THE COURT OF NAPOLEON.
SOME pleasant Memoirs have been published of the Empress JOSEPHINE* after her divorce, by alady who appears to have been attached to her service. This lady was brought up "in emigration," as it is called ; and her parents, when they left their fortunes be- hind them in France, were compelled to support themselves in London by teaching music. Before the return of the authoress to her native country, she lived, after leaving London, with her family at Hamburg, at Copenhagen, and at last was recalled to Paris, where the Emperor was glad to see any of the old nobility. The opportunities the writer thus enjoyed of seeing the world, collecting anecdotes, and studying character, she has turned to good account. Her narrative is light and agreeable, and somewhat curious.
She is severe upon M. de BE AUSSET, the prffet du palais to NA- POLEON, who lately published a book about his master, which was translated and excited a good deal of attention.
"M. Beausset," says the lady, "in his Memoires, says a great deal of his sincere attachment to the Empress, and of that she bore him. I do not know how far this may be true; for I did not make holes, as he did, in the doors, to see and hear what was going forward : but certain it is, that for six weeks I never saw him at Malmaison but once ; and then he came with his wife, a tall woman, almost as fat as he is big. To all ap- pearance the pair resembled one another in most things ; Madame had on a red velvet gown, and Monsieur wore a red velvet coat. It is by this that I remember their visit ; for the prefet do palais does not occupy so important a charge as to fix the attention of a person habituated, as I was then, to see generals, marshals, dukes, princes, and sovereigns. M. de Beausset was coldly received by Josephine ; who thought, perhaps, that his visit was somewhat late, (we had been three weeks at Malmaison).
DISmoires sur l'ImpiTatrice Jos6phine, sea Contemporains, la Cour de Navarra et tie la Malmaison, Faris, et Landau chez Colbura. He had the awkwardness to let out in conversation, that the Emperor had asked him if he had been. It is probably to this question, then,' said the Empress, that I am indebted for the pleasure of this visit.'"
This is a truly feminine piece of spite. It is very plain that M. de BEAUSSET has not treated the authoress with proper consideration. There are several tolerably good mots scattered up and down this performance (the first volume only is published): among others, we recollect one which pleased us, and which is worth quoting.
M. le Due de LAVAL got a reputation for folly and ignorance : absurdities such as saying that he had put up canopies in thefour corners of his octagon room, &c., were attributed to him, as to our Sir WILLIAM CURTIS. He was rich and extremely selfish. When asked to lend money, he said he made it a principle never to lend ; and the reason he gave to his friends for keeping his money in his pocket was, that in lending " the best you could expect, was only being repaid." The Empress JOSEPHINE, whom this account agrees with all others in representing as extremely amiable, used sometimes to amuse her circle with anecdotes of the Tuileries. The traits re- ported of Madame la Mar6chale LEFEBVRE are laughable enough in perusal : in a court full of form and representation, such a character must have been extremely droll.
" La Marechale (says the authoress) was a lady whose education all the world knows had been more than neglected. One evening when corn. patty was received, she arrived at the Tuileries covered with diamonds, pearls, plumes, flowers, silver, gold, Sce.; for she liked, as she used to say, to have all upon her. M. de Beaumont, the chamberlain in waiting, an- nounced Madame la Marechale Lefebvre.' The Emperor advanced to meet her, and said, Good day to you, Madame Ia. Marechale, Duchesse de Dantziele (M. de Beaumont had forgotten the title). She immediately turned round upon the chamberlain, and laughing, shouted out, 'Ah, ! that's a hit for you, my boy.' We may suppose the burst of mirth in the assembly, and the dreadful chagrin of M. de Beaumont, a most cere- monious personage, of an exceeding gravity, which he thought absolutely necessary to his office. For five minutes it was impossible to re-establish the decorum of the place, and the Emperor was the first to enjoy the sally. One day when la Marechale arrived to breakfast with the Empress at the Tuileries, surrounded by her ladies, she appeared with an air of anxiety which was not natural to her. The Empress pressed her to say what was distressing her. Oh, Madame,' says she, 'it's a long story that I have to tell ; but you must send away these snivellers here that are giggling at me." Oblige me, ladies, to pass into the waiting saloon,' said Josephine ;
who thought that some family secret was concerned. Well now, Madame la Duchesse, relate your troubles to me,' 'I have none now Madame ; but see you, I am still in a stew at what had like to have happened to me this morning.'—' Oh, my God, your son has been fighting ?'—' Not such a fool.'—' The Marechal S'—' Oh, he has nothing to do with it. I thought I had lost my big diamond ! I was sure I had left it in my room; and yet on going back, I could not find it. I asked who was it what had been there ; and they said that my rubber had, [furniture-rubber, we suppose]. He was in the saloon, which he was finishing: I made him come in, and I said to him, Rogue ! thou host got my big diamond ; I will have it again, because I value it—it's the first Lefebvre gave me ; give it me back, and I'll do nothing to thee.' The fine fellow said no, he had not it. He was a black ; I could not see whether he blushed, but I went on saying, I Will have my big diamond ;—and I ordered him to turn his pockets out. Nothing in my hands, nothing in my pockets,' said he to me. Well, then, strip rascal,' I said. He made difficulties about it ; but I was not to be done so ; 'strip yourself, beggar,' says I, naked, I tell you, or my footmen shall kill you on the spot.' At last he stripped naked as a worm, and I found my big diamond. That's it. One of your delicate misses, now, would never have got it again."
This same "big diamond' the Duchess sold with other property to raise a monument to her husband and son, for whose loss she was inconsolable. Though, as may be seen by our attempt to trans- late vulgar French into vulgar English, she was a woman of ori- ginally low condition, yet in her elevation she had no pride, and never attempted to conceal her former circumstances. She one day struck Madame de WALSH-SERENT, one of the Empress's ladies, on the back, and said, in a rough voice, "How are you, my gossip ?"
When Madame SERENT commenced addressing her with respectful courtesy, she cried, "Bah, bah ! no fine speeches. What! don't you know me ? Before I was a great lady I was a nurse ; I nursed your poor good man. You were good to me, and stood god- mother to one of my children. Oh! I don't forget. Come, em- brace me."
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