The Shasta courier., 1862-11-01
Louis Napoleon.

The present Emperor Of France was h,rn
in the place of the Tuileries in Paris, the 10Th
of April. 1908. Josephine, his youthful
grandmother. was present with her daughter
Iortense. the mother of the babe, on the oc-
casion The young prince became a great
favorite of Josephine, and, and in her lev IS
she frequently alludes to his repart.-es and
his development of amiability and of talent
Upon the fall Of Napoleon, and the restoration
ofthe Boprbons, the Bonapartes were all ex-
lied from France. Hortense in possession of
au ample fortune. retired to castle in Switz-
erland, with Louis Napoleon and another son.
then her only children. She was beautiful,
highly accomplished and brilliant woman,
universally admired. Distinguished guests,
from all parts of Europe, enjoyed the elegant
hospitality of her castle; and her two sons re-
ceived all the advantages of education which
wealth could confer.
The youth of Louis Napoleon was thus
passed, with his brother, in the retirement Of
the vallies of Switzerland, with daily devo-
ton to thorough study, and in habitual inter
course with the most polished European soci-
ETY.. They took occasional journeys with
their mother, and wherever they appeared,
their rank and the antecedents Of their family
tastes of Louis Napoleon, and the anticipation
Hs isd fhs 1sssss wA'sa asSss aRae sdisis
! les scientific and military, and to historicxf
reading. In all these branches he became
an accomplished scholar.
| As youth passed into early manhood, both
of the young men chafed in view of their lives
of nglorious inaction. In 1881 there were
revolutionary movements in Italy, and the
popular party made efforts to throw off the
| yoke of Austrian domination. Eagerly the
| two young princes rushed to the banner of
| equal rights for all, beneath which their un
Gle, the great Napoleon, had marched to such
signal victories. Curiously, Napoleon was
both their uncle and grandfather. He was
the brother of their father and the husband
of their grandmother.
The Italian insurrection was unsuccessful
The disciplined legends of Austria dis persed
the patriots, after few bloody battles, shoot
ing down mercilessly the fugitves, and hang
ing the captives. The brother of Louis Ma
polcon, exhausted by the fatigues of the field,
and chagrincd by discontinue, sickened and
died in his brothers arms. Louis Napoleon
was crushed by wc, nearly surrounded by the
enemy, anticipating speedy death, and al
most hoping for it, when his heroic mother,
| frantic with anguish, appeared, and, with
the utmost difficulty succeeded in extrica-
| ting him from the midst Of the exasperated
Austrian army. Fearing that she could no
longer be safe on the continent of Europe, the
Bourbons of France and the Hapsburg of
Germany watching her with envenomed
| glance, she, heart stricken women, with
her sorrowing son, sought refuge in England.
| After a few years residence there, as matters
became quiet on the continent, she returned
| to her beautiful and secluded home in Swift
erland. For five years Louis Napoleon, a
thoughtful, pensive young man, alone with
his mother, devoted himself to untiring stu
| dy in the retirement of their Swiss castle,
and yet fretting at the obscurity in which his
years were gliding away. Though modest
and unassuming man, he was conscious that
God had endowed him with abilities capable
Of coping with the most august affairs. He
deemed himself, ana was 30 reg ,rded by 9th
ers, the legal heir of that empire, Which Athss
popular vat. Of Essscn;e had
wrotsssvy .....s... -.
itary affairs, which gave him ple.sslo'. e
In 1886, he visited the baths of Baden.
There he learned from many Er nch gentle
men, that France, weary of the aristocIatic
sway of the Bourbons, would rise almost as
one man to welcome the restoration ofthe re
publican empire. A plgn was formed TO en-
ter France by Strasburg, rally the troops
there by the talismanic name of Napoleon,
and march upon Paris. g There is but one
step from the sublime to the ridiculous
The plan was sublime. 1t came very near
the most triumphant success. A few unto
ward circumstances caused it to fail, and it
became ridiculous. He was taken prisoner.
Louis Philippe generously spared his life, and
sent him, by a French frigate, an exile to
New York. While in New York he conduct
| ed himself in manner worthy of his charac
ter and his illustrious rank. He was quiet,
unobtrusive, gentlemanly man, of pensve
temperament, retiring in his tastes, and seek
ing only the society of few congenial
friends The stories to the contrary which
have been SO widely circulated are gross
ISLANDERS, utterly devoid of foundation, In
June, 1887, he left New York to hasten to
Switzerland, to see his revered mother, who
was then on her dying bed. The letters
which had passed between this mother and
son, are highly honorable to them both, de.
veloping the most tender affection and the
purest moral feelings. He found his mother
barely alive, and for few weeks nursed her
with the most loving care, until he closed her
eyes in death. In extreme detection, he re
mained a few months in his desolate home
The. French government, jealous of his pres
ence so near, ordered the Swiss to send him
out of their domains Again he repaired to
England. His income was ample, his asso-
Citations were with men of the highest rank,
but life of disappointment had become al
most a burden.
For two years he remained in London. AT
this time he published his celebrated book,
"Napoieonic IDEAS" He invariably rose at
6 and remained in his stddy till II o'clock.
He then breakfasted and read the morning
papers. taking notes of all that interested
him. At-2-e'elsA..-4e>r received visiteFansx
4, rode out on horseback or in his carriage !;
at I, dined. the evenings were devoted to
the social and intellectual entertainments of
the metropolis.
In 1910 the remains of Napoleon were
brought from St. Helena. France was in
such state of enthusiasm as no nation never
exhibited before. Louis Napoleon again
made an attempt, at Boulogne, to reestablish
the empire He failed, was taken prisoner,
and consigned to the castle at Ham for life.
Here he remained in dreary captivity for six
years. In May, 1876, he escaped in the garb
of a workman and regained London. There
he resided until February. 1913, when there
was a new revolution in France, and Louis