THE PRINCE LOUIS LUCIEN BONAPARTE is the fourth son of the celebrated Lucien Bonaparte, and nephew of the Great Napoleon. He was born at Thorngrove, in the County of Worcester, on January 4, 1813. His father was then in England as a captive, but after the decisive Battle of Waterloo the illustrious family migrated to Italy, living in the States of the Church. It was there that the young Louis commenced those studies which were destined in after years to bear such excellent fruit. After the Revolution of 1848 he left Florence, and on the restoration of a more peaceful era the prince returned to his own country, and was not long before he assumed a more legitimate position, for the electors of Corsica returned him to the Constituent Assembly. This was on November 28th, 1848. Some six weeks afterwards, however, this election was annulled (January 9th, 1849). Ultimately he became a Member of the Legislative Assembly, being nominated by the Electorial Union and returned for the Department of the Seine. Upwards of 120,000 voted for Prince Lucien. On December 31st, 1852, he was appointed Senator, receiving at the same time the titles of Prince and Highness. This was on the re-establishment of the Empire. Under the Second Republic, and by the

proposition of the illustrious chemist, M. Dumas, who was then in charge of a Ministry, the subject of our sketch had received the decoration of the Legion of Honour. He is now Grand Cross of the Order.

It is our purpose, however, in this short memoir to write of Prince Lucien Bonaparte as a savant and philosopher rather than as a politician. Of course his sympathies are the antithesis of Republican, and had he in the course of the Imperial succession been called upon to rule France he would have had his subjects feel towards him very much as Juvenal bade the Romans feel towards Jupiter:

"Permittes ipsis expendere numinibus, quid

Conveniat nobis, rebusque sit utile nostris,

Nam pro jucundis aptissima quæque dabunt Di."

He, with his philosophic and Christian mind, would have known better what was good for the people than they could possibly have known for themselves. The Prince's earlier aspirations, however, turned out to be what he was determined should be the aspirations of his life, for from the first hours of his discretion he was a teacher of men in the higher interests of their existence; and as the greater intellects have ever seemed to have a special channel through which they could attain the objects desired, so the special conduit, or method, which Prince Lucien Bonaparte intuitively utilised, was the path of Philology. The Prince believes that one of the best ways to civilise the world is to propagate the Scriptures, and that the only practicable mode by which this may be accomplished, is their diffusion in the tongues of those countries to which they may be sent. He does not "swear by sealed-books," and as an instance of his devotion to this credo we may state that he had the "Parable of the Sower" translated into upwards of seventy European dialects. But it must not be assumed that the philological work of Prince Bonaparte ends at the translation of the Bible. His magnum opus will be his "Dictionary of all the European Languages," a literary monolith which will transmit his fame to all posterity. It is a well authenticated fact that the knowledge of languages on the Continent is of the most limited character. Even in our own day nations are deplorably deficient in power and ability to communicate with their nearest neighbours, and this especially in the West of Europe. Philology is therefore the handmaiden of the Prince's Philanthropy, for his loving work to unite

and civilise men is mainly effected through the facilities he has given of comprehending the speech of different and differing nationalities. As has been well said, if we could get one family of languages (z.e., if a knowledge of languages became more universal) we should soon have, ex necessitate rei, a "united family of nations."

Prince Lucien Bonaparte, in addition, goes locally into the study of language, if we may so express it. Our meaning is that it is not only the chiefer tongues of the continent of Europe that he has mastered and helped so many thousands of other persons to attain, but he even enters into the minutæ of patois. He also determined to become acquainted with that family of tongues peculiar to the United Kingdom which country he has permanently made his home. This is so especially with regard to the Welsh language. Some years since, in company with the late Rev. Robert Jones, Vicar of All Saints', Rotherhithe (the learned editor of "Roscoe's Wanderings in Wales"), Prince Lucien made a tour of the Principality, and was much struck with its picturesque scenery and the equally picturesque habits of the people. Many a fanciful story clusters round this almost historical visit, notably one which has more than once been related by the Prince himself. It had been noised abroad amongst the hotel-keepers and guides that the illustrious traveller with his learned companion would shortly be in the neighbourhood, and thati: would be the duty of one of the most trustworthy to conduct them over the "lions" of the locality. It so happened that the Prince had arrived unrecognised, and whilst his party were being ciceroned through the most romantic portions of the scenery, they noticed a great deal of impatience on the part of their guide. On being taxed with it, the latter frankly admitted that a Prince was hourly expected, and that it had been delegated to him to conduct the illustrious stranger over the neighbourhood. "Oh," said the Prince, "I should not hurry for any Prince in the world!" and, as may be imagined, an homiletic frown from the guide was his only response. When it really transpired that it was the Prince himself, the consternation of the honest Welshman was ludicrous in the extreme. The Prince's autograph may be seen in more than one Visitors' Book in Wales.

