and
made his servant throw a cup of coffee out of the window because it had
stood a moment on a table near the Governor.
It was required that all persons who visited at Longwood or at Hut's Gate
should make a report to the Governor, or to Sir Thomas Reade, of the
conversations they had held with the French. Several additional
sentinels were posted around Longwood House and grounds.
During some extremely wet and foggy weather Napoleon did not go out for
several days. Messengers and letters continually succeeded one another
from Plantation House. The Governor appeared anxious to see Napoleon,
and was evidently distrustful, although the residents at Longwood were
assured of his actual presence by the sound of his voice. He had some
communications with Count Bertrand on the necessity that one of his
officers should see Napoleon daily. He also went to Longwood frequently
himself, and finally, after some difficulty, succeeded in obtaining an
interview with Napoleon in his bedchamber, which lasted about a quarter
of an hour. Some days before he sent for Mr. O'Meara, asked a variety of
questions concerning the captive, walked round the house several times
and before the windows, measuring and laying down the plan of a new
ditch, which he said he would have dug in order to prevent the cattle
from trespassing.
On the morning of the 5th of May Napoleon sent for his surgeon O'Meara to
come to him. He was introduced into Napoleon's bed-chamber, a
description of which is thus given: "It was about fourteen feet by
twelve, and ten or eleven feet in height. The walls were lined with
brown nankeen, bordered and edged with common green bordering paper, and
destitute of skirting. Two small windows without pulleys, one of which
was thrown up and fastened by a piece of notched wood, looked towards the
camp of the 53d Regiment. There were window-curtains of white
long-cloth, a small fire-place, a shabby grate and fire-irons to match,
with a paltry mantelpiece of wood, painted white, upon which stood a small
marble bust of his son. Above the mantelpiece hung the portrait of Maria
Louisa, and four or five of young Napoleon, one of which was embroidered
by the hands of his mother. A little more to the right hung also the
portrait of the Empress Josephine; and to the left was suspended the
alarm chamber-watch of Frederick the Great, obtained by Napoleon at
Potsdam; while on the right the Consular watch, engraved with the cipher
B, hung, by
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