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LOETh HOILAS_D'S FORRIGIL HEALINISOERWEES...'

TRIO yohune contains the result -of observations made bythe-late: Lord,Holland during.-varions residences abroad; and of:famine-gm, furnished to...him:on-those occasions; as welas some-additional goe- sip- talked, iir -London. The subjects- to- which- the -volume-chiefly: relatetearethelatter part of the-great:Revolution -of France ; the, Court of Spain, from the-rise of Godoy-, the Prinoe-of- Peace, to Ne2-- poleon's entrapment of the- Royal .1mily and the eareer-and charazter of Napoleon himself from:his outset to- his death:- The' - matter touches occasionally-anent-public events and their aecreti causes,' but it mainly-consists of anecdote and-character, includiirs' snfficient-of biography to makethecharacters- clearly understood: ' The- most -conspicuous persons ..delineated--at :Sall-length are-- poleon, occupying nearly-half thevolume, and-some of his-Ministers- - and Marshals. The Prince of- Pewee Charles- the Fourth, and Ferdinand "the beloved," with the old-'Queen,- and several of tlie Spanish' Ministers, are-the second, subjects as-regards elaboration -if not. interest. Louis the Sixteenth,. Marie Antoinnette, and some- of -the principalactors in the Revolution, are-depicted-mere or less' fully. The King and the Crown Prince of- Denmark,- Alexander' of- Rassia,. Francis- of Austria,....Metternich,- the.Roycl :Family of Prussia, . with. various subordinate -personages, are sketched or

casually introduced, but always with some characteristic anecdote or remark.

The attractive qualities of the book- are great. Lord-Holland had- the faculty of seizing upon the-salient points of manners, cha3- racter, and events so that,he never :wearies his reader-by--minute."; ness-‘-at the seine time, be it said, that lie never-teaks him by pre,-J- fundity:. Ile, infuses into his, narrative the. polished-ease- of the- accomplished.gentleman of. the old. school: His- style is -flowing'f'; idiomatic, pellwaid, and conversationala. he appears aa thoroughly, possessed- with his subjects, so entirely master of what :he wishesv to convey and of the -medium: of conveyance, that his-words-drone from him without effort The, style of Chesterfield is that-of -the, witty, of Malinesbury that of the •ffiplematic gentleman, and mane- of the world; there is no effort in what they do, but there-is,care not pains; the critic-can trace theresults of stndyi- even if the -oomi position is not studied:- Lord Hahn& in the fine old- English- gen- tleman, to whom good manner . habitual;- that he thinks,- or, seems to think, nothing of what ..heis saying,- or how-he says it : hecannot,gewrong.-. The style has-the " eavelessT but "inimitable;0 graces?' which- Gibbon ascribes to Hume:: Whewit is said, in ad- dition; that everything in the book relatei to importantpublie affaitsi. or to men- whose names are mostly familiar as household :words, -it may readily-be-supposed that the volume is full' of attraotion-and.r. entertainment.- - The manner-is better than:the matter,-themeritgreater than thee value. Lord-Holland seems to- have possessed the fault which-he4 is free in charging. upon others—credulity:- He writes dowirc, whatever gossip:he is told, without much consideration of, its likes., lihood, unlesswhen- it makes against his prepossessions. It is true;; he gives:what he -hears merely as hearsay,. without vouch; g fort. the truth; but he bath" swears-to the best of his -belief " and tell's; i the story as if its correctness were unchallengeable. The -send--; meats, and what is-more, the views and judgments,whiohithe -sen- timents prompt; are those of old and somewhat factious Whiggery, though never was faction "-drawn so mild" or were-such ing face. The great blot of the book is one-almost inseparable from:: the-position of the man.... With many great or agreeable qualities the name of-Fox is not associated with -a stern morality. The -late,...) Lord-Holland-was born and bred in a. very _corrupt' age - and time whole of this. manhood,. if not 'the whole of his life, was ;pent in-an world that was -moulded by the example- -of the, Prince of Walesi many of . whnse quondam associates, indeed, were Lord liollandtsq familiars.. Those people -did-not so much: inhfemalers honour, as doubt' whether chastity, was honour. Scandalh: with them was not, so to speak, scandal. l7poni nothingle better than his own "-belief," or on-fact; that if true often do not bear out his conclusion, Lord Holland attache the reputation of several women, andumongst them the :Queen., of- ,France. • Ile: says her "amours were not numerous, scandalous, or degrading;!.. It has-been truly intimated that all amours on the-part of a Queen are degrading: the judgment might have been ;extended, withonk excessive stretch, to any woman... As regards theplettiof number,, his Lordship seems to adopt the jest-book- excuse., of the girl, withR her bastard-child; that "it was a very little one.7. Besides-Lord Holland's -friend Godoy, . much of the information;. respecting the events of. the. Spanish Comt that-ended-in the-ii/Tel. vasion. of '.Spain were furnished by-, Charless.the Fourth- and thaf, Queen. Lord Holland describes the King in terms only one shade' less black than hi son Ferdinand, Charles; however, appears.- t-- have been the victim of his birth an.cla bad-education.. In-private,: he would have hems goodnatured but silly man: vested with the absolute power "Ye el Rey," he suffered from,- being_tmequall

