LETTER FROM LOUIS NAPOLEON TO HIS MOTHER.
1836-1837
The attempt at Strasburg.--The march through the streets.--Peril of the
prince.--Utter failure of the enterprise.--Examination of the
captive.--Anxiety of Louis Napoleon for his companions.--Severe
treatment.--Sympathy of the guard.--Hurried through France.--Statement
of Louis Napoleon.--Remarks to Colonel Vaudrey.--The Napoleonic
system.--Louis Napoleon's plea for his confederates.--Scenes at
sea.--Life on board the frigate.--Uncertainty of the
destination.--Reflections of the captive.--Crossing the equator.--Letter
to his mother.--Arrival at Rio Janeiro.--Remembrance of friends.
"My Mother,--To give you a detailed recital of my misfortunes is to
renew your griefs and mine. And still it is a consolation, both for you
and for me, that you should be informed of all the impressions which I
have experienced, and of all the emotions which have agitated me since
the end of October. You know what was the pretext which I gave when I
left Arenemberg. But you do not know what was then passing in my heart.
Strong in my conviction which led me to look upon the Napoleonic cause
as the only national cause in France, as the only civilizing cause in
Europe, proud of the nobility and purity of my intentions, I was fully
resolved to raise the imperial eagle, or to fall the victim of my
political faith.
"I left, taking in my carriage the same route which I had followed three
months before when going from Urkirch to Baden. Every thing was the
same around me. But what a difference in the impressions with which I
was animated! I was then cheerful and serene as the unclouded day. But
now, sad and thoughtful, my spirit had taken the hue of the air, gloomy
and chill, which surrounded me. I may be asked, what could have induced
me to abandon a happy existence, to encounter all the risks of a
hazardous enterprise. I reply that a secret voice constrained me; and
that nothing in the world could have induced me to postpone to another
period an attempt which seemed to me to present so many chances of
success.
"And the most painful thought for me at this moment is--now that reality
has come to take the place of suppositions, and that, instead of
imagining, I have seen--that I am firm in the belief that if I had
followed the plan which I had marked out for myself, instead of being
now under the Equator, I should be in my own country. Of what importance
to me are those vulgar ones which call me insensate because I have not
succeeded, and which would have exaggerated my merit had I triumphed? I
take upon myself all the responsibility of the movement, for I have
acted from conviction, and not from the influence of others. Alas! if I
were the only victim I should have nothing to deplore. I have found in
my friends boundless devotion, and I have no reproaches to make against
any one whatever.
"On the 27th I arrived at Lahr, a small town of the Grand-duchy of
Baden, where I awaited intelligence. Near that place the axle of my
carriage broke, and I was compelled to remain there for a day. On the
morning of the 28th I left Lahr, and, retracing my steps, passed through
Fribourg, Neubrisach, and Colmar, and arrived, at eleven o'clock in the
evening, at Strasburg without the least embarrassment. My carriage was
taken to the _Hotel de la Fleur_, while I went to lodge in a small
chamber, which had been engaged for me, in the _Rue de la Fontaine_.
"There I saw, on the 29th, Colonel Vaudrey, and submitted to him the
plan of operations which I had drawn up. But the colonel, whose noble
and generous sentiments merited a better fate, said to me:
"'There is no occasion here for a conflict with arms. Your cause is too
French and too pure to be soiled in shedding French blood. There is but
one mode of procedure which is worthy of you, because it will avoid all
collision. When you are at the head of my regiment we will march
together to General Voirol's.[K] An old soldier will not resist the
sight of you and of the imperial eagle when he knows that the garrison
follows you.'
[Footnote K: The commanding officer of the garrison.]
"I approved his reasons, and all things were arranged for the next
morning. A house had been engaged in a street in the neighborhood of the
quarter of Austerlitz, whence we all were to proceed to those barracks
as soon as the regiment of artillery was assembled.
"Upon the 29th, at eleven o'clock in the evening, one of my friends came
to seek me at the _Rue de la Fontaine_, to conduct me to the general
rendezvous. We traversed together the whole city. A bright moon
illuminated the streets. I regarded the fine weather as a favorable omen
for the next day. I examined with care the places through which I
passed. The silence which reigned made an impression upon me. By what
would that calm be replaced to-morrow!
