The New York herald., 1874-08-06
r r A N @ E..
An Interview with VicOmte
de BelcaSteL
WHY Henri Cinq Could Give Up
His White Flag.
The Last Request of the Duchess
de Berri.

PARIS, July %, 1874.
"ventre SafntGrfs! Puris vaur bien une messe!'
exclaimed Henri Nv. when he wisely resolved to
make himself Q Catholic, in order put an end to
sae Ligus and become the lndisputsd King OF
France.
How Is It. then. 1t may be asked. that his last
heir and presumptive successor on the throne OF
france, Hennv., would not give up even white
rag afaxed at TIE end of broomsticx, when this
really trtning concession compared to that OF his
ancestor, would have been deemed suncfent, one
year ago, to secure the entrance OF HIS Royal
Majesty In his good town of Paris ?
such an obstination about vain emblem
coming from o prince whose Intellect Is undoubt-
edly superior to that OF the twelve or fifteen
pretenders to q European crown. had always been
for me mysterious enigma, when the good luck
which always favors the correspondents OF tie
HERALD manifested itself to me IN the shape Of N.
lie viscomte de Belcastel. whom met at delicious
soree given by the Duchess OF Sesto.
NJ de Belcastei, you are wen aware, Is the most
complete incarnation OF clerico-royallsm now
living in France. 1t may be that Barascud, Dahl
rel Lorxern, Du Temple and few other antedilu-
Wan members OF the Assembly have equally good
claims to be died with straw and sent to the Mu-
scum Of Antiquities, between Cuver's naastodonH
and Ramses XXlII.'s mummy. But none among
the Invaluable collection Of fossils seated at the
Extreme Right OF the versaillist Parliament Is
made OF one block OF ascetism; none represents so
well. physically and morally, the now vanished
type OF the old paladine, whose device was "Aon
Diess mon Roi, ma dame" None, In word, Is
to such degree a striking exhumation OF the
fourteenth century as N. lie yiscomte Henri Domt-
nique Pic Alcindor Joseph de Becastel, defender
OF the throne and altar and most intimate friend
to His Bourbonic Majesty Henri w. who has no se-
crets for him. This preamble was necessary, in
order that you be able to judge OF the Importance
OF the statement which / have reaped from my
noble interOcutor's lips.
After few words of introduction had been ex-
changed ventured inquiring from NJ. de Belcastel
about the probabilities Of a Bourbonist restora-
ti0n.
CoRREspONDENT-Is there no prospect Of the
Comte de Chambord adopting, at last, the tricolor
nag, which wo1ld remove the capital objection to
his enthronement'
BELcAsTEL-No, sir; fe Rot, mon naastre will
never give up his white flag; never.
CORREspONDENT-Wel, then. as far as l may
Judge, the Comte de Cnambord will never be ds
yact0 kngs
BELCAsrEL-I know he won't, sir: and I must
add that His Majesty does not care at all.
CoRREsPoSDENT-What do you means Could
you explain 70 me the exact meaning Of those
very words?
BELcAsrEL-why not, Ithnk the time has come
when IT should no more be q mystery, and your
sure indiscreton IN behalf OF the first newspaper
in the world will, most likely. prove the best man
ner to let the truth DE known at large. Let US so
and smoke cigar In the garden, aud hope your
so we left ihe salons and went down under the
cool foliage OF bisecuar trees and IL. de Becastet
proceeded az once In the following terms:-
sYou know certainly enough OF our history not
10 be ignorant Of the disgusting manner IN which
the orleans branch 0i the Bourbon house behaved
towards the eldest branch. From the Regent
down to Louis Philippe l.. Who succeeded Ia usurp-
ing the crown through his cunning intrlgues WIN
the cursed BRUSH, on one hand, and MS low nat.
teres TO the pOpulace on the other, those orleans
have proved TO be the bad genius OF the roya!
house OF France, and, as natural sequence, or
France itself.
''Now, you are well aware that, since he made
that dreadful fall from his horse when still young
man the King s powercss with regard to poster
ity. that Henry V. happening to die at the 1uil-
wo fnpps by vae Of
lating the succession to the throne, be universally
acknowledged, inland and abroad. as the legiti-
sceptre o! ST. Louis and Henri lV.
"We!, that caunot be- and Il won't be-
''Had he not unfortunately been chidiess the
King would have long ago gwen up his white nag
and iel5 proud Of sauting the tricoor as the ma
and, ike his grand uncle Louis XVIII, his heart
beats with pride at Austerltz and Jena as we'll as
at Denain aud Fontenoy
"But he is, too son, and his mother was that
noble and chivaIrous woman. the Duchess de
Berry, whom her first cousin, the "King of the
eiaeu.ters." Louis Philippe, attempted to dishonor
while she was prisoner at the fortress OF Biaye,
with the core OF running the iegitimist party
through the moral wound inHicted upon the mother
Netaer Ne s the % centious @ erndy of the Regent $50
treacherousy calculated to demoraze the nobility
and disanectionate the people towards the tradl
tlonaI royalty, nor the regicide vote given by
philippe Egaite against the Martyr King-notning
had yet reached that degree OF baseness and IN
Iamy among the numberiess disgraceful or crim-
NAL deeds Characteristic OF the Orleans House.
ION her deattbed the Duchess, whose mind had
never been as bright and farseeing in tnat
solemn moment, warned her beloved son against
the forgyeing tendencies Of his kind heart, which,
n the case OF the Orleans, would infanbiy prove
another deception TO be added TO so many IN the
past.
Henri = she exclaimed convusively, clasping
her arms around the "cniid OF miracles" neck,
do not allow the royal crown of France 10 ever
belong legitimateiy to the Unborn enemies OF our
family; moreover, do always remember that they
insulted your mother, both in her womanly and
your mother! Henri, this Is my last viii and
prayer; rather give up all tope OF reignlng over
She breatned her last she had the supreme consola
ton OF hearing her royal son utter, with distinct
beor. God that ss never Give M NV swear
"Now. you will inquire, how Is 1t, then, t1at the
Comte de Chambord received, In August last, at
Frohsdorff, his cousin. the Comte de Paris with
unlimited marks of affect1on, and repeatedly pro.
claimed the reconciliation to he complete between
the two branches OF the house OF France
"My answer will be simple and concluslve:-
"FirstThe King, besides being good-bearted
. young man who, personally. Ia not responsible
for the criminal deeds OF his ancestors.
SecOnd-1bc solemn homage and submiss on
paid 70 the principle OF divine right by the heir
and first representative OF revolutionary mon
archy was to have the naliDle effect OF destroying
any chances which the Orleans house might have
possessed OF once more ascending the throne
IN fact, the interview at FrohsdorT was
solemn dDaende honorable Tor the usurpation OF
July, 1890, and, moreover, q virtual remuneration
OF the crown, except as a legitimate Inheritance,
after the death OF the chiIdless Henri V.
a a
conversation, the sine qua non condition OF
royaiist restoration was the unrestricted accepta-
ton by the King or the trcolor nag But this, you
have no more doubts now, the Conlte de Chambord
will never do.
s'And. even In the quite absurd hypothesis that
he should feel inclined to do now that which lie
boldly and publicly refused to concede one year
agO-we II would be too late the hour Is gone
gone forever. Royalty IN France, either OF the