CHAPTER II

1837

_Paris, April 17, 1837._--The new Ministry, which entered upon office

the day before yesterday, and is destined to immortalise the date of

April 15, as different Governments are designated by such dates, will

have a stern conflict to wage, and I hope, for the sake of its leader,

M. Molé, that it will emerge with honour from the struggle. The

_Journal de Paris_ offers a frank Doctrinaire opposition; the _Journal

des Débats_ pronounces a funeral oration over the last Ministry and

offers peace and support to the new one. All this promises neither

reality, sincerity, fidelity, nor stability, and I hardly know to whom

or to what it is reasonable to trust in the sphere of political

relations. M. Royer-Collard came to see me this morning before going

to the Chamber of Deputies; he did not seem to think that the new

Ministry would survive one session.[57]

[57] The Ministry was composed as follows: M. Molé, President of

the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs; M. Barthe, Minister

of Justice; M. de Montalivet, Minister of the Interior; M.

Lacave-Laplagne, Financial Minister; M. de Salvandy, Minister of

Public Instruction. General Bernard, Admiral de Rosamel, and M.

Martin du Nord retained their portfolios; M. de Rémusat,

Under-Secretary of State, followed his Minister into retirement.

M. Thiers came to dine with us, among other guests, and talked

largely, as usual. He came from the Chamber, where they had in vain

awaited the official proclamation of the new Ministry which had been

announced. The King was to take the Electress,[58] who is at Paris at

this moment incognito as the Comtesse d'Arco, to visit Versailles,

but as the council lasted from ten in the morning till five in the

afternoon the King was unable to go out or the Ministers to appear

before the Chamber. The incident produced a bad effect upon the

Electress, who is said to be irritable and scornful.

[58] Marianne Leopoldine, Archduchess of Austria-Este, born in

1771, married the Elector Charles Theodore of Bavaria. After her

husband's death she married the Grand Master of his Court, the

Comte Louis Arco. This princess died in 1848.

_Paris, April 19, 1837._--Madame de Castellane, who came to see me

this morning, was very painfully affected by last night's session in

the Chamber, and told me that the extreme length of yesterday's

council was due to a keen discussion concerning the complete repeal of

the law of appanage and the advisability of leaving blank the appanage

of the Duc d'Orléans in the law which was to be presented to the

Chamber on the occasion of his marriage with Princess Helena of

Mecklenburg-Schwerin; the Duc d'Orléans, who was present at the

council, was anxious that a blank space should be left, and eventually

gained his point.

Hardly had Madame de Castellane left my house than Madame de Lieven

came in; she came to ask me to dinner to-day. She told me a saying

which is current concerning the new Ministry, and is borrowed from a

new invention; they call it the deodorised Ministry.

Towards the end of the morning I had a visit from M. de Tocqueville,

who came to me from the Chamber, where he had witnessed the solemn

entry of the Ministry. He said that the entry took place amid the most

absolute silence; there was not a word or a gesture, as if the benches

had been empty, and as if one had been in the middle of the ice upon

Lake Ladoga, to quote a later remark by Madame de Lieven. The same

silence prevailed during M. Molé's speech, and when the Ministry

retired in a body to make their way to the Chamber of Peers there was

a murmur of dissatisfaction which drove back MM. de Salvandy and de

Rosamel, who had come to resume their places upon the Ministerial

bench. In the ensuing debate Marshal Clauzel seems to have cut a poor

figure, but M. Jaubert was most incisive, and at his remarks upon the

provisional state of affairs malicious laughter against the Cabinet

burst out on all sides. On the whole the impression was most

discouraging for the new Ministry.

After our dinner the Duc de Noailles came in his turn to give an

account of the Ministerial entry into the Chamber of Peers. M. Molé

said a few short and confused words; M. de Brézé said that he thought

the speech too vague, and asked for some explanation of the reason for

the dissolution of the last Cabinet. M. Molé attempted to reply

without committing himself, with the result, doubtless by mistake,

that he used the word "categorical" to characterise the brevity of his

words. Thereupon M. Villemain said maliciously that the speech of the

President of the Council was anything rather than categorical, and

that he would like to know what was going to happen concerning the law

of non-revelation. M. de Montalivet then got up, and is said to have

made an excellent speech. He would have left the Chamber with a

thoroughly good impression, had not M. Siméon, the promoter of the law

of non-revelation, announced that his speech was ready. This will be a

great embarrassment for the Ministry, as they would have preferred to

allow this proposed law to be forgotten.

_Paris, April 22, 1837._--Yesterday I had a visit from the Duc

d'Orléans, who had just learnt the vote of the Chamber concerning his

marriage dotation, and was satisfied both with the form and matter of

it. He seems to me inclined to spend half of the million allotted to

household expenses in charity to the workmen of Lyons, in bank-books

bought for unfortunate people in the savings-banks of the country, in

clothes for a large number of children in orphanages, and, in short,

in good works. He is very pleased with his marriage, and in an

excellent temper. The Princess Helena wishes to be escorted from

Weimar by an envoy of France, and a suitable person is being sought

for this mission. I should be glad to see the Baron de Montmorency

obtain the honour. The Princess will see the King of Prussia at

Potsdam. Her portrait has not yet arrived. There are still hopes that

the marriage will take place before June 15. As the Princess is not to

be married by procuration, and is not yet, consequently, the Duchesse

d'Orléans, her household will not go to meet her at the frontier.

There she will be met only by some member of the King's household, and

perhaps by one of the Queen's ladies; in any case, she is coming

accompanied by her step-mother, the Dowager Grand Duchess of

Mecklenburg.

Meunier will probably be pardoned on the occasion of the marriage.[59]

The trial of Meunier presents no interest as regards the character of

the individuals concerned, nor is their language in any way dramatic.

The affair is much inferior to that of Fieschi, or even of Alibaud,

and the only effect produced has been one of disgust, which is the

best effect upon the public that could be produced.

[59] On December 27, 1836, at the opening of the Parliamentary

session, another attempt was made upon the life of King

Louis-Philippe as he was driving to the Palais Bourbon with three

of his sons. The criminal was Meunier, a young man aged

twenty-two, who was condemned to death by the Chamber of Peers;

but the King eventually secured a commutation of his penalty to

perpetual banishment on the occasion of the marriage of the Duc

d'Orléans.

The ridiculous compliment of M. Dupin to the Prince Royal is well

commented upon this morning in the _Journal de Paris_. The King would

not allow his son to receive the congratulations of the Chambers

except in his own presence, which induced M. Sémonville to say that he

would have thought he was abdicating if any other course had been

followed.

I dined at the house of M. and Madame Mollien with M. and Madame

Bertin de Veaux, M. Guizot, and M. de Vandœuvre. There was much talk

of the halting speech of M. Barthe, at the end of which he suddenly

came to a standstill, of the extremely poor appearance of the

Ministry, and of the almost inevitable possibility of a duel between

MM. Thiers and Guizot in the course of a session which will bring up

so many burning questions. The two champions will deliver their blows

upon the backs of the Ministry, which will probably succumb under

their assault. This remark is fairly general, and is not my property.

Yesterday nothing more than skirmishing went on.

_Paris, April 26, 1837._--I hear of discussions in England upon the

Spanish question. M. Thiers gave assurances the other day that the

English Ministry was ready to leave Spain to its destiny. He deduced,

with some fear for the reigning French dynasty, the conclusion that

Don Carlos would be triumphant. It is true that this question is

concerned with that of intervention, upon which he used to lay so much

stress.

The Duchesse d'Albuféra has been greatly agitated by the duel of her

son-in-law, M. de La Redorte, who fought the editor of the _Corsaire_

on account of an insulting article which appeared two days ago in this

wretched newspaper, apparently attacking both the person and the

opinions of M. de La Redorte. The duel was fought with pistols, and

the editor was wounded in the hand; it is thought that he will lose a

finger. Social distinctions are destroyed by the excesses of the

Press.

_Paris, April 27, 1837._--This morning I saw Madame Adélaïde, who told

me that the King had just signed the commutation of Meunier's penalty.

She also told me that the Princess of Mecklenburg and her step-mother

would reach the French frontier on May 25; on May 28, St. Ferdinand's

Day, there would be a birthday celebration for the Duc d'Orléans at

Fontainebleau, and the marriage would take place on the 31st.

Our guests at dinner were the Princesse de Lieven, the Duc de

Noailles, Labouchère, M. Thiers, and Matusiewicz, who has returned

much aged from Naples, of which he gives a bad account, both for its

climate and its social resources. Thus the guests were somewhat

heterogeneous, which was due to M. de Talleyrand's absence of mind,

but all went off very well and the conversation was lively, especially

between M. Thiers and Madame de Lieven. She was positively coquettish

towards him--I use the word advisedly, because no other would express

the fact. M. Thiers gave an account of the Chamber, continually

repeating in a special tone of voice which evoked involuntary

laughter, "Poor Ministry!" At the same time he patronises the

Ministry, though he would never consent, I think, to be patronised at

that price. It would suit him to keep the Ministry alive until the

next session, but his success is doubtful, for, as he says himself, an

invalid can be kept alive, but not a dead man. In yesterday's session

the Ministry equivocated, as usual, and eventually decided against

Marshal Soult, which caused much ill-temper on the Left because the

Doctrinaires shouted on every side, "Settle it!" "Settle it!" They

said that the scene was quite scandalous. After Madame de Lieven took

her leave the gentlemen stayed on for some time, and talked of the

changes which the schism had introduced into society, even into the

neutral body of it. They discussed the influence of the _salons_ and

of the women who controlled them. M. Thiers classed them as follows:

The _salon_ of Madame de Lieven is the observatory of Europe; that of

Madame de Ségur is purely Doctrinaire, with no concessions; that of

Madame de La Redorte is entirely in the power of M. Thiers; with

Madame de Flahaut the convenience of the Duc d'Orléans is the general

desire, and with M. de Talleyrand the convenience of the King; the

house of Madame de Broglie is for the 11th of October and for the

concession, though the most bitter of concessions; the cabinet of

Madame de Dino is alone guided by the most perfect independence of

mind and judgment. My share is thus by no means the worst, though, to

tell the truth, it was pronounced in my presence.

The German newspapers announce the death of M. Ancillon, who had been

ill for a long time, when the doctor ordered him a draught and a

liniment; he explained the matter to Madame Ancillon, who was starting

for a concert. When she came back she perceived that a mistake had

been made, and a few hours afterwards the invalid was dead. The poor

man was unfortunate in marriage. He began by marrying a wife who might

have been his mother, then one who might have been his daughter, and

finally this Belgian beauty, who was, I think, the worst of the three.

_Paris, April 29, 1837._--This morning I saw M. Royer-Collard, who

spoke of the session in the Chamber of Deputies on the previous

evening, when a million had been voted for the Queen of the Belgians.

The result, for which he also voted, was doubtless good, but the

debate seems to have been very ominous for the Government, and M. de

Cormenin by no means received a thrashing, but held the upper hand.

The same impression was given to me by two others who were present at

the session.

_Paris, April 30, 1837._--M. Thiers came to see me this morning before

the session of the Chamber. He confirmed the general report of the

session which discussed the grant to the Queen of the Belgians; but

the object of his visit was to complain of the Princesse de Lieven. He

has suddenly seen what I had foreseen long ago, that she did not take

him seriously, but brought him out and put him forward as an actor. He

has too much common sense not to see the ridiculous side of this and

not to feel it. He asked if I had noticed it and if others had seen

it. I told him that no one had mentioned it to me, but that I thought

a little more reserve in his language in a _salon_ which he himself

called the observatory of Europe would not be out of place. I advised

him, however, to remain on good terms with the Princess, who is really

fond of him, and whose wit and easy conversation please him also. I

think he found an opportunity the other day of letting drop a few

words to her that frightened her considerably. There is no harm in

that, as she is a person with whom one must remain upon good terms and

yet keep in check.

_Paris, May 1, 1837._--The Duc de Broglie is going to meet the

Princess of Mecklenburg at Fulda, on this side of Weimar, not to marry

her, but to offer his compliments and his escort. The wife of Marshal

Lobau will be the Princess's lady-of-honour.

Yesterday I had a letter from the Archbishop of Paris, who sends me a

copy of the answer from Rome, which he had just received, concerning

his last difficulties with reference to the archiepiscopal estate.

Rome entirely approves his conduct, and leaves him free to conduct any

transaction which may satisfy his general interests. This last phrase

is distinctly vague. I shall probably go to-morrow afternoon to thank

the Archbishop and to learn some further details. He adds in his

letter that he is certain that the Government have received an answer

similar to that which he communicates to me.

_Paris, May 2, 1837._--I am assured that the Prussian Minister here,

Baron von Werther, will take the place of M. Ancillon at Berlin. He is

offering some objection to the proposal, but it is thought that he

will accept.

The Marquis de Mornay has been nicknamed the Sosthenes of the July

revolution--amusing, but very true.

I have seen M. Royer-Collard, who thought that the law concerning

secret funds would pass, but would be a mortal blow to the Cabinet.

Yesterday evening I went to the Court reception held on the 1st of

May.[60] There was an enormous crowd, including every type of beauty

and ugliness, of well and badly dressed people. The Duc d'Orléans did

not appear, as he is suffering from a severe sore throat and

inflammation of the eyes. He is wise to take care of himself, as he

has only three weeks for that purpose.

[60] The birthday of Louis-Philippe.

I was told at the Château that in a morning session of the Chamber M.

Jaubert had positively flayed the Ministry, and that to-day's session

might easily end in their overthrow. I hardly think so, as no one is

anxious to seize their inheritance.

Rumours are also current of an important victory said to be won by Don

Carlos.

Apparently I did not mention what Matusiewicz told me about the new

Queen of Naples, concerning whom I asked him many questions. She is

the Archduchess Theresa of whom so much was heard last year. He says

that she is agreeable, witty, kind, and nice, with no haughtiness or

fine manners, and nothing of the princess about her. The King is said

to be deeply in love with her.

_Paris, May 4, 1837._--Yesterday I went to the Sacred Heart to see the

Archbishop. I found him delighted with the answer from Rome, and not

anxious to make any public parade of it. Whatever formalities the

other side might raise, he was anxious to use the liberty given him

from Rome to handle the whole question in a pacific spirit; in short,

he was calmer and gentler than I had seen him for a long time.

_Paris, May 5, 1837._--M. Molé, who dined here yesterday, said that

his colleague, M. Martin du Nord, would make a kind of apology to-day

to the Chamber for his outburst of the day before yesterday. M. Thiers

has harangued his forces and calmed their feelings.

