I have observed a striking change in the manners of the servants during
the last three days. They are more familiar, without, however, evincing
the least insolence; their spirits seem unusually exhilarated, and they
betray an interest in the struggle in which the people are engaged that
leaves no doubt as to the side that excites their sympathy. Every
rumour of the success of the insurgents is repeated by them with
ill-suppressed animation and pleasure, and the power of the people is
exaggerated far beyond the bounds of truth. I confess this folly on
their part annoys me, and the more especially as the class to which
they belong, are totally incapacitated by ignorance from being able to
comprehend even the causes alleged for this popular outbreak.
Misguided men! can they hope that servitude will be lightened by their
being employed by some _parvenus_, elevated from the dregs of the
people by a revolution which sets floating to the top the worst
ingredients of the reeking caldron from which it is formed, instead of
owning the more gentle and infinitely less degrading sway of those born
to, and accustomed to rule?
Comte ---- and ---- have just come in, and report that the last story
current is, that fifty thousand men from Rouen are marching to Paris to
espouse the cause of the _people_. They say there is no end to the
desertions among the troops.
The people--the people! I hear of nothing but the people; but those who
speak of them as all and every thing, seem to me to mistake the
populace for the people, yet surely the words are not synonymous. The
people, according to my acceptation of the word, are the sober and
respectable portion of the community of all countries, including the
husbandmen who till the earth, and the artisans who fabricate the
objects applicable to our positive wants, and superfluous luxuries. How
different are these from the populace who fill the streets shouting for
liberty, by which they mean license; fighting for a charter of the real
meaning of which they are ignorant; and rendering themselves the blind
instruments by which a revolution is to be accomplished, that will
leave them rather worse off than it found them; for when did those who
profit by such events remember with gratitude the tools by which it was
effected?
_Thursday_.--Repeated knocking at the gate drew me to the window ten
minutes ago. The intruder presented a strange mixture of the terrible
and the ridiculous, the former predominating. Wearing only his shirt
and trousers, both stained with gore, and the sleeves of the former
turned up nearly to the shoulder, a crimson handkerchief was bound
round his head, and another encircled his waist. He brandished a huge
sword with a black leather string wound round his wrist, with one hand,
while with the other he assailed the knocker. Hearing the window
opened, he looked up, and exclaimed, "Ah! madame, order the gate to be
opened, that I may lay at the feet of my generous master the trophies I
have won with this trusty sword," waving the said sword over his head,
and pointing to a pair of silver-mounted pistols and a sabre that he
had placed on the ground while he knocked at the gate.
I recognised in this man a helper in the stables of Comte A. d'Orsay,
of whom it had a short time previously been reported to us, that when a
party of the populace had attempted to force the gate of the stable
offices, which are situated in the Rue Verte, and the English grooms
and coachman were in excessive alarm, this man presented himself at the
window, sword in hand, declaring that he, though engaged in the same
cause as themselves, would defend, to the last moment of his life, the
horses of his master, and the Englishmen whom he considered to be under
his protection. This speech elicited thunders of applause from the
crowd who retreated, leaving the alarmed servants, whose protector he
had avowed himself, impressed with the conviction that he is little
short of a hero.
This man--these same servants, only a few days ago, looked on as the
stable drudge, who was to perform all the dirty work, while they,
attired in smart liveries, and receiving triple the wages given to him,
were far more ornamental than useful in the establishment of their
employer. They offered him money as a reward for his spirited conduct
(the English of all classes, but more especially of that to which they
appertain, think that money pays all manner of debts), but he
indignantly refused the proffered gift. This revolutionary hero had
been fighting for several hours to-day, and is said to have evinced a
courage and enthusiasm that remind one of all we read of the spirit of
the old Imperial Guard, when animated by the presence of their mighty
chief.
---- has just brought the intelligence, that the Tuileries and the
Louvre are taken by the people! Comte A. d'O---- sent two of his
servants (Brement, formerly drill-serjeant in the Guards, and now his
porter, and Charles who was an hussar, and a brave soldier) to the
Tuileries to endeavour to save the portrait of the Dauphin by Sir
Thomas Lawrence--an admirable picture. His instructions as to its
_emplacement_ were so correct, that the servants found it instantly,
but torn in pieces, and the fragments strewed on the floor.
