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THIS WEEK IN THE BULLETIN
We open with an excellent book on Napoleon's illness and death. Then there's a report on the Fondation's official launch of the new periodical Napoléon III, and the announcement of the forthcoming exhibition of the Fondation's treasures in the Museo Napoleonico in Rome, and notice of the birth of Yanis... In ‘200 years ago', there's the re-organisation of Portugal and Napoleon pursuing embezzlers, whilst in ‘150 years ago' there' the creation of the regency council and awards for the 'deserving poor'. In 'Just published' there are two new books, one on Saint Helena and the other on Waterloo, and there's a review of an older book, Mikaberidze's Borodino, by the independent scholar, Thomas Zacharis. In 'What's on' there are five new events, running from Napoleon's black silk socks to Josephine's roses, passing via the horrors of the war in Spain and the first empress's fine judgement as an art collector.
Enjoy.
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THIS MONTH'S BOOK
The death of Napoleon: the Last Campaign, by J. Thomas Hindmarsh and Philip D. Corso
The debate rumbles on, but Hindmarsh and Corso seem to be onto something with this clear discussion of cancer, arsenic, and hair washing. They propose the theory that Napoleon died of cancer and in their seven chapters discuss Napoleon's illness and death and the relative merits of the cancer and arsenic theories, coming down squarely on the cancer side. Their work is carefully researched and includes an impeccable bibliography. Would that all works on the death of Napoleon were written this way. For me, there is one detail which (as Hindmarsh and Corso point out) severely hampers the poisoning theory, namely, that hair cut before 1815 has as much, if not more arsenic in it as that cut after. Nobody (as far as I know) has suggested that Napoleon was being poisoned throughout his life…
P.H. February 2008
© Hindmarsh
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FONDATION NAPOLEON NEWS
- THE TREASURES OF THE FONDATION NAPOLEON SOON IN ROME
After successful exhibitions in Paris, Brazil, Mexico, and Germany, the Treasures of the Fondation Napoléon are to travel to Italy. This exhibition commissioned by Giulia Gorgone of the Museo Napoleonico is to be called «Napoléon, fasto imperiale» and it is to open on 15 February of this year, running to 25 May, when it will travel to the island of Elba to the Museo nazionale delle residenze Napoleoniche at Portoferraio, where it will remain from 12 June to 12 September, 2008.
- LAUNCH OF THE MAGAZINE NAPOLEON III AT THE FONDATION NAPOLEON
On Tuesday 29 January, a launch was held at the Fondation for the new magazine dedicated to the Second Empire, Napoléon III, published by the Press Group Michel Hommell with the support of the Fondation Napoléon.
The Prince d'Essling and the trustees of the Fondation Napoléon were delighted to welcome HIH the Princess Napoléon and Christian Estrosi, president of the Conseil général for the Alpes-Maritimes department, and Christian Castellani, director of the publication, not to mention many historians, journalists at the event. All agreed on the importance of bringing Napoleon III and the Second Empire to a wider French public, particularly in this the bicentenary year of the second emperor's birth.
© HDC
3.8 KILOS OF JOY
He's called Yanis , he was born on 6 January, 2008, at about 5-05am in Bourg-La-Reine, he weighed 3.8 kilos, and his mother is Alexandra Mongin, the director's secretary at the Fondation Napoléon. Mother, baby and father, Bruno, are all doing well. Congratulations!
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200 YEARS AGO
Re-organisation of the Portguese Government
Now that Portugal was largely pacified, Junot decided to perform a change of government on 1 February, 1808. On 30 November, 1807, he had reconfigured the Regency council, giving portfolios to four Portuguese politicians and four French, with Junot as president. However in 1808, Junot had become governor general and as such issued an edict abolishing the regency council and replacing it with a government council. The governor general was to be president of this council and he was to be seconded by Hermann, secretary of state with portfolio for internal matter and finance, Lhuitt, secretary of state for war and the navy, Don Francisco Rafael Castro, chargé for justice and religious affairs, with deputy councillors, Don Pedro de Melo (interior), Francisco de Azevedo (finances) and Count Sampaio (war and navy). Denis de Lagarde (still on his way from Paris) was to be member of the council in his role as intendant general of police, and he was to be accompanied by his secretary, Devilliers. Viennot Vaublanc was appointed general secretary. During Junot's installation ceremony as governor general he announced a more centralised, French, bureaucracy, with the appointment of Frenchmen in key posts.
Napoleon and public money
On 2 February, 1808, Napoleon wrote to Justice Minister Régnier complaining about the embezzlement of public funds: «Six bailiffs of the Seine criminal court have been charged with embezzlement, fraud, fraudulent expenses, and theft of more than 100 000 francs a year of treasury money. […] If they are guilty of fraud and really did commit these crimes specified in the code civil, it is my intention they be tried and sentenced with the full force of the law. [...] I want these embezzlers punished, and I want you to take measures to stop bailiffs stealing; this is damaging not only to private individuals but also to my treasury. […] Inform me soon that these abuses have been punished, that the money embezzled had been returned, and that you have put in place such effective safeguards that these abuses cannot be repeated, for this is my will. » (Correspondance N°. 13,515)
150 YEARS AGO
Humanitarian politics
Throughout the 19th century, and particularly the second half, many charitable institutions came to being in France – and education of the working classes was a particular area of concern. The Second Empire regime publicly supported and fêted these institutions. On 31 January, 1858, there took place a prize giving ceremony which the Moniteur universel of 1 February, 1858, described as «the solemn distribution of prizes to the Polytechnic association and Philotechnic association, gathered before H. Exc. the Minister for Public Instruction». More than five thousand people had come to the Cirque Napoléon (today's Cirque d'Hiver) to witness the award of these «prizes ‘conquered' by workers who have applied themselves to intellectual study», as the Minister put it.
The Polytechnic association was founded in 1830 by pupils from the Ecole polytechnique. The aim was to provide free public education for workers, so as to make them «more able, more at ease and more intelligent», and to provide intellectual and moral instruction by professional teachers.
The Philotechnic association was created out of the Polytechnic association by the mathematician Eugène Lionnet on 29 March, 1848. Its purpose was to «provide adults with an education appropriate to their needs».
The two associations offered courses in French, arithmetic, geometry, elementary algebra, mechanics, technical and artistic drawing, accountancy, and hygiene. They were funded by grants from the Ministry for Public Instruction and the City of Paris. And pupils who passed their exams were given diplomas in the industrial arts, in commerce, in the mathematical sciences, and in the construction arts…
Regency
By a decision dated 1 February, 1858, Napoleon III added some fine tuning to the rules of regency established by the Senatus Consulte of 17 July, 1856. The latter act had given regency to «the Empress or, failing that, to the French Princes». By his new decision, the Emperor made the Empress his default «heir in regency, with the French Princes following in order of their position in line to the throne». And he added: «I have instituted a Privy Council which, with the addition of the two French princes closest in line to the throne, will become a Council of Regency should an emperor come to the throne who still a minor, unless, at that moment, I have appointed another by public act.» «This Privy Council, which shall be composed of trusted councillors, will be consulted on great matters of state and should stand in readiness, after study of the duties and necessities of government, to fulfil the important role which the future may have for it». The members appointed to the Privy Council were as follows: H. Em. Cardinal Morlot, archbishop of Paris, H. Exc. Marshal Duc de Malakoff, Senator, H. Exc. Achille Fould, Minister of State and of the Imperial Household, H. Exc. Monsieur Troplong, President of the Cour de Cassation and of the Senate, H. Exc. the Comte de Morny, H. Exc. Monsieur Baroche, President of the Council of State, and H. Exc. the Comte de Persigny, French Ambassador in London.
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week.
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, No 443, 1-6 February, 2008
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© 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
STOP PRESS: CLOSURE OF THE BIBLIOTHEQUE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
The library will be exceptionally closed on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 February, 2008.
REMINDER
The new Bibliothèque Fondation Napoléon library times are: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 1 to 6pm, Thursday from 10am to 3pm.
During the French school holidays the library openings times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 1-30 to 6pm.
THIS WEEK in the MAGAZINE
Just published
- The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Against Kutuzov, by Alexander Mikaberidze (recently reviewed by independent scholar, Thomas Zacharis)
- “A desperate business”: Wellington, the British Army and the Waterloo Campaign, by Ian Fletcher
- St Helena, then and now, ed. Michel Dancoisne-Martineau
What's on
Conferences:
- Napoleon's Legacy. The Development of National Museums in Europe, c. 1794-1830, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Exhibitions:
- The Eye of Josephine, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Goya: the Disasters of War, Berkley Art Museum, University of California, USA
- Marquis de Lafayette, The New York Historical Society, NY, USA
- Chronicles of Riches: Treasures from the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada
- La Rose Impériale: The Development of Modern Roses, Boone Gallery, The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA, USA
- "The trace of the eagle", the Invalides dome, Paris, France
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