"'Nevertheless,' said I to my companion, 'there will be no disorder if I
succeed. It is especially to avoid the troubles which frequently
accompany popular movements that I have wished to make the revolution by
means of the army. But,' I added, 'what confidence, what profound
conviction must we have of the nobleness of our cause, to encounter not
merely the dangers which we are about to meet, but that public opinion
which will load us with reproaches and overwhelm us if we do not
succeed! And still, I call God to witness that it is not to satisfy a
personal ambition, but because I believe that I have a mission to
fulfill, that I risk that which is more dear to me than life, the esteem
of my fellow-citizens.'
"Having arrived at the house in the _Rue des Orphelins_, I found my
friends assembled in two apartments on the ground floor. I thanked them
for the devotion which they manifested for my cause, and said to them
that from that hour we would share good and bad fortune together. One of
the officers had an eagle. It was that which had belonged to the seventh
regiment of the line. 'The eagle of Labédoyère,'[L] one exclaimed, and
each one of us pressed it to his heart with lively emotion. All the
officers were in full uniform. I had put on the uniform of the artillery
and the hat of a major-general.
[Footnote L: Colonel Labédoyère was a young man of fine figure and
elegant manners, descended from a respectable family, and whose heart
ever throbbed warmly in remembrance of the glories of the Empire. Upon
the abdication of Napoleon and his retirement to Elba, Labédoyère was
in command of the seventh regiment of the line, stationed at Grenoble.
He fraternized with his troops in the enthusiasm with which one and all
were swept away at the sight of the returning Emperor. Drawing a silver
eagle from his pocket, he placed it upon the flag-staff and embraced it
in the presence of all his soldiers, who, in a state of the wildest
excitement, with shouts of joy, gathered around Napoleon, crying _Vive
l'Empereur_!
After Waterloo and the exile to St. Helena, Labédoyère was arrested,
tried, and shot. It is said that the judges shed tears when they
condemned the noble young man to death. His young wife threw herself at
the feet of Louis XVIII., and, frantic with grief, cried out, "Pardon,
sire, pardon!" Louis replied, "My duty as a king ties my hands. I can
only pray for the soul of him whom justice has condemned."--_Abbott's
Life of Napoleon_, vol. ii. p. 110.]
"The night seemed to us very long. I spent it in writing my
proclamations, which I had not been willing to have printed in advance
for fear of some indiscretion. It was decided that we should remain in
that house until the colonel should notify me to proceed to the
barracks. We counted the hours, the minutes, the seconds. Six o'clock in
the morning was the moment indicated.
"How difficult it is to express what one experiences under such
circumstances. In a second one lives more than in ten years; for to
live is to make use of our organs, our senses, our faculties--of all the
parts of ourselves which impart the sentiment of our existence. And in
these critical moments our faculties, our organs, our senses, exalted to
the highest degree, are concentrated on one single point. It is the hour
which is to decide our entire destiny. One is strong when he can say to
himself, 'To-morrow I shall be the liberator of my country, or I shall
be dead.' One is greatly to be pitied when circumstances are such that
he can neither be one nor the other.
"Notwithstanding my precautions, the noise which a certain number of
persons meeting together can not help making, awoke the occupants of the
first story. We heard them rise and open their windows. It was five
o'clock. We redoubled our precautions, and they went to sleep again.
"At last the clock struck six. Never before did the sound of a clock
vibrate so violently in my heart. But a moment after the bugle from the
quarter of Austerlitz came to accelerate its throbbings. The great
moment was approaching. A very considerable tumult was heard in the
street. Soldiers passed shouting; horsemen rode at full gallop by our
windows. I sent an officer to ascertain the cause of the tumult. Had the
chief officer of the garrison been informed of our projects? Had we been
discovered? My messenger soon returned to say to me that the noise came
from some soldiers whom the colonel had sent to fetch their horses,
which were outside the quarter.
"A few more minutes passed, and I was informed that the colonel was
waiting for me. Full of hope, I hastened into the street. M. Parguin,[M]
in the uniform of a brigadier-general, and a commander of battalion,
carrying the eagle in his hand, are by my side. About a dozen officers
follow me.
