Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-01-16
A VOICE FROM ST. HELENA,

CONTAINING me OPuuOHS una 1tJ'CC-
tionS of The late Emperor NAPo-
LEON, on the most important e.
cents OF has life and government,
IN HIS OWN woRDs-By BARRY
Il. O'MEARY, Esquire, his Sur
geon.
"Napoleon asked me many anato
mical and physiological questions, and
observed, that he had studied anatomy
himself fora few days, but had been
sickened by the sight of some bodies
that were opened, and abandoned any
further progress in that science. After
some development of his ideas touch
ing the soul, made some remarks up
on the Poles who had served in his ar
my, who, | observed, were grately at
tached to his person. "Ah !" replied
the Emperor, 'they acre much at
tached to me. The present vlceroy
OF Poland was with me inny campaigns
in Egypt l made him general
Most o fmy old Polish guard are now
employed, through policy, by Alexan,
der They are brave nation, and
make good soldiers In the cold
which prevails in the norther countries,
the Pole is better than the Frenchman.
asked him, if in less rigorous eli
mates the Poles were as good soldiers
as the French. ooh, 10, no. In
other places the Frenchman is much
superior. The commandant of Dant-
zic informed me, that during the Sc.
verify ofthe winter, W hen the thermo-
meter sunk eighteen degrees, ut was Inn
possil lie to make the French soldiers
keep their postsas sentinels, while the
Poles suffered nothing. Poniatowsky,"
continued he, was a noble character,
full of honor and bravery. 1t was my
intention to have made him King of
Poland, had | succeeded in Russia. :"
| asked to what he principally attribu
ted bis failure of that expedition. 80
the cold, the premature cold, and the
burning of Moscow replied Napoleon.
L was few daystoo late-l had made
calculation of the weather for fifty
years before, and the extreme cold had
never commenced until about the Goth
OF December, twenty days later than it
began this time. While [ was at Mos
cow, the cold was at three ofthe thermo-
meter & was such as the French could
with pleasure bear but on the march,
the thermometer sunk eighteen degrees
and consequently nearly all the horses
persisted. In one night / lost thirty
thousand. The artillery, of which I
had five hundred pieces, wasin great
measure obliged to be abandoned !;
neither ammunition nor provisions could
be carried. We could not make re-
connaissance, or send out an advance
of men on horseback to discover the
way, through the want of horses. The
soldiers lost their spirits, fell into con-
fusion, and lost their senses. The most
trifling thing alarmed them. Four or
five men were sufficient TO brighten a
whole battalion. Instead of keeping
together they wandered about in search
offire. Parties, when sent out on du
ty in advance, abandoned their posts,
and went to seek the mean!of warming
themselves in the houses. They sepa-
rated in all directions, became helpless.
and fell an easy prey to the enemy
Others lay down, fell asleep, little
| blood came from their nosirils, and
sleeping they died. In this manner
thousands persisted. The Poles saved
some of their horses and artillery, but
the French, and the soldiers ofthe other
nations l had with me, were no lon
ger the same men. In particular, the
cavalry suffered Outot forty thousand
l do not think that three thousand
were saved. Had it not been for that
fire at Moscow, | should have succeed
ed. ] would have wintered there
There were in that city about forty thou
sand citizens who were in a manner
slaves. For you must know that the
Russian nobility keep their vassals in
sort ofslavery. would have proclai-
med liberty to all the slaves in Russia
and abolished vassalage and nobility.
This would have procured me the un
ion of an immence and a powerful par
ty. would either have made peace
at Moscow, or else | would have mar
chcd the next year to Petersburg
Alexander was assured OF it, and sent
his diamonds, va!uablcs. and ships to
England. Had it not been for that
fire, | should have succeeded in every
thing-i beat them two days before,