The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-11
VALET CONSTANT ON NAPOLEON
Little Known Incidents IN the Great
Generals Lie.

NO Mdu, says Tue pTOFeTO, Is neTO
to his valet" but this, like like every other
rule, is proved by the exception. Napoleon
had Belgian valet, who for fifteen years
was in constant attendance upon him, and
who admired him TO the end of the Oh apter.
This man wrote, or professed to write,
memoirs Of his master, six octave volumes
appeared in 1880. The work has
sunk into oblivion. While not
lifting a finger to dress himself,
Napoleon dispensed with asSIsta II q sln IN:
dressing, but he flung his garments all over
the room-his watch sometimes missing the
table or bed at which it was aimed and
falling broken on the floor. As TO dress, he
despised handles. never wore rings and
abominated scents, except eau de cologne,
with which he was often rubbed, and
which was his specific for bruises. When
coat rails became shorter he stuck to the
old fashion, until Constant got the tailor
to shorten them by imperceptibe grada-
lions. He disliked tightly fitting clothes,
found a new hat uncomfortable, though
lined with silk and wadding, ana
stuck to an old hat as long posi-
BILE. He put on every morning a clean
white waistcOat with knee-breeches to
match-he never wore trousers; but as he
habitually wiped his pen on his brooches,
after three or four washings they were done
with. Constant denies, however, the COM
mon story OF his keeping snuff loose in his
waistcoat pocket; he always used a snuff
box, and though he frequently took pinch,
he simply held it to his nose and then drop
ped all or nearly all on the floor His snuff
injured the carpet not his waistcoat
Smoking he never tried but once. An ORR
entail ambassador had presented him with a
chibouk. 1t was filled and lit for him, but
he merely opened and shut his lips, instead
of drawing. When at last he was induced
| TO draw, the smoke went down his throat
and came out at his nose. He felt queer for
an hour, detained against the habit as fit
only for lazy people and, never touched
| pipe again.
A pinch of snuff was not the sole kind of
| pinch in which Napoleon INDUCED. he was
addicted to playfully pinching peoples ears,
not merely the lobe, as commonly stated,
but the whole ear, and sometimes both ears,
| at once. The better the humor he was in,
the harder the grip. He also administered
| friendly slaps on the cheek, hard enough
| sometimes to cause the effect of a bush.
| AS to demonstrations of anger, Constant
never but once saw him strike. An under
| groom had put Oh the wrong saddle, and
| Napoleon had no sooner mounted than the
horse reared and threw him. The head
| groom coming up at the moment, the
| Emperor gave him lash in the
| face with his whip, but presently
| being told that the poor man
deeply felt the humiliation. he sent for and
soothed him, presenting him a few DAYS
| alter ard with 5000 francs He was not
| graceful equestrian, and every horse he rode
| had to undergo a special training. that it
| mig ut not resent lasneS on the head or ears,
! fiGgeting in the saddle, or being pulled up
sharp while at full gallop. He once at
tempted driving, but had mischance like
| CromwelPs in Hyde park. Putting the
coachman behind as footman, he took the
| -aiv, of h vic 4 k,xv -.
which had just been presented to him by
| Antwerp. Josephine and his fellow-consul
| Cambaceres, were in the carriage. The
horses became ungovernable, and on
reaching the park gates of
St Cloud the carriage was
dashed against the post. josephine and
| Cambaceres escaped with slight bruises, but
Napoleon was thrown on his face and
tainted. though he recovered consciousness
| when picked up In the evening Tue had
simply been rubbed with eau de Cologne) he
laughed at the mishap, and especially at
Cambaceres' fright, but he acknowledged
| confidentially that he had never thought
| himself so near death. He ended by sayiag
or is this an embelllshment-''Re Render
unto Caesar" this was the coachman's
name) 1.-THE things which are Caesars
| let him keep his whip, and let everybody
stick to his trade" Latterly he had always
Arabian horses, and it is pleasant to hear
that his favorite Styrie, after the Marengo
| campaign, passed the rest of its life in ease
and luxury. He did not care for the chase,
but hunted just enough to keep up royal
| traditions. Constant denies that he was
| ever wounded by a wild boar, as asserted
in the Memorial de STE. Helene. He did
not shoulder his gun well, and never fired
without blackening his arm, 10 which eau
de cologne had to be applied.
| Napoleon was no eplclre He usually
drank nothing but hut diluted Chambertn,
and was no judge of wine. He liked plain
| disheS-boiled or roast chicken, mutton
chops, grilled neck of mutton, haricot of
beans or leutlls. His tabled manners were
not very refined He would use bis fingers
In lieu of fork or spoon, and would dip his
bread in the sauce. the dish being then
passed around thu guests, who had
| to dispense with sqeamishness.
| The bread had to be particularly
good. He ate fast quilted the
table in twelve minutes, leaving josephine
and the company to take their time. When
he dined alone he commonly took only eight
or ten minutes. Indigo ton was the natu-
raj consequence of his speed, and he had
| sometimes to stretch himself at full length
on the carpet till the pain abated. He de-
tested physic and protested to disbelieve in
it, a subject of playful discussion with his
doctors. Constant never knew him obliged
| to keep his bed a whole day. He was very
beds nearly all the year.
How is it that Constant did not accom-
pany SO kind master to Elba? He was
blamed for it, but his version is this: He
had agreed to go, and Napoleon gave him
100000 francs, bidding him bury the money
in his small farm near Fontainebleau, that
it might serve for his family. A few days
! afterward Gen. Bertrand told him the
emperor had found his accounts 100000
francs short Constant explained what
had passed. but Bertrand came back
| with message that the emperor
had no recollection of giving
him present. Constant thereupon went
and dug up the money. finding it after some
difficulty and in terror lest it should have
been stolen. Bertrand took the money, but
| Constant was so chagrined at the emperor
having allowed Bertrand to think he had
embezzled the sum that he sent word to the
emperor that he should not accompany
| him. Napoleon sent a message, wishing
| him to 60, and offering him $780, 600 francs,
| but Constant was obstinate, though no
sooner had his master started than he re-
| pented staying behind. Constant added
that the emperor was not offended. for on
returning from Eliza, looking over the PEN
sion list and seeing Constants name, he said
he had done we'll to remain in France. and