The preparation of the present volume has been undertaken by Mr. Dickson at my request.
FREDERICK LEWIS MAITLAND.
LINDORES, December 9, 1903.
PREFACE.
"You are publishing a great and interesting national document.... The whole narrative is as fine, manly, and explicit an account as ever was given of so interesting a transaction." So wrote Sir Walter Scott to Captain Maitland after reading the manuscript of his Narrative of the Surrender of Buonaparte. It is undoubtedly a historical document of the first importance, not only as a record of "words by an eyewitness" of an ever-memorable event, but as a vindication of the good faith of the British Government in its conduct towards Napoleon.
In his Preface to the original edition, published by Henry Colburn in 1826, Sir Frederick Maitland wrote:--
"Immediately after the extraordinary and interesting events took place which are here recorded, I was, by the earnest solicitations of my friends, induced to throw together the notes and memoranda in my possession, of the proceedings in which I bore so prominent a part. I was further led to undertake this task, so foreign to my usual occupations, in consequence of the many misrepresentations that appeared at that time, respecting the conduct of Buonaparte while on board the ship I commanded, as well as my treatment of him.
"The following Narrative was then written solely for the private perusal of my friends, and not with a view to publication, many reasons combining, at that time, in my opinion, to render such a measure inexpedient.
"I made it my study to state events exactly as they occurred, and, in doing so, to avoid, as much as possible, all prejudice, either against or in favour of the extraordinary man whom it was my fortune to secure and bring to this country. It may appear surprising that a possibility could exist of a British officer being prejudiced in favour of one who had caused so many calamities to his country; but to such an extent did he possess the power of pleasing, that there are few people who could have sat at the same table with him for nearly a month, as I did, without feeling a sensation of pity, allied perhaps to regret, that a man possessed of so many fascinating qualities, and who had held so high a station in life, should be reduced to the situation in which I saw him.
"Although many of the causes for withholding my Narrative from the public eye have long been removed, I had no intention of bringing it forward, until by accident it fell into the hands of a most celebrated literary character [Sir Walter Scott]. He did me the honour, on returning it, to express an opinion which I was not at all prepared to expect, and so strongly to recommend its being published, that however averse to appearing as an author, I have been induced, under the sanction of such high authority, to present it to the public."
Sir Walter Scott's notes on the MS. of the Narrative are among the papers at Lindores. They consist chiefly of verbal criticisms on Sir Frederick's original rough draft. Unfortunately it is no longer in existence, and most of Sir Walter's notes cannot be followed without it. A few of his comments are printed as footnotes, in square brackets, and a portion of his MS. is reproduced in facsimile at page 230.
A sketch of Sir Frederick's life, chiefly based on the journals at Lindores, has been prefixed to the Narrative.
The Appendix of the original edition has been printed, with an additional Appendix, consisting of (1) a list of the officers serving on board the Bellerophon in July 1815, supplied by the courtesy of the Secretary to the Admiralty; (2) an unpublished letter from one of the assistant-surgeons of the Bellerophon, giving an account of Napoleon's surrender, recently acquired by the British Museum; and (3) several extracts from Memoirs of an Aristocrat, by a Midshipman of the Bellerophon. This extraordinary book, published in 1838, was written by George Home, son of Lieutenant A. Home, R.N., who on the death of the last Earl of Marchmont claimed the Marchmont peerage. It contained violent attacks on various persons connected with the family of Home of Wedderburn, and in particular on Admiral Sir David Milne of Milne-Graden and Lady Milne. An action was raised against the author and publishers, and damages were awarded against the former. The book was withdrawn from circulation, and is now extremely scarce. Home served as a midshipman on board the Bellerophon, and his "hair-brained narrative," as he calls it, adds some interesting details to his captain's record.
The frontispiece is from a portrait of Sir Frederick, painted by Samuel Woodford, R.A., and engraved by Henry Meyer. The original is now at Lindores.
The portrait of Lady Maitland at page lxviii is from a miniature at Lindores. This is the miniature which hung in the cabin of the Bellerophon, and which was seen and commented on by Napoleon.
The chart at page 1 is a slightly reduced copy of that in the original edition.
The portrait of Napoleon at page 68 is from a sketch made on board the Bellerophon by Colonel Planat, officier d'ordonnance to the Emperor, and given by him to Captain Maitland.
Mr Orchardson's well-known picture is reproduced at page 108, by permission of the Fine Art Company. It contains portraits of most of the chief personages of the story.
The picture of the Bellerophon at Plymouth at page 132 is reproduced, by permission of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, from the original by J. J. Chalon, R.A., now in the Painted Hall at Greenwich.
As is mentioned at page 202 of the Narrative, Napoleon desired to present Captain Maitland with a box containing his portrait set in diamonds. On Maitland's declining, in the circumstances, to accept any present of value, the Emperor begged him to keep as a souvenir a tumbler from his travelling case, bearing the crown and cipher of the Empress Josephine. This relic is still preserved at Lindores. A photograph of it is given at page 202.
W. K. D.
CONTENTS.
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