430
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. iv. NOV. 25, 1911.
CRICKET MATCH, 1774. A match was
played on Tichborne Down, Hants, between
Alresford and Alton-with-Chawton, 6 Aug.,
1774. Owing to rain and a dispute, the
match was not finished. I shall be glad
if some reader can give the names of the
Alresford eleven' and the umpires of the
match. F. K. P.
EVELYN HALL. Can any one give me information as to Evelyn Hall, which I do not think exists now, but was standing in Early Victorian times, to judge from a print of it which is in my possession? H. E. E.
" PARKIN." In Yorkshire (the West Rid- ing) it is the custom to make "parkin" for the 5th of November. What is the origin of this ? RAVEN.
" FINE FLOWER OF POETRY." I shall be very glad if any reader can refer me to the source of this phrase. I. NEWTON.
20, Hanover Square, W.
TRAITORS' GATE. Can any reader kindly inform me how old the Traitors' Gate at the Tower of London is, and what became of the original one ? T. S.
MISS HOWARD AND NAPOLEON III.
(11 S. iv. 347.)
AN article on Eliza Howard's relations with Napoleon III was published in a Parisian daily (my newspaper cutting is without title or date) by M. Paul Ginisty at the time of the death of her son, the Comte de Bechevet.
Her real name was probably Elizabeth Harryet, and she would appear to have been born about 1825. How she first met the Emperor has been variously recounted ; the only faot that need be mentioned here is the existence of a Mr. Fitzroy, who was presumably for some time the future Em- peror's rival in her affections. The main point is that her relations with Louis Na- poleon took the form of a veritable passion on both sides ; and up to the time of his accession to the French throne she shared all his secrets, hopes, and ambitions, and acted as his counsellor, his friend, and even, it is said, his banker, advancing him large sums during the period of political storm and financial struggle which preceded his final
success. When he became Prince-President
she lived close by the Elysee, in the Rue du
Cirque, and her personal influence on French
politics continued. She was the only woman
to whom the secret of the coup d'etat of 2 Dec.
was confided. When the Prince-President
definitely assumed the imperial purple, he
bestowed on Eliza Howard a magnificent
domain at La-Celle-St.-Cloud (a few miles
from Paris), with the titles of Comtesse de
Beauregard and Bechevet.
Then came the Emperor's projects of union with Mile, de Montijo. The Countess had to be disposed of in some effectual if temporary manner. She was shipped to London with Mocquard, the Emperor's secretary and factotum, ostensibly (perhaps really) to induce Fitzroy to cede some letters compromising to the Emperor. She succeeded in worming from Mocquard the secret of Napoleon III.'s matrimonial inten- tions ; and when she learnt that the future Empress was not the member of any Euro- pean reigning family, her fury knew no bounds. " Sire," she wrote, " I could readily have sacrificed myself to a political necessity. But I cannot pardon you for immolating me to a caprice."
On her return to Paris she found her rooms had been entered by the police, locks forced, and furniture rifled to secure her correspondence with Napoleon. It would appear that he subsequently called upon her in person in order to explain matters ; but she received a hint that their intimate relations must now be a matter of the past, and she lived in virtual exile at La-Celle- St. -Cloud henceforward.
In after years she married, at Florence, a certain Clarence Trelawney, but they separated after a few months' union. She died in August, 1865, her age being stated as 40, and was buried in England.
A paragraph published in an English journal some time ago hints that had not Eliza Howard existed, the imperial throne of France might have been occupied by an Englishwoman. During the London resi- dence of the future Napoleon III., he was greatly smitten with the charms of a Miss Rowles, and demanded her hand in marriage. She incidentally learned of his liaison with Miss Howard, and promptly broke off her engagement. She retired to her country home, which, curiously enough, was the very mansion that, twenty and more years later, became the residence of the exiled Emperor Camden Place, Chislehurst.
F. A. W,
Paris.
