LIBRARY 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 SANTA BARBARA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 Mrs. MacKInley Helm
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 VOLUME I
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE 
 EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 BY COMTE FLEURY <*» 4- * r|? rlf 
 
 Compiled from Statements, Private Documents and 
 Personal Letters of the Empress Eugenie * * * * 
 From Conversations of the Emperor Napoleon III 
 and from Family Letters and Papers ofGeneralFleury, 
 M. Franceschini Pietri, Prince Victor Napoleon and 
 Other Members of the Court of the Second Empire 
 
 "The documents and conversations contained in these 
 two volumes are, to my best knowledge, authentic." 
 
 C" Fleury 
 
 VOLUME I 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 NEW YORK : LONDON : MCMXX
 
 Copyright, 1920, bt 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 Rights of iransUUion reserved
 
 CONTENTS OF VOLUME I 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Family, Childhood, and Marriage 1 
 
 II. The Coup D'Etat 20 
 
 III. Princess Mathilde 59 
 
 IV. The Birth and Christening of the Prince Imperial . 81 
 V. The Youth of the Prince Imperial 102 
 
 VI. The Prince Imperial's " Baptism of Fire " . . . 121 
 
 VII. The Death op the Prince Imperial 145 
 
 VIII. Imperial and Royal Visits .... ... 174 
 
 IX. German and Russian Royal Visitors .... 199 
 
 X. Some Official Journeys 233 
 
 XI. Visits to Germany and Egypt 260 
 
 XII. Court Life During the Second Empire .... 301 
 
 XIII. Court Entertainments 337 
 
 XIV. The Official Household 359 
 
 XV. Episodes in the Emperor's Life 393 
 
 XVI. The Death of Napoleon III 430 
 
 XVII. Recollection and Retrospection 442
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MAEEIAGB 
 
 The House of Guzman, one of the most distin- 
 guislied of Spain, goes back to the first years of the 
 Spanish monarchy. Amongst its celebrities it 
 counts the famous Alonzo Perez de Guzman who, 
 while Governor of Tarifa in 1291, allowed the be- 
 sieging Moors to cut off his son's head rather than 
 surrender the citadel. Hence the motto of the 
 house: "Mas pesa el rey que la sangre" (The 
 King is more than blood). Besides the family of 
 Montijo, those of Medina Coeli, Medina Sidonia, 
 Las Torres and Olivares are branches of the Guz- 
 man house. Gaspard de Guzman, Count-Duke of 
 Olivares, was an all-powerful minister under 
 Philip IV. 
 
 Royal blood also runs in the veins of the family; 
 the Empress Eugenie was the grand-niece of Al- 
 phonse X, King of Leon and of Castillo. Moreover, 
 she was not the first of her race to rise to a throne. 
 In the 17th century. Dona Luiza Francisca de Guz- 
 man, daughter of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, mar- 
 ried the Duke of Braganza who became king of 
 Portugal under the title of John IV, and ruled from 
 1640 to 1656. The Counts of Montijo are also con- 
 nected with the family of Acunha of which two 
 
 1
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 branches, Spanish and Portuguese, played an im- 
 portant part in the peninsular history in the 16th 
 century. I mention these facts to show that Napo- 
 leon III did not marry "beneath him" as some of 
 his unreasonable critics have said. Some very fool- 
 ish and groundless statements have been made to 
 this effect. I simply wish to controvert them. 
 
 The family of Porto-Carrero, Counts of Montijo, 
 includes the Cardinal of that name, who played a 
 part during the reign of Charles II of Austria and 
 descends in direct line from the ancient patrician 
 family that in 1339 gave the city of Genoa its first 
 Doge. Dona Maria Francisca de Porto Carrero, 
 Countess of Montijo, writer of repute, who was pros- 
 ecuted on the charge of turning her house into a 
 Jansenist meeting place, was one of the Empress' 
 ancestors and lived in the beginning of the 19th cen- 
 tury. She was the correspondent of the Marquise 
 de Lage de Volude, former lady in waiting to the 
 Princesse de Lamballe, and at one time, during the 
 Reign of Terror, was a refugee in Spain. Sover- 
 eigns, statesmen, soldiers, churchmen, are conse- 
 quently found among the Empress' ancestors. And 
 perhaps I may, in passing, add here that her sis- 
 ter married the Duke of Alba and Berwick, who was 
 lineally descended from James II, king of England. 
 
 Her father, Don Cipriano Guzman Palafox y 
 Porto-Carrero, Count of Teba, was the youngest 
 brother of Eugenio, Count of Montijo, who, in the 
 beginning of the last century, was associated with 
 every liberal and even revolutionary movement in 
 Spain. His family claims that his name stands 
 out prominently in the efforts made to combat the 
 stupid tyranny of Ferdinand VII 's government. He 
 
 2
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARKIAGB 
 
 had the audacity of old-time conspirators and the 
 perseverance of modern revolutionists. With a 
 small band of resolute men, he penetrated into the 
 Aranjuez palace and for a few hours held in bis 
 power the King, Queen and the favourite Godoy. 
 But the people did not second him and the con- 
 spiracy failed, and Eugenio de Montijo was pro- 
 nounced a madman by those who did not dare to 
 profit by his bold act made in the interest of good 
 government. 
 
 Cipriano fought with distinction in Napoleon's 
 armies. Attached to the cause of King Joseph, he 
 was conspicuous during the murderous struggle in 
 Spain and was several times wounded. In 1814, 
 he had risen to become colonel of artillery and was 
 stationed by the Emperor at the fortifications of 
 Paris then threatened by the Allies, where he was 
 at the head of the students of the Polytechnic School 
 defending the Buttes Chaumont. In fact, owing to 
 the part he played in the wars of the Empire, he was 
 prosecuted and imprisoned by order of Ferdinand 
 VII, after the fall of Napoleon. Later, he was one 
 of the first grandees of Spain called to the Senate. 
 In a word, the Empress' father was a man of liberal 
 views, energy and cultured tastes, who was ever 
 ready to render service to others. 
 
 After the French revolution of 1830, Comte and 
 Comtesse de Teba went and settled in Paris, where 
 they became intimate with many leading families in 
 Parisian society, especially the Delesserts and La- 
 bordes whom the Empress' parents' old friend 
 Prosper Merimee had known since his childhood. 
 Some of those friendships, begun in Spain, were 
 
 3
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 now destined to become more and more intimate as 
 the families met almost daily. 
 
 Don Eugenio died in 1834, and his brother, Don 
 Cipriano, inherited the property and titles of the 
 Montijo house. But this veteran of the wars of the 
 Empire was not greatly influenced by the change of 
 fortune and he had no intention whatever of alter- 
 ing his simple and retired mode of life. Deeply im- 
 bued with liberal and thoroughly modern ideas, as 
 I have already said, he repudiated the customs of an 
 ancient caste and wished his daughters to receive 
 an education far superior to that which women of 
 society then possessed ; he would have liked even to 
 see them brought up as though they were poor. ''Let 
 them be toughened by privation and sufferings," 
 was his constant remark. 
 
 The character and ideas of the Empress' mother 
 were far different. She made no objections concern- 
 ing the nafure of the instruction of her daughters, 
 being herself possessed of much culture and a wide 
 and varied range of knowledge. She was a woman 
 of marked energy, vitality and activity, with an ear- 
 nest desire to push forward, which neither old age 
 nor blindness could slacken, and she was anxious to 
 give a free rein to qualities which she felt might be 
 useful to her relatives as much as to herself. 
 Wherever she was, she always gathered around her 
 a body of superior men, whom she did not merely 
 seek to "bind to her chariot wheels," to ''rivet to 
 her fate" as a literary friend has remarked. She 
 admired for their own sake those whom she had 
 chosen as friends. She was most useful to Merimee, 
 whom she had initiated, at the time of his first 
 journey to Spain, into the complex affairs of that 
 
 4
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 country. It was she who related to him, later on, the 
 anecdote from which he drew Carmen; and, later 
 still, she suggested to the traveler, lover of art and 
 of historical reconstitutions, the idea of a new Don 
 Pedro, king of Castille, on whose memory weigh a 
 number of timely '' suppressions" including those of 
 some relations and of Eleonora de Guzman, who had 
 been his father's mistress. To help Merimee in his 
 eager search for authentic documents, she stirred 
 into activity legions of archivists and librarians, 
 awoke benumbed energies, and shook the dust from 
 annals which had lain unheeded during long cen- 
 turies. Influencing both his mind and heart, she 
 whispered into the ear of her friend a historical 
 theory of her own about Don Pedro, which Merimee 
 practically adopted and skillfully turned into a com- 
 plete system of his own. 
 
 The Empress' mother recognized and admitted 
 the merits of the ideas advocated by the French doc- 
 trinaries and liberals who then shared with the ' ' dis- 
 cussing gentry" the favors of Louis Philippe's 
 reign ; but all her affection went out to some ' ' tyrant 
 of genius" who would lead the people toward good- 
 ness and happiness without bothering them with the 
 means he employed to accomplish this beneficent 
 end. It is certain that the great Napoleon was her 
 ideal. In the family to w^hich she belonged, one was 
 born a Bonapartist and one remained so till death. 
 Some years later, she learned that a certain Prince, 
 twenty years of age, bearing the name of Bonaparte, 
 was in Madrid. She managed to meet him and to 
 study him with most minute care. Handsome, fas- 
 cinating, witty, he was surely a Bonaparte, but he 
 was not the Bonaparte for whom she declared that 
 
 5
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Europe was ever waiting. In fact, but little per- 
 suasion would have been necessary to induce her to 
 visit another Bonaparte then prisoner at Ham. 
 
 In Paris, the Empress' mother led a retired, intel- 
 lectual life. Merimee introduced to her several 
 authors, especially Henri Beyle, ('' Stendhal") his 
 great friend, who, though twenty years older than 
 himself, exercised such a strong influence over him. 
 Beyle found charmed admirers in the little daugh- 
 ters of Comtesse de Montijo and came with pleasure 
 to a house where his stories were greatly enjoyed. 
 These were red-letter evenings for the children 
 of the family. They looked forward to them with 
 impatience, because they were put to bed a little 
 later on those occasions. And then, his stories 
 amused them so much ! 
 
 Apropos of these visits, Merimee once wrote the 
 Empress' mother as follows, and afterwards, incor- 
 porated almost these very same words in one of his 
 volumes : ' ' One can picture the two children sitting 
 on Beyle's knees or close by his side, on low chairs 
 listening with attentive ear, parted lips and eyes 
 wide-open as though looking on some strange vision, 
 while he, the singer of the great deeds of the past, 
 gave fresh color and animation to those tales of 
 lives that were spent long since, letting drop one by 
 one from his lips, as from a string of pearls, the epi- 
 sodes of that prodigious drama which he had w^it- 
 ncssed or in which he had even played a minor part. 
 One can imagine, if one reads in 'The Carthusian 
 Nun of Parma,' the chapter devoted to Waterloo, 
 how picturesque must have been those descriptions, 
 filled as they were with suggestive details, stamped 
 with that sincerity of feeling, that intimate knowiedge 
 
 6
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 of the living and the lived which makes the charm of 
 Stendhal's creations. Thus the little girls, already 
 prepared by their father's reminiscences, early 
 learned a deep reverence for the Empire, and 
 gathered from the mouth of this unequaled story 
 teller, a truer, more striking Napoleon than the 
 legendary one. In order that the memorj^ of the 
 children should retain these dazzling delineations of 
 'the man in the little cocked hat and gray coat,' and, 
 their imagination fed, that their eyes also should be 
 interested, Beyle completed his stories by pictures." 
 The Empress Eugenie long had a Battle of Auster- 
 litz given to her and drawn by him. 
 
 It is a new Stendhal whom we thus meet, a Stend- 
 hal who, in order to be understood by his 'kittle 
 pupils" was willing to become a mere ''story 
 teller," he who, according to Merimee's own admis- 
 sion, took a malicious pleasure in appearing in the 
 eyes of the public as "a monster of immorality." 
 Here, on the contrary', we find a Stendhal who, put- 
 ting aside all pride and love of domineering, deigned 
 to be simplicity itself. "He felt that his words were 
 listened to with admiration and fervor," continues 
 Merimee, ''and to his satisfied vanity, nothing was 
 more agreeable than the eager attention shown in 
 those pretty eyes of the two little girls." "When 
 you are grown up," he would say to the future 
 Empress, "you will marry the Marquis of Santa 
 Cruz," — he pronounced the word with a comical 
 emphasis which I can never forget — "and you will 
 forget me and I will no longer care about you. ' ' 
 
 Merimee, too, would tell tales, but tales that were 
 less warlike than those of Stendhal. He really liked 
 to entertain the children when they wore sometimes 
 
 7
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 entrusted to his care, for, in his own way, Merimee 
 was fond of children. I recall how, when he congrat- 
 ulated his friend Stapfer on the birth of a daughter, 
 he remarked that he could fully realize the joys of 
 fatherhood, for he well remembered the pleasure he 
 had himself tasted in past days when bringing up 
 kittens! He added quaintly, that "kittens lose much 
 of their attractiveness as they become full-grown 
 cats, whereas human kittens, especially she ones, 
 gain in this respect as they grow older." 
 
 So Merimee was always quite ready to amuse "la 
 petite Eugenie," as the future Empress was then 
 called. He would often take her out for a walk, would 
 show her the sights of Paris and they would wind 
 up by dropping in at the pastry-cook's. "I am inter- 
 ested by her chatter," he would say. Often, too, he 
 corrected her French exercises, and he even gave 
 her some writing lessons. No wonder then that 
 Eugenie always retained for this friend of her child- 
 hood a warm remembrance which never faded. She 
 always enjoyed talking about him, and continued to 
 call him ceremoniously, as in her childhood days, 
 "Monsieur Merimee." Memories of Compiegne, of 
 Saint Cloud, of Biarritz, cluster also round his 
 name. As the scholarly inspector of historical monu- 
 ments he contributed in no small degree to strength- 
 ening Eugenie's taste for studies of the past, just as 
 Beyle had been her Napoleonic educator. It was 
 only natural for the Empress to remain faithful to 
 the memory of these her first intellectual teachers. 
 On one point alone did she fail to show herself an 
 apt pupil ; impiety never had any attraction for her. 
 But I ought to add, that they omitted to instruct her 
 in that branch ! 
 
 8
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 Merimee really became much attached to the chil- 
 dren, and when they left Paris in 1839 to join their 
 mother, called home in haste to her husband who 
 was dangerously ill at Madrid, the ''dear French 
 friend," as this family always called him, was in- 
 deed very sorry. For a short period the girls re- 
 mained alone in Paris with their governess, when 
 Merimee devoted as much time to them as he could 
 spare. One of them having treated the excellent 
 Miss Flower in a somewhat rude manner, they were 
 taken to task, I was told, and Merimee preached a 
 lay-sermon to both of them which had a good effect 
 and the echo of which they carried to their friend 
 Cecile Deles sert, who always enjoyed all they told 
 her about the good French author. "You would not 
 believe," he wrote at that time, "what grief I feel 
 to see the children go." 
 
 There is a picture representing them at the ages of 
 thirteen and fourteen with gowns in plaits at the 
 back and a bit of embroidered drawers showing 
 beneath the skirt. "What will these two children be 
 like when I meet them next?" he wrote their mother 
 in a letter of which they were the bearers. "Will 
 they be tall young girls, coquettish, scornful or pas- 
 sionate, with no feeling for their old pedagogue? 
 Will they, adulated and flattered in the dazzling 
 days of their spring-tide, turn from the man already 
 approaching the forties, whose hair is even now 
 streaked with gray? These, and many other ques- 
 tions, have flashed through my mind and that of 
 Beyle, who is, I must add, skeptical in regard to all 
 things except women. This is why, in spite of the 
 armor of indifference with which I like to clothe 
 myself, I, now that my little friends are leaving me, 
 
 9
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 give way to a feeling, which, though fraught with a 
 good deal of melancholy, yet, I must confess, con- 
 tains a dash of vague hopefulness." At the last 
 moment, he nearly started with them. The girls 
 and Miss Flower promised to write him. So he im- 
 mediately penned a note to their mother in which he 
 said: ''Out of all this, there will at least come a 
 letter." And that is just what did happen. At 
 Oloron, in the Pyrenees, where the travelers had to 
 stop on account of the bad weather, Eugenie sent 
 him what she called "a fine letter," and one which 
 her old friend kept for a long time. He used even 
 sometimes to show this letter discreetly when the 
 author of it had become Empress of the French ! 
 
 Merimee wrote regularly to Eugenie's mother. 
 He followed Spanish politics with great interest 
 although he early abandoned the hope of under- 
 standing them. He was glad to leani that his cor- 
 respondent, a partisan of Narvaez, had been made 
 mistress of the robes. "Writing to his friend, October 
 22, 1847, he said: "So you are really camarera 
 mayor, and you are pleased. That is enough to 
 make me pleased also. You can do good in that post, 
 and that is a sufficient reason why you should accept 
 it. Whatever you may say to the contrary, you are 
 made for fight, and it would be ridiculous to wish 
 Caesar to lead the tranquil life of the Second Citizen 
 of Rome. I may tell you that I have already re- 
 ceived much flattery on your account, and I expect 
 on the first occasion to have petitions presented to 
 me which are really meant for you! Knowing my 
 temper, you can readily guess what use I shall make 
 of them." 
 
 Merimee was not at ease concerning his friend's 
 
 10
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 safety, and was alarmed to hear that she went out 
 in a phaeton alone with the sovereign — Queen Isa- 
 bella — against whom a number of conspiracies were 
 being hatched. But this anxiety was not to last long, 
 for barely three months after her appointment, 
 Eugenie's mother abandoned of her own free will 
 a post which she had accepted with delight, but the 
 difficulties attending which she had not realized. 
 Scarcely was she installed, when intrigues were set 
 on foot to deprive the Grand Mistress of the Queen's 
 confidence; the masters of Spain feared her intelli- 
 gent energy and her growing influence. The future 
 Empress' mother preferred to abandon her func- 
 tions rather than submit to any compromise. Her 
 mind was quickly made up and she did not appear to 
 regret her decision. 
 
 In this connection, it may be of interest to give 
 here this unpublished reflection of an intimate 
 friend, valuable in spite of flattering phrases, 
 here and there : ' ' The character and conduct of the 
 mother is often reflected in the daughter, who, con- 
 trary to the rule suggested by Galton, seemed to 
 take after the female rather than the male parent. 
 When the Empress Eugenie entered into the diffi- 
 cult public life of the Court of the Second Empire, 
 she had had much experience in this sort of exist- 
 ence, both from hereditary instinct and from what 
 she saw, heard and guessed during these early years 
 in the palace circles of Madrid. It should also be 
 borne in mind in this connection that court life in 
 Spain, especially in those stormy days, is surpassed 
 by no other capital in Europe by its intrigues, its 
 hidden influences and the general sharpening of the 
 wits of all those who come within its precincts. If 
 
 n
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 there was the material of a statesman in the 
 Empress Eugenie, she came with it naturally." 
 
 Freed from political worries, and from court 
 intrigues and jealousies, the Countess Montijo 
 quickly assumed an important position in Madrid 
 society, while her invaluable friend in France cor- 
 responded regularly with her and kept her informed 
 of many inside political and diplomatic matters, 
 which she sometimes utilized in her own salon. He 
 even undertook to do all sorts of errands for them. 
 Merimee had friends in the Foreign Office, and he 
 took advantage of this fact to entrust to the "diplo- 
 matic pouch" not only long letters, but also dahlia 
 and pawlownia seeds, which he procured at the 
 Garden of Plants for her gardener, and Chinese 
 lanterns to decorate open-air fetes, according to the 
 fashion set by Comtesse Duchatel. Nor did he 
 scruple to send in this manner satin shoes for the 
 young Duchesse d'Albe and costumes from Palmyra, 
 the fashionable dressmaker of the day. This good 
 friend even tried to forward, through the Foreign 
 Office, a barouche; but at this, the good-nature of 
 the minister rebelled. 
 
 From Madrid, in turn, Merimee received fosforos, 
 for he complained of being unable to find "in such 
 a chemical town as Paris" any matches which suited 
 him. He also was sent loaves of bread which he 
 stated were much better than the French bread and 
 w^hich followed him from town to town when he was 
 on official inspection tours. The Delessert ladies 
 and their friends asked the Montijor to get them 
 mantillas and Merimee was invited to the trying-on. 
 
 A certain mantilla suited the Marquise Pasquier 
 very well, and to see just how it should be put on,
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 she carefully studied a pencil sketch by Merimee 
 of ''the second daughter of the Comtesse, la petite 
 Eugenie, ' ' he wrote. 
 
 Merimee and the Countess Montijo did not confine 
 this exchange of attentions wholly to frivolities. 
 They also sent their friends to one another. The 
 latter introduced to him Spanish politicians and 
 grand ladies, while the former would recommend to 
 her his literary friends and colleagues. Thus, to cite 
 but one or two examples of this kind, Charles de 
 Mazade, entrusted with a mission for Comte de Sal- 
 vandy, member of the Academy and twice minister 
 of public instruction under Louis Philippe, was very 
 handsomely welcomed in Madrid at the house, and 
 later, at Merimee 's suggestion, she carefully read 
 and revised the traveling notes published on his 
 return to France, by the young writer. Prince 
 Albert de Broglie, then attached to the French 
 Embassy at Madrid, one of their frequent 
 guests. When recommending him, Merimee re- 
 minded the Countess of his ' ' real obligations to the 
 father of the young diplomat," but chroniclers re- 
 late that there was a complete misunderstanding be- 
 tween Spain and the future academician. "He con- 
 sidered the Spaniards very frivolous, and they con- 
 sidered him too funereal," the future Emperor once 
 truly remarked. 
 
 This interesting correspondence of Merimee with 
 the Countess Montijo is the history of the comings 
 and goings of diplomats, an account of political 
 facts and a record of social incidents. It is the story 
 of Parisian society life sent across the Pyrenees, by 
 means of the pen of a clever man. This again, I may 
 say, was an important element in the political edu- 
 
 13
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 cation of the person destined to share the throne of 
 a country whose men, women, manners and politics 
 were thus being continually described in the Madrid 
 home circle by such a talented brain and such an 
 observant on-looker, as Prosper Merimee. Thanks 
 largely to him, it could be said of Eugenie perhaps 
 with some truth, when she married Napoleon III: 
 "Why, this young woman knows more about France 
 and her peoi)le, her arts, her politics and her public 
 men than many a youth who was bom within our 
 boundaries like his ancestors for several genej-a- 
 tions." 
 
 ]\rerimee's friendship with the family was of such 
 old standing that not only was he the first to be 
 informed of the proposed marriage, but he was even 
 chosen as the fit person to give to the Emperor's 
 representative all the necessary information for the 
 drafting of the marriage contract. There had been 
 some thought of giving him the title of Chief Secre- 
 taiy; but that honor seemed inadequate, and it is, 
 therefore, not to be wondered at that Merimee 's 
 nomination as Senator was one of the first favors 
 the Empress asked of her husband. 
 
 It has been asked in some quarters whether Meri- 
 mee felt embarrassed by this honor to which, no 
 doubt, he had certain claims by reason of the serv- 
 ices he had rendered as inspector of historical monu- 
 ments, but which he knew was due in great part to 
 the friendly action of her whom he had known as a 
 child. At any rate, he once made, in this connection, 
 this statement to his friend Dr. Veron: "You know 
 the whole story, as well as I do. Fate willed it, that, 
 through sheer lack of something else to do, I went 
 to Spain where I met some veiy good aud amiable 
 
 14
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 people who gave me a hearty welcome. Among them 
 was a little girl to whom I told tales, for whom I 
 interceded when she did not know her lessons, and to 
 whom later I preached gentle sermons with a moral, 
 — for I am far from being over indulgent to youth. 
 One day that little girl told me she was going to 
 many the Emperor. I begged her to make me swear 
 never to ask any favor of her, and after a certain 
 amount of discussion, she had me take such an oath 
 in most solemn fashion. The Emperor, nevertheless, 
 in response to her request, wished to give me a very 
 fine position where there was much to do. I begged 
 him to leave me with my monuments, where I had 
 greater freedom. The Empress then said to me in 
 Spanish: 'You will be given something else, if you 
 do not accept this, and you will be our enemy in the 
 bargain. ' That is how I came to lose my liberty. " 
 
 Merimee was at his toilet one morning when he 
 received the official announcement of his nomina- 
 tion. It caused him some surprise and some embar- 
 rassment. There was nothing odd in a literary and 
 scientific man accepting a favor which he had never 
 asked for. But he made the mistake of keeping 
 secret a nomination which every one was sure to 
 hear of through the Moniteur. It has been said that 
 he spent the previous evening in a drawing-room 
 hostile to the Empire, w^here he kept silent about the 
 pending appointment, instead of openly meeting 
 criticism, and that, on that same evening, he even 
 spoke of the Emperor in terms which were worse 
 than cold. Of course the Empress never inquired 
 into all this political gossip and she remembered 
 only the Merimee of her youth. Perhaps this nom- 
 ination was very badly viewed in Orleanist circles, 
 
 15
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 where Merimee usually moved. However, if he had 
 been willing to put up with some coldness and 
 epigrams, he w^ould probably not have lost any of 
 the friendships which were dear to him. 
 
 The Emperor has said on this point: '^This is 
 quite possible ; but what is certain is that Merimee, 
 at the time of his nomination, showed a hesitating 
 attitude,- largely due to his natural timidity. But, 
 the matter once settled, he became brave again, and 
 would not accept the period of penance w^hich cer- 
 tain drawing-rooms desired to subject him to, as a 
 means of obtaining absolution. He found consola- 
 tion in other pursuits, not merely in the 'blue and 
 gold coat, more becoming to the complexion than the 
 academic mantle embroidered with tarragon,' as 
 somebody remarked in this connection." 
 
 I do not hesitate to transcribe here a paragraph 
 which a kind friend has written, for at the core it 
 is true, I am happy to say. This life-long supporter 
 of the Second Empire speaks as follows concerning 
 this episode: ''This affair of the appointment of 
 Prosper Merimee to the Senate well illustrates a 
 side of the character of the Empress which endeared 
 her to all who came in contact with her. She could 
 not forget a kindness and always remembered the 
 friends of her early days, wiio had helped her in any 
 way, especially those who unwittingly contributed 
 to prepare her for the high position which she was 
 eventually called upon to fill. In this respect she 
 was the pendant of the Emperor himself who also 
 had a warm heart for the friends of his chequered 
 youth. But in dispensing these peculiar favors, the 
 Empress made fewer mistakes than her generous 
 mate, w^hich was largely due to the fact that the 
 
 16
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 Emperor had gone through hard times and had been 
 served at moments by far from wholly worthy indi- 
 viduals. But Merimee was an exceptionally meri- 
 torious 'friend of the first hour' and both Emperor 
 and Empress honored themselves in honoring 
 him. ' ' 
 
 I have dwelt at considerable length on the Em- 
 press' relations with Merimee because her associa- 
 tions with him were not only exceedingly pleasant 
 but because he really had a strong influence on her 
 mental development, and also because the story has 
 not always been told as I have just told it. Per- 
 haps I should add, further, that I have done this, 
 too, because he had to do directly and indirectly 
 with Eugenie's marriage, though it is not necessary 
 to go further into this matter here. 
 
 When it was finally settled that she was to marry 
 the Emperor, Eugenie immediately informed Queen 
 Isabella of Spain, who then sat on the throne, 
 in a formal letter, in which she declared that ''I 
 shall have no other thought than to contribute, in 
 the measure of my powers, to strengthen the bonds 
 which unite two great nations and two great mon- 
 archs, to whose service I shall be consecrated by love 
 and duty for ever." 
 
 Queen Isabella's reply pleased both Napoleon and 
 Eugenie, especially the portion where she said: **I 
 give my full consent to a union which is so splendid 
 for you, and you may rest assured that I entertain 
 best wishes for your happiness and that of the 
 Emperor, expressing the hope that, both being 
 guided by the hand of the All Powerful, you will 
 lead France, that great nation, to the highest degree 
 
 of prosperity and comfort. In the difficult and 
 
 17
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 dangerous path which you are henceforth to tread, 
 always keep for gTiide, faith in the Supreme Being 
 and the duty of sacrificing everything to the Em- 
 peror and to France. Such are the sentiments of the 
 Queen and the counsels of your affectionate Isa- 
 bella." 
 
 The Empress then and there decided that she 
 would ever do all in her power to keep up the friend- 
 liest relations between France and Spain, for under 
 every regime and in all times, an allied or neutral 
 southwestern frontier has been a source of great 
 strength to France, negative though it may be in its 
 nature. The importance of this came out sadly in 
 1870, when France and Grermany were precipitated 
 into a dreadful conflict, because this principle 
 seemed to be overlooked for a moment in Spain. At 
 that time the Empress labored with all her might 
 to do what she could to prevent the catastrophe and 
 so did Queen Isabella, who was then leading in Paris 
 the life of an exile. During this crisis Eugenie re- 
 minded her of the message to her in January, 1853, 
 and of her reply, and added : ' ' Now we can both, in 
 France itself, labor to prevent Spain from doing 
 such an unfriendly act as to put on a throne, once 
 so worthily filled by your Majesty, a Grerman 
 prince." The ex-Queen replied immediately: "I 
 have not forgotten those far-off days, and I am 
 laboring, as you may w^ell imagine, and as you and 
 the good Emperor are laboring, to prevent this 
 threatening disaster. May we all succeed in our 
 honest efforts!" The Queen did strive, and with 
 success, in obtaining from this Spanish government 
 the abandonment of this fatal policy. On this point, 
 the Emperor said one day: "If half of the diplomats 
 
 18
 
 FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND MARRIAGE 
 
 concerned in this mad affair had the talent and the 
 honest heart of Queen Isabella we would not only 
 have been out of this imbroglio long ago, but we 
 should never have got into it!" Some one repeated 
 this wise remark to the Queen, when she said ear- 
 nestly : "I do not know whether I have talent of any 
 kind, but I do know that in this Hohenzollem cam- 
 paign, I was honest in heart. Of that I am sure."
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE COUP d'etat 
 
 A GREAT deal has been written about the Coup 
 d'Etat of December 2, 1851, by which Prince Louis 
 Napoleon became the supreme head of France and 
 which made him Emperor a year later. But the acts 
 and causes which led up to this important event 
 have not always been given in the same way or in 
 the same spirit; so it has appeared interesting to 
 state here the official version of the Emperor and 
 his friends. On several occasions, the Emperor 
 spoke in my presence, to me or to others, concerning 
 the persons and events of the Coup d'Etat, his 
 ' ' coming out from the legal circle and entering into 
 law and order, ' ' as he used to put it. What I say in 
 the pages which follow is based on these conversa- 
 tions, on conversations with other actors in that 
 event and on notes made by me in my readings. My 
 rather retentive memory is also called upon here as 
 everywhere throughout these volumes, though in no 
 case do I rely on it alone for a fact or a statement 
 of importance, for I know by experience how treach- 
 erous one's unaided memory often is. In this con- 
 nection, I recall a frequent remark of the Emperor. 
 He would say: ''I have often found myself deceived 
 by my o^vn memory. I had read or heard things, 
 which I finally got to think emanated from me, 
 whereas they were really quite foreign to me and I 
 
 20
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 could not at all vouch for their exactitude. And yet 
 I was telling them as my own and believing im- 
 plicitly in them. Mistrust your memory as you do 
 your wife," he would say in closing, looking at 
 Eugenie with a whimsical expression that meant of 
 course that he was teasing her a little. The Emperor 
 in his familiar movements immensely enjoyed ban- 
 ter and good-humored irony. As he was always 
 solemn and reserved in public, those who did not 
 know him well imagined that he was heavy and un- 
 responsive. But this was a great mistake. Napoleon 
 had a light sunny side that accounts largely for the 
 charm which he occasioned in the eyes and hearts of 
 all who came close to him and in whom he confided. 
 Few men had warmer friends and few made fewer 
 enemies than Napoleon III. 
 
 The cabinet formed on January 24, 1851, com- 
 posed wholly of members chosen outside of the As- 
 sembly, had lasted three months, when the Prince 
 President of the Republic decided to yield to the 
 demands of public opinion and select a cabinet taken 
 entirely from members of the Assembly, hoping by 
 this means to unite more closely the executive and 
 the legislative branches of the government. So on 
 April 4th, of this same year, the Prince charged 
 Odilon Barrot, one of the old-school French liberals, 
 with the mission of forming this new ministry. The 
 President reserved for his friends onl}^ the port- 
 folios of Justice and Finance, leaving all the other 
 posts to the Majority. But Odilon Barrot failed. 
 His friends wished to exclude from the new ministry 
 all of the supporters of the President. This event is 
 not always presented in this light; but, nevertheless, 
 this is the true light. The Prince, therefore, decided 
 
 21
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 to t'omi a cabinet made up of some of the members 
 of the last one, and introduced new men whose 
 ability had been tried. On the morrow, Sainte- 
 Beuve, who afterwards became a senator of the 
 Second Empire, proposed a vote of distrust in the 
 President! But all these wild efforts of the fright- 
 ened parliamentarians, who felt that the power to 
 goveiTi was to be wrested from them, only added to 
 the strength of the Prince. All those who wished 
 order to reign, were deserting the turbulent minor- 
 ities of the Assembly and putting their trust in him. 
 The Emperor, in after years, often spoke to his 
 faithful friends and especially to those who had 
 helped him to accomplish his destiny, of the strug- 
 gles of this period. "One might reap a rich harvest 
 and gain much information," he said on one of 
 these occasions, "by the perusal of the numerous 
 articles, pamphlets, speeches and publications of 
 various sorts which appeared at this time, all deal- 
 ing with me and my policy. There were conflicts 
 then of word and pen." On these occasions he used 
 to recall the following remarks of a man who was 
 never his friend, but who sometimes spoke justly of 
 him, Thiers: "The Majority is in fragments. The 
 President, who seemed to owe his strength to his 
 association with the Assembly, now walks alone, not 
 only without the support of the Assembly, but 
 against it. This divorce has not weakened him, has 
 not humiliated him, has not even put him in a bad 
 temper. He possesses self-control, perseverance, 
 and strength of character. He has gained ground 
 and friends. Nobody can question these assertions; 
 what I say is evident to every fair mind." "Thiers 
 didn't always hit the nail so well on the head," the 
 
 99
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 Emperor used to add with a smile, after quoting this 
 passage from memory. 
 
 At this moment there was a general demand for 
 the revision of the constitution with a view to the 
 prolongation of the President's term of office. The 
 Assembly could, in accordance with the constitu- 
 tion, take up the question on May 28, 1851, that date 
 being the beginning of the last year of that legis- 
 lature. A series of articles published in the Consti- 
 tutionnel as early as 1850 had called the attention of 
 the press to the matter, and public opinion had also 
 begun to manifest very plainly its ideas on the sub- 
 ject. "Little by little the tiny spark grew into a big 
 flame," said the Emperor at a later date, and peti- 
 tions in favor of the prolongation began to circu- 
 late all over France. In fact, so intense was the 
 movement, that the Minister of the Interior felt 
 called upon to cool the zeal of some of the partisans 
 of the reform. In the meantime, a central committee 
 was organized to receive the petitions, though many 
 were presented directly to the Assembly, through 
 the people's representatives. The Extreme Left, or 
 the Mountain, as it was called, moved that these 
 petitions be rejected on the ground that they were 
 unconstitutional; but these opponents were finally 
 forced to give way before the rising tide. From May 
 5 to June 31 no fewer than 13,294 petitions were 
 laid before the Assembly, bearing 1,123,625 names. 
 Of these signers, 741,011 prayed that the constitu- 
 tion be revised, while 382,624 others did not hesitate 
 to ask that it be revised in such a way as to lengthen 
 the President's terra, I^>y the end of July, the num- 
 ber of petitions had reached the formidable number 
 of a round 300,000, exclusive of only 526 opposed to
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 revision. The parties whose plans had been upset 
 by these popular manifestations accused the govern- 
 ment of having brought pressure to bear to produce 
 these results. But two months later, eighty Depart- 
 ments out of eighty-five, through their Councils Gen- 
 eral, or Departmental Legislatures, called upon the 
 Assembly to carry out the revision of the constitu- 
 tion. Men of sense recognized the fact that the 
 nation demanded a change. Berryer, Dufaure, 
 Odilon Barrot and others, who were not friends of 
 the Prince-President, admitted that the people 
 wanted the term of office prolonged. No one ques- 
 tioned the necessity of a coup d'etat of some sort, 
 whether brought about by the parliamentarians or 
 the executive power, if proper conditions of order, 
 authority and government were to be reestablished 
 in France ; there must be some escape through ener- 
 getic and determined means, from the complicated 
 situation. As to the character of the method to be 
 employed or the way of accomplishing it, there was 
 diversity of opinion. Hence the many plans, varying 
 in certain particulars but similar in their results, 
 and all a violation of the constitution, which were 
 proposed to Prince Louis Napoleon during his three 
 years' presidency. The idea of an appeal to the 
 people became very general and seemed all the more 
 fitting because it received the approval of such men 
 as Thiers, Comte Falloux, Montalembert, the Due de 
 Mortemart, General Changarnier and Comte Mole. 
 These facts should be kept in mind by those who are 
 prone to criticize the action of the Prince-President 
 a few months later. 
 
 The first precise proposal came from General 
 Changarnier, and followed almost immediately after 
 
 24
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 the popular vote of December, 1848, which made 
 Louis Napoleon President of the Republic. The gen- 
 eral has denied the charge of having sought to bring 
 about a coup d'etat, declaring that it was to increase 
 the prestige of the constitution, not in order to 
 destroy it, that he was ready to disperse the As- 
 sembly, with the assistance of Odilon Barrot him- 
 self, if such an energetic measure were necessary. 
 In any case. General Changarnier went further than 
 anybody else had during these stormy days, for he 
 made sure of the support of the second regiment of 
 dragoons. In excuse, he held that his responsibili- 
 ties as general-in-chief obliged him to follow a firm 
 and prudent course. But it could not be considered 
 as an act of devotion to the constitution, his willing- 
 ness in January, 1849, to cooperate by means of a 
 great show of military force in the reestablishment 
 of the Empire ; and yet that is what he did. On the 
 29th of that month, Paris had a great fright. There 
 was a mutiny among the militia and much effer- 
 vescence among the ''reds" because of a proposal 
 to dissolve the Assembly. The insurrectionary party 
 which had been defeated in the bloody uprising of 
 the month of June of the preceding year had con- 
 ceived the thought of taking advantage of this un- 
 easiness to bring about a formidable revolt. But the 
 government was on the alert and immediately took 
 strong measures to defend itself, and Paris awoke to 
 find itself caught in a net of steel and iron. This act 
 of energ}^ sufficed and the terrified mob did not 
 move. General Changarnier, who was the ruling 
 spirit on this occasion, then thought — nor was he 
 alone in this way of thinking — that the setting up of 
 the Empire was the surest manner of bringing about 
 
 25
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 a solid government. If his wish had been realized 
 and had been realized under his direction, the dema- 
 gogues would have been curbed and all France 
 would have welcomed the act. But the Prince at first 
 repelled every attempt to induce him to hasten 
 events by violent measures. ' ' I was opposed to any 
 attack on legal institutions," he said at a later 
 period, referring to this moment; "I wished t^ 
 avoid extreme steps which did not seem indispen- 
 sable for the salvation of society. ' ' Changarnier did 
 not hide his regret and astonishment at the Prince's 
 moderation and said on more than one occasion: 
 "The President missed a fine opportunity to put 
 things to rights. He made a mistake, for he will not 
 meet with another like it. ' ' If General Changarnier 
 bad had his way, the Empire would have come three 
 years sooner, and he would not have been in a posi- 
 tion to express very different views concerning this 
 Empire from those which he expressed a little later. 
 As the Emperor well said: "Changarnier found out 
 hovr to make himself decidedly hostile to me as soon 
 as events got straightened out and he saw that I 
 meant to act for myself." It was natural, therefore, 
 that the General should fall from power, which hap- 
 pened (m January 10, 1851, wlien he was deprived of 
 the command of the Paris national g"uard. 
 
 Thiers also had shown a willingTiess to sacrifice 
 the constitution in order to reestablish a strong 
 government. "But of course he was not working for 
 the Imperial Government," Xapoleon would say 
 with a smile, which meant that Thiers, as always, 
 was working for himself alone. His first idea was to 
 lengthen the President's term, making it ten years, 
 which was a breach of the constitution. "We may 
 
 26
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 suppose that M. Thiers was delaying the carrying 
 out of this plan, ' ' the Emperor would say, ' ' until he 
 should be at the head of affairs; like many others, 
 he found the time long between changes of cab- 
 inets!" This idea of Thiers frightened the parlia- 
 mentary groups, especially the party in power which 
 pretended that the presidency was a danger to the 
 republic. Thiers fancied that ''the Prince's thirst 
 for power, " as he styled it, would be quenched if he 
 was given ten years of it. But the parliamentary 
 leaders were mistaken in imagining that the Prince- 
 President was privy to these plans. His ideas as to 
 the remedy for the political malady were of quite 
 another sort. They were revealed in his vigorous 
 message, dated October 31, 1849, wherein it was 
 made plain that Louis Napoleon and not the As- 
 sembly meant to govern the country. This message 
 and this policy cut short the proposed changes in 
 the constitution, and prevented M. Thiers and his 
 friends from violating that instrument. 
 
 Comte Mole also had coup d'etat ideas running 
 in his head. He did not hesitate to declare to those 
 who would listen and even to those who would not 
 listen, that the Constituent Assembly, in view of the 
 organization which it had given to the executive 
 branch, would not be able to establish a solid gov- 
 ernment. Though in 1851, he was violently opposed 
 to the Prince-President's policy, in 1850, he ap- 
 peared convinced of the necessity of reestablishing 
 Imperial institutions, especially after the decidedly 
 republican elections at Paris, in March of that year, 
 which threw the moderate parties into consterna- 
 tion. ' ' We must reestablish the Empire ; that alone 
 can bring us out of this disorder," he said — which 
 
 27
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 remark the Emperor would also quote from 
 memory. 
 
 Overtures were made to the Prince and plans 
 were drafted in view of preserving order under the 
 auspices of the Government. But this spirit of con- 
 cord did not last very long. Some of these leaders of 
 the moderate party never entirely gave up their 
 early convictions and rallied round the President 
 only because he appeared to be the firmest center in 
 the general upheaval. All this agitation culminated 
 at a meeting held at Comte Mole's castle of Cham- 
 platreux, in September, 1851, The plan there dis- 
 cussed had as its foundation, the reelection of 
 Prince Louis Napoleon as President, the establish- 
 ment of two legislative chambers and energetic 
 measures to be taken against the socialist party. 
 But no precise form of execution of this program 
 was decided upon, so that the Prince, while fully 
 appreciating the good intentions which had actuated 
 these worthy gentlemen, could not look upon their 
 work as very serious, and, in fact, the whole scheme 
 was not long in dwindling to pieces. 
 
 In the meantime, the struggle between the Execu- 
 tive and the Assembly threatened to become acute, 
 and men of order began more than ever to delib- 
 erate as to the best extra-constitutional solution of 
 the problem. Most of them favored a coup cVetat 
 of some sort, but there was great diversity of opin- 
 ion as to what form it should take. The monarchical 
 parties desired to control the movement, using the 
 Prince for their own ends, while he hesitated over 
 the details more than over the main question. But 
 on one point his mind was fully made up — he did 
 not intend to be duped by the groups of the Bight, 
 
 28
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 especially as he knew he could count on the support 
 of three hundred members of the Assembly. 
 
 The newspapers added to the confusion. The 
 democratic press was opposed to any revision of 
 the constitution. The royalist journals were ready 
 to accept revision provided it were profitable to the 
 monarchy, but the Orleanist division of the royalists 
 was opposed, holding that revision could be of 
 advantage only to the Imperialists. Of all the Paris 
 papers, the Journal des Debats came out squarely 
 in favor of revision. No wonder that in the midst 
 of such confusion, Napoleon felt more than ever 
 that he w^as called upon to act and not to talk. 
 ''There was nothing else to be done but what I did 
 do, ' ' he used always to say, w^hen closing a conversa- 
 tion on this period. 
 
 Another serious obstacle which lay in the way of 
 revision was Article III of the constitution which 
 required a three fourths vote in favor of a change 
 before any could be made; and as there were 750 
 members of the Assembly, less than 200 could defeat 
 such a measure. "The revision motion will not 
 pass," exclaimed one of the leading republican edi- 
 tors of the time, "for our party is sufficiently 
 strong in the house to prevent it." And he was 
 right. 
 
 In the meanwhile, the Prince-President had 
 determined to cany the question before the people 
 in a number of public addresses. The notes on which 
 these speeches were based exist, and it is from them 
 that the following passages are selected, rather than 
 from the printed copy given at the time, which was 
 not always correct. These notes show what the 
 Prince really had in his own mind, some of which
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 thoughts he did not feel able always to make public 
 when the opportunity oifered for doing so. 
 
 On June 1, 1851, at Dijon, he spoke about as fol- 
 lows in one passage of his speech: '^ Neither 
 intrigues, nor attacks, nor discussions of a passionate 
 nature between parties are in harmony with the 
 sentiments or the condition of the country. France 
 neither desires a return to the old regime, whatever 
 may be the form under which it is disguised, nor an 
 experiment with Utopias which are fatal and im- 
 practicable. The country puts its trust in me be- 
 cause I am the most natural adversary of both sys- 
 tems. If this w^ere not so, how do you explain the 
 kindly way in which I am treated by the people, 
 despite all the adverse polemics ? I may add that it 
 is this kindly treatment which takes the sting from 
 these polemics in so far as they are directed against 
 me. If my administration has not been able to 
 accomplish all the reforms we wished, this is due 
 to the maneuver of the factions which paralyze all 
 the efforts of Assembly and Government. During 
 the last three years, I have always been well 
 seconded when it was a question of putting down 
 disorder. But when the matter in hand was the 
 amelioration of the lot of the people, then I met 
 nothing but inertia. But a new phase of our politi- 
 cal era has commenced. From one end of France to 
 the other, petitions are being signed demanding the 
 revision of the constitution. I await with confidence 
 the voice of the country and the action of the As- 
 sembly, which, I feel sure, will be actuated only by a 
 wish to do what is demanded for the public welfare. 
 If France holds that no one has the right to settle 
 what her fate shall be without first consulting her at 
 
 30
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 the polls, I will see that this is done. Since I have 
 been in power, I have proved that I have always put 
 the interests of society before my own personal 
 interests. The most unjust and violent attacks have 
 not succeeded in drawing me from my calm atti- 
 tude. Whatever duties the nation may lay upon me 
 will be faithfully carried out, and you may rest 
 assured that France will not perish in my hands." 
 This language reassured the provinces which had 
 been disturbed by the underhand work of the dema- 
 gogues of socialism; it quieted all law-abiding citi- 
 zens, and drove far from men's thoughts the night- 
 mare of disorder. In the Assembly, those who hoped 
 to get control of the power, which they would not 
 leave in the hands of the Prince, pronounced these 
 words to be pure bravado. They called forth many 
 replies, and among these was the well-known one 
 of General Changarnier, who had been removed 
 from the command of the national guard, in January 
 of this year. In June, 1851 — a few months before 
 the Coup d'Etat — he said in the tribune: ''The 
 army, no more than yourselves, does not desire to 
 see France a prey to the misery and shame of the 
 government of a Caesar, alternatively set up and 
 thrown down by disorderly pretorians. No one 
 could get our soldiers to march against the As- 
 sembly. Not a battalion, not a company, not a 
 squadron could be induced to make such a fatal mis- 
 take; and those who should try to influence them in 
 such a direction, would find themselves confronted 
 by the chiefs whom our soldiers are accustomed to 
 follow in the path of duty and honor. Representa- 
 tives of France, continue your deliberations in 
 peace!" AVhen, in after years, Napoleon III read 
 
 31
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 this passage, on one or two occasions, he never 
 could suppress a smile. 
 
 The preliminary work for the revision of the con- 
 stitution was still going on in the Assembly. M. de 
 Tocqueville, chairman of the committee having the 
 matter in hand, made his report on June 25, 1851, 
 and it came up for debate about the middle of July. 
 During this time, the Prince-President continued 
 his journeys, which were veritable triumphal 
 marches wherever he went. Here is one of the notes 
 made for his Tours speech of July 1, of this year : 
 "I look without fear on the country's future, for its 
 salvation will always come from the people's will, 
 freely expressed and religiously observed; and I 
 earnestly hope for the solemn moment when the 
 powerful voice of the nation shall dominate all op- 
 position and bring about concord among warring 
 factions; for it is very sad to note that the revolu- 
 tions w^hich shake society to its very foundations 
 and leave a heap of ruins behind, cannot uproot the 
 old passions, the old exigencies, the old elements of 
 trouble. ' ' 
 
 On July 6, the President spoke at a towm ban- 
 quet at Beauvais, on the occasion of the unveiling 
 of a statue to Jeanne Hachette, the heroine who 
 defended this place when it was besieged in 1472 by 
 Charles the Bold. According to his notes, he said: 
 **It is encouraging to remember that in moments of 
 extreme danger, Providence often permits a single 
 person to be the instrument of the salvation of all. 
 Yet Jeanne Hachette, like Jeanne d'Arc, did no 
 more than to show Frenchmen the path to honor 
 and duty and to walk at their head in that path. It 
 was Napoleon who, in 1806, reestablished the old 
 
 32
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 custom, which had long been abandoned, of celebrat- 
 ing the end of the siege of Beauvais. He did so 
 because for him France was not a fictitious land, 
 bom of yesterday, enclosed within the limits of a 
 single epoch and bound up in a single party, but a 
 great nation resulting from eight hundred years of 
 monarchy, still great after ten years of revolution, 
 laboring for the fusion of all old and new interests 
 and making its own all glory without exception of 
 time or cause." 
 
 Henceforth, the Prince was determined to remain 
 at the head of the state. He preferred to accomplish 
 this end by reelection, which necessitated the re- 
 vision of the article rendering reelection impos- 
 sible. After several days of debate in the Assembly, 
 the measure was voted down, and the President saw 
 that he could not remain in power by this means. He 
 also saw that though the constitution was not re- 
 vised, it was stricken to death. This long discus- 
 sion had made it clear that revision would have been 
 voted if eacli party could have revised according to 
 its own wishes. In a word, a majority of the As- 
 sembly and the countiy desired revision, but tlie 
 requirements of a three quarters vote prevented the 
 solving of the problem. ''It was a victory for the 
 opposers of the lengthening of my term of office," 
 said the Emperor one day. **But my enemies were 
 not contented to stop there in their hounding of 
 me." In fact, the Assembly passed a resolution 
 blaming the administration for the criticisms of the 
 conduct of public affairs contained in the petitions 
 already referred to. ''But," continues the Emperor, 
 "the country soon replied to this awkward vote of 
 blame, with a calmness and a dignity which made an 
 
 33
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 impression on me that I have never forgotten, and 
 which also greatly influenced public opinion both in 
 France and in foreign parts." In the August fol- 
 lowing this vote, the General Councils, or Depart- 
 mental Legislatures, held their summer session and, 
 before separating, most of them passed very signifi- 
 cant resolutions touching on the question of the 
 hour. Out of eighty-five of these bodies, eighty 
 demanded that the constitution be revised on the 
 lines desired by the Prince-President, only three did 
 not take the matter under consideration and but two 
 opposed it. Among these eighty, only one declared 
 the revision to be in the interest of the republican 
 form of government. ''If this were not an invitation 
 to establish the Empire," remarked the Emperor, 
 ' ' what was it ? The popular vote was evidently at the 
 bottom of this action of the Councils General; they 
 were better informed than was the National 
 Assembly. ' ' 
 
 The parliamentary struggle had been warm, the 
 speeches were many, and the summer was hot and 
 far advanced. So, after leaving a sort of permanent 
 executive committee behind, the Assembly ad- 
 journed till the beginning of November. But neither 
 the public mind nor the Elysee took any rest. From 
 that moment, Prince Louis Napoleon began to make 
 the final preparations for the approaching coup 
 d'etat. One day about this time. General de Lamor- 
 ciere remarked to a friend: ''The coup d'etat will 
 occur w^hen the President has found the man he is 
 looking for; and this man, who will shrink from 
 nothing, is in Algeria. When you see Saint Arnaud 
 in the War Office, then you may say that the coup 
 
 34
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 d'etat is at hand." This prophecy was soon to be 
 realized. 
 
 Meanwhile, there was much agitation among the 
 different political parties but the leaders did not 
 seem to perceive into what discredit the Assembly 
 had fallen in the eyes of the nation, nor the ardent 
 wish of the country for a more centralized and 
 stronger government, nor the ever-increasing as- 
 cendancy of the Prince-President, who became more 
 and more the hope of the whole people. Nor did they 
 appear to hear the cries of the socialistic demagogy, 
 announcing the era of pillage and murder for 1852, 
 but went about with their eyes and ears closed, en- 
 gaged in seeking candidates for the presidential 
 office, when a novice in public affairs should have 
 perceived that that office was not to become vacant ! 
 Some of these nominating bodies were serious, while 
 others could be regarded only as childish. Thus, one 
 of the organs of the latter category proposed as a 
 candidate Martin Nadaud, the bricklayer deputy. 
 Not less absurd was the suggestion which came from 
 the editor-in-chief of the venerable Gazette de 
 France that votes be cast for Henri de la Eoche- 
 jacquelin, son of the famous anti-republican general 
 of the Vendean insurrection of the first revolution. 
 The republicans pushed to the fore, Carnot, son of 
 the famous war minister of the revolution and 
 father of the future president of the third republic. 
 General Changarnier, afraid of being forgotten, 
 nominated himself and coquetted with the Legiti- 
 mists and the Orleanists, and fell between two 
 stools, as he richly deserved to do. 
 
 ''One fraction of the Orleanists then took up the 
 candidacy of the Prince de Joinville," said the 
 
 35
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Emperor one day, "while the Legitimists who could 
 not hit upon a good leader, closed around me. Gen- 
 eral Changarnier then perceived how his influence 
 had waned since the day when he separated his line 
 of conduct from my own. United with me, he had 
 played the part of the Champion of order, my right 
 arm charged with the defense of authority in face of 
 demagogy and anarchy. From the moment when he 
 refused to follow me, he was no longer much needed 
 by anybody and he became a malcontent, a general 
 without a command, ' waiting for something to turn 
 up.' " Concerning the Joinville candidature, which 
 had been invented by the Journal des Debats, the 
 Emperor said: "In the first place, it was unconstitu- 
 tional, as he was exiled. Moreover, it would have 
 occasioned another division in the Bourbon family 
 and grafted a younger branch on to the Orleans 
 family; and if he had succeeded, against all prob- 
 ability, in getting elected, he would have been 
 obliged to accept a revolution, which had condemned 
 his father's policy and had overthrown his throne. 
 Yet this candidature was advanced by one of the 
 great organs of the press of that time, perhaps the 
 greatest ! Was it not necessary to put order in such 
 incoherency?" 
 
 In the meantime, the Assembly met again, and the 
 first measure brought forward by the President and 
 his followers was the repeal of the electoral law, 
 which was based on a restricted suffrage, and the 
 substitution for it of complete universal male 
 suffrage. A long and violent discussion was the 
 result, and the final vote showed a majority of three, 
 out of seven hundred, against the measure. Thus, 
 Louis Napoleon was the champion of universal 
 
 36
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 suffrage, and the republican party its opponent! 
 But the mistakes of the majority did not stop here. 
 After slapping in the face the common people, they 
 next treated the President ^'the Elect of France" 
 after the same fashion. A resolution was introduced 
 giving the Speaker of the Assembly the command of 
 the military guard which watched over its safety. 
 This would have been the last straw on the patient 
 camel's back! But it was not carried, and the coup 
 d'etat, which would have been the President's 
 answer if it had been carried, was postponed for the 
 moment. "This is perhaps the best course," was all 
 the Prince-President had to say when he learned 
 that the motion was lost. 
 
 But the Elysee was now more than ever on the 
 alert. It was evident to all observing on-lookers that 
 this long struggle between the two powers could not 
 go on much longer in this revolutionary fashion. 
 While the different groups of the Assembly were 
 seeking the means of making themselves dictator, 
 Prince Louis Napoleon stood ready, everything in 
 hand, waiting only to decide which was the right 
 day for action. He of course counted for success on 
 the army, and, as he had been studying the army for 
 some time, felt sure of its aid. Thus, at a review 
 during the summer preceding the coup d'etat, held 
 on the plateau of Satory near Versailles, the cavalry 
 actually disobeyed orders in their desire to acclaim 
 the Prince-President. Since his advent to the presi- 
 dency, it had always been the custom of the soldiers, 
 when they filed past, to cry: ''Long live Napoleon!" 
 But the Assembly had directed General Changamier 
 to stop this, and on this particular occasion, instruc- 
 tions to this effect had been given to the general 
 
 37
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 commanding the division which was being reviewed. 
 The infantry obeyed and filed past in silence. But 
 not so the cavalry. Swords were brandished and the 
 President was saluted with enthusiastic shouts. The 
 Prince showed himself displeased at this order, and 
 the commanding general was removed and sent tc 
 another military division. This act naturally ruffled 
 General Changarnier and the coolness between him 
 and the President dated from this incident. ''It was 
 not so much generals whom I needed at this 
 moment," said the Emperor; ''I wanted the support 
 of the common soldier. So Changarnier 's defection 
 was not a serious blow." 
 
 At this period, the President often spent much 
 time at the Castle of Saint Cloud, when he took 
 frequent horseback rides into the country round 
 about. One day he returned smiling and related this 
 anecdote to the officers on duty : ' ' If some Burgrave 
 (the nickname given to the leaders of the conserva- 
 tive party during the Second Republic) had been 
 with me to-day, he would have felt considerable 
 anxiety over the political future; for, while I was 
 going up a steep lane among the vineyards, I met a 
 workman, evidently a chair-repairer. I was moving 
 my horse to one side so as to let the man pass, when 
 he put down his burden and thus addressed me : 
 'Please wait a moment, sir, while I tell you some- 
 thing. I am told that over there at the Assembly, 
 the deputies don't want you. But we do. We know 
 that you like us workers. Those chaps must remem- 
 ber that we elected you, and they should be given to 
 understand that on the first sign from you, our arms 
 and our chests are at your service. ' In order to give 
 emphasis to his remarks, he brought his fist down on 
 
 38
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 my knee with considerable force, and as I passed on, 
 he called out : ' You can rely on us ! ' The fact is that 
 all the common people whom I meet, stop and un- 
 cover as I pass by. Those good Burgraves are much 
 mistaken if they imagine that they can fight against 
 me with success. They will learn this one of these 
 days when it is too late." 
 
 But the Prince began at an early date to make 
 himself popular with the lower classes of France. 
 The Emperor used to like to tell of a little episode 
 which happened on July 26, 1848, during the truce 
 which General Cavaignac had granted the insur- 
 gents. ''I was moving about among the barricades 
 in the Faubourg Saint Antoine, accompanied by a 
 friend, when the women, who wanted to put a stop 
 to the bloody conflict, thus addressed me : ' Say, you 
 dandy there, with the light colored gloves and the 
 cane, instead of gadding about there to no purpose, 
 you had better help us put up these white flags.' 
 'You are quite right, my good woman, I have come 
 to see if I cannot aid in reestablishing order and so 
 am only too glad to help you in your efforts for 
 peace. So I took off my gloves and gave them with 
 my cane to my friend. Picking up a fallen flag, I 
 stuck it in its hole again and steadied it with three 
 or four handfuls of sand. I then put on my gloves, 
 took back my cane and moved on amidst the laughter 
 and cheers of these good women." 
 
 But it was neither the Prince's popularity with 
 the common people, nor the hearty support of the 
 rank and file of the army that assured the success 
 of the coup d'etat. They contributed largely there- 
 to; but what gave the weary President the courage 
 to undertake it and what carried it to a triumph was 
 
 39
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 the presence about him of a number of able, bold and 
 devoted friends. Among these should be put first, 
 General de Saint Arnaud, and the careful way in 
 which the Prince went to work to win him over to his 
 cause well illustrates the remarkable manner in 
 wliich the coup (Vet at was planned and carried out. 
 Major Fleury, of the Prince's military staff, an 
 officer of great activity and very devoted to his 
 cause, had just completed fourteen years of service 
 in Algeria, where he knew all the officers who could 
 be useful to the Prince. He had served under Gen- 
 eral de Saint Arnaud, whom he could not praise too 
 highly to the Prince-President. So he was sent to 
 Africa on a special mission whose aim was to bring- 
 over to the Prince officers in the African army who 
 would aid in carrying out the plans then maturing 
 at the Ely see, and especially to see if Saint Arnaud 's 
 support could be secured. The Major suggested that 
 the young general be sent on an expedition against 
 some rebellious tribes, which would give the latter 
 an opportunity to distinguish himself and the 
 former an occasion to talk with him about the cause 
 which the future Emperor had at heart. The Major 
 was instructed to see the Minister of War, General 
 Randon, who readily fell in with the proposition, 
 adding: ''Tell the Prince that when Saint Arnaud 
 takes my place, I do not want to be mixed up in all 
 the events that are sure to follow; all I ask is to be 
 sent back to Algeria as governor general." This 
 was quite in accordance with the wishes of the 
 Prince, who, not^\dthstanding what has been said to 
 the contrary, never had a thought of asking General 
 Randon to play a part in the coming events. So 
 Major Fleury hastened to Africa; the Kabylian 
 
 40
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 expedition was soon under way, with General de 
 Saint Amaud in command, and the Major accom- 
 panied him as being on a special mission from the 
 President to follow the campaign. He was cordially 
 welcomed by the General, but at first made no 
 mention of the real object of his coming, though he 
 did refer now and then to the conflicts between the 
 Executive and the Assembly, and whenever he found 
 a good opportunity for so doing, he did not fail to 
 make the General understand that the Prince was 
 the only candidate whom the conservatives could 
 oppose, with any chance of success, to the revolu- 
 tionary parties, and that the only remedy for the 
 present state of things lay in the army. Major 
 Fleury would bring up the same subject at table, in 
 order to see how Mme. de Saint Arnaud took it. At 
 first, she caused him some anxiety. This lady, whose 
 maiden name was de Trazegnies, was related to the 
 Merodes and to some of the best families of Bel- 
 gium. She seemed to lean towards the royalists and 
 would probably not exercise much influence over the 
 General in the direction of the Bonapartists. But 
 in the end, the Major saw that he was mistaken on 
 this point. Mme. de Saint Arnaud, who was very 
 devoted to her husband, wished to share the honors 
 which she felt he could obtain, and soon hints be- 
 came plain words, and the delighted Major was soon 
 convinced that the wife was to be a great help in the 
 work in hand. ''You may count on me aiding you 
 in every way I can," she said one day, and arranged 
 the details of the final interview between the Major 
 and the General, when Saint Arnaud said squarely : 
 "Let the Prince get me appointed general of divi- 
 sion, and I will answer for the rest. But we will have 
 
 41
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 time to talk over all this at our leisure, during this 
 expedition." 
 
 In Saint Arnaud's circle, Fleury met gallant offi- 
 cers like de Place, de Sericourt, de Clermont-Ton- 
 nerre, Boyer, and de Chavarrier who entered heart- 
 ily into his plans and all remained faithful to the 
 future Emperor whom they served usefully. At 
 Constantine, Fleurj^ met again General Bosquet 
 whom he had known years before. "He was when I 
 first knew him, just out of the Polytechnic School," 
 writes General Floury in some manuscript notes on 
 this period of his career, ''and was a close friend of 
 Cavaignac and Lamoriciere. He was believed to 
 hold decided republican opinions; but as he was 
 very ambitious, his political convictions eventually 
 were pushed into the background. I quickly per- 
 ceived this state of his mind, and if my overtures to 
 Saint Arnaud had been repelled, I intended to open 
 up the business with Bosquet, who, from what I 
 afterwards learned, would have been only too glad 
 to cooperate with us. In fact, he was evidently dis- 
 appointed that he had not been taken into the com- 
 bination. He did not hesitate to speak of the politi- 
 cal situation, 'which,' he said, 'could be cleared up 
 only by the help of the sword;' and he was quite 
 willing to let it be seen that he considered that 
 sword to be his own." 
 
 The expedition was carried out rapidly, and at the 
 end of two months the tribes were subdued without 
 any very great loss of life. During all this time 
 Fleury did not leave the General's side, and was 
 thus able to talk with him constantly about the 
 object of his mission. The promises already given 
 were renewed, and Fleury was able to leave for 
 
 42
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 France with a report for the President of the com- 
 plete success of what he had undertaken to perform. 
 Thereupon, the Prince immediately congratulated 
 the General on the brilliancy of his expedition, in- 
 formed him that he was named general of division 
 and that he would soon be called to a command at 
 Paris worthy of his high rank and talent. The daily 
 press at the capital had been full of references to 
 him and his feats in Africa, so that when he reached 
 Paris, his coming produced a real sensation. x\t the 
 reception given in his honour at the Elysee, he was 
 the cynosure of all eyes, and when the President 
 took him to the theater, he attracted more attention 
 than the play. He was soon given the War portfolio, 
 and to still further increase his prestige, the most 
 famous and popular generals and colonels of the 
 African army were recalled, and Canrobert, 
 d 'Ablonville, de Lourmel, Espinasse, Marulaz, Ren- 
 ault and other dashing officers were added to the 
 group of devoted men surrounding the President. 
 "I then felt that the military chiefs could at length 
 be trusted to act at the right moment," said the 
 Emperor in his review of this period of his public 
 life. 
 
 Turning now to the civilians whom the Prince- 
 President had drawn around him, the first place 
 belongs to Comte de Persigny, who had long been 
 Prince Louis Napoleon's confidential friend in the 
 dark and troubled days of the London exile and the 
 Boulogne fiasco. The Emperor has well described 
 his character in this brief sentence : ' ' Persigny was 
 enthusiastic, perhaps even fanatical, somewhat 
 erratic at times, but, unquestionably, heartily de- 
 voted to me and my cause from the start to the 
 
 43
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 close of his life; frank in his utterances and apt to 
 complain if his advice was not followed." 
 
 Major Fleury and de Persigny called the attention 
 of the Prince to Comte de Llorny. It w^as an open 
 secret that Morny was the son of Queen Hortense 
 and Comte de Flahaut. Very intelligent and full of 
 enterprise, he had long sought some outlet for his 
 (energies. He had tried diplomacy and had even par- 
 ticipated in commercial undertakings. Politically, 
 lie was at this moment very friendly with the 
 Orleans Princes and on good terms with their chief 
 fugleman, M. Guizot, although he was naturally con- 
 sidered to have Bonapartist tendencies. The revolu- 
 tion of 1848 had ruined him financially and he was 
 hesitating as to what course to pursue, when the 
 star of Louis Napoleon began to rise on the horizon. 
 In the course of the year 1849 he decided to enter 
 into closer relations with the Prince, whom he then 
 hardly knew. His political situation and his posi- 
 tion in the clubs and in the best society could not but 
 be very useful to the President. Both felt and saw 
 this. At the first interview, the President was af- 
 fectionate and kind, but a handshake was the extent 
 of his demonstrativeuess. Morny would have liked 
 L«oraething more, but the President was not yet sure 
 that he could go further, especially as the former 
 committed the error of seeking to make too prom- 
 inent the nature of his birth, for, it should be re- 
 membered, Louis Napoleon never recognised ]\Iorny 
 as his half brother, though the latter got up a sort of 
 coat of arms consisting of the portrait of the Queen 
 and de Flahaut, wdth his owm arms crossed with the 
 hortensia, a hydrangea — which he later suppressed, 
 owing to an indirect remark on the Empress' part. 
 
 44
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, however, the two brothers 
 soon understood each other and a firm "political in- 
 timacy" was the result which became the founda- 
 tion of an alliance to which both remained faithful 
 until their death. They began by studying each 
 other with care. 
 
 The somewhat reserved character of the Prince 
 always checked hun from opening his heart too 
 freely. While listening to advice, no matter whence 
 it came, he made no promises. He liked to "work 
 out the averages," and it was veiy rarely that he 
 was entirely influenced by one person alone. He 
 took from several what he found good, or useful, or 
 ingenious, but began by appropriating to himself the 
 ideas which pleased him in others, modifying these 
 ideas according to his own tastes. Morny, finding 
 himself to be persona grata and often consulted, 
 would have liked from the first to take the direction 
 of the enterprise and perhaps dreamed of imposing 
 his own will on that of the Prince. But this was 
 impossible, for if there was one thing that Prince 
 Louis Napoleon did not like, it was appearing to 
 yield to pressure of any kind. It was always dis- 
 agreeable to him to be made to feel that the per- 
 sons whom he was consulting were claiming "au- 
 thor's rights" on anything they might suggest to 
 him. But Morny was a first-class politician and 
 he knew how to wait when waiting was necessar}'. 
 He fully realized tliat by trying to huriy things 
 and being too forward with advice, he was runnmg 
 the risk of compromising his new-born influence. 
 He took hints from those surrounding the Prince, 
 all of whom wore friendly to this future minister 
 — from Persigny, Fleury, Comte Edgar Ney, and 
 
 45
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 others, and thus learnt better than any one else 
 what the Prince was in reality, and by what tact- 
 ful and clever means his confidence could be won. 
 This plan was the very one to adopt, and the Prince 
 gradually opened out to him as he had never done 
 before to any one; and Morny, on his side, also 
 felt the charm of the President's manner, and ceased 
 to be simply the wily and well-informed politician 
 and became the intimate friend and devoted fol- 
 lower. The Prince now had another trump card 
 in his hand, and he was more sure than ever to win 
 in the important game which was about to open. 
 
 The parliamentarians also tried to play their 
 trump card, and feeling that a coup d'etat was in 
 the wind, they invented the most varied combina- 
 tions against the ''dangerous Prince." Through 
 secret channels, the Prince learned that a plot was 
 being hatched of which Thiers was the soul and 
 Changarnier the military instrument. "They want 
 to seize me and shut me up in the Vincennes dun- 
 geon," the Prince confided at the time to Lord 
 Malmesbury; and at a much later period he said 
 to the Empress: "In this crisis, I naturally pre- 
 ferred to take the initiative, and instead of being 
 put upon by the Assembly, to render that body 
 powerless. Much of the talk about the Coup d'Etat 
 of 1851 is pure idle sentiment. Governments have 
 always employed these extreme measures after hav- 
 ing exhausted all others, and when it was found 
 that conciliatory methods had failed. Nobody has 
 forgotten the violent acts of the Convention and 
 the Directory, the stern measures of the allies with 
 Louis XVIII in the rear, the revolutions of 1830 
 and of 1848, and the proposal of the Assembly of 
 
 46
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 the Second Eepnblic to hand over military author- 
 ity to their President. Were not all these really 
 attempts at coups d'etat, though only in an em- 
 bryonic and undeveloped state? When the ground 
 is cut from under one's feet, one is apt to cry out 
 about usurpation and the suppression of liberty. 
 But this is just what they were all trying to do. 
 The affair of 1851 was a steeple-chase. I got in 
 first and the others didn't get in at all! That is all 
 the difference between them and me. Had federal- 
 ism triumphed in the provinces in 1793, the Con- 
 vention would have been called a criminal, an enemy 
 of individual liberty, employing illicit methods to 
 attain power. If Charles X had been better guard- 
 ed and armed he would have forced the country to 
 accept the famous ordinances. Would he then have 
 been accused of fomenting revolt and would his 
 ministers have been shut up in the fortress of Ham? 
 On the contrary, would not the blame for the con- 
 flict have been put on those who prepared the way 
 for and stirred up the insurrection — the journal- 
 ists of the National, certain ambitious deputies, and 
 the duke of Orleans himself, who, pretending not 
 to desire honors, waited till the crov/n had been 
 dashed from his cousin's head, and then com- 
 placently let it be set on his own? If on September 
 4 the deputies of the Left had met with some 
 opposition from those who should have defended the 
 throne, if the people had realized the infamy of the 
 deed committed when Catiline was at our gates, may 
 we not believe that these victors would have been 
 called rebels, bad citizens and traitors to their coun- 
 try? But they succeeded in their effort and it was 
 the Imperial government, beaten by numbers and 
 
 47
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 unlucky circumstances, by the desertion of those 
 who should have defended it, which was declared 
 the guilty party. Measured by this rule, the act of 
 December 2 was simply a natural result of the con- 
 ditions of the hour. ' ' 
 
 Nor was this coup d'etat carried to success so 
 easily as some historians have led their readers to 
 believe. The patience, perseverance, and daring 
 showm by the Prince well illustrate a side of his 
 character for which he has not always been given 
 credit. When it was thought that all was ready for 
 action, it looked for a moment — and a most critical 
 one it was — as though Saint Amaud was to fail 
 the President and his supporters. Here is the ac- 
 count of this episode in the preliminaries of the 
 coup d'etat, an account which differs in some re- 
 spects from that generally given. In fact, some- 
 times this episode is not mentioned at all, and yet 
 it looked for a moment as though the whole plan, 
 so carefully drawTi up, and so long delayed in ex- 
 ecution, would fall through because of this very 
 episode. 
 
 September 17 was the date originally set for the 
 accomplishment of this great and pacific event. 
 After having formally agreed to assume the re- 
 sponsibility of executing the task, General Saint 
 Amaud asked for a few days' leave of absence in 
 order to visit his mother near Bordeaux. He prom- 
 ised to be back by September 4, on which date 
 lie was to call on the President at the Ely see. The 
 General was back on the day agreed upon, but in- 
 stead of going to the Elysee he sent the President a 
 letter in which he asked to be relieved from the 
 promise given and begging him not to count upon 
 
 48
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 him any longer. The anger at the Elysee was nat- 
 urally very great. Persigny and Morny plainly 
 showed that they were exasperated. Fleury, who 
 had invented Saint Arnaud, was very much upset. 
 The Prince, who was the most affected of all by 
 this blow, let his disappointment be seen the least. 
 *'I was so sure of what must eventually happen," 
 he said much later, ''that I felt that it was simply 
 the postponement of the inevitable ; and after events 
 showed that I was not mistaken." 
 
 "We feared now that everything had to be done 
 over again," says one of the actors in the scene, in 
 private papers; "if, in fact, the whole scheme were 
 not seriously compromised. Indiscretions must 
 have been committed and all was probably lost. 
 Though the Assembly was not sitting at this mo- 
 ment, it was represented by the Permanent Commit- 
 tee, which was completely dominated by General 
 Changarnier, who might from one moment to an- 
 other learn everything. We all asked one another 
 what was going to happen. Carlier, the head of 
 the Paris police, came to the Elysee, and spoke with 
 so much caution that it was evident he had aban- 
 doned the project. General Magnan, who com- 
 manded the army in Paris, vacillated and declared 
 that without Saint Arnaud 's aid, he could not act. 
 To calm suspicions, the Prince went the same eve- 
 ning to the French Theater, accompanied by de Per- 
 signy and Major Fleury. He was, of course, much 
 moved inwardly, but kept a calm exterior, which did 
 not prevent him, during the intermissions, from giv- 
 ing veiy forcible expression to what was on his 
 mind. He was very severe on Saint Arnaud, and 
 Avith reason; but not so severe as his suite. 
 
 49
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 " 'It's a treason,' exclaimed Persigny. 
 
 '' 'Since they abandon me,' added the Prince, 'I 
 will do without generals, get on horseback and alone 
 advance to meet the troops.' 
 
 " 'No, that will never do,' said one of those in 
 the box; 'though you unquestionably enjoy great 
 personal popularity, and your name counts for 
 much, you must bear m mind that you are not your 
 uncle nor in the same situation as he was.' 
 
 " 'There are two things to do,' said another: 
 'hand over the War Office to General Baraguay 
 d'HiUiers, and send for General de Castellane and 
 put him in command of the troops of Paris. Both 
 these officers are very friendly to you. If they de- 
 cline your offers, then you should return to Saint 
 Cloud, act as though nothing had happened, and 
 wait for a more favorable occasion.' 
 
 "Both of these Generals did hold back, giving 
 good and sufficient reasons, and the disappointed 
 President determined to retire to Saint Cloud on 
 September 15, But before that date, he requested 
 Major Fleury to go to General Saint Arnaud and 
 have a frank talk with him. 
 
 " 'I think it a mistake,' argued the President very 
 wisely, 'to leave Saint Arnaud alone, as if we had 
 broken with him, for some of his fellow officers, 
 like Leflo, Cavaignac, or Bedeau who are hostile to 
 me, may draw him over to their side. They would, 
 of course, like nothing better than to accomplish 
 this.' 
 
 "A few minutes' conversation with Saint Arnaud 
 dissipated all these fears. 
 
 " 'What I meant,' he said, 'by asking the Prince 
 to release me from my promise was this. In my 
 
 50
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 opinion, the time has not yet come for action. The 
 Assembly is in vacation, the country quiet, and if 
 we move now, I much fear there will be resistance 
 in all the Departments of France.' 
 
 " 'The Permanent Committee is on the watch, a 
 coup d'etat is in the air,' replied Major Fleury, 'and 
 it will not be so easy to act with energy when the 
 Assembly is reconvened.' 
 
 " 'That is not my opinion,' was the short reply. 
 The General went on and admitted that, during his 
 visit to Bordeaux, Mme. de Saint Arnaud had 
 pointed out to him many dangers, and he closed 
 the interview with these words: 'Tell the Presi- 
 dent that my ideas have in no wise changed in re- 
 gard to the necessity of a coup d'etat, nor have my 
 feelings for him undergone any modification. We 
 differ only as to the moment when we should act. 
 When you ask some one to throw himself from a 
 house top, you must let him choose how and when 
 he is to accomplish that risky feat.' " 
 
 This conversation was immediately repeated at 
 the Elysee, and a few hours later, the General and 
 the President were in the midst of an affectionate 
 interview, which ended by the promise that Saint 
 Arnaud should be put at the head of the War 
 Office and that he should not fail when the time 
 came for the coup d'etat. Then the Prince-Presi- 
 dent retired to Saint Cloud, where he received many 
 political friends, and where he also busied himself 
 with improvements in the castle and the surround- 
 ing park. The calm face of the Prince showed no 
 trace of the anxiety of the past few days. It was 
 a remarkable example of his wonderful self-control, 
 and this trait of his character did more than any- 
 
 51
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 thing else to prepare the preliminaries of the coup 
 d'etat and to carry it to a success, when the final 
 moment came for action. 
 
 We always considered the five principal actors in 
 bringing about the Coup d'Etat to be Momy, Per- 
 signy, Maupas, Fleuiy and Saint Aniaud. As 
 everybody knows there was a reception at the Ely- 
 see on the evening of December 1st, but everybody 
 did not know then or since that the Prince-President 
 was far more nervous than many of his guests have 
 since imagined. He, of course, treated his many 
 \'isitors with marked kindness and affability. This 
 outward manner of Napoleon has often been re- 
 marked upon. But ho had to make a great effort to 
 hide his concern. In fact, this effort tried him more 
 than the vigorous actions which soon followed. "In- 
 activity has always wearied me more than activity," 
 he used to say very truthfully. This fact I have 
 often seen illustrated in his career. 
 
 After the giiests loft, the Prince held the final con- 
 ference with his friends before the orders were 
 given to "go ahead." At this conference the Prince 
 did not take the loading part, as is often asserted. 
 His rule of life was never to march swifter than 
 events. He had long felt that a coup d'etat was 
 coming. "But all I had to do was to sit still and let 
 it come," he would say afterwards; "or at least, I 
 saw that it was best for me not to try and hasten 
 the fatal hour." So at this final conference, he was 
 the most silent of the circle. When he perceived 
 by the language of his friends that they were ready 
 to act and believed that the moment had come to 
 act, "then I was sure that the coup d'etat was 
 made," the Emperor has said. 
 
 52
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 On the morning of December 2nd, when Prince 
 Napoleon was informed of the state of things, he 
 sallied forth, from his house in the Rue d 'Alger, 
 with, his neighbor M. Gavini, ''furious at what my 
 cousin has done," as he expressed it to all those 
 whom he met. The violent diatribes and insulting 
 epithets which he indulged in could not be too vio- 
 lent nor too insulting. In this disposition, more or 
 less modified at times, this able but ill-balanced 
 member of the Bonaparte family remained through- 
 out the duration of the Second Empire. His was 
 a curious mind. He might have been of so much 
 aid to the future Emperor, for his talents were of 
 the first order. "His remarkable facial resemblance 
 to the great Napoleon alone was a host in itself," 
 a certain leading deputy once truly remarked to me. 
 "Yes," added the Emperor, when I repeated this 
 to him, "but my good cousin generally spoils this 
 facial resemblance by 'making faces'!" 
 
 Very different was the conduct of Prince Napo- 
 leon's father, the aged ex-king Jerome. As soon as 
 he heard, at the Invalides, of what had occurred, 
 he put on his uniform and rode to the Elysee, where 
 he was Avarmly welcomed by his nephew. At ten 
 o'clock, Prince Louis, ^nth Jerome on ]iis loft, fol- 
 lowed by a Tiumorous staff, rode out from the Ely- 
 see and presented Irmself before the troops, who 
 received liim entbu-instically. "I always felt pe- 
 cnliarly grateful to in}- distinguished uncle for this 
 immediate aud timely support, especially at a mo- 
 ment when it was impossible to tell just wliat would 
 1)0 the final result of my act. He might have sacri- 
 ficed his life to my ca^use. But he did not hesitate, 
 and a true Napoleon, but political considerations be- 
 
 53
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 fore those of a personal nature. In a word, King 
 Jerome now did all that lay in his power to aid me 
 to restore the empire. When he died eight years 
 later, it was one of the hardest blows I ever received. 
 I felt that the last connection between me and the 
 great Emperor had disappeared. From that mo- 
 ment, I experienced a moral weakness that some- 
 times must have affected my conduct of affairs ; for 
 it must not be forgotten that I always sought in- 
 spiration in the thoughts, deeds and acts of the First 
 Empire and its mighty head. His death had been 
 expected for some time, as he had been ailing for 
 months. But his passing away made a great impres- 
 sion, for he had again become popular. With the 
 advent of the Second Empire, I showetred upon 
 him all the honors in my power. I went often to 
 his receptions in the Palais Royal, where he held 
 an elegant and very correct little court. The Em- 
 press, too, liked his company, for his conversation 
 was most interesting, as he had seen much during 
 his eventful life." 
 
 What the Emperor says about her enoying the 
 society of the aged king is quite true. He was flat- 
 tered by the attentions of the Emperor, who used 
 to say: ''My uncle, who has a great deal of com- 
 mon sense," or "My uncle, whose wide experience," 
 etc. These phrases were often repeated to him and 
 could not but please him. The Empress trusted the 
 father as much as she distrusted the son. The fact 
 is — and I have touched on this elsewhere in these 
 volumes — the latter had a very bad temper and was 
 reckless in regard to what he said on political or 
 religious subjects. He was always very aggressive 
 and more than once showed real hostility towards 
 
 54
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 Eugenie, being sorely vexed that he was no longer 
 heir to the throne. Again, ho loved to appear "ad- 
 vanced. ' ' 
 
 By the way, many untrue statements have been 
 made concerning the Empress' relations with 
 King Jerome. Some chroniclers have said that, 
 not satisfied with the presidency of the Senate, the 
 governorship of the Hotel des Invalides and a large 
 pension, he had a grudge against the Emperor for 
 not giving him a large place in the government, 
 and especially for not making him regent when the 
 Emperor made his temporary absences from 
 France. It has been, furthermore, declared that he 
 was particularly disappointed that the regency was 
 entrusted to the Empress during the Italian cam- 
 paign and that he openly manifested his displeas- 
 ure; that this displeasure increased when he per- 
 ceived that "his suggestions were not listened to," 
 and that "his nephew had advised his wife and her 
 ministers to take no notice of his uncle's advice.'' 
 Needless to say that all this is absolutely false. 
 This idle gossip is dissipated by a letter written by 
 the king to his nephew, dated May 16, 1859, which 
 I do not give here as it was long ago made public. 
 Suffice it to say that the Empress always had the 
 pleasantest relations with King Jerome, who never 
 was heard to complain of the Emperor or to any one 
 concerning the fashion in which he was treated by 
 the Emperor, by the Empress or by the government, 
 for the very good reason that they all honored him, 
 not only for his own merits but as the brother of 
 the groat Emperor and as the only remaining di- 
 rect link betwen the two empires. 
 
 55
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 The Emperor has left this memorandum concern- 
 ing the Coup d'Etat : 
 
 ''My enemies declared that they 'would get rid' 
 of me at the very moment I was getting rid of them! 
 They imagined that the common people were on 
 their side, and when some of the leaders were on 
 the way to prison, they hoped to stir up sympathy 
 by addressing themselves to 'the man in the street.' 
 But they found this man very indiiferent. I felt 
 sure that such would be the case. However, they 
 thought they knew better than I. But events showed 
 that I was better informed than they about the real 
 feelings of the French nation concerning the de- 
 testable regime which I overturned with the ap- 
 proval of all sensible citizens. 
 
 "On December 2nd the workingmen of the Fau- 
 bourg Saint Antoine were beginning to start for 
 their shops, w^hen the event became known. They 
 showed a little curiosity when they saw some of the 
 political prisoners going by. But that was all. 
 There was no attempt at rescue, as some of these 
 more sanguine prisoners thought would be the case. 
 The fact is that the Assembly had become very un- 
 popular. The momentary coalition between the 
 deputies of the Right and the republicans against 
 me could deceive no one. They wished to overthrow 
 me and were openly plotting against me. 'He will 
 not dare,' they said. But I acted first. They held 
 that nobody would be bold enough to give orders 
 against the Assembly and that if such orders were 
 given, the soldiers would not obey them. Here again 
 lliey were woefully mistaken. The facts show^ed 
 that there was no disobedience among the rank and 
 lile. My friends among the officers who carried 
 
 56
 
 THE COUP D'ETAT 
 
 through the Coup d'Etat met obedience practically 
 everywhere. My foes had asserted that the whole 
 population of Prance would rise up as one man to 
 defend the constitution. But when the time came 
 to rise, the ^patriots' numbered a baker's dozen. 
 
 ''It is true that the population of Paris did not 
 all read my proclamations in the same spirit. The 
 lower classes and the upper classes did not in every 
 instance take a similar view of events. The larger 
 body of the working people regarded my proclama- 
 tions as a reestablishment of universal suffrage, 
 the fall of the royalist majority in the Assembly 
 and the maintenance of the republic. The phrase 
 'violated legality,' which was later bandied about 
 by certain leaders of all parties, they really cared 
 very little about. They were looked upon as enemies 
 by the great majority of the Assembly; they were 
 for the most part deprived of their electoral rights ; 
 they saw their wishes and ideas constantly opposed 
 by the Right; they believed that this same Right 
 was plotting for a monarchical restoration, in which 
 view they were not far from seeing clearly, and they 
 consequently were indifferent, to say the least, when 
 they perceived that I had clipped the wings of this 
 thi'eatening majority. Furthermore, the people of 
 Paris nourished feelings of resentment against the 
 middle classes w^lio had been pitiless towards them, 
 and they could see no necessity to worry very nmch 
 about what seemed to them essentially a quarrel 
 between me and 'those heartless middle classes.' 
 Their general opinion was well summed up in the 
 short phrase of the Deputy Lagrange, who exclaim- 
 ed on December 2nd: 'That's well played!' The 
 arrest in the morning hours of Thiers, Cliangarnier, 
 
 57
 
 , MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Cavaignac, Lamoriciore, and others, whom the lower 
 classes looked upon as their enemies, confirmed the 
 people in this view, though their belief was some- 
 what shaken, it must be admitted, later in the day, 
 when it was found necessary, for the success of 
 the new regime, to seize several of the advanced re- 
 publicans also. 
 
 '^The so-called 'republican bourgeoisie' violently 
 protested against mj- act. The conserv^ative bour- 
 geoisie, on the contrary, found in the Coup d'Etat 
 a guarantee of governmental security and were not 
 displeased with what had happened. But the 'lib- 
 eral party,' which pretended to look upon the name 
 republic as a guarantee of political liberty, feared 
 a dictatorship in other hands than their own. In 
 a word, the whole situation was very confused, and 
 if I acted as I did, it was because something had 
 to be done, and I did what seemed the best for the 
 distracted country. It is very easy now for some 
 persons to blame my course. But if I had left the 
 initiative to one of the other parties, what proof 
 is there that they would have done as much for the 
 nation as I did? None!"
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 PEINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 In a preceding chapter brief mention has been 
 made of Princess Mathilde, but I propose in this 
 chapter to devote more attention to this remarkable 
 woman, especially as a part of the success attend- 
 ing the Coup d'Etat was due, at least indirectly, to 
 her. Nor did her good auspices cease with the ad- 
 vent of the new regime. She continued to be 
 throughout the Second Empire and down to the very 
 day of her death a pillar of strength to Bonapar- 
 tism, and if some of the male members of the Bona- 
 parte family had possessed the abilities and good 
 sense of Princess Mathilde, the history of the house 
 would not have been marked by several incidents of 
 a more or loss regrettable character. 
 
 The Emperor's cousin exercised considerable in- 
 fluence over the world of letters and of arts, not 
 only in Paris, but far beyond its walls. During the 
 Empire and till her death in January, 1904, at the 
 advanced ago of eighty-four years, she held a most 
 brilliant salon, first in the Rue de Courcelles and 
 later in lier fine mansion in the Rue de Berri, whore 
 is now the Belgian Legation, which Avas frequented 
 by celebrities of all sorts and from which political 
 discussion was severely banished, at least during 
 the Third Republic. 
 
 Princess Mathilde 's father, King Jerome Napo- 
 
 50
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Icon, was the great Emperor's brother and reigned 
 for a short time in Westphalia, during the First 
 Empire. When the Prince-President reached the 
 throne, and earlier, at the moment of the Coup 
 d'Etat, as was seen in the last chapter, Jerome sup- 
 ported his nephew in every way possible, both by the 
 prestige of his name and by his resemblance to Na- 
 poleon I. He even bravely walked the boulevards 
 by his side. The Emperor was touched by this gen- 
 erous conduct and promoted him tirst to the rank 
 of Marshal of France and afterwards made him 
 Governor of the Invalides. The ex-king, in turn, 
 w^as \ye\\ pleased with these honors and was always 
 careful to do nothing to embarrass the Emperor's 
 rule; so when he died in 1860, liis funeral was a 
 most magnificent state pageant, which made a deep 
 impression on every one at the court. Napoleon 
 III liked to speak of King Jerome. ''He brings me 
 so near to the great Emperor," he used to say, "not 
 simply by his features, but in many other mental 
 and physical things. I cannot forget his gallant 
 conduct at Waterloo, nor the way he came to my 
 support during the early years, when all the mem- 
 bers of the Bonaparte family did not always imi- 
 tate him in this respect." 
 
