ST. CLOUD
On Saturday, the 21st August, 1802, we went with the General,[182] Ld. Robert,[183] and Frederick,[184] and we took Charles to St. Cloud. It was a palace belonging formerly to the Dukes of Orleans, but poor Marie Antoinette liked it, and is accused of having exerted her royal influence to compel the late Duke to sell it, which he did most reluctantly. She was so partial to its beauties that she was profuse in her expense to decorate it. In each taste the First Consul imitates her, as he is so impatient to take possession that the surveyors are obliged to make the men work all night; and he likes it so much that no expense is spared to render it a fit residence for the Sovereign of France. The gallery remains as it was finished by Gaston, Duke of Orleans, Louis XIII’s brother; only on the panels some of the plunder of Italy, which was in the Museum of the Louvre, has been placed, much to their disadvantage, as the gaudy ceiling and rich gilding kills the colouring of the pictures. They are capital; some of my old acquaintances out of the Palais Pitti. The apartments that are fitted up are done in le goût sévère, which, in other words, means a dark and dingy style. The walls are hung with cloth, and draperies of cloth edged with magnificent deep parti-coloured fringes are festooned over it. The colours being generally dark green and brown produce a solemn effect, and the whole has a sombre military appearance; the rods of the curtains are finely polished spears. Where the Queen’s apartments have been preserved, I admire them far beyond those in the goût sévère, and prefer bright gilding to the heavy mahogany, and a well-stuffed sofa to a small, hard one. In short, the exchange is a bad one, les ris et les amours please me, broad cloth and sphinxes do not. The Library is very pretty, and the books placed in very appropriate cases, plain and simple, but at the same time rich and decorated. The gardens are insignificant, but if the Consul continues to like living there, I doubt not he will find means to extend them, tho’ as yet I only look upon St. Cloud as a halt on the road to Versailles.
On Sunday, ye next day, we went with a large party to Versailles, where we expected to see the Eaux play, but we had been misled. We dined at Le petit Trianon, formerly a favourite little palace of the Queen’s, with a garden à l’Anglaise; but what I did admire indeed is Le grand Trianon, a most noble palace. The centre, instead of a corps-de-logis, is a peristyle composed of a double row of large marble columns; the front to the garden is very large and grand, only a rez-de-chaussée. The garden is thoroughly in the French style, broad and spacious walks, fountains, alleys, cabinets de verdure; in short, just what a garden should be near a large house.
We went from thence to Versailles. What a change from former days! We walked along the Terrace, and so to the Orangerie, where there are trees in tubs as large as any I ever saw growing either at Nice or Naples in the common ground. One old tree they call François Premier, and they add that it is 400 years old. It is satisfactorily proved by a procès verbal that it belonged to the Constable of Bourbon, and was confiscated with the rest of his property, and so came to François I. Our party was numerous: Mr. and Mrs. Fox, Ld. Robert, the General, Mr. Allen, Frederick Ponsonby, Miss Adair, Heathcote, St. John, Trotter,[185] Smith (the Petrarch of Carolina’s brother), Green.
The following is a list of those who dined with us at Paris in July, August, and part of September, 1802.
LA FAYETTE
La Fayette, who is indebted to Bonaparte for his liberty, has, since his return to his native country, resided chiefly upon the small estate the Revolution has not deprived him of at La Grange. Bonaparte affected to consult the nation whether he should be Consul for life; was answered by La Fayette, who wrote a gentle but able remonstrance upon the subject. Bonaparte was little enough, when an army promotion took place, to pass over La Fayette’s son and nephew; he has, however, promoted them since. His son was educated in Washington’s house, appears very amiable; he was just married.[186]
Andréossy[187] is the son of an obscure man of Italian origin, employed by Riquet in the Languedoc Canal. He was born at Castelnaudary, educated at Sorèze, and served under the ancien régime as an engineer. He made some campaigns in Italy, went to Egypt, was there employed upon an expedition to ye Lake Menzalah, and returned in the vessel which brought the First Consul to France. He has since been named to ye Embassy of England. He lived very much with us. He is a plain Militaire in his manner, and if he offends it will be unintentional, as he is disposed to maintain peace and amity between the two countries.
Caffarelli,[188] brother of a general of the same name killed before Acre. He is a fellow townsman and school companion of Andréossy, and like him descended from an Italian family brought by Riquet to work at the Canal. He is a remarkably displeasing person in his manner, a sycophant and court echo of the ante-chamber of Bonaparte; from love of order and morality always proclaiming that the First Consul and his wife sleep in the same bed, and that the domestic virtues of a warrior are more important than his heroic deeds. In short, from him one collects the disgusting cant which is to be employed by the present Governt. as a counterpoise to the wild extravagant opinions of atheism and immorality set afloat under the first constitution of the Republic.