THE LATE EMPEROR NAPOLEON.

In a portion of the last number, we gave some account of the late lamented prime minister; trusting that it was acceptable to most of our readers, we have in this number, followed the same plan, our subject being, the relation of a few circumstances which attended the singular career of the individual whose name is at the head of this article. Though abundant as the information given to the public has been, of the actions of this most extraordinary character, who was distinguished for his marvellous fortunes, as well as his civil and military abilities, we think there is still much to be told, and therefore venture to insert the following extracts from a highly interesting work recently published.

See page 37.

Frederick-William; he found the Duchess at the head of her little court, drawn out with all due ceremony to receive him. Napoleon, without exhibiting the least mark of complaisance, said to the Grandduchess, in a rough tone," Make me some tea." Her Serene Highness, at once surprised and indignant at this ungallant reception, turned to one of her chamberlains, and requested him to order tea to be served to his Majesty the Emperor.

Napoleon, recollecting afterwards that he had been wanting in courtesy to this lady, went to pay her a visit, and in the conversation which ensued, remarked both spirit and judgment in the Duchess. Asking her how it came that her husband was so imprudent as to serve in the army of his enemy, and thereby to expose thus his family, his country, and his subjects to the evils of war, the Duchess replied. with great candour, "Sire, my husband has been in the service of the King of Prussia ever since his infancy. We owe every thing to that sovereign: what would you have thought of the Duke, Sire, if he had abandoned the Prussian cause at the moment when the King had most need of his services?" The Emperor was charmed with these representations. He gave 3-SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 1828.

orders that, as much as possible, the state of Weimar, and especially the residence of its Sovereign, should be respected and spared. After having taken leave of her Serene Highness, he said to Marshal Berthier, "If the Duke of Saxe Weimar is animated by the same principles and sentiments as this amiable woman, I regret deeply having given him any cause to complain of me.'

NAPOLEON'S ENTRY INTO Berlin. When Napoleon made his first entry into Berlin, by the Brandenburgh gate, at the head of a numerous staff, and amidst an immense crowd, which pressed forward on all sides to obtain a glance at the hero of the day; a cry arose of "Long live the Emperor !" but Napoleon, feeling annoyed, instead of complimented by these unmeaning acclamations, which, in truth, proceeded chiefly from the agents of the police, said aloud to one of his aides-decamps, "Silence that man!"

Arrived at his chateau, he found, amongst others, the Prussian ministers, Hatzfelt, Voss, and Beyme, who had remained in Berlin, and formed, previously to the entry of the French, a sort of provisional government. They began by

sedulously recommending to the favourable notice of the Emperor, the " good city" and citizens of Berlin. Napoleon, having heard them out, rejoined, in a tone of severity, "It is you, gentleman, who are the occasion of this war; you alone do I accuse; your King, I am persuaded, would never have undertaken it but for your insinuations. You have caused prayers to be offered in the churches, and songs to be chanted in the theatres, recommending the war with Napoleon, and calling it a just and a proper war. Well! you have had it, and here I am, you fools! 40,000 French soldiers shall be quartered for three months at Berlin, and you will afterwards be able to tell me whether or not this war is proper. Hence! begone!"

This harsh reception did not well agree with the promises made by the victorious Emperor to the canon Tam, only a few days previously, when he gave instructions to visit the necessary evils of war upon the people of the capital as lightly as circumstances permitted; it is, however, not the less matter of fact, and can be vouched both by the canon himself, who is now in London, and by Marshal Victor, who at that moment was in the presence of Napoleon.

When, subsequently, Count Markow met the Grand-duke Constantine at a party at St. Petersburgh, that Prince said to him, " Upon my honour, Count, you must possess great courage to speak in such terms to Bonaparte. They say that man jokes not what would you have done, had he by any chance laid hands upon you?"-"I would have chastised him on the spot," replied the courageous Markow.

MARRIAGE OF NAPOLEON WITH MARIA

LOUISA.

WHEN the Emperor visited Vienna in 1809, as a conqueror, he took up his residence in the beautiful castle of Schoenbrunn, in the environs of the capital. One morning, accompanied by Meyer, one of the castle inspectors, he went over the apartments of this magnificent edifice, which had been hastily quitted, some weeks before, by the imperial family. In one apartment hung the portraits of the Emperor Francis's daughters, Maria-Louisa, Leopoldina, and Clementina. Napoleon, after a short pause, pointing to that of Maria-Louisa, which he considered with the deepest attention, asked of the inspector, if her Imperial Highness was really so handsome as there represented. The old man replied, "Oh yes, your Majesty, she is indeed: and, what is more, as amiable as handsome."" Well," rejoined Napoleon, "let the picture be placed in my cabinet, immediately fronting the writing-table. He subsequently took it with him to Paris, and it was found in the Emperor's closet by the Archduchess Maria-Louisa, on her marriage.

The Emperor Francis, at the time he concluded upon consenting to this match, was not ignorant of the animosity entertained by his daughter and wife towards his intended son-in-law. He consequently had not courage to open the matter to Maria-Louisa herself; and the first governess to the Archduchess, was commissioned to make it known to her.

This lady, however, had no success whatever in her attempts to reconcile Maria-Louisa to her destiny, for the Archduchess had no sooner been told that her father had affianced her to Napoleon Bonaparte, than she fell upon the sofa, screaming and crying out, that she would never consent to marry such a monster! Francis was now fain to make personal endeavours to prevail on his daughter to comply with the proposed arrangement, and for that purpose announced his wish to have an interview with Maria-Louisa at a given hour.