 Prince Napoleon, his son, and consequently the 
 brother of Princess Mathilde, also had the Napo- 
 leonic features to a very marked degree; but he 
 adopted a far different attitude towards the new 
 Emperor. He Avas always hostile to his cousin. 
 Neither coaxing, nor proofs of confidence, nor 
 honors could entirely overcome his independent 
 ideas, his love of criticizing, a prou'^ness to petty 
 conspiracy, or the pleasure he took in grouping 
 
 CO
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 around him men who were for the most part un- 
 friendly to the Second Empire. He frequently dis- 
 played towards the Empress a rather disagreeable 
 manner, her great offense in his eyes being that of 
 having given an heir to the throne — the birth of 
 the Prince Imperial leaving him no longer the heir 
 apparent. He sometimes carried this spirit so far 
 that at one of Eugenie 's birthday parties he actually 
 refused to propose her health, as the Emperor de- 
 sired him to do. But his loudly proclaimed anti- 
 religious convictions would of necessity have raised 
 a barrier between them, even if he had not chosen 
 to seek other grounds of dissension. 
 
 Princess Mathilde's mother was Queen Catherine, 
 born Princess of "VViirtemberg, a truly admirable 
 woman, who was worthy of every praise. Her hus- 
 band used to say that during twenty years he had 
 tried to discover some fault in her, but without suc- 
 cess. She loved him passionately, and showed great 
 indulgence towards his imputed gallant escapades 
 during their stay in Westphalia. In 1814, her father 
 having asked her to abandon her husband in his 
 misfortune, she absolutely refused to do so in an 
 admirable letter addressed to the king of Wiirtem- 
 berg. The latter was much incensed at this, and for 
 a time imprisoned his son-in-law and daughter in 
 the castle of Elvangen. A year later, they were sent 
 out of the country, and then commenced for them 
 a long series of temporary sojourns in different 
 places. 
 
 Princess Mathildc received a good education, first 
 from her mother, and then from Baroness Reding, 
 who remained with her till her death. At an early 
 age she showed intellectual parts and a pronounced 
 
 61
 
 MEMOIKS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 taste for the arts and letters. When she was six- 
 teen, she was considered very handsome, and 
 already quite a woman, physically and mentally. 
 Xapoleon once said of her outward appearance: 
 ' ' Mathilde possessed the somewhat ample beauty 
 of the Bonapartes, while around her she spread a 
 certain charm that won all hearts." 
 
 On one or two occasions, after their marriage, the 
 iOmperor spoke with the Empress quite frankly of 
 his early love for his cousin. One day, especially, 
 he said: "Tlie union would have been looked on 
 with favor b}^ Queen Ilortense. But the Strasbourg 
 fiasco spoiled everything. Having failed in that ef- 
 fort, I was much ridiculed by my family, and all 
 idea of a vredding, even at some distant day, was 
 abandoned. During my exile in America, I quite 
 forgot the matter, though I did return to it for a 
 moment in 1851. How lucky I was," he would add 
 with a smile, "that it fell through. Furthermore, 
 I was always opposed, in principle, to marriage be- 
 tween cousins." 
 
 Princess Mathilde was, at the last date mentioned 
 above, separated from her husband, Count Anatole 
 Demidoff, Prince of San Donato, v/itli Vvdiom she 
 had been unable to live happily. The Em])eror 
 Nicolas I approved of iiis cousin's course, and had 
 decided the Count, who was very wealtiiy, to settle 
 upon the Princess a considerable allowance, though 
 she had taken her maiden name again and lived 
 quite independently of her husband. As divorce 
 was then unlaAvful, it would have been a great un- 
 dertaking to have the marriago annulled religiously 
 arid civilly, so the two parties simply lived apart. 
 The Princess, now enjoying a considerable fortune, 
 
 ^ 62
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 surrounded iierself with a number of intelligent 
 people wliose company pleased her. Her one idea 
 was to continue to be full mistress of her actions 
 and of her heart, and she was never disposed to 
 entertain even for a moment the idea of marrying 
 again. She always remained, however, a faithful 
 friend of the Prince-President, and opened her 
 salon wide to the men of political promise whom 
 he desired to l)ring- there. Ikit she gently declined 
 his hand as, in fact, she had done that of the young 
 (Jomte de Chambord. At one moment there was 
 some talk of a marriage between her and the Due 
 d 'Orleans, a suggestion made by Jules Janin, the 
 celebrated critic, to M. Guizot, whicli led the Prin- 
 cess to say on one occasion: "I might iiave mar- 
 ried the three pretenders I" But she preferred her 
 artistic home in the Ivue de Berri to the uncertain 
 glory of a French throne ; and, by so deciding, she 
 showed superior intelligence, and true philosophical 
 wisdom. 
 
 Tlie Princess herself used to relate this story of 
 the Due d 'Orleans affair. I have heard it also from 
 Jules Janin. It appears that he really went to see 
 M. Guizot in 1837, when there was talk of marrj'ing 
 the eldest son of Louis Philippe, and called the min- 
 ister's attention to the fact that Princess Mathilde 
 was very handsome, that her family connections 
 were irreproachable, and that the name of Bona- 
 parte was worth that of many others. Tlie Kiug, 
 whom Guizot saw in the matter, listened to all these 
 arguments and then SMid quietly: "But she has no 
 dowry!" In vain M. Guizot assured him that the 
 rihambcrs would willingly vote her an allowance, 
 but he would hear no moi'e on the subject. Later, 
 
 63
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 in 1870, when Jules Janin, who had just been elected 
 to the Academy, spoke of the matter again with 
 M. Guizot, who had now become his colleague, both 
 agreed, I am told, that their plan for uniting "the 
 two families of pretenders," as Guizot said, would 
 have been admirable if it could have been carried 
 through. 
 
 Princess Mathilde, therefore, married none of 
 the princes of France, but contented herself, as has 
 just been said, with an enormously rich Russian, 
 with whom she lived for some time in Italy. When 
 King Jerome's branch of the Bonaparte family was 
 allowed to return to France, on the advent of the 
 Orleans Monarchy, the Princess came occasionally 
 to Paris, but she always declined to show herself 
 at the Tuileries, though she knew the young Princes 
 of Orleans and always felt kindly towards them. 
 When, after the fall of that regime, the decree of 
 1852 was promulgated, by which the State con- 
 fiscated a part of the property which Louis Philippe 
 had settled on his children. Princess Mathilde, gen- 
 erously forgetting that her own family had suffered 
 similar treatment in 1815 at the hands of the elder 
 branch of the Bourbons, took sides with the moder- 
 ate parties who considered that it was unjust and 
 unnecessary to reopen this question, and publicly 
 supported the Princes of Orleans in their efforts to 
 keep their possessions. 
 
 Princess Mathilde did not see the Orleans Princes 
 again until the fall of tlie Empire, and she renewed 
 her acquaintance with the Due d'Aumale only after 
 the death of Prince Napoleon, in 1891, at which time 
 there was quite an exchange of courtesies and marks 
 of friendliness between those two distinguished 
 
 64
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 members of French royalty. She lunched at Chan- 
 tilly with the Prince, who in his turn visited the 
 mansion in the Rue de Berri, and was present there 
 at a dinner given in his honor, where he met numer- 
 ous men of letters and artists, a class of society 
 which both the Princess and the Due were always 
 fond of patronizing and with whom they delighted 
 in associating. 
 
 Exile, or the overthrow of parties, often bring 
 about such reconciliations between persons who have 
 long been separated by political differences. Let 
 me give an example of this which always awakens 
 in me most pleasant recollections. Thus, shortly be- 
 fore the death of the Due d'Aumale, the Empress 
 Eugenie was traveling in Sicily, accompanied by the 
 Prince and Princesse d'Essling, w^hen they hap- 
 pened to pass near the Due d'Aumale 's Italian es- 
 tate, Zucco. When the Due heard that the Empress 
 was in the neighborhood, he crossed to her yacht 
 in order to pay his respects. The meeting was very 
 cordial. The Due d'Aumale was accompanied on 
 this occasion by the Due d 'Orleans. In the after- 
 noon they had a long and delightful drive in this 
 beautiful part of Italy, and I do not exaggerate 
 when I state that the conversation charmed the 
 Empress as much as the scenery. 
 
 Princess Mathilde was very glad to meet again 
 the Due d'Aumale. *'It awakened the happy me- 
 mories of our youth," she said one day, referring 
 to this old acquaintance renewed. She often spoke 
 ■about it to Bonnat, the painter, who had brought 
 :about the first meeting, which was followed by many 
 others. In a codicil to her will, added in 1891, at 
 .a time w^hen she was vexed with Prince Victor and 
 
 65
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 consequently overlooked one of lier nephews in fa- 
 vor of the other, she had, oddly enough, been care- 
 ful to remember the Due d'Aumale, leaving him a 
 portrait, by Nattier, of a prince of the house of 
 Conde. When the Due d'Aumale died, she modified 
 the codicil and bequeathed the painting to the Due 
 de Chartres. 
 
 What thouglits this simple act awakes. And the 
 Empress made this note on the subject, which I re- 
 copy and put here, where it seems to be quite in its 
 place: "Two dynasties that have spent long years 
 in quarrels, and whose partisans have been des- 
 perate enemies, by such an action as this seem to 
 forget the past. Chance brings about a meeting 
 between these two strong characters, such typical 
 representatives of the two regimes : Bonapartists 
 and Orleanists exchange greetings of peace, in their 
 person, while the pamphlet, 'Letter on the History 
 of France,' which croatod a considerable sensation 
 in 1861 and which was a severe arraignment of the 
 Empire, was forgotten, as was also the duel which 
 nearly took place between Prince Napoleon and the 
 Due d'Aumale. It is true, however, that the former 
 was dead when the reconciliation between the Prin- 
 cess and the Due took place. At first, partisans on 
 neither side could understand such an altered state 
 of things, and continued to bicker about it. But 
 the Republic is in power, and the vanquished par- 
 ties, at first widely divided, now gradually draw 
 nearer to one another, all ready, however, if one of 
 them should appear to be rising to the surface, to 
 become once more sworn enemies ! But, in the 
 meantime, there is no reason why these conservative 
 elements should not amalgamate, since there is no 
 
 66
 
 PRINCESS MATIULDE 
 
 political advantage gained in such a union, espe- 
 cially as tiiis category of Frencli citizens remain 
 more than ever outside of all political movements. 
 This was the view of the political situation in France 
 since 1870 taken by both Princess Mathilde and the 
 Due d'Aumale and which brought them together at 
 the close of their lives." 
 
 Princess Mathilde early came under the influence 
 of a man of remarkable taste, Comte de Nieuwer- 
 kerke, the sculptor, who encouraged her artistic ten- 
 dencies and introduced artists to her salon. As a 
 child, she drew with much taste, and, later in life, 
 spent several hours in her studio almost daily, even 
 to the very end. She had very talented professors, 
 among whom maj^ be mentioned, besides Comte de 
 Xieuwerkerke, the Girauds, Doucet, Hebert, and 
 Claudius Popelin. Her drawing-rooms in Paris 
 were filled with modern Avoi'ks alternating with fine 
 canvases of the old masters. She even publicly ex- 
 hibited some of her own work. When, under the 
 Second Empii'e, M. de Niouwerkerke was made Su- 
 perintendent of Fine Arts, he became supreme in 
 tlie Princess's di'awing-room so long as the Em- 
 pire lasted. He proved an admirable Mentor in 
 many respects, and the vogue which Princess Ma- 
 thilde 's salon enjoyed long after his death and up 
 to the very moment of her own, was in no small 
 measure due to the presence and good counsel of 
 this excfllent man. 
 
 At times, unfortunately. Princess Mathilde al- 
 lowed herself to be influenced by the occnpant of the 
 Palais Poyal — her brother, Prince Xapoleon — and 
 occasionally tolerated a somewhat censorious style 
 of conversation in her drawing-room which was 
 
 67
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 commented on at the Tuileries and much blamed. 
 While outwardly amiable towards the Empress 
 Eugenie, she now and then allowed things to 
 be said against her and against those who sur- 
 rounded her. She also took an active part in all anti- 
 church questions, for she was inclined to free-think- 
 ing. The truth is the mansion in the Rue de Cour- 
 celles, where met twice a week so many men of talent 
 and wit, as also so many critics of the Empire, be- 
 came at times ''a temple of epigrams," as the Em- 
 peror well described it. The intimate friends of 
 the Princess momentarily imitated the tone which 
 prevailed at the Palais Royal. Though, I hasten 
 to add, these outbursts were only casual, the Em- 
 peror was much pained by them. He did not show 
 his feelings, however, and pretended to attach only 
 a secondary importance to the matter. But those 
 who were received both at the Tuileries and the Rue 
 de Courcelles might well be surprised at the free- 
 dom of language heard in the latter abode, a free- 
 dom, indeed, which not infrequently exceeded the 
 limits of good breeding. This assertion can no 
 longer be questioned, since writers of talent have 
 noted in their journals, now in print, the spirited 
 conversations heard in the drawing-rooms of the 
 Princess. The Empress declared this to be the case 
 at the time, but her assertions were often denied. 
 But they can be denied no longer. It should be borne 
 in mind, however, that it was the guests and not the 
 hostess, as a rule, who were guilty of this intem- 
 perance of language. 
 
 One of the chroniclers of Princess Mathilde's 
 salon, Comte Horace de Viel Castel, was famed for 
 his spitefulness. He spoke against every one, was 
 
 68
 
 PRINCESS MATPIILDE 
 
 vexed with every one, and would relate in an acrimo- 
 nious tone what was said or what w^as thought, and 
 what might have been said or what might have been 
 thought. It would be useless to contradict here 
 that tissue of spite and, often, of lies woven by 
 this venomous pen. M. Viel Gastel, who was at 
 first protected by M. de Nieuwerkerke but later 
 dropped by him, was particularly bitter in the way 
 he spoke of his former patrons and treated both 
 the Princess and M. de Nieuwerkerke with great 
 asperity of language. He exaggerated greatly, it 
 w^ould seem, the reprehensible side of the conversa- 
 tions held in Princess Mathilde's drawing-rooms 
 when the Emperor and his consort were under dis- 
 cussion. Many of those who spoke so carelessly did 
 not imagine that their indiscreet remarks and 
 calumnies were being gathered together word by 
 word and preserved for posterity by the spiteful 
 pen of Viel Castel. His untruths have already been 
 pointed out by others, and just how much, or rather, 
 just how little, dependence can be placed on his work 
 has been clearly stated in the diary of the Gon- 
 courts. 
 
 All this did not, however, prevent artists and lit- 
 erary men from fancying themselves, when at Prin- 
 cess Mathilde's receptions, at the "Ministry of fa- 
 vors" and from passing all their requests and de- 
 mands through the cousin of the Emperor. In fact, 
 she obtained many favors for them, for she had 
 retained a certain amount of influence over Napo- 
 leon, and, as she did not meddle in politics, there 
 was no great harm in granting her requests. 
 
 One of the chief sources of Princess Mathilde's 
 influence at the Tuileries was her devotion to the 
 
 69
 
 :memoiks of tup: empress eugenie 
 
 Prince Imperial. She was sincerely fond of cliil- 
 dren in g'cneral, and was especially full of atten- 
 tions to the young- heir to the throne. She gave a 
 children's party in his honor in the middle of the 
 reign, where Lockroy's ''School-Master" was 
 ])layed on a tiny stage by M. du Sommerard's 
 daughters, Joseph Primoli, Jules Espinasse, and the 
 other young friends of the Prince Imperial. There 
 was a cotillion led by Mile. Marie Abbatucci, Easter 
 eggs were liidden in the garden and hunted for by 
 the young people, and other similar amusements 
 were provided for the youthful guests, who all de- 
 clared that nowhere else had they ever had so good 
 a time. This all pleased the parents, too, and natu- 
 rally rendered the Princess very popular. The Em- 
 peror and Empress had come to witness their son's 
 pleasure, and the Prince Imperial could scarcely 
 tear himself a^vay from the spot where he was pass- 
 ing such a pleasant afternoon. In vain his preceptor 
 called him. "I cannot find my cap," exclaimed the 
 boy in his excitement. The Emperor had hidden it 
 so that his son might remain a little longer! 
 
 Princess Mathilde often visited at the Tuileries, 
 Saint Cloud, Fontainebleau and Compiegne. She 
 was present at all the ceremonies demanded by eti- 
 quette, and avoided none of the duties incumbent 
 upon her as the cousin of the Emperor. Yet she 
 enjoyed being nowhere so much as at her home, 
 where everj^ evening, when not obliged to go to 
 Court, she held a reception, unless there happened 
 to be a first night at the Theatre Frangais, wdiich 
 was one of her favorite pastimes. This led the Em- 
 peror to say: "If ^vlathilde were not a Princess, 
 she would surely be a theater manager, and if she 
 
 70
 
 PRINCESS MATIIILDE 
 
 filled this part as well as she does the other, her 
 house would surpass the Comedie FraiiQaise." 
 
 Her very eclectic drawing-room was most inter- 
 esting. Diplomats, literary men, artists of all kinds, 
 politicians of all shades were welcomed there. 
 Among the men of letters, she had certain favorites. 
 First was Flaubert, who was later replaced by ]^lau- 
 passant. Then came Taine, whom she wished to 
 marry in 1856 to a person of her choice, and whom 
 she continued to see long after the fall of the Sec- 
 ond Empire, until he drew such a harsh portrait 
 of Napoleon I, when, much to the amusement of 
 the Paris literary and political world, she vvittily 
 cut off relations with him by having her footman 
 leave her visiting card at his door with a p. c. c. in 
 the corner. Francois Coppee was much at her house 
 in the very first days of his fame, as was also Sainte- 
 Beuve, a faithful correspondent, from whom she 
 separated only in 1869, also for political reasons. 
 Merimee, Theophile Grautier, Amedee Pichot, 
 Yrairte, Augier, Sandeau, and Feuillet were among 
 the best known French authors who were frequent 
 visitors in the Rue de Coui'celles. Many of them 
 came later to the Rue do l>erri. That eccentric 
 Franco-American scholar, Henry Harrisse, used to 
 recount there every fresh step in his remarkable 
 Columbian labors. The Goricourts installed them- 
 selves in her drawing-room as oracles, observing 
 all that took place, judging, directing, and iruhis- 
 triously collecting the most minute fragmcjits of 
 the wit which was so freely flung about. Alost of 
 these friends were also giKsls at Saint (h'atien, 
 the pretty property neai- the Lake of l^nghien, once 
 belonging to Marshal Catinat, wliicli Pi'Incess Ma- 
 
 71
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 thilde bought from the Marquis de Custine. There 
 also, at various times, could be seen the Bonaparte 
 Princesses with their husbands and children, for 
 Princess Mathilde always did all in her power to 
 aid in keeping union and friendship alive in the 
 historic family from which she sprang. 
 
 Princess Mathilde herself was not very fond of 
 music, but she took care to procure good musical 
 treats for her guests. All the great composers, per- 
 formers, and vocal stars of the day were heard in 
 her drawing-room. Among the famous prima don- 
 nas who added to their fame in this circle I recall 
 Alboni, who, on account of her size, was surnamed 
 by one of Princess Mathilde 's wits, ''an elephant 
 who has swallowed a nightingale"; Miolan Carvalho 
 and Christine Xilsson. The wife of General Bataille 
 and Mme. Conneau also sang from time to time in 
 the Rue de Berri. 
 
 Princess Mathilde encouraged with great enthu- 
 siasm all literary eiforts. Many writers who fre 
 quented her house read their manuscripts to her, 
 with benefit to them and their Avorks. She studied 
 history, polities, everything that had any connection 
 with art and literature, and so had developed a 
 learned mind and a cultivated taste that were recog- 
 nized by everybody. The Emperor has well said : 
 "She was, as regards the diAcrsity of her acquire- 
 ments, and the generous and efficacious ijrotection 
 she granted to writers, a true MargTieritc of Xa- 
 varre. ' ' 
 
 Princess Mathilde seldom wrote her impressions 
 of men and things except to Sainte-Beuve', whose 
 letters to her have been published but whose letters 
 from her still remain unedited. I have seen some 
 
 72
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 of these, however. After the great success scored 
 by the Lion Amour eux in 1866, she sent Saintc- 
 Beuve the following peculiar letter, indicative of 
 patriotic and liberal sentiments, which may be given 
 as a fair specimen of a certain side of her epistolary 
 talent: 
 
 ^'Ponsard's piece has delighted me; in the first 
 place, because the characters speak French and 
 awaken French patriotism and, in the second place, 
 because it is admirably well played. The piece 
 has revived all my old republican feelings. I felt 
 like starting off with the Republicans to exterminate 
 the Royalists, those unworth}'- Frenchmen ! When the 
 father of the young woman wlio is converted by the 
 youthfulness of a Republican general and marries 
 him in spite of all and eveiy one — when this father 
 to whom Hoche has just given his freedom — ^v/hen 
 this old liberated emigrant says : ' Come, my daugh- 
 ter, let us go over to the English' — at this point, I 
 wanted to hiss ! I was quite satisfied with myself, to 
 find that I am still capable of strong and patriotic 
 feelings. I am not noble enough to number among 
 my relations any who have fallen beneath the guillo- 
 tine; my nobility is born of the Revolution. I like 
 it, I understand it, without excusing its crimes. I 
 am indulgent towards its errors and I would like to 
 see every Frenchman realize its grandeur and de- 
 fend its good name." 
 
 Commenting on this letter, the Emperor once 
 said: "Mathilde paints her own character faith-' 
 fully in that page. She has always possessed liberal 
 and patriotic sentiments, and seemed veiy little at- 
 tracted towards the royalists. She even exagge- 
 rates sometimes her liberal ideas." 
 
 73
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 On the religious question which, during the Sec- 
 ond Empire, divided parties and even fractions of 
 parties to such a great extent. Princess Mathilde 
 was openly anti-clerical. Sometimes she was vio- 
 lent in her judgments and often even unjust. Both 
 the Emperor and the Empress felt that the govern- 
 ment labored under sufficient difficulties in this Eo- 
 man question without having dissension crop up in 
 their immediate circle, and above all in his very 
 family. At Princess Mathilde 's receptions, as at 
 those of Prince Xapoleon, one often heard reflec- 
 tions on this subject that really shocked by their 
 excessive freedom. Something of this same kind 
 frequently happened also at the house of Princess 
 Julie Bonaparte, who was married to the Marquis 
 of Eoccagiovino, and who seemed to prefer to gather 
 about her those belonging to the Opposition. On 
 this point the Emperor once said: "Princes often 
 have these strange fancies and do not realize what 
 the consequences of their taste for criticism and dis- 
 sension may be, but allow their friends to do great 
 harm to the common cause by this unwise freedom 
 of speech. Nothing w^eakened my position more 
 than the unbridled tongues of some of my indiscreet 
 relatives. ' ' 
 
 But it was not only Ponsard whom Princess Ma- 
 thilde applauded at the theater. She also stood by 
 the Goncourts, whose Ile-nriette Marccltal gave rise 
 to many stormy evenings at the Frangais in the ^\in- 
 ter of 18G5. Realism at the theater was considered 
 most extraordinary in those days and the play fell 
 flat, in spite of the efforts of the Princess and her 
 friends. Some twenty years later it w^as revived 
 at the Odeon. Princess Mathilde was delighted. 
 
 74
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 The play had, however, only a half success. Times 
 had changed ; it was considered rather weak. Many 
 pages might be written concerning the histrionic 
 activity of Princess Mathilde. "She ought to have 
 been a playwright," her Imperial cousin once re- 
 marked, "only then she could not have given such 
 effective support to the plays of others, where was 
 her real strength. When she saw that a piece was 
 good, she wished to make others see it; and she 
 often succeeded in this difficult task. ' ' 
 
 Artists felt even more at home in Princess Ma- 
 thilde 's house than did literary men. She was their 
 companion, not jealous of their talent, who felt 
 kindly towards them. Whenever there was an oc- 
 casion for it, she would be generous to them in 
 pecuniary ways. Some of these painters had a fash- 
 ion of almost settling down in her house, bringing 
 with them their familiar and sometimes reprehensi- 
 ble manners. They occasionally even indulged in 
 jokes of doubtful taste. For instance, one Sunday 
 under the Empire, they hit on what they considered 
 an excellent farce. One of them dressed himself 
 up so as to look exactly like Demidoff and then en- 
 tered the dining-room, where a dinner was being 
 given with Comte de Nieuwerkerke as the principal 
 guest. Thereupon, the other guests fled in a gen- 
 eral panic, leaving the Princess alone with her pre- 
 tended husband. But an explanation from the 
 painter soon brought back the fugitives. The Prin- 
 cess thought the best thing she could do under the 
 circumstances was to laugh at the joke, but the 
 story got abroad and caused much surprise. It 
 was felt, in some quarters, that on such occasions 
 the Princess did not show sufficient severity. She 
 
 75
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 was partly disarmed by the fact that she herself 
 sometimes indulged in little outbursts of wit which 
 were often amusing, perhaps now and then rather 
 trivial, occasionally pretty keen, and frequently a 
 trifle spiteful. 
 
 For instance, Vicomte de la Gueronniere, the au- 
 thor and diplomat, who had a rather weak character, 
 was one day thus addressed by the Princess: "You 
 are so anxious to hurt no one's feelings, that you are 
 really all things to all men. ' ' 
 
 If any one was ostensibly lacking in deference 
 towards her. Princess Mathilde sometimes got quite 
 angry. One day, for example, Edmond About was 
 guilty of some ill-placed puns before dinner, where- 
 upon Princess Mathilde, without making any fuss 
 about it, merely ordered his knife and fork to be 
 withdrawn from the table. Edmond About under- 
 stood the lesson and accepted the punishment. He 
 obtained forgiveness this time, but when later he 
 showed himself in the field of politics to be the vio- 
 lent enemy of that which he had formerly praised, 
 Princess Mathilde intimated that he need not re- 
 turn. This was also the fate of the celebrated archi- 
 tect Viollet le Due, the restorer, among other things, 
 of Pierrefonds, whom the Emperor and the Gov- 
 ernment had loaded with favors and who proved 
 himself ungrateful and unfair. She did not forgive 
 Taine, as has been seen, for his severe criticism of 
 Napoleon I ; nor Sainte-Beuve for having consented 
 to join the staff of the Temps, a paper which was 
 very hostile to the Empire. She called on him at 
 his modest home in the Rue Montparnasse and re- 
 proached him violently for this act. They never met 
 again. Although Sainte-Beuve wrote to her, she 
 
 76
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 would not reply. But, in the following year, when 
 Sainte-Beuve was dying, she relented. This was 
 in 1869, when she, during the absence of the 
 Empress in Egypt for the inauguration of the Suez 
 Canal, was helping Napoleon receive a number of 
 guests at the palace of Compiegne, and could not 
 leave the spot. So all she could do was to generously 
 send a little word of forgiveness to the languishing 
 critic by Professor Zeller. This action was very 
 characteristic of Princess Mathilde, Though she 
 was always a good hater, there was a generosity 
 about her that would not permit her anger to fol- 
 low its object to the grave. 
 
 After the downfall of the Empire, Princess Ma- 
 thilde went into a more modest hotel in the Rue de 
 Berri; but her social position was in no way dimin- 
 ished. Her salon continued to be tlie meeting place 
 of all the illustrious men of every branch of art 
 and letters. All praised her good sense in taking 
 no part in politics during the Third Republic, and 
 remaining merely a protector of the literary and 
 art world. Princes and ambassadors, academicians 
 and politicians of all parties had the pleasant habit 
 of coming together regularly in her drawing-room, 
 whore she was always found in happy mood, wear- 
 ing the legendary pearl necklace, and seated under 
 a large palm, by a marble bust of Napoleon. 
 
 When her brother. Prince Napoleon, who, as we 
 have seen, was like his sister in many respects, died 
 in Rome in 1891, Princess Mathilde hastened to his 
 deathbed, watched by him, and was kindness itself 
 to her sister-in-law. Princess Clotilde. She then 
 met Prince Victor, whom she had not seen since 
 his quarrel with his father. When Prince Napoleon 
 
 77
 
 MEMOIliS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 passed away, it was supposed that all the family di- 
 visions had died Avith him. One was led to tliink, 
 on seeing Princess Mathilde leaning on her nephew's 
 arm, that the quarrels of former days would be for- 
 gotten. How happened it then that she did not tear 
 up her old will? She did not think of it, her friends 
 say. But it was a painful surprise for all when, 
 after her death, in 1904, it was found that she had 
 bequeathed all her fortune, with the excej)tion of 
 some artistic trifles left to various friends, among 
 whom was Prince Victor, to her other nephew, 
 Prince Louis, the brother of Prince Victor, who sold 
 everything as he was advised to do, and thus found 
 himself, I have been informed, possessed of five or 
 six millions of francs. 
 
 The death of Prince Napoleon at least brought 
 about a complete reconciliation between the Em- 
 press Eugenie and the Princess Mathilde. The for- 
 mer never could entirely forget Prince Napoleon's 
 conduct towards her, and this coldness with the 
 brother naturally somewhat chilled relations with 
 the sister. He had almost always been Eugenie's 
 open adversary, and, while the Prince Imperial was 
 alive, had often done his utmost to disturb the pol- 
 icy of the party. After the death of the Prince 
 Imperial, in 1879, he assumed the role of a Prince 
 of the Left, holding very advanced opinions, and 
 caused thereby such regrettable divisions among the 
 imperialists that two very distinct factions were 
 formed, one following the father's lead and the 
 other that of the son. Without ostensibly taking 
 either side, the Empress naturally favored that of 
 Prince Victor, always showing for him the deepest 
 
 78
 
 PRINCESS MATHILDE 
 
 interest and affection. Altliongh she regretted the 
 manner in wliich the separation between the two 
 Princes had occurred, her sympathy was naturally 
 much greater for the son than for the father. As 
 has been more than once stated in these memoirs, 
 Eugenie was never able to get on with the latter, 
 notwithstanding passing moments of better under- 
 standing. For instance, when she visited him at the 
 Conciergerie in 1882, when he was arrested on the 
 occasion of his unauthorized return to France, she 
 could not wholly forget his questionable attitude at 
 the time of the Prince Imperial's funeral and other 
 acts, which revealed his unfriendly feelings for the 
 Emperor and the fallen regime. But the Empress 
 forgave much on account of her growing love for 
 his sister, whom she often met in Paris when pass- 
 ing through the city, during the closing years of her 
 life. Then they w^ould have long conversations, and 
 exchange many affectionate greetings. The Em- 
 press dined several times at the mansion in the Rue 
 de Berri, at this period, and the two ladies became 
 quite intimate. The squabbles, political diver- 
 gencies and religious dissensions, which so often 
 marred Princess ^Mathilde's relations with the Sec- 
 ond Empire, had then all disappeared from the 
 memory of both. Much more gentle in her declining 
 years, Princess Mathilde was careful to avoid sub- 
 jects which might disjjlease the Empress, who on 
 the other side, Avas always desirous of showing 
 marked amiability towards her cousin. During the 
 last months of her eartlily life, Eugenie frequently 
 went to see her at Saint Gratien, and spent whole 
 days by her bedside, with Princess Clotilde; and 
 
 79
 
 MEMOIKS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 when death finally came, the Empress was very 
 deeply affected, for many dear things of the past, 
 many good and suggestive memories, were buried in 
 the tomb of Napoleon's noble niece.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE BIRTH AND CHRISTENING OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 As long as her health allowed it, the Empress 
 continued to show herself in Paris. She was seen, 
 for instance, during the first w^eek of March, 1856, 
 crossing the Faubourg Saint Antoine on a visit to 
 the school for working girls which she had lately 
 founded. Later in the same day Eugenie followed 
 the boulevards, with the Emperor but without 
 escort, to examine the layette, or baby-linen, at Mile. 
 Felicie's in the Rue Vivienne. A few days later, she 
 ceased to leave the Tuileries, the Archbishop de- 
 manded the prayers of the diocese for her, and the 
 moment seemed near at hand when the Empress 
 might give birth to the much-desired child. 
 
 The household of the "Child of France" was al- 
 ready formed. Madame Bruat, widow of the well- 
 known admiral, had consented, to leave the seclu- 
 sion in which she had remained since the death of 
 her husband, who had succumbed on his return from 
 the Crimea, to accept the position of Gouvernante. 
 Madame Bizot and Madame de Brancion, widows 
 respectively of a general and a colonel killed in the 
 Crimea, were chosen as assistant Gouvernantes. 
 
 On March 13th and 14th the cradle offered by the 
 municipality of Paris was on view at the City Hall. 
 It was in the form of a ship made of rosewood. On 
 the poop, a large draped figure, symbolizing the 
 
 81
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 town, supported the Imperial crown. The long and 
 graceful folds of the sky-blue satin curtains were 
 covered with Alengon lace. At the foot were two 
 little genii who would protect the sleeping child. 
 The prow of the ship was upheld by an eagle with 
 spread wings. Small columns, round which twined 
 corn and olive branches, formed the base of the 
 cradle. On the sides were Sevres medallions repre- 
 senting Justice, Prudence, Vigilance and Force. 
 
 So great was the crowd which assembled to see 
 this work of art, that the authorities announced that 
 it would be exposed a day longer. Consequently, 
 much disappointment was felt the next morning 
 when the Salle du Trone was not opened to the pub- 
 lic and it was learned that the cradle had been sud- 
 denly carried to the Tuileries, where it was believed 
 its presence would soon be necessary. The whole 
 day passed in expectation. The state bodies sat in 
 permanent session, awaiting the arrival at any mo- 
 ment of an envoy from the palace. The artillery- 
 men of the Invalides did not leave their guns. Ve- 
 netian masts were hastily raised and banners al- 
 ready floated from the department buildings. Until 
 long after midnight the Parisians still waited to 
 hear the first cannon. Slowly the crowd melted 
 away from around the Tuileries with the gathering 
 darkness, and only a few small groups remained 
 around the castle, where the event was anxiously 
 expected. 
 
 The Emperor and Comtesse de Montijo watched 
 by the Empress' side, while in the adjourning apart- 
 ments were the Princesse d'Essling, Duchesse de 
 Bassano and Madame Bruat. Prince Napoleon, 
 Princess Mathilde and the other members of the 
 
 82
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 Emperor's family holding' rank at court were in 
 the Green salon near Napoleon's study. The chief 
 officers of the Crown, a score of other personages, 
 and the ladies of the palace were assembled in the 
 drawing-room. 
 
 At length, at half past three in the morning, the 
 Prince Imperial was ushered into the world, 
 ^vladame Bruat presented the child to the Emperor, 
 and to the Empress, then to Prince Napoleon, Prince 
 Lucien Murat, M. Achille Fould, and M. Abbatucci, 
 both ministers, who had been chosen as witnesses of 
 the birth. One hundred and one cannon were fired 
 to announce ''the glad news to the Parisians, who 
 awoke rejoicing," said one of the leading- journals 
 which the Empress read the next day. 
 
 There must perforce be a considerable amount of 
 publicity at the birth of royal or imperial children; 
 witnesses must be present and the event is naturally 
 surrounded with numerous formalities. Fortunate- 
 ly, however, the days are past when the crowd was 
 allowed to fill the palace and the birth-chamber at 
 the risk of killing the mother and child through lack 
 of air, as was nearly the case, when Marie Antoi- 
 nette first became a mother. 
 
 Cantatas, compliments from all parts of France 
 and Europe, universal rejoicings, deputations of all 
 kinds, even from the market-women of Paris, 
 reached the palace hourly. The news of the Prince's 
 birth arrived at Sebastopol on the 23rd, and was 
 celebrated by the firing of cannon by our own and 
 the allied armies, and, curiously enough, even the 
 Russians illuminated, and, from Inkerman on, the 
 whole line blazed in unison. The Emperor seized 
 the happy occasion to try and gain over to the new 
 
 83
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 regime these irreconcilable Frenchmen who still re- 
 fused to accept the Second Empire. So, on March 
 20th, a full and free amnesty was granted to all who 
 had been expelled from France after the events of 
 1848 and 1851. The sole condition made was that 
 they should loyally accept the Imperial government. 
 Though many exiles took advantage of this offer, 
 a few refused to forget the past and most of these 
 continued unfriendly to the government to the very 
 end. Furthermore, in order to show her gratitude 
 for the popular goodwill, the Empress announced 
 that all children born on March 16th could have the 
 "Empress and Emperor as godmother and god- 
 father, if request were made to the proper authori- 
 ties." Many demands of this kind were made and 
 granted. 
 
 Again the sound of one hundred and one cannon 
 shots startled Paris. This time it was on the 30th 
 of March and proclaimed the glad news of the sign- 
 ing of the treaty between France and Russia. In 
 this peace all might rejoice, for it was made on 
 terms honorable to both parties. Paris was illumi- 
 nated and the joy of the capital spread throughout 
 the country, and far beyond the frontiers of France, 
 for from all over Europe came congratulations to 
 the sovereigns. This news gave Eugenie great 
 pleasure, and this month of March, 1856, was, for 
 her, the happiest of the reign. 
 
 In the meantime, the Empress was recovering 
 rapidly, and the child appeared healthy and strong. 
 And forthwith he began to be the recipient of that 
 long series of decorations which crowned heads be- 
 stow on those distinguished by birth or attainments. 
 On April 13th the list was opened by the Due d 'Albe, 
 
 84
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 who brought the Order of the Golden Fleece to 
 the young Prince, on whom it had been conferred 
 by Queen Isabella; and throughout his short life 
 the bestowal of these honors continued. On April 
 28th, the day on which the treaty of peace was offi- 
 cially promulgated, the Prince Imperial was in- 
 scribed as an ''enfant de troupe" on the register 
 of the first regiment of the Grenadiers of the Guard. 
 Thus early also began his military training, for 
 which art he had a veritable passion and in the pur- 
 suance of which he finally lost his life. 
 
 The diplomatic body in Paris and the King of 
 Wiirtemberg, then staying at the Pavilion de Mar- 
 san, came to present their respects to the Empress 
 the day after her recovery, and, at their request, 
 they were taken to see the infant Prince. Thus was 
 inaugurated a custom which was continued through- 
 out the Second Empire. All the great personages 
 who visited the Tuileries saw the Prince Imperial, 
 who, in this way, from his earliest youth became 
 acquainted w^ith the leading rulers and public men 
 of Europe. This had much to do in making him 
 the broadly cultured youth that he unquestionably 
 became ; and from the very first day of her restora- 
 tion to health, Eugenie made his education, both 
 intellectual and moral, the first act of her thought 
 and solicitude. ''We are resolved to make him a 
 worthy man and prince," the Emperor wrote in re- 
 ply to a letter of congratulation, "The Empress 
 is especially interested in this good work. When 
 she puts her heart and mind in anything, she always 
 succeeds. So thus early I feel sure that our young 
 Prince, if he is given health and years, will become 
 worthy of the great name which he bears, and if he 
 
 85
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 should follow me on the throne will be equal to the 
 occasion and know how to complete the grand work 
 begun by his father and my noble uncle." 
 
 The Prince Imperial was born on March 16, 1856, 
 Palm Sunday, day of joyous symbolism. Who could 
 then foresee the calvary where his short life should 
 end? The beautiful mother's mission which the 
 Empress had just accomplished seemed to make 
 her very popular with the people. A spirit of good- 
 will appeared to rule everywhere. Peace with Rus- 
 sia was signed at the end of the month, and all the 
 political parties in France had apparently laid aside 
 sentiments hostile to the Empire. No cloud dark- 
 ened the horizon; outwardly, at least, all was calm. 
 The Vatican and the Tuilerios walked hand in hand, 
 French troops protected the States of the Church, 
 and Pius IX stood ready to be the godfather of the 
 Imperial child. This act gave great joy to the Em- 
 press who always held in high esteem all religious 
 sentiments and who was ever devoted to the Holy 
 See. 
 
 On February 8th the Holy Father wrote this let- 
 ter to the Emperor, which clearly reflects the friend- 
 ly feeling which he entertained for the Imperial 
 family: "I would hide from your Majesty the feel- 
 ing that God inspires me with a very sweet hope. 
 I believe that He wills that new bounties shall de- 
 scend upon you. Sire, in the measure in which you 
 fulfill your agreement to support and protect the 
 Church, in whose bosom you were born. As for me, 
 I have no other aim in my words and prayers than 
 to bring about the glory of God, the salvation of 
 souls, the propagation of the Faith and the honor- 
 ing of Catholic princes. Receive. Sire, the apostolic 
 
 S6
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 blessing which I send to your Majesty, with effusion 
 and from the very bottom of my heart, to her 
 Majesty the Empress, to the august infant she bears 
 on her bosom and to all France. ' ' 
 
 Pius IX was celebrating mass on Palm Sunday in 
 the Basilica of St. Peter when the news of the 
 Prince's birth reached Rome. Immediately, on the 
 pontiff' 's order, one hundred and one guns were fired 
 from the Castle of the Holy Angels, announcing 
 the news to the innumerable crowds gathered in 
 Rome for the festal season. Everybody saw the 
 important political bearing of the event, and the 
 Vatican naturally perceived that it was another and 
 strong tie which bound France to the Church. This 
 was its politico-religious side, and the religious side 
 was not less important than the political. 
 
 Through the intermediary of Comte de Rayneval, 
 French ambassador in Rome, the Holy Father 
 thanked the Emperor for having had the happy 
 thought of mentioning in his official speech the papal 
 blessing which had been sent to the young Prince 
 at his birth. At the same time Comte de Rayneval 
 gave the Empress a piece of news which filled her 
 with joy. The Pope had decided that the Golden 
 Rose which he blesses each year during the course 
 of the Lenten festivities should be sent her. The 
 origin of this custom, which is rarely observed, is 
 not exactly known. The rose had been given the 
 last time to the Queen of the two Sicilies, when the 
 Holy Father returned to his states, after the re- 
 publican revolution of 1849 at Rome, in recognition 
 of the generous hosi)itality he had received at Gaeta 
 and Portici during his exile. 
 
 No present or distinction from a sovereign could 
 
 87
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 be more pleasing to a sincere Catholic than this 
 Golden Rose. It was thought that Eugenie deserved 
 it for her attachment to the Holy See and for her 
 "ardent faith," as His Holiness once remarked. 
 Considering the circumstances in which the Holy 
 Father now showed his sympathy, this act touched 
 the Empress deeply. It strengthened her faithful- 
 ness toward the Holy See, both from a religious and 
 a political point of view, led her more strongly than 
 ever to use her influence for peace and conciliation 
 each time the horizon darkened between the Vatican 
 and the Imperial Government, made her more pa- 
 tient over the trials brought about by the Italian 
 question, and caused her to show herself more open- 
 ly and more irreconcilably hostile to the opponents 
 of the papal throne. Though it is true that the Ro- 
 man policy of the Second Empire has often been 
 condemned even by good Catholics, it must not be 
 forgotten that in the middle of the last century the 
 European situation w^as not what it is now. The 
 Church in France was a power and the Church in 
 Rome was mighty both in religion and politics. 
 Brought up an ardent Catholic and surrounded by 
 strong Catholic influences, it was only natural that 
 the Empress should cling to the Vatican not simply 
 for personal reasons but in the interests of France 
 itself. She held that politics are always firmer when 
 allied with religion, and felt that the moral support 
 of the Pope was not to be ignored. Those were her 
 views then, and such they have ever been since. 
 Eugenie was blamed for them then, and has been 
 blamed for them since, but I owe it to sincerity to 
 state her position thus clearly. It explains many 
 things that happened during the Second Empire,
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 which is one of the reasons why I speak thus openly 
 and frankly. It is my aim in these memoirs to throw 
 light into obscure corners in the history of these 
 times, and I think posterity should know all that 
 can be known concerning the relations between the 
 Tuileries and the Vatican. 
 
 The rejoicing over the birth of the Prince was 
 not confined to the general public. The poets, for 
 example, also did their part in celebrating the 
 event. The song of "March Sixteenth," by Camille 
 Doucet and '* Napoleon IV," by Belmontet, wore 
 quite worthy of the occasion; but the Emperor and 
 Empress were more particularly touched by Theo- 
 phile Gauthier's verses: 
 
 Qu'un bonheur fidele aecompagne 
 
 L'enfant imperial qui dort, 
 Blanc comme les jasmins d'Espagne, 
 
 Blond comme les abeilles d'or. 
 
 Au milieu des soleils sans nombre, 
 Cherehe au ciel Fastre imperial ! 
 
 Suis bien le sillon qu'il te marque, 
 Et vogue, fort du souvenir, 
 
 Dans ton berccau, devenu barque, 
 Sur I'ocean du souvenir! 
 
 With these verses in mind, a friend wrote Eugenie 
 in the summer of 1879: "Who could foresee, in 1856, 
 that the child grown to manhood would, in order to 
 'recover the imperial star,' whose glory had depart- 
 ed, sail the seas to foreign lands, and that the bark 
 would bring back an inanimate hero!" 
 
 All Europe seemed to share the delight of the 
 French poets over the advent of this male heir. A 
 hundred tliousand francs were distributed to char- 
 
 89
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ities and the Emperor and Empress expressed a 
 wish to be godfather and godmother to all the legit- 
 imate children born on March 16th. They also had 
 the principal theaters of Paris thrown open at their 
 expense for an afternoon performance, on Monday, 
 the 17th. 
 
 The people of Paris like out-door parades and 
 ceremonies of every kind and it was the excellent 
 policy of the Emperor never to let an occasion pass 
 for gratifying this taste. One of the earliest oppor- 
 tunities of this sort was the baptism of the baby 
 Prince Imperial and everything was done to add 
 pomp and eclat to the event, which is here described 
 somewhat in detail for this reason, as it gives a fair 
 idea of a large number of similar festivities thickly 
 scattered through the years of the Second Empire. 
 
 It had been decided that the Prince Imperial 
 should be baptized on June 14, 1850, and the Pari- 
 sians impatiently awaited the chosen date. Nor were 
 they alone in their eagerness to see a grand fete ; 
 more than three hundred thousand persons had 
 come for the same purpose from the provinces and 
 from abroad. The streets w^here the procession was 
 to pass were thick with people, when the great day 
 arrived. In front of Notre Dame, on the vast square, 
 high masts had been set up, from which floated ban- 
 ners bearing the Imperial arms ; the ground was 
 covered with smooth, clean, fine sand, while masses 
 of flowers and light feathery ferns transformed the 
 usually somewhat austere square into a fairylike 
 garden. A large covered marquise had been erected 
 in front of the cathedral. 
 
 The ceremony w^as to take place at six in the 
 evening, and some time before that hour, the four 
 
 90
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 thousand g-uests were assembled in the metropolitan 
 church, while the crowd without thickened so rapidly 
 that, if the neighbourhood of the church had not 
 been carefully guarded, it would have been impos- 
 sible to force a passage for those whose business 
 called them thither. As the Emperor and Empress, 
 looking out from the windows of the Tuileries, saw 
 the masses surging by with smiling faces and in 
 their best attire, their hearts swelled with pride at 
 the sight of this noble Parisian populace, and when 
 they remembered that it was all in honour of their 
 baby son, tears filled the eyes of both. 
 
 One of the ladies in Eugenie 's suite thus describes 
 the scene in an unpublished letter written at the time 
 to a friend living in the provinces : 
 
 "There were people at eYerj window along the 
 quays, people on the roofs, on the chimneys even, 
 people standing on trestles along the road, on the 
 parapets by the Seine, on the arches of the bridges, 
 in every possible corner, cramped and crushed, but 
 heedless of discomfort; an inquisitive, sympathetic, 
 innumerable crowd, buzzing, swaying, like bees in a 
 swarm, thirsting for a sight which it knew would 
 be magnificent, unique, in fact, on account of the 
 splendour of the procession and the great pomp 
 which was to be observed. 
 
 "The interior of Notre Dame was lighted up, 
 though the day w^as still young, so that the great 
 dark edifice was an imposing medley of lights and 
 shadows. All the chief towns of France were rep- 
 resented by banners which hung down the lofty 
 columns of the church, and red velvet draperies 
 brightened the scene under the starry sprinkled ceil- 
 ing and arches. Not less striking was the assembly 
 
 91
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 gathered within those walls, the gentlemen all wear- 
 ing bright uniforms and the ladies in evening dress, 
 with lace veils attached to their hair and falling to 
 the shoulders. Thousands of candles sparkled in the 
 nave and in the midst of the blaze was a platform on 
 which were seated, arrayed in full pontifical vest- 
 ments, the archbishops and bishops of France. 
 
 "From the Tuileries comes Cardinal Patrizzi, 
 the Pope's Legate, in a coach drawn by eight horses, 
 and as the papal representative, he is treated with 
 the same ceremonial as would have been shown the 
 Holy Father himself. The Cardinal Archbishop of 
 Paris and the Chapter of the Cathedral await his 
 arrival at the door of Notre Dame and he is greeted 
 on his entrance by a full choral rendering of the im- 
 posing anthem : Tu es Petru^. 
 
 ''Meanwhile, the Place de la Concorde is being 
 rapidly occupied by cavalry, and from the Tuileries 
 to the parvis of Notre Dame, a double line of 
 National Guards and the Imperial Guards form; but 
 they have some trouble in keeping the crowd back. 
 At five o'clock, a sudden clamor arises and the 
 crowd sways excitedly; then the militaiy bands 
 strike up and the procession leaves the Pavilion de 
 I'Horloge on its way to Notre Dame, via the Tuiler- 
 ies gardens, the Rue de Rivoli, the Place de I'liotel 
 de Ville, the Pont d'Arcole and Rue d'Arcole, and 
 finally it reaches the Place Notre Dame. 
 
 "The procession was headed by the trumpeters 
 and band of the First Carabiniers; General Korte 
 and his staff; and squadrons, bands and officers of 
 several other regiments. Then came eight carriages 
 drawn by six horses, each accompanied by two 
 lackeys. The first six carriages contained a lady of 
 
 92
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 the Empress 's household, the lady-in-waiting to the 
 dowager Grand-Duchess of Baden, two chamber- 
 lains, the grand-mistress and the lady in waiting of 
 the Empress, and the chief officers of the Crown. 
 Then we saw four postilions preceding the seventh 
 carriage in which sat Princess Mathilde, accom- 
 panied by Princess Marie of Baden, Duchess of 
 Hamilton. The Princess's grand cavalier was on 
 horseback to the right of the carriage, and on the 
 left was a Colonel of the Guard. The eighth car- 
 riage contained the Grand Duchess of Baden, King 
 Jerome, Prince Oscar of Sweden and Prince 
 Xapoleon. 
 
 "Louder and louder grew the cheers until, from 
 a faint murmur heard in the distance, they sounded 
 at last like the roar of thunder as two splendid state 
 coaches, each drawn by eight horses and preceded 
 by six of the Emperor's postilions, closed the pro- 
 cession. The first of these coaches was the identical 
 vehicle used by Napoleon on the occasion of his 
 marriage to Marie Louise, and through the clear 
 glass could be seen the widow of Admiral Bruat, 
 Governess of the Children of Prance, holding in her 
 arms the Prince Imperial half hidden in an ennine- 
 lined cloak. Mme. Bizot and Mme. de Brancion, 
 under-governesses, and the nurse were also in this 
 coach. Marshal Canrobert, the Emperor's Aide-de- 
 camp, and an equeny rode on the right of the car- 
 riage, while Marshal Bosquet, Adjutant-general of 
 the Palace, and another officer, were on the left. 
 Behind, followed some lackeys on foot and equerries 
 of the Emperor on horseback. 
 
 "Eight beautiful ])ay horses, considered the finest 
 in all the imperial or royal stables of Europe, were 
 
 93
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 harnessed to tlie second state coach, in which were 
 seated the Emperor and Empress. The coach itself, 
 enriched with artistic designs and gilded wheels, 
 had just been re-decorated for the occasion. It was 
 the coach which had been first used for the corona- 
 tion of Charles X. 
 
 ''The Emperor, who looked a little anxious but 
 was most gracious to the populace, was wearing the 
 uniform of a general with silk stockings and short 
 knee breeches. The Empress was clothed in white 
 and wore a diadem in the center of which sparkled 
 the regent diamond. She was wreathed in smiles 
 and looked handsome. We were all very proud of 
 her. By the side of the coach rode Marshal Bara- 
 guay d'Hilliers, Marshal de Castellane, General de 
 Lawoestine, commander of the ISTational Guards, 
 General Fleury, first equerry to the Emperor, Gen- 
 eral Regnaud de Saint Jean d'Angely, commander- 
 in-chief of the Imperial Guard, and an aide-de-camp 
 of the Emperor. All these distinguished soldiers in 
 their gorgeous uniforms made a splendid sight 
 which was fully appreciated by the people. 
 
 "Behind the royal coach, after the running 
 lackeys, rode the aides-de-camp and ordnance offi- 
 cers of the Emperor, a squadron of the Cent Gardes; 
 then, headed by their colonels and bands, came two 
 squadrons of the Cuirassiers of the Guard, two 
 squadrons of mounted artillery of the Guard, and 
 two squadrons of the 2nd Carabiniers, This choice 
 body of troops and the excellent music of their 
 bands produced a grand effect. 
 
 "At six o'clock the roar of cannon and ringing of 
 bells announced the arrival of the procession at the 
 doors of the cathedral, where the sovereigns were 
 
 94
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 met by Mgr. Libour, surrounded by his clergy. But 
 just before this, a little contretemps happened. So 
 thickly had the sand been sprinkled on the square, 
 that the eight horses were unable to draw the heavy 
 coach, and the lackeys had to push the wheels in 
 order to bring it up to the door of Notre Dame. 
 
 "The archbishop offered holy water to the sov- 
 ereigns, who kissed the cross and were conducted 
 beneath a dais borne by canons of the cathedral, to 
 their prayer-desks. A master of ceremonies then 
 distributed the 'honors' to the ladies destined to 
 bear them. The Comtesse de Montebello carried the 
 candle, the Baroness de Malaret the holy oils, the 
 Marchioness de la Tour Maubourg the salt, honors 
 which belonged to those who surrounded the Prince 
 Imperial. Mme. de Sauley carried the towel, the 
 Comtesse de la Bedoyere held the basin, and the 
 Comtesse de Rayneval the ewer, honors bestowed 
 by the godfather and godmother. 
 
 "A platform surrounded by a baluster and open 
 on the side facing the nave was placed in the center 
 of the cathedral. On that platform, at the entrance 
 to the sanctuary, was the altar, which was reached 
 by three steps. The throne for the Emperor and 
 Empress was opposite the altar, and it also was 
 reached by three steps. The font was midway be- 
 tween the throne and the altar. The baptismal vase, 
 made of chiselled and beaten brass, was supposed to 
 be the one brought from the Holy Land by Saint 
 Louis. 
 
 "All these arrangements at the church had been 
 carefully supervised by the Empress herself and 
 were particularly gorgeous and imposing and 
 formed a perfect counter-part to the outdoor mili- 
 
 95
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tar}^ display, which was the special care of the 
 Emperor. This division of labour well illustrates 
 the harmonious way in wliich our two excellent 
 sovereigns 'pull together.' 
 
 "The Cardinal Legate occupied a throne opposite 
 the altar and the throne of the Emperor and Em- 
 press. In front of the sanctuary were seats for the 
 Cardinal-Archbishop of Paris and the canons of the 
 cathedral. The clergy made a special effort to be 
 out in full force, arrayed in their most splendid 
 robes, which added not a little to the general effect. 
 The other seats were for the Prince Imperial, who 
 was carried in the arms of Mme. Bruat, for the 
 Grand-Duchess of Baden, representing the Queen 
 of Sweden, the godmother, for Prince Oscar, King 
 of Sweden, and for the princes and princesses of the 
 Emperor's family. I name only a few of the grand 
 personages present. The list is too long to give 
 them all. 
 
 "Having reached their designated places, the Em- 
 peror and Empress knelt on their prayer-desks, 
 while the Legate, leaving his throne, stepped to the 
 foot of the altar and intoned the Veni Creator, 
 which was immediately taken up by the choir. Mean- 
 while, the ladies bearing the honors deposited the 
 various articles on the tables placed near the altar 
 and which served as credences. 
 
 "When the Fewi Creator was ended, the Cardinal 
 Legate proceeded to perform the baptismal cere- 
 mony. As soon as this was completed, the Governess 
 of the Children of France placed the Prince Im- 
 perial in the Emperor's arms. Then a master of 
 ceremonies stepped to the front of the aisle and 
 cried three times : * Long live the Prince Imperial ! ' 
 
 96
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 The Emperor raised his son aloft, and, with a loving 
 and happy expression, presented him to the congre- 
 gation, while the Empress, much affected and very 
 pale, showed deep emotion. Then, while the grand 
 music of the Vivat, composed for the baptism of 
 the King of Rome, by Le Sueur, filled the church, a 
 loud shout of joy and welcome broke from the com- 
 pact crowd, which evidently went right to the heart 
 0^' both the Emperor and Empress, for tears 
 trickled down their cheeks. 
 
 ''The Cardinal Legate next intoned the Te Detmi 
 and the Domine Salvum Fac Imperatorem, after 
 which he gave the Papal blessing. The Archbishop 
 of Paris, surrounded by the clergy of Saint Ger- 
 main I'Auxerrois, presented the parish register of 
 baptisms for the Emperor's signature, which the 
 Empress signed also, with a trembling hand; and 
 the interesting and imposing ceremony was ended. 
 
 "Preceded by a squadron of the Guides, followed 
 by cuirassiers of the Guard, a carriage drawn by 
 eight horses brought the little Prince back to the 
 Tuileries, by the quays. I may add, that he behaved 
 himself very well throughout this rather long cere- 
 mony; and, after his departure, the Archbishop of 
 Paris, preceded by the metropolitan chapter, recon- 
 ducted the P]mperor and Empress to the door of the 
 cathedral. Hero the sovereigns stepped into their 
 grand coach, and were driven across the Pont 
 d'Arcole, through the magnificently decorated 
 Place, to the City Hall, whore a grand banquet was 
 offered in the great dining hall by the Municipal 
 Council. Four hundred guests wen; already gath- 
 ered in the grand drawing-room. The Emperor and 
 Empress took thoir place at a table raised above the 
 
 97
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 others, surrounded by the princes and princesses of 
 the Bonaparte family, and during the dinner a fine 
 concert was given. The Empress, in spite of the 
 fatigue of the day, appeared smiling and radiant, 
 and, after the banquet, remained for some time with 
 the Emperor in the magnificently lighted salons. 
 The Cardinal Legate appeared for a moment before 
 the commencement of the ball, and immediately 
 after his withdrawal, the quadrille of honor began. 
 The Emperor opened the ball mth the Baroness 
 Haussmann, while the Empress danced with the 
 Prefect of the Seine. Both seemed happy and con- 
 tented with the way in which everything passed off. 
 
 ' ' The return to the Tuilerics was affected in semi- 
 State landaus instead of the grand coaches used 
 earlier in the day, as the return was made at a more 
 rapid pace than that observed during the proces- 
 sion to the cathedral. Loud and continuous cheering 
 accompanied the sovereigns on their way to the 
 palace, as they passed through the brilliantly lighted 
 streets, hung with flags and banners. This is, in- 
 deed, a day that will be long remembered by Paris- 
 ians and which will remain more deeply graven than 
 any other in the heart of the Empress." 
 
 The popular rejoicings and festivities continued 
 during several days. Commemorative medals were 
 distributed in great quantities and packets of sweets 
 were provided for the children of the public schools. 
 Numerous pardons were granted to ciWl and mili- 
 tary prisoners. The Emperor, indeed, made a great 
 event of the christening. ''It reminded one of the 
 grand days of the First Empire," he said years 
 afterwards. "It was, of course, a fine sight, the 
 long parade of gala carriages, with the coach used 
 
 98
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 for the coronation of Charles X at the head of the 
 line." Later, the Parisian public seemed always to 
 take a peculiar interest in seeing the imperial infant 
 drive in the Bois, in his nurse's arms, the carriage 
 being followed by an escort of the Cent Gardes. At 
 the age of four, the Emperor had him entered in 
 the regiment of the grenadiers of the Gardes and 
 he used to take part in the parade in the Tuileries 
 court-yard, as an onlooker. Adolphe Yvon, the 
 talented painter of military life, has left a canvas, 
 in which the child is represented in uniform, stand- 
 ing with three grenadiers w^ho are at a salute. A 
 little later, the Prince Imperial was, to his great 
 delight, made a corporal, and thoroughly enjoyed 
 practising sword exercises with his little playfel- 
 lows, Louis Conneau, son of the physician who aided 
 the future Emperor to escape from Ham, and Jules 
 Espinasse, who was a little older than the Prince,: 
 the son of the general who was killed at Magenta. 
 
 One evening during ''the christening w^eek," 
 there was a grand firework display in front of the 
 Palace of the Legislative Body, the chief feature of 
 which was the representation of a gothic baptistery; 
 and there w^as also an illumination of the Tuileries 
 gardens. The Court all w^atched from the win- 
 dows of the Xavy Department, on the Place de la 
 Concorde, and it was understood that the Em- 
 press should give the signal for them to commence. 
 The crowd was so dense on the square that it was 
 impossible to pass through, and the court party w^as 
 obliged to wait till eleven o'clock before they could 
 leave the building and return to the Tuileries. The 
 part of the city round the City Hall was magnifi- 
 cently illuminated during three days. The Avenue 
 
 99
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Victoria was transformed into a garden with foun- 
 tains and flowers from all countries, and on June 
 16th, the day of the Municipal ball, it was quite 
 fairy-like. 
 
 Everywhere, during these fetes, the Emperor and 
 the Empress were greeted with loud cheers and ova- 
 tions of the most spontaneous nature. The rejoicing 
 of the jjeople seemed almost delirious. Tired out by 
 the joyous events of the week, the Emperor and 
 Eugenie finally sought a little rest at the palace of 
 Saint Cloud, where the interesting ceremony of the 
 gift of the Golden Rose took place on Thursday, 
 June 19th. During the mass, which was celebrated 
 by Cardinal Patrizzi, the Golden Rose was deposited 
 on the epistle side of the altar, and then the Legate 
 took a seat facing the Emperor and Empress, when 
 one of the prelates of his suite read the pontifical 
 brief conferring on the Cardinal the right to bestow 
 the rose. Thereupon, the Empress advanced and 
 the Golden Rose was presented to her by Cardinal 
 Patrizzi, with the usual formula. 
 
 The Pope's gift was in the form of a golden rose- 
 tree in a flower-pot which was also of gold, resting 
 on a lapis lazuli pedestal. The two bas-reliefs of the 
 pedestal represented the birth of the Blessed Virgin 
 and her Presentation in the Temple, while the arms 
 of Pius IX and Napoleon III were engraved on the 
 sides. 
 
 After the ceremony, the Cardinal Legate pre- 
 sented to the Emperor an admirable piece of mosaic 
 work representing St. John the Baptist, after Guido. 
 Also the Holy Father sent to the Prince Imperial an 
 enameled reliquarj^ containing a relic of the Holy 
 
 100
 
 BIRTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 Manger. The child was brought to the Chapel in 
 order to receive this sacred gift. 
 
 Truly, the summer of 1856 seemed fuU of promise, 
 for the country was then enjoying an era of pros- 
 perity and peace, and the Empire was evidently 
 very popular. It was not till three years later that 
 this peace was unfortunately disturbed by the Aus- 
 trian war. That the Second Empire was popular at 
 this moment cannot be doubted. The people of Paris 
 had given striking evidence of this during the cere- 
 mony just described, and from all parts of the 
 nation the Emperor received many public and 
 private evidences of the fact that the provinces were 
 not behind the capital in loyal and enthusiastic sup- 
 port of the new regime. So the young Prince Im- 
 perial began his life under a cloudless sky, and the 
 Empress has always felt that this was perhaps the 
 happiest moment of her existence.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE YOUTH OF THE PEINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 I EECAUL, many cherished memories of the Prince 
 Imperial's first communion. His religious education 
 for this important act was intrusted to Abbe De- 
 guerry, vicar of the Madeleine, a very learned and 
 venerable prelate, who later lost his life in the Com- 
 mune outbreak. He was gentle of speech and per- 
 suasive. The Prince listened attentively to his 
 teaching, but the young man's questioning spirit led 
 him to argue with his spiritual director, w^ho had to 
 convince him that the mind cannot grasp all the 
 mysteries of the future life, as if one had to do w^ith 
 mathematics. One day the good Abbe told his pupil 
 the story of the crucifixion and the suffering of the 
 Blessed Virgin. He himself was much moved by the 
 narration, and though the Prince was very attentive, 
 he did not appear to be as much affected as one 
 might have thought. So M. DegTierry said to him: 
 ^'Is there any greater cause for tears than the pas- 
 sion of Our Lord?" ''Certainly not, M. I'Abbe," 
 replied the Prince, "but you have taught me that 
 God sees everything, knows everything and can do 
 everything. So he must have willed that Christ 
 should suffer and that the Virgin should suffer. 
 This thought prevents me from ci-^-ing." Though 
 the Prince was disposed to discuss things which he 
 did not understand, his religious faith was sincere 
 
 102
 
 YOUTH OF THE PEINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 and real. He was ever ready to accept in the spirit- 
 ual world what his more worldly mind could not 
 grasp. His natural piety was greatly strengthened 
 after this careful examination, under the devout 
 direction of Abbe Deguerry, of the claims and tenets 
 of Christianity. He said to the Empress later, re- 
 ferring to this earlier period in his boyhood: '^I 
 fuUy realized the good example I could set and what 
 were my religious duties. I even then perceived 
 what a great consolation faith brings to mankind 
 and what a vast source of strength it is by govern- 
 ments. The fact that I was probably to be the head 
 of a nation sufficed to make me an earnest Christian. ' ' 
 The Prince Imperial communed for the first time 
 on May 7, 1868, in the Tuileries chapel, which was 
 decorated with crimson velvet hangings fringed 
 with gold and was delightfully scented with the 
 odor of new-cut flowers. It is a curious fact that 
 the perfume of that ceremony still clings in Eu- 
 genie's memory, and on more than one occasion 
 since then, sometimes when she has been driving 
 through the country lanes of beautiful England, and 
 sometimes in some public hall or private drawing- 
 room, the same flower or some similar perfume has 
 brought back the odor of that little chapel and with 
 it the memory of that touching ceremony, nearly all 
 of the actors in which have now passed on into the 
 unseen world. The Emperor was, of course, present, 
 accompanied by all the princes and princesses of 
 the house of Bonaparte. In the gallery were the eld- 
 est son of Prince Napoleon and the young com- 
 panions of the communicant. In the center of the 
 choir-sanctuary, his head bowed and his eyes fixed 
 on the altar, with his governor on one side and Abbe 
 
 103
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Deguerry on the other, sat the young Prince, solemn 
 and dignified. The eloquent and touching words 
 pronounced on this occasion by Archbishop Darboy, 
 I have never forgotten. At one point he stopped in 
 his address, when the Prince was blessed by the 
 Bishop of Adras, and, advancing to the first step of 
 the altar, he knelt reverently, while Prince Joachim 
 Murat and General Frossard, aided by two priests, 
 spread the communion nax)kin before him. The ten- 
 der-hearted boy was now weeping from emotion. 
 Then the Arclibishop continued his remarks and be- 
 fore he ended, nearly everybody present was sob- 
 bing. The Empress was deeply affected. At five 
 o'clock that same day the Prince received the sacra- 
 ment of confirmation at the hands of the Arch- 
 bishop, in the presence of those who had partici- 
 pated in the imposing ceremonies of the morning. 
 This was a red-letter day in the spiritual life of the 
 Prince Imperial, and the moral principles there 
 enunciated were his guide throughout his short but 
 noble existence. 
 
 Another prelate saw fit, on the occasion of the 
 Prince Imperial's first communion, to pronounce a 
 sermon. This intervention in the spiritual affairs of 
 the Imperial family seemed all the more out of place 
 because this same priest meddled in their political 
 affairs with far less justice and impartiality. I refer 
 to Bishop Dupanloup of C)rleans, wlio did not always 
 speak so kindly of the Bonapartes and the regime 
 as he might have done. It was shortly after the 
 Tuileries ceremony that the Empress was present at 
 Orleans to take part in the festivities in honor of 
 Jeanne d'Arc, and then it was that the Bishop seized 
 the occasion to compliment her and the Prince. His 
 
 104
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 words called forth considerable comment at the 
 time, and later — especially later. No doubt Bishop 
 Dupanloup was sincere when he declared that he 
 hoped the Empress would never "shed other tears 
 than those called forth by pious emotion." It is 
 somewhat difficult, however, to reconcile the prayers 
 addressed by him to Heaven in favor of the heir to 
 the throne with the often hostile attitude which he 
 assumed towards the Second Empire, its leaders 
 and its policies. The Empress was one of the first 
 to understand that the rights and claims of the 
 Church should hold first place in the prelate's mind 
 and she could excuse, in a measure, his discontent 
 at certain acts of the Imperial government, such as 
 that concerning the Roman question. But instead of 
 joining the enemies of the Empire and making com- 
 mon cause with those who were trying to destroy it, 
 why did he not strive to accomplish his ends in other 
 ways ? The Emperor spoke rightly when he said one 
 day: "Speaking with all due impartiality, I think it 
 fair to say that Dupanloup 's political conduct was 
 'varied and undulating,' as some one has well re- 
 marked. It is true that he would shoot from one 
 extreme to the other with the agility of an acrobat. 
 "While one cannot but admire his talent and his 
 moral courage, and admit the justice of many of his 
 ideas, one must draw back from some of his preach- 
 ments and squarely pronounce them dangerous and 
 leading to division rather than to concord." 
 
 AVliile instructing the young Prince in prepara- 
 tion for his first communion. Abbe Degiierry had, 
 without knowing it, prepared the way to a conversion. 
 Miss Shaw, the devoted governess of the Prince, had 
 been present at the lessons given by the curate of 
 
 105
 
 MEMOIRS OF TPIE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 the Madeleine, and although she was an Anglican, 
 she never failed to help the Prince to accomplish his 
 religious duties, and especially his daily prayers. 
 Two days after this first communion she went to the 
 Madeleine, told the cure that she had been led to 
 think very seriously about religious matters and 
 now desired to become a Catholic. The Empress was 
 much pleased by this spontaneous act of Miss 
 Shaw's and thus became more than ever attached to 
 this excellent young Avoman who did so much for 
 the English education of the Prince Imperial and 
 who thereafter aided greatly in strengthening his 
 religious convictions, which, however, were always 
 firm and solid. It may be added that the Prince was 
 not at all influenced by political or dynastic reasons 
 in becoming and remaining a firm believer in the 
 doctrines of Christianity, especially as set forth in 
 the tenets of the Church of Rome. He was very 
 thoughtful by nature, and often spoke, even in his 
 earliest j'outh, of the great mystery of life, and 
 always declaring that he, for his part, could find no 
 satisfactory explanation of it except in the divine 
 revelation of Jesus. 
 
 It may be found interesting if I describe the 
 apartments of the young Prince at the Tuileries. In 
 a white and gold salon he took his lessons and re- 
 ceived his friends on Thursdays and Sundays. 
 Through the windows could be seen the tip of the 
 sentinel's bayonet and the white horse-tail of the 
 helmet of one of the Cent Gardes, as they stood on 
 duty; while further away was visible the Place du 
 Carrousel, with its triumphal arch, as it stands to- 
 day, and the wide Louvre square beyond. The floor 
 
 106
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 of the room was covered with a soft white carpet of 
 a flowered pattern. On the walls hung a portrait of 
 the Empress by Winterhalter, a lithograph of the 
 Emperor, an engraving of the Empress' mother and 
 pictures of one of the Emperor's fovorite horses, 
 of "Bouton d'Or," the Prince's pony, and of his 
 spaniels Finette and Finaud. On the mantelpiece 
 was a clock with a circular face, on which the hours 
 were indicated by the horizontal rotation of a blue 
 and gold hemisphere. On the left was a piano, fitted 
 with a mechanical player, which, on rainy days, 
 when the Prince could not go out of doors with his 
 companions, w^ould be set going after the four 
 o'clock meal, much to the pleasure of the little 
 circle. This was the moment when the Empress 
 generally used to come to see him and his friends. 
 Miss Shaw, the English governess, says she remem- 
 bers that Eugenie sometimes would put her hand 
 down under the collar of his jacket and say: ''How 
 warm you are, Louis. Keep quiet now or you are 
 sure to take cold." I do not recall this habit, but it 
 is highly probable that the Empress would act in 
 this way, for the young Prince put his whole heart 
 into his play, and the result was that he was often 
 over-excited. 
 
 In this same room, in a little book-case, all the 
 Prince 's books were most carefully arranged. He, of 
 course, had no finely bound or showy volumes, with 
 bright covers and gilt edges. They were well- 
 thumbed school books, with broken corners and 
 spots on them. The boy studied seriously and his 
 tools showed it. On either side of the inkstand were 
 two little gold busts and two ivory miniatures of the 
 Emperor and the Empress. A paper-weight,, I re* 
 
 107
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 member, represented Napoleon I sitting astride of a 
 chair. The Prince always treasured this object. 
 
 The Prince's bed-room had liglit blue satin on the 
 walls and a ceiling frescoed in oil. The bed was an 
 excellent example of marquetry decorated with 
 bronze gilt ornaments. In the recess of the room 
 was a picture of Hugues Merle, representing 
 Religion protecting childhood, a gift to the Prince 
 from the Due de Morny. A palm branch which had 
 been blessed by the Pope was fastened to the pie- 
 ture-frame. Attached to or worked into the lining of 
 the bed were several sacred pictures, a silver cross, 
 a large heart in old enamel and a gold medallion of 
 the Blessed Virgin. I often thought of these sacred 
 images of his early childhood, when, on his manl> 
 young body, were found the pious amulets which 
 had been spared by the hands of his savage mur- 
 derers. On the walls of the room were hung some 
 photographs of the Prince's boy-friends. 
 
 Next to this bed-room was the play-room, filled 
 with toys of all sorts. I recall rocking-horses, trum- 
 pets, drmns, two miniature cannons broU;'>ht from 
 China, tin soldiers and china soldiers, and last, but 
 not least, a magic-lantern, which was one of tlie 
 boy's delights. 
 
 The study and work-room contained maps hung 
 on the walls, drawing boards, drawing paper cov- 
 ered with rough sketches or finished work, a partly 
 completed bust of M. Monnier, the Prince's tutor, 
 made by the Prince w]nle he was sitting for Car- 
 peaux's bust. 
 
 The Prince Imperial's day was carefully ar- 
 ranged. He rose at seven o'clock, dressed, took his 
 chocolate and then came to the Empress' room, 
 
 108
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 where he remained for a short time, while they 
 talked over the day's program. Next, the child 
 would go and say good-morning to his father. Then 
 he took a walk in the private garden of the Tuileries, 
 the portion w^hich now lies between the Rue des 
 Tuileries and the main part of the Jardin des 
 Tuileries and which is at present also public. Two 
 full hours of study followed. Lunch occurred at half 
 past eleven. Later, came gymnastics, fencing, riding 
 and a walk with his tutor, who also conducted 
 studies till dinner time. M. Monnier once said to 
 me: ''The Prince Imperial worked perseveringly 
 and eagerly. He delighted in study and was fond of 
 inquir}% meditation and discussion. His mind was 
 seriously bent, but the intellectual tension was 
 counterbalanced by the ardor he brought to rec- 
 reation, games and exercise." Before retiring, he 
 again took some exercise, so that I remarked that 
 his rest was always calm and refreshing. Just be- 
 fore dinner, he saw his father and mother again. 
 
 Thursdays and Sundays were the Prince Imper- 
 ial's holidays, which he spent in vigorous games, in 
 long walks or in exercise on the orangery terrace at 
 Saint Cloud. His boy-companions were generally 
 the young Conneau, who scarcely ever left him, 
 Espinasse, Joachim Murat, my brother and I, the 
 two Corvisarts, Jean de Persigny and sometimes 
 Jean de la Bedoyere and the two de la Poezes, who 
 came to spend the day with him. The boys studied 
 and played together, and just before afternoon tea, 
 M. Monnier used to give them all a dictation. Often 
 the Prince dined with liis little friends in his dining- 
 room on the ground floor of the Saint Cloud castle, 
 when the bill of fare was very simple — a soup, roast 
 
 109
 
 MEMOIIJS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 meat Tvath potatoes, roast cliicken, spinach or chic- 
 ory, and stewed fruit or a rice pudding for desert. 
 
 When the Prince Imperial was somewhat older, 
 and had a governor and aides-de-camp, he dined on 
 Thursdays and Sundays with his companions in the 
 company of the Emperor and the Empress. After 
 dinner, the young people would play in the Throne 
 Room, which opened from the White Drawing- 
 room, where the court sat. The Emperor used to 
 take much interest in the games of the children. 
 The Empress was always worried at seeing the 
 Prince get so hot and excited, as was always the 
 case on these occasions. But it was very hard to get 
 him to stop and rest. At about half past nine the 
 Prince would retire to his own apartments and go 
 to bed. 
 
 When General Frossard was appointed governor 
 of the Prince Imperial, the whole system of his 
 instruction was altered. M. Monnier, his preceptor, 
 was replaced by M. Filon, a repetent, whose duty 
 was more to see that he learned the tasks set by 
 others than to give lessons himself. The Prince fol- 
 lowed at home the curriculum of the state schools 
 and his teachers were selected from these schools, 
 several of wiiom, like ^L Lavisse, to-day a member 
 of the French Academy, who taught him history, 
 became well known later. M. Filon, who w^as in con- 
 stant contact with the lad, had a great and salutary 
 influence over him. He quickly gained the confidence 
 of the Prince, and being young and of pleasing ap- 
 pearance, was a delightful member of the household. 
 The Prince would sometimes meet wdth his fellow- 
 students on festive occasions and at annual com- 
 mencements. 
 
 110
 
 YOUTH OF THE PEINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 The Prince's natural, generous, and charitable 
 character began to develop at this period and M. 
 Filon encouraged this tendency in his disposition. 
 It was a customary habit to give him little sums of 
 money from time to time, which he put aside for 
 charity. Many instances of his kindness to the poor 
 are given, and I particularly recall this one. I 
 noticed him playing one day with his boy friends in 
 the private garden of the Tuileries, when he saw, 
 through the paling, a one-legged veteran in the 
 street. Immediately he hurried otf for his savings, 
 and emptied all he had into the pocket of the old 
 soldier. Again, having heard, while at the court at 
 Compiegne, that there was in the forest a very old 
 woman picking up dead w^ood for jEiring, and his 
 store of charity money being exhausted, he passed 
 round a box among the guests at the castle and soon 
 had a neat little sum for the aged wood-gatherer. 
 Every one was, of course, ready to give, and gold 
 pieces found their way into the box. While this col- 
 lection was going on, the Emperor and the Empress 
 entered the drawing-room. They gently stopped the 
 proceeding, explaining that guests should not be 
 asked to aid the host in his works of charity. The 
 child quickly saw the indelicacy of his action, re- 
 turned the alms and was fully consoled when his 
 jjarents gave him a much larger sum for his worthy 
 protegee. 
 
 I recall a striking example of the Prince Imper- 
 ial's courage and presence of mind, even when he 
 was a mere child. It happened, before the war, dur- 
 ing one of the sojourns at Biarritz. One October 
 day we embarked on the Chamois, intending to go to 
 Fontarabia, and to stop at Saint Jean de Luz on 
 
 111
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 our way back, whence we were to drive to the ViUa 
 Eugenie. The first portion of the program was 
 accomplished in most magnificent weather; but sud- 
 denly, just as we were leaving the Spanish coast, the 
 wind changed, the sea became very rough, and the 
 little ship, beaten back by heavy waves, could make 
 but little progress. It was late at night before we 
 sighted Saint Jean de Luz, when it was found im- 
 possible to enter the harbor and we were advised 
 to remain on board till morning. But the Empress 
 knew the Emperor w^ould be ver\^ anxious about us, 
 and so she insisted that we land that night. Con- 
 sequently, two open row boats were lowered. The 
 first, in which were some of the suite, reached land 
 without much trouble, notwithstanding the rough- 
 ness of the water. But the second boat, which car- 
 ried the Prince, Admiral Jurien de la Graviere and 
 the Empress, struck a rock with such force that the 
 pilot was thro^\^l into the sea. It w^as feared that the 
 frail boat might sink, so that it was necessary to 
 act promptly; consequently, the admiral, seizing the 
 Prince by the hand, exclaimed : * ' Now we must jump 
 for the rock!" Of course the Empress was very 
 much frightened lest the child should miss his foot- 
 ing and be crushed between the rock and the boat. 
 But the boy called out bravely: "I'm not afraid, 
 mother; my name is Napoleon!" Both reached the 
 rock safely and greatly relieved the Empress' mind. 
 The sea now growing somewhat cahner, the crew 
 finally succeeded in landing her also. When we at 
 length reached the Villa, we found the whole house- 
 hold wearing an anxious face. In the evening, the 
 Emperor scolded the P^mpress a little, and the good 
 admiral, whose orders had been disregarded — 
 
 112
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 otherwise this incident would not have happened — 
 was severely reprimanded. 
 
 During the year 1866, malicious rumors were 
 spread through the country concerning the health 
 of the Prince Imperial. Hints were dropped, mys- 
 teriously at first and in out of the way places, then 
 in the editors' rooms of the Opposition papers, in 
 certain royalist drawing-rooms, and among the par- 
 liamentary groups, to the effect that the Prince Im- 
 perial was affected with scrofula, rickets, or some 
 hereditary disease which marked the degeneracy of 
 a dying race. Xo ironical or cruel word was spared 
 by the enemies of the Empire, when it was known 
 that the Imperial child lay for several months on a 
 bed of suffering. None took the trouble to enquire 
 into the real cause of his illness, and all preferred to 
 scoff at the constitution of the heir to the throne. 
 On the contrary, however, the Prince had an excel- 
 lent constitution and possessed a thoroughly healthy 
 system, which was, moreover, maintained in good 
 condition by excellent hygienic surroundings, and by 
 all the exercise possible with due regard to his age 
 and to the pursuance of his studies, which were 
 already somewhat arduous. 
 
 He was quick, vivacious, and clever at all exer- 
 cises; a good horseman, bold in obstacle races, and 
 fond of following the hunt at Compiegiie. His rid- 
 ing master, M. Bachon, an excellent native of Gas- 
 cony, succeeded in amusing the child while initiating 
 him into the difficulties of the equestrian art. There 
 was no need to teach him courage, however, for the 
 young Prince was already brave to foolhardiness. 
 He was bom with a true military instinct, and had 
 
 113
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 a real passion for everything that related to the 
 army. He was clever at fencing, and loved gymnas- 
 tics above everything. A moment of absent-minded- 
 ness while on the trapeze was, in fact, the cause of 
 the terrible accident which placed his life in jeop- 
 ardy, and gave rise to the mischievous insinuations 
 just referred to. 
 
 The site where the Prince's gymnasium stood can 
 still be seen in the old park of Saint Cloud, near the 
 Bassin des Trois Bouillons, at the far end of the 
 Allee des Goulottes. This little shaded circus had 
 been specially transformed into a place for recrea- 
 tion. When there was not sufficient time to go to 
 the Trocadero Garden or the Chinese Kiosque, both 
 of which were in the Saint Cloud park, the Prince 
 played with his little boy friends in this spot. They 
 would hasten to the Allee des Goulottes and amuse 
 themselves with bow and arrow, shooting at artificial 
 pigeons, or exercising on the parallel bars and the 
 other apparatus of the gymnasium. Sometimes the 
 little miniature railway would have their preference. 
 
 This railroad, by the way, was laid out in the form 
 of a figure eight. Its diameter was something over 
 six yards and it was furnished with everything that 
 a well-constructed line can have — such as signals 
 and switches, which were most artistically made, 
 and even passenger and goods stations. The train, 
 modeled after the imperial train, was composed of 
 a locomotive and several cars, the latter containing 
 drawing-rooms, a dining-room, and upholstered bed- 
 rooms. The locomotive was worked by a very strong 
 spring. The most remarkable thing about the train 
 was that the axles were fitted into sliding journals 
 in such a manner that very short curves could be 
 
 114
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 made, thus avoiding the necessity of additional 
 wheels like those which were used on the old railway 
 that ran between Sceaux and Paris, It is not a mat- 
 ter of surprise that the mainspring was frequently 
 broken or strained, for the Prince and his compan- 
 ions usually considered that the best method of 
 winding up the machinery was to sit on the loco- 
 motive and make it work backwards. 
 
 One hot day in July, shortly after luncheon, the 
 Prince was alone at his trapeze while his tutor, M. 
 Monnier, seated some little distance away, was com- 
 pletely absorbed in a book, the child thus being left 
 quite to his own devices. This lack of attention on 
 the part of the tutor was a source of danger to the 
 Prince, who was always over-bold, and the very 
 knowledge that there was a risk anywhere was a 
 sufficient incentive to make him wish to confront it. 
 On this occasion a rather bad fall was the result, 
 though he suffered no serious injury from it. 
 
 Here is another example of the rather dare-devil 
 spirit of the boy. One day on returning from a ride, 
 he got doAvn from his horse in the Tuileries court- 
 yard, and then took it into his head, while his tutor 
 was talking with a third person, to climb up to the 
 balcony of the Salle des Marechaux, clinging to the 
 face of the wall by the help of the projecting 
 stones. M. Monnier, looking up at this moment, 
 realized the danger, sx)oke gently to the Prince and 
 persuaded him to come down by telling him that the 
 guard was watching him, and that his behavior was 
 not becoming. 
 
 But the accident which caused his illness was not 
 due to any lack of care on the part of tutor or serv- 
 ants. The Prince was standing on the trapeze, 
 
 115
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 .swinging quietly, when he saw the Empress, driving 
 in her pony-chaise, coming towards him. *'Maman! 
 maman!" he cried, ''see how clever I am on the 
 trapeze ! ' ' While saying this, he slid his hands down 
 the cords, and holding on by his feet to the two 
 angles of the trapeze, he swung himself forward and 
 back, head do^\iiwards. Suddenly, his feet slipped 
 and he fell sideways to the ground. The Empress 
 was, of course, greatly frightened when she did not 
 see him rise, and the attendants, hurrying to him, 
 found he had lost consciousness. AVhat had hap- 
 pened? We asked ourselves with deep anxiety 
 whether there was congestion due to the sudden in- 
 terruption of digestion, a torn muscle or a broken 
 bone? Apparently, there was nothing serious; for 
 when Dr. Corvisart, w^hom the Empress herself 
 hastened to fetch, arrived, the Prince had regained 
 consciousness and declared that he had no bones 
 broken and felt no pain whatever. Though out- 
 wardly no harm was done, there was evidently some 
 internal injury. But this was discovered only in 
 March when the Prince, unable to hide his sufferings 
 any longer, began to limp. But not wishing to alarm 
 his father and mother, he forced himself to appear 
 brighter than usual, and only half admitted that he 
 was in pain, until at last the effort of walking be- 
 came too great for him. The Empress was indeed 
 considerably alarmed. She had the child im- 
 mediately put to bed, and a consultation was held 
 by Drs. Nelaton and Barther, whicli revealed the 
 nature of the malady. It was found that a deep- 
 seated abscess had formed, and a surgical operation 
 became imperative. At length it was officially an- 
 nounced that the Prince was better, and the work- 
 
 116
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 men at the Trocadero — the garden on the high ter- 
 race just north of the castle of those days — prepared 
 a novel kind of festival for the anniversary of March 
 16th, the Prince's birthday. In the meanwhile, it 
 was announced that a children's ball which the 
 Grand Equerry was to give in honor of the Prince 
 had been postponed ; so, when it was known that the 
 Emperor and Empress appeared on the 16th in the 
 Trocadero without the Prince Imperial, public anxi- 
 ety became general; and, when with the cry ol* 
 *'Vive le Prince Imperial," the workmen filed past, 
 the imperial couple made every effort to hide their 
 uneasiness concerning their son. 
 
 The first operation was not entirely successful 
 and the doctors decided to make another effort. The 
 Prince, forgetful of his own pain, and thinking only 
 of the anxious hours his mother had spent lately, 
 begged that she might be kept in ignorance of the 
 surgeons' decision. He refused to be chloroformed, 
 and this boy, who had only just turned twelve, 
 astounded the surgeons by his calm courage. 
 
 Rumors unfriendly to the regime were spread 
 among the people, and the Prince's illness was ex- 
 aggerated at the veiy time when the danger had 
 begun to abate. But the Empress insisted on the 
 public's being correctly informed, and reassuring 
 notices appeared in tke press. The general uneasi- 
 ness revived, however, w^hen it was admitted that 
 the Prince, though cured, was not considered to be 
 sufficiently strong to accompany his parents on the 
 opening day of the international exhibition, April 
 1, 1867. 
 
 The republicans and the other enemies of the 
 Second Empire made all the political capital they 
 
 117
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 could out of this incident which would have passed 
 almost unnoticed under ordinary circumstances. 
 But all these unscrupulous agitators knew that 
 Napoleon III without an heir, or with an heir with 
 a sickly constitution, was lessened in the eyes not 
 only of the common people, but in the world of 
 business, where a solid government, especially in 
 France, is so necessary for the progress of trade 
 and industry. So we always watched over the Prince 
 with the greatest solicitude, not only because of our 
 natural love for him, but in the interest of France. 
 If he had lived and come to the throne, I feel sure 
 that the world would have certainly recognized in 
 him a strong and enlightened ruler. 
 
 It was decided in the early summer of 1867 that 
 the Prince should be taken to Saint Cloud, where the 
 air was better than at the Tuileries. So he was 
 carried there on a camp-bedstead, accompanied by 
 the Emperor and the Empress. Instead of the 
 apartment on the ground floor which he had always 
 occupied heretofore, he was installed in a suite on 
 the second floor, which was considered more healthy. 
 Nearly every day the Empress drove over from 
 Paris to see him, and she saw that the little invalid 
 should be surrounded with every mark of tender- 
 ness. At Saint Cloud ho immediately began to make 
 rapid progress in a general building up. There the 
 Prince heard the echoes of the fetes given in honor 
 of all the foreign sovereigns who visited the Exhibi- 
 tion. It was one of his fondest amusements to wit- 
 ness from afar these festivities, which sometimes 
 took the shape of fireworks. He also long remem- 
 bered the distinguished personages whom he met at 
 this period. One after another of the crowned 
 
 118
 
 YOUTH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 guests of the Emperor stopped at Saint Cloud either 
 on their way to Versailles or when coming back from 
 that town. 
 
 In June, 1867, a few days after the attempt made 
 by Berezowski on the life of the King of Prussia 
 and the Emperor Alexander, they came to the pal- 
 ace. The post-chaise stopped before the Pavilion de 
 Valois, where the relay horses were waiting. I well 
 remember, that, on this occasion, the Emperor, the 
 King of Prussia and the Emperor Alexander were 
 on the front seat, and the Empress, a court-lady and 
 Count Bismarck were on the back seat. While the 
 horses were being changed — a very rapid operation 
 in the Emjjeror's stables — word was sent to General 
 Frossard to bring the Prince Imperial, in order that 
 he might be presented to the royal visitors. In a 
 few moments the boy appeared, and advanced 
 toward the carriage, limping slightly. Helped by 
 General Frossard, he mounted the step, when the 
 Emperor of Russia bent over and, raising the child 
 in his arms, kissed hiril affectionately on both 
 cheeks. More reserved. King William merely shook 
 hands with him. The Czar then lifted him up a 
 second time, and passed him over the hand bar so 
 that he might kiss the Empress, who was much 
 moved by this touching scene and never forgot it. 
 Thereupon the King of Prussia turned to take an- 
 other good look at the Prince, and Bismarck also 
 intently scanned the child, while a smile, which he 
 sought to render as gracious as possible, was on his 
 lips. He seemed trying to read the future in store 
 for the Imperial boy. The spontaneous action of the 
 Czar on this occasion, the graceful bearing of the 
 heir to the throne of France, and the German Chan- 
 
 119
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 cellor's expression are things which the Emperor 
 and the Empress sometimes referred to in after 
 years, and the recollection of the memorable scene 
 was vividly retained by all the members of the 
 Court who witnessed it. 
 
