The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-11-04 00:00:00

730NAPARTE.

[Front the Plain igtsfeilshatatt.]

[The following pages describe the writer.`s firtt
introduction to the Ex.Ernperor at Porto Ferrajo,
in the island of Elba, in M■y, 1814, shortly after
Isis abdication. He had arrived in his Majesty's
ship Undarated only a few days before, from Frejus.
Th• account is extracted from a short journal kept
during that interesting visit :—]

Po►to Ferrajn, May 8, 1914.
We had scarcely anchored when Captain Usher
came on board from the U•dau•ted to welcome our
arrival ; and we were soon sarrounded with other
boats from the shore. After some hule time spent
in mutual inquiries, lie pointed out to ns Napoleon
at H distance, untiring himself in • boat, and he
left us to antionirce to him who we were. He soon
returned iii company with Colonel Niel Campbell,
the British Coininis.ioner appointed to attend the
Emperor from Fontainebleau, who brought a mes-
sage from the Es-Emperor, inviting us to visit
bum on shore.

We landed immediately, and Colonel Campbell
accompsnied us iu:the Hotel-de-Ville, which .r
for the temporsry'residence of Napoleon. On the
way he pointed out to us a house at a little distance,
which is fitting is p for his future residence. TO be
sure nothing can be more mean and ill-furnished
than his present abode. The spartmeot into which
we were shown is small, with no other furniture than
two or three chairs.

Count Bertrand, who still retains the office of
Grand blurechal du Palair, received es with much
politeness, and prepossessed us with his pleasing ad.
dress. We were also introduced to some of the
inferior officers df his household. The Count soon
quitted us, to announce our arrivul to his Imperial
muter, who was writing in • little room within.
Out cariosity was now rinsed to a degree of inten-
sity,. We were separated only by a door from the
once vein Napoleon, the boast of France—the
'scourge of Europe! Presently the door opened—
'he entered, and, with a slight bow, came forward
to receive us witll mach apparent good humour.
The Grated Marechal presented as in form, end
he received us very graciously. He inquired as to
the length of oar,passage from Genoa, the name
sod force of the frigate, and a few other trifling
questions, and theta looked towards me as though
ready to receive my communication. I then de.
livered to him . . [ 1
next prevented to tom a copy of the Convention
for the cessation of hostilities, which h.d been
signed at Paris, on the MI April, after his depar-
lure. He read it eagerly, and I watched his coun-
tenance with great 4curiusity as the several articles
passrd under kis eye. During this time his features
betrayed considerable motion ; and when lie came
to that passage which denoted that the French fron-
tier war now to be restricted within the limits which
existed in 1791, he looked up with at expression of
much surprise, repeating " 1791" with great em-
phasis. He made 110 other commetit sufficiently
loud to be audible. While Napoleon was thus oc-
cupied, of courscevery eye amongst ns was fixed
ioteutly upon him.
The address and appearance of Bonaparte were
certainly attractive, more especially whets viewed
Ruder the impressions with which we saw him. He
was dressed in a plain uniform of green, faced with
red, 'waistcoat and breeches also green, with Hes-
sian boots and spurs. A silver cross of the Legion
of Honour hung at his breast, with another smaller
Order. which I could not make out. He is short,
and somewhat fat ; bis height, us he stood facing
me, apparently not more than five feet five or SIX
inches ; his limy black. and cut quite short; rather
bald, and wearing no whi•kers. His roaspleziou
is • clear brow'', without any colour in the cheeks;
but though sallow lois appearance isqoite healthy.
He takes much snuff, and moves with quickness.
his features are well formed ; and l should call
the head sltogetber handsome if it were not too
large fur his body, and the neck too short. His
general aspect has more an air of bonhomie than I
expected. There was a tranquil serenity in his
look which exhibited no traces of the anxiety he
must have lately suffered. His smile is very
pleasiog, and his voice nut disagteeable, except iii
. r laugh, which is singularly discordant, almost a
. neigh. 1 imagine ins. face mug have been more
handsome before he acquired his present emboss.
point ; and this also deducts a good deal from tha
gracefulness of his figure ; to which, whatever
elegance it might 'rote loser possessed, he has now
no pretensions. Irian more the appearance of ft.
minine softness than of muscular activity. His
person in general appeared perfectly cleanly, his
hurt white and delicate, and his limbs have that
female roundness of form which dues not become a
man, and especially r soldier.
After some Num-, he renewed the conversation
by asking fur news. I gave him all the public in-
telligence which had reached Genoa preview to my
departure, avoiding as much as possible such de.
tails as might bring back {Manful recollections. He
expressed great settee of Cantina' ()sheer attention
to him daring his passage Cons Frejus, as well as
sluice his arrival at Porto Verrsjo. I stated that one
of our cruisers would be allowed to convey the Prin-
cess Pauline to Elba. Thisaterned to please him
exceedingly. and lie spoke of it with much sense
of acknowledgment, shraing guest 'wkly for his
sister's recovery, whom he stated to be in very deli-
cate health,

