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columns of the Moniteur . M . Rapetti is Doctor of Laws , formerly Professorof Comparative Legislation atthe Sorbbnne , and is now Imperial Historiographer , which , from the "fact that . Mr . G .. P . R . James was , I believe , ' historiographer to-the English , -would require a very inventive genius . Of possessing this gift which may be of service to a romance writer , but must be destructive to an historian ^ and even reviewer , M . Rapetti has given abundant proof . Not only ha 3 he the greatest facility for inventing anecdotes , facts , and historical documents , but he is not encumbered with any Billy , antiquated notions that might interfere with the profitable employment of his inventions , -as the reader may judge . On the 20 th of July , 1857 , he published
a review , signed Rapetti , of "Marmont ' s Memoirs , from 1792 to 1841 . " There is no occasion to mention that these Memoirs gave dire offence to the idolaters of Bonapartism , especially to those who live by its exploitation . M . Rapetti was charged with reviewing the work , but , alas ! the slashing style of Mr . Croker has no imitators in France . The review was probably the dreariest that ever appeared in the official journal ; a French budget is infinitely moire lively and more intelligible . In the midst of the wearisome waste of letter-press , M . Rapetti stuck in a little bit of slander , which was divided between text and foot-notes , but the substance whereof was to the following effect :. ' *' . A . General had the unhappy idea 'to leave ' among his papsrs a defence , an
intended to impute to the General an active and personal co-operation in the defection , but a moral complicity , because nine days afterwards he signed the act aforesaid approving the proceedings of the legally constituted bodies . So scandalous a subterfuge was never put forth before , probably , in any court of law . Such are the brief outlines of the case . The trial lasted several days , and M . Rapetti was so ill advised as to defend his " own case . There is an English proverb that when a man pleads for himself he has a fool for a client , and M . Rapetti ' s exhibition will not falsify your vernacular wisdom . It was the most ridiculous , the most profoundly stupid , and the most offensive show-off that can be imagined . A total incapacity for public speaking , inability to collect his ideas , violent attitudes , mountebank gestures , facial distortions , confused notions , indistinct articulation , together with overweening arrogance and disgusting vanity , were paraded day after day
before the court . Fortunatel y * perhaps , for the widow and son of the General de Pelleport was it that M . Rapetti did so thoroughly expose himself , for the result of the advocacy of his own cause was that the court declared that the act referred to was a mere copy of many like ones that were addressed to the Government , and that the assertion as to participation in the defection was erroneous , or at least equivocating ; whereupon M . Rapetti was condemned in costs , and to publish in the Moniteur and a Bordeaux paper copies of the judgment . So much for the historical accuracy and honesty of the Imperial historiographer .
apology , for the conduct of M . de Raguse . The General de Pelleport forgot to leave among his papers all his reasons for excusing the defection of . Essonne , especially this one , that he himself took part in the defection ; the name of Pelleport figures among the first with the title of General of Brigade , on an act of adhesion to the defection of Essonne , whereof an authentic copy is in our hands . " It so happened that on the 30 th of March , 1814 , General de Pelleport was dangerously wounded , while fighting for the Empire in the streets of Belleville , under the walls of Paris . His ; wounds were at first considered mortal ,. and he was so totally incapacitated by them from any physical or mental action whatsoever ; that it was materially impossible for him to have had
anything to do with the defection , as it is called , which occurred at Essonne on the 5 th April , " 1814 . On the publication of M . Rapetti's libel , the family of General Pelleport wrote , complaining of the conjunction of his name with the conduct of Marmont . With that insolent disregard for personal feelings which is peculiar to literary as well as other Bumbles , M . Rapetti concocted another article in continuation of the review , which was published in the Moniteur , 3 rd August , 1857 , and tacked on to the end what pretended to be the copy of the document giving adhesion to the defection of Essonne , and which document was said to be dated " Rouen , 19 th April , '' and contained the signature of Pelleport to a declaration that the officers of the 6 th corps
( Parmee , under the orders of Marmont , would adhere to acts emanating from the Senate , the Legislative Body , and the Provisional Government , alsp to the re-establishment of the Bourbons in conformity to the constitutional Charter , and the officers promised to always take for base of their conduct the honour and welfare of their country . Even supposing this document to be authentic , and to have been signed by General Pelleport , impartial , honest men will regard it as a credit to the signers . The allies -were in Paris . France was heartily sick and wearied of Bonapartism , as I will prove oh a future occasion . The creatures of JSFapoleon—Ney , whom he had gorged with spoil , an ( l those lacqueys he pensioned and disguised as senators and deputies—were the first to fall from him .
