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    No. 445, October 2, 1858.J

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    Fllaxce. (From Our Vwn Correspondent.) L...

    the mischief will be mare extensive . Bread will , of course , go up , and after an abundant harvest it will seem strange to the nation to begin the winter with dear bread . The effects of the commercial crisis are far from having subsided , and there is little prospect of increased trade compensating for increased dearness of provisions . Taxes after free trade , especially ni bread , are irksome to be borne and dangerous to enforce . The national subscription to release M . de Lamartine from his pecuniary difficulties , incurred in the service of France , is making very slow and very unsatisfactory progress . The illustrious poet and writer is the object of most insolent disdain by the vulgar rich , and is . the butt of the malice and scandal of soi-dtsant pious journalists , like Veuillot , Cocquille , and Fontanes . Men of courage and honest sentiments are afflicted at the position of France towards the author of the Meditations , and one of them—M . E . Pelletan—having noticed it , M . de Lamartine has addressed to him the following remarks : — " How can you believe that the apprehension of personal indigence can stand for anything in the motive which causes me to support the honour or affront of a national subscription ? Do you know so little of me to suppose that I would not prefer a thousand times that glorious poverty and even ostracism to the situation ¦ which my necessities compel me to occupy before the world ? If I persist , if I will have the last word with ill-fortune ( like Molifcre ' s Misanthrope ) , it is apparent that a motive superior to the sentiment of that humiliation commands , and that I place my duty above my pride . It is wrong , perhaps , in the sight of men , but it is right according to conscience . Wait till all is known before j'ou condemn too strongly . " I agree with you that augured better for the heart of France , but nations have every right , even that of belying themselves . They may as they please glorify by an honourable subsidy the Chateaubriands , O'Connells , Duponts ( del'Eure ) , Foys , Lafayettes , and Lafittes , and humiliate Lamartine . We have no account to ask of their sentiments . When , we question , we must accept their reply whatsoever it may be . That answer up to the present time has not been favourable to me . I am grieved , b ^^ do not murmur at it . " More < fPB , I write down day by day , for the futur e instruction of men of irrenectLve devotedness , that ¦ which I may call the martyrology of this subscription . " When I see my own department , presided over by me for twenty years , presided to-day by M . Schneider , —a department which I was fortunate enough to endow with two railways and lucrative establishments , the revenue whereof is counted by millions—when I behold , I repeat , this meeting of colleagues and old friends blush at my name and pass it over in silence—a shameful poverty to the country—I grow sad , and ask which of us has lost remembrance and sentiment . " When 1 read , on the contrary , the names of those modest subscribers who owe me nothing , and who take but in the richness of their hearts and from their necessities the obol which they contribute to the restoration of a hearth larger than their poor ones , I engrave these unknown names in the memory of my descendants , and am affected to tears at the disinterested devotion of the heart of this multitude . " Tims beside affronts Providence places consolation . Let us forget those who forgot and think of those who console . " There is , or rather was , a prejudice in England that p oets and men of letters are impracticable creatures , un-, fitted , from the delicacy of their mental organisations , to direct political affairs . Their atmosphere , it is said , is the clear , pure air which floats around Parnassus , and they should leave the direction of nations , the happiness and welfare of their brethren , to loss gifted mortals , who are of the earth earthy . But with a Premier who in his idle moments has proved that ho can trunslato Horace with a fidelity and graceful ease never boforo attained , and sufficient to mako the world regret that he should havo wasted his time on politics and horse-racing ; witli a Chancellor of the Exchequer who has invented a now stylo of romance , and is an unrivalled master of the pen ; , with a Colonial Minister who is confessedly tho first novelist and first dramatist of the day—the , author of tho Last Days of Pompeii and of tho Lady of Lyons ; and with a Minister of Public Works who made his debut as the writer of ballads , albeit possessing but little literary merit , tho prejudice must bo regarded as fast passing : away . It Is difficult , therefore , to understand why certain political journals in England , whon speaking of M . de : Lamartino ' s position , should presume him to bo incapable ' of discharging tho duties of a statesman bocauso he is also a poet—tho truest poot Franco has had since Ronsard . If M . do Lamartine wore a poet , and nothing more , neither his nativo country nor Europe should bo called to con- ' tribute to satisfy his creditors , but in his character as ' a politician ho has rendered groat public sorvico . I do not claim for him tho loftiest qualitios of a statesman , i nor do I deny his political orrors . Tho expedition to Homo was an ogrogious blunder , and something worse < His conduct towards Sardinia during tho national war i may bo classed in tho samo category . l * ut wlion full ] allowattco Is mado for those orrors , tho aorvlocs which ho . rondored to public order in Franco , and to tho cuuao of i poaco in Europe during tlw early portion , of tho rovolu- i