The ratification of the marriage contract of the Duc d'Orléans has

come to hand from Mecklenburg; the illness of Herr von Plessen, the

Mecklenburg Minister, had prevented him from travelling to the spot

where the ratifications are to be exchanged, and some delay was

feared, which would have been the more prolonged as the Minister has

since died. M. Bresson therefore sent a bearer to him with the Act; he

was almost at his last gasp when he signed it, and died three hours

afterwards.

Herr von Lutteroth says that the portrait of the Prince Royal which he

was commissioned to take to the Princess Helena produced an excellent

impression. Two attacks of influenza made it impossible to finish the

portrait of the Princess; in her place I would not send anything. Herr

von Lutteroth is full of the delightful qualities of the Princess,

although he admits that her nose is by no means distinguished and her

teeth rather bad. Otherwise she is admirable, especially her figure,

which is charming. When he dined with her her gloves were too large

and she wore black shoes which obviously were not made at Paris. The

vexatious point is that the Duc d'Orléans has an obstinate cold on his

chest; he coughs a great deal and his voice is very weak, but he is

taking care of himself, and wisely.

Mecklenburg princesses have no dowry, but when they marry the States

vote them two or three hundred thousand francs as a voluntary gift.

The Duc d'Orléans has refused this vote, to the great delight, it is

said, of the people of Mecklenburg. The Duc de Broglie will be

accompanied upon his mission by the Comte Foy, son of the famous

General, the Comte d'Haussonville, MM. Léon de Laborde, Philippe de

Chabot, and Doudain, the last-named with the title of First Secretary

to the embassy.[61]

[61] This embassy of honour was sent to meet the royal bride; the

meeting took place at Fulda on May 22, 1837.

_Paris, May 6, 1837._--After a visit from M. Royer-Collard, and as

though by way of contrast, I went yesterday morning and waited for a

long time at Madame Bautrand's, the famous costumier. I wanted to

choose a few things for the entertainments at Fontainebleau, and spent

an interesting time over it. In the first place there were the most

delightful articles, then there was a crowd of people waiting for some

mark of favour, and messages were coming from the Château hastily

summoning the great personage. One really might have thought one's

self in the rooms of a party leader.

Yesterday evening I had a note from Madame de Castellane written after

the session of the Chamber, giving the following account of it: M.

Martin du Nord offered a reasonable explanation; M. Augustin Giraud

vigorously attacked M. Molé, who returned an admirable reply; M. Vatry

challenged the great champions to enter the arena by proposing an

amendment; M. de Lamartine, in a wearisome speech entirely off the

point, aroused M. Odilon Barrot, who then delivered one of his finest

speeches; M. Guizot in his turn made an excellent reply.

I was awakened just now to receive a note from M. Molé, telling me

that M. Thiers, shaken and almost converted by yesterday's session, is

anxious to overthrow the Ministry and so force M. Guizot to come

forward with his friends, with the object of overthrowing him in turn;

he adds that M. Dupin reminded M. Thiers of his obligations, telling

him that such action would be dishonourable. M. Thiers seemed to waver

once more, and announced that he would summon his friends again. M.

Molé sends me this news, asking me to discuss it with M. Thiers from

Dupin's point of view. He has applied to the wrong person, for the

burnt child fears the fire, and I have too keen a recollection of last

year's scene to put my hand into a wasp's nest of that kind. I prefer

not to meddle with what does not concern me, but in any case to-day's

work will decide the case of the Ministry.

_Paris, May 7, 1837._--I did not go out yesterday morning, and left my

door open, so certain visitors came in: M. Jules d'Entraigues, the Duc

de Noailles, and the little Princess Schönberg. All were full of the

session of the previous evening and of M. Guizot's magnificent speech.

He really performed admirably, and aroused the deepest parliamentary

emotion in the Chamber.

About five o'clock M. de Tocqueville arrived. He came from the session

and had just heard Thiers, who had replied to Guizot. It seems that no

one ever showed greater power; it is he who saved the Ministry and

secured the passing of the law.[62] He added that Thiers spoke quietly

and coldly, seeming to avoid any oratorical effects, and not

attempting to outdo his rival in dramatic display, but anxious only to

deliver a blow, and he is said to have succeeded.

[62] The reference is to a law concerning the estimates for the

secret police fund.

At dinner our guests were the Duchesse d'Albuféra, M. and Madame de La

Redorte, MM. Thiers and Mignet. M. Thiers was well pleased with his

day's work, and gave a warm tribute to Guizot, roundly asserting that

he would never have been so foolish as to try and eclipse him, seeing

that that was impossible; he had attempted only to make his position

impossible, and that he had done. He then gave us his speech, which

seemed to me to be strikingly clear, sensible, and practical. He told

me that M. Royer-Collard had almost fallen upon his neck, saying, "You

have killed them!"

In the evening I went to Madame Molé's, to a dinner given in return

for that which I recently gave when the Electress was present. The

only subject of conversation was the session in the Chamber. The

Ministry were as pleased as if they had been successful, though there

is no possibility that they will triumph. As I came back I called upon

Madame de Lieven. She had heard Guizot on the previous evening, but

not Thiers in the morning. Thus she had remained entirely under

Guizot's influence, which was the more appropriate as he came in

himself delighted with the concert of praise by which he has been

received; but in reality he felt the blow had been struck. I, who know

him well, thought his feelings quite obvious.

As I write I am quite deafened by the noise of the drum which is

continually beaten for the great review of the National Guard which

the King is to hold to-day. Heaven grant that all goes off well. I am

most anxious.

I know that Herr von Werther and Apponyi are but moderately satisfied

with the political doctrines expressed by M. Guizot in his speech of

the day before yesterday; they were expecting a less limited and less

middle-class system. There they were wrong, for M. Guizot's social

ideas are alone appropriate to the age and to the country as it is now

constituted.

_Paris, May 8, 1837._--I should be delighted if the last piece of news

I have heard were true, that the Grand Duchess Stephanie is to marry

her daughter to the Duke of Leuchtenberg; there would then be no

possibility of her marrying one of our princes, and I should be

equally pleased because I am not anxious to see among them a nephew of

the Prefect of Blois.[63]

[63] The Comte de Lezay-Marnesia.

The day before yesterday, in the evening, I met the Marquis of

Conyngham at the house of Madame de Lieven. He related that the

Duchess of Kent, who is always doing tactless things, recently invited

Lord Grey to dinner together with Lady Jersey. Their respective rank

required that Lord Grey should take Lady Jersey into dinner; Sir John

Conroy requested Lord Grey to do so, but he absolutely refused, and

Lady Jersey was taken in by some one of lower rank. Both were keenly

irritated in consequence.

It seems certain that the Duchesse de Saint-Leu is dying. The

physician Lisfranc, who has returned from Arenenberg, says so. The

poor woman has mismanaged her life and her position, and she is

expiating her fault most cruelly. It is dreadful to survive her eldest

son and to die far away from her second son, entirely cut off from her

family; this misfortune disarms the severe criticism which one might

be tempted to utter concerning her.

Yesterday was held the great review, and all my rooms were filled from

eleven o'clock in the morning. From our windows we had a perfect view

of the march past, which followed the Rue de Rivoli, and then passed

in front of the Obelisk, where were the King, the Queen, the Princes,

and a very numerous following. Sixty thousand National Guards and

twenty thousand line troops marched past. Previously the King had gone

round the ranks within the Cour du Carrousel and on the Esplanade des

Invalides. The National Guard shouted "Vive le Roi!" most vigorously,

and the line troops still more so. The wind was cold and sharp, but

the sun was bright. The King returned to the Château across the garden

of the Tuileries. Thus the King's state of siege has come to an end,

and a good thing too. We must hope upon the one hand that it will not

often be thought necessary to renew this form of proceeding, and that

on the other hand some relaxation may be possible of those excessive

precautions which spoilt the effect of the show, and which were

carried to such an extent yesterday that I have never seen anything

sadder or more painful; the embankments, the Rue de Rivoli, the

square, and the Tuileries were forbidden to every one except men in

uniform, and men, women, children, little dogs, and every living being

were driven away; it was a complete desert, and every one was

blockaded in his house. My son Valençay, to get from his house in the

Rue de Université to mine, was obliged to go by the Pont d'Auteuil!

This state of things was maintained until the King returned to his

rooms. All the police were on duty, and the posts of the National

Guard were doubled upon every side by a row of police and municipal

guards surrounding the royal group. The town looked as though deserted

or plague-stricken, with a conquering army marching through without

finding a stopping-place or inhabitants.

After our dinner I went to inquire for the Queen and to say farewell

to Madame Adélaïde, who is starting for Brussels this morning. There

had been a great military dinner of two hundred and sixty people in

the Hall of the Marshals; all were in full dress, pleased and

animated.

I concluded the evening with Madame de Castellane, where I found M.

Molé, who was very pleased with the result of the review.

In my wanderings I discovered that the last speech of M. Thiers was

gaining an increasing hold on men's minds. It is thought that, without

abandoning his general theories, he was pointing to a practical

solution which would satisfy all positive spirits; people are much

obliged by the fact that in this speech he had twice separated from

the Left without hurting their feelings; in short, his clever words

have dissipated some of the fears which he inspired and removed some

of the obstacles which stood between himself and the power. This

impression I have received from many different sides, and except the

Doctrinaires and the extremists on the Left every one is feeling it.

_Paris, May 9, 1837._--Yesterday I had a long visit from M.

Royer-Collard, whose admiration for the speech of M. Thiers is at its

height. He praises the occasion, the propriety of it, and above all

the truth, not only its personal truth--that is to say, its individual

sincerity--but its truth with reference to the actual state of

opinion, which the speaker alone has correctly appreciated. He said it

was one of those speeches over which one could never think too long,

which grips the reader more and more, and the effect of which will

steadily increase. He admits that the session when MM. Odilon Barrot

and Guizot spoke was more interesting to watch, and that the two

actors played their parts very well, but that they were merely acting;

that they showed themselves good orators, but not statesmen; that both

relied upon extremist opinions which were worn out; that M. Guizot in

particular was no longer a man of his age, but an _émigré_; and that

this point had been admirably brought out by Thiers. M. Royer-Collard

thinks the speech of Guizot imprudent and irritating, in which respect

he says that Guizot followed his arrogant disposition. In short, he

says many things; he says them in my sitting-room, but repeats them

in the Chamber, at the Academy, to each and all, and makes it his

business to do so. This is very useful to M. Thiers, in whose speech

there is something too fine and subtle to be understood without a

commentary.

I did not go out after M. Royer's call, but stayed at home to read the

life of Raphael by M. Quatremère; the book is lacking in warmth and

vivacity, but it is well written. It is most restful at the present

time to return to the exquisite art of an age when men of genius were

complete, because they possessed every shade of genius, if one may use

the phrase. Books of this kind give me an inexpressible longing for

Italy.

In the evening I looked in at the Austrian Embassy, where Madame de

Lieven told me a large amount of gossip from London. One of her

stories was as follows: At the last Levée the King thanked the Turkish

Ambassador aloud and through an interpreter for postponing a dinner

which he was giving, on account of the death of Lady Delisle, his

natural daughter, and thus showing him a respect which his own family

had refused; this remark was aimed at the Duchess of Kent. At the last

Drawing-room the Queen could not be present, as she was ill, and it

was held by Princess Augusta; the Duchess of Kent arrived with her

daughter; the King heartily embraced the latter without noticing her

mother, and seeing Sir John Conroy in the throne-room he ordered the

Chamberlain to send him out. Finally, when the Prince of Linange came

to his mother's house, the Duchess of Kent, with his wife, who is not

his equal in birth, the King sent Lord Conyngham to the Duchess to say

that he would receive his daughter-in-law, but could not permit her to

enter his private apartments; the Duchess declined to receive Lord

Conyngham, and sent a message to say that if he came to pay a private

call she would see him with pleasure, but that she would not receive

him as the King's messenger, and that he need only write down what he

had to say. Lord Conyngham then sent her a letter, to which she

replied by an epistle of twelve pages, enumerating all her supposed

grievances against the King, and concluding with the statement that if

her daughter-in-law were not received as a princess she would never

set foot in the King's house again. She had several copies made of the

letter, and sent them to all the members of the Cabinet. Lord

Conyngham, who told all this to Madame de Lieven, in spite of his Whig

principles, went on to say that the position of the English Ministry

was unpleasant, as their relations with the King were disturbed and

they were unpopular in the country, and that the difficulties

concerning the Bank and the progress of affairs in Spain were very

unpleasant incidents for the Cabinet.

It is settled that the Duc de Coigny is to be knight-of-honour to the

Duchesse d'Orléans. He is naturally impolite, his habits are

uncivilised, and he has only one hand, so that he will not be able to

offer his hand to the Princess. An equally certain appointment is that

of the Comtesse Anatole de Montesquiou as first lady to accompany the

Princess, and to take the place of the lady-of-honour, whose delicate

health will often prevent her from performing her duties.[64] This is

an excellent choice. Madame de Montesquiou is forty-six years of age,

her reputation is unblemished, she has been pretty and is still

pleasant to look upon, her manners are quiet and simple and are the

exact expression of her life and character. No better choice and no

person better suited for the position could be found.

[64] The Comtesse de Lobau.

The newspapers say that a subscription is being raised in the Chamber

of Deputies to print fifty thousand copies of M. Guizot's speech. M.

Martin du Nord, one of the members of the present Cabinet, has given a

subscription, and thus confirmed the generally accepted opinion that

he is secretly a Doctrinaire and a traitor to the Cabinet. Thereupon

M. Molé went to the King to ask for the removal of M. Martin du Nord

or to offer his own resignation. I have not yet heard the conclusion

of this fresh complication.

_Paris, May 10, 1837._--At the time of writing yesterday I had not

read the _Moniteur_, which announced the amnesty.[65] I knew that M.

