The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-03


Between Napoleon and his brother Louis n
. J Misunderstanding arose from the moment
Louis ascended the throne Of Holland. and It
subsequently had the most serious conse-
duences The character Of Louis Bonaparte
Is one OF the eniRmas OF the period and re-
cetves moro than passing mention at the
hands OF the author OF these memolrs II is
acknowledged that the man possessed some
estimable qualities. Tie had n profound sense
OF rectitude. but he was mistrustiul and ex-
tremely sensitive. and these characteristics
were aggravated by tho suffering resulting
from sickly constitution. lie had married
Josephines daughter. and the naturally Jealous
bent OF his mind soon led him TO conceive the
most insulting suspicious concerning his vile.
suspicious which wero soon justified by the far
too easy manners Of the woman with whom he
was mated. Violent scenes repeatedly
cured between him and Hortense ana we are
assured that his principal motive for accept
ing the Dutch crown was the opportunity at
forded OF removing his wife from the licentious
court OF his brother. and the hope that
in Holland he could compel her to conform to
a mode OF life more in harmony with his ideas
and tastes. On the throne. however. he Jared
no better than he had in the married state. his
life being more taken up with fits duties than
with its pleasures. He became honesty Dutch.
devoting himself to his subjects. and defending
their interests. needless whether he could do
|
sent him to reign at Amsterdam in order to
render It certain that HOLLAND would remain
obedient to his WILL and that his orders would
be obeyed there as implicitly as II the country
formed one Of his own provinces. King Louis.
on the other hand. sought to be nm ally OF
France. but an ally whose interests should tie
looked upon and reckoned with as having an
Importance OF their own. Under such crcum-
stances, the two brothers we're bound to quar-
/ in al ms nd llv
| ordered one Of his Generals to occupy Amster-
| dam. The Indignation Of Louis Mt this
act knew no bounds. and, II he IL to
| be credited. his first impulse was TO
defend his capital to the last extremity. When
he saw that there was not the slightest hope OF
his rash resolve receiving support, he deter
mined upon abdicating and putting his son In
his place. His behavior on this occasion was
| unduestionnbly generous and dislnterested.
! Previous to leaving Holland for T0plitz. in Boz
hernia. he sold a small estate which he owned
near Utrecht and carried away with him
| sum Of only two thousand dollars in gold and
| a few diamonds. which were his personal prop
erty. He left In order to meet the pressing
neods OF the regency. the revenues for the pre-
| ceding month untouched. The Queen. his con-
sort, was then In France, and she never went
back to him. In vain was every possible means
employed to induce him to reenter French ter
ritory and there take up hs abode. The
French Ambassador In Vienna informed him
In writing. and in the Emperor's name, |
that as French prince and a high
dignitary OF the empire. he must return to
Trance before a designated date. under penalty
OF being considered violator OF tho empires |
Constitution. and being dealt with accordingly. |
NJ. Decazes was twice sent to him to obtain by |
the use OF gentler methods the submission |
which his brother earnestly desired. 1t was |
all fruitless. Louis defed threats and re- |
manned obdurate to all entreaties. Meanwhile |
he was reduced to the greatest isolation and |
privations. The few persons who had accom- |
panied him on his departure from Holland left |
him one after the other: he was I'll and alone |
at GratZ, in Syria, when he rejected for the |
last time the propositions brought to him By
NJ. Decazes. There is a current Impression
that Louis Bonaparte was the weakest Of his
family. but 1t is clear that he possessed It's in
hexiDilty Of purpose.
Joseph. the eldest Of the Bonaparte family
had assembled the throne OF Spain aiter having
occupied that OF Naples. Witty. voluptuous.
and effeminate although courageous the
most remarkable thing about him was that
nothing in his Incredible fortunes was to him
n cause for surprise Chancellor Pasquier
heard him, In January. 1914. make the ex-
traordinary claim that. II his brother had not
interfered with his affairs after his second
entry into Madrid. he would be still governing
Spain. The author Of these memoirs would
account for this assumption OF superior capac-
ity by trait peculiar to all the BonaparteS
No sooner had they set their feet on the path
leading to royal honors than those most intl-
mate with them never saw them for single in
slant belle the seriousness with which they
took tho highest positions: they even ended In
believing that they had been call ed to them as
a matter of course They had the instinct Of
greatness. Joseph displayed at the very out
set OF his brothers elevation such impatience
to see himself In possession Of a similar rank.
that Napoleon was wont to say lauGhinGly: II
do believe that Joseph is sometimes tenn pied
to think that have robbed my eldest brother
OF the inheritance OF the King. our father"
As regards Jerome. his brother Napoleon
had. at the time when he left college.
already made great strides toward omnipo-
tence; consequently. Jerome considered
himself born on the steps OF tho throne.
This illusion was sufficient TO give him
In Il large measure the faults which arc
too often the result OF the way in which
princes are educated. The period whiA as
to elapse before Napoleon's downfall Was
scarcely more than long enough for Jerome to
become notorious by the extraordinary audac-
ity OF his fits OF debauchery, yet he still man
aged to preserve attached TO his fortunes and
to his person the princess with whom fate
had mated him, 1t is pointed out by Chancel- ,
ioF ihsluler lhat tne MING OF nuremberg, |
who gave his daughter to Jerome. could not
have been ignorant of tho fact that he had !
contracted first marriage in America with
lady OF most honorable family. and that this
marriage had been consecrated afterthe forms ,
and laws Of the country where II had been ac-
complished 1t Is true that the Emperor Ma 4
poleon declared this union null and Illegal. on ,
the plea that he. as chief OF the family. had '
not given his consent to II. but our author ex- 4
presses doubt whether such plea. bCr- {
rowed as 1t was from the customs Of certain 9
sovereign families. would be valid outside OF (
France. ;
OF Napoleon's three sisters, the eldest al :
most regned In Tuscany under the title OF /
Grand Duchess. She made herself beloved .
there and this fortunate province owed to her :
a gentle treatment denied TO all other coun- 4
tries then united In France. Shell it seems. \
a pleasant memory behind her. In spite Of the !
irregularities Of her private life. which she did
not take suiiniaut T., Aa a tha |