politically inoffensive, is perhaps not an ar- "The washing of the dinner service was gument against the politically dangerous tendency of the sect; for their numbers never exceeded 6,000, and it is only when some considerable proportion of a population is absorbed into a system, that its true tendency, or indeed its true object, begins to develope itself.

"It is all very well," says Gisquet, fairly enough, "that a small number of individuals should unite and profess, as a rule of equity, to proportion their property, social rank, and pleasures, to individual merit, and hope to see things established on such a system. It may be a good thesis to support theoretically in a book; but, after all, Providence is a better judge, even than the supreme head,' of human capacities, and portions things out with a better view to the qualities of men than Father Enfantin himself." -v. i. p. 407.

The disciples of the sect, not content with privately advancing their pernicious and immoral doctrines, delivered public lectures in Paris, in the presence of thousands whom their eloquence was but too likely to corrupt.

originally organized with the nicest precision by M. Leon Talabot, formerly deputy Procureur office with distinguished credit to himself du du Roi; he filled this (the former) important ring the first days of the retirement of the sect: it has passed successively to M. Gustave d'Eichtal, jun., and to M. Lanibert, formerly a pupil of the polytechnic school, who worked at it with devotion for a few weeks, and resigned it at last to M. le Baron Charles Duverier. At present M. Moise Retouret, a young man of fashion, and a distinguished preacher among the St. Simonians, fulfils the duties of the office with infinite grace.

"The principle of a division of labor is recognized among the St. Simonians. M. Emile Barrault, formerly professor at the school of Torrèze, the author of a tolerable comedy in verse, and a preacher among them, cleans the boots, assisted by M. Auguste Chevallier, once professor of physics, and M. Duguet, formerly an advocate of the cour royale.

"M. Bruneau, formerly pupil of the polytechthe linen, the clothes, the enforcement of internal nic and a captain in the army, has the care of order, the superintendence of the house, and the keeping matters clean.

"It was impossible," says Gisquet, "that the authorities could tolerate these proceedings-to be inactive would be to become an accomplice. "On the 21st January, 1832, the procureur du Roi, accompanied by the commissioners of police, the serjens de ville, and a formidable armed force, bout to be shut, and seized the register books, caused the St. Simonian temple in the Rue Taita papers, &c. of the association."

"The apartments are scoured by M. Rigaud, M. D., M. Holstein, the son of an eminent merBroet, both students; Charles Penuckére, as chant, Baron Charles Duveyrier, Pouijat and underscrub, (formerly a librarian,) and Michel Chevallier, once a pupil of the polytechnic school, a mining engineer and (appropriately) house; he also waits at table along with Mesdirector of the Globe. This last person is charged with the general management of the sieurs Rigaud and Holstein, and he in particular, helps M. Enfantin to whatever he wants at his meals.

The consequence of this measure was, that the remnant of the sect, deserting their "It is a comical sight to see masters waiting magnificent institution, temple, and all, took refuge, to the number of sixty, in the upon those who had been their servants. M. house of the Père Enfantin, at Ménilmon- to the family as a jack-of-all-trades, and so being Desforges, formerly a butcher's boy, enters intant; and there effected a general retrench-given the management of the laundry, has under ment in their habits and mode of life, suited to their changed condition.

The following extract from the Journal de Paris gives, amusingly enough, the details connected with their manner of living:

"The apostles (for so they style themselves) have no servants; they help themselves, and their duties are certainly fairly distributed to each according to his capacity, and performed, as well as we can judge, with great cheerfulness and regularity.

his command M. Franconi, the son of a rich American colonist, and M. Bestrand, once a student. At the table he has his food presented to him by the hands of M. Holstein, in whose service he had previously been.

"M. Henry Tournel, who had been a pupil of the polytechnic school, and director of the forges and foundries of Creusot, has the special charge of the garden, assisted by M. Raymond Bonheure, formerly professor of drawing and painting, M. Roger, one of the orchestra of the Opera Comique, M. Justus, a painter, and M. Maschereau, a drawing-artist.

