expected from one of his age, nor was his conduct allowed to be without a reward. He was honoured with the cross of St Anne, of Waldimir, and of St George. The happy events which followed made him quit the Russian service, in which he had risen to the rank of ma jor. He was soon afterwards made a knight of St Louis, a field-marshal, and aid-de-camp to his Royal Highness the Duke of Angouleme. In the month of April, 1815, he accompanied his royal highness to the south, and was appointed to settle the convention with General Gilly, who commanded the 1st corps of Buonaparte's army. The articles were accordingly signed by Colonel Lefebre, and the Baron de Damas on the Sth of April, 1815, at Pont-Saint-Esprit. General Grouchy having been accused of agreeing to the detention of the Duke of Angouleme at Pont-Saint-Esprit, although his liberty and the place where he should embark were stipulated, Baron de Damas was examined as a witness at the general's trial in October, 1816, and declared before the council of war, that General Grouchy had said to him at the time referred to, that it was in opposition to his will that the convention had been broken, and that an officer of the gendarmerie was appointed to watch the Prince-that these measures were prescribed to him, and he could not refuse to obey orders. He had even advised him to make his escape along with the Duke of Angouleme, &c. The Baron de Damas accompanied the duke to Barcelona, returned to France in the train of his royal highness, and was appointed lieut.general and commander of the 8th division. COUNT PHILIP DE MONTESQUIOUFEZENZAC. This nobleman is chief of the family of that name, which, according togenealogists, is descended from our first race of kings. He was born at the castle of Marsan, near Auch, in the year 1753, entered the cavalry at an early age, and was made colonel of the regiment of Lyons in the year 1785. The discipline which he maintained in that regiment formed a strong contrast to the defection and disorder which were prevalent in the army, and procured him the character of an excellent officer. Being advanced to the rank of field-marshal in 1792, he' was sent by the king to Avignon, to put a check to an army of Marseillese, who wished to renew the hor ་ rors of the Glacière, and was successful in forcing them to retreat. During the course of the same year he was dispatched to St Domingo, in order to take the command of the southern district, which he preserved in perfect tranquillity, while the rest of the island was suffering from the ravages of the two commissioners Polverel and Santonax. The news of the death of Louis XVI. obliged him to resign his appointment, and he was arrested by the commissioners, who confined him on board a vessel, which was to convey him home as soon as the sea should be open, that he might appear before the Convention. He remained in that confinement for a year, rejecting the offer of liberty which was made to him upon condition that he should again enter the From this state, however, he was delivered by the death of Robespierre, upon which he retired to the United States. He continued to reside there until the time of the consulate. He then returned to his native country, and lived in retirement on his estate until the return of the king in 1814. Upon that happy event he was appointed lieutenant-general and commandant of his department (the Gers,) and when Buonaparte re appeared, 1815, he resigned all em ployment. In the month of September following, he was appointed presi dent of the Electoral College of the same department. This nobleman stands deservedly high in public opinion, on account of his great worth and of his benevo lent character; and it is no small tes timony in his favour, that his ancient vassals continued stedfast in their attachment to him during the whole of the Revolution. THE ABBÉ DE MONTESQUIOU- The Abbé, who is brother of Count Philippe de Montesquiou-Fezenzac, the chief of his name, was born in the year 1757. He entered the church at an early age, and in 1785 was ap pointed agent-general for the clergy. In that office he displayed much talent, and was sent as deputy to the states general by the clergy of Paris. Although attached to the nobility by his birth, and to the elergy by the offices which he held, and by the hopes of advancement which a person of his dignity might reasonably indulge, he nevertheless conducted himself with much moderation in the debates that took place regarding the privileges of these two orders. It is well known with what violence the discussion of these subjects was car ried on in the Constitutional Assem bly; but he could never be accused of proceeding beyond the limits of calm argumentation, and the sweet and persuasive nature of his eloquence brought many of his most decided opponents to fall in with his views. On one occasion, when he had made a great impression by an eloquent speech from the tribune, Mirabeau called out, "Beware of that little serpent, he will deceive you.' The Abbé de Montesquiou was twice appointed president in the year 1790; first on the 5th of January, and afterwards on the 28th of February; and he was honoured with the thanks of the Assembly for the impartial and able manner in which he filled the