The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-02-16
From the Courier deS EtatS UniS.
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From the Courier deS EtaS UniSl
THE BONAPARTES OF BALTIMORE.
Contrary to the report which has been circula-
ted there was no postponement of the proceedings
instituted by Madame Bonaparte, of Baltimore, to
establish her rights in the administration of the
effects of Prince Jerome. The case was called on
the day fixed, the 25th of January, and we have
the following account of the first days proceed
| ings:-
| 1t is impossible to give an idea of the wealthy
crowd which blocked the approaches to the court
room for some time before the opening of the door.
| Nothing like it has been for ten years past.
At halt-past eleven O'Clock NJ. Berryer opened
the case in the midst of the most profound silence.
| Announcing that he would say nothing
for the purpose of satisfying vain curiosity: that
he would even endeavor to forget the high position
h to pG SR she Moad Be entitled @
she were proceeding against a simple citizen"
Nevertheless, in pronouncing the name of
| Madame Bonaparte, he could not help feeling pro-
toundy affected in thinking of the suferings that
that lady, one of the most honorable in the whole
| world has endured during the sixty years that she
has been waiting for this day of Justice this day of
solemn debate on the position that is denied her,
and OF which she has never failed to show herself
worthy. She is here in your presence, this lady of
| seventy-five years of age; she comes to vndicate
| the honor of her whole life, and the Legitimacy of
| her only
| III.
| Bonaparte announced to his family his intended
| marriage, in letters that were entrusted to a Mr.
| Barney. The Charge dAfaires of France Mr.
Pichon, in the same month of October, made known
to the French Government the conferences that had
| taken place. His dispatches, it is said were de-
posted in the Archives of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs at Paris. In correspondence that was ex-
| changed on the subject between the two countries
! President Jefferson wrote, Nov. 4th, 1903, to Mr..
Livingston, Minister of the United States Paris,
| as follows:
"Mr. Patterson is President of the Bank of Baltimore
He is probably the richest in Maryland and perhaps
in the United States, except Mr. Carroll He is man of
great virtue and great respectability His mother
sister of General Samuel Smith The position of
lily is therefore among the first in the society of the
| United States. Such conditions determine rank in a
| country where there are no hereditary titles"
What was the law concerning the marriage of
| French people at that time? 1t was the law of
| 1892. That law fixed the majority of citizens at
twenty years Prince Jerome's commission as
| Lieutenant in the Navy gave him twenty-five
| minister of Spain. 1t is true that the French Con-
sui, NJ. PichOn, who had first presented N. jerome
! to the. President of the United States, failed to
give the ceremony the sanction of his presence and
that he even wrote to him and also to Mr.. Patter-
son, informing that after search of two hours in
the collection of the Bulletin of the La,cS, he had
discovered law newly promulgated, which re-
quired twenty-five years for the grand majority,
and then after respectful submission to the father
or mother, if they survived.
The Prince and Mr.. Patterson for some time gave
up the projscted alliance. Two months elapsed,
and the marriage was at last celebrated on the oath
| Of December, 1903.
Mr.. Berger then read the civil contract that
| preceded the religious ceremony. One of the wit.
| nesses to it was N. Sotin, Vice Consul of France
| He presen ted also the certificate of marriage,
signed by Archbishop McCloskey, of Baltimore,
and authenticated by the Vice Consul at Bati-
more
| year after this, Immediately on the creation of
| tie Imperial government, NJ. Jerome Bonaparte
fOund himsalf cd fn aVjSi TTa
started for Lisbon, leaving with his wife note in
| pencil, inviting her to 60 to Amsterdam and wait
for him there. The letter follows:
| ITO Madame j. Bonaparte.
"LIsBoN, pril 5th 1S05-At last here we are on our
| way my good wife. Danish from your mind all dark
presentments Have confidence in your husband; the
greatest misfortune that befa is to live quietly in
foreign land. When together not certain
to be happy? There several things that forbid you
to do l. DO not weep for tears do good and may do
you great harm Do not receive return visits and
always keep with you either Mrs Anderson the Doctor,
or William See all that there is to see because people
look foolish when they leave country without knowing
its curiosties. embrace you as love you, and you
know that love you always.
A second letter was addressed to Mme Bona
parte, at Amsterdam, under the assumed name of
Nine. Albert. 1t was dated April 15th 1905.
NJ. Berryer stated that he would not read to the
| Court all the letters that he had published in his
memorial. All these letters, or most of them, are
originals. Mr.. Bonaparte's prudence prevented
him from sending more than one at time. Some
of them are still on the way. They show that
| Prince Jerome did not cease to regard and treat
as his lawful wife her whom the First Consul, and
afterwards the Emperor, had qualified only a
mistress or concubine.
