New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-04-24


than he appears here seen as it were through re-
versed operagass. These pages read as though they
the original studies of one of Balzacs novels.
They contain orders" for building wall, COIL
structing kitchen sewer, and the like in exactly
the same clear sharp. rapid STYLE and of the same
tone and model though they were issued from the
Tuileres and applied to the public works of great
Empire. Next to his military genius comes Ma
poeons morbidly developed administrative TALENT
have room for only few extracts: =" On Tuesday
shall hold council to regulate the Budget OIL the
Island 1t will be composed of you, OF the steward,
and the treasurer Wednesday we shall
hold tho Council of the Household There
will be yourself and the treasurer"
You can allow to Pinosa five confines for
the expenses of army bread-making, with
tho condition that they shall be paid to
him always for not less than 80 ratons 80 ratiOn at
centimes makes francs so centimes. He does
not need to heat the oven oftener than once every
four days. and the wood is on the spot 1t is only
requisite then to fee the man who brings the wood
every four days and to have woman to make the
bread, who, being employed only every fourth day.
will be able 10 do some other work. -" Monsieur
10 COmte dc Bertrand, my purpose is to appoint tho
Mayor of Porto Lougone COmmandant Of my palace
at Porto Lougone He will perform the functions OF
Commandant of Concierge. Of Conservatory OF the
Garie Meuble and Of Inspector of the Gardens He
will be allowed a salary Of COO francs" Apropos OF
eight sun shades for the windows of the saloon OF
the Princess Pauline, the report says: Tho linen
was furnished by the Princess the additional ex-
pense amounts to c. francs 80 confines" Whereupon
the Emperor annotates; mot having ordered
this expenditure which does not appear in the
Budget it will be paid by the Princess" A note
regulating the six balls to be given during carnival
thraa nj tha noia in fhpater-has
touches of we-nigh sublime bathos; The inyi-
tations must be extended to all the island without
however, there being more than 200 guests. They
Will be for o'clock. There will be refreshments
without kes, seeing the difficulty of procuring them
There will be buffet that will BIO served at mid
night 1t is not necessary that all that should cost
more than 600 francs" Malicious French folks Of
the political opposition inclined to sneer at these
minutie of the Great Maniacal Administrator, and
compare his Elban Empire 10 Baratraria. Seeing
the loose way in which their National and Parlsan
finances have been managed OF late years they might
rather wish for something of the like spirit in the
conductors of their affairs-as certain other people
night wish in their Secretary Of the Treasury and
his subordinates.
But while all this little play was carried on as
strictly and seriously as the solemnest of work,
Napoleon was planning his flight. On the evening
of the Goth Of February date of the last letter in this
volume), while one of those infinitely ordered balls
was just opening, the eagle took wing from Porto
Ferrajo for Paris. Waterloo, ST. Helena.
No correspondence, beyond some unimportant
matters openly referring to his plans OF escape and
moro throwing light his more or less frank
acceptance Of that curious plot for seating him on an
Italian throne, appear in print here. The avowed
principle Of the Imperial Commission that now edits
tho Correspondence is to publish only such docu-
ments as Napoleon himself would send to press were
he now in the editorial line" Seeing that II is an
Imperial Commission there smoothing to surprise, how
over much 10 regret in therestabshnent OF this law
of their editorial action. OF course IL rules out mass
Of original documents which would be rs instructive
10 the rest Of us as unentetanng to his actual maj
esty What we have TO be almost hateful to him for
beside ordering the publication at all. and procur
ing facilities for its partial completeness, that no
private individual could commands, that he lets
this Ia be so literally construed For not only does
this great collection open new and strangely rich
mine of easy working for those who purely seek the
pure ore Of historical TRUTH but partisans and do
draw from it material for their most effective wea-
pons Of attack upon NapoleOnsm in general, and on
its reigning family representative in particular.
At first glance this has pretty fancfu look to the
eagle mortay wounded by the arrow feathered from
his own plumage. And certainly this publication
has contributed notably to that decadence of the
Legendary Napoleon, one of the striking and
comforting phenomena of the present day, to which
attention has more than once been called OF late in
this correspondence. But that Napoleon was already
diving away from other mortal causcs-from the spirit
of the new time Of which, in this respect the truly
historical novels of Messrs Erckmann and Chatrian
are among the most eminent literary and popular in
dices and promoters Napoleon III was aware of this
And it may prove creditablo to his shrewdness as
to his still qualified but commendable frankness that
he should voluntarily forward to substitute for
"a fantastic image whose ruin he corld not stay the
principle elements for constructing real likeness of
the original Being himself a sensible man, and
having real respect for the chief of his dynasty he
probably has not the sort Of superstitious fear
which aflliets revolutionary grandchildren, that
really great fame is not strong enough to bear the
light of history. --1t
GREENWOOD