The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-12
AN IMPERIAL SCANDAL.
SINGULAR REVELATIONS OF THE
SECOND EMpIRE.
A nIonarch's Infidelity-The Case of NJ.
Devienne.

ment of National Defence. The first and
gravest accusation was based on discoveries
made among the private papers of the EN-
peror after his defeat at Sedan, and after the
flight of the Empress, and it was alleged thai
NJ. Deyienne had seriously compromised biz
dignity as magistrate by negotiations of
scandalous nature. The scandal was one ir
which the Emperor was mainly concerned
aud which led to the sudden appearance o
the Empress in Scotland in 1854.
NJ. Devienne's part in the affair was that ofa
mediator, and it was through his lnterposition
that reconciliation was effected. The Two
other charges against him were that he had
disobeyed the summons Of n. Emmanuel Ara
90. acting as deputy minister Of justice under
the Provisional Government, to return to Paris
in order to explain his connection with this
affair, and that he had absented himself from
Paris In an hour OF national peril. The simple
answer to these complaints is, that M. Devil
enne left Paris in obedience to the instructions
of N. Cremeieux, the minister OF, lustee, VINO
was himself sent to Tours before Paris was be-
sieged, the Presidents mission being to organ
ize provisional chamber of the Court Of Cas-
sation In the provinces.
Upon these points the court does not appear
to have pronounced any opinion; but with re-
spect to the more serious charge, 1t finds that
n. Deylenne, shaving consented to assist in
arranging the domestic troubles of family OF
most exalted rank, and in preventing public
scandal, obeyed an honorable sentiment, and
in no way infringed the duty OF an honest
man, Details of the antecedents and clrcum-
stances of the trial are supplied BY the edito-
rial summary which we find In the columns OF
the London Times That journal says:
"Toward the latter end of November, 1860,
the Empress Eugenie startled the friends and
the enemies Of the Bonaparte dynasty by. o
private visit to this country. Although the
Emperor, made aware Of her resolution at the
eleventh hour, 80 far saved appearances as to
be lust In time to see her off at the Northern
Railway terminus, and although it was given
out that the Empress journey had no other
object than to spend few days with her Tor
mer goVerness in Scotland, still there was
something so sudden and clandestine In her
departure and in her style OF travelling that 1t
could not fail at the time to give rise to every
variety of report and conjecture. The MEM
bers of the French Embassy In London,
whom the telegraph acquainted with the
Empress' movements, attended at an early
hour to receive their Sovereign's consort at
any the stations at which she might oe ex-
pecIed to arrive. Somehow the august trav-
eller cOntrtved to escape their attentions, and
drove unrecognized, and accompanied only by
one gentleman and Two ladies OF her suite, 10
Claridge's Hotel. whence, after quiet saunter
In Regent street, she proceeded by rail- to Scot
land, and was next heard OF at Edinburgh, at
Glasgow, and on the track of summer tour.
lists 10 the Highlands. After three weeks
stay, and private visit, to the Queen at Wind
sor, she reappeared at The Tulerles. One ex-
planatlon ascribed the Imperial lady's visit to
grief Tor the death of her sister, the Duchess
OF Alra; another to passing fit of harmless
eccentriclty; another to longing, natural to
one not born in the purple. to withdraw. for
however short period, from the weary mo-
.rotony of her lofty station. But none OF these
seemed sufficient, and the supposltion which
obtained most public favor was that the flight
of the Empress was the result of some storm
in the Imperial households; and as Eugenie
was extremely devout, and al that moment
the Emperor had just openly countenanced
the 1raliou invasion OF tho Marcnes anu umo-
ria, and was endeayorlng to prevail on the
Pope to consent 10 the loss of those provinces,
1t was surmised that husband and wife had
ouarrelled about the Roman question. But
there were besides shrewder newsmong-
ers, who asserted that jealousy was at
the bottom of the Imperial disagreement;
that the Empress had taken umbrage at
ror, aud had vowed not to go back
to him unless the cause of offence was
removed. Whatever mystery might yet have
hung upon that now almost forgotten episode
in a welded life which has been otherwise
singularly free from domestic clouds. has been
unvailed by the sentence pronounced by the
French Court of Cessation In favor Of II. De-
vienne, the late first president of the Court Of
Paris. 1t seems now certain that the Emperor
had really, some time before that short breach
OF his domestic peace, succumbed to the fasci-
nations OF young lady whose beauty was the
theme of much conversation In the Paris
world. and that the displeasure Of the Empress
was caused BY the reports which reached her
Of the degree of intimacy existing between
ces the connection had entailed, which could
hardly tall to lead to some scandalous expo
sure. The happiness of the wife and the safety
of the husband required something more than
the removal of the rival. 1t was necessary
to obtain from her retractlon Of the asser.
tions upon which she founded her claim,
and upon the strength OF which she threat
ened to bring the Emperor before q court
of law. The Empress generously giving up
all idea Of q divorce, and conseuLing to re-.
conclllation with her erring husband, exerted
herself to extort from her rival declaration
to the effect that she had deceived the En-
peror, and that her intercourse had no such
results as she had led him to believe. 1t was
through M. Devlenne, as highest In rank
among the French magistrates, that the Em-
press was advised to carry on the negotiations
Ing in the wishes of his Imperial mistress that
NJ. Devienne was, By the revolutionary gov.
ernment Of the 4th OF September, accused o.!
having seriously compromised his dignity as
magistrate In vlndication Of his conduct,
the Court of Cessation states that by consent
Ing to assist In arranging the domestic troubles
of q family of most exalted rank, and in pre-
venting public scandal, n. Devienne obeyed
an honorable sentiment, and IN no way
infrinued the duty of man of honor We
do not think that, out OF France at least,
people will greatly concern themselves about
the part played by the. Chief President
OF the Imperial Court In this delicate transac-
tlon. all the Interest concentrates Itself on
one point, and that Is the wholesome fear the
Emperor Napoleon entertained as to the con-
sequences OF his indiscretion. Whatever may
be said Of the luxury and corruption, accord
ing to General Trochu, Imported Into France
from England and Italy; whatever opinion
may be conceived OF the 'Bohemianism' said
to be pervading all classes in France, and dis
organizing all family ties, we are evidently
very far, even In that country, from those
good old times, when Mditresse en- titre was
looked upon as one of the great diguitaries OF
the court, and queen not only had to put up
with On openly acknowledged rival, but could
only maintain secondhand influence over
her husband by throwing In his way q beauty
devoted to her interests, to counteract the
charms Of another beauty in whom she appre.
heuded an enemy. The mere circumstance
that tor a long period in the present century
France has been under the sway of mon
archs of mature age, accustomed the
revolution to look upon the Montespans,
the Pompadours and the Duoarrys
of the ancien regime as things iuex-
orabiy out Of date. 1t was understood that