to the plane. This passage about him is characteristic andeurious.;

" CharleesaY. in conversation with NW mentioned Bonaparte; and-his own- personal dislike to. him, More than once. It was whimsical to -hear a man who had lost a crown descant on the-manners, talent.!,' and attainments of' the greatest man -of !the age, -who had obfAined-Onev-in -terms- ef - scorn -arali, disparagement.- Ile he said,-neitheetalk.--norwrito any language-erra-. reedy ; and he chuckled-at his own superiorityi by-obsersing,. that at Bayr • -Fortin .1twairdsgoileets by, Macy iRitharti-Lord H.Idland.! Edited by- his, Shin .; Henry Edward Lord Ronan-a. Published by La/omen and CO. mine and deestereheaCliarksahialikeatweliasyl. aireflartrotandustay and- gamine, of which he ens-confident Napoleon was •incapable. . If :the: notes of the ,royel exile could be recovered,. I suspect they would'not raise the lite- rary reputation of the Spanish branch of the house of Bourbon ; but as he - had been exposerlio many vicissitudes; arid must have known the secret of many mvaterious lacerwrenoes, and as; anoreover,- though unfeeling,- brutal,' silly; and.eseduleum he- was nevertheless-a-man of veracity, it is a matter of reeret that the DL9.• ore which. he plumed himself so greatly should have- fallen n into the hands of the Spanish or Roman Government, who have in all

probability destroyed it. , Perhaps the memoirs of the Chevalier: Azara, ninny yearsambaasador atTorne and Paris, and a man of wit, judgment, and s.areasm, shared themarne fate- His papers were still at Paris when-he-died, ix months after • retiring. ..from office:-at-Barges. The French Government endeavoured to detain them ; but some; and among them a History of Italy. during his time, were saved by his brother, and taken to Spain. If extant, they must be valuable!'

According to these pages, ..there is scarcely a royal family in • Europe that is legitimate. The following stories of the house of Prussia should not- perhaps have been given to the world,, unless founded upon. some.better evidence than is produced ; but they' are facetiously "It is said that-George III:objected to any union with that branch of the house of Brandenburg, with an observation drawn from the scandalous chro- nicle of Berlin, viz: that none of his children should ally themselves with the children of-SoInnettau.' Frederick, when there was not much prospect of an heir. in the other, branches, had, placed, a. distinguished officer of en, gineers of that name in the family of his brother Ferdinand, in the hope and expectation, and Perhaps with the express injunction, that he would supply all deficiencies in the household. The Peincess„ though lofty and decorous in her demeanour; was not long insensible to the personal and mental charms of her chamberlain ; and Sehmettan annually announced- the biith• of. a prince, and received: some handsome presents for-the good news, till, on- the • third visit, according to Mirabeau, the King, after giving him a gold-headed' cane, called him back; and said, "Schmettau, trois! c'est asses.' Such anec- dotes, very currently related, raised a smile everywhere else, but -serious scruples in the mind-of George III. : had he, however, beenas consistent in them as in most-others, he would- have objected to another alliance of 'his family with the-house of Bnindenburg. The exiled and divorced Queen of Prussia is much belied, if, on the marriage of 'her daughter with' the Duke of York, she did not observe to the chamberlain who announced it, that it. was a good match enough for the daughter of Miller the musician."

