Year: 1872

There is corpulent, middle-aged man, at
present residing on the shores of Lake Le-
man, who is known to the world in general as
Prince Napoleon and to irreverent French
men by the uncomplimentary sobriq,tet Of
Plon-Plon. He is q nephew of the great
Bonaparte and has from time to time during
the past quarter of a century made a short
lived stir under the reflected light Of his
cousin, the ex-Emperor Napoleon I'LL A man
Of fair ability, he was used by this illustrious
cousin (the Man of December) in the years
that followed the coup Tetat, as species Of
political vane to test which way the wind was
blowing. 1t was given out that he was liberal
and patriotic, almost republican at heart,
and when discomfort with the Empire became
rife he served in the Imperial Senate as foil for
the popular heat by assailing the govern
mental position. BY this means, while De
Morny lived, national discomfort, as well as
imperial superservice, was judiciously kept
within the Bonaparte family. But as years
grew onward with the Empire the days in
which men had to take sides defnitively came
with them. Mexico, Rechefort's election to
the Corps Legislatif, and the war that blotted
out French prestige and the Empire together
drew lines closely, and involved all who bore
the name of Napoleon in the execration which
followed the Emperor into exile. It is not un-
natural, therefore, that this popular repre-
sentative of the family should be among the
first Of that ilk to test the question of the
legality Of the expulsion by appearing on
French soil, and not unnatural that President
Theirs should request his second withdrawal,
and that on protest being made by the ex-
Imperial Highness his expatriation should
be accomplished at the hands of the police.


In another part of the HERALD will be found
an interesting interview with Prince Napoleon
accorded to HERALD correspondent at Prar-
gins, the present residence Of that son of
Prince Jerome. He therein tells the story of
his second Punishment, and it will be found
an artless story of misplaced confidence if it
possesses the essential of truth Who, it might
be asked, by the way, would doubt the asser-
ton or the pledge Of any member of that open
hearted, promise-keeping family? There is a
story of passport, authorized, be believes, by
M. Thiers then night journey toward Paris
which stopped thirty miles short of the capital;
then two sleepy republican policemen, of which
class he ridicules the present organization
when compared with its perfection under the
Empire "a Characteristic Napoleonic COM
ment; then a panic in the old Presidents
brain that he was plotting then his expul-
sion, his protest and finally his appeal to the
courts There he pauses in his history, for it
brings him down to the present. There are
some little bits of ex-prince imperial sarcasm
in it which will amuse. His sncer at Prince
Joinville's proposal to put private soldier,
instead of the Emperor, on the top of the
Vendome column when restored, is one of
these. He thinks La Commune was more
logical in pulling it down.


On the other points-his opinions on the
status quo, and his famlys aspirations or pre-
tensions-we reach something emnently more
worthy of note, for they are around the heart
of the difficulty OF which the sleepy policemen,
the fears of N. Theirs and the banishment are
only manifestations at its finger tips. II would
appear to be in some manner probable that


in view of the present strength of NJ Theirs
in his adherence to the Republic, together
with the undoubted strength which the latter
is happily gaining, the imperial and royal
''outs are gravitating towards each other for
movement against their common enemy. We
can say that this is undoubtedly one of the most
hopeful signs of the Republic yet given to the
world. When the days Of prostrating war,
foreign and civil, had gone by, and when out
of the chaos France was plucking the first
planks on which to construct government in
lieu of the rotted Empire, Orleanist Legitimist
and Napoleonist struggled fitfully but vainly,
for a majority in the Assembly The very
conflict of these parties gave M. Theirs, with
the republicans, the opportunity to hold the
government, of which he has up to the present
SO ably proGted So long as o shadow of