Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-08


the Empress. Then there again was 81.
lence, and the child was sent for. | took
him in my arms and kissed him. He
looked astonished. The Emperor took
him between his knees, and told him to
repeat one of his fables. 81 have for
gotten" the boy said, ''the ends of
them all "Then tell us the beginuino
of one of them" 81 have forgotten
the beginnings" "Then let us have the
middle" Mais, papa, on commence vn
nail'eu} 1t was clear that he would not
show off, so he Was allowed to 60 to his
pony. Since that time see him or the
Empress two or three times week. find
him in the evenings alone in his cabinet at
work on his Cesar" but he is glad to
break it off, and to talk to me for hours ON
old times He is quite unembarassed, for
his conscience does not reproach him; in
deed, no Bonaparte ever has to complain of
his conscience. | sometimes forget all that
has passed since we saw one another for
the last time before December, 1851, when
he was still an innocent man. But from
time to time the destruction of our Iiber-
ties, the massacres of 1851, the deporta-
tons of 1852. and the crueIties which
reYenged the atteRtdt, rise to my mind,
and shrink from the embrace OF q man
stained with the blood of so many of nv
friends.
Senior-Do you see the Empress and the
child?
Madame Cornu-C Constantly. The child
flies into my arms, and the Empress is all
kindness and graciousness. She is a Span-
lard, she wants knowledge; in fact. she
wants education but she is very seduc.
tive. She is strict with the child. and
manages him much better than the En-.
peror does, who, in fact, Goes not manage
him at all.
Senior-Francis Barring maintains that
Prince Napoleon has more ability than his
cousin.
Madame Cornu-Their talents are differ
ent. The Prince is by far the quickest.
He acquires knowledge with wonderful
ease he decides rapidly his conversation
is brilliant he can speak effectively with
little generalization. But he quickly for
gets he wants patience, both in meditation
and in action. He works out no subject
carefully; he rushes to action without
having sufficiently considered his means:
he is easily discouraged, and on the first
opposition gives up his schemes and forgets
them. Louis Napoleon is slow, both in
conception and execution. He meditates
his plans long, thinks over every detail.
waits for an opportunity which, when it
comes, he does not always seize he keeps
often deferring and deferriDg execution
until execution has become impossible or
useless. But he fOrgets nothing that he
has learned he renounces nothing that he
has planned. On the Doth of January,
lS49, six weeks after he became President,
he intended a coup d'etat. He read his
plan to Changarnier, and the instant Chan
GARNER began to oppose it he folded mp the
paper and was silent. But he never aban-
doned it, and two years and half after
ward he executed it.
Senior-What are Louis Napoleon's
habits now?
Madame Cornu-Worse than they used
to be. He rides little, walks less, and is
getting fat He hates more and more the
details of business, and vet is more and
more afraid of trusting them to his min
listers. But his Cesar" absorbs and con
soles HIM. He said to the Bureau of the
Academy, when they came to announce
the election of Feuillet, "Je trdSaiHe me
renire digEe de UouS" He thought at one
time of offering himself for the vacancy
made by Pasquier. He intended to be
present at his own reception, and read,
IN the frightful Academic green coat,
the eloge of his predecessor, and
to characterize the nine different
governments which Pasquier has
served. But, with his habit Of procrasti-
nation, he has delayed his candidature till
the first two volumes of his % Cesar" have
been published. The first volume is ready,
and he intended to publish it Immediately
but the booksellers tell him that they will
sell better in couples; and, as even emper-
ors must submit to booksellers, he waits
till the second Is finished.
monday, April 2Oth.) We breakfasted
with Madame Cornu, and met there Renan,
and Maury, Librarian of the Institute, the
Emperor's principal assistant in his -" Life
of Caesar" | asked Madame Cornu when
she had last seen the Emperor.
Madame Cornu. yesterday It is ar
ranged that [ go to him every Sunday at
5 and stay till quarter to J, when he has
to dress for dinner but often, as was the
case yesterday, he keeps me much longer,
and then has TO run Tor it, that he may not
exhaust the patience of the Empress and
of the cheE He delights to talk to per-
son not bound by etiquette, who can gues-
ton him, and contradict him, and talk
over all his youth. Iuever conceal my re.
publican opinions, and ne treats them as
the harmless follies of woman. Yester-
day he was inlvery high spirits. l sus-
pect that he has just made up his mind
on some subject that has been teas
ing him. He dislikes coming to deci-
sion, but perhaps for that very reason,
when he has done so, he feels relieved
and happy. He may have decided what
to do about Poland, or what to write about
some questionable anecdote OF Cesar, or
when the elections shall be. think that
it may have been about Poland. There is
one subject, however, on which he
has not decided, and that is, the time of
his candidature for the Academy. Pas
quiers vacancy is to be filled up ON Thurs
day next. His mind is still set on pro-
nouncing Pasquier's etOge. g wish, he
said to me, that l could get some one
to propose me as a candidate" % That is
not the practice, l said to him; ''the can
didate presents himself" Z" am shy,
he answered. eff my Cesar or even
the first volume of it, had appeared, /
should feel that had some claims but |
am not vain enough to think that what
have published as yet entities me to the
honor of being memberof the first literary
society in the world. | want somebody to
say SO for me. You may think that
ought to delay my caudidatuTe till the
Caesar has appeared but 1 know now
whom should succeed, and whose elogt
[ should have to pronounce. If l delay /
may have to make speech in praise Of
Feuillet or Victor Hugo"
Senior-You have read his Cesar" as
far as it has gone viii it give him claim
to the Academy?
Maury-I think that it will. It is a
work of great and sagacious research, and
contains passages admirably written. It's
4 wonderful improvement on the "Idees
Napoleoniennes."
-
C1srERN WATER. bin a worlin
like all possessed to-day" said Colonel
Scion last evening as he borrowed pipe