ON the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, Napoleon has disappeared.

Not the real one: he's still tucked up in his appropriately ostentatious tomb in Paris. But York's Napoleon, the life-size wooden model which used to stand guard outside The Kiosk in Lendal, has not been seen for some years.

There is a history to this proud effigy. Carved from solid oak in France in 1820, the year before Napoleon's death, it depicts the former emperor taking snuff. It was shipped to Hull two years later where York tobacconist Mr H Clark collected him.

For more than 140 years he stood outside Mr Clark's Bridge Street shop before the business moved to Lendal. "The tourists love him, especially the French who are always hugging him and kissing him," said Mr Clark's great grandaughter and shop owner Judith Thorpe in 1979.

Over the years, old Boney has had to suffer his share of indignities. During the war he was captured by a group of celebrating soldiers and thrown into the Ouse, being hauled out at Naburn Lock.

When he was left outside the shop overnight by mistake, he was placed in protective custody by York police.

But where is he now? Current owner of The Kiosk Trevor Bailey couldn't help. Napoleon hasn't been around since Trevor took charge in 1992. Anyone else know?

YOU have to feel sorry for Napoleon's arch-enemy, Lord Nelson. Why? Because in Monday's feature on the Battle of Trafalgar we managed to chop off his good arm and reinstate his bad one. We had reversed the image. D'oh!

"It was in 1794 Nelson lost sight of his right eye at Calvi in Corsica. On July 24 1797 he received a musket ball wound in an assault on Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands, which cost him his right arm," writes Chris Neumann. He gives talks on the admiral around East Yorkshire, and adds helpfully, "I am not a smart arse."

We have launched an internal investigation into the mistake, and in the great tradition of such things, will hush up the results.

IN a letter to the Guardian yesterday, Clive Booth, former Tory parliamentary candidate for York, heaped praise on party leadership contender Dr Liam Fox. Dr Fox had both "youth and charisma" and "experience and northern grit" he wrote.

Not only that, he provided inspiration to wannabe Tory MPs such as Mr Booth, helping them to run "professionally sustained, media-savvy campaigns".

NB. In May, Mr Booth's professionally sustained, media-savvy campaign ended in failure. As did Dr Fox's yesterday.

Updated: 09:25 Friday, October 21, 2005