The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-18 00:00:00

PRICE SD.

•
e.,
,/,e2 •
from him for 6,000 E That makes altogethM.
Dumas here attempted to add up the several sums,(
but
not succeeding),
The President said, 44,000 E
M. Dumas—" Thank you, Sir—l never was able to
work a sum in addition. When I left these gentlemen
(M. Viron and M. de Girardin) out of 171,000 lines that
I owed to publishers I had paid 164,000. I had, more-
over, furnished 27,000 lines to M. Vison, and 27,233
lines to M. de Girardin, and they paid me 26,0001. or
27,000 f. And now they demand 50,000 f. for damages.
If they get that sum, they will have had my volumes for
nothing, and will have obtained from me 31,5001. be-
sides. It is easy to recognise in their manner of pro-
ceeding the lucky proprietor of the rate Reginault, and
the clever founder of the Musk des Families.' That,
gentlemen, is all I have to say—l leave the decision of
the case to you."
M. Lacan, in reply, said, that if a process could be
gained by witty phrases, M. Dumas would certainly be
victorious; but a law case was not a romance, and M.
Dumas was mistaken in supposing that in treating it like
one he would succeed. M. Dumas had violated engage-
ments into which he had entered. He had not delivered
to the Constitutionnel all that he owed for 1846, and it
the Tribunal did not decide against him he 'would not
fulfil his engagements for 1847,1848, and 1849. He had
not protested against the advertisements of other jour-
nals, as he was bound to do. He had written for the
Siècle and the Patrie. What he had said about " Fabien
being refused by the Constitutionnel and the Presse, was
not true; he had never offered it to them, but had taken
it at once to the Siècle, and got paid for it. Ee had sold
his exclusive services to the Constitutionnel and the Presse,
but bad not even yet given the nine volumes to each that
he was bound to deliver in 1845. Since the publication
of the "Dame de Montsoreau," in the Constitutionnel he
had written nothing. He had promised a romance, to be
called the " Quarante Cinq,' and why had he not deli-
vered it? He pretends that he was ill, and obliged to
travel for the recovery of his health.
M. Dumas--I was intrusted with a mission by the
Minister of Public Instruction,
M. Lacan—That reason is no better than the other.
When a man is tied down by treaties, when he has en-
gagements to fulfil, he ought not to accept a mission.
The Minister, besides, would not have given it if lie had
known the sacred ties of honour that bound M. Dumas
to remain in France. But even that defence slipped
away from him, for it was in October that he left France,
whereas it was in June that he had undertaken-to write
a new romance for the Constitutionnel. What had he
done in the four months from June to October? Four
months for him was a long time, and in them he might
have written more than four volumes. But he preferred
to amuse himself in the delights of his villa at St. Ger.
ich marvellous tales are told, and in which he
eteettsrca—Lle
caused to be recited his own pieces and those of
Shakspeare; but he did nothing for his literary creditors.
And, in October, he accompanied the Princes to Spain,
apparently thinking that France would not be worthily
represented if he were not there.
M. Dumas—Such, at least, was the opinion of the
Minister of Public Instruction!
M. Lacan—From Spain he went to Africa, where, he
said, he had a mission to study a system of colonisation,
and to make it popular in France. But be occupied
himself not with colonisation, but with fetes, with re-
joicings, with combats, with the release of prisoners,
with everything. From Algiers he went to Tunis,
where he pompously fraternised with the subjects of the
Bey, whilst the Bey was in France. He returned toFrance
in January, and wrote to M. Veron, " I arrive from
Spain and from Africa; I have seen everything, men and
things, beasts and people. I can, for my head is at
work, give you in a month (whilst waiting for the " Qua-
rante Cinq"), two of the most amusing volumes that
have ever been written. Giraud could illustrate them.
V(..'ron, you may gain the sum of 20,000 f. with this trifle
--it is two-thirds of another 'Rachel.'" But it was
impossible to place any reliance upon this proposition,
because there was an immense difference between the
promises of M. Dumas and his performances. The
learned advocate concluded by calling upon the Tribunal
to condemn M. Dumas, and even to insert the penalty of
imprisonment in their verdict, in case he should not act
up to his engagements. Imprisonment would certainly
be pronounced against any other person acting as he had
done, and sit, would teach M. Dumas that if there be
merit in -wilting good romances, there is also merit in
showing (Myself a slave to one's word. The glory of tibe
latter, it was true, was not great—it was a glory with-
out emotion,, without noise, without prestige, but in the
eye of justice, and for a man of honour, it was the
greatest of all glory.
M. Dumas.—l will only say a few words in reply to
the Learned Gentleman. He talk of the but
forgets all its most important previsions. Fromtreat Juy,
ne to
October I remained idle in my charming villa at St.
Germa
ain ;
un but 4 wrote idine ds of "-I#alsamo (Me-
Moire d'
.th volume was only
'finished-a, few days before • • . . -It is said that
I caused to be rellearsed the pteceieeeCv'ee as and Shaks-
peare. That but it was in the idle nuwents of
Dumas, and, -besides, the time was notAo lostctoYart that
people who are half artists .ghould reptosch messvith it.
It is- -said that I solicited the Vesion with which the
tfYlinister of Public Instructioniniiliiiect mesebun'that is
a ifiistalte. It was the Duke de' Mdiskeraiigtri who has
shown me some kindnesses, who proposaVne to go
to Spain. " I desirf," said he, "in a cii:Chenitance so
solemn for me and for France, to see you at my mar-
riage," (his brother had expressed a similar desire to see
me at Versailles); "for," he added, " it is necessary that
you and Hugo should assist at a national fete.' His
Royal Highness asked the Minister of Public Instruction
to be allowed to take me with him. The Minister then
sent for me and said, "Can you go to Spain?" I said
that I could, for being ill I had need of travel. "You
.
will go to'Spain, then," said he, "and from Spain you
will go to Algeria, the finest country in the world; a
country perfectly unknown to our deputies, who speak
of Africa without having seen it, and of colonisation
without understanding it; and to enlighten them and
France with respect to the lubiect, it is necessary
that a popular man like you should write about it.'
