New-York tribune., 1909-11-13
T4LLEYRAND'S NIECE.
Her Social Relations After HIS
Death.
Paris. Novanber ].

Paris, Novanber ].
The third volume OF the "ChroniQue"
Of the puehesse de Dino. edited and re-
written by her granddaughter the
Princesse Radziwill, is published to-day
by the Librairie Plon-Ncurrit. The OBJ
servations and jottinss of the prillaht
but eaustic niece. confidential coinpah-
ion and "inspiratrice'' OF the great OPP
portunist statesman who was Minister
OF Foreign Affairs during the Revolution
the Empire and the Restoration, and
who took with apparent loyalty the oatn
OF aIlee1ance to dozen different regimes,
assumed a new and rather melancholy
form after Talleyrand's death in 1883
The present volume covers the period
from 1s4l TO 1850. The Duchesse de Dino
went but little into society. Her time
was passed chiefly at her Charm
ing country place, Rochecotte, on the
banks Of the Loire, near Chinon; at her
Prusslan chateau Of Sagan, at Berlin
or at Nice, and most of the "reminiscences
are gathered from letters written 10 her
by intimate friends.
Guizot kept her fully posted as to what
WAS going on at London, Vienna and ~.
Petersburg. Salvandy. diplomatist and
Acadernician, wrote almost daily about
parliamentary affairs, and re-echoed all
that was distasteful 10 Thiers-t was
Salvandy who told the Due dorleans'
after the fete given at Neullly 10 MS
brother-in-law, the King OF Naples
"lfonsejgneur. Il is am outburst OF Nea-
politan gayety. We are dancing on
yolcano!" The Duchesse dAlbufera
supplied the weekly gossip OF Paris anu
repeated tittle-tattle about Nine dc
Flahaut and Nine. de Rambuteau. Nine
NoIlien. Iady-in-waiting to Queen Marie
Am.lie described with delicate humor
and haIf-concealed irony, the balls anu
entertainments given at the Tulleriss'
The Due de Noailles kept up running
satire OF all that went on at court hh
smart society and in the Faubourg SAINT
Germain. The Duchesse de Montmorehey
wrote about Archbishop Anre anu
church matters; and Comte Mole report
ed the movements and gossip OF poh'-
teal diplonatic and literary circles. IN
shor, the Duchesse de Dino sat Ike an
editor in an easy chair and received
news Ga GNCAy GNSSA
voted staff of correspondents
| Her observations during her journey
( are amusing and original. she iouno
| that Lord Brougham's villa at cannes
/ was in questionable taste" and reseIi-
/ bled the suburban house Of some re-
/ tired stock broker The impression
/ made upon her by Alexander Won Hum
/ boldt. whom she met occasionally az Ber-
/ lin and elsewhere, was that of his being
/ s.tbe last vestige of the radical and dis
/ solvent elements Of the Revolution" and
| she accused him Of pushing the princess
royal of Prussia toward radlcaIsIn
/ that would be dangerous for her she
I considers that the beauty OF the Rhine IS
] overestimated, and that lack OF Vegeta-
| ton irr1parts a disagreeable barrenness
! 10 it's banks" She is venomous IN re-
! card TO Chateaubriand, whom she in
tensely disliked. saying that the Me
unoires d'Outre- -Tombe' were character
ized by superlative vanity. bad taste and
untruthfulness, and were ''sad legacy
OF an empty heart The duchesse, writ
ing in 1S49, is amused by letter from
her son, Valencay, who, writing in 1919.
saws of the Princesse de Lieven (who was
born in 11S4) that she has at last re-
moved her wig, la Du Deffand, and re-
! TIaced it by a black velvet cap with
white feathers, and is becoming a devote
| The piduante duchesse thus deals with
! Nine Recamier: Antique celebrity!
| She is so dilapidated by neuralgia in the
face that she can no longer talk. She
has q perpetual simpering smile that
wearies me.'' This was jotted down in
| 1872. The Due de Noailles writes to the
duchesse about a soiree given by Nine
Recamier in the famous Abbaye-au-
Bois-which was, by the way, torn down
last winter 10 make room for an up-to-
date apartment house. He relates that
Chateaubriand. who usually went TO
bed at o o'clock, remained until mid
night. Lamartine was there, also. to-
gether with couple Of abbes. to pre-
serve the atmosphere OF an ancient con-