influence which he has never forfeited, and perfectly deserved. It is, indeed, difficult to conceive a man more eminently qualified to regulate the affairs of a highly civilised empire than that consummate statesman. Under his administration, France enjoyed a greater prosperity than during any period of her history; and the soi disant representatives of France terminated that administration by publicly stigmatising as " deplorable' the only one of all the Cabinets of the Restoration which hitherto had either sense or spirit.

Justice is not, perhaps, done to the character of Charles the Tenth. If we may trust the impression of one who has approached him, and in whose accuracy I have perfect confidence, the king is by no means deficient in the judgment and sagacity that befit his exalted station; he took an active but discreet share in the councils of his Cabinet, and assisted their deliberations with a critical knowledge of the character of his countrymen, with no inconsiderable acquaintance with the policy of foreign states, and with great moderation, good temper, and good sense. Events, indeed, have proved that it was from no disinclination to concession that the successor of Louis the Eighteenth is unable to hand down the diadem to his posterity. When, in deference to the vote

of the Chamber, in compliance with the earnest request of all around him, —even of the Dauphin, who had imbibed some of the theories of the Doctrinaires, -Charles the Tenth at length consented to the retirement of Villèle; the king wept bitterly, and exclaimed that all chance of the happiness of France was now over. The king, indeed, was placed in a painful situation, and yielded to a cruel necessity. Advanced in life, and conscious of the intrigues around him, he was forced to give up the minister in whose capacity he placed unlimited reliance, and who had served him with equal fidelity and success. He was now to be surrounded by new faces, and was forced to seek confidants among those in whom he had no trust. In such a difficult position, no one could, perhaps, have succeeded more felicitously than the new minister, M. de Martignac. His engaging manners, his interesting exterior, his sentimental sincerity, and the intonations of his flute-like voice, won upon the loneliness of the deserted monarch; and in time, when the new President of the Council whispered "Popularity," the eye of the king, whose great desire had always been to be loved by his subjects, at first brightened with hope → but only soon to droop into deeper despondency.

In order to dissipate the melancholy of the

king, Martignac proposed that his majesty should make a progress in those departments which had ever been considered the most hostile to the Bourbons.

About this time, great commercial distress prevailed in the departments of the Rhine. The king resolved to visit this population, which comprised the most industrious classes of his subjects. Martignac prepared every thing for an excellent reception; orders were given to the prefects to exert themselves in every possible way to insure an enthusiastic greeting for the sovereign, who came to solace the distress of his subjects. Count D'Esmangard, the prefect of the Lower Rhine, a very able and very popular man, was most successful in his efforts. Emissaries were despatched from the Liberal Committee at Paris, who at this time, for their own purposes, supported the minister, with orders that the king should be received every where with acclamations. It is difficult to convey an idea of the enthusiasm which seemed every where to prevail; and Charles the Tenth was quite enchanted. The late King of Wirtemberg, the Grand Duke of Baden, and the Margraves of Baden, hastened to wait upon the king. It was in visiting the arsenal of Strasbourg with these illustrious guests, that Charles, felicitously

applying a bon mot of one of his ancestors, observed, "This is a fine thing to show both to my friends and to my enemies." Men of all parties were indiscriminately invited to the royal fêtes; and his majesty paid particular attention to those who had been marked for their opposition to the government. Even Benjamin Constant, who was at Baden, repaired to Strasbourg, and immediately received the royal invitation to all the entertainments.

I remember a rather curious anecdote of this period. Since the retirement of Villèle, the opposition of M. Casimir Perier to the government had entirely ceased. Having got rid of his great adversary, M. Perier flattered himself that the king or the Chambers would soon find it expedient to advance him to the premiership. Hence that absolute silence which he maintained throughout the Martignac administration. He omitted no means to make himself acceptable to the Royalists, and sought every opportunity of throwing himself in the way of the king. Consequently, during the progress into Alsace, M. Casimir Perier took care to be, merely by accident, at Nancy. In general, all persons of distinction who may happen to be in the city or the neighbourhood which the king visits, and especially peers and deputies, receive

the honour of an invitation to dine with the king: and thus M. Casimir Perier, from the fortunate chance of being at Nancy, found himself at the royal table.

It is the etiquette, or rather it was the etiquette of the Court of France, and especially upon great occasions, that the king should have his particular dishes, or petits plats as they are styled. In case his majesty is desirous of honouring any guest by a distinguished mark of his favour or regard, he orders that a portion of a petit plat should be sent to him. Charles X., being aware of the presence of M. Casimir Perier, and desirous of paying him a great compliment, sent him a portion from the royal dish.

It is impossible to describe the countenance of Casimir Perier: he was like a child with a new toy. For a moment the plate appeared to be as good as a portfolio, and the soup had a kind of official flavour. Immediately after dinner, M. Casimir Perier hastened to some of the principal courtiers, and expressed his devotion to the king with a sincerity and a warmth which almost made them jealous.

The king was so delighted with this tour in Alsace, that, on his return, he himself proposed a progress to the northern provinces, where he was