This is a good royal Mot of Frederick the Sixth of Denmark.

"He was and is a person of mediocrity with few natural advantages,- and generally more-known far-weaknesses, such as dinnkenness and vanity, than distinguished-for-any qualifications of ecommanding nature. One anecdote, if true, would seem to prove that. he was not devoid of shrewd observation and sly humour. He was at Vienna. during the 'Congress of 1814. Wherever in the treaties there negotiated there had been a fresh distribution'of terri- tories, and in the German and adjoining states there had been many, the value of each cession-respectively-was estimated-by the number of inhabi- tants, and in diplomatic language the.cession was described -as that of so many souls orames. Now there was no accession of territory to Denmark, . but, on the contrary, some small diminution. The King was much courted- during the negotiations, and treated with friendly cordiality and personal . friendship by-the Einperor of Austria. That high personage, on his taking leave, complimented him most warmly on his attainments and good conduct, and the-golden opinion they had acquired. Pendant votre sejour ici (said he) votes Majesteaa gaga& taus les crews.' Mais pas sine seule ame; re- plied somewhat caustioly the- ill-requited sovereign of a well-governed- -. people. Till then he was never suspected of being alive to the mortifications he had received, and still less of being capable of recording his sense of them by so smart and wellan,erited-a repartee."

The Emperor Alexander is rather a favourite of Lord Holland.; but-the stories he tells 'militate against his conclusions, and.con- firm Napoleon's estimate of the Russian, that "he was a Greek of the lower empire"—with ingratitude, it seems, as well as deceit.

"Alexander was-perhaps at no peried-of his reign either so popular' or so secure in-Russia, as the apparent glory of his achievements seemed to denote or as foreigners imagined.- Marshal 8oult told me that,. when. at Tilsit,- he (Soult). was apprized of a very extensive conspiracy against him, .in which Bennigsen, the assassin of his father and the commander of his army, was, concerned. Soult, before he had consulted his own Government on- the mat- ter, disclosed the whole in a private letter to Alexander, and mentioned the names of the conspirators. He showed me the answer of Alexander in his own handwriting. He thanks Soult in ,it very warmly for the information,. for he says it will be of great use to him, though he does not believe that the matter is quite so important (tout-a-fait si consequent) as the Marshal supposes. Soult added to me, with some bitterness, that the letter should some day appear, together with' that 'in which the same Alexander refused him 'an 'asylum in his dominions."

It is remarkable that littleness characterizes every thing con- nected. with George the Fourth Even: when good or right, he is small. Hereis "the first gentleman in-Europe 'on style. "Nothing could be less liberal- or. dignified 'than the-subsequent conduct and language of George IV. respecting Napoleon -and his family.: it-was-a contrast; not-a copy, of the Black Prince to King John. Yet the first im. pressionprodneed on his mind-by Napoleon's celebrated letter, if not :very creditable to the taste or judgment of the Prince Regent, was not unfa- vourable to the writer:- he remarked; that the words with which it began, aAltease-Royale;' were quite correct and proper; more correct, I must say,'

added he,' thanany I ever received from Lewis "

