398 
joy found Napoleon, who had. so long 
kept us anxiously on the watch, safe 
on-board the Bellerophon; the admi- 
ral, though present in the Superb, 
having most handsomely resigned any 
credit arising from this event to Capt. 
Maitland, who had had the trouble of 
the previous blockade, as well as of 
the negociation. It appears he had 
surrendered on the preceding day, 
having come down from Isle D’Aix in 
L’Epervier_brig-of-war,—the lieute- 
pried of which, thinking his cargo of 
no common consequence, had asked 
and obtained from Capt. M. a receipt 
for his prisoner. 
At the moment we passed in, the 
Ex-Emperor was just returning from 
the Superb, where he had breakfasted 
with the admiral, who had visited him 
the preceding day ; as a mark of re- 
spect, the yards of the Bellerophon 
were manned. We hove-to as closely 
as possible to her: Capt. M. hailed us 
— “I have the Emperor on-board.” 
The latter stood exposed to us at full- 
length on the gang-way, about twenty 
yards distant, attentively watching 
our evolutions. In return, all our 
eyes were intensely fixed on him. 
Nothing in nature,—no, not even a 
thunderbolt falling by our side, could 
have weaned attention for an instant 
from a man whose public existence 
seemed to have been a constant poli- 
tical hurricane in the atmosphere of 
Kurope. 
He had on a dark-green uniform 
coat, as well as we could distinguish 
the colour, broad red sash over the 
shoulder, a large star on the left 
breast, white waistcoat, small-cloaths, 
boots, and a large cocked-hat, with 
the tri-coloured cockade. No. one 
who had ever paid the least attention 
to the lineaments could mistake the 
face. Most of the prints in the shops 
have considerable resemblance. One 
of the best, perhaps, is Ackerman’s, 
representing him chained to a rock, 
or another (a little caricatured) term- 
ed a hieroglyphic portrait, taken from 
the German, ‘‘ Napoleon the first and 
last. by the wrath of heayen.” Las 
Casas, Bertrand, Savary, L’Allemand, 
Leselles, Gourgaud, and several others 
of his officers, share his fortune,—per- 
haps because, by remaining in France, 
they might experience a worse. 
It appears that, so long ago as the 
8d instant he had arrived in Roch- 
fort. General Becker and the marine 
prefect continually urged him to go 
2 
Surrender of Napoleon described. 
fJune I, 
on-board. the frigates, in order to get 
‘rid of him; but he lingered, with the 
hope of something favourable turning 
up, till ten o’clock at night on the 
8th, when he embarked in La Saale 
frigate. On the 9th inspected the 
fortifications of Isle D’Aix. On the 
11th bas Casas and Savary proceeded 
to the Bellerophon to negociate. On 
the 12th heard of the dissolution of 
the Chambers, and the entry _of the 
King into Paris. Disembarked same 
day on Isle D’Aix with his baggage, 
and in the night two half-decked. boats 
arrived from Rochelle, in which he 
was to try his fortune ; but this resolu- 
tion, like many others thought of at 
the same moment, failed. In the 
night of the 13th went on-board 
L’Epervier. Next day, Gen. Becker, 
having been on-board the Bellero- 
phon, ‘making arrangements, the suite 
and baggage were sent on-board the 
brig; and on the morning of the, 15th 
she stood towards our fleet as a flag of 
truce. The wind being light the boats 
of the Bellerophon were sent to assist, 
and afterwards carried the whole 
party on-board that ship. 
It appears he first sent out to the 
English senior officer for permission 
to proceed with the two frigates to 
America, which was of course refused, 
but an offer made of referring him to 
the admiral. He then asked for the 
brig, and afterwards for a schooner ; 
to which the same answer was return- 
ed. A threat followed of forcing his 
way ; but this had no better effect than 
the requests. 
At this time, when every other mode 
of escape was hopeless, the scheme of 
getting away in the two chasse marées, 
with a suite of only four persons beside 
himself, from Point D’Eguillon on the 
main, situated nearly “opposite St. 
Martin’s, on Isle Rhé, was projected. 
The Breton passage was to be the 
route, and six or eight midshipmen to 
form the crew. On being assured that 
this ship would intercept them, he re- 
marked that it was unlikely we should 
discover them in the night; or, if s SO, 
that such small vessels would not be 
examined, The objection, however, 
upset the whole plan. Had he yen- 
tured, we should certainly have en- 
joyed the undivided honour of cap- 
turing this extraordinary, but trouble- 
some, man. Neither is there any 
merit in his surrender. He had no- 
thing else left for it; for both civil and 
military authorities at Rochfort had 
polifely 
