Second Empire, before the Italian War.
_Carlsbad, July 30, 1840._--I am leaving Carlsbad at midday this
morning, and going with my sister Acerenza to Löbichau, in Saxony, an
estate which belongs to her; my mother is buried there. She will then
meet my sister Hohenzollern at Ischl, for which she also starts
to-day. We part upon the best terms, and I have promised to pay them a
visit at Vienna on my next journey to Germany.
_Löbichau, July 31, 1840._--I arrived here yesterday evening, after a
journey through a picturesque and mountainous country, well wooded and
well watered. I have been travelling in the pretty duchy of
Saxony-Altenburg, a fertile, smiling, and populous district, where I
spent every summer until the time of my marriage. I revisited it
afterwards upon several occasions. Many recollections give me an
interest in the country, and sometimes arouse emotion. Some old faces
of past times still remain to greet me. I went into the room where my
mother died, and which my sister now uses, and we went to see her
grave at the end of the park. I also went to the presbytery to see the
wife of the pastor, who was a faithful companion of my youth; one of
her daughters is my godchild, and is a pretty young person.
_Löbichau, August 1, 1840._--It rained all yesterday, and it was
impossible to go out. I spent my time in going over the house and
looking at the rooms which I had occupied at different periods. Some
people from the neighbourhood came in to see us, including the
deaconess, Fräulein Sidonie von Dieskau, a great friend of my mother.
I often used to go to her house in my youth. She is a very lively and
clever person, and bears her sixty-two years admirably.
Here I found a letter from the Duchesse d'Albuféra, who says: "Lady
Sandwich gave an evening party recently. You would never guess who was
engaged to amuse the company--a hypnotist! The Marquise de Caraman was
overheard saying to the young Duc de Vicence, 'If we were alone I
should like to be hypnotised, but I dare not before all these people;
I should be afraid of showing my excitement.' Marshal Valée will be
continued in his African command, notwithstanding the criticism to
which he is exposed, on account of the difficulty of finding any one
to take his place. The Flahaut have returned in a very softened frame
of mind, and well disposed to the Government; they often go to
Auteuil, where M. Thiers has set up house. The marriage of Lady Acton
with Lord Leveson is settled for this month; it will take place in
England, where the Granvilles have been called by the serious illness
of their daughter, Lady Rivers. Lord Granville does not greatly
approve of this marriage; much pressure has been necessary to obtain
his consent, but his son's passion has overcome all obstacles."
_Löbichau, August 2, 1840._--Yesterday I went with my sister a
distance of a short half-league to visit a summer residence in the
middle of the park, in which I spent several summers. My mother made
me a present of it, and I gave it back to her when I was married. It
is now in somewhat poor repair, but I was glad to see it again. On our
return I went into the village to recall some memories.
_Schleitz, August 3, 1840._--This town is the residence of the Prince
of Reuss LXIV. Three years ago it was burnt down. The castle is quite
new, built in the style of a barracks, with two very insignificant
towers; it is a pity, for the country is beautiful, especially towards
Gera, where I dined with the deaconess von Dieskau, of whom I spoke
above, and who is one of the pleasantest recollections of my youth.
She is very comfortably settled.
_Nuremberg, August 4, 1840._--Yesterday evening I reached Bayreuth at
a late hour, and started again early this morning.
A mere walk through the streets of Nüremberg will show any observer
the peculiarities of the town. Octagonal balconies in the form of
projecting towers in the middle or at the corners of the houses, with
gables, almost all overhanging the street, are most characteristic.
The number of niches with statues of saints would make one think that
the country was Catholic; yet the town is entirely Protestant; but the
vandalism of the Reformation was as rabid here as elsewhere, and the
good taste of the inhabitants has preserved from a sense of artistic
value what they no longer appreciate for religious reasons.
Yesterday evening at the last posting station before Bayreuth I met
some travellers whom I did not know but who seemed to be important
people. The husband came up to my carriage and asked me if I had heard
the news. I replied that I had not. He then told me that he belonged
to Geneva, and that he was taking his invalid wife to Marienbad; that
on leaving Geneva he had seen one of his friends from Paris, who told
him of the news that a convention had been signed at London between
Austria, Prussia, Russia, and England against the Pasha of Egypt, and
that the French King was furious in consequence; that M. Thiers had
immediately ordered the sudden mobilisation of two hundred thousand
men to march to the northern frontier, and of ten thousand
sailors.[115] As I no longer see the newspapers, I am very doubtful
what to think of such news, and do not know what to make of these
apparent contradictions.
[115] The complications of the Eastern question nearly plunged
France into war about this time. Syria had revolted, and the
English, who objected to the power of the Egyptian Viceroy,
Mehemet Ali, joined Prussia, Austria, and Russia, excluding
France, whom Lord Palmerston knew to be unduly favourable to
Egypt, and secretly signed the treaty at London on July 15, 1840,
restoring Syria to the Sultan.
I was told that on September 1 a fifteen days' camp would take place
here; twenty thousand troops, the whole Bavarian Court, and other
princes will make it a brilliant affair.
In _Galignani_ I saw the news of the death of Lord Durham; I do not
think he will be greatly regretted.
* * * * *
To return from my aberrations, the Church of St. Sebald is
ill-proportioned and the decorations are very tawdry, but it contains
one fine monument. This is a great silver reliquary covered with gold
bands, placed in an openwork monument of cast iron, remarkable for its
delicacy and gracefulness; the ornamentation is extremely rich and the
design admirable. The Town Hall, the large hall painted with frescoes
by Albert Dürer, where several Imperial Diets have been held, is worth
seeing, and also the room in which are hung the portraits of those
citizens of Nuremberg who were benefactors to their native town by
founding religious houses. A chapel of St. Maurice which has been
transformed into a museum has some interesting pictures of the old
German school. The bronze statue of Dürer in one of the squares, which
was modelled by Rauch of Berlin, and cast here, has nobility of
bearing and makes a fine effect. The old castle, upon an elevation,
overlooks the town, and from it may be gained a general view of the
countryside. Though it is somewhat mean in appearance, it has the
merit of indisputable antiquity. The King and Queen of Bavaria inhabit
it when they are here. An old linden-tree planted in the middle of the
court by the Empress Cunegonde must be eight hundred years old if the
chronicle is to be believed; one may reasonably doubt such antiquity,
though the fact remains that this tree has seen many events.
The Church of St. Lawrence is very fine and imposing; the tabernacle
and the pulpit are masterpieces. Two fountains, one of cast iron and
the other of stone, in two of the squares are very noteworthy for
curious details of sculpture, but the little threads of water which
they spout make them look more like _ex-votos_ than fountains. The
house of the Emperor Adolphus of Nassau and the house of the
Hohenzollerns, who for a long time were Burgraves of Nuremberg, with
several other houses in the hands of private individuals, are curious.
The mania for restoration has reached Nüremberg; the results would be
highly praiseworthy were it not for the habit of painting in glaring
colours houses with sculptured fronts which should especially be left
in the natural colour of the stone. The cemetery of St. John contains
the tombs of all the illustrious men of the town. The Rosenau, the
public walk, of which the inhabitants are very proud, is damp and
badly kept. I finished my round with a visit to the toy shop which has
been famous for centuries; all kinds of figures and grotesques are
there made, cleverly carved in wood.
_Baden, August 7, 1840._--I am now at Baden, and felt quite overcome
when I just now entered it alone. The sight of the Jagd-Haus, of the
little chapel, the poplar-trees upon the road--in fact, something at
every step awoke memories and regrets. I am staying in a clean little
house on the Graben, opposite the Strasburg Hotel. Houses are being
built in every direction; Baden will soon be a large town, and much
less attractive to me. As I read the letters which you write me from
America[116] I often think they would have greatly interested M. de
Talleyrand, and would have reminded him of many things, but if poor M.
de Talleyrand had lived I do not think he would have allowed you to go
into exile so far away; although he often said that a politician to
complete his education should certainly go to America, as a distant
point of view from which to judge old Europe.
[116] Extract from a letter.
_Baden, August 8, 1840._--Herr von Blittersdorf whom I saw with his
wife, told me of another wild attempt of Louis Bonaparte, who had
disembarked at Boulogne-sur-Mer and had attempted to arouse a
revolt.[117] The news was telegraphed, so that there were no details.
[117] On August 6, 1840, Prince Louis Bonaparte took advantage of
the excitement caused by the approach of the date when Napoleon's
remains were to be brought back to Paris, and made an attempt at
Boulogne-sur-Mer to restore Napoleon's dynasty to the throne of
France. On this occasion the Prince was arrested and tried before
the Chamber of Peers. He was defended by Berryer, and was
condemned to perpetual confinement in the castle of Ham in 1846.
He succeeding in escaping, and went first to Belgium, and thence
to England.
The King of Würtemberg is here; he has just left the watering-place of
Aix in Savoy. His daughter and son-in-law, the Count of Neipperg, are
with him; they go out a great deal, give parties, and so on. Herr von
Blittersdorf also told me that the news from Paris was of a very
warlike character; for his part he did not understand either how war
was possible, seeing that every party had important reasons for
avoiding it, or again how it could be prevented in view of Lord
Palmerston's measures, which have been ratified by the northern
Powers,[118] while public opinion in France was unanimous and excited;
and the Pasha of Egypt again had gained a success, whereas disasters
alone could have stopped the coercive measures for which the
convention stipulated. On this question the French King is said to be
in full agreement with M. Thiers, and to have stated that he would
prefer war to revolution. M. Guizot has been reproached because he did
not give warning in sufficient time to stop the signing of the
convention. He defends himself by saying that he did give notice, but
was left without instructions. Such is the statement of Herr von
Blittersdorf. He is very anxious about the situation, and especially
about the frontier position of the Grand Duchy of Baden, which would
be inconvenient in times of war. He says that the position of the
duchy is the more difficult on account of the want of a fortress, the
building of which he has urged for the last twenty-eight years upon
Austria, though he has not been able to attain it. I came back very
anxious in view of the possibility of war.
[118] Lord Palmerston secured the signing of a convention by
which the four Powers undertook to give the Porte any necessary
support to reduce the Pasha and protect Constantinople as far as
needful against his attacks.
_Baden, August 9, 1840._--To-day I fell back into my usual habits when
taking the waters. I found some of the faces of former years. My son,
M. de Valençay, arrived from Marienbad. During the day I had a call
from Count Woronzoff Dashkoff, who has come from Ems. The waters seem
to have greatly benefited the Empress of Russia; he says that the Duke
of Nassau treated the Grand Duchess Olga very coldly, and that
Princess Marie of Hesse was quite a success among the Russian
grandees. Count Woronzoff says that she has bad teeth and does not
think much of her beauty.
I then saw Herr von Blittersdorf, who says that the King of
Würtemberg, Princess Marie, his daughter, and even the Count of
Neipperg, regret the marriage, which places them in a false position.
The Princess is said to be in bad health, and by no means rich. All
these stories seem foolish, the more so as the Count of Neipperg is
quite an insignificant person.
The Duc de Rohan has also arrived; he told me of the death of Madame
de La Rovère (Elizabeth of Stackelberg), a young and handsome lady,
happy and beloved, and a friend of my daughter Pauline. Poor Frau von
Stackelberg! She has thus lost three children of full age and very
dear to her in less than six months. These are heavy blows; she is a
real angel, and has been a sufferer all her life.
_Baden, August 10, 1840._--I have a letter from the Duchesse
d'Albuféra, who is very anxious about her son-in-law, M. de La
Redorte, the Spanish Ambassador. He reached Barcelona at a very gloomy
time. She says that he has done extremely well, and that the
authorities at Paris are very pleased with his attitude from the
outset.
All my letters talk of war in a tone which reduces me to despair.
Madame de Lieven was the first to send the news to Paris of the famous
convention of the four Powers, which she announced with a cry of
triumph in a letter to Madame de Flahaut. This Russian Princess showed
herself most delighted and overjoyed at having some excitement worthy
of her, but how will she settle that with M. Guizot? It seems that
these rumours of war reduce Madame de Flahaut to despair, as she has
recovered her affection for the Tuileries.
