The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-30 00:00:00

THE DAILY TIMES, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1861.

FRANCE.

THE GREAT BONAPARTE CASE.

M. Alton cominendeci ,his repll to M. gerryer
as follows i

"I think that even after the brilliant and impassioned
speech which has just been delivered, I am juttified in
stating that the action brought against my client by the
Paterson family must appear hopeless even to my learned
opponent: There are adtions brought forward, pot with
any hope of redress; hut with a view of ereating; a sen-
Sittilin----to gi+enn opportunity to a brilliant and powerful
adboeate to diag Intd the light matters xithicl may be
thought disagreeable to his Political adieisaries: The
present is one of these cases. So be it. Prin&.llapjolcon,
Is willing to, appeal to public opinion, and avails him:
self of the opportunity offered him to refute the. many
rumours connected with the union of his father with
Miss Paterson."

After describing the commencement of the late
Prince feroinefs ndlal career; the learned advocate
proceeded as follows i—
" lle (the Prinee) arrived in Baltimore in 18d8.
Nov Baltimere; the eaPital of Maryland, has no affinity
with New England 4 the austere cdonY founded by the
Pilgrim Fathers. On the smiling bas of the Potomaa;
fanned by the tepid breezes of the South, Maryland,
which the fierce Puritans of the North called a Sodom
of impurity, was more relaxed, more fascinating in its
manners and customs. It was in this province, amidst
all ihb secliiCtiOns Of a refined but somewhat dissipated
society, that the yotifig taint lletitendrit; then only 19
years of age, and the more ready to suc;ciiniV id those
seductions which his naval career had long deprived him
of, met with Miss Paterson. Nor did he meet her
naturally, in society. ' No, he was introduced to the
Patersons by one Mr. Burney, at whose house he lodged,
notwithstanding the caution of the French Minister,
M. Pichou, who wrote to inform him of the unfavour-
able reports affecting the character of his host. It was
this Mr. BuriiOY who inttodticed Jerome Bonaparte to
the Patcrions."

• ••
M. Alion then brie'ffy,rel4cd the h iStork of die
marriage, &Veiling On the efforts of M:Piehon to
prevent it. His version does lid differ
from that of M. Berryer. He then went on
"The first transports of the lovers over, they disco-
vered the very serious position in which they had placed
themselves. Notwithstanding the negotiations com-
menced by Jerome for the recognition of his wife by
his family, notwithstanding his prayers and supplica-
tions; fir:ll6o and brother remained • inflexible.
Every mail-from France broilgtt Nett thregtsand fresh
menaces. The First Consul, having assumed the frupe
rial purple, at length sent an -officer to the States to
order M. Jerome Bonaparte to return immediately to
France, and leave his wife behind him."

M. Allou described how, notwithstanding this
order, le M: ,Ter6ttie!' killed for Lisbon with his
Wife, but she was not allowed to cr:+itig to
the following letter from the Emperor to the Mi-
nister of Marine :

"M. Jerome has arrived at Lisbon. Mdlle. Paterson,
his mistress, is to proceed to Bordeaux by sea. Send
orders that she is net to get pratique. She must not be
allowed to land, and iiitiarate that at whatever point of
France or Holland she ieeitS to disembark, she tfill riot
be admitted to 2iratique, as it is expedient she should
return to America: As for that officer (i. e. Serome),
have ordered hini .to join travelling Barce-
lona, Toulouse, Grenoble, and Milan; lie is to
be arrestedif he does not keep that route.;
M. Allou then went on— •

"In the Texel 111dme. Paterson found the same
orders—thus the young woman, as a modern Latona,
was driven from land to land, with the burthen 'Aker
davhing ffidttrnity,i pursued by the imPlaeable anger_of
a terrible deity. She foiind ati ds3htttl frt England!'
He next described the accouchment of Mciriie:
Bonaparte, and proceeded to refer to the decree
annulling the marriage (quoted by M. Berryer)
and the interview between Jerome and the Empe-
ror ; he quotes the letter (read by M. Berryer)
ordering him to disavow his wife, dated the 16th
Floreal. ft itmiki. Jerome held out a little,
but twelve days later—l quote from tfie giieeett of
M. Allow

"On the 28th the reconciliation was complete ; the
Emperor wrote to Decres—
" 'Monsieur Dccres,—M. Jerome has arrived. Mdme.
Patersop,, his wifej has returned to America ; he has
acknowiedgbd, his ei•ioi.; dige(l4lV thal person for his
wife ;he promises wonders. I have sea En/ to
Genoa,' &c.

" The words Madame Paterson,' and disowned that
perison for his wife,' are in red ink in the original, and
written in in Emperor's pint hand. The Emperor
stated in this letter that he had seiit Screrne to Genoa—
in fact, desirous to provide, by active employment,
best remedy for his brother as ambassador to the Day
of Algiers. Jerome fulfilled his mission with success ;
he brought back 2.50 captives, and passed on his return
to Genoa under an arch of flowers inscribed to the
youngaud. ViddyiditS sun of Neptune," •
M. slliiu filch 6cirihnehted u the correspon-
dence of Prince Jerome with. his wife, Mtidaittb
Paterson, quoted by M. Berryer ; he says nothing
of Prince' Napoleon's unlucky note, and simply
denies tint Prince Jerome ever had the idea, •in
inviting her to Westphalia, to place her in the
position of his mistress: He describes the letters
as a aireCtioisale and, /internal!' Tattching the
legitimady of M. iitiriciPartel
That. the marriage was effectually quashed by the
Imperial decree, and by the sentence of the
Vficia/W—the fact of the second marriage with
the Princess of Wurtemberg shows that the first
marriage was null and void in the eyes of religion.
2nd: That want of consent of the parents invali-
dated the Marriage a Bath Prince.
Jerome and Miss Paterson were well aware of
what they were doing, the French Consul having
proved to them that they were flying in' the teeth
of the law. M. Allots said :

