The New York herald., 1871-01-04
The Destru ,tion or MaImaison.

: "A oiAoi uospdtCn, uaLeu LOnuOu, january 2 {,
and conveying news from the vicinity of Paris
as late as the Goth, has repeated rumor to
Ehe effect that the beautiful chateau Of NAL
maison, two miles from Rueil, in the Depart
jnent of the Seine, and four and a half miles
westward of the city Of Paris, had been
destroyed by the guns of Fort Mont Valerisn.
We trust that this report may prove to be
untrue; but should it be, indeed correct, the
fact would seem to indicate reckless deter
mination on the part of the French to destroy
even the csstliest and most superb of their
historical edifices and monuments should their
ruin serve to aid the defence Of their capital
In any degree. Moreover, there would appear
TO be a little dash Of resentment against every
thing connected with the remembrance of the
Bonapartes in this Wholesale sacrifice Of the
1t is net long since we had to deplore the utter
ruin of st. Cloud and of most of its historical
and artistic treasures, and now a similar fate
Us said to have befallen Malmaison. 1t was in
the former palace that the First Napoleon laid
The foundation of his power, and in the second
That the lovely but unfortunate Empress jose
phine passed the years that elapsed after her
divorce until her death on the Goth of May,
nSl4.
! Malmaison was, until very recent years, one
pf tAe most exquisite domains even in the
heighborhood of city renowned for the sump-
tuous splendor of its palatial homes. It was
there that Josephine, who had been the good
genius and the guardian angel of Napoleon's
euccsssful years, endeavored to console her.
self for her removal from conspicuous power
by the indulgence of her refined and educated
tastes. Her conservatories, filed with the
most beautiful fora of Europe and the rarest
exotics from every land accessible to the gold
of France; her menageries, stocked with
curious animals that loved her presence and
came jsyously at her call; her Swiss dairy,
where the mimicked songs and manners of the
fresh mountain life of the Alps formed such an
exhilarating contrast to the state and ceremony
bf the capital; her sheep farm, where the
finest Merino breeds were perpetuated, not for
their beauty only, but as valuable expert
ment for the after benefit of French trade
these and many other attractions Of the place
were celebrated throughout Europe and drew
thither continual throngs Of visitors. But the
chateau itself had historical associations of the
highest interest. The gentle touch of jose
phine was everywhere visible in its
Interior as well as in its external
adornment; and it required no very vivid
Imagination to fancy her actual presence and
that of the great Emperor. her former august
consort, amid the statuary, the paintings and
The rich furniture of the apartments that were
their domestic joys. 1t was here, indeed, that
Napoleon conceived and planned some of his
greatest campaigns, and here that he, subse-
quently, passed his terrible week of humilia.
fion between his second abdication, in June
1Sl5, and his departure for Rochefort, the
point from which he attempted his escape,
after having been expelled from Paris by the
Vaccinations Of ingratitude and treason.
While here, too, how often may not the re-
proachful face Of the divorced and then de-
parted Josephine have arisen before him to
recall that fatal act which forever dimmed his
glory and to warn him of the retribution not
complete even at the hour of his downfall Fl ON
The throne! The twilight and midnight
musings of the humbled demi-god must have
been both sweet and bitter in the corridors
md bowers Of Malmaison.
! 1t is in the small church of the village OF
Rueil (Which has also been devastated, that
the remains of Josephine repose, their resting
place marked by simple but beautiful monu-
ment Of white marble, by Carteller, consisting
of an arch, on four columns, sustained
by pediment, with the figure of
the Empress kneeling in prayer-the pious
testimonial Of her children, Hortense and
Eugene Beauharnais. Hertense, the Ex- Queen
of Holland, also lies buried near to her mother,
having been placed there in 1887, and over
her is another monument of material and
design exactly similar to that of Josephine
It was erected in 1916 by her son, the Ex-
Emperor Napoleon ILL.,, and is one Of the
finest works of the sculptor Bartolini. Rueil
itself is interesting as having once been the
Richelleu, erected in 1886. 1t was there that
the famous Marshal Marillac was condemned
to death, and thither that the French court
retired during the wars Of the Frende. But
the village has still higher antiquity, having
been the antique Rotalgensis, a residence OF
the Frankish Kings. In A. D. $40 it was pre-
scented by Charles the Bald to the Abbey Of
st. Denis and 30 became an ecclesiastical
appanage. This little church is still addition
ally remarkable for its beautiful ornamented
portico, put up in 1885 at the expense and
request of Cardinal Richelieu after designs by
Lemercier, and for nearly three hundred years
regarded as a masterpiece in its walk of art.
Christina, Queen Dowager of Spain, many
years ago became the owner of Malmaison,
nnnn OF 4 - 4 Il,uo