Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino (Afterwards Duchesse de Talleyrand et de Sagan), 1836-1840
please the Duc de Bordeaux, has requested Don Carlos to receive his
grandson into his army, and Don Carlos has very wisely refused. The
truth is that this would have been the only thing that could have
induced France to intervene.
A letter from Strasburg gives me many details concerning the Abbé
Bautain and MM. Ratisbonne and de Bonnechose which interest me
greatly, for it was these men who carried on the correspondence
concerning the philosophy of religion which I read last winter. This
book is preceded by their biographies and the story of their
conversion, so that my knowledge of their case is complete. M.
Royer-Collard, to whom I have spoken several times concerning the Abbé
Bautain, told me that when he was high master of the university he
knew the Abbé, then quite a young man; that he had a distinguished
mind and a lively imagination, but that his mother was at Charenton
and that there seemed some likelihood of his following her, though at
the same time he thought a great deal of him for many reasons. I trust
that the death of Mlle. Humann will not relax the precious bond which
unites all these young people, with their goodness and sincerity. The
manner of Mlle. Humann's death was like that of Queen Anne of Austria,
a description of which I have just read in the _Mémoires_ of Madame de
Motteville; this queen also died of cancer. I know few incidents so
touching and edifying, so curious and well described, as the death of
this princess. I have finished these memoirs; a book which
counterbalances, from the political standpoint, the memoirs of
Cardinal de Retz. By way of restoring my equilibrium, I am reading
the _Mémoires_ of the Grande Mademoiselle. I read them before my
marriage, at a time when I did not know France, and therefore knew
even less the district which I now inhabit, and in which this princess
lived for a long time; consequently her book has an entirely new
attraction for me and interests me deeply.
_Valençay, September 28, 1836._--A few days ago a Spanish courier
arrived at Paris from Madrid. He had been stopped by the Carlists, who
had taken all his despatches except those directly addressed to King
Louis-Philippe. In these despatches Queen Christina announces that she
proposes to leave Madrid, leaving the two Princesses behind. The next
day a telegram came in stating that the Queen is to leave Madrid, with
all the Ministry, for Badajoz. This town was chosen as being nearest
to Portugal, and because the Queen would be unable to travel in the
direction of Cadiz or the Pyrenees or to any seaport. Unfortunate
creature!
_Valençay, October 2, 1836._--M. de Valençay, who is at the camp of
Compiègne with the Duc d'Orléans, writes that everything is going off
well and that the King's visit has had an excellent effect. The
Ministers, who all accompanied the King to Compiègne, followed him on
horseback to the great review, but M. Molé felt uncomfortable after a
few minutes and got into the Queen's carriage. The camp is said to be
very fine; the King was excellently received, and the young Princes
make a good appearance. I am the more pleased to hear this as it is
the first time that the King has left his confinement since the case
of Alibaud. His presence in camp must have been thought very
necessary, as the Duc d'Orléans answered for the King's safety with
his own life, begging him to go and show himself to the troops; and
only then did the Council, which had at first opposed the plan,
consent to the King's journey.
_Valençay, October 5, 1836._--I must copy the following passage about
the castle of Valençay, which I found in the _Mémoires_ of the Grand
Mademoiselle, vol. ii. p. 411, in the year 1653: "I continued my
journey to Valençay, and arrived there by torchlight. I thought I was
entering an enchanted house. The rooms are the most handsome,
delightful, and magnificent, in the world; the staircase is very fine,
and is reached by an arcaded gallery that is superb. It was
beautifully lighted up; there were plenty of people, including Madame
de Valençay, and some local ladies with handsome daughters, and the
general effect was most perfect. The room corresponded with the beauty
of the staircase, both in decorations and furniture. It rained the
whole day that I was there, and I think the weather must have done it
on purpose, as the covered walks had only just been begun. From there
I went to Selles; it is a fine house."
I have a letter from Alexander von Humboldt about the death of my man
of business, Herr Hennenberg. He offers his services in a most
obliging and careful letter, marked by the utmost flattery and
wittiness, a curious document which I shall keep among my precious
autographs. The death of this man has aroused the interest of all my
friends. Were it not for the anxiety which would pursue me if I were
to leave M. de Talleyrand and my daughter, a journey to Prussia would
suit me entirely.
_Valençay, October 18, 1836._--Yesterday I had a letter from the
Prince de Laval, written from Maintenon, where he was staying with M.
de Chateaubriand and Madame Récamier. He told me that a messenger from
the Princesse de Polignac had just arrived begging the Duc de Noailles
to go to Paris to try and remove the fresh obstacle which prevented
the accomplishment of the promise to improve the condition of the
prisoners. The Prince de Laval adds that the Duc de Noailles was about
to start, and that he would return to Montigny, whence he would come
and pay us a short visit and tell us of the new complications which
have arisen concerning the poor prisoners of Ham.
