[706] Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), the "Liberator of South America." He became Dictator of Venezuela in 1817, united Venezuela and New Granada into the Republic of Colombia and became its president in 1819, added Ecuador to Colombia in 1822, was made Dictator of Peru in 1823 and Protector of the new Republic of Bolivia in 1825. Peru declared against him, in 1826, and Bolivia soon followed; and, although he remained President of the three countries forming Colombia until his death, the republic created by him fell to pieces soon after.—T.
[707] Gottfried Wilhelm Baron von Leibnitz (1646-1716), the universal genius, laboured first with Pellisson and Bossuet in an endeavour to reunite the Catholic and Protestant religions; having failed in this enterprise, he set himself to reconcile at least the several Protestant sects, but met with as little success. Leibnitz prompted the foundation and was made Perpetual President of the Berlin Academy.—T.
[708] Felice Peretti, Pope Sixtus V. (1521-1590), elected Pope in 1585, fixed the number of cardinals at seventy and reorganized the whole public administration of the Papal States.—T.
[709] Shortly after the date of this letter, M. de La Ferronnays, who was ill, started for Italy and left the Foreign Office ad interim in charge of M. Portalis.—Author's Note.
[710] M. Du Viviers was one of the attachés to the Embassy. He took with him to Paris the letter to Madame Récamier and also the report of Chateaubriand's conversation with the Pope—B.
[711] Pierre Chauvin, the French landscape painter, lived in Rome from 1809 to 1827.—T.
[712] Cavaliere Filippo Aureliano Visconti (1754-1831), President of the Roman Academy of Arts.—B.
[713] General Armand Charles Comte Guilleminot (1774-1840) served under Dumouriez and Pichegru, later under Moreau, became a general in 1808, and a general of division in 1813. Under the Restoration, he became director-general of the military depots (1816) and, in 1823, drew up the plan of campaign of the Spanish War and accompanied the Duc d'Angoulême as chief of staff. At the end of the war, he was created a peer of France and, in 1824, sent as ambassador to Constantinople, where he remained till 1831.—T.
[714] Madame Lenormant.—Author's Note.
An expedition to the Morea from the point of view of science and art had been organized by the French Government. M. Charles Lenormant was to take part in it, and his wife, Madame Récamier's niece and adopted daughter, was proposing to accompany him.—B.