The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-06-21
MALMAISON.

Little Corporal, Is eagerly devoure
during this Napoleonic craze, perhaE
a little sketch Of Malmaison will ne
be inappropriate. Of course too, tn
old chateau Is invested with peculia
interest TO us Americans now, since
is to become the villa of one of on
country-women, Count Castellane iia'
ing purchased it for his American wife
with his American wife's money.
Rich girls have actually become on
of our exports-given in exchange 70
titles. coronets and ban krupted estates
On DIT that another one of our youni
multi llionairesses is to give he
money and heart (?) to a scion of Eng
fish nobility for the Marlborough cor
onet, court-of-arms and famous oil,
Blenhcim Castle. might descant jus
here, on 1.-The Social Slave Market,
bnt proposed to write about Malmai
son, didn't /?
The cha teau was built early in thu
eighteenth century. The structure il
three stories high. and the front of thu
building, in Josephine's time. was or
namented with statues copied from
the antique. 1t wrs bought by Jose
phine in 1899, while Napoleon was alb
sent on his Egyptian Campaign.
With all the ardor and enthusiasm
characteristic of her and regardless OF
expense, Josephine set to work to
adorn and beauty it. She planned a
garden Of bewitching beauty and lux
uriance, gathering into it Alpine Py-
renean and French plants. Flowers of
every hue greeted the eye and nOstril,
while trees bent their arborescence or
81, -
reach out their arms in welcome
Fountains spouted and bent and arch
ed themselves to fall in showers of
pearls in basins of snow wilderness.
Here and there through the park. were
grottoes as beautiful as Calypso's. cas-
cades filmy as bridal wells and laby-
riDths so intricate, that one must have
had the thread of Ariadue in order to
get out again. Statues, Conservatives
and lakes dotted the landscape. 10
this turf which she pressed with SO
light step. the Empress of France
came to forget the ennui and etiquette
of royal Majesty. After the rounds 70
fetes, entertainments and plays at the
Luxembourg and the Tuileries, Jose
phine sought here, rest and rela xatiOn.
while she amused herself by light stud
les in botany and natural history.
In this suburban villa Napoleon and
Josephine spent many happy years,
until his uD bounded ambition caused
him to divorce the wife of his youth
a fate she did ali in her power to avert
After the enforcement Josephine re.
NAMED at the Chtteau of Malmaison.
md here she died in the arms of her
children Hortense and Eugene, in 1914.
Her last thoughts and words were of
Napoleon. At the little church at
tueil a short distance from Malmaison,
les all that is mortal of the beautiful
md unfortunate Josephine.
When Napoleon returned from Eliza
! few months after Josephine's death,
md just before starting on the Water
90 campaign, he visited Malmaison.
The place was stepped in associations
nd the sensitive, pathetic chords
# memory vibrated sadly. Wrapped
n his thoughts, he paced the corridors
nd visited the favorite haunts of Jose
hine. Her presence seemed to I'LL
he garden like the incense of some
weet aroma. Doubtless he contrasted
err fidelity and devotion and the self
,hLess and desertion of Marie Louise.
lie next visited Josephines grave.
he night.bird's song "plaintive as the
gh OF the autumn breeze in the
at twilight" chimed in
nth his own gray mood. He mani
ested vived emotions and the fountain
tears overlooked, but we will leave
i'm alone with his conscience and his
REF.
Not many days after his second alb
ication, the victim of Waterloo retired I
gain to Malmaison, the cradle of his /
reatness. He had neglected this {
yelling which recalled painful recol- /
ctions to him. The melancholy sa- I
ms received him again when he was '
espoiled of his crown, but he came O
ally to bid them an eternal farewell. O
t this time the Austrians Russians
nd Prussians had for the second time /
rived under the walls of Paris. The q
mperor might be carried off from t
almaison. All was alarm around n
IN. The few friends who remained s
'ound him, entreated him to think of v
IS safety. So in the dying glories of n
rarely beautiful June day, Napoleon il
Id his suite, composed of eight faith 4
Il friends left Malmaison. Reaching 4
Ochefort he was notified that he was ii
be exiled to the rock of st. Helena. r
he rest is known. n
The old Chateau has since been in
e possession of tie Queen Marie
lristine OF Spain and Napoleon III.
apoleon III, presented it to France
museum. The last owner, from
hom Count Castellane purchased it, m
ught 1t few years ago for specula- o.
re purposes. The Malmaison of to- r
y is typical of the fallen fortunes of r
e Napoleonic dynasty. Gro wded with n,
e memories of brilliant epoch it is n
It ghost of a chateau. The owls m
d bats go in and out at will. The ri
ounds are desolate. the tall rank :,
ass hpnds hat..,... tn, hroax a 3. I'd i =