The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-04-25
The Imperial Baby.

The fact that the Empress Eugene has
given an heir to all the imperial honOrs that
Louis Napoleon may chance to leave behind
him, is especially gratifying in one respect
even to people on this side the water. The
Empress Eugene, so far as we can learn, is
really very estimable lady, too good in
fact, for her graceless husband, whose pri-
vate character will not bear talking about.
We have no desire to be scandalized by
% the nephew of his uncle following too
closely in the footsteps of Napoleon, for the
same reason that the first Emperor repudiat-
ed Josephine. Such an event, we are there
fore glad to believe is not now likely to take
place, the event which has just happened at
the imperial court having put afhr Off the
evil day. 1t is really astonishing to us
plain republicans what fuss has been made
in imperial circles about "that blessed baby"
The programme Of proceedings for the In
tercsting occasion when the heir expectant
of imperial honOrs first saw the light, was
very imposing, though parts Of it are rather
indicate. Ii filed three columns of the
newspaper. 1t was provided that when the
important crisis arrives, "the Grand Mis-
tress of her household will carry word to his
Majesty, and take his orders, and send notice
to the Imperial Princes and Princesses, to
the mother of the Empress, to Grand Off
GERS of the crown" etc., all of whom must
come to the Palace in Sunday costumc-thc
ladies IN morning toilette. A Paris writer
renders some of the programme into intelli-
gible English as follows:
Little Jenkins will be presented as soon
as possible after his appearance, by Nurse
Bruat, to his father and mother, and then
to Ministers of State, one of whom will reg
ister his birth. Then he will be carried in
to his, little Jenkins's, apartment by head
nurse, dry nurse, widow Admiral who will
be attended by the sub-governeSses, widow
General Blot and widow Col. Bancion, of
the 5Oth of the line, Husbands killed before
Sebastopol) and by the Gcneral-in-Chief of
the Imperial Guard and by the Esquire on
service, in case anything should happen on
the passage. Accidents will happen in the
best regulated families, Here the little man
will find the officers appointed for his SER
vicc-whose titles are not giyen-iancy sug-
gests the Grand Master of the Rattle, ect.
Next day comes the private baptism, u
ceremony in which the Presidents of the
Senate, Legislative Corps, grand crosses,
grand mistresses, and all sorts of grandcos
take part. Then there is the Te Deum.-
Then the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of
Honor will carry to the baby prince the
grand Gordon Of this order, and the military
medal.
Consider what Il time the little fellow will
have of it in getting born and baptized, and
set up in his apartment, these honors are
not so disproportioned as they would be to
his more humble infant cotempOraries. The
public baptism at Notre Dame will be a
much grandcr affair, with a much larger
outlay of officials of the most homogeneous
'Orts such, for example, as cardinals and
md admirals, bishops and marshals, etc.,
III of whom, without regard to age or sex
,r corns, must stand, or, as the French
,hraso is, hold themselves ON end during the
whole ceremony. "This ceremony, 1.-THE
,aptism) being finished, the sub-gOyerness
will wipe the child's head and cover it up
gain" Finally, "while the Emperor is
,rawng, the cortcga will reform" etc.
The programme is itself decidedly rich.-I
)nc of the French papers maliciOusly prints
after it one of the Emperor
'ouloque's swelling proclamations. No law
IN the press, rs the editors well knew, could
each this provOcation to unsayory cOmpar-
sons --RosiOR Journal.