New-York tribune., 1870-08-11
THE EMPEROR.
HIS HEALTH AND HIS CHARACTER-WHY HE HAS
FAILED,

ia Young and has hold the affections Of the people,
nor any power which 10 lean in attempting success
son and should the Emperor die the factions which
opposed him long In secret would leap forth to oppose
his name and heir openly Therefore every word III re-
gard to the ailments of Napoleon has been read with
interest and the least nmaton Of any serious attack
has affected TO greater less extent the financial and
political equilibrium of the world.
And again in the hour OF his defeat the report comes
that he has had another attack OF his od com
plant; that Drs. NeatOn and Rcord are win hln ana
that ply sican has attended him secretly since he LETT
Paris under pretense Of having charge Of the ambulance
corps.
His disease has been carefully studied by the best
talent of Paris and the idea of rheumatic affection is
no longer entertained. 1t is agreed that the malady Is
dstentOn OF the PROSTATE gland and yarcose sWeng
or fungus of the bladder. This disorder only shows lteI
at intervals increases with and Is aggravated ny
moral and atmospheric causes The consequences OF
the disease very grave thus all diseases OF the
genitournary organs--the stone perhaps excepted
attack the brain; that is to say, they Affect
the moral and intellectual faculties Inc temper OF the
patient becomes sOmber, suspicious, peevsh puslhan
nous; and things appear under sinister aspect;
the will becomes weak and subject to the most CONTRA
dctory changes; project formed is Immediately apan-
doned for another any more durable; decision Is
hardly ever finally and frankly made; there are always
mental reservations cunning replaces boldness fever
sh irritation takes the place Of camness, the re Pro
portions objects and events exaggerated ana one
is always ready to employ against reed the fofce
necessary to uproot oak So closely does his recent
department bear out this comparison that me LodoH
Times intimates that he IL insane.
The mother OF Napoleon Ill, Hortense de Beauhar-
nais died OF an internal cancer, and from her the
Emperor received this sad heritage. She was OF
lymphatico-nervous temperament, and If well
known that this temperament becomes the source OF
serious maladies especially when excesses OF various
anfI 20 anfea he
tuition The physical suerings of the Emperor date from
an early period Before the coup detat Of 81, they had
assumed an alarming character and had taken the form
Of fits, less violent of scatcal neuralgia whose
origin was attributed without cause TO irritation OF
the spine. Rumors circulated among the more intimate
personal attendants and friends Of Prince Louis that
these attacks manifested themselves sometimes in
manner TO cause the greatest uneasiness, leaving
general prosraon of the nervous system as the result
After the coup deat these indications became still more
painful, and in 1852, the occasion OF the visit OF
Napoleon TO the Grand Duchess OF Baden, during the
night which preceded review, he was seized WIN
neuralgic attack which rendered Impossible the
least movement OF his limbs, and would neces-
sarily have prevented his appearance at the
review. Not wishing TO disturb any one in the
palace nor to miss the review, not even desr
ing TO inform attendants of his suerngs, he deter
mined to them without extraneous help Against
these attacks he had often employed with success
blister and running cauterizauOn along tue line OF the
affected nerve. He prepared blister In the follow
ing fashion He lighted candle, and applied the
burning fame all along the suffering nerve, sparng him
self so little that al several places the flesh painfully
burned The remedy had the desired result, and the
next day, notwithstanding the pain from the burns, he
mounted his horse and took part in the review. But
time arrived when bisers, cauerizatons, and other
remedies united produced longer any effect. Their
action failed before the force and progress Of the NAL
brdr, tbv tried he
ment succeeded for some time, and delivered the
patient from % dyspepsia which had come to com
plicate affairs. This relative good health continued
ND TO 1860 Until then apprecabe trace OF disease re-
yeaed itself in the gentournary organs beyond the
fact that they torpid and required sometimes TO be
artdcally excited. But in 1850 symptoms appeared
and concentrated themselves principally on this point
Some physicians feared the development Of diabetes
Others the the gravel AT this stage the Illus
trous sufferer sent TO drink the waters OF Nichy
serious retention OF urine seized him. but succumbed
10 numerous operations. Violent hemorrhages nearly
always followed these operations, and manifested them
selves often even without apparent cause. These at
tacks greatly enfeebed the EmperOrs constitutions the
operations sometimes followed by syncope and
urethra fever declared itself aud gave way only under
arsenical treatment.
Eoucstrian exercise OF course seriously agrvates his
sickness and has beeen strictly ordered by hs phys
clans not to mount horse month or two ago he dis
Obeycd TINS injunction ana dctudlil to tht
from pain He have ridden to the field OF Saar
bruck and il is perhaps to what did that day, well
ss to the subsequent disasters, that must attribute
his present attack.
The mismanagement, however, OF the opening cam
paign while 1t s probably attributable in part to the
Emperors ia also due in part TO feature OF his
character which has been distinctly exhibited III many
OF the great Of his hfe With his bold and unscru
puous ambition and his passion for being con
spicuous he combines naturally resoute and Sayer-
ing disposition, he lacks presence Of mind and IN the
face Of great danger he doubts how TO act until action
ia too late. Mr. Kingake is bitter, possibly preJu
diced adversary the French Emperor. but there is
great truth his description OF this Pc
culiarity Of Napoleon's character. Just as
the indolent man becomes clever In framing
excuses for his delays Prince Louis, because he
s often hesitatlng between the right and the left be-
came highly skilled In contriying-nOt merely ambiguous
phrases bu-ambi schemes OF action" He showed
this In his two aborvc attempts 20 start revolution, at
strasbourg and at BOulogne and he showed 1t at the
cr.s OF his coup tfdi 1851 when che whole enterprise
would have fallen through bt for the resolution OF his
bolder associatesFleury, Persigny, and st. Araaud
After the OF the principal generals and the disper
sal Of tae Assembly NJ oi@on rode In sort OF triumph
tlroug some the Par, His reception was
chiIilp almost scotnf. Wet iolioGs~i tell in the
Ian gu. &c Of Mr.. Kinglase:
It Sc ms that aft, meeting Ls check, his sff sf
fered collapse Or again, though not so hcpe -sy ~
pt strasbOurg and Boulsgne, he had encounter .s
shock Of the re word And again. ~ boiSfi 70 hsnSed
feed hun NO 10 strange that he shOhlu nc ia
and despondin. Obeying his old propehsv, no rsst
prepared aud appointed for the ARsterbtz day an
scenic greeting between himself ON the one nahu om
the other a mighty nation When, leaving lhc ,o ha
where all this had been contryed anu ~. n,rs.t a'ter
out into the free air. and rode tnvuf maj Paris
street 1t became every minute more certain eIA.