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JVb. 1094. H A f .KlflH. t N. CM , . r -,- -- MHtKOrVrBKI.T, BT A. tUBAS. Term d tubtcription . Three dollars per year, one hal tter than three months after a year's subscription be. j.. . . . n.t;a thoiwnf ahull liairA been riven. comes oui-, r'". ' ,; :; . . , 'Mva-tiumtnit not exceeding 14 lines, are inserted thrice for one dollar; for twenty-five cents cash sub - geqaent insertion : and in like proportion where there is greater number of lines than fourteen. The cash must accompany those from persons unknown to the editor. , . . , . , (r $io subscription can in any case be received without ,'! payment of at least gl 50 inadvance; andnodis- continuance without payment of arrears, unless at the optbn of the editaiV - - ' Misccllanedus. o , Continued from our last.) K UiRATlVE UBSPiiC TING BOtfAPAKTE. Napuleoa continued to speak of the Bourbon family. 4i Had 1," he said, been anxious to rjt ayjaj,! jljvVUJ.uruoas into aiy possession, could f)ave: iico'iri i?jhl thcr A cnr smu rlers offered me a Bourbon far a staledsura, LI think hie named 40,000 francs) but, on com ing to a more precise explanation, they enter tained a doubt of fulfilling the engagement as it was originally . proposed. .-They would not undertake to possess themselves of any of the Bourbon family absolutely alive j though with, the alternative, alive or dead, they had no doubt of completing it. j tBut it was not my wish mere ly to deprive them of life. Besides, circum stances bad taken a tnrh which then fixed me without fear of change or chance on the throne I possessed I felt my security, and left ' the Bourbons undisturbed. Wanton, useless mur der, whatever has been said and thought of me Vn England, has never ben my practice ; to what end or purpose could I have indulged the horrid propensity. When sir George Rumhold and Mr. Drake, who had b?en carrying on a correspondence with conspirators in runs, were Seized they were not murdered." In looking 'ovtfr these letters for the press, I feel a doubt whether this observation respectiag Sir George Rinnbnld was made, at tliis iiino, or at some o tber; or whether it prou-cded from Bonaparte or Count de Las Cassai;, " -Tiut 1 am positive it was made by one or the; other. Here he ceased to speak ; and 1 was deter mined to gratify my curiosity as far as his pre suit communicative spirit would allow. 1 was determinedUto conUoue e conversation. Iac cordingly'oeserved Uha( of all the undertak ings which composed his wonderful earV .. rlfco circumstance had exclrd. such astonishment in England as his expedition to Russia, before he bad brought the Peniusula war to a termination, whieh, at that time, appeared to be an attain-j - tfcio ;tjet.?' L pattd.:expiStiag areplou the subject ; however, he gave none -but, as if he had not heard my observation, proceed cd to a reuewaf, in .some degree, of the furmer topics. - . - Your country' he said, " has accused me of having murdered the sick and wounded of my .-arm at jaffa. Ik assured, that if 1 had com mitted such a horrid act, my very soldiers themselves would have execrated me, & 1 might have looked to their ceasing toobeyme. There is no occurrence of life to, which I gave more publicity than this. You have an officer, a sir Bouert Wilson who has written very copious Jj ou the subject of my campaign in Egypt." As he repeated the last sentence, h assum ed an air and tone of sarcastic jocularity, and then asked me if- I had road sir Robert's pub lication. 1 replied in the affirmative. " it is possible," he said, " that he wrote from the tes timony of pother people, equally prone to error as himself ; he cannot pretend lo have done it from his own observation. Can you tell me," contined Napoleon, "whether sir Sidney Smith, jn any official communications to your govern ment, attempted, in any way to corroberate the testimony of sir R. Wilson ?" I could not, at the moment, sufficiently recollect the purport of his despatches to determine the poiut, but 1 feplied as I felt, " that he had not." This re ply, however, indecisive as it was, appeared to afford hi in considerable satisfaction,, as he in stantly repeated, " 1 believe so for sir Sidney Smith is a brave and just man." 1 here observ ed, that " there are many in England who ima gine j our jealousy and hatred of sir Sidney ji Smith influenced your conduct- towards that of--t- -fieer.1 He"imiled with astonishment at such an idea the thought of coupling the two names jii'caitu never to nave eulered hi imazina- different account." Most asuredly, genera) Sir Robert Wilson states 67 or 77; and speak ing more collectivelyyour