New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-31

oddly enough, but very Frenehly, doing more TO
Disguise in telling il than skeptca Voltaire, witt
est and cost unwilling of reyolutionsts a regicide
grated on cOurtier. "'
: Now attacks the secular idol, iconocast Mich
elet. He pulls off the Royal Godaster's high:
fiizzled Oympian wig pulls of his high, red -heeed
shoes, drags him out from his Versailles temple, and
shows him stripped to the naked truth-a little, de-
bauched, heaTtless, cruel man, in whose c0ntempia
tion as thus exposed, legitimate disgust is only re-
leved by healthy human hate. After reading the
last, and for the service, it is doing to the French,
the best volume of Micheet, Louis XIV ct la Rero'
cation de rEdct de NaKtes prestige and respect are
no longer possible. He has told here little toat Is
new in the way of fact but be has told 1t IN new
way. He writes history from the heart TO the
heart, "treating humanity the most human OF SCI.
ences," restoring life to history, making the past
live over again, and us live with It, feel with IL,
and appreciate it by aid of salutary hostile aud
friendly emotions-as needfnl and fit assessors on
the trial of great historical human cases, as cool,
Indifferent Judgment. :.
The third volume of Guizot's Memories is the his
tory from his point of view, and with special relation
to himself, of Louis Phlippe's Cabinet, from 1852
TO 1885, The last chapter and large part OF the
appendix, is mainly taken up with the difficulties
with the United States about the % 600 600 treaty,
and with the Instructions at Paris and Lyons, and
the accessory Parliamentary debates, Cabinet
chances and changes, and policy of the period.
The frst half of the volume is devoted, with JUS
table degree of detail, to the best most lasting,
honorable, and fruitful work of Guizot's life-his
excellent measures of Public Instruction, which in.
cluded in their scope the inauguration of system
of primary education for the people and the re-
constitution of the Academy of Moral and Political
Sciences at the Institute.
In this as in the preceding volume, GuizOt is
thoroughly himself. No page he ever sent 10 press
is more vigorously nervOusy written than this vol
ume sent to the printers in his seventythird year.
Nor in any stOrmiest Parliamentary debate, when
from the hight of the tribune he defed and ruled
the Storm was he more firm stern, imperious, con-
fident and arrogant than now. The terrible defeat
of lS4S the forced naction Of the last twelve years.
have not subdued his courage nor weakened his
faith, nor cooled his zeal-nOr even taught him
charity toward other unsuccessful cOmbatants. He
is not a man to ask the love of any one; from the
faithful Of his followers he exacts obedience; from
all honest men he must command respect.
Next to their value as illustrating the Intellectual
and moral qualities of a superior man, what IS
most interesting in these memoirs are the pen and
ink sketches sometimes of only prominent feature,
sometimes of the profile or full front portrait OF
distinguished people, whom their author has met.
From several of these, struck off with singular
vgor of touch, if not successful as licensees,
must transfer one or two:
ON. Auguste Comte, the author of what has been
called and of what he himself called, Positive Phoso-
phy, asked TO see me. | had no acquaintance what
ever with him, and had never so much as heard hin
spoken of. / received him, and we conversed some
time He wished that should have instituted for him,
at the College of France Professorshp of General
History of the Physical and Mathematical Sciences;
and to prove to me the necessity of it, ne set forth
clumsly and confusedly bis views of man, society,
civilization, religion, philosophy, history. He was
su,nle honest nrofOundly convinced man; devoted to
his IDEAS modest in appearance, although really swollen
with pride (au fond pTodg,eusement orgueeuI), and
who sincerely believed himself called to open new
era to the human mind and 70 human societies. had
come difficulty while listening to him, to restrain the
expI esson of my establishment that mind 80 vigorous
should be 80 narrow as not even TO have glimpse
either of the nature of the facts he handled of the
questions he pronounced upon that nature so uuself
ishly impartial should not be warned by his own sen
ments, which were moral in spite OF himself OF the
immoral fasity Of his ideas"
Guizot adds that be entered upon no discussion
with Comte, whose evident sincerity, Devotion and
blindness, inspired plying respect but that had
he created the prOfessOrship in question, Comte
was the last man whom he would have nominated
TO it. A long letter from COmte printed in the ap-
pendix to this volume, curious in ITSELF may be re.
garded as piece justifcatire of this portraiture.
OF Michelet and Quinet, at one time valuao" subor-
inate auxiares in the carrying out Ofparts vf Gui-
cots system of Public Instruction, he writes:
u Two more rare and generous minds, whom the
u evil genius of their time bas seduced and drawn
. into its impure chaos, and who are better worth
. than their ideas and their popular success" Like
,ther great pOrtraitists, GuizOt reflects himself in
lis work, which is always characteristic of himself
not faithful in likeness to the subject. This is
trikingy the Gaze 10 his treatment Of Lamennais,
me of the most mastery portraits Of the gallery
regret that have not room for a copy.
Les Mattresses de Louis XV., the Mistresses OF
Louis XIV, by those Samese twins of literature,
he brothers Edmond and Jules GoncOurt-two
7ery readable volumes that should be read by any
me who is curious, not in dirty scandal and
mere court intrigues, but in the social and
political history Of France: "La femme seute
4 erplique H. rtgne efeminf de Loms KY"
The first mistress, en- tire of this most
Christian King by divine right was Madame de
Mailly; the second was her sister, the Counties de
yintimile, who was in turn dethroned BY third
sister, the Duchess of Chateauroux. After this
ncestuous dynasty of harlotry, belonging to the
hereditary nOJiesse, the bourgeoisie assembled the
Royal bed in the person of Jane Antoinette ille
Ultimate daughter of Madame Poisson, adulterous
wife of her fathers nephew, Mons. d'Etioles,
Warehouses; of Pompadour, and virtual Queen of
France. To the bOurgeOisie succeeded the eanaiUe
Out from the street and worse places came-we
,annOt say rosemary Jane of no original family
name, afterward Viscountess Dubarry, to preside
,ver the carnvalesque orgies of Versailles and the
lnonted Head of the House of Bourbon lay on her
BOSOM.
Madame de Mailly, discarded, old and ugly had
race to repent and die in hair cloth. Going
nto church one day, she disturbed some persons:
. Here is a fuss indeed for a -" cried an irri-
ated wOrshiper. The poor woman turned and
aid: Since you know what she is, pray for her."
The Pompadour-really an accomplished, if not
. gifted" female-cOnstantly menaced in her last
ears with the fate of her predecessors was barely
lble to ward off the imminent danger and prop her
waning influence over her keepers mind by procur-
Dg for his pleasures But she finally died in her
,aace bed. When Louis the Well Beloved his life
an out in continent small pox, the Dubarry went
md hy tho yvav of har luxurinua hnusa Of ouv.-