CHAPTER I

1836

_Paris, January 2, 1836._--M. de Talleyrand is working hard to advance

the claims of M. Molé to a seat in the French Academy. He is supported

alike by M. Royer-Collard and by the Ministers; hence M. de Villemain

found occasion to say, yesterday evening, that all the most _diverse_

and _inverse_ influences were in combination to _transport_ or to

_export_ M. Molé to the Academy, and that he himself was strongly in

favour of _importation_, as a seat in the Academy was no obstacle to

other posts. This play on words was no less pointed than malicious.

There was much talk of the various speeches delivered before the King

on New Year's Day, and in particular of M. Pasquier's speech, which

was remarkable for the boldness he displayed in his use of the word

"subject," which M. de Villemain called a _progressive_ term.

The King was delighted with Count Apponyi's speech, and the Diplomatic

Service were equally pleased with the King's reply. In any case,

Fieschi and Mascara[1] were so much treasure-trove to all the

speech-makers; emotion and sympathy in every degree were noticeable,

and M. Dupin was moved even to sobs!

[1] Mascara, in Algiers, was captured by the French in 1835.

Concerning M. Pasquier, a notice was inserted by some jester in a

low-class newspaper to the effect that his recent illness was caused

by his recognition of Fieschi as his natural son! The old Comtesse de

la Briche, who is falling into her dotage, went off in all seriousness

to relate this piece of folly with sighs of profound emotion in the

_salon_ of Madame de Chastellux, the Carlist headquarters. Such want

of tact is almost inconceivable, and great merriment was aroused!

_Paris, January 4, 1836._--The illness of Madame de Flahaut's second

daughter has become critical, and provided me yesterday with an

illustration of that truest of parables, the beam and the mote, when

Madame de Lieven said to me, in reference to Madame de Flahaut: "Can

you conceive that she talks politics to me at a time like this and

orders her carriage to visit Madame Adélaïde? She will even leave her

daughter's room to discuss public affairs with her visitors, and asks

me to dinner to-morrow to distract her thoughts, as she says, and not

to be left alone in her anxiety!" Apparently people cannot see

themselves as others see them, and such incidents give one startling

cause for introspection.

The much-discussed communication from President Jackson,[2] which has

been expected with great impatience, has reached the Duc de Broglie,

by way of England. He went to the King five hours later, to inform him

that the communication had arrived; when the King asked to see it the

Duc de Broglie told him that it was of no importance and that he had

already sent it to the newspapers! He made the same observation to his

colleague, M. de Thiers, who told every one he met during the evening,

on the faith of this information, that the message was of no political

significance. The next day the King and M. Thiers were able to read

the message in the papers, and found that it was very cleverly

conceived, very insolent to M. de Broglie personally, and exactly

calculated to terminate the existing dispute. Council after council

was then held, and lively discussions took place; at length the royal

will has triumphed, with the support of M. Thiers, and the

communication will be declared satisfactory. The intervention of

England is to be declined, and a statement will be made that France is

prepared to pay the sum of twenty-five millions as due under the terms

specified. M. de Broglie eventually yielded, though his surrender was

delayed by the wound to his self-esteem. At first he refused to submit

for approval his note thanking England for her offer of intervention,

but it was eventually shown to the King yesterday. It was criticised

as being too long, too diffuse, and too metaphysical. There was a

vigorous discussion in the council, but the King concluded the matter

by giving his hand to the Duc de Broglie with a kind word. At the same

time a considerable amount of ill-temper remains on both sides.

However, a war with the United States would be very disadvantageous to

French commerce; so this conclusion will probably have a good effect

upon public opinion.

[2] _See_ Appendix. In 1834 Jackson had claimed an indemnity of

twenty-five millions, in very haughty terms, from the Government

of Louis Philippe as compensation to the United States for the

loss of ships seized under the Empire; in the event of refusal,

confiscation was threatened of all French estates within the

territories of the Union. While the claim was entirely

legitimate, the insulting form in which it was presented delayed

a settlement, until President Jackson retracted his words in the

communication to which reference is here made.

_Paris, January 11, 1836._--Yesterday morning I had a call from M.

Royer-Collard. He had just left M. de Berryer in a state of

considerable vexation and disgust; their conversation had dealt with

Prague. M. de Berryer said that at Prague M. Royer was in many men's

minds and was well spoken of; that Charles X. had several times

repeated his fear that he had not sufficiently considered several

things which M. Royer had told him in a long conversation at the time

of the much-discussed address[3] of 1830. The curious point is that

when the old king attempted to recall these important points, of which

he had but a vague recollection, he found himself unable to remember

them. The incident is very characteristic of the man's good intentions

and incompetency.

[3] The Address of the 221 (March 3, 1830). This was a reply to a

speech from the throne, and plainly expressed the displeasure of

the 221 Deputies at seeing M. de Martignac deposed from the

Presidency in favour of the Prince Jules de Polignac.

_Paris, January 16, 1836._--M. Humann, Financial Minister, delivered a

tirade yesterday in the Chamber of Deputies, in which he very

imprudently raised the question of the reduction of the State bonds,

without previously consulting his colleagues. It was thought that a

dissolution of the Ministry would be the consequence, but the

difficulty has been settled, and matters remain as they were, for the

moment.

The King has personally seen Count Pahlen and soothed his feelings,

and it is hoped that the speech of the Duc de Broglie in the Chamber

of Deputies will not lead to any outburst.[4]

[4] The speech to which reference is made will be found in the

Appendix to this volume.

_Paris, January 24, 1836._--The Chamber of Deputies remains disturbed

and restive. Apathetic as the session was at its opening, it provides

vexation enough to those responsible for the government. The

prevailing ill-temper is especially manifested against the Duc de

Broglie, the tone of whose speeches displeases the Deputies. His

observation in the Chamber the other day, "is that clear?" is regarded

as almost unpardonable.[5]

[5] M. Humann submitted to the Chamber as a necessary measure a

scheme for the conversion of Government 5 per cent. bonds, which

had already been attempted in vain by M. de Villèle in 1824. The

Chamber was inclined to receive the idea favourably, but the

Cabinet showed some ill-temper as it had not been previously

consulted, and M. Humann resigned. A question was asked in the

Chamber on this subject on June 18, and discussion was opened by

the Duc de Broglie. "We are asking," he said, "whether the

Government intends to propose the measure in the course of this

session. I answer, No; is that clear?" This last remark excited

general disfavour, and was the subject of adverse comment

forthwith.

_Paris, January 28, 1836._--Yesterday we were dining with Marshal

Maison. It was a remarkable dinner for many reasons, but especially

for the stories told by the Marshal's wife, one of which amused me for

a long time afterwards. They were speaking of crowded balls and saying

how difficult it was to discover the exact number of guests actually

present; thereupon the Marshal's wife observed in her high, shrill

voice: "I have an admirable method which has always worked

successfully in all the balls I have given; I put my chambermaid

behind the door with a bag of beans at her side, and I say: 'Mariette,

when any one comes in, you will take a bean out of the big bag and put

it in your handbag.' Thus the numbers are exactly known, and that is

the best way of doing it." So strong an inclination to wild laughter

overcame me that I nearly choked, and Mmes. de Lieven, von Werther,

and von Löwenhielm, who were present, were in the same predicament.

_Paris, February 1, 1836._--If I were at my dear Rochecotte, as I was

last year, I should think that spring was beginning on February 1,

whereas here one can say nothing of the kind. My old dislike of Paris

has been growing upon me for some time. Not that people are in any way

disagreeable--indeed, the contrary is the case; but life at Paris is

too exhausting, the atmosphere is too keen, attractions are too

numerous and widely spread, while at the same time they are not

sufficiently strong. There is no leisure, constant worry, and a

continual sense of want.

At London I lived amid a society at once high and simple-minded;

social success and leisure were possible at the same time. M. de

Talleyrand there enjoyed good health and was occupied with important

business. The excitement which I then experienced had its

compensations; I had time for my own occupations, for reading,

working, writing, and thinking, nor was I pestered by every idle

person. If calling is a tax upon one's time, calls can be paid at

London with an empty carriage and with cards; in short, life was then

a pleasure. Hence my deep and melancholy regret for those years which

will never return; hence my longing for the calm and sweetness of

Rochecotte, with its wide horizon and its pure sky, for my clean

house, my kind and simple neighbours, my workpeople, my flowers, my

big dog, my little cow and goat, the good Abbé, the modest Vestier,

the little wood where we used to gather fir-cones--the place, in

short, where I am at my best, because I have time for valuable

introspection, for enlightenment of thought, for the practice of good

and the avoidance of evil, time to unite myself in simplicity of heart

and mind with the beauty, the strength, and the graciousness of

nature, which there gives me shelter, refreshment, and repose. But a

truce to these self-complainings, which are useless and ungrateful.

Yesterday I saw Dr. Ferrus, on his return from Ham. His account of

what he found there is as follows: Both the orders and the attitude

of the doctors were extremely kind, but it was necessary to find some

excuse for action, and the two ex-Ministers who were really ill, MM.

de Chantelauze and de Peyronnet, insolently refused to permit a visit

from the doctors; while the others, MM. de Polignac and Guernon de

Ranville, though very compliant, submissive, and anxious to take

advantage of the kindly attitude of the Government, were unfortunately

unable to plead any malady. Hence it was necessary to postpone the

desired attempt to improve their condition.[6]

[6] This is again a reference to the former Ministers of Charles

X. Certain people were energetically striving to secure the

liberation of these unfortunate political prisoners.

_Paris, February 6, 1836._--Yesterday morning I went to the session of

the Chamber of Deputies, with the Countess Bretzenheim, who had

invited me to accompany her; there I heard for the first time a speech

by M. Thiers; he spoke admirably, in opposition to the much-discussed

proposal for the conversion of the stock, so imprudently put forward

by M. Humann. While M. Thiers was speaking I thought I noticed him

spitting blood several times; I wrote to ask him how he was, and the

following is an extract from his reply: "I am exhausted; I did not

spit blood, but in those few moments I shortened my life by several

days; I have never encountered so strong an opposition of opinion, and

an iron will is required to overcome an obstinacy so plain as that

displayed by the Chamber. I am very sorry that you should have heard

me speak, as the figures must have wearied you, and have given you a

poor idea of our public oratory. We should be heard and judged only

upon days of excitement, and not when we are discussing accounts. In

any case, I am doubtful of the consequences, and were it not for the

King I should be inclined to wish that the Ministry would resign. The

struggle against such imprudence and foolishness is an unbearable

task."

This letter prepared me to some extent for the events of the evening.

However, M. Royer-Collard, who came to me in the course of the

morning, believed that the Ministry would emerge triumphant, for the

reason that the Chamber would find difficulty in using an advantage,

if they gained one. He was overcome with admiration for the speech of

M. Thiers, and had told him as much in the Chamber. On this occasion

they spoke to one another again, for the first time since the

discussion of the September laws.

My son, M. de Valençay, came directly from the session of the Chamber

of Deputies to dinner with us. He told us of the stupefaction produced

in the Chamber by the strange conclusions of Humann, and the

excitement of the Ministers because the project for converting the

Government stock had been postponed by a majority of two votes only.

The _Journal de Paris_ announced the resignation of the Ministry at a

later hour, and General Alava, who had just seen the Duc de Broglie,

told us at eleven o'clock in the evening that the King had accepted

their resignations, and had sent for MM. Humann and Molé.

At that moment I received the following note from M. Thiers: "We have

resigned in full freedom and seriousness. The King knew beforehand,

and agreed with every one, and myself in particular, that this result

was the inevitable consequence of our intention to oppose the scheme

for conversion. Our honour would be compromised if we did not persist

in our action and force a new Ministry to take office. It matters not

if that Ministry be weak and helpless; the burden of proving the fact

will rest upon the Third Party. No other action is possible, either

for the King or for ourselves, and would in any case be a deception in

the style of Charles X."

_Paris, February 7, 1836._--There is no news of the Ministry except

the fact of resignation, which is definite. It is thought that M. de

Broglie will never take office again, as the animosity of the Chamber

is chiefly directed against himself.

M. Thiers made no attempt to oppose resignation; he was actuated

rather by the desire to secure an honourable withdrawal and to

dissociate himself from colleagues whom he did not like than by any

special devotion to the point at issue, though his defence was marked

with great skill.

The King summoned M. Humann, who _refused_, M. Molé, who _declined_,

M. Dupin, who _spoke at random_--shades of meaning which are worthy of

note. In short, nothing has been done, nor can any action be regarded

as probable. The friends of M. Molé say that he will no longer be sent

from pillar to post or put up with requests, refusals, and vexations

such as he experienced in November, and that if people will not submit

to his views he will decline to interfere.

_Paris, February 8, 1836._--Yesterday I had a call from M.

Royer-Collard. He explains the attitude of the Chamber towards the

last Ministry as follows: The Ministry had lasted for three years and

was worn out, especially the doctrinaire members of it, while the

Cabinet had wearied the Chamber by too constantly pressing for

decisions and making personal matters Cabinet questions; moreover, the

Chamber had gone beyond its powers in the announcement issued at the

time when the laws concerning intimidation were passed;[7] it had been

by no means popular in the provinces, while the disdainful folly of M.

de Broglie had filled the cup to overflowing. Finally, as the country

was prosperous and peaceful both at home and abroad, the Chamber had

thought the moment opportune to enounce its rights and to show the

Ministry that it was not indispensable; while a popular question in

the provinces had provided it with an opportunity for displaying its

power, in which determination it was supported by its political

ignorance, which will not allow it to foresee the extent of the

crisis. M. Royer-Collard added that the only two Ministers who could

have preserved their reputation in the Chamber were MM. Thiers and

Duchâtel, but that here again some small period of exile would be

necessary.

[7] In 1835, in consequence of Fieschi's attempt, the Ministry

proposed three severe legal enactments dealing with the jury and

the sentences in cases of rebellion, and, most important of all,

with the Press. The discussion upon these laws continued in the

Chamber from August 13, 1834, to September 29, and ended in a

complete success for the Government.

Yesterday we dined with M. Thiers in fulfillment of a long-standing

invitation. He was highly delighted and fluttering whenever he

pleased. He proposes to travel, and to visit Vienna, Berlin, Rome, and

Naples; he will start in April. M. de Broglie, who was also at dinner,

appeared sad and downcast, and I was astonished that he made no

attempt to hide his feelings; it was not the devil, but the doctrine,

that he was burying.

In the evening I paid a visit to Madame de Lieven and made the

acquaintance of M. Berryer. M. Royer-Collard, who sees him constantly,

told me in the morning that M. Berryer was very anxious to make my

acquaintance. We were on our best behaviour. He talks simply and

kindly.

_Paris, February 9, 1836._--Yesterday we dined with the Sardinian

Ambassador.[8] I was told that nothing had been yet decided concerning

the Ministry, and M. Molé, who was sitting near me, confirmed this

statement. He has declined to join the Third Party, in spite of the

universal desire that he should do so. I believe that, for want of a

better leader, M. Dupin will eventually profit for the time being by

this state of affairs; as, however, the little group which he leads is

very weak, he will be obliged to base his power upon the Left, and

this will cost him dear. His position will be analogous to that of the

English Whig Ministry confronted by O'Connell. I hope that this state

of affairs will be of no long duration, though a short time is quite

enough in which to take many retrograde steps. At the Château sadness

prevails, uneasiness in the diplomatic world and anxiety in public

opinion.

[8] The Marquis de Brignole-Sale.

The young and beautiful Queen of Naples died on January 31, a few days

after the birth of her child. The news arrived yesterday.[9]

[9] Marie Christine, Princess of Savoy, died in giving birth to

the prince who was afterwards Francis II., the last King of

Naples.

