Star.
London, England, 1830-09-27 00:00:00

• 'o •011. DE TALLEYRAND.
••••••mallpm.man•
. _
(IFIOnI the rourrier Francais.)
Tht fallowing eitracts from unpublished memoirs haft been eom.
nurlicated to uss—

The Constitution of 1791 had prohibited the Members of the Alarm-
t Constituante (chapter 2, section 4, article 2) to receive any place,
gifts, rtnsions, salaries. or commissions from the Executive Power or
its agouti during the whole duration of their functions, and for two
yrars -after they had ceased to exercise the same.

Th" Bishop of Autun took the oath to the Constitution and to this
attith . However, NI. de Talleyrand wanted thee, as he did ever after.
ward, employment, honours. and salaries, and he had then, as he still
has. adecided predilection for the Embassy to England. The law was
to 1w violated for his accommodation, but it would have been violated
too openly if he had received the title of Ambassador. This was there.
fort t -nrerred upon 'young courtier, awl; a man of elegant manners,
*how. NI. de Talleyrand, who himself passes for such an exquisite
judge (if men and things, and consummate diplomatist,supposed to beper.l
keit)/ tractable. AI. de Chauvelin had therefore the title and the honour,
oi t!... Embassy, whilst the mangement of the business devolved upon
M. Itc Talleyrand, with a large salary attached to it. He took with
him NI. Garet, a Nltanber of the French Academy. A lady of great
wit observed on this occasion "This Embassy is a perfect opera—the
worth by Garet, the airs by Chauvelin, and the plot and intrigues by
Tall, yrand."

But this was not the case, for farce had M. de Chauvelin landed,
who was besides powerfully assisted by M. Reinhard, the first Secretary
of the Embassy, when he felt himself quite capable of managing the
affairs of the Embassy himself, and ditto° accordingly. M. de Talley.
rand did nothing. He was, however, soon released from so heavy a
bardin by the events of the 10th of August—the forfeiture of the King,
chi. establishment of the Republic, and the decree of the accusation
launched against him by the national conventions, charging him with
having betrayed—l know not what dutp—though he bad only violated
his math. His anonymous commission to the English Ministry was
annulled by the change of Government in France, at well as his aeden.
tials as Ambassador.

France no longer had any accredited agent in London at so impel'.
tant and critical a time. Maret, now Duke of &nano, who exer-
t•ived then the functions of Director-General of the Foreign Ofliee, was
Nem there. This agent entered into negociatione with Mr. Pitt to ac.
knowledge the Republic. 31. de Talleyrand and M. de Chaavelin were'
laying on their oars to await the event.
When intelligence of Louis XV'•s. death arrived, 31. de Chauvelin
*mired orders, towards the end of January 1703, to leave England.
A !similar order was, in February, given to M. Maret, after an embargo
had been laid on English ships m our ports, which was the signal
of war.

M. de Talleyrand remained quiet. Every day, about two o'clock,
he was seen to leave his residence in Woodstock.street, proceed to.
wards St. Paul, and slip into a large building in the neighbourhood
where stock'. jobbing is :carried on, and where he exercised his talents
in matters of finance. Exclusive of this place he went no where. But
the British Government had not forgotten this personage, whose official
intercourse with the Cabinet began and ended ni the month of March,
1793, by an order he received to leave the territory of the three king-
doms without delay. Be went to the United States, from whence
t:c returned in 1796, when, on the proposition of Cheitier, the decree
accusation launched against him by the Director was revoked-.
It is remarkable enough that the four French Diplomatic Agents who
met at London 38 years ago bad each a long and not inglorious career.
One of the M. de Chauvelin, obtained a just celebrity in political as.
semblies ; and the other three, Talleyrand, Basun°, and Reinhard,
naveat various epochs filled the Foreign Department. It is not less
17,1rthy of remark, that these four public men, after surviving so
many events, should meet at Paris under the nose of a Government
v. Lich calls to its assistance experience, coupled with tried fidelity, that
t!l, choice of the Ministry should have fallen on M. Talleyrand.