France in the Nineteenth Century

ll of the people-or rather, as some said, by the will of the bourgeoisie-to the French throne. He reigned, not by "right divine," but as the chosen ruler

anted upon republican institutions. The law recognized no hereditary aristocracy. There was a chamber of peers, but the peers bore

, and did so at a considerable loss of his own popularity. They were condemned to lose all property and all privil

king were not to be executed; one of the leaders in these disturbances was an Italian brav

isturbances in Paris about the sentence of the ministers by an act of personal gallantry. At night, when the streets were most crowded and agitated, he sallied from the Palais Royal on horseback, with his son, the Duc de Nemours, and

ne. He was accused by one party of truckling to the new court, by the other of being too much attached to revolutionary methods and repub

read of such,-the terror and lively expectation that prevails, and the way in which people's minds are turned backward and forward from France

. He had lived a great deal in England and the United States, and spoke English well. He had even said in his early youth that he was more of an Englishman than a Fren

it was un vert galant like Henri IV., or royalty incarnate, like Louis XIV., who would have fired the imagination of the French people. As a good father of a family, Louis Philippe

ons all went to collège,-which means in France what high-school does with us. Their mother's dressing-room a

ore a favorite with the French people than his father. Had he not been killed in a carri

sought, and the young lady showed herself well pleased with the attentions of so handsome and accomplished a suitor; but her family were as unfavorable to the match as was the Czar of Russia. Finally, the Duke of Orleans h

uncle to Prince Albert and to Queen Victoria. The French princess thus became, by her marriage, aunt to these high personages. They were deeply attached to her. She named her eldest daughter Char

elf in Algeria as a soldier. He too found it hard to satisfy his father's ambition by a brilliant marriage, though a throne was offered him, which he had to

lor. He chose a bride for himself at the court of Brazil

and died early of consumption. Her only child was sent to France, and placed under the care of his grandmother. Princess Clémentine married a co

nri, Duc d'Aumale, the king's fourth son, who has proved himself a man brave, generous, patriotic and high-minded, a soldier, a statesman, an historian, patron of art, and in all these things a man eminent among his fellows. He was only a s

harles X.; the Orleans branch, the head of which was Louis Philippe; and the Condé branch, the chief of which, and its sole repr

nt for two years, he to serve for the same time in the French army. They were married with all pomp and ceremony; but that night the ardent bridegroom scaled the walls of the convent and bore away his bride. Unhappily their mutual attachment did not last long. "It went out," says a con

: Madame d'

d them when they invaded their own country. On the death of his father he became Duke of Bourbon, but his promising son, D'Enghien, was already dead. The duke married while in

ral years before 1830 it had occurred to Madame de Feuchères that the De Rohans, who were related to the duke on his mother's side, might dispute these gifts and bequests, and by way of making herself secure, she sought the protection

e 1: Lou

the Revolution broke out later, he was also much afraid of being plundered and maltreated at Saint-Leu by the populace,-not, however, because he had any great regard for his cousin Charles X., with whom i

persons in his household. The next morning he was found dead, hanging to one of the espagnolettes, or heavy fastenings, of a tall French window. The village authorities were summoned; but although it was impossible a man so infirm could have th

but there was every ground for strong suspicion, and the public lost no time in fastening part of the odium that attached to the supposed murderess on the king, whose family had so greatly benefited by her influence o

-intervention in the attempted revolutions of other countries, which followed that of France in 1830 and 1831. Th

ts of the Duc de Bordeaux, her son.[1] Had he reigned in consequence of the deaths of his grandfather and uncle, Charles X. and the Duc d'Angoulême, the duchess his mother was to have been regent during his minority. She regrett

is Blanc and pap

f knights-errant, of eluding by a thousand disguises the vigilance of enemies through whom she had to pass, of wandering, a devoted mother and a banished queen, from hamlet to hamlet and from chateau to chateau, appealing to human nature high and low on its romantic side, and at the end of a victorious conspiracy unfu

uis Blanc, Hist

great personal kindness, and lent her a million of francs,-which he borrowed from a nobleman of his court under pretence of paying the debts of his early manhood; but he was forced to request her to leave his dominions, and she took refuge with the Duke of Modena, who a

de Bellune, wished to restore Henri V. only by parliamentary and legal victories; the other, favored by the co

s to get rid of the tutelage of M. de Blancas, and she was disposed to favor, to a certain extent, the more moderate views o

ow of the city wall. While a footman was absorbing the attention of the coachman by giving him some minute, unnecessary orders, Madame (as they called the duchess) slipped out of the carriage door with one of her ladies, while two others, who were

