208 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



had chosen to become the sovereign of the Elbans because of the gentle- 

 ness of their manners and the softness of their cHmate. He selected 

 for Elba a national flag based on an old Tuscan banner; it was white 

 with a red stripe running diagonally across it ; on the stripe were three 

 golden bees. "The bees will sting some day," said one of his grena- 

 diers. 



A new life had begun for the neglected little island. Even in 

 that backward age the agriculture, the industry, the communications, 

 the education of Elba were all especially backward. Napoleon lost 

 not a moment in getting to work. He had already devoured what 

 reading matter on Elba he could find and knew more about Elba than 

 did the Elbans themselves. Even before his official reception at Porto 

 Ferraio on the day after his arrival he had rowed to the south side of 

 the bay and had begun to spy out the land. A day or two later, at 

 five o'clock in the morning, he was leading a party to the only other 

 natural harbour in Elba, Porto Longone, on the south shore, and was 

 asking eager questions about the iron mines at Rio, a few miles away, 

 about the marble and granite quarries, about the fisheries. Those 

 who came into contact with him heard not a word about his leaving 

 the island. It is, of course, easy to suggest that he was all the time 

 concealing his thoughts and working towards such an end. This is, 

 however, to fail to grasp his character. Napoleon was a sublime 

 opportunist. When, in 1798, he went to Egypt he was uncertain 

 whether he should go on from Egypt to India or turn back through 

 Turkey and attack Europe in the rear. He was only resolved to make 

 some great stroke when the occasion offered. Now, whatever may 

 have been his lingering hopes, he well knew that the remainder of his 

 days might be spent in Elba and he was imperiously determined to 

 reconstruct the life of the island. This was not due, as Sir Neil 

 Campbell, the British commissary in Elba, charges bluntly, to merely 

 selfish aims; a great organizing intelligence such as Napoleon's could 

 not rest when problems for his energy lay before him. Within a few 

 days he had discussed with many farmers sweeping improvements in 

 methods of culture. He planned and at once began the building of 

 new roads. He cleaned Porto Ferraio and made the little place sani- 

 tary for the first time in its troubled history; it has continued the 

 tradition and remains one of the cleanest towns in Italy. Elba was 

 to take full advantage of its insular position to attract sea-going com- 

 merce and should become one of the shipping centres of the world. 

 She should grow wheat to feed her own people, for, as it was, bread 

 was too dear; she should grow potatoes; the Elbans believed that the 

 chestnut and the olive would not flourish in the island, but he would 

 prove to them that this was an error; Elba, too, should grow the mul- 



