The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-15
ST. HELENA WANTS 'KAISER BnLS5l
THAT MAKES 1T UNANIMOUS.

fItVhhLGuS, HOS ko%t0 c-oIiOihtS ~'"OA"
for it's reported desire to have the
kaiser for a prisoner says bulle-
tin from the National Geographic
society's Washington headquarters.
Napoleon was It's most famous and
best paying guest though not the
only one. Dfnizulu, g. Zulu king. WAS
a more recent exile, sent there after
he led a rebellion against the British
during the Transvaal in 1880. While
Napoleon was at St. Helena, 'profiterr
ing at the expense of the Bonaparte
househ old. and the numerous mem
bers of the garrison sent 10 guard
him was reduced to a fine art by the
island citizens.
I'm tact it was the high cost OF st.
Helena living which created part OF
the friction between Napoleon and
the British governor OF the island, Sir
Hudson Lowe Instead OF living
within the 5000 pounds sterling al
lowed for maintenance of Bonaparte
and the half hundred members of
lis encourage the bills for year
mounted to three tinres that sum.
Upon complaint of the governor.
which Napoleon resented, the ex-
monarch executed bit of play TO
the galleries. by ordering his silver
sold and his bed broken up for wood.
which, when reported IN England,
created so much criticism of the gov
ernor, already none too popular, mat
further remonstrances were not made
.rNapOleon's wants were few. Hls
principal luxury was books; his diver
sions chess playing and digging in
his garden. Like the former kaiser,
he spent many hours with the Bible
He PROPOSED no ptety, however,
frankly admitting that he was making
a study Of certain Old Testam emu
books TO show that monarchies had
divine sanction, and he also spoke OF
wanting to write monograph on
The Campaigns Of Moses
Since St Helena is some 700 miles
from the nearest land Ascension is
land and 200 miles from the near
est african port, the extreme precau-
tons taken By Lowe to prevent the
escape of the man who once had ruled
half of Europe, created considerable
Amusement Sir Hudson was greatly
disturbed one day to find newly ar
rived Corsican priest riding horse
back in a coat similar TO Napoieorls =,
believing the compatrtot involved In A
plot to deceive the guards. The
French comm t~sioner com plain cd that
the sight of passing dog was enough
new sentinel on tho srot; but per-
haps the most extreme Of the many
amusing stories of Lows sprcttude
was the occasion of his protest against
Napoleon's planting some Write ana
green beans, sensing in this com btna~
ton OF colors a subtle allusion TO the
white flag of the Rourbons and the
distinctive green uniform Of the gen
eral
-. IN xs-f< ,fya tyUpS
rooms and his garden. Napoleon IN
sisted on all the pomp and ceremony
possible In such cramped quarters
Since his companions necessarily were
much in his presence his inslstence
upon their standing sometimes
brought them to the point Of fainting.
None might speak naless spoken 10,
and all became extr ernd1F b~red with
court life in a shanty involving all
the burdens, without any of the
| splendors. OF a palace
AT first the exile rode horseback.
I but soon abandoned that rather than
! have an English guard along. His
| seclusfon Is best attested by the fact
| that for five OF his six years stay. he
| did not exchange word with the gov
ernor; and of the three commissioners
RUSSIAN. Austrian and French--xn-
fourntnR there by the provisions OF
treaty to assure themselves OF his
presence' one saw him through a tefe-
scope once, a second looked. into his
face for the first time when he was to
be buried. and the third saw him not
at all
"Napoleor's DAYS at 81 Helena were
not wholly devoted TO killing time.
He dictated his voluminous memoirs.
and military commentaries. while
number of his associates later added
to these diaries. conversations ana
memoirs of their own, inaccurate or
deliberately misleading in large part.
Now this activity would be called
nropa canda It.'was highly effective
propa ganda. roo. Though Napoleon's
Escape was prevented by vigilance to
an absurd degree, and though the
effect Of his winning personality was
guarded against by forbidding vlsi-
tors 10 see him. his writing and those
OF Montholon and Las Cases resulted
in the royalist!c bareback that put
his nephew on the throne OF France.
II was 70 Napoleon III, that Queen
Victoria presented Iongwood,' where
Napoleon lived and died while at
st, Helena.
Geographically St Helena is pecu-
farly fitted for an island prison. It's
voloa nc formation accounts for a
half circle OF mountains which per
nit only one landing place, that al the
islands single port and city, James
town .Cninhahiteh when discovered
ten years after Colum bus sailed for
America, the island was settled by
British, Dutch and Portuguese. In
the days Of sailing vessels and before
the Suez canal was opened the
islanders thrived by providing sup
plies for passing vessels. With the
passing OF this market for their meats
and vegeta hles. the islands principal
Industries waned and the Inhabitants
dwindleG unfit there are now. only
about $500 persons, as compared with
twice that many residents thirty years