The Press. — London, England, 1856-11-29 00:00:00

1144 into Retribution ; and the choice of such a story showed a thoroughly dramatic mind. Until the stage is raised higher in social estimation, it is vain to expect an active regeneration of the drama; and fashion in our aristocratic country might do something for the Dramatic Muse. We have amateur actors and actresses of considerable talent ; why should not we have amateur dramatic writers ? The capital burlesque of Midas was originally written for private theatricals ; and General Burgoyne is now better known by his posthumous fame as a dramatist than as a senator or a warrior. His Maid of the Oaks was composed for private performance at the Oaks, and played there in honour of the marriage of the grandfather of the present Earl of Derby with Lady Elizabeth Hamilton. No small amount of genius and wit sparkles in the original prologues an d epilogues written for private theatricals, as we could prove by several instances. The whole subject of " amateur dramatists " we reserve for another occasion. Armoires du Due de Raguse. Paris : Perrotin. (Second Notice.) Tnz following tale has been told before, but it is worth repeating, if only to show how saints may be made in the Popish Church : A branch of the Bonaparte family is established in Tuscany, and it was then represented by a canon, residing at San Miniato, a little town between Pisa and Florence. We stopped at his house. He took great delight in the éclat which his cousin gave to their name, but he saw with a different eye to ours the glory of the earth, and he wished to see it take root in heaven. A Bonaparte had been declared " blessed " by some Pope or other, and that was the first step towards canonisation. The canon de. aired to see him sanctified, and he took General Bona parte aside to supplicate him to employ his influence, which he supposed to be without bounds, to obtain the glorious title of " Saint " for his family. Bonaparte laughed a good deal at the desire of his cousin ; but he did not satisfy it, and in the negotiations which he subse quently entered into with the Pope, he preferred to obtain some millions and a few pictures to the right of citizen ship in heaven for a member of his family. The Marshal expresses an opinion of French cavalry, which is ❑ot in accordance with that of most military writers : French cavalry, having a good deal of impetuosity, is in my eyes the best in Europe. I have met many persons who have contradicted this opinion ; I have even seen French officers who placed the Austrian cavalry above ours, but they are mistaken. The Germans are superior to us for order and the spirit of conservation, but in action they are much beneath us. French cavalry, with equal force, has always beaten foreign cavalry, and in a decided success it has destroyed the enemy—a thing which, to my knowledge, has never happened to German cavalry. He thus speaks of the savans who were made to accompany the army of Bonaparte : Monge and Berthollet, celebrated ravens, followed head quarters, and every evening we spent in conversation with them. He who has not lived familiarly with sauces of the first order, simple and cordial in their manners, on account of their immense superiority, has not known one of the greatest charms of life. These estimable men initiate us in the secrets of nature, explain with lucidity the phe nomena it presents, study and observe constantly; their Words are without price. Bonaparte at the head of the army of Italy is thus described :-- From the moment Bonaparte was placed at the head of the army, there was in his manner an authority which im posed on everybody. Although he was wanting in natural dignity, and was even awkward iu his bearing and gestures, there was something of the master in his atti tude, his looks, his manner of speaking, and every one feeling that was disposed to obey. In public he neglected nothing calculated to maintain and increase this die position ; but at home, with his staff, he displayed great tare and good nature, which he carried to familiarity. He liked to joke, and there was never any bitterness in his jokes—they were gay and of good taste. He often took part in our games. He got through work with ease ; had no regular hours, and might always be approached in his hours of repose ; but when once he had returned to his study, admission, except on matters of service, was inter• dieted. When he occupied himself with the movements of troops, and gave orders •.o Berthier, the chief of his staff, and when he received important reports requiring long examination and discussion, he kept near him only those who were required to take part in the discussion, and sent away all others, whatever their rank. It has been said that he slept little, but that is incorrect : he slept a good deal, and had :great need of sleep, as in the case with all nervous and active-minded people. I have often known him pass from ten to eleven hours in bed. But if it were necessary to sit up, he could do so, and even take rest in advance for fatigues he foresaw. He pos sessed the precious faculty of being able to go to sleep at will. Once freed from duty and business, he willingly took part in conversation, certain as he was to shine in it. The subjects chosen by bite were rather of a moral and political than &scientific nature; his knowledge of science, 'Notwithstanding all that has been said, was not profound. THE PRESS. He liked violent exercise, and was fond of riding, but he rode very badly. _ In the account of what took place after Bonaparte's return to Paris, we read : The war continued with England, and all efforts were naturally directed against that power. A descent into England was talked of. This scarecrow, which had often been employed without being believed in—this menace, which had been often renewed