1832
_London, May 23, 1832._--The Duke of Wellington paid me a long visit
yesterday. He told me that he was sorry that M. de Talleyrand's
personal circumstances had led him to decide to leave England even for
a time. No substitute, however excellent, could maintain things at the
point to which M. de Talleyrand had brought them. He had the leading
position here and a preponderating influence not merely among his
fellow diplomats, but also among his English colleagues. He was,
moreover, highly respected throughout the country, where the fact that
he stood aloof from all intrigue was much appreciated. He was the only
man who, "under any ministry," was capable of preserving the
solidarity of England and France. He himself feared that the other
members of the Conference might take a high tone with M. de
Talleyrand's substitute, and when he came back he might find a new
situation and ground lost which it might be difficult to recover.
Finally, if M. de Talleyrand did not return to London, we could not
even be certain that peace would be preserved.
He added that the aspect of things in both countries was very grave,
that all the provision which had been made was inadequate, and that no
one could predict the result either of Reform or of the revolutionary
means which had been taken to obtain it. Who again could say what the
Royal caprice might bring forth once the Reform Bill was passed?
The Duke was, as always, very simple and natural, full of common
sense, and, in his way, which is certainly not gushing, very friendly.
_London, May 24, 1832._--M. de Rémusat is here with a letter from
General Sébastiani to M. de Talleyrand which he has not yet delivered.
He sent me one from the Duc de Broglie, written on the point of his
leaving for the country, and, as I think, in much anxiety about the
precarious condition of everything in France. He refers me to M. de
Rémusat, but I know only too well what he will say. He is clever, but
it is a scornful type of cleverness. He is a captious person hide
bound in his doctrinaire formulas; even when I used to see a great
deal of his set I used to think him particularly disagreeable, and I
don't expect that he will do or say anything to make me change my
opinion.
_London, May 25, 1832._--M. de Rémusat, whom I saw last night,
announced that he would call this morning, when he would "tell me what
to think of Paris." These doctrinaires always want to teach one
something! He has just gone. It takes a long time to learn about
France; he has been teaching me for more than two hours!
What I chiefly remember of my lesson is that M. de Rémusat's journey
is a kind of mission entrusted to him by the worthy persons who favour
a _via media_, such as MM. Royer-Collard, Guizot, Broglie, Bertin de
Veaux, and even Sébastiani who is at open war with Rigny. The object
of the mission is to persuade M. de Talleyrand to accept the
Presidency of the Council, or, if that cannot be, to be the patron of
a new ministry in which Sébastiani would keep his place, and which
would be strengthened by the accession of Guizot, Thiers and Dupin.
The Ministry in its present dilapidated and distracted condition
cannot last, but the King must be made to choose stronger men, who
will resolutely carry out M. Perier's system, and who have enough
talent to impose it on the Chamber. They want M. de Talleyrand to go
to Paris and make the King feel the danger of his position so keenly
that he will be willing to take this course. This is what M. de
Rémusat has been sent to propose to M. de Talleyrand, and what he took
the trouble to give me a lecture about. M. de Talleyrand is too much
determined not to take part in any administration to give way on this
point. He has, of course, always meant to speak to the King as his
conscience prompts him. But what will he gain by that? Probably very
little.
_London, May 29, 1832._--What a day we had yesterday! The Drawing-room
went on till past five! It was the King's birthday, and His Majesty
having learned that the Princesse de Lieven and I were not dining with
Lord Palmerston, chose us to represent the Corps Diplomatique at his
own party.
There was no one at this dinner, apart from the legitimate and the
illegitimate family, besides the suite and a few old friends of the
King, such as the Duke of Dorset and Lord Mount Edgcumbe.
The King did not stint his toasts. First he addressed himself to
Madame de Lieven, and said that after the many years that she had
represented in London a Court always friendly to Great Britain, he had
come to regard her as a personal friend. Then to me, "I have not known
you for so long, Madame, but the memory which you leave behind you
makes us all wish for your return with the restored health which you
go to seek at the waters. The delicate and difficult circumstances of
your uncle's mission here, in which he has displayed so much integrity
and skill, are such that I attach great importance to his returning
among us, and I beg you tell him so." Then he turned to Madame
Woronzoff and told her how, through her husband, she was as much
English as Russian.
Madame de Lieven thanked His Majesty in a word and so did I, but poor
Madame de Woronzoff in trying to express her sentiments got so mixed
that the King began again, and I thought that the dialogue would never
end.
When the Queen's health had been drunk, the King returned thanks for
her in English, adding that no princess more deserved the respect and
affection of those that knew her, for no one better discharged the
duties of her position than she. He then gave us the signal to rise
and immediately afterwards to sit down again, and, addressing the
Duchess of Kent, he drank the health of the Princess Victoria as his
sole heir under Providence and according to the law of the land. To
her he hoped to leave the three kingdoms with their rights, privileges
and constitution intact as he himself had received them. With all this
he said, and frequently repeated, that his health was excellent and
his strength abundant, that he had no idea of dying, and that in these
difficult times it was most necessary that there should not be a
minority. So that everybody fell to wondering whether he meant to be
agreeable or disagreeable to the Duchess of Kent, who was as pale as
death, or whether, owing to the princely pretensions of the
Fitzclarences, he wished to make it clear that he recognised no other
heir than the young princess as possible. Others assert that it was
all aimed at the Duke of Sussex, who was absent because he has been
forbidden to come to Court. It appears that the popular party would
like to see him on the throne, or, at least, that the King imagines
that they would, and that this was the motive of his very lengthy
speech.