Molé had long been anxious to see this measure passed, but I think

that the speech of M. Thiers encouraged him in his design and

accelerated the execution of it. I have heard people talking of

nothing else all day. Men's minds are entirely occupied with it, and

their attention is thus diverted from the peerage given to M. Bresson,

which again is to be explained by this marriage. What a fortunate man

he is! Undoubtedly he is capable, but circumstances have helped him

with a speed and consistency rarely found in human destiny. To return

to the great event of the amnesty, I will say that high society

strongly approves of it, the more so as it has arrived unexpectedly

and not been extorted by party importunity; so it is an act of mercy,

and not of weakness. The sharp-sighted regard it as another act of

hostility to the Doctrinaires rather than an act of kindness to the

political prisoners--as much as to say that the measure could not be

passed while the Doctrinaires were in office, but now that we have

separated from them we hasten to grant it. This will isolate them yet

more in the country. I repeat there are people who regard this measure

as a consequence of M. Thiers' speech, and even as directly due to his

influence. The Doctrinaires are most infuriated, and those peers who

are friendly to them announce that all the contumacious persons will

come up for judgment, and that the peers will then go off to their

country seats instead of taking their places. The following story had

a wide circulation yesterday: M. Jaubert, in speaking of the amnesty

to M. Dupin, said to him: "It is a little hard that after leaving to

us all the odium of the severe measures which we have courageously

defended during the crisis and danger we should now be deprived of the

credit of showing mercy." M. Dupin replied: "It is very sad, but you

have one consolation, namely, that Persil will order the medal to be

struck." (M. Persil is a Doctrinaire and Comptroller of the Mint.) The

saying is a smart one. Those who approve the amnesty also urge, and

with some reason, that it will obliterate the ill-effect produced by

the excessive precautions on the day of the review.

[65] On the occasion of the marriage of the Duc d'Orléans an

amnesty was granted by ordinance dated May 8 to all who were in

prison for crimes or political delinquencies.

Yesterday I was at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where Sigalon, who has

just arrived from Rome, had placed the magnificent copy of the _Last

Judgment_ of Michael Angelo, that masterpiece which is fading, like

all the frescoes in the Vatican. The copy is the same size as the

original, and forms the background of a hall, to which has been given

the form and dimensions of the Sistine Chapel. It is the most

beautiful and surprising thing that can be imagined. I was quite

overwhelmed. Variety, richness, and boldness of composition are so

combined that one rests stupefied before the power of such genius. In

the same room have been placed casts of different statues by Michael

Angelo which also have arrived from Italy, and complete one's

admiration for this great man. The statue of Lorenzo de' Medici and

the statue of Day and Night are admirable. We then saw the charming

gateway to the castle of Anet and the beautiful door of the castle of

Gaillon, both masterpieces of the Renaissance; then came the interior

courtyard, adorned with fountains and fragments of ancient work, which

was very fine. The building in itself is in excellent style; it

contains fine models of all classes and ages of art, which will be

added to. They form a collection as curious as it is interesting, and

add a new attraction to Paris.

Thence we went on to the new Church of Our Lady of Loretto. It seemed

to me extremely heavy and full of motley ornaments, and had it not

been for some fine pictures I should have found little agreeable to

look at. It is said to be in the style of the Italian churches, which

I do not know; but to judge from this specimen I would rather say my

prayers under the lofty, bold, and austere vaults, the hewn stone and

Gothic arches of Notre-Dame and of Saint-Etienne du Mont, than amid

the glaring colours of this Southern imitation. We finished our

wanderings by a visit to the Church of the Madeleine. The interior at

present is in exact correspondence with the outside, and it seems that

Calchas is about to sacrifice Iphigenia upon it, to such an extent

have mythological subjects apparently pervaded this fine building.

They are already beginning to gild the arches and the capitals of the

columns, pretending that the white stone, though it is much enriched

by different kinds of marbling, is too cold to the eye. Thus they are

preparing a disagreeable contrast between the outside and the inside.

I cannot understand the vagaries of Christian worship.

In the evening at Madame de Lieven's house I saw Berryer, who does not

yield to M. Royer in his admiration for M. Thiers' speech. I heard

that M. Martin du Nord had given way upon the question of his

subscription for printing Guizot's speech, as upon other points. For

one who calls himself a member of the Opposition, he does not seem to

oppose very strenuously.

_Paris, May 11, 1837._--Yesterday I had a call from the excellent Abbé

Dupanloup. We were mutually anxious to meet, in the interests of

Pauline, before the general departure for the country. As usual, I was

touched and pleased by his kind and spiritual conversation. We talked

of our hope that the amnesty will inspire the Government with courage

to reopen the Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, the closing of

which is the greatest scandal of the July revolution; seeing that acts

of mercy extend from Ham to the Republic and to la Vendée, continued

vindictiveness towards the church and to leave the Cross broken would

seem to me most inconsistent. The church should be reopened without

considering any difficulties that the Archbishop may raise. He should

thus be forced to appoint a reliable priest, and then to go and

express his thanks to the Tuileries, but he should set to work at once

while the effect of the amnesty remains all-powerful; at such a moment

there is no fear of any movement in the district, and this action

would only be the strongest answer to the Doctrinaires, whose tactics

are to represent the amnesty as the price of the compact made with the

Left. To reopen the Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois would restore

the balance. I think it would be a politic move as well as a religious

restoration; if we delay too long the religious newspapers and people

will begin to cry out, with reason, against the injustice of it, and

any later action will seem like a concession to their complaints; then

the Opposition will pounce upon it and foment irritation with the

measure. Everything, therefore, should be quite spontaneous, the

religious restoration no less than the royal mercy. I think they will

take the matter in hand; it should have been done already, in my

opinion.

_Paris, May 14, 1837._--The _Moniteur_ of yesterday, heaven be praised,

contains an ordinance by which the Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

is to be restored for worship. I am delighted. The Baron de Montmorency,

who came to see me in the morning, had dined yesterday at the Château,

where the Queen wept with joy at the news.

In the evening I went to pay a farewell visit at the Hôtel de Broglie,

where the amnesty was very unfavourably received, as Madame de Broglie

is very anxious to fortify Princess Helena in her Protestantism.

I then went on to the Duchesse de Montmorency, where I heard very bad

news of the Prince de Laval. He had caught a slight cold and had taken

no care of himself, but had gone to the races at Chantilly in very

bitter weather. His malady grew worse, and now causes great anxiety. I

should be grieved indeed if any misfortune happened to him, for in

spite of his absurdities and foolishness he has a good heart and is a

good friend.

I finished the evening with Madame de Castellane. M. Molé came in and

told us that the Archbishop, accompanied by two of his Vicars-General,

had called upon him that evening and upon the Keeper of the Seals

after a visit to the King. It seems that his appearance in the

Ministerial _salons_ made a great sensation. Before his visit the

Archbishop had quietly had the church blessed. Mass was said there

this morning. A week will be spent in necessary repairs, and next

Sunday the new vicar will be installed. As M. Dupanloup has refused

this post, the choice has fallen upon M. Demerson, the priest of

Saint-Séverin, undoubtedly the most distinguished ecclesiastic in the

diocese. He is the confessor of Madame Andral, and the friend of her

father. M. Royer-Collard has often spoken to me of him and thinks a

great deal of him.

_Paris, May 15, 1837._--Yesterday evening I was at the Tuileries. I

found the King delighted with a visit that he had paid in the morning

to the Botanical Gardens to see the new hothouses they have been

setting up. He was well applauded as he went by; in short, he seems to

have grown young again. Everybody about him is well pleased. He went

there without an escort, and spent two hours walking with the Minister

of the Interior and of Education, with the Prefect of Police and one

_aide-de-camp_. The crowd kept on increasing, and these gentlemen, who

saw all the horrible faces from the Rue Mouffetard and that quarter

thronging round the King, were dying with fear, but the King was

delighted, and it was impossible to induce him to go indoors. He was

most heartily cheered by all the crowd. I think, however, that it

would not be advisable for him often to make such trials of his

popularity.

_Paris, May 16, 1837._--The Prince de Laval is not getting on well. He

has been bled a second time, and the doctors say that his condition is

serious.

It is possible that M. Dupanloup is ambitious; I do not know him well

enough to be positive. He is gentle, discreet, moderate, with a

knowledge of the world, a fine command of language and conversational

tact, and, in short, possesses every quality which the spiritual

director of a society personage should have. All his penitents and all

their mothers think a great deal of him. But this does not exclude

ambition. I know that he lays great stress upon keeping apart from

politics, but when confronted with the Archbishop he committed the

venial sin of urging him to go to the Tuileries and of going with him

to the incumbent of Saint-Roch, whose curate and friend he is. But the

robe of ambition is like the chameleon's skin, the colours of which

change according to the observer's position. I can therefore answer

for nothing except that he has refused two important livings at Paris.

I know that the Archbishop secretly destines him for the Madeleine

when that living becomes vacant, and, in fact, it is a society parish

which will suit him best.

_Paris, May 18, 1837._--Yesterday morning I was with Madame Adélaïde,

where I saw the King. Every one at the Château is busy with

preparations for the marriage and for the journey from Fontainebleau,

which is to be a splendid affair. I am delighted, and should be still

more so if I had not heard that not only the mothers but also the

daughters are expected. I have done my best to have my daughter

excused, to avoid the infinite vexations which I foresee, but M. de

Talleyrand came in to Madame in the middle of our discussion, and

instead of supporting my views he opposed me. It is very annoying.

_Paris, May 19, 1837._--The death of the poor young Count Putbus is a

very sad event for his family and for the unfortunate Countess Buol. I

am very sorry for her, and her husband seems to me to be wanting in

feeling and tact. In his position with reference to his wife, he may

separate from her with as much uproar as he pleases, but if he will

not do so from pecuniary considerations he should behave himself

quietly or at least humanely. In any case I assert that for her it is

better to lament her lover as dead than faithless, and that, unhappy

as she is, she would be still more so if Count Putbus had abandoned

her. A woman's danger when she finds her lover faithless is that she

may be roused to vengeance and may lose those illusions which shelter

her, not only against faults, but against hardness of heart and

frivolity, properly so called. Death leaves us all our illusions, and

even encourages them.

_Paris, May 21, 1837._--M. de Talleyrand, M. and Madame de Valençay,

Pauline, and myself are invited to stay at Fontainebleau throughout

the festivities--that is to say, we are to come on May 29 and to stay

till June 3, inclusive. This is a favour, as nearly everybody else has

been invited at successive intervals of twenty-four hours.

One of my German friends, a canoness, and a clever and intelligent

person,[66] writes to me as follows concerning the Princess Helena of

Mecklenburg: "The most amiable, the best educated, the kindest of the

German princesses is to adorn the throne of France. I am sure that she

will please you greatly. She is as cheerful as a child of fifteen,

with as much sense as a person of thirty. She combines the charm of

every age."

[66] Fräulein Sidonie von Dieskau, of whom mention will be made

later on the occasion of the Duchesse de Talleyrand's journey to

Germany.

The Marquis de Praslin and the Duke of Treviso are the two

knights-of-honour in subordination to the uncivilised Duc de Coigny,

who will lead them.

_Paris, May 22, 1837._--The Duc d'Orléans will first go to Verdun, to

see without being seen, and then to Melun to be seen. Henry IV. in

disguise went to the frontier to see Marie de Medici at supper, and

Louis XIV. did the same at Fontarabia.

Among the persons invited to Fontainebleau there is one who certainly

could not have been forgotten, in my opinion, and this is the great

Mlle. Palmyre, the famous dressmaker. The fact is that she has been

working upon a pattern sent from Mecklenburg, but I am by no means

certain that this pattern is a good one or well made. Thus the eighty

dresses of the trousseau may fit badly, and it is just as well to have

some one there to make readjustments when necessary. Merchants,

workmen, omnibuses, and post-chaises are all in confusion; the

expenditure, the orders, and the activity are inconceivable. It is

impossible to get anything, and tradesmen certainly have not the right

to complain, for every one is on the move. A crowd of foreigners have

also arrived at Paris, most of them English.

The Werther family have resolved to leave immediately after the

marriage of the Prince Royal, without waiting for the festivities, for

Herr von Werther has agreed to take M. Ancillon's place. They are very

good people, who will be regretted at Paris, and who are also very

sorry to leave.

_Paris, May 25, 1837._--For the 29th and 30th, the days of arrival and

marriage, the Marshals have been invited to Fontainebleau, with the

officials of the two Chambers, the Ministries of October 11, February

22, September 6, and all the present Cabinet. I have always said that

Fontainebleau was a chronological castle. It was resolved not to go

further back than October 11, to avoid the necessity of inviting M.

Laffitte. All the chief presidents of the courts have also been

invited, and of the Diplomatic Body Herr and Frau von Werther,[67] M.

and Madame Lehon.[68] The rest are invited for the other days, two at

a time.

[67] Baron Werther was Prussian Minister at Paris from 1824.

[68] Comte Lehon was Belgian Minister.

I must mention an incident concerning Madame Molé, who vegetates

rather than lives. The other evening at the Duchesse de Montmorency's

people were saying how sorry the Werthers were. She asked why. "At

leaving Paris, of course." She replied: "But to go to Fontainebleau is

not very sad nor very tiring." "But, madame, Herr von Werther is going

to Berlin to take the place of M. Ancillon." "Oh, then M. Ancillon is

coming here?" I do not think that after such an experience any one

will accuse M. Molé of betraying diplomatic secrets to his wife.

The Queen of England has written a charming letter to the French Queen

concerning the marriage of the Prince Royal, and, in view of her close

relationship with Princess Helena, has sent her a magnificent Indian

shawl, one of the most beautiful that has ever come out of the wealthy

storehouses of the Company. It is said to be a marvel. I shall see it

at Fontainebleau, where the wedding presents will be displayed.

_Paris, May 26, 1837._--The King of England held the last Drawing-room

seated; since then he has felt worse, and people are anxious about

him. It is said that he wished to live long enough to thwart the

desires of the Duchess of Kent, by not leaving her to act as Regent

for a single day, and the Princess Victoria attained her majority two

days ago.

They say that anarchy is at its height at Madrid, and also that Don

Carlos is at his wits' end.

The Duc de Broglie and the gentlemen of his suite are writing

enthusiastic letters about the Princess Helena. All say that she has a

very pleasant appearance; all seem to be in love with her, and cannot

speak enough of her delightful manners, while she is said to be

excellently dressed. The trousseau, which has been ordered here, is

said to be very magnificent.

_Fontainebleau, May 30, 1837._--Writing here is a feat of some

ingenuity. The weather was too fine yesterday, and a great storm

followed; it burst in the morning, and cleared ten minutes before the

arrival of the Princess, who was received in bright sunlight and with

much emotion. Her arrival was a fine spectacle; a family scene amid

the most royal splendour. The Princess showed much emotion, no

embarrassment, nobility and grace, and was equal to the occasion. I do

not know if she is pretty; she is so gracious that people have not

considered that point. She reminds one a little of Madame de

Marescalchi, but is of a much more German type, while the lower part

of her face recedes a trifle. She has beautiful hair, a good

complexion--in short, she looks very well, and the Prince Royal is

well pleased.

