Year: 1859

Blackwood's Magazine for June gives some
remarks on the personal charac teristics of Ma
poieon III:


He has gained friends as we'll as enemies by
one most extraordinary faculty that he pos-
sesses-that OF holding his tongue and of do
ing 30 IN the company of the most LOO uac ious
people III the world. A perfect undemonstra-
tive man, some Frenehmen respect him for il !;
while others fear him, others hate him because
he Will not take them into his counsels: and
many Englishmen again like him because he
natters the national vanity by being in many
respects very like an Englishman. He is cold
ana reserved in his public demeanor; more
cordial, ray his friends, when seen in private
Certainly he does not wear his heart upon
his sleeve for DAVIS TO peck at" He listens to
all that Is said TO him, and then takes his own
course He consults everybody and follows
his own advice.


Again, he has good seat on horseback 9th.
er Englishmen dislike him either because they
ride badly themselves or because not being
able to Keep their own counsel, they hate
close character. Such causes, or causes of
no greater weight, are perhaps more nearly
the true causes OF his unpopularity in Eng
land than any commonplace notions of his be-
ing the destroyer of the liberties Of France
lie had equally destroyed the liberaiities OF
France when he made his triiImphal entry in
TO London. The Eng lish press, ut least in
some OF Its leading organs, has undergone
many phases OF opinion concerning him; and
he complained in his letter to Sir Francis
Head OF this conduct of the English press, by
that very complaint showing that he had some
regard to public opinion in England if we
venture ourselves to express an opinion re-
garding his character, put it forth in all
modcsty, and wish il to be understood in III
vague and gene raj n sense as possible, feeling
ourselves incompetent to take the measure OF
man who is certainly not an ordinary man.
Ii is our impression that he is a man whose
general talent has been rather overrated than
otherwise. He has doubtless n great power OF
will and undaunted courage both physical
and moral, and by that inestiinable faculty OF
holding his tongue he is able to bide his time
obserNe circumstances, and thus make the
most OF them, and bring to bear on them,
at the right time, all the faculties he possesses


Perhaps his policy appears to be mysterious,
simply because he has no policy ut ALL but is
ready to abandon one course and adopt anoth-
er, according rs he stumbles against II barrier
or drifts into an opening Doubtless it Is often
the cause OF success in life. Some men Of un-
cong uerable strength OF Will and great talent
got on, as il is called, by bending the world to
their plans. Others do 20 by forming no plans
ut all in perInanence, but fashioninx and re-
fashioning those they do form in the mould OF
circumstance; while the secret of i'll success,
even more often than in deficiency OF ability
consists in not knowing W ther one possesses
the power to lead, or whether one must he
content to follow. Louis Napoleon is said to
be a fatalst and his extraordinary elevation
would tend To confirm him in his fatalism.--
Before he takes any step, he seems to hold up
his hand and see which WAY. the wind is blow
ing,and whether the air coIaes against ii hot
cold But that holding OF the tongue ID his
most admirable quality.