RE July, established himself at the maritime prefecture up to the 8th. Pressed by General Becker, who had been charged with escorting him till his embarkation, and by M. le Baron de Bonnefoux, the maritime prefect, to avail himself of every occasion offered by the wind and tide, he at length decided on embarking in the canoes which attended on him each tide, and repaired, at ten o'clock in the evening, on board the Saal, and ordered his suite to be distributed on board this frigate and the Meduse. transfer of Buonaparte on board this vessel. The same day a frigate of the station made preparations for sailing for England. "On the 16th, the Bellerophon sailed at half-past one, in the afternoon. The nature and the direction of the wind which has since prevailed, does not permit us to suppose that she can arrive off the coast of England before the night between the 19th and 20th. "On the 17th, the maritime prefect of Rochefort addressed to the troops and marines under his orders a "On the morning of the 9th, he disembarked on the proclamation, announcing the return of his majesty to Isle of Aix, and visited its fortifications. "On the 10th, the winds were favourable for getting out; but the English cruiser and the moon-light left the frigates but little hope of escaping. “From the 10th to the 11th, Buonaparte sent Generals Savary and Las Cases on board the English vessel Bellerophon with a flag of truce. They returned on the 11th. "Between the 11th and the 12th, Napoleon learned from his brother Joseph the dissolution of the chambers, and the entry of the king into Paris. Up to this moment Buonaparte had often announced an opinion that the chambers would recall him; whether he thus wished to impose on the authorities who surrounded him, or really entertained the hope. "On the 12th, he descended on the Island of Aix, with his suite and his baggage; and, on the night between the 12th and 13th, two half-decked long-boats arrived there from La Rochelle. It appears that Napoleon had caused them to be purchased, in the intention of embarking in them, and endeavouring to gain, by favour of the night, a Danish smack, with which, it is supposed, he had been in treaty, and which was to look for him at thirty or forty leagues out at sea. It is not known why he did not avail himself of these dispositions: they undoubtedly appeared too hazardous to him. "In the night, between the 13th and 14th, he repaired on board the French brig l'Epervier; and, on the evening of the 14th, General Becker, who had been sent on a truce to the English station, having returned, Napoleon ordered his suite and his baggage to be embarked on board the l'Epervier. "On the morning of the 15th, this vessel was perceived setting sail, with a flag of truce, towards the admiral's ship; the state of the sea not permitting him to approach rapidly, the English transports came to meet him, and transported the passengers on board the Bellerophon. In this circumstance, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Jourdan, commanding the l'Epervier, conceived it his duty to demand, and obtained, from the captain of the Bellerophon, a written attestation of the Paris with the acclamations of the inhabitants, and prescribed the white cockade to be worn, &c. "Your excellency will find subjoined a copy of a letter, addressed by Napoleon to the Prince Regent of England, which must have reached his royal highness by means of the English station. "I entreat, &c. very zenith of her prosperity, she became ungrateful to | to make France the mistress of the world, and to con her benefactor, and doomed him to perpetual banishment. Having sought in vain a safe retreat among the Grecian republics, and in the harbours of Thrace, he threw himself on the generosity of a monarch whose fleets he had defeated, and whose father he had destroyed. tribute to her internal embellishment, while he established her external power. In the accomplishment of these objects both were equally careless of the justice or honesty of the means. The total disregard of Buonaparte for all the precepts of morality needs no proof. Themistocles, fearing that the advance of the Persian monarch might prove irresistible, sent an agent to his camp, secretly to intimate that Themistocles was anxious for his safety, and advised him to retreat ere it was too late. The Persian halted in his career, his project was blasted, and Greece was saved. When he was unable otherwise to mould the people to his will, he impiously tampered with the ministers of religion, and dictated the oracles and auguries that he wished; and, to close his list of crimes, he secretly counselled the Athenians to burn the fleet of their allies, then peaceably anchored in the Piraeus, and thus render Athens mistress of the seas. Buonaparte had once made France the mistress of Europe; but, while she maintained her high estate, her gratitude knew no bounds. She unreluctantly surrendered to him her liberties, her treasure, and the blood of her children. It was when he had become the destroyer of his country, when he had laid her prostrate before the bayonets of foreigners, that she was compelled to chase him from her soil as the bane of her prosperity and her peace. Themistocles sought refuge with a monarch whom he had humbled, and over whom he had uniformly triumphed; Buonaparte fled to a people by whom he had been repeatedly vanquished, whose glory he had contributed to exalt, and whe had lately borne "In other respects, the coincidence is curious. Both the principal share in hurling him from the throne of were born of obscure parents; both shunned the sopower. Themistocles shewed much courage in surren-ciety of their youthful companions, and both have been dering himself to an arbitrary monarch, whose pride he had so severely humbled, and whose revenge he had cause to dread; Buonaparte, vanquished and powerless, had no outrage to fear from those whose glory was so intimately connected with their opposition to him, and whose proudest characteristic it was to spare a fallen foe. "There was, however, a similarity between Themistocles and Buonaparte, of which the latter probably was not aware himself, and which is not a little curious. Themistocles has been described by Plutarch as ambitious of glory and enterprise. No one will deny that ambition and the love of enterprise have been the leading traits in the character of Buonaparte. It is said of Themistocles, that, in the midst of adversity, he possessed resources which could enable him to regain his splendour, and even to command fortune. In the rapidity with which Buonaparte recovered from the losses of the Russian campaign,-in the struggle which he maintained with all the powers of Europe, even in the very heart of France, at the close of which, had it not been for his infamous duplicity, he would have been recognised Emperor of France, and would have ruled over an extent of territory of which even Louis XIV. could not boast, and, in the rapidity with which he overthrew the Bourbons, and resumed the sceptre that had been wrested from his gripe, we behold the full display of resources which could even command fortune.' The ambition of