[Footnote M: M. Parguin was the gentleman to whom we have before
alluded, who was a highly esteemed young officer under Napoleon I., and
who, having married Mademoiselle Cotelet, the reader of Queen Hortense,
had purchased the estate of Wolfberg, in the vicinity of Arenemberg, and
became one of the most intimate friends of Prince Louis Napoleon.]
"The distance was short; it was soon traversed. The regiment was drawn
up in line of battle in the barrack-yard, inside of the rails. Upon the
grass forty of the horse-artillery were stationed.
"My mother, judge of the happiness I experienced at that moment. After
twenty-years of exile, I touched again the sacred soil of my country. I
found myself with Frenchmen whom the recollection of the Empire was
again to electrify.
"Colonel Vaudrey was alone in the middle of the yard. I directed my
steps towards him. Immediately the colonel, whose noble countenance and
fine figure had at that moment something of the sublime, drew his sword
and exclaimed:
"'Soldiers of the Fourth Regiment of Artillery! A great revolution is
being accomplished at this moment. You see here before you the nephew of
the Emperor Napoleon. He comes to reconquer the rights of the people.
The people and the army can rely upon him. It is around him that all
should rally who love the glory and the liberty of France. Soldiers! you
must feel, as does your chief, all the grandeur of the enterprise you
are about to undertake, all the sacredness of the cause you are about to
defend. Soldiers! can the nephew of the Emperor rely upon you?'
"His voice was instantly drowned by unanimous cries of _Vive Napoleon!
Vive l'Empereur!_ I then addressed them in the following words:
"'Resolved to conquer or to die for the cause of the French people, it
is to you first that I wish to present myself, because between you and
me exist grand recollections. It is in your regiment that the Emperor,
my uncle, served as captain. It is with you that he made his name famous
at the siege of Toulon, and it is your brave regiment again which opened
to him the gates of Grenoble, on his return from the isle of Elba.
Soldiers! new destinies are reserved for you. To you belongs the glory
of commencing a great enterprise; to you the honor of first saluting the
eagle of Austerlitz and of Wagram.'
"I then seized the eagle-surmounted banner, which one of my officers, M.
de Carelles, bore, and presenting it to them, said,
"'Soldiers! behold the symbol of the glory of France. During fifteen
years it conducted our fathers to victory. It has glittered upon all the
fields of battle. It has traversed all the capitals of Europe. Soldiers!
will you not rally around this noble standard which I confide to your
honor and to your courage? Will you not march with me against the
traitors and the oppressors of our country to the cry, _Vive la France!
Vive la liberté!_?'
"A thousand affirmative cries responded to me. We then commenced our
march, music in front. Joy and hope beamed from every countenance. The
plan was, to hasten to the house of the general, and to present to him,
not a dagger at his throat, but the eagle before his eyes. It was
necessary, in order to reach his house, to traverse the whole city.
While on the way, I had to send an officer with a guard to publish my
proclamations; another to the prefect, to arrest him. In short, six
received special missions, so that when I arrived at the general's, I
had voluntarily parted with a considerable portion of my forces.
"But had I then necessity to surround myself with so many soldiers?
could I not rely upon the participation of the people? and, in fine,
whatever may be said, along the whole route which I traversed I received
unequivocal signs of the sympathy of the population. I had actually to
struggle against the vehemence of the marks of interest which were
lavished upon me; and the variety of cries which greeted me showed that
there was no party which did not sympathize with my feelings.
"Having arrived at the court of the hotel of the general, I ascended the
stairs, followed by Messieurs Vaudrey, Parguin, and two officers. The
general was not yet dressed. I said to him,
"'General, I come to you as a friend. I should be sorry to raise our old
tri-color banner without the aid of a brave soldier like you. The
garrison is in my favor. Decide and follow me.'
"The eagle was presented to him. He rejected it, saying, 'Prince, they
have deceived you. The army knows its duties, as I will prove to you
immediately.'
"I then departed, and gave orders to leave a file of men to guard him.
The general afterwards presented himself to his soldiers, to induce them
to return to obedience. The artillerymen, under the orders of M.
