The National Register.
London, England, 1821-11-19 00:00:00

I.VECDOTES OF iIIONAPARTE.

Buonapurte for some time considered himself at-
tacked by an internal disease, which would prove
fatal to him. He sometimes mentioned it, accom-
panied with sombrous presentiments. But it was
supposed to be nothing more than the wandering of
an active imagination left unemployed. Some weeks
before his death, he laboured with a spade in his
garden so long and so severely, as almost to faint
from fatigue. Somebody suggested to him the pro-
bable inj•ary to his health :—" No," said he, " it
cannot hurt my health—that is lost beyond all hope.
It will shorten my days." I suspect he gave but
little time to the composition of the Memoirs of his
Life. Bertrand one day urged him to labour with
more assiduity. " It is beneath me." said he, "to
be the historian of my own life. Alexander had his
(,fuint/us Curiins, and I shall have mine. At all
events, my life is recorded in my achievements."
A short time before his malady became serious,
he abandoned his reserve, and became familiar with
every body. He set a high value upon Bertrand,
but did not like him. He said to him one day at
table, " Bertrand, it was not your attachment to
me, but your love of glory that brought you to St.
Helena—you would immortalize your name as my
fidus Achates," the faithful companion of the hero
of the Aineid.) A little girl only nine years old,
the daughter of a sergeant of the garrison, often
kept him company. He took great pleasure in
speaking to her, and on her coming, always kissed
her on the check. He constantly provided himself
with fruits or sw.:etineats for her, and shortly before
his death hung round her neck a small gold watch,
and a gold dada. " Julie," said he, " wear this
for my sake." With a pen-knife he graved on the
cover, clumsily enough, it is true, these words.—
" The Emperor to his little friend Julie." Ile
s 'meanies amused himself in giving this child a
les:on in drawing from the surrounding mountain
seamy, with the most laughably whimsical figures

•

anti objects interspersed, His predilection for this
child is extraordinary ; she had nothing interesting
in her person, and was in capacity rather below the
average of the little girls of her age. The :2,1 of
April was the day on which he was observed to I.h.t
seriously indisposed. Ile rose early, and walked in
the garden. He, after a few minutes, sat upon a
bank, apparently taint, Montholon went up to
bim, and asked him it' he was taken ill. " Yes,"
said he, " I feel nausea and sick at stomach, the
avant couriers of death." Count Monthoim
lluonaparte took his arm and said. "My fri:2l.l,
we must not laugh at death when he is so near us.'
The little Julie soon appeared, with a basket, and
canght his attention. He brought her into the
saloon, where breakfast was prepared, and her
basket with different sweet things, adding a bottle
of liqueur, with these words, " This is tbr your
father to drink toy health." One day he sent for a
jeweller to alter or repair some trinkets, and asked
him it' he could male a silver coffin. The jeweller
tried to shift the question; Buonaparte repeated it,
" I shall die (said he) in a few weeks." " God
tiabid that we should lose your Highness," said
the. other. " God grant that I may die soon—very
soon," returned Buonaparte : " I am well con.
vinced that life is not a blessing, but a curse." lie
then approached a piano, touched the keys for a few
moments, producing some vague but not in:iarmo.
nious movement, and ended with playing his L.
vourite air—

•" 0 Richard I 0 num Roi

" L'Universe iabandonne."
He often stretched himself on a sofa opposite the
garden window, and read with a loud voice frum
Telemachus, or the Henriad. He inquired one
day. with great eagerness, whether an Etigiiol
journal could be procured him. With some c,lfi-
culty a newspaper was provided. He took it and
glanced over it hastily, and suddenly exclaimed—
" Ah! Naples! Naples! poor devils—Nlrat was
the bravest king they ever had : but he did nut
know his subjects. They are all Lazaruoi from the
Duke of —..—., down to the lowest beggar! " The
morning of the day on which he died he said—
•' Death has nothing to affright me. For three
weeks death has been the companion of toy pillow.
Now he is about to embrace me, and bear we away
for ever,"

REDUCTION 0/P RENTL.—Henry Howard, Esq.
Corby Castle, ut his last rent day, returned to his
tenantry of High and Low Coniscliff 25 and 20 per
cent, according to the quality of their respective
farms. At the late rent-day of Sir George Pocock,
Bart. for the manor of Hart, the liberal return of 12
per cent. of the rent was made to the numerous
tenantry. James Bower, Esq. has liberally returned
to his tenants, at Snowsgreen, &c. 20 per cent. of
their rents. The trustees of the lute Earl of Strath-
more have made the same return. John Orde, Esq.
of Weetwood, and Messrs. Bewicke and Craster,
returned 10 per cent. to their re pective tenants, on
their lust rent days.
On the afternoon of Sunday the 4th, during the
performance of service at the parish church of Al-
derton, in Suffolk, us the minister was addressing a
numerous congregation from the pulpit, a proportion
of the old steeple, which had been fin many years
in a ruinous condition, fell down with a tremendous
crash, Happily the wind was in such a direction,
that no part of it fell on the church ; otherwise the
effects would have been appalling and disastrous in
the extreme. The scene however which ensued,
may be more easily conceived than described. The
shrieks of the females, the tumultuous rush of the
whole congregation to the east end of the church,
the terror and alarm depicted on every countenance,
and the roar of the tempert from without, produced
an impression on the minds of all present, %%Lich
probably will never be erased. But nu actual inky y
was sustained by any one.
ROVAL ANECDOTE.—Mr. Andrew Pitt, an emi-
nent banker, died at Hampstead on the 16th of
April, 1736, of a gout-fit in his stomach. On
Sunday, the 4th of that month, he had waited on
the then Prince of Wales (the father of his late Ma-
jesty) to solicit his favour in relation to the Quakers'
tithe bill, when his Royal Highness answered to
this effect :—" As I am a friend to liberty in gene-
ral, and to toleration in particular, I wish you may
meet with all proper favour; but, for myself I
never gave my vote in Parliament ; and to influence
my friends, or direct my servants, in theirs, does
not become my station. To leave them entirely to
their own consciences and understanding, is a rule
1 have hitherto prescribed to myself, and purpose
through life to observe.'' Mr. Pitt, overcome with
this conduct, replied—" May it please the Prince
of Wales! I am greatly affected with thy excellent
notions of liberty , and am more pleased with the
answer thou hast given us, than if thou hadst
granted our request."
The gentleman who was shot in the duel on Sa-
turday last, at Blackheath, we understand, has died
of.the wound.