New-York tribune., 1908-07-18
Literary Nesvs and Criffcism.


after the other the extraordinary fables with
which her memory was associated. First of all
It was generally stated and seems to have been
generally believed. that her husband, after OBJ
tanning ocular proof Of her infidelity with the
Cheval!er de Jaucourt. attempted to kill both
hts wife and her lover. but was promptly seized
by the members OF his wife's family, violently
drugged and almost bled to death the pre-
tence that he was out OF his mind confined in
the Bastile. and then conveyed to q private
lunatic asylum at Senlis. where he spent the
rest OF very prolonged existence. after having
really lost bis reason owing to this outrageous
treatment In the archives of the Chetelet how
ever all the Official records exist Of the judicial
inquiry into Comte de Ralbi's state OF mind and
there is ample proof that he was afflicted with a
dangerous combination OF religious and homci-
dal mania. Later Nine. de Bab was ac-
cused of having given birth to twins at Amster-
dam. the putative father of whom was Comte
Archimbaud de Perigord, the younger brother
OF the famous Talieyrand vicomte de Reiset
shows clearly enough that nor q particle of
PROOF exists in support OF this painful charge
but II nevertheless sufficed in the hands of
Comte d'Avaray to bring about final rupture
between the Comte de Provence and his favor
ite. Comtesse de Balbi seems to have taken her
dismissal with much philosophy. and it did not
prevent her from being received in the best
society in London and continuing to shine with
all her old lustre in the salons OF the "Emisra-
ton"
1t was her and her family's special fate to be
victims to slander, for not only were many other
hbellous tales related of her by contemporaneous
chroniclers which viscomte de Reiset success
sively demolishes, but after her sons death the
"Dictionnaire des Conversations" an erudite
publication with all he md ,,e
an encyclopaedia. positively asserted that he had
committed a capital crime in America for which
he was hanged. Comte dAyaray who succeeded
in terminating the relation between the future
Louis XVIII and the fascinating Comtesse de
Balbi. had oeen under many obligations to her,
SO that his conduct cannot be considered Alto
gether praiseworthy or devoid Of ingratitude
Moreover, II TO the prudent arrangements
undertaken by the comtesse that the Comte de
Provence had owed his successful escape from
France when the Revolution was at its height.
Probably IT was for this reason that Louis
XVIII continued to pay her pension of $1,000
a year after he had been restored to the throne.
All the chroniclers Of the emigration period
dence at Coblentz of the Regent, as the Comte
de Provence came to be called after the execu-
ton of Louis XVI he was entirely under the
influence Of his beautiful brilliant and witty
favorite- 1t was NJ. de Reiset points out.
essentially womans epoch. Woman reigned in
Paris she did the other side Of the Rhine.
1t was against the unfortunate Marie Antonette
that the reyolutionists directed their most Wig
orous efforts, for il she who personfed the
In the Emigration" the Comte
dArtois was dominated by the languishing
grace of Nine. de Polastron. The Prince de
Condo was at the feet of the Princess de Monaco
ha
was to perish assassinated by Bonaparte, was
the submissive lover OF the beautiful Charlotte
de Rohan. Never in any period Of French his
tory had woman played active role in the
destinies Of the monarchy. To what extent the
collapse Of the regime is 10 be attributed to
this circumstance is a problem which must
deeply interest the student of history. c. I. B.