Space will not permit of our giving a full list of the remarkable works-original and translations-which have issued from the pen of Prince Lucien Bonaparte.

In a

subtly interesting bibliographical sketch of His Imperal Highness, printed in the French language, and published some years back, we find the following amongst his translations (traductions), and which are set out simply as an illustration of the vast industry and scholarship of the Prince :

"La Sainte Bible traduite pour la première fois en langue basque du Labourd.

"La Genèse, l'Exode et le Lévitique en langue basque du Guipuscoa, dont le Prince est un des traducteurs.

"Les Psaumes en écossais des Lowlands.

"La Parabole de Semeur en soixante-douze langues et dialectes divers de l'Europe.

"Les Livres apocryphes de la Bible en dialecte gaélique de l'Écosse.

"Le Psaume CL. en basque de la vallée de Salazar (Espagne).

"L'Évangile selon Saint Matthieu dans les dialectes guipuscoan, biscaïen, navarrais et basnavarrais, souletin, breton de Vannes, milanais, bergamasque, bolonnais, romagnol de Faenza, piémontais, vénitien, du Frioul, napolitain, sarde cagliaritano et logudorese, corse, romain, asturien, écossais des Lowlands, anglais du comté de Devon, néo-frison, picard-amiénois, normand de Guernesey, saintongeois de Jarnac, franc-comtois de la vallée basse du Doubs (environs de Baume-les-Dames), provençal marseillais moderne, de la Carélie méridionale, livonien de l'est et de l'ouest, albanais de Piana de' Greci, wotiaque, zyriaine, permien, tchérémisse, ersa-morduin et vogoule.

"L'Apocalypse en dialectes guipuscoan, biscaïen et souletin. "Le Livre de Ruth en dialectes labourdin, sicilien, sarde méridional, central et septentrional tempiese et sassarese, et anglais du comté de Northumberland.

"Le Cantique des cantiques de Salomon en dialectes labourdin, guipuscoan (traduction du Prince), dans tous les dialectes existants des langues gaéliques et cambriques, en dialectes sicilien, sardes méridional, central et septentrional tempiese et sassarese, allemand transylvanien, écossais des Lowlands, en une vingtaine d'autres dialectes anglais, et en russe.

"La Parabole de l'Enfant prodigue en grec de Cargese (Corse).

"L'Histoire de Joseph en dialectes sardes cagliaritano, logudorese, tempiese et sassarese.

"La Prophétie de Jonas dans les mêmes, et en dialectes

labourdin, navarrais de la vallée de Baztan et bas-navarrais de celle de Cize.

"Le Cantique des trois enfants en onze dialectes ou variétés de la langue basque.

"La Doctrine chrétienne en dialectes biscaïen de Llodio, de Marquina, Bermeo, Arratia, Centro et Ochandiano." Amongst the Prince's original works (Ecrits Originaux) we may mention :

Specimen lexici comparativa omnium linguarum Europarum, Opera et studio.-Florence, 1847.

"Le Verbe basque, par l'Abbé INCHAUSPE.-Bayonne, un volume in-4° de plus de 500 pages.-Cet ouvrage est l'un des plus importants pour l'étude du basque, qui aient été édités par le Prince.

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Langue basque et langues finnoises.-Londres, 1862.

Classification morphologique des langues européennes, adoptée par le Prince pour son Vocabulaire comparatif.Londres, 1863.

"Le Verbe basque en tableaux, présentant les formes du dialecte guipuscoan, biscaïen, labourdin et souletin, comparées entre elles, ainsi que les principales varientes des autres dialectes, sous-dialectes et variétés des l'euscara. Les deux premiers tableaux montrant le nombre des temps simples et composés du basque.-Londres, 1864," &c., &c., &c.

Of course it is understood that the works we have enumerated are but a few-and a very few-which have been written by this truly great thinker. And when we place it on record that Prince Lucien Bonaparte is a devoted student and professor of Chemistry, and other natural sciences, in addition to what we may call his own walk in life, it is for our readers to judge of the calibre of the man. And another significant fact must be borne in mind, namely, that Prince Bonaparte's works are of that unique character that they admit of no pecuniary profit, but, on the contrary, a great outlay from his private fortune. Prior to their exodus from the publisher to the public they pass through many experienced hands, most of the type used being indeed specially cast. But the Prince loves his work, and feels he has a mission to humanity. So far, well has he fulfilled it! This is not the time nor the place to enlarge upon the fall of the Napoleonic dynasty. But there are in the world positions even stronger than those secured by a throne, one of which is an enshrinement in the hearts of a grateful people through the royal road of beneficent and philan