The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-09
An Unpublished Interview With |


From an article in the September Gem
fury ON Napoleon in Exile" described in
unpublished letters by British officers, we
quote the following: when / was presel-
ted he SAID that he was once a great enemy
10 England, but now he was as sincere a
friend. He said that we we're a great
and generous nation. He asked me about
the wind, weather, distance to Elba, aud
other nautical questions; he then bowed
ana retired. He was very dignitied-still
the emperor. / received his command TO
dine with him. There was at table all the
commissioners aud the grand marshal; the
conversation was most interesting.
"He laughed when asked him If he did
not issue his Milan decree for the purpose
Of forcing America to quarrel with US. This
he did not deny. He said all his plains
| were ON an immense scale and would have
been finished in four or five years. have
not time to repeat all his interesting con-
versatiOn.
That night we embarked all his numer-.
Gus baggage. In the morning he sent for me-
lie asked how the wind was, and said he had
made up his mind to embark at S o'clock in
the evening. At o'clock he sent for me,
| and | remained half of hour alone with
| him ian immense mob had gathered
round mis- hoteD. His sword was on the
table and he appeared very thoughtful
there was very great noise IN the street
|
| worst have seem He answered, They
are tickle people He appeared in deep
thought; but, recovering himself, rang the
! Dell, aud ordering the grand marshal 10 DO
sent for, he asked if all was ready Being au-
swered in the affirmative, he turned to me
and said in his usual quick way, 'Allons.'
The stairs were lined at each side with
| ladies and gentlemen. He stopped a mo.
ment, and said something to the ladies
which | could not hear. He walked to his
| carriage and called for me (not safe
BERTH he then called the Austrian CON-
missioner and the grand marshal. sat OPP
posite to him in the carriage, and we drove
| OFT. My boats were almost two miles from
| the town. We were accompanied by
Hungarian regiment Of cavalry. IL was
delightful moonlight night, the country
we passed through paradise. Then the
| carriage stopped, the bugle sounded, and
|. the regiment was drawn up.
AN interesting scene now opened
bugles sounding, drums beating, horses
nelghing, and people of every nation in
Europe witnessing the embarkation of this
man who had caused 50 much misery to
them all.
81 Informed him that the boat was ready,
and we walked together to where she was.
| He waShanded into the boat by nephew of
| Sir Sidney Smiths, who is my fourth lieuton-
ant-rather an odd coincidence. Lieut.
Smi h had been confined in prison for seven
or eight years l introduced him. The
emperor seemed to feel his conscience prick
him; he only said, Nephew TO Sir Sidney
Smith; l met him in Egypt
| ~ hen we got on board he walked round
the ship. My people crowded about him,
and he said, for the first time i'll his life he
| felt nfidence in a mob His spirits
seemed to revive, and he told me next
morning that the had never slept better.
Next day he asked me thousand questions
and seemed quite initiated in nautical
matters. At breakfast and dinner there
was a great deal of conversation. He
spoke of the Scheltd expedition. l asked
him If he had ever Thought we should sue
coed. He said Never and turning little
toward the austrian commissioner, he said,
| | wrote from Vienna that the expedition was
intended against Antwerp He told me his
motive for annexing Holland to France
was for a naval purpose, and that he
| thought the Zuyder Zee particularly we'll
adapted for exercising his conscripts
AT breakfast one morning he asked me
| to bring to neutral brig that was pass
ing. | said, laughing, that was aston
ished his majesty should give such an order,
| as it was contrary to his system to dena-
tionalze. He turned round and gave me
pretty hard rap, saying, 'Ah, captainep
when we were sailing by the Alps he
leaned on my arm for half an hour, looking
earnestly at them. l said he had ones
passed them with better fortune. He
laughed, and liked the compliment. He
told me he had been only once wounded 1T
vas III the knee, and by All English ser
geant. He looks uncommonly well and
young, and is much changed for the bstter,
being now very stout. He showed me
portrait of the King of Rome; he is very
like his father. He likewise showed me
one of the empress, which is rather pretty.
| We had smart gallo when off Corsica; he
asked me TO anchor at Ajaccio, the place Of
his birth; but the wind changing made it
impossible. In the gale | told him l had
more confidence than C@sar's pilot; the COM
pliment pleased MIN.
''He dresses very plain, wearing q green
coat with the decoration Of the Legion of
| Honor The portrait of him with the
cooked hat and folded arms is the strongest
likeness l have seen"
Here sheet of the letter appears to be
lost, and we find ourselves at Elba.)