The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-03 00:00:00

MAnch 3, 1855. voice:—" It is fz,r to-night." At ten o'clock the Prince returned to M. Moequart, and said, laughing:—" Do you know what is taking " place? There is a good deal of talk in the " salons about a coup d'etat, but not ours—that " which the National Assembly is to make " against me !" The Doctor then relates the conference which took place in the course of the night between the Prince, M. Mocquart, the Count de Morny, M. de Maupas, Prefect of Police, and M. de Saint Arnaud, Minister of War. He then says : In this conference the greatest calm prevailed. No ob jection was made which could cause it to be supposed that any fear existed ; nothing took place which could betray the importance and the grandeur of the events about to be accomplished ; no measure was adopted in the expectation of failure; not a single passport, not a precious object, not a sum of money was put in reserve; there was nothing un accustomed in the silent residence, the calm and solitude of which would have disconcerted all suspicions. He also says : After the conference the Prince and his secretary spent about half an hour in walking to and fro in the room. and they laughed at the idea of the comical figure which M. Thiers and M. Raze, the two smallest men in the Assembly, would present on being arrested in their nightdresses. He gives an account of what took place on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, of December, and says, very truly, that the Prince, in the event of the resistance to his coup becoming greater than he had anticipated, resolved to retire to the Tuileries to make the most obstinate resist ance, and sooner than yield be killed at the head of the troops. He might have added that the Prince used the energetic expression that "he would be chopped to pieces sooner than yield." He does not tell us how the Prince com forted himself whilst fighting was going on in the streets of Paris on the dreaful 4th of Decem ber. We have heard that he sat quietly before the fire, rising at intervals to take a slow walk through the room. In the course of the day mes sengers came hurrying on from house to house with the news that the resistance was fearfully great, and with advice that it would be prudent to think of flight; but all that the Prince answered was, "Execute my orders ! Do what " I have told !" and that he said as calmly as if he had been ordering an egg for breakfast. The Prince's chief agent in the execution of the coup d'etat was the Count de Morny, his half-brother, who was nominated Minister of the Interior for the occasion. This nobleman was well known in Parisian society as an homme a la mode, and, as Dr. Veron tells us, as " being expert in all bodily exercises, a " steeple-chase rider, a great hunter, noted for " successes in the drawing-room, and perhaps " in the boudoir "—in short, he was a "lady's man," an authority at the jockey club, and a man of wit.* But though young he had served in the army with distinction, had in creased his fortune by some lucky commercial speculations, and had, as member of the Chamber of Deputies under King Louis Phi lippe, made himself noted as a man of more ability and more sagacity than he cared to manifest. His conduct in the coup (Mat was astonishing for its coolness and energy. He saw to everything, directed everything, provided for everything ; he told the generals how they were to manage their troops, and how they were to manoeuvre ; he instructed the Prefect of Police how, and when, and where, the greatest blows were to be struck against the insurgents ; and all this he did with the calm, off-hand, unaffected, ccnfidence of a grand seigneur treating of business with his steward. Telegraphic despatches and messages poured in upon him every minute from all parts of the city, and all parts of the country, and they all seemed for a time to point one way—to the disastrous failure of his enterprise. But he lost not his courage for a moment, and he pleasantly bantered the people about him on their long and blanched faces. M. Veron gives a number of the despatches from the Prefect of Police, and of the Count's replies to them. The former are very alarming—the poor prefect was, in fact, panic -stricken--the latter are so cool that it is THE PRESS. not easy to suppose they were really written by a man who was conducting a great battle in a populous town, and whose life was pend ing on the result. One despatch was—" The " insurgents have surrounded the prefecture " and are firing through the railing s—what "aml to do ?" The answer was characteris tic—" Fire on them !" _ _ _ We perceive that we have exceeded our space ; but, fortunately, there is nothing more in the two volumes before us which calls for special notice. What we think of them we have already said. And as to the ensemble