 A few days later, General Frossard said to the 
 Empress : 
 
 ' ' When the Prince and I were walking back to his 
 apartments after this presentation he remarked to 
 me in a very earnest tone : 
 
 ' ' ' Well, when I see these great rulers, I feel that 
 I have much to accomplish in order to fit myself 
 properly to do what they are doing. Do you really 
 think, General, that I can some day be able enough 
 to govern such a grand country as this ! ' 
 
 '^ '^^^ly, certainly, and why not?' I inquired. 
 
 '' 'Because they must know so much.' 
 
 ^' 'But years and your books will make you like 
 them. ' 
 
 ' * * Then, I will pitch into my books with renewed 
 ardor, and let the Bon Dieu look out for the years.' 
 
 ''And the fact is that the Prince has studied with 
 fresh energy since that interview. We will see now 
 what the Bon Dieu does in the way of years." 
 
 The General died before the tragedy cut short the 
 life of his eager pupil.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE PKINCE imperial's '' BAPTISM OF FIRE'* 
 
 It has often been said by the enemies of the 
 Second Empire that the conflict of 1870 was precipi- 
 tated by the French government in order to gain 
 new glory for the Imperial family and thus assure 
 the continuation of the reign on the person of the 
 young Prince. Of course there is no truth in this 
 shameful assertion. But what is true is that this 
 unfortunate struggle once begun, it w^as the wish of 
 the Emperor and the Empress, that the Prince Im- 
 perial, mere child though he was, be identified with 
 the war so far as was possible. Steps were im- 
 mediately taken to carry out this plan. 
 
 After the departure for the seat of war in 1870 of 
 the regiments at Saint Cloud, only a squadron of 
 lancers and a battalion of light horse remained 
 behind. A few days before he left to join the army, 
 the Prince Imperial, accompanied by Captain Du- 
 peire, his aide-de-camp, visited these men at the 
 barracks. It was about five o'clock and the soldiers 
 had just finished rubbing down their horses. At the 
 Prince's request Sergeant Baillehache conducted 
 him through the men's dormitories and over the 
 stables. The young Prince, who was wearing a top 
 hat and a short black coat with high white collar, was 
 deeply interested in everything he saw, and showed 
 plainly that he was proud of the fact that he was 
 
 121
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 soon going to the front ; so none of the soldiers were 
 sui'prised to hear him suddenly exclaim, while con- 
 versing with the quarter-master: *'Did you know 
 that I also am going?" This was said with all the 
 delight of a child at the fulfilment of a long 
 cherished wish. 
 
 The light horsemen had been informed of his 
 intended visit and were standing to receive him, 
 each at the foot of his bed in the dormitory, cap in 
 hand, wearing the full-dress tunic with yellow braid- 
 ing. As he passed into the court yard, which was 
 filled with serried rows of light horse and lancers, 
 he was enthusiastically cheered. The cheers fol- 
 lowed him, in fact, all the way up the slope to the 
 castle, and it was with considerable emotion and 
 keen pleasure that he gave the Empress the details 
 of this visit. I remember still how delighted 
 she was with the manly enthusiasm of the boy, 
 though I will confess that she was saddened at the 
 thought of his early departure for the seat of war, 
 where, notwithstanding every precaution, the 
 mother knew he was sure to run great risks. 
 
 The Prince Imperial heard many more cheers the 
 day before his departure. A luncheon was offered 
 to the entire garrison of Saint Cloud and to the 
 detachment of the Cent Gardes stationed at Sevres. 
 The tables were spread in the yard of the barracks 
 where all drank the health of the heir to the Im- 
 perial throne and the youth of fourteen was loudly 
 acclaimed. Later, as he passed through the ranks, 
 clothed in the uniform of a second lieutenant, his 
 hand resting proudly on the hilt of his sword, and 
 the military medal shining on his breast, many eyes 
 were dimmed with tears. This is one of the most 
 
 122
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIEE" 
 
 sadly sweet memories that I cherish — this young lad 
 so full of promise, the loud cheering of the men, 
 hopes of success in every breast, confidence in the 
 future; and then, on the reverse side of the medal, 
 disaster, exile and the tragedy of Zululand. 
 
 On the day following this banquet the Emperor 
 and the Prince Imperial left for the army. In the 
 private part of the park, near the railroad from 
 Sevres to Montretout, one may yet see a mushroom- 
 shaped shelter, roofed with thatch and surrounded 
 by iron candelabra. This was called "the Emper- 
 or's station," and from this spot the imperial train 
 "ras accustomed to set forth when the sovereign left 
 Saint Cloud for a journey. 
 
 The palace of Saint Cloud was very animated on 
 tlie morning of July 28, 1870. Princess Mathilde, 
 Prince Napoleon and Princess Clotilde, Prince and 
 Princess Murat, Prince and Princess Bonaparte, the 
 high officers who were leaving with the Imperial 
 party, the ministers, ladies and officers of the house- 
 hold, a few intimate friends invited for the farewell 
 — all these were gathered at the castle on this beauti- 
 ful summer day. 
 
 About ten o'clock the carriages entered the gar- 
 dens situated in front of the private apartments, and 
 shortly afterwards the Emperor, wearing the un- 
 dress uniform of a general, came forth from the 
 Salon Vcrnet accompanied by the Empress and the 
 Prince Imperial. Apparently very calm, the Em- 
 )jeror spoke to all present. Much moved but 
 striving not to show her emotion the Empress 
 hung back somewhat, while the PriiK';; Im- 
 perial, gracefully wearing the uiiifoim of a necond 
 lieutenant of the Guard, went from one person to 
 
 123
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 another, chatting rather excitedly but thinking in 
 this way to appear at ease. Yet the emotion of that 
 child of fourteen, with his affectionate and tender 
 nature, on the eve of leaving his mother for the 
 first time, was wholly excusable. 
 
 At the extremity of the terrace, the Emperor and 
 the Empress got into our carriage, and soon all the 
 other carriages were filled with the officers, minis- 
 ters, and friends. A few of the invited guests were 
 on foot. Soon all were gathered around the "mush- 
 room." The parting moment at length had come. 
 The Emperor got into the train and the rest of the 
 party began to do likewise. There was a ceaseless 
 succession of brilliant uniforms, for besides the 
 aides-de-camp and orderlies who were to accompany 
 the Emperor, he also had with him Major General 
 Leboeuf, and Generals Douai, Lebrun, de Failly, 
 Bourbaki and Frossard, who were starting to join 
 their various corps. "^Miy, it is like a regiment 
 leaving!" exclaimed the Emperor to the Empress, 
 endeavoring to force a smile. 
 
 A friend has written : 
 
 ''The Empress, deeply moved, stood on the plat- 
 form, tr}'ing with great effort to hide her emotion 
 and to appear calm in the midst of the anguish she 
 felt as mother and wife. Then, there were her 
 anxieties as regent, on whom was to weigh the heavy 
 burden of a crown which might topple over at the 
 slightest touch and crush her in its fall. Once again 
 she kissed the Emperor and her son. The Prince 
 gave her a last affectionate clinging embrace, and 
 turned to shake hands with those around him, while 
 the Emperor closely scanned those who surrounded 
 him, lest he might have overlooked some one to 
 
 124
 
 THE PRINCE'S '' BAPTISM OF FIRE'» 
 
 whom he had not said farewell. Thus he perceived 
 one of his chamberlains, and exclaimed: 'Ah! du 
 Manoir, I have not said good-by to you.' 
 
 ''These were the Emperor's last words at Saint 
 Cloud, for the signal for starting had been given 
 and the train, with a loud, shrill whistle, slowly 
 began to move off. 'Always do your duty, Louis,' 
 said the Empress at this moment in a voice choked 
 with emotion; and, at the same moment every one 
 uncovered, while a loud cry of 'Long live the Em- 
 peror!' arose. It was the last time that this shout 
 was raised at the palace of Saint Cloud. 
 
 "The Emperor, leaning out of the carriage win- 
 dow, threw a farewell kiss to the Empress, who 
 remained motionless, her eyes fixed on the husband 
 whom fate was dragging from her, and on the son 
 leaving her so young, to become the sport of cir- 
 cumstances. The Emperor's sad, kind face was seen 
 until the train reached the gateway where the 
 branch joins the main line. Then he crossed to the 
 other side of the carriage and bowed to the inhabi- 
 tants of Montretout who had assembled to cheer him 
 and wave their farewell. 
 
 "At the last moment, just before the train quite 
 disappeared, a handkerchief was seen fluttering 
 from one of the car windows. It was the Prince Im- 
 perial thus sending a last good-by to his mother, 
 and to France ! Then the turning of the road hid all 
 from sight and the Empress shook off the stupor 
 which had seized hor. AValking towards her car- 
 riage, she gave free vent to her emotion and, hiding 
 her face in her handkerchief, sobbed bitterly. And 
 thus ended this sad separation with all its lament- 
 able aftermath." 
 
 125
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 On August 2, 1870, the Emperor, with his son by 
 his side, was present at the engagement of Sarre- 
 bruck. This was the Prince Imi^eriaPs "baptism of 
 fire," a fact which was sneeringly criticized by the 
 enemies of the Empire, but which the Emperor 
 hastened to announce to the Empress by telegram. 
 Notwithstanding her very natural anxiety and grief 
 at being separated from her boy, she considered it 
 only right that he should be at the Emperor's side 
 on such an occasion. 
 
 After that very insignificant victory came a series 
 of disasters which followed one another in startling 
 and discouraging succession. The feverish anxiety 
 of the first days changed now to dull, aching 
 anguish ; there seemed indeed to be no lining to the 
 cloud, and hope appeared but a vain word. On 
 August 14th the Emperor and Prince left Metz, 
 spent the night of the 15th at Gravelotte in a very 
 modest inn, and, at four in the morning, accom- 
 panied only by two followers, they got into a post- 
 chaise, escorted by a platoon of the Cent Gardes. 
 The officers of the military household followed in 
 two other carriages. 
 
 Just before they left. Marshal Bazaine came to 
 speak with the Emperor. Bazaine 's one desire was 
 to get rid of the Emperor, and with this object in 
 view, he delayed the army's march towards Verdun. 
 He naturally felt a great responsibility in having 
 with him the Emperor and Prince Imperial; but if 
 they had remained with him, the probability is that 
 Bazaine 's after career would have been very dif- 
 ferent from what it was, and certainly more honor- 
 able to him and less unfortunate to the noble French 
 army under his baneful command. 
 
 126
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 The post-chaise started toward Verdun, preceded, 
 as has been said, by the Gardes, and followed by two 
 squadrons of lancers. On reaching Doncourt, the 
 latter were replaced by a portion of the xVfrican 
 corps of General Margueritte, commanded by 
 Colonel de Galliffet. Several times the Emperor 
 mentioned this satisfaction at seeing the Marquis de 
 Galliffet at the head of the escort, and assured him 
 that, in the midst of his soldiers, he felt no anxiety 
 regarding his son's safety. 
 
 And yet there was considerable danger. The 
 enemy was so near at hand that the lancers had, 
 while returning to their camp, a skirmish with a troop 
 of German scouts. A few miles further on, while 
 lunching at Etain, the Emperor and his escort nar- 
 rowly escaped being taken prisoners. But they 
 finally reached Verdun safely at nine o'clock, where 
 no time was lost, as it was desirable to reach 
 Chalons as quickly as possible in the hope of meet- 
 ing the fragments of MacMahon's army and the 
 other troops who were to try to relieve Bazaine 
 from his desperate situation. The Emperor and the 
 Prince Imperial took the train, therefore, at eleven 
 o'clock at night and arrived at Chalons at daybreak. 
 The Prince visited the camp, and was enthus- 
 iastically greeted everywhere in spite of the con- 
 fusion in the ranks and the bad news constantly 
 received. This warm welcome at Chalons was one of 
 the last pleasant remembrances he had of tliose sad 
 days. More than once in after years, he spoke of it 
 with the Emperor and the Empress, when, which 
 rarely happened, they went over again that dark 
 epoch during our English exile. 
 
 On August 21st the Emperor reached Courcelles, 
 
 127
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 near Reims, where he received, on the following day, 
 a visit from M. Ronher and Marshal MacMahon, 
 with whom he discussed various plans in view of 
 future events. A few minutes after the departure of 
 M. Roulier on August 23rd, the detachment of the 
 Cent Gardes was ordered to escort the Prince Im- 
 perial to Rethel, where the Prince stopped at the 
 Sub-Prefect's residence. A dinner was given in his 
 honor, at which he '' conducted himself in a manner 
 that would have done credit to a full-grown man," 
 said to the Empress, later, one of those present. 
 
 The Emperor came on the following day, by way 
 of Betheniville, and, until August 27th, remained 
 with the Prince Imperial at Tourteron, on the road 
 between Rethel and Sedan. The Emperor was 
 naturally loath to quit his son, but military and 
 dynastic interests both demanded this sacrifice; so 
 it was at Tourteron that the Emperor and Prince 
 Imperial finally separated, Napoleon going to Le 
 Chesne, while the Prince left for Mezieres, with 
 Captain Duperre, Comte Clary, Major Lamey, and 
 Viscomte d'Aure, as equerry. A corporal and two 
 men preceded them, while Lieutenant Watrin rode 
 on the right of the carriage. 
 
 On Sunday, the 2Sth, they passed through Sedan, 
 where they witnessed an uncalled for panic, which 
 awakened the growing suspicions of the young 
 Prince that all was not going well. On the road near 
 Vrigne-aux-Bois, they met an ambulance. The 
 Prince requested it to halt, enquired after the 
 wounded and gave the men some money. "What he 
 was told by these poor fellows confirmed his sus- 
 picions. He felt pretty sure that all was not well; 
 but he said nothing. On Monday, the 29th, they 
 
 128
 
 THE PRINCE'S '^BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 readied Mezieres, where tliey did not stop but went 
 on the next day through Avesnes and Landrecies, 
 where the Prince was loudly and enthusiastically 
 cheered. These cheers gave the boy fresh hopes ; his 
 spirits were kept up by the novelty of the surround- 
 ings, and the continual change of place, view and 
 people. ' ' He charmed us all by his good nature and 
 seriousness," said one of his companions to me 
 later; "though he intuitively felt that something 
 was wrong, he discreetly put no awkward questions, 
 which was not the least praiseworthy peculiarity of 
 his conduct under these most trying circumstances." 
 
 The whole party suffered the greatest anxiety all 
 the time during this journey, which was of necessity 
 accomplished in a very stealthy and round-about 
 manner. On Sunday came the news of the disaster 
 at Sedan, which, of course, augmented this nervous- 
 ness and rendered it still harder to keep the truth 
 from the intelligent Prince. As long as possible this 
 last catastrophe was hidden from him, and he flatly 
 refused at first to join in the retreating movement. 
 The secret was still kept, and for two days longer he 
 remained ignorant of the defeat in the Ardennes 
 and the revolution at Paris. 
 
 There has been much discussion over the reasons 
 that prompted Captain Duperre to order those in 
 the suite of the Prince to say nothing to him of out- 
 side events. Those who were familiar, however, with 
 the chivalrous character of the young heir, readily 
 understood why such a course had been adopted. 
 "He did not merely like danger, he adored it," has 
 very justly been remarked by M. Filon, the former 
 tutor of the Prince Imperial; and everything was to 
 be feared with a youth of his temperament. Con- 
 
 129
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 sequcntly, the Emperor and the Empress always 
 approved heartily of the conduct of this worthy oflS- 
 cer in this particular. The Prince Imperial himself 
 used to say of him that he never knew a finer speci- 
 men of the devoted and thorough military gentle- 
 man. "If it had not been for his good sense and 
 clear-sightedness," the Prince once remarked, "we 
 might have never reached England; anyway, I 
 would have been far more depressed than I was if 
 he had not kept from my ears all the exaggerated 
 and often absolutely false rumours which were 
 rained on us from all sides." 
 
 The welcome which the Prince received at Mau- 
 beuge from Mme. Marchant, widow of the distin- 
 guished Senator of the Empire, was most touching. 
 "I felt that I could not do too much for the noble 
 boy," wrote this excellent woman to the Empress at 
 a much later period; "and he was so grateful for 
 my little attention that I was moved to tears. The 
 Prince Imperial had a fine solid character and would 
 have made a model ruler of men." 
 
 The Sub-Prefect of Avesnes, M. Richebe, was 
 complimented by Captain Duperre on the enthu- 
 siasm manifested by the inhabitants of his town, 
 which plainly showed what a strong hold the Em- 
 pire had on the people. In fact, this popular in- 
 terest taken in the Prince was a source of real em- 
 barrassment to the escort. Cheered everywhere on 
 his passage, his presence was known to everybody, 
 and it was difficult to see how the young Prince with 
 his little escort would be able to leave France un- 
 molested, if the new Government at Paris or the 
 active German army should decide to stop his flight. 
 The orders w^hich had been received from the Im- 
 
 130
 
 THE PRINCE'S "BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 perial authorities read: "Leave immediately for 
 Belgium." They came in the form of a telegram 
 from M. Filon, who was carrying out the instruc- 
 tions of the Regency. It was naturally felt by the 
 friends of the Empire that with the Empress and 
 the Prince Imperial safe, "anything was possible 
 in the chaos which then reigned in France," as a 
 friend remarked. 
 
 When it was announced to the Prince Imperial 
 that he must quit French soil, he naturally objected; 
 but when at last he found he must submit, he quietly 
 climbed into the break which was to take him and 
 his officers to Feignies and bade a touching fare- 
 well to Watrin. But he said nothing. "The boy's 
 big heart was too full to speak," said one of the 
 escort. The fugitives went by train from Feignies 
 to Alons, where again the Prince Imperial showed 
 signs of rebellion, and it w^as not without difficulty 
 that his objections were overcome. It should be 
 borne in mind that he knew nothing of what had oc- 
 curred, and could not understand exactly why he 
 was requested, or rather made, to leave France, In 
 vain he begged the officers to disregard the orders 
 which had now come both from Paris and Sedan; 
 in vain he questioned all around him, trying to ob- 
 tain some clew; but ho finally yielded to Duperre's 
 firm determination to obey instructions. 
 
 At Mons they found it impossible to get a car- 
 I'iage when they reached the station. The Prince 
 and his escort had to walk to the Crown Hotel, 
 where, in 1800, Ijouis Xaj^oleon, his grandfather, 
 bad stopped, and where, in 1810, Napoleon and Ma- 
 rie Louise stayed on tlie way to Laeken. This fact 
 was noted by the Prince in a little diary kept during 
 
 131
 
 MEMOIKS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 his early years. A compact crowd filled the square 
 ill front of the hotel and comments of all sorts filled 
 the air. But everything said was of a respectful 
 nature and the people showed much sympathy for 
 the unfortunate boy and his faithful escort. 
 
 After a short rest at Mons, preparations were 
 made for continuing the journey. According to fur- 
 ther instructions telegraphed by the Emperor, Cap- 
 tain Duperre again gave the signal to depart, and 
 in order to mislead the waiting people who desired 
 to see once again the fugitives, the Prince and his 
 party were driven to the station in the hotel omni- 
 bus. '*That shows a democratic spirit," remarked 
 one of the bystanders as they drove up to the train. 
 "I like that," said another; ''the Bonapartes are 
 not afraid to remind the public now and then of 
 their popular origin." The Prince Imperial, who 
 noted these remarks himself, smiled pleasantly when 
 he heard them. A special train was in readiness for 
 him, and in order to hide their real movements from 
 the crowd, the Prince and his suite got into another 
 train which was standing in the station. They sim- 
 ply passed through this train by the opposite door 
 and entered the special for Verviers. This hap- 
 pened on September 4th, at eight in the evening, 
 and at one o'clock the train stopped at Xamur, 
 where further instructions were awaited. 
 
 The Emperor, a prisoner and on his way to Cas- 
 sel, had hoped to meet his son at Verviers, and, for 
 an instant, imagined that the Prince might, for a 
 few days at least, be a temporary prisoner with him. 
 But the instructions received by the Prussian gen- 
 eral who accompanied the Emperor destroyed all 
 these pleasant expectations. Therefore, the Em- 
 
 132
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 peror sadly gave orders to Comte Clary, who had 
 come to meet him, while the Prince Imperial was 
 at Namiir, that the latter should go to England, 
 crossing by Ostend and Dover. 
 
 Up to this point, as has already been said, the 
 Prince Imperial had been kept in ig*norance of the 
 tragedy which had just occurred. But now, with the 
 assistance of Comte de Baillet, Governor of Namur, 
 Captain Duperre and Comte Clary explained to the 
 child all that had taken place — the Emperor a pris- 
 oner, the Empire overthrown, his mother on the 
 road to England, the German arms victorious on all 
 sides. The boy heard these dreadful revelations 
 without uttering a word. It has been said that he 
 gave vent to certain expressions of sorrow and re- 
 gret, but this is untrue. For a long time he re- 
 mained silent, drawing himself up proudly and stif- 
 fening eveiy muscle against the cruel anguish which 
 oppressed him. When the time came to sit down to 
 table, he was pale but calm and barely touched 
 the food which was put before him. On leaving his 
 host, the Governor, the Prince thanked him most 
 warmly and asked how he could show his gratitude. 
 ''By two lines of your writing. Highness," said 
 Comte de Baillet. Then the Prince slowly w^ote with 
 a firm hand on a sheet of paper these words: "Af- 
 fectionate and grateful remembrances. Namur, Sep- 
 tember 5, 1870. Louis Napoleon." 
 
 At three o'clock that afternoon a carriage drew 
 up before a small gate leading into the Namur sta- 
 tion. The Prince jumped out with a light step and 
 walked rapidly to the station-master's office, where 
 he awaited the departure of the train, talking mean- 
 while affably with Colonel Goffinet, Military Com- 
 
 133
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 mander of Namur, and with Colonel Beretzy. One 
 of these gentlemen wrote in a private letter a few 
 days afterwards : ''You would never have imagined 
 from his words and manner that this lad had learned 
 for the first time, but an hour or so before, that 
 his parents w^ere prisoners or fugitives like himself 
 and that the throne on which he had expected to 
 sit one day was broken to pieces. The Prince Im- 
 perial was a man at fourteen." 
 
 AVhen the Prince appeared on the platform, 
 women bowed low and men silently uncovered with 
 a feeling of genuine pity and sympathy for this 
 youth, who, pale and calm, returned their courtesies 
 with a sad smile that spoke volumes. "At the same 
 time there was a certain manly dignity about him," 
 said one of the on-lookers, ''that would have at- 
 tracted attention even if he had not been associated 
 with such a terrible political catastrophe." 
 
 At eight that evening the Prince and his friends 
 reached Ostend station, where his approaching ar- 
 rival had been announced b}^ telegraph. As many 
 people were gathered there out of idle curiosity to 
 see the fallen Prince, he asked to be permitted to 
 leave the station by a little gate which faced the 
 hotel where he was to stop. There was some delay in 
 opening this gate, so the Prince, boy-like, quietly 
 climbed over it, much to the surprised admiration 
 of a few bystanders. At Ostend he spent one night 
 in the Hotel d 'Allemagiie, and on the following day 
 a boat from the yacht, Sea-Bird, belonging to Count 
 Dumonceau, carried the Prince to the steamer, the 
 Count of Flanders, commanded by Lieutenant 
 Gerard. Shutting himself in the cabin occupied by 
 the Belgian king when he makes this crossing, 
 
 134
 
 THE PRINCE'S "BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 Prince Louis came on deck only when the boat had 
 left the harbor, the expectant crowd waiting in 
 vain to catch a glance of him. Five hours later the 
 steamer reached Dover. The young Prince got into 
 the special train which was to take him to Hastings, 
 where, on the following day the Empress, who had 
 crossed from Deauville to Ryde on Sir John Bur- 
 goyne's yacht, drew her beloved son to her arms, 
 and there, shortly afterwards, they received the 
 news of Napoleon's arrival at Wilhelmsliohe. This 
 meeting, after so many anxious days of separation, 
 was balm to the hearts of both mother and son. 
 
 Princess Murat, the Duchesse de Mouchy, the wife 
 of Marshal Ganrobert, the Marquis de Lavalette, the 
 Due de Gramont and other important and faithful 
 members of the household hastened to join them in 
 England, and, at the end of the week, M. Filon was 
 again to be found at his pupil's side, much to the 
 comfort of the Prince Imperial, who was deeply at- 
 tached to this learned and affable young scholar. A 
 few weeks later M. Filon asked to be admitted into 
 the ranks of the army of the Loire, but Gambetta 
 caused him to be arrested and sent back to Eng- 
 land, where he remained w^ith the Prince until the 
 latter 's death. 
 
 This month's terrible experiences made an indeli- 
 ble impression on the fresh heart of the young 
 Prince. It was the first time that he had been sepa- 
 rated from his family and tliat his quiet and well- 
 ordered home life had been disturbed. It was his 
 initial plunge into the real existence of the real 
 world, a plunge made under most extraordinary cir- 
 cumstances. He had been long studying military 
 science, reading about the great Napoleon's famous 
 
 135
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 campaigns and, in a word, playing at war. During 
 this fateful month of August, 1870, he had caught 
 glimpses of actual warfare, had heard the firing of 
 death-bearing cannon and had looked into the faces 
 of men wounded on the battle-field. These scenes 
 completed his military education and made a soldier 
 of him. Here was received the initial incentive 
 which carried him to South Africa and to his tragic 
 death. It was also during this campaign of 1870 
 that he underwent his first great sorrow and under- 
 went it alone, in "the isolation of self"; for rare is 
 the case of a boy of his tender age having to bear 
 up alone against such cruel blows of misfortune 
 as those which assailed him in the first days of Sep- 
 tember, when he learned of the disasters which had 
 befallen France and the Empire. ''In the two short 
 months of August and September, 1870, I developed 
 more mentally than I developed bodily," he once 
 said, "during the whole seven years from fourteen 
 to my majority." And all those who knew the 
 Prince Imperial intimately will agree with this as- 
 sertion. 
 
 In the early seventies the restoration of the Im- 
 perial regime seemed imminent to many minds both 
 inside and outside of France. In 1874 the first anni- 
 versary of the Emperor's death was widely and feel- 
 ingly observed, and on March 16th of the same year 
 the constitutional majority — eighteen — of the 
 Prince Imperial was enthusiastically celebrated at 
 Chislehurst. He performed his part in the proceed- 
 ings with great digTiity, manliness and composure. 
 The Empress stood at his side, surrounded by all 
 the dignitaries and ladies of the former court, when 
 
 136
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 the time came for him to deliver his speech. The 
 young man mastered his emotion and read his dec- 
 laration in a firm voice. His mother was never 
 more proud of him than at the moment when ho 
 concluded. She felt that he had passed through th;- 
 ordeal successfully, and this mother's judgment, so 
 apt to be too partial, was confirmed immediately by 
 the plaudits of the large concourse of friends and 
 supporters. Barely had the last words been pro- 
 nounced, when the vast crowd began to press to- 
 ward the platform on which the Prince stood, and 
 so great was the crush, that it was with consider- 
 able difficulty that he got safely back into the house. 
 In fact, it looked for the minute as though the 
 Prince would be borne away on the shoulders of the 
 excited multitude. But finally the people calmed 
 down, and then began the curious and interesting 
 reception of the various delegations. I particularly 
 remember the representatives of the Paris market 
 women, with that characteristic Mme. Lebon at their 
 head. When she reached the Prince, she kissed him 
 on both cheeks, and, somewhat confused, said to 
 him: ''Your Majesty may be interested to know 
 that twenty-two years ago — before you were born — 
 I saluted in this same way the Emperor, at the ball 
 given by the market committee." We were mucli 
 amused at the title which the good woman gave to 
 the Prince. "It showed what she was thinking," 
 remarked the Prince at the dinner which followed. 
 "She was only a little too 'previous,' " added a san- 
 guine but prudent guest. 
 
 That a strong current of opinion in favor of the 
 Prince was beginning to show itself cannot be de- 
 nied. Some of the friends who had come over from 
 
 137
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 France and now saw him for the first time since 
 he began to pass from boyhood to manhood, ex- 
 pressed surprise that he should remain in a foreign 
 land instead of returning to France with them. The 
 Empress felt, however, that it would be unwise to 
 go to work so rapidly. She urged moderation on 
 those who showed too much ardor. Deeply wounded 
 by all the insults and all the injustices which had 
 been heaped upon the Emperor and herself since 
 the war, it was hard for her to believe that the move- 
 ment which had commenced in 1872 and which had 
 been momentarily checked by the death of the Em- 
 peror and the youth of the Prince Imperial, was 
 now really taking solid form. But gradually she 
 began to realize that the dream was becoming a 
 reality and that the day was drawing near when the 
 Prince Imperial might become "necessary." Eu- 
 genie was chiefly brought round to this view by the 
 reiterated statements to this effect which came from 
 the generals, the ecclesiastics and, of course, from 
 the politicians who came over to England in increas- 
 ing numbers after the brilliant ceremonies of March 
 16th. 
 
 I ought to add right here that there is no truth in 
 the assertion which has been so often made that 
 the Prince Imperial and the Empress were not in 
 accord at this time. The Prince continued his mili- 
 tary studies at Woolwich, but on holidays he would 
 receive men of influence in the Bonapartist party, 
 by whom he was kept well informed concerning the 
 whole political situation in France and outside of 
 the country. They were both agreed in regard to 
 his line of conduct. Anybody who is at all acquaint- 
 ed with the home life at Chislehurst knows that they 
 
 138
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 worked together for the best interests of the regime ; 
 but they must not be held responsible for the differ- 
 ences of opinion which unquestionably existed in 
 the party and which both strove to assuage. Some 
 of the more energetic leaders did not approve of the 
 rather temporizing policy of M. Rouher and would 
 have preferred seeing a more aggressive man at the 
 head of the Bonaparte interests. The Duke of 
 Padua was often put forward for this post. So was 
 General Fleury, who had shown so much devotion to 
 the Bonapartes and the cause. There had been a 
 time when these two excellent men were not on 
 friendly terms. But both realized that if the Bona- 
 partes were to succeed, there must be union in rank 
 and file. So they quickly buried their differences 
 in the common interests. The Empress had great 
 confidence in M. Rouher, but this did not prevent 
 her from taking the advice of other friends of the 
 Empire. The Prince Imperial acted in the same 
 catholic fashion, and here again mother and son 
 were of quite one mind. He would study the whole 
 situation thoroughly and then would arrive at a 
 conclusion whose correctness often surprised those 
 who remembered his youth at the time. So it be- 
 came more and more evident that he was the "re- 
 serve" of the conservative party of France, espe- 
 cially since the Comte de Chambord had, the year 
 before, put himself in a position where he could not 
 hope modem France would follow him. His return 
 to France was possible, if the general situation took 
 a favorable turn. Mother and son both felt this and 
 both saw what a new and responsible position was 
 theirs. This alone would have more tliaii sufiiiced to 
 
 139
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 cause union between them, if this union had not al- 
 ready existed. 
 
 In 1875, after a stay at Arenberg, where the 
 Prince Imperial and the Empress welcomed a few 
 friends from France, they decided to travel in Italy. 
 There was no danger of any political meaning being 
 attached to this journey, particularly as the Prince 
 was to travel incognito under the name of Comte de 
 Pierrefonds. At Bellagio they parted, the Empress 
 going to Milan, while the Prince continued on to 
 Verona. Unrecognized, he visited the battle-field 
 of Solferino and took great interest in this instruc- 
 tive excursion, so fitting for the heir of a military 
 djnaasty, and for himself, who was always much 
 attracted by military matters. The Prince Imperial 
 was devoted to such studies, not alone because he 
 considered it a duty, but chiefly because it suited 
 his tastes. 
 
 After Solferino, he went to Magenta. But now 
 his incognito no longer shielded him, and it became 
 impossible to escape the sjmipathetic demonstra- 
 tions which everywhere greeted the son of him who 
 had been the Liberator of Italy. The Prince's de- 
 parture from Milan had leaked out, and when he 
 reached Magenta, he found the Municipal Council 
 awaiting him, while the road was lined by crowds 
 of people who greeted him with loud and continuous 
 cheers. 
 
 In Milan, numberless marks of sjnnpathy were 
 sho^vn the Empress, but she avoided as far as pos- 
 sible all receptions, though some attentions could 
 not be refused without showing greater indifference 
 than she cared to assume. The population of Milan 
 was thanked for its attentions, and at Florence, 
 
 140
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 where both wished to stop for some time, the mu- 
 nicipal authorities desired to receive them officially 
 at the station, where the neighboring streets were 
 so crowded that it was almost impossible to leave. 
 So dense was the crowd surrounding the entrance 
 that several times the Empress cried out as the 
 carriage passed: ''Take care!" Both were deeply 
 moved by these friendly acts. Italy and, above all, 
 the Italian Government had seemed to forget so en- 
 tirely all the services the Emperor had rendered 
 to the country and to the cause of Italian unity that 
 these manifestations might well occasion some sur- 
 prise. 
 
 During the six weeks spent in the Tuscan capital, 
 there was a perpetual round of receptions, dinners, 
 and even balls given in honor of the Prince. The 
 Empress lived in retirement in a villa situated at 
 the gates of Florence and did not take part in the 
 social events. A few friends from France had 
 joined the party, who generally accompanied the 
 Prince, while others kept the Empress company. 
 Among these were M. Rouhor, chief of the Imperial 
 party in France, Prince Joachim Murat, General 
 Espinasse's son, who had been a friend of the Prince 
 Imperial since childhood. Though nothing was done 
 to disturb the international relations of France and 
 Italy, all quietly studied the situation in the former 
 country and examined questions of the future. This 
 was only natural. 
 
 The Prince Imperial was not wholly occupied by 
 his social duties, to which, however, he devoted no 
 small part of his time, well understanding their im- 
 portance to the successor to a throne. He continued 
 his military studies, which were already far ad- 
 
 141
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 vanced, participated in the artillery maneuvers and 
 took lessons in military art from a very distin- 
 guished officer of the Italian army, Major Manzi. 
 
 On December 15th, accompanied by M. Rouher 
 and Prince Joachim Murat, the Empress and the 
 Prince left for Rome, where Pope Pius IX awaited 
 the visit of his godson. They were welcomed at the 
 Vatican with all due honors, and the Holy Father 
 showed them marked affection. This visit created 
 considerable comment both in Rome and in France, 
 the extreme parties in both countries speaking out 
 loudly on the subject. Some maintained that the 
 Prince Imperial had requested the assistance of the 
 Holy Father in political matters, while others did 
 not hesitate to assert that Pius IX had been much an- 
 noyed by a visit which he did not desire and could 
 not refuse, and had been extremely cold in his man- 
 ner towards the Empress and her son. There was 
 no truth in either of these statements. The call on 
 the Pope was quite natural. The Empress and the 
 Prince were in Italy, there was no dominant politi- 
 cal object in view, and it was simply an act of re- 
 spect and deference on the part of a Christian and 
 very deeply religious Prince towards the Chief of 
 his Church, a mark of affection on the part of a god- 
 son towards his godfather. At least, such was the 
 light in which it was regarded by host and guests. 
 
 After the visit to Rome, the Imperial party re- 
 turned to Florence, where they remained through- 
 out the winter of 1875-1876. Again, they took up 
 the same style of living, half military, half social. 
 The Prince was evidently appreciated in the Flor- 
 entine society. Besides the Bonaparte Princesses 
 and other connections of the family who paid visits 
 
 142
 
 THE PRINCE'S ''BAPTISM OF FIRE" 
 
 to him, many influential members of official and 
 aristocratic circles came to pay their respects. But 
 in May the Prince returned to England, while the 
 Empress went to spend some weeks in Spain. 
 
 The visit to Italy had more importance than would 
 appear at first blush. It should be remembered that 
 in 1875 an old soldier of the Second Empire, 3.[ar- 
 shal MacMahon, was President of France, and that 
 in the National Assembly was a strong and com- 
 pact body of deputies determined to bring back 
 the Empire. New Bonapartist deputies were being 
 continually elected, and the republican party at 
 this moment was very nervous about this tendency 
 of the electorate to choose Bonapartists. This trip 
 to Italy indirectly aided in the political work at 
 home by bringing the Prince Imperial before the 
 public of France and Europe in general. 
 
 At Chislehurst, the political visits which had been 
 interrupted by the journey to Italy, now recom- 
 menced. The Prince Imperial was again visited by 
 his father's friends, and the friends of his childhood, 
 who came to see him one at a time, whenever they 
 were free, for many of them had entered the mili- 
 tary schools. One by one also came the Deputies 
 of the Bonapartist group in the Assembly, who had 
 long conversations with the young Prince. At the 
 same time the latter resumed his military studies, 
 and took part in the sports which are considered 
 necessary to a princely education. 
 
 It was at this moment that the Prince Imperial, 
 desirous of exercising the sole right which had been 
 left to him as a citizen, by tlie decree wliieh exiled 
 him, asked Prince Murat to represent liini on the 
 occasion of the annual drawing of lots for conscrip- 
 
 143
 
 MEMOIRS OF' THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tion. He was now approaching twenty-one. The 
 Prince's name was not on the list, however, and in 
 spite of repeated demands it was not inserted soon 
 enough for him to try his chance in 1877. The fol^ 
 lowing year, however, Prince Murat, assisted by M. 
 Rouher, was able to fulfil the mission intrusted to 
 him. When the name of Bonaparte was called, the 
 Prince advanced to the official who was stationed in 
 the old Palace of Industry, where lots were drawn 
 for the first ward of Paris, and drew the number 
 307. But the law of exile would permit the Prince 
 Imperial to go no further. He could not enter the 
 French army, and so a year later he joined the Brit- 
 ish forces in South Africa with the tragic result 
 known to the world. The Italian visit led up to this 
 fatal step, for it was in Italy that he conceived the 
 idea of going into active military life, an idea im- 
 planted in his young brain by his daily association 
 with some of the eager and ambitious young officers 
 of the King's fine army.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPEEIAL 
 
 At 9 o'clock, on one morning in March, 1879, the 
 Prince Imperial, accompanied by the Empress and 
 a few others, started from Chislehurst on that fatal 
 journey to South Africa. The day before, he wrote 
 as follows to Father Goddard, of the Chislehurst 
 church: "I trust you will not think that the haste 
 of my departure and the many details I must see to 
 are causing me to forget my duties as a Christian. 
 To-morrow I shall go at half past seven to confess 
 and receive holy communion for the last time in 
 Chislehurst chapel, where I hope to be buried, if 
 I die." I copy from the original letter, which I saw 
 and which the Empress once possessed. Of course, 
 the latter felt quite unnen^ed at his departure. But 
 the Prince appeared calm and energetic. He said 
 good-by to all who had come to see him off and many 
 of whom were in tears. He tried to comfort them. 
 I must confess that the Empress wept most of the 
 way to Southampton and at the dinner, when the 
 generals present drank her health and that of the 
 Prince. When the ship sailed off, I well remember 
 that she nearly fainted in the supporting arms of 
 dear friends. The Prince was much moved, but kept 
 a wonderful control over his feelings. 
 
 I have felt that these memoirs would not be com- 
 plete without some account of the death of the 
 
 145
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Prince Imperial. For this reason I have inserted 
 a chapter describing this terrible tragedy. 
 
 My father was a General and Ambassador of the 
 Second Empire. From boyhood I had been the play- 
 mate of the Prince Imperial and was one of the 
 watchers who kept g-uard over his coffin the night 
 before the burial at Chislehurst, July 12, 1879. 
 
 On May 31, 1879, the first division of the Newdi- 
 gate column of the English army was camping on 
 the banks of the Blood River, in Cape Colony. The 
 next day the rest of the column entered Zululand 
 and the two divisions started towards Itelezi. The 
 Prince Imperial and Lieutenant Carey started at 
 half past eight, preceding the vanguard. M. Paul 
 Deleage, of the Figaro, was with them at this mo- 
 ment but hesitated to follow this reconnoitering 
 party, though Carey told him they were going only 
 a slight way ahead of the main body, "only seven 
 or eight miles, when we shall decide where the camp 
 shall be pitched." At this moment the Prince came 
 up and said to M. Deleage: *'Our little excursion 
 will not be very interesting to you, you who have 
 already gone so far into Zululand." The Prince 
 then asked for some paper to write a letter to Eu- 
 rope, saying: "I have just heard that Mr. Forbes, 
 who, if I am not mistaken, is the correspondent of 
 the London Daily Neivs, is returning to Landman's 
 Drift this morning. I want to ask him to take a let- 
 ter to the camp post office, as this will be our last 
 chance to send news to Europe for some days to 
 come." The Prince then went into a tent to write 
 his letter. It was not given to Mr. Forbes, how- 
 ever, though it did get into the post and reach- 
 
 146
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 ed its destination. It was the last letter the unfor- 
 tunate Prince ever wrote, and it w^as addressed to 
 his mother. ''I will not cross the frontier," he wrote 
 to the Empress, *' without giving you news of me." 
 The letter bore the day of the month, which was 
 seldom the case in the correspondence of the Prince 
 Imperial, and this date was June 1st. The unfor- 
 tunate young man seemed to feel that this was an 
 important moment in his career, but probably saw 
 in it only the act of crossing into the enemy's coun- 
 try. Or did he have a presentiment of his approach- 
 ing death, as so often happens in war? The Em- 
 press always felt so, though the basis of her opin- 
 ion was the slim fact of her son's having thus dated 
 his last letter to her, and having said therein one 
 or two somewhat mysterious things, which, if forced 
 somewhat, might give color to this idea of premoni- 
 tion. 
 
 At the moment when Lord Chelmsford left the 
 camp, following his army, he asked w^here his young 
 staff officer, the Prince Imperial, was. An officer 
 replied: "Tlie Prince is a little in advance of the 
 column, with Colonel Harrison." Tliis answer satis- 
 fied Lord Chelmsford, who always felt the responsi- 
 bility that lay upon him in connection with the pres- 
 ence of the Prince Imperial with the British army. 
 In fact, he had received special instructions from 
 the British government concerning the care he was 
 to have of the Prince. 
 
 Colonel Harrison, as was the case that day, with 
 all the staff officers of General Newdigato, was espe- 
 cially charged with tlie supervision of tlio march of 
 the troops and the progress of the wagon trains ; 
 eo that he was not obliged to be far absent from 
 
 147
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 the vanguard, and could, consequently, keep an eye 
 on the Prince. "Nobody imagined that the Prince 
 and Lieutenant Carey would go further than 
 Itelezi," said to me one of those present, "which 
 was to be the camping place that day of the little 
 army." How happened it then that orders were not 
 obeyed and that the catastrophe occurred at a con- 
 siderable distance in advance of the head of the 
 column f Later, all the officers of the staff were 
 questioned on this point, and the Empress, when she 
 made her sad journey to Zululand, went over the 
 whole route followed that day, but several points in 
 that tragedy have never been sufficiently explained 
 and probably never will be. M. Deleage wrote in 
 the Figaro an account of all this, and the gist of it 
 he has repeated to me on more than one occasion. 
 On this point he said to me : 
 
 "I was with Colonel Montgomery when he 
 reached the Itelezi hill and looked round for the 
 Prince. I saw Lord Chelmsford and Colonel Har- 
 rison, but I did not see the Prince Imperial. I im- 
 mediately concluded that the Prince and Lieutenant 
 Carey were awaiting us on the spot chosen for the 
 camp. A little further on I met Captain Stanley, 
 correspondent of the London Standard, who said to 
 me: 
 
 " 'Don't go any further; we are stopping here.' 
 
 " 'I don't think that can be so,' I answered, 'for 
 if this were the spot, as I got here first, I should 
 have seen the Prince Imperial and Lieutenant 
 Carey, who came forward to select the spot for the 
 camp.' 
 
 " 'Doesn't the Prince wear yellow boots!' asked 
 the Captain. 
 
 148
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 " *Yes,' I answered. 
 
 *' 'Then he is with the Lancers, for I have just 
 seen with them a young officer that corresponds to 
 your description of the Prince Imperial.' 
 
 ''From other inquiries which I made during the 
 afternoon, I was satisfied that the Prince was with 
 us, until towards evening, w^hen I had just entered 
 the tent of Lieutenant Trench, another English of- 
 ficer hurried up and, to my astonishment, exclaimed : 
 
 " 'The Prince Imperial has been killed!' 
 
 " 'Please repeat that in French,' I said, seizing 
 the officer by the arm. 
 
 "He did so, whereupon I hastened to headquar- 
 ters, where I found Lord Chelmsford standing in 
 front of his tent, and, before I put him the question, 
 I could see by the troubled expression of his face 
 that the news was only too true. 
 
 " 'I have just learned,' said his Lordship, 'that 
 the Prince's horse returned riderless, following 
 those of the little band who had escaped from the 
 Zulus. There is the tent where you will find Lieu- 
 tenant Carey, who can give you fuller details.' 
 
 "I found Carey dining quietly with Colonel Har- 
 rison and another officer. At first, he was unwilling 
 to leave the table, but when I told him that it was 
 not as a journalist that I presented myself, but as 
 a Frenchman anxious to know the truth about a dis- 
 aster which had befallen one of my countrjTncn, the 
 lieutenant consented to speak; and this is what he 
 said : 
 
 " 'After having fixed on the place for that night's 
 camp — the very spot where we now are — the Prince 
 and myself, accompanied by six men and a Kaffir 
 guide, pushed on eleven miles further. Toward two 
 
 149
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 in the afternoon we stopped in a kraal to sketch the 
 site of the second camp, while the men were engaged 
 in making the coffee. Toward half past three, at 
 the very moment when we were remounting, we 
 were surprised by a band of Kaffirs, whom we had 
 not discovered, owing to the high grass and maize 
 in which they were hidden. We all sprang to our 
 horses. After crossing a deep donga, I turned and 
 looked back, when I saw coming out of another point 
 of the donga the Prince's horse without his rider. 
 The Kaffir and two of our men are also missing, 
 about whom I know as little as about the Prince.' 
 
 ''I was exasperated almost beyond control by the 
 offhand manner and tone of Lieutenant Carey, and 
 I held back with difficulty the cutting remarks which 
 were on the tip of my tongue. 
 
 ''What was to be done so late in the day? Could 
 search parties be sent out into an unkno^vn region 
 in the night? Or should they simply wait for the 
 return of the Prince and the missing men, whom 
 all still hoped to see come back alive? The ques- 
 tion was carefully examined in all its aspects and 
 the officers then reluctantly came to the conclusion 
 that they must wait till daylight before acting. 
 
 " 'But,' objected M. Deleage, 'let me point out 
 that it is a beautiful moonlight night. A trail can 
 be followed. Perhaps the Prince is only a mile or 
 two away — he may be wounded and dying. We might 
 yet save him from mutilation and birds of prey.' " 
 The Figaro correspondent added, when he gave me 
 the account: "Cold and matter-of-fact reasons 
 were given why this could not be done, and seeing 
 that it was useless to insist further, I impatiently 
 waited for the morning to break." 
 
 150
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 It was then decided that all the cavalry, under 
 the orders of General Marshall, should start out at 
 five in the morning. Deleage was, of course, ready 
 at the appointed hour, it having been consented to 
 that he accompany the expedition. While he was 
 taking a cup of tea, he learned that the hour for 
 starting had been adjourned till nine. Amazed and 
 angered, he sought out the correspondent of the 
 Daily News and begged him to intervene in favor of 
 the earlier hour. This was done, and the troops 
 finally got under way at seven o 'clock. M, Deleage 's 
 narration continues as follows : 
 
 "I marched with the scouts at the head of the col- 
 umn. One of these was a native of Mauritius, who 
 spoke French perfectly and who, the day before, 
 had been one of the Prince's escort. He told me 
 he saw the Prince try to get on his horse in the 
 donga and related many other sadly interesting in- 
 cidents of the fatal day. As the horses descended 
 the slope into this donga, they stopped suddenly in 
 front of a naked corpse, which was hideously muti- 
 lated. The body was veiy large and all saw at a 
 glance that it was not that of the Prince. Sud- 
 denly a trooper who was following the edge of the 
 ravine cried out that ho saw another body. We all 
 pushed forward, and even from a distance, we recog- 
 nized the slender form of the young Prince. He 
 was lying on his back, with his arms, stiffened by 
 death, slightly crossed over the chest, and his head 
 bent a little to the right. The face bore no signs 
 of pain. The moutli was partly open. The right 
 eye had been carried away by a blow from an 
 assagai, but the left eye was intact and k)()ked forth 
 with a gentle gaze. On liis chest were seventeen or 
 
 151
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 eighteen assagai wounds. The abdomen had been cut 
 open, as is the custom with these savages, but con- 
 trary to habit, the bowels had not been removed. Dr. 
 Scott and myself examined the body to see if there 
 were any wounds in the back, our object being to 
 learn whether he had been prevented from mount- 
 ing his horse. The only wounds in the back were 
 those of the assagai points which had gone clean 
 through the chest. His death — and these are the 
 words which I said to the Empress, when, later, I 
 gave her a description of the whole terrible scene — • 
 had been that of a brave man, his face turned to- 
 wards the enemy. As we raised the Prince's head, 
 our attention was drawn to the little gold chain 
 which he always wore around his neck and to which 
 were fastened several Catholic medals and the seal 
 brought back from Eg^^pt by General Bonaparte. 
 Was it fear of these amulets w^hich prevented the 
 Zulus from carrying them otf I Probably. Captain 
 Molyneux picked them carefully up and sent them 
 eventually to the Empress, who also received, later, 
 the Prince's sword, which Lord Chelmsford ob- 
 tained, after negotiations with the Zulu chiefs. 
 
 "In the meanwhile, nearly all the soldiers and of- 
 ficers of the expedition had assembled in the donga 
 and stood with uncovered heads around the body of 
 the first victim of the war. The Prince's eyelids 
 were closed and his body was wrapped in a blanket 
 taken from one of the horses. At a short distance, 
 an ambulance wagon was waiting. The body was 
 carefully fastened to an improvised stretcher 
 formed of lances and borne by officers to the wagon, 
 perhaps a mile away. Three hours later, the sad 
 procession had reached the camp, and the remains 
 
 152
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 of the dead Prince were laid under a staff tent. At 
 first, it was proposed to bury him at the camp and 
 soldiers stood ready, spade in hand, to dig the grave. 
 But, after further consultation, it was finally de- 
 cided to send the body to Durban, where a man of 
 war was ready to transfer it to England. A funeral 
 took place at the camp. The ceremony was very 
 simple but very impressive. The body, covered with 
 a tricolor flag, was borne away on a gun-carriage, 
 saluted by the whole British army. Tliis flag was 
 later deposited at Chislehurst." 
 
 In just what manner did the Prince Imperial meet 
 his death? This question was asked then, has often 
 been asked since and will probably be asked in the 
 future. But an exact and categorical answer to it 
 cannot be given and perhaps never will be given. 
 Three classes of evidence have been gathered on 
 the subject. In the first place, there were the wit- 
 nesses of the tragedy who were with the Prince and 
 who spoke immediately thereafter. Then there is 
 the report of the official Committee of Inquiry, and 
 finally the information furnished to the Empress 
 when she visited the Cape in 1880. I have sifted all 
 this testimony and frequently spoken with the Em- 
 press on the subject, and this is my conclusion. 
 
 A few minutes before leaving Koppei-Allein, 
 Lieutenant Carey and tlie Prince said they were 
 not going further than Itelezi, which was to be oc- 
 cupied during the day. The officers of the British 
 army, who were especially concerned in tlie safety 
 of the Prince, all supposed tliat he was not going so 
 far as the Ityotyosi valley, where the fatality oc- 
 curred. M. Deleage sliared this belief. AVliat liap- 
 pened afterwards! AVere the orders given them 
 
 153
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 changed, or did they themselves, while on the way, 
 decide to modify these orders? How happened it 
 that the Prince was killed eleven miles from the spot 
 where he was supposed to be and w^here he was 
 sought for ? The inquest gave no satisfactory reply 
 to these questions. 
 
 Wlien Lieutenant Carey reached England, he said 
 that Colonel Harrison gave him these orders : "To- 
 morrow, the Prince will reconnoiter the road which 
 you have chosen, so as to be sure of the way to the 
 spot for the camp. You Avill remain at the camp 
 and finish your map." And he replied: "To-mor- 
 row, as the column will be on the march, I shall not 
 be able to do much on my map. AVill you permit me 
 to accompany the Prince, as I should like to go over 
 the ground again in order to verify certain details 
 about which I am not perfectly sure?" Colonel 
 Harrison, after hesitating slightly, said: "Very 
 well, you may go." 
 
 Why should there have been any hesitation about 
 allowing Lieutenant Carey to accompany the Prince 
 on an expedition which was, after all, more particu- 
 larly entrusted to the lieutenant himself? Why 
 were such vague expressions used in England by 
 Lieutenant Carey to explain what the Prince's pur- 
 pose was in thus going in advance of the column! 
 From what the lieutenant said to Colonel Harrison, 
 it is plain, it seems to us, that this was to be a recon- 
 noissance of a road which the lieutenant had gone 
 over the day before. Carey continues, still in rather 
 ambiguous terms: "The Prince was carrying out 
 a special mission, entrusted to him alone, and I ac- 
 companied him merely to get the benefit of his escort 
 while I was performing a work which was quite per- 
 
 154
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 sonal to me." The fact is that the ''special mis- 
 sion" of the Prince was very simple, provided it 
 were not modified, which was, it seems, mysteriously 
 the case. He was to move at some distance ahead of 
 the main body, designate the spot of the first camp- 
 ing place, and stop there. It was not considered a 
 dangerous mission, as no orders had been given for 
 a special escort. It would look as though the plan 
 were modified by Lieutenant Carey, for this is what 
 he says: ''On the previous day, I had been on 
 horseback two miles beyond the kraal which we had 
 in front of us, and when I told Lord Chelmsford of 
 the road I had chosen, he remarked that there was 
 a donga thirty feet wide and asked me how I was 
 going to get the troops over it." Lieutenant Carey 
 wished to look into the matter again; but as it was 
 hard to get staff officers to furnish an escort, he 
 thought it would be easier to obtain what he wanted 
 in the Prince's name ; and he felt pretty certain that, 
 once arrived at Itelezi, it would not be difficult to get 
 the Prince to accompany him to Ityotyosi. By 
 hurrying a little, they could get back to the camp 
 before anybody would be aware of their absence. 
 Such was Carey's plan, as he himself states. 
 
 The Empress collected all that was written on the 
 subject of her son's death and guarded as treasures 
 all the souvenirs of that terrible tragedy. I am 
 using these materials in this chapter. Thus it is 
 that I learn from a Daily News correspondent this 
 description of the volunteers of this expedition. He 
 says on this point : "These volunteers are a strange 
 mixture of Dutchmen, Germans, Frenchmen, Afri- 
 can colonists, and English deserters, the flotsam and 
 jetsam of all countries who, after thousands of ad- 
 
 155
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ventures, have finally landed in Natal. The insub- 
 ordinate spirit which prevails among most of these 
 men renders them almost useless and their officers 
 have no authority over them. Such were the men 
 forming the Prince's escort w^hen he set out on the 
 fatal expedition. It is true that Shepstone, head 
 volunteer, had been ordered to send along five Ba- 
 sutos. But he did not obey orders; he sent no one, 
 and the Prince, after waiting some time, started 
 with his six horsemen and Lieutenant Carey, who 
 was taking a Zulu friend w^ith him. It has well 
 been asked how the Prince could command a recon- 
 noitering party, as he had no regular commission 
 and especially as he had no experience in this sort 
 of service. It is true that Lieutenant Carey, with 
 his large knowledge of this kind of work, could be 
 of aid to him, though he does not appear to have 
 been so. It appears also that at the critical moment, 
 none of their guns were charged, though the Mar- 
 tini carbines are very rapidly loaded. General 
 Wood made an estimate and thought that the num- 
 ber of Zulus who attacked the Prince's party must 
 have been about thirty. It has never been con- 
 sidered that this was too large a number to have 
 been held in check by a body of eight Europeans 
 armed with carbines and revolvers and provided 
 with horses." 
 
 So the Prince started with six men as escort and 
 a guide in order to enable, it would appear, an offi- 
 cer to rectify topographical notes which had been 
 hastily jotted down the day before. Carey said 
 afterwards that he was not in command of the little 
 expedition, and, consequently, was not responsible 
 for what happened afterwards. But it is plain that 
 
 156
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAI; 
 
 if the Prince consented to go beyond Itelezi, it was 
 solely to please Carey. The Prince's mission did 
 not take him to Ityotyosi; the lieutenant alone was 
 interested in going there. But, in reality, the Prince 
 was commanding only by courtesy. The fact that an 
 English officer of the same rank was present, really 
 made this officer the commander of the mission. 
 Carey even said the next day to Deleage, as they 
 were going to seek the body, who afterwards re- 
 peated it to me : " I am sure that if I had said that I 
 was willing to wait for a larger escort, no one would 
 have found fault. But the Prince was anxious to 
 start and I did not wish to impose on him my authoi- 
 ity." However that may be, the little mission stopped 
 only about an hour at Itelezi, and then moved on. 
 Who gave the order for them to start forward? Was 
 it the Prince? Or was it both acting in unison? Carey 
 says it was the Prince. Anyway, they soon reached 
 the heights which look down into the valley where 
 runs the river Ityotyosi, and there they stopped, 
 while the Prince began to draw and the lieutenant 
 noted on his map the different halting places. They 
 even examined through their glasses the region 
 round about and saw nothing to awaken suspicion 
 Then they slowly descended from the hills into the 
 valley and decided to rest their horses on the river 
 bank. Carey admits that no precautions were taken 
 against an attack, for they, of course, never im- 
 agined that any Zulus were in the neighborhood. 
 The horses were even unsaddled and left in a kraal, 
 l)y the order of the Prince, says Carey! The Prince 
 sat down on the ground to rest, Carey used his 
 glasses and the men engaged in making coffee; and 
 all this went on in the enemy's country, with no- 
 
 157
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 body on the outlook, while round about them were 
 high grasses and hillocks! Later, after the catas- 
 trophe, Carey tried to shift from his own shoulders 
 the responsibility of this unmilitary conduct, and 
 said to some newspaper correspondents in England : 
 *'I did not select the spot where we halted. I 
 wanted to stop on a height. But the Prince ordered 
 that we rest in a narrow valley. It was not for 
 me to object, especially as he was very fond of com- 
 manding and would not have liked it if I had made 
 any contrar^^ suggestions." Two days later, he 
 was worried over this statement and modified it 
 somewhat in conversation with a correspondent of 
 the London Daily Nexvs, to whom he said: "I wish 
 it to be clearly understood that I do not in any way 
 blame the unfortunate Prince for the choice of the 
 spot where we unsaddled, for which, perhaps, we 
 were all more or less responsible." 
 
 But carelessness is not the only charge that lies 
 on Lieutenant Carey in this lamentable affair. He 
 must also exonerate himself from a still heavier one, 
 that of cowardice. The Zulus reached the kraai 
 when the horses had been resaddled and the little 
 troop was preparing to start. Their attack was 
 very sudden. What happened to the Prince at that 
 moment and how was he left behind? There are 
 several versions and Carey's official report. They 
 do not all agree. The lieutenant's first version was 
 that he had seen the Prince fall dead, wounded by 
 a ball that had gone straight through his heart. Lie 
 explained his own precipitate flight as being due to 
 the fact that he had seen his fellow officer killed. 
 But when he got back to the camp, he was less af- 
 firmative on this point. He now said that he sup- 
 
 158
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 posed that the Prince had been killed in the kraal, 
 but he could not tell exactly how. The following 
 day, when the spot was examined, it became clear 
 that little could have been kno\\Ti of what really 
 happened there, because of the nature of the ground 
 which hid every movement. Astounded by the sud- 
 denness of the attack, it is evident that every man 
 was looking out for himself, and the Prince, for 
 the moment, was quite forgotten both by the officer 
 and the men. At the instant of the flight, Carey was 
 quite close to the Prince and dashed off at a gallop, 
 closely followed by four of the men. When the 
 Prince's horse saw the other horses starting, he 
 started, too, as is the habit with colonial horses, 
 accustomed to moving in concert. But the Prince 
 quickly overtook his horse and seizing one of the 
 munition bags managed to hold on for a few sec- 
 onds, and was in the act of jumping into the saddle 
 when one of the leather thongs holding the bag to 
 the saddle gave w^ay and precipitated the rider to 
 the ground. Left alone he turned and faced the 
 enemy, determined to sell his life as dearly as pos- 
 sible. Such is one of the versions. 
 
 It was supposed by some that the Prince fell at 
 the first attack, tlie position of the body and the 
 expression of the face seeming to prove this. Drs. 
 Scott and Robinson of the 17th Lancers thought 
 that the assagai, which struck the riglit eye and cut 
 into the brain, had been thrown from a distance and 
 must have produced instantaneous death. Of course 
 everybody hoped that this was so. But tlio narra- 
 tion of the Zulu chiefs and what the Empress 
 learned when she visited the spot do not seem, un- 
 fortunately, to carry out tliis supposition. The re- 
 
 159
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 port of Captain Mohneux, aide de camp of Lord 
 Chelmsford, who had been charged to find the body 
 of the Prince, also appears to support this version. 
 His observations forced him to the conclusion that 
 the fight had been a desperate one. The damp soil 
 of the donga showed the marks of the Prince's boots, 
 with the soles stained wdth blood. There were blood- 
 stains also on the stirrup straps, which were also 
 besmeared with mud. To Captain Molyneux, this 
 meant that the Prince had been seriously wounded 
 before death came. He also noted, what has already 
 been said, that the wounds were all received in front, 
 and that the left arm, even after death, was in a 
 warding-otf position, the forearm being lacerated 
 with numerous assagai thrusts. The right arm was 
 striped with longitudinal cuts. These facts show 
 that the unfortunate young man used his left arm 
 as a shield, held his sword in the right, and fought 
 with the energ\^ of despair. Captain Molyneux 's 
 hypothesis seems to be based on sohd fact. Later 
 testimony carries it out. The report drawn up at 
 Woohvich on July 12, 1879, by Drs. Larey and Cor- 
 visart, reaches the same conclusion. 
 
 I have spoken with some of the volunteers, and 
 the following facts are gathered from what they 
 told me. 
 
 Sergeant Willis said to me : 
 
 ''We descended a hill to a kraal about a hundred 
 yards from the Imbazani river. The kraal contained 
 four or five huts. There was clear ground in front 
 but high grass and standing crops all around the 
 other sides. We were ordered by the Prince to off- 
 saddle and, after knee haltering, turned our horses 
 into the grass, while we lay down outside the huts 
 
 160
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAl. 
 
 and took some coffee. At four, we were ordered to 
 saddle, as our Kaffir said he had seen a Zulu across 
 the river going up the hill opposite. Just as we 
 mounted, a sudden volley was fired. I saw two men 
 fall from their horses, but I cannot say who they 
 were, because I was galloping hard. About fifty 
 yards in front was a deep donga where we caught up 
 to Lieutenant Carey. The Zulus continued firing at 
 us for two hundred yards and yelling all the time. 
 From the shots, I should say we had some fifty of 
 them after us." 
 
 Corporal Grubb said to me : 
 
 "When we arrived at the kraal, we found dogs 
 there and traces of recent habitation by the Zulus. 
 At the first shot, I saw Rogers fall, and then Letoga 
 rushed by me crying: 'The Prince has been 
 wounded. ' I looked back and saw the Prince clutch- 
 ing at his stirrup and caught beneath his horse, 
 which was galloping otf. A moment later, the 
 Prince fell and the horse seemed to trample on him. 
 I wanted to fire on the Zulus, but my horse stumbled 
 in the ravine and my gun slipped from my hands. 
 When I got over my first fright, I noticed the 
 Prince's horse at my side. Lieutenant Carey or- 
 dered us to catch it." 
 
 Trooper Cockrane said to me: 
 "As I was crossing the donga about fifty yards 
 from the kraal, I saw the Prince on foot, the Zulus 
 pressing near to him and his horse fleeing in an op- 
 posite direction. 1 saw nothing more of the Prince 
 after that. We made no effort to help him, because 
 we were but three and all separated. We galloped 
 about two miles without stopping." 
 Private Letoga said : 
 
 161
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ''When we passed near the Prince, who was hold- 
 ing on to the strap of his stirrup and trying to get 
 into the saddle, I said to him: 'Please make haste 
 to mount, sir.' He made no reply. He was not 
 holding the bridle. I saw him fall. His horse tram- 
 pled on him." 
 
 Such were the significant bits of conversation 
 which I had with these men. What they said throws 
 a sad light on this cruel tragedy. 
 
 Lieutenant Carey's reprehensible conduct in this 
 sad affair has been explained in an odd fashion by 
 some of his critics. They ask if he was not a traitor, 
 drawing the Prince into an ambush and then clever- 
 ly escaping himself. This hypothesis is supported, 
 it is held, by a fragTnent of a letter from the Prince 
 saying that the foreign contingent of the British 
 army contained some very strange Frenchmen, 
 while it is suggested that the Internationale — the 
 revolutionary working-men's organization — was re- 
 sponsible for this fatal expedition, and that the 
 Prince's death had been decreed by its body of di- 
 rectors. But this assertion cannot be taken seri- 
 ously, though the fact remains that it has been re- 
 peated over and over again. The legend has, how- 
 ever, taken deep root in France, and many of those" 
 who have remained faithful to the Imperial family 
 cannot free their minds entirely from it. 
 
 When the news of the death of the Prince reached' 
 England, there was great commotion in official army 
 circles. A discussion immediately began, which con- 
 tinued for a long time, to decide where the responsi- 
 bility for the disaster should be placed. The then 
 British Minister of War, the late Lord Stanley of 
 Preston, made a statement in Parliament on the sub- 
 
 162
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 ject, and on one occasion said much the same thing 
 to the Empress in my presence. The following is 
 my note of the conversation, made at the time : 
 
 "Your Majesty will remember that the Prince 
 started for Zululand without a commission or any 
 definite military position, to follow Lord Chelms- 
 ford's staff. Chelmsford had received careful in- 
 structions concerning him from the Duke of Cam- 
 bridge, the commander of our army. Chelmsford 
 was expected to have the Prince near him and to 
 keep an eye on him; and so far as we know, that is 
 just what he did do. But, of course, the post of 
 staff officer, especially in such a country as South 
 Africa, is not the safest. I have seen Chelmsford's 
 instructions to Colonel Harrison, and it results from 
 them that Chelmsford, in transferring the Prince to 
 a special staff, had not abandoned the idea of keep- 
 ing him as his special charge. I know that he was 
 constantly thinking of him. Your Majesty will re- 
 member that on the morning of June 1st Chelmsford 
 asked where the Prince was and was satisfied when 
 he learned that Colonel Harrison had him in ad- 
 vance of the main column. But he did not know 
 that the Prince had been chosen to make a recon- 
 noissance. I am told that Lord Chelmsford was 
 charmed by the courage and pleasing personality of 
 the Prince and gradually gave him more liberty than 
 had been the case at first. The Prince even took 
 part in some of General Wood's column movements. 
 Wood is an officer of great energy, though, perhaps, 
 a little rash. On May 20th we had a telegram from 
 Lord Chelmsford on the subject, in which he said 
 that one of those reconnoissances, in which the 
 Prince took part, nearly met with disaster, and then 
 
 163
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 he adds: 'I will try that such a thing doesn't hap- 
 pen again ; I do not want him to be exposed in such 
 a manner.' " 
 
 The Empress was much moved when she was 
 shown this telegram. She well knew the character 
 of her son, how he sought every occasion to distin- 
 guish himself, and that nothing would hold him 
 back from going where he thought duty called. On 
 the occasion mentioned above, the Prince, indeed, es- 
 caped only by a miracle, and it might have been 
 hoped that after such an experience, Lord Chelms- 
 ford would,, in fact, have kept the young man bj^ his 
 side. Many Bonapartists who did not know the 
 Prince's impetuosity and desire to shine wondered 
 that he remained attached to Wood's column, and 
 great displeasure would have been felt if they had 
 been aware of the fact that Colonel Harrison had 
 intrusted him with a reconnoitering mission in ad- 
 vance of the column. But this was not made public 
 until the telegram was received announcing his 
 death. 
 
 Sir Evelyn Wood always remained on the friend- 
 liest terms with the Empress. He lived, after his 
 retirement from the army, near Aldershot, and 
 often came over to Farnborough on Sundays to see 
 the Empress. On more than one occasion, the Prince 
 Imperial was the subject of conversation, and I was 
 careful, when I happened to be present, to make 
 notes of what he said. One evening. General Wood 
 said : ' ' The Prince made a deep impression on me. 
 His thoughts and habits w^ere those of a true soldier. 
 He was never weary in his efforts to acquire experi- 
 ence and military knowledge; I remember that he 
 accompanied General Redvers Buller on several pa- 
 
 164
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 trols during the Zulu war, and on his return from 
 one of these expeditions, I made this remark to him 
 during dinner : ' Well, so you have not been struck by 
 anassagai yet!' 'No,' he replied; 'but though I 
 am in no hurry to be killed, I would prefer to fall 
 under an assagai than from a bullet, for the first 
 form of death would prove that I had met the enemy 
 face to face.' This conversation was a sad coinci- 
 dence." 
 
 Colonel Villiers was designated by the late Queen 
 Victoria to collect from the Zulu chiefs all the de- 
 tails of the Prince Imperial's death. Later, Colonel 
 Villiers was the military attache at the British em- 
 bassy at Paris, and on one occasion I heard him tell 
 the story as he learned it from the lips of the sav- 
 ages: 
 
 "The Zulus, they told me," the Colonel began, 
 "first rushed after the tw^o fleeing soldiers on the 
 flank, and then three or four others, headed by La- 
 banga, turned on the retreating Prince. They say 
 his horse shied at the very moment when they saw 
 he was going to mount, and that the baggage roll 
 at the back of the saddle gave way as the Prince 
 grasped it and the consequence was that he fell to 
 the ground. At this moment, the Zulus declare, he 
 was only about sixty-five yards from his comrades 
 who were galloping away. Seven savages attacked 
 the Prince. Langalobeje says that when he first 
 caught sight of La})anga, he was rushing on the 
 Prince, who came forward boldly to meet him. 
 Thereupon, Labanga ci'ouched down in the high 
 grass and threw an assagai at his foe, which struck 
 the Prince in the thigh. But he pulled it from the 
 wound and used the weapon to keep his enemies at 
 
 ]65
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 bay, wMcli he succeeded in doing for several min- 
 utes, I remember the exact words of one of the 
 Zulus. He said: 'He fought like a tiger. He fired 
 his revolver twice but did not hit any of us. Though 
 one of my assagais hit him, it was Labanga who had 
 the right to say that he killed him, for his weapon 
 struck the Prince on the left shoulder and gave him 
 a mortal wound. Then we rushed on him. But up 
 to that time he had defended himself so well that 
 we kept at a distance, ' Another of them said to me : 
 'If we had known that he was called Napoleon, we 
 would have spared him.' " 
 
 After making an official report on the subject. 
 Colonel Villiers went in person and gave all the de- 
 tails to the Empress, bringing with him the clothes 
 of the Prince, which he had found in the possession 
 of the Zulus. The garments were torn and pierced 
 with assagai strokes. The Empress bore up w^ell 
 during this narration until Ullmann, the Prince's 
 former valet, recognizing the garments which he had 
 helped the Prince to put on on the morning of June 
 1st, seized them and began kissing the holes made by 
 the weapons. This touching act so affected the Em- 
 press that she could control herself no longer and 
 hastily left the room, bathed in tears. 
 
 "When the council of war condemned Lieutenant 
 Carey to death," the Empress once wrote me, "I 
 asked that he be pardoned. He was thus able to ob- 
 tain the grade of captain and retire on a pension at 
 the age limit. But I am told that he was always more 
 or less shunned by the other officers, who ever held 
 him to have shown cowardice on that fatal occasion. 
 He died at an early age, I am told. 'Was it on ac- 
 
 166
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 count of remorse or disappointment?' asked one of 
 my friends at the time." 
 
 AVhen the death of the Prince Imperial was 
 known, countless telegrams were received at Cam- 
 den Place from France and all parts of Europe. 
 The sovereigns of Europe did not forget the Em- 
 press in her sorrow. She saw no one and was to be 
 called only when the coffin had been placed in the 
 main hall. A body of leading Bonapartists, with 
 Prince Murat at their head, met in the evening on 
 board the Admiralty yacht Enchantress, to await the 
 arrival of the Orontes, due at daybreak. At half 
 past six the steamer was sighted and by eight o'clock 
 the body was transferred to the EncJiantress. Can- 
 non boomed and everybody on both ships was weep- 
 ing. It was an imposing and very sad spectacle. 
 When the Enchantress reached Woolwich, sailors 
 carried the body to the foot of the altar. The Prince 
 of Wales and a number of distinguished Frenchmen 
 were there. The body was identified by tlie Ameri- 
 can dentist, Dr. Evans, who had filled certain of 
 the Prince's teeth. 
 
 Chislehurst was plunged into the deepest grief. 
 The large entrance-hall had been transformed into 
 a mortuary chapel. The ceiling was covered with 
 French flags. The body was watched through the 
 night by the former officers of the household and the 
 friends of the Prince, of whom, perhaps, I may bo 
 permitted to say, I was one. I noticed that the 
 Empress remained there in prayer the greater part 
 of the night. At Saint Mary's Church, Chislehurst, 
 the dais was formed of the pall which had been used 
 for Napoleon Ill's funeral. On the soutli side of the 
 choir, opposite the chapel where is the granite sarco- 
 
 167
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 phagTis given by Queen Victoria as the temporary' 
 tomb of the Emperor, a similar tomb had been ar- 
 ranged for the body of the Prince. Among those at 
 the ceremony were the Queen and several other 
 members of the Royal family, and a large number of 
 distinguished Bonapartists and members of the Bon- 
 aparte family. The Woolwich cadets were drawn up 
 in a hollow square in front of Camden House, and 
 before the principal door stood a magnificently dec- 
 orated gun-carriage on which was placed the coffin. 
 The pall bearers were the English princes, the 
 Prince of Sweden and some notabilities of the 
 Second Empire. The spirit which prevailed in 
 France at this time was shown by the act of Gen- 
 erals Fleury, Castelnau and Pajol, who retired from 
 the army sooner than was necessary in order to be 
 free to attend the funeral. A conspicuous object in 
 the procession was the Prince's war-horse. Stag, led 
 by Gamble, the Emperor's old stableman. Ten thou- 
 sand Frenchmen were present at Chislehurst that 
 day and probably two hundred thousand English- 
 men. The emotion was veiy deep and later, all the 
 details were given to the prostrated Empress. Queen 
 Victoria made a great exception to her general cus- 
 tom and was present at the ceremony, after which 
 she expressed the desire to be received by the Em- 
 press. The request was granted. She found the 
 weeping mother in a darkened room. The Empress 
 tried to rise when the Queen entered, but was too 
 weak to do so and fell back in her chair. Thereupon 
 the Queen slowly advanced, folded her arms about 
 the Empress, and both wept profusely. Neither 
 spoke a word. Princess Mathilde was the only other 
 person admitted to the Empress's presence that 
 
 168
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 day. The next morning there was a solemn service 
 in the Chislehurst church, when Cardinal Manning 
 pronounced in English a very fine funeral oration. 
 But the coffins of father and son no longer rest 
 there, for the Empress, later, had built at Farn- 
 borough a chapel in whose cr^^^t the bodies were 
 finally placed. 
 
 M. Franceschini Pietri, who can speak with such 
 authority on the subject which he treats below, con- 
 tributes the following paragraphs to this chapter : 
 
 '*The Prince Imperial being dead, it is easy to 
 understand that the Empress did not take much 
 interest in the dilTerences of opinion which im- 
 mediately began to show themselves in the opposing 
 Bonapartist camps. A clause in the Prince's will 
 read as follows: 'So long as there are Bonapartes, 
 the Imperial cause will have a representative. The 
 duties which our family owes to the country will not 
 end with my death. The task of continuing the work 
 of Napoleon I and Napoleon III falls to the eldest 
 son of Prince Napoleon, and I trust that ray mother, 
 aiding him with all her strength, will thus give to 
 those of us who will not be on earth, a last and sub- 
 lime proof of her affection.' This clause of the will 
 was very embarrassing to the Empress. She did not 
 wish to show a decided preference for either the son 
 or the father. But meetings of the leading deputies 
 of tlie Bonapartist party, in spite of differences of 
 opinion, finally decided that Prince Napoleon should 
 be regarded as their chief. The Empress rarely took 
 the same view of i)ublic questions as did Prince 
 Napoleon and she naturally feared that difficulties 
 and eml)arrassments would arise from this new ar- 
 rangement. It was soon seen that she was right, an- 
 
 169
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 other excellent example of the wonderful perspicac- 
 ity of this remarkable woman. xVfter his arrest in 
 the beginning of 1883 for his public manifesto 
 against the republic, the Empress drew nearer to the 
 Prince, but finally separated from him and trans- 
 ferred her preferences to Prince Victor, whom she 
 aided in his exile by financial support. But her 
 domestic sorrow more and more separated the Em- 
 press from all participation in the political affairs 
 of the Bonapartist party and as the years rolled on 
 she took less and less interest in politics, though 
 her keen intellect and penetrating mind enabled her 
 to see more clearly into public matters than many 
 of the politicians of the day." 
 
 The Empress left Chislehurst on March 25, 1860, 
 on her long journey to Zululand. Among those who 
 accompanied her were Sir Evelyn Wood, aide-de- 
 camp of the Queen, and Lady "Wood, thq Marquis of 
 Bassano, Lieutenant Slade, one of her son's com- 
 panions at Woolwich, who acted a noble part at 
 Ulundi, Dr. Scott, who was present when the body 
 was recognised and embalmed, and Ullmann, the 
 Prince 's faithful valet. At the Waterloo station the 
 Empress found General Clarke, who presented to 
 her a magnificent bouquet of violets from the Prince 
 of Wales, which delicate attention was so character- 
 istic of this future King of England. There, too, 
 was Prince Charles Bonaparte, just arrived from 
 Eome, and who got into the railway carriage and ac- 
 companied the Empress to Southampton. The same 
 afternoon, she sailed in the excellent steamer, the 
 German, where everything was arranged most com- 
 
 170
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 fortably, and where many kind attentions were paid. 
 Throughout the voyage, the Empress sat at the cap- 
 tain's table, in the center of the neat dining-room 
 where were some fifty other first-class passengers. 
 The voyage was uneventful, and the quiet ocean and 
 the still skies, especially at night, when Eugenie 
 often walked the decks till late, had a calming effect 
 on her, which prepared her for the painful 
 experiences which were to come. 
 
 On April 25th the steamer touched at Port Eliza- 
 beth. After having been kindly received by Sir 
 Bartle Frere and offered apartments at the Govern- 
 ment House, Cape Town, the Empress pushed on to 
 Pietermaritzburg, Natal, where she disembarked. 
 Before arriving, Eugenie learned that the expe- 
 dition which had been sent into Zululand to set up a 
 cross on the spot where the Prince fell, had returned 
 safe and sound to the coast. The Empress finally 
 leit the ship at Durban, where Sir Garnet Wolseley 
 came to meet her. It was night and there was a splen- 
 did moon, and various sad thoughts were awakened 
 in her when she set foot on African soil for the first 
 time, perhaps on the very spot where the Prince Im- 
 perial had stepped but a few months before, full of 
 young life and ambition. The Empress was the guest 
 of Captain Baynton, who kept in a tent outside the 
 gardens a visitors' register, for she led a re- 
 tired life and saw nobody. From Durban they went 
 to Maritzburg, going as far as Botha Hill by the 
 unfinished railway, using a carriage the rest of the 
 way. Having entirely crossed the colony of Natal, 
 in the middle of May, they reached Utrecht, the 
 first town on the frontiers of the Transvaal and 
 Zululand. In this little place, filled with former 
 
 171
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Dutch Boers, the English military staff, to which 
 the Prince Imperial belonged, camped for two 
 weeks, so that the Empress found here more than 
 one little souvenir of him. An important ambu- 
 lance station had been set up in the native laager, 
 and from the men who were wounded in the tirst 
 part of the campaign, she learned that the Prince 
 had spent many hours in this temporary hospital 
 visiting the sick and saying kind words to them. 
 Eugenie remained several days in this spot where 
 her unfortunate son displayed for the last time his 
 customary tenderness for human suffering. The 
 last drive ended at four in the afternoon on June 
 1st, at the donga in whose immediate vicinity the 
 son met his death, in the Ityotyosi valley. Sir 
 Evelyn Wood here gave the Empress all the de- 
 tailed information which he possessed about the 
 dreadful tragedy. She found there the cross so 
 kindly sent by order of the Queen and entrusted to 
 the care of the Zulu chief whose men had kilh'd 
 the Prince. A solemn service w^as hold on the very 
 spot w^here he fell so bravely. All remained there 
 till night-fall. Eugenie noticed that wreaths of im- 
 mortelles had been laid at the base of the cross by 
 the Queen and Prince of Wales. She herself placed 
 others on the graves of the two soldiers who had 
 fallen at the same time as the Prince. On my 
 return to Durban, the Empress \dsited the Dcunihr, 
 which was in port, the ship on which the Prince 
 had sailed from Southampton to Natal, and the 
 good Captain Draper gave her many interesting- 
 details of that last voyage of her son. Nothing 
 eventful occurred during the return voyage to Eng- 
 
 172
 
 DEATH OF THE PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 land, which ended this extremely sad but, at the 
 same time, comforting journey. 
 
 Shortly after the return from Zululand, the Em- 
 press went one day to Netley hospital, near 
 Southampton, where were several patients who had 
 seen her poor son during that fatal campaign. They 
 spoke at much length, and from them she learned 
 many little details and impressions, which have 
 been utilized in trying to give some account of this 
 unhappy chapter in her life. Many words in praise 
 of the Prince fell in simple language from these 
 plain men. What they said was all the more true on 
 this account, and was very dear to the Empress.
 
 CHAPTEE VIII 
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 All monarchs make public journeys through 
 their dominions, generally for political reasons of 
 some kind. This was particularly the case during 
 the Second Empire. There was a magic in the 
 name of Napoleon, especially among the French 
 peasantry, which the Emperor was not slow to use 
 in his efforts to consolidate the new government. 
 He also found a real pleasure in close association 
 with the common people, whose condition he was 
 always eager to ameliorate. It may be interesting, 
 therefore, to enter with some detail into the way in 
 which these grand official journeys were organized. 
 These details are here given in connection with a 
 visit which was paid in 1860 to the recently annexed 
 departments of Savoy and Nice, when the Em- 
 peror also crossed over to Corsica and even pushed 
 rapidly through Algeria. The whole journey occu- 
 pied five weeks. It was executed with great pomp 
 under somewhat complicated conditions, and was 
 one of the longest undertaken during the Second 
 Empire. 
 
 One of the most important things in connec- 
 tion with these trips was having the court carriages, 
 or others equally fine, ready at every point where 
 a stop was made for any official visits. There were 
 gala coaches and landaus. Imperial post-chaises, 
 
 174
 
 IMPERIAL AND EOYAL VISITS 
 
 and riding horses for reviews, all of which had to 
 be centered in Algeria in such a way as to be dis- 
 tributed properly through the country so as to be 
 ready for the carrying out of every item of the long 
 and complicated program. This particular jour- 
 ney went off admirably in every respect, especially 
 as regards the means of locomotion. General 
 Fleury, the future grand equerry, managed every 
 detail of the expedition and did it in a way that won 
 the admiration and thanks of all. I should add 
 that the general outlines were the work of the Em- 
 peror himself, who entered into these great "official 
 expeditions," as he called them, with a zest that 
 was peculiarly his own. The Emperor always had 
 a great liking for geography, conning maps de- 
 lighted him more than reading the most fascinating 
 novels. Armed with a large sheet of paper, a lead 
 pencil and a magnifying glass, he would spend 
 hours at a time over big atlases, examining rivers 
 and roads, making little diagrams, noting distances 
 and hours and going into the smallest details with 
 General Fleury, who would join him in the midst of 
 his "time-table labors" as he used to say, laughing- 
 ly. The General had also his own notes and itinera- 
 ries all ready. Then the two series were molded 
 into one, on which both worked later to render it as 
 perfect as possible. 
 
 But these more purely geographical matters were 
 not the only elements of one of the journeys. Each 
 member of the cabinet sent in a list of suggestions 
 and a series of notes on the requests made in the 
 different departments through which the Emperor 
 was to pass. lie was informed of the work for the 
 State going on in this or that place, of the public 
 
 175
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 improvements desired and of any other fact that 
 could be of interest to him. With all this in hand, 
 General Fleury would then draw up a complete plan 
 of the expedition. AVhen this was finally approved 
 in all its details by the Emperor, General Fleury 
 would communicate with the prefects, arranging 
 with them the length of the sojourns in the different 
 towns, the official visits to be made, the banquets to 
 be attended, the guests to be invited to these ban- 
 quets, and so on. 
 
 During these journeys. General Fleuiy was 
 charged with the supervision of the receptions of 
 the authorities, official presentations, and the mat- 
 ter of subsistence, which three divisions of the 
 work were, generally, the care of three separate 
 court functionaries. But the concentration of these 
 three under one head gave the unity and perfection 
 of detail which was always so much admired on 
 the occasion of the various journeys and voyages. 
 Furthermore, the General drew up a brief account 
 of everything of historical, economical or industrial 
 Interest in each region or place visited. 
 
 All this information of every sort was printed 
 and distributed among the persons composing the 
 service of honor, so that every one was acquainted 
 w^ith the smallest details of the journey. Besides 
 these "booklet-program," which have now be- 
 come very scarce, the General prepared a private 
 note-book for the Emperor and the Empress, which 
 contained confidential notes concerning the military 
 and civil authorities of the places visited, and sim- 
 ilar notes concerning the well-knowTi private per- 
 sons likely to be presented at different points dur- 
 ing the tour. These note-books were in manuscript 
 
 176
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 and were the work of Captain de Verdiere, the Gen- 
 eral's devoted aide de camp, who was an invaluable 
 helper in everything pertaining to these official 
 tours. It is now very difficult to find any of these 
 note-books, which were drawn up with the greatest 
 care and neatness. I have one before me as I write 
 these lines, and I can only admire once more the 
 evidences of remarkable tact and assiduity in their 
 preparation. Some of the suggestions and some of 
 the statements might provoke a smile if seen by 
 others than those for whom they were intended, and 
 if read now at such a long distance from the 
 moment that called them forth. But it should be 
 remembered that they were meant to be a sort of 
 vade mecum, thanks to whoso valuable little hints 
 and bits of information the Emperor and Empress 
 were able to say the right word in the right place 
 and to the right person. In some instances, the 
 exact sentence which should be used was given. 
 They were told tlie maiden name of the wife of this 
 or that functionary. They were informed as to the 
 number of children in a family. There was a hint 
 concerning the political ambition of this one and 
 of the political tendencies of that one. This one 
 wished to come over to the Emperor without offend- 
 ing his friends. This other one was desirous of be- 
 coming a member of the Legion of llonoi-, without 
 liaving to appear to desire it. Anotlier person 
 hoped for some reward because of his (h'votion to 
 the agricultui'al interests of tlie region through 
 which they were passing, while still another trusted 
 he was to receive governmental support at some 
 approaching election. By the aid of these notes, 
 
 177
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 how many kindly and appropriate remarks were 
 made! 
 
 In many other ways, General Fleury displayed 
 his remarkable efficiency in regulating and carrying 
 out these superb official tours of the Second Empire. 
 Let me give one instance of this of quite another 
 kind from those just spoken of. It happened during 
 a visit to Saint Malo in 1858. A wooden building 
 had been thrown up for the ball offered by the 
 municipality in our honor. During the dancing, 
 the General heard a crack or two in the frail struc- 
 ture and soon saw that its strength w^as over-taxed. 
 But no sudden alarm was to be given or a panic 
 might ensue. So, coming to the Empress, he said 
 very quietly in her ear: "Madame, the ball-room 
 floor is threatening to give way. I beg Your 
 Majesty to withdraw slowly and I will empty the 
 room." So taking the Emperor by the arm, they 
 walked quietly towards the door, bowing to the 
 right and left as they advanced. Eugenie, of course, 
 felt not a little nervous, but the General said after- 
 wards that she did not show it. The Emperor did 
 not know exactly why his consort was leading him 
 away, and the rest of the party expressed openly 
 their regret at this early departure. Most of the 
 company followed to the exit, and when they wished 
 to return to the dancing they found the doors 
 closed, and then learned the grave danger which 
 they had escaped. 
 
 We have pleasanter recollections of the Empress' 
 visit to Queen Isabella, who was holding her court 
 at Saint Sebastian in the summer of 1857. Eugenie 
 was at Biarritz. She embarked with her sister, the 
 Duchesse d'Albe, on the steam-boat Coligny. They 
 
 178
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 reached the picturesque old Spanish town just ai5 
 the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sight. Queen 
 Isabella w^as in her best mood. She always took a 
 special interest in the Empress on account of her 
 Spanish origin, and they talked long and pleasantly 
 of common friends of Madrid. In the evening the 
 town was illuminated. There were processions and 
 dancing and various popular entertainments. The 
 day closed with a banquet and dancing on the deck 
 of the Coligny as they sailed across the calm sea 
 from Saint Sebastian to Biarritz. 
 
 On some of these official tours rather amusing 
 incidents occurred. I was told one that happened, I 
 cannot now recollect just where. The Emperor had 
 consented that the train should stop at some little 
 station, which stop was not down on the pro- 
 gram. The Empress was not informed of this 
 change in the plan and so w^as not properly attired 
 to present herself to the shouting crowd. In the 
 meanwhile, the Emperor was doing his best to sat- 
 isfy their curiosity, shaking hands with the nearest 
 through the car window, and wondering why she 
 did not appear, especially as she was being called 
 for with many a 'M^ong live the Empress!" which 
 shout reached her in her car, where she was sitting 
 quietly hidden behind the curtain. Finally, one of 
 the young girls, all dressed in white, who had come 
 down to the station especially to salute the Em- 
 press, was lifted by her mother up into my car, 
 and bravely coming towards her was led up to her by 
 General Fleury. Tlion, in a timid but clear voice, 
 she exclaimed: "Excuse me, Madame, my name is 
 Eliacin!" Eugenie could not help laughing at the 
 whole amusing scene, kissed the child, accepted the 
 
 179
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 bouquet wliich she offered, took off her traveling 
 cloak and joined the Emperor at the window, much 
 to the delight of the cheering people. The Empress 
 long remembered this incident, and on similar jour- 
 neys, when engaged in bowing to firemen and kiss- 
 ing girls in white, she used sometimes to turn to her 
 faithful friend Fleurj^ and say to him in an under- 
 tone: "My name is Eliacin." 
 
