654 The Autobiography of St. Simon. [JUNE, 



this day brought into Court, is not mine, butRachael Parfett'sj and, from 

 a brooch, which I found on its breast, I feel convinced it is my husband's. 

 That brooch I gave him only a week before our marriage : it was a family 

 relic, to which superstition had affixed a charm ; and I felt hurt that he 

 did not wear it on his wedding day. It was then Rachael Parfett's." 



The story of The Human Cuckoo may be concluded with the following 

 extract at which many may laugh from Brodie Bagster's second ballad 

 on the same subject, written to a melody which he is said to have patiently 

 coaxed out of his own fiddle : 



" And so, with that, this lady proud, 



Plucked up her damask gown, 

 And sailed out of Court, like an evening cloud, 



When the sun has just gone down. 

 And when she died which soon befell 



Sir Ralph of Scroby Hall 

 He married the lass he'd not used well, 

 And made amends for all." 



W. C. 



THE AUTO BIOGRAPHY OF ST. SIMON. 



I WAS born on the 17th of October, 1760. I entered the service in 

 1776, and sailed for America in 1779, where I served under the orders 

 of de Bouille" and of Washington. 



At the peace I presented to the Viceroy of Mexico the project of 

 establishing, between the two seas, a communication, which is practicable 

 by rendering navigable the river In Partido, a branch of which runs into 

 our ocean while the other discharges itself into the Southern Pacific. 

 My project having been coolly received, I abandoned it. 



On my return to France, I was made colonel when I was not yet 

 three and twenty. A life of inactivity soon disgusted me -, for to pass the 

 summer " en garnison," and the winter at Court, was a mode of life to 

 me perfectly unsupportable. I therefore set out for Holland in 1785. 



The Duke de la Vauguyon, the French Ambassador in Holland, had just 

 succeeded in emancipating this country from the influence of England. 

 He had prevailed on the States General to combine with France in an 

 expedition against the British East India possessions. Le Compte de 

 Bouille was appointed to the command of this expedition, in which he 

 had selected for me an honourable post. For a year I was occupied 

 with the execution of this project, which failed, owing to the want of skill 

 of M. de Verac, who succeeded M. de la Vauguyon. 



On my return to France in 1786, my renewed state of inactivity soon 

 again disgusted me. I set out for Spain in 1787. The Spanish Govern- 

 ment had undertaken a canal to establish a communication between 

 Madrid and the sea ; but they were in want of both money and workmen. 

 I concerted with M. de Cobarrus (now Minister of Finance) and we pre- 

 sented to the Government the following project : 



The Count de Cobarrus proposed on the part of the bank of St. 

 Charles, of which he was director, to advance to the government the 

 funds necessary for the execution of the canal, provided the king would 

 relinquish to the bank the right of toll. On my part I offered to raise 

 a legion of six thousand men, (all foreigners), two thousand of which were 



