NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.

THIS wonderful man was born at Ajaccio, a town of about seven thousand inhabitants, on the eastern side of the island of Corsica, and now its capital. His birth took place August 15, 1769. The father of Napoleon was Charles Marie Bonaparte, a respectable lawyer of Ajaccio. His mother, Letitia, was a woman of great beauty and energy of character. Both were natives of Corsica.

This island had belonged to the Genoese, but they basely sold it to the French, a little before the birth of Napoleon. The Corsicans revolted, and resisted the occupation of their country by the French. Led by the brave and patriotic General Paoli, they were, for a time, successful. Bonaparte's father took part in the struggle with Paoli, and his wife attended him in all his various movements and marches. For several months, she was constantly flying from one town or village to another, to escape the French, always travelling on horseback. Nothing was SO much dreaded as falling into the hands of the enemy. Such was the life led by Napoleon's mother, until about a month before he was born, when the Corsicans finally submitted to their new masters.

Napoleon was the second son,-Joseph, afterwards king of Spain, and long a resident of the United States, being the first. He was named Napoleon, after some old Corsican saint. While a child, he appears to have been considered rather remarkable. He soon acquired a complete ascendancy over his mild and amiable brother Joseph, and was looked to as likely to be the stay of the family..

The following anecdote of Napoleon, in his childhood, is furnished by his mother:-" One night, he was walking in our garden, like a man who is meditating some great thing. It was raining violently; his brothers had sought shelter in the saloon, where they were playing. I knocked at the window several times, and made him signs to come to me. He shrugged his shoulders with an appearance of illhumor, and continued his walk. He was drenched with the rain, but he did not mind the storm, and continued his walk, with his head uncovered, and his eyes fixed on the ground. Sometimes he stopped before the little fountain in the garden, and appeared to delight in seeing it run, and to arrest its precipitancy with his hand. Some claps of thunder were heard, which caused him a nervous shudder, but it did not seem to be fear. He then crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at the heavens, courageously waiting for another peal of thunder. I sent my servant to order him to come in. He said to him with coldness, but respectfully, 'Tell my mother that it is warm, and I am taking an airing.' When the servant again entreated, he precipitately turned his back on him, and accelerated his step. It was only

Young Napoleon in the thunder-storm.

when the storm had ceased, that he came in, wet to the skin.

"That was not right, my child,' I said to him;' you have disobeyed me.'

"I could not help disobeying you,' he answered. 'I do not know what kept me in the garden; but if I am to be a soldier, I must accustom myself to rains and to storms. I am not a girl, I am a man.'

"You are a child, my son, and a disobedient child.

If you

intend to be a soldier, you will learn that it is necessary for you to obey.'

"But I will command,' said he, with an expression that much excited our risible faculties.

"Before you command,' I replied, 'you will be compelled to obey, and for a long time. When you enter the service, you will not be a general.'

"He advanced towards me, took my hand in his, and pressed it, thus tacitly acknowledging that I was right, but not willing to confess it. Already, at that age, he was so proud!

"What were you thinking about during your walk?' I said to him, whilst I pressed my lips to his wet hair.

"I do not know; I do not remember. I was thinking of a great many things. Ah! I was endeavoring to recollect a dream I had last night-a dream that pleased me very much. I dreamed that I was a bishop; that is grand, is it not, a bishop? Do bishops go to the wars ??

"No, my child, that is expressly forbidden them.' "Then I will be a soldier, when I am no longer a child. At fifteen you are no longer a child; are you, mother?'

"I think you are something of a child still.'

"He paused a few moments, and, looking on the ground, he said,—

"At fifteen I will be a man.'

"He then extricated himself from my arms, and ran into the garden."

When Napoleon was ten years old, his father, having now a large family, and being in straitened circumstances, was glad to accept the good offices of Marboeuf, the French governor of the island, who, taking an interest in the youth, obtained for him a place at the military school at Brienne, about seventy-five miles south-east of Paris, whither he went in 1779.

Napoleon remained at this place five years and a

half. His native speech was of course Italian, and he, being a Corsican, was regarded by the other boys as a foreigner. He had no relations in France,--and while he was poor, he was, like the Corsicans generally, rather proud. All these circumstances united, prevented Napoleon from forming those friendships and intimacies which usually arise at school. At the same time, they doubtless contributed to favor his turn for study and reflection. He devoted himself with great assiduity to his books, and appears to have made the impression upon his school-fellows, that he was rather taciturn and solitary in his disposition.

The annual report, made by the inspector-general, in 1784, has the following remarks upon young Napoleon "Distinguished in mathematical studies, tolerably versed in history and geography, much behind in his Latin, and in belles-lettres, and other accomplishments; of regular habits, studious and well-behaved, and enjoying excellent health."

Many stories have been told of his assuming authority over his comrades at this period, thus displaying an instinct for command; and pointing out the future conqueror. But there appears to be no good ground for these tales, except that, in one instance, when the snow had fallen very thick on the ground, the boys were at a loss what to do to amuse themselves. Napoleon proposed to make entrenchments with the snow, and to perform a sham attack; this was adopted, and he was the leader. There was, upon the whole, nothing extraordinary in his schoollife. He was an intelligent, steady, studious lad, and nothing more.