The revolutionary tide which swept across Europe in 1848 was a pivotal event in the history of the continent. The turmoil resulted from a number of causes: economic unrest, demands for constitutional reforms, and liberal and national aspirations. The masses poured onto the streets demanding political freedom, the overthrow of the hated monarchical regimes, the convocation of national assemblies, and measures to improve the conditions of artisans, industrial laborers the oppressed peasantry.

Hungary, part of the sprawling Hapsburg Empire at the time, was not immune to the winds of change. Led by the charismatic patriot Lajos Kossuth, progressive elements demanded far-reaching political changes. When these were rebuffed, peaceful negotiations were replaced by armed conflict, the War of Liberation. To save his throne, Emperor Franz Joseph beseeched Czar Nicholas I of Russia for military aid. The autocratic ruler was only too pleased to help to a fellow despot.

Following the victory of the Hapsburg and Czarist armies, thousands fled abroad. Many, found sanctuary in the Ottoman Empire, others moved to various western European countries, mostly France and England, while a substantial number emigrated to the United States. Kossuth himself, interned in Turkey for a period, settled in London after his American tour which lasted from December 1851 to July 1852.

Because it offered a safe place for political refugees, England was the ultimate destination for a myriad of failed revolutionaries from all corners of Europe. Naturally London was the favorite locale for residency. Several leading Hungarians besides Kossuth also chose to live in London; among them General György Klapka, military commander of the great fortress of Komárom, the last Hungarian stronghold of the war. While committing his memoirs to paper, he boarded with a couple called Jerome. When a baby boy was born to them a few years later, the proud parents named him Jerome Klapka; he is more familiar in literary circles as Jerome K. Jerome.

The exiles living in the British capital found the city congenial enough but rather expensive. Consequently, some moved to Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands. Jersey boasted a healthy and sunny climate and was thoroughly democratic in its institutions. Furthermore, it was well connected by boat to the coasts of England and France.

Calling Jersey home in the 1850s were a number of illustrious figures, a veritable Who's Was Who in Hungary: Mór and Miklós Perczel, Lázár Mészáros, Sándor Teleki, Ödön Beöthy, Miklós Katona, Zsigmond Thaly, Balázs Orbán, and Lipót Fülepp. Among those paying frequent visits were Jácint Rónay and Ede Reményi. All of them came from prominent families, all of them had a thorough education, and most of them played a significant role in the War of Liberation.

Born in 1796, Mészáros was a professional soldier. His interests were by no means confined to military matters; he was a fine linguist and had an abiding interest in a variety of subjects: chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and agriculture. He was a member of several learned societies. During the War of Liberation he was one of the leading generals and served for a period as Minister of War. He arrived in England in the company of a group of refugees from Turkey in the spring of 1851. While most of the others continued on to the United States, Mészáros went to Paris and from there to Jersey, thus becoming the Hungarian "discoverer" of the island as an affordable haven for his compatriots.

Katona, Mészáros' faithful companion for years in exile, served in the army until 1840 when he resigned. Before the events of 1848-49 he was a principal assistant to Baron Miklós Wesselényi, one of the country's leading liberal politicians. During the war he held the rank of colonel. Ignominious defeat in one engagement led to a court-martial but he was exonerated. Subsequently he fought under Jozef Bem, the famous Polish revolutionary and a much beloved figure in Hungary.

The son of a respected lawyer, Fülepp likewise opted for a legal career and dabbled in local and national politics as well. During the War of Liberation he was closely affiliated with Kossuth as an advisor. After a short stay in the Ottoman Empire he found his way to Jersey. Trained in the law and engineering, Thaly was an orator of considerable ability. Holding the rank of colonel, he was in charge of strengthening the works at Komárom. He frequently clashed with General Klapka, especially on the issue of capitulation. When the fortress was given up, he didn't sign the terms of surrender but nevertheless managed to make his way abroad. His chronicling of the events at the stronghold was published in England in 1852 as The Fortress of Komarom [Comorn] during the War of Independence in Hungary.

