book is preceded by their biographies and the story of their

conversion, so that my knowledge of their case is complete. M.

Royer-Collard, to whom I have spoken several times concerning the Abbé

Bautain, told me that when he was high master of the university he

knew the Abbé, then quite a young man; that he had a distinguished

mind and a lively imagination, but that his mother was at Charenton

and that there seemed some likelihood of his following her, though at

the same time he thought a great deal of him for many reasons. I trust

that the death of Mlle. Humann will not relax the precious bond which

unites all these young people, with their goodness and sincerity. The

manner of Mlle. Humann's death was like that of Queen Anne of Austria,

a description of which I have just read in the _Mémoires_ of Madame de

Motteville; this queen also died of cancer. I know few incidents so

touching and edifying, so curious and well described, as the death of

this princess. I have finished these memoirs; a book which

counterbalances, from the political standpoint, the memoirs of

Cardinal de Retz. By way of restoring my equilibrium, I am reading

the _Mémoires_ of the Grande Mademoiselle. I read them before my

marriage, at a time when I did not know France, and therefore knew

even less the district which I now inhabit, and in which this princess

lived for a long time; consequently her book has an entirely new

attraction for me and interests me deeply.

_Valençay, September 28, 1836._--A few days ago a Spanish courier

arrived at Paris from Madrid. He had been stopped by the Carlists, who

had taken all his despatches except those directly addressed to King

Louis-Philippe. In these despatches Queen Christina announces that she

proposes to leave Madrid, leaving the two Princesses behind. The next

day a telegram came in stating that the Queen is to leave Madrid, with

all the Ministry, for Badajoz. This town was chosen as being nearest

to Portugal, and because the Queen would be unable to travel in the

direction of Cadiz or the Pyrenees or to any seaport. Unfortunate

creature!

_Valençay, October 2, 1836._--M. de Valençay, who is at the camp of

Compiègne with the Duc d'Orléans, writes that everything is going off

well and that the King's visit has had an excellent effect. The

Ministers, who all accompanied the King to Compiègne, followed him on

horseback to the great review, but M. Molé felt uncomfortable after a

few minutes and got into the Queen's carriage. The camp is said to be

very fine; the King was excellently received, and the young Princes

make a good appearance. I am the more pleased to hear this as it is

the first time that the King has left his confinement since the case

of Alibaud. His presence in camp must have been thought very

necessary, as the Duc d'Orléans answered for the King's safety with

his own life, begging him to go and show himself to the troops; and

only then did the Council, which had at first opposed the plan,

consent to the King's journey.

_Valençay, October 5, 1836._--I must copy the following passage about

the castle of Valençay, which I found in the _Mémoires_ of the Grand

Mademoiselle, vol. ii. p. 411, in the year 1653: "I continued my

journey to Valençay, and arrived there by torchlight. I thought I was

entering an enchanted house. The rooms are the most handsome,

delightful, and magnificent, in the world; the staircase is very fine,

and is reached by an arcaded gallery that is superb. It was

beautifully lighted up; there were plenty of people, including Madame

de Valençay, and some local ladies with handsome daughters, and the

general effect was most perfect. The room corresponded with the beauty

of the staircase, both in decorations and furniture. It rained the

whole day that I was there, and I think the weather must have done it

on purpose, as the covered walks had only just been begun. From there

I went to Selles; it is a fine house."

I have a letter from Alexander von Humboldt about the death of my man

of business, Herr Hennenberg. He offers his services in a most

obliging and careful letter, marked by the utmost flattery and

wittiness, a curious document which I shall keep among my precious

autographs. The death of this man has aroused the interest of all my

friends. Were it not for the anxiety which would pursue me if I were

to leave M. de Talleyrand and my daughter, a journey to Prussia would

suit me entirely.

_Valençay, October 18, 1836._--Yesterday I had a letter from the

Prince de Laval, written from Maintenon, where he was staying with M.

de Chateaubriand and Madame Récamier. He told me that a messenger from

the Princesse de Polignac had just arrived begging the Duc de Noailles

to go to Paris to try and remove the fresh obstacle which prevented

the accomplishment of the promise to improve the condition of the

prisoners. The Prince de Laval adds that the Duc de Noailles was about

to start, and that he would return to Montigny, whence he would come

and pay us a short visit and tell us of the new complications which

have arisen concerning the poor prisoners of Ham.

