Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1892-03-05

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lent preserva.iop some years ego. K

was of brick. covered with white
plaster, with q slanting roof. dormer
windows, heavy wooden winter
shutters and broad doorways with
wooden columns on each side. There
were grand staircases, reccption-rooms
large fireplaces with sculpture work of
fine character, bed cham bers, the walls
of which were hidden by rare tapestry
and magnificent old paintings. Many
of these remain. 1t was in this palace
that Joseph passed about eighteen
years of his life. Here he received q
delegation of Mexicans in 1929 to offer
him the imperial crown Of Mexico,
which he declined on the ground that
his experience with two crowns-those
of Naples and Spain-had left him a
pronounced republican. Here also he
received q visit from Lafayette in 1924,
and was induced by that great patriot
to open negotiations to seat Napoleon's
young son, the duke of Reichstadt, on
his fathers throne. From here, when
h;s own safety was more assured, he
opened voluminous correspondence
with European agents looking t. this
purpose, and in 1882 he departed for
Europe to attend the young heirs
funeral Joseph greatly resem bled his
greater brother in appearance. and
even to the last he had a vague hope
that this personal resemblance might
pave his own way to the French throne,
but Europe paid little attention to
him, and except that France inter-
dicted his entrance on her territory,
he was allowed to die peaceably a few
years later.
Joseph was great favorite with the
Borde ntown people of his time. The
New Jersey legislature passed a special
act allowing him to acquire the prop
erty referred to, and in return he
made many valuable gifts to Bor-
dentown. He gave handsome pict-
ures to a small village academy
of design, and laid out the highway
which runs between the Bonaparte
place and the village. He also gave
many balls and receptions. at which
Prince Lucien Murat and the ex-king's
two daughters, Zenaide and Charlotte,
were great attractions. Lucien was
returned to the French assem- bly, in
1s4s, at the time of the smaller Napo-
Icons entree into French politics, but
he never made any great hit He was
chiefly notable in Bordentown for his
wild tricks, his excessive girth in waist
and a smartness in horse trading that
| secured the popular sympathy. He had
a separate residence, near the palace.
! but it was few years ago devoted to
tenement purposes only. The palace
was called st. Helena by the exiled
king. 1t fell into the hands of a Phila-
delphia broker named Beckett, after
Joseph's death.
The old gardener Mclean. who has
just died. was in the employ of the
king when he was boy, and must have
been eighty years old or more at the
| time of his death. He had known the
| king we'll, and IN an interview pub
lished some time ago, he is reported to
have spoken thus of him:
up at the palace they always cad
him your Majesty ana Sire, but mov
father was full blood Scotchmau Che
was gardener for him), and he always
cad him Master Bunypart or your
Honor Time and again ha' seen hin,
wi knee breeches and laced coots,
| looking sad-lil<e and distracted tod the
sea, as if he would sarch for St.
Helena, and wi his head doom and his
hords under his coat-taiIs you would
hav' TUX him for the image o his
| brother. IN. y. Tribune.