The administrators of the law and constituted authorities of France pronounced the ddchcance of Napoleon , and the officers who adhered to these proceedings—after they had occurred ,. be it remembered—did no more than their duty . Were they to sacrifice the honour and welfare of Franco to gratify the vanity of one man , who had lost so little of his foreign origin aa to be unable to apeak their language correctly , and to be able to boast , " See how my soldiers love me , far above their country and their kin ! " To proceed : when the second Rapetti libel was published in the Moniteur , the family of the dead General looked upon it as nn aggravation of the first offence , and took legal proceedings in order to obtain the insertion in the official journal of a statement to the effect that the General do Pelleport was not at Essonne on the 5 th April , 1814 , because , on the 30 th
March-preceding * , he was wounded nearly mortally under the walls of Paris , and therefore unable to take any share in the military operations of the 6 th corps d ' armde from that date until its dismemberment or dissolution ; that General de Pelloport never gave his adhesion , to any act whatsoever which convoyed adhesion to the capitulation at Essonno , nor to Any political mover ments of the Oth corps d ' armfe ; and that the name of General de Pollopprt could never have appeared but to the Act dated T 4 Rouen , 14 th April , 1814 /' whioh convoyed approbation ! to the acts of political bodies constitutionally organised , if the not does ex let . M . Rnpotti refuged to insert the correction , but tried to avoid the difficulties and floandal of having slandered the dead by the most impudent and dishonest piece of trickery that over disgraced an historiographer . He wrote in the Moniteur admitting that General do Pelloport took no part in tho operations . of the night of the 4 th to 5 th April , when the assorted defection took place , and he said that lie never
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GERMANY . ( F ? 'om our oion Correspondent . ) December 28 . The chief political event of the past week has been the election in Bavaria , which has resulted in favour of the Liberal party , to the great discomfiture of the King and his Ministers . This is a victory for the Liberals that mayjprove worse than a defeat , for we can hardly suppose that " the monarch will tolerate an institution that enables his people to evince a contempt for his known wishes . The Princes . " of Germany , in close imitation of the ancient Princes of Italy , have hitherto appeared more desirous that their respective states should occupy-a- distinguished artistical position rather than a high political one hi the
her , not because they had declined gagging themselves , but ; as it is given out , because they had elected as president a person who was obnoxious to him . The new election has just terminated , and proves wonderfull y Liberal , in the results . More than two-thirds of the whole number belong to the Liberal party . This is now the " second appeal to the people , and the people have , it may be said , unanimously justified the resistance of the Parliament . Will the King laugh at the decision of his people arid try another appeal , or will he simply ( Hssolve the Parliament and not call another ? There U
little danger in either case , but probably he will ba induced to let matters rest awhile , not to excite too much interest in the public mind . Anything but political excitement ! There was too much of it , as the Prince-Regent of Prussia said in his address to his Ministers — the Regency question was not , in his opinion , sufficient cause for it—hinting that , unless the noise was stopped , it would be " necessary to take energetic measures to thwart the evil intentions of disturbers of the public peace ; in other words , the people must cat whatever pudding their Prince serves up to them and hold their
gues . There are still authors and publishers so silly as to imagine that , because the Prince of Prussia has accedeJ to power , they may write and publish anything they please upon political subjects , provided they avoid slander ; the consequence is , great loss of . time , learning , and paper—for papers or books in . any way unpleasantly political are even now ruthlessly confiscated . Tims , a few days ago , a work entitled "An Inquest , " 'figuratively signifying a review of the past , was seized by ths police at all the booksellers where it was advertise V to be had . This is done under the reign of the very liberal Princej ^ of Prussia , and . sit the moment , too , when
ministerial circulars are being issued professing to relieve the press from one of its most oppressive restrictions , almost on the very day that the police authorities received ai . Flottwell ' s circular , which informed them , in a rigmarole , of unmeaning sentences , that he knew ¦ there were evils ' ;¦ . connected with booksellers' and publishers ' licenses , and that he should take it into consideration \ yhetlTerthe Legislature-should interfere , and in which . the police were likewise instructed to inform him whenever they ~ felt . it their duty to threaten or put the law in force against any bookseller . This M . \ FI ' ottwcll has certainly the BSiack Of writing circulars which the longer you stu < iy-thcTn- -the less meaning they appear to contain . The above circular about the booksellers'liirenses .
which are granted by the Government , and may bu taken away $ t any moment , to the entire destruction of a man ' s business ; at first-sight leaves the impression upon the reader that some real relief has been granted , some fetter removed , whereas it contains absolutely nothing more than what I have said . Some newspaper ? , indeed , expressed their gratitude for this great liberality on the part of the Prince and his Ministers , but nfu-i studying the circular fox about ten days , they arc beginning to come to the conclusion that it 1 ms no meaning at all iu itself , but only what « given to the sentences by tho imagination of the reader .
