The Life of Marie Amelie
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The Life of Marie Amelie
Last Queen of the French
1782-1866
With some Account of the Principal Personages at the
Courts of Naples and France in her time, and
of the Careers of her Sons and Daughters
By
C. C. Dyson
Author of " Madame de Maintenon ; Her Life and Times "
With Photogravure Portrait, and Twenty-four other Portraits
and Illustrations
523658
15. L. S\
NEW YORK
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
1910
LIST OF AUTHOEITIES ON WHICH THIS
"LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE" IS FOUNDED
" Historian's History of the World." 24 vols. 1908. " Times."
" Vie de Marie Amelie." Par M. Trognon. Paris, 1871.
" Les Femmes du Tuileries." Par Imbert St. Amand.
" Marie Amelie a la Cour de Tuileries." Par Imbert St. Amand.
1893.
" Marie Ame"lie et la Duchesse d'Orleans." Par Imbert St. Amand.
1892.
" La Duchesse de Berry a la Cour de Charles X." Par Imbert St.
Amand.
" La Duchesse de Berry dans la Vendee." Par Imbert St. Amand.
1892.
** Memoirs of Louis XVIII." By himself. Edited by Lamotte
Houdancourt. 1832.
" Correspondance Privee de Louis XVIII." 1836.
" Mon Journal." Par Louis Philippe Due d'Orleans. 1815.
" Philippe £galite et M. Chiappini." Par M. Vitrae. 1907.
"Louis Philippe d'Orleans ou Chiappini." Par M. Dumont. 1890.
" The Mystery of Stella Lady Newborough." By Sir Kalph Payne
Gallwey. 1907.
v ^change Criminelle. Memoires de Maria Stella." 1848.
LIST OF AUTHORITIES
" Les Princes d'Orleans." By M. Yriarte. 1872.
" Life of Nelson." By Pettigrew. 1849.
" The Queen of Naples and Lord Nelson." By Jeaffreson. 1889.
" The Queen of Naples and Lady Hamilton." By Jeaffreson. 1890.
" History of Kingdom of Naples." By General P. Colletta. Trans-
lated by E. Horner. 1858.
" Vie de Marie Caroline, Reine des Deux Sieiles." Par M. Gagniere.
1886.
"Journal of Miss Cornelia Knight." 1802.
"Memoirs of the Courts of Europe at Close of Eighteenth Century."
By A. Swinburne. 2 vols.
u Les Memoires de Mme. Vigee le Brun."
" Memoires de Mme. de Genlis." 1808.
"L'Idylle d'un Gouverneur." 1904. Par M. Maugras.
« La Fille de Louis XVI." Par G. le Notre. 1908.
"L'Histoiredel'Emigration." 2 vols. E. Daudet. 1889.
" La Revolution de 1848." Par A. de Lamartine. 2 vols. 1870.
" Le Due de Nemours." Par Re*nee Bazin, de PAcade*mie Frangais.
Paris. 1907.
"En Marge de notre Histoire." Par Baron de Maricourt. 1906.
" Les Enfants du Due de Berry." D'apres des documents inedits.
Par Vicomte de Reiset. 1905.
"Adelaide d'Orleans, 1'Egerie de Louis Philippe." D'apres docu-
ments inedits. Par Raoul Armaud. 1908.
" The Letters of Queen Victoria." 1907.
"The Romance of Savoy." By Marchesa Vitteleschi. 1908.
"Les Reines de l'Emigration." Par Vicomte de Reiset. Paris.
1907.
6
LIST OF AUTHOKITIES
" Memoires de la Comtesse de Boigne." 1907.
" Vieux Souvenirs." Du Prince de Joinville. 1905.
u Journal de Cuvillier Fleury. " 1889.
" Dix ans a la Cour de Louis Philippe." Par M. Appert. 1886.
" Les Secrets des Bourbons." 1882.
" Les derniers Bourbons." Par M. Nauny. 1883.
"Prince Talleyrand et la Maison d'Orleans." Par la Comtesse de
Mirabeau. 1890.
" Les Favorites de Louis XVIII." Par M. Turquan. 1900.
* Portrait de Louis Philippe." Par M. Dumesnil. 1848.
<f Life and Times of Louis Philippe." By A. E. Douglas. 1870.
"Memoires de M. Claude, Chef de Police sous Louis Philippe."
Paris. 1881.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Notes on the History of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies — The
Reign of Ferdinando IV. and Maria Carolina, parents of
Marie Amelie, Queen of the French 15
CHAPTER II.
Marie Amelie's Home at Naples — Her Childhood — Betrothal to
Marie Antoinette's Son the Dauphin — His Death — Her
Girlhood — Her Brothers and Sisters — Lord Nelson at the
Court of Naples — Arrival of French Army — Flight of Royal
Family from Naples 29
CHAPTER III.
Flight of the King and Queen to Sicily — Their Life there with
their Family — Visit of the Queen and her Daughters to
Austria — Return to Naples — Second Flight to Sicily —
Arrival in the Island of Louis Philippe, Due d'Orleans,
Future Husband of Marie Amelie - - - - 50
CHAPTER IV.
Notes on the Life of Louis Philippe, Due d'Orleans, and his
Family — His Political Opinions — His Home, Education,
Adventures — His Father's Fate— The French Revolution - 73
CONTENTS
CHAPTER V.
PAGE
Life of Louis Philippe after the execution of his Father — Exile
in America and England— Visits Sicily— Prejudice against
him — Becomes engaged to the Princess Marie Amelie,
daughter of the King and Queen of the Two Sicilies —
Marriage and life in Sicily— Fall of Napoleon and Restora-
tion of Louis XVIII. — The Due d'Orleans returns to France 100
CHAPTER VI.
Restoration of Louis XVIII. — His Character — Comte d'Artois
— " Monsieur " — Madame Royale — The Due d'Orleans pre-
sents his Wife and Family at Court — The Manner of their
Reception — King's Opinion of Marie Ame"lie - 116
CHAPTER VII.
Life at the Palais Royal — The Hundred Days — The Life of the
d'Orleans Family in England — Louis XVIII.'s Opinion of
the Due d'Orleans — His Return to France with his Family 136
CHAPTER VIII.
Life at the Palais Royal — General Admiration felt for Marie
Ame'lie — The Education of her Sons — The Marriage of the
Due de Berry to Marie Amelie's Niece — The Assassination
of the Due de Berry — The Birth of the Due de Bordeaux - 153
CHAPTER IX.
Death of Louis XVIII. — Accession of Charles X. — Favour
shown by new King to the Due d'Orleans — The Happiest
Years of Marie Amelie's Life — Wealth of the d'Orleans
Family — Marie Amelie's Journey to Savoy to Visit her
Sister the Queen of Sardinia — Visit of Neapolitan Royal
Family to Paris — Splendid FHe at the Palais Royal - 168
10
CONTENTS
CHAPTER X.
PAGE
Character of Adelaide d' Orleans, Sister of Louis Philippe —
The Important Part she played in the Revolution of 1830,
and the July Monarchy — Abdication of Charles X. — Charac-
ter of Louis Philippe — Opinion of Europe — He is declared
King of the French 181
CHAPTER XL
Disturbances and Insurrections — Life of Marie Amelie and
Louis Philippe as King and Queen of the French — King's
Motives for accepting Crown — Public Opinion on Marie
Amelie — Her Reluctance to accept Crown — The Duchesse
de Berry's Attempt to raise an Insurrection in favour of
her Son — Her Imprisonment at Blaye 201
CHAPTER XII.
Louis Philippe as Statesman — The Admiration of his Ministers
— The Great Benefits he Conferred on France — The Charities
of Marie Amelie — Marie Amelie's Distinguished Sons — Her
Letters to them — The Marriages of the Due d'Orleans and
Due de Nemours — Bravery of the whole d'Orleans Family —
Attempts on Life of Louis Philippe 226
CHAPTER XIII.
Notes on Marie Amelie's Sons — Their Characters and Careers
(Continued) — Marriages of her Daughters — Sudden Death of
Due d'Orleans, Heir to the Throne — Opinion of Europe —
Effect on Dynasty — Sorrow of Marie Amelie — Subsequent
Life at Tuileries (Routine of) — Marie Amelie's Daughters-
in-law 246
CHAPTER XIV.
Visit of Queen Victoria to France — Visit of Louis Philippe to
England — Death of Madame Adelaide — Disturbed State of
France — Revolution of 1848 — Abdication and Flight of
King and Queen 260
11
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XV.
PAGE
Arrival of the King and Queen in England^ followed by that of
other Members of the Family — Their Adventures en route —
Kindness of Queen Victoria, who gives them a Residence at
Claremont — Life at Claremont — Opinion of Europe as to
Abdication — Death of Louis Philippe — Marie Amelie's
Visits to the Continent — Her Meeting with the Comte de
Chambord — Death of the Duchesse de Nemours — Celebra-
tion of Marie Amelie's seventy-fifth Birthday - 284
CHAPTER XVI.
Death of Duchesse de Nemours and Duchesse d'Orleans — Marie
Amelie's Interest in the Education of her Grandchildren —
Her Grandsons enter the Spanish Army — Field Sports at
Claremont — The Royal Choir — The Princes go to America
and Take Part in the Civil War — Marriages in the Family
— Last Illness and Death of the Queen — Notes on the Sub-
sequent Fate of her Descendants 301
END
12
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Princesse Marie Amelie de Bourbon- Naples - - Frontispiece
From portrait in Musee de Versailles by Mme. Vig6e le Brun.
FACING PAGE
King Ferdinando IV. of Naples at his Accession 20
From portrait by A. R. Mengs in National Museum, Naples.
Palazzo di Caserta 30
From photo by G. Brogi, Naples.
King Ferdinando IV. and Queen Maria Carolina with their
Family 34
From painting by Angelica Kaufmann in the Capodimonte Museum,
Naples.
Fountains in Palace Grounds at Caserta 46
Photographed by E. Brogi, Naples.
Chapel in Royal Palace at Palermo 104
By E. Brogi, Naples.
Palazzo d'Orleans, Palermo - - - - - - - 108
By E. Brogi, Naples.
King Louis XVIII. 116
From print in British Museum.
Comtesse de Provence, Wife of Louis XVIII. - 118
From print in British Museum.
Marie Therese de Bourbon, Madame Royale - 128
From print in British Museum.
Marie Amelie, Duchesse d'Orleans, and the Due de Chartres 138
From portrait by M. David in Capodimonte Museum, Naples.
Duchesse d'Angouleme (Madame Royale) 154
From print in British Museum.
13
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING PAGE
Ferdinand, Due de Chartres 162
Francois, Prince de Joinville 164
Louis Charles, Due de Nemours 166
Henri, Due d'Aumale - - 168
Antoine, Due de Montpensier 174
The portraits of these five brothers are all reproduced from paint-
ings by A. Dubois Drahonnet in the Capodimonte Museum,
Naples.
Charles X. 170
From print in British Museum.
Princesse Clementine d'Orleans 176
From portrait by A. Dubois Drahonnet in Capodimonte Museum,
Naples.
Madame Adelaide, Sister op King Louis Philippe - 182
From portrait in Cabinet des Estampes, Bibliotheque Nationale,
Paris.
Duchesse de Berry 216
From print in British Museum.
King Louis Philippe 226
From print in British Museum.
Queen Marie Amelie 230
From portrait by Winterhalter in Windsor Castle.
Princesse Louise d'Orleans, Queen op the Belgians - - 250
From painting by A. Dubois Drahonnet in Capodimonte Museum,
Naples.
Princesse Marie d'Orleans - - - . - - - - 252
From painting by A. Dubois Drahonnet in Capodimonte Museum,
Naples.
14
CHAPTER I.
Notes on the History of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies — The
Eeign of Ferdinando IV. and Maria Carolina, parents of Marie
Amelie, Queen of the French.
It would be difficult to find in history a royal lady
whose life is fuller of interest than that of Marie
Amelie, last Queen of the French, on account of
the varied scenes through which she passed, and her
connection with so many personages who played an
important part in the history of Europe in the eight-
eenth and beginning of nineteenth century.
She was in fact a link between the old regime and
the modern world. Yet while the name of her pre-
decessor Marie Antoinette (the last to bear the title
of Queen of France, as distinct from Queen of the
French, assumed by the later occupant of the French
throne) is a household word all over the world, few
of the general public have a clear idea of who Marie
Amelie was, or when she lived.
She was granddaughter of the great Empress of
Austria, Maria Theresa ; niece of Marie Antoinette ;
aunt of the Archduchess Marie Louise, Napoleon's
second wife ; and she lived, as wife of Louis Philippe
d'Orleans, last King of the French, to enjoy the
friendship of Queen Victoria, in whose kingdom the
15
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
last eighteen years of her life were spent.1 Marie
Amelie was the fourth daughter of Ferdinand, fourth
king of the Two Sicilies, and his wife Maria Carolina
Charlotte, thirteenth of the sixteen children born to
Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary and Empress of
Austria and her husband Francis of Lorraine, Duke of
Tuscany. Maria Carolina was the seventh daughter ;
she had one younger sister, the unfortunate Marie
Antoinette, who became Queen of France.
The Kingdom of the two Sicilies consists of the
island of Sicily, divided from the Italian Peninsula by
the narrow Straits of Messina,2 and that part of Italy
which extends from the extreme south of the penin-
sula in 38° up to 41°. The continental part of the
Sicilian kingdom contains the provinces of Calabria,
Apulia, Basilicata and Campania, where the capital,
Naples, is situated.
Sicily had been part of the Byzantine empire till
the latter part of the ninth century, when it was
wrested from the Emperor Michael by the Saracens.
It remained in their hands till the eleventh century,
when the Normans under Roger Guiscard drove out
the Saracens. Roger Guiscard was son of the cele-
brated Norman Count, Tancred ; it took him many
years of hard fighting to establish his sovereignty over
1 On Marie Amelie' s grandson, Prince Ferdinando of Bulgaria,
the eyes of Europe have lately turned, since he has assured the in-
dependence of his dominions and assumed the title of Tsar.
2 Messina had been the starting-point for the Crusades. In
1189 Richard I., Cour de Lion, and Philippe Augustus of France,
wintered there, and he then and there wooed and wedded his wife,
Berengaria of Navarre.
16
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the richest island in the Mediterranean. He became
the father of a line of kings, but the Saracens were
maintained in the enjoyment of their religion and
property and retained a preponderating influence
during the reign of Roger's son and grandson, who
adopted many of their customs, and the islanders long
retained a tincture of orientalism in their habits.
In 1198 Frederick II., Emperor of Germany, drove
out the Normans, and his descendants ruled in Sicily
till they in turn were driven out by Charles of Anjou,
brother of Louis IX. of France, who was crowned
king in 1266.
In 1275 Pedro of Aragon, who had married the
daughter of Manfred, one of the Austrian line of
Sicilian kings, laid claim to the kingdom, and in-
stigated by him the terrible massacre of the French,
known as the Sicilian Vespers, took place at Palermo
in 1282. It was excited by a French soldier insulting
a young Sicilian bride, who, accompanied by her
relatives, was on her way to church for the wedding
ceremony. The indignation of the spectators soon
spread through the city. At the time the bells of
the churches were ringing for vespers, the people
answered by the cry : " To arms ! Death to the
French ! " The French wherever found were mas-
sacred ; in a few hours more than 4,000 met their
death. Every town in Sicily followed the example
of Palermo and the French tyranny was overthrown.
The Kingdom of Sicily was separated from that of
Naples ; Pedro of Aragon obtained the crown of the
former, and Charles of Anjou the dominions on the
17 2
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
mainland, then called the Kingdom of Naples. From
this time onwards, up till 1503, there were incessant
wars between the House of Aragon in Sicily and the
House of Anjou in Naples. In that year the Span-
ish armies completely routed the French, peace was
made between France and Spain, and the two King-
doms of Sicily were united under the Spanish king,
Ferdinando III.
The continental portion of the Kingdom of the
Two Sicilies was thereafter not called the Kingdom
of Naples — it was known as " Sicily on this side of
the Pharos " (referring to the lighthouse at Messina)
and the island portion was called : " Sicily beyond the
Pharos".
In 1516 King Ferdinando died and was succeeded
by his grandson, Charles V., Emperor of Germany,
and Sicily became part of the Holy Roman Empire.
When his son Philip married the English Princess
Mary Tudor, Charles gave him the title of King of
Naples. When Philip succeeded his father, Sicily
became merely a Spanish Province, and remained so
till the year 1700, when Philip, Due d' Anjou, grand-
son of Louis XIV. of France, succeeded to the throne
of Spain. The Two Sicilies acknowledged him, but
his ascent of the Spanish throne was the signal for
the thirteen years of European warfare known as the
War of the Spanish Succession, during which Austria,
in alliance with other powers, disputed his claim.
This war was ended by the Peace of Utrecht,
1713, when the Archduke Charles of Austria received
the dominions of Sicily "this side the Pharos," of
18
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
which Naples was the capital, and to the Duke of
Savoy was given the island of Sicily.
In 1733 Philip V. of Spain entered into a league
with France and Sardinia to drive the Austrians from
Italy, on condition that the Kingdom of the Two Sici-
lies should be given to his younger son Charles, Duke
of Parma. This war was ended by the Treaty of
Vienna, 1735, by which Charles gave up the Duchy
of Parma and received the crown of the Two Sicilies.
This was the commencement of the Bourbon
Dynasty in Sicily, though it might be called a return
to the old Angevin Dynasty, for the House of Anjou
had reigned in Sicily till 1503, and now after a lapse
of 250 years a son of a Due d' Anjou (who had become
Philip of Spain) was again King of Sicily.
By the Treaty of Vienna it was settled that the
Crowns of Spain and Sicily should never be worn by
one head ; so when, by the death of his elder brother
Ferdinando VI. without children, Charles succeeded
to the Crown of Spain, he was obliged to give up
Sicily to his third son Ferdinando, for the eldest son
was imbecile, and the second now became heir-pre-
sumptive of Spain.
The Sicilians had become strongly attached to
Charles who had been Charles VII. of Sicily, and
now became Charles III. of Spain. He was the son
of Elizabeth Farnese, second wife of Philip V. of
Spain, and had inherited much of her intellectual
power together with the asceticism of his father.
The Spanish Bourbons, unlike their French re-
latives, were remarkable for their austere lives and
19
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
elevated characters. Charles III. was entirely devoted
to his beautiful wife Elizabeth of Saxony, and during
a long widowhood remained absolutely faithful to her
memory. Under his rule the people of Spain enjoyed
a period of prosperity to which they had long been
strangers ; they named him Charles the Good.
The historian Hume calls him the only really great
and patriotic king that Providence vouchsafed to
Spain in modern times. Much is told also of his
lovableness in private life. On his death-bed, asked
if he forgave his enemies, he said : " Why should I
wait till now ! They were forgiven the moment after
the offence." It is to be regretted that his son Ferdin-
ando IV., King of the Two Sicilies, inherited neither
his intellectual powers nor his other fine qualities.
When his father was called to the Spanish throne
Ferdinando was only nine years old, and a Council of
Regency was appointed to govern in his name, of
whom the Minister Tanucci was the leading spirit
though Charles continued to exercise a decisive in-
fluence over the Sicilian Government during his son's
minority. Insanity was hereditary in the family of
the Spanish Bourbons, and Charles III. (whose father
and eldest son had inherited the curse) was anxious
to do all he could to prevent its appearance in his
other children, and when appointing the Prince of
San Nicandro as governor to the young King he gave
orders that Ferdinando's brain should not be taxed by
too much study. San Nicandro was an unfortunate
choice, he was destitute of ability or knowledge and
his young charge grew up in colossal ignorance of
20
King Ferdinando IV at his Accession
To face p. 20
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
everything but outdoor sports, and caring only for low
company and contemptible amusements. In early
life he was good-natured and easy-going, but in
after life the hereditary curse of his family showed
itself in acts of ferocity and tyranny, which have
rendered his name odious to posterity.
Tanucci, the Prime Minister, being anxious to
keep the power as long as possible in his own hands,
was not displeased to see the young King such as
he was. When he was sixteen years old it became
necessary to think of marrying him. In those days
immense importance was attached to matrimonial
alliances, and the great Empress Maria The'resa had
long ago decided, and entered into an agreement with
the King of Spain, that one of her daughters should
be betrothed to the young King of Sicily. The fifth
daughter, the Archduchess Josepha, was chosen, a
costly trousseau was prepared, and everything was
ready for the departure of the young Archduchess to
her future husband's kingdom, where the marriage was
to be celebrated. Before starting she had to visit the
tomb of her father, the late Emperor Francis, in the
vaults of the Capuchin Church at Vienna — this was a
ceremony insisted on by the Empress. The bier of
Josepha's sister-in-law, the young Empress, who had
died four months before of virulent small-pox, was
also in the vault. Soon after she returned to the
palace the young Archduchess complained of feeling
ill ; next day small-pox declared itself, and of this fell
disease she died on 15th October, 1767, the very day
on which she was to have started for Sicily.
21
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The King of Spain was very anxious for the Aus-
trian alliance, and as soon as he heard of Josepha's
death he wrote to the Empress proposing that another
of her daughters should become Queen of Sicily.
The seventh daughter, Maria Carolina Charlotte,
was now selected by the Empress as a wife for Fer-
dinando. She was of a suitable age, being at this
time fifteen years old, a year and some months younger
than Ferdinando. About this time her mother wrote
her the following letter of advice : " You are now fif-
teen years old and I do not intend to treat you any
longer as a child ; if you make a good use of the
talents with which God has so richly endowed you,
you will earn the approbation of your family and the
world in general. But I am sorry to hear that you
say your prayers carelessly and without reverence.
Do not be surprised if after such a beginning of the
day nothing goes well. You must treat your house-
hold with gentleness, else you will never be esteemed,
much less loved. You must work hard at your music,
drawing, history, geography, Latin and other studies.
If you will take my advice, which comes from a
heart filled with love for my children and desiring their
happiness, you will realise that the only path to follow
is that of virtue. With God's help one can do much,
but in order to obtain it one must lead an innocent
life."
And yet the Empress did not shrink from sending
this young maiden unprotected to rule over a corrupt
southern Court and to become the wife of a vicious un-
educated boy of low tastes, and uncontrolled passions,
22
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
whose conversation, ideas and habits must have been
equally surprising and shocking to her.
Maria Carolina had heard enough about Ferdi-
nando to have no wish to become his wife ; she re-
monstrated, cried, entreated, but it was all of no
avail.
To Naples she had to go, after having first been
married by proxy in Vienna on 17th April, 1768.
The Empress had said of Maria Carolina : " Of all
my daughters she is the one who resembles me most ".
She felt that if all was to go well at Naples Maria
Carolina must rule both her husband and the king-
dom, and she perceived in her the capacity to do both.
She impressed on the young girl that if she could not
love her husband she must on no account let him per-
ceive it, but act as if she were devoted to him and in
this way establish her influence. A few weeks after
her marriage, which took place at Caserta on 13th
May, 1768, the young bride in writing to her old
governess describes the early days of her married life
as " a martyrdom, all the worse because one has to ap-
pear pleased. If religion had not said to me ' think
of God/ I would have killed myself. I was in de-
spair." Yet she learned to tolerate her husband and
even to feel affection for him, and she certainly ob-
tained unbounded influence over him. He fell deeply
in love with his young wife, who was tall, slight and
very handsome. Her brother, the Emperor Leopold,
went to visit her after she had been married two
years and reported to their mother as follows : " She
has good inclinations, remarkable truthfulness, much
23
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
cleverness and penetration. She is not the least
bit of a flirt, and is always simply dressed. She is
unaffectedly religious, saying her prayers, attending
mass and reading books of devotion daily. Her
rooms are well arranged and neatly kept."
The young Queen's salon was soon frequented,
not only by nobles and courtiers but by all the most
learned and intellectual people, old and young, in
Naples, and into their discussions she entered with
enthusiasm. She also interested herself with schemes
for reduction of taxes, reclaiming waste lands, plant-
ing colonies on uninhabited islands, establishing
schools, botanical gardens and museums, libraries,
and improving universities. Maria Carolina was the
only one of the great Empress's daughters who in-
herited her governing instinct and strength of charac-
ter. The young King amused himself, and left all
business to his Minister Tanucci ; but after a few
years Maria Carolina gained the ascendency and ruled
with absolute authority.
So many different races, Greeks, Frenchmen, Ger-
mans, Spaniards, Saracens, had disputed the posses-
sion of Sicily and left their traces among its inhabitants,
that Sicilians could not be called a nation, though the
various conquerors formed the two Sicilies into a
kingdom. In the end the Latin element triumphed
over the others, Norman, French and Arabic died out
and the speech of Lombardy became the dialect of the
Sicilians. But a population descended from such a
mixture of races and composed of such heterogeneous
elements could not fail to be difficult to govern.
24
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Tanucci had governed as if Sicily were a province of
Spain, but the Queen overthrew the Spanish influence.
It had been one of the clauses in her marriage con-
tract that after the Queen of the Two Sicilies had borne
an heir to the throne she should have the right to sit
in Councils of State and vote. Tanucci opposed this,
and Maria Carolina never rested till she had brought
about his dismissal.
The military forces of the kingdom had dwindled
away through neglect, and the Queen turned her atten-
tion to improving them and also took steps to create a
navy to protect the coasts from the Corsairs of Barbary
and from European enemies, especially the French.
She obtained from her brother the services of Acton,
an Englishman who had organised the Tuscan marine,
a most able man under whose supervision the Sicilian
army and navy were increased and made efficient.
Maria Carolina had been brought up to believe
in the Divine Right of Kings over their people, and in
the responsibility of the Rulers to God for the welfare
of the people committed to their charge, and many of
her most trusted friends were imbued with the new
ideas of the Rights of Man and inspired her with an
ardent desire to improve the moral and material con-
dition of her subjects, though she did not dream of
giving them a voice in the conduct of affairs.
In no part of Italy were the laws worse or more
oppressive, and the privileges of the nobles more a
menace to Crown and people, the taxes more heavy
than in Sicily. To redress all grievances would have
been a task beyond the powers of the wisest and most
25
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
experienced statesmen, and certainly a young inex-
perienced woman could not compass it ; but Maria
Carolina did what she could. Ferdinando, her hus-
band, had an unbounded admiration for her abilities,
and soon got into the habit of saying, when applied to
for his opinion on affairs of State : " Ask my wife,
she knows everything ! "
A strong revolutionary party existed in Naples,
and when the Queen saw what views such as theirs
had led to in France and that the high-minded pioneers
of the movement were swamped by their followers, to
the mass of whom Liberty, Equality and Fraternity
meant getting possession of other people's property
and an unrestrained course of violence, lust and
murder, she set her face against it and organised a
secret police to keep her acquainted with the plans of
the Revolutionary Party. She carried on preparations
for war which seemed inevitable when Sicily refused
to accept an ambassador from the French Convention.
In 1792 a French squadron appeared in the Bay of
Naples, and the Queen arranged a coup detat by which
all those who were engaged in conspiracy, or carrying
on treasonable negotiations with France, were seized
in one night and carried to the underground fortress
at St. Elmo to await trial.
Were the Queen and Government to blame for
protecting themselves and the loyal portion of their
subjects from those who were preparing to attack
and destroy them?
For this action Maria Carolina has been loaded
with abuse by some writers. Indeed, no queen of
26
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
modern times has been more vilified, or has had
more aspersions cast upon her character, her public
action, and private life than has Maria Carolina. A
careful examination of the accusations made against
her lead to the conclusion that for the most part they
are not proven, and that her reputation as a faithful
wife and virtuous woman is intact.
She was one of Napoleon's most active enemies,
and in order to destroy her influence at Naples, where
he supplanted her on the throne first by his brother
Joseph and then by his sister Carolina Murat, he
encouraged the circulation of calumnies about her,
in the same way and for the same purpose as he had
done in the case of the saintly Queen Louisa of Prus-
sia. Many of the accusations of immoral conduct
published concerning her were at a time when she
was a white-haired woman, bowed down with sorrow,
broken in health, partially paralysed, and in circum-
stances which made such conduct physically and
morally impossible. Maria Carolina was high-spirited
and ambitious and made political mistakes, but she
was not an immoral woman. In her youth she was
very beautiful, and had a keen appetite for the enjoy-
ments suited to her high position. Her husband was
an illiterate boor, and notoriously unfaithful to his
marriage vows, always occupied with some low amour ;
and doubtless Maria Carolina took pleasure in the
society of clever, intellectual men, and the admiration
they could not have failed to show for her ; but a woman
who worked so hard as she did at the planning and
execution of schemes for the welfare of her people and
27
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
their higher interests, who was so much occupied with
the care of, and education of her numerous children,
who was so steadily kind and considerate to the poor
and ignorant, so strict in religious observances, so
royally generous to friends and servants, so beloved
and respected by her sons and daughters, could not
have been other than a high-minded, conscientious
woman.1
In spite of his gross life and neglect of all duties,
many writers speak well of Ferdinando, and although
the Queen was absent in Austria or the island of
Sicily when Ferdinando took vengeance on his dis-
loyal subjects by the perpetration of cruelties that
can only be described as horrible, yet these horrors
have generally, though most unjustly, been attributed
to Maria Carolina. In general, Ferdinando was good-
natured and easy-going, but when his passions were
aroused he displayed a violent, cruel and remorseless
nature, and after the Queen's death he developed
ferocious instincts and became a cruel, tyrannical ruler.
1A most interesting and comprehensive account of Maria
Carolina has been written by Mrs. Bearne under the title of
A Sister to Marie Antoinette (Fisher Unwin).
28
*
CHAPTER II.
Marie Amelie's Home at Naples — Her Childhood — Betrothed to
Marie Antoinette's Son the Dauphin — His Death — Her Girl-
hood— Her Brothers and Sisters — Lord Nelson at the Court of
Naples — Arrival of French Army — Flight of Royal Family
from Naples.
A famous educationist said : " Give me the first seven
years of a child's life, that is enough to colour the
whole ". Without giving some account of her father
and mother and her native land it would have been
impossible to realise the upbringing that made Marie
Amelie what she afterwards became, which must be
my apology to those readers who may have thought
the preceding chapter tedious or superfluous.
Her father and mother had eighteen children.
Marie Amelie Th^rese de Bourbon was the fourth
daughter (the first child born to the Queen of Sicily
after the death of her mother the Empress Marie
Theresa).1 She was born at Caserta in 1782 when her
parents were at the height of prosperity.
Caserta was an enchanting place, acknowledged to
be the most beautiful royal residence in Europe. No
1 Marie Amelie's sisters who lived to grow up became, one Em-
press of Austria, another Grand-duchess of Tuscany, another Queen
of Sardinia, and the youngest married the Prince of the Asturias,
and had she lived would have become Queen of Spain.
29
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
other palace could equal its vast extent, its spacious
lofty halls and corridors, its marble-floored salons,
cool and delightful in the burning midsummer heat.
It was surrounded by green woods ; the gardens were
beautifully laid out and ornamented with statues and
embellished with cascades and fountains. In one
part of the grounds Queen Maria Carolina had made
what she called an English garden.
The Palace of Caserta was built by Ferdinando's
father, who also erected the Palace of Portici, the
hospital, and made the roads to Bo vino and Evoli, the
aqueduct, and began the excavations of Pompeii and
Herculaneum. The scenery around Caserta is ex-
quisite, the view from St. Elmo matchless. The
Neapolitan proverb, " see Naples and die," has been
bettered by an English traveller, who says : " After
living at Naples it is impossible not to wish to live
that one may return to it ".
In these lovely and splendid surroundings Marie
Amelie passed her early years. At her birth she was
so delicate that she had to be wrapped in cotton wool,
but she gradually outgrew this delicacy of health, and
she very early gave proofs of remarkable intelligence,
when, at two years and a half old, she began to read.
This precocity was a source of great interest to her
grandfather, King Charles of Spain. The old priest
who taught her the catechism was equally pleased and
delighted with the ease with which she learned her
lessons and comprehended his instructions in religion.
He used to call her " Fata Mia ". She never saw her
grandmother, the great Empress of Austria, for Maria
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Theresa had died before this grandchild's birth, her
death being the signal for an outburst of praise and
veneration throughout Europe. Frederick the Great
said : " She was an honour to her sex and to the
throne. I made war on her, but was never her enemy.
I mourn her death with sincerity. "
The Queen of Naples endeavoured to carry out
the tradition she had inherited from her celebrated
mother and bestowed much time and thought on the
education of her childen.
Marie Amelie, immediately after her birth, was
confided to the care of an excellent governess, as was
customary with all royal children at that time ; and
on the governess rested the chief responsibility for the
care of the child in infancy, her subsequent education,
and the formation of her manners and character.
The choice made for Marie Amelie was a most
fortunate one. Donna Vicenza Rizzi was the widow
of Don Bernardo Ambrozio, a distinguished Nea-
politan lawyer. Signora Ambrozio was a refined,
high-minded woman, whose good example and wise
counsels were most beneficial to the young princess,
who respected and loved her all her life.
Although it was necessary to put them in charge
of governesses yet Maria Carolina desired to obtain a
lasting influence over her daughters and their entire
confidence, and in the midst of all the cares of State
never allowed a day to pass without their spending an
hour with her, when she made stringent inquiries as
to their progress in their studies and administered
very salutary advice.
31
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Her eldest daughter was the Queen's prime fa-
vourite, and when she married her cousin, the Emperor
of Austria, and went to live at Vienna, the third
daughter, Christina (afterwards Queen of Sardinia),
became her mother's favourite. She was sweet and
gentle, but completely outshone in her studies by her
younger sister, Marie Amelie.
At that period of her life Marie Amelie seems to
have been treated with some severity by her mother,
who said it was necessary to counteract Marie Am&ie's
tendency to be overbearing.
The King, however, made a special favourite of his
fourth daughter, and when she was old enough used
to take her with him on the hunting excursions in
which he passed most of his time. In this way Marie
Amelie became a splendid horsewoman, and in spite
of his failings she was extremely fond of her father
all through life.
Some of Ferdinando's diversions were far from
kingly. He sometimes went to the market and sold
fish. On these occasions he wore a white cap and
apron, and used to hold up the fish to auction, in-
dulging coarse jests in the dialect of the Lazzaroni,
who acclaimed him with delight.
Every year on the night of Shrove Tuesday the
Lazzaroni had the right of free admittance to the pit of
the splendid theatre, the San Carlo, at Naples. The
King used to take his place in a box on the upper tier
attended by servants carrying huge dishes of hot mac-
aroni dressed with cheese and oil, of which he took
handfuls and threw it among the crowds below who
32
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
scrambled and fought to get it. This amused Ferdi-
nando, who delighted in all kinds of buffoonery. He
and the Queen honoured their subjects by attending
parties at their houses, and the presence of the sove-
reigns was not considered a restraint, and instead of
causing formality added to the enjoyment of all.
We hear of a ball given by the Maggiordomo at
Portici, to which many English visitors were invited.
Among these were a Mr. Spence and a Miss Snow,
who was so fat that she was known as " Double
Stout " ; this couple, by their furious dancing, enter-
tained the King prodigiously ; he roared with laughter,
bravoed, clapped his hands and encouraged them to
jump about. Each of them was conscious how much
the other was laughed at, and took care to tell it to
all the company, without suspecting that their own
figure or performance could be the subject of merri-
ment. Mr. Spence's dancing made quite a conquest
of the King, who had him to play tennis very fre-
quently and became on most intimate terms with him.
Though Ferdinando was profligate and idle and
despotic when aroused, he was adored by the popu-
lace.
His ignorance was profound ; his one civilised
taste was for music. He played and sang fairly well,
and would spend hours most contentedly singing
duets with the Queen and her ladies.
In order to obtain influence over him the Queen in
the early days of their married life used to take part
in all his diversions, though many of them must have
been most uncongenial to her.
.33 3
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
For many years, and until the Queen's political
mistakes had ended disastrously, Ferdinando's ad-
miration for and deference to the Queen was un-
bounded.
Their mutual love for their children had drawn
them together ; the Queen grew indifferent to his
incessant amours, for the objects of his passing affec-
tions were not women of a class likely to obtain
influence over him or interfere with the Queen's plans.
From all the letters extant that passed between her
and her relations one gathers the impression that the
Neapolitan royal family was an affectionate family ;
members were on the best of terms with each other.
They were surrounded by every luxury ; the expendi-
ture in the King's household alone was 600,000 ducats
yearly. The Queen's allowance was not large, and
she had such royally generous instincts in her treat-
ment of all around her that the 100,000 ducats which
it was the custom for the King to present to the Queen
on the birth of a son were a welcome addition to her
privy purse.
Her eldest son, the Prince Koyal, was her third
child ; he died of small-pox at an early age, and the
second son, Francesco, born in 1777, became heir to
the throne ; his two younger brothers, Gennaro and
Carlo, died of small-pox ; another brother, Leopold,
born at a later date, lived to grow up. He received
the title of Prince of Salerno, and was the chief
support and comfort of his mother in later life.
While King Ferdinand affected the society of the
Lazzaroni, Maria Carolina cultivated the good graces
34
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of the upper classes, with whom she was very popular ;
not only the nobility and courtiers but the most learned
and intellectual men in Naples paid court to her.
The Queen of Sicily was the favourite sister of
the unfortunate Marie Antoinette, and when the
latter became Queen of France the two sisters de-
cided on the betrothal of Marie Antoinette's eldest
son, the Dauphin, to his little cousin of Naples, Marie
Amelie, who was suitable in age, being two years
younger than the Dauphin. So from a very early age
Marie Amelie was taught to think of herself as the
future Queen of France. How this destiny was ful-
filled this book will show.
Her proposed bridegroom died when she was
barely eight years old. The letters and memoirs of
the time give most touching accounts of the short
and melancholy life of this little prince, whose
birth had for so many years been eagerly desired
by his father and mother and the French nation.
He was sadly deformed, and died of a wasting
disease, gradually fading away. Like many children
destined to an early death, he was sensible beyond his
years, precocious in intelligence, grave and serious in
demeanour, and of a charming nature. Many stories
are told of his noble, touching sayings. His spirit
seemed to live at the expense of his body. When so
weak that he could not stand he was an insatiable de-
vourer of all the books he could obtain. The Countess
Lage de Volude, who went to see him at Meudon in
company with Princess de Lamballe on 8th April,
1789, wrote : " We went after dinner to visit the little
35
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Dauphin. It was heartbreaking. His sufferings, his
patience, his intelligence were most touching. When
we arrived an attendant was reading to him. He had
had a fancy to lie on the billiard table, so his mattress
had been placed there. It struck us that he looked
as if already on the bed-of-state on which princes lie
after their death. Mdme. de Lamballe asked what was
being read. He replied : ' A very interesting period
of our history, madame ; there are many heroes in it.'
" I allowed myself to ask if he read straight on or
only picked out striking passages. 1 1 read straight
on, I do not know enough to choose, and all interest
me,' he replied.
" He said to the Due d'Harcourt in a low voice :
'I think this is the lady who likes my map of the
world/ and a servant was ordered to turn it. I had
been enchanted with the perfection of this immense
machine when I saw it on New Year's Day, but now
I could think of nothing but this dear and unhappy
child who was dying before our eyes."
One of the attendants recounted that before the
Dauphin had been so dangerously ill a playfellow had
broken a piece of china which the Queen valued.
Afraid of being scolded, he ran away. The Dauphin
was accused and did not defend himself, so he was
punished by being deprived for three days of the
pleasure of going to Trianon. But on hearing this
the real culprit returned and confessed. His gover-
nor expressed astonishment that the Prince had said
nothing. He replied : " Should I be the one to accuse
anybody ? "
36
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
On the 4th of May, lying on a piled-up heap of
cushions on a balcony of the palace, the heir to the
throne of France witnessed the procession of the
States-General, the assembling of which was the be-
ginning of the disasters that gradually overwhelmed
the royal family of France. He had only a month to
live. Mme. de Lage wrote : " The poor child is so ill !
What he says is almost incredible. It breaks the
Queen's heart to hear him. He shows the greatest
love for her. The other day he begged her to dine in
his room. Alas ! she swallowed more tears than any-
thing else ! "
In spite of the unpopularity of the royal family
and the political excitement which absorbed the city
of Paris, general sympathy was felt for the sad state
of the royal child. Even the Revolutionary Party
seemed softened, at least temporarily. Inquiries from
all quarters were incessant, anecdotes of his pathetic
sayings and the courage with which the boy bore his
sufferings were repeated everywhere. The great bell
of Notre Dame summoned the faithful to forty hours'
prayer 1 on his behalf, but on the 4th of June, 1789, the
royal child had ceased to suffer, and, as we know, was
delivered from the evil to come, and escaped the even
worse fate that befell his younger brother, the Child
of the Temple.
Louis XVI., on hearing that the Dauphin had
breathed his last, shut himself up in his room, wish-
ing to be alone with his grief ; but if the people felt
1 To appoint forty hours' prayer was the custom of the Arch-
bishop of Paris at all critical times.
37
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
sympathy, their representatives showed little tact in
expressing it. Bailly, at the head of a deputation
from the States-General, demanded in imperious
terms that the King should himself receive from their
hands an address of condolence. Louis felt this
violation of the privacy of his days of mourning very
deeply, and said : " Are there no fathers in the
Assembly ? " In Naples little Marie Am£lie took the
death of her cousin, whom she had been taught to
think of as her future husband, greatly to heart. In
old age she remembered it and said : " I wept bitterly
for my little cousin, but it was my destiny to become
Queen of France at last."
Marie Antoinette had another son, born 1785,
and the Queen of Sicily had been chosen his god-
mother, and was represented at the baptismal cere-
mony by Mme. Elizabeth, sister of Louis XVI.,
but he was younger than Marie Amelie, and the tragic
events soon to take place in France put any idea
of arranging marriages out of the heads of both
queens.
They were on the eve of the French Revolution.
Queen Maria Carolina followed with horror and con-
sternation the course of events in France, and occupied
herself incessantly with plans for rescuing her sister
from the hands of the fiendish Terrorists. She en-
deavoured to stir up her vacillating brother, the
Emperor Leopold, to form a coalition of the other
European nations against France ; but the unfortunate
and ill-judged Louis XVI. signed the French Con-
stitution, secured a semblance of liberty, and sent
38
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
circulars to the Powers to stop the movements of the
armies collected to deliver him.
When the fearful news of the execution of Marie
Antoinette reached Naples, the Queen was over-
whelmed with grief and horror. She made the news
known to. her children in an impressive manner, sum-
moning them all to the palace chapel, where the
solemn prayers for the dead were recited, and they
were awestruck as they saw their mother kneeling
with bowed head before the altar making inter-
cessions for her sister's soul. These solemn scenes
left a profound impression on the mind of Princess
Marie Amelie. About this time she made her first
communion, and that important event in the life of a
young and fervid Catholic seems to have altered her
tastes and disposition ; she cared less for amusements,
more for study and above all for religion, showing the
germs of that saintly and noble character so fully
developed in after years.
The King and Queen of Sicily refused to accept
an ambassador from the French Convention and war
with France seemed inevitable. Every possible pre-
paration was made in Sicily, but the exposed position
of Naples, with its palaces and public buildings and
government offices right on the sea-shore, made it
appear an easy task for a French fleet to bombard it.
In December, 1792, a French squadron appeared in
the Bay of Naples — powerless to resist, the Sicilian
Government agreed to disavow any intention of offer-
ing insult to France in the person of her ambassador,
for the French Republic had emissaries at Naples,
39
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
who were spreading revolutionary doctrines, and they
had a large following.
The Sicilian Government was only temporising.
As soon as possible an alliance was entered into with
England in order to obtain command of the Medi-
terranean and the protection of Naples against pirates
as well as against the French fleet. Lord Nelson
was sent to Naples, where he was received as a hero
and tremendously feted by Court and people. When-
ever the English sailors passed through the streets
they were acclaimed by the people who crowded to
see them. Lord Nelson was received at Court almost
as if he had been a royal visitor, and sat on the King's
right hand. He had after a while to go to Egypt,
where he burned, sank or otherwise destroyed Napo-
leon's fleet at Aboukir. He then returned to Naples
and was in Sicilian waters on and off for five years.
Whenever he was at Naples he was a constant visitor
at the palace, and was a familiar figure throughout
Marie Am&ie's early life.
The celebrated Emma Hamilton was on intimate
terms with the King and Queen of Naples. While
she was occupying an equivocal position in the house-
hold of the English ambassador, Sir William Hamil-
ton, the Queen did not receive her, but as soon as
their marriage was announced she did so, and Lady
Hamilton's tact and discretion soon made her a great
favourite at Court. At Naples Lady Hamilton's
house was the resort of the best people of all nation-
alities and of many English visitors of high rank and
irreproachable reputation ; Lord Nelson's attentions
40
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
to her as wife of the English Ambassador seemed
natural and did not excite comment. The Queen
used Emma Hamilton's influence for her own ends
and liked her personally. The King of Naples also
liked her and used to sing duets with her for hours
at a time. Of his singing Emma said : " It was but
bad, he sings like a king ".
She might have been laughing and talking in the
Queen's apartments all the afternoon, but at a public
reception in the evening Emma- would keep her dis-
tance, and treated the Queen with punctilious respect
as if she had never seen her in private. This pleased
Maria Carolina mightily, and she would make a point
of distinguishing Lady Hamilton.
After the battle of Aboukir, the Queen wrote to
her : " Hip ! hip ! my dear lady. I am wild with joy.
What a pleasure it will be to greet our hero ! "
The King was at dinner with the Queen and the
Princes and Princesses when the news of the victory
was brought to him. He started up and embraced
his wife and daughters, exclaiming : " Oh, my chil-
dren, you are now safe ! "
Naples went wild with joy when, three weeks
later, Nelson and the victorious English squadron
arrived in the bay. The royal barge with the King,
accompanied by a brilliant retinue and his musicians,
went first ; then came the British Minister and Lady
Hamilton rowed by liveried boatmen, followed by a
long train of boats and barges going forth to meet
the victorious admiral, whom the King styled " De-
liverer" and "Preserver".
41
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
At the banquet on board the Vanguard much
notice was taken of a small bird that hopped about
on the table between the plates. It had come on
board the evening before the battle of Aboukir and
was looked upon as bringing good luck. The King
gave Nelson the estate of Bronte, near Mount Etna ;
it is a dukedom, and the income was valued at £2,000
annually. He also gave him a sword set with dia-
monds which had belonged to his father, saying
Naples had been conquered with it and it ought to
belong to Lord Nelson, who had saved the king-
dom. Nelson was looked upon as a kind of patron
saint by the royal children. Marie Amelie's eldest
brother, the Prince Royal, used to stand before his
portrait and say : " Great Nelson, make me like
you ".
In 1780, when the Prince Royal was thirteen
years old, the King and Queen, accompanied by all
their children, went to Vienna for his betrothal to
his cousin, the Archduchess Clementina, and for the
marriage of Marie Amelie's two eldest sisters, one
to the heir to the Austrian Crown, afterwards the
Emperor Francis II., and the other to his brother,
the Grand-duke of Tuscany. After these ceremonies
the Neapolitan royal family returned to Naples.
To give an account of all the plots and counter-
plots, and the political and military events which
made the history of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
during the reign of Marie Amelie's parents abound
in tragic scenes, is not necessary, for she herself took
no active part in them.
42
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
But figuratively and actually it was life on the
edge of a volcano. In 1783 a fearful earthquake
devastated Sicily and Calabria. An English visitor
writing to a friend said : " In the course of one
month we might have been either bombarded by
the French, smothered by a mountain, or swallowed
up by an earthquake".
In spite of rumours of the approach of the
French army and the fact of dangerous conspiracies
in its midst, the Court of Naples still continued
the splendid fetes and varied amusements which
made foreign travellers say that life on those en-
chanting shores seemed a never-ending round of
pleasure.
Though too young to be emancipated from her
studies, some share in these exciting scenes must
have fallen to the lot of the young Princess Marie
Amelie. She and her sisters would at all events be
present at reviews of the troops that the Queen was
straining every nerve to raise to repel Napoleon's
army, at carnival processions, and would accompany
her mother on the visits to the convents which were
so much a part of the routine in the life of royal
ladies at that time. All Neapolitan convents were
under the supervision of the Queen, who visited them
in turn yearly, and took a numerous suite to partake
of the splendid entertainments given by the nuns.
On one occasion the royal party was surprised to find
a table covered with meats, hams, fowls, fish and
other substantial dishes, although it was in the after-
noon. However, they seated themselves, and the
43
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
nuns stood behind to serve them. The Queen chose
a piece of cold turkey, which on being cut up proved
to be a delicious lemon ice in the shape of a turkey ;
all the other dishes were ices disguised as fish, flesh
or fowl.
Many of the convents were very rich. Ladies
of rank would rather their daughters married, for
it cost more to make them nuns. The ceremonies
that took place when a young lady made her pro-
fession were very costly — £1,000 hardly covered the
expense — and besides there had to be a pension for
the nun, and a sum in reserve in case she should
arrive at holding office in the convent.
The populace of Naples were always very turbulent,
and it was necessary to keep a strong garrison there,
and to take care that the inhabitants were supplied
with food at a moderate rate, to keep them in good
humour. Government spent large sums in purchas-
ing grain and selling it under cost price to the
poor.
The remission of sentences on prisoners on the
occasion of happy events at the palace, such as the
birth of a royal child, helped to demoralise the people,
for crimes were followed by severe and even barbarous
punishments ; if the sentences were remitted, worse
crimes generally followed. An endeavour was made
to improve morals by marriage laws which were in-
tended to "put an end to female artifice (!) elope-
ments and unequal alliances ".
In spite of all efforts to suppress them Republican
opinions were spreading, though for reading the works
44
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of Voltaire a reader was liable to be sent for three
years to the galleys.
