Napojleon and his Meals.—The habit of eating fast and carelessly is supposed to have paralysed Napoleon on two of the most critical occasions of his life—the battles of Borodino and Leipsic. On each of these occasions he is known to have been suffering from indiges tion. On the third day of Dresden, too (as the German novelist, Hoffman, who was in the town, asserts), the Emperor's energies were im paired by the effects of a shoulder of mutton stuffed with onions. There can be no doubt that Napoleon's irregularity as to meals injured his health, and shortened his life. The general order to his household was to have cutlets and roast chickens ready at all hours, day and night, and it was observed to the letter by his maitre (Thotel, Dunand, who had been a celebrated cook. In his more dignified capacity he con trived to fall in with the humours of his im perial master, and, by so doing, to be of essen tial use' at critical emergencies, when an hour of prolonged flurry or irritation might have cost a province or a throne. On one occasion, when matters had gone wrong in some quarter, Napoleon returned, from the Conseil d'Etat in one of his worst tempers and most discontented moods. A dejeuner ala fourchette, comprising his favourite dishes, was served up, and Napo leon, who. had fasted since daybreak, took his seat. But he had hardly swallowed a mouth ful, when apparently some inopportune thought or recollection stung his brain to madness; re ceding from the.table without rising from his chair, he uplifted his foot—dash! went the table—crash ! went the dejeuner; and the Em peror, springing up, paced the room with rapid and perturbed strides, indicative of the most frenzied rage. Duuand looked on without moving a muscle, and quietly gave the fit ting orders to. his staff. Quick as thought, the wreck was cleared away, an exact duplicate of the dejeuner appeared as if by magic and its presence was quietly announced by'the cus tomary " Samajeste est servie." Napoleon felt the delicacy and appreciated the tact of this mode of service. llerci bieri, man cker Dunand ! and one of his inimitable smiles showed that the hurricane had blown over.
