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wait some short time longer, and to take shelter in a charcoalburner's hut, while Bourmont should go to the town for intelligence that intelligence was disastrous-the insurrection had been entirely and completely suppressed-the steamer had been driven from the neighbourhood by a tricolor frigate. The Duchess had then a choice of only two alternatives-either to escape towards the Alps and into Piedmont; or, turning westward, to cross the whole breadth of France, and take shelter in La Vendée. This latter plan, though the most dangerous in its execution, had, at least, a chance of success in its result, and was, therefore, chosen by the Duchess. She declared, that since she had entered France, she would not leave it; and, with the rapidity always attendant upon her resolves, gave orders for immediate departure.

This statement a little diminishes the appearance of rashness and folly which the attempt in La Vendée has hitherto worn. It seems that it was not premeditated, and that the Duchess was driven thither from what she thought necessity, and not from choice.

Having formed this resolution, she was desirous of taking advantage of the darkness of the night to make the first stage as long as possible. They had neither horse, nor mule, nor carriage; but the Duchess declared that she was a very good walker; and the owner of the hut having offered his services as a guide, the little party left the sea-shore. The night was dark, and they could distinguish Marseilles at the other extremity of the bay, only by its numerous lights, which twinkled like stars. Now and then a murmur arose from the agitated town, and the Duchess would turn round, cast another parting glance towards the city of her lost hopes, and again resume her journey with a sigh. These symptoms of regret did not, however, last long; and no sooner had she lost sight of Marseilles than she seemed to have forgotten her disappointment, and to think of nothing but making her way, the difficulties and ruggedness of which increased with every step of her progress. The night was so dark, that the travellers could with difficulty see where they placed their feet; and in this way they walked on during five consecutive hours. The guide then stopped, and at length confessed that he had lost his way. The Duchess, on the other hand, was so tired that she could walk no farther. The preceding night had, however, seasoned her to the life of bivouac she was about to pursue; she wrapped herself in her warm cloak, laid her head upon a portmanteau for a pillow, and was soon as fast asleep as if she had been in her bed at the Tuileries. Her companions again kept watch over her.

Now occurred an incident which is, in all its circumstances, much more like romance than real life in the nineteenth century.

At

VOL. L. NO. XCIX,

At dawn of day the Duchess awoke, and, perceiving a countryseat at a little distance, asked to whom it belonged. "To a furious republican," the guide answered; " and, what is more, he is Mayor of the commune of C ***." " Very well," replied the princess, "conduct me thither." Her companions looked at her with astonishment. "Gentlemen," she said, (turning towards them, and without giving them time to speak,) in the tone of voice which she always assumes when her determination is irrevocable," the moment is come when we must part. There is less danger for us separately than if we remained together. Monsieur de Bourmont, you shall receive my orders at Nantes; proceed thither, and wait there for me. Monsieur de Ménars, do you reach Montpellier; there I will let you know where I am. Adieu, gentlemen; I wish you a safe journey, and may God be with you!" So saying, she gave them her hand to kiss, and took leave of them. They both withdrew, well knowing that remonstrance would be vain. The Duchess, on finding herself alone, repeated her order to the guide to conduct her to the house of the mayor. In a quarter of an hour they were in the mayor's drawing-room, and notice was given to the master of the house that a lady wanted to speak to him in private. He made his appearance in about ten minutes, and the Duchess advanced to meet him. "Sir," said she," you are a republican, I know; but no political opinions can be applied to a proscribed fugitive. I am the Duchess of Berri,-and I am come to ask you for an asylum." "My house is at your service, Madam."-" Your office enables you to provide me with a passport, and I have depended on your getting one for me."—" I will procure you one." "I must to-morrow proceed to the neighbourhood of Montpellier; will you afford me the means of doing so?"-" I will myself conduct you thither."-" Now, Sir," continued the Duchess, holding out her hand to him, "order a bed to be got ready for me, and you shall see that the Duchess of Berri can sleep soundly, even under the roof of a republican." Next evening the Duchess was at Montpellier; she had travelled thither in the mayor's char-à-banc, seated by his side.'-p. 80-83.

