A few clippings of hair apparently taken from Napoleon Bonaparte on his deathbed have been found in Sydney’s Town Hall after the 130-year-old building cleaned out its vaults.
The tiny swatch of light-brown hairs had for years been stored in the archives of the imposing sandstone building along with a letter but nobody knows when, why or how they were received.
Margaret Betteridge, who has curated an exhibition of the curios uncovered in the building, said she could not be sure the hair belonged to the deposed French emperor but that the accompanying letter made a good case.
In it, a Scotsman named Ned Todd explains that he was given the hair by a woman whose brother, a Major William Crockat, had been present at Napoleon’s death.
“If I mistake not she said that her brother (Major Crockat) had himself cut the lock from the head of the illustrious dead,” he wrote.
Betteridge said it was known that Napoleon’s hair was cut after his death and that Crockat appeared in a painting depicting the death scene.
More mysterious is how the hair ended up in Sydney, more than 13,000km from where he died in St. Helena in 1821 at the age of 51.
“We don’t know how it got here,” Betteridge told AFP. “But it doesn’t look like it is the sort of thing that someone would fake.”
Betteridge said two years of renovations to improve the town hall had uncovered scores of strange objects stored in underground vaults.(AFP)
擁有一百三十年歷史的雪梨市政廳在清理地下室後，發現了拿破崙•波拿巴臨終時被人剪下的幾綹頭髮。
多年來，這一小撮淺棕色頭髮和一封信一起藏在這棟雄偉的沙岩建築內，沒人知道它們何時、為何、怎麼出現在這裡。
市政廳珍品展策展者瑪格麗特•貝特里奇表示，她不確定這些髮絲是否屬於這位遭罷黜的法國君王，但伴隨的信函提供了證據。
蘇格蘭男子陶德在信中表示，拿破崙臨終時威廉•克羅科特少校隨侍在側，就是他的妹妹將這些髮絲轉贈給他。
他寫道：「如果我沒記錯的話，她說她哥哥（克羅科特少校）親手從去世的拿破崙頭上剪了一撮頭髮。」
貝特里奇表示，大家知道的是，拿破崙去世後被人剪下頭髮，還有克羅科特出現在一幅描繪拿破崙臨終場景的畫作上。
拿破崙一八二一年死於聖赫勒那島，享年五十一歲。但更令人不解的是，這撮髮絲究竟是如何跨越一萬三千多公里來到雪梨？
貝特里奇向法新社表示：「我們不知道它怎麼到這裡的，但這不像有人造假。」貝特里奇說，市政廳進行翻修工程這兩年，在地下室裡發現了許多奇奇怪怪的物品。（法新社╱翻譯：林倩如）
In 2023, an 80-year-old woman in Taipei suffocated her paralyzed son after over five decades of caring for him. Turning herself in immediately, she confessed that worsening health and anxiety about who would care for him after her death had driven her to act. The court, acknowledging her difficult situation, sentenced her to two-and-a-half years in prison while recommending a presidential pardon. This rare judicial recommendation drew a complicated social response. Supporters argue that the mother’s half-century of caregiving renders her deserving of compassion instead of incarceration, believing that allowing her to live her final years in dignity and
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 The mango looked perfect. It sat on the fruit stand like a small sunset, red on one side and gold on the other. “I’ll take this one,” said Daniel. The fruit seller shook her head. “Not that one.” Daniel was surprised. “Why not? It looks beautiful.” “Yes,” she said, “but beautiful is not always ready.” She picked up another mango and held it near his nose. “First, smell here.” Daniel smelled the top of the mango. It was sweet and warm. “Good mangoes have a smell,” she said. “Next, feel the weight.”
A: Over 130,000 college graduates are about to enter the workforce upon graduation. B: According to a survey, the top 10 most desired careers among Taiwanese are: independent content creator, civil servant, information engineer, financial professional, medical worker, content planner, flight attendant, news anchor, designer and fitness trainer. A: What are the “dream jobs” for young Gen Zers? B: The top three for men are YouTuber, pro gamer and engineer. For women, they are writer, social media editor and YouTuber. A: Every profession has its champion. Just look at Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei — who was on fire
1. 他非常討厭偽君子。 ˇ He has a deep hatred for hypocrites. χ He has a deep hatred to hypocrites. 註︰表示「對某人懷著愛、恨」等， 常用 have a love for/of, have a hatred for/of。 例如： We have a love for/of science. The working people have a hatred for/of all forms of exploitation. 2. 問題的答案其實不難找。 ˇ The answer to this question is not difficult to find. χ The answer of this question is not difficult to find. 註︰中文中的「的」在英語中不一定都用 of 來表示，有時須用 to。其他的例子如下： 我把房間的鑰匙弄丟了。 I lost the key to the room. 中間矗立著烈士紀念碑。 In the center stands the monument to the martyrs. 這部電影的續集你看過沒有？ Have you seen the sequel to the movie? 3. 比起那家餐廳，他更喜歡這家。 ˇ He prefers this restaurant to that one. ˇ He likes
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