The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-02-15
WHO Was EMPEROR ONCE
RecoIlections Of Napoleon iii. and
His Life it, London When
Prince.
He Proposed Marriage to Two
Ladies, Neither of Whom
He Married.
An Irish Girl Who flight Have
Been an Empress Had She
+h
Known It.

| Sir William fraser is a, delightful old
gossip, as everyone knows who has read
| MS works on "Wellin gton" and NDlsraell
and His Day. Now he is out With ~ ~ new
volume Of recollections of Napoleon Ill.,
writes Jeanette l.. Glider in the Chicago
| Tribune. Sir William wastes. j no no time tim
| with Introduction, but jumps right, into
his story. He begins by telling Us that
| Napoleon H.. when living in London,
! when a young man, proposed marriage
! to two ladies, both OF whom were known
to Sir William. One was the daughter OF
Mr. and Mrs. Rowles;, who mad a large
house at the north end Of SStratton street,
Piccad.lly. The mother Of this young lady
WAS an Italian, and in her youth Was con-
silered one Of the most beautiful women
in Europe Prince Louis as he then was,
was a. frequent visitor at Camden House.
Chiselhurst, at that time the property Of
Mr. Bowles 1t is not a little singular
that Camden House, Chiselhurst. was the
| English home Of the Emperor and OF the
! Empress Eugene after the Emperor S
death. 1t was Mrs. RCWles who gave Sir
William Fraser his introduction to Prince
Louis, soon after his election to be pres.-'
dent of the French republic. The other
press was the daughter OF an officer OF
a noble Irish family, VITO served on the
staff at Waterloo, and was wounded there
Her mother, of a great English family.
was the adopted daughter OF Mrs. tItz-
herbert, well known in her relation 10
George Nv. The young lady married
noDier1am in the west Of England, and
Prince Louis was rrlsagnanimolls enough
to dance at her wedding At nc time OF his
ltfe. according TO Sir William, could the
Emperor have been handsome. His ap-
paarance was that Of a sick eagle; his
head held slightly on one side, an alb
s1racteM look, eyes small and not at all
prominent; his hair Of a fine texture, not
p1of1lse ard lying fiat on his head. His
closest resemblance to the Esonapalfe
family was his back. Sir 3lta Itl 's1aaasE
seen lain.aand his uncle. jerome riding
together at a review and could HAL tell
one from the other when seen from be-.
hjnd. His feet were moi. badly shaped,
but unmeaning: his hands large and
muscular, with exceptionally short
thumbs. Sir William has seen the En-
peror in various uniforms, but thinks
that the one in which he looked best was
! IS feather edged. deep lace cooked hat OF
somewhat Spanish form, gold epau.ettes
with the dark blue coat Of a French gen
eral. gold sash. and very full red trousers
with black stripes On horseback he
looked we'll He had a very good seat.
sst1ignifed, without being stiff. - His
horses were exceptionally tall and we'll
bred, 'b,lt not weedy'; the horse and the
man "made a sood ensemble. the effect
Was decidedly picturesque, Witbout being
studied. .... -s-.
One Of nh rifoss enviable characters of
~. s1-s !,
fools"; this priceless gilt he possessed in
most men of exceptional intelligence q
most sore trial to bear and forbeai'' with
fhe elnpty-healed necessities Of his p0si-
tion As regards money matters. Sir Will
liam Fraser assures lis that Napoleon III.
was most punctilious; had he persisted in
al1y Of his unsuccessful attempts he would
have left no debts behind him.
There was one club ii London, Str Will
lism says, to which the Emperor did not
belong. Election to which he would have
valued SO Far as such things car. be VAL
Eed, at an enormous SUN. Never has
$50 great. so just, so discriminating a
tribunal existed IS Was the Whites club
Of that period. Whites was then q tEi-
bunal which Was worth all the ,honors
and decorations Of European society,"
While staying at Biarrtz Sir William
vas invited TO two balls given by the En-
peror and Empress at the Villa Eugene.
situated close to- The sea. The Emperor
danced several dances. and seemed in per-
feet health. Standing in front Of Sir Will
lial1. in a pause OF q waltz. he heard him
say that he had not felt so well for a
long time. fIe enticed the Empress into
a window recess of the ballroom and read
to her a letter Of some length, apparently
consulting her as to its contents AT the
end he folded up the letter. and Sir Will /!
liam noticed, as they left the ballroom,
that the Empress was III tears.
To make a momentary depression S..1
William Fraser says that he had not a
very ll:gh opinion OF the intellectually OF
Marshall IacMahon. So far as outward
appearance went there was no trace of
superior intelligence In him. 'SHe was,
says Sir William, "a safe and honest man
whom the Emperor knew would obey Or
lerE and without sufficient viyacity to run
the risk Of getting into scrapes." OF the
Emperor's s principal adviser. the Duke de
agcrny, Sir William says that he was not
son nor i'll character. OF about the same
height, of more delicate features, and a
better shaped head The expression Of
his face was less solen..l but mora cyni-
cal than the EInperor's,sa good huEnorad
end should say good nat,Irad face, two
qualities that are frequently disassociataa
a sleater figure, more dea1onstrative man-
nar, who, like the Emperor, played q part. !
but did it With less effort. - The lnoss
..l4sresiiIlg fact that Sir William can re-
caI1 III reference to De AIoraythingGicca
call III reference to Duke de Morny he has
On i1alisputable authority. On his death
bed he was visited by the Emperor, the
friend who had accompanied the latter
was speaiing to him near the window Of
the bedroom. they heard a feeble voice
calling to the Emperor. who at once stood
by the bedside Of the dying man. The
Duke lie Morny' $ LAST words we're: Sire!
Prenez garde a la PTusse.
# There was one class OF persons whom
Sis. William Fraser thinks Napoleon III. |
must have found it difficult TO deal with. |
Lying ii, London in a someRhats MES
nlIine sociesy there we're those who hung
abaist because he was a prince, persons
who coiild creep really ggopd s0esetyl
and a gp4,d many who were not sfft for Ai
a,