New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-11
NAPOLEON AND ENGLAND.
THE COURSE OF A WAITING GAME.


NAPOLEON. BY Aexandre pumas' p TT ~ 5sS
from the French by johh D. i''"'' p
TUE prvo1ITIoNARY AND NAPoLEoNIcc
ERA I7s9-lsl5 BY J. H. Rose NJ ~ ~ '''
3sS. Macmillan & Co.
These two books mark the NEST extreme wv.
witch rational men likely to take on the s"OJv0'
| ., N,,ooor,s ch,racter Of his relation TO 'hc
events OF his time and OF his achievements ine''
,,. those n +, said who deny Napoleon genus
| but they remind Of those eccentric WHITES W.
| exploit Sir John Falstaff as courageous s'''
almost any opinion will p.ease mem II 3" i p
odox !, The sketch o. Napo.eons life by AleXandre
| Dumas now first turned into Engish IN i"h ~ -
| Larner the military expert, the oFsahiz'S I'M
that revised the laws and customs. the leh''''s'
| tho art and the commerce OF Europe Is dei'eu ~
| IN sneak H. is compared with the 'd''''
| mankind md with Promethsus. the Greek ''-'' "
| vcarlous suffering sor the race re" WIN q"
| professcl vo,lries to the memory OF 'he ST.
| nsro- youlI car, to 30 30 far 80 THIS Mo4' pe'S
| ms, continue 10 look upon Napoleon as ues''"'
| tive force the necessity OF which Is SHOWN oS .'
| FAC, that II existed. In the old Europe 'ha' "ea'
him a.. there WAS much that had 20 be Destroyer
,rl he WAS reentlesi: but II wouih pe Il '"'''
/ and possibly valuable inquiry to ascertain ~" 'N
~, v,as really beneficial - men shared th' I"'e "a
| ~. had and rnalencent IN his tenpestuous INV
| ,,,,s .,,,., tho Continent. Nearly century mas
,es..l since the SapO,eon.c wars ana eve"
| M, a-e not agreed as = the Verhlct up'" 'n' "
| ~ those WITS Tho feeling OF tht5' 'dp''''"'''
ODD .sei TO him is perhaps milder' oHi on the o'"'i
/ hand tho no:e 81 auta.lon Is not p'icheh 80 ''t
as f. was In the days OF the Second f'hp''''
/ v,s r. This per!od that Dumass book belonged
Ar Ia-ner disputes the statement OF Percy FIX
o.-,,a the bogr1phcr OF Dumas that the pooN wa"
written In 1875 for ne nnds It noi only N print o'
IN use A. a textbook In 1870. II o'aoo'ieS o''S Wv
heroi TEXTURES OF the Napo.eoa!c sto" II u 'a's
| -. ~ tsr
/ IN, the nrure Of Napoleon IL seen 'hrousn wa.
,,t q, = medium which may be historical nut -
! sly, 20 be- legendary. The pracucal H''''i' ~
! which ~ won and maintained his power arc n''.''
/ glanced at VIVA. nS power cnaoe' HI" " '
WIN, , por,eaflas and yc; benefcent hgure IL mace
| - h.r,-these are the materials OF Ddmass nara
| tive. ,.. 49,.
| IN, Mr. Rose in n mild way rchao.litates inc
| English tradition IN which Napolson Inquired as
| sor, OF monster. Concedng his supreme hh'"'a''
genus his Infinite capacity for attending 70 ue'n'
his skI IN ossanlzaton he - viewed mainly In the
| character which hc assumed a. the lhp'aVip" '
" England Even IN" incnrcer-itA on - men"
fs defended though the Only Void excuse for tnat
| piece ~ inhumanty IL the sht er o. fright winch
the more name OF Napoleon caused among MS i'.S
| while he lived He might have b'en housei III
r,,.onI ~ harmlcssly a. one Of those Bouroons
whom England kept alive as Louis XIV IN MS time
supported The s;uarts. OF course mos OF ne IT.
