Napoleon's Tomb St Helena, May 5th 2020.

Aujourd’hui, en hommage à l’Empereur… à Sainte Hélène.

Posted by Domaines nationaux français à l'île de Sainte Hélène, Atlantique Sud on Monday, May 4, 2020

Napoelon's Tomb, St Helena, May 5th 2020

St Helena has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. So far no cases have been detected on the island, but there are no longer regular flights bringing in the tourists on which all the island's hopes had been pinned.

Normally a large crowd gathers in the Valley of the Tomb on May 5th to commemorate the death of the Emperor Napoleon, but this year because of social distancing no such event could be held. The Rev Graeme Beckett, St Helena's Baptist Minister wanted to play his bugle, and so he stood alone beside the tomb. Brightly edging the tomb were hundreds of Everlastings, the Australian daisies that now cover the island, and were originally sent to Longwood by a friend of Lady Holland, Napoleon's most prominent supporter in England.

View of the Ceremony from above

The rather moving ceremony was videoed on a mobile phone by Michel Dancoisne Martineau and posted on Facebook on the same day. Remember how many weeks it took for news of Napoleon's death to arrive in Europe!

On reflection the presence of a nonconformist Minister at this ceremony seems very appropriate. Two hundred years ago, and much later, Anglicanism was emblematic of Loyalism, whereas radicals and Liberals, who were always much more sympathetic to Napoleon, were drawn from the ranks of nonconformity.

Next year elaborate plans are being made for a huge ceremony to commemorate the bicentenary of Napoleon's death. It will be very important for the tourist industry on the island. Let us hope that we are back to some semblance of normality before then.

190 Years Later, the Death of Napoleon is Commemorated on St Helena

Napoleon's Tomb, with two wreaths laid today by the Honorary French Consul, Michel Dancoisne Martineau, and the Governor of St Helena, Andrew Gurr

This is the first time that the death of Napoleon has been publicly commemorated on the island. In the past there have been occasional private ceremonies for French visitors, but never before has there been a formal ceremony in which the island authorities and ordinary Saints have been invited to participate. I would guess that the last formal ceremony commemorating Napoleon took place in 1840 when his body was exhumed, solemnly transported to Jamestown, and with much fanfare taken on board the Belle Poule for his final journey back to France.



Organised in conjunction with the St Helena Tourist Office, this is a long overdue recognition of the importance of the captivity of Napoleon to St Helena's past and to its future, as well as a mark of respect to a great man whom the British Government treated rather shabbily in his last days.

Congratulations again to Michel who has worked tirelessly for 25 years to bridge the divide between the French properties and the lives of the island's inhabitants. Hopefully this will become a regular event.

How wonderful too that modern technology allows us to see photographs of the ceremony on the same day. How different from the world of 1821 when the only images were those of amateur artists, and when news of Napoleon's death took several weeks to arrive in Europe.

The Belle Poule and the Exhumation of Napoleon

Time for something totally different.

I have covered the Exhumation iof Napolon's body in 1840 in an earlier post (8th March 2008), but now will take another look at it from the eyes of a not very sympathetic British observer on St Helena.

Sir John Henry Lefroy, KCMG, CB, FRS, (28 January 1817 – 11 April 1890) was a British military officer and later colonial administrator (sometime governor of Bermuda and Tasmania).

As a young Lieutenant he was sent to St. Helena to study magnetic phenomena.

He was permitted to witness the exhumation of Napoleon but was not among the select few allowed into the tent to see the opening of the coffin. He chose also not to join the funeral procession or to see the embarkation of the coffin on board the Belle Poule.

In his recollection he claimed that the Governor, Major General Middlemore, a veteran of the Peninsular War, had hated the whole thing, had shut himself up at Plantation House (he is usually held to have been ill!), and had presumably conveniently left all the negotiations to Colonel Hamelin Trelawney, R.A. (1)

Despite his own lack of sympathy, Leroy was generally impressed with the Prince de Joinville whom he described as a fine young man, about six feet three inches in height .. He declined society, and went about in his loose white trousers, old coat, and tarpaulin hat ..

Leroy asked him if he might show him around the house (Longwood presumably), to which the Prince, who Leroy says was proficient in English and Spanish, bizarrely replied - Thank you, sare, I never drink wine.

Leroy was amused that the French party wanted relics: Handfuls of earth, water from Napoleon's spring, leaves, flowers, bulbs ..

In a letter to his sister, dated October 17th 1840, which reflects his feelings at the time, he described somewhat disrespectfully but maybe not atypically, the removal of Boney's remains. In a neat turn of phrase he noted that corruption and the worm had spared him who had given them so many a banquet .
His description of the scene of the exhumation is evocative:

.. the midnight formed as picturesque a scene as I have ever witnessed. The sentries posted on the hills, the black labourers, the soldiers of the guard and working party, mixed up with the muffled figures of the authorities attending, in the imperfect light of the lanterns by which they worked, would have formed a scene for Rembrandt.

