Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1895-01-16
EoN AT sRlsNNE.
He Had Great Diniculty In Learning Co
 Sneak French.

Speak French
 On New Years day, I779, tho Bo- napartes arrived at Autun. For three months the yoang Napoleon was train cd in tho use of French Prodigy as he was. the difficulties of that elegant and polished tongue were scarcely reached It was with a most imperfect knowl- edge of their language and a sadly de- fective pronunciation that be made his appearance among his future school mates at Brienne. There were 100 of them, although the arrangement and theory of the institution had contem- plated only l20. of whom half were to be foundationers The instructors were Minim priests, and the life was as se- were as 1t could bo made with such Q clientage under half educated and in- experienced monks In spite of all ef. forts to the contrary, however. the place had an air of elegance. There was a OCT tain schoolboy display proportionate to the pocket money of the young nobles and very keen discrimination among themselves as to rank, social quality and relative importance. Those familiar with the ruthlesSness of boys fin their treatment of one another can easily con- ceive what was the reception of the newcomer, whose nobility was unknown and unrecognized in France. and whose means were of the scantiest
 It appears that the journey from Cor sica through Florence and Marseilles had already wrought marvellous change in the boy. Napoleon s teacher at Autun described his pupil as having brought with him a sober. thoughtful character. He played with no one and took his walks alone But he was apt and vain of his aptitude. In three months be learned the rudiments of French. to use common phrases with some fiuency. sud to write easy exercises
 The boys of Autun. says Abbe ChRrdou. on one occasion brought the sweeping charge of oowardioe against all inhahit- ants of Corsica in order to exasperate him. ''If they had been but four Co one, " was the calm. phlegmatio answer of the l0-year-old boy. 'ehey would never have taken Corsica. but when they were 10 to l''--- But you had fine seneral-Paoi. l" interrupted the mar rator. "Yes, sire, was the reply. ut- tered with an air of discomfort and in the very embodiment of ambition. 'I would much like to emulate him. The description of the untamed fann ss he then appeared is not fiattering-his complexion sSllow, his hair stid, his figure slight. bis expression lusterlezs. his manner insignificant Moreover. he spoke broken. French with an Italian ac- cent
 During his sons preparatory studies at Autun the father had been busy at Yer sailles with further complications. !" among them one for a supplement from the royal purse to his scanty pay as dele gate, the other for the speedy settlement of his now notOrious claim. The former of the two was granted not merely to NJ. de Bonaparte, but to his two col leagues, in view of the excellent be- havior''-otherwIse subserviency - of the Corsican delegation at Versailles When in addition the certificate of Na- poleon's appointment finally arrived. and the father set out to place his son with a proper outfit in his new school. he had no difficulty in securing suf- icient money to meet his immediate and pressing necessities, but more was not forthcoming. .-PrOfeSsOr Sloane's Life of Napoleon" in Century.