[56] At that time M. Gergonne, officer of the Legion of Honour.
[57] The museum of Montpellier is now one of the best of provincial museums. It was founded in 1825 by Fabre, who returned to his native town after a stay of forty years in Italy, and brought with him a fine collection of pictures, some of which came to him from Alfieri, several works of art and a valuable library, which he bequeathed to the town of Montpellier on his death.
[58] The Abbé Genoude was manager of the Gazette de France.
[59] The sight of the Corsican coast and the reading of Mérimée's novel, Colomba, which had just appeared in the Revue des Deux Mondes, stirred the enterprising character of the Marquis de Castellane to anxiety to make this journey, which he carried out with his family, and the excursion, which was somewhat adventurous at that time, lasted nearly two weeks. On his return to France he went to Perpignan, where the commandant was his father, the Comte de Castellane, who had been appointed Lieutenant-General after his return from the siege of Antwerp.
[60] On February 8, 1842, Prince Nicolas Esterhazy had married Lady Sarah Villiers, daughter of Lord and Lady Jersey.
[61] By filling the place of M. Humann.
[62] Colomba is a striking picture of a Corsican vendetta, which has remained a famous and popular book. Mérimée first published it in the Revue des Deux Mondes, where it appeared during the winter of 1842.
[63] William Hope, a Dutch financier of English origin, son-in-law of General Rapp and the owner of a vast fortune, settled in Paris in a house in the rue Neuve des Mathurins, which became a social centre. When this house became too small for his numerous entertainments, Mr. Hope built the large residence at No. 57 Rue Saint Dominique, which was bought after his death by Baron Seillière. He bequeathed it to his daughter, who became Princesse de Sagan by her marriage with Boson de Talleyrand-Perigord, Prince de Sagan and grandson of the Duchesse de Talleyrand.
[64] The Marquis de Castellane never recovered from this accident. He endured constant suffering with the greatest courage for five years and died in 1847 as a consequence of this fall, which the surgery of that day was unable to cure.
[65] About the beginning of June 1842 an attempt was made to assassinate the Queen of England at almost the same place and in almost the same manner as in 1840.