whole" siek and wounded,'? He then proceeded " The Turks were numerous and powerful, and their cruel ty proverbial throughout the army. Their prac tice of mutilating and barbarously treating their christian .prisoners in particular) was well known among my troops, and had a preserva tive influence on my mind and conduct, and 1 do affirm, that there were only 7 sufferers whom circumstances compelled me to leave as short lived Hufferers 1 at Jaffa. They . were in that tage of disease which rendered their removal utterly impracticable, exclusive of the dissemi nation of the disease among the healthy troops. Situated as I was, 1 could not place them under tion, his anxiety appeared to be extreme, that l he, protection of the English; I, therefore, de- 1 should bo satisfied of the truth of every part :i 1 v . i - -!.:.. : . fi . . sireu io see me senior meuiyu omeer, anu on Rid iculuua ! Nonsense !" was" his re- e8entercd on the folio wing narra : " On raising th'siece of St, Jean devA d.,ui tion. tive ; come a matter of urgent necessity The occu pation of this town for any length of time, was impracticable, from the force that Jezha Pacha was enabled to bring forward. The sick and Wounded were numerous, and their removal was my first -consideration. Carriages, the most eouvenicYt that could be formed, were api ,proprialed 10 the purpose. Some of them were soot by water to Damietta, and the rest were ac coanmodated, io the best, . possible manner, to accompany their comrades; -in - their march through the desart. Seven men, howeverj oo ciipied a quaraBtine hospital, who were infect ed with the plague, whose report was made me by the chief of the medical staff: fi think it wasDegenett.) He further added, that the dis ease had gained such a stage of. malignaney, Uiete was not the least probability their eon Unumg alive beond 48-; hours." I here ex claimed in a dubious toue. the word santnf nl di4tefJ-dvhether-l was-toiinder-liana that theie were ao more than'sevep f 1 JS' -I8 repliedT that you have heard a serving to him. that the affliction's of their dis ease would be cruelly aggravated by the eon duct of the Turks towards them," and that it was impossible, to continue in possessi iu of the (vrn.-itsirtd tiim to give; me his best advice, on the occasion. X said, tell me what ir to be done! He hesitated for sometime, and then repeated, that these men, who were the objects of my very painful solicitude, eould not survive forty-eight hours. 1 then suggested (what ap peared to b his opinion, though he might not choose to declare it, but wailed with the tremb ling hope to receive it from irie) the propriety, because, 1 felt it would be humanity, to shorten the sufferings of these seven men by administer ing opium. Such a relief, 1 added, in a simi lar situation, I should anxiously solicit for my self. But, rather contrary to my expectation, the proposition was opposed, and consequently abandoned. 1 accordingly halted the army one day longer than i intended, and on my quitting Jaffa, left a strong rearguard, who continued in that city till the third day. At the expira tion of that period an officer's report reached me, that the men were dead. " lhen gener al, " i could not resist exclaiming, no opium was given." The emphatic answer 1 received was' No, none ! A report was brought me that the men died before the rear guard had e vacuated the city." I again interrupted him by mentioning, that Sir Sidney s-inth, when he afterwards entered Jaffa, found one or two frenchmen alive. " Wei!,'' he answered, that, after all, mav be possible !" It was, 1 thiuk, at this period of the conversation, that he stated his being io possession of a letter from Sir bid- ney Smith, writteu in very complimentary Ian- guage, wuicii expressed the writer s astonish ment, as well as praise, at the accommodations which were contrived and executed to trausport - S 1 1 I II A IS me rrencn sicaauu wounaea irom Acre to jai-i was 'ITltt ittack Was dreadful, and the carnage machine for your destruction." " That is the exceeded any action J had then witnessed., fact,' he said j "I certainly did.". "And we e&rnoa the place, and it required all my! that you particularly alluded, to Mr. Wind. nam." i e, jwn andam." it is also said, general, that tyr. Fox, contended it wa not of English invention, for that the crime of assassination was repugnant to the national character. He also' particularly defended Mr. Windham, who, said, though they had differed in politics, he,knew to be an bonoura ble man, and incapably, as a British minister, of sanctioning such a dishonourable transacti on." Napoleon remempered the conversation, and