If this view had been the true one, then the child
that was born to this noble woman in London, Ju-
| ly 7th, 1905, would have been a bastard. Now
here is the certificate of birth of the alleged bas-
taTd.
Here follows the certificate which need not be
Madame Bonaparte Patterson would never have
accepted this unworthy position of mistress and
cOncubne, as they wished her to do. If she ac-
cepted, at the time of her divorce, the pension of
60 900 francs given her by the Emperor she did it
| only on the formal recommendation of her husband
! He wrote follows:
SIN word my dear, this is what your husband com
mands, or rather desires. You must have patience.
Above ALL you must not refuse what the Emperor has
sent you 1t is mark of Kindness and you should
yourself and child. IT, ten months hence you are
not sent for go back to America take your house and
live in all respects you did before shall send you
many things that it will be necessary to keep sece and
never let anybody except your mother, know what
write to Keep your establishment just if you
expected me- but intimate such thing anybody
you understand. Eliza, to anybody You would ruin
| me irrevocably Have confidence in your husband Be
assured that he breathes he thinks he labors but for
you Yes for you alone and for child You two
the objects of all care, all my anxiety, all my afec-
ton. You all that love in the world, and for you
and my child would give my life. Let know
that you hear from Write to the Emperor and the
Empress the two letters that send for you copy Sign
them Eliza Especially Eliza be careful to let this
to be your own action; if it were known that told you
to do it, should be ruined Above ALL be prudent avoid
excitement, and bear in mind that every word you say
against the Emperor if you say anything-may be re-
ported. have enemies. and the Emperor is so good a
father that there is everything to hope from his heart
81 embrace you thousand times; love you than
aad take not STEP say not word do not do
one single action that is not for my wife.
GSignedl 81. B."
There, said NJ. Berger, is what people have not
blushed to call compact. She was so far from ac-
cepting it, that all the receipts she gave (aEd the
other side have them all in their hands) signed
elizabeth Bonaparte," and the condition exacted
by the Emperor was exactly that she should not
take his name
Married to the daughter of the EIector of Wur.
temberg, King of Westphalia, NJ. jerome Bona
parte continued his correspondence with his first
wife, showing her the same respect and affection.
am mistaken His Majesty the King of Westpha-
liza, offered to let her come to Europe, within two
leagues of Cassel, with their son. princely title
and 200,0 900 livres of income. Nine. Bonaparte did
not condescend to reply, and wrote to the Empe-
ror, to place her son under his protection.
In January, 1Sl3 Nine. BCnaparte obtained a
divorce from the Senate of the United States, and
from that day resumed the name of Patterson.
But if she gave it up, her son has not ceased to
bear it. Never was possession of civil condition
more firmly established. 1t was recognized by the
correspondence of all the members of the Imperial
family.
Moreover, there was for long time in the family
a question of marrying him to daught of the
eX- King Joseph, the Princess Charlotte.
In recapitulating the facts of the case, stated
in the memorial, NJ. Berryer dwelt at great length
upon the recognition of NJ. Bonaparte by all the
imperial family during long series of years as
their relation. He exposed the hagrant contradic-
tion of the imperial proceedings in pretending to
| Judge by "familv counciP'-a special tribunal
which confessedly had no jurisdiction, except over
members of the imperial family-that NJ. Bonaparte
} was no member of it. He labored at great length
to show that the marriage in question, although
objected to at the time by the French charge
d'affaires, not "candestine," made Sin fraud
of the French laws" that it on y voidabe for
want of proper publications and the maternal con-
sent that no legal step was ever taken to set the
marriage aside, and that the first Napoleon's des
perate attempts to treat the marriage as void-hi:
repeated DEGREES, containing implied admissions
that all his former acts against the marriage bad
been ineffcacious-his correspondence with the
Pope, who refused to annul the marriage-and hi;
rejection of the legal opinion of the Arch Chancellor
Cambaceres, whose advice he asked; all showed the
knowledge of Napoleon l. that nothing but judi
cial decision-which it too late to ask fol
could set the marriage aside. He concluded by
expressing his belief that the judgment of the court
l would confirm him in that respect for the bench
which be had cherished through long life.
NJ. Alou-a fluent and very good speaker, and
first rate advocate, although comparatively little
known-opened the case for Prince Napoleon. HI
was bold enough to say that the eloquent advocate
opposed to him had very little hopes of winning
his cause. The case was over!aid with romance
which, from the lapse of time difficult to reute
While speaking most respectfully of Miss Patterson
and her family he could not help saying the facts
of the case bore out the statement to be found IN
history, that she had said-"lf can be his wife but
for an hour will run the risk - She knew of the