The Sun.
London, England, 1827-09-22 00:00:00

and from other circumstances stated by him, that
General Buonaparte has always looked to the period
of the remoral of the Allied armies from France as
that most favourable for his return ; and the proba-
bility of such a decision, and the consequence which
would follow from it, were urged by him as an ar-
gument to dissuade General Gourgaud from quitting
him until after that period.
_ _

Upon the subject of General Buonaparte's health,
General Gourgeud stated that we were much im-
posed upon ; that General Buonaparte was not, as
far as bodily health was concerned, in any degree
materially altered, and that the representations upon
this subject had little, if any, truth in them. Dr.
O'Meara was certainly the dupe of that influence
which General Buonaparte always exercised over
those with whom he has frequent intercourse, and
though he (General Gourgaud) individually had
only reason de ee lotter de Mr. 0' lifeara, yet his in-
timate knowledge of General Bnonaparte enabled
him confidently to assert that his bodily health was
not at all worse than it had been for some time pre-
vious to his arrival at St, Helena. 1 have, &c.
(Signed) .IiPIRY GOULBURN.
The Earl Bathurst, &e. tte.

In the coarse of my conversation with General
Gourgaud, many topics were necessarily
which had little if any reference to the escape Pf
General Buonaparte, but which it may not be un-

interesting to detail.
He willingly entered into considerable detail with
respect to the battle of Waterloo, or the events
which preceded it, and those which afterwards oc-
curred. He was the better informed with respect
to the battle itself, from having, since his residence
at St. Helena, been employed by General Buona-
part in transcribing from -his dictation an account of
it, and from having been personally engaged in that
action, partly in active operation with a large body
of cavalry, and during the remainder of the day at-
tendant on General Buonaparte. Nothing, in his
opinion could surpass the merit of the arrangements
made by Bnonaparte for the campaign, nor the aeto-
nishing degree of success which attended the com-
mencement of his operations—astonishing, because
it comprised every advantage which the most san-
guine could have looked for, and many more which
General Buonaparte even had never anticipated—
viz., the separation of the English armies ; the sur-
prise of them in their respective cantonments; their
readiness to fight a battle, which be expected would
have been declined; and the facility with which the
Prussians were defeated at Ligny. And had Buo-
naparte acted with his usual energy on the 18th of
June, or rather, had he not acted with so lunch
prudence, and reserved a large force in expectation of
the Prussian attack, which was consequently not
employed against the English position till late in the.
day, when the French army had sustained severe
loss and frequent repulses, be considered that the re-
sult would have been different. Bnonaparte bad
, been warned by Marshal Key, on the preceding day
that the English, when in position, were not easily
expelled from it; and his advice was to compel
them to manoeuvre and march for some time pre-
vious to coming to action with them. But General
Buonaparte's opinion was different, and moreover,
the time did not admit of his delaying an engage-
ment with the linglish army alone.
After the action, General Gourgaud was one of
those who accompanied General Buonaparte from
the field. The opinion of his followers, as to the
line of conduct to be pursued, were very different :
nor was it until they arrived within a few miles of
Paris, that it was determined that General Buona-
parte should proceed to Paris, and when arrived
there, should himself appear at once in the dress in
which he was, before the Assembly, and try the
effect of his sudden re-appearance and eloquence, in
endeavouring to secure their support. o.a arriving
however, Buonaparte complained so much of fatigue.
that he declared it to be impossible to carry thisa.l.e-
termination into immediate effect; and during tho
four hours which elapsed before he was sufficiently
re-established, the Assembly had come to those re-
solutions which terminated his authority. But for
this delay, General Gourgaud expressed himself of
opinion, that Buonaparte might have retained his
power for a further period. From Paris, General
Buonaparte fled to Rochefort, from whence, but for
another delay of seven days, he might easily have
escaped to America, there being two.frigates prey
pared to convey him from that port, and a corvette
also in the Gardo, the simultaneous sailing of which
weuld have probably secured his retreat, by distract-
ing the attention of the only English ship of war at
that time on the station. He lingered, however, at
Rochefort, from the 2d to the 9th of July, in the
hope of being able ultimately to re-establish his au-
thority, by means of his appointment as General of
the army under his son ; nor was it until all hopes of
this kind failed, that he consented to quit Rochefort.
By that time, the coast was better guarded, and all
the projects for escape, of which a variety were
occasionally entertained, were ultimately aban-
doned. Several vessels were fitted for his re-
ception : but as the officers commanding ex-
pressed doubts as to the possibility of proceeding
with the unfavourable wind which then prevailed, he
refused to embark. An American ship laden with
brandy was then procured, and part of the cargo dis-
charged. Casks even were fitted up, with the view
of receiving in them General Buonaparte and his
suite, in case of capture by an English ship ; but
when every preparation was completed, this ar-
rangement was equally abandoned, and the resolu-
tion adopted of placing himself under the protection
of Great Britain. It appears clear that he enter-
tained a confident hope of being able to persuade
this Government to permit his residence in England,
as General Gourgaud, who brought his letter to the
Prince Regent (and who has now in his possession
the original draught of it), was furnished with parti-
cular instructions from General Buonaparte, as to
providing a house for him in England, and as to
various details incident to his residence here.
With respect to the Memoires which General
Bnonaparte is said to have written during his stay at
yp
St. Helena, he informed Rae that very little was as
yet completed; that Buonaparte had dictated a great
deal at different times; but that he principally
ewmithpa variation
of
Egypt,
g more or less em-
ployedimport-
ant, himself rather in dictating particular chap-
ters,
edrearpe ate
thedly, Ca
t, and the Battle.on -
of Waterloo, one Campaign in Italy, and one in
Russia; but that he has been latterly
_less active from
a fear of committing individuals, with whom he can-
not divest himself of the idea that he will be at no
distant period again connected.
Among other incidental eireumstanees, he men-
tioned that the Mannscrit vim de St. Helm*, which
was some time since published here, was the work
of one of the establishment of Longwood, and not,
as supposed, of Madame de Steel, or Mons. de Con-
stant,—that the anachronisms in it were purposely
introduced,—and that this was far from being the
only work sent to England for publication, either as
a separate work, or as a paragraph in some one of
the newspapers.
As to General Buonaparte's manner of life at St.
Helena, it appears that he peremptorily requires
from his followers the same respect and obedience
which they paid to him when he was Emperor of
France, and is perpetually in the habit of interrupt-
ing discussions in which the name of " General" is
Mentioned, by stating, that within Longwood he is
still, and will always remain, " Emperor." His
principal attendants are frequently at variance with
each other, and the quarrels between General Bev.
trend and Count Montholon have at times gone
far, that they have each insisted on
General Gonr-
gaud's not visiting the other, under the threat of ex-
cluding him from their society. General Go
gents Buonaparte as being mach more s urgand repre-
subject to fits drat-
sion than be was formerly, and to have undergone
con-
siderable change in his morale," althoughhis
opinion, is not in any degree deteriorate diviniti Tr I r °
knefois unit c "8.
sr"
que
est sots dies gin vase
mai • '
perle; ait y a d'oecasions on noun le tr ex
bean-
coup as daSOllB de fordinaire," werethe r-
whisk
words.
he conreyei to me his general • •
%num of his present cha-
racter.
11. Q.