Year: 1879




omitted at the request of the Bonaparte family in
Baltimore As those letters present this remarkable
in a new and brilliant light we publish them
MS a valuable and entertaining contribution to this
romance of modern history


Nine. Bonaparte had exhausted her talents and in
genuity in endeavoring to make splendid Euro
pean match for her only son, Jerome Napoleon
Bonaparte. This her ambitious object in
life after the despotic mandate or Napoleon had
cluded her the Continental courts and sent her
back to the detested obscurity of Baltimore While
fondy cherishlng her brilliant schemes for her son
the fatal news reached her at Florence that Jerome
was engaged to and soon to marry the daughter OF
Baltimore merchant. This sudden termination of
all her ambitious plans Of nearly quarter of
tury crushed her at a blow and almost destroyed
her reason for q time.


When the intelligence first arrived Mme Bona
parte. under date Of Florence. September s. 1929.
her father The following brief and pithy let
ter


WASHES HANDS MATCH


DEAR SIR received your letter OF oath July. I
ain present too unwell to reply to it at any length.
not being able to write more than three words ut
time. You and the son OF Prince Jerome Bonaparte
had been told SO often by me that considered o
marriage between him and any American woman
much beneath hum that would never, for any
sideration. consent to it.


can only repeat that II 1t takes place shall de-
clare publicly tnat consulted; that my con-
sent was not asked, and that my opinion always
and always will be that he ought to live single
less he lnarries suitably to his connections Eu-
rope.


He has only to put of this marriage for year and
by that time he viii be sensible of the folly OF
r ST. shall not mention this subject to any one
here. Ii 1t really takes place it will then be time
enough Tor me to Justify my self from AL the blame
control over his actions.


In few days Nine. Boanparte gave her father her
upon the subject OF marriage at some length
and with great btterness:-


FLORENCE, September 20, 1899.


DEAR SIR-My answer to your letter of the oath
OF Juy was written under feelings OF great mental
and bodily pain aud was written the instant had
read yours and sent Immediately by the post that
day. Had dying my breath would have de-
layed long enough to allow me protest against
the marriage you proposed for my son. l am now
terance TO my opinions and to my wishes. they
will be perhaps little regarded they when
jerome formed engagements which both You and he
knew that would never confirm. Ny solemn
fixed, Interchangeable resolution is that he shall
with my consent marry any woman in America.


My before expressed determination and intention.
verbal and written. to both of you, were and have
been tor twenty years that he never should
marry in America. His education had ever for its
OBJECT residence. sooner or later..in Europe. He
great European families. and if / prevent it, if
the authority OF mother can prevail, he never
shall destroy his prospects for the sum of less than
S5U0000. That would be little enough to excuse
you and me tor aiding him in marrying beneath
his rank.





to my means. and will never shrink from the duty
OF "A parent. feel that when gave birth to child
incurred the charge OF maintaining him. 1 am
ready and willing to support him.


The nephew OF Napoleon has no equal in America.
He might marry greatly in England, where they
know how to value his name Ii he were u minor
would to America and avail myself OF the laws of
the country to prevent dissolve the marriage he
bas listened to. l might have made twenty better
marriages than the proposed to him. but never
forgot that had the honor of having made one
which rendered it impossible for me to marry low
fhraa
things most abhor. have at different times been my
!ct; but they never bent my spirit to the
Of marrying unsuitably. l never consent
aever will consent to Jerolnes marrying Miss Will
ans or any other American miss. IT he still single
ct him employ every means in his power to
main 80. Let him employ my name in any way
Or every way to break of the engagement. Let him
return to Europe. Let him say that he is obliged to
consult his relations here Let him do anything
rather than make such q match years reflection
would show him the folly OF claiming himself to
the Willianses. will never acknowledge il. IL this
marriage should have been hurried on to prevent
my Interference, for feel usded that every
OF them knows that l have too much sense and too
much pride even to give my consent, l will then
declare in the face of the whole world that utterly
dscaim all participation in it. My instructions to
Miss Spear (f he has married her) viii be to send me
by the first vessel sailing to Leghorn all the house
linen plate and wearing apparel left in Bstimore
The box Of jewels, of which Jerome has the key,
could be sent by some one coming here,
with an inventory. Of its contents. have
FUNDS here to last me one year. and at the expira
non OF that time she must remit me the interest
.ccrung from my property. after paying taxes. &c.





be has taken my happiness to try to my son.
have cautioned him to say nothing about the con-
tents of my letter. should he marry / will then
write to his grandmother and the OF the family
to express my affiiction that improper marriage
had been effected in my absence and in defiance of
my wishes will. II he marries her. write to every
one in America that know that the marriage was
made in spite Of me aud that protest against it.
1t IL sometimes better to be open and there is moth
ing gained by temporizng iu cases. When a
parent disapproves OF marriage the proper plan
to declare publicly that they do so, and never to
have hpan
on them. i have consulted only person at
Florence upon this subject. and that under a sol
emn promise OF secrecy. asked for his opinion
before giving mine. 1he answer was, with the
rank of your son he ought either to marry greatly
or not at ALL. had written this always to Jerome,
and cannot sufficiently wonder at his want of judg-
ment in even thinking of sacrificing himself tor
bread and meat for her fortune is not large enough
60 enable him to live splendidiy No one likes
money more than i do am, perhaps, too ayari-
cious-but would not ut my age, marry any
in America with $4,000 year, and my preten-
sios certainly. or ought to be- much lower than
his. No one, repeat knows the value of money
better than myself. or has suffered more from the
want of it. am OF opinion that Miss Williams has
too little to compensate for young man connected
with the first families in Europe riveng himself to
Baltimore.


Ii lac were starving it might be excused II she
had $500 900 and could be taken away from her
raruily and enable him o live in Italy il might do;
but TO live upon $4,000 year where she is
never be made advisable with his advantages.
have, my dear SIR calmly and dispassionately given
you my candid sentiments on this subject. and have
only TO hope that this marriage will never take
place and to repeat that my consent to it never
be given.


hope to hear nothing about affections being en-
gagged because that is poor excuse We all know
tnat mems or womens affections may be got over.
and that only fools marry for anything but connec
tons great wealth. Immense wealth is botter
than rank but il ought to be great indeed TO
Young man of rank forming mesalliance. or,
deed any alliance. Fortunes in Baltimore very
procarious particularly those in the stocks, and
family OF children are great Inconvenience.


At this time Nine. Bonaparto's letters followed
each other in rapid succession. Jerome's engage
inent affected her seriously than anything had
done since the desertion OF her husband twenty
four years before. She claimed that she had always
fulfilled every duty toward her SOM that her love of
money had blinded her to his true interests
that she had noarly starved herself to give him
education suitable to his rank. The whole tenor OF
her correspondence shows that, had she possessed
the power that Napoleon had in 1906. she would
used A TO break OIL tho engagement contracted by