 But there was a class of these tours which was 
 of a sad character. I refer to those made at a 
 moment of some public calamity. Let me give an 
 example of a tour of this sort. In the spring of 
 1856, there occurred a most distressing flood in the 
 valley of the Rhone. The poor working-men's 
 houses in the suburbs of Lyons were swamped. The 
 same thing was time at Aix. The Gresivaudan and 
 the whole Camargue country were submerged. 
 Hundreds of houses, undermined by the waters, fell 
 in. Ruin was everywhere and many thousands of 
 lives were in danger. The wild cry of despair 
 reached Saint Cloud and touched the good Emper- 
 or's tender heart, tender especially to all the suf- 
 ferings of the lowly. He immediately decided to 
 hasten to the scene of all this distress ; so, accom- 
 panied only by his aide-de-camp. General Niel, he 
 visited the flooded parts of Lyons, either on horse- 
 back or in boat, and gave out handful s of gold. If 
 I am not mistaken, he distributed in this way half a 
 million of francs. Leaving Lyons wilii tears in his 
 eyes, those present told me, the Emperor hurried 
 through the whole valley carrying cheer and aid 
 everywliere. At Valence, the Empi^ro]- reached the 
 mayor's house on a porter's back. At Tarascon and 
 Aries, and all along the river's course at Orange 
 
 180
 
 IMPEEIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 and Avignou, where the raging waters often 
 reached the roofs of farm and dwelling houses, and 
 where buildings were constantly falling and spread- 
 ing ruin and death on every side, on several oc- 
 casions the Emperor risked his life "in this land 
 campaign against Neptune," as he said on his re- 
 turn to Saint Cloud, all worn out and looking as 
 though he had gone through a month's sickness. He 
 got back on June -ith, to learn that a similar catas- 
 trophe had happened in the west, where the Loire 
 was rising rapidly and threatening ximboise, wliile 
 owing to the overflowing of the banks of the Clier, 
 Tours, Blois and Orleans were also in danger of 
 being inundated. Scarcely waiting to take breath, 
 the Emperor started out again on another journey 
 of mercy, and carried cheer and relief to the tried 
 populations who cheered him on every side. How he 
 stood these trials, physicially, was always a mys- 
 tery. 
 
 The Emperor's policy to be on good terms with 
 England was brought out strongly in the visit which 
 was paid to London in April, 1855, and especially in 
 the return visit of (^ueen Victoria and the Prince 
 (vonsort, four months later to Paris. A somewhat 
 detailed account of this last visit is given below as 
 it was planned in many particulars by the Emperor 
 and the Empress and did much to lead later to im- 
 l)ortant political moves (m the European checker- 
 board. 
 
 In spite of the Crimean war, the pre])arations for 
 the International Exhibition of 1855 had gone on 
 steadily and in due time it was opened with much 
 pomp and ceremony. People iiished from all parts 
 
 181
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 of Europe to the new Palace of Industry which had 
 been erected in the center of the Champs Elysees, 
 and which was for many the chief attraction in that 
 part of the city. This famous building, which was 
 intimately associated wath so many grand inter- 
 national events, became rather shabby towards the 
 end, but disappeared only a few years ago, after 
 also sheltering for nearly half a century home exhi- 
 bitions of all kinds, painting and sculpture salons, 
 horse-shows, and so on. Little did those who wan- 
 dered round the vast edifice on such festive oc- 
 casions dream that its last use was to be as a 
 momentary sanctuary for the charred and dis- 
 figured remains of the victims of the terrible fire 
 of the Bazaar of Charity on May 4, 1897, in w^hich 
 disaster perished some friends very dear to the sur- 
 vivors of the Second Empire. 
 
 The Emperor had received from Queen Victoria 
 the promise that she w^ould pay him a visit during 
 the exhibition. Nothing having occurred to prevent 
 it, Her Majesty announced her arrival at Boulogne 
 for August, 1855. Napoleon III went down to Bou- 
 logne to meet his royal guest, determined, as usual, 
 to do all in his power to make her sojourn on 
 French soil as memorable an occasion as possible. 
 As soon as the yacht, Victoria and Albert, reached 
 the harbour, the impatient Emperor boarded the 
 vessel. As at Windsor, the Queen saluted her 
 ''good brother" on both cheeks, and while the cus- 
 tomary good wishes and greetings were being ex- 
 changed, the yacht reached the profusely decorated 
 quay. The Queen landed, leaning on the arm of her 
 imperial host, who escorted her to the carriage, ac- 
 companied by Prince Albert and her two children, 
 
 182
 
 IMPERIAL AND EOYAL VISITS 
 
 the Prince of Wales and Princess Victoria. The 
 Emperor himself acted as equerry, riding on the 
 right of the carriage, while on the left galloped 
 Marshal BaragTiay d'Hilliers. A numerous and 
 brilliant staff of officers followed, and the carriages 
 of the suite, surrounded by a sparkling escort of 
 the Cent Gardes, were particularly showy. The 
 whole procession was a very striking one, and a 
 certain one of the survivors of the Grand Army, see- 
 ing the grand-daughter of George III pass so tri- 
 umphantly through the to^\^l, could not resist the 
 remark : '^^ Strange it is that we should have fought 
 like dogs to come at last to this ! If the old one 
 came back what a rage he would be in to see it." 
 This rather ill-timed comment attracted no atten- 
 tion, however, for the visit of the Queen of Eng- 
 land, whose armies in the Crimea were allied to 
 those of France, was a cause of rejoicing to all — • 
 to the people in the streets as well as to court 
 circles. 
 
 It was said at the time that more than two hun- 
 dred thousand people were massed along the boule- 
 vards and Champs Elysees at two o'clock of the 
 afternoon of August 18th, to witness the triumphal 
 entrance into Paris of the British sovereign, ac- 
 companied by all the most notable persons of 
 the Second Emjjire. The windows were filled with 
 clusters of heads, stands had been erected on every 
 available spot, groups of workmen, market women 
 in their best attii'o, vendors of coco, hawkers 
 screaming and gesticulating, the inhabitants of 
 various villages led by their mayors, their curates 
 and their firemen, strangers from all X)arts of the 
 world, formed a restless and impatient crowd, 
 
 183
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 swaying beneath triumphal arches, Venetian masts, 
 flags and banners, hangings and transparent 
 scrolls, all bearing words of welcome. Those who 
 saw that sight can never forget it, and were proud 
 of the great city and happy at the grand reception 
 which I am sure awaited Victoria and the Em- 
 peror, who would be so delighted at the assured 
 popular as well as official success. 
 
 But it was almost dark when the cannon at hist 
 announced the arrival of the Queen at the Stras- 
 bourg station. The people were much disappointed 
 by the delay. When the imperial train stopped, 
 General de Loewenstein stepped fonvard and 
 offered a bouquet to the Queen in the name of the 
 battalion of the National Guard, then on duty at the 
 station. The military band played "God Save the 
 Queen" as Victoria mounted into the open car- 
 riage drawn by four horses with postilions. The 
 Emperor put the young Princess by her mother, 
 while he himself took the opposite seat alongside of 
 Prince Albert. The Prince of Wales was in the 
 second carriage with Prince Napoleon, cousin of the 
 Emperor. Marshal Magnan, Military Governor of 
 Paris, rode on the right of the royal carriage, while 
 on the left was General de Loewenstein, conmiand- 
 iug the National Guard. Long afterwards, when 
 King of England, Edward one day remarked that 
 this visit had more to do than anything else in 
 warmly attaching him to France and especially to 
 the French capital, which he always loved so dearly. 
 At this time, the future king was a winning boy of 
 fourteen. 
 
 Troops bordered the streets and road all the way 
 from the Paris station to Saint Cloud. The route 
 
 184
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 lay along the Boulevard de Strasbourg, the Grands 
 Boulevards, the Champs Elysees, the Bois de Bou- 
 logne, the village of Boulogne, and then over the 
 Seine bridge to the castle. Brilliant illuminations 
 had been prepared and the procession passed 
 through streets ablaze with thousands of lights, 
 while the Bois ''sparkled," as the Emperor said, 
 "like the Gardens of Armida," and was really 
 fairylike in its unwonted splendor. At length, 
 through the shining night appeared the silhouette 
 of Saint Cloud. The effect of this drive was marked 
 on the whole royal and imperial party. The Queen 
 and Prince Consort several times turned to the 
 Emperor to praise the beauty on every side and to 
 express their genuine emotions. 
 
 The Imperial Guard were massed in the avenues, 
 the courts and terraces of Saint Cloud. Near the 
 large gateway, in the midst of the soldiers, the 
 children of the schools and orphanages were sta- 
 tioned, the little boys on one side, the little girls, 
 under the eyes of the Sisters of Charity, on the 
 other. This gathering especially delighted the 
 Queen, who much enjoyed the hearty cheers of the 
 children and plainly manifested her satisfaction. 
 Leaning over to the Prince Consort, she said : 
 "Where but in artistic France would one have 
 thought of thus uniting in the same assemblage the 
 sturdy soldier and the gentle chikP' I am sure this 
 idea emanated from the Empress." And the Em- 
 peror, much pleased, nodded his confirmation. 
 
 Accompanied by l^rincess Mathilde and all the 
 ladies of the household, the Empress was awaiting 
 the Queen at the foot of the grand staii-case; and 
 after the first greetings had been exchanged, the 
 
 185
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Queen, accompanied by the Emperor, Empress, 
 Prince Albert, the young Prince and Princess, 
 mounted the staircase between two motionless rows 
 of the Cent Gardes. ''They remind me of my Life 
 Guards," said the Queen, turning to the Emperor. 
 All saw that the royal English children could not 
 take their eyes from the tall, beautifully uniformed 
 soldiers. 
 
 The Empress then conducted the Queen to the 
 apartments which had been prepared for her. But 
 the royal guest had not a moment to rest from the 
 fatigues of her journey. She had barely time to 
 dress for the grand dinner which awaited her, and 
 for which the guests and hosts alike had a good 
 appetite, w^hich had been keenly whetted by the long 
 drive. 
 
 The apartment occupied by the Queen during her 
 visit to Saint Cloud had been specially decorated 
 for the occasion. The two distinguished French 
 painters, Louis Boulanger and Faustin Besson, had 
 just completed paintings over the doors and win- 
 dows; during the past month the Emperor himself 
 had superintended the furnishing of the rooms, 
 being desirous that the apartment should remind 
 the Queen, as closely as possible, of her Windsor 
 residence. These rooms, on the first floor of the 
 castle, were, moreover, most delightfully situated; 
 several windows opened on to a balcony, and the 
 eye wandered over the terraces and grassy slopes of 
 the village of Saint Cloud, and beyond, to the green 
 wavy masses of the Bois de Boulogne, and still fur- 
 ther on, to Paris, shining white and faiiylike in the 
 far distance; while from the other side of the apart- 
 ment the gaze rested on the lovely gardens bright 
 
 186
 
 IMPEEIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 with summer flowers, the sparkling fountains and 
 cascades, stately alleys and shady avenues reaching 
 out to the park of Saint Cloud. 
 
 The walls of the apartment were hung with most 
 beautiful tapestries and with Lyons silk. Handsome 
 furniture had been chosen; among other things, the 
 Louis XV bureau by Riesener, the celebrated cab- 
 inet-maker, which is now at the Louvre, and several 
 pieces which had belonged to Marie Antoinette and 
 which the Empress had brought together for the bou- 
 doir which Louis XVI had prepared for his wife 
 when he purchased the castle from the Due d 'Or- 
 leans. Pictures from the Louvre — chiefly of the 
 Flemish and Venetian schools — were hung on the 
 walls. Among other pictures was the Holy Family 
 by Murillo, then recently purchased at the Marshal 
 Soult sale. 
 
 It was about nine o'clock when the Court gath- 
 ered in the grand apartments of the castle. After 
 the presentations, the Emperor and Empress 
 passed with their guests into the Salon de Diane 
 where dinner was to be served. The Queen called 
 the attention of the Prince Consort to the beautiful 
 ceiling where Mignard, the talented painter of the 
 seventeenth century, had devoted a half dozen 
 panels to the goddess who had given her name to 
 this splendid dining-hall. 
 
 The Queen wore a white, low-necked dress with 
 geranium blossoms pinned here and there all over 
 it and had rings on all hor fingers, the most con- 
 spicuous among these being a blood-red ruby of 
 enormous size. C)n hor head, placed very far back, 
 was a diamond aigrette; her hair, parted in the 
 middle, was brought down over the ears; her large, 
 
 187
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 gentle eyes were fine and candid; her complexion 
 good; and her mouth irregTilar. Her Majesty was 
 small of stature, but well shaped, and looked ' ' every 
 inch a queen." She smiled pleasantly to all present 
 and repeatedly told the Emperor and Empress how 
 charmed she was with the hearty welcome she had 
 received everywhere and all the attentions shown 
 her since her arrival on French soil. 
 
 The next day the Queen was so fascinated by the 
 view of the park that she went out at an early hour, 
 when the Emperor joined her, and together they 
 had a long walk under the venerable trees of Saint 
 Cloud. The Emperor was struck, not only by the 
 proverbial ai¥ability of Her Majesty, but by her 
 wide knowledge of all the political affairs of 
 Europe, and of the evidently active part which she 
 took in the foreign relations of the English govern- 
 ment. When the Emperor joined Eugenie after this 
 tete-a-tete with Victoria, he said: "The Queen is a 
 charming woman and an astute statesman, and both 
 to an extreme degree." 
 
 It was Sunday. But care had been taken that one 
 of the salons of the palace should be prepared for 
 the celebration of a Church of England service. 
 This attention was fully appreciated by the Queen. 
 ' ^ The Empress and the Emperor seem to divine my 
 wish," she remarked. 
 
 The Queen ha^^ng expressed the desire to see 
 what remained of the Castle of Neuilly, where she 
 had been so warmly welcomed by the Orleans fam- 
 ily in 1843, was accordingly driven to the spot dur- 
 ing the afternoon. It will be remembered that the 
 mansion was pillaged and burnt to the ground by 
 the mob in 1848. The Queen looked for a long time, 
 
 188
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 with melancholy gaze, and in silence on the once- 
 loved residence of Louis Philippe. 
 
 Who could have then predicted that, in a few 
 short years, the palace of Saint Cloud, where she 
 was then an honored guest, vrould be reduced to 
 a similar condition? Xo sad forebodings came, to 
 darken the horizon on that radiant August day. 
 Queen, Emperor and Court were all in a sunny 
 mood like the weather itself. In fact, never did Vic- 
 toria seem so happy, talkative and even witty as 
 during this ten days' sojourn in France. Though 
 the Crimean war was then in full progress. Her 
 Majesty was most optimistic as to the final outcome 
 of the conflict; and this mood was quite justified, 
 for Sebastopol fell a week later. "Victoria was 
 right," said the Emperor, when the good news 
 reached Paris, ''but we didn't treat her as a Cas- 
 sandra." The Empress gives this account: 
 
 I recall very vividly every incident of that visit 
 to Neuilly. The Imperial and royal carriage 
 stopped in front of the main entrance of the castle 
 and the Queen stepped down, wearing a large white 
 silk hat with streamers floating behind, and mar- 
 abou feathers on the top. Her flounced dress was 
 entirely white, and a bright green sunshade and 
 mantle completed her costume. She wore small 
 slippers tied with black ribands crossed over the in- 
 step and ankle. A largo bag or reticule, made of 
 white material and embroidered witli a large gilt 
 poodle, hung from her arm. This was all so dif- 
 ferent fi'om our Paris fashions of the day that I 
 observed curiously every detail and I see now the 
 complete picture as I write." 
 
 It is often said that a sovereign 's memory is very 
 
 189
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 short, but such was not the case with Queen Victoria 
 regarding the Orleans Princes. She did not try to 
 hide from us her feelings of friendship for the 
 fallen family. She not only asked to visit the ruins 
 of Neuilly; but at the Trianon, she especially 
 desired to see the little chapel built in 1838 by Louis 
 Philippe, on the occasion of the marriage of his 
 daughter Marie to the Prince of Wiirtemberg. The 
 Queen spoke tenderly of "poor Marie" and took 
 pains to explain her feelings to the Emperor, who 
 expressed his entire approval of her kind senti- 
 ments and requested her to beg Queen Marie Amelie 
 to pass through France when she went to Spain. 
 
 "I feel no animosity towards the Princes of Or- 
 leans," remarked the Emperor; and when Queen 
 Victoria praised the correctness of their attitude 
 toward France, he merely answered: "It is to be 
 regretted, however, that their representatives here 
 are in constant communication with my worst 
 enemies." 
 
 "But what else can you expect?" replied the 
 Queen. "Is it not natural that those who have been 
 exiled should be constantly tempted to conspire 
 against those w^ho have exiled them? Did you not 
 plot against their government, yourself, when you 
 were in similar circumstances?" she asked in a most 
 gentle tone, that disarmed any resentment, if any 
 had been felt. 
 
 The Emperor's only reply was to propose that 
 the Queen should visit the chapel erected on the 
 Route de la Revolte, just outside the walls of Paris, 
 in memory of the Due d 'Orleans, Louis Philippe's 
 promising son, who died on this spot in 1842, from 
 a carriage accident. 
 
 190
 
 IMPEEIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 By the Queen's desire, General Canrobert, 
 recently returned from the Crimea, was seated next 
 to her at dinner on the second day of her visit. She 
 spoke a long time with the brave soldier who gen- 
 erously put aside his own claims to be commander- 
 in-chief in order that the post might be given to 
 General Pelissier. She questioned him minutely 
 concerning the war, the death of Lord Raglan, the 
 sufferings of the army, and all the details of its 
 organization and movements. General Canrobert 
 was much astonished at her knowledge of all these 
 things, and the conversation, begun at dinner, was 
 continued afterwards, and was only terminated by 
 the opening of the concert given by the prize pupils 
 of the Conservatory. The English sovereigns, 
 especially Prince Albert, were very fond of music 
 and they appeared to take great pleasure in the 
 program that evening. Though the conversation 
 between the different numbers turned chiefly on 
 music and art, international x)olitics were oc- 
 casionally touched upon, and from that moment the 
 Empress shared the opinion of the Emperor that 
 Queen Victoria was not a cipher in State affairs. 
 
 Of course, all went to the International Exhibi- 
 tion. But so dense was the crowd assembled to wit- 
 ness their arrival that for a moment it was feared 
 they might be crushed. The officers on guard had 
 the greatest trouble to part the people so that the 
 Emperor and Prince Albert might pass witli the 
 Queen and the Empress on their arms; and finally, 
 they were forced to enter by a side door to avoid 
 the importunate curiosity of a too sympathetic 
 throng. "Popularity has its disadvantages," re- 
 marked the Emperor, with a smile. "Yes, but we 
 
 191
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 sovereigns prefer even excessive attentions to cir- 
 cumspect neglect," answered the Qneen quietly. 
 And the Prince Consort added: "If I were a king, 
 I should prefer to be killed by a crowd than by a 
 bullet." The Empress closed the dialogue with: 
 "But I would like to escape both." And an agree- 
 able examination of some of the more notable ex- 
 hibits followed this rather unpleasant tumult at the 
 gates. 
 
 That evening, the actors of the Comedie Fran- 
 gaise played before the sovereigns in the little 
 theater of Saint Cloud. The piece given was Alex- 
 andre Dumas 's Demoiselles de St. Cyr, which the 
 Queen had seen several times in English in London, 
 and which she desired to see in French in Paris, 
 and given by the talented troupe of the famous 
 State theater. "Nothing can surpass their art, un- 
 less it be that of Dumas 's," she remarked at the 
 close. 
 
 On the following day, the Queen visited Versailles 
 and the Trianon, and in the evening was present at 
 the special gala performance at the Opera, then sit- 
 uated in the Rue le Peletier, where it was burnt in 
 1873. Mme. Alboni and Mme. Cruvelli sang with 
 great success selections from various pieces, and 
 the evening closed with the ballet de la Fonti. 
 
 The aspect of the theater was fairylike. It was 
 brilliantly illuminated and filled with ladies in full 
 dress and blazing jewels, while the gentlemen were 
 all in gorgeous uniforms. The Queen herself wore 
 a magnificent diadem and a necklace of enormous 
 diamonds. "When the ballet was over, the curtain 
 rose again for an apotheosis specially devised for 
 the occasion, which represented Windsor Castle. 
 
 192
 
 IMPERIAL AND EOYAL VISITS 
 
 Delighted with "the kind thoughfuhiess of her 
 hosts," as Her Majesty expressed it, the Queen 
 quickly turned towards the Empress and thanked 
 her effusively. Eugenie was particularly pleased 
 with this, for it was, in fact, at her suggestion that 
 this interlude was introduced. 
 
 The following days were spent by the Queen in 
 visits to the Tuileries, the Louvre and other famous 
 museums and edifices of Paris. The public had not 
 entirely left the Louvre at the hour when the royal 
 party arrived there. The heat was stifling. The 
 Queen, seated in a rolling chair, was wheeled 
 around the galleries, but as soon as the public left 
 the building she rose, and saying to the Empress, 
 '^Now I can take off my hat and mantle," suited the 
 action to the words, and, putting her things on the 
 chair as if she had been in a salon, continued her 
 visit on foot. 
 
 Later, all drove past the Conciergerie, when the 
 Emperor observed: "That is where I was im- 
 prisoned." The Queen gazed intently at the historic 
 jail, but said nothing. There, it will be remembered. 
 Prince Louis Napoleon was confined during his trial 
 in 1840, after the Boulogne affair. Eugenie thought 
 she saw the Queen's lips part twice, as if about to 
 speak; but eacli time she closed thorn again with a 
 determined muscular movement. The subject was 
 a delicate one, and the Queen evidently felt that tliis 
 was a moment when silence is golden. Jjotli the 
 Emperor and the En;f)i'ess were several times 
 struck, during this memorable visit, ])y the tact and 
 astuteness of Her Majesty. 
 
 The ball at the CAiy Hall took plac(! on tlie Thurs- 
 day. Before that festivity, the (^)ueen and Prince 
 
 193
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Albert dined at the Tuileries with the Emperor, 
 Princess Mathilde, the chief officers of the cro^\Ti 
 and General Canrobert. The Prince of Wales and 
 Princess Victoria returned to Saint Cloud, where 
 they dined with the Empress, as she was unable, 
 owing to her then delicate state of health, to attend 
 the ball. During the dinner at the Tuileries, the 
 Queen stated that she had had time, notwithstand- 
 ing her many engagements, to make several draw- 
 ings or sketches, one of which represented the 
 Gardes ' band at the Trianon, and the other a group 
 of zouaves in the park at Saint Cloud. At a much 
 later period I saw these specimens, with many 
 others, of Victoria's artistic talent, which was not 
 of an ordinary character. In fact, she always re- 
 gretted, she told the Empress, that she had not 
 found, in her busy life, more leisure for work with 
 pencil and brush. 
 
 The ball given at the City Hall was truly mag- 
 nificent. The Queen appeared in a w^hite lace dress, 
 wearing on her head a heavy diadem in which shone 
 the famous jewel of the English crowm, the Koh-i- 
 Noor, while the Emperor wore the celebrated Re- 
 gent on his sword hilt. Uniforms of all colors, Arab 
 burnous, ladies covered with gems and diamonds — 
 all concurred to make the scene a wonderful and 
 memorable one. The next day the Queen could not 
 find words to tell how much she was impressed by 
 this festivity. "The only shortcoming, but it was a 
 great one," remarked Her Majesty to the Empress, 
 not perfunctorily but with evident sincerity, which 
 was characteristic, ''was your absence. My satis- 
 faction would have been complete, if you could have 
 enjoyed the whole beautiful fete." 
 
 194
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 The grand review on tlie Champ de Mars had 
 been fixed for the following day, and the Queen 
 expressed her desire to visit the tomb of Napoleon 
 I the same afternoon. It was found necessary, 
 owing to the very hot weather, to put off the review 
 imtil five o'clock, and, naturally, that seemed to 
 render the Queen's visit to the Invalides on the 
 same day impossible. Therefore, Marshal d'Or- 
 nano, who was given temporary command at the 
 Invalides, King Jerome, the great Napoleon's 
 brother, having expressed a wish not to be present 
 on the occasion, was much surprised to receive a 
 message telling him of the arrival of the sovereigns. 
 
 Nothing could have been more impressive than 
 that twilight visit to Napoleon's tomb. A violent 
 storm burst over Paris at that moment; claps of 
 thunder shook the windows of the chapel and the 
 noise rumbled through the arches, while repeated 
 flashes of lightning gave an almost super-natural 
 aspect to this impressive scene. Waterloo and Saint 
 Helena rose in every mind, and the presence of the 
 Queen of England before the coffin of one whom her 
 people had imprisoned drew tears to the eyes of all 
 present. The Queen herself, who was much moved, 
 said gently, turning to the Prince of Wales : ''Kneel 
 down at Napoleon's tomb." Later she wrote: "I 
 was there, leaning on the arm of Napoleon, before 
 the tomb of the most determined enemy of Eng- 
 land, I, the grand-daughter of the king who hated 
 him most bitterly, and there, near me, was his 
 nephew who had become my nearest and dearest 
 ally. It would seem that in the face of this mark 
 of respect paid to a dead enemy, old hatreds and 
 old jealousies should die away, and that God had 
 
 195
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 placed His seal on the union now so happily estab- 
 lished between the two great and powerful nations. 
 May God bless it indeed and prosper it." 
 
 The Emperor, in his turn, had sent to the Moni- 
 ieur a note full of similar sentiments, which indi- 
 cated much clear-sightedness and revealed true 
 feeling; and though I was not an eye-witness of the 
 scene, I know all its details, and can realize fully 
 the genuine emotion shown both by the Emperor 
 and by the Queen. 
 
 The Queen visited delightful Saint Germain, and 
 brought away many pleasant recollections of the 
 superb view from the famous terrace, and of the 
 cool drives through the broad alleys and under the 
 stately trees of the magnificent forest. 
 
 The day before her departure, a never-to-be-for- 
 gotten fete was given in the Galerie des Glaces in 
 the palace of Versailles. At the command of the 
 Emperor, the gallery had been decorated in accord- 
 ance with the details shown in old engravings, so 
 as to represent a ball as given under Louis XV. 
 The Queen, Prince Albert and their two children 
 were delighted. The Emperor, who was in a very 
 gay mood, had young Princess Victoria dance with 
 him, and the traditional supper, as pictured in a 
 celebrated water-colour by Eugene Lami, to be 
 found in the Louvre collection, was served at small 
 tables in the theater. 
 
 Among the foreigners of note who were presented 
 to the Queen during the party was Count Bismarck, 
 then German minister at Frankfort, on a visit to 
 Paris. Who could then have imagined that, fifteen 
 years later, this soldier-diplomat would return to 
 that same gallery in the role of the pitiless con- 
 
 196
 
 IMPERIAL AND ROYAL VISITS 
 
 queror, and that in that very room would be de- 
 clared the unity of the German Empire ! 
 
 The last day of the Queen's visit, which w^as 
 Sunday, and, at the same time. Prince Albert's 
 birthday, was passed in the strictest intimacy at 
 Saint Cloud ; and on Monday the royal visitors took 
 leave. The adieux of the Prince of Wales and Prin- 
 cess Victoria to the Empress were especially affect- 
 ing and tender. They beg-ged her to ask the Queen 
 to leave them a few days longer in Paris. Eugenie 
 promised to transmit their request but without giv- 
 ing them much hope of success, "for," she said to 
 the little Prince, "I am sure the Queen and Prince 
 Albert want to have their children with them at 
 BalmoraL" "Oh! no," replied the Prince of Wales, 
 "they don't really need us, they have so many more 
 in England." 
 
 The Empress had become much attached to the 
 children, particularly to Princess Victoria, who was 
 very gentle and affectionate. Later, Eugenie often 
 spoke of her winning manners. A picture by ]\Iiiller 
 representing tlie arrival of the Queen, Prince Al- 
 bert and their children, used to hang over the grand 
 staircase at Saint Cloud, wliere it was placed at the 
 Empress' request. Unfortunately, it was burnt at 
 the destruction of the palace in 1870, in spite of the 
 efforts made, at the command of Prince Frederick, 
 husband of Princess A^ictoria, to save it. 
 
 The (^ueen and tlie Empress both felt much real 
 regret when taking leave of one another. Even at 
 this early day, Queen \'ictoria was very kind in her 
 attentions to Eugenie and during tlic (la\'S of sor- 
 row which followed, Ilei- ^ilajesty never failed to 
 display the true and lasting (quality of her sympa- 
 
 197
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 thy. "It is au revoir," said the Emperor when leav- 
 ing the Queen at Boulogne. "Indeed, I hope so," 
 answered Victoria, while the Empress at Saint 
 Cloud echoed these last farewells on the shores of 
 the Channel, the closing acts of a memorable royal 
 visit.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 GERMAN" AXD RUSSIAN ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 Much importance was attaclied to the visit paid in 
 1856 by Prince Frederick William of Prussia, who, 
 in 1870, became Kaiser Wilhelm. He was at this 
 time nearly sixty years of age, having been bom in 
 1797, and, as son of King Frederick William III, 
 was the brother and heir of Frederick William IV, 
 whose health was very poor. It will be remembered 
 that he came to the Prussian throne in January, 
 1861. 
 
 Charming both by the distinction of his manners 
 and by his gallantry towards women, the Prince of 
 Prussia deserved to have great success at the Court 
 of the Tuileries. He showed marked respect for the 
 Emperor and was soon on pleasant terms with us 
 all. His deportment x>artook of the military officer 
 and of the court gentleman, while his kindly ap})o;i'-- 
 ance, his spirited conversation and his often 
 familiar and joking talk, pleased all whom he met. 
 In a word, the future Emperor of Germany pro- 
 duced a strong impression on all the official world 
 of the Second Empire. 
 
 The Prince reached Paris from Osborne, accom- 
 panied by General von Rehreekenstein, commander- 
 in-chief of the 7th Prussian ai-my corps, and by 
 General von Moltke, who was destined to become 
 famous in later days. He was of course received 
 
 199
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 with much pomp. The Marquis de Toulongeon, 
 Colonel and orderly officer of the Emperor, and 
 Comte de Riencourt, equerry, went to Calais to 
 meet him. When he reached Paris on December 
 11th, Prince Napoleon and his suite were at the 
 Northern Railway station to receive him, and four 
 of the finest Court carriages, escorted by a platoon 
 of Gardes, carried him and his party to the Tuile- 
 ries. At the foot of the great staircase in the palace, 
 the grand Chamberlain and the Grand Master of 
 Ceremonies awaited him. At the top of the stair- 
 case stood the Emperor, who welcomed him warmly 
 and conducted him immediately to the White Salon, 
 where, surrounded by her household, the Empress 
 was ready to greet the princely guest. This first 
 moment was seized to impress on this German 
 Prince our desire to do honor to his house and 
 country, and the warmth of his reception was evi- 
 dently fully appreciated by the Prince, both at that 
 moment and throughout his sojourn in Paris. 
 
 Sumptuous apartments had been reserved for the 
 Prince of Prussia in the Pavilion de Marsan at 
 the northwest corner of the Tuileries, which por- 
 tion was burnt during the Commune but has now 
 been rebuilt. That same evening, with his suite and 
 the members of the legation, he dined at the Im- 
 perial table, when the Prince made a most favor- 
 able impression on all who met him. 
 
 On December 13th a review was passed in the 
 Court of the Tuileries. Nine regiments of the line 
 and three battalions of Chasseurs a pied filed by the 
 sovereigns. These troops had all served in the 
 Crimean war, and were commanded by Marshal 
 Magnan. The Emperor had by his side the Prince 
 
 200
 
 BOYAL VISITOES 
 
 of Prussia and they were surrounded by a brilliant 
 staff among whom were Marshals Vaillant, Bara- 
 guay d'Hilliers, Polissier, Canrobert and Bosquet. 
 Accompanied by the ladies and officers of the house- 
 hold, the Empress stood on the balcony of the grand 
 Salle des Marechaux. After the review, the Em- 
 peror, in the presence of the regimental flags, glori- 
 ously pierced with shot and soiled by powder, dis- 
 tributed crosses and medals. During the review, the 
 young Prince Imperial, coming out of the Tuileries, 
 passed between the lines of soldiers and was en- 
 thusiastically cheered. What memories are awak- 
 ened by that vision of the young heir standing thus 
 in the presence of one whose visit was then a cause 
 of rejoicing, and who, less than fifteen years later, 
 was to deal such a fatal blow to his friendly hosts ! 
 
 The future Kaiser's love of things military was 
 noticeable during the ceremony. Eecall how he 
 studied every movement of the soldiers, examined 
 the cut of their uniform and the shape of their 
 utensils, put questions to the French officers near 
 him, and in a word, sliowcd that the smallest army 
 details were not beneath his notice. It was said 
 that he even made notes in the evening on what he 
 saw and heard during the day. 
 
 The program included a stay of two days at 
 Fontainebleau. The Emperor and the Prince of 
 Prussia arrived tliere on the 15tli and spent tlie 
 16th reviewing the dragoons and lancers. The Em- 
 press arrived on the following morning and the rest 
 rjf the day was spent in a stag-hunt, in the forest. 
 But again it was remarked that, though the Prince 
 was a good shot and greatly enjoyed the beautiful 
 woods and the well-organised hunt, it was the sol- 
 
 201
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 diers, the barracks and the guns which received the 
 most of his attention. 
 
 The same evening the Court returned to Paris. 
 On the 17th the Imperial Guard was reviewed in the 
 court of the Tuileries. The Emperor, wearing the 
 grand cordon of the Black Eagle, the highest of the 
 German orders, and surrounded by a brilliant staff, 
 yielded the post of honor on the side nearest the 
 troops to the Prince of Prussia and often spoke to 
 him. In spite of the bitter cold, the Empress again^ 
 accompanied by a certain number of the ladies, wit- 
 nessed the review from the balconj^ of the Salle 
 des Marechaux. Among these ladies was the 
 Countess of Hatzfeld, daughter of the Marquis de 
 Castellane and wife of the Prussian minister to 
 Paris. She will be mentioned again further on in 
 this chapter. 
 
 That same evening, at the palace of the Prussian 
 Legation, a dinner was given in honor of the 
 Prince, chiefly to military guests, among whom were 
 seven marshals of France and General Reg-naud de 
 St. Jean d'Angely, commander of the Garde. The 
 Prince spoke much on military matters with several 
 of these officers, and charmed all his hearers, it was 
 said afterwards by one of those present. At the 
 select ball which was given on the following day in 
 the Salle des Marechaux, the Prince of Prussia ap- 
 peared veiy lively and remained till three in the 
 morning. He gave good evidences of his skill as a 
 dancer, though he was far from perfect in this art. 
 
 The Prince visited Saint Cyr, the French military 
 school, on December 19th, where he witnessed 
 several exercises performed by the cadets and went 
 away well satisfied with all he had seen. In conver- 
 
 202
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 sation later, he praised several features of this 
 famous school and complimented some of the ofB- 
 cers on the proficiency of their pupils. Thus ended 
 the military receptions given in honor of the 
 Prince of Prussia, who had not lost his time and had 
 well employed his inspecting faculties. 
 
 The fine arts, in which Paris was so rich and 
 Berlin then so poor, also had their part in the 
 program of the festivities attending the Prince's 
 visit. He was present at a representation of the 
 Corsaire at the Opera, in which Rosati, the famous 
 Italian ballet dancer, appeared. He went the day 
 before his departure to the Comedie Franc^aise with 
 the Emperor and the Empress. On these occasions, 
 he displayed an intelligent appreciation of music 
 and the drama, and did not hesitate to give his 
 views about composers, singers, playwrights, the 
 State theater, and so forth. But it was evident that 
 he was not so much at home on these subjects as on 
 his favorite theme, the army and government. 
 
 On the day of his leaving Paris, the Prince once 
 again dined with the court and the members of the 
 German Legation. The greatest cordiality pre- 
 vailed. The Marquis de Toulongeon and the Comte 
 de Riencourt accompanied the Prince as far as 
 Strasbourg, when he finally turned homewards. 
 They were ordered by the P]m]')eror to treat him 
 with marked attention to the very frontier, and this 
 order was faithfully carried out, as the Prince liim- 
 self informed us by telegram. 
 
 The warmth with which the Prince of Prussia had 
 been received could not escape the notice of Europe. 
 The relations between France and I'rnssia were as 
 friendly as possible at that date, and the Emperor 
 
 203
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 was desirous of securing tlie assistance of that 
 Power in the event of any alterations occurring in 
 the distribution of European territories. Prince 
 William had shown himself to be very charming 
 and evidently felt that there were many reasons 
 why an exchange of friendly attentions should be 
 made. He perceived also that the Countess of Hatz- 
 feld was much appreciated by the Emperor and 
 Empress, and that she strove earnestly to unite the 
 two countries as closely as possible. It is much to 
 be deplored that her diplomatic career was so soon 
 ended by the death of her husband ; for had she been 
 Ambassadress of Prussia in 1870, she would surely 
 have played an important part and perhaps might 
 have smoothed over the difficulties which led to the 
 fatal war; for, at that date, all were on the friend- 
 liest terms, and the Emperor, too, highly appreci- 
 ated her kindness and sjmipathy, which were fully 
 reciprocated. 
 
 During the spring of 1857 an event occurred 
 which was justly considered to have considerable 
 significance and which proved indeed the prelude to 
 a definite reconciliation between France and Eus- 
 sia. This was the visit to Prance of the Grand Duke 
 Constantine Nicolaievitch, brother of Emperor 
 Alexander II, Grand Admiral of Russia, hitherto a 
 most enthusiastic partisan of his father's bellig- 
 erent policy and during the Crimean war openly 
 opposed to all efforts of conciliation. Xo wonder, 
 therefore, that his arrival in Paris was looked upon 
 as an occurrence of great importance, which justi- 
 fies a somewhat detailed account of this much- 
 heralded visit. 
 
 The Grand Duke landed at Toulon on xA.pril 20th, 
 
 204
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 and was the honored guest in that militaiy port 
 during several days which were devoted to banquets 
 and festivities of all kinds. He then proceeded to 
 Paris, where he arrived on April 30th and was 
 welcomed by Prince Napoleon, and numerous other 
 high functionaries. Two squadrons of the Regiment 
 of Gardes formed the escort. The procession 
 passed along the boulevards, the Rue de la Paix, the 
 Rue de Rivoli, under the triumphal arch of the Car- 
 rousel, and reached the Tuileries palace by a road 
 bordered on either side by Gardes. This display of 
 the finest soldiers of the French army, a very com- 
 mon custom in France under all regimes, was made 
 for several purposes. In the first place, the Grand 
 Duke was pleased with everything military and it 
 was a delicate compliment to him to surround him 
 with this elite. The Emperor desired also to show 
 this representative of Russia, Europe in general 
 and the French people in particular, that, notwith- 
 standing the rather inglorious results of the Cri- 
 mean war, France still possessed a magnificent 
 army and was still animated by a martial spirit as 
 of old. 
 
 When the arrival of the Grand Duke was an- 
 nounced at the Tuileries, the Emperor came to the 
 top of the staircase to receive him, and at once con- 
 ducted him to the White Salon where the Empress 
 was waiting. That same evening there was a large 
 dinner-party at the Tuileries, and the next day the 
 Grand Duke visited the Louvre. He was partic- 
 ularly interested by tlie Sovei'eigii's museum con- 
 taining objects which had belonged to Charlemagne, 
 to the ('apetian and \^al()is kings, tlic lioiirbons and 
 the Napoleons. He stoppcsd long in front of the 
 
 205
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 gray coat and the little Marengo hat of the first 
 Bonaparte; nor did he fail, later, to visit Na- 
 poleon's tomb at the Invalides, as, indeed, was then 
 the custom with all the other royal visitors who 
 came to Paris. In fact, this official worship of the 
 great Napoleon was a credo of the Second Empire 
 practised not only by the French court and govern- 
 ment, but by many of the courts and governments, 
 especially the courts, of other European states. So 
 while Napoleon III never wearied of studying tlic 
 thoughts and actions of Napoleon I, and of con- 
 tinually placing these thoughts and actions before 
 the eyes of the French people, the royalties of Con- 
 tinental Europe who wished to ingratiate them- 
 selves with the French court and government con- 
 sidered that one of the best ways to accomplish this 
 end was to show an interest in this same credo. The 
 Emperor, however, was not blind to the occasional 
 insincerity of this foreign incense but accepted it as 
 honest because it exactly squared with his own 
 policy — worship of Bonaparte. 
 
 During the inspection of the Marine Museum, 
 which took place after the visit to the Louvre pic- 
 ture galleries, the Grand Duke found a good oppor- 
 tunity to show his considerable naval knowledge, 
 for it must not be forgotten that he was one of the 
 favorite pupils of that famous Russian navigator 
 and explorer. Count Lutke. Nor was the Grand 
 Duke without great merit quite on his own account, 
 for his Fabian policy when he commanded the Rus- 
 sian fleet in the Baltic during 1854-55, prevented the 
 British from gaining any decisive victory. 
 
 A grand ball was given by the Minister of the 
 Marine, and the Duke walked round the rooms with 
 
 206
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 Princess Mathilde on liis arm. Next came a select 
 party at the City Hall consisting of a concert and 
 dances followed by a supper in the Throne room. 
 Then there was a dinner at the Invalides with King 
 Jerome, a ball at the Tuileries, gala performances 
 at the Opera, a visit to the fortress of Vincennes, 
 several days spent in attending the events on the 
 newly opened race-course in the Bois de Boulogne 
 — nothing, in short, was spared that might interest 
 and amuse the honored guest. Finally, in this con- 
 nection, was a grand review on May 6th of the 
 (xardes and the Paris garrison, on the Champ de 
 Mars. This review was notable from the fact that 
 it was the first time all the regiments of the Gardes 
 were united under one command and in the same 
 review. Thus there were the battalion of Chasseurs 
 a pied, four regiments of light cavalry, the three 
 regiments of grenadiers, a regiment of zouaves, 
 engineers, Gendarmes, two artillery regiments, 
 equipment wagons, and so forth, the Guides, Cui- 
 rassiers, Chasseurs, Lancers and the Dragoons of 
 the Empress. The Emperor rode over the Pont 
 d'Jena to the Champ de Mars, having at his side the 
 Grand Duke Constantine, Prince Xapoleon, and the 
 Duke of Nassau, while behind tlicm I'odc the }Jar- 
 shals Paraguay d'lliiliers, Polissier, Cani'ohcrt and 
 Bosquet. The standards and Hags ol* tJio newly 
 formed regiments of the Gardes were handed to 
 their colonels by tin,' Emj)eror in person. I'iscorted 
 and surrounded by a platoon of (Jai'des, llie Em- 
 ])ress witnessed the review from aTi oy)eii cari-iage. 
 I^ater, she watched tlie troo{)s fi'om the balcony of 
 the Military school as they filed past. 
 
 This grand review, which passed off with eclat, 
 
 207
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 made a sensation not only in Paris but throughout 
 Europe and did not a little to increase the military 
 prestige of France; which was the very purpose the 
 Emperor had in view. While honoring the Grand 
 Duke, he was augmenting his own power. This was 
 another credo of the Second Empire. 
 
 On May 11th the Emperor, the Prince Imperial 
 and the Empress went to Fontainebleau to spend a 
 few days there in company with the Grand Duke 
 Constantine, the Grand Duchess Stephanie of 
 Baden and Prince Nicolas of Nassau. Delighted by 
 this unexpected visit, the citizens of Fontainebleau 
 spared no pains to greet us with every mark of 
 enthusiasm. The streets were decorated for our 
 arrival in the afternoon, and brilliantly illuminated 
 in the evening as a sign of general rejoicing. The 
 stag-hunt on the 12th was very magnificent. A great 
 concourse of people gathered at the rendezvous, 
 and the imperial party, speaking as genially as pos- 
 sible with the persons around it, was highly pleased 
 to find it was everywhere greeted with enthusiastic 
 cheers. This kindly reception of the father and 
 mother of the Prince Imperial and the wife of the 
 Emperor bespoke the popularity of the Court, which 
 was another, though perhaps a minor, sign of the 
 increasing solidity of the regime. It, too, made a 
 certain impression, we learned later, on the Grand 
 Duke and the other foreign notabilities then at Fon- 
 tainebleau. 
 
 In the evening there was a torch-light hunt. The 
 gates into the castle grounds were left open, so that 
 the public was able to enter and show its enthus- 
 iasm. The follomng days were spent in long walks 
 and drives through the forest and the neighbour- 
 
 208
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 hood of Fontainebleau, a grand dinner in the Gal- 
 erie Henri II and the inauguration of a pretty 
 theater constructed by the architect Lefuel in the 
 right wing of the castle. On that occasion the actors 
 of the Comedie Frangaise played with their usual 
 talent and the Grand Duke could not praise too 
 highly this excellent troupe. On the 14th, the last 
 day of the Grand Duke's stay, there was a large 
 dinner party in the forest, preceded by a long walk. 
 The return to the castle at night was made by 
 torch-light, about nine o'clock, and two hours later 
 the Emperor himself conducted his guest to the 
 station and bade him a cordial farewell. 
 
 They always liked to recall that short stay at 
 Fontainebleau, which had occurred this year much 
 earlier in the season than usual. It was this season 
 that the Prince Imperial made his first attempts at 
 walking, in a spot he learned to love so dearly in 
 after years. It was also during this visit that the 
 final reconciliation with Russia was effected after 
 so many years of chivalrous but bloody struggles; 
 for the Emperor made the most of the many oc- 
 casions afforded him to speak confidentially and at 
 length with the Grand Duke and the diplomats, both 
 French and Russian, wlio were of the party. The 
 political horizon thou appeared clear and cloudless, 
 both at home and abroad, for the Emperor and the 
 Empress both enjoyed great popularity, tlie latter 
 being particularly well treated at this moment. All 
 these causes united in making this sojourn at Fon- 
 tainebleau very enjoyable and explain why it was 
 ever remembered with })eculiar yileasure. 
 
 The visit of King ^laximilian IT of R)avaria fol- 
 lowed immediately upon that of the Grand Duke 
 
 209
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Constaiitine. He bad strongiy manifested a desire 
 to spend a few days at the Court of Napoleon III 
 and had been encouraged by the Baron de Meneval, 
 French Ambassador in Munich, to undertake a jour- 
 ney which, he know, coukl have only pleasant exper- 
 iences in store for him. 
 
 Maximilian II mounted the throne of Bavaria 
 when his father, King Louis, abdicated, in 1848. He 
 was a man of cultured mind, a lover of letters and 
 the sciences and was well versed in philosophical 
 studies. But by far tlie most interesting fact about 
 him was that, though he had married the daughter 
 of Prince Frederick William of Prussia, he was 
 known to be opposed to the project, then greatly 
 stirring the Teutonic public, which favored the 
 unification of Germany with the King of Prussia as 
 its head. Fortunately for his spirit of independ- 
 ence, he died before this was accomplished and it 
 was left to his son to experience the humiliation of 
 seeing Bavaria sink into the German Empire, which 
 happened in November, 1870. 
 
 The King reached Lyons on the evening of May 
 15, 1857, and was received with much state at the 
 railway station. The troops of the garrison were all 
 gathered at the entrance, while Marshal de Castel- 
 lane, commander-in-chief, took his place on the 
 right of the carriage to which the King was con- 
 ducted, and which was drawn by four fine horses. 
 The Emperor sent to Lyons several officers of his 
 houseliold to meet the King, among them being 
 Comte de Tascher do la Pagerie, first Chamberlain, 
 a relative of the Empress, who, as is stated else- 
 where in these memoirs, had been educated in 
 Bavaria, where he had many acquamtances. He 
 
 210
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 was a great favorite with King Maximilian. Tiius 
 were the Emperor's attentions, as was his wont, 
 carried into the smallest details. 
 
 After a review of the troops on the Place Belle- 
 cour, Lyons, the King of Bavaria left for Paris on 
 May 17th, and reached Fontainebleau at six o'clock 
 and the palace a few minutes later. Followed by 
 officers of his household, the Emperor advanced to 
 meet the King as far as the foot of the staircase, 
 while the Empress stood at the head, surrounded by 
 the ladies of her suite. The presentations took 
 place in the Galerie Francois I, after which the din- 
 ner was served in the Galerie Henri II, always so 
 beautiful with its Primaticcio frescoes. The fol- 
 lowing day the Emperor and King of Bavaria drove 
 through the forest of Fontainebleau in a little car- 
 riage which the Emperor was fond of driving him- 
 self. Numerous guests from Paris had been invited 
 to be present during the sojourn of King Maxi- 
 milian at the palace, and their attendance added 
 greatly to the interest of the occasion. 
 
 During the Second P]mpire the Emperor utilized 
 all the fine things of France to augment the eclat 
 of the regime. For instance, nobody before him 
 brought to bear in such a thorough manner the won- 
 derful natural attractions of the Fontainebleau 
 forest. This was especially the case during the visit 
 of the King of Bavaria. Thus, the day after his ar- 
 rival, there was a grand promenade through the 
 forest, the King being accompanied by the (irand 
 Dowager Duchess of Baden, Princess Marie of 
 P>aden, the Duchess of Hamilton and all the guests 
 at the palace. In the evening, favored by the splen- 
 did weather, a night fete was given which turned 
 
 211
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 the palace and grounds into fairyland. Colored 
 lights innumerable shone in the English garden and 
 gave the appearance of operatic scenery to the 
 strangely constructed castle. Decorated and illum- 
 inated boats floated over the lake, while on the 
 pavilion in the center of the lake the band of the 
 Grenadiers of the Gardes alternated with the 
 orchestra from the Opera. The evening ended with 
 a grand display of fire works, some of which, break- 
 ing over the water, falling like showers of stars into 
 its dark depths, or skimming lightly in brilliant rays 
 between the shining boats, produced a most wonder- 
 ful and original effect. On May 22d the beautiful 
 wild gorge of Apremont was chosen as the grand 
 dining-room in Avhich an open air repast was of- 
 fered to the King. 
 
 In after years, when the Emperor would some- 
 times talk over with the Empress the bright days of 
 the past, these sojourns at Fontainebleau often 
 rushed back to them in most vivid colors. The his- 
 toric scenes of which the palace had been the center 
 and the great Bonaparte the principal actor, and 
 the jjicturesqueness and beauty of this superb 
 forest all helped to make an indelible impression on 
 both of them, which remained with the Emperor to 
 the very day of his death. Eecollections of this visit 
 of King Maximilian were an especially bright spot 
 in these souvenirs of Fontainebleau. 
 
 The return to Paris took place on May 24th. The 
 King of Bavaria and the French sovereigns were 
 received at the station by Prince Napoleon, who had 
 just returned from a journey to Germany, as will 
 be seen a few pages further on in this chapter. On 
 this occasion again the Prince appeared at his best 
 
 212
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 and was a real aid to the Emperor. He was diplo- 
 matic, measured in his language and made none of 
 those ''mistakes" of which so many of the Second 
 Empire statesmen complained. 
 
 King Maximilian during his stay in the capital 
 occupied the Pavilion de Marsan. He, of course, 
 found sufficient time, in spite of all the dinners and 
 fetes, to visit the tomb of Napoleon. Everywhere he 
 was enthusiastically welcomed, and was evidently 
 much pleased at the attentions of which he was the 
 object. He dined at Saint Cloud and delighted the 
 ladies and gentlemen of the court, with all of whom 
 he chatted most graciously, by his genial manners 
 and lively conversation. It was noted that he spoke 
 with equal surenoss about matters of art, letters, 
 politics and military affairs. His well-known oppo- 
 sition to Prussian aggTandizement was, of course, 
 not the least of the reasons for his success in French 
 court and political circles. 
 
 Maximilian II left Paris on June 8th to return 
 to his states, carrying away with him pleasant im- 
 pressions of his journey to France, which he often 
 liked to recall. At that time the Imperial govern- 
 ment was on the best of terms with the German 
 nations, and the Emperor, who was always much 
 interested in German literature, and had a real af- 
 fection for Germany itself, where so much of his 
 youth had been spent, awakened in the King a feel- 
 ing of strong personal affection which endured to 
 the end. 
 
 The Emperor was ever anxious to strengthen tlie 
 friendly ties which already existed 1)et\veen France 
 and the German states so as to make use of these 
 
 213
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 good relations some day, perhaps. He wished to 
 conciliate Russia, to gain Prussia's firm alliance, 
 and to foster the friendly feelings of the secondary 
 states of Germany, while alienating them as much 
 as possible from Austria, in view of the eventuality 
 of his having to intervene in the relations of that 
 power with Italy. So in 1857 the Emperor offi- 
 cially sent his cousin. Prince Napoleon, to Berlin 
 and to Dresden, choosing the very time when the 
 Grand Duke Constantine and the King of Bavaria 
 were the honored guests of the Tuileries. It will 
 be remembered that the first of these personages 
 was the second son of the Czar Nicolas I and played 
 a prominent part in the Crimean war; and that he 
 married a German princess. So, by showing him 
 attentions, the Emperor was conciliating both Rus- 
 sia and Germany. 
 
 Prince Napoleon in France and Prince Napoleon 
 abroad were two very different persons. In France, 
 he was ever a malcontent, an exaggerated liberal, 
 a democrat who delighted in upsetting the plans of 
 the Government ; let him but cross the frontiers and 
 he became the Prince, the grand seigneur, the dip- 
 lomat, the intelligent, wary, cultured gentleman, 
 more capable than any other of seconding his 
 cousin's views and of obtaining for him the friend- 
 ship of those whom he desired to court. Prince 
 Napoleon has had many detractors and quite as 
 many adulators, but the estimate of neither was 
 exactly correct. He never forgot that he was a Bon- 
 apartist, and even if he did, his interlocutors could 
 not, because of the very striking likeness which he 
 bore to the great Napoleon. When advancing years 
 and obesity had markedly changed the appearance 
 
 214
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 of his younger years, his face still preserved the 
 Napoleonic features. 
 
 Prince Napoleon was met at Magdebourg by Gen- 
 eral von Brand and General von Treskow, who 
 escorted him to Berlin, where he was officially re- 
 ceived on May 8th, by Prince George of Prussia, 
 Princes Augustus and William of Wiirtemberg, 
 Prince William of Baden, the Marquis de Moustier, 
 then French Minister to Prussia, and all the staff of 
 the Legation, who awaited his arrival at the station. 
 So bent was Frederick William IV on showing his 
 good will towards France, that, waiving all the pre- 
 scriptions of court etiquette, according to which the 
 Prince should have paid him the first visit that 
 evening, the King himself came, shortly after the 
 arrival of his guest, to pay him a surprise-visit, 
 which was immediately returned, when His Majesty 
 presented the Prince to the Queen and the Prin- 
 cesses, and in the evening accompained him to the 
 Opera. The following day he courteously gave the 
 Prince the place of honor during the review in 
 Unter den Linden. That same evening there was n 
 grand court banquet at which the healths of the 
 French Prince and that of the Emperor's family 
 were drunk, with appropriate speeches. 
 
 Prince Napoleon had much intellectual force. He 
 could speak well and write well. In fact, he was 
 perhaps more clever with his tongue than with his 
 pen; and if the formal toasts at this dinner-table 
 were not orations, in his private conversations with 
 the King, his advisors and the Prussian ofiicial 
 world generally, the Prince's well-known gift of 
 speech accomplished wonders, lie never believed 
 that silence was golden, especially during this par- 
 
 215
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 ticular visit to Germany. Prince Napoleon even laid 
 aside, on this occasion, his well-known Voltairian 
 principles, so bent was he on being faithful to the 
 fulfillment of his part as representative of the Em- 
 peror, and though he cared little about religious 
 duties, he officially heard mass in the Catholic 
 church, where the Grand Master of Ceremonies 
 awaited him. 
 
 During his stay in Germany, the Prince spent 
 several evenings at the Opera, when he astonished 
 some of the German composers, who were invited 
 to meet him, by his large knowledge of German 
 music and German musical writers. He received the 
 corps diplomatique, having an intelligent word for 
 the chief of each mission, and warmly w^elcomed the 
 great savant. Baron von Humboldt, who came to 
 pay his respects to Napoleon's representative, with 
 Y\ horn the Prince talked learnedly on scientific prob- 
 lems, listening with evident pleasure to the Baron's 
 accounts of his wide travels. At Potsdam, Prince 
 Napoleon visited the tomb of the Great Frederick, 
 where he learned that the keeper who opened the 
 gates had known the Prussian hero, that it was this 
 same keeper who in 1806 had shown the tomb to 
 Napoleon I, and now, in 1857, conducted thither the 
 nephew of the conqueror of lena and the victim of 
 AVaterloo. Prince Napoleon often dwelt upon this 
 little coincidence in his German visit and long re- 
 membered the name of this humble and aged porter. 
 
 Prince Napoleon was present at the military 
 maneuvers presided over by the Prince of Prussia 
 to whom he had brouulit the grand cordon of the 
 Legion of Honor, and having been everywhere the 
 
 216
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 object of most marked attentions, he left Berlin on 
 May 14th for the Court of Saxony. 
 
 The welcome he received from King John was no 
 less cordial than that of Frederick William IV. He 
 visited many historic battlefields, and met, among 
 other famous men, Count von Beust, then president 
 of the council of Ministers of Saxony, but ten years 
 later Prime Minister of Austria. He also spent an 
 evening with the dowager-queen and the Arch- 
 duchess Sophia, mother of the present Emperor of 
 Austria. These acquaintances were of value when 
 the Austro-Prussian war occurred in 1866, as they 
 enabled Prince Napoleon to explain many matters 
 to his cousin that the Tuileries otherwise would only 
 have half understood. 
 
 On the occasion of the King's birthday. Prince 
 Napoleon proceeded to Pillnitz to offer his congrat- 
 ulations, and was then taken by the Saxon sovereign 
 to Moritzbourg, a hunting box erected in the woods 
 by the Elector Augustus, King of Poland. After a 
 dinner enlivened by the music of hunting horns, the 
 party walked to a glade in the forest where a curi- 
 ous spectacle was witnessed — troops of deer, stags, 
 and does coming in perfect freedom from all their 
 hiding places, to take tlie food which is distributed 
 to them at certain hours eacli day. "This was the 
 peaceful and rural note in tliis royal visit," wrote 
 the Prince, "where politics and military matters 
 pushed all else into the background." 
 
 On his return to Paris on ]\lay 24th the Prince 
 had much to toll Napoleon III concei'iiing the 
 cordial attentions of which he had been the object, 
 and ho Iiad certainly completoly fiilfillod the wishes 
 of the Emperor in showing himself most friendly 
 
 217
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 towards the Court of Berlin. Yet tlie Empress was 
 far from sharing Napoleon's enthusiasm for Ger- 
 many. Even then, she felt some alarm as she wit- 
 nessed all these tokens of amity shown the German 
 states. Eugenie was continually asking herself the 
 question : Are our advances sincerely accepted? She 
 doubted it, and I see now that her doubts were well 
 founded. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress left Saint Cloud 
 for the Isle of Wight on August 5, 1857. The fol- 
 lowing day they were within sight of Osborne. 
 Prince Albert, accompanied by his second son, the 
 Duke of Edinburgh, came on the Queen's yacht to 
 meet them, and they were most cordially welcomed 
 by Queen Victoria. Charmingly hospitable and 
 gracious, she gave them a hearty welcome at Os- 
 borne, the enchanted home she and her husband had 
 built on the finest spot to be found in the island, 
 of which she was justly proud. 
 
 Immediately after lunch, the Prince Consort had 
 a long conversation with the Emperor. Two days 
 later an important interview took place between the 
 Queen, the Prince Consort, the Emperor, Lord 
 Palmerston, Lord Clarendon, Count Walewski, and 
 Comte de Persigny. On that occasion the Emperor 
 did not insist, as has been sometimes stated, on the 
 adoption of his proposal for the union of the Dan- 
 ubian principalities under the scepter of a foreign 
 prince, but merely asked tlie British Government to 
 disavow its ambassador at Constantinople and sup- 
 port the demand addressed by Franco, Prussia and 
 Sardinia to the Sublime Porte for the annulment of 
 the Moldavian elections. 
 
 218
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 On Friday, the 7th, the two courts were out on 
 the sea for some hours on the royal yacht Victoria 
 and Albert. The weather was glorious and the Em- 
 press, who was always so fond of the water, was 
 delighted; and the rest of the distinguished party 
 also appeared to enjoy themselves greatly. In the 
 evening, there was a grand dinner at the castle. On 
 the Saturday, after a political conference, a small 
 ball was held under a marquise. Sunday was, of 
 course, very quiet. Prince Albert, who was very 
 fond of agriculture, took his guests on a tour of 
 inspection over his farms, giving to them ideas of 
 his own concerning horticulture, and affording all 
 an opportunity to admire his machines and latest 
 improvements in buildings. 
 
 On Monday, the 10th, the Emperor and Empress 
 embarked at Osborne to return to Plarve. The 
 leave-taking between Queen A^ictoria and her guests 
 was marked by the greatest cordiality. Before his 
 departure, the Emperor invited the Duke of Cam- 
 bridge to come and spend a few days with him at 
 the camp at Chalons. The Queen, who was much 
 pleased by this cordial invitation tendered to the 
 commander-in-chief of the British ai'my, said to the 
 Emperor: ''We must seize every occasion to show 
 our two peoples that even our armies can march 
 side by side." 
 
 Two days after tlie departure of her guests, 
 Queen Victoria, writing to her unck^, tlie King of 
 the Belgians, sunmicd nj) the Oslioi'iie interview in 
 the following m.'innci-: ''The visit was from all 
 points of view salisfactory and agreeal)le. Politi- 
 cally, it has l)(Mm a gi'eat blessing fi'om (Jod, for the 
 unhappy difficulties in the Principalities have been 
 
 219
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 smoothed out and regulated in a satisfactory fash- 
 ion. The whole interview was quiet and agreeable. 
 Dear Osborne lost nothing of its familiar and un- 
 pretentious character. The Emperor spoke frankly 
 to Albert, and Albert did likewise with him, which 
 is a great advantage. Lord Palmerston said to me 
 on the last day: 'The Prince can say many things 
 which w^e cannot say. ' ' ' 
 
 The Queen went so far as to pay a most flattering 
 compliment to the Empress, which need not be re- 
 peated here, though, on account of its political bear- 
 ing, I may be permitted to make this further 
 extract: "Albert, who rarely cares for ladies or 
 princesses, likes the Empress very much ; she is his 
 great ally." This last phrase it quite true. On this 
 and other occasions, Eugenie did all in her power 
 to strengthen the English alliance. 
 
 On his return to France, Napoleon wrote on 
 August 15th to his royal hostess: "We left Osborne 
 so deeply touched by the amiable welcome of Your 
 Majesty and the Prince, and so tilled with admira- 
 tion at the spectacle of all the virtues exhibited by 
 the royal family of England, that it is difficult for 
 me to tind expressions to define the devoted and 
 tender sentiments which we cherish for Your 
 Majesty. I think when one has passed some days in 
 your intimacy, one must become a better being. 
 Please tell the Prince, who so nobly shares your 
 destiny, that I have for him the highest esteem and 
 the truest friendship, which proves how much I care 
 for him. As for Your Majesty's children, they are 
 all gifted with such excellent and charming qualities 
 that one has but to see them in order to love them; 
 
 220
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 so it is only natural that we should wish them all the 
 happiness they deserve." 
 
 These lines have been printed in another form; 
 but this is the text as it left the Emperor's pen, for 
 he it was who wrote this letter and not the French 
 Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
 
 In her reply to the Emperor, the Queen declares 
 mth her customary simplicity what affection she 
 has for her "well beloved husband who has no other 
 ambition than to do good and to make himself use- 
 ful whenever he can." The Queen again compli- 
 mented Eugenie. The compliment may be given here 
 because it is associated in these womanly words, 
 with that paid the Prince Consort : 
 
 "In a position so isolated as that which we oc- 
 cupy, we can have no greater consolation or surer 
 support than the sympathy and advice of him or her 
 who is called to share our destiny in life; and tlie 
 dear Emjjress, with her generous instincts, is your 
 guardian angel, as the Prince is my true friend." 
 These were the kindly words which brought to a 
 close this delightful sojourn on English soil. 
 
 In August, just two years before, as we have 
 already seen, the iCnglish sovereigns officially 
 visited the Emperor and Empress. This, therefore, 
 was the return visit. In the interval, important 
 events had occurred in both countries. In France, 
 an heir to the throne had been born, peace willi Kus- 
 sia signed and the young Empire more solidly 
 established in every respect. In P]ngland, there was 
 a general weakening of the Palmerston administra- 
 tion. Although a new Parliament was chosen a few 
 months before the Emperor and Enif)ress crossed 
 over to the Isle of Wight, "the dashing l^rime Min- 
 
 221
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ister," as Napoleon termed him, was doomed to 
 defeat and tlie fall came a few montlis after their 
 return to France. But all these events on both sides 
 of the Channel had no weakening influence on the 
 good understanding betw^een Great Britain and 
 France and several of them strengthened it. In- 
 deed, the day was rapidly approaching — it came in 
 January, 1860 — when the Emperor and Cobden 
 established free trade in France, so that thence- 
 forth there was a commercial as well as a political 
 union between the two great nations. Referring to 
 this economic revolution, the Emperor exclaimed 
 one day: "Some quidnuncs declare that this is an- 
 other Waterloo for us ; but they will live to see that 
 it is an Austerlitz for both countries." It may be 
 added that it w^as this exchange of visits in 1855 and 
 1857 w^hich paved the way to this new economic 
 system. 
 
 The first step towards a reconciliation between 
 France and Russia after the Crimean w^ar was 
 taken in 1856 when Napoleon sent a mission of 
 extraordinary brilliancy, headed by Comte de 
 Momy, to represent him at the coronation of the 
 Czar Alexander II. It had now become desirable 
 that an occasion should be found for drawing the 
 two sovereigns into a closer union. A suitable op- 
 portunity presented itself in the autumn of 1857 at 
 Stuttgart, where the Emperor Alexander was \t sit- 
 ing members of his family, and where Napoleon III 
 had decided to return the visit paid him the pre- 
 ceding year by the King of AViirtombcrg, shortly 
 after the birth of the Prince Imperial. The inter- 
 view, which had been talked of for several months, 
 
 222
 
 BOYAL VISITORS 
 
 was at length decided upon for the end of Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 The Emperor Napoleon had just passed several 
 weeks at Chalons, where particularly interesting 
 military maneuvers had taken place on this cele- 
 brated drilling ground in the presence of the Duke 
 of Cambridge. In every way the reception offered 
 to the Queen's uncle, commander-in-chief of the 
 English army, had been most cordial; but as the 
 Emperor was now to meet the Czar of Russia on 
 friendly terms, it was more than ever necessary to 
 let it be seen that the English alliance would in no 
 way be endangered by the proposed interview. 
 After events showed that this was true, for, as is 
 more than once pointed out in these memoirs, from 
 the beginning to the end of the Second Empire, one 
 of the cardinal principles of the foreign policy of 
 the Emperor was friendly relations with Great 
 Britain, in whi';;h respect he differed radically from 
 his great uncle. In fact, among the few things which 
 Napoleon III criticized in the conduct of the affairs 
 of the First Empire was the failure of Napoleon I 
 to live on amicable terms with the English nation. 
 On this point, the Empress held the same view as 
 her husband and always did what she could to 
 strengthen the bonds between France and *'the 
 natural ally of France." 
 
 King William of Wiirtemberg, so cordially re- 
 ceived in Paris during the month of April, 1856, 
 was delighted to have an opportunity of doing the 
 honors of his capital on the occasion of Na{)ok'oii's 
 visit. Princess Mathildc, grand-daughter of King 
 Frederick of Wiirtemberg, had gone to Stuttgart 
 the preceding year to offer birthday congratula- 
 
 223
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tions to lier uncle, King William, and she had been 
 much appreciated and sought after; moreover, 
 Queen Sophie of HoUand, daughter of the King of 
 Wiirtemberg, had always shown a strong friendship 
 for Napoleon III. On the other hand, Alexander II 
 was a very near relation of the royal family; his 
 father, Nicholas II, having been the son of a princess 
 of Wiirtemberg, a w^oman of great intellectual 
 power, who had been known at the court of Marie 
 Antoinette as the Comtesse du Nord; while the 
 prince royal of Wiirtemberg, bom of the second 
 marriage of his father, was married to the Grand 
 Duchess Olga. These numerous alliances between 
 the houses of Russia and AViirtemberg had been 
 strengthened by frequent friendly meetings and 
 exchanges of amicable sentiments, so that the Em- 
 peror Napoleon when at Stuttgart found himself 
 one of a genial family party. Nor is it too much to 
 say that he was loved and honored in that circle 
 where he exercised a good and wise influence. 
 
 This meeting of the Emperors was viewed with 
 friendly eyes by the whole of Germany, excepting 
 perhaps the Austrian states, so that the journey 
 from Strasbourg to Stuttgart was one long and 
 enthusiastic ovation. It offered, by the way, a good 
 example of Napoleon's habit, in the early years of 
 his reign, of conducting, so far as possible, the 
 foreign atfairs of France by direct intercourse be- 
 tween himself and foreign sovereigns, supported by 
 their ministers of foreign affairs. Napoleon III 
 never liked to delegate diplomatic business. He had 
 traveled widely, had had extensive experience with 
 men of different nations, and he naturally felt that 
 he could handle with success delicate international 
 
 224
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 matters. The diplomacy of the Second Empire 
 would have fewer mistakes to record if Napoleon 
 could always have pursued this wise plan. 
 
 The Emperor started from Chalons, reviewed the 
 cavalry divisions at Luneville on the Lorraine 
 frontier on September 24th and arrived at Stras- 
 bourg at three o'clock on that afternoon, accom- 
 panied by Generals Failly and Fleury, his aides de 
 camp, and Prince Joachim Murat, his orderly offi- 
 cer. The reception was magnificent; flowers were 
 strewn before the sovereign, triumphal arches had 
 been erected, and all the houses were hung with gar- 
 lands and profusely decorated. The Emperor had 
 mounted on leaving the station, and before going 
 to the prefecture where he was to sleep, he reviewed 
 the town di\'ision on the Place Kleber. 
 
 This popular reception, one of the countless simi- 
 lar ovations which occurred throughout the reign, 
 well illustrates the powerful hold which the Bona- 
 parte family has always had on France, and makes 
 one regret that a turbulent minority could not bring 
 themselves to join with the people and thus bring 
 about a real "era of good feeling," which would 
 have united the whole nation under one head, and 
 prevented the future disasters which fell upon the 
 country. 
 
 Frederick William Louis, son-in-law of the 
 Prince of Prussia and Grand Duke of P>aden, ar- 
 rived that evening at Baden. He had been the Em- 
 peror's guest in 1855, and, consequently, was de- 
 sirous of welcoming Napoleon cordially. He wished 
 the Emperor to stop, if only for a few hours, with 
 him at Alanheim oi- at Baden, and in tlie end ob- 
 tained Napoleon's consent to lunch with him in the
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 latter town. Here is another example of the very 
 cordial relations which at this epoch united France 
 and Germany and which would have continued to 
 the end if Napoleon could have had his way. 
 
 Leaving Strasbourg, therefore, at eight o'clock, 
 the Emperor crossed Kelil, which was profusely 
 decorated with French and Baden flags, and arrived 
 at ten o'clock at the station of Baden, where he was 
 received by the Grand Duke, Grand Duchess 
 Stephanie and the Prince of Prussia. He lunched 
 with the Grand Duke's family and the future king 
 of Prussia, Kaiser AVillielm. When leaving the pal- 
 ace, the Grand Duke showed the Emperor a com- 
 pany of the guards who still retained the flag they 
 had carried under the First Empire, when the 
 Baden soldiers were the comrades in arms of the 
 French, another striking example of the friendly 
 relations which then prevailed. 
 
 Leaving Baden at half past one, the Emperor was 
 convinced by what he saw and heard, both in the 
 little watering town then so fashionable and along 
 the whole length of the road to Stuttgart, of the 
 great popularity with which his visit was regarded 
 in the German states; for everywhere he was 
 greeted with real enthusiasm. 
 
 At Eastatt he was visited by two princes from 
 Baden who came to pay their respects; tlie Grand 
 Duke and the Prince of Prussia accompanied him to 
 Carlsruhe; while the Grand Duchess Stephanie was 
 still more attentive and did not stop until they 
 reached Bruchsal, the X)oint of junction between the 
 railways of Wiirtemberg and Baden, where the Em- 
 peror found General Baur, King William's envoy, 
 awaiting him. 
 
 226
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 At Stuttgart tlie King and Princes of the royal 
 family greeted the Emperor at the station and con- 
 ducted him to the palace where Alexander II, who 
 had arrived, without the Empress, the day before, 
 and who was staying with his brother-in-law, the 
 Prince Royal, at two kilometers from the town, 
 came to pay him a visit. Having dined with the 
 King and Queen, the Emperor went to spend the 
 rest of the evening with the Prince Royal, where he 
 met the Czar again. The grand avenue leading to 
 the villa was brilliantly lighted. All the ministers, 
 the whole diplomatic corps and the high Court offi- 
 cials were with the Prince Royal to pay their re- 
 spects to the ruler of France. 
 
 The Czar had with him Prince Gortchakoff, Min- 
 ister of Foreign Affairs, and the Emperor was ac- 
 companied by Count Walewski, Minister of Foreign 
 Affairs, Comte de Rayneval, then ambassador to 
 St. Petersburg, Prince Joachin Murat, and Gen- 
 erals Fleury and de Failly. At eleven o'clock the 
 Emperor returned to Stuttgart with the King and 
 Queen, while the Czar remained with his brother-in- 
 law. This coming and going well illustrates the 
 activity of the crowned heads of those days, when 
 parliaments w^ere secondary. 
 
 On the morning of the following day. Napoleon 
 III paid a less formal visit to the E]mporor Alex- 
 ander 11. At eleven o'clock the King of AViirtem- 
 berg came to fetch him and took him round the 
 royal stables, where he kept at his own expense 
 three hundred thoroughbreds. During this visit to 
 the stables, Xapoleon confined his conversation to 
 sporting matters, and the King afterwards re- 
 marked that "if the Emperor of the French is as 
 
 227
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 strong in politics as he is in horses, Europe will be 
 surprised one of these days." Indeed, such was the 
 case, for Napoleon's power in the international re- 
 lations of Europe went on growing firmer and 
 bolder until the Tuileries became the very center 
 the Old World's diplomacy. 
 
 During the day, after conferring with Count 
 Walewski, the Emperor paid a visit to the Queen 
 and remained a long while with Queen Sophie of the 
 Netherlands. The latter was a firm partisan of the 
 close alliance with England and determined to do 
 all in her power, while not striving to prevent Napo- 
 leon from entering into friendly relations with the 
 Czar, not to let him sacrifice what she called ''the 
 reality of the English alliance for the semblance of 
 a Russian agreement." 
 
 How often had the Empress spoken of this with 
 the Emperor. Napoleon III had certainly no desire 
 to abandon the prey for its shadow; but it is clear 
 that from the very first meeting with the Czar, he 
 felt strangely attracted by the Russian emperor. 
 He was eager to make him his political friend and 
 wished to gain the Czar's acquiescence in his own 
 plans in view of the possibility of difiiculties arising 
 between Austria and Italy. 
 
 It has often been asked, especially at the time of 
 the recent alliance of France with Russia, whether 
 it would not have been opportune simply to "over- 
 look" the English alliance, whose principal fruit 
 had been a war chiefly beneficial to England, and to 
 unite closely with Russia. To do so would have been 
 going to work very rapidly, trampling willfully on 
 promises made and putting oneself in a bad position 
 altogether. If the Empress had been present on this 
 
 228
 
 ROYAL VISITORS 
 
 occasion, she would undoubtedly have urged the Em- 
 peror to remain faithful to his first alliance. Eu- 
 genie was really fond of Queen Victoria, whose af- 
 fectionate interest had been so precious to her at the 
 beginning of her career as a sovereign. Perhaps, 
 also, she then nourished a little feeling of bitterness 
 against Russia. When that Power sought to draw 
 into closer union with France, was it not in reality 
 for the purpose of obtaining the suppression, in the 
 treaty of Paris, of an article which caused Russia 
 some embarrassment, the one relating to the pro- 
 hibition of fleets in the Black Sea? Had France 
 given way on that chief point, the result would with- 
 out doubt have been a very close alliance with Rus- 
 sia, but it would have entailed also a rupture with 
 England who would never have consented — the 
 question of the Bosphorus being all important for 
 her — to ratify such an arrangement. 
 
 These and many other considerations, which can 
 only be understood by watching the course of after 
 events, were the object of many discussions not 
 only between the sovereigns and their ministers, 
 during this important visit, but between the aides 
 de camp admitted to tlie confidence of one or other 
 of the sovereigns, both in the Czar's apartments, in 
 those of Queen Sophia, or in those of Napoleon III. 
 
 Alexander II, much pleased by Napoleon's cordi- 
 ality, determined to send for the Empress, his wife, 
 who was in the neighborhood. The pretext given 
 for her absence had been that Eugenie had not come 
 with her husband. It is difficult to understand the 
 real motive for such liositation, or such calculation. 
 If it had been desired that Eugenie should come, 
 why had this desire not been made known in proper 
 
 229
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 time? She would have consented, of course. But 
 the ground was being tried on either side with great 
 care, and neither of the adversaries of yesterday, 
 entering now on a period of mutual coquetting, 
 w^anted to make too many advances, or afford too 
 much room for untow^ard interpretations. Mean- 
 while, Austria was evidently anxious concerning all 
 these princely doings in which she felt that, without 
 being consulted, much interest was taken in her 
 future by the erstwhile enemies. 
 
 The Empress of Russia reached Stuttgart on the 
 2Cth, accompanied by Queen Amelia of Greece, 
 daughter of Grand Duke Paul Frederick of Olden- 
 berg and wdfe of King Otho. This was the signal 
 for a renewal of social festivities. The Emperor 
 immediately went to the Prince Royal's villa in 
 order to pay his respects to the Czarina, leaving for 
 that purpose the castle of Wallielma, in the valley 
 of the Necker, where a most splendid fete had been 
 given that evening in his honor. 
 
 Nor was this the end of the social activities. On 
 the occasion of the King's birthday, September 
 27th, there was a gala reception, after mass, and 
 the Emperor was much cheered on leaving the 
 church. The reception was followed by a popular 
 festival, a kind of agrarian fete, which had been ar- 
 ranged by King William, and the evening ended by 
 a grand dinner and fireworks display. 
 
 In the midst of all these parties, politics were not 
 lost sight of. In fact, these balls and feastings were 
 really used to conceal the more serious business 
 which was being transacted late in the night and in 
 the quiet morning hours. The Emperor was a hard 
 worker, whether the work came in the form of 
 
 230
 
 EOYAL VISITORS 
 
 waltzing and conversing in a ball-room, or in the 
 form of complicated political discussion in the cab- 
 inet. During this important visit, his time was 
 equally divided between these two occupations. 
 
 On this day, the 27th, the Czar and Emperor 
 breakfasted with the Prince Royal, but privately, 
 without the King, the Court, or any of the suite. 
 They spoke together long and freely. It was on that 
 day — the anniversary of Erfurt , when Napoleon 
 and Alexander met in 1808 and offered peace to 
 England — that the chief lines of the friendly agree- 
 ment which the chancellors of their respective coun- 
 tries had studied and drafted, were decided upon. 
 The sovereigns parted the best of friends. The first 
 steps had been slow and had consisted in ordinary 
 manifestations of courtesy. Attracted though they 
 certainly were, one to the other, the two Emperors 
 were not quick in making friends. 
 
 The result of these conversations and meetings at 
 Stuttgart was a friendly agreement between the 
 two sovereigns not to take any important step, 
 without first consulting together, either in regard to 
 the Eastern question or Italy if some day or another 
 a difference should arise between France and Aus- 
 tria. In such a case, Russia promised her sympa- 
 thetic neutrality and agreed, but without binding 
 herself formally, to concentrate one hundred and 
 fifty thousand men on the frontiers of Galicia 
 should the two above-mentioned powers really come 
 to open hostilities. AVas the question of a mutual 
 alliance settled? Perhaps not; but at any rate it 
 was broached. 
 
 The sovereiftTis now exchanged farewells, the 
 Czar leaving tlie same day, while the Emperor 
 
 231
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 started on the morrow. The Emperor attenuated the 
 effects of the visit by meeting at Weimar, two days 
 later, the Emperor of Austria. But it was noticed 
 that, in spite of all outward appearances of cordi- 
 ality, the two sovereigns seemed somewhat embar- 
 rassed. 
 
 France was destined to reap much real advantage 
 from this Stuttgart interview, when the Syrian 
 troubles broke out, in 1860, and the French and 
 English governments were forced to an armed in- 
 tervention in order to check at Damascus the mas- 
 sacre of Christians by Mohomedans. Had it not 
 been for the unfortunate events in Poland, when 
 France considered it her duty to intervene in 1863, 
 which naturally displeased Russia, who can say 
 whether the alliance would not have become strong 
 and lasting? But however this may be, this early 
 effort of Napoleon III to bring France and Russia 
 together was based on wise calculations and always 
 had the Empress' warm support, for who could not 
 see that, with England and Russia friends of the 
 Tuileries, the Second Empire stood in an exceed- 
 ingly strong position?
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 The year 1858 was a rather stormy period in the 
 history of the Second Empire. Though the coun- 
 try was not disturbed by war during that twelve- 
 month, it was a year that lay between two wars — 
 that with Russia, from the effects of which France 
 had only just recovered, and that with Austria, for 
 the unity of Italy, which was about to begin. It was 
 during these intervals of comparative calm that the 
 Emperor used to seize the occasion to strengthen 
 himself both at home and abroad. "I always think 
 of your excellent English adage," he casually re- 
 marked one evening to the British ambassador dur- 
 ing a diplomatic reception at the Tuileries at this 
 epoch, '' 'make hay when the sun shines.' I should 
 prefer to make it all the time. But the sun will not 
 always shine." Knowing that his influence abroad 
 was based on his popularity at home, he felt that 
 good domestic politics was the basis of good foreign 
 policies. So he always liked to combine them. Thus, 
 when the Emperor was to have a formal meeting 
 with a sovereign, he generally arranged the event 
 so that he, sometimes with the Empress, visited 
 some of the French provinces, either before or after 
 the royal interview. If lie thought that the aims he 
 had in mind would be best promoted by coming to 
 the foreign crowned head fresh from the applause 
 
 233
 
 ME^^IOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 of tlio French populace, then the Emperor would go 
 to the provinces tirst. But if, on the other hand, it 
 appeared to him wiser to see the ruler first, then his 
 0A\n subjects were received afterwards. The official 
 vivsits of the summer of 1858 will illustrate this cus- 
 tom, and are consequently given here in some detail. 
 
 Marshal Pelissier, Duke of Malakoff, French am- 
 bassador at London, had been informed as early as 
 June 10, 1858, of the intended visit of the Emperor 
 and the Empress to Cherbourg, on August 4th, and 
 it was then arranged that they would be joined, on 
 the 5th, by the Queen of England and the Prince 
 Consort. This meeting was felt to be full of signifi- 
 cance, coming as it did so shortly after the Orsini 
 affair and the Colonels' protests, concerning that 
 sad event. It will be remembered that French pub- 
 lic opinion and military circles were severe on Eng- 
 land, which was undeservedly held responsible for 
 these attempts at political murder. The Duke of 
 Malakoff had shown great cleverness in obtaining 
 from the Queen such a prompt acceptance of the 
 invitation tendered by the Emperor; and his sov- 
 ereigns thanked him by letter and by word of mouth 
 for his success. 
 
 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert left Osborne on 
 Aug-ust 4th, at mid-day, on the royal yacht, Victoria 
 and Albert. An imposing royal squadron had left 
 the port some hours earlier and was to surround the 
 yacht on its arrival off the harbor of Cherbourg. 
 At five o'clock on the same day the Emperor and 
 the Empress reached Cherbourg. The principal offi- 
 cials of the town were presented by the mayor, and 
 the bishop, surrounded by his clerg\^, chanted a Te 
 Deum. A great number of the inhabitants of the 
 
 234
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOUENEYS 
 
 town enthusiastically greeted the royal visitors and 
 followed us into the city. ^'I see that all will go 
 well," remarked the Emperor to the Empress, as 
 they were driving through the streets; "when the 
 municipality, the church, and the people unite in 
 acclaiming us, I always feel that success is to fol- 
 low us all along the line. ' ' 
 
 The Queen's arrival was announced about seven 
 o'clock. Shortly afterwards the Emperor and the 
 Empress went out to meet her in a white canoe with 
 a velvet awning, on which was embroidered a golden 
 eagle. Prince Albert awaited them at the foot of the 
 yacht's staircase, at the side of the vessel, the 
 Queen being at the top. The Emperor mounted the 
 steps first, followed by the Empress, "who was 
 wearing a white and mauve silk dress, with a hat 
 trimmed with black and vvdiite lace," reports one of 
 the chroniclers of the time. The Queen kissed both 
 of them. "I do not say much, but I feci much," she 
 said very warmly, as she embraced Eugenie. 
 Marshal Pelissier was on the Queen's yacht. "The 
 gallant general knows what we all think of Your 
 Majesties," remai'ked Victoria as the aml)assador 
 advanced. "These ladies and gentlemen share our 
 affection for Your Majesties," the Empress ([uickly 
 responded, on presenting the suite. A fii'st inter- 
 view then took jjlace between the Emperor ;uid 
 Queen, the conversation turning immediately to 
 political topics. "I cannot tell Yonr Majesty," l)e- 
 gan the Emperor, "how we all r(\u'ret those liasty 
 Colonels' S])eecli<'S, how we deplore Ihc clouds 
 which have arisen for a iiionnmt, between the two 
 great nations, but which at lengtli are happily clear- 
 ing away." At a latei- date the l*]niperor said to the
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Empress: *'It was evident that the Queen was 
 favorably inclined towards France; Prince Albert, 
 however, seemed openly hostile; this it was easy 
 to gather by reading between the lines of all he 
 said." The same fact, indeed, is openly stated in 
 the Queen's Diary and in Sir Theodore Martin's 
 liook. 
 
 On the Thursday, at noon, the Queen and Prince 
 Albert returned the Emperor's visit, driving to the 
 marine prefecture for that purpose. The Emperor 
 has written in a private note: ''The conversation of 
 the preceding day was once more resumed at the 
 luncheon, which was somewhat formal. To the 
 Queen's questions the Empress replied by a de- 
 tailed relation of Orsini's treacherous attempt on 
 my life, dwelling specially on the harm done on 
 that occasion by the press on both sides of the 
 Channel. When will the newspapers leave foreign 
 affairs to the diplomatists?" 
 
 One of the members of Eugenie's suite on that 
 occasion gives this unedited account of some of the 
 events of the day: "The reception after luncheon 
 was attended by all the ministers who had come 
 on the journey, as well as the members of the mili- 
 tary and civil households on duty. Count Walewski, 
 Countess Walewska, and a very handsome Spanish 
 lady. Mile. Sophie Yalera de la Paniega, who is a 
 cousin of the Empress. The Duke of Malakoff 
 found this lady charming and paid her marked 
 attention. At the end of a few weeks, during which 
 time he sent verses and pretty notes to her, the gal- 
 lant officer asked for her hand and some weeks later 
 she became Duchess of Malakoif ! In the evening, a 
 state banquet was held on board the Bretagne. The 
 
 236
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 Queen, who was very gracious to everybody, was 
 seated between the Emperor and the Duke of Cam- 
 bridge, while Prince Albert w^as between the Em- 
 press and Comtesse de la Bedoyere. An excellent 
 band played during the dinner. x\t the end of the 
 repast, the Emperor rose to propose a toast to the 
 Queen and Royal Family. I carefully noted what 
 he said: 'I am hai:»py,' he began with considerable 
 feeling, 'to bear testimony to our friendly sympa- 
 thy for England and her rulers; to-day's events 
 speak for themselves and prove that hostile pas- 
 sions, aided by some unfortunate incidents, have 
 been unable to weaken the friendship existing be- 
 tween the two nations, or modify the mutual desire 
 to remain at peace. It is my firm belief that if any 
 attempt were made to awaken ill-feeling and the 
 hatred of by-gone days, such efforts would prove 
 unavailing and sink into nothingness in the pres- 
 ence of the public good-sense, as the waves are 
 thrown back by the jetty which now protects the 
 squadrons of two empires from the fury of the 
 sea.' The Emperor's w^ords, which were given in 
 excellent style, produced a good impression, as is 
 usually the case when he speaks. 
 
 ''Prince Albert rose in his turn and thanked tlie 
 Emperor for his friendly words. He then spoke of 
 the increasing goodwill between tlie two nations. 
 'That friendship,' said the Prince, in closing, 'is the 
 foundation of their mutual prosperity, and Heav- 
 en's blessing will not fail them. The Queen pro- 
 poses tlie health of the Emperor and Empress.' 
 Victoria led hi tin; applause which gi'eeted the 
 Prince as he sat down. Princi; Albert appeared 
 much moved and was evidently in a hurry to finish 
 
 237
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 his remarks. Tlie Queen was not less moved. The 
 Emperor also showed considerable emotion, which 
 was plainly shared by the Empress. It was an 
 anxious moment, and the Empress appreciated how 
 embarrassed the Prince Consort was. The Queen 
 admitted that her throat was so contracted that she 
 could scarcely swallow her coffee. But the ice was 
 broken and the political results seemed to promise 
 good things. 
 
 ''There was a grand illumination of the boats in 
 the harbor; it was a fairylike and long-to-be- 
 remembered sight. The sovereigns of France and 
 their guests watched the fire-works from the upper 
 deck of the Bretagne. This was followed by part 
 songs rendered from a boat by the Saint Cecil Glee 
 Club of Cherbourg, while the band played on board 
 the Bretagne. Then, in the midst of hearty cheers., 
 and passing through the illuminated vessels, the 
 Queen and Prince Consort returned to their yacht. 
 The Emperor and Empress were very proud of the 
 fine way in which the whole ceremony had been 
 conducted by those who had it in charge. And well 
 they may be, for both the Prince and Victoria pro- 
 nounced it 'perfect,' several times. 
 
 "The following morning the Emperor and Em- 
 press went to the yacht to bid farewell to their royal 
 guests. The leave-takings were most cordial. The 
 Queen had fully comprehended the sincerity of the 
 welcome extended to her by the French sovereigns. 
 'The bonds between us are tightened as never be- 
 fore,' she said. 'The cloud created by the Colonels 
 has evidently cleared away,' replied the Emperor. 
 But the shadow caused by the Plombieres interview 
 between Cavour and the Emperor still remained." 
 
 238
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 Prince Albert, however, continued to feel a cer- 
 tain degree of apprehension. A few days later he 
 wrote to the Duchess of Kent: ''The Emperor was 
 absent-minded and sad. The Empress appeared 
 unwell. The preparations of the French navy are 
 enormous ; ours are pitiful. Our ministers make fine 
 speeches, but do not act; my blood boils when I 
 think of it. There is restlessness and embarrass- 
 ment. An unknown and darkened horizon — such is 
 the entente cordiale. Much anxiety is felt in Eng- 
 land concerning the Emperor's plans." 
 
 A long time afterwards the Emperor said in a 
 private conversation of which this note was made 
 immediately afterwards: ''If the Prince Consort 
 had entered into the Franco-English good under- 
 standing with the same frankness and genuineness 
 that Queen Victoria did, the bonds between the two 
 countries would have been stronger. I do not refer 
 to the official bonds between tlie two courts and the 
 two cabinets. They wore always strong. But there 
 was ever a certain hesitancy on the part of the two 
 peoples to follow honestly the lead set by the two 
 governments. The minds of the common people on 
 both sides of the Channel remained almost un- 
 changed. Waterloo and Napoleon, the wars and the 
 victories on land and sea, tiie polemics of the press 
 — all these things were still remembered and the 
 lower classes did not seem disposed to forget them. 
 Though the more educated strata and the nobility 
 in both countries were broader minded in this 
 respect, still the 'era of good feeling' cannot be said 
 to have dawned on Franco and England in the 
 fifties." 
 
 There were other reasons for the journey to 
 
 239
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Cherbourg besides the much desired reconciliation 
 with England. On August 7th the Emperor was to 
 inaugurate the new dock, which had been con- 
 structed in the arsenal of that town, and on Sunday, 
 the 8th, he was also to unveil the statue of Napoleon 
 I. Anything connected with his uncle was, of 
 course, always near the heart of Napoleon III. 
 "This event alone," he said to the Empress, as 
 he w^as leaving Paris, *' would have decided me to 
 go to Cherbourg; in honoring the Great Emperor, 
 we are putting a new stone in the foundation of the 
 Second Empire." 
 
 The acting private secretaiw to the Emperor has 
 written out these notes on this part of the journey: 
 "An enomious crowd had rushed to Cherbourg for 
 these ceremonies and the weather w^as magnificent 
 — 'just w^hat I had hoped for,' remarked the Em- 
 press. After their farewell to the Queen, the Em- 
 peror and Empress lunched on the Bretagne, and 
 then visited successively the ships of the squadron 
 which were riding at anchor in the harbor, all 
 beautifully decked out with innumerable flags. The 
 Emperor distributed medals and decorations to the 
 officers and sailors who were presented to him by 
 Admiral Hamelin. 'I trust that greater honors 
 await you in the future,' he said to each recipient, 
 giving special attention to the sailors. 'The humble 
 always have a claim on us for particular attention,' 
 he said privately that evening. 
 
 "A state dinner at the maritime prefecture was 
 one of the chief events of the visit. The Emperor 
 was in good spirits and conversed freely with all 
 those near him, saying much about Franco-English 
 relations. *It is the duty of every Frenchman who 
 
 240
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 loves his native land to cultivate a good understand- 
 ing with Great Britain. There are in favor of this 
 thesis strong geographical, political and commer- 
 cial reasons.' Such were some of his words. 
 
 ''The inauguration of the new dock constructed 
 ill the militaiy port was a grand ceremony. The 
 Emperor and Empress were present in great pomp, 
 passing under a triumphal arch erected exclusively 
 of objects taken from the naval store-houses. They 
 afterwards visited in detail all the work-shops, 
 :.tore-rooms, rheds and the armory, which con- 
 tained more than fifty thousand weapons artistical- 
 ly arranged so as to represent archways, palm- 
 trees, chandeliers, and various geometrical figures. 
 ' You marine officers seem to he veritable landscape- 
 gardeners,' remarked the Emperor with a smile. 
 
 "xVt high tide, at six in the evening, the Emperor 
 gave the order to cut the last cables which held to 
 the docks the Ville de Nantes, a man-of-war of 
 ninety cannons and nine thousand horse-power, and 
 in the presence of over one hundred thousand spec- 
 tators, who loudly acclaimed the sovereign, the 
 magnificent vessel cut its first path through tlie 
 water. 'Of course, the main military strength of a 
 nation must be its army,' remarkerl the Emperor to 
 the commanding admiral, who was standing near 
 by, 'but I have always recognized the fact that the 
 navy is a most valuable support to the other arm of 
 the service. It has always seemed to me that the 
 great Napoleon gave too little attention to the navy. 
 But he was so much absorbed in the army, that he 
 had but little time to think of his sailors and their 
 ships.' 
 
 "The next morning, after mass, it being Sunday, 
 
 241
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 the Emperor and Empress went to the Place Na- 
 poleon, where the equestrian statue of the great 
 Emperor was to be unveiled by his nephew. The 
 Emperor responded to the mayor's patriotic re- 
 marks by an admirable speech. I noted down these 
 phrases: 'Let us iirst of all render homage to the 
 memory of Napoleon, who was inspired to create 
 the gigantic works now being terminated. While 
 rendering full justice to the Emperor, we should not 
 forget the persevering eiforts of the governments 
 which preceded and which followed him. The first 
 thought of the creation of the port of Cherbourg 
 came, as you know, from him who created all our 
 military ports and strongholds — Louis XIV, sec- 
 onded by the genius of Vauban ; but it should not be 
 forgotten that Louis XVI actively carried on the 
 work which had been begun. The head of my family 
 gave a fresh impulse to these labors, and since his 
 time every government has considered it a duty to 
 follow in his steps.' " 
 
 These words uttered by the Emperor in praise of 
 the French kings made a most happy impression. 
 As has been before remarked, Napoleon III rarely 
 failed to seize such occasions for paying deserved 
 homage to the oh'' monarchy. It well exemplifies the 
 lofty generosity of his character. It may be noted 
 that his examyjle in this connection has not been 
 generally followed by the governments that suc- 
 ceeded his. The Republic is not prone to admire 
 anything which was done before its time. 
 
 The person who has already been quoted con- 
 tinues his account in these words: "Towards the 
 close of his speech the Emperor grew very pacific. 
 He was much cheered when he said: '^\e, as a 
 
 242
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 nation, should feel no anxiety for the future, on a 
 day when we inaugurate simultaneously the statue 
 of the Great Captain and announce to the world the 
 completion of a grand military port. The more 
 powerful a nation, the greater the respect Avhich it 
 inspires. A government resting on the free will of 
 the masses is a slave to no party. It goes to war 
 only when obliged to do so in order to defend its 
 national honor or the greater interests of peo- 
 ples.' " At a later period, speaking of this journey 
 and especially of the closing part of this speech. Na- 
 poleon III said one day: ''That sentence, which 
 passed unperceived at first, was in reality very im- 
 portant. It opened the door to the Italian ques- 
 tion." 
 
 After these formal inaugurations and the visit of 
 the Queen of England, the Emperor and the Em- 
 press made a triumphal trip through Brittanj'. The 
 journey had a special purpose. They wished to con- 
 quer the hearts of the very Catholic and royalist 
 inhabitants of this part of France. The visit was 
 considered very opportune and, as will be seen, met 
 with much success. Eugenie has always held in 
 warm remembrance this trip through Breton terri- 
 tory where she was received most sincerely and 
 heartily: "AVell, we have received much homage 
 since we came to the throne," the P^mperor said, 
 "but the honesty of this reception has never been 
 equaled. Such apphiuse is balm to a ruler's sorely 
 tried soul." 
 
 Further citations are made from the manuscript 
 notes which have already been di'awu fi'om: "The 
 sovereigns sailed from Cherbourg to Ih-cst on board 
 the Breiagne. The inhabitants of the latter city 
 
 243
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 were grouped on the little hills from which they 
 could view the sea, and the number was increased 
 by crowds who came in from the neighboring vil- 
 lages and hamlets. In the church of Saint Louis, the 
 Bishop of Quimper said to the Empress: 'Your be- 
 loved presence reminds our people of their dear 
 Duchess whose royal spouse was also the father of 
 the people. A respected and eloquent voice has told 
 all France that 3^ou are Catholic and pious. Your 
 good deeds repeat this each day.' The Empress was 
 much touched by these words. 
 
 ''The sovereigns visited the hospital and town 
 and were present at a ball offered by the munici- 
 l)ality. They sat on a throne under a red dais, when 
 fifty Breton peasant couples, announced by the 
 hautboy and biniou, a sort of Breton bagpipe, and 
 wearing the ancient costume of Finistere, filed past 
 tlie throne, preceded by flowing banners. Then they 
 went through the quaint dances of the country, 
 much to the amusement of the Imperial party. 
 
 "The following day, the Emperor and Empress 
 visited the frigate Thetis, the midshipmen's school; 
 and the Borda, the marine cadet-school. 'Boys,' 
 said the Emperor, addressing these two bodies who 
 had been brought together for the occasion, 'never 
 forget that true patriotism thinks of the country 
 first and the rulers afterwards.' In the evening 
 there were brilliant illuminations and festivities, 
 and the Emperor and Empress said they would long 
 remember the enthusiasm of tbese interesting 
 3^ouths. 
 
 "On August 12th tlie Imperial cavalcade left 
 Brest. The drive from Brest to Quimper was a long 
 and ceaseless ovation. All along the road the Im- 
 
 244
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 perial carriage was escorted by peasants, who, 
 mounted on their horses and bearing tricolor flags, 
 relayed each other from one village to another. 
 From Landernau to Quimper, no less than twelve 
 triumphal arches were passed under. Around each 
 of these were grouped the inhabitants of the neigh- 
 borhood, headed by priests in sacredotal vest- 
 ments, mayors, municipal councilors, and men 
 wearing the medal of Saint Helena. At Quimper 
 the reception w^as particularly enthusiastic. A 
 country ball was offered that evening, and there 
 was a grand display of fireworks, though, unfor- 
 tunately, many persons were wounded by the 
 sparks. Dr. Jobert de Lamballe, the Emperor's 
 surgeon, gave his best attention to the patients, 
 and the Marquis de Cadore, of the military house- 
 hold of the Empress, who was much moved by th(' 
 accident, was sent by her to find out all about the 
 wounded. But the next morning, it was learnt that 
 the wounds were without gravity, whereupon the 
 Emperor and Empress immediately sent gifts to the 
 wounded. A little girl, who had been slightly hurt, 
 received a gift of two hundred francs, which she 
 handed to her mother, keeping only twenty francs 
 for herself. She had the coin pierced and wore it 
 round her neck, iu remembrance of the 'good Em- 
 press,' as she said. The Empress heard later of this 
 fact and kept this cliiJd in view for several years, 
 helping her in mauy ways." 
 
 The Empress wrf)t(> at the time as follows in a 
 letter to a friend: "Th.o weather was perfect, and 
 the short trip ])y sea from Lorient to Port Louis 
 was most pleasant. The stretch of water between 
 the two towns was dotted with brightly decorated 
 
 245
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 ships, yachts, and sailing boats conveying holiday- 
 makers to Port Louis. In the liarbor were several 
 of the fleet's ships. The cannon of Saint Michel's 
 fort saluted our arrival, while picturesque fishing 
 boats, brought into line on either side of our pass- 
 age, and stretching from the landing stage far out 
 to sea, formed a novel and quaint double hedge- 
 way. The officials of the town and the cadets in 
 uniform came to greet the Emperor; the mayor 
 made the usual speech welcoming us to his town, 
 and the young girls of the place offered me flowers 
 according to time-honored custom. Then, amidst 
 the cheering of the spectators, the Emperor gave 
 me his arm and we passed through the gates of the 
 town, towards the fortress built by Vauban. The 
 view from the forts which defend the citadel is 
 marvelous. On one side lie the harbor and the 
 houses of the town clear-cut against the horizon ; in 
 front is the steeple of Ploermeur, its thatched huts 
 dotted on the green valley; beyond can be seen 
 only a vast stretch of blue sea, sparkling and rest- 
 loss, with, far in the distance, the vague outline of 
 Groix island. I am told that each year an imposing 
 ceremony takes place at the entrance to this little 
 bay, when the fishing boats of Port Louis, Lorient, 
 Ploermeur and Groix island gather together, while 
 the clergy, chanting the sailor's Imnn of 'Ave Maris 
 Stella' come to the spot in a small chapel-like boat, 
 and, in the name of the God who gives all things, 
 bless the sea so that it will yield fish to the poor 
 fisherman who henceforth will cast his net with 
 greater confidence into the deep waves. 
 
 ''The Emperor went into one of the bastions to 
 examine the cannon and, after several trials of 
 
 246
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 them, led me to the rooms which he had occupied 
 for a short while after the Strasbourg affair, when 
 he was on the point of sailing for America. A touch- 
 ing incident occurred on that occasion. The Em- 
 peror was greeted by Mmo. Porreaux, an old 
 woman, widow of one of the artillerymen. She it 
 was who had taken care of Prince Louis during his 
 stay at Port Louis. ^I recognise you perfectly well,' 
 said the old lady; 'you have not changed at all; you 
 look just as good as you used to; and you were a 
 very kind young man.' She then went into partic- 
 ulars, showing the Emperor the furniture which he 
 had used at Port Louis, the old desk on which he 
 used to write, the china bowl in which his tea was 
 served, the statue of the Virgin of Marseilles and 
 the portrait of Henri IV which had embellished his 
 mantelpiece, together with some coffee cups which 
 still stood there. 'Do you remember,' she said, 'that 
 one day, when I went to that cupboard to fetch some 
 sheets at the top, you gave me your hand to help me 
 down?' 'And I give it you once more to-day, my 
 good woman,' replied the P]mperor, shaking hands 
 with her cordially. I was much interested in all 
 this scene and I encouraged Mme. Porreaux to 
 speak of her family and circumstances. She told 
 me she still had two cliildren left, one of wliom had 
 been sergeant major at tlie siege of (^onstantine and 
 was at present in very straitened circumstances, 
 owing to the heavy expenses caused by a lai'ge 
 family. The Emy)eror liastened to ensure his future 
 well-being, and withdrew amidst a concert of thanks 
 and blessings from all the members of the old 
 woman 's family. ' ' 
 
 The private secretary's notes continue: "On 
 
 247
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 their return to Lorient, the Emperor and Empress 
 went to the arsenal and visited several vessels 
 which were being constructed or repaired. The 
 workmen greeted the sovereigns enthusiastically, 
 much to their evident satisfaction, for if there is 
 anything that goes right to the heart of Napoleon 
 III, it is approval from the lower classes. I have 
 often noticed this trait in His Majesty's character. 
 At one moment, the cheers were so great that the 
 director of naval constructions was unable to hear 
 the Emperor's questions concerning the ships then 
 being built. He was, in fact, on the point of com- 
 manding silence, when the Emperor intervened and 
 exclaimed: 'Don't stop them; I like to hear them, 
 and would much rather repeat all my questions than 
 have them cease cheering.' 
 
 ''A few hours later, the Calvados was launched 
 from the Caudon docks. Before leawng the docks, 
 the Emperor and Empress inspected with great in- 
 terest the panoplies of instruments and tools which 
 decorated their tent. Stopping in front of a trophy 
 put up by the carpenters and decorated \viih a 
 beautiful bunch of flowers, tlie Empress detached a 
 blossom and showing it to the workmen who were 
 surrounding her said : *I shall keep it as a souvenir.' 
 The words and act were most effective, for the 
 workmen broke forth into deafening cheers and 
 hurrahs. 
 
 ''August 15th, which is the Feast of the Assump- 
 tion and the anniversary of the Emperor's birth, 
 was celebrated at the much venerated feet of Saint 
 Anne, patron saint of Brittany; and almost endless 
 ovations took place at Hennebont. On one of the 
 numerous triumphal arches were inscribed the 
 
 248
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 words which give some idea of the warmth of the 
 reception: 'To His Majesty the Emperor, the 
 Breton's gratitude; to Her Majesty the Empress, 
 personified goodness, God bless the Prince Im- 
 perial. All Bretons love him.' At Saint Grillois, 
 Branderion, and Kermingny, ever\^where, in fact, 
 along the whole route, w^ere monuments of verdure 
 and flowers. Wild enthusiasm reigned everywhere, 
 right up to Auray itself." 
 
 Another longer letter written by the Empress 
 contains these passages: ''Auray is a spot rich in 
 memories. A short distance away, the Druids' re- 
 ligion has left its traces in the gigantic stones of 
 Carnac, where the fields are strewn with menhirs 
 and dolmens, in the grottoes of Plouarnel and of 
 Locmariaquer. At the gates of the town, Jean de 
 Montfort and Charles de Blois came to blows in 
 1364 at a decisive action in which Du Guesclin took 
 part. Charles de Blois lost his life and Montfort 
 remained Duke of Brittany. In a meadow near the 
 town, bearing the lugubrious name of 'Martyrs' 
 Field,' the republican soldiers in 1795 shot the un- 
 fortunate prisoners of Quiboron, victims to their 
 monarchial opinions. A monument has been erected 
 there with this inscription on it: 'Hie ceciderunt.' 
 On the martyrs' tomb I read: 'Gallia moerens 
 posuit. ' Everywhere in this land, racked and do- 
 faced by intestine wars, even stones and bushes, 
 witnesses of such gloi-ious exploits and sad carnage, 
 speak to the travelers' imagination. These souve- 
 nirs may be awakened without fear now, for we 
 were greeted everywhere in Brittany with joy un- 
 alloyed and touching in its sincerity. 
 
 "The town is built on a hill. The Imperial 
 
 249
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 cortege descended a sinuous street and thus reached 
 the port. On the Blavet bridge, the fishennen had 
 arranged a kind of awning with their nets. Further 
 on, another monument had been erected by the town 
 workmen. From Auray to Saint Anne the road was 
 lined with pilgrims who never stopped cheering us. 
 We were both very much touched by such greet- 
 ings from these Bretons, who, in spite of their 
 staunchness as Bretons, were careful to let us see 
 that they were also Frenchmen. They are all wear- 
 ing the tricolour cockade, and the women have bows 
 made of ribands of the national colours. The 
 French flag is flying everywhere. At the doors of 
 their mud huts, covered with thatch, are hung the 
 finest of their ancestral clothes, crosses, rustic 
 images, every treasure they possess ; and all this to 
 do honor to their sovereigns. It all touches mo 
 deeply. On one of these cottages near Saint Anne 
 might be read this inscription, roughly hewn, but 
 full of high thoughts: 'They spend one instant at 
 Saint Anne, but w^ill live in our hearts for ever.' 
 Further on, we passed beneath a triumphal arch on 
 which were written tlie following words, reminders 
 of glorious days for France : ' Rome — Crimea, ' and 
 a sentence taken from tlie Book of Saints: 'Fiat 
 manustua super virum dexter.T tua^.' 
 
 "I was much interested in the history of the pil- 
 grimage of Saint Anne and I asked to have the 
 story told me in detail. Here it is. In former times 
 an oratory, dedicated to the mother of the Virgin 
 Mary, had existed at Plumeret in a field called I( 
 Bocenuo. It had never been possible to plow the 
 spot where the oratory foimerly stood, the oxen 
 refusing to step on the ground, and the plow- 
 
 250
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 shares would break if the farmers attempted to 
 force them beyond a certain limit. In the country 
 district this fact was proverbial, and everywhere it 
 was said that 'One must be careful of the Chapel 
 when plowing at Bocenno.' Near the field was a 
 small village called Ker-Anna in remembrance of 
 the oratory. At the beginning of the 17th century 
 a farmer living in the village, a simple and God- 
 fearing man named Nicolazic, had a strange expe- 
 rience. Legend has it that Providence, ever more 
 ready to reveal her mysteries to the humble than to 
 the proud, warned Nicolazic by reiterated visions 
 of Saint Anne, that the woman chosen in this world 
 to be the grandmother of Christ, was to be specially 
 venerated in that neighborhood which had for- 
 merly been the site of her generosity. Nicolazic was 
 laughed at, repulsed by the clergy, treated as a mad 
 man, but his faith could not be shaken. 
 
 ''Wonderful things occurred, it is said, which 
 confirmed the Christian's words. An antique statue 
 was found in the field by two peasants who were 
 led thither by a torch which fell from heaven. At 
 first it was stood up only on the grass ; but after an 
 investigation conducted by Sebastien de Rosmadec, 
 Bishop of Vannes, and Dom Jacques Bullion, 
 Bachelor at the Sorbonne, it was decided to erect an 
 altar for it, and on July 4, 1628, the first stone was 
 laid, in the presence of thirty thousand pilgrims. 
 Nicolazic died of joy, after having prayed for some 
 years at the foot of the statue of St. Anno, which 
 was eventually visited on every anniversary by 
 thousands of the faithful. It is said that a peaceful 
 moment preceded the good man's last breath. 'Here 
 is the Blessed Virgin,' said he, 'and Saint Anne, 
 
 251
 
 MEMOIES OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 my good mistress.' He was buried at the very spot 
 where he had found the miraculous statue and there 
 his bones rest to this day. 
 
 ''Since then the pilgrimages to Saint Anne have 
 become famous. The Sovereign Pontiffs have en- 
 couraged it, by granting favors and blessings to 
 those who take part in it, while numerous prayers 
 have been heard, thanks to the intercession of the 
 venerated patron, and Breton piety has made it a 
 custom to pray at her shrine in all the more im- 
 portant circumstances of life. Anne of Austria 
 came here to ask that children might be given to 
 her, and Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Henrietta Maria 
 of England, Maria Leckzinska, Louis XVI, and 
 Marie Antoinette all sent gifts in proof of their 
 faith in the power and goodness of this noble saint. 
 We could not fail to bear our testimony by our 
 presence to all the wonderful powers possessed by 
 so blessed a shrine. 
 
 ''Saint Anne's chapel is situated at the end of a 
 vast courtyard surrounded by buildings which 
 formed the Carmelite convent and which later be- 
 came a Catholic boys' school. The courtyard is 
 entered by a triple portico surmounted by an ex- 
 terior altar reached by two large staircases built 
 on the model of the stairway at San Giovanni in 
 Laterano in Rome. It is called the Scala Sancta. 
 Because of the high altar, twenty thousand per- 
 sons can be present at mass. The number of ex- 
 votoes or tablets on the walls of the chapel is in- 
 numerable. A 'Holy Family' was promised by the 
 Emperor, and I ^vill see that it is given. 
 
 "Great preparations were natural!}' made to re- 
 ceive us here with all due solemnity and splendor. 
 
 252
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOUENEYS 
 
 An immense crowd stood around the large enclos- 
 ure. In the yard itself, thousands of pilgrims were 
 gathered, while at the door of the chapel were sta- 
 tioned the clergy of the diocese preceded by the 
 bishop and surrounded by the pupils of the school 
 mentioned above. All were waiting for our coming. 
 Between the chapel and the altar of the Scala 
 Sancta was a dais of green velvet dotted with 
 golden bees, and all protected by two richly deco- 
 rated tents. On the front of the chapel, below the 
 statue of Saint Anne, had been placed the Im- 
 perial crown and several blue flags. Blue, as you 
 know, is the color of the Prince Imperial and thus 
 it seemed that the Imperial family was being placed 
 under the protection of the patron saint of Brit- 
 tany. 
 
 "Cannon, music, and vociferous cheering greeted 
 our arrival at noon. Then the octogenarian bishop 
 stepped forward and made a touching speech in 
 which he thanked the Emperor for all he had done 
 for France, and for the Church. 'Deign, sire,' he 
 added, 'to look with special favor on the prayers 
 for you made by an old bishop who has not forgot- 
 ten that it is to Napoleon I that his father owed the 
 joy of returning to his country and of finding a liv- 
 ing here.' He ended by calling for a blessing from 
 heaven 'on the Prince Imperial and the sovereigns.' 
 His words were so full of feeling that I was really 
 much moved. Nor was tlie Emx)eror less so wlien, 
 replying to the Bisliop, he said, as well as I can 
 recall his words: 'There are days when sovereigns 
 must set an example; tliere are others when they 
 must follow the exam])le set by others. That is 
 why, in accordance with the ancient custom of the 
 
 253
 
 ' MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 country, I have desired to come here on my anni- 
 versary' to pray God for that which is the object of 
 all my efforts and my hopes — the well-being of the 
 nation whom he has sent me to govern. I am happy 
 to be welcomed by so venerable a prelate and I rely 
 on your prayers to draw down upon me a heavenly 
 blessing.' I thought the Emperor's little speech was 
 well turned. Anj^vay, it was well delivered and 
 veiy well received, for, in the midst of enthusiastic 
 ovations, the Emperor and myself took our place 
 beneath the dais and crossed the courtyard in pro- 
 cession, followed by the clergy and the members of 
 our household. We were then led to the interior 
 chapel and recited the litany of Saint Anne, while 
 the imposing 'Domine Salvum fac imperatorem 
 nostrum Napoleonem' was chanted by clergy, choir, 
 and people, and repeated by the crowds outside. We 
 were then conducted to our thrones with the same 
 ceremony. 
 
 ''Mass was said on the altar on the Scala Sancta, 
 w^hile religious airs, rendered by the infantry band, 
 alternated with singing by the pupils of the school. 
 Cannons were fired at the elevation of the Host. At 
 the end of the mass, a voice was heard invoking 
 the protection of Saint Anne on the Emperor, my- 
 self and the Prince Imperial. The air chosen was 
 a popular one, and the chorus was taken up by thou- 
 sands of voices. All hearts were filled with emo- 
 tion at the spontaneous and hearty rendering of 
 this song by all those present, and no hearts were 
 fuller than our own. 
 
 ''After the service, sixty thousand medals were 
 brought to the Bishop to be blessed as souvenirs of 
 tbe P^mperor's visit to Saint Anne. The Bishop 
 
 254
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 then intoned the Te Deum, and once again the pro- 
 cession went round the courtyard, preceded by a 
 magnificent white moire silk banner embroidered 
 in gold, the image of Saint Anne being on one 
 side and the arms of France on the other. This 
 banner was one of our gifts, the golden niche, in 
 which the statue of Saint Anne was borne, being 
 another. We afterwards visited the school where 
 the pupils recited verses, and bidding good-by to 
 the Bishop, the Emperor expressed a fear lest the 
 fatigues of that day should injure his health, add- 
 ding: 'The pleasure I have had in seeing you, Mon- 
 seigneur, would be much spoilt if you should suifer 
 thereby.' " 
 
 In another letter written by the Empress, I find 
 these passages: ''The welcome given to us at Van- 
 nes was very cordial and imposing. The following 
 morning, after the Emperor had distributed deco- 
 rations in the courtyard of the prefecture, we left 
 Vannes about ten o'clock in the midst of enthu- 
 siastic demonstrations. Outside Vannes were 
 crowds of peasants who accompanied us, not mere- 
 ly on horseback, but also in carts, into which were 
 packed as many spectators as possible. It was 
 a strange sight, this long string of horsemen and 
 vehicles struggling one with another, stopping up 
 the way and each one trying to get ahead of his 
 neighbor. Our post-chaise hurried over the road. 
 At Mencon, Grandchamp, and other places, were 
 masses of flowers and flags. At a di'^tancc of some 
 twelve miles beyond Vannes, our carriages stopped. 
 We were in front of a triumphal arch surmounted 
 by the Imperial arms and formed of foliage, flow- 
 ers, flags, agricultural implements, while the base 
 
 255
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 was surrounded by farmers holding oxen harnessed 
 to the plow. This was the entrance to the chalet 
 erected on Cornhoet plain by Princess Baciocchi, 
 a cousin of the Emperor, and whose hospitality we 
 had accepted for lunch. The peasants had placed 
 the following inscription over the archway, in Bre- 
 ton: 'Dent mad er Korn er Hoet,' which may be 
 translated, 'Welcome to Cornhoet.' Children from 
 the Moustoirac schools strewed flowers in front of 
 us, while two young girls presented us with nose- 
 gays. The Princess greeted her guests warmly and 
 we embraced her cordially. We then visited the 
 whole chalet, which is filled with portraits of vari- 
 ous members of the Napoleonic family. Luncheon 
 was served in a rustic hall, formed of roughly hewn 
 trees, and carpeted with moss and plants. Besides 
 our two suites, there were present, Marshall Vail- 
 lant. Minister of War, Marshal Baraguay d'Hil- 
 liers, and several personalities of the region. 
 
 "Out on the road and on the surrounding plain 
 were crowds of peasants with long hair and on 
 horseback, wearing their picturesque costume, con- 
 sisting of wide-brimmed hats, and white clothes em- 
 broidered in red and black. Each village delega- 
 tion had a flag of its own and was led by its priest 
 and public officials. Some of the peasants, I am 
 told, have come more than twenty leagues to see 
 the Emperor. The official persons and the veterans 
 of Saint Helena and of the Crimea were admitted 
 into the park with the young girls ' deputation. An 
 enormous crowd was gathered on the heath. No 
 sovereign has visited Brittany since Henri IV, I 
 am informed, and the enthusiasm and cheering were 
 
 256
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOURNEYS 
 
 positively astounding. Princess Baciocchi had pre- 
 pared food of all sorts for all these people. 
 
 ''The chalet of Cornhoet had been brought piece- 
 meal from Paris and put up in a month and a half. 
 It commands the plain and its wild environment 
 is both delightful and imposing. The Princess does 
 much good in the neighborhood. She has bought 
 much land, imported sheep of the best French and 
 Scotch breeds, and has vast portions of the plain 
 converted into pasture land and artificial meadows. 
 She has even gone in for excavations which have 
 led to the discovery of dolmens at Cornhoet simi- 
 lar to those of Carnac and Locmariaquer. She has 
 followed the example set by the Emperor in So- 
 logne and in the plains of Gascony, and her coming 
 to Brittany has been a blessing to the country. This 
 visit to Cornhoet is one of the most curious fea- 
 tures of this strange trip, one of the most interest- 
 ing indeed which I ever undertook, and which I 
 shall remember with deep pleasure for many years 
 to come." 
 
 Here is a final extract from this little collection 
 of Eugenie's letters: ''A warm welcome awaited 
 us at Pontivy-Xapoleonville, where was a curious 
 cavalcade of fifteen hundred Breton cavaliers, al- 
 most all clothed in white coats with basques and 
 wearing huge round hats which they waved as tliey 
 passed in front of the Emperor and me. Tlioir 
 wives, who rode on the same horse with tlieir hus- 
 bands, were decked out in festive garb, almost all 
 wearing richly embroidered red gowns. In the 
 crowd of horsemen were, I am told, mayors and 
 land-owners all mixed up with the peasants. Tliere 
 was the usual reception at the prefecture, with the 
 
 257
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 usual speeches, and in the evening, illuminations 
 and fire-works. The national dances, very lively 
 and animated, were given, and all the country steps 
 were gone through with, much to the delight of the 
 spectators, and especially to me. 
 
 *'The journey was continued through the de- 
 partment of C6tes-du-Nord, passing by Loudeac, 
 where a fine arch had been erected, and where the 
 reception was extremely hearty. From Napoleon- 
 ville to Loudeac, we were escorted by three hun- 
 dred and fifty riders from the canton of Goarec, 
 whose places were taken at Loudeac by a similar 
 number of farmers from the canton of Mur, who, in 
 their turn, gave way to an escort of young men from 
 the canton of Corlay, when we reached Pontgamp. 
 At this last-named town, our carriage passed under 
 another triumphal archway, while at Plouguenast, 
 I remarked a beautiful arbor of moss and flowers. 
 I was especially struck by the fine spectacle offered 
 by the little town of Moncontour. It still retains 
 its old walls which withstood the assaults of so 
 many sieges. Its position on the slope of a hill 
 between two charming valleys was not only impor- 
 tant from a strategic point of view, but is very pic- 
 turesque. Crowds gathered on the gothic arch- 
 way, on the sides of the hills, and even on the gran- 
 ite rocks through which runs a little bubbling 
 stream, 'to cheer and welcome you,' the village 
 priest very neatly remarked as he was presented to 
 us." 
 
 Such is a rather detailed account of one of these 
 successful and characteristic official visits, in which 
 was happily combined foreign interests and home 
 affairs. It was learned later that the Queen and 
 
 258
 
 SOME OFFICIAL JOUENEYS 
 
 the Prince Consort read with interest in the Paris 
 journals the reports of the journey. *'A11 this 
 proves that the Empire is firmly planted in the 
 hearts of the people," said an ambassador in the 
 presence of the royal family. The Queen bowed 
 assent. When the Emperor was told of this, he 
 remarked: "Well, this confirms a favorite hobby 
 of mine. A monarch is respected abroad in pro- 
 portion as he is respected at home. An enthusiastic 
 public reception in which the whole population takes 
 part is as good as adding a new man-of-war to 
 the navy. I have been made fun of sometimes for 
 paying so much attention to my popularity among 
 the lower classes. But I do not think this is time 
 or labor lost; and I am now sure Queen Victoria 
 shares my view."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 In 1860 the Empire was at the height of its fame. 
 The visit which the Emperor paid to Baden in the 
 summer of this year was a signal proof of this fact. 
 He met there several sovereigns and German 
 princes — the Kings of Prussia, Bavaria, Wiirtem- 
 berg, Saxony and Hanover; the Dukes of Nassau 
 and of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ; the Prince of Hohen- 
 zollern, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess of 
 Baden and his cousin the Grand Duchess Stephanie, 
 born Beauharnais. It was a brilliant gathering. 
 Eeferring to this event, several years later, the 
 Emperor said one day : "It was an important meet- 
 ing. I was then looked upon as the arbiter of Eu- 
 rope and the protector of monarchical authority. 
 It is true that clouds were gathering on the Italian 
 horizon, because of the Eoman question, but, as re- 
 gards Germany and Eussia, not only was all calm 
 but there was a marked exchange of friendly senti- 
 ments." 
 
 It has long been the policy of Prance to be on 
 friendly terms with Spain, for in this way her whole 
 southwest border is safe in case of a European war. 
 Napoleon III always felt that his great uncle had 
 made a grave mistake in his aggressive policy in 
 the Iberian peninsula and one of the most constant 
 efforts of the Second Empire was to improve its 
 
 260
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 relations with Spain. In fact, the initial cause of 
 the war of 1870 was fear on the part of France lest 
 a German prince be placed on the Spanish throne. 
 In the autumn of 1863, an occasion offered for the 
 French government to show its friendliness to her 
 neighbor, and the occasion was seized. The Im- 
 perial family had been spending the summer at Biar- 
 ritz, and when the Emperor and the young Prince 
 Imperial returned to Paris in October, the Empress 
 embarked on the Aigle and landed on the 18th at 
 Valencia. One of the ladies in her suite kept a jour- 
 nal of this visit, from w^hich, I think, the following 
 extracts may be made with propriety. 
 
 **The Empress's fellow countrymen and country- 
 women are evidently delighted to see her again after 
 an absence of eleven years. They have cheered her 
 enthusiatically all the way from Valencia to Mad- 
 rid, which we reached at eleven at night. We were 
 met at the station by the King, Don Francisco 
 d'Assis, who was surrounded by all the high func- 
 tionaries of the court. He and the Empress imme- 
 diately entered a state coach drawn by eight horses, 
 and the brilliantly lighted royal palace was soon 
 reached. The Empress felt considerable emotion 
 as she once again entered the s})lendid residence 
 built by Charles III on tlie height which liad been 
 formerly occupied by the Alcazar, and the next day 
 she told me that all the time recollections of her 
 early youth were runnixig in her head : her first ap- 
 pearance at court, where her mother was keeper of 
 the Queen's wardrol)e, and her first successes in 
 high Spanish society. 
 
 ''The palace staircase is magnificent. The steps 
 are made of solid blocks of black and white marble 
 
 2G1
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 and on each one stood a magnificent halberdier. On 
 the second landing stood Queen Isabella, waiting to 
 greet the Empress. She kissed her warmly and con- 
 ducted her to the King's apartments, which had been 
 reserved for her, and a few moments later sent her, 
 by a nobleman, a case containing a key fashioned in 
 gold and silver, and most artistically worked. It 
 was the key of the palace. The Empress was much 
 touched by this delicate act, which was truly Cas- 
 tilian. The next day, the Empress drove about the 
 city with the Queen, King and Princess Anna Murat. 
 That evening there was a grand performance at the 
 Royal Theatre. The large auditorium presented a 
 fairydike aspect, filled with two thousand guests, the 
 ladies sparkling in jewels. The Empress occupied 
 the large box opposite the stage, and was seated be- 
 tween the King and Queen. She was naturally the 
 cynosure of all eyes and was warmly applauded, 
 for many of those present had been her guests at 
 the Tuileries, at Compiegne or at Fontainebleau, 
 and all knew how ardently she was attached to her 
 native land and how often she expressed the hope 
 that Spain might eventually take rank again among 
 the great powers in the European alliance. 
 
 ''The Empress is, of course, very careful to let 
 it be seen how much she appreciates the warm man- 
 ner in which she is every^vhere received. She was 
 given a fine opportunity to do this when she met 
 the whole diplomatic corps, the other evening, at 
 the French embassy. The French ambassador, M, 
 Adolphe Barrot, brother of Odillon Barrot, the cele- 
 brated orator and statesman, and of Ferdinand Bar- 
 rot, is particularly well remembered by the Empress, 
 for he it was who, when French minister at Brus- 
 
 262
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 sels, helped to defeat the Orsini outrage, by putting 
 the police on the track of one of the murderer's ac- 
 complices. A still better chance was afforded the 
 Empress of letting all Spain see how touched she 
 was, at the splendid ball given in the royal palace 
 and at another ball offered her by the diplomatic 
 corps. The Empress was struck by the magnificence 
 of the first function, and especially noticed the su- 
 perb candelabra in rock crystal which hung from 
 the ceiling painted by Tiepolo, representing the ex- 
 altation of the Spanish monarchy. Pointing up to 
 this masterpiece during the evening's entertainment, 
 the Empress said to the King with great felicity: 
 'The Venetian artist has there expressed what the 
 Emperor and I both feel so truly. ' We also greatly 
 admired the walls covered with crimson velvet, 
 edged with gold, and the Empress's attention was 
 particularly centered on a dozen marble tables, set 
 in front of twelve large mirrors, these tables being 
 loaded with art objects of the highest value. 
 
 ''The Empress left Madrid on October 21st. The 
 Queen, preceded by the grandees of Spain and fol- 
 lowed by the royal family, went to the apartments 
 of the Empress at ten o'clock in the morning, where 
 they found their guest attired for the journey and 
 awaiting them. The same coach and eight, the 
 horses harnessed in rod and white, which had 
 brought us from the station, now took us there 
 again. But this time, the Queen accompanied us. 
 Just as the Empress was getting into the train, the 
 Queen handed licr a bracelet on which was formed 
 in rubies and diamonds the words: Kecuerdo, sou- 
 venir." 
 
 The sovereigns parted after an affectionate farc- 
 
 263
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 well. Some years laier, they frequently met, for 
 Queen Isabella, after her descent from the throne, 
 resided in Paris till her death in 1904. The ties be- 
 tween her and Eugenie remained unbroken during 
 the exile of them both, and the latter never passed 
 through Paris on her way south, after the fall of 
 the Empire, without paying a visit to the Hotel de 
 Castillo, in the Avenue Kleber, which has now given 
 way to a big modern caravansary. 
 
 On October 10, 1846, Queen Isabella of Spain, then 
 but sixteen years old, married her cousin, Don Fran- 
 cisco d'Assis, Duke of Cadiz, and on the same day 
 the Due de Montpensier, a younger son of Louis 
 Philippe, married the Infanta Louisa, sister of 
 Queen Isabella. These unions disturbed the good 
 relations between France and England, for the lat- 
 ter country saw in them, and especially in that of 
 the son of the French king, the possibility of the 
 crown of Spain and France belonging to the same 
 family. In fact, in 1869, the Due de Montpensier 
 really did aspire to the vacant throne of Spain. So 
 one of the aims of Napoleon III was to remove all 
 cause of friction between the three sister nations. 
 He began the good work with Spain and France. 
 Hence the importance of the visit of Don Francisco, 
 who arrived at Saint Cloud on August 16, 1864. This 
 visit had been planned long beforehand and the Em- 
 peror and the Empress had determined that it 
 should be magnificently carried out, chiefly for the 
 reasons just given. 
 
 Don Francisco, who spent the last years of his 
 life almost constantly in Paris, did not at that date 
 know much of the French capital, not having re- 
 turned there since his childhood, and the Emperor 
 
 264
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 desired to give him, in the course of a few days, an 
 adequate idea of modern Paris, from the military, 
 artistic, industrial and worldly point of view ; to say 
 nothing of a glance at its archeological treasures. 
 Moreover, it was decided that a grand fete should 
 be offered at Versailles to this descendant of Louis 
 XIV, a fete which was to be somewhat similar to 
 that which had been organized in 1855 on the occa- 
 sion of Queen Victoria's visit. 
 
 Interviews concerning the arrangement of the pro- 
 gram took place several times between M. Drouyn 
 de Lhuys, French Foreign Minister, and M. Isturzz, 
 then Spanish ambassador, who carried his seventy- 
 four years very lightly, and whose proverbial wit 
 did not diminish with his advancing age. Both the 
 Emperor and the Empress always enjoyed his con- 
 versation, which sparkled with fine and well-chosen 
 humor, and was replete with anecdote, the result of 
 his long and varied career. He had been Spanish 
 ambassador to England three tim.es in ten years, 
 which led him to remark to the American Minister 
 to France : "You might think our Foreign Minister 
 were a son of General Jackson," a reference, of 
 course, to the custom which President Jackson is 
 said to have introduced into American public life 
 of changing the office-holders with every new admin- 
 istration. 
 
 In one of these meetings between the two diplo- 
 mats to arrange for this visit, M. Drouyn de Lhuys 
 read to Don Xavier the following very much over- 
 crowded program : 
 
 "The first day: presentation at Saint Cloud of 
 the ditferent persons of rank; second and third 
 days: visits to the monuments of tLe capital fol- 
 
 2G5
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 lowed by a gala dinner at the Tuileries and a gala 
 representation at the Opera; fourth day: review of 
 the troops on the Champ de Mars, and fete at Ver- 
 sailles. The fifth day " 
 
 Here the Spanish ambassador interrupted the 
 Minister with a smile, saying: "The fifth day, fu- 
 neral of the ambassador." 
 
 Nevertheless, the program was accepted, and on 
 the evening of April 16th the Emperor went to the 
 temporary station in the park of Saint Cloud, to 
 meet Don Francisco. 
 
 During the Prince Consort's stay there was a 
 grand gala performance at the Opera. The Em- 
 peror, the Empress and the guest of honor occu- 
 pied a large box in the center of the theater instead 
 of the box to the left which was used on ordinary oc- 
 casions. The center box used for gala nights was 
 made by the withdrawal of several partitions, thus 
 throwing several boxes into one large one which 
 was suitably decorated for the event. The ordi- 
 nary Imperial box on the left was occupied on that 
 occasion by a brilliant party from the diplomatic 
 corps. 
 
 Unfortunately the Empress was saddened that 
 evening by a painful occurrence. The charming 
 Princess Czartoryska, daughter of Queen Christine 
 and the Duke of Rianzares, was then at death's door. 
 The Empress was verj" fond of the charming young 
 woman who had been for several years past the vic- 
 tim of a cruel disease. During the day, making the 
 most of the few hours of liberty which she might 
 hope to enjoy while Don Francisco was receiving 
 the members of the Spanish colony at the Embassy, 
 Eugenie paid a short visit to her young friend. 
 
 266
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 Weak as she was, the Princess still believed in the 
 possibility of recovery, and happy at having the 
 Empress near her for an instant, made her promise 
 to return again within a few days. Deeply moved, 
 she promised to do so, and sorrowfully withdrew. 
 A few days later Eugenie kept the promise but not 
 in the way in which the Princess anticipated; for 
 she was never again to see in full life this delicate 
 Spanish flower which had been transplanted from 
 its sunny climate to the sad though sumptuous pal- 
 ace in the He Saint Louis, built by a magistrate in 
 the seventeenth century, decorated by Lepautre, Le- 
 brun and Lesueur, immortalized by Voltaire, which, 
 after many vicissitudes, had become the property of 
 the Princess Czartoryska. This palace, by the way, 
 is still visited by tourists to Paris. On the very 
 morning of the day on which the grand fete at Ver- 
 sailles was to take place, the Empress learned that 
 Princess Ampara Czartoryska had breathed her last. 
 She immediately sent word to her reader. Made- 
 moiselle Bouvet, to come and accompany her and 
 in a post-chaise they left Saint Cloud, rapidly 
 crossed the Bois de Boulogne, and driving the length 
 of the quays reached the He Saint Louis. 
 
 The somber hotel was closed to all but the near 
 friends. Eugenie hastened to the death-chamber, 
 which was hung with red damask, where Princess 
 Ampara lay like a sleeping child, her head buried in 
 her waving brown hair, no trace of suffering on the 
 pretty youthful face which was now stamped with 
 the supernatural serenity, the mighty calm of death. 
 Weeping, the Empress prayed long in the darkened 
 chamber, lighted only by the candles near the bed; 
 then laying on the cofiin the flowers she had brought 
 
 267
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 she withdrew, deeply moved. Princess Ampara re- 
 sembled somewhat the Duchesse d'Albe, and the 
 Empress's thoughts flew to that much loved sister 
 whom she had been unable to see during her last mo- 
 ments on earth. 
 
 Notwithstanding this sad errand, and the sorrow- 
 ful thoughts of the drive back to Saint Cloud, barely 
 had the Empress reached the castle, before it be- 
 came necessary for her to cast grief aside and pre- 
 pare to start for Versailles, where the admirable 
 and magnificent fete had been so carefully prepared 
 for the Spanish King. This incident well illustrates 
 one of the unpleasant sides of a ruler's existence. 
 He is never his o"vvn master ; this supreme governor 
 of men, whom the ignorant imagine the happiest of 
 mortals. 
 
 The court started from Saint Cloud at three 
 o'clock and drove rapidly to the Trianon, where, by 
 the way, the Empress had for several years past 
 been collecting all articles which had once belonged 
 to Marie Antoinette. She was quite proud to show 
 her future museum to the Spanish sovereign, who 
 greatly encouraged Eugenie in the work. 
 
 It may be interesting to describe in some detail 
 one of these out-door festivals which were so fa- 
 mous under the Second Empire. 
 
 Before the imperial party arrived, a very con- 
 siderable number of guests had already filled the 
 park of Versailles. Indeed, they had begun to 
 gather quite early in the morning, for numerous in- 
 vitations had been sent out to the official and ele- 
 gant society of Paris. At six o'clock the King, ac- 
 companied by the Emperor, the Empress, the 
 Princes of the family, and all the court, were con- 
 
 268
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 ducted to the principal fountains in the park: the 
 Star, the Colonnade, Apollo, Latone, Neptune, Flora, 
 where Moliere's play La Princesse d' Elide was 
 given for the first time in the Bosquet de la Eeine, 
 so famous by its association with the sad affair of 
 the diamond necklace, that curious episode of the old 
 regime that the Emperor and the Empress more 
 than once tried to fathom. 
 
 Having visited the park, the royal party returned 
 to the castle, entering by the marble courtyard and 
 stopping in front of the grand staircase. On each 
 step was stationed one of the Cent Gardes, and the 
 salons and galleries, the railings and banisters, were 
 all covered with flowers and ferns. It seemed in- 
 deed as though the home of Louis XIV had 
 awakened to all its splendor and was once again in- 
 habited by a brilliant court, to greet the great king's 
 grand-nephew, who was now the honored guest with- 
 in its walls. 
 
 After an hour spent by the ladies in changing their 
 gowns, the court met again for dinner. This took 
 place in the apartment formerly occupied by the 
 Queen. Immediately afterwards there was a rep- 
 resentation in the theater of Psyche, a fine ballet 
 with choruses by Corneille and Moliere, wiiich had 
 been played in the palace in the time of Louis XIV. 
 A then famous dancer, Mademoiselle Fiocre, very 
 gracefully personified Love in the ballet. 
 
 After the ballet came the ilhuninations, which 
 were magnificent, and greatly enhanced by the 
 beauty of the evening. The wonderful fireworks 
 were considered fairylike not only by the sovereigns 
 and their guests, but also by the large mass of spec- 
 tators gathered in every part of the grounds. A 
 
 269
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 more personal detail may be given, perhaps. The 
 Empress was wearing a white tulle gown, trimmed 
 with roses, while from her shoulders fell a long cash- 
 mere mantle of red cloth embroidered with gold. 
 When the first rockets went up, she expressed the 
 desire to leave the terrace and, leaning on the King 
 of Spain's arm, they walked about among the crowd, 
 followed only by a lady in waiting and the Due de 
 Morny. So great was the enthusiasm of the spec- 
 tators and so eager their desire to give them a warm 
 greeting, that the Empress's mantle was in rags 
 before she could escape. The Emperor was a little 
 nervous for a moment, and when she got back to 
 his side, on the more protected terrace, he remarked: 
 "You must feel like exclaiming: 'Save me from 
 my friends.' " It was an evening truly worthy of 
 the Versailles of Louis XIV and the end was not less 
 brilliant than the beginning. It closed with a supper 
 in the Galerie des Glaces, during which the Opera 
 orchestra was heard, and warmly applauded by 
 everybody. To recall the comment of Don Fran- 
 cisco: ''To listen to this music was alone worth the 
 journey from ^Madrid to Paris." 
 
 The Court returned to Saint Cloud at two o'clock 
 in the morning, after a day which has remained 
 legendary in the annals of royal festivities. After 
 the emotions of the morning and the constant cere- 
 monial of that long day, the Empress might justly 
 have claimed the right to bo tired. She had the satis- 
 faction, however, of having witnessed the fuU re- 
 alization of an idea which originated with her, that 
 of giving to the grand-nephew of Louis XIV a really 
 unique fete, in every respect worthy of the great 
 
 270
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 '*Roi Soleil," the creator of Versailles, and recalling 
 the magnificent splendor of his memorable reign. 
 
 King Francisco left France after a stay of eight 
 days at Saint Cloud, delighted with the cordial wel- 
 come he had received everywhere. He still remem- 
 bered it in 1868 when the revolution forced the royal 
 family to leave Spain, for it was to France that the 
 husband of Queen Isabella returned, and there he 
 died some years ago. The Emperor and the Em- 
 press met him frequently during the closing years 
 of his life and more than once he spoke of this visit 
 and especially of "that never-to-be-forgotten day at 
 Versailles," as he used to say. 
 
 After the departure of King Francisco, wishing 
 to show still greater interest in her native land, the 
 Empress drove to pay a visit to Queen Christine of 
 Spain, widow of Ferdinand VII and mother of 
 Queen Isabella, also of several other notable chil- 
 dren, among whom was Princess Ampara above 
 mentioned. Queen Christine, by the way, lived with 
 her husband in the house in the Champs Elysees 
 long known as the Hotel do la Peine Christine, which 
 was inhabited during about twenty years by the 
 Duchesse d'Uzes, born Mortemart. 
 
 Thus ended this memorable visit which did not a 
 little to draw Spain and France more closely to- 
 gether, and thus did Napoleon III ever labor to the 
 best interests of his country; and the Empress took 
 a deep interest in this good work, especially in this 
 instance, for, while loving her adopted land, she 
 never forgot that of her birth. 
 
 In the early autumn of 1 864 it was announced that 
 Prince Humbert of Savoy was coming to France to 
 accompany the Emperor to the maneuvers at th» 
 
 271
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 camp of Chalons, and it was considered necessary 
 to receive the son of Victor Emmanuel with great 
 ceremony. This visit of the heir apparent belonged 
 to a period of transformation which Italy was per- 
 force traversing. The capital was still at Turin, 
 though, for the better interests of the different prov- 
 inces, it was considered necessary to remove it to 
 Florence. While recognizing the necessity for this 
 change, it was a matter of deep regret for Victor 
 Emmanuel that he should have to deprive Turin, 
 the cradle of the house of Savoy, of the privileges 
 attached to the capitol of a great state; but there 
 were powerful considerations in favor of the pro- 
 posed change, considerations of an administrative, 
 strategical and parliamentary order which could not 
 be overlooked. It was easy to guess, however, 
 though Chevalier Nigra, minister of the Italian king 
 and persona grata at the French court, was careful 
 not to hint at it, that the secret hope of Italian 
 statesmen was to reach Rome one day; and they con- 
 sidered the move to Florence a long step in that di- 
 rection. But the hour had not yet struck for this, 
 and but for the French reverses in 1870, the change 
 would certainly not have been accomplished as soon 
 as was the case. Cavour himself was long hostile 
 to a too rapid entrance into Rome, declaring that 
 there should always be left a future goal for the 
 nation to aim at. These matters, though in every- 
 body's mind at the moment of this visit, were not 
 broached, for the Empress, for one, did not like 
 Italian politics, deeply attached as she was to the 
 Holy See and fearing the ambitious aims and pro- 
 jects of Victor Emmanuel. Everybody knew her 
 
 272
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 views on these points and so these burning questions 
 were avoided. 
 
 Prince Humbert was only twenty in 1864 when he 
 came to Paris. He bore very little resemblance to 
 Victor Emmanuel, though he strenuously sought to 
 imitate his manners. He was much more like Prin- 
 cess Clotilde ; but in spite of a certain similarity of 
 features, their faces nevertheless offered striking 
 differences, especially in expression. Again, the 
 timidity and gentleness of the brother were replaced 
 in the sister by vivacity, firmness and tenacity of 
 purpose. 
 
 For several days Saint Cloud was the theater of 
 grand receptions and festivities in honor of the 
 young Prince, who proved very amiable and gra- 
 cious. At one of the receptions, it may be noted, the 
 celebrated Comtesse de Castiglione made her ap- 
 pearance. It was one of the last occasions on which 
 this remarkable woman was seen at Court, and the 
 fact still remains vividly fixed in my mind. She was 
 presented to the young Prince, who admitted that 
 he was very curious to meet her, and declared after- 
 wards that she came up to his expectations. This 
 is not always the case, by the way. 
 
 After the autumn maneuvers at Chalons, evidently 
 much pleased with the cordial welcome given him 
 by his hosts and their court, the future unfortunate 
 King of Italy returned home. Ever afterwards he 
 had a warm place in his heart for France and the 
 French people, notwithstanding the fact that Italian 
 statesmen, under the influence of Bismarck, strove 
 for many years to separate the two countries. But 
 during the Second Empire, and especially during 
 the earlier period, Napoleon III held them together, 
 
 273
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 and if they came together once more in the very 
 first years of the present century, this natural and 
 happy result was due in no small measure to the old 
 sentiments of friendliness solidly established by the 
 Emperor, of which this visit was one of the founda- 
 tion stones. 
 
 After the departure of Prince Humbert, the Em- 
 press visited the mineral springs of Schwalbach, a 
 small town in the duchy of Nassau, then governed 
 by Duke Adolphus, who w^as mulcted of his domin- 
 ion in 1866, because of his support of Austria in 
 Prussia's conflict w^th that power, but later became 
 Duke of Luxembourg. 
 
 At that time she was suffering from nervous 
 spasms, and the consequent inability to take food 
 had reduced her to a state of extreme weakness. 
 The doctors advised her to cross the frontier and 
 seek health at the waters of Schwalbach. But owing 
 to the political difficulties then prevalent, the Em- 
 press was most reluctant to follow their advice and 
 only consented to do so on condition that she should 
 be allowed to avoid all pomp and Court ceremonial, 
 and live in Germany in the strictest privacy. The 
 necessary diplomatic negotiations and formalities 
 having been attended to, it was finally agreed that, 
 traveling under the name of Comtesse de Pierre- 
 fonds, she would in no way be subjected to the nu- 
 merous and wearisome duties of a sovereign. If I 
 am not mistaken, this was, by the way, the first time 
 Eugenie used this convenient incognito title, which 
 of course comes from the splendidly restored his- 
 toric castle of Pierrefonds, near Compiegne. 
 
 The Empress left Saint Cloud by the Imperial 
 train, on September 5th at seven o 'clock in the even- 
 
 274
 
 VISITS TO GERMAIsrY AND EGYPT 
 
 ing, and reached the frontier about six the following 
 morning, when the French officials, who had accom- 
 panied the train, having to make way for German 
 officials, the latter expressed the desire to "present 
 their respects to the Empress." In spite of the 
 earliness of the hour, the latter considered it neces- 
 sary to comply with this strange request, and re- 
 ceived them. Thereupon, they presented to her a 
 bunch of rare orchids, accompanied by a compli- 
 ment drawn up in the form of a madrigal, which 
 declared that the ''most beautiful flowers of Ger- 
 many hastened to welcome the most beautiful flower 
 of France." This rather heavy bit of Teutonic flat- 
 tery is mentioned here as a striking illustration of 
 the friendly feeling for France then existing even 
 in the minor German official world. These well-in- 
 tentioned individuals carried their chivalrous en- 
 thusiasm to the point of decorating with wreaths of 
 flowers the locomotive which was to draw the Im- 
 perial train. Though her sleep had been interrupted 
 — albeit in so poetical a manner — the Empress 
 warmly thanked the oflicials for their courteous re- 
 ception, and the train was soon rolling along on 
 German soil. 
 
 The inhabitants of the country round about knew 
 of Eugenie's coming and her incognito was conse- 
 quently not much respected. At every station were 
 words of welcome and cheers innumerable uttered 
 by sympathetic crowds, which still further proves 
 what I have always held, that if Bismarck and other 
 high German politicians had not forced Germany 
 into a war with France, the people of the two na- 
 tions would have lived on in peace. 
 
 The train hurried over the gigantic bridge which 
 
 275
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 spans the Rhine, passed through Mayence with its 
 pink stone houses, and reached Wiesbaden at one 
 o'clock. All along the route the Empress had ob- 
 served every feature of land and people, for this was 
 her first visit to Germany, since some years, and 
 everything interested her in this country, so differ- 
 ent from France in many respects. In fact this jour- 
 ney across the Rhine did much to reawaken her 
 waning love for travel, which grew stronger and 
 stronger with the years. 
 
 The Duke of Nassau had sent one of his aides-de- 
 camp to offer his services and to beg that the Em- 
 press would continue her journey in the ducal car- 
 riages, which were in attendance, and were driven 
 by postilions in orange and blue livery. But as she 
 did not wish to make any changes in the program 
 which had been laid out for her, she sent her thanks 
 to the Duke for his kind attention and mounted, with 
 the suite, into the hired landaus which drove for two 
 hours through a beautiful hilly country. It was 
 pouring with rain when they reached Schwalbach, 
 but the Empress was warmly welcomed by a crowd 
 of spectators and bathers. 
 
 She took up her abode in a villa of modest appear- 
 ance, and adopted the mode of living of all visitors 
 at that watering place. Every one seemed to take 
 interest in her health and she was the object of 
 many kind attentions. The Empress soon perceived 
 a visible change in her appearance, and little by little 
 she gained strength. It was clearly evident that 
 these excellent waters were producing their usual 
 effect. 
 
 The party consisted, among others, of the ladies 
 of the Palace, Comtesse de la Bedoyere and Com- 
 
 276
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 tesse de la Poeze, both daughters of the Marquis de 
 la Rochelambert, formerly French minister in Prus- 
 sia; they knew German and Germany well, having 
 been partly educated in that country, and were, 
 chiefly for that reason, chosen to go with the Em- 
 press on this tour, her own knowledge of that diffi- 
 cult language being very poor, especially at that 
 time. Several high Court male officials were also 
 in her suite. 
 
 The following description of the daily life at 
 Schwalbach is taken from letters written from there 
 at the time by a member of the household. This cor- 
 respondence is here used for the first time: 
 
 ** German hours and mode of living have been 
 adopted by us all. The Empress drinks the tepid, 
 effervescing waters with great regularity and takes 
 the noted baths, which are certainly doing her much 
 good. The regulation bath and walk are followed 
 by dinner at two o'clock, when the local dishes are 
 partaken of without murmur, even to the kirsclien 
 compote which accompanies the roast joint. One 
 day, in honor of the French sovereign, pullets from 
 France were sent to the table. The Empress rarely 
 notices what is set before her, and, being absorbed 
 in conversation, she helped herself somewhat absent- 
 mindedly; seeing, however, that the dish wont the 
 round of the table without being touched by any 
 of those present, she enquired wliy no one was 
 eating. 
 
 *' 'Madame,' was the reply, 'it is because of the 
 peculiar odor which emanates from that dish!' 
 
 "The Empress started and said, with a smile: 
 'Ah! and you were going to let me cat it!' 
 
 "The experiment with French dishes has not, 
 
 277
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 therefore, proved a success, and, after this experi- 
 ence, we are determined that chickens and other 
 viands of local breeding only shall be employed. 
 
 ''In spite of her desire to lead a very simple, 
 healthy life, adhering strictly to the regime of the 
 place, the Empress cannot avoid receiving certain 
 princely visitors. Queen Sophie of the Netherlands, 
 on her way to Evian, has expressed a desire to 
 break her journey for a few hours in order to see 
 the Empress whom she appears to be fond of, and 
 with whom she has kept up a regular correspon- 
 dence. 
 
 "The King of Prussia announced his visit at the 
 same time as the Queen of Holland. A large bunch 
 of roses accompanied the message by which 'the 
 King of Prussia asked to be allowed to pay his re- 
 spects to the Comtesse de Pierref onds. ' He was 
 then staying at Baden with his daughter, the Grand 
 Duchess Louise. It was impossible for the Em- 
 press, in spite of the strict incognito which she is 
 maintaining, to refuse to receive King William. So 
 he came. On this occasion, and in order to show 
 his respect for the Empress's desire for privacy, 
 the King abandoned, for the nonce, his uniform, and 
 put on ordinary civilian clothes, wearing, however — 
 although his visit took place during the daytime — 
 the cordon of the Legion of Honor under his coat. 
 The King's courtesy towards women is well known. 
 With the Empress, whom he admires very much, as 
 could be seen, he adopted a rather paternal tone 
 which was permitted by his greater age. A double 
 motive is attributed to his visit." 
 
 An effort was made by the German official world 
 to induce the Empress to waive her objections, and 
 
 278
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 pay some visits to the surrounding princes. Great 
 importance was given to the smallest movements 
 of sovereigns in that most aristocratic country, and 
 it was not without regret she was informed that the 
 Court of Berlin witnessed her studied avoidance 
 of all compromising intercourse with the different 
 members of the royal family of Prussia during the 
 sojourn across the Rhine. It was doubtless felt that 
 such abstention, though justified by her bad state of 
 health, and the events then occurring in the duchies 
 — Denmark had just been forced by Prussia and 
 Austria to renounce Schleswig-Holstein and Lauen- 
 burg — might pass in the eyes of Europe as a token 
 of unfriendliness. The Prussians desired to obtain 
 the absolute neutrality of France in the conflicts 
 then pending, and it was natural, therefore, that 
 the King should use his influence to obtain Eugenie's 
 consent to make and receive a few important visits. 
 It will be remembered that at one time it was sug- 
 gested that France should intervene in favor of 
 Denmark. Reasons of a general character caused 
 this project to be abandoned and France was forced 
 to adopt a diplomatic course, in spite of the fact 
 that all her sympathies were with Denmark, and op- 
 posed to the policy by which the three duchies were 
 given to Prussia and Austria, the victorious coun- 
 tries. It is evident that, under such circumstances, 
 the Empress felt no inclination for princely visits 
 which could only be painful for her, and could in no 
 way change the course of events. The King, no 
 doubt, thought that l)y liis courteous efforts he would 
 overcome this reluctance and bring about a meeting 
 at Baden between her and Queen Augusta. He 
 urged this, but the Empress declined very decidedly, 
 
 279
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 alleging as a sufficient excuse the poor state of her 
 health, and the doctors' orders, which would not 
 allow her to interrupt, even for a day, the course of 
 treatment she was then following. So the King 
 gave the matter up, without showing too plainly the 
 disappointment he undoubtedly felt. 
 
 The correspondent, from whom citations have al- 
 ready been given, continues as follows the record of 
 this German sojourn: ''The Empress now hopes 
 she has done with visitors. Entirely engrossed by 
 her course of treatment, and anxious to have a com- 
 plete rest from politics, she takes the baths, drinks 
 the waters, scrupulously walks the prescribed dis- 
 tances, and makes many excursions in the country 
 round about, which she has much enjoyed. Among 
 other places the Empress has visited Schlangenbad, 
 a neighboring spring which is said to have the power 
 of giving the freshness of eternal youth to the skin. 
 According to the legend still prevalent in this re- 
 gion, the water owes its peculiar properties to the 
 eggs which are deposited in its bed by serpents. As 
 is the custom, the Empress and her ladies dipped 
 their hands in the fountain. For a moment, they 
 certainly appeared extraordinarily white, because 
 of the transparent nature of the water ; but as soon 
 as they were dry, they regained their former ap- 
 pearance, and our skin appears just as old or young, 
 as the case may be, as it did before ! We had a good 
 laugh over this, the Empress joining in heartily. 
 
 ''The Empress has gone very little to Wiesbaden, 
 because of the great crowd of visitors there, and 
 also, and chiefly, because she does not wish to be 
 brought face to face with princely guests whom it 
 would there be impossible to avoid. She did not 
 
 280
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 once enter the Kurhaus, but waited in the carriage 
 while Madame de la Bedoyere and Madame de la 
 Poeze, who had expressed the wish to visit the gam- 
 ing salons, made a tour of inspection. She gave a 
 louis to her lady-in-waiting, in order that she might 
 try her luck. Mile. Bouvet placed the louis on the 
 roulette table and won thirty-six tunes her stake. 
 She did not wait long enough to see her luck change, 
 and the three ladies left the gaming rooms all more 
 or less affected by the sights they had witnessed 
 there. 
 
 ''As was to be expected, the Duke of Nassau has 
 come to visit the Empress. He suggested that she 
 should walk one day to a hunting box, not very far 
 distant, where he was in the habit of going to stalk 
 deer. The Empress was pleased to consent and 
 walked to La Platte, an admirably situated spot 
 from which a magnificent panorama of the neighbor- 
 ing country is to be had. This is not the first time 
 the Empress has visited La Platte. She saw the 
 spot in 1849, during a stay at Ems, and recollects 
 the occasion very clearly. The Duke was, of course, 
 at the hunting box with all his suite to receive her. 
 During her stay he showed her the register of 18-49, 
 where the name of Comtesse de Teba was found side 
 by side with that of the Comtesse de Montijo. 
 Luncheon had been prepared in the quaintly fur- 
 nished dining-room decorated with antlers and vari- 
 ous skins. The Empress says she will long retain 
 a vivid recollection of this excursion, of the Duke's 
 courteous welcome, the picturesque furniture, and, 
 above all, the marvelous panorama. 
 
 "Often, these sumiuc]- evenings, the windows all 
 open, one or other of tiie ladies sits at the i)iano, 
 
 281
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 and the sound of the sweet music, floating through 
 the cool air, falls on the ears of the passers-by. 
 The other evening, Comtesse de la Bedoyere, who is 
 a talented musician, was playing airs from Faust 
 when a group of Tyroleans, passing through the 
 town, stopped and asked permission to play for us, 
 *in their turn,' as they said. There were four men 
 and one woman. For an hour and more the Em- 
 press and we other ladies were charmed by moun- 
 tain airs sung by very pretty voices accompanied 
 by the fascinating Tyrolese yodel. When the sing- 
 ing ceased, it was agreed that the musicians should 
 return the following day. 
 
 ''Next morning, the Comtesse de la Poeze entered 
 Mile. Bouvet's room in great haste and evidently 
 much upset. 
 
 '' 'I am afraid,' said she, 'that something dread- 
 ful has happened during the night. My maid heard 
 screams coming from the Admiral's room. (The 
 reference is to x\dmiral Jurien de la Graviere, aide- 
 de-camp to the Emperor, who is in the Empress's 
 suite.) She thinks that those Italian singers — no 
 doubt they were brigands — have broken into his 
 apartment and murdered him.' 
 
 ''The maid, whose room was over that occupied 
 by the Admiral, repeated the tale, adding many de- 
 tails. At two in the morning, she said, she heard 
 noises as though some one were struggling, and 
 recognized the Admiral's voice, who was saying: 
 'God, take thy victims!' — whatever that meant. 
 Very much alarmed, but hesitating to say anything, 
 lest the Empress be disturbed, Madame de la Poeze 
 and Mile. Bouvet determined to go and knock at the 
 Admiral's door. 
 
 282
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 *' 'What is the matter?' inquired a sleepy voice. 
 
 " 'Are you still alive, Admiral T asked the ladies 
 through the door. 
 
 " 'Alive ! Wliy, I am in the best of health.' 
 
 " 'But have you had no trouble?' 
 
 " 'None. What nonsense is this? I have slept 
 soundly all through the night. What do you want?' 
 
 "Thoroughly satisfied and calmed, the ladies told 
 the Empress of their alarm as soon as she awoke. 
 She thereupon called the maid and questioned her. 
 The woman persisted in her story; declared that it 
 was a deed of the Tyroleans ; that the Admiral had 
 most certainly been murdered and that she had very 
 clearly heard the last words he uttered : ' God, take 
 thy victims ! ' 
 
 "At this moment the gallant officer himself ap- 
 peared on the scone, when the Empress, laughing 
 heartily, asked the Admiral to give an explanation 
 of this extraordinary occurrence. M. Jurien de la 
 Graviero, somewhat disconcerted at first, eventually 
 joined in the general mei'rimcnt and confessed that 
 he was subject to nightmare and was no doubt 
 dreaming when he cried out in the niglit. The Em- 
 press and her ladies have keenly enjoyed the little 
 incident. 
 
 "Two Frenchmen now staying at Schwal])ach — • 
 M. Eremy, President of the Cn'dit Fonder IJank, 
 and Vicomt<' l^e Pic, a ialmted paintei- and son of 
 one of the J*]niperor's aides-de-cani]) — liave amused 
 themselves and us by dressing u]) as T\ lolcans and 
 coming, two days later, to sing a ])l;iintiv(' song in 
 which all the events, great and small, which have 
 taken place at Schwall)aeh during the Empress's 
 
 283
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 sojourn here, were narrated; and, of course, the 
 Admiral's dream was not omitted!" 
 
 Further evidence was given during this visit of 
 the high place then held in European politics by the 
 Second Empire. Notwithstanding the Empress's 
 desire and strenuous efforts to maintain her incog- 
 nito, it soon became evident that it would be impos- 
 sible not to receive other princely visitors than those 
 already mentioned. So the Emperor of Russia, then 
 staying at Darmstadt with the Empress Marie Alex- 
 androvna, courteously came to Schwalbach to pay 
 his respects. Next came the Grand Duke of Baden 
 to renew the request of the royal family of Prussia 
 that the Empress should stop at Baden. 
 
 In view of the cordial welcome and hospitality 
 given her, it was finally considered impossible for 
 the Empress to persist any longer in the determina- 
 tion to make no oflScial visits during the cure. So, 
 having taken the advice of the Emperor, she con- 
 sented to spend a few hours at Baden. The Duchess 
 of Hamilton, daughter of Grand Duchess Stephanie 
 and cousin of the Emperor, was staying at her castle 
 in Baden, and it was arranged that the Empress 
 should go there and pay a few visits in the neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 The journey thither was made as quietly as possi- 
 ble so as not to attract attention in the district where 
 at that moment several princes were staying. The 
 Empress slept at Mannheim in order that her ar- 
 rival at Baden might happen at a convenient hour. 
 While she was at the Mannheim hotel, a telegram 
 was handed, during the repast, to Comte de Cosse 
 Brissac; who, so as not to betray the incognito, 
 thought better to refuse it. The sequel to this tele- 
 
 284
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 gram incident is found in the following paragraph. 
 
 The party left Mannheim for Baden in traveling 
 costume, when what was their surprise to find the 
 station of Carlsruhe filled with an enormous crowd 
 — officers in uniform and military bands playing La 
 Reine Hortense, and other airs. The King of Prus- 
 sia himself advanced to the carriage door, and pre- 
 sented the Grand Duke of Baden to the Empress. 
 The King, his son-in-law and a few officers then 
 stepped into the train, which continued its route. 
 Much astonished at this unexpected reception, she 
 inquired how it was that she had not been informed 
 beforehand, so that she could have been in better 
 form to receive these honors. The King replied that 
 he had sent a telegram the day before to Comte de 
 Cosse Brissac. The w^hole thing was now clear, and 
 all had quite a laugh over ''our unnecessary unpre- 
 paredness," as the King wittily expressed it. 
 
 A further surprise was in store at Baden. When 
 the train drew up in the station profusely decorated 
 with flowers and banners, it was found that the 
 Queen of Prussia and the Grand Duchess of Baden 
 were there to meet the Empress. They were attired 
 in gala dresses which contrasted strangely with the 
 simple traveling costume of Eugenie and the ladies 
 of her suite. After cordial greetings, they drove in 
 the Court landaus to the Duchess of Hamilton 's pal- 
 ace, where it was arranged that the Empress should 
 attend the grand dinner offered that same evening 
 in her honor by the Grand Duke of Baden, wliicli de- 
 layed the departure until the following morning. 
 
 Eugenie naturally supposed that she had some 
 hours before her in which to rest after the jour- 
 ney, which had been fatiguing, owing to the heat. 
 
 285
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 which had suddenly returned, and to the unex- 
 pected receptions which she had had to undergo. 
 Her boxes had not been opened, and she was in her 
 dressing gown, when lo, and behold! the King of 
 Prussia was announced. It was his official visit, and 
 so it was impossible not to receive him, while it was 
 equally impossible, owing to Court etiquette, to 
 make him w^ait. So the Empress was forced hastily 
 to put on again her traveling costume, a black silk 
 skirt, and red woolen bodice, over which she threw 
 a sealskin cloak which she had worn that morning 
 and in which she was nearly suffocated during the 
 conversation, which lasted half an hour. 
 
 As soon as the Empress had changed her costume, 
 she went to return Queen Augusta's visit. At the 
 palace she found not only the Queen, but the Grand 
 Duke and the Grand Duchess of Baden and all the 
 courtiers gathered together. The reception was 
 most courteous, and the Empress was the object of 
 marked attentions, while the Countess of Lynar, a 
 lady who knew her Paris well, and the other ladies 
 of the Court, which, by the way, seemed more than a 
 hundred years behind the rest of the world, were 
 full of gracious attentions for the ladies of our 
 party. 
 
 After visiting the points of interest in the town, 
 the Empress returned to change her gown again, 
 and then drove to the summer palace of the Grand 
 Duke in that town, then frequented by the most ele- 
 gant society of Europe. After a sumptuous repast 
 there was some music and Madame Viardot, whom 
 the Queen of Prussia liked to attract to Baden, sang 
 before the sovereigns. Eugenie especially appre- 
 ciated this attention, for this celebrated singer was 
 
 286
 
 VISITS TO GEEMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 a great favorite with the Emperor and our whole 
 
 court. 
 
 A kind effort was made to keep her still longer at 
 Baden, but the Empress had to decline, her excuse 
 being that she had already delayed her departure, 
 through that night, and that the Imperial train, 
 which had come to meet her, was waiting. Queen 
 Augusta then invited the Empress to come and 
 drink coffee with her before starting, and this final 
 kind invitation was accepted. Next morning, at 
 eight o'clock precisely, the Empress reached the 
 Queen's apartments, where breakfast was prepared. 
 Every one was in full dress. That morning the 
 Queen wore a blue taffeta dress trimmed with white 
 lace and a blue hat with feathers, w^hich costume was 
 most tasteful and left an impression on all. As this 
 was the only opportunity Eugenie ever had of meet- 
 ing Queen Augusta, who never came to France, her 
 w^ords, acts, and appearance on this occasion were 
 long fresh in her memory. 
 
 The Queen of Prussia was then fifty years of age. 
 She was rather tall, had blue eyes, and features 
 which retained much grace, though she had a rather 
 weary face. Her hair was dressed in wavy ban- 
 deaux which had been fashionable some ten or fif- 
 teen years before, and wliich, consequently, gave her 
 a somewhat ancient appearance. She was a very 
 clever woman, spoke; French delightfully, was well 
 acquainted with French literature and was some- 
 what expansive in conversation. She was almost 
 tenderly effusive toAvard the Empress, whom she 
 then saw for the first time, and her kind words and 
 wishes were fully returned. In a word, Eugenie 
 was peculiarly attracted to the Prussian Queeu. 
 
 287
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 The correspondent who has already been quoted, 
 wrote as follows concerning the Prussian King and 
 Queen : 
 
 **It is universally known that the royal couple 
 are not on good terms, and that the Queen is rarely 
 with the King. Notwithstanding the wish of their 
 children and various efforts which have been made 
 to bring them together, they live much estranged 
 one from another. This sojourn at Baden has been 
 one of the rare occasions when they were together. 
 I am told that the Queen has never had any influence 
 with her husband and holds an entirely indepen- 
 dent court, which is more intellectual than politL 
 cal." 
 
 To the end of her life, and in spite of her infirmi- 
 ties, the Queen of Prussia and Empress of Ger- 
 many retained a very dignified manner and showed 
 at all times extraordinary energy in sustaining the 
 prerogatives of her rank. She took no active part 
 in the political events of her day, and, though wear- 
 ing the imperial purple, merely looked on as a spec- 
 tator. It must not be forgotten, however, that, dur- 
 ing the War of 1870, she showed great kindness of 
 heart and, in spite of the very slight influence she 
 had with the military and political party, did all in 
 her power to alleviate the sufferings of the French 
 soldiers. These facts the Empress always kept in 
 memory, so that she has ever had a most tender 
 feeling for the Empress of Germany. But how lit- 
 tle did either of them dream, during those days at 
 Baden, when Queen Augusta and her daughter vied 
 with one another in showing the Empress every 
 kindness and attention, of the terrible tragedy which 
 was so shortly to startle Europe. 
 
 288
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 One final instance of the tender attention of the 
 Queen. It had been decided that the train would 
 start at a quarter to ten, and that the King and all 
 the Court should accompany the Empress to the 
 carriage. This was done; but this was not all. 
 When the latter reached Saint Cloud, she found a 
 telegi'am awaiting her. It was from the Queen of 
 Prussia inquiring for news of the journey, and in 
 the course of the evening a second telegram arrived, 
 this time from the Grand Duchess of Baden, with 
 similar inquiries and cordial greetings. Appro- 
 priate answers were, of course, returned. Again I 
 may state that the Empress never regretted these 
 early cordial relations with the future German Em- 
 press, but always felt that if they could have been 
 cultivated, something might have been done to 
 avert the conflict which tore apart the two nations. 
 
 The Suez Canal was a peculiarly Napoleonic un- 
 dertaking. The first Emperor would have begun it 
 if he had not been deterred by a mistake of one of 
 his engineers concerning the level of the Red Sea. 
 Ferdinand de Lesseps, whose energy finally carried 
 the enterprise to success, was a relative of the Em- 
 press, and Napoleon III lent all the aid which his 
 high position could give to remove various diplo- 
 matic and political difficulties which arose from time 
 to time during the progress of this gigantic work 
 and which more than once threatened its consum- 
 mation. It was in every way fitting, therefore, when 
 the great task was successfully accomplished, that 
 the French Government should take a leading part 
 in the ceremonies of the inauguration. 
 
 On November 16, 1869, the eve of the day set for 
 the opening of the canal, the Imperial yacht, Aigle, 
 
 289
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 escorted by several warships^ was majestically ad- 
 vancing towards Port-Said. The Empress was on 
 board and next day she was to preside at the in- 
 augural ceremony. The Emperor had informed the 
 French Parliament that it was his ''desire that, by 
 her presence, the Empress should boar witness to 
 the interest felt by France in a work due to the per- 
 severance and g'cnius of a Frenchman." This was 
 the reason why she was given this peculiar and im- 
 portant mission. 
 
 The P]mpress was accompanied on this grand voy- 
 age by a numerous and brilliant suite, and was 
 everywhere received and treated as a sovereign not 
 only of France, but of Europe. She always retained 
 the most vivid recollection of this memorable voy- 
 age. In 1905 she revisited the spot where she had 
 been so triumphantly welcomed over thirty-five 
 years before; and when, on board the Macedonia, 
 the shores of Egypt were first seen silhouetted 
 against the horizon, so strong was the emotion which 
 the Empress felt that for a moment tears came into 
 her eyes, so touching was the vision which had sud- 
 denly rushed back on her, by a swift trick of mem- 
 ory, like a radiant transformation scene. 
 
 At Constantinople, where the Empress went first 
 to visit the Sultan, suzeraiii of the Khedive, the re- 
 ception was exti\aordinarily magnificent. The Turk- 
 ish ruler had spared none of the magic power of 
 Oriental pomp to render the receptions more effec- 
 tive, and the impression produced on the imagina- 
 tion of the Ottoman population by the presence 
 among them of a crowned woman, an unheard-of 
 event in the annals of Islam, Was said to have sur- 
 passed all that can be imagined. When the Empress 
 
 290
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 was told of this fact, by one of the ministers, she 
 remarked: "I trust I have been worthy of my sex 
 and have been no discredit, in the eyes of these good 
 people, to the crowned heads of the stronger sex." 
 He very politely assured her that she "almost 
 equaled the Sultan!" 
 
 ^ On the first approach of the Aigle, an entire fleet 
 of ships, decked with flags, came out to meet the 
 Empress. An enormous crowd covered the two 
 shores of the Bosphorus, while the fire of thirty bat- 
 teries announced our arrival. Finally the Aigle 
 dropped ^nchpr in front of the palace of J3eyler-bey, 
 when a row--.b£)at, surmounted by a red dais of vel- 
 vet, embroidered in gold, left the quay and came 
 rapidly forward, and the Empress soon perceived 
 that the Sultan himself had come to fetch her and 
 to escort her with solemn pomp to the palace. 
 
 The Turkish sovereign desired to show every sign 
 of courtesy, respect, thought and attention and even 
 wished to kiss the Empress's hand, an unheard-of 
 thing, I am told, on the part of the Commander of 
 the Faithful. But, out of respect for Mussulman 
 customs and feelings, she discreetly declined to al- 
 low this mark of homage to be paid to her, and 
 warmly thanked the Sultan for his many kindnesses. 
 Slie then told him how deeply pleased she was with 
 all the beautiful sights that had met her eyes since 
 her arrival in Turkish watci'S. 
 
 After paying tlio Sultuna Valide a visit which slie 
 returned the following day, the Emjjress witnessed, 
 seated in a vast stand hung with velvet and ch)th 
 whose hue was that of the I'^rencli C()h)rs, a review 
 of twenty-two thousand soldiers. Thongh she had 
 seen many of the finest troops of Christian Europe, 
 
 291
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 there was a certain originality, wildness and dash 
 about these Turkish soldiers that charmed her and 
 the memory of which always remained with her. 
 
 In the evening, the Bosphorus was illuminated, 
 and the palaces, public buildings, kiosks and ships 
 of the imperial marine all shone with multicolored 
 lights. Everything appeared to be aflame, from the 
 Arsenal to Therapia. The beautiful night, and the 
 calm sea under a starlit sky gave the already mar- 
 velous scenery an indescribable grandeur and 
 awakened feelings of the most emotional nature. It 
 was one of the Arabian nights brought into a burn- 
 ing and magnificent reality. Delighted with what 
 she beheld, the Empress repeatedly expressed her 
 pleasure and thanks, and, at the same time, her re- 
 gret that the Emperor and Prince Imperial could 
 not be present at these unforgettable scenes in which 
 France was glorified in the person of her sovereign. 
 From that day on the Empress always enjoyed a 
 visit to the far eastern end of the Mediterranean, 
 and in those waters many of the happiest days of 
 her later life were spent. 
 
 All these Turkish festivities paled, however, be- 
 fore those that awaited her in Egypt. The inaugura- 
 tion of the Suez Canal was for France a real 
 triumph in the eyes of the whole civilized world — 
 almost an apotheosis. Surrounded by the Emperor 
 of Austria, the Prince Royal of Prussia, the Prince 
 and Princess of the Netherlands, Emir Abd-el- 
 Kader, M. Ferdinand de Lesseps, and a host of other 
 celebrities, the Empress presided that day, in the 
 name of France and in the presence of the nations, 
 at the solemn consecration of the greatest engineer- 
 ing enterprise of the century. France had morally 
 
 292
 
 1\ .' 
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT '"'''' 
 
 and pecuniarily supported the project of M. de Les- 
 seps, so wo have good ground to be proud. Perhaps 
 it is not too much to say that it was due in part to 
 Eugenie's influence and to her perseverance in aid- 
 ing M. de Lesseps, whose grand project she admired 
 from the very first, that the canal was finally fin- 
 ished. M. de Lesseps was in the habit of making 
 this statement much stronger. 
 
 The great engineer and diplomat has written the 
 following words which I may be allowed to give 
 here, especially as I do not think they have ever 
 been printed before: "The Empress, has claimed 
 no part in the work now accomplished; but her pres- 
 ence at the ceremony was so natural that it was the 
 fit consecration of the conduct she had hitherto ob- 
 served.) Every one agreed to show the Empress 
 something more than a respectful homage and defer- 
 ence; there was in it a tribute of gratitude the real 
 significance of which could escape no one's atten- 
 tion. In the midst of a' dazzling vision sparkling 
 with shimmering Oriental and African costumes, 
 mingled with Western uniforms, Circassian and 
 Hungarian magnates, mufties in green caftans, and 
 officers of the Indian army, the French sovereign 
 was the cynosure of all eyes. Not one minute did 
 she dream of priding herself unduly on all this hom- 
 age. She was only desirous that the woman should 
 not efface the sovereign, and wished it to be felt 
 that all this incense and honor was offered to the 
 Empress simply as representing at one and the 
 same time a great country and the triumph of civil- 
 ization." 
 
 Before the blessing of the canal was performed 
 by the Bishop of Alexandria, Mgr. Bauer, the fash- 
 
 293
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ionable prelate of the epoch, pronounced an elo- 
 quent discourse. To the Empress who found it 
 difficult to hide her emotion, the eloquent priest ad- 
 dressed the following words, which she, of course, 
 felt w^ere much too flattering, but which are given 
 here as a good example of the excessive homage paid 
 her and, through her, to France, on this occasion : 
 
 "Those who have coojDerated in an intimate man- 
 ner in this great enterprise, know the part your 
 Majesty has played therein, and know that that part 
 is largo. But it is your custom to do the most im- 
 portant things in silence. However, it is necessary 
 that history should register the fact that this tre- 
 mendous v/ork is to a very great extent yours; and 
 history, in saying this, will speak only the bare 
 truth. But history will add that, in lending your in- 
 fluence to this enterprise, this Canal of the Two 
 Worlds, you have been in closest communion of 
 thought and sympathy with the whole of France, 
 which has ever approved of this grand work, with 
 that generous and noble France which, in every class 
 of society, has been enthusiastic in wishing well for 
 the Suez Canal, and prodigal in lending its millions, 
 its arms, its engineers, its machiner}-; with that 
 France, I sa}', which has, so to speak, identified itself 
 with one of its sons so providentially gifted by per- 
 suasive and simple eloquence for the accomplish- 
 ment of this prodigious undertaking." 
 
 The following day the flotilla which carried the 
 Princes started, with the Aigle at its head, to at- 
 tempt for the first time the passage henceforth to 
 be opened to the commerce of the entire world. But 
 an unfortunate accident delayed the departure. An 
 Egyptian advice-boat, sent oft" ahead, got stuck in 
 
 294
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT ' ' 
 
 the sand and interrupted the navigation. Informed 
 of this fact, the Khedive flew into a terrible passion ; 
 but M. de Lesseps, informed of the matter, gave 
 this order, with his customary imperturbable se- 
 renity: ''We must either get the boat off the sand, 
 which is not impossible, or set fire to it, or blow it 
 up." The first method having fortunately succeed- 
 ed, there was but a slight delay, and two hours later 
 the line got under way again, the boat firing a sig- 
 nal to this effect. 
 
 The Empress knew nothing of this mishap, so that 
 when she heard this round of cannon shots coming 
 from the unlucky boat shunted into one of tlie canal 
 stations, she imagined that the Viceroy had shown 
 the delicate attention of anchoring one of his gun- 
 boats there to do her honor. She so informed ]\[. 
 de Lesseps, who explained the real case, whereupon 
 it is said that she remarked: "AVell, you see I 
 am disposed to give the Khedive the benefit of the 
 doubt. We are treated with so many honors that 
 it would not take much to make me believe that the 
 thunder and lightning are a part of the fete." 
 
 A few minutes later M. de Lesseps presented to 
 the Empress his young fiancee, i\llle. de J^ragand. 
 Notwithstanding the difference in age between this 
 young girl and M. de Lesseps, who was just sixty, 
 Eugenie did not hesitate, after a chat with lier, to 
 compliment J\I. de Ijesseps on his choice and inform 
 him that she well understood liis detcriniiialioii 1o 
 wed her. "Now that the canal is finished, you have 
 earned the right to retire to the honie-eireh'." "iiiit 
 some of my quidnunc fi'icnds assure me," answc^red 
 the Count, "that it is easier to dig a canal than to 
 
 295
 
 MEMOIKS OF THE~ EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 live happily with a young wife ; but I believe I can 
 do both." And he did. 
 
 Ismailis, an improvised town set up in the open 
 air and full of people of all countries, seemed like 
 fairyland as the Imperial party approached it. Here 
 dromedaries were mounted in order to review the 
 cavalcade of troops and the Bedouins' fantasia. Some 
 hundreds of horsemen, with their burnoose flying 
 in the wind, handled their vigorous and agile ani- 
 mals with a marvelous dexterity and waved thoir 
 long carbines in the air, firing as they flew past. 
 Standing up straight in their stirrups, they threw 
 themselves into the -course with the swiftness of 
 lightning and executed clever evolutions in the midst 
 of clouds of dust and smoke from their fire-arms. 
 Other Arabs, erect on their fine, richly caparisoned 
 dromedaries, also took part in these fantastic exer- 
 cises and sent their djerrids flying to a great dis- 
 tance, the javelinlike arm, with its blunt point, re- 
 bounding from shields of buffalo skin. The sound 
 of the rifles and the cries of joy from an enthusiastic 
 crowd added to the animation of this picturesque 
 spectacle and all repeatedly expressed their won- 
 der and interest. 
 
 Before the ball in the evening there was a visit 
 to the dervishes — howling and whirling dervishes; 
 some, holding between their teeth a burning coal or 
 a red-hot iron, turning on their heels with a star- 
 tling rapidity, others working themselves up into 
 fearful convulsions or thrusting into their ears, 
 their tongues and other parts of the body, sharp in- 
 struments, until they succumbed under the fatigue 
 or the pain ; others chewing cactus leaves, or eating 
 live serpents and scorpions. All this was viewed with 
 
 296
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT 
 
 more or less revulsion and some, with morbid curi- 
 osity. Of most interest to the Empress, were 
 their religious exercises, which appear to consist 
 chiefly in the recital of zikrs. Seated or standing, 
 they form a circle, and then sing or scream out the 
 ''illalla," '^llalah," until their strength is spent. 
 They accompany this wild song with movements of 
 the body, and throw their heads forwards and back- 
 wards, and from right to left. One of them goes 
 into the middle of the circle and dances, with verti- 
 ginous rapidity, a sort of two-step valse, ceasing 
 only when he is utterly worn out and groaning with 
 fatigue. He is then immediately replaced by an- 
 other who does the same thing. These fakir rites 
 are now well known in the West; but at the time of 
 her visit to Egypt this was not the case, and these 
 strange ceremonies made a deep impression on 
 Eugenie that has never worn off. 
 
 Bengal lights of many colors played a prominent 
 part at the ball given at the Viceroy's palace, 
 which striking edifice was built, furnished and 
 surrounded with flower-gardens all in less than six- 
 months. There was present a great crowd bedecked 
 with orders of all kinds, the rich costumes of tlie 
 sheiks in great caftans with ornamented belts of 
 gold and precious stones giving a peculiar stamp lo 
 the variegated scene whicli was not soon to be for- 
 gotten. The Empress walked several times round 
 the ball-rooms with the sovereigns and princes, and 
 was in no haste to depart; for never before liad she 
 seen such a curious sight and seldom since; and 
 when, at one o'clock, a fairylike supper was served, 
 she warmly congratulated the Khedive on the artis- 
 tic success of the really superb fete. 
 
