ST. HELENA 221 



for his life was very monotonous. Still he, with his iron 

 will, would not give in, and issued orders to his retainers 

 to refuse admission to the enclosure of Longwood to any 

 presenting passes from English authorities. This was to 

 reserve to Marshall Bertrand only the right to give such 

 passes. The Governor, unable to allow this, again came 

 under his displeasure. His annoyance was so great that 

 he sent a letter to Sir Hudson announcing his desire that he 

 would not present any strangers to him, that for the future 

 he would receive nobody ; and from that day no one in- 

 truded upon him. Travellers who had always paid Long- 

 wood a visit were kept from it ; the inhabitants and military 

 also avoided it, and he was left in his gloomy solitude. At 

 about four in the afternoon he might be seen pacing slowly 

 on a path near the house, but he avoided leaving the en- 

 closure, hating to see the guards, and hating more the 

 surveillance of the English officer on duty. Another 

 source of annoyance to Napoleon was caused through a 

 present sent to him by an Englishman domiciled in Cal- 

 cutta. This present was a most beautiful set of chessmen 

 elaborately ornamented with oriental designs, with a French 

 eagle well carved on each. It was not allowed that Na- 

 poleon should have anything reminding him of his former 

 rank, but these eagles escaped the notice of Sir Hudson 

 Lowe at the time, and the chessmen were handed over to 

 Napoleon. Being told afterwards of the eagles, the 

 Governor wrote to Bertrand stating that a mistake had 

 been made, and making a formal protest against such a 

 present having been made ; and similar foolish bickerings 

 rendered the lives of all concerned most miserable. 



In 1817 O'Meara, Napoleon's physician, was ordered to 

 issue bulletins, so that the Commissioners might be in- 

 formed on matters relating to his health. These bulletins 

 were often very trivial, as under : 



General Buonaparte is so much recovered from his indisposition 

 as to be able to dine at table yesterday ; very trifling catarrhal 

 symptoms at present exist. 



And again as follows : 



I have the honour to inform your Excellency that General 

 Buonaparte is entirely free from any catarrhal symptoms, and 

 has resumed his customary mode of living. 



