The Opelousas courier., 1889-04-13
TALLEYRAND'S TRIBUTE.
Discovery of a French State Paper on the
Death of Washington,

D6aEn OF N08niLeSbOh' |
Mr. Somerville Pinkney Tuck, United
States Assistant Commissioner-General
to the Paris Exposition of 1889, while
in Europe on q special mission, having
for its object a search for docufhe@*7
and ether evidences relating to the
French spoliation claims, discovered at
Paris, among the archives OF the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, q paper
written by Talleyrand which has par
ticular interest at this time in connec-
ton with the project now under way
and in charge of a committee of ladies.
presided over by Miss Bayard and Mrs.
Nathan Appleton, the object OF which
is to raise q fund for the erection OF a
statue of Washington in some place in
the city of Paris. The following is a
translation of the paper il question,
the original of which is Nos. 172 and
1913 of volume 81 OF the manuscript
series known as ''Etats -Unis, 1779-lSO0.
years seven md eight of the French
R~epublic):
! Report OF kIllGyEaHus hillSt0E vi IA
fairs, on the occasion OF the death OF george
Washington:
nation which some day will be a great ma
| ton, and which to-day is the wisest and hap
| piest on the face OF the earth, weeps at the bier
of o man whose courage and genius contriouteF
| the most to free it from bondage and elevate II
to the rank OF an independent and sovereign
power. The regrets caused by the death OF
this great man, the memories aroused by these
regrets, and O proper veneration for oil that Is
held dear and sacred by mankind, impel us to
give expression to our sentiments by taking part
in an event which deprives the world Of one OF
its brightest ornaments. and removes to the
realm OF history one OF the noblest lives that
ever honored the human race.
The name of Washington is inseparably
linked with a memorable epoch: he adorned
this epoch by his talents and the nobility OF his
character, and with virtues that even envy
dared not assault. History offers few exam
pies of such renown. Great from the outset OF
his career. patriotic before his country had De-
come o nati"n. brilliant and universal despite
the passions and political r~esentments that
would gladly have checked his career, his fame
is to-day imperishaole, fortune having conse-
Grated his claim to greatneSaawhile the pros
perity Of q people destined for granuS achieve
ments is the best evidence OF fame eve3 to in
crease. 1
HIS own country now honors his memory
with funeral ceremonies, having lost a citizen
whose public actions and d assuming grandeur
in private life were q living example Of cour-
age, wisdom and unseidshness, and France
which from the dawn of the American revolu-
ton hailed will hope a nation hitherto I'M
known that was discarding the vices OF Eu-
rope, which foresaw all the glory that this Ma
ton would hestow on humanity, and the en-
lightenment Of governments that would ensue
from the novel character of the social fnstitu-
ton and the new tyne OF heroism OF which
Washington and America were models OF the
world at l~arge-France, I repeat, should depart
from established usages and do honor to one
whose fame is b beyond comparison with that OF
others.
The man who amid the decadence of modern
ages first dared believe that he could inspire
degenerate nations with courage to rise to the
level of republican virtues, lived for all nations
and for all centuries, and this nation, which
first saw In the life and success OF that illus.
trious mnn a forebodinR Of his destiny. and
therein recognized o future right to be realized
and duties to be performed, has every right to
class him as O. fellow-eitizen. l therefore SUB
NIT to the first consul the following decree:
Bonaparte, first Consul of the Republic. de
crees as follows:
Article I. A statue lie to be erected to Gen
eral Washington.
Article II. This statue is to b. placed in one
of the squares of Paris, 70 be chosen by The
Minister of the Interior, and it shall be his dutl
to execute the present decree.
There is no evidence that any actor
was ever taken on this proposed de
cree of Napoleon, and it is probable
that the matter was entirely forgotten
in the press Of affairs of that exciting
time. A copy Of the original OF thi'
prophetic state paper has been lately
procured by MI. Tuck for the Depart
ment Of State.-Washington Dispatch