_Paris, February 10, 1836._--The judges in Fieschi's case, and the

audience, take a remarkable interest in this man. He is an

unprecedented character; he has a fine intellect and a real genius for

strategy, while the terrors of his situation never obscure his memory,

his self-possession, or his penetration; he is a man of strong

passions, especially where women are concerned. His affection for Nina

Lassave is remarkable; he constantly writes to her, and when he

learned that she had been unfaithful to him he reproached her for not

waiting a few days and sparing him this last bitterness, as his

execution would have set her free; all this was written in the most

touching style. Another point is that when M. Ladvocat sent money to

Fieschi, that he might provide himself with some small dainties in

prison, instead of spending the money, he sent it to this woman Nina.

She wrote to thank him more or less in the following terms: "I thank

you for thus depriving yourself for my sake; with what you have sent

me I have bought a few decent things to do you credit before your

judges, but as you will soon be unable to send me anything more, I am

economising, and am now mistress of forty francs."

This remark concerning economy is disgusting. Moreover, she wrote to

Fieschi to assure him that she had remained faithful to him, which is

untrue. Everybody seems to have been far more interested by these

amorous details than by the actual crime. What a strange time it is!

Fieschi's correspondence, in passing through the hands of M. Decazes,

became the amusement of the House of Peers; but the truly astonishing

fact is the notoriety which the whole story has given to Mlle. Nina,

who was formerly resident in the Salpêtrière. It is asserted that

monetary proposals have been made to her by men of high position;

there is no doubt that one hears the strangest descriptions of her

beauties and her imperfections, and it is a positive fact that she has

only one eye.

If Fieschi is a lover, he is no less attracted by religion. When the

almoner of the Chamber of Peers asked those under trial if they wished

to hear Mass, Fieschi alone replied yes, and said that he was anxious

to hear it as he was neither a heathen nor an atheist; that if he was

not a theological expert he had nevertheless read Plutarch and Cicero

and firmly believed in the immortality of the soul; as the soul was

not divisible it could not be material, and that, in short, he

believed in the spiritual nature of man. He asked the almoner to come

and see him again and not to leave him after his sentence had been

pronounced. In view of such inconsistencies, how is it possible to

pass any absolute judgment on men?

I believe the following to be an accurate bulletin of the Ministerial

crisis: Yesterday morning the King sent for Dupin, Sauzet, and Passy,

and commissioned them to form a Ministry upon two conditions only:

firstly, they were not to give a post to any one who had voted against

the repressive laws; secondly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs must

be a man who would reassure European opinion and be agreeable to

himself. The three men replied that they understood the King's wishes,

but that they could not bind themselves until they had consulted their

friends; they then withdrew. At the Chamber they sent round a list,

which was drawn up nearly as follows: Dupin to be Minister of Justice

and President, Passy to be Minister of Finance, Flahaut of Foreign

Affairs, Molitor of War, Montalivet of the Interior. I have since

learned that Montalivet refused the post in spite of the King's

wishes, and that the King refused to accept the nomination of Flahaut.

The King wished to appoint Rumigny or Baudrand to the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, and would have declared for the latter, if there had

not been a wish to retain him as a companion to the Prince Royal on

his travels. The Prince is very pleased at the fall of the last

Ministry: I believe he is wrong; the Flahaut party are delighted. The

Ministerial party hope to secure the election of M. Guizot as

President of the Chamber of Deputies; the Opposition will support M.

Martin du Nord.

In the evening I accompanied M. de Talleyrand to a dinner given by M.

de Montalivet. Counts Pahlen and Apponyi were pale with fear inspired

by the sight of M. de Flahaut's name on a list of Ministers. Marshal

Maison was regretting the loss of his ambassadorship at St. Petersburg

with cries of rage which were not in the best of taste.

We then went to the last Ministerial reception given by the Duc de

Broglie. M. de Broglie believes himself to be fully in touch with the

requirements of the time; he has no suspicion of the actual truth,

that he is the sole cause and object of the squabbling which is going

on, that he is the man rejected by the Chamber, and that if he were to

say to his colleagues, "I see that I am myself the real

stumbling-block; I will withdraw, but I beg you to remain," M. Molé

would take his place and everything would be settled to the general

satisfaction.

_Paris, February 11, 1836._--Madame de Rumford died yesterday morning

after breakfast; she had had some friends to dinner the evening

before. She had been much changed for some time, but has always

refused to acknowledge herself an invalid, and remained as

discourteous to death as she was to those about her. The loss of her

_salon_ will be felt; it was a meeting-place, and there are very few

that are habitually regarded as such. Every one found something there

to remind him of this or that period of his life. This loss has

saddened me; it is not well to have reached the age of eighty-four.

But M. de Rigny was fifty, Clémentine de Flahaut sixteen, Yolande de

Valençay two! Life is threatened at every step of the ladder, and one

must always be ready.

That old cat Sémonville, whose claws are always ready, reached the

Luxembourg yesterday with the announcement that the Ministry was at

length settled. He was surrounded with questioners, and gave the list

as follows: "President of the Council, Madame Adélaide; Justice and

Public Worship, the Duchesse de Broglie; Foreign Affairs, the Duchesse

de Dino;[10] Interior, the Comtesse de Boigne; War, the Comtesse de

Flahaut; Marine, the Duchesse de Massa; Finance, the Duchesse de

Montmorency; Commerce, the Marquise de Caraman!" I sent this piece of

wit to Madame de Lieven, in reply to a note asking for certain

information; she replied that the King's condition at least was

fulfilled, and that the Minister of Foreign Affairs was not likely to

disturb Europe.

[10] The author of these memoirs.

This is poor stuff, but poorer still is the fact that it is impossible

to form a Ministry, in seriousness or otherwise. Yesterday I was at

the Tuileries. The Ministers who had resigned were all grouped about

the King, but, I think, with no particular object. It is deplorable!

_Paris, February 12, 1836._--Of Ministerial news there is none; all

that I have learned yesterday is as follows: Dupin, Passy, and Sauzet

spent three hours with the King, and told him that they could not

undertake the formation of a Ministry, as various intrigues had made

the attempt impossible; they were, however, ready themselves to enter

the Ministry, if their services were agreeable to the King. They then

withdrew, and the King sent for M. Molé in the course of the evening,

but I cannot say what passed at this interview.

_Paris, February 13, 1836._--I have the following information as

regards the events of yesterday concerning the Ministerial crisis. M.

Molé declares that he will not take office without M. Thiers, who will

not come in without M. Guizot; he, again, will not act without M. de

Broglie, unless the latter recognises that he is himself the only real

obstacle, insists that his colleagues should take office without him,

and writes them a letter to that effect, dated from Broglie. M. de

Salvandy attempted to enlighten him upon this point, but met with a

very poor reception. A lively scene is said to have taken place

between MM. de Broglie and Guizot; certainly M. de Broglie is

obviously agitated, and so ill-tempered as to rouse the pity of his

friends and the contempt of other men. Some people think that the King

will summon de Broglie and request him with greater authority than

Salvandy used to put an end to this deplorable state of affairs, which

is only continued on his account.

Dupin's chance has entirely disappeared. During the two days when it

was thought that he would be Minister, Thiers and Guizot both entered

the competition for the Presidency, and so gained an opportunity of

counting the votes in their favour. M. Guizot received eight, M.

Martin du Nord fifteen; the remainder of the Ministerial party would

have voted for M. Thiers and secured for him the refusal of the

position.

_Paris, February 16, 1836._--Fieschi and his accomplices have been

condemned to death; M. de Mareuil came yesterday to tell us of the

sentence, at eleven o'clock in the evening.[11]

[11] The sentence which condemned Fieschi, Pépin, and Morey to

death. They were executed at the Barrière Saint-Jacques on

February 19.

It seems that many of the peers gave long explanations to justify

their manner of voting. A small fraction of the Chamber considered

that the circumstantial evidence against Pépin and Morey was

inadequate to justify the extreme penalty, and preferred to inflict

penal servitude for life. Fieschi was condemned to death unanimously,

and M. Barthe asked that the punishments reserved for parricides

should be added to the death penalty.

The newspapers announce the death of Madame Bonaparte; her

great-granddaughter--that is, the daughter of Joseph, who married the

son of Lucien--was the only member of her numerous family at her side.

Cardinal Fesch has been very attentive to her, and she leaves him her

pictures; it is also thought that the division of her inheritance will

cause fresh dissensions among her children, who are by no means at

harmony with one another, for it seems that during her lifetime she

gave considerable sums to Lucien, Jérôme, and to Madame Murat, which

sums they are not willing to repay.

_Paris, February 17, 1836._--Yesterday the King assembled his former

Ministers and announced that in the first place he would not accept

their resignations until another Cabinet was formed. Furthermore, he

said that it was only by an accident that a majority in the Chamber

had been against them; their system was that of the Chamber, although

certain individuals in the Cabinet might not be agreeable to the

Chamber, and he would therefore be delighted to see them all remain in

office; if, however, they thought that any of their members were

likely to keep the Chamber in a state of exasperation, he asked them

to consider the matter among themselves and then to let him know upon

what he could rely. M. de Broglie said that the King should make trial

of the Third Party, to which the King replied: "It may please you,

sir, to restate the weakness of that Third Party, but it does not

please me to make so disastrous an attempt; I have had enough of three

days' ministries; the majority is not to be found either in the Third

Party or in the Left, but with you, gentlemen, or, if not with all of

you, at any rate with some. Your arrangements and mutual engagements

ought to give way before the gravity of the situation: so much I

expect from your honesty and your desire for the general welfare; for

my own part, gentlemen, I shall fold my arms and bide my time at

Saint-Cloud." MM. de Broglie and Guizot replied that no member of the

Cabinet was exactly bound, but that there were certain conventions

which they must respect in each member's case. This was a very

inopportune reply at such a moment, especially from the first speaker,

who could have cut the Gordian knot at one word and have simplified

the position. No one knows what the result will be, unless matters

should turn out as M. Royer-Collard predicted to M. Thiers last

Friday: "You are impossible to-day, but in a week you will be

necessary, indispensable, and absolute."

M. de Talleyrand and myself visited the Queen yesterday. The fact that

the Court was in mourning for the Queen of Naples, together with the

trial of Fieschi and the Ministerial crisis, made it impossible for

the Château to take part in the pleasures of the carnival, and a very

serious spirit prevailed. The King's attention was occupied by

thoughts of the punishment which awaited the prisoners condemned the

previous evening, and he had not ventured to go out, because he knew

that Madame Pépin and her children were lying in wait for him. The

Château was mournful indeed, and formed a painful contrast with the

joyful tumult in the streets. M. Pasquier came to tell the King that

Pépin had asked to see him that morning, so that the execution must be

postponed until the next day.

Before going home I spent half an hour with Madame de Lieven. No one

was there except Lady Charlotte Grenville and M. Berryer, who said

that when one knew nothing one was able to say anything one liked,

and that he had no hesitation in asserting that Thiers' was the only

possible combination, and alone likely to be agreeable to the Chamber.

_Paris, February 19, 1836._--Yesterday morning I had a call from M.

Thiers, who had definitely accepted the task of forming a Cabinet and

acting as President. He proposed to spend the rest of the day in

making up his list. He has too much common sense to underrate the

difficulty of his new position, and too much courage or blindness to

be dismayed by it. M. Molé failed to secure election to the Academy;

it has been a disastrous week for him.

_Paris, February 20, 1836._--The following are the actual words

written by the King beneath the signature which he was obliged to

append to the death-warrants of Fieschi, Pépin, Morey, &c.: "It is

only a profound sense of duty which induces me to give an approval

which is one of the most painful acts of my life; however, considering

the frankness which Fieschi showed in his confession and his conduct

during the trial, I intend that the subordinate parts of his

punishment shall be remitted, and I deeply regret that my conscience

will not allow me to do more."

_Paris, February 21, 1836._--M. Thiers is finding difficulties in the

way of his attempt to combine a Ministry; every one is willing to work

with him or under him, but not in company with others. At the same

time it is important that the Cabinet should be both strong and

reputable. There are difficulties everywhere, even for superior

mortals.

_Paris, February 22, 1836._--M. de Talleyrand is in a very bad temper:

the newspapers and public opinion all regard him as responsible for

the new Ministry: the names have at length appeared in this morning's

_Moniteur_.[12] He, however, has had nothing to do with it, and as the

sudden rise of M. Thiers has not met with universal approval, the

English being particularly incensed, M. de Talleyrand is aroused to

great irritation by all that he hears upon the subject, and vents his

anger upon Paris, his age, and his position, and keenly regrets that

he ever left London.

[12] The Cabinet was as follows: M. Thiers, President of the

Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs; M. Sauzet, Keeper of the

Seals; M. de Montalivet, Minister of the Interior; M. d'Argout,

Financial Minister; M. Passy, Minister of Commerce and Public

Works; M. Pelet de la Lozère, Minister of Education; Marshal

Maison, Minister of War; Admiral Duperré, Minister of Naval

Affairs.

_Paris, February 23, 1836._--Yesterday, on returning home at the end

of the morning, I found M. Berryer at my door; he had just left the

Chamber of Deputies, where Thiers had been speaking. Berryer has a

high opinion of the talent, the intellectual power, and the capacity

of Thiers. Berryer is himself the most unprejudiced, impartial, and

simple of characters; there is nothing artificial, affected, or

extreme about him; it is difficult to think of him as a party man. In

my opinion, no one was ever less a party man, and perhaps he would be

glad if he could avoid the necessity of taking sides entirely. The

ease, the lightness, the gentleness, and the simplicity of his

conversation are the more creditable to him by contrast with his

profession and his position. The justice of his judgment and the

kindness which is most constantly characteristic of it compel

confidence in his opinions and his statements.

Thiers' speech was received with marked coldness by the Chamber. The

fact is fortunate for him, in my opinion. There is some danger that

the intoxication of success might lead to his fall, and anything which

will keep him from disaster can only be useful and for his good.

_Paris, February 24, 1836._--M. Molé dined here yesterday. His bearing

shows some traces of coldness and disappointment. He was unwilling to

act in concert with M. Dupin in the matter of the Ministry;

consequently the latter, who commanded several votes in the French

Academy, withdrew them, and so brought about the rejection of M. Molé;

he then observed: "M. Molé would not be my colleague, and I do not

care for him as my fellow Academician."

Paris is likely to become increasingly difficult as a place of

residence. Apart from the two great dynastic divisions which separate

society, we shall now have to deal with all the factions caused by

disappointed ambition, the Molé, Broglie, Guizot, and Dupin factions,

and finally the Thiers faction. These will all be as bitterly hostile

to one another as the Legitimists are to the Moderate Party. All these

factions will never find any such common point of amalgamation as the

Château might and should become; on the contrary, some object to the

King, others to our house. Detestation and malignancy are mutual, but

no one is willing to examine himself or to recognise that there are

faults on all sides, and that the real causes of blame are to be found

in himself. How strange is the blindness and how great the ill-faith

of men, especially of those who are involved in public affairs and

interests!

