The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-12
NAPOLEON AND LOUISA.
Meeting Of the Emperor and Queen of
Prussia at Tilsit.

Prussia at Tilsit.
1t was at this crisis of Prussias
affairs that the king, after much urg-
ing, consented to summon his queen
The rumors and insinuations concern
ing the cZar's undue admiration of her.
so industriously spread by Napoleon,
had made him over-sensitive; but as
last resort he felt the need of her
presence. She came with a single idea
to make the cause of Magdeburg her
own. She had suffered under the ma
licious innuendos of Napoleon regarding
her character; she had shared the dis
crushing defeat at Jena and Auerstadt;
she had been a wayfarer among a dis
graced and helpless people; but her
spirit was not broken, and she an
nounced her visit with all the dignity
of her station. The court carriage in
which she drove, accompanied by her
ladies in waiting, reached Tilsit on
July 6, and drew up before the door of
the ARTISAN under whose roof were the
rooms of her husband. Officers and
statesmen were gathered to receive and
encourage her with good advice; but
she waved them away with an earnest
call for quiet, so that she might collect
her ideas.
In a moment Napoleon was an
noUnced. AS he climbed the narrow
stairway she rose to meet him. Friend
and foe agree as to her beauty, her
taste and her manners; her presence,
in white dress embroidered with sill
yer, and with a pearl diadem on her
brow, was queenly. In her husbands
apartment she was the hostess, and as
such she apologized for the stair.
What would not one do for such an
end!" gallantly replied the somewhat
dazzled conqueror.
The supplant, after making few
respectful inquiries as to her visitors
welfare and the effect of the northern
climate on his health, at once an
nounced the object of her visit Fer
manner was full of pathos and there
were tears in her eyes as she recalled
how her country had been punished
for its appeal to arms, and for it's mis-
taken confidence in the traditions of
the great Frederick and his glory. The
emperor was abashed by the lofty
strain of her address. So elevated was
her mien that she overpowered him;
for the instant his self-assurance fed,
and he felt himself but man of the
people. He felt also the humiliation of
the contrast, and was angry. Long
| afterward he confessed that she was
mistress of the conversation, adding
that she stood with her head thrown
back like Mile. Duchesnois in the char
acter of Chimene, meaning by this COM
parison to stigmatize her attitude and
| language as theatrical.
So effective was her appeal that he
felt the need of something to save his
own role, and accordingly he bowed
her to a chair, and in the moment thus
| gained determined to strike the key
of high comedy. Taking up the con-
versation i'll turn, he scrutinized the
beauties of her person, and, compH
menting her dress, asked whether the
material was Grape or India gauze.
Shall we talk of rage at such solemn
moment?" she retorted; and then pro-
ceeded with her direct plea for Magde-
burg. In the midst of her eloquence,
when the emperor seemed almost over
come by her Importantly, her meddling
husband most inopportunely entered
the room. He began to argue and rea
son, citing his threadbare grievance,
the violation of Ansbach territory, and
endeavoring to prove himself to he
right. Napoleon at once turned the
conversation to Indifferent themes, and
in few moments took his leave.
"You ask much" he said to the queen
on parting; but l promise to think it
over" The courageous woman had
done her best, but her cause-if, indeed,
! it was ever in the balance-was lost
from the moment she put her judge
in an inferior position. Her majestic
bearing was fine, but it was not dipfo-
macy. She might, nevertheless, have
succeeded had she been the wife of a
wiser man. Long afterward Napoleon
thought she might have had consider
able influence on the negotiations if
she had appeared in their earlier stages,
and congratulated himself that she
came too late, inasmuch as they were
already virtually closed when she ar
rived.-Prof. Sloane, in Century.