The Story
On August 7, 1815, a British warship, the HMS Northumberland, taking Napoleon to St. Helena for his final exile
stopped at Madeira to take on supplies. Napoleon was persuaded to purchase a pipe of Madeira (A pipe is a barrel
containing a little less than 600 bottles). The pipe was never opened by Napoleon as he developed a severe
gastric complaint and his doctors forbade him to drink any alcohol. After the ex-Emperor’s death in 1821, the...