_Paris, March 4, 1836._--Yesterday, at the house of M. de Talleyrand,

M. Mignet related that Marchand, a former _valet de chambre_ under the

Emperor, proposed to publish a commentary upon the "Commentaries" of

Cæsar, which Napoleon had dictated to him in the last weeks of his

life in St. Helena. Marchand often spoke to M. Mignet of Napoleon's

last moments, of the loneliness and emptiness of his life; in

illustration, he said that one evening when the Emperor, who was then

very ill, was in bed, he pointed to the foot of the bed and said to

him: "Marchand, sit down there and tell me something." Marchand said

to him: "Dear me, sire, what can I tell you who have done and seen so

much?" "Tell me about your youth; that will be simple and true, and

will interest me," replied the Emperor. There is something very

pathetic about this little dialogue. What teaching might not Bossuet

have drawn from these few words--Bossuet, who did not disdain to

introduce the somewhat trivial anecdote of the fowl into the funeral

oration upon the Palatine! Surely the greatest homage to Bossuet is

the fact that every great misfortune, every triumph or failure, makes

us turn towards the Eagle of Meaux, who alone could extol, lament, and

immortalise them worthily.

_Paris, March 5, 1836._--Yesterday morning MM. Berryer and Thiers met

at my house. I think it would have been impossible to have been

present at a conversation more animated, sparkling, witty, surprising,

kind, sincere, free, and true, or more devoid of all party spirit,

than that which then arose between these two men, so different and so

highly gifted. I also thought that it would never finish; they did not

go until after six o'clock.

_Paris, March 7, 1836._--M. Royer-Collard introduced me yesterday to

M. de Tocqueville, the author of "Democracy in America." He seemed to

me to be a nice little man, simple and modest, with an intellectual

expression. We talked a great deal about England, and our views upon

the destiny of the country were quite in harmony.

_Paris, March 9, 1836._--I had several times glanced at the "Imitation

of Jesus Christ." Whether it was that my knowledge of others and

myself was only superficial or that my mind was ill-prepared and too

wandering, I had seen no great difference between this famous work and

the "Journée du Chrétien" and the "Petit Paroissien." I had often been

surprised at the great reputation which this book enjoyed, but had

never found any pleasure in reading it. Chance led me to open it the

other day with Pauline; the first lines caught my attention, and I

have since been reading it with ever increasing admiration. What

intellectual power beneath the highest simplicity of form! What

profound knowledge of the deepest recesses of the human heart! What

beauty and enlightenment! And yet it is the work of an unknown monk.

Nothing humiliates me more than a failure of self-knowledge or shows

me more clearly in what darkness I was sunk.

_Paris, March 10, 1836._--Yesterday I went with the Duchesse de

Montmorency to a ball, given by Madame Salomon de Rothschild, the

mother. The house is the most magnificent that can be conceived, and

is therefore known as the Temple of Solomon. It is infinitely superior

to her daughter-in-law's house, because the proportions are higher and

greater. The luxury of it is indescribable, but in good taste--pure

Renaissance, without any mixture of other styles; the gallery in

particular is worthy of Chenonceaux, and one might have thought one's

self at an entertainment given by the Valois. In the chief room the

armchairs are made of gilt bronze instead of gilt wood, and cost a

thousand francs apiece. The dining-hall is like the nave of a

cathedral. All was well arranged and admirably lighted; there was no

crushing, and every courtesy.

_Paris, March 11, 1836._--Yesterday I went to Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, to

hear the Abbé de Ravignan, formerly the King's _procureur_; he is a

friend of Berryer, who praises him greatly, and a brother-in-law of

General Exelmans; I had known him in the Pyrenees, where I had been

struck by the beautiful expression of his face. He is a good preacher,

with an excellent delivery, while his style is pure and refined, but

rather logical and argumentative than warm or sympathetic. He

therefore lays more stress upon evangelical dogma than upon morality,

and seemed to me to be a man of talent rather than a great preacher.

_Paris, March 18, 1836._--With regard to my reflections upon

Bossuet,[13] you praise my attitude somewhat unduly. I have, indeed, a

love of truth, and the world, with the dreadful misery which it

contains, fills me with disgust; I have learned to fear the contagion

of the world, under which I have suffered too long; I examine myself

seriously, and am horrified to find myself immersed in the sorrow and

grief which are the lot of worldly people and are the destruction of

peace of mind, charity, and purity. I make some attempt to burst my

bonds and rise to a purer region; but none the less my efforts are

usually impotent, and my struggles vain and futile. As a rule I cannot

tell whether the moral weariness which overwhelms me is due to the sad

sight of the deplorable agitations amid which I live, or to the no

less deplorable agitation of my inward life. When we have spent years

amid the struggles of life and desire to change our path, however

remote may be the road which leads us forward, we find ourselves a

burden to ourselves; we can neither go forward with our load nor throw

it off straightway; we stumble and retrace our steps; we prove

ourselves but feeble travellers, and our goal recedes as our desire to

reach it increases. Such is my case....

[13] Extract from a letter.

Yesterday, towards the end of the morning, M. de Tocqueville came to

pay his call; I like him. The Duc de Noailles also called; he is not

so attractive, though by no means disagreeable. Another caller was

Berryer, who might be most agreeable if his mind and bearing did not

betray traces of low life, which have struck my notice. However, the

conversation never flagged, as the first visitor has sound views, the

second good judgment, and the third that mental alacrity which enables

him to apprehend a point at once. The conversation of these

distinguished men was concerned only with facts, and not with people:

names were not mentioned; there was no gossip, no bitterness or

extravagance. The talk was as it should always be, especially at a

lady's house.

_Paris, March 20, 1836._--How deep a melancholy may be inspired by the

first fine spring day, when it fails to harmonise with one's own frame

of mind! For forty-eight hours the weather has been mild and lovely,

the atmosphere filled with sweetness and light and breathing joy and

happiness; new life, new warmth and pleasure are springing into being,

and I feel suffocated in this town. The public promenades cannot take

the place of the country, and nothing can bring back the sweet

springtime of last year, with its flowers, its wide horizon, and its

freshness, in which it was so easy to take breath. I would worship any

one who could give me back these things! And instead I drive with

Madame de Lieven through the Bois de Boulogne in a closed carriage!

Such was my occupation yesterday, while M. de Talleyrand was at the

Academy of Moral and Political Science, voting for M. de Tocqueville,

who failed to secure election.

_Paris, March 24, 1836._--The Princess Belgiojoso is rather striking

than beautiful: she is extremely pale, her eyes are too far apart, her

head too square, her mouth large and her teeth discoloured; but she

has a good nose, and her figure would be pretty if it were somewhat

fuller; her hair is jet black, and she wears striking dresses; she has

intellect, but wants balance, and is full of artistic whims and

inconsistencies; her manner is intentionally and skilfully natural,

sufficiently to hide her affectation, while her affectation seems to

counterbalance a certain innate vulgarity, which her flatterers style

an untamed nature. Such is my impression of this personage, with whom

I have but the slightest acquaintance.

M. Royer-Collard found me reading the "Imitation" the other day, and

brought me yesterday a pretty little copy which he has had from his

youth, and has almost invariably carried about with him. I have been

deeply touched by this gift, and regard it as a most precious

possession. My only objection to this little book is the fact that it

is in Latin: I never knew Latin well, and I find that I have now

forgotten it. I think I shall have to take it up again.

M. Royer asked me to give him in exchange some book which I had

constantly read. I gave him a copy of Bossuet's "Funeral Orations,"

deeply scored with my marks; the ribbon-mark is torn away, but a

hairpin happened to be marking one of the passages in the oration on

the Princess Palatine, which had a special meaning for myself. M.

Royer accepted the little volume most gratefully.

Yesterday evening I went to the Italian Opera, and Berryer paid a

visit to my box. His mind was full of the morning session in the

Chamber of Deputies and of M. Guizot's _formidable_ speech. M. Thiers

proposes to reply this morning, as, indeed, he must, unless he wishes

to see M. Guizot become paramount in the Chamber; in short, we are to

see the real adversaries engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle. This is

an event, and is so regarded. Berryer described the whole affair

marvellously well, without bitterness against any one, and without a

word more than was necessary to make the situation clear. In ten

minutes he had told me everything.

_Paris, March 27, 1836._--Yesterday morning I had the honour of seeing

the King with Madame Adélaïde; his conversation was charming. He was

kind enough to tell me stories of his marriage, of the Court of

Palermo and the famous Queen Caroline. I also heard that Prince

Charles of Naples and Miss Penelope arrived here within the last two

days in a state of complete destitution. This was an embarrassing

event, and in a sense discreditable, especially to the Queen.[14]

[14] Prince Charles of Naples, brother of the Duchesse de Berry,

was the nephew of Queen Marie Amélie.

I have reason to believe that Thiers did not reply forthwith to

Guizot's great speech the other day for reasons of prudence, and in

obedience to the orders of his superiors; but he will lose nothing by

waiting, and we shall see a striking explosion upon the next

opportunity. I think the authorities were unwilling to regard the

question as a duel between two individuals, and have preferred to let

the effect of the first speech wear off before offering a reply. In

any case, an enormous majority responded to the effort that was made.

The only vexatious point is the number of concessions offered by M.

Sauzet in his speech, and on this subject I have noticed some strong

discontent.

M. de Tocqueville's name was proposed, without his knowledge, to the

Academy of Political and Moral Science by M. Cousin; M. Tocqueville

has told me that he did not wish to seek election again. As the

grandson of M. de Malesherbes, he has no desire to join an Academy of

mere figureheads, of which, for the most part, this institution is

composed.

_Paris, March 29, 1836._--It is certain that all idea of intervention

in Spain has been abandoned by every grade within the Governmental

hierarchy; some had never entertained the project, and others have

dropped it. I think there is no reason to fear any imprudence whatever

in this direction.

Rumour is entirely occupied with a conversation between the King and

Guizot, in which the former is said to have expressed his extreme

displeasure with the dates which were given as marking the good system

of administration. The King said that the system was not the work of

any individual, but was his own, and that the only date he would

recognise was his own date, August 9. He added that it was bad policy

to attack the only Cabinet which could command a majority at that

moment. Guizot replied that if the King cared to test the matter he

would see that the majority was to be found elsewhere. "Not so,"

returned the King; "it is you, sir, who are deluded, and you fail to

see that the course you are pursuing rather divides you from the

points at issue than brings you nearer to them. If you continue, you

will perhaps force me to take a measure which I detest, and which will

assuredly be more displeasing to yourself; that measure is a

dissolution of the Chamber, please remember." I believe this

conversation to be literally exact, and I think it will induce people

to consider their words and deeds more carefully, the more so as the

doctrinaires, who know perfectly well that they have no chance of

re-election, will shrink from a dissolution.

M. de Chateaubriand has sold his works, unedited or as yet unwritten,

for a hundred and fifty thousand francs cash, in addition to a yearly

income of twelve thousand francs payable to his wife upon his death.

He is said to be completely upset by the payment of his debts, and his

future existence which is thus defined and circumscribed seems to him

a heavy burden. Everything he writes, even apart from his memoirs,

will belong to his publishers in return for a scale of payment now

laid down. The manuscripts of his memoirs have been solemnly sealed up

in his presence in an iron box, which has been deposited with a

solicitor. He says that his thoughts have suffered imprisonment for

debt in place of himself.

_Paris, March 30, 1836._--I have certainly heard more music this year

than last; as I am deprived of all my favourite amusements, I have

devoted myself wholeheartedly, without reserve, to music, and have

sought opportunities for hearing it. As the advance of years or

circumstances diminish my tastes, the pleasures which are left to me

are intensified by the disappearance of others; affection takes the

place of coquetry and music of dancing; reading and meditation replace

idle conversations, with their malignity or indiscretions; I drive

instead of calling, and prefer rest to excitement.

_Paris, April 13, 1836._--I took Pauline yesterday evening to a

charity lottery at the house of the Duchesse de Montmorency, where

there was a crowd. All the Faubourg Saint-Germain were there,

including even the Duchesse de Gontaut, formerly governess to the Duc

de Bordeaux; she condescended so far as to bow to me very politely.

Pauline was interested by everything, as girls of fifteen usually are.

She was very pretty; her hair was simply done, but dressed by the

great Edouard; she wore a sky-blue dress, and looked fresh as a rose,

with her calm and dainty bearing and her happy little face; in short,

she met with general approval, consequently I felt well disposed to

every one; the slights formerly inflicted upon me by this or that

person were forgotten when a pleasant word or a kind look was

addressed to Pauline. It is certainly better not to live in hostility

with society, and if one is so wrong-headed or unfortunate it is very

pleasant to make one's daughter a means of reconciliation.

I have letters from England telling me that the Duchess of Gloucester

has become the happiest person in the world; Lady Georgiana Bathurst

is her lady of honour; she is at home every evening, and her house is

the meeting-place of the high Tories; all the news is to be heard

there, and gossip goes on, with which the Duchess delights the King

every morning. The King of England sees his Ministers only on

business, and has no social intercourse with them. Lord Melbourne does

not care or complain, and goes his own way without worrying the King,

which seems to me to be a sound plan.

Yesterday morning, thanks to a special ticket, for which I sent to ask

the Archbishop, I was able to hear the last of the series of lectures

given at Notre-Dame by the Abbé Lacordaire. He is starting for Rome

to-day, and will be absent for two years. There were at least five

thousand persons in the church, nearly all schoolboys and girls. Among

the men who came in with the Archbishop and were favoured with seats

on the Banc de l'OEuvre I recognised the Marquis de Vérac, the Duc

de Noailles, and M. de Tocqueville. I was placed just behind this

bench, with some fifty ladies, none of whom I knew; I was opposite to

the pulpit and did not lose a single word. Imagination, vigour, and a

style far removed from that of the seminary are the distinctive

qualities of the Abbé Lacordaire; he is a young man with a good

delivery. His use of metaphor, however, seemed to me to be slightly

confused and somewhat too daring, while his doctrine allowed no room

for the beautiful and humble theory of grace. I think that St.

Augustine, the great apostle of grace, would have found matter for

criticism in his words. On the whole, I was interested and struck with

the attentive attitude of his audience. The Archbishop concluded the

lecture with some suitable words of thanks and farewell to the young

preacher, and with a blessing at once appropriate, simple, and gentle

upon the congregation, which was received with surprising respect by

his young hearers. It must be said that when the Archbishop avoids

politics and the commonplaces of the seminary he can produce, as he

did yesterday, a noble and touching effect, with his fine face and

gestures and his appealing tone, in his splendid cathedral and from

his exalted position, whence he looked down upon these many young

faces. M. de Tocqueville, who called upon me towards the end of the

morning, was even then moved by the scene.

_Paris, April 13, 1836._--MM. Hyde de Neuville, de Jumilhac, de Cossé,

Jacques de Fitz-James, and de Montbreton have all started for Prague,

to ask Charles X. to give up the Duc de Bordeaux. In the event of a

refusal they have resolved to carry him off, and flatter themselves

that they will have the co-operation of the young Prince in the

attempt. They wish to find a home for him in Switzerland, where he is

to be educated, and so brought nearer to France in every sense of the

term. This project, which is in itself somewhat visionary, is reduced

to absurdity by the boasting and gossip with which it has been

announced. Another plan, of which the police have been informed, is to

carry off one of the young princes of royal blood and to keep him as a

hostage. The Minister of the Interior has been somewhat disturbed by

this proposal.

_Paris, April 21, 1836._--A courier arrived yesterday from Vienna

bringing a reply conceived in the most gracious terms to the

insinuations which have been made concerning the Duc d'Orléans and his

proposed journey in Austria. All that was avoided under the Duc de

Broglie has been welcomed under M. Thiers, to whom personally the

reply referred in very kind terms. Something of the same kind is now

expected from Berlin. The departure of the Prince and of his brother,

the Duc de Nemours, is fixed for May 4, but the fact will not be

announced for another five days, when they will have returned from

Chantilly. The return journey is to be made by Turin. The Sardinian

Court, which feels the want of some support, is inclined, after much

hesitation, to look to France. My son, Valençay, will accompany the

Princes; he will be the only unattached member of their suite with

them. It was proposed to give him a title and an official position,

but I objected, as my son is sure to be well received anywhere.

