The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-11-01
For the National Fra
For the National Era
Sketch Of the Political History of Europe,
THE CAPITULATI0N OF PARIS, IN 1914,
THE PRESENT TIME,
BY A FRIEND OF LIBERTY.
CHAPTER XIII.

Louis Philippe had scarcely left the Tuiler
les, when the troops were withdrawn, and the
Infatuated multitude allowed to enter this mag
nificent abode of royalty. Heated passions,
wanton malice, and tempted poverty, were thus
left at liberty to destroy or to pillage every
thing which princely wealth, vanity, and love of
the arts had collected within the walls Of this
immense palace.
The royal carriages were put on fire. some of
the paintings and portraits torn asunder, few
statues broken in pieces, much costly furniture
destroyed, the wine cellars empted, and some
pillage of other valuable things committed.
Prostitutes, vagabonds, and professional thieves,
rioted in bacchanalian orgies, polluting the
sanctusries Of connubial love. Horrid oaths
and unchaste songs resounded through the am
pie halls, leaving no doubt that part of their
new inmates belonged to the most degraded
classes of the Partisan populace.
But better feelings animated the great body
of the insading host. Hence the most valuable
treasures of gold, of gems, and of genius, were
saved from robbery and destruction. Placards
were affixed to the walls, at several places, con-
tanning this threat, q Mort an pOleurs" death
to thieves.)
The proposition of firing the palace itself
was ingeniously frustrated by an unknown per-
son, who, on the wall supporting the rails which
surrounded the Tuileries, wrote, in large, black
letters, these words: "Hospice des incalides
ciuiIs." Hospital for civil invalids.) This in
scription provoked enthusiastic applause from
the crowd, and saved the stately edifce from
destruction.
The apartments which the Duchess of Or
leans had inhabited were religiously respected,
guards being placed at the doors, in order to
prevent every one from entering them. 1t was
afterwards found that this beautiful and noble
Princess, while watching at the bed of the Count
of Paris, her eldest son, who was somewhat in
disposed, had, on the very morning of the Oath
of February, been reading some pages of NJ.
Lamartine's Histoire DIES GirOndins," proba-
bly, not then anticipating that before the close
of that day, that writer was to become one of
the chief instruments in depriving her little
sick boy of the crown of France.
The affections which the French people had
entertained for the Duke of Orleans, had in a
great measure been transferred to his widow,
whose heart remained still bleeding from the
wound which it had received on the 18th of
July, 1912, when the unfortunate accident, al
ready related, put an end to the life of her
dearly beloved husband, the worthiest and
most popular of all the excellent sons with
whom Providence had blessed Louis Philippe
and his Queen.
The Duchess being Protestant, it had not
been without much difficulty that the Duke of
OIL laI L. ol1o 70 har tha
offer of his heart and hand. Their union was
what is generally styled love-match, and rem
dered them, until cruel death separated them,
the happiest of mortals. But the sacrifice was
necessary for the accomplishment of certain
plans of Divine Providence, nOU visible to the
human eye.
At the sudden departure of the rest of the
royal family from the Tuileries the duty devolv
ed upon the Duchess of Orleans to remain with
her two sons, in order to maintain, if possible,
the rights of the Count of Paris. The Duke of
Nemours remained with her, not with the am
bilious view of becoming the Regent of the
Realm, in virtue of the parliamentary act al
ready spoken of, but for the purpose of giving
all assistance in his power to his sister-in-law
and her children.
Some of the troops, knowing that the Duchess
of Orleans and her sons still remained in the
Tuileries, had even after the departure of the
other members of the royal family, opposed the
populace, that endeavored to force their en-
trance into the palace. But the Princess, on
hearing the reports of firearms, sent immediate
ly to the celebrated General Gourgaud, to order
the troops to cease firing. Hence it was deem
ed necessary, for the safety of the Duchess and
her two sons to leave the Tuileries, before it
had become the theatre of wild disorders, and
perhaps of bloodshed; and it was resolved,
agreeably to the advice of M. Dupin, that she
and her youthful children, accompanied by the
Duke of Nemours, should proceed directly to
the Chamber of Deputies, to endeavor to in
duce the representatives of the people to &C.
knowledge the rights of the Count of Paris, and
decide the question of the Regency.
Taking the oldest of her sons-who though
indisposed, had been obliged to leave his bed
by the hand, while the younger one was carried
in the arms of one of her attendants, the Prin-
cess, accompanied by the Duke of Nemours,
M. Dupin, the Duke of Elchingen, and few
other distinguished persons, left the Tuileries,
and directed her steps towards the Chamber of
Deputies.
The Deputies had begun to assemble about
half past ten in the morning, few of them prob
ably anticipating what was to take place in the
short space of q few hours. As soon as M. La
MARITIME arrived, he was surrounded by several
persons belonging to the moderate Liberals,
who, while wishing to be rid of Louis Philippe,
were nevertheless anxious to preserve the mo-
narchical form of Government, and to secure
the Regency to the Duchess of Orleans. NJ
Lamartine was requested by some members of
this party to enter into side room, where the
PROPOSITION Was made to him tn sunnorf the |