Country Fêtes—Brawls with the French—The Duke d’Angoulême—Mademoiselle
Georges—The Actress and the Emperor—French Acting and French
Audiences—Presentation of a Sword to Lord Dalhousie—Georges’
Benefit—Departure.
Head-quarters, Bordeaux, July 4, 1814,
Post-day.
MY DEAR M——,
We have still had no instruction how to proceed, and are waiting the
determination in England. In the mean time I am being gradually stewed,
for the heat has again commenced, and is in full operation. My life
is quite retired and monotonous, and affords no incidents. The only
variety that has arisen is, that yesterday I dined at three o’clock
with my patron’s sister, a West Indian elderly single lady, and a
female party. I was the only beau, the brother was engaged; and in the
evening I rode over about three miles to Briges, a village, where they
were keeping an annual fête.
The crowd of country-people dancing and singing was very considerable,
and the road was covered with the lower class, going and returning. The
difference between this and our country fêtes seems to be, that there
was nothing to buy or sell, and but little eating and drinking going
on, the principal occupation being dancing and talking, laughing, and
parading about. It seems impossible to make such a people as the French
very unhappy in any way, however bad their government, except by the
conscription.
Those who are satisfied with salads, sour wine, dancing, and other
amusements entirety depending upon themselves and the meeting of the
two sexes, can only be disappointed and deprived of their happiness
by the removal of one sex altogether. Leave them alone, and they have
nearly all they wish. John Bull, on the contrary, wants many things
more to put him into the same state of joy and satisfaction.
Several of Marshal Soult’s officers have got into Bordeaux of late;
disputes and quarrels have been the consequence, but hitherto they
have been of no great moment. Every opportunity of seeking a row was
eagerly laid hold of by the French—a jostle on the stairs at the
theatre was sufficient. Lord Dalhousie, who is in command here now, has
been obliged to forbid any officer going to the Theatre de la Gaieté
where this was most likely to arise, and to order off every officer
not on duty here to camp. We have here now only the Guards and staff
officers. The inhabitants are all with us, particularly a set of very
fine-looking young men, but a little hot-headed, who compose the Duke
d’Angoulême’s guard of honour. They have been also insulted, and a few
days since paraded with bludgeons to see if this would be repeated
either against themselves or the English, and they determined to resist
either on the spot. No great harm has yet happened. As far as I can
learn, there have been about three fights, but none fatal.
A young Tyrolean, in the pay-office department, having been insulted,
watched and followed the offender home. He then went for his sword,
which we never wear (but the French always do), returned, and insisted
upon instant satisfaction. Upon this the Frenchman’s zeal began to
cool, but it was too late; the Tyrolean insisted upon his going out
into a backyard and fighting directly. He cut him across the face,
and was just about running his sword into his body, when a friend
interfered, and stopped him, saying that “he had done enough.”
Another Frenchman has been horsewhipped by an English officer, who,
when insulted, returned with his sword and whip, and offered the
Frenchman his choice, and as the latter persisted in asking for time,
he chose for him and gave him the whip. All this makes Lord Dalhousie
anxious to get the troops off, and as I hear Lord Keith has promised
plenty of transports, in answer to his pressing letters on the subject,
we expect to be all away in ten days’ time, and some immediately. There
are nearly eighteen thousand men still in France, including the fifth
division at Bayonne, where, by-the-by, the disposition on the part of
the French to be uncivil, sulky, and quarrelsome has been much greater.
On the contrary, the generals and superior officers are very civil,
particularly Marshal Suchet, to the few English officers remaining at
Toulouse, and General Villette, who is here, is also very civil.
_Later._—A ship is just arrived in sixty-four hours from Plymouth,
telling us that fifteen sail of the line, and as many frigates are
close at hand, but no news of our destination.
_Head-Quarters, Bordeaux, July 10th, 1814._—I have now received two
letters and packets of papers from you by the last mail, including
those up to the 28th June. The same mail brought orders for all the
members of the Court-martial appointed for Tarragona to proceed direct
for England, and there report themselves to the Adjutant-general.