"Doctor Leon Simon, who was so long pro- "The sweeping of the courts and street is fessor of St. Simonianism at the Salle de l'Athe-done by M. Gustave d'Eichtal, assisted by M. née, and was known to the world as the transla- Maschereau. M. Jean Terson, formerly a tor of an English medical work, as well as au- Catholic priest and preacher, is set to cut the thor of some other literary productions, now girt vegetables, to arrange the plates and dishes, to with an apron, cooks for the establishment; he lay the cloth, and, in fact, to do all the menial is assisted by M. Paul Rochette, formerly pro- business of the house. fessor of rhetoric. We have not been able to discover whether these gentlemen adopt the white shirt and cotton night-cap, the correct costume of their craft (de rigueur).

VOL. II. No. III. 22

"M. Alexis Petit, the son of a gentleman of large landed property, is put to clean all the candlesticks, which amount to forty, and to see to the carrying off of the manure, &c.

"M. Enfantin, 'the supreme father,' as they in more than one instance to high political call him, sometimes works in the garden him- preferment. Our friend Gisquet, it seems, self; and handles the rake, spade, and hoe, has been the theme of attack as their inve with great vigor. "Their life is perfectly regular; the sound of terate persecutor; he defends himself by a horn wakens them at five o'clock in the morn- a single statement of one of their number, ing: it summons them to their meals and their one who, be it noted, became soon after edi. various duties at appointed hours they sing in tor of a government paper, and a privy coun· concert: during the day they exercise them- cillor. Gisquet understood how to pay selves in gymnastics; and all their movements, witnesses of this kind. when they are together, have something of the precision of military exercise. "With regard to their appearance, their beard, which they suffer to grow long, gives them certainly a peculiar air; but in other respects there is nothing unpleasing to the eye. Their dress is composed of a little blue frock very short and tightly fitted, without a collar-of a waistcoat fastened behind, and white trowsers. Round their waist they wear a black leather belt, fastened by a copper buckle."

In a very short time the sect, as might be expected, became involved in questions about property; and as soon as their doctrines and practices were exposed to the test of legal inquiries, the absurdity, incoherence, and folly exhibited by their leaders, rendered them the laughing-stocks of the public; while the "supreme fathe," with two others, were once more forced to "retreat" and realize their Utopia within the walls of a prison. Their mode of life in S. Pelagie is thus described :

"The Pere Enfantin wears a cloak of black velvet, ornamented with a rich white and green border, a toque of red velvet, black pantaloons and yellow sandals: on his white waistcoat is written, LE PERE; he has a long thick beard.

"Michel Chevallier, another of the party, has also a red cap and an enormous beard; his cloak is purple and ornamented with ermine; he has bright red pantaloons, such as our troops

of the line wear.

6

"The supreme father' lives retired in his room; the apostle' Michel Chevallier, on the contrary, shows himself frequently in the prison, and receives, as he passes, the salutations of the political offenders.

"When the 'father' makes his appearance, the red caps of the republicans are seen to doff themselves respectfully before his.

"We are assured that the prison of the St. Simonians is sumptuously furnished. They entertain every evening those imprisoned for political offences, without any distinction of party, and supply punch for drinking to divine right and the sovereignty of the people, according to the capacity' of each of their company."

The principal dignitaries amongst this strange sect, when the time of their imprisonment (reduced to six months) had expired, sobered, no doubt, by the salutary lesson they had received, entered once more into the world, and became, strange to say, not only rational beings, but rose

