The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-09 00:00:00

very red, and whose words stammered very much in his
attempts to restrain himself. " I have decided that
Spandau shall be assigned to you as a prison—l mean for
a residence. You will wait there my further orders."
" Sire, -- " "It is settled," said the King,
striking his sabre upon the dusty floor of.. the room.
"Au revoir then Monsieur, my brother," said the ex-
Emperor, this time in French. He then saluted most
courteously the different persons present, and left
the room as calm as though he had just been presiding
at the opening of the Legislative Chambers. Arrived
outside he drew out a cigarette and lighted it
from a cigar which a White Cuirassier was
smoking, and he was preparing to re-enter his carriage,
when a general officer came from the King, and asked
him to go into a neighbouring court, where the King, who
desired to speak with him at length, would go and find
him. The ex-Emperor said not a word. Escorted by the ,
white cuirassier he passed into a court where, near a
pond, was a little block of wood. He sat down on it
quietly, continuing to smoke, and stopping only
to look at the water of the pond and the staff offi-
cer, who stood watching each of his movements.
After a quarter of an hour's waiting, the Ex-Emperor
asked the officer in French to give him a glass of water.
One of the Curiassiers brought it to him. He moistened
his lips, then looking at the contents of the glass silently,
and turning towards the officer, said : ' Nero, conquered,
passed his last hour by the side of the lake of which he
drank. lam more fortunate than he.' He drank off
the water, and returning the glass, added. 'lt is true my
reign does not resemble his.' And he began to smoke again.
After a long half-hour a general officer came and asked
Napoleon to enter the room where William was all alone.
They remained an hour and a half, speaking in a low
voice. What did they say? At the end of the interview
the Ex-Emperor mounted a post chaise of the King's, and
took the Luxemburg road."

THE EMPEROR AND "L'INDEPENDANCE

BELGE."

The Echo du Luxembourg gives the following interesting
account of the captive Emperor's passage through
Libramont, from a correspondent at that place. " The
Emperor seemed somewhat fatigued, but his countenance
betrayed no emotion, and, generally speaking, he
appeared less overwhelmed than was expected. The
preparations for departure having gone on for some time
he came out of the waiting room and walked about the
station for a quarter of an hour. At that moment
all the bystanders could look undisturbed upon the man
who, during the first half of his reign, made Europe
tremble, and who, during the second half, has only de-
stroyed the prestige which happy chances, rather than
his own genius, had given him with the French nation.
All eyes were turned towards him, and every one said—
" What a fall ! What a catastrophe ! " The Emperor
held in his hand a number of the Echo
du Parlement, and a number of the Inde-
pendance Beige. At intervals he read the
Bulletin Politique of the latter journal. I was near
enough to bim to see that it was the number of the 4th
of September, and I said to myself that he would find in

it
_some severe criticisms on his policy. I was
not mistaken, for when I went went home I hastened to
open the paper and find the passages which I had seen
the Emperor reading. They began thus, " Unhappy
France ! See the abyss into which the second empire
fatally repeating the first, has conducted thee."
Further on, " The empire exists no longer since
no rational man can suppose that it could
survive the disasters of the last few days, or the disgrace
which falls upon it alone. Well then, the empire being
at an end, who in France will have an interest in specu-
lating on falsehoods and erecting it into an official system ?"
Such were the bitter, but just reflections which the Em-
peror moralised over before leaving Libramont. They
were still preparing the train, but the quantity of luggage
occasioned an unexpected delay. The Emperor, visibly
impatient, returned abruptly to the waiting - room.
I caught the words distinctly. " Since they are not ready
to leave I shall go in !" Was it the perusal of the In-
dependance Belge that produced this effect or was it really
the delay in his departure ? I know not. At this moment
a shout of " Vive Empereur " was heard uttered ; I
was told by a drunken man. Wherever it came from
it was received with profound silence. Everyone was
sensible that it was not a fitting time for a manifestation.
We bend with respect before a tomb, we pity misfortune
even when it is deserved, but we cannot protest
against the events which Providence has ordered, and
which are but the just punishment of faults committed !
While the preparations for departure were prolonged, I
saw the Prince de Livange, who was noticeable from his
gigantic height, come in to the station. He was said to
be specially appointed to the Emperor's guard. Being
accosted by a kind of intendant in civil uniform respect-
ing his occupation, I heard him answer " Ah, no ! I shall
remain with the Emperor." Some- minutes after notice
was given that the train was ready to leave. The Em-
peror, the Prussian, Belgian, and French generals took
their seats in the same compartment,, and the train started
off rapidly.