On the surface, however, life at Naples seemed a
splendid pageant. The King counted a hundred per-
sons with the title of Prince, and a still greater number
with that of Duke, among his subjects. They all
possessed magnificent equipages drawn by six or eight
horses, with richly liveried servants running in front
and behind. Their palaces were immense and splen-
did, the entertainments given in them were most
luxurious ; the tables would be loaded with a variety
of dishes, the fruit and wines of all countries, and
there would be a servant in the host's livery standing
behind the chair of each guest to serve him.
An English visitor wrote : —
"All ranks seem to live only for show and in
idleness. Expense and prodigality are at their height.
The rich are oppressed with debt and the lower orders
spend their wages before receiving them. Every day
there are fireworks, music, religious processions. At
the parade of the Ottaboni the Court with King and
Queen and Ministers were present in the Calle Toledo.
The street was lined with a double row of guards
behind ropes, the coaches paraded in the middle.
Every window was full of spectators leaning upon
silk or tapestry hangings. The foot people crowded
so thick that the postilions by cracking their whips
could with difficulty make room for the five cars of
the Madelona, and the sledges of the hunters with
horsemen and hounds attending them ; the parade was
closed by a Bucentaur. The last that came was an
45
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
English steam-boat manned by royal cadets. After
these carriages had passed twice before their majesties,
the street was cleared by the dragoons and then on
the firing of a few petards, a dozen horses with fellows
riding bareback came galloping down the street. The
prize was a piece of tissue. This was but poor work ;
but the next race of five barbs without riders was
very amusing. Waiting till dark, the carriages re-
turned in the same order very well illuminated.
The Madelona's stopped opposite the King and played
off* fireworks out of the front of each car. The illumina-
tions of the Bucentaur were beautiful beyond expres-
sion. I never saw a finer sight. From thence we went
to a ball at Court, where an excellent hot supper was
served, but each person had to eat on his knees and
in the best manner he could. We were served with
pies, hams, wines and fruit in the greatest profusion.
In the ball-room the chairs were set so as to form a
square in the middle of the room, and the company
sat facing each other in a double row. The King
played at Macao, and soon after midnight both he and
the Queen retired, and shortly afterwards the assembly
broke up, walking to their coaches by the light of
charming illuminations, through gardens where foun-
tains cooled the air."
Naples was crowded with French refugees, driven
out by the horrors of the Revolution. To all of them
the Queen of Naples showed the utmost generosity,
straining her resources to the utmost. To those who
had personally known and enjoyed the favour of her
beloved sister Marie Antoinette, she extended a very
46
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
warm welcome, and they formed part of her intimate
society. The young Princesses liked to practise talk-
ing French with them, and were never tired of hearing
all that could be told of their French relatives.
Among the refugees who had known Queen Marie
Antoinette was the celebrated Mme. Vig6e le Brun,
who, while at Naples, painted an excellent portrait of
the Queen as well as some other members of the
Neapolitan royal family. The Queen paid her mag-
nificently and presented her with a beautiful lacquer
box set with diamonds. She also wished Mme. le
Brun to remain permanently at Naples and offered
her a charming residence on the sea-shore.
However, the charming painter had been sum-
moned to the Court of Russia and could not make
up her mind to stay at Naples. She says in her
Memoirs : " Though the scenery is enchanting and the
air balmy and delicious, I should not like to spend
my life there. In my opinion Naples ought to be
seen like a magic-lantern. Before one could feel
comfortable there, one would have to get accustomed
to the terrors inspired by the volcano, and to living
in constant expectation of an earthquake. If these
drawbacks did not exist, who would not wish to live
in such a delicious country? The Queen is a very
highly cultivated woman and takes the greatest pains
with the education of her daughters, but most Nea-
politan ladies are surprisingly ignorant. They take
no exercise and their only occupation is intrigue ;
they are superstitious to the last degree. At noon
all the world is asleep; in the evening till eleven
47
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
o'clock the populace crowd to the Largo Castello to
saunter about, and then retire, leaving the scene clear
for the people of quality, who take possession of it
till one o'clock."
The Corso on the sea-shore was the great scene
of Neapolitan splendour and display. When there
was no opera the elite of society passed their evenings
on the shores of the bay, and on Sundays the fashion-
able drive was along the Chiaja to Posilipo. On the
fite day of the Madonna dei pie di Grotta the Chiaja
was crowded by daybreak with a gay populace in
bright holiday dress. The garrison troops lined the
route. The nobility appeared in gala coaches. Grand
dinners were given at all the houses on the line. At
five o'clock the King passed in his state coach, with a
retinue following him in twenty-two carriages. A
picturesque scene that could not be matched in any
other European capital.
In 1797 life at Naples was full of excitement.
Conversation by day and dreams at night had for
their sole subject the meeting of the hostile fleets of
France and England.
Sicily was collecting arms and stores. Reviews
of the troops were frequently held, and Maria Caro-
lina with her Court stayed for some weeks at San
Gennaro where the army was encamped. She used to
ride through the lines in a blue habit with gold fleur
de lys at the neck, and a general's hat with a white
plume.
Napoleon had invaded Italy, and though Nelson
had destroyed the French fleet sent to bombard
48
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Naples, yet the French army under Champoinet soon
appeared there. The Neapolitan troops were de-
feated on all sides, and the Revolutionary Party were
waiting to deliver the city to the French. The popu-
lace, maddened with terror and hatred of the foreign
invasion, rose tumultuously, destroyed the houses of
the revolutionaries and committed terrible atrocities.
The populace were loyal to their King but savage and
ungovernable, and in the tumults then taking place
none knew who might be the next victim or what
turn their fury might take. Besides this the Queen
of Sicily had a great dread of falling into the hands
of the French armies, the murderers of her sister and
Louis XVI. Warned by their terrible fate she deter-
mined to escape with her family before it was too
late. She claimed the assistance of Nelson to trans-
port them to Palermo, capital of the island of Sicily.
The Sicilians were loyal and ready to fight to the
death against the French.
49
CHAPTER III.
Flight of the King and Queen to Sicily — Their Life there with
their Family — Visit of Queen and her Daughters to Austria —
Eeturn to Naples — Second Flight to Sicily — Arrival in the
Island of Louis Philippe, Due d'Orleans, Future Husband of
Mario Amelie.
When the departure of the royal family had been
decided on the Queen made use of Lady Hamilton,
wife of the English ambassador, for the purpose of
getting her boxes conveyed on board the ships, and
wrote : " There will be many of them, for 'tis for ever
we go ".
It was necessary to carry this out secretly, for if
it had been generally known that they were about
to leave, the Lazzaroni would have endeavoured to
prevent it, and they were a powerful body, num-
bering 40,000, and could enforce their wishes.
So the boxes containing clothing and necessaries,
the cases containing furniture or treasure, were all
sent to Lady Hamilton's house and from thence taken
to the ships that were to transport them to Sicily.
There was an underground passage leading from
the palace to the shore, and when all the arrange-
ments were completed, and everything ready for their
departure, the royal family traversed this passage and
were met by Lord Nelson at the shore end af nine
o'clock in the evening.
50
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
It was on the 21st December, 1798, that the King
and Queen and their family went on board Nelson's
ship, the Vanguard, which was to be accompanied by
two Neapolitan warships. Twenty vessels, merchant-
men and transports, were loaded with treasure, and
crowded with members of the Court and adherents of
the King and Queen, and the long procession of ships
set sail for Sicily. They encountered a terrible storm ;
every one was dreadfully sea-sick, and Marie Amelie's
little brother, a child of seven, died of exhaustion. A
violent blast struck the Vanguard, tearing her sails to
pieces ; many of the ships of the convoy were scat-
tered, but the Vanguard and its royal burden arrived
at Palermo at five o'clock on a dark winter's morning.
The royal party were ill, miserable and exhausted,
but thankful to have arrived in safety. They went on
shore, escorted by Nelson, and took up their abode at
the royal palace. The Sicilians received them with
every manifestation of joy and loyalty, and after re-
covering from grief at the death of the little Prince,
whose funeral was the first public ceremony that took
place, the royal family settled down into their usual
mode of life. They had only exchanged one beautiful
capital for another. They were not in financial diffi-
culties, having brought away means to carry on the
government, provide for their followers, and make
preparations for the defence of their new capital,
besides treasures of the State and gold from the mint
and banks, and as much of the valuable contents of
their palaces as could be bestowed on board the ships.
Though Maria Carolina has been much blamed for it,
51
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
we think her conduct in this respect very wise, and
contrasting favourably with that of most of the French
royal and other refugees, who put off their departure
till the last minute and then fled suddenly without
resources, arriving in foreign countries in a destitute
condition, and were obliged to weary the Courts of
Europe by their begging incessantly for money and
assistance.
The bay and city of Palermo are by many people
considered more beautiful than those of Naples. The
regal elegance of its marble palaces, its fanciful
buildings of Saracenic architecture, are like a fairy
scene.
Two great streets intersect each other in the centre
of the city, where they form a square called Ottangolo.
From the centre of this square the whole of these fine
streets and the four great gates of the city which ter-
minate them are seen, and produce a fine effect of sym-
metry and beauty. The handsomest of these gates,
the Porto Felice, opens on the Marina, a magnificent
promenade with a row of fine houses on one side and
on the other fine trees and a terrace for pedestrians,
along which statues of the Sicilian kings were placed
at intervals ; in the midst a wide carriage road. The
Marina led to beautiful public gardens, "The Flora
Eeale," where a band played for the pleasure of pro-
menaders. On account of the scorching heat in sum-
mer it was necessary to turn night into day. The
orchestral concert began when the clock struck mid-
night, when the nobility left their carriages and walked
up and down to enjoy the sea breezes. No lights were
52
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
allowed, so unless there was a moon the promenaders
could not recognise each other.
In his well-known book of travels Mr. Brydon
says : "In Palermo the chief entertainments are
conversaziones. Here people really converse, while
in Italy they only meet to eat ices and play cards.
Sicilians are better educated than Italians, and instead
of the frivolities which afford topics of conversation in
Italian society, the Sicilians talk of literature and his-
tory as well as of politics, and I was surprised to find
many young noblemen acquainted with Milton, Shake-
speare, Bacon, and the best English authors. They
were evidently better educated than their King, whose
ignorance was remarkable. When some one men-
tioned the execution of Charles I. Ferdinando said he
refused to believe it had occurred, for he admired the
English too much to believe that their nation could be
guilty of such a crime. He was sure it was only a
false report circulated by the French to justify the
murder of Louis XVI.
Many of the Neapolitan nobles were very ignorant.
One asked Lady Hamilton if she went to Capri by
sea or land. Another in his death-bed confession
admitted having fought a duel : " I said Tasso was
superior to Ariosto, and we fought three times ; but
though I disputed so vehemently I have never read a
word of either of those authors ".
If Sicilian gentlemen were well educated it seems
that Sicilian ladies were unfortunately deficient in
good looks. Several travellers mention this. One
says : "I went to a soiree at the Prince of P 's
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THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
house, where the principal belles of Palermo were
assembled, a collection of frightful women. I never
beheld such an ugly race as the Palermite ladies, they
are perfect monsters ".
The Sicilians were a remarkably loyal race. When
the King instituted an Order to reward loyalty — the
Order of St. Ferdinando — it was remarked that all
the recipients were Neapolitans. A Sicilian noble-
man said the King had done well to give it to the few
Neapolitan noblemen who had been faithful. He
would have had to give it to every Sicilian.
Court functions went on as usual at Palermo, but
the Queen was troubled about affairs of State and the
difficulty of defending the island from the French, for
all the Neapolitan warships as well as an immense
quantity of gunpowder had been burned and destroyed
to prevent their falling into the hands of the enemy.
After arriving at Palermo the Queen wrote to Lady
Hamilton : " My dear Lady, — It appears ages since I
saw you. It will be a great treat to see you again, to
thank you for all the help you gave us, and to assure
you of my eternal gratitude. Night or day Lord
Nelson or his officers can see me or the King. I wish
to talk over our affairs with our brave deliverer.
So many troubles have shaken me and I am much
depressed." The Queen was most generous in her
acknowledgment of Lady Hamilton's services and
presented her with magnificent jewellery as well as
large sums of money.
The King had laid the blame of the necessity of
their flight from Naples on the Queen's policy, and
54
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
during the rough voyage to Palermo had said it was
her fault that they were not sleeping comfortably in
their beds ; but after arriving in the island Ferdinando
did not trouble himself about anything, and was per-
fectly happy so long as he could get good hunting,
shooting and fishing, and this he found to perfection
in Sicily. Francesco, the Prince Royal, likewise was
of no comfort or assistance to the Queen. He was
like his father, stupid and without cultivated tastes,
and in spite of all the pains his mother had taken
with his education, he cared for nothing but sport.
His marriage with his cousin, the Archduchess Clem-
entine of Austria took place when he was nineteen
and his bride fifteen, in 1797 ; she was a charming
girl and much beloved by Princess Marie Amelie,
who was just of the same age. The Princess Royal
held her Court, but Princess Marie Amelie, being un-
married, had still to pursue her studies and was
under the control of her governess, who encouraged
her to take part in works of charity, to visit the poor
and sick, and to make garments for them. There
were also the visits to convents. Probably she and her
sisters would have been taken to see some of the in-
teresting historical sites in which Sicily abounds.
There was Monte Pellegrino where Hannibars father
remained during five years of the Punic Wars ; the
temples of Agrigentum amidst the orange and olive
woods ; the Temple of Concord and that of Jupiter
Olympus, the largest in the world. Near by the
Convent of Recollects is situated, and from its ter-
races a magnificent panorama meets the eye. Then
55
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
near Syracuse, where Dionysius used to keep 400
ships of war in the bay and on land 100,000 soldiers,
are the curious Latomise or subterranean prisons,
and a large quarry called "the Ear of Dionysius,"
wrought in a circular form and used as a dungeon.
The Ear is artificially cut and has many rings in the
wall for fastening chains to. At the top it is narrowed
and twisted in the shape of an S till it terminates in
a groove which is conveyed to a small closet high
up over the entrance, where the listener sat. Owing
to breaches in the walls the hearing is now imperfect.
The echo in the quarry is wonderful ; the tearing of a
sheet of paper sounds like the cracking of a whip.
Farther down are the Catacombs, thought more
wonderful than those of Rome. In many of the
mouths of the skeletons medals were found. The
Fountain of Cyane, near which Egyptian papyrus
grew. Then there was Etna, the wonderful size of
which quite dwarfed the memory of Vesuvius. It is
best approached from Catalagina, from whence a
plain of thirty miles extends to Etna. Snow covers
a quarter of this stupendous cone, then comes a dark
brown region, lower down a number of white villages,
then Catania, the finest city in Sicily, built on black
lava vomited from two hills at the foot of Etna : out-
side, the immense tree-trunk, called the Cente Ca villi,
in which travellers are seated at a table to dine ; and
other immense chestnut trees, some measuring seventy-
eight feet round.
Sicily is not, as some people think, a barren rocky
country. There are cornfields and greensward, rich
56
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tracts of cultivation, olive woods and great forests
of chestnut and oak trees of prodigious size and
bulk.
Writing to her favourite daughter, the Empress of
Austria, in 1799, Maria Carolina says: "As Queen-
mother, woman I am unlucky. My children hide
their grief in order not to sadden me, they merit a
better fate. Mimi (Maria Christina) prays and does
penance, hoping that God will take pity and change
our circumstances. Amelie is the prettiest and has
infinite tact and an excellent heart. Your father is
well ; whether from religious principle or resignation
he is content. I admire him. Naples is like the Hott-
entots to him. He does not see it and therefore does
not think of it."
Her daughter replied : " Come to me, dearest
mother; you and my beloved brothers and sisters
will be received with open arms. You can be your
own mistress and live as you please. I cannot rest
so long as you are in Sicily exposed to dangers.
Think of me only as your devoted Theresa, who
would give her life to make you happy. You can
live at Vienna or in any other part of my husband's
dominions that you prefer."
At that time Maria Carolina would not accept her
daughter's invitation. She said : " I would rather die
than be dependent on others."
She and her daughters embroidered banners for the
Sicilian troops who took up arms against the French,
and she still had hopes of returning one day to
Naples. The old French princesses, daughters of
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Louis XV., had taken refuge at Naples and were
lodged at Caserta for three years. They, too, had
taken flight, and the Queen wrote to her daughter :
" We only lent them two old carriages and six bad
horses, but they were grateful. If they get safe to
Vienna treat them as their rank deserves."
The young princesses spent their time pleasantly
and happily enough during their two years' stay in
Sicily, but the Queen was melancholy and depressed ;
there was desperate fighting going on in the mainland,
and the French had established a Republican Govern-
ment at Naples, now called the Parthenopian Re-
public. News was disquieting; the Queen in June,
1800, resolved to go to Vienna to confer with her
son-in-law, the Emperor, on political matters and to
see her daughter Ludovica, Duchess of Tuscany, who
was in great sorrow over the death of her son, and
longed for her mother's presence. Maria Carolina
was accompanied to Vienna by her four younger
children, the Princesses Christine, Marie Amelie and
Antoinette, and Prince Leopold. Lord Nelson in his
ship the Foudroyant took them to Livorno. They were
accompanied by the English ambassador, Sir William
and Lady Hamilton ; also by Miss Cornelia Knight,
who has left a detailed account of all that occurred
on this eventful journey. On landing at Livorno the
first news they heard was of Napoleon's great victory
over the Austrians at Marengo, and they had to pass
a month at the Court of Tuscany before it was safe
to continue the journey to Vienna. Tuscany was
overrun by the French troops, and terrifying rumours
58
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
were always in circulation. When finally they set outr
the journey by land and sea was full of anxieties and
dangers owing to the nearness of the French armies.
Miss Knight speaks of the great attention paid to her,
and the kindness of the princesses when she was ill
during their travels.
Lord Nelson escorted them to Ancona, where an
Austrian frigate fitted up with silk hangings and
carpets and eighty beds for the accommodation of
the party had been sent to meet them, but there had
been a mutiny on board, and they finally set off with
a Russian squadron of three frigates and a brig which
conveyed them across the Adriatic.
The Queen and thirty-four of her suite had fever,
but when after their tedious and perilous journey
they finally arrived at Vienna, the Queen was received
with all the honours due to her as daughter of the great
Empress, Maria Theresa, and mother of the reigning
Empress and aunt to the Emperor. The Austrian
Prime Minister, Thugut, dreaded Maria Carolina's
influence over her nephew and son-in-law, Francis I.,1
and saw with uneasiness the increasing intimacy and
affection of the royal children of Naples and their
Austrian cousins. Marie Ame'lie, in her journal,
speaks of her happiness and delight during this long
stay in Austria. Being fond of music she appreciated
the opportunities of studying it and enjoying musical
performances, for Haydn was then at Vienna in the
height of his fame.
1His father, Francis of Lorraine, though called Emperor did
not reign, he was only the consort of the Empress.
59
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The simple family life, and outdoor amusements
of the Imperial family, were varied by attendance at
great ceremonies, such as the reception of the Arch-
duke Charles as Knight of the Teutonic Order, ac-
companied by all the pomp and religious solemnity of
the days of chivalry. Also the opening of the Diet
at Presburg, a magnificent spectacle to which the
picturesque figures of the Hungarian nobles, their
strange customs, and the extraordinary splendour of
their dress lent an almost Oriental character. They
also made a pilgrimage to Maria Zell in Styria where
their grandfather the Emperor Francis had died. To
get there they had to travel two days through grand
scenery to this lonely spot among the mountains.
The loveliness of the place and the imposing church
so impressed Marie Amelie that she wished she could
come every year.
Marie Amelie was not pretty. She was tall and
thin, with fair hair, small blue eyes and irregular teeth.
But her head was well set on her shoulders and she
had an air of distinction and a very pleasant expres-
sion. One of the cousins, the Archduke Anton, fell
in love with her and paid her devoted attention in
public and private. He was destined for the priest-
hood and to become Prince Bishop of Bamburg, one
of the greatest ecclesiastical positions in Europe, but
Maria Carolina told her daughter that if she recipro-
cated his affection, the vows could be annulled by the
Emperor's influence. Marie Amelie, however, did not
wish for the marriage. Still more distasteful was the
next husband proposed for her, the eldest son of the
60
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
King of Spain. The reports as to the personality of
the Prince of the Asturias were unpleasant, and the
weak, foolish King Charles V. was entirely governed
by his wife, a woman of extremely vicious character,
swayed by her disreputable favourite Manuel Godoy.
The Spanish Court could not have been a desirable
home for a well-brought-up princess ; but the alliance
was too important to be rejected by the Queen of the
Two Sicilies. Marie Amelie escaped, as it was de-
cided that her younger sister Antoinette was more
suitable in age for the Prince of the Asturias. Marie
Amelie was heart-broken at parting with this favourite
sister who had been her intimate companion, and was
full of forebodings as to her fate, which in a few
years were justified by her untimely end. The French
ambassador, Junot, spoke with great admiration of
the young Princess of the Asturias, saying : " She
was charming, the perfection of a princess, a most
accomplished person ". She obtained unbounded in-
fluence over her husband; this excited the jealousy
of the Queen-mother and her all-powerful favourite,
Godoy, by whose orders she was poisoned.
While the young princesses and their mother had
been enjoying a peaceful time at Vienna, terrible
events had convulsed the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The Republican Government at Naples was by no
means secure, though they did their best to spread
Republican sentiments, and used to employ popular
orators for this purpose. One of them, known as
Michaelo el Pazzo, had been made a colonel bv the
Republic and set to harangue the mob. When asked
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
what a citizen was he replied : " I do not know, but
it must be a good name, as the heads of the State
have adopted it for themselves. By calling every one
Citizen, the great lords are no longer Excellencies
and we are no longer Lazzaroni ; that name makes
all men equal." When asked, " What does equality
mean ? " he replied : " That I may be either a Lazzaro
or a Colonel. The great lords were Colonels before
they were born, I am one by Equality. Men were
once born great, now they become so."
M. David, the Consul at Naples, wrote to the French
Government : " The populace are fanatically devoted
to Ferdinando and detest the French. If they saw a
chance they would not leave a Frenchman alive. If
the English come and bombard Naples and join forces
with the Lazzaroni we shall be in the greatest danger."
The Royalist party were not idle ; the inhabitants
of the Abruzzi took up arms under the brigand who
became celebrated under the name of Fra Diavolo, for
neither party was particular as to the tools they used to
effect their purpose. Knowing the power of religious
sentiment on his people, the King invested Cardinal
Ruffo, a most remarkable man, with command of the
troops raised in Calabria, and the title of Vicar-
General of the Kingdom. He gave absolution to the
troops for all crimes committed, and knew how to
turn brigands into intrepid soldiers. Every morning
he performed Mass in camp and then rode at the
head of the troops dressed in purple, sword in hand.
The French troops had to retire before him, he entered
Naples victorious, and thus ended the Parthenopian
Republic.
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
After the occupation of Naples by Cardinal Ruffo,
Ferdinando, escorted by Nelson and the English
fleet, returned thither and resumed his sovereignty
in June, 1709. During the war and afterwards, be-
fore his authority was re-established, terrible atrocities
were committed, and in taking vengeance on disloyal
people scenes so horrible were enacted that they were
a disgrace to humanity.
All this did not come to the knowledge of Marie
Amelie till many years later.
It was not till 1802 that Queen Maria Carolina
and her daughters, with their brother Leopold, Prince
of Salerno, left Vienna and rejoined King Ferdinando
at Naples.
They re-entered in triumph and were received by
Lord Nelson and Sir William and Lady Hamilton.
The Queen threw herself into Lady Hamilton's arms
and embraced her and encircled her neck with a string
of diamonds, from which was suspended a miniature
of herself, around which were the words "eternal
gratitude ".
During their stay in Vienna, Marie Am&ie had
seen much of her niece, Marie Louise, then a child of
eleven, who was destined to be Empress where Marie
Amelie afterwards became Queen, i.e., in France, and
both were to reign under the tricolour flag which they
had been taught in youth to detest.
During the absence of his mother and sisters in
Vienna the Prince Royal had lost not only his little
son, the heir to the throne, but also his wife Clemen-
tina, daughter of the Empress of Austria. She was
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
survived by her little daughter, named Maria Carolina
after her grandmother, who in after years, as Duchesse
de Berry, was a familiar figure in the daily life of Marie
Am&ie in France, where she played a conspicuous
part. The heir to the throne having died, it was neces-
sary for the Prince Eoyal to remarry. The Infanta
Isabel of Spain was chosen to be his wife, and the
Spanish warship that brought her to Naples took back
the Princess Antoinette to Spain, she having been
married to the Prince of the Asturias in Naples
previously by proxy.
The Sicilian royal family were much disappointed
with the bride sent to the Prince Royal ; she was
short, stout, plain, had very little education, and was
of a lethargic temperament. Even the King felt
his new daughter-in-law was not up to the mark, and
contrasted her deficiencies with the attainments and
manners of his accomplished daughters. Princess
Marie Am&ie was desired to endeavour to polish and
improve her young sister-in-law, but found it quite a
hopeless task, as, though the Infanta Isabel was only
fourteen, she had a great idea of her own importance as
a married woman, wife of the heir to the throne, and
declined to take either advice or instruction from her
unmarried sister-in-law. However, she suited her hus-
band very well, and they were quite happy together,
passing their time in riding, hunting and looking after
the Prince Royal's farm.
Although many sad and terrible events were taking
place in Naples, conspiracies, murders, trial and exe-
cution of conspirators, many of whom were notable
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
and distinguished persons, and the power of Napoleon
was a perpetual menace, yet the Court life was out-
wardly undisturbed, and the royal family occupied
themselves with amusements of an intellectual order.
The musicians, Cimaroso and Paisello, were in the
height of their fame as composers ; the excavations at
Pompeii and Herculaneum were a great interest, many
beautiful works of art and antiquities were unearthed,
and the Princesses Christine and Marie Amelie were
often there listening to the explanations of learned
men. Every week the Queen gave informal dances
for young people which her sons and daughters greatly
enjoyed.
One day in July the heat had been unusually op-
pressive, the sky became overcast, a tremendous gale
arose, and at night a terrible earthquake accompanied
by a rumbling noise shook the city. Every one rushed
out of their beds and houses into the open air. The
princesses spent the night in a carriage outside the
palace. At daybreak it was seen that Vesuvius was
deprived of its summit, which had been swallowed up
in the volcano. Darkness lasted for three days, and
the air was thick with showers of ashes. The ground
was convulsed for 600 miles around, fifty-nine towns
were destroyed, thousands of people lost their lives.
The destruction in Naples itself was not so great as in
the surrounding country. It was not surprising that
Marie Amelie retained all through life a great dread
of earthquakes and thunderstorms. Not long before,
her apartment at Portici had been struck by lightning
and her embroidery frame destroyed.
65 5
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
In 1806 Napoleon, wanting a kingdom for his
brother Joseph, decided to annex Naples, and the
Bourbons had again to fly to Sicily. This time they
felt it would be never to return, and in her Journal
Marie Amelie relates how they went for the last time
to the palace chapel for the service of benediction.
She says : " After the service mamma addressed the
Court in touching words of farewell ; nothing but
tears and sobs were heard. I felt my heart break-
ing."
In a letter to her daughter, the Empress of Austria,
Maria Carolina relates how exasperated she felt at the
apathy of Isabel, the Princess Royal, who while the
preparations for embarkation were going on and every
one else was in the deepest grief, seemed to feel noth-
ing. " She is just like a log, understanding and feel-
ing nothing, as unconcerned as if nothing was the
matter."
The emergency seemed to have aroused the Prince
Royal; he and his brother Leopold, full of enthu-
siasm, went off to join the Sicilian army in Calabria,
when, after a heart-rending farewell, the Queen and
her daughters set sail for Sicily, where the King had
already gone.1
Their former arrival in Sicily had been of a different
character ; they were escorted by a powerful ally, and
well provided with money and with everything neces-
1 His last words on leaving the palace, where he had reigned for
forty-seven years, were : " Do not forget to bring my supper on
board and to keep it hot ". This in the presence of a crowd of
courtiers who had assembled to take leave of him.
66
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
sary to transform an old palace into a luxurious abode.
On this occasion some of the ships bearing their fur-
niture and stores were lost ; they were very short of
money and were obliged to help their unfortunate
retinue who had lost everything in the wrecked ships,
and before long they were obliged to dismiss their
servants because they had no money to pay them. So
diminished was the royal household that, when the
two children of the Prince Royal were taken out
walking, the Princess Marie Amelie and her sister had
to stay at home, or there would have been no one to
look after the palace apartments. The Queen was
broken in health and spirit by a succession of mis-
fortunes ; she seldom went out. The princesses, who
had never before known anything but splendour and
luxury in their surroundings, were now to undergo
the discipline of poverty and privation. They were
scrupulous in attending all church services ; they
visited convents and endeavoured to console their
mother. England was resolved that Napoleon should
not get Sicily, though they had recognised Joseph
Bonaparte as King of Naples, and when he was trans-
ferred to Spain he was succeeded by Murat, the hus-
band of Caroline Bonaparte.1
The English Government allowed King Ferdinando
and Queen Maria Carolina £300,000 per annum for
the upkeep of their Court and Government ; but Maria
Carolina was never one who could stay her hand, and
1 After the fall of Napoleon and her husband's death Caroline
Murat came to Paris and Louis Philippe granted her a pension.
She always professed great admiration for Marie Amelie.
67
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
there were an immense number of loyalist refugees
from Naples to be supported, so that the royal family
were always in want of money. The English general
said : " There is no order or method in distributing
the finances. If Mount Etna were made of gold the
royal family would still be poor."
The war in Calabria being over, the Prince Royal
and his brother returned to Sicily. The former with
his father established himself in a country house and
occupied themselves with farming, selling butter and
eggs to all comers.
Carlo Felice, Duke of Genoa, brother of the King
of Sardinia, had long been attached to the Princess
Christine, but in the days of prosperity the Queen
of Sicily had not thought him a good enough match
for her daughter. But when he now renewed his
offer it was gladly accepted ; the marriage was cele-
brated at Palermo, and after some stay in Sicily the
Duke and Duchess of Genoa went in 1807 to live at
the Sardinian Court. The Duke was heir-presump-
tive to the Crown.
Princess Marie Amelie was now left alone with
her mother, except for the companionship of her
second brother, Leopold, Prince of Salerno, a high-
minded, accomplished man, with whom she was on
the best of terms.
Napoleon had proposed a marriage between Marie
Amelie and his stepson, Eugene Beauharnais, Vice-
roy of Italy, but this proposal was indignantly re-
jected.
The Queen's eyesight had failed, and Marie Amelie
68
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
spent much time in reading to and writing for her.
The King only visited them occasionally. In her
journal Princess Amelie says that the Queen showed
her so much tenderness and affection that these
months during which they were thrown on one
another for companionship, and which they spent at
the Queen's country house at Tamastra, were amongst
her dearest recollections.
The year 1808 was rendered memorable to Marie
Ame'lie by the arrival in the island of he who was
destined to become her husband, Louis Philippe, Due
d'Orteans. The Queen had the greatest horror of
meeting him, being as he was the son of Egalit£, the
bitter enemy of her sister Marie Antoinette, and
whose vote for the death of his cousin and King
Louis XVI. has made his memory for ever execrable.
He had met his reward on the scaffold, and his son
Louis Philippe — though he had when a boy kept the
door of the Jacobin Club, and witnessed with his
governess, the celebrated Mme de Genlis, the storm-
ing of the Bastille, and had fought with distinguished
gallantry in the Republican army under Dumouriez —
had in long years of poverty and exile learned to see
what the extreme principles instilled into his mind
in youth led to, and to abjure them. He had always
looked on his father's conduct with horror and wished
to blot out the remembrance of it, and to cast off the
reproach attached to his name by establishing re-
lations with some of the royal families of Europe.
None could serve his purpose better than the Sicilian
Bourbons, the bitterest enemies of the Revolution, by
69
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
descent and tradition the perfect embodiment of the
monarchical principle in Europe, and closely related
to the sovereigns of Spain and Austria.
He wrote an account of his first meeting with the
Neapolitan royal family : " The Queen awaited me on
the top of the steps at the entrance of her residence at
Tamastro ; when I presented myself she took my hand
and led me to her room ; there, standing in the recess
of a window, she held my head between her hands
and gazed at me for some time without speaking. At
last she said : " I ought to detest you and yet I feel
a liking for you ". She then sent for the princesses.
Princess Marie Am&ie records this meeting, in her
journal, as follows : " Mamma sent for Isabel and me
and presented the Due d'Orteans to us. He is of
middle height, inclined to be stout ; he is neither
handsome nor ugly. He has the features of the
House of Bourbon and is very polite and well edu-
cated."
There is an entry in Marie Am&ie's journal on the
last day of the year, 1808, in which she wrote : " This
year I have made an acquaintance which will prob-
ably influence my whole life, and has given rise to
new sentiments and ideas in my mind and heart.
Clearly seeing the hand of God in the unexpected
arrival of the Due d'Orl^ans in this island, and in my
parent's feelings towards him, I had thought we were
destined to make the happiness of each other's lives.
But I desire nothing that is against the will of God,
or that will not be for His glory and the welfare of
our souls."
70
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
In after years, when King of the French, the
Due d' Orleans told Victor Hugo that he had never
been really in love but once in his life and that was
with his " Governor," Madame de Genlis, though he
said : " She educated us ferociously ". But he genu-
inely admired and liked Marie Amelie, who had
charming manners, an air of great distinction, and
was a most accomplished young lady, and he soon
found means to win her affections ; his want of for-
tune prevented marriage for the present, but they
looked upon themselves as engaged. Marie Amelie's
brother was sent to Spain to act as regent on the
death of the late king, and the Due d'Orleans was
to accompany him. Marie Amelie went to see her
brother off and the Due d'Orleans escorted her to the
place of embarkation. She said how glad she was
that he was going with her brother. The Due d'Or-
leans replied : " I will take care of him for your sake.
Ah ! if you only knew how dear you are to me I
Do not forget me ! " " You may rely on me,"
replied Marie Amelie. " I never change. My affec-
tion once given is given for ever." When she left
the ship and got into the launch that was to take
her to shore, having taken her seat, she cried ;
" Adieu, mon cousin ". He replied : " Adieu, ma
princesse ".
Marie Amelie at this time was twenty-six years
old and the Due d'Orleans thirty-five. This was not
the first connection between the House of Orleans
and the Kingdom of Sicily. An ancestress of Louis
71
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
Philippe, Anne d'Orteans, daughter of Louis XIV.'s
brother Philippe Due d'Orteans and Henrietta Stuart,
married Victor Amadeus of Savoy, first King of
Sicily, and they were crowned in the cathedral at
Palermo with great pomp and magnificence.
72
CHAPTER IV.
Notes on the Life of Louis Philippe, Due d'Orleans and his
Family — His Political Opinions — His Home, Education, Ad-
ventures— His Father's Fate — The French Revolution.
Louis Philippe d'Orleans and Marie Amelie were related, both
were descendants in the same degree of Louis XIII., King of
France.
Louis XIII.
Louis XIV. Philippe Due d'Orleans
Dauphin The Regent d'Orleans
Philip V. of Spain Louis d'Orleans
Chas. III. of Spain and Naples Louis Philippe d'Orleans
Ferdinando Louis Philippe Joseph
l3galit6
Marie Amelie Louis Philippe, King of the
French
Marie Amelie's descent from Louis XIV. was in the male line,
Louis Philippe's both male and female, for his ancestor the regent
married Mile, de Blois, daughter of Louis XIV., and his own
mother was granddaughter of the Comte de Toulouse, youngest son
of Louis XIV.
Louis Philippe was born in Paris, 1773. He was
the eldest son of that Duke of Orleans generally
known as Philippe Egalite\ though he was reluctant
to assume this surname, which was forced on him
when he was no longer the leader of the popular
73
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
party but the discredited tool of the Terrorists.1
Philippe Egalite's wife was the only child and heiress
of the Due de Penthievre who had inherited the
great wealth of his uncle the Due du Maine, as well
as that of his father the Due de Toulouse, youngest
son of Louis XIV. and Madame de Montespan.
Mile, de Penthievre was good, charitable and pious,
ardently attached to the old regime : she fell desper-
ately in love with her future husband, then Due de
Chartres, at their first meeting, and declared she would
never marry any one else. Her father gave his con-
sent reluctantly, for the Due de Chartres was noted
for his vicious disposition and dissipated habits, and
it would have been difficult to find, as far as tastes
and dispositions went, a husband less likely to make
a young, modest girl happy. She was the greatest
heiress in France, so the Due de Chartres was glad to
marry her. He had good abilities, was tall and had
an air of great distinction, but the vicious excesses of
his life at an early age left their mark on his appear-
ance. He was bald, his complexion became copper
colour, his face was marred with pimples. He had
made frequent visits to England and was a friend of
1He had sent his daughter to England for safety. She re-
mained there a long time. When he wished her to return to France
he was obliged to go to the Hotel de Ville and solicit from Manuel,
Procurator of the Syndic, permission for her to re-enter the country.
Manuel refused to grant permission unless the Duke of Orleans
would assume a new name, and relinquish his title. Pointing to
statues of Liberty and Equality which adorned the hall, Manuel
proposed to the Duke to take the latter as his new name. The
Duke agreed, but with repugnance.
74
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
the regent, afterwards George IV. and admired the
English Constitution.
It is necessary to give somewhat lengthy details
as to the birth of Louis Philippe, because his legiti-
macy has been challenged by Maria Stella, Lady
Newborough,1 who maintained that she was the child
of the Due and Duchesse de Chartres and that Louis
Philippe was the son of Lorenzo Chiappini, a village
constable of Modigliana in Tuscany ; that in 1773 the
Due and Duchesse de Chartres were travelling in
Italy under the name of Comte and Comtesse de
Joinville, that the Comtesse gave birth to a daughter
at Modigliana in April, 1773, and that this daughter
was exchanged for a son born the same day to the
wife of Chiappini ; that the reason for this substitution
was that the Duchesse de Chartres was very delicate
and that if she pre-deceased her husband without
leaving a son a large proportion of her immense
wealth would revert to her family.
It is not likely that a high-minded woman like
the Duchesse de Chartres would have agreed to such
a substitution, and it will be shown 2 that she and her
husband were not in Italy at the time of the birth of
the girl brought up by Chiappini. It is, however, cer-
tain that this girl was the daughter of travellers calling
themselves Comte and Comtesse de Joinville and was
exchanged by them for Chiappini's boy. It has since
1 See The Mystery of Maria Stella, Lady Newborough, by Sir
Ealph Payne Gallwey. Published London, 1907.
2 See Les Enigmes de I'Histoire : Philippe figalite' et Chiappini,
par M. Maurice Vitrac, de la Bibliotheque Nationale. Paris, 1907.
75
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
been proved1 that these people were a Comte and
Comtesse Battaglini, and that the Count was arrested
on account of this substitution. Chiappini received
a large sum of money with the girl and had her well
educated. She went on the stage, Lord Newborough
saw and admired her, and married her at Florence in
February, 1786.
When on the point of death her supposed father,
Chiappini, told her of the substitution, and she ad-
vertised for the Comte de Joinville. Apparently the
only reason for thinking that she was the child of the
Due and Duchesse de Chartres 2 was that Joinville is
an estate belonging to the Dues d'Orleans, and there are
no other holders of such a title. It was also supposed
that she bore a very strong resemblance to the d'Or-
leans family, and her supporters contended that Louis
Philippe bore no resemblance to the Bourbons, and
that he was vulgar in appearance and uncouth in
manners! Marie Am&ie, when she first saw him,
was struck by the Bourbon features, and at a later
date Cuvillier Fleury said : " Were King Louis Phil-
ippe to put on the costume of that reign he would be
the living image of his ancestor Louis XIV."
The sons of Louis Philippe were remarkably hand-
some, distinguished-looking men, the Due de Nemours
being always said to bear a striking resemblance to
Henri IV. As to manners, Louis XVIII. who was no
1 See Les Enigmes de VHistoire : Philippe Egalite'et Chiappini,
par M. Maurice Vitrac, de la Bibliotheque Nationale. Paris, 1907.
2 His father the old Due d'Orleans was still alive, so his title
was then Chartres.
76
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
mean judge, and who detested Louis Philippe, said
after their first interview when the Revolution was
over: "The Due d'Orle*ans both in manners and ap
pearance is far superior to the princes of the elder
branch of the House of Bourbon, my nephews the
Dues d'Angouleme and Berry."
In 1824 Lady Newborough appealed to the Court
of the Bishop of Faenza, in whose diocese her baptism
took place, for an amending of her baptismal certifi-
cate. The Court found as follows : " It is plainly
proved that Comte Louis de Joinville exchanged his
daughter for the son of Lorenzo Chiappini, and that
Demoiselle de Joinville was baptised under the name
of Maria Stella, with the false statement that she was
the daughter of L. Chiappini and wife."
The copy of the paper authorising the alteration of
the baptismal certificate was signed by the Vicar-
General. Stella, Lady Newborough, made a request
to the Tribunal of the Seine that this act of birth
might be considered valid in France, which was re-
fused, as it did not prove the descent or domicile of
the so-called Comte and Comtesse de Joinville.
When Lady Newborough advertised for the Comte
de Joinville, Louis Philippe sent his uncle the Abbe
St. Fare to ask what she wanted, and on hearing her
story he submitted the matter to the great lawyer
Dupin, who ridiculed her claims, for it was known that
the Due and Duchesse de Chartres were not in Italy
in April, 1773, the date of the birth of Maria Stella.
Records of public events in newspapers of that
period prove that figalite was in Paris at that time.
77
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
And it is related that when about that time he asked
permission to go to Toulon the King refused, saying
the Due de Chartres ought to stay with his wife, who
was in an interesting condition, and the law of France
would not allow her, a princess of the blood, to leave
the country while in that condition, so she could not
have been at Modigliana in April, 1773. It would
have been very difficult to substitute a changeling
born in April for an infant born in October (which
was the date of the birth of Louis Philippe) ; when
many witnesses were in the room, as was customary
at the birth of princes of the blood, and the new-
born infant would be passed round for inspection by
ministers, officials and members of the family. Would
they all allow themselves to be duped, and shut their
eyes and speak no word ?
Maria Stella published her Memoirs, which were,
however, confiscated by the police. She was under
surveillance, but never molested, though she used to
place transparent sketches of herself and the d'Orleans
family in the windows of her house in Paris and illu-
minate them at night that passers-by might compare
the likeness. The caricaturists got hold of the story
and circulated many offensive pictures of King Chiap-
pini. His opponents used the story as a stick to beat
the d'Orl6anists with, though, had the story been true
and had Louis Philippe been illegitimate, it would not
have affected his position as King of the French,
elected by the will of the people, although not became
he was a Bourbon.
We now give a copy of the register of the birth of
78
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Louis Philippe, extracted from the National Archives,
1773 :— x
"In this year one thousand seven hundred and
seventy-three, Wednesday, 6th October, the very high
powerful and excellent Prince, son of Monseigneur le
Due de Chartres, Prince of the Blood, and of the
very high powerful and excellent Princess, Mme. la
Duchesse de Chartres, Princess of the Blood, born
this morning at a quarter to four o'clock, has been
privately baptised at the Palais Royal (by express
permission of the Archbishop of Paris, dated last 7th
September), by M. Andr6 Gautier, Doctor of the Sor-
bonne and Almoner to M. the Due de Chartres, in
our presence (Cur6 de St. Eustache) and in the pres-
ence of the very high and excellent Prince, Monseig-
neur the Due de Penthievre, and of M. Louis Comte
de Shouberg, Chamberlain of Monsiegneur the Due
d'Orleans, and of M. le Comte de Hanolstein.
" Signed — L. P. J. d'Orleans.
" L. J. M. de Bourbon.
" L. Comte de Shouberg.
" P. A. Comte de Hanolstein.
" Gautier de Pompart Cure*."
1 All the assertions connected with the proofs of the birth of
Louis Philippe are founded on irreproachable testimony — on docu-
ments in the National Archives from the series containing the papers
of the d'Orleans, Bourbon and Penthievre families. Some are at
the Bibliotheque Mazarin, others at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
others at the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal — where the papers of the
police are preserved — and at the Bibliotheque Nationale. Volumes
containing Archives of Bastille and the Gazette of France of that
period have been consulted, and the results published under the
direction of M. Vitrac, of the Bibliotheque Nationale.
79
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The above is taken from the Register of Royal
Baptisms at Versailles, and the extract signed by the
Curator of Archives. As to the witnesses of the birth,
when the first signs of the coming accouchement of
the Duchesse de Chartres were perceived, notice was
sent to the family and M. le Prince de Conde and the
Due de Bourbon soon joined the Dues de Penthievre
and de Chartres and were present at the birth ; a few
minutes after the birth the child's grandfather, the
Due d'Orl&tns, arrived in haste from the country, the
Duchesse de Bourbon from Chantilly, the Prince de
Conti from l'lsle Adam ; and in their presence the
infant was baptised.
In the afternoon the King and Princes sent their
congratulations by special messengers.
Three notaries prepared the Act of Birth of this
prince of the blood, and it was sent to the King,
who signed it in the presence of the dukes and
peers.
There were great rejoicings on the d'Orl&ins es-
tates, and when the young heir, who was called the
Due de Valois, was seen, carried by his nurse, in the
gardens of the Palais Royal, he was surrounded by
people who wished to have a look at him. The Due
de Chartres, his father, gave orders that at certain
hours any one after signing their name in the visitors'
book might go and see the child in his nursery. Great
numbers availed themselves of the permission, and
this made the d'Orl^ans family feel that they were, as
ever, the most popular of royal princes.
The Due de Penthievre presented his daughter
so
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
with a gift of jewellery, royal in magnificence. When
she was sufficiently recovered she, with her husband,
her father and other relatives and all the Palais Royal
circle of friends were present at a Te Deum in honour
of the birth of her son, sung at the Church of St.
Eustache.
The Duchesse de Chartres had not recovered her
strength sufficiently to enable her to be present at the
marriage festivities of the Comte d'Artois, which
began on 14th November, and it was not till the 12th
December, 1773, that she made her first appearance
at Court after the birth of her son, and received the
congratulations of the King and Queen.
Louis Philippe was not baptised till 1788, when
Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette were godparents,
and all the royal family were present.
I think the above particulars dispose of the pre-
tensions of Maria Stella, Lady Newborough, which,
had they been substantiated, would have disqualified
the sons and descendants of Louis Philippe from in-
heriting the d'Orl^ans estates.
The Due and Duchesse de Chartres had three
sons and twin daughters, of whom only one, Princess
Adelaide, lived to grow up. No account of the career
of Louis Philippe 1 could be adequate without some
notice of the remarkable woman to whom his educa-
tion and that of his sister and brothers was entrusted,
and who exercised so marked an influence over the
1 Louis XVIII. always called Louis Philippe the chef d'o&uvre
of Mme. de Genlis, and said : " He was very manly, but owed it
to a woman ".
81 6
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
characters of her pupils, and also, it may be said,
over the fortunes of the d'Orl^ans family.
Felicity, daughter of the Marquis de St. Aubin,
was born in 1746, of a poor though noble family of
the Loire. The nobility of her birth has been
sometimes disputed, but as the genealogical proofs
of her noble descent had to be carefully examined
before she could be admitted as canoness of the
Noble Chapter of Alix near Lyons, and she became
a member of that order when six years old, the
question of her birth is satisfactorily settled. When
they grew up the canonesses were free to take vows
or not. If they did they obtained a good pension and
one of the little houses, each with its garden, grouped
around the great Church and Abbaye. If they did
not take vows they only received the title of countess
and the decoration of the order. This was the case
with Felicity de St. Aubin, who received the title of
Comtesse de Lancy. When the Comtesse de Lancy
was twelve years old her parents moved to Paris.
She displayed unusual abilities, and great pains was
taken with her education ; her musical and dramatic
talents made a sensation, her playing of the harp
being specially admired. Though without fortune
she was a remarkably fascinating young lady, and
there were several suitors for her hand before she
was sixteen. She finally made a runaway marriage
with the Comte de Genlis, a naval officer, brother of
the Marquis de Genlis. Though belonging to an
ancient and wealthy family, the Comte de Genlis,
being a younger son, could not afford to marry a
82
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
penniless girl, and to escape the opposition of the
families to the match the young people took the law
into their own hands. After the marriage Felicit6
soon fascinated her husband's relations, and the head
of the family, the wealthy Marquise de Puisieux, pre-
sented her at Versailles, after the birth of her first
child. The young Comtesse de Genlis was much
admired and sought after, and finally through the
influence of her aunt, Madame de Montesson, who
had been privately married to the Due d'Orteans,1
she was appointed lady-in-waiting to the Duchesse
de Chartres, wife of the eldest son of the Due
d'Orleans, first prince of the blood.
Madame de Genlis was exceedingly attractive,
pretty and accomplished, and so amusing that it was
impossible to be dull in her company. She soon
obtained unbounded influence over both the Due
and Duchesse de Chartres, and in due course was
appointed first governess to their twin daughters, and
afterwards " governor " of their three sons. Probably
there was no one in France at that day better able
to educate children born to a high position than Mme.
de Genlis. She was wide-minded and really fond of
study and learning, and all her life had quite a mania
for teaching, which showed itself when she was a
child in her gathering together the village children
round her, and rehearsing to them the instruction
she herself had received from her governess. Through
all the vicissitudes of her life, and even when she was
1 She was his second wife and the marriage was morganatic.
83
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
quite an old woman, she always had some young girl
living with her whom she was educating.
The Due de Chartres spent much time in talking
with Mme. de Genlis, and used to discuss all family
matters with her. One day he complained that his
sons spoke with the accent of Parisian shop boys and
had manners to match ; they could no longer be
left to the care of servants, a tutor must be found.
Mme. de Genlis proposed first one and then another,
but none found favour in the eyes of the Duke. At
last she said : " How should / do ? "
The Duke was delighted and Mme. de Genlis
was gazetted as "Governor of the sons of the Due
de Chartres". Mme. de Genlis gives an amusing
account of her first relations with Louis Philippe.
She says : * "At eight years old M. le Due de Valois
was idle and inattentive to an unheard of degree.
