Year: 1866

There Is no character in modern or ancient
history more curious than that Of the pres
ent Emperor Of the French just now
when his relations with Mexico bring him
so prominently 20 our notice, il may be of
interest 20 gl1nce at some Of the earlier
events Of his career.


Prince Louis Napoleon, as he used to be
called-the son Of Louis Bonaparte, King
Of Holland, and Hortense, the daughter of
the Empress Josephine had always been
a sehemer. He had ihdulged from his boy
hood indreams of empire. Being according
to statute, the heir of his uncle the first great
Napoleon he was driven by the very ext
gencles Of his inheritance into contrivances
to obtain the supreme power over France,
which he without doubt persuaded himself
was his right Through long, silent years
he studied, until he became learned in iuris-
prudence. He knew well how to veil his de-
signs by high sounding talk about freedom
and honorand loyalty to the will Of the many
Still for a long time he was not appreciated
orconsidered a parsonage ofmuch importance
1t vas indeed, rather the fashion to laugh at
him, and to regard him as harmless because
OF sheer want of capacity to do great things


His attempts to rouse the enthusiasm of
the French people, in 1886, covered him still
more with ridicule. He presented himself
before the army wearing the clothes of the
first Napoleon, and conscious that in point
OF hat, coat and boots he resembled perfectly
the hero of AusterlitZ, he imagined himself
secure ofwelcome from the troops. He was
utterly quenehed, however by a certain reso-
lutte Colonel Talandier, and was shipped off
to America by good natured King of the
French, Louis Philippe.


In 1916 he made another attempt, this
time carrying with him tame eagle, which
he had taught to perform some exploit
that he had trusted the people would resolve
as an omen. The eagle failed lamentably in
its programme: and again firm, resolute
officer forced bis way to the theatre of action
"a barrack yard and disposed of thePrince,
his fifty armed followers, his flag, his eagle,
and his counterfeit staff, With as much ease
as though he had been dealing with band
of strolling players. This time the would
be Emperor was tried for treason, and SEN
fenced to perpetual imprisonment in the for
tress of Ham, from which he escaped, six
years afterwards In the garh of workman,
and went to England


He took advantage of the revolution Of
l94S, in which King Louis Philippe was de-
posed to returnto France. s'rhe third time
wins, says the old proverb, and this third
time he found more favor in the eyes of his
countTymen. He was chosen deputy to
the National Assembly Lamartine, always
opposed to the Bonaparte dynasty, endeayor-
ed to effect his banishment but was unsuc-
cessful: and after stormy debate, the
Prince, at this time forty years old, was
found to be the most popular candidate =
The election was conducted with perfect fair
ness; the Prince became President, and per
haps, as he had already made two attempts
on the throne of France, he had some right
to infer that the millions of citizens who
elected him to the Presidency were willing
to make use of him and his well known ambi-
ton as a means of restoring to France an
imperial form of government. AT any rate,
he acted upon this inference and no more
held himself bound to the support of the
constitution by his oath of Office than did
Jefferson Davis and Robert L. Lee consider
themselves bound to the United States by
theirs.