Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-10
Parvenu GeneaIogies.
London STANDARD


Among the less authentic anecdotes of
Napoleon l.. 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. I" Yet it is perfectly certain
that the parvenu Emperor indited book
Of elaborate ceremonial, and was as care
full to chronicle the roll of his ancestral
''cittidini'' 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 ito the throne of
Naples, an array of brand,new ancestors
appeared in the Libra D'Or0. and hence.
forth only disagreeable people recollect-
ed that his majesty had once been garcon
in a Partisan cafe. Bernadotte, when
he became Prince of Ponte Corvo,
displayed tendency 10 silence regard
ing his father the notary, who, when his
son assembled the Swedish throne, sud
denly acquired a conveniently noble
lineage Beaumarchais, after he became
a courtier, ostentatiously spoke of the
days when he was watchmaker's appren-
tice. But at the same time he took good
care to let fall the time-piece of the
sneering noble, who begged him to see
what was wrong with it. Lord Camp
bell was the son of an humble Fifeshire
minister. Yet, by the time he was
Queens counsel, he began to inquire
about his Farms and ancestors, and soon
afterward he had acquired touching
belief in his descent from some of those
Scottish Kings whom NJ. de Witt has
portrayed.
We have all heard the story of the
Highland chief who was indignant when
fatterer limited that his ancestors had
entered the ark with Noah, for "the
Mactavishes always had boat of their
own" In Welsh genealogy of prodig-
ious 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 the
Spanish family in whose gallery there is
picture of Noah ushering into his YES
sci gentleman with bag wig, and
sword, with a bundle of papers under
his arm ostentatiously labeled ''The
title deeds of the QuirOs estates"
Republicanism is no barrier to the
pursuit. A ''Kuickerbocker family" in
New York looks down from an aristo-
cratic height on the descendants of the
Jacobean adventures, while there is not |
wider gulf between the hneal repre-
sentatives of Saxon Thegn and the last |
city baronet than there is between the |
Bostoner who elves on the family home |
stead" and the Irish immigrant who has |
just been landed from the Cunarders |
steerage To have a ''coachman with |
bug on his hat is the pride of Fifth
avenue aristocrat; and Boss Tweed"
when he started carriage, displayed |
on its panels the arms of the Mar
quis of Tweeddale. Genealogy in itself |
is an agreeable study when it deals with |
sages, warriors and statesmen. 1t is |
only when it lands us near Newgate or |
New South Wales that the science be-
comes embarrassing. DR.. johnson po-
litelY begged Mrs. Porter not to be dis |
tressed simply because one of her uncles |
had been hanged, for che had several |
who ought to have been;" and Sidney |
Smith, when questioned about his grand |
father, quietly observed that all be knew |
was that che disappeared about assize |
time, and the family had asked for no |
particulars