    ¦ tion , are stupendous , and impossible to be recompensed by money or mere honours . Who can think , even at this remote period , without terror mingled with admiration , on the conduct of M . de Lamartine in February , 1848 ? Who can forget how , for three days and three nights , he stood upon the steps of the Hotel de Ville , the sole barrier between the surging red waves of communism and terrified society , while those who now vilify him were crouching , craven and abashed , in obscurity ? Never was human courage more grandiose and imposing , never was human eloquence more effective and beneficent , than in the dismal February days . The crowd , rendered desperate by their necessities , goaded to evil speculation by the counsel and presence of that hideous population which , voided from Toulon and Rochefort , is compelled to hide in peaceful times in the dens of Paris , but always appears menacing and repulsive at the first sign of disorder—the crowd had raised aloft the red flag , and proclaimed the division of property , the spoliation of the rich . Force could not deter them from this design , and as they clamoured round the Hotel de Ville for its quasi legislation , the reign of terror appeared imminent . There was but one obstacle in the path , and that obstacle was BE . de Lamartine . They were awed by his courage , charmed by his eloquence , and then the simile of another poet was realised and made to appear almost a prophecy : — " Ac veluti magnoin populo quura saepe coorta est Seditio , ssevitque animis ignobile vulgus , Jamque faces et saxa volant ; furor arma ministrat : Turn , pietate gravem ac meritis si forte verum quern Conspexere , solent arrectisque auribus abstant ; Hie regit dictis animos , et pectora mulcet . " M . de Lamartine saved France from . a civil war , her wealthy citizens from the horrors of a modern jacquerie , and Europe from a desolating strife—and alone he did it . In March , 1848 , he was called the " saviour of his country , " the idol of the bourgeoisie , and might have taken tithes of all men , so unbounded was national gratitude . But to-day , barely ten years afterwards , when the danger is past , " as they imagine in their selfish blindness , the bourgeois—for , in spite of the affectation of titles , there is no nobility in France- —treat M . de Lamartine ' s poverty as a crime in him ; they accuse him of having been unthrifty , and _ they keep their money to spend in nameless pleasure . If M . de Lamartine has spent his money unwisely , it has been for their benefit ; his purse was for years open to the needy , and many helped themselves largely who did not require aid . When he left the direction of Foreign Affairs he was a poor man . A few months' services to France were sufficient to swallow up his ample fortune and steep him in debt . Few are perhaps more modest or sober in their tastes ^ and habits , none more magnificent in their generosity . M . de Lamartine ' s means have been exhausted in the service of his country . Had he been thrifty , it might have proved a public calamity , for his unthrift , his indiffereneo for himself , proved thesalvation of France . Saving M . Guizot , M . de Lamartine is perhaps the only modern French minister who has not made the possession of office the means of personal profit and advantage . The base and despicable ingratitude of the Conseii ; G < 5 neral of his department , worthily presided over by M . Schneider , may afflict him surely not so much for his unkindness towards himself as for the shame they have won . M . Schneider is Vice-President of tho Legislative Body , the chief proprietor of tho Creuzot works , a brother speculator of M de Morny , and in all capacities largely indebted to M . de Lamartine . Of course wo do not allude to money borrowed . That ho should have evinced so short a memory will be his only title to be remembered by posterity . It is with great curiosity and some shame that people hero inquire how the subscription in England progresses . Tho remarks of tho Times on tho scandalous spectacle presented to the world raised a vast deal of virtuous indignation and patriotism—as they may be displayed without coat—but extracted no money . Had it not been for tho example sot by tho Emperor—to his credit be it spoken- ^ tho subscription would have been more insignificant than it is . Courtiers must follow in tho imperial fashion , but still tho great majority of tho wealthy classes stand aloof . Should tho subscription with yon bo succcpsful , and the amount considerable , it will prove , as has boon shown repeatedly , how large-hearted are tho British people , and how catholic are their sympathies . But , save from M . do Lamartino and his friends , you must not anticipate your motives will bo fairly appreciated : M . Mario Martin and M . Veuillot will say you gave from ostentation . Whilo you do the work they have left undone , thoy will cast back insult in your face- —if , indcod , coming from so low it could roach so high . Nevertheless , it is sincerely to bo desired that tho English subscription may bo tho chief moans of restoring M . do Lamartino to his home and to his studios . Englishmen are not prono to pay much hoed to "what tho world may say of thorn , nor to bo deterred from a righteous action because it may bo misrepresented . Tho patienco of the Paris public has been sorely , voxod of late , nnd thoir ingenuity sorejy tried , to discover tho signification of tho rapid movements of tho Princo Napoleon . Last wook ho wont to Biarritz , stopped a night , and was back again boforo tho pnpora discovered his iibsonco . When tho trip was flint mentioned , for It was not chronicled in tho official journal , it was denied in one