On the first occasion of his coming to me for instruc-
tion I began to read aloud a tale from French history
and I was extremely surprised to see him lie down
on the sofa and put his feet on the table at which
we were sitting. Nor did he listen to my reading,
but yawned and stretched himself. In order that
we might understand one another I at once put him
in the corner. I had to cure him of silly habits and
the use of vulgar expressions, but however much I
scolded him he bore no ill-will. From the first I was
struck by the good sense that seemed natural to him,
and by his astonishing memory. He became passion-
ately attached to me."
1 Me" moires de Mme. de Genlis.
84
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
In after years Mme. de Genlis said of him :
" He learned everything, remembered everything and
formed his own opinions on it. There was hardly any
department of knowledge or art in which he was not
at home." This he owed to Mme. de Genlis, for he
remained under her supervision till he attained the
age of seventeen.
Taking her duties seriously, Mme. de Genlis re
solved to leave the Court and devote herself entirely
to the care and education of the children. At her
request the Due de Chartres took a house for them
at Bellechasse in the suburbs of Paris where she
established herself with the twin princesses, one of
whom died of small-pox when five years old. The
young princes, Louis Philippe, then called Comte de
Valois, and his brothers the Due de Montpensier and
the Comte de Beaujolais, slept at the Palais Royal,
the town residence of the House of Orleans, and were
escorted to Bellechasse by their tutors every morning.
The nephew and niece of Mme. de Genlis, Caesar
Ducrest and Henrietta de Searcey shared the edu-
cation of the d'Orleans children.
The Pavilion at Bellechasse where they pursued
their studies was fitted up with all necessary appli-
ances, the walls were adorned with historical and my-
thological paintings and maps.
Mme. de Genlis wished to make her pupils hardy —
none but the plainest food was served ; Princess
Adelaide had to sleep on a hard bed and get up at
six every morning. After their regular hours of study
were over, the young people had no respite, even
85
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
their recreations were made to serve the purpose of
education.1 After dinner they had no play, they had
to take turns in reading aloud historical books or to
listen while Mme. de Genlis read to them works she
had composed for their benefit. They were expected
to make comment, and if their remarks were point-
less or badly expressed, their preceptress let them
see her displeasure. Another amusement was to act
scenes in history, and the boys fought again celebrated
battles or sieges in the garden. Sometimes they
were all taken to Paris to visit museums, picture-galler-
ies, or manufactories, details as to which had been pre-
viously communicated to them from the pages of En-
cyclopaedias. Mademoiselle de Navailles 2 relates how
she once accompanied the party on one of these
expeditions. They visited a pin factory, and another
establishment where vinegar and mustard were made.
Some of the party paid no attention, but made jokes
amongst themselves, which annoyed Mme. de Genlis.
She spoke to them severely, reproached the princes
for making no remarks on what they saw, and forbade
the young ladies to talk.
Every Saturday Mme. de Genlis received a select
society at Bellechasse, at first composed of literary
and artistic people and scientific professors, but later
on of all the Revolutionary leaders. At these gather-
ings her pupils were always present. She wished to
1 The boys were taught carpentering, in which Louis Philippe
became very proficient.
2 She became Mme. de Gontaut, and left Mdmoires. Governess
of children of Due de Berry.
86
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
accustom them to social intercourse and to form their
manners.
Mr. Swinburne, who was in Paris, 1766, says in
his journal : " 14th January. Spent the evening at
Bellechasse with Mme. de Sillery.1 The Due de
Chartres (Louis Philippe) is very well educated and
well mannered, but rather formal and dressy. Beau-
jolais is a fine spirited boy. Mile. Adelaide petite,
but pretty."
The Duchesse de Orleans was for many years very
fond of Mme. de Genlis, and blind to the nature of
the intimacy between the Due and the Gouvernante.
Considering the character of the Due d'Orl^ans, it was
not surprising that Mme. de Sillery-Genlis' reputation
suffered, though she always protested her perfect
innocence, and as it was well known that the Due had
had many mistresses it is difficult to see why Mme.
de Genlis should have been pitched upon as the alleged
cause of the estrangement of the Due and Duchesse
d'Orteans. It was more on account of the latter's
disapproval of the tone of the education imparted
by Mme. de Genlis,2 her horror of the new revolu-
tionary ideas, and her dislike that her children should
associate as they did with the leaders of that party,
that the Duchesse demanded the dismissal of the
Gouvernante, It is certain that Mme. de Genlis had
1 The Oomte de Genlis had inherited the estate and title of
Sillery. Louis Bhilippe was now Duo de Chartres, his grandfather
having died.
2 Mme. de Genlis gave balls at Bellechasse, where her pupils
danced to the tune of " ga ira," and she wore a tricolour robe.
87
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
estranged the children's affection. The three eldest
certainly preferred her to their mother and were en-
tirely under her influence.
The Duchesse left the Palais Royal and refused
to return till Mme. de Genlis had been dismissed.
The latter had to go, but Adelaide d'Orl^ans was so
devoted to her governess that she fell dangerously ill
from her distress at the separation, and Mme. de
<*enlis was recalled.
Her literary reputation stood very high, and she is
accused of spreading the influences which afterwards
caused the French Revolution. Like many others
she was impressed with the crying evils of the time
and the poverty and misery of the French people, and
welcomed the new ideas of freedom and equality
as the beginning of a new era, when wrongs should be
redressed and the happiness of humanity be secured.
Little did they think they were unchaining forces that
they would be unable to control, and preparing the
way for horrors from which they shrank in abhor-
rence. Most of them fell victims to the ruin and
death which they had brought on others.
What is inexcusable, if true, is the part Mme. de
Genlis played in the circulation of infamous pamphlets
concerning the Queen and Court ; she is credited with
being the author of some of them.
The Due d'Orl^ans had always been the leader of
the popular party against the Court. He detested
Marie Antoinette.1 He was supposed to aim at the
1 It is said because she interfered to prevent the marriage of his
daughter, Princess Adelaide, with the Due d'Angouleme, son of
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
throne. At one time he was the idol of the mob, who
used to cry : " Vive le roi d' Orleans," and at the be-
ginning of the Revolution the d'Orleans' liveries were
the only ones not insulted by the mob. Eventually
these colours, the red, white and blue, became the
emblem of the Revolution, the tricolour flag.
Mme. de Genlis even took her pupils to the Cor-
deliers' Club, where they saw " cobblers, porters and
the lowest classes with their wives mounting the
tribune and shouting against nobles, priests and the
rich ".
Louis Philippe was made a member of the Jaco-
bins' Club. However, the d'Orleanist party was soon
swamped by the Extremists.
In the list, published 1792, of heads on which a
price was set by order of the Assemblee des Feuillants
the name of Philippe Egalite appeared ; against it was
set the following description : " He was for many
years a rogue, a gambler and a libertine, but in con-
sideration of the services he rendered to the country
in the hour of danger, though he was actuated by
interested motives, he will only be deprived of his
rights to the throne ".1
The state of affairs was so precarious in 1791 that
the Due d'Orleans begged Mme. de Genlis to take
his daughter, Princess Adelaide, to England to be out
Comte d'Artois, and, in the event of Dauphin's death, heir to
crown.
1 He himself said he never aimed at the crown, his only ambi-
tion being to live as an English squire, which position he thought
most enviable.
89
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
of the way. They remained there a year and were
recalled to France by the Due d'Orleans in order to
prevent the Princess Adelaide being placed on the list
of emigres, which entailed loss of rights as a French
citizen and confiscation of property.
On the return to France, Mme. de Genlis heard
from her husband that Philippe Egalite was doomed ;
he was no longer of use to the Terrorists and they
meant to get rid of him.1
Mme. de Genlis had delayed obeying the sum-
mons and arrived too late to prevent the Princess
Adelaide being placed on the list of emigres. France
was no safe place for her, and her father implored
Mme. de Genlis, who wished to resign her post, to
take his daughter across the frontier to Tournay.
In her Memoires Mme. de Genlis gives an account
of the farewell at Raincy. " We started next morn-
ing. M. le Due gave me his arm to the carriage ; he
1 Mme. de Genlis, though seeing very little of him, was always
on perfectly good terms with her husband, who, though at first an
admirer of revolutionary ideas, was a humane and honourable man,
and viewed the excesses of the revolutionaries with horror. After
recording his vote against the death of Louis XVI. he circulated
copies of his opinion on that event, in which he said : "I did not
vote for the King's death —
" 1st. Because he did not deserve it.
" 2nd. Because we have no right to judge him.
" 3rd. Because I consider it the greatest political mistake that
could be made."
Sillery-Genlis knew that he was signing his own death-warrant
in publishing this declaration, but almost mad with horror at the
state of France, and disgusted with life, he was indifferent to hi$
fate. He was beheaded in 1796.
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
was pale and trembling. I was much agitated ; Made-
moiselle was in tears. When we were in the carriage
the Due d'Orleans stood in silence by the door with
his eyes fixed upon me ; his gloomy, sorrowful look
seemed to implore pity ; he seemed to forbode the
fate awaiting him. I held out my hand, which he
pressed, then he signed to the postilion to start.
Neither I nor his daughter ever saw him again."
The Due de Chartres, Louis Philippe, escorted his
sister to Tournay. At this time the trial of Louis
XVI. was taking place. Philippe Egalite when voting
for his death said his soul and conscience required
him to do so. But history relates that as he pro-
nounced the vote even Terrorists shook their
heads, and a groan and shudder ran through the
assembly.
His name was execrated throughout Europe, and
when he visited England and appeared in Vaux-
hall Gardens he was shunned as if he had the
pest.
His own days were numbered ; he had exhausted
much of his wealth, which he had spent for Revolu-
tionary purposes, and was no longer useful to his party,
who had long got beyond the idea of a constitutional
monarchy or indeed any kind of government with a
king at its head.
"One king no sooner guillotined than another
made in his stead ? No ! the French patriots will
have the whole race of Bourbons cleared off* the
soil of France with Egalite to bring up the rear.
Poor Orleans Egalite, one ever begins to pity him.
91
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Rejected of all parties, to what corner of Nature can
he drift for safety V'1 '
It was said that he was observed sitting in a cab
in the Place de la Revolution to witness the execu-
tion of Louis XVI. When he himself was brought
to trial, his vote was one of the crimes alleged against
him. He had been arrested in Paris while playing
whist at the Palais Egalit6 (so the Palais Royal was
then called), transported to Marseilles where he was
imprisoned, and remained in durance six months and
was then brought back to Paris.
" His indictment was soon drawn, his jury soon
convinced. He finds himself made guilty of Royalism
and conspiracy, nay it is a guilt in him that he voted
the King's death, though he answers, ' I voted in my
soul and conscience '. The doom he himself finds is
death. 6th November, 1793, is the last day that
Philippe is to see. On that morning he called for
breakfast, oysters, two cutlets, best part of an ex-
cellent bottle of claret, and consumed it with relish.
An emissary from the Convention came saying that
he might still render service to the State by telling
the truth about a plot or two. Philippe answered
that in the pass things had come to, the State had
small claim on him, but in the interests of Liberty he
was willing to give reasonable answers to reasonable
questions, and leaning his elbow on the mantel-piece he
conversed in an undertone with great composure till
the summons came. At the door of the Conciergerie
his attitude was erect and easy, almost commanding.
1 See Carlyle's French Revolution. The unapproachable work of
genius which will always rank as one of the great books of the world.
92
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
" Three poor blackguards were to die with him ; it
is said they objected to ride in his company, and had
to be flung "in neck and crop. The gallows vehicle
gets under way. Philippe's dress is remarked for its
elegance, green frock-coat, waistcoat of white pique,
yellow buckskins, polished patent leather boots ; his
air entirely composed, impassive, even easy. The
tumbril passed slowly through the streets amid exe-
crations. The cruel populace stopped him for some
minutes at the home of his ancestors the Palais Royal>
in front of which in huge tricolor letters was written :
'National Property'. For one instant Philippe's
eyes flashed Hell-Fire, but the next instant he sat
impassive. On the scaffold Samson was for drawing
off his boots : ' Tush ' said Philippe, ' they will come
off better after ; let us have done, depictions nous \
His last words. He was not then entirely without
good qualities, such as courage. God forbid that
any living man should be without virtue of some kind*
But probably no mortal ever had worse things recorded
against him."1
Louis Philippe was with his sister at Tournay
when they heard of the execution of Louis XVI.
They were horrified, and more especially at their
father's share in the matter.
Louis Philippe wrote to his father in terms which
it is said Philippe Egalite never forgave, and said he
would never come back to France. Louis Philippe
had fought bravely in the Republican army against
1 See Carlyle's French Bevolution.
93
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the allied forces that were invading France, and dis-
tinguished himself by his conspicuous bravery at the
Battles of Valmy and Jemappes.1
But the Convention suspected their General
Dumouriez, of Royalist sympathies and a desire to
enter into a treaty with Austria which had for its
object the placing of Louis Philippe on the throne of
France. Commissioners were sent to arrest both
Dumouriez and Louis Philippe, who had at that time
gone to pay a visit to his sister at Tournay. Dumou-
riez had accompanied him, wishing to pay his respects
to the Princess d'Orleans. She had been condemned
to death " for contumacy," and it was felt she was no
longer safe at Tournay. Mme. de Genlis intended
going on into Switzerland and wished to leave Ade-
laide d'Orleans in the charge of her brother and Du-
mouriez, but they themselves were in danger of arrest
and knew that their troops were in a state of insur-
rection. Mme. de Genlis had made her own pre-
parations for departure, but had not told Princess
Adelaide of this, wishing to avoid a painful farewell
scene.
" On a cold grey April morning, established in her
hired vehicle on the streets of St. Amand, Mme. de
Genlis was on the point of starting, postilions were
cracking their whips, when Louis Philippe (who had
previously used every effort to induce Mme. de Genlis
to take his sister with her) appeared on the scene. He
1 Dumouriez spoke of him as the bravest among the brave, and
said, " Far from desiring to ascend the throne, he would have fled to
the end of the earth to avoid it ".
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
had clutched the young Princess from her bed and bore
her in his arms in her nightdress and dressing-gown ;
he pushed her into the carriage among the bandboxes.
A shrill scene, but a brief one, and off they go, through
by-roads and hill-passes, and perils of conflicting
armies safe into Switzerland, but almost moneyless. " 1
Louis Philippe up to the present time had been
warmly attached to Mme. de Genlis and completely
under her influence. He had an immense admiration
for her, as a very young man admires a fascinating
woman older than himself,2 but her egoism on this
occasion opened his eyes and entirely changed his
feelings towards her from that time forth.
After the Conference at Ath the Due de Chartres
was himself obliged to fly from the French army ; he
travelled through Germany in a dogcart and rejoined
his sister at Schaffhausen. At Frankfort he read in
a newspaper a report of a sitting of the Convention
in which it had been said, " Let us put a price on the
head of all fugitive Bourbons. I have already de-
manded the death of the Due d'Orleans."
Adelaide d'Orleans with her brother and Mme. de
Genlis moved from one place to another in Switzer-
land. As soon as it was found out who they were the
authorities refused to allow them to remain.
At last General Montesquiou Fezensac, a deputy
1 Garlyle's French Revolution.
2 In his journal, 1st Jan., 1791 (he was then eighteen) he wrote :
" I was the first to have the pleasure of wishing my good friend
Mme. de Genlis a happy New Year. I do not know what would
become of me if I had to leave her."
95
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of the nobility of 1789, who had taken refuge in
Switzerland and had rendered important services to
the City of Geneva, found an asylum for Mile. d'Or-
leans and Mme. de Genlis in a convent at Bremgarten.
To Louis Philippe the General said : " The only thing
for you to do is to wander about in the mountains,
not making a stay anywhere.1
He never saw his sister again till fifteen years had
passed. Accompanied only by his faithful servant
Beaudoin he traversed Switzerland on foot, an ex-
penditure of thirty sous a day being the utmost he
could afford for food, lodging and all other needs.
" When he had only thirty francs left in the world he
made his way back to Montesquiou, who obtained
for him the position of Professor of Mathematics at
the College of Reichenau, in the Grisons, with a salary
of £75 per annum. He assumed the name of Cha-
baud Latour, an emigrant to whom the position had
been offered but who failed to present himself.
Neither the masters nor pupils knew who Louis
Philippe was, but he was much liked and respected.
M. de Salis, a gentleman of high birth, was so much
pleased with his manners that he offered him the post
of tutor in his family. He was described as having
a melancholy air, but quiet and modest in manner."
While at Reichenau he heard of his fathers death,
after being there a year. He was overwhelmed with
grief and humiliation, but as he was now Due d'Orl&ins
he felt it his duty to take steps for the safety of his
1 In some towns in Germany placards were seen announcing,
" Neither Jews, vagabonds nor emigrants are allowed to stay here ".
96
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
mother, sister and brothers, and knowing that his
father had invested large sums in England he wished
to make an effort to obtain these resources, and to
go with his family to America, there to live in retire-
ment and forget the sufferings of his youth and the
disgrace his father had brought on the name of Orleans.
His mother, the Duchesse d'Orleans, had been uni-
versally loved and respected and was left unmolested
longer than the other members of the family, but she
had at last been imprisoned in the Conciergerie, and
was only released on the death of Robespierre, which
opened so many prison doors and , saved the lives of
many who were there awaiting death. The two
younger Orleans princes were still in prison at Mar-
seilles. Louis Philippe left Reichenau, and getting a
passport under the name of Corby (through the influence
of a friend, Captain Yost St. Georges) he went to visit
his sister at Bremgarten where he met an old friend,
Mme. de Flahaut, who used her influence with the late
American ambassador in Paris, Governor Morris,1 to
obtain for him a sum of money sufficient to transport
him to England and America. He went to Hamburg
to await this necessary succour. There he met many
of those who had belonged to the Constitutional party
in France whose hopes had revived after the death of
Robespierre.
The Comte de Provence, after the death of the
Dauphin to the Temple, had proclaimed his right to
the throne under the title of Louis XVIII. , but his
1 Morris had received much hospitality from the Duchesse
d' Orleans when he was American ambassador in Paris.
97 7
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
emissaries in France met with only limited encourage-
ment, the Royalists promising their adherence " only if
Monseigneur the Due d'Orl^ans does not come to
place himself at our head". This induced Louis
XVIII. to try to come to an understanding with
Louis Philippe, and he sent Baron de Roll with a
letter written by his own hand to assure Louis Philippe
that he only required a viva voce assurance of repent-
ance for " wanderings from the right path and regret-
table errors" to receive him as first prince of the blood
and to give him a commission in the army of Cond6.
The Due d'Orl6ans proved unmanageable. "Er-
rors and wanderings," he said. "Does the King
number me among the rebels who in his Procla-
mation he calls Traitors to the God of their Fathers
and rebellious against the authority which God has
ordained to govern them 1 1
" So long as his Majesty does not make known his
intention of giving France a limited monarchy, I
shall consider it my first duty not to participate in
measures that are contrary to my principles and
opinions, which I cannot and never will sacrifice."2
He also added that if he was known as an adherent
1 Louis XVIII.'s Proclamation on the death of his nephew had
left no doubt that if he obtained the throne he would place the
monarchy on exactly the same footing as before the Bevolution,
taking no account of the changes in ideas and manners that had
taken place, nor of the desire of many Loyalists for Constitutional
changes.
2 The Emperor of Russia said that Louis Philippe was the only
Bourbon who was really a Liberal at heart, or understood liberal
ideas.
98
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of Louis XVIII., whose agents were plotting the over-
throw of the Directory, he would compromise the
safety of his mother and two brothers in France.
In 1793 the Duchesse d'Orleans, his mother, had
been set at liberty, but her estates were sequestered
and her two younger sons still in prison in Marseilles.
She entered into negotiations with the Government
of the Directory, who wishing to get rid of Louis
Philippe, who as known favourite of the Constitutional
party was a danger to the stability of the Directory,
agreed to release the young princes and ameliorate
the position of the Duchess on condition that they
should go to America, and that their elder brother,
the Due d'Orleans, should have preceded them to
that country.
Louis Philippe could not remain deaf to his
mother's entreaties. He arrived in Philadelphia in
October, 1796, and was joined there by his brothers
in February, 1797.
99
CHAPTER V.
Life of Louis Philippe after the execution of his father — Exile in
America and England — Visits Sicily — Prejudice against him —
Becomes engaged to the Princess Marie Amelie, daughter of
the King and Queen of the Two Sicilies — Marriage and life in
Sicily — Fall of Napoleon and Restoration of Louis XVIII. —
The Due d'Orleans returns to France.
The three d'Orleans princes travelled about in Amer-
ica staying first in one place then in another. When
they visited Cuba the Spanish Government, which was
allied with the Directory, seized them and put them
in prison. They contrived to escape to New York,
and in January, 1800, obtained permission to go to
England, which for a long time had refused to receive
them. On arriving in England they took a house at
Twickenham, where they lived very comfortably, but
had a most modest establishment, their court consist-
ing only of one loyal friend, M. de Montjoie. The
Due d'Orleans went a great deal into society in Lon-
don, and became very English in his manner of life
and his dress.
The Comtesse de Boigne,1 an old family friend
who saw a good deal of the young princes, says : " JVL
1 Memoirs of Comtesse de Boigne.
100
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
le Due d'Orleans was fairly good looking, but had no
distinction either in figure or manners. He never
seemed quite at his ease. His conversation, though
interesting, was somewhat pedantic for a man of his
age. The Due de Montpensier was passionately fond
of music, the Due d'Orleans tolerated it for his
brother's sake. The three brothers were deeply at-
tached to each other."
Their long sojourn in the prisons of Marseilles had
ruined the health of both the younger brothers, who
showed symptoms of consumption. Of this fell dis-
ease the Due de Montpensier fell a victim. He
was buried in Westminster. A warm climate being
thought necessary for Beaujolais, he was sent to
Malta, and his brother wrote and asked permission of
Ferdinando IV. to bring his brother to Sicily, but
before permission arrived Beaujolais was dead at
Malta. He was twenty-eight years old.
The Due d'Orleans went to Sicily to thank the
King for the permission given, and to pay his respects
to the royal family, and his engagement to Princess
Marie Amelie was arranged. By this time Napoleon
was in power in France, and the Due d'Orleans saw
that it was for his interest to unite with the older
branch of the Bourbons (Louis XVIII. and Comte
d'Artois and his sons), and a reconciliation was
effected while he was in England. At a subsequent
meeting Louis XVIII. acknowledged that both in ap-
pearance, manners and ability, the Due d'Orleans was
superior to his cousins, the Due de Angoul6me and
de Berry, sons of Comte d'Artois. Louis Philippe's
101
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
opinions had modified, and a letter1 written at this
time is extant in which he says : "If the wrongful
employment of force succeeds in placing on the
throne of France in fact, but not by right, any other
than our legitimate King, we shall follow the voice of
honour which bids us appeal in his name till our last
breath to God, to Frenchmen, and our sword. I am
bound to the King of France, my elder and my
master, by all the oaths that can bind a man, by all
the obligations that can bind a prince."
His name was among the signatures of the royal
family protesting against the usurpation of Napoleon,
and also against the execution of the Due d'Enghien ;
but he took no part in the intrigues of the emigres.
The financial position of both sides prevented the
immediate marriage of Louis Philippe and Marie
Amelie. Meanwhile the King of Spain had abdicated,
and Napoleon had taken the Spanish royal family
to France. The Spaniards rose in insurrection against
the French, and Ferdinando, King of Sicily, declared
himself Regent of Spain, and sent his second son
Leopold, Duke of Salerno, to represent him. Leopold
was only eighteen, and, burning for an opportunity to
distinguish himself, Due d'Orleans asked leave to
accompany him, and to fight against the armies of
Napoleon. He and the Duke of Salerno landed in
Spain in 1810, but the English Government inter-
fered, the expedition came to nothing, and the two
princes had to return to Sicily.
The Due d'Orleans then went to Barcelona, where
1 By Due d'Orleans.
102
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
his mother had taken refuge, to obtain her necessary
consent to his marriage. When on 6th September,
1797, a Decree of the Five Hundred expelled "la
Citoyenne Egalite" " 1 and " la Citoyenne Verite " 2 from
France, a member of the Council of the Five Hundred,
Rouzet, asked permission to accompany them, for he
had himself been imprisoned under the Terror, and
had made the acquaintance of the Duchesse d'Orl^ans
and become devoted to her. His respectful attach-
ment was inspired as much through pity for her
misfortunes as by admiration for the smiling philo-
sophy with which she bore them.
The Duchesse d'Orl£ans, though of a sweet and
pure nature, had not great strength of mind, or
perhaps years of neglect from her husband and separa-
tion from her family disposed her to be touched by
the admiration and devotion of Rouzet. He obtained
unbounded influence over her, called himself her
Chancellor, and through her influence obtained from
the King of Spain the title of Comte de Folmont.3
The position he thenceforward took up in her house-
hold was the cause of her estrangement from the Due
d'Orl^ans and her daughter, Princess Adelaide, who,
after many years' exile, first with Mme. de Genlis at
Bremgarten, and then with her aunt, the Princesse
de Conti, at Fribourg, and in Bavaria and Hungary,
had at last succeeded in joining her mother in Spain.
She remained with her six years, and finally decided
1 Duchesse d'Orleans.
2 Her sister-in-law, Duchesse de Bourbon.
* See Le Notres Vieux Papiers, le Comte de Folmont.
103
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
to join her brother at Malta and then in Sicily, where
she was introduced to her future sister-in-law, and
received with much consideration.
While the Due d'Orleans had been in Spain a
party had been formed at the Sicilian Court to pre-
judice King Ferdinando against him, and to oppose
the marriage. They objected to the boundless ambition
of Louis Philippe, his want of means, and the strait-
ened circumstances of the Sicilian royal family who
would have to support his household; and his mother
withheld her consent. The course of true love
never yet ran smooth, and it was not till Marie
Amelie had declared that if the marriage was
not allowed she would become a Capuchin nun, that
the King gave way. The Queen of Sicily, how-
ever, exacted the presence of the Due d'Orleans'
mother at the wedding, and he went to Mahon
in Minorca to persuade her. * The Duchesse d'Or-
leans required the consent of the King (Comte de
Provence, Louis XVIII.) to this marriage of the first
Prince of the Blood. This obtained, she no longer
withheld her own, and arrived in Palermo for the
wedding. Maria Carolina received her very graciously,
and the Duchesse d'Orleans reminded her that in
1776, when she and her husband were travelling in
Italy, Queen Maria Carolina had said to her, "If
God gives me a daughter I should like her to marry
your eldest son, the Due de Valois, as his title then
was ".
1 The entrance into Spain of Napoleon's army obliged her to
leave Barcelona and Figueras.
104
Chapel in the Palace at Palermo, where Marie Amelie
was Married
To face p. 104
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The contract was signed on the 15th November,
1809 ; the letters of Louis XVIII., dated Hartwell,
England, were annexed. But King Ferdinando met
with an accident and broke his leg, so the marriage was
postponed till 25th November, and as the King could
not stand, it had to be celebrated in his room. An
altar was erected there, and the ceremony was per-
formed by Mgr. Monarchia.
Marie Amelie's wedding-dress was of cloth of
silver of Sicilian manufacture. She wore a tiara of
diamonds and some white feathers in her hair. An
entry in her journal of this date says : " Knowing the
sacredness of the tie I was about to form, I was filled
with emotion and my limbs tottered under me, but
the Due d'Orl^ans pronounced his 'Yes' in such a
resolute voice that it gave me courage ".
After the ceremony in the King's room, the wed-
ding party went to the chapel for a " Te Deum " and
the Service of Benediction. The Palace chapel is
very small but beautifully proportioned, and is one
of the most interesting and remarkable specimens of
Saracenic-Byzantine architecture in existence.
After the service in chapel the bride and bride-
groom went out on the balcony of the Palace to
show themselves to the populace, and by command
of the King supped alone with himself and the
Queen.
In order to avoid the friction which inevitably
arises in royal as well as other families, when house-
holds live in too close intimacy, the King had given
his daughter the Palazzo Santa Teresa, afterwards
105
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
known as Palazzo d'Orleans, as a residence ; but it
required repairs, and for a while the newly married
couple had to remain in a set of apartments allotted to
them in the Royal Palace ; but in superintending the
work at Santa Teresa the Due d'Orleans found scope
for indulging the love of building, which was one of
his prominent characteristics. Ferdinando said of his
son-in-law : " He has ' mal del pietro ' ".
Just before his marriage the Due d'Orleans wrote
the following letter to a friend, M. de Guilherry : "I
am about to marry the lady you wished me to marry,
and if I were all that I am not, and if the times were
what they are not, it would be difficult for me to make
a marriage in any respect more advantageous to me.
What a benefit it will be to me! What a slap at
prejudice ! What a means of reconciliation with the
elder branch of my family, and of entering into close
relations with the royal family of Austria ! What
an advantage for me to marry a Bourbon ! "
Marie Amelie was twenty-seven years old and
knew something of the world, so she was not sur-
prised to find her married life one of trouble; but she
endeavoured to acquire an imperturbable temper, and
to be as unmoved by the petty difficulties of domestic
life as by great trials.
M. de Folmont caused trouble between the
Dowager Duchesse d'Orleans and her son and his
wife.
Besides this there were the difficulties caused by
straitened means, for when Queen Maria Carolina
was exiled the English Government also stopped the
106
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
payment of 2,000 ounces monthly, which it had been
arranged should be given to Marie Amelie when
she married. But her great affection for her husband
enabled her to be happy in spite of all this. That
the Due d' Orleans, for other than political reasons,
was lucky in his wife we can well imagine, for she
had been trained by a mother who, whatever defects
of character she may have had, was certainly a de-
voted and affectionate wife to an unfaithful husband,
her inferior in mind and manners.
That speech of the Queen of Naples is often
quoted, in which she expressed her indignation to
her granddaughter, the Archduchess Marie Louise,
Napoleon's second wife, who forsook him in the day
of adversity. She said to her : " When one is married
it is for life. You should have tied your bed-curtains
together and let yourself out of the window to rejoin
him, rather than have deserted him in the hour of
trial."
This was the sentiment expressed by Maria Caro-
lina, though Napoleon had been her direst enemy.
Marie Amelie, in being allowed to choose her
own husband, was more fortunate than most prin-
cesses of her time, whose marriages were generally
arranged for political reasons only. The greater num-
ber, when hardly beyond the age of childhood, were
sent to distant countries, where a different language
was spoken and different manners and customs to
those of their homes obtained, to marry men whom
they had never seen and who were often most un-
congenial and unsuitable husbands.
107
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
There was much happiness in the beginning of
Marie Amelie's married life. Her husband's sister,
Adelaide d'Orl^ans, between whom and Louis Phil-
ippe a very true and deep affection existed, made
her home with them. The sisters-in-law were great
friends, and Mile. Adelaide gave French lessons to
Marie Amelie,1 who called her "My dear good
Adelaide". In her journal Marie Amelie describes
her sister-in-law as follows : " She is about my height,
her face is large, and she has a wide mouth. Her
eyes are very fine and she has beautiful fair hair.
She seems very amiable and witty, and pleases me
greatly."
Adelaide d' Orleans was a very remarkable woman,
with much intellect, practical ability and strength of
mind. She was destined to play a prominent part
in the future of her brother and his family ; indeed
she has been termed "one of the factors which de-
termined the history of Europe in the beginning of
the nineteenth century".
The Palazzo d' Orleans became the rendezvous
of all the clever and interesting people who came to
Sicily, but differences of opinion on political matters
between the Queen and the Due d'Orleans caused
many painful scenes, and Marie Amelie was placed
in a painful position between her love for her mother
and her conviction (which she retained through life)
that it was impossible for her husband to be in the
wrong. The Prince Royal shared the liberal ideas
1 Even during her married life in France she wrote her daily
journal in the Italian language.
108
s
£
O
Ph
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of the Due d' Orleans, but the Queen was so con-
vinced that the French Revolution had been caused
by the weak concessions of Louis XVI., that she
would not even agree to reasonable reforms. The
whole island was in a state of insurrection, and Lord
William Bentinck, British ambassador at Palermo,
was obliged to interfere, saying that England could
not allow such a state of affairs to continue in a
country whose Government and Court owed its ex-
istence to the protection of English arms and the
support of English money. He had a very high
opinion of the Due d'Orl6ans, and said : " All the
troubles of the Sicilian Government came from their
not knowing how to profit by the treasure they had
in the Due d'Orleans ".
King Ferdinando was obliged to abdicate in favour
of his son, and Bentinck was named Captain-general
of Sicily.
Botta, in his History of Naples, says : " The people
are like the climate — always in extreme. On the one
side we see extreme benevolence and ideal virtue ;
on the other, hatred approaching ferocity. The his-
tory of the Two Sicilies is that of conspiracies, civil
wars, foreign wars, conflagrations, treachery, exe-
cutions of the just and the unjust, acts of heroism
and invincible courage. A Republic contaminated
by rapine, Ferdinando twice driven away and re-
stored, a Republic the slave of France, a Monarchy
the slave of England. A Republic established by
the agency of a soldier, a Monarchy restored by a
priest (Ruffo). Those who fawned on the King or
109
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
Championnet, afterwards fawned on Joseph Bonaparte
and his successor Murat."
In the edict of 18th July, 1808, when Napoleon
appointed his "well-beloved brother-in-law, Joachim
Murat, Grand- duke of Berg, to the throne of Naples
and Sicily, vacant by the succession of my brother
Joseph to the throne of Spain," it was added that if
Caroline Murat survived her husband she should suc-
ceed to the throne before her sons. She had more
capacity than any of the other sisters of Napoleon,
and when she arrived at Naples her beauty and grand
air, and her four charming children, were greatly
admired.
To hear of the homage paid to her by the fickle
Neapolitans was gall and wormwood to Maria Caro-
lina, in Sicily.
Though Bentinck had been appointed to be Captain-
general of Sicily, Maria Carolina would not yield
to his authority, and he felt that there would be no
peace in the island so long as she remained there
to influence the King, and he insisted on her retir-
ing to Austria. Her youngest son, Leopold, Duke of
Salerno, accompanied her.
Until Marie Amelie married the Due d'Orleans
it had never occurred to her to question the policy or
government of her parents, but now her eyes were
opened. At this time she wrote in her journal : " My
heart was torn by conflicting emotions, sentiments of
filial love, love of country, compassion, justice and
honour. I seemed to float in a sea of anguish."
To her cousin, the Emperor of Austria, she wrote
no
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
commending to his care " the mother whose departure
causes me the deepest affliction ".
But the mother and daughter never met again,
for in 1814 Queen Maria Carolina was found dead
in her bedroom at Vienna, having been struck with
apoplexy. In her last years at Vienna her chief
pleasure was the company of Napoleon's little son,
the King of Rome, her only great-grandchild. This
boy's godmother was Caroline Murat, who had
usurped Maria Carolina's throne.
Queen Maria Carolina's influence at Vienna was a
thing of the past, and at her death the Murats showed
more respect to her memory than the Austrian Court,
which did not go into mourning for her, while the
Murats postponed the Court functions that were
about to take place when the news of her death
reached Naples.
Maria Carolina had many fine qualities, but she
could not realise that there must be a change in the
governance of the world, that there was to be a new
order of things because the old had accomplished its
purpose.
The departure of the Queen from Sicily delivered
the Due d'Orleans from a very insecure position. She
had not scrupled to declare that he was the moving
spirit of the Opposition in Sicily, and made Ferdinando
remove him from the post of Commander-in-Chief of
the Sicilian army. The Due d'Orleans would not act
against his principles, and when some of his friends
who were leaders of the Reform party were arrested,
he quite expected to meet with the same treatment.
111
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
For a long time he kept a horse ready saddled and
bridled in order to be able to take flight at a moment's
notice.
It must have been a most trying position for Marie
Amelie, what with anxiety for her husband's safety,
and the pain of hearing her mother inveighing against
him, and regretting that she had allowed the marriage.
Besides these family and political discussions, the
married life of Marie Amelie was clouded by pecuniary
trouble. The d'Orleans apparently had no resources
except the pensions allowed to the Due d'Orleans and
his mother and sister by the English Government,
and they were not paid punctually. Poor Louis
Philippe had incessantly to write begging letters, and
applied to the Duke of Kent and Duke of Portland
to use their influence to get these pensions paid.
Prospects seemed to brighten when the Catalonian
Government offered Louis Philippe a post in the army
opposing Napoleon in Spain. This expedition, how-
ever, came to nought, and Louis Philippe returned de-
jected to Sicily- During his absence a son had been
born to him, the Due de Chartres. He had looked
forward to this child's birth with great joy and hopeful-
ness. Writing to his friend Guilherry, he had said :
" My wife will soon make me a father, Alleluia ".
When writing after the child's birth Marie Amelie,
to whom her sister-in-law had imparted her own
ambitious views, said : "July, 1810. Every one here
looks upon your son as likely to become heir-pre-
sumptive to the throne of France." When he returned
to Palermo, Marie Amelie had the joy of presenting
112
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
their son to him. To a friend she describes her boy as
" ravishing, very like his father ". Two daughters were
born while they were in Sicily.1 The English Govern-
ment insisted that the Due d'Orleans should live as a
private person in Sicily. He chafed against this, and
longed to be able to leave what was to him " sleepy
hollow ".2 But it was not until the fall of Napoleon,
at the end of 1813, that a wider field was open to his
energies. On the 23rd April, 1814, the English man-
of-war, Aboukir, brought the news to Palermo.
The Due d'Orleans rushed into his wife's room
exclaiming " Bonaparte is done for ! Louis XVIII. is
re-established, and I am off to France in this ship
which has come to fetch me ! "
Marie Amelie and her sister-in-law Adelaide
wept for joy, and after an interchange of almost
incoherent congratulations, all three went to inform
King Ferdinando of the news. He knelt down, and
bowing his head till it touched the ground, he offered
thanks to God.
It afterwards turned out that Louis XVIII. had not
sent for his cousin, but the Due d'Orleans set off on
the Aboukir, which landed him at Genoa. He was
accompanied only by his English valet White, and
Captain Gordon, but he was determined to assert
from the first his position as first Prince of the
Blood.
At Marseilles he borrowed a general's uniform
1 Louise, afterwards Queen of the Belgians — Clementine, Prin-
cess of Saxe-Cobourg, mother of Ferdinand, Tzar of Bulgaria.
2 " Ce dortoire."
113 8
I I
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
and reviewed the troops. At Lyons he did the same,
and let it be known that he expected due honour to
be shown to him wherever he stopped.
On arriving at Paris he took up his abode at a
hotel in the Rue Grange Bateliere, having sent on
Captain Gordon to engage apartments. The same
evening he went alone to the Palais Royal, the home
of his forefathers. He did not give his name, and the
guard tried to prevent his entrance, but the Due
d' Orleans would not be hindered, he entered and
knelt down and kissed the steps of the grand stair-
case. At last he felt he had come again to his own.
The next day, 17th May, he presented himself at
the Tuileries. Louis XVIII. received him kindly, and
reinstated him in his old rank in the French army,
saying, "Twenty-five years ago you were a lieut.-
general, you are one to-day ".
On the following day the King issued a decree
restoring the Palais Royal and the Park of Mous-
seaux to the Due d'Orl6ans and his sister, and two
days later another decree restored to them all the
estates which the House of Orleans had formerly
possessed. The Journal des Debats, 7th June, 1814,
has the following paragraph : " Monseigneur le Due
d'Orl^ans, first Prince of the Blood, has been living
at the Palais Royal. Yesterday, on leaving the Palais
at midday, he was acclaimed by an immense crowd
which had assembled to welcome him back to Paris ;
he was greatly moved."
His first care was to put the Palais Royal in
order. It had been devastated, and after the death
114
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of Philippe Egalite had been declared national pro-
perty and used as a law-court, and afterwards let
out in sets of apartments, and part of it used as
warehouses.
By July he had succeeded in getting a few rooms
in a fit condition to receive his wife and family, and
went to Palermo to fetch them.
nr>
CHAPTER VI.
Eestoration of Louis XVIII. — His character — Comte d'Artois —
" Monsieur " — Madame Eoyale — The Due d'Orleans presents
his wife and family at Court — The manner of their reception —
King's opinion of Marie Amelie.
It is generally supposed that Louis XVIII. was
placed on the throne of France by the Allies, but
he was elected Constitutional King of France by an
Act of the Imperial Senate, which had just decreed
the deposition of Napoleon.
The Act was worded as follows : —
(1) The French Government is monarchical and
hereditary in the male line, in order of primogeniture.
(2) The people of France of their own free will
call to the throne Louis Stanislaus Xavier de France,
brother of the late King, and after him the other
members of the House of Bourbon in the old order.
This decree was signed by the Republican party
as well as the Legitimists.
When his return to France was decided upon,
Louis XVIII. said ; " For a few days I could under-
stand the saying : ' Happy as a king ' ".
Louis XVIII. is not a popular character, and jus-
tice has hardly been done to his fine qualities.
The power of Louis XVIII. consisted in his un-
116
King Louis XVIII
To face p. 116
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
shakable belief in himself and his rights. His firm
conviction of the greatness, dignity, antiquity and
majesty of his race gave him real power, which all
who approached him felt. Even Bonaparte's generals
confessed to its impressing them ; they were more in
awe of this cripple in his arm-chair than of their great
leader.
It was this faith in his rights that gave him the
sceptre. The first quality of a king is to believe in
his royalty, as that of a priest is to believe in his
religion.
After their first interview, Guizot wrote : " The
impotence of the King, combined with his dignity,
made a profound impression on me. The glance and
attitude of this old man glued to his seat, a haughty
serenity, and in spite of his weakness a quiet con-
fidence in the power of his name and his rights, were
most striking." It is impossible not to admire the
indomitable fortitude with which he bore the woes
of many years of exile and poverty, to which were
added the trials of bodily infirmity and a crippled
condition, for he was a martyr to rheumatic gout.
However, he never allowed ill-health to interfere
with the performance of public duties, but said:
"A king may die, but cannot allow himself to be
ill".
The only way in which he betrayed impatience
was by insisting on his coachman driving him at top
speed ; the rapid motion seemed a solace, and great
was the expenditure of horse-flesh, the amount of
horses used up in providing for his daily drive.
117
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Though unable himself to join the army, he was
not without physical courage. When visiting the
army of Conde on the Rhine, during the emigration,
a ball shaved his forehead ; his retinue exclaimed in
alarm, but he merely said : " If the ball had gone a
trifle lower, the King of France would have been
called Charles X., instead of Louis XVIII.
Louis XVIII. 's wife had died while they were in
exile at Hartwell, 1810. She was the daughter of the
King of Sardinia; the marriage had been arranged
for the Comte de Provence by ambassadors, and he
awaited the arrival of his bride with great anxiety,
but was well satisfied when she appeared. Giving
an account of their first meeting, he says : " She was
neither handsome nor pretty, but she pleased me".
The marriage was a kind of family gathering. Louis
XV. was present, decorously reading in his prayer-
book, surrounded by his family.
In his Memoirs ' the bridegroom relates that " The
Dauphin, afterwards Louis XVI., with misplaced
sincerity, allowed himself to say, when I asked him
how he liked my bride : ' Not much ; were I un-
married, I should feel no great desire to have her
for my wife '. I replied : ' I congratulate you that
your taste has been better suited in your own wife.
We are both satisfied with our lot'."
" My wife was endowed with estimable qualities,
and I never had cause to find fault with her. Her
sole study was to please me and adopt my friendships
1 MSmoires de Louis XVIII, Becueillis et mis en ordre par
M. Le Due de D . Paris, 1833.
118
The Comtesse de Provence
Wife of Louis XVIII
To face p. 118
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
or dislikes without trying to influence me. But
Court intrigues disturbed our peace. As a matter
of policy I showed consideration to my grandfather's
favourite, Mme. du Barry ; this enraged the Dau-
phiness, Marie Antoinette, and her husband made
remarks which induced my wife to say : ' Till now
I had thought that politeness constituted part of the
education of French Princes of the Blood '."
In speaking of his early married life the Comte
de Provence says : " Ennui reigned at Versailles
during the last years of my grandfather's reign ; he
was in great dread of death, and it was a great shock
to him when the Marquis de Chauvelin fell dead at
his side while he was playing cards with Mme. du
Barry.
" Next day he said to Due de Richelieu : ' Chau-
velin has gone below before us to secure my place and
yours '.
"'Ah, Sire/ replied Richelieu 'it is on all occa-
sions my duty to give precedence to your Majesty/
"'On this occasion, Monsieur/ replied the King,
1 your age will exempt you.' "
During the emigration and the days of exile the
Comte de Provence and his wife were separated for
many years ; he fell under the influence of the Comtesse
de Balbi,1 and his wife under the influence of her lady-
in-waiting, and coldness sprang up between them ;
1 Of this lady the story is told that when the Comte de Pro-
vence heard of her flirtations with others during his absence" he
wrote to her : " Caesar's wife should be above suspicion ". She
replied : " I am not your wife, and you are not Caesar ".
119
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
but they eventually came together again, and when
her death occurred at Hartwell her husband, writing
to a friend, remarked : " I confess I did not realise
how much I loved the Queen" (Louis XVIII. dated
his accession from the day of his nephew Louis
XVII. 's death in the Temple, years before the
Restoration), "I miss her a hundred times a day.
I say to myself, mechanically, I must tell her this
or that, and then I remember that I have no one
to confide in."
Louis XVIII. always needed a confidante, and he
found one after his return to France in Zoe, Mme. du
Cayla ; she was endowed with much wit and had the
tone of the great world, and with her he enjoyed the
intellectual conversation that he so much prized. A
more detailed account of Mme. du Cayla will be given
in a subsequent chapter.
When Louis XVIII. returned to France he said
one of his first cares was to get rid of his friends the
Allies : " For fear they should take a fancy to my
kingdom if they stayed too long in it ".
He relates how, when he lay down to rest the first
night of his arrival at the Tuileries in his brother's
room, which had recently been occupied by Bonaparte,
he could not sleep, visions of those he had lost, and the
terrible scenes they had lived through, passed through
his brain, menacing phantoms seemed to appear
through a blood-coloured vapour. "I was thankful,
when I found myself alone," he wrote, u to be able to
relieve myself by sighing and even sobbing without
restraint, as well as by prayers. I made a firm resolu-
120
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tion never to act in such a way as to expose myself and
my family to such a fate as my brother's had been." 1
" I found," he says, at a later date, " a new France,
new habits, manners and costumes, and underneath
an outward show of deference, much self-esteem and
a profound conviction of individual worth. What
greatly surprised me was the avidity for titles, rank,
crosses of honour, etc. I said to myself, where are
the true Republicans, those who were so contemptuous
of kings, nobles and privileges ? "
The ancient families returned to their accustomed
places at Court, so did the new nobility, " Les valets
de Bonaparte," as Louis XVIII. calls them. The
first wished to retake the place they had lost at the
Revolution, the second would not yield the place they
had conquered.
Endless quarrels resulted, the Court preferred to
talk with old friends, and the middle-class ladies were
furious that no notice was taken of them.
It was often announced in the Gazette that this or
that gentleman had been granted an audience by the
King ; it was generally for no important purpose, but
generally with reference to some complaint of their
wives or daughters as to precedence or privilege. The
King said all this made his life a burden to him, his
head whirled, he could hardly believe that great
generals or statesmen would descend to occupy them-
selves with such puerilities.
Louis XVIII. was polite and gallant in the style
of a gentleman of the old regime. He had a weakness
1 Memoirs of Louis XVIII.
121
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
for ladies who were witty and had the tone of the
great world, and endured the society of the others
with resignation.
Seeing Marshal Berthier, who had been loaded
with benefits by Napoleon, hasten to do homage on his
arrival, Louis XVIII. made some painful reflections
on the human heart and the rareness of gratitude.
For the French say : "II nous faut du nouveau
n'en fut il plus au monde ".
Louis XVIII. , while doing justice to his good
qualities, thoroughly distrusted the Due d'Orldans and
thought with Barras that he would be better in Sicily.
Barras said : " Even Republicans think of him as a
Constitutional King. He would always be a rallying
point for Revolutionaries. Bonaparte is to be feared,
but he is far off ; but were d'Orleans here he would
be a rallying point for the Opposition."
Louis XVIII. had, however, a very great esteem
and affection for the Dowager Duchesse d'Orleans and
sympathy for the cruel tribulations she had undergone,
and gave " a great proof of it," he said, "in allowing
her son to return to France ".
"The Due d'Orleans," he said, "has done a little
of everything in his life, has been alternately prince,
Republican, soldier, emigrant, Professor of Mathe-
matics, a citizen of the United States, an English
gentleman, a Sicilian noble, but has now returned to
his rank as a Prince of the Royal House of Bourbon.
The different positions he has ' filled have left marks
on his character, which is complex. He has great
abilities, and has received a perfect education."
122
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Louis XVIII. did not like Adelaide d'Orleans,
Louis Philippe's sister, though he admitted that her
conduct during exile entitled her to respect. He
thought very highly of Marie Amelie, and records in
his Memoirs : " I had heard a great deal in favour of
this Princess, but when I became personally ac-
quainted with her, I found in her many more good
qualities than I had been led to expect. Such a wife
in some degree quieted my apprehensions as to the
Due d'Orleans."
The prosperous days of the Sicilian Monarchy had
long been over, and Marie Amelie quitted Sicily with
no regret but that of leaving her father ; as for her
husband, his mother and sister, for them poverty, exile,
and humiliation were over and they were returning
to their beloved France, to the wealth and honours
appertaining to the House of Orleans. They landed
at Marseilles, journeyed by boat and coach to Lyons,
where they were received with due honours.
At Dijon they found Comte d'Artois, who had
been sent by the King to meet them. This was Marie
Amelie's first meeting with the Prince who had been
such a prominent figure in the early married life of
her unfortunate aunt, Marie Antoinette. The Count
d'Artois was the idol of the Legitimist party. Al-
though his youth was past, he still had a fine figure
and gallant bearing, and was indeed the beau-ideal of a
French Prince, courteous, chivalrous and charming.
