The morning call., 1890-06-01
TALLEYKAND's MEMOIRS.

Political and literary circles are agtated
at the prospect of the publication of Tai
leyrands Memoirs. The dispatches state
that the memoirs should have appeared in
1868, but at the request of the Emperor Ma
poleon were withheld for twenty-five years
beyond the period set by their author.
This is probably a mistake. 1t has always
been understood that Talleyrand's will di-
rected his executors and their successors to
keep the memoirs in manuscript till fifty
years had elapsed after his DEATH He died
in 1888 and the fifty years were up in 1888.
Meanwhile a number Of persons, including
Monsieur Theirs. NJ. de Blowitz OF the Lon
don Times, and others, have had access to
the papers and have published extracts from
them from time to time.
To be of service to history personal
memoirs should be published before all the
persons mentioned in them are dead Other
wise they may contain errors and false
representations which cannot be contra
dcted. But the publisher of scandalous
anecdotes about living persons runs risks
| which can easily be appreciated, nor would
any kindly person willingly give to the
world stories calculated to.wound those who
have done him no wrong. Hence writer's of
memoirs have not unfrequently required
their executors TO refrain from printing I'M
til the personages with whom they had as
sociated had passed away. THIS to some
extent sacrificing the value of their work to
regard for the feelings of their aequaint-
ance. Nine. de Remusat's memoirs were
not published till ffty-four years after her
death; when Vel CastePs executors has
tened to publish his journal as soon as he
was laid in the grave. the effect produced
was very unfayorable to the family OF the
deceased
TalleyUaud's memoirs derive their chief
charm from the length of his life. the ex-
traordinary number of eminent personageS
whom he had known and the large share
he had taken in public affairs. He was
made Able by Nine. Dubarry before our
War of Independence broke out; he died
when Van Buren-whom he had known at
LondOn-was President During the inter-
yening sixty-seven years he lad associated
on terms of intimacy with almost every
prominent monarch, statesman, soldier,
author and artist in the civilized world. and
had had perhaps as large share in shaping
the destinies of Europe as any other man of
his time. When he said of Napoleon that
lie was an intellectual giant without moral
force he described himself. 1t does not APP
pear that lie was ever affected by moral re-
straints. He probably attached no meaning
to the word principle and had no clear con-
ception of right or wrong But he had q
marvellous insight into character and a
magical capacity for discerning the conse-
-quenceS of events. He'foresaw Napoleon's
career when he was a mere gunner and
committed himself to his fortunes; lie was
the first to detect the indications of his
downfall and ito plot. against him. He
predicted the line of policy which the
powers would adopt before they had de-
cided on any.
There is probably no period of history
touching which the world is better in
formed than the Napoeonic era, and yet
Talleyrand's memoirs may add something
to the knowledge we possess. They are at
any rate likely to prove that he was broader
and wider than the mere wit which hsto-
rians have painted him.. lie was an ideal
statesman-that is to say, one who never
troubled himself about philosophical theo-
ries or abstract principles, but who tried to
do the best he could with the materials at
his hand as he found them; leader who
never crossed bridge till he came to it; a
politician who never decided a question
which he could postpone. When the Con-
gress of Vienna was broken UP by news
tina. Napoleon had landed from Eliza Tai
eyrand cut loose from his fellOw-diplomate
and went to Carlsbad. When asked why
he sought so obscure retreat when all
Europe was gas ing with excitement, he
replied that the first duty of a diplomatic
after taking part in a congress was to at
tend to his liver.