"THONGKONG") TELEGI
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14, 1985.
Napoleon's Letters
BOUGHT BY U.S. SYNDICATE
EXCLUSIVE
RIGHTS
Paris, Feb, . Napoleon's hitherto unpublished letters to Empress Marie Louise have been sold to the United Fon- turo Syndicate, the French govern-
mont announced:
The Ministry of Education, which recently acquired title to the absorb ing and romantic documents, award. ed exclusive publication rights to the American. syndicate after spirited bidding by newspapers, magazines and publishers through out the world.
Mr. Andre Mallarme, Minister of Education, announced completion of the negotiations on behalf of the Bibliotheque Nationale, which is the official custodian of the treasure... Meanwhile, the greatest living Napoleonic authorities in France, working feverishly to decipher the Corsican's script-written from horseback on battlefields, from head- quarters and bivouacs stretching from Paris to Moscow-agreed in declaring the collection the greatest Napoleonie find in modern history,
The
government's announcement
Bald:
over the years 1810 to 1814.-
"It was particularly happy thus to be able to return to the national, patrimony these letters which constitute a historia, docu- ment of exceptional value and which at the same time throw a new light on the paychology of the emperor in the last stages of his caroor."
STORY
BLANK IN
The late Frederick Masson, one of the greatest Napoleonie authorl- tlos, in the introduction to his work on Mario Louise, lamented the fact that so little was known regarding the personal relations between Napoleon and Marie, o
"I have filled as well as I could blank (in Napoleon's years) which but how badly-that terrible
probably never will be filled," he wrote,
The letters acquired by the Bibliotheque now fill that gap,
tho
The name of the sellor of the letters is still a carefully guarded secret, which was one of stipulations of sale. But it is understood the letters had long been in the keeping of a noble family, descendants of one of the Napoleonic families, in Vienna.
now
Bibliotheque officials are busy declphoring and transcribing the lotters, many of which, owing to Napoleon's excessively bad hand writing, are illegible to laymen.
The United Feature syndicate publication of the letters will bo accompanied by a running com- mentary by a well-known Napo- leonic authority to be selected by the Bibliotheque Interpreting the significance of the letters and supplying the historical back- ground of events to which the writer alludes.
The Bibliotheque Nationale authorises the announcement that the United Fenture Syndicato has acquired exclusively all rights of reproduction and translation for all fast moving and dramatic political Interpreted in the light of the countries excepting France of the romance surrounding the most letters of Napoleon 1 to Marle magnetic figure in history, the Louiso which were recently pur-letters form a living picture of the chased by the Bibliotheque Nation-grest days from 1810, when the ale,"
Emperor was an impetuous lover, dreams, in drab exile. to the grand collapse of hi
GLIMPSE OF SOUL
על B
When the main body of British troops assigned to assist in the international army to police the Saar basic during the plebiscite on January 13 mar obed fato Saarbrucken, the Hitlerite leaninge of the area's capital was immediately apparent to all. The Tommies are pictured above marching down the main street of the city amid a profuss display of Nazi swastika flags.
conclusion of two weeks of lively The announcement marked the
to preserve them for France, the The third, redolent of the dusti There is a spirit of amazement, government authorised their pur- and odour of battle, written in the or child-like wonder at the splen- competition among prospective pur-
chase on behalf of the national flush of victory or the despondency 'dors of the vanquished Moscow, a chasers during which Bibliothèque
library, at a price of £15,000, of defeat, carry the Emperor along Moscow lighted by the flames of a officials were bombarded with bids by cable, telegraph and transatlantle The letters are intimate insights then transferred to the national and back again from the calvary Napoleon himself appeared not to The entire correspondence was the triumphant road to Moscow holocaust. Yet in that hour, telephone, for publication rights to Into Napoleon's soul. They afford brary, and favoured Napoleonic that proved the war-god only know that the rocket had reached one of the most important sets of glimpses of petty, human, historical documents hitherto un-"family" life, and flashes of the experts were given their first op-human-and that he could be de-ita zenith and that it was now published, ever acquired by any overwhelming genius of n portunity to decipher the history-feated.
descending. The long, painful con-making documents. One of the Thore is a spirit of exultation march of retreat and bitter defeat, government.
fident conqueror. They were writ-)
letters fatal note that had in the march of the Grand Army a retreat dictated by the most ten from placos where, to the fallon into the 'hands of the over the Russian steppes--a series powerful enemy the Emperor over history in staggering characters, the direct cause of the Bonapartist which the tenor always was: thunder of his artillery, he wrote emperor's enemies many have been of brisk, military staccato notes of encountered, an enemy which was and yet found time to long for the disaster had been known to his defeated the fireside and "a kiss from my son," torians.. But even Maason, gen- enemy lost thousands
enemy. * the young King of Rome.
