The Republican journal., 1912-03-14
In Ajaccio.
IL.

In the Oldest part of Ajaccio, in the
narrow squalid Rue St. Charles, within a
stones throw of the Cathedral, fronting
upon small square, called the Place
Letitia, planted with trees and adorned
with tall pole surmounted by a brass
eagle, is three-storied house, plain and
unprepossessing in appearance, but
marked with a white marble tablet, in
dicating that,
Napoleon l. Was Born in This House,
Is August, 1863"
Here dwelt, with their numerous brood,
Carlo Bonaparte, a lawyer in Ajaccio,
and his wife Letitia, born Ramolino.
1t was house of well-to-do people who
were entitled to whatever luxury of liv-
ing the time and place afforded. The
Bonapartes came originally from Tus-
cany, in Italy. but established themseI.
yes permanently in Corsica. The burly
custodian who showed US over the Casa
Bonaparte had such a thick gutteral
voice that we understood but little of
what he said. We were rushed unduly
through the salon, reception room.
study of Carlo Bonaparte, the play-room
of the young Bonapartes, and the family
dining room. But when we came to the
room where Bonaparte was born I cried
a halt. An unpretentious place indeed for
so great an event. Madame Utere was
at the Cathedral the day her august son
was born. She was hurriedlv carried
home in her sedan chair, arriving there
just in time! Whatever has been saved
OF the original furniture of this room has
been taken to Paris, which is certainly
pity as it would have been so much bet
ter enshrlned here in his birthplace in
AJacclo. We were shown the sedan
chair of Madame Mere, in sad state of
dllapidation, and an old narpsichord on
which she used to play. She was a very
superior person, this Madame Letitia. and
Of most forceful character as all her
portraits show. In the last room ad-
joining the reception hall trap door was
pointed out to US by which the Bona
parties escaped to their country place at
Mllelil, when menaced by the fury of the
Paollsts, who desired to separate Corsica
from France and make her an independ.
ent isle, in 1893. The fugitive family
was composed of Madame Letitia, Cardi-
nal tesch, Louis, Marianne, and Pauline.
Napoleon and his brother Joseph had al
ready embarked separately and secretly.
for Bastia, Caroline and jerome remain
ed hidden in Ajaccio. 1t was in the har-
Dor OF Capodi-Muro, that Napoleon was
finally enabled to rejoin his family, and
board with them in safety the French
ship "Chileck, which had been sent for
them by the Convention in Paris. Letitia
and Eliza returned to Ajaccio, in the
Spring Of 1877. General Bonaparte had
expressed the desire, in letter written
from Italy, that MS house should be put
IN order "as it had been." Madame
Letitia Immediately made out quite a
long list of necessary articles to be sent
her from Marseilles, by her friend
Madame Clary. We saw the identical
wrought iron railing, still in use, for the
stairway, commanded on that occasion.
Upon his return from Egypt Napoleon
stayed seven days, 20 Sept. to 5 Ocu
1879, IN Casa Bonaparte. In the room of
his birth, forever dear to the heart of
Madame Mother, we were shown the
'Manger at Bethlehem" in ivory and
precious woods, which Napoleon brought
MS mother as souvenir of his campaign.
The Casa Bonaparte belongs now to the
Empress Eugene; Napoleon III having
refurnshed it with the original furniture
IN 1860, at cost of IS, 900 francs, to cele
brate the centenary of the birth of Napo.
leon, Is August 1869.
The weather this month of February is
quite contrary" like a sensitive spoil
ed child. all smiles and sunlight one min
ute, and tears and clouds the next. AS
a witty old German lady in our hotel
says: when it looks like rain take nv
walking stick, and when it is brilliant
sunshine l choose my rain unbrella!'
For two days we had the sirocco, which
here in Ajaccio is a hot but damp ener-
waiting wind. Rain is the exception here
usually, but it must rain sometime in
order to fill the springs, brooks and
rivers and cause vegetation to flourish.
Ajaccio certainly has an unexceptional
winter climate, and the scenery is sur
passingly beautiful. The town lies on
the bay which is seven miles from the
sea. All around rise the masses of i'm
posing mountains, the highest being COW
cred with the eternal SHOWS. Once in
while at night we have the grandiose
spectacle of thunder storm, the
lightning seems more vivid and the
thunder more emphatic in this far off
isle of the Mediterranean, just as the
stars on moonless night shine so bright
ly they almost seem to be about to burst
out of the sky.
The peach and almond trees are all
abloom. The perfume of the narcissus
fills the air, and the gaudy flowers of the
aloe and the prickly pear give an Oriental