Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-06-03
Ex-Empress Eugene In Ztiluland'
MEMORIALS TO THE PRINCE IxrERIAL-

MEMORIALS TO THE PRINCE IMPERIAL
The FIRST Of June, the day on which the ex-
Empress will reach the valley of the Ityotyo-
ri, on the anniversary of the. death Of the
Prince Imperial, has. now arrived. The ro-
nance of history often exceeds that Of hction-
The ex-Express Eugene has travelled thou
sands of miles to gather memories Of her son.
The journey was taken without the approval
and against the advice of her most devoted
friends. Her answer to them was always the
same. .sWhat can say? Can l reason on
a sentiment? go to see the country where
nv son fell. and with him my last aiec-
tons and hopes.
1t is the wish of the ex-Empress TO enquire
most infinitely into all the details of the
Princes life in South Africa from those who
saw him while there. And although his trag-
ic death occurred year ago. yet its swift,
dramatic contamination returns to the mind
with almost its original force. The scene
under the burning sun seems to re-enact it.
self The sudden attack OF the savage foe,
the rush of the spears. the flight OF the Eng
iish troopers, and the one slender young fig
ure left alone to face DEATH all this stands
out as strongly as if it had occurred but yes
terday And now Eugene in her mourning
garb looks at the valley with its winding riv-
er, and the donga where the Zulus left the
lifeless body of her son. She will place
cross, the work of celebrated French sculp-
tor, on this spot, and some cuttings from the
willows at St. Helena are also placed there.
A strange anomaly.
At the time of the Princes DEATH Prince
Joachim Murat, General Fleury, NJ. Paul de
Cassagnac and M.'Rouher appealed to the
French for aid in erecting a chapel to the
memory of Napoleon w., in Paris. The sum
required was obtained some time ago, and the
chapel will be erected not far from Les In
valides,'' on the high grounds above the
Seine.
The opposition to the monument in men,
ory of the young Prince, to be placed in
Westminster Abbey, shows a strange side of
the English nation. The eight years of his
life which he spent in England gained him
respect and affection. The purity and hon
esty Of his life, his goodness to the poor and
suffering, his honorable career as Cadet at
Woolwich gave him hold on the kind feel
ings of the English people. 1t is probable
that the name of BOnaparte alone has given
rise to this opposition. Yet Cromwell, a
greater usurper than even Napoleon l., once
found resting place in Westminster Abbey.
INdiy CtudIt, QuVCH Vi CCOtlouN ~hu Va
France, finds a place there. And there is
also the Montpelsier memorial. The min
lister has sheltered in its sacred and hallowed
precincts memories of those who have been
exiles from their country. 1t seems that the
Queen Of England wishes to pay some honor
both to the ex-Empress and the dead Prince.
She has been ably seconded by Dean Stanley.
He speaks of Westminster Abbey as the
great temple of silence and reconciliation,
where all natiOnalities are forgotten. Many
Roman Catholics have been buried in the
Abbey, and have monuments there. Lord
Stafford (l719) and others of his noble fam
lily lie in st Edmund's Chapel, with Requie-
scat in Pace on their collins. The POrtu-
guese envoy, De Castro, is buried in the
nave. The bust of Gen. Pasquale de Paoli,
a Corsican, is also placed, with an inscrip-
ton, in the Abbey. He was for many years
a guest of England, ana he was one of the
earliest friends of a certain young Corsican,
a lieutenant of the Regiment de Ia Fere,
called Napoleon Bonaparte. ''You will be
one of Putarch's men," Paoli used to say to
the young Corsican; and he was right in his
prophecy. The Frenchman, Casuban, and
the Swiss, Spanheim, have also memorials in
Westminster Abbey. The memorial of the
Prince Imperial to be placed there is an
alto-relievo by the English sculptor Boehm.
The Prince, dressed in the uniform of the
English Royal Artillery, lies on the ground.
His helmet and spurs are at his feet. His
sword, over which his hands are clasped, lies
on his breast. The expression of the face is
calm and placid. In the last will and tesla
ment of the Prince is the following clause:
81 shall die with sentiment of profound
gratitude'towards her Majesty the Queen of
England, towards all the royal family, and
towards the country whereI have. received,
during eight years. so cordial hospitality"
Napoleon I. wrote: II die prematurely, as
sassinated by the English oligarchy." In
the will of the Emperor Napoleon III. is
written: 81 command the Empress Eugene
and my son. the Prince Imperial, to the high
constituted authorities of the State, (aux
grand corps de retat), to the French people
and the army of France Of these three
Napoleonic wills, that of the last Napoleon
is the only one the wishes of which could be
followed as they were written.