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Rare Napoleon letter exhibits English skills

By Thomas Adamson
Published June 10, 2012 5:33pm ET
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Rare Napoleon letter exhibits English skills
Detail of a March 9, 1816 letter written in English by French emperor Napoleon the 1st presented Sunday, June 10, 2012 in Fontainebleau, South of Paris, before being auctioned. The letter was sold euro 325 000, ($406 000). (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere) | Remy de la Mauviniere

FONTAINEBLEAU, France (AP) — An illuminating letter written by Napoleon in English, sold at auction Sunday for €325,000 ($405,000), offers a window into the mind of the French emperor, struggling with syntax of the language of enemy Britain.

The standard-sized sheet of paper is a homework exercise Napoleon sent to an English teacher for correction in 1816 and was sealed with the imperial eagle wax stamp.

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