ontholon were
accompanied by their respective countesses and some children; and twelve
upper domestics of the imperial household followed their master's
fortune. Of the money which Napoleon had with him, to the amount of some
L4000, the British government took possession, _pro tempore_, announcing
that they charged themselves with providing regularly for all the
expenditure of his establishment; but his plate, chiefly gold and of
much value, was permitted to remain untouched.
On the 8th of August the _Northumberland_ sailed for St. Helena, and the
exile had his first view of his destined retreat on the 15th of October,
1815. During the voyage, Sir George Cockburn departed from some
observances of respect into which Captain Maitland had very naturally
fallen, under very different circumstances. The admiral, in a word, did
not permit Napoleon to assume the first place on board the
_Northumberland_. He did the honours of the table himself; nor did he
think it necessary to break up his company immediately after dinner,
because the ex-emperor chose to rise then--in adherence to the custom of
French society: neither did he man his yards or fire salutes on any
occasion, as is done in the case of crowned heads, nor follow the
example of the French suite in remaining at all times uncovered in the
presence of Napoleon. With these exceptions, _General Buonaparte_ was
treated with all the respect which great genius and great misfortunes
could claim from a generous mind; nor was he on the whole insensible to
the excellent conduct either of Maitland or of Cockburn. Cruelly and
most unjustly attacked, as the former had been, by Las Cazes and
Savary--and by Napoleon--when the captain of the _Bellerophon_ comes to
record his final sentiments towards his prisoner, it is in these
affecting words--"It may appear surprising that a possibility should
exist of a British officer being prejudiced in favour of one who had
caused so many calamities to his country; but to such an extent did he
possess the power of pleasing, that there are few people who could have
sat at the same table with him for nearly a month, as I did, without
feeling a sensation of pity, perhaps allied to regret, that a man
possessed of so many fascinating qualities, and who had held so high a
station in life, should be reduced to the situation in which I saw him."
To the extraordinary power of fascination which Napoleon had at command,
a still more striking testimony occ
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