In his conversation with Lord Amherst, he dwelt much upon his present situation, and expressed himself with great and unjustifiable bitterness respecting Sir H. Lowe. Lord Bathurst's speech had evidently annoyed him, and he expressed disappointment at the countenance such language and treatment received from Lords Sidmouth and Liverpool, with whom he affected to consider himself as having been formerly on terms of amicable intercourse. He said such a man as Lord Cornwallis ought to have been placed in Sir H. Lowe's situation. It is difficult to conceive any complaints more unreasonable than those made by Buonaparte of Sir H. Lowe's conduct. There perhaps never was a prisoner so much requiring to be watched and guarded, to whom so much liberty and range for exercise was allowed. With an officer he may go over any part of the island; wholly unobserved, his limits extend four miles—partially observed, eight—and overlooked, twelve. At night, the sentinels certainly close round Longwood itself. The house is small, but well furnished; and altogether as commodious as the circumstances under which it was procured would admit. I can only account for his petulance and unfounded complaints, from one of two motives—either he wishes by their means to keep alive interest in Europe, and more especially in England, where he flatters himself he has a party; or his troubled mind finds an occupation in the tracasseries which his present conduct gives to the governor. If the latter be the case, it is in vain for any governor to unite being on good terms with him to the performance of his duty. Buonaparte, in concluding the observations which he thought proper to address to me, made a motion with his hand to Lord Amherst for the introduction of Captain Maxwell and the gentlemen of the embassy. They entered, accompanied by Generals Bertrand, Montholon, and Gourgaud. A circle under the direction of the grand marshal was formed, and Lord Amherst having presented Captain Maxwell, Buonaparte said, "I have heard of you before—you took one of my frigates, the Pauline; vous êtes un méchant; well, your government can say nothing about your losing the ship, for you have taken one for them before." He observed of Lord Amherst's son, that he must resemble his mother, and good-humouredly asked him what he had brought from China, whether a bonnet or a mandarin? He inquired of Mr. M'Leod, the surgeon of the Alceste, how long he had served, and if he had been wounded? repeating the question in English. On Mr. Abel being introduced as naturalist, he inquired if he knew Sir Joseph Banks, saying that his name had always been a passport, and that, even during the war, his requests had always been attended to. He wished to know if Mr. Abel was a member of the Royal Society, or was a candidate for that honour. Buonaparte appeared to be under some erroneous impression respecting a son of Sir J. Banks having gone on an expedition to the coast of Africa. Mr. Cook's name led him naturally to inquire whether he was a descendant of the celebrated Cook, the navigator, adding, "he was indeed a great man." Dr. Lynn having been presented as a physician, was asked at what university he had studied? "At Edinburgh," being the reply.—"Ah! you are a Brunonian in practice; and do you bleed and give as much mercury as our St. Helena doctors?" To Mr. Griffiths, the chaplain, (whom he called Aumonier,) he put some questions respecting the state of religion in China; he was answered, a kind of Polytheism. Not seeming to understand this word spoken in English, Bertrand explained, Pluralité de Dieux. "Ah, Pluralité de Dieux! Do they believe," he resumed, "in the immortality of the soul?"—"They seem to have some idea of a future state," was the reply. He then asked to what university he belonged? and jokingly said to Lord Amherst, "you must get him a good living when you go home;" adding, "I wish you may be a prebendary." He then inquired of Mr. Hayne, how and where he had been educated? On being told that he had been educated at home by his father, he immediately turned away; and having now said something to each, he dismissed us.
No. V.
MEMORANDUM OF THE ESTABLISHMENT AT LONGWOOD.
[See p. [315].]
| General Buonaparte, | 1 |
| Followers. | |
| General and Madame Bertrand, | 2 |
| Children of ditto, | 3 |
| General and Madame Montholon, | 2 |
| Children of ditto, | 2 |
| General Gourgaud, | 1 |
| Count Las Cases, | 1 |
| Monsieur Las Cases, his son, | 1 |
| Captain Prowtowski, | 1 |
| Foreign Servants to General Buonaparte, | 12 |
| Marchand, | |
| Santini, | |
| Lepage, | |
| Aby, | |
| Cipriani, | |
| Rosseau, | |
| Noverraz, | |
| Pierron, | |
| Archambaud, 1, | |
| Archambaud, 2, | |
| Gentilini, | |
| 1 female cook, | |
| Bernard, wife, and son, foreign servants to General Bertrand, | 3 |
| 1 French female servant to General Montholon, | 1 |
| English Attendants. | |
| 1 English gardener, | 1 |
| English soldiers (servants,) | 12 |
| 1 boy, a soldier's son, | 1 |
| 1 English maid-servant to General Bertrand, | 1 |
| 2 English female servants to General Montholon, | 2 |
| Black servants, | 3 |
| British Officers attached to the Establishment. | |
| Captain Poppleton, captain of the guard, | 1 |
| Dr. O'Meara, surgeon, | 1 |
| Servants, | 3 |
| Total, | 55 |
Of these persons, General Gourgaud, Madame Montholon and her children, Count Las Cases and his son, Prowtowski and Santini, returned to Europe at different periods.
Cipriani, the maître d'hôtel, died on the island.
The Abbé Bonavita, surgeon Antommarchi, the priest, Vignali, and two cooks, were sent out to St. Helena in 1819.
The abbé returned to Europe in 1821, having left St. Helena in the month of March of that year.