The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-02-27


and the space there is a small gulf The
island beast. sketched fat on the sea,
shows many black spots On the side;
they are mountains. There are veins
also, and these are swift streams; small
orioles in a few places-towns The area
Of the broadside is 1915 square miles.
1t ts more than twice as big as Rhode
1sland-smaller somewhat than Connec.
ticut. And the population exceeds 8
quarter Of million.
OF the towns here marked, we are
concerned with only two; Corte and
Ajaccio The former Is the old homo oi
the Buonapartes; the latter, the place to
which the family removed just at the
time when, by the birth of a pan-chilj
clad with thunder, 1t was destined IL
emerge from medieval obscurities, star.
like, Sirius-like, into the open sky Of
fame.
The genesis Of Napoleon touches re
markable ethnio condition Nearly all
Of the West Aryan races have contribus.
ed to the population Of the island il
which he was born. The people and the
architecture alike show traces Of all
these remote but potent influences in de.
termining the final race-character Of the
Corstcans who, after the fifteenth cen.
fury, became essentially Italian. The
race Is thus composite in Its derivation
to as great degree as any people in the
world. Besides the ethnio origin, the
environment-the narrow confines of the
ialand, Its mountainous character, Its
pleasant situation In the pellucid waters
Of the Mediterranean. Its easy distance
from the long bending line of one of the
most famous coasts Of the world-has
tended powerfully. by the reactions Of
nature on the human animal, to estab.
lish and confirm the small insular race
whose one man was destined to give il
conspicuous place In human annals
The Buonapartes were true Corsicans.
The family reaches back obscnrely into
the Middle Ages The name is Italian,
and shows Hnguistically an origin as
remote as the Renaissance. There were
Italian as we'll as Corsican Buonapartes.
A family Of this name lived in the Tus.
can city of Sarzana; another perhaps,
in Genoa, and another at Florence Elk.
amples are found In which the spelling
10 given thus-Buons Parte. They Of
Sarazana were ennobled in the sixteenth
century, and continued to write their
name with a di, or de, until the epoch
when the Great One was born. The no.
blessa however. became attenuated,
both in Tuscany and in the island,
whereto a branch Of tho family. at some
unknown date, removed and established
itself at Corte or Ajaccio
AT the middle Of the eighteenth cen.
tury the head Of the Corsican Buona-
parties was Joseph, grandfather of Ma
poleon. The family resided at Corte, in
the center Of the island Joseph received
a patent of nobility from the grand duke
of Tuscany, making him patrioian;
and this worthless distinction was car.
ried down to his son, Carlo Buonaparte,
whose rights were confirmed by the
Archbishop Of Pisa and the King Of
France
The geographical position Of Corsica
made 1t bone Of contention among the
Powers F:om the sixteenth to the eight
zenith century the island was under the
suzerainty of Genoa The people were
partisans. Some favored the Genoese;
some, the French; and some, other Ital.
Ian States. At the middle of the eight
zenith century, there was turbulence.
The patriots rose against Genoa, and q
certain General Won Neuhof was about
to be made king, when French army
under General Marbpuf was sent into
the island to bring 1t into Subsection.
The French bad just lost their colonial
empire In North America, and were
anxious to make gain In the Mediter-
ranean to counterbalance the growing
power Of Great Britain.
After the episode Of Won Neuhof, the
patriot leader Pascal Paoli gained an as !
tendency in Corsica, and became dicta-
tor. He contended valiantly for the in.
Of his country, and for a |
while held his powerful enemies at bay.
This, however, could not last. The :
French party among the Corsicans de- !
sired the breaking Of all connection be.
tween their country and the petty state
Of Genoa, and union with the power.
full kingdom Of France. The cause of |