The Memoirs of Victor Hugo Part 18

"Whew! the devil!"

"I should have protested and spoken without finding any echo to my words; I preferred to say nothing."

"Ah! the Rhine! To have the Rhine! Yes, that is a fine idea. Poetry!

poetry!"

"Poetry that our fathers made with cannon and that we shall make again with ideas!"

"My dear colleague," went on M. Decazes, "we must wait. I, too, want the Rhine. Thirty years ago I said to Louis XVIII.: 'Sire, I should be inconsolable if I thought I should die without seeing France mistress of the left bank of the Rhine. But before we can talk about that, before we can think of it even, we must beget children.'"

"Well," I replied, "that was thirty years ago. We have begotten the children."

April 23, 1847.

The Chamber of Peers is discussing a pretty bad bill on subst.i.tutions for army service. To-day the princ.i.p.al article of the measure was before the House.

M. de Nemours was present. There are eighty lieutenant-generals in the Chamber. The majority considered the article to be a bad one. Under the eye of the Duke de Nemours, who seemed to be counting them, all rose to vote in favour of it.

The magistrates, the members of the Inst.i.tute and the amba.s.sadors voted against it.

I remarked to President Franck-Carre, who was seated next to me: "It is a struggle between civil courage and military poltroonery."

The article was adopted.

June 22, 1847.

The Girardin* affair was before the Chamber of Peers to-day. Acquittal.

The vote was taken by means of b.a.l.l.s, white ones for condemnation, black ones for acquittal. There were 199 votes cast, 65 white, 134 black.

In placing my black ball in the urn I remarked: "In blackening him we whiten him."

* Emile de Girardin had been prosecuted for publis.h.i.+ng an article in a newspaper violently attacking the government.

I said to Mme. D--: "Why do not the Minister and Girardin provoke a trial in the a.s.size Court?"

She replied: "Because Girardin does not feel himself strong enough, and the Minister does not feel himself pure enough."

MM. de Montalivet and Mole and the peers of the Chateau voted, queerly enough, for Girardin against the Government. M. Guizot learned the result in the Chamber of Deputies and looked exceedingly wrath.

June 28, 1847.

On arriving at the Chamber I found Franck-Carre greatly scandalised.

In his hand was a prospectus for champagne signed by the Count de Mareuil, and stamped with a peer's mantle and a count's coronet with the de Mareuil arms. He had shown it to the Chancellor, who had replied: "I can do nothing!"

"I could do something, though, if a mere councillor were to do a thing like that in my court," said Franck-Carre to me. "I would call the Chambers together and have him admonished in a disciplinary manner."

1848.

Discussion by the committees of the Chamber of Peers of the address in reply to the speech from the throne.

I was a member of the fourth committee. Among other changes I demanded this. There was: "Our princes, your well-beloved children, are doing in Africa the duties of servants of the State." I proposed: "The princes, your well-beloved children, are doing," etc., "their duty as servants of the State." This fooling produced the effect of a fierce opposition.

January 14, 1848.

The Chamber of Peers prevented Alton-Shee from p.r.o.nouncing in the tribune even the name of the Convention. There was a terrific knocking upon desks with paper-knives and shouts of "Order! Order!" and he was compelled almost by force to descend from the tribune.

I was on the point of shouting to them: "You are imitating a session of the Convention, but only with wooden knives!"

I was restrained by the thought that this _mot_, uttered during their anger, would never be forgiven. For myself I care little, but it might affect the calm truths which I may have to tell them and get them to accept later on.

THE REVOLUTION OF 1848.

I. THE DAYS OF FEBRUARY.

II. EXPULSIONS AND EVASIONS.

III. LOUIS PHILIPPE IN EXILE.

IV. KING JEROME.

V. THE DAYS OF JUNE.

VI. CHATEAUBRIAND.

VII. DEBATES ON THE DAYS OF JUNE.

I. THE DAYS OF FEBRUARY.

THE TWENTY-THIRD.