Yesterday at dinner at the house of M. de Talleyrand a quarrel arose

between M. Thiers and M. Bertin de Veaux, the result of which, I

think, has been the opposite of what was expected: instead of pacific

explanations a duel became the consequence. I was on tenterhooks, and

eventually checked the dissension almost brutally. Every one, I think,

approved my action, which I would have taken earlier if I had not

thought that M. de Talleyrand was the proper person to intervene; he,

however, did not even exert himself to change the conversation. Bertin

de Veaux was constantly aggressive, while Thiers for a long time was

perfectly calm, until he grew excited and angry, and at length they

hurled political defiance at one another.

_Paris, April 23, 1836._--Mrs. Norton has written a letter to Mr.

Ellice, which is a kind of manifesto, and has sent it to me with

orders to communicate it to her foreign compatriots. I have read the

letter, and, if her words are to be believed, she emerges from this

foul story as pure as Desdemona.[15] I hope indeed that it is so. The

whole business seems to me very vulgar and in very bad taste.

[15] Reference is here made to an action for divorce brought

against Mrs. Norton by her husband, which made a great stir in

England at this time. The intimacy of Mrs. Norton with Lord

Melbourne was well known. However, the verdict given in the

following June acquitted Lord Melbourne, but Mrs. Norton and her

husband separated.

The Duchesse de Coigny, who has always come to England for her

confinements, in order to ensure the birth of girls, was to start this

morning to London for the same reason, but owing to mistaken

calculations she was yesterday confined of a fine boy, which is a

bitter disappointment.

_Paris, April 26, 1836._--Visitors returning from Chantilly were most

enthusiastic yesterday about the beauty of the spot, the extensive

society to be found there, the excitement of the races, the brilliancy

of the hunt, and, in the case of those who were at the Château, the

graciousness of the Prince Royal. The English say that apart from the

races themselves, which, however, are by no means bad, these three

days at Chantilly are much superior to Ascot, Epsom, and any meeting

of the kind in England.

Hunting was carried on with the pack of the Prince of Wagram, and some

four hundred young men rode out; but only thirty were in at the death

of the stag.

The Prince Royal is to start on the 3rd or 4th, and will go straight

to Metz to visit the School of Artillery; he will not stop at any of

the small Courts, which he proposes carefully to avoid by taking all

kinds of unusual routes under the pretext that they are more direct.

Yesterday I dined with Madame de la Redorte, and met several people,

including General Alava, who told us the story of the duel between

Mendizabal and Isturitz, in which neither combatant received a

scratch.

He seemed to expect a Ministerial crisis at Madrid which might affect

his position as ambassador.

Alava is so inclined to exaggerate that when he was at the house of M.

Dupin at a reception of Deputies the host asked him, touching M.

Berryer on the shoulder, whether he knew this Deputy. Alava

straightway exclaimed: "Certainly I know M. Berryer, and _I share all

his opinions_."

_Paris, April 27, 1836._--The route of the Prince Royal passes through

Verdun, Metz, Trèves, Düsseldorf, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Potsdam, and

Berlin. All the Ministers of Saxony, Hanover, and Bavaria have brought

pressing invitations from their Sovereigns asking the Prince to make a

stay with them. These have been declined under the pretext of want of

time, but in reality owing to some ill-feeling caused by the continued

affronts and insults from Munich; if the Prince refused one invitation

he obviously could not accept others without a declaration of

hostility. He is sorry, however, to hurry by Dresden, whence there has

never been any cause of complaint. From Berlin he will proceed to

Vienna, by way of Breslau and Brünn.

For some days I have been reading a few volumes of the "Essais de

Morale" by Nicole; our curiosity concerning this work was aroused by

Madame de Sévigné. They are doubtless excellent, but I think one must

be somewhat more advanced than I am to admire them keenly. There is a

certain dry austerity apparent which somewhat repels me. To these many

philosophical arguments I prefer the touching phrase of St. Augustine:

"If you are afraid of God, throw yourself into the arms of God."

Eventually, perhaps, I shall learn to appreciate Nicole, as one's

mental tastes change with one's age and circumstances.

_Paris, April 28, 1836._--Pozzo has received the order of St. Andrew

in diamonds, and at the same time unlimited leave of absence to travel

in Italy. I imagine that he will soon pass this way.

The journey of the Prince Royal has been arranged to begin a day

earlier, and he is to start on the 2nd. Berlin will not be reached for

ten days, as he is to put up every night, while each day's journey

will not be too long, as they wish him to arrive fresh and alert and

ready to undergo military fatigues, the manœuvres, festivities, and

other duties. This seems to me very sensible. The Prince Royal has

received a formal invitation to the manœuvres at Berlin. Hence his

reception cannot be anything but excellent. The invitation has

certainly been sought, but it is undoubtedly an invitation, and

accusations of importunity or rashness are therefore out of place. The

Duc and the Duchesse d'Angoulême will naturally have left Vienna when

the two Princes arrive there.

Yesterday I accompanied the Comtesse de Castellane to a reading given

by M. de Rémusat upon historical incidents in the style of the

"Barricades"; "The Night of St. Bartholomew" was his subject. It was

clearly and brightly treated, and the author assures us that much

historical research has been devoted to it, but it was so long that

the second part had to be postponed until Tuesday. To sit through a

reading is an exhausting business.

_Paris, May 1, 1836._--Yesterday was Pauline's ball--a pretty scene

and entirely successful. There was no crowd, plenty of light, young

and pretty people in full gaiety, and polite young men acting as

partners to the ladies, all in excellent style and taste, and the

company most carefully selected. It was not exactly exclusive, but the

Faubourg Saint-Germain were in preponderant numbers. My cousin, Madame

de Chastellux, for instance, went to the trouble of coming. In short,

I was well pleased with our little success and with the delight of

Pauline.

_Paris, May 2, 1836._--Yesterday news arrived from Berlin of the

preparations made to receive the young Princes. The King said that

they should have the kind of reception given to his son-in-law, the

Emperor. They are to stay at the old palace. An hour after their

arrival all the princes will come to pay their first calls; in short,

everything is to go off as well as possible. The Carlist faction is

overwhelmed, and the aggressive members of it are quite ill in

consequence; the moderate members are casting tender glances at the

Château des Tuileries, and yesterday M. de Chabrol, formerly Naval

Minister, and M. Mounier went to the Château. M. de Noailles would be

ready to do the same were it not for his wife, whose feelings he has

to consider--and reasonably, for she, though a most worthy person, is

very extravagant in her political ideas.

_Paris, May 4, 1836._--Yesterday I went to hear the conclusion of M.

de Rémusat's "Night of St. Bartholomew."[16] It is clever and

talented, but I repeat that this style of performance is a mistake,

and a good historical narrative would be much more interesting to me.

[16] This work was published after the death of the Comte de

Rémusat in 1878, by his son Paul.

I have seen M. Royer-Collard, and also M. Thiers. The former said that

the doctrinaires were decisively defeated in the Dupin dispute, as the

Chamber had pronounced against them. The second is very pleased with

his reports from the Russian Ambassador and from the Court of St.

Petersburg, which are beginning to become flattering. I believe he is

on the way to another reconciliation which he thinks of more

importance, with Bertin de Veaux, but this is still a profound secret.

_Paris, May 6, 1836._--I have been deeply affected by the death of the

good Abbé Girolet. He followed the fine precept of Bossuet, and the

only precaution which he took against the attacks of death was the

innocence of his life, for all his interests were so neglected that he

has left me a fine complication to unravel, which demands my immediate

presence at Rochecotte. I shall start the day after to-morrow, and

they are only waiting for me to take the seals off his property. A

will in which he has left me everything has been found, but where or

what may this everything be? This is as yet unknown, and there is some

fear that there may be more debts than property, which fact would

prevent me from beginning the charitable foundations which I promised

to take in hand after his death. I shall find a very obvious void at

Rochecotte, and shall miss that gentle look which clung so

affectionately to me. And then how sad are the details of his death!

_Rochecotte, May 10, 1836._--No interesting news can be expected from

me in this retired corner of the world, where I can boast only of

peace and silence and of solitude--three excellent things which I

appreciate the more as I have left, in the words of the "Imitation,"

"the tumultuous commerce of men, which arouses vanity even in the

simple-minded, and eventually enslaves the soul."

I spent the evening with M. Vestier, my good architect, over plans and

arrangements for the vault of the Abbé and for my own. This will be

arranged quite simply in the parish cemetery on the hillside before

that beautiful view, in the pure air, looking out upon the rising sun.

The vaults are to be very simply surrounded by shrubs and an iron

railing; there will be nothing more than names and dates. Thus his

last resting-place will be as simple as was his mind, and I trust that

mine will be equally so. The wishes of men are so rarely performed

after their deaths that during our lifetime we should act as far as we

can. I had considerable difficulty in inducing Vestier to undertake

this simple work. He says it is horrible to be giving orders for the

digging of my grave, and at length the poor fellow began to weep, but

he yielded at last, for he is very obedient to me.[17]

[17] This plan was not entirely carried out; the Abbé alone was

buried at Saint-Patrice.

_Rochecotte, May 13, 1836._--Yesterday I received a long letter from

my son, Valençay, from Coblenz. Full honour has been done to the

Princes; M. the Duc d'Orléans has invariably invited to dinner the

authorities commissioned to welcome him. He speaks German with a

fluency which is much appreciated. In every town regimental bands are

constantly playing under the windows of the Princes, and, in short,

all due attention is shown to them.

_Valençay, May 18, 1836._--I have been here since the day before

yesterday, and am expecting M. de Talleyrand and Pauline to-morrow.

I have been reading a narrative written by one of the chief nuns of

Port Royal, about the reform of their establishment, which was carried

out by the Mother Marie Angélique de Sainte-Madeleine Arnauld, and

about their persecution, in the time of their celebrated abbess, the

Mother Angélique de Saint-Jean Arnauld, a niece of the foregoing and a

daughter of M. d'Andilly. They were great minds and strong souls, and

how remarkable are the details of the story! What a race were these

Arnaulds, and M. Nicole and the Abbé de Saint-Cyran! All these names

are to be found in the writings of Madame de Sévigné. Her friend, M.

de Pomponne, was Arnauld, the son of M. d'Andilly. This was a peculiar

family, even in its own time, and it was said that Pascal was quite a

nonentity compared with Antoine Arnauld. They must have been giants

indeed; and if giants at their time, what would they seem now?

_Valençay, May 22, 1836._--Yesterday I had a letter from my son,

Valençay, from Berlin. He is delighted, and with reason, for apart

from the generally satisfactory character of the journey, he is

treated with especial kindness, which is particularly touching to me

as it is due to consideration for myself. The Prince Royal told him

that he had always regarded me as his sister, that he would treat him

as a nephew, and that my letter was delightful. He objected, however,

that there was not enough of the nursery about him. The Duchess of

Cumberland and my godmother, Princess Louise,[18] have been quite

motherly, and the Queen of the Low Countries has also been very kind,

together with M. Ancillon, Herr von Humboldt, and the Countess of

Redern. M. de Valençay assures me that the Crown Prince of Prussia was

neither cold nor repellent in his reception of the Duc d'Orléans, but,

on the contrary, kind and cordial; the Crown Princess and Princess

William the younger were equally charming; every one else behaved very

properly, as also did the sight-seers along the routes, and our

Princes showed perfect prudence. There was some trouble in inducing

the young French officers to take off their Belgian decorations; the

Duc d'Orléans was anxious that they should not wear them at all at

Berlin, but they showed some reluctance, and eventually it was agreed

that they should remove them when meeting the Queen of the Low

Countries.[19] A courier came to Berlin with an urgent letter from the

King of Saxony inviting the Princes to pass through Dresden. I do not

know whether that will induce them to change their route. The two

Princes attended service in a Catholic church in Berlin on Sunday, and

their action produced an excellent effect.

[18] The Princess Louise was the daughter of Prince Ferdinand of

Prussia, the youngest brother of Frederick the Great. She married

Prince Antoine Radziwill in 1796.

[19] Queen Wilhelmina of the Low Countries was the daughter of

King Frederick William II. of Prussia, and sister of the king

then reigning, Frederick William III.

_Valençay, May 23, 1836._--Yesterday, the Day of Pentecost, was spent

as follows, and will give an idea of our usual mode of life in this

place: First of all came high mass at the parish church, which lasted

for two full hours, thanks to a sermon from the vicar, who took the

more pains as he saw me in the Castle pew. The heat was extreme, and

the smell unpleasant, while the crowd was almost as great as at

Saint-Roch. The result for me was a severe headache, which passed off

to some extent during a long drive which I took with M. de Talleyrand,

to the ponds in the Forest of Gâtines. Several people from the town

dined with us. I walked for a little after dinner, while Pauline went

for a drive with her uncle; I wrote until nine o'clock, when the post

goes, and when M. de Talleyrand came in. The day was concluded with

newspapers, tea, and piquet.

These days are very pleasant when I am not alarmed about M. de

Talleyrand's health, and I thank God for them as I go to bed. I no

longer consider the amount of amusement or interest or pleasure to be

gained; one day perhaps that will return; now that M. de Talleyrand

and my children are well and my mind is free from anxiety, and my

temper sufficiently kind to make life pleasant for those around me, I

ask for nothing more. When we are able to perform a complete

renunciation of self, we find our burden lightened, and the low and

heavy flight of selfishness is replaced by the rapid sweep of

outstretched wings, which is a pleasure in itself. My courage and my

self-possession only disappear when I see sickness threatening or

striking down my family, for I have only reached the threshold of that

stage of resignation in which one sacrifices one's self to the things

of heaven. I doubt if I shall ever pass within it. But enough of this,

or I shall be thought as religious as a lady of the Faubourg

Saint-Germain. I am very far from that point, which I shall never

entirely reach, for my independence will never allow me to follow the

beaten track or confine myself to particular practices, attitudes, and

observances; at the same time, given my natural taste for good books,

the natural seriousness of my mind, my wide experience, and the

sincerity of my judgments upon myself, it will be hard if I do not

learn to draw consolation at least from the one perennial source.

The Carnavalet residence is for sale at a price of a hundred and forty

thousand francs. If I dared, I would buy it, and I am, indeed,

extremely tempted.

_Valençay, May 26, 1836._--The correspondence between M. de Talleyrand

and Madame Adélaïde continues animated and very affectionate, and

gives me some work.

The following news reached us from Paris by letters of yesterday's

date: Alava is overthrown, and Miraflores proclaims himself the

successor; Alava says that the affairs of his country reduce him to

despair. As a matter of fact the newspapers mention some strange

affairs in the Assembly of the Procuradores, and great is the

confusion caused by the whole business of the change of Ministry. Some

people who declare themselves well informed, assert that Isturitz, to

relieve himself of embarrassment, would be inclined to come to an

understanding with Don Carlos and to arrange a marriage between Queen

Isabella and her cousin.

Lady Jersey has given orders for copies of her correspondence with

Lady Pembroke to be sent to her. It seems that this correspondence is

beyond all that could be imagined in maid-servant style. She also

wishes M. de Talleyrand to read all these details.