 297
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Next day there was a visit to Suez. At this point, 
 M, Rioii, the draftsmaPx of the Paris Illustration, 
 who had made the drawings of the different parts of 
 the canal, offered the Empress an album filled with 
 excellent water-color pictures. She carefully pre- 
 served this rare volume, as it brought back to her 
 so vividly this memorable voyage ; but unfortunately 
 it was destroyed in the Tuileries fire in 1871. 
 
 On Saturday, the 20th, the boats of the different 
 sovereigns and princes arrived at Suez. Cannon 
 were fired to salute their appearance, and the scene 
 again became truly wonderful. All the ships were 
 drawn up in a line of battle while the magnificent 
 harbor, admirably lighted, was framed at the far 
 end by high mountains elegantly silhouetted against 
 the sky. The Eed Sea was calm, and myriads of 
 little fish swam between the various craft. The 
 Empress spent a long time drinking in this beauti- 
 ful scene from the deck of her yacht. "Your maj- 
 esty is evidently charmed by this view^," remarked 
 the Khedive. "I am, indeed," she replied. "M. de 
 Lesseps says this alone was worth making the canal 
 for," added Ismail. "I fully share his opinion," 
 Eugenie answered full of enthusiasm. 
 
 Another ball was to be given at Cairo in honor of 
 the foreign sovereigns, but the Empress could not 
 be present on that occasion. After visiting Sakka- 
 rah, the Serapeum and the granitic curiosities there, 
 she decided to make a trip up the Nile, which had 
 always been one of her fondest dreams, and whence, 
 on November 27, she vs-rote to Napoleon a letter 
 which has never been given exactly and which may 
 be found interesting: 
 
 298
 
 VISITS TO GERMANY AND EGYPT \ ,^, 
 
 My very dear Louis : '■^'^ '' " r, o • 
 
 I write tliis on my way to Assouan on the Nile. To say we feel 
 cool would not be absolutely true, but the heat is quite bearable, 
 for there is some breeze, though in the sun it is a different matter. 
 I have news of you aud of Louis every day by telegram. This 
 is marvelous and very precious to me, and I am always held to 
 the friendly shore by that wire which unites me to all I love. 
 
 I am delighted with our charming voyage. I would like to 
 describe it to you, but many others more clever and better with 
 their pens than I am, have undertaken that task; so it seems I 
 bad best wrap myself up in mute admiration. 
 
 The letter then toiiclies on current French politics 
 which were very stormy at this moment, and con- 
 tinues : 
 
 I was much tormented by yesterday's events and to know that 
 you are in Paris without me; but all has passed oK well as I ]\ 
 learn by your wire. "When one sees other peoples, one appreci- ■• ^ ' 
 
 ates better the injustice of our own. I think, nevertheless, one 
 should not be disheartened, but walk forward in the way you have 
 opened up; faith in the concessions which have been granted is, 
 as we think and say, a good thing; I therefore hope that your 
 speech before the Chambers will be couched in that sense; the 
 greater the need of strength in the future, the more necessary it is x 
 
 to sliov/ the country that one has ideas and not mere devices. I 
 am very far off aiu] very ignorant of things since my dejiarlure 
 to speak thus, but I am hriiily convinced that continuity of ideas 
 is true force; I do not like sudden jumjjs and am coiivinced that 
 one cannot bring about two coups d'etat in the same reign. I am 
 talking at random, for I am })reaching to one who knows more on 
 this subject than I do. But I must say sometliiug if only to prove 
 what you well know — that my hoai't is near you both, and if in , 
 
 days of calm my vagabond s])iril hjvcs to n)am in space, it is near 
 you two tliat I like to bo on days of anxiety aud worry. 
 
 Far from men and things one breathes a serenity which is 
 beneficial to body and spirit: and by an effort of the iinairination 
 I fancy that all is well with you because 1 know nothing a])out 
 what is going on. Amuse yourself. I tliink disti'actions are in- 
 dispensable, for one must buihl uj) one's moral fabric just as one 
 
 299
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 builds up an enfeebled constitution. Certainly thinking about 
 one thing ends by wearing out the best organized brain, I have 
 experienced this, and I now dismiss from memory all that which 
 in the past has tarnished the fine colors of my day-dreams. My 
 own life is finished ; but I live again in my son and I hold those as 
 real joys which pass through his heart to mine. 
 
 Meanwhile, I enjoy my trip, the sunsets, and this wild yet 
 cultivated nature on a space fifty yards wide along the banks, 
 behind which is the desert with its sand hills, and the whole 
 lighted up by an ardent sun. 
 
 Good-by, and always believe in the affection of your very 
 devoted 
 
 EUGI^NIB. 
 
 Soon after penning this letter, the Empress re- 
 turned to France, where she found that the small 
 black clouds, which had grown during her absence, 
 were about to burst and one of the heaviest poli- 
 tical storms that Europe has known was on the point 
 of breaking over Germany and her adopted country. 
 The high respect shown for France by all the official 
 world during this eastern tour strengthened the 
 Empress in her efforts to do all in her power to 
 avert the catastrophe; and when, in after years, 
 she looked back on this period, Eugenie al- 
 ways felt that the conflict of 1870 should never have 
 occurred and could never have occurred if the pas- 
 sion to *' unify Germany" had not became a ''fixed 
 idea" in the brain of a little group of high-handed 
 statesmen on the other side of the Rhine. ''The 
 peace of the East" w^ould have continued to prevail 
 in the West if it had not been for these Teutonic 
 perturbators.
 
 CHAPTER Xn 
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE SECOND EMPIRE 
 
 Since the end of the Restoration in 1830 down to 
 the advent of the Second Empire in 1852, that is, for 
 a period of over twenty years, there may be said to 
 have been in France no such thing as Court l^ife in 
 the full meaning of the term. Louis Philippe prided 
 himself on being the Citizen King and great sim- 
 plicity reigned at the Tuileries. But the Emperor 
 Napoleon knew how the French character liked court 
 ceremonies and how advantageous it would bo to 
 the Paris trades people if fashion and wealth were 
 given an opportunity to assert themselves. So one 
 of his first acts on becoming Emperor was to give as 
 rich a stamp as possible to the Court life of the new 
 government, and in these efforts the Empress did all 
 in her power to second him. 
 
 In 1869, only a few months before the opening of 
 the Suez Canal, in the execution of which work the 
 personal intervention of the Emperor, as we saw in 
 the last chapter, had had such great weight, there 
 was no favor which the Emperor was not ready to 
 grant to the Khedive Ismail and his sou Ihissciu 
 Pacha, who was then studying in France. In tlic 
 summer of that year, the latter came to spend a 
 month at Saint Cloud, accompanied by iiis governor, 
 Major de Castex, who later became (ioneral do Cas- 
 tex. The attentions paid this young man will give a 
 
 .301
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 fair idea of a certain amiable side of court life under 
 the Second Empire. 
 
 At first, the entire change of life and habits some- 
 what disconcerted the Egyptian prince; but the 
 cordial welcome he received from the Emperor and 
 the Empress, and also from the Prince Imperial, 
 whose games he shared at the Tuileries, speedily put 
 him at his ease and made him feel quite at home in 
 the court circle. Of middle height, olive complexion, 
 with fine black eyes and a good figure, speaking 
 French very correctly, affable when not overcome by 
 shyness, Prince Hussein was charming at the age of 
 sixteen or seventeen. Since then, he has become a 
 man of intellectual parts whom all the capitals of 
 Europe have learned to appreciate ; and now hardly 
 a year passes that he does not spend some months in 
 Germany, but especially in England and in France, 
 where he has numerous friends, and where he com- 
 mands respect and admiration of all intelligent 
 circles. 
 
 From the moment the young Prince set foot in 
 Saint Cloud, in that summer, of some forty years 
 ago, every effort was made to interest him in things 
 that would improve his heart and mind. The conver- 
 sation constantly turned on Eg}^t, and he was con- 
 stantly consulted as to the program of the voyage 
 which the Empress was about to undertake. He fully 
 appreciated the compliment, was most charming and 
 '* pleased every one infinitely by his good manners 
 and graciousness," as the Emperor said to his 
 father. He saw the Prince Imperial, who was then 
 thirteen, several times each day, and the two boys 
 became fast friends. They rode together under the 
 vigilant eye of M. Baehon, the Prince's riding mas- 
 
 302
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 ter; they walked together or amused themselves at 
 the gymnasium in the private park or at games in 
 the Trocadero garden, accompanied by the faithful 
 Conneau, and, on certain days, they enjoyed the 
 society of some of the Prince Imperial's other com- 
 panions — the young Due de Huescar, son of the Due 
 d'Albe, Jules Espinasse, son of the General, and the 
 sons of Baron Corvisart, my brother and me. It 
 was always, by the way, one of Eugenie's principal 
 worries to find suitable playmates for her son. 
 
 After the birth of the Prince Imperial, until the 
 end of the Second Empire, care for his health, 
 anxiety when he was absent from the palace or from 
 Paris and a general regard for his interests and 
 welfare largely modified in fact the spirit of Court 
 life, especially as concerned the Emperor and the 
 Empress. They could never forget for a moment 
 how precious was the life of this child both to them 
 and to the regime which they had reestablished with 
 so much effort and sacrifice. Let me give one 
 example of this excessive care which they had to 
 exercise over everything that concerned the Prince 
 Imperial. And how well I remember the incident ! 
 
 In 1865, Mile. Robin, a charming young girl, was 
 taken with a rash just before one of the Tuileries 
 balls. She pleaded with her mother to let her attend 
 notwithstanding this sign of danger of some sort. 
 She was a fine dancer, and the Prince Imperial was 
 very attentive to her that evening. When she re- 
 turned home after a pretty vigorous evening of 
 waltzing, she was taken ill and the physicians soon 
 saw that she had the measles. The disease struck in 
 and in forty-eight hours the poor child was dead. 
 
 303
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 We were all much afflicted at the news ; but that was 
 not the end of our sorrows. 
 
 Measles was epidemic at that moment at Paris and 
 was very virulent. New and dangerous cases were 
 constantly reported. The Prince Imperial was soon 
 down with it, and the doctors of the Court all said he 
 had caught it from the unfortunate Mile. Robin. 
 When he was supposed to have recovered, it was 
 considered desirable, in order to help disperse the 
 fears then rife in Paris, both concerning the epi- 
 demic in general and the attack which the Prince had 
 just undergone, that he should appear in public. So 
 on March 16th, which was his birthday, he was per- 
 mitted to drive out. The Empress felt very uneasy 
 about this, but she did not like to interfere, es- 
 pecially as the Emperor was disposed to twit her a 
 bit about her "apron-string" treatment of their dear 
 boy. But they soon saw that he had gone out too soon 
 after his convalescence. Although the day was fine, 
 it was very cold for the season and the Prince was 
 not benefited by the outing. Quite the contrary. On 
 his return to the palace, he had a chill and was many 
 days in recovering. In fact, he did not shake otf the 
 result of this illness for many months afterwards ; 
 and during this time, his condition made many mod- 
 ifications in the whole social and public life of the 
 Court. 
 
 But to return to our Egyptian friends, at the be- 
 ginning of July, 1869, the Khedive Ismail himself 
 came to officially invite the Empress to the festivi- 
 ties of the opening of the Canal. The fete given in 
 his honor was veiy magnificent. For the first and 
 last time the gardens were illuminated with electric 
 lights, by means of two batteries placed in the win- 
 
 304
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 dows of the upper floors of the castle. Splendid fire- 
 works were set off and the park was thrown open 
 in order that the public might better enjoy the sight. 
 The Prince Imperial and his companions were al- 
 lowed to sit up beyond the usual hour and several 
 of the boys still remember vividly the scene which 
 they admired from the iron horse-shoe balcony of 
 the castle. Before the fireworks were set off, a 
 troupe of excellent actors gave, in the Salon de 
 Mars, Gondinet's play La cravat e blanche. The play 
 had very nearly to be abandoned because of the in- 
 quisitiveness of the public, which had taken advan- 
 tage in great numbers of the Emperor's permission 
 to enter the park and gardens, and now seemed bent 
 on penetrating into the palace itself. So it was 
 found necessary to clear ^liC terrace immediately 
 surrounding the castle and thus prevent the crowd 
 from getting in at the windows. By this means no 
 disorder spoiled the end of the fete. 
 
 Great preparations had been made for the ball 
 which was to follow the illuminations and fire-works. 
 An amusing detail may be given which shows that 
 the court etiquette of the Second Empire was not 
 unbending. When it was learned that the Khedive 
 Ismail did not possess the shadow of a pair of knee- 
 breeches in his wardrobe, the other gentlemen were 
 ordered to wear frock-coats and trousers, and the 
 Egyptian Prince was not aware of the momentary 
 confusion which he had occasioned. 
 
 This ball, given in the Galerie d 'Apollo and the 
 neighboring salons, was one of the finest fetes of 
 tlie Empire. The oflficial world, elegant society, dis- 
 tinguished foreigners, and numerous officers were 
 invited and their various costumes and uniforms 
 
 305
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 produced a striking effect. The warm weather made 
 it possible for the guests to stroll in the park under 
 the fine old trees, which added immensely to the 
 charm of the evening's entertainment. 
 
 A remarkable example of ''Court flattery" which, 
 naturally, the Empress always discouraged, oc- 
 curred at this ball, and as it was worthy of a Ver- 
 sailles courtier of the olden time, it may be men- 
 tioned here. The very young daughter of a well- 
 known deputy of Bourgogne was presented to the 
 Empress. Perceiving that the girl was somewhat 
 abashed the latter said kindly to her: "Do not be 
 afraid, Mademoiselle, Have you any favor {grace, 
 in French) to ask of me I ' ' 
 
 "Ah, Madam," replied the pretty and precocious 
 child, "when one has had the joy of looking upon 
 you, the only grace one can wish for is yours. ' ' 
 
 Those who heard the compliment were rather 
 astonished and surprised. It was repeated through- 
 out the palace and had quite a success, but was evi- 
 dently too pretty not to have been prepared before- 
 hand. 
 
 This, by the way, was the last fete given at Saint 
 Cloud. The unfortunate war of 1870 was at hand, 
 the castle with all its art treasures and historic sou- 
 venirs was burnt during the catastrophe, and sad to 
 relate, to-day only a grassy sward marks the spot 
 where the famous palace once stood in all its beauty. 
 
 The Queen-Mother Isabella, and the Prince of the 
 Asturias, who became later King of Spain, came to 
 dine at the palace on two occasions at about this 
 period. The Queen, already afflicted by excessive 
 obesity, was affable as usual, smiling amiably on 
 every hand, and saying a kind word to every one. 
 
 306
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 I particularly remember this visit because a dance 
 was got up in the Salon de Mars, to the sound of a 
 mechanical piano, a contrivance then attracting con- 
 siderable attention, but which I abominated and 
 which I heard for the first time on this occasion. The 
 Prince Imperial and his boy friends were respon- 
 sible for its presence at the castle. They used to 
 say, that they wished to see "how it worked." 
 
 The monotony of the evenings at Saint Cloud were 
 thus often broken into by a little gaiety. Every one 
 danced at these small "hops," officers from the gar- 
 rison and members of princely households mingling 
 together. The Prince Imperial and his companions 
 also had their little hops, and it was not rare for the 
 Emperor to demand the Boulangere, a dance whose 
 chief figTire resembles the grand chain of the 
 Lancers, and if he felt in the mood, he would even 
 set the example himself and take part in the general 
 merriment. 
 
 The other evening spent by Queen Isabella at the 
 palace was devoted to a ride in jaunting cars 
 through the Bois de Boulogne. The day had been 
 very oppressive and the sovereigns and their guests 
 went out to seek a little fresh air. Leaving our car- 
 riages when they reached the meadows which border 
 the Seine, on the west side of the Bois, the royal 
 party greatly enjoyed the promenade. The three 
 little princes who were of the party — the Prince Im- 
 perial, the future Alfonso XII, and Hussein Pacha 
 — accompanied by their friends, began to play like 
 schoolboys on a holiday. Who could tlien have 
 guessed what the future had in store for two of 
 them? 
 
 Many anecdotes might be related concerning the 
 
 307
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 court of the Second Empire at Saint Cloud. The fol- 
 lowing, which is not generally known, may be given 
 here: 
 
 When the Emperor was fresh from the historical 
 researches connected with his Life of Julius CcBsar, 
 his mind was naturally stored with the facts, dates 
 and names relating to Roman history. So he took 
 a malicious pleasure in seizing the occasion of the 
 gathering of the household at meal-time to suddenly 
 startle this or that guest by asking puzzling ques- 
 tions about ancient history. Consequently, every- 
 body was on tenter hooks when the conversation 
 turned towards these early times, and every face 
 would look down on the plates so as to avoid meeting 
 the Emperor's glance and so escape the humiliation 
 of being laughed at by those present, for some ab- 
 surd reply, that perhaps a schoolboy would not be 
 guilty of. "Nothing makes one so happy as the fail- 
 ure of others," was the remark which the quizzing 
 host made, on one of these occasions, when each of 
 us seemed to enjoy the discomfiture of his or her 
 neighbor. 
 
 The automatic movement of the heads, all bending 
 down at the same moment, had something very 
 funny in it, and amused the Emperor as though he 
 had been a child. It was good to hear his open and 
 catching laughter when he had asked a very compli- 
 cated question and the person addressed, after 
 blushing or stammering, remained speechless. This 
 catechizing was indulged in even on the days when 
 the ministers met in council, and the discreet but 
 real enjo\Tnent which the Emperor felt when an 
 "Excellency" "flunked" was especially amusing. It 
 is needless to add that the Emperor nover sliowcd a 
 
 308
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 lack of tact in this connection and was careful in 
 the choice of his innocent victims. Thus he never 
 questioned Prince Hussein, who might have replied 
 by asking a fact in the history of some of the 
 Eameses, nor the Prince's governor, being careful 
 not to diminish the prestige of the tutor in the eyes 
 of the young Egyptian. 
 
 Another anecdote concerns General de Galliffet, 
 then a colonel returning from Africa, where he held 
 a command. One morning he arrived at Saint Cloud, 
 at half past eleven, and waited in the salon preced- 
 ing the dining-room, where every one welcomed him, 
 for he was known to be persona grata at court. 
 Some surprise was felt, however, that he should pre- 
 sent himself at such an hour without invitation. The 
 chamberlain on duty even ventured to inform him 
 that the breakfast hour was near and that the Em- 
 peror and the Empress might appear at any moment. 
 But Colonel de Galliffet showed no signs of uneasi- 
 ness and awaited events. Hearing at this instant 
 some steps in the private apartments, he hid behind 
 a screen, when suddenly the Emperor, the Empress 
 and the Prince Imperial entered. While they were 
 engaged in returning the salutations of those 
 present, Galliffet, leaving his hiding place, on a sud- 
 den stood before them, bowing low with all the grace 
 he could master. "Ali, there is Galliffet!" both sov- 
 ereigns exclaimed at the same time. "Where do you 
 come from?" added the PJmperor, smiling. The self- 
 possessed officer made a suitable reply, with the 
 spoilt child's certitude of receiving a kind welcome, 
 whereupon the Emperor remarked: "You are, of 
 course, breakfasting with us," and in went "the un- 
 bidden guest" just as if lie had received an invita- 
 
 309
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tion in due form. He was especially gay and talk- 
 ative that morning and, as usual, was the soul of the 
 table, which led the Emperor to whisper in his ear at 
 the end of the repast: "Well, Colonel, unless some 
 of my invited guests are a little more witty and 
 loquacious, I am going to try how it goes to invite 
 nobody." 
 
 The short war period of 1870 was sad at Saint 
 Cloud. After the departure of the Emperor and 
 Prince Imperial all became calm and quiet. Now, as 
 '* Empress-Regent" Eugenie remained at the castle, 
 in the company of her nieces, Admiral Jurien de la 
 Graviere, the Emperor's aide-de-camp, and the 
 members of the household, following closely home 
 and foreign events and impatiently awaiting news 
 from the army. 
 
 Admiral Jurien never left the Empress during 
 those long days of trial and anxiety. Settled at Saint 
 Cloud with his whole family, he was always at hand, 
 and ready at the first call to fly to her side. Thus, on 
 the evening of August 7th, when he learned that bad 
 news from the front had reached the castle, and 
 entered her apartments, he found the Empress with 
 tears in her eyes and speechless, holding a telegram 
 which Comte de Cosse Brissac, the chamberlain, had 
 just deciphered. The fatal message bore the an- 
 nouncement of the disasters at Forbach and Woerth. 
 ''The army is disbanded," wrote the Emperor; "we 
 must now raise our courage to the height of our mis- 
 fortunes." Crushed by the terrible news. Admiral 
 Jurien said not a word. Then M. de Brissac brought 
 the second part of the telegram attenuating in a 
 certain degree the commencement : ' ' All may yet be 
 repaired." A feeling of relief took possession of 
 
 310
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 those present on reading these words, and I remem- 
 ber that Eugenie exclaimed: ''Thank God, we have 
 yet some ground for hope." 
 
 The Empress immediately gave orders for the 
 return to Paris. State papers, and all private 
 articles of value were gathered together and the 
 Court hastily settled at the Tuileries. The pictures 
 and works of art which decorated the palace at Saint 
 Cloud were transferred to the Louvre and the 
 National Repository. Thanks to this wise measure, 
 many precious canvases and artistic pieces of furni- 
 ture were saved from the flames which destroyed the 
 royal residence so soon afterwards. Among these 
 were many objects of much price which once be- 
 longed to Marie Antoinette and which had been care- 
 fully collected. The Empress felt from the start that 
 if matters turned badly on the frontier, the very 
 existence of the regime was endangered, and so, with 
 this always in mind during this crisis, the result was 
 that many things of every kind that might other- 
 wise have been lost to France were preserved, and 
 the wreck of the private fortune, papers, and other 
 matters of the Imperial family was far less than 
 would otherwise have been the case. 
 
 But to return to a happier phase of court life 
 ander the Second Empire and to another center of 
 its existence, Fontainebleau, where, at the close of 
 May, 1858, the Emperor and the Empress stayed for 
 a time. It was a delightful rest after the January 
 tragedy — the Orsini plot — and the complications 
 with England which had arisen from the "Colonels' 
 Address" one of the unfortunate results of this ter- 
 rible attempt on the Emi)eror's life. 
 
 311
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 The town of Fontainebleau welcomed the imperial 
 couple with even more warmth than usual. At four 
 in the evening the Emperor, the Prince Imperial 
 and the Empress, entered the well decorated streets, 
 accompanied by Queen Sophie of the Netherlands, 
 the Prince Royal of Wiirtemberg, Prince Napoleon, 
 Princess Mathilde, Prince Alexander of the Nether- 
 lands, Prince Nicolas of Nassau, Prince Joachim 
 Murat, Comtesse de Montijo, the English Ambassa- 
 dor and Lady Cowley, the Ministers of the Nether- 
 lands and of Wiirtemberg, and many other notabili- 
 ties. It was a remarkable cavalcade in every respect 
 and caused much favorable comment at the time. 
 ''A regime that can bring together such a brilliant 
 throng," remarked a Senator, ''has the countrj^ and 
 Europe behind it," a statement which was unques- 
 tionably true at this moment. 
 
 On the following day, a country dance was given 
 in one of the prettiest spots of the forest — young 
 men and women dancing the Boulangere on a smooth 
 green sward, strewn with spring flowers, to the 
 music of the forest guides; the next morning there 
 was a stag hunt, and in the evening a torch-light 
 procession in the Oval Court-yard, to which the pub- 
 lic were admitted by the Porte Doree, the fine gate- 
 way decorated with sculptures and frescoes through 
 which Charles Quint passed w^hen he came to visit 
 Francis I, and which the Emperor always pointed 
 out to his guests as one of the most interesting ob- 
 jects of the castle. At this fete the Emperor ap- 
 peared on the balcony, with Queen Sophie on his 
 arm, and was much acclaimed by the crowd. 
 
 The Queen of the Netherlands and the Prince of 
 "Wiirtemberg soon left Fontainebleau, but the Court 
 
 312
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 remained there three weeks longer. Distinguished 
 guests belonging to the diplomatic corps and society, 
 various members of the cabinet with their wives, and 
 some of the members of the household came in turn 
 to the castle, and though life was rather peaceful at 
 Fontainebleau and all were particularly bent that 
 year in enjoying rest from the trials and emotions 
 of the winter — still there were a goodly number of 
 distractions and amusements of different kinds as 
 always characterized the Court life of the Second 
 Empire. "One of the first duties of a sovereign," 
 the Emperor used to say, "is to amuse his subjects 
 of all ranks in the social scale. He has no more right 
 to have a dull Court than he has to have a weak 
 army or a poor navy." 
 
 At Fontainebleau long drives, and from time to 
 time a hunt, were the chief distractions. Another 
 favorite pastime of the sovereigns and their guests 
 was paying impromptu visits to the artistic celeb- 
 rities who were then found in such large numbers in 
 and around the Fontainebleau forest. Thus one day 
 Napoleon, with the Empress by his side, and driving- 
 a light carriage he liked to handle himself, stopped 
 before the house of the painter Decamps. The 
 artist had been informed only a few minutes pre- 
 viously of their coming and had hastily brought out 
 the few canvases his studio then contaiiied. The Em- 
 peror took great interest in them and the sovereigns 
 both wai"mly congratulated the talented painter on 
 his beautiful work. Another day, the Empress 
 visited the cliildren's home kept by nuns, and, after 
 witnessing the games and exercises of the inmates, 
 distributed cakes and sweets among the young peo- 
 ple, much to their pleasure. Another time, the 
 
 313
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Choral Society of Fontainebleau, composed of work- 
 men, sang a cantata entitled the Imperial Hunt. The 
 Emperor and the rest listened to the simple song, 
 which was given in the English garden, congrat- 
 ulated the singers and had champagne served to 
 them. When the wine was poured, the Emperor 
 raised his glass saying: "Gentlemen, let us drink to 
 political and musical harmony," and the workmen 
 replied with loud cheering. Another afternoon, the 
 Empress and her ladies took Rosa Bonheur by sur- 
 prise, found her in her masculine attire, and praised 
 her fine animal pictures. All these visits entertained 
 the gTiests of the castle and rendered the Court very 
 popular in the neighborhood. "When the Emperor 
 comes," said one of the mayors, "we, here in Fon- 
 tainebleau, imagine that the Age of Louis XIV has 
 returned." 
 
 Before leaving Fontainebleau this year, the Em- 
 peror reviewed, as usual, tlie garrison troops, and 
 decorated a few of the officers with the cross of the 
 Legion of Honor. The town was again in gala 
 dress on the day of our departure and then every- 
 thing became calm once more in the quiet old place. 
 "We will now go to sleep till next summer," re- 
 marked this same good old mayor, as he bade the 
 Empress farewell. 
 
 Fontainebleau was much entertained during the 
 year 1861 by the arrival of the Persian and Siamese 
 ambassadors. At that date Sultans and Shahs never 
 came in person to European countries and about all 
 that was known concerning them was what was 
 found in the Arabian Nir/hts. So when it was an- 
 nounced that a Persian ambassador was coming to 
 France, both the Emperor and the Empress thought 
 
 314
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 that the occasion should not be lost to impress on 
 this Oriental the grandeur of western civilization. 
 The political effect of such an act could not be bad. 
 The Emperor even suggested that the Empress also 
 should be present at the official reception of the em- 
 bassy. Up to that time, she had never participated 
 in ceremonies of this kind. This v/as a new depart- 
 ure which interested her very much. It was decided 
 that she should be in full Court dress, that she 
 should be surrounded by all the ladies of the palace 
 and that she should be decked out in the finest 
 jewels. All this was done and a grand ceremony, 
 which much impressed the embassy and which added 
 much eclat to that season's festivities at Fontaine- 
 bleau, was the result. 
 
 Shortly after the departure of the Persian ambas- 
 sador, a Siamese embassy w^as announced to be on 
 its way to Fontainebleau. It was decided that Na- 
 poleon should receive this mission in the fine gal- 
 lery of Henri II. Here was to be a fresh sensation, 
 for which the Persian ceremony had whetted the 
 Court appetite; and when this curious body of en- 
 V'oys reached the palace, they created a veritable won- 
 der. Here was a group of individuals clothed in long- 
 silken robes and who looked as though they w^ere 
 carved out of a block of chocolate. They had in- 
 formed the Court officials that they were bringing 
 rich gifts from the King of Siam to the Emperor 
 and that these gifts must ])e presented by them on 
 their hands and knees. The Emperor at first re- 
 quested that the kneeling formality be dispensed 
 with, but when told tliat this would cause olfcnce to 
 the Siamese, he permitted them to have their own 
 way. 
 
 315
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 As at the reception of the Persian embassy, ^he 
 Empress was again present, surronnded by the 
 Court ladies. The latter were informed by the Court 
 officials, who knew the Siamese ways, to be very 
 careful not to laugh at what they were to see. But 
 this hint was unnecessary, for, as one of the ladies 
 said truly after the ceremony, ''when I saw those 
 poor human beings creeping along the floor like 
 grovelling beasts the sensation was so painful, that 
 I am sure nobody present felt like laughing." 
 
 The unfortunate ambassador bore on his head a 
 large golden cup containing rich presents. In order 
 to advance, he would push himself forwards by the 
 points of his elbows, somewhat aided by his knees. 
 His progress was both slow and painful, and when 
 he finally reached the throne, he was panting labori- 
 ously and was evidently suffering from the effects of 
 these difficult physical efforts. When the Emperor 
 saw this, he could stand it no longer, so quitting 
 the throne and descending the steps, he aided the 
 weary ambassador to rise, took from him the gifts 
 and thanked him warmly. This put an end to a cere- 
 mony that was as painful as it was original. That 
 evening, the Emperor remarked in a small circle of 
 friends: "There would be fewer courtiers here in 
 France if that were the way in which they had to 
 approach the throne. Perhaps that is why the king 
 has introduced the custom in Siam!" 
 
 The court's three favorite residences, besides the 
 Tuileries, were Saint Cloud, Fontainebleau and 
 Compiegne. Of these charming spots, the first was 
 the most convenient, being so near the capital, and 
 its close association with the first Napoleon and the 
 
 316
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 glories of the First Empire always made it especial- 
 ly dear to Napoleon III. ''I almost feel sometimes^ 
 as I walk these leafy alleys," the latter once said, 
 ' ' that I am in direct communion with the great Em- 
 peror. Any^vay, I always receive inspiration here 
 and return to the Tuileries with a stronger will, a 
 braver heart and a clearer conscience." Fontaine- 
 bleau was connected with too many sad events in 
 Napoleonic history^ ever to be a perfectly restful 
 place for the contemplative spirit of the Emperor, 
 though the Empress was much attached to the grand 
 forest and the many beautiful drives and walks of 
 Denecourt. The Second Empire made quite its o^vn 
 the rather neglected castle and superb forest of 
 Compiegne. Some of the most famous social anc^ 
 artistic events of the reign center there and a few 
 souvenirs of Compiegne may be introduced in these 
 pages. 
 
 Amusing incidents are not infrequent in Court 
 life, and the following is an instance of one of these. 
 The guests of the palaces of Compiegne and Fon- 
 tainebleau were often seen strolling round the ken- 
 nels. On one occasion, at Compiegne, the Empress 
 was accompanied by several other ladies, amongst 
 whom was the Princess Metternich, the charming 
 wife of the Austrian Ambassador, when she went to 
 visit the hunting dogs. The Prince de la Moskowa 
 was acting the part of host and presented his visi- 
 tors with the traditional whips. It was with evident 
 satisfaction that he called on them to admire the 
 beauty and strength of his dogs: when, suddenly, 
 one of Eugenie's companions exclaimed: 
 
 ''Your fine dogs must have fleas, which they will 
 eurely pass on to us." 
 
 317
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 * ' No, Madame, ' ' replied the famous master of the 
 hounds; -'my dogs are washed and brushed down 
 every day ; you need not be alarmed, for they have 
 no fleas." 
 
 They then questioned the Prince regarding the 
 hygiene of the dogs, their breed, their swiftness of 
 foot, and otlier details. While this conversation was 
 going on, Mme. de Mettemich was roguishly em- 
 ployed in hunting for a flea on one of the dogs' 
 heads ; and having found one, or pretending to have 
 done so, she shyly slipped it into the collar of Prince 
 de la Moskowa who, during the remainder of our 
 visit, and much to our amusement, did not cease to 
 worry about the tiresome insect, which in all prob- 
 ability existed only in his imagination. 
 
 It was the custom at Compiegne for each lady to 
 choose the gentleman who was to escort her to the 
 dining-room and sit by her side at table. This rule 
 gave rise on one occasion to an amusing adventure 
 of which Sainte-Beuvc was the hero. 
 
 A very intelligent and distinguished young lady, 
 Mile, de Heeckeren, wishing to have the opportunity 
 of enjoying the conversation of the famous critic 
 who happened to be staying at Compiegne at the 
 same time as herself, said to him one day, using the 
 formula then in vogue at the castle: ''Monsieur 
 Sainte-Beuve, will you take me out to dinner to- 
 morrow ? ' ' 
 
 The author misunderstood her, or rather did not 
 understand the request at all. He was not suffi- 
 ciently conceited to imagine that the young woman 
 had taken a fancy to him, and supposed the strange 
 proposal was due to a mere woman's caprice. He 
 was quick to realize all the unpleasant consequences 
 
 318
 
 COURT LIFE DURING TtlE EMPIRE 
 
 which might arise from such a proceeding, the re- 
 marks which might be made and the difficulty of find- 
 ing in Compiegne an inn sufficiently remote to en- 
 sure the absolute privacy which would be needed. In 
 this dilemma, he finally decided to confide in Prin- 
 cess Mathilde and ask her advice. The Princess 
 laughed very heartily and explained to him the 
 nature of the service the young lady had requested 
 — that she simply wished to be escorted out to the 
 dining-room of the castle. 
 
 ''Well," said the witty critic, joining in the laugh; 
 ''I thought I knew French, but I see I am unac- 
 quainted with the Compieg-ne dialect." 
 
 The evenings in Compiegne were usually spent 
 in chatting and dancing. The Emperor and the Em- 
 press were always very careful to speak to all the 
 guests irrespective of their rank, occupation, or age. 
 Eugenie was particularly careful to be attentive to 
 the young, to those of both sexes, just entering 
 society, and who can add such life and charm to 
 Court circles. It was difficult to carry out this plan 
 at the crowded Tuilories, during the busy Paris sea- 
 son. But in the quieter life of Compiegne such was 
 not the case, and the Empress always made the most 
 of this opportunity to draw nearer to the Court 
 these future leaders of society. The Emperor ap- 
 plauded and aided, in so far as possible, her eiforts, 
 which, I may say, were crowned with success, be- 
 cause of the gentle nature of the young people and 
 because of the naturalness of the plan. 
 
 Sometimes, instead of dancing to the music of the 
 mechanical piano, wliose handle was turned by self- 
 sacrificing guests — a good instance of the simple 
 life which prevailed at Compiegne — the Empress 
 
 319
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 would propose intellectual games of various kinds. 
 She was especially fond of what are called ** Little 
 Papers," and "Questions and Answers." Clever 
 writers like Octave Feuillet, Sainte-Beuve, Meri- 
 mee and Arsene Houssaye were pressed into these 
 games and added greatly to the interest. One of 
 the Court gives the following account : 
 
 "I recall that one evening, when we were weary of 
 the more customary games, some one proposed that 
 a dictation be given, and care was taken to include in 
 the phrases given out very hard words and all the 
 little intricacies of French grammar and composi- 
 tion. The number of mistakes was enormous and 
 perhaps not the least curious feature of the trial was 
 that Prince Mettemich came off victor with fewer 
 faults than anybody else. I do not now remember 
 whether any of the writers just mentioned were 
 present that evening and took part in the dictation. 
 Probably not, however, though if my memory is not 
 at fault, it was Sainte-Beuve who drew up the text 
 of the dictation, read it out to the 'pupils' and then 
 counted up the mistakes of each one. As one of his 
 favorite theses was that foreigners often know 
 French better than natives, this may account in part 
 for the fine manner in which the Austrian diplomat 
 passed through the ordeal. 
 
 The afternoon or morning at Compiegne was 
 sometimes given up to a hunt or to a drive through 
 the beautiful forest to the famous castle of Pierre- 
 fonds, which the Emperor was having restored, 
 chiefly with funds from his private purse, and where 
 the Empress was bringing together a rather impor- 
 tant collection of armor. After this hunt or drive, 
 there was generally a gathering at the tea hour in 
 
 320
 
 COURT LIFE DUEING THE EMPIRE 
 
 the main salon, when some of the most delightful 
 conversation I ever listened to — and I have heard 
 much fine conversation since those far-off days — 
 was indulged in. But brilliancy and instruction, 
 scintillation and wit could only be expected from a 
 gathering which was made up of such men as Augier 
 and Arsene Houssaye, with Alfred do Vig-ny and 
 Ponsard in reserve, perhaps; where Victor Duruy, 
 Labiche and Paul Feval vied with one another to be 
 interesting; where the learning and wit of Edmond 
 About, Pasteur, J. B. Dumas and Leverrier shone 
 brightly; while such geniuses in different fields of 
 culture as Gounod, Meyerbeer, Hebert, Gerome, Am- 
 broise Thomas and a score of other similar celebri- 
 ties, filled the drawing-rooms with their music or 
 their brilliant comments on all the fine arts. All 
 these and many more remarkable men and women 
 passed through the salons of that old Compiegne 
 palace, which was so musty and dead when the Sec- 
 ond Empire was established. They chatted and dis- 
 cussed the various topics of the day. I can never 
 forget those hours and the magnificent intellectual 
 tournaments wliich then took place. 
 
 The palace of Compiegne had no theater previous 
 to 1832, though the original plans of the architect 
 Gabriel contemplated such a room. But Louis XV 
 had never carried out this part of the plan. When 
 Princess Louise, oldest daughter of Louis Philippe, 
 was married to Leox)old I, King of the Belgians, 
 Compiegne was selected as the spot where the cere- 
 mony should take phice, and a theater was impro- 
 vised on a tennis-court situated at the northern ex- 
 tremity of the palace. It is a long, square-shaped 
 room with many side seats. It was not much used 
 
 ::!21
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 under Louis Philippe, but during the Second Em- 
 pire, on the contrary, plays were given there nearly 
 every year from 1852 to 1859, totalling nearly fifty 
 representations, in which were seen the troupes of 
 the leading theaters of Paris, and especially that of 
 the French Theater. The invitations were for eight 
 o'clock, and the play commenced a half hour later, 
 as soon as the Emperor and the Empress had taken 
 their seats in two arm-chairs placed in the front of 
 the Imperial box. This box stretched the whole 
 width of the room and was preceded by a first bal- 
 cony to which were exclusively admitted ladies in 
 low-necked dresses. The guests and officers of the 
 household invited to the Imperial box numbered 
 some seventy or more. The first boxes above the 
 balcony and Imperial box were filled with guests 
 from the town and neighborhood. The second row 
 of boxes was occupied chiefly by the serving people 
 of the castle. The pit was reserved for officers of all 
 grades up to, and including that of, captain. The 
 space back of the pit up to the Imperial box was 
 given up to judges, members of the departmental 
 legislatures and officers above the rank of captain. 
 
 When the Emperor and the Empress entered the 
 theater, everj^body rose and remained standing until 
 they were seated. Then the play began. During the 
 intermissions, ices, punch, syrups, wore offered to 
 the guests by footmen in full livery, and at one of 
 these intermissions, the Emperor and the Empress 
 would retire to the little salon opening out from the 
 Imperial box, where they would receive and congrat- 
 ulate the leading actors and actresses of the evening. 
 The play ended about half past eleven, when they 
 would bow and withdraw. A fine supper was offered 
 
 322
 
 COUET LIFE DURING THE EMPIKE 
 
 to the troupe of actors wlio took a train about two 
 o'clock in the morning for Paris, an hour or two 
 away. Besides being paid, all the members of the 
 troupe were invited to dine at the palace, those in 
 the Legion of Honor being admitted to the Em- 
 peror's table, and the others to the table of the 
 commander of the palace. The rate of the actors' 
 fees was based on the highest sum they could make 
 at Paris. The success of the plays at Compiegne 
 depended on many circumstances. It sometimes 
 happened that actors got an attack of stage fright 
 when brought face to face with this special audience 
 and did very poorly. Again, there was some cold- 
 ness in the audience, as the spectators waited for us 
 to lead in the applause. Of course, there was no 
 claque. 
 
 We had also amateur theatricals at Compiegne, 
 the actors being the guests at the palace. These 
 plays were not given in the theater just described, 
 but in a large room of the palace, where a temporary 
 stage was put up. The costumes were borrowed 
 from the State wardrobe. The stage manager of 
 these private theatricals was M. Violet-le-Duc, the 
 famous arcliitect who restored Pierrefonds and 
 other celebrated ruins of France, whose society I 
 always greatly enjoyed. I am sorry to say that in 
 later life he seemed to forget his old benefactors, in 
 which respect, however, he was only human, for I 
 have often remarked that those in high places are 
 far more apt to turn their backs on friends who have 
 fallen from i)ower, tlian are those of the more 
 humble walks in life. How many of the faithful 
 domestics of the Imperial residences remained 
 
 323
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ardent supporters of the Empire to the very end of 
 their modest existence ! 
 
 On one or two occasions, the Empress took part 
 herself in these private theatricals. I well remember 
 her acting in Octave Feuillet's Portraits of the 
 Marchioness when she played with Comte d'Andlau. 
 Another souvenir of these histrionic matters de- 
 serves to be recorded here. I recollect that at one of 
 the last Monday evening receptions of 1865, the Em- 
 press was chatting with Princess Metternich, when 
 the former said to her: ''You should ask Massa to 
 write a play for Compiegne, in which you would 
 have the principal part." Eugenie knew how much 
 this fascinating woman loved the amateur stage, and 
 she was not surprised, therefore, to find that 
 the Princess immediately seized upon the suggeS' 
 tion with enthusiasm, and a few days later, while the 
 iron w^as still hot, she succeeded in getting the Mar- 
 quis de Massa to set to work on a piece that went off 
 w^ith flying colors and in which the Princess cov- 
 ered herself with glory. I remember, that the young 
 Prince Imperial had a few verses to recite at one 
 point in the play. He got them off with considerable 
 merit, but was quite confused by the bursts of ap- 
 plause, which, fortunately for the success of his 
 part, did not occur until he had quite finished all he 
 had to say. I w^as told at the time that when he left 
 the stage and got behind the scenes, he exclaimed in 
 a tone of voice and in a manner that showed he could 
 not understand what the tremendous marks of ap- 
 proval meant: "Did that noise mean that they had 
 had enough of me!" This modest question provoked 
 a laugh among some of the courtier-actors and 
 actresses, w^hich only confused the boy-prince still 
 
 324
 
 COUET LIFE DUEING THE EMPIRE 
 
 more. It showed, however, an innate trait of his 
 beautiful character, — he never considered what he 
 said or did to have any special merit. He was so 
 when a mere child, as a growing lad and as a young 
 man. If he could have succeeded in escaping the ter- 
 rible attacks of those pitiless savages, he would 
 never have felt that he had been a hero, though, as 
 events showed, he died one. 
 
 There is a rather amusing anecdote connected 
 with this play of Massa's which deserves to be re- 
 lated, I think, and of which the Emperor is the hero. 
 During the intermission, the Emperor went behind 
 the scenes and in the green room met Generals Mel- 
 linet and de Galliffet so excellently disguised that 
 he took them for real troopers. He asked Massa who 
 those soldiers were, and got the reply: ''Your Maj- 
 esty, they are supernumeraries, — one from the 99th 
 regiment at Compiegne, and the other from the In- 
 valides." Thereupon, the Emperor, with his cus- 
 tomary kindness toward inferiors, went over to the 
 two men to say a few words to them. The supposed 
 infantry man vrho had his back turned to the Em- 
 peror and saw in a mirror what was happening, 
 turned quickly on his sovereign, and as if he mistook 
 him for some private from his own regiment, ex- 
 claimed roughly: *'AVhat do you want?" Then, pre- 
 tending to have just at that moment discovered his 
 mistake, he added in a most humble tone: ''Pray 
 excuse mo, sire !" It was now the Emperor's turn to 
 be astonished, when he recognised Galliffet, and left 
 him, much amused to speak to the supposed "In- 
 valide," whom he (piickly saw was no other than 
 Mellinet. Then, turning to Massa, the Emperor 
 said: "Mr. Stage-Manager, I want to congratulate 
 
 325
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 you on your choice of supernumeraries, and I feel 
 very proud that you should have taken the very men 
 whom I had selected as the best for officerships in 
 the army. I see now that I made no mistake!" In 
 fact, the Emperor was so much pleased with this 
 play of Massa's that he sent him a copy of Julius 
 CcBsar, with this inscription on the fly-leaf: ^'From 
 the commentator of Caesar, to Caesar's commentator. 
 Napoleon." 
 
 There were also charades at the castle, the chief 
 authors of these being Ponsard and Alberic Second. 
 The ladies of court appeared in magnificent cos- 
 tumes. In several charades the Prince Imperial took 
 part with some of his young friends. Two of these 
 charades were particularly liked, — one, written by 
 Ponsard, and entitled Harmony, in which the Prince 
 figured as Cupid, and another, Fourhu, by Alberic 
 Second, in which the Prince also appeared along 
 with his boy-companions and in which they declare 
 to the public that they are all ''fourbus," that is 
 tired out, after a long ride to hounds. The good 
 Bachon, the Prince's equerry, was much distressed 
 by this charade, for he could not admit that his 
 pupil, who was already a very fair horseman, could 
 ever be "fourbu" after a ride to hounds! "But this 
 was only an imaginary hunt," said somebody to con- 
 sole him. "Yes, but there are those in the Paris 
 press who will say that it was a real hunt," replied 
 the excellent man, who had a perfect horror of the 
 journalists of the Second Empire. 
 
 A minor part was given to the Prince Imperial in 
 still another charade, one written in verse for the 
 Emperor's birthday. Madame Conneau had taken 
 upon herself to teach the child his lines and he was 
 
 326
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 never tired of repeating tliem. It was arranged be- 
 tween Madame Conneau, who was in the charade, 
 and the Prince, that when his turn came she would 
 press his hand twice so that he would make no mis- 
 take. At the right place, this prearranged sign was 
 given, but the Prince said nothing. It was repeated 
 three times, but the Prince was absolutely silent, and 
 the curtain had to go down without his having 
 spoken. The Prince was so ashamed of the blunder 
 that he asked to be given another trial, and the cur- 
 tain went up again. But when the place w^as reached 
 w^here he should speak, he quite forgot his lines, and 
 called out with some irritation and with considerable 
 justice, some of us thought: "Is there no 
 prompter?" The managers of these charade parties 
 took the hint, and from that time on, a prompter was 
 always at hand, much to the comfort of the adult 
 actors. I may add that this breakdown did not dis- 
 courage the acting proclivities of the Prince Im- 
 perial, for here as in everj^thing else that he under- 
 took, he tried again and again, and in the end be- 
 came a very creditable amateur actor. 
 
 This taste for charades and tableaux, w^hich was 
 so marked during the Second Empire and which was 
 given full vent to at Fontainebleau as well as at 
 Compiegnc, caused some unjust criticism at the 
 time; and since, several critics have made state- 
 ments which were as scandalous as untrue. What 
 the Empress thought of these strictures and what 
 was the effect they had on lier is well told in a letter 
 written about that time to a friend which has since 
 been shown to me. I cannot do better than tran- 
 scribe it hero. It runs as follows : 
 
 **In July, 1860, I could not hide a certain feeling 
 
 327
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 of sadness on this account. I had just returned from 
 Fontainebleau, where I had been suffering from a 
 slight chest attack. I am apt to be very lenient 
 towards malevolence which has not hatred as its 
 motive. When by chance I meet on the journey 
 through life people w^ho look for evil where it does 
 not exist, and w^lio tear their neighbors to pieces 
 without object or cause, this makes me very sad, and 
 I say to myself: 'How bad a person must be who 
 tries to break the hearts of those who hold out their 
 hands to him; for not only are the blows felt, but 
 mistrust takes the place of every other sentiment 
 and even our friendships are undermined.' This is 
 why I was so sad during the last days at Fontaine- 
 bleau. That innocent charade, unmasked in the 
 newspapers with details which must come from one 
 of those present; to see oneself handed over to the 
 ma-licious publicity of political parties and public 
 curiosity, and this by a friend, or, at any rate, by a 
 guest, — this is a thing I cannot get used to. I would 
 sum up my feelings in these words : My enemies will 
 always find me ready to face them; but can I say as 
 much for my friends ? Add to this the very natural 
 anxiety which I felt concerning my sister's health, 
 which thanks to God is better, and you will under- 
 stand why I gave way to melancholy, against which, 
 however, I always strive to have the upper hand in 
 so far as possible." 
 
 Though the Emperor never cared very much for 
 sports of any kind, he fully recognized the impor- 
 tance of encouraging hunting at the Imperial Court, 
 and, while the Empress, too, was not an adept in this 
 sort of distraction, she shared his views on the sub- 
 ject, so that both lent their warmest support to mak- 
 
 328
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 ing this feature of court life worthy of the regime. 
 I do not think I exaggerate when I state that the 
 Imperial hunts of the Second Empire were never 
 surpassed in France under the monarchy and were 
 not inferior in good style to those of any other Euro- 
 pean court. More than once I heard this said by the 
 royal guests, and the same thing was repeated, with 
 less probability of being done out of compliment, 
 by our own ambassadors and military attaches, who, 
 having taken part in the hunts of the various Euro- 
 pean courts, were in a good position to speak with 
 authority. 
 
 The Imperial hunting equipage generally re- 
 mained nine months at Fontainebleau and three 
 months at Compiegne, with occasional meets in the 
 forests of Saint Germain, Rambouillet, Ourscamp, a 
 few miles from Compiegne, Villefernoy and Marly. 
 The Fontainebleau meets were not so well attended 
 as those of Compiegne, because of the season of the 
 year when they were held, — the first two thirds of 
 the year. The Compiegne season was the autumn. 
 
 On meet days, the huntsmen of various grades 
 started out early in the morning in undress uniform, 
 and their three-cornered hats, to look over the 
 ground and let loose the animals. This done, they 
 stationed woodsmen to guard the enclosures and 
 then returned to the meeting-place, wither had pre- 
 ceded them the wagons bringing food and luggage 
 of all kinds. After a hasty breakfast, the huntsmen 
 attired themselves in full uniform and reported to 
 the master of the hounds, who had arrived in the 
 meanwhile with the pack. The dogs were in charge 
 of the footmen of the hounds and were coupled 
 according to age and experience. All was ready now 
 
 329
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 for the reception of the Imperial household and the 
 guests. 
 
 A meet at the King's Well, in the forest of Com- 
 piegne, was a picturesque and grand sight. At this 
 open point, which is in the center of the forest, 
 ended eight magnificent alleys, which were pierced 
 through a plantation of superb oak trees during the 
 reign of Francis I. In one of these alleys used to be 
 drawn up the carriages of those invited to the hunt. 
 In the open were the saddle-horses of the Emperor, 
 the Prince Imperial and the Empress, along with 
 those of the officers of the household, guests, hunts- 
 men, and grooms. After these came the hunting 
 equipage, — the dogs with their footmen, the officers 
 of the hunt and the grand master of the hunt, who 
 had just received the report. The sovereigns gen- 
 erally arrived at the meet at noon in drags and were 
 received by the various officials with uncovered 
 heads. After saying a word or two to the principal 
 persons of the group, the Emperor and the Empress 
 would mount, and a moment after^vards the order 
 was given to begin. Thereupon, the whole cavalcade 
 started forth, the huntsman at the head. Directly 
 after them, rode the sovereigns, guests, the house- 
 holds and the officers of the garrison where the hunt 
 was given. Guests who were not in the habit of rid- 
 ing horseback drove in drags or seated in large 
 pleasure vans harnessed like coaches. The caval- 
 cade made a most striking impression, especially on 
 one occasion when, I remember, we had as principal 
 guests, a large body of Algerian chiefs who rode 
 beautiful Arab horses, and of course rode them 
 superbly. I think the Emperor was more interested 
 in watching these splendid horsemen than in follow- 
 
 330
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 ing the incidents of the hunt. At least, I know the 
 Empress was. After dinner that evening, at the pal- 
 ace, they complimented the Algerians on their fine 
 equestrianism. We were all pleased, and I must say 
 that I was deeply touched, by their characteristic 
 response, so modest and so simple : ' ' There is noth- 
 ing equal to the Arab steed!" They gave all the 
 credit to their horses! 
 
 At all the open spaces in the forest were sta- 
 tioned, during a hunt, forest guards, in full uniform, 
 which consisted of French-cut green coats, green 
 knickerbockers, high yellow gaiters, pointed hats 
 and a hunting knife. The Emperor, attired in hunt- 
 ing costume, would gallop through the grand alleys 
 and follow the hunt in this wise, avoiding the more 
 complicated course through the trees and under- 
 brush, which, however, is not very thick in our state 
 forest preserves. The sovereigns were accompanied 
 by their households, and often by Prince Napoleon 
 who, notwithstanding a tendency to obesity, seemed 
 to enjoy the chase. Prince ]\lurat, with his sister 
 Princess Anna Murat (the Duchesse de Mouchy) 
 were often among the principal guests. Prominent, 
 too, were the "Buttons," that is, those who were au- 
 thorized to attend the hunt in a specially decorated 
 uniform. This distinction was conferred by an offi- 
 cial letter from the grand master of the hunt, and 
 with this letter was sent a box containing the number 
 of buttons necessary for the decoration of a hunting 
 costume, and an extra one for the hat. Hence the ex- 
 pression "to liave tlie buttons," and tlie familiar 
 name "the buttons," applied to all those who wore 
 the impefia] hunting costume. This honor was, of 
 course, much s(night aftei", and in this connection,
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 the English game of ' ' Button, button, who 's got the 
 button?" used to be played sometimes at Compiegne 
 in an ironical spirit. The aides-de-camp and equer- 
 ries had the right to wear the buttons and it was also 
 conferred on any officer of the military and civil 
 households who requested it. The Due de Bassano, 
 the Due de Cambaceres, and several chamberlains 
 who, for one reason or another, generally followed 
 the hunt in drags, also had the honor of wearing 
 this uniform. It was also conferred on some of the 
 ministers and on two or three members of the diplo- 
 matic corps. Among the latter, I especially recall 
 the British ambassador. Lord Cowley, and the Aus- 
 trian ambassador. Prince Metternich, both of w^hom 
 looked very well in this showy attire. Among the 
 ladies who assumed the costume, none appeared to 
 greater advantage than that exceedingly fascinating 
 woman, the late Comtesse de Boulaincourt, daughter 
 of one of our great favorites, the Marshal de Cas- 
 tellane. The fact that she was an excellent horse- 
 w^oman and scarcely ever missed a hunt made the 
 conferring of the honor all the more appropriate. 
 A conspicuous figure at the hunts was the painter 
 Jardin, who mingled business with pleasure in a 
 most charming fashion, for it was while following 
 the hounds that he got the ideas for those fine pic- 
 tures of our imperial hunts which made him famous 
 during the Second P]mpire. These canvases are 
 very interesting to-day, as they have preserved for 
 future generations many typical scenes in French 
 social life that would otherwise have perished. 
 
 The uniform referred to a paragraph or two 
 above, was composed of a French-cut green coat, 
 with wide collar and trimming in crimson velvet and 
 
 332
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 hunting braids of gold and silver. The braided 
 waistcoat was crimson velvet also, and the knicker- 
 bockers were of white kid, while the three-cornered 
 hat, popularly called '' lampion," was set off with 
 black feathers. The necktie and gloves were white. 
 The sovereigns' costumes were somewhat similar. 
 The Emperor wore white feathers in his hat and the 
 star of the Legion of Honor on his breast. The 
 Empress was attired in a habit whose bodice was of 
 green cloth, the collar and trimmings of crimson 
 velvet, with braid on the collar, and the pockets 
 adorned with Brandebourg trimming. Her skirt was 
 of green cloth without braid, and her three-cornered 
 hat was ornamented with white feathers. All these 
 pretty and varied costumes, with the gorgeous uni- 
 forms of some of the officers, formed an ensemble 
 which produced a most striking effect, and once seen 
 was not soon forgotten. The memory of these beau- 
 tiful scenes sometimes rushes back on me at the most 
 unexpected moments, and one of the most vivid 
 recollections I have of those past days is a superb 
 hunt at Fontainebleau, where nature with leaf and 
 odor added its charm to the general scheme. The 
 Empress had many curious recollections of the Com- 
 piegne hunts. Here is one, for example, which I 
 know not just why, always clung to her mind. One 
 morning, a deer was driven into the Saint Louis 
 pond in a picturesque jjart of the forest and the 
 day's sport was considered at an end. At this very 
 moment, greatly to the surprise of everybody, an- 
 other deer, pursued by the hounds of M. de Lubersac 
 and M. de Chenelles, took refuge in this same pond 
 and was there dispatched. The sovereigns felici- 
 
 333
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tated the hunters on their skill and they were invited 
 to join the Imperial party. 
 
 Every precaution was taken at these meets to 
 prevent accidents, which were so liable to occur in 
 such a large concourse of men and beasts. But dur- 
 ing the whole empire, we had to deplore very few 
 serious casualties, thanks to a careful choice of 
 horses and servitors, and to the excellent general 
 arrangements for these hunts. But it was of course 
 inevitable that mishaps should occur sometimes. 
 One of these unfortunate incidents has remained in- 
 delibly imprinted on my memory. It occurred at a 
 farm where there was a crush of huntsmen and 
 huntswomen, when the deer turned suddenly on the 
 dogs which caused great confusion, in the midst of 
 which M. Achille Fould, minister of finance, was 
 hurt; M. Delarue, chief guard, was thrown and his 
 horse killed, while the horse of Mme. Thayer took 
 fright, plunged into Princess Mathilde's carriage in 
 such a way as to severely wound Mme. Thayer's 
 foot, so that the unfortunate lady had to be carried 
 back to Paris by special train. 
 
 On another occasion, the Emperor's life was in 
 danger. He used sometimes himself to put an end 
 to the suifering of the deer that had been brought to 
 bay. He was a good shot, but often got too near the 
 animal, which once rushed at him. He escaped by 
 quickly bending down low and the infuriated beast 
 sprang over the Emperor's body. The Empress wit- 
 nessed this scene and naturally had a great fright. 
 I also recall how in the Fontainebleau forest Baron 
 Lambert's left arm was pierced clean through by 
 the antler of a wounded deer that charged on the 
 unfortunate hunter. Doctor Aubin de Fougerais, 
 
 334
 
 COURT LIFE DURING THE EMPIRE 
 
 who was present at every meet, a very fine rider and 
 very fond of horses, broke his leg at a Compiegne 
 hunt and ever afterwards was forced, to his infinite 
 regret, to follow the hounds in a carriage. I might 
 enumerate several other accidents of this kind, but 
 as I have already said, these were very rare con- 
 sidering the frequency of the hunts and the large 
 field. 
 
 Contemporaries have left many writings concern- 
 ing the hunts ; but these accounts are not always to 
 be depended upon. This remark is especiallj^ true 
 of a spiteful book signed "Sylvanecte" and written 
 by a woman who certainly was not acquainted with 
 the society which she attempted to describe. Its 
 title was La Cour a Compiegne and the author was 
 said to be the daughter of one of the forest general 
 guards, I have become hardened to unjust criticism, 
 but this volume contains falsehoods to which the 
 reply can be only a shrug of the shoulders. Perhaps 
 the best and most truthful picture of hunting at 
 Compiegne is given in a little-known book with the 
 somewhat strange title of Confidences d'un Valet de 
 Chambre which was printed anonymously. 
 
 The division of the spoils took place in the eve- 
 ning. At Fontainobleau, the ceremony occurred in 
 the Oval Courtyard and at Compiegne, in the Court 
 of Honor. It was conducted with great style, ac- 
 cording to the old traditions of royal hunts. The 
 Emperor and the Empress went, after dinner, to the 
 large vestibule in the center of the palace and took 
 her stand on the balcony of the middle window, 
 while the guests appeared at the other windows to 
 witness the torch-light procession and the other 
 sights. On either side of the courtyard stood the 
 
 335
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 footmen in full dress, their hair powdered and 
 partly hidden under feathered hats, holding lighted 
 torches in their hands. Behind them, forming a liv- 
 ing background, were massed the inhabitants of the 
 town, who greatly enjoyed these ceremonies. 
 
 The dogs now entered upon the scene. The por- 
 tions of the deer's body, the quarry, which were to 
 be given to them were hidden under the animal's 
 skin, while the huntsman displayed to the eager 
 hounds the head of the animal. Then the horns 
 sounded and their notes were mingled with the yelp- 
 ing of the impatient dogs. Twice the whip fell and 
 the animals rushed to the prostrate body of the dead 
 deer. Then the whip was raised and the growling 
 dogs w^ere forced to draw back. But at length the 
 hallali, or whoop, sounded and the huntsmen pulled 
 otf the skin, when the dogs with a furious barking 
 flung themselves upon the feast of meat, fighting 
 and biting in an inextricable heap. The huntsmen 
 and footmen stood by, whip in hand, in order to pre- 
 vent the fighting from becoming too serious, while 
 the horns, at the far end of the court, sounded the 
 stirring airs of the chase. The whole scene w^as most 
 moving, picturesque and not soon to be forgotten. I 
 never hear these horns now, at some dog-show or 
 over the fields from some distant hunt, that I am not 
 carried immediately back to those closing hours of 
 these fine imperial hunts forty years or more ago."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 COUKT ENTEKTAINMENTS 
 
 Though the more frivolous side of life may have 
 monopolized most of the time and attention of the 
 Court, especially at Saint Cloud, Fontainebleau and 
 above all at Compiegne, still serious things were not 
 wholly neglected. Politics occupied much attention, 
 particularly that of the Emperor and the ministers ; 
 nor were the demands of religion overlooked. The 
 church was never forgotten in the midst of the 
 festivities of Court life, and the Emperor, and the 
 Prince Imperial as he grew older, earnestly sec- 
 onded Eugenie's acts in this direction. Though 
 Xapoleon III may have been more or less Voltairian 
 at moments and in the company of men, still, as a 
 monarch of an officially Catholic nation, he recog- 
 nized thoroughly the necessity of performing, at 
 least publicly, all that the rules and ceremonies of 
 Pome demanded. 
 
 Mass was said at noon eveiy Sunday in the chapel 
 at the Tuileries, both sovereigns being present at 
 the service in state, accompanied by their suites, the 
 gentlemen in uniform, the ladies in walking cos- 
 tumes. On ordinary Sundays, the Court occupied 
 the gallery opposite the altar. On certain special 
 occasions, and during Lent, for example, the Em- 
 peror, the Empress, and Court were in the lower part 
 of the chapel on red velvet seats with devotional 
 
 33Z
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 chairs before them. The clergy were in the habit of 
 going to the door to receive "the sovereigns" and 
 the usher announced their arrival by exclaiming in 
 a loud voice : ' ' The Emperor. ' ' 
 
 The Emperor was always very strict in his de- 
 meanor during the service, being careful to kneel 
 at those parts of the ceremony where the women 
 kneel, but where the men usually remain standing. 
 The sermon generally lasted about half an hour, and 
 the pulpit was frequently filled by celebrated ora- 
 tors, among whom Abbe Bauer, a brilliant convert 
 to Catholicism who preached several courses of 
 Lenten sermons, was particularly liked by the Em- 
 peror and the Empress. His easy flow of language 
 and his eaniest manner were much appreciated at 
 Court. At the end of the more strictly religious part 
 of the service, excellent music was often executed 
 with the aid of several harps. 
 
 After Mass, the Emperor and the Empress 
 usually stopped a few moments in the gallery 
 attached to the chapel, when the former would con- 
 verse with some of the officers who were waiting 
 there, and the latter would give brief audiences in 
 the blue salon just off the chapel. But both of them 
 were adverse to this custom, as they never liked to 
 mingle religious observances with mundane affairs. 
 So only the most intimate friends had audiences at 
 the chapel. 
 
 Another phase of the daily life at the Tuileries, 
 but very different from the one just touched upon, 
 may be mentioned here — that pertaining to the man- 
 agement and general condition of the Imperial 
 stables; for the character of this side of a Court 
 often gives a fair idea of the prevailing spirit. 
 
 338
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 Horses and carriages count for much in a well-or- 
 ganized monarchy. 
 
 The Empress used the same carriages as the Em- 
 peror, berlins, barouches and wurts. In the latter 
 years of the Empire, Eugenie had what she called 
 her "wall-carriage" because she could shut herself 
 up in it as if surrounded by a wall. It was a deep 
 blue landau, without any arms emblazoned on the 
 panels, and was drawn by two fine horses. The men 
 on the box wore mastic-colored coats, and top- 
 boots. It was in this vehicle that the Empress used 
 to make her incognito visits to hospitals, charitable 
 institutions and exhibitions of all kinds. 
 
 Eugenie had also a chaise which she drove 
 when she was at Saint Cloud or other summer and 
 autumn residences. This carriage v/as drawn either 
 by two English ponies, Dove and Vingt Mars, which 
 had been purchased for ten thousand francs in Lon- 
 don, or by two little thoroughbred mares, Isaure and 
 jilelene. 
 
 The riding stables were under the supervision of 
 Baron de Pierres, the equerry, who was a first-rate 
 horseman. He had kept race-horses, rode very well, 
 was eminently clever in the management of large 
 stables, and, withal was very amiable, much liked 
 and highly esteemed by everybody. During the first 
 years of the Empire, he was the Empress' only 
 equerry and came to report each day at noon, at the 
 same time as the grand mistress, the lady in waiting, 
 tlie grand master, tlie reader, the private secretary 
 and the librarian. If tlie Empress remained at the 
 palace or went out unescorted, he was free till next 
 day; but if she drove in the barouche, he escorted 
 her, riding at the right of the carriage. In the eve- 
 
 339
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ning he came to dine at the imperial table. He wore 
 the same costume as the Emperor's equerries so far 
 as embroidery was concerned, but his coat was pale 
 blue. 
 
 Baron de Pierres had property in the west of 
 France and was very popular in those parts, where 
 he was constantly elected deputy during the last 
 half of the Second Empire. Being unable, in con- 
 sequence, to perform his Court duties with the same 
 degree of assiduity as in the early days of the Em- 
 pire, he asked to have an assistant equerry; so the 
 Marquis de la Grange then passed from the Em- 
 peror's service to that of the Empress, and Baron 
 de Pierres became first equerry. 
 
 When the Empress rode, she was always accom- 
 panied by Baron de Pierres and his wife, who was 
 one of her ladies in waiting, and rode remarkably 
 well. Eugenie greatly enjoyed horseback riding, 
 especially when in the country, when she generally 
 sought out sequestered lanes where the rules of 
 etiquette could be wholly forgotten and the beauties 
 of nature fully appreciated. 
 
 Her chief huntsman was M. Guyot, honorable 
 and excellent man, and a very good rider, who had 
 been in Louis Philippe's stables, and who remained 
 in the service until 1870. Pie wore the same cos- 
 tume as the outriders of the Emperor, and only fol- 
 lowed the Empress at reviews and hunts, accom- 
 panied by two grooms of the suite. 
 
 Eugenie's stables contained a score of horses, — 
 among which were Phoebus, Chevreuil, an excellent 
 hunter, and Langewicz and Elastic, which were her 
 favorites. Several horses were reserved for the 
 ladies of the palace, — Baroness de Pierres, Com- 
 
 340
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 tesse de la Bedoyere, Mme. de Lourmel and Com- 
 tesse de Rayneval, — or for the ladies invited to Fon- 
 tainebleau and Compiegne. The horses ridden by 
 the equerries, huntsmen and followers generally 
 were all thoroughbred or very nearly so. In a word, 
 great attention was paid by both the Emperor and 
 the Empress to everything pertaining to the stables, 
 and it was generally admitted, I believe, that the 
 carriages and horses of the Second Empire sur- 
 passed everything that had been seen in France 
 since the days of the old regime and the First Em- 
 pire, for neither during the Bourbon Restoration 
 nor the Orleans Monarchy had much attention been 
 paid by the Chief of State to this part of the royal 
 establishment. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress always gave their 
 personal attention to the balls both at the Tuileries 
 and at the chief ministerial palaces. They so acted 
 both for social and political reasons. Much can 
 be done in France through the medium of a polite 
 and artistic State ball. The Emperor once remarked 
 with a smile: "Somebody has said: 'Let me write 
 the songs of a nation and the rest will take care 
 of itself.' I would add: "Let me conduct the danc- 
 ing in Paris and I will be willing to leave the songs 
 to the poetasters of Montmartre." It may be in- 
 teresting, therefore, to touch here upon some of 
 these festivities. 
 
 The ball given at the Foreign Affairs Office in 
 1857 created a groat sensation. Stories recall vividly 
 some of the details. (V)unt Walewski, minister of 
 Foreign Affairs, I am told, was costumed as a 
 statesman of the old regime, wearing a black velvet 
 coat decorated with jet, and a blue cordon. Coun- 
 
 341
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tess Walewska, his wife, appeared as Diana the 
 Huntress, clothed in a tiger skin with a diamond 
 crescent on her head, a bow in her hand, and, on 
 her shoulder, a quiver filled with golden arrows. A 
 great number of pretty women, most of them be- 
 longing to the official world, were present, attired in 
 rich and varied costumes. 
 
 Thus, Princess Czartoryska, daughter of Queen 
 Christine and the Duke of Rianzares, was dressed 
 as a bourgeoise of the time of Louis XVI, wearing 
 a Necker hat. Mme. Serrano, wife of the Spanish 
 ambassador, was in a costume of the middle ages, 
 while Princess Mathilde wore a blue lampas dress. 
 Princess Joachim Murat represented a marchioness 
 of the old regime. Lady Cowley was a Queen Anne, 
 and Baroness von Seebach, wife of the Minister of 
 Saxony and daughter of Chancellor Nesselrode, was 
 dressed as a Russian boyard lady of the days of the 
 Czar Peter. She wore a dress made of cloth of gold, 
 splendid furs and many precious stones. Mile. 
 Magnan was in a hunting costume of the time of 
 Louis XV; my mother, Mme. Fleury, simulated a 
 lady of the court of Marie Antoinette ; Mme. Taigny 
 was an elegant pearl-gray bat, while Princess Calli- 
 machi, wife of the Ottoman ambassador, was a Ma- 
 rie de Medicis. 
 
 Comtesse de Brigode, who became later Baronesse 
 de Poilly, the daughter of the Marquis de Hallay- 
 Coetquen, was one of the most remarked among the 
 ladies at this ball. She appeared in the costume of 
 an Indian amazon. Her long hair fell from under 
 a panther's head and covered a red morocco bodice 
 worn over gauze skirts embroidered with leaves and 
 flowers fringed with birds' feathers. Another lady 
 
 342
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 attracted much attention, the then fashionable 
 beauty, Comtesse de Castiglione, who was dressed 
 as Queen of Hearts, a costume which she considered 
 symbolical of the innumerable men whom she had 
 captivated. 
 
 Many of the men wore dominoes; some, however, 
 were costumed. M. de Vatimesnil appeared as 
 Charles IX, in a velvet and gold coat ; Count Olympe 
 Aguado looked striking and important as Walla- 
 chian; Viscomte de Bresson wore a Spanish cos- 
 tume; Comte Armand was a musketeer of the time 
 of Louis XV; and Baron de Chassiron was attired 
 as a Valois courtier. 
 
 Another remarkable figure at this ball was a rag 
 picker, who was, however, very elegant in his white 
 satin vest, knickerbockers, and pink stockings. On 
 his back he carried a gilt basket filled with gardenias 
 and camelias, in his right hand a silver hook and in 
 the left hand a lighted lantern. This was Diogenes' 
 lantern. The rag picker noticed a blue domino walk- 
 ing slowly about the room, whom he recognized as 
 the Emperor. Approaching him he said: ''I was 
 seeking an honest man; I have found him;" and im- 
 mediately blew out the lantern. This witty flatterer 
 was a young diplomatist, Comte Amelot de Chail- 
 lou, who later had a biilliant career. 
 
 It was known tliat the Empress was at the ball, 
 but nobody could discover how she was disguised. 
 Some of the guests thought that two dominoes seat- 
 ed in a salon near the; ball-room were Eugenie and 
 Comtesse Gustave de Montabello, one of her ladies. 
 But this was a mistake. However, Baron de St. 
 Amand, who was costumed as one of Marie Antoi- 
 nette's pages, offered liis services to the supposed 
 
 343
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Empress and went in search of all the persons whom 
 she desired to talk to, among these being various 
 diplomatists, General Kheredine, then the envoy of 
 the Bey of Tunis, and General Canrobert. Towards 
 the end of the evening, however, these two dominoes 
 suddenly disappeared. But at supper, a Bohemian, 
 whose face was half hidden by a mask, was found 
 to be the Empress when she cast off her domino. 
 
 There were four official masked balls in Paris in 
 1859 — at the Tuileries, at the State Minister's, at 
 the Foreign Affairs, and at the palace of the Presi- 
 dent of the Legislative Body. All these functions 
 were brilliant and created much comment of various 
 kinds at the time. The invited guests were selected 
 with great care, the Emperor and the Empress with 
 all the Court attended. They made it a point to aid 
 in so far as possible to make these affairs a great 
 success. 
 
 A word about the ball of the Foreign Affairs. 
 Nobody at the time ever understood why the Em- 
 press preferred the gatherings there to those held 
 elsewhere outside of the Tuileries. The reason was 
 very simple. AVhen masked balls were given at the 
 Foreign Office, the minister's cabinet was adorned 
 with silk materials and transformed into a boudoir, 
 and here it was that she put on her domino. This 
 was a great convenience. The rule was to wear 
 either a complete costume, a Venetian mantle, or a 
 domino and mask. 
 
 Much was said then, and, especially has been said 
 since against these balls, which, however, only fol- 
 lowed the best traditions of the old monarchy. It 
 was asserted that many deplorable intrigues were 
 the result of this adoption of the mask and of the 
 
 344
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 familiar use in conversation of the second person 
 singular, which was permitted to persons thus dis- 
 guised. There has been much exaggeration in all 
 this. Intrigues were the exception and a great many 
 more persons went with uncovered faces than with 
 masked faces. These balls were simply a species 
 of innocent amusement much enjoyed at that time. 
 The most reserved women and the most absorbed 
 officials sometimes felt the need of some distraction, 
 and an agreeable pastime was found in these cos- 
 tumed and masked balls. It has not been possible, 
 under the Third Republic, to reconstitute success- 
 fully these ancient customs, especially as the mask 
 has fallen almost universally into disuse. So the 
 public has been easily led to criticize what was done 
 and what was the general fashion of those past days. 
 But most people did not at that date indulge in 
 much criticism of what they knew was an old tradi- 
 tion. But even then, everybody did not follow the 
 prevailing custom. Thus, though the Emperor and 
 the Empress were masked and wore dominoes at the 
 first three balls mentioned above, at the Tuileries 
 ball they were unmasked. 
 
 At M. and Mme. Achille Fould's ball — that is, at 
 the State Minister's function — also just mentioned, 
 one or two interesting incidents occurred. Thus, 
 passing through interior corridors from the 
 Tuileries to the portion of the Louvre where was 
 the official residence of tlie Minister, two dominoes 
 got into the ball room by a private entrance. It 
 was thought at the time that they were the Emperor 
 and the Empress and I may say now that the sur- 
 mise was correct. Tlioy remained an hour, tlien 
 went away as they had come, having satisfied them- 
 
 345
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 selves that everything was being properly conduct- 
 ed at this large gathering. Napoleon III liked to 
 inspect things with his own eye. *'I seem to see 
 what others never see," he used to say. There was 
 much comment at the time as to why they came and 
 went so hastily and privately. Many wrong rea- 
 sons were given. I here give the right one. 
 
 A sensational entry at this ball was that of two 
 masked women wearing allegorical costumes which 
 represented Peace and War. Peace, all in white, 
 crowned with olive branches and bearing in her hand 
 a green twig, presented this symbolical emblem to 
 Princess Mathilde, with some appropriate remark. 
 The Princess replied: "I accept it as a presage, 
 but I can promise nothing." War spoke to a gen- 
 eral who had distinguished himself in the Crimea: 
 "Will you take my lance?" she asked. "It is my 
 trade to fight," answered the general; "and one 
 swallow does not make a spring." 
 
 International affairs were indeed then in an un- 
 settled state. The Austrian Emperor had visited 
 Italy at the end of 1856, but the people had not for- 
 gotten how they had been treated in the recent past, 
 and he was received with considerable coldness. 
 Sardinia had frequently complained of Austrian pol- 
 icy in Italy, wiiile Austria, on her side, was mucli 
 ruffled by the attacks made upon her by the Sar- 
 dinian press. Growing coolness was also shown be- 
 tween Austria and France on this same subject, 
 which reached a climax when Napoleon said to the 
 Austrian ambassadors at the levee held on January 
 1, 1859: "I regret that French relations with your 
 government are not so good as they were ; but I beg 
 you to inform your Emperor, that my personal feel- 
 
 2A.6
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 ings for him have not changed. ' ' In the meanwhile 
 preparations for war were carried on with the great- 
 est activity by Austria, France and Sardinia, and 
 though England sent Lord Cowley to Vienna to try 
 and prevent an outbreak, his mission was not suc- 
 cessful. In spite of the balls and other Court fes- 
 tivities which were purposely multiplied at Paris 
 during these uncertain years, military matters came 
 more and more to the fore, and greatly marred all 
 social eiforts, which made for peace and goodwill. 
 
 The Princess Metternich and Arsenene Houssaye 
 introduced into Paris society of the sixties the cus- 
 tom of giving redoubts or ridottos, entertainments 
 in which dancing and music were mingled, a species 
 of evening party which rapidly became popular and 
 was much enjoyed by the fashionable world. They 
 began at a masked ball in Eugenie's honor. The 
 Emperor attended wearing a Venetian cloak, while 
 the Empress was disguised as Juno, if I record it 
 rightly. The ball-room had been set up in the gar- 
 den of the embassy, its walls covered with light blue 
 satin and decorated with large mirrors. Just before 
 the Empress arrived, a somewhat comical incident 
 occurred. Comte de Fleurieu, who represented a 
 cocoa-seller, so common in the streets of Paris, had 
 the little barrel shmg over his shoulder tilled with 
 champagne, which ho intended to give out to the 
 thirsty during the ball. But, unbeknown to him, 
 some practical joker unscrewed the tap, and all the 
 precious liquid ran out on the floor. This caused for 
 a moment considerable confusion and even indigna- 
 tion in some minds— not without reason, it seems to 
 TDe — but others laughed at the "mishap." The floor 
 
 84T
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 was quite dry before the Empress arrived and she 
 heard of the matter only the next day. 
 
 Perhaps the finest ridotto of the regime was the 
 one given at the Austrian embassy during the sea- 
 son of 1869, when the hostess in a black domino and 
 Comtesse Edmond de Pourtales, in a fine Oriental 
 costume, were the houtes-en-train of the evening, 
 spreading gaiety everywhere, throughout the ele- 
 gant and spacious ball room. It was in this same 
 year that M. Houssaye began his celebrated ridottos 
 of the Avenue Friedland, where he mingled so suc- 
 cessfully society and the chief actors and actresses 
 of the leading theaters of Paris. 
 
 The diplomatic corps was, taken as a whole, a 
 very remarkable body under the second empire. As 
 the Emperor was always the soul of the regime, the 
 diplomats, whether ambassadors or simple minis- 
 ters, were really accredited to the sovereign. The 
 cabinet ministers were considered of little impor- 
 tance, at least till near the close of the regime, by 
 these foreign representatives. They preferred to 
 speak direct with the ruler of France and to receive 
 inspiration immediately from him. Their reports 
 to their own governments in so far as they have been 
 made public, show how close was the union between 
 the Emperor and the diplomatic corps. For this same 
 reason the Empress was enabled to exert consider- 
 able influence abroad, and to make felt foreign in- 
 fluences at home, for it was naturally very easy for 
 her to get the Emperor's ear and to learn from him 
 what he was thinking and what he wished to do or 
 to have done. I should add, however, that she per- 
 mitted herself to be used verj^ seldom in this way 
 by members of the diplomatic corps, and only when 
 
 348
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 she perceived that she could be of aid to the govern- 
 ment in its policies ; and still less often did Eugenie 
 utilize the power which came from her intercourse 
 with the Emperor. I may say, nevertheless, that 
 on more than one occasion, the Empress was thus 
 able to be of benefit to France and when this was 
 possible, she did not let the occasion slip unutilized. 
 Prince and Princess Metternich were perhaps the 
 most talked-of members of the diplomatic corps of 
 the Second Empire. The Prince was an important 
 personality, owing much of this importance to the 
 fact that he was a special friend of the Emperor 
 Francis Joseph and the son of the celebrated chan- 
 cellor. He was a handsome man, with courteous and 
 attractive manners, very well adapted to restore 
 kindly relations between two nations which had just 
 ])(!(in warring together; for Prince Metternich came 
 to Paris immediately after the campaign of 1859. 
 Napoleon requested that he be given the mission to 
 Paris, as he had formerly known the Prince and 
 had met him again at Villafranca. He was well ac- 
 quainted with Paris society and rapidly gained a 
 firm position at the Tuileries, where he soon became 
 a very good friend of the Empress. He showed 
 himself to be a most assiduous diplomat and though 
 apt to be, perhaps, all things to all men, was persona 
 grata everj^vhere. That he had too strong an in- 
 fluence over the Emperor at the moment of the fall 
 of the Archduke Maximilian and very nearly suc- 
 ceeded in getting him into a compromising position 
 in this connection, there can now be no d()u1)t. In 
 1866, he naturally strove; to secure the intervention 
 of the Emperor in favor of Austria, but his council 
 was not listened to. In 1870, he did valuable service 
 
 349
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 in letting France clearly see just how far went tlie 
 possibilities of aid from his country. But it was 
 his wife perhaps that made Prince Metternich one 
 of the most famous men in Paris. Owing to her in- 
 telligence, her fine presence, her originality and the 
 tact she displayed in securing and keeping the first 
 place in Paris society, Princess Metternich was the 
 most-talked-of woman of the Tuileries court and led 
 the female contingent of the diplomatic corps. Her 
 features were rather broad and irregular, and her 
 shoulders lacked plumpness, but a natural elegance 
 hid these physical defects, and her quick mind and 
 clever talk did the rest, making her a woman of re- 
 markable ability. She was bold in gesture, pic- 
 turesque in imagination and often rather startling 
 in speech. She was fond of singing catchy little 
 songs, taking many of them from the repertory of 
 Theresa, the famous concert-hall singer of the 
 period. This gave rise to the report, which was 
 quite false, however, that she and the singer were 
 close friends. She made real hits with these songs, 
 which were sometimes given in a fashion that 
 Theresa would have been proud of. In some quar- 
 ters, this conduct was rather severely criticized, as 
 were also the princess's often eccentric fashion in 
 dress and a certain carelessness in manner. She 
 was a constant guest at Compiegne, as both the Em- 
 peror and the Empress were very much attached to 
 her and her husband. She enjoyed organizing char- 
 ades and tableaux as has already been seen and 
 showed much talent in the distribution of the parts 
 and in preparing the costumes. She was full of 
 suggestions and was not prone to brook contradic- 
 
 350
 
 COUET ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 tion. I know of one of these tiffs, which created a 
 considerable tempest in a teapot. 
 
 A little play called The Country Lunch was being 
 rehearsed under the stage direction, as usual, of 
 Princess Metternich. Among the actresses was the 
 Duchesse de Persigny, who also had a mind of her 
 own. It soon became evident that the Duchess was 
 pleased neither with her part nor her costume, and 
 wished to improve her rather mean appearance by 
 showing off her beautiful fair hair. 
 
 ''Who ever heard," said Princess Metternich, "of 
 a lady's waiting maid w^earing her hair loose over 
 her shoulders at a country picnic?" 
 
 "They do as they like," replied the Duchess, "and 
 then, we are playing to get some fun out of it, and 
 it would please me to show off my hair." 
 
 "Then, don't appear in this tableau," answ^ered 
 the Princess sharply. She was beginning to lose 
 her temper, and finally came to the Empress with her 
 tale of woe. But Eugenie always detested petty 
 quarrels and tittle-tattle and so tried to keep out of 
 this trifling squabble, though, on account of the high 
 quality of the persons concerned, she had to say 
 something. So the Empress remarked to the 
 Princess : 
 
 "I should advise you to let the Duchess have her 
 own way, especially as what she proposes doing may 
 have a good effect. And you should remember and 
 so be a little indulgent, that her mother was a little 
 queer." She referred to Princesse de la Moskowa, 
 who was a daughter of Laffitte. Immediately, Prin- 
 cess Metternich made this odd response : 
 
 "Well, if the Duchess's mother is a wee bit daft, 
 
 351
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 my father was in the same state, and so I do not at 
 all intend to yield." 
 
 It is generally known that the father of Princess 
 Metternich, Count Sandor, was indeed famous for 
 his eccentricities. He was an ardent equestrian and 
 many stories were told of his feats of horsemanship. 
 He had been frequently thrown, and it was said that 
 his brain was affected thereby, so that one day he 
 drove his drag and steeds into the Danube and broke 
 his back in the fall. 
 
 Princess Metternich acted very well herself and 
 obtained a marked success at Compiogne one season 
 by producing scenes from Ca-sar's Commentaries. 
 She kept up her interest in histrionics and after 
 the Prince retired from the French mission, under 
 Thiers 's administration, plays for charity were 
 often given at the Metternich house in Vienna. 
 
 She liked to recite, too, and was very successful 
 in several of Nadaud's simple and touching poems. 
 Xor was her taste for music and song confined to the 
 trifles of Theresa. She was fond of solid music and 
 did much to prepare the way for the final introduc- 
 tion of Wagner into Paris. When Tannhduser w^as 
 first given at the Paris Opera, it w^as vigorously 
 hissed. On this occasion, however, the Princess was 
 seen standing in her box and breaking a beau- 
 tiful fan to pieces by the ardor of her applause. The 
 piece was not given again till after the fall of the 
 Empire, when it aroused a storm of popular opposi- 
 tion. Frenchmen who have since become Wagner- 
 ian to excess, were then on both occasions, violently 
 opposed to this music. Princess Metternich used 
 to say, referring to that famous night: "Well, I 
 did what I could to save Wagner's honor." 
 
 352
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 During these years, the Austrian embassy at Paris 
 was a most active center both in social and in politi- 
 cal matters. Though Austria had just been beaten 
 by France, as I have already said, the Princess and 
 her husband showed such tact and social activity, 
 that they soon drew to their circle all that was best 
 at the capital. Dinners, balls, plays and receptions 
 followed one another in quick succession. The din- 
 ners were justly celebrated; they were excessively 
 elegant, and the guests were invited with the great- 
 est care. The Emperor and the Empress often ac- 
 cepted invitations to the Embassy, and did all they 
 could to add to the gayety of this delightful center. 
 
 In the baseless attacks sometimes made on the 
 morals and manners of the Court of the Second Em- 
 pire, Princess Metternich always comes in for more 
 than her share of the blame. This is due not only 
 to her ways and words which gave some ground for 
 criticism, but to her prominence. Slanderers always 
 single out the leaders for their cruel attacks, and 
 hence it is that the Emperor and the Empress have 
 been the victims of these same low critics. When 
 it became the fashion to talk against the Court and 
 cast contempt on all the ladies who composed it, 
 numerous were the calumnies that were invented. 
 Details were given which had never existed and 
 gross exaggeration was the rule. This disagreeable 
 subject is touched upon more than once, I fear, in 
 this chapter. But it made such a sorrowful impres- 
 sion on the Empress, that I find myself recurring 
 to it in spite of myself. But the world has since 
 become more just, and it is now beginning to be ad- 
 mitted that nothing very extraordinary took place 
 at the Tuileries and at (.^ompiegne. 
 
 353
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 A good friend of the Metterniclis was the Italian 
 ambassador Chevalier, and later Count Nigra. He 
 did not belong to a great family, but owed his ad- 
 vancement to his marked ability and the support 
 which this ability won from Cavour, He was very 
 amiable in ladies' society, a good talker and always 
 courteous in manner. He had an enviable position 
 at the Tuileries. He had a good voice and one of 
 the pleasantest recollections of Fontainebleau is 
 a boat party on the lake, where Count Nigra 
 hummed, mezzo voce, pretty Italian canzonets. His 
 rather feline grace and Piedmontese stutter had a 
 certain attraction about them, which partly explain 
 his unquestioned success at court. But at first 
 sight, I do not think it can be said that the count 
 was distinguished looking or seductive. He was al- 
 ways very friendly to the Empress. He knew her 
 views concerning the religious question in Italy and 
 did all he could to combat discreetly her influence 
 in this direction. At the moment of the outbreak 
 of the war in 1870, he of course could not be expect- 
 ed to do very much to bring Italy to the French side, 
 for France could not accept the conditions which he 
 offered, that is, to abandon the Pope and suffer 
 Victor Emmanuel to carry out the nation's wish 
 and secure Rome as the capital. He shilly-shallied, 
 declaring his devotion to France but doing so in 
 such a way as not to compromise his government. 
 I know he was pained at the fall of the Empire and 
 at the misfortunes of the Emperor, for whom he had 
 a very warm feeling; but like all good Italians, he 
 felt a sense of relief and deliverance. Personally, 
 the Empress could never forget how Count Nigra 
 and Prince Metternich risked their lives, perhaps, 
 
 354
 
 COUET ENTEETAINMENTS 
 
 in aiding her escape from Paris at the moment of 
 the revolution of September 4th, as described in the 
 second volume of these memoirs. 
 
 At the side of Count Nigra at Paris was a semi- 
 official diplomat. Count Vimercati, who was on 
 friendly terms with Prince Napoleon and who fre- 
 quented the salon of Princess Mathilde. He used 
 to be intrusted with confidential messages between 
 the cabinets of the Tuileries and of Turin. He was 
 amiable but prolix, and united to a great affectation 
 of frankness a shrewdness that largely counterbal- 
 anced his frankness. He it was who, on the eve of 
 the war, brought word direct from the king, thus 
 emphasizing the earlier reply of Nigra, that Italy 
 could only support France "a few months later." 
 A few months later ! This was not the answer when 
 Italy looked to France to aid her in her efforts to 
 shake off the Austrian yoke ! 
 