He also expressed his disapproval of the way the Governor had in his view ceded to the demands of the French party:

Minute guns were fired all the way, and a royal salute from the battery, but not from the English man-of-war. However, with this latter exception, everything was done as if he were emperor, a thing we never acknowledged before, which makes the amende to France, and directly inculpates all preceding governments. I would have stuck to the "General Bonaparte" as long as there was "a shot in the locker".

Finally he referred to the ongoing diplomatic dispute between England and France over Syria - a declaration of war was daily expected .. - which, to the great amusement of Thackeray(2), was to cause so much concern to the Belle Poule on its journey back to France. Apparently the Belle Poule was not the only ship to panic over this: an English merchant vessel arrived at St Helena as the French were firing salutes; the crew clearly thought they were attacking the island, and the ship fled for her life. Likewise, as the Belle Poule left St Helena, Littlehales, in H.M.S. Dolphin followed her at a safe distance, determined if he got a chance to pitch a shell or two into "old Boney's coffin".

The letter concludes somewhat abruptly and, in view of the foregoing, a little strangely:

The French behaved handsomely.

An interesting insight I felt into relations between two countries which had often been at war over eight centuries. You would never have guessed from this account that peace between them had finally broken out!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The source for this piece is A.D. Thiessen, "The Removal of Napoleon's Remains from St. Helena to France, October 1840", Journal of the Royal Astronomcal Society of Canada , Vol 36, p 66
2. William Makepeace Thackeray, The Second Funeral of Napoleon

St. Helena: The Exhumation of Napoleon's Body

It is my wish that my ashes may repose on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of the French people, whom I have loved so well.- (Napoleon's Will)

St. Helena was never expected to be Napoleon's final resting place - certainly not by his fellow exiles. (1)

Doubtless nobody bothered to tell the citizens of St. Helena, who had derived some benefit from the presence of the tomb of the Emperor.

The Valley of the Tomb, September 15th 1840

It was 25 years to the day since Napoleon had first arrived on St. Helena.

It was raining heavily. Two tents were set up. One was giving protection to men who were excavating the tomb. The other was set up as a chapel. In this a number of local officials were gathered, as well as a party of French men, most of whom had shared the Emperor's exile and had come to take his body home.(2)

The work was taking longer than anticipated - the thick cement protecting the tomb was hard to penetrate, and the excavators had to work through the night. At 8.00 a.m. on 16th September they finally broke through; at 9.30 they caught sight of the coffin; soon they were able to enter into the tomb and inspect it.

Then the coffin was lifted out and moved into the chapel.

Between Britain and France nothing is ever quite straightforward, and this occasion was no exception. (3)

The French had wanted to exhume the body themselves, and the leader of the French Party, the King's son the Prince de Joinville, expressed his displeasure at not being allowed to do so by remaining on board the Belle Poule. Now with the coffin in the chapel objections were made and recorded by a local Judge concerning the correct procedures that should be gone through when a coffin is unsealed.

At last the coffin was opened. For two minutes Napoleon's remains were exposed to those present. Not long enough for the daguerreotype that someone had brought with them to record the occasion.

The witnesses were able to verify that it did indeed contain the body of the Emperor, and not the quick lime that a Parisian rumour had suggested. It is impossible to imagine what must have gone through the minds of those who had shared the Emperor's exile as the coffin was opened. As the body was revealed they were amazed to find it so well preserved; whilst they had grown older, he to some at least seemed younger than when he had died 19 years earlier.(4)

The coffin was then resealed, now with six layers instead of four, and weighing 1200 kilos. It was carried up the track by 43 soldiers and placed on a carriage that had been reinforced to bear its heavy weight. At this point a British officer from a famous military family, Major-General Churchill, Chief of Staff of the Indian Army came running to pay his respects, and he and his two aides de camp joined the procession into Jamestown.

In Jamestown flags were at half mast and shops closed. All the windows were crowded with onlookers. The ladies of St. Helena had woven a large tricolour flag for the occasion.

The sick Governor, General Middlemore who had walked the 6 kilometres into Jamestown behind the procession, formally handed the coffin over to the French. De Joinville thanked him for the sympathy and respect with which the ceremony had been conducted.

As soon as the coffin reached the French ship, flags were unfurled, masts squared, drums beaten and salvoes fired. The Emperor had come back to his own!

So ended the most momentous quarter century in the history of St Helena.

Gilbert Martineau describes it as the end of the most horrible misunderstanding in history.(5)
----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES
(1) Bertrand had asked the British Government in 1821 for the return of Napoleon's body, and had been told then that it was a matter for the French Government. Pleas by Napoleon's mother for the return of his body were unanswered.

