The Washington bee., 1894-06-30
NAPOLEON'S HOME LIFE.

He Used His Fingers for Forks and Some-
times Took His Soup After Dessert.
"After Napoleon ct lie Femmes," the
Industrious and indefatigable NJ Fred
eric Mason has now given to the puD-
lie another entertaining and goSsipy
volume entitled Napoleon Chez-lui,"
which is published in Dentu. Herein
the author shows us the Great Con-
Queror at home, the interest of the
descriptions being heightened by NJ.
de Myrbach's amusing illustrations.
including Napoleon in bed, an impe-
rial shave and His Majesty at table
before one of those meals-chiefiy
consisting of chicken and pastry
washed down by well-watered Cham
bertin, which were despatched in q
Sloyenly manner and in about seven
minutes.
NJ. Mason neglects nothing He
follows the emperor from morning to
night, tells how he wore his slippers
until they were utterly dilapidated and
how he had himself bruised down with
eau de Cologne every day, making the
valet work as if he were scrubbing q
donkey. At $50 every morning Con-
stant-the chief valet-entered the
dOws open. Meneval presented the
letters and servant brought in cup
of tea or orange flower water. Cor
visart on entering was usually salut-
ed with the words. "Ah! there you
are, you great quack! Have you been
killing many people lately? While
having a warm bath, after Constant
had related the gossip of the day, the
Emperor listened to Meneval's sum-
maries of the newspapers. Next fol-
lowed the levee, Or reception" at 9
o'clock the special audience and at IL
dejeuner. At this meal the Emperor
frequently used his fingers as forks
and cared little for the order of the
service, sometimes eating soup last.
He liked green haricot pods. but was
always afraid of finding hairs in them.
The meal was occa sionally rather in
ternational in composition. BOnaparte
being partial to many of the dishes
popular in the countries wherein he
had conducted campaigns. Thus,
after Egypt, he became very fond of
pilaff and dates. He was, however,
most in favor of Italian frittered food
, and pastry, and liked chicken in every
cooked form.
AS to his occasional calls for SOL
diers' soup and commissariat bread,
NJ. Mason believes that Napoleon
only assumed his taste in that d{rec-
ton for parade purposes. He was
known ON one occasion to swallow a
plate of military soup after having a
hair pulled out of it-but then the sol
diers were looking on. Had his cook,
Dunan-a worthy descendant of Vatel
put army bouillon before him at the
Tuileries, Napoleon would probably
have flung the plate and it's contents
ut the head of the chef. Dunan, by
the way, was once about to resign be-
cause the Emperor refused to eat Gre
pinetteS de perdreau twice in one
month, but he remained on at Du-
roc's suggestion, and Modified his
mighty master by dish of roast
fowl. Now and then the dejeuner
lasted longer than seven or eight min
utes. but only when Napoleon had
morning guests like Talma. David
or Isabey M. Mason has also a
good deal to say about Bonaparte's
enormous capacity for work, which
caused him often to miss the official
dinner hour, and to rise at o'clock
in the morning in order to study bud
gets. ministerial reports and army re-
turns. After his second marriage
there was less freedom in the Court.
Etiquette was more strictly enforced
than ever, and the Emperor became
more inaccessible and Olympian. NJ.
Mason modestly says that his book
is only intended to provide contribu-
tions to history. In any case, it is far
more interesting reading than many
u work of fction.-London Telegraph.