 In the Russian embassy, perhaps a word should 
 be said about Princess Lise Troubetjkoi, who was 
 the sister of the wife of the Russian military at- 
 tache, Count Paul Schouwaloff, who later became a 
 very important personage in Russia and w^as sent as 
 ambassador to Germany. Countess Schouwaloff, 
 whose maiden name was Princess Belosselsky, was 
 a gentle, kindly lady in somewhat delicate health, 
 who won many friends both in Imperial and in Fau- 
 bourg Saint Germain circles by her perfect manners 
 and affability. But her sister. Princess Trou- 
 betjkoi, who dabbled in politics and sought both 
 under the Empire and afterwards to play a part, 
 was rather distrusted. Her salon had a certain rep- 
 utation, however, especially at the time when M. 
 Thiers ruled France. She had a large acquaintance 
 
 355
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 in all countries and carried on a large correspon- 
 dence with persons of position. Wishing to appear 
 even better informed than she really was, she always 
 seemed to have in her pocket a more or less impor- 
 tant letter, which was drawn forth at the right time. 
 Thus, if the name of Prince Gortchakoff were men- 
 tioned, she was apt to say: "Why, I had a letter 
 from him this morning," and an envelope was im- 
 mediately produced, but I cannot say w^hether there 
 was anything inside it! Practical jokers knowing 
 her weakness, were ever ready to send her letters 
 for this famous pocket. 
 
 Throughout nearly the whole Empire, the Brit- 
 ish ambassador was Lord Cowley, who was an old 
 friend of the Emperor. He and Lady Cowley were 
 very intimate at both the Tuileries and at Com- 
 piegne. They remained good friends after Napo- 
 leon's fall, and Lord and Lady Cowley often visited 
 the Emperor and Empress in England. Their at- 
 tentions deeply touched both of the sovereigns. 
 
 Lord Lyons, who followed them towards the end 
 of the empire, came to Paris from Washington, 
 where he had managed British affairs with tact dur- 
 ing the stormy and delicate period of the American 
 Civil War. The Emperor, who had never forgot- 
 ten his early days in the United States, used now 
 and then to question the British ambassador con- 
 cerning the growth of the Great Republic, and going 
 off on to political affairs, would ask to be told the 
 American side of the Mexican Expedition imbroglio. 
 Lord Lyons on one occasion gave him a very graphic 
 description of Mr. Seward, the American Secretary 
 of State, who conducted so ably the foreign affairs 
 of the Union during this critical crisis and whom 
 
 356
 
 COURT ENTERTAINMENTS 
 
 our Foreign Office, at the time of this Mexican af- 
 fair, found no ordinary antagonist, ably seconded 
 as he was at Paris by that charming personality, 
 John Bigelow, who, with General Dix, the accom- 
 plished gentleman who succeeded him, were the two 
 American Ministers of the Second Empire whose 
 marked individuality has left an impression on all. 
 
 The Empress was particularly interested in the 
 Danish minister, Count von Moltke-Hoitfeld, for 
 two reasons. In the first place, he was married to 
 a charming woman, the daughter of Baron von 
 Zeebach, minister of Saxony in Paris. She was very 
 elegant and much sought after by the society circles 
 of the day. Her second interest in this brilliant 
 family arose from the fact that one of their nephews 
 married Miss Bonaparte-Patterson, daughter of 
 Colonel Bonaparte, grandson of King Jerome. 
 Colonel Bonaparte, though an American citizen, 
 served gallantly in the French army and was on the 
 friendliest terms with the Emperor and the Em- 
 press. He often visited the latter at Chislehurst. 
 
 Count von Goltz, Prussian minister, who was quite 
 in his place in Paris, succeeded Count von Hatzfeld 
 mentioned elsewhere in these memoirs. Count von 
 Goltz was an excellent conversationalist and was 
 very much liked by ladies. The Empress especially 
 enjoyed his interesting society. It has often been 
 said that if he had not been forced by bad health 
 to abandon his post some eighteen months before 
 the Hohenzollern affair, he could have prevented the 
 war. Perhaps this is too much to say, but I know 
 that he very clearly saw the storm coming as early 
 as 1868. He did not hesitate to point out the bale- 
 ful influence of Bismarck, hoped to check its evil in- 
 
 .357
 
 MEMOIES OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 fluence and loved to dream of an alliance between 
 the two nations. How often in after years the Em- 
 peror and the Empress would talk of this noble man 
 and praise him for his high-minded efforts for peace 
 and good- will! 
 
 I may close this imperfect account of some of the 
 members of the corps who made the most lasting 
 impression by a few words concerning an ambassa- 
 dress m partibus, that distinguished foreigner, 
 Dorothea von Benckendorff, Princesse de Lieven, 
 Guizot's Egeria. She gathered about her all the im- 
 portant men of the day. The Empress was once 
 taken to her salon by Comte de Morny, about the 
 time the former was to wed the Emperor. "You 
 must have her on your side," said the count; "she 
 can influence all the European courts in our favor." 
 Eugenie made a note about her after the first visit 
 and described her as "a tall old woman, thin, dried- 
 up and stern looking." She was then sixty-seven 
 and had lost her captivating grace of former days. 
 She w^elcomed Eug'enie most warmly and made quite 
 a fuss over her, for the approaching marriage had 
 recently been made public. I do not think the Em- 
 press ever saw again this really remarkable woman
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 Many of the facts and impressions contained in 
 these volumes are based on manuscript notes made 
 at the time of the occurrences described. This is 
 especially true of all that concerned the Empress's 
 personal household and the persons who composed 
 it, most of whom were true to her during the days 
 of prosperity and few of whom forgot her when the 
 time of trial came. In the following pages I shall 
 mention several of these friends and aids, and if 
 some names are overlooked, it will be as a general 
 rule by mistake. I will also enter somewhat into 
 detail concerning the service of the palace and court, 
 because, as it is now so many years that France has 
 been living under republican institutions, I am told 
 that a description of these habits and customs of 
 the past will be read with special interest by new 
 generations. This explains why I give place here 
 to some facts which might otherwise seem rather 
 trivial. 
 
 The greater part of the services appertaining to 
 Eugenie's household were not combined with but 
 annexed to those appertaining to the Emperor's 
 liousehold. Though the tw^o households were dis- 
 tinct in so far as concerned the persons who com- 
 posed them, the Grand Master and the Grand Mis- 
 tress of Eugenie's household performed in reality 
 
 359
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 only the service of honor attached to their positions 
 and the duty of being present at audiences and pres- 
 entations. Everything else, such as invitations to 
 dinners, concerts, balls, were made out in the offices 
 of the Emperor's household and signed by his offi- 
 cials. There was at least one exception to this rule 
 — the Empress's Monday evening dances were man- 
 aged by her own grand master and first chamber- 
 lain. But this Grand Master had nothing to do with 
 her correspondence, the distribution of money to 
 charities, and such things, which duties were per- 
 formed by the private secretary^ Nor did her grand 
 mistress occupy herself with the Empress's ward- 
 robe, which was left in the hands of Mme. Pollet, 
 under direct orders. The ladies of the palace, who 
 were on duty, two by two, had nothing to do with 
 the more domestic affairs of the household. Theirs 
 was entirely a service of honor, A covered carriage, 
 and later a coupe, used to go and fetch them from 
 their homes about one o'clock each day. When they 
 arrived at the Tuileries or Saint Cloud, as the case 
 might be, they generally found already there, in the 
 so-called Duty Salon, the lady reader, the lady of 
 honor and the chamberlain. It was the audience 
 hour. The lady visitors were introduced by the lady 
 of the palace then on duty, the gentlemen by the 
 chamberlain. But it was not the Empress's habit 
 to give many audiences. The few ladies who were 
 received into the intimate circle came more usual!}' 
 about six o'clock, before the dinner hour. Towards 
 the end of the Empire, the more frequent of these 
 visitors were the Empress's niece, the Duchesse de 
 Mouchy, born Princess Anna Murat, whom she was 
 very fond of, and Mme. Delessert and her daughter, 
 
 360
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 the Comtesse de Nadaillac, who were friends even 
 before the advent of the Empire, when Eugenie was 
 a child. They were rather outside of the court circle 
 on account of the political opinions of their own 
 circle, and generally saw the Empress in private. 
 The Princesses of the Bonaparte family were al- 
 ways welcomed whenever they came, as were also 
 the daughters of the Duchesse d'Albe. They often 
 stayed at the castle, whether the court was at Paris 
 or elsewhere. 
 
 When the Empress went out for a drive, the court 
 regulations were as follows : She found the ladies 
 of the household congregated in the salon assigned 
 to the Emperor's chamberlain. The lady in waiting 
 on ''grand duty" took her place in the carriage, 
 along with the chamberlain, while the lady on ' ' sec- 
 ond duty" drove in the next carriage. If the Em- 
 press was going out with the Emperor, the aide-de- 
 camp of the Emperor and the second orderly officer 
 sat with them and the two ladies got in the second 
 carriage. Sometimes the Emx)ress went out late, 
 when the ladies waited in the service salon reading 
 or embroidering. At other times she would not go 
 out at all, when the ladies in waiting would be per- 
 mitted to withdraw and be driven to their respec- 
 tive homes, whence they were fetched back again for 
 dinner to the Tuileries. After dinner and at the 
 end of the evening, they were once more driven 
 home. The charity visits were generally made in 
 the morning, when the Empress was accompanied 
 only by a lady in waiting. 
 
 The ladies of the household always appeared in 
 low-necked dresses in the evening, as the Empress 
 did herself, and on ordinary occasions they wore but 
 
 2G1
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 few jewels. On the left of their bodices, the ladies 
 pinned the badge of their office, which consisted of 
 Eugenie's initial in diamonds on blue enamel, with 
 the Imperial crown above the letter. The grand mis- 
 tress and first lady in waiting also wore on their bod- 
 ice attached to the same riband, a double-faced 
 jewel, one side holding the portrait of the Emperor 
 and the other side the Empress's own portrait, the 
 two portraits being framed in diamonds. The gover- 
 ness of the Children of France wore similar jewels. 
 
 A word about some of the other ladies of the 
 household. The lady reader arrived before the 
 ladies in waiting, wrote letters but did not often read 
 to the Empress as she much preferred to read to 
 herself. In fact, I think I may fairly say that she 
 was always quite a devourer of books, and it would 
 have troubled her somewhat to be read to, in the 
 first place because she would have always felt that 
 this act was wearisome to the young lady who was 
 performing it — she knew by experience in younger 
 days that it is very fatiguing — and in the second 
 place she liked to "skim" some parts of a book, and 
 read over other parts several times. All these in- 
 tellectual whims are next to impossible when your 
 reading is done for you. So the official reader had 
 somewhat of a sinecure at the Tuileries court. She 
 retired as a rule, when the ladies in waiting arrived. 
 
 There was also a body of young ladies in waiting. 
 One of these generally devoted her morning to the 
 correspondence and accompanied the Empress on 
 her visits to religious and charitable institutions. 
 They would sometimes go to an exhibition, when 
 the Chamberlain was also of the party. These 
 young ladies in waiting had as a special duty the 
 
 362
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 filing away of letters, documents and papers of all 
 sorts which could be of any possible value in the 
 present or in the future. They were particularly 
 careful to preserve any communication of historical 
 value. Many papers of this sort addressed to the 
 Emperor were carefully put away by these same 
 orderly hands. In this fashion I found many valu- 
 able aids to my memory when I set to work on these 
 rather rambling, I fear, and somewhat inadequate 
 recollections of the Empress's public life. Though 
 some of these documents, and many others, were 
 lost during the stormy period of the fall of the 
 Second Empire, still we managed to save a large 
 portion of these interesting collections of manu- 
 scripts which throw so much light on several of the 
 episodes and personages of the epoch. 
 
 The grand mistress of the household, who had 
 I)een selected at the moment of the Empress's mar- 
 riage and who continued to fill this delicate post 
 throughout the reign, was the Princesse d'Essling, 
 Duchesse de Eivoli, the daughter of General Debelle 
 and widow of the son of the famous Marshal Mas- 
 sena, surnamed ''the cherished child of victory." 
 The Princess had a pleasant face framed with fair 
 curly hair. Though somewhat cold and severe in 
 her bearing, perhaps, she was at heart good, kind 
 and very distinguished in all she said and did. 
 Whether in Paris, or traveling, she performed all 
 her duties with great care and tact. It was her cus- 
 tom to come to the Tuileries every day to learn the 
 Empress's desires, when she would withdraw. She 
 was present at all important state functions, such 
 as receptions or dinners, and presented by name the 
 ladies who had been invited. This naming of guests 
 
 303
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 is always a valuable aid to a hostess, especially to 
 one in the position which Eugenie then held. In 
 the flurry of the moment, one often forgets for an 
 instant the name even of a very good acquaintance, 
 and then it is that such valuable aid as the Princess 
 could give was fully appreciated. How many times 
 she has saved Eugenie from making a blunder or 
 being guilty of a sin of omission or commission, and 
 how often the Empress has thanked her wannly, 
 after some great social event, for her tactful and 
 invaluable support. She was a good friend to the 
 end of her well-filled days, and her elegant and 
 eclectic salon in the Rue Jean Goujon was one of 
 the most charming centers of polite Paris. One of 
 her grandsons married one of the Empress's 
 cousins, which was another bond of union, between 
 them, though all she did during the long years of 
 the Second Empire would alone have sufficed to keep 
 her memory very dear. 
 
 The chief lady in waiting, the Duchesse de Bas- 
 sano, belonged to the Belgian family of the Barons 
 de Hooghvorst. She was a very distinguished look- 
 ing woman, had a most charming manner and per- 
 formed her duties with much discretion. She and 
 her husband, who was grand chamberlain, as I have 
 already said, were instrumental in drawing to the 
 Tuileries many personal friends of marked distinc- 
 tion and value to the young regime, and the Em- 
 peror and the Empress always felt veiy grateful to 
 them for the indefatigable manner in which they 
 labored for the strengthening of the restored Em- 
 pire. The Due and Duchesse lived at the Tuileries 
 and gave very select gatherings which were much 
 appreciated by the elite of the capital. The Em- 
 
 364
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 press not infrequently attended these choice little 
 parties and soon became most warmly attached to 
 the Duchesse, so that when her death came in 1868, 
 it was a terrible blow and was deeply mourned by 
 the whole court. One of her daughters married the 
 Marquis d'Espeuilles, a brilliant cavalry officer, 
 who was aide-de-camp to the Prince Imperial, and 
 so was doubly dear to Eugenie. 
 
 The Due de Bassano survived his wife. After the 
 fall of the Empire, he followed the Emperor and the 
 Empress into exile. He was most devoted to the 
 Emperor and, after his death, he transferred this 
 devotion to Eugenie. When she lost the Prince Im- 
 perial, he would spend nearly the whole year with 
 her, leaving her only now and then to visit his chil- 
 dren. When she made her sad pilgrimage to the 
 Cape, he wished to accompany her, but Eugenie felt 
 the voyage was too long for a man of his years, and 
 he finally consented to let himself be represented 
 by his son, the Marquis de Bassano. As the infirmi- 
 ties of age crept upon him, he retired and enjoyed 
 the thoughtful care of his daughter the Marquise 
 d'Espeuilles, and it was in her comfortable home 
 that this faithful servitor of the Second Empire died 
 at the advanced age of ninety-four. His charming 
 character remained with him to the last. His con- 
 versation concerning things of the past was most 
 interesting, and this past went far back, because 
 he always recalled with pleasure the fact that the 
 great Napoleon once patted him, when a child, on 
 the cheek. He had seen the two Empires in their 
 glory. The Empress could never speak of him, after 
 he passed away, without deep emotion. 
 
 Nearly all the ladies of the palace have also passed 
 
 365
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 away. Many of them I shall ever hold in sweet 
 memory, they were so faithful in sunshine and in 
 storm. I can never forget Comtesse Gustave de 
 Montebello, born Villeneuve-Bargemont, who was so 
 pretty and affable. She became a dear friend of 
 the Empress, and when she lost a charming little 
 daughter and was sad and isolated, the Court keenly 
 felt the absence of this gay member of its circle. 
 When her husband was sent to Rome to take com- 
 mand of the French troops for the protection of the 
 Pope she soon became as popular there as she had 
 been in Paris. But she did not forget the Empress, 
 for every year she returned to take up for a while 
 her duties in the palace. Eugenie often visited her 
 during her last illness, in 1870, and when she finally 
 passed into the other world, the Empress felt as 
 never before that a new friend was awaiting her on 
 ''the other side." 
 
 Baronne de Pierres, whom I have already men- 
 tioned as one of the ladies in waiting, was an Ameri- 
 can by birth. She was a most excellent horsewoman 
 and always accompanied the Empress, when the lat- 
 ter rode or hunted. Eugenie knew her before she 
 mounted the throne, when her father, Mr. Thorne, 
 was a well-known figure in the American colony of 
 Paris, which was so brilliant and so well received 
 at the Court of the Second Empire. Eugenie always 
 liked to keep up her Englisli, as if she foresaw that 
 some day she would pass the decline of her life in 
 an English-speaking land. Miss Thorne spoke Eng- 
 lish with just a slight touch of the best American 
 accent and some of the words which she had brought 
 with her from the other side of the Atlantic — espe- 
 cially that picturesque American slang, which she 
 
 366
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 sometimes emploj^ed with mucli effect in her lively 
 conversation — had a special charm for the Empress. 
 I think it was largely due to this fascinating Ameri- 
 can woman that her fellow countrymen and women 
 always had such a warm welcome at the Court of 
 the Tuileries. 
 
 The Crimean war was the indirect cause of the 
 admission to the household of several excellent 
 ladies. One of these was the Comtesse de Lourmel, 
 widow of the General who was killed during that ex- 
 pedition. At the same time, widows of two other 
 unfortunate generals and heroes — Madame de Bran- 
 don and Madame Bizot — were appointed under-gov- 
 ernesses of the Children of France. The widow of 
 Admiral Bruat, who had just died in the Crimea, 
 w^as the head-governess. The Comtesse de Lourmel 
 was a very amiable woman, and the fact that herself 
 and the other ladies just mentioned, were sufferers 
 from the unfortunate war always bound them closer 
 to the Empress. The Emperor used to refer to these 
 widows as "that noble band of female Invalides, 
 who would do honor to the old home built by Louis 
 XIV, if women w^ero admitted there." 
 
 Perhaps the handsomest of the ladies in waiting, 
 who also had a most cultivated mind, was the Com- 
 tesse de Eayneval, a canoncss, but not a nun, and 
 sister of the Comte de Rayneval who was for a long 
 time in the diplomatic service. The countess united 
 religious fervor to a large knowledge of the world, 
 which gave a very unique stamp to her character 
 that charmed the Empress not a little. "A sincerely 
 religious woman, w^ho knows the ways of fashionable 
 life," the Emperor once said referring to her, "is 
 as near perfection as can be hoped for on earth." 
 
 367
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Baronne de Malaret, born Segur, was a lady of 
 honor, elegant in manner, with a beautiful temper 
 and having hosts of friends, as she richly deserved. 
 Another was Madame de Saulcy, wife of the distin- 
 guished numismatist. She was a very religious and 
 intelligent woman. The Emperor referred to her 
 when he said : "If there were saints in Court, she 
 would be one." Other ladies were Madame de 
 Sancy-Parabere, daughter of General Lefevre-Des- 
 noettes, whose eclectic salon was a neutral ground 
 between the new Court and the old ; the two daugh- 
 ters of the Marquis de La Roche-Lambert, who en- 
 tered the Imperial household on the same day, and 
 one of whom — Comtesse de la Bedoyere, whose 
 strikingly fair complexion was admired by the whole 
 Court — had two sons, Laurent and Jean, who be- 
 came the close friends of the Prince Imperial, their 
 mother losing her first husband towards the end of 
 the Empire and marrying Comte Edgar Ney, Prince 
 de la Moskowa, aide-de-camp and friend of the Em- 
 peror; the other daughter, Comtesse de la Poeze, 
 very witty and bubbling over with spirits, who is 
 still alive while I write these lines and who often 
 accompanied the Empress on her various voyages 
 and journeys; the Marquise de la Tour Maubourg, 
 also one of her earlier traveling companions, grand- 
 daughter of Marshal Mortier, who was killed at the 
 side of Louis Philippe, when Ficschi made his at- 
 tempt on the life of the king; and Baroness de Viry- 
 Cohendier, whose husband became honoraiy cham- 
 berlain. In fact, the husbands of all the ladies in 
 waiting received this title, which gave them their 
 entrance at the Tuileries and into the Court circles, 
 generally. 
 
 368
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 I should speak a little more at length of one of the 
 most beloved ladies, the late Viscomtesse Aguado, 
 who was an octogenarian when she passed away. 
 Her first husband, whom the Empress knew so well, 
 died in a mad-house, and she then married her 
 brother-in-law. She was born a Macdonell and was 
 related to the Talleyrands, the Montmorencys and 
 other great families of the old French aristocracy. 
 For many years the salon of Viscomte and Viscom- 
 tesse Aguado was the meeting place of all the ele- 
 gant society of Paris. The family had been very 
 rich, possessed a fine hunting estate in the Seine et 
 Marne department and owned, later, a grand town 
 house in the Rue de I'Elysee, overlooking the garden 
 of the Elysee Palace. 
 
 The last nomination of lady of the palace was that 
 of Mme. Carette, the granddaughter of Admiral 
 Bouvet. This lady first attracted attention during 
 a visit which the Empress made with the Emperor 
 to Brittany, by her extreme beauty. At first she 
 was the reader, and then she replaced as one of the 
 Empress's ladies Comtesse de Lazay-Marnesia, a 
 distant relative of the Beauharnais family, who was 
 in bad health. Mme. Carette often accompanied the 
 Empress on her travels and official visits of all 
 kinds. She had the bad luck to be with the Emperor 
 and the P]mpress on the occasion of an accident 
 which ha[)penod to them at Noufchatel, when all were 
 in the greatest danger because the horse took fright, 
 and slio, unfortunately, had her arm broken. 
 
 Mile. Marion, daughter of the general, also be- 
 longed to the household. She married, shortly be- 
 fore the war, Comte Clary, who then belonged to 
 the military household of the Emperor, which post 
 
 369
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 he resigned in order to devote himself entirely to 
 the Prince Imperial, whose aide-de-camp he became. 
 He followed the royal family into exile, and became 
 the superintendent of the joint household in Eng- 
 land. He died young, after great suffering, brought 
 on by a terrible liver complaint which he had con- 
 tracted in Mexico. His death was a great loss to the 
 Prince Imperial and to all, for he was a wise coun- 
 selor and a devoted friend. His son was early at- 
 tached to the Empress's suite and always remained 
 with her, accompanying her in all the voyages and 
 journeys. He was of much aid during the last visit 
 to Egypt and throughout the tour to India in 1908. 
 
 Now a few words about the male members of the 
 household. Comte de Tascher de la Pagerie was 
 the grand master. The Tascher family was of 
 French origin and had emigrated to Martinique 
 during the eighteenth century. The Count was a 
 very upright and generally respected man. He came 
 to France in 1802, and Napoleon put him in the Fon- 
 tainebleau military school. He afterwards distin- 
 guished himself on the battle fields of the First Em- 
 pire and was made a count in 1808. He identified 
 himself with the interests of Prince Eugene, whom 
 he followed to Bavaria, whence he was recalled in 
 1852, by the Emperor and made senator and grand 
 master of the Empress's household, as I have just 
 said. It will thus be seen that the Count was quite 
 a historic character and had seen a great deal of 
 the world. Both the Emperor and Eugenie enjoyed 
 his conversation, and he could speak most interest- 
 ingly of the great events and the great men of the 
 past, when he got warmed to the subject. 
 
 Napoleon always found a peculiar pleasure in 
 
 370
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 having about him these men of the past, who brought 
 him so near to the great Emperor, whom he could 
 recall only vaguely. It was most touching to hear 
 the Emperor question such men as the Count about 
 the smallest details of the looks, doings, and 
 thoughts of Napoleon I. The Emperor did this so 
 constantly and during such a long series of years, 
 that in the end, he had in his own mind so clear a 
 picture of the time and the great actors on the scene, 
 with Napoleon in the foreground, that he finally felt 
 himself of the circle. Perhaps no person in France 
 who belonged to the generation which immediately 
 followed the ''grand era" was so imbued with its 
 life and spirit as was Napoleon III, and the Pagerie 
 family contributed not a little to bring this about. 
 Hence it is that the Empress always had a peculiar 
 fondness for these relatives, for such they were. 
 
 Every day Comte de la Pagerie would come to 
 take the Empress's "orders," though in reality his 
 functions were purely honorary. He and the Coun- 
 tess lived in the Pavilion de ]Marsan in the Tuileries 
 palace. The Count suffered consideral)ly from gout 
 and was not seen much except when on duty. The 
 Countess also lived a somewhat retired life, though 
 her drawing-room was open to a large number of 
 intimate friends. It was a sort of little German 
 court right in the heart of Paris. Her imnKnliate 
 circle always addressed her as Durchlauclit, or Se- 
 rene Highness, which had a delightful odor from 
 the other side of the Rhine. The two daughters who 
 lived vvitli their motlier and father gave a still fur- 
 ther Teutonic touch to this home-circle. Tlie first 
 bore tlie thorouglily Ofrmanic name of Comtesse 
 Waldner-Freuiidstein, and the second, Comtesse 
 
 371
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Stephanie, was a canoness in Bavaria. She was the 
 gayest of the group and was especially clever in 
 planning original quadrilles for masked balls. Many 
 a Tuileries "hop" was given a stamp of delightful 
 originality by the happy thought of this bright 
 woman. The Emperor has left this rather curious 
 note concerning this very virile mind: 
 
 ''The Comtesse once wrote some humorous mem- 
 oirs, which were published during her lifetime, but 
 which were arranged by a writer named Paul Gau- 
 lot, for the family feared that the rather Germanic 
 crudeness of her language might provoke unfavor- 
 able comment. She was indeed something of a Pala- 
 tine princess, and her decidedly German accent when 
 she spoke French lent a certain originality to her 
 conversation which always amused me. She liked 
 to indulge in ridicule, but, at heart, she was not ill- 
 natured and could not be said to be a back-biter, 
 though her tong-ue, which often caused much merri- 
 ment, was feared in some quarters. Her well-known 
 Teutonic leanings and her open correspondence with 
 Queen Augusta and a number of German princes 
 and princesses caused her to be looked upon with 
 a certain distrust in French circles. She was one 
 of those who hold that we may have two countries. 
 But I do not wish to convey the impression that it 
 was believed that she had caused any harm to this 
 country by keeping up her connections with the 
 land where she was born and brought up and where 
 she had two married sisters." 
 
 Comte Charles de la Pagerie, son of the grand 
 master, was first chamberlain in the Empress' house- 
 hold. He became senator after the death of his 
 father in 1861 and obtained the Emperor's permis- 
 
 372
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 sion to assume the title of Due de Dalberg, the Due 
 de Dalberg having been his uncle. He was witty in 
 conversation, but extremely ugly, which ugliness 
 was not lessened by a strange habit which he had 
 of making odd grimaces when he talked. His tastes 
 wore also very Germanic, like those, in fact, of all 
 his family, with the exception of his father, who 
 had remained quite French. The son continued the 
 tradition of his father and mother in making the 
 Tascher salon the meeting place of all the diplo- 
 matists of the large and small German courts, and 
 there you were sure to find any German of impor- 
 tance who happened to pass through Paris. When 
 the Emperor went over to call on the Taschers in 
 their wing of the palace, he would say with a smile : 
 "I am now going to cross the Rhine"; and when he 
 returned to his part of the Tuileries, he would add : 
 "Well, I am back from the Fatherland." At one 
 time the Empress thought of trying to acquire a 
 good knowledge of the German language and she 
 used to go over to the Taschers for conversation. 
 But she had not the necessary leisure to keep it up, 
 when the Emperor remarked: "You have returned 
 from the Fatherland to stay." 
 
 At first the Empress had but one chamberlain — 
 Viscomte de Lezay Marnesia — in addition to the first 
 chamberlain. But later, three others were named, 
 the Marquis d'Havrincourt, the Marquis de Piennes 
 and the Comte de Cosse-Brissac. I mention tlie fact 
 and their names more on account of the pleasing co- 
 incidence that all of them were clever amateur ar- 
 tists—the first being a sculptor, the second a very 
 good draftsman, and the last, not a bad painter. As 
 the Empress always greatly enjoyed the arts, these 
 
 373
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 three gentlemen had not a little to do with making 
 our circle a delightful center for the discussion and 
 practicing of the fine arts. More than one famous 
 painter or sculptor of the day was admitted to the 
 "art coterie" as the Emperor called it, and went 
 aAvay, I am convinced, with new^ ideas and a feeling 
 that the Tuileries breathed an atmosphere not inimi- 
 cal to the beautiful in art and letters. At the time 
 of w^riting this chapter, the Marquis de Piennes is 
 the only one of this delightful trio w^ho still survives. 
 He has been residing for many years on his large 
 Austrian estates and several times visited the Em- 
 press. He has not lost with age any of that uncom- 
 mon type of wattiness which made him famous in the 
 old Tuileries circle. It was through him that the 
 Empress always felt the more closely drawn to Mar- 
 shal MacMahon, as the son of the Marquis, who died 
 young, unfortunately, was married to the daughter 
 of the marshal. An interesting fact, concerning 
 Comte de Cosse Brissac was that, though his family 
 was opposed to the Empire, he remained faithful to 
 it, while his bright and amusing nature made him 
 very popular in the court circle. 
 
 There was, among the subalterns, in the Em- 
 press' service, a somewhat striking figure worthy, 
 for several reasons, of a few moments' attention. 
 Mme. Pollet, long known by the name of Pepa, has 
 been said to have exerted considerable influence over 
 Eugenie and her immediate circle. But this is quite 
 a mistake for, though they all liked Mme. Pollet 
 fairly well on account of her blind devotion, she w^as 
 never in any way admitted into Eugenie's con- 
 fidence. 
 
 Mme. Pollet was quite young when slie entered 
 
 374
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 the Empress' service when the latter was Comtesse 
 de Teba, and she remained w^ith Eugenie all her life. 
 The Empress married her to an infantry officer and 
 at the time of her marriage gave her the title of 
 treasurer. 
 
 That pale little woman, who seemed to have no 
 strength whatever and constantly complained of ill- 
 health, was activity personified. She was the only 
 Spanish woman in the service. She spoke the most 
 curious French imaginable. She had faults which 
 cannot be overlooked, but she w^as, as I have just 
 said, entirely devoted to the Empress, who fully 
 appreciated her fidelity, which did not however pre- 
 vent from scolding her on numerous occasions when 
 her jealousy and ill-temper gave rise to difficulties 
 and disputes among the serving-women, troubles of 
 a kind which Eugenie detested most cordially. Witty 
 and fairly intelligent, Mme. Pollet knew how to turn 
 to good account the trust reposed in her. Some 
 persons have said that she took undue advantage of 
 her position. But that is not perfectly exact, for it 
 should be remembered, Pepa was in no way her own 
 mistress. 
 
 The Empress received one million two hundred 
 thousand francs yearly from the Emperor ; one hun- 
 dred thousand of that amount she used for dress, 
 while most of the rest was distributed in presents, 
 pensions, and charitable bequests. It was Mme. Pol- 
 let's duty to keep all tlie piivate accounts. She was 
 consequently in close relations with the tradespeople 
 for not only the clothes but also for the presents 
 which Eugenie had to make. It must be admitted 
 that under such circumstances, a mortal would re- 
 quire more than an ordinary dose of probity not to 
 
 375
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 succumb to the temptation of feathering one's own 
 nest. Histoiy leaves no doubt on this point. Mme. 
 Pollet mllingly accepted presents from the trades- 
 people who w^ere naturally interested in keeping in 
 the good books of the treaisurer and who over- 
 whelmed her with gifts. The Empress was told later 
 that she also accepted gifts offered by highly placed 
 ladies who wished to obtain favors from the Em- 
 peror or Eugenie and who were only too willing to 
 bribe her. ' ' But where shall we find a court, a min- 
 istry, or even an ordinarily large private establish- 
 ment, in which those who seek favors do not have 
 recourse to the assistance of the subalterns when 
 they think they will thus obtain easier access to the 
 powers that be?" This w^as a very just reflection 
 made by the Emperor when this matter came up one 
 day after the fall of the Empire. 
 
 Mme. Pollet was supreme as regards the direction 
 of the women's services, and there undoubtedly was 
 very often discontent and bitterness among those 
 around her. It frequently required all the kindness 
 the Empress could command to soothe the feelings 
 wounded by Pepa's seeming injustice, and at times, 
 it was no easy thing to put matters in order again. 
 Eugenie would have much preferred to avoid these 
 quarrels; but it is doubtful whether any other ''su- 
 perintendent of domestic affairs" as the Emperor 
 dubbed Mme. Pollet, would not have caused the same 
 difficulties. 
 
 On the other hand, the Empress could safely trust 
 Mme. Pollet to look after jewels, laces, furs, and 
 things of that kind. This was a grand source of 
 comfort. She had a great sense of order, and it 
 even sometimes happened that things were so well 
 
 376
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 tidied away by her that it was often impossible to 
 find what one was looking for. In other words this 
 good soul had, like so many more important people, 
 the defects of her qualities. 
 
 Mme. Pollet was present at the Empress' toilet 
 every day, took orders and transmitted them to the 
 maids and servants generally. She constantly saw 
 Eugenie for a thousand little matters or details, but 
 it is certain that the latter did not allow her to play 
 any part beyond her very subaltern role. A friend 
 has very truly said: "She was never elevated to 
 the rank of a lady, whether it were a lady in waiting 
 or a lady in society." The Empress never dis- 
 cussed any important matter with her, which was, 
 I fear, a source of great disappointment to her. But 
 it was the only safe course. Knowing her character 
 as she did, Eugenie was sure that if she gave her 
 an inch she would take an ell, her usefulness would 
 cease, and then they would have to part company. 
 
 I am told that Mme. Pollet made every effort in 
 her power to gain admission to official receptions 
 so soon as her husband's situation rendered it pos- 
 sible for him to obtain invitations for her. But the 
 Empress in no way encouraged these efforts and 
 always tried to keep Pepa in the modest situation 
 which she filled so well. But when, in 1869, M. Pol- 
 let by the force of circumstances, became a colonel, 
 his wife was seen, I believe, at one or two grand 
 balls; but that was all. Colonel Pollet, who was an 
 excellent husband and soldier, died suddenly in 
 Paris shortly before tlie Franco-Prussian War 
 broke out. His widow followed the Empress to Eng- 
 land, but she found the climate too trying and was 
 unable to remain tiiere. So when she realized that 
 
 377
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 the Imperial restoration was not a matter of the 
 immediate future, she returned to Paris to recruit 
 her health, where she died very soon afterwards. 
 She lived a somewhat isolated life during these last 
 months, in the great capital, for almost every one 
 had forgotten her, and she was no longer needed 
 by those who had showered gifts on her in old times. 
 They were not prone to recognize her now that she 
 could be of no use to them. It must be admitted, 
 too, that her bad temper prevented her from making 
 fast friends. But she left a nice little fortune, I 
 am told, for her sister and her niece, who had re- 
 mained in Spain. 
 
 The one great quality of Mme. Pollet was, as I 
 have already said, her unlimited devotion to those 
 whom she served. She would incur any danger for 
 the Empress, and yet she was of a most timid tem- 
 perament. She was often teased on account of the 
 ease with which she could be thrown into a fright. 
 If some one of the Court were to say: "Why, that 
 curtain is moving!" Mme. Pollet would begin to 
 tremble, and grow pale ; and if the Empress, enter- 
 ing into the spirit of the joke, should add: "Pepa, 
 what can be behind that curtain?" the poor woman 
 would be seized with real terror. She would go to 
 the curtain, and lift its folds with trembling hands, 
 while the court ladies, delighted with the success of 
 their prank, would laugh merrily; and Eugenie 
 sometimes participated in the fun. 
 
 Pepa's peculiar French, and her queer mistakes, 
 due to ignorance of the language or a general lack 
 of information, also often provoked mirth. One 
 example of this is worth recording here. "When 
 Cabanel was painting a portrait of the Emperor,, 
 
 .378
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 the Empress told the celebrated artist to ask Mme. 
 Pollet for all the accessories he might require. Con- 
 sequently one day Cabanel wrote to Pepa asking 
 her to let him have the hand of justice, which was 
 to be painted in the picture with the crown and 
 scepter. Much mystified, by the painter's letter, 
 Pepa sought one of the ladies in waiting, Mile. Bou- 
 vet, and raising her hands to heaven, cried out, much 
 agitated and with an unutterably droll accent: *'La 
 main de justice! But I cannot give him that.'* 
 Gradually calming down, she finally asked: ''But, 
 after all, what is the hand of justice?" And when 
 it was explained to her that M. Cabanel simply 
 wanted the baton anciently used by kings, which had 
 an ivory hand at the end, she admitted that she 
 thought it was some high legal position and that, 
 on no account, would she undertake to transmit such 
 a request to the Empress ! 
 
 The friends who are interested in these memoirs 
 have asked me to include in them something on fash- 
 ions during the Second Empire and to go into de- 
 tails concerning Eugenie's tastes in the matter of 
 toilette and other rather private topics, which I 
 would not be inclined to do if not thus pressed, and 
 if I did not know that these notes will not be read 
 by the larger public till the Empress has passed 
 into another and a better world. And then again, 
 I, now in my old age, am speaking of things which 
 happened back in my youth, when Eugenie was 
 in the full gaze of France and all Europe, for it 
 must not be forgotten that when the Second Empire 
 was at its zenith, in the sixties, it was the cynosure 
 of all eyes. Thirdly, in a chapter on Court life, 
 
 379
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 fashions, perhaps, have their rightful place. Such 
 are my excuses, rather lame, some may think, for 
 adding these more trivial notes to these pages of a 
 life which had its serious side, notwithstanding the 
 criticisms of some of her detractors. 
 
 I cannot conceive of a state of society worthy of 
 the name which should not feel that its rulers should 
 make as fine an appearance as possible before the 
 world. This was the view taken by the great Na- 
 poleon and by his nephew, and the Empress shared 
 this opinion of the two Emperors. Elegant clothes 
 and jewels are as necessary on a throne, especially 
 on the part of a queen or empress, as intelligence 
 and popularity. The Court which preceded that of 
 the Second Empire, had been described as lacking 
 in elegance, and it has often been said that com- 
 merce and industry in France and particularly in 
 Paris suffered from this lack. Napoleon's Court, 
 however, has sometimes been criticized for an ex- 
 cess of luxury and elegance. But it should not be 
 forgotten that it was, in this particular, simply in 
 accord with the time. Luxury and elegance were 
 then predominant and are still, for that matter. 
 Wealth and comfort and even show were never more 
 prominent than to-day. Neither the political mis- 
 fortunes of 1870, the uncertainty of the European 
 situation, nor the instability of the Third Republic, 
 has attenuated this taste for fine things, display and 
 the comforts and pleasures brought by money. It 
 is not going too far, perhaps, to say that elegance 
 has become an essential part of the modern world 
 and the life of all nations. But it is going to much 
 too great a length and is wholly unjust to accuse 
 the Second Empire as having been the instrument 
 
 380
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 for the bringing about of this state of things. Every 
 thoughtful person knows that the nearer people get 
 to the quintessence of civilization and to the refine- 
 ments thereof, the more are prized the arts, style 
 in fashion, fine clothes, rich jewels. The sovereigns 
 felt that it was the duty of such a Court as was that 
 of the Tuileries, in a country where commerce and 
 industry are so eager in their demands for encour- 
 agement, to give an impulse to trade and to create 
 as far as we could a market for the more expensive 
 products. And I think that I may say that they 
 were eminently successful in this effort. Many large 
 fortunes were made at Lyons and elsewhere be- 
 cause of the support of the elite of the population, 
 the fashions of the hour calling for beautiful ma- 
 terials, for silks and rich fabrics of all kinds. 
 
 The Empress' efforts in this direction gave rise 
 to many legends. Party pamphleteers went so far 
 as to declare that she gave up her whole time to the 
 devising of new gowns. Such phrases as these are 
 scattered through certain sheets of the period: "the 
 frivolity of the Empress," "her immoderate love of 
 fine clothes," "her never-satisfied desire for luxuri- 
 ous things," "her custom of never wearing the same 
 dress twice." It is true that Eugenie often changed 
 her attire ; it was a duty imposed by her station. It 
 is also of course true that she possessed a large 
 number of costumes of all kinds. How could it have 
 been otherwise? l>ut these were not all full-dress 
 gowns. In tlie ordinary home life at the Tuileries 
 and in the summer retreats, Eugenie's attire was 
 always simple and in no way outdid the dress of the 
 persons who surrounded her. It often happened 
 that it was only the external part of her attire which 
 
 381
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 was elegant. A rich mantle often covered a very 
 modest gown. When the Empress drove out, espe- 
 cially at Paris, her hat and cloak were handsome, 
 but generally she w^as not otherwise "dressed up." 
 I dislike to touch on the more personal side of the 
 subject; but so many idle stories were circulated 
 during the reign and so many of them are still alive, 
 that it has seemed to me that I am doing my duty 
 not only by the Empress but by the regime, in de- 
 claring most of them to be wholly false and all of 
 them to be exaggerated grossly. 
 
 It will be pleasanter for me now to devote a few 
 paragraphs to the more general theme of fashion 
 and dress under the Second Empire, when what was 
 worn at the state balls and great public ceremonies 
 was often the talk of all Europe. 
 
 When one speaks of fashion, it is often difficult 
 to refrain from criticism and a smile. The elegant 
 women of to-day, with their dresses which are more 
 or less tight-fitting — little by little w^e are returning 
 to more amjjle and becoming shapes — cannot under- 
 stand how any one could have worn those wire cages 
 called crinolines, which held up a whole shopful of 
 material ! Three ladies so attired used to fill up the 
 space of a moderate-sized room! What quantities 
 of material w^ere there and what a variety, — cun- 
 ningly arranged draperies, fringes, ruchings, pleats, 
 real or imitation laces, the whole ending in a long 
 train which it was no easy task to pull about with 
 one. 
 
 There was a mixture of all styles during the Sec- 
 ond Empire. You saw Renaissance sleeves, Louis 
 XVI panniers, Grecian draperies and those little 
 basques formerly worn by ladies of the time of the 
 
 382
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 Fronde. It must be admitted that it was not an easy 
 task, with such cumbersome and varied elements, to 
 offer an elegant deportment and to make a charming 
 appearance. Success depended on gracefulness of 
 gesture, on carriage, on a sliding motion in one's 
 step, on a svelt form and a supple bust. In the 
 evening, when shoulders were bared, and the easy 
 movements of the bodj^ were possible, the silhouette 
 was more attractive; and, had it not been for the 
 panniers and the crinolines, the dresses of that day 
 would not have been ugly for dinner and after-din- 
 ner wear. 
 
 During the Second Empire, it was quite a feat to 
 walk w^lien you were forced to carry about with you 
 such an unnatural rotundity as that of the crino- 
 line. When you sat down, you had to guard against 
 the flying up or out of the rebellious wires. To get 
 into a carriage without making a mess of it required 
 not a little skill, especially as many dresses were 
 made of very light materials, such as tulle, gauze 
 and lace. Husbands and fathers needed to be blessed 
 with a large stock of patience and restive horses had 
 to be well trained, for considerable time and much 
 fine calculation were necessary on these trying occa- 
 sions. It was almost impossible to shake hands with 
 a child and very difficult to take a gentleman's arm. 
 In fact from this moment dates the custom which 
 prevails to-day of not offering the arm in a drawing- 
 room and particularly in the street. 
 
 The inventor of the crinoline was Auguste Person, 
 who died not many years ago in Champagne at the 
 advanced ago of almost eighty, I am told. I have 
 also heard that he did not make much money from 
 his invention, for he sold tiie patent for four thou- 
 
 383
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 sand francs. But those who bought it gained over 
 a million. For its popularity grew very rapidly. 
 Toward 1860, all the elegant ladies were submissive 
 to the tyranny of this very wide piece of stiff twill, 
 surrounded with metal hoops. The crinoline was at 
 first called in France * ' a cage, ' ' and the women who 
 put on the new invention were said to be "caged." 
 It is easy to imagine the wit indulged in at their ex- 
 pense. One of the "funny writers" of the Paris 
 press likened gossiping paroquets to "the bearers of 
 the cage, ' ' the new-fashioned petticoat. All this talk 
 about it caused the article to sell and hence the rea- 
 son why, commercially, the invention was most 
 profitable. 
 
 This strange fashion had been set by tall, stout 
 women who are always very influential in the ele- 
 gant world; but it was soon followed by all. Thin, 
 small women persuaded themselves that "it suited 
 their style of beauty," which was not the case; and 
 though their husbands and brothers protested and 
 rifdiculed them, still the crinoline continued to hold 
 its sway. The Nain Jaiine, Charivari^ and Figaro, 
 the annual theatrical "review^s," and more preten- 
 tious plays like that of Blum at the Vie Parisienne 
 — all made fun of the innovation, but its vogue did 
 not begin to wane till towards the end of the Em- 
 pire. Surprise is now sometimes expressed that it 
 lasted so long. 
 
 A friend has told me of a play given at a fash- 
 ionable Paris club in 1878, where, for one of the 
 scenes, John Lewis Brown sketched two pictures. 
 Both represented women of the world. In the one, 
 the woman was spread out in a crinoline of the time 
 of the Second Empire, while in the other, the woman 
 
 384
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 was attired in the tightly squeezing, narrow cling- 
 ing skirts then in fashion. Though not ten years 
 had passed since the ladies had allowed themselves 
 to be dressed as in the first instance, the actresses 
 who were to take part in the play exclaimed: "How 
 could we have allowed ourselves to be made such 
 frights of?" And somebody present well remarked: 
 "The same thing will be said in another decade of 
 the present fashion, which goes to the other ex- 
 treme," Both criticisms, it seems to me, were just. 
 Some years ago, an effort was made to bring back 
 the crinoline, though in less exaggerated propor- 
 tions. But, fortunately, the attempt failed. And 
 yet, it cannot be denied that the fashion was becom- 
 ing to certain women. All of them did not appear 
 ridiculous in crinolines. At the court of the 
 Tuileries, where dress was never carried too far, it 
 cannot be said that the crinoline was ugly. The Em- 
 press was not able to ignore the fashion but she al- 
 ways kept the crinoline within reasonable bounds. 
 Its final suppression, I always considered to be due 
 to "Worth, who was really a great fashion-maker. 
 He did much to revive a taste for grace in attire. 
 He modified the size of the skirt, while he gradually 
 molded the shape of the body. Little by little he 
 diminished the immense circumference of the hoops 
 until they were quite done avv'ay with, or were re- 
 placed by light cage-like affairs which held up the 
 train behind. This sort of "dress improver" held 
 its ground for a few years longer, and then it, too, 
 was at last abandoned. Though this improver may 
 be said to have been abnormal, it was not wholly in- 
 artistic in some respects and on some persons. Per- 
 haps the Empress' own liking for short skirts, which 
 
 385
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 all wore for walking at Saint Cloud, Fontainebleau 
 and Compiegne, had something to do with this grad- 
 ual modification of this portion of woman's attire. 
 Towards 1860, women's hats were high pyramids 
 covered with fruit and flowers. They were very 
 heavy and enlarged the head to a disproportionate 
 size. This fashion, too, was destined to be changed 
 little by little. It was mainly to Mme. Virot that 
 the transformation of hats under the Empire was 
 due. She threw open to view the back of the neck 
 by doing away with the streamers or bavolets — 
 a stiff pleated piece of material which enwrapped 
 the neck and shoulders. The hats then became little 
 string-bonnets, rather flat, and framing the face 
 artistically, showing the hair. Here, as in every- 
 thing else, *he style was exaggerated in some cases, 
 and the hats were so flat that they were called 
 ** plates." But on the whole, this style of hat was 
 becoming, was pretty and worn for a long time. 
 They underwent many little changes and the strings 
 were gradually suppressed. Nowadays, women of a 
 certain age wear these little bonnets and efforts 
 have been made to render them fashionable for the 
 theaters, where high hats are such a nuisance. But 
 this effort, unfortunately, has not met with success. 
 The large Gainsborough hats and the Louis XVI 
 shapes of the day, with their mass of feathers, flow- 
 ers and fur tails, are the fortune of the milliners, 
 who will, of course, keep them in fashion as long as 
 possible. If you compare them with the creations of 
 Virot or Ode, you will find that hats to-day cost three 
 or four times more than they did under the Second 
 Empire, and yet there are people who ever harp on 
 the ** extravagance of the Empire." 
 
 386
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 For traveling, and for walks at Compiegne and 
 the other country residences, the Empress wore 
 an oval-shaped hat, of medium size, adorned with 
 ribbon bows and feathers of moderate length. These 
 hats kept in fashion for some time. They are rela- 
 tively simple, very practical and generally becom- 
 ing to the face. 
 
 The evening head dress was usually round dia- 
 dems of flowers in which were placed diamonds like 
 drops of dew. This style was very becoming to 
 young faces. Older ladies wore crowns of foliage 
 or jeweled diadems. Eugenie always liked to see 
 her ladies attired in a way fitting their years. If 
 there was a thing that she particularly disliked, it 
 was to see young attire on those who were no longer 
 youthful. I can never forget how her excellent read- 
 er, Comtesse de Wagner, forgetting this rule on one 
 occasion, appeared one evening, when she had 
 passed seventy, got up in tulle, trimmed with red 
 ribbons and with a nimbus of white roses round her 
 head, like Ophelia! The Empress really could not 
 go near her the whole evening. 
 
 Eugenie went over her wardrobe twice each year 
 and the dresses which could not be worn again were 
 distributed among the waiting-women, who, I be- 
 lieve, disposed of them at advantageous rates. Two 
 rooms of the wardrobe apartments in the palace 
 were used as work-rooms for the dress-makers. 
 Here the Empress could have gowns made up in her 
 own way. At the moment of the change of the sea- 
 sons, shopmen were received in these rooms, and 
 then it was that she chose materials and ordered 
 a certain number of costumes. It was also in these 
 rooms that the Empress would try them on when 
 
 387
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 they were finished. Adjoining rooms were provided 
 with oak closets with sliding doors, and here the 
 gowns w^ere kept till wanted. 
 
 It was the custom at the Tuileries and the other 
 Imperial residences for the Empress to appear in 
 low-neck attire in the evening. When the company 
 was small and during the winter season, she gen- 
 erally put on a long gown of black or blue velvet 
 or of plain w^hite satin, and also some jewels, one of 
 her favorites being the clover leaf in emeralds and 
 diamonds which w^as her first gift from the Em- 
 peror. She wore sometimes w^hat she used to call 
 ''political gowns." They were of heavy brocade 
 and lampas materials, rather sumptuous and un- 
 wieldy, but very etfective, on the wiiole, I have al- 
 ways thought. The Emperor especially liked these 
 gowns. They were ordered mainly to encourage 
 the Lyons silk trade, and were more richly decorated 
 than most of her gowns, with passementerie and 
 lace. 
 
 The Empress never cared for loose morning robes 
 and, in fact, never possessed a dressing-gown. She 
 used the ordinary linen wraps which are generally 
 employed w^hen dressing. The real reason for this 
 w^as that she always preferred to dress fully the 
 first thing in the morning. Perhaps I ought to 
 amend this statement by saying that in 1865, the 
 Empress did have a dressing-gown for a short time. 
 The Prince Imperial had caught the measles and she 
 wished to be near him during the night. So the 
 reader, Mme. Carette, went to the Louvre shops and 
 chose a ready-made red flannel dressing-gown, which 
 Eugenie found very convenient. 
 
 Of course she had to use a great many pairs of 
 
 388
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 shoes. The soiled ones were given to the orphan- 
 age Eugene Napoleon, founded with the money 
 which the City of Paris had wished to spend on a 
 necklace at the moment of her marriage. The white 
 shoes were always kept for the young orphan girls 
 who had arrived at the age for celebrating their first 
 communion. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress always held that, 
 as rulers of France, their duties were much more 
 than political, especially in a country where art and 
 letters stood so high. They tried to spread about 
 our Court an atmosphere that was, as far as pos- 
 sible, all-embracing. Thus, as has already been 
 seen, the Empress took a particular interest in the 
 fashions and did what she could to keep Paris the 
 world's center, for all that pertained to feminine 
 attire; and in this effort it was generally conceded 
 that she was on the whole successful. But they also 
 gave much attention to art and above all to dramatic 
 art. The theaters, actors and actresses of Paris 
 had been famous under all regimes, and during the 
 Second Empire the high standard was carefully kept 
 up. Nor was it French talent alone which was wel- 
 comed before the Paris footliglits. Dramatic ar- 
 tists from several foreign lands were applauded by 
 French audiences, and they often owed their invi- 
 tation to Paris either directly or indirectly to the 
 expressed wishes of the Tuileries. A good example 
 of this was given in 1855 during the Exhibition of 
 that year, when occurred a series of dramatic per- 
 formances which were most interesting in every 
 respect. The incidents connected therewith will il- 
 lustrate the intimate connection whicli then existed 
 between the Court and the theatrical world wliicli is 
 
 389
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGExXIE 
 
 the excuse for the introduction of the subject in this 
 chapter. 
 
 The famous Rachel was on the point of leaving 
 for a long vacation which had been granted her by 
 the management of the Comedie Frangaise. It 
 turned out to be an eternal vacation, since she came 
 home only to die. But before she went, at the request 
 of the Court, she played for an entire month the 
 great works of Corneille and Racine in which she 
 excelled. After the performance of Phedre, which 
 was a veritable triumph, she was really free, but 
 consented in June to reappear at a gala evening 
 given in honor of the King of Portugal and the 
 Duke of Oporto. The Emperor and the Empress 
 were present and led in the applause. The spec- 
 tacle included a Hommage a Corneille, the Menteur, 
 and Horace. 
 
 As a matter of fact, this was not her last appear- 
 ance, certain circumstances having determined 
 Rachel to remain some time longer at Paris. It was 
 due, in fact, to a sort of competition between Rachel 
 and Ristori which gave the public many fine plays, 
 greatly to the delight of Parisian society and the 
 Court. 
 
 Ristori, Marquise Capranica del Grillo, who died 
 in 1906, over eighty years old, had just carried off 
 a series of victories at the Salle Ventadour in Fran- 
 cesca di Rimini, Maria Stuardo, and other parts. 
 She was then the idol of Paris; Lamartine wrote 
 verses to her, and at one time it was thought she 
 might appear at the Theatre Frangais. There were 
 endless discussions concerning the talents of the two 
 great artists. The Court was particularly interested 
 in these honors shown the celebrated Italian trag- 
 
 390
 
 THE OFFICIAL HOUSEHOLD 
 
 edienne. The Emperor was then accused in certain 
 circles in Italy of not doing all that was expected of 
 him in the matter of bringing about a sort of politi- 
 cal side to it — the Court did not let slip this occasion 
 to please the Italian nation by honoring one of its 
 great actresses. The Emperor and the Empress 
 naturally led "in this good work" as the Emperor 
 called it. 
 
 Alexandre Dumas even maintained that Ristori 
 was superior to Rachel. This the sovereigns both 
 thought privately was perhaps going a little too far. 
 The celebrated story-teller proposed a performance 
 at the Opera in which the two tragediennes would 
 appear, — Ristori in Maria Stuardo by Maffei, 
 Rachel in Marie Stuart by Lebrun. Unfortunately, 
 this proposal gave rise to much discussion, and 
 many articles more or less bitter were written in 
 the newspapers by the partisans of both the great 
 artists. The Court deeply regretted all this. Of 
 course, the proposed performance at the Opera did 
 not take place. But Rachel was at length aroused 
 and took up the gauntlet. She went secretly to see 
 her rival play at the Salle Ventadour; she heard the 
 loud cheers, the encores — and she fainted ! 
 
 The result of this was that Rachel made another 
 appearance on the scene. She wished to see if she 
 had lost her former power and to make a supreme 
 appeal to the public who seemed to be falling away 
 from her. She had a great success in her classical 
 parts, in Marie Stuart, and especially in Phedre, 
 which she played twice; in Andromaque, and the 
 Moineau de Lesbie. The Emperor and the Em- 
 press were present at several of those performances 
 
 391
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 and we showed the veteran actress that she was fully 
 appreciated at Court. 
 
 A few days after this triumph Rachel left for 
 America. In January, 1858, she succumbed to the 
 malady of which she had felt the first attacks three 
 years before, and which her American tour accele- 
 rated. She remembered in her will the Emperor 
 whom she admired and to whom she left a bust of 
 Napoleon I by Canova. The Emperor was much 
 touched by this act of the great tragedienne whom 
 he had so often applauded, and always felt that this 
 delicate attention w^as paid him for the part he and 
 the Empress took in the famous competition of the 
 summer of 1855.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 EPISODES IN" THE EMPEKOR's LIFE 
 
 The long range of buildings designed by the 
 architect Visconti to connect the Louvre and Tuile- 
 ries, was completed in 1857 and on August 14th in 
 that year the Emperor and the Empress presided at 
 the ceremony of their inauguration. "When, on July 
 25, 1852, Napoleon III laid the foundation stone, he 
 expressed the hope that the work would be com- 
 pleted in five years' time, and his desire had been 
 fulfilled, thanks first of all to Visconti, and, after the 
 death of the famous architect, which occurred in 
 1853, to Lefuel, who carried on the undertaking to 
 the end, with unflagging zeal. In the beautifying of 
 Paris, Napoleon III took as his model his great 
 uncle. When a work w^as to be done, he asked expert 
 opinion as to the shortest, not the longest, time re- 
 quired to accomplish it, and then he required that it 
 be done within this promised period and would take 
 no excuse for any failure to keep the promise. The 
 conduct of this Louvre-Tuileries work was a good 
 example of the Emperor's energy and expedition. 
 No effort was spared to hasten its completion. One 
 hundred and fifty sculptors and a host of decorators 
 labored ceaselessly at the execution of the design, 
 which comprised no less than fifteen hundred sepa- 
 rate objects for carving. During the year 1857 the 
 number of workmen's days reached three hundred 
 
 393
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 and thirteen thousand exclusive of joiners, carpen- 
 ters, and others. But the object was attained and the 
 building was completed within the given time. It 
 cost thirty-six millions of francs, and besides a beau- 
 tiful building, uniting the two palaces, it opened up 
 two new roadways to the public, one under the 
 Pavilion Sully for pedestrians and the other under 
 the Pavilion Richelieu for vehicles. Napoleon right- 
 fully considered this work one of the finest material 
 successes of his reign and more than once, on look- 
 ing out of the Tuileries windows on these beautiful 
 fresh fronts, did he express aloud his enthusiasm 
 and contentment. 
 
 He was wont to recall with keen pleasure the 
 ceremonies of that day. It was two o'clock in the 
 afternoon of August 14th, that the Emperor and the 
 Empress, accompanied by princes and princesses of 
 the Imperial family and their households, left the 
 Tuileries, passed beneath the Triumphal Arch on 
 the east side of the Tuileries and entered the Louvre 
 by the Pavilion Denon. The State Minister, M. 
 Fould, and the grand officers of the Crowm awaited 
 their arrival and conducted them through the gallery 
 which was destined to become a Museum of Sculp- 
 ture, up the staircase of the Pavilion Moliere, 
 whence they entered processionally into the grand 
 hall where the ceremony was to take place. During 
 this whole w^alk. Napoleon spoke on art with those 
 about him and displayed his wonderful knowledge 
 of out-of-the-way tine art subjects. 
 
 Seats had been placed opposite the throne for the 
 artists and workmen who had contributed by their 
 talent or their labor to the construction of the edi- 
 fice. The Emp3ror especially commanded that the 
 
 394
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 latter be given a worthy part in the proceedings. 
 There was always a strong democratic strain run- 
 ning through all that Napoleon III thought and did. 
 The Minister of State made a speech, describing the 
 Emperor's plans and the manner in which they had 
 been executed, after which a number of medals and 
 awards were distributed, and every one of the arti- 
 sans, contractors and workmen was called up to the 
 platform to receive from the Emperor's own hand 
 the reward which had been allotted to him. Then 
 came the sovereign's speech, recalling the different 
 phases through which the Louvre passed under the 
 Monarchy, the Empire and the Republic. ' ^ The com- 
 pletion of the Louvre," he said in conclusion, ''is 
 not the caprice of a moment, it is the realization of 
 a plan conceived for the greater glory of France, 
 and sustained by the interest of our country during 
 more than three hundred years." 
 
 It was a day of enthusiastic rejoicing. That eve- 
 ning, a banquet, presided over by M. Fould, was 
 given, the greater number of the four hundred and 
 seventy guests present being workmen ; among these 
 was a woman, the widow of a sawyer who, on the 
 death of her husband, had obtained permission to 
 take his place at the works. She was present as the 
 Empress' guest and at her special request. When, 
 the next day, the Emperor read in the public prints 
 the account of this banquet and learned of the pres- 
 ence of "your widow," as he said quizzingly to the 
 Empress, he remarked with a smile: "Well, you see, 
 there must always be a woman in it." 
 
 August 15th, the birthday of Napoleon and the 
 national holiday of the Second Empire, was cele- 
 brated with greater enthusiasm than usual this year. 
 
 395
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 The Parisians flocked to the Carrousel to see the 
 Louvre and Tuileries now joined in one great build- 
 ing, remembering the houses of all kinds, shops and 
 bazaars, which five years before obstructed the 
 space now occupied by superb squares and gardens. 
 Everj'body was high in praise of the splendid trans- 
 formation and the name of the author of it all was on 
 every lip. The festivities closed by the Emperor 
 himself distributing the medal of Saint Helena, 
 ■which he had just instituted for the old comrades in 
 arms of Napoleon I, to many military notabilities 
 such as King Jerome, Marshal Vaillant, Admiral 
 Hamelin, Marshal Baraguay d'Hilliers, Admiral 
 Perceval Deschene, General Due de Plaisance, and 
 General d'Ornano, names which mean much for dif- 
 ferent reasons to all the friends of Bonapartism. 
 
 The inauguration of ^'the new Louvre" was, 
 therefore, one of those many red-letter days w^hich 
 characterized the early years of the Second Empire, 
 on the memory of which the Emperor loved to dwell 
 in the stormier years which followed. ''When I said 
 that the Empire stands for Peace," he once re- 
 marked, ''this is w^iat I meant by that much ridi- 
 culed phrase. If wars came, it was not by my seek- 
 ing. I much preferred events like this splendid 
 artistic ceremony. We had many such during the 
 Second Empire, and we would have had nothing else 
 if I could have had my way. But circumstances were 
 often stronger than individual desires." 
 
 Ever since the end of the war in Italy in 1859, the 
 Emperor had cherished the thought of wanting a 
 history of Julius Cresar. He recollected that Na- 
 poleon at St. Helena had complained of many omis- 
 sions in the Commentaries, and, moreover, the strik- 
 
 396
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 ing individuality of the Conqueror of Gaul attracted 
 him singularly. So, filled with enthusiasm, he drew 
 up a plan of his intended work, in accordance with 
 which it should comprise two distinct parts — the war 
 against Gaul, and the Civil War, with a description 
 of Rome and of the world in general at the time of 
 Capsar's greatest power and fame. 
 
 The work was commenced in 1860. The Emperor 
 and his collaborators, M. Mocquard, his principal 
 private secretary, and M. Maury, librarian at the 
 Tuileries, member of the Institute and later direc- 
 tor of the archives, started researches in all the chief 
 libraries of Europe and especially in those of Paris 
 and Rome, for everything that might in any way 
 relate to the subject in question — manuscripts, 
 plans, maps and drawings. M. Reynier at the Vat- 
 ican, and M. Renan at the Paris National Library, 
 hunted for details with the greatest care and inde- 
 fatigability. 
 
 Topography and the question of fortifications 
 were both to be treated with much detail in this re- 
 constitution of the life of Ca?sar. Quite by chance 
 the Emperor discovered an exceedingly devoted and 
 very competent military collaborator in the person 
 of Baron Stoffcl, captain in the artillery stationed 
 at Auxonne, whore he occupied his leisure hours, 
 which are not few in a garrison life, by writing a 
 very complete and learned book on the fortifications 
 of Alesia, the famous fortified capital of Vercinge- 
 torix, the Gallic leader w^ho was defeated by Caesar. 
 His treatise was submitted to the Emperor for ap- 
 proval. Napoleon found it most interesting and had 
 it published in full in the Moyiiteur, the official .jour- 
 nal of the Empire. lie tlien invited Baron Stoffel to 
 
 397
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 enter the Imperial military household and entrusted 
 him with a series of topographical missions in 
 various parts of ancient Gaul, and later on, in Italy. 
 By this means, the plans of battles, which are only 
 vaguely indicated in the CommeTitaries, were fully 
 described. Baron Stoffel also undertook extensive 
 researches of a more literary nature, and when the 
 Emperor, for political reasons, finally abandoned 
 the idea of the second portion of the proposed work, 
 this officer published under his own name a History 
 of the Civil War, derived from notes prepared by 
 the Emperor himself, or by those acting under his 
 orders. 
 
 Some curiosity has at times been expressed as to 
 who were the other collaborators of the Emperor in 
 this important literary undertaking. I am in a posi- 
 tion to give the facts on this point. 
 
 To the three principal collaborators who have just 
 been named, may be added Prosper Merimee, who 
 gave many suggestions and abandoned his intention 
 of publishing a Roman history, for which he had 
 already collected a large amount of material. M. 
 Victor Duruy, the distinguished historian and Min- 
 ister of Public Instruction under the Empire, had 
 numerous conversations on the subject with Napo- 
 leon III, and gave him valuable notes set out in the 
 form of questions and answers. M. de Saulcy, the 
 well-known antiquarian, undertook the numismatic 
 part of the labor, w^hich he was well qualified to do. 
 
 Besides consulting Duruy and other historians 
 who had written on Roman history, from Lamartine 
 to the Comte de Champagny and M. Troplong, the 
 well-known juriscovsvlte, the Emperor examined 
 carefully the works of Mommsen, the great German 
 
 398
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 historian. A young man attached to the Louvre Mu- 
 seum, M. Frohner, who was highly recommended by 
 the Grand Duke of Baden, came several times each 
 week to the Tuileries and spent several hours trans- 
 lating and commenting on the opinions of the Ger- 
 man writer. 
 
 At this period the Emperor left the Empress' 
 apartments about eight o'clock, every evening, and 
 remained in his private apartments till a very late 
 hour. But if he ceased writing before half past 
 eleven, he would often return for a cup of tea with 
 Eugenie and her friends; otherwise he would go on 
 working till the small hours of the morning. The 
 chief valet, Felix, had great trouble in drawing him 
 from his labor. "Sire," he would say, ''it is mid- 
 night," or "half past twelve" or "past one 
 o'clock," as the case might be, adding a moment 
 after: "His Majesty's doctors have prohibited such 
 late work." "Yes, yes, but this isn't work," replied 
 the Emperor smiling; and he would often remain a 
 considerable time longer at his writing table. 
 
 But, notwithstanding these late watches, the Fiui- 
 peror always rose early. And yet, at this very 
 moment, his enemies accused him of leading a life 
 entirely devoted to pleasure and laziness. How little 
 they knew him, and how little they knew of many of 
 the other virtues which dwelt witliin tlie four walls 
 of the Tuileries, whei'e these ill-judging critics pre- 
 tended to see only unworthiness. Nothing pained the 
 Emperor and the l-^mpross more than tliese unfair 
 and unfriendly judgments. 
 
 Besides these scholars and archivists wiio lent 
 their competent collaboration to tlie Emperor, he 
 always counted among his most valued cooperators 
 
 399
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 M. Anselme Petetin, director of the Imperial Prints 
 ing Office, who personally supervised the press-work, 
 which was most beautifully executed, and M. Pran- 
 ceschini Pietri, who had been for some years one of 
 the Emperor's most trusted private secretaries and 
 who acted as an intelligent intermediary between the 
 Emperor and his correspondents or artists. 
 
 The above mentioned collaborators and a half 
 dozen others whose names have not been given, 
 shared in the sales of the work, the second edition of 
 which was brought out by the late M. Henri Plon, 
 the well-known Paris publisher. It sold very well in 
 France and abroad, as the share of each collaborator 
 came to about twenty thousand francs. 
 
 The great quarto volume, the first edition, was 
 given by the Emperor to his friends and to a number 
 of scholars in Europe and the world in general, with 
 a few words written by himself on the fly-leaf. It 
 was an exceptionally fine specimen of printing and 
 binding. 
 
 The work attracted considerable attention not 
 only in France but in all civilized countries, where 
 historians and critics devoted long articles to it. 
 Some criticized certain passages in which the Em- 
 peror appeared, by a clever use of parallels arising 
 in the course of the events described, to explain the 
 Coup d'Etat. M. Duruy wanted all such sentences 
 struck out, but the Emperor refused, saying: "Since 
 similar events offer an occasion for making such 
 comparisons, I do not see why I should not take 
 advantage of them, especially as it is the nephew of 
 a second Caesar who is trying to write the life of the 
 founder of the Roman Empire. The Emperor's 
 theory of a providentially appointed man, born to 
 
 400
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROE'S LIFE 
 
 rule, naturally served as a target for the enemies of 
 the Empire. The declarations on this point of Hegel 
 and Cousin were evidently forgotten, by these bitter 
 partisans, as was also Mommsen's remark that ''cer- 
 tain men are born to command nations as the wind 
 commands the clouds." 
 
 On the other hand, it was admitted that the Em- 
 peror did not exaggerate his hero's qualities as an 
 excuse for his faults. Caesar's cruel treatment of 
 the gloriously defeated Vercingetorix was in no wise 
 attenuated; but, at the same time, the author re- 
 minded his readers that the conquest of Gaul was 
 the first step in the civilization of France, and, 
 therefore, was of very great importance from the 
 point of view of French nationality. The sequence 
 of chapters was generally praised, as also the clear 
 and sober style, and the great usefulness of the 
 work, geographically, was also pointed out. 
 
 Morimee, who, as we have seen, was to some 
 extent a collaborator and counselor, devoted two 
 articles to the Life of Ccesar in the Journal des 
 Savants, the celebrated official periodical of French 
 scholars. Those articles, where praise was by no 
 means unmixed with criticism of a rather adverse 
 kind, satisfied both the Emperor and the Institute. 
 Silvestro de Sacy, Provost Paradol, and many other 
 French and foreign critics of weight also expressed 
 their opinion of the work, and all united in praising 
 its scicntfic value, though some condemned the the- 
 ories which it set forth and advocated. 
 
 Two opinions concerning this work are especially 
 worthy of being considered, as they come from de- 
 termined adversaries of the Empire and at the same 
 time from clever writers. My quotations in this con- 
 
 401
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 nection have been revised and are not taken from a 
 version, which, I believe, has already appeared in 
 print somewhere. 
 
 George Sand, notwithstanding her republican con- 
 victions spoke of the book in the following manner, 
 when writing to a friend : 
 
 ''From a literary point of view, the work is really 
 without a flaw, and that does not mean that it lacks 
 attractiveness or color; all is marv^elously clear, 
 sober, vivid and full. It is without doubt the result 
 of great labor, but nowhere is there evidence of 
 effort or confusion. Its pages appear to flow freely 
 from the lips of an erudite thinker who sums up the 
 works of all the ancient historians with such facility 
 that one fancies one can hear each of them giving 
 this synopsis of his own book. The personal appre- 
 ciations are very brief, but excellently expressed, 
 and if the color is sober, the design is all the firme" 
 and the shaft strikes more keenly. To give a fair 
 idea of the volume it would be necessary to quote 
 several passages, for no one has expressed things 
 better. A work so eminently both by its erudite tal- 
 ent and high sentiments, must tend to raise the level 
 of ideas and to help the world's progress. Convic- 
 tion alone produced it, not the desire to support a 
 theory or to show off an intellectual capacity which 
 had already been proven." 
 
 This article caused much discussion and George 
 Sand was called upon to defend her position. She 
 was one of the earliest critics to read the book and 
 adds: "My report is the first which was made, and 
 consequently my judgment was perfectly independ- 
 ent and I considered that the book had great merit. 
 I was absolutely sure that it was entirely, and with- 
 
 402
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 out any correction, the work of him who signed it. 
 Therefore my impartial praise was due to his real 
 talent." This was a notably friendly criticism and 
 the Emperor saw that his thanks reached the dis- 
 tinguished writer of it. 
 
 Ximenes Doudan, the delicate essayist of the Or- 
 leanist group, who so often spoke bitterly against 
 the Empire, confessed on this occasion: ''I am read- 
 ing the Life of Ccesar and I have felt no compunc- 
 tious shivers while perusing it. To be impartial, I 
 find there is a certain merit in the book. The con- 
 quest of Italy by the Romans is, perhaps, much too 
 long for an introduction, but the whole thing is 
 brought out with a certain vigor and independence 
 of judgment." 
 
 The question has been sometimes asked as to just 
 how much of this histor}^ was really the work of 
 Napoleon III himself. The answer is that the idea 
 of making such a book was wholly the Emperor's 
 and many of the pages were entirely written by his 
 hand, while not one was left untouched by his prac- 
 ticed pen. Much of the purely historic and technical 
 matter was furnished by the specialists and scholars 
 whose names liave been given above. They pro- 
 vided the skeleton, but it was the Emperor who put 
 the flesh on these dry bones and gave life and color 
 to the whole. It must not be forgotten that Napoleon 
 III, like Napoleon I, had had considerable training 
 in the art of composition and book-making before he 
 came to the throne. He used to say sometimes: "I 
 often feel that I would like to lay down the scepter 
 for a season and take up the quill. The only risk 
 would be that I would never wish to go back to the 
 
 403
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPBESS EUGENIE 
 
 scepter again. ^Cacoethes scribendi' ought to have 
 been in my armorial bearings." 
 
 After glancing over the first copy of the Cccsar 
 just fresh from the press, he turned to the Empress 
 and exclaimed with a smile: ''We have two children 
 now, though you are the mother of only one of them, 
 and the better one, of course." One of the fond 
 dreams of his exile was to find the time and health 
 to revise this Life of Cccsar, and the accomplishment 
 of this desire was repeatedly pressed upon him by a 
 famous London publisher who probably saw a com- 
 mercial profit in the undertaking. But all the Em- 
 peror had in view was to render a good book still 
 better. 
 
 The Emperor did all in his power to bring over to 
 the Second Empire intellectual France, fully aw^are 
 of the important part played in a nation by its 
 writers, professors, artists and scientists. This was 
 a difficult task and Napoleon was only partly suc- 
 cessful in his bold and wise effort. The whole Insti- 
 tute, and chiefly that section of it known as the 
 French Academy, formed an almost constant center 
 of opposition during the Second Empire, though 
 there were a few short periods of tranquillity, when 
 the two combatants rested on their arms. 
 
 The weapons employed by the members of the 
 Institute were epigrams and more or less trans- 
 parent belittling allusions by means of which it 
 was hoped to undermine the government. The Or- 
 leanist and clerical element was very powerfully 
 represented in the different sections of the Institute, 
 and, by joining force with the republicans, they 
 managed to domineer, and tried to force on their 
 colleagues candidates for election who were openly 
 
 404
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 hostile to the Empire. This is not the place to ex- 
 amine these academic quarrels too minutely, and I 
 will glance only at the principal ones which the gov- 
 ernment took more especially to heart. 
 
 Defeated in their political hopes by the Coup 
 d'Etat, the representatives of the old political 
 parties in the Institute determined to take their 
 revenge. The first warning of this kind which the 
 government of the Prince-President received was 
 given even before "the 2nd of December," by the 
 choice of Montalembert to succeed to the seat in the 
 French Academy made vacant by the death of the 
 historian Droz. Montalembert had not refused the 
 government's support at this election. Quite the 
 contrary; he came forward as the official candidate. 
 But, nevertheless, his election was significant, for it 
 meant, as the Emperor well expressed it in a private 
 conversation at that moment, "the defence of tem- 
 poral power and religious liberty," and it even gave 
 rise to a slight dispute with the Elysee, the Presi- 
 dent hesitating to give his consent that Montalem- 
 bert 's reception discourse at the Academy be 
 printed in the exact terms in which he had delivered 
 it. Though Prince Louis Napoleon and this cele- 
 brated liberal did not always agree in the field of 
 politics, they often met in a friendly way on other 
 and less slippeiy grounds. 
 
 At the same time, there was another squabble with 
 the government concerning the choice of the per- 
 manent secretaries of some of the sections of the In- 
 stitute. The Academy of Fine Arts dared not nom- 
 inate M. Vitet, the distinguished art critic, who was 
 known to be a sworn enemy of the Empire, but chose 
 in his stead the musician Halevy. This action leav- 
 
 405
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ing a chair vacant, M. Hippolyte Fortoul, Minister 
 of Public Instruction, was elected ; M. Elie de Beau- 
 mont, Senator, replaced Frangois Arago, on his 
 death, as Permanent Secretary of the Academy of 
 Science, and Marshal Vaillant was elected an hon- 
 orary academician in this same section of the Insti- 
 tute. These nominations were important conces- 
 sions granted to the government, though at the same 
 time the French Academy showed itself openly hos- 
 tile. Alfred de Musset, the poet, who replaced Mer- 
 eier-Dupaty, the dramatist, could not be considered 
 an enemy of the regime, but Berryer, the famous 
 la^vyer, who was chosen at the same time, had fig- 
 ured as an "irreconcilable" ever since his momen- 
 tary arrest during the Coup d'Etat. He made his 
 opposi1;ion, in this connection, a personal matter. 
 The eloquent defender of Prince Louis Napoleon 
 before the Chamber of Peers in 1840 after the Bou- 
 logne affair, now the sworn enemy of the govern- 
 ment, refused to carry his reception speech to the 
 Tuileries, according to custom, and wrote to M. 
 Mocquard, secretary to the Emperor, saying that 
 the manner in which he had been treated in Decem- 
 ber, 1851, rendered such a step impossible. He 
 added that he thought he had the "right to abstain 
 from a formality which would perhaps be painful 
 not alone to himself." Berryer 's letter and M. Moc- 
 quard 's reply thereto attracted considerable atten- 
 tion at the time. The latter said among other things 
 that "the Emperor regrets that in the eyes of M. 
 Berryer, political interests outweigh the academi- 
 cian's duties. His presence at the Tuileries would 
 not have caused the embarrassment he appears to 
 fear. His Majesty occupying so high a position 
 
 406
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 could have seen in the Academy's chosen candidate 
 only the orator and author ; the adversary of to-day 
 would have been remembered only as the former 
 defender." But Berryer did not not go to the Tuile- 
 ries and remained in his self -chosen isolation, as far 
 as the Second Empire was concerned, to the end of 
 his life. 
 
 M. Fortoul reorganised the Academy of Moral 
 and Political Sciences, of the Institute, so that it 
 became possible to introduce into that section ten 
 important men belonging to the government, diplom- 
 acy and the army. By means of these nominations — ■ 
 much criticized of course, by the opposition — the 
 former majority in that section was changed; in- 
 stead of being anti-governmental, it was now friend- 
 ly to the Empire. This diminutive literary coup 
 d'etat had a good effect on the official learned world 
 and accomplished its purpose. The French Acad- 
 emy, warned by this example, became more cautious 
 and its epigrams and opposition showed a somewhat 
 less virulent spirit. For a certain period new mem- 
 bers were chosen unanimously. Thus, Mgr. Dupan- 
 loup, Bishop of Orleans, Sylvestre de Sacy, Legouve, 
 Ponsard, the dramatic poet, and Biot, the mathema- 
 tician, all entered the Academy without difficulty. 
 An attempt was made to obliterate party lines. The 
 Due Victor de Broglie, son-in-law of Mme. de Stael 
 and former Minister under Ijouis Philippe, also 
 entered without mucli opposition. Such, however, 
 was not the case when Comte de Falloux was 
 brought forward. Violently attacked by the repub- 
 lican press, but supported by the Catholics, the 
 author of the Education law of 1850 had to fight 
 against a powerful competitor, Emilo Augier, then 
 
 407
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 at the height of his renown. Falloux was victorious, 
 however, though Augier was elected some months 
 later, defeating Victor de Laprade, who later suc- 
 ceeded to Musset. The introduction into the Acad- 
 emy of these brilliant men was a moral defeat for 
 the Second Empire, but by the election of Jules 
 Sandeau, the friends of literature and the govern- 
 ment were in their turn victorious. 
 
 De Tocqueville 's death gave rise to vigorous com- 
 petition in the Academy. An important candidate 
 arose. Father Lacordaire, the celebrated Catholic 
 pulpit orator, who was proposed, not by his core- 
 ligionists, Montalembert and Falloux, but by Cousin 
 and Guizot. Lacordaire, supported by the religious 
 party, but not opposed by the government, had, in 
 the Academy, the liberals and free-thinkers, es- 
 pecially Merimee, as opponents. His election was a 
 triumph not so much of the government as of Ca- 
 tholicism and his reception speech was a great event 
 in the intellectual circles of the Second Empire. 
 
 Until then the Empress had taken care to remain 
 a stranger to all the intrigues and ceremonies of the 
 Academy. But she made it a point to be at the sit- 
 ting in which Lacordaire was ''received" and in 
 which Guizot replied to Lacordaire 's oration. This 
 act of hers was pronounced "fine and courageous" 
 in the Catholic camp, but w^as much criticized by 
 the imperialists of the Left who did not share her 
 religious views. But the real reason for Eugenie's 
 presence was simply that she wished to witness an 
 Academy "reception," which is one of the sights of 
 Paris. This was the first time the Empress had ever 
 sat "under the cupola" and she greatly enjoyed the 
 eloquence and learning of these two famous leaders 
 
 408
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 of Protestant and Catholic thought. Lacordaire, by 
 the way, only went three or four times to the Acad- 
 emy, for he died some months after his admission, 
 much to my regret, for I always considered him one 
 of the greatest preachers of the church. 
 
 Lacordaire 's vacant chair was filled by Prince 
 Albert de Broglie — another Orleanist and anti-Bon- 
 apartist victory, which was followed by a struggle, 
 where thirteen ballots were taken for the election of 
 a member to succeed Scribe. Octave Feuillet, the 
 novelist, supported by the Tuileries, finally carried 
 the day. Then the Orleano-Catholics again tri- 
 umphed with M. Dufaure and the Comte de Came. 
 In 1865, Camille Doucet, an ardent Bonapartist, de- 
 feated the poet Autran, who, however, succeeded in 
 obtaining a seat in 1868. Jules Janin, the celebrated 
 critic of the Journal des D'ehats, a candidate some 
 years previously, entered the Academy in 1870. His 
 opposition to the Empire was one of the causes of 
 the delay. Meanwhile, were elected, Cuvillier- 
 Fleury, former preceptor of the Due d'Aumale and 
 consequently an Orleanist, and Prevost-Paradol, the 
 liberal writer who later became an open ally of the 
 Empire, and then, as thougli filled with remorse at 
 his change of face, took his life with his own hands. 
 He was French Minister at Washington at the 
 moment of his suicide, which was largely due to the 
 out])reak of the Franco-German AVar. 
 
 Father Gratry and Jules Favre wore tlie two anti- 
 podes in candidates elected during the last years of 
 the Empire. Tlie government did not seek to oppose 
 the former, who was a talented orator and the candi- 
 date of tlie Catholic party; but it was y)ained by the 
 coalition set on foot between republicans and Cath- 
 
 409
 
 MEMOIRS OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 olics in order to bring in one of its sworn enemies^ 
 Jnles Favre, the pronounced republican orator and 
 leader in the Legislative Body. Comte d'Hausson- 
 ville easily gained the seat made vacant by the death 
 of Viennet. This was another Orleanist victory and 
 did not give us any pleasure at the Tuileries though 
 the Emperor fully recognized the talent of the 
 father of the later member of the Academy, whose 
 wife, too, was a woman of letters of considerable 
 merit. 
 
 Comte de Champagny, son of a minister of the 
 First Empire and consequently a partisan of Napo- 
 leon III, having defeated, in the struggle for Berry- 
 er's seat, M. Duvergier de Hauranne, the friends of 
 the latter, who had offered their votes to the sup- 
 porters of the government in the Academy, in order 
 to insure Theophile Gautier's success in obtaining 
 the third seat then vacant, determined to revenge 
 themselves. So when Empis, the dramatic author, 
 died and his seat was to be filled, they supported the 
 candidature of Auguste Barbier against Theophile 
 Gautier. Thanks to this maneuver, the forgotten 
 poet of lambes, the talented author of inflamed 
 strophes dashed into the very face of the founder of 
 the reigning dynasty. Napoleon I, whose centenary 
 was shortly to be celebrated, defeated by a few votes, 
 on the fourth ballot, the marvelous story-teller and 
 great writer, Theophile Gautier, whose only crime 
 was to be supported by the government. The Im- 
 perial party had some ground for showing dis- 
 pleasure at this last election, as had also the true 
 friends of literature ; and the Emperor excused the 
 three last-named academicians — Jules Favre, 
 d'Haussonville and Barbier — from making the cus- 
 
 410
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 tomary visit to the head of the State which always 
 follows an admission to the French Academy. "I 
 don't wish to force anybody to do homage to the 
 Empire," Napoleon III said one day to me a propos 
 of these elections. ''If these brilliant Frenchmen 
 can't appreciate the grandeur of the Napoleonic 
 idea, it is their loss. Bonapartism is a historic fact 
 and academicians who have not yet learned this are 
 to be pitied. We move on and leave them in the 
 wake. ' ' 
 
 The very important election of M. Emile Ollivier, 
 who succeeded his friend, Lamartine, took place in 
 April, 1870. This candidature had been proposed by 
 Montalembert, who died before his candidate was 
 accepted by the Academy, and then events so quick- 
 ened their pace, that the Empire fell before M. 
 Emile Ollivier could be officially received into the 
 august company. When, later, he sought to defend, 
 in his reception speech, the sovereign whose minis- 
 ter he had been, he encountered violent hostility on 
 the part of some of his colleagues. Having refused 
 most decidedly to modify the document as he was 
 asked to do, M. Ollivier preferred to suppress it 
 altogether. This hax)pened in 1874, long after the 
 fall of the Empire of whicli he was the last Prime 
 Minister, and the episode was an excellent finale of 
 the long and often bitter conflict between the Insti- 
 tute, especially the section which is the gem of this 
 famous body — the French Academy — and the gov- 
 ernment of the Empire. In the person and talent of 
 Emile Ollivier, Napoleon HI found a defender 
 worthy of the cause. Living to an advanced age, M. 
 Ollivier was able in brilliant conversation and on the 
 lecture x^l-^itform, where his oratory always made a 
 
 411
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 deep impression, valiantly to support this mucli- 
 abused regime and, in a stately history of the Sec- 
 ond Empire, to place his views on record. If the bat- 
 tle of the Institute had given the Empire no other 
 warrior than Emile Ollivier, the Bonapartists should 
 have no reason to complain. 
 
 One of the causes of the Empress' greatest 
 anxiety during the Second Empire was always the 
 danger of some physical harm happening to the Em- 
 peror. And no wonder, for there were no less than 
 nine conspiracies against his life between 1853 and 
 1870. The many attempts to destroy Louis Philippe 
 were still fresh in the public mind and unquestion- 
 ably suggested a similar dastardly act, in many 
 weak and ill-balanced heads, against the person of 
 the Emperor. The assassination of a monarch seems 
 to have a hypnotizing effect on some addled brains. 
 Later, when the Prince Imperial, a fully-grown 
 child, began to move about more or less alone, both 
 the Emperor and the Empress were always some- 
 what nervous lest some misfortune should befall the 
 only direct heir to the throne. But even a mother's 
 solicitude for an only son gave way before the 
 greater danger to which the Emperor was ever ex- 
 posed from the wild act of some crank or some 
 political murderer. 
 
 Eugenie's old friend and most faithful private 
 counselor M. Pietri, has drawn up for me a list of 
 the attempts on the life of the Emperor. He has 
 accompanied this list with many curious facts drawn 
 from numerous different sources to which I have 
 added several known only to myself. From this 
 material, I have prepared the following pages, which 
 present a peculiar interest. Among other things, 
 
 412
 
 ' EPISODES IN THE EMPEEOE'S LIFE 
 
 they show that though attempts are often made on 
 the life of the heads of states, these abominable acts 
 fortunately seldom succeed. This fact should give 
 new courage to rulers and should deter evil-doers 
 from making these terrible efforts to destroy worthy 
 sovereigns. This is, indeed, the chief reason why 
 I have ventured in these memoirs to touch on this 
 rather repelling subject. 
 
 The first of these attempts on the Emperor's life 
 was that known as "the hippodrome plot." It was 
 discovered by the police on June 6, 1853, and was 
 the work of a secret society of workmen associated 
 later with a secret society of students. Having failed 
 at the hippodrome, the same conspirators tried to 
 carry out their scheme at the Opera Comique on 
 July 5th, but failed. In November, eighteen conspir- 
 ators were sentenced to heavy penalties, and two 
 months later, some forty or fifty more arrests were 
 made and all those arrested condemned. Among 
 these was a young student of twenty-two, Arthur 
 Eanc, who later became a senator, and the editor-in- 
 chief of a Paris daily. 
 
 That same year, on September 12th, an attempt 
 was made to blow up a train from Calais to Tour- 
 nay, in which the Emperor was to have traveled on 
 a visit to the King of the Belgians. Fortunately, the 
 visit was countermanded at the last moment. The 
 plan was to place on the line a tube containing some 
 four pounds of fulminate of mercury, which was 
 connected, by means of a carefully hidden wire, 
 with a Bunsen battery placed some hundreds of 
 yards from the station. It was calculated to explode 
 as the Emperor's car passed over it. 
 
 Both of these plots had been hatched in France. 
 
 413
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 But all those which followed were organized outside 
 of France, chiefly in England, where the Italian 
 societies were generally the instigators, the cele- 
 brated Mazzini being the main inspirer and the ref- 
 ugees in London his instruments. This was an ex- 
 ceedingly dangerous body of men, for they pre- 
 tended to be actuated solely by political motives, and 
 Mazzini was a genius for conspiracy. His principal 
 rule was that if an effort of this sort was to have 
 a chance of success, only a few persons should be 
 admitted to the secret. So he never sent more than 
 four or five men to France to carry out a plot. 
 
 The first of these Italian attempts took place on 
 April 28, 1855. About five o'clock in the evening, the 
 Emperor was riding up the Champs Elysees, accom- 
 panied by an aide-de-camp and followed by an 
 equerry, when suddenly, an individual, coming from 
 one of the side-walks, advanced calmly tow^ards the 
 Emperor and fired two shots at him from a double- 
 barreled pistol. The Emperor was not hit. One of 
 the policemen on duty, named Alessandri, rushed 
 forward, seized the villain by the throat and was 
 about to dispatch him, when the Emperor, who al- 
 most alone in the vast crowd had not lost his sang- 
 froid, ordered that his life be spared. When the 
 prisoner was searched, it was found that he had on 
 him another pistol and a dagger. The Emperor, 
 escorted by a vast concourse of people of all condi- 
 tions, returned to the Tuileries. The Empress heard 
 and saw the crowd as it approached the palace, and 
 at first, not knowing what had happened, feared it 
 was a mob bent on evil. She hurried to meet the 
 Emperor at the entrance of the Tuileries, and as they 
 
 414
 
 EPISODES m THE EMPEEOE'S LIFE 
 
 embraced, he said smilingly : ' ' This is a funny land, 
 where men are shot at like sparrows." 
 
