Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-02-28

cope OF Madame ana through the
telescope of Metternich is the same
Napoleon. That strongly marked
individuality stamps itself alike
upon the court lady and the politi-
clan
We need not specify as features
that we find in both portraits the
keen, swift intellect which pene-
trates like flash of lightning to the
center of a fact, or the irresistible
force of will which by its very in
tensity bears down all opposition,
orrathersuppresses the very thought
of opposition before the attempt has
been made. These have been recog-
nized and dilated upon by so many
writers that the world is about stated
with them. But there is another
feature, less attractive, which is
brought out with equal clearness in
both these works, not SO generally
recognized and perhaps for that
reason more important to dwell
upon. 1t is his stupendous ego
tism, his all-grasping and all-absorb-
ing selfshness; he calls on all things,
great and small, to contribute to his
greatness, to sacrifice themselves
for him, while he himself is incapa-
BILE of thought or an emotion aside
from his own interests, his own
purposes, his OWE elevation. This
is manifest alike in the smallest
things he does and in the most gil
gantic transactions. De Remusat
shall illustrate it in the former,
Metternich in the latter.
According to De Remusat he Gull
tivated around him strange envi-
ronment of mutual distrust. Any
thing like friendship among his
dependents at once excited his sus-
picion and his displeasure, and
where he saw confidential intimacy
he would himself seek interviews
with both parties for the purpose of
sowing distrust between them.
Everyone was expected to be conf
Dental with him, but reserved,
guarded and distrustful with all
others, or if they did cultivate con-
fdential relations with anyone, it
must be for the purpose of betraying
that confidence to him. His court
was a vast Dionysius ear in which
men and women whispered things
almost inaudible to one another,
audible only to him.
If he loved anything on earth, it
was his first wife, Josephine, and
his regard for her was a strange
mixture of affection and suspicion,
jealousy, anger, fOndling, all in their
turn, and so rapid in theirsuccession
that they seemed almost simulta-
neous. He loved to surround her
with splendor and constantly grum-
bled at the expense of it (for which
the brilliant Josephine, in sOOth,
gave him abundant pretext. He
gave her for her retinue the most
exalted and the most brilliant ladies
of the land and expected them to
act as spies upon her. She was in
deed under constant superveillance;
men and women were sent to her
instructed to engage her in conf
dental conversation if possible and
then report the result to him. 1t
was sometimes Talleyrand, some
times Savary and sometimes one of
the women who was sent on such
errands, and once he requested
Metternich himself to exercise a
similar Office with his second wife.
Metternich accepted the Office, held
the confidential communication and
then refused to tell the Emperor a
word of what had TRANSFERRED. Ma
pOleon was furious, but the cool
headed Chancellor was imperviOus.
He was an Austrian Ambassador
and could not be bullied as the
Emperor bullied his own people.
He was forever jealous of jose
phine, forever giving her cause of
jealousy. He was furious if she re-
ceived anyone in his absence or
seemed pleased with the admiration
of other men, and he ragged like
mailman when she refused to coun-
tenance his HdiSOnS. When he took
her in state to the Grand Opera he
was gratified at the enthusiastic APP
plause elected by her splendor and
elegance; but if she went there with
out him and the applause was given,
he was bitterly offended, and finally
ordered the police to suppress all
such demonstrations except when
he was present.
Enough! we might fill whole
pages with instances of his egOtism
and petty selfishness i'm small things.
We peruse them with wonder that
this compound of meanDess and
egOtism should be identical with
the conqueror of Austerlitz, thes sub
jugator of Europe.
But now let us observe the same
spirit in greater things, for which
purpose let us seek him in the me-
moirs Of the Austrian Chancellor.
He is about to start on his invasion |
Of Russia, the campaign which ter
minated so disastrously for him at
Moscow. He says to Metternich:
Ny enterprise is one of which the
is to be found in patience.
Victory will attend the most pa
tient. / shall open the campaign
by crossing the Niemen. 1t will be
at Smolensk and Minsk.
There l shall stop. / shall fortify
these two points and occupy myself
at wilma. L shall wait
and see which of us tires first-I of
nay army at the expense of
or Alexander of sustaining
my army at the expense of his
country. Perhaps ImySeB mag pass
The most Indictment months of the iUiil-
Ter at Paris.
The enterprise is to be won by