NAPOLEON
Top
left is the image of Napoleon Bonaparte as seen stuck to the cavern wall in
‘Le
Prisonnier – The Girl Who Was Death,’ the origin of which is unknown. True, the
picture is depicted at an angle which does give it a slightly odd appearance
which makes it difficult for an exact comparison. Top right, another picture of
Napoleon, is a French vintage engraving attributed to the “French school,”
although not exactly the same as the one appearing in Le Prisonnier episode
there is a similarity. Having carried out research as I could into this picture
I attempted to find another copy of the engraving, and the original painting
from which this engraving had been taken in order to identify the artist but
without success. However I did manage to find this corresponding portrait.
There is also a “Photogravure”{an image
produced from a photographic negative transferred to a metal plate and etched
in} of Napoleon Bonaparte standing on the deck of a ship. Napoleon
Bonaparte on board the British ship Bellerophon
Photogravure from a painting by Orchardson. An
end to conflict: Napoleon’s surrender to HMS Bellerophon
On 10 July 1815, HMS Bellerophon was
guarding the French port of Rochefort when a French vessel bearing a flag of
truce approached. On board were General Anne Jean Marie Rene Savary and the
Comte de Las (Count of) Cases, with the first announcement of Napoleon’s
consideration to surrender to the British.
Saturday 15 July 2017 marks 202 years since the Napoleonic
Wars finally came to an end. Former Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered to
Captain Frederick Lewis Maitland of HMS Bellerophon on 15 July 1815.
Six weeks after his disastrous defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon faced
an uncertain future. After his abdication, he was unwelcome in France, with
his capture sought by Prussian and Austrian forces.
On 10 July 1815, HMS Bellerophon was guarding the French port of Rochefort when a French vessel bearing a
flag of truce approached. On board were General Anne Jean Marie Rene Savary and
the Comte de Las (Count of) Cases, with the first announcement of Napoleon’s
consideration to surrender to the British.
There was further contact between the
French party and the Bellerophon over the following days.
At 07:00
on 14 July a vessel approached the Bellerophon. The Comte de Las Cases was
again on board, this time accompanied by General L’Allarand. They had a letter
from Napoleon, wishing to discuss the terms of General Bonaparte’s surrender.
After leaving Bellerophon, Comte de
Las Cases returned at 19:00
the same day with a letter from Napoleon’s General, Count Bertrand revealing
that Napoleon was currently on Isle
D’Aix and fully prepared
to surrender.
Napoleon’s arrival on the Bellerophon is
recorded in the log for the ship dated 15 July 1815.
While in custody Napoleon and his entourage
were treated like guests, with the former emperor given access to the Great
cabin of the ship. Napoleon wanted to travel to North
America, where he hoped to gain asylum; upon refusal of this by the
British, he hoped to be allowed to live out his life in England.
Escorted by HMS Myrmidon, upon
arrival in England
the Bellerophon anchored at Brixham. It then took Napoleon to Plymouth, where he was held aboard the moored
Bellerophon and not allowed to set foot on British
soil, much to his annoyance. Over the following weeks, the British government
considered the fate of the ship’s famous prisoner.
Despite the British authority’s attempts to
keep Napoleon’s presence in Plymouth
a secret, word began to spread about his residency on the Bellerophon, causing
a vast number of small vessels to swarm around the ship in the hopes of
catching sight of him. HMS Liffey and HMS Eurotas were anchored as guard ships
in the hopes of dissuading these smaller ships.
Eventually a decision was made to designate
Napoleon and his entourage as ‘Prisoners of War’, with the island of Saint Helena
in the South Atlantic chosen as their place of
exile. This was a fate far removed from the ‘small estate’ where Napoleon
wished to live out his days at in Britain.
While many of the loyal officers in his
entourage chose to follow him, the surgeon in Napoleon’s company did not wish
to journey to Saint Helena. Barry C O’Meara,
the surgeon of the Bellerophon, offered to make the voyage with Napoleon
instead. For the voyage to Saint Helena,
Napoleon was transferred to HMS Northumberland.
In his statement, Maitland revealed that
General Bertrand had told him that in thanks for his kindness and hospitality,
Napoleon wished to give the Captain a box containing a diamond encrusted
portrait. Due to his position, Maitland felt that he was unable to accept such
a gift, and he notes his actions to inform Napoleon and his party of this
without causing offence.
Before leaving the Bellerophon, Napoleon
had not been granted his desired audience with the Prince Regent. He revealed
to Captain Maitland that part of his wish to meet the Prince was in the hope
that he could recommend Maitland for promotion to Rear Admiral, as an
appreciation of the hospitality that the Captain had shown him (Maitland would
eventually rise to the position of Rear Admiral by the time of his death in
1839). Napoleon told Maitland that he considered him ‘a man of honour’.
Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon by Sir William Quiller Orchardson exhibited 1880
DISPLAY CAPTION
Orchardson was trained in Edinburgh, and moved to London in 1862 where he
made his name as a painter of historical genre scenes. His admirers included
Whistler, Sickert and Degas. He is now best known for his modern moral subjects
such as The First Cloud, in the Tate Collection. This painting shows Napoleon
on board HMS Bellerophon bound for St Helena,
where he remained in exile until his death in 1821. The deposed Emperor stands
on the deck, isolated from the group of ['naval' out] officers on the left, who
watch him with curiosity as he looks out to sea, contemplating his fate. {Information source Wikipedia}
Be seeing you
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