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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1895)
THE STJXDAT 0!EEG02sIA2v POBODAXD; FEBBrAUT 10, . 1S93 15 NAPOLEON THE GREAT JJf IXTERESTIXG ACCOUNT OP HIS EARLY CAMPAIGNS. "Written Expressly tor tue Sunday Oresroxxlan iy Montcom- ery B. GIIl)s. XXn-EXILE TO ELBA. The armies of the allies had gradually pushed forward from. Paris and now near ly surrounded Fontalnebleau. "When the last of the marshals had quitted Napo leon's presence for the night, after im periously demanding: bts resignation, he revolted at the humiliations he had to undergo, and, disgusted at their cowardice, rxclalmed: These men have neither hearts nor entrails. I am conquered less ly fortune than by the selfishness and in jrratitude of my brothers-In-arms!" The same night in a fit of despair he swallowed a strong poison contained In a bag that he had worn around his neck since 1E0S. ; The palace was aroused by his cries, and Dr. Yvan was hastily summoned by his valet. An antidote was administered and liis life was saved. The emperor remained long enough at Fontalnebleau to hear of the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, and on the 20th of April, the commissioners of the allied aovereigns having arrived, he once more called his loyal officers about him and sig nified that they were summoned to re ceive his last adieu. A few of the mar shals and others who had sworn fealty to the new monarch were also present. "Louis" (the king), Napoleon said, "has talents and means; he is old and infirm, and v. ill not, I think, choose to give a bad name to his reign. If he is wise he will occupy my bed, and only change the sheets. He must treat the army well, and take care not to look back on the past, or his time will be brief. For you. gentle men, I am no longer to be with you you have another government and it will be come you to attach yourselves to It frankly, and serve It faithfully as you have served mc." Napoleon now hurried through the group that surrounded him stepped into 2iis carriage, and instantly drove off. The carriage took the road to Lyons. Four commissioners, one each from the great allied powers Austria, Russia, Prussia and England accompanied him on his journey. He was attended by the cver falthful Bertrand, grand-master of the palace, and some other attached friends and servants. "While fourteen carriages "were conveying him and his immediate suite toward Elba, 700 infantry and about 150 cavalry of the Imperial Guard all picked men and volunteers marched in the same direction to take on them the military duties of the exiled court. During the early part of his progress the exile was received respectfully by the civil functionaries of the different towns and departments and many tokens of sym pathy on the part of the people were expressed. As he increased the distance "between himself and his capital, and was arrled into the provinces wherein his name had never been extremely popular, ihe was once or twice subjected to pergonal insult and danger of violence when the horses were changing. At length Napoleon disguised himself, and sometimes appearing in an Austrian uniform, at others riding on before the carriages in the garb of a courier, reached in safety the place of embarkation. A French vessel had been sent around from Toulon to Cannes for the purpose of con veying him to Elba, but there happened to be an English frigate also in the roads, and he preferred sailing under any flag rather than the Bourbon. The voyage to Elba was uneventful. The emperor of the little island came in view of his new dominions on the after ,, ncKutof4Mprt;rKU,,,and went ashore in disguise the same evening, in order to ascertain for himself whether the feelings of the Elbans were favorable or other wise. He found the people considered his residence as likely to increase in every way the importance and prosperity of their Island, and returned on board the fahlp. At noon the following day he made his public entry into the town of Porto Ferrajo, amid many popular demonstra tions of welcome and respect. The Island, mountainous and rocky, for the most part barren, and of a circumfer ence not exceeding CO miles, was his. He forthwith devoted to It the same anxious care and industry that had sufficed for the whole afTairs of France and a large portion of Europe besides. In less than three weeks he had thoroughly acquainted himself with its history, resources and the character of Its people, had explored every corner of the Island, and "projected more Improvements of all sorts," accord ing to one historian, "than would have occupied a lifetime to complete." He even extended his "empire" by sending some soldiers to take possession of a small ad jacent islet, hitherto unoccpuled for fear of corsairs. He established residences In four different corners of Elba, and was continually in motion from one to the other of them. All the etiquette of the Tuilerles was adhered to as far as pos sible, and Napoleon's E00 or 900 veterans were reviewed as frequently and formally as If they had been the army of Austerlltz or Friodland. and over which hung the flag of Elba, which the emperor hud adopted, and which was that of the Island white, striped with purple and studded with fctars. Some time later he adopted a new flag as king of Elba silver, with a red band, the latter having bees of gold on it. The emperor wore the uniform of the colonel of the Horse Chasseurs of the quard. He had substituted on his chapeau the red and white cockade of the island for the trl-colored cockade. His presence gave a new stimulus to the trade and in dustry of the island, and the port of Fer rajo was crowded with vessels from the opposite coast of Italy. Napoleon received no money whatever from the Bourbon court, his pension hav ing been entirely forgotten by his suc ceysors at the capital. His complaints on this head were not even, considered, and the exchequer of the exile being rapidly