Hudson Lowe - Saint Helena

Saint Helena

On his arrival at Plantation House he found that Napoleon had an uneasy relationship with Admiral Cockburn, who had accompanied Napoleon on his voyage to St. Helena, and was in charge of him pending the arrival of a new Governor. Napoleon and Lowe had a stormy relationship, and only met half a dozen times. To a large extent Lowe's hands were tied by the instructions from Lord Bathurst, but his lack of tact exacerbated the unavoidable friction between them.

The news that rescue expeditions were being planned by Bonapartists in the United States led to the enforcement of stricter regulations in October 1816. Lowe ordered sentries to be posted round the garden of Napoleon's residence, Longwood House, at sunset instead of at 9 p.m. He assigned a British officer to the task of catching sight of the Emperor every day. He created a set of petty rules that included restricting Napoleon to the Longwood estate and requiring that the British not address Napoleon by his proper titles, but only as a General. He demanded that Napoleon pay for part of his imprisonment, so Napoleon offered up some Imperial silver for sale. This created such a backlash in Europe, that the demand had to be canceled. He refused to provide sufficient firewood. News that Napoleon was burning his furniture to stay warm again caused such a backlash of public sympathy that the supply of firewood was restored.

All of this and more offended Napoleon and his followers, who campaigned against Lowe. Barry Edward O'Meara, the British surgeon, whilst initially providing information for Lowe, ultimately sided with Napoleon, and joined in the criticisms from Las Cases and Montholon. The French, Russian and Austrian Commissioners on St Helena, whilst hostile to Napoleon, were also very critical of Lowe's conduct and found it impossible to get on with him.

In addition, modern scholars debate Lowe's role in Napoleon's death. Certainly, his choice of Longwood as an estate was a good one for security but a miserable one for Napoleon's mental and physical health. Lowe's restriction of Napoleon to what amounts to house arrest affected Napoleon's exercise and general health. The discovery of arsenic in Napoleon's hair has renewed theories that Napoleon was poisoned under British oversight. The concentrations show that arsenic was ingested at intervals. Ben Weider's books, Assassination at St. Helena and Assassination at St. Helena Revisited, make an argument that the British had powerful motivations to keep Napoleon healthy, but others (especially the Bourbon monarchy) had more powerful motivations to kill Napoleon. The books propose the theory that a member of Napoleon's entourage,Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, poisoned him.

After the death of Napoleon in May 1821, Lowe returned to England. On the publication of O'Meara's book, Lowe resolved to prosecute the author, but his application was too late. But O'Meara's book was softer on Lowe than what the doctor really thought of him and of his role of "executioner" at St. Helena. This is what transpires from the letters he passed clandestinely to a clerk at the Admiralty.

Apart from the thanks of George IV, at a levee, he received little reward from the British Government whose orders he had obeyed to the letter. His treatment of Napoleon and the subsequent public relations problems for the British government remained an underlying issue for the rest of his career. The Duke of Wellington later said that he was "a very bad choice; he was a man wanting in education and judgment. He was a stupid man, he knew nothing at all of the world, and like all men who knew nothing of the world, he was suspicious and jealous."

In 1825-30 he commanded the forces in Ceylon, but was not appointed to the governorship when it fell vacant in 1830. He was appointed to the colonelcy of the 56th (West Essex) Regiment of Foot in 1831, and in 1842 transferred to the colonelcy of his old regiment, the 50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot; he was also made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG). Lowe died at Charlotte Cottage, near Sloane Street, Chelsea, of paralyxis, on 10 Jan. 1844, aged 75.