_Valençay, October 20, 1836._--Yesterday we had a pleasant visit from
M. Royer-Collard, who came over from Châteauvieux in spite of the
deplorable state of the roads. He was very indignant that any one
should be bargaining with the prisoners of Ham about their liberty. He
left me a letter which he had received from M. de Tocqueville, who had
returned from a journey in Switzerland. In it I found the following
passage: "I have closely examined Switzerland for two months. It is
very possible that the present severity of the French Government
towards it may force this disunited people to submit, but it is
certain in any case that we have made implacable enemies there. We
have accomplished a miracle by uniting in common feeling against
ourselves parties hitherto irreconcilable. This miracle has been
performed by the violent measure of M. Thiers, and perhaps even more
by the pride and haughtiness of our ambassador, M. de Montebello, and
his mania for interfering in the domestic affairs of the country upon
every possible occasion."
I have recently been thinking a great deal of what has been done or
left undone for the prisoners at Ham. All the newspapers with the
exception of the _Débats_ unanimously blame the last measures, the
favours offered as a bargain and the degrading conditions imposed upon
these prisoners, who are a class by themselves and unexampled in
history. These unfortunate men, moreover, are not asking for liberty,
but are only requesting some alleviation on the score of their health.
It seems that our present Ministers do not share the opinion of
Cardinal de Retz, who said: "Everything that seems dangerous and
really is not, is almost always a wise measure." Some one else makes
another observation which seems very applicable to recent events:
"There is nothing finer than to do favours to those who are against
us, and nothing weaker, in my opinion, than to receive favours from
them. Christianity, which enjoins the first action upon us, would
certainly have enjoined the second if it were good." Here we have a
clever saying in the style of that fine period when everybody, even
the least perfect, had some grandeur about him. I do not know whether
vice is now any less, but as for grandeur I can find none.
_Valençay, October 23, 1836._--I have decided to write a short note
concerning the castle of Valençay, describing its foundation and
history, &c., which I shall dedicate to my grandson, Boson, in the
following words:[48]
TO MY GRANDSON,
"All are agreed that it is disgraceful to know nothing of the
history of one's own country, and that undue modesty or undue
presumption are possible dangers if one is ignorant of one's
family history, but few are aware how greatly the pleasure of
inhabiting a beautiful spot is increased by some knowledge of its
traditions. Of these three kinds of ignorance the last is
undoubtedly of least importance, but it is also the most common;
schoolmasters may create the first, parents the second, but only
individual taste can lead us to inquire into dates and facts
connected with places which are not generally recognised as
famous. This inquiry may seem trivial if it is not justified by
any interesting recollections of the past, but in such a case as
that of Valençay, where the house is well known for its connection
with celebrities, it is the less excusable to disregard or to
confuse its history, as we are specially called, if not to
perpetuate these famous events, at least to respect them.
"It has been a pleasure to make this piece of history easier for
your study. May it encourage you to remain as noble in heart and
thought as are the glories and the traditions of the ancient place
of which I propose to tell you the story."
[48] This note upon Valençay was printed in 1848 by Crapelet, Rue
de Vaugirard, at Paris, with the dedication to which the author
here refers. This curious work is quoted by Larousse in his great
"Dictionnaire universel du Dix-neuvième Siècle," under
"Valençay." It has become scarce, but several copies exist.
_Valençay, October 24, 1836._--Yesterday I had a very kind letter from
the Duc d'Orléans, telling me of the departure of his brother the Duc
de Nemours for Constantine. He envies him his dangerous enterprise.
M. the Prince de Joinville was at Jerusalem.
_Valençay, October 28, 1836._--All our letters from Paris say that no
ceremony has been more imposing than the erection of the Obelisk of
Luxor.[49] The royal family was welcomed with delight. It was their
first public appearance in Paris since Fieschi's attempt, and the
people showed their pleasure. The Cabinet hesitated, as in the case of
Compiègne, but the royal will carried the day, and with successful
results.
[49] The Obelisk of Luxor was given to King Louis-Philippe by
Mehemet Ali, Pasha of Egypt. It was removed from its place before
the Temple of Luxor, carried to Paris, and erected in the Place
de la Concorde in 1836.
_Valençay, October 30, 1836._--To-morrow I propose to start from here
at eight o'clock in the morning; I shall lunch at Beauregard,[50] dine
at Tours and sleep at my own house at Rochecotte, where M. de
Talleyrand and my daughter will join me on November 2.
[50] With the Comtesse Camille de Sainte-Aldegonde.
_Rochecotte, November 2, 1836._--I have not had a moment's rest since
my arrival here, as I had to put everything in order before the
appearance of the guests whom I am expecting, and to examine the
changes that have been caused during my absence by the construction of
the artesian well; these changes have greatly improved the immediate
neighbourhood of the Castle, though much remains to be done.
I am inclined to think that M. Thiers has uttered some very
ill-advised remarks concerning all of us. Ill-temper and despondency
usually find unmeasured expression in the case of persons whose early
education has been deficient. It was the Spanish question which drove
M. Thiers from the Ministry, and on this point he was absolutely
opposed to M. de Talleyrand; hence the result. I have no ill-feeling
against him; it was bound to be so. Moreover, there are very few