erally regarded as the greatest tured 20 pieces of artillery Discovery of the collection pro-authority on the Little Corporal's vided another romance for Napo domestic life, bellaved only one leonic scholars. Their very exis-letter from Napoleon to his newy by a proud Hapsburg house, des Louise to him, existed. tonce had been kept a close secret empress, and seven from Maric cended from the unhappy Mario Louise, and historians never sus- pected they might be found.
FRENCH RIGHTS Under the contract, while United Feature Syndicate has the sole rights outside France, rights within France are retained by the Biblio- theque Nationals which itself will arrange publication in this country with the forthcoming exhibition of
the letters.
120
FOUR YEARS
Negotiations were conducted in a lofty oak panelled administration office of the Bibliotheque's stately three century old home in the Bue Richelieu under the direct super-
On December 17 of Inst year, The lotters form a consecutive vision of the Minister of Education,
ears after the last of them history from 1810 to late in 1814. M. Andre Mallarme, by M. Julien Cain, Administrator General of the was rushed across the continent by The first group are self-revealing. sweating postilion and dusty court. They give a pleture of the man Bibliotheque, assisted by M. Emilo ier, they appeared-mysteriously at who was regarded as "a parvenue Leroy, Secretary General. The Sotheby's great auction house in Emperor," "a Corsican Upstart," United Feature Syndicate was re- London. The Austrian Archduke "usurper of the throne of France," presented by Mr. E. L. Keen, vice-whose library contained the guard- even "the monster of Europe," try- prosident and genoral Europeaned correspondance needed cash lng to win the affections of a After signing the contract M. and decided to dispose of them, young girl who had been brought Cain said:
"In deciding recently But he refused to reveal to the up to rogard him as a menace to peace and to her own ancestral to purchase at the Sothey sale fo world his narno, London these 318 letters the French News of the discovery, relayed throne.
The second government sought to demonstrate to the French academy, brought
group, showing
manager of the United Press.
the importance it attached to this immediate action by Premier Napoleon the demonstrative, af- correspondence, which
extended. Flandin, Edouard Herriot, Andre fectionate, impetuous lover, were Mallarme and other high govern-written during a tour of the ment officials. Withoul hesitation, Netherlands.
the
..I cap
not the Russian troops but the soundicas, white and cold death of Russia's snows, comes next in the series of letters.-United Press.
NEW!
NEW!
The Ideal Precis
amers for eve
purpose:
SUPER
with low running costs,
with automatic focussing by means of the built-in
range-finder coupled,;
with the famous ZEISS Tessars f/2.8 and f/3,5 with the reliable metal focal-plane shutter giving exposures from 1/5 to 1/1000 sec. Takes any cine-film.
That's the ZEISS IKON
SUPER NETTEL.
Easy pocketable and of the utmost rigidity.
Sole Agents: CARLOWITZ & Co. 4. Queen's Road C.
IKON
SPECIAL LINES
IN
Tel: 20873:
EVENING SHOES CLEARING
AT
$5.00 Pr.
FOR THE
LAST DAY
OF
GORDON'S
SHOE
ON
SALE
SATURDAY FEB. 16TH
Marla Rasputin, daughter of the Mad Monk of. Russia”, in pics *tured lá costumie'as a tiger inmor? at the World's Fair Circus In London, The costume I
the
- same that she wore before fleein" from the Bolabavika. Her father, -before his death-wielded an
canny infinance over the Cair and
THE
HONG KONG
·PENINSULA HOTEL:
HONGKONG HOTEL; REPULSE BAY HOTEL; PEAK HOTEL
Shown above la the now, all aluminium, double-decker bus of the China General Omnibus Company, which was put into service
in Shanghai recently
"The wedding of Lord Howart, Lord Chief Justice of England, and Miss Jean Stewart, a cousin of Sir William Paat, took place in the little church at Totteridge, Harts, England. Lord and Lady Hewart wors photographed as they left the church after their. marriage.
SHANGHAI
ASTOR HOUSE; PALACE HOTEL;
HOTELS
LIMITED.
In association with the Grand Hotel des Wagons Lits, Peking
Penang
The Scenic Gem of Malaya
ing the
the
Runnymede Hotel
Malaya Pro
also und
THE