Читать книгу: «Memoirs of the Duchesse De Dino (Afterwards Duchesse de Talleyrand et de Sagan), 1841-1850», страница 2

The Legitimist newspapers also publish some fragments of a diary, or rather some memoirs of Madame de Feuchères; the forgery here is obvious to myself, who am well aware of the relations which existed between her and the Royal Family, and are totally misrepresented by these fragments. Her family and the executors of her will have published an absolute denial of the existence of these supposed memoirs. However, the Legitimist newspapers proceed as before to publish instalments of this absurdity, and there are idiots or ill-disposed persons who still persist in believing them authentic.

Rochecotte, February 15, 1841.– I have been asked a question about Madame de Salvandy, who corresponds with the Austrian Minister to the United States; her maiden name was Mlle. Ferey, and she was a niece of the Oberkampf family; she is thus connected with the Jouy oilcloth.⁵ She is not a distinguished person, though not vulgar; she is not pretty and not exactly ugly; she is not pleasant, but not badly brought up; not clever, but no fool; and after this I think it must be admitted that she is not a nonentity. I should add that she has been a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother; that she bores her husband and wearies her children by her continual efforts to be correct; and in conclusion that she is a thorough-going Protestant, always scattering little French Bibles about without her husband's knowledge, who is a good Catholic.

A summary of my correspondence is as follows. I found it here when I returned from Tours, where I had gone for a few hours to be present at a charity lottery.

Madame de Lieven writes: "Enthusiasm is rising once more at the Tuileries on behalf of the fortifications at Paris, and is said to have reached Dumouriez. The fortifications are desired and will be secured, for it is thought that the Chamber of Peers will show a majority in their favour, notwithstanding the Legitimist conspiracy of Molé and Pasquier. England will be obliged to make advances to France, as Parliament is urging it in that direction and society also. Notwithstanding the outward success of the English Cabinet, the Ministry is growing weak and it is even said that it will fall. Lord Palmerston alone retains full confidence in his fortune. The whole of Europe shows great confidence in M. Guizot, especially Prince Metternich, who asks of him only one thing – namely, that he will continue in office. I think he is as safe as any one can be in France. I think the proposal regarding Jerusalem will not pass unnoticed."

The Duchesse de Montmorency writes: "I told you a few days ago that Mgr. Affre had forbidden the Chapter to meet, and that the Chapter had strictly carried out his orders by offering him no New Year's congratulations, as a meeting would have been necessary for that purpose. The result has caused a disturbance among the clergy which is now at its height. Even at the Tuileries they are beginning to repent of the unfortunate choice that was made in M. Affre, as he had a violent quarrel with M. Guillon, Bishop of Morocco, the Queen's first almoner, and a great favourite at the château. M. Guillon, though he had been entirely hostile to Mgr. de Quélen, went to the King to complain of Mgr. Affre. Unfortunately he cannot be removed. He has turned M. de Courtier, the very popular priest of the foreign missions, out of his parish, and he has only his masses to live upon. The canons of Notre Dame no longer say mass at the high altar, as to do so would be a means of meeting, and similarly at matins and the other offices. Things are almost as if the cathedral was under an interdict. Mgr. Affre is so hot-tempered that when his secretary, a young and innocent abbé to whom he had dictated some extraordinary letters, ventured to remark upon the fact, he was immediately dismissed without notice. How Christian, pastoral and evangelical such conduct is!

"M. Demidoff has sent back the secretary, the butler and the servants that he had here; it is not yet known whether he has reached Russia, or whether the Emperor Nicholas will allow his wife to come with him; the possibility is doubted.

"The affairs of the Duc Decazes are in fearful disorder and his servants are leaving him; he is also said to be very ill."

M. Raullin writes: "Yesterday at Notre Dame we had a sermon from the Rev. Father Lacordaire, who wishes to restore or to establish in France the Order of Dominicans with their beautiful white cloaks. The whole of Paris was there and the church was crowded. The sermon provoked much criticism, both favourable and adverse. It was a harangue in the style of Peter the Hermit preaching the Crusade to the people, except that in this case the Crusade was directed against no one, but was to support Catholicism. It was Rome and France marching together since the time of Clovis to the conquest of true liberty and of civilisation. In all this there was a mixture of papacy and of nationalism, of spiritual monarchy and of universal liberty which was thundered forth in a style that might shake the pillars and the very foundations of every Gallic church. I hope that similar attempts will not often be made, but for once in a way such outbursts do no harm. I was especially struck by the vast concourse of people and the close attention with which they followed all the words of this Dominican revivalist. As to the result of his attempt, I am afraid that imagination and a sense of the picturesque are all that will be stimulated. I do not like attempts to start new movements by something extraordinary."