Born in 1830, Orbán traveled extensively in the Near East before the War of Liberation. Abroad when the conflict erupted, he wasn't able to return until it was over. A young man while residing on Jersey, Orbán would make his mark in Hungarian history later.

Better known in the world of music as Edouard, Reményi was already an outstanding violin virtuoso widely admired and enormously popular although his greatest triumphs were yet to come. Rónay, a Roman Catholic clergyman of the Benedictine order was a profound scholar.

Like Mészáros, Beöthy was born in 1796. A cavalry officer until 1820, he turned his attention to politics, becoming the dominant figure in Bihar County. During the War of Liberation he was also active on the national scene. Never in robust health due to a serious heart ailment, his condition grew steadily and ominously worse with each passing day on Jersey.

Mór Perczel and Miklós Perczel

The Perczel brothers came to Jersey by very different routes. Both were prominent politicians before the 1848-49 War of Liberation. During the struggle, Mór was one of the leading generals of the revolutionary army while Miklós rendered valiant service as a colonel. Both fled to the Ottoman Empire after the victory of the Hapsburg and Czarist forces. While Miklós and his wife, the former Hermina Latinovits, boarded the warship Mississippi along with Kossuth to the United States in September 1851, Mór and his wife, née Julianna Sárközy (of the same family as recent French president Nicholas Sarkozy) sailed to England. Finding London too costly for his large family, Mór moved to Jersey. After a brief stay in New York, Miklós settled in Iowa, but in 1853 decided to return to Europe in order to be with his brother. On Jersey they lived in adjacent cottages at Grouville.

Sándor Teleki was undoubtedly the most flamboyant character of the émigré colony. The scion of one of Hungary's most revered and influential families, he studied abroad as a youth. He became involved in the Carlist wars while visiting Spain and only the intervention of French consul Ferdinand de Lesseps saved him from the firing squad. During the 1848-49 War of Liberation, he attained the rank of colonel and fought in numerous battles. Reasonably well-off financially despite the confiscation of his properties and a lavish entertainer, he was careless with money and wound up in the local debtors' prison for short spells more than once.

Here they became part of a large colony of exiles from all over the continent, mostly Frenchmen who left their homeland in wake of the December 1851 coup d'état by Louis Napoleon, nephew of the great Napoleon. By far the most famous of the French exiles was the writer Victor Hugo, one of the literary giants of the nineteenth-century. He was joined here by his wife, two sons, Charles and Francois-Victor, and daughter Adele. Completing the Hugo "household" was Auguste Vacquerie, regarded as one of the family since the death of his brother Charles. Charles was the husband of Hugo's daughter Leopoldine; the couple drowned in the Seine in 1843 when their boat capsized. Hugo's long-time mistress Juliette Drouet also became a resident of Jersey.

"It must be confessed that it was a strange existence that Victor Hugo led thus between his two loves;" writes Andrew C. P. Haggard, one of his biographers, "it was one, however, that his wife and family seemed to accept quite as a matter of course. Nor was the head of the family the only one to visit Madame Drouet, by which name Juliette was generally known, for it was in Jersey that his sons commenced first to frequent her house."

Interacting with the French refugees did not pose any difficulties for the Hungarians, All educated people in those days were conversant in French, the language associated with diplomacy, culture and refinement. Victor Hugo was well acquainted with all the Hungarians, especially Teleki, who was his next door neighbor. Incidentally, Teleki also enjoyed the friendship of several other notable French men of letters, among them Alexandre Dumas pere and Maxime du Camp.

The daily life of the Hungarians in Jersey was very similar to that of their fellow exiles. From the letters, diaries and memoirs of Miklós Perczel, Teleki, Rónay, and Mészáros their comings and goings can be reconstructed fairly accurately.