. The steamer ran out of coal, and had to put into Nice. At last, in a heavy sea which threatened to dash small craft to pieces, a fishing-boat approached the "Carlo Alberto," containing some of the duchess's most devoted friends. With great danger she was transferred to it, and was landed on the French coast. She scrambled up slippery and precipitous rocks, and reached a place of safety. But the delay in the arrival of her steamer had been fatal to her enterprise. A French gentleman in the secret had hired a small boat, and put out to sea in the storm to see if he could perceive the missing vessel. His conduct excited the suspicion of

resolved to cross France to La Vendée. At Massa she had had a dream. She thought the Duc de Bern ha

utter. The next night she passed under the roof of a republican, who respected her sex and would not betray her. She then reached the chateau of a Legiti

king up arms. She made her headquarters at a Breton farm-house, Les Meliers. She

by the South, the proposed enterprise was too rash a venture. Overpowered by these arguments and the persuasions of those around her, Marie Caroline gave way, and consented to return to Scotland with a passport that had been provided for her. But in the night she retracted her consent, and i

onths. They must have been months of anguish to her, and of unspeakable impatience. It is very possible that the Government did not care to find her. She was the queen's niece, and if captured what could be done with her? To set her free to hatch new plots wo

importance, and knew that the duchess was in Nantes, but he did not know her hiding-place. He contrived to persuade her to grant him an interview. It took place at the Demoiselles Duguigney's house; but he was led to believe that she only used their residence for that purpose. With great difficulty he procured a second interview, in the course of which, having taken his measures beforehand, soldiers surrounded the house. Before they could enter it, word was brought to the duchess that she was betrayed. She fled fr

hot. The gentleman of the party was already badly burned, and the women were nearly suffocated. The gendarmes kicked away the fire, the panel was pushed back, and the duchess, pale and fainting, came

of hearts. The duchess was sent at once to an old chateau called Blaye, on the banks of the Gironde, the estuary formed by the junction of the Dordogne and the Garon

evotion. Chateaubriand wrote her a memorable letter, imploring her, in the name of M. de Malesherbes, his ancestor who had defended Louis XVI., to let him undertake her defence, if she were brought to trial; but the reigning family of France had no wish to proceed to such an extremity. The duchess had not come of a stock in which all the women were sans reproche, like Marie Amélie. Her grandmother, Queen Caroline of Naples, the friend of La

Blanc,-"even the sympathy of the most ultra-partisans of the Bourbon dynasty; and she deserved the fate that overtook her. It was the sequel to the discovery of

she had made a clandestine, morganatic marriage, she had by the law of France forfeited her position as regent during her son's minority; she had forgotten his claims on her and those of France. If there was no

ts had bound themselves to fight twelve duels with twelve leading men of the opposite party, who might, if she were brought to trial, injure her cause. The first of these duels took place; Armand Carrel, the journalist, being the liberal champion, while M. Roux-Laborie fought for the duchess. The duel was with swords, and lasted three minutes. Twice Carrel wounded his adversary in the arm; but as h

d as effectually as possible. The duel with Armand Carrel was fought Feb. 2, 1833; on the 22d of February

e of circumstance

t, I think it due

have had grave re

to declare that I

g my late soj

MARIE C

obtain her release before the birth of her child. It had been intimated to her tha

n it took place. Six or seven of the principal inhabitants of Blaye were s

swered their questions firmly, and on returning to the next room, her own physician declared on oath that the duchess was the lawful wife of Coun

ugeaud, and were landed at Palermo. Very few of the duchess's most ardent admirers in former days were willing to accompany her. Her baby died before it was many months

a happy one. They had four children. She owned a palace in Styria, and another on the Grand Canal at Venice, where she gave popular parties. In 1847 she gave some private theatricals, at which were present twenty-seven persons belonging to royal or imperial families. Her buoyancy of spirit kept her always gay. One would have supposed that she would be overwhelmed by the fall we have related. She was good-natured, charitable, and extravagant. She died leaving heavy d

most crazy, but the care of my husband had somewhat calmed me, when God took him to himself. He