The Duc de Noailles is, I hear, very proud because he has predicted
the disturbance now in progress. I cannot sufficiently remember any of
his speeches to recall his prophecies. In any case, it is a poor
consolation for the evils which threaten European society.
_Baden, August 12, 1840._--I dined with the Wellesleys; Princess Marie
and the Count of Neipperg were there. After seeing the latter I am
the less able to understand the marriage. The King of Würtemberg is
said to be displeased with his son-in-law, who adopts a contemptuous
attitude; the Count is susceptible and hard to please, and the poor
Princess is torn between her husband and her father, as also is
society between the husband and the wife; in short, the position is
false and foolish for everybody. The Princess is the chief sufferer,
and, though not pretty, she is a pleasant person; there is something
wrong about her figure--her movements are neither free nor easy.
This morning I went to a concert given by the Countess Strogonoff.
Princess Marie and the Grand Duke of Baden were also there. High
society in general was well represented. I saw nothing of any
particular note, and fortunately made no new acquaintances.
_Baden, August 14, 1840._--Yesterday I read the manifesto of the new
Archbishop of Paris, Mgr. Affre, on the occasion of his enthronement.
Two points in it seemed to me to show great affectation: he attempted
to reassure the Government about the moderation of his political
views, and he refused to say a single word about his predecessor,
which is against all custom and good taste. If he would not speak of
his predecessor's administration of office or of his personality, he
might at least have praised his charity, which is incontestable; he
would not have compromised himself, and would have avoided the
foolishness of silence.
Herr von Blittersdorf told me at his wife's house that he was startled
by the exasperation which was produced in France by the absolute
silence of the Queen of England with reference to France in her Speech
upon the prorogation of Parliament. He told me also that England had
resolved to break with France on the Eastern question, because she had
recently acquired accurate information concerning the intrigues of M.
de Pontois, to prevent any reconciliation of the Sultan with the
Pasha.[119] England was also aware of the assurances given to the
latter, that he need not take the severity of the Powers seriously,
and might continue his enterprise, trusting to the help of France.
Lord Palmerston complains of this duplicity. On the other hand it is
asserted that the prospects of peace between the Porte and Egypt are
hampered by Lord Ponsonby; in short, it is a hopeless tangle. Let us
trust that it will not be settled by cannon-shots.
[119] In 1840 the Sultan was Abdul Mejed, who ascended the throne
the preceding year.
The following is an extract from a letter from M. Bresson from Berlin
which I have just received: "I have been suddenly overwhelmed with
work, and not of the pleasantest kind. The evil is great, and will not
be entirely repaired. How often have I thought that if M. de
Talleyrand were alive and at London this would not have happened! I
wish also he could be at Berlin and everywhere, for I am not very
successful in making people listen to reason. Yet this is the most
unworthy transaction of modern times, though quite worthy to bear the
names of Lord Palmerston, von Bülow, and Neumann. Herr von Bülow acted
without authorisation. At first there was an outcry against him, then
there was a wish to do as the majority were doing, and his fine
masterpiece was ratified with very few restrictions. The four Courts
will let me hear of it within six months. Mehemet Ali will send them
about their business and wait for them to blockade him, an enterprise
if possible more ridiculous than that of La Plata,[120] and one which
will be far more expensive. I hope that he will not cross the Taurus
to delude our friends of St. Petersburg. The chief politicians look
for a double moral effect upon France and upon Mehemet Ali, thanks to
the Syrian insurrection. You can see how careful their calculations
have been. Apart from this there is the insult of the clandestine
negotiations and the notification to M. Guizot of the fact that these
had been signed forty-eight hours after everything was over and when
he was thinking of something entirely different, so you may easily
judge of our feelings. If the good old King of Prussia were still
alive we should not have seen such stupidity. Herr von Bülow would
have had a wigging, or rather he would never have gained the upper
hand. He thought he had flattered and won men over and could rely upon
the passions aroused by the inheritance of a Prince whom Prussia will
daily regret more and more. In short, I am in a very bad temper, and I
take no trouble to hide it. We now know exactly what there is behind
words and protestations. I trust that the people will also learn what
the resentment of France can mean." In this outburst the natural
impetuosity of M. de Bresson is obvious, but I also seem to see that
the action of the Powers was inspired rather by tactlessness than by
real hostility, and from this fact one may derive some hopes of peace.
[120] Rosas secured his appointment in 1829 as Governor of Buenos
Ayres in 1835. This dictator had a serious quarrel with France
owing to his refusal to satisfy the claims of the French
residents. After a long blockade the quarrel was satisfactorily
terminated in 1840 by Admiral de Mackau.
_Baden, August 19, 1840._--Yesterday I received so pressing an
invitation from the Grand Duchess Stephanie to visit her at her estate
of Umkirch, in Briesgau, where she now is, that I resolved to pay her
a visit after completing my cure here.
I have seen my cousin, Paul Medem, who came from Stuttgart, where he
had just shown his letters of credit as Russian Minister. He does not
believe in the possibility of the war, and as proof of his conviction
has just invested two hundred thousand francs in the French Funds.
_Baden, August 20, 1840._--I was very agreeably surprised to receive
the portrait of the King of Prussia, with a kind autograph letter. The
portrait is an admirable and striking likeness, painted by Krüger.
Madame de Nesselrode brought her son to see me, who has just come from
London. He left Madame de Lieven absorbed by the European conflict, on
bad terms with Brunnow, very cold towards Lady Palmerston, and furious
because she had not been let into the secret of the signature of the
famous convention. She involuntarily helped to mystify M. Guizot by
assuring him that there could be no truth in the idea or she would
have known it herself. She belongs to the French Embassy, is treated
as such, and people go on laughing at her. She is at home until
lunch-time; as soon as M. Guizot appears the door is closed, no one is
admitted, and any one with her takes his leave. Her position seems,
in truth, to be ridiculous and impossible, and she is only supported
by the Sutherlands, with whom she lives.
I have a letter from Paris from the Duchesse d'Albuféra, who says:
"What can I tell you of the war? The Press is urging it forward by
every means; every day bellicose articles fill the newspapers and
excite people's minds. I am assured, however, that the King is quite
calm and has no fear of an outbreak, but can the progress of public
opinion be checked? It is said that orders have been issued to
mobilise the National Guard in France; we may expect to see every
means of defence prepared. People are not calm enough to see that in
this way war may be aroused. Every fresh measure increases the general
agitation.
"In any case I am convinced that the Government itself does not know
what the result will be. I trust that diplomacy may avoid any resort
to cannon-shot. I have been to see the Duchesse d'Orléans at
Saint-Cloud; she is very thin, but does not complain of her health;
she is often to be seen driving in the Bois, with the Duc d'Orléans
riding by the carriage. Madame de Flahaut is at Dieppe, and her
husband at Paris; he often dines with the Prince Royal. His position
is likely to become embarrassing during the trial of Louis Bonaparte."
_Baden, August 22, 1840._--My son M. de Valençay, who has returned to
Paris, tells me he has seen the Duc d'Orléans, who says: "Thiers and
Guizot seem to distrust one another profoundly. Guizot supposes that
Thiers wished to throw the responsibility of the present crisis upon
him and allowed suspicions to arise that he had not kept his
Government informed. He has therefore sent copies of his despatches to
his friends in Paris, who threaten to use them if the Ambassador is
attacked. According to these friends, Guizot informed Thiers
accurately of the course of events, but the latter declined to give
him instructions or to reply before consulting Mehemet Ali, but simply
sent instructions to London to say neither yes nor no. Palmerston, on
the other hand, wished to drive Thiers into a corner. Thiers on his
side said: 'Palmerston is playing diamond cut diamond, but I will balk
him,' an expression which seems to have become a diplomatic term. At
length Palmerston, worried and impatient, is said to have settled the
business. There is a strong feeling in favour of war; Guizot, however,
still believes in peace, but he writes that as a matter of fact a mere
spark, a blow given to a sailor, would be enough to fire the most
terrible war in the world."
_Umkirch, August 26, 1840._--Yesterday when I was half-way from Baden
on the road here a formidable storm burst, and we were obliged to take
shelter in a barn; hailstones fell as big as nuts. Notwithstanding the
delay I arrived at six o'clock in the evening. The Grand Duchess had
kindly sent her horses to meet me at Friburg. When I arrived Herr von
Schreckenstein told me I should find her in bed, where she had been
with a chill since the evening before.
The new lady-in-waiting, Frau von Sturmfeder, a widow who seems to be
about fifty years old, with pleasant manners, took me to the Duchess.
I found her very feverish, but no less talkative than usual; very
exasperated by her invalid state, and nearly as much by the arrival of
Duke Bernard of Saxe-Weimar, who was paying her an unexpected visit.
After half an hour Princess Marie took me to dinner. The large
assembly room and the dining-room are in a separate building, a
hundred yards away from the castle; nothing could be more
inconvenient; after rain and without goloshes it would be impossible
to get there.
I already knew Umkirch. I did not care for it in past times, nor does
it please me any better now. The main residence is small and the rooms
are low; mine, however, which is on the first floor, has a fine view
of the mountains.
At dinner all the guests were assembled--that is to say, Princess
Marie; Duke Bernard, with his _aide-de-camp_, old Madame de Walsh, who
is here on a visit, though her days of official service are over; her
son and daughter-in-law, the Baroness von Sturmfeder; Herr von
Schreckenstein; Fräulein Bilz, a little hunchbacked music-mistress;
and M. Mathieu, the French painter, who is giving lessons to Princess
Marie. After dinner I went back to the invalid, and stayed with her
until tea-time. She seems delighted to see me. She continues very
anxious to see her daughter married, and has just had an offer from
Prince Hohenlohe; he, however, was thought to be not sufficiently
distinguished, and his request has been refused; the old Count of
Darmstadt would also be ready to marry her, but he is thought to be
too old and too ugly. There is an idea that Prince Frederick of
Prussia, the Prince of Düsseldorf, exhausted and wearied by the
extravagance of his wife, will procure a divorce, and will then turn
his thoughts to Princess Marie, who would be quite ready to take him.
Such is the desire at this moment. They would like me to send a good
account of the Princess to Berlin.
Very little interest is shown in Louis Bonaparte, whom they would like
to see confined in a fortress.
Madame de Walsh, who is a friend of the Abbé Bautain, told me that he
had just been summoned to Paris by M. Cousin and by the new
Archbishop; there is apparently a proposal to form a faculty for
advanced theological study, with M. Bautain at the head of it. He is
certainly an intelligent and talented man, but not entirely reconciled
to Rome. Hot-headed and ambitious, his relations with his bishop have
long been strained; he has not that readiness to submit upon points of
doctrine which is inherent in Catholicism and the foundation of its
permanency. His appointment will therefore arouse some mistrust among
the clergy, and not without reason. I shall hear the truth of the
whole matter at Paris from the Abbé Dupanloup.
The Duke of Saxe-Weimar, though heavy in appearance, is not without
common sense and learning. To my great astonishment I found him a
strong supporter of the house of Orléans; he asserted his strong
affection for the Duchesse d'Orléans, his niece, and entrusted me with
a letter for her. He is very anti-Russian and anti-English, and went
so far as to say that if war should break out the King of the Low
Countries ought to make common cause with France. He is at this moment
on the unattached list, and is provisionally established at Mannheim,
whence he is very anxious to make a journey to Paris.
The Grand Duchess and Princess Marie knew all about the presents and
the trousseau given by Russia to Princess Marie of Hesse. The Emperor
gave her two rows of pearls with a sapphire clasp, supposed to be
worth two hundred thousand francs; the Empress gave her a bracelet to
match; and her _fiancé_, the Grand Duke, gave her his portrait framed
in diamonds and a parasol adorned with emeralds and pearls, together
with maps of the Russian Empire and views of St. Petersburg nicely
bound, and, lastly, the present left by the will of the late Empress
Marie to her grandson's future wife, which is a Sévigné in three
pieces, each as large as a breastplate.
