Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-05-09
Birth Place of the Bsnapartes

The Hon. S. c. Cox, though a mem
Der of Congress elect, from New York,
is IN bad health and travelling in Eu-
rope under advice of his physician. Late
letters have been published in the New
York World, dated IN Corisea, giving
charming descriptions Of the scenery
and objects Of interest in that renowned
island. We abstract the following:
Ajaeeio would not be accounted much
except for its bay and healthy situation,
were it not the birthplace of the most
remarkable man of the past thousand
years. 1t has fine gallery of paintings,
bnt that is a gift Of one Of the Napole
onic connections, Cardinal Fesch. 1t
has beautiful marble chapel, but that
is mausoleum of the Napoleon family.
1t has an old cathedral, where Madam
Letitia was accuatomed to take the
young Bonaparte to mass. 1t has some
fine villas but chief among them, which
we visited, was that of the Countess
Bacciochi (still Bonaparte,) which that
lady, Just dead, has left to the young
Prince Imperial. All the streets bear
Napoleonie names.s Q The cafes, also, are
named after Jerome, or some others of
the family. But chief among the
souvenirs of the great family. is the
house where Napoleon was born. 1t is
situated next door to a hatter's. /
looked in upon the halter at his work
looked through the grated windows of
his shop, and there, unconscious of his
ennobling proximity, he was beating
away at his trade. The house where
the princes of the earth first drew breath
is next door to a hatter's We shall
all meet at the hatter's, saith the
homely proverb. But let me be more
precise:
Passing up narrow street in the
heart of the town, you come upon the
Place Letitia; thence upon a little open
spot, ornamented with tropical palms,
shrubs and flowers. This plot was
opened by the mother of Napoleon, by
tearing down house in front of her
own. She used the house on one side
of the plot as a stable and couch house.
My halter is opposite. The woman who
showed us the premises was formerly
waiting woman Of Caroline Murat. She
lives in the old stable opposite my hat
ter, which is neatly fitted up. Upon the
front of the BonapartSmansion there is
an inscription, that within this house
Napoleon was born. The house is large
-four stories-stone, evidently one Of
the best of its day. 1t is badly excelled
even yet in Ajaecio. 1t shows that the
family were well to do in the world. In
fact, Madame Letitia' family (the Ramo
linis) were rich, and had, many estates
upon the island. When she died, she
bequeathed most of her furniture to the
members of her family. The present
Emperor has collected most of the
articles and replaced them in the house.
Our conductress told US what each object
meant. and whose room this and that
was. The second floor was the Madame
bed chamber, dining room, salons, etc,
quite commodiOus. The floor above it
was devoted to the sons. Here was
Napoleon's room and his bureau. The
floor above that for the boys was that
occupied by the daughters. There was
a very small terrace looking out from
the reception room, with flowers in pots
all in bloom.
This reception room contained five
little square mirrors, as high as your
head, running down each side and three
other mirrors near them, and one grand
mirror at either end of the room. In
fact we counted some fifteen mirrors in
in this room. The Napoleons were well
provided with looking glasses. We can
not say as much for any Of the other
houses we have seen. What effect these
mirrors had upon the young Napoleon,
| leave with other reflections to the
reader. Two brackets for wax tapers
hung below each little mirror The
ceiling was ribbed. 1t had been newly
plastered, with some little effort at
frescoes The mothers portrait, very
finely executed, hung over her dressing
table. 1t presents her as a splendid
woman The cabinets were inlaid with
every clored marble, and very antique;
some rare ohjeets sent BY Napoleon
from Egypt were seen. But the chief
attraction was the bed on which Napo-
leon was born. 1t was a wooden, rickety
affair near by it was the sedon chair Of
the Madame. 1t was well known-Yell,
vail put it-poGtely-in French-that
Madame Letizia surprise Feglise par
les doaleurs de I enhancement Jc 10 Aout,
1869 rapporte son domiciie In this
very sedan, the mother of our great
Emperor was borne from the church,
| and on this very couch the little corporal
first drew his breath. From this bed to
ST. Helena; from the capital to the
Tarpeian Rock Fill up the gap
Arcoli, Austerlitz, Waterloo Here in
this house, he passed his time playing at
soldiers with his fellows, and mourning
because he had no moustache--till at
the age of fifteen, he entered the military
school at Brienne. He returned home
for vacations, and mixing his young
ambition with the daily round of boy
hood pleasures and walks, be at the
same time imbibed from the peculiar
characteristics of the Corsicans their
feuds and feelings, which his grand,
gloomy and marvellous after-life illustra-
ted.
Just above us-where l write-we
are pointed out a grotto made by the
powders, and surrounded with foliage
and musical with birds, as the favorite
study spot of the young Napoleon. The
! spot commands beautiful view of the
bay and the snow-clad mountains around.
From it can be seen, upon clear day,
the Island Of Sardinia. Gardens Of
oranges, from which we are permitted
to pluck at pleasure, cover the slopes
near by. Hedges of cactus-cactus
piled on cactus-the famous maeehie, 50
sweetly scented the arbutus, the myrtle,
the olive, and every kind of color of
tree and flower here grow in the air of
winter 1t was within the circle of such
Influences of SIM sky. land and water.