The rumours of war . between France and Austria have been wafted northwards ; Although the domestic mnl reflecting Northernera are not so easily led astray by mere newspaper gossip as tho idle holiday-making natives of the South , they begin to feel alarmed when they observe that the rumour is considered important enough to call forth mi elaborate contradiction in tlu Froncli Moniteur . It is not so much the rumour us tlic declaration of the Moniteur whiuh causes alarm i » th " mind of tho commercial man . We all know , from latu experience , the value of such declarations by continental States . The people have so little faith in tlio honesty ( . •!' their Governments that tho more solemnly they as .-. ovorate tho lens they arc believed . Declarations like that
in . tlie Moniteur arc put forth to gain time , and soothe , susccptiblo allies or neighbours and tho trading community , who might tiike fright at preparations for < a war which , by beginning unexpectedly , would overthrow all their calculations . Up to tho vory day of thes formal de < lnration of war against liussiu , it wus aborted by Kivncli official journal * , or protuuncd ofliciul journala , tlmt lln- 'iv was no danger of vrnr , nnd that all disputtw wore upon the point of bulny amicably settled . Now , whether tlioro is truth In tho rumour or not , ono thing is curtain , namely , that Austria is making groat , military piupivratloiiH , or . that tho papona nro permitted to Hproiul I ' m lachoods abroad , for wo aro informed that tho Au * irinn ( Jovornmont is purchasing horned in nil quarters , and placing garrisons upon a war footing in slrati'tfifsil
positions . Those circumstances put together , if they cannot reasonably bo tuttou no aigns of nppi'oiuthlntf « ' » ' ' or disunion , tend , tit any rutu , to frighten nil whu ^ have anything to lose by tho breaking out of war . Thuso gigantic utunding armloa and , continual dotilita as to thy htiiblllty of tho CJovomtmoiitd , are fast ruininy thu continent of Kuropo . Tho alarm which Jinaboon created Iii Austria Itmilf ha / f Induced tho CJovcrnmont to in . sii ' . ) an odlot to thu ofl ' uoL that in certain pnrln of tin- ( inintiy married men and only nunu will l > m mxoukimI t ' mtw I'm oonHoiiption . 11 . in ourlalii that Auntrla l « In » tiiUK-n Hilualiun , for she hurt only tho mail Itfnornnl uf I ' ' peasantry nnd tlio nnny to roly upon . I lulod a .-. Mu rt by lluiitfary , by Jtnly , and liberal Germany , a » Hi « " » defeat would , in all probability , prostrate hor . A "
eyes of the world- Enormous sums are spent to ornament . their resident towns with picturergalleries , museums , palaces , theatres , and monuments , while their villages are left in the condition they were five centuries ago . The difference between a St&dter ( townsman ) and a Dorfler ( villager ) is as great as that between a negro and a European , excepting in those parts of the country much , frequented by foreigners for health or pleasure . Trade and agriculture are of little consequence compared with art , not for the sake of art itself , but for the fame of the thing . A constant rivalry has been going on in this way between . Berlin , Vienna , Dresden , and Munich , upon the grand scale ; and between Cassel , Hanover , Brunswick , and others upon the petty scale . Formerly ,
likewise in imitation of tho Italian Princes , it was their glory- to entertain poets and philosophers at their Courts , but as the modern German poets and philosophers are creatures of extremely Liberal tendencies ; they are not quite so much in vogue at this moment . Lyric poots are especially obnoxious , with their everlasting "Deulsc 7 tiand" and " Freiheit . " This is disagreeable , for what is the use of a splendid Court without a poet to sing arid spread its splendour ? This necessary absence of poota has taken away from the Princes ono groat inducement to decorate their capitals , and has 'forced them to seek for fame in another direction . Tlioro is now a rivalry in constitutions . Wo have a Prussian Constitution , and a Bavarian Constitution , and a Hanoverian Constitution ,
and many more constitutions , which have boon drawn up -with great deliberation and sworn to with ceremonious solemnity , voluntarily submitted to out of sheer goodness of heart , and solely with the desire . to benefit " das Hebe thouere Vatwland ; " but somehow or tho other these constitutions bring no limitation to tho power but only to the faults of tho monarch . All the good under tho Constitution comes from the Prince , all the bad from tho Miniaters , for the Prince can do no wrong , nothing but what is good . Constitutions are found to bo vory harmloss things by all parties to' amuse themselves with and gain fame by . The Sovereigns of Bavaria have always been ambitious tp appear well in the eyes of the world , and , therefore , they have followed tho examples of their and , thereforethey have followed tho examples of their
, rivals , and have Anglicised or Constitutionalisod tholr form of Government like them . They can boast of tholr Parliament as well aa Prussia , and will jnnhe as much to-do in tho world with tholr elections , and their bndgots , and addresses , and " his Majesty ' s Miniaters , " and National Anthem , &o . Some months ago , I montlonod that the Bavarian Government intended to sodlt ( ho assent of tho Parliament to some additional clauses to thu press law , to assimilate it with the lawa existing In Prussia , which olausos hnd boon rojootod by a former Parliament . The Ministers , who oxpoetod tho iiow Parliament would bo loflB obstroporous , found thomsolvoa , ho-wevor , deceived . The now Parliament wob more resolutely opposed to arbitrary Intorfuronoo with liberty of speech tlian the other . The King , therefore , employed hie constitutional right , and dissolved tho 01 mm-
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8 THE LEADED [ No . 458 , January 1 , 1859 .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 1, 1859, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2275/page/8/
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