_Lunéville, August 27, 1840._--I left Umkirch this morning, and spent
fourteen hours in traversing a long road which is made longer by the
pass over the mountains. I crossed the Vosges by the Col du Bonhomme.
Many factories and workshops give some life and animation to the
country, which is sometimes bright and lively. Vegetation is poor and
the outlines of the hills too monotonous.
_Vitry-sur-Marne, August 28, 1840._--I left Lunéville at seven o'clock
this morning, stopped at Nancy for two and a half hours, and arrived
here at ten in the evening, which may be called good going.
_Ay, August 30, 1840._--On my road here yesterday I stopped at
Châlons, where I met M. de La Boulaye, who was there for the session
of the General Council. I was very glad to see him; he is a pleasant
man in mind as well as character, and I think even more of the one
than of the other every day of my life. He gave me the Paris news
which he had heard from M. Roy, who had come straight from that
Babylon to preside over the Council-General of Marne. The night before
he left Paris he had seen the King, who talked upon the questions of
the day, and said: "Thiers is urging me to war, to which I reply:
'Very well, but the Chambers must be convoked.' He then answers: 'We
shall get nothing from this Chamber; it should be dissolved.' 'Oh, no,
my dear Minister; on that point I prefer to take the Chamber as I
find it and make the best of things.'"
M. Roy also said that the news of the ratification of the London
Treaty reached Paris on the 22nd, and was not published till the 24th.
During that time the terrible excitement on the Stock Exchange ruined
more than one broker, forced M. Barbet de Jouy to flee, enriched M.
Dosne, the father-in-law of M. Thiers, with seventeen hundred francs
and M. Fould with several millions. The latter has taken M. de
Rothschild's place in the confidence of the Ministry. The public
outcry was such that the Guardian of the Seals, M. Vivien, was obliged
to give orders for the information to be published. This information
will produce no effect, as is natural, but it shows that the scandal
has gone very far. It seems that in consequence the chief personage in
the Ministry has lost much ground in public opinion; he is thought to
have guided the diplomacy of the country very casually, and to have
concealed interesting news from the public in a most unusual way. The
whole of the manufacturing and speculating world is said to tremble at
the thought of war, and to exert a very strong influence upon the
public.
I reached here at about three o'clock in the afternoon in African
heat. I am glad to be back again in a warm climate, with its flowers,
its fruits, its beautiful nights, and its blue sky.
I have a letter from the Princesse de Lieven written from London on
August 22. She says: "General anxiety concerning the situation is
becoming apparent here. All goes well, or rather there is no anxiety
upon questions of foreign policy, however serious the complications
may be. French newspapers, and even the French military preparations,
are regarded with scorn, but at last the people are beginning to rub
their eyes; they are astonished to find that what is known as French
humbug may mean something, and that this something may be neither more
nor less than a general war, waged, as far as France is concerned,
with dreadful weapons--weapons which were wisely laid aside for ten
years, and which France will perhaps be forced to raise once more; in
short, uneasiness is spreading, and I cannot help seeing in the fact
the opening of the way to an understanding, in spite of the obstacles
which the sense of self-esteem may meet with on the road. This is my
point of view. My politics are concerned with my set of rooms,[121]
which I like and wish to keep. The Duke of Wellington loudly asserts
that he is Turkish, and more Turkish than anybody, but that Turkey
will not have peace with France, and that peace must be preserved
before all things. Leopold is greatly interested; he proposes to
return to Belgium. M. Guizot has been at Eu and Windsor; his present
life suits him, and he looks very well."
[121] The Princesse de Lieven had hired in the house recently
bought by M. de Rothschild in the Rue Saint-Florentin the
first-floor rooms, which the Prince de Talleyrand had occupied
for many years when he was in possession of this residence. The
Princesse thought that there she could recover the political
atmosphere which suited her taste. She stayed there until her
death in 1857.
My niece, the Countess of Hohenthal, who has been to Dresden to see
her uncle Maltzan when he went there from Königswarth, sends me some
news concerning the stay of the Empress of Russia in Saxony: "The
Empress of Russia has shown such coldness to the Saxon Court that the
King and Queen of Prussia, who have delighted everybody, have been
reduced to despair. She would not stay at Pillnitz, where many
preparations for her comfort had been made; she refused to use the
Court carriages, and went about the shops and streets like a
boarding-school girl, without the least sense of decorum. She refused
to dine at Court, and only looked in for a moment at a concert given
in her honour. The King of Prussia was ready to give the portfolio of
Foreign Affairs to my uncle Maltzan, but he preferred to retain his
post at Vienna. It is said that his refusal is due to the fact that he
is wildly in love with Princess Metternich."
_Paris, August 31, 1840._--Once again I am in this great Paris,
doubtless populous, and yet so empty for me. This morning at ten
o'clock I reached my little house,[122] which seems to me like a
pleasant little inn, only I am astonished by its small size, which
suits my habits and my tastes so little that I could certainly have
chosen nothing better in order to realise my intention of visiting
Paris only when absolutely obliged.
[122] The Duchesse de Talleyrand had bought a little house with a
court and garden at Paris in the Rue de Lille, No. 73, in the
year 1840. This house, which in size was a mere temporary abode,
was bought in 1862 by the Comtesse de Bagneux.
_Paris, September 3, 1840._--Yesterday I had a long visit from M.
Molé, who blames M. Guizot, and relates his infinite blunders with
great complacency; he blames M. Thiers, and draws a vivid picture of
his bumptiousness, his casual ways, and so on. Nor does the King
escape his criticism as regards the present crisis, which entirely
occupies all minds here. He says that the greatest swashbucklers are
dying with fear of war; that really people are ashamed and vexed
because they have been led astray and induced to regard as impossible
what, however, has happened, while they are angry at finding
themselves isolated when lasting alliances have been dangled before
their eyes. But amid the general panic certain points are so well
advertised by conversations and continual publications that it daily
becomes more difficult to solve the problem, and the only possibility
is to cut the knot. Commercial interests have been suddenly paralysed,
and business in general is suffering heavily. Rothschild, who has
quarrelled with M. Thiers, has lost even more millions than M. Fould
has gained. M. Molé explains all this very cheerfully.
I went to dinner with the wife of Marshal d'Albuféra. The poor woman
was in despair, for that morning she had seen her daughter start for
Spain in the most deplorable state of health. She has kept one of her
grandchildren with her. She is really a most warm-hearted person. Her
account of the present political situation differs entirely from that
of M. Molé; she is no less frightened by the serious nature of events,
but attributes them to other causes. She is never tired of praising
the capacity, the energy, and the cleverness of M. Thiers, his
inexhaustible resource, and his complete harmony with the King. One
fact she told me which would hardly please M. Bresson: that M. de La
Redorte was given the choice of going to Berlin and preferred Madrid.
She says that M. de La Redorte has been very successful in Spain, and
that the King and Ministers are never weary of praising the
distinguished tone of his despatches.
At nine o'clock I went to see Madame de Castellane. There the
panegyric upon the late M. de Quélen was discussed, which led the
conversation to the new Archbishop, M. Affre. His nomination was
brought about by M. de Montalembert in the following way: M. de
Montalembert has become a strong partisan of the Ministry, and M.
Thiers thinks that with his help he will be able to confine the ranks
of the clergy to distinguished men. As a matter of fact, M. de
Montalembert is only connected with the democratic section of the
young clergy, who form a party by themselves, including the Abbés
Cœur, Combalot, Lacordaire, and Bautain, which is not regarded as
orthodox in the sense that the old clergy are. This party also
contains some distinguished young priests like the Abbé Dupanloup, the
Abbé Petetot, the Curé de Saint-Louis-d'Autin, and others; in fact,
there is quite a schism.
When I returned home I found a letter from M. Bresson, of which the
following is an interesting passage: "The position is very serious,
and the Prussian King's first appearance in foreign policy is not
happy. There is no frankness or nobility in following all these fine
protestations with an act of provocation and injustice towards
ourselves, who have never been guilty of a single act of bad faith
towards Prussia. Such action calls for vengeance, and I am by no means
a sufficiently humble Christian not to thirst for it. I am well aware
that they are sorry at what has happened and are embarrassed by it,
but they have been carried away by that great windbag Bülow further
than they wished at a time when his voracious appetite has been
followed by a fit of indigestion; but the harm has now been done, and
it is irreparable. They have shown their real feelings, and what
confidence can we have for the future? In short, I am utterly
disgusted, and I should be glad to resign my post; I am also ill and
depressed, and have a longing for Rome. I wish to leave my mind fallow
and to sit in real sunshine and get warm. I have spent twenty-four
years in exile working without intermission, and I can stand it no
longer. I am utterly bored, and do not want the good relations which
I have been able to maintain here to break down during my tenure of
office, as they seem likely to do. One fault leads to a second, and
one wrongdoing begets another. Besides, I have been personally
affronted; I have been loyal and they have not been. My resentment
will find vent, and whether upon the King or the Minister is all the
same to me. I will make them repent their want of gratitude and
courtesy towards our King, after calling him the Palladium of Europe,
in speaking to me and M. de Ségur." In this vehement style the
impetuosity of M. Bresson will be obvious, but the truth is I think
things have gone so far as to make him wish for another post.
To-morrow the Paris Stock Exchange account is made up. The probable
losses are estimated at twenty-four to twenty-five millions--a very
great disaster.
_Paris, September 4, 1840._--Yesterday I went to the Tuileries to keep
an appointment with Madame Adélaïde. I also saw the King there, who
was well and cheerful, in a very easy frame of mind, convinced that
there would be no war, and certainly not anxious for one. He flattered
himself that the four Powers would soon be persuaded that they were
working in the wrong direction and be forced to fall back upon his
intervention, and that he would thus be called to play the part of
mediator, &c. He is very greatly hurt that the Powers should have put
him in such a position, but is too sensible to listen to the
invectives and the uproar of the Ministerial Press. He has no greater
leanings towards M. Thiers than he used to have, but he understands
that it is now impossible to break with him, and hopes to use him to
extort certain concessions from the Powers, which he alone could
induce the country to accept. There is an element of truth and
cleverness in these ideas, though also a certain amount of illusion.
Madame's feelings are those of the King, though she is extremely
bitter against M. Guizot, and accuses him of showing the most utter
diplomatic incompetence. She repeated more than twenty times: "Oh, if
only our dear Prince de Talleyrand were alive, if only our good
General Sébastiani had remained at London, we should not be in this
position!"
I had hardly returned home when the Duc d'Orléans called upon me, and
stayed for a long time. He is far more anxious, and at the same time
far more decided, than his father. His exasperation with the Powers is
extreme, chiefly on account of the way in which events have come to
pass. On July 16 Guizot sent news that nothing had happened or would
happen; on the 17th he had a letter from Lord Palmerston asking him to
call, and when he reached the house Lord Palmerston simply read the
famous memorandum. Guizot became pale and agitated, and could find
nothing to say except that he would inform his Government, and left
Lord Palmerston as though thunderstruck. Now he and his friends throw
the whole of the blame upon Thiers. Thiers replies vigorously that
they are in the wrong, and gives details, so that relations are
greatly strained. Thiers is horrified at the possibility of war, but
instead of calming the journalists of his party he is so entirely
dominated by them that he not only cannot check them, but thinks
himself bound to tell them everything. The result is that secrecy is
impossible; the Diplomatic Body is affronted and action in general is
hampered. Meanwhile all the preparations announced by the newspapers
have been made, and even doubled. The Duc d'Orléans is himself taking
the business in hand. Thirty-four million francs have already been
expended. All the forces in Algiers are being recalled, and the
authorities have made up their minds to abandon the colony without
regret, telling themselves that they have had the advantage of
training their soldiers and their officers. The Chambers will not be
summoned until all chances of peace have disappeared, when it is
expected that all these expenses will be certainly approved. The Queen
is the most warlike of the whole royal family; the blood of Maria
Theresa is aroused; she is furious with the action of the Powers, and
says that if war breaks out she will ask the Archbishop of Paris to
bless the swords of her five sons and make them swear upon the Holy
Sacrament never to sheath them again until France and their dynasty
are restored to the chief place in Europe. As she usually interferes
in no way, this vigour has astonished and embarrassed the King.
