New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-04
MEMOIRS OF TALLEYRAND.
INTRODUCTION BY THE AMERICAN MINISTER
TO FRANCE.

From fine January number of The Century Magazine by
permission ~ Will
in two months the first volumes Of the MEMOIRS nc
left are TO be issued. He himself ioroaue oncli
publication till thirty years after MS 9e"tn, Im
al that date his literary executors oiu ' 80 no
pOstponemcnt necessary, lie was thouShU' W W
The depository of more secrets thah any oCneI
man of his day, with greater power over ny
regulations OF more men, living anu ucau.
Naturally these memoirs were long awaited WIN
a singular mixture Of curiosity ana alaIh' ~
the least element of the absorbing interest," Which
still attaches to them arises from the desire W
SEQ how much of the piauancy and flavor OF a
famous mans recollections may eVapora@ III h"ii
a century. - - n
The career these memoirs portray was ana re,
mains unparalleled in modern Europe LOT IehSlh anu
variety of distinguished service Beginning WIN
Louis XVI from whom he received ms hfst APP
pointment and from whom he vent later VIII,
a letter TO the King of England Talleyrand served
in all eight known masters-besldes great NUM-
her of others who were at one time or anolner
said TO have him secretly in their pay lie ne
came president of the Constituent Assembly
which organized the French Revolution. lie was
sent to London on secret MISSION WIN pass
port from Danton He was Minister OF rolelsn
Affairs under the Directory. under the Consulate,
under the Empire, under Louis xviii, ana uhder
Louis Philippe. In diplomatic skill ana success
contemporary public opinion held him the nrst
man OF his periOd-that is to say, Tor haii
century the first man in Europe AS to real IN
iuence on affairs, it is doubtful II any Minister
since can he said to have exerted as nlucn' E Wior
they did not cover so wide range, or deal WIN
such bewderng variety OF NEGOTIATIONS, en-
tending over SO great time, ana furtherlhg 'hc
views of many masters.
Sir Henry Bulwer has a phrase that, in way,
measures him He the most important man
in the Constituent Assembly after MlTabeau, ana
the most important man in the Empire alter
Napoleon" But to gauge fairly his extraordinary
public life it must be remembered that he held
place and gained in power for forty years after
AIirabeaus death; ard that he had been one OF
the leading men of France before Napoleon was
heard of, and remained Minister ana an am
bassador of France long after Napoleon mad eaten
out his heart at st. Helena.
Yet in spite of his amazing career. his country
men have not been generally disposed TO speak
well of him. Napoleon called him SIX stocking ing
filed with filth. and on occasion addressed the
same epthet directly to him Chateauhrland
said Of him: When Monsieur Taleyrand is not
conspiring, he is making corrupt bargains. Car9ot
said lie brings with him all the vices of the
old regime without having been able 10 acquire
any of the virtues of the new one he has no
fixed principles he changes them as ne does his
linen. and takes them according 10 the WIND OF
the day-a philosopher when philosophy is the
mode; republican now. because that is neces-
sary in order 10 become anything. lO-morr0"
he will declare for an absolute monarchy. II he
can make anything ont Of IT.; ! don't want nm
at any price Mrabeau called him this vile;
base trickstcr': and again wrote: " II is dirt and
money that he wants. For money he has sold his
honor and his friend For money he would sell
his soul-and he would be right, for he would be
trading muck for gold The very member OF
the Assembly who secured his recall from exile,
Chenicr, wrote of him:
This letter Of the Able Maurice proves to me that
after having icen anarchist and orlcanist, and not
having been R1basperrelSt oUy because RobeSperre
wouldn't have him. he has now becomc a partizan
hi, hi,hopric. is like sponge, which sucks up every
LIQUID into which it + dgoPpe bgi unlike the sponnGet
from GAg Yesterday 2gS Pr9SosnG, p oos ook
ont for your head Maurice will NOT refuse IT,
Modern French writer's. while, Of course less
passionate. have been apt 70 agree in admitting
his extraordinary venality. his ueachcry TO ms
chiefs and his lack Of yeracity. Lamartlne admired
him. bL- Louis Blanc was as severe as the bitter
est If lis contemporaries. Gui2ot SAID he was
man Of the court and of diplomacy-not Of govern
mcnt that he Indifferent 10 means and almost
Indifferent to the end provided he found in it a
personal success. And. to quote but one opinion
not coming from his countrymen, GOuverneur Nor
ris said of him: This man appears 10 me polished,
cold tricky. ambitious and bad.