Upon this I asked Lord Dalhousie (our present chief) what I was to
do? and was by him desired to remain here to the last and move with
the head-quarters, who remain here till the troops move. This must,
I think, take place in about a week or ten days, unless you cease to
send shipping from England. We shall in three days’ time have only a
brigade of Guards remaining for the city duty. The rest who will not
be already embarked will be at Pouillac in readiness.
We have now got our small share of Royalty also at Bordeaux, as the
Duke d’Angoulême has arrived again, and means to stay a few days
before he goes to join Madame la Duchesse at the Baths at Vichy. He
looks worn, and less calculated than ever for public show, but still
apparently as amiable as before. The Duc de G——, though still, I
believe, in our 10th Hussars, came in with him, as his aide-de-camp.
The Duc de G—— is come back much disgusted with Paris, and even almost
with France and Frenchmen. He says that Paris is a dirty place,
without society and manners, and that he has met with no one to whose
word or whose honour he would fairly trust: that all seemed to be a
system of deception and falsehood, and that unless things mend, and
alter considerably, he should feel almost disposed, in case of any
unfortunate quarrel with England, to renounce France, rejoin his
regiment, and become an Englishman. This, I conclude, is the depression
of first feelings, which, in the case of emigrants, must be very strong
just now. Matters have not quite proceeded to their tastes, and they
must every hour meet with that which must inevitably disgust them.
We have now also at Bordeaux the celebrated Mademoiselle Georges, the
actress from Paris, and Mons. Joami, also from the metropolis. In
spite of the heat, I have been three times to hear them in Voltaire’s
plays, _Merope_, _Phedre_, and _l’Orphelin de la Chine_. The man has
neither much figure nor countenance, and I should place him only as a
second-rate performer, though still very superior to the ordinary set
here in that line. In fact there are no tragic performers here at all;
and the inferiority, beneath mediocrity, with which every other part is
sustained, takes off the interest with which these tragedies would be
otherwise attended.
Mdlle. Georges herself is also in many parts deficient, both in good
taste and in true nature. She is of a large figure, but now fallen to
pieces; and I am rather surprised that the _ci-devant_ Emperor should
have fancied her anywhere except during his Moscow campaign. The story,
however, goes here, that at one of their interviews, Bonaparte was
taken ill, and in her confusion and ignorance Mdlle. Georges rang the
Empress’s bell instead of that for the attendants, and that on the
arrival of Maria Louise there was of course a scene.
Mdlle. Georges’ voice is good, and her countenance would by many be
considered fine. In some parts of her acting I think she is strikingly
great, but generally forced and extravagant. She runs into extremes
from crying to laughing, and from low ghost-like intonations to loud
vulgar screams. Upon the whole, one comes away fatigued from one of
these representations, and not much pleased or affected. And what
convinces me that it really is inferiority in the drama or in the
actress, and not merely the difference of style and manner, or national
feeling as to composition and taste, which causes this, is, that
the French part of the audience never seem affected like an English
audience under the influence of really fine acting. You never hear the
generally suppressed sobs, or see the eyes full of tears all round the
house as with us at an English tragedy, when, for example, Mrs. Siddons
plays, and every one goes away with a serious impression. In the French
auditors you only hear bursts of “_Très beau, très beau! superbe!
magnifique!_” &c., always applied to some extravagant and sudden change
of tone or manner; and now, at this present moment, if there happens to
be a royal sentiment which can be applied, it is encored like a song.
No one seems carried away by feelings which he cannot command; but the
applause is given as it would be to a mountebank for a clever trick.
The distressed heroine or empress spits in her pocket-handkerchief, or
on the stage in the true French style, and certainly not in a manner
to excite admiration or interest, or to impress the spectators very
strongly with ideas of her dignity and elegance.
The first night the Duke d’Angoulême was at the play (on his arrival
here this time), we had verses and songs in his honour, and “_Vive
Henry IV.!_” without end. At last came for once, “God save the King,”
which was received very differently from what it was even when I first
came here; coolly and civilly enough, except by a few; and I believe we
have a few sincere friends here.
As Paris gave a sword to General Sacken, Bordeaux is to give one to
Lord Dalhousie; and I really think the town has (as they certainly
ought to have) some feelings of gratitude towards him for his attention
to everything which can be of service to the city, and in successful
efforts to preserve order, and prevent any mischief being done to the
inhabitants. This sword will be a curious heir-loom in the Dalhousie
family, given to their ancestor by the French civil authorities of
Bordeaux.
