The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-03 00:00:00

M. THIERS.

(From the .Nouvelle Minerve.)
M. Thiers has reserved for himself only three of the nu-
merous dependencies of his Administration—viz., the fine
arts, the public works, and the secret-service money. For
the present, we shall speak only of his closet and his draw-
ing-room. It is there that the character of this statesman
displays itself in its truest colours.
M. Thiers' deportment towards the employes of his de-
partment is obliging. He is nevertheless detested ; the
reason of this is, that M. Thiers cannot appear obliging
without being impertinent.
In our days it is neither a misfortune nor a reproach not
to be of high birth. We have no longer any grand seigneurs.
We have only certain heads of society whose superiority of
station is allowed or tolerated on condition that they take
care to avoid making others feel it. In our days the title
of a parvenu is an honourable one ; but it is essential that
he should not justify the say of former times—" insolent
like a parvenu." If the heads of society are, by great ser-
vices or distinguished talents, to hold the place of the
grand seigneurs of the old regime, let them at least also
possess the politeness and urbanity which were peculiar to
that class of persons.
The Minister of the Interior has two closets of his own—

the room in which he writes himself, and the room in which
the ministerial attributes are divided. The former is like
an elegant museum, in which there is an abundant display
of rich bronze work, small statues, &c., carefully spread out
on mahogany tables. If M. Thiers has bought all those
things, be must have laid out an enormous sum of money
in the purchase.
M. 'Thiers generally repairs to his closet at 7 o'clock in
the morning. When he comes after that hour, it is because
he has previously gone to inspect the improvements and em-
bellishments which his private house in the Place St.
George is undergoing. He finds on his table the news-
papers of the day with notes relative to their contents, and
the correspondence of the previous day. He never fails
reading the papers, but he often forgets the correspondence.
M. Thiers has heard M. de Talleyrand say that he had
made it a rule never to answer a first letter, and only some-
times a second. The Minister of the Interior does better •
he sends no answer at all. He thinks it beneath him to
break open the seal of any letter, and scolds the huissier
who has had the audacity to bring him one. Letters ad-
dressed to him are to go to the confidential secretary, who
reads them, considers their contents, and only lays before
the Minister those which are deemed worth his notice.
With such habits, M. Thiers was right in ridding himself of
the police by leaving it in the hands of his under secretary,
M. Gasparin.
At about nine o'clock the confidential friends begin to
arrive. Between this and the breakfast hour the time is
spent in mere talking. This, however, is sometimes inter-
rupted by the arrival of some Peer or Deputy, to whom
an audience has been promised in consequence of repeated
solicitation, and which audience, however, is always of a
minute's duration. Some of the chief clerks also come in
to require a signature which had been promised a week
before. All these audiences are extremely short, and occa-
sion only a few minutes' interruption of the Minister's cau-
series with his intimate friends.
On the subject of delayed signatures, a curious fact may
here be mentioned. When King Leopold was last coming
to Paris, toiiig rhilippe sent to the Minister of the Inte-
rior a note written in nif; own hand about the measures that
were to be taken on the occasion, The note was imme-
diately forwarded to the chief of the police, who prepared
every thing according to its tenour ; he waited four days
Lhe I.nterier,
for the necessary orders from the Minister of
and when these came King Leopold had already take
departure for Brussels.
The breakfast is properly the Minister's levee. It is
usually of a dozen covers.* Mrs. Thiers and her mother
do tlse honours of the table. It is forbidden to speak of
business. The conversation relates to literature, the opera,
and horses. It is a time of rest.

The division of the Cabinet includes matters relating to
the municipal guard, the firemen, the private correspon-
dence, and the telegraph. The telegraphic despatches are
delivered to the Minister himself in a locked portefeuille,
of which he has the duplicate key. The chief of this di-

* Our English readers are, of course, aware that a French
breakfast is as complete a dinner as the ene so called which is
taken in the evening. The usual hour for breakfast is from
11 to 12 o'clock.