Corsica-Family of Buonaparte-Napoleon born 15th August, 1769-His early habits-Sent to the Royal Military School_at Brienne-His great Progress in Mathematical Science-Deficiency in Classical Literature-Anecdotes-Removed to the General School of Paris-When in his Seventeenth Year, appointed Second Lieutenant of Artillery-His early Politics Promoted to a Captaincy-Pascal Paoli-Napoleon sides with the French Government against Paoli-And is banished from Corsica Visits Marseilles, and publishes the Souper de Beau
THE island of Corsica was, in ancient times, remarkable as the scene of Seneca's exile, and in the last century was distinguished by the memorable stand which the natives made in defence of their liberties against the Genoese and French, during a war which tended to show the high and indomitable spirit of the islanders, united as it is with the fiery and vindictive feelings proper to their country and climate.
In this island, which was destined to derive its future importance chiefly from the circumstance, NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE, or BONAPARTE,' had his origin. His family was noble, though not of much distinction, and rather reduced in fortune. Flattery
1 There was an absurd debate about the spelling of the name, which became, as trifles often do, a sort of party question. Buonaparte had disused the superfluous u, which his father retained in the name, and adopted a more modern spelling. This was represented on one side as an attempt to bring his name more nearly to the French idiom; and, as if it had been a matter of the last moment, the vowel was obstinately replaced in the name, by a class of writers who deemed it politic not to permit the successful general to relinquish the slightest mark of his Italian extraction, which was in every respect impossible for him either to conceal or to deny, even if he had nourished such an idea. In his baptismal register, his name is spelled Napoleone Bonaparte, though the father subscribes, Carlo Buonaparte. The spelling seems to have been quite indifferent.-S." During Napoleon's first campaign in Italy, he dropped the u. In this change he had no other motive than to assimilate the orthography to the pronunciation, and to abbreviate his signature."-BOURRIENNE, tom. i., p. 3 VOL. II.