CHAPTER VII.

BACCIOCHI.

MONSIEUR BACCIOCHI was born at Ajaccio, and claims. to be a kinsman of the Bonapartes. All Corsicans do. In 1848 he ran away from home to escape being arrested for debt, and took refuge at Bastia in the house of a vine-dresser named Catoni. After Prince Napoleon's election as President of the Republic he borrowed two hundred francs of the lawyer Cartuccia and went to Paris.

A few days later he was installed at the Elysée, near his so-called cousin, and was made a Count.

Although utterly devoid of brains, he knew how to amass a considerable fortune by obtaining his sovereign master's signature to the following more or less honest concessions :-The Napoleonic Docks, the monopoly of the Paris omnibuses, the increase of hackney cabs by five hundred additional vehicles, the Vichy waters, the Marseilles Docks, and the

F

Port of Ajaccio, given to Armand without a sealed tender.

During the examination of the Mirés bankruptcy it was discovered that Count de Bacciochi had received a million for services rendered.

On hearing of his Chamberlain's dealings with the Jew his august cousin made him Superintendent of Theatres and Director of Music in the Imperial Chapel.

In his princely opulence as an habitual guest at the Imperial table he found means to reward his friends in a befitting manner.

Catoni, the vine-dresser of Bastia, is now Inspector of Theatres, and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. A son whom he had by Catoni's servant was taken to the Tuileries as a body-servant. Now young Bertora is the Chamberlain's secretary, and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.

Lawyer Cartuccia, who lent him the two hundred francs, was unanimously elected President of the Senate at the Imperial Court at Bastia.

His friends declare Bacciochi to be worth five millions.

CHAPTER VIII.

DOCTOR CONNEAU.

SOME gossips have said that Doctor Conneau was once assistant cook to Queen Hortense. I do not know if it is true. All that I know is that the Queen of Holland, on her death-bed, made him promise never to leave her son, and that, except at rare intervals, Conneau kept his word.

In 1831, when the Prince escaped from Aunenberg and went to Poland, the doctor was sent to fetch him back, and was arrested at Augsberg. While he was being taken to prison he said that he had the cholera. His gaolers were terrified.

Two days afterwards he brought the fugitive back to his mother.

Arrested at Strasburg and Boulogne, he always shared his master's fortunes. When he helped him to escape from Fort Ham, and was questioned by the President, he replied

"I helped him to escape because I love him!"

After the Empire he was made successively Head Physician to the Court, Director of the Chapel of Ease, and Deputy. He married the painter, Mademoiselle Pasquelini, whom he had attended professionally.

With all his good qualities, Dr. Conneau, if he had lived in Molière's time, would certainly have figured with Harpagon and Fozias, on account of the weakness which he displayed after the Crimean

war.

Why was it, Doctor Conneau, that with all your good qualities you could not deny yourself the ambition of wearing a sword of honour?

After the Crimean war, during which Generals MacMahon and Pelissier had made themselves illustrious, the Irish for MacMahon, and the Normans for Pelissier, opened subscriptions with the design to offer each of them a sword of honour.

In the face of this deserving glory our Esculapius sent to Corsica for his wife's cousin, and spoke to him in the following manner

"You must send in your resignation as member of the General Council of the Department; the Prefect will receive orders to nominate me in your stead. The day of the ballot you must open a subscription for a sword to present to your Emperor's physician. Here is money with which to buy it, and for all the necessary expenses."

Some months afterwards the Moniteur announced to its readers that His Imperial Majesty's head physician, Doctor Conneau, had been unanimously elected member of the General Council of the District of Corsica in the room of Monsieur Colombani, whose resignation had been accepted, and that the electors, in a patriotic outburst, had, when the vote was carried, voted by acclamation a sword of honour to the faithful servant of His Imperial Majesty Napoleon III.

I will add in conclusion that the same number of the official organ contained in the official portion these words: "Monsieur Colombani, Dockyard Collector at the Porta, has been appointed financial receiver at Certi."