The Duchesse d'Albuféra writes: "Madame de Rambuteau, in order to avoid the terrible crowd which invades the rooms of the Hotel de Ville, declared that she would only ask those of her new acquaintances who were introduced to her on Tuesday mornings. Such was the reply that she sent to a note from Madame d'Istrie, who asked permission to introduce her sister, Madame de La Ferronnays. The idea of introduction as an excuse from Madame de Rambuteau to Madame de La Ferronnays has been considered ridiculous; it has become a jest and a byword and many people in high society decline to visit the Hotel de Ville.

"Madame de Flahaut is entirely absorbed in the task of attracting the Faubourg Saint-Germain to her house; the Duc d'Orléans is distinctly angry in consequence; but as princes no longer go to salons, Madame de Flahaut says that she will not continue to sacrifice her tastes to the whims of the Duc d'Orléans. Emilie, her daughter, who keeps house for her, is influencing her in this direction. On Thursdays there is dancing at Madame de Flahaut's house: some one was saying before the Marquise de Caraman that these entertainments were balls for young people, to which the marquise replied, 'And for young women too, for I have been invited,' upon which remark it was remembered that her baptismal certificate does not seem to agree with this claim."

Finally, M. de Valençay writes that Madame de Sainte Elme, the author of the Contemporary Memoirs, is deeply implicated in the affair of the pretended letters from the King. The prefect of police is still busily occupied in the task of getting to the bottom of this intrigue.

M. de Valençay went to hear Father Lacordaire and says that he looks like a fine Spanish picture. His sermon was very republican and his mode of expression very different from that hitherto employed in the pulpit, but he has much talent and vigour.

He adds that M. de Chateaubriand is reading his Memoirs at Madame Récamier's house; Madame Gay swoons with admiration and Madame de Boigne makes faces. These two tendencies were especially brought out by a very striking portrait of the Duc de Bordeaux. The Duchesse de Gramont Guiche was present and was not remarkably pleased with the passage in which her name was mentioned, in which M. de Chateaubriand said: "Madame de Guiche, who has been a great beauty."

There is nothing else in my letters which seems worth quotation, and even what I have extracted is chiefly trivial.

Rochecotte, February 23, 1841.– Some time ago I was advised to read a novel by M. Sainte-Beuve and not to be alarmed by the title of it, which was "Pleasure." I read half of it yesterday; though it wanders from the point in a manner more metaphysical than religious, and though the affectation and ruggedness of the style is obvious, I have been deeply touched by the book, which displays a profound knowledge of the human heart, a true sense of good and evil, and generally speaking, a loftiness of thought which is unusual in modern authors.

My son-in-law hears from Paris that the Chamber of Deputies was much disturbed by the report of M. Jouffroy concerning the secret service funds. The Chamber seems to have been living in a profound calm which has been disturbed by this report. It has revived all quarrels and severely criticises all past Ministries, while it speaks of the policy of the present Cabinet in terms which are unacceptable to many of its supporters. In short, it is an unfortunate incident, which is important in so far as it strengthens the arms of that important fraction of the Chamber known as the Dufaure-Passy party.

Rochecotte, February 24, 1841.– In the Friend of Religion, a little magazine which I take in to lend to my priest, I have found a long extract from the famous sermon of M. Lacordaire, which recently caused so much sensation at Paris, and which fortunately seems to have met with strong disapproval. As a matter of fact what I read is quite inconceivable, though there are many passages full of vigour and talent; but these are overwhelmed by strange assertions which reach the point of the scandalous and the dangerous. As his subject he took the duty of children to parents and from thence proceeded to an enthusiastic eulogy of the democracy: he said that Jesus Christ was above all things a member of the middle classes, and that France is supported by God because it breathes democracy. The late Mgr. de Quélen was quite right in his refusal to allow M. Lacordaire to preach unless he were himself present to keep an eye upon him. He mistrusted these strange doctrines which had long before been derived from his connection with M. de Lamennais, and though M. Lacordaire has remained a Catholic, he is largely affected by this evil teaching, which he received in his youth.