These men report that even in this feat a strange mixture of the
terrible and the comic was exhibited, for _while_ a dead body was
placed on the throne of Charles the Tenth, some men appeared in the
windows of the palace attired in the gold and silver tissue dresses of
the Duchesse de Berri, with feathers and flowers in their heads, and
fans in their hands, which they waved to the multitude beneath, with
all the coquettish airs and graces of _would-be-fine_ ladies.
The busts of Charles the Tenth were broken and trampled upon; the
wardrobes of the royal family were scattered, torn, and thrown among
the people, who seemed to regard them only as trophies of the victory
they had achieved, and not for their intrinsic value.
The palace of the Archbishop of Paris has been sacked, and every object
in it demolished. ---- told me that the ribaldry and coarse jests of
the mob on this occasion were disgusting beyond measure; and that they
ceased not to utter the most obscene falsehoods, while they wreaked
their vengeance on the property of this venerable prelate, against whom
they can bring no charge, except the suspicion of jesuitical
principles, and of having encouraged the king to issue the ordonnances.
---- and ---- have just been here. They state that Charles the Tenth
sent a deputation to the provisional government offering to withdraw
the ordonnances, and to form a new ministry. The offer came too late,
and was rejected. Concessions from the vanquished are seldom valued;
and to offer terms to those who are now in the position to dictate them
is as unavailing as it is undignified. ---- and ---- say that the
general opinion is, that if the Duchesse de Berri was now to present
herself, with her son, to the people, her popularity, and his youth and
innocence, would accomplish an event that would satisfy most parties;
namely, the calling of the Duc de Bordeaux to the throne. The Duchesse
de Berri has courage enough to take this step; what a pity it is that
she has not wisdom enough to adopt it!
While the fighting was going on in the streets, ---- and ---- met our
ambassador, Lord Stuart de Rothesay, walking along as usual. The
secretaries and _attachés_, too, of the English embassy have been
continually seen in places where their presence evinced more courage
and curiosity than caution; but fear is, I firmly believe, an unknown
guest in the breast of English gentlemen.
Comte ---- has just been here; he has been to the Collége of Ste.-Barbe
to take charge of the sons of the Duc de Guiche, in order to conduct
them to the country; a service of no little danger, as all connected
with the court, and known to be faithful to the royal family are liable
to be maltreated. How painful and trying a part is the Duc de Guiche
now called on to act: compelled to leave his wife and family in a town
in a state of siege, or to desert the monarch to whom he has sworn
fealty! But he will perform it nobly; and if Charles the Tenth had many
such men to rally round him in the present hour, his throne might still
be preserved.
The Duchesse de Guiche, in the trying situation in which she finds
herself, has displayed a courage worthy of olden times. The devotion of
her husband and self to the royal family is so well known that their
house has been a marked one during the last three days, the mob
repeatedly stopping before the gate uttering cries and menaces. All her
friends have urged her to leave Paris, and to remove with her children
to the country, for she would not consent to seek an asylum with her
grandmother or brother; urging, as a reason, that, in the absence of
the Duc, she felt it her duty to remain, that her presence might induce
the household to a more strict discharge of theirs, in protecting the
property of the Dauphin.
---- and ---- have been here, and have told us that the provisional
government were installed in the Hôtel-de-Ville, General La Fayette at
its head, and my old acquaintance Monsieur Alexandra de Laborde taking
an active part. How all this is to end I cannot imagine; the cry for a
republic, though strongly echoed, will, I think, be unavailing; and the
reasonable part of the community cannot desire that it should be
otherwise, inasmuch as the tyranny of the many must ever be more
insupportable than that of one, admitting that even a despotic monarchy
could in our day exercise a tyranny, which I am not disposed to admit.
The tri-coloured flag now floats on many of the churches, while that of
the _Fleur-de-lis_ still waves from the column in the Place Vendôme, on
other public buildings, and the Tuileries. What a strange state of
things! but every thing is strange in this eventful crisis.
