Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino (Afterwards Duchesse de Talleyrand et de Sagan), 1836-1840
and the line troops still more so. The wind was cold and sharp, but
the sun was bright. The King returned to the Château across the garden
of the Tuileries. Thus the King's state of siege has come to an end,
and a good thing too. We must hope upon the one hand that it will not
often be thought necessary to renew this form of proceeding, and that
on the other hand some relaxation may be possible of those excessive
precautions which spoilt the effect of the show, and which were
carried to such an extent yesterday that I have never seen anything
sadder or more painful; the embankments, the Rue de Rivoli, the
square, and the Tuileries were forbidden to every one except men in
uniform, and men, women, children, little dogs, and every living being
were driven away; it was a complete desert, and every one was
blockaded in his house. My son Valençay, to get from his house in the
Rue de Université to mine, was obliged to go by the Pont d'Auteuil!
This state of things was maintained until the King returned to his
rooms. All the police were on duty, and the posts of the National
Guard were doubled upon every side by a row of police and municipal
guards surrounding the royal group. The town looked as though deserted
or plague-stricken, with a conquering army marching through without
finding a stopping-place or inhabitants.
After our dinner I went to inquire for the Queen and to say farewell
to Madame Adélaïde, who is starting for Brussels this morning. There
had been a great military dinner of two hundred and sixty people in
the Hall of the Marshals; all were in full dress, pleased and
animated.
I concluded the evening with Madame de Castellane, where I found M.
Molé, who was very pleased with the result of the review.
In my wanderings I discovered that the last speech of M. Thiers was
gaining an increasing hold on men's minds. It is thought that, without
abandoning his general theories, he was pointing to a practical
solution which would satisfy all positive spirits; people are much
obliged by the fact that in this speech he had twice separated from
the Left without hurting their feelings; in short, his clever words
have dissipated some of the fears which he inspired and removed some
of the obstacles which stood between himself and the power. This
impression I have received from many different sides, and except the
Doctrinaires and the extremists on the Left every one is feeling it.
_Paris, May 9, 1837._--Yesterday I had a long visit from M.
Royer-Collard, whose admiration for the speech of M. Thiers is at its
height. He praises the occasion, the propriety of it, and above all
the truth, not only its personal truth--that is to say, its individual
sincerity--but its truth with reference to the actual state of
opinion, which the speaker alone has correctly appreciated. He said it
was one of those speeches over which one could never think too long,
which grips the reader more and more, and the effect of which will
steadily increase. He admits that the session when MM. Odilon Barrot
and Guizot spoke was more interesting to watch, and that the two
actors played their parts very well, but that they were merely acting;
that they showed themselves good orators, but not statesmen; that both
relied upon extremist opinions which were worn out; that M. Guizot in
particular was no longer a man of his age, but an _émigré_; and that
this point had been admirably brought out by Thiers. M. Royer-Collard
thinks the speech of Guizot imprudent and irritating, in which respect
he says that Guizot followed his arrogant disposition. In short, he
says many things; he says them in my sitting-room, but repeats them
in the Chamber, at the Academy, to each and all, and makes it his
business to do so. This is very useful to M. Thiers, in whose speech
there is something too fine and subtle to be understood without a
commentary.
I did not go out after M. Royer's call, but stayed at home to read the
life of Raphael by M. Quatremère; the book is lacking in warmth and
vivacity, but it is well written. It is most restful at the present
time to return to the exquisite art of an age when men of genius were
complete, because they possessed every shade of genius, if one may use
the phrase. Books of this kind give me an inexpressible longing for
Italy.
In the evening I looked in at the Austrian Embassy, where Madame de
Lieven told me a large amount of gossip from London. One of her
stories was as follows: At the last Levée the King thanked the Turkish
Ambassador aloud and through an interpreter for postponing a dinner
which he was giving, on account of the death of Lady Delisle, his
natural daughter, and thus showing him a respect which his own family
had refused; this remark was aimed at the Duchess of Kent. At the last
Drawing-room the Queen could not be present, as she was ill, and it
was held by Princess Augusta; the Duchess of Kent arrived with her
daughter; the King heartily embraced the latter without noticing her
mother, and seeing Sir John Conroy in the throne-room he ordered the
Chamberlain to send him out. Finally, when the Prince of Linange came
to his mother's house, the Duchess of Kent, with his wife, who is not
his equal in birth, the King sent Lord Conyngham to the Duchess to say
that he would receive his daughter-in-law, but could not permit her to
enter his private apartments; the Duchess declined to receive Lord
Conyngham, and sent a message to say that if he came to pay a private
call she would see him with pleasure, but that she would not receive
him as the King's messenger, and that he need only write down what he
had to say. Lord Conyngham then sent her a letter, to which she
replied by an epistle of twelve pages, enumerating all her supposed
grievances against the King, and concluding with the statement that if
her daughter-in-law were not received as a princess she would never
set foot in the King's house again. She had several copies made of the
letter, and sent them to all the members of the Cabinet. Lord
Conyngham, who told all this to Madame de Lieven, in spite of his Whig
principles, went on to say that the position of the English Ministry
was unpleasant, as their relations with the King were disturbed and
they were unpopular in the country, and that the difficulties
concerning the Bank and the progress of affairs in Spain were very
unpleasant incidents for the Cabinet.
