New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-04

| her father to the gu.llotine she must "o''
| learned that principles sat very easily on 'hH
mind OF Napoleon. but she never overcame he'
! t.m.dity in his presence. and II she wdh'eu II
| favor she persuaded some one else TO ask H.
We, IN spte OF this timidlty on her part and OF
! unusual respect on MS side she was maue the
victim Of his cold and calculating policy When
ne found that runOr was too busy 10 be put
down he tried to use 1t in his own behalf lie
certainly loved Napoleon Charles as II he were
really his own son, and while he dcspaired or a
direct heir he wished to adopt the boy the
dea n Of the latter put an end to this pro)ec''
What is singular about the matter Is that AFTER
this event he should have spoken without re-
serve 10 the Borrowing mother. At this point NJ
Mason refers 10 the unpublished memoirs OF
| Queen Ilortense, in which this painful CONVEX
sat.on is repeated at length you know. sa'd
Ma poleon. how absurd such a supposluon 49,
but you could not convince all Europe that the
child was not mine" A movement OF surprise on
the part Of Hortense caused him TO hesitate'
and here lies possible explanation or MS con-
duct In touching the subject. He may nave
imagined that she was already aware Of gossip
which seems til that mo.hent never 70 have
rea ched her Then he added: Your rept-
tation docs not suffer this account. as you
J are generally esteemed: nevertheless, the idea
receives credence everywhere: 1t was. perhaps
hest that II so. and f1r that reason regard
! his death n great misfortune. And the
broken hearted woman writes: II wos 50 sur
prlsed that | was unable - utter word; no
longer heard what he said. That reflection 1T
was perhaps best that Il was believed, tore
veil from before my eyes and pierced me to the
heart. Was 1t possible that he, who had been so
kind and generous. in wnorI seemed TO find my
had hoo cd
by political motives and not by afectIon?'
II one ev.l trait Of Napoleon's nature Is re-
vealcd In this conversation. all the rest are
| shown in his treatment Of Madame Walewska.
! This lady belonged 10 the minor aristOcracy or
/ Poland She was young and beautiful. the wife
Of an old man. but endowed with the true Polish
/ faiihfuness Those were days when Napoleon
! talked Of rehabilitating the dismcmbsred King
dom and making It an outpost Of his Empire on
the side Of Russia. II wa; n mere dream but
the Poles had been dreaming 50 long that they
took this vagary Of the conqueror In dead
earnest None was more patriotic than Nine.
Walcwska With another lady she had trav-
ellci 10 the little town Of Bronze and there stood
| In crowd 10 see tho Emperor. When the car
rage stopped they appealed TO General Duroc'
and he introduced them to Napoleon. who looked
rtcnty at the innocent. almost childish. face OF
I Nine Walewska took a bouquet from the car
| rIage and presented II - her with the words
Keep this as n guarantee - my good intcn-
| lions We shall meet nj Warsaw 7 hope. and
/ shall reclaim a reward from your fair Ups Tn
/ fortunately on returning % Warsaw. Nine
Walcwska's companion related the adventure
and from that moment Mime Walewska had 40
peace until she met the Emperor nor from that
time until she had sacrificed herself for what she
.lnc'cd and what her fr!erIs told her was the
good u her country Even her husband unwit-
tngly Joined In urging her g. her fate Any one
who has read those speeches OF promcditaied
vlolcnc. watch were 50 characteristic ~ Napoleon
can Imagine how a helpless Wenan must have
felt A. she listened to words like these. FOR which
VI Mason vouchcs. Il have already lifted the
name = your country from the dust. thanks 70
me that II has no, been wiped from the face of
the earth | WIFI 10 more-but remember that
even as ! crush this watch in my hand shall
your country and all your hopes be crushed. II
YOU push me 20 extremes. rcpulse my love and re-
fuse me your" II sounds like me.odrama. but It
served q Brighten Nine Walewska. And yet
she faithful to Napoleon. She followed him
ro Paris. visited him I'm hts exile on the Island
o.. Elba. ard only allowed herself 10 think OF
freedom when tho man who had mastered her
after the manner - brute was safe on s..
Helena
As Napoleon had thus mingled policy with pas
sion. 80 In the end he was taken In his own trap.
My marriage" said he. abiding T. Maria
Louisa and the Austrian alliance. was flower
covered pit which they dug for mo" II was
curious "a thn, he who had been the master ~
other women and ~ nearly all the mon whom
his arm could reach. became the servant ot his
second wife. His hours and his labors were ac-
commodated 10 her whms. Through all the
strenuous wears u his NE ~ allowed woman
to have any share In public business TO par
ticpaic IN his counsels France had enough OF
thai. he SAIL under the Kings Bu' now he
made the Empress regent and ne who had ruled
Paris and the nation from his migratory head
quarters practically disappeared from the Gov
eminent At the time when he needed the
mental strength and grasp u h!s youth he was
Ike bourgeois tradesman ready 10 retire on
his earnings. He imagined that the pledge
which he had obtained from Austria in the per-
son % sh.s wife would Insure a peaceful success
sion for her son ana his. In NJ. Mass0n's opn-
ION. Napoleon's course Of action In 1873 was due
wholly 10 policy. not to affection. II Is strange
TO find him entertaining that view Of the case
and still denouncing the policy OF the other
European rulers which defeated Napoleon's
plans Napoleon had not been prescriptions in
Outwitting or subduing others To his VIII In
his younger days hc would have deemed no
pledge sufficient unless he held II with an armed
hand. NJ. Mason admits new weakness In his
idol when he saws that Ito divine such a CON
spIracy as the aristocrats ~ Europe had woven
against him; t. foresee that the young girl who
had been given him "a wife was the lure pre-
pared by the allied ollgarchlcs to entrap him.
would have required an insight into the depths
OF royal unscrupulousness which even Talley-
rand or n F0uch" might be incapable Of" Rather
is II true that he fell by his devices
Four children Of Napoleon are mentioned in
this volume. The first the child OF a lady