During the Revolution, Burke said that if the Bourbon
race was ever restored it would have to be by a prince
who could sit eight hours a day on horseback. No
123
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
•captain in the guards managed his charger with more
skill and address, no courtier was more perfect in all
the graces that dignify manners than Comte d'Artois,
the King's brother, and the death of his beloved
mistress, Mme. de Polastron, made such a profound
impression on him that he had quite abjured the
libertine habits of his youth.
He wished to forget Egalite and receive the Due
d'Orleans as his cousin and friend, and though the
first meeting was somewhat embarrassing, he showed
himself full of consideration and attention. He made
the whole d'Orleans party don white cockades, which
he gave them. He himself wore a large one in his
hat. He accompanied his cousins to Paris. It was
indeed a new Paris for the Due d'Orleans, his mother
and his sister. Another generation had arisen. Man-
ners, institutions and religious spirit all were different
to what they had known. The streets and appearance
of the city were new — Napoleon had embellished it
with fine new buildings and bridges — ail traces of the
Revolution had vanished.
The day after their arrival in Paris the whole
d'Orleans family went to pay their homage to the
King. The Dowager Duchess and her daughter
Adelaide especially wished to thank him for the re-
storation of their property. Louis XVIII. had estab-
lished his bodyguard and military retinue on a footing
of great splendour, and the d'Orleans family were
received in great state. The royal guard presented
arms, and the drums beat when they descended from
their carriages. A majestic major-domo conducted
124
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
them to the King's apartment, where the whole of the
Royal Family were assembled. The King was seated
in his wheel chair,1 he wore a powdered wig and queue,
and velvet boots and leggings. His face was very
handsome, his features fine, but he was very corpulent
and permanently crippled by gout. His intellect and
vast stores of knowledge made him the superior in
whatever society he might find himself. His manner
was most royal and dignified, and he was capable of
implying every shade of approval or disapproval by
his smile.
He received the Due d'Orleans and his sister very
coolly, but greeted the Dowager Duchess and Marie
Amelie with warmth ; spoke in praise of her mother,
for whom she was in mourning ; 2 offered his condol-
ences, and then introduced her with much cordiality
to her cousin, Madame Royale,3 Duchesse d'Angou-
leme. Madame Royale received Marie Amelie very
affectionately, but her manner to the rest of the
d'Orleans party belied the polite words she was forced
to address to them, although even Louis XVIII. was
forced to admire the demeanour of the Due d'Orleans
on this occasion, and wrote : " He possesses exquisite
tact and knows exactly the right thing to do ; it
would be impossible to have more dignity and grace
1 He was crippled from gout.
2 The news of her mother's death had only reached Marie
Amelie at Fontainebleau, and she found the Palais Boyal draped
in black.
8 Marie Therese Charlotte, only daughter of Marie Antoinette,
and wife of Due d'Angouleme, son of Comte d'Artois, heir-pre-
sumptive to the throne.
125
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
of manner than he has. He surpassed himself on
this occasion — even Madame Roy ale had to acknow-
ledge it, though she had felt great repugnance
to meeting him, for she could not forget Egalite.
However, by degrees she got used to the pres-
ence of the Due d'Orleans, and received him almost
graciously."
Louis XVIII. was charmed with Marie Amelie at
this first meeting. Her strongly marked Bourbon
features, her demeanour, the reserve and appropriate-
ness of her replies showed all the traditions of race
that were so dear to him. He tried to disarm the
Due d'Orleans by loading him with riches, but made
a marked difference in his treatment of Marie Amelie
and his treatment of her husband and his sister. As
daughter of the King of Naples, the title of Royal
Highness was given to Marie Amelie, but not allowed
to the Due and Mile. d'Orleans. When they went to
the Tuileries both folds of the door were thrown open
for the entrance of Marie Amelie, then one fold was
closed, and the Due d'Orleans and his sister had to
enter through the other half !
Madame Royale always treated Marie Amelie
with the greatest affection and respect, and said :
"She is so good, so excellent, so closely related to
us".
Louis XVIII. has been called an egoist and accused
of being cold-hearted, but his feelings for Madame
Royale show him in a different light. He was greatly
impressed with the nobility of her character when he
received the first letter she addressed to him on her
126
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
release from the Temple. After the execution of her
father and mother she was for a long time alone in
this prison with her aunt, the noble and saintly Mme.
Elizabeth, who must have had great influence in the
formation of her character. She was sixteen years
old at the time that the execution of Mme. Elizabeth
left her absolutely alone at the mercy of the blood-
thirsty monsters who had taken the lives of various
members of her family. At this time her little brother
was being slowly done to death in the same building,
but she was not allowed to see him, and no one would
answer her questions, so she was ignorant of his fate
in the rooms underneath her.
She occupied a small room at the topmost floor of
the fortress. Her aunt had taught her to wait upon
herself, so every morning she arose, bathed and dressed
herself, and did her hair, then put her room in order.
Then timing herself by her watch, she would walk up
and down the room for an hour to make up for lack
of proper exercise. Then she would read over again
one of the few books that were in her possession, and
mend her scanty wardrobe. The prison commissioners
visited her three times a day to see that she had not
contrived to escape ! In the winter she suffered much
from cold and chilblains through insufficient firing.
For twelve months, from May, 1794, to June, 1795,
she never set eyes on a woman. A man brought her
meals to the door, she took what was brought, handed
out used crockery and shut the door. After this date
the authorities decided to improve her condition, she
was provided with whatever clothing she asked for,
127
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
and allowed to walk on the platform above her room
every evening. She was also allowed needles, thread
and knitting materials, as well as tea and sugar and
chickens for dinner, also cakes and chocolate. Public
sympathy seemed to have been aroused for the desolate
girl, and the Committee of General Safety appointed
Madame de Chantereau, a kind and charming woman,
to be her companion. A deputation from the City of
Orleans demanded her release at the bar of the Hall
of Convention. Their petition was favourably received,
and it was resolved to enter into negotiations with her
cousin, the Emperor of Austria, and to give her up to
him in exchange for some French prisoners in his
power.
The presence of Mme. de Chantereau very much
alleviated the trials of the young princess's life ;
Mme. de Mackau and de Tourzel, old members of
her parents' household, were allowed to visit her.
The preparations for her going to Austria were
completed ; a suitable escort and even a trousseau
were provided, and on 18th December, 1795, she left
the Temple at midnight (probably to avoid a popular
demonstration) and for ever, having been three years
there in captivity.
News had reached Louis XVIII. at Verona of
the proposal to set his niece at liberty, and he
found means to get a letter through to her begging
her to look upon him as a father. She replied
saying that his letter had given her the first moment
of real happiness that she had known for three
years.
128
Marie' Therese de Bourbon, Madame Royale, at the time of
her Release from the Temple Prison
To face p. 128
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
When Louis XVIII. heard that she was to be
sent to Austria, his one idea was to prevent her con-
tracting a marriage with one of her Austrian cousins.
He looked upon her as a valuable political asset.
Her youth, sex, and misfortune had evoked universal
sympathy for the Orphan of the Temple, as she was
called, and a marriage between her and the Due
d'Angouleme, heir-presumptive to the throne, would
be very advantageous to the Legitimist cause, on
account of her birth, she being the only living child
of the last monarch, Louis XVI., as well as on
account of the popular feeling for her.
He wrote to her telling her never to forget that
she was a Frenchwoman, and that it had been her
parents' wish she should marry the Due d'Angouleme.
The Austrian Emperor sent an escort to the
frontier to Basle to meet his niece, and she was
received at Vienna with every mark of considera-
tion.
She wrote to Louis XVIII. : " I await with im-
patience the orders of my King and uncle. At
Vienna I must show to the Emperor all the gratitude
I owe him for having obtained my freedom, but I
should never take any steps in my future life without
your consent, whatever may happen. And be assured
that your niece, like her father, will always love
France and her family. From you, my uncle, I im-
plore pardon for all misguided Frenchmen, and I lay
at your feet the homage and respect of all good
Frenchmen. I would rather suffer discomfort and
poverty with my relations than live at the court of
129 9
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
a prince who shows himself their enemy. I have one
boon to ask of you, my uncle, which is to pardon
Frenchmen and restore peace. I, whose father,
mother, brother, and aunts' lives they have taken,
demand it. It will be for your welfare. You will
never ascend the throne by force of arms. Opinions
change but peace is necessary. In Paris people are
dying of hunger and detest the Government, but also
they detest foreigners. They would not welcome
a king who comes to them sword in hand. I implore
you to issue a new manifesto. In the name of my
parents, who loved Frenchmen, I implore you to give
peace to France."
Louis XVIII. was profoundly moved by this
letter, which was a very remarkable one to be
written by a young girl. In her solitary life
a noble spirit had been fostered. From that time
forward he never ceased negotiating till he was able
to receive his niece in his home and arrange for her
marriage with the Due d'Angoul^me. Four years
dragged away before this was accomplished. The
Emperor Paul of Russia had given him an income
and the old palace of the Dukes of Courland to reside
in at Mittau. It was a fine place, not unlike Ver-
sailles, and before the arrival of his niece there was
no detail for her comfort and convenience that was
too small for Louis XVIII. to attend to.
When she arrived, his joy and delight transformed
him, and it might have been thought he was the
bridegroom and not his nephew, the Due d'Angou-
l£me, who was very shy and retiring.
130
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The party had driven out some way to meet Mme.
Royale's carriage, and when they returned Louis
XVIII. called to the household : " She is here ! She
has come ! " casting aside his usual impassive de-
meanour.
The prospective bride and bridegroom had not met
since they were children, but since the marriage had
been arranged had corresponded with each other.
The Due d'Angoul£me was three years older than
his bride. His father, Comte d'Artois, was one of
the first of the royal family to leave France ; his sons
accompanied him, and their years of exile were passed
at Turin (the Court of their grandfather, the King of
Sardinia), at Coblentz, where he served his apprentice-
ship in the Royalist army, in the Netherlands, in
England, and finally for many years at Edinburgh,
where they had to endure a life of great privation.
The letters 1 of Marie Therese had let Louis XVIII.
discern plainly that both in intellect and character
she was the superior of the Due d'Angoul§me, who
was apathetic, disinclined to study, without martial
ardour or "savoir vivre," with ungenial manners.
He was, however, sincere, kind-hearted and generous,
and full of real courage that only needed an oppor-
1 Thinking that letters were intercepted at the Austrian Court,
Louis XVIII. 's emissary resorted to subterfuge to deliver them.
This displeased the Princess. She wrote: "I disapprove of M.
de Guiche's method. When one is doing no wrong, one need not
hide it. My position requires me to be above any suspicion of
double dealings. You need not fear that letters are opened. It is
thought natural you should write to me ".
131
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tunity to show itself. He had during his stay in
England and Scotland imbibed liberal ideas which
were rather a shock to Louis XVIII. He was
sincerely religious and careful in his religious duties,
which was a quality likely to endear him to his bride,
who in that respect resembled him. As they had
not met since childhood, Louis XVIII. thought it
well to send a description of the Due d'Angouleme
to Marie Therese, and he ended by saying : " It will
be the more easy for you to be happy with him since
his heart has been given to none but you, and his
principles will ensure that this first sentiment will
also be the last. I count much on your influence
with him, for you will, I think, not be satisfied that
he should be only an affectionate husband ; you would
wish him to be worthy of the high position which
we cannot doubt he is destined one day to occupy.
Born with excellent capacities, a life of forced in-
action has discouraged him. When he learns from
you yourself that the best means to please you is to
make himself worthy of you, this is all that will be
needed to excite him to study, and France will one
day owe its happiness to you V
The marriage was celebrated at the chapel of the
Palace at Mittau, on 10th June, 1799, by Cardinal
Montmorency and the Abbe Edgeworth,2 in the pres-
ence of many French Emigres, the nobility of Cour-
land and Russian officials. Paul I. sent the bride a
diamond necklace, and a letter in which he said :
1 Daudet's Histoire de l' emigration.
2 Who had been with her father at his execution.
132
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
" Your misfortunes, virtues and heroic courage have
made you an object of interest to all well-disposed
people. When you re-enter France see only the
repentance of a nation which deplores the crimes of
scoundrels to whom she has had the misfortune to
give birth".
The Comte d'Artois was unable to be present at
his son's marriage, and Louis XVIII. wrote him an
account of it and thus describes the bride : " She is
like both her father and mother. At the first glance
she would not be thought pretty, but she gains on
one. She is well made, carries herself well, holds her
head to perfection, moves with ease and grace. Her
natural gaiety has not been destroyed ; when her
thoughts can be turned from the terrible past, she
laughs heartily. She is sweet, kind and loving, but
in public her demeanour is that of a Princess accus-
tomed to hold her Court. She has the mind of a
person of mature age, but she is as innocent and pure
as the day she was born."
The Due d'Angoul^me had always wished to marry
his cousin, and his shyness soon wore off; the young
couple were genuinely in love with each other. Louis
XVIII. wrote : " I wish that the Court of Vienna,
who affected to pity my niece for her marriage and
to look upon her as a victim to family exigencies,
could see them together ".
Napoleon said that Madame Royale was the only
man of her family, and when she returned to France,
after the Restoration, she became the idol of the
army, but she was not popular in Court circles.
133
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Her rigid adherence to the etiquette of the old
regime, the horror (which she did not attempt to
hide) she felt for all who had taken any part in the
Revolution, many of whom held high positions in
the new Government, and a stiff ungenial manner,
obscured her many fine qualities and real nobility
of heart.
Louis XVIII. said the Parisians could not forgive
her because she could not forget.
At the Tuileries she used the apartments on the
first floor that had been her mother's. Her own little
sitting-room was hung with white velvet embroidered
mfleurs de lys, the last work of Marie Antoinette and
Mme. Elizabeth. Her prie-dieu was a stool on which
her brother, Louis XVII. , had sat in the Temple.
In it was a drawer in which she kept some treasured
relics : the black silk vest and white cravat worn by
Louis XVI. on the day of his death, a lace cap worked
by Marie Antoinette in prison, some fragments of a
fichu worn by Mme. Elizabeth on the scaffold. Every
year, on the 21st January and 16th October, the anni-
versaries of the deaths of her father and mother, she
shut herself up in this room and passed the day in
prayer.
Many years of exile and hope deferred had
withered away all traces of good looks and given an
ineffaceable tinge of melancholy to her appearance
and character, and her adherence to an old-fashioned
and unbecoming style of dress exposed her to the
ridicule of the more frivolous Parisians, but all who
really knew her loved and respected Madame Royale.
134
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
When the d'Orleans family returned to France she
was the first lady of the Court, and also during the
subsequent reign, for the wife of Charles X., as well
as the wife of Louis XVIII., had died before the
Restoration.
135
CHAPTER VII.
Life at the Palais Koyal — The Hundred Days — The Life of the
d'Orleans Family in England — Louis XVIII.'s Opinion of the
Due d'Orleans — His Eeturn to France with his Family.
Soon after their arrival in Paris Marie Amelie gave
birth to her second son 1 the Due de Nemours.2
Louis Philippe was much occupied in negotiations
for the settlement of his proper estates and recover-
ing from those into whose hands they had fallen. In
this he was much assisted by Mdme. Adelaide who
had a wonderful head for business. By the help of
their devoted man of business, Dupin, they arrived
at an arrangement by which, after paying only
4,500,000 instead of the 25,000,000 demanded, they
entered into possession of their father's great fortune.
The Palais Royal soon became the meeting-place
of the elite of the old families of France, as well as
the marshals, senators and generals who had been
converted into Peers of France during the Empire,
and also many men who had risen to eminence during
the Revolution. The rigid etiquette maintained at
1 On hearing that she had given birth to a son she said to M.
de Blacas : " Be so good as to tell the King he has one more faith-
ful subject ".
2 Louis XVIII. and Duchesse d'Angouleme were godparents.
136
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the Tuileries made the royal receptions tedious and
a bore ; but at the Palais Royal receptions, which
were held the first Wednesday of every month, there
was gaiety and movement and the pleasures and
amusements of good society. The simplicity and
graciousness of the Due d'Orleans was universally
praised, and Mdme. Adelaide, who detested con-
ventionality, was talkative, and had a very cordial
manner, was very popular. People stood a little more
in awe of Marie Amelie, who, Talleyrand said, was
" the greatest great lady in Europe ".
Few people were more intimate with the d'Orleans
family than the Comtesse de Boigne, and in her
Memoirs she speaks as follows of Marie Amelie :
"I cannot overestimate the veneration and tender
devotion I feel for the Duchesse d'Orleans. She was
adored by all about her. The more often any one
came in contact with her, the deeper was the venera-
tion and respect she inspired. Her sympathetic tact
in no way modified the loftiness of her sentiments and
the strength of her character. She treated everybody
with the kindness natural to her, but her attitude was
marked by such delicate shades of consideration that
each individual could learn his position in her society.
She had persuaded herself that she had no head for
business (although her opinions enjoyed deep respect
in the family councils) ; she thought her sister-in-law
Adelaide, had much greater capacity for dealing with
affairs and yielded to her in questions of politics.
The sisters-in-law were so different, and belonged to
such widely separated schools of thought, that they
137
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
would not have been naturally congenial to each other
had they not been united by their common devotion to
the Due d'Orleans. Mdme. Adelaide lived only for her
brother, and never was there an affection more passion-
ate than that of Marie Amelie for her husband. In
full dress her appearance was admirable ; she was very
gracious but extremely dignified. In her eyes there
was an expression that seemed to emanate from a
pure and noble soul, and I am convinced that the
Duchesse d'Orleans owed much of the fascination that
she exercised over the most hostile people to the in-
fluence of that glance."1 Excellent concerts were
arranged under the direction of Mdme. Adelaide,
whose taste for music had been cultivated by Mme.
de Genlis, and who was herself a fine harpist.
Mdme. Adelaide delighted in showing Paris to her
sister-in-law; together they visited the old Paris of
legend and history. There was not a church or an
interesting place that they left unvisited. To en-
courage art they visited the studios, and were often
seen at the theatres. They walked unattended in the
public gardens, conversing freely with any acquaint-
ances they might meet.
But these good times did not last long. Marie
Amelie was not yet to know the blessing of a peaceful
and secure home. The d'Orleans family had only been
twelve months in France when Napoleon escaped
from Elba, March, 1815, and the King and royal
family fled to Ghent in most undignified haste.
1Mme. de Boigne, daughter of Marquis d'Osmond, French
ambassador in London.
138
M. David
Marie Amelie, Duchesse d'Orleans, and her eldest son
the duc de chartres
To face p. 138
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
It seemed as if all kings in the nineteenth century-
were obsessed with the fear of sharing the fate of Louis
XVI., and as soon as their power was threatened, for
fear of being too late, they fled without striking a
blow. The King of Naples had set the example, as
soon as the French appeared on his borders. Louis
XVIII. did the same on the approach of Napoleon —
Charles X. as soon as there was a revolt against his
Ordinances. Louis Philippe did the same, and the
year of his flight saw the abdication of the Emperor
of Austria, and in the same year the King of Prussia,
afterwards the Emperor William I., having become
unpopular in Berlin, fled in disguise to England. The
old theory of the Divine Right of Kings was exploded.
Kings apparently bowed to the spirit of the age, and
acknowledged that they reigned not " by the Grace
of God," but " by the Will of the People ".
Louis XVIII. did not hold these opinions, but they
were forced on him. Well might a young Italian
Prince, the Duke of Parma, afterwards King of
Etruria, write to a friend : "In these days a King's
calling is no longer worth anything, still less that of
an heir-presumptive. After much reflection I have
made up my mind to assure my own independence. I
think I could do so by setting up manufactures in
Spain where there are none. I want you to come and
help me.1 My father-in-law, the King of Spain, will
supply the necessary funds. When we have made
our fortune we will go to some place where we
1 This letter is addressed to the distinguished scientist, Comte
Chaptal, in whose Memoirs it is to be found.
139
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
can live in peace, if there is such a place left on
earth."
On the 3rd of March, Louis XVIII. (as he relates
in his Memoirs) had got out of bed on the wrong side
and worried his valet sorely. While dressing, a packet
was brought to him. After unwinding many folds of
paper a small sheet appeared on which were written
the words : " Tremble, tyrant ! Bonaparte is coming,
and the fate of Louis XVI. is reserved for thee."
The consternation of M. de Blacas restored the
King to good humour, for he treated the matter as a
joke. However, on the 5th of March the King, who
had been confined to his room with gout, had managed
in the evening to get into the saloon and receive
visitors. He was enjoying a literary discussion when
Blacas entered and announced that Bonaparte had
landed at Frejus. " The remembrance of that moment
will be bitter to me as long as I live," wrote Louis
XVIII. " I sent for the Council of Ministers and said
to them : ' Bonaparte has not come recklessly ; he must
have supporters here who have brought him. There
was a traitor among the twelve apostles ; I am not Jesus
Christ, and the number of generals is more than twelve,
but I know at least four who are not loyal to me.
We must convoke a special sitting of the Chamber
and declare Bonaparte rebel and outlaw, and decree
that the law against such be carried out in his case/
" I sent for M. le Due d'Orleans, wishing him
to accompany Monsieur,1 who was to go to Lyons
1 " Monsieur " always means the King's brother, Comte d'Artois,
afterwards Charles X.
140
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
to rally the garrison. The Due d'Orleans was little
disposed to take the journey, but when I demanded
it of him in a peremptory manner he acquiesced. His
indignation against Bonaparte was immense and he
said these events would prove who were really my
friends or the reverse. He and Monsieur took leave
with a bustling air of importance."
They went with Marshal Macdonald, who gave
vent to an ejaculation of despair when he received the
King's command to place himself at the head of the
army. He came to the Palace and told the King
frankly that he was broken-hearted at having to fight
against his former leader and Emperor, but that the
confidence the King showed in him would not allow
him to think of anything but the duty of the moment.
His conduct was very different to that of Marshal
Ney, whose speech about bringing back Bonaparte in
a cage is so well known, as is his subsequent desertion
of the Royalist cause on meeting Bonaparte, and the
penalty he suffered after the latter's defeat at Waterloo.
The apartments of the Palace could not contain
the crowd that thronged there from morning till
night, offering advice, protesting loyalty, and loud in
indignation against " the Monster " Bonaparte.
The visits of the Corps Diplomatique comforted
the King, who saw in this a sign that the Powers
would not desert him. " Messieurs," he said to them,
" you see me in a suffering state, but it is from gout,
not from anxiety as to the result of Bonaparte's
landing, for my cause is the cause of Europe. If
Bonaparte succeeds, war will break out everywhere."
141
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
But Louis XVIII. hardly knew who really were
loyal or the reverse. Marshal Soult was no speaker,
and employed Michaud to compose a proclamation
for him to deliver to the troops. It began : " Sol-
diers, who has Bonaparte come to seek ? Traitors !
What does he want ? Civil war ! Will he now find
followers among the soldiers whose sufferings he
has so often exploited for his own ends ? Does
he despise us enough to think that we could desert
our legitimate Sovereign, the father of his people ? "
etc., etc.
Marshal Soult was so affected by the eloquence
of this proclamation, that he wept while reading it
aloud to the King, who, seeing him thus affected, did
not suspect that he himself was one of the traitors,
and in touch with Bonaparte.
Monsieur and the Due d'Orl^ans returned from
Lyons, having been quite unsuccessful in their efforts
to arouse the spirit of loyalty in the garrison.
In this emergency Louis XVIII. made up his
mind to consult Fouch6. The Allies had always told
him that he would not be able to keep his crown on
his head without Fouche, but his repugnance to the
regicide was too great to allow Louis XVIII. to
employ him. When he now sent Blacas, who was
every inch a gentleman, or as the King said, " from
higher than his head to lower than his feet," to
summon Fouche to the Palace, Blacas was as much
dismayed as if he had been sent to fetch Satan him-
self. It was thought necessary to keep the interview
secret, so Fouche was introduced at night, in disguise,
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
to the King's apartments. He made the three salutes
and then told the King his cause was lost. The
whole army had gone over to Bonaparte, and all the
lower classes were for him. He said : " Not a regi-
ment will stand by you, and the people en masse will
desert you. Your only chance is to place yourself
in safety in some strong fortress."
Louis XVIII. afterwards said that on hearing
these words he felt as if he were assisting at his own
funeral.
It was resolved to make a last effort to win over
the people, and the King summoned the Assembly
that Monsieur and the Princes might swear fealty to
the Constitutional Charter. The Due d' Orleans went
in the same carriage as the King and Monsieur. The
poor suffering King tried to appear at ease, and
smiled and bowed to the populace en route. But the
soldiers, though they cried " Vive le Roi 1 " added
44 de Rome " under their breath. Monsieur made an
affecting speech calling on the Royal Princes, Berry
and d'Orleans, to join him in the oath to be faithful
to the King and the Charter. The Due d'Orleans
appeared much affected and took the oath with
noticeable fervour. All these efforts were futile.
After the sitting of the Chamber had concluded,
Monsieur reviewed the National Guard, but out of
80,000 men only 500 made any pretence of loyalty.
Monsieur, who was very indignant, exclaimed: "Let
them behave to Bonaparte as they have to us, and
our return is assured".
While this review was taking place, Fouche sent
143
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
a message that Bonaparte was at Fontainebleau, and
intended to seize all Bourbons as hostages. " Do not
imagine you can make a resistance ; save the King
and I will save the Monarchy."
A council was held in haste at the Palace, and an
immediate departure to Lille resolved on, though the
Due de Berry remonstrated, saying ; " Do not let us
leave without firing a shot, if only to show we are not
afraid of powder ".
While preparations were being made, the King
sent for the Due d'Orleans and inquired what his
plans were. "I have no plans," replied the Duke,
" but to follow your fortunes. I am of your family,
and consequently the enemy of those who attack it.
Those who do not want your Majesty, do not want
any Bourbon."
The King was much pleased at this,.speech, which
was uttered by the Due d'Orleans in a tone of con-
viction, and remarked that he was sorry the Duke's
mother was unable to leave Paris, and would be at
the mercy of Bonaparte. She had had a fall and
broken her thigh, and this prevented her travelling.
Louis XVIII. says in his Memoirs : " I was uneasy
as to the fate of this venerable princess, for whom
I had a particular affection, and I was much touched
by a letter she wrote me, saying that if her body fell
into the hands of Bonaparte, yet her heart would
follow me wherever I went. I am sure that at this
time her son was sincere and full of good intentions.
Having dismissed him, I wished to be alone to rally
my courage for the future. What miserable reflec-
144
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tions crowded through my brain. Must I drop the
sceptre after holding it only a year ? At my age, and
with my infirmities, must I again begin a wandering
life, dependent on others ? Eight days ago every one
was ready to die for me. Now the King of France
with his armies, fleets, fortresses, magistrates and
people are vanquished by one man, who landed as
a brigand-chief, and traverses the country, ascending
step by step as he goes, till he will arrive in Paris-
Emperor of the French ! All those whom I had
covered with benefits racked their brains for excuses
not to follow me. Such is human nature ! It is fool-
ish to be astonished, more so to be angry ".
When departure had been decided on, the royal
party did not seem able to go quick enough ; the
King's private papers and his money were left behind.
At midnight, by the light of one torch, the King
made a painful descent of the stairs, supported by
Blacas and Duras, and was hoisted into his carriage
with difficulty. To the soldiers and officers of his
household, who were profoundly moved and tried to
kiss his hands or coat-tails, he said : " Spare me, my
children, we shall meet again " !
The Princes followed half an hour later with their
retinue. The soldiers who passed them on the road
cried " Vive l'Empereur ! " and wore the tricolor
cockade. At Lille the troops were disloyal, so the
royal party went on to Ghent.
After a short time the Due d'Orleans went to
England, whither he had already sent his family.
The Duchesse d'Angoul£me also went to England,
145 10
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
after having made a gallant, but vain attempt, to rally
the troops at Bordeaux.1
Though Fouche had accepted the Ministry of
Police from Bonaparte, he kept in touch with the
Bourbons. He wrote to the King at Ghent ; " Bona-
parte arrived at Paris to-night amidst enthusiasm,
created by the distribution of stimulants. He is
changed ,* his manner is undecided. The eighty mill-
ions you left in the Treasury will pay his first ex-
penses, but though he sleeps to-night at the Tuileries,
do not despair, you are nearer the throne of France
than he is."
When Louis XVIII. heard that the Congress at
Vienna had declared Bonaparte an outlaw, and that
Europe was taking up arms against him, his hopes
revived. Several offers to assassinate Bonaparte were
made to Louis XVIII. A lady who had the cer-
tainty of being able to obtain an interview with him,
offered to stab him if the King would promise to
provide for her sons. A head cook in Bonaparte's
kitchen offered to poison him for the consideration
of a million francs. Louis XVIII. was highly in-
dignant. " I admit," he writes, " that I should have
been glad if Providence had disposed of Bonaparte,
but to assassinate him by proxy was an idea I would
not entertain even to insure myself twenty thrones."
The Constitutional party in France had always
looked to the Due d'Orleans as their hope and stay,
and after Waterloo it is known that the Allies had
serious thoughts of placing him on the throne of
1 The Due d'Angouleme retired to Spain.
146
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
France, for they saw that the elder branch of the
House of Bourbon neither would nor could enter
into modern ideas, and despaired of their ever suc-
ceeding in establishing a stable Government in France.
Many European princes were proposed as eligible
for the throne of France, and Louis XVIII. ex-
claimed indignantly : "I wonder they did not send
to China to see if one of the Mandarins had claims,
or would be suitable". Eugene Beauharnais had.
many partisans ; he had been Viceroy of Italy, and
made a very favourable impression on the Congress
of Vienna. " He is honour personified," was said
of him.
The Emperor of Russia decidedly favoured the
choice of the Due d'Orl6ans, saying he was the only
Bourbon who was really liberal minded or who under-
stood liberal ideas. England, however, would not
consent ; the Regent said it would be " a usurpation ".
So Louis XVIII. was recalled.
He said : " I had to lie on the bed, but I did not make
it." He always suspected that the Due d'Orl^ans had
designs on his throne, and would not consent to his re-
turn to France. Other people said : " The Due d'Orleans
himself does not belong to the Orleanist faction ".
So the d'Orleans family lived on quietly in Eng-
land, first at the Star and Garter hotel at Richmond,
then at a house at Twickenham, since so well known
as Orleans House. The Princess Charlotte, only child
of George IV. and heiress-presumptive to the English
throne, was living with her husband, Prince Leopold
of Saxe-Coburg, at Claremont, and the Duchess of
147
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
York was at Oatlands. They frequently interchanged
visits with the d'Orleans family and were on very
friendly terms with them. At the baptism of a
daughter born to the Duchesse d'Orleans at Twicken-
ham, a banquet was given at Orleans House, and the
Regent with his brothers, the Dukes of Kent and
Gloucester, were present. Two years were spent in
England before the King gave permission for the
d'Orleans family to return to France.
Marie Amelie said she would have been happy in
England could she have forgotten that she was a wife
and mother, and that the house was not her own.
Louis XVIII. yielded with great reluctance to the
entreaties of the Due d'Orleans' mother, that her son
might be allowed to return to France; to these en-
treaties were added the wishes of Comte d'Artois
and even of the Duchesse d'Angoul£me, who was
moved by her love and sympathy for Marie Amelie.
"When I signed his recall," he wrote in his
Memoirs, " I said to the minister who brought me the
document, ' Let this pen be kept ; it will do to use
at the abdication of those who persuade me to do
this \ M. d'Orleans has the misfortune to please my
enemies, and his party are very active. I do him
justice in saying that he will not conspire to obtain
my throne, but he will not refuse it should it one day
be offered to him, with a chance of his being able to
retain it."
It was not altogether surprising that Louis XVIII.
should have these suspicions, for Fouche had told
him that it was the Due d'Orleans who would pick
148
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
up the sceptre should it fall from the hand of the
King, or of his brother, and that every mistake made
by the Government of Louis XVIII. brought the Due
d'Orleans a step nearer to the throne.
However, permission to return was given, and the
Duchesse d'Orleans, her sister-in-law Adelaide, and
the little Princes and Princesses arrived at the Palais
Royal on 15th April, 1817. The journey from Lon-
don had taken eight days.
Accompanied by the Due d'Orleans, they went
next day to pay their respects to the royal family;
their reception was not gratifying.
Luncheon was waiting when they returned to the
Palais Royal ; as they seated themselves at the table
gloom was on every face, and was only dispersed
when a large dish of smoking hot cakes was brought
in.1
" Ah ! " they cried, " Palais Royal cakes ! " and felt
at home and on their native soil again, and that
life had compensations even for the black looks of
royalty !
After his return from Ghent, yielding to the advice
of the Duke of Wellington,, of Monsieur, and many
friends who thought the regicide Fouehe' indispens-
able, Louis XVIII. appointed him Minister of Police.
Louis had the greatest reluctance to do this, and says
in his Memoirs : " No one understood the torture it
cost me to be civil to one of my brother's murderers,
for so I considered him. I felt humiliated, and
blushed even when alone, at the thought of it. I
1 See Memoires de la Gomtesse de Boigne.
149
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
stifled my own feelings out of consideration for the
public welfare."
Soon after his entry into the Ministry of Louis
XVIII. , Fouche, who was sixty- three years of age,
married one of the heiresses of the House of Castel-
lane. The wedding was celebrated with much mag-
nificence, and was attended by many representatives
of the old French nobility ; at the bottom of the con-
tract was the signature of the King, brother of Louis
XVIII. Fouche was indeed triumphant !
During the last years of his reign Louis XVIII.
was entirely under the influence of Mme. du Cayla.
Zoe Victoire Talon was the daughter of an old Parlia-
mentary family. She had been educated by Madame
Campan at the Institution, which Lamartine called
"A school for female diplomats," and had greatly
profited by the teaching received there. She was
married to Comte du Cayla, a man of ancient descent,
attached to the household of the Condes. Comte
and Comtesse du Cayla did not suit each other, and
separated, but the Comtesse preserved the affection
of her mother-in-law, who was attached to the house-
hold of the Comtesse de Provence, and who on her
deathbed begged the Comte de Provence (Louis
XVIII.) to protect her daughter-in-law from her
husband, who intended instituting proceedings for
restoration of conjugal rights and the custody of
children. Thus the acquaintance of Louis XVIII.
and Mme. du Cayla began. She made a complete
conquest of him, and visited him at Hartwell. After
the Restoration their intimacy increased ; it was an
150
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
intellectual friendship, and she used her influence to
serve a political party, the Extreme right. She was
the friend of Mathieu de Montmorency, the Abbe
de Montesquiou and Sosthene de Rochefoucauld.
" Monsieur " also approved of her, and told her that
she made a noble use of the affection and confidence
which his brother, the King, showed to her. By one
party she was considered a corrupt intriguer, by the
other a pious Esther, friend of the Church and pro-
tectress of a good cause. Mme. du Cayla seldom
appeared at Court, but used to go to the King's apart-
ment for a three hours' tite-a-tite three days a week.
He presented her with a fine estate, St. Ouen,
after erecting a splendid chateau on it. He composed
an inscription for the foundation-stone of the build-
ing, saying that Mme. du Cayla's fine qualities and
elevated sentiments made her worthy to be the friend
of the King, and that her friendship had been a com-
fort and support to him through all his troubles, and
in the burden of affairs of State. This stone was
laid in presence of Mme. du Cayla and her brother,
Marechal Talon, and of Vicomte Sosthene de Roche-
foucauld, aide-de-camp of " Monsieur".
Although it is anticipating to speak of the death
of the King, as a proof of her influence, it has been
often quoted that when he lay a-dying, the royal
family sent for Mme. du Cayla, and that it was
through her persuasions that he was induced to con-
fess and receive the last sacraments.
But we think that the exertion of such influence
could have hardly been necessary. Whatever his
151
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
private opinions may have been, Louis XVIII. was
too strongly attached to tradition, too well aware of
what was the right thing for the deathbed of "the
most Christian king," to have forgone these religious
observances.
152
CHAPTER VIII.
Life at the Palais Eoyal — General Admiration felt for Marie
Amelie — The Education of her Sons — The Marriage of the
Due de Berry to Marie Amelie's Niece — The Assassination
of the Due de Berry — The Birth of the Due de Bordeaux.
The Due d'Orleans spent eleven million francs on re-
storing the Palais Royal to its former magnificence,
and it soon became the centre of society in Paris,
men of merit of all ranks and every shade of opinion
being welcome there. The Duchesse d'Orleans did
not take a prominent part in conversation. She says
in her journal : " I listen to what is said in silence,
but I make my own reflections ".
However, her influence was felt, and one who
hated all Bourbons, but admired her eldest son, the
Due de Chartres, said : " He is charming, but it
would be impossible for him not to have good man-
ners when his mother is the most polished princess
in Europe ".
Adelaide d'Orleans was a fine musician, and Marie
Amelie had talent for painting. When a girl, she
had received instruction at Naples from the cele-
brated Angelica Kaufmann ; so musicians and artists,
as well as scientists, men of letters, politicians and
Ministers of State were welcomed at the Palais
153
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Royal, together with the elite of the Court and
aristocracy.
Sometimes when there was a large assembly in
the salon, a bell was heard ; it was the signal for
the arrival of the Duchesse d'Angoul£me and the
Duchesse de Berry, and on hearing it the Due d'Or-
leans would hasten to the top of the staircase to meet
them, and escort them to the salon.
The Due de Berry, second son of Comte d'Artois,
had married Maria Carolina of the Two Sicilies, niece
of the Duchesse d'Orleans. This drew the d'Orleans
family into closer intimacy with their royal cousins.
Though Louis XVIII. was never friendly, yet Comte
d'Artois and his sons and their wives often dined at
the Palais Royal. The Duchesse de Berry was an
important person at the French Court. The Duchesse
d'Angouleme having no children, the young Duchesse
de Berry was expected to provide an heir to the
throne. She was far from pretty ; her figure was
clumsy, she squinted badly, and her features were
irregular, but she had that indescribable gift called
" charm " ; the moment she spoke her ugliness was
forgotten, her manners were unaffected and affable,
she was bright, lively and fond of amusement, and
refused to submit to the rigorous etiquette of the
Tuileries. She brought some brightness into Court
circles. As for the Due de Berry he was much older
than his wife ; during the long years of his father's
exile he had, trying all the Courts of Europe in suc-
cession, tried in vain to obtain a wife. He had once
applied at Naples for the hand of Marie Amelie her-
154
Tpe Duchesse p'Angouleme (Madame Roy ale)
To face p. 154
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
self, whose niece eventually became his wife. It is
on record that the King of Sardinia1 spoke of his
attempt to obtain his daughter as follows : u From
letters received from time to time from Louis XVIII.2
I perceive he wishes to arrange a marriage between
Beatrice and his nephew, the Due de Berry. I always
pretend not to understand, for it would be marrying
her to hunger and thirst, and turn my daughter
into a vagabond, without food or lodging. I think
Beatrice would suffer less from poverty, be less ex-
posed to bad company, by remaining with me than
with Berry, who is not likely to treat her well."
The Due de Berry's numerous liaisons were com-
mon talk throughout Europe, and it was supposed
that he was actually married to an English mistress,
Amy Brown. So much so, that when he proposed
for the hand of Marie Amelie's niece, the Court of
Naples, though willing, now that his position was
improved and settled as heir-presumptive to France,
to consent to the marriage, it was on condition that
the Pope would annul the English marriage.3 Some
excuse must be made for the Due de Berry, on
account of his miserable position, for many years, as
one of the family of a pretender to the French crown,
living in enforced idleness in exile. Debarred from
entering a profession as a private individual might
do, having no outlet for his energies, it was not
1 Then in exile. 2 Uncle of Due de Berry.
3 Vicomte de Reiset, by his researches, has proved that there
was no marriage. His work is entitled : Les Enfants du Due de
Berry. Pub. Emile Paul, Paris, 1905.
155
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
perhaps surprising that the Due de Berry, who had
no intellectual resources, should give way to sensual
gratifications, take what compensation he could out
of such pleasures as were open to him, in creating for
himself a little home in exile.
With all his faults, the Due de Berry had some
generous qualities, which won the liking and attach-
ment of those who knew him well. There is no
reason to believe that the young Sicilian Princess
was unhappy in her married life. She was on the
best of terms with her husband from the first. On
her journey to France she received a letter from him,
in replying to which she said : " Your letter was very
welcome, but written too hastily. The pleasure I
had in reading it was spoilt by the difficulty of de-
ciphering your writing."
In connection with the marriage ceremony, Louis
XVIII. relates that, desiring to do honour to his
niece, he had a coat made of royal blue, his favourite
colour, and adorned with pearl embroidery ; to com-
plete the costume he wore velvet shoes, the " Regent "
diamond in his hat, and the " Saci " on his sword,
and considered himself superbly dressed ; but the
compliments he received were of a nature to make
him think that his usual plain style of dress was con-
sidered more becoming !
There was more depth of character in the Duchesse
de Berry than was generally recognised. She retained
a, very deep affection for her grandmother, Queen
Maria Carolina of Naples, and often said : " She was
a second mother to me, and I shall always regret
156
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
that I could not be with her in her last days at
Vienna ".
After coming to Paris, the Duchesse de Berry one
day entered a drawing-room where she perceived
Lord William Bentinck, who had exiled her grand-
mother from Sicily. She shuddered, turned pale, and
at once left the room.
The charities of both the Due and Duchesse de
Berry were immense. One bitter cold winter's night
she was going to a fSte, and said, " I cannot enjoy
myself when I think of all the poor are suffering," and
summoning her treasurer she ordered him to send
1,000 francs to each of the twelve mayors of the De-
partments of Paris, with the command to buy wood
and distribute it that very night.
Her almoner was the Marquis de Bombelles who
had been an ambassador of Louis XVI., a major-
general in the army, a priest and canon, and finally
Bishop of Amiens and almoner to the Duchesse de
Berry.
Of this player of many parts it is recorded that
being accompanied by his sons 1 to a reception in
Paris, on being asked by the groom of the chambers
whom to announce — as celibacy was compulsory on
the clergy it would hardly have done to announce
"the Bishop of Amiens and his sons" — he got out
of the difficulty by saying : " Announce the Bishop of
Amiens, and the nephews of the Comte de Bombelles "
(his brother).
One of his sons, Charles de Bombelles, became
1 Who of course were born before he entered the Church.
157
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
first the chamberlain and then the third husband of
Marie Louise, Napoleon's widow.
One of the Bishop's daughters was lady-in-waiting
to the Duchesse de Berry, her mother had held the
same position in the household of Mme. Elizabeth.
The Duchesse de Berry's first equerry was Comte
Charles de Mesnard, a staunch Royalist, who had
preferred to earn a living by copying music in London
to accepting Napoleon's offer of restoring his confis-
cated estates if Comte de Mesnard would enter his
service.
The Duchesse de Berry was very fond of her aunt,
Marie Amelie, and there was no place where she
enjoyed herself more than at the Palais Royal ; she
thought Marie Amelie's eldest son the Due de Chartres
would be an ideal son-in-law.
He, when he heard the cannon announcing the
birth of the Duchesse de Berry's first child said :
" Either my wife or my king has come into the world."
The child was a girl, known as Mile. d'Artois.
The Duchesse de Berry may be said to have filled
at the Court of Louis XVIII. the same position as
the Duchess of Burgundy filled at the Court of Louis
XIV. She was the rising sun. She was on the best
of terms with the Duchesse d'Angoul£me as well as
the rest of the royal family.
The Due de Berry had become unpopular and had
received several letters threatening his life. He payed
no attention, saying : " If they really meant to kill me
they would not warn me of it ".
However, on 13th February, 1820, he and the
158
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Duchess went to the Opera. Between the scenes
they went to visit the Due and Duchesse d'Orleans,
who were in a box with their children. M. le Due
de Berry caressed the children and played with the
young Due de Chartres. The audience applauded
this scene, which proved the cordial relations existing
between the elder and junior branches of the House
of Bourbon.
The Duchesse de Berry, not feeling well, left be-
fore the opera was over. Her husband had placed
her in her carriage and saying " Au re voir, a bientOt,"
was turning back into the theatre, when a man stand-
ing near rushed at him and stabbed him to the heart.
" This man has killed me," cried the Due de Berry, stag-
gering into the hall ; he was afterwards carried to the
little room adjoining his box. He asked if the
assassin was a stranger, and on being told that he
was not, said : "It is cruel fate to die by the hand of
a Frenchman. What have I ever done to this man ;
I must have offended him unwittingly." The Comte
d'Artois told his son that he had never seen or spoken
to the man, who could have no grudge against him
personally.
The Due de Berry said he wished to live till the
King arrived that he might ask him to pardon the
assassin, and was restless till he had done so. A
priest was summoned and he confessed with much
piety, and he also told his wife that he would like to
see his two daughters, born in England, the children
of Amy Brown. The Duchesse de Berry had them
brought, and told him she would be their mother.
159
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
She also said to Mile. d'Artois: "They are your
sisters, I now have three daughters ".
The Duchesse de Berry seemed much concerned
about these children, and commended them to the
King, who promised to recognise them.
Even at such a moment Louis XVIII. could
think of the importance of rank and titles, and after
a few minutes' consideration said : "I create the
eldest Comtesse de Vierzon, and the second Com-
tesse d'Issodun.1
It is somewhat pathetic that even on his deathbed
the Due de Berry's instinct of the respect and con-
sideration due to the King was so strong that he
apologised for having disturbed his night's rest !
With his last breath the Due de Berry again asked
the King to pardon his assassin. The King evaded
the promise. The assassin Louvel, a saddler of
Versailles, was brought to trial. He said that con-
sidering the Bourbons the worst enemies of France,
he chose out the Due de Berry as being the youngest
and able to continue the race. Louvel's trial lasted
114 days, so anxious were the authorities to discover
accomplices, but they failed to do so. He was con-
demned to death and executed in presence of a vast
concourse of people, 1st May, 1832.
The Due and Duchesse d'Orl£ans and Mile.
Adelaide were present at this deathbed scene ; they
had hastened to join the royal party as soon as the
news of the attempt on the Due de Berry's life reached
them. When all was over Marie Amelie accom-
1 These were the names of the two chief towns in Berry.
160
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
panied her niece to St. Cloud, where she passed the
first days of her widowhood, and would not leave
her till the first violence of her grief was over, and
she had become more calm and resigned. The vicissi-
tudes through which Marie Amelie had passed led
to her being astonished at nothing that happened.
She early became apt as a consoler, compassionate,
sympathetic, experienced; to her no sort of sorrow
or trouble was a novelty.
She was looked upon as the guardian angel of the
d'Orleans family. If she happened to be ill, despair
reigned at the Palais Royal. The husband, the child-
ren, the friends, the servants would not stir, and
hardly dared look at each other. The Due d'Orleans,
usually the most self-controlled of men, completely
lost his head, and could not hide his grief even at
her bedside. Afterwards, when she had recovered,
Marie Amelie said : " I thank God for having allowed
me to see how much my husband loves me "
He used to say : " There are no more Amelies ".
Two of the tutors of the d'Orleans Princes,
Cuvillier Fleury, tutor to Due d'Aumale, and Trog-
non,1 tutor to Prince de Joinville, have left letters
and journals, from which are to be gathered many
details of the daily life of the d'Orleans family, who
lived more like wealthy bourgeois than royal Princes.
Louis XVIII. accused the Due d'Orleans of popu-
larity hunting ; he certainly took part in all liberal
movements, and he made a new departure in the
education of Princes of the Blood, by entering his
2 He also wrote Life of Marie Am&ie.
161 11
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
two eldest sons as pupils at the College Henri Quatre.
Louis XVIII. greatly disapproved of this step, as
derogatory to the dignity of their position, and find-
ing that his remonstrances with the Due d'Orleans
were ineffectual, endeavoured to induce Marie Amelie
to exercise her influence, and to dissuade her husband
from this step ; but she refused to do so, and wrote
the King a long letter, in which she said it was her
duty to defer to her husband's wishes, but that on
this occasion they coincided with her own conviction
that the arrangement would be most beneficial to her
sons.
Baron Haussmann in his Memoirs says : " During
my course at the College Henri Quatre, I was a
fellow pupil with M. de Chartres, and we were on
friendly terms. He was a good student and often
placed among the first ten on the form of honour.
His brother, M. de Nemours, entered the College at
a later date. The Princes were accompanied by their
tutors, who, during the intervals of classes, gave them
private instruction in a room reserved for them.
They dined at the same table as we did at noon,
but their viands were served on silver-plate, and were
different to the food of the other pupils. They sat
at one end of the table, next to the College Principal.
I used to sit next to M. de Chartres ; we did not
use his title, simply calling him 'Chartres/ and his
brother, ' Nemours ' ".
It would seem that if a democratic equality was
the motive of sending the Princes to a public college,
it was a great mistake that they did not share the
162
Ferdinand, Due de Chartres, eldest son of Queen Marie Amelie
and Kino Louis Philippe. Born at Palermo, 1810
To face p. 162
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
fare of the other pupils. The Due d'0rl6ans ex-
ercised great watchfulness over the education of his
sons. Each had a tutor to accompany him to and
from college, and superintend the preparation of
next day's lessons.
Each tutor had to furnish their pupil's father every
evening with an account of their charge's conduct,
studies, and traits of character observed. From these
reports flattery was conspicuously absent. The Due
d'Orteans read these reports very carefully, and re-
turned them with his remarks to the tutors. M.
de Larnac, tutor of the Due de Nemours, disapproved
of his pupil taking part in fdtes, receptions, and other
" worldly duties " which distracted his attention from
his studies.
The Due d'Orleans said: "I think that child-
hood being the prelude of life, boys should do other
things besides study, and should, by mixing in the
world, receive ideas. The disadvantages incident to
the mode of life our position entails, should not be
exaggerated, nor its advantages obscured. I will,
on the first opportunity, talk over this matter with
M. de Larnac, as I wish to be in accord with
my sons' tutors as to the general system of their
education."
