The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-04-17
RICHMOND. VA:
Saturday Morning, April ~, 1852.
The DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH AND
MARSHAL NEY.

MARSHAL NEY.
Ina late number Of Blackwood, already al
lnded to by US. general review Of the lite o.
Marlborough is given. There seems to have
been strange mistake, during his lie, WIN
regard to the character Of the man. Even
Lord Chesterfield, IL we recoliect correctly,
represented him as illiteraie. and as indebted
almost entirely to his manner, for his sue
cess in life. A few years ago q number OF
original documents were discovered, from which
il appeared that he was, at least, any thing but
illitera,e. He was, besides, q warrior OF such
sranscendent ability, that Napoleon caused bis
life to be written with great care, for the use Of
the Polytechnique, as he caused also those Of
Hannibal and julius Caesar to be written.
The writer in Blackwood. in defending the
Duke from the fierce attack Of Macaulay, at
tempts not to justify bis treachery to James ii,
but says that it was as bad as that of Marshal
Ney Now. we do not conceive that there was
any, the slightest, resemblance between the
two cases. Let us examine them both.
The sister OF the Duke of Marlborough had
for many years been the. open and avowed ia
vorite Of King James II. For that reason, or
for some other, he and his wife, {" old Sarah
as Horace Walpoie used to call her in her old
age,l acquired an immense influence at court.
From avery subordinate rank in the army, he
became, through court influence, general
He and his wife were the most influential per-
sons around James II, and his professions OF
Loyalty were nnbounded. He owed the King
every thing, and he protested TO give him his
whole heart. As soon as the kingdom was in
vaded--as soon as he found that james had
the worst of,be game which was in progress be-
tween aim and his son-in-law-as soon as he
found, 10 fine, that it would be more profitable
to get new master than to stick TO the old
one, he threw him of at once-deserted him
basely deserted him. and joined the enemy who
was seeking TO dispossess him of throne and
kingdom.
There was all the difference imaginable be-
tween this case and that Of Ney. The latter
had lived all me portion of his life embraced
between twenty and forty five, under the revo-
luton or the empire. He had been soldier Of
both-had fought, as he stated in his defence
at the time be was shot, FIVE hundred battles
in defence OF that cause, aud Of that sy stem.-
The Empire was oyerthIown-the Emperor
was sent to Elba-and those men who had been
raised to arms, and knew nothing else, were
reduced to inactivity, which, TO them, was, no
doubt, worse than death. Ney, in particular
whose whole life had been one of constant ac-
ton, and who had, probably, few mental re.
sources, became exceedingly restless and un-
happy. He swore allegiance to Louis XVIII
il II true, but it is literally impossible that he
could have felt satisfied under his govern
meni, or that he should not have felt q longing
for the restoration of the days when the French
eagle was flying in triumph all over Europe
II has been said, too, that the ancient nobility
who came in at the restoration, treated his vile
as mere parrenue. with SO much haughti-
ness, thar il kept her always in tears, and thus
assisted in rousing his temper, which was al
ways ungoyernable, and was, at that time,
doubtless, peculiarly sensitive. In the mean
time Napoleon landed. Ney, as an officer of
Louis XVIII, offered his services to command
a body Of a, 900 men to resist him, saying that
hewould stirring him home in an iron cage.s His
offer was accepted. and there can be no doubt
that it was made in good faith. But he soon
found that his men could not be made TO fight
against Napoleon. They deserted him by re-
giments al time. He soon found that SO far
10 II depended on France herself, the cause of
the Bourbons was lost, and the question arose,
whether he should join the Foreigner in fight
ing against France, or join Napoleon 10 resist
the Foreigner! He determined on the latter,
and We think his determination was that of a
patriot and an honest man.
worse treachery than that either of Mari.
borough OF Ney. though of a different e;escrip-
ton, was that practised by the Duke of Well
iington after the capitulation Of Paris. One
Of the articles of the treaty was, that there
should be no punishment of any person for no.
htieal offences. Ney's offence ftreason) was
certainly political offence, and YET The Duke
Of Wellington allowed him to be assassinated,
--eOr il was clear case Of assassination.
THE OLD RICHMOND COFFEE.HoUsE
ONCE AGAlN.
One of the most remarkable personagss in
the habit Of attending the old coffee-house was
Col. D . This gentleman, TO all
appearances, 80 far as stranger could Judge,
was as dry as ii was possible to conceive that
man could be: Yet there was an iniinite fund
Of wit and hnmor concealed under this un.
promising exterior. Many of our readers re-
cellect, no doubt.to have heard frequent pas
sages between him, and the venerable W
- Of Powhatan, who still lives, and who
has been SO celebrated in Kennedy's life of
Win. They had been associates in the prac.
tice Of the law when they were young, and
II. r. used to tell an infinite variety Of anec-
dsaas on Col. B., which the latter used 10 re-
mt upon his ancient comrade to the amuse.
zpent Of al the company. g
o. aus occasion, man called Al the resi-
Dsuce Of Col. B. upon begging expedition,
49, ~. ~..x<a 8