depleted by his generous expenditures, he soon became in need of many necessaries. These new troubles embittered the spirit of the fallen chief, and but for the course of events at Paris, of which he was kept fully advised, he would have become over powered by a listlessness which at one time affected him seriously. Louis XVIII had made his public entry into Paris on the Cist cf April, He was advanced in years, gross and Infirm in person, yet ho was, perhaps, less unpop ular than the rest of his family; but it was his fatal misfortune to continue to increas-iday by day the bitterness of those who had never been sincerely his friends. The- king had been called to the throne by the French senate In a. decree which provided that he should preserve the pol itical system "which Napoleon had vio lated." and which, declared the legislative constitution as composed of a hereditary sovereign and two houses of assembly, to be fixed and unchangeable. Louis, however, thought he proceeded to France on this invitation, did not hesitate to date lus first act in the 20th year of his reign. The senete saw In such assumptions the traces, of those old doctrines of the "di vine right of kings" of which Louis was a shlningexample. and although they con sented to his call, they asked, themselves why, if all their privileges were but the gifts -of the king, they might not. on any tempting opportunity, be withdrawn by the same authority. They, whose titles had all been won since the death of Louis XIV. were startled when they found that according to the royal doctrine there had been no legitimate government all that time in France. The first tumult of the restoration be ing over, and the troops of the allies withdrawn, things began to so shape themselves that there were many ele ments of discontent among all classes, one of the most powerful of which was in the army itself. The Empress Marie was at Blols at the time Napoleon signed his abdication, and Savary has described her grief as very great, but her own reverses -were sufficient ly severe to account for this without any strong feeling for Napoleon. By direction of Napoleon she applied for protection to the Emperor of Austria, and went to Ramboulllet to meet him, where be ex plained to her that she was to be separ ated from her husband "for a time." The Emperor Alexander visited her also, very much against her -will, and a few days afterward she departed for Vienna. Alex ander also visited Josephine and found her distress at Napoleon's abdication very great. She appears never to have recov ered from the shock, for she survived it only about six weeks. She died on May 29. 1814, at Malm&Ison, and was buried in the church of JtueL Napoleon's mother and sister Pauline, as "well as a number of ancient and attached servants of his civil government and of his army, visited him during the summer of 18H. Xot the least of these was Paul ine, who made repeated voyages to Italy and returned again as mysteriously. In the circles of Ferrajo new and busy faces now appeared and disappeared. No one knew whence they had come or whither they went, and an air of bustle and mys tery pervaded the atmosphere of the place. It was evident that something was pre paring, but the commissioners who watched over Napoleon were unable to fathom it. They repeatedly remarked on the absurdity of the allied powers In with holding his pension, which they had sol emnly pledged should be paid every quar ter, thereby tempting him to release him self, but their reports were left unnoticed by those in who hands they fell. This obliged the empero:to sell every luxury and comfort arounA him to raise the means of paying hiV current expenses. Then it was that he began to forecast the future and to contemplate a bold stroke, not only for liberty, but to regain his lost throne before he could be transported to St. Helena, which, he had been Informed privately, was being discussed at Vienna. Ere autumn closed Napoleon granted furloughs on various pretexts to about 200 of his guard, and these at once scattered themselves over France, singing his praises. It now began to be whispered that the exile would return to the soil of France in the spring of the coming year. Among the soldiery and elsewhere he was toasted under the sobriquet of "Corporal Violet," a flower or a ribbon of its color, being the symbol of rebellion and worn openly in the sight of the unsuspecting Bourbons. It was by this secret symbol that Napoleon's friends knew each other. Rings of a violet color with the device, "It will reappear in the spring," became fashionable; women wore violet-colored silks, and the men displayed watch strings of the same color, while the mutual ques tion when these friends met was gener ally, "Are you fond of the violet?" to which Ihe answer of a confederate was, "Ah! well." The representatives of all the European princes had met in Vienna to settle finally a. number of questions loft undecided at the termination of the war, including a division of the "spoils." Talleyrand was there for France, Wellington for England. Mettcrnlch for Austria. On the 11th of March these representatives, who were then discussing among other things "how to get rid of the man of Elba," were thrown Into a panic by the news that Napoleon Bonaparte had reared his stand ard once more in France and was march ing on Paris. Of the state of affairs in France Na poleon had been fully advised as well as of the sessions of the ministers at the congress of Vienna, who had suggested that, as the French government would not honestly pay his pension, he should be taken to some place of greater saf ley. and St. Helena was even mentioned at this time. This determined Napoleon to act. especially as he was fully convinced that.hc had a good -chance of being well received by 20.000,000 or 30.000,000 of peo ple who were being treated with contempt by Louis XVIII and his followers. Eleven hundred soldiers were collected. of whom 800 belonged to the