M. Guizot, to return to him, is an object of ridicule at the Château,
especially since the return of the Duc de Nemours from London, for he
tells numberless stories at the expense of the little ambassador. He
asks for the addresses of tailors, wishes his trousers to be
tight-fitting, bets at the races, thinks he has a good eye for a
horse, devotes his attention to his carriages and his table, is
utterly frivolous, and, to complete his ridiculous appearance, brags
in front of Mrs. Stanley and tries to make Madame de Lieven jealous,
and it is said with some success. This field of operations, in short,
is being cleverly worked.
After the Duc d'Orléans had gone I had a call from the Abbé Dupanloup,
who gave me some curious details concerning the Paris clergy, among
whom a silent but very definite opposition has arisen against Mgr.
Affre. The vulgarity and rudeness of his manner rouses exasperation
against him every day. He has admitted his entire hatred of the memory
and the friends of the late Mgr. de Quélen; even my poor self am an
object of his dislike; and as for the Sacré Cœur, it is a case of
persecution. The Abbé began to laugh when I said, "Then we have become
the Fort-Royal of the Jesuits!" Mgr. Affre does not venture to
interfere with the Abbé Dupanloup or his little seminary, and even
goes out of his way to please him, because of the Abbé's widespread
relations, which make him a favourite with M. Jaubert, Minister of
Public Works, with the Princesse de Beauffremont, a pronounced
Carlist, with Madame de La Redorte, and with Madame de Gramont, of the
Sacré Cœur. Moreover, in the course of the week which preceded the
nomination of the Archbishop, M. Thiers sent for him to ask his
opinion about the state of the clergy. M. Thiers, with his usual
tactlessness, had made an appointment at the same time with M. de
Montalembert, who brought with him Mgr. Affre. The parties arrived
simultaneously, and were astounded at meeting one another. While they
were thus awaiting the Minister with surprise, he was closeted with
M. Royer-Collard. Eventually the four men confronted one another for a
few moments--a memorable scene.
The Abbé Dupanloup renewed his promise to come and see me at
Rochecotte in October; at the same time he did not hide the fact that
he might be unable to come if he saw that the Archbishop was unduly
disturbed, for he has to respect his feelings for the sake of his
little seminary.
In the papers seized with Louis Bonaparte proofs were found that the
undertaking was financed by Russia, with the connivance of the Carlist
party, led by Berryer, and the name of M. Thiers was too frequently
mentioned. The King forbade the Chancellor to pursue his action in
this direction for two reasons: firstly, because M. Thiers would have
been obliged to give evidence which would have embarrassed and
complicated the general situation to a far greater extent; and,
secondly, because the King thinks it useless to show his foreign
enemies to what an extent they can count on positive support from
Russia. What will be the end of these conflicting interests and this
general complication?
_Paris, September 5, 1840._--Paris was greatly excited the day before
yesterday and yesterday by the numerous gatherings and bands of
workmen. The newspapers give full details. Much money has been found
upon those who have been arrested, which is supposed to come from the
Russo-Bonapartists; such, at least, is the opinion of the Government.
Every day reveals some new social disease, and the age is racked by
cruel sickness.
Yesterday I went to the Sacré Cœur for a long talk with Madame de
Gramont, whom I found uneasy and disturbed. She gave me full details
of the harassing treatment laid upon her by the new Archbishop, and
also of his new style of ruling the Paris clergy, to which they are by
no means accustomed. For instance, he reprimanded the poor old
incumbent of Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin for the reason that he himself had
been slandered in his parish, for which he regarded the incumbent as
responsible. In a certain sacristy he saw some young priests laughing
at his vulgar manners, and addressed them with strong language. He
wishes to force certain incumbents to resign. In short, there is
general disturbance throughout the diocese.
I also went to Madame de Jaucourt, whom I found alone, aged and
isolated, but lively. She told me a fact which I should have thought
impossible a few days ago, but which I am now more inclined to
believe: that the Queen and Madame gave sixty thousand francs to M. de
Montalembert's newspaper, the _Univers catholique_. For some time in
this paper accounts have been noticed of the King's conversations with
foreign ambassadors.
Madame de Castellane came to ask me to dine with her to-day, and with
M. Molé, who will read us his speech upon the occasion of his
admission to the French Academy, where he is taking the place of M. de
Quélen.
This morning I saw M. Hottinger, the banker, who is much disturbed
about the situation. He sees, with great uneasiness, that the efforts
of diplomacy can be nullified at any moment by the will of the Pasha
of Egypt, in whose hands it is obvious that the question of peace or
war now rests. Conspiracies and risings at Constantinople continually
complicate all these questions for the worse. It is certain that only
a miraculous Providence could disperse these heavy clouds. At
Marseilles trade has come to a standstill and people are warehousing
their stocks; not a single ship is leaving the port, and every one is
anxiously awaiting the issue.
At one o'clock I went to Saint-Cloud to see Madame Adélaïde; then I
went to the Queen, and afterwards to the Duchesse d'Orléans: she is
really charming, distinguished, witty, gracious, and self-restrained;
her conversation is most agreeable and attractive. Madame Adélaïde
seemed to me to think that peace will be preserved; heaven grant that
she is right!
_Paris, September 7, 1840._--The revolt is now breaking out with fresh
audacity. Guns from the Invalides are galloping to the Faubourg
Saint-Antoine, the assembly is beating continuously and troops are on
the march, while the National Guard is concentrated at the different
mayors' houses; in short, this is a case of battle. So far our
Faubourg Saint-Germain is peaceful, but it must be admitted that if
the combat is not soon concluded the left bank of the Seine will be no
better off than the right. I am told that the bands scattered through
Paris are largely composed of Poles and Italians, wandering people
without a fixed home, never sleeping twice in the same house, and
therefore difficult to seize. Since yesterday they have been
threatening to set Paris on fire, by way of simplifying their task.
The foremen of the factories, who have long known of the proposed
movement, had warned the Chief of Police, who had, however, no legal
authorisation to take adequate precautions. It was even impossible to
prevent yesterday's terrible outbreak. To-day there is a general
panic, and the troops and guns are ordered to do police work. Let us
hope they will again stand firm.
_Paris, September 8, 1840._--Yesterday evening at eight o'clock I
heard that the troops had driven the rioters out of Paris, and that
the town was tranquil; public buildings, however, were guarded, on
account of threats of incendiarism. In the afternoon I saw M. Molé,
who seemed to be quite overwhelmed by the fact that public stocks had
gone down four francs. He also told me of the definite rupture of the
Doctrinaires with M. Thiers, whose manifesto was inserted in a Rouen
newspaper, and has been quoted in M. Molé's newspaper, _La Presse_.
This conflict is said to be most energetic.
The _Journal des Débats_ is also very bitter against M. Thiers.
Business men on the Stock Exchange are making outcries against him,
and his position is becoming very difficult. A more pressing interest
is the other war, the first demonstration of which seems to have been
brought about in Syria by the action of Admiral Napier. It is
certainly said that this Admiral is a madman, and that as he is backed
by the hot-headed Lord Ponsonby this demonstration does not emanate
from the English Government, but we wonder whether this Government
will disavow it.
_Paris, September 10, 1840._--The general calm has outwardly at least
been re-established at Paris. Yesterday I dined at Saint-Cloud, which
has been restored and furnished by the King in a magnificent fashion;
splendid Gobelin tapestry is to be seen there, copies from Rubens
representing the life of Marie de' Medici. The King took me round all
the rooms, and talked a little of every subject on the way, constantly
saying that he was anxious for peace and would do all he could to
preserve it, but thought his task must be facilitated; this is not
being done, either at home or abroad. His hatred of the Russians and
his bitterness towards England are extreme. He has a special, and not
unreasonable, grudge against England, on account of present events in
Spain. Queen Christina was convinced that if she could only see
Espartero she could induce him to become her personal adherent, and
had therefore invited him to Madrid. On his refusal she undertook the
journey which was her ruin. In her absence public feeling was
manufactured in the capital; she is now obliged to return under the
most ominous auspices. Probably her daughter will first be taken from
her, and after that what will be done with her? This is the question
which the King continually asks himself, uneasily repeating: "I fear
the poor woman is ruined."[123] He says that England finances and
encourages the anarchist movement; that Espartero is entirely English,
and that if a general war bursts out we may expect to see him invade
France as an English ally.
[123] After ending the civil war (aroused by Don Carlos on the
death of his brother, Ferdinand VII.) by the capitulation of
Bergara, Marie Christina attempted to begin a reactionary policy.
In 1840 she presented to the Cortes the law of the
_Ayuntamientos_, intended as a restriction upon municipal
freedom. An insurrection at once broke out in Barcelona, and
rapidly spread to Madrid and a large number of other towns. This
movement was supported by Espartero. The Queen-Regent summoned
him and commissioned him to form a Ministry on September 16,
1840, but he imposed such severe conditions upon her that she
thought acceptance impossible. On October 2 she resigned the
regency.
The King had heard that the King of Prussia had set the Archbishop of
Cologne at liberty and authorised him to return to Rome, but that the
Archbishop would not take advantage of this permission until he had
received fresh instructions from Rome.
The Duchesse de Nemours has a most inexpressive countenance and a
monotonous tone of voice, which somewhat counteracts the effect of her
brilliant youth. The Duc de Nemours remains as stupid as ever. The Duc
d'Aumale is now regarded as a man. He seems lively and inclined to
talk. Princesse Clémentine is growing faded, and takes less trouble to
please. The Queen and the Duchesse d'Orléans are the two bright stars.
M. Dupin, who was also dining at Saint-Cloud, was loudly groaning and
haranguing about the weakness of the Government in their treatment of
the rioters, saying that as long as they were addressed with the words
"gentlemen and fellow toilers" incendiarism and plunder might be
expected. The day before yesterday these workmen during the night
disarmed two outposts in the Rue Mauconseil, though it must be said
that the soldiers made no attempt to defend themselves. The result was
a fresh panic at the Stock Exchange yesterday. The fear, the grief,
and the ruin which have overtaken a number of people cannot be
imagined.
The other day M. de Montrond was saying that M. de Flahaut was anxious
to go to London as ambassador, but they are too glad to be rid of
Guizot to recall him here, notwithstanding the dissatisfaction which
he causes on the other side of the Channel.
_Paris, September 11, 1840._--I have decided to start at the end of
the morning for Jeurs to visit the Comtesse Mollien, where I shall
sleep.
Yesterday evening on returning home I continued reading the accounts
of the trial of Madame Lafarge, as I had fallen behind.[124] If she is
innocent of the crime, so much the better for her relations, but the
evidence of the two expert bodies, her enormous purchases of arsenic,
and the sudden transition from complete repugnance to excessive
tenderness for her husband would always make me suspect her so far as
to desire another nurse if she had to mix my potions.
[124] Madame Lafarge, with whom several people in French society
were compromised, was first accused of stealing diamonds and then
of poisoning her husband. The first accusation was never entirely
cleared up, but the second was proved. The Court of Assizes
condemned Madame Lafarge to penal servitude. She remained in
prison for twelve years, at the end of which she was pardoned
owing to her enfeebled health. She died a few months later, in
1852.
I am especially shocked by Madame Lafarge's behaviour at one point,
and by the uproarious laughter with which she greeted the emphatic and
really ridiculous evidence of one of the witnesses; such frivolity
seems to me to be rather a proof of impudence than of innocence. The
more innocent a person might be, the more she would suffer under such
an accusation, and while preserving a clear conscience her mind would
be filled with other ideas than any which could produce such bursts of
laughter. Her behaviour there shows a terrible lack of refinement and
a complete failure to realise her position, for when the accusation
concerns husband-poisoning, whether one is accuser or accused, I can
hardly conceive of any inclination to hilarity. On the whole, whether
she is a poisoner or not, she is obviously an unpleasant adventuress.
