Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-28
LECTURE ON NAPOLEON BoNAPARTe
Mr.. Royal Heard at tho Theatre by q
Large and Caitured Audience.

One Of the largest and most fashionable
audiences that have ever gathered on q
similar occasion attended the lecture of
Mr. William l.. Royal, which was deliver
ed at the Theatre last night. The lecture
was for the benefit of the Rosemary Libra
~, aud the subject treated was Napoleon
Bonaparte.
Mr.. Royall was introduced by Judge s. Il.
Witt, who in his remarks commended the
library and paid high compliment 20 the
gentlemen who had inauguTated the
library movement.
THE LECTURE.
Mr.. Royal began his lecture with q
sketch of the French Revolution and an
exposition of what BODaparte meant when
he said that the revolution was q rebellion
of the Gauls against the Franks and that
Robespeirre was not essentially q bad man.
He then brought out the reasons for
Bourriennes dislike for Bonaparte. but
characterized the latter as the antltype of
the horrid picture Lord Lytton draws IN
his Strange Story Of man who was all In
tellect, but without heart or soul. sustain
ing his allegations by citing a number Of
instances of Bonaparte's fiendish cruelty
and by pictures of him drawn from the
works of contemporaneous writers-esDe-
cially Madame de Remusat and Iallyrand.
HIS MILITARY GENIUS.
Respecting the military genius of Bona
parte the lecturer allowed Napoleon to
give his own opinion of the art OF war, and
then after q graphic sketch of Waterloo
deduced the conclusion that the volatile
Frenchman cannot fight the sturdy
beef-eating Englishman.
Mr.. Royal, on the authority OF Halkett,
exploded the romance about the Old Guard
dying but never surrendeTing, sketched
the period of Bonaparte's glory 1SO3).
when he had Europe at his feet, and
throughout showed that during his whole
career the French military parsgon's
meanness far overshadoWed his genius.
The lecture developed q most thorough
and thoughtful familiarity with all the
standard literature bearing upon the sub
iect of Napoleon and his campaigns, his
private life, and his motives, and was COM
posed in terse, vigorous English. IL was
intensely interesting, not only because it
brought ut many of BOnaparte's charac-
teristics in a new light to has audience, but
suggested q valuable field OF reading and
study.
WE'LL ILLUSTRATED.
The lecture was illustrated with stereop-
tlcon views. and Mr.. Royal was frequently
interrupted with applause. The lecturer
was personally known TO every one IN the
audience, and his delivery was as natural
ana as CHARACTERISTIC as II He Hhu Dcen
talking in parlor in the city.
Among those present were General w.
III. PAYNE and several others from Fauquier,
General William II. T. Lee, General Pey-
ton Wise, General Il. NJ. Logan, Major L..
X. Page. Mr. +. V. Valentine, Major Robert
Archer, and Mr.. Lewis II. Blair.
HANDSOME DONATION TO THE LIBRARY.
Recurring TO the object of the lecture it
NAV be said that the Rosemary Library
appears to be making decided headway IN
receiving the support of the people. 1t
has Just received a donation of one hun
dred and twenty bound volumes. number
OF magazines. and lfe-size portrait OF
General Il. L. Lee from Mr.. Hanewlnckel,
and FEW days ago was presented with
hundred and fifty bound volumes and a
lot of magazines from another. source;
There are now in the library five hundred
bound and a number OF unbound books.