He repaired to the Princess's apartment, attended by his two youngest daughters, and with the candour and tenderness characteristic of him, represented the necessity of such an alliance, as the only means left to save the imperial Family, and the whole Austrian dominions from subjection. The windows of the room in which they were, looked out upon the ruined walls and demolished forts of Vienna; MariaLouisa took the Emperor by the hand, led him to the view of this desolate scene, and said "Father, can you give the hand of your beloved child to the author of all this destruction ?"-" It is to prevent still greater horrors," answered Francis, deeply moved, "that I require this sacrifice from you; " and he urged his solicitations in so powerful and affecting a way, that his daughter at length exclaimed, "Tranquillize yourself, my dear father: to procure you peace, I will do whatever you ask of me.'

Maria-Louisa, however, subsequently found that her sacrifice turned out to be not quite so heroic; she seemed, on the contrary, to have been greatly pleased with her new situation. A letter addressed by her, in the month of June, 1810, to the old Count Edlin, her late governor, gives an interesting statement of her feelings soon after her marriage. The following

are extracts:

"I confess to you, my dear Count, that from the first moment I met and saw the Emperor Napoleon, my august and most beloved husband, he has shown me on every occasion the highest attention. Indeed, I should be unjust and ungrateful, were I insensible to all his care, regard, and truly noble behaviour to me. In one word, my dear Count, I am happier than you can conceive.

"Believe not that this letter is written by any order or compulsion on the part of my august spouse, who, although at this very moment by my side, will not look at it. No! these sentiments are dictated by my own heart; and the letter goes from my hands into those of Count Joseph Metternich, by whom it will be handed to you.' Anecdotes of Foreign Courts.

* It is asserted by the Princess's governess, who was present at this interesting interview, that the young Princess Leopoldina, then about twelve years old, saw her sister so much averse to the proposed match, thatshes aid with sister seems so greatly shocked at this union, extreme naivete, "Dear papa, since my good 1 will go in her place, and be married to Na poleon. I have no dislike to the Emperor, and I dare say it will be the same thing to him.""You are a little fool," replied Francis, tenderly smiling, "and know not what you say."

LONG ages ago, when the whole of Northern Europe was sunk in barbarism and dark idolatry, a young and beautiful maiden was found at sun-rise upon the rugged coast of Norway. There she stood, and looked wistfully over the retiring waves which had left their fringes of sil very surf at her small naked feet.

The night had been stormy, and a vessel lay wrecked among the rocks. All the crew had perished but that gentle lady. The savage people gathered about her, wondering much at the rare fashion and the richness of her flowing garments, and at her fresh and delicate beauty; but most of all at the sweetness and dignity of

her demeanour.*

It was this maiden who became the wife

of Regnar, the young Prince of Norway; she was of equal birth with him, being a king's daughter, but obliged to flee from the usurper of her father's throne. The Princess Gurith, for so she was called, was not an idolater, yet for nearly a year after her marriage few persons but her husband knew the name of her religion. They soon learned, however, that in her it was pure and peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy and so she was loved by all and might have been happy, had not Queen Temora, the widow of the king's eldest son, visited the court of Norway. Now, this Temora was very beautiful, but proud and revengeful, and so skilled in magic, that by many she was named the Sorceress. Temora was queen, in her own right, of the far Orkney Isles; and, notwithstanding her husband's sudden death, she had cherished the hope to reign in Norway also; for Regnar, then the

* See the Embellishment, illustrative of the above, page 33.

younger brother, though now the heir, had wooed her, when, from ambition, she preferred the elder prince.

When Temora came to court, hiding her fiery passions with a smiling face, and saw the beauty of the innocent Gurith, and the influence she had won in the hearts of those around her, she devoted her to ruin. It is said that she went at midnight, far up among the hills, into the depths of a black pine forest, where stood a rude but famous temple of the idol Woden (the ruins are now scattered about the place), and there sprinkling her own blood upon the altar, vowed to accomplish a deep and horrible revenge. From that hour she left no way untried to reach her ends. At first, she sought, under the mask of friendship, to introduce into the heart of Gurith some dark suspicion of her husband's faith, and so, at length, to break that gentle heart; but the young princess was above suspicion; love, and her perfect confidence in him she loved, were as a breast-plate of that was aimed against it, fell off, not adamant to her, from which every weapon only blunted, but leaving no trace to show where it had struck. Thus, Temora was confounded and perplexed, for she had judged the princess by her own principles and feelings.

Still, notwithstanding all these deep devices, the guileless Lady Gurith grew in favour and tender love with all who knew her, and the sorceress inwardly cursed herself, when she beheld the effect of Gurith's presence upon the barbarous Norwegians; an effect far more grateful to her woman's heart than the most awful influence of her own magic spells. When Gurith came forth into the banquet-hall, they met her with a reverence only next to adoration. Their brutal manner caught for the time disputings stopped; their coarse jests and somewhat of her gentleness; their fierce roars of laughter sounded more faintly; the very minstrels touched their harps more lightly, and turned their war-songs to some plaintive lay, such as a gentle woman loves to hear. But the secret of this influence was a mystery to the consummate artfulness of Queen Temora: she could not comprehend that simple humility and unaffected kindness can win their way to the most savage bosom.

For instance, after a battle, when the wounded were brought home, a band of warriors came forward to the terrace, on which Gurith and Queen Temora sat, surrounded by their ladies. They had brought the richest spoil, and laid it at the feet of the two princesses. Temora snatched at once a coronet of gems, and placed it with a haughty smile upon her head. They that stood by shuddered as they saw her