Daily Republican., 1882-11-22
PARIS LETTER.
Something about the Residence
Of NaPoIeSA.

Something about the ROslGenO,
of NapOIeSA.
For the Republican,
PARIS, November 9th, 1882 Mai
naison, tho editiee which will ever bt
memorable as having been the residenc,
Of the First Napoleon and Josephine
has just been sold at auction Tor a5oui
$9O. .0OO Josephine celebrated her in
stallation at the Chateau of Malmaisor
by brilliant iete. On the day of iti
being held the news arrived that Ma
poleOn had returned to Cairo from hiG
Syrian expedition.
Early in October, 1899, Bonapartt
himself made his appearance at Nal
NATION. He had lefG the Army o.
Egypt TO take care of itself as it bes
could under Kleber. He had hastened
home, without leave, to plot against
and to betray the Republic, and tc
mako himself tie absolute ruler Of
France.
His residence at Malmaison has fre,
quently been dwelt upon by his biogra-
pliers rs the most tranquil, and con.
sequently the happiost period in the
lite OF this extraordinary man, but with
that pleasing inference Isabey's we'll
known picture, representing Napoleon
halting in qLiet stroll in his garden,
may have had great deal more to do
thai had strict historic fact. The Firs
Consul certainly looks calm and even
benign enough. Els thoughts, were
to pin your faith to the suave lines Of
the painter, might be running on things
no more noxious than melons and as
paragus, summer-houses ans fOun-
tains.
He looks as pacific as Daniel Web
ster on his farm. In reality, Napoleon
At Malmaison, while his graceful and
accomplished spouse was surrounded
by The poets, the painters, the musi-
clans and the birds she loveu so des rly,
was revolving in his mind illimit&Dle
schemes OF conquest and glory. He
was quiet enough at MalmaisOn, for q
litlle while; but so also is he panther
in the jungle before he springs.
All the world knows that the En-
press Josephine retired to the Chateau
OF Malmalson after her divorce from
Napoleon, and that she died there on
the 10Th Of May, 1914, just three weeks
alter the man to whom her heart was
still faithful, and whom in his down
fall she had bswailed as "her Cid,
her Achilles" had sailed in British
war vessel to take possession Of his
shadowy sovereignty at Elba. The En-
perOr Alexander of Russia and the King
Vf Prussia had dined with her five days
previously. The day after the banquet,
feeling herself suffering from u slight
sore throat, she kept her he'd, but she
insisted on giving audience TO the ia
nous flower painter Redoute, whom
she had sent for from Paris, to make a
drawing of some freshly pluCked flow
ers, which she wished to have limDed.
She watched him from her bed at his
Easel sketching, remarking that the
poor flowers had only u few hours to
live, but that she hoped herself to be
very soon well again. Four days after,
wards she was dead. Her ashes lie in
the little church at Rueil, with those Of
her children, Eugene Beaucharnais,
Viceroy Of Italy, and Hotteuse, some
lime Queen of Holland, and mother OF
Napoleon Ill.
BY q strange fatality, Napoleon 1
)nce a ain set foot in Malmaison alter
he death of Josephine. He came
hitber, after Waterloo, fugitive from
he Elysee, and stay ed in his old house
ust four days. There he confded to
he custody Of banker Jacques Laffite
he six million francs which Gonstitu-
ed the bulk of his fortune. He left
dalmaison for Rochefort, for the Bel
erophon and Plymouth Sound, for the
JorChumb berland and st Helena, and |
mother and yet mere fatal house Of
In the days of his
,ower he had settled the estate of NAL
naison absolutely on Josephine and |
It her death her heirs sold the property |
o a syndicate of bankers.
The house had been partially pilla-
,ed by the Prussians in 1916, and the
'ankers appear to have called in the
'bands noire," an association OF deal
rs in "Rric-a. brac," who made havoc
iture aud decorations. In the early |
.ays of the Second Empire the Chateau
t MaImaison passed in,O the occupan-
y of Maria Christina ofSpain, the wild
W of Ferdinand VII, and the mother
( tbs extant ex-Queen Isabella. Who
Is next occupier is to be is q secret
nown to but the purchaser and his dis
rect notary. 1t is only to be hoped
hat the new owner, whoever he may |
Q, will refrain from cunning the Chat
Au into restaurant, aud what re-
Mains of the grounds into casino after
be fashion of the defunct Jardin Ma
lille