! eerd,rv f,a,lrcs have been erased from the Naio-
| .e,aic narrative. and Mr.. Rose accepts Inc con-
nuor,r almost IT MS own valuation ma the produot
rather than the master " events IL observes t""'
~. e,er, tendency OF recent French Investigations
has been favorable TO the memory OF Na9o'eO"'
| OF some works extremely partial TO Napo"on ina,
| form a part OF what might Wen be caIlen
| the Napolconic renaissance OF the present
| day he speaks inGugenty rs Of things that
have TO be taken with certain allowance
! ana he specific the brilliant romanclng'
/ Of Marriott the trustful condolences OF MeneVaI
| and the quaint attempts OF NJ Levy %
! denlc, his hero IL go)d-natured bourg 'ols IN
! private Ne" These Re contrasts with the Sod
| and authentic narratives OF Chlptil Macdonald ana
pasaulsr But the chief utility OF hs wofk VIII -
f,,nd IN f., character as commentary on the
| authors remark that much more may be ursod III
defence %, British policy than has hitherto been con-
| coded" Tnat policy was primarily financial ana
cofprn.rcl, and ory In a secondary seIs' militant
This vas parity du- 10 Eng.and's own preferences
| AMI partly to Napoic ms method lie had an III
stlnctve perception OF hc weak spots IN the people
and the nations that he had to deal with. ana
England was quite free from the Characteristic de-
fec, ~ the Continent The last serf had been freed
, hv Oueen Elizabeth The last absolute monarch had
| died on the sc,no.d In the person OF Charles l.
The Old faudal nobility had destroyed Itself IN the
! Wars OF the Roses. and the later arlstocracy'
! thoueh f. inflated the haugh,ncss and the Wees OF
its predecessor. never attained the old supremac.
| Tho Commons ruled but they had learned In TIE
| Parliamentary wars that they could not rule IN
| peace by themselves For the sake OF harmony
| there had TO b. a certain Distribution OF power
| among all the estates OF the realm The great oo-
s,ructiye force OF the Continent the Latin Chu'cn'
and its hardly less medieval opponents were prac-
| tica,ly unknown In England Though the people
Ind not risen TO the conception OF free speech and
fro, press and were incapable OF liberation, thought
was free in a hitherto unknown Il WAS not
only relieved from espionage; 1t was also released
| from the letters OF tradition Trade ana colonial
ton had opened English mind to the acuallt!es
| of l.fe In a way nconcelvabl" - those who were
still envelopei In the glamour OF chivalry The phi
losophy % Locke and the calm questioning OF
Hume were possible only because Of these preiml-
! nary conditions Through them the Eng'sh Eevo.r-
ton was the ancestor Of the French Revolution or
Vo.tarc and Dilrfoi and Rousseau and Bonapar'e
himself though England has ever since contem-
plated their exploits with the dlsmay OF hen when
she secs the ducklings which she inadvertently
Matched abandon her for the pond.
Thus while other nations were broodlng over age
long abuses and wondering how the wrongs could
be rightcd England was developing the inventions
which had come to the aid OF her manufactures
She aIarreled with her colonies but both she and
,hev found their prosperity Increased by separa,l
Wherever she turned her hand whether che meant
II so or not put coin In her purse She seemed on
the very eve OF verifying her tradition OF exclusive
coatro, Of the Here was the only weak point
that Napoleon could find In her. But ne hac no
efficient meara OF woundlng her in this morta. spot
The French navy swep, from the seas by Nei-
son while English statesmen could not be tempted
into any hazardous ventures on land. They willingly
aided with subsidies the opposition to Napoleon. but
thew did not risk the lives OF their soldiers until
they found hrt that they had a general wise
enough to lead them and, second thai the allies
had been wrouSh; up TO the courage o! despair.
Thus he Napo.eonc war, were FOR England only
the eliminating episode in tie long duel with