The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-22
COUNT MOLTKE AT HOME.

: The special correspondent of the Figaro al
Berlin gives an account of visit to M. de
Moltke's house. NJ. de Moltke's residence is
the Staff Palace, large brick building which
resembles barrack or a school, The door Is
securely guarded. A stately staircase leads to
the private apartments of the Marshal, which
consist Of ballroom where nobody has ever
danced, sales des conferences, or lecture
room, q dining-room, ante-chamber, where
visitors wait, study and bedroom. The lee
ture hall has no furniture save a long table,
covered with green cloth, and plain chairs
round it. The cloth is SO green and unsoiled
that it appears to have been never used. There
is not paper pen, or lnkstand thereon; no
picture hangs on the walls. But in a corner
are two chests, containing doubtless, papers
of importance.
| Here NJ. de Moltke gives his famous les
sons on the military art to twenty or thirty
officers who, in their turn, pass them through
the army. In the dining-room a like cold
ness, nakedness. severity-not the smallest
object to please the eye. The refectory of
| the Grand Chartreuse Monastery seems less
bare. On large table four places were laid
for those relatives of NJ. de Moltke who share
his existence OF retirement and labor. The
ante chamber is somewhat more lifelike. On
the right of it folding doors give passage to
the Marshals study, long apartment lighted
by three fine windows looking on the KONG
splatz. 1t is lofty and large enough for the
Marshal to walk up and down, as is his habit
when thinking. Three tables there are, one
in each window. The correspondent expected
to see them covered with books and papers, |
but he found himself mistaken.
On the table to the left, where NJ. de Moltke |
prefers to sit stood fine double chronom-
eter, and all the papers were dozen military |
reports, with enormous margins; beside which
were the great mans spectacles. On the
middle table was a single newspaper, the
Wilit0ir WochenbldH, one OF the few prints he
will read. The third table was covered with
an immense map, which hung over to the
carpet A long red pencil lying across it
showed that the Marshal had been lately at
work thereon. 1t was plan Of Strasburg
and the new Notifications, with several marks
and notes of the red pencil. The cores
pondent's guide would not allow him more
than a glance, but called his attention to the
paper weights, which were two fragments Of
cannon, inscribed with the date aud place of
their capture, one from France and one from
Austria
Three walls of the study had pictures in
fresco, of "ancient fights and deeds done
ong ago." The painter has introduced there
in the likeness OF NJ. de Moltke, under
various arms, and in miscellaneous situations 7
Of triumph. Upon the corner of small :
'peu DoOh-Case lay VIC IcuiiuS VI the MAI T
,halls breakfast which never varies-a glass of {
,laret and some biscuits, side by side with =
,igar boxes for he is great smoker, and even :.
axes snuff. The bedroom which leads from T
his apartment is as simple as the rest. Be- y
lind a screen stands a little iron bedstead, =
ike that Of schoolboy. From one Of its :
corners was hanging a furred cap, Of eccentric =
hape. Beside 1t, on the floor, small valise, :"
eady packed, and huge map case T
On the table a portrait Of Madame de
1oltke, who died in 1868, at Christmas .,
there was another portrait, representing her r.
t twenty years old or SO. Madame de r
Ioltke's father was rich Englishman, who
larried the Marshal's sister as his second nj
life. The young English girl fell in love y,
18th her stepmother's brother before meeting
i'm, impressed by his letters home. NJ. de n,
[oltke was then at Constantinople Besides w
iese private apartments there is little to see IA
| the Staff Palace. Just as the correspon- fn
ent entered the library great number of an
APPS were brought in, all carefully packed
Id sealed They were destined, no doubt n
+ the army. His guide offered to get one of III
e packets but in spite Of his high position
was refused by the clerk single copy. h.,