Because of his stature and eloquence, Hugo naturally became the leader and spokesman of the exile community. At every possible occasion the refugees in Jersey assembled to make protests and air their views. Their principal target was Napoleon III, the political Antichrist of the French exiles, derisively called M. Bonaparte. Hugo was particularly satirical, nicknaming the French emperor "Napoléon le Petit."

The exiles on Jersey had a little newspaper of their own, named L'Homme. Containing four pages, it came out every Wednesday, and was printed in St. Hélier. The chief editor was Charles Ribeyrolles, a noted journalist, who took the main responsibility for the leading articles. Not a particularly radical paper, it nevertheless mercilessly criticized and ridiculed Napoleon III. Its columns were open to all and a multitude of exiles, French as well as others, contributed to the paper regularly or sporadically. One of them was Sándor Teleki.

Mészáros and Katona, the first Hungarians to settle in Jersey, were also the first to leave the island. In the summer of 1853 Mészáros decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. His arrival in the United States was duly reported in several newspapers and noted that he and Katona intended to follow "agricultural pursuits" in the new homeland. To this end, they purchased a farm near Plainfield, New Jersey. Calamity struck almost immediately; their house on the property burned to the ground. Ever the optimist, Mészáros was not discouraged by this turn of events; he had the house rebuilt and eked out a living by raising vegetables.

Mészáros was among the speakers at the great rally in New York City on September 22, 1853 honoring Captain Duncan Ingraham whose prompt and energetic action saved fellow Hungarian Márton Koszta from Hapsburg captivity at Smyrna. The incident, known as the Martin Koszta affair, reverberated throughout the world and, because of its far-reaching implication, continues to draw the attention of historians to this very day.

The following year Beöthy also undertook a lengthy journey. Despite his precarious health, he wished to see his wife in Hamburg, the most convenient meeting point for him and his wife from Hungary. They had an emotional reunion in the German city, but before she reached the border on her way back to Hungary came the news that Beöthy was no longer among the living. A fatal heart attack struck him down on December 7, 1854, leaving his many friends and admirers to mourn his passing.

The attitude and behavior of the French exiles in England was most displeasing to the government. It prompted Sir Robert Peel to speak in the House of Commons about Hugo's derogatory comments directed at Napoleon III: " If absurd rubbish of this kind should again be told to the English people by foreigners who find an asylum on these shores, I shall consider it my duty to inquire of the Secretary of State for Home Affairs if there is no possible means of putting and end to it." Hugo promptly replied, saying :"My quarrel with M. Bonaparte is a personal quarrel - the old personal quarrel that exists between the judge on the bench and the accused in the dock."

Émigré life did not revolve entirely around politics. Social affairs on the island, while lacking the glitter and glamour prevailing in big cities, was brisk. According to Rónay, Teleki was particularly renowned for entertaining. On the other hand, the Perczel brothers refrained from frequent participation due to their limited financial resources. Victor Hugo entertained at both domiciles; while a wide spectrum of guests were welcome at the family home, only his intimate friends were invited to Juliette Drouet's place.

Light refreshments and animated conversations were the main features of these soirees. While sundry topics were discussed, current politics was inevitably the dominant theme, especially the regime of Napoleon III and the future of France. When Reményi was present he would play several pieces in his incomparable style. On one such occasion, Hugo was so thrilled that he anointed Reményi the king of violinists. Whereupon, Ribeyrolles, a strict republican chided the great writer and declared that Reményi should be acknowledged as the first among violinists. Hugo had no objection to the correction, while Reményi was bursting with pride during the ensuing days from all the accolades showered upon him.

Rónay as well as Perczel have candid comments in their diaries about Hugo and his family. As a literary man himself, Rónay was tremendously impressed by the famous writer's works. However, he was startled and surprised by the shameless adulation proffered by Hugo's circle of devotees which the great man accepted as a matter of course. Perczel found Hugo to be a sociable and interesting individual, but considered his wife to be hideous and ignorant, a veritable reincarnation of Messalina. As for Adele, Perczel describes her as neither pretty nor ugly, but definitely bland and boring, much like her mother. On the other hand, Perczel judged the sons to be intelligent and witty. Both Mór and Miklós were amazed at the ease and aplomb by which Hugo handled his lawful wife and mistress; they attributed the seemingly frictionless co-existence of the two women to prevailing French customs.

