The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-10-03

NAPOLEON BY wHEssEL.
then Lieutenant colonel in the alleged
National Guards, he had undertaken to
get possession of the citadel Of Ajaccio,
and had failed. His leadership, like a
rod Of glass, broke to fragments in his
hands. He and the whole Bonaparte
family were discountenanced, and he
was glad to get away-being careful to
carry with him n military record which
he himself had prepared and the colonel
Of the Second Battalion had signed,
showing his patriotic military services
and his rank as an officer. With this he
would regain his lost position in the
French army.
At Valence, there was still much in
Napoleon's favor. The royal army was
literally going to pieces. The organiza-
tion of the National Guard in various
parts Of the kingdom had drawn off
many Of the officers and infected many
more with the disease of patriotism.
The colonel of tho Fourth Regiment
was an old royalist who had gladly cut
off the Jacobin Bonaparte from his COM
mand. 1t was useless for the latter to
return to Valence, hoping to be rein
stated at such a court He therefore
made all speed for Paris, where he
would have hearing before the minis
ter of war.
BY the summer of 1899 the roaring
winds Of revolution were shaking not
only the pinnacles, but the very founda-
lions, Of French civilization. The old
order was already in ruins. Paris was
in an uproar The King and court had
been obliged in the preceding autumn
to leave Versailles and come, in the
most remarkable procession in history,
to Paris. The starving populace had
gone out to the royal palace, invaded it,
hooted around it, drawn forth the King
and Queen and their i'll fated scion, and
had hurried them off into the city, dane
ing about them en- route and shouting
in wild POPULARITY that now they had
the baker aud the bakeress and the bak
er's little boyl All this wreck Of royal
| ty and nobility heaped itself up in the
| Tuileries, out of which the ancient
monarchy of the Bourbons looked with
wan face at the weltering world.
1t was to this Paris that Napoleon
came, with billet of dismissal and pc
tition for reinstatement One war min
| lister after another, to the number of
six, had now filled the important office
before which Bonaparte stood petit
toner for rehearing. The new minister
was Nationalist and favorably dispos-
cd towards the Corsican adventurer; for
| lat xvifh hanunrI raynlt,-
tionary face and long hair hanging to
his shoulders. There was delay in the
office; and Bonaparte, with his former
schoolfellow and future secretary, Bour-
rienne, was well nigh starving in the
| streets.
To add to his distress, the Royal
School for Girls at Saint Cyr, under the
immediate patronage Of Marie Antoi-
nette, went to pieces, like other exist
ing things; and Elise Bonaparte was
turned adrift with no friend in France
except her sullen brother. To the credit
Of the latter, he chung to his sister, and
presently took advantage Of her presence
to get another ledUG Of absence, ''in or
der to conduct her home. But he did
not do SO until his cause in the war-of-
flee had. on the Both of August, been
decided in his favor. He was exoner-
ated. restored to rank. promoted to a
captaincy, and to crown all the new COM
mission was dated back to the preceding
February.
This was a great victory for the man
of destiny. He was Captain Bonaparte.
Taking Elise by the hand, he sped away
to Lyons and Valence-where he paused
TO be seen in his new regimentals-and
then to Marseilles and Corsica. His re-
turn brought together at Ajaccio all the
members of the family of Bonaparte.
Josephine do Beauharnais, aged twenty
nine. And yonder at Vienna, in hei
Hapsburg cradle, nine months old, liei
the Rirl-babe Maria Louise. These two
shall have relat.i ,s with history in the
next two decades
France had now become an ocean Of
molten brass, seething, bubbling, break
ing along tho pillows into flames Of
lurid light. The Revolution was coming
to its crisis. Hunger and despair in the
hearts Of men had done their perfect
work. War was on with Prussia and
Austria and England. The emigrant no
bility across the borders was In league
with the enemies of the French nation.
That nation had sprung up, an infuri
ated tigress, and woe be henceforth Il
traitors! There was intrigue between
the dying court and the Emigres beyond
the Rhine, 1t was now or never. Tn,
Terror came on; chateaus were flaming
the streets were slippery with red the
axe went always up and down in tn,
Place de la Revolutions; the day of dealt
and determination was at hand.
This condition of affairs In the ex
tinct kingdom of the Bourbons brought
the revolutionists Of France and thoss
Of Corsica into closest sympathy; fol
Jaoobinism is universal. 1t is simply
humanity in instruction. Whether II
be IN France, IN Germany, in Italy, in
the Mediterranean islands. in England,
or the party cursed cities of the United
States. it is all the same The only ques
ton with Bonaparte now was whether
his destiny might be better attained by
the leadership of the Corsican revolu
tionists or by allying himself with the
Jaoobins of Paris.
With skillful duplicity he did both.
Corsica. ON his return, was in fer
ment The popular party was at one with
the French democrats. The National
Convention passed decree that the ex-
lied Corsican patriots might return.
Paoli went home by way Of Paris, where
he was recognized as hero and made
lieutenant general and military govern
or of his native island France was di.
vided into departments, and Corsica
was declared to be one of these.
Meanwhile. the world was turned