Pauline never left my side even at dinner, to which I was taken in by

the Baron von Werther. He was placed between the Grand Duchess of

Mecklenburg and myself. M. de Talleyrand was far from well yesterday,

yet by force of will he kept a smiling countenance. I was very anxious

about him the whole time.

Until to-morrow we shall number two hundred and eighty at table.

Yesterday the day began for me at half-past five in the morning at

Paris, and finished here at one o'clock at night. At ten o'clock I

must be fully dressed for the Queen's mass.

_Fontainebleau, May 31, 1837._--The two most exhausting days have

passed, for which I thank heaven, as I have been trembling the whole

time for M. de Talleyrand, who has been so incredibly rash as to

undergo these severe trials. However, he has seen everything, and has

come through with little more than fatigue.

Those who wish to be correct follow the Queen to her private mass in

the morning. Pauline has just taken me into a charming little chapel,

in memory of Louis VII., the Young.

The two German princesses were not visible yesterday for the whole

morning. The time before dinner was filled up by walks, for those who

were tempted, of whom I was not one, and the inspection of the

wedding presents for the rest, of whom I was one. The presents and the

dresses are most fine and magnificent, especially the case by Buhl

which contained the shawls, which was one of the finest things I have

seen. The whole was exhibited in the rooms of the Queen Mother. The

diamonds are beautiful, and the jewels numerous, in different styles,

but there are no pearls. The Duc d'Orléans does not like them, and the

Princess can also wear the Crown pearls.

The royal family dined in private. Madame de Dolomieu and General

Athalin presided at the table of two hundred and eighty guests in the

Diana Gallery. Pauline was again near me at dinner, and M. Thiers on

the other side.

At half-past eight the civil marriage took place in the room of Henry

II., a superb spectacle in the most beautiful surroundings imaginable,

and magnificently lighted. The Chancellor, M. Pasquier, who was

recently appointed to this post, was in his ermine robes at a great

red and gold table, around which stood all who were witnessing the

ceremony, with the bridal pair in front of him. We made our way there

in procession. Then we went on to the great chapel, ornamented with

the shields of France and Navarre. The exhortation given by the Bishop

of Meaux[69] was both short and well weighed. Unfortunately, in the

case of mixed marriages many ceremonies have to be omitted which would

add to the picturesqueness of the scene. The priest of Fontainebleau,

who is the famous Abbé Lieutard, and hitherto one of the chief

opponents of the present Government, assisted the Bishop, and even

claimed to do so as a right. The hall, which was arranged as a

Protestant church, could hardly hold us, and the crowd was

suffocating; the exhortation of the pastor, M. Cuvier, was very long

and very dull, going back to the creation of the world, with continual

references to procreation. It was puritanism itself. Before the

blessing he asked the bride permission to perform a duty with which he

had been entrusted by the Biblical Society, and offered her a Bible,

in which he urged her to read constantly. I thought the act quite out

of place at such a moment, and very disrespectful to the Queen, who is

making a great sacrifice from the religious point of view.

[69] Mgr. Gallard.

The Princess was perfectly calm the whole time; I noticed no

nervousness, and less emotion than at the time of her arrival. She was

perfectly well dressed. Unfortunately she has no colour, and thus

wants a certain lustre, but in spite of her thinness she is graceful

and charmingly simple. Her feet are long and well made and her hands

are white and delicate; in short, she is a person of much attraction.

After all these ceremonies we separated. I went to look after M. de

Talleyrand, about whom I was anxious, and whom I found very well. M.

Molé came in, in a bad temper. It is indeed strange that throughout

this affair he has obtained no favours of any kind.

_Fontainebleau, June 1, 1837._--There is no political news to be

learnt here. The Princes are absorbed in themselves; M. de Salvandy,

the only Minister on duty near the King, is in the same state.

Curiosity is turned away from politics, and there is enough here to

arouse it and satisfy it.

Yesterday was spent as follows: After lunch came a very long drive in

the forest; twenty-six carriages, each with four horses, the great

royal coach with eight horses, and then eighty riding horses, all

conducted by the richly liveried servants of Orléans, were assembled

in the great courtyard of the Cheval Blanc, and provided a general

opportunity for excursions. We hastened to follow the King and to

traverse the most beautiful parts of the forest. Many sightseers who

were seen galloping most imprudently among the rocks joined the royal

procession, and gave the wood an animated and charming aspect.

I forgot to say that lunch had been preceded by a mass said by the

Bishop of Meaux in the great chapel. Every one was there, including

the royal family and the Duchesse d'Orléans. I should have been glad

yesterday, when there was no mixed marriage to consider and when only

the King's mass was being said, if the service had been finely

rendered with appropriate music. Instead of that there was nothing of

the kind; there were no clergy and not a sound of music; even the bell

for the moment of elevation was forgotten. Methodists display much

more trickery in their pretentious simplicity and their affected and

solemn speech; but at mass, where the words cannot be heard, outward

show is necessary, with incense, music, flowers, gold, and bells, and

all that can stir the soul by uplifting it to God without the

necessity of hearing the words pronounced.

Many people have gone and others have come, including the Turkish

Ambassador,[70] who sat by Pauline at dinner. The theatre hall has not

been restored, and looks faded; the orchestra, which was not from

Paris, was abominable; Mlle. Mars has grown old, and no longer played

her parts properly; the other actors were very poor, and the choice of

plays was not happy. These were _False Confidences_ and _The

Unexpected Wager_. The Princess Royal was in the great box at the back

of the hall, between the King and Queen. She listened attentively, but

her face does not express her feelings, and does not change. She is

always gentle and calm to the point of immobility, and makes no

gestures, which is a mark of distinction. Perfect repose gives a sense

of dignity, and when she walks or bows she does it with perfect grace.

[70] His Excellency Mohammed Nouri Effendi.

M. Humann, when he went away yesterday, was run away with by the

post-horses down the hill of Chailly. He jumped out of the carriage,

bruised his face, and put his shoulder out.

_Fontainebleau, June 2, 1837._--Yesterday was not so full as the

preceding days, as after mass, lunch, and the gathering after lunch,

we were left with a few hours' freedom. I spent them with M. de

Talleyrand or in the town. M. de Talleyrand went to see Madame

Adélaïde, to whom he wished to give a piece of news which reached us

from the Bauffremont family, who were interested by it, and which, to

speak truly, has produced a sad effect here. It is the announcement of

the marriage of the Count of Syracuse, brother to the King of Naples,

with Philiberte de Carignan. This young person is the granddaughter of

the Comte de Villefranche, the prince of the house of Carignan who

married, in a fit of folly, the daughter of a boat-builder at St.

Malo, Mlle. Magon Laballue. The Sardinian Court only consented to

recognise the marriage on condition that the children of it should

enter religious orders; the revolution destroyed this obligation, and

the son entered the army and married Mlle. de La Vauguyon, sister of

the Dowager-Duchess of Bauffremont, who was burnt to death in 1820. It

was only after her death and the accession of the present King of

Sardinia that the last two children were recognised as princes of the

blood and treated as such. The eldest daughter was married before this

concession to a private individual of high family, the Prince of

Arsoli, a Roman family. Philiberte, the daughter and granddaughter of

marriages contested or doubtful, thus becomes Princess of Naples. The

marriage, by licence, must have taken place the day before yesterday

with much haste and precipitation. The displeasure it will cause here

is obvious. The King of Naples is at the bottom of it.

Yesterday after dinner we went to hear Duprez in part of the opera

_William Tell_, and the Esslers danced in a pretty ballet. I was

surprised that the Princess Royal never lost her calm, even at the

most exciting points of Duprez' acting. I never saw a movement of her

head, a gesture, or any greater animation in her face. The same was

true during the ballet, which I can better understand.

_Fontainebleau, June 3, 1837._--M. de Talleyrand started this morning

with Pauline. They wish to keep me here until to-morrow. No one could

have been surrounded with greater regard and attention than has been

shown to M. de Talleyrand; he was quite overcome as he went away. The

King and Madame Adélaïde have insisted that he shall return to Paris

for next winter, but I do not think that he will give up his project

of going to Nice.

Pauline's stay here has done her no harm. She has always behaved

perfectly and pleased me much. She was delighted to be in the same

room with me. Her dress was in excellent taste, and she has gone away

very pleased to have been here, but also glad to go and in no way

dissipated in heart or mind.

Nearly every one has gone, and only those on regular duty and intimate

friends remain. I am starting to-morrow at the same time as the Queen

and the Duchesse d'Albuféra, who came here yesterday. The country

drive was very pretty, animated and popular. We then went into the

prettiest part of the forest, called the Calvaire, whence there is an

admirable view. From the depths of the ravines over which we hung

singers who had been stationed there raised their song. It was

delightful, and the weather, wonderful to relate, lent such a charm to

the drive that it was prolonged. We eventually returned past the large

vine arbour and the canal.

After dinner we had a tiresome comic opera, _The Flash_, followed by

_The Caliph of Bagdad_, for which the King had asked as an old

favourite. It was very late before this was over, and as I stayed up

with M. de Talleyrand my sleep was cut short, the more so as his early

departure obliged me to be ready in good time. The King and Madame

came to say good-bye to him in his room. After lunch the King amused

himself by showing the Château to three or four guests. I was

delighted both with the Château and with our guide.

_Paris, June 5, 1837._--I came back yesterday from Fontainebleau. Mass

was said at six o'clock in the morning, and then the departure took

place. I was included in the royal company, and thus arrived in

excellent time, not leaving them until they turned off for

Saint-Cloud. The last day at Fontainebleau, the day before yesterday,

was occupied much to my taste, by a historical excursion, and in the

evening we had a theatrical performance by actors from the Gymnasium.

The whole stay at Fontainebleau was very pleasant, as I received much

attention and kindness.

As soon as I arrived yesterday I went to the Champs Elysées to Madame

de Flahaut's house; she had urgently begged me to come and see the

royal entry, for which the weather was magnificent. There was a vast

crowd and a most brilliant procession, the Princess bowing with

perfect grace. The view from the Place Louis XV. and the Champs

Elysées was magnificent. All went off very well, but there was not

enough cheering and more curiosity than enthusiasm. People opened

their eyes but not their mouths. The main point is that there were no

pistol-shots, and that the King was able to show himself to the crowd

without any _apparent_ precautions.

_Paris, June 6, 1837._--Yesterday I saw M. Royer-Collard, who was

somewhat displeased with the marriage of the Prince Royal, as a man of

the Faubourg Saint-Germain might well be. I was vexed with him, and we

had a small quarrel. He is partial in his views, and his conversation

is intolerant to an extraordinary degree.

The day before yesterday in the garden of the Tuileries there were

more than sixty thousand people present from eleven o'clock in the

morning to eleven at night, and such real enthusiasm that the King was

obliged to leave his state dinner in the Hall of the Marshals and come

out upon the balcony with his family, whence he uttered a few words of

thanks, which were received with infinite delight. From the moment of

entering the garden until the march past of the troops the royal

family remained in the Pavillon de l'Horloge, whence there was a

magnificent view. The setting sun gilded the top of the Obelisk and

the Arc de Triomphe, and was reflected upon the arms and cuirasses of

the troops; the benches of the National Guard were adorned with

flowers. I am assured that it was a real transformation scene.

There seems to be much inclination towards a dissolution of the

Chamber, at any rate on the part of M. Molé. M. Royer-Collard is

vigorously urging him in that direction.

The Turkish Ambassador here can speak a few words of French. This

discovery is due to myself, for every one took his professed ignorance

so literally as not to speak a word to him. He looked so dull that I

felt sorry for him, and made a venture. He replied in a few words, and

the result is that I have been allowed to see the portrait of Sultan

Mahmoud, who seems to be very handsome.

_Paris, June 7, 1837._--Yesterday I called upon the Queen to thank her

for Fontainebleau. The Duchesse d'Orléans was with her mother-in-law,

gracious, pretty, and amiable. She is a real treasure, and is

generally popular. She delighted the Council of State, the peers, and

the Deputies by adding a kind phrase to the answer which her husband

returned to the different speeches. She has spoken individually to

each peer, and never in commonplaces. They are all delighted.

My awakening this morning was a sad one, as news was brought to me of

the death of Adrien de Laval. He was a sincere friend, and they are

scarce. I am very sorry, both for him and for his aunt the good

Vicomtesse de Laval, who is hardly able to bear such a shock; and if

she also should be carried off it would be a heavy blow to M. de

Talleyrand.

_Paris, June 8, 1837._--The popularity of the Princess Royal increases

steadily. She has even been talking to General Neigre, of the Antwerp

Artillery. The Duc d'Orléans is extremely proud and happy at the

respect shown to her. It is certain that the personal influence of his

wife increases his own importance, and I already see that the Pavillon

Marsan will rise superior to the Pavillon de Flore.[71] I am not sure

that some small jealousy has not already arisen.

[71] At the Palace of the Tuileries the Pavillon Marsan was

occupied by the Duc and Duchesse d'Orléans, while the Pavillon de

Flore was occupied by Madame Adélaïde, sister of King

Louis-Philippe.

The following story is related as a fact: The Duchesse d'Orléans saw

her husband turn his opera-glasses for a long time in the direction of

Madame Lehon. She then turned to him and took away the opera-glasses,

saying, half jestingly and half seriously: "That is no compliment to

me, and is not polite to the person at whom you look." He is said to

have offered no objection to her action, and if this is true it is

noteworthy.

M. de Flahaut is furious because he has not received the Grand Cordon

of the Legion of Honour. He had proposed to resign his post as First

Equerry, but has changed his mind. It is said that the Duc de Coigny

refuses him any authority except over the stable.

_Paris, June 11, 1837._--I cannot give many details concerning

yesterday's festivity at Versailles. I started about one o'clock in

full dress, with the Duchesse d'Albuféra, and we came back together

at four o'clock in the morning. The weather was beautiful, the spot

admirable, the gardens in regal state, the inside of the house

splendid, and the sight magnificent. It lasted for five hours. My eyes

are smarting with the glare of the lights. Fifteen hundred people were

invited, and yet some are displeased; I admit that I should have drawn

up the lists in another way.

I had the honour of dining at the King's table, for whom it was a

great day. At the last set piece there was a tremendous shout of "Long

live the King!" and it was well deserved.

