, 1876-09-16

fETh1l. llc HhH NOT Simply uMDoifAl k}}lf1t
!nenrfatc. There were AD1ns human tnhiIHcts
In his nature tlat linkct! him With tr spcelts 10
wIltrll Ills mother lrlongcd.
hut N. Lanfrcy, IN thcexccss Of Ills ni,|osrtncc,
denies Napoleon every attribute that ricratcs
nlaHhFml ai'ove tlsu devil TT tIG br,,tc. 7rur, IN
cold nl tfIary wnrls, lie alInI.s tl,r genius of
tile great military fcadcr On oernetOnB when IL
flas achieved o vlctnry tho brilliant nnl anlnxng
to te t1ecricd; get, In everything c'se o depicts
tho man rs prodigy Of vice n.,t1 raaeaity. The
portrait fs too v'la!nous to he accepted. 1t
offcnds almost equally with those In which
Napoleon Is painted as IN angel Of light. It's
power must he acknowledged, but its want of
nnaloycd truth liaquicts confidence. Never
thctcss It Is instrlitiyc to contemplate Studied
n comparison u1'l enntrast With the !ug.
5apfs Ipeo *i,is a wel nTs lave ~ is p opRSss s}2s
ntuento In misleading the wurId's lulg-
aetcr, this history Of NJ Lanfrgy's ntrunls lin
p1rtaut assistanca toiYArt Just and rational
conception u tho lcrsonagc who lcapeL, by n
auccesslpn Ut astounding tnaneuy1os, FROM a
Captninry IN tle French army to the dictator
slip of Europe; md win, by ns surprising
series of infatuated movements, fell from bis
IT gives foreiblc, authoritative rcl'ltngs of the
crowded n',d complicated events tIlat composed
the tnoHt startling and 1az2lng rarcer that hAs
been run IN tic coltTsc of lnAi.y centuries; and,
were It hut more temperate IN spirit, uccnrttlg
With the judicial calmEless demanded Of the his
torian, It's Effect would bc, IN II great degree,
convincing.
1'u!tusll md: Eytan, IN letk' md t5os, to the
unIon Of flnliaId with the Empire, in l3l0. In
these few pregnant years were cm sirace' thc
invasion of Portugal, TIM lrtllrnnrnicnt Of t!lc
suppression Of 'tl!c Tribuua.e, tie sesonsi cal,-
ture Of Ftctllla, the removal Of popr Plus VII.
fron 1snlnc, the tliyorcc frntn ,!nsephine, anil
The marriage with Marie lnlttsc. Tie attention
0f thu writer Is txeh almost exclusively Mpnn
the military a1it1 political movements of TIT:
E.nperor,-tllc a!rairs uf tho Court and nf the
people Of France, and The urivatr life u MI
poleon, being f'asscd-by III sl'tilec or With the
bahlcst alustOns.
Sill, despite the faults aud omissions which
actract from Its mgrlt anl It's SUCCESS III prtt-
dueDg conviction. tic narrative Ia fascinating.
1t Is recltcl with intense feeling anu Will, ,sel,
Oratoricnl skill, HNl Garrlcs tho Interest al0ng
tice to The a,itn1r, that he prcsctsa fornsi,!a-
bic array Of evitlcilrrs, cited principally frn the
correspondence Of Napoleon, to support his rig
orol,s verdict upon the EmpeFur's. public aets.
A Single sketch Ut tic person aHd manners Of
volume; and for Its inherent Interest, ns also
for the exhibition It glvca Of the style Of the
author, It fs put before orr rcat!ers IT, Is taken
when Napolen was at the ne 81 $s, n nni oes''rs
Alexander and Napulcon fur the first time met
TO settle ,le!!nitlvcly their mutual relations:
When night CAME writes n. Lanfrcyl the two
EMpeforr shut thcmsclves up to sFcat Of their af.
this familiarity with the l.etu af ,nany terrible
exploits. Ths .osetcsn, who was only ~ yenEs
~ as o w e
Hers Of gentleman of thu entl of the eighteenth
century syIs that has .lnec .lisappsassd. .Lln
to degree that will prsln1x never bc fund again.