All the exiles watched political developments on the continent with unflagging interest. The Crimean War, a long and dreary struggle which pitted the Ottoman Empire allied with France and England, later joined by the Italian kingdom of Sardinia, against Russia caused particular excitement among the Hungarians. It was widely expected that the Hapsburg government would enter the fracas on the side of Russia to repay the Czar for his help. But Franz Joseph and his ministers adroitly sidestepped any obligations, taking a firmly neutral stance.

The French government had its spies in Jersey and Hugo and his companions were well aware that they were being watched, surrounded by invisible surveillance. Given the close relation between Great Britain and France during the Crimean War, the position of the refugees in Jersey, became ever more delicate.

In the early months of 1855 Napoleon III and his bride, the Spanish beauty Eugenié de Montijo, were invited to England as the guests of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In August the Queen reciprocated.

The royal visits enraged French exiles. The radical Felix Pyat penned an insulting letter to the Queen upon her visit to Paris which was published in the columns of L'Homme. The people of Jersey, hitherto indifferent to the political ideology of the French exiles, became incensed. A meeting of the inhabitants was organized, probably on the initiative of the Lieutenant-Governor who wanted to get rid of the French refugees. A massive crowd of thousands of islanders denounced the exiles in no uncertain terms and a rampage by the infuriated locals was narrowly averted.

But on October 16 the three main persons connected with the publication of the newspaper were told that His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor would no longer tolerate their presence in Jersey. All three complied and left the island on the following day.

The October 19, 1855 edition of the Guernsey Star referred to the expulsion of the three editors as "The Jersey Hubbub" and labeled it as "a serio-comic termination of an affair which at first seemed likely to assume the dignity of a historical event." A host of British papers also covered the incident, offering a variety of explanations and opinions. In an article appearing in Putnam's Monthly years later, Charles Hugo wrote: "M. Bonaparte considered the proximity of these men as an affront and a danger to his Empire. He accordingly became the ally of England; in concert with Lord Palmerston, decided upon expelling them, and only waited for a pretext."

Victor Hugo immediately sprang to the defense of the three and called an assembly of the exiles. Miklós Perczel, who regards this entire incident as the most exciting event that occurred while residing in Jersey, attended with his brother, Thaly and Fülepp. Hugo made an impassioned speech, dwelling chiefly on the freedom of the press and it's significance. He stated most emphatically that he would do his utmost to combat the injustice meted out to the editors of L'Homme. The majority of the attendees applauded Hugo's stance. However, Mór Perczel, never shy about airing his views, took an opposing position. He deplored and condemned the scurrilous rhetoric of Pyat and declared that he is always ready to fight for freedom and important principles as he had been in the past but won't be a party in defending frivolous gossip and innuendoes. After he finished speaking, he and the other three Hungarians left the meeting hall.

Hugo drew up a manifesto, eventually signed by three dozen of the exiles, among them Sándor Teleki. Printed copies of this "Declaration," which decried the injustice meted out to "Ribeyrolles, the fearless and eloquent writer, Piancini, the generous representative of the Roman people, and Thomas, the brave prisoner of Mont St. Michel" were plastered all over the island.

In accordance with the previous policy, the authorities of Jersey decided that Hugo and the signatories had exceeded the limits of local liberty and therefore must leave the island. On October 27, the Constable of St. Clement - the parish in which Hugo's home lay - called upon the great writer and informed him: "M. Victor Hugo, I am directed by His Excellency, the Governor of Jersey, to say that you in consequence of a royal order, you can no longer remain in the island, and that you are given until 2d November next to quit it. The reason for this action respecting you is, your having signed the "Declaration" which has been posted in the streets of St. Hélier, and published in the journal L'Homme."