Prince Pierre d'Arenburg writes to say that on the day of the collection at Notre Dame Mgr. Affre summoned the ladies who were collecting to the sacristy, but he did not speak to them or give them a word of thanks, which they expected, as they were always accustomed to it from Mgr. de Quélen, who invariably thanked them with perfect grace; that Mgr. Affre then sent them into the church with a most abrupt "Now then, start," which was received with murmurs on the part of the ladies, according to my letter.

M. de Valençay writes to say that he has heard from a reliable source that overtures from the English Cabinet are still awaited and that it is believed that they will be forthcoming. He had met Madame de Lieven who had commissioned him to send me news of the fact and to add that M. Guizot is on the best of terms with the German courts. It appears that this week will decide the fate of the English Cabinet, which will be vigorously attacked.

The law upon the fortifications will not be put to the vote in the Chamber of Peers for a fortnight. It will be fiercely attacked by M. Molé, by the Chancellor and by the Legitimists. The court is very angry with the two first named. What the fate of the law will be is absolutely unknown as yet.

Madame de Nesselrode has left Paris full of enthusiasm for Parisian life, for Parisian things and people. I admit her goodness of heart and her generosity, but I think very little of her judgment.

Rochecotte, February 26, 1841.– I hear from Paris that a very select ball was given by Madame Le Hon and that she and Madame de Flahaut are now trying to refine their salon and to attract the Faubourg Saint-Germain; that in this respect a kind of reaction is expected; that every one is anxious to be counted a member of high society; that those who were formerly sought are now disdained and those are flattered who were formerly rejected.

I hear from Vienna that the daughter of the Prussian Minister Maltzan, a pretty young girl of twenty-four, is to marry Lord Beauvale, the English Ambassador; in age he could easily be her father; he has been a great rake and is eaten up with gout. However, she has preferred him to several possibilities, because he is an English peer, ambassador and brother of the Prime Minister. She has decided to make a brilliant marriage.

Rochecotte, February 27, 1841.– Yesterday my daughter had a long letter from young Lady Holland of whom she had seen a good deal at Florence. This little lady is now at London. I have asked my daughter's permission to select the interesting passages from this letter: "I doubt if any one, whatever trouble he took, could discover a more painful situation than ours, because I think that no one could find such a woman as Lady Holland, my mother-in-law. She surpasses everything that could be imagined in the way of rapacity and selfishness, and in a novel her character would be thought exaggerated and impossible. As you know, she became possessor of everything from my father-in-law, but that is not enough for her. She wishes to pull down Holland House where she spent forty years of her life and to build and to sell; in fact, Heaven knows what she does not wish, for the other day she was anxious to make an arrangement with her son which would deprive us of our small income which was arranged at our marriage, so that if the Ministry were to change to-morrow it is quite possible we should be reduced to live upon the interest from my dowry. Fortunately she cannot destroy Holland House without my husband's consent and he says he would rather cut his hand off than consent to sacrifice the smallest part of it, even of the park. Similarly she cannot sell the other estate of Ampthill without his consent. He would willingly give his consent to pay off the large mortgages with which she has burdened the property, which was immense and free from debt at the time of her marriage with Lord Holland, if she on her side would do something. She has so much of which she can unfortunately dispose that my husband has been advised to ask something in return for his consent. He only asked her to leave the house as it was during his father's lifetime, whom he worshipped, and whose memory is most dear to him. He told her that the library and papers which his father left behind were a hundred times more precious to him than the real property and the silver of which she can dispose. Well, she declines to do anything. She has consulted all her friends, who have pointed out the truth and asked her to do the right thing. The result is scenes and quarrels, while we must look on at everything and not offer a complaint. It is a difficult position and sometimes I feel my blood boil, but I restrain myself for my husband's sake and follow the example of his sons and his daughter whose patience towards her is angelical and who show a delicacy, a tenderness and reserve which she certainly does not deserve at times. In short, we must hope that a day will come when we shall be able to live in peace and return to that dear house which we have not been permitted to approach since our arrival. At present we must start as soon as we can and return to Florence by way of Paris.

