The morning call., 1890-11-09
THE TWO NAPOLEONS.
CapitulatiOn of Magdeburg-The
Second Empire Before Its Fall.
From the French. for THE SUNDAY CALL.


NJ. Claude de Barante has recently pub
lished the first part of the memoirs of his
grandfather, the historian, man Of state
and academician. The first part gives the
incidents of period Of thirty-one years,
from 1882 to 1873 There is much that is
new in these memoirs. One passage gives
the details of the events following the battle
of Jena.
Napoleon decided that Marshal Ney
should besiege Magdeburg In furtherance
of this design one of The divisions of the
Marshal, under General Vandamme, was
ordered to advance with 5000 men. Van
damme seated himself before the place with
out single piece OF siege artillery and i'm
mediately with flag of truce emanded the
surrender of the place.
The &c neral spoke the German language
well. He was gifted with audacity and elo
quence. He summoned the Governor Of tile
town to surrender at once with so much
animation of words and gesture that the
PrusSau officer WAS much impressed. He
did not believe that any one would dream
with only 5000 men to attack 22,0O0 occupy
ing one of the strongest places in Germany.
Vandamme followed up the impression he
had made by declaring that he could only
with difficulty restrain his troops, eager TO
capture the town, pillage 1t and put the CAT
rison and inhabitants to the sword; as II
pleading the cause OF humanity against
wanton destruction.
The German General had presence If
mind enough to say: but before you
make an assault it is necessary to make
breach"
"rhat shall be DONE" said Vandamme.
Night came on, V8ndamme caused boldly
to advance two hOwitZerS aud a mortar.
He did not possess any other engines OF
destruction. Some bombs were fired into
the populous part of the town and some
shops were set on fire.
At this time say the memoirs. the German
people after the battle OF jena were stricken
with terror and disposed 10 revolt against
all the garrison seeking to defend them. In
the PruSsian army the Generals, officers
and soldiers were not less troubled. Where
could they find their King? From whence
could come succor and instruction? There
did not exist yestlge of their ancient
monarchy. Such was the moral situation of
the governors OF places and Of isolated
bodies that wandered without direction or
weli-knowD purpose.
Thus it was %, 600 men Of Magdeburg
capituated 10 5000 under Vandamme. Mar
shall Ney arrived in time to witness the sur
render and the defllng Of the Germans from
the town. lie was SO aStoDished at what he
saw that at the end of half an hour he turned
to the German Governor at his side and
said:
8 suppose we are now about at the end?'
"Oh, uoi" said the Prussian General. mot
by half"
General Ney wrinkled his forehead and
approaching one of his aids he said to him
in a low voice. Take good care to carry
away their muskets and guns, for they ara
double our forces"
They were even more than seven times
their number. Vandamme, encouraged by
so happy an adventure, continued during
IN fol- for tIalI
places during his march without firing gun
THE SECOND EMPIRE BEFORE IT'S FALL.
Turning from these recitals of De Barante,
to those of Mile. Maugny, lately published
we witness other scenes concerning France.
which occurred under the second empire.
They show the listless abandonment of all
the cares of state to the enjoyment of per-
soDal indulgence in court entertainment aud
revelry.
The Emperor had inherited from his
uncle the taste for exterior poinp and dis
play. This desire included and engrossed
the NEST minute details Of etiquette. This
was the precise period when Colonel Stoffel,
military attache at Berlin, sent TO Paris
his famous reports, in which he exposed in
a manner the most plain and obvious the
meaning Of the preparations of Germany.
But at Paris they were occupied with other
things, and put aside his important dis
patches without reading them, or II they
did read them they were TOO busy to pay at
tention to what they disclosed. They
amused themselves at the Tuileries.
The court receptions were OF four kinds.
The grand balls, the Mondays of the En-
press, the concerts in Lent, and the grand
dinners. There were ordinarily FIVE or six
grand balls during the seasons. They COM
menced to dance at 10 80 o'clock. At IL
o'clock, the Emperor and Empress passed
through the salons, previously to retiring
to their private apartments, leaving the place
f-, tnt Il
official personageS great and small.
NJ de Maugny speaks OF certain Countess
de Castigli0ne, who occupied without rival
the first rank among the ball convives. The
rare perfection OF her features, the academic
purity of her form, joined TO The originality
of her allurements and the renown of Ter
conquests, drew upon her the regard of all.
She appeared at one of the costume balls
of the Tuileries as an antique goddess, re-
markable for the scaptiness of her attire, SO
as to display her form and features in per-
lection. She arrived about o'clock in the
morning. after the departure of the En-
peror and Empress, and created sensation
indescribable, the crowd pressing around
her W see her more closely, for she mad COM
pletely riveted their attention.
In the summer season the court WIS trans
ferred 10 Compegne. Hunting and prom
enades occupied the afternoon of the guests.
At night they c0nversed and enjoyed the
salles of wit and humor. But the greater
attraction was the theater. The best actors
from Paris came and performed the pieces
in vogue. The summer which preceded the
war OF 1870 was exceptionally lively. 1t
seemed as if there was nothing of apprehen-
sion or of disquletude to disturb their Sc
rene enjoyments.
1t is said that when Charles VII was
about to lose kis kingdom to the English his
steward, Jacques C9ur, found him one day
not occupied in the msfortunes of his cOun-
try, but in learning new dance with Agnes
S0rrel. ''Sire," said Jacques Ceur, when
asked his advice by the King, 'one could
not lose kingdom more gayly." So with
Napoleon Ill. b. L.
John l.. White, head master Of the Berke-
ley School, New York. is authority for the