acknowledged thadhe aeeused Mr. Wind ham. I now ventured fc ask bint if he contin ued of the same opinion'. "Yes," be said "the English ministry wre instrumental to the plot. Their money has ione for that and other ; extraordinary purposes.f My English blood' was a little up on the occasion, and Dy repljr, depend upon it, was tolhe following effect : My nation detests anaisaisin more than itdoel a coward indeed, fttr fj the worst of coward &nd ; J doiiit liieve Lhut. tere t a rithfx , heart which "dbf not revolt at the thoogM,- auA suDscTioe, wun an nonest ana glowing sinceri- efforts and influence to restrain the fury of the enraged soldiers. At length I succeeded, and night closeT the sanguinary scene. At" the dawn of the following morning a report Was brought me, (hat 500 men, chiefly Napolese, who had lately formed a part of the garrison of El Arish, and to whom I had a few days before given liberty, on condition that they should return to their homes, were actually found and recognised amongst the prisoners. On this fact beiug indubitably ascertained,, ! ordered the 5QQ men to' be drawn out and in stantly shot.' In the course of our couversa- of his narrative ; and he. continually interrupt ed it by asking me, if I perfectly comprehend ed him. . lie was, however paticnee itself, wheu I mads any observations expressive of 'Iwubt 1 had 'previously entertained respecting Buy : part of the utjcttU ragldVM!)... "a- or any uniavourabitt opinion, entertained or propagated iu England. Wheueverl appeared l I O ... - WW ( " ' -V embarrassed for an answer, he gave-me time ty, to the opinion of Mr. Fox. He gave me to renect auu l could not but lament that ljiio answer out 1 could perceive that he Wat had not made myself better acquainted with ; not convinced, and he still retains hit original .... i'.L. j i.. i i. p . the circumstances of t he period uuder consider atiun, as it might have drawn him into a more enlarged history of them. He uow returned to the subject of Sir Robert Wilson, aud asked me if 1 kuew auy thing of bis military charac ter, and th? tendency of his writings, and . if the latter had added to his fortune. I replied, that 1 could not speak upon either from my own knowledge ; but I was induced to suppose, from the services in which he had ben engaged, he must hive stood high in the opinion of those who employed him ; aud 1 had also understood that hU works were considered as having been very honorable to him both as a writer and a soldier. 'Fray, can you tell me," he con tinued, "from what motive nbis oilicer has acted in the e$eap of La Valeltc, the decided and avowed friend of the man whom he has so wantonly calumniated ?".I was here, as it may be guojtiised, rather embarrassed for au imme diate repiy, but lie give me full time to collect myself; and 1 answered, ''that 1 had no doubt they were such as did honor to his heart ; whatever imputation may have been passed up on his judgment aud his discretion. Somewhat of an adveulurous and, romantic, spirit might have governed him but it never w imagin ed by auy. one, that he was iniiuenc u by sor did or pecuniary motives ; that id a never j seems to Uave occurred when the transaction the subject of universal consideration and 4 l ! . t m ' . . - .m. ta, anu then across the desart. I here tooK oe-j inquiry. J here was not, I tnojgjjht a person easiou tv observe. " that a iaietSnglisii travel-; inl ahu, who received mm or hi. couipa ler, a distinguished scholar, and learued prov nious, with a diminution of their regard tor lessor of the University of Cambridge, had ex-' for the iart thev had taken in this in sterious cited a very sreueral doubt respeetins the accu-: buainexs." lu an iastant be observed, " 1 be racy of this particular part of Sir Robert if- He ve every word you have said, at the same time sou's narrative. l)r, Clark, the person to whomij ou may be assured, tliat money would ot have i allude, 'hhad,JJ I said, "travelled through I been wauling to save La Yalettc. I if lire, you also tt give your paitienlar uttent u to my obiuion. which is a decided one. That this act of Sir Robert Wilson, for the preservation of La Yalette. is the commencement of his re- captation of what he has written agaiost me," It is a coincidence perhaps ; not worth inenli nuing, but it is a singular circiiiiistauce, that we had a son of Sir Robert Wilson, at this time a" rsidshipmaa on; board the Northum berland. ' ' - My curiosity now grew bold, and 1 was de termiiie(T to try whether 1 could induce Na poleon to 'satisfy jno as to the particulars of a conversation - bet weeu lj,im and Mf. Fox. relative to the iulernal machine, which 1 had