491 



THE DUKE DE MORTEMART'S ADMINISTRATION !* 



WITHIN a few weeks of each other two works have issued from the 

 French press on the subject of the revolution of 1830,, the one the 

 production of a determined republican, the other of a devoted Carlist. 

 M. Sarrans, the author of the first, was officially connected with General 

 Lafayette ; M. Alexandre Mazas, to whom we are indebted for the 

 second, had been for two years attached to the household of the Duke 

 de Bourdeaux in the capacity of private secretary, and being also the 

 personal friend of the Baron de Damas, the prince's governor, he was 

 recommended to the Duke de Mortemart, and appointed his secretary 

 when on the 29th of July, 1830, the duke consented, on the urgent 

 solicitation of Charles X., to undertake the hopeless task of restoring his 

 abused authority, and recovering a crown which had apparently passed 

 irrevocably from himself and his dynasty. 



The account which the duke gives to his secretary of the circum- 

 stances attending his appointment, is thus reported by M. Mazes : 



" I had set out for the waters, and was already, yesterday, (Wednes- 

 day,) two hours on my way from Neauphle, on the Paris road, when 

 the paymaster of my company overtook me, and informed me of the 

 events which had taken place in the capital, and that the foot-guards 

 had been ordered to St. Cloud. I took the officer into the carriage with 

 me, and in exchange for my own, procured post-horses at Versailles, 

 but the people, knowing that we belonged to the king's household, 

 assailed us with stones by which my servant was wounded. The officer 

 who accompanied me received a paving-stone on his thigh, and I was 

 struck on the back but was saved by the cloak I wore. A party of the 

 National Guard came in time to relieve me, and escorted me to the 

 barrier. I arrived at St. Cloud about ten o'clock in the evening, and 

 expressed a wish to see the king, that I might tell him of the situation 

 of Versailles, but as he was going to bed, he sent to say that he would 

 receive me early in the morning. During the night I sent my servant 

 to Paris to bring me my uniform, as going to the waters I had none 

 with me. Scarcely had day broke this morning, when a great many 

 people of the court came to urge me to go to the king and impress on 

 him the danger of the situation in which we were placed. The king, 

 perhaps, ill-informed, had refused to believe that there was anything 

 seriously wrong. I went to him a little before six this morning, 

 (Thursday,) informed him of what I had seen at Versailles, and what I 

 knew of the events of Paris, and besought him in the name of his own 

 interest, to take some new measure, for I was persuaded that the throne 

 was seriously compromised. The king took my hand, and pressing it, 

 said : ' You are an honest and loyal servant, I know how to estimate 

 your worth but you are young born in the revolution, you see matters 

 according to new ideas, and the slightest uproar surprises you. For my 



nt I have not forgotten how the events took place forty years ago. 

 tn not disposed, like my brother, to get into a cart, je veux monter a 



* Saint-Cloud, Paris et Cherbourg. Memoires pour servir a 1'histoire de la 

 Revolution de 1830. Publics par M. Alex. Mazas, Secretaire du dernier President 

 du Consiel des Ministres nomine -par le Roi Charles X. Mission de M. le Due 

 de Mortemart, pendant la Semaine de Juillet. Nouveaux details politiques sur 

 le voyage de Cherbourg. Paris, Octobre, 1832. 