I have a letter from Princess Louise of Prussia, my godmother, which

speaks in very high terms of the young French Princes. Princess Louise

is a clever woman, naturally inclined to sarcasm and severity, and her

appreciation is therefore the more valuable. M. de Valençay writes to

me that he has been greatly struck by the beauty of the Princesses, by

their jewels and the elegance of their dress. Herr von Humboldt took

the Princes and their suite to see the museums and the artists'

studios. The Crown Prince of Prussia has a taste for art, and has

greatly stimulated these matters in Berlin. The Duc d'Orléans has

given great pleasure by ordering a statue from Rauch, the chief

sculptor in Prussia, and the King's favourite. The shyness of the

Queen of the Low Countries is even greater than that of the Duc de

Nemours. This mutual defect seems to have brought them together, for I

am told that the Queen has conceived a friendship for the young Prince

and that long conversations have taken place between them.

_Valençay, May 29, 1836._--Yesterday I read the new play of M. Casimir

Delavigne, _Une Famille au Temps de Luther_. The work contains some

fine lines, but is quite unsuited for the stage, and nothing is colder

than its theological discussions, even when they conclude with crime;

moreover, these forms of fanaticism are somewhat wearisome, discordant

as they are with the spirit of our time. Finally, the dreadful

massacre of St. Bartholomew has become even tiresome, and the best

proof of the fact that both it and the atrocities of the Atrides have

lost their power to thrill, is their recitation with songs and dances.

Madame Adélaïde informs M. de Talleyrand that the Crown Princess of

Prussia has written to her mother, the Queen-Dowager of Bavaria,

saying that she was _forced to agree_ to the proposal to show honour

to the French Princes, and that a very good friend of Louis-Philippe

had advised them to show themselves in public.

The King of Naples has now left home, some say to marry a princess of

Modena, and others to pay court to the daughter of the Archduke

Charles, and others, again, to have a look at the young princesses of

Paris.

The King is having a full-length portrait of François I. painted for

Valençay, and another of the Grande Mademoiselle; the former built the

Castle, and the latter visited it and praised it in her memoirs. The

King is also sending M. de Talleyrand the chair in which Louis XVIII.

was wheeled about, and he has informed us through Madame that if he

should go to Bordeaux, as is possible, he would pass this way.

_Valençay, May 31, 1836._--It seems that neither intellect nor years

can shelter people from foolishness, and a great act of folly has been

committed by M. Ancillon in his marriage with Mlle. de Verquignieulle,

if what we hear from Berlin is true. M. de Valençay also informs me

that the entertainment given by M. Bresson,[20] at which the King of

Prussia was present, was a very brilliant affair; all the servants

were in full livery, blue, gold, and red, and Bresson said to him:

"These are my colours," an amusing remark, and one worthy of the

present time. "We shall see," as M. de Talleyrand says.

[20] M. Bresson was the French Minister at Berlin.

_Valençay, June 1, 1836._--The young French gentlemen who went to

Prague have returned after a very short stay. They were especially

struck by the atmosphere of boredom which is the environment of life

in that town. They said the Duc de Bordeaux had a very pleasant face,

but his figure was not attractive and his mind but little developed,

like that of a child brought up in the midst of old men.

At a dinner given on May 22 to the two French Princes by the Crown

Prince of Prussia, Princess Albert,[21] to the great rage of Bresson,

the great disgust of the King, and the general horror of the company,

appeared with an enormous garland of lilies in her hair; up to that

point her behaviour had been quite proper.

[21] Princess Albert of Prussia was a princess of the Low

Countries.

The presents distributed by the Duc d'Orléans at Berlin were most

expensive, and in money and diamonds amounted to more than a hundred

thousand francs. It is rather too much than not enough. Prince

Wittgenstein received a box containing not only the portrait of the

Prince Royal, but also that of the King and Queen--a very marked

attention. M. Ancillon, plastered with the great Cross of the Legion

of Honour, swelled himself out and strutted about, and appeared ready

to trample upon any one and every one. His behaviour is explained by

his middle-class origin and his Calvinistic views.

The parting was affectionate, some professing to love the Princes as

their sons and others as their brothers; in short, no success was ever

more complete. The ladies were all struck with the handsome appearance

of the Duc d'Orléans. My authorities for these statements are

reliable, as I quote not merely M. de Valençay, but other letters

which came in yesterday, written moreover by natives of Berlin. The

accident which nearly befell the Duc d'Orléans at the manœuvres was

caused by his politeness to the Princesses; he was reining in his

horse near them, when he was nearly thrown, but the skill with which

he recovered himself gained him many compliments; and on this question

the Duchess of Cumberland writes as follows: "Imagine what would have

become of us if any misfortune had happened to him; I should be ready

to leave my sick body upon my bed and be changed into a guardian angel

to hover over them during their stay at Berlin, and thus to answer the

confidence of your Queen, who begged me in a charming letter to treat

her sons as my own."

Upon the day when our Princes were at home to the Diplomatic Body M.

de Ribeaupierre, the Russian Minister, sent his excuses, alleging a

swollen face. Contrary to the old etiquette of Berlin, the whole of

the Diplomatic Body was invited to a ball at the house of Prince

William, the King's brother. Of this entertainment I am informed: "The

ball given to the French mission by order of the King, Louis-Philippe,

was a great success; the French Princes were so tactful as to do the

honours themselves, and received the King and the Princesses at the

foot of the staircase."

_Valençay, June 2, 1836._--The Princess de Lieven arrived here

yesterday in a feeble state of health. We took her in and looked after

her as well as we could, but towards the evening I began to feel that

she had some presentiments of a tiresome stay, and that if the journey

hither lay before her at this moment she would hesitate to undertake

it. This I can understand. Here she will have no news and will not be

able to see the shadow-show of life, which are both necessities to

her. The novelty of the outer world, recollections and historical

traditions, natural beauties, the domestic life of a household,

reading, thought, and work are by no means to her taste, and in other

respects Valençay has never been more poverty-stricken than at this

moment.

The verses which M. de Peyronnet has sent to me are not very

excellent, but that point is of no account in comparison with the

actual circumstance and the whole question. During the winter I

worked pretty hard for these poor people, and obtained some definite

alleviation for M. Peyronnet, who was the worst of all in health, and

this he found very agreeable; I hope that I may be able to do more for

him as soon as the session is over. It was this charitable work which

inspired the verses in question.[22]

[22] We have been unable to find them.

My sister writes to me from Vienna saying that great preparations are

made to receive the French Princes, and in particular Paul Esterhazy

is working for that purpose; there will be an entertainment at his

house at Eisenstadt. Unfortunately many people are in the country and

many in mourning.

_Valençay, June 4, 1836._--We have had two days of bad weather, but

yesterday morning a better prospect fortunately allowed us to take

Madame de Lieven for a drive in the forest and past the warren, the

quarries, &c. In the evening, however, M. de Talleyrand had an attack

of palpitation, which was but slight, though it is evident that the

enemy is still there. Madame de Lieven yawned to desperation. The poor

woman is bored, which fact I can very well understand and pardon. The

truth is that, with her frame of mind and habits, she is not likely to

endure our solitude or the dull and quiet atmosphere of the household

which is due to the mental and physical state of M. de Talleyrand.

Moreover, the Princess is not an easy guest from a material point of

view; she has twice changed her room, and now wants to go back to the

first room she occupied, in which is the bed of Madame de Staël. Lady

Holland could not have given us more trouble, and Pauline says that

the Princess is "rather whimsical."

A caricature has appeared in London of Lord Melbourne and Mrs. Norton

on the very day of the eclipse; it represents the sun and Mrs. Norton

as the moon passing over it, while beneath is the word "Eclipse." The

reference is to the scandalous law-suit which Mr. Norton is bringing

against his wife, and in which Lord Melbourne is unpleasantly

compromised.

_Valençay, June 5, 1836._--The poor Princess de Lieven is greatly

bored, and expresses herself on the subject with strange openness.

Yesterday she asked me, as if she were talking to herself, why we had

invited her at a time when we had no one staying in the house. I began

to laugh, and replied very gently: "But, dear Princess, you yourself

were so kind as to ask to come. We would have invited the whole world,

but the session is not yet finished, so that diplomatists, peers, and

Deputies cannot leave Paris." "That is true," she replied, and later

on, when she saw that M. de Sercey had just arrived at Paris, she was

full of regret that she could not be there to ask him questions; she

also thought her _salon_ would have been very interesting that evening

during the discussion of the foreign service vote. I like

straightforward persons, because with them at any rate one knows

exactly where one is.

_Valençay, June 10, 1836._--The Princess de Lieven received letters

yesterday from her husband, telling her that she has been represented

in a very bad light to the Emperor Nicholas. Conversations and whole

speeches have been sent to St. Petersburg as though they emanated from

the Princess, which are certainly fictitious, for she is very zealous

in her master's service; but those who talk a great deal and see many

people are always compromised sooner or later. The Princess is greatly

agitated in consequence.

The Prince d'Orange is quite obviously showing signs of madness, which

take the form of such sordid economy that his wife and children have

not even enough to eat; he keeps the key of the pantry himself, and

the Princess has to send out her chambermaid to buy cutlets. The

eldest son is said to be a young scamp. He is now at London with his

younger brother, where they are known as the "unripe Oranges." The

Dutch are said to be much perturbed about the future of their country,

and are praying that the life of the present King may be prolonged.

_Valençay, June 13, 1836._--Yesterday I had a long letter from the

Crown Prince of Prussia, with a kind sentence concerning the French

Princes and their father, the King, though with a qualification

against revolutions which shows his true opinion. It is a curious

letter. I have had another from M. Ancillon in most laudatory terms,

with no qualification, concerning the travellers, the union, the

peace, and M. de Talleyrand; also a curious letter. Finally I have two

very long letters from M. de Valençay written from Vienna; he had

stopped at Günthersdorf, of which he gives full details.[23] At Vienna

he had seen the Count of Clam at the house of his aunt of Sagan, from

whom he had learnt that the first interview had given great

satisfaction and that our Princes had said everything that was proper.

The Archduchess Sophie spoke very kindly of her remembrance of me and

treated my son very well. He thinks that the Austrian princesses lack

that grace and distinction which is so striking in the princesses of

the Prussian royal family. Princess Metternich was at the first

evening reception given by M. and Madame de Sainte-Aulaire; she

behaved most discreetly, and stayed very late; the Duc d'Orange only

talked to her for five minutes, and then upon the subject of

homeopathy! She deserved a small lesson.[24]

[23] An estate belonging to the Duchesse de Dino in Silesia.

[24] Princess Metternich had used some discourteous terms

concerning the assumption of the crown by Louis-Philippe in 1830.

The great diplomatic reception of the nobility and the garrison seems

to have been superb. M. de Valençay was especially delighted by the

races at Baden, where he was entertained by the Archduke Charles, who

spoke to him very warmly of M. de Talleyrand. The Archduke received

all the Frenchmen most cordially. They dined with the Archduchess

Theresa, who is described by M. de Valençay as of an agreeable

appearance, with pretty manners, and an attractive face. She is very

dark and small. The Duc d'Orléans was seated near her at dinner, and

their conversation was vivacious. Prince Metternich was also there. He

has been reconciled, at any rate outwardly, with the Archduke.[25] The

latter has retired to the pretty town of Baden, where he grows

flowers; he told M. de Valençay that, like all old soldiers, he loved

his garden. The Duc d'Orléans was to dine there again by himself two

days later. The Archduke adores his daughter, and will leave her free

to choose her own husband; she has refused the Crown Prince of

Bavaria, and is to inspect the Kings of Naples and Greece. The Russian

alliance alone causes her father some fears.

[25] The Liberal ideas of the Archduke Charles had induced Prince

Metternich to remove this prince from the Court and to regard him

with suspicion. They had almost quarrelled.

M. de Valençay was also delighted with the entertainment at Laxemburg,

and the water-parties, with music everywhere, which reminded him of

Virginia Water. All the society of Vienna was there informally, and

the scene was correspondingly animated.

It is quite clear that all this causes ill-feeling at Prague. The

Dauphine was speaking to some one who asked her, when she was about to

start for Vienna, at what time they would have the honour of seeing

her again; she replied that any one who wanted to see her henceforward

would have to come and fetch her. A Vienna lady, a strong political

opponent of France, said before M. de Valençay, in speaking of our

Prince Royal, that he was so kind and gracious it was to be hoped that

he was not something else!

The travellers are to start on the 11th and make their way to Milan

through Verona, devoting ten days to the journey.

The Prince of Capua and Miss Penelope are at Paris. The former has

seen the Queen; he will go to Rome, and there open negotiations for a

reconciliation with Naples.

All the Coburg family and the Belgian King and Queen are coming to

Neuilly.

_Valençay, June 17, 1836._--It seems that every day must be marked by

some tribulation. Yesterday evening we had a terrible fright, the

consequences of which might have been most serious; they seem to have

been but slight, though the doctor says that we cannot be certain for

nine days that no internal shock has been sustained. M. de

Talleyrand's mania for staying out late brought him back yesterday in

his little carriage when it was pitch-dark; moreover, he childishly

amused himself by steering a zigzag course, so that he twisted the

front wheel. This checked his progress, and he could not perceive the

cause in the darkness, so he told the servant to push harder, which he

did. The result was a violent jolt, which shot him out of the carriage

and threw him head first with his face on the ground upon the gravel

of the Orange Court at the entry of the _donjon_. His face was badly

bruised, but fortunately his nose bled freely; he did not lose

consciousness, and wished to sit in the drawing-room and play piquet.

At midnight he put his feet in hot mustard and water, and is now

asleep. But what a terrible nervous shock at his age and with his

weight, and when he is suffering from a malady which demands that he

should be spared every emotion and disturbance!

_Valençay, June 18, 1836._--M. de Talleyrand's face has suffered

considerably, but otherwise he seems to have escaped miraculously from

this remarkable fall.

_Valençay, June 21, 1836._[26]--Do you remember that it was you who

refused any form of conversation upon the subject of religion? Only

upon one occasion at Rochecotte did you give me any outline of your

ideas upon this subject; at that time you were more advanced than

myself in respect of certain beliefs. My experiences since that date

have brought me more rapidly along the road, but my starting-point has

been my recollection of that conversation, in which I saw that you

admitted certain fundamental principles of which I was not sure. In

any case, my speculations have not advanced beyond that point, and

only in points of practice do I attempt to guide my movements by this

compass; I have never busied myself with dogmas or mysteries, and if I

prefer the Roman Catholic religion I do so because I think it most

useful to society in general and to States; individual religion is a

different matter, and I think any religion based upon the Gospel is

equally good and divine. Since I have seen all supports falling away

around me, I have felt my own weakness and the necessity of some

support and guide; I have sought and found; I have knocked and it has

been opened to me; I have asked and it has been given to me; and yet

all very incompletely hitherto, for when one thus walks alone and ill

prepared it is impossible to avoid wrong paths, or to avoid slipping

in the ruts with continual stumbles. Nor would it have been wise to

arouse myself to excessive zeal and fervour, which would have prepared

a reaction, perhaps fatal; I therefore advance step by step, and when

I consider my progress am humiliated to see how little I have risen; a

little more kindness, patience, and self-command is all that I have

acquired. I have the same delight in the things that please me, the

same repugnance for those that weary me, my dislikes are not extinct

and enmity remains keen, my mental anxiety is often wearing, my

energies are inconsistent, my speech often too hasty and its

expression inconsiderate. I have, too, a thousand modes of

self-flattery; I am wounded by blame, and too pleased by approbation,

which I sometimes seek and would be ready to arouse at necessity; in

fact, there is no task so long and difficult and none that demands

more exertion and perseverance than to satisfy one's conscience.

[26] Extract from a letter.

Apart from the practical methods which I have felt must be followed as

a thread to guide me through the labyrinth, I have also been helped by

a great sense of gratitude. One day in England I was suddenly struck

by the thought of the innumerable favours which had been granted to

me, though I had made so ill a use of my powers and my advantages. I

admire the patience of God and the long-suffering of Providence

towards me; to have found what I have found seems to me so real a

blessing and so ill-deserved that it has filled me with gratitude.