The young princes certainly had no spare time,
for besides their college course, they had lessons
in English, German, drawing and dancing, and
Mgr. Dupanloup gave instructions daily in catechism.
M. de Larnac remarks ironically " Sunday was
Franconi's day," for on that day the celebrated
163
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
horseman gave riding lessons to the Due de Nemours,
who delighted in them, though he was often slack
in his other studies. On the 5th February, 1824,
M. de Larnac put in his report. "Much indo-
cility and impertinence during English lesson. He
was deprived of dessert. I read to him the note
that Mgr. Due d'Orleans had put on previous
day, * English must go on'. At first he did not
understand, but when I threatened to report his
ignorance, he hastened to translate the sentence, and
then said it was not his fault. It was mine, any-
body's except his own," concludes the irate tutor.
Later in the month M. de Larnac reports : " It is
unfortunate that the Due de Nemours always aggra-
vates any fault that he has committed by ridiculous,
senseless, or impertinent remarks ".
The Due d'Orleans annotated : " Pythagoras said
that a wise man turns his tongue round his mouth
seven times before speaking. Nemours, who is natur-
ally slow to decide, or to answer when addressed, and
who often cannot succeed in opening his mouth when
he ought to, must be made to understand that he is
more blamable than another when he falls into the
opposite extreme, and I recommend him to practise
the maxim of Pythagoras when he is blamed."
The Due de Nemours outgrew his boyish failings
and became a very noble character.
On the Due d'Orleans' birthday his sons and
daughters offered him specimens of their own work as
presents. In 1828 we hear of the Due de Nemours
presenting the drawing of a head ; Prince de Joinville,
164
Francois Prince de Joinville
Born at Neuilly, 1818
To face p. 164
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
a geographical chart ; and the eldest daughter,
Princess Louise, the episode of Ugolino translated
into French, English and German.
The d'Orl^ans family spent a great deal of time at
their country, or rather suburban, house at Neuilly.
They had seven children ' at that time, four boys and
three girls. The third son, the Prince de Joinville,
who was born on 14th August, 1813, at Neuilly, de-
scribed it in after life in his Souvenirs. " I cannot,"
he says, " write the name of Neuilly without emotion,
for it is associated with the happiest days of my child-
hood. It was a vast chateau, without pretensions to
architectural beauty ; all the rooms were on the ground
floor on a level with delightful gardens. It was sur-
rounded by an immense park stretching from the
fortifications of Paris to the Seine. In the grounds
were woods, orchards, fields, islands, all within a
quarter of an hour from Paris. This fine domain
was the favourite residence of my mother and father
who created it, and year by year embellished it, and
who delighted in their life there surrounded by their
numerous children, who they loved so tenderly, and
who returned their love so warmly ; it was also our
favourite home. We got up at five to have a gallop
round the park before going to college. On the
Thursday and Saturday half -holidays the whole troup
of we children enjoyed ourselves to the full with
country pleasures. Sundays and half-holidays were de-
voted to recreative pursuits — drawing, music, dancing,
1 Montpensier and Penthievre were born later. Two died —
Penthievre and a girl who was born in England.
165
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
fencing and riding. The collegians dined with the
boarders, and returned in the evening. The non-
collegians and the girls passed the day at their lessons.
In the evening pupils and preceptors of both sexes
dined together and then went to the drawing-room,
where both at the Palais Royal and Neuilly there was
generally a good deal of company, for my parents
received every evening. On Sundays elders and juniors
all dined together. And this routine went on like
clockwork summer and winter."
If, for any reason, one or more of the children were
separated even for a day or two from their parents by
being left at Neuilly, while the parents were at Paris
or vice versa, the children wrote daily to their mother,
who sent replies. It is in these letters that we find
the true Marie Amelie, enthusiastic, full of energy and
wit, not sparing in affectionate phrases and epithets,1
giving her opinion freely on all points, though at the
Palais Royal receptions she was very sparing of words,
and expressed herself mainly by smiles or gestures,
sometimes sad, sometimes gay.
This correspondence with her children played an
important part in Marie Amelie's life ; her letters to
her second son, the Due de Nemours, are particularly
intimate and frequent. When he was ten years old,
he had been sent to Eu for sea bathing, and his
mother wrote : "I am very pleased that you do not
fail to write daily ; also with the way you behaved
with the Duchesse de Berry, and your efforts to
1 On one occasion she calls Nemours " Cherissima," and
repeats this tender expression as many as ten times.
166
Louis Charles, Due de Nemours
Born at Paris, 1814
Tojacep. 166
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
talk.1 I hope you do not forget to say your prayers
night and morning, and to repeat the catechism
occasionally. Our duties to God should come first of
all, my dear child."
The Due de Nemours was the one who responded
most of all to his mother's religious teaching. After
his death his biographer, the academician, Rend Bazin,
said, speaking of his noble life : " To what did he
owe his unflinching pursuit of the ideal, his firmness
and dignity in all vicissitudes ? To his birth a little,
but chiefly to his faith. His royal blood gave him
the natural instinct to serve his country ; the Catholic
religion prevented his being deceived as to the best
means of serving her, or from shrinking from the
severity and duration of the service demanded. The
Due de Nemours was a believer, and acted up to his
belief. He loved the ancient liturgy, the tradition
and ritual of his church. He spoke little of his pro-
foundest feelings, but he lived them, and they consoled
him in the hour of death."
When the Due de Nemours was thirteen years
old, the King made him colonel of the First Regiment
of Chasseurs, henceforth to be known as Chasseurs
de Nemours. When he was presented to the regi-
ment, his father and elder brother accompanied him
on horseback, his mother and sisters were present
in carriages. The young Duke had to review his
regiment, and his grace in saluting and fine horse-
manship were greatly admired. The regiment marched
past, at the trot, and then went of to Neuilly, where
1 He was very shy and silent with every one but his own family.
167
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tents had been pitched for their reception, and an
excellent repast was served. In the evening a dinner
was given to the officers in the Chateau de Neuilly.
The Due de Nemours was too young to command
his regiment at present, but he took an interest in
the soldiers, and we hear of a corporal in distress
coming to beg for assistance, when Nemours emptied
his purse into the man's hand, and regretted that
there was so little in it, as it was near the end of the
month !
The birth, in 1820, of the Duchesse de Berry's
posthumous son, the Due de Bordeaux, had been a
fatal blow to the hopes of the Due d'Orleans, that
the throne of France would ultimately devolve upon
his own son ; but he and his family had to attend the
grand baptismal ceremony of this little heir to the
throne, and Marie Amelie went with the Duchesse
d'Angoul£me in her carriage.
The Dowager Duchesse d'Orldans was too ill to
be present, and died shortly after. She left the
greater part of her wealth to her son, but as a mark
of affection for her daughter-in-law, Marie Amelie,
she left her the Duchy of Aumale for life ; afterwards
it was to go back to her husband or sons. Her
fourth son bore the title, and inherited the estates sub-
sequently. The Due d'Orleans also received another
accession of fortune by the death of his aunt, Egalite's
sister, the Duchesse de Bourbon, and was now the
richest prince in Europe.
168
Henri, Due d'Aumale. Born at Paris, 1822
To face p. 168
CHAPTER IX.
Death of Louis XVIII. — Accession of Charles X. — Favour shown
by new King to the Due d'Orleans — The Happiest Years of
Marie Amelie's Life — Wealth of the d'Orleans Family — Marie
Amelie's Journey to Savoy to Visit her Sister the Queen of
Sardinia — Visit of Neapolitan Royal Family to Paris — Splendid
FUe at the Palais Eoyal.
Some interesting accounts of the life of the d'Orleans
family are to be found in the Souvenirs of the Prince
de Joinville}
Though only six years old at the time, he remem-
bers going to a Twelfth-Night party at the Tuileries
not long before the death of Louis XVIII. He says :
" We arrived in the courtyard of the Palace and were
saluted by the Swiss Guard at the Pavilion de Mar-
san and by the King's Guard at the Pavilion de Flore.
We descended from our carriage under the porch of
the stone staircase to the deafening rattle of the
drums of the Cents Suisse. When half-way up the
staircase I was immensely astonished at having to
stand aside to let ' La Viande du Roi,' as His Majesty's
dinner was called, pass. It was carried up from the
kitchen to the first floor escorted by his Bodyguard.
u The King was wheeled into the salon when the
party had assembled, and kissed each of the d'Orleans
1 Published Heinemann, 1905.
169
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
family, but spoke only to Nemours, who was too shy
to do anything but stammer. The Twelfth-Night
customs were observed, I got the bean from the cake
and presented it to the Duchesse d'Angouleme, who
was thus Queen of the evening. The King, raising
his glass, cried : ' The Queen drinks/ and we all
followed his example."
A few months later Louis XVIII. was no more.
His health was failing throughout the year 1824.
The Due and Duchesse d'Orl6ans were present at his
deathbed, and in her journal Marie Amelie relates
how : " When all was over the Due de Blacas opened
the door of the King's room, which adjoined the
Gallery of Diana where a large body of courtiers
were waiting, and announced 'The King' as Comte
d'Artois, now Charles X., entered. At these words
the courtiers rushed to surround and congratulate the
new King. It was like a torrent ; we were borne
along in it, and it was only at the door of the Throne-
room that my husband bethought himself that we
no longer had aught to do here. We went home
reflecting on the foibles of poor human nature and
the nothingness of worldly greatness."
Louis XVIII. died on 16th August, 1824. His
brother and successor, "Monsieur," was crowned at
Eheims on 30th May, 1825.
Marie Amelie wrote an account of this splendid
ceremony to her son Nemours. "We have just re-
turned from the ceremony of the consecration. It
lasted three hours. There was some confusion, no
one knew what to do. The entrance of the knights
170
i
Charles X (Comte d'Artois)
To face p. 170
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
in procession was very grand. Papa was superb and
looked like Louis XIV. The King also was splendid,
his air most noble. He has appointed Chartres
Colonel of First Hussars. After the " Veni Creator"
the Archbishop of Rheims, Monseigneur Latil, ad-
vanced towards the King and placed the crown on
his head. The Princes then approached the King,
crying " Vivat Rex in seternum ". The cries of " Vive
le roi " resounded through the ancient cathedral for
quite a quarter of an hour."1
Another writer tells us that on this occasion the
equipages of the d'Orleans family surpassed all others,
and their splendour was truly royal. The Due d'Or-
leans wore his Ducal Crown and ermine and gold
cloak. The Duchesse d'Orleans wore a richly em-
broidered white dress.
We also hear of the magnificent appearance of
their sons as Peers of France at the opening of the
Chambers, the eldest seated next to the Dauphin on
the King's right, and the second next to his father
on the King's left.
When Charles X. made his State entrance into
Paris on the 6th June, the Dues d'Orleans and de
Bourbon rode in front of him. Charles was now an
elderly man, but still retained the fine bearing and
chivalrous manners which had won all hearts in his
youthful days. Since the death of his mistress, Mme.
de Polastron, which occurred while he was in exile
1 After the coronation service the King went to the Hospitfal of
Marconi and touched 200 scrofulous patients. Making a cross on
each brow he said : " May God heal thee. The King touches thee ".
171
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
in England, his character had completely changed ; he
had abandoned altogether the libertine habits of his
youth, and earnestly endeavoured to follow out her
deathbed injunction to " live only for God 7\1
Mme. de Polastron has been called the La Valliere
of the Restoration. She had a husband, Comte
d'Artois a wife; setting aside that fact, their union
was all that was idyllic. From the moment of his
connection with her, his volatile nature seemed com-
pletely changed ; he thought of no other woman,
and her affection was absolutely disinterested. She
sought neither for money nor 6clat. Through long
years of poverty and exile their mutual affection was
unsullied, and ended only with her death. He was
ever faithful to her memory, and the permanent
change this accomplished in a man of his antecedents
and nature, was nothing short of a miracle. Leopold,
King of the Belgians, no mean judge of character,
gives his opinion of Charles X. in a letter to Queen
Victoria, saying : " He was an honest man, a kind
friend and honourable master, sincere in his opinions,
anxious to do everything that was right ".
With all his fine qualities he had not much in-
tellectual ability or political sagacity, and his changed
views of life led him to put himself too much in the
hands of ecclesiastics, who abused their influence over
him, in order to increase the power of the Church.
Ten years of peace had brought the internal pro-
1Her last words were : " Une grace, Monsieur, Soyez a Dieu,
tout a Dieu." " Je le jure," replied Comte d'Artois, falling on his
knees at her bedside.
172
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
sperity of France to a high pitch, and the prospects
of the new reign opened well. The accession of
Charles X. greatly improved the position of the Due
d' Orleans.1 Shortly after his accession the King sent
for the Duke, and told him that he accorded to him
and all his family the title of Royal Highness, which
Louis XVIII. had only allowed to Marie Amelie,
and this had been a very sore point in the d'Orleans
family.
At this interview Charles X. said : " I am an old
man, and speak as a father to you. There is nothing
between you and the throne, but the life of a child
of four years old (Due de Bordeaux). A child of
that age is not much, and it is necessary that there
should be no difficulty about you or your son suc-
ceeding in the event of the child's death. Your
position is a delicate one. You know I like you, and
I believe that you are as loyal and faithful as it is
possible to be, but people say all sorts of things about
you, so I wish you to be on your guard."
The Due d'Orleans thanked the King very warmly
for all his goodness, and said : "I only ask one
favour : if unfavourable reports reach your Majesty's
ears, summon me at once and give me the opportunity
of explaining matters, which I should quickly be able
to do, for I have no ambition. I am thoroughly
satisfied with my position and my life, and I desire
1 One of the first acts of the reign was the passing of the Act
of Indemnity, for old proprietors who had been despoiled in the
Revolution. The Due d'Orleans and his sister received an addition
of seventeen millions of francs to their fortune.
173
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
only to see the throne assured to your Majesty's line
by the prosperity and happiness of France."
"I am convinced of it," replied the King, "and
I shall do as you have asked me, and you on your
side, if you have anything to complain of, come
straight to me, let no one come between us ; it is as
important for you as for us to be united."
The years from this time, up to 1830, were the
most peaceful and happiest of Marie Amelie's life.
Her domestic happiness was complete, she had all
the comforts and pleasures that wealth gives, and an
assured and illustrious position. Her husband had
great influence and an immense number of friends.
He occupied himself with building and improving his
estates, and with many works of benevolence for the
public benefit, as well as with the education of his
sons.
Marie Amelie had now only two brothers and one
sister, Marie Christine, Queen of Sardinia, living.
All the rest of the eighteen children of the Queen
of Naples had passed away.
These two surviving sisters had not met for
fifteen years, but in 1825 Marie Amelie had the great
pleasure of going with her husband and three eldest
children to visit the King and Queen of Sardinia, at
their beautiful old castle at Chambery, the cradle of
the House of Savoy. Superbly situated, with a mag-
nificent panorama of the Alps to be viewed from its
windows, or the pleasant terraces shaded by spreading
trees, this picturesque old castle existed in the tenth
century. The Due d'Orleans would have called to
174
"Toto"
ANTOINE, DUC DE MONTPENSIER, YOUNGEST SON OF MARIE AmELIE
Born at Neuilly, 1827
To face p. 174
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
mind that it had been the home of two d'Orleans
princesses. The first was Franchise, daughter of
Gaston d'Orleans, uncle of Louis XIV., who married
Duke Charles Emmanuel II. of Savoy ; and the
other was Anne d'Orleans, daughter of Louis XIV. 's-
brother, Philippe due d'Orleans, by Henrietta Stuart.
This much beloved Princess, Anne d'Orleans, was
married in the old chapel at Chambery, to Victor
Amadeus II. of Savoy, of whom Louis XIV., when
recommending him to his niece, said that he was not
only a great prince, but was a gentleman as well !
This Duke and Duchess became also the first
King and Queen of Sardinia, which dominion was
given to the Duke of Savoy by the Allies as a reward
for his services during the wars of the Spanish Suc-
cession.
Sicily had been first allotted to him, but the dis-
tance from his hereditary domains was too great to
allow of his governing both properly, so he obtained
permission to exchange Sicily for Sardinia, which ever
after remained in the possession of the House of
Savoy with the regal title.
The whole country round is rich in memories of
the ancestral heroes of the House of Savoy. The most
interesting of all, Haut Combe, would have been visited
often by the Due and Duchesse d'Orleans, for the
King of Sardinia was much occupied with his plans for
restoring some of its former splendour. The abbey and
chapel had been built in the twelfth century by St.
Bernard, and had been the burial place of the Dukes
of Savoy. Situated amidst splendid scenery, below
175
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the Dent du Chat and on a rock above the Lac du
Bourget, it had been a stately pile filled with treasures
of great value. After the death of Louis XVI. the
armies of the French Convention had ravaged it,
desecrated the royal tombs, broke up the marble
statues, the carvings, stained glass and works of art
in the chapel, and burnt the valuable manuscripts in
the library. Marie Amelie's brother-in-law, Charles
Felix, King of Sardinia, wished to restore Haut Combe
to as much as possible of its former splendour, and
was occupied in repairing the building and beautifying
the interior. In all this work he would probably
have found a valuable adviser in the Due d'Orl6ans,
who was well versed in history and architecture and
loved building. At the present day the chapel con-
tains seventeen monuments, reproductions of the
original ones, and a profusion of ornamentation and
relics, as well as tombs of Carlo Felice and his wife
Marie Christine of Naples, side by side, near the altar.
We can imagine all the long talks, the questions
and answers as to family matters and all that had
taken place in the years of their separation, that were
enjoyed by Marie Am61ie and her sister, while the
two husbands were engaged in planning and super-
intending the works at Haut Combe.
After their return to Paris the d'Orl6ans family
seem to have lived a happy family life at the Palais
Royal and at Neuilly. The newspapers of the day
give details of the splendid fStes given at the Palais
Royal, and also of those given by the Duchesse de
Berry. At a children's ball given by the latter at the
176
Princesse Clementine d'Orleans, Mdlle. de Beaujolais
Born at Neuilly, 1817
To face!). 176
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Tuileries, Marie Am61ie's youngest daughter, the
Princess Clementine, appeared as a great lady of the
Court of Louis XV. The King was enchanted and
said : "I was reminded of the good old times when
I saw Mile, de Beaujolais (Clementine) dancing a
minuet in such a dignified manner, it was as if my
wife had come to life again ".
The two elder d'Orleans princesses were also much
admired wherever they appeared — the one for her
sweet looks and the other for her vivacity and the zest
with which she entered into all amusements. The
Due de Chartres also had a great success in society ;
he was very handsome and waltzed to perfection, but
was most dignified in manner.
His brother Joinville says of him : " He was a
charmer — charmer of soldiers, of artists, of women ".
The Paris journals speak of his splendid appear-
ance at a fancy ball in the costume of Francis II.,
while the Duchesse de Berry as Mary Stuart was " a
sight". On this occasion the two eldest d'Orleans
princesses appeared as " Tartaresses " and were loaded
with diamonds and jewels.
For a few years the relations between the Court
and the Palais Royal were most cordial, a sense of
security prevailed, and all enjoyed at their ease the
good days that seemed to have dawned for France.
In May, 1830, the Duchesse de Berry's father, the
King of Sicily, Marie Amelie's brother, came to Paris
with his second wife who was a Spanish Princess, the
Duchesse de Berry's step-mother.
Apparently the Sicilian royalties were not pre-
177 12
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
possessing. Cuvillier Fleury says : " The Queen was
very ugly and made a grimace when we were pre-
sented. The King is like a white bear, his face
covered with a forest of white hair ; though only fifty
he looks seventy."
However, the Duchesse d'Orl6ans was delighted
to meet them again, and naturally wished to show
due honour to her brother and his wife, and to receive
them with all possible splendour in her own Palace ;
and she and they must have been sensible of the
contrast between her present fine position and that
she had been in when they parted, when she had
been living with her husband in a precarious position,
subsisting on her father's bounty.
As the King and Queen were the guests of
Charles X., etiquette made it impossible for them
to attend any function unless he accompanied them.
But the Due d'Orl6ans now was out of favour with
the King ; political troubles were looming in the near
distance, and in spite of his desire to think well of
his cousin, Charles X. had reason to think that the
Duke, and especially his sister, sided with, nay, even
aided and abetted malcontents.
One day he even said to Marie Am61ie and
Adelaide d'Orl6ans, in a tone of great bitterness and
with an air of severity : " Nothing is easier than to
oppose my Government ; what is not so easy is to
justify such opposition ".
He was not disposed to do his cousins the
"immense favour" of accompanying his royal guests
to the Palais Royal. The Duchesse d'Angouleme had
178
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
great difficulty in persuading him, and was obliged
to urge her own and his near relationship to the
Duchesse d'Orleans : " The dear Duchess is so good,
so excellent, and is of our race and our blood ". At
last the King consented, and fixed 13th May for the
entertainment.
The arrangements made at the Palais Royal were
on a scale of great magnificence, but also in the best
taste. The decorations, the illuminations, the bril-
liance of the ladies' jewels and the richness of their
toilettes and of the officers' uniforms, made the
splendid apartments, ornamented with fine pictures,
works of art, and hung with costly tapestries, like a
scene in fairyland.
Charles X. and the Neapolitan royalties arrived
at eleven o'clock, preceded by outriders, heralded
by the beating of drums and escorted by the mag-
nificent Bodyguard.
First there was a splendid concert, arranged by
Mdme. Adelaide, then a ball.1 The King was so
fascinated by the grace and distinction of Princess
Clementine, that he forgot his ill humour, and said
to the Due d'Orleans : " Were I thirty years younger,
your daughter should be Queen of France ".
It was a very warm night, and the ladies in
decolletee dresses walked in the gardens without
shawls. The Prince de Joinville wrote : " While the
King was taking the air on the terrace, I preceded
him to clear the way. I admired his upright figure
^alvandy said: "It is a truly Neapolitan fete. We are
dancing on a volcano".
179
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
and truly royal air, as he approached the parapet and
saluted the crowd. There was no response."
This was the last time a King of France ever visited
a Due d'Orl6ans in his house. The knell of the
Legitimate Monarchy had already sounded ; Paris
was on the eve of another Revolution.
180
CHAPTER X.
Character of Adelaide d'Orleans, Sister of Louis Philippe — The
Important Part she played in the Eevolution of 1830, and
the July Monarchy — Abdication of Charles X. — Character of
Louis Philippe — Opinion of Europe — He is declared King of
the French.
With all his good qualities, Charles X. was quite
without the political sagacity and powers of adapta-
tion, which had enabled his brother, Louis XVIII.,
to maintain himself till death, on the unstable throne
of France. He, Louis XVIII., was aware of his
brother's limitations, and often said, when looking
at the little Due de Bordeaux : " Who knows if
my brother will succeed in keeping the crown for
this child".
France was tired of revolutions and willing to
stand a good deal to avoid another. Had Charles
X. been true to the Charter,1 he would have been
secure on his throne ; but influenced by friends of
the old regime, and above all by his religious advis-
ers, he took one step after another that aroused the
populace to fear for their liberties.
Charles X. did not understand that great changes
had taken place in the social system of France ; he
1 Charter of the Bights of the People, promulgated and adhered
to by Louis XVIII. on his accession.
181
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
ignored the rise to power of the middle classes, and
also the fact that though the French people as a
whole were attached to religion, they were not to
its ministers. He had misunderstood the history of
his country, and thought it would be for his own
glory and the benefit of his people to re-establish
absolute monarchy and the old regime. To have
the Catholic religion recognised as the established
religion of the State, seemed to him his first duty.
Great discontent had been caused by a priest being
attached to each regiment, and the regulation that every
soldier, Catholic or non-Catholic, must attend Mass.
After the opening of the Assembly, March, 1830,
when the King in his address spoke of "his rights,
of perfidy and culpable measures," the Assembly
replied : "That agreement between the political views
of the King's Government and the wishes of his
people did not exist ".
Things went from bad to worse, and in July,
1830, the three fatal Ordinances were promulgated.
The first dissolved the newly elected Parliament.
The second re-established the Censorship of the
Press.
The third abrogated the existing electoral law,
replacing it by a method of election that made re-
presentative government an illusion.
The Moniteur of 26th July, 1830, which made
these Ordinances known to the public, reached Neuilly
in due course. When he read the paper the Due
d'Orleans exclaimed : " They are mad " ! l " They are
mad," he repeated several times. "They will get
182
<rj@
Madame Adelaide, Sister of Louis Philippe
To face p. 182
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
themselves exiled again ! As for myself I have been
exiled twice and have had enough of it ! I shall stay
in France."
It would be impossible to understand the sub-
sequent course of events and the part played by the
Due d'Orleans without some account of his sister,
Mdme. Adelaide, and the preponderating influence she
exercised over her brother, and in the family councils.
Educated in liberal ideas by Mme. de Genlis,
Adelaide d'Orleans had made them her own. Long
years of exile in a convent at Bremgarten, and after-
wards with her aunt Mme. de Conti in Bavaria and
Hungary, had separated her from family life. She
knew little of her mother, and was subsequently
altogether estranged from her, on account of the
latter's subjugation by her chancellor, M. de Folmont.
After their return to France she concentrated all her
affection on her brother and his family.
Her niece, the Queen of the Belgians, in a letter to
Queen Victoria, says : " My good, excellent, beloved
aunt lived only for her brother. Her devotion was
absolute, and utterly unselfish. A heart so true, so
noble, so loving is seldom found. She was a second
mother to us, indeed few mothers do for their children
all she did for us or love them better, and we in re-
turn loved and looked up to her."
Mme. de Boigne says : "In Madame 2 Adelaide I
always admired her extreme goodness of heart and
1 Beferring to the King and his advisers.
2 After Charles X. had made her brother Boyal Highness she
was always addressed as " Madame ".
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
great intellectual powers. Her good qualities were
her own, her defects due to circumstances in which
she was placed in youth."
She was frank and sincere, and with her the inside
was worth more than the surface.
Exclusive in her affections, she was a firm friend
but a bitter enemy.
Her charities, however, left out no one.
She gave away one-sixth of her income in pensions
to poor artists and men of letters, to the widows and
orphans of combatants in the July Revolution, and in
subscriptions to schools and hospitals, for the families
of shipwrecked mariners, or artisans out of work, for
cholera patients ; pensions also to faithful servants of
the House of Orleans, and rendered assistance even
to poor Jews.
Her wealth and liberality gave her much influence,
and she lived only for the aggrandisement of her
brother and his family.
Her father, Philippe Egalite had been kindness
itself to her. She was too young to judge the facts
and would not acknowledge that his path had been
one of crime. In her days of exile and among the
emigres who formed her aunt, Mme. de Conti's Court,
she found herself everywhere looked upon coldly on
account of the name she bore, so she was driven in
upon herself and raised a rampart of reserve in self-
defence. Her mother's household being unendurable,
she left it and joined her brother, and having no one
else on whom to lavish her capacity for affection, she
gave her heart wholly to him.
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
He returned her affection, fell much under her
influence, consulted her on all points, and having
great respect for her powers of mind, deferred to her
opinions.
Their father's life and death was a bond of inti-
macy between them.
Though both were generally the easiest of com-
panions, upon this point they were irritable, even te
rancour. After the Restoration neither of them was
ever at ease with Louis XVIII., and least of all with
the Duchesse d'Angouleme, daughter of Louis XVI. ,
for whose death their father had voted.1
Madame Adelaide indeed frankly detested the royal
family. She may have remembered that in her youth
she had been taught to look on the Due d'Angouleme
as her future husband, but the match fell through on
account of the determined opposition of Marie An-
toinette. Again in later life there had been an idea of
marrying her to the Due de Berry, which also col-
lapsed.2
Besides all this she was thoroughly at variance
with the policy and opinions of the elder branch of the
Bourbons ; she despised their narrowness and bigotry,
" they had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing ".
She herself was genuinely liberal and modern in
her ideas, and she thought a constitutional Monarchy
and representative Government was really what was
needed for the welfare of France, and she loved her
country only less than her brother. For him she was
1 Memoirs of Mme. de Boigne.
2 Mme. Eoyale refused to admit her into the family as a sister.
185
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
always ambitious. If he was not of the Orleanist fac-
tion, Mdme. Adelaide certainly was; in and out of
season she never lost sight of the ruling desire of her
life, i.e., to see her brother on the throne of France.
Her wealth gave her great influence. She spent it
generously, patronised artists and literary men, and
employed much labour on her estates, especially at
Eandau, which was her favourite residence ; a whole
countryside benefited by her benevolence and adored
her, calling her " the good Mademoiselle ".
Her position should have been secondary, but her
abilities always forced her to the front. No one had a
better head for business. She could discern instantly
the critical point in a difficulty and sweep away all
side issues ; she refused to be led astray, and pinned
the interlocutor down to the point at stake. She was
statesmanlike in all her views, and she gathered around
her in her apartments at the Palais Royal all who she
thought might serve her purpose.
Talleyrand was her intimate friend and counsellor ;
all the Opposition deputies frequented her salon, and
openly criticised the Government and were under her
influence ; by her money she supported all liberal in-
stitutions and newspapers, and welcomed all politicians
of the popular party, who were dissatisfied with the
Government. Mdme. Adelaide had one quality which
her brother lacked, i.e., decision of character. She
knew what she aimed at, and stuck at nothing to
obtain it.
Louis Philippe protested loyalty to the King, but
he smiled with significance and sympathy at the
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Opposition. With all his distinguished abilities he
had that indecision of character which led him to
listen to his sister against his own better judgment,
and finally brought about his downfall. Lamartine
sums up his character as follows : " Although a
Prince of the Blood, he was a Revolutionary by in-
heritance. Nature had made him honest and mod-
erate, exile and experience made him prudent. The
difficulties of his position as a democrat among
princes, and a prince among democrats, made him
bow to circumstances, and temporise with fortune.
He seemed to foresee that a throne was his destiny.
In the meanwhile he led an irreproachable life of
domestic happiness. He certainly, though sympa-
thetic with the Opposition, was guilty of no criminal
complicity. He was studious and reflective, pro-
foundly versed in history, a thorough diplomat, a
fluent orator, a model husband and father, kind,
humane, peaceably inclined ; born brave, but having
a horror of blood, he was endowed with all the
qualities that make a King beloved and popular,
except one, i.e., greatness. This he replaced by the
secondary quality of cleverness. " There were three
parties in France ; the Republican, which had no
capable leader ; the Legitimists, who adored the elder
branch of the Bourbons and detested the younger
branch, as the incarnation of Divine right ; finally, the
Liberal Constitutional party, which was composed of
an immense majority of the nation.
This party saw in the Due d'Orleans a medium
between Royalty and a Republic, the last hope of the
187
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Monarchy. Mdme. Adelaide understood the position ;
she had made up her mind, and after the news of
the popular tumult that followed the publishing of
the Ordinances, she urged her brother to go and
place himself at the head of the Opposition. She
knew that what had to be done was to persuade her
brother to take a definite step, and to use her in-
fluence to outweigh the scruples and objections of
Marie Amelie, truly attached to the royal family.
The quiet, regular family life at Neuilly was
suddenly broken up, the salon became the resort of
politicians from Paris. The Duchesse d'Orleans was
sad and dejected, spoke little, but prayed much. The
days passed in anxiety and uncertainty ; contradictory
rumours kept coming in. At last on the third day
booming of cannon and the tocsin, sounding from
Notre Dame, reached Neuilly.
Every one abused Mgr. Quelen, who had in-
fluenced the King to sign the Ordinances. Next day
news came that troops had fraternised with insur-
gents, and that the mob occupied the Louvre and
Tuileries. Rumours came that the Royalists were
going to seize the Due d'Orleans, so he went off to
Raincy. The Princes and Princesses were sent away
to Villiers Coterets.
Mdme. Adelaide and the Duchesse remained at
Neuilly to send news to the Due d'Orleans. In the
course of the day Thiers and others arrived, and told
Marie Amelie that their party wished the Due d'Or-
leans to assume the reins of Government. She was
greatly agitated, and said : " But my husband is an
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
honest man ! He will do nothing against the King ! "
and turning to M. Sheffer, one of the deputation, who
was an habitue of the Palais Royal, she said : " How
could vou undertake such a mission? I can under-
stand that M. Thiers should venture to do so, because
he does not know us well, but you do, and that you
should think us capable of it ! We can never forgive
you ! Our gratitude to the King, who delivered us
from poverty and restored our estates, and has shown
us every possible favour, would prevent my husband
entertaining such an idea."
Mdme. Adelaide, however, had no scruples, and
said : " My brother loves his country, and I think
he will do anything in his power to deliver it from
anarchy. Let them make him a president, anything
but an exile."
Thiers turned to her and said : " Madame, you
have given the crown to your family".
All writers agree that without the influence of his
sister, Louis Philippe would never have made up his
mind to accept the crown.1
After Thiers had gone, many other visitors came
to Neuilly, bent on the same errand ; to all the
Duchesse d'Orldans, who seemed in the depth of
woe, returned the same reply : " My husband cannot
do it. He is an honourable man.2 He will be faith-
ful to his oath ". But Mdme. Adelaide said : " Let
the Chamber of Deputies speak out ; then if my
1 It was remarked that at the sitting of the Chamber his de-
meanour was most undecided.
2 " Honnete homme."
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
brother hesitates, / shall go to Paris, and promise in
his name to the people on the Place du Palais Royal .""
Next evening the result of the sitting of the
Chamber was known. The Due d' Orleans was sum-
moned to Paris, and next morning his proclamation as
Lieutenant-general was on all the walls of the city.
The Duchesse de Berry had always been popular ;
when the dynasty was attacked in the papers she was
always spared. The royal children were charming,
and their mother was justly proud of them ; she
thought she had nothing to do but to appear with a
child on each side to appease any insurrection.
Not long before these troubled times, on hearing
that the d'Orleans family were going to Eu, the
Duchesse de Berry thought it might be agreeable to
them to stay at her house in Dieppe for a few days.
She could not go herself, but it was decided that her
little daughter, Mile. d'Artois, was to do the hon-
ours. The child was delighted, and made out her
programme : " Reception by Mayor with an address,
young girls dressed in white to present baskets of
flowers to the d'Orleans ladies, gala dinner and fSte
champStre ". She was disconcerted to find there was not
enough plate, linen and china at her mother's house to
enable her to carry out her plans, so she consulted the
King. He approved of her programme and gave orders
for the necessary supplies to be sent. Mile. d'Artois
then wrote her invitation and the Duchesse d'Orleans
replied : " Never forget, Louis, that your aunt can
never refuse you anything you may ask. Expect me,
and your cousins, at Dieppe very shortly."
190
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The remembrance of this letter must have come
back to both parties, when shortly afterwards the
affection of Marie Amelie was put to the test.
Charles X. would not believe in a revolt. In
vain the Duchesse de Goutaut l begged him to ascend
the tower at St. Cloud and look through a telescope,
when he would have seen into the Rue de Rivoli, where
men and women were throwing pianos, furniture and all
kinds of projectiles on the heads of the soldiers below.
Although the sound of the tocsin and of cannon-
ading reached St. Cloud, Charles X. thought it be-
hoved his dignity to remain calm and unmoved, so
nothing was changed of the usual routine, and he
played whist as usual at night.
Next morning the commandant of the Cents
Suisses told the King it was impossible to maintain
the Polignac Ministry ; he replied : " You are young^
and I am experienced ". He forbade the Due d' An-
gouleme to go to Paris and use force to quell the in-
surrection ; and the Duke, usually so calm, was almost
mad with exasperation at enforced inaction, and what
he considered the degradation of the Crown.
At last the King was made to see that his life was
in danger and agreed to retire to Rambouillet. The
Duchesse de Berry wore her riding habit when they
left St. Cloud, and two revolvers in her belt, with
which, as she said, to defend the lives of her children
if necessary.
On the way Charles X. stopped at Trianon. What
memories of past days must have come to him, of the
1 Governess of the Duchesse de Berry's children.
191
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
days when it was Marie Antoinette's pleasure house,
and of the many festivities in which he had taken part
there when he was young and careless.
When the royal party arrived at Kambouillet they
were not expected. Mme. de Goutaut ransacked
kitchen and pantries, hoping to find something for her
hungry young charges, but nothing was to be found
but a crust of bread, which she gave to Mile. d'Artois,
who broke it in half and said to her governess ; " Take
half — even if it is my last crust I must share it with
you".
Next day the King was told that the mob of Paris
were marching on Kambouillet. There were only
15,000 of them, and they were without arms — a
motley crew, some on foot, some in cabs and omni-
buses. The King's forces at Rambouillet amounted
to 8,000 men, and he had forty-two cannon ; the
mob could easily have been dispersed ; but the King
was misinformed and told that his assailants
amounted to 60,000 in number, and that resistance
was impossible.
Under this impression he signed his abdication in
favour of the Due de Bordeaux, and appointed the
Due d'Orleans, Lieut. -general of the Kingdom.
At the time he felt no doubt that the Due d'Or-
leans would be as loyal to the little Due de Bordeaux,
as his ancestor the Regent d'Orleans had been to the
child Louis XV.
Later on, when Louis Philippe appointed Odilon
Barrot to escort Charles X. to the coast, he deplored
the fate which made him apparently the instrument
192
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of sending into exile one who had loaded him with
benefits and whom he sincerely loved.
When Charles X. wrote to appoint Due d'Orleans
Lieut.-general of the Kingdom, he had been previously-
appointed by the Chamber.
He was fighting against exile and loss of fortune
for himself and his family, which he was determined
to avoid at any cost.
It is impossible here to enter into all details of the
July Revolution, how the Due d'Orleans desired as
Lieut.-general of the Kingdom to act as regent for the
little Due de Bordeaux, in whose favour Charles X. had
abdicated, how this project fell through, how the crown
was offered to the Due d'Orleans on condition of his ac-
cepting a Constitution, and how he did finally accept it.
Marie Amelie's heart was torn asunder between
her wish to believe her husband in the right and her
real affection for the royal family, and she was greatly
distressed to receive a note from the Duchesse de
Berry's little daughter, saying they counted on Marie
Amelie's using her influence for the little Due de Bor-
deaux, the writer's little brother.
But it was too late, and Marie Amelie remained
in her bed-chamber sobbing, and saying repeatedly :
" What a catastrophe. They will call my husband a
usurper ! "
When the news was brought to the young princes
and princesses at Villiers Coterets, it was not welcome.
They were sitting at table. The princesses burst into
tears, buried their faces in their handkerchiefs, and got
up and left the room in despair.
193 13
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The general verdict is that Louis Philippe was
a usurper, and that he had always aimed at the
crown.
He himself denied it, so did his sons.1
The situation is well summed up by the distin-
guished academician, Rene Bazin, who says : " Facts
prove that the Due d'Orleans did not seek power ; he
accepted it in order that France should not become
a Republic, or fall into anarchy ".
The Russian ambassador said : " When the city
was heaped with dead bodies, the Due d'Orleans
appeared amidst the confusion of parties, and acted
as necessity obliged him to ".
The Due de Chartres said : " My father used to
say that the people of France were so tired of
revolutions that they would forgive Charles X. any-
thing except the violation of the Charter. He was
really attached to the King, and never anticipated
that he could be so blind as to commit political
suicide, as he subsequently did. My father hoped
for the stability of King Charles's Government, de-
siring this the more on account of his own repug-
nance to the throne, which he saw must devolve on
him in the event of a revolution. My mother, who
was united to the Duchesse de Berry and Madame
Royale, not only by ties of close relationship, but by
mutual deep affection, desired even more ardently
the continuance of the sovereignty of the elder
branch, and had done her best to persuade me to
1 The Prince de Joinville wrote : " I know with absolute cer-
tainty that my father did not desire the crown ".
194
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
consent to a marriage with the daughter of the
Duchesse de Berry."
After accepting the Lieutenant-generalship, the
Due d'Orle*ans himself said to Chateaubriand that
nothing but a stern sense of duty and patriotism had
impelled him to take any part in politics, and that
he desired nothing better, after having re-established
order, than to return to the peaceful existence from
which he had emerged.
This is what he would naturally feel. He had
wealth, great estates, a splendid position. By active
benevolence he served his country in many ways,
and the management of his estates and the building
up of fortunes for his family gave him occupation.
He was fifty-six years old, thoroughly happy in his
domestic life. What had he to gain ? Why should
he wish to risk this solid happiness in order to
balance himself for a while on the unstable throne
of France?
In his own lifetime he had seen one king be-
headed, and the fall of an emperor (Napoleon). He
had seen Louis XVIII. compelled to fly at Napoleon's
return, then the second fall of Napoleon, the re-
installation of Louis XVIII. and the abdication of his
successor. What had he to gain by the acceptance
of a crown dependent on the caprice of a people who
had beheaded his father, once their idol, and of an
army, who, while accepting the bounty of Louis
XVIII., and carousing at his expense, could say :
" Louis XVIII. is a good sort of man, but give us the
little Corporal," and went over to Napoleon as soon
195
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
as he appeared. Marie Amelie also had had personal
experience of the vicissitudes to which kings and
queens were exposed in the early part of the nine-
teenth century. Her youth having been passed
amidst revolutions — twice she had accompanied her
parents in their flight from their kingdom — she re-
membered her mother's death in exile, her father's
abdication, and knew that her brother was only main-
tained in his kingdom by a foreign army.
When it was necessary for the Duchesse d'Orleans
to leave Neuilly to join her husband in Paris, it was
proposed that she and her sons and daughters should
make their entry in state, in open carriages. But she
refused, saying : " No ! No ! it would be repugnant to
me, it would have an air of triumph, as if I were
triumphing over my own relations".
So they went quietly, part of the way in a public
omnibus, partly on foot, on account of the barricades.
When they arrived at the Palais Royal late at night,
it was all lighted up, all the doors were open, in all
the rooms people were eating, and all sorts of dis-
reputable-looking people had already settled them-
selves to sleep on the steps of the great staircase.
The appearance of the Duchesse d'Orle*ans excited
general comment. Her face was drawn, her eyes
red with weeping, her usual quiet dignity quite
upset.
Next day the Palais Royal was like a fair, open
to all the world. Deputations were constantly arriv-
ing ; men, women, and children of the mob forced
their way into the presence of the d'Orleans family,
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
who had to embrace them on the balcony in the face
of the crowds assembled outside the windows.
How distasteful all this must have been to "the
greatest great lady in Europe," 1 can well be imagined.
The hospitals were full of those who had been
wounded during the insurrection, and Marie Amelie
and Mdme. Adelaide visited them assiduously.
Misery and poverty were widespread, and Marie
Amelie realised some of her private fortune in order
to have means to help the distressed.
After the crown had been offered to the Due
d'Orleans, a dispute arose as to the conditions of
the new Monarchy, and the title he was to assume.
Finally it was decided that he was not to be declared
"King of France by the Grace of God," but "King
of the French, by the Will of the People ".
A significant principle was involved in these words.
The 7th August, 1830, was the day appointed for
the recognition of the Due d'Orleans as King of the
French.
There was to be no solemn ceremony, such as he
had assisted at when Charles X. was crowned ; it was
to be only the signature of a contract between him
and the nation.
Accompanied by his whole family he repaired to
the Chamber of Deputies, where a throne, draped with
tricolor flags, had been erected.
The Princesses took seats in the Tribunes. The
Due d'Orleans with a son on each side of him took
seats in front of the Throne. The peers and deputies
1 Talleyrand's description of Marie Amelie.
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
had risen at his entrance. Casimir Perier read aloud
the Declaration of the Chamber of Peers containing
the provisions of the new Constitution, and Pasquier
that of the Chamber of Deputies. The Due d'Orleans
signed both Declarations and then took his seat
on the Throne. The heralds proclaimed him " Louis
Philippe I., King of the French ". There were some
cries of " Vive le Roi," but the ceremony was a very
tame one.
As for Marie Amdlie there was never any public
recognition or official assumption of her royal dignity,
though of course she was always hereafter addressed
as Queen, and there was never but one opinion about
her, and that is, that she was worthy of the rank, and
adorned the position.
After having signed the Declaration the King
left the Chamber, shaking hands with the National
Guard as he passed out. Then he mounted his horse,
and accompanied by his sons rode back to the
Tuileries.
Marie Amdlie's great affection for her husband,
and her life-long conviction that he could do no wrong,
gradually reconciled her to the position, and she said :
" Since by God's will this Crown of Thorns has been
placed on our heads, we must accept it and the duties
it entails ". But if any one congratulated her on her
husband's accession, she always replied : " I cannot
see any advantages, I see only that I have lost my
peaceful home life and sheltered position, and I
tremble for the uncertain future of my family ".
Louis Philippe also always said : " Not congratu-
198
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
lations but condolences are what should be offered to
us".
Meanwhile Charles X. and the old royal family
were slowly making their way to exile. The old King
was seventy- three, and throughout their journey to
the coast, he and the royal party were received with
every mark of sympathy and respect.
The first place they stopped at after leaving Ram-
bouillet was the Castle of Maintenon. The King had
sent to ask the Due de Noailles to receive him, and
on their arrival at 2 A.M., the royal party found the
chateau illuminated as if for &f$te.
Their host was Due Paul de Noailles, author of
the Life of Mme. de Maintenon, From Mme. de
Maintenon's niece and heiress, who married the Due
de Noailles of her day, he had inherited the estate
of Maintenon. The royal party and their hosts
assembled in the room which had been the bed-
room of Louis XIV., and Charles X. slept in Mme.
de Maintenon's room. In the morning he attended
Mass in the little chapel, which has remained un-
changed since the sixteenth century.
The Duchesse de Berry was the only one of the
party in sufficiently good spirits to do justice to the
splendid collation provided for them.
The remembrance of this visit of Charles X. is
still cherished at Maintenon. The present owner was
then only four years old. In the room the King slept
in a plaque has been placed with the inscription : " His
Majesty Charles X. here passed the night of 3rd and
4th August, 1830 ". Above it is a picture of the sove-
199
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
reign, the last of the elder branch of the Bourbons, in
the mantle and collar of the Order of the Holy Ghost.
Next day the royal party continued their journey
and went by slow stages to Cherbourg. At Argentan
they heard that Louis Philippe had accepted the
crown, and Charles X. must have remembered with
some bitterness that when warned against the Due
d'Orleans he had replied : "I thoroughly trust my
cousin, if he takes the crown you may say Charles X.
was an old fool ".
The royal party embarked at Cherbourg. The
ladies, the Duchesses d'Angouleme and Berry, quite
broke down when bidding good-bye to the officers
who had attended them. The King ascended the
bridge, and as the vessel moved away from the shores
of France he raised his hat, and with a noble and
dignified salute bade an eternal farewell to his
country. The sea was calm and the rays of the set-
ting sun illumined the dignified and venerable figure
of Charles X. which was defined against the horizon,
a dramatic and touching sight, that dwelt long in the
memory of those who witnessed it.
200
CHAPTER XI.
Disturbances and Insurrections — Life of Marie Amelie and Louis
Philippe as King and Queen of the French — King's Motives
for Accepting Crown — Public Opinion on Marie Amelie —
Her Eeluctance to Accept Crown — The Duchesse de Berry's
Attempt to Eaise an Insurrection in Favour of her Son — Her
Imprisonment at Blaye.
The life of the King and Queen of the French at the
Palais Royal was much less dignified than that of
the Due and Duchesse d'Orleans had been. They
were now obliged to cringe to the mob, who walked
in and out of their apartments at will, and treated
the family with insolent familiarity.1 Open house
was kept, and three times a week sixty to eighty
guests, drawn from all sorts and conditions of men,
dined at the King's table.
Louis Philippe affected a bourgeois style of dress,
and a bourgeois "hail fellow well met" sort of
manner.
He seldom wore uniform. His usual costume
was nankeen trousers, blue coat with gold buttons,
a vast white waistcoat and a grey hat; he usually
1 Prince de Joinville relates that the elders among his fellow
collegians used to cuff him and say: "Now then, young Royalty,
do this or that ".
201
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
walked about carrying an umbrella, which the cari-
caturists made use of. Although he had become
very stout he still retained an air of youth on account
of his alert movements and brisk, business-like manner.
People treated the Queen in a manner very different
to that in which they treated the King. Her innate
high breeding and dignity compelled respect.
A Republican general remarked : " I am quite at
ease with the King, and speak to him as if he were
my equal ; but the Queen makes me feel shy. When
I have to answer her I do not know what to say, and
I stammer and look like a fool."
Louis Philippe always said he had only accepted
the crown in order to save the country from anarchy,
and maintain order, but a long time elapsed before
he succeeded in accomplishing that.
Paris was in a state of turmoil. The churches
were closed, and it was not safe for the clergy to
appear in the streets. The Archbishop was in hiding.
In October, 1830, a howling, drunken mob sur-
rounded the Palais Royal, demanding the lives of
the late King's Ministers.1 Troops were called out to
disperse them ; they then went to Vincennes, where
the Ministers were imprisoned. They did not get
there till midnight, and the Governor of the Castle,
General Daumesnil, who had lost a leg in Napoleon's
wars, came out alone to the gate to meet them.
1 Louis Philippe, against his will, had been obliged to imprison
and bring them to trial, but managed to get a law passed abolish-
ing capital punishment for political offences, and thus saved their
lives.
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THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
" What do you want ? "
"The former Ministers, who composed the Or-
dinances."
" You will not have them. They are entrusted
to my charge, and will not leave this place till they
go before the judges."
"The people are the judges. Death to the Minis-
ters ! "
" You shall not have them. Sooner than give up
to you these men who have been committed to my
care, I swear that I will set fire to the powder
magazine, and you and I, and the Ministers will all
die together."
The mob was checked ; their anger turned to
admiration ; they cheered " old wooden-leg " and went
back to Paris, but they went straight to the Palais
Royal, and awoke the King and Queen, entered the
halls and streamed up the staircase, till driven back
by the Guard. On this occasion Mdme. Adelaide
showed a gallant spirit. When Marshal Gerard
remarked that it would be difficult to save the
Ministers, she replied : " Well, Monsieur, then we
will all perish in the attempt".