(2) The former captives who returned in 1840 were Grand Marshal Bertrand, his son Arthur, General Gourgaud, the young Emmanuel Las Cases, Marchand, the faithful servant who had nursed Napoleon at the end. There were also a number of Napoleon's servants: Saint-Denis, Pierron, Noverraz, Coursot and Archambault. Notable absentees were the elder Las Cases, because of ill health, and the Count de Montholon. The latter was in London, about to embark with Napoleon's nephew, Louis Napoleon, on a foolhardy attempt to overthrow King Louis Philippe. For this Montholon was imprisoned for 20 years, but was pardoned in 1846. Louis Napoleon was imprisoned for life; in 1846 he managed to escape to England. In 1848 with he fall of the July Monarchy he became the President of France, and in 1851 the Emperor of the French.

(3)There had been a number of sensitive issues. The British Government clearly now recognised Naoleon as Emperor Napoleon rather than General Bonaparte, but it was concerned not to do anything which could be critised by the Tory opposition. It was made clear therefore that the Governor should not say anything which in any way appeared to criticise the decision of 1815. The French Government for its part indicated that the former captives now returning would be told to be silent and unemotional.

(4) The following account, in response to a comment that the Emperor's body was well preserved, was given to a visiting seaman by someone who said he had been prsent:

Yes; externally it was perfect. The least touch, however, made an indenture. His nose was the only part which did not retain its original fullness. It hung in upon the bone, and greatly disfigured his countenance. I saw him by torch-light, and a more ghastly object I never looked upon. The night was dark, and, when the lid of the coffin was raised, the glare of light shed upon his pale features gave them an additional ghastliness. His eyes were much sunken, and his lips slightly parted. There was nothing of sternness in the expression of his countenance. It was rather that of pain. He looked as if he had fallen into an uneasy sleep after a long fit of illness. His liver and heart, which were embalmed and placed upon his breast, were uninjured.

Etchings of a Whaling Cruise ... by J. Ross Browne.

(5) Napoleon's Last Journey, Gilbert Martineau.

Napoleon's Funeral on St. Helena

When you visit the Valley of the Tomb now it is hard to imagine what it was like on the day of the funeral in May 1821.

It hardly needs saying that this funeral was dwarfed by the later one in Paris, but this valley provided a natural theatre for an occasion which was as memorable and whose emotions as sincere as the later event.

His coffin was borne to the spot he himself had chosen for his grave - over which a willow hung its weeping boughs - upon the shoulders of those who had once fought against him, but who now mourned over him with such heartfelt sorrow as the truly brave of every nation spontaneously pay to fallen greatness, and with such deep pity for his sad untimely fate ...

The emotion felt by all was not produced by scenic effect, by martial strains, by sacred harmonies, the mighty organ's pealing tones, and full-voiced choir below; it was from nature's source alone - genuine and spontaneous. They wept in very pity while beholding the humble obsequies of the man who, for a few brief years, had 'made the earth to tremble, and did shake the kingdoms'.

- a British Officer


Contemporary French Image of the Funeral (circa 1826)
The heavy lead-lined coffin was covered with a pall of violet-coloured velvet, and with the cloak which Napoleon had worn at Marengo;
It was placed on a carriage drawn by four horses, led by grooms, and escorted by twelve grenadiers without arms.

The procession began at Longwood. Behind the hearse came the members of the Emperor's household. Then came Napoleon's horse, led by his groom; then the British naval and army officers on horseback and on foot; then the members of the Island Council; then the Admiral and the Governor on horseback; then the inhabitants of the island.

Lady Lowe and her daughter were waiting in a carriage at Hutts Gate and joined the procession there. The whole garrison of some 3000 soldiers lined the route with arms reversed, and themselves joined the procession as it passed. Military bands played specially composed music.(1) Warships in the harbour fired salutes, and a shore battery responded.

At the point where the newly cut road to the graveside ended, the coffin was carried in relays by teams of soldiers and naval ratings. When the coffin was lowered into the grave three salvoes of fifteen rounds were fired. The waiting crowds then rushed forward to strip the trees of leaves and twigs as souvenirs. The Governor and Admiral tried to stop them, but in vain.(2)

Among the British Officers was Lieutenant George Horsley Wood.(3) His comments appear at the beginning of this entry. He was inspired to write a poem:

Oft have I gazed on this wondrous man,
But aye with strange emotions, undefined,
Akin to fearful dread and wonderment,
As if oppress'd by some mysterious power,
Like some poor bird beneath the serpent's gaze,
Spell-bound, and shivering with sudden fear;
For, oh! there was a magic in his eye,
That seem'd to penetrate the very soul,
And trace all secrets deeply buried there
Thus could he read the thoughts of other men,
Himself-a sealed book-unread the while.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
But I did gaze upon that eye,-how changed
When all its bright celestial fire had fled;
Upon that pallid lip, where, e'en in death,
That smile still lingering play'd, that won all hearts
And I did hold that pale cold hand in mine,
Which once did grasp the sceptre of the world

The two lines in bold seem to me still to ring very true. Kauffmann tried to get below the surface. Few others have. Many have and still do project what they want to believe on to this most complex of men.