Count Rantzau, who is escorting the Dowager Grand Duchess of

Mecklenburg, was deeply touched to see in an honourable position the

portrait of Marshal Rantzau, who served under Louis XIV., and whose

descendant he is. He sat by me at dinner, and I drew a great deal out

of him concerning the Princesses, whom I esteem more highly every day.

_Paris, June 12, 1837._--I am starting to-morrow to rejoin M. de

Talleyrand at Valençay.

The King of England is most seriously ill, and is only kept alive with

curaçao and raw meat. He knows that he is dying, and is calling his

family round him: the FitzClarences, and even Lord Munster. Mr.

Caradoc is said to be taking Sir John Conroy's place with the Duchess

of Kent. He sends for presents for her, the cost of which is paid by

the Princess Bagration. It is said that if the King dies the Duchess

of Kent will summon Lord Moira to the post of Prime Minister, who is a

great Radical; others say that King Leopold is advising his niece to

take Lord Palmerston, but the little Princess is inclined to Lord

Grey.

_Valençay, June 14, 1837._--I have just arrived, after a tiring

journey in dreadful heat and two thunderstorms. M. de Talleyrand is

very well, as also is Pauline.

_Valençay, June 17, 1837._--Madame Adélaïde has sent M. de Talleyrand

details of the accidents which took place upon the day of the

fireworks; twenty-three persons were suffocated in the crowd and

thirty-nine are injured. This has naturally caused much grief. The

Duchesse d'Orléans was anxious not to go to the entertainment at the

Hôtel de Ville and to cancel the balls; but it was pointed out to her

that many people would be disappointed and much expense needlessly

incurred. Festivities have therefore been postponed until after the

funeral of the victims.

It seems that the fireworks, the illuminations, and especially the

sham fight, were remarkably beautiful. Popular festivities are hardly

ever held without accidents, and I am always afraid of them. The

victims all belong to the working class, which makes their case still

sadder, and some of them leave their families in poverty.

_Valençay, June 18, 1837._--Pauline has made a conquest of the

Archbishop of Bourges, Mgr. de Villèle, who called here before my

arrival. She is said to have done the honours of the Castle remarkably

well, with unusual self-possession, grace, and propriety. I am not

sorry that she was obliged to try.

Considerable restorations are being made in our great castle. The

northern part of the moat has been cleaned out, and the wretched

little gardens which blocked the approach to it have been cleared

away; there is now a walk all the way round. The belfry upon the town

church looks very well, and in general the place seems improved.

Hostile newspapers try to draw comparisons between the accidents at

the fireworks and the sad scenes upon the marriage of Louis XVI., and

the catastrophe at the Schwarzenberg ball at the time of the Emperor

Napoleon's marriage. They draw omens from these coincidences. But what

more disastrous coincidence could there be for the elder branch of the

Bourbons than the assassination of the Duc de Berry and the revolution

of 1830? Yet no misfortune happened at the marriage of this Prince. It

is not in consequence of such special incidents that kings lose their

thrones.

The Municipal Council at Paris has voted a hundred and fifty thousand

francs for the further expenses of the festivity. Everything is on so

large a scale that the hire of glasses and water-bottles costs four

thousand francs. Ices and refreshments to the amount of twenty

thousand francs were distributed on the day when the festival was

postponed to the workmen and to the hospitals. The patients will have

a feast, and smart sayings are in circulation concerning the

indigestion they are likely to get.

_Valençay, June 19, 1837._--A German newspaper has a story of a vision

which the Duchesse d'Orléans is said to have seen, and speaks of her

idea of playing the part of a second Joan of Arc. All this is

doubtless ridiculous; at the same time there is some mysticism in her

desire to come to France, for M. Bresson, the most prosaic of men, has

several times told me this: "She thinks she has a vocation, and has

seen a special call of Providence in this marriage proposal; her

mother-in-law, who is inclined to the Pietist sect, was swayed by the

same idea."

The following has also been told me by Count Rantzau: Upon the day

when he learnt of Meunier's attempted assassination of the King,

negotiations for the marriage had been already opened. He was unable

to hide from the Princess his fear of the fate towards which she was

inclined. She then replied: "Stop, sir; the news that you give me, far

from shaking my will, only confirms it. Providence has perhaps

destined me to receive a shot intended for the King, and thus to save

his life. I shall not shrink from my mission."

There is thus a strong strain of fanaticism in her, which in no way

spoils her extreme simplicity of manner or the remarkable calm of her

bearing. This is so unusual a combination that I have been more struck

by it than by any of her other good qualities.

_Valençay, June 22, 1837._--Madame Adélaïde has written a long letter

to M. de Talleyrand, with full details of the entertainment at the

Town Hall, which seems to have been the most beautiful thing of this

kind, and far more magnificent than anything else that has yet been

done. The King was admirably received as he passed through the streets

and at the Town Hall. There were five thousand persons at this

entertainment. Princess Helena thought the diorama of Ludwiglust[72]

perfectly like the original.

[72] The Castle of Mecklenburg, where the princess had been

brought up.

_Valençay, June 25, 1837._--So the old King of England is dead. I was

interested to read the manner in which the young Queen was proclaimed

at London, in her own presence from the balcony of St. James's Palace.

This beautiful and touching scene is marked by a very pleasing

restraint.

_Valençay, June 28, 1837._--A widely circulated rumour at Paris

asserts that Mr. Caradoc intends to secure a divorce from Princess

Bagration--an easy process; that he will be made a peer and will

become the husband of the young Queen. He asserts his descent from the

Kings of Ireland. All this I believe to be nonsense, but meanwhile the

young Queen is so charmed with him that she will do and say nothing

without his consent.

Here is another story: Charles X. had given the Duc de Maillé a

picture for the church of Lormois; the family has just sold it to a

dealer for fifty-three thousand francs; the result has been a dispute

with the Civil List officials, who assert that Charles X. had no right

to present the picture. Pamphlets have been printed setting forth the

case on either side. If the dealer is obliged to restore the picture

he will force the Maillé family to return the fifty-three thousand

francs. Apart from this picture, the family found that the inheritance

of the Duc de Maillé consisted solely of debts. It is certain that if

the picture came from one of the museums or one of the royal castles

Charles X. had no right to give it away. It is all very unpleasant.

_Valençay, June 29, 1837._--M. de Sémonville was introduced in the

evening by the Queen herself to the Duchesse d'Orléans at the Round

Table. He told the Princess that only the kindness of the Queen could

have induced him to show her so old a face. "You mean so old a

reputation," replied the Princess. The old cat sheathed his claws and

was pleased.

_Valençay, July 1, 1837._--I hear from Paris that the situation of

public affairs is regarded as satisfactory at the moment, although the

Ministerial elections have generally shown opposition. At Strasburg,

Grenoble, and Montpellier they were absolutely Republican. Many people

assert that the Ministry should dissolve the Chamber, as it is worn

out. They urge that the marriage of the Prince Royal and the amnesty

make the present moment favourable, that later on circumstances will

not, perhaps, be so advantageous, but that the King refuses to

consider the idea. M. Royer-Collard writes to me on the same subject:

"I think that M. Molé is inclined to dissolution, and the King, though

he will not yet accept it, will be led to it by force of

circumstances. The Chamber is exhausted and can carry on no longer."

As a postscript he adds: "I have had a long interview with M. Molé,

and I am to see him again; he has decided to propose, and therefore to

carry out, the plan of dissolution. I did not urge him, but I am of

his opinion. The Chamber can no longer go on, and a dissolution need

only be desired and accepted to become necessary."

Finally Madame de Lieven writes to me as follows immediately before

starting for England: "M. de Flahaut was anxious to secure the

complimentary mission to London. He has been obliged to give way to

General Baudrand, which has increased the bad temper both of the

husband and the wife. Sébastiani is so ill that he is useless at

London; I really do not know who keeps your Court informed. Madame de

Flahaut is working as hard as she can to secure the recall of

Granville from Paris and the appointment of Lord Durham to his post,

with the double idea of removing a competitor from Palmerston's path

and having an ambassador at Paris inclined to intrigue. Granville's

chief merit was that he had no such tendency. In my opinion Durham

will have to have his way, as he will no longer stay at St. Petersburg

and wants something better. Your Deputies are said to be dispersing in

uneasiness and discontent. M. Molé says that he wants a dissolution,

but that the King does not.

"M. Molé's last reception was well attended. A hundred and fifty

deputies came to M. Guizot's party. M. Thiers has written from Lucca

that his wife suffered severely from sea-sickness."

_Valençay, July 6, 1837._--The following is an extract from a letter

from Madame de Lieven dated from Boulogne: "I have seen M. Molé and

M. Guizot at the last moment; the former had received a letter from

Barante. My Sovereign's ill-temper is in no way improved, and is even

worse than before. It is a hopeless case, as he is going mad. M. Molé

is certainly jealous of Guizot. I have some very amusing things to

tell you on that subject, which have all happened since your

departure. There are some strange characters in the world, and as I

naturally have a sense of humour, I laugh."

I should like to know the details of this rivalry, which seems to me

so improbable, from the nature of its object, that I am inclined to

think the Princess has been led astray by feminine vanity. She

confuses jealousy with the susceptibility native to character.

I have a letter from Baron de Montmorency, the executor of the Prince

de Laval, telling me that the latter, in a pencilled note, written the

evening before his death, has left me a souvenir which he is sending

me. I am deeply touched by it.

_Rochecotte, July 11, 1837._--I arrived here yesterday, and am obliged

to go out on business. The valley of the Loire is superb. The spring

is late this year, and the foliage is therefore unusually green for

this season. My plants have all grown very well, the climbers

especially, and the flowers are abundant; everything seems in

excellent order.

_Rochecotte, July 12, 1837._--Yesterday I went round my house; small

improvements are slowly being carried out.

I was much struck by the effect of the Sistine Madonna in the

drawing-room, which has taken the place of the Corinne, which has gone

to the drawing-room of the Abbé's house. The change is almost

symbolical, and shows the difference between the spirit of my past and

that which now dominates me, or, to speak more accurately, is gaining

ground; progress is by no means rapid.

_Rochecotte, July 13, 1837._--Yesterday it only rained for half the

day, and I was able to go round my little empire, which I found in

very good condition. I shall be sorry presently to tear myself away

from it. I propose to dine and sleep at Tours, and shall be back at

Valençay to-morrow.

I was able yesterday to visit my hydraulic rams.[73] Nothing takes up

less room or produces a better result. Many workmen come to see them,

and several landowners wish to imitate them; it is really an admirable

invention. I have now water for the kitchen, the stables, and

everywhere, and next year I shall present myself with a fire-engine.

[73] As Rochecotte was without any water-supply, and the hillside

upon which the castle was built was quite bare, hydraulic rams

were introduced. These were the first imported to France. The

Duchesse de Dino had them made in England, and insisted that

French measures should be transposed exactly into English, and

English into French, with the result that when they were set up

at Rochecotte, where they still stand, the measurements were

found to be exact.

_Valençay, July 15, 1837._--I left Tours yesterday morning. Before

starting I saw the sad sight of a man killed by lightning. His

companion only had his legs broken, and was being taken to the

hospital for a double amputation.

I had lunch at Loches, where I visited everything: the tomb of Agnès

Sorel, the oratory of Anne of Brittany, and a curious church, the

prison of Ludovico Sforza. I admired the magnificent panorama from the

top of the towers. We then stopped at Montrésor, to inspect one of the

prettiest Renaissance churches I have seen. It is built by the side of

an old castle, which was begun by the famous Foulques Nera, the

greatest builder before Louis-Philippe.

At the ironworks of Luçay[74] I found horses from the house, which

brought me here very quickly.

[74] Luçay de Male is a dependency of the estate of Valençay. By

its architecture the castle of Luçay seems to belong to the same

age as that of Valençay. It is in a fine situation, overlooking

the ironworks, the fine lake which provides it with water, the

town of Luçay, and picturesque ravines.

_Valençay, July 18, 1837._--With regard to the trial of General de

Rigny, I can say that the General was deeply hurt, and reasonably so,

because the Government wished to punish him after his brilliant

acquittal before the Council of War; he declared to the Minister of

War that if they chose that moment to deprive him of the command of

Lille, he would accuse Marshal Clausel before the civil courts, and

without in any way sparing him, as he had felt obliged to do at

Marseilles. The Minister of War told him that he had wished to give

him the command, but that the King objected. M. Molé and the whole

Council said the same, and Baron Louis, uncle of General de Rigny,

thought it well to go to Neuilly and demand an explanation from the

King. The King said that the General had been proved guilty of

insubordination, to which the poor old uncle replied: "But your

Majesty is surely ready to recognise the judgment that has been

passed; the Council of War admitted that the remarks attributed to my

nephew were libellous; all that we can now do is to prosecute the

Marshal." The King then replied: "Ah, I did not know that. I will look

into the details of the trial, and then we shall see."[75]

[75] In 1836 Marshal Clausel, who was then Governor of Algeria,

attacked the Bey of Constantine unsuccessfully; upon his failure

the army, which was weakened, was obliged to raise the siege of

the town and to retreat by forced marches in the midst of

continual attacks from the Arab troops. General de Rigny, who was

stationed in the rearguard, bore the whole weight of this

disastrous retreat. In spite of his efforts he found that his

general had singled him out in an order of the day for a formal

accusation of treacherous insinuations and advice, and had

declared him a rebel and an unworthy officer. General de Rigny

demanded to be judged by a court-martial, and secured a verdict

of acquittal, which was unanimously given in 1837.

The fact is that at the Château anybody called Rigny is in bad odour,

for the opposite reason from that which has made the fortune of M.

Bresson. It is not enough to be a devoted servant of the Government;

one must also be, and always have been, an Orléanist.

I have received Madame de Lieven's first letter from London. She seems

delighted with the magnificence of her hosts' style of living, the

Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, and also by the attentions of her

friends. She says that the young Queen is a marvel of dignity and

industry, and is not to be led, even by her mother. She manages her

whole Court herself, and as the Duchess of Sutherland is Mistress of

the Robes the Princess sees the notes that the Queen writes on the

occasion of the Court functions, which are models of good arrangement

and propriety. The Duchess of Sutherland is in charge of all

arrangements, and is even above the Lord Chamberlain. Apparently she

can become a second Duchess of Marlborough if she likes. When the

Queen receives addresses on her throne the Duchess of Sutherland

stands at her right hand, while the Duchess of Kent, the Queen's

mother, is seated below the steps. The Queen wishes to review the

troops on horseback, and what she wishes she does. Lord Melbourne is

all-powerful and the Whigs are triumphant; the elections will be

keenly fought; it is the Tories' last chance. Lord Durham has resumed

his power over the Radicals, who flatter him, and the Queen does not

share her mother's liking for him.