_Valençay, October 20, 1836._--Yesterday we had a pleasant visit from

M. Royer-Collard, who came over from Châteauvieux in spite of the

deplorable state of the roads. He was very indignant that any one

should be bargaining with the prisoners of Ham about their liberty. He

left me a letter which he had received from M. de Tocqueville, who had

returned from a journey in Switzerland. In it I found the following

passage: "I have closely examined Switzerland for two months. It is

very possible that the present severity of the French Government

towards it may force this disunited people to submit, but it is

certain in any case that we have made implacable enemies there. We

have accomplished a miracle by uniting in common feeling against

ourselves parties hitherto irreconcilable. This miracle has been

performed by the violent measure of M. Thiers, and perhaps even more

by the pride and haughtiness of our ambassador, M. de Montebello, and

his mania for interfering in the domestic affairs of the country upon

every possible occasion."

I have recently been thinking a great deal of what has been done or

left undone for the prisoners at Ham. All the newspapers with the

exception of the _Débats_ unanimously blame the last measures, the

favours offered as a bargain and the degrading conditions imposed upon

these prisoners, who are a class by themselves and unexampled in

history. These unfortunate men, moreover, are not asking for liberty,

but are only requesting some alleviation on the score of their health.

It seems that our present Ministers do not share the opinion of

Cardinal de Retz, who said: "Everything that seems dangerous and

really is not, is almost always a wise measure." Some one else makes

another observation which seems very applicable to recent events:

"There is nothing finer than to do favours to those who are against

us, and nothing weaker, in my opinion, than to receive favours from

them. Christianity, which enjoins the first action upon us, would

certainly have enjoined the second if it were good." Here we have a

clever saying in the style of that fine period when everybody, even

the least perfect, had some grandeur about him. I do not know whether

vice is now any less, but as for grandeur I can find none.

_Valençay, October 23, 1836._--I have decided to write a short note

concerning the castle of Valençay, describing its foundation and

history, &c., which I shall dedicate to my grandson, Boson, in the

following words:[48]

TO MY GRANDSON,

"All are agreed that it is disgraceful to know nothing of the

history of one's own country, and that undue modesty or undue

presumption are possible dangers if one is ignorant of one's

family history, but few are aware how greatly the pleasure of

inhabiting a beautiful spot is increased by some knowledge of its

traditions. Of these three kinds of ignorance the last is

undoubtedly of least importance, but it is also the most common;

schoolmasters may create the first, parents the second, but only

individual taste can lead us to inquire into dates and facts

connected with places which are not generally recognised as

famous. This inquiry may seem trivial if it is not justified by

any interesting recollections of the past, but in such a case as

that of Valençay, where the house is well known for its connection

with celebrities, it is the less excusable to disregard or to

confuse its history, as we are specially called, if not to

perpetuate these famous events, at least to respect them.

"It has been a pleasure to make this piece of history easier for

your study. May it encourage you to remain as noble in heart and

thought as are the glories and the traditions of the ancient place

of which I propose to tell you the story."

[48] This note upon Valençay was printed in 1848 by Crapelet, Rue

de Vaugirard, at Paris, with the dedication to which the author

here refers. This curious work is quoted by Larousse in his great

"Dictionnaire universel du Dix-neuvième Siècle," under

"Valençay." It has become scarce, but several copies exist.

_Valençay, October 24, 1836._--Yesterday I had a very kind letter from

the Duc d'Orléans, telling me of the departure of his brother the Duc

de Nemours for Constantine. He envies him his dangerous enterprise.

M. the Prince de Joinville was at Jerusalem.

_Valençay, October 28, 1836._--All our letters from Paris say that no

ceremony has been more imposing than the erection of the Obelisk of

Luxor.[49] The royal family was welcomed with delight. It was their

first public appearance in Paris since Fieschi's attempt, and the

people showed their pleasure. The Cabinet hesitated, as in the case of

Compiègne, but the royal will carried the day, and with successful

results.

[49] The Obelisk of Luxor was given to King Louis-Philippe by

Mehemet Ali, Pasha of Egypt. It was removed from its place before

the Temple of Luxor, carried to Paris, and erected in the Place

de la Concorde in 1836.

_Valençay, October 30, 1836._--To-morrow I propose to start from here

at eight o'clock in the morning; I shall lunch at Beauregard,[50] dine

at Tours and sleep at my own house at Rochecotte, where M. de

Talleyrand and my daughter will join me on November 2.

[50] With the Comtesse Camille de Sainte-Aldegonde.

_Rochecotte, November 2, 1836._--I have not had a moment's rest since

my arrival here, as I had to put everything in order before the

appearance of the guests whom I am expecting, and to examine the

changes that have been caused during my absence by the construction of

the artesian well; these changes have greatly improved the immediate

neighbourhood of the Castle, though much remains to be done.

