The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-01-10
INTERESTING HISTORICAL PAPER.
The Report of TalIeyrand on the Death of
George Washington.

Washington Special.
Mr.. Somerville Pinkney Tuck, United
States Assistant Commissioners general to
the Paris Exposition of 1889, while in Eu-
rope ON special mission. having for Its OBJ
ject q search for documents and other evil
dences relating to the French spOllatlOn
claims discovered in Paris, among the
archives of the Minister of Foreign AT
fairs, paper written by Talleyrand, which
has particular interest at this time in con-
nectiOn with the project now under way
and in charge of a committee of ladies, pre-
sided over by Miss Bayard and Mrs. Nathan
Appleton, the object of which is to raise a
fund for the erection of a statue of Wash
ington in some public place in the city of
Paris. The following is a translation of
the paper the original of which is Nos 172
and 173 of Volume 81 of the manuscript mus egd,,
series known as Etats,Uhhis, lSsIiS w
public):
Report of Taeyrand, Minister OF Foreign Affairs,
the occasion of the Death of George Washington:
"A nation which some day will be great
nation, and which to-day is the wisest and
happiest on the face OF the earth, weepS at
the bier of a man whose courage and genius
contributed the most to free IT from bond
age and elevate it to the rank of an indie
pendent and sovereign power. The regrets
caused by the death of this great man, the
memories aroused by these regrets, and a
proper generation for all that is held dear
and sacred by mankind, impel us to give
expression to our sentiments by takingpart
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 memorable epoch. He
adorned this epoch with his talents and the
nobility of his character, and with virtues
that even envy dared not assail. History
offers few examples of such renOwn. Great
from the outset of his career. patriotic be-
fore his country had become nation, brill
liant and universal despite the passions
and political resentments that would glad
ly have checked his career, his fame is to-
day misunderstanding having cOnse-
Grated his claim to greatness, while the
prosperity of i people destined for grand
achievements is the best evidence of fame
ever tosincreaSe.
His own country now hOnOrs his men,
DRY with funeral ceremonies, having lost
citizen whose public actions and unassum-
ing grandeur in private life were a living
example of courage, wisdom, and unselfish-
ness; and France, which from the dawn of the
American revolution hailed with hope a ma
ton hitherto unknown that was describing
the vices of Europe, which fOresaw all the
glory that this nation would bestow on
humanity, and the enlightment of govern
ments that would ensue from the novel
character of the social institutions and the
new type of herOism of which Washington
and America were models of the world at
large--France, repeat, should depart from
established usages and do honor to one
whose f;.rLe is beyond comparison with that
of others.
"Ihe man who, amid the decadence of
modern ages, first dared believe that he
could inspire degenerate nations with cOur-
age to rise TO the level of republican virtues
lived for al nations and for all centuries,
and this nation, which first saw in the life
and success of that illustriOus man a fore
boding of his destiny and therein recog-
niZed future TO be realized and duties to
be performed, has every right to class him
as fellow citizen. l therefore submit to
the First Consul the following decree:
"Bonaparte, First Consul of the Republic, de-
crees as follows:
ARTICLE L. statue is to be erected to Genera,
Washington.
article 2. This statue is TO be placed in one of
the squares of Paris, TO be chosen by the Minister
of the Interior, and it shall be his duty to execute
the present decree"
There is no evidence that any action was
ever taken on this proposed decree by Ma
poleon, 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 this prophetic state paper has
been lately procured by Mr.. Tuck for the
Department of State