, 1879-07-06
THE PRINCE IMPERIAL.


CoTTesuondence london 1efrgruuh. June 81.
j. Camden House, Chiselhurst, always somewh
s. gloomy aud doleful in appearance. had ear
, Yesterday afternoon reassumed the more mour
- 1ul appearance which it had worn nearly seve
n years ago, when the Emperor Napoleon die
: NoW, as then, the blinds we're closely draw
. . police slowly pacing backward and forward
: front Of the entrances repellcd The curiosity {
+ strangers. Carriages filled with friends arrive
at the gates, and ladies' and gentlemen a
: tired in black, first OF all signing their name
!, IN o book at the lodge, passed up the dar
!! avenue OF trees to offer their sympathy
, the inmates OF the house beyond. It was nc
difficult to see, even long before Chisclhurs
/ was sighted that many Of the passengers in th
train from London were members Of the grca
, Bouapartist party which had just lost its head
Little groups Of Freuchmen clad in black, Span
iards who remembered the nationality Of tht
Empress Eugenie, attaches Of embassies, rep
reeentatiyes Of Royalty, were all to be seen er,
the train drew no at the we1l-known station
Passing oy twos and threcs into the house they
had been received by the Due de Bassano, ex
pressed to him their sense of sorrow, and so de-
i parted. At length It came to my turn tc
enter, and passing through the curious
panel door which opens into the reccp-
L
DUG de Bassano waiting to receive me.
As he read the telegraphlc dispatch which told
! or tile Prince's death and the finding OF the
body he nearly gave way to the intensity Of his
feelings, protesting the while that be had had
no part in the voyage which had terminated so
fatally, and that, indeed, it had been under
] taken against the advice and wish of the
Princes friends. "But he was So ardent, SO
courageous. and such capital horsoman," his
Grace continued, taking apparent pride in this
last accomplishment Of bis youthful chiei The
! was SO anxious to be with his comrades of WOOL
] wich and to share their dangers that nothing
! would persuade him to give up the enterprise.
Ihe EMPRESS" the Due remarked, "lcarned the
Some . FREUD of II. Picta hessing lear g'E4si Of
the disaster which had befalten tile
Prince wrote him letter, which he sent By rail,
warning him to prepare for sad, and, indeed,
Empress opened this letter, and although un-
able exactly to comprehend its import, feared
unhappy tidings. She knew her son had been
i'll, and she naturally dreaded to hear that he
till this morning, when Lord Sidney, who bad
received n message from Lady Frere and also
the command Of the Queen, came round to
communicate the terrible news to the Empress,
sissya tn the expression n Of hsr
upon me tue duty devolved Of breaking
the fearful news. I asked Permission to
see the Empress, who, noticing probably non,
the expression OF my countepance that was
greatly troubled, begged to know at once ali /
had to tell her. I said, Madame, the Prince il
very ILL., more dangerously III than ne was Wien
wo last heard Immediately her Majesty ex- |
claimed, Il VIII go to him must co. to which
replied nothing, and retired. 4 Quartcr Of an !
hour elapsed and then returned to her told i
her that further news had come which rnade thc ]
aspect OF affairs still graTer. She cried out i |
will go at once; where is he?' To which re-
piled, 1T is too late, Madame on hearing which
hnrM oia C trSf IN a flor Inf
Ing, Non fts, mon rauvre u.s. and left her.n
Passing through tile outer hall as entered
was Gen. Sir Dighton Probvn, who had brought
message Of coincidence from the Prince ind
been my lot, the last time but one that I saw
the now deceased Prince, to see him lead his |
weeping other into somewhat hastily i'm |
proved court OF her faithful adnerents, on the
death OF Napoleon III. rhc, apartment had
been drapcd in black; even the pictures had
been covered with the sombrecolored cloth:
the Bonapartists, ladies' and men, stoud round
in solemn silence, waiting till the Empress
should come: Presently there vas heard
Louis Napoleon With his mothers hand in
his. 4 deep obeisance was being made.
by all; there were ladies who reyer-
ently conrtssiea ,'Sate;a as they kissed the
were waiting to offer their expressions OF fealty.
when lady. overcome by her feelings, rushed
forward and, embracing the youthful Prince, !
Kissed aim on oot1 cHtek5, and quickly retired, I
On the day before the members Of the Imperial
famiy. together With the leaders Of their fol- !
overs, had met 10 solemn couclave at Chfsel-
burst, and concluded an agreement py which
Lhe Prince should hencefofth be the object Of
their aspirations and hopes. He was-$o ran !
he document, which N. Rouher dictated and I
he Due de Grammont wrote-to be called for
he present Louis Napoleon, and not Napoleon
". Under the tuition and guardianship of his
1ncle jerome and the Empress Eugene be was !
o be brought up, and BY the Imperial party Of
france he was ~henceforth to DO regarded as
lead. Next day he led the way bareheadcd to !
he little Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary's
;hiselhurst, the chief mourner for his exilcd | !
nd departed father. !
lquitted the hall and went across the common !
orthwith to tbs place where the remains OF M |
oleon III. lay. There, as in the old days, the 9
sev. Father Goddard still rules, the faithful and 9
rustcd counselor OF the Imperial house. He !
ad been, ns was to be expected Of one under
those religious care the PRINCE had been brought
D, terribly shocked by the sad news, yet to htm '
here came also some comforr in the rcmem-
ranco OF the fact that, 10 matter how busiiv I
coupled, the Prince never forgot The obligations
t the Church. II remember saws the GOOD j
.bbe, =" that, just as his Imperial Hghncss wns G
DING away to Zululand, 1 wrote to him remind 7
,g him Of the duties which the Church imnose,1 S
/ TINT senson nf tha rnor AMI h.sr;.- | es