Parguin, disregarded his authority, and replied to him only by
reiterated cries of _Vive l'Empereur_. Subsequently the general
succeeded in escaping from his hotel by an unguarded door.
"When I left the hotel of the general, I was greeted with the same
acclamations of _Vive l'Empereur_. But this first check had already
seriously affected me. I was not prepared for it, convinced as I had
been that the sight alone of the eagle would recall to the general the
old souvenirs of glory, and would lead him to join us.
"We resumed our march. Leaving the main street, we entered the barracks
of Finkematt, by the lane which leads there through the Faubourg of
Pierre. This barrack is a large building, erected in a place with no
outlet but the entrance. The ground in front is too narrow for a
regiment to be drawn up in line of battle. In seeing myself thus hedged
in between the ramparts and the barracks, I perceived that the plan
agreed upon had not been followed out. Upon our arrival, the soldiers
thronged around us. I harangued them. Most of them went to get their
arms, and returned to rally around me, testifying their sympathy for me
by their acclamations.
"However, seeing them manifest a sudden hesitation, caused by the
reports circulated by some officers among them who endeavored to inspire
them with doubts of my identity, and as we were also losing precious
time in an unfavorable position, instead of hastening to the other
regiments who expected us, I requested the colonel to depart. He urged
me to remain a little longer. I complied with his advice.
[Illustration: THE ARREST.]
"Some infantry officers arrived, ordered the gates to be closed, and
strongly reprimanded their soldiers. The soldiers hesitated. I ordered
the arrest of the officers. Their soldiers rescued them. Then all was
confusion. The space was so contracted that each one was lost in the
crowd. The people, who had climbed upon the wall, threw stones at the
infantry. The cannoneers wished to use their arms, but we prevented it.
We saw clearly that it would cause the death of very many. I saw the
colonel by turns arrested by the infantry, and rescued by his soldiers.
I was myself upon the point of being slain by a multitude of men who,
recognizing me, crossed their bayonets upon me. I parried their thrusts
with my sabre, trying at the same time to calm them, when the cannoneers
rescued me from their guns, and placed me in the middle of themselves.
"I then pressed forward, with some subaltern officers, towards the
mounted artillery men, to seize a horse. All the infantry followed me. I
found myself hemmed in between the horses and the wall, without power to
move. Then the soldiers, arriving from all parts, seized me and
conducted me to the guard-house. On entering I found M. Parguin. I
extended my hand to him. He said to me, speaking in tones calm and
resigned, 'Prince, we shall be shot, but it will be in a good cause.'
"'Yes,' I replied, 'we have fallen in a grand and a glorious
enterprise.'
"Soon after General Voirol arrived. He said to me, upon entering,
"'Prince, you have found but one traitor in the French army.'
"'Say rather, general,' I replied, 'that I have found one Labédoyère.'
Some carriages were soon brought, and we were transported to the new
prison.
"Behold me, then, between four walls, with barred windows, in the abode
of criminals. Ah! those who know what it is to pass in an instant from
the excess of happiness, caused by the noblest illusions, to the excess
of misery, which leaves no hope, and to pass over this immense interval
without having one moment to prepare for it, alone can comprehend what
was passing in my heart.
"At the lodge we met again. M. de Querelles, pressing my hand, said to
me in a loud voice, 'Prince, notwithstanding our defeat, I am still
proud of what we have done.' They subjected me to an interrogation. I
was calm and resigned. My part was taken. The following questions were
proposed to me:
"'What has induced you to act as you have done?'
"'My political opinions,' I replied, 'and my desire to return to my
country, from which a foreign invasion has exiled me. In 1830, I
demanded to be treated as a simple citizen. They treated me as a
pretender. Well, I have acted as a pretender.'
"'Did you wish,' it was asked, 'to establish a military government?'
"'I wished,' was my reply, 'to establish a government based on popular
election.'
"'What would you have done if successful?'
"'I would have assembled a national Congress.'
"I declared then, that I alone having organized every thing, that I
alone having induced others to join me, the whole responsibility should
fall upon my head alone. Reconducted to prison, I threw myself upon a
bed which had been prepared for me, and, notwithstanding my torments,
sleep, which soothes suffering, in giving repose to the anguish of the
soul, came to calm my senses. Repose does not fly from the couch of the
unfortunate. It only avoids those who are consumed by remorse. But how
frightful was my awaking. I thought that I had had a dreadful nightmare.
