1828.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



311 



and is introduced to her well-known par- 

 ties ; and, though delighted with that most 

 beautiful and fascinating woman, she is 

 induced to give her up by Moreau's repre- 

 sentations these parties being at that time 

 the very centre of political intrigue, and 

 Madame's society courted only for her sup- 

 posed influence with Moreau. Moreau 

 sedulously stood aloof from all the Tallien 

 intrigues ; and his conduct, in the volumes 

 before us, is all along represented as dis- 

 tinguished for probity and rectitude in pub- 

 lic life, and honour, and delicacy, and con- 

 sideration in private. 



Notwithstanding Moreau's resignation, 

 after some little time he accepted the ap- 

 pointment of inspector-general of the army 

 of Italy. Madame accompanies him to 

 Italy; and at Milan, the head-quarters, 

 she takes the name of Moreau, and lives 

 in great splendour her house being indeed 

 the very seat and centre of gaiety, and 

 Moreau the most generous and liberal of 

 human beings. But by-and-by comes an 

 order from the Directory, that all the ladies 

 of the army should return to France, and 

 Madame is persuaded by Moreau to retire 

 to his countiy-seat at Chaillot. At this 

 place she lived for some time, in great re- 

 tirement, only occasionally visiting Paris 

 and the theatres, but, for any thing that 

 appears and she is very frank with all 

 propriety, till, at last, by the artifices of 

 some cunning person, who knew her cha- 

 racter and susceptibility, and had often 

 heard her express admiration for Ney, she 

 was prompted to write to him, in terms ex- 

 pressive of her admiration and affection. 

 This letter, though never delivered to Ney, 

 gave the intriguing prompter of it consi- 

 derable command over her which he 

 seems to have exercised with some tyranny, 

 and greatly to her vexation ; but hearing 

 nothing from Ney, and impelled by feel- 

 ings she could not controul, she dispatches 

 a letter, unknown to her confidant, and, 

 on the same day, another to Moreau, and 

 blunders in the address, and Moreau re- 

 ceives the one destined for Ney. 



This, of course, in the long run, pro- 

 duces a separation ; but Moreau, who has 

 nothing of precipitation about him, and 

 well able to estimate the lady's value and 

 want of value, is unwilling to break with 

 her, or, at least, to dismiss her unkindly ; 

 but, as it was with regard to her husband, 

 so it is now to her protector discovery 

 makes all the difference ; she will not listen 

 to Moreau's entreaties his offers of for- 

 giveness of marriage even. No, no ; she 

 has injured him she will not bear his 

 pity ; her feelings too for Ney are of a 

 kind she never experienced before they 

 are the promptings of nature they are 

 love all she ever felt before was not love, 

 but esteem, respect, gratefulness, &c. Her 

 attention is now turned to the stage, and 

 she takes lessons in declaiming Moreau, 

 in vain, endeavouring to dissuade her from 



this degradation, and offering to use all his 

 influence to restore her to her family. The 

 narrative breaks off here, and no Ney is 

 introduced, though, from sundry intima- 

 tions in the course of the volumes, she did 

 at last, to her own wretchedness, know 

 too much of him. Moreau foreboded his 

 stormy and restless spirit would be pro- 

 ductive to her of final discomfort. 



The chief charm of the volumes is Mo- 

 reau his quiet and gentlemanly conduct, 

 compared with the rough and turbulent 

 spirits around him. Of his private life 

 little has ever been known ; and we know 

 not that this account of him is to be relied 

 upon at all events, it bears the marks of 

 probability. The book, however, hardly 

 fulfils the promise held out in the preface 

 not much more of public characters is 

 given than we have hinted at, except an 

 interview or two she had with TalJeyrand, 

 when soliciting some favour from him, 

 at his office, when secretary for fo- 

 reign affairs and another with Regnault 

 St. Jean d'Angely neither of them very 

 significant, though Talleyrand's is charac- 

 teristic enough. Politically the narrative is 

 brought down to the apointment of Buona- 

 parte to the consulate ; in which affair, 

 Moreau, she says, had no concern. She 

 represents him as hating Buonaparte, with 

 a hatred which embraced the whole family 

 he would sooner have married the veriest 

 drab in the streets, than the sister of the 

 Corsican ! 



As to the unhappy lady herself even 

 with the sternest the least susceptible 

 the least tempted and tried she has pal- 

 liations to plead if credit be given to her 

 statements which can have fallen to few 

 the early loss of her father the melan- 

 choly and consequent neglect, and almost 

 forgetfulness of the mother in her child- 

 hood her extreme youth her very beauty 

 her susceptibility her imbecility her 

 husband's carelessness the profligate com- 

 pany that husband gathered round him 

 the unprincipled habits of military men- 

 the freedoms and exposures of a camp 

 unprotected unsupported unwarned. 

 Alas ! what is it we expect? the coldness 

 and caution of age, with the inexperience 

 of childhood! 



The English in India. By the Author 

 of " Pandurang Hari," and " The Ze- 

 nana." 3 vols. \2rno. ; 1828 The wri- 

 ter has more than half defeated his object. 

 That object was to convey a familiar notion 

 of the modes of life in the Presidencies of 

 British India, and the medium he adopts is 

 the story and adventures of a young lady, 

 despatched by her friends as many young 

 ladies no doubt are so despatched to make 

 her fortune by marriage ; but this story, 

 unhappily, is of so complicated a cast, that 

 too much of the author's attention and 

 space is taken up in developing the com- 

 plications, and surely far more than he 