guard and 300 to the Thirty-fifth light infantry that Napoleon had found in the island. None of these men had any idea of the pro jected enterprise. Colonnl Campbell, who was watching proceedings in Elba for the English, had left Ferrajo and gone to Leghorn. There remained then only the cruisers, that were easily deceived or avoided. In order to Tieep his prepara tions a profound secret. Napoleon, two days before embarking, laid an embargo on all the vessels in the harbors of Elba, and cut off all communication with the sea. He then ordered his ordnance officer, Vantlnl, to seize one of the large vessels lying In the port, and thus, with the In constant, of 26 cannon, and six other smaller craft, making In all seven vessels, he secured the means of embarking his 1100 men and four pieces of field artillery. He had decided to commence his romantic enterprise on the 26th of February, 1815. On this day he allowed his soldiers to remain at their usual employment until the middle of the day. They were sud denly summoned In the afternoon, and after being lightly fed were assembled with amis and baggage on the pier, where they were Informed that they were to go on board the vessels. The Inhabitants of the Island regretted the exile's departure, as they feared its prosperity would go with him. Napoleon's staff and about 300 men embarked on the Inconstant, the others being distributed in other vessels of the flotilla. The discharge of n single cannon at about 7 o'clock in the evening was the signal agreed upon for weighing anchor, and when the sails were unfurled and the little fleet st?ered its course, reiterated cries of "Paris or death!" were heard from tho exultant troops. The emperor had said to them: "Grenadiers, we are going to Frapi:c; we must march to Paris!" The emperor having left Elba on the 26th of February, arrived oft Cannes, near Frejus, on March 1 the very spot he had touched when he arrived from Egypt, and from which he had embarked 10 months before. He landed without opposi tion, and his handful of men, 503 grena diers of the guard, 200 dragoons and 100 Polish lancer?, these last without horses and carrying their suddles on their backs, were reviewed and immediately began their march on Paris. He bivouacked that night in a plantation of olives, with all his men about him. Early in ths morning they passed through the town of Qrasse. and halted on the height beyond it. There the whole population of the place surrounded them, some cheering and many others main taining perfect silence; but none offered any show of opposition. The peasants blessed his return; but, on viewing his little band, looked upon him with pity and entertained no hope of his ultimate suc cess. The roads were so bad that the pieces of connon which they had with them were abandoned i the course of the day. but they marched full 20 leagues ere they halted for the night at Seranon. On the 5th of March the emperor reached Gap. where he published his first procla mations one to the army and another to the French people. Between Mure and Vizele, Cambronne, who commanded Napoleon's advance guard of 40 grenadiers, met suddenly a battalion sent forward from Grenoble to arrest the march. The colonel refused to parley with Cambronne, and either party halted until the emperor came up. Na poleon did not hesitate a moment, but dismounted and advanced alone; some paces behind him came about a hundred of his guard with their arms reversed. There was silence on both sides until the re turned xile was within a few yards of the men. He then halted, threw open his eur tout, so as to show the star of the Le gion of Honor, and exclaimed: "If there be among you a soldier who desires to kill his generalhis emperor let him do it now. Here I am!" The old err of "Vive remoereur!" burst instantly from every lip. Napoleon threw himself among them, and, taking a vet- eran private, covered with scars and mec als. by his beard, said; "Speak honestly, old Moustache, could'st thou have the heart to kill thy emperor?" The old soldier dropped his ramrod into his piece to show that it was not loaded, and answered: "Judge if I could have done thee much harm all the rest are the same!' Napoleon now gave the word, and the old adherents and the new began the march together toward Grenoble. Ere they reached that town. Cciohel Labedoycre, an officer of noble family, and who had been promoted by Louis XVIII, appeared on the road before them at the head of his regiment, the seventh of the line. These men and the emperor's little column, on coming within view of each other, rushed simultaneously from their ranks and embraced with mutual shouts of "Live Na poleon! Live the guard! Live the Sev enth!" Labtdoyere now produced an eagle, which he had kept concealed about his person, and broke open a drum which was found to be filled with tri-colored cockades. As these ancient ensigns were exhibited by the first officer of superior rank, who voluntarily espoused the side of the returned exile, renewed enthusiasm was apparent on all sides. This act of Labedoyere was most de cisive, for in spite of all the efforts of General Marchand, commandant at Gren oble, the whole of that garrison, when he approached the walls, shouted, "Vive 1'Empereur!" Though welcoming Napo leon with their voices and shaking hands with his followers through the wicket be low, they would not so far disobey the governor as to throw open the gates. Neither could any argument prevail upon them to open Are on the advancing party, and in the very teeth of all their batteries Napoleon calmly planted a howitzer or two and blew the gates optn. Then, as if the spell of discipline was at once dis solved, the garrison broke from their lines, and, dragging the emperor from his horse, bore him aloft on their shoulders toward the principal inn of the place amid the clamors of enthusiastic and delirious joy. The inhabitants of Grenoble, being unable to bring Jiim the keys of the city. brought him with