1813-1814] Madame de Stael 35 



Mme de Stael and her son. Sir Samuel awed Madame from 

 her usual harangues into very agreeable conversation, and 

 he was by all hands allowed to have been very charming. 

 Mr Tierney said he never saw Mackintosh more agreeable, 

 and Mac said much the same of him, so Lord Holland said 

 he was convinced it must have been a most agreeable day. 

 Mackintosh generally shews himself among us some part 

 of the day, and gives us an account of all he sees and hears 

 at Holland House and elsewhere. He is in very good spirits 

 and appears to enjoy himself very much. The other day 

 he witnessed a scene there between the Marquis Wellesley 1 

 and Mme de Stael that he said he shall never forget. At 

 dinner she attacked him for his speech on the Swedish 

 Treaty, which he repelled with so much address that he 

 was the admiration of the whole table. His sarcasm was 

 so tempered with humour and politeness, keeping it strictly 

 to answering her and never att adding her, tho' everyone 

 saw she was entirely in his power, that he could not fail to 

 delight the whole company, while he did not in the least 

 offend her once. Mack thought she looked as if she 

 suspected the smile that was passing over the face of the 

 company, and acknowledged her ignorance of that kind of 

 warfare by turning to Mackintosh and saying, " Ah ! il est 

 bien facile de m'attraper." After dinner she stood up and 

 harangued for half-an-hour against peace in the style of 

 the " Eegicide Peace." This was so entirely against the 

 sentiments of every one present that Lord Holland did not 

 give it so pleasant a reception as the Marquis did her 

 attack upon him, but gravely declared his opinions were 

 entirely contrary to hers on that subject. When she went 

 away he declared she was the most presumptuous woman 

 he had ever met with. . . . 



1 Eldest brother of the Duke of Wellington (b. 1760, d. 1842). 

 He had made his fame as Governor-General of India (1797 1805) 

 during the critical time of the Mahratta war, and had since been our 

 Ambassador at Madrid and Foreign Minister. 



