New-York tribune., 1885-02-08
THE UNHAPPY EMPRESS.
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE COMTu
DHERI6SON

/
D'HERI6SON.
| IFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
A notable book of recent publication 10 Th(
| Recollectlons of an Orderly Officer" by Com]
dHerisson. who vas interpreter of Cousin do Mon,
| tauban during bis campaign in China, was at
tached to his cabinet when as Comte de Paikao h
was Minister of War in 1870, and aide-de-camp
duung3 the siege to General Trochu. NJ HHeriscon
also accompanied Jules Favre to Versailles a
Military Secretary when he sent there TO negos
tiate the surrender Of Paris. Being
a dIpomatist, soldier, citizen Of the
world, and devoid of party rancorb
he was excellent terms with Bonapartists, Or
leansts and Republicans fevery shade from Theirs
to Rochsfort. He had, therefore, o wide raago Of
observation in watching the history of our time in
action in Europe Africa Asia and indeed, America,
through which he often travelled. The Empress
got him between the 9TH and 18th of September to
get personal effects and documents that she valued
out of the Tuileries. Among the former was the
bed In which her sister, the Duchess PAlba died. and
the other furniture of the in which that event
took place. They we're kept IN lOcked-up cham.
Der in the palace, which the Empress alone entered
on certain anniversaries. when she particularly
desired to pray for the soul of the deceased. n.
Barthelemy st. Hilaire, when Foreign Minister,
sent Comte fHerisson to Tunis to search for Car
gift of tongues He can speak Chinese and Ru ,sian
with as great ease as English, French German, ta.
ian Persian Arabic. During the siege he was behind
the scenes at the Hotel de Vile, where he thinks
Gambetta would have had O more decisive action
on the destinies of France than at Tours and 50
regrets that he left Paris in the balloon.
Comte d,Herisson was at Washington when Ma
| poleon ILL., declared war against Germany on July
13, 1870 Three days previously he called there on
NJ Provost -Paradol whom he had visited at his hat
n the Rue st. Georges After the accession OF the
Olivier Ministry on January 49, of the same year.
On the occasion of the first visit NJ PrevostPara
| dol was in high spirits, believed he had
| fine future before him, and was confident
| that the Emperor's star was not on the wane. lie
had Just received notification Of his diplomatic ap.
pointment. At Washington he was q different
man. He was greatly aged, emaciated, gloomy, un'
decided and as if crushed by the sentiments OF en-
irreparable blunder. He was no longer the spark.
ling, taIkative Partisan, the affable diplomatist
| who was glad to parade his new uniform and to
! hear himself addressed as "Your Excellency.h
"Oh! my dear friend" he said as the Colnte en-
| tered "what an irreparable misfortune "WhaN
| the matterp Don't you knowf Why. that ter
| rible warp "What warp 1.-The war with Ger
many "Where have you heard of such war ~
Comte d'Herisson thought the French Minister do
| mented Had the tedium of Washington and ih
atrocious summer climate upset his b.ai1s NJ
| Preyost-Parado read his visitors unuttered
| thoughts in his face and answered: I'm nou
crazy. Don't you know what has happenedf Why
Prim four days back offered the Spanish Crown TO
Prince Hohenzollern; France protests against hic
| acceptance with the greatest energy she won'Q
suffer Charles V's Empire to be resuscltatedl
| sharp and naughty notes are being exchanged DcS
| tween st. Cloud and Ems. where the King ana
bismarck are staying; the upshot of them will bs
%aT In yesk Sr Sa ali W be- s
as in The Luxemburg affair."" Nothing Will %
arranged, for two good reasons: Prussia wants us
| to 20 to war. She has been preparing to hight ua
for sixty years 1t is as necessary tor her army
to be exercised as it is for railway locomotive tq
and Bismarck would recoil if they were not afraid
of luckier general than Marshal Neil arising and
forcing the Chamber to vote blll 1or tne seiious
| reorganization of our military forces. The second
| reason alas! is the most peremptory. The Emperoe
needs war to consolidate his dynasty. When the
pebiscItary votes were counted there were l,ooo.
"! wei" cried the Comte dHerisson, and what
if there Is wari I'm Captain OF hobbies ana =
many and, visit the libraries in the conquered
vouSs answered. sgfndiS the Minister shGs You w
you foolish fellow, not only not 60 to
Germany but will be crushed in France. l know
the Prussians and how uuprepared are to meet
them. We have neither generals, men, nor ammu.
milton. They will smash us utterly lie said TINS
| to himself, forgetting the Comte was In the room
and added: "Ihere will be q revolution in France
| before the end of six months, and the Empire will
have collapsed. What IN the world possessed
me-
Comte d'Herisson. divinins that he was blaming
himself for turning his coat az the wrong times
he had met at Washington. mot greatly. We're
not liked here. The Mexican expedition Is not for
parture has caused painful surprise here ADericai1
| GermanIzed to the marrow OF ber bones Way shoula
United Statesf In creating q new home trey don't
| forget the old one Many of them viii abandon
their business to fight against US. Those who want
their votes will drift along with them 10 tell yoQ
| the truth Pm discouraged, depressed. and cast
| down. l was fool to aoandon my pen and leave
| Paris"
Next day at the clearinghouse where he wasa
| gentleman at the breakfast-table asked NJ dHers-
son if he knew the double news. No. What 1
tin "Nour Emperor has declared war, and your
| Munster here has shot himself"
| After the funeral services he crossedito Queens.
town with the children of the late Minister and
General Burnside. so exasperated was he with the
| Germans who crowded the vessel that he kept IN
his cabin. la Cork he was gladdened by lond ex-
| found court influence prevailed and he could see
| that the G0yerBm ment followed the Queen IN wishs
ing well to the Prussians and III 70 the French;
Reaching Paris he found that nobody was prepared
for the situation, or equal lit; The bonapartsta
were like people who in drunken bout fall un1
| from abuse of chloral aud black coffee in Q
state of permanent somnambulism- Her organism
was saturated with that medieanent WHEN ae oN sIc
| staBty received from killing her. When shd
wanted to clear her head she drank coffee To neus
| traze the chlora. Her face was haggard, paliid.
and drawn down. and her eyes stared wildly.
| Every hour brought tidings that shattered her
nerves, rent her heart, aud delivered her overte
| despair She seemed not to understand word
| that was said to her or to know what going on
about her All the trulnpl.s of the past eighteen
years were outweghted by the, misery
| which single dispatch from the seat
| of war cost her, even before the hunilis
ating catastrophe had taken place. Comte
| dHerisson was animated toward her by the moss
| chlyalrous sentiments, but could not help seeing
how unfit she was TO make head against the diff.
entities of her situation. She snubbed and insulted