macist saved his life by using an emetic to induce prolonged vomiting. The author speculates that this resulted in a stomach lesion which contributed to Napoleon’s painful death. In a Mail on Sunday review, O’Keefe is reported as pointing out that the British picked St. Helena in the south Atlantic because it was 5,000 miles from Europe, 1,800 miles from the coast of South America and 1,200 miles from Africa. Also, although it was afforded the protection of the Royal Navy, the island remained the property of the East India Company. It was neither ruled by the British Crown, nor was it under the jurisdiction of the English courts. This meant the former emperor could be detained there indefinitely without trial. Raised to the rank of Major General, Lowe was chosen to be Governor of St. Helena because he had been continuously active throughout the Napoleonic Wars and had been attached to the Prussian Army of General Blucher. He had taken part in 13 battles, including Waterloo, and received praise from Blucher for his gallantry and judgement. The Duke of Wellington, however, considered Lowe, “...a very bad choice; he was a man wanting in education and judgement. He was a stupid man, he knew nothing at all of the world, and like all men who know nothing of the world, he was suspicious and jealous”. Hudson Lowe was born on 28th July, 1769 in Galway, Ireland, *[See note] the only son of John Hudson Lowe, surgeon for 50th Regiment of Foot. Educated in Salisbury, at the age of 18 he received a commission in his father’s regiment which was then stationed in Gibraltar. Young Lowe remained in Gibraltar for five years but in 1792 he obtained a leave of absence to travel through Italy, Spain and Portugal. Prior to the Napoleonic Wars Lowe took part in military expe-
Napoléon sur son lit de mort (Napoleon on his death bed), by Horace Vernet, 1826
While under the protection of the Royal Navy, the island remained the property of the East India Company, and was not ruled by the British Crown or under the jurisdiction of the English courts, meaning Napolean could be detained indefinitely there without trial ditions to Corsica and Egypt. Following Napoleon’s death he was military commander in Ceylon. In 1816 he had married military widow Susan Johnson. They had three
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children, two sons and a daughter. Susan died in 1832 while Lowe, knighted in 1842, lived on until 10th January, 1844 when he died of paralysis at Chelsea, London. n
*Note: Napoleon (15th August) and Wellington (1st May) were also born in 1769. In film Lowe has been portrayed by Orson Welles (Napoleon 1955), Ralph Richardson (Eagle in a Cage 1972) and Richard E. Grant (Monsieur N. 2003)
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