Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-01-22

Ninety Letters from the Woman nj
whose Carriage. Door a King o.
France stood Hat in Hand.
The correspondent of the New
York World writing from Paris
says:
Baur, of the Rue des Saints
Peres, has just published a book Of
singular interest -" The Core
spondence Of Madame de Pompa-
dour." Till now we have had little
or nothing from the hand of this
extraordinary woman, who once
swayed the destinies Of France.
There were about fifteen Of
her letters in print-that was all.
M. Malassis, who edits the present
collection, has now given us ninety,
of which seventy-fye are here pub
lished for the first time. They
were unearthed in the early part Of
this year, put up to auction and
bought at twenty dollars letter, by
an English collector, Mr.. Morrison,
who has sanctioned their publica-
ton as contribution to the history
of the time of Louis XIV. The
work is tastefully got up and is or
namented with two portrait etch-
ings after Vanloo, one representing
the Marqulse as a Turkish Sultana,
the other as a shepherdess (of the
Watteau period), basket on arm
and posy in hand. 1t also contains
as a literary illustration the admira-
BILE sketch of her by Leroy, the
Lieutenant of the Hunt at Yer
sailles. 'T8il I
The letters range over a period Of
about twenty years, dating from
1741, and are addressed to about
eleven correspondents in all. The
most interesting are those written
to that other estimable parent, her
father, and to her brother. The
whole family, it is evident, was glad
to profit by her shameful elevation.
In one we see that she had been
commissioned to find for her broth
er those two greatest blessings Of
life la Franchise rich wife and
a good place.
"You may Judge, my dear father
that | am sparing no pains to get
my brother married, and | give you
my word Of honor that it shall be
done in less than six months, and
done well. But to be happy one
must not desire the impossible.
am sure there never will be super
intendent, either of finances OF
of public buildings, therefore, don't
think Of any such thing. That
shall not prevent me from making
a good marriage for my brother"
In another letter we see this wor-
thy Sir PandaruS of Troy trying to
oblige a friend through her daugh.
ter's interest.
8" / am very sorry, my dear father,
that you desire Vincennes (proba-
bly, the command of the fortress)
for NJ. de Malvoisin. How can it
have come into your mind to wish
to place a man there however well
condncted) who has served only six
years? To tell the truth, he ought
to be satisfied with his present po-
sition, which so many have failed to
obtain after twenty years of service,
while he had but three at the time
of the appointment. It is certain
that | cannot ask s0r anything 50
unfair"
Again:
"If you knew this country as
know it, my dear father, you would
detest it still more, Your presence
at court would not be of the slight.
est use; the king parcels out the
land every day into earldoms and
marQuisates of which the possessor:
are never seen here"
The brother has now dropped
into good thing;
=" | am enchanted, my dear broth.
er, with the manner in which you
have been received by the king oI
Sardinia and the duke of Savoy
and | see that / was not deceived
in the opinion l formed of those
princes"
Aud in another letter: