The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-01-06
IFrom the New York worlal

zerland, it was decided that the Empress
Eugenie should abdicate the regency which
she has held ever slnce her imperial hus-
band left Paris, in the bright summer
weather Of 1870, Tor the last time; and that
the young prince, Lodis Napoleon, who un-
derwent in that fatal summer his baptism
of fire. should take upon himself the re-
sponsible leadership OF the imperial cause
in France. Whatever the reason may be,
it is quite certain, we suppose, that the EN-
press Eugene, so long as she lives, will
continue TO exercise great influence upon
the fortunes OF her son and of the party
which is so openly and audaciously labor
ing for his restoration to the throne OF
France. Oar readers, therefore, will read
with interest, We areISpre, an account which
has been forwaFlsd to Ns-fTom Englsnd OF
visit recently hSie byan English woman woman
OF position and intSllis Ne 10 :. - =. oethroneo
and widowed lady wAo M ~ Ivy years
commanded the asinfirdNiAs5 saa<eA enna--
age, not only of her own sex AMI oil her own
counlrymen, but OF both sexes ,Sod OF all
civilized people.
The Empress has for some time past ,Neen
living at Arenenberg, where Napoleon Ili.
passed so many years of his life with his
mother, the lovely and unfortunate Queen
Hortense. Arenenberg is charming
chateau standing little off the direct road
from Schatfhausen to Constance. II was
sold in 1S43, after the death OF Louis Bona
psrte, ex-King of Holland, to u citizen of
Neuenburg, for "a, 900 florinS, and in 1885
this citizens heir sent To Pans and sold
there its nne collections of pictures and
works of art, including some paintings by
David, and many souvenirs of the first Ma
poleon. This led the Emperor Napoleon
III. to repurchase the estate, and it now
belong to his son. The ex-Empress (who
, ,l,, lxt tha oil tha
of 1870 as ''the events') has passed her au-
tumns at Arenenberg ever siuce the end of
the Franco-Prussian war. The chateau
stands on hill nearly 1900 feet in height,
and commands lovely view over the upper
valley of the Rhine. The house is furnished
now with perfect simplicity, the only splen-
dor anywhere kept up being about the
chapel of the chateau, the altar furniture of
which is decorated with ancient and very
costly laces. In this chapel is kept the
"Golden Rose" sent 10y his Holiness Plus
TX some years ago to the Empress, then
reigning at the Tuileries. This mystic
Rose" by the way, IS rather rose tree than
a rose, and is wonderful piece of gold
smiths work. 1t represents a bunch of
roses with buds and leaves, the whole about
twelve inches in height, being set in an an
tique vase OF exquisite pattern, adorned with
bdssi- -relieci of scenes in the life of Plus IN.
the purest gold, chiseled with q delicacy
and freedom and force worthy the best
ages and schools of art. The vase is set
upon a base of lapis-laZuli enriched with
alternate medallions in gold of the papal
and the imperial arms, and in its turn sup
ported on four small steps of lapislazul.
OF course the ex-Empress sets the highest
value on this precious memorial of her
sovereign days, and of the favor with which
6 Ia, Al .n,la
her, alike as woman and sovereign.
Equally treasured with the Golden Rose"
however, is the Craftsman of Charlemagne,"
a souvenir of the two greatest princes whC
have ever swaYed the destinies of modern
Europe. The Romans were passionately
fond of "talismans," which have some
times been called chimer9, from the multi
form fabulous monster of that name-goat,
lion and dragon in one--nnd sometimes
sympegmata, as being made up OF discord
ant elements embraced in one form, and
which have been known in more recent
times as grylli, from the Italian gryllo,
which signifies at once 'cricket" and
caprice. In the latter days Of Rome and
the earlier days of modern history the use
of such symbolic Devices carved in stones
of various kinds and worn chiefly in rings,
became very general. They were thought
to operate as charms and to secure to the
or deities either symbolized or set forth
plainly upon them. The stone known as
the ''Talisman OF Charlemagne" is a species
of corundum, and is believed 10 have been
held very precious by that great sovereign.
1t was long preserved with the rest Of the
relics belonging to HIM at Aix-la-Chapelle,
and the chapter of the cathedral there pre-
sented it, not without cogent reasons, to
the modern Charlemagne, the First Napo-
leon, who constantly carried it about with
him. The King Of Rome, afterward Duke
=. of Reichstadt, treasured il not less, and
ho from him it passed to his cousin Louis Ma
"a poleon, who had it abeut his person when
n, he made his escape from the prison OF Ham.
80 He left it behind him, however, when be
united Paris in 1870. Who knows what
- might have happened had he taken it with
- him to the fedl On the third Of Septem-
,n' ber, when the Empress made up her mind
-, I to fly from France, 1t was iDclosed in rel
~ -. iquary of rock crystal, shut in by secret
~ spring, which the Empress did not under
- stand and had no time TO search for. So
- with a woman's decision she caught up Z
ha M pair of tongs from the chimney piece ant
~ dashed the costly into fragments
~, Shortly afterward she conflded it, with I
- large sum of money, to a faithful official
r with orders to find the Emperor at Wilhelms
-, hohe and give them TO him. The officia
e. lost his head, and, instead OF setting out q
'o' once, went to his apartments in Paris
,n- There he put the money and the taiismai
- into an drpaOrie, the key to which he hat
u ~ lost, and the double doors of which b.
s' fastened together by pinning over them
90 map of the Notifications Of Paris, with fou
~" pinsi Then came the 'events, one ate
another, with tremendous rapidity. Tn
- official, caught one day out Of doors, wa
NJ obliged TO fly for bis life without goinl
o.e W back TO get either the money or the tails
r"- man. or course the Empress IN her exil
:, imagined that the money and the talisma
% % both must be given up for lost, and wit
" the talisman the fortunes OF the NapoleonI
~ ~ the more particularly as IL was made know
~ TO her by the public journals that the apar
~ W ment OF the official To whom she had cor
-, fided them had been repeatedly ransacked
-; both before, during aud after the commune
80 Fancy her astOnisbment, then, and deligh
80 when this official at last, returning 70 Par
'"' and his long abandOhed apartments, foun
;no the map OF fortiGcatioD, dusty, indeed, br
80 undistdrbed, and the coDteits OF the arm
"a Oris precisely as he had left.themi IL ca
-. hardly be thought strange that this sh0ui
= be regarded, not only by the ex-Empres
1,s herself, but by her son ana by not few {
va their partisans. rs an omen Of unquestioI
~ ~ able promise for their nov fallen cause.
nc" The lady through whom we learned th
:. curious little incident OF tbe great cathstI
'aro nhe of the second empire. speaks Of Il
any PnJr rs.,,ass az enioxing r,nusuni good heal,
-esi- -. i,,,.s.,,, and a. bavino Gained ores
ave ~ sHe n - 49, -, ,yom.usv ,hut.s
tDe bearing and OF character from the discipliI
tf sorrow and misfortune. The your
le H prince imperial she describes as very char
@ sn ing and sympathetic in manner, short
, on, stature like has father, and, like his fsths
'e1 singularly kind and sfIable. He resembl
- his father a. TO the brow and eyes, but
mothers mouth and chin. Assiduous z