Memoirs of the Duchesse de Dino (Afterwards Duchesse de Talleyrand et de Sagan), 1836-1840
bringing a reply conceived in the most gracious terms to the
insinuations which have been made concerning the Duc d'Orléans and his
proposed journey in Austria. All that was avoided under the Duc de
Broglie has been welcomed under M. Thiers, to whom personally the
reply referred in very kind terms. Something of the same kind is now
expected from Berlin. The departure of the Prince and of his brother,
the Duc de Nemours, is fixed for May 4, but the fact will not be
announced for another five days, when they will have returned from
Chantilly. The return journey is to be made by Turin. The Sardinian
Court, which feels the want of some support, is inclined, after much
hesitation, to look to France. My son, Valençay, will accompany the
Princes; he will be the only unattached member of their suite with
them. It was proposed to give him a title and an official position,
but I objected, as my son is sure to be well received anywhere.
Yesterday at dinner at the house of M. de Talleyrand a quarrel arose
between M. Thiers and M. Bertin de Veaux, the result of which, I
think, has been the opposite of what was expected: instead of pacific
explanations a duel became the consequence. I was on tenterhooks, and
eventually checked the dissension almost brutally. Every one, I think,
approved my action, which I would have taken earlier if I had not
thought that M. de Talleyrand was the proper person to intervene; he,
however, did not even exert himself to change the conversation. Bertin
de Veaux was constantly aggressive, while Thiers for a long time was
perfectly calm, until he grew excited and angry, and at length they
hurled political defiance at one another.
_Paris, April 23, 1836._--Mrs. Norton has written a letter to Mr.
Ellice, which is a kind of manifesto, and has sent it to me with
orders to communicate it to her foreign compatriots. I have read the
letter, and, if her words are to be believed, she emerges from this
foul story as pure as Desdemona.[15] I hope indeed that it is so. The
whole business seems to me very vulgar and in very bad taste.
[15] Reference is here made to an action for divorce brought
against Mrs. Norton by her husband, which made a great stir in
England at this time. The intimacy of Mrs. Norton with Lord
Melbourne was well known. However, the verdict given in the
following June acquitted Lord Melbourne, but Mrs. Norton and her
husband separated.
The Duchesse de Coigny, who has always come to England for her
confinements, in order to ensure the birth of girls, was to start this
morning to London for the same reason, but owing to mistaken
calculations she was yesterday confined of a fine boy, which is a
bitter disappointment.
_Paris, April 26, 1836._--Visitors returning from Chantilly were most
enthusiastic yesterday about the beauty of the spot, the extensive
society to be found there, the excitement of the races, the brilliancy
of the hunt, and, in the case of those who were at the Château, the
graciousness of the Prince Royal. The English say that apart from the
races themselves, which, however, are by no means bad, these three
days at Chantilly are much superior to Ascot, Epsom, and any meeting
of the kind in England.
Hunting was carried on with the pack of the Prince of Wagram, and some
four hundred young men rode out; but only thirty were in at the death
of the stag.
The Prince Royal is to start on the 3rd or 4th, and will go straight
to Metz to visit the School of Artillery; he will not stop at any of
the small Courts, which he proposes carefully to avoid by taking all
kinds of unusual routes under the pretext that they are more direct.
Yesterday I dined with Madame de la Redorte, and met several people,
including General Alava, who told us the story of the duel between
Mendizabal and Isturitz, in which neither combatant received a
scratch.
He seemed to expect a Ministerial crisis at Madrid which might affect
his position as ambassador.
Alava is so inclined to exaggerate that when he was at the house of M.
Dupin at a reception of Deputies the host asked him, touching M.
Berryer on the shoulder, whether he knew this Deputy. Alava
straightway exclaimed: "Certainly I know M. Berryer, and _I share all
his opinions_."
_Paris, April 27, 1836._--The route of the Prince Royal passes through
Verdun, Metz, Trèves, Düsseldorf, Hildesheim, Magdeburg, Potsdam, and
Berlin. All the Ministers of Saxony, Hanover, and Bavaria have brought
pressing invitations from their Sovereigns asking the Prince to make a
stay with them. These have been declined under the pretext of want of
time, but in reality owing to some ill-feeling caused by the continued
affronts and insults from Munich; if the Prince refused one invitation
he obviously could not accept others without a declaration of
hostility. He is sorry, however, to hurry by Dresden, whence there has
never been any cause of complaint. From Berlin he will proceed to
Vienna, by way of Breslau and Brünn.
For some days I have been reading a few volumes of the "Essais de
Morale" by Nicole; our curiosity concerning this work was aroused by
Madame de Sévigné. They are doubtless excellent, but I think one must
be somewhat more advanced than I am to admire them keenly. There is a
certain dry austerity apparent which somewhat repels me. To these many
philosophical arguments I prefer the touching phrase of St. Augustine:
"If you are afraid of God, throw yourself into the arms of God."
Eventually, perhaps, I shall learn to appreciate Nicole, as one's
mental tastes change with one's age and circumstances.
_Paris, April 28, 1836._--Pozzo has received the order of St. Andrew
in diamonds, and at the same time unlimited leave of absence to travel
in Italy. I imagine that he will soon pass this way.