chair; a distinction which was never conferred upon any other individual of the same sentiments with him among the nobility and clergy. In the Chamber of the Clergy he declared that the abandonment of its pecuniary revenues was considered by his order not as a sacrifice, but as an act of positive justice; and he remained with the minority of that chamber until it ceased to be a distinct one, when the king ordained that it should be re-united to the National Assembly. When the question was discussed, Whether the clergy were to be regarded as the proprietors of the possessions which they held? he took the affirmative side. He called upon any one to prove, that the civil authority had ever ordered the alienation of any of the property belonging to the church; and he showed, that during six centuries the clerical order had done so in a thousand different ways. The Abbé, in the character of agent-general, never ceased to support the interest of the clergy until it was no longer of any advantage. He opposed the projected sale of ecclesiastical property to the amount of four millions, until the revenues of the church were regularly fixed; and he attacked the municipality of Paris, which, in order to commence the business of spoliation, requested to be authorised to purchase the property for two millions. Not withstanding the decided ground which he took on this occasion, the Assembly, reposing the fullest confidence in the Abbé's obedience to the laws actually passed, appointed him one of the 12 commissioners for selling the ecclesiastical demesnes, and he acted in the most faithful manner in the performance of the duty which thus devolved upon him. On the 9th of January 1790, when the Chamber of the vacations of the Parliament of Bretagne appeared, in obedience to the command of the Assembly, at its bar, he was president. M. de la Houssaye, the president of the Chamber, was addressed by the Abbé de Montesquiou in the following manner:-"The National Assembly has issued its commands to all the tribunals of the kingdom, to trans scribe in their registers without delay, and without remonstrance, all the laws referring to them. Nevertheless, you have refused the registra tion of the decree, by which the du ration of your vacations is prolonged. The National Assembly, astonished at such conduct from you, has ordered you to appear in this place to answer for your refusal. How happens it that the laws are thus delayed to be executed? How comes it that the magistrates have ceased to give an example of obedience to the laws? Make your reply. The National Assembly is willing to listen to you; and if the presence of the Legislative Body reminds you of the inflexibility of its principles, do not forget that the fathers of the country, 'before whom you now appear, are ever ready to treat with indulgent lenity their erring children." M. de la Houssaye, taking advantage of the opportunity which was thus afforded to him, delivered an excellent speech; at the conclusion of which, the president of the Assembly said dryly to the ma gistrates that they might depart. The conduct of the Abbé on this occasion was considered by many persons as severe, especially when his own senti ments were taken into the account. When the question respecting the suppression of the monasteries came to be discussed, some of the deputies insisted that the Assembly had the right of releasing the religious orders from their vows. M. de Montesquiou showed that no such right was vested with it. It was afterwards proposed to force them to leave the monaste ries, in order that the buildings might be sold or destroyed. The Abbé opposed this measure, which he said would be an act of the grossest injustice, and great cruelty, especially to those who were advanced in life. On the 13th February he advocated the cause of the latter with much zeal, and tried to procure for them permission to die in peace in their retreats. The speech which he delivered on that occasion produced a lively impression on the Assembly. The chronicles of the time relate, liberty. His peaceful disposition was so well known, that no fears were entertained of his proving a source of annoyance. that when the greater part of the bi- in spite of other communications reshops and other ecclesiastical depu- lative to this matter with which the ties deliberated by themselves, whe- Abbé had to do, the latter was sufferther an oath of obedience to the civil ed to remain quite unmolested by the constitution should be taken by the usurper. Afterwards, however, when clergy, M. de Montesquiou adopted Buonaparte demanded the abdication the affirmative side of the question; of the Bourbons, and when he had but an opposite opinion was support- received the noble reply, with which ed by M. de Bonald, Bishop of Cler- every body is acquainted, he took the mont; and this having been carried resolution of sending away all those by a majority, the Abbé submitted to who were known to be particularly atthe decision; and at the sitting of the tached to the family of the Bourbons. 