594 Wardf^h .Letters on Napatem 



a^t<»«^, wliatworae fate could have he. 

 fnl-tfii) hint, ii^ii he Ijceii taken a prisoner 

 till l><*«rH nn Aineiicaii sliip, in which he 

 Diiphi li--«ve eiideavoufed to nuvke liis ear-, 

 cape. Hereasoaed for some tini&oii the 

 pr«babili(y of sticce&s in such.«4i ^t^einpt ; 

 and they mit;ht now, he added, have 

 came to re};ent tl)nt he had npl riikcd 

 it, ■; He then proceeded— ^ 



i'.Coi>Jd not my royal master, think 

 yotiyjhnve pl«ce<l him!>elf*t theliead of shape the waydta^lvein, Nur/C!^(» I e^;' 

 the -flrmy of tlie Loire? and can you press," he added, -<»4'Owti>W)J!,rVj'''f8i| 



itimi; for, hijlf^ 



er)tert()JDed not the shado«rnf an apnr## 

 hension : but 1 thought it not itnpossibli?' 

 that his liberty might be endaiijjerod, as 

 indeed it was, hy tite resolution of iha( 

 hour. I was so .agiiatecT by my hopfc«'_ 

 and, my fears in alternate succession, tha|,rt 

 I could only beg u>f,ihiga to accept <ny . 

 loyal and faiiitful assuraoce. that I woulcf', 

 wait upon his fortunes, wliatever thejr, ^ 

 might be; but4t-\vas for hira. alone '^^ 



persuade yourself that it would not Jiave 

 beao<iroud td range itself un^er his com- 

 mand ? And is it iiot possible— -nay, 

 mare thmi probatile, ihflt he wouki have 

 licfen joined hy numerous adherents from 

 the-.iiorth, the south, and the east ? Nor 

 can it be denied that he might, have 

 placed hiiusdf in such a position, as to 

 liave made i»v better terras for liimself 

 than have now been imposed upon hitn. 



at my pers^veruig resol;jt 

 any opinion of mine been aceessory, ij , 

 the-slijjjhtest degree, to tiie situaJHin la^^ 

 whicli I now behold iiiy emperor, % sl>ouW,, • 

 never again enjoy 9 peaceful ojpment.^ ', 

 TIm .ternu, in which lie expressed h^^ 

 thougl\ts, apci the topes MJiich aiiijxiat«d|^Q 

 them, proivedthe state,of hrs (eeijiigs. ^, 

 Miidaine Dertrnnd's complaints werf^, 

 diflferent in their character .a»' well »§ 



It was to save the further elfusion of language fcom those, of .the Count hsjC'f 



bipod that he threw himself into your 

 araib; that he trusted to the honour of a 

 nation famed for its {generosity and love. 

 «>f justice; nor would it have been adis- 

 prace to Etmhinti to have acknowledged 

 fvlapoleon Bonaparte as a citizen. He 

 datnanded to b« enrolled ainonj; the 

 iiutnblebtof them; and wished for little 

 more thiwi the licav* iisas a covering, and 

 the soil of Enj^liind, on which he might 

 trfead in safety. Was this too much for 

 j-i^ch a man to a^k .? — surely not : nor 

 could such a man imagine, in any ino- 

 ntfnc of depression, il it were possible 

 torhuch aspirit as his to be so depressed, 

 lli^t the boon would be refused him. It 

 rni^ht rather have been a subject of 

 pride to F.Mglnnd, that the conqueror tif 

 Silaiostail Europe but herself, sought, iii 

 l)i» adverse fortune, to pass the remain- 

 «ier of a ffe, which forms so splendid 

 an epocha in the history of our age, in 

 any retired spot of her domains, winch 

 ihff tnight have allotted him," 



fHe ackfiowledged that Napoleon iiad 

 cnhfultod him as to the probable niagiia- 

 niniity of the English govenimcn', on the 

 mfasnre then in contemplHtion ; but in 

 ibis instance, he said, " I refused the 

 opinion «hu;h he requested of nie. It 

 .was not frotn any prect'iiceived opinion 

 lothe fwejiidice of the English nation, 

 — ino, far froi* it, — 'that I liesitated for 

 once to obey him. But I pould not 

 sUoA' mv^elt'co become his counsellor in 

 such a critical moment, and on a matter 

 of so much importance to the comfort of 

 his futu'pe lite fiiid the honour of his 

 ria'?ne. I ivas not afraid of any personal 

 ii_hiry beiog oSer«d 10 hun; of ciuit I 



husband: her air and oi^ner were som«^ 

 times even accornpf i>icd widi ^g^eam <^, 

 distraction. " Wliat caa yop think,., Vj 

 she once ,said to me, " of in,y situation.^ ^ 

 does it not appear to you to be most 1^^^ 

 meiitabic; aod where are expressions to 

 be found that can »uit the de*cription of 

 it to the fwignancy of my feelings .' What 

 a change for a woman who had held a 

 high rank in the gayest and most splern 

 did court in Europe; .where .her conse-^. 

 qucnce was such, that thousands snuglit.^ 

 her smiles, and were proud to bask ift.^ , 

 them. The wife of Count Bertraini^j^ 

 grand mar.shal of the palace of the £aiir4 

 peror of France, is now destined, with 

 her three children, to accompany an 

 exiled husband to an insulated rock, 

 where the pride of station, .the poiap .(u.. 

 life, and the «oo|; of pleasure, wiO be,^ 

 exchanged for a scene of captivity ; and. 

 such, with all its premised aileutious and . 

 indulgencies, it (uust appear ,^u us, >ujr^| 

 rounded, as it is, ^y the b^trrjei .|»f ^^p 

 boundless ocean." ,..,■ .,,, ,,, 



The little Bertiands are interesting 

 children : tlie youngest is betvveen three 

 and four years old ; the eldest is a ttativ^^ 

 of Trieste, and was born when his. fath«C,._ 

 was governor of the lUyrian Prov)n<;fij^j^^' 

 the second is a, girl of an anisuated difi;;}; 

 position, that betrays rtcca>sio.aal)Sy>nji-|^ 

 toms of violence. The milii?,!y 4)i^(of^^.. 

 ter appears to have aloiost ejtftiv^iiy.fcly,,, 

 seiatd on the lufati.t Tiifuinds of tiicie.. 

 sprightly urchins ; fr^oaa woniiug tiUwig|it^ 

 they are employed in £tnci*igj, m^jrchmg,, 

 charijiiig on a half-canter, in Uiiitaiiiiii «^ 

 cavalry, &c. &c. in whu:h the.g.irl jo«(«^ 

 with a true A;iiazoiiian spirit, un4«'r..tiie. 



— dfcf^tiOB 