The journey of the Prince Royal has been arranged to begin a day
earlier, and he is to start on the 2nd. Berlin will not be reached for
ten days, as he is to put up every night, while each day's journey
will not be too long, as they wish him to arrive fresh and alert and
ready to undergo military fatigues, the manœuvres, festivities, and
other duties. This seems to me very sensible. The Prince Royal has
received a formal invitation to the manœuvres at Berlin. Hence his
reception cannot be anything but excellent. The invitation has
certainly been sought, but it is undoubtedly an invitation, and
accusations of importunity or rashness are therefore out of place. The
Duc and the Duchesse d'Angoulême will naturally have left Vienna when
the two Princes arrive there.
Yesterday I accompanied the Comtesse de Castellane to a reading given
by M. de Rémusat upon historical incidents in the style of the
"Barricades"; "The Night of St. Bartholomew" was his subject. It was
clearly and brightly treated, and the author assures us that much
historical research has been devoted to it, but it was so long that
the second part had to be postponed until Tuesday. To sit through a
reading is an exhausting business.
_Paris, May 1, 1836._--Yesterday was Pauline's ball--a pretty scene
and entirely successful. There was no crowd, plenty of light, young
and pretty people in full gaiety, and polite young men acting as
partners to the ladies, all in excellent style and taste, and the
company most carefully selected. It was not exactly exclusive, but the
Faubourg Saint-Germain were in preponderant numbers. My cousin, Madame
de Chastellux, for instance, went to the trouble of coming. In short,
I was well pleased with our little success and with the delight of
Pauline.
_Paris, May 2, 1836._--Yesterday news arrived from Berlin of the
preparations made to receive the young Princes. The King said that
they should have the kind of reception given to his son-in-law, the
Emperor. They are to stay at the old palace. An hour after their
arrival all the princes will come to pay their first calls; in short,
everything is to go off as well as possible. The Carlist faction is
overwhelmed, and the aggressive members of it are quite ill in
consequence; the moderate members are casting tender glances at the
Château des Tuileries, and yesterday M. de Chabrol, formerly Naval
Minister, and M. Mounier went to the Château. M. de Noailles would be
ready to do the same were it not for his wife, whose feelings he has
to consider--and reasonably, for she, though a most worthy person, is
very extravagant in her political ideas.
_Paris, May 4, 1836._--Yesterday I went to hear the conclusion of M.
de Rémusat's "Night of St. Bartholomew."[16] It is clever and
talented, but I repeat that this style of performance is a mistake,
and a good historical narrative would be much more interesting to me.
[16] This work was published after the death of the Comte de
Rémusat in 1878, by his son Paul.
I have seen M. Royer-Collard, and also M. Thiers. The former said that
the doctrinaires were decisively defeated in the Dupin dispute, as the
Chamber had pronounced against them. The second is very pleased with
his reports from the Russian Ambassador and from the Court of St.
Petersburg, which are beginning to become flattering. I believe he is
on the way to another reconciliation which he thinks of more
importance, with Bertin de Veaux, but this is still a profound secret.
_Paris, May 6, 1836._--I have been deeply affected by the death of the
good Abbé Girolet. He followed the fine precept of Bossuet, and the
only precaution which he took against the attacks of death was the
innocence of his life, for all his interests were so neglected that he
has left me a fine complication to unravel, which demands my immediate
presence at Rochecotte. I shall start the day after to-morrow, and
they are only waiting for me to take the seals off his property. A
will in which he has left me everything has been found, but where or
what may this everything be? This is as yet unknown, and there is some
fear that there may be more debts than property, which fact would
prevent me from beginning the charitable foundations which I promised
to take in hand after his death. I shall find a very obvious void at
Rochecotte, and shall miss that gentle look which clung so
affectionately to me. And then how sad are the details of his death!
_Rochecotte, May 10, 1836._--No interesting news can be expected from
me in this retired corner of the world, where I can boast only of
peace and silence and of solitude--three excellent things which I
appreciate the more as I have left, in the words of the "Imitation,"
"the tumultuous commerce of men, which arouses vanity even in the
simple-minded, and eventually enslaves the soul."
I spent the evening with M. Vestier, my good architect, over plans and
arrangements for the vault of the Abbé and for my own. This will be
arranged quite simply in the parish cemetery on the hillside before
that beautiful view, in the pure air, looking out upon the rising sun.
The vaults are to be very simply surrounded by shrubs and an iron
railing; there will be nothing more than names and dates. Thus his
last resting-place will be as simple as was his mind, and I trust that
mine will be equally so. The wishes of men are so rarely performed
after their deaths that during our lifetime we should act as far as we
can. I had considerable difficulty in inducing Vestier to undertake
this simple work. He says it is horrible to be giving orders for the
digging of my grave, and at length the poor fellow began to weep, but
he yielded at last, for he is very obedient to me.[17]
[17] This plan was not entirely carried out; the Abbé alone was
buried at Saint-Patrice.
_Rochecotte, May 13, 1836._--Yesterday I received a long letter from
my son, Valençay, from Coblenz. Full honour has been done to the
Princes; M. the Duc d'Orléans has invariably invited to dinner the