The fate of the persons who were compromised caused me the greatest
grief and anxiety. I wrote to General Voirol, to say to him that his
honor obliged him to interest himself in behalf of Colonel Vaudrey; for
it was, perhaps, the attachment of the colonel for him, and the regard
with which he had treated him, which were the causes of the failure of
my enterprise. I closed in beseeching him that all the rigor of the law
might fall upon me, saying that I was the most guilty, and the only one
to be feared.
"The general came to see me, and was very affectionate. He said, upon
entering, 'Prince, when I was your prisoner, I could find no words
sufficiently severe to say to you. Now that you are mine, I have only
words of consolation to offer.' Colonel Vaudrey and I were conducted to
the citadel, where I, at least, was much more comfortable than in
prison. But the civil power claimed us, and at the end of twenty-four
hours we were conveyed back to our former abode.
"The jailer and the director of the prison at Strasburg did their duty;
but they endeavored to alleviate as much as possible my situation, while
a certain M. Lebel, who had been sent from Paris, wishing to show his
authority, prevented me from opening my windows to breathe the air, took
from me my watch, which he only restored to me at the moment of my
departure, and, in fine, even ordered blinds to intercept the light.
"On the evening of the 9th I was told that I was to be transferred to
another prison. I went out and met the general and the prefect, who took
me away in their carriage without informing me where I was to be
conducted. I insisted that I should be left with my companions in
misfortune. But the Government had decided otherwise. Upon arriving at
the hotel of the prefecture, I found two post-chaises. I was ordered
into one with M. Cuynat, commander of the gendarmerie of the Seine, and
Lieutenant Thiboutot. In the other there were four sub-officers.
"When I perceived that I was to leave Strasburg, and that it was my lot
to be separated from the other accused, I experienced anguish difficult
to be described. Behold me, then, forced to abandon the men who had
devoted themselves to me. Behold me deprived of the means of making
known in my defense my views and my intentions. Behold me receiving a
so-called favor from him upon whom I had wished to inflict the greatest
evil. I vented my sorrow in complaints and regrets. I could only
protest.
"The two officers who conducted me were two officers of the Empire,
intimate friends of M. Parguin. Thus they treated me with the kindest
attentions. I could have thought myself travelling with friends. Upon
the 11th, at two o'clock in the morning, I arrived at Paris, at the
hotel of the Prefecture of Police. M. Delessat was very polite to me. He
informed me that you had come to France to claim in my favor the
clemency of the king, and that I was to start again in two hours for
Lorient, and that thence I was to sail for the United States in a French
frigate.
"I said to the prefect that I was in despair in not being permitted to
share the fate of my companions in misfortune; that being thus withdrawn
from prison before undergoing a general examination (the first had been
only a summary one), I was deprived of the means of testifying to many
facts in favor of the accused. But my protestations were unavailing. I
decided to write to the king. And I said to him that, having been cast
into prison after having taken up arms against his Government, I dreaded
but one thing, and that was his generosity, since it would deprive me of
my sweetest consolation, the possibility of sharing the fate of my
companions in misfortune. I added that life itself was of little value
to me; but that my gratitude to him would be great if he would spare the
lives of a few old soldiers, the remains of our ancient army, who had
been enticed by me, and seduced by glorious souvenirs.
"At the same time I wrote to M. Odillon Barrot[N] the letter which I
send with this, begging him to take charge of the defense of Colonel
Vaudrey. At four o'clock I resumed my journey, with the same escort, and
on the 14th we arrived at the citadel of Port Louis, near Lorient. I
remained there until the twenty-first day of November, when the frigate
was ready for sea.
[Footnote N: A distinguished advocate in Paris.]