of Dr. \Won's " Memoirs," we have to say that, though they abound in literary faults and de fects of the greatest magnitude, though they are full of egregious vanity and astounding presumption, they contain much matter useful to the politician and the historian, and much that will interest everybody who watches the affairs of France and the doings of tho French. It is only in France that such a book could be produced, for France alone is subject to the political convulsions which supply mate rials for it France alone possesses that brilliant, flashy, intellectual, agitated, and, we fear, corrupt society which affords it some of its most curious tableaux—and France alone can boast of a Dr. Wren, who has united in his own person the multifarious callings of dealer in quack medicines, director of the Opera, newspaper editor, man about town, and confi dential political adviser of princes and minis ters ; and who, consequently, has seen " life " in all its varied aspects, and been intimately mixed up with people of every degree and almost every.vocation. Memoirs of Robert Strange. Lint. By James Dennistoun, of Dennistoun. London : Longmans. THE reputation of an engraver, however eminent, does not rest on very sure grounds. In his art, or rather in his craft, the higher qualities of intellect are not called into play. Invention, except in a very low degree, is not exercised by him. As he does not pretend to originality of design, his works are to some extent liable to be superseded by improve ments in the method of engraving, or by a cleverer manipulator than himself. Sir Robert Strange ascribed much of his success to his use of the dry-needle. Towards the close of his life he wrote : It may not be improper to mention a circumstance rela tive to the execution of the " Apotheosis "—viz., that upwards of one-half the work is engraved with an instru ment which is peculiar to the author, or the use of which he possesses in a degree superior to any of his contem poraries. To his late ingenious friend, Le Bea, who was the inventor of this happy instrument, ho owes his first knowledge of it ; but he is indebted to his own exertions for the degree of perfection to which he has brought the use of it, of which he would give this print as an instance. Sir Robert did not see that in attaching so much importance to the instruments necessary to the art he depreciated the art itself. It is doubtful whether engraving should not bo considered more of a manufacture than an art, as in itself it demands very little if any exercise of ideal power. It has been exalted by the practice of those real artists who have used it for the publication of their works; but, apart from originality of invention, it is but a superior kind of printing. Its useful ness, find the superiority in skill of one en• graver over another, may be conceded, without claiming for it a kind of merit to which it has no title. The engraver whose life is related in this book was very eminent in his day, and his prints are still highly prized by collectors, but we scarcely wonder that the public should never have manifested much curiosity as to his personal history. These memoirs must have been published principally, we imagine, for the gratification of his descendants, for he became the head of a wealthy and numerous family. The lengthened notices of his brother in-law, Mr. Andrew Lumisden, who was for for of the 218 due time descended to his son Robert, and was of service to him in enabling him to credit. ably support himself until his profession be came profitable. He was first sent to Edin burgh to study the law, then tried a sea-voyage, and on his return to the Scotch metropolis, having shown a taste for drawing, was intro duced to Mr. Cooper, an engraver, to whom ho was apprenticed. When he had duly served his time, and had acquired some skill in his Srofession, the rebellion of '45 broke out, and trange, who had conceived a strong attach ment for Miss Lumisden, a young lady whose family were devoted to the Stuart cause, joined the Pretender's standard. His first work was a portrait of Charles Edward, which gained some favour among the Prince's adherents. When head-quarters were established at Inver ness, Strange's skill as an engraver was called into requisition to engrave bank-notes. Luckily for him, Culloden was fought before the notes were issued, so the young engraver's name es caped proscription. Among his papers he left an account of the battle. He saw the Prince while the rout was in progress, and noticed "his cheeks bedewed with tears," at the sight of the dead bodies of his followers which strewed the road. In the pursuit after Culloden Strange had some narrow escapes ; one of them is amusing : When hotly pressed, he dashed into a room, where the lady whose zeal had enlisted him in the fatal cause sate singing at her needle-work, and, failing