Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-08-13
A PARTISAN BEAUTY.
NINE. TALLlEN, WHO, IT is ASSERTED,
SNUBBED NAPOLEON.
A Woman Whose Entranctng Lowell
ness Daxxled Even the Women Of
the French Capitalize Mild and
Inonensive Young Benaparte.

htHh thO D@-- -
the French Capital-The Mild and
Inonepsive Young Benaparte.
During the directoire Marie de- Medi-
els palace became the center OF gov
ernment and Barras relgned there un-
der the inspiration of Nine. Tallien. 1t
was she who organized all the fetes
and ceremonies which enllvened Paris
after the Terror In 1796 the beautiful
Spaniard was twentythree and had al
ready had an eventful past. The daugh-
ter of a financier named Cabarrus, she
had married at the age Of sixteen the
Marquis de FOntenay, been divorced
from him in 1903 and had remarked, a
few months after, Tallien. the conven-
tionnel.
Arrested May %, 1874, she was I'm
prisoned in Les Curmes, and 1t was
from here that she wrote the stinging
epistles to her husband which induced
that wavering spirit to dare all In the
attempt to set her free. Armed with
dagger In case Of failure and all the
courage he could muster, Tallien ON
the famous 9th Thermidor attacked
Robespierre In debate which brought
about the fall OF the ''sea green mon
ster."
The reign of terror came to an end,
the prisons disgorged their victims, and
Nine Tallien received from the people
the title Of Notre Dame de Thermidor.
The world was at her feet, and she daz-
zled II by her beauty and her charm,
her lovers and her luxury. Even wom-
en- forgot to be jealous and acknowledg-
ed what all men proclaimed. The fol-
lowing description Is from the pen OF
one Of her own sex, Nine. de Chaste-
nay:
Mime. Tallien came every day TO
visit Barras. do not think It possible
to be lovelier than this woman was
then. l shall always see her like
fairy queen among the rest, her beau
tiful black hair coiled simply on her
head without any ornament. round her
neck single string OF large pearls.
She wore white underdress ana
tunic Of ink crepe, and, sitting on the
ground playing with child OF three,
the son Of one OF Barras' friends. they
made a group which no classic sculp-
ture could surpass."
Barras tells us with great naivete, In
his memoirs, that the Little Corsican"
only turned his attention TO Josephine
Beauharnais after a fruitless attempt
TO obtain favor with Nine. Tallien and
that this lady had treated him with
great disdain, telling him 'she could do
better for herself" This account OF
the affair coming from any other quar-
ter would be more credible.
A considerable event was now to
take place at the Luxembourg-nameiy.
the reception sven to General Bona
parte after the campaign or Italy. For
this ceremony dec. 10, 179O the court
yard Of the palace was transformed
into sort Of temple. and an altar to
la Patrie erected in the grand entrance
hall. The FIVE directors, with Barras
at their head, attired themselves as
Romans, while Talleyrand, the min
ister Of foreign affairs. was prepared
with an elaborate hsrangue.
The scene was made additionally
brilliant by the presence Of many la
dies, whose splendid jewels and rich
dresses did honor to the occasion,
while their eager faces and murmured
admiration betrayed their interest In
the young hero. Among these groups
not the least noticeable were Nine. de
Stael and Nine. Recamier-"Wit and
Beauty" as Napoleon himself named
them.
Alone Of all the assembly the future
emperor had assumed no imposing cos
tune His uniform, that Of general OF
the Revolution, suggested a character
of republican simplicity, while his pal
lor, his gravity and quiet demeanor
seemed to deprecate the ceremony OF
which he was the object. The tone OF
his speech was equally modest, his
theme the pride he felt In his country's
scientific conQuests and her progress
in the paths Of peace.
Surely no government could suspect
rival In so well disposed young
man. Two years later the coup d'etat
of Brumaire drove Barras from the
Luxembourg. and the first assembly,
which in France has borne the title OF
senate, began its sittings In the palace.
Hon. Mrs. E. Stuart Wortley In Ma
tonal Review.