favourite retreat of Napoleon, who frequently walked here from Longwood, and passed hours under the trees, reading, or conversing with some of his suite: he was buried here at his own desire. Close by is a spring of the purest water, issuing from the rock, and from which he always drank: one of his servants came here daily with two silver bottles, which were filled at the spring for his use. I drank a glass of it, and cut some twigs from the willows, for which I had the governor's permission, communicated by his aide-de-camp to a non-commissioned officer, who lives on the spot to take care of the tomb, and prevent the trees being so cut without an order. This precaution has been found necessary from the ill-treatment they formerly experienced at the hands of the numerous visitors, some of whom carried off whole branches. Before the Countess Bertrand returned to Europe, she planted some pensées (heart's-ease) and immortelles (forget-me-not), at each corner of the grave: the places were pointed out to me, but these frail memorials of attachment had long since perished, although traces could be perceived of their having existed. The old serjeant took out of his secretaire, i. e. his cap, some scraps of paper, on which former visitors had left their morceaux of sentiment, on the grave of Napoleon. There was one in French, containing only these words :"Hélas! que puis-je dire!" I was told that the writer, gentleman from Calcutta, named L*****, had shed tears on writing them, and that several French visitors to the tomb had done the same. Others had been seen bowing to the grave, or kneeling upon the stones that cover it, as pilgrims would of yore at the shrine of a saint. There were also some verses, beginning Stop, contemplative traveller !"—but they were not worth stopping to copy. Napoleon was buried in full uniform, as he lay in state, with high boots, and a military hat; the body is enclosed in three coffins; some pieces of plate, &c. were buried with him, according to Catholic custom; the grave is lined with plaster, which was still wet, it is said, when the body was interred.

66

The tomb has been made the subject of an engraving, which is tolerably faithful. It is not surprising that this spot should have been selected by the great captive for the place of his last rest; it is very sequestered, and an air of romantic quiet pervades it. There is a house on a height above, but it is not seen from the grave, neither is that of the proprietor of the ground; the approach to the tomb is guarded by a gate usually kept locked; and the old keeper has a small hut built of wood, for his abode, on the other side of the little mound in which the grave lies: no other vestige of human habitation is visible, and no sound disturbs the awful, yet serene stillness, that reigns around this humble resting-place of fallen greatness, and " high ambition, lowly laid."

The house which Napoleon inhabited is distant about a mile and a-half from his grave; it is called Longwood House, and was formerly the summer residence of the lieutenant-governors of Saint Helena. It is, however, but a poor dwelling for the man who had once some of the finest palaces in Europe, among which to choose his abode: in England it would scarcely be considered a fit residence for a private gentleman of even moderate fortune. The house is rather low, and has but one story; Napoleon's bed-room was a small dismallooking chamber, hung with dark red China paper; it was perhaps for this reason that he caused himself to be removed from thence during his illness, to the dining-room, which is somewhat more lively, and about as large as an English parlour in good houses. Here he passed the last days of his life, and this was the scene of his death. It was impossible to look around without feeling some degree of emotion: I cut off a piece of the paper-hanging

in this room, as well as of the bed-chamber. Beyond the former, and connected with it by a door, was the billiard-room; the house was unfurnished, and out of repair, which, it must be allowed, increased its shabby and forlorn condition. It was about being converted into a farm-house, and various implements of husbandry were lying around; the offices were already partly transformed into stabling for horses and cattle; and a large machine for threshing, now occupied the place of the sofa on which Napoleon breathed his last. A paltry garden surrounds the house, which bore every feature of decay. I was shewn a walk which Napoleon preferred, as being closely overhung with trees and climbing shrubs, planted by his own desire, to screen his person from the obtrusive gaze of curious visitors, or the too near scrutiny of the sentinels. There were also the remains of a pond, with a small channel for the water, made under Buonaparte's own inspection: both were now dry and overrun with weeds. He passed much of his time in this small garden, amusing himself with making improvements in it. We next entered the kitchen, where the vacant space appeared from whence his grave-stones were taken; the grate and other apparatus seemed calculated only for the use of a private family, and not a very numerous one.

The house and garden are situated on a small piece of rising ground, very much exposed, and surrounded by a road, from which a paling, part of wood and part of iron, separates them here the guards were stationed during the night, very close to each other. At a small distance is another house, built by Count Bertrand for his own accommodation, there being no room for his family in that inhabited by Napoleon. Longwood House is 1,762 feet above the level of the sea; at a short distance is a signal post, or flag-staff, communicating with the town and Government House, from whence the sea is visible to a great extent, and ships approaching the island from the northward or eastward may be seen, in clear weather, twenty leagues off: this point is 2,272 feet above the sea.

