Letter written in English by Napoleon during his exile in St Helena is set to fetch up to £80,000

• The French emperor was writing to his informal secretary and English teacher
• Emmanuel Comte de Las Cases had just written a gushing book about him 

An extremely rare letter written by Napoleon in English when he was in exile is expected to sell for up to £80,000 ($100,000).

The French emperor, who is played by Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s new film, could have been forgiven for refusing to utter a single word of his enemy’s language after his devastating defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

But he took a different approach while in exile on the tiny island of St Helena, deciding that learning it would help him communicate with his captors.

His studies also alleviated boredom and enabled him to read English books and newspapers, as none in French were provided.

Napoleon wrote the one-page letter to his informal secretary and English teacher, Emmanuel Comte de Las Cases.

De Las Cases had written a gushing book about Napoleon and the Emperor was clearly pleased with his portrayal in it.

An extremely rare letter written by Napoleon in English when he was in exile is expected to sell for up to £80,000

The French emperor, who is played by Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott’s new film, could have been forgiven for refusing to utter a single word of his enemy’s language after his devastating defeat at Waterloo in 1815. Above: A depiction of Napoleon in exile on St Helena

READ MORE: How accurate IS Ridley Scott’s Napoleon? From Marie Antoinette’s hair to shooting the Pyramids with a cannon – experts reveal film’s made-up scenes after it riled French critics 

However, he still had a jab at him by saying the Comte had made some mistakes.

Retaining his French pride and stubborn streak, Napoleon refused to abandon the use of ‘Je’, the French word for ‘I’.

He therefore wrote ‘J’ where he should be using ‘I’ in the letter.

He also used the French word ‘fautes’ for mistakes and made some minor spelling and comprehension errors.

Napoleon writes from St Helena’s Longwood House on March 6, 1816: ‘j write you this letter for say to you that you had done a very good book.

‘It is not however that is not somme fautes but you schal may corect them in the next edition.’

He adds: ‘Then schal you may sell you work five pound ever exemplary. upon that j pray god that he have you in his holy and worthy guard.’ 

The letter, one of just three known by Napoleon in English, is going under the hammer at RR Auction, of Boston, US.

An RR Auction spokesperson said: ‘This is an excessively rare handwritten letter in English – one of three known – by Napoleon Bonaparte, playfully criticising his tutor’s work.’

Napoleon writes from Longwood on March 6, 1816: ‘j write you this letter for say to you that you had done a very good book. ‘It is not however that is not somme fautes but you schal may corect them in the next edition’

The letter, one of just three known by Napoleon in English, is going under the hammer at RR Auction, of Boston, US

Napoleon lived in Longwood House  (pictured) on the island during his exile

The Comte said of teaching Napoleon in his memoirs: ‘He sent it (the letters) to me signed and sealed. 

‘I corrected the errors and wrote back to him, also in English, by return of post.

‘He understood me perfectly, which convinced him of his progress and proved that from now on he could, in all sincerity, correspond in his new language.’

However, speaking the language proved a greater challenge as he refused to change his French pronunciation of vowels for English words.

Napoleon’s final years on St Helena were spent in declining health and he complained of ‘inhumane’ treatment at the hands of the island’s governor, Sir Hudson Lowe.

He died in 1821.

The other Napoleon letters in English are in the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris and a separate private collection.

The sale takes place on December 7.

Scott’s new film, which is simply titled Napoleon, has attracted the ire of French critics, who were upset at the portrayal of the emperor.

Historians have also criticised the film’s inaccuracies, such as the depiction of Napoleon having been present at the execution of Marie Antoinette  

Source: Read Full Article