Whereupon the great writer harangued the Constable and his two assistant with a long diatribe, concluding with the following famous and oft-quoted words: "And now, Mr. constable, you will retire. You will report your action to your superior, the Lieutenant-Governor, who will report to his superior, the English Government, which will report to its superior, M. Bonaparte." The remark reflected Hugo's conviction that everything done by the English government was done at the behest of the French emperor.

On October 31, 1855, Hugo took the packet boat to the adjoining the island of Guernsey, where he landed at St. Peter Port. Several of the others expelled also relocated to Guernsey, among them Teleki, while the rest dispersed themselves all over the world.

The memorable year of 1855 also witnessed the departure of Balázs Orbán. He went back East, taking up residency in Constantinople. His departure and the expulsion of Teleki reduced the number of Hungarians in Jersey to four: the Perczel brothers, Fülepp and Thaly.

The treaty of Paris, March 30, 1856, brought the Crimean War to an end. The Allied victory enhanced Napoleon III's prestige and solidified the image of France as a military power to be reckoned with.

Hugo found no hostility but a kind reception upon his arrival in Guernsey. To a certain degree, this was due to a curious jealousy of this island toward Jersey. In May 1856, he bought a picturesque building. Originally erected by an English pirate, or owner of a privateer, the mansion was known as Hauteville House. Hugo spent much time and money furnishing and decorating the place, leading some to state facetiously that the house might well be considered as one of his works. Hugo also acquired a little house, named La Pallue, for Juliette Drouet.

Tired of America and in poor health, Mészáros returned to Europe in 1858. His illness took a turn for the worse as he was visiting Lady Langdale at her country home after his arrival. His friends in London and elsewhere anxiously awaited news, hoping for improvement. But Mészáros never left his sick bed; he passed away on November 16. The year 1858 also marked the departure of Fülepp for Hungary as his wife was able to secure amnesty for him. Upon his return, he resumed his legal and political career. The following year Orbán left Constantinople and went back to Hungary. A man of exemplary characteristics, he embarked on a distinguished career as a philanthropist, writer and politician.

Even though Kossuth and the majority of the Hungarian exiles didn't have much trust in Napoleon III, they had to acknowledge - albeit reluctantly - that the French emperor was emerging as the only serious foe of the Hapsburg realm and hence an ally worth cultivating.

For reasons of his own, Napoleon III espoused the aims of the Italian kingdom of Sardinia, also known as Piedmont. The Italian peninsula was a politically fragmented entity, and the provinces of Lombardy and Venetia were under Hapsburg rule. King Victor Emanuel and Camille Cavour, his shrewd and ambitious prime minister, were determined to change the status quo in the name of Italian unification. Piedmont and France signed a secret treaty whereby if one was attacked the other was obliged to come to its assistance. The treaty, which didn't remain secret for long, was clearly directed against Franz Joseph's domains. France and Piedmont began to build up their armies, waiting for the opportune moment.

The Hungarian exiles constituted a significant role in Napoleon III's grandiose plans. He recognized that the exhortations of Kossuth and other principal leaders would undermine the morale of the Hungarian units of the Hapsburg army and encourage desertion, and more importantly, foment discontent in Hungary, thus necessitating the withdrawal of troops from Italy. The avowed intentions of the French emperor aroused unprecedented hopes among the exiles and hundred flocked to Italy. Prominent among them were Mór and Miklós Perczel. A Hungarian contingent was organized and it was expected that deserters and prisoners-of-war would swell their numbers.

Franz Joseph and his advisors naturally became perturbed over the obvious maneuvering of the French and Italians. When the Hapsburg government sent an ultimatum demanding that Piedmont cease and desist in enlarging its army, Victor Emanuel and Cavour refused, whereupon Franz Joseph's troops crossed the Ticino River. French soldiers were immediately placed on the alert and began moving toward the Italian border.