I am inclined to think that M. Thiers has uttered some very

ill-advised remarks concerning all of us. Ill-temper and despondency

usually find unmeasured expression in the case of persons whose early

education has been deficient. It was the Spanish question which drove

M. Thiers from the Ministry, and on this point he was absolutely

opposed to M. de Talleyrand; hence the result. I have no ill-feeling

against him; it was bound to be so. Moreover, there are very few

people of whom I am sufficiently fond to hate them profoundly.

_Rochecotte, November 4, 1836._--What is the meaning of all this

Strasburg disturbance?[51] I am inclined to think there is something

serious in this mad Bonaparte enterprise, from the fact that a similar

movement took place the same day at Vendôme. Six sergeants began the

affair, which was immediately crushed, though one man was killed. I do

not know whether the newspapers have anything to say of it, but it is

quite certain, as the two prefects of Tours and Blois related it to

M. de Talleyrand, who told me the news when he arrived. The Grand

Duchess Stephanie will be uneasy concerning the expedition of her

cousin, Louis Bonaparte.[52] I am sorry for the Duchesse de Saint-Leu,

although I think she had some knowledge of the affair and is more

inclined to intrigue than to act a part; but she is a mother, and has

already lost her eldest son, and she must feel terrible anxiety; it is

a just though bitter punishment for her miserable intrigues.

[51] On October 26, 1836, Prince Louis Bonaparte, accompanied by

his friend M. de Persigny, and supported by Colonel Vaudrey,

attempted to begin a military revolt and to overthrow the king,

Louis-Philippe.

[52] Afterwards Napoleon III.

_Rochecotte, November 7, 1836._--Yesterday I had a letter from Madame

de Lieven, who tells me that the Emperor Nicholas is indisposed. When

a Russian admits that the Emperor is indisposed he must indeed be ill.

His death would be an event of very different importance from the

outbreak at Strasburg. I do not think the French would have any great

reason to regret him.

_Rochecotte, November 10, 1836._--Madame Adélaïde informs M. de

Talleyrand that the King has resolved not to bring the young Bonaparte

to trial; he will simply insist upon his immediate departure for

America and exact a formal promise that he will never return to

France. Madame de Saint-Leu has written to the King to beg for her

son's life. She is known to be hidden at Paris, where the authorities

are unwilling to leave her; nor will they allow her to live in

Switzerland. Apparently she will go to the United States with her son.

What foolishness it is which can lead to such a result!

_Rochecotte, November 11, 1836._--Madame de Lieven was saying recently

before Pozzo that she would perhaps spend the next winter at Rome.

"What on earth would you find to do in Italy?" cried Pozzo. "You could

ask no one to tell you the news except the Apollo Belvedere, and if he

refused you would say, 'Wretch, away with you!'" This sally of Pozzo's

made every one laugh, including the Princess; she is, in fact, quite

frivolous.

_Rochecotte, November 20, 1836._--Yesterday's letters told of a

reversal in the affairs of Portugal. The counter-revolution seems to

have failed at the moment when success was thought certain, and the

mishap was due to a want of understanding between the little Van de

Weyer and Lord Howard de Walden. The disaster is complete.

Madame Adélaïde tells M. de Talleyrand that the Court will certainly

not go into mourning for the death of Charles X., as no notification

of the event has been received.[53] She quotes several examples in

which mourning was not worn for this reason, though near relatives

were concerned, including the case of the late Queen of Naples; she

was aunt and mother-in-law to the Emperor of Austria, and died in the

Imperial castle near Vienna, but the Austrian Court did not go into

mourning because the King of Naples, who was then in Sicily, did not

send a notification of his wife's death. Such precedents are

invincible.

[53] Charles X. had just died at Goritz, in Austria, on November

6, 1836.

_Rochecotte, November 21, 1836._--The death of Charles X. has divided

society in Paris upon every point. Every one wears mourning according

to his own fancy, from colours to deep black by infinite gradations,

and with fresh bitterness about every yard of crape that seems to be

wanting. Some refer to him as the Comte de Marnes and Henry V., others

as Louis XIX. In short, the place is a perfect Babel, and they are not

even agreed upon the disease of which Charles X. died. Yesterday's

letters speak of nothing else, except the affairs of Portugal. We are

informed that the clumsy attempt might easily shake the position of

Lord Palmerston.[54]

[54] The Queen of Portugal had been forced, after several

outbreaks, to accept the Radical Constitution of 1820. In

November she began a counter-revolution, helped by Palmella,

Terceira, and Saldanha, believing, at the instigation of England,

that the population of Lisbon would support her, and proposing to

dismiss her Ministers. She had been wrongly informed concerning

the popular feeling, and was forced to abandon the struggle.