"After having entreated M. Odillon Barrot to assume the defense of the
accused, and in particular of Colonel Vaudrey, I added:
"'Monsieur, notwithstanding my desire to remain with my companions in
misfortune, and to partake of their lot, notwithstanding my entreaties
upon that subject, the king, in his clemency, has ordered that I should
be conducted to Lorient, to pass thence to America. Sensible as I ought
to be of the generosity of the king, I am profoundly afflicted in
leaving my co-accused, since I cherish the conviction that could I be
present at the bar, my depositions in their favor would influence the
jury, and enlighten them as to their decision. Deprived of the
consolation of being useful to the men whom I have enticed to their
loss, I am obliged to intrust to an advocate that which I am unable to
say myself to the jury.
"'On the part of my co-accused there was no plot. There was only the
enticement of the moment. I alone arranged all. I alone made the
necessary preparations. I had already seen Colonel Vaudrey before the
30th of October, but he had not conspired with me. On the 29th, at eight
o'clock in the evening, no person knew but myself that the movement was
to take place the next day. I did not see Colonel Vaudrey until after
this. M. Parguin had come to Strasburg on his own private business. It
was not until the evening of the 29th, that I appealed to him. The other
persons knew of my presence in France, but were ignorant of the object
of my visit. It was not until the evening of the 29th that I assembled
the persons now accused; and I did not make them acquainted with my
intentions until that moment.
"'Colonel Vaudrey was not present. The officers of the engineers had
come to join us, ignorant at first of what was to transpire. Certainly,
in the eyes of the established Government we are all culpable of having
taken up arms against it. But I am the most culpable. It is I who, for a
long time meditating a revolution, came suddenly to lure men from an
honorable social position, to expose them to the hazards of a popular
movement. Before the laws, my companions are guilty of allowing
themselves to be enticed. But never were circumstances more extenuating
in the eyes of the country than those in their favor. When I saw Colonel
Vaudrey and the other persons on the evening of the 29th, I addressed
them in the following language:
"'"GENTLEMEN,--You are aware of all the complaints of the nation against
the Government. But you also know that there is no party now existing
which is sufficiently strong to overthrow it; no one sufficiently strong
to unite the French of all parties, even if it should succeed in taking
possession of supreme power. This feebleness of the Government, as well
as this feebleness of parties, proceeds from the fact that each one
represents only the interests of a single class in society. Some rely
upon the clergy and nobility; others upon the middle-class aristocracy,
and others still upon the lower classes alone.
"'"In this state of things, there is but a single flag which can rally
all parties, because it is the banner of France, and not that of a
faction; it is the eagle of the Empire. Under this banner, which recalls
so many glorious memories, there is no class excluded. It represents the
interests and the rights of all. The Emperor Napoleon held his power
from the French people. Four times his authority received the popular
sanction. In 1814, hereditary right, in the family of the Emperor, was
recognized by four millions of votes. Since then the people have not
been consulted.
"'"As the eldest of the nephews of Napoleon, I can then consider myself
as the representative of popular election; I will not say of the Empire
because in the lapse of twenty years the ideas and wants of France may
have changed. But a principle can not be annulled by facts. It can only
be annulled by another principle. Now the principle of popular election
in 1804 can not be annulled by the twelve hundred thousand foreigners
who entered France in 1815, nor by the chamber of two hundred and
twenty-one deputies in 1830.
"'"The Napoleon system consists in promoting the march of civilization
without disorder and without excess; in giving an impulse to ideas by
developing material interests; in strengthening power by rendering it
respectable; in disciplining the masses according to their intellectual
faculties; in fine, in uniting around the altar of the country the
French of all parties by giving them honor and glory as the motives of
action."
"'"No," exclaimed my brave companions in reply, "you shall not die
alone. We will die with you, or we will conquer together for the cause
of the French people."
"'You see thus, sir, that it is I who have enticed them, in speaking to
them of every thing which could move the hearts of Frenchmen. They
spoke to me of their oaths. But I reminded them that, in 1815, they had
taken the oath to Napoleon II. and his dynasty. "Invasion alone," I said
to them, "released you from that oath. Well, force can re-establish that
which force alone has destroyed."'