Few men indeed spoke well Of him. Toward
the close OF his life. when he was Ambassador IN
London an attack made upon him in the
House Of Lords by the MARQUIS Of Londonderry.
The Duke of Wellington offered spirited de-
fence. He had held official relations with VI.
lie Tacymnd in most critical periods Never had
he encountered a man more vigorous and skilful
in protecting the interests Of his own country. OK
one more upright and honorable in his attitude
toward other countries Taeyrand was found
the next day reading the report Of this debate
with tears in his eyes. and he said 10 his visitor
am all the more grateful 10 the Duke since he
is the one statesman IN the whole world who has
ever spoken well OF me
The evil in public mans life is apt 70 attract
wider attention than the good, and certainly no
exception 10 the rule has been made in TaleyTands
favor. Yet taking his career from the records OF
his countrymcn prior 10 this issue of his own
memoirs what an extraordinary, picture is pre-
scn,cd Here are a few Of the lines in it:
\ profiratc priests who owed his start in life
10 an ill-havorcd Joke about the immortality Of
Paris. made in the drawingroom of Nine. du
4 bishop who was forced into the public
journals 10 explain that the money he had re-
houses. but in clubs and that il was not So much
rcportcd-hcrg only 10000 francs instead Of
six or seven hundred thousand.
\ confidential friend of Mraheau, who was ac-
cuscd of poisoning him.
\ Minister. and for years the intimate Of
Napoleon, and Yet accused of plot TO aSSasSinate
him.
A great statesman. whose enormous and continu-
Gus receipt Of brihcs from the beginning to the
end of his long career IS unqucstloned. -,
\ trusted Minister Of Foreign Affairs. who. while
i'm office under the Directory thwarted their meas
ures and plotted tor the coup d'etat of Napoleon
who. while i'm Office under Napoleon. intrigued with
the Empcrors of Russia and Austria 10 defeat his
plans, and plotted for the return of the l}our-
hons who, while in office under Louis XVIII.
plotted for his overthrow, and for the accession
The Constit,cnt Assembly forbade his rcturn
20 France Pitt expelled him from England
Washington refused 10 receive him In America
The Pope communicated him.
And yet hc lived 70 he summoned back TO France
and appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs for the
Revolutionary Government; lived 10 return to
England as Ambassador from France. with the
prestige of the most distinguished living diplo
natis 10 meet with a reception which could
scarcely have more respectful IL he had been
crowned head: lived Ia give notice To the Amer
lean Ministers PlcnrotCltnry in Paris that they
must buy peace or leave the country: lived 10
have the popc'S communication withdrawn. and
died in the odor Of sanctity with mis- King ~ his
bedside and the blessings of the Cardinal of Paris
Many of the lincnmcntS in this strange portrait.
drawn by the French historians. are not likely
TO be much changed. There seems little chance
to erase the lCcntiou>rcSs. the treochcrV, the de-
ce the monstrouS VenalitN Ia recalling them,
however. II must always be- remembered that he
only he fairly Judged by The standard of his
century, which was lax 10 decree we can hardly
comprehend, especially with reference to the first
Of these faults, and the last. When the American
commissioners resented Talcyr,nd's demand for
a brbe of S2jO,O0o Or himself. and bigger
one, called a loan. for the Dirrctory his repre-
sentative said, naiycly: Don't You know that
everything is bought in Paris? Do You dream
that YOU can get on with this Government with