New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-20
THE SECOND EMPIRE.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE TUILERiEs'


OND EMPIRE BY Anna L. BicknelI an ihfha'e
of the Palace. The Century Company.
THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON III The r seGrfs Cd
f an hm mp F2encb BY Helen Dodd
Mead Il Co.
1t Is rarely that we find volume or "reminiscences
dealing with the Imperial Court OF France that ID
not filed with sharp criticism and scanda!ous anec,
dote. Ingratitude Is a vice which SINCE p'p''0'
times has been regarded peculiarly royal pre-
rogatve and that of the House OF Bourbon is pro-
verbia. in medieval well as in modern history.
The Bonapartes however, have not only Deen par
ticularly free from this shortcomng. often errihg
indeed In the opposite direction by SHOWING 100
warm an appreciation OF services rendered. p"'
have themselves been the victims OF the most pc''
uresaue ingratitude. Their faults are iald pare
with hard all the more heavy apparently for the
fact that 1t seldom extended for some token OF
imperial favor without the wish being granted; ana
the public Is indebted for It's knowledge OF the
shadows that clouded the lives OF Napoleon ana OF
Eugene mainly TO the gossip OF those VINO stoou
nearest and dearest TO them-of those, II may De
added who occupied the highest place In their III
tlmacy and who owed everything TO them An ex-
ception Is to be found in the volume Of reminis-
cences bearing the name Of Miss Anna Bicknell on
the tt!e-page Miss BckneIl accepted about the
time Of the Crimean War the post OF governess 10
the daughters OF the Duke Tascher de la fagerie
Who as one OF the principal dignitaries OF the I'M
periaI Court occupied with HIS family residence
in the Tuileries. She seems to have so endeared
herself to her employers and to her charges that
she soon became as Of the family, and was
treated as such not only by the Taschers them
selves but also by the imperial couple, to whom
the Taschers closely bound by ties of relation
ship.
Tribute is borne by Miss Bckne to the In
nate and never-varying kindness OF heart OF the
Emperor one OF whose many faults seems to have
been that he never knew how to say NO IL was
a fault OF which daily advantage was taken by the
many INSCRIPTIONS people who surrounded him.
"Blen NAL entoure." the comment OF more
than friendly foreign statesman, In speaking
OF Napoleon III. and the reproach was well mer-
tied In the days OF his exile and OF his unsuccess-
full attempts to restore the Empire Of his unc.e, ne
had accepted the services of adventures whose
PRINCIPLES were as scanty as their questionable an
tecedents were abundant since people Of respecta-
bllity and good social position naturally hesitated
to take any part in what seemed at the perlou al
utterly hopeless conspiracy to overthrow "e'.-
established and universally recognized government
When finally he mounted the throne al these for
mer adherents nocked around him, reminding MN
Of the fact that they had been his followers In less
auspicious times and presenting claims upon MS
gratitude None OF these Gains were ever made III
vain and thus it happened that while here ana
there one found at the Court Of the Tuileries per-
sonages Of such unexceptionabe rank, birth ana
breeding as the Taschers de Ia Pagerie. the Duke
and Duchess OF Hamilton and the De Grammonts'
tho majority OF the people, of the members OF
the Household were men OF the stamp OF the SEN
ator-General Comte de Fleury, VINO prior 10 the
coup d'etat had been Hebrew horsedea'er OF the
name OF Felix; OF the Due de Persgny, VINO was
the son OF a shoemaker and had been dismissed
from the army during the reign OF Louis Philippe
aok N
Nornv who was an adventurer OF the most I'M
scrupulous type. having realized a fortune by
means which can only be described as QUESTIONABLE
in the extreme: and OF the Count bachiocL whose
nobility was of the mushroom order ana VINO was
mainly responsible for Obtaining from the Emperor
the latter's sanction to the establishment Oh the
great gambling hell at Monte CARO-.
An entourage of this nature was all the more to be
depIored as with the easy-gong disposition OF the
Emperor and the impu.sive character OF the EN-
nress II was needful above all things that they
should have been surrounded exclusively by people
whose main object 1t would have been to prevent
their rulers from making mistakes instead OF tax
ing advantage thereof for their own selfish pur-
noses Especially was this the case with the En-
press who had been spoiled as a child by her
worldly mother. and whose head was IN d measure
turned by her sudden exaltation TO the throne IN
deed while Miss Bicknell loses no opportunity OF
praislng the kindness, the courage. and the bound
NJ her intentions she shows. perhaps uncon-
sciouslv how entirely unable the beautiful Spaniard
was at times appreciate the dignity or her posi-
ton as Empress OF the French. and to comport
herself In accordance to the requirements OF her
rank.
Many of the anecdotes and stories related by the
author are old friends and will be remembered as
ha wing figured in other and less pleasing volumes
OF "reminiscences. But there are some-such as Tor
instance the struggle OF the sturdy English nurse
of the little Prince Imperial to prevent her charge
from being spoiled by the Ladies OF the Court
which are taken from life. and are unique In their
kind and which give a touch OF unusual interest
IN the hook There Is a little story concerning the
Princes first riding lesson which is worth recount
ing He was but three years old, fraI ana uen-
cate child and his riding master. the faithful OLD
Rachon was leading his little pony with the ut
most care Suddenly the Empress appeared upon
the scene. and excaiming with her usual i'm
netuosity that she wanted the boy to have courage
and 10 accustom himself to ride alone. she ficked
the launches Of the pony with her whip, causing
the tiny animal to prance and curvet. Whle poor
Bachon struggled to reduce the pony to subsection
the old nurse tore the child from the saddle and
with an angry exclamation of ''Oh! for shame, for
shame Your Majesty 1t Is your only one. dashed
through the circle OF ladies' and gentlemen In wait
ing. and sought refuge with the terrified child In
the imperial nurseries
Miss Bicknell portrays with striking erect the
dismay Indignation, and shame manifested by the
newly married Princess Clothllde. when on appear
ing at fancy dress ball given by the Empress at
the residence OF the Duchesse dAlbe n the Champs
Elysees she suddenly found herself confronted by
her slster-in-law Princess Mathilde. arrayed In
the scanty attire OF Egyptian peasant woman
attire which displayed In the most liberal manner
the statuesque form OF this celebrated beauty or
the Second Empire 1t was on this occasion. too.
that the Duchess de Persigny presented herself
in the character of a Nered. with costume so
decoilee that when in answer to an inquiry by
Prosper Merlmee she explained TO him that she
was representing a divinity OF the ocean he ven-
tured the remark "Ah. yes. Duchess. see; but at
low tide surely From that time forth Princess
Clothlde declined in the most peremptory manner
ever to attend another fancy dress ball.
The interest OF the volume with the de-