The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-09-23
the USroarUNArE BoURBONs.
The Deaths and Msunsr or B"r's' "
the Unfortunsss Hsuss.
tyrom the London Times.I

From the London TimesI
The chronicles Of the House OF bout
hon are not 10 melancholy "a those OF the
Uousr Of Stuart, but history will have 10
CIV that the Comte de Chambord dicd IN
greater peace, and was hurried under cir-
cumst.nces of more real dignity, than any
otber chief OF his family. In their deaths
and In the manner OF their burials tne
Rourbon princes have almost all Deeh
strangely unfortunate. Henri Martin says
81 I.ouis XIV.'s demise that IL was "not
only reign that ended-it was an era ana
a whole world OF things that vanished,
and vet what miserable death the
| Grand Monsrque had. and how "
| nobly he was carried to his grave.
When il was seen that his emu
was approaching his confessors, the
.Jesuits Du Maine and lie Teller, abail-
doned him, having nothing more TO expect
and being anxious to betake themselves 10
safe hiding-places, where the people, 10y
whom they were detested, could not reacn
them. According to Saint Simon. most OF
the State tignitaries found excuses ior
staying away, too, being afraid lest they
should he asked to commit themselves 10
any course that might embroil them either
| with the Due du Name or the Due DOR
leans. rival claimants for the regency. Inc
old King was left almost alone WIN
Madame de Maintenon, and, sending Tor
his preat-grandson, the boy Of five, who
was soon to be Louis XIV, he said to him:
=. BE warned by me; have been too fond
10, war and too extravaganza" Several
times he made Use OF the expression
=. When was king" as il he knew that all
mower had departed from him. he died OF
ganerene on the 1st Of September, 11l5, and
was buried on the 9th with less pomp than
would have been displayed for one OF
his equerries while he reigned. The re-
gent was impatient TO get him out OF the
way as privately as possible, dreading a
demonstration Of popular hostility, for the
king had become odious from his patron
age of the Jesuits. NOltaire says that The
road between Versailles and st. Denis was
tined with booths as il for fair; the peo-
pie drank, sang. and danced, yelling exc
crations against Father LIE Teller, and
proposing that rad should be made upon
the houses OF all the Jesuits. When the
hearse passed the populace Kissed AMI
grinned. which so frightened the coachman
and linkmen that they urged the horses
| into trot; mud and stones were then
thrown into the mourning coaches, but
with little effect, for most OF them were
empty. Upon arriving at st. Denis the collin
was hastily carried into the abbey, and the
doors were then violently closed to eX-
clude the rabble, whose howls could
be heard outside during the short ser
| vice, gabbled through by a bishop and two
| canons. Even more shocking than this
were the death aud funeral Of Louis XIV.
| This King died OF the smallpox, and, the
| contagion spreading through the palace.
Versailles became like a laZar-house. Fifty
people caught the infection, and ten OF
| them died. Among those who sckened
were the Kings three daughters-the Prin-
cesses Adelaide, Nictoire, and sophie BET
| ter known by the nicknames which their
father bestowed on them" Loque,"
" ChifTe, and "Graiile"; or, Tag, Rag,
| and Bobtail. The Kings illness had spread
CONSERVATION among the friends oil Ma
| dame du Barry, who had always treated
| the Dauphin about to become Louis ANI)
| with impudence Madame du Barry her.
| self was thunderstruck at hearing the King
| was going to die. The aged Marshal de
Richelieu, her staunchest patron, escorted
her to Rucle, promising that he would
fetch her back il his Maiesty's illness
took turn for the better; then this
pro1igate old gentleman returned to
Versailles and found pretty scene
being enacted I'm the Kings death-cham-
| Der. The confessor who had been sum
| moned. the Able MondouX. was an honest
| man, and he insisted that the King should
| subscribe to a declaration OF repentance
| that might he made public. As he refused
| dissolution on any other terms, long par
ley ensued, and at last his remarkable state
ment was drawn up: although king
owes account Of his conduct TO God only,
he declares that he repents for having
caused scandal 10 his subjects, and he only
desires TO live in order that he may devote
himself to religion and to the happiness OF
his people" This paper having been
signed, Cardinal de la Roche Aym0n was
introduced to administer the sacrament,
and several persons followed him, holding
sponges dipped in vinegar TO their mouths.
The Marshal de Richelieu grasped the
Cardinal eXcitedly by the arm and
warned him that he must not read
out the "stupid declaration which Man
douX had Dictated; but just as his En-
inence was about to raise his hands in pro-
nouncing dissolution, the sturdy Mandoux
plucked him by the rochet. and adiured
him 10 do his duty. upon which the Cardi-
nal, for very shame, read the royal words
in faltering voice. The Due de Richie
lieu was so incensed that, as Sismondi puts
1t, "he loudly gratifed the preate with
the most insulting epithet." This little
episode sheds curious light on some OF
the ways Of the old monarchy, and II must
be remembered that Louis XVI, whom
Royalists now sanctify rs a martyr, was
held in the utmost contempt by the aris-
tocracy while he was Dauphin simply be-
cause he had discountenanced the immO-
ralities OF his grandfather. Louis XIV.
was buried at night, with no state
at all, the hearse and coaches trOt-
ting all the way. Crowds had collect
ed, however, to see the cOrtfge pass, and
they greeted II with maledictiOns. "Not
hat was raised,' says Besenval; "even
the women did not make the sign OF the
cross; nothing was heard but bad Ian
gllage all the way, and the guards lis
| tened TO it with Indifference Less than
twenty years after this the next OF the
Bourbon kings was to be buried ignominl-
| ously by antern-light, and amid the jeers
OF those who shovelled his headess body
into the earth. But I'm this case the ieering
was rather forced. The men who carried
| the Kings body from the Place de Ia Rev
| olution-nOw Place de Ia COncorde, the
plot OF waste ground on which the Church
OF the Madeleine has since been built
passed amid groups Of awe-stricken people,
who were afraid to speak; and doubtless
these corpse-bearers became silent and
timid too when they had finished their
nights work and SUNK home, wondering
what would come Of the Kings death.
To come back to the first Of the Bourbon
soyereigns. Henri ". was stabbed by
Rayaillac in the Rue de la Ferronrie, and
died lnstantaneOusly after receiving his
second wound. He seems to have owed
his death TO the careless manner in which
/ 81.