For a long time it was necessary to have troops
encamped throughout the city to keep the populace
down.
In February, 1831, there was a worse riot when
a Mass was being said in memory of the Due de
Berry. The mob sacked the church, dressed them-
selves in the ecclesiastical robes, and thus attired
danced the Carmagnole through the streets- This
203
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
riot lasted three days, and the scenes enacted re-
minded every one of the days of the Terror.
A while later the mob forced their way into the
Palais Royal, when the King and Queen and Lord
Granville, and other distinguished guests were at
dinner. A ruffian with a long knife made at the
King, whose life was only saved by the action of
the Due d'Orleans, who sprang upon the fellow and
dragged him out.
Soon after this the royal family took up their
abode at the Tuileries. The King had a deep moat
dug under the windows, fenced by an iron balustrade,
saying : " I do not intend my wife's ears to be pol-
luted with all the horrors Marie Antoinette had to
endure when the people had the entrance to the
gardens, and could come close to the windows".
The Queen wrote to her son, the Due de Nemours,
who was absent at the time : " We are well, but
sadder than ever in this ill-fated Palace. Yesterday
we received the Corps Diplomatique in the Throne-
room. There were a great many of them, and they
seemed very pleased to find themselves again in their
old Salon des Ambassadeurs ; I wish them joy of it."
The Revolutionary movements which permeated
all the countries of Europe — starting from Paris and
its secret societies in which Republicans, Bonapartists
and Legitimists were plotting in their several ways —
necessitated the creation of a new staff of Secret
Police (Cabinet Noir), on the accession of Louis
Philippe.
Francois Raspail, President of the Society of the
204
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Friends of the People, was a chemist, a physiologist
and artilleryman, and had played an important part
in overthrowing Charles X. Under Louis Philippe
he fulminated in the pages of the Tribune against the
Government and the King who, he said, " was none
of his choosing ". His articles were eagerly read.
Louis Philippe was disturbed and alarmed, and
said to Montalivet, then Minister of the Interior,
" Good God ! What does the man want ? "
" Sire," replied Montalivet, " probably, like all
the other heroes of July, he wants the Cross of the
Legion of Honour."
" Then give it to him," cried the King, " and let
me have peace ! "
On the morrow Raspail, Friend of the People,
head of a Secret Society, and proprietor of the Tri-
bune, received a bulky official document. Supposing it
to be a summons, he threw it on his desk and pre-
pared for imprisonment.
After a while he opened it, and words could
not express the amazement with which he read as
follows : —
"Monsieur. I have the honour to announce to
you that by ordinance under date March 13th, 1831,
His Majesty the King has appointed you Chevalier of
the Legion of Honour. The Grand Chancellor of the
Order will at once send you a duplicate of this an-
nouncement of your appointment.
" (Signed) Montalivet."
Open-mouthed, Raspail looked again at the docu-
205
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
ment, to see if the date was not 1st April instead of
13th March.
The Republican, expecting chains, received the
Cross of Honour.
He immediately wrote a refusal and sent a copy
to all the Opposition newspapers, as well as to Monta-
livet.
But between Raspail's reception of the official
announcement and his reply to it, a ministerial crisis
intervened, and Casimir Perier succeeded Montalivet.
When the refusal of the Friend of the People ap-
peared in the newspapers, Casimir Perier observed :
" Very Good ! Let Raspail choose : the Cross of the
Legion of Honour or prison ! "
Three days later the official announcement of his
appointment appeared in the Moniteur.
Raspail was furious, and went to the office of
the Moniteur to insist on the insertion of his refusal.
The editor replied blandly that his paper could not
thus insult the noble institution of the Legion of
Honour.
On returning home he found a courteous letter
from the Prefect of the Seine, saying he would have
the honour of receiving M. Raspail as Chevalier of the
Legion of Honour, on the following Friday. This
was maddening. This excess of official graciousness
was degenerating into sarcasm !
On his way to the Hotel de Ville to inform the
Prefect in person that he would not be thus received,
Raspail met a congratulatory deputation of the Dames
de la Halle, who flung themselves and a huge bouquet
206
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
into the arms of the new knight. But even this was
not the worst.
He who despised priests as much as he did the
Legion of Honour, received a charming letter from
Bishop Gringoire, Commander of the Order, claiming
the right to be first in congratulating him on his new
appointment.
A Bishop congratulating Raspail ! This was worse
than imprisonment.
But Casimir Perier was not the man to give way
any more than was Raspail himself.
" Cross or prison," said the Minister.
If Raspail would not accept the decoration he
should be punished for refusing to serve in the ar-
tillery, after he had received orders to prevent the
assemblings of mobs, and for writings calculated to
disturb social order.
At his examination he boasted of his power and
influence, and avowed the truth of all that he was
accused of. He had signed his declaration and was
leaving, when the judge said to him : " Is it not true
that because you belong to a Secret Society you have
been obliged to refuse the Cross of the Legion of
Honour ? "
" Monsieur, I refuse to compromise others," said
Raspail, but he departed less proud of himself and
his vaunted liberty than he had been a few minutes
earlier, for it is a fact that members of Secret Societies
have less independence than other men. They are
compelled to obey, without remonstrance, an inflexible
command.
207
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
They resemble men who, having broken the bonds
of marriage, become slaves to an exacting mistress.
Louis Philippe, in spite of his bourgeois air of
simplicity and conciliatory policy, was soon found to
be inexorable in maintaining his authority and resist-
ing any attempts at diminution of his powers. To
outward ceremony and the trappings of his rank, he
was indifferent. But if he did not reign he governed.
By degrees the people found they had given them-
selves a master.
On one occasion a provincial president who was
deputed to make an address to the King, who had
come to Evereux for a public function, took the op-
portunity of adding some impertinent remarks, on the
plea "that it was good for Kings to hear the truth".
Louis Philippe replied : " Yes, doubtless, M. le
President, Kings must hear the truth, but so also
should the nation. To-day the people have their
flatterers as in old days Kings had, and these flatterers
know how to mutilate truth, as well as how to check
it by calumny. Time and the common sense of the
people will at last show them their real interests, but
it is only by repressing passion and partiality that
they can succeed in forming a sound judgment."
There continued to be insurrections from time to
time but they were put down. The King's life was
constantly attempted, but that did not deter him from
appearing in public. His courage never failed ; if
told of an intended attempt on his life, that never pre-
vented his keeping an engagement ; he only remarked :
" It seems there is no close time for hunting me".
208
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
It has always been thought that Louis Philippe
was something of a free thinker, but from youth
upwards he had been trained in religious observances.
An entry in the journal which he kept as a young
man records frequent attendance at Mass, and in
one passage he thanks God that the religious senti-
ments inspired by his mother, enabled him to avoid
the dissipations and immorality of young men of
fashion. While in the Republican army he records :
" My officers laughed and talked at Mass. I enjoined
more reverent behaviour, and rebuked them."
Another entry in the journal relates how the
people in a village where he was quartered wished
to hang two priests. " I rushed out and saved them,
the mob saying they would let them off as a favour
to M. de Chartres, who was a good patriot. I gave
my arm to one priest, and the Mayor gave his the
other. We had to cross a little footbridge without
rails. The mob tried to put their sticks between the
priests' legs to make them fall into the water. I
called out to them to keep their promise, and they
quieted down."
Later on, when an exile in England, he said : " It
is not a question of being a Christian of one de-
nomination or the other, but of being a Christian or
not. That, in my opinion, is the only question of
importance in these horrible times, when religion and
morals are attacked on all sides, and irreligion and
immorality spread their fatal influence so rapidly."
After the Revolution of 1830 the French people,
knowing that Charles X. made common cause with
209 14
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the Church, wished to remove all outward signs of
religion after they had driven him away. Crucifixes
were cut down from public places, and priests dared
not appear in clerical attire. This attack came from
the middle class, who had adopted Voltairean ideas.
Jules Janin said : " Catholicisme ne va plus," and a
University inspector at the College of Rennes said :
"This is a great era, we may assist at the funeral of
a great religion". A few years later a remarkable
reaction took place. If religion had died, there had
certainly been a resurrection. In 1830 the sight
of a young man in church would have been con-
sidered astonishing. In 1835 young men thronged
to Ndtre Dame to hear Lacordaire. The Pope
founded an order of Benedictine monks at Solesmes,
and Abb6 Gu^rangur appeared with a crozier and
mitre, the first time they had been seen since the
reign of Louis XVI.
In 1830 France was officially irreligious. In 1835
Louis Philippe ventured to show himself well dis-
posed to Catholicism. The Chapel of St. Germain
TAuxerrois was reopened, and Chancellor Barthe,
who signed the decree, said : " I have experienced all
the tribulations incident to the career of a statesman,
but a moment like this makes up for all ".
Church endowments were raised, and the number
of priests increased by the Government of Louis
Philippe, and he spent 1,000,000 francs in embellish-
ing churches. The Pope, Gregory XVI., when ad-
vising the French clergy, who were mostly Legitimists,
to submit to his Government, said: "I am much
210
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
pleased with King Louis Philippe. I wish all the
Kings of Europe were like him."
Attempts to assassinate the King continued
throughout twelve years, but the people always
cheered and congratulated him after his escape.
Marie Amelie showed great courage and firmness
throughout these years of stress and trial, saying :
" Since God has placed this Crown of Thorns on our
heads, we must fight for it and maintain it at all
costs ".
She was an exceptional woman ; she ever rose to
the occasion, and through all the vicissitudes of her
life displayed the qualities that each event demanded.
It was quite ten years before France settled down,
order was established, and Louis Philippe's Govern-
ment could hold its own.
Marie Amelie was exceptionally fortunate in her
children, who were all unusually gifted, and she had
much domestic happiness, which fortified her to en-
dure the ups and downs of political life.
At ten o'clock all but the King breakfasted to-
gether ; at eleven they passed into the drawing-room ;
the Princesses and their mother sat round a table,
where each had her drawer, of which she kept the
key, and in which the needlework was put away.
They all sewed at garments for the poor, but not
Mdme. Adelaide, who was never seen with a needle
in her hand. In the afternoon they often had a game
of billiards. Marie Amelie was the best player, and
acted as marker. Each player contributed a franc,
and the pool was given by the winner to some
211
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
charity. At three o'clock all, including the King,
went out driving, to Neuilly, to Versailles or St.
Cloud.
Dinner was at six o'clock ; there were never less
than twenty-five guests at table. After dinner all
assembled in the King's drawing-room, where visitors
came every evening to pay their respects.
Louis Philippe and his sons glanced at the news-
papers, political brochures and caricatures, which
were daily placed on the round table. The Princes
used to read aloud the attacks made upon them,
and show the caricatures to the members of the
household or to visitors, asking their opinion, and
thus often placing loyal admirers in an awkward
position.
The Princesses entered into all Court gaieties
with zest ; they attended reviews, visited hospitals,
and made themselves very popular.
The two eldest sons, the Dues d'Orleans and
Nemours, entered the army ; the third, Prince de
Joinville, entered the navy. The crown of Belgium
was offered to the Due de Nemours, but declined,
and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobourg was finally
elected. The Dutch disputed his right, and King
Louis Philippe sent an army of 60,000 men to help
King Leopold, his son-in-law.1 The Dues d'Orleans
and de Nemours accompanied the troops.
It was the first time the Due de Nemours had
been on active service, and Marie Amelie, who still
1 Princess Louise, Marie Amelie's eldest daughter, married the
King of the Belgians, August, 1832.
212
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
kept up the habit of corresponding with her sons,
wrote charming letters to him.
On the 3rd of December, 1832, she wrote a letter
for both sons : " Mes amis cheris. On awakening
this morning I received the long and interesting
letter from Chartres.1 I do not know how to thank
my beloved son for it. It is a treasure ! I first read
it to your father while he was dressing, then to the
household in the salon, and afterwards made Pain2
copy a part which your father wishes to show the
Ministers. How I love our brave army, from the
general in command down to the drummer boy, not
excepting a certain Field Marshal (Nemours) and a
Colonel of Lancers (Chartres). I feel so thoroughly
a Frenchwoman."
In reply to the Due de Nemours' account of his
first engagement she wrote, 7th December, 1832 :
" Mon blond petit cheri. Yesterday, at midnight, I
received your letter giving such a dear natural account
of your ' bapteme de feu \
"I embrace you for myself as well as for your
father. Being a Frenchman, and the son of such a
father, your conduct could not have been otherwise,
but it is satisfactory to your mother to have this
proved. God will preserve you for the mother who
lives only for you."
A little later she writes : " My dear and beloved
sons. Yesterday your father brought a letter from
1 The eldest son, though now Due d'Orleans, was still always
called " Chartres " by his family.
2 The King's private secretary.
213
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Chartres to my room, he read it to me, for I was so agi-
tated that I could not read it myself. Continue to
write frankly to him and give him all details. You
cannot imagine how greatly confidences from you
please him, your excellent father who has such need
of consolation. In the evening all the Ministers came
in succession, and the Marshal seated himself at my
side and showed me a letter he had received from
Chartres, by which he felt greatly flattered. I was
delighted to think of your pleasure in being in the
vanguard, for I hope my children will always be first
at the post of honour and duty. Wherever you are,
set the example of courage, uprightness, prudence and
benevolence, so that your name may be blessed wher-
ever you go.
" Adieu, my beloved ones. I embrace you and love
you from the depth of my heart.
" In your letters address me not as Queen, but as
mother ; it is the title I prefer.
" (Signed) Marie Am^lie."
The two brothers distinguished themselves, and
when the news of the taking of Anvers, which ended
the campaign, reached Paris on Christmas Day, great
was the joy at the Tuileries.
Mme. Guizot, writing to her sister next day, said :
" My husband being unwell deputed me to present his
congratulations at the Palace ; it was a pleasure to
see the King and Queen, so patriotic so parental, so
delighted to know that their sons are out of danger,
so proud of the victory of the French army, so simple
214
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
in speaking of their sons' bravery. The Queen said
to me: 'My sons have done their duty, and I am
charmed that it is now known that they can be counted
upon in all emergencies'." Probably her pride in
them and joy in their safety helped her to bear with
equanimity what had lately happened in another
direction, and which must have been a great trial and
grief to her, i.e., the imprisonment of her niece, the
Duchesse de Berry, at Blaye.
The Duchesse de Berry had courage, intelligence
and heart. Her love of France was almost exagger-
ated. She took the rights of her son very seriously,
and would have been willing to die many deaths in
defence of them. When Charles X. abdicated in
favour of the Due de Bordeaux she could hardly be
prevented going to the Chamber and claiming the
Regency.
" What a misfortune it is to be a woman," she said.
In exile she still considered herself as Regent for
her son, and was determined not to give up his king-
dom without a struggle.
At his birth, which was an occasion of great re-
joicing to the Legitimists, the Castle and Estate of
Chambord had been bought for him by public sub-
scription ; and during his years of exile, Comte de
Chambord was the title he was known by. The very
greatest pains had been taken with his education, he
had great intelligence and a truly noble heart. His
governor had warned him against being led by flattery,
and one day when a visitor who had paid him fulsome
compliments had departed, the little Prince said :
215
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
" He was a flatterer, but he did not get my cheese ".
One day at Prague, where he went with his grand-
father in the days of their exile, a Royalist visitor
told him he ought to be King of France.
" The place is taken," replied the boy.
" He who has taken it should be killed," said the
visitor.
" But I forbid it," said the Comte de Chambord
with much decision.
He probably knew nothing of his mother's plans
which had not the approval of Charles X. The
Due de Blacas, too, did his utmost to dissuade her
from making an attempt to raise La Vendee, which
was what she intended to do. But she was in cor-
respondence with Legitimists of France, and carried
on her preparations with method and vigour. In
1831 the Due de Modena received her at Lucca and
promised his assistance ; she also visited Rome and
Naples, accompanied by Due de Blacas, Comte de
Mesnard and the Comte de Rosanter. At Rome she
met again a young Sicilian nobleman whom she had
known in the days of her youth. He was in the
Diplomatic Service. The renewal of their acquaint-
ance was destined to have a fatal effect on her fortunes.
Her partisans thought she had only to appear in
the South of France bearing a white flag and that a
general rising would take place in her favour. When
their preparations were completed, they embarked with
her on a steamer obtained by the Vicomte St. Prie
and landed at Saoussa near Marseilles. Six years
before, on arriving at Marseilles, a salute of guns was
216
DUCHESSE DE BERRY
To face p. 216
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
fired to greet the future Queen of France, as she was
then considered, now she had to hide in a farmhouse,
while M. de Lachan and M. de Bonnund and their
followers marched through the streets waving the
white flag and crying "Vive Henri VIII. Vive la
Keligion". They also went to the Church of St.
Laurent, and hoisted the white flag there and rang
the tocsin. A crowd assembled, composed chiefly of
women. The coastguards cut down the white flag
and a regiment of Louis Philippe's Government soon
appeared, dispersing the crowd and arresting some of
them. At noon the Duchesse de Berry in her farm-
house received a note from the leader of her party
saying : "All is lost. We must leave France." She
replied : " We will go to la Vendee. I have sent
messengers to prepare Nantes, Eennes and Lyons for
my coming, and I will not stop them."
It was impossible to obtain horses or carriages, so
the Duchesse de Berry set off on foot, accompanied
by Marechal de Bourmont and M. M. de Brissac
Villeneuve, Mesnard and Auguste Bonrecueil. The
latter was a most devoted adherent of the Duchesse,
and lost his life fighting for her cause at the battle of La
Chene. They went to the house of Baron de Charette.
He belonged to an illustrious Vendean family and
had married the Comtesse de Vierzon, daughter of
the Due de Berry and Amy Brown. The Duchesse
de Berry continued her progress disguised as a peasant
boy and was called " Petit Pierre," for Louis Philippe
had sent troops to stop her proceedings. Her ex-
pedition was not entirely a wild-goose chase ; many
217
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Vendeans responded to her appeal, for the nobles had
been drilling the peasants and had laid up stores of
ammunition. The celebrated Orator Berryer had
previously traversed la Vendee and had said : " With
such a people everything is possible ".
A member of the Royalist Committee in Paris did
not take her seriously, and said : 4< If the Duchesse de
Berry is not allowed to go on, she will die of grief ;
but Walter Scott ought to be hung, it is all his fault ".
Berryer was sent to tell her that her efforts were
useless, her cause hopeless. The interview took place
at midnight ; she received him in a barn, seated on
a wooden bedstead. Her eloquence won his heart,
and he said : " There is stuff in her enough for twenty
kings ".
He thought he had persuaded her to retire to
England, but was mistaken. She had real hardships
to endure, but was always cheerful and undaunted.
Everything had been arranged for a general rising
throughout la Vendee on Sunday, 3rd June, 1832.
Sunday was chosen because the assembling of
peasants, as if for church, would excite no notice,
but two days previously the letters and papers of
the Duchesse de Berry, which were hidden in a cave
at Charliere, fell into the hands of Louis Philippe's
gendarmes, and from that moment all chance of
success was over. Louis Philippe's regulars found
little difficulty in dispersing the Vendean troops ; only
one important battle took place, at La Chene, when
Charette's army showed great gallantry, as did the
defenders of the castle at la Penissiere.
218
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The Duchesse de Berry was obliged to go into
hiding, and found shelter in the house of the two
Miles, de Guigny, at Nantes. She lived in their
attic for five months, during which time she con-
tinued to correspond with Legitimists in different
parts, by means of twenty-five ciphers. The Duchesse
de Berry had the faculty of winning the devotion of
all who approached her, and of this she received
many proofs while at Nantes ; but there was a Judas
among her followers — a German Jew named Deutz
was her betrayer. He had become converted to
Catholicism, and was received into the service of
the Duchesse de Berry on the recommendation of
the Pope, and had taken a solemn oath to devote
himself to her and the Legitimist Cause. She had
sent him to Lisbon and to Madrid with despatches.
When he returned to France he heard that the
Vend^an Insurrection was over, the cause lost and
the Duchesse de Berry in hiding. So Deutz con-
ceived the idea of betraying her to Louis Philippe's
Minister, Thiers, who promised him 500,000 francs
if he delivered her up. He went to Nantes under
the name of Gonzagues, and made himself known
to the Legitimists, making inquiries as to the where-
abouts of the Duchess, who soon heard of this. She
said : " Show him this half of a card ; if he has
the other half it is Deutz ".
He had the other half, and the Duchess agreed
to receive him. Her friends mistrusted him, and
persuaded her not to receive him in her attic, but
in a neighbouring house to which she had access.
219
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Deutz came in very nervous and embarrassed, and
threw himself at her feet, swearing devotion. He
pretended that her sister, the Queen of Spain, had
promised to help her, and to send money and troops.
While he was with her, the Duchess received a note
saying : " The man you confide in has betrayed you
to Thiers ".
Smiling, she turned to Deutz and said : " Is it
you?"
He also smiled and said : " Possibly ".
Thiers had sent orders to the Commander of the
Garrison and to the Prefect of Nantes to give Deutz
all the assistance he required. The same evening,
while the Duchesse de Berry was talking to Mile, de
Guigny in her bedroom, the brother, M. de Guigny,
rushed in crying : " Fly, Madame, the house is sur-
rounded, and the street lined with soldiers ! " It had
been decided long before, that, should there be any
danger of the Duchesse de Berry's abode being dis-
covered, and she herself arrested, she should hide
in a secret place, which was entered by removing a
slab from the fireplace in the sitting-room.
The Duchess had to crawl in, and was followed
by Mmes. de Mesnard and de Guibourg, and Mile.
Kersabiac.
The troops commanded by General Drouet ran-
sacked the house. From their hiding-place the
Duchess and her friends could hear the voice of
Deutz conducting them.
" Thank God he is not a Frenchman ! " said the
Duchess.
220
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
All the houses in the street were ransacked and
placed under guard ; no one was allowed to go in or
out. Twelve hundred soldiers were employed.
On the second day some masons employed to
search for holes in the wall, lit a fire. The con-
cealed party endured it till they were nearly stifled,
and the Duchesse de Berry's dress caught fire.
They must either die or surrender! So they
made their presence known. The slab was removed
from the fireplace and out came a little woman with
an uncovered head, dressed in a brown woollen dress,
smeared with ashes and having a burnt arm. One
of the gendarmes exclaimed : " Is it you, Madame
la Duchesse?"
She replied : " Yes, it is I. You are Frenchmen
and soldiers, I trust to your honour."
The men were profoundly moved, but hearing
voices, the Police Commissioners entered, and all
hope of escape was lost. The Prefect, M. Duval,
entered with his hat on. He just put a finger to
his hat as salutation, and then said : " Yes, 'tis the
Duchesse de Berry".
She was then taken to the Castle of Nantes ; there
every one admired her heroism and treated her with
as much deference as if she had been at the Tuileries.
The following day she was taken by sea to the Citadel
of Blaye.
When Deutz went to the house of the Minister
of the Interior to receive the price of his treachery,
Didier, who was seated at a table on which were
some packets of gold, would not allow him to come
221
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
near, but held out the packets of money at the end
of a pair of tongs, and then pointed to the door.
The case of the Duchesse de Berry aroused intense
enthusiasm. M. de Vilette, the Comte de la Ferro-
nays, the Dues de Fitzjames and de Laval, wrote to
Marshal Soult, President of the Ministerial Council,
offering themselves as hostages that she might be set
free. The Comte de Montalembert-Esse offered him-
self and his whole family for the same purpose.
The Marquise de Valori, and Marechale Oudinot,
Duchesse de Reggio, begged to be allowed to share
her captivity ; the latter had been her lady-in-waiting.
Some Parisian ladies, headed by the Princesse de
Bauffremont, sent her a trousseau, and a Parisian book-
seller a collection of delightful books. Many Legiti-
mists came to Blaye, but were not allowed to see her.
The Royalists in Paris went into mourning, gave no
balls, and got up a subscription for Marie Bossy,
the Guignys' servant, who had refused a large bribe
offered to induce her to betray the Duchess, and
asked to be allowed to serve her in prison.
The newspapers published a letter headed "A
voice from the tomb," and said to be written by the
late King of Naples to Louis Philippe. It ran : " To
my brother-in-law. My daughter, your niece, is in
prison. A Princess of Naples, the kingdom which
received you when you were a wanderer and fugitive,
is now your captive ! " etc., etc. Chateaubriand wrote
to ask the Duchesse de Berry to appoint him her
counsel, if she were brought to trial. But Guizot
said : " It is not well to bring royalty to trial. Ac-
222
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
quitted, they are conquerors ; condemned, they excite
sympathy as victims." Louis Philippe said: " No one
could wish to bring the Duchesse de Berry to trial.
Princes are inconvenient in prison ; people conspire
to free them, and they excite more sympathy than
they would if free." Why then did Louis Philippe
give the orders for the arrest of the Duchesse de
Berry, and why did he allow her to be detained at
Blaye !
Because the state of her health made it necessary
for her to announce that a private marriage had taken
place between her and the Marchese Lucchesi Palli,,
in Italy. She had sent him with her manifestoes to
la Vendee, and he had visited her there.
Louis Philippe was persuaded by his advisers to
retain the Duchesse de Berry at Blaye, and to give
great publicity to the birth of her expected child,1 as
the effect of her marriage would be to entirely destroy
her influence with the Legitimist party, and she
would cease to be a political power to be reckoned
with.
Louis Philippe has been greatly blamed for hi&
treatment of the Duchesse de Berry, for publishing
to the world the weakness of a woman, and making
capital of it for political ends.
While imprisoned at Blaye the Duchesse de Berry
wrote to Marie Ame'lie to intercede for the life of
one of her adherents. She said ; " In spite of the
difference in our present situations, a volcano is
1 Before the announcement of the marriage many infamous,
reports concerning her were circulated.
223
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
beneath you. God knows what may be the fate of
either of us, but some day you may thank me for
having confided in you, and given you an opportunity
of earning the gratitude of my unfortunate friends.
"I wish you happiness, Madame, for I have too
high an opinion of you to believe that you can be
happy in your present position."
Marie Amelie refused to receive this letter, and
when M. de Mesnard went to see her and begged
her to use her influence to get permission for him to
go to the Duchesse de Berry at Blaye, she promised
nothing ; but M. de Mesnard afterwards said : " I
cannot but believe that the Queen is sincerely grieved
at her niece's position, but I hear she has little or no
influence in State affairs."
M. de Mesnard and the Miles, de Guigny had
been imprisoned for a time, and condemned to pay
a heavy fine for conspiring against the Government.
But the fine was remitted, and they were released
before the expiration of their sentence.
After recovering from her accouchement, the
Duchesse de Berry was allowed to leave Blaye and
to go to Sicily, where she was met by her husband,
Lucchesi Palli, and received with royal honours by
her brother Leopold, Comte de Syracuse, and a
country house was allotted to her as a residence.
The little daughter born to her at Blaye did not live
a year, and was buried in the Lucchesi Palli tomb
at Palermo.
The Marchese Lucchesi Palli was a very hand-
some man, ten years younger than the Duchesse de
224
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Berry, who was thirty-four. She treated him as her
husband, the Court of Naples treated him as her
chamberlain.
He himself always treated her as Queen, taking
her orders for the day, and speaking to her in the
third person. He was a clever, amusing man, ex-
cellent company and full of tact. He made himself
thoroughly French, and was well versed in the history
of France, and of the pedigrees and traditions of
the French nobility. The Duchesse de Berry was
thoroughly devoted to him, and bore him two
daughters and a son.
The Duchesse de Berry never hung her head.
She said : " Only failure is blamable ; had my enter-
prise succeeded, I should have been acclaimed as a
heroine ". She had intended keeping her marriage
secret till her son was of age.1
Charles X. was greatly incensed at her marriage,
but the saintly Duchesse d'Angouleme took her part,
and finally succeeded in appeasing the anger of her
uncle, and getting him to receive the Duchesse de
Berry.
The Comte de Chambord married the daughter of
the Due de Modena, but had no children.
1 The Duchesse de Berry always spoke very bitterly of all the
d'Orleans family except Louise, who married the King of the
Belgians. Louise, she said, was a saint.
225 15
CHAPTER XII.
Louis Philippe as Statesman — The Admiration of his Ministers —
The Great Benefits he Conferred on France — The Charities
of Marie Amelie — Marie Amelie's Distinguished Sons — Her
Letters to them — The Marriages of the Due d'Orleans and
Due de Nemours — Bravery of the whole d'Orleans Family —
Attempts on Life of Louis Philippe.
For a long time great prejudice was felt against
Louis Philippe throughout Europe, and great sym-
pathy with Charles X. This feeling was universal.
At the Court of Austria the French Ambassador
expressed to an Austrian Countess his admiration
of her tiara. " Quelle belle couronne," he said.
She replied : " Au moins elle n'est pas volee ".
By degrees, however, it was recognised that if he
had obtained the crown by questionable methods, he
was making good use of his power. He himself said :
11 In accepting the crown I entered the lists to com-
bat the forces of anarchy. The anarchists had nothing
to lose : I staked my life and fortune, and that of my
family."
A passage in the Lettre Parisienne of the day,
says : " It is sad to see kings exiled, guillotined and
assassinated by the misunderstanding of the populace.
Formerly, if any one displeased a king, the king sent
.- ■■■■M
Louis Philippe, King of the French
To face p. 226
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
him to the Bastille. Now, if a king displeases the
people, they send him to exile." 1
The life of Louis Philippe at the Tuileries was
one of hard work, not of representation. Yet though
he has been called bourgeois, he held a more splendid
Court than that of any European monarch of the day.
Carriages, horses, liveried servants were superb ;
fUes, magnificent and more numerous than in former
reigns ; in the interior of his palace he met with
nothing but deference and empressement to foresee
and execute his wishes.
He did not like having to allow himself to be treated
as a comrade by the National Guard, or accepting
glasses of wine from passers by, as he was forced to
do for a time, but he was at heart a grand seigneur by
hereditary tastes and instincts, though he was bour-
geois, if it is " bourgeois " to be a faithful husband and
good father, simple in life and affable in manners.
Marie Amelie, too, thought a king's Court should
not resemble a Revolutionary Club ; a sovereign
should be treated by his subjects with as much
deference as a father by his sons, and that certain
concessions weaken, and that dignity is necessary
to those who govern, and an air of authority in-
dispensable. So though etiquette was simplified, life
at the Tuileries was gradually regulated on royal
1 In the nineteenth century four infants were at their birth
acclaimed with joy as a gauge of the stability of their dynasties.
All met the same fate — died in exile without reigning. They were
the King of Rome, the Due de Bordeaux, the Comte de Paris and
the Prince Imperial.
227
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
lines, and King and Queen each had their separate
establishment, officers of household, aide-de-camp,
ladies in waiting, etc., as did each of the Princes and
Princesses.
Louis XVIII. and Charles X. had left the royal
Palaces, Fontainebleau and Versailles, in a very dil-
apidated state. It was the pride and pleasure of
Louis Philippe to restore them. He practically pre-
sented Versailles to the nation, in establishing the
Musee in that Palace, and on the opening day 2,000
people, members of all the liberal professions, were
entertained by the King, at a dinner of royal mag-
nificence.
The restoration of Versailles, and the turning of
it into a National Museum, and collecting there
paintings of all the great scenes and persons of the
history of France, even of the Bonapartist era, was
the great work of his reign. Although he has been
accused of avarice, the Provisionary Government,
after the Revolution of 1848, which had in its hands
the documents relating to the Civil List and the
private fortune of Louis Philippe, found that he had
spent 48,000,000 francs for the nation in restoring
Versailles and Fontainebleau, and other acts of public
munificence, including 21,000,000 francs given directly
in charity.
If the circumstances under which he ascended the
throne are questionable, yet there was never a better
king. Emile Ollivier said : " Louis Philippe was cer-
tainly the first statesman of the day. He had the
most valuable and diverse qualities, experience, culti-
228
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
vation, vast stores of knowledge, wit, probity, cour-
age, humanity and personal attractiveness." l
After a hard day's work, holding his own against
the diplomacy of all Europe, Louis Philippe would
often spend the evening going over criminal cases,
hoping to find a reason for saving a condemned man
from execution. He would fight his chancellor and
the lawyers most obstinately, step by step, and he
suffered anguish if he was at last obliged to give up
the case, and sign the order for execution.
On reading newspapers that urged his assassina-
tion, he would merely say : " Every one must live ".
When Meunier made an attempt on the King's
life, the mother came and asked the King to pardon
him. Louis Philippe replied : " He has repented ; I
have already forgiven him ".
The life of the Queen was also a very busy one.
She rose early, and after the toilet would open her
large correspondence. She heard Mass every day,
and after the family breakfast at ten o'clock, used
to sit and work with her daughters and daughters-
in-law till twelve o'clock, which was the hour for
special audiences. When they were over she would
work with her secretaries. Every day the menu for
dinner was submitted to her ; she allotted the royal
boxes at the theatre to friends, and settled the
number of carriages and horses to be kept for the
whole family and the household. But the greater
part of the time of herself and her secretaries was
1 Another of his Ministers, Victor Cousin, said : " II est notre
maitre, a tous".
229
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
occupied by attending to petitions and charitable
matters.
The secretaries had plenty to do in reading and
classifying petitions, and then deciding how much
was to be given to the favoured applicants. Marie
Amelie insisted on reading every petition herself, and
wrote her instructions and comments on the margin,
begging M. Appert1 to attend to the case.
He says : " I saw her every day but never with-
out being affected by her perfections and holiness.
Neither the religion nor politics of the applicant
was considered, only misery. If there was an in-
surrection, and cries and threats were heard under
the windows, she would say ; ' Help as many of these
miserable people as you can. Bread is dear, trade
bad. Seeing a wife and children starve is enough
to turn a man's head. They do much that is wrong,
but they are excusable. I am comfortable in these
warm rooms, but wretched when I think of so many
people in the city suffering from cold and hunger.
To give is my only pleasure in the midst of all our
troubles. He who invented the saying : ' Happy as
a king,' had never worn a crown/ "
Marie Amelie's private income amounted to
500,000 francs, but she gave 400,000 in alms.
A person who was very poor was advised to
apply to the Queen for help. She refused, saying:
" We are Bonapartists. Whenever I opened the
gate to Josephine she nodded her thanks, and the
Emperor would say : ' Bon jour, grosse vilaine \ Can
1 Her secretary.
230
Windsor Castle
Queen Marie Amelie
Winterlialter
To face p. 230
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
one forget such benefits ? " The woman had been
concierge at Malmaison, and was very stout and ugly.
Another Bonapartist wrote as follows to Marie
Amelie : " Madame. If the Bourbons, to the sorrow
of France, had not returned, my beloved protectress,
the Empress Marie Louise, would be on the throne,
and I should not be in the humiliating position of
having to tell you that I have nothing to eat, and
that the pallet on which I sleep will be thrown out
of the shed that is my abode, because I have not
paid rent for a year. I dare not ask help from you,
because I feel such great sorrow for the removal of
my true sovereign that I cannot even promise grati-
tude. If you do not think it right to let me die in
want, I will accept a loan, but a gift would make me
blush."
On this petition the Queen wrote : " Special.
Needs immediate assistance. She must be very
miserable to be so unjust. Give her 100 francs
from me. Inquire into her position and report to
me."
M. Appert inquired and found the case deserving
of help. So, besides the Queen's donation, he got
a subscription from each of the Princes, and put the
family in comfortable circumstances.
It may well be asked if the Republicans ever did
so much for the benefit of the people as the Royalties
they were so anxious to overthrow. The liberals
were infuriated against the aristocracy that would
not admit them into its ranks, and wished to over-
throw it and constitute a new aristocracy themselves.
231
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Was it the true spirit of democracy, the real desire
for equality, that drove them into revolution ? No,
it was self interest. Did they treat those beneath
them, their servants, employees, tradesmen, more
politely and considerately than did the old nobility ?
After their triumph did they show themselves more
benevolent, just and humane than the old nobility
or royal personages ? Emphatically, let it be said,
they did not.
Marie Amelie had reason to be proud of her sons.
Lamartine, the most determined opponent of Louis
Philippe, and finally the cause of the fall of the
Orleans dynasty, does justice to the family of Louis
Philippe. He says : " The sons would have been
eminent as citizens, if they had not been Princes ;
among the Princesses all desirable qualities were to
be found ; each was either pious, beautiful, cultivated,
venerated or admired ".
The sons certainly served a stiff apprenticeship
to the duties of their station. They reviewed troops,
commanded at manoeuvres, presided at fetes or coun-
cils, made journeys for political purposes, conducted
diplomatic negotiations, fought wherever the French
army was engaged on land or sea,1 marched against
insurrectionists,2 and when an attempt on the King's
life was expected, never failed to be there.
When Fieschi's infernal machine exploded and
killed forty people at a review of the National Guard,
1 The Prince de Joinville distinguished himself in the navy.
2 The Dues d' Orleans and Nemours were sent to put down the
terrible insurrection at Lyons, 1834.
232
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
at Paris, 1834, three of the Princes were with their
father. They, as well as the King, had been fore-
warned by M. Thiers that an attempt on the King's
life was feared. They thanked him, but only replied :
"We shall be there ".
The ladies of the family had the same high quality
of courage ; they thought their husbands, brothers or
sons must face peril as if they were going to a royal
function.
Marie Amelie and Mme. Adelaide, though fear-
ing, as they watched the King's departure, that they
might never see him again, made no effort to detain
him.
The machine exploded as the royal procession
was passing through the Boulevard du Temple. The
King said to the son who was nearest to him : " Join-
ville, that's for me ". Their horses were struck, their
clothes spattered with blood. Forty of those around
lost their lives. In the midst of the uproar the
King was quite composed ; when the smoke had
cleared away he said : " Now, gentlemen, let us pro-
ceed," and went through the day's programme un-
moved. However, he broke down when he got back
to the Queen, chiefly through grief at the valuable
lives lost. The Queen at once accompanied him to
condole with the widow of one of the victims, Mar-
shal Mortier, Due de Treviso, and all the royal family
attended the solemn obsequies of the victims, on 28th
July.
In the same year the Due de Nemours was sent
to London to show himself. In the Courts of
233
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Europe it was the fashion to turn into ridicule " the
bourgeois Monarchy" of France. These prejudices
had to be dispelled. No two persons were better
qualified for this than Marie Amelie's two eldest sons.
Both were tall and of most distinguished appearance,
and had polished manners. The Due d'Orleans was
a charmer, and the Due de Nemours the living re-
production of the portraits of his great ancestor,
Henri Quatre. Two less bourgeois-like or middle-
class young men could not be found.1
At that time William IV. was on the Throne of
England, and he invited the Due de Nemours to
stay at Windsor Castle ; the royal dukes also invited
him to visit them. Nemours wrote to his mother :
" I was received everywhere a merveille, petted and
tUed ad lib. I visited the Duchess of Kent and
Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace ; the latter
is small but has beautiful eyes.
His mother replied : " Lord Palmerston has
written in your praise, and I have received charm-
ing letters about you from the Duchess of Kent and
Princess Victoria".
In April of the following year, the Due de
Nemours accompanied his elder brother on a tour
in Germany and Austria, which had a twofold object :
the making of themselves known at the Courts of
these countries, and also the obtaining of a bride for
the Due d'Orleans. It was hoped that an alliance
1Comtesse de Mirabeau says: "The two eldest sons of the
King, mounted on prancing horses, and with the sun glittering on
their accoutrements, looked like veritable fairy princes ".
234
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
with an Austrian archduchess might be obtained.
The Princes were plentifully supplied with money
to support their rank, and their suite consisted of
the Dues de Valencay and d'Elchingen, and three
other noblemen. They went first to Berlin, where
they were received at Court with every possible mark
of consideration, and the Berlin newspapers of the
day say that : " All who had the honour to approach
the French Princes cannot speak highly enough of
their extreme distinction. Their conversation is de-
lightful, their tact exquisite. Their liberality to all
who have had the honour of serving them has been
on a splendid scale."
The same splendid reception was given and the
same verdict passed at Vienna. Prince Metternich
said : " Their success was remarkable, they were pro-
nounced perfect types of well bred, well educated
young men ; very few like them are to be met, either
in royal houses or less elevated ranks of society.
They put to silence those most prejudiced against
them. Their appearance, the tact evinced on all
occasions, their ease of manner, equally removed
from presumption as from shyness, were universally
acknowledged and admired. The journey of these
young Princes was a good political move for their
father."
But though their personal success was so great,
the desired alliance was not arranged, the Due d'Or-
leans did not obtain an Austrian bride. The Emperor
was still prejudiced against the French nation, and
the ladies of the family remembered Marie Antoinette
235
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
and Marie Louise, and had little inclination to run
the risks of a similar fate.
The two Princes returned to Paris loaded with
splendid gifts and feeling that they had made
many private friends. The Austrian Emperor had
given them each a splendid horse as a farewell
present.
Subsequently a marriage was arranged between
the Due d'Orleans and Princess Hel&ne of Meck-
lenburg Schwerin, and took place at Fontainebleau,
1837.
On this occasion the Due de Nemours behaved
with great generosity. A heated debate had taken
place in the French Chamber, when the King had
asked for a dowry for his eldest daughter, who was
about to marry the King of the Belgians. The pro-
duction of Louis Philippe's rent roll, and a complete
statement of his income, was called for.1
When a grant was applied for for the Due d'Or-
leans' own marriage, the same opposition was en-
countered, and the Due de Nemours agreed to waive
his own claim to an appanage, on condition that the
Legislature made proper provision for the heir to the
Throne.
In spite of these difficulties the populace gave
the bride a splendid reception when she made her
1 Louis Philippe felt this deeply. He said : "I have no mis-
tress or favourite on which to spend the people's money, but
I wish to assure my children's future''. He had refused to attach
his wealth to the Throne, and settled it on his family, only
drawing the income himself.
236
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
entrance into Paris, followed by the Princes on
horseback, and the Princesses in splendid carriages.
She was not pretty, but young and graceful. Her
dresses were wonderful ; Palmyre, the celebrated
dressmaker, having had orders to make them differ-
ent from any that had been seen before.
The Due d'Orleans was personally popular ; he was
brave to temerity, but had other solid qualities which
made him the hope of the royal family and the nation.
An immense concourse acclaimed him and his bride as
they entered the Champs Elysee.
Mile, de Girardin, describing the cortege, says :
" The Queen, Marie Amelie, was exquisitely dressed.
Her blue capote was ravishing. The bride looked
very young. Her hat was very pretty ; it was made
of white rice straw, with a large marabout plume.
Her dress was very elegant ; she wore a redingote of
muslin, lined with pink."
In honour of the wedding a splendid fite was
given at Versailles on 10th June. A banquet was
prepared for 1,500 guests, who were waited on
by 2,000 servants, wearing the splendid d'Orleans
livery. The evening ended with a ballet, represent-
ing Versailles as it was in the days of Louis XIV.,
and one of those wonderful court pageants of
the time, when the King himself danced in the
ballet.
Next day a horrible accident happened at a
review, during the storming of a sham fort, and
many people were crushed to death. This made a
painful impression on the bride, who looked on it
237
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
as a bad omen for her married life.1 The Duchesse
d'Orleans was a noble character, and her husband
became devoted to her. The Queen regretted that
her daughter-in-law was a Protestant, but soon be-
came very fond of her. When the following year the
young Duchess gave birth to a son, on whom Louis
Philippe bestowed the title of Comte de Paris, and
when the year after another son, the Due de Chartres,
was born, as far as direct heirs were concerned, the
continuance of the d'Orleans dynasty appeared well
provided for.
The dignitaries of the Catholic Church had for a
long time refused to recognise the July Monarchy,
and it was not until the death of the implacable Mon-
seigneur Quelen occurred, that a royal christening
could be arranged for the Comte de Paris. The new
Archbishop, Mgr. Affre, held different views, and the
ceremony was performed by him with all due pomp.
This was the public recognition by the clergy of the
d'Orleans 'dynasty, and a great joy to a devoted Cath-
olic, such as Marie Amelie was.
His aunt, Mile. Adelaide, helped to provide the
Due d'Orleans with funds to support his position as
heir to the Throne, and he gave magnificent balls and
fetes at the Pavilion de Marsan. He also kept a fine
hunting establishment, and delighted in asking dis-
1 A much worse accident and greater loss of life had occurred
at the marriage fetes of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, also at
that of the present Emperor of Kussia. Fresh in all memories,
too, is the attempt on the life of the present King and Queen of
Spain on their wedding day.
238
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tinguished visitors, especially the English, to share
his sport.
The hunting costume was dark blue, with a red
collar and silver buttons, which he would present to
any favoured visitor, such as Lord Malmesbury, who
relates in his Memoirs that after a good day's sport,
when the stag led them from Chantilly to Beauvais,
the Due d'Orleans, besides the buttons, gave him also
a stag's foot, which he had made into a pen rack.
Though it sometimes suited Louis Philippe to
play the bon bourgeois, no one knew better how
to do things in magnificent style when occasion
demanded it. The splendour of the marriage fes-
tivities had a great effect on the mind of the people
of Paris, and ground was gained politically. The
King was able to go about more at his ease, with-
out expecting to be shot at.
France was carrying on war in Algiers. A first
campaign, in which the Due de Nemours took part,,
had been unsuccessful, and in 1835 it became neces-
sary to send out another expedition.
Marie Amelie's three eldest sons claimed the right
to fight for their country. The Due d'Orleans said :
" It rests with us to restore the position of a prince
to its former dignity and glory. But in these days,
in order to be forgiven for being a prince, it is.
necessary in every circumstance to do more than
others."
But, to his great chagrin, the Due d'Orleans could
not obtain leave to join the expedition. His life was
too valuable to be risked. Only Nemours was allowed
239
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
to go, and he showed the utmost gallantry at the
siege of Constantine, which was of long duration,
but finally the French troops entered the city and
planted the tricolour flag on the citadel. The Prince
de Joinville had, without permission, left his ship
at Bona, and come up with reinforcements, grieved
to be too late to take part in the siege. He was a
clever artist, and took sketches which afterwards
enabled Horace Vernet to give an exact representa-
tion of Constantine, in the picture now hanging in
the Muse'e de Versailles.
While the Queen was making preparations for
the marriage of her second daughter, Princess Marie,
to the Prince of Wurtemberg, she was in incessant
anxiety as to the fate of her sons. News of the
taking of Constantine reached Paris on the 22nd of
June. Here is the Queen's own account of how it
was received. Writing to the Due de Nemours she
said : " I received Joinville's letter on the morning
of the 22nd. It delighted me, but did not reassure
me. I went for a turn in the park at Meudon, with
the young people; on returning I went to Bene-
diction at the beautiful church of Notre Dame at
Versailles. I felt such need to pray for you. In the
evening we had a grand dinner for Prince Paul,
and afterwards went to hear ' II Barbiere ' at the
Opera. Yesterday morning was devoted to prepara-
tions for Marie's departure. I was in my sitting-
room talking to Chartres, the other young people
were in the adjoining room, when your father opened
the door and cried: ' Taken ! Constantine is taken ! '
240
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
" Every one rushed in and surrounded your father.
Then for two hours lasted one of those scenes you
know so well. People came and went, embraced each
other, copied the telegraphic messages, wrote notes,
sent off men on horseback with the news. The cannon
thundered at the Invalides as well as Versailles.
We thanked God, but the accounts of the horrors of
the assault and the death of the general, Damremont,
cast a shadow over our joy ; also I must confess I
was possessed by the fear that you were wounded,
and they were hiding it from me. At eleven o'clock
we all went to the cathedral at Versailles, to be
present at the singing of a ' Te Deum '. The Bishop
gave a fine address."
The d' Orleans brothers were remarkably united
and deeply attached to one another. In a delight-
ful letter to the Due de Nemours, the Due d'OrMans
says : "I am as pleased at your success as if it had
been my own. I am sure that if you and Hadji1
bring back any booty, you will put it at the disposal
of the mess of the five brothers, of whom I am eldest.
My only regret is for the death of the general. I
feel as if I had passed on to him my ticket for the
other world."
The Due d' Orleans sincerely loved and respected
his next brother, saying of him : " Nemours is duty
personified," and if Marie Amelie had a favourite
among her sons, it was Nemours. He and his
brother Joinville stayed on at Constantine for a
great ceremony, when the principal Arab chiefs took
1 The name by which Joinville was known in the family.
241 16
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the oath of fealty to the French king. Afterwards,
while marching to the coast, the French troops were
attacked with cholera; both Princes did all they
could to allay panic, by themselves assisting to lift
the dead or stricken on to the waggons. On reach-
ing Bona, the brothers parted company, Prince de
Joinville rejoining his cruiser, the Hercules, whose
destiny was Brazil, and the Due de Nemours returning
to France.
Toulon, Marseilles, Lyons were preparing fetes
in his honour, but the Due de Nemours was of a
very retiring disposition, and fearing that he would
endeavour to avoid them, his mother wrote : " I
write with your father in begging you to accept
with a good grace the demonstrations that are being
prepared in your honour. All France shares in the
joy at your success. D'Aumale was at Franconi's
the other evening when the siege of Constantino
was represented. The applause was immense when
the figure of the Due de Nemours came on the scene.
Do put a good finish on all you have done, endure
patiently all the f&es that are being prepared for
you. Let every one say : ■ The Due de Nemours is
as amiable as he is brave'."
But this letter did not reach the Duke before
he left Oran, and he made a long detour to avoid
the towns that were preparing to welcome him, and
finally landed at Havre. His family were three weeks
without news of him, and the public were pacified
by being told that " contrary winds had driven him
to this port ".
242
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
His mother went to meet him at Vernon. He
appeared in the uniform of a general, to which rank
he had been promoted in recognition of his services
at Constantine.
The Queen went down to his cabin and had a
long talk with him ; she then attended mass at the
cathedral, and afterwards presented her son's aide-
de-camp, General Boyer, with the insignia of the
rank to which he too had been promoted.
A little event that was much talked of in Paris
took place a few months later at the Annual Picture
Exhibition. The King remarked and admired a well-
executed picture of a battle scene in Africa. The
painter's signature was unknown to him, and on in-
quiring, great was his surprise and pleasure to find
that it was the work of the Due de Nemours.
