1831.] Affairs in General. 555 



The citizen king proposed that they should choose a Neapolitan prince, 

 a dexterous thing enough by-the-by, for the Neapolitan being the nephew 

 of the Queen of France, the Orleans influence would be just as strong as 

 with the Duke of Nemours, while it would be less glaring. But the tie 

 would be complete by making " our nephew" marry " our daughter," 

 who besides carrying with her the French blood, which warms through 

 every degree of political intrigue, would carry a little French court, of 

 employes, chamberlains, maids of honour, and every one of them, down 

 to the " foolish fat scullion" and the boots of course a regular French 

 intriguer, by the law of Nature. This is a fragment of the mode of 

 getting rid of daughters in la belle France. 



" Now, if you take the Neapolitan prince, I will also send you one of my 

 daughters, that is to say, if one of them be so inclined ; for, though a king, I 

 am a father, and my daughters shall not be compelled to marry men whom they 

 do not love. I don't care for royal blood, and they care for it as little. What 

 think you of Marie? You chatted with her a,long time yesterday. Does she 

 not look charming with her blonde ringlets ? She is a liberal, like you and 

 me. For all this I must not forget my Louise, who is the oldest ; she with the 

 large eyes, and cold but sentimental air. She has solidity and judgment; she 

 is liberal too, but not quite so warm as her sister. By-the-by (laughing), 

 before your king accepts your constitution, you must make him come to the 

 Palais Royale, for if he pleases neither Louise nor Marie, I shall have nothing 

 to say to him. But to be serious, tell your Belgians that they have drawn 

 closer the ties of friendship between us ; and that they may rely upon me as a 

 father, as their firm support through life." 



It is our plain opinion, however, that the citizen king is overdoing the 

 part, and that even the Sansculottes would not respect him the less for 

 being a little unlike themselves. The following story is told by one of 

 our fashionable journals, which the journal seems to think a reflection 

 on the sense of the lady, while we think it entirely a reflection on the 

 sense of the Palais Royal citizen family. 



<e The beautiful Lady S. M., lately arrived in Paris, and who was in habits 

 of great intimacy with the Orleans family, received a note from one of the 

 young princesses, requesting her to take coffee at the palace. Lady S. M. 

 accordingly made her toilette in her usual style of magnificence. Her lady- 

 ship's hair, a la Chinoise, was looped up with diamonds, and the diamond star 

 which blazed on her forehead might have graced the brows of royalty. Her 

 dress corresponded with her superb coiffure. Upon entering the queen's apart- 

 ment, Lady S. M. found her majesty seated with her family round a table, 

 stuffing black leather dolls for the amusement of her youngest daughter, who 

 has but lately recovered from the measles. Her Majesty wore a plain black 

 satin gown, and her customary head-dress, a black hat ai?d feathers. The 

 princesses wore white muslin frocks and blue sashes. The Due de Nemours 

 was reading a newspaper aloud. Lady S. M. gave one glance at the family 

 party, and another at her own coiffure, and found herself obliged to plead a ball 

 at Lady Granville's as an excuse." 



So much for the royal way of receiving a visitor. We think that the 

 lady had altogether the best of the scene. Her only error was in making 

 any apology for her dress, unless, indeed, she might have meant the allu- 

 sion to Lady Granville's party as a sly cut at the citizen deshabille of the 

 royal family. She had come to pay her respects to a queen, and very 

 properly dressed herself as was fit for the presence of royalty. She could 

 not have conjectured that she would find herself received, after a regular 

 invitation too, by a party that must have looked much more like the 

 family circle in a back shop in the Rue Vivienne ; the matron milliner 



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