The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-04-08
Parvenu GeneaIogles.

Among the less authentic anecdotes of
Napoleon I. is one which represents him
as tearing up the genealogy which obse-
quious heralds had prepared for him, on
the ground that he was "the first of the
Bonapartes." Yet it is perfectly certain
that the parvenu Emperor indited a
book of elaborate ceremonial, and was as
careful to chronicle the roll of his ances-
trail "cittidin' as he was to postdate his
birth by one year, so that he could claim
to have been born while Corsica was
part of France. After Joachim Murat
had "aspired to descend" to the throne
of Naples, an array of brand-new ances-
tors appeared in the Libra D'Oro, and
henceforth only disagreeable people
recollected that his Majesty had once
been garcon in Partisan cafe. Barna-
dotte, when he became Prince of Ponte
Corvo, displayed a tendency to silence
regarding his father, the notary, who,
when his son ascended the Swedish
throne, suddenly acquired conven-
iently noble lienage. Beaumarchais,
after he became courtier, ostentatiously
spoke of the days when he was watch
makers apprentice. But at the same
time he took good care to let fall the
t1me-piece of the sneering noble, who
begged him to see what was wrong with
it. Lord Campbell was the sol, of
humble Fifesliire minister. Yet, by the
time he was Queens counsel he began
to inquire.about his arms and ancestors,
and soon afterward he had acquired
touching belief in his descent from some
of those Scottish Kings whom M. de Witt
has portrayed.
We have all heard the story of the
Highland chief who was indignant when
a fatterer limited that his ancestor had en-
tered the Ark with Noah, .sfor the Mac
tavishes always had boat of their own. ;"
In Welsh geanology of prodigious
length there is this casual remark in the
middle of it: about this time came
the food"-a claim as modest as that of
Rabelais' Pantagruel, or of the Spanish
family, in whose gallery there is pic
ture of Noah ushering into his vessel a
gentleman with bag wig and sword,
and with bundle of papers under his
arm, ostentatiously labelled ''The title
deeds of the Quiros estates
Republicanism is NO barrier to the
pursuit. A ''Knickerbocker family in
New York looks down from an aristo-
cratic height on the descendants of the
Jacobean adventurers, while there is not
wider gulf between the ineal repre-
sentatives of Saxon Thegn and the last
city Baronet, than there is between the
Bostoner who elves on the family
homestead" and the Irish immigrant
who has just been landed from the
Cunarder's steerage. To have "coach-
man with bug on his hat is the pride
of Fifth avenue aristocrat; and ssBoss
Tweed" when he started carriage, dis
played on it's panels the arms of the Mar
quis of Tweeddale. Genealogy in itself
is an agreeable STUDY when it deals with
sages, warriors, and Statesmen. It is
only when it lands us near Newgate or
New South Wales that the science be-
comes embarrassing. DIR. johnson po
litely begged Mrs. Porter not to be dis
tressed simply because one of her uncles
had been hanged, for "he had several
who ought to have been;' and Sydney
Smith, when questioned about his grand
father, quietly observed that all he knew
was that che disappeared about Assize
time, and the family had asked for no
particulars. -[London Standard.