As a trait of the natural French feelings of vanity, I may tell you,
that my loyal patron Mons. Emerigon said, not only should we have been
all originally prevented from entering France, had the people been of
one mind with the Emperor and the army, but that all along a single
word of complaint from Louis XVIII. of the conduct of the allied troops
would have been a signal for their entire destruction at any period
since.
I am now told that the fifth division, from Bayonne are also on their
march hither to embark. This will probably cause some little more
delay; but I think in ten days we must be on board ship.
_Head-Quarters, Bordeaux, July 15th, 1814._—Our final departure from
hence appears, at last, to be gradually approaching. The numbers of the
English diminish daily; and though we have for this month past been
talking of the “next week,” I begin to think that another week will
really and truly see us off, and the French army again in possession of
Bordeaux.
The tradesmen of the town will miss us greatly. They have made a
famous time of it these last three months, for the army has in that
time received six months’ pay, and most of it has found its way into
the pockets of the keepers of the restaurateurs, the hotels, &c.
Bordeaux has had its full share of the spoils of the _milords_. Nor
have the inhabitants suffered anything by the army, except the little
inconvenience of giving up a room or two in general as quarters for
the officers, who partly made up even for this by giving their hosts
tickets for the play, taking boxes for the ladies, &c., and making them
presents every now and then. The only persons who have suffered by us
at all in the neighbourhood, are those who have small gardens near
the camp. They certainly have had their vegetables and fruit gathered
gratis, and have generally not even had their share. This evil is,
however, exaggerated, and much of it which really exists, has been done
by the French peasantry and country servants, who, if a soldier takes
six cabbages, immediately take a dozen more themselves, sell them in
the camp, and swear to the owners that the soldiers are the culprits.
Those who have vineyards as well as gardens, have also their full
revenge in the price of their wines, which were immediately doubled, by
the arrival of the troops, and the latter in fact pay dearly for their
vegetables, though they get a good part for nothing. It is fortunate
for the inhabitants that we shall be off before the grapes begin to
ripen, and for our own soldiers likewise. Surrounded by vineyards, the
temptations would be irresistible, and the means of offence almost
boundless; so that the loss to the cultivators of them principal
harvest, and the injury to the soldiers, would be very considerable.
I have bought a violoncello to amuse myself this warm weather, and as
my host, M. Emerigon, plays the violin in very excellent style, we have
frequently music of an evening before he goes to his consultations.
We most of us, nevertheless, begin to find Bordeaux dull,—I do
in particular. My occupation has nearly ceased, except as to
swearing the paymasters, &c., to their accounts, and now and then a
Court-martial,—not enough to give me full employment. The constant
expectation of moving, the uncertainty when I may be wanted, and the
natural indolence arising from the heat, prevent me from voluntarily
engaging in any regular study or pursuit, and even prevent my making
any excursions beyond a league or two on my pony. Shut up in this
town, which, though airy, as to the general breadth of the streets and
openings, is still in fact hot and low, and built in a country like
that round Woolwich or Deptford, I get thin and languid, and shall be
glad to be braced by the sea-air and the cooler climate of England.
_Saturday, 1st._—As yet we have had no packets this week, and being
beyond the usual time, this makes us believe the reports which have
been some days in circulation, that you mean to send no more packets
from England. I have still hopes.
I must tell you a trait completely French, of one of the noble guard of
honour of the Duke d’Angoulême at Bordeaux. I had met him twice in the
family with whom I live: on one of these occasions, at dinner. He dined
here yesterday, and whilst the rest of the party were taking their
coffee, I went to my room to dress, as I dined at Lord Dalhousie’s.
