The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-08-29

uisccrn the coming uphva's, 90 sVivty, /
with its concomitant reign Of the sword |
But the aRitations Of the epoch were /
sufficient 10 encourage war, and 20 offer |
a measure Of induccmont TO follow In |
the path Of military glory.
The taciturn schoolboy Of Ajaccio had /
these three open ways before him. From
the first no was precluded by the dis
positions Of his family. intensified In
himself He never had the scholastic
trait His abilities as pupil, and after
wards as q military cadet, showed moth
ing Of the philosophe. Indeed he con
ceived-how early in boyhood we know
not-a prejudice against philosophy and
the philosophers as well. As for the
Church, he had an inbred admiration
for Rome; but the kind of life offered in
the priesthood was without attractions
for him personally. He was willing that
Joseph and other of his friends should
! become priests and bishops; but not him
self Neither the scholar gown nor the
priests surplice offered the slightest at.
traction to his imagination.
The condition of the Buonaparte fam
lily about the years 1776-7S was critical.
Carlo, the father, had given an interest
ed adhesion to the French. He had his
hopes from the annexation. He would
keep his titles and recover the proper
ties formerly belonging to the family
The Buonaparte estates in Corsica had
been mostly lost. Some had been confis-
Gated by the Genoese party and convert
cd into Jesuit schools. The recent revo.
| luton had reduced Carlos means almost
/ to naught. He was himself of no repu-
! tation as an economist. His family had
rapidly multiplied. Two children died
| in infancy between the birth of Napo-
| leon and that of Lucien, in 1775. The
family was brought almost to penury.
Carlo de Buonaparte could not get
back his properties The privilege of
writing his name with de did not COM
pensate for his losses He struggled with
adversely, and sought the aid Of influen.
tial friends. Among these the most
available was General Marbeuf. The
latter in 1870 appealed on behalf of his
Corsican friends to the authorities in
Paris for the privilege of educating the
Buonaparte boys in France at the ex-
pense Of the royal treasury. This thing
might be done-provided the applicants
should be under ten years of age. and be
able to show four strains of noble blood
in their veinsl In the case of the boys
Buonaparte, this could not be proved;
and affairs in the homestead went from
bad to worse.
At this juncture history, rather than
man, came to the rescue France was on
the verge of bankruptcy. One finance
minister after another was appointed,
and one financial scheme after another
exploded in the hands of the inventors.
1t became necessary to call together, at
Versailles, a council of the mobiles. Carlo
de Buonaparte was chosen a representa-
tive from Corsica In going to perform
his duty at the French capital, he took
with him, to be distributed en- route,
his two sons, Joseph and Napoleon; also,
the boys half uncle, Joseph Fesch also,
cousin of Letitia, the mother As for
Fesch, he was to be left as student at
AK. The cousin had been appointed to
an Office in the church at Autun; aud
at that place the distracted father deter
mined to drop his two sons at school.
This was in the year ITS The COM
pany set out by way of Florence, Genoa,
Marseiles, Lyons. The youngest of the
company was a sad faced, big-eyed boy,
in such apparel as could be furnished in
the house Of an impecunious nobleman
The boys head was bent forward as he
walked. His foot now for the first time
touched the continent He was in his
tenth year. He muttered broken ejacu-