27th November, 1790, moved that The Abbé was included in their numthe king should be petitioned to write ber, and received orders to retire to to the pope to obtain the sanction of Menton in the neighbourhood of Mahis holiness to the civil constitution. naco. Having, however, petitioned This proposal was rejected by the As against this sentence, and stated that sembly, after one of the most turbu he would have no means of subsisting lent discussions ever witnessed. in the place of exile which was pointDuring the famous debate regarded out, he was allowed to remain at ing the right of making peace and war, the Abbé insisted that that right belonged exclusively to the king; but that the ratification of the Nation al Assembly was necessary. During the whole of the session he voted constantly with the right side; and what is not a little surprising, he always remained on the best footing with the members who sat on the left. He signed the protest of the 12th Sep tember 1791, and continued in Paris during the session of the Legislative Assembly. At that time he made it his practice to go to court, and was honoured with the particular regard of the king and queen. Having escaped from the proscriptions of the 10th of August and 2d of September, he passed over to England. After the fall of Robespierre, however, he returned, and was active in support ing the cause of the king. It is said that his majesty entrusted him with a letter to Buonaparte, in which he laid before the conqueror the dangers of usurpation, and the advantage of legitimacy. Buonaparte entrusted the Abbé with his response to the king, and it is worthy of being noted, that In April, 1814, he was appointed a member of the provisional government. He was afterwards named by the king to be one of the commissioners for the formation of the constitutional charter; and it is generally understood that he had the principal share in that arduous work. In the month of July he was appointed minister of the interior, and the system which he followed in the discharge of the duties that thus devolved upon him, had many enemies. The royalists indulged a reasonable expectation of receiving offices and favours, in preference to those who had been implicated in the Revolution. M. de Montesquiou did not however fall in with their views, for he declared, that "the king knew nothing of the men who were thus stigmatized. The intention of his majesty was not to punish, but to forget the Revolution!" He even added, that idleness had enfeebled the powers of the ancient regime, and that the government could not entrust places of importance to men who had become old, and lost their acquaint ance with business. Nevertheless, he found out too late, that the men whom he favoured with his confidence were far from deserving it. Buonaparte came back without finding any obstacle to oppose him. He entered Paris in the most peaceful manner, without receiving the smallest resistance from the numerous agents of the ministry. It must be confessed, that while the Abbé de Montesquiou is qualified by his talents and accomplishments to be the ornament of society, he does not possess all the qualifications necessary for fulfilling the duties of the important offices with which he has been entrusted. Being fond of repose and retirement, and possessing at the same time very infirm health, he cannot engage with advantage in those mi nisterial labours, which, in the present state of France, require men of an indefatigable character, and possessing the greatest energy. We must not forget, however, to mention the speech which he is reported to have made to an individual high in power, "France will endure ten mistresses, but not a single favourite." On the 5th of July, he gave to the Chamber of Deputies his views with regard to the liberty of the press, and said that the king had as much need of a free press as any of his subjects, because that was the only way in which truth could arrive at the throne. After this declaration, it is remarkable, that the Abbé proposed a law by which the privilege which he had just eulogised should be granted only to writings of thirty leaves and upwards. M. de Montesquiou did not accompany his majesty to Ghent, but went over to England, where he staid for a short time. He was the only one of his majesty's ministers who refused the indemnity of 100,000 francs which was offered to them, and without doubt he was not the person to whom the sum was the least necessary. On his return to France he was elevated to the peerage, and preserved his title of minister of state. He seems to follow the same principles which directed his administration in 1814, and has never voted in the Chamber of Peers in opposition to the ministry. The Abbé de Montesquiou was lately made a member of the French Academy. COUNT DE CHOISEUL-GOUFFIER. This nobleman was born in the year 1752. The name of Gouffier was adopted by him upon his marriage with Mademoiselle de Gouffier. In his youth he travelled through Greece and other countries, and published the results of his observations, which were found to be very valuable, and procured him admission into the Aca demy of Inscriptions. In 1781, M. de Choiseul offered himself as a candidate to fill one of the vacant places in the French Academy, in spite of a tacit agreement which had been entered into by the members of the former Academy, to expel from their number any member who should solicit admission into the latter. |