This guardsman slipped up stairs after me. He came bowing into my
room, whilst I was in my shirt, and without any excuse or apology,
immediately began to tell me he had a little favour to ask, and hoped
that I would oblige him, and say nothing of it in the family, for he
would not ask them, and was anxious they should not know anything about
it; and at last said, “Could I just let him have five guineas or so,
for which he would give me a bit of paper.” In short, he added that
he was rather deficient in cash, and I should oblige him infinitely
by the loan, which should be paid when he could. As I fully expected
an application to ask some favour of Lord Dalhousie or the Duke of
Wellington, or something very disagreeable, I felt rather relieved by
the explanation in full. As he was quite a young man, had just got a
commission in the new regiment to be raised in Martinique, and was, I
concluded, of good character, from his connexion with M. Emerigon and
his family, who are held in great esteem, I counted him out his five
guineas (all the time in my shirt), and he went away very happy, saying
that he would go below and leave me a bit of paper, though I told him
there was pen and ink in my room. The paper said that he would send
Mr. —— six guineas to England (a guinea more than I had given him) as
soon as he could. It was signed—_P. de V. De R——, De La Martinique_,
leaving my name a blank, and not inquiring where he should send, so as
to reserve, I presume, enough to satisfy his conscience in not repaying
the money, that he should never know where to send it. His bit of paper
only confirmed me in my notion that I was doing an act of charity, and
not turning Jew or money-lender.
The guard of honour are to-day dismissed, by order of the higher powers
from Paris. In truth, there are quite troops enough in France, without
adding the expense of these gentlemen, with their white feathers a
yard long, who would be of no use except to quarrel with the regular
troops. Only four years since Bonaparte, when at Bordeaux, was attended
everywhere by a guard of honour of the same description. Volunteers
were his only body-guard.
The Prefêt of Bordeaux last night gave a fête to the Duke d’Angoulême.
I went with M. Emerigon. The Duke came a few minutes after eight
o’clock in his carriage and six, dressed, I believe, in the uniform of
a Field-Marshal, with the _cordon-bleu_, &c. He was received by the
Prefêt, attended by Generals Villette, Blagnac, Clement de la Ronciere,
&c., &c., and a number of old and new nobility, all in their best; and
having been, as it were, proclaimed to the company by the Prefêt, the
Duke went about most graciously, talking to every one as usual.
About ten supper was announced, for the Duke has very early habits;
and in about half an hour afterwards he came to the window to see very
pretty fireworks, which were let off in the main street, surrounded
by thousands of people below, and at all the windows. It was a gay
and attractive scene. Soon after eleven the Duke went home, for he
rises at five, and works hard at business, on petitions, &c., and at
four o’clock to-morrow morning is to start for Bayonne. He had been
at two reviews in the course of yesterday, and had both times been in
tolerably severe storms. I fancy he must now and then wish himself
quiet again, as he has been for the last twenty years. I am almost
sure I should. The new barons and nobility seem to make very good
courtiers. Indeed, the duties are all the same; it is only a change in
the cry and the idol, the same worship exists as before. The Prefêt,
Monsieur le Baron de V——, while the fireworks were going on, observed
to all around him (loud enough on purpose for the Duke to hear)—how
fortunate he was to have thought of the fireworks; that the idea had
come into his head, as he observed that every one would see Monseigneur
so well at the window, whilst the fireworks were going off; and then
how plainly we can read the inscriptions—O yes, observe _Vive le Duc
d’Angoulême! Vivent les Bourbons!_ and the fleurs-de-lys—how well they
look in the midst of the fire! He felt quite happy that he had thought
of all this to gratify the people, as it necessarily must do.—Now the
inscriptions were close to us, and in letters a foot long. And note
besides, that this Baron was one of the functionaries who ran away from
Bordeaux, when the Duke came here on the 12th of March, and who would
probably not now hold his situation, if my patron and some others had
not persuaded him to return in good time, and continue in his office to
wait the result. The Duke must see through this, and be disgusted.
The women here are not as well dressed as at Toulouse—not so stylish.
They do not show so much blood and fashion. I believe, however, among
the higher orders, that there is much more morality, and that there
is a greater difference in reality, as well as in outward appearance,
between the ladies in the dress-boxes, and those in the tier above,
than there was at Toulouse.
Shortly after eleven o’clock the few English who were present at the
fête, had nearly all gone home, being chiefly Generals and their
aides-de-camp. I came away, leaving the company waltzing and dancing
away with less spirit and skill than at Toulouse.