without effect—was some years after likely to be realised ; and it would probably have changed the face of the world. On this occasion General Bonaparte, who stood so high in public opinion, could alone be charged with it. He was accordingly nominated " General-in• Chief of the Army of England," an ambitious title, which, however, proved our impuisance. The general desired to obtain detailed information as to the defensive means of the English, as to the different locali ties—all that information, in short, which an able general knows how to obtain before acting, and which was neces• miry before fixing his projects. He conceived a strange idea for procuring it. A certain M. Gallois, a respectable and eminent man, had a mission unto England about an exchange of prisoners. At the moment of leaving he, accompanied by M. de Talleyrand, called on General Bonaparte. All at once the general flung open the door of his room and called me in :—" Marmont," said he, " M. Gallois is about to leave for England with the mission of treating for the exchange of prisoners ; you will accom pany him; you will leave your uniform here; you will pass for his secretary; and you will obtain such and such information, make such and such observations," &c. &c. And he detailed to me my instructions. I listened to him without interrupting him, and, when he had concluded, I replied—" I declare to you, general, that I will not go !" " What! you will not go ? " said he. " No, general," I answered. " You give me the mission of a spy, and that is neither within my line of duty nor to my taste. M. Gallois exercises a mission of admitted espionage; what you propose to me is out of the pale of accepted conven tions. My departure with him would be known to all Paris, and it would be known in England that his pre tended secretary is one of the principal officers of your staff, your confidential aide-de-camp. Not being protected by international law, I should be arrested and hanged, or sent away in disgrace. My life as a soldier belongs to you ; but it is as a soldier that I must lose it. Send me with a score of hussars to attack a fortress, and, though certain to fail, I will go without a murmur, because it is my duty to do so ; but what you propose is very different." He was thunderstruck by my reply, and dismissed me, saying, "I shall find other officers more zealous and docile." This bold conflict with such a powerful man, this flat refusal to obey his will, made a great impression on M. de Talley rand. When the latter and M. Gallois had left, the general called me in, and said, "How could you reply to me in such a way before strangers?" " General," said I, " I feel that my reply must have made you suffer, from its apparent impropriety ; but permit me to tell you that you rendered it necessary. You did not fear to make to me before them an insulting proposition, and I could not free myself from the insult except in rejecting it with indigna• tion before them. If in private you had spoken to me of the matter, I should have discussed it with you with the respect I feel for you." He understood me, but for a long time was very cold to me. Duroc, to whom I gave an ac count of what had taken place, cried, " I am very glad that he did not address himself to me, for I should not have dared to refuse " Sulkowsky, who was present at the ex planation I had with the general, and who feared that he might be selected for the mission, hastened to prevent any proposition by saying, " General, none of us would have undertaken such a mission!" There was no more talk of the matter. Bonaparte visited the different dock} ards to see if the projected expedition were possible, and on his return he said to Marmont : There is nothing to be done. . . We should want a flotilla for the expedition, and the Engli3h have more vessels than we have. The preparations indispensable for our success are beyond our power. With two more quotations we must con clude, and we make them because they are so peculiarly French. Who but a Frenchman could thus complacently relate an intrigue with a married woman ? At Chalons I met a charming woman, whose husband, a captain of artillery, had emigrated. She joined remark able intelligence to all the seductions of early youth. She consequently quickly inspired me with a great passion— it was the first I ever felt. These amours made a greet deal of noise. The rigour of parents, and the follies it caused impassioned young people to commit, contributed to render them public. A circumstance subsequently gave them an extraordinary celebrity. At this time Marmont was a mere lad, a pupil in the Military School ! And who but a Frenchman could thus speak in a book of his wife?— I did not accompany General Bonaparte in his visit to the dockyards, because I had conceived a project, the suc cess of which rendered my life unhappy. Some friends conceived the idea of marrying me, and they proposed to one Mlle. Perregaux, daughter of a banker of that name, destined to possess a large fortune. Mlle. Perregaux was of an honourable family, and she was pretty and agree able. She found me •o her taste, and in two months everything was prepared and executed. I was very much in love, and was so for a long time ; but in marrying her I drew down on myself a thousand misfortunes. I was only twenty-four years, and was destined to passing life in running about the world—two fatal circumstances in such cases. At twenty-four, a young man has not the maturity SATURDAY, necessary to feel the value of domestic happiness ; passions are too impetuous not to lead him to compromise that happiness. On the other hand, prolonged separation, giving to a young woman the habit and taste of indepen dence, causes her to regard as unsupportable the yoke of a husband when he returns; whilst during his absence she remains without