I visited afterwards the new house built for Napoleon, but which he never inhabited: indeed it was not quite finished at his death. There are contradictory statements on this point at Saint Helena; some asserting that he had declared his intention never to occupy the house, from a feeling of pique, occasioned by his having been so long compelled to remain in the uncomfortable dwelling I had just left; others state that he was anxious for the completion of the new building, and was about removing into it, although not quite ready, when he was taken ill. I may remark in this place, that very little is publicly known at Saint Helena respecting his habits or feelings, and the treatment he received from the local authorities; and no doubt many unfounded stories have been circulated on these subjects.

The new building, however, would have been a comfortable, and indeed handsome, residence; in its internal arrangements every attention seems to have been paid to the convenience of the destined inhabitant. One suite of rooms, including every requisite for his personal comfort, is entirely separated from the rest, so that he might have lived as privately as he pleased. The apartments intended for company are roomy, and handsomely papered, with elegant marble chimney-pieces; the library is hung with bright green, with gold mouldings, and glass doors, which gave it a cheerful appearance. There is a separate suite of rooms intended for Count Bertrand, and another for Count Montholon; other apartments were appropriated to Napoleon's medical and spiritual attendants, as also to the British officer whose duty it was to watch over the important prisoner. The house, externally, has a neat, rather

than

than splendid, appearance. Like the old one, it consists only of a ground-floor; it is roofed with blue slate, and the walls are white-washed or stuccoed; there is a small veranda on one side, nearly overhung with creepers and enclosed by trellis work, intended for Napoleon to walk in, being screened from observation, which he always shunned. There is enough level ground about the house to form a little park, which was indeed in contemplation, but his death put a stop to the works that were in progress for ornamenting the grounds; and now, with the exception of some flower-plants and shrubs in a garden immediately adjoining the building, there is no verdure to be seen from it, but the dark copses of the gum-tree, the only one that is indigenous at Saint Helena, and which seems to abound in this part of it: these have a gloomy and mountainous appearance, rather augmenting than relieving the barren and desolate aspect of the scenery around.

On the whole, in selecting this spot for the abode of Napoleon, attention would seem to have been directed to the security of his person, as the paramount consideration, rather than the softening his captivity by fixing his residence in a comfortable and pleasant situation. Longwood has no natural beauties to recommend it; it is bare and unsheltered, often deprived of water; in short, the situation offers no advantages whatever, except that of rendering the captive's escape next to impossible.

We returned from Longwood to the town by another road, leading to the eastern parts of the island, and commencing on the left side of James's Valley, where it is called Side-path. Many picturesque spots, containing dwellinghouses, gardens, and plantations, are seen from this road; I particularly noticed one, called the Briars, which it is said Napoleon would have preferred for his residence; the ride, and visits to Longwood and the grave, had occupied the whole morning, and I returned just in time for dinner, somewhat fatigued, but very gratified by the excursion.

J. D. P.

INVOCATION OF CARALA.

From the Málatí Máď'hava, a Hindu Drama.

Blest be thy holy sport,

Delight of Siva's court!

The mighty globe, beneath thy ponderous fect,
Sinks from its seat,

Crushing the tortoise in its shell,

And driving ocean from its deep to hell.

Attendant spirits cease their plausive lay,
Aghast, with blank dismay,

At the wild laughter bursting from the heads,

Strung round thy neck like beads;

Which liquor, oozing from thy moony crest,

(Torn by that horrid hide, thy monstrous vest,

Swung in mad contortions high,)

Inspires with life and energy :

Whilst by the jerk of thine arm of power

With serpents twined, whose hissing jaws do scorch

With flakes of poisonous flame-vast mountains topple o'er.

Thy rolling head with fiery eye

Seems to contract the ample sky,

Like to a circle made by burning torch :

Whilst at thy skeleton's dark flag the stars affrighted fly.

INTERPRETERS TO REGIMENTS IN THE BURMESE PROVINCES.

THE following judicious letter from a Bengal Officer appeared in the Calcutta Weekly Messenger of September 4, 1825; the events which have occurred in the country to which it refers, whereby our connection with people who speak the Burma language is likely to become permanent, reinforce rather than weaken the arguments and suggestions of the writer:

"To the Editor of the Weekly Messenger.

"Sir: I have on more occasions than one, remarked on the qualifications of interpreters to native corps, and hinted towards rendering this line of duty more efficient than has been the case of late years; I now proceed to notice another point of qualification, which, though certainly of not much consequence to interpreters stationed with their regiments in the upper provinces, yet is essentially necessary to those serving in the countries of Assam, Arracan, and Ava. The study to which I allude, is that of the Mugh or Burma languages; and as the individuals referred to are serving in countries in which these languages form the current dialect, the subject cannot be viewed by any means as immaterial, but as one which, connected as it is with the administration of justice, is of the utmost importance.

