A Sportsman 193 



A PROPOS of the Emperor Napoleon's interest in 

 '^ Colorado, before referred to, it will be remembered 

 that the Emperor, always a dreamer of the Empire, 

 had but lately experienced the reverses of the French 

 troops sent to Mexico to aid the unfortunate Maxi- 

 milian, brother of the Emperor of Austria, whom 

 Napoleon endeavored to establish upon the throne of 

 Mexico, and establish a Latin Monarchy there. Al- 

 though Maximilian had been executed by the Mexican 

 General Juarez and the French troops had been with- 

 drawn, the Emperor, with that tenacity constitu- 

 tional with him, had never become reconciled to the 

 result, and undoubtedly still dreamed of a future 

 conquest. It will be noted that Napoleon in his 

 scheme of a Latin Empire upon the American con- 

 tinent had more foundation for a possibility of suc- 

 cess than would be willingly conceded by the younger 

 generation of this country, whose memories do not 

 extend back forty years, and who do not remember 

 how critical at many times the conditions were dur- 

 ing the Civil War, when the strongest supporters of 

 the Union grew faint with apprehensions. There 

 were several occasions when, if a recognition of the 

 Southern Confederacy by the principal European coun- 

 tries had occurred, it would have almost insured the 

 success of the South. 



There is but little doubt that when Napoleon, sup- 

 porting Maximilian during the earlier part of the 

 Civil War, when the Union was distracted by its 

 internal convulsions, invited the English government 

 to join France in a recognition of the Southern Con- 

 federacy, the Union was in great peril, for a recogni- 

 tion, as proposed, would have involved the North 



