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

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vision has at all times to answer, without hesitation!,
following questions :—" Where am I engaged to dine A'9"
day ?" "Is any one engaged to dine with me to-day r
However important and urgent the object which may
duce any one to desire an audience of the Minister, it i 5
quite impossible to obtain access to him without first goin
and making it known to the Chief Secretary, who promises
to take the Minister's directions thereon, and to return an
answer in two or three days. It is well known that the
wife of a General Officer in active service complains that
she had written ten times in six weeks to the Minister re-
questing an audience, and no notice whatever was taken of
her applications. She did not state in her letters the busi-
ness she wished to speak to him upon, and the Chief Se- .
cretary could therefore obtain no orders from the Minister
on the subject.t
After breakfast, M. Thiers proceeds either to the coun-
cil board or to the Chamber, where it is unnecessary to
follow him. He is in the habit of giving two great dinners
in the course of the month. During his first ministry,
costs him not a little pains to get a sufficient num
are by
no means unexceptionable, people generally attach scanue
importance to outward forms, and there were not a few rni°
chose to find it strange that a lady who was known not tO
be connected with M. Thiers by any ties of relationship pre-
sided at his table. Things, however, are otherwise at the:,
present clay. It is in his drawing-room, during the days 01
general reception, that M. Thiers renders himself most ri-
diculous. He is flirting for hours, turning on his heel in-
cessantly, salutes no one, does not listen when spoken to, ,
and returns answers when no question was asked. The
e e
grand receptions are grievous occasions for M. Thiers.
acquits himself in them with the worst grace in the world-,
He displays in them all the morgue and airs of importance
of M. Sebastiani, without having the latter's power of as'
suming a suitable face to his pretensions. Madame Nell
passes as an affected and vain woman ; but she is certainlY
a good-natured one. She is yet too young to understand
exactly the import of what she may say or do. If she
uncivil, it is because her husband is impertinent, and be-
cause she has received the education of the people of the
Petite-bourse, in whose circle she was brought up.
M. and Madame Thiers are out of their element in the
Ministerial drawing-room, because they never knew how t°
take their stand there properly. Madame Thiers has I).l°'
bably heard her husband speak with disgust and aversion,
of solicitations, and her heart has therefore been found
closed to all feeling of pity whenever her intercession with
her husband for the relief of some distress had been applied
for. In her own drawing-room, and because she is the icife
of M. Thiers, who M. Gisquet has assured her is a great
man, she does not condescend to rise to any Duke, Peer,
or General ;--.311e even hardly returns their salute. Madan°
Thiers has no quickness of intelligence ; and with the pos-
session of that quality her husband wants good sense. Dl'
41
Thiers has reached his present station very rapidly ; he
descend from it quite as fast.
t She was served right. It is a pity that this proceed"
regarding her is not made a general rule in France; a vast
deal of time thrown away might thereby be saved, and tosol
has t
families would not be the worse for it. What business he
wife of any general officer in active service to require a privat`
audience of the Minister of the Interior? Could not her hug'
band go to him or write ?