New-York tribune., 1906-11-24

5sT's sons
--s,s reprint OF the TWO care1ul diaries oescrlo
,o,olson,s voyages to Eiba and st. Helena
..-,,-abIy rnaGs; the illustrations-a number
-h,,h are from prints now very rare-are un-
-,nlv interesting; and the Introduction by
po.e an authority On Napoleonio history. is
.hs. Il should be. The world will never tire
:. hooEs concerning the great CoTsican and here
a n. which cannot he omitted from the list
= Pose reminds Us that no man who has
.-,s-~e6 from 8 whirlpool Of calamity has ever
N.sr more closely observed than was Napoleon
,r-,nr the tine which he spent on British war
..,ns after his first and second abdications. The
.--+s.n of the ship which conveyed him TO Elba
- fhs secretary Of the rear admiral who es-
..--ss him 10 St. Helena had every opportunity
and 10 hear the talk Of the exile. and both
-.re apparently men Of singularIy just and un-
,.sssed character, anxious, even painfully anx-
.ogs 70 set down nothing which they did not
s.rsve 70 be strictly accurate.
n one respect these journals are OF extraor-
,,srv interest," e, fl their revelation of the
.,olness and seIt-conmand manifested by the
r,.st CAPTAIN and statesman after his fall from
,r.r He might sulk little If he thought his
.,,ouerors failed now and then in the formaIities
sus % him. but there was no suggestion OF
ssls-v.ty O. whining d.. Rose, instancing what
:. is tempted 10 call calloUsness, says:
p seems. however that the ez-Emperor had the
,srrrv common 10 many commanders OF exclud-
t-9 vii from his mental horizon All but the cir
- rIssse5 with others which Illustrate his eager
sgzz g5z Ga o @ 5aaos s SS1es @ Dickens !' though ugh
rf-s-iy differing from Napoleon in all else, had
tss mania for observation, this craving for visual
ssts;Is: and his mind grated OF itself when the
desire could not for long he gTa--fied. Napoleon
"a the same characte-lsLlc- from his Iather
Ciares BouapaCte ne undoubtedly derived the rest
fass s-her-g faculty 50 prominent IN his careeri
III from his mother ne inherited that matter OF
- te-da-ev which have just noted. The com
11Ts-f7r gr The Two types has helped 10 make Ma
role5n what he was-the most fertile weaver OF
1fe-E KNOW 20 history but also the hard, deter
mined realiz-. Hts p-actcalty often screened him
ron the nerve STRAIN 70 Whtcn more senstuHe naL
1res are subject: and It helped 70 sutaln him
6c-.ug the voyages which he made under the
T-aioa JACK.
Even that suIkiness of the exile az the close
.. the VOYAGE 10 s.. Helena DR.. Rose attributes
n the fact that his observing powers had by
-hs. time stated themselves on the ship and the
Sims company. There was perhaps an hour
Eben the soul oS the man burned within him.
One morning On the way % Elha the ship stood
toward the Ligurian coast. and q magnificent
view rose upon the horizon. Napoleon, leaning
O. the eru Of The kindly English captain. looked
lo,g without moving. at those glorious hills
and wild gorges. his eyes quite fixed. 1t was in
hat very region that the young officer ar the
beginning o. his first campaign, defeated first
he AuEtrians and then the sardinians
Csptai1 FISHER was especially struck by the
power Of close observation possessed by the
exile and his knowledge Of many matters oS
which he could hardly be expected 10 be cog
u,zant There is something piteous in the
fashion II which the practical energy 70 this
WoEd-shaker rose 70 the surface the day after
he snded on his little island empire Of Elba-
Es made plans al once for conveying wate- from
tie mountains TO The city Of Porto Ferrato 1T
appears always" says Captain Usher, Ito have
been considered by him Of the first Importance
to have supply OF good water for the inhabi-
tsuts Of towns. and upon this occasion It was
evidently the first thing that occupied his mind.
having almost Immediately after arrival re-
gaestsd ne 10 60 with him II the barge n search
c: water 'Eh, my isle IS very small" he said
laughing. as he rode 70 q point above the city
whence the surrounding waters could be seen
o1.every side. He vas interested in everything
ne saT, talked u everybody, particularly the
pretty girls. and paused upon & hillside path to
tel his companion q story associated with his
famous passage Os Mont st. Bernard. He had
had conversation with q young peasant upon
that occasion. and the man. not knowing what
ne was, spoke freely OF the happiness Of those
Nho possessed a good house and a number Of
earle, e-c. He made him enumerate his great
est wants and desires and at-erward sent for
IN a11 gave him all that he had described;
Gat cost me 10000 francs" Il was an Incl
cent that might have come from one Of Sche-
AeIazades tales. ChaptaTs assertion that Napo-
4eon carrie his whole army IN his head was
'-lslrar=1 hv his remembrance Of an old soldier
FAon he sTied in the crowd on landing al Porto
FerTa5o. Ee called the man 10 him and recol-
Ise'7d having given u him on the battlefield Of
E!-aa the order of the Legion Of Honor. which
ne Old sergeant wore Tears filed the soldiers
eyes The idea u being remembered by his
Emperor" SAYS Captain Usher, fairly over
Ce11e him He felt. 7 doubt not that II was the
pfordest day of his life"
throughout he voyage and after he reached
L-oa the Emperor talked continually and frank
q military and naval affairs. OF his Dast cam
Lssls and plans, OF his generals and Of the clos
-s episodes ot his rule.
-: vas not for The sake ~f o. cro-r, -,.. H..
FS-Ss continued the war: II vas fo- fha ejo~y- ~ ~
ssShee and nor for the sake of 80 10 EIS EtGlS -
~sk -g prospect OF realtziug IEe had yvie5a5 -
Tss ---ce Tie first nation I- The world now -
cesd man" He repeated the laf+ar eSfs Tas
his oTr - res N TeE.4rrLe on his confidence IN
co7orsgy = -t-9l among the allies he refar~ed -
colonei TSgyl.---, . sy car1lc-y T. II were not so
s Z ;Ts SPOKE CT the Emperor and his Cd Guard
soo1t tFs-- was so HeiHi1g more than human
,.t+ nus he salved the wounds he would not
wise show. But with Napoleon as soldier
- administrator we are not here concerne6-
political and military passages Of these
;.---&-s were long ago thrashed out. Il fs the
--inan SIDE o. the exile that at the end ~ 49,
ee' most deeply stirs the interes, or he
What power was his and what 2 Yau,-
over and over again. in turning +hssa
$50 We wonder whether the man rasIT,,
c. a. The catastrophe. The secrersry
H. declares that on that last voyage 70 s.
s--4 p.-.- ->apoieon had descended from the F-,-
- . me general with q fexibjlit-, no -