The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-08

People eargerly swarmed from distant parts of the kingdom to the old town by the Plym. Sometimes there were as many as 1900 boats with 5000 occupants crowded about the Belerophon, struggling, clam bring and even risking their lives to catch a glimpse of the foremost man of the world walking the deck in captivity.
 But there was an ominous absence of official callers and official information aboard. All communication with the Bel lerophon was by signals and she waa quarantined like a pest ship. There was d shadow on Captain Maitland s, brow, and the rest of the ships officers grew increasingly reserved.
 A dread of Imprisonment in the Tower of London arose among the French. Out of the dark cloud of mystery there came whispered hints of St. Helena. Las Cases tells us that when he first heard tnat terrible suggestion a cold sweat over spread his frame. his mind was in Il tempest and his hair turned gray.
 St. Helena Chosen
 Meanwhile tine tory press in particular wGs filled with unexampled bitterness toward the foe whom it had cost England perhaps $5,00000O,000 to overcome. Yet there were many in the country who did not hold one man, not even Napoleon. personally accountable for 25 years of warfare that had filled the earth with strife. Charles Lamb was so generous as to suggest that he should be installed in Hampton Court or kensington with a tether extending 40 miles around Lon don."
 But the government harshly interpreted the darkest passions of the hour It is doubtful if any cabinet, however mag unanimous its sentiments might have been, would have dared to daily with so high an explosive as Napoleon still was sup posed to be. AS his custodian England not only owed a duty to herself, but also had to consider her allies, one of whom, at least, would have joyed in shooting him down like mad dog.
 No one could have known then, as all should be able to see now, that he wal an extinct volcano. His power to shake the earth had come from the people and he had lost 1t. His race was run, his course of conquest was finished and he had but a few years to live. Even if left on the throne of France he would have beer helpless seriously to disturb the repose of the nations.
 But all that is hindsight And it would have been unreasonable to expect anS foresight in the tory lords, who controlled the British ministry of the day.
 The monarchs of Europe had from time to time made terms with Napoleon. bu the aristocracies never had relented 1T their rage against the scourge of feudal ism and class privilege. When they un horsed him and caught him, therefore they imagined they had overthrown ant caught the French revolution itself,
 The aristocrats of the British cabinet when they found Napoleon in their power were not content with shutting him ul
 where it would be impossible for him t' repeat his Elban expsoit. They sough
 as well to avenge their caste by visitint
 him with their petty spite. Lord Liverpool, the prime minister frankly owned that he had wished "th King of France would hang or shoo him." But since his life had been spared his lordship regarded "St. Helena as tn one place in the world the best calculate for the Imprisonment of such a person. The Duke of Wellington may have bee unduly enthusiastic when he pronounce the climate there charming, but the wid 3 horizon even of St. Helena must be prefer able to the narrow walls of the Tower o London or of any castle The eagle sure
 ly would have found it hard to bea } such close confinement as he himself pro $ vided for Toussaint POuverture, Ferdi nand of Spain and Plus VII.
 St Helena naturally commended itsel 5 as a place where there would be tn g greatest security against escape with tn 8 least restraint. But Lord Bathurst, tn colonial secretary, disclosed the spir
 that animated him and his fellow noble : in making the choice when he rejoice 7 that "Bonaparte's existence will soon b forgrtten," once he was immured in ths . distant island