The New York herald., 1874-08-03
LITE r A T U r z.
JerrOld's Life of the Third
Napoleon.
GLIMPSE, OF THE B0NAPARTRS,

,are Fmperor Napoleon ILL., Mr., Jerrold came TO
the work with singular ADVANTAGES His long
residence in Paris had familiarzed him with al,
that is best worth knowing concerning French
politics ana personalities and the social and mate
RAJ life OF the people. HIS long experience gave the
requisite facility and skill dealing with authori-
ties far more than most Englishmen Mr.. Jerrold
had the preliminary traiAlng 10 qualify him TO
write a good life or Napoleon III. But his
GROWING advantage mas been in the free use
OF all the available original papers Of the late
Emperor, which his widow, Eugenie freely
communicated Tor the purpose. These were Of
great extent and Of ioestimable value. Beginning
to write az the early age OF SIX years, Pripce
Louis Napoleon continued through lie TO make
profuse and constant use OF the pen. his letters,
journals and fragments OF autobiography l!umi-
mated every part OF his checkered and romantic
career Through life he had been In the habit or
spo,llng more paper, perhaps than any monarch
of modern times. He was slnguiarly careful as to
what got INTO the press concerning him and his
1amily When the ''NOuvee Geographic Generae,n
edited by Dr. Hoeier. reached the letter n, that
volume (the thirty-seventhJ was held back from
the subscribers for many months while all the
numerous branches OF the 'sMaison Napoleonn
should be carefully written up and revised.
Gifted as he with all the advantages tor such a
work, Mr.. Blanchard Jerrod in this FIRST install
ment Of 1t displays no marked literary skill. His
style is clear and agreeable rather than fascinat-
ing He is plainly not to be ranked among the
masters OF historical composition. We are in.
clined 10 think that his forte hes in descriptive
writing and we cite as one OF the best examples
oil the style OF the work the following sketch of
lie at Mamaison, where Hortense, the mother of
Napoleon ILL, lived so happily with the afterwards
unhappy Jose phlne IN the days that preceded the
First Empre:-
Ma N Iasf y1O inv, Aiota
after Marengo. In the peace which followed TINS
great battle Napoleon spent many domestic days
at ms sans Soucl which had grown in beauty and
completeness year by year, and was now perfect
full OF surprises and Contrasts OF laughing gardens
and SOBER parklands, with artfully adjusted
streams murmuring where artists skill had
bid them 1ow. IL was, perhaps, Nature dressed In
rlbandS, Watteau's rustlclty; out there was un-
touched nature, too and he who chafed amid the
formal parterres could wander to the WOOD be-
yond.
The special charms that Josephine gave to her
little kingdom, her daughter Hortense after
wards impaired to her married home sad
Leu. Josephines gardens and grounds became
Justly famous for their striking variety and
Tor The matchess collections oil trees, shrubs and
mowers tnat sne got together Napoieons repre-
sentatives abroad, and Napoleon himself always
bore in mind Josephine's passion for flowers and
gladdened her with fresh iavorites from every
cline. CLINE. she peopled her little realm with buds.
France. AS IN her salons she brought the men OF
the Old time and the men OF the new time together,
30 ON IN her grounds sne MINGLED the stiffness OF the
ness OF nature which the French call the English
garden.
Everywhere appeared the voluptuous taste OF
the daughter OF Martinique and OF Paris whose
dreams were OF the gorgeous nature in which her
better than her jewels.
With the chateau the same glowing spirit
regned. 1t was approached under tented portal.
Two obelisks in red marble, covered with hero
gypns from hcheheu's chateau in Poitou, had
working room was tented as ne chambers OF un-
happy Hortense were at Arenenberg many years
rooms were all suite. But the private house of
Napoleon and Josephine and their children was
apart shut of and lying away rom the gay COM
pany oil the chateau. This was the home within
home
We may linger over the few happy years OF girl.
hood which Hortense de Beauharnais spent at
Malmaison, because they the only thoroughly
bright passages in her life. We see her here, amid
her stepathers dazzling company, at her best.
simple, bright-witted, accomplished girl, just
tinged with the tender melancholy cast over her
by the misfortunes OF her childhood, but full OF
Jnusiasm and delighted to escape from the mono
tonous simplicities at Nine. Campan's seminary at
St Germain she bewlched many of the soldiers
whose eyes fell upon her, IN ner plain white rock,
rs she sat by the stately and gracious Josephine.
The spirit OF the book rf it may be judged as a.
whole from this first instalment is that OF en-
thusiastic admiration for its hero. The work will
doubtless be something than mere pane
gyric OF Napoleon Ill. its facts and documents
furnish information OF value not. to be over
looked but that it is panegyric in substance no
attentive reader OF this first volume Will deny
We cannot look TO Mr.. Jerrod TO DO epic justice TO
the career OF the Emperor who did so much to
destroy the liberties OF his country, and whose
ambition left 1t, az hts final departure from power
such a crushing legacy OF debt and dshonor.
This first volume OF Mr.. Jerrold's life brings
down the career OF Prince Louis Napoleon to his
exile in America after the failure OF the ridiculous
attempt at revolution at StrasDourg We will not
dwell on Its occasional fusome details OF the in
nj Z hn
Prince. Mr.. Jerrold thinks he was great original
genius from the cradle, and in this theory Mr.
Jerrold s at issue with the common opinion of the
world. The lact Is, young Louis borrows lustre in
those early days from his brilliant and beautiful
manners, as well as from the poetic surroundings
winch Mr.. Jerrold Is careful to set OF in his best
descriptive style. Here is DIT of description OF
the lie of the queen of Holland at ST. Leu, when
her husband, Louis Bonaparte. was King or the
Dutch.
SAD as her marriage had been Hortense set to
MQIE gayly enough TO make her house q second
MNLnalson. The ancient seat OF the De Montmo-
reUcies was trcked out In splen1id holiday attire
Egdttte's somore chateau became ladyis dainty |
palace. The gardens soon bazed with nowers, |
which Hortense loved with all her mothers lnten.
sty; river was led 10 wind through shady groves:
noble orangery arose; pineappes ripened in a |
and shade met the courtiers and senators IN their
wnSs; the Deausliai Greoemmslress OF the
@ voe Dofne s5 cAsF Sy in Dc,1T an
esque basque carriers, capped with the |
beTst and gay with natural colors, TO rho |
riverside. The prodglous chdr-a-banc swept past
along the groves, carrying chatterlng maids OF I
nOnor and holiday making Observation-Disclosures
Napoleon himself In the midst-on the way to the
Chateau de la Chasse, TO Ecouen, OF which Nine
Campan was now directress, or TO Montmorency
st. Leu was radiant place while Hortense
lived there, Immediately after her marriage. The
som5re character OF the master OF st. Leu had
not yet made itself ielt. The duh, heavy lonely
days TO come when the hght-hearted chate-
lame would weep Ia solitude with her children.
The first year oil marrage was not an unhappy
one Hortense gave birth to her first child Octo-
Der 10, 1902 And at the time, she ana Louis ap-
pear to have been on a1ectionate or at any rate
friendly terms; for Nine. Campau writes 10 con-
gratulate her on the grace and senslbuity WHO
Louis had shown on the occasion.
We pass over the long account OF the future EN-
perors cnildhood-how. born in Paris, IN 1905
the baby was so weak that his tenure OF lie had