This sense has continually increased, and partially supports me in

accomplishing the sacrifices which I am making. The deep instruction

to be daily derived from the old age of M. de Talleyrand; the death of

Marie Suchet;[27] her mother's grief; the successive deaths of so many

of my acquaintances of different ages, sexes, and positions; of the

granddaughter whose eyes I have closed,[28] and who brought death so

near to me; the close reading of good books; the lofty conversation

of M. de Royer-Collard, who is ready to throw aside philosophic doubts

and is slowly succeeding--all these influences have made me consider a

thousand matters hitherto unnoticed, and have directed me towards a

lofty and a certain goal. Such is the story of this side of my life.

My attitude, however, is not that of outward profession, and I can say

that I am more advanced in reality than in form; in the latter

respect, I doubt if I shall ever change.

[27] Daughter of the Marshal of Albuféra.

[28] Yolande de Valençay.

What a long answer this is to one small page of your letter! If it

seems to you too long, say so, and we will reserve all these

revelations for evenings at Rochecotte.

The Duc d'Orléans gives a glowing account of a conversation with

Prince Metternich, by which he was delighted.

The Princesse de Lieven has just gone away, to the general relief. I

think that the Princess and her proud niece[29] came to feel that they

had been somewhat ridiculous here, as they went to some trouble on

their last day to utter innumerable thanks and excuses for the

inconvenience they had caused, &c.

[29] The Baroness of Mengden, niece of the Princesse de Lieven,

afterwards lived at Carlsruhe, where she was abbess of a noble

chapter. She was very tall, especially in the upper part of her

body, and any one seated by her side at dinner was obliged to

raise his head in order to see her face. As she was very

good-natured, she became to some extent her aunt's drudge; at

Valençay, when the Princesse de Lieven stayed there, she gave her

niece her jewel-box to keep when she was out driving, so that the

Baroness of Mengden could rarely take part in these excursions.

_Valençay, June 24, 1836._--How stupid ill-nature is! Madame de Lieven

has been unkind enough to write to Paris groaning and lamenting over

the profound boredom which she felt here, and her correspondents have

been laughing at us or using her words against us; the fact is widely

known and commented upon. Our friends told us of it with great

indignation. This small ingratitude on the part of Madame de Lieven,

which apparently arises on this occasion from want of social

experience, is real stupidity; in any case, I am not surprised; I

would have made a bet that it was so; her weariness was too profound

to be concealed, and I clearly saw that the need of revenge was felt

in her correspondence. I do not reproach her for being bored, for

saying so, or even for writing the fact, but for prolonging her stay

here under the pretext of illness. She was afraid of travelling alone,

afraid to be isolated at Baden, and dared not stay longer at Paris,

and so she stayed here, to die of inanition and to rouse our

ill-feeling. This did not prevent her from weeping like a penitent

when she went away; her tears were sincere, for she shed them, not for

us, but for herself, her wandering and lonely life. On that point I am

not deceived.

Yesterday I had a letter from M. de Valençay from Leoben. They were

very pleased with Vienna in every respect. However, the Prussian royal

family showed to better advantage than the Imperial royal family. The

Prussian princesses were thought more striking for their youth, their

beauty and good style, and notwithstanding the garland of lilies,

which seems to have been the result of a teasing or coquettish

conversation, our Prince Royal and Princess Albert began an obvious

flirtation. The Empress of Austria and the Duchess of Lucca, her

sister, are very beautiful, but in a cold, austere, and imposing

style. Our Princes distributed the same presents at Vienna as at

Berlin, but instead of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour which

was given to Ancillon, Prince Metternich, who has long possessed all

the French orders, was given a magnificent service of Sèvres china.

_Valençay, June 25, 1836._--M. de Barante[30] writes from St.

Petersburg saying that there is great feeling against Madame de

Lieven, on account of her long stay in France. Some ill-temper has

also been aroused by the successful journey of our Princes, but

nothing of the kind has been shown to our ambassador, who is treated

personally with great politeness.

[30] French Ambassador at St. Petersburg.

It is said that Mrs. Norton was most angry, in the course of the

strange trial--of which _Galignani_ gives a far too detailed

account--because the servants who were called to give evidence said

that she rouged and dyed her eyebrows.

_Valençay, June 27, 1836._--Another attempt upon the King's life.[31]

What a dreadful mania it is, and will it be always futile? Such is the

sad question which one cannot help asking. We know nothing yet beyond

the news telegraphed to the centres of the neighbouring departments,

whence the prefects have sent messengers for our information.

[31] On the evening of June 25, 1836, a young man aged

twenty-six, named Louis Alibaud, shot at the king in the court of

the Tuileries when Louis-Philippe was reviewing the National

Guard and the drummers were beating a march.

_Valençay, June 28, 1836._--Our Princes have been told by letter not

to hasten their return on account of the attempt upon the King's life.

They should reach Turin to-day, and are expected at Paris on the 8th.

It seems that Lord Ponsonby[32] has gone mad. He insists upon the

dismissal of Reis Effendi[33] and the chief of the Guard. He has

written two notes to the Ottoman Porte in which he even threatens the

Ottoman Empire with disruption if satisfaction is refused. Admiral

Roussin himself writes that Lord Ponsonby is mad. All the Ministers,

including the Russian Minister, are working to prevent a rupture; the

Court of Vienna is explaining the matter to the English Government in

London, and it is hoped that Lord Ponsonby will be recalled.

[32] English Ambassador at Constantinople.

[33] Reis Effendi was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Turkey.

_Valençay, June 29, 1836._--Yesterday I had a letter from our

travellers, dated from Roveredo, where they were detained by the

indisposition of the Duc de Nemours. It was a somewhat serious attack,

of which they made light in their letters to his parents, but which

greatly frightened the Duc d'Orléans. He was also greatly vexed by the

hurried departure of General Baudrand. It seems that this departure

was provoked not so much by the necessity of a rapid journey to the

waters as by some ill-temper at the fact that the Prince Royal did not

show sufficient confidence in him.

The Princes were about to make their way to Florence, as the Grand

Duke of Tuscany had been especially pertinacious in asking for a

visit, but the illness of the Duc de Nemours stopped their journey.

They have met the Archduchess Marie Louise,[34] cousin-german of our

Prince Royal. She asked M. de Valençay for news of us, as she is his

godmother. He thought she was not so aged as she has been described.

They have also seen the Princess of Salerno and the King of Naples.

The latter is described as having a fine head, but a coarse and clumsy

figure. He is in despair at the death of his wife, with whom he lived

on very bad terms until she was with child, in giving birth to whom

she died. He is said to be very whimsical.

[34] The widow of Napoleon I.

The Archbishop of Paris was at Neuilly at eleven o'clock on the day

when the King's life was attempted. It is unfortunate that he can

never appear before the King except immediately after an attempt at

assassination, and I therefore think that his visits are not very

popular, as they are made under conditions with which one would

readily dispense. He refused to admit the body of Sieyès to the

church, and it was taken straight to the cemetery.[35]

[35] Sieyès died at Paris, June 28, 1836.

My deepest grief concerning the attempted assassination of the 25th is

that I fear the pistol-shot has killed our Princess Royal. Many say

that Alibaud is another Louvel, an isolated fanatic, a natural product

of newspaper extravagances and bad teaching. The King wishes to pardon

the assassin, but it is thought that the Cabinet will not suffer him

to do so. General Fagel[36] has been at Neuilly, notwithstanding the

presence of the Belgian King and Queen; the King treated him very

kindly.

[36] General Fagel had been the ambassador of the King of the Low

Countries in France under the Restoration.

_Valençay, July 5, 1836._--My chambermaid's serious illness forces me

to wait upon myself. I have felt a little awkward, but shall get used

to it. It is not always pleasant, but it is useful, and I do not

complain. I have, indeed, my moments of discouragement, but then I

chide myself and it passes away. At times great nervous fatigue

results from want of practice, but this will disappear, for we are not

upon earth to amuse ourselves, or to rest, or to be well and happy and

comfortable; that is our chief illusion; we mistake our object, and

are then angry that we do not attain it; if we tell ourselves that the

object of life is work, struggle, and sacrifice we avoid

misunderstandings and escape the most painful of fates.

The examination of Alibaud will not be printed; so much the better, as

all this is bad food for public curiosity. Yesterday I had a letter

from the Duc de Noailles, who is one of the judges; he told me that

the crime was obviously prompted by want. As the man had not a

halfpenny he wished to kill himself, but he thought his death should

be made interesting and useful. Such is the influence of bad teaching

derived from the republican age and society in which he has lived. He

is not a gloomy fanatic like Louvel, nor a modern Erostratus like

Fieschi, but is merely a beggar of considerable self-possession and

badly brought up.

All the newspapers, Carlist, Radical, and Moderate, are greatly vexed

by the mandate of the Archbishop of Paris. To appear at Neuilly is too

much for some; unwillingness to use the term "the King" in the mandate

is a platitude which does not deceive others and irritates many; the

Jesuitical and equivocal phrase at the end is thought very pitiable.

In short, the outcry is general and deserved. I am sorry, for at

bottom he is a man not without good qualities, but with a deplorable

want of tact.

I have a letter from M. de Valençay written from Milan; the horseraces

in the arena, where twenty-five thousand people collected, and the

illumination of the theatre of La Scala were admirable.

The Mayor of Valençay came to consult M. de Talleyrand about an

address to be presented to the King concerning the last attempt upon

his life, and begged M. de Talleyrand to draw it up. He commissioned

me with the task. Here it is, as it has been passed and as it was sent

to Paris yesterday. To fall from diplomatic to municipal language is a

great proof of decadence. That at any rate is what little Fontanes of

Berry has produced, and of all the addresses drawn up on this occasion

it is undoubtedly the most monarchical both in form and substance.

/* "With the confidence of children, the respect of subjects, and

the gratitude of the friends of true liberty, the inhabitants of

Valençay venture to place at the foot of the Throne the

expression of their delight at the miraculous preservation of the

sacred person of the King and their wishes for the permanent

happiness of the Royal Family. Insignificant and remote as is the

quarter of your realm whence these loving hearts yearn towards

your Majesty, your goodness is our guarantee that our token of

respect will be indulgently received. Our town, moreover, is not

without its claims upon the interest of the King, and the claim

which we are most pleased to assert is the honour which we have

had in receiving His Royal Highness Monseigneur the Duc

d'Orléans, and the recollection of the kindness which he has

shown amongst us," &c. &c.

Then follow the signatures of the Municipal Council, including that of

M. de Talleyrand.

_Valençay, July 10, 1836._--My son, Valençay, arrived yesterday; he

told us nothing new about his travels, and only confirmed his previous

letters. We have also the Prince de Laval, by whom M. de Talleyrand is

wearied to death, and with good reason. At Paris the Prince is

tolerable, and sometimes even amusing, but in the country his want of

judgment and his snobbishness, which induces him to say, for instance,

that the orange-tree, pruned, clipped short, and planted in a box, is

the aristocracy of nature, his continual practice of asking questions,

of stammering and spitting before one's face, and always looking on

the insignificant side of things, are most wearing; and he does not

say a word of his departure.

The Duc d'Orléans writes to say that only for reasons of state would

he be sorry not to marry the daughter of the Archduke Charles, for her

attractions for him are entirely moral; in person he thinks her, if

not ugly, yet insignificant, and he is not attracted. In any case, the

father and daughter readily assent to the proposal of marriage; the

Emperor of Austria says nothing; but his brother the Archduke Francis

Charles and his sister-in-law the Archduchess Sophie say "No."

_Valençay, July 13, 1836._--Yesterday evening we had a visit from the

Duc Decazes[37] and the Comte de la Villegontier, who stopped for tea

on their way to their foundry at Aveyron. M. Decazes was sad and

sorrowful concerning the King's dangers and the open sores in society,

as revealed by the trial of Alibaud. He also complains, and with

reason, of the organisation, or rather the non-organisation, of the

police. He says that the King alone has preserved his calm and

presence of mind, but that around him all are sad, anxious, and

agitated, and that the Queen and Madame are very unhappy. Marshal

Lobau has persuaded the King that the National Guard would take it ill

if his Majesty did not review them on the 28th of this month. He will

therefore pass under the Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, where the

National Guard will march before him. But this is too much. The July

festivals will be confined to the opening of the Arc de Triomphe, and

the Obelisk from Luxor will be unveiled. No further commemoration

would be required, in my opinion.

[37] M. Decazes then acted as chief referendary to the Chamber of

Peers.

Alibaud yielded to the exhortations of the Abbé Grivel. He confessed,

and therefore has repented. On the scaffold he kissed the crucifix

before the people, but when one of the servants took away his black

veil he flew into a rage and turned suddenly round to the multitude,

red in the face, crying, "I die for my country and for liberty," and

then he submitted.

M. Decazes also told us that every day brought him anonymous letters,

denunciations, and revelations, and that it was impossible to get a

moment's peace. He left me in profound sadness.

_Valençay, July 16, 1836._--The Prince de Laval, who is still here,

admiring everything and evidently well pleased in spite of our

political differences, has a certain form of wit which consists in

saying smart and clever remarks now and then, but these are wanting in

taste and balance. His class snobbishness recalls that of M.

Saint-Simon, his caste prejudice is carried to a ridiculous point, his

curiosity and gossip are unexampled, and his selfishness and

absorption in his own importance and amusement are inconceivable; he

advances every claim on his own behalf, and is therefore unbearable

when taken seriously. Taken the other way, there is something to be

got out of him, the more so as, though he is a tease, he is not

ill-tempered, and the very extravagance of his poses forces him to

live up to them.

The Duc de Noailles, whom we also expect here to-day, is very

different; he is reasonable, self-possessed, cold, polite, and

reserved, asking no questions, never chattering nor wearying anybody;

but though he is unpretentious his claims to consideration are none

the less real, and he is absorbed, first of all by his position as a

great lord, and then as a politician. His position as a man of fashion

and fortune, of which Adrien de Laval boasts his past possession, as

they are now gone, has no attraction for him. I might even say that if

M. de Laval is a quondam young man, the Duc de Noailles is an old man

before his time. He is only thirty-four or thirty-five, but his face,

his manners, and his life in general make him appear fifty.

_Paris, July 27, 1836._--I think more and more of the Duc de Noailles.

He is a man of good judgment, sound taste, with a sense of honour and

excellent manners. He is also dignified and possessed of common sense,

while his goodwill is valuable, and his high position may be useful in

the world in which he is a figure. But my high opinion of his good

qualities and the value which I set upon his goodwill and friendship

do not prevent me from seeing his pretentiousness. His chief ambition

is political, and is not, perhaps, sufficiently supported by the ease

of temperament which is quite indispensable at the present time. The

whole family has remained what it was two hundred years ago. The

Noailles are rather illustrious than ancient, rather courtiers than

servants, but servants rather than favourites, intriguers rather than

ambitious, society people rather than lords, snobs rather than

aristocrats, and above all and before all, Noailles. I know the whole

of the family existing at the present time; the best and most capable

of them is undoubtedly the Duc, whom I judge perhaps somewhat

severely, but for whom I have always a real esteem.

I left Valençay the day before yesterday at six o'clock in the

morning; my dear Pauline was very sad at being left behind; I slept at

Jeurs with the Mollien family, reaching their house at eight o'clock

in the evening, and arrived here in pretty good time. I found M. de

Talleyrand in fairly good health, but much disturbed by the state of

affairs. The King will not be present at to-morrow's review, and has

given it up because of a discovery that fifty-six young people have

sworn to kill him. As it was impossible to arrest these fifty-six, it

has been thought more advisable to abandon the review. In what times

we live!