Before the end of the evening the King twice came up to me to say that
M. de Talleyrand must not be away long, that the peace of the world
depended on his presence in London, and so on, with many eulogistic
and pretty speeches. The number of polite regrets, sincere enough to
all appearance, which are being expressed at our departure is really
wonderful.
_London, May 30, 1832._--M. de Talleyrand has received letters from
the King and from Sébastiani, written on the eve of leaving for
Compiègne. Both say that they will use all their credit with King
Leopold to persuade him to leave everything to the Conference, and so
to throw on the Dutch all the odium of a refusal. They wish M. de
Talleyrand, however, to secure here the evacuation of Antwerp of which
the Dutch won't hear till all the other questions are settled. So far
as one can see, the obstinacy of the Dutch does not diminish, and a
bad spirit is again abroad in Belgium.
M. de Talleyrand will leave immediately after the arrival of M. de
Mareuil, and hopes before that to have succeeded in establishing an
armed force which would be called the combined Anglo-French army, and
would be entrusted with the duty of cutting the Gordian knot.
_Paris, June 20, 1832._--I expect M. de Talleyrand on the evening of
the day after to-morrow.
I am seeing a great many people just now; in fact they are boring me
to death. What absurdities, what mistakes, what misguided passions!
Poor M. de Talleyrand; he is going to fall into a pretty mess of
intrigue!
The present state of affairs, which is condemned by everybody, must
necessarily change, at least so far as the Ministry is concerned. The
outcry against ministers is general, and alarm is growing. La Vendée,
however, is about over, and people believe that the Duchesse de Berry
has fled; that, if true, is a great thing. But the state of the
Cabinet is pitiable. Its jerky, hesitating conduct of affairs, no less
than the innumerable blunders which it makes, foreshadow its downfall.
M. de Talleyrand is expected to do great things, poor man!
The real difficulty lies in the character of the head of affairs. How
ugly all this is! Sébastiani is day by day failing more; yesterday I
was really grieved about him; he is quite aware of his condition, and
it makes him very unhappy. To-night I am going with him to Saint
Cloud, and I tremble lest he may fall dead by my side in the carriage.
Wessenberg writes to me from London that the Ministry there is cast
down, anxious and embarrassed by its triumph, and fears that it may
soon fall. I see that in England they are disquieted about the state
of Germany. Here the Corps Diplomatique are complaining of
Sébastiani's double game in respect of events on the Rhine. In a word,
no one is pleased, no one is at ease. We live in strange times!
_Paris, September 6, 1832._--M. de Talleyrand has letters which say
that the coquetry at St. Petersburg was intended to detach England
from her alliance with us, and that they had even gone so far as to
propose to place Antwerp in the hands of the English. All this has
miscarried and coldness has succeeded to civilities. All the
difficulties about the Conference now come from Brussels, where the
marriage[10] has turned everybody's head, and where they now think
themselves able to force France's hand.
[10] Leopold I., elected King of the Belgians in 1831, married in
1832 Louise, Princess of Orléans, daughter of Louis-Philippe,
King of the French.
_Paris, September 21, 1832._--It seems that M. de Montrond hopes to
get Pondichery, and is very anxious to go there. Sébastiani's friends
say he is quite restored to health since Bourbonne, and is steering
adroitly among the difficulties of his ministerial career.
The King of the Netherlands is in an evil mood, and the King of the
Belgians is no better. The Conference is flagging, and, they say, has
much need of M. de Talleyrand to help it to recover its cohesion.
All the Cabinets are said to be much on edge about what is passing
between Egypt and the Porte. Every one shrinks from the consequences
which are imminent in the North, South, East and West. They are
clearly foreseen everywhere, but no one has the courage to meddle with
them.
_Paris, September 23, 1832._--The horizon is gloomy all round. Strange
events are happening in the East. The condition of Germany and Italy
is precarious. The French Cabinet is disunited, there are
complications in Portugal, and Holland is growing more and more
obstinate. To all this must now be added the sudden death of Ferdinand
VII., a civil war of succession between the partisans of Don Carlos
and those of the little Infanta, the possibility of Spain interfering
in Portugal, and consequently the appearance of France and England in
the Peninsula.
Further, there is the change of ministry at Brussels, and the sudden
departures of the Duc d'Orléans, Marshal Gérard, and M. le Hon for
Belgium. Pandemonium reigns more than ever!
M. de Talleyrand is receiving many letters both from London and from
Paris urging him to hasten his departure.
_Paris, September 27, 1832._--The resurrection[11] of Ferdinand VII.
is very mysterious. It is also very fortunate, for when there are so
many complications, the disappearance of even one is something to be
thankful for!
[11] In 1832 King Ferdinand VII. became so seriously ill that he
was thought to be dead. Calomarde then joined the Carlists, and
forced the dying monarch to sign a decree cancelling the
declaration of 1830 abolishing the Salic Law in Spain.