The Bonaparte section,. which occupies so large a portion, of the

volume, represents.the Whig notion of -the subject, with the mas- culine appreciation. and ,feminine enthusiasm of Holland House snperadded. The greatness of Napoleon's genius, and the fact that he: was an enemy of . their political opponents, blinded the Whigs with admiration. The,Emperor—who never-permitted human life, or human law; or natural or established. rights, or a sense,.of truthi M.:stand-for one, moment in.' his way—is held up as a martyr-and a.victim, because he--was sent (by the Tory (levern- ment) to. St-. Helena-,- as- the only means of securing peace and !Inlet. On subjects where party is not in question, Lord Holland is just, ,thongli., favourable. In his, search after information!, .he, has:picked up, some Impious facts, which he intermixe s with kindly and, pleasant: commentary: His partiality, - ' however, -him misled' LordHelen& as tothe plecabiity•ofBonaparte: T; Duo: D'Eti- glien; .Totassaint, , the Pore, Piohepir Mares.% Traer, and,Otherss. are !ezapapkin,.. of ":Vengnc" and . Natty; strang„ examples tool! • Bonny-lid- neither the magnanimitrof:a hero -northe' rest-mint of . a gentleman. " According.to the aceount of Napoleon himself, it was in. Egypte:that-1ms • weaned his mind from all those..RepubliCan !illusions.in which. his.- early?: growth in famediad been nursed." It is certain that after his elevation to the COrisulaip,he seldom ii ever. betrayed any such propensities. But threes who knew him early and well have assureclone that the scenes of the.Revo-- lution.had estranged and, even, disgusted him with Democracy; that, -exeluas sive of that, repugnance to all popular interference -with authority which the- possession, of power breeds, he conscientiously .eheeked every tendency to re,-- vive in Franceror to produce elsewhere, any excesses of that nature, from iv, conviction that the evil created by them is immediate and certain, the ultii,•- mate good to be derived from them unceetain and-problematical. Reamers. ;. indeed,that his glory and power were the offTring of the Revolution., HAI,. felt, perhaps ha regretted, too much, that-the enemies of that gre-at changer, hated the .child ' and suppesed, 'champion of aacobinism.! He was moti even without apprehension that the prosperity and. stability of his govern-7 ment, whether. caLled,Consular, Regal, or Imperial; would. depend on the pre.- - valence of those principles on which great national.ohanges are handed and... justified. Yet hawas.nevertheleesdisposed toendaager.some of hie personal.. security rather. than foment a spirit which- he, deemed incompatible, with tranquil :government and -a due administration of. justice. Like our •Fliva-,• beth, his principles and (though-not to an equal degree) Isis' temper too were ,

at variance.with his position. * *,

"Napoleon . even in the plenitude of his power, seldom gratified -his re,- venge by resenting to any act either illegal orunjust,,, though he frequently indulged his ill-humour "by speaking both of and to those who had displeased.: him in a manner mortifying to their feelings and their pr:de. The instances , - of his lore of vengeance are very few : they are generally of an insolent rather than a sanguinarycharacter, more aiseroditable. to his head than his) heart,. and a proof of his want of manners, taste, und.pessibly feeling, but.,. not of a dye to affect hi humanity. Of what man; possessed of suA. ex- - tended yet such disputed authority, can so much be said ? • Of Washington? of Cromwell ? But aVashington, if. he had ever equal provocation and mo- tives for revenge' certainly never possessed such rower to gratify it.. lib.' • glory,- greater in truth than that of eraser, Cromwelkand Bonaparte, was that . he never aspired : but he disdained such power ; he never had it, andeannots' therefore deserve immoderate praise for not exerting what. he did not sess. In the affair of General Lee, he did mot, if I recollect, show much in-- clination to forgive. Even Cromwell did not possess the, power of revenge to the same extent as Napoleon. There is reason . however, to infer from:: his moderation and forbearance that lie would have -used, it as sparingly. But Cromwell is less irreproachable on the some of ,another vice, viz, ingra- titude. Napoleonmot only never forgot a favour, but,analikesmost ambitious characters, -never allowedsubeequent injuries to cancel his recollection of ser- - vices. He was uniformly indulgent to the -faults of those whom he-had once distinguished. He saw them,- he sometimes. erpos edand.rectified, but, he never punished or revenged them. Many have .blamed him-for this on..: the score of policy ; but.if it was not sense and calculatMn,.it shouldase,as-- cribed to good-nature None, I presume, will impute it to weakness-or want,, of discernment."

