an affectation of English phraseology which betrays itself; Buonaparte manifested an intention to carry the scene of action into the bosom of old England.'-p. 88. But every page abounds with expressions and sentiments which no English man or woman, however ignorant of their own language, or corrupted in their principles, could have written; we have therefore no doubt that the work was originally composed in French, and nearly as little that the composer is Monsieur de las Cases.

Our only difficulty arises from the Letters being dated from the Cape of Good Hope-Las Cases is at the Cape, and we can hardly account for this solitary scintilla of truth finding its way into the production: but on the other hand, the view which is taken of particular events, nay the words in which they are related, are, to our own knowledge, the same in which Buonaparte has in conversation treated the transactions; and we think there is abundant reason to believe that the passages purporting to be Extracts from Buonaparte's History, written under his own direction by Las Cases, are genuine; for, not to insist on their agreement with Buonaparte's known sentiments, it is well understood that such a work was in progress, and that Las Cases was in possession of a considerable part of it. Besides, we knew, and informed our readers several months ago, that he was preparing a work for publication, and we very explicitly foretold the materials of which it would be composed. The facts, or rather the falsehoods, might indeed have been put together by Montholon, or any other of the clique; but the style of the pamphlet, and several circumstances connected with Las Cases, leave, as we have said, little doubt in our minds that he is, immediately or remotely, the author of it. But, whoever be the writer, it must be considered as coming from Buonaparte himself; and assured, as we are, that it is derived from him, and published, if not with his knowledge, at least in concurrence with his wishes, we shall persist in considering it as the apology of the ex-emperor dictated by himself.

Our readers will have observed, that the work is entitled a Reply to Mr. Warden.' We find in the outset a complete substantiation of our charges against that person.

'Not understanding the only two modern languages which Buonaparte speaks, he had no other opportunity of learning what he relates, but through the interpretation of Count Las Casas, who speaks English very incorrectly, and with considerable hesitation-or of General Bertrand, who possesses the faculty of speaking it in a lesser degree than even the other.-This simple observation would, of itself, be sufficient to enable you to form a correct judgment as to the accuracy of Mr. Warden's relations.'-p. 2.

* The translator frequently makes the mistake of calling Las Cases, Las Casas.

Our

Our readers may ask how this denial of Mr. Warden's accuracy, and this pompous reply to his assertions, are reconcileable with our opinion that Warden's publication was prompted by Las Cases-the answer is, that these circumstances are not merely reconcileable with our statement, but furnish full evidence of its justice, and afford a striking proof of the course of trickery with which Buonaparte now conducts his literary operations.

None of these worthies understood enough of English to appreciate Mr. Warden. His ardent curiosity for every thing concerning Napoleon,' (p. 2.) convinced them that he was a man of talent. They therefore confided to him all those fictions which they wished to disseminate in England;-but they mistook their man;-Mr. Warden, though weak, was vain, and contrived to mix up so many blunders of his own with their elaborate falsehoods, that they found they had failed in their purpose of creating any useful impression through his means. Besides which, even in cases where he had accurately reported their apologies for Buonaparte, (as the defence of the massacre of Jaffa, and the denial of the poisoning of the sick, and of the murder of Captain Wright,) the refutation so quickly, so publicly given (and no where, we say it with satisfaction, more fully than in this Journal) of those miserable pretences, have induced them to try a new version. It is the practice of Buonaparte and his followers to use implements of this sort, and when the public indignation or derision has blasted their reputation, to accuse them of inaccuracy, and disavow them.

But though this work is thus announced as a reply to Mr. Warden, our readers will smile to hear that there is hardly one substantial contradiction of his statements; in fact, the book is merely a postscript to Warden's, repeating all his apologies for Buonaparte, but with greater care and skill-softening down passages which had excited indignation-strengthening points which had been found weak-reconciling contradictions which had been detected -supplying eulogies and panegyrics upon themselves which had been omitted—and, in short, publishing Mr. Warden's letters as Buonaparte and Las Cases originally intended that they should have been published by him.

The following extract will at once shew the style and intentions of the author, and amuse those of our readers who may like to look at the tiger in his cage.

When walking on the deck, he generally spoke to the officer of the watch, the master, or the parson. He appeared sometimes desirous of being present while the master was making his observations; he frequently asked questions of Messrs. Warden and O'Meara, respecting the health of the crew, or upon some medical points, upon which he likes

LL 2

With the parson he

likes to converse, as being a science of nature. discoursed upon the dogmas and regulations of the different religious sects in England; and frequently he spoke to the captain of marines, who had been under the orders of Sir Sydney Smith, at Acre, at the siege of that place. So far, the picture which Mr. Warden has drawn of him, is generally correct. From the catastrophe which befel his army at Waterloo, to the period of his arrival off St. Helena, his officers assert that he did not betray the least ill-humour, impatience, or depression of spirits; and I think that his appearance and habits have been very accurately pourtrayed by our countryman. When he speaks, he interrogates, and is much fonder of asking questions than of answering. In consequence of having been so long in the habit of receiving a great number of people of different professions, he is accustomed to talk to every one of that particular profession to which he belongs. I saw him once in St. Helena speak for upwards of half an hour to an old Siamese slave, in whose conversation he even appeared to experience some gratification. His marked attention to return the salute of the lowest classes, and even of the slaves, appeared to me, at first, to be a piece of affectation: but I was informed that such had been invariably his custom, that he had declared it was the duty of a Sovereign to return alike the salute to all men, because, in his eyes, all men had equal rights.pp. 12-15.

This is excellent; all Mr. Warden's account is true till he says that Buonaparte seemed to have some of those feelings which belong to ordinary humanity; then the modern Charlemagne rises above this world: not even Waterloo occasions a moment of impatience; and he returns the salute of all men alike, because, in his eyes, (as if he were a Jupiter without the Scapin,) all men have equal rights!

We shall extract the following account of Marshal Ney's defection, which puts out of all doubt-if indeed any one is still incredulous on those points--first, Ney's base treachery;—and, secondly, the hypocrisy of Buonaparte, who condescended to flatter Ney when his infamy rendered him contemptible, and who now sneers at him, when his death would have rendered him inte→ resting in the eyes of any other man so situated.

'It is stated, that Ney was sincere in his protestations to the King on the 8th of March, 1815, and that he was entirely ignorant of what was going on at Elba; and that even until the 13th of March, he was faithful to the King. After that, Ney began to waver, was led away, and his old principles prevailed; so that he gave himself up to his former affections.

'On the 13th of March he received from General Bertrand (who then performed the duties of Major-general) an order to put his troops in motion, with a letter from Napoleon himself, composed of the following lines, viz. "My cousin Bertrand sends you orders to put yourself in motion. I have not the least doubt, but that the moment you heard of my arrival at Lyons, you caused the tri-color flag to be mounted by

my

my troops. Obey his orders, and meet me at Chalons! I will receive you as I did the day after Elchingen and Moskwa.”

'Ney could hold out no longer against all these circumstances! On the morning of the 14th, he assembled his four regiments, and read to them the well-known proclamation, which, at the same time, was posted up and sent to every place under his orders. The proclamation was composed entirely by himself, and contained his own sentiments. It appears, that, conceiving matters to be decided, he wanted to assume some merit to himself. The opinion prevalent amongst the French at Longwood is, that if Ney had declared himself five days sooner, and whilst the French Princes were still at Lyons, his conduct must have been regarded in the same light as that of Labedoyère; but that at the moment the procla mation was made, Ney had in fact no longer any control, and consequently violated all ideas of public decency needlessly. It would have been much better for him to have left the four regiments at Lons le Saulnier, to their own impulse, and to have returned himself to Paris; to declare what was strictly true, " that he could not resist the will of the people and the troops!" At the time that he sent his proclamation to Bertrand, he accompanied it with a letter to Napoleon, in which he said, "that if the conduct which he had pursued the year before, had tended to deprive him of his confidence, he was ready to retire to his estate." Napoleon, not over-well inclined towards him, and disgusted by the terms of the proclamation, had, as I have been informed, dictated a letter accepting his resignation; but political considerations, not very difficult to be comprehended, overruled his first intention, and an order was sent him to join at Auxerre. Ney, on his arrival, is stated to have been extremely embarrassed, and not in a state of mind to hold such language as has been attributed to him; but Napoleon treated him in the manner he had been always accustomed to do, and even called him frequently the "bravest of the brave." After this, he was commissioned to inspect all the strong places upon the frontiers, which he did, from Dunkirk to Strasbourg, and then assisted at the Champ de Maj.'-pp. 26--29.

We shall not stop to notice several little stories, tending to de preciate the royal family and the royalists, because they are merely secondary objects of the work; but proceed to examine some of those more important passages in which-poor Mr. Warden not having sufficiently gilded his pill-Buonaparte comes forward in his own defence, and gives us a few specimens of the candour and veracity in which this modern Julius Cæsar (as he modestly styled himself) is composing his Commentaries.

The first, is that which denies the PROFESSION OF MAHOMETANISM by Buonaparte and his army in Egypt.

'Several errors have crept into the third Letter of Mr. Warden. It is there stated, that Napoleon had professed Mahometanism in Egypt through policy; this he denies ever to have done, and says that Menou was the only French officer of any distinction who embraced that religion. I have read in the Campaigns of Egypt, two very interesting

LL 3

chapters,

chapters, one relative to the Christian religion and Mahometanism, full of novel ideas; and the other relative to the "Fetham" issued by the great Cheicks of Semil-Azar, concerning the oath of obedience, and in which are detailed the means by which he obtained this Fetham from the ministers of the grand mosque at Cairo; from both of which it appears, that Napoleon maintained as a principle, that in all matters above human comprehension, every one ought to continue in the religion of his forefathers, and in the bosom of which he was born.'—pp. 48, 49.

To this atrocious falsehood ALI BUONAPARTE himself shall furnish a reply. His Arabic proclamation, dated on board L'Orient, and distributed the day of his landing in Egypt, commences thus. We beg our readers to excuse the impiety which we shall be obliged to quote-we quote it only to confound the impious. In the name of God, gracious and merciful,-There is no God but God-He has NO SON nor associate in his kingdom!

The French adore the Supreme Being, and honour the Prophet and his holy Koran.'

THE FRENCH ARE FAITHFUL MUSSULMEN! not long since they marched to Rome and overthrew the throne of the Pope, who excited the Christians against the professors of Islamism (Mahometanism). Afterwards they directed their course to Malta and drove out the unbelievers (the Christians), who imagined they were appointed by God to make war on the Mussulmen.'-Intercept. Corr. p. 169. Ed. 1801.

In a second proclamation, published in Alexandria a few days after, he says,

I reverence more than the Mamelouks themselves, God, his Prophet Mahomet, and the Koran.'-Histoire de l'Exp. d'Egypte, vol. i. p. 173. He holds the same language to the inhabitants of Cairo.

'Cheriffs, Ulemas, and Preachers, acquaint the people that since the beginning of the world it was written, that after destroying all the enemies of Mahomet, after having OVERTHROWN THE CROSS, I should come from the depths of the west to complete my destiny-explain to the people that my coming has been prophesied, and its circumstances foretold in twenty passages of that holy book the Koran.'-Histoire de l'Exp. d'Egypte, vol. i. p. 267.

If Buonaparte had said that he had not embraced Mahometanism, we should not have thrown away our time in combating his assertion: we admit that he never embraced any religion; but to deny that he and his army professed that they were not Christians, and that they were Mussulmen, requires the united audacity of the Emperor and his scribe.

On the subject of POISONING THE SICK at Jaffa, it will be recollected that Mr. Warden states, as coming from Buonaparte's own mouth, that when the Physician-General (Desgenettes) stated to him the situation of the sick, who, to the number of seven, could not be moved,

‹ “ I said,