New-York tribune., 1883-06-14
TIE ToNQUIN AFFAIR.
ITS HISTORY AND IT'S vlCTIM-ATTITUDE OF
ENGLAND AND GERMANY.

| emotions The news of poor Commander hiyleres
death profoundly affected men and women OF every
| party. All those who knew him were really az
tached to him. He was in the highest degree inter-
| estng and his mind was broad and many-sided
| Faculties which contrasted strongly with each
other gave his moral and intellectual being very
distinctive character. He was both dreamer and
man Of action. The happiest hours OF his life
were those in which he absorbed in his own
thoughts. reflections and day-dreams. And STILL TO
the friends who met aud associated with him IN
Paris he seemed above everything else, Boule-
warbler. Thirtytwo years Of his life were spent In
active service in the navy. He was brilliant
and vigorous writer, and he nouri she'd the hope
that day, perhaps, he might wear the palms OF
an Academlcian we'll as aurels won In battle.
But his pen was a poor medium for conveying his
IDEAS unless when he was blue water. If he had
the idea of work Of fiction in his head, he did not
| attempt to realize 1t when he was on terra
frma. "Cain" and "Perot." two masterpiece OF
| literature, written on board war frigate
during long voyages. The former deals with the
passion Of jealousy its qualification and chastse-
ment Gains conscience is his boll. Riviere did
his account of the rebellion of the aboriginal popu-
lation of New-Caledonia as he was returning to
Europe from that settlement. This chapter Of
French colonial history appeared two years ago in
| Madame Adams Review and established the
authors reputation In the work In which Tacitus
excelled. The style had the quality OF terseness
without being dry. In fow words an image was
powerfully presented to the mind, as in few
strokes of the brush Titan did a portrait.
| Rivere was an habitue Of Madame Adams salon.
OF Mile Valtesse's boudoir 8nd was at many OF the
dinners given in the winter of 1881 by the Mexican,
| Carmona. lie was also on footing OF intimacy
with Madame De Nerville and her daughter, Madame
Aubernon. and appeared to enjoy himself
| at their very fast balls. Madame
Riyiere lived in secusicn at Nantes with her rela-
tives. She and her husband liked each other but
in friendly and Platonc manner. The ill-starred
Commander spent week with her before he started
on tho Tonquin expedition. In q letter to NJ.
| Ludovic Hal6vy he gave an exquisite word-picture
OF the Seine, It's banks and the landscape beyond
1t which was visible from the desk at which ne was
| writing; of his own impressions and the melan-
| choly which had taken hold of him. He believed
| that he was gifted with second sight. and mad
| a presentiment that the commission he held. TO add
| the valleys of tho Red and Black rivers to tho
colonies of France, was his death-warrant.
| He had long wished for an opportunity to play
| there n hero's part, and willed deliberately anu
steadlastly that he should be sent ont 10 take up
the running of GARNER, who was killed nine years
| ago in Tonqnn. No sooner ais desire satisfied
done bad thing for himself aud had tempted fate
Something told him that he was doomed to die u
| cruel death The morning on which he left Paris
he said: al feel like a who is going to execu-
| ton | was never in my life so sensible to the
beauties of n wintry climate. II is the last time
| shall enjoy them in Paris"
| Commander RIviere was rs strange looking as he
was peculiar He looked taller than he really was,
had broad shoulders, a deep chest and physiog-
nomy that was at once eloquent in its power to ex
press his complex and many. sided intellectual aud
! moral nat ture interesting and ugly. The eyes were
| black as Erebus. When the soul behind them was
| at rest they looked dreamy and sombre But when
it was aroused by sociality discussion. aud when
the ccrebration was active, they literally blazed
and spoke. His lips were thick to coarseness, and
| the moath was wide. Tho other features were
massive. but at the same time mobile.
shaggy mass of hair gave a leonlno aspect
| IN the head The whskers were
! long and the parts of them that had turned gray
were dyed. In giving orders Rochefort. who knew
Commander Rivlere in New-Calodonia, says that
! he did so whether III ordinary circumstances or In
danger in deep full voice and with tranquil
| manner IIo believed IN crowding out bad passions
] in the human heart by appealing to good senti-
| ments. In pursuance Of this belief he determined
| when he had, in Now-Caled0nla TO deal with a
|
the Communists there and turn them into an auxi-
! iary army. They behaved admirably. although
they might have masacred tho regular soldiers anu
| ESCAPED TO Australia. But none of them
showed any dispq, tion TO mutIny. Riviere took
| home the first batch of tbos who were amnestled
| and was so kind to them TO win their gratitude.
Yet 10 hear him talk at Madame do Neryllle's table
one would say that he wasan utter sceptic and had
made up his mind that virtue had no abiding-place
| in the human heart. He was very brilliant
| talker But as years crept on him be became
monologist. Latterly lie was deaf. 1t was maxim
| of his that France had been too loug governed by
| gallant kings through vicious women Tor petucoat
Government of the least respectable kind not yct TO
he a great power in the State. This is why, he
| said he made IL point to keep on friendly terms
| with demi-monde actresses.
| IL was ono of these sirens. Mile Valtesse, who
| interested Cambetta in tho Tonquin expedition.
| She maneuyred in this wise before she made her
attack on the great orator: First, to fix on herself
| public attention she gave at her villa ut ST. Cloud
| a seditous banquet to which lmper!alis leaders
and Mamelukes were invited. and general and field
officers belonging to an adjacent camp. A grandlose
| show OF fireworks attracted humber soldiers ana
| civilians to the entrance of her grounds. Mile.
| yaltessc treated them aud got them to cry: FlVe
| pEmpirep The whole press of Paris fOr several
days after talked of nothing but her feto While
| the impression was fresh she wrote to Gambetta 10
| crave an audience of him mt the Paais bourbon.
| There she read TO him memorandum on Ionqulh
| and its agricultural aud mineral resources
She said that she herself was the author. But it
| WAS written by Commander Rivero. A second
| audience was asked and accorded and GamDetta
and Mile. Yaltesse remembered they were neighbors
| and often saw each other at St. Cloud aud
Vile d'Avray. lie thoroughly adopted
tho views set forth in the memorandum
| which by his orders was puhns1Wed III
he lost no time IN sending RIviGre to take ia-Noi
and "A civil engineer, NJ. Fuchs TO inspect me coal,