1830.] Behaviour ofM.J&teyrand. 535 



union with the magrttfiques seigneurs of the borders of the Leman : 

 compared with which the resources of Great Britain, Austria, Russia, or 

 Italy, were mean, vile, and contemptible. " Sire, I have the honour' to 

 present you the deputies of the fifth part of the world." Bonaparte may 

 have smiled ; but it is more credible that the Genevese were scarcely 

 discontented at the raillery of the French minister : for the equivocal 

 compliment was not so extravagant as their vanity, which has at the 

 present day yet further augmented with their recently acquired inde- 

 pendence. The most humble of these legislators of the lake would 

 regard with scorn a member of the British parliament or an Aulic 

 councillor ; and even Voltaire was doomed to feel his insignificance in 

 presence of Genevese talent. " I have just been driving out with a whip 

 five or six little kings, in rags, who rob my apples," was his sarcastic 

 observation to a society of republicans who met to dine with him. 

 Another instance of their pride may not haply be unamusing. During 

 the troubles which prevailed within the walls of Geneva, Louis XVI. 

 expedited Monsieur de Bauteville to the frontiers to watch their move- 

 ments : or as these pseudo Swiss would have fain supposed, in the fear 

 of their attempting the invasion of France. Whatever was the true 

 motive, De Bauteville sat himself down philosophically at the Chateau 

 de la Chatelaine, within half a mile of this tremendous state : and, with 

 true French indifference to danger when the existence of the kingdom 

 was threatened, erected a theatre for his private amusement ; and as 

 Seigneur of the place, according to etiquette, established himself in an 

 arm-chair at the side of the stage. The Genevese, who,, by the severity 

 of consistorial law, were denied the pleasure of dramatic representations, 

 flocked to those accorded by the liberality of the Frenchman ; but their 

 levelling ideas were fearfully disordered at the prominent position of 

 their host. " Down with the arm-chair ! Down with M. de Bauteville !" 

 was the grateful response of his guests to the admission obligingly as 

 generously afforded them by the former, who, duly appreciating their 

 impertinence, arose, and gravely advancing to the front of the stage, 

 observed, in giving them their legislative title, ce Mighty lords ! you are 

 here on the territory of France. The first amongst you who disturbs the 

 public peace I shall send to jail !" Their high mightinesses took the 

 hint, silence was restored, and the fortunes of France were for that 

 time at least happily aided by the rash firmness of the Lord de la 

 Chatelaine. 



When other and more tremendous events disturbed the peace of 

 France subsequently to the invasion of Russia, a gentleman, well known 

 in Paris, and who squinted most intolerably, addressed Monsieur de 

 Talleyrand with tf Well, Prince, how go affairs ?" " As you see" was 

 the reply : which, in appealing to the distorted vision of his catechist, 

 graphically told his country's state. The failure of Simon's house at 

 Paris, in 1811, subtracted, and importantly, from the resources of 

 Monsieur de Talleyrand, he having lost, as it is asserted, no less than 

 1,400,000 francs by its bankruptcy. If, as it has been allowed, the 

 prince's wit is ready money, it was an occasion on which he might have 

 drawn largely on his humour ; but with his known disposition to turn the 

 misfortunes of life into ridicule, it does not appear that the coinage of 

 his brain was resorted to to supply the deficit of his purse. On other 

 occasions, however, he feared not to tax his imagination by speculations 

 which might well astonish (referring to the quarter whence they pro- 

 ceeded), had we not hourly, proof of the extreme ignorance of the most 