The death of Carrel[38] has also thrown a gloom over us. He made many

mistakes, but his mind was distinguished and his talent remarkable.

Even M. de Chateaubriand, the author of the "Génie du Christianisme,"

wept as he walked in the funeral procession of the man who refused to

see a priest and forbade the holding of any Church ceremony at his

funeral. The desire to produce an effect usually ends in some loss of

taste and propriety in the most essential details.

[38] A violent newspaper quarrel brought about a meeting between

Armand Carrel, editor of _Le National_, and Emile de Girardin,

editor of _La Presse_. A pistol duel took place on July 28 in the

wood of Vincennes. Armand Carrel was severely wounded in the

stomach, and died the next day, after expressing a definite wish

for burial in a cemetery without any Church service.

Affairs in Spain are going very badly. The supporters of intervention

are growing active, and many of them are influential and leading

spirits, but the supreme will is in active opposition to them.

During my journey yesterday I was in very good company, with Cardinal

de Retz, whose memoirs I have taken up again; I had not read them for

many years, and then at an age when one is more attracted by the facts

and the anecdotes than by the style or reflections. The style is

lively, original, strong, and graceful, while the reflections are

thoughtful, judicious, elevating, striking, and abundant. What a

delightful book, and what insight, and often more than insight, in

judgment, if not in action! He was a political La Bruyère.

_Paris, July 28, 1836._--Yesterday the Duc d'Orléans came to see me.

He is in very bad health and somewhat melancholy; he too is obliged

to take an infinite number of precautions which sadden his life. The

King had resolved to go to the review, but was at the same time so

convinced that he would be killed that he made his will, and gave full

orders and directions to his son concerning his accession to the

throne.

At the end of the morning I also had a call from M. Thiers, who was

very pleased with the news he had just received from Africa, with the

political situation at home and abroad, and, in short, with

everything, apart from the great and continual dangers which threaten

the King's life. There were to have been several attempts upon the

King's life on the day of the review; these attempts were to be

organised separately and without connection. One was to be delivered

by a group of men disguised as National Guards, who were to fire a

volley of twenty shots at the King as he passed, one of which would

certainly have found its mark. Two of the young men who have been

arrested--and the arrests amount to more than a hundred--have already

made important confessions. Yesterday morning a man was arrested in

whose house was found a machine like Fieschi's, but more perfect and

smaller in compass, with more accuracy and certainty in its working.

_Paris, July 29, 1836._--Yesterday evening I was with the Queen. She

seemed quite natural in manner, though she said very bitterly: "We can

testify to ourselves that we are entirely upright, and yet we are

forced to live amid terrors and with the precautions of tyrants."

Madame Adélaïde urges her not to sadden the King's temper. He was with

his Ministers, and did not come in till later. His manner was quite

ordinary, but his features bear the mark of gloomy thoughts; the

greatest vexation he ever experienced in his life was his inability to

go to the review. Moreover, he thinks that his days are numbered, for

the day before yesterday, when taking leave of the Queen of the

Belgians, who was returning to Brussels, he told her that he would not

see her again. The young queen was in ill-health, and nothing was more

heartrending than their farewells. Poor people!

A remarkable fact which is vouched for by all the officers of the

legions of the National Guard is that during the last fortnight a

number of unknown or notorious people, such as Bastide, and others,

have put down their names on the rotas of the National Guard and take

sentry duty; this was in order that they might find a place in the

ranks which were to march before the King upon the day of the review.

Nothing sadder can be conceived than the Tuileries. I stayed there two

hours with an inexpressible sinking of heart, a melancholy and an

inclination to weep which I could hardly restrain, especially when I

saw the King. I shall start early to-morrow morning for Valençay.

_Chartres, July 31, 1836._--I left Paris yesterday, but much later

than I intended, as the Duc d'Orléans sent word that he wished to

speak with me again. I cannot say how much I have been touched by his

perfect kindness to me. He came to see me every day, and showed that

he counted me as his best friend--and he is certainly not mistaken. He

has made remarkable progress in every respect, and if heaven preserves

him to us I am sure that his reign will be brilliant. I hope that a

good marriage will clear our political horizon, which is very dark.

What is his marriage to be? That question will be decided next week,

for I think that he certainly will marry; circumstances make it

entirely necessary to consolidate and strengthen that which crime

threatens and attacks daily, and a continuation of the line becomes

even more important than the greatness of the alliance. The latter,

however, is not to be despised. Search is made, but if no success

results the only object will be to find a wife who can bear fine

children, without any idea of a morganatic marriage, which is not

required for many sound reasons, any more than a marriage with any

member of the Bonaparte family. Religion is a matter of no

consequence. It is absolutely necessary to deliver Paris from the

mournful condition into which it has fallen. I know the French, and if

they are shown a young and engaging bride they will be delighted,

while the foreign political world will perhaps be more considerate to

us when it has no further matrimonial snare to spread before us.

Yesterday I stayed a few minutes at Versailles with Madame de Balbi,

and a few minutes more at Maintenon, with the Duchesse de Noailles. I

am now starting for Châteaudun, and shall go on from thence to

Montigny, where I have promised to visit the Prince de Laval.

_Montigny, August 1, 1836._--I left Chartres after hearing mass in the

cathedral, which, as far as I could see, has not suffered from the

fire.[39] The wood- and lead-work have gone, but as the vaulting

within, which was made of stone, has not suffered, nothing is to be

seen from within the church. The work of repair is now in progress.

[39] In the month of June 1836 a conflagration, supposed to be

caused by the carelessness of some plumbers, completely destroyed

the chestnut beam-work of the cathedral, which was the admiration

of visitors and was known as "the Forest." A great number of old

windows were broken or melted, and the bells were seriously

damaged. For several hours the fire threatened to spread to the

whole of the lower town. The important work of repair lasted for

several years.

I stopped at Châteaudun in order to go over the whole of the old

castle, including the kitchens and the dungeons. Though greatly

ruined, some beauties yet remain, and the view is splendid. The Prince

de Laval came to meet me, and brought me here in his carriage. He is

making a charming spot here, arranged with good taste, care, and

magnificence. The situation is beautiful, and the Gothic part of the

castle has been well preserved and carefully restored. The castle

would give a very good idea of the owner to anybody who did not know

him. I must admit my astonishment at the fact that the spot could have

been arranged as it was by Adrien de Laval; the truth is that he has

an excellent architect; and then the Baron de Montmorency has arranged

the court, and has had several consultations with me concerning the

arrangement of the rooms, for this is not my first visit. In short, it

is charming, and though things are much better at Rochecotte, there

are some here which outrival ours. In respect of size and proportion

the two places can be well compared.

_Valençay, August 2, 1836._--I have now returned to my lair, and am

delighted to be far from the uproar of Paris, but I should like time

for a good rest, whereas M. de Talleyrand has also just come with

people who are to surround us from to-day. If I could choose a coat

of arms which really meant something I should prefer a stag at bay

with the dogs around him.

It is impossible to be more hospitable than M. de Laval has been, and

I am slightly ashamed of the small ingratitude of which I may be

guilty in relating one of the most ridiculous affairs which I know.

Adrien possesses the order of the Holy Ghost, which is no longer worn;

he had several medallions, and will any one guess what he has done

with them? He has had them sewn on the middle of one of the velvet

counterpanes which cover the chief beds in the castle. I was never

more surprised than to wake up in the morning and find a large

inscription of the Holy Ghost across my figure.

_Valençay, August 6, 1836._--I have a letter from M. de

Sainte-Aulaire, dated July 22, from Vienna, which begins as follows:

"I am now writing to you, as this letter will be taken by a courier

who will start in two days and tell the Ministry I really do not know

what. The attempted assassination by Alibaud has evoked unexpected

manifestations of interest for the King here, and wishes no less

sincere for his accomplishment of the great work with which Providence

has entrusted him; but we need not be surprised that this incident has

also increased the terror which is felt or which people seek to rouse

concerning the condition of Paris. 'Everything comes to him who

waits.' On this condition I would have answered for his success, but

it is one of the cases where people will not wait, and possibly with

reason." This letter from M. de Sainte-Aulaire must have come by the

courier who brought the important answer concerning the proposed

marriage between the Duc d'Orléans and the Archduchess Theresa; hence

this answer must have arrived at Paris, and I am the more inclined to

think that it has been received, as Madame Adélaïde informs M. de

Talleyrand that her nephew will write to him personally upon his own

affairs. It is from no curiosity, but with a keen desire to see the

fate of the young Prince happily settled, that I impatiently await his

letters. I should also like to see the King of Naples make one of our

princesses his queen.

_Valençay, August 7, 1836._--By way of continuing the quotation which

I gave yesterday from M. de Sainte-Aulaire's letter, I will say that

the reply has been received and that it has been unfavourable. I am

sorry, for our sakes, but if it is a setback to our Prince Royal I

regard it as possibly a political error on the part of those who have

declined. Their repentance may yet be speedy, for the incident may

change the appearance of the world and bring once more into opposition

the two forces which were inclined to amalgamate.

_Valençay, August 9, 1836._--Yesterday at lunch-time we saw our

cousins arrive, the Prince de Chalais and his brother.[40] The former,

in my opinion, has the most charming face that I know, a fine figure

and noble manners. I talked a great deal with him, as he did not leave

until after dinner. He has sound sense, simplicity of mind,

uprightness of heart, curiosity upon useful matters, and a sensible

and reasonable interest in everything that can strengthen the fine

position of a great landowner.

[40] The Comte Paul de Périgord.

I am informed that the decree which is to liberate the prisoners of

Ham has been signed. I am truly pleased to hear it, as I have worked

hard to secure it. They are not given full liberty, but a change of

residence with some relaxations preparatory to full freedom, which

will allow them to recover their shattered health more readily and

under better conditions.

Every one is well pleased at Neuilly with the King of Naples. Our King

has been much worried by people who would like him to intervene beyond

the Pyrenees, against his wish, but hitherto he resists vigorously.

This mental anxiety, together with the precautions which people wish

to impose upon him to secure his safety, is poisoning his life.

_Valençay, August 11, 1836._--M. de Talleyrand is informed that the

Spanish problems, which are growing more and more acute, are causing

bitterness at Paris, where nothing of the kind should exist--namely,

between the King and his Minister of Foreign Affairs,[41] who is

supported by the Prince Royal, as these two men are anxious for

intervention. We may wonder who will emerge victorious from this

domestic struggle.

[41] M. Thiers.

_Valençay, August 22, 1836._--I can well understand the reflections

made concerning the Grand Duchess Stephanie of Baden; her want of tact

is due to her early education. She was brought up in a pretentious

boarding-school,[42] where she learnt much except that exquisite sense

of propriety which may be transmitted hereditarily or implanted in

youth but can never be taught. For instance, she asked M. Berryer to a

ball at her house, though he had not been introduced and had not asked

for an introduction. Then she talks too much, as a rule, and attempts

to bring herself into notice by conversational brilliancies which are

not always properly calculated or adapted to her position. Princesses

are not obliged to be kind; they must, however, be obliging and

dignified; but to understand the limits of propriety and not to go

beyond them they must have acquired certain habits from infancy; here

the Grand Duchess Stephanie was wanting, and Madame Campan has not

been able to amend the defect. I believe her to be at bottom an

excellent person. Her life shows devotion and courage in the

misfortunes through which she has passed with great credit. I think

that Madame de Lieven, who criticises her so severely, would not

emerge so unscathed from the crises caused by her difficult position

with respect to her husband. The Grand Duchess had a nice manner and a

pretty, alert, and graceful bearing; she needed youth, and as she lost

youth her defects became more obvious. This, unfortunately, is every

one's case, and for that reason it is wrong to say that people are too

old to amend; on the contrary, when charm passes away it is most

essential to replace it by capacity; charm of youth calls forth

indulgence and provides excuses which disappear with those charms and

graces, and are replaced by a severity of judgment which can only be

opposed by more self-control, more self-renunciation, and more

self-respect.

[42] The institution of the famous Madame Campan, now the school

of Ecouen.

We are officially informed that the refusal from Vienna was expressed

in polite terms, but no reason was given. The possibilities of

Princess Sophia of Würtemburg have not been considered, in spite of

what people say. Our Prince Royal has started for the country,

somewhat thin and changed, but entirely convalescent.

From Madrid we hear that Isturitz has resigned. Calatrava takes his

place as President of the Council. Everything is going very badly.

The King of Naples starts for Toulon on the 24th, and goes, as he

came, unmarried.

The ex-Ministers are still prisoners at Ham, in consequence of

difficulties which have arisen among the Ministers in power. The

Minister of the Interior wishes to keep the prisoners under his

supervision, and the President of the Council wishes them to remain in

the fortresses, under the milder regulations, but in military

strongholds; but so long as they are there, the Minister of War claims

supervision over them. It is quite time that this treatment came to an

end, for the unhappy people are ill.

Madame Murat has obtained permission to spend a month at Paris. She

will arrive in a week, and is said to be taking no part in her

brother's intrigues.

Yesterday I had a letter from Madame de Lieven, who announces her

return to Paris as a positive fact. I am afraid she may be making a

great mistake. Yesterday I had a letter from St. Petersburg in which

she is said to be in very bad odour at Court. On the other hand, M. de

Löwe-Weimar is very well treated at Court, and poses as an aristocrat.

Horace Vernet is also spoiled and petted in a most inconceivable

manner. Why, in view of that, should Madame de Lieven be thus

harassed? Can it be that she is suspected of being something of an

intriguer? The English are certainly right to include the capacity of

keeping quiet among a person's best qualities.

_Valençay, August 24, 1836._--I have a comical and unexpected piece of

news to the effect that M. Berryer has been playing in a vaudeville at

Baden with Madame de Rossi. This must be a strange occupation for a

politician, but it is better for him than bad company in Switzerland.

Yesterday the newspapers announced the death of M. de Rayneval[43] at

Madrid. This will increase the difficulty of a question which is

complicated enough already.

[43] French Ambassador in Spain.

_Valençay, August 27, 1836._--We have no details from Paris, but

obviously some Cabinet crisis is in preparation. Meanwhile M. Thiers

seems to have been anxious to involve the King in the Spanish

difficulty against his wish, and to have acted for that purpose

without consulting his colleagues. The result has been a considerable

amount of ill-feeling which is difficult to quell, and should lead in

a few days either to the submission of Thiers to the King or to the

formation of a new Ministry, which, however, would contain some

members of the present Cabinet, and in particular, I think, M. de

Montalivet. All this is a matter of speculation, for we know nothing

definite.