This account of Napoleon's idens on, religion is curious, and we think new..

"Whatever were the religious, sentiments of this extraordinary man' such companions were likely neither to fix nor to shake, to sway nor to altar them. I have been at some pains to ascertain the little- that- eanbelmown of his thoughts on such subjects ; and, though, it. is not very aatiafactory; it appears, to me worth recording. "In the early periods of the.Revolution; he in common with many of his countrymen; conformed-to the,faehionsof treating- all 'such' matters, both-in-. conversation and. actien, with levity and-even derision:. In--his subsequent ti career, like most men exposed:to-wonderful_ aicissitudesahe professed; half in: jest and half in earnest, a sort of confidenceinfatalismand predestination, But on some solemn public occasions, and yet more in private and sober dis-. cussion, he not onlyravely disclaimed and reproved infidelity, but both by -

I

actions and, words, implied his' conviction that-a conversion-to religious en- thtisiasm -might befal.himself or any other man. He-had more than tole-, rance—he had indulgence and-respect for extravagant and ascetic. notions of . religious duty. He grounded that feeling not on their . soundness tor. their, truth but on the uncertainty of what our minds may be.reserved for, on-the .• possibility of our being prevailed upon to admit and even to devote ourselves to tenets which at that excite-oar derision:- It has been' observedthat' there-s was a tinoture of, Italimesuperstition in his character A -sort of convict-kale from reason thattlie doctrines of revelation)were, not true, amt yet a persavi non, or at least an apprehension, that he might;live to think them so. Ilea, was satisfied- that the seeds of belief-were deeply..aown. in. the „human heart-I. It was on-that principle that he permitted and justified, though he did not", dare to authorize, the revival of La Trappe and other austere orders. lin-" contended that they might operate- as a safety-valve for-the 'fanatical and. visionary ferment which would otherwise-burst ,forth and 'disturb 'society: In.his remarks, on-the death of, Duro; and-in, the reasons- he alleged- againsts suicide, both in calm and speculative discussion and in moments of strong': emotion, (much as- occurred' at Fontainebleau. in-18140 he' implied- a belied'., both in fatality and Pfovidence: "-In the programme of,his coronation, a part of the-ceremony:was to colas.' eist in his ,taking 'the communion Brit when the plan was submitted-to- him, he, to the, surpriseof those who had drawn 'it, was abselntelyindigsa-: nant 'at the suggestion. 'No ream', he saik had tha means of knowing,-or': had the right to say, -when--or where- he would, teke- -the sacrament, or-- whether he would ormot.' On' this emigre; headded, thit he wouldno4- nor did- he, "There is some mystery about -his eenduet respects-at St lena; . and during the last. days' of-his life,: He certainlyhad'inase celebrated' in his chapel-while he was well; andanhisbedroomwhen ill. Bht though"- have reason.te behest that the•laat• sacrarnentswereactiudly administered to him privately slew. days before his.death„ and probably -aft iconfesionste yet Count Mootholon, from -whom derive indirectly my infonnatitai,- stated that he received Napoleon's earnest and distinct directions to conceal all the preliminary preparations for that inelaneholy cereiumaylihai all other companions, and even ..to: enjoin; thepriestaif questionechAo,sayhe acMcl‘by Count- Monthelonis !orders; -but ha& ne knowledge of.theiEmpee ror's wishes.

"If seems as if he had 'some-desire-for such assurance as-the Church could give, but yet was ashamed to own it.' lid knew that 'someat St. Helena,..,. and more- in Fiance,: 'would deem-his-recourse-to suchoonsollitbir infirmity;-; perhaps he deetned‘rt so-himself. Religion, may sing ,her triampha philearea- phy exclaim, 'panne .huninnite,'. more impartiaLaoeptieisia. despair.of dists..v • coveting the. motive, but troth. and-history muss, I heliove,•aelawariedge theta fact.

