ST. HELENA 199 



with his suite to England to be received as the Prince 

 Regent might determine, and that he was unable to make 

 terms. Napoleon was chagrined, but there was no alter- 

 native except certain destruction ; he therefore embarked 

 on a brig bearing a flag of truce. Seeing this, Captain 

 Maitland sent his boats to meet the brig, and in about an 

 hour the barge, in charge of the first lieutenant (Mr. Motts), 

 returned to the Better ophon accompanied by the " once 

 great ruler of half the world," who, on ascending to the 

 quarter deck, advanced to Captain Maitland and said in 

 French : " I come to claim the protection of your Prince 

 and your laws." He was received by the captain with all 

 the respect due to his former rank — for at that time there 

 were no orders to the contrary. 



The appended letter, written by Napoleon to the Prince 

 Regent, was sent to England by the Slaney with the des- 

 patches giving an account of his surrender to Captain 

 Maitland. 



Altesse Royale, — 



En butte aux factions que divisent mon pays et a l'inimitie des 

 plus grandes puissances de l'Europe, j'ai termine ma carriere politique 

 et je viens, comme Themistocle, m'asseoir sur les foyers du peuple 

 Britannique. Je me mets sous la protection de ses lois, qui je 

 reclame de Vc A. R. comme les plus puissant le plus constant et le 

 plus genereux, de mes ennemis, 



Napoleon. 



Translated : — 

 Royal Highness, — 



Exposed to the factions which divide my country and to the 

 enmity of the great powers of Europe, I have terminated my political 

 career, and I come like Themistocles to throw myself on the hos- 

 pitality of the British nation. I place myself under the safeguard 

 of their laws, and claim the protection of your Royal Highness, the 

 most powerful, the most constant, and the most generous of my 

 enemies. 



Napoleon. 



Writers have censured this allusion to the illustrious 

 Athenian as puerile and absurd, for there was very little 

 similarity between the surrender of Themistocles and 

 Buonaparte. The former was the saviour of his country, 

 and had made her mistress of Greece. In the height of his 

 prosperity, that country was ungrateful, and he was doomed 

 to banishment. Unable to find a refuge, he threw himself 