y Legitimist writer from whom I have taken these details of her declining years, "had sh

oire de la Duche

pe's reign, which were checkered by revolts, émeutes, and attempts at regicide, I pass on

place, and the pavement was strewed with dead and dying. Marshal Mortier was killed, together with a number of officers of various grades, some bystanders, a young girl, and an old man. The king had not been shot, but as his horse started, he had received a severe contusion on the arm. The Duke of Orleans and the Prince de Joinville were slightly hurt. Smoke came pouring from the third-story windows of a house (No. 50) on the Boulevard. A man sprang from the window, seized a rope hanging from the chimney, and swung himself on to a lower roof. As he did so, he knocked down

king has been fired at. He is not hurt, nor the princes, but the Boulevard is strewn with corpses." The queen, raising her trembling hands to heaven, waited only for a rep

uddering, from the blood on M. Thiers' clothes. Then, returning to her chamber, she sent a note at once to her younger boys, D'Aumale and Montpensi

he attempt of Fieschi. The trials, that took place about six months later, proved th

led to a partial reconciliation between the new Government and the Legitimist clergy; it led also to cer

he Peers. The crowd of spectators was immense. There were five p

His forehead was narrow, his hair cropped close, one corner of his mouth was disfigured by a scar, his smile was insolent, and so was his whole bearing. He see

with perfect calmness. He seated himself where he was tol

utterly pros

cond was called Morey; the th

d fought bravely, but after his discharge he had been imprisoned for theft and counterfeiting. He led a wandering life from town to town, living on his wits and indulging all his vices. He had even succeeded in getting s

reat that the officers of the Crown played upon

chi having invented the murderous instrument, Morey had devised a use fo

reproached us for the scandal of the license granted to the murderer of President Garfield on his t

rise, voices called out: 'Fieschi desires to say something, Monsieur le Président! Fieschi is about to speak!' The audience was unwilling to lose a word that might fall from the lips of so celebrated a scoundrel. He could hardly contain himself for pride and satisfaction. His bloody hand was eager to shake hands with the public, and there were those willing to submit to it. He exchanged signs with the woman Nina who was seated in the audience. He posed before the spectators with infinite satisfaction. What more can we say? He directed the proceedings. He prompted or b

deed there was one. Suddenly Pepin, whose terror had been abject, rallied his courage,

n, and Fieschi were sent to the block. Up to almost the last moment Fieschi expected pardon; but hi

in at the last moment was offered a pardon if he would tell whence the money ca

and the rest was presiding at a café on the Place

to some account of good and noble wome

gave less certainty to the aim of an assassin. It was said that his carriages were lined with sheet-iron. He was thirteen times shot at, and the pallid looks of the poor queen were believed to arise from continual apprehension. Her nerves had

rly life of the king. In one he was teaching mathematics in a Swiss school; in another he was romping with his children. His own cabinet was decorated with his children's portraits and with works of art by his accomplished daughter, the Princess Marie. The family sitting-room was furnished with the princesses' embroidery, and there was a table painted on velvet by the Duches

MARIE

all is possible to France,-an empire, a republic, the Comte de Chambord, or my grandson; but one thi

alities. She was a good mother to her children, and had plenty of ability. Of course she hated the French Revolution, and everything that savored of what are called liberal opinions. Her care

e of Austria; but he was destined for the Church, and the youthful courtship came to an untimely end. When she first met her future husband, she and her family were living in a sort of provisional exile in Palermo. The princess was twenty-seven, Louis Philippe was ten or twelve years older, and they seem to have been quite determined to marr

this admirable woman; and in her good works she was seconde

oke of, but put them down upon next month's account. The waters run low this month; my purse is empty." An American lady, visiting the establishment of a great dressmaker in Paris, obs

e's petitioners failed to discourage her benevolence. For instance, a

y of telling you that I am without bread, and that the wretched bed on which I sleep is about to be thrown out of the garret I inhabit, because I cannot pay a year's rent. I dare not ask you for assistance, for my heart is with my

me, your s

She must be very unhappy, for she is very unjust. A hundred francs to be sent to her i

itation. "Oh, Monsieur!" she said, "are you the Commissioner of Police come to arrest me for my outrageous letter to the queen? I am so unhappy that at times I became deranged. I am sorry to have written as I did to a princess who to all th