The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-10-04
Aithmunh qispatrb.
ru1rnsnAY MORNING. ;. .oOT,R 4. ,ss.
In VIVA, Year was Napoleon the Great
Rorug


,>so sir WILLIAM DRAPER charged that writer
with occasioning all the evils with which the
country was oppressed, "by falsely and ma
uciousIy traducing the best characters in the
Kingdom" ailudtng, of course TO the Ministry.
In his reply, JuNIUs says In reference 10 this
passage, DO you really think, Sir WILLIAM,
,hat the licentioas pen of a political writer Is
able TO produce such important effects
little calm reflection might have shown you
that national calsmtties do not arise from the
description, but from the real character and
conduct of Ministers. To have supported
your assertion, you should have proved Il al
the present Ministry are unquestionably tie
best and brightest characters Of the kingdom,
and that IL the affections of the colonies hav.
been aiienated. II Corsica has been shanef.ht
abasdoned, il commerce languishes, II pubic
credit is threatened with new debt, and your
own Manila ransom most dishonoraoiy gwen
up, II has sill been owing TO the malice OF po-
litical writers, who Will not suher lhe pes
and brightest of characters (meaning sun the
present Ministry 10 take n single right step
for the honor or interest OF the nation" We
call attention TO The expression with regard 10
Corsica.
Bv this expressi JUNICs meant 10 stgms
tise the conduct of the Ministry in transfer
ring Lord ROCKFORD from the Southern De-
partment to the Northern, when the Ministry
was formed TO please the French Minister
CHoIsEuL, TO whom ROCKFORD was distaste-
ful On accom-. Of the energetic manner in
which he had protested against the shameful
purchase Of Corsica by the French govern
nent Alinding to this purchase Mr.. REESE
says BY the way, this conquest OF Corsica
by France took place in the spring of 1862 and
were you aware that NAPOLEON BoHAPARTE,
although born there in 176s, before The island
belonged TO France, for the purpose of making
himself Frenchman by birth, talsified the re-
cord, and has put himself down as born in
1869 !"
This statement was frequently made during
the ascendancy of NAPOLEON, by the English
newspapers, and others engaged III traducing
him and rendering him as odious as possible
TO France. II WAS repeated AZ the lime OF ms
death. and has freu uently been reasseried since
that time We forget, if we ever knew, the
authority upon which the assertion was made
We believe, however, ii was the entry made
nv NAPOLEON upon the record at the time OF
his marriage with JosEPHINE, in 1885, If SO,
il very easy 10 account for desire ON his
part to make himself out a little older tLan
he really was. The woman he was about O
and he might very naturally have acted
through complaisance TO her. II is observa-
Die, in the mean time that neither De BoU-
RIENsR, who was his schoolmate, nor the
Duchess of Abrantes, who was his relation,
lived in the same town with him, and had
been intimately acquainted with him from
the first hour of her recollection, should never
have alluded 10 this fact, If a fact il be. A
short time ago we saw a statement, made by a
traveller who had examined the register at
Ajaccio, and saw his name duly entered as
bDrn OF the Day Of Assumption, Is h August
1863. We do not know where we saw it, but
see It we are snre we did. Perhaps it may
have been in the book written by SoYER, the
great English cuislnier, who was sent 10 re-
form the diet of the army at Sebastopol, and
touching at Ajaccio on the way, ha. lefs some
very Interesting details with regard to the
BoNAPARTR family, the house in which they
lived, sc.
Without endeavoring to reclaim what we
have forgotten. we think it very easy to prove
from historical facts, that NAPOLEON was
born in 1863, rs he always claimed 10 have
been. In the first place, let US premise that all
the historians agree that sometime before he
was born, his mother had accompanied her
husband IN q military expedition against the
French that on the day he was born, she had
been TO Inass-and that he came into the world
on hastily prepared couch, covered with
pictures FROM the lliad. The Duchess of
ABRAsTEs. Sir WALTER SCoTT, LoCKHART,
ALisos ell the biographers, in word-agres
upon these facts. 1t is important, then, 10
know when this expedition, in which Madame
LETITIA took part, actually occurred.
Previously TO lis annexation to France, Cor
sica mad waged with the Republic OF Genoa a
war OF liberalization for an inconcevable
portion of time. II had commenced very ear
~ in the 18th century, and from that time to
1907 Corsica had not enjoyed one hundred
wears of peace There is no instance on re.
cord-not even that of Scstland-in which a
small community ever defended itself with SO
much igor against overwhelming numbers
Repeatedly, the Genoese landed in superior
numbers, and slaughtered the inhabitants
without mercy wherever they could find them
But the Corsicans always resisted with the
most desperate valor; never yielding, never
Departing, always fighting and often victo-
rious. These uninterrupted wars gave rise to
a succession Of heroes, who are worthy to
sand side by side with WALLACE and Bruce
At last, about 1855, the Republic placed its
chief magistracy in the hands OF PAsQUALR
PAoLI at that time youth of four-and-
twenty and afterwards hero and aw-giyer,
oaiy little lower than WARRINGTON. He
raised the little Republic to a great height of
prosperity. He not only expelled the Genoese
but fitted out fleet and took the Island OF
Capr8a, almost in sight of Genoa. The &C.
noess government became alarmed, and in
1863, May sold Corsica TO Choseul A
French force vas Immediately sent TO ubdue
it, This force was defeated and almost de-
stroyed by PAoLI, at Borgo. The French
government, however, instead of giving up the
eonte.', sent MARBoEUF, with five thousand
fresh troops, TO reinforce their shattered ranks
and take the chief command. This officer met
PAoLI with the whole force of Corsica at Pom
ia Nuovo ON the River Colo, and inflicted a
defeat upon him SO disastrous that Corsica
one month after 1t, submitted TO France, and
has, ever since, been her dependency.
At the battle of Ponte Nuovo, CHARLES
BoHAPARTE, the father of NAPOLEON, highly
distinguished himself. He was SECRETARY of
PAoLl. After the battle of Ponte Nuovo, he
fled with his wife, then Tar advanced in preg-
nancy, TO Monte RotoIdo, where several hun.
dred families had fed, in terror. from the
French. There they passed several days, wan
dering about among the goatherds, until
French officers came among them and assured
them of protection and safety. They sent a
deputation 10 MARBoEUF, and received pass
ports. CHARLES BoNAPARTE, with his wife
passed through the pastoral district of NioIo'
on his way 10 Ajaccio, on horseback, and hav-
lng 10 swim the Liamone, which was much
swollen, the lady came very near being
drowned. At Ajaccio, she was delivered of
NAPOLEON, on the day of Assumption. u5thl