In 1840 the Duke's marriage with the Princesse
Victoire of Saxe-Cobourg was arranged. They had
met at the Court of his sister, the Queen of the
Belgians, Princesse Victoire being the niece of King
Leopold.1
Marie Amelie was at Brussels while the negotia-
tions were going on, and was particularly anxious
for the marriage. Princesse Victoire was a charm-
ing character, and her beauty was indisputable.
The French Chamber being unwilling to make a
grant to the Due de Nemours, his income was only
50,000 francs (£2,000) per annum, the eighth part
of the joint income of the King and his sister
1 Also niece of the Duchess of Kent, and first cousin to Queen
Victoria.
243
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Adelaide. The bride would inherit about the same
amount from her parents.
Marie Amelie wrote to the King: "In spite of
the refusal of grant let the marriage take place ; the
dear, good child will be a delightful wife for Nemours,
and a pleasure and comfort to all of us ".
So Duke Ferdinand of Saxe-Cobourg brought his
daughter to Paris, and she was also accompanied
by her brother Augustus.1 The marriage took place
at St. Cloud on 27th April, 1840. A spectator,
Baronne Frossard, has left an account of the im-
pression created by the bride on her first appearance
at the Tuileries, a few days after the marriage. " It
was the King's birthday fite. Her Royal Highness
accompanied our august Queen in the long and
fatiguing tour of the grand state apartments ; on
great occasions Her Majesty always stops and ad-
dresses a few pleasant words to every lady whose
position entitles her to it. In spite of the great
reputation for beauty which had preceded Mme. la
Duchesse de Nemours, contrary to custom, her
beauty surpassed our expectations. She was ex-
quisitely dressed in white tulle, embroidered with
silver and pearls, and roses, the leaves of which
were emeralds."
Two months later the bride and bridegroom went
to spend a fortnight with the Queen of England.
The Duchesse de Nemours was first cousin of the
Prince Consort as well as of the Queen, who, by
the splendid fetes given in their honour, wished to
1 He married Princess Clementine d' Orleans eventually.
244
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
let the world at large know the high esteem in which
she held her young relatives.
At Windsor there is a beautiful painting by
Winterhalter, of the Duchesse de Nemours and
Queen Victoria sitting side by side, with the word
" Cousins " underneath. But the Queen always said
that she looked upon the young Duchess as a sister.
She frequently invited the pair to visit her, and in
her letters there are many references to these visits,
and the Queen always speaks of the Duchesse de
Nemours with great affection, and always with the
addition of some expression of admiration for her
beauty.
Marie Amelie was not disappointed in her
daughter-in-law on further acquaintance.
The year after the wedding the Due de Nemours,
accompanied by his brother, the Due d'Aumale, went
to make his third campaign in Africa.
His mother wrote to him as usual. In one letter
she says : " Sweet, dear Victoire only lives in Africa ;
whatever she says or does has reference to you. She
is indeed worthy of your love, and is an angel of
piety and sweetness. She accompanies me to all the
Church services. To-day we performed our Easter
devotions together."
245
CHAPTER XIII.
Notes on Marie Amelie's Sons — Their Characters and Careers (con-
tinued)— Marriages of her Daughters — Sudden Death of Due
d'Orleans, Heir to the Throne — Opinion of Europe — Effect on
Dynasty — Sorrow of Marie Amelie — Subsequent Life at Tuil-
eries (Eoutine of) — Marie Amelie's Daughters-in-law.
Amongst Marie Amelie's sons, the fourth, the Due
d'Aumale, was generally considered to have the best
abilities. He was certainly the richest, having in-
herited Chantilly and the great wealth of his god-
father, the last Prince de Conde.1 After distinguish-
ing himself at college he entered the army and
became captain of the 4th Light Infantry regiment.
He was handsome, brave, full of wit and thoroughly
a Frenchman. He soon became very popular in the
army, won fame in the Algerian campaign, and finally
had the satisfaction of breaking up the Smala of
Abdul Kadir, May, 1843.
In the intervals of campaigns he found time to
marry his cousin, a princess of Bourbon Sicily,
daughter of Marie Ame'lie's favourite brother, the
Prince of Salerno. This was a great joy to Marie
Amelie. Her new daughter-in-law was after her
1 Whose grandson and heir, Due d'Enghien, had been brutally
murdered by Napoleon.
246
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
own heart, sweet and pious, a petite and graceful
young creature, with a melodious Italian voice.
The Conde fortune was left to the Due d'Aumale
through the instrumentality of the Prince de Conde's
mistress, Mme. de Feuchars, who had been Sophy
Dawes, an English fisherman's daughter. She was
an infamous woman, but wished to be received at
Court ; in fact it was a case of quid j>ro quo. Mdme.
Adelaide and Louis Philippe agreed to bring about
her reception at Court circles on condition that she
used her influence with the old Prince de Conde
for the disposition of his fortune in favour of the
Due d'Aumale. After the will was made the Prince
de Conde died under very suspicious circumstances,
which implicated Mme. de Feuchars. Louis Philippe
is blamed for hushing up the matter and causing a
verdict of suicide to be published, though the cir-
cumstances proved that suicide was impossible. Mme.
de Feuchars had been well provided for in the will.
She had wearied the Prince de Conde*, and knew
he contemplated leaving France ; had he managed
to escape both she and Louis Philippe knew that the
fortune would go to the little Due de Bordeaux.
Marie Ame'lie has been blamed for receiving and
showing every civility to Mme. de Feuchars,1 but on
this and other crucial matters she was overruled
by her husband. One who knew them well 2 said :
" The Queen spoils the King by a complete renuncia-
xThe Prefect refused to admit her to the Hotel de Ville re-
ceptions.
2 Appert.
247
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
tion of her own will for his". Only thus can we
account for her not infrequent participation in a line
of conduct that must have been repugnant and
contrary to the principles of a refined and religious
woman, such as she is known to have been. In
spite of Louis Philippe's great and lasting affection
for his wife, she certainly could not influence him
politically. She wished him not to accept the crown :
he accepted it ; later, she wished him to fight for it,
but he abdicated.
The Prince de Joinville, "Hadji," was the fav-
ourite of his aunt, Mdme. Adelaide. " He is like me
and my father," she said, " that is why I prefer him
to my other nephews." Joinville was the most gener-
ally popular of the brothers. Sailor and artist, more
than prince, he was negligent in his dress, and drank,
smoked and swore like a veritable Jack Tar. But
he had a passion for the arts, and was himself no
mean artist, and wrote with facility and distinction.
When on shore he used to accompany his aunt to
visit her estates at Randau, Arc or Bizy, and she
left the greater part of them to him at her death,
the income of his share amounting to 1,100,100
francs.1
In 1840 the Prince de Joinville was sent on his
frigate, La belle poule, to St. Helena, to bring back
to France the ashes of the Emperor Napoleon, which
1 Madame Adelaide had left everything to Joinville, but when
the Chamber refused a grant to Nemours, and on the death of his
brother he became eldest son and prospective regent, a sense of
justice made her allot him a share in her fortune.
248
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
England had consented to give up. Every prepara-
tion was made in Paris for a magnificent reception.
Napoleon's remains were not to lie at St. Denis,
among the ancient Kings of France, but at the Church
of the Invalides, beside Turenne and other great
generals, who had been the glory of the French
nation. On the 15th of December the coffin, with
a splendid military escort, passed through a crowd
of 600,000 spectators to the church, where the King
and royal family, the Archbishop of Paris, and a body
of ecclesiastics awaited it. Addressing the King,
"Sire," said the Prince de Joinville, who advanced
at the head of the procession, "I present to you
the ashes of the Emperor Napoleon ".
The King commanded General Bertrand to put
Napoleon's sword and hat on the coffin, which was
then placed on a magnificent altar in the centre of
the church. The funeral service was performed with
the utmost solemnity, and the " Dies Irae " chanted by
a thousand voices. The immense assemblage were
deeply affected, there was not a dry eye as the coffin
of the great soldier was lowered into the grave.
In 1843 the Prince de Joinville took a prominent
part in the bombardment of Tangiers, which resulted
in the submission of Abdul Kadir ; and afterwards
went to Brazil. There he fell in love with and
married a princess of the House of Braganza, Donna
Francesca, sister of the Emperor of Brazil1 and of
1 In the same month, May, 1843, the Emperor (Pedro II.)
married Marie Amelie's niece, Theresa Christina, of Bourbon
Sicily.
249
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
the Queen of Portugal, and carried her off to France.
" Happy is the wooing that is not long adoing." In
July of the same year Mdme. Adelaide received the
young couple with great rejoicing at her Chateau de
Bizy, which was to be their home.
In the same year Queen Victoria visited the
French royal family at the Chateau d'Eu, and she
thus refers to the bride. " Little Chica (Mme. Hadji)
is a charming, sprightly, lively creature, with immense
brown eyes."
She was the merriest and frankest, also the most
gracious and seductive of Marie Amelie's daughters-
in-law. But though a flower, the Court thought
her a very wild flower, and she scandalised the
other Princesses by her want of conventionality,
especially by singing aloud when they were all seated
decorously at needlework at the round table in the
salon.
Marie Amelie's youngest son, "Toto," the Due
de Montpensier, resembled his father in every par-
ticular, in face, figure, tricks of manner, as well as
in mind and character.
In the later years of the reign, he and his wife
were the King's favourites in the family circle, and
exercised great influence over him.
The Duchesse de Montpensier was the sister of
Queen Isabella of Spain,1 and was very handsome,
with large black eyes, splendid hair and a dignified
1 This marriage, looked upon as treachery by England, broke
up the alliance of that country and France, and contributed to Louis
Philippe's downfall (see chap. xiii.).
250
J*rincesse Louise d'Orleans, Queen of the Belgians
Porn at Palermo, 1812
To face p. 250
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
carriage. Her daughter-like attentions and con-
sideration pleased Louis Philippe vastly and won
his heart.
Of Marie Amelie's own daughters, it was said
that amongst them all desirable qualities were to
be found, either beauty, wit, intellectual power or
nobility of character. The eldest, Princess Louise,
was married in August, 1832, to Leopold, King of
the Belgians. She was twenty, he was much older
and a widower.1 The Princess was not much inclined
to the marriage, but she was sweet tempered and
very religious, so that when she was told that the
alliance was desired for political reasons and would
contribute to the welfare of France, she acquiesced,
and her married life was a very happy one.
The Princes of the House of Cobourg had
attained a very influential position in Europe owing
to their high reputation for sagacity and character,
as well as by their marriage connections with the
leading royal families of Europe. One was on the
Throne of Belgium, two others next to the Throne,
as Prince Consorts of the Queens of England and
Portugal. The King of the Belgians, uncle of Queen
Victoria, was her most intimate, beloved and re-
spected relative. To her he described his bride as
follows : " Your new aunt is extremely gentle and
amiable, her actions are always guided by principle.
She is always disposed to sacrifice her own comfort
and inclinations for that of others. She is highly
1 Of Princess Gharlotte of England, heiress to the Throne.
251
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
informed and very clever, speaks and writes English,
German and Italian. She speaks English very well
indeed. In short, I may well recommend her as an
example to all young ladies, princesses or others.
She has very fair hair, blue eyes, a Bourbon nose
and a small mouth, a very kind and intelligent
expression. She rides and dances extremely welL
Already great confidence and affection exists be-
tween us ; she is desirous of doing anything that
can contribute to my happiness, and I study to make
her contented. She is a very great prize, which I
highly value and cherish."
Visits to her daughter at Brussels were a very
great pleasure to Marie Amelie, and during her
second visit she was present at the birth of her
first grandson, the late King of the Belgians.
The second d'Orleans princess, Princess Marie,
was married to Prince Alexander of Wurtemberg in
1837.1
She was extremely energetic, full of la joie de
vivre ; nothing came amiss to her, balls or politics ;
in the latter she was an apt disciple of her Aunt
Adelaide. She had remarkable abilities under a
frivolous surface.
Her married life lasted little more than a year.
Her sufferings were terrible, her death very sudden.
Only her brother Nemours was with her, and almost
her last words to him were : " Tell Mamma how much
I love her, and that I am glad she is not here to
1 During the festivities which took place on her arrival, she
danced with the sons of Jerome Bonaparte.
252
Princesse Marie d'Orleans (Mdlle. de Valois)
Born at Palermo, 1813
To face p. 252
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
be grieved by my sufferings". She left an infant
son.
The youngest daughter of Marie Amelie, Prin-
cess Clementine, was handsome, spirituelle, intelli-
gent, and the most ambitious of the sisters. She
it was, who, on several occasions, had excited the
marked admiration of the late King Charles X.
However, no great marriage was arranged for
her.
In 1843 she married, at St. Cloud, Prince Au-
gustus1 of Saxe-Cobourg, brother of -the Duchesse
de Nemours, and son of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-
Cobourg. They had met frequently at the Court of
Brussels, and also when Prince Augustus accom-
panied his sister to France for her marriage.
Apparently Prince Augustus was neither brilliant
nor engaging. When he was visiting at Windsor2
Queen Victoria wrote to her uncle in Belgium : " I
cannot say much for poor Gusti, though I love him,
but he is really too odd and inanimate ".
Later, the Queen mentions him again: "Clem
seems very happy and writes that she is happiest
when the a tete with Gusti, which / should not
fancy ".
Princess Clementine3 survived all her brothers
1 His brother Leopold married Maria Gloria, Queen of Portugal.
2 His father was brother of the Duchess of Kent, and of the
King of the Belgians.
3 Her husband inherited the great possessions of the family in
Hungary, and all the wealth of the family, his elder brother having
to renounce this on marrying the Queen of Portugal.
253
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
and sisters, and lived to see her son, Prince Fer-
dinand, called to the Throne of Bulgaria.
In July, 1842, when the kingdom was quiet, and
Marie Amelie seemed to be enjoying a spell of real
peace and prosperity, and had recently had the pleas-
ure of welcoming and feting her Sicilian relations
(her brother had taken a daughter to marry the King
of Spain and came to Paris), the blow fell which
deprived the d'Orleans of its chief stay, and the
nation of one on whom the hopes of the better part
were placed. •
The Due d'Orleans met with an accident and was
killed on his way to a review. His horses were res-
tive, and he jumped from his carriage, fell on his
head, and never recovered consciousness. A few
minutes after he had started, while the rest of the
royal party were waiting in the salon at Neuilly
for the carriages that were to take them to the re-
view, a commissioner of police entered and whispered
something to the King, who exclaimed : " O my God !
Chartres has met with an accident, and has been
carried into a house at Sablonville " !
Without waiting to hear more, Marie Amelie
rushed out into the street on foot, and hurried in
the direction of Sablonville. The King and Mdme.
Adelaide followed in a carriage, picked her up, and
all three drove on to the inn, where they found the
Due d'Orleans lying on a mattress on the floor.
Doctor Pasquier told them there was no hope, the
cure of Neuilly was sent for to administer the last
Sacrament, while the d'Orleans family knelt around,
254
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
praying and sobbing. In a few moments the Prince
breathed his last.
His death was an immense and irreparable loss
both to his family and the nation. "The Chief of
to-morrow" had disappeared, the Monarchy was
shaken, for not only the friends of Louis Philippe's
government but also its opponents had placed their
hopes on him.1 The army bitterly lamented his loss.
His little son, the Comte de Paris, was only four
years old. Louis Philippe was sixty- nine.
Lord Malmesbury wrote in his Memoirs : " What
will be the result of this sad event ? Probably
a revolution on the King's death. The French
will never stand a long regency, as this would
be."
The Due d'Orleans' body was carried to the
Chapel of Neuilly, the whole royal family following
on foot. His poor wife arrived there later. She
had heard of his death by wire, at Plombieres,
and set off for Paris in the middle of the night.
At a few posts from Plombieres she met the
Duke's aide-de-camp and said ; " I was too proud
of him, and God has taken him away as a punish-
ment ".
This blow turned Marie Amelie into an old
woman, and whitened her hair.
To Queen Victoria she wrote : " Mme. et tres
chere Sceur. Je comptais que votre majeste et le
Prince Albert s'assoceraient a notre immense dou-
1 His views were more modern even than his father's.
255
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
leur ; que Dieu vous benisse pour le tendre expres-
sion de votre lettre. Nous somme aneantis par le
coup dont Dieu nous a frappe, que sa Sainte Volonte
soit faite. J'ai perdu l'objet de ma plus vif tendresse,
celui qui depuis 32 ans avait etait mon bonheur et
ma gloire, plein de vie, d'avenir, me tete n'y est
plus, mon cour est fletri je tache de me resigner,
je pleur et prie pour cet ame qui m'etait si chere ;
et pour que Dieu nous conserve l'infortune et pre-
cieux roi, dont la douleur est incommensurable ; que
Dieu vous preserve Madame a jamais des pareilles
douleurs."
The Queen of the Belgians wrote : " Chartres was
the head, heart and soul of our family".
Marie Amelie gave more and more of her time
to religious practices, her piety became more ardent ;
she spent long hours in prayer at the Church of St.
Roche and afterwards at the memorial chapel erected
for the Due d'Orleans.
No one had heart for fetes now; life was some-
what sad at the Tuileries. The Queen exercised a
strict oversight over her young daughters-in-law,
Nemours, d'Aumale, Joinville and Montpensier, who
could not go out without the Queens permis-
sion, and telling her where they were going, and at
what hour, and she always made inquiries as to
the hour of their return. In the day time the grand-
children at their play made the palace a little lively,
but the evenings were dreary and monotonous. After
dinner the family assembled in the drawing-room, next
to the throne-room, and the Princesses sat round the
256
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
table at needlework, in order of precedence, the
eldest next the Queen.1
The Duchesse d'Orleans, who was of a very in-
dependent character, escaped this tutelage. After
her husband's death she lived chiefly in her own
apartments, occupying herself with her children, and
only appeared occasionally in the salon of an evening,
to please her mother-in-law. The Duchesse d'Or-
leans was a very noble character, much looked up to,
and though she had not the beauty of the Duchesse
de Nemours, it was said " one glance from the
Duchesse d'Orle'ans was worth a hundred from the
Duchesse de Nemours.
Her husband had been devoted to her, but the
difference of religion (she was a Protestant) was a
barrier to great intimacy with her mother-in-law,
and a certain reserve prevented her being quite one
of the family, as the other daughters-in-law were.
And though Louis Philippe always showed extreme
courtesy to his daughter-in-law, there seemed always
to be in his mind, and that of his sister, a lurking
fear that she might assert her claim to the regency
in the event of the King's death.
1 Though they submitted, they, except the Duchesse de Nem-
ours, probably rebelled at heart. The Duchesse de Montpensier,
who was in bad health, when in a particularly uncomfortable
position during the flight which followed the revolution of '48,
sitting on a dark winter's night in the rain, on a log outside a
town it was not safe to enter, while part of the escort had gone
to get relays, said to the general who was with her when he con-
doled with her on the trials of the position : "I much prefer these
adventures to sitting at needlework in the Tuileries ".
257 17
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
Her husband had left a will, in which he said that
in ease of his death, the Due de Nemours was to be
looked on as head of the family, and eventually
regent. His words were: ''Nemours will be the
head of my young family. I love him with more
than a brother's love, and his loyal character in-
spires me with the utmost confidence as to his con-
duct in the event of such a great future opening to
him. If, unfortunately, the King is not living to
watch over my son till his majority, Helene (his
wife) is not to allow her name to be brought for-
ward for the regency instead of my brother Nem-
ours. I have more confidence in his judgment than
my own."
There is no proof that the young widow did so,
but there was a party who used her name, because
they disliked the Due de Nemours, believing that
he was too conservative. Also he was of too retir-
ing and reserved disposition to be generally popular.
" He was esteemed and respected, but he avoided
recognition as much as most people seek it. His
noble conduct during the campaigns in Africa had
won the attachment of all his comrades in the army.
Everywhere, and on all occasions, he did his duty and
more than his duty."
Although not heir to the Throne, after his
brother's death, he had to fulfil the functions of
that position, owing to the infancy of the Comte
de Paris, and henceforth the King depended on him
for everything, and would do nothing without con-
sulting him.
268
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
When the King opened the Chambers he was
supported by four of his sons. After alluding to
the calamity which had befallen him, he broke
down in his address, and even those who were his
enemies felt compassion and sympathy.
259
CHAPTER XIV.
Visit of Queen Victoria to France — Visit of Louis Philippe to
England — Death of Madame Adelaide — Disturbed State of
France — Eevolution of 1848 — Abdication and Flight of King
and Queen.
Europe began to see that it owed recognition to
King Louis Philippe for keeping down the revolu-
tionary spirit which threatened to spread to all
countries ; and it was acknowledged also that his
foreign policy made for peace. In 1840 Queen Vic-
toria wrote to the King of the Belgians about the
threatening aspect of affairs in the East : " We owe
much of the change in the attitude of France to
the peaceful disposition of the King, for which I
feel grateful. Pray offer to him on his birthday
my best and sincerest wishes for his happiness and
health. May he live many years for the benefit of
all Europe ! "
In 1843 Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort
paid a visit to the French royal family at the Chateau
d'Eu, in Normandy. Eu is near Dieppe and close to
the Forest of Arques. Louis Philippe had inherited
it from his mother, who had inherited it from her
great uncle, the Due de Maine, son of Louis XIV.
It had been part of the inheritance of la Grande
260
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Mademoiselle,1 who was persuaded by Mme. de Mon-
tespan to bestow it on the Due de Maine, as price of
the liberty of Mademoiselle's lover, Lauzun. It was
the favourite country seat of the d'Orleans family.
The Queen of England was enthusiastically re-
ceived when she landed at Treport. Next day, 3rd
September, 1843, a great entertainment was given
in the banqueting hall of the chateau. On the 4th
a fUe champetre, on the Mont d'Orleans, in the
Forest of Arques ; on the 5th a review. On the
7th the English royalties concluded their visit.
A French orator compared the meeting of the
King of the French and the Queen of England to
that of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
This visit undoubtedly improved the position of
the d'Orleans dynasty, Queen Victoria being the
first among the sovereigns of Europe to visit Louis
Philippe on equal terms. It also strengthened the
feelings of private friendship between the two royal
families, already closely connected by the Belgian and
Saxe-Cobourg marriages. From d'Eu, Queen Victoria
wrote to her uncle : "I am writing from this dear
place where we are in the midst of this truly amiable
family. We feel quite at home and as if we were
one of them. Our reception by the dear King and
Queen has been most kind, and by the people, really
gratifying."
The King of the Belgians replied : " I was
sure that personal contact with the family at Eu
would be agreeable to you, and at the same time
1 Daughter of Gaston d'Orleans.
261
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
remove some general impressions on the subject of
the King, which are untrue, particularly the attempt
to represent him as the most astute of men, calcu-
lating constantly to deceive people. His vivacity
and thoroughly French loquacity would make such
a system particularly difficult for him."
In the following year, October, 1844, Louis
Philippe returned Queen Victorias visit, but was
not accompanied by his wife, whose tender and un-
ceasing solicitude for him made her nervous, for fear
he should be imprudent, and risk his health on this
occasion.
Her daughter, the Queen of the Belgians, writing
to Queen Victoria, said : " My dear mother is uneasy
for fear that, being at liberty and without her at his
side to remind him, my father will play the young
man, ride about and do everything as if he were
twenty ! If I must tell you the truth, she is afraid
he will eat too much ! I am sure he will tell you
this himself as he was much amused. He is naturally
so imprudent, and thinks so little about himself, that
he requires to be watched to prevent his doing what
is injurious to himself. Though my father has sent
over his horses, my mother begs you, if possible, to
prevent his riding at all. He is one of the most easy
beings to please, and his eventful life has used him
to everything. A hard bed and a large table for
papers are all that he requires in his room. Mamma
has given all instructions to Toto,1 and told him to
speak directly to Albert, if necessary."
1 Due de Montpensier, who accompanied his father to England.
262
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
In England the excitement and curiosity to see
Louis Philippe was very great. He was the first
French king to come on a visit to a sovereign of
England. He was enthusiastically received wherever
he appeared, and was installed as a Knight of the
Garter at Windsor, with great magnificence.
Queen Victoria wrote : " The dear King's visit
went off to perfection. He was delighted. What
an extraordinary man he is ! What stores of in-
formation ! What a memory ! How lively ! How
sagacious he is ! I am certain the visit will do great
good."
Unfortunately, two years later, the friendship
between the two royal families greatly cooled down,
owing to Louis Philippe's bad faith over the Spanish
marriages.
The marriage of the Queen of Spain and her
sister was considered an international question. It
was agreed that no son of Louis Philippe should
marry the Queen, and also that no son of his should
marry her sister till the Queen herself was married
and had children. In defiance of this agreement,
when such a husband was got for the Queen of Spain
as made it improbable she would ever have chil-
dren, at the same time her sister's engagement was
announced to the Due de Montpensier.
Queen Victoria never forgot this, though she for-
gave it when misfortune overtook the French royal
family and they had to seek refuge in her dominions.
In January, 1848, Mdme. Adelaide, the King's
sister, died. It was an irreparable loss to the royal
263
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
family. Her brother was accustomed to visit her
daily, and to discuss with her, and take her opinion
on all affairs of State, as well as of the family.
The newspapers of the day said : " The death of
Mdme. Adelaide is an important political event. Had
she survived her brother, she would have taken his
place as head of the family, over which she exercised
great influence, owing to her powers of mind and
great wealth. She would have carried on the tra-
ditions of his policy ; her courage never failed, her
will was never undecided."
It is generally acknowledged that her death con-
tributed to the fall of the d'Orleans dynasty. In the
events that were about to take place, she, who always
discerned the crucial point of a situation, would have
advised her brother to necessary concessions or to
determined resistance.
There had now been many years of material pros-
perity in France, and it appeared as if the people
were satisfied to enjoy it, and thought only of en-
riching themselves. But in reality only the surface
was smooth, underneath discontent with the Govern-
ment was seething. There were some who saw that
the liberties and privileges for which they had fought
during two or three revolutions, were gradually being
diminished, that the people had really little voice in
the Government, where they were represented by a
body of officials entirely devoted to the King. Cor-
ruption had entered into all the elections, parliament-
ary purity was a byeword ; there had been several
bad harvests, famine threatened the country, the
264
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
budget was threatened with a deficit, and the ex-
penses of the country were in excess of the income.
A universal outcry arose for electoral reform. In
many large provincial cities banquets were organised,
nominally for the discussion of reform, which were
really meetings to spread democratic ideas, and or-
ganise opposition to the Government. The King and
Prime Minister, Guizot, did not regard this movement
as of any great importance. They placed confidence
in the majority which the Government possessed in
the Chambers, and in the fidelity of the army, in
which the King's sons held commands, and in the
motives of self-interest of all the well-to-do, to avoid
change.
But in February, 1848, a banquet on a vast scale
was organised in Paris for the purpose of forwarding
reform. The Ministry claimed the right to forbid
this banquet. This involved the question of liberty
to hold public meetings, which had never before been
disputed.
Orleanists, liberals, republicans, legitimists united
in defending these rights. Heated discussions took
place in the Chambers, and Guizot announced that
the Government would defend its right of veto by
force.
The Reformers had decided to meet in front of
the Madeleine and proceed to the banquet, but gave
it up for fear of a massacre. However, the populace
assembled in great crowds at the Madeleine, and
barricades were raised. Government had called
out a strong and powerful body of troops, enough,
265
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
if well led, to put down any insurrection, but they
were commanded only to keep order, and not to fire
on the people till the last extremity.
The King, with much reluctance, had agreed to
announce that Guizot had resigned and a new
Ministry, with Mole* at its head, would be formed,
thinking that this was all that was necessary to re-
store peace and order.
Reports reached him that the National Guard,
when called out, cried : " Reform for ever ! " and
were interfering between the troops and the people.
The King placed the utmost confidence in the
National Guard, and this news amazed and con-
founded him. He mounted his horse and rode out
through the principal streets, but was everywhere
received with silence or marks of dissatisfaction.
On returning to the Tuileries an irregular council
was held, interrupted every moment by new arrivals
bringing contradictory reports as to the state of the
capital, and progress of the insurrection. The re-
placing of Guizot by Mole had had no effect. And
Thiers, leader of the Opposition, and Odillon Barrot
pledged themselves that if the King would make
them Ministers, and order the troops to cease fir-
ing on the people, the insurrection would cease at
once.
The following of this fatal advice led to the ruin
of the King's cause and his dethronement, for more
than a change of ministry was required to pacify the
people of Paris.
The Republicans had spent the night in organising
266
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
a general rising ; the Municipal Guard alone was
loyal to the King, for the regulars, disgusted at
their forced inaction, and at being left for hours in
the street without food or drink, were beginning,
at many posts in the city, to fraternise with the
mob.
While the King, worn out with fatigue, lay down
without undressing on a sofa, to snatch a little sleep,
groups in the anti-chambers were already discussing
the possibilities of his pacifying the insurrection, or
the contingent necessity of his abdication. Next
morning he awoke to hear that the mob had sacked
his old ancestral home, the Palais Royal. The tocsin
was sounding, news came that there had been much
street fighting and many lives lost. The King was
overwhelmed, so secure had he felt in his position.
Marie Amelie showed herself equal to the position
and endeavoured to arouse him. " Come," she said,
"place yourself at the head of the troops, who are
disgusted by forced inaction, rally the National Guard,
who are wavering ; * I and our daughters and grand-
children will place ourselves on the balcony, and if
you fail, will see you die in a manner worthy of your-
self and your Throne ! " All the Queen's pride of
race and love for her husband and children con-
centrated itself in this passionate appeal. In her
opinion their life came second to their honour. Her
white hair contrasting with the fire of her eyes and
the colour of her cheeks, flushed with emotion, made
her a tragic figure.
1 Subsequently they fought gallantly and were all massacred.
267
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The King asked her to trust to his wisdom and
experience to know how to deal with the situation.
To Marshal Bugeaud, who implored to be allowed
to put the 100,000 troops at his command to action,
and use force to restore order, the King replied :
"I do not wish French blood to be spilled for my
cause ".
The day wore on, and the King, in neglige cos-
tume, joined his family at dinner. The noise and
uproar in the city were heard drawing nearer, and
the meal was interrupted by the unceremonious en-
trance of three Ministers, who exclaimed : " Sire,
you must know the truth, you deceive yourself as
to the safety of yourself and family. A few hundred
yards from your palace your dragoons are giving their
guns and swords to the mob,1 who are marching on
the Tuileries."
" Impossible," cried the King.
" We have seen it," was the reply.
The King rose from the table and went to his
Cabinet, and held council with Thiers, Remusat,
Lamorciere, the Due de Montpensier and others.
The Due de Montpensier took a very prominent
part in the discussions, urging his father to an-
nounce further concessions or to abdicate.
A prolonged fusillade was heard outside, and a
cannon ball struck the roof of the Tuileries. The
King's apartment was crowded, indescribable con-
1 The troops had been in the street from Tuesday morning to
Wednesday night without food or drink. The populace supplied
their wants, and they fraternised.
268
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
fusion prevailed, every one giving an opinion to
which no one else listened. Members of the house-
hold, the late Ministry, courtiers, councillors, officers,
the Princesses and their children, had gathered
there.
At this crisis Emile Girardin burst uncere-
moniously into the apartment, said that an immense
concourse was marching on the Tuileries, and ab-
dication alone could save the lives of the King and
his family. Others cried : " There is not a moment
to lose ".
The Queen alone retained her dignity and com-
posure. Having found that words had no effect, she
retired into the recess of a window and looked at the
King with an indignant expression, and tears in her
eyes.
What impulse possessed the King it is impossible
to say. He was old, bewildered by the sudden and
unexpected catastrophe, perhaps weary of fighting.
After a short pause he said: "I will abdicate in
favour of my grandson, the Comte de Paris".
The Duchesse d'Orleans threw herself on her
knees and implored him not to take this step.
The King seated himself at a table. The Due de
Montpensier put a pen into his father's hand and
urged him not to delay. Louis Philippe wrote the
abdication slowly and carefully, though he afterwards
said: " Eager eyes followed every word I wrote as
if to hasten me, and there were cries of ' You have not
a moment to lose, Sire ' ".
The words written were : "I abdicate, in favour
269
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of my grandson, the Comte de Paris, the crown which
the will of the nation called upon me to wear. May
he, more fortunate than myself, fill for the happiness
of France the high office that now devolves on him ".
Having signed it, Louis Philippe pushed the paper,
with an impatient gesture, towards the Due de Mont-
pensier, who handed it to a Minister ; then rising, he
deposited his sword and orders on the table, and
joined the Queen at the window.1
The King's adherents seemed dumbfounded, but
there were others who urged the necessity of his
immediate departure, and would hardly allow him
time to go to his room to remove his uniform and
put on a plain black coat. Having done so, with
the Queen on his arm, he passed slowly through
the corridor to the Pavilion de l'Horloge.
Louis Philippe, as a man, was personally popular.
The bravest soldiers had tears in their eyes, as they
pressed forward to kiss the hands of their late sove-
reigns ; those who could not do this kissed some part
of their clothing, sobbing.
The Queen preserved her composure and dignified
manner, but to Thiers 2 she said : " Ah, Monsieur, you
were not worthy of such a good King ! "
At the door of his apartment Louis Philippe
1 Had the Duo d'Orleans, " Chartres," been alive, this calamity
would never have happened. He would have died, if necessary,
defending the crown to which he was heir. He often said : " My
ideas as to revolutions are well known. March straight upon the
insurgents, get to the end and the bottom, and do it promptly."
2 Leader of the Opposition, prime cause of the downfall.
270
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
had turned to his daughter-in-law * who would have
followed them, saying, "No, Helene, you must stay
here ".
The Due de Montpensier, Duchesse de Nemours,
Princess Clementine of Saxe-Cobourg and her hus-
band, six grandchildren, carried by persons of the suite,
the King's aids-de-camp, many officers of the house-
hold, some deputies and faithful friends followed the
venerable pair as they walked slowly, escorted by the
National Guard, through the garden to the terrace
gate, where carriages had been ordered to await them.
But there were no carriages, the mob had already
burned part of the stables, killed the outriders and
seized the landaus ; but one of the officers managed
to get hold of two one horse broughams and a cab-
riolet, and brought them to the entrance where the
royal party were waiting, in a very precarious position,
among a crowd every moment increasing.
At this juncture Marie Amelie's fortitude gave
way, she burst into sobs, trembled, and was on the
point of fainting, and the King had to lift her into
the carriage which just then arrived ; he seated him-
self beside her, and the rest of the party bestowed
themselves in the other carriages.2 At the last moment
the little Due d'Alen^on (son of Nemours) was pushed
through the window on to the King's lap ; a squadron
of cuirassiers cleared the way and accompanied the
carriages, which set out at full gallop to St. Cloud.
1 Duchesse d 'Orleans.
2 There was no room for Princess Clementine and her husband,
who went on foot to the railway station and got away.
271
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The horses of two of the escort were shot at and
killed en route. At the Pont des Invalides an armed
band of insurgents made some attempt to stop the
cortege, but retired before the determined attitude
of the cuirassiers, and the fugitives arrived safely at
St. Cloud.
General St. Ang^ly and General Carrelet had
ridden on either side of the carriage in which the
King and Queen were seated ; at St. Cloud, Louis
Philippe dismissed them and the escort. The parting
was pathetic and emotional on both sides. Louis
Philippe commanding them to go to the Due de Ne-
mours, the regent, for further orders.
At St. Cloud the royal family examined their
resources and found that, having come away so hastily,
when all pockets were turned out, altogether there
was not enough money to pay for posthorses to Eu.
However, the postmaster1 of Versailles was loyal
and devoted, and sent the late King twenty-eight
horses and said : " These are the best horses in
my stable, drive them till they drop if necessary ;
do not think of my loss, only save yourselves,
Sire."
They set out for Dreux, and arrived at nightfall.
When the Prefect, who knew nothing of what had oc-
curred, presented himself to inquire as to the reason
of this unannounced arrival at an untimely hour,
Louis Philippe said: "I am no longer King. But
1 A contrast to the postmaster at St. Menehold who stopped the
flight of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, sent them back to Paris
and the scaffold.
272
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
I trust you in my days of adversity as I did in days
of prosperity. Then with much emotion and indig-
nation he related all that had happened. The two
officials were overwhelmed with grief ; they hastened
to provide all that was necessary, borrowing from
the townspeople, furniture, linen, clothing, plate
and food, for the chateau was under repair and
empty.
The Sub-Prefect also provided the King with
money, some hundreds of pounds, and posted a
guard around the chateau for security.
The King believed that his abdication would have
put an end to the insurrection in Paris, and wished
to wait at Dreux for news. During the night a
friend of the Prefect's arrived from Paris, and an-
nounced that hardly had the royal family gone, when
the mob swarmed into the Tuileries, sacked and
devastated it, destroying everything 1 but the throne,
which they carried in derision through the streets ; and
that the Chambers had refused to accept the Comte
de Paris and a regency, and had declared a Republic.
History repeats itself. It is impossible that at
this juncture Louis Philippe could have failed to
realise that the fate that had overtaken him,
was precisely the same as that of his predecessor,
1 Except the apartments of the Duchesse d'Orleans. About to
enter, they were told who was the occupant, and retired with ex-
pressions of respect, posting a guard to prevent further intrusion.
The widowed Duchess was much touched by this proof of the
affection inspired by her husband's memory, even at such a time
of excitement.
273 18
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Charles X.,1 whose place he had taken, and by whose
example he had failed to profit.
The Prefect went early to give the news to Louis
Philippe, who was still in bed. Marie Amelie had
regained her courage, or rather exchanged it for
resignation, and contrived to console the King and
soften the bitterness of this latest blow.
A council was held around the King's bed, and it
was agreed that the family must separate, so as to
avoid attracting notice on the way, and get without
delay to the coast.
The King and Queen were to go by by-roads to
a friend's cottage near Honfleur, and await a chance
to cross to England.
The Due de Montpensier was to accompany the
Duchesse de Nemours and the children to Avranches,
thence by Channel Isles to England.
The daughter of the Duchesse de Nemours was
with the Princess Clementine of Saxe-Cobourg and
her husband, who, finding no room in the carriages
that conveyed the rest of the royal family from the
Tuileries, had managed to make their way on foot to
a railway station, and took train to Versailles, where
they went straight to the Prefecture and placed
themselves under the protection of the Prefect, to
have them conveyed in safety to Eu, whence they
found their way to England after a while.
So little had she anticipated the turn that events
1 Charles X. abdicated in favour of the Due de Bordeaux, his
grandson, as Louis Philippe had done for the Comte de Paris, his
grandson.
274
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
would take in Paris, and the necessity of immediate
flight, that Marie Ame'lie had ordered and meant to
attend a mass in memory of her eldest son, who lay
buried in the Mausoleum of the d'Orleans family at
Dreux. This intention she was unable to carry out.
They decided to leave behind the carriages in
which they had come to Dreux, and to borrow one
from a friend there that would be less noticeable.
The King shaved off his whiskers, and discarded
his wig, appearing as bald as nature made him. These
alterations, and a costume consisting of close cap, a
cloak and goggles, were a very effectual disguise.
The Queen also dressed herself in the plainest and
least noticeable style.
Preparations were made as quickly as possible,
and when all was ready the King and Queen, M. de
Rumigny the aide-de-camp, and the Queen's femme de
chambre, got into a closed carriage, and the Prefect,
M. Marechal, mounted on the box.
At Anat he was able to procure passports under a
feigned name, also a further supply of money, £400.
At St. Andre it was market day. The relays
were not ready. Rumours spread that the hated
Guizot was in the carriage. A threatening crowd
assembled. Gendarmes seemed doubtful when pass-
ports were presented.
M. Marechal was well known in the district. He
took one of the gendarmes aside and confided in him,
flattered his vanity and aroused his sympathy. This
man declared the passports were correct and dis-
persed the 'crowd.
275
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
At Evreux, fearing more difficulty, M. Marechal
dared not take the party through the town, and drove
to a farmhouse on the estate of a friend.
The farmer was let into the secret, and showed
good feeling and devotion. He entered warmly into
M. Marechal's plans, offered his own horses, har-
nessed them to the King's carriage, and drove them
himself, and found a trustworthy friend to provide
another vehicle and to take the Queen by another
route.
After driving all night on different roads the King
and Queen met again at their destination, a small
cottage belonging to a friend. It was hidden among
trees, not far from Honfleur. Here they remained
nine days, with closed shutters, only lighting a fire
at night, so that smoke should not be seen and lead
any one to imagine the house was inhabited.
M. Lamartine denies that these precautions were
necessary. He says : "At the first sitting of the
Provisional Government,1 the first question that came
up was the treatment of the dethroned King. The
decision was unanimous that he must be protected
from violence, and his private property from con-
fiscation. That he was to be allowed to retire
whither he willed, and as soon as his whereabouts
could be discovered he was to be provided with
necessary funds and suitable escort to conduct him
to a place of embarkation. Lamartine was charged
to carry out this office. There was placed at his
disposal 300,000 francs from the Treasury and four
1 Of which he was the President.
276
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
trustworthy commissioners, M. Oscar Lafayette, Fer-
dinand Lasteyrie, Champonneux and Durgand, who
respected the Throne and sympathised with the mis-
fortunes of the dethroned King and his family, to
hold themselves in readiness to start. A travelling
carriage was also held in readiness. Inquiries were
made of the late King's personal friends, but whether
from suspicion of the motives prompting the inquiries
or not, all professed complete ignorance.
Meanwhile, hearing nothing of these good in-
tentions, Generals Rumigny and Dumas were seeking
the means of safe transit to England for the late
King and Queen.
The King, fearing to be recognised and arrested
in Havre, went on foot to Trouville. A merchant,
M. Gualtier, sheltered him for two days and advised
hiring a fishing boat to take them out to sea, there to
board an English steamer. The first master of a boat
had suspicions and asked an exorbitant price, and
was dismissed. The next applied to also suspected
who the passengers might be, and offered his boat
gratuitously, and it was thankfully accepted. The
first, however, in revenge for the refusal of his boat,
spread reports in the town that the King was there
in hiding. Hearing of these rumours, Louis Philippe
left the merchant's house and went alone on foot,
through mud and rain on a dark night back to the
cottage where the Queen was hidden.
A young naval officer, M. Bresson, at Havre, heard
rumours which led him to put the English Consul
into communication with the King.
' 277
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The captain of an English steamer going from
Southampton to Havre was asked if he would take on
board passengers approaching him in a fishing boat
some distance from shore. He refused, but com-
municated these overtures to the Admiralty. Lord
Palmerston in consequence wrote to the British Con-
suls at all the northern ports of France to do all they
could to help the King to cross. The result of these
orders could not be better told than by transcribing
the letter written by Mr. Featherstonhaugh, British
Consul at Havre, to Lord Palmerston, who afterwards
remarked that it equalled the best of Walter Scott's
tales.
" Havre, 3rd March, 1848.
M My dear Lord Palmerston, it was a hair-trigger
affair altogether, but thanks be to God everything
has gone off admirably. I was obliged to abandon
the plan of trusting the King in a fishing boat from
Trouville. Had he attempted to find the steamer
he might have failed, the weather was very stormy,
the sea in a furious state, and the wind ahead, so
there was also the danger of the fishing boat being
lost.
" I therefore abandoned the plan, and after much
and careful reflection determined to execute one more
within my control, and the boldness of which though
trying to the nerves was its very essence of success.
It was to bring the King and Queen into Havre itself
before anybody could suspect such a dangerous in-
tention and have everything ready for their embarka-
278
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
tion to a minute. To carry out the plan I wanted
vigilant, intelligent and firm agents and I found
them.
" It was known to me that the lower classes sus-
pected that it was M. Guizot who was in hiding at
Trouville, and as some sinister occurrence might be
expected there, I sent a faithful person into Calvados.
It was high time.
" The mob had assembled at the house where the
King was, who had to slip out at the back door and
walk two leagues till he reached the cottage near
Honfleur where the Queen was.
"At half- past six yesterday morning my agent saw
the King and Queen, who after some conversation
sent him back to me with this message : ' That they
would wait where they were until they heard again
from me, and would carry out my final arrangements
with exactitude as far as it depended on them \ I
now instructed Captain Paul to be ready at half-past
seven p.m. when it would be dark, to have his water
hot, ready to get up steam ; to have only a rope moored
to the quay with an anchor astern ; to expect me with
a party a little before eight p.m., and as soon as I had
got on board with my party and told him to push off,
he was to let me go on shore, cut his rope and cable,
get into the middle of the basin, up with his steam
and jib and push for England.
u Not a word was to be spoken on board. To get
the King here from Honfleur, the following method
was adopted : M. Bresson, a loyal and intelligent
officer in the French navy, well known to the King,
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THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
and Mr. Jones, my vice-consul, went in the steam ferry-
boat at a quarter to five to Honfleur. From the
landing place it is three-quarters of a mile to the place
where the King and Queen were concealed. The ferry-
boat was to leave Honfleur for Havre at a quarter
before seven. I had given M. Bresson a passport for
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and with this passport the King
was to walk to the landing place, where he was to be
met by my vice-consul and be governed by him. If
the gendarmes disputed the passport, Mr. Jones was
to vouch for its regularity and say I had sent him
to conduct my uncle, Mr. Smith, to Havre. M. Bres-
son was to follow with the Queen, and the suite were
to come to the ferry-boat one after another, but were
not to know each other. The ferry-boat was to arrive
at Havre at half -past seven, a white handkerchief was
to be twice exhibited as a signal that all was right so
far. The difficulty with the gendarmes being infinitely
more to be apprehended and provided against here than
there. I first confidentially communicated to the great-
est gossips in the town that I had seen a written state-
ment from an official person that the King had reached
England in a fishing boat from Treport, and I then
got some persons whom I could rely upon, sons of my
tradesmen here, who are in the National Guard, to
be near the steamer that was to receive the King, to
give me their assistance if it should be necessary on
account of the turbulence of the crowd, to embark
some friends of mine who were going to England.
And if an extraordinary number of gendarmes were
stationed at the steamer and made a difficulty about
280
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
letting my uncle go on board, then about 100 yards
off I had two persons who were to pretend a quarrel
and begin a fight, to which I knew the gendarmes
and the crowd would go at once. But I hoped that as
Captain Paul made no noise with his steam, no crowd
or extra gendarmes would assemble. The anxiously
expected moment then arrived. The ferry-boat came
to the quay, and though it was dark I distinguished
the white handkerchief. There was a great number
of passengers, which favoured the debarcation.
When half of them were out, the trembling Queen
came up the ladder. I took her hand, telling her
who I was, and M. Bresson walked with her towards
our steamer.
"At last came the King, disguised, his whiskers
shaved off, a sort of casquette on his head and
immense goggles over his eyes, and wearing a coarse
overcoat. Not being able to see well, he stumbled, so
I advanced, took his hand and said : ' Ah, dear uncle,
I am delighted to see you ', upon which he answered :
'My dear George, I am glad you are here'. The
English about me now opened the crowd for their
consul and his uncle, and I moved off to a quiet,
shaded part of the quay. But my uncle talked
so loud and so much that I had the greatest difficulty
to make him keep silence. At length we reached
the steamer ; it was like a clockwork movement, the
crowd was again opened before me. I conducted
the King to a state-room below, gave him some in-
formation, and having personally ascertained that the
Queen was in her cabin, and being very much touched
281
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
with her tears and grateful acknowledgments, I re-
spectfully took leave, gave the captain word to cut
loose, and scrambled ashore. In twenty minutes the
steamer was outside, steaming away for England. I
drove down to the jetty and had the last satisfaction
of seeing her beyond the possibility of recall, and
then drove home. Information has just reached me
that one hour after the King and Queen left their
hiding place, the cottage, last night, and just as I
was embarking them, an officer and three gendarmes
went to the cottage to arrest him. They were sent
by the new Republican Prefect.1 It appears that the
merchant who had given him shelter at Trouville,
betrayed his place of retreat at Honfleur. What an
escape ! Here no one has any proof. Only four of
us were in the secret, and we know nothing of Louis
Philippe, only of Mr. Smith. People are much
mystified, many suspect, but almost every one is
delighted to think the King may have escaped.
" I have the honour to be, etc.,
" G. W. Featherstonhaugh."
After a terribly rough passage the King and
Queen arrived safely at Newhaven. When Louis
Philippe set foot on shore he exclaimed : " Thank
God ! I am on British ground ! " They drove to a
little inn, where the landlady received them so kindly
1Lamartine said the Prefect must have acted on his own
initiative. The Provisional Government had given no such orders,
and were ignorant of it.
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
and respectfully that they were quite touched, and
though many persons came to pay their respects, and
better accommodation was offered, they determined not
to move till they received answers to letters addressed
to the Queen of England.
283
CHAPTEE XV.
Arrival of the King and Queen in England, followed by that of
other Members of the Family — Their Adventures en route —
Kindness of Queen Victoria, who gives them a Residence at
Claremont — Life at Claremont — Opinion of Europe as to
Abdication — Death of Louis Philippe — Marie Amelie's Visits
to the Continent — Her Meeting with the Comte de Chambord
— Death of the Duchesse de Nemours — Celebration of Marie
Amelie's seventy-fifth Birthday.
On arriving at Newhaven the whole party were un-
provided with anything but the clothes they wore,
and General Dumas had to go at once to London to
interview the King's banker.
The King's first care was to write to Queen
Victoria and ask for a place of refuge for himself
and Marie Amelie, as Comte and Comtesse de
Neuilly.
Marie Amelie also wrote to the Queen, as fol-
lows:—
" Newhaven, 3rd March, 1848.
" Having arrived on these hospitable shores, after
nine days of agony, my first thought, after returning
thanks to Providence, is to thank your Majesty from
the bottom of my heart, for the facilities placed at
our disposal, to enable us to come to this country to
pass our old age in tranquillity and oblivion.
