The King's Death And The ...
The Times, 1824-09-21T00:00:00

[lTe following letter, coming (as we know it does) from a most; respectable correspondiert, ani detiiling 'acts which that correspondenyt had the best means of knowing, we can- not withhoVl from our readers, though the feeling in which it is wvritten does not agree with our own. That the rhiap- sodv of M. de Clhateaubriand Rhould be very agreeable fo himself auid a few Ultra Courtiers, nobody can doubt-that thie pamphlieteerinig peer should be received with some marks or distinction by the Princes whom he had be- daubed and be-praised, is extremely probable; but that the new King sholuld imm-iediately receive him into favour, and render his Prime Minister, Villele, jealous of' the marked honour shown to a disgraced rival, is what we cannot be- lieve, except upl on better evidence than the partial report made, probably, by overweening vanity to confiding friend- shzip.] PARIS, SEPTM 18, 184. At last Charles X. reigns. lIouis XVIII., whatever design the English papers may have had upon his life by killing him on Sun. day or Mlonday, did not die till 10 minutes past four on the moming of Thursday, the 16th inst. I shall first give you some details re- specting his last moments which have not vet been nublinhpci- nAt which 1 have fro-m an authentic source; and then mention a fewr of the most interesting occurrences which took place at Sbt Cloud under the new reign. On Wednesday evening the Kilg waas in full possession of his faculties. He 1elt that he was dying, and called together the Princes and Princesses of thc Royal Family. He then addressed hiB brother, lAlonsicur, nearly in the following t^rns :-" I amr. about to die. I leave you, my brother, France prosperous and peaceful ; I beg you to continue to act as I have done. I think that I have fulfil!ed my mission as well as it was possible, in the difficult circumstances in whiclh I was placed. I beseech vnu, moreover, to put an end as socon as possible to that state of inaction in which society is so imprudently held by my illnes." " As for you"-said he, addressing himselfto the Duke ofAngou- leme-" as for you, my son, never did you in the whole course of your lilc, either by your actions, by your words, or your wishes, give me the least cause of uneasiness, or excite in me the least feel. ing of displeasure. If l.ieaven, as I pray, spares you to call vou to the throne, I am seire thar France and you will be happy. I have sufficient secuLrity for this in the wisdom and moderation of your character." The Royal Duke was deeply touched with tite address, and shed tears profusely. His Alajesty then addressed some words of tenderness to the Duchess of Angoulenie, and to the otlher ntemlUers of the family. Lie never afterwards spoke distinctly. An hour after his death, Mi. de Cazes rushed into the chimber, threw himself on the body, sobbing deeply, and remained in this position till he was reminded by the physician in attendance of the necessity of retiring. lie then lef: the cha-mber, apparently over- powered by the ,leepest sorrow. Yesterday thle whole crowd of persons in place, the tribunals, and other public bodies, proceeded to St. Cloud, to present their homage te the Kinig. 11l. de Chateaubriand, whose pamphlet had appeared thc evening before, was at the chateau, and vwas received witlh great distiuttion. H is first appearance at the new Court waS to him a real triumpit. All the Courtiers who surroundedl him loaded him with com,liments. The Kingliad said in the evening, alter having thrice read the pamphlet, " WVe are very fortunate in being so well served." 151. dc Villele was present, and turned pale at the saying. The Duke ofAngouleme, at the levee, said to him, " al. de Chateau. briand, accept my sincere compliments. You have rendered us a tnre service: I am very gratcfuil lbr it." The Duchess of Angoulere likewise overwhelaned hinm with praises. The King received them only ivith a graciouts smtiile, it not being the etiquette for rthe King to speak to any rve in private. In a word, the Court, which has not spoken to Al. de Chateaubriand since his disgrace, was yes- terday entirely for im. The pamphlet has been publicly read be- fore all the Officers of the Kieg's ilousetold, in the midst ot uni. versal acdlamations. In fine, its effect Itas been such, that it yester. day made Villele look pale as death, and forced hiim to insert the whole 0o it in the Afoniteur, althougit in the evtning he hatI ex- pressed a wishl that the name of the author should not be mentioned in a single journal. I am not at all displeased that this little man of business should learn the difference betwreen genius and dexterity. Every body in Paris speaks of this reception. The Mozniteur of thit tuorring has given the anuswers of the King to the Chambers, ana to tle Reprtsentatives of the diflerent Pro. testant commtunities. They have produced a good eiect. It is certain that yesterday a Royal proclamnation was ready to ap. pear in the AJo,ziler, in whichi notliing was mentionel respectint the charter or our new institutions. The King was pleased wvth it: it was drawn up by A1. de Villele, whe wished, by such a work, to flatter the onti-liberal ideas of Charles X.; but the Duke of An. gouleme having heard of i, obtained an interview with his father, and. determined him to reject the yroclamation, and to substitute fbr it his adi.ress to the Clhamrbers. This anectlote, which I have de. rivedI fronti an unerring source, proves, to a certain extent, the influ. ence of the Duke of Airgouleme. The Dttke is said to love the clarter and liberty of the press. If so, lie mutst be opposed to the present Administration. X The followiing are sonme of the rumours circulating in the i;igiter circles of Paris:- i The King was exceedingly displeased, during the last days of' Itis malady, at hearing ofthe shuttinuofthe luseum, the Exchange, and the Theatres. He was no le.s so at being tormented with offi- cious services of the priests. He understood their object-he saw their manrsuvres-and he weas disgusted with their selfish hypo- crisy. T'hough he enjoyed the title of " Alost Christian Mlajesty," he was philosopher enough to despise these ravens, who he knew wer oily croalking with joy around their prey. Some days before he was seized with his last illness, he is reported to have said, jocularl-, in allusion to Monsieur's attachment to priests, " I wish I may die so suddenly as not to see the surplice or the coif of my brother." lWrhen the prayers for persons in their last agonies were aboat to be recited, he looked utp and said_-i" What ! already ?" It is said that the Duke of Fitzjames will be made Minister of the King's Ihouseholdl. It is liklewise reported that Charles X. will have no president of the council, but that lie wsill preside himnself, and limit 51. sde Villeli to his proper department of Fisance; that lie will call the Prince de Polignac to tihe M1inistry of the Interior-place Corbiere in the I)epartment of Justice, and disniss Peyroicet al- togethier. If such an event should happen, Villele is nothing, and Plolignac, weho is supposed to hlave a nearer relaiion to the King than that of a subject, is every thbin. Then we shall hear " Long live the Jesutits and the Inquisition." , THl f KING'S DEAIZlr AND THE iNEWr REBISN INV FRANCRE.