____________________________________________________
NOTES

1. The music was composed by Charles McCarthy, a Lieutenant in the 66th Foot.
2. Afterwards the Governor surrounded the area with the railings constructed for new Longwood House, to which Napoleon had so strongly objected; the area was also guarded by sentries.
3. Lt. Wood came from a famous Isle of Man family. An evangelical Christian, he was one of a group who used to meet regularly on the island to pray for Napoleon's soul. He was a man of some literary pretensions and dogmatic beliefs. By some strange chance he was also present on the island in 1840 at the time of the exhumation.

Valley of the Tomb: Napoleon's Burial Place on St. Helena

On the death of a great man like him, we should only feel deep concern and regret

- Hudson Lowe

I assume that you will not wish to place an inscription upon the tombstone, because it would be necessary to use titles and that I cannot allow

- Hudson Lowe

After Napoleon's death Longwood had been opened for the public, civilians and military alike, to come and pay their respects; large numbers came:-

They came in groups of four, six, or ten persons at a time, and left after a few minutes. The majority touched the Emperor's hand. Several women or officers were unable to restrain their tears, recorded Grand Marshall Bertrand in his diary.

One young soldier tried on Napoleon's hat: He must have had an extraordinary wide head, for it would not fit me when put on square (the way he always wore it).
The same soldier was suprised at the living conditions he found at Longwood: I could not have lived as he did, I am sure, half the time he did.

Napoleon's body was sealed within the inner of four coffins. It is said that with the air excluded the body will be preserved for centuries confided Bertrand to his diary.

So to the Geranium Valley/Sane Valley.

Napoleon chose this as his resting place, if he could not be buried in France.

It is very close to Hutts Gate, but involves a good walk down to the bottom from the road.









It looks a little different from nineteenth century pictures.











This is a very beautiful, peaceful place.

It is a very fertile green valley, where even bananas grow.

Napoleon used to send a servant here every day to fetch drinking water from the stream.

He himself visited it often.



We visited twice. It was a pleasure to meet the attendant, another of nature's gentlemen.




Michel has a very interesting picture of "Charlie" on his blog (see links on left - then on Michel's site look for entry headed Exposition "L'abondance" par Andrew Parker).

It looks as if the artistic life of St. Helena may be about to blossom! Sometime I will talk a little about art on St. Helena, but that must wait for another day.

This place has witnessed two great occasions.


The first, the funeral(May 9th 1821), must have been the biggest event that has ever occurred on St. Helena -perhaps a little grand for a mere "General".

The second event, the exhumation(16th October 1840), although not as large, was in its own way just as remarkable.

150 Year Anniversary of the French Properties, St. Helena

In 1858 Longwood House and The Valley of the Tomb were handed over to the French State, then headed by Napoleon's nephew, Napoleon III. The French paid £7,100 for the properties. A condition of the transfer was that the French Government should appoint a representative responsible for their upkeep.

Some background on this decision may be interesting.

By the 1850's Longwood House had been badly neglected, and was being used for agricultural purposes. The Valley of the Tomb remained a popular tourist destination even though Napoleon's body had been removed in 1840, and there was talk that P.T. Barnum would buy it, obviously for its commercial potential.

This was a time of Anglo French entente: Britain and France had just fought as allies in the Crimea, and Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie had developed a close friendship with Queen Victoria.

In 1855 Queen Victoria visited Paris, the first visit of a reigning English monarch to France since 1431.

She wrote about her trip to her cousin, Leopold II, King of the Belgians:

Our reception is most gratifying - for it is enthusiastic and really kind in the 
highest degree, - and Maréchal Magnan ... says that such a reception as I have received every day here - is much greater & much more enthusiastic even than Napoléon on his return from his Victories had received.!!

During her visit in 1855 she took the young Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) to Les Invalides, where Napoleon's body had rested since 1840, and bade him "Kneel down before the Tomb of the Great Napoleon". This was a very big change in official attitudes from 1821 when Hudson Lowe had refused to allow the single word "Napoleon" to be inscribed on the tomb!

The French Consul has some very good cartoons and pictures from an exhibition on the Congress of Paris (1856) which provide added backround on this period French Consul's Blog 18th Feb 2008


As a footnote it should be noted that Napoleon III died in exile in England, and his son died in 1879 fighting in the British Army against the Zulus. The body of Napoleon III, his son, and that of the Empress Eugenie (who died in 1820) are buried in the Imperial Crypt at Saint Michael’s Abbey, Farnborough Hampshire. There has been some talk about moving their bodies back to France.