New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-07

I and the changes trey brought with then, hss out'
hyed that agreeable salon life, that mode Of society
and eopvsrsaton, Of which literature, ar, and VII,
combined with personal intimacy polished manners
tshion and grace. were the elemsnss which %e~
opce peculiar 10 the saons OF Pars, and made Them
eel. brated models Of imitation throughout polite
Europe. But she is old enough to be dear, gtrru-
lous ndiscreet gossip occasionally letting slip good
thing 10 the dtcredit Of her dead friends out OF re-
gard 10 the amusement OF us her live resders. How
she " service up for instance, the famous Madame
Rscsmsr-famous as the keeper and exhibitor in
her salon Of the great lion, Chateaubriand. The
lion hsbituay retired early, alitlle before oclock
10 go home and feed With his WIFE /" am never
hungry" be would say at leaving, " before seven;
" but Madame Chateaubriaud always wants 20 dine
at FIVE; We have agreed ID SIT down at table AT
:. six precisely, end accordingly we neither of
us suited. This is what is called the charm Of
" domestic life :" aud he went cut laughing, sure
of being scolded," said Madame Recamier, as soon
ss he was gone. Chsteaubriands habit for many
years was to 90 to bed at O'Clock, nor would he
change il the night that bis tragedy of Noise was
performed for the FIRST time at the Odeon, but sent
his old raiet de ehambre TO watch and report its
ception b, the public. When the domestic, whose
arrival was impatiently expected, returned, late a.
night the poet inquired, with affected indifference,
how the piece went of. Admirably Monsieur lie
yicomts; though at first they tried TO make lit
tie disturbance.
What during the tragedy -
"Yes, Sir during the tragedy; but it lid not last
long, and they soon grew merry again.
Merry while the tragedy acting ?" he re-
pested with astonishment.
"Ob, YES, Monsieur lie VicOmte. They liked it
in the parterre where was, can assure you. for
THEY never stopped laughing till 1t was over, and
said such funny things that aug he'd right heartily
too" The poet used to tell this story himself.
One ofthe gsyest cheerfulest salons was that ofthe
Duchesse d'Abrantes which Madame Ancelot began
to frequent only toward the period of lts latter
splendor. Its mistress witty brilliant luxurious,
reckless, was as true Bohemenne in her nature
rs ever woman was. She had spent already count
less thousands of her own, and was spending as
many thousands, uncounted, ss she could possibly
get trusted for in any quarter. Ii was her eldest
son. heir of his mother scharacter, and equally poor
in credit in his own right, who said one day, holding
up piece of stamped paper, intended to be hlled up
a. draft on banker: You see this bit of white
PAPER That is worth now five SOUS; when have
put my name to it, it won't be worth anything"
One evening the conversation in tins salon was
unusually gay: if it tagged for moment, the
Duchess, merrier than any of her guests, re-
yived it with laughabe anecdotes OF the old lmpe-
rial Court and an incxhaustible flow of pleasantly,
so that every one forgot that II o'clock, the ordi-
nary hour for serving tea, was long past. III was
not till long after midnight that 1t was hnally
brought on The cause OF the delay was that the
teaspoons had been sent to the Mont de fiete mat
morning and it took some tine to send out and
borrow substitutes, the want of which had only
been thought of at the last moment. The poor
Duchess's financial system finally broke down, aud
the widow of Junot retired to die in small apart
ment in disreputable quarter of the town. Mad
AnceOt first discovered her dllapldated pecnnlary
condition by reading, from beginning to end, asharp
dunniDg letter whichthe Duchess had accidentally
left in carriage aterward taken by our goSsiPlng
author. IL seems to have been not long after thus
that. in spite Of her "liyely affection for the
Duchesse d'Abrantes, she began to hnda something
painful in the agreeable reunions of her salon.
One evening at Baron Gerard's, that great artist
told the story of what once befell the Florentine
painter, Carlo Pedrero. A young Sgnor ordered
picture of Hymen. The god WAS to be attended
with ali the graces and joys; his loren was 10 DC
more brilliant than Cupd's Price was OF no con-
sequence: let the artist do his best and quickly,
for the Scnor would have the work done for bril-
dial present on the eve of his marriage with the
beautiful Francesca The painter surpassed hun
self and brought the masterpiece on the eve OF the
wedding day. The young man was Ill satisfied,
finding the treatment far beneath the merit OF the
subject The painter explained that his process III
the use of cOOrs was such az to need time u bring
out their Just effect; he would take away the pic
ture, therefore, and bring 1t back some months
later when it's beauty would have developed ITSELF
The marriage took place the next day, and Carlo
brought back his picture some months later.
d" Time has indeed embeshed your work, ex-
claimed the FlOreBtne SignOr; " what difference
a. But il seems to me that the cOuntenance OF Hy-
men is too gay; You have given him smiling air
that does not belong to the character" 1t Ii not
nv canvas but your sentiments that are changed,
replied the artist; ~ few months ago you were
in love; now you are married." While the group
of listeners were laughing at Gerards story,
which ended here, gentleman took it up again,
saving, "Do you know what happened atterward
Tie painter, content with the sum paid him, now
promised TO represent Hymen in a way to please
both lover and husbands and some months later he
opened his ateler to the public for the exhibition OF
the masterpiece, promised perhaps iinprudenty'
The public came but they entered only few at a
time. The picture was hung quite at the end OF
long gallery. The effect OF coors was managed
with an art that made the portrait Of Hymen ap-
pear charming Ia those who looked at IL from DIS
lance but close to- il WAS not at all the same thing.
Madame Ancelot tells us what il is to be hoped was
true that the expression and manner OF the speaker
added greatly to the light merit OF this epllogae.
But hat lei ds il its chief interest, ami viii excite
the surprise of your readers, as il did hers, Is 10
learn that It's author was the learned Humboldt.
A frtt volume of the Mfmotres e Correspondence,
Poiitique e M,itaire, of Prince Eugene edited by
Du Case author of the Memories du Ro Joseph, and
al first volume OF the Memories du Comte Mtet de
Meito telling the experience OF that Minister, En-
bassador and Councillor Of State, from l7Sc TO
1915 are further late contributions 10 the history OF
the NapoleOnic epoch. Then We have another OF
Micheet's brilliant volumes, Richstteu ct Ia fronds
and the eleventh volume of Henri Martins new
edition of his General History OF France.
DEATH REVOLUTIONARY HEROINE