" For hi. Bonaparte there was this .excuse—he was
ardent, desperately' in loi;e, i;eik Unreflecting, and only
nineteen! Miss Paterson was twenty-three. She v4t.'4'
perfectly Self-possessed. She belonged to a society,
where the mind, even that of women, is firmly knit,
amid the bracing, atmosphere of constant liberty and
independence. Tocqueville te'ls us that .we must net
expect to find among American maidens that candour
and ingcnuousuesl that accompany In Europe the dawn
of ii;oMarihobd, is tliat they are tonStantly
self-possessed, and never allow the-reins-of ,
to escape their grasp, however loosely they may seem to
be held. Was she seduced, fascinated ? Was she ignorant
of the.dangors she was exposed to. No such thing.. It
is reported that she exclaimed, So that I am his wife
fur twenty-four honri I will run the risk. '"

Mr. Allow then quoted the following letter
which M. Pichou wrote to Mrs Paterscui (her
father) :•-•4
" Georgetown, October 28, 180.
" Sru,-111. .ThrOme Bonaparte having informed me
that he was on the point of contracting a marriage with
your daughter, I think it my duty to inform you that I
am assured by the present law of France, such a mar-
riage cannot be validly contracted without the
formal consent of the mother of M. Bonaparte, who
is living ; a Frenchman cannot marry without the
Consent of his father and mother, and in default of
them without that of a family council before he is 26,
arid eteti after that age he must prove • that he has
applied for such consent. There are also other formali-
ties required by the. French law as to marriages of
Frenchmen abroad which cannot be performed by 11/41.
Bonaparte, and the *Edit of which may cause the validity
of the marriage to be disputed ; but I shall dispense
with them, the conditions of age opposing to that of M.
Bonaparte an insurmountable obstacle. I thought,,
monsieur, that I ought to formally make this known to
you, as'l do by this letter, in order that you may not be
in ignorance of those conditions which may have a very
Considerable influence on your relations, as well as on
the projected union."
On the 4th of January; 1804; in a letter to M.
de Talleyrand, M. Pichou, alluding to his conduct
in this affair, said—

" Everyone regarded the marriage as broken off, when

it was conchided, M. de Maupertuis, a relative of Mdme.
Bonaparte, whom he (Jerome) met at New York, and
whom he brought with him, not having had any influ-
ence over his determination. The relations of the
young lady are, I think, reprehensible. I felt uneasy
when I saw that after having made her quit Baltimore
at the moment when the first project was broken off,
she was allowed to come back just at the very moment
when M: Jerome Bonaparte arrived there. This
arrangement was certainly brought about by their
mutual correspondence, and the relatives, particularly
Mr. Paterson, who were opposed to the marriage, ought
to have prevented it. It is said that the young lady
was as decided as M. Jerome, and that it•was necessary
to consent to the marriage to avoid a scandal. I think
those circumstances are very probable, but it is not the
less true that Mr. Paterson, and all the relatives of the
young lady, among whom Were Mr. Smith "and Mr.
Nicholas, a senator, were informed by me of the state
of the French laws, and they ought from that considera-
tion alone to have opposed a decisive and effectual

resistance."
M. Allou then went on to say :
" You see, gentlemen, in contempt of what warnings
the 'marriage was celebrated. It took place with the
most profound secresy ; it was accomplished in the
"Shade, after the promise made to M. Pichou that it
should not take place after a sudden return succeeding
to a precipitate departure, which appeared to show that
a rupture had taken place."
The learned advocate then. quoted the example
of the Duke de Berry, who, married a Mrs.
Brown in England, lived with her for ten years,
and during whose life—he having afterwards
disowned the marriage—was united to the mother

("""t. _ ---_-~

• • -
Or 1 enri Cinti—as a case in point. tie thtelt at
great length on the "'reelarnatinri". of Madame
Letitia, which, lie contended; rendered the mar-
iiage void- «b initio. He then rifeeeeded to de-
; scribe the litigation before the 6onsed cue ftintille,
arid tthrehlided
" eirrhtoe now the whole case before
you, But, repeat, it is it'd :!•tiyir justice that is appealed
tol I: is Public opinion it is wished to' rid 'npon. I
have. understood it so, out endeavoured to lay
the case plainly before you:
,I hope 1 have not in any
way misrepresented the attitude of the illustrious person
I represent in this case. Prince Napoleon has never, in
this case, evinced any bitterness, any irritation, still less
any anget. He preserves in his • inmost heart, pure,-in-
',notate, respected; the hallowed memory of his mother:
He repeis.As insult to his mother the pretentions
brought forWurd in ih'e *Uri% of another' wife, and it is
a sacred duty for him to cld so. Th'a'tis the motive which
aottuite.s him. And if I 'readily AcknoWithe that ptctrniary
questions have nothing to do with the claim I air now
opposing; I wish it to be known that they are equally
remote from influencing our opposition. Let equitable
mint pronounce. It is impossible not to remain con-
vinced that if tire form in which the nullity of the
'marriage Was pronounced derive a somewhat exceptional
character from the position of fire yeting naval officer,
*ho receiied sortie portion -of his brother's gleriti the
great prineiples of morality, justice, and local laws have
in no way been Infrituredi and, to express all in one word,
if there has been any change in V. 10.: jurisdiction, nothing
has taken place which clashed in any way With the dietatei
of justice.."
The Course rose at the conclusion of the learned
gentieriiaree address, and adjourned till Friday
next, on which day i is supposed judgment will
be given.