acclamations the shat tered gates instead, exclaiming: "For want of keys of the good city of Grenoble here are the gates for you!" Next morn ing reviewed his troops, now amounting to about 7000, and en the Sth recommenced his march. On the 10th of March Napoleon came within sight of Lyons, and was informed that Marshal Macdonald had arrived to take the command, had barricaded the bridge at Guillotlerre and posted himself at the head of a large force to dispute the entrance of the town. Nothing daunted with this intelligence, tho column moved on, and at the bridge of Lyons, as at the gates of Grenoble, all opposition vanished when the person of the emperor was rec ognized by the soldiery. Macdonald was forced to retire, and Napoleon entered the second city of France In triumph. Macdonald would have been taken pris oner by hi3 troops, had not some of them, mora honorable than the rest, insisted on his escape being unobstructed. He there upon returned to Paris, where he once more hoped to make a stand. A guard of mounted citizens who had been formed to attend on the person of Count d'Artois, the heir of the empire, and who had accompanied Macdonald, were the foremost to offer their services to the emperor after he reached the hotel, but he rejected their assistance and dis missed them with contempt. Finding that one of their number had followed the prince until his person was out of all dan ger. Napoleon immediately sent to that individual the cross of the Legion of Honor. Meanwhile, during the week that the em peror had continued his march Parisward without opposition, the newspapers of the capital were silent, and none ventured to -make i.ny allusion whatever 'to' Ills successes. There then appeared a royal decree declaring Napoleon Bonaparte "an outlaw." and convoking on the instant the two chambers. The partisans of Napoleon at Paris were far more active than the royalists. They gave out everywhere that, as the procla mation to the people from Gap had stated. Napoleon came back thoroughly cured of that ambition which had armed Europe against his throne; that he con sidered his act of abdication void, because the Bourbons had not accepted the crown on the terms which it was offered, and had used their authority in a spirit and for purposes at variance with the feelings and the interests of the French people; that he was come to be no longer the dic tator of a military despotism, but the first citizen of a nation which he had resolved to make the freest of the free; that the royal government wished to extinguish by degrees all memories of the revolution; that he was returning to consecrate once more the principles of liberty and equal ity, ever haterul to the eyes of the old nobility of France, and to secure the pro prietors of forfeited estates against all machinations of the dominant faction In a word, that he was fully sensible of the extent of his past errors, both of domes tic administration and of military ambi tion, and desirous of nothing but the op portunity of devoting to the true welfare of peaceful France those unrivaled tal ents and energies which he had been rash enough to abuse In former days. Napoleon remained at Lyons from the 10th to the 13th of March. Here he for mally resumed the functions of civil gov ernment, published various decrees, one of which commanded that justice be ad ministered everywhere in hjs name after the 35th; another abolishing the chambers of peers and the deputies, and summon ing all the electoral colleges to meet in Paris to witness the coronation of Marie Louise and her son, and settle definitely the constitution of the state; a third, or dering into banishment all those whose names had not been erased from the list of emigrants prior to the abdication of Fontalnebleau; a fourth, depriving all strangers and emigrants of their commis sions in the army; a fifth, abolishing the order of St. Louis, and bestowing all Its revenues on the Legion of Honor, and a sixth, restoring to their authority all mag istrates who had been displaced by the Bourbon government. These publications soon reached Paris, and caused much alarm among the ad herents of the king. Marshal Ney now received orders from the minister of war to take command of a large body of troops, whose fidelity was considered sure, and who were about to be sent to Lons-le-Saunier to intercept and arrest the returning exile before he could make further progress. Ney imme diately rode to Paris from his retired country seat, and there, for the first time, learned of the disembarkation of Napo leon from Elba. He Is even said to have declared that he would bring his former chief "to Paris In a cage, like a wild beast, in the course of a week. On reaching Lons-le-Saunler, he received a letter from Napoleon, reminding him of their former campaigns, and summoning him to join his standard as the "bravest of the brave." Ney had a secret Interview with a courier who brought this letter, with one from Bertrand. Generals Lecourbe and Bourmont, by whom the marshal was attended, advised him not to oppose a torrent which was too powerful for any resistance he could bring against it. "While in this state of doubt and Inde cision, sorely perplexed as to his exact duty, he received the intelligence that his vanguard, posted at Bourg. had gone over to Napoleon, and that the inhabit ants of Chalons-sur-Saone had seized the park of artillery. All this confirming what Ney had just been told by the courier, he exclaimed: "It is impossible for me to stop the incoming water of the ocean with the palm of my hand!" Accordingly, on tho following morning, he published an order of the day. declaring that "the cause of the Bourbons was lost forever, and that the legitimate dynasty which the French nation had adopted was about 1 to rascend the throne." This order was read to the troops, and was received by them with rapture; some of the officers, however, remonstrated and left their com mand. One, before he went away,' broke