"I went even so far as to say to them that the death of the king had
been spoken of. I inserted this, my mother, as you will understand, in
order to be useful to them. You see how culpable I was in the eyes of
the Government. Well, the Government has been generous to me. It has
comprehended that my position of exile, that my love for my country,
that my relationship to the great man were extenuating causes. Will the
jury be less considerate than the Government? Will it not find
extenuating causes far stronger in favor of my accomplices, in the
souvenirs of the Empire; in the intimate relations of many among them to
me; in the enticement of the moment; in the example of Labédoyère; in
fine, in that sentiment of generosity which rendered it inevitable that,
being soldiers of the Empire, they could not see the eagle without
emotion; they preferred to sacrifice their own lives rather than abandon
the nephew of the Emperor Napoleon, than to deliver him to his
executioners, for we were far from thinking of any mercy in case of
failure?
"In view of Madeira, December 12, 1836.
"I remained ten days at the citadel of Port Louis. Every morning I
received a visit from the sub-prefect of Lorient, from the commander of
the place, and from the officer of the gendarmerie. They were all very
kind to me, and never ceased to speak to me of their attachment to the
memory of the Emperor. The commander, Cuynat, and Lieutenant Thiboutot,
were unfailing in their attentions to me. I could ever believe myself in
the midst of my friends, and the thought that they were in a position
hostile to me gave me much pain.
"The winds remained contrary and prevented the frigate from leaving
port. At last, on the 21st, a steamer towed out the frigate. The
sub-prefect came to tell me that it was time to depart. The draw-bridge
of the citadel was lowered. I went forth, accompanied by the hospitable
officers of the place, in addition to those who brought me to Lorient. I
passed between two files of soldiers, who kept off the crowd of the
curious, which had gathered to see me.
"We all entered the boats which were to convey us to the frigate, which
was waiting for us outside of the harbor. I took leave of these
gentlemen with cordiality. I ascended to the deck, and saw with sadness
of heart the shores of France disappear behind me.
"I must now give you the details of the frigate. The commander has
assigned me a stateroom in the stern of the ship, where I sleep. I dine
with him, his son, the second officer, and the aide-de-camp. The
commander, captain of the ship, Henry de Villeneuve, is an excellent
man, frank and loyal as an old sailor. He pays me every attention. You
see that I have much less to complain of than my friends. The other
officers of the frigate are also very kind to me.
"There are two other passengers who are two types. The one, an M. D., is
a _savant_, twenty-six years of age. He has much intelligence and
imagination, mingled with originality, and even with a little
eccentricity. For example, he believes in fortune-telling, and
undertakes to predict to each one of us his fate. He has also great
faith in magnetism, and has told me that a somnambulist had predicted to
him, two years ago, that a member of the family of the Emperor would
return to France and would dethrone Louis Philippe. He is going to
Brazil to make some experiments in electricity. The other passenger is
an ancient librarian of Don Pedro, who has preserved all the manners of
the ancient court. Maltreated at Brazil, in consequence of his
attachment to the Emperor, he returns there to obtain redress.
"The first fifteen days of the voyage were very disagreeable. We were
continually tossed about by tempests and by contrary winds, which drove
us back almost to the entrance of the Channel. It was impossible during
that time to take a single step without clinging to whatever could be
seized with one's hand.
"For several days we did not know that our destination was changed. The
commander had sealed orders, which he opened and which directed him to
go to Rio Janeiro; to remain there as long as should be necessary to
re-provision the vessel; to retain me on board during the whole time the
frigate remained in the harbor, and then to convey me to New York. Now
you know that this frigate was destined to go to the southern seas,
where it will remain stationed for two years. It was thus compelled to
make an additional voyage of three thousand leagues; for from New York
it will be obliged to return to Rio, making a long circuit to the east
in order to take advantage of the trade-winds.
"In view of the Canaries, December 14th.
"Every man carries within himself a world, composed of all which he has
seen and loved, and to which he returns incessantly, even when he is
traversing foreign lands. I do not know, at such times, which is the
most painful, the memory of the misfortunes which you have encountered,
or of the happy days which are no more. We have passed through the
winter and are again in summer. The trade-winds have succeeded the
tempests, so that I can spend most of my time on deck. Seated upon the
poop, I reflect upon all which has happened to me, and I think of you
and of Arenemberg. Situations depend upon the affections which one
cherishes. Two months ago I asked only that I might never return to
Switzerland. Now, if I should yield to my impressions, I should have no
other desire than to find myself again in my little chamber in that
beautiful country, where it seems to me that I ought to be so happy.
