The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-03

NEW BOOK ABOUT THE 'BRAVEST
OF THE BRAVE"
Curious and Interesting Documents
Bearing on the Family Career, and
trial of Michel Ney.

The London Athenaeum for March s,
contains an extended review of a newly
published book lie Marechal Ney," by
the Comic de la Bedoyere, published by
CalmannyLevy, Paris, which is especial
ly interesting at this time when such
wide interest is felt in matters Napo-
leonic. The review in the Athenaeum
is as follows:
Among. the satellites of Napoleon
there is none whose name calls up
more romantic memories than that OF
Ney, the bravest of the brave" Yet
there has been no really adequate at
tempt to describe his brilliant and va
riegated career. The memoirs which
his sons began to publish i'm 1888 only
so down to the year 1906 and there is
still room for a biOgrapher in search of
a fascinating subject. The COmte de
la BedOyere, who is married to a grand
daughter of Marshal Ney, and is him
self descended from another victim Of
the vengeance of the Bourbons has not
undertaken so ambitious a task in this
interesting book. He has merely de-
sired to collect, arrange, and publish
the curious and interesting dOcu-
ments' which he found among his faith
er-in-laW's papers, bearing on the
family, career, and trial of Michel Ney.
He has been able to add to them a long
chapter composed of extracts from the
still unpublished memoirs of General
Bechet, afterwards the Baron de Leo
court, who was Ney's aide-de-camp and
chief of staff in his most important
campaigns These notes, as the editor
observes form a kind of journal, in
which we see the Marshal in his fam
iliar privacy, in his public actions, at
the head of his army-cOrps and on the
field of battle" They cover period Of
twelve or thirteen years, from the San
Domingo expedition to the Peninsuar
War. and form the most readable part
of this book, We have never seen Ney' s
peculiar military value better described
than in a few lines which Bechet ap-
Ponds to his account of Friedland:
He was a man admirable on the
battlefield; calm, perfect master Of
himself, foreseeing all turns of fortune;
| knowing himself prepared for any event
he was in his element; he moved the god
of battle. The seeming impOssibility of
defeat gave to his soldiers idOlatrOus
confidence in him. To them moment
Of feebleness was not possible i'm such a
man, and each sought to rise TO worth
mess of such leadership"
The greater part of the COmte de la
Bedoyere's book is devoted to reprint
of the contemporary reports of Ney's
trial after the Hundred Days. The year
after his death an English translation
of the shorthand writer's report was
published, but it is not often seen now
adays The trial Is of such interest
that we wonder that some enterprising
publisher does not resuscitate it. In the
account Of Ney's answers to the num-
erOus questions that were put to him
the whole character of the blunt, honest
and impetuous soldier is displayed, and
his so-called treason appears in the
| true light as merely the most striking
| instance of that magnetism which Ma
pOleon, even when his star was setting,
exercised on all with whom he came in
to contact. 1t is notable that the COM
mon version Of Neys promise to Louis
XVIII, when he was sent against Ma
pOleon, that che would bring back the
ex- Emperor in an iron cage, is shown
TO be erroneous, though 1t appears in so
well-informed and accurate a book as
Mr. Roses Napoleon Ney insisted
and apparently convinced his judges
that what he really said to the King
was a mere facon de parler, in judged,
perhaps, but not the utterance of an
ungrateful braggart, "The King" said
Ney al his first examination, Informed
me that Bonaparte had landed, and or
dered me to take the necessary mea-
sures for opposing his advance. 1 be-
leVe that / answered that such a step
on BOnaparte's part appeared to be the
act of a mailman, and that he would de-
serve, If he were taken, to be brought
to Paris I'm an iron cage" This version,
TO which Ney adhered at his trial.