We are able to detect suspicious circumstances, indeed, in most of his justifications. He had been attacked by the Tribune newspaper for a piece of bad taste, to say the least of it. He gave, it seems, some splendid balls within the walls of the Prefecture, which is, be it remembered, the criminal prison of the metropolis. The Tribune said" the sumptuous apartments of the prefecture are placed immediately over the dungeons into which are cast the wretches whom the sbirri in general have not secured without disabling them first with their staves, if not with their swords. The cells of these dungeons re-echoed, at the same moment, the shout of revelry and the cries of despair!" "Tis fearfulto think upon! Oh, what an insolent triumph over misery!" This, no doubt, is rather high-flown-but does it excuse the defence of M. Gisquet, who, determining to take it literally, triumphantly asserts that the prisons are not immediately under the saloons, but a little at one side! and even here, one unacquainted with the locality might be deceived by his statement-for he says "the conciergerie (the prison) is situated on the quai de l'horloge, whereas the apartments of the Prefecture are on the quai des Orfevres." Now, it so happens, that the single building containing these two contiguous portions is placed on the projecting point of an island in the Seine, of which the north shore is bounded by a quay, having, no doubt, a different name from the southern one, but so closely dosà-dos to it, as barely to leave room for the walls of the Prefecture between them. The gist of the article in the Tribune appears evidently to be, the want of delicacy displayed in collecting the votaries of pleasure around the central point of punishment, an act partaking in kind, though not in degree, of the perverse recklessness which prompts the savage to defer his feasting until he has the captive in his power and beside him, to give it zest by the contrast with his sufferings.

Some of our readers may perhaps remember that, in an earlier volume of this magazine, we commented upon an account of that expedition of the Duchess de Berri

"In the year 3, Barras, then member of the Convention, received instructions from the govin the Temple, and to see that he was treated ernment to visit Louis XVII., who was confined with humanity. As soon as Barras saw him, he recognised him at once for the young Dauphin, whom he had seen formerly at the Tuilleries.

to La Vendée, which, were it not history, actions which occurred about the era of the would be considered almost too romantic Revolution. At that period, the death of Louis for romance itself. The bluff general, the XVII. was one of the themes which he has reputed (though it was said, not the real) versation, and the paragraphs which he dictated often broached to me. What he said in conauthor of the narrative, exposed, as he was to me on the subject, are in perfect accordance bound to do, though himself the open oppo- with the deposition of the Sieur Lasnes, who nent of the adventurous dame, the secret had the custody of the Dauphin in the Temple, and diabolical villany of the emissary, and in whose arms that youth breathed his last Deutz, who wound himself into her confi-sigh. dence for the purpose of betraying her. He 666 Equally with M. Lasnes, who made his then laid the treason at the door of MM. deposition before the assize court of the Seine, Montalivat and Thiers-we think we have that the true Louis XVII. had died in the Temthe 30th of October last, was Barras convinced at last got at the real contriver of it-our ple, and that pretenders alone could usurp his author himself; and we form the conjec- name. I give the circumstances on which the ture from the mode in which he endea-ex-director's opinion was grounded. vors not only to palliate the crime, but to throw an interest around the character of the double renegade, Deutz, who first abjured his faith and then betrayed his benefactress. It were indeed amusing, if it were not so revolting, to see the dexterity Gisquet ever exhibits in coloring acts and "No one need wonder that Barras, who beopinions of the hue best calculated to suit longed to so old and noble a family, that the his purposes-and we cheerfully allow him saying in the south used to be, that the Barras' credit for all the items which, subtracted were as ancient as the rocks of Provence-no from his honesty, we are bound to place to seen the Dauphin before the great events which one, I say, need wonder that Barras had often the account of his ingenuity. Dermon-happened then. Barras asked the child with court himself, of course, knew only a per- the greatest kindness concerning his health. He mitted portion of the secret machinations complained of feeling the most acute pain in his of the police, and the scene of mingled treachery, romance, and absurdity enacted in the mansarde of the house of the Demoiselles Duguigny at Nantes, is now, after a ten years' interval, traced to the bureau of the ex-prefect-a worthy disciple, indeed, "M. Lasnes, therefore, as this short recital of Fouché, and a fit organ for despotism shows, is not the only person who can establish on the one hand, or the tyranny of repub-with the Dauphin Louis XVII. the identity of the child who died in