Themistocles was directed to the aggrandisement of his country; and surely it cannot be denied that the grand wish of Buonaparte was sacrificed to the suspicions and apprehensions of the enemies of their country." It is worthy of remark, that the letter addressed to the Prince Regent was signed Napoleon; which affords one convincing proof that the Corsican still considered himself a potentate, notwithstanding his professed desire of residing in England, as a private individual. Indeed this was sufficiently obvious, from the profound respect with which he was still treated by his retinue; none of whom ventured to approach him, but at his invitation, or attempted to speak to him without being uncovered. When the Bellerophon weighed and set sail for England, Buonaparte remained on deck, taking particular notice of the manner of making sail and tacking ship. He observed that the latter manœuvre was differently performed in French ships. He spoke much concerning the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar, frequently mentioning the name of Lord Nelson with approbation. He also asked several questions of the officers, relative to the different braces, haulyards, topsails, &c. As soon as the arrival of the Bellerophon at Torbay was announced, it became the centre of attraction; and every one manifested an anxiety to behold the inost extraordinary character of modern times. In consequence, numerous parties set out in boats, in order to obtain a view of him, and, though they were not permitted to come alongside, it was calculated not less than one thousand put off daily. During the time necessarily occupied by official discussion, as to the disposal of the too-celebrated stranger Buonaparte continued on board the Bellerophon, around which a proper guard was prudently established. The number and eagerness of spectators remained unabated, during the whole of this period; and as every one saw with his own eyes, and formed his own conclusions, the accounts thus furnished are interesting, though sometimes various. From these the following, selected from the public newspapers, may not be unacceptable. "Upon the arrival of the Bellerophon at Plymouth, Captain Maitland made a signal for general orders, the telegraphic answer to which was, to prohibit all communication with the shore, and to stand out three leagues to sea, and await the orders of the Admiralty. Colonels Fraser and Ponsonby, the son of Sir Archibald Macdonald, and several other officers, came passengers on board the Bellerophon. "Persons from London, and from other parts, are flocking down to Plymouth, though they know that Buonaparte is not expected to land, and that they cannot go on board the Bellerophon; but they can row in boats round the vessel, and can occasionally catch a glimpse of him. He is the greater part of the day in the stern-gallery, either walking backwards and forwards, with his hands behind him, as he is represented in some of the pictures in the print-shops, or surveying the shipping and the shore through a glass. In general he keeps alone, Bertrand and L'Allemand remaining at some distance behind him. Occasionally he beckons to one of them to point out something to him, or to make some observation; he then walks on alone. Captain Maitland is more frequently with him than any of his suite, and he pays him great attention. He is in good health. He passes but a short time at his meals, and drinks but little wine. He is said to drink regularly to the health of the Prince Regent. Coffee is frequently served up to him on the deck; and when he first came near the land, about Torbay, he is reported to have exclaimed, Enfin, voila ce beau pays!' (At length, here is this fine country!) adding, that he had never seen it, except from Calais and Boulogne, when the only points that could be seen, were the white and bold rocks about Dover. He is plainly dressed, in general in a great coat, without any decorations, and a cocked hat." Another account says" By some passengers who came in the Bellerophon, it appears, that Buonaparte was quite at his ease on board that ship; took possession of the captain's cabin, sans ceremonie; invited the officers to his table, talked with great freedom on the present state of things; said, it was impossible for the Bourbons to govern France, and that Napoleon 11. would very soon be re-called to the throne; that Fouche was an ass, and totally unfit for the office assigned to him. He acknowledged that England alone had ruined all his grand plans, and that but for her, he had now been emperor of the East, as well as of the West. He walked on the poop and quarter-deck, conversed with the seamen, and affected great gaiety and unconcern." In the different conversations he had on board, he declared that he would sooner have perished than have surrendered to Russia, Austria, or Prussia. The sovereigns of these countries were despotic, and might have violated with impunity all justice and good faith by his imprisonment or death; but, by delivering himself up to the British, he threw himself on the generosity of a nation. He professed his intention of adopting the English customs and manners, and expressed his solemn resolution never again to interfere with politics. He affirmed that, had not this been long his determination, he should not have been on board the Bellerophon; that he was earnestly entreated by the army, which had retired behind the Loire, to join them, and resume his title; and with their aid, and the indignation which the conduct of the allies had excited in France, he could have been able to have maintained a harassing war during many years: but, added he, “I have resolved that no more blood shall be shed on my account." On being asked why he did not surrender himself to Austria, where he might have claimed the protection of his father-in-law, he replied, "In that case I should have given myself up to a nation without laws, honour, or faith; and the moment I had got there, I should have been shut up in a dungeon, and never heard of more. In surrendering to the English, I have given myself up to a nation with just and honourable laws, which afford protection to all persons." Speaking of the affair of Waterloo, he said he did not expect that the Duke of Wellington would have given him battle, but that he would have retreated, and waited the arrival of the Prussians; "in which case," said he, "I must certainly have been defeated. I was therefore highly gratified when, on the morning of the 18th, I saw the British retain their position on the opposite heights, and I açknowledge that I felt myself certain of obtaining the victory. Never was battle so severely contested as that of Waterloo. I knew and felt, and my troops joined in the sentiment, that the fate of the campaign depended on the issue of that day. My troops did their duty'; they never fought better; and to the present moment I reflect with astonishment on the firmness with which their charges were received and repulsed by the British. On being asked why he continued the engagement after he knew of the arrival of the Prussians, or whether he believed that they were really advancing upon him |