_Rochecotte, November 22, 1836._--The Prince de Laval writes that M.

de Ranville is staying with him at Montigny, while M. de Polignac[55]

is on the road for Munich and Goritz. I do not know at all how this

business has been arranged, nor do I know the meaning of this meeting

of Paris clergy summoned to the house of M. Guizot, the Minister of

Public Worship. They say that the Archbishop is preparing a manifesto

in consequence, but I have not yet received the answer to the riddle.

[55] M. de Polignac, who was a prisoner at Ham, had demanded from

M. Molé his transference to a sanatorium.

Only the Abbé de Vertot could tell the full story of the revolutions

in Portugal. Lord Palmerston would not be the hero of it, nor Lord

Howard de Walden either. What can one think of the base methods

employed by such diplomacy?

_Rochecotte, November 28, 1836._--Differences of opinion concerning

the question of mourning for Charles X. have found their way into the

royal family; the Queen, who had voluntarily assumed mourning the

first day, was vexed because the Ministry forced her to abandon it.

The Cabinet is afraid of newspaper controversy, but has gained

nothing, as all the newspapers are in rivalry according to their

political colouring. I am much puzzled to know what shade of white,

grey, or black I shall adopt when I reach Paris; generally speaking,

the ladies of the neutral party who are also of society wear black in

company and white at Court. The position of our diplomatists abroad

will be very embarrassing.

M. de Balzac, who is a native of Touraine, has come into the country

to buy a small estate, and induced one of my neighbours to bring him

here. Unfortunately it was dreadful weather and I was forced to invite

him to dinner.

I was polite, but very reserved. I am greatly afraid of these

publicists, men of letters, and writers of articles. I never spoke a

word without deep consideration, and was delighted when he went.

Moreover, he did not attract me; his face and bearing are vulgar, and

I imagine his ideas are equally so. Undoubtedly he is a clever man,

but his conversation is neither easy nor light, but, on the contrary,

very dull. He watched and examined all of us most minutely, especially

M. de Talleyrand.

I could very well have done without this visit, and should have

avoided it if I had been able. He aims at the extraordinary, and

relates a thousand incidents about himself, of which I believe none.

The Prince de Laval informed me that M. de Polignac has not yet been

able to profit by the freedom which was granted him, as he was too ill

to move at the moment arranged for his departure.[56] He asks to be

transported to the nearest frontier, Mons or Calais, to avoid any

route of which he could not endure the fatigue.

[56] His punishment had been commuted to perpetual banishment.

_Rochecotte, December 2, 1836._--The Archbishop's letter concerning

the convocation of the clergy is a bad one, because of its

fault-finding, which is an unsuitable characteristic in an

ecclesiastic whose finest quality is evangelical simplicity; but we

must also admit that he must have been shocked by the attempt to

influence the clergy directly, and that the prohibition of prayers

instituted by the Church is somewhat too revolutionary, and I wish we

could reform revolutionary ways more definitely. We cling to them out

of fear, and this timidity, which is too obvious, brings us into

isolation abroad and encourages enemies at home.

The Duc d'Angoulême will certainly style himself Louis XIX. and his

wife the Queen; she wished it to be so. However, immediately after the

death of Charles X. they sent all the insignia of royalty into the

room of the Duc de Bordeaux, declaring that even if events were

favourable they never wished to reign in France. In any case the

notifications were issued under the incognito title of Comte de

Marnes. The young Prince is called Monseigneur at Goritz. He and his

sister are staying with his uncle and aunt.

M. de Polignac wrote to M. Molé after the death of Charles X., saying

positively that he would be grateful to the King of the French for

permission to leave Ham, and thus obtained his permit. M. Peyronnet

wrote in charcoal on his prison wall, "I ask mercy only from God,"

which I think he had hardly the right to say, since he left his prison

in very lively spirits. He would not see M. de Polignac again, even at

the last moment.

_Rochecotte, December 15, 1836._--I shall certainly leave here

to-morrow evening, and shall be at Paris in the afternoon of the day

following.

* * * * *

[The two correspondents whose letters furnish material for these

memoirs spent a few months together at Paris, so that the memoirs

were interrupted, and recommenced in 1837.]