Those were the very words of the, Minister—no one
will deny it. I went. I accoinianied the Duke de
Montpensier to Madrid. I was received there, not
merely as a simple author—as-M. Alexandre Dumas!--
I alone, of all the Frenchmen at 'Madrid, was invited to
the marriage of the Prince—l alone received the Grand
Cross of the Order of Charles 111. ! But all that respect
was shown to me, not, I repeat, as Alexandre Dumas,
but as the friend of the Duke de Montpensier, as the
Marquis Davy de la Pailleterie. After quitting Madrid I
went to Tunis. There I was received still better. There
reigns a Prince, who though Tunisian, is not a savage, and
who knows our worth. He gave me the Grand Cross f
the
Order of Nichan. I have been asked what I went to do
in Atrica. I went to save from the Arabs 12 lives that
were about to be sacrificed by the Arab executioners. It
was I who was charged to go and deliver Lieutenant-
Colonel Courly de Cognord, and his brave companions
in arms, the sublime heroes who escaped the massacre
of Sidi-Ibrahim. It was I who penetrated into the
interior of the country to save them. It was I who
rescued there 12 Frenchmen, the only remains of the
200 who were cruelly assassinated. It was I who had
under my orders the vessel destined to receive them. It
.eas I who conducted the vessel to Melilla, and it was I
who conveyed the prisoners to .Djeanna-Gazaouat,
where I was received by 3,000 persons, who offered me
a banquet, the remembrance of which consoles me for
the insults I have this day received. And it' the voyage
that I have made in Spain and Africa had lost me
50,0001., I should not regret it after having helped to
save our prisoners. I went to Tunis, fur which a steam
frigate of 220 horse-power was placed at my disposal—a
vessel that had never been given but to me and to a Prince !
At Tunis I made notes for a work which I am ready to
deliver in four days if required. These notes were
destined for the Constitutionnel, which has placed itself at
the disposal of Marshal Bugeaud, In acting as I did I
believe I did a thing grand and useful to my country. In
Spain and Africa I displayed the grandeur with which I
represented France. I had with me six persons, repre-
senting painting and the drama, as I represented litera-
ture. I had received for my mission 10,000 f. But how
was it possible for seven persons to live for months upon
10,000 f. ? What did I do ? Before leaving Paris I
caused to be sold railway shares of the value of 60,000 f.
and in so doing lost 7,000 E But I was determined to
figure grandly at the marriage of the Duke de Mont-
pensier, as became a man accustomed to such so-
lemnities. I spent 26,000 f, in Africa, and 11,000 f. in
Spain, and on my return to France I compelled the
Minister of Public Instruction to receive 1,0001. that I
had drawn above the 10,000 f. allowed me. Such is the
only answer I have to make to the insults of these
gentlemen."
The case was then adjourned for a week. On quit-
ting the Court, M. Dumas was surrounded by an im-
mense crowd, which escorted him to his carriage. He
frequently saluted the admiring multitude, and received
in return their enthusiastic plaudits.
remainderThCourteof th
assembled
pleadings.
eplebledlagsain on Saturday to hear the
brilliant and legiti-
mate Langlais, the counsel for the Presse, replied
with-
out
mate fame, that it wouldesurfilomc
entleman, he
romance of his victories, to
opuutmdaosu,bt,Tinhatthge of his
toth
so
pu
egahkt,
of
his
literary triumphs, like th
his
already
expiatingillusions,
for him to
• d himself, and was
deceive
went through the statement of M.
t
impose silence upon his adversaries, 11e had, however,
forward facts in refuta-
tion.oin ,
Dumas had vi
Dumas
snpgolaiinst stbhyepri
He concluded by stating M.o-
bringingthat M
lvistasted the treaty into which he had entered, and that he
debtor to the Presse to the amount of 23,635 f.,
money. advanclid to him, and for which nothing had been
furnished.
M. Nogent-Saint-Laurent then addressed the Court
for M. Dumas, who, he said, having taken up too se-
riously the bitter attacks which had been made upon
him in that place, had resolved not to in
appear gaer-
Fonally; and had, therefore, charged him witha his cause.
M. Nogent-Saint-Laurent denied that his client had
committed the infractions of the treaty charged upon
him, and in doing so repeated, but in a more consecu-
tive manner, the statements of M. Dumas, and observed
that the treaty itself had been signed under the express
reservation of the rights of the heirs of M. Dujarrier,
and was not, therefore conclusive. In terminating his
address, 111, Nogent-Saint-Laurent alluded, in feel—
ing terms, to an incident which has excited some inte-
rest, and which has Leen made, he said, the subject of
comment unfavourable to M. Dumas, but which only
showed the goodness of heart of his client.
The Court then adjourned for a week, to hear the
requisitory of the Avocet du Roi.
The following is the incident alluded to by M. Nogent-
Saint-Laurent in the course of his pleading. The day
after M. Dumas had pleaded his cause, a placard ap-
peared, announcing that, "in consequence of a seizure -
there would be publicly sold at Versailles, on the 25th,
a property situated at Port Marley, near St. Ger-
main-en-Laye, consisting of a plantation, a building
ornamented with turrets, and a pavillion surrounded
with water; called the Ile de Monte Ch into," such pro-