Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-23
EVENING STAR,
LINE BoNAPARTE.


In 1895, at Milan, Pauline married Gan
: Charles Emmanuel Leclerc, who had alread,
rendered BOnapsrte efficient service in m,
Italian campaign. Pauline neither assentee
to the alliance, nor did she reject it :; she sim
ply yielded TO her brothers desire that 4
should be consummated Processing, anC
doubtless feeling, the complete Indifference 1,
her husband, she soon entered upon a caree
of intrigue and infdelty. Lsfon, the bril-
liant young trsgedian of the Comedie Fran
'caise, was one of her frst lovers This con
nection became public then, and has become
historical since
Bonaparte soon formed the plan of repress
ing the insCrrectiOn Of the blacks in st Do
mlngo. An immense feet was formed, OF
which VilaretJoyeuss was made admiral
Leclerc obtaining the appointment of general
in-chief, with thirty five thousand picked men
under his command. Pauline was surprised
and alarmed at receiving requisition-not
from her husband, for that she would have
treated with derision-but from her brother
to accompany the General upon his expedi-
ton. Leclerc himself would gladly have dis
peEsed with the society Of his faiihless and
capriciouS, though beautiful, wife. But the
First Consul dreaded the possible scandal
which her conduct would occasion, if left
alone, and accordingly insisted upon her fol-
lowing her legal guardian to the tropics
| " G0Od heavens she said to Madame Junot
chow can my brother be so hard hearted and
wicked aS to send me into exile among saw
| ages and serpents. Besides, / an i'll, and
| shall die before get there" The spoiled
child here sobbed with such violence that
Madame JunOt knew of but one means Of con-
| ISOLATION. She accordingly took her BY the
hand, ard told her that she would be queen
of the island, and would ride in a palanGuin
that slaves would watch her looks ana exc
| cute her wishes; that she would walk in groves
of orange trees, arrayed in the bright colors
| of Creole costume.
By this time, Paulinc's Mysteries had entire
| ly ceased. "And do yCu really think, Lau
retta, that l shall look prettier than usual in
a Creole turban, short waist, and a skirt of
| striped muslin - She then sent for a pack
| age of bardanna handkerchisfS, one Of which
Madame Junot fantastically hnotted her hair
| Her delight was unbounded when she found
| that the country where she had expected to
be devoured, might be the scene Of new tri-
umphs in the toilet, and afforded her an oc.
| casiCn for innovations in fashion "Oh those
lovely mountains" she exclaimed, I'VE will
havo fete every day, and q ball every
night"
While the General was organizing his feet,
Pauline was preparing her wardrobe. Madame
GeTmon, " lies Despsux and H0lve, Leroy,
Copp, FOncier and Biennais, contributed, each
in their department, to the more harmless OF
the two batteries which the quadron was 70
convoy across the seas Had the & az ship
HOceRn been captured on her way, tie enemy
might with good reason have wondered at the
prodigious stOEe Of articles Cf female apparel
and sdornment they would have found COM
pri.ing her cargO--s singular equipment for
vessel bound upon so severe an errand
They might also have expressed surprise at
the luxurious arrangement Of the hip-at its
boudOir, its conservatory, Its mirrors its pan
try. lis lovely passenger meant TO have no
possible desire uDgratihed, and her reluct ant
h,,s s,yI hxr. l.,t I,
ing TO her incllnatIOns She sailed from Brest |
in December, 1901, the whole squadron con- |
sisting Of twenty-five frigstes and thirty live !
ships Of line.
. The First Consul wished that his sister" |
says de Salgues, like another Cleopatra, |
should cmbellish with her presence and her |
charms the admiral vessel: in spite OF her |
refusal, she was taken to Brest, and there rut |
on shipbOard This rigor of Bonaparte to. |
wards sister whom he seemed to love tender |
~, astonsbed the public, bat justifc alton was |
found in the assertion that the princess YVES |
violently in love with young and brilliant |
comedian and BOnaparte saw no surer remedy |
than to put 200 leagues between the beauty |
and her lover"
Two poets were sent ont with the squadron,
Nm Esmenard and Norvins. Tho latter has
left an account Of the voyage ard the cam
paign, too poetic TO be altogether reliable
He represents Pauline rs reclining upon the
quarter deck, and surrounded by her court
the officers Of the staff-8ud reminding all
conyerSant With tic classics of the maritime
Venus and tie Galatea Of the Greeks.
The expedition was disastrous in every
sense. Gen. Lcclerc proved totally iDcompe-
tent, and the splendid army under lis com
mand was well nigh destroyed by battle and
fever. The General died of a lingering dis,
ea-e, and Pauline caused his body to he en-
balmed and placed in triple cedar cvfin. In
this cofin she concealed her jewels ard treas
ures, and embarked with them on board the
SHiftsure, homeward bound.
She returned to France in a costume very
different from that in which she set out-she |
went in bandanna and returned ia black. On
reaching Paris she gave way 10 paroxysm of
grief and despair, which seemed too ostcnta-
tiOus to be sincere She even cropped her
luxuTisnt hair, and for a time refused to be
comforted. Society doubted the reality of
her affection, while Napoleon openly scoffed
at it. g Has Pauline cut eff her hair ?" he /
asked. Then it is because she knows it
will grow again, richer and thicker than
ever
Napoleon desired that she should wear her
weeds with prOpriety, and consequently placed
her under the care of his brother Joseph and
his wife. Her inclination for retirement did
not last long, and she reproached Napoleon
vehemently for keeping her in confinement
"Oh dear me !" she said, 81 shall certainly
SINK under tnlS III IN DrOtueE uotViuiHes 70 |
shut me from the world. L shall put an end to
my existence at once. To this, Gen Junot,
who was present, replied that he had often
heard of the Venus de Medci of the Venus |
Anady omece, but never Of Venus Suicide.
This comparison revived the disconsolate beau
ty and she requested her former suitor TO come
and gee her frequently.
In 1903, Bcnaparte's plans for making him
self Emperor were nearly completed. An op-
portunity now occurred of accustoming the
French to princely honOrs and titles in his
family. Den Camille Borghese, the heir to
the finest villa, palace and picture z alIery in
Italy, the representative of one IF the most
illust1ious Italian families, bsing com PEELED
to leave Rome for political reasons visited
Paris and was presented to Bonsparte The
latter conceived an affection for him, made
him French citizen and Majlr of mounted
resimentin in the Consular Guard, and speedily
arranged a match between him and Madame
Leclerc. The prince was under the middle
size; his countenance was handsome, but with
out ex preston His education had been much
svo1o ltshn me