Talleyrand; to whom-lbrdaralland."wits inklebted:fOrmany. tienlars respecting Mapoleon, describes with hit; wonted penek

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ationc as " brorteatIl: Ina -,:remarkii,tinja.old'inaster..anau,1 _ frays shrewd, and-gene y just,.------

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"'II produisait beaueoup,' said M. de Talleyrand to me. C'est incalcu-

lable cc produisait, plus qu'aucun homme, otu, plus qu'aucun quatre hommes que j:aie jamaisconnus. Son genie etait inconcevable. Bien n'ega- lait son energie, son imagined° ,n son esprit, sa capacite de travail, as fedi- lite de produire. II avait de la sagacite aussi. Du cote du jugement il n'etait pas si fort ; mais encore guand id voukit se donner k temps il savoit profiter du ement des autres. Ce n'etait que rarement q.ue son mauvais jugement l'emportait, et c'etait toujours lorsqu'il ne s'etort pas donne le temps de consulter eelui d'autres personnes.' Among his projects were many connected with the arts and with literature. They were all, perhaps, sub- servient to political purposes, generally gigantic, abruptly prepared,. and in all likelihood as suddenly conceived. Many were topics of conversation and subjects for speculation not serious, practical, or digested designs. Though not insensible to the arts or to literature, he was suspected latterly of con- sidering them rather as political engines or embellishments than as sources of enjoyment. M. de Talleyrand, and several artists, concurred in saying that il avait le sentiment du Grand, mais non pas celui du Beau.' He had written bon sujet d'un tableau' opposite to some passage in Letourneur's translation of Ossian ; and he had certainly a passion for that poem. His censure on David, for choosing the battle at the straits of Thermopylm as a subject for a picture, was that of a general rather than connoisseur : it smelt, if I may say so, of his shop ; though perhaps the real motive for it was dis- like to the Republican artist, and distaste to an act of national resistance against a great military invader. A bad subject,' said he after all, Leo- mdas was turned.' Ile had the littleness to expect to be prominent in every picture of national victories of his time, and was displeased at a painting of an action in Egypt for Madame Murat, in which her wounded husband was the principal figure. Power made him impatient of contradiction, even in trifles ; and latterly he did not like his taste in music, for which he had no tarn, to be disputed. His proficiency in literature has been variously stated. He had read much, but had written little. In the mechanical part he was certainly no adept ; his handwriting was nearly illegible. Some would fain persuade me that that fault was intentional, and merely an artifice to conceal his bad spelling' that he could form his letters well if he chimed, but was unwilling to let his readers know too exactly the use he made of them. His orthography was certainly not correct ; that of few Frenchmen, not pro- fessed authors, was so thirty years ago : but his brothers Lucien and Lewis, both literary men, and both correct in their orthography, write a similar hand, and nearly as bad a one as he did, probably for the same reason, viz. that they cannot write a better without great pains and loss of time.

"Napoleon, when Consul and Emperor, seldom wrote, but he dictated much. It was difficult to follow him, and he often objected to any revision of what he had dictated. When a word had escaped his amanuensis, and he was asked what it was, he would answer, somewhat pettishly, Je ne repeterai pas le mot. Reflechissez, rappelez vous du mot que j'ai diete, et eerivez-le, car pour moi je ne le repeterai pas.' Talleyrand, interested possibly in dis- crediting any posthumous writings, was very earnest, soon after the news of his death arrived, in inculcating on me and others the persuasion that Napo-

leon never did and never could dictate. disait, il ne dictait pea; on ne pouvait ecrire sous sa dictee. flue scavait ni dieter ni ecrire.' But, except- ing Talleyrand and Charles IV. of Spain' I never heard aux one express a doubt of his powers of composition, or his habits of dictating.