hi3 sword in two and threw the pieces at Neys feet, saying. "It is easier for a man of honor to break iron than to In fringe his word." Ney put his soldiery in motion forth with and joined the march, of the em peror on the 17th of March at Auxerre, being received by Napoleon with open arms. Ney avowed later that he had chosen the part of Napoleon long ere he pledged his oath to Louis, adding that the greater number of the marshals were like himself, originally members of the Elban conspiracy to again place him on the throne. In and about the capital there still re mained troops sufficient In numbers to overwhelm the advancing column, and Louis entrusted the command of these battalions to Marshal McDonald, who proceeded to establish himself at Melun with the king's army in the hope of being supported by bis soldiers in the dis charge of his commission. On the 19th Napoleon slept once more in the chateau of Fontalnebleau, and on the morning of the 20th he advanced through the forest alone .and with the full knowledge of Macdonald's arrangements. About noon the marshal's troops, who had been for some time under arms, on an eminence beyond the wood, perceived suddenly a single open carriage coming at full speed toward them from among the trees. A harfdful of Polish horsemen. with their lances strrersed, followed the? equipage. The llttle'flat cocked hat, the gray surtout,-then the person of Napoleon was recognized. In an instant the men burst from their ranks, surrounded him with the cries of "Vive rEmpereur!" and trampled their white cockades in the dust. Macdonald escaped to Paris, but Louis had not awaited his last stand. He bad set off from the Tuilerles in the middle of the preceding night, amid the tears and lamentations of several courtiers, taking the road to Lisle. Macdonald soon over took him and accompanied him to the frontier of the Netherlands, which he reached in safety. Napoleon once more entered Paris on the evening of the "20th of March. He came preceded and followed by the sol diery on horseback, and on whom alone he had relied. At the Tuilerles he was received with every possible demonstra tion of joy. and was almost stifled by the pressure of those enthusiastic adherents, who, the moment he stopped in the court yard of the palace, mounted him on their shoulders and carried him In trjumph up the great staircase of the palace. The emperor, during this dramatic proceeding, continued to exclaim, "Be steady, my gopd children; be steady, I entreat you." A piece of his coat being either1 purposely or by accident torn off,-was instantly di vided into hundreds of scraps, Xor the pro curement of each remnant .of which, by way of relic, there was as "much strug gling as if the effort had been made to be come possessed of so many irigbts of gold. He found In the apartments which the king had so lately vacated a brilliant as semblage or those who had In former times filled the most prominent places in his own councils and cqurt. "Gentlemen." said Napoleon, as he walk ed around the circle, "jt Is disinterested people who have brought me back to my capital. It Is the subalterns; and the sol diers who have done it "all. ' I owe! every thing to the people and the army," All night long the cannon Qf Marengo and Austerlitz pealed forth their joyous sounds, the city was brilliantly illumin ated, and all except the Bourbons were, rejoicing at the return of the exile. Na poleon had now Rrovted that he was not only emperor of the army, but of the cit izens, the people, the peasantry and the masses. With a handful of men he had marched from one end of the kingdom to. the other, entered the capital and taken possession of the throne, and that with out shedding even one" drop of blood. He assigned among other -reasons" for leaving Elba, that in addition to the violation of the treaty of Fontalnebleau in failing to pay his pension, that his wife and child had been seized, detained, and never per mitted to join him; that the pensions to his mother and brothers were alike re fused, and that assassins had been sent over to Elba for the express purpose of murdering htm. This last charge has also been made by Savary with much posi tiveness. "Last year," said Napoleon, "it was said that I recalled the Bourbons; this year they recall me; so we are even!" The emperor had between the 1st and the 20th of March fulfilled that strange prophecy In which he said victory would march with a charging step, and that the Imperial eagle would fly, without pause, from steeple to steeple even to the towers of Notre Dame even to the dome of the palace of the Tuileries. (To be continued.) "IF HE SHOULD DIE?" "If he should die?" should die! I had not thought of that. Why there would be Xo baby In the world. To-cry, Tou say, ana trouble me? Xo baby In the world that's all I &ay One. baby qui of it. Bqt hush, I pray. Blue flowers ond white and red, - Would bloom? I know, but would I care? They would bo sweet? Above the dead Some birds would fly, somewhere? Only la lonesome leaves that, green or brown. Would shadow one baby's ETave and waver down. Mrs. Sarah Piatt In Windsor Hasazme. A butterfly, supposed to be thousands of years old, was found dormant under a rock' in Cali fornia, aad removed to the Smithsonian Institu tion. When discovered, lis Vines irere grow ing hrlveled aad there wetu wrinkles la its an- ilfiil ISR JSsBiw illl III lli MwMfm wA vwN HSIS ill "&sYr.i ri V 1W1WHW! rJW Ph fiul fill itffrtm iMMimunniTAiMn ' r vfrrasfv tS' ' vura7 m v4 i i SiSsi'W. vvvJ "TRILBY." LIFE OF DU IADR1ER. HOW HE CAME TO "WRITE XOVCLS LATE IX LIFE. He Was Educated for a Clieiulst, Be came au Artist by Personal Choice and Xovellst by Persuasion. (Copyright, 1S95, by S. S. McClure, Limited) Du Maurier's house is" i'n a quiet little street that leads from the open heath down to the township of Hampstead, a street of few houses and of high walls, with trees everywhere and an air of se clusion and quiet over all. As one enters the house one notices on the wall to the left, just after the threshold is crossed, the original of one of Du Maurier's draw ings in Punch, a drawing concerning two "millionairesses" wltli the text written beneath the nicture in careful, almost lithographic penmahship. "That was where I received my training in literature," said Du Maurier. "So An stey pointed out to me the other day when I told him how surprised I was at the success of my books, considering that I 1 had never written before. 