New-York tribune., 1890-04-30
JOSEPHINE.
AN ENTERTAINING BOOK.

With Portrait. 12mo, pp 3o'. Chsiie' '''''"''
Sons.
This work by NJ. Saint-Amand is largely re-
sume of the memoirs of Bourrienne. the Duchess
D'Abrantes Madame de Remusat and Other rirsc
Empire writer's The subject. Josephine. VIII no
doubt continue to attract sympathy ana aohiira-
tion for her position which produced her 'nis
fortunes at the same time aggravated anu ioioeu
them into publicity. NJ. de SalntAnaho' now
ever. does not pretend to give full biography oi
Joscuhinc II is as the wife of the fIrst Consul
only that he studies her. and with her Napoleoh
and the Consular court and general Surroundings
The pictures presented are well caicua'eo 10 rouse
interest The period chosen is that OF ''e spring
time of Napoleon's ambition. In the carly chap
ters be appears as still linked in many ways with
that ordinary humanity he afterward learned to
avoid and despise save when he could use il for
his own purposes Josephine. there can be no
doubt. exercised the whoesomest influence over
him so far as any human being can be said 10
have influenced him. IL is even probable that
he loved her as much as he could love any woman.
and more than he ever loved another. Moreover
and this was always an important consideration
with him--she was at the beginning OF his career
very useful to him. While the faupourg SAINT
German was hesitating about accepting the
usurpcr.n it began to breal, ground for SUB
mission to the new regime by attending the re-
,eptions of the First Consuls wife The aris'o-
,rats at first suffered themselves to be deluded by
the hope that Napoleon could be induced to play
.he part of Monk in the Bourbon restoration
drama. They thought that his ambition wouid
he satisfied with the post of Constable of France.
They also imagined that he could be Influenced
through Josephine. and they paid their court
10 her while refusing TO attend the levccs of Napo-
leon.
for fba
playcd Her sympathies were with the mobiles,
and She toe desired most strenuousy That Bone
parte would restrain his ambition. But she
knew how utterly powerlcss she was 10 influence
his course and she could not have cherished
MANY illusions as to the extent of his projects.
With true feminine intuition she perceived that
the loftier his position the more perilous would
be hers She appears to have cared nothing for
rank and place herself, and her character was
one 10 fit her for domestic life in special degree
A sweeter disposition perhaps never existed She
could not even hate her worst enemies. Gen-
erous without compass amiable and charming OF
manners kcenly intelligent and warmly sympa-
thetic the destiny that linked her 10 the coldest
heart in the world was indeed unhappy. Had
she brought an heir 10 Bonaparte no doubt he
would have abandoned the idea of divorce But
she knew him well enough to apprehend the olow
so long impending over her, for she realized tlat
there in his feeling toward her nothing strong
enough successfully to encounter his devourlng
ambition For years she lived in daily fear while
his fame and power were growing. ana shc
watched with a sinking heart the rapid access of
luxury and ostentaton the one hand, and the
not less rapid development of sycophancy and
aduation that marked the swing of the pendulum
toward Imperialism With her beauty, accom-
plishments graces and social tact and knowle ledge
she seemed the ideal consort of the founder of
new dynasty Too much has been said OF her
extravaganza lavish expenditure WAS. II may
lie said absolutely necessary 10 the situation II
was her function to Danish the last vcstiges of
Republican simplicity, and TO put the "cachet
upon all that was decorative, brilliant, luxurious
and courtly Napoleon knew well what he
about when he deliberately fostercd all these ad
iuncts of Imperialism. lie attacked Rcpub
licanism in the army, where il had struck the
deepest root, by introducing spendor of uniform
and equipment, by making his generals. and later
his marshals. magnificent as Proconsus. and by
providing them with means to support brilliant
and ostentatious establishments. On her part
Josephine gave the tone to the important fem-
nine side of the Court and Society, and to do this
efectualy an unrestricted outlay was indispens-
able.
Napoleon grunbled often enough at the extent
Of Josephne's debts, but he paid them none the
less. and he knew we'll that they were contracted
in his interest far more than in her own. She in
deed was under constant pressure to spend money.
All kinds of beautiful and costly things were sent
TO her, and she was assured that she need not
trouble herself about paying for them. Then the
bills would be SEM 70 the First Consul Josephine
was certainly not from display, for she
was woman, anl beautiful. Blu her charities
absCrDed by far the greater pan Of her allow
snce, and in them she took much more pleasure
than in Jewels and dress. VI. de Saint-Amand has
succeeded in reproducing the domestic life at
Malmaison with vividness II was there that the
First Consuls wife spent her happiest days. She
was at home in the old chateau, She never
could be in The State palaces, WHERE everything
oppressed her. We catch frequent gliupscs OF
Napoleon here, too. For time he was genial, and
even sportive unbending enough to play rompng
games in the gaIdtn with Josephine and Ter ladies.
As he advanced, however. this kind of recreation
was relinquished lest loss of dignity should fol-
low and he became more and more self-absorbed
and reticent. There many points about Nj
poeon which will never be settled but 1t Is now
tolerably well asceraned that lie had extremely
bad manners especially toward women, and that,
at least dating from the Consulate for lie, his
egotism completely dominated him, and led him
into petty brutaties in daily life and great crimes
in his political and military career. The account
given in this book of the Morcau-Ilchegru-Geol
conspiracy" and of the death Of the Due d En-
ehion is directly in point The difficulty at arriv-
ing at the truth in both these has been caused
chiefly by the action of the principal parties in-
plicated who having all the official records under
their CONTROL took care to remove and destroy
whatever criminathg documents were in the ar
cbivcs and moreover, fabricated accounts OF what
lappened to suit their own interests. and 50
tablishcd traditions which it has been hard TO
uprOot.
NJ de Saint-Amand's narrative is not altogether
Trustworthy. lie follows the latest authorities
in part but not wholly He clings 10 the eX
dod Of Rnna rfe hnllel In q ncnIinr