The English crown has no diamonds. The very beautiful diamonds of the

Queen-Dowager are her own property, and came to her from her

mother-in-law, the old Queen Charlotte, who bequeathed them to the

crown of Hanover. As this crown is now separated from the English

crown, the Duke of Cumberland, as King of Hanover, reclaims the

diamonds. Thus Queen Victoria has none, and although she is in no

hurry to send back these jewels she will not wear them.

Count Orloff has been sent to London to compliment the Queen. Madame

de Lieven hopes to learn from him how far she can defy the Emperor,

her master.

M. Thiers wrote to her from Florence that he was not satisfied with

the treaty concluded with Abd-el-Kader.

_Valençay, July 26, 1837._--Letters received this morning seem to show

that the resolution to dissolve the Chamber has been retracted, or has

given rise at any rate to hesitation. The audacious declaration of the

King of Hanover, the success of Don Carlos, and the fear of seeing the

English elections turn in a Radical direction is said to give rise to

apprehension here of definite mandates and republican tendencies in

the coming general elections.

The Court is at the town of Eu, and from thence will go on to

Saint-Cloud. The Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg accompanies its

movements. She is liked and respected, and, feeling that her position

will not be agreeable in Germany, she is in no hurry to return, and is

somewhat afraid of the solitude that there awaits her.

Yesterday I had a letter from M. Royer-Collard, who is in Paris, from

which the following is an extract: "Dissolution resounds throughout

all correspondence, even in that from the Minister of the Interior.

Conditions, however, are laid down: if Don Carlos does not reach

Madrid, if the King of Hanover is not overthrown, if the English

elections give no cause for terror; these reservations are due to the

character and policy of the King, who does not care to run risks, and

who spares the Doctrinaires by leaving them some hope. The decision is

to come from M. Molé, who would leave them nothing. In neither case is

there any consideration as to whether the step in itself is good or

bad: 'It will all pass over.' For my part, if I am allowed to express

an opinion, it is precisely those cases which are considered capable

of postponement that I would never postpone. I do not know what the

new Chamber will be like, nor do I expect miracles from it, but I

regard the old Chamber as inadequate and entirely incompetent, if any

important resolution is required."

I have also a letter from M. Thiers from Florence. He seems to be sad

and uneasy about his wife's health; he speaks of her with warm and

tender anxiety, and says that this is his only trouble and that he

defies politics to disturb his equanimity henceforward. He adds: "I

have returned to literature and philosophy; like the classical

Bossuet, I enjoy the spectacle of human affairs in monuments and

books--that is to say, in the memorials of men of former times. I

claim the power of discovering the truth from a mere hint, and as this

is the method of historical investigation I believe I have a good

knowledge and understanding of the past. This presumption of mine,

which harms nobody, neither M. Guizot nor King Louis-Philippe, nor

Prince Metternich, would enable me to live very happily and busily if

I were spared family cares. I shall therefore do all that I possibly

can to remain as I am; I wish to improve, to increase my intellectual

and moral powers, and this can be done better in retirement than

anywhere else, as one then has time for reflection and study,

undisturbed by selfish considerations. If some fine position should

appear some day when I have made myself what I can become, well and

good; but to spend one's life bandied about between the King and his

demands for an appanage and the Chamber with its refusals, to be

constantly harassed by the Tuileries and the Palais Bourbon, by people

who are never grateful and make you the butt of their grievances

without the only recompense for the troubles of position, the power to

do good--all this is simply not worth while. I say this with full

meaning, and as I am happy enough to see that my feelings are shared

by those about me, I shall maintain my point of view; so that this

winter you will see me in entire freedom."

_Valençay, August 1, 1837._--M. de Vandœuvre came to pay us a visit

yesterday. He told us an amusing story of Madame de Boigne, who had

been invited to dinner with M. and Madame de Salvandy. When she

arrived she found only the lady of the house, who apologised for her

husband and said that he could not appear at dinner because he was

ill. They sat down without him, but when they went back to the

drawing-room they found the young Minister, as he calls himself,

carelessly reposing in a long chair, in Turkish slippers and a fine

flowered dressing-gown, with a smoking cap embroidered by ladies'

hands cocked over one ear. The sharp and prudish face of Madame de

Boigne at that moment is said to have been indescribable.

The daughter of the Duchesse de Plaisance has died of typhoid fever at

Beyrout, in Syria; her father told me the news. The fate of the

unhappy mother, of whom at present I know nothing, causes me grief and

anxiety. She was a good friend to me at a time when I had but few

friends, and I cannot forget it.

_Valençay, August 4, 1837._--I have read the article upon Madame de

Krüdener in the _Revue des deux Mondes_. She was a Courlandaise, and I

have seen her at my mother's house, with whom she struck up a small

friendship. My mother also thought, and rightly, that it was her duty

to take some notice of all her compatriots. Madame de Krüdener was an

adventuress by nature, and if she had not been well born she would

have been recognised as such long before her final absurdities. From

1814 until her death she lived surrounded by a gang of scoundrels, who

followed her about Europe and presented an unpleasant sight which was

anything rather than evangelical. They were a strange company of

apostles.

People who are easily excited, animated and changeable, ready for

anything, attracted in the most opposite directions, are often

regarded as hypocrites, simply because they are changeable, and one is

always tempted to doubt their sincerity. Such is the case of M.

Thiers. I am sure he is very happy as he writes in his villa at

Careggi,[76] amid recollections of the Medici, and that he is also

entirely disgusted with Paris. Ardent and impetuous natures, equally

ready for any enterprise, are unfortunately often misjudged by

characters more happily balanced. I know something of this from my own

experience. We shall undoubtedly see M. Thiers once more in the arena

of politics and ambition, but to-day he sincerely believes that he has

left it for ever. The advantage of such natures as his, and perhaps as

mine, consists in the fact that they are never wholly cast down and

are so supple and elastic that they accommodate themselves to the most

different situations; but it must be admitted that corresponding

inconveniences are involved. Their judgment of things and of people is

often too rapid, and their execution is often too quick and too

complete; by springing from rock to rock they are always in danger,

and sometimes fall; they then descend to an abyss, which is regarded

as their proper position by those who have been able to maintain

themselves steadily at one height, are by no means sorry to see their

overthrow and are disinclined to offer any help. How many times have I

seen and experienced this! The worst part of it is not the accusations

of folly, but of hypocrisy. There is, however, for these natures one

infallible resource, when they have the strength to fall back upon it:

they can force themselves to recover their equilibrium and follow the

golden mean. It is a long task, which will continue necessarily

throughout their lives, but that is the advantage of it, as the end of

it can never be determined.

[76] Careggi forms part of the town of Fiesole, near Florence.

Several villas stand about the neighbourhood, the most famous

being that which was built by the Medici, which contains several

Renaissance masterpieces. The Grand Dukes of Tuscany offered the

use of it to distinguished foreigners who stayed at Florence. In

this way M. Thiers occupied it in 1837. In 1848 the Princess of

Parma sought refuge there in her flight from the revolutions.

This villa still belongs to the house of Lorraine.

The Duc de Noailles writes to us that his uncle has died within a few

hours, with every symptom of cholera. I do not know whether I am

wrong, but for me everything is shrouded in a veil of darkness, and I

instinctively fear some catastrophe. If only it does not fall upon M.

de Talleyrand or upon my children! For myself I trust in the will of

God and prepare myself as well as I can. But how many arrears remain

to be paid, and how terror-stricken I should be were it not for my

full confidence in the Divine mercy!

_Valençay, August 5, 1837._--M. de Montrond writes from Paris to M. de

Talleyrand that the following story was told of the young Queen

Victoria at the house of the Flahauts: The Duchess of Sutherland had

kept the Queen waiting; when she arrived the Queen went up to her and

said: "My dear Duchess, pray do not let this happen again, for neither

you nor I ought to keep any one waiting." Was not that very well said?

_Valençay, August 8, 1837._--Yesterday I had a letter from Madame de

Lieven, which was begun in England and finished in France in the

course of her journey to Paris. She has seen Orloff in London, and

thinks that through him she has settled her business so well that she

can venture to return to Paris. She tells me some curious things of

the young Queen. "Every one has been taken in by her; she has secretly

prepared herself for a long time for her destined position. At the

present moment she gives her whole heart to Lord Melbourne. Her mother

wished her to enter into obligations with the Radicals, and also with

Conroy personally. It seems that Conroy, who dominates the mother, had

behaved very rudely to her daughter, and even threatened her with

confinement three days before her accession if she did not promise him

a peerage and the post held by Sir Herbert Taylor. She gave him a

pension of three thousand pounds and forbade him the palace. The

mother only comes to see her daughter when she is sent for. The

Duchess of Kent complains bitterly, and is obviously overcome by

vexation; and Caradoc, who had miscalculated his possibilities in that

quarter, has shared in this disgrace and has left England. The young

Queen is full of affection and respect for her uncle, King Leopold,

who did not like Conroy; he used to take the girl's part against her

mother. Melbourne is all-powerful, and adores his young Sovereign. Her

self-possession is incredible. People are quite afraid of her; she

keeps every one in order, and I assure you that everything looks very

different as compared with the old King's time. The Queen wears every

day the Order of the Garter as a medal upon her shoulder, and the

motto upon her arm. She has never grown tall, and therefore wears a

dress with a train even in the morning; she has a distinguished

appearance; her face is charming and her shoulders superb. She issues

her orders as a queen; her will must be obeyed at once and without

contradiction. All the courtiers seem overwhelmed."

_Valençay, August 15, 1837._--I knew Madame de Lieven's taste for

planting herself at Paris, but I did not think it went so far as to

induce her to monopolise the Russian Embassy, and from every point of

view this is a false move; with whatever kindness she may meet in her

present position, which is regarded as neutral and without influence,

an official position would bring her into inextricable difficulties.

_Valençay, August 17, 1837._--The following is an extract from a

letter from Madame de Lieven received yesterday: "For the moment

Conservatism is very fashionable in England. The new House of Commons

will be much better composed than the last; I hope and I believe that

this will produce an agreement with the moderate Tories; they are

prepared for it. I can answer for Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of

Wellington, who are ready to give their help and support for the

moment without any return. If Lord Melbourne accepts he will lose the

support of the Radical Party, and will find himself obliged in a short

time to bring Tories into the Cabinet; but that is the best bargain

open to him, and Lord Melbourne is more inclined to it than his

colleagues. We shall see if he is bold enough to take the step; when I

left him he seemed ready for it. The Queen will not be married or

think of marrying for a year or two at least. You may rely upon the

accuracy of this statement. The Duchess of Kent is a complete

nonentity, and even put somewhat on one side by her daughter. Conroy

dare not appear before the Queen. The Queen is astounding! Most

astounding! With so much power at eighteen, what will she be like at

forty?

"The Clanricardes have quarrelled with the Ministry. She is happy,

because she can now be as Tory as she pleases.

"Diplomacy is in a poor way at London, since you and I are no longer

there. The members look shabby indeed; they seem mere nobodies,

receive no respect, have no position, know no news, ask everybody for

news, and come and whisper a Court affair a fortnight after it is

forgotten. I blush for my late profession.

"Esterhazy has gone to Brussels. This is producing an effect at

London, as it is the first act of recognition to the Belgian royalty;

but from that source Queen Victoria's policy is inspired."

_Valençay, August 20, 1837._--We hear from Paris that the Duc

d'Orléans has a cold and is growing thin. There is some fear of his

lungs, and it is said that he takes too much exercise. It is thought

the exertion of the camp at Compiègne may be too much for him. His

wife is literally adored by the royal family, and by all who come near

her.

I have a charming letter from the Duchess of Gloucester. These old

princesses seem to have been deeply saddened by the death of the late

King.

_Valençay, August 25, 1837._--The King and Queen of the Belgians will

be at London on the 26th of this month--that is, to-morrow. It is

supposed that the King will have full influence over his niece, but

that he will not restore relations between the Duchess of Kent and the

Queen, or go out of his way to spare the former, as he finds their

disunion in accordance with his ideas.

The Princess de Lieven is very angry with her husband, who will not

appear at Havre, where she has arranged to meet him. She is doing her

utmost at St. Petersburg to gain some means of reviving her husband's

spirits, of which, to use her own expression, very little remain. She

repeats that she cannot leave Paris without risking her life. I think

that she has no great desire to meet the poor Prince again. She tells

me that M. Guizot is at Paris, that he comes to see her every day, and

that he drives M. Molé away as soon as he comes in. M. Molé is invited

to the camp at Compiègne from the 1st to the 4th of September, and M.

Guizot from the 5th to the 8th. The whole of France will be invited in

turn.

_Valençay, August 29, 1837._--I had a troublesome day yesterday.

Madame de Sainte-Aldegonde came to us, bringing her daughters and M.

Cuvillier Fleury, tutor to the Duc d'Aumale and a contributor to the

_Journal des Débats_. I had to put myself out and show them

everything, and was very glad when they started back for Beauregard at

nine o'clock in the evening. M. Fleury has left his pupil for the

moment to travel for six weeks, and is contributing articles to the

_Journal des Débats_ about the castles that he visits. There is

nothing so disagreeable as this kind of thing, and he has received a

strong hint here that we do not care to see ourselves in print.

Madame de Sainte-Aldegonde says that the Duchesse d'Orléans is

certainly with child. She also says that Princesse Marie is to marry

Duke Alexander of Würtemberg next October, and will live in France.

M. Mignet, who has been here for two days, tells us no news. He

confines himself to long historical dissertations, which are sometimes

interesting, but generally somewhat pedantic.

Madame de Jaucourt writes that Baron Louis is dying of a stroke of

apoplexy. This has been largely brought on by fretting over the

business of his nephew de Rigny.[77]

[77] _See_ p. 120.

_Valençay, September 2, 1837._--I have a letter from the Duc de

Noailles, who gives me some small news. I never saw any one of

importance stay at home less than he does. At Paris he pays a daily

round of calls, morning and evening, which take up the whole of his

time, and he never refuses an invitation to dinner. In the summer he

goes the round of the country houses and the watering-places, and is

continually making excursions to Paris, as his residence is close at

hand. Barren characters, when they are naturally intelligent, feel a

greater need of change than others; in any case, the consequence is

that he always knows the news. At Paris he keeps it to himself, and

asks more questions than he answers; but when he writes he tells all

that he knows, so that his letters are always pleasant.