'Never writ ten!' he cried out. Why. my dear Du Maurier, you have been writing all your life, and the best of writing practice at that. Those little dialogues of yours which week after week you have fitted to your drawings in Punch have prepared, you admirably. It was precise writing, and gave you conciseness and repartee and appositiveness, and the best quali ties of the writer of Action.' " "And," added Du Maurier, "I believe Anstey was qulto right, now that I come to think of It." It was in his study that Du Maurier re ceived me, a large room on the first floor with a square bay window overlooking the quiet .street on the right and a large window almost reaching to tho ceiling, and looking In the direction of the heath, facing the door. It Is under this window, the light from which was toned down by brown curtains, that Du Maurier's table stands, comfortably equipped and tidy. On a large blotting pad lay a thin copy book- open, and one could see that the right page was covered with large round hand writing, whilst on the left page there were. In smaller, more precise pen manship, corrections, emendations, ad denda. In a frame stood a large photo graph of Du Maurier, and on the other side of the inkstand wa3 a pile of thin copy books, blue and red. "A fortnight's work on my new novel' said Du Maurier. A luxurious room it was, with thick carpets and inviting armchairs, the walls covered with stamped leather and hung with many of the masters' drawings In quiet frames. In one corner a water color portrait by du Maurier of Canon Ainger, and from the same brush the picture of a lady with a violin on the wall to the left of the decorative fireplace, from over which, in the place of honor, another, smaller model of the armless Venus looks down. To the right is a grand piano, and elsewhere other furni ture of noticeable style, and curtains, screens and ornaments. A beautiful room. In fact, and within it 13 none of the litter of the man of lettera or of the painter. It was here that I first saw du Maurier, a quiet man of no great stature, who, at the flrst sight of him, impresses one as a man who has suffered greatly, haunted by some evil dream or disturbing appre hension. Hls'welcome Is gentle and kind ly, but he does not smile, even when he is saying a clever and smlle-provokln r thing. "My full name is George Louis Pamela Busson du Maurier, but we were of very small nobility. My name Pamela was given to me in souvenir of the great friendship between my father's sister and the Duchess de Pamela, who was the wife of the Portuguese ambassador to France. Our real family name Is Busson, the 'du Maurier' comes from the chateau Le Maurier, built sometime in the 13th century, and still standing in Anjou or Maine, but a brewery today. It belongs to our cousins the Auberys, and in the 17th century It was the Auberys who wore the title du Maurier, and an Aubery du Mau rier who distinguished himself in that century was Louis of that name, who wa3 French ambassador to Holland, and was weli liked of the great king. The Au berys and the Bussons married and Inter married, and I cannot quite say, without referring to family papers at present at my bank when the Bussons assumed the territorial name of du Maurier, but my grandfather's name was Robert Mathurin Busson du Maurier, and his name is al ways followed In the papers which refer to him by the title "Gentilhomme Ver rler." gentleman glassblower. For, under the revolution, glassblowlng was a mo nopoly of the "gentllhommes," that Is to say that no commoner might engage In this industry, at that time considered an art. It may be added that the Busson gene alogy dates from the 12th century, and again that du Maurier cares nothing about descent or noblesse. "One Is never quite sure.I' he says with the shadow of a smile, "about one's descent. So maqy ac cidents occur. I made use of many of the names which occur In the papers concern ing my family history in 'Peter Ibbet son.' "My father was a small rentier, whose income was derived from from, our glass works In Anjou. He was born In Eng land, for his father had fled to England to escape me gumoune waeu wie revolu tion broke out, and they returned to 1 France in IS16, My crandmother was a bourgeoisc Her name was Bruaire. and she descended from Jean Bart, the ad mlraL My grandfather was not a rich man. Indeed, whilst he was in England, he had mainly to depend on the llberaiity of tho British government, which allowed him a pension of 20 a year for each mem ber of his family. He died in the post of schoolmaster at Tours. "My mother was an Englishwoman, and was married to my falher at the British embassy In Paris, and I was born in Paris on March 6, 1SW, in a little house in the Champs Elyseees. I only lived in the house of my birth for two years, for in 1S36 my parents removed to Bel glum. "We stayed three years in Belgium, and when was 5 years old I w'ent with my pa rents to London, where my father took a house, the house which a year lator was taken by Charles Dickens, 1 Devonshire terrace, Marylebone road. "We only stayed a year in Devonshire terrace, for my father grew very poor. He was a man of scientific tastes, and lost his money in inventions which never came to anything. So we bad to wander forth again, and this time went to Boulogne, and there we lived In a beautiful house at the top of the Grande Rue. I had sunny hours there, and was very happy. It is a part of my life which I shall describe In one of my