People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1894 — Literary Note. [ARTICLE]

Literary Note.

The singular good fortune has fallen to the lot of the Cosmopolitan Magazine of presenting one of the most remarkable pieces of fiction ever written—remarkable because of its author and remarkable because it has remained unsuspected and undiscovered for more than a hundred years, only to be given to the world at last in an American magazine. During a recent call at the office of the editor of the Cosmopolitan, he mentioned that he had on the presses in the April number a literary treasure, and asked me to guess the name, saying that it was written by a most distinguished person. After a moment’s thought I ventured: “President Harrison?” “Greater than he.” was the reply. “Guess again.” “Blaine?” “Greater than Blaine.” “Gladstone?” “Greater than he.” “Bismarck?” “Greater than he.” “Emperor William?” “Much greater.” “Pope Leo XIII?” I guessed widely. “Greater than he.” Then I was at a loss, and hesitated. “You must not confine yourself to living men,” he interrupted.

“You say it is a piece of fiction and by a man greater than Bismarck, Gladstone, the Emperor William? I confess you puzzle me.” “Well, suppose I say it was a Corsican story.” The riddle was solved. A story was actually in existence by Napoleon Bonaparte. The manuscript had survived the vicissitudes of War and exile. Had remained locked up for a hundred years and was now about to be brought to light in America. It appears from the researches made by the French Napoleonic scholar, Frederic Masson, who vouches for the fact over his own signature, that Napoleon, when a young lieutenant, wrote a Cor-

sican story. The manuscript of this he confided to his uncle, Cardinal Fesch, then Archbishop of Lyons. When Cardinal Fesch died in 1839, his papers were intrusted to his Grand Vicar, Abbe Lyonnet. Napoleon’s manuscript was sold by the abbe to Libri, a member of the Academy and inspector of French libraries. Libri sold this and some other manuscripts to Lord Ashburnham for £40,000, and from 1842 to a recent date Na poleon's manuscripts slumbered in Ashburnham Castle. The Cosmopolitan maintains staff editors in both London and Paris, men of wide acquirements, who spend their time in searching exclusively for what is likely to be of great value to the readers of the magazine. To the Paris editor belongs the honor of securing for an American periodical the interesting manuscript from the pen of the world’s greatest personality.