The combined French and Italian forces inflicted decisive defeats on the enemy at Magenta and Solferino. Despite the resounding victories, Napoleon III asked Franz Joseph for a truce, ending the war. The French emperor's sudden change of policy shocked and bewildered the Italians and the Hungarians. Numerous plausible reasons have been advanced for Napoleon III's motives. The terrible slaughter on the battlefields and the mobilization of Prussia along the Rhine are two of the favorite possibilities.

The treaty of Villafranca, which formally ended the conflict, ceded Lombardy to Piedmont, but left Venetia within the boundaries of the Hapsburg realm. Cavour was besides himself and tendered his resignation to the king. Kossuth and the Hungarian patriots felt betrayed once more. Miklós Perczel was so chagrined and infuriated that he paused in England only long enough to put his affairs in order before sailing one more to the United States and settling again in Iowa. Mór didn't remain in Great Britain very long either; he relocated to Brussels because the Belgian capital offered all the amenities he needed at reasonable prices.

Another very disappointed individual over the outcome of the 1859 War was Giuseppe Garibaldi, already a legendary figure for his exploits in Rome in 1848 and afterwards in South America. Sicilian patriots asked him to head an insurrection against the repressive Kingdom of Naples, ruled by Francis II. Garibaldi accepted and began to assemble arms and volunteers near Genoa with the acquiescence of the Piedmontese government. Garibaldi and his men, numbering a little more than a thousand - immortalized in Italian history as I Mille - cast off in two ships towards Sicily. Upon landing at Marsala, they moved rapidly inland. After several pitched engagements, Garibaldi's army, swollen by local recruits, invested Palermo, forcing the Neapolitans to evacuate the city. The fall of Palermo encouraged Victor Emanuel to support the expedition openly. Ships laden with supplies and men began to embark regularly to the south. Among the newcomers were thousands of foreigners, including several hundred Hungarians, among them Sándor Teleki. The insurgents entered Naples without opposition and the brilliant campaign culminated in the great battle of the Volturno, October 1-2. Garibaldi's victory led to the end of the reign of Francis II and paved the way for the annexation of his lands by Victor Emanuel.

When Perczel returned to the United States, the country was inexorably drifting toward sectional warfare over states rights' and slavery. The attack on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 14, 1861 ignited the fuse. President Abraham Lincoln immediately issued a call for volunteers to suppress the rebellion. Iowa's governor requested Perczel, recognized for his military experience, to take command of the 10th Iowa Infantry. Almost fifty years old, Perczel hesitates before accepting and thus entered American history as Colonel Nicholas Perczel.

In the early days of the conflict Perczel and his troopers fought the colorful Jeff Thompson and his guerrillas in northeastern Missouri and participated in the capture of New Madrid and Island No. 10, the formidable Confederate stronghold in the Mississippi River. But their finest moment came at the battle of Iuka, Mississippi. "The Tenth Iowa, under Colonel Perczel, deserves honorable mention for covering our left flank from the assault of the Texan Legion," wrote Lieutenant-Colonel H. G. Kennett, General William S. Rosecrans' chief of staff, in his official report on September 28, 1862. Iowa's two senators proposed Perczel for brigadier-generalship. However, weakened by malaria, Perczel resigned on November 1, 1862.

Napoleon III wasn't the only formidable adversary of Franz Joseph. Otto von Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor, was determined to create a unified Germany under Prussian hegemony. An obstacle that had to be dealt with was the Hapsburg monarchy. Bismarck's solution as in similar situations was military action. With war clearly impending, General Klapka organized a Hungarian legion. It was the émigrés' last hurrah. Although the tiny contingent entered Hungary when war was declared in 1866, the Prussian juggernaut didn't need assistance. The great battles of Sadowa and Königgratz were resounding triumphs for the Prussian arms.

The drubbing at the hands of the Prussians convinced Franz Joseph that the empire needed a thorough revamping. Thus was born the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867. The new political arrangement came with a general amnesty for all involved in the events of 1848-49. The accord was vehemently denounced by Kossuth who vowed not to return as long as a Hapsburg sat on the Hungarian throne. His diehard followers concurred, but many of the exiles in western Europe deemed the development acceptable and went back, although very few of those who had settled in the United States followed their example.