I have also a letter from M. Thiers, from Cauterets. He is

izard-hunting with the Basques, of which sport he is very fond,

although the Pyrenees seem to him but poor scenery after the Lake of

Como. He is less anxious about his wife's health, and talks of coming

here for the end of the month, but with all his impedimenta, as he

cannot leave the ladies whom he is escorting. I am not altogether

pleased, but how can I refuse?

It seems that the expedition to Constantine is actually to take place,

and that the Prince Royal will lead it. This campaign seems to me a

very foolish one for the Prince Royal.

I have just read the so-called memoirs of the Chevalier d'Eon, which

are tiresome, improbable, and absurd; the idea in particular that he

could have had a love-affair with the old Queen of England, the

ugliest, the most prudish and austere woman of her time, is too

ridiculous an invention.

_Valençay, September 6, 1837._--The newspapers now say that it is the

Duc de Nemours, and not the Prince Royal, who will command the

expedition to Constantine. This seems to me a better arrangement.

The Princesse de Lieven writes as follows: "There is talk of a double

marriage: the Princesse Marie with Duke Alexander of Würtemberg and

Princesse Clémentine with the eldest son of the reigning Duke of

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Here, however, a difficulty appears. The children

of the marriage should be Lutherans, which the Queen does not wish;

and in the case of the first marriage there is also the possible

difficulty that the King of Würtemberg might not give his consent. It

is said that the negotiations, though not broken off, are not far

advanced. I have a letter from my brother which shows me that Orloff

has kept his word. He says that Paris is the only place to suit me,

and that no one protests against it. Now I have only my husband to

think of, and how can he be likely to offer objections as the Court

has raised none? This difficulty is bound to disappear, but not for a

month or six weeks, for my husband will require advices from the

Emperor, and the whole troublesome affair will have to go round

Europe, from Paris to Odessa and from Odessa to Ischl and from Ischl

to Paris. Just think of that!" So much from this great and aged spoilt

child.

_Valençay, September 8, 1837._--The news given us by Madame de

Sainte-Aldegonde was premature. Madame Adélaïde writes to M. de

Talleyrand that the Duchesse d'Orléans is not with child, that the

King will not go to Amboise this year, and that the marriage of the

Princesse Marie with Duke Alexander of Würtemberg is possible, but not

absolutely settled, though negotiations are going on.

_Valençay, September 9, 1837._--I have come back from an excursion to

Châteauvieux and Saint-Aignan which occupied the whole of yesterday

and to-day. I was marvellously well and in high spirits with M.

Royer-Collard, but to-day I feel broken down and miserable. There is

no sense in it; I do not know what does me good or what makes me feel

ill; I suffer from what I think should do me good and recover from

that which should lay me low. I am a very strange little creature. The

doctor tells me every day that it is the result of my nervous,

fantastic, and capricious disposition. What is certain is that I have

fits of cheerfulness, of gaiety, and of sadness; that I look after

myself, or my nerves look after me, very badly; and that I am

exceedingly tired of myself, and to some extent of other people.

_Valençay, September 11, 1837._--What is to be said of the mandate of

the Archbishop of Paris, and of the article in the _Journal des

Débats_ which follows it? The desecration of Sainte-Geneviève is

obvious, and the scandal of the pediment has been felt by all

right-thinking people.[78] In the face of such an enormity it was

difficult for the plaintive voice of the chief pastor not to utter a

cry of pain, and the absence of any protest would have been

blameworthy, in my opinion. But his cry has been uttered with violence

and bitterness, and with none of the apostolic respect for the

feelings of others which it is always wise to keep in view. In M. de

Quélen we shall always have an excellent priest with the courage and

devotion of his convictions, but he will never learn tact, and will

constantly injure his position by his words and his actions. I am

sorry for him, as I am interested in him, and also for the cause of

religion, which is even more wounded by these unhappy events and

Governmental scandals. The want of thought which permitted this

pediment, the obvious hesitation of the Ministry to know whether it

would be disclosed or not, the weakness which showed it to the eyes of

the public, and the tone of indifference with which newspapers speak

of it, are so many disavowals of the system of order and energy which

they have claimed as theirs. Next to the pillage of the archbishopric,

the destruction of the crosses, and the rejection of the fleur-de-lys,

nothing seems to me more hopelessly revolutionary than this hideous

pediment. It frightens right-thinking people far more than usurpation.

[78] It was proposed to erect upon the Pantheon a colossal statue

of Renown to replace the cross removed in 1831 from what was at

that time the Church of Sainte-Geneviève. Cortot was commissioned

with this work, and set up a model in carton-pierre. Criticism

unanimously condemned it, and the statue was taken down after

some time.

_Valençay, September 12, 1837._--The Carlist party are very wrong to

accuse the Duc de Noailles of inclination to support the present

Government; he is very far from anything of the kind. I have seen that

he was somewhat tempted to that course for two or three months during

the journey of the two Princes in Germany and when the marriage of the

Archduchess Theresa was discussed. Since Alibaud's pistol-shot and the

refusal of Austria he has given up the idea, and I think he is more

determined than ever to follow his present line of conduct, although

his impartiality in thought and language will always prevent him from

joining the hot-headed members of his party.

Madame de Lieven writes as follows: "I have a letter from my husband

proposing the right bank of the Rhine and asserting that he cannot

possibly cross it. We shall see. I hope and believe that he will

change his mind. M. Molé and M. Guizot meet at my house, and are

beginning to talk. The consent of the King of Würtemberg to his

cousin's marriage has come to hand. M. Guizot has returned from

Compiègne delighted with the wit and intelligence of the Duchesse

d'Orléans. Madame de Flahaut is kept very much aloof from the

Princess, and is vexed in consequence. She had her four days at the

Château, like the other guests, and then returned to her rooms in the

town of Compiègne. Lady Jersey writes that she will come and spend the

winter at Paris to see the Prince de Talleyrand. My husband has seen

their Hanoverian Majesties at Carlsbad."

_Valençay, September 18, 1837._--Yesterday I had a very kind letter

from M. Molé. He tells me that he has been obliged to postpone the

diplomatic affair. He wishes to create some peers, but is somewhat

hampered by the stupid social classification. He speaks bitterly of

the great attention paid by M. Guizot to Madame de Lieven, and readily

accepted by the latter.

Alava, who has been here since yesterday, told me that the hunchbacked

daughter of the Duc de Frias has married the Prince of Anglona. Mlle.

Auguste de Rigny is certainly the only heiress of the Baron Louis, who

leaves seventy thousand francs income. She has already an income of

eighteen thousand of her own. The will is quite simple, and so

definite that it cannot be attacked.[79]

[79] Baron Louis died at Vry-sur-Marne, near Paris, on August 26,

1837.

_Valençay, September 19, 1837._--M. de Salvandy, whom M. de Talleyrand

had invited here, appeared yesterday at dinner-time. He is going back

this evening, having sandwiched this excursion between two meetings of

the Council. I have exhausted myself in graciousness of manner and in

making conversation, which is not an easy matter with a man who is

undoubtedly intellectual, but emphatically so, and constantly anxious

to produce an effect. In any case, he has been very attentive to me.

He told me that the Duke Alexander of Würtemberg had an income of only

fifty thousand francs, and that the King of Würtemberg showed much

politeness and readiness throughout the affair, though the alliance is

a poor one for our young Princess; we gain nothing more than a husband

for her. It is not true that she will stay in France; in the summer

she will live in her husband's castle, fifteen leagues from Coburg,

and in the winter in a little palace at Gotha. When they visit Paris

they will be put up at the Elysée. They are going to Germany

immediately after the marriage, which will take place in the first

fortnight of October.

The French elections will take place on November 15, and the Chamber

will meet on December 5.

M. de Salvandy also talked much of the Duchess d'Orleans, whom he

believes, and I think rightly, to be an eminently clever person, and,

as she has to govern some day thirty-two million souls, is working

daily to win their hearts one by one.

_Valençay, September 20, 1837._--M. de Salvandy left us yesterday

after dinner. During our morning talk he quoted an instance showing

the growing influence of the Duchesse d'Orléans over her husband.

Before his marriage he troubled so little about mass that last May, a

few weeks before his wedding, he went to the races at Chantilly on the

Day of Pentecost, and never even thought of attending mass. Recently

at Saint-Quentin he went there _in fiocchi_, telling the National

Guard that they might follow him or not as they pleased. The Guard

went in a body. Saint-Quentin, however, like all manufacturing towns,

is by no means religious.

The Pope is deeply vexed about the business of Sainte-Geneviève, and

is going to offer a severe remonstrance through Mgr. Garibaldi. The

King, who has been much distressed by the scandal, is embarrassed in

his relations with Rome because he yielded to M. de Montalivet, who is

unfortunately surrounded by the wretched troop of hostile newspapers,

to which he pays homage and deference. M. Molé, who is opposed to the

pediment, has also yielded. M. de Salvandy is also fulminating, and I

imagine when he has uttered one sonorous phrase he will think his duty

done.

_Valençay, September 22, 1837._--M. de Salvandy has written, upon his

arrival in Paris during the session of the Council, telling M. de

Talleyrand that he had found everybody much excited at the news from

Spain; all are expecting to hear of the arrival of Don Carlos at

Madrid. It is possible that this news will somewhat disturb

arrangements for the dissolution and the elections.

_Valençay, September 28, 1837._--Madame Adélaïde writes that the

marriage of her niece to Duke Alexander of Würtemberg will take place

at Trianon on October 12. Madame de Castellane tells me that the

Lieven-Guizot flirtation is unparalleled. He is making her read Dante

and Tasso, and never leaves her house. Since he has been in the

country he writes letters to her of ten pages. During his absence the

Princess went to his house, gained admission to his rooms, and

examined everything carefully. She has written curious but sensible

articles on the subject. An article has appeared concerning the whole

affair in _Le Temps_. This has made her furious, and she has had a

very lively interview with M. Molé, because _Le Temps_ is said to be

considerably under Ministerial influence; hence relations between the

Prime Minister and herself are somewhat strained. It is all very

ridiculous, and I am glad to be away from Paris and all this gossip.

In any case, a retired life is delightful. In society one squanders

too much energy; instead of laying up a proper store of provisions for

the great journey, we scatter them broadcast, and find ourselves

lacking when we have to start. Terrible is our want and disgraceful

our indigence! I am sometimes really terrified at my wretched

condition.

Yesterday I had a sad piece of news--the death of the young Princess

of Arsoli, daughter of the late Madame de Carignan. She was carried

off by cholera in the same week as her mother-in-law, Princess

Massimo. I had seen her born.

_Valençay, September 29, 1837._--The Baron de Montmorency, who arrived

here yesterday, thinks that there is some hitch in the Würtemberg

marriage. The King of Würtemberg seems to have suddenly refused his

consent, except on condition that all the children should be

Protestants, while our Queen wishes them all to be Catholics. If the

Duke Alexander yields to the Queen there will be a marriage the more

without the head of the family, which never looks well. If France

gives way to the King of Würtemberg the Princess will have to go to be

married at the frontier, as was Mlle. de Broglie, for the French

Catholic clergy will only allow mixed marriages on condition that all

the children are brought up as Catholics. It is really inconceivable

that so important a question was not decided before the announcement

of the marriage. It will lead to any number of vexatious ideas, and

show with what difficulty business can be conducted at our Court.

It is said that Von Hügel, the Austrian Chargé d'Affaires at Paris, is

going mad.

_Valençay, October 1, 1837._--Yesterday our theatricals took place,

for which we had been rehearsing for a fortnight; I played my part in

spite of a headache. People kindly said that I entirely concealed my

suffering on the stage, but as soon as it was over I was obliged to go

to bed at once. The performance was quite successful, and Pauline

played two totally different parts so admirably that I begin to wonder

whether I ought to allow her to continue this amusement. Our scene

from the _Femmes savantes_ went very well, and M. de la Besnardière,

who is an old theatre-goer, asserts that he never saw it so well

played. I really think that it went with a certainty, a unity, and a

correctness that were quite remarkable. M. de Talleyrand was

delighted. There was supper and dancing after the performance, but I

was not there.

_Valençay, October 2, 1837._--All the neighbours about us went away

yesterday after mass, but in the course of the day a certain Mr.

Hamilton arrived, who is an American, and the son of Colonel

Hamilton, who was well known during the War of Independence in the

United States; M. de Talleyrand often speaks of him, and was very

intimate with him in America. The son did not wish to leave the Old

World, where he has been making a tour, without seeing his father's

friend. He brought his own son with him, a young man of twenty-one.

Neither of them speak French, so I exhausted myself in making English

conversation. They are starting again this morning. In his own country

Mr. Hamilton belongs to the Opposition party. He is a sensible man,

but with that tinge of Americanism which is always somewhat

disagreeable in the best of them.

_Valençay, October 7, 1837._--I hear from Paris that the difficulties

with Würtemberg have been smoothed over. The marriage is to take place

on the 14th, and everything is going on to the general satisfaction.

Our Princess has been invited to Stuttgart. The Duc d'Orléans is said

to be the only member of the family dissatisfied with this union, and

we are told that he treated his future brother-in-law more than coldly

at Compiègne.

_Valençay, October 9, 1837._--The Duc Decazes arrived here

unexpectedly at dinner-time yesterday. He was on his way from Livorno,

full of the Bordeaux affair, which he seems inclined to visit upon the

Prefect, M. de Pressac. After dinner he continued his journey to

Paris, where he is summoned by the marriage of the Princesse Marie. He

had left M. Thiers and all his family at Tours. We are expecting them

to-day.

_Valençay, October 10, 1837._--M. and Madame Thiers, Madame Dosne and

her young daughter arrived yesterday an hour before dinner-time. They

came by Montrichard, and so they were all shaken and weary. Madame

Thiers does not show any sign of exhaustion in her face; she is

perhaps a little thin, but nothing else; I think it is largely a

matter of nerves, and that if she were in good spirits her

indisposition would quickly disappear. In any case, for a person of

her kind, I think her quite anxious to please, but, like her mother,

she has a vulgar intonation and trivial expressions to which I cannot

get accustomed. It was a dull and heavy evening, in spite of the

enthusiasm of M. Thiers for Italy. He seems to be greatly struck by

the beauty of Valençay, and I think they are all very glad to be here.

Fortunately the weather is fine; I have never prayed for sunshine so

earnestly.

_Valençay, October 11, 1837._--Madame Thiers was very tired yesterday;

she went upstairs after lunch and did not reappear until dinner-time.