heard related by th Uoii'lrJj. nnet, who took passage with rd WliStuart, in the La vmia, IVoni Lisbon to England in the year t07, I urefaeed mv iiKiuirv bv observius, I t.t an Turkey, and, as 1 believed, by the rout of Atep. po and Damascus to Jerusalem, and from thence to Jaffa, where he remained some time. This iranlliimiiii U'hniio nlmruitUr fitunrla hroll in tlio world, may be said to contradict the testimony of his countryman, Sir Robert, respecting the charges which the former may be said to. have brought forward against you. Though he merely states, that he never heard of the cruel transaction, but very naturally observes, that if such an extraordinary event had occured, as the murder of such a number of Frenchmen by their own general, some traces or recolIectL.i of so horrid an event, and of such recent occur rence, 'must have transpired and been communi cated to him duriug his residence there." A question instantaneously followed " Has this traveller said any thing of El Arish ?" My memory did not serve me sufficiently to give an answer. '" Well," he continued, "you shall also hear the particulars of El Arish and the garrison of Jaffa. You have mad, without doubt, ot my having ordered the 1 urns to ue shot at Jaffa.' " Yes, indeed' 1 replied, " 1 have often heard of that massacr e in England: it was a general topic at the time, and created such a sensation of horror, as a British mind never fails lo consider subjects of that descrip tion." He then proceeded : " At the period in question, general Dessafk was left iu Upper Egypt, aud Kleher iti i the vicinity of Damiettar 1 left Cairo and traversed the ArabiauJJasart, in order to unite my force with that of the lat ter at El Arish. The town was attacked, and a capitulation succeeded. Many ; of the prison ers T were rfouud,6n examination," to be natives of themountains, and iuhabitduts of MounO'ar immediately released on their engaging to re turn nuielly to their homes, children and wives; at the ame time they were recommended to a quaint their countrymen, the iNapoiese, thai the French were no. longer their enemies, un less they were found in arms assisting the Pa cha. When this ceremony was coucluded, the army proceeded on its march towards Jaffa. Gaza surrendered on the routes The city, . on the first view of it, bore & formidable appear ance, and the garrison was considerable. v It was summoned to surrender. When the officer, who bore my flag of truce, no sooner passed the city wall, than his head was inhumanly struck off, Instantly fixed upon a pojey and insultingly exposed to the French ai my. -"At the sight of this horrid and unexpected object, the indigna tion of the soldiers knew.no. bounds they were perfectly infuriated and, with the moit eager impatience, demanded to be led ou'tojthe.storm. 1 did not hesitate, under such cirenmstances, to command itC belief in the contrivance of the Infernal Ma chine. , - , . . I nous, discontinued the subject, and ap proached the chimney-piece to examine a small -bust in marble, which appeared to me to be ex quisilely sculptured. When be saw my atten tion to it, be exclaimed, " that is my son." In deed the resemblance to the father is so very striking, that it is discernahle at the first : glance. On one side is a miniature also of ". young Napoleon, and a highly finished portrait of his mother, Maria Louisa, on the other. . He now complained of a pain in the great toe of his right foot ; he described the sensation he felt, and asked if it betokened the gout. Ire quested to know if he. could trace the gout to any hereditary transmission. " No," he re plied, " neither of his parents ever had the gout:; but recollecting lno-self, he added,'- " that his uncle,,Cardinal Feseb, had been very mdeh alflifttcd by it." 1 remarked, tuat even when the disease was known to be hereditary in families, attention,' in early years, to exercise and diet, often retard ed its approach, and, when it came at length, would render the disease more mild. . I observed to him," that, considering the ac tive life he bad led, it did not appear that h took sufficient exercise to preserve himself t in r a right state of health." He replied, " my rides, indeed, are too confined but th hing f - . ; to nie, ihu 1 laisffie epotent to naffer the con- sequeuces of abridging thejni However, I feel t . i no ineonVeaieuc'ixVou:';fant jlM-weise. Man can accustom himself t( privatioas, -';At one period of my life I wis many hours-on horseback every tday, for siyVars and! was once 18 month' without jiassing irom the acuouut has been published, aud was v ry gen erally believed in England) staling a it vn ver sation hetweeu