Among the most notable returnees were the Perczel brothers. Both resumed their involvement in public affairs. Miklós in particular enjoyed a long and rewarding career and was the recipient of a multitude of honors. Thaly had returned to Hungary a few years earlier. Unlike the Perczel brothers, he was content to be away from the public limelight, attending to his estate. Rónay, who came back in 1866, resumed his brilliant academic career. For a time he was tutor to the children of Franz Joseph: Archduchess Valeria and Crown Prince Rudolf, his only son and heir to the throne. Katona, back in 1865, was appointed to a local governmental position; he was also successful in establishing a thriving basket weaving concern employing nearly a hundred workers. .

Garnering honors and accolades on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Reményi eventually made his home in New York City. While performing in San Francisco on May 15, 1898 he collapsed and died on the stage. His body was brought back to New York. After an elaborate public funeral attended by thousands, his remains were laid to rest in Evergreens Cemetery. Among his pallbearers were Rafael Joseffy, John Philip Sousa and Thomas A. Edison, the "Wizard of Menlo Park."

Coming back to Hungary after 1867 and regaining his confiscated property, Sándor Teleki settled down as a country squire. With the adventurous days of his youth behind him, he embarked on other pursuits. He became one of the founding members of the Hungarian Historical Society. Besides putting his memoirs to pen and writing a book about his experiences under Garibaldi, he contributed articles on sundry topics to various newspapers and magazines. Several of these pieces revolved around Victor Hugo for whom he held a life-long-respect.

When Hugo celebrated his eightieth birthday Teleki sent him a telegram:

Devant vos quatre-vingt ans mes sioxante ans, s'inclinent avec respect, ma petitesse devant votre grandeur. Mon amité fidele vous souhaite le bonheur. Votre ancien compagnon d'exil.

[My 60 years bows in respect to your 80 years; my pettiness before your grandeur. My faithful friendship wishes you happiness. Your old companion in exile.]

Victor Hugo lived on Guernsey for fifteen years. During this time he wrote some of his most memorable works, such as Les Misérables in 1862. Following the fall of Napoleon III in wake of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, he made a triumphant return to Paris. Today, Hauteville House is maintained just as it was in Hugo's own day. It's not only a major tourist attraction but also a shrine for all admirers of the great writer.

Notes, Comments and References

All the Hungarian residents of Jersey as well as their compatriot visitors to the island have substantial entries in a host of biographical reference works. Particularly useful and informative is József Szinnyei's multi-volume Magyar írók élete és munkái [The Lives and Works of Hungarian Writers]. These individuals are also mentioned in a multitude of historical books; comprehensive biographies have been written on several of them.

The most detailed and reliable chronicling of Hungarian émigré life on Jersey comes from the exiles themselves: Miklós Perczel's Naplóm az emigrációból [My Diary from the Emigration], Vol. 2; Jácint Rónay's Napló [Diary]; Sándor Teleki's Emlékeim [My Memoirs]; and Mészáros Lázár élettörténete, külföldi levelezései és emlékiratai [The Biography of Lázár Mészáros, His Correspondence Abroad and His Memoirs] as compiled by Viktor Szokoly.

Various writings by members of the Hugo family contain numerous remarks about their Hungarian friends and neighbors. Particularly rich in this respect is Le Journal d'Adele Hugo [The Diary of Adele Hugo]. The vast array of publications about Victor Hugo and his family invariably mention one or more of the Hungarians. Victor Hugo in Jersey by Philip Stevens is one such book.

Miklós [Nicholas] Perczel's service as a Union soldier is thoroughly documented in the Civil War literature. Some writings state that Sándor Teleki was a member of Garibaldi's I Mille and participated in the landing at Marsala. That claim is incorrect; Teleki joined the Italian liberator's forces later.