I met with some very liberal Catholics here; for instance, a gentleman
said yesterday, before me, that if all the pieces of the true Cross
were collected, they would, when put together, make a cross half a
mile long. A lady in company said to a friend (also before me), that
she did not much trouble the father confessor, and indeed that it was
what she liked the least of any part of her duty. She added that their
religion depended on faith, hope, and charity, and that she understood
(addressing me), ours did so too, but that theirs required a good deal
of hope. Madame Emerigon, with whom I live, has returned home highly
delighted with Paris, but abuses the inhabitants, who, she says, think
only of making money, taking in strangers, provincials and foreigners,
and amusing themselves day and night.
She is a French creole from one of the islands. A little mulatto girl,
about fourteen, always stands behind her chair, laughing at all her
mistress says. The hairdresser is generally seated in one corner of the
room, half the dinner-time, joining in the conversation, and sometimes
adorning Madame, whilst we are taking our wine, and during this time an
idle Paris lad, of the girl’s age, whom Madame seems to have fancied
because he speaks such good French, and not the Patois, is running
about, bustling, but in reality doing little or nothing from morning
till night. Three other female servants, and a nephew of the family,
complete the party on this side of the house, or rather wing.
In an opposite wing, are, first in the upper part, two respectable old
ladies, and their servants; below them _au-premier_, is an old West
Indian gentleman and his two sons, both _ci-devant_ of the Imperial
guard of honour, from Bordeaux, and his two daughters, with servants,
&c. None of these are very elegant, nor, as far as I can judge from
one visit, very well bred. They amused me the whole time with talking
of the superiority of the French troops, and how the Imperial guards
in particular could beat all the Allies if not more than two to one,
as they always had done, to which I only said that I believed the
Imperial Guards had been all withdrawn from the army of Spain, at
least I supposed so, and that I had had, therefore, no opportunity
of judging. One Miss also asked what the English lived upon? as she
understood we ate no bread. Upon which a French visitor, to save me the
trouble of explanation, informed her that we principally lived upon
_des potates_ (which is now the word here for potatoes) and _betraves_,
with which accurate information she seemed quite satisfied. This sort
of conversation, and a few songs quite in the French style, which I do
not at all admire, though one of the demoiselles had a good voice, have
not tempted me to pay another visit.
The other night I went to the benefit of Madame Georges. She acted
Semiramis, in Voltaire’s play, and with considerable success,
particularly when she let Nature have its way. She also acted in the
sentimental farce of _La Belle Fermière_, and really well, if she had
but omitted a miserable song, accompanied by an old violin or two
behind the scenes, all out of tune. The orchestra, as well as every
part of the house, was full—almost every passage crammed near the
openings to the boxes. The play began at seven o’clock, and the company
were all ready by four, and I saw many well-dressed women going to
the play at two and three o’clock, as a box cannot be engaged without
paying almost double price. The Duke was very well received, and as
there was luckily no band, we escaped about five-and-twenty _Vive Henry
IV.!_ which we should otherwise have had.
Mr. Wilberforce should exert himself in getting little essays written
in French, on the Slave Trade, circulated in France, in some degree at
least to enlighten the people. At present, even the more intelligent
and better sort of men seem only to consider the English as playing
the part of Don Quixote in this business, and consider the whole as a
sort of romantic affectation of humanity; whilst many others insinuate
motives not quite so honourable, by stating that, having well supplied
our own islands with slaves, we wish to give up all the other colonies,
with a diminished black population, and in bad condition, and then
to prevent their ever recovering themselves. This is to be done by
the abolition of the Slave Trade; whilst our own islands, in full
prosperity, will be ready to reap the benefit of the distress of their
rivals.
_July 18th._—I have now only time to seal up and to tell you that the
returns of embarkations are just arrived from Pouillac, by which it
appears that all the troops are now actually on board, except the
two brigades of Guards, one of which entered Pouillac to-day to be
prepared, and the other is still here. At present no more shipping is
ready, though more are expected; some say we shall be moving about
to-morrow week, some this day fortnight; but I believe no one knows
anything of the matter.
* * * * *
From the following entry in the Diary kept by Mrs. Larpent, it appears
that Mr. F. S. Larpent arrived at his father’s house, at East Sheen, on
the 8th August, 1814.