_Courtalin, September 14, 1840._--I left Jeurs very early yesterday,
after being, as usual, kindly and hospitably entertained. The day
before yesterday I took a stroll with Madame Mollien in the valley of
the Juine, which extends from Etampes to Corbeil; it is well watered,
well wooded, and populous; great rocks peep out among the trees, as in
certain parts of the forest of Fontainebleau. The three chief
residences in this valley are Gravelles, belonging to M. de
Perregeaux, Chamarande, belonging to M. de Talaru, and Ménilvoisin,
belonging to M. de Choiseul-Praslin. The first two of these I already
knew, and Madame Mollien took me to see the third. It is a stately and
spacious residence; the approaches and the park are handsome, but the
general appearance is depressing. This is characteristic of all the
residences in this district. They have no outlook, shut in as they are
in this narrow valley. They lack space and air, but not water, of
which there is such an abundance that dampness is unavoidable. The
waters of the Juine turn a number of mills, some of which are so large
as to look like castles.
I arrived here yesterday evening, and found all the Montmorency family
assembled with a M. de Roothe, an old man of seventy-eight, son of the
last wife of Marshal Richelieu.
The only subject of discussion yesterday evening in the drawing-room
was the case of Madame Lafarge. Here, as everywhere, very opposite
opinions prevail concerning her. Those who think her innocent say that
her husband did not die of poisoning, but from taking cantharides as a
tonic for nervous debility, and that the rapid change in his wife's
behaviour is to be attributed to his recovery from this failing, and
also the pleasure with which she saw him enter her room by the window
when he did not come in by the door. Those who persist in thinking
Madame Lafarge guilty say that the first experts should be believed,
who performed their analysis after the first post-mortem, rather than
the second, who went to work when putrefaction had set in. They also
emphasise the evil tendencies, established by yesterday's evidence, of
the accused: her habits of lying and playing a part; her evil
reputation from her youth; the haste with which her family attempted
to get rid of her by marriage, even going so far as to apply to a
matrimonial agency. She is the granddaughter of a certain Madame
Collard, who before her marriage bore the sole name of Hermine; she
was brought up by Madame de Genlis, and was generally supposed to be
her daughter and the daughter of the Duc d'Orléans, father of the
present King of France. This ancestry of hers is supposed to account
for the keen interest taken in her case at the Tuileries. The
accusation concerning the diamonds is differently regarded in
different circles. Mdmes. de Léautaud, de Montbreton, and the Nicolai,
belonging to the Faubourg Saint-Germain and that clique, think her
capable of theft and poisoning; the democracy, who are delighted to
find a society lady guilty, regard the fable which Madame Lafarge
invented about Madame Léautaud as true. Party spirit appears in
everything and destroys all feelings of equity and justice.
I have just received a letter from the Duchesse d'Albuféra, of which
the following is an extract: "I was at Auteuil with Madame Thiers the
evening of the day before yesterday. Considerable uneasiness prevailed
about current events; these are moving rapidly and becoming very
complicated. The decision to fortify Paris had thrown the Stock
Exchange into excitement; it is a measure which will be enormously
expensive to carry out, and will rouse much apprehension. M. Thiers
said that all his efforts were intended to gain time to finish his
preparations; he added that if we could prolong the matter until April
next we should be in a state of defence, and he said that no one could
be more keenly interested in the question than the King and Queen. As
regards Spain, he seems very uneasy and doubtful of the result; he
receives telegrams every day. On the 7th the Queen-Regent was still at
Valencia, but he thinks that she will perhaps have to fight a battle
to return to her capital. The Town Council of Madrid appoint fresh
Ministers every day, and anarchy there seems complete."
_Courtalin, September 15, 1840._--At dinner-time two new arrivals
appeared, the Duc de Rohan and his son the Prince of Léon. They
brought certain information that M. Anatole Demidoff had married
Princesse Mathilde de Montfort in return for the payment of the
father's debts by M. Demidoff. He is moved only by considerations of
vanity, and has so acted in order to become connected with the King of
Würtemberg and the King of Russia, but the connection is said to be
unfavourably regarded by the two Sovereigns, and not likely to bring
him much satisfaction.
_Bonnétable, September 17, 1840._--The day before yesterday, in the
evening, after all the usual gossip of the Courtalin drawing-room, we
had some amusing anecdotes very well told by M. de Roothe concerning
his father-in-law, Marshal Richelieu.[125] He was married during three
different reigns, and the first marriage was ordered by Louis XIV.,
who had found a perfumed cap of the young fool too near the bed of the
Duchesse de Bourgogne.
[125] At the age of fourteen the Duc de Richelieu, then Duc de
Fronsac, married Mlle. de Noailles, by order of King Louis XIV.
In 1734, after the sieges of Kehl and Philippsburg, where he
greatly distinguished himself, Richelieu married Mlle. de Guise,
Princess of Lorraine, and at the age of eighty-two he married a
third wife, Madame de Roothe. It is said that after the marriage
ceremony he went home to change his clothes, threw down the
ribbon of his order on the bed, and said to his footman: "You can
go; the Holy Spirit will do the rest."
I am astonished by the thought that I have dined with a man whose
father-in-law had been at the feet of that charming Princess and had
been scolded by Madame de Maintenon. M. de Roothe said that Marshal
Richelieu was always a lady's man, and that an hour before his death,
when his daughter-in-law came to his bedside, and said that she
thought he was better and looked stronger, he answered: "Ah, the fact
is that you see me through your fair eyes." M. de Roothe gave the
following account of his mother's marriage with Marshal Richelieu: A
few years previously, when her first husband was still alive, as she
was driving with him, they passed a carriage overturned and broken
upon the Pont Neuf; they stopped to learn to whom the accident had
happened, and whether they could help the sufferers. It was the
Marshal Richelieu whom they picked up and took home to his house in
their carriage. The next day the Marshal called to thank M. and Madame
de Roothe; he was struck with the beauty of the latter, and renewed
his visits so constantly that people remarked upon it to Madame de
Roothe, telling her that the Marshal's reputation was such that it
might be dangerous to receive him too often, in spite of his eighty
years. Madame de Roothe therefore kept out of his way. Some time
afterwards she became a widow, and was left with four children in such
straitened circumstances that she was obliged to sell her horses.
Marshal Richelieu, disguised as a horse-dealer, appeared as purchaser,
said that he could not come to an agreement with Madame de Roothe's
servants, and asked to see her herself. He was taken in, and a
recognition followed. To cut explanations short, she told him that she
had changed her mind and would not sell her horses. M. de Richelieu
withdrew, but in order to help the poor widow he induced the King,
without her knowledge, to find rooms for her in the Tuileries, the
very rooms where we have seen the Vicomtesse d'Agoult and Madame
Adélaïde. Madame de Roothe accepted the King's kindness. Some months
afterwards she learnt that she owed it to the Marshal, and she thought
it her duty to write and thank him. He came to call upon her, fell at
her feet, and said: "If you are comfortable in these rooms, allow me
at least to say that they are unworthy of you, and that the Richelieu
residence would suit you much better." The proposal was accepted, and
the marriage took place. Madame de Roothe became with child, but the
Duc de Fronsac was furious at the thought that a birth might prejudice
his rights, and induced a chambermaid to give his mother-in-law a
draught which brought on a miscarriage.
Yesterday I travelled rapidly, thanks to good roads, good horses and
postillions, and in particular to a hurricane which blew on our backs
and swept the carriage, servants, and horses along in its blast. I
found the Duchesse Mathieu de Montmorency in good health, but slightly
deaf. Her chaplain is ill, and the customs of the house are
consequently altered.
I have a letter from M. Bresson. His account of the political
situation is as follows: "Things here have become somewhat calmer; the
matter will blow over, but resentment and distrust will remain. People
will no longer meet with the same cordiality, and will be continually
on their guard; in short, the ground is by no means as clear as it
was, a thing which M. de Talleyrand never liked, but I think that the
main storm has turned aside, and if you have made plans for a journey
to Prussia next year you need not abandon them for any possible war.
Herr von Werther has been rather seriously ill. The Prince of
Wittgenstein comes back to-morrow from Kissingen. Frau von Reede,
seventy-four years of age as she is, is the leader of society at
Königsberg. We shall have some splendid festivities for the
Huldigung.[126] The nobles of the Mark of Brandenburg have alone
subscribed twenty thousand crowns. All this brilliant prospect does
not restore my good-humour; my health is certainly changed by the
climate, and my character by isolation and exile. I have reached one
of those periods in life, one of those frames of mind, when change is
required at any cost, and it is for change that I hope. My best days
are past; my few remaining ties in this world will soon be broken, and
I ought to try to strengthen my connection with my country. You would
do me a very great service if you could induce my patroness, Madame
Adélaïde, to smooth the path for my retirement."
[126] King Frederick William IV. was not exactly crowned, but he
went to Königsberg to receive the homage (_die Huldigung_) of his
subjects, who took the oath of fidelity to him through their
Deputies on September 10, 1840.
I have an idea that M. Thiers will soon have no trouble in finding
high diplomatic posts for his friends, owing to a large number of
voluntary resignations.
_Valençay, September 19, 1840._--I am now at Valençay, a spot so full
of memories that it seems to me like a native land. M. and Madame de
Valençay are alone here with their children. They both seem very glad
to see me again, and I am always happy to be back at Valençay. Here I
am less cut off than elsewhere from an eventful past, and the dead are
less far away than anywhere else.
_Valençay, September 22, 1840._--M. and Madame de Castellane arrived
here yesterday from their native Auvergne, which seems by no means a
pleasant district in which to live. There are no high-roads to their
residence, but only badly made paths, which must be traversed in a
litter or on horseback. The snow is already upon their mountains,
where there are no trees and no cultivation, nothing but grass for the
cattle; there is no fruit and no vegetables, no game, and no doctor
within easy reach. Pauline has grown thin and sunburnt; her husband is
very thin, and I hope they will pick up at Rochecotte, where we are
all going. Their little daughter, Marie, is most satisfactory, fair,
fat, and fresh, always in a good temper, laughing and restless, a
little angel whom I was very glad to see again, and her mother with
her.
To-day is St. Maurice's Day, formerly the most festive and animated of
days at Valençay. This year it will be celebrated only by a mass for
the repose of the soul of our dear M. de Talleyrand. It will be
celebrated in the chapel where he rests.
_Valençay, September 24, 1840._--The great Lafarge drama is now
concluded; she has been condemned. The reflection which came to me
upon reading the verdict is that the appearance of this woman, her
speeches, her gesture, and her bearing, produced a very striking
effect and secured her conviction. It is a verdict which could by no
means be inferred from the facts, for she has shown for a long time
great presence of mind, while her counsel were extremely talented, and
the Public Prosecutor displayed a tactlessness akin to rudeness.
Public sympathies were widely divided, and Madame Lafarge was
supported by a powerful family. The extraordinary and unusual element
in this case is that I can see no one, not even the condemned person,
who is in any way attractive. Apart from the prisoner herself, there
is Denis, who seems to be a bad man; her mother Lafarge, who is too
anxious about the will; the deceased man, whose business transactions
were a trifle shady; Madame de Léautaud, very frivolous; Madame de
Montbreton, who was too fond of hypnotism; Madame de Nicolaï, who did
not look after her daughters properly. As the accusers of Madame
Lafarge numbered so few estimable persons, she must have strongly
impressed the jury with her guilt for them to bring in a verdict
against her.
_Valençay, September 25, 1840._--The Duc de Noailles has been to Paris
to call upon Madame de Lieven on her return from London, and writes to
me as follows: "I found the Princesse much changed. There are still
hopes of peace, and the Government is moving in that direction. The
King retains his confidence. The proposals of Mehemet Ali have opened
a new stage in the business, which may prevent war, but nothing is
settled; if the matter drags on until the spring Thiers will then be
more warlike than he now is, as we shall then have an army which we do
not now possess. There is a kindlier feeling towards Prussia than
towards the other three Powers. It seems that Berlin has already had
more than enough of the convention, and that Herr von Bülow is loudly
abused for his presumption and his blindness."
From another source I hear as follows: "Uneasiness at London is
spreading through every class. The English Ministry declares its
astonishment at the measures taken in France and at the energy
displayed by the King. I believe that Lord Palmerston is very anxious.