"The cause which leads to my present communication, is the consideration of the possibility of a native court of inquiry, or court-martial, taking place, in which one of the parties, or the evidences, may be Mughs or Burmese, and, situated as we at present are, in the heart of their country, the idea is far from improbable; the interpreter who has not studied that language, must depend solely on his dobhashee, or Hindoostanee interpreter, for a correct interpretation of his deposition; these men are often far from possessing that degree of Hindoostanee knowledge which is required, and are consequently as liable to err from inability, as from wilful misrepresentation, were they inclined to do the latter. Against either of these evils there is no resource, unless the interpreter be himself possessed of knowledge sufficient to be enabled to overlook and check such erroneous interpretation; but many, indeed I may say all, at this present time, are so far from viewing the subject in this serious light, that were a Burmese evidence to appear on a court-martial, to swear him according to the tenets of his proper faith would be a difficulty of no little magnitude.

"In such a case, the proceedings of the court would be most probably suspended, or on deliberation, the interpreter so situated would, by means of his dobhashee, explain to the witness the punishment which, agreeably to our customs, awaited him, should he be detected in prevarication, or in stating any thing otherwise than the truth; and having done so, with this frail security towards so material a point as that of securing a true deposition, the proceedings would be resumed; and though the court might bear in mind that the evidence of an unsworn witness, from necessity accepted, could not be viewed otherwise than with the utmost caution, yet the ends of justice would, if not rendered totally unavailing, be certainly at least impeded.

"It is to be hoped, that the time is not far distant when considerable assistance may be given to interpreters situated as above described, who may be desirous of rendering themselves in every way fit for the situations they hold, by allowing to each a good dobhashec, in every way qualified to teach, on a handsome salary, for the sole purpose of their private tuition. The dobhashees now attached to regiments, on a small salary, are, in my idea, however

well

well calculated to conduct the common details for which they were hired, totally inadequate to the performance of this most necessary object; and without instructors, an interpreter cannot of himself, however willing and desirous he may be, attain much progress; or, at all events, his exertions cannot be productive of great effects: the mind becomes dull by fruitless essays, and the frequency of failure is apt to engender disgust.

"As it is the duty of every individual to render himself of service to his employers, and to use his best endeavours towards the welfare of his country, and with the view, principally, of the promotion of the administration of justice and general improvement, the writer has been at some considerable pains to ascertain a proper oath to be administered at courts-martial to Burmese witnesses; and through the medium of an intelligent friend, who ranks high as an oriental scholar, and has opportunities of affording such information, he has been enabled to note the following particulars, which, as the subject is one which has been hitherto unexplored, and, it is hoped, will prove of utility, may be deemed deserving of a column in your literary gazette. "Oath to be administered by the Interpreter to the Court to a Winess, whether Mugh or Burma, at any Court-Martial.

"See ää'moo, a kheng, dweng, ma how, ma man, choo 'lhee, én, keon dawgo (when the witness is a man, or keon daw mago, when the witness is a female), Pha ra choo ba jé; a thet, sa gya, ow na ga, see ba jé, à sheen da 'ne se ba jé; keeau, choo ba jé; loo ba wah goo ma ra, be shee ba jé.*

"The above had been prepared in its proper character: but being apprehensive that types would not be easily procured, or that in doing so the publication of the letter would be delayed, I have omitted its insertion.

"The manner of swearing in the evidence is thus. The kean or creed is placed on a vessel of water, which the witness holds up to his forehead, standing, facing towards the east, when the oath is read over, clearly and distinctly, by the interpreter, the witness repeating each sentence successively after him.

"In swearing in a soldier on being enlisted, or any other matter purely of a military nature, the person is sworn in on the dow, spear, or matchlock; but the Burmese, in cases of a doubtful nature, have frequently recourse to the trial by ordeal, thus: the accuser and the accused are plunged suddenly into water, and whichever retains his breath longest while under water, is considered as ignorant of the alleged crime.

"They not unfrequently, on these occasions, dip the tips of their fingers into melted lead, and after the expiration of seven days, the part affected is probed with a needle; if any pus or matter is extracted, the man is considered guilty; but should blood appear, he is judged innocent.

"I annex the following translation of the oath given above, in order that its nature may be understood, with the assumption that all those who peruse it will admit its being sufficiently binding for any purpose, however solemn.

It will be seen from the following "Division Order," that the hint of the writer has been adopted. The regulation it prescribes was founded, we understand, upon the above letter, the writer of which is a regimental interpreter on service in Arracan.--[ Ed. A. J.

"Division Orders by Brigadier General Morrison, C.B., commanding South-Eastern Division. Head-Quarters at Arracan, Thursday, Nov. 9, 1823.

"The mode of swearing and the form of oath to be used with Mugh or Burmese witnesses is to be obtained at the Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General's Office, at which place interpreters of corps will make application for it.

"The words of the oath are written in the English as well as the Burmese character, and the Burmese made of pronunciation accented. "W. B. SCOTT, Lt. D. A. A. G."