Captain Maitland was up early on 16 July and noted that all his instructions for the reception of his guests had been carried out. Nets had been stretched across the gunports to prevent the young children from falling overboard; an awning had been erected between the main and mizen masts to provide a sheltered space on deck for the ladies of the party; and two red-coated marines were standing guard outside the after-cabin. When Napoleon appeared on deck the officers in the vicinity removed their hats and when he prepared to embark for breakfast on the Superb he found a guard of marines drawn up alongside the companionway. Although there was a fresh breeze and an overcast sky the weather was mild enough for Napoleon to discard his greatcoat. Lieutenant Bowerbank noted in his journal that the great man was wearing his green uniform coat with the red collar and cuffs and two gold epaulettes; he had the star and cross of the Légion d'honneur and several other orders pinned on the left breast; and instead of his military boots he was wearing shoes with handsome gold buckles.
Admiral Hotham had decided to welcome Napoleon in style and, as the boat carrying the former emperor approached the Superb, the sailors swarmed up the shrouds and manned the yards, an honour normally reserved for a sovereign or head of state. Napoleon was piped aboard and found the ship's company assembled on the deck in divisions and a captain's guard of marines lined up on the quarterdeck. He was formally welcomed by Sir Henry who introduced him to the officers and took him on a tour of the ship. Much heartened by his regal reception, Napoleon delighted everyone by his lively conversation and his interest in the crew and in every detail of the ship from the guns and ammunition to victuals, clothing and methods of storage.
Around midday they returned to the Bellerophon and preparations were made for getting under way. The barge and the cutter were hoisted aboard and stowed amidships, the topsail yards were hoisted, and the crew manned the capstans and began heaving up the anchor. At around 2 pm they made sail and began working their way out of Basque Roads in company with the Myrmidon. Napoleon remained on deck throughout these manoeuvres, constantly asking Maitland what was happening. He noted that the British manner of getting under way was different from the French and was much impressed by the crew.
'What I admire most in your ship,' he said, 'is the extreme silence and orderly conduct of your men: on board a French ship everyone calls and gives orders, and they gabble like so many geese.'
That evening General Bertrand invited the first lieutenant and the captain of the marines to join Napoleon and his party for dinner. It was a jovial affair and an onlooker would never have imagined that Napoleon was a defeated general in the midst of his victorious enemies. He was happy to speak at length about the Battles of the Nile and Trafalgar and mentioned the name of Nelson with approval. When the meal was finished he again went on deck and plied the officers with questions about the working of the sails and rigging. He remarked that the wind was not fair and asked what the distance was to England. At 7.45 pm he retired to his cabin for the night.
SEVENTEEN
Into Exile
1815
The morning of 17 July found the two ships out in the open sea with the French coastline no more than a distant blur on the horizon. They were having to beat into a light north-westerly breeze which meant that progress was slow, but the usually turbulent waters of the Bay of Biscay were relatively calm, allowing the French visitors to get acclimatised to the easy motion of the deck under their feet. Over the next few days a regular pattern was established. Napoleon rose between 8 and 9 o'clock, was served a hot breakfast and then spent the morning reading in his cabin or playing cards. He invited Maitland to join him in a game of vingt-et-un on one occasion, but Maitland excused himself on the grounds that he had left all his money at home with his wife and, in any case, he had his duties to attend to.
Napoleon frequently fell asleep on the sofa in his cabin during the course of the day and behaved with a lethargy which was uncharacteristic of a man famous for his energy and activity. The cheerfulness which he had shown during his first day on board deserted him and it was observed that for much of the time he seemed abstracted and deep in thought. He usually appeared on deck around 5 o'clock in the afternoon when he would question the ship's officers about the wind and weather, and the ship's progress. Dinner was served at 6 pm and, although this was a formal occasion with excellent dishes of meat and fish served in the French style, it rarely lasted longer than twenty or twenty-five minutes because Napoleon did not like to spend time over meals. Maitland noted that he ate a great deal but restricted his drinking to a glass or two of claret.
After dinner on the second day the midshipmen were persuaded to stage a play. They had occasionally produced plays to relieve the tedium of the weeks spent on blockade duty and when Napoleon heard of this he requested a performance. He and his party were treated to a comedy called The Poor Gentlemen. Midshipman Home reported that 'The stage was fitted up between decks, more, I am afraid, in ship-shape than theatrical style.' According to another participant, 'It went off very well, our scenery was excellent.' Madame Bertrand sat next to Napoleon and translated for him and he was apparently much amused by the efforts of some of the larger midshipmen to squeeze into women's clothing and impersonate ladies.
From the moment they stepped on board the Bellerophon the senior members of Napoleon's suite had established a regime which, on a much smaller scale, reflected the regal atmosphere they were accustomed to in the great palaces in Paris. When Napoleon appeared on deck the men removed their hats, and kept at a respectful distance unless invited to walk with him. No one was allowed to enter his cabin unless given permission to do so and then they would be formally announced and ushered into his presence. No one spoke to him unless he initiated the conversation. He decided who should be invited to dine with him and where they should be seated. The Bellerophon's officers, taking their cue from Captain Maitland and Admiral Hotham, likewise treated Napoleon as if he were still emperor. They too removed their hats in his presence and called him 'Sire' but it was a different kind of deference from that shown by his followers. For the British sailors he was the most famous person they would ever come into contact with and they fully appreciated this. 'We are all so much overjoyed at our good luck that we hardly know if we stand on our heads or our heel,' wrote Lieutenant Henry Smith to his brother, 'while as for my own part the whole business seems to be a dream, no ship in the British Navy has so much as this ship to boast of . . .' For Smith and his companions Napoleon was the object of intense scrutiny and several members of the crew kept journals in which they carefully noted his appearance, his moods and his daily regime.
'Napoleon Bonaparte is about five feet seven inches high' wrote Lieutenant Bowerbank:
rather corpulent, remarkably well-made. His hair is very black, cut close, whiskers shaved off; large eyebrows, grey eyes, the most piercing I ever saw; rather full face, dark but peculiar complexion, his nose and mouth proportionate, broad shoulders, and apparently strongly built. Upon the whole he is a good-looking man, and when young must have been handsome. He appears forty-five or forty-six, his real age — greatly resembles the different prints I have seen of him in London.