The Princesse de Lieven read a letter to M. de Montrond from Lady
Cowper which does not conceal the uneasiness and uncertainty of those
about her. They say Lord Holland stands entirely aloof from events. I
have certain information to the contrary; he writes letters of six
pages to Mr. Bulwer on current business, and shows as much keenness as
any young man. He is said to be a very strong opponent of France. In
both England and Scotland the harvest is a bad one, which adds to the
embarrassments of the English Cabinet. Meanwhile, though spirits are
rising at Saint-Cloud, the breach seems to be widened by the exchange
of notes in very bitter language. The whole matter is very confused,
and it is impossible to forecast the result with any certainty."
Yesterday M. de Maussion came here from Paris, or rather from M.
Thiers, at whose house he has been living. He says that Madame de
Lieven is regarded as a spy in the house of M. Thiers, where she is
accused of all kinds of treachery. He also says that M. de Flahaut
comes to M. Thiers every morning with a bundle of letters from
England, that he poses as a man of importance, and that he and his
wife are intriguing more vigorously than ever. He adds that M. de
Flahaut is starting for England in order to be absent during the trial
of Louis Bonaparte, but his wife is giving out that he has a secret
and important mission to the English Cabinet, to repair the
tactlessness of M. Guizot. There is a wish to remove M. Guizot, but M.
Thiers does not want him in Paris for the meeting of the Chambers, so
M. de Flahaut is thrown back upon the embassy at Vienna, and it is
thought that he will obtain it.
_Valençay, September 25, 1840._--Frau von Wolff writes to me from
Berlin under date the 19th of this month: "Our town is astir with
preparations for the ceremonies to take place the day after to-morrow
at the entry of the King and Queen, and is also busy with the
entertainments which will be given when the oath of fidelity is taken.
An enormous number of strangers are coming in from every quarter. You
will have seen in the German newspapers how enthusiastically the King
was welcomed at Königsberg and with what royal dignity he ascended the
throne of his ancestors. All who were present agreed in saying that
the King's impromptu speech after the oath was more moving than
anything they have known. The speech was so unprepared that the Queen
halted as though with astonishment when she saw the King suddenly rise
and approach the railing; there he stopped, and, raising one hand to
heaven, he uttered in a strong, sonorous voice which went to every
heart and was heard at the end of the enclosure, the simple words of
hope for the future. He moved many to tears, and shed tears himself.
We need only pray to heaven to preserve us the blessings of peace;
hitherto the prospects of war have not shaken the general confidence.
The King's energy and activity in the work of government is
incomparable. To judge from the beginning he has made, Prussia will
make giant strides under his rule; but I repeat, to enjoy the golden
age which seems to smile upon us peace must be preserved."
_Valençay, September 28, 1840._--Yesterday we were amused by a small
dramatic performance during the evening, which began by the dialogue
between Agrippine and Néron,[127] played in costume by M. de Montenon,
who took the part of Néron, and my son-in-law as Agrippine, a truly
feminine monstrosity. Then _Le Mari de la Veuve_ was acted with much
vigour, balance, and spirit by my son Louis, my daughter Pauline,
Mlle. Clément de Ris, and Mlle. de Weizel. Then we had two scenes from
the _Dépit amoureux_ by Mlle. Clément de Ris, M. de Montenon, M. and
Madame d'Entraigues, and finally _Passé Minuit_ by MM. de Maussion and
de Biron, which greatly amused the pit. After the performance there
was supper and a dance, and all passed off very cheerfully.
[127] From Racine's tragedy _Britannicus_, Act IV. scene ii.
_Valençay, September 29, 1840._--I have a number of letters, one of
which says: "The meeting of the Cabinet has been called at London for
Monday the 7th. It is thought unlikely that Lord Palmerston will be
able to carry his own views, and the Ministers are said to be by no
means unanimous; for this reason some hope survives that peace may be
maintained; on the other hand, nothing is known of the nature of the
instructions sent to the Mediterranean, and the whole situation is
very uncertain."
Now for Madame de Lieven. She begins with many moans over her health,
and ends: "My health, however, is not so bad as that of Europe. What a
disturbance everywhere! War is the most likely consequence. To think
that people could allow things to reach this point and that not a man
in Europe can conduct a piece of business properly! Prince Metternich
must be dead. Every one desires peace passionately, and see to what
the wild love of peace has brought Europe! Indeed, the whole world
must be mad! The crisis must be settled in a few weeks. I am told that
Vienna is making great efforts, but Palmerston is very obstinate. In
France there has been an outcry, and much more also than mere outcry.
What self-respecting persons would think of retreating? I should like
a talk with you; we have seen better times, and I have many things to
tell you of London which would astonish you. My dear Duchesse, if war
breaks out I am bound to be the first to leave Paris and France, and
where shall I go? It is abominable!"
_Valençay, September 30, 1840._--M. Molé writes as follows: "The Comte
de Paris has been very ill--in fact, in the greatest danger; he is
better, but not cured. No doubt you know that Madame de Lieven has
returned; her friend M. Guizot--and I am certain of my facts--will
soon break with his master and superior, M. Thiers. The discussion
upon the Address will be the latest date for the accomplishment of
this great event."
The Duchesse d'Albuféra says: "Anxiety continues to prevail here;
people are asking what answer is to be sent to the proposals of
Mehemet Ali, but many people think that thunderbolts will be the
answer. In France armaments are being organised upon a very large
scale. The Duchesse de Massa has arrived in time to close the eyes of
Marshal Macdonald, her father. It is thought that his marshal's baton
will go to General Sébastiani. The Princesse de Lieven receives a
written despatch from our London Ambassador every day."
_Tours, October 2, 1840._--Here I find a letter from M. de
Sainte-Aulaire, who writes from Vienna on September 23: "The matter
would proceed excellently, if it were conducted here; but discussion
takes place at Vienna and Berlin, and negotiations at London, where, I
believe, a very different temper unfortunately prevails."
_Rochecotte, October 4, 1840._--Yesterday's newspapers contain a long
explanatory note from Lord Palmerston, addressed to the English
Minister in Paris, Mr. Bulwer, which puts the Eastern question in a
very different light from that given by the French narratives.[128] We
have also news of the capture of Beyrout,[129] which is a strong
beginning to the course of coercive measures. What will be the result?
[128] The memorandum addressed by the French Government to Lord
Palmerston will be found in the Appendix.
[129] Beyrout had been taken from Turkey by Ibrahim Pasha, whose
victories had subjugated the whole of Syria for the Viceroy of
Egypt. As this expedition threatened the Ottoman Empire, and, in
fact, nearly brought about a European war, the town of Beyrout
was bombarded and captured from Mehemet Ali by an Anglo-Austrian
squadron in 1840.
_Rochecotte, October 5, 1840._--My son-in-law has a letter from Paris
telling him that the _salon_ of M. Thiers on the day when the news
arrived of the capture of Beyrout was so bellicose that it threatened
to throw the whole world into a conflagration. However, in the
_Journal des Débats_ of the 3rd instant I saw a small article on this
question urging calm and moderation, and when I consider the inspired
nature of this paper I have become a little calmer.
I had expected that the pleadings of M. Berryer on behalf of Prince
Louis Bonaparte would display a seditious tendency, would be
blustering, rash, and outrageous. I was greatly surprised to find that
I could read them without the slightest emotion. But I have often
noticed that when one reads Berryer's speeches they do not produce an
effect in harmony with his reputation, and that one must hear him to
be dazzled and attracted, to such an extent does he possess the outer
and attractive qualities of an orator.
_Rochecotte, October 6, 1840._--The Duchesse d'Albuféra writes from
Paris: "Events in the East are of a very alarming nature, and so also
is the language of the Ministerial newspapers, for which the
moderation of the Saint-Cloud organ[130] is but a small compensation.
The former journalists threaten M. Thiers that they will break with
him if he does not begin war. Prussia and Austria seem decidedly
anxious not to make war upon us or upon anybody; it is difficult to
understand the situation. M. de Flahaut is at London staying with Lord
Holland, who sees the Ministers every day and tells his wife that he
is trying to convince them of our real position, but this officious
service will probably have no great result, as people at London seem
to have made up their minds. I have seen Lady Granville; both she and
her husband are greatly depressed. They still hope that war will not
break out, and I know that Lord Granville is doing all he can to
produce a calmer frame of mind. Everybody one meets is uneasy and
anxious, nor will they talk of anything but of the memorandum, of
Beyrout, of Espartero and the fortifications; they go to bed in
excitement and awake painfully anxious. You are lucky to be far away
from such a turmoil. Nobody pays attention to the trial of Louis
Bonaparte; M. d'Alton-Shée alone voted for death, after a violent
speech. The proposal was badly received by the rest of the Chamber."
[130] _I.e._ the _Journal des Débats_.
_Rochecotte, October 7, 1840._--Yesterday I heard a sad piece of
news--the death of my poor friend the Countess Batthyàny at Richmond
on the 2nd. She had recently felt an improvement in her health, which
had induced her to consider the possibility of coming to live at
Paris.
I hear from Paris: "M. Molé is at Paris for the trial of Louis
Bonaparte, in which M. Berryer was a complete failure. All minds are
absorbed by the bombardment of Beyrout and the possible consequences.
There is a universal outcry against M. Thiers. Madame de Lieven is
rather ill; she is feverish, and sees visitors in her long chair. She
professes a close attachment for M. Guizot, but is said to show a
tendency to coldness."
_Rochecotte, October 8, 1840._--Yesterday I had a letter from Madame
de Lieven, begun on the 5th and finished on the 6th. The following is
an extract from the part dated the 5th: "In England nothing has been
decided; the Ministers are not agreed; however, the peace party is
predominant, to which Palmerston himself pretends to belong, though he
does not offer any means of finding a solution satisfactory to France;
moreover, his hands are not free, as he must ask for Russia's consent
at every moment. Since the bombardment of Beyrout Thiers seems to
think his position no longer tenable unless he makes some bold stroke;
his colleagues are not all of his opinion, and the King is not in
favour of extreme measures. However, some decision must be made. Lord
Granville is very anxious. Things have gone so far that change is
inevitable. It was even said yesterday that Thiers wished to send two
hundred thousand men to the Rhine and a French fleet to Alexandria to
oppose the English. This would be an act of madness. The situation is
very dangerous, and assuming that Thiers breaks with the Government,
where are people to be found sufficiently resolute to undertake the
heavy burden now before them?"
On the 6th she writes: "The three or four councils held within the
last two days have ended in the resolution to send a protest to the
English Government in which a _casus belli_ will be laid down, and I
think that Alexandria and Saint-Jean d'Acre will be the points at
issue; but if one of these towns were to be attacked at this moment
what would become of the protest? The English Government has on its
side addressed notes to its allies to modify the treaty; negotiations
are going on with tolerable frankness, but meanwhile military
operations are also proceeding. They say that the King is not in
entire agreement with M. Thiers concerning the _casus belli_; he is
also said to be especially satisfied with M. Cousin, who is on good
terms with Admiral Roussin and M. Gouin. I am told on good authority
that the meeting of the Chambers is arranged for the early days of
November, and that the protest of which I told you will be decided
this morning. Saint-Jean d'Acre will not be mentioned in it."
This interesting letter gave much food for our conversation. The Duc
de Noailles, who is here, and who has brought his manuscript, read us
a passage on quietism.[131] It is clearly written, and in a good and
brisk style, with well-chosen quotations which enliven the subject.
[131] This piece is to be found in the _History of Madame de
Maintenon and the Chief Events of the Reign of Louis XIV._, the
first part of which was to appear in 1848.
_Rochecotte, October 11, 1840._--Yesterday we heard of the sudden
death of Arthur de Mortemart,[132] a fine young fellow, who was to
inherit a magnificent fortune, and also, though I did not know the
fact, to marry the daughter of the Duc de Noailles, who set off
immediately upon hearing the sad news. Arthur de Mortemart was
twenty-seven years of age, and an only son. It is a dreadful blow to
his family.
[132] The only son of the Duc de Mortemart, who died in
consequence of a fall from a carriage.