_8th August, 1814._—“In the evening came Seymour, looking younger than
when he went away, and in excellent health, after having been absent
two years, all but a fortnight. We thanked God sincerely for this great
mercy and happiness.”
APPENDIX.
[Although the annexed letter does not come chronologically within the
scope of Mr. Larpent’s Journal, as there is an anticipatory notice,
towards the close of the second volume, of Sir John Murray’s trial, it
may not inappropriately be inserted here.]
Paris, January 19th, 1815.
MY DEAR SIR,
In regard to Sir John Murray’s trial, I intended to prove the charges
framed by my directions against him, in consequence of the orders of
Government, by the production of my Instructions and his Reports, all
of which are in the Government Offices.
Sir John Murray contends that one paragraph of my Instructions
directed him not to risk an action. I think he has mistaken my meaning
in that paragraph; but whether he has or not, that paragraph did not
recall the other Instructions for his conduct.
The object of that paragraph was to prevent the Spanish Generals Elio
and the Duque del Parque, from taking advantage of Sir John Murray’s
absence, and the temporary command which they had of the cavalry
belonging to Sir John Murray’s and Whittingham’s corps, to attack the
French. There existed a prevailing opinion among the Spanish officers
that their failures were to be attributed to the want of good cavalry;
and this paragraph of the Instructions was drawn with the view of
preventing those officers from attempting to fight a general action
when circumstances should have placed a small body of good cavalry at
their disposal, more particularly as all the manœuvres ordered by the
Instructions had in view to prevent the necessity of a general action.
I have not by me the Instructions, but, as well as I recollect, this
meaning of the paragraph is obvious; and it will be particularly
observed that it comes in after the directions for the formation of
the Corps Romain in Bohemia with the Duque del Parque and General
Elio. I think, as I before stated, that this paragraph has nothing to
say to the question of Sir John Murray’s guilt or innocence of the two
charges, though it has to that brought against him by the Admiral.
The Court has, of course, a right to judge of my meaning by the words
in which it is conveyed, in whatever manner I may now explain it or
you may explain it for me, as the obvious meaning of those words was
to be the guide of Sir John Murray’s conduct. I must add also, that
whatever care I may have taken, it is not improbable that in drawing
an Instruction for the operations of so many corps, all with separate
Commanders-in-Chief, I may not in every instance have made use of the
language which should convey the meaning I had in my mind.
There is nothing else that occurs to me; but I shall be glad to hear
from you occasionally during the trial, and receive a copy of the
evidence when it can be got.
Believe me,
Ever yours, most faithfully,
WELLINGTON.
_To F. S. Larpent, Esq._
_&c. &c._
LONDON: W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
Transcriber’s Notes
pg 65 Changed: that is the best way, I believe, if posible
to: that is the best way, I believe, if possible
pg 102 Changed: not to neglect making up her deficiences
to: not to neglect making up her deficiencies
pg 125 Changed: the obligation of cuting so much of the corn
to: the obligation of cutting so much of the corn
pg 137 Changed: too much for them, end are consequently retiring
to: too much for them, and are consequently retiring
pg 144 Changed: round the botton of an insulated hill
to: round the bottom of an insulated hill
pg 159 Changed: und and there the first charge of cavalry took place
to: und and there the first charge of cavalry took place
pg 208 Changed: prisoners aad deserters say nearly five thousand
to: prisoners and deserters say nearly five thousand
pg 308 Changed: given up their lodgings and and have packed up
to: given up their lodgings and have packed up
pg 330 Changed: He is a stanch Frenchman
to: He is a staunch Frenchman
pg 457 Changed: and thence he was was to post the other
to: and thence he was to post the other
pg 458 Changed: every precaution taken for secresy
to: every precaution taken for secrecy
pg 471 Changed: probably let the King he proclaimed
to: probably let the King be proclaimed
pg 482 Changed: stay here until this mornimg
to: stay here until this morning
pg 493 Changed: who were lyng safe on the ground
to: who were lying safe on the ground
pg 520 Changed: like our New River, the bands trimmed
to: like our New River, the banks trimmed
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