books. "Much of my childhood Is related in 'Peter Ibbetson. My favorite book was the 'Swiss .Family Robinson.' and next 'Robinson Crusoe. I used to devour these books. "From Boulogne we went to Paris. I went to school at the age of 13, to the Pension Froussard in the Avenue du Bold de Boulogne. I am ashamed to say that I did not distinguish myself at school. I shall write my school life in my new novel, 'The Martian.' At the age of 17 I went up to my 'bachot,' my baccalau reat degre?, at the Sorbonne, and was plucked for tny written Latin version. It is true 'that my nose began tb bleed during the examination and' that upset me and, besides, the professor who was In charge of the room had got an" idea in to his head that I had smuggled a- 'crib' In, apd kept watching, me "so carefully that I got nervous and flurred. My poor mother was very: vexed with me for my failure, for we". were' Very poor at that time and it was important that I should do well. My father was then m Engiand and shortly after my discomfiture he wrote for me to join him there. e had not informed him of my failure, and I felt very miserable as I crossed because I thought that he would be very angry with me. He met me at the landing at London Bridge and at the sight of my utterly woe-begone face, guessed the truth and burst out into a roar of laugh ter. I think that this roar of laughter gave me the greatest pleasure I ever ex perienced in all my life. "My father, then, never-reproached me for my failure in the bachot examination; indeed never once alluded to it. Hp had made up his mind that I was intended for a scienntist and determined to make me one. So he put mc as a pupil at the Birk beck chemical laboratory of University college, where I studied chemistry under Dr. Williamson. I am afraid that I was a most unsatisfactory pupil, for I took no interest at all in the work and spent al most all my time In drawing caricatures. I drew all my life, I may say, it was my favorite occupation and pastime. Dr. "Williamson thought me a very unsatis factory student at chemistry, but he w.ts greatly amused with my caricatures and we got on very well together. "My ambition at that time was to go in for music and singing, but my father ob jected very strongly to this wish of mine, and invariably discouraged it. My father, I must tell you, possessed himself the sweetset, most beautiful voice that I have ever heard, and if he had taken up sing ing as a profession would most certainly have been the greatest singer of his time, indeed. In his youth he had studied musl( for some time at the Paris conservatoire, buf his family objected to his following the profession, for they were legitimists and strong Catholics, and you know in what contempt the stage was held at the beginning of the century. It Is a pity, for there were millions In his throat. We were all musical in our family, my father. my sister, the sister who married Clement Scott, a most gifted pianlste, and then myself I was at that time crazy about music and used to practice my voice wherever and whenever I could, even on the tops of omnibuses. But my father always discouraged me. I won him over by showing him a drawing which I had produced in Williamson's class room, in which I was represented bowing grace fully In acknowledgement of the applause of an audience whom I had electrified with my musical talents. Music has al ways been a great delight to me, and tmtil recently I could sing well. But I have spoiled my voice by cigarette smoking. My poor father, I may add, as I am speaking of his musical powers, died in my arms as he was singing one of Count de Segur's drinking songs. He left this world with music on his lips. "My poor father died in 1S56, and at the age of 22 I returned to Paris and went to live with my mother in the Rue Paradis- Poisonnlere. We were very poor, and very dull and dismal It was. However, It was not long before I entered upon what was the best time of my life. That is, when having decided to follow art as a profes sion. I entered Gleyre's studio to study drawing and painting. Those were my joyous Quartier Latin days, spent in the charming society of Poynter, Whistler, Armstrong, Lamont and others. I have described Gleyre's studio In Trilby. For Gleyre I had a great admiration and at that time thought his 'Illusions Perdue' a veritable masterpiece, though I hardly think so now. My happy Quartier Latin life only lasted one year, for In IS37 we went to Antwerp, and here I worked at the Antwerp academy under De Keyser and Van Lerius. And it was on a day In Van Lerius's studio that the great trag edy of my life occurred." The voice of du Maurier, who till then had been chatting with animation, sud denly fell and over the face came an in definable expression of mingled terror and anger and sorrow. "I was drawing from a model, when suddenly the girl's head seemed to me to dwindle to the size of a walnut. I clapped my hand over my left eye. Had I been mistaken? I could see as well as ever. But when in its turn I covered my right eye, I learned what had happened. My left eye had failed roe, it might be al together lost. It was so sudden a blow that I was as thunderstruck. Seeing my dismay. Van Lerius came up and asked me what might be the matter, and when I told him he said that it was nothing, that he had had that himself and so on. I And tho doctor whom I anxiously con- sulted that same day, comforted me and said that the accident was a passing one. Howevar, my eye grew worse and worse and the fear of total blindness beset me constantly." "That was the most tragic event of my life. It has poisoned all my existence." Du Maurier, as though to shake off & troubling obsession, rose- from his chair and walked about he room, cigarette in hand. "In the spring of 1S59 we heard of a great specialist, who lived in Dusseldorf. and we went to see him. He examined, my eyes, and said that though the left eye was certainly lost. I had no reason to feao losing the other, but