M. Molé writes: "The Chambers are being convoked for the 28th, and my
friends insist that I should return to Paris between the 15th and
20th. I agree, but we shall have nothing but the remarkable and barren
pleasure of exchanging our condolences. We are advancing with fatal
rapidity towards a revolutionary Government, which may lead to even
more bloodshed than before. God alone knows how long it will last and
what will take its place. However, if the newspapers do not mislead
and divide the right-minded party we should emerge successfully, with
courage, but our domestic difficulties make the situation
irremediable; foreign affairs would easily be settled if our home
policy inspired any confidence. In any case, the Chamber will have to
decide the whole matter, but there is little hope that it will rise to
the greatness of its task. I do not know what will happen to my
reception at the Academy in the midst of all this. I am ready, and
notwithstanding the arguments of M. Villemain, who seems to be
intimidated, I shall omit nothing from my eulogy of Mgr. de Quélen,
and I invoke the great day."
_Rochecotte, October 12, 1840._--A letter from M. de Barante at St.
Petersburg tells me: "I am waiting for news from elsewhere, for at St.
Petersburg nothing is decided, nor in reality do people greatly care.
Peace would be perhaps the wiser course, but war is more in conformity
with the sentiments which people have been professing for ten years;
so they will only do what England wishes. You can make your
conjectures in accordance with this view; you know Lord Palmerston and
all his political environment, of which I have no idea."
_Rochecotte, October 14, 1840._--Madame de Montmorency writes to say
that M. Demidoff has written to M. Thiers for authorisation to
announce his wife at Paris as Her Royal Highness Madame the Princesse
de Montfort. Madame Demidoff has written personally to Madame Thiers,
whom she knew in Italy, on this subject, and the King has given his
consent.
_Rochecotte, October 17, 1840._--The Duchesse d'Albuféra writes:
"Peace now seems to be a trifle nearer. Negotiations have been
resumed, and people are agreed in saying that if war is to break out
it will not be for a considerable time, and that many diplomatic notes
will be exchanged before we reach that extremity. General de Cubières,
Minister of War, had resigned because he thought the majority in the
Council too warlike, and his opinion was that we should be unable to
wage a successful war with the Powers and must avoid the possibility.
His resignation, however, has not been accepted, as the negotiations
and prospects of peace have been resumed, at any rate for the moment.
The French memorandum has brought many over to the side of M. Thiers.
The vacant Presidency of the Chamber is a post which occupies many
minds; opinions are divided between M. Odilon Barrot and M. Sauzet.
The Comte de Paris has fallen ill again, and his parents are very
uneasy."
_Rochecotte, October 19, 1840._--Madame de Lieven writes: "The English
Cabinet has welcomed the French note. The peace party is gaining
strength, but the issue does not lie in that direction. St.
Petersburg, which is a long way off, must be consulted, and during
these delays the newspapers are able to interfere. The memorandum of
Thiers has caused much satisfaction at Paris, and some embarrassment
to Lord Palmerston; at St. Petersburg it will be thought that he says
aloud what has hitherto been whispered. As for Austria, Apponyi claims
that the narrative is inaccurate where Austria is concerned. In any
case, the decision is imminent, and will be known on November 15. The
four Powers care nothing about the war or about France; so we may ask
in what direction or for what reason France will take action.
Unfortunately there is a general idea that peace and M. Thiers are
incompatible. This would be quite dangerous, for excitement is high,
and Thiers in the scales can outweigh war."
_Rochecotte, October 20, 1840._--The newspapers contain an account of
a fresh attempt to assassinate the King, made by a certain
Darmès.[133] The constant repetition of these attempts makes one
tremble, and it is impossible to avoid uneasiness.
[133] On October 15, 1840, about six o'clock in the evening,
Louis-Philippe was returning from Paris to Saint-Cloud with the
Queen and Madame Adélaïde. They were driving along the Quai des
Tuileries, and had reached the Poste du Lion, when an explosion
was heard; but the weapon which the assassin Darmès had used
against the King had burst and the charge had exploded backwards.
As soon as the assassin had been arrested and imprisoned it
became necessary to amputate his left hand, which was entirely
shattered.
Yesterday my son-in-law received letters from Paris which say that the
wind seems to blow in the direction of war. Lord Palmerston is stated
to be anxious to insist upon the full enforcement of the treaty. Our
Minister thinks himself certain of a majority, rather because of the
apprehension with which his opponents would view their own accession
to power in the present situation, than of any confidence inspired by
the Cabinet. After the attempted assassination by Darmès the Duc
d'Orléans is said to have declared that he was strongly in favour of
war, and would rather be killed on the banks of the Rhine than
murdered in a Paris slum. All our letters agree that excitement is
running high and that conditions are both complicated and serious.
_Rochecotte, October 21, 1840._--Yesterday the papers announced the
abdication of Queen Christina. This event will not form an agreeable
page in the annals of M. de La Redorte's Spanish embassy.
The Duc de Noailles writes as follows: "Many people are saying that
Thiers will resign, and many say that he is in a difficulty upon the
subject. He does not see how he can appear before the Chambers. He
would like to arrange a retreat which would leave him at the head of a
party, by making people believe that he was unable to persuade the
King to take the energetic resolutions which the national honour
requires. On the other hand, thus to be eclipsed, to leave every one
in difficulty, after raising and provoking all these questions, to
evade discussion and responsibility before the Chambers, would
certainly be disgraceful. However, people who are best informed think
that he will resign. The speech from the throne is now the only point
upon which he can disagree and request permission to retire.
"Prussia definitely refuses to let any horses go out of its territory.
It is hoped that some will be found in Normandy and Holland. The
situation is extremely embarrassing, for we are certainly not ready
for war, and cannot be before spring, and yet loans have already been
effected to the amount of four hundred and fifty millions. The deficit
will be a bottomless pit. If stocks fall to ninety-nine, when by law
sixteen millions a month must be redeemed, and if money is taken from
the savings banks, the Treasury will be in a hopeless difficulty. The
Syrian expedition seems to have no immediate result; Ibrahim allows
the allies to seize the seaboard, which is separated from the rest of
the country by a chain of mountains which runs along the sea, and
which the disembarked troops cannot cross. He holds all this country,
which is overawed by his army and dare not revolt, and is waiting for
the storms to drive away the fleet, which cannot then return before
spring. I have seen a letter from Lady Palmerston, strongly inclined
to peace. Guizot also writes that Downing Street is now calmer.
"The King is very depressed by this further attempt to assassinate
him, and Thiers feels that the credit of the Ministry is not improved
by the event. The Deputies who are already here and those who are
arriving are said to be inclined for peace. I hear that the Chamber of
Peers is tempted, if it has the courage--which I doubt--to adopt a
patronising and embarrassing attitude towards the Ministry."
_Rochecotte, October 23, 1840._--Madame Adélaïde, in a very kind
answer to a letter from myself, writes as follows about the attempted
assassination "The King's first word after the explosion to the Queen
and to myself was, 'Well, it seems that you must always be in this
fatal carriage,' a truly touching remark."
I have the following from Madame de Lieven: "Granville yesterday
handed in Lord Palmerston's answer to the note of the 8th. I believe
that this answer undertakes to revoke the proposal for the Pasha's
deposition, if he submits; you will see that this does not help
matters. All that can now be said is that the general attitude and
language upon either side is gentler, and may possibly lead to an
understanding. Lord Palmerston will not explain himself more clearly,
as he is waiting for news of some brilliant successes in Syria; so far
he has waited in vain. The tone of the French Ministry is less
warlike; they say that war may arrive in spring, if winter does not
settle everything. Here you see a change, and diplomacy at Paris is
inclined to believe in peace. We shall see what the Chambers will do;
their action will be important both upon events and individuals.
"The King has not appeared in the town since the shot was fired at
him. On this subject the foreign newspapers comment far more suitably
than the French.
"The dissensions in the English Cabinet are said to be more obvious,
and Palmerston is thought to be in the minority. M. de Flahaut, who
arrives to-morrow, will enlighten us upon this subject. Madame de
Flahaut is now very anti-Palmerston, because she naturally fears the
possibility of war between her two native lands.[134] Lord John
Russell has gone over to the majority against Palmerston, and, feeble
though he is, his influence is important. Things in general are in
incredible confusion, but I am really beginning to hope that there is
a little more prospect of peace than there has been for the last few
days."
[134] Madame de Flahaut was an Englishwoman, daughter of Admiral
Keith (Lord Elphinstone). He was ordered to notify Napoleon I.,
when he sought hospitality on the English coast in 1815, that he
was a prisoner of the allies. He was also ordered to prepare for
the prisoner's transport to St. Helena.
_Rochecotte, October 24, 1840._--Yesterday my son-in-law heard that
the French Ministry had resigned upon the occasion of the speech from
the Crown, which it wished to devote to the subject of the _casus
belli_, against the King's desires.[135]
[135] Thiers and his Ministry went out on October 29, 1840, and
were replaced by M. Guizot. Thiers was not to return to power
under the reign of Louis-Philippe.
My son, M. de Dino, tells me that the Grand Duke of Tuscany has made
M. Demidoff Prince of San Donato, a name derived from his silk
manufacture, and has given him the title of Excellency. The Pope[136]
has sent the dispensations for the marriage. The dowry of the young
Princess is settled at two hundred and fifty thousand francs, with
twenty-five thousand francs pin-money.
[136] The Pope was then Gregory XVI.
_Rochecotte, October 25, 1840._--Queen Christina is apparently
intending to settle at Florence, where her sentimental interests are
centred. She has two children by Muñoz, whom she adores, and has
managed to save an income of fifteen hundred thousand francs.
The little Comte de Paris is very ill, in continuous fever, which
wastes him away. The Duc d'Orléans is greatly distressed, and the
Duchesse is in bed very weak and unhappy. She is not allowed to move
for fear of a miscarriage, as she is now in her eighth month. The poor
royal family is receiving some heavy blows.
_Rochecotte, November 2, 1840._--Queen Christina is not going to
Italy; Nice, Paris, and then Bordeaux, such are said to be her
movements. She wishes to remain near Spain, in order to keep an eye
upon the progress of events.
Madame de Lieven writes as follows, the day before yesterday: "You see
what has happened here; things are becoming very stormy; M. Guizot
must be very courageous to embark in such a vessel. At London the
general tone is becoming much milder, and will continue to improve in
favour of the new Ministry, but a great deal will have to be done to
satisfy the madmen here, and an ill interpretation will be placed upon
English self-satisfaction. Thus there are many difficulties which are
far from a solution. The Chamber will be in a state of continual
storm, an interesting spectacle, but likely to become frightful. The
King is said to be delighted that he has got rid of Thiers, and to be
charmed with his new Ministers;[137] I wish I could believe that his
satisfaction was likely to last. Thiers says that he will not oppose
Guizot; this is nonsense. The Comte de Paris is better. The Duc
d'Orléans is not satisfied with the change of Ministers, but King
Leopold is very pleased."
[137] The new Cabinet was composed as follows: Minister of War
and President of the Council, Marshal Soult; Foreign Affairs, M.
Guizot; Public Works, M. Teste; the Interior, M. Duchâtel;
Finance, M. Humann; Education, M. Villemain; Justice, M. Martin
du Nord; Commerce, M. Cunin-Gridaine; Naval Affairs, Admiral
Duperré.
_Rochecotte, November 4, 1840._--A letter which I have just received
from M. Molé contains the following: "The outgoing Ministry was
ruining everything, and in three months would have involved us in war
with the whole of Europe, and given us a revolutionary Government into
the bargain. I do not know what the new Ministry will do, but it
cannot do worse, or even as badly. The method of its formation has
obliged me to stand aloof--an easy part to play, and one which I
usually prefer, the more so as when I do take part I never do so by
halves."
_Rochecotte, November 5, 1840._--My son, M. de Dino, writes from Paris
that great preparations are being made to decorate the route by which
the procession will pass bringing back the remains of Napoleon from
St. Helena, and that a strange idea has been proposed, to have a row
of the effigies of all the Kings of France. I suppose they will be
placed there to present arms to the usurper. Really, people are
absurd nowadays; in any case, this fine idea emanates from the
Cabinet of M. Thiers, and not from the present Ministry.