---- has just been here, and reports that yesterday a meeting of the
Deputies took place at the house of M. Casimir Périer, in order to
consult on what measures they ought to pursue in the present state of
affairs. He says, that pusillanimity, and want of decision consequent
on it, marked the conduct of the assembly. They lost the time, so
precious in a crisis like the actual one, in disputing about words,
when deeds ought to have been had recourse to. They are accused of
being influenced by a dread of offending the now tottering power, lest
it should once more be solidly reinstated, and yet of being anxious to
remain well with those opposed to it; and they are said to have
temporised with both, allowing the time for serving either to have
passed away.
A bitter feeling towards the royal family seems to pervade the minds of
the populace; and this has been fomented by the most gross and
disgusting falsehoods dispensed around by the medium of obscene
_brochures_, and songs which are sung and distributed through the
streets. Even now beneath my window two men are offering, and crying
aloud, the Amours of the Duchesse d'Angoulême and the Archbishop of
Paris. The most spotless woman in France and the most devout man! The
same hand that would pull down the throne would raze the altar!
---- and ---- have been among the fighting, and report wonders of the
bravery of the populace. They fight with an enthusiasm and courage
worthy of a better cause, and have evinced a humanity to their wounded
adversaries that elicits admiration even from those who are the most
opposed to the cause they have espoused. The citizens, and the women
too, have come forth from the sanctuaries of their dwellings to dress
the wounds, and administer refreshment to the combatants, without
distinction with regard to the side on which they were engaged.
This amalgamation of soldiers and people has been destructive to the
cause of royalty, for the humanity experienced has induced the former
to throw down their arms rather than use them against generous foes,
and cries of "_Vive la Ligne_!" are often heard from those so lately
opposed to it. All parties agree in stating that not a single example
of pillage, except in the instances of the gunsmiths' shops, has
occurred. Various houses have been entered by the people for the
purpose of firing from the windows; and, having effected their object,
they have retired without taking a single article of the many tempting
ones scattered around in these dwellings.
This revolution, if indeed the result should prove it to be such, will
offer a striking contrast to that fearful one that has ever since left
so black a stain on France, and Frenchmen. Heroic courage, great
humanity, and a perfect freedom from cupidity, are the peculiar
attributes that mark those who are now subverting the throne of the
Bourbons; what a pity it is that such qualities should not have found a
better cause for developing themselves!
_29th_.--The subject now circulated and believed is, that Lafayette and
his followers have placed themselves at the head of the people. This
rumour has quieted the fears of many, for his name exercises a great
influence. The fighting is still going on, and the report of the guns
comes booming on the ear continually.
Hearing a noise in the street, ten minutes ago, I looked forth, and
beheld some four or five men covered with stains of blood, their faces
blackened by gunpowder, and streaming with perspiration, endeavouring
to draw away a piece of cannon, of which they had taken possession in
the Champs-Élysées. Hearing the opening of my window, they entreated
me, if there were any men in the house, to send them to their
assistance, in order to draw away the gun from the reach of the enemy.
"And if there are no men," continued the speaker, "let the women come
out and help us in the good cause." While they yet spoke, a party of
soldiers were seen rushing to the rescue of the gun, and its temporary
conquerors were compelled to make a rapid retreat towards the Rue
St.-Honoré.
The name of M. Laffitte is now mixed with that of Lafayette among the
crowds in the streets, and has a great effect on them. His vast wealth,
and the frequent and extensive aid it has afforded to the working
classes, have rendered him one of, if not the most popular man in
Paris: so that those most conversant with the actual state of affairs,
pronounce that with Lafayette and Laffitte now rest the destiny of
France. How strange is the alteration which has occurred within so
short a space of time! Five days ago, Charles the Tenth reigned in the
Tuileries; at present, on Lafayette and Laffitte it depends whether he
ever enters his palace again! The tocsin is now sounding! How
strangely, how awfully it strikes on the ear! All this appears like a
dream.