him1 aud Air. C. Fox, at St. Cloud ; that to myself it was very interesi ing ; aud -assT. heard it. related by a ge!,t!eman of rank, talent aud high eVtraeier, I ha enter tained no doubt of the general fact as he stated it. Napoleon, in a raos good humuured way, said, Repeat il-i 1 shall reuieiuber. ' 1 then proceeded. " The account, general, is as fol lows. Ah you ttero oue eveuiug going to the theatre, you encountertdogreat dutiger of .your life by the explosion of a machine, to whicfi ihcUTeTbf t)7'errtrvas i afterwards applied. Thislngine of 'urUiciioiI"- -was' said to have been placed iu a narrow strett through which you were to pass. The rashnessof your coach man, it is said, saved ytitzr' life : for, finding a vebiclu placed m such. a inanner us. would have presented1 nu ifuunnouutable dilficitlty to a less timid, driver, he gavepeed-li hii hors ey, aud the whuel of your carriage coming .-in contact with the machine, overset it with great violence, and immediately after you had pass ed the explosion took place." " That, ' he replied, is ita; : your information is cor rect." " Aud it is also sai'd,. that you, went to the theatre itnd enjoyed the. play as if no thing had happened." He now nodded or ra ther made a slight obeysance. 3' And it is al so asserted,, that iu aeonversaiiau j ou -had. with Mrv Fx, at St;. Cloud, on . the subject you aceosed the Englwh rff having iuventedjhe La Vaiette. I believe, Was a great fuvourite of tfio, late Linpepor arwt I Well fcnow, mat every one ot nis suite expressed the gre atest joy at,, bis escape. I remem ber hearing General Bertrand say, that during , the u'hnta time Li" Vaiette was in the Tost Office, not a c.ntrl,. instan e of unnecessary riiroUr ;w as known To have.takcn pliice ; nor was the peace Tf apnvate-ftnvly Crcrifijrror'r tn tire slightest- tkr-'' - -- --- house." He no'V refurned to the grievance of being watched"" kjr, an"ofiicer. " You are ac- V quaiuted," said, with, the island of-St. Helena, and must be ense tfiajLa sentinel, placed on either of these bills, "can cpmmajad the sight of me from the moment T qUit ihil house till I return to j If; an officer or sol- -dier, placed on t!ia-:Jt, will nosatisfy your governor, w hy not place tentwentyl or a troop of dragoons. Lt them ne ver lose sight of me, . ouly keep an officer from my side." Additional extracts from Dr. Warden's letters detailing ht$ conversation with Bonaparte. " Where," said he " were vou educated ?" I replied, " in Edinburg." " You have very eminent professors- there, I know : I remember Dr. Brown's system was in repute during my ftrsH Italian campaign. I have read of your other men of note, and I wish you would call them to my recollection by repeating their names." 1 accordingly mentioned Black in Chymistrtj j Monro in Jlriatomy Surgery f andGregqrvin JPhysicj liut, at t same time, 1 observed? that while 1 particular!?, hese dis- 7 tinguished characters, whose! pupil I was,'l could name others of equal merit iftjWdifft rent ' sehools oClbfr.BriHsh empire.,,1 never knew," said'Napoleou, " but one physician who was in- fallihle in hii disignostica. le was certain in Lis iliscoverrot toe nature ana seat oi a aigease ; his'iijime was Dubos ; but, strange to say, he could not prescribe, and, consequeatiy, would neverundf rtake the treatment or cure of a com plaint whose character his acumen cobld so ac curately penetrate." I observed, "That be. . had a very : able surgeon witn him in .gypt, Monsieur Serrj.. llVjsheuswere , - was excellent in his field arrangement : but 1 have had men with me, who in scientific know ledge, were far superior to him." " Mr. Ser- ry, ' i saiuj" who joined you on tne raormug of the battle of Austerlitz, had the reputation os -soperior professional taltnts,' Ah," he ex claimed,' with a glow on his countenance, " how did you know that r" "I must have read ot it, . .... i!....l k in Sss-ry's publication, or heard u raeuiioucu wy General Bertrand.' He continueJ, ' It ws mv intention in France to Bare clas-. sed your profession into three divisions I have, always respected it : it is a scienceuid more than a science i because u requires ivuw ledge of several ; Chymistry, AnatoniyBotany and Physic For the first class 1 st .uld havft selected the most eminent of the profision.7 But bow, General, would you have discover- : ed them r" " By their reputation, income, and t . figure which they mado in tbe world.1-'- " But would not tnaC plan he liable to objection ? ma
The Raleigh Minerva (Raleigh, N.C.)
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March 21, 1817, edition 1
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