IL thts pcrtect cnu1tcay Of manners ant. nnsnnge.
lie juincd tho careless grtctn1nc-s OF the Eattern
natIune, the almost feminine refinement aud 1ext
bil!ty which y!.t ru Rrent cllarn, 10 tho Slave
Character. Nuthtng ceftliuiy conll furm more
s1sts eonrst to SnnIfon 1t th, retoa ~
at the tIme Of his debut, lie, now that he had M
longer to Impose any Festralt upon himself tp"ke
tic .ns,st Decided a,Id als.oiutc opinions viii ex.
tremc vpuhilty. and witt. MI cloqnenee which he
.ht created fur hnisef That was ful! Of ialnslna.
and tncolerent. Sonc knew batter tlau he l,uw
10 be hy turns latser!a2 an,l Inperons. intinuat-
SE 99 hsuS1y M " o s ~
pletrly, Asn nun accustomed to Aaz:le, o hublrr.
10 b. always acsss. ilc consequently cnsily be-
and vulgar whcn .he wanted lo be simple
introducing !a,leaun,s L. .hFck n the mi'!st o'
kind Of armed tFeccll, which made hfa inter
'"sa"F '@saoa' @ a GTss~s%sd M a1"rs r"ss Tioat
w.. Ss'yed 1T IT every sat by ] sshecnt ts: u.s.
tcu,atlon md Tasty c1prcs4!on4. Viii: i,e wanted
most WAS ease; l!e hal nono Ut TIN coulncst, tho
hin.sclf: WIN uays plainly what tc means. an,l w,'
knows what is duo to others. j. Mcncral,
his farmer secretary rep'escnta hn A. pulling tha
cuts Dt Ill. iaierlocntnrS sometimes hard tilutgh
cheek; ut lines eyrn sitting down tiae! knees.
l:i,.lne's with him. atld men OF ihn hIsc. rail;
were proud Of hucs token. Of favor. .,.. A.
~ Iii. bo4y 1he iatf:uc. u war lI strengthened
bortlerinS IN c!nhunpuibt. Napoleon ackHuwl-
.:dEeI t.,at he was nt,rr better thats during t!.
har eaae IN ~, %len he gfte e s'e shy
war may be a@fa to have btconfe nee'lful to h+
temperament, nncec:s for Ills llealh nn insnme
tflty which @as tiie predominant cAarastrristlc q
his nature. lie literally lssed OF What wouht
l.ass killed othcts. War gayc him ooth sleep und
had lost 10, Uju men, had only lmcn healthy e:er
cse tos him; an! e oro":lit hack from Il NOS,
smsxt that cr ' IN ,ss ats ns xds ni
which had remained craven On The imagination
ance the ltalinn warA; 1t bud given weisht g. u
tic ro ot his genius; Int ihe extraordinary rest.
lcssncss nf his i,Masltyo and pcsirrat'nS rye the
IMccsrAnt nncasis'ess Of the whole person, he.
4 great dcal OF the corslcan still remained iu
Tnler his np;pcArance Of good l.nnturc, too, and
hfs felMe bFacefulnesh OF manner when lie wished
to appcar Kind wns l the ulu harsl,cHs ani tn.
sur.iountabtc lnIstfust o' the Islander always un
ttat, aurlng thu nineteen aAys that thy E,nperors
spent together. iM the midst Of ctIusaons u tho
tsndcrent tr!s,.d*hip. Alc1ardrr & toals LiA meal.
every day with SnpolehHt but Napoleon never
oncu broke bread witt. him.
Tic tr.npcr nf mimi with which n. Lanfrcy
hatttuatly regards the subject OF Ills htstnry ls