other means of concealment, was indebted for safety to her prompt inter vention. As she quickly raised her hooped gown, the affianced lover disappeared beneath its ample contour, whet c, thanks to her cool demeanour and unfaltering notes, he lay undetected, while the rude and baffled soldiery vainly ransacked the house. To this lady, Miss Isabella Lumisden, ho was soon afterwards united, and her letters, containing much shrewd sense, conveyed in the homely style of her day, make up groat part of these volumes. When the first pursuit was over, Strange re mained without molestation ; but his brother in-law, Andrew Luinisden, succeeded in joining Charles Edward abroad, and remained in exile till 1773, when he was allowed to return to his native land. Many of his letters are given here, but, though occupying a confidential post about the Prince's person, they are not of much importance. Strange passed many of the host years of his life on the Continent. He went to Rouen, in 1745, to study drawing under Descampe, the author of " Lives of Flemish and Dutch Painters," of whose artistic powers Diderot had so poor an opinion that he remarked to him, " You are said to have taken up Meta " tare : God grant you prove better in that " than in painting." Strange had at this time a notion that he should succeed best in what he termed "miniature-painting"; but, luckily for himself, there seemed a better opening for an engraver, and he repaired to Paris, and entered the atelier of the celebrated Le Bas, then in the height of his fame. Under his tuition Strange became acquainted with the dry-point, or needle, and, carrying the use of this in strument to great perfection, made it contri bute essentially to those delicate flesh-tints for which he became so justly famous. A vignette—" The Death of the Stag "—of which an etching, electrotyped from the original, ap pears in this book, gave promise of his future excellence. His earliest work of note was from Wouverman's "Le Retour du Marche," and from this time he seems to have felt confidence in his skill, and settled his wife and family in London. Though it was well known that Strange had borne arms in the rebellion, yet this circumstance was so little remembered to his prejudice (although Mr. Dennistoun seems to think otherwise) that Lord Bute wished him to engrave the portraits painted by Ramsay of George 111., then Prince of Wales, and of Lord Bute himself. Strange declined, as he thought the offer made was not sufficiently liberal . A pair of engravings after Guido, published at the modest price of four shillings each, greatly But he had enterprise. But he lost not ins courage Ain a r-- .„ . - moment, and he pleasantly bantered the we scarcely wonder that the public should little remembered to his prejudice (attnougn Inf. people about him on their long and blanched never have manifested much curiosity as to Dennistoun seems to think otherwise) that Lord faces. M. Veron gives a number of the his personal history. These memoirs must Bute wished him to engrave the portraits despatches from the Prefect of Police, and of have been published principally, we imagine, painted by Ramsay of George I then the Count's replies to them. The former are for the gratification of his descendants, for he Prince of Wales, and of Lord Bute himself. very alarming—the poor prefect was, in fact, became the head of a wealthy and numerous Strange dec lined, as he thought the offer p an i c - s t r i c k en —the latter are so cool that it is family. The lengthened notices of his brother- made was not sufficie ntl y liberal. A pair of in-law, Mr. Andrew Lumisden, who was for engravings after Guido, published at the •M. V#ron relates some of the bons aw l s of M. de Moray. many years attached to the fortunes of the modest price of four shillings each, greatly One is very good. At one of his elections, in King Louis Phi- lippe's time, his opponent, a Radical, reproached him in a public " Pretender," Charles Edward, and acted as his helped to establish his name. But he had T h e e et e i l n e g eto w r it s h . having , _)lcFvrtc27t::P private secretary, have little natural connec- acquired a taste for foreign study and travel, "You made promises t s .t;tre ad m e u t ifl u f.. i r n cried the patriot. " True," answered M. de Morny," I promised tlOll with the main object of the book. and, as soon as he could make necessary them an eclipse of the sun for the 10th of July; and I said that, Robert Strange was born in Pomona, one of arrangements, he left Mrs. Strange and his perhaps, you could promise au eclipse also, only you had not , fixed the day." This created laughter, and the Radical was the Orkney islands, in 1721. His father was children in London, and visited France and silent. a person of small landed property, which in Italy, passing many years on the Continent. I . ( i