The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31
SLO ANE'S ESTIMATE OF BONA
PARTE.

LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE-By VIII
liam MilIgan Sloane. XolumeII: The Century
Company New YORK. For sale by The w hita-
ker & Ray ompany, San Francisco.
The second volume OF Professor Sloane's
great work is even more interesting than the
first. tits largely taken up with the life of
the famous Corsican during the time he was
First Consul, and the author considers the
Consulate as the period of Bonapartes great
est and most enduring renown. The volume
opens with the rescue of the Directory during
the summer of 1897, by the aid which Napo-
leon sent from Italy in moral support and in
the person of General Augereau. 1t closes
with the decisive defeat of the Prussians at
the battle of Jena in 1906. For every two
leaves of reading matter in the large volume
there is q handsome full-page illustration,
many of these being in coIors and exact fac
similes OF valuable paintings in the art gal
leries of Europe.
The autnor seems to be perfectly impartial
in the treatment Of his world interesting sub
ject Napoleon according to him is no object
for hero worship, and yet IN some ways h e
gives him credit for greatness in unstinted
measure, and defends him from the bitter at
tRcks from preiudieed writers. The character
of the Corsican appears here greatly expanded
from that revealed to Us in the first volume,
and, as though reused by loftier theme, the
writer's style has grown to one of more elo-
quence and glow and force. Bonaparate is
still shown to US q shrewd and unscrupu-
lous intriguer, but as Consul and Emperor we
get to see him from points of view suggested by
the author which make US wonder if after all
there may not have been some hidden noble
springs under his vast mbition.
AS early as 1897, when the helpless Directory
was seeking the aid OF Bonaparte while at the
same time they dreaded his power, we ara told
that the adventurer was laying his plans not
So little did the German Emperor comprehend
the man with whom he had to deal that he
offered him q bribe OF q principality with
$4,000 subjects.
Professor Sloane gives US pen portrait of
Bonaparte as he appears in Venice. 1t was
found among the papers OF a royalist. the
Count d'Antragues, and is not flattering. A
part Of it runs "Bonaparte is q man of small
stature, of sickly hue, with piercing eyes and
o something in his mouth and eyes which is
cruel. covert and treacherous; speaking little
but very talkative when his vanity is engaged
or thwarted; of very poor health because OF
violent humors IN his blood. He sleeps but
three hours every night"
Speaking of his playing the part of one de.
voted to the principles of equality before the
French people, Sloane says that "his histrionic
talents, like his other gifts, were OF the high
est order"
ADOuL NApOItOu 1SS ptldH pSultlOn we
are told some interesting things. The French
republic had inherited the notion of world
conquest which had occupied both Philip le
Bel and Louis XIV, although in another form
Bonaparte was full OF the same idea. In one
Of his conversations he said that Europe was
uolehill when compared with the 800, 100000
Of men in the East. In his youth he had read
1.-The philosophical and Political History Of
the Two Indies" and had therein learned tC
Al
that with proper popula tfon and a firm ad
ministration Alexandria would rise to greater
eminence than London, Paris, Constantinople
or Rome. The opinions thus early formed he
never changed, and he reiterated them even al
st. Helena, where he said that but for his re-
pulse at Acre he would have founded an
Oriental empire.
At the time of the declaration of the EN-.
pire, Sloane says that Bonaparte had by guile
and prudence in the exercise of consummate
genius as soldier and politician climbed to
the pinnacle of revolutionary power tstand-
ing ever at the parting of the ways and
Indifferent to principle, he carefully con.
side-ed each path, and finally chose the
one which seemed nkeliest to guide his foot.
steps toward the goal OF his ambition. Fer.
tile In resources, he strove always to construct
a double plan, and on the failure of one expe.
dent passed easily to another His career ba
been marked by many blunders and he has
often been brought to stand on the verge of
some abyss which threatened failure and ruin
yet, like the driver of a midnight train. he
kept the headlight of caution trimmed and
burning"
Professor Sloane thinks that the French peo.
pie helped Napoleon to climb to power beca use
they saw in him the incarnation of their own
patriotism and love of leadership among ma.
tions. 1t was because the Bourbons had
failed to represent these qualities that they
had despised the Bourbons. He says it is en-.
tirely possible that Bonaparte believed him.
self and dynasty proceeding from his loins
to be the best, if not the only, conservat tors OF
the new France.