The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-10-29
THE THIRD NAPOLEON.
What Duke Ernest of Saxc-Coburg Says
of Him In His Memoirs.


Tho Duke of Saxc-Coburg- Gotha,
Queen Victoria's brother-in-law, saw tho
Emperor Napoleon III. closely. His
Ilighness was again in Paris and at tho
opera on the night Of the Orsini attempt.
lilo wont there alone instead OF in tho
company of their Majcsties, and that
probably saved his life. He stood await
ing them in tho vcstibule, when first
explosion was heard, and then, an in
slant after, second. 81 was still stand
ing there" he says in the volume of his
memoirs just published, 'petriGcd with
horror, when the Emperor and Empress
rushed in They seemed about to fall.
The Empress seized me- as it were. mo
Chemically by tho arm and said pretty
calmly, 'Sauvezmoir Tho Emperor
was like one stunned; he staggered and
l thought he was wounded. His hat
was little knocked in and torn on one
side by n bullet" And this was only
tho second explosion. for there was still
to be third. In this case tho bomb
must have been thrown straight at tho
door of the hall, for fragments of tho
shell and bullets smashed the windows
and rcboundcd from tho ceiling. 81
dragged tho Empress, whom / had on
my arm, away with me, and rccollCct
having knocked down some person who
blocked the way, as I was cndcavoring
to reach the staircase leading to tho
box. Tho Emperor appeared at loss to
know in what direction to turn. Then
he followed lis up the stairs, and at last
we all reached the box"
AS soon as they had composed them
c0lvnC thn HoI -, or I,
front of the box, but they met with no
reception. Not hand stirred, not
sound was raised. Tho Emperor said
to mo in German: There you see the
Parisians-they are never treated harsh
ly enough" Presently the marshals
and tho members of the Imperial family
came into the box Marshal Canrobert
wept like child, and when the Princess
Mathilde arrived there was a scene of
passionate excitement, for sho had lost
all self control. "Quite lato in the
evening Prince Napoleon also put in an
appearance. When he approached their
Majesties the Empress turned her back
upon him, while the Emperor said to
him coldly, before tho Prince had time
to make any fine phrases: 'C'est bien!
cost bien!" The Duke was to see this
much tried ruler and man once more,
and this time in his greatest trial OF ALL
1t was at Sedan. A messenger brought
the King of Prussia tho famous letter of
surrender from Napoleon I'LL Listen"
said the King to those who stood about
him, and he read the letter aloud. Then,
sitting upon pillow, he wrote his an
swcr on the back of his aid dc camp.
The same day the Duke met the EN-
peror driving from Donchery, and bow
ed to him from his horse. ''lIc waved
his hand in Il friendly way, but did not
speak a word. For the last time in
this life saw his sad and overshadowed
features. The Duke necessarily passes
most OF his time on what his illustrious
countryman, Aucrbach, calls the
Heights. lie rarely desccnds to the
plains We hear little of peoples, but
very much of those who govern them
Even his brothers great achievement,
the exhibition of 1851, was, in the
Dukes eyes, pre-emincntly aristo-
cratic Some Of us have thought that
1T was not without popular features, but
let that pass. THE nobility undertook
the representation OF England in man.
ner such as it has never done again on
any other occasion. On the opening
day nearly 1000 state cquipagcs appear
ed, and the royal party drove up almost
daily in full splcndor to visit the exhibi-
ton Tho Dukes history. however,
must he taken from the Dukes own
point of view and in that it is not alto
gcthcr without consolation for those
who like to preserve their faith in popu-
lar dcstinics. Democracics can not pos
Slbly make greater mistakes than have
been made for them by those who oblig-
lngly undertake to relieve them of all
trouble in the management of their own
affairs. London News.