312 CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES. 



We traced the walls of the ancient building, which 

 gave evidence of one of ample dimensions — the walls 

 once supporting the gallery and those enclosing the 

 court. The only buildings now standing which were 

 in existence at the time of Josephine's birth are two — 

 the ancicnnc cuisine, the kitchen once attached to the 

 dwelling, and the sucrerie, or sugar-house. Lowly 

 and humble, with walls of stone and roof of earthen 

 tiles, whose mellow tone and gray lichens suggested 

 great age, was the old building which once had 

 been the home for many years of the mother of Jose- 

 phine. For tradition, as authentic as tradition can be, 

 states that here lived Madame Tascher de la Pagerie 

 after the death of her husband, and while her daugh- 

 ter was the wife of Napoleon. Those two small win- 

 dows in the roof look into two chambers, now dilapi- 

 dated and unused, chosen as the widow's abode when 

 left solitary and alone. Not many years ago there 

 died in Trois-Ilets a very old woman, once a domes- 

 tic in the family, who attended Madame La Pagerie 

 in her later years, and it is through her this tradi- 

 tion was preserved. Above the humble roof droops 

 a stately mango, rich in golden fruit and dark-green 

 leaves. 



Lieutenant La Pagerie resided with his bride, in 

 1761, on the estate of his father-in-law, a portion of 

 which was given him at the time of his marriage. A 

 few years later he came into possession of it, and it is 

 known at the present time as La Pagerie. The es- 

 tate was a large one, employing one hundred and 

 fifty slaves in the cultivation of cane and coffee, and 

 yielding a large annual revenue. 



Here, on the 23d of June, 1763, Josephine was 



