and both hands, I fancied, from the direction of his eyes, that he was thinking of wiping off the oil, rather than of anything else; and I was so perfectly acquainted with the workings of his countenance that I have no hesitation in saying that was really the thought that crossed his mind at the moment.

During the ceremony of anointing, the Holy Father delivered that impressive prayer which concludes with these words: -"Diffuse, O Lord, by our hands, the treasures of thy grace and benediction on thy servant, Napoleon, whom, in spite of our personal unworthiness, we this day anoint Emperor, in thy name."-Napoleon listened to this prayer with an air of pious devotion. But just as the Pope was about to take the crown, called the crown of Charlemagne, from the altar, Napoleon seized it and placed it on his own head! At that moment he was really handsome, and his countenance was lighted up with an expression of which no words can convey an idea. He had removed the wreath of laurel which he wore on entering the church, and which encircles his brow in the fine picture of Gérard. The crown was, perhaps, in itself, less becoming to him; but the expression excited by the act of putting it on, rendered him perfectly handsome.

When the moment arrived for Josephine to take an active part in the grand drama, she descended from the throne, and advanced towards the altar, where the Emperor awaited her, followed by her retinue of court ladies, and having her train borne by the Princesses Caroline, Julie, Eliza, and Louise. One of the chief beauties of the Empress Josephine was not merely her fine figure, but the elegant turn of her neck, and the way in which she carried her head; indeed, her deportment, altogether, was conspicuous for dignity and grace. I have had the honor of being presented to many real princesses, but I never saw one who, to my eyes, presented so perfect a personification of elegance and majesty.

In Napoleon's countenance I could read the conviction of all I have just said. He looked with an air of complacency at the Empress, as she advanced towards him; and when she knelt down-when the tears, which she could not repress, fell upon her clasped hands, as they were raised to heaven, or rather to Napoleon-both then appeared to enjoy one of those

fleeting moments of pure felicity, which are unique in a lifetime, and serve to fill up a vacuum of years.

The Emperor performed, with peculiar grace, every action required of him during the ceremony; but his manner of crowning Josephine was most remarkable. After receiving the small crown surmounted by the cross, he had first to place it on his own head, and then to transfer it to that of the Empress; when the moment arrived for placing the crown on the head of the woman whom popular superstition regarded as his good genius, his manner was almost playful. He took great pains to arrange this little crown, which was placed over Josephine's tiara of diamonds; he put it on, then took it off, and, finally, put it on again, as if to promise her she should wear it gracefully and lightly.-DUCHESS OF ABRANTÉS.

NDRE MASSÉNA, or Manasseh, as was his real name, was a Hebrew. He was born at Nice on the 6th of May, 1758. Left an orphan at a very early age, his education was very much neglected. Some of his youthful days he spent in the merchant-marine service; but taking

a dislike to a seafaring life, he abandoned it, and in 1775 enlisted in the Regiment Royal Italian as a common soldier. After a diligent discharge of his duties in that regiment, of which his uncle was captain, he only attained the rank of sergeant, which, when he was at the head of his profession, he declared was the step in his military career which had cost him the most to gain. Discouraged by this slow promotion, he retired to his native city, where he married a lady of

means.

Events connected with the French Revolution recalled him to his former profession, and he was appointed by the votes of his comrades in arms to the rank of adjutant-major of the battalion raised in the Var, of which regiment he subsequently became colonel. In August, 1793, he was made general of brigade, and a few months later general of division. In the Italian campaigns of 1794 and 1795 he served under the generals Kellerman and Scherer, and it was chiefly owing to his skill as a tactician that the victory was gained on the defile of Saorgio in August, 1794, and on the Col de San Giacomo in 1795. Indeed, the great success of these campaigns has

generally been attributed to the ability of the plans which the influence of his talents caused to be adopted. When Bonaparte assumed the command in Italy he employed Masséna actively on all occasions of importance, and so justly appreciated the brilliancy of his military conceptions that he surnamed him "the favored child of victory."

After the peace of Campo Formio, October 17th, 1797, Masséna was sent to France to present to the Directory the ratification of the treaty by the Emperor of Austria. In February, 1798, he was appointed to the command of the army which, under General Berthier, was occupying Rome and the Papal States. His appointment was equally distasteful both to the French soldiers and the inhabitants of the subjected country, for they both became the victims of that insatiable avarice which on every occasion characterized him. The multiplied complaints to which his disposition gave rise at last obliged him to resign his command and to return to Paris. In 1799, however, he was invested with the important command of the armies of the Danube and of Switzerland. In the direction of this campaign he evinced a military talent of the highest order. The memorable battle of Zürich, fought on the 5th and 6th of June, in which he obtained considerable advantages over the Russians under Korsakow, saved France from the invasion of the allied powers, and led to the dissolution of the coalition which had been formed between the Russians and Austrians. When Bonaparte returned from Egypt, Masséna was ordered by him to defend Genoa, which was at that time invested by a large Austrian army, and closely blockaded by the English fleet under Lord Keith. From February to June, 1800, he held out against immensely superior forces; but on the 3d of the latter month, being unable to prevent the rising of the inhabitants, he was compelled to agree to an honorable capitulation.

In May, 1804, on the day that Napoleon became emperor, Masséna was among the select number then created marshals of France. In the following year he was again appointed to the command of the army in Italy, where he was opposed to the Austrian army under the Archduke Charles; he was at last enabled to drive them back into Germany, and to effect a

junction with the grand army of Napoleon. In 1807 he was appointed to the command of the right wing of the army opposed to the Russians in Poland, and his services during the campaign were rewarded by the title of Duke of Rivoli, in commemoration of the skill and valor which he had displayed in that celebrated battle, 1797; a large sum of money was also given him to support his new dignity. Although he had exposed his person in so many battles without receiving a wound, on returning to Paris he had the misfortune to lose his left eye while on a hunting party, a portion of shot having accidentally struck it. In 1809 he signalized himself greatly at the battle of Esslingen, or Aspern, in Germany, and by his firmness saved the French imperial army from utter destruction. His eminent services on this most critical occasion was rewarded by the rank and title of Prince of Essling. The same success attended the operations of Masséna at Engerdorf and at Wagram.

In 1810 Napoleon sent his trusted Marshal Masséna with a powerful force to conquer Portugal, and "to drive the English and their Sepoy general into the sea." But the genius and firmness of Wellington proved too much for the "favored child of victory." The lines of Torres Vedras were a barrier that the French marshal dared not assail, and he retired from Portugal in 1811, showing consummate military skill in the conduct of the retreat, and equal barbarity in his treatment of the unhappy country which was the scene of the war. In the latter end of 1813 he was sent to Toulon to take the command of the Eighth Military Division, from which place he formally declared his adhesion to the Bourbons, on the 6th of April, 1814, and was by them confirmed in his command.

On Napoleon's return from Elba, Masséna, after some hesitation, recognized his government, but kept aloof from all active participation in the events which took place during the Hundred Days. After Napoleon's second abdication he was appointed commander-in-chief of the National Guard of Paris. Being chosen a member of the council of war which was assembled for the trial of Marshal Ney, he joined the majority of members in pronouncing for the incompetency of the Some months after he was denounced in the Chamber

court.