New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON.

so Sonar L.ornrv1 Part l. svO. PIP 81. Harper
Brothers
The author Of these significant memo rs belonged
10 a family of distinguished position ia French
society prior To the Revolution of 1892 RATHER
Charles Ora, icr de Vergenues. was member OF the
legal profession and the incumbent Of several pub
lie offices which he is said to have filed with iidelity
and GOOD sense Madame de RCmuSat was born IN
1850 and was educated. after the fashion OF the
old regime with a degree of strictness almost APP
preaching austcrity, being seldom permitted 10 see
a play but occasionally INDUCED with visit 10 the
opera aud now and then with ball. NJ de YER
gcnnes, her father. n victim OF the Revolution
and died on the scaOld just three days before the
fall of Rolspierre. leaving his wife and daughters
in very siIatened circumstances as his property
had been cou6scaied by the National tribunals
After the publication of the decree commanding oil
mobiles TO leave Paris. the family retired into the
country and i'm due time the eldest daughter was
married To NJ de R6musat. when she had scarcely ar
rived nj the AGE Of sixteen. Size was person OF
highly sensitive and emotional nature vivid I'M
agination, and tendency TO romantic impulses Dut
blended with reflective turn of mind, and rare de-
voion to duty. The sketch OF her character written
by her son. more than half century alter her mar
rage describes beautiful ideal II feminine dignity
md worth: She was not tall but her figure was
elegant and wcll-proport .oucd. She was fair and
crow ZOO TAI. Her eyes were fine and expressive,
black, like her hair; her features were regular but
rather too large. Her c0untenaucc was grave, al
most imposing; but the inielhgcut kiGdlueSS OF
her glance tempered thu gravity Of her features
very pleasantly Her strong. wcll-lrained. fertile
intellect had certain yirlc qualities, with Which
the extreme yiviGness of her ANIMATION frequently
clashed Sic possessed sound Judgment and keen
powers of observation. and she Was entirely unai-
fcctcd IN her manners and in her modes Of express
si9n although she was not without certain sub
tlciy of ideas. In reality. She was profoundly Iea-
sopahlc. but she was headstIong her intellect was
more reasonable than herself. In her youth she
lacked gayeiy aud probably ease may have ap-
peaIod 70 be pedau,ic because she was serious,
Affected because she was silent. absont-ninded and
indifferent 10 ali the small things Of everyday life
But. with hcs mother, whose cheerful moods she
sometimes crossed with her husband whose SIM
Tlo tastes and easy temper she never crossed, she
was not wanting in richness and freedom. She hac
even KIND of Gayety of her own which developed
as she grcw older. when, having been very absent
and absorbed in her own thoughts while she was
very Young. she became more like her mother. and
often thought that il she had lived long enough
f. have shared the house i'm which am writing to-
dav she wonld have been the mcrricsi Of us ALL
The new married couple lived partly in Paris and
partly in a modest country house at -. Gratien,
residence which WAS highly priced for the beauty of
the landscape and Tie attraction of the neighbor-
hood. Among their intimate friends was Nine. Jo-
scpline dc Bcauhalnais. who became the wife Of
Bouaparte IN 1896 Through her influence NJ. de
E6musat was appointed Project of the Palace in
1902. ard soon after Nine. de R6inusat became
ladv-,u-waitiug to Nine BonapaTte, with the title
OF Lady of the Palace The officials thus installed
made no sacrifice in casting IN tier lot with the
new regime. They were at an equal distance from
the cxtravagauce OF the Royaists and the
fanaticism Of the Republicans. Their motives in
cepting the brl liant position are happily explained
in e hitherto unpublished letter written by son TO
NJ Sainte- Bcuve: " II was not as pts oller, from
necessity weakness, or temporary eXpedent.
that my parents attached themselves 10 the new
ifgime. OF their free-will, and with entire conf
Geuce they united themselves with It's fortunes. II
Won add To that all the pleasures of an easy and
prominent position, to be stepped into from one OF
poverty and ohscurty, the curiosity which Court
Of so novel kind inspired the incompatible inter
ss Of the spectacle of q like the Emperor at an
epoch when he was irreproachable young. and still
ainiablc. YOU can easily conceive the attraction
which induced my parents 10 overlook all that was
in reality opposed to their tastes, their reason, and
even their true interests in this position. At
the end Of two three years, they had learned too
we'll that Court is always Court. and that all is
moi pea ufc III the ptlstudt dDSOiutc
master, even though he may charm aud dazzle. But
this did not prevent their being for a long time well
enough satisfied with their lot. Nv mother espe
eialy was much amused with all that passed before
her ewes. aud she was very good terms with the
Empress WHO was extremely kind aud generous,
while she enthusiastically admired the Emperor.
He treated my mother with flattering distinction.
She WAS almost the only woman with whom he ever
talked.D The character of NJ de Remusat, In has
exceptional position rs coulter under Napoleon,
appears be faithfully depic;eG by the Editor of
the Memoirs: The position in which the favor of
the First Consul had placed him did not suit him
lie would, no doubt. have preferred some laboriOus
administrative function to one which demanded
nothing of him but suayty and q graceful de-
meanOr From the Memoirs. from his own Letters,
and from my fathers account of him, gather
that NJ de R6musat was man of discreet conduct,
with keen wits and a cheerful ana even temper
not at all person calculated 10 make enemies. In
deed he would never have had any, but for a certain
shyness which, little as 1t seems TO harmonic with
conversational powers and an agreeable manner is
nevertheless occasionally allied with them. His
taste for quiet life, and some incidence and timid
ity Of character, had impclled him moro and more
toward retirement and isolation. Modes'y aud self
esteem mingled in his nature and without render
ing him inseusble to the honors of the post which
le had obtained they sometimes made him
ashamed Of the solemn triiles to which That very
post forced him to devote his life. He believed
himself u be made for better things but he did not
care for toiling in search of that which did not
come TO him of itself lie took but little pleasure
in expressing the art, in which he probably not
deficient of managing men. lie did not love to put
himself forward. and his mdOlent temper induced
him TO let things take their chance. He afterward
became hard working project, but he was negli-
gent and inactive cOurticr. He employed his skill
.,nnl,. On nvnih diannfns and hA discharred his off