He spoke sidle extreme difficulty of the English
language, saying, though he bud at length acquit-
ed the power of reading it tenthly, he could never
overcome the harsh prinitniciatton. I asked him if
ie understood it when •puken ; he said, " Only
souietinies ;" and bid me speak a lew sentences de-
liberately. sayong. as I smut oh', " A b ! thin I com-
prehend *eh enough ;" and immediately gave the
interpretation to French ; but lie added, " When
you speak wench odor I am soon bewildered—your
words are sll confusion sod discord to my ear ;"
and ►hook his head, say tog, " Ala fei, c'est rine
liangre bar bare."
. . .

In the culotte of my replies to his iiiquiries con-
renting the present stated affairs on the Continent,
1 referred more than epee to the peculiar sitinitiou
of the Neapolitan territories. and 1 WWI struck with
the apparent iudtffereuce with which he hewed the
subject, 'veining disincliued to talk of Murat. about
whom, independent of relationship, he could nut
but really entertaiu much interest, oriageotout of less
proximity to Elba. •
After this a jos% silence followed, during which

be appeared to belost in reverie. He Chen suddenly
-recollected himself, and after speaking apart with
Colonel Campbell for two or three minutes. he came
forward and asked us to dine with him, which of course
we accepted, although we had already dispatched
our dinner before we entered the port. It was
now past sit o'clock; dinner was immediately served
in an adjoining room, of somewhat larger (bitten-
stem, tawdrily fitted up with looking-glasses, &c.
and a sort of throne erected at one end of the
apartment. The guests consisted of the Austrian
Commissioner., Baron Koller. Colonel Camp-
bell. Captain Tower, Captain Usher, Count
Bertrand, General Druuot, and myself. ?heel'''.
net was very good. but not in any manner remark.
able. The service was of silver, made very light.
being • part of his camp equipage. The coffee-
service was of Sevres China, and the whole was
marked with the imperial crown. and the letter N.
beneath. 'lmpede ate with a good appetite,
almost wholly in silence, while the Grand Mare-
chal was very attentive to his guests. When the
dishes were removed, Napoleon began to talk freely,
and put us all at our ease by the mediate, with
which he engaged in conversation. Like all other men
of eminent ability, his manner was plain and unaf-
fected. His inquiries were chiefly directed to con-
tinental intelligence. When I come to speak of
Spain, his countenance showed mach surprise on
learning than Ferdinand VII. on returning front
his long captivity in France. had shown spirit
enough to halt at Valencia. with a resolution to re•
fuse the acceptance of the new Constitution emu-
Wished by the Cortes. As he was accompanied by
the Duke of San Carlos, he was doubtless well in-
formed of the democratic views of the Liberates in
that assembly; and I mentioned that General Elio
(lately executed), on his arrival at Valencia, had
openly declared his resolution to support the King
in his prerogative.
Napoleon did not seem to have heard even the
name of this officer. and asked what I considered
the %corral disposition of the troops in the South
of Spain. In answer to this I observed, that
hitherto the Spanish army had expressed the fullest
determination to support the new constitution, but
that of course Elio had ascertained the disposition
of his own troops before he ventured to take the
part of the King. On which Bonaparte ob *
that unless Ferdinand secured the army generally,
he would bring inevitable destruction upon his own
head; that he should conciliate no other class of his
subjects ; the masse of the people were not worth his
attention; all his river must depend on the troops.
This observation was quite consistent with the
maxim upon which he himself has uniformly acted,
and to Oita alone he owes his extraordinary eleva-
tion. He never seems to have looked to the people
for his support ; and Colonel Campbell told me,
that not long since Napoleon explicitly avowed this
maxim in answer to the urgent solicitations of his
Ministers, when the Allies passed the French froo-
tiers. Their entreaties were received with his usual
obstinacy, and he replied, " 4Von, footsie je see
jeraiJost eons st la ootion."
He next asked ow what arrangement the Allied
Sovereigns deigned fur Beauhainuie (late Viceroy/
of hal)), and if I knew where he then was? Of
their ultimate intentions I could say nothing, be-
yond what was contained in the treaty of abdica-
tion, by NU article of which they engaged to give
him a suitable establishment one of France. I in-
formed him of the armistice just signed with the
Viceroy at Mantes, by General Bellegarde, which
had established tranquillity for the present in the
North of Italy. The surrender of Genoa did riot
seem to surprise him; but I remarked he was very
little disposed to talk of airy thing in which Mu.
rat's co-operation with Lord Brutinek's
forces was at all concerned.

1 found he had heard no particular+ of the battle
of Toulouse, nor of the sortie from Bayonne, with
which I now acquainted him. He expressed great
concern at the unnecessary bloodshed which had en-
sued, fur want of proper intelligence of the cessa-
tion of hostilities at Paris. by which all this slaugh-
ter might have been spared.
The Emperor then mentioned, that in his imps.
Bence fur some intelligence, lie opened a communi-
r•ation with Pionebtoo, on the opposite coast, and
hoped soon to obtain through thit channel some
regular tidings of public occurrences. lie jested
with much apparent good.humour about his peeseut
humble dominions, comparing them with the em-
pire he had just lost ; talked of obtaining the +ore-
seiguty of the little islands oflPiatioaa and Mouse
Christo in addition to that of Eller, and seemed
pleased to learn from► Csphiiii Tower that there
was good water to be found ou both of them.
We spoke of the difficulties which occtur.d at
Genoa, and others of the Italian ports, in conse-
quence of the alarm which had been excited by the
plague at Malta; and as there was a vessel now in
the port just arrived 'front thence 1 said his corn.
inonicirtions would he greatly interrupted unless he
c.mld furnish me with some written document to
authenticate the healthy state of this ibbind. Ho
immediately acquiesced in this proposat,"aud di-
rected General Drouot to prepare the requisite
certificate of health. The conversation then turned
on the Barbary Stales ; he expr.s•ed great anxiety
respecting them, le►t souse attempt should be made
upon him by the Tunisian or A lgerine corsairs, in
the present weak state of the island. He said that
he looked for Ins safely entirely to the pro•ection of
the Britoil' cruisers, and hoped that the Undasixted
would slut be withdrawn from Elba. _ .

11re sat some time after dinner. though little wins
was drank, and scarcely any by Napoleon htou'rlf :
ice and coffee were then limed, and snow alter he
Inc fmm table end we followed him into the
" Audience Chamber" (is I found the nest spars.
meat so deflgrillied). Here a circle was formed.
and he Renewed the conversation a short lime, say-
iug eumething so each person, as though he was
once more holding his lerce in the Palace of the
Tooleries.

I took the occasion of some inquiries about our
ship, to inform him of my niteinion to quit Elba on
in return to Genoa, the next esening, or the fol-
lowing morning, and requested that I might be
allowed to bear any of Ins commiosions for the con.
tinent. In return, he 'netted us all to breakfast with
him to-morrow morning, saying we must seat
leave him till we had seers his dominions. Of course
we were delighted with the opportunity of Iteuriug
more of hi. conversation. He proposes to employ
to-morrow in riding with iss through the island, slid
Aulehiog the ria's amusement by dining et Porto

Langone, on the oppoiite aide of the island. About
vine o'clock he took leave of us, and withdrew to his
own apartment, leaving as highly gratified by his
gracious behaviour, so unlike the impressions with
which we had approached him. It may well be
supposed that all the time he was present, my ob.
a-rvation was fixed on every thing he said, and did,
and looked, with the deepest attention. It was quite
evident to me that his unusual courtesy was as.
slanted as necessary policy at this lime, when he
considers our natal force as his principal security
against the Barbary corsairs, and
.that generally he
must feel it to be his interest to Ingratiate himself
with these about him, whom he must regard as so
many spies en his conduct.

The effort of keeping up tins sort of conversation
with us. however, was not always successful. He
relapsed now and then into fits of thoughtftilotsr,
during winch he occassoloslly lost that singular com.
mind of feature which I had heretofore heard de.
scribed. In such moments of forgetfulness, his
countenance shrwed that leis mind was busily ens
gaged elsewhere, in matters of far deeper no
west.

He avoided with great dexterity all allusion to
those wonderful changes which have so lately occur.
red in France, referring only to such transacti u
were unavoidably mentioned to °basin the itilimna-
lion he required. It may be supposed that his
guests were squally anxious to observe ■ similar
forbearance, and this produced some embarrass-
ment in maintaluing the conversation, and in
log replies to his numerous questiotrs.
Considering the tremendous plunge which he hat
just made front an imperial throne, surrounded with
all the pride and splendour of military sovereignty,
to the paltry mansion of the Mayor of Porto
Ferrajo—that he has suddenly exchanged • crowd
of abject Ministers, •ud • guard of Marshals arid
Generals, for the company el half a dozen foreigners
its an obscure island; when all these violent coo.
trams are put together, and contemplated in their
full extent, his present self-possession surely affords
• powerful proof of the versatility of Isis mind,
and the fitmuess of his resolatiou in Wining up
against a reverse of fortune so sudden and so
complete. Nothing but a latent though sanguine
hope of res:or•tiou can account for this extraordi.
nary equanimity.
To ■ man of his temper and disposition, I can
scarcdy conceive any exertion assure irksome thaw
this of playing the agreeable to persons like our.
►elves, whom in his heart he must regard with pro.
found contempt and dislike; and 1 appieliend that
ii British officer, of all others, is the object of his
implacable aversion.