Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-12-21
sTAUNTON, VIRGINIA. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1858.
Paris Gossip

I Paris Gossip.
The nert Crisis-A Budget Of Scandat-!h
Emperors intimacy Nth Madame WaLeacska-
The Oomatesse de Caumartin ind the Prsnc
De P.
There has been more animation in the polltl
cal saloons this week than has been visible TO
many months past; and the most blind and con
fiding of our optimists are fain to agree with D
in anticipation of the approaching crisis. Dan
ger, foreseen. is half averted; and let us hop'
that it will be seen in high quarters, and thu
deprived of its Importance when it bursts forth
They say that, to the astonishment and utte
confoupding of all men, the Empress has becom'
so fully impressed with the approaching peril
that she is entirely occupied at this momen
with the contingencies of the Regency. Yol
may have perceived how much of late her Maj
esty has been drawn towards Prince Jerome
The Emperor treats the tete. a. tete conferences
which now regularly take place between the vet
eran Bonaparte and bis fair niece, with the con
descending sufferance which is used towards al
spoiled children, and turns all serious converse
tion with the Empress aside by an indulgent ant
plying smile, or by an ardent petition agains
crinolne, or perhaps supplication in favor o
short skirts and that style of dress which, IL
general, "begins late and ends early" simple
joke be is fond of repeating. having, in these
matters, inherited this taste from his mother
But the Empress, led on by her bosom friend
Madame Waeswki, is now endeavoring as mucf
as possible to bend the small Spanish brai[
which Heaven has bestowed to more seriou:
studies than those which have hitherto occupied
her; and, under the very pretty mask OF Eugene
de Montijo, does the fair Italian, who now holds
the rule of all things at the French Court, bring
forward, every day, some new idea, which shall
bind frmer and prepare with more certainty the
position to be assumed before long, to all ap.
pearance, by the Empress, should the dreaded
crisis arrive. The bosom friend was OF the En-
perors own choosing, and he owns that he has
only become sensible of her merits within the
last year or So He suffers himself to be entire
ly guided by her counsels, and declares himself
perfectly satisfied with the result. Remember
that she was the only person OF the EmPeror's
intimate circle who accompanied him to Plom.
beres, and stayed during the interview with
Cavour at that place.
The best of the lady's position is the double
friendship, the equal share of confidence she has
inspired in both husband and wife, and which,
visible to the eyes of all men, silences forever
any slanderous report which might have arisen,
in consequence of the exclusive intimacy she en-
joyed at Plombieres No honest man in France,
however, believes for o moment a single word
of calulnny against the lady. Her life is at this
moment too openly visible to all to admit OF q
moments suspicion; and we can only admire
the talent and steadfastness of purpose which
have enabled her to rise to the exalted office of
prime councillor of the Emperor, the chief ad
wiser of the Empress, and yet preserve her hus
bands affection and the worlds esteem.
The whole of the diplomatic and aristocratlc
world are quite en- rair with the excitement pro.
duced by the unfortunate defalcation of the
young Prince de P, which has been vainly
hushed up for the last fortnight by the diplo.
mates, but which has got abroad through an
other channel, with which diplomacy has much
to do in all countries, and which has generally
been the means of suffering the most important
secrets to flow out into the sea OF publicity. 1t
is most likely that you should be aware already
of the main facts of the case through the jour
mails. The Empress Of Russia had dispatched to
the Queen of Portugal suit of silver sables
with other rich and costly presents worthy to
be transferred from one crowned head to anoth-
err The bearer of these treasures was great
favorite and protege OF the Emperor Alexander /;
his mother is high in office about the person OF
the Empress; and the mission upon which he
is thus sent was considered as merely an excuse
for loading him with honors and favors upon his
return. But the youth never got farther than
Paris! Here he still lies, chained, and bound to
the rosy fetters of the Comtesse de Oaumartln /;
ard quite content so TO reman,as long as the lady
will consent to tighten the fetters which bind
him closer to her side. The Comtesse de Cau-
martin is an authority in Paris. Her nobesse
is not ancient, only dating from the last Carni-
val time; but she supports its nobly, with lig.
cries OF the most splendid kind, with horses and
with carriages, with diamonds, and with the
large front box on the first tier of the Opera /;
and, therefore, we have no right to carp at her
right to bear the title by which she is distin-
guished
The fact is, the charming Oomtesse belongs to
a caste which has sprung up of late years upon
the dunghill of the Bourse, and which takes
precedence of all others in Paris. This class OF
ladies hold the very government of the country
in their hands no wonder it is SO ill-governed.
To them belong the wealth, the power, the in
fuence; to them must the capitalist apply for
his concession, the priest for his preferment, the
official for his promotion they hold the key
which opens the Golfers of the State. No WOE.
der there is so little in them Last Carnival
time it became necessary, to avoid confusion, to
distinguish them by some designation more Pc
culiar than the superannuated titles of Mount
this and Val that, which is beginning now to
SAVIOR of the gambling house, and so it was sug-
gested by Lord 81 l believe, that each la
dy should assume the title of the street in which
she resides; thus we have the Duchess de Cas-
tgone (who caused, by the bye, sad confusion
at one moment,) the Marquis de Mazagran, the
Vicomtesse belle l'Eveque, and above all, the
subject of our present memoir, (as biographerS
say, the Comtesse de Caumartin. This lady
stands at the head of her sisterhood, being the
most terrible destroyer OF fortunes ever known,
which is considered, as this is a sensible era,
the only accomplishment necessary in ladies OF
this description. 1t was, then, in the silken net
thrown out by one of these syrens, that the
young Prince de P. was induced to throw otf
the sable mutf and victoria destined tor the
Queen of Portugal, always, he says, with the
full conviction that he would be enabled to re-
place them by writing to his mothor at st. Pc
tersburg.
But his copfusion may be imagined, when he
was told that no money could replace that pecu-
liar silver sable and it was just because it was
unique that it had been sent as present to the
Queen of Portugal The Ambassador has been
called in but the fair Comte-se detles him. She
will not give him up the valuable furs, but will
lingly consents to return the diamonds, which,
not considering OF sufficient value to wear, she
had placed around the dial plate of the clock
which ornaments her dressing ROOM The EN-
peror has been applied to in this dilemma; but
he could only reason with laughing philosophy
upon the matter :-"Rue eoulezUoas, search the
Countess strong box; you will find far other
treasures than poor marten skin you will find
there, Monsieur rAmbassadeur. the earrings
broug ght by the Sire de Joinville from bis cap
tivty at the crusades, and generously returned
by the Emperor Saladin, to whom they had
heen sent as ransom +: YOU will find the diamond