"Fanny Cowper is not to marry Charles Gore. She cannot yet decide what she will do, and remains very pretty.⁶ The chief beauty of the moment is Lady Douro. The Duke of Wellington has recovered but commits such imprudent acts that it is impossible to rely upon him. Lord Cardigan has been hissed in the theatre, which is very unpleasant for those who go there. I went to his trial which interested me greatly.⁷ He is a handsome man, pale and interesting, and we peeresses were all so pleased that he was acquitted; but it was a somewhat theatrical business and I am afraid that in these days of reform and discontent it may cause some outcry against the House of Lords. My husband clearly pronounced the words 'Not guilty, upon my honour,' but they were delivered best of all by my cousin, Lord Essex. Towards evening the robes of the peers, the red tapestry and the presence of the ladies made a striking effect. The ladies chiefly admired were Lady Douro, Lady Seymour, Lady Mahon and my cousin, Caroline Essex.

"Our dear aunt, Miss Fox, of whom we are very fond, since she has been a real mother to my husband, has given us much anxiety. She has been very ill, but I hope that she is out of danger; she regrets her brother whom she loved for himself alone. There is no sense of vanity, no regret for loss of position, and no ambition in her grief, while everything that she has seen or heard since his death has shocked and pained her. We have also been alarmed for my poor cousin, Lady Melbourne; an illness after a miscarriage was nearly the death of her, but I now hope and trust that she is out of danger; these, however, are incidents which hurt and leave their marks. She thought she was dying and left all that she loved with calmness, submission and tenderness, forgetting nothing that could conduce to the happiness of her husband whom she was leaving.

"We spent a week at the beginning of the year at Windsor; it was a picture of perfect happiness; our dear little Queen, handsome Prince Albert and the little Princess, a pretty and good-tempered child, ready to do anything with a smile, a certain sign of good health. The Queen is said to be with child again. We were dining there four or five days ago and the Queen seemed to me to be not quite well, though she danced a good deal two evenings later, but in any case she is so strong that one cannot judge by appearances."

Rochecotte, March 1, 1841.– My last month of Rochecotte is now beginning, much to my regret. I have been as well here as I can be at present. I live free from fatigue, agitation, trouble and constraint; all these I shall find at Paris, but there would be a certain affectation if I stayed away altogether; and before starting for Germany I have a number of little things to do and some preparations to make which can only be done at Paris, so I have resolved, though with much reluctance, to start in April.

