The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-30 00:00:00

NAPOLEON IN HIS YOUTH.

" The conduct of Napoleon among his companions, was
that of a studious and reserved youth, addicting himself
deeply to the means of improvement, and rather avoiding
than seeking the usual temptations to dissipation of time.
Ile had few friends, and no intimates; yet at different
times, when he chose to exert it, he exhibited considerable
influence over his fellow-students, and when there was any
joint plan to be carried into effect, he was frequently chosen
dictator of the little republic. In the time of winter,
Buonaparte upon one occasion engaged his companions in
constructing a fortress out of the snow, regularly
defended
by ditches and bastions, according to the rules of f
owers ortifica-
of
tion. It was considered as displaying the gre.at p
the juvenile engineer in the way of hits profession,. and vzis
attacked and defended by the studens, who divided into
parties for the purpose, until the battle
a fair
held became so keen that
ws
where air
the
their superiors thought it proper to proclaim a truce. The
oen e,
yonng Buonaparte gave another instance of address and en-
terprise upon
held annually in the ehf
o
l
l
o
w
i n
g
"casin. There
neighbourhood of Brin
pupils of the military school used to find a day's amuse-
ment ; but on account of a quarrel betwixt theni and the
country people upon a former occasion, or for some such
sauce, the masters of the institution had directed that the
students should not on the fair day he permitted to go be-
yond their own precincts,which were surrounded with a wan.
Under the direction of the young Corsican, however, the
scholars had already laid a plot for securing their usual
day's diversion. They had undermined the wall which
encompassed their exercising ground, with so much skill
and secrecy, that their operatioins remained entirely un-
known till the morning of the fair, when a part of the
boundary unexpectedly fell, and gave a freepassage to the
imprisoned students, of which they immediately took the
advantage, by hurrying to the prohibited scene of amuse-
ment. But although on these, and perhaps other oeca_
sions, Buonaparte
displayed some o.f the frolic temper of
youth, mixed with the inventive genius and the talent for
commanding others by which he was distinguished in after
life at school was in general that of a recluse and
time, his
acquiring by his judgment, and treasuring
severe student,
in his
memory, that wonderful process of almost unlimited
combination, by means of which he was afterwards able to
simplify the in.ost difficult and complicated undertakings.
His mathematical. teacher was proud of the young Wander,
as the boast of his school, and his other scientific instruc-
tors had the same reason to be satisfied. In languages
Buonaparte was less a. proficient, and never acquired the
art of writing or spelling French, far less foreign languages,
with accuracy or correetn.ss. Though of Italian origin,
Buonaparte had not a decided taste for the fine arts, and
his taste in composition seems to have leaned towards the
grotesque and the bombastic. At the age of seventeen, he
became (when a lieutenant ,of artillry) an adventUrer
for the honours of literatUre alio,' and was inonyL
mously a competitor for the priie offered by the
Academy of Lyons on Raynal's question, What are the

principles and institutions, by application of ti 7°lout 'man
kind can be raised to the hihhest pitch of
The prize was adjudged to the young soldier: L iLimPog-
sible to avoid feeling curiosity to know the character of the
juvenile theories respecting government, advocates. 1 by one
who at length attained, the power of practically , making
what experiments he pleased. Probably his early kit 'as did
not exactly coincide with his more mature practice ; for.
when Talleyrand, many }ears afterwards, got the Essay Out
of the records of the Academy, and returned it to t. he
author, Buonaparte destroyed it after he had read a fea
pages. He also laboured under the temptation of writing.
a journey to Mount Cenis, after the manner of Sterne,,..
which he was fortunate enough filially to resist. .'ll
affectation which pervades Sterne's peculiar style of compo-
sition, was not likely to be simplified under the pen of:
Buonaparte. Sterner times were fast approaching, and the-
nation was now fully divided by those factions which pro-
duced the Revolution."

NAPOLEON IN SOCIETY.
" Napoleon's general manner in society, during this
part of his life, has b een described by an observer of
first-rate power ; .accor4 ling to whom, he was one for
whom the admiration w inch could not be refused to him,.
was always mingled with a portion of fear. He was.dif-.
ferent in his manner from other men, and neither pleased!
nor angry, kind nor severe, after the common fashion of
humanity. He appeared .w live for the execution of his-
own plans, and to considor others only in so far as they
were connected with, and could advance or oppose them.:
He estimated his fellow-mortals no otherwise than as they-

could be useful to his vies vs; and, with a precision of in -
pwehnielteratotastuthdey.senßtiomoeonptsarotef tdhidose
notwhom
poit
in-
telligence which seemed hatuitive from his rapidity; be
swsessu wthoretordith his...
nary tone of light conversation in society ; probably his
mind was too much burdened, or too proud to stoop to
which was perhaps adopted for the •
and there, was a stiffness and
;adopt that mode of pleasing,
Ip.e-urle:lo"VeSePoff manner,
people at a distance. His look bad
the sa um character. When he thought himself closely ob-
expression, save that of a vague and indefinite
served, be had the power of d ischarging from his counte-
presenting to the curious investigator the fixed
smile,nan ee
andttl,l
eyes and rigiel features of a bast of marble. ‘
"When he tailked with the purpose of pleasing, -Bona-
parte often told anecdotes of his life in a very pleasing man-
ner ; when silent, be had something disdainful in the ex-
pression or his face-; when &posed to be quite at ease,
a.IOIIDGE OF LODI.
he was, in Zladame de Steel's opinion, rather vulgar. ,
His natural tom; of feeling seemed to be a sense of internal i
ieft
.Y. Landing, it was swept by
superiority, and ot. secret cot,tempt for the world in which
tlaltneermdy
p,e vtwe nth!)
whose
epta
shv
than-
very
il
objects which he puran..ed."
acted,
c teda
rt t'ai
he lived, the men evi.th wNont he
twenty or thirty Austrian pieces of " ThoughPASSAGE
was
peril. The French, with great alertnees ~ got.ae many guns
ders menaced death to any who shout.,
this tremendous j
in position on the left bank, and aneWeitte,l
fire with equal spirit. During this cannenk de,
.Buonsparte i
threw himself personally amongst the flees in order to
station two guns loaded with grape shot, in sure, a position , i
as rendered it impossible for any one to approaes, for the 1
purpose of undermining or destroying the bridge ; and
then calmly proceeded to make arrangements fora dent_ rate
attempt. His cavalry.wae directed to cross, if possible, at a
place where the Adda was said to be fordable—a task which. '
they accomplished with difficulty. Meantime Napoleom
observed that the Austrian line of infantry was thrown con- - ,
siderably behind the batteries of artillery which they sup-
ported, in order that they might have the advantage of
a bending slope of ground, which afforded them shelter ,
from the French fire. He, therefore, drew up a close co- ,
lumn of three thousand grenadiers, protected from the ar-
tillery of the Austrians by the walls and houses of iNe
town, and yet considerably nearer to the enemy's line oft
guns on the opposite side of the Adda than were their own
infantry, which ought to have protected them. The co
luinn of grenadiers, thus secured, waited in comparative
safety, until the appearance of the French cavalry, who ha&
crossed the ford, began to disquiet the flank of the Aus-
trians. This was the cistical moment which Buonaparte
expected. A single word dean-inland wheeled the head of
the column of grenadiers to the left, and placed it on the
'perilous bridge. The word was •given to advance, and they !1/4
ru.shed'on with loud shouts of Wee la Republique ! But i
their appearance upon the bridge was the signal for a re- i
doubled shower of grape-shot, while, ,crom the windows of
the' houses on the left side of the river, t'he soldiers who oc-
eupied them poured volley after volley or' musketry on
thick column, as it endeavoured to force its' way over the )
long bridge. At one time the French arena (liars, unable
to sustain this dreadful storm, appeared for art instant to ,
-ssessasesa 'mot 13.artbier, the, chief. of Etuonapatlie'S staff, 1,
with Massena, L'Allemagne, and Corvini, hurt} id to the
head of the column, and by their presence and gollantry ,
renewed the resolution of. the soldiers, who now pawed i
across the bridge.- The • Austrians had but one red 1
source left ; to rush on the • .French with 'the blyoneea
and kill, or drive back into the Adda, those why'
had forced their passage; before they could. deploy -f
into line, or receive support from their comrades, who were
still filing along the bridge. But the opportunity was ne-
glected,.either because the troops who should have executed t
the manoeuvre had been, as we have already noticed, with'
drawn too far from the river; or because the soldiery, a 4
happens when they repose too much confidence in a strong
position, became panic-struck when they saw it unexpect-
edly carried. Or it may be that General Beaulieu, so old
and so unfortunate, had somewhat lost that energy are'
presence of mind which the critical moment demanded'
Whatever was the cause, the • French rushed on the artile
lery-men, from whose fire they had lately suffered so tre-• i
mendously, and, unsupported as they were, had little diffi" `
culty in bayonetting them. The Austrian army now entry
pletely gave way, and lost in their retreat, annoyed as it
was by the French cavalry, upwards of twenty guns, e
thousand prisoners, and perhaps two thousand mere 1
wounded and slaip. . Such was the famous pass-age of the
Bridge of Lodi, achieved with such Ain and gallantry, 'l6
gave the victor the same character ror fearless intr epiditY,
and practical talent in actual battle, which the former' pas'
of the campaign had gained him as a most able tactician: 'i
NAPOLEON'S NOBLENESS 'OF MIND.
" The young victor paid a delicate and noble-minded
compliment, in declining to be personally present whet
the veteran Wurmser had the mortification' to eurrender
his sword, with his garrison of twenty thousand men, tete II
thousand of whom were fit for service. This self.:denird I
did Napoleon as much credit nearly as big victory, and l
must not be omitted in a narrative, which, often
called to r
stigmatise his ambition and its consequences, should not be
the less ready to observe malice of dignified and honourable
feeling. The history of this remarkable man more fre' I'
quently reminds us of the romantic and improbable TIC, 0
tories imputed to the heroes of the romantic ages, then 'i
the spirit of chivalry attributed to them : but, in thiti W;
stance, Napoleon's condact towards Wurmier may. be lustl' ' f
compared to that of the Black Prince to his • alprison'
toy
i
King John of France."
NAPOLEON'S TALENTS AS A CALCIILATOS• I
" It must be admitted, looking around the 'city of Pan-O'
and travelling through the provinces of France, that NO'
parte has, in the works of peaceful grandeur, left a steal
of magnificence not unworthy of the soaring, and, at 00 i
,
same time; profound spirit, which accomplished so mail ',
a onders in warfare. His conduct towards the Empreo
Josephine was regular and exemplary. From their acme
sion to grandeur till the fatal divorce, as Napoleon 'once
termed it, they shared the privacy of the same apartmeet' I
and for many years partook of the same bed. Josephine ig
said, indeed, to have given her husband, upon whom she I
had many claims, some annoyance by her jealousy, to whie 1
he patiently submitted, and escaped the reproach thrown ('‘ld
so many heroes and men of genius, that, proof to seenI
thing else, they are not so to the allurements of female
duction. What amcifirs he had were of a passisg chars(' I
ter. . The dignity of his throne was Splendidly and mar':
ficently maintained, but the expense was still limited bAj
that love of -order which arose out of Bonaparte's powe'
of arithmetical calculation, habitually and constantly Cl'
ployed, and the trusting to which contributed, it may be!, f
to that external regularity and decorum which he alwer
supported. In speaking of his own peculiar taste; Bee,:
parte- Said that his favourite work was a book of logarithrew
and his choicest amusement was working out the probleel#:,
The individual to whom the Emperor made this sing,ti'?
avowal mentioned it with surprise to an officer near 11,
person, who assured him that not only did Napoleon Roue
himself with arithmetical ciphers, and the theory of cot ',
putation, but that he frequently brought it to bear on .I' ii
domestic expenses, and diverted himself with comply!, I
the price at which particular articles were chargedlo lael,
with the rate which they ought to have cost at the Ow
market prices but which, for reasons unnecessary to Wine
was in general greatly exceeded. Las Cases' mentions ,'',
detecting, such an overcharge in the gold fringe wh's
adorned one of his state apartments. A still More cur; ,0
anecdote respects a watch, which the most eminent ern,
of Paris had orders to Aish with his utmost skill, iOl
style which might become a gift from the EmpeOrj
France to, his brother the King- of Spain. Before
4
watch was out of the artist's hands, Napoleon reel
news of the battle of Vittoria. ' All is noW Ot-er V,
Joseph;' were ihnOst his first words after receiving. the"
telligence. ' Send to countermand the order for ~,
watch." Properly considered, this anecdote indicates 1

indifference as to his brother's fate, nor anxiety about sav-
ing a petty sum; it was the rigid calculation of a pro-
fessed accountant, whose habits -of accuracy induce him
to bring every loss to a distinct balance, however trivial
the set-off may be. But although the Emperor's economy
descended to minute trifles, we are not to suppose
-het among such was its natural sphere. On
she contrary, in the first year of the Consulate, he
discovered and rectified an error in the statement of the
revenue, to the amount of no less than two millions of
Francs, to the prejudice of the state. In another instance,
with the skill which only a natural taste for calculation,
)nought to excellence by constant practice, could have at-
!wined, he discovered an enormous overcharge of more than
ixty thousand francs in the pay-accounts of the garrison
)f Paris,. Two such discoveries, by the head magistrate,
uust 'nave gone far to secure regularity in the departments
n vribich they were made in future. Attending to this re-
w.rkable peculiarity throws much light on the character
of Buonaparte. It was by dint of his rapid and powerful
combinations that he succeeded as a General ; and the
same laws of calculation can be traced through much of
his public and private life."
NOOLEON'S LOVE LETTER TO JOSEPHINE.
" By what art is it you have been able to captivate all
my faculties, and to concentrate in yourself my moral ex-
istence ? It is a magic, my sweet love, which will finish
only with my lite., To live for Josephine there is the
history of my life. •I am trying to reach you—l am dy-
is; to he near you. Fool that I am, Ido not perceive that
increase the distance between us. What lands, what :ountriee separate us! What a time before you read these
:Teak impressions of a troubled soul, in which you reign!
Mil my adorable wife, I know not what fate awaits me,
but if it keep me much longer from you, it will be insup-
portable,—my courage will not go so far. There was a
time when I Was proud of my courage; and sometimes,
when contonplating on the ills that man could do me, on
the fate witich destiny could reserve for me, I fixed my
eyes stedfastly on the most unheard-of misfortunes without
a frown—without alarm ; but now the idea that my Jo-
sephine may be
unwell—the idea that she may be ill—and,
alcove all, the cruel, the fatal thought, that she may love
arne less, withers my soul, stops my blood, renders me sad,
cast down, and leaves me not even the courage of fury and
despair. Formerly I used to say to myself, man could not
hurt him who could die without regret; but now, to d'A
without being loved by thee, to die without that cert-,:mty,
is the torment of hell—it is the lively and striki,4 image
of absolute annihilation : I feel as if I were p;alled. •
My
absolute
companion, thou whom fate 1.404 destined to
make along with me the painful journey of life, the day
on which I shall cease to possess thy hit will be the day
on which parched nature will be tome, withemt warmth and
vegetation.

I stop, my sweet love ;my soul is sad--my body is
fatigued—my head is giddy--.rjen disgust me—l ought to
hate them—they separate re:., fr6m my beloved.
" I am at Port Ma'Arice,l near Oneille; to-morrow I
shall be at Albenga ; the two armies are in motion. We
are endeavouring tq. derive each other; victory to the most
skilful ! lam "fretty well satisfied with Beaulieu. If he
alarm
ml
.%ch) he is a better man than his predecessor.
I shall beats buns
I hope, in good style. Do not be uneasy
--love rye as
your eyes : but that is not enough—as your-
self) more than yourself, than your thought—your mind—
Piur sight—your all.. Sweet love, forgive me,—l am
*smiting. Nature is weak for him who feels strongly, for
him Wilma you love !"