She would not go for a drive, and her mother kept her company. We took

the husband out with us, and he was in excellent spirits, with no

bitterness or hostility. He wishes to go from here to Lille without

crossing Paris, where he only wishes to arrive just in time for the

Chambers; he was also very sarcastic about the repeated proposals that

have been made to him for the greatest embassies.

_Valençay, October 12, 1837._--M. de Talleyrand yesterday took M.

Thiers to see M. Royer-Collard. They returned both well pleased with

their walk, whence I infer that they left their host equally pleased.

I have no great trouble with the ladies. The young wife appears for

meals, lolls in a drawing-room armchair for half an hour after lunch

and for an hour after dinner, then goes up to her room; she will not

drive, and only wishes to be left alone. Her mother is with her a

great deal, and her husband most attentive. The young wife governs

them all, but like a spoilt and capricious child, and I think that the

poor husband finds the path of marriage a somewhat thorny one.

_Valençay, October 13, 1837._--The Duchesse de Saint-Leu is dead. What

will become of her son? Will he be left upon our frontier?

Madame Murat continues to remain at Paris. General Macdonald,[80] who

was thought to be her husband, and who was greatly devoted to her in

any case, has died at Florence. To the universal surprise, this event

has not so far saddened her as to prevent her from going to the

theatre, nor does she show any of the grief that might have been

expected.

[80] Francis Macdonald had been appointed Minister of War at

Naples by King Murat in 1814.

Here people talk of nothing but the approaching elections; they seem

to be still very uncertain and to defy all calculations. I have always

noticed this to be the case at every dissolution of the Chamber. The

instructions of the Ministry are very capricious; on the whole the

Doctrinaires and progressive parties are to be proscribed, but with so

many exceptions here and there that unusual points of contact are

created. M. Thiers is quite calm, in excellent political spirits; he

talks a great deal of his forty years and of the frost of age;

however, I would not trust to that, and if he were provoked he would

be quite capable of entering the fray most vigorously. He has quite

abandoned his ideas of Spanish intervention, not as regards the past,

but for the present moment. I have never seen him so wise and

self-controlled--a condition only to be attained by those whose

inclinations are definite, and who have enough self-satisfaction not

to be ambitious for power. His wife unbends a little; she danced

yesterday evening in excellent spirits.

_Valençay, October 15, 1837._--The whole of the Thiers family went

away yesterday. Although the mother has been anxious to please, the

young wife amiable in her manner, and her husband witty, animated, and

tractable, as usual, I am not sorry to see them go.

_Valençay, October 22, 1837._--We are to have a second theatrical

performance. I rehearsed my part yesterday with M. de Valençay while

the rest of the company were out driving.

I have a very carefully written letter from Madame Dosne, from which

the following is an interesting passage: "Since our arrival the house

has been stormed by friends, inquirers, and interested people, who

wish to learn the attitude of M. Thiers. He has seen M. Molé and M. de

Montalivet, who are struggling for his friendship, and has been

effusively received by the royal family. You know better than any one,

madame, to whom he owes that. In short, his move to Paris has been

quite politic and successful. He is ready to defend the Ministry as

long as it lasts and to help it as long as he can, if they will

support his view with regard to the elections. To-morrow we shall

start for Lille, where we shall stay as long as my daughter wishes."

_Valençay, October 26, 1837._--Madame de Lieven writes to say that her

husband has sent his son Alexander to her to carry her off dead or

alive, but she has refused to stir, and that the son has gone back

again provided with all possible certificates from the doctors of the

Embassy stating the impossibility of moving her. She is loud in the

praises of Comte Pahlen and of my cousin Paul Medem. It seems that the

Autocrat told M. de Lieven that he would crush the Princess if she

persisted in remaining in France. I think she has some private means

which no one can touch, and which help her to hold out. Before long it

will become a regular drama.

I have a long letter from the Duc d'Orléans, in which he tells me that

his sister, the Duchess of Würtemberg, did not go immediately to

Stuttgart on leaving Paris, but went first to Coburg, and will not go

to Würtemberg till later. The Duc d'Orléans gives me excellent

accounts of his wife, and seems to regard her as a perfect friend,

which is the best certificate a woman can have from her husband, and a

guarantee of the most desirable future for her.

_Valençay, November 2, 1837._--I shall start presently to dine and

sleep at Beauregard. To-morrow I shall pass through Tours, and reach

my house at Rochecotte in time for dinner.

I have a kind letter from M. Guizot, who tells me that the new Chamber

will be like the last, and that if there is a difference it will be to

the advantage of his own views.

M. Thiers writes from Lille saying that the general electioneering cry

is "Down with the Doctrinaires!" and that he is asked by five

different departments to become a candidate, but that he will remain

faithful to Aix. Finally, M. Royer-Collard writes from Paris saying

that M. Molé has been tricked in the elections; that it does not,

however, follow that the elections will go in favour of the

Doctrinaires, but that they will not lack Ministerial support. Of

these three versions which is the most credible? I am inclined to

accept the last.

_Rochecotte, November 4, 1837._--Since yesterday I have been in my own

home. As I passed through Tours in the morning I found the poor

Prefect grappling with the electoral fever.

The confusion of the instructions is incredible, continually modified

or contradicted as they are by intrigues at Paris, alternating between

the influence of Guizot or Thiers; consequently I think the result

will be very far removed from that which was proposed at the

dissolution of the Chamber. Fortunately the country is calm, for the

dissolution was decided upon, not for patriotic reasons, but simply

for personal interest, and miscalculation upon that ground is a matter

of indifference. At the same time it is foolish uselessly to stir up

an infinity of local passions which, though they do not rise to the

danger and violence of political strife, none the less injure public

spirit by dividing the country more and more into parties.

_Rochecotte, November 5, 1837._--The comedies which we acted at

Valençay brought some life into the great castle, of which there has

been a prodigious lack during June, July, and August. I admit, to my

shame, that for the first time in my life since I rested from the

fatigues of Fontainebleau and Versailles I have been very bored. The

illness which we have all suffered one after another brought anxiety

in place of boredom, and I am glad of some small diversion to bring me

out of the groove.

_Rochecotte, November 11, 1837._--A letter from Madame Adélaïde

reached me yesterday. She seems fairly pleased with the elections, and

would be more so were it not for the infamous alliance between the

Legitimists and Republicans, which has brought success to the latter

party in several places. I use her own expressions. She also says that

Princesse Marie is delighted with her husband and her journey, with

Germany and with the reception which has so far been given.

_Rochecotte, November 24, 1837._--I am sorry for the Grand Duchess

Stephanie on account of the wrongdoing or misfortune of her daughter,

the Princess Wasa.[81] I never liked her, and was struck by her bad

appearance when I saw her at Paris in 1827 with her mother; moreover,

her husband, whom I also know, is a very ordinary person, and by no

means the man to guide a young wife.

[81] Princess Louisa of Baden, the eldest daughter of the Grand

Duchess Stephanie of Baden, had married a Prince Wasa. Her

household was constantly disturbed by quarrels, which the Grand

Duchess was continually trying to heal, though for a long time

without success.

The Duchess of Massa speaks with delight in her letters of the

hospitality and the distinction at the Court of Coburg, and of the

happiness of the Princesse Marie. I also hear that the Duc d'Orléans

constantly talks of his domestic happiness, in which he is entirely

absorbed. He is to give an entertainment upon the return of his

brother, the Duc de Nemours, the victor of Constantine.

I am more and more delighted with the life of Bossuet by Cardinal

Bausset. How fortunate it is that I put off reading this book at a

time when the taste for reading had passed away, and is now revived by

this excellent work! I have ordered a fine engraving of Bossuet which

I wish to possess; it is absurd that he should not have his place here

with my other friends of the great century, Madame de Sévigné, Madame

de Maintenon, Cardinal de Retz, and Arnauld d'Andilly. Although I

admire every personage of that great age, I have my preferences. I

want a portrait of the Palatine to complete my collection.

_Rochecotte, November 30, 1837._--My sister, the Duchesse de Sagan,

writes to say that she will come here shortly; I do not know whether

she will carry out her plan this time--not that I am altogether

regretful if she should fail, for I am never entirely at my ease with

her. I was accustomed to be afraid of her in my youth, and am still

somewhat overawed; but as the matter has been announced and arranged,

it is better that she should come.

_Rochecotte, December 2, 1837._--Yesterday in the _Journal des Débats_

I read the great memorandum of the Prussian Government against the

Archbishop of Cologne.[82] We must suspend our judgment until we hear

his defence; but the fact remains that so strong a measure as to

arrest an archbishop and imprison him does not look well in the case

of a Protestant Sovereign when dealing with a Catholic prelate in a

Catholic country. It has too strong an appearance of persecution, even

if it be justified at bottom. I am very curious to know the end of

this affair; it seems to me of serious import.

[82] The Archbishop of Cologne and the Prussian Government

differed on the question of mixed marriages. The Archbishop

wished to appeal to the Pope, and the Government had him arrested

on November 28, 1837. He remained a prisoner for four years at

Minden, and never re-entered his diocese, where his coadjutor

took his place on his death in 1845. The Archbishop of Cologne,

Baron Droste de Vischering, was born in 1773.

M. de Montrond tells M. de Talleyrand that the whole family of Thiers

profess such a redoubled affection for us since their stay at Valençay

that we shall be regarded as responsible for the acts and deeds of M.

Thiers during the coming session. I have urged this upon M. de

Talleyrand as an argument for staying here as long as possible, but

with what success I do not know.

M. Guizot is to be found at Madame de Lieven's house from morning to

evening, to the general amusement.

Madame Adélaïde's letters begin to urge more strongly our return to

Paris, which is exactly the reason why I should prefer to stay here.

_Rochecotte, December 4, 1837._--M. de Sainte-Aulaire informs me that

the Grand Duchess Stephanie has solved her daughter Wasa's domestic

difficulties. I fear she has only postponed the evil day.

_Rochecotte, December 6, 1837._--Yesterday I carried out an enterprise

which I had long been anxious to perform. I went with my son Valençay

to see the Comte d'Héliaud and Madame de Champchevrier. We started in

fine frosty weather, lunched with M. d'Héliaud, and spent an hour at

Champchevrier on our return with the nicest people in the world, in a

fine old castle, with moats and avenues, and a well-wooded country of

preserves; old tapestry, stag-horns, and hunting-horns hung from the

walls are the chief ornaments in this noble but not very elegant

mansion. It is inhabited by a simple, upright, and respected family,

who live comfortably but not luxuriously, hunting and farming

throughout the year. At certain times forty or fifty of the

surrounding families meet there for amusement. The whole establishment

is well worthy of a description by Walter Scott, especially an old

grandmother of eighty-two, upright, alert, imposing, and polite, in a

surprisingly antique dress. We were very kindly received. By the time

we reached home I was frozen, but very glad that I had paid my calls

and fulfilled my neighbourly duties.

The Duc de Noailles writes to say that he met M. Thiers one morning at

Madame de Lieven's house, where he spoke like a little saint and a

great philosopher.

_Rochecotte, December 10, 1837._--My sister and my son Alexandre at

last arrived here yesterday, after a long and tiring journey. My

sister has grown very stout, and looks much older; none the less she

is astonishingly well preserved for the age of fifty-seven. She talks

a great deal and very loudly. The Vienna strain in her is predominant.

_Rochecotte, December 11, 1837._--I took my sister for a long drive

yesterday. She thinks this place very pretty, and, as other persons

have already told me, assures me that nothing recalls to her so much

_la bella Italia_. We had hardly returned from our long drive than I

began it over again for M. de Salvandy, who dropped in unexpectedly at

dinner, and after a short stay continued his journey to

Nogent-le-Rotrou, where he is going to an electoral banquet. He told

us that the Duc de Nemours had reached Havre with a broken arm, in

consequence of an accident upon board of a wretched steamship. He

travelled by Gibraltar, in order to avoid a great ball that the town

of Marseilles had prepared for him, and over which great expense had

been incurred. The King is very displeased by this prank.

_Rochecotte, December 19, 1837._--Last spring when I consulted

Lisfranc and Cruveilhier they both told me that I was threatened by a

tendency to feverishness. Since that time my life has been arranged

to avoid the danger, and with success; but since the arrival of my

sister I have felt a great and steadily increasing nervous agitation,

so much so that yesterday inflammation was pronounced, with violent

fever. I am much distressed, and think I shall have to spend some days

in bed or upon my sofa.

_Rochecotte, December 20, 1837._--The doctor says that I am better

to-day. I never remember having felt so ill as the day before

yesterday. I am still keeping my room, and feel very poorly, but the

doctor repeats that there is no danger, and that with a few days' more

care I shall be quite well.

_Rochecotte, December 25, 1837._--The pain in my right side is growing

less, and I am not so weak. When I am stronger I shall speak of my

thoughts during these days of danger through which I have passed. The

mental life becomes the clearer when the outward eye is veiled and

obscured.[83]

[83] The Duchesse de Dino suffered from a much more severe

illness than she relates. It is to this period that she ascribed

those inward changes which then took place in the case of M. de

Talleyrand, and gradually brought him back to the Christian

faith.

_Rochecotte, December 26, 1837._--I am better, and very grateful to

Providence which has delivered me from so grievous a state; but I

shall not recover from the shock for a long time. I was deeply touched

to learn that yesterday during the service I was recommended to the

prayers of the congregation. All my neighbours and the whole

countryside have been most kind; my servants have watched and worked

with infinite zeal, and the two doctors, MM. Cogny and Orie, have been

very attentive.

_Rochecotte, December 28, 1837._--The weather is magnificent, and at

midday I shall be wheeled on to the terrace for a moment.

I have no news from Paris, and am greatly ignorant of the affairs of

this world. It seemed to me during the two days that I was ill that I

saw something of the things of the next world, and that it was not so

difficult as might be thought to rise towards one's Creator; that

there was even a certain sweetness in the idea that one was to rest at

length from all the troubles of life. Providence can soften all the

trials which He sends to us, by giving us the strength to bear them,

and one can never feel too thankful for all the Divine favours.

_Rochecotte, December 31, 1837._--This last day of a year, which upon

the whole has not been entirely agreeable, induces me to throw a

retrospective glance upon my life--an effort which produces a not very

pleasant result. However, it would be wrong to complain; if

misfortunes are not lacking for me, there are also blessings which it

would be ungrateful not to recognise; and one may feel despondent and

serious and yet have no right to feel or to call oneself unhappy. May

God preserve for myself and for those whom I love, honour, health, and

that peace of mind which keeps the soul from care, and my thanks will

be heartfelt.