defence amongst those who wish to seduce her. I shall say little of this unhappy union—the least that I possibly can, though it has played a great part in the history of my life. Often has it been to me an ob stacle by aggravating my woes, my sorrows, and my em barrassments; never has tt given me joy, succour, or consolation : but it has always thwarted and obscured my destiny. Mlle. Perregaux, with great inequality of cha racter, had all the faults of a spoiled child; she was not in capable of good movements, but excessive vanity and a great deal of violence destroyed the effects of them. At a later period flatterers ruined her, and her wrongs towards me have been without measure and of all kinds I We shall not neglect the forthcoming volumes of the Marshal. Adventures in the Wilds of the United States and British American Provinces. By Charles Lanman. Two Vols. London : Sampson Low and CO. Mn. LANMAN is well known for his explorations in different parts of the United States. He generally chose for his excursions those tracts of country where Nature exhibits her grandest forms, and where cultivation has but partially interfered with her wildly picturesque aspects. With nice propriety of expression, Washington Irving congratulates the author on the merits of his descriptive sketches :—" They carry us "into the fastnesses of our mountains, the " depths of our forests, the watery wilderness of " our lakes and rivers." No part of these volumes is more attractive than the author's account of his tour in the lake coun try of North America. The more we read of this splendid region, the more satisfied we are that it is surely destined to become the seat of populous and flourishing settlements and stately cities. The account given here of the British lake territory is, on the whole, highly favorable to its capabilities, to its progress, and to the surpassing beauty of much of its scenery. The author travelled with rifle, fish ing -rod, and sketch-book, his love of spurt and art contributing to gi atify each other. He writes generally in an amiable spirit, with a strong leaning to the great " domestic institution" of the South—slavery. His notices of natural hisi.ory, mainly rounded on personal experience, at the end of the second volume, are interest ing and, in sonic cases, imp( rtant. The secu rity with which travellers may wander through the wildest regions is a striking testimony to the habits of order, and respect for right, cha racteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race. The volumes are divided into distinct excur sions. The first is to the Upper Mississippi and Lake Country; the second to the great Canadian streams ; the third to the Alleghany Mountains ; the fourth to the sources of the Potomac; the fifth to other districts of the Canadian rivers, St. John and St. Lawrence ; the sixth records a winter in the South ; and the remaining chapters are devoted to subjects connected with the natural history or social habits of the United States. All these divisions are full of readable matter: the author's adventures are told with modesty, but are not deficient in spirit; and the leading features of the countries he visited are de scribed with the keen observation of air artist, perpetually on the watch to seize the most picturesque and characteristic aspects of Nature. Some Americanisms of expression are noticeable, but scarcely offensive; the a•ithor should get rid of his practice of using " quite " so continually as an expletive. His winter is the South seems to have been passed pleasantly enough. Slavery appeared to him a beneficent patriarchal custom. He saw only jolly, well-led negroes, and kind hearted proprietors. The chastisement ad ministered to slaves was little better than a formality The mach talked•of " lash" is nothing but a piece of leather eighteen inches long and two and a half wide, which is attached to a wooden handle, and never could draw blood. Wu are not so sure of that. Much would depend on the strength and animus of the arm that wielded this strap. The author pro ceeds : But not more than one in ten of the slaves on this plantation were ever touched even by this harmless wrap. - Ine muen raiseu-er laN l l 1/5 limning MIL a piece or slept a good deal, and had 'great need of sleep, as in the conceived the id ea of marrying me, mil 'they proposed to leather eighteen inches long and tiro and a half wide, case with all nervous and active-minded people. I have one Mlle. Perregaux, daughter of a banker of that name, which is attached to a wooden handle, and never could often known him pass from ten to eleven hours in bed. destined to possess a large fortune. Mlle. Perregaux was draw blood. But if it were necessary to sit up, he could do so, and even of an honourable family, and she was pretty and agree- Much would take rest in advance fur fatigues he foresaw. He pos. able. She found me so her taste, and in two months Wo are not so sure of that. 'eased the precious faculty of being able to go to sleep at everything was prepared and executed. I was very much depend on the strength and animus of the will. Once freed from duty and business, he willingly in love, and was so for a long time ; but in marrying her arm that wielded this strap. The author pro- took part in conversation, certain as he was to shine in it. I drew down on myself a thousand misfortunes. I was ceeds : The subjects chosen by him were rather of a moral and only twenty-four years, and was destined to passing life in political than &scientific nature; his knowledge of science, running about the world—two fatal circumstances in such But not more than one in ten of the slaves on this stotwithatanding all that has been said, was not profound. cases. At twenty-four, a young man has not the maturity plantation were ever touched even by this harmless strap.