A letter from Madame Mollien says: "Yesterday evening, in the middle
of the theatre, Bergeron, the foremost of all the King's assassins,
entered a box, where was seated M. Emile de Girardin, the editor of
_La Presse_, to whom, without saying a word, he gave a box on the
ears. M. Girardin bounded up like a madman; his wife, who is twice as
big and strong as he is, caught him by his collar, shouting, 'Don't go
out! You shall not go out! He is an assassin!' The result is said to
have been an incredible scene; everybody intervened, all were in a
quarrelsome state of mind, and in the corridors and vestibule nothing
could be heard except challenges and appointments."
Here is an extract from another letter in a different strain: "M.
Guizot and Madame de Lieven are the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and
I have a fear that M. de Broglie must be content with the fate of the
Sultan's wife, Validé. M. Molé has not been offered a position; the
King continually repeats that M. Molé declined to lend a hand; this is
not the case. At so serious a crisis no thinking man would use such
language, but the matter is most easily explained in this way. The
_Journal des Débats_ has since been carefully working upon the
scruples of M. Molé, and said to him: 'If you refuse to support the
Cabinet, which is Conservative, the Left will come into power, and it
will be your fault. It is a crime against the country,' &c. This
attitude seems to resemble the case of parents who, when they have a
son dangerously ill, say to a girl, 'If you do not grant him an
interview he will die, and it will be your fault.' If I were a girl I
assure you that in this case I should look after myself. My opinion is
that M. Molé should remain a member of the Academy and nothing more.
Moreover, he will be none the worse off for that. Do you know that
Maurice de Noailles is to become a priest? It is said that Barante
will be Ambassador at London. I hope so."
My son-in-law hears that Maurice de Noailles is entering the Church in
despair, because he could not marry the daughter of the Duc de
Noailles. I admit that I do not believe this story as yet, and await
some confirmation of it.
_Rochecotte, November 6, 1840._--Yesterday's post brought me a long
letter from M. de Salvandy: "We are emerging from a Ministerial
crisis, which has passed off with little incident, except that M. Molé
has remained outside the new combination. He feels, with much
exasperation, that some supreme influence has secured his exclusion.
At the outset of the crisis M. de Montalivet worked very hard to find
a post for M. Molé in the new Cabinet: he went about everywhere, and
declared on all sides that his co-operation was indispensable, to M.
Molé more emphatically than to any one. I could not help saying to M.
Molé that so much zeal seemed suspicious, and that I could not but
infer some bad result. However, M. Molé's chances of office never
amounted to anything, nor has he been treated with any of that
ceremony, which might outwardly have soothed his feelings; in fact,
practically no notice has been taken of any member of the Ministry of
April 15. Only upon the last day were they considered in the least.
The new body was brought together with such little thought that no
effort was made to secure M. Passy, who was ready to come in
unconditionally, but was united with M. Dufaure; the latter based his
refusal upon a personal dislike for M. Martin du Nord rather than upon
political motives. M. Passy and M. Dufaure had no objection to myself
or to M. Laplagne. Thus it would have been possible with no great
difficulty to gather round Marshal Soult and M. Guizot some members of
the Ministries of April 15 and May 12. These would have formed a good
nucleus for a majority, at once compact and permanent. Instead of
this, a Ministry has been lumped together, and it is expected that the
dangers evoked by M. Thiers will provide votes at first, while the
future can take care of itself. When the Cabinet, however, was formed,
it was remembered that no measures had been taken to secure the
adherence of the Left Centre, or even of the Conservative party. Then
they took steps to repair this mistake, and the Ministers all came to
me. M. Guizot, whom I had not seen since the Coalition, came wearing
his order, to ask me solemnly for my co-operation. I did not hide the
fact that it was rather late, and that this fashion of forming a
Ministry without paying attention to any one, or respecting M. Molé
and his party by the observance of outward formality, increased the
difficulty of a situation, which was already complicated enough. When
I heard M. Guizot I remembered what I was saying to the Duc d'Orléans
a few days ago, that of the two rivals it was difficult to say which
is the more futile; that if Thiers is futile without, Guizot is so
within; in fact, Guizot has not a notion of the domestic dangers, the
Parliamentary difficulties, and the general peril caused by the
abstention of M. Passy and M. Dufaure; for they, added to Lamartine
and myself, would form a possible Cabinet intermediate between that of
to-day and that of M. Odilon Barrot, whether we took M. Molé, M. de
Broglie, or even M. Thiers for our leader. In short, their confidence
and presumption have been inexplicable, while they have completely
forgotten the apostasy of 1839, which is aggravated by this fresh
change of creed and colour. They are convinced that their theories can
be resumed at the point where they had dropped them, and talk of
safeguards, order, and resistance with the same authority. They have
no notion of the fury which this language is likely to arouse among
their adversaries, and regard us as cold and disagreeable. However, we
shall support them, for we are men of honour before all things, and I
am equally certain that there will be a majority on the general
question. Thiers has brought things to such a point that his
restoration would mean both revolution and war; but the humiliation
abroad which Guizot's Cabinet will have to confront is likely to be a
crushing burden. Honourable men do not pardon Thiers for making this
humiliation inevitable, and in three months no one will pardon Guizot
for yielding to it. In my opinion he will have to give way in a short
time, but if he performs the double service of bringing us through a
great difficulty without increasing it and of paving the way for a new
Conservative majority he will have done a good deal. I do not despair,
and for my part will certainly help him. He left me and went on to
open conciliatory measures with M. Molé.
"The immediate cause of Thiers' rupture with the King is as follows:
In the speech Thiers demanded further measures, that is, an additional
hundred and fifty thousand men--making six hundred and fifty thousand
in all, the mobilisation of the National Guards, camps upon the Rhine
and the Alps, in short, war. The King tried to compromise by saying
that his Ministers would explain what they had done and what they
intended to do. Thiers refused; it seems as though there was no
sincerity on either side. Thiers felt that his position was untenable:
the Left was trembling, the Conservatives would venture anything in
their fright, and his own foolishness will not bear discussion. The
King on his side was bold enough to regard his attempted assassination
by Darmès as a possible starting-point from which to turn the struggle
against himself and overthrow his Cardinal de Retz, while he ran no
risk for his power, but a very great deal of risk for his life.
"The Conservative party thus seems to be reorganised by the return of
the large majority of the Doctrinaires and the probable support of the
Left Centres, who are in terror, but the Doctrinaire party is divided;
M. Duvergier de Hauranne and M. Piscatory follow M. de Rémusat and M.
Jaubert from the Left; M. Broglie is divided between the two camps; M.
Thiers continues to rely upon him, and flatters himself that he has
been strongly defended by him in the Chamber of Peers; M. Guizot, on
the other hand, calculates that he will accept the London Embassy; to
this he attaches great importance, although M. de Broglie will not be
able to lend him all the strength of which he will deprive M. Thiers
by a long way; however, he will not weaken him, and that is something.
Failing M. Thiers, Madames de Barante and de Sainte-Aulaire will fight
for London. There is no doubt that M. de la Redorte will be retired,
as he has cut a poor figure in the Peninsula. There will be many
changes in the Diplomatic Body. I know that I have been thought of for
an embassy, but I have not yet considered my reply. M. Guizot has
gained nothing from London; something may be obtained from Lord
Melbourne, but nothing from Lord Palmerston, and it is not certain
that Europe is less inclined to the latter than to the former. The
condition of the Comte de Paris still causes alarm. Chomel, to whom I
have spoken, but he is rather a pessimist, has no hope except that the
poor young Prince may live long enough to spare the Duchesse d'Orléans
a great grief during her confinement."
_Rochecotte, November 8, 1840._--M. d'Entraigues, our Prefect, who has
been here since the evening of the day before yesterday, received
yesterday by a courier a telegram sent to him at Tours with news of
the nomination of the President, the Vice-President and the Committee
of the Chamber of Deputies. The nominations in general are, thank
heaven, favourable to the Cabinet and supported by a good majority.
This beginning is a trifle consoling. If fear inspires wisdom, so much
the better.
I have a letter from the Duc de Noailles, who tells me that there is
no truth in the rumour that his cousin M. Maurice is to enter the
Church. People are indeed wonderfully clever in inventing and
spreading stories and providing them with so many details as to make
one believe what is utterly unfounded. The Duc de Noailles also says:
"The royal session is said to have been a most mournful ceremony;[138]
on the one side was much outcry of obvious meaning, while on the Left
there was menacing silence; in the middle was the King shedding tears
at a certain passage in his speech. The speech was wanting in dignity,
and a pacific attitude should be more dignified; it was drawn up by
Guizot. The desire for peace was too obvious, and it was not a
success. The Ministry are sure of a majority for some time, but as the
fear of war dies away they will lose it. Syria has been given up as a
bad job by the Government. If the Pasha submits, all will be over; if
he resists and is attacked in Egypt it is difficult to say how an
explosion will be avoided here. Thiers said to Guizot on his arrival:
'Now it is your turn. There are only two men in France, yourself and
I; I am the Minister of the revolution, you of the Conservative
movement; if one is not in power the other must be. We cannot act in
concert, but we can live upon good terms. I shall put no obstacle in
your way, and make no attempt to inconvenience you.' None the less he
is already intriguing in the Chamber, and an agitation will be raised
to support him."
[138] The opening session of the Chamber of Deputies.
_Rochecotte, November 12, 1840._--The Abbé Dupanloup arrived here
yesterday to consecrate my chapel. The ceremony is to take place
immediately. Yesterday's post brought news of the confinement of the
Duchesse d'Orléans. I am delighted to hear of the birth of a second
son.[139] Madame de Lieven writes that she is somewhat dissatisfied
with the beginning which the new Ministry has made.
[139] The Duc de Chartres.
_Rochecotte, November 14, 1840._--I had wished the first mass said in
my chapel to be for the repose of the soul of M. de Talleyrand, but an
inaugural mass cannot be one of mourning. At the ceremony of the day
before yesterday, therefore, colours were worn in honour of St.
Martin; yesterday's mass was for the dear departed. The altar is
exactly where his bed used to stand in the room which has been
replaced by the chapel; the coincidence affected me deeply.
_Rochecotte, November 17, 1840._--M. de Salvandy, who has most
obligingly undertaken to send me a little weekly bulletin, tells me
that the Diplomatic Body at Paris was almost as keenly excited by the
last note from Lord Palmerston as the Chamber itself.[140]
[140] Lord Palmerston was unwilling to make any concessions.
It seems that Count Apponyi has written everywhere pointing out the
danger of urging France to revolution and to war when she is
attempting to throw off the yoke of anarchy. Lord Granville and Herr
von Bülow disavow the acts of Lord Palmerston. If he really wished to
drive France to extremities, it may be believed that neither Austria
nor Prussia would support him. Even Russia seems to have moderated her
language.
My son-in-law writes me from Paris on the 15th: "The state of affairs
here seems to me very confused. The transition from revolutionary
provocation to a demeanour of humility can only be effected amid
uproar in order to put shame out of countenance. To this end everybody
is working. There is a general cry for peace and for the support of
the former Ministry, and a general outcry against the cowardice and
degradation of the supreme power, though no one can say exactly what
should have been done. These indeterminate attacks never produce a
really embarrassing situation, and as they make an uproar without
doing any harm, the men against whom they are ineffectually directed
obtain the credit of success. It thus seems generally admitted that
the Ministry will gain a majority. M. Guizot, for instance, was saying
the day before yesterday in his _salon_, with the heroic air
characteristic of General Guizot: 'Gentlemen, we have just begun the
campaign; the war will be long and severe, but I hope that we shall
gain the victory.' Though the Chamber desires peace at any price, it
is not compliant. The greater its anxiety, the louder its outcries,
which will only end with its unregretted fall. The Address, which is
to be drawn up, people say, by M. Passy or M. de Salvandy, will be
very bellicose, so much so as to embarrass the Government, although it
had been decided to create as little trouble as possible on this
point.