Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-09-05
Lamart,no's Opinion of Napoleon.

In Lamartines new work on the restoration he
portrays the Emperor or Napoleon as perhaps never
Frenchman before has depicted that extraordinary
man. at one time SO emphatically and literally the
idol of the whole people of France. We some
what curious to know how such sentiments the
following are received in the Republic
WHAT NAPOLEON DID FOR FRANCE AND FOR HIM
sELF.--He left freedom chained, equality comprom-
ised by posthumous institutions feudalism parodied
without power to exist, human conscience re-sold
philosophy prescribed, prejudice encouraged, the
human mind diminished, instruction materiallsed
and concentrated in the pure science alone schools
converted into barracks literature degraded by CEN
sorshp, or BUNDLED by baseness, national represen
taton perverted election abolished, the arts enslaved
commerce destroyed credit annihilated, navigation
suppressed international hatred revived the people
oppressed, enrolled in the army, paying in blood
or taxes the ambition of unequalled soldier, but
covering with the great name of France the contra
dctions of the age, the miseres and degradation OF
the country This is the founder. This is the man!
% man instead of a revolution IA man instead of
an epoch IA man instead of country IA man in
stead of nation! Nothing after him nothing a.
round him but his shadow, making sterile the eigh-
teenth century, absorbed and concentrated in him
self alone. Personal glory will be always spoken of
as characterizng the age of Napoleon; but 1t Will
merit the praise bestowed upon that OF Angus
tus, of Charemagne and Louis XIV. There is no
age; there is only name and this name signifies
nothing to humanity but himself
False in institutions for he refrigerated; false in
policy for he debased false in morals, for he COR
rupted false in civilization. for he oppressed false
in diplomacy. for he isolated-he only true in
war for he shed torrents of human blood. But what
can we then allow him? His individual genius
great but it was the genius of materalism His
intelligence was and clear, but it the intel
ligcnce of calculation. He counted. he weighed, he
measured but he felt not he loved not :; he sympa
thzed with none; he was statue rather than man.
Therein lay his inferiorty to Alexander and to Cesar
he resembled more the Hannibal of the Aristocracv.
EayUr hay md mr. ldad col
All was Solid nothing gushed FORTH in that mind
nothing moved. His metallic nature felt
even in his style. He was perhaps. the greatest
writer of human events since Machiavel Much su-
perior to Caesar in the account of his campaigns his
style is not the written expression alone; it is the
action Every sentence in his pages is to speak, the
counterpart and counter impression of the fact
There is neither letter. sound, a color wasted
between the fact and the word and the word is him
self His phrases conceive. but struck off with Or
nament, recall those times when Bal azet and Char
lemagne, not knowing how to write their names at
the bottom of their imperial acts, dipped their hands
in ink and blood, and applied them with their art-
culatiOns impressed upon the parchment. 1t was
the signature it the hand itself of the hero
thus fixed eternally before the eyes and such were
the pages of his campaigns dictated by Napoleon
the very soul OF movement, OF action and OF combat
This fame, which constituted his morality, his
conscience, and his principle, he merited by his
ture and his talents, from war and from glory; and
he has covered with it the name of France, obliged
to accept the odium of his tyranny and his crimes.
should also accept his glory with serious gratitude.
She cannot separate her name from his without les
senng it; for it is equally incrusted with his great
with his faults. She wished for renown and
he has given it to her but what she principally owes
to him is the celebrity she has gained in the world
HIS PORTRAIT IN 1814.-The empire had made
him old before his time. Gratifed ambition, satia-
ted pride the delights of palace luxurious table,
voluptuous couch, youthful wives, complaisant
mstresses. long vgils sleepess nights divided be-
laho bohi
riding which made him corpulent-a all tended to
deaden his limbs and enervate his faculties. An
early obesity overloaded him with flesh His cheeks,
formerly streaked with muscles, and followed by the
working of genius were broad full, and overhang-
ing like those of Ohio in the Roman medals of the
empire. An excess of bile mngling with the blood,
gave yellow tint to the skin. which at distance
looked like varnish of pale gold on bis countenance
His lips still preserved their Grecian outline and
steady grace pressing easily from a smile to me-
mace. His solid bony chin formed appropriate
base for his features. His was but a line thin
and transparent. The paleness of his cheeks gave
greater briliiancy to the blue of his eyes, His look
was searching, unsteady u waving fame-an en-
blem of inquetude His forehead seemed to have
wldened, from the scantness of his thin black hair
which was falling from the moisture of continual
thought. 1t might be said that his head naturally
small, had increased in size to give ample scope be-
tween his temples for the machinery and combina
tons of mind, every thought of which was an EN-
pire.
The map OF the world seemed to have been en-
crusted on the orb of that reflective head But il
was beginning to yield and he inclined it often or
his breast while crossing his like Frederick
Ian attitude and gesture which he appeared t.
affect. Unable any longer to seduce his courter
and his soldiers by the charm of youth it was evi
dent he wished to fascnate them by the rough. pen
sive, and disdainful character of hmself-of his
del in his latter days. He moulded himself i
were into the stature of reflection. before his troops
who gave him the nickname of Father Thoughtful
He assumed the pose of destiny. Something rough
rude, and savage in his movements revealed hi
southern and insular origin The man of the Medi
terranean broke out constantly through the French
man. His nature, too great and too powerful fo
the part he had to play, overowed all occasion
He bore no resemblance to any of the men arounC
him Superior and altogether different, he ar
offspring of the sun, of the sea, and of the battle
feld-out of his element even in his own palace ant
a stranger even in his empire. Such a
this period the profile, the bust, and the externa
physiognomy of Napoleon.
An American Naval Amccdotc.
When McDonough first Lieutenant of the ST
rem, under the command of Captain Smith cir
cumstance occurred in the harbor of Gbralter sufh
GENTLY indicative of the frmness and decision of hi
character. An American merchant brig t
another near the United States vessel. McDonough
in the absence of Capt. Smith, a boat from
British frigate board the brig and take from her
man. He instantly manned and armed his gig, an
pursued the British boat which he overlook. Just
it reached the frgate and without ceremony too