Oct. 13, 2005— Napoleon Bonaparte died of stomach cancer and not poisoning, according to a newly discovered manuscript written by a British Army doctor who apparently attended the French emperor's autopsy.

Found in a remote Scottish cottage, the document was sold on Monday for 550 pounds ($964) to an anonymous bidder by the Thomson, Roddick and Medcalf auction house in Carlisle, U.K.

"We have absolutely no idea how the document came to be in a house in the south of Scotland, and the seller wishes to remain private. But we believe it is an extremely significant document which puts an end to the theories that Napoleon was murdered with arsenic," Steve Lee, the auction house's military specialist, told reporters.

Featuring the initials "J.C. Mc ..., the manuscript appears to be an eyewitness account by one of the six unnamed British military doctors who are known to have attended Napoleon's autopsy.

According to the catalogue, the document is dated 6th July 1821, and is "closely written on each side of two foolscap sheets."

It describes Napoleon's disease, the pain he was suffering, his death and his funeral.

The man who dominated much of Europe in the early 19th century died at 52 in British-imposed exile on St. Helena in the south Atlantic, where he had been banished after his defeat at Waterloo.

For decades, scholars have debated how Napoleon met his early death on May 5, 1821.

Traditional histories, based on the autopsy and conclusion of his personal doctor Francesco Antommarchi, held that Napoleon died of stomach cancer.

However, the veracity of Antommarchi's report was questioned in 1961, when high arsenic levels were found in Napoleon's hair.

The finding raised many theories of conspiracy, treachery and poisoning.

Various culprits have been suggested, including fumes from toxic wallpaper at Longwood House, Napoleon's home in exile, arsenic connected to lead used in canned foods and an overuse of enemas by his doctors.