CURRENT LITERATURE.
Meinoires du Chevalier de Grail/tont. Far Antoine Hamilton, publies,. avec une Introduction et des Notes, par M. de Leseure. (Jouaust, Paris. Nutt, London.)—This is a very cheap and elegant edition of the famous memoirs, which, at their first appearance, coming from the pen of a foreigner, mast have produced the same effect on French critics as Livy's speaking ox on the Roman rustics of the early Commonwealth. M. do Lescure's scholarly little preface, which gives us much valuable matter in a delightfully small compass, seems to dispose finally of two traditions which have attached themselves to the memoirs and their hero. The first, which we give up without regret, is to the effect that the Comte de Grammont had sold the MS. for 1,500 livres ; and that Fontenelle, out of regard for the Count's reputation, refused to license the work, but was compelled to do so on Grammont's application to the Chancellor. M. do Lescure points out that, though the memoirs were- written about the year 1704, they were not printed till 1713; now the Count had died in 1707, and cannot therefore have had anything to do• with forcing Fontenelle to license them six years later. The second. legend which the present editor demolishes with "an ill-conditioned fact," it costs us a cruel pang to see relegated to the limbo where rest the "Viva la Republique I" of the crew of the sinking Vengeur,' and the famous defiance of Cambronne. Every one knows the story of" Grammont's marriage to " ta belle Hamilton ;" how, on his recall to. France, he had forgotten all his engagements in England, and how, when on the point of embarking at Dover, he was overtaken by the-brothers Hamilton, to whose inquiry, "Stop, Chevalier de Grammont, have yen not forgotten something in London ?" he replied, "Pardon me, gentle- men, I have forgotten to marry your sister !" Thereupon, ran the tale,. the precious trio returned amicably to London, and the Chevalier,. without further attempts at escape, led Eliza Hamilton to the altar. Unfortunately for this story, M. de Lescure shows that the Chevalier at the time of his recall had been the husband of Miss Hamilton for more than a year, and had already had a child by her ; while any opposition to the marriage arose from the Hamilton family, and not on the bride- groom's part. The editor quotes a passage from a despatch of the Comte d'Estrades, French envoy at the English Court, stating that the marriage of the Chevalier and the conversion of Lady Castlemaine were made public on the same day ; and that the Bing, being requested by the bride's family to cast obstacles in the way of the match, had answered gallantly that "pour l'amour des dames, il no s'en melait point." It may be added that the correspondence of the French Ambassador, M. de Comminges, strongly corroborates M. de Lescure's view.
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