that I must be very careful and not drink beer and not eat cheese and so on. It was comforting to know that I was not to be blind, but I have never quite shaken oft the terror of that apprehension. "In the following year I felt that the time had come for me to earn my own living, and so one day I asked my mother to give me 10 to enable me to go to Lon don, and. told har that I should never ask her for any more money. She did not want to let me go, and as to never asking" for money, she begged me not to make any such resolution. Poor vvoniap, she would have given me her last penny. Bun it happened that I never had occasion to ask her assistance, on the contrary, the time came when I was able to add to tho comforts of her existence. "My first lodging in London was in Newmanstreet, where I shared rooms with Whistler. I afterwards moved to rooms In Earl's terrace, In the house whore Walter Pater died. I began contributing to Once a Week and to Punch very soon after my arrival in London, and shock ingly bad my drawings was at the time. My first drawing in Punch appeared In June, I860, and represented Whistler and myself going into a photographer's studio. where one smokes and is disorderly. "My life was a very prosperous one from the very outset of my debut in Lon don. I was married in 1S63, and my wife and I never knew financial troubles. My only trouble has been my fear about my &SrVjf .T fflSfofe .P Wm Sf amtivuri tv w?v- GEORGE DU JTAUR1ES. eyes. Apart from that I have been .very happy." "Most of the jokes in Punch arc of my own, but a good many ar sent to me, which I twist and turn Into form. But Postlethwalte, Bunthorne, Mrs. Ponsonby Tomkyns, Sir Gorgeous Midas and the other characters associated with, my drawings are all my own creations. "I have made many Interesting friends during my life in London, and the lectures which I have delivered all over England contains many anecdotes about them. I never met, Charles Dickens to speak to him and only saw him once; that was at Leech's funeral. Thackeray I also only met once," at the house of Mrs. Sartorls. Mrs. Sartorls, who was Adelaide Xembal and Hamilton Aide, who knew of my immense admiration for Thackeray, wanted to introduce me to him, but I re fused. I was so little and he was so great. But all that evening I remained as close to him as possible, greedily list ening to his words. "Leech was, of course, one of my inti mates, my master, I may say, for to soma extent my work was modeled on his. I spent the autumn of the year which pre ceded his death with, him at Whitby. Ho was not very funny, but was kind, ami able and genial, a delightful man." Then, going on to speak of hi3 literary work, du Maurier said: "Nobody more than myself was surprised at the great success of my novels. I never expected anything of the sort. I did not know that I could write. I had no idea that I had any experiences worth recording. The cir cumstances under which I came to write are curious. I was walking one evening with Henry James up and down the HIght street in Bayswater I had made James acquaintance much in the same w:ay as I have made yours James said that he had great difficulty in findingr plots for his stories. MJlots,' I exclaimed. 'I am full of plots,' and I went on to tell him the plot of 'Trilby.' 'But you ought to write that story, cried James. 'I can't write,' I said. 'I have never written. If you 'like the plot so much you may toko It.' But James would not take it; he said it was too valuable a present, and that I must write the story myself. "Well, on reaching home that night I set to work, and by the next morning I had written the two first numbers of 'Peter Ibbetson.' It seemed to flow from my pen. without effort. In a full stream. But I thought it must be poor stuff, and I determined to look for an omen to learn whether any success would attend this new departure. So I walked out Into the garden and the very first thing that I saw was a large wheelbarrow and that comforted me and reassured me for, a3 you will remember, there is a wheelbar row in the first chapter of 'Peter Ibbet son." "Some time later I was dining with Os good and "he said: 'I hear, du Maurier, that you are writing stories,' and asked me to let him see something. So 'Peter Ibbetson' was sent over to America and was accepted at once. Then .Trilby "fol lowed and the 'boom' came, a boom which surprised me immensely, for I never book myself au sericux as a novelist. Indeed, this 'boom rather distresses me when I reflect that Thackeray never had a 'boom.' And I hold that a 'boom means nothing as a sign of the literary excel lence, nothing but money. Du Maurier. speaks willingly and en thusiastically about literature. He is an ardont admirer of Stevenson, and quoted with gusto the passage in "Kidnaped," where the scene between David Balfour and Cluny is described. "One would have to look at one's guests," he said, "before inviting them, if not precisely satisfied with one's hospitality, to step outside, ana take their measure. Imagine mc propos ing such an arrangement to a giant like Val Prlnsep." The next day on which he is able to de vote most time to writing is Thursday. "C'est mon grand jour." On Wednesdays he is engaged with a model; a female comes every Friday. It is characteristic of the man that he snould work with suoh renewed appli cation at his old craft. In spite of the fact that circumstances have- thrown wide open to him the gates of a new career. He reminds one as to physique and In certain manifestations of a very nervous temperament of another giant worker, whose name Is Emlle Zola. But he is al together original and himself, a strong and strlklrig individuality, a man alto gether worthy of respect, a man alto gether deserving of his past and present good fortune. ROBERT H. SHERARD. A physician reports a case of rutpure of mus cular Sbers in the thigh of a powerful athletia man while playing golf. AU sports 'ara danger ous. as4 some are brutal i 3 ans