284
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
" I am tormented with anxiety to know what has
befallen my dear children, from whom we were
obliged to separate ; I feel confidence that your
Majesty's generous heart has come to their assist-
ance, and that they have been saved, as their ad-
mirable father, my chief treasure, has been.
" May God bless you, Madame, as well as Prince
Albert and your children, and preserve you from mis-
fortunes such as ours ; this is the sincere wish of one
who is, Madame, entirely devoted to your Majesty.
" (Signed) Marie Amelie.' '
Queen Victoria hastened to answer both letters
in the kindest terms, and in concurrence with the
King of the Belgians, to place Claremont at their dis-
posal as a residence. Claremont was an appanage of
the Crown, and had been granted to Prince Leopold
of Saxe-Cobourg for life, on his first marriage to the
Princess Charlotte of Wales.
The ex-King and Queen went at once to Clare-
mont. On their journey great respect was shown
wherever they were recognised, everybody taking off
their hats.
Shortly afterwards Lord Malmesbury went to
visit them. He records in his journal : " We went to
Claremont to pay our respects to the exiled sovereigns.
We were shown into the drawing-room. Mme. de
Montjoie1 came in at once and said, the King and
Queen were busy writing ; however, in a few minutes
they entered. They were looking well in health but
1 Marie Amelie's lady-in-waiting and lifelong friend.
285
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
in wretchedly low spirits ; the King in particular
could hardly hold up his head."
The Prince Consort, on behalf of the Queen, went
down to Claremont on the 7th of March ; the ex-King
and Queen visited Queen Victoria at Buckingham
Palace. She wrote to her uncle : " They both look
very dejected, and the poor Queen cried much in
thinking of what she had gone through, and what
dangers the King had incurred ; in short, humbled,
poor people they looked."
Amidst the sympathy evoked by the downfall of
Louis Philippe, rightly or wrongly, the idea of Ne-
mesis obtruded itself : that his fate was identical with
that from which he had not saved his predecessor
Charles X.1
The King of Prussia wrote to Queen Victoria :
" The fate of the poor old King and the whole honour-
able and respectable family cuts me to the heart. We
owe Louis Philippe eighteen happy years of peace.
No noble heart must forget that. And yet, who
would not recognise the avenging hand of the King
of Kings in all this ? "
There was also a general feeling that the abdi-
cation had been precipitate and premature. Members
of the family felt that had the Due dAumale or Prince
de Joinville been in France a bolder policy would
have been followed. The immense body of troops at
the King's disposal only needed a leader, and the
Due d'Aumale also was in Algeria at the head of a
1 For Marie Amelie the greatest sympathy, and also admiration,
was felt by all.
286
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
large army entirely devoted to him, who burned to be
allowed to return to France to fight for his dynasty.
He showed great patriotism in not yielding to their
entreaties, being desirous to avoid civil war, but
neither he nor the King's abdication prevented that ;
the sacrifice was unavailing. Under the name of the
Republic, complete anarchy reigned in France, and in
the terrible strife that ensued more lives were lost
than in any of Napoleon's battles, and the number of
generals who perished exceeded those cut off at Boro-
dino or Waterloo.
The Prince de Joinville would not have let his
father relinquish the crown without a blow, but he
had foreseen that a struggle was imminent and tried
to open his father's eyes in vain. He said that the
people were tired of the Government, that the rest-
less nature of the French people made them welcome
any and all changes. Certain it is that they were
now bent on ruining all the prosperity that had been
built up during eighteen years of peace, and trying in
succession various forms of Government, without
changing the French temperament, and thus alienat-
ing the confidence of foreign nations in the stability
of any French Government.1
After the departure of the King and Queen from
the Tuileries the Duchesse d'Orleans and her two
little boys, Comte de Paris and Due de Chartres,
escorted by the Due de Nemours, went to the Chamber
1 Lord John Eussell remarked : " If neither Napoleon nor Louis
Philippe consolidate a dynasty in France, who will ever be able to
doit?
287
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
of Deputies to claim protection, which was granted,
though the Chamber refused to recognise the rights
of the Comte de Paris or the regency of the Due de
Nemours. The poor children enjoyed the spectacle
as if they were at a play, and when the assembly
applauded M. Cremieux's speech refusing to consent
to the regency, the young King (Comte de Paris)
seeing a great number of people clapping their hands,
did the same. Thus his little hands applauded the
measure which dethroned him ; a touching sight,
which did not pass unnoticed even at such a time
of excitement.
During the Sitting an armed mob forced their
way into the Chamber, and the Deputies formed
themselves into a hedge round the Duchess and
her children. Finally, fresh inroads of bloodthirsty
ruffians made it necessary for her to retire. She and
her children were almost crushed to death by the
crowd and trampled under foot, and were separated
from each other and from the Due de Nemours.
M. de Mornay managed to convey the Duchesse
d'Orle*ans and Comte de Paris (who had been picked
up and restored to her by a National Guard) to the
Invalides, and then to the Castle of Ligny a few
leagues out of Paris. The other child, Chartres,
had been rolled on the ground and trampled on
by the crowd ; he was rescued by the devotion of
two Alsatian ushers of the Assembly and was re-
stored after three days to his mother at Ligny,
from thence friends escorted them to the railway
at Lille, and they arrived safely at Ems on the
288
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Rhine, where the mother of the Duchesse d'Orle*ans
resided.
The rest of the royal family, by various routes
and after various adventures, found their way to
England and Claremont.
The Duchesse de Montpensier encountered many
difficulties and had hairbreadth escapes, and displayed
a coolness and courage that excited the warmest
admiration of her escorts, M. Estancelin and General
Thierry. The Princess Clementine of Saxe-Cobourg
and her husband and children went to stay at
Buckingham Palace ; Queen Victoria also invited
the Nemours, but visits were exchanged only, the
Nemours remaining at the embassy until they found
a cottage at East Sheen, for the Due de Nemours
shrank from publicity.
All enmity between England and Louis Philippe's
projects as King ceased with his deposition, and the
Ministers approved of every assistance and kindness
being shown to the exiles, by the Queen, as her
relatives and friends in their private capacity, though
it would be necessary for England to recognise any
new government that could be established in France.
France being in a state of confusion, it was im-
possible for Louis Philippe to get possession of his
property, and for some time the family were in pecu-
niary straits.
But eventually he recovered his property. Any
attempts at the confiscation of Louis Philippe's pri-
vate property were steadily repulsed by the Provi-
sional Government and its successors. The Assembly
289 19
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
of 28th October, 1848, had issued a decree for the res-
stitution of all the real estate and personal property of
the d 'Orleans family. An administrator of approved
loyalty, M. E. Bocher, was appointed, and the liqui-
dation of the civil list was carried out in the most
honourable and regular manner, and even the arrears
of the dowry of the Duchesse d'Orleans were paid
with exactness. It is believed that Louis Philippe re-
ceived about £1,000,000 sterling. He himself, though
accused of avarice, had saved nothing, having ex-
pended his large revenues on works of public utility
and in restoring and embellishing the national pal-
aces, the Tuileries, St. Cloud, Meudon, Versailles and
Fontainebleau.
Although their property was restored, an act was
passed exiling all members of the d'Orleans family,
and prohibiting their setting foot on French soil.
How bitterly this was felt can be well imagined.
Claremont1 is a large square building, with a
Grecian peristyle, situated in a fine park, with fine
views of the Thames and surrounding county of
Surrey. It is a spacious house, and was able to ac-
commodate the ex-King and Queen and the Due and
Duchesse de Nemours and their children, as well
as the Prince and Princess de Joinville and their
children. The Due and Duchesse d'Aumale took
a house at Twickenham. The Duchesse d'Orleans
and her sons remained in Germany till 1850, when
they took a house at Esher, near Claremont.
Louis Philippe only survived his abdication two
1 Now occupied by the Duchess of Albany.
290
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
years, and died at Claremont on 26th August, 1850,
aged seventy-seven. He died a Christian's death,
receiving the Communion and extreme unction, sur-
rounded by his sons and daughters and his eleven
grandchildren. He himself had said : " The world
will not do me justice till I am dead". Posterity
has realised the many fine qualities of his complex
character, and the services he rendered to Europe in
combating revolutionary forces.
It was intimated to Queen Marie Amelie that the
use of Claremont would be granted to her for her
life, so she continued to live there with her children
and grandchildren, showing admirable courage, res-
ignation and self-control, and being the link which
united the whole family. She was to survive her
husband for sixteen years.
The Due de Nemours was ever the Queen's right
hand, and the little Court who had followed the family
into exile remained ever faithful ; death alone removed
them. Prominent among them were the Generals
de Chabannes and de Dumas, the wife of the former,
and the Marquises de Beauvoir and Lasteyrie, and
the tutors and governesses of the de Nemours and de
Joinville children, and M. Trognon, formerly tutor
and then secretary to Prince de Joinville ; also the
Abbe Guelle, formerly vicar of the Madeleine. At
Claremont he fulfilled the office of almoner, and
taught the catechism to the Queen's grandchildren,
and prepared them for their first communion, religion
being in Marie Amelie's opinion the foundation-stone
of education.
291
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The Nemours children were brought up on
Spartan lines, early rising, cold tubs,1 plain food, a
very severe course of horsemanship and gymnastics
and swimming exercises, calculated to make them in
every respect fearless.
All the royal grandchildren were brought up to
remember, first of all, that they were Frenchmen.
France was the theme of the daily conversation they
heard among their elders, and every boy and girl had
to have the geography of France and the chief events
in its history at their finger-ends, as well as the gene-
alogy of the French royal family.
Many visitors from France came to Claremont,
some for a few days, some for a few hours. Former
officers of the household, old generals, diplomats,
politicians, literary men, old friends like Raoul de
Montmorency (a great favourite of Marie Am&ie),
Philippe de Rohan Chabot, Anatole de Montesquiou,
and others, too many to enumerate.
Doctor Henri de Mussy was a very valued mem-
ber of the circle. He had thought to come to Eng-
land for a short time, but yielding to the pressing
requests of Marie Amelie, he remained for twenty-
three years the family doctor, and (as the Comte de
Raris stated in his will) " their friend, comforter and
counsellor."
Surrounded by the love and veneration of old
friends and adherents, and with the varied interests
of her children and grandchildren to occupy her mind,
Marie Amelie could never feel dull or lonely.
1 " Le regime de l'eponge d'eau glacee."
292
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Three months after the death of her husband she
had to submit to another sorrow, the death of her
specially loved daughter, the Queen of the Belgians.
Marie Amelie had the consolation of being able to
go to Brussels to be with her daughter in her last
hours, then returned to Claremont. Her sons and
daughters-in-law had borne their reverse of fortune
in the most praiseworthy manner. Queen Victoria
wrote : " Really, the three Rrincesses are astonishing
and a beautiful lesson to every one. They are so much
admired and respected for it. My beloved Vic,1 with
her lovely face, is perfection, and so cheerful. She
often comes to see me, which is a great pleasure to
me."
The Revolution of '48 spread throughout Europe ;
Austria, Germany, Prussia and Italy were convulsed,
Switzerland in the throes of an internecine struggle.
Only Belgium and England remained unaffected, but
the occupiers of both thrones felt the insecure position
of royalty nevertheless.
The King of the Belgians remarks : " The posi-
tion of what is called royalty has of late become ex-
tremely difficult. They are more calumniated, and
judged with less indulgence than private individuals.
The transition from sovereign power to absolute want
has been as frequent as sudden. When I look at my
poor children, I feel their future existence is on the
cards."2
1 Duchesse de Nemours.
2 One, the Princess Charlotte, became the unfortunate Empress
of Mexico, whose husband, Maximilian, was executed.
293
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Queen Victoria in reply wrote : M Since February,
the Revolution of '48, I feel an uncertainty in every-
thing existing which I never felt before. When one
thinks of one's children and their future I say to
myself ; ' Let them grow up fit for whatever station
they may be placed in, high or low '. Things one
would have complained of bitterly some months ago
now seem trifles, provided one can keep one's position
in quiet I "
Marie Amelie may sometimes have felt a sense of
security and peace at Claremont, at all events the
worst was behind her, not still on the cards. Her
influence was paramount in the little colony at Clare-
mont. She reigned there as completely as she had
ever done at the Tuileries. Sons, daughters-in-law,
grandchildren, the household, all were the objects of
her solicitude. Her demeanour was a lesson in itself.
Dignity that was not without grace, supreme dis-
tinction, perfect affability, kindness, an instinctive
tone of authority all declared the true Queen. A
word from her to a child had more effect than severe
reprimands or punishments. Her religion was a love-
able religion. An old general of the Algerian wars
was influenced by her to resume the practice of re-
ligious observance, and came to the Communion table
in the Claremont Chapel with tears in his eyes.
When her grandchildren grew older she set aside an
hour daily to spend with them, and they never forgot
her sayings and the advice then given to them.
Those who saw her pray or receive the Sacraments,
or heard her speak on some solemn subject, were
294
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
deeply impressed, and used to call her " the saintly
Queen ".
Every year she brought over French priests to
hold Retreats at Claremont before Christmas and
Easter, and she used to drive over to Kingston to
attend Vespers at the Roman Catholic Church. In
this church the Due d'Alencon and Princess Frances
d'Orleans, daughter of Prince de Joinville made their
first Communion, and here also the latter was married
to her cousin, the Due de Chartres, in 1863, and the
Comte de Paris in 1864 to his cousin, Princess Isa-
bella, daughter of the Due de Montpensier.
On Sundays the Due d'Aumale always drove his
wife and children over from Twickenham to Clare-
mont for the Sunday Mass, and remained to dinner.
The Queen used to hear Mass every morning at
8 o'clock, the long gallery parallel to the principal
facade having been turned into a chapel. After Mass
the Due de Nemours would come to her room, bring-
ing the Times or some other English papers, and read
out the most interesting news to her. It could hardly
have been without some bitter reflections that they
read of Louis Napoleon's assumption of the Imperial
title in France, and of the visits subsequently ex-
changed between the Emperor and Empress and
Queen Victoria, and of the Emperor's enthusiastic
reception in England, where not many years previous
the same friendship and public enthusiasm had been
shown to Louis Philippe. At all events a sense of the
small value of political friendships or general popu-
larity must have been brought home to them, and
295
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
this feeling must have been enhanced when Napoleon
III. confiscated the whole of the property of the
d'Orleans family in France.
In 1852 he issued a decree announcing that no
member of that family could hold property in France,
and that all they possessed must be sold within a
year, and that all the private estates of the House of
Orleans, which Louis Philippe had settled on his
children, were to revert to the State, though they had
not been derived from the State. Eloquent protests
against this spoliation were made in the Chamber, in
which tribute was paid to the fine qualities of Marie
Amelie's sons and their patriotism, but all was of no
avail, and several ministers resigned office as a sign
of disapproval.1
Queen Marie Amelie had never encouraged in her
family any hope of recovering the Throne of France.
If she hoped for any restoration, it was for that of
the elder branch, of which the Comte de Chambord
(Due de Bordeaux), her great-nephew, was the repre-
sentative. She desired a fusion between the two
branches of the Bourbons.
She often said : " I have occupied two stations in
life, the first, as Queen, and the second, when Duchesse
d'Orleans. Believe me, the second is the best ! "
1 Louis Napoleon's own position was most precarious. When
he proposed to Mile. Montijo, he said : " You see the advantages
of the position, it is my duty to point out the dangers. You will
be beside me when attempts are made (as undoubtedly they will)
to assassinate me. Conspiracies are rife in the army ; to prevent
an explosion I must go to war, which may ruin me. You see the
chances of misfortune are quite equal to those of good fortune."
296
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The widowed Duchesse d'Orle'ans did not share
these ideas, and thought it her duty to uphold the
interests of her son, the Comte de Paris.
In 1853 the Due de Nemours was sent to Frohs-
dorf to obtain an interview with the Comte de Cham-
bord and discuss the advantages of a fusion.
At that time his mother was in Spain with the Due
and Duchesse de Montpensier 1 who made their home
at the Palais de St. Telmo at Seville, where the Duke
had arranged a set of apartments for his mother,
which communicated with the chapel. There she
received a letter from the Due de Nemours telling
her that his interview with the Comte de Chambord
had passed off successfully. In reply she wrote :
" Seville, 1st December, 1853. Mon cher, bien aime
ami. I cannot tell you how great my delight was at
the contents of your letter. My first impulse was to
go to my prayer-desk in the chapel and return thanks
to God. All the details that you give me of this re-
conciliation, the accomplishment of which has been
for so long the object of my desires, fill me with joy,
especially as I know that it is in accordance with the
wishes and intentions of your beloved father.
"I am glad you met the Emperor and Empress
(Austria) and am much touched by the messages they
sent me, and also by those from the Comte de Cham-
bord."
The first step towards reconciliation had come
from the Comte de Chambord, who on the death of
1 As Infanta of Spain, the (Duchesse de Montpensier had a large
fortune.
297
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Louis Philippe had ordered and attended a Memorial
Service in his honour, at Wiesbaden where he was
then staying, and had sent his condolences to Marie
Amelie. A common misfortune had perhaps obliter-
ated any rancour he might have retained towards
Louis Philippe, as usurper of his rights.
To the Duchesse d'Orleans, Marie Amelie wrote :
" As you do not mention the Frohsdorf visit, I con-
clude you wish nothing to be said between us on the
subject. I respect your feelings, though you have
long known that our opinions differ on this subject. I
only hope it will make no difference in your affection
for me. I love you as I have always done."
The Duchesse d'Orleans was deeply hurt at what
she thought an abandonment of the recognition of
her son's claims ; but nevertheless this clouded only
for a time her affectionate relations with her mother-
in-law and brothers-in-law.
The cold English winters did not suit Marie
Amelie ; she made trips to many English watering
places. In 1854 she went to Italy ; at Comigliano she
was taken dangerously ill. After a while she was
moved to Nervi, but in spite of a spacious house
amidst orange groves, on the shores of the Mediter-
ranean, balmy air and lovely surroundings, it was long
before she recovered strength. The Nemours and
Clementine of Saxe-Cobourg were with her, and at
one time her situation was so critical that her sons
d'Aumale and de Joinville were summoned ; but
eventually she recovered, and was able to receive a
visit from her great-nephew, the Comte de Chambord,
298
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
which must have aroused many conflicting emotions
and revived many old memories. Although friendly
and cordial relations ensued, it was found that the
political ideas of the two branches were not com-
patible, and no compact was entered into. However,
the Comte de Chambord always retained feelings of
respect and attachment for Marie Amelie, and when
he came to England for the Great Exhibition of 1862,
he did not fail to pay her a visit. She was then
at Tunbridge Wells, and none of her sons were
present.
On the 26th April, 1857, there was a great family
gathering at Claremont for the celebration of Marie
Amelie's seventy-fifth birthday. One who was pre-
sent, M. Allaire, tutor of the Due de Chartres, com-
ments as follows : "It was a beautiful sight to see
Queen Marie Amelie in the midst of her sons, all of
whom were distinguished either for their bravery and
glorious exploits, or their intelligence and talents ;
and of the Princesses, her daughters and daughters-
in-law, who had come from so many different countries,
but were all united by their common love for and
devotion to the Queen. The troop of grandsons and
daughters were delighted to meet each other and to
obtain the approving smile of 'Grandmamma de
France '. After so many troubles and vicissitudes, it
was almost a surprise to the elders to find themselves
really happy and content."
The same autumn a deep sorrow came to Marie
Amelie and her best loved son. The Duchesse de
Nemours died quite suddenly at her toilette, a few
299
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
days after her confinement. The details of the grief
of her husband and children are very pathetic.
Queen Victoria wrote : " The venerable Queen
with the motherless children around her, was ad-
mirable in her deep grief and her pious resignation to
the Will of God ; the support and comfort of all,
thinking only of others and ready to devote her
remaining years and strength to her grandchildren ".
300
CHAPTER XVI.
Death of Duchesse de Nemours and Duchesse d' Orleans — Marie
Amelie's Interest in the Education of her Grandchildren —
Her Grandsons enter the Spanish Army — Field Sports at
Claremont — The Eoyal Choir — The Princes go to America
and Take Part in the Civil War — Marriages in the Family —
Last Illness and Death of the Queen — Notes on the Subsequent
Fate of her Descendants.
The French newspapers had some very sympathetic
notices on the death of the Duchesse de Nemours,
who had been universally loved and admired in
France, and Queen Victoria did everything in her
power to show her love and sympathy. She carried
on a close correspondence with the Duke, which
shows the real interest she took in him and his child-
ren, and also in his brothers and nephews.1
The following year another sorrow befell the
family, the death at Richmond, July, 1857, of the
Duchesse d'Orleans.
Marie Amelie's tenderness for the two young
sons of the Duchess was redoubled ; when they were
away she wrote constantly to them. The second son,
1 These letters were found among the Due de Nemours' papers
at his death, when only this correspondence ended. His son re-
stored them to the Queen.
301
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Chartres, was admitted to the military college at
Turin, passed his examinations successfully, and was,
to his great joy, allowed to accompany the Sardinian
army on the Italian campaign, and fight side by side
with French soldiers.
In 1859 the Comte d'Eu, Gaston d'Orleans, eldest
son of the Due de Nemours, obtained a commis-
sion in the Spanish army, and made a campaign in
Algeria.
His younger brother, Due d'Alencon, was placed
as a scholar in the High School at Edinburgh ; his
cousin, the Due de Penthievre, was there also, and
on Sundays Prince de Conde', the eldest son of Due
d'Aumale, who had a residence in the neighbour-
hood, took them out to dinner. Though so distant,
their grandmother took an interest in all that con-
cerned them, and wrote constantly. One letter is
extant in which she said : " The 2nd of the month
is the Feast of Purification. If you do not feel in
yourselves fitting dispositions to have the happiness
of approaching the Holy Table, I wish you to go to
Confession in order to put yourselves right with God,
and get strength to live a good life."
The daily life at Claremont was quiet and mon-
otonous, though on hunting days the Queen was
always in a state of anxiety. All the d'Orleans
Princes delighted in field sports, but following the
fox across country, English fashion, is not without
risks, and a fair share of accidents befell them.
We hear of the Comte de Paris breaking his leg,
the Due de Nemours a wrist, and it is not surprising
302
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
that the sailor Prince de Joinville, when on one oc-
casion his horse refused a fence, fell on his head and
escaped serious consequences by a miracle. The three
brothers kept a pack of harriers, and also hunted
with the Surrey stag-hounds, and were very popular
with their neighbours in consequence.
The Queen was unable in her later years to leave
the house in winter, and her sons and daughters,
who entered heartily into any plan that might give
her pleasure, occupied themselves with forming a
choir for the better performance of the services in
the chapel. The Due de Montpensier presented an
organ. General de Chabannes played it, and acted
as choirmaster. The Duchesse d'Aumale sang solos,,
and the household formed the body of the choir, well
supported by the Due d'Aumale, who had a fine bass
voice.
There are people living who have a vivid re-
membrance of the great drawing-room on the left
of the entrance hall at Claremont. It was uphol-
stered in yellow damask. At one end was a large
round table, where the household sat reading French
newspapers, with which it was loaded ; at the other
end was another table at which Marie Am&ie would
sit reading or working or talking to any one she might
have invited to sit beside her.
In 1861 the Prince de Joinville, the Comte de
Paris and Due de Chartres went to America and
took part in the Civil War raging between North
and South, fighting in the United States army under
General McClellan, whose encomiums they won.
303
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
After their return to England their marriages took
place.1 That of the Comte de Paris to his cousin, Isa-
bella, daughter of the Due de Montpensier, was some-
thing of a function. Several Princes of the English
royal family, as well as a considerable number of
friends and well-wishers from all parts of France,
attended the ceremony, which took place at Kingston
on 30th May, 1864.
The inhabitants of Kingston and the district,
where the d'Orleans were well known and beloved,
decorated the town and did all they could to honour
the occasion.
The marriage of the Due de Chartres to the
daughter of Prince de Joinville, had not attracted so
much notice ; the elder brother, the Comte de Paris,
being the head of the House of d'Orleans, and by
many still recognised as rightful heir to the Crown of
France.
In 1864 Comte d'Eu, Gaston d'Orleans, eldest
son of the Due de Nemours went to Brazil. There
he married the Infanta Isabella, eldest daughter of
the Emperor Pedro II. and heiress to the Throne of
Brazil. The conditions of this marriage were that
Gaston d'Orleans should renounce his nationality as
a Frenchman and become a nationalised (or natural-
ised) Brazilian, and reside in Brazil.
His rights as eldest son of the Due de Nemours
consequently devolved on his younger brother, the Due
d'Aleneon, to whom, two days after the celebration of
his brother's marriage at Rio Janeiro, Marie Amelie
1 See p. 295.
304
0
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
wrote : " People congratulate us, but in reality it has
been a great sacrifice, especially to your father. This
marriage which has deprived us of Gaston,1 places
new duties on your shoulders, as chief of the family
after your father. Endeavour to fit yourself to fulfil
them, and to be a comfort to your father and a pro-
tector to your sister. Study carefully the history of
France, and remember that uprightness and loyalty
are the best political principles."
The Due d'Alencon entered the Spanish army ;
he subsequently married a Bavarian Princess (sister
of the Empress of Austria) who met her death in
the terrible fire at the Bazaar de la Charite in Paris,
1897.
The Due d'Alencon's journal giving an account of
his voyage to the Philippines with Spanish troops was
one of the last things read to his grandmother, which
she listened to with interest.
In January, 1866, her strength began visibly to
fail. A cough prevented her sleeping, but still she
did not keep her bedroom, and occasionally went out
driving.
In March, Pere Didon came from Paris for the
annual Retreat which the Queen caused to be held
before Easter.
On Passion Sunday, 18th March, she drove out
with Mme. de Chabannes, on Wednesday she played
whist in the drawing-room. Thursday she remained
1In 1865 Gomte d'Eu was allowed by the Emperor to visit
England, and present his wife to Queen Marie Amelie and the
rest of his family.
305 20
THE LIFE OF MAKIE AMELIE
in her bedroom. The Due d'Alengon's journal ar-
rived, and she enjoyed hearing it. On Friday she
wrote a birthday letter to his brother Gaston in
Brazil, the last letter she ever wrote. She also re-
ceived visits in her room from the Chabannes, who
were leaving, from Pere Didon, M. Trognon, and the
Princesse de Joinville, but being tired went to bed at
five o'clock. Dr. Mussy visited her, but discovered
no alarming symptoms. However, next morning
when the Due de Nemours entered her room, he
perceived that she was much weaker, and in fact
sinking. She roused herself to say a few words, and
then sank into a kind of stupor.
All of the family who were at Claremont, the
Due de Nemours and his daughter, Princesse Mar-
guerite, the Due and Duchesse de Chartres, the
Princesse de Joinville, and the household gathered
around her bed. Marie Am^lie was able to press
their hands, but never spoke again.
Pkre Didon administered extreme unction and
recited the prayers for the dying, and by ten o'clock
she had breathed her last, peacefully and without any
struggle or sign of suffering. She had attained the
age of eighty-two.
Writing to inform his son of the event, the Due de
Nemours said: "The Queen is no more. We have
lost that dear mother who was reverenced a& a kind
of Divinity in our family. It is a great blow to all of
us, but we have the consolation of knowing that the
sorrows and trials of her life are at last over, and that
she has entered into the enjoyment of the eternal
306
THE LIFE OF MAEIE AMELIE
happiness which her great virtues must have won for
her, and that she passed away without pain."
The following day, Ealm Sunday, Queen Victoria
and two of her daughters (who are now Princess
Christian and the Duchess of Argyll), came to Clare-
mont, wishing to take a last look at the venerable
Queen whom they had so greatly loved and admired.
She was still a noble figure, lying on her death-
bed, with her white hair beautifully arranged under
her widow's cap, and she was clothed in the robe she
had worn when leaving France after the abdication.
She had it preserved expressly for this purpose.
Some years previous she had said to the Due de
Nemours : " Remember ! When I die, you are to put
on my tomb : —
"Here lies
"Marie Amelie de Bourbon, Duchesse d'Orleans."
"But, chere Majeste," replied her son, "you can-
not efface history."
Marie Amelie raised her arm with a tragic gesture
and said : " Alas ! to my sorrow, Queen of the French".
The coffin of Marie Amelie rested in the chapel of
the cemetery at Weybridge, beside those of her hus-
band, her daughter-in-law, the Duchesse d'Orle*ans,
and others of the family who had died in exile,
and it was not till 1876 that they were removed to
Dreux.1
1 The remains of the Duchesse de Nemours were not removed,
but rest at Weybridge, under the beautiful tomb executed by
Chapu.
307
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
The mausoleum of the d'Orleans family at Dreux
is on a hill. The windows are filled with beautiful
stained glass, executed at Sevres, and all around are
statues of members of the family.
King Louis Philippe stands upright in the midst
of them all; Marie Ame*lie kneels at his feet in a
beautiful pose. There is a sublime and peaceful
beauty in all those exquisite white marble people,
resting there under the slanting rainbow sun-rays
from the magnificent windows.
Claremont reverted to the English Crown after
the death of Marie Amelie, and after the funeral
ceremony the Due de Nemours, writing to his son,
said : " I am entirely absorbed in the task of carrying
out the wishes of our dear Queen with regard to her
belongings at Claremont. All the familiar objects
on which our eyes were accustomed to rest have
been dispersed, among them things that had been
saved from the shipwreck of 1848. Some are going
to Seville, others as far as Brazil, and all that goes
to the three female branches will be lost to the
House of Orleans. I have been seeing Claremont
dismembered piece by piece, until for us it no longer
exists. It has been a great strain."
By order of Queen Victoria, the room in which the
Duchesse de Nemours died was left untouched. Up to
the present day everything remains as it was when she
occupied it. In the grounds at Claremont ! the mock
fortifications, by means of which the Nemours chil-
1 The Duchess of Albany now resides at Claremont.
308
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
dren were taught the art of war, still exist, and these
mementos of the sojourn of the French royal family
still excite interest.
As the Due de Nemours was obliged to leave
Claremont after the death of his mother, Queen
Victoria gave him the use of another royal residence,
Bushey House, which had been occupied by the Dow-
ager Queen Adelaide. The rest of the family were
not far off. The Due dAumale had bought Orleans
House at Twickenham, where his father had lived
when Due d'Orl^ans ; the Prince de Joinville close
by at a house called Mount Lebanon, and the Comte
de Paris established himself at York House, once
the abode of James II., and his son (the present Due
d'Orleans) was born there in the room Queen Anne
had been born in.
It was not until after the Franco-Prussian war,
the fall of Napoleon III., and the re-establishment
of the French Republic, that in 1871 the law exil-
ing the d'Orleans family was abrogated, and they
were free to return to their dearly loved native
country.1
The Dues de Nemours and d'Aumale were re-
stored to their former positions in the French army,
and the Dues de Chartres and d'Alencon also received
commissions.
The Due d'Aumale was elected a member of
the Royal Academy, and the Due de Nemours did
yeoman service as President of the Red Cross
1 They were received with great respect and cordiality, and
were everywhere regarded with much interest.
309
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
Society. By a compact entered into with the State,
a great part of their property was restored to
them.
Some years of peace and happiness followed, but
misfortune always dogged the heels of the d'Orl^ans
family, however little they deserved it.
In 1883 Prince Napoleon made an abortive
attempt to upset the Republic, the result of which
was the passing of a decree, declaring that no mem-
bers of families who had reigned in France could hold
commissions in the French army.
This of course included the d'Orl6ans Princes.
The leave-taking between the young Dues de
Chartres and d'Alen§on and their regiments was
most touching.
In 1886, not without fierce debates (in which
justice was done to the fine qualities of the d'Orl&ns
Princes and the fact that they had taken part in
no conspiracies) and after the overthrow of three
successive Ministries, another decree was issued
which exiled "heads of families who had reigned
in France and their direct heirs in order of primo-
geniture." This did not affect the Due de Nemours
and his brothers, but drove out the Comte de
Paris and his son the Due d'Orleans, who returned
to England, where the Comte de Paris died in 1894.
The Rebellion of 1889 in Brazil, drove the
Brazilian royal family, including Comte d'Eu, Con-
sort of the heiress-presumptive to the Crown, into
exile.
Comte d'Eu was not popular in Brazil, because, as
310
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
one who was on intimate terms with him in that
country said, " he was a gentleman ". The Emperor
Dom Pedro was a fine character, enlightened and
upright ; but he was warned, when with one stroke of
a pen he abolished slavery in Brazil, that he was at
the same time signing the abolition of the Monarchy.
The conservative classes were reduced to poverty by
the abolition of slavery, so he had no supporters to
help him to stand against the growing forces of Re-
volution in Brazil.
Every one acknowledged the fine qualities of the
Emperor, but young Brazil wanted to re-shuffle the
cards. They were of the classes who have nothing to
lose, and hope that in a new deal fortune may favour
them.
The old Emperor had no warning ; he was awakened
in the middle of the night, dragged out of bed and
told to dress, and with all the royal family marched
down to the port between two lines of soldiers, put
on a tramp steamer, and shipped off to Europe. So
well had the Revolutionists taken their measure that
any resistance was impossible.
Three descendants of Queen Marie Amelie occupy
European Thrones to-day.
The late King of the Belgians, Leopold II., was
her grandson ; his nephew and successor, the present
King, is her great grandson. Another grandson is
Ferdinand,1 Tzar of Bulgaria, and her great grand-
1 Son of Princess Clementina of Saxe-Cobourg, youngest
daughter of Louis Philippe and Marie Amelie.
311
THE LIFE OF MARIE AMELIE
daughter and namesake Marie Amelie is Queen of
Portugal.1 Her sad experience of the dangers and
sorrows to which Kings and Queens are exposed in
these days, transcends even that of her revered an-
cestress.
1 Daughter of the late Comte de Paris. Her husband and son
were assassinated while driving with her in the streets of Lisbon,
1907.
312
INDEX
Aboukir, battle of, 41.
Acton, Lord, 25.
Adelaide d' Orleans, birth, 81.
education, 85.
proposed marriage, 88.
goes to England, 89.
life in exile, 95.
character, 180.
influence over brother, 183.
political influence, 189.
death, 264.
Albert, Prince, 255, 260, 262, 285.
d'Alencon, Due, 271, 295, 302, 310.
— Duchesse, 305.
Alexander, Emperor, 147.
Algiers, war in, 239, 246, 286.
Ambrozio, Signora, 31.
d'Angouleme, Due, 77, 88, 129,
191.
— Duchesse, 125, 146, 148, 178, 200,
225.
d'Anjou, Count, 17.
— Philippe, 18, 19.
Antoine, Archduke, 60.
d'Artois, Comte, 101, 123-125, 131,
148, 170.
— Mile., 158, 160, 190, 195.
Asturias, Prince of, 29, 60, 64.
Princess 61
d'Aumale, Due, 168, 242, 245, 246,
286, 290, 295, 298, 302, 309.
— Duchesse, 246, 256, 303.
Austria, Empress Theresa, 42, 57, 59,
66.
— Emperor, 128, 129, 297.
B
Balbi, Comtessede, 119.
Bamburg, Bishop of, 60.
Barcelona, 102.
Barrot, Odilon, 192, 266.
Barthe, Chancellor, 210.
Bastille, 69.
Beaudoin, 96.
Beauharnais, Eugene, 68, 147.
Beaujolais, Comte de, 85, 101.
Belgians, King of, 172, 212, 251, 253,
256, 261, 285, 293, 311.
— Queen of, 212, 225, 236, 243,
251, 262, 293.
Bellechasse, 85, 86.
Bentinck, Lord W., 110, 157.
Berlin, 235.
Berry, Due de, 79, 143, 154-156 (159
assassination).
— Duchesse de, birth, 64.
marriage, 154-158.
popularity, 190-199.
in La Vendee, 216, 224.
— — second marriage, 224.
Berryer, 218.
Berthier, General, 122.
Bertrand, General, 249.
Blacas, Due de, 130, 142, 145, 170,
216.
Blaye, 215, 221, 222, 224.
Boigne, Comtesse de, 137.
Bombelles, Marquis de, 157.
Bonaparte, Jerome, 252.
— Joseph, 27, Q6, 67, 110.
— Napoleon, 15, 48, 58, 66, 140,
144, 195, 230, 246, 249.
Bonrecueil, Mme. de, 217.
Bordeaux, Due de, 168, 173, 181, 192,
215, 227, 247, 274.
Bossy, Marie, 222.
Bourbon Dynasty, 19, 98, 116, 144,
296.
— Due de, 80.
— Duchesse de, 103, 168.
Bourmont, Marshal, 217.
313
INDEX
Boyer, General, 243.
Brazil, 242, 249, 304, 310.
Bresson, M. de, 277, 279-281.
Brussels, 243, 252, 293.
Bugeaud, Marshal, 268.
Bulgaria, Prince of, 254, 311.
Bushey House, 309.
Calabria, 16, 42, 62, 66.
Calle Toledo, 45.
Capri, 53.
Caserta, 23, 29, 58.
Catania, 56.
Cayla, Comtesse de, 120, 150-152.
Chabannes, General de, 291, 303.
— Mme. de, 305.
Chambord, Comte de, 215, 216, 225,
296, 299.
Champoinet, General, 49, 109.
Chantereau, Mme. de, 128.
Charette, Comte de, 217, 218.
Charles, Archduke, 18.
Charles X., 139, 140.
— accession, 170-177.
— at Palais Royal ftte> 178.
— political mistakes, 181.
— abdication, 192.
— exile, 199.
— religious views, 209.
Charliere, battle of, 218.
Charlotte, Princess, 147, 251, 285.
Chartres, L. P. Joseph, Due de, 74-
76, 79-83.
— Duchesse de, 75-83.
— Ferdinand, Due de, birth, 112.
education, 158, 162.
general admiration for
him, 153.
marriage, 236-239.
death, 254-256.
public regret, 270.
Chateaubriand, 195, 222.
Chauvelin, Marquis de, 119.
Chene, La, battle of, 217, 218.
Christina, Princess, 32, 57, 58.
Cimarosa, 65.
Claremont, 285, 289, 290, 308.
Clementina, Archduchess, 55, 63,
113.
Conde, Prince de, 118, 246, 302.
Constantine, siege of, 240, 243.
Conti, Princess, 103, 184.
Corso, 48.
Cuvillier, Fleury, 161, 178.
Daumesnil, General, 202.
Dauphin, the, 35.
Dawes, Sophy, 247.
Deutz, 219, 220, 221.
Didier, 221.
Didon, Pere, 305.
Dreux, 272, 273, 275, 307, 308.
Drouet, General, 220.
Dumas, General, 284, 291.
Dumouriez, General, 94.
Dupin, 77, 136.
Duval, 221.
Edgeworth, Abbe, 132.
Edinburgh, 302.
d'Elchingen, Due, 235.
Elizabeth Farnese, 19.
— of Saxony, 20.
— Mme., 38, 127.
d'Enghien, Due, 246.
d'Estancelin, M., 289.
Etna, Mount, 56.
d'Eu, Chateau, 250, 260.
— Comte, 302, 304, 311.
Featherstonhaugh, Mr., 278.
Ferdinando III., 148.
— IV., 20, 22, 28, 32, 63, 104.
— the Order of, 54.
Ferronays, Comte de la, 222.
Feuchars, Mme. de, 247.
Fieschi, 232.
Jbitzjames, Due de, 222.
Folmont, Comte de, 103, 183.
Fontainebleau, 125, 144, 236, 290.
Fouche, 142, 143, 146, 148, 150.
Fra Diavolo, 62.
Francis II., Emperor, 42.
314
INDEX
Franconi, 163, 242.
Frohsdorff, 298.
Genlis, Mme. de, 69, 71, 81, 83-88,
91.
Genoa, Duke of, 68.
Gerard, Marshal, 203.
Ghent, 138, 145, 149.
Girardin, E., 269.
Goutant, Duchesse de, 191, 192.
Gringoire, Bishop, 207.
Guelle, Abbe", 291.
Gueranger, 210.
Guigny, Miles, de, 219, 220, 224.
Guiscard, Roger, 16.
Guizot, M., 117, 260, 265, 275,
279.
— Mme., 214.
H
Hamilton, Emma, 40, 41, 50, 53, 54,
63.
Hartwell, 105, 118, 120, 150.
Haut-Combe, 176.
Havre, 277.
Haydn, 59.
Herculaneum, 30, 65.
Honfleur, 274, 276, 282.
Infanta Isabel, 64, 66, 177.
— of Brazil, 249, 304.
Isabella, Queen, 250, 263.
d'Issodun, Comtesse de, 160.
Jacobins, 89.
Janin, Jules, 111.
Jemappes, battle of, 94.
Joinville, Prince de, 163, 169, 179,
194, 201, 210, 232, 241, 248,
286, 290, 298, 303.
— Princesse de, 249, 250, 256,
306.
Josepha, Archduchess, 21, 22.
Junot, General, 61.
Kauf'maun, Angelica, 153.
Kent, Duke of, 148.
— Duchess, 234, 243, 253.
Kersabiac, Mile, de, 220.
Knight, Cornelia, 68.
Lachan, Mme. de, 217.
Lacordaire, Pere, 210.
Lamartine, A., 232, 276, 282.
Lamorctere, 268.
Larnac, M. de, 163.
Lasteyrie, General, 291.
Laval, M. de, 222.
Lazzaroni, 32, 52, 62.
Leopold, Emperor of Austria, 23, 38.
— Prince of Salerno, 58.
Saxe Coburg, 147, 212.
Lorraine, Francis of, 16, 59, 60.
Louis XIV., 18, 73, 74, 76, 171, 199,
237, 260.
— XV., 58.
— XVI., 37, 38, 49, 53, 69, 93, 116-
121.
— Philippe d'Orleans, birth, 78.
— baptism, 81.
is Due de Valois, 80.
Chartres, 87.
education, 85.
fights in Republican
army, 93.
bravery, 94.
exile, 96.
Professor of Mathematics,
96.
becomes Due d 'Orleans,
96.
— goes to America, 98.
England, 100.
Sicily, 101.
marries Marie Amelie,
105.
— reception at Paris, 125.
Louis XVIII.'s opinion of
him, 81, 147, 148.
favoured by Charles X.,
173.
— Lamartine's opinion, 187.
315
INDEX
Louis Philippe d' Orleans, called to
the throne of France, 188.
reluctance to accept, 195,
198.
— attempts to assassinate
him, 208.
wonderful courage, 208.
religious views, 209.
life as King of the French,
228.
— restores Versailles, 228.
liberal gifts to nation, 228.
opinion of Europe, 260.
visits Queen Victoria, 262.
Revolution of '48, 265.
abdication, 268.
— exile in England, 284.
death, 291.
Louvel, 160.
Lucchesi Palli, Marquis de, 216,
223, 225.
M
Macdonald, Marshal, 141.
Maine, Due du, 74, 260.
Maintenon, Chateau de, 199.
Malmesbury, Lord, 239, 255, 285.
Maria Carolina, Queen, 16, 22-25,
28, 30, 38, 57, 59, 67, 110,
111.
— Theresa, Empress, 17, 18, 21, 29,
30, 59.
Marie Amelie, birth, 17, 18.
education, 29, 59.
first betrothal, 35.
character, 57, 123.
talents, 59.
appearance, 60.
engaged to Due d'Orleans,
101.
marriage, 105.
leaves Sicily, 123.
Louis XVIII. 's opinion of, 123.
Talleyrand's opinion of, 137.
— — husband's love, 161.
— — her reluctance to accept
crown, 189, 193, 198.
— — life as Queen of the French,
227, 229.
in exile at Claremont, 290.
Marie Amelie, death, 300.
— Louise, Empress, 17, 63, 107,231.
Mecklenburg, Princess of, 236.
Mesnard, Comte de, 158, 216, 217,
224.
Messina, 16.
Metternich, Prince, 235.
Meunier, 229.
Michael the Fool, 61.
Mittau, 130, 132.
Modena, Due de, 216.
Mole, 266.
Montalembert, Comte, 222.
Montalivet, 205.
Montesquiou, A. de, 292.
— Abbe de, 151.
— General, 95.
Montesson, Mme. de, 83.
Montjoie, M. de, 100.
— Mme., 285.
Montmorency, R. de, 292.
— Mathieu, 151.
Montpensier, Due de, 85, 250, 262,
268, 270, 274, 295, 303.
— Duchesse de, 86, 250, 271, 289,
297.
Morris, Governor, 97.
Mortier, Marshal, 233.
Murat, Prince, 67, 110, 111.
— Caroline, 27, 67, 110.
Musse, H. de, 293.
N
Nantes, 217, 219, 221.
Naples, 16, 44, 47, 48, 64.
Napoleon III., 295, 309.
Nelson, Lord, 40-42, 50-54, 58, 63.
Nemours, Due de, 137, 162.
character, 166-168.
youth, 170, 212, 234, 239.
marriage, 243.
Regent, 258.
other events, 272, 287, 290,
309.
— Duchesse de, 244, 256, 274, 293,
299, 307.
Neuilly, Chateau de, 165, 188, 189,
254.
— Comte de, 284.
Newborough, Lady, 75, 77, 81.
316
INDEX
Newhaven, 282.
Ney, Marshal, 141.
Olivier, Emile, 228.
Ordinances of Charles X., 188, 203.
•d'Orleans, Due de, Philippe Egalite,
69, 73, 89, 90, 91-94.
— Duchesse Dowager, 99, 103, 122,
124, 144, 168.
— Anne, Princesse, 72, 175.
— Clementine, Princesse, 244, 252,
271, 274, 289, 298.
— Ferdinand, Due, 232, 234, 236,
254, 270.
— Francoise, Princesse, 295.
— Gaston, Prince, 302, 304.
— Helene, Duchesse, 238, 255, 257,
269, 273, 287, 289, 290, 303.
— Palazzo, 106, 108.
— Isabella, Princesse, 295.
— Louise, Princesse, 165.
— Marie, Princesse, 240, 252.
Orleans House, 147.
Orleanist faction, 180.
Paisello, 65.
Palais Royal, 85, 88, 92, 114, 137,
148, 153, 171, 176, 196.
sack of, 267.
Palermo, 17, 49, 50, 52, 224.
Paris, Archbishop of, 188, 249.
— Comte de, 227, 238, 255, 268, 273,
287, 292, 302, 304, 309, 310.
Parma, Due de, 139.
Parthenopian Republic, 58, 62.
Pasquier, Doctor, 254.
Paul, Captain, 279, 281.
— Emperor, 130, 132.
Pavilion de l'Horloge, 270.
Marsan, 169, 238.
Penthievre, Due de, 74, 79, 80.
— Mile, de, 75.
Perier, Casimir, 198, 206, 207.
Plombieres, 255.
Polastron, Comtesse de, 124, 171.
Polignac, Prince de, 191.
Pompeii, 30, 65.
Pope Gregory XVI., 210.
Portugal, Queen of, 250, 251, 253,
311.
Presburg, Diet of, 60.
Provence, Comte de, 97, 118.
— Comtesse de, 118.
Prussia, King of, 139, 286.
— Queen of, 27.
Rambouillet, 191.
Randau, 186, 248.
Raspail, 204.
Reggio, Duchesse de, 222.
Reichenau College, 96.
Remusat, M. de, 268.
Restoration, the, 116.
Revolution of July, 265.
— of 1848, 182-193.
Rheims Archbishop, 170.
Rome, King of, 111.
Royal, Prince, the, of Sicily, 34, 42,
55, 63, 108.
— Princesse, 64, 66.
Royale, Madame, 126-135.
Ruffo, Cardinal, 62, 63, 109.
Russia,1 Emperor of, 98, 138.
St. Andre, 275.
— Cloud, 161, 244, 253, 270, 272,
290.
— Elmo, 26.
— Menehold, 272.
— Nicandro, 20.
— Ouen, 151.
Salerno, Prince of, 34, 63, 66, 68,
102, 110, 246.
Samson, 93.
Saracens, 16, 24.
Sardinia, King of, 131, 175.
— Queen of, 32, 65, 68, 174.
Savoy, Dukes of, 72, 175.
Saxe-Cobourg, Prince Augustus of,
243, 253.
Ferdinand, 244, 253.
Leopold, 251, 285.
— — Princess Victoria of, 243.
Snow, Miss, 33.
317
INDEX
Soult, Marshal, 122, 142.
Spain, King Charles III., 19, 20, 30.
IV., 21.
V., 18, 60.
Spanish marriages, the, 250, 263.
Spence, Mr., 33.
Syracuse, 56.
— Conte di, 224.
Talleyrand, 186, 197.
Tamastra, 69, 70.
Tanucci, 20, 21, 24, 25.
Temple of Concord, 55.
Jupiter Olympus, 55.
Thierry, General, 289.
Thiers, 182, 189, 219, 233, 268, 270.
Thugut, 59.
Treport, 280.
Trognon, 161, 291.
Trouville, 280, 282.
Tuileries, 134, 137, 177, 204, 212, 269.
— sack of, 233.
Twickenham, 100, 147, 290, 309.
Two Sicilies, the, Kingdom of, 18-
20, 23, 24, 61.
Valencay, Due de, 235.
Valmy, battle of, 94.
Valois, Due de, 80, 84, 104.
Valori, Marquis de, 222.
Vanguard, H.M.S., 41, 51.
Vendee, La, 216, 218, 223.
Vernet, H., 240.
Versailles, Musee de, 228, 240.
— FUe, 237.
Vesuvius, Mt., 68.
Victor Amadeus, 72.
Victoria, Queen, 15, 234, 243, 250r
253, 255, 260, 284, 293, 295,
300, 307.
Vienna, 59, 129, 235.
Vierzon, Comtesse de, 160, 217.
Vigee le Brun, Mine., 47.
Villeneuve, Marquis de, 217.
Villette, Marquis de, 222.
Villiers Coterets, 193.
Vincennes, 202.
Voltaire, 44, 210.
W
Windsor, 245, 253, 263.
Winterhalter, 245.
Wurtemberg, Prince of, 240, 252.
York House, 309.
— Duke of, 148.
Zell, Chapel of, 60.
Zoe* de Cayla, 120.
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