140 Memoir of Armand Carrel. 



to write. During his stay in Britain a proces was carrying on against 

 the " National" for some of his philippics upon the government ; which, 

 having now become more consolidated, had at last ventured, upon 

 much more trivial grounds, upon that prosecution which he had for- 

 merly dared it to in such terms of defiance. Carrel's absence at 

 this period was not, as has been supposed, owing to his desire to 

 escape imprisonment in France ; for he returned to Paris in time to 

 be present at the trial, and as usual made a splendid defence. The 

 trial took, place before the Chamber of Peers ; and during the course 

 of it a striking circumstance occurred. Carrel having in the course 

 of his speech mentioned the name of Marshal Ney, all at once stopped 

 short and added : " At this name I stop, out of respect to his glorious 

 and unfortunate memory. It is not for me to say whether it would 

 be more easy to legalize the sentence of his death, than to revise the 

 iniquitous one which the peers pronounced. To-day the judges have 

 more need to be re-established than their victim." At these words 

 the President rose and said, "Defendant, you are speaking before 

 the Chamber of Peers, and some of the judges of Marshal Ney are 

 here. Take care: to state that the judges have more need of being 

 re-established than the victim, is an expression which may be consi- 

 dered as an offence. I wish you to remember that the commission 

 which I have the honour of reading to you, can take cognizance of 

 your words as well as of the article, for which you are here respon- 

 sible." Carrel instantly replied with vehemence, "If any of the 

 members who voted for the death of Marshal Ney are now present, 

 and feel wounded by my words, let them make a proposition against 

 me, let them denounce me at this bar, and I shall appear. I shall 

 be proud to be the first man of the generation of 1830 to protest 

 here, in the name of indignant France, against that abominable 

 assassination/' The brave veteran General Excelmans upon this 

 started up, and, led away by enthusiasm aud deep conviction, cried, 

 "Yes, the condemnation of Ney was a judicial assassination; I my- 

 self say so." 



Carrel's defence on this occasion, though most able, was not suc- 

 cessful. He was sentenced to a heavy fine and imprisonment in St. 

 Pelagic. During his confinement here he employed himself in pre- 

 paratory studies for his History of England, and also for a Life of 

 Napoleon, which it is deeply to be regretted his premature death 

 scarcely allowed him to begin. Writing to a friend from his prison 

 he observed, " I have all the patience here, which you could wish 

 me, for I consider my suffering as but small in the midst of such 

 great public calamities." 



On his discharge from St. Pelagie he resumed writing for the 

 "National" with,'if possible, greatervigour than ever ; and the govern- 

 ment of Louis Philippe seeing that prosecution only rendered him 

 more formidable, again attempted to seduce him into their service. 

 A prefecture, or lieutenancy, of one of the leading departments of 

 the country was offered to him ; but it was declined without a mo- 

 ment's hesitation. He still maintained his military taste, and, alluding 

 to this circumstance, he used laughingly to say, " If they had 

 offered me the command of a regiment, they might have succeeded." 



