Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-12
In the Time of the First Consul.

Mss T&ackeray, in CoraAiU Ndgasine.
Mrs. Opie's description of her arrival in
Paris reads a comment upon history. As
they drive into the town, everywhere
chalked up upon the walls and houses are
inscriptions concerning "EIndiVisibilite
de Ia Republique." How many subse-
quent writings upon the wall did Mrs.
Opie live to see? The English party find
rooms at hotel facing the Place de la
ConcOrde, where the guillOtine, that token
OF order and tranquility, was then per-
Detually standing. The young wife's
feelings may be imagined when, within
an hour of their arrival, Opie, who
Louvre, returned with face of
CONSERVATION to say that they
must leave Paris at once. The Louvre
was shut, and, moreover, the whiteness
of everything, the houses, the ground they
stood on, all daZzled and blinded him. He
was a lost man if he remained BY some
happy interpositiOn they succeeded in
getting admission to the Louvre, and, as
the painter wonders and admires, his ner-
vOus terrOrs leave him. The picture left
by Miss EdgewOrth, of Paris society, in
the earlyJyears of the century, is more
brilliant, but not more interesting, than
Mrs. Opie's "reminiscences of the fieeting
scene, gaining so much in brilliancy from
the shadows all round about. There is
the shadow Of the CHASTITY guillotine upon
the Place de la COncorde, the shadows
of wars but lately over and yet to
come, the echo in the air of
arms and discOrd; meanwhile
brilliant. agreeable. flashing Paris streams
with sunlight, is piled with treasures and
trophies of victory, and crowded with
well-kn0wn characters. We read of
KOsciuskO's nut-brown wig cOncealing
his honorable scars; Massena's earrings
in mi a
and the animated in-rush of tourists, and
the eager life stirring round about the
walls of the old Louvre. 1t was at this
time that they saw Talma perform, and
years after, in her little rooms in Lady's
Field at Norwich. Mrs. Opie, in her
Quaker dress, used to give an imitation
OF the great actor, and utter
To which Cain replies in sepulchral
tones. We get among other
things, an interesting glimpse of Fox
standing in the Louvre gallery opposite
the picture of st. Jerome by DomenichinO,
a picture which, as it is said, he enthusi-
astically admired. Opie, who happened
TO be introduced to him, then and there
dissented from this opinion. "You must
be a better Judge on such points than |
am," says Fox; and Mrs. Opie proudly
writes of the two passing on together
discussing and comparing the pictures.
She describes them next standing before
the TRANSPORTATION" of Raphael. The
Louvre in those days must have been
for a painter a wonder palace, in
deed. The "Venus de Medici'' was
on her way; it was a time of
miracles, as Fox said. Meanwhile Mrs.
Opie hears some one saying that the first
Consul is coming from the Senate, and
she hurrieS to a window to look out.
"BOnaparte seems very fond of state and
show for a Republican," says Mrs. Fox.
Fox himself half turns to the window,
then looks back to the pictures again. AS
for Upie, one may be sure his attention
never wandered for one instant. They
saw the first Consul more than once. The
Pacificator, as he was then called, was at
the height of his popularity. On one Oc-
casion they meet Fox with his wife on his
arm crossing the Carousel to the Tuile-
ries, where they are also admitted
to a grOund-fOOr room, from
whench they look ubon marble staircase
and see several officers ascending, zone
of whom, with helmet which seemed en-
tirely of gold, was Eugene de Beauhar-
nais. a few minutes afterward," she
says, "there was a rush of officers down
the stairs, and among them l saw a short,
pale man with his hat in his hand, who,
as | thought, resembled Lord Erskine in
profile" This, of course, is Bonaparte,
unadorned amid all this studied splendor,
and wearing only a little tri-colOred cock
ade