The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-07-07


Empress and Jones himself that, though
the acute congestion. had been relieved,
dropsical or oedemic state of the lungs
had supervened, and that this would
surely kill him a few months later IN the
Russian climate OF Midwinter.
Under this advice Jones asked indef1-
mite leave OF absence, which Catharine
granted. She gave him, in addition to the
furlough pay of his rank of Vice-Admiral.
a gratuity of ~ 000 roubles in gold, and he
set out for France, by way of Denmark
and Holland, in December, 1889.
ONCE MORE IN FRANCE.
With his arrival in Paris, early IN 1890,
began the last and, in the general
aspect, perhaps, most interesting act In
the tumultuous drama of Paul Jones's
career. He was in delicate health, his
lungs were dangerously affected. but he
was still strong otherwise in body, active
as prudence and his physician would
permit, and, If possible, more grandly
ambitious than ever before. His mind.
replete with experience, ripened by many
years of constant contact with those who
dealt with the deStinies of nations, and
cultivated to an exquisite degree by his
own wonderful aptitude for study, refiec-
ton and absorption, was at the zenith OF
Its powers. He was now al years old, and
during the two and half years yet
allotted to him was destined to play an
important though not public part IN the
HiSl Hdil Vi the french heEOiuflOn. Jones
took commodious apartments in Tourmon
street, IN the bourgeois quarter of the
city, or, more strictly speaking, he leased
the house OF a worthy French woman
Madame Aubergne-widow Of a respect
able tradesman, including in the bargain
her own services as housekeeper 1t is
worth while to remark that the reason
why Jones took these apartments was
because Madame Aubergne was the near
relative OF his favorite French sailor Of the
prnyU 1nrn rsa to-
Gerard, with whom the readers of this
sketch are acquainted. 1t may also be-
interesting to note that Madame Au-
bergne'S son was at that time tipStaff in
the Tribunal of the Third Precinct. soon
afterwards to pass into history as the Ter
rible Court OF Fauquier-Tinville,
Jones had plenty of ready money not
less than $4,000 or $780, GOO, at that mo-
ment. He had an assured income Of
10000 roubles year (say, 81 ,5OO) from
external, sources not likely to be disturbed
by any local disorders in France In
addition to this he was in receipt of an
honorary pension of about !, 500 crowns a
year from the King OF Denmark, conferred
on him in 1887. Such an amount of ready
| money and such an income meant much
more than the same sums would now.
he was at that time as well known IN
France as the most distinguished Of
| FIenchmen. In fact, with the exception
of the two years Just spent in Russia and
his two and a half years stay in America
from the FAN of 1871 to the Spring of 1854,
| France had been his home since 1778
| He was much better known by name In
Paris and in France than any other
| American except George Washington, and
| Benjamin Franklin; while in all ranks of
| French society, from the Court itself to
the bourgeoisie, he was personally better
/ known than any other American. Be-
yond all this his exploits in the previous
war made him an object of the passionate
admiration of all Frenchmen, from Prince
| to peasant, and his career in Partisan
society, already described, had given him
unrestricted entree everywhere.
/ FRIENDSHIP WITH BARERE.
Among other attentions, his arrival In
Paris was signalized by an article in tho
popular newspaper, Point du Jour Tho
Break OF Day which evinced so much
| knowledge of his career and was withal so
complimentary to him personally that he
felt it his duty to thank the editor In
person. The discharge of this duty
brought him for the first time in contact
with man then Just beginning to show
| the first signs of that Tremendous power Of
pen and OF speech and that mighty COM
/ mand OF men and OF affairs which soon
after blazoned unto all Immortality the
! name of Bertrand Barere.
/ The Point du Jour was the official
organ of the General Committee" of the
National Assembly and the Departments,
| ingS OF the Committee and of the debates
| in Assembly as were permitted to be
published. Barere was editor and part
proprietor OF this journal, then the most
widely circulated and most profitable
newspaper in France, and he was also a
member of the Assembly; being Deputy
from his native constituency of Tarbes. in
GaScOny. He was member of the
General Committee" and of the Par
| ticular Secretariat," or, as we would call
N 90 on fta
| of the People,"
| He was at this time-1790-about "a
years old. The son of a well-to-do mer-
chant of Tarbes, who also owned a small
| landed estate near that town. he had
been educated at the Academy of Tou-
louise, and, on graduating in the classical
course of that institution, he studied law
and was admitted to the Provincial bar.
| Prior to the establishment of the Third
| Estate under the new constitution drawn
up in 1888 he had gained consider able
| local distinction as an orator and pamph-
letter, and among his pamphlets was ono
of no small merit, published in 1850. on
Commodore Paul Jones, Knight of Liberty
on the High Seas" Jones had seen this
pamphlet, one of the ablest among the
almost innumerable brochures of it's kind
that signalized his victory over the
Scraps in 1873, and made his name a
household word throughout France. Ho
was OF course prepared for an exceedingly
cordial meeting with its author
On the creation of the Third Estate
Barere was elected almost unanimously
to the First Assembly for the Constituency
of Tarbes; and, once fairly afoot on the
theater OF National affairs, his rise had
) been rapid.
He and Jones had many traits in conn
mon. Both were extremely able men:
each man of genius in his own way,
Both were men of the most dauntless
courage. Both fiercely hated England.
Both were passicnately devoted to the
} cause of human freedom and constitu-
tiOnal liberty. Both were single and free:
Jones as a bachelor and Barere as "a
widOwer-at least, by divorce. And both
were good fellows-convivial, liked good
time, and always knew how and where to
find it.
Naturally, they became close friends at
sight, and their friendship ended only IN
death.
! 1t is pity that Bertrand Barere should
be known to Americans, as he is, chiefly,
If not quite, through the terrible philippe
with which Alacaulay, in the Edinburg,
Review, 1914, greeted Hippolyte Carnot's
publication of his Memoirs In this
philippe, under the guise of a review"
| literary polemicS of England.
1t is by no means my purpose to defend
Barere. Judged by conventional or nor
NAL standards he was bad man; per-
hapS depraved. He was great man, and,
like all other great men, he had to work
out his destiny along the lines of his