The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-05
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY or Nipo-
LEON.

| claims Is an auiobiographF repaired by
Napo,con Bc.aparte durirs the time ne
was confined by the English upon tho
Island OF ST. Helena 4 note by the edi-
tor OF the magazine states that few
students OF tho career OF Napoleon have
known that thcre existed in France what
| purportcI 90 De an autobiography Of tho
/ arca. Emperor. IL had appeared mys-
| tc~iously ln London in 1917. but both the
| Eurush and French governments were
! interested in its suppression. In France
! those who advanced the theory that IT
was a equine autobiography were prose-
cutcd. The conditions Of the period were
SUCH as 20 prevent any public under
/ standing OF tho matter Finally. one Lul-
loin ell Chateauvleux was induced 10
claim the authorship and after his death
at. Geneva his statement was widely cir
| culated The matter was permitted TO
| drop out OF sight amidst the more imme-
] date questions OF the day, and 1t has
| remained so for three-quarters OF
| century.
| BY chance a copy recently came into
1
tan with a story connecting the manu-
| script with an interior town of the Uni
ted States. The style was so striking and
| tho consideration OF European problems
| so intimate and profound that 1t SEEM
ed impossible that It should not have
been the work of Napoleon himself one
| thing. however, was certain. that the
| contents were Of the most extraordinary
| character. throwing food Of light upon
| many difficult problems in the history
OF the First Empire and worthy in
| themselves TO be established as olas-
| slo for the student Of Napolcon's wars
| and civil government. the student OF po-
| Htical economy and the student Of style.
| The investigation Immediately taken up
| at the American end, quickly carried the
| thread 20 London and Paris, then back
! to America, and finally led TO clue
| which seems at this writing 10 confirm
| tho authenticity OF the work as the au-
| photography OF Napoleon BOnaparte, Sc
| cretly prepared by him at St. Helena as
| a defence Of his intellectual insight into
| the requirements for the good govern
ment Of Europe and his actions in car
rying out his policy, and secretly dis
| patched by a trusty messenger TO Amer
| lea. The story of this is an interesting
one, but Is reserved for a later day by
which time it is hoped to have such ad-
ditional facts as win leave the matter
| beyond any question. This is the Cos
| mopolitan's account Of the document.
We have read this first installment Of
the supposed autobiography with the
| deepest interest and with the utmost as
| constituent. IL seems incredible that
there could have been in existence a gen
uine autobiography Of Napoleon all Of
this time without the world knowing OF it,
| but 20 seems absolutely impossible that
any man but Napoleon could have writ
ten this one. The observations are all
profound, the style is Napoleons, both
there is a general Napoleonesque air
about the whole thing that does not seem
| capable Of imitation Take the following
| sentences as a specimen.
My life has been 50 wonderful that
| the admirers Of my greatness have mag
| ined that even my Infancy must have
| been extraordinary. They were mistak-
en-. The first years of my life were
| marked by no uncommon circumstances.
| l was an obstinate and inqustive child,
my early education was as wretched as
everything else in Corsica / acquired the
French language with facility from the
officers of the garrison with whom / spent
my time.
II succeeded i'm whatever I undertook
because l willed it. Ny resolution was
strong and my character decided. l never
hesitated; which has given me an advan-
tage sver the rest of mankind. Besides
| the Will depend upon the constitution OF
| the individual; every one is not master Of
| his own determination.
My intellectual character made me
hate Illusions. I have always discerned
| the truth al a single glance This is the
reason why l have always penetrated the
bottom of things with more facility than
others. The world has ever been seen
by me such as 10 IS not such as il ought
10 be. So also l have not resembled
any one. / have been by nature an
Isolated being. 1 have never perceived
| that i derived any advantage from gem
eral studies ana I'm truth they have never
served me any other purpose than 10 in
| spire habit of order and method. From
| the mathematics alone have j gathered
any fruit. The rest has been lost labor,
but self love excited me 10 study.
My intellectual faculties developed
themselves without any eXcrtion upon
| my part They seemed 10 consist only
| I'm the extraordinary nexibiity OF the
hbers Of nay brain. / thought with more
rapidity than others: so that 1 have al
ways found time for reflection: IN this
consists my depth of thouelf
My mind was too active to be amused
with TIE ordinary diversions of youth
was not wholly a stranger TO them.
bat sought elsewhere something 20 in
terest me- This disposition placed me I'm
a kind of solitude, where ] had no other
companion than my own thoughts. This
mode of existence has been habitual I'm
an periods Of my life
81 took pleasure I'm the resolution OF
problems, and sought for them in mathe-
maiics: but / soon exhausted this source
OF instruction because the system OF the
| material world is extremely limited. I
then examined the moral system; and
this labor proved more successful. II Is
TO this species OF research which has be-
come a confirmed habit that I am in
debted for my achievements in politics
i and i'm war;
Think Of man who becomes ennuied
with mathematics because they afford
him no subjects for study
This autobiography may be all fabrl-
Gated. il may be another chatterbox
case. But the fabricator was truly Ma