Yesterday I had a letter from Madame Mollien, which seems to me amusing from beginning to end: "I must say a word to you of this fancy dress ball, a carnival ball which will form an epoch in the annals of the Tuileries, because for some hours it has brought back to its walls, which are usually so sad, the frank, simple and unrestrained cheerfulness which can only be seen in the simplest salons. The success of the entertainment was due to the Prince de Joinville; no one could withstand his impetuosity. The costumes were varied, generally rich and tasteful with a few exceptions; there are exceptions everywhere. The Queen, the old Princesses and the old ladies who were not wearing costumes went in succession to the gallery of Louis-Philippe. All in costume, ladies and gentlemen, met in another part of the château and made a solemn entry about half-past eight to the sound of an appalling band, composed of all kinds of more or less barbarous instruments which the Prince de Joinville has collected in his travels. He himself, in true Turkish costume, carried an enormous drum of a most oriental kind, on which he made a tremendous noise. A magician preceded the procession as a herald, and the company was conducted by the Duchesse d'Orléans. She was splendid with a dignified air: her costume was that of Marie of Burgundy, black velvet richly embroidered with gold and trimmed with ermine; the tall pointed cap which forms part of this costume was ornamented at the front with a velvet bow embroidered with enormous stones; the cap itself was of cloth of gold surmounted by a veil of tulle embroidered with gold. Two ladies and two gentlemen, alike in costumes of the age of Louis IX., escorted the Princess. The two ladies, whose costumes were like hers though not so rich, were Mdmes. de Chanaleilles and Olivia de Chabot; the men were M. Asseline, her Secretary of private commands, and M. de Praslin, who looked very well in a long cloak of brown velvet and marten fur, and called himself Philippe de Commines. Poor Princess Clémentine was not a success: she wore a Turkish costume which the Prince de Joinville had brought back from Syria; it was handsome but heavy and ungraceful, and her supple and charming figure was not shown off until after supper when she took off the enormous headdress which was crushing her, to be able to dance more at her ease. The Duchesse de Nemours, on the other hand, was charming: she had copied a portrait of the wife of the Regent, whom she is supposed to resemble. The outer dress was of red velvet, very short, with a skirt standing out and trimmed with rubies and diamonds all round, upon a skirt of white satin trimmed with two rows of broad green fringe and garlands of pearls; a small velvet cap with one little feather standing upright was put on the side of her head and touched her forehead, leaving her head almost bare upon one side. Her very fair hair slightly powdered, curled, fluffy, turned up on one side and falling down on the other, gave her a coquettish appearance and an apparent want of care which was charming. I have never seen her so pretty, and so every one said. The others are not worth mentioning. At the same time there were some pretty dresses, including ladies of the time of the Ligue, of the Fronde, of Louis XIII., of Louis XIV., some Spanish costumes, and also a vivandière of the time of Louis XV., which caused quite a sensation. Madame de Montalivet and Madame de Praslin each appeared as Mlle. de Hautfort, in rivalry. Many of the ladies were powdered. The Duc d'Orléans did not return from Saint Omer as he had said he might do, to the great vexation of the Princesse; I think his absence rather spoilt her evening. The Prince de Joinville speedily rid himself of his Turkish costume; his two young brothers first appeared in military costumes of the last century. After the first dance they all three went away and soon came back again; the Prince de Joinville and the Duc d'Aumale as débardeurs and the Duc de Montpensier as a fifi of the time of the Regency. If you happen to have a neighbour who is accustomed to go to fancy dress balls (I do not think M. de Castellane is), you can ask him for explanations of these costumes. Their chief merit and probably the reason for their choice, is that they are an excellent support in themselves to revelry, as they authorise and even require a cheerful manner. The quadrilles were formed only in two rows; as there was plenty of room they were able to stand without crowding. As the couples at each end would have had too much space to traverse, each figure was repeated only twice instead of four times, and thus without rest or relaxation, ever in movement, each dance finished by a general galop to music played in much quicker time for that purpose. This went on till half-past three in the morning with a vivacity which I could hardly believe possible. The Queen was greatly amused, and the King himself seemed to find some pleasure in all this gaiety. He stayed till supper, which was served in the Galerie de Diane at little round tables, as at small balls. The Infants and Infantas of Spain were all in costume, excepting their father and their mother. She only danced the English dance, which concluded the ball. Her partner was an Incroyable of the Revolution, and they looked sufficiently incredible. However, she excused herself from the last galop which ended this dance and was more uproarious than all the rest. The Prince de Joinville had the Duc de Nemours as his page, and he took a very cheerful part in all these gaieties throughout the evening. He made some attempt to imitate his brother, but the Prince de Joinville with his wild spirits coupled with his grave and handsome face, his alertness and originality, was in every respect inimitable. I have forgotten to mention M. and Madame de Chabannes: she appeared as a lady from the Court of Charles IX.; her costume, which was said to be designed by Paul Delaroche, was exactly correct, and made her absolutely hideous. He was wrapped from head to foot in those waves of white muslin in which the Arabs are dressed; this was not an imitation, for the whole thing came from Algiers – the costume, the dagger, the pistol, and also an enormous gun which he had captured at Blidah or at Milianah. He was on duty, and in this costume he preceded the King and Queen when they came from their apartments to the ballroom. In my opinion he showed not the least proof of courage in this campaign.