 The would-be assassin's name was Giovanni 
 Pianori. He was a shoemaker by trade and had 
 come over from England. He was condemned to 
 death and executed. But he would reveal nothing, 
 so that it was never known if the man had any 
 accomplices. All this terrible mystery that sur- 
 rounded these awful deeds added to the horror 
 which they inspired in the Empress, and there were 
 moments, following each of these attempts when she 
 wished that they were far from the dangerous 
 throne and living in private life in some secluded 
 spot. But when the Empress spoke in this mood, the 
 Emperor would say: ^'But in your quiet retreat, a 
 tree might fall on us and kill us, or, if we remained 
 in the city, a tile might tumble on our heads !" 
 
 Cardinal Antonelli, the Pope's secretary of state, 
 was on very good terms with the Emperor at this 
 time, as was, in fact, the whole Papal court, so 
 thankful they were for the care which France had 
 for Roman interests; and he kept the court in- 
 formed concerning the movements of dangerous 
 characters both in Italy and at London. For in- 
 stance, the Cardinal warned the government that 
 Pianori 's brother was coming from Italy to kill the 
 Emperor and revenge this brother's death. This 
 precious information reached Paris six hours before 
 the arrival of the would-be assassin. He was, in con- 
 sequence, arrested at the railway station as he left 
 the train, was tried and sent to Cayenne where he 
 died. 
 
 The eagerness of Italian revolutionists to destroy 
 the Emperor was because they considered that his 
 
 415
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 support of the Pope prevented the complete realiza- 
 tion of Italian unity. The Emperor once told me 
 that he had learned that Amedee Deleau, the agi- 
 tator, had said: "Napoleon is decided to support 
 the Pope at any cost, consequently we must over- 
 throw him by every possible means. Italian or 
 French, we have the same interest in his fall. It is 
 the justice of the people which must treat this case. ' ' 
 This theory of the solidarity of the Pope and the 
 Emperor was not wholly false. The Empress always 
 favored it. The Emperor defended the Holy 
 Father to the utmost limit, and consequently, the 
 good understanding with Italy was of no practical 
 value in 1870, because we retained French troops in 
 Rome. As soon as we were forced to withdraw them, 
 the Papacy fell into the hands of its enemies. Na- 
 poleon has since been blamed for this, and looked at 
 from a military and purely political point of view, 
 there is, I confess, ground for this blame. But one 
 must not forget the moral and religious side of the 
 question. The Emperor and the Empress were 
 Christians, Roman Catholics, Papists, and they 
 could not stand aside and see religious interests sac- 
 rificed for political interests. 
 
 Another plot, organized in London in 1857, by 
 Tibaldi, Bartoletti and Grilli, was financed and di- 
 rected by Mazzini. It was considered that the most 
 important feature of this conspiracy, which was 
 fortunately detected before it could be executed, was 
 the presence in it of Ledru-Rollin, the ultra-repub- 
 lican leader, who had been banished from the coun- 
 try. It showed that the French republicans were 
 now hand in hand with the Italian agitators. "I 
 have Italy and Paris against me," remarked the 
 
 416
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 Emperor when he was given the details of the plot ; 
 ' ' but I have France with me ; and that is enough. ' ' 
 
 I now come to the most notorious of all these ter- 
 rible machinations. An extraordinary gala perform- 
 ance was given at the Opera on Thursday, January 
 14, 1858, for the benefit of the famous barj^tone Mas- 
 sol. The program comprised a fragment of the 
 second act of Wilhelm Tell, with Mme. Marie Dussy, 
 and Messrs. Renard, Chin and Massol in the principal 
 parts ; fragments of Maria Stuart by Schiller, with 
 Mme. Ristori in the leading role; the second act of 
 La Mueta de Portici; and finally the ballet from the 
 Masked Ball of Gustavus II. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress had promised to 
 be present at half past eight, the reigning Duke of 
 Saxe-Cobourg awaited the arrival of the Imperial 
 carriage at the foot of the grand staircase. The 
 night was very fine and the boulevards and streets 
 all round the Opera, which was then situated in the 
 Rue Le Peletier, were crowded. At the half hour the 
 Imperial procession turned into the Rue Le Peletier 
 with a group of lancers. First came a carriage con- 
 taining the officers on duty, and then the landau bear- 
 ing the Emperor, the Empress and General Comte 
 Roguet, aide-de-camp. The Imperial carriage 
 slackened its pace when the chief entrance to the 
 theater was readied, in order to enter the special 
 passage reserved for the sovereigns at the far end 
 of the portico. At that very moment three succes- 
 sive explosions were heard. A bomb had been 
 thrown behind the officer's carriage and in front of 
 the Imperial landau, a second one had fallen near 
 the carriage to the left and a third had rolled under 
 the carriage itself. 
 
 417
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 It is impossible to describe the emotion and alarm 
 which seized upon the crowd. The gas lights illum- 
 inating the front of the edifice were extinguished, 
 the awning protecting the sovereign's entrance was 
 torn to threads, the windows in the portico and the 
 neighboring houses were shattered to atoms, frag- 
 ments of glass and splinters of wood were mingled 
 with the projectiles which fell into the carriage, the 
 Emperor's hat was pierced by a shot, while the Em- 
 press' gown was covered with blood and it was 
 thought at first that she had been wounded. General 
 Roguet received a violent blow below the ear which 
 caused an alarming loss of blood, and deeply af- 
 fected Eugenie and Napoleon. Were there any other 
 bombs ready to be thrown? was the question asked 
 on every side. 
 
 The police quickly opened the carriage door to 
 allow the sovereigns to alight. The Empress thought 
 at first that the police were assassins trying to mur- 
 der the Emperor and threw herself in front of him to 
 protect him with her body. But she immediately saw 
 her mistake, when the Emperor, who did not for a 
 moment lose his presence of mind, addressing the 
 police officers said : ' ' How can we alight ? You have 
 not let down the steps." Then it was that the Em- 
 press learned the true character of these brave and 
 devoted men. 
 
 How many had been wounded by the Italian con- 
 spirators' bombs? was another question on every- 
 body's lips. This could not immediately be ascer- 
 tained. It was known, however, that the three foot- 
 men and the coachman of the Imperial carriage were 
 wounded, that some lancers in the escort had fallen 
 dead, while others were grievously hurt, and that the 
 
 418
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 same fate laad been shared by several women and 
 children in the crowd, by some of the Paris Guards, 
 and policemen who were on duty at the theater 
 entrance. 
 
 The panic was generally outside the theater, and 
 inside the emotion was also considerable. After the 
 first orders had been given for assistance to the 
 injured, the Emperor and the Empress advanced 
 towards the royal box. Then she found that the 
 suite was n,ot complete, and that Mme. de Sancy de 
 Parabere and another lady of the palace, pushed by 
 the crowd into the study occupied by Babin, the 
 theatrical costumer, got lost in the dark corridors. 
 So for a few anxious moments Eugenie feared that 
 these faithful companions had met with harm. 
 
 As the Emperor and the Empress entered their 
 box, the entire audience arose and cheered and 
 cheered again with indescribable enthusiasm. They 
 repeatedly bowed in acknowledgment of this warm 
 greeting and then sat down quietly as the perform- 
 ance was about to begin. It was Wilhelm Tell. 
 Though throughout these trying moments Eugenie 
 succeeded in retaining her presence of mind, and 
 tried to let no sign appear of the deep emotion she 
 was laboring under, nevertheless she was exceed- 
 ingly anxious until the messenger sent in haste to 
 the Tuileries returned and assured the Emperor and 
 the Empress that the Prince Imperial was safe and 
 sound. 
 
 In the meantime the entertainment continued 
 without any alteration in the program. Even the 
 masked ball ballet, which represents the murder of 
 Gustavo II of Sweden, was given just as it stood. 
 Throughout the performance, the audience ap- 
 
 419
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 plauded wildly, turning from time to time to the 
 Imperial box, especially at the moment when Mme. 
 Ristori gave the passage where Marie Stuart, speak- 
 ing to Mortimer, says: "II braccio del sicariol E 
 questo il solo, il mio vero terrore!" Calm and un- 
 moved, the Emperor cast at Mme. Ristori a glance 
 full of an expression that the great tragedienne 
 never forgot, as she afterwards told me. 
 
 The Emperor and the Empress remained until the 
 end of the performance, during the progress of 
 which they were visited in their box, where news was 
 brought them concerning the wounded, by King 
 Jerome, Prince Napoleon, Princess Mathilde, Prin- 
 cess Murat, the marshals, several members of the 
 Diplomatic Corps and many high functionaries. 
 The sincere sympathy expressed by these relatives 
 and friends touched them both very much and made 
 a lasting impression upon them. It was their first 
 experience of this tragic nature, and the memory of 
 it was never entirely effaced from Eugenie's mind. 
 
 The news of the outrage reached the Palais Royal 
 just at the moment when, in the drawing-room of 
 Prince Napoleon, a proverb by Alfred de Vigny en- 
 titled : Quitte pour la peur, was being played. Th^^ 
 Prince immediately drove to the theater, and rushed 
 to the Imperial box, as has just been said, to con- 
 gratulate his cousin on his fortunate escape. Tlie 
 Emperor thanked him sincerely and added: ''You 
 had better return to your guests ; the play you have 
 chosen bears an appropriate title" — a good example 
 of the Emperor's calmness in moments of danger 
 and of his gifts for the apropos, which was, indeed, 
 remarkable. 
 
 When the Emperor and the Empress left the 
 
 420
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 theater, they found the boulevards specially illum- 
 inated and they were enthusiastically cheered as 
 they passed through the crowded streets on their 
 way to the palace where several ambassadors and 
 senators awaited them, another evidence of the great 
 esteem in which the Emperor was held by high and 
 low alike. They often recalled that evening, and 
 while they remembered specially the victims who, 
 in the fulfillment of their duty, or in search of pleas- 
 ure, had fallen by the bombs of Orsini and his ac- 
 complices, what made the most lasting impression 
 on their minds, was the remarkable popular demon- 
 stration in favor of the regime w^hich the Emperor 
 was endeavoring to place on solid ground. 
 
 At a much later period, the Emperor said one 
 day: "Orsini did more to consolidate the Second 
 Empire, than a half dozen Bonapartist speeches in 
 the Legislative Body or as many more of my ad- 
 dresses from the throne — which I put last you see," 
 he said smiling. 
 
 The following day, all Paris learnt that the con- 
 spirators had been arrested, that Orsini was the 
 chief, while Gomez and Rudio were his accomplices, 
 and that Pieri had been arrested the day of the 
 explosion, for the police were aware of the plot and 
 steps had already been taken to prevent its execu- 
 tion. Who can say whether the bomb which Pieri 
 was to have thrown would not have been fatal to 
 the Emperor? This question was asked on every 
 hand. Though he had escaped, Napoleon and Eu- 
 genie were far from rejoicing, for there were many 
 other victims, as has just been said, and they felt 
 deep sorrow as they thought of these lives cut short 
 or in the greatest danger by the bombs which had 
 
 421
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 been intended for them. The Emperor and the Em- 
 press drove out together the next day, January 15th, 
 in an open carriage, passing through the boulevards 
 without escort, and visited at the hospitals of the 
 Gros Caillou and the Val de Grace the wounded men 
 who had formed part of the escort on the previous 
 evening. 
 
 On January 16th an official reception was held at 
 the Tuileries for the members of the Diplomatic 
 Corps, the Senate, the Legislative Corps, the Coun- 
 cil of State, and the Municipal Council of Paris. On 
 this occasion speeches were made by the presidents 
 of the Senate and the Legislative corps, M. Trop- 
 long and M. de Morny, which were filled with loyal 
 sentiment. The papers published, the same day, the 
 names of the one hundred and eighteen persons who 
 had been wounded or killed, and described in detail 
 the admirable bravery of the lancers of the suite, 
 the presence of mind of Quartermaster Cuisin and of 
 Corporal Prudhomme. On the 17th thei*e was a 
 reception for the generals, admirals and all the other 
 officers then present in Paris, while the Cardinal 
 Archbishop of Paris presided at a Te Deum which 
 was sung at Notre Dame. Congratulations on their 
 fortunate escape now began to pour in upon the Em- 
 peror and the Empress from all parts of Europe, 
 couched in the waimest terms. The Prince of Den- 
 mark, and Princes Charles, Adalbert and Albert of 
 Prussia came in person a little later to bring their 
 felicitations. The Imperial speech delivered at the 
 opening of the legislative session on the 18th was 
 most enthusiastically greeted, and while they con- 
 tinued to visit the wounded men in the hospitals, 
 military crosses and medals were distributed by the 
 
 422
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 Emperor among the police, lancers, and Paris 
 Guards wlio had risked their lives on that tragic 
 evening. 
 
 These details are given to bring out the fact that 
 the sovereigns, the high officials, the journals and 
 the people all united as one on this occasion, a fine 
 proof of the popularity and stability of the throne 
 at this moment. 
 
 Meanwhile the news from abroad was far from 
 quieting the public mind at home. From Italy and 
 England came information concerning a vast plot 
 which had been prepared and which showed that 
 the Emperor's life was in constant and growing 
 danger. Nothing else was talked of at the ball given 
 by the English ambassador on January 25th, the 
 day on which was celebrated in London the mar- 
 riage of Princess Victoria with Prince Frederick of 
 Prussia, the future Frederick III. It was only nat- 
 ural, therefore, that the Emperor should feel some 
 concern over this state of things. Not only was his 
 life in danger, but the peace of the country was 
 threatened. He was still further alarmed on reading 
 the reports sent to Count Walewski, the natural son 
 of Napoleon I, Foreign Minister at this moment, by 
 the Prince do la Tour d'Auvergne, then French min- 
 ister at Turin. This all caused Napoleon to think of 
 the future, to consider what would be the situation 
 of France in the event of his being murdered. He 
 often examined at this time the eventuality of a 
 Regent and a child-Emperor. He took necessary 
 military measures and divided the troops in the in- 
 terior of the Empire into five large military com- 
 mands which he entrusted to the marslials of 
 France. Letters patent dated February 1, 1858, con- 
 
 423
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ferred on the Empress the title of Regent, to be 
 valid from the day of the mounting to the throne 
 of the Prince Imperial. A decree of the same date 
 instituted a iprivj council composed of such pillars 
 of the Second Empire as Cardinal Morlot, the 
 Marshal Due de Malakoff, M. Achille Fould, Minis- 
 ter, M. Troplong, President of the Senate, Comte de 
 Morny, M. Baroche, Minister, and Comte de Per- 
 signy. Finally, while the trial of Orsini and his 
 accomplices was under way, General Espinasse was 
 called to the Ministry of the Interior with the 
 title of Adjutant-Minister of Public Safety. This 
 nomination, made in terms which indicated future 
 repressive measures, caused some surprise. It was 
 in fact, done in an answer to an address from the 
 colonels of the army, who denounced England, as 
 "a murderer's refuge, a shelter for assassins," who 
 had, for the most part, really come from Italy, de- 
 termined to kill the Emperor. Public sentiment even 
 demanded that severe measures be taken against 
 former deported and suspected French subjects, and 
 some four hundred persons of this category were 
 arrested and three hundred were sent to Algeria. 
 This somewhat draconian measure produced a good 
 effect and the Law of Public Safety remained like a 
 sword of Damocles ever threatening, but rarely 
 striking, turbulent spirits bent on violent acts 
 against the head of the state. Thus the senseless act 
 of Orsini drove Napoleon III, in spite of hunself, to 
 take stem steps to protect himself, the throne, and 
 the tranquillity of the French nation. He always re- 
 gretted having been forced to do so, and the Em- 
 press wholly shared his feelings on this point. 
 Very serious difficulties had arisen between Eng- 
 
 424
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 land and France on account of the violent denuncia- 
 tions made by the colonels just referred to. It was 
 well known that the Orsini plot had been hatched on 
 the other side of the Channel and much indignation 
 was felt regarding the liberty which was enjoyed 
 there by the discontented subjects of all nations. 
 The English ministry considered it necessary to 
 introduce a ''Conspiracy to Murder" bill which was, 
 however, rejected at the last moment. Thereupon, 
 Lord Palmerston fell and finally the new Derby- 
 Disraeli cabinet, in which Lord Malmesbury re- 
 placed Lord Clarendon in the Foreign Office, made 
 amicable overtures to France. Marshal Pelissier 
 was sent to replace Comte de Persigny in London as 
 French Ambassador, and to further prove that 
 friendly relations subsisted between the allies of the 
 Crimean war, the Queen and Emperor agreed to 
 meet at Cherbourg on the occasion of the opening 
 of the new docks.^ 
 
 In the meantime, on March 13th, Orsini and Pieri 
 were executed. Rudio's sentence was commuted to 
 hard labor for life, while Gomez shared a similar 
 fate. The Emperor would have liked to grant a 
 reprieve to the two first named, in which act of 
 clemency the Empress supported him. But the min- 
 isters begged him not to do so as this criminal out- 
 rage had caused so many deaths. The trial of the 
 conspirators gave rise to meetings full of interest in 
 which many persons desired to broach political mat- 
 ters both in a manner favorable and unfavorable 
 to the regime. It was said even that the Emperor 
 had gone to see Orsini in prison, and that, "speak- 
 ing as a former Carbonaro," ho had promised the 
 
 ' An account of this meeting is given in Chaptor VT in this velum©. 
 
 425
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Italian conspirators that he would labor in the 
 future for the liberation of Italy. This absurd fact 
 is mentioned to show what wild rumors were in the 
 air at this moment. Of course, there was much fable 
 and little truth in all these tales. It is certain that 
 the Emperor saw in these desperate acts, threats 
 which were more important from the fact that they 
 came from all the different corners of Italy. He un- 
 questionably read in them a call back to the dreams 
 and ideals of former days, to the vague promises of 
 his youth. He henceforth viewed as a possible 
 eventuality what till then had been only a dream and 
 a fancy. From now on a close alliance with Italy 
 became more desirable in view of a probable war 
 with Austria for the liberation of Italy. 
 
 Well might we entertain a feeling of sadness dur- 
 ing that spring tide of 1858. The dark political 
 clouds at home, the horizon heavy with warlike prob- 
 abilities, a sudden check to the prosperity which had 
 marked the two preceding years, a lack of confi- 
 dence shown by government and nation, general 
 anxiety regarding not only the future, but even re- 
 garding the very life of the head of the state; all 
 these somber circumstances were of a nature to 
 render us more thoughtful and uneasy than ever 
 before. And it was this dreadful act of Felix Orsini, 
 a man of undoubted talent and energy, a fanatic in 
 the cause of Italian independence, which had sud- 
 denly plunged France, and Europe in general, into 
 this state of dark uncertainty. So depressing was 
 the effect of all this on the mind of both the Em- 
 peror and the Empress, that they always avoided, in 
 their retrospective moments, any thought of this 
 unhappy year of 1858. 
 
 426
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 After Orsini's bold and well-organized effort, all 
 the other plots which followed were rather insignifi- 
 cant. On July 3, 1864, four common-place assassins 
 — Greco, Trabuco, Scaglioni, and Imperatori — made 
 an attempt on the life of the sovereigTi, but without 
 any result. They were all Italians, paid by Mazzini, 
 and sheltered in London, Many Bonapartists again 
 felt that England was much to blame in permitting 
 Mazzini and his fellow-conspirators to work thus 
 freely against the peace of a friendly neighboring 
 state and against the life of an allied and cherished 
 sovereign. But the Emperor understood perfectly 
 well the peculiar character of the British constitu- 
 tion and never entertained any hard feeling against 
 England, the royal family or the nation. The Em- 
 peror said one evening, not long after the fear- 
 ful Orsini outrage, when, as we have just seen, pub- 
 lic opinion in France was very much excited against 
 England: '^Emile Ollivier is perfectly justified in 
 protesting against the new Public Safety Bill, and I 
 am not over-pleased with it myself. I believe the 
 Interior should always have a civil head. Nor do I 
 approve of the intemperate speeches which it is now 
 the habit of pronouncing against England. In the 
 first place, violent political acts, like these attempts 
 at assassination, never aid their promoters in the 
 long run. Tliey cause to rally around us all the 
 friends of order of all parties. Then again, I cannot 
 be harsh with Phigland, for I can never forget how 
 hospitably I was treated there in the dark days, in 
 both official and private circles. To me, London is 
 always a second Paris, notwitlistanding her fogs and 
 rain and chilliness." 
 
 The ministry formed on January 2, 1870, by Emile 
 
 427
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Ollivier, with the purpose of evolving the much- 
 talked of ''Liberal Empire," was born in the midst 
 of conspiracies, which this time were of purely 
 French character. The Paris republicans were pre- 
 paring a revolution which was to burst forth on the 
 first good opportunity. It was no longer the Em- 
 peror's life which was in danger, but the very exist- 
 ence of the regime itself; or perhaps it would be 
 more correct to say, that both the Emperor and the 
 Empire were threatened. The Empress felt it and 
 saw it from the first. The Emperor was of her mind 
 after the Victor Noir tragedy. It will be remem- 
 bered that this turbulent Paris journalist was shot 
 by Prince Pierre Bonaparte in a quarrel in which 
 both held that they were right. The Emperor was 
 displeased with this rather ungovernable son of 
 Prince Lucien Bonaparte, who married against his 
 wishes and had caused the government much 
 trouble. The Emperor would have preferred to get 
 the Prince out of the country and prevent all the 
 scandal which followed. But this was impossible 
 now that the control of state affairs was in the hands 
 of a liberal ministry. So the trial, replete with 
 scandals of various kinds, and the subsequent public 
 funeral of Victor Noir, lent themselves to the pur- 
 poses of the enemies of the regime, who were not 
 slow to make use of these excellent arms. Arrests, 
 riots, bloodshed were the natural results of this un- 
 fortunate state of effervescence, which lasted 
 several days. The Empress fully realized the dan- 
 gers of such unrest. Her mind was continually re- 
 curring to the memory of similar events in French 
 history. One evening when the Tuileries and the 
 neighborhood were more carefully guarded mili- 
 
 428
 
 EPISODES IN THE EMPEROR'S LIFE 
 
 tarily than usual, the Emperor said to her: ''Let us 
 go and see the soldiers"; and they visited those 
 parts of the palace where they were put in easy com- 
 munication with the troops. But suddenly the Em- 
 press recalled the fatal feast of October 3, 1789, and 
 she exclaimed earnestly to the Emperor: "No, no! 
 No bodyguard banquet. Let us return to the inside 
 of the palace immediately, ' ' which they did.
 
 CHAPTEE XVI 
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON HI 
 
 I NOW come to the final, inevitable, episode in the 
 existence of the Emperor Napoleon III — the closing 
 days of his mortal life. As is well kno^vn, the Em- 
 peror was ill for a long time before the end came. 
 At the close of his stay in AVilhelmshohe, he was 
 beginning to recover from the fatigue and strain 
 caused by the war. He bore the exile in England 
 with many ups and downs in his health. The anguish 
 of the past few years, the long chain of insults and 
 the many breaks in friendship seriously affected the 
 Emperor's constitution; for his heart, so strong 
 against physical pain, was, beneath his apparent 
 serenity, singularly sensitive. If he harbored but 
 little bitterness over the anonjTiious attacks which 
 had been showered upon him and was the first to 
 make excuses for their authors, he did not feel them 
 the less. On the contrary, they struck deep into his 
 very soul and did their part in hastening his end. 
 We all saw this and we all sorrowed over it; but 
 we could do almost nothing to prevent it. Some- 
 times, the hopes expressed in France of a return to 
 political favor and the faithfulness of those who 
 surrounded him would arouse the Emperor for a 
 short season. But probably the most comfort to the 
 wounded spirit came from the excellent work of the 
 Prince Imperial at the Woolwich military school. 
 
 430
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON III 
 
 He was naturally wrapped up in his only son and 
 this boy's good conduct was balm to [his ailing 
 father. 
 
 But there was still another element that tended to 
 undermine the health of the Emperor. I refer to the 
 climate of England. No climate could have been 
 worse for an ailing patient in his state. His tem- 
 perament could not fight against it, but his will was 
 so strong that he almost succeeded in hiding the 
 fact from those about him. But he could not hide it 
 from the Empress. She saw the real situation but 
 could do nothing to alleviate it. She simply suf- 
 fered at his suffering. 
 
 Camden Place House was a general meeting place 
 for all the exiled courtiers, and though these old 
 faces did much to keep up the general cheerfulness, 
 their presence was a continual strain on Napoleon. 
 Former aides-de-camp and ladies in waiting were 
 always in attendance, and the little group was often 
 reenforced by friends or faithful visitors of the old 
 Tuileries group. All these w^ien they left Chisle- 
 hurst went away delighted with the Emperor's wel- 
 come and in high spirits over the ''excellent health 
 of his Majesty." AVhen, on their return to France, 
 they were questioned concerning his physical condi- 
 tion, which they felt was the pivot on which turned 
 the whole political situation, they w^ould say, very 
 honestly, as they thought: "Why, he is perfectly 
 well and strong!" Others would add: "We never 
 saw him so courageous and cheerful ; he really seems 
 to have grown younger." 
 
 This special interest in the state of the Emperor 
 was largely due to the fact that at this moment an 
 Imperial restoration was much thought of and a 
 
 431
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 whole plan had been formed, with the support of 
 several corps commanders, to put the Emperor on 
 the throne again. There is no hesitation on my part 
 to state this fact at this late day, for the reasons, 
 in the first place, that the republicans of that mo- 
 ment made this public, and, in the second place, 
 because the Empress was privately opposed to the 
 plan. She felt that the Emperor was too feeble to 
 stand this new strain and the Prince Imperial too 
 young to take the lead in the proposed restoration. 
 Nor was she convinced from what she heard from 
 France that there was wisdom in the proposal, and I 
 think the events that happened in the immediately 
 following years showed that her view, which was 
 shared by not a few friends of the regime, was the 
 right one. Furthermore, the Emperor himself, who 
 had had wide experience in political matters, was 
 not so enthusiastic about the *'plot," as the repub- 
 licans called it, as were the young Bonapartists who 
 had planned the affair. 
 
 At the end of November, 1872, the deadly form 
 of the Emperor's disease became more evident to 
 the Empress. At first, he was obliged to give up 
 driving and then even walking. A decision had to 
 be arrived at. The medical men. Dr. Corvisart and 
 Dr. Conneau, both advised an operation, which they 
 considered absolutely necessary. But other phy- 
 sicians held that it was not yet obligator^^ The Em- 
 press was appealed to, but hesitated giving an opin- 
 ion as she perceived the danger of both proposals. 
 When Prince Napoleon visited the Emperor at the 
 beginning of December, he urged him to yield to 
 the advice of the first set of doctors. In order to 
 get him to consent, he said to him one day: "It is 
 
 432
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON III 
 
 only in this way that you will obtain complete com- 
 mand of yourself." The Emperor answered, in his 
 characteristic way: "Oh, my health will never 
 stand in the way of my accomplishing all my politi- 
 cal duties. It was so in 1870, and it will be so again, 
 if circumstances make such a sacrifice necessary." 
 This was brave and just like him. But he decided 
 to make an experiment himself. So he gave orders 
 for a drive, and the following day, about two o 'clock, 
 a footman announced that the Emperor's carriage 
 was at the door. The announcement caused great 
 surprise and every one but the Empress thought 
 there must be some mistake. It was a long time 
 since he had taken a drive, and for several days he 
 had not left the house. "I am going over to Wool- 
 wich to see the Prince," he said quietly as he went 
 down stairs to get into the carriage. Eugenie was 
 very anxious and the intimate circle all naturally 
 shared her anxiety. We all felt how dangerous that 
 drive might be. 
 
 The Emperor was accompanied by Prince Napo- 
 leon. They reached Woolwich safely, saw the 
 Prince Imperial for a short time, walked with him, 
 and then drove back to Chislehurst. On his return, 
 the doctors questioned Prince Napoleon very close- 
 ly. He told them that the Emperor had not com- 
 plained during the drive and that if his suffering 
 had been increased, his face had given no signs of 
 it. As soon as the Empress was alone with him, 
 she asked anxiously how he had really borne the 
 trial. In his habitually courageous manner, he an- 
 swered simply: *'I suffered a little." But, two 
 days afterwards, a violent fever set in, which de- 
 cided the doctors to make an examination. Dr. Gull 
 
 433
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 suggested that this be done by the eminent surgeon, 
 Sir Henry Thompson, who came to Camden Place 
 and examined tlie Emperor. The result of his visit 
 was to confirm the diagnosis of Drs. See, Conneau 
 and Corvisart. There could no longer be a doubt 
 that the Emperor was suffering from stone. It was 
 then decided that he should bo operated upon at 
 the beginning of January. We were all anxious but 
 optunistic, for Dr. Thompson was known for the 
 successful way in which he performed this delicate 
 and dangerous operation. The Prince Imperial 
 shared this confidence, and when he wrote to the 
 Pope, his godfather, and sent the customary New 
 Year's greeting, he confided to the Holy Father his 
 optimism, and asked for a blessing for the patient. 
 The letter was delayed in some way and reached 
 Rome on the veij day w^hen the telegram arrived 
 informing the Holy Father of the Emperor's death. 
 On January 2nd, Sir Henry installed himself, with 
 his aids, Messrs. Forster and Glover, one of whom 
 was to administer the chloroform, at Camden Place. 
 Drs. Gull, Corvisart and Conneau, were of course 
 present at this the first operation, which was fairly 
 successful. The Emperor's suffering was much 
 diminished; but the result was very slight, for the 
 stone was hardly touched. On Monday, the 6th, a 
 second operation was performed. It was more pain- 
 ful than the first one, and the Emperor felt the pain 
 afterwards very violently. Local troubles set in 
 which caused much anxiety. After consultation, it 
 was decided that if the third lithotriptic operation 
 was not successful, they w^ould have to resort to 
 heroic remedies. The poor patient said nothing. 
 After this second operation, the changed state of 
 
 434
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON IH 
 
 his body and mind was revealed only by his pulse, 
 his temperature and the expression of his face. He 
 hardly came out of the heavy sleep mixed with de- 
 lirium into which he was plunged by his disease, and 
 probably by the chloroform. On Tuesday, when the 
 Empress was near his bed, he murmured: "Where 
 is Louis?" She answered: "He has gone back to 
 Woolwich ; do you want him ? " ' ' No, no, he is work- 
 ing and I do not want him disturbed." The follow- 
 ing day, Dr. Conneau, who had just returned from 
 London where he had been to see his daughter, who 
 was ill, entered the room. The Emperor said to 
 him: "Ah, is that you, Conneau? You were at 
 Sedan, were you not?" Thinking that His Majesty 
 had made a mistake, he answered: "Yes, Sire, I 
 have been to London." "I did not ask whether you 
 were in London. I asked if you were at Sedan." 
 "Yes, Sire, I was there." "Ah!" and he closed 
 his eyes. 
 
 "Louis! Sedan!" those were the last intelligible 
 words pronounced by Napoleon. The first was a 
 farewell to the beloved son whose presence always 
 brought a smile to his lips even in the midst of the 
 most cruel suffering of these final days of life. The 
 second word was a reminder of the moral and physi- 
 cal calvary which had tortured him during those 
 dreadful days of the summer of 1870 which had con- 
 tinued to torture him each day and even every min- 
 ute since. This was the disease which sapped his 
 forces slowly but surely while the doctors were seek- 
 ing for physical causes. These were really Lis last 
 words, tliough he did open his moutli several times 
 thereafter, but only to respond in monosyllables 
 to the questions put by the doctors or by the Em- 
 
 435
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 press. He gave the latter feeble smiles, having no 
 strength left mth which to speak. 
 
 On the evening of the 8th, his condition seemed 
 to have improved. The night was calm and his suf- 
 fering had greatly decreased. The 9th was com- 
 mencing and appeared promising. Sir Henry was 
 encouraged and informed Comte Clary that the third 
 operation would now" take place, and that it would 
 be necessary to use the knife. Everybody hoped 
 for the best. The Prince Imperial had asked to be 
 allowed to come. But it was thought best for him to 
 wait till after the operation. Comte Clary was pre- 
 paring to start for Woolwich in order to cany him 
 the more favorable news and to inform him of the 
 comforting words he had heard from the doctors. 
 At about ten o'clock he came to see if the Empress 
 had any message to send, and she asked him to 
 wait while she got ready to go, too. As the 
 Emperor appeared to be better and she had not been 
 out for a month, the Empress concluded to take a 
 little airing and see her son. On the way to take 
 the carriage, she met Dr. Corvisart, who said to her 
 quietly: "Your Majesty had better not go out." 
 "But what has happened I" "A new attack has 
 come, and it would be better that Your Majesty re- 
 main at the house." Then, turning to Comte Clary, 
 he said quickly: "Hasten and bring the Prince"; 
 and to Mme. Lebreton: "Call Father Goddard." 
 This was the Chislehurst priest who often came to 
 Camden Place and w^ith whom the Emperor liked to 
 chat, and to whom he had said shortly before, as 
 they were walking in the cemeter}": "I'm looking 
 for the spot where you can put me." 
 
 Thereupon the Empress entered the room. The 
 
 436
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON m 
 
 doctors stood round the bed observing the altered 
 features, the whitening lips and marking the slack- 
 ening pulse. ''Sire," said one of them, ''the Em- 
 press has come to see how Your Majesty is." At 
 this, the Emperor turned and sought her out with 
 his eyes. She drew near and kissed his forehead. 
 He turned his head a little and put out his lips to 
 kiss her, but had hardly the strength to do so. Dr. 
 Thompson gave him a few drops of cordial, but Eu- 
 genie's remark that "Louis is coming, dear" had a 
 greater reviving effect than the cordial. Everybody 
 noticed how that name moved him. A slight smile 
 and an expression of joy immediately spread over 
 his white face. At this moment. Father Goddard 
 entered the room, and administered extreme unc- 
 tion. The Empress noticed the hard breathing, but 
 did not imagine that the end was so near. Father 
 Goddard gently drew her away. She thought that 
 be wished to remain alone with the Emperor. The 
 doctors evidently perceived that the Empress did 
 not realize the real situation, so they told her that 
 the Emperor was dying. She then returned to the 
 bod, everybody fell on their knees, and the Emperor 
 Napoleon passed quietly away. 
 
 In the meanwhile, Comte Clary had reached Wool- 
 wich, where he found the Prince, gun on shoulder, 
 starting for his militaiy exercise. They hastened 
 back, and got to Camden Place a little after midday. 
 As they entered the house, Comte Davillier said to 
 the Prince: "Be brave. Prince; the Emperor is 
 very ill." The Prince saw Father Goddard coming 
 towards him weeping, and then understood what had 
 happened. He hurried up the stairs and met the 
 Empress just coming from the death chamber. She 
 
 437
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 embraced her poor boy, and lie then passed on into 
 the room. He had hoped up to the very last mo- 
 ment to find his father alive. But he now found 
 himself confronted with a corpse. The Emperor 
 seemed to be sleeping, and his face wore a most 
 calm appearance. The Prince fell on his knees and 
 prayed. Then he rose, seized the Emperor's head 
 in his two hands and kissed him tenderly. The Em- 
 press again drew him to her, and others tried to 
 have the Prince leave the room. But he refused for 
 a long time. He seemed stupefied and unable to give 
 way to the emotions which were swelling up in his 
 bosom. He finally retired, asked quietly how the 
 last moments were passed, and at length, giving 
 way to his deep sorrow, wept bitterly and freely. 
 
 The news of the Emperor's death caused much 
 sorrow in England and in France. Several of the 
 London papers apjoeared in black. The Emperor 
 was popular in England, and, though in exile, it was 
 felt that he exercised much influence on public af- 
 fairs. Many statesmen at that time considered that 
 he or his son was destined to play an important 
 part in the world's politics. The Queen was kind 
 enough to send her chamberlain. Lord Sydney, and 
 the Duke of Cambridge arrived shortly afterwards. 
 The good Queen who, up to the day of her death, 
 always treated Eugenie with the greatest kindness 
 also sent to her and to the Prince Imperial tender 
 letters and telegrams. Telegrams reached them in 
 great numbers from other crowned heads, public 
 men in all countries and from our old and dear 
 friends in France. I was told a few days later that 
 more than two score newspapers of Paris and the 
 departments came out in mourning. The warmth 
 
 438
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON III 
 
 of feeling expressed by all classes at Chisleburst 
 touched the Empress deeply. The Prince Imperial 
 was so overcome by the blow that she induced him 
 to withdraw from the big house, where there was 
 such a come and go, to a smaller one occupied by 
 Comte Clary in a corner of the park. The next day, 
 the then Prince of Wales came. He would not in- 
 trude upon Eugenie's grief, but he was received 
 by the Prince Imperial, to whom he said with much 
 feeling and gentleness as he kissed him: ''I pity 
 you, for I know by experience what you must suf- 
 fer." 
 
 The Prince Imperial was so tender throughout 
 this sad experience. I recall some one of the house- 
 hold coming to ask the Empress about some of the 
 details of the funeral. Turning to her son who was 
 with her at the moment, she said to him : ' ' Speak, 
 Louis; you are the one to decide things now." His 
 only reply was kneeling down, kissing her hands, 
 which were bathed with his tears. There were many 
 other touching acts and scenes during these painful 
 hours. Among the Frenchmen who arrived direct 
 from France was Eugene Delessert, who brought 
 with him a case full of earth taken from the private 
 garden of the Tuileries on which was laid the coffin. 
 The Emperor was placed in his coffin wearing his 
 wedding ring and the ring which was on the finger 
 of Napoleon I, when he died at Saint Helena. It 
 was proposed to take off and hand to the Prince Im- 
 perial this family relic. But he refused to permit 
 this. 
 
 The body was exposed on January 14th, in the 
 large hall of the liouse. AVlien Marshal Leboeuf ar- 
 rived before it, he fell on his knees before the bier, 
 
 439
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 exclaiming: "My poor Emperor! My poor Em- 
 peror!" Then he slowly walked around the room 
 and twice kissed the hands he had not sliaken since 
 Metz. Those who witnessed this scene told me that 
 it was most heart-rending. All understood the an- 
 guish and pain of that unfortunate man and true 
 soldier, who seemed to ask forgiveness for his short- 
 comings, and who was finally led away by a friend. 
 The night preceding the funeral thei Empress 
 spent in prayer at the coffin side. A ray of sun 
 burst through the heavy clouds at the very moment 
 when the funeral left the house. Later, M. Frances- 
 chini Pietri informed her that in the procession were 
 two marshals, an admiral, fifteen generals, six vice- 
 admirals and rear-admirals, fourteen deputies, 
 twenty-seven former ministers, twenty-five former 
 prefects. On Sunday, the 19th, Father Goddard 
 preached an excellent sermon on the dead Emperor. 
 I have read and re-read it many times since. He 
 dwelt on the religious feelings of the Emperor, 
 which were indeed very deep. Speaking of the Em- 
 peror's kindliness to the poor, he told this anecdote 
 which I have myself heard from the Emperor's own 
 lips. A child, he returned home one day without his 
 shoes, and when Queen Hortense asked him what 
 he had done with them, he answered: "Mother, I 
 met a poor boy who had no shoes, so I gave him 
 mine." The child in this case was indeed father 
 to the man, for no soul was ever more noble and 
 more generous than that of the Emperor. There 
 was in him a generosity, a greatness of heart, a 
 touching kindliness which was felt by everybody 
 who came into his presence. I have heard this said 
 over and over again by friend and stranger. His 
 
 440
 
 THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON III 
 
 attachment to his friends, his gratitude for the 
 slightest attention — noble and rare virtues — would 
 suffice alone to single him out as a king among men. 
 But there was another trait in his character which 
 was still greater. He was capable of the most mag- 
 nanimous forgiveness for offenses. Those who lived 
 outside of his immediate circle have no idea how 
 highly developed this grand quality was in him. 
 Often he had an opportunity of taking revenge, but 
 he never once took advantage of it, even when it 
 would have advanced his political views and inter- 
 ests. 
 
 Father Goddard told me a few days later that 
 after the burial service, a marshal who had fought 
 and commanded at Sebastopol came to him in the 
 sacristy and said with tears in his eyes: *'I thank 
 you for having come to join your grief and respect 
 to ours in the presence of this tomb. He whom we 
 are mourning deserved this homage, for he had a 
 noble heart." Since then, I have heard similar testi- 
 mony from many other men of mark, and I perceive 
 that I am not alone in saying that the Emperor Na- 
 poleon III had one of the sweetest characters I have 
 ever known.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 RECOLLECTION AND EETEOSPECTION 
 
 During the Empire the Empress acted as regent 
 on several occasions. What she did at these times 
 has, in some instances, been criticized severely in 
 certain quarters. Even what she thought or was 
 supposed to think has not always escaped censure. 
 But neither at the time nor since did Eugenie pay 
 much attention to these carpings, which were gen- 
 erally based on no very solid facts. Nor did she 
 accept willingly the praises which were not infre- 
 quently bestowed upon her for her acts during these 
 same regencies. She was always ready to wait pa- 
 tiently till the future historian, with all the docu- 
 ments in hand, shall pass final judgment on the pub- 
 lic characters of the Second Empire. 
 
 But, concerning many things that the Empress 
 did during these regencies, even the most malevolent 
 detractors of the reign were forced to hold their 
 peace. A good example of this was afforded during 
 the regency of the year 18G5 when Napoleon III 
 undertook a journey to Algeria during which she 
 occupied the position of ruler. 
 
 The treatment of youthful prisoners was a subject 
 which has always greatly interested the Empress 
 and she studied it attentively during this regency. 
 All who have any knowledge of administrative red- 
 tapism and routine, especially in France, can realize 
 
 442
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETEOSPECTION 
 
 what she had to fight against in order to introduce 
 alterations or improvements of any kind in the 
 prison system. Eugenie fully realized the difficulty 
 of the task, and as the best means of gaining accu- 
 rate and precise knowledge of the existing state of 
 affairs, she determined to conduct all the investiga- 
 tions in person, and carefully visit all the establish- 
 ments where ameliorations were needed. 
 
 At that time, youthful delinquents were usually 
 shut up in La Petite Roquette, and this prison was 
 the first which the Empress visited on her '^ errand 
 of mercy," as the Emperor termed it, writing from 
 Algiers. After a preliminary hasty examination, 
 she was pained to find that the condition of things 
 there was worse even than she had imagined it to 
 be. The children, many of whom, though no doubt 
 guilty and even vicious, were mostly victims of neg- 
 lect and ill-treatment, and were yet subjected to 
 moral torture of a kind which had long been abol- 
 ished in all the prisons where adults were shut up. 
 The natural result was that these young persons 
 became hardened and perverse in many cases where 
 gentle treatment and kind care would have worked 
 wonders. 
 
 The Empress found that the children were con- 
 demned to a life of complete isolation. For these 
 young beings, full of life and spirits, the days were 
 terribly long and each was a perfect replica of the 
 day which had preceded it, a perfect foreshadowing 
 of the day which would follow it. Their time was 
 spent in a lonely cell, bonding over an unchanging 
 task, in absolute and unbroken silence. No relief 
 came when the poor soul was turned into the prison- 
 yard for a short walk. Perhaps on the first occa- 
 
 443
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPEESS EUGENIE 
 
 sion, his heart beat eagerly as he passed through 
 the grated door, thinking no doubt that he would 
 find some comrades outside, and that even if speak- 
 ing were prohibited, there would be something dif- 
 ferent to look at. But, alas! the poor child's walk 
 was taken in a passage-way twenty-five yards long 
 surrounded by high blank walls, and the daily so- 
 called recreation became a sort of torture against 
 which his young soul revolted. The very chapel 
 had been turned into a place of punishment; for 
 one above the other, rose tiers of little boxes from 
 which the occupants could see the altar, but where 
 they were unable even to catch sight of any of their 
 companions in misery. 
 
 The Empress had brought before her some of 
 these wretched young beings. She questioned them 
 one by one, inquired into their former life, the cause 
 of their imprisonment, and asked especially about 
 their present condition. For some, she was soon 
 convinced there was no remedy. Soiled imagina- 
 tions, perverted minds, such appeared ready for 
 any crime. When catechized, these immediately 
 launched into long explanations of their deeds and 
 actions, inventing with marvelous facility tales by 
 which they hoped to deceive their listeners and win 
 compassion. The Empress was led to the reluctant 
 conclusion that such children were beyond help; 
 they were sunk too deep in the mire. She found 
 that there were others, however, who had never 
 known a kind word or loving caress. They slept 
 under the bridges of the Seine because they had been 
 abandoned. They had no other home, and sought 
 the only shelter they knew of. Some night, the 
 police would find them out, and, being homeless, they 
 
 444
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 would be brought to La Petite Roquette. Was it 
 right, Eugenie asked herself, that such victims of 
 fate deliberately should be turned into culprits' cells 
 to become by continement and harsh treatment hard- 
 ened and desperate criminals'? She answered the 
 self-imposed question by a vigorous ''No." 
 
 Eugenie discovered that other children had been 
 imprisoned at their own parents' request, by par- 
 ents who beat them and goaded them till they be- 
 came little better than savages. One case particu- 
 larly interested her — that of a young boy who had 
 one day stolen some trivial object as he passed 
 through a street. He was a policeman's son, and 
 the father, ashamed of the boy's evil deed, insisted 
 on his being rigorously punished and had requested 
 that he be imprisoned for a year. The lad had been 
 Imrdened by the treatment and swore that as soon 
 as he was free he would kill his father. Every effort 
 had been made to shake his determination, but he 
 remained obdurate. ''I will kill my father when I 
 leave here," he repeated over and over again. 
 
 The Empress inquired into this boy's past. In 
 very simple language, he told the whole story and 
 bursting into tears exclaimed: "My father had no 
 right to punish me so severely for such a little thing. 
 It is unjust and I will kill him for it. ' ' Eugenie drew 
 the young prisoner nearer to her and spoke gently 
 to liim. In kindly tones she dwelt on the duty 
 of parents, and how such duties become sterner and 
 more imperative according to the position hold by 
 the parent. "Your father was a policeman," she 
 said to the trembling lad, "whose duty it was to 
 repress evil in others, and he had consequently felt 
 it more incnmbeut on him to punish his son's mis- 
 
 445
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 deeds very severely, though no doubt it caused him 
 much pain to do so." The child listened, and as her 
 words fell on his ears, his hard little heart grew 
 softer and softer till at length he gave way and 
 sobbing, fell at her feet and promised to abandon 
 his terrible determination. Eugenie then promised 
 to send some one to intercede with his father so that 
 the term of imprisonment might be shortened. She 
 did so, and shortly afterwards the child was re- 
 leased. She saw that he was apprenticed and care- 
 fully watched during several years. In the end, the 
 lad gave entire satisfaction to his employers, thus 
 justifying the interest which she had inspired. 
 
 After this visit to La Petite Roquette, the Em- 
 press appointed a committee to inquire into the pos- 
 sibility of converting the iniquitous cellular system 
 of imprisonment into that known in France as '' agri- 
 cultural penitentiaries." The meetings of this com- 
 mittee were held at the Tuileries and among its more 
 prominent members was M. Emile Ollivier, who had 
 but lately come over to the Empire and who was a 
 staunch partisan of this new system by which work 
 in the open fields supplanted the drudgery in pent- 
 up prison work-shops. 
 
 As was to be expected, there was a considerable 
 amount of opposition in the committee to this re- 
 form. One of the members tried hard to persuade 
 the Empress of the danger of allowing sentiment 
 to play a part in such matters. He pointed out with 
 much earnestness that innumerable obstacles would 
 be raised to the new proposal and that the whole 
 administrative economy would be upset by such a 
 reform. Eugenie did not deny these facts, but hav- 
 ing exposed her ideas on the subject, she wannly 
 
 446
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 maintained that humanity, and not mere sentiment, 
 demanded that such steps as she suggested be taken. 
 The Empress gave examples of what she had seen, 
 and pleaded so earnestly on behalf of the young 
 prisoners that it was finally decided by the commit- 
 tee to draft the children gradually into the various 
 agricultural penitentiaries then existing. 
 
 It cannot be denied that the obstacles which had 
 been foreseen did arise. None were more opposed 
 to the proposal than the managers of the agricul- 
 tural colonies or penitentiaries, who feared the evil 
 effects which might accrue from the introduction of 
 undisciplined, and in many cases vicious, children, 
 among those who had already been disciplined and 
 improved by regular and healthy work. But these 
 objections were over-ridden, and the change of treat- 
 ment brought about more rapid and better results 
 than had been expected. In the fresh country air, 
 under the healthy influence of congenial work and 
 contact with fairly disciplined children, some mar- 
 velous changes took place. 
 
 Whenever I speak of this campaign for the 
 amelioration of the lot of imprisoned youth, I al- 
 ways enjoy relating the following example of the 
 success of Eugenie's plan. It was that of a boy of 
 sixteen w^ho, with a party of fifty others, was trans- 
 ferred to Citeaux, the famous abbey near Nuits, 
 turned into an industrial and agricultural peniten- 
 tiary for juvenile offenders. He had been specially 
 noted for his coarse and defiant nature. lie prided 
 himself on being a ''prison bird" and declared his 
 intention of remaining one;. He would listen to no 
 counsel and spurned the efforts of all who tried to 
 take an interest in him. But this agricultural sys- 
 
 447
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 tern worked a miracle on him. Barely a year had 
 elapsed before he was allowed to leave, although 
 his term of imprisonment had not yet expired. The 
 manager of the establishment recommended him as 
 a farm laborer, and the boy kept his situation, giv- 
 ing great satisfaction and becoming in the end an 
 excellent member of society. 
 
 The Empress next turned her attention to the 
 terrible women's prison of Saint Lazare, where vice, 
 misery and crime were thrown together indiscrimi- 
 nately, thus forming a vast and festering social 
 wound. 
 
 During one of her visits to this lamentable estab- 
 lishment her attention was attracted to a woman 
 who was lying on her deathbed. She had led a 
 wretched and shameful life, and was now loudly re- 
 fusing the comfort of religion, while she indulged in 
 the most horrible curses and blasphemy. The Em- 
 press approached her bed, spoke gently and sooth- 
 ingly to her, and seemed to find words which went 
 straight to her heart. Suddenly she raised her eyes 
 wonderingly and remarked: 
 
 ''You, an Empress, can speak so kindly to me! 
 You can feel for my sufferings! Then, truly there 
 must be a God, if you have such a kind heart." 
 
 Few things that happened to Eugenie during this 
 regency gave her more real joy than these words 
 coming from the heart of a fallen woman. Soothed 
 and softened, the poor woman asked forgiveness of 
 the sisters and nurses towards whom she had been 
 so rebellious, and, assisted by the Empress, she 
 passed the rosary they handed her round her neck, 
 asked for the chaplain and even wished to be con- 
 
 448
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 fessed aloud. She then died quietly with words of 
 prayer on her lips. 
 
 That day spent by the Empress at Saint Lazare 
 was not soon forgotten, and the touching and pa- 
 thetic remarks of gratitude which she received both 
 in the prison and outside its walls, have always re- 
 mained graven in my memory. I believe that this 
 work of Eugenie's in this prison for the fallen 
 women of Paris was the starting point for the for- 
 mation of a philanthropic society especially devoted 
 to their interests, a society which has become very 
 widely known during the Third Republic. 
 
 The news of her presence in the building during 
 the visit just described spread throughout the neigh- 
 borhood and a large crowd gathered about the gate- 
 way, anxious to catch sight of the Empress and to 
 praise a humane but very natural action. So when 
 she appeared at the door, she found groups of kneel- 
 ing women who strove to touch her hands and gar- 
 ments and present their children to the Empress. 
 She was naturally much moved and was obliged lit- 
 erally to force her way to the carriage through a 
 mass of affectionate people. The Empress returned 
 to the Tuileries with a heart which, thougli heavy, 
 was at the same time happy at a duty cheerfully per- 
 formed. Nothing during the regency was so worthy 
 of the Emperor's praise; and he did praise the Em- 
 jjress warmly, on his return from Algeria, in the 
 midst of her philanthropic work. 
 
 Ten years later, the P]mpress had another oppor- 
 tunity of coming to the aid of the poor and unfor- 
 tunate under most tr>dng circumstances. At the 
 end of September, 1805, while the court was staying 
 at Biarritz, it was announced that cholera had 
 
 449
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 broken out in Paris. The Emperor and the Empress 
 immediately resolved to return to Saint Cloud. The 
 first outbreak of the epidemic had been overwhelm- 
 ing, but afterwards the virulence of the disease 
 seemed to diminish somewhat. Towards the middle 
 of October, however, a return of the terrible malady 
 caused a general panic. Everybody who could left 
 Paris and the hospitals were full of the sick. The 
 working population especially suffered. On Oc- 
 tober 21st the Emperor went to Paris, accompanied 
 by General Reille, his aide-de-camp, and an orderly 
 officer. He visited the hospital of the Hotel Dieu, 
 spoke with the doctors, walked through the wards 
 and cheered up the sufferers. On leaving the hos- 
 pital, he gave a sum of fifty thousand francs, to 
 succor the cholera victims. This brave visit re- 
 minded many of what his great uncle had done in the 
 similarly affected hospitals of Cairo during the fa- 
 mous expedition to Egypt. Such comparisons al- 
 ways pleased Napoleon III. 
 
 The Empress did not accompany the Emperor on 
 this occasion, because he gave orders that she should 
 not be informed of this proposed visit to the Hotel 
 Dieu, as she was suffering from a bad attack of in- 
 fluenza. But on her recovery, the Empress ex- 
 pressed an ardent desire to visit in her turn the 
 cholera-stricken people. The moral effect produced 
 by the Emperor's act had been so excellent that it 
 was finally decided that the Empress should also go 
 up to Paris. Etiquette would not let her go alone. 
 But the ever-thoughtful Emperor told Mile. Bouvet, 
 her lady in waiting, that he allowed her to accom- 
 pany the Empress only on condition that she should 
 not enter the hospital, but remain in the carriage. 
 
 450
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 Mile. Bouvet was obliged to make this promise, al- 
 though she did so with the greatest reluctance, as 
 Eugenie well knew; and this bound them together 
 more closely than ever. 
 
 Eugienie left Saint Cloud accompanied by her 
 equerry. Marquis de la Grange, Mile. Bouvet and 
 Major Dupre, orderly officer to the Emperor. 
 
 Her first visit was to the Beaujon hospital, to the 
 wards occupied by the cholera patients. She tar- 
 ried at their bedsides, talked with them one by one, 
 and tried to comfort and encourage them by word 
 and manner. Her conduct was much praised then 
 and since, but the Empress never felt that she had 
 done anything more than her plain duty. 
 
 From the Beaujon hospital Eugenie went to the 
 Tuileries for lunch and afterwards visited the Lari' 
 boisiere and Saint Antoine hospitals. 
 
 A pathetic scene took place during the visit to the 
 Beaujon hospital which the Emperor used to love 
 to relate, and so I may be excused, perhaps, for giv- 
 ing it here in his own words. ''The Empress," he 
 wrote to a friend, "approaching the bedside of a 
 dying man, bent over him, took his hand in hers 
 and uttered a few words of comfort. The man 
 kissed the hand which held his own, saying, ' Thank 
 you. Sister.' 'You are mistaken, my friend,' said 
 the nun who was conducting the Empress through 
 the wards, 'I did not speak to you, it was our good 
 Empress.' 'Nay, do not correct him. Sister,' an- 
 swered the Empress; 'he could not give me a nobler 
 title than that of Sister.' " 
 
 At the Saint Antoine hospital, the doctor who pre- 
 ceded Eugenie opened, by mistake, a door leading 
 into the ward where the small-pox patients were 
 
 451
 
 MEMOIHS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 ' lying. He instantly closed it again, desirous of pre- 
 venting lier from entering. "But she entered, how- 
 ever," says the Emperor in the letter already 
 quoted, "though she forbade her lady in waiting to 
 cross the threshold. But the Empress does not take 
 any ver\^ great credit for this act. She went to the 
 hospitals to aid in preventing the panic which had 
 seized upon the public, and was simply carrying out 
 a pre-arranged program. It is quite true, as the 
 journals report, that on leaving the hospital, the 
 Empress was literally carried to her carriage by the 
 crowd who enthusiastically pressed around her. 
 Blessings and praises were showered upon her by 
 the women who had clustered about, and who even 
 cut pieces out of her gown to preserve as relics." 
 
 Even the most careless student of the more spirit- 
 ual side of the Court of the Second Empire — for it 
 had such a side, notwithstanding what its detractors 
 have said — must have remarked that the Emperor, 
 and the Empress, perhaps to a less degree, had a 
 cult for certain great historical characters and 
 events of the past. Napoleon III used to say: "It 
 is not enough for a sovereign to read and study his- 
 tory, and especially the history of his own land. He 
 must worship his country's heroes, believe in them 
 and never let an occasion slip to impress their great- 
 ness on the present generation. We sit on a throne, 
 not only to govern, but to teach." By association 
 with her noble-minded consort, this same spirit grew 
 in the Empress and with the years she became more 
 and more enraptured of the famous men and 
 women of France. "I am glad to see the progress 
 you are making in this respect," the Emperor once 
 said to the Empress; "you will end by becoming a 
 
 452
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 greater hero-worshiper than I — if this is possible!" 
 For example, the Empress always had a great 
 veneration for Marie Antoinette. She was early 
 much moved by the misfortunes of the ill-fated 
 Queen and was often haunted by the memory of her. 
 Eugenie loved everything which reminded her of 
 Marie Antoinette, whether artistic treasures, cos- 
 tumes, pictures, or books. Immediately after her 
 marriage, when she was spending her honeymoon 
 at Villeneuve de I'Etang, in the neighborhood of 
 Versailles, she asked the Emperor to take her to 
 that interesting, sleepy old town, and especially to 
 the Trianon. Eugenie then visited for the first time 
 the small palace and the gardens which the Queen 
 so greatly loved, and henceforth she began to have 
 collected for her own use minute details concerning 
 the life of Marie Antoinette at the time when the lat- 
 ter was the center of a kingdom's love and adulation. 
 The visit to the Trianon was not merely homage 
 paid to the memory of the unfortunate Queen, but 
 a sort of pilgrimage, a kind of public act of repara- 
 tion on the part of a bride who had just mounted a 
 throne. Later on Eugenie made several efforts to 
 revive in the jjiiblic mind memory of the Queen. 
 Everything concerning her was collected with the 
 greatest care. Memoirs of her times w^ere read with 
 avidity, the slightest incidents were noted, the small- 
 est objects were looked upon as sacred relics and a 
 sort of museum of Marie Antoinette's effects was 
 gradually brought together at the Trianon. r3it by 
 bit many articles of furniture and other objects 
 which once belonged to her were accumuhited ; the 
 walls were hung with pictures, among which could 
 be seen the curious painting in which she was rep- 
 
 453
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 resented dancing a ballet with her brothers at 
 Schoenbrunn, during the festivities which were 
 given at the time of Joseph II 's marriage; and there 
 was a square table decorated with bronze chiseled 
 as delicately as any jewelry, which had been made 
 specially for the Queen. 
 
 Having thus contributed to the reorganization of 
 the Petit Trianon collections, the Empress thought 
 it might be a good idea to add to the International 
 Exhibition of 1867 the attraction of a display of 
 all objects which had once belonged to the Queen 
 and which should be brought together from private 
 collections and museums. In fact, under her patron- 
 age a committee was formed with the object of re- 
 storing Malmaison and the Petit Trianon exactly 
 as they were originally. In recent years this was 
 brought about in a most admirable manner as re- 
 gards Malmaison, through the generosity of the late 
 M. Osiris of Paris. 
 
 These efforts were very successful. The King of 
 Sweden sent to Paris the portrait of Marie Antoi- 
 nette holding her tw^o children by the hand and walk- 
 ing in the alleys of the Trianon. Gustavus III 
 wished to have a good likeness of the Queen, and this 
 was said to be very striking as a portrait. The 
 Marquis of Hertford lent many things from his Lon- 
 don collections: works of art, furniture, and mini- 
 atures which had belonged to Marie Antoinette or 
 which were in some way connected with her. Among 
 the objects lent by the Empress, one of the most re- 
 markable was an album in which were gummed sam- 
 ples of the materials of which the Queen's gowns 
 were made. Eugenie learned from the descendants 
 of those who had been of the court circle of the old 
 
 454
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 regime that this album — of which, by the way, there 
 were several copies — ^was each morning handed to 
 Marie Antoinette who, by pointing out one of the 
 gummed samples, indicated the dress which she in- 
 tended to wear that day, and thus Mme. Bertin's 
 orders were greatly simplified. 
 
 The Empress owned several other interesting ob- 
 jects which had belonged to the King and Queen, and 
 among them, several portraits. There were a snuff- 
 box with a portrait of Marie Antoinette by Sicardy ; 
 a cornelian ring engraved with a head of Henry IV, 
 which Louis XVI, on the morning of his death, gave 
 to Father Edgeworth; the plain penknife which 
 Louis XVI used at the Temple, and, by contrast, a 
 very handsome knife, enriched with rubies and Cot- 
 taux enamels, with a gold blade, a marvel in jewelry, 
 which had belonged to the unlucky King also; a 
 bracelet-locket, bearing the King's profile in relief, 
 which the Queen had often worn ; marble, terracotta 
 and Sevres busts ; an enormous traveling bag of 
 guipures, embroidered in silk and gold; books on 
 which were engraved Marie Antoinette's arms; sev- 
 eral letters signed by her, and many other things. 
 
 As a rule, the Empress kept all these relics, the 
 authenticity of which was guaranteed by the most 
 competent authorities, in her private apartments at 
 the Tuileries. But during the Exhibition, they were 
 displayed at the Trianon. 
 
 At Saint Cloud, too, were many evidences of Eu- 
 genie's regard for Marie Antoinette, Tier apart- 
 ments there were decorated witli portraits of the 
 Queen, of Madame Royale, and of the Dauphin. In 
 her cabinet was the celel)rated writing desk which 
 had belonged to Marie Antoinette, elegantly deco- 
 
 455
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 rated with two bronze gilt statuettes representing 
 chimeras whose bodies, twisted in graceful fashion, 
 followed the sinuosities of the wood. This desk, 
 which was made specially for the Queen, has al- 
 ways been regarded as one of the most remarkable 
 examples of the cabinet-maker's art. At the time 
 of their marriage, the Emperor presented the Em- 
 press with two magnificent earrings, representing 
 two pears, made of diamonds, as long as a large al- 
 mond, and surmounted by two large stones. These, 
 too, once belonged to the Queen. 
 
 Among the most prized of these Marie Antoinette 
 souvenirs was a gift from Princess Metternich, wife 
 of the Austrian ambassador in Paris — a strange 
 portrait which she had brought with her from Aus- 
 tria. The Dauphine is represented shortly before 
 her marriage, at the age of fourteen, with a narrow 
 red riband, which looked like a thin streak of blood, 
 encircling her neck. One was painfully impressed 
 by this characteristic of it. 
 
 Towards the close of the Empire, a prayer-book 
 which had belonged to Marie Antoinette when in 
 the Temple was secured for the Empress at a fa- 
 mous sale. But when she learned later, that the 
 Comte de Chambord was among the bidders for the 
 book, she sent it to him through a friend, and he 
 accepted the gift in the most courteous terms. It 
 was a rule with Napoleon III always to treat with 
 the greatest deference the princes of the old regime 
 and Eugenie ever strove to second the Emperor's 
 efforts in this respect. 
 
 Among the books exhibited at the Trianon were 
 two volumes which had belonged to Marie Antoi- 
 nette, entitled Traite de I'Oraison de la Meditation. 
 
 456
 
 EECOLLECTION AND EETROSPECTION 
 
 They were bound in blue morocco, and bore the 
 arms of the Dauphine Marie-Josephe de Saxe. On 
 the first page were written the w^ords: "These 
 books belonged to my mother-in-law. Marie An- 
 toinette." The Empress took them with her to Eng- 
 land, and kept them carefully until the year after 
 the death of the Prince Imperial, when, before set- 
 ting out on the journey to the Cape, in order to visit 
 the spot where her unfortunate son had died, and 
 filled with dark forebodings, she decided to give the 
 precious books to some one who w^ould fully appre- 
 ciate them. The Empress had formerly known the 
 Due de Doudeauville, head of the royalist party, and 
 to him she sent the volumes, which can now be seen in 
 a glass case in the center of the grand salon of this 
 nobleman's superb Paris mansion. 
 
 As has already been seen, the Empress always 
 took much interest in works of charity, and the or- 
 ganization which has been specially dear to her is 
 the Maternal Society, founded by Queen Marie An- 
 toinette. This excellent institution is still in exist- 
 ence under the presidency of the Duchesse de 
 Mouchy, one of Eugenie's closest friends. 
 
 Now a few words about another bent of Eugenie's. 
 I refer to her love for travel. I admit that she was 
 never so happy as when visiting foreign lands, see- 
 ing cities where she had never been before and even 
 sailing over the seas, ever changing and ever new. 
 Walking or driving through unexplored quarters 
 of a favorite city, such as Paris, for instance, had 
 a charm for the Empress of wliich she never wearied ; 
 and this taste seemed to grow with the years. 
 
 After the death of the Emperor, the P^mpress 
 spent a large portion of almost every year on the 
 
 457
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Continent. She was accustomed to make more or 
 less prolonged visits to Paris, always choosing the 
 Hotel Continental as her temporary abiding place. ^ 
 
 *M. Franceschini Pietri, so long and so intimately connected with 
 the Imperial family, beginning with the Emperor in the Italian cam- 
 paign as secretary, and continuing with the Empress as secretary and 
 confidant says on this point: "In some quarters surprise was ex- 
 pressed at her choice of this hotel, situated as it is right opposite 
 the Tuileries, which must have awakened so many unhappy souvenirs 
 of the faUen Empire. The Empress used to gaze for long minutes 
 at a time on the ruins of the Tuileries, before they were razed to 
 the ground just before the World's Fair of 1878. She would walk 
 and sit for hours in the former ' reserved garden, ' which now borders 
 the Rue des Tuileries and is open to the public, but which in those 
 days was the private garden of the palace. Then would tears com© 
 frequently into her eyes and there was always anguish in her heart. 
 It would seem that such constant dwelling on painful memories 
 would produce but pain, so keen that it would be hard to bear. On 
 several occasions the Empress explained to me and to others her rea- 
 son for this strange indulgence. 'My always stopping at the Con- 
 tinental,' she would say, 'is due to a sort of attraction born of the 
 sufferings I had experienced in that part of the great city. I will 
 admit that on the first occasion when I came back there after Napo- 
 leon 's death, and especially after the death of the Prince Imperial, 
 the effect on me was very dolorous. Then, little by little, the sorrow 
 became more poetical in its nature and easier to endure, until it 
 grew to be a real source of consolation to me to Uve over again 
 those bright and cruel days in almost the very same surroundings. 
 I have always liked to revisit spots where I have spent happy years. 
 The cherished memories of persons and events would then ever come 
 back more clearly and vividly.' Thus, the Empress, more than once 
 during our frequent sojourns in Paris, went out to Compiegne, to 
 Fontainebleau and to Saint Cloud, the demolishing of whose ruina 
 caused her such deep anguish. She loved to stroll again through 
 those leafy alleys and in those shady groves, where she used to pasa 
 the warm summer days with her Court. She found a sad comfort in 
 sitting in the garden at Saint Cloud where the Prince Imperial as 
 a child was accustomed to play with his boy companions. On these 
 occasions she wished to be alone and her solitude was religiously re- 
 spected. Sometimes these communions with the past would last for 
 an hour or more. During one of these visits to that sacred spot so 
 closely associated with the memory of her beloved son, she was 
 
 458
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 The reason for Eugenie's long stay in Paris in 
 the year 1904, was the protracted illness of her niece, 
 
 threading her way through a narrow path bordered with brambles, 
 one of which caught her dress so firmly that she had to stop. It 
 seemed to the Empress that this bramble was filling the office of 
 some unseen hand, and this little incident quite upset her, so that 
 she returned to us who were waiting at a distance — we always left 
 her alone at these times — in a very agitated state, and sobbing, told 
 us what had happened. 
 
 "In 1904, the Empress stayed longer than usual at the Hotel Con- 
 tinental. It was at the moment when the Princess Mathilde died. 
 During the closing years of the latter 's life, the two cousins met 
 frequently. With the passing years, the death of the Prince Napo- 
 leon and with the philosophy which comes with age, all of the little 
 hostilities and petty differences of opinion which once marred some- 
 what their intercourse, gradually disappeared and left behind an 
 affectionate friendship. Now long conversations would take place 
 between the two Princesses and they finally became very intimate. 
 At Princess Mathilde 's deathbed, the Empress was all tenderness. 
 Though she knew of the character of the will which the Princess 
 was leaving behind and which disinherited Prince Victor in favor 
 of his brother Louis, at no time, and especially in these closing 
 months, did the Empress touch upon this subject with her cousin, 
 particularly as she felt this unfortunate feature of her testament 
 to be due to the influence which her brother. Prince Napoleon, had 
 over her who had quarreled with his son. The general public was 
 much surprised at this clause of the will, but rightfully interpreted 
 it to mean that, as the Empress had chosen Prince Victor as heir to 
 a great part of her property, it was but just that Princess Mathilde 
 should regard the future of Prince Louis. But no real understand- 
 ing of this kind had ever been come to by the Empress and Princess. 
 What the Empress desired to do for Prince Victor, as heir to the 
 Empire and in accordance with the wishes of the Prince Imperial 
 expressed in his testament, in no way bound Princess Mathilde. 
 As during the last two years of her life, the Princess was more 
 friendly to Prince Victor, it was supposed that she had altered her 
 will. But such was not the case, and the result was that her large 
 fortune, added to the modest sum left him by his father, made General 
 Louis Napoleon the possessor of nearly seven million of francs, 
 whereas his brother, who has all the expenses to keep up entailed 
 by being the recognized head of a former reigning family, enjoys 
 but the modest income allowed him by the Empress — some eighty 
 thousand francs annually. ' ' 
 
 459
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 the Duchesse d'Albe, who died that year. This was 
 a great sorrow for her. The Duchess was as intelli- 
 gent as she was beautiful, was very well educated 
 and had acquired an erudition that was rare in a 
 woman. The Empress used to tell how "this 
 scholarly niece," as she would call her with pride, 
 had supervised the drawing up of a catalogue of 
 all the marvels of art contained in the palace of 
 Liria at Madrid, that had come do\vn from the Ber- 
 wicks and the Albes. The Duchess was much ad- 
 mired both at the Spanish capital and at Paris, 
 where she had become very well known during the 
 time her father was Spanish ambassador to France. 
 
 I have already spoken of Eugenie's relations with 
 ex-Queen Isabella. The Empress never passed 
 through Paris w^ithout seeing her. The unfortunate 
 Queen never forgot the kind refuge offered her by 
 "the then powerful French sovereign," as she used 
 to say, when she fell from power in Spain, during 
 the sixties. But what bound Eugenie particularly 
 close to Isabella was the fact that the Queen's son, 
 who became later x\lphonso XII, was, when Prince 
 of the Asturias, a pla>Tnate of the Prince Imperial, 
 both at Saint Cloud and at the Tuileries, as is men- 
 tioned elsewhere in these memoirs. 
 
 The Empress always enjoyed the society of dis- 
 tinguished Spaniards and when she was in Paris, 
 she met a large number of them, the Spanish am- 
 bassador being particularly amiable. The Grand 
 Dukes of Russia, who also stop at the Hotel Conti- 
 nental, were also frequently seen in her small circle. 
 
 The favorite hour for receiving her Paris friends 
 was between nine and twelve in the evening. The 
 conversation on those occasions was very general, 
 
 460
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 especially touching on the question of the hour, 
 whether political, artistic or a purely social topic. 
 The latest book of note was also frequently dis- 
 cussed and judged. Burning political questions 
 were tabooed. The Empress was quite ready to let 
 everybody have their own opinions, but she did not 
 care to give up her own. The Empress consequently 
 abhorred political discussions. In fact, she would 
 not permit them in her presence. For instance, at 
 the time of the Dreyfus affair, it was agreed by her 
 friends to mention it as little as possible before her. 
 Living in England during that tragedy, I admit that 
 she was biassed in favor of the unfortunate captain 
 and felt that the case against him had not been 
 proven, in which respect she differed from nearly 
 all of her friends of her own political party. 
 
 A devout Catholic, her feelings were deeply 
 wounded by all the legislation concerning the sepa- 
 ration of the Church and State in France. In this 
 connection, the Empress was prone to dwell on the 
 religious liberty enjoyed in England as compared 
 with France, and the establishment, during the clos- 
 ing years of her life, of the good understanding be- 
 tween England and France was very pleasing to 
 her. 
 
 The Empress never took a wholly pessimistic view 
 of the condition of France. She was convinced that 
 the great industrial vitality of the country and its 
 widely diffused wealth would save it where other 
 nations might go down to ruin. Politically, she did 
 not think the restoration of the Empire to be in the 
 immediate future. She was never in favor of aiding 
 Prince Victor in trying to conquer his rights. With 
 Hie death of the Prince Imperial and the loss of the 
 
 461
 
 MF,MOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 popularity which once surrounded the Empire, Eu- 
 genie did not believe in the return of the Empire. 
 The anti-military spirit which pervades the coun- 
 try and the religious and political scepticism which 
 are so rife, seem to her to bode no good to France. 
 In her declining years, politics were interesting to 
 her for their information and not for their theories. 
 After her long and cruel experiences politics could 
 not be expected to interest Eugenie otherwise. 
 
 The larger portion of her sojourn on the Conti- 
 nent was not spent at Paris but at her comfortable 
 home on Cap Martin, in the neighborhood of Nice. 
 There the Empress received many persons whom 
 she had never known at the Tuileries, in her charm- 
 ing Villa Cyrnos, which was built in 1891, and w^here 
 she resided generally from January to June. Her 
 course of life there was one of marked seclusion, hav- 
 ing nothing to do with the social world of the favor- 
 ite winter resorts of the Mediterranean coast. But 
 many of the great personages who come to this part 
 of France for sunshine and health amiably pay their 
 respects to her. One of the most notable of these 
 visits was that paid by the Emperor of Austria, in 
 1905. She returned it the following year while the 
 aged monarch was at Isclil. The Empress wrote as 
 f ollow^s in a letter to a friend concerning this visit : 
 "It lasted two days, and w^e talked over all the 
 happy and unhappy events of our lives during the 
 past years. When I said good-by to the Emperor, 
 I remarked: 'Now, sire, we shall not meet again 
 until we are in the other world.' We were both 
 much aifected." 
 
 The Empress always liked the sea, as I have al- 
 ready said, and she was accustomed to make voy- 
 
 462
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 ages now and then on her yacht. On one of these 
 voyages she had a memorable meeting at Corfu, 
 with the Empress of Austria, shortly after the mys- 
 terious death of the Archduke Rudolph, and curious- 
 ly enough, the Austrian Empress gave Eugenie all 
 the details of this terrible tragedy. Eugenie was 
 so much affected by the narration that she wrote it 
 down immediately afterwards, during her voyage. 
 The story as told by the Empress, which can be 
 given with propriety, was as follows: 
 
 "There are several versions concerning his death. 
 According to some, the prince was killed during a 
 copious supper by a jealous rival; according to 
 others, his death was due to a hunting accident, 
 while suicide and murder have both been advanced 
 to explain the sad event. We knew that he had a 
 very intimate liaison with a young lady. Baroness 
 Vetzera, daughter of one of the Baltazzi family. 
 The Emperor was much worried by the complaints 
 made by the Archduchess Stephanie, which he knew 
 to be justified, and he did what he could to put an 
 end to this unfortunate situation. The Archduke 
 was romantic and quick-tempered, and at one time 
 we feared that he might have his marriage annulled 
 so as to be able to marry Baroness Vetzera. I am 
 sorry to say that some persons, fond of intrigues, 
 sided with my son in favor of such a union, but of 
 course the Emperor, myself and the whole court 
 circle did what we could to prevent it. More than 
 once I pleaded witli my son, but in vain. Just when 
 we began to hope that the Archduke was coming 
 around to reason, the tragedy happened. On Janu- 
 ary 29, 1889, there was a grand dinner at the Hof- 
 burg in honor of the Archduchess Valerie and her 
 
 468
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 betrothed, the Archduke Salvator. Rudolph had 
 promised to be present, but at the last moment tele- 
 gTaphed that he was so fatigued by the hunt that he 
 would return to town only on the following day. 
 He was at Meyerling with a hunting party, which 
 included Baroness Vetzera. Did her cousin, Bal- 
 tazzi, who wished to marry her, suddenly appear on 
 the scene and provoke a quarrel with the Archduke, 
 which ended fatally for him? This is the opinion 
 held in some quarters. The guests were all warmed 
 with wine. This is certain. In a thoughtless mo- 
 ment did the Archduke kill himself and his sweet- 
 heart?" 
 
 It seems to me that this account places the Prince 
 in a much better light than those sometimes given, 
 which is my reason for transcribing it here. 
 
 When not traveling, the Empress divided her 
 time between her Cap Martin home, just mentioned, 
 and her English residence at Farnborough, in 
 Hampshire, whither she retired shortly after the 
 death of the Prince Imperial. Farnborough Hill is 
 situated an hour's journey by rail from London, in 
 a smiling, wooded country, broken by hills and val- 
 leys, rather wild to the view, with long stretches 
 of moorland and pines. Here the Empress found a 
 pleasant abiding place, congenial to her heart and 
 mind. Camden Place House was associated with 
 such sad memories that she was glad to quit it and 
 to transfer her dead to her new abode. The Em- 
 peror and the Prince Imperial were given only a 
 temporary resting-place in Chislelmrst church. Op- 
 posite Farnborough, on another hill, at the end of 
 the park, the Empress erected a Gothic chapel in 
 Portland stone, surmounting a cr}7)t. The French 
 
 464
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 architect, Detailleur, who was charged with the 
 building of this little edifice, completed it in three 
 years, with great taste and with much respect for 
 pure art. Soberness of design is its most predomi- 
 nant feature. The front and interior are both free 
 from all ornament. The walls of the nave are snowy 
 white, and the pews and pulpits are in carved oak. 
 Underneath, lies the crypt, which extends the whole 
 length of the chapel. There rest the two sarcophagi 
 of the Emperor and the Prince Imperial in the sim- 
 ple grandeur of solid granite. On the one, between 
 the two dates, are cut the »vords: ''Napoleon III, 
 Emperor of the French'' on the other: "Napo- 
 leon, Prince Imperial, B -n at the Tuileries, killed 
 by the Enemy in Zulu^ nd. " Many different in- 
 scriptions had been suggested and even written out 
 for her, but the Empress preferred these few lines. 
 History knows the rest. The sanctuary is filled with 
 w^reaths, princely tributes or offerings of humbler 
 origin. I always, when I visit this sacred spot, 
 read with the same old interest this inscription on 
 the wreatli sent by the late King of Sweden at the 
 time of the Emperor's death: "Bomarsund. In 
 Memory of the Aid sent in 1855, when a Fleet to 
 defend Sweden was dispatched to the Baltic," 
 
 This homage to the dead is not the only memory 
 that is kept green at Farnborough. There are sev- 
 eral reminders of old friends or faithful servants, 
 among the dead or still among the living. For in- 
 stance, in the park is the cottage in which Ullmann 
 lived until bis death a few years ago. He was, as 
 is stated in an earlier portion of this narrative, the 
 Prince Imperial's devoted valet. Often during Eu- 
 genie's walks in the jjark would she stop to have 
 
 465
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 a short conversation with this excellent man-serv- 
 ant, who loved to recall the memories of her dear 
 son's youth and of his young manhood, and who now 
 and then would throw some fresh ray of light on 
 that dark tragedy of Zululand. 
 
 Farnborough House is built, like so many other 
 mansions in England, with a Norman roof, large 
 bow windows and spacious verandas. The large 
 dining-room and the glass-covered gallery leading 
 to it were constructed by Eugenie. Besides the usual 
 stables of a country-house, there is in the grounds 
 a carriage-house, which always interests visitors, 
 as it contains the semi-gala coaches which were re- 
 turned to the Empress after the war. The grounds 
 immediately surrounding the dwelling are laid out 
 in French style and at the foot of the hill are masses 
 of rhododendrons. All out-door growing things are 
 green and vigorous, as is always the case in the 
 damp English climate. 
 
 The ground floor of the house is full of memen- 
 toes of all kinds, largely relics of the Imperial days 
 returned to her after the war. The study, where 
 the Empress spent a large part of the day, for she 
 generally went out, when she was at Farnborough, 
 only between twelve and one, is replete with sou- 
 venirs of her son. There are many portraits of 
 him and Carpeaux's bust, which faces Flandrin's 
 portrait of the Emperor. Both are good likenesses, 
 I think, though this is not the opinion of all. The 
 room also contains many articles w^hich belonged to 
 the Prince and the Emperor. Some of these are 
 souvenirs of the Duchesse d'Albe, who was ever 
 so dear to the Empress. 
 
 But the room in the house which the Empress 
 
 466
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 cherished the most and which she spent many hours 
 in arranging is the Prince Imperial 's study, in which 
 the poor boy of course never put foot, but where she 
 sometimes felt he was very near to her. His books, 
 maps, and many of his shooting paraphernalia, as 
 well as the weapons which were with him in real 
 war, are here brought together and carefully pre- 
 served. In front of the window is a bust of Napo- 
 leon I, by Canova. There are several busts and 
 portraits of Napoleon III, of dead friends or rela- 
 tives — Abbe Deguerry, Comte Clary, and others — 
 and especially three pictures by Protais, which the 
 Empress particularly cherished. One represents 
 the first skirmish in which the Prince Imperial dis- 
 tinguished himself, while the two others are repre- 
 sentations of his last moments on earth, in his heroic 
 struggle with death. In the one, he is in a standing 
 position, determined to sell his life dearly; in the 
 second, he is lying dead, the noble boy, pierced by 
 the treacherous shafts. In a cloud, at the top of this 
 canvas, lit up by a ray of light, are three symbols: 
 Notre Dame, the Vendome Column and the Hotel 
 des Invalides. They stand for baptism, the field of 
 glory and the last resting-place of us all. The Em- 
 press passed many long hours in this shrine, buried 
 in thoughts which I cannot put down here. 
 
 The other rooms of Farnborough also contain 
 many interesting things. There are, for instance, 
 mementoes of the Prince in the square drawing- 
 room, where the Empress generally passed her eve- 
 nings, and in the little boudoirs, whose walls are 
 covered with pictures recalling the life of her be- 
 loved son. In the middle of the gallery already men- 
 tioned is the portrait of the Prince by Cannon, 
 
 467
 
 MEMOIES OP THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 which was painted at Vienna under her direct su- 
 pervision. It is a magnificent picture and inune- 
 diately attracts the attention of everybody who 
 passes it. Other pictures or artistic objects are 
 thickly scattered throughout the house. Some of 
 them were saved by Prince Metternich during the 
 disaster of September 4th, at Paris. Others were 
 returned to the Empress at the request of several 
 important persons, among whom I should mention 
 Comtesse Edmond de Pourtales w^ho obtained the 
 consent of M. Thiers to this honorable action. Some 
 of these objects came from the Biarritz villa, when 
 the Empress sold it. These are chiefly Gobelin tap- 
 estries which were in the dining-room and which de- 
 pict the life of Don Quixote. These now hang in 
 the gallery and dining-room of Farnborough. In 
 the library are found albums, various souvenirs of 
 travel, gifts from sovereigns and presents from 
 well-known individuals or public bodies. It was 
 always a pleasure to show friends and visitors all 
 these varied objects and explain their origin and 
 give their history. The Emperor used to say to the 
 Empress at the Tuileries, when she was pointing 
 out the many valuable artistic bibelots and treasures 
 which filled that once beautiful palace: "Eugenie, 
 what a fine cicerone you would have made ! ' ' And 
 more than once at Farnborough the memory of this 
 remark rushed back to her. 
 
 The Empress' long residence in England has al- 
 ways been cheered by the many kind attentions of 
 the Eoyal family. The late Queen Victoria and the 
 Princesses were the very spirit of Christian charity, 
 in their love for her. They often came to her and 
 she returned their visits with deep pleasure. There 
 
 468
 
 EECOLLECTION AND RETEOSPECTION 
 
 was something indescribable about Her Majesty. 
 While always remaining a great Queen, with all the 
 restraint demanded by her position, there was about 
 her at the same time a simplicity and an expansive 
 interest in your personal troubles and trials that 
 made you quite forget, for the moment, the lofty 
 position of the kindly caller and friend. When 
 Queen Victoria made a visit of condolence, you im- 
 mediately perceived that there was nothing perfunc- 
 tory about it and that she really felt more than she 
 could express. The Empress had occasion to ex- 
 perience this agreeable fact on several occasions. 
 Some persons, even in exalted quarters, have de- 
 clared that the Queen was cold and distant. This 
 may have been so under ordinary circumstances and 
 with those towards whom there was no reason why 
 she should be otherwise than cold and distant. It 
 is highly probable that the Queen did not care to 
 lavish affection and show warmth where these senti- 
 ments were not called for. But into Eugenie's sor- 
 rows she penetrated with a sincerity that gave the 
 greatest comfort. At one time, the Empress used 
 to go in the autumn to Abergeldie, near Balmoral, 
 in Scotland, and there she was able to judge the 
 Queen still more thoroughly, for there was less for- 
 mality observed by the Court in that wild region. 
 They made excursions together, and the conversa- 
 tion then turning on all topics, the Empress was in 
 a position to measure not only the affections but 
 the mental strength of Her Majesty. She never re- 
 turned from one of those memorable outings with- 
 out finding that the mind and character of the Queen 
 had risen higher in her estimation. I am sui'e that 
 I do not go too far when I say tliat, take her all in 
 
 4G9
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 all, the Empress considered her as one of the most 
 remarkable women of any age and any land. I feel 
 sure that history is going to place her very high 
 in the list of great Queens, and if the splendid Vic- 
 torian Age remains, as I believe it will, one of the 
 grandest pages in the history of Great Britain, this 
 will be largely due to the ability and virtues of 
 Queen Victoria. 
 
 In closing this portion of the memoirs, let me 
 touch briefly on an incident which, while not very 
 interesting, is characteristic of the fate which at- 
 tends the fallen rulers of France. During nearly 
 thirty years a suit was pending between the Em- 
 press and the State. But at length, in the spring 
 of 1907, the Empress won her case. When the Em- 
 pire fell, the State seized certain things belonging 
 to the Imperial family found at the Tuileries and in 
 other State palaces, which the Imperial family had 
 inhabited. Certain of these objects found their way 
 to the collections in the Louvre. Five hundred and 
 thirty-eight articles were, after the ending of this 
 suit, returned to the Empress. But in this long list 
 are many things which have not the slightest intrin- 
 sic value. 
 
 This interminably long suit was begun under the 
 government of M. Thiers, back in the seventies. 
 Both parties made concessions in order to bring it 
 to a close. M. Thiers held that the State should keep 
 all objects of real historical importance, though 
 some friends got M. Thiers to return to the Em- 
 press, without M^aiting for the decision of the case 
 before the courts, certain personal articles, includ- 
 ing some carriages which the State could not util- 
 ize; but she gave in exchange several valuable pic- 
 
 470
 
 EECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 tures by David, Meissonier, Cabanel and other great 
 artists, though these canvases had been bought with 
 the Emperor's private money. 
 
 In February, 1879, a decision of the courts made 
 the first important step towards the settling up of 
 this disagreeable business. The list of things which 
 the State decided to hold and another list of those 
 which the State was ready to abandon was officially 
 drawn up. The result was that the State recognized 
 its indebtedness to the Empress of over two and a 
 quarter million of francs, with interest extending 
 over a certain term of years. But her legal ad- 
 visers did not consider this account correct and held 
 that the State owed their client at least two millions 
 more. And there the matter stood for twenty years. 
 In January, 1899, the courts again took up the sub- 
 ject and the pecuniary side of the dispute was set- 
 tled, the Empress abandoning her claim for the two 
 millions above stated, while the State was ordered 
 by the court to pay over to her the two millions and 
 a quarter, with interest, as also stated above. The 
 registration of this judgTQent cost her nearly eight- 
 een thousand francs, but the decision of the court 
 remained a dead letter, for the debtor happened to 
 be the State. The Empress hoped at least, to get 
 back the pictures, portraits and certain other ob- 
 jects, which were of no public interest and which 
 the judgment of 1879 had made hers. The State 
 agreed to have the list drawn up but informed the 
 Empress that this would consume much time. In 
 order to hasten matters and show as conciliator)^ a 
 spirit as possible, she made still another sacrifice 
 to the State, and abandoned the interest on the two 
 million and a quarter given her by the courts. 
 
 471
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE 
 
 Whereupon, the State was again ordered judicially, 
 in November, 1899, to settle up this affair. The Em- 
 press knew that the inventories had been burned in 
 the Commune and other troubles of 1870 and 1871, 
 and had not been reestablished with perfect exacti- 
 tude afterwards. So there was some excuse for this 
 slowness. But she finally grew heartily weary of 
 this long delay, especially as she had sacrificed some 
 four hundred thousand francs in this matter, in one 
 form or another, mainly for the purpose of bringing 
 it to an end. 
 
 Some of the objects claimed by the Empress have 
 a certain value, while others are cherished simply 
 for their associations. Among the latter are many 
 of the objects which belonged to the "Sovereigns' 
 Museum" which was made up of gifts and loans. 
 When this museum was broken up, these objects 
 were returned to their owners, among whom were 
 the Princess Mathilde, General Petit and the Mar- 
 quis de Turenne. But the Empress was not treated 
 in this same manner, notwithstanding the fact that 
 the catalogue showed that these articles belonged 
 to her by inheritance or were purchased with the 
 Emperor's private money, not one having been 
 bought with funds belonging to the State. The main 
 trouble was over a few objects in the Louvre Mu- 
 seum, which were of some value and, in a few in- 
 stances, of even considerable value. Two Gobelin 
 tapestries and some Sevres porcelain were readily 
 returned by the museums where they had been de- 
 posited, the directors of those institutions admit- 
 ting that they had no right to them. The Prince 
 Imperial's cradle, a fine piece of work by Froment 
 Meurioe, offered by the City of Paris on the oc- 
 
 472
 
 RECOLLECTION AND RETROSPECTION 
 
 casion of the Prince's birth, as the reader has seen, 
 was returned in this way. But later, at the moment 
 of the World's Fair of 1900, Prince Murat request- 
 ed the Empress to lend it to the retrospective exhibi- 
 tion which he was organizing at that time. This she 
 readily did. But when the Fair ended, the City of 
 Paris claimed the cradle. The Empress then gave it 
 to the city collections at the Carnavalet Museum, ask- 
 ing only that there be a ticket attached to it on which 
 should be printed the words: ''Given by the Em- 
 press," but this request has never been granted. 
 
 A friend of mine and a leading French jurist has 
 made this comment on the shabby way in which the 
 State has acted in this whole matter: 'Must com- 
 pare for an instant the fashion in which the State 
 treated the Orleans Princes under like circum- 
 stances. In 1872, Thiers practically gave them back 
 everything. In fact, their personal property was 
 never seized, and the landed estates which King 
 Louis Philippe settled on his children, before he 
 mounted the throne in 1830, was quite contrary to 
 dynastic law, as tliey should have become Crown 
 property. Yet the possessors were not disturbed. 
 The claims of the Empress were perfectly good in 
 law. Nobody denied this. But the various minis- 
 ters of finance seemed afraid of public opinion aixl 
 so would not carry out what the courts had 
 ordered." 
 
 THB END OP VOL.. I
 
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