The Portland daily press., 1869-03-03


was announced by the cable yesterday, was
really one of the most marked characters of the
time. He was born in Macon, Oct. q, 1892.
His father, an officer of the Swiss Guards at
the outbreak of the Revolution, passed the
reign of terror in prison, and on the fall of
Robespierre retired with his wife and child to
the little village of Milly, near Macon. Here
the boyhood of the poet was passed in the SO.
cety OF his mother whom he adored, of the
village children, and ofthe neighboring priest
VINO taught him Latin. He was sent to the
college of Lyons, where he studied chiefly the
modern poets and philosophers, and after
wards travelled in Italy. His Condolences and
Meditdtioas PoetiQues record the impressions
and feelings of this period of his life. They
are marked by great purity of sentiment, by
deep, almost elegiac mournfulness of tone,
the most melodious expression, and by deep
reverence for the domestic affections, for the
Catholic religion and for the exiled royalty of
France. The author was recognized as the
poet of the legitimfsts, and in him it was said
that the throne and altar had found their most
brilliant and earnest defender The restora-
ton opened to the brilliant young poet an op-
portunity for diplomatic career, and in 1877
he became secretary to the embassy at Naples.
On his way thither he married at Geneva
Miss Birchs young and wealthy English lady
who before knowing him had conceived the
most enthusiastic admiration for his genius
and character. For ten or twelve years he
resided alternately at Naples, Rome and Paris.
leading brilliant and prosperous existence
f0lIoht Or tWo dl1a1c xuos do
of the French Academy, was at one time min
lister to Greece, and continued to produce vol
ume after volume,t the fruit of his luxuriant but
undisciplined genius.
In 1882 he undertook journey to the East
which had been the religious and romantic
dream of his life. He was accompanied by his
wife and daughter, and travelled like sover-
eign prince, buying houses in which to tarry,
having whole caravan of horses, and troops
of armed attendants in his service. The Arabs
called him the Frank Emir. He visited at
Lebanon Lady Hester Stanhope, who prophe-
sled for him distinguished political career in
Europe. The results of this journey were the
loss of his daughter, who died of fever at Bey-
root, and work in four volumes called Voyage
en- Orient Souvenirs Impressions ct Pensees, the
whole a splendid though careless blending of
religion, history, philosophy, politics and poet
ry. In 1868 appeared his poem of .Tocelyn
which is one of his finest productions, and
created profound impression. ga great ST.
lence", says Jules Janin, "was made around
that book" La Chute dun Ange, and the His
toire des Girondins appeared shortly after.
In 1873 we find him defending the admin
| istration of Count Mole against the powerful
coalition Of Theirs, Berger and Guizot, and
recognized as the head of what was called the
social party" In 1842 he broke away from
| the Guizot ministry and from what he called
the party of limitations and openly attached
himself to the cause of reform. After the alb
| dication and fight of the King, in the last
assembly of the chamber Feb. "a, 1848, where
the Duchess of Orleans appeared with her son
the Count of Paris, whom it was proposed to
| declare King, the eloquence of Lamartine
quelled the tumultuous crowd, and decided
the establishment OF a provisional government
But perhaps the grandest act of his
life was on the following morning (Feb. 25,)
when the insnrgent and famishing mob
| which had just sacked the Tuileries appeared
before the Hotel de Vile, threatening
destruction if they were not immedi-
ately supplied with bread and. work.
lie drapeau rouge (the red fag) the symbol of
terror, was already hoisted and was hailed
with fierce cries of applause, when Lamartine
advanced alone into the midst of the infuriat-
ed mob, and while they leveled their muskets
and pixies at his breast and many bullets whis-
tied past his head, he haranged them with an
eloquence and force which completely sub
dued them. The drapeGu rouge dropped from
the hands which had held it, the hoarse cry of
the crowd became murmur of applause, and
Lamartine concluded in these words:
You have shown to-day to God and to the
world that there is nothing which may not be
obtained from such people when we appeal
to its virtues This day will be written in his
tory among the grandest days OF your national
life, because the glory which you have here
achieved will call down upon you not the NAL
edictions of victims or the resentment of a
people, but the blessings of posterity. You
have plucked the flag of the Terror from the
hands of the second Republic! You have
abolished the scaffold! 1t is enough for two
days. Co. re-assure your wives and children
| in their homes, and tell them that you have
we'll deserved not only of history, but of the
human heart and of God.
To the intrepid stand of Lamartine on this oc-
casion it is mainly attributable that new reign
of terror did not ensue. His eloquence, fame
and courage gave him predominance in the
new government, but he lacked the prudence
to retain his influence. He was a candidate
for the Presidency, but received less than
10000 votes, and was returned to the Assem-
bly, in 1o49 only by one obscure department.
Since the coup detat of Louis Napoleon he has
been absent from public affairs. He has writ
ten many books but none have been worthy of
his earlier fame; and his poverty, the natural
result of his lavish expenditures, has led him
to make appeals to the compassion of the
charitable which have detracted from the re-
spect felt for his character. OF late it has
been said that he was engaged upon poem
which he called his last will and Testament