This bold step, on the part of the Duchess, was not a thoughtless and desperate audacity. It appears to us to show a considerable degree of judgment and presence of mind. She no doubt dismissed her attendants, because, although she might hope that the mayor's gallantry would not refuse protection to a solitary and fugitive female, the case would become very different when combined with that of the two men. We notice this, because it is a proof (nor is it a solitary one) of a considerate and calculating mind, which other circumstances of her conduct would not have led us to expect.

At Montpellier she was rejoined by M. de Ménars, with whom and a Marquis de L, she travelled with passports under fictitious names, to La Vendée, which she reached on the 18th May. There she determined, in spite of remonstrances from

the

the Vendean leaders, as well as her own privy-council, to raise the country. This wild project was communicated to the royalist party in Paris, who immediately despatched M. Berryer, the celebrated advocate and deputy, to dissuade her from so desperate an attempt. MM. de Chateaubriand and Fitzjames were too much watched to be able to attempt a mission, which M. Berryer undertook, on the pretence of having a cause to plead at the assizes of Nantes. The account of M. Berryer's journey from Nantes to the Duchess's hiding-place is really like a chapter of Rob Roy, but it is too long to extract. He succeeded in persuading the Duchess to recall the order she had given for the insurrection, and to consent to leave France; but, unhappily, he had scarcely parted from her, when her bold and impatient disposition resumed the mastery, and she repeated the fatal order, and it was obeyed. And here we must pause a moment to admire the fidelity, and to blame the imprudence, of these noble Vendeans-noble in all ranks, from the chaumière to the château. They all, even to the rudest peasant, saw the folly-the utter hopelessness-of such an attempt; yet they felt the point of honour so strongly, that they obeyed. The gentlemen, indeed, in general, mixed consideration and humanity towards others with their own self-devotion; and while they were ready to risk their own persons, they were not anxious to bring their poor peasants into so serious and so useless a dangerthey exposed themselves, but they repressed the general insurrection. But we really think these gentlemen pushed their principle of fidelity too far. They should not have obeyed the summons to so important an undertaking of a single woman-young, giddy, ignorant-without responsible advisers-disapproved by every cooler judgment, and having no kind of authority for the government which she affected to exercise. Such mistimed couragesuch extravagant self-devotion-such a prostration of common sense and judgment before a vague and irregular impulse of feeling, may be amiable, may be admirable in the individuals, but it is fatal to a cause and ruinous to a country; and we confess that our personal admiration of those gallant men is painfully impaired by the recollection of all the blood and all the misery that their blind obedience to an insane summons has cost their unhappy country. Let us select one scene of the contest which followed the Duchess's signal:

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A meeting of Chouans had been appointed for the 6th, at the chateau of La Penissière de la Cour, situated a league and a half from Clisson. At nine o'clock in the morning, forty-five Chouans were assembled at the place appointed. They were all young men of family, and were commanded by two brothers, ex-officers in the royal guard. They had with them two peasants, who, having learnt at Nantes to

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play upon the light-infantry bugle, constituted their band of military music. The commander of the 29th regiment being informed of this meeting, put himself at the head of forty-five voltigeurs and two gendarmes, and proceeded to the chateau of La Penissière. On reaching it, he found that his detachment was not sufficiently numerous to invest the habitation, which was defended by a wall forming the enclosure of a park. A gendarme was therefore despatched for reinforcements, and ninety men arrived, who were soon after followed by forty more, under the command of Lieutenant Saneo. He now ordered an attack to be made. After a short defence the external wall was abandoned, and the Chouans retreated into the house, where they barricaded all the doors. They then stationed their forces in the ground-floor and the first-floor, placing on either floor a peasant with his bugle, who did not cease playing during the whole action; and from the windows they opened a fire, which was well sustained and very ably directed. Twice did the soldiers advance within twenty yards of the house, and as often were they repulsed.

