Volume III Part 29 (1/2)

Paris, January 17th, 1837 {p377}

Arrived here last night at five, having left Dover at a quarter to one the day before; three hours to Boulogne, twenty-two to Paris

I made a very prosperous journey; went to the E, and found a heap of people--Mole, Montalivet, Lyndhurst, Madame de Lieven, Madame de Dino, Talleyrand, &c

Paris, January 19th, 1837 {p378}

[Page Head: PRINCESS LIEVEN IN PARIS]

On Tuesday went about visiting; found nobody but Madaone to the Chamber, but the ticket did not arrive in ti, to the gallery of the Louvre; dined with Talleyrand; to Madame de Lieven's and Madame Grahas; askedcalled at the Tuileries, and left a note for the Duke of Orleans's aide-de-cahtme there to present me to the Royal fa, and I had only an opportunity of exchanging a feords with hireeable time as the last four months; not a moment of _ennui_; had become acquainted with a host of remarkable people of all sorts, political characters of all parties, and the _litterateurs_, such as Victor Hugo, Balzac, &c, the latter of whoreeable man He told me that 'Le Pere Goriot' is a true story, and that since its publication he had become acquainted with some more circu He has been leading here 'une vie de garcon,' andhimself rather ridiculous in soet on; I'o on in the House of Lords this year as I did the last I was induced by circumstances and some little excitement to take a more proot by it except abuse I thought I should not hear any of the abuse that was poured upon lish newspapers, but, on the contrary, I find it all concentrated in Galignani' Lyndhurst and Ellice have been great friends here Madareeable position at Paris She receives every night, and opens her house to all coround, men of all parties onists have occasionally joined in amicable and curious discussion It is probably convenient to her Court that she should be here under such circumstances, for a woood deal of interesting, and perhaps useful, information; and as she is not subject to the operation of the same passions and prejudices which coland, she is able to form a juster estimate of the characters and the objects of public reeable place to live at, but expresses an unbounded contempt for the French character, and her lively sense of the land I asked her ere the men who, intelligent, and gentle; Guizot and Berryer, both very reh of Ellice, who is her dear friend, and frolish politics; that he had coainst the present Governain, and that he had fancied he should e it Mole[2]

was fully aware of it, and felt towards hily Lord Granville, as attached to the Duc de Broglie, and therefore violently opposed to Thiers, when he became Minister, soon became even more partial to Thiers, which sudden turn was the inal antipathy that Lady Granville had been personally uncivil to Madame Thiers, so much so that Thiers had said to Madame de Lieven, that 'he would have her to knoas not to be endured that an Ambassadress should behave with such marked incivility to the wife of the Priet her husband sent away' The other replied, 'Monsieur Thiers, if you say this torepeated to Lady Granville, I tell you you o elsewhere for the purpose, for I do not intend to do so' I asked her whether it had been repeated, and she said she thought probably it had been through Ellice for soon after all was sreat deal about England, and of the ignorance of the French about it; that Mole, for exareeable state, but England is in a still worse' The King, however, is of a different opinion, and appears better to understand the nature of our system She described him (Mole) as not the cleverest and most brilliant, but by far theman of them all

[2] [M Mole was then Prime Minister The overthrow of M

Thiers on the Spanish question had been regarded as a check by the English Government, and Mr Ellice was a cordial friend and supporter of Thiers The resent to support the cause of the Queen in Spain by a direct intervention, was the commencement of that coolness which is noticed further on, and which led eventually to ow speeches arrived yesterday, that is, were in general circulation, for the King received on the 16th a newspaper containing the speech made there on the 13th, an instance (as it seems to me) of unexaainst his own party very reluctantly, told ht Peel's speech at the dinner very dexterous, and Ellice said, though there was nothing new in it, he thought it would produce a great effect

January 20th, 1837 {p380}

[Page Head: DISLIKE OF PARIS]

Yesterday went about visiting, found Montrond ill Sat a long tireat deal about the characters of the people and the _tracasseries_ in society; dined at the Club, and at night to Mada man, but not like what I expected: dark, stout, countenance very intelligent, with a cheerful, cunning, and rather leering look, such as a clever Irish priest ht have, neither in look norof his conversation Everybody I have ht to be and aain, and ask h introductions to a parcel of people whoain, whose nareeable, I have not time to form any inti stay here?' to which I universally reply, 'As long as I can,' which, being interpreted, means, I shall be off as soon as I can find a decent pretext Itvisit (as at present inclined), I don't think it answers

January 21st and 22nd, 1837 {p381}

Walked about and rejoiced in the Madeleine, which is alone worth colory never erected a grander temple I find Paris tolerable, and that is all Dined with Madame de Noailles at the Hotel de Poix, then to the Opera On the 22nd, I walked to the Arc de Triomphe, wonderfully fine, and clambered to the top The vieorth the trouble, and above all the Madeleine is seen to great advantage froly developed, and bringing to my mind the Temple of Neptune at Paestum Dined at the Elie, and then to Madame de Lieven's

January 23rd, 1837 {p381}

Rained all day, dined at the Grahams, with Madame de Lieven and many people of no note, and went afterwards to Madame de Flahault's beautiful house, where was all the fashi+on of France of the Liberal and Royal faction; no Carlists Some very handsome women, particularly the duchesse d'Istria

Ellice told land announced ss and Radicals, and that the latter were coood humour The event here in these last days has been the acquittal of the Strasburg prisoners, of military h treason[3] By the lahen military men and civilians are indicted for the saht before a court-martial, butto their feelings or their prejudices, and appear to care nothing for the law, and an Alsatian jury is said to be republican These ainst the clearest and most undoubted evidence, and their acquittal was hailed as a triumph It produces considerable annoyance and surprise, but not so great a sensation as I should have expected

[3] [These were the accomplices of Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte in his first atte on the 30th of November 1836 The Prince hiate His accomplices were tried at Colmar in the ordinary course of law, and acquitted by the jury, who refused to convict theht to trial]