It is settled that the Duc de Coigny is to be knight-of-honour to the
Duchesse d'Orléans. He is naturally impolite, his habits are
uncivilised, and he has only one hand, so that he will not be able to
offer his hand to the Princess. An equally certain appointment is that
of the Comtesse Anatole de Montesquiou as first lady to accompany the
Princess, and to take the place of the lady-of-honour, whose delicate
health will often prevent her from performing her duties.[64] This is
an excellent choice. Madame de Montesquiou is forty-six years of age,
her reputation is unblemished, she has been pretty and is still
pleasant to look upon, her manners are quiet and simple and are the
exact expression of her life and character. No better choice and no
person better suited for the position could be found.
[64] The Comtesse de Lobau.
The newspapers say that a subscription is being raised in the Chamber
of Deputies to print fifty thousand copies of M. Guizot's speech. M.
Martin du Nord, one of the members of the present Cabinet, has given a
subscription, and thus confirmed the generally accepted opinion that
he is secretly a Doctrinaire and a traitor to the Cabinet. Thereupon
M. Molé went to the King to ask for the removal of M. Martin du Nord
or to offer his own resignation. I have not yet heard the conclusion
of this fresh complication.
_Paris, May 10, 1837._--At the time of writing yesterday I had not
read the _Moniteur_, which announced the amnesty.[65] I knew that M.
Molé had long been anxious to see this measure passed, but I think
that the speech of M. Thiers encouraged him in his design and
accelerated the execution of it. I have heard people talking of
nothing else all day. Men's minds are entirely occupied with it, and
their attention is thus diverted from the peerage given to M. Bresson,
which again is to be explained by this marriage. What a fortunate man
he is! Undoubtedly he is capable, but circumstances have helped him
with a speed and consistency rarely found in human destiny. To return
to the great event of the amnesty, I will say that high society
strongly approves of it, the more so as it has arrived unexpectedly
and not been extorted by party importunity; so it is an act of mercy,
and not of weakness. The sharp-sighted regard it as another act of
hostility to the Doctrinaires rather than an act of kindness to the
political prisoners--as much as to say that the measure could not be
passed while the Doctrinaires were in office, but now that we have
separated from them we hasten to grant it. This will isolate them yet
more in the country. I repeat there are people who regard this measure
as a consequence of M. Thiers' speech, and even as directly due to his
influence. The Doctrinaires are most infuriated, and those peers who
are friendly to them announce that all the contumacious persons will
come up for judgment, and that the peers will then go off to their
country seats instead of taking their places. The following story had
a wide circulation yesterday: M. Jaubert, in speaking of the amnesty
to M. Dupin, said to him: "It is a little hard that after leaving to
us all the odium of the severe measures which we have courageously
defended during the crisis and danger we should now be deprived of the
credit of showing mercy." M. Dupin replied: "It is very sad, but you
have one consolation, namely, that Persil will order the medal to be
struck." (M. Persil is a Doctrinaire and Comptroller of the Mint.) The
saying is a smart one. Those who approve the amnesty also urge, and
with some reason, that it will obliterate the ill-effect produced by
the excessive precautions on the day of the review.
[65] On the occasion of the marriage of the Duc d'Orléans an
amnesty was granted by ordinance dated May 8 to all who were in
prison for crimes or political delinquencies.
Yesterday I was at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where Sigalon, who has
just arrived from Rome, had placed the magnificent copy of the _Last
Judgment_ of Michael Angelo, that masterpiece which is fading, like
all the frescoes in the Vatican. The copy is the same size as the
original, and forms the background of a hall, to which has been given
the form and dimensions of the Sistine Chapel. It is the most
beautiful and surprising thing that can be imagined. I was quite
overwhelmed. Variety, richness, and boldness of composition are so
combined that one rests stupefied before the power of such genius. In
the same room have been placed casts of different statues by Michael
Angelo which also have arrived from Italy, and complete one's
admiration for this great man. The statue of Lorenzo de' Medici and
the statue of Day and Night are admirable. We then saw the charming
gateway to the castle of Anet and the beautiful door of the castle of
Gaillon, both masterpieces of the Renaissance; then came the interior
courtyard, adorned with fountains and fragments of ancient work, which
was very fine. The building in itself is in excellent style; it
contains fine models of all classes and ages of art, which will be
added to. They form a collection as curious as it is interesting, and
add a new attraction to Paris.
Thence we went on to the new Church of Our Lady of Loretto. It seemed
to me extremely heavy and full of motley ornaments, and had it not
been for some fine pictures I should have found little agreeable to