Alas! when one has a soul which feels deeply, one is destined to pass
his days in the languor of inaction or in the convulsions of distressing
situations.
"When I returned, a few months ago, from conducting Matilde,[O] in
entering the park I found a tree broken by the storm, and I said to
myself, our marriage will be broken by fate. That which I vaguely
imagined has been realized. Have I, then, exhausted in 1836 all the
share of happiness which is to be allotted to me?
[Footnote O: The Princess Matilde, his cousin, daughter of Jerome, with
whom it is supposed that he then contemplated marriage.]
"Do not accuse me of feebleness if I allow myself to give you an account
of all my impressions. One can regret that which he has lost, without
repenting of that which he has done. Besides, our sensations are not so
independent of interior causes, but that our ideas should be somewhat
modified by the objects which surround us. The rays of the sun or the
direction of the wind have a great influence over our moral state. When
it is beautiful weather, as it is to-day, the sea being as calm as the
Lake of Constance when we used to walk upon its banks in the
evening--when the moon, the same moon, illumines us with the same
softened brilliance--when the atmosphere, in fine, is as mild as in the
month of August in Europe,--then I am more sad than usual. All memories,
pleasant or painful, fall with the same weight upon my heart. Beautiful
weather dilates the heart and renders it more impressible, while bad
weather contracts it. The passions alone are independent of the changes
of the seasons. When we left the barracks of Austerlitz, a flurry of
snow fell upon us. Colonel Vaudrey, to whom I made the remark, said to
me, 'Notwithstanding this squall, we shall have a fine day.'
"December 29th.
"We passed the line yesterday. The customary ceremony took place. The
commander, who is always very polite to me, exempted me from the
baptism. It is an ancient usage, but which, nevertheless, is not
sensible, to fête the passage of the line by throwing water over one's
self and aping a divine office. It was very hot. I have found on board
enough books to occupy my time. I have read again the works of M. de
Chateaubriand and of J. J. Rousseau. Still, the motion of the ship
renders all occupation fatiguing."
"January 1, 1837.
"MY DEAR MAMMA, MA CHÈRE MAMAN,--This is the first day of the year. I am
fifteen hundred leagues from you in another hemisphere. Happily, thought
traverses that space in less than a second. I am near you. I express to
you my profound regret for all the sorrows which I have occasioned you.
I renew to you the expression of my tenderness and of my gratitude.
"This morning the officers came in a body to wish me a happy new year. I
was much gratified by this attention on their part. At half-past four we
were at the table. As we were seventeen degrees of longitude west of
Constance, it was at that same time seven o'clock at Arenemberg. You
were probably at dinner. I drank, in thought, to your health. You
perhaps did the same for me. At least I flattered myself in believing so
at that moment. I thought, also, of my companions in misfortune. Alas! I
think continually of them. I thought that they were more unhappy than I,
and that thought renders me more unhappy than they.
"Present my very tender regards to good Madame Salvage, to the young
ladies, to that poor little Clairè, and to M. Cottrau, and to Arsène.
"January 5th.
"We have had a squall, which struck us with extreme violence. If the
sails had not been torn to pieces by the wind the frigate would have
been in great danger. One of the masts was broken. The rain fell so
impetuously that the sea was entirely white. To-day the sky is as serene
as usual, the damages are repaired, and the tempestuous weather is
forgotten. But it is not so with the storms of life. In speaking of the
frigate, the commander told me that the frigate which bore your name is
now in the South Sea, and is called _La Flora_.
"January 10.
"We have arrived at Rio Janeiro. The _coup d'oeil_ of the harbor is
superb. To-morrow I shall make a drawing of it. I hope that this letter
will soon reach you. Do not think of coming to join me. I do not yet
know where I shall settle. Perhaps I may find more inducements to live
in South America. The labor to which the uncertainty of my lot will
oblige me to devote myself, in order to create for myself a position,
will be the only consolation which I can enjoy. Adieu, my mother.
Remember me to the old servants, and to our friends of Thurgovia and of
Constance. I am very well. Your affectionate and respectful son,
"LOUIS NAPOLEON BONAPARTE."