or "Old Rock, 1 as lie is more geuually called among his acquaintances, who ram on the cast end of the Peoiia and Oquawka [!;iilro .d. is a, n.ituial va<r, dry as a chip Ou^ day " .Rock " met with a party cf tho>Sc Louis, Alton, and Chicago Itculuud boy& aS l'eoru janoiion, and they iteppod inco -<am Emery's for a '"social 1 glass of beer. Conductor 1 Hedges, ot iho St. Louis road, ,u. a 6><>,t, of iuitiniuut, ga\e: '• OM Rock, otheiwisc Stone, a peitect buck." " That is veiy go id," exclaimed i-uone. " Jleio is to old Biush, otner\. ibe Hedges, a perfect stick " The n^xt that was seen ot "JJo< k'" he was pursuing a *'2.40" gait towards liiv-euymc, aa L lie.lyts wilii a big it.< '»• clom- mi luj loai. This is not ijuile ju g^od as tht. :i-p<i. tee oi Xu-k Ueiilon, while ii di.ia on engineer o.i the Ilhnj 3 CV.ilral, ut a festival, se\eral years ago, in De Witt Count}. A fellow, named Jack Wallace, fj 1 . eis ti toa t ' l'lie Two Nicks "'— Old Kick and X.rk Dent on The t.ibl • (vine down with a clatter. Nick aro-,c, m gm\e a-, a judge, and, when the none had subsided, he s,ud he fully uppiveiated the honor conferred on him in onneotioii with Jaclv, niu->t intimateIhcnd! He h irdly knew now to lequite rho kindness, but as one good turn de->er\es another, he wou ! .lgi\e: " The Tw,) Jacks — Jack Wallace and Jackass." Jack collapsed, and the oompair, went into h_y»tencs.