The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-09

The next letter which we shall reproduce was
penneh at Paris in January. 1914. at the outset
OF the memorable campaign OF France. Joseph
Bonaparte, seeing France in imminent danger
of invasion, and no longer having the faintest
hope of reigning In Spain. had written to place
himself at the Emperor's disposal. This was
Napoleon's answers: II have your letter. ID
is too complex In its nature to suit my pres
ent position. Here 10 the question in q som
tence: Franco Is invaded, nil Europe has
taken up arms against Franco. and, moro
especially, against me. I do not need your
resignation, because l do not want Spain for
myself. nor do ! want to have 1t ut my dis
posal; but neither will | concern myself with
the affairs of that country, except for the pur-
pose OF obtaining peace there, and making my
army available for use. What do you mcaa 10
dot Do you desire to rally to the throne as q
French Princei You have my affection and
your appannge. and you will be my subject, as a
Prince Of the blood. In that case. you must 10
as / do. speak out clearly. write mo a plain
letter, which 1 can have printed. receive all
authority from me, and prove your zeal for
mo and for tho King OF Rome and your friend
ly feeling for the Enprcss's regency. Is
that impossible to your Have you not su IN Client
good sense to do iti Then you must retire to
some country house, forty leagues from Paris,
and live there In obscurity. II I live. you
will dwell there in peace. II / die. you will no
killed. or arrested. You will be useless to me,
to your family. to your daughters. to Franco,
but you will do me no harm. and cause me no
Inconvenience. Choose promptly. and make up
your mind. All feelings of sentiment or enmtty
are In vain and out of season."
The last of the papers. hitherto suppressed. 10
a letter written to Joseph Bonaparte from Phi
lippeville on June 10. 1915. 1t is of singular
interest. for it shows that Napoleon by no means
despaired after Waterloo, and. II the legislative
body had not refused to sustain him, he would
have continued the struggle against fortunes:
AL. is not lost. suppose that. by collecting
all my forces. l shall still have n hundred and
fifty thousand men remaining. Tho federated
troops. and the best of the National Guard.
will furnish me a hundred thousand men: and
the depot battalions. fifty thousand more. Thus
I shall have three hundred thousand soldiers.
with whom l can Mt once oppose the enemy. I
will horse my artillery with carriage horses. I
will raise a hundred thousand conscripts. / will
arm them with muskets taken from the Royal
lists. and from the ill.disposed members OF the
National Guard. will raise the whole OF Dau-
phine. the Lyonnais, and Burgundy. ! will over
whelm the enemy. But the people must help mo.
and not bewilder me. ! am going to Laon. I shall
doubtless find people there. 1 have no news of
Grouchy. II no has not been taken. as fear, I
may have hf:y thousand men within three days.
With them, ] can keep the enemy engaged, and
give france. and Paris. time TO do their duty
Tho AustrIans march slowly, the Prussians are
afraid OF the peasants, and dare not advance too
fast; everything may yet be retrieved. Write
me what effect this horrible piece OF bad luck
has produced in the Chamber. ! believe the
Deputies will feel convinced that their duty. in
this GROWING moment, is TO rally round mo and
save France. Pave the way. so that they may
RnnnOrt me SOrthily AhnVa all lat than shoyy
courage and decisionl"
The indonitablo spirit revealed In tho words
Just quoted reflects. OF course. credit on tho
Emperor, but 1t is obvious enough why most u
the letters contained in the hook before us were
withheld from publication by Napoleon III. 1t
is equally easy to understand why, under a re-
publican regime. they are permitted to SEQ the
light. They are not calculated TO aid tho revival
Of the Napoleonic legend. n. W. II.