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The commander ordered a third attack; and whilst preparations were making for it, four soldiers, aided by a mason, advanced towards the gable-end, which had no opening into the garden, and the approach to which could not, therefore, be defended. Having placed a ladder against it, these assailants ascended to the roof of the house, made an opening, threw lighted combustibles into the garrets, and then withdrew. In an instant a column of smoke burst from the roof, through which the fire soon made its way. The soldiers now uttered loud shouts of triumph, and again marched towards the little citadel, which seemed to have a standard of flame planted upon its summit. The besieged had perceived the fire, but had not time to extinguish it; and, as fire has always a tendency to ascend, they hoped that when the roof was destroyed, it would naturally be extinguished for want of something to feed it. They therefore replied to the shouts of our soldiers with a volley of musketry, as well sustained as the former; and, during the whole time it lasted, the bugles continued playing warlike flourishes.

At this juncture, the chef-de-bataillon of the 29th arrived with a few more men. (They were already four times the number of the besieged.) He immediately ordered the charge to be beat, and the men, in emulation of each other, rushed towards the chateau. This time they reached the doors of the building, and the sappers and miners prepared to break them open. The officers commanding the Chouans directed those stationed on the ground-floor to ascend to the story above it. This order was immediately obeyed; and, whilst the sappers were breaking open the doors, half of the besieged continued to fire at their assailants, whilst the other half occupied themselves in making holes through the floor, so that the moment the soldiers entered they were received with a volley muzzle-to, fired through the intervals between the beams and rafters. The assailants were forced to retreat, and the Chouans hailed this event with their screeching bugles and loud cries of" Vive Henri V.!" • The

"The chef-de-bataillon now directed that the ground-floor should be set on fire in the same manner as the garrets had been. Accordingly the men advanced with lighted torches and dry wood, all of which they threw into the house through the windows, and in ten minutes the Chouans had fire at their feet as well as over their heads. It seemed therefore impossible for them to escape death; and the firing which they kept up, and which had not intermitted for a single moment, appeared to be the last act of vengeance of resolute men driven to desperation. And in truth their situation was dreadful. The fire soon reached the beams, and the rooms were filled with smoke, which escaped through the windows. The garrison had therefore nothing left but the choice of three modes of quitting life: to be burned to death, suffocated by smoke, or massacred by our soldiers.

The commanders of the rebels adopted a desperate course: they resolved to make a sortie. But, to give it the least chance of success, it was necessary that it should be protected by a fire of musketry which would occupy the attention of our soldiers; they therefore asked who among them would volunteer to sacrifice themselves for the safety of their comrades. Eight offered their services. The little band was therefore divided into two platoons. Thirty-five men and one bugleplayer were to make an attempt to reach the other extremity of the park, enclosed only with a hedge; and the eight others, with the remaining bugle-player, were to protect the attempt. The two brothers (the officers of the late guard) embraced each other, for they were to separate; one had volunteered to command the garrison that remained, the other led the sortie.

In consequence of these arrangements, and whilst those who remained continued, by running from window to window, to keep up a tolerably brisk fire, the others made a hole in the wall opposite to the side attacked; and on a passage sufficiently large being opened they came forth in good order, the bugle at their head, marching in double quick time towards the extremity of the park which was bounded by a hedge. Their retreat brought upon them a discharge of musketry which killed two. A third, being mortally wounded, expired near the hedge. The bugle-player at the head of the little band received three balls in his body, and still continued to play. It is a pity that I dare not publish the names of such men.

'Meanwhile, the situation of the eight volunteers who remained in the house had become more and more dangerous. The burning rafters cracked and seemed no longer able to bear their weight; they therefore retired into a species of recess formed by the wall, resolved to defend themselves there to the last extremity; and they had scarcely reached it when the floor fell in with a dreadful crash. The soldiers again uttered shouts of joy at this event; for the musketry ceased to annoy them at the same instant, and they thought the garrison had been crushed in the ruins. This error saved the lives of the eight heroic Vendeans. When the Chouans, from their recess, perceived that the besiegers were convinced they had fallen into the

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