"There was a continuation of these festivities the next day. All those in costume who cared to do so met at the house of M. de Lasalle, the King's ordnance officer, and the Incroyable of the Infanta. His wife had a splendid costume, said to represent Mlle. de Montpensier. The Duc de Nemours, the Prince de Joinville and the Duc d'Aumale appeared at this improvised meeting, which went on until five o'clock in the morning, and is said to have been extremely gay. It was Shrove Tuesday, when everything is permitted. There was also some amusement in the morning: Madame Adélaïde gave her children's breakfast as usual; the King and Queen always attend it as well as the Princesses; it is held in the Palais Royal in Madame's own rooms. Several tables are placed in three rooms, at one of which the Royal Family sits and is served with all kinds of dainties. This table is the most amusing point. This year Madame had added a little performance to amuse the King; a piece from the theatre of varieties was played, the Chevalier du Guet, which may perhaps have amused the King but certainly not the children; of that I am certain. My two nephews were with me, for Madame had invited them with a kindness which would not allow me to refuse. I stayed there from three o'clock till seven and then went back to spend the evening at the Tuileries, as I was on duty, so that by Ash Wednesday I was nearly dead with weariness.

"There has been not a word spoken to-day about the fortifications, or of the secret service fund, though to tell the truth certain statesmen would not be entirely out of place amid these Carnival disguises."

Rochecotte, March 2, 1841.– M. de Valençay writes to say that he dined yesterday, which was Thursday, with Marshal Soult, a large dinner-party to forty guests. The Aylesburys, the Seafords, Lady Aldborough, the Brignole and Durazzo parties, and the Francis Barings were there. My son sat near Francis Baring, a clever and agreeable man, of whom he had seen a great deal at M. de Talleyrand's house, especially in England, and who seems to retain a warm regard for his memory. They had much talk. Sir Francis told him that a large number of M. de Talleyrand's letters had recently passed through his hands, as he had been going over and arranging all the correspondence of his father-in-law, the Duke of Bassano. He added that after reading these letters his impression was that my uncle had right upon his side in his differences with the Duke of Bassano concerning the policy of the Emperor Napoleon. In the course of this conversation Francis Baring gave him a piece of information which might be useful to us, telling him that one of his friends came to him a short time ago and said, "You are not aware that Thiers professes to have found, while turning over certain papers, some documents which compromise M. de Talleyrand in the affair of the Duc d'Enghien." My son then went into certain details to show Baring that the information which M. Thiers professes to have acquired could only be erroneous, that my uncle had never known anything of the Emperor's projects or his secret opinion regarding the Duc d'Enghien, and every one who knew Napoleon was not astonished at the fact.

I am glad to know what M. Thiers professes to disseminate as information, with the object of giving an appearance of authenticity to the History of the Consulate and the Empire, which he is now writing.

When you have returned from your exile,⁸ I shall ask you to request Francis Baring to lend you the letters of which he has spoken to my son. These letters might very well form a part of our great work, in my opinion.⁹

The discussion upon the secret service funds has been much more prolonged than was expected. In any case the vote is a matter of doubt.

Yesterday's news was the scanty majority by which the English Ministry carried Lord Morpeth's bill – five is indeed a small number; possibly it indicates the approaching fall of the Cabinet.¹⁰

It is impossible as yet to say what the fate of the bill concerning the fortifications of Paris will be in the Chamber of Peers. The Duc de Broglie is one of the most vigorous supporters of this law.

The newspapers announce the marriage of the old King of the Low Countries with the Comtesse d'Oultremont.¹¹ The aunt of the King of Prussia, the old Electress of Hesse has just died. The poor woman had led a sad life with many trials and reverses; her wretched husband is marrying the lady with whom I have so often seen him at Baden.

Rochecotte, March 3, 1841.– The Duc de Noailles writes telling me that M. de Flahaut is assiduously paying court to M. Guizot on every possible occasion and in particular every evening at Madame de Lieven's house, where his attentions begin as soon as he has passed the door. In short, he seems as devoted to him as he was to M. Thiers; however, he will not secure the Vienna post unless Sainte-Aulaire goes to London, which he will only do if M. de Broglie who is urged to accept London, should continue to refuse it.

The Duc also says that the King regards the question of the fortifications as a peace problem, and declares that war need only be made more difficult to become more unusual; that Germany is quite right to fortify herself; and that we should fortify ourselves, because in this way we shall check our impetuosity and each raise obstacles which will prevent mutual attacks. The Duc d'Orléans, on the other hand, regards the question from a revolutionary point of view; he says that Europe will never permit his dynasty to continue or recognise the principle of the Government which triumphed in 1830. Some day or other Europe will attack him, and he should prepare for defence even to-day. The Duc de Noailles himself seems to be preparing a speech, for which he claims a great deal.