The formation of a provisional government is to-day spoken of. The cry
of "_Vive Napoleon!_" has been heard repeatedly shouted from one mass
of people, while "_Vive la république!_" has been as loudly vociferated
by another. Various persons connected with both the royalist and
popular party, have been here to-day, so that I hear the opinions
entertained by the adherents of both sides of the question. Which to
credit I know not: there is but one point on which both agree, and that
is in praising the bravery and forbearance of the people.
When I look around on the precious objects that cover the tables,
consoles, and cabinets in the salon where I am now writing, and reflect
that these same people are not only in arms, but I may say masters of
the town, I cannot help wondering at their total avoidance of pillage
when such rich booties might be so easily acquired. Perhaps there is no
European city in which so many and such splendid collections of rare
and precious articles are to be found, as at Paris. In England, our
nobility possess equal treasures, but they are contained in their
country seats; whereas it is in the Parisian dwellings of the French
noblesse, that their valuable possessions of rare objects are to be
found, and at the present crisis, how soon could an armed mass seize
them!
_28th_.--The Duchesse de Guiche was exposed to considerable danger to
day, and evinced a courage nearly allied to temerity in speaking her
sentiments on the occasion. Alarmed for the safety of her eldest son,
she was proceeding to his college in search of him, when she was
stopped by a vast crowd of people assembled around the house of one of
the tradespeople of the royal family, over whose door were the arms of
France.
The frightened tradesman was in the act of removing this badge, of
which only a few days previously he had been so proud, when the
duchesse, seeing him so employed, remarked aloud, that "after having so
often solicited permission to place the royal arms over his door, he
ought to have had the courage to defend them." The populace, enraged at
this reproof, hissed and yelled; but seeing that she remained unmoved,
the greater number cheered her, exclaiming "that young woman is as
courageous as she is beautiful; let us shew her that we know how lo
value courage, and protect her to her home," They placed themselves
around her, and with every mark of respect, escorted her, to the gate
of her dwelling.
A person among the crowd who witnessed this incident, told me that
never had he seen the Duchesse de Guiche look so dazzlingly beautiful,
as when she was reproving the tradesman--her tall and majestic figure
elevated even above its usual height by the indignation she experienced
at the insult offered to the royal family, to whom in these their days
of trial, she is even more chivalrously devoted than when they reigned
with undisputed sway, and thousands of those who now desert, professed
to worship them.
Before the duchesse regained her abode, she encountered several
skirmishing parlies in the streets who were absolutely fighting, and
probably owed her safety lo the protection afforded her by those whom
her courage had won to be her champions.
The intelligence reached us two hours ago, that the populace had
attacked the hotel of the Duc de Guiche, and placed two pieces of
cannon before the gate. My terror may more easily be imagined than
described, for the duchesse and her youngest children are in the house,
and the duc is with the royal family. I hardly knew whether to be
thankful or sorry, that her brother Count Alfred d'Orsay was not at
home when this news reached us, for he would certainly have proceeded
to her house, and would probably have, by his presence and
interference, rendered her danger still greater.
Fearful of compromising the safety of her children, the duchesse left
the hotel by another gate, opening into the Rue de Montaigne, and is, I
trust, ere this, safe on her route to St.-Germain, where her
father-in-law, the Duc de Gramont, has a residence.
How like a troubled dream all this appears! Would that it were but a
dream, and that those whom I so much love, were not exposed to pay
dearly for their fidelity to a sovereign, whose measures their
enlightened minds are the last to approve, but whose misfortunes, if
they cannot ameliorate, they will at least share!
I know not a more painful position than that of the Duc and Duchesse de
Guiche, at the present moment. With highly cultivated minds and liberal
opinions, possessing a knowledge of the world, and of the actual state
of public opinion in France, they must be aware of the utter
hopelessness of the cause in which they find themselves embarked, yet
such is their chivalrous sentiments of honour, that they will sacrifice
every thing rather than abandon those whose prosperity they have
partaken, and thus incur all the penalty of the acts of a government
whose policy they did not approve. Had Charles the Tenth many such
devoted adherents, he would not find himself deserted in his hour of
need.