    peror , for certain reasons , prefers , when practicable , to give his instructions verbally , especially when they relate to a novel political proceeding . The Emperor of Russia is about to hold a grand review at Warsaw , and the military men who are to be despatched thither as representatives of Austria , Prussia , and the vassal monarch of Germany , have been announced . The partisans of the Russian alliance a tout prix , the chief of whom is M . de Morny , have beset the Emperor to do something handsome towards the Czar . They have represented that the Queen ' s visit to Prussia , and the previous alliance , were a deep political combination , to influence in of

    of the semi-official papers , and then reaflirmed . People sadly wanted to know why he had gone . The prohibitionists were the first to discover a mare ' s nest . The Prince had gone to implore- his cousin to introduce a slight modification of the Algerian tariff , if only- to save appearances , and to allow it to seem that the Prince-Minister had some authority . These same sapient genrtlemen , who know everything that occurs in the intimacy of the Court , discovered that the Emperor " was not at home , " refused to see the Prince , and ordered him back to his post . Without pretending to exclusive or early information , I have no hesitation in saying that these rumours are false , and that their authors are not gifted with even ordinary penetration . The

    Emneutralise the great Germany France , and take the sting out of Cherbourg . England , it is said , has drawn near to Austria , and is closely allied with Russia , so that in case of accident she would find herself at the head of a coalition , and in almost the same condition as in 1815 . As a counterpoise to her preponderance , un rapprochement towards Russia was urged with a persistance which would be justifiable if patriotic . In spite of his uncontrolled power , the Emperor of the French cannot always have his own waj ' . Perhaps there is also a . secret desire that the visit to Stuttgard may be returned in the Tuileries , and an ambition to exhibit . to the Parisians an Alexander and

    a Napoleon in amity , as a sequence to another interview which took place between another Alexander and another Napoleon nearly half a century ago . Rumours are also afloat that the red , or the black , or the blue eagle is to be asked for the baby Prince of the Asturias , in accordance with , wishes that have come from the other side of the Pyrenees , and for which , if obtained , the greater latitude ^ will be allowed respecting certain negotiations now going on in which the question of frontier is involved . But these may be dismissed until they acquire more consistence . At last the French Emperor determined to send some one to congratulate his Imperial brother at Warsaw . M . de Morny having been so successful in his speculations when sent as ambassador to the Czar ' s * coronation , was

    naturally anxious to repeat the operations . So confident did he feel that he would be again selected , that he ha 3 purchased largely , it is said , from all the bric-a-brac shops , pictures , china , and old iron swords , & c , to form collections to furnish the palaces of Warsaw , St . Petersburg , and Moscow , and enable the ingenious speculator to clear a few more millions by disposing of this rubbish as chefs-d ' oeuvre . Whether report be true or not , I do not pretend to say , but Sir Robert Peel ^ jn vouch for its being vraisemblable . But this I can pdHlVely affirm the prices of these classes of goods have risen enormously lately . Large quantities of old china havo been selling since Monday in the auction-mart at prices which must appear fabulous , for tho ware is very

    apocryphal and devoid of all merit in workmanship and painting . The extraordinary prices were imputed to the Count ' s operations . But it would seem that tho Emperor had aufiioient credit from M . do Morny as hia representative . He did not feel inclined to run the samo risk a second time , nor did he deem it politic to allow the philo-Russians to take credit for having weakened the Anglo-French alliance . Ho accordingly determined to send his cousin , tho general who commanded the French division which stood shoulder to shoulder with tho British division under Sir do Lacy Evans on the banks

    of tho Alma four years ago . Tho Emporor is willing—it may bo admitted even is desirous—of entering into more intimate alliance with Russia , but ho is determined to maintain intact and without reproach that ^ which constitutes his real " strength—tho British alliance ; and in selecting tho Princo Napoleon to represent him at Warsaw , I prefer to believe that ho desired to mako apparent that , whilo wishful to livo on good terms with , tho autocrat , ho would not loosen his alliauco with tho only free state in Europo . It ia in this view that Princo Napoleon has accepted tho mission , and not with any view to a matrimonial speculation . ht to

    A lawsuit has just boon tried at Pau which oug prove a warning to Englishwomen . Thorc ia an individual In that city sous-chef In tho prefecture , uiul a law student , who made tho acquaintance in his grandmothor ' s house of an English girl from Lobury , Hereford , who was engaged as companion to an invalidl ««>' i a friend of tho graiulmothor's . From what tnm « i > iroa in court , it appeared that tho individual , hail ' ' » »' < f'i * J reduce the gill under pretext of U' < irnlntf WMj J "I under tho prbmiao of marri < . go . W ion tl ila « f « ' * : covered , tho girl wfl « sent book to I nglam , « »^» ° ^ g by tho profo ^ ions of a . Voctlon ol tl . o I'ren « . num . IIo . wrote enclosing a book to » liow hla noblo Uith {() , ana rtS ! i % Sat ifi fUuw amounted to 100 / . a year and

    No. 445, October 2, 1858.J

    No . 445 , October 2 , 1858 . J

    THE LEADER . 1023

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 2, 1858, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_02101858/page/7/