_Valençay, August 28, 1836._--A letter from Madame Adélaïde yesterday

informed M. de Talleyrand as follows: "The Ministry is dissolved, to

my profound regret. I am especially sorry for Thiers, but he was

obstinate upon the question of intervention in Spain, and this has

spoiled everything. The King wished to disband the new body that was

formed at Bayonne, and demanded a formal undertaking that there should

be no question of intervention hereafter; Thiers refused, and

resigned. Any Ministerial crisis at this moment is very vexatious, for

we have so small a circle from which we can choose. The King has sent

for M. Molé, but he was in the country. He will require time to come,

and no doubt he will ask for Guizot. It is all very distressing, and

we know by experience how long and difficult is the task of forming a

new Cabinet. Pity me, for I am heartbroken!" Such was the position of

affairs the day before yesterday in the immediate neighbourhood of the

crisis. I am very sorry it should have occurred, in the first place

because I have a real interest in Thiers, and because I regret that

his revolutionary instincts should have overcome his devotion, his

gratitude, and the recognition which he owed to the great wisdom, the

prudence, and the long experience of the King. Moreover, constant

changes of Ministry are Governmental misfortunes and shake public

opinion too frequently; besides, Thiers' dexterity, alertness, and

promptitude, apart from his energy and his intellect, are useful to

the State. What use will he make of these powers when he has full

liberty of action? Madame Adélaïde, as the extract from her letter

shows, has no great love for the Doctrinaires, but it is inconceivable

that M. de Broglie should be recalled, with whom M. Guizot considers

that he has settled accounts for ever. Apart from these disadvantages,

I think it is obviously beneficial for the King to have given a fresh

proof that on questions of real importance he cannot be shaken and

will not be driven into action against his wish. Thus in February he

resisted the arrogance of the Doctrinaires, and has now overthrown the

infatuation of Thiers. This seems to be a fair warning for the future

Ministry, whatever its political colouring, and an excellent guarantee

to all right-thinking men in Europe.

_Valençay, August 29, 1836._--M. de Talleyrand ought to regard the

accidents that happen to him without disastrous results as a guarantee

that his life is certainly assured, and in my place I think that this

warning would rather turn my thoughts upon what they portend and

induce me to thank God for the respite granted to lighten our burden

of responsibility. Sometimes he reflects upon death, but not often.

Yesterday evening there was a violent storm which threatened the

Castle. After a loud clap of thunder he asked me what I had been

thinking of at that moment, and I immediately replied: "If a priest

had been in the room I should have confessed myself, for I am afraid

of sudden death. To die unprepared and to carry with me my heavy

burden of sin is a terrifying prospect, and however careful one may be

to live well we cannot do without reconciliation and pardon." M.

Cogny, our doctor, who was there, and who is terribly afraid of

thunderstorms, added somewhat foolishly that he was performing an act

of contrition at every flash. M. de Talleyrand said nothing at all,

and we went on playing piquet. I take every opportunity of

strengthening my belief, and thus attempting to arouse his, but never

until I have an opening. In such a matter a light touch is

indispensable.

Yesterday I had a long, interesting letter from the Duc d'Orléans, and

a letter which I think the more satisfactory as he has returned to

more reasonable opinions upon the Spanish question. His opinion of the

Ministerial crisis corresponds entirely with my own. I have also a

letter from M. Guizot written from Broglie on August 24. When writing

he had no news of the resignation of Thiers, which took place on the

25th. He informs me that he has just bought a small estate near

Lisieux and is going to turn farmer.[44] I presume that I shall next

hear that he has left the plough to resume the pen and speechifying.

[44] This estate was the Val Richer, where M. Guizot lived until

his death.

_Valençay, September 1, 1836._--I am strongly inclined to accede

entirely to the opinion concerning the Emperor Nicholas which states

that the only royal quality in his possession is personal courage. His

chief deficiency seems to me to be that of intelligence, not only in

conversation and judgment, but in general.

M. de Montessuy, who accompanied M. de Barante to an entertainment at

Peterhof and passed the night there, writes that he saw the Empress at

a distance in the gardens and respectfully withdrew, but that in the

evening she reproached him for so doing, saying that she had come down

in order to speak to him and that it was wrong of him to avoid her.

All this story seems to me to be very unlikely.

Madame Adélaïde writes to M. de Talleyrand on August 30 that nothing

has yet been done with regard to the Ministry. M. Molé has opened

communications with MM. Guizot and Duchâtel, both of whom have arrived

at Paris, but unanimity between them is rendered difficult by their

respective sense of dignity. The King and Madame seem greatly to

regret their forced separation from the retiring Ministers and the

necessity of calling in others.

_Valençay, September 3, 1836._--Yesterday I learned a piece of news

which is causing me much anxiety and is likely to involve me in

embarrassment: the death of my man of business in Germany, Herr

Hennenberg, who died at Berlin on August 23. I am thus obliged to

replace a most upright and capable man, a strong and respected

character who had full knowledge for twenty-five years not only of my

business, but of all my intimacies, past and present, who has thrown

himself heartily into every interest of my life and performed immense

services, and, in spite of the many pecuniary shocks which I have

experienced, has restored my fortunes and brought them to visible

prosperity, often to my own astonishment. He was, in short, a man to

whom I had entirely handed over the control of my affairs, as, indeed,

was necessary, in view of the long distance which separates me from

the centre of my interests. Such a man cannot be replaced by

correspondence or blindly, nor can I remain in uncertainty and

unsettlement for any length of time without suffering incalculable

loss. Hence a journey to Germany seems an absolute necessity; but, on

the other hand, how can I leave M. de Talleyrand alone in view of the

present state of his health? It is not to be thought of, and I pray

that Providence may deliver me from this inextricable complication.

Letters from Paris say that attempts to form a Ministry are so many

successive failures, that the King is growing tired of it, and that

Thiers is beginning to say that Spain is past all remedy. Perhaps they

will end in patching the matter up, but the shock that each party has

received will weaken their harmony, apart from the paralysing sense of

mistrust and rancour which will remain. It is all very sad.

_Valençay, September 4, 1836._--We have letters daily from Paris, but

no word regarding any solution of the difficulty. Yesterday I thought

the breach might be healed; I am less inclined to think so to-day. It

is even possible that the journey to Fontainebleau may take place

before the reconstruction of the Cabinet. M. Thiers would like to

start for Italy, to which the King has replied that his resignation

will be accepted only when he has nominated a successor. Molé and

Guizot are possibilities which seem to be exhausted without result.

_Valençay, September 7, 1836._--We are told that the _Moniteur_ of

to-day will contain the names of a Guizot-Molé Ministry, recruited

entirely from among the Doctrinaires under the influence and by the

efforts of M. Guizot. I had a letter from M. Thiers yesterday, and am

sorry to see some ill-temper displayed against all who do not share

his ideas about that wretched Spanish question. In particular he

thinks that the signatories to the Quadruple Alliance should have

agreed with him. This remark is addressed to M. de Talleyrand, who

proposes to reply that a fresh reading of the treaty will show that it

was drawn up in such a way that France is not under obligation in any

direction. M. Guizot persisted in objecting to the retention of M. de

Montalivet as Minister of the Interior, and as the latter thought it

inconsistent with his dignity to leave this post for another, as

Guizot had proposed, he has resigned, to the King's great regret, and

will go to Berry, where he has property. Sauzet and d'Argout are said

to be going to Italy, once the refuge of dethroned Sovereigns and now

the inevitable touringground of ex-Ministers.

The following fact is certain: On the 4th of this month information

was received that the _Société des Familles_, the most numerous and

best organised of secret societies at this time, proposed to make some

attempt to raise a public disturbance. Their intention was perfectly

clear; the fear of discovery doubtless prevented them from putting it

into effect. They proposed to advance upon the prison where the

political prisoners are confined, to set them at liberty, to seize the

Prefecture of Police, and thence to march upon Neuilly. The Ministers

assert that their intentions were quite serious.

_Valençay, September 9, 1836._--The newspapers are already declaring a

terrible war upon the new Ministry, which will be settled before the

Chambers.[45] The Opposition journals predict a breach in the

Cabinet, which seems a not unlikely possibility. Then perhaps we shall

see M. Thiers return to the head of affairs, but with a certain

opposition to confront him, after making war upon a system which he

had long supported and entering into obligations with men inclining to

the Left, in which case he would be likely to draw the Government into

dangerous paths. I do not really know, but in general things seem to

me to be growing dark. In any case it is fair to recognise that the

new Ministerial combination can display to the country and abroad

honourable names, distinguished talent, and recognised capacity. Let

us hope, then, that it may rest upon a solid basis. Eight or ten days

before the last crisis M. Molé, after a considerable silence, wrote a

very sprightly letter to M. Royer-Collard and to myself.

[45] The Ministry was composed as follows: M. Molé, President of

the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs; M. Guizot, Minister

of Public Instruction; M. Persil, Minister of Justice; M.

Duchâtel, Financial Minister; M. de Gasparin, Minister of the

Interior, with M. de Rémusat as Under-Secretary of State; M.

Martin du Nord, Minister of Commerce and Public Works; General

Bernard, Minister of War; and Admiral Rosamel, Minister of Naval

Affairs.

_Valençay, September 10, 1836._--Yesterday M. de Talleyrand received a

nice deferential little note from M. Molé upon his accession to the

Ministry. The burden of the letter was as follows: As the new Cabinet

had been formed upon a question and with ideas which M. de Talleyrand

had wisely made his own, the new Ministers might congratulate

themselves upon his approval, and for himself he trusted that it might

be so, as he relied upon M. de Talleyrand's counsel and opinion. M. de

Talleyrand immediately replied. It is not my business to praise the

answer, but I think it should please M. Molé, though he will find no

criticism in it of the man whose place he takes. M. de Talleyrand may

regret the blindness of M. Thiers upon the Spanish question, but it is

not for him to blame M. Thiers in definite terms, as he has long shown

and felt goodwill for him.

_Valençay, September 11, 1836._--I shall not quote Madame de Lieven as

testifying to the accuracy of the story told by M. de Montessuy,[46]

but I admit that I cannot understand so strange an incident. If one of

our princesses or our Sovereign had so acted, a revolutionary

interpretation would immediately have been put upon it at St.

Petersburg, and if the Emperor Nicholas admits Horace Vernet, and

especially M. de Löwe-Weimar, to his favour, his intimacy, and his

confidence, I do not see why the King should be reproached for dining

at the Tuileries with his National Guards. The truth is,

Louis-Philippe cannot use the knout or Siberia, which are two stern

precautions against familiarity, though it is fortunate for each of us

that these weapons are not in his hands; in Russia, neither age nor

sex nor rank nor merit is any protection.

[46] _See_ above, p. 63.

I have a letter from M. Guizot couched in most sprightly terms,

telling me of his entrance to the Council. The friendship of the King

for M. de Talleyrand and the confidence with which he honours him

forbid any Minister to be on bad terms with him; our intentions are

identical, so that between ourselves and these gentlemen all should go

well.

I have a long letter from the Comte Alexis de Saint-Priest from

Lisbon. He writes from time to time, though I only send short dry

notes by way of answer; but he seems determined to regard them as

proofs of friendship. It is merely a case of calculating

self-interest. He knows that the Duc d'Orléans shows me some kindness,

and he believes himself called upon to play a part when this Prince

comes to the throne, and therefore desires in any case to be one of my

friends; any one reading the opening sentences of his letter would

think that I was a great deal to him and he to me. I am somewhat vexed

in consequence.

_Valençay, September 13, 1836._--How is it that people are so often

found ready to report ill-tempered speeches to the persons affected by

them? It is a strange and too common frame of mind. To myself it is so

hateful that while I believe myself incapable of it, I always receive

very coldly those who bring me confidential remarks of this nature. I

think that the first condition upon which one can live in peace is to

speak evil of things only when they are bad and as little as possible

of people, and the second condition is to disregard evil spoken about

ourselves unless it be spoken to warn one of some trap or actual

danger, but it is very rarely that such information is actuated by

this good and laudable intention. These moral reflections are evoked

by the slanders which Lord Rosse is said to have uttered about Madame

de Lieven and the information brought to her concerning them. In any

case I see that social habit, knowledge of the world, the necessities

of conversation, and, in short, the thousand and one considerations

which make hypocrisy a virtue, or at any rate a social quality, allow

these two people to meet on good terms, and if that be so, my theories

are of little or no importance.

_Valençay, September 16, 1836._--The following is an extract from a

letter received by M. de Talleyrand yesterday; it was not sent by

Madame Adélaïde, but the writer is generally very well informed. "M.

Molé is ill. He has not yet been able to pay any calls, nor to receive

any ambassador, nor has any council yet been held by the King. It is

said that his health will not allow him to remain long in office, and

that he will never establish himself there with any certainty. If he

should resign, it is thought that the Ministry would not be entirely

dislocated, and that Montalivet would probably take his place. There

is also a rumour that the Ministry is ready to confront the Chambers

fearlessly, and expects to secure a majority, that it is ready to be

contented with a small majority in the hope of seeing it grow, and

that it does not intend to make every point a Cabinet question.

Marshal Soult is not to be Minister of War. He was anxious to be

President of the Council, but this was refused, and the post will

probably be given to Molitor, Sébastiani, or Bernard. The Ministry is

entirely dominated by the King's policy upon the Spanish question. The

body which was gathering on the Pyrenees frontier will be disbanded

and the Foreign Legion abandoned. In any case that legion is at the

service of Spain, and we have no right to use it for our own purposes.

Strictest adherence will be maintained to the limits laid down by the

treaty of the Quadruple Alliance. At the same time an ambassador at

Madrid will be appointed, though the death of Rayneval might have

enabled us to dispense with this; but the appointment will be made

from respect to England. A rumour has gone abroad, but it is a great

secret, and the appointment is not yet settled, that this ambassador

will be the Duc de Coigny. The King is a little doubtful of the

attitude which Thiers will adopt. He is also much displeased with him,

and has expressed his displeasure several times. At one time Thiers

took some steps to return to the Ministry, and the matter was

discussed. He then submitted himself wholly to the King's opinion and

will upon the Spanish question, but the style of the King's expression

showed that he was very far from reposing confidence in Thiers, and

that he would only take him back perforce and in a difficult and

unavoidable position. The true cause of Thiers' resignation is not so

much difference of opinion between the King and himself as the

deceitful course by which he wished to draw the King into intervention

against his will. Since he has gone several facts have been discovered

of which no one had any suspicion. Thiers went away announcing that he

would only return for the following session if he saw his policy

attacked. He is said to be really very despondent about his fall, and

has the more reason for despondency as he is sole author of it. The

mode of his resignation has greatly diminished the reputation which he

first achieved, and the public opinion is not in his favour."

_Valençay, September 21, 1836._--Yesterday we heard that the

Constitution of 1820 had been proclaimed at Lisbon. It is asserted

that this event was prepared at London, and the fact remains that

Admiral Gage, who was in harbour with three ships of the line,

remained a passive spectator. The queens of the South are not destined

to enjoy unbroken slumber, for at Lisbon, as at Madrid, the Queen was

forced to sign the new Constitution at two o'clock in the morning. The

army took the side of the people and of the National Guard. The poor

little Prince of Coburg has made a sad marriage indeed. If he remains

in private life with so heavy a burden as Doña Maria he will collapse.

It is impossible to avoid some feeling of dismay at these military

reactions, and we are deeply anxious to see our Cabinet completed by a

_real_ Minister of War. General Bernard was the last chance, and would

be the best choice, as Marshal Soult persistently refuses.

_Valençay, September 23, 1836._--Our festival of St. Maurice[47] was

held yesterday, and was most brilliant. Numbers of neighbours came,

and our cousins came over from Saint-Aignan. The gamekeepers with

their early trumpet-blasts, fine weather, a long drive, the banquet in

the Castle, and dinner to the little school-girls, the three courts

lighted up, and a most pretty entertainment, cheerfully and

delightfully played, completed our festivity.

[47] St. Maurice was the patron saint of the Prince de

Talleyrand.

_Valençay, September 25, 1836._--It is certain that Charles X., to

please the Duc de Bordeaux, has requested Don Carlos to receive his

grandson into his army, and Don Carlos has very wisely refused. The

truth is that this would have been the only thing that could have

induced France to intervene.

A letter from Strasburg gives me many details concerning the Abbé

Bautain and MM. Ratisbonne and de Bonnechose which interest me

greatly, for it was these men who carried on the correspondence

concerning the philosophy of religion which I read last winter. This