From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: A picturesque narrative of the career of Emma, Lady Hamilton. It will be remembered that Dumas, during his stay at Naples from 1860 to 1864, became much interested in the more recent phases of its history. After writing "La San-Felice," "I Borboni di Napoli," and other matters of a similar trend, of which a good deal is now unobtainable, he decided to use this by now thoroughly familiar material to compose a life of Lady Hamilton. With his fondness for this subterfuge, he describes it as a MS. which she herself wrote and entrusted to a priest on her death-bed. The period is, naturally. that of her career, 1763-1815.
Dumas is here working alone, and the result deserves to be better known than it is, his opportunities for obtaining details of the years at Naples being quite exceptional.
It is not correct to describe this work, as has been done, as a sequel to "La San-Felice" and "Emma Lyonna," though it is interesting to read in conjunction with them.
Original edition: Paris, Michel Lévy Frères, 4 vols., 12mo., 1865.
It now forms four volumes in the standard Calmann-Lévy edition.
In Le Vasseur's "Alexandre Dumas Illustré" it follows "La San-Felice" and "Emma Lyonna," completing Vol. XV. of this series.
References :—
Dumas: "I Borboni di Napoli."
Dumas: Original unpublished MS. in the Pierpoint Morgan Library, New York. (See page 398.)
Dumas: "Causeries" in "Le Monte-Cristo," Nos. for July 9th, 16th and 23rd, 1857.
"Memoirs of Lady Hamilton," 1815. Reprinted 1891.
Jeaffreson: "The Queen of Naples and Lord Nelson," 1889.
Jeaffreson: "Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson," 1887.
Works on Lord Nelson and on Lady Hamilton.
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: verse in "Souvenirs d'une Favorite."
(CCLXXIX.) Chapter XXVII., four four-line stanzas entitled "BALLADE DU SAULE," and rhyming alternately. It is to be noted that this is quite different to the piece of the same name quoted by M. Ch. Glinel in his MS. collection of Dumas' verse, and which will be found as No. CCXII. on page 329.
(CCLXXX.) Chapter LXIX., twenty-eight lines from Dante's "Paradiso," Canto XIV.
It may also be remembered that in this work Dumas quotes freely from his verse translation of "Roméo et Juliette." (See page 406.)
