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THIS WEEK IN THE BULLETIN
After the sad news of the death of the French Napoleon actor Raymond Pellegrin, we bring you an article on Drouot, the sage of the Grande Armée. Then there are three exhibitions (the treasures of the Fondation Napoléon at Lorient in Brittany, France, Indispensable nécessaires at Malmaison and photographs of the Suez Canal at the Paris Navy Museum). After that, in our bicentenary sections, we see the net tightening on Portugal and the continuation of the Indian mutiny. Then there's a bell taken at Copenhagen in 1807 returned by the British Navy, a web site on the Portuguese army, and a web article on the 1807 bombardment of Copenhagen.
Enjoy.
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OBITUARY
Death of Raymond Pellegrin, Sacha Guitry's Napoleon
On Sunday 14 October, Raymond Pellegrin (original name Pellegrini) passed away at the age of 82. He had played Napoleon several times and was an actor whose career spanned theatre, cinema and television in France, Italy and the USA. He performed in more than 80 films and in many films for television.
He was best known in France as the actor of Napoleon, appearing in Napoléon by Sacha Guitry (1954), Vénus impériale (1962) by Jean Delannoy. He also appeared as Napoleon on television in an episode on St Helena in the series called La caméra explore le temps (The camera time-machine). He also appeared in the stage version of Madame Sans Gêne, subsequently filmed for French television in 1963.
Poster from Sacha Guitry's Napoléon © data.moviecovers.com
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THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE
General Drouot, 'The sage of the Grande Armée', by Jacques Juillet
Great in his moral and civic virtues, rare amongst the friends of the Emperor for his honesty and faithfulness, General Count Drouot, would have been numbered in the XIIth century as one of the monk-soldiers of the Order of the Temple described by Saint-Bernard: "They come and go at their commander's signal. They wear the clothes given them. They guard themselves against all excess, desiring only that which is necessary. They scorn earthly goods. They live by their motto: "Non nobis Domine sed Nomini Tuo da gloriam." Read on…
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EXHIBITION
The Treasures of the fondation Napoléoén Lorient
In celebration of the bicentenary of the creation of the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie du Morbihan (Imperial decree of 30 September, 1807), the Morbihan Chamber of Commerce has mounted an exhibition designed by the Fondation Napoléon and entitled: «Napoleon emperor entrepreneur». The idea of the show is to use the exhibits to illustrate the emperor's action in favour of commerce and industry. Includes loans from the Archives nationales, the archives of the French Foreign Ministry and Bibliothèque-musée Marmottan. Opens on 23 October, 2007.
© Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie du Morbihan / Fondation Napoléon
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EXHIBITION
Indispensable Nécessaires at Malmaison
A new temporary exhibition is to open at the Château de Malmaison on 24 October. The theme of the exhibition is the «nécessaire», the small, compartmentalised box designed for the traveller, sometimes containing gold, porcelain or crystal utensils. The exhibition includes more than 80 masterpieces, running from the 17th to the 20th century.
The Duchess of Otrante's nécessaire © Coll. Fondation Napoléon - Patrice Maurin-Berthier
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PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
Désiré's photographs of the Suez canal at the Musée de la Marine
The French navy museum, the Musée de la Marine, is taking part in PHOTOQUAI, the first biennale of world photographs. Their offering is a display of photographs taken by Ermé Désiré during the construction of the Suez canal. The title is «Suez Désiré ou la métamorphose du paysage» (Désiré's Suez or the metamorphosis of the landscape) and it opens at the Palais de Chaillot on 23 October – runs until 25 November, 2007.
© Musée de la Marine
See our mini-site on the building of the Suez canal and the photographs of Arnoux.
200 YEARS AGO
Portugal
Considering Portugal's protestations that she had declared war on Britain as simply decoy and a sign of her close collaboration with Britain (see last week's Bulletin), Napoleon continued in his plan to bring that country into the continental system by military invasion. On 20 October, 1807, he wrote to Foreign Minister Champagny stating: «It is my intention that your notify the Portuguese legation, on 22 October, that war has been declared and that they should leave Paris within twenty-four hours and my states within two weeks. It is also my intention that, simultaneously, you should tell the Navy minister to give the order to all my war vessels and corsairs to attack any vessels under Portuguese flag. » (Correspondence n°13,274)
On 23 October, Napoleon laid plans for an agreement with Spain on the division of Portugal into three sections, the three northern regions to be occupied by French troops. (Correspondence n° 13,287) The secret convention was signed by Izquierdo and Duroc on 25 October.
150 YEARS AGO
The rebellion in British India continues
After the Sepoy revolt in May 1857 (see Bulletin n°414), the British government replaced the Company as administrator of India and tried to maintain law and order, although it was to prevent new rebellions in September/October 1857. «The Indian army in Bengal no longer exists. Its regiments have either been disbanded or are now in arms against the British. The main part of the rebel forces is in Delhi […]. They have occupied Agra, but the fort is still in British hands, and they are besieging Lucknow (…).»
(Moniteur Universel, 19 October, 1857)
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week.
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, No 430, 19 - 25 October, 2007
Interested in the work of the Fondation Napoléon? Why not participate, either generally or in a specific project, by making a donation.
© this Napoleon.org weekly bulletin is published by the Fondation Napoléon. Reproduction or all or part of this bulletin is forbidden, without prior agreement of the Fondation Napoléon.
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Got a problem with a link in the Bulletin? Go to the homepage: http://www.napoleon.org
NOTA BENE: BIBLIOTHEQUE MARTIAL LAPEYRE
During the All Saints/All Souls holidays (from Monday 29 October to Wednesday 7 November) the Fondation Napoléon library will open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 13h30 to 18h.
THIS WEEK in the MAGAZINE
SNIPPETS
- British Navy returns historic bell to Denmark
Press Review
- Rape of Danish navy, on the Danish Naval History website
Seen on the web
Portuguese military matters - in Portguese
WHAT'S ON
Conferences:
- Italian and French architectural culture in the Napoleonic period: professional and stylistic problems, Rome, Italy
- The idea of the antique in the French decade, Naples, Italy
- Monarchy and Exile, London, UK
Exhibitions:
- Gustave Courbet's works, Grand Palais, Paris, France
- Empress Josephine's Malmaison Collection, Somerset House, London, UK
- At the court of Louis Napoleon, first King of Holland (1806-1810), Paris, France
- 1807-2007: 200 years of economic life and consular justice, Paris, France
- "The trace of the eagle", the Invalides dome, Paris, France
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