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

attempt to eont•ey him off, .that it might be tine;
but that he knew that class of people, who were
mere adventurers, and would not conlide in them.
6. Asked if he hoped to make his escape ? An-
swered, he has had ten opportunities, and has one ut
this moment when I am speaking. He might be
conveyed in a trunk with dirty linen, and that the
English soldiers were so stupid, that though they
would stop him if he appeared in uniform, yet they
would let him pass in the disguise of a servant, and
with a plate in his hand. When the impossibility
was urged, " Not so," replied Gourgaud, " when
one has millions at his disposal de le rebate, it peut
s'evader seal, et alter en Amerique, quand it le
voudra." Asked, " Then, why does he remain ?"
Answer—" 'We have all councelled him to escape,
but he prefers remaining. He has a secret pride in
the importance attached to his safe custody, and in
the interest generally taken in his fate. He has
" Jer lac pais plus vivre en partien-
yiLieux etre prisonnier ici que Ore aux
isiteaind.t.sr.
ne.saa repeatedly,
7. Does he write his history ? "He writes dis-
jointed fragments, which he will never finish.—
When asked why he will not put history in posses- •
sion of the exact fact, ho answers, It is better to
leave something to be guessed, than .to tell too
much.' It would also seem that, not considering
his extraordinary destinies as entirely accomplished,
he was unwilling to detail plans which had not been
executed, and which he might ono day resume with
more success ?
8. Which of you wrote the famous letter of Mon-
tholon ? " The Emperor himself dictated the greater
part of it. Other letters would appear, pretended
to be written by Captains of merchant vessels. You
would hardly believe that Santini's work was by.
him. I suppose, to -cure him of that mania of writ-
ing. Bassani) or Berriso should have been with
him, rather than either Bertrand or Montholon."
9. How does he behave in his household ? "Ex-
cellently to his domestics, trying to help every one,
giving them the highest consideration for such ta-
lents as they actually possess, and imputing them 'to
such as none."
10. With those of his suite, Napoleon preserved
the manners of royalty; played at chess for five hours
at a time, without permitting them to sit down.
11. Madame de Montholon pleased him by play-
ing WIC femme savante, knowing the history of
France, and telling him repeatedly, that they ought
to guillotine 80 Parisians every day for having be-
trayed him ; and that France merits to be an hun-
dred times more unfortunate than she is at present.
Count Balmaiu's Report to Major Gorriquer, dated
March 26, 1818.
Gourgaud told Balmain that he had challenged
Czernicheff when the Allies were at Paris in 1814;
also that he had challenged Montholon when at St.
Helena, for sitting nearer to Napoleon than he
(Gourgaud.) A very different opinion of Gour-
gaud's candour is expressed, but he admitted that he
had talents as an artillery officer.
Bertrand made reports to British officers against
Gourgaud, upon his insisting on having as many
wax candles as he (Bertrand), who had a wife and
children; and that Gourgaud did not return any
part of the provisions allotted to him.
Mention of a conversation between Gourgaud and
Napoleon, resting, I suppose, though it is not e.r-
plicitly so stated, upon Gourgaud's authority :
Napoleon, in a dispute with Gourgaud, is stated to
hare said—" For all this, you would be glad to re-
turn to my service, should I again land in France."
" No," replied Gourgaud ; "should France be visit-
ed by such a misfortune as your return, I would be
found on the opposite side, fighting to the last to
prevent the renewal of your power." This is men-
tioned incidentally (Pr General Gourgaud had left
England.

No. IL—Letter from Mr. Goulburn, Secretary of State
in the Colonial Department, to Earl Bathurst, Principal
Secretary, literally copied :
(Copy,) Downing-street, 10th May, 1818..
My Lord,—ln obedience to your direetiose, I had
several conversations with General Gourgaud, for
the purpose of ascertaining whether he was disposed
to afford any further details upon the several points
adverted to in Sir Hudson Lowe's more recent
despatches.
The information which I have received from him,
though given in considerable detail, is in substance
as follows :—General Gourgaud had no difficulty in
avowing that there has always existed a free and
uninterrupted communication between the inhabi-
tants of Longwood and this country, without the
knowledge or intervention of the Governor; and
that this has been made use of not only for the pur-
pose of receiving and transmitting letters, but for
that of receiving pamphlets, money, and other ar-
ticles, of which the party in Longwood might from
time to time be in want,—that the correspondence
has for the most part been carried on direct with
Great Britain,—and that the persons employed in
it were those Englishmen who from time to time
visit St. Helena, to all of whom the attendants or
servants of Buonaparte have free access, and who,
generally speaking, are willing, many without any
reward, and others for very small pecuniary consi-
derations, to convey to Europe any letter or packet
intrusted to their charge. It would appear also, that
the captains and others on board the merchant ships
touching at the island, whether belonging to the
East India Company, or to other persons, are consi-
dered at Longwood as being peculiarly open to the
seduction of General Buonaparte's talents; so much
so, indeed, that the inhabitants of Longwood have
regarded it as a matter of small difficulty to procure
a passage on board of one of these ships for Gene-
ral Buonaparte, if escape should at any time be
his object.
General Gourgaud stated himself to have been
aware of General Buonaparte having received a,con-
siderable sum of money in Spanish dollars, viz.
10,0001.* at the very time that he disposed of his
plate; but on being pressed by me as to the persons
privy to that transaction, he contented himself with
assuring me that the mode of its transmission was
one purely accidental, that it could never again
occur, and that, such being the ease, he trusted that
I should not press a discovery, which, while it be-
trayed its author, could have no effect, either as re-
garded the punishment of the offenders, or the pre-
was, moreover, not:likely, in pos-
sessionhis of money,
of the subject, to afford any additional means
view
corrupting the fidelity of those who it might be
vention of a smiler act h future. The actual
aodf advisable to seduce, as it was well known that any
draught, whatever might be its amount, drawn by
General Buonaparte on Prince Eugene, or on certain
' other members of this family, would be scrupulously
honoured.
He assured me, however, in answer to my inqui-
ries, that neither Mr. Balcombe nor Mr. O'Meara
were in any degree privy to the above transaction,
and that the former, although recently much dissa-
tisfied with his situation, had never, in any money
transaction, betrayed the trust reposed in him. He
declined, however, most distinctly, giving me the
same assurance with respect to their not being, either
or both,i
Upontprivysituation,
ueastt:
oitlinoe:tt capableh
ofe transmissionGGeneral
or
a efbeing e w
oof a
e clandestinete
s
eted
l
u
he confidently stated that, although Longwood was,
from
by sentries, yet he was certain that there was no
sroetse escape
difficulty in eluding at any time the vigilance of the
sentries posted round the house and grounds ; and,
in short, that escape from the island appeared to him
'in AO degree impracticable. The subject, he con-
fessed, had been discussed at Longwood, and the
individuals of the establishment separately desired to
give their plans for effecting it; but he ~.xpressed
his belief to be, that General Buonaparte was so
fully impressed with the opinion that he should be
permitted to leave St. Helena, either upon a change
of Ministry in England, or by the unwillingness of
the English
to bear the expellee of detaining him,
that he would not at present ran the hard to which
an attempt at escape might expose him. It appears,
however, from the statement of General Gourgaud,
apalri
e
correspondence.

4' This sum corresponds with the 240,000 francs unu-
tioned 4.1 tin report of 134r()11 Sturmer,