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APPEAL, &c.
M. SANTINI, Huissier du Cabinet de lEmpereur NAPOLEON, arrived at Portsmouth from St. Helena on the 25th February 1817. He affirms, that Napoleon, on his arrival at St. Helena, was treated by Sir George Cockburn with respect and delicacy. He was afterwards transferred to Longwood, once a farm belonging to the East India Company. In this wretched asylum he still remains. His sleeping chamber is scarcely large enough to contain a bed and a few chairs. The roof of this hovel consists of paper, coated with pitch, which is beginning to rot, and through which the rain-water and dew penetrate. In addition to all these inconveniences, the house is infested by rats, who devour every thing that they can reach. All the Emperors linen, even that which was lately sent from England, has been gnawed and completely destroyed by them. For want of closets, the linen is necessarily exposed upon the floor. When the Emperor is at dinner, the rats run about the apartment, and even creep between his feet. The report of a house having been sent from England is false. The new Governor has introduced into the house of the Emperor absolute want. The provisions he furnished were always in too small a quantity, and also very often of bad quality, and in the latter case, when sent back, were never replaced by others more fit for use. Often being without butchers meat for the Emperors table, the steward has sent to purchase a sheep for four guineas, and sometimes could only procure pork for making soup. Captain Poppleton, of the 53d regiment, has often lent candles, as well as bread, butter, poultry, and even salt. M. Santini was, even from necessity, in the habit of repairing secretly to the English camp to purchase butter, eggs, and bread, of the soldiers wives, otherwise the Emperor would often have been without breakfast, and even without dinner. The Governor sent seven servants to Longwood, but the Emperor was obliged to dismiss four of them, from inability to supply them with food! The Emperor is limited to a bottle of wine per day! Marshal and Madame Bertrand, General Montholon and his Lady, General Gourgand, and Count de Las Cassas, have also each their bottle. Marshal Bertrand has three children; M. de Montholon two; and M. de Las Cassas one, about fifteen or sixteen years of age; and for all these mouths the Governor allows no rations.
In this state of things the Emperor has been compelled to sell all his plate to procure the first necessaries of life. M. Santini broke it in pieces before it was sent to the market. The produce was deposited, by order of the Governor, in the hands of Mr. Balcombe. When the house-steward, wishing to supply the deficiency of the provisions furnished by the Governor, makes purchases himself (which happens every day), he can only pay them by orders upon Mr. Balcombe. When M. Santini did not succeed in shooting a few pigeons in the neighbourhood of their dwelling, the Emperor frequently had nothing for breakfast. Provisions did not reach Longwood until two or three oclock in the afternoon.
There is no water fit for cooking at Longwood. Very good water may, however, be procured at a distance of 1200 yards, which might be conveyed to the Emperors barracks at an expence of from 12 to 1500 francs. The house is only supplied by the water which is brought from this fountain; it is open only once during the day, at all other times it is locked. It is guarded by an English officer, who is scarcely ever present when water is wanted. There is a conduit for conveying water to the English camp; but it was thought unnecessary to do as much for the unfortunate Napoleon.
The last visit the Governor made to Longwood, and at which M. Santini was present, he offended the Emperor to such a degree, that he said, Have you not then done with insulting me? Leave my presence, and let me never see you again, unless you have received orders from your government to assassinate me: you will then find me ready to lay open my breast to you. My person is in your power. You may shed my blood.
Admiral Cockburn marked out a circuit of two leagues for the Emperors promenade; the present Governor abridged it to half a league.
The climate of Longwood, and the humidity to which the Emperor is exposed, have considerably injured his health. It is the opinion of his English physician, that he cannot remain there another year without hazarding his life.
The Emperors plate being sold, he dispensed with the services of the keeper of the plate; and, for want of a sufficient supply of forage, he discharged one of his two pike-men. Having no longer any cabinet, he thought proper to dismiss M. Santini. In the same manner, objects of the first necessity for his household suffer daily diminution. Col. Poniatowski has been removed from the Island by order of the Governor.
M. Santini departed from St. Helena on the 28th of October, on board the Orontis, sailed to the Cape of Good Hope, and again returned to St. Helena, but was not suffered to land. The Emperor sent some provisions on board the vessel; but M. Santini sent back the live-stock, as the Captain insisted on his killing it immediately. As for wine, he never tasted it during the voyage, as he would not submit to have the Emperors present, which was strictly his own, distributed in rations by the Captain.
On landing at Portsmouth, M. Santini proceeded to London, and published the following Memorial.
Memorial.
General ,
I HAVE received the Treaty of the 3d of August 1815, concluded between his Britannic Majesty, the Emperor of Austria, the Emperor of Russia, and the King of Prussia, which accompanied your letter of the 23d of July.
The Emperor Napoleon protests against the contents of that Treaty. He is not the prisoner of England. After having placed his abdication in the hands of the Representatives of the Nation, for the advantage of the Constitution adopted by the French People, and in favour of his Son, he repaired voluntarily and freely to England, with the view of living there, as a private individual, under the protection of the British laws. The violation of every law cannot constitute a right. The person of the Emperor Napoleon is actually in the power of England; but he neither has been, nor is, in the power of Austria, Russia, and Prussia, either in fact or of right, even according to the laws and customs of England, which never included, in the exchange of prisoners, Russians, Prussians, Austrians, Spaniards, or Portuguese, though united to these powers by treaties of alliance, and making war conjointly with them.
The Convention of the 2d of August, concluded fifteen days after the Emperor was in England, cannot have of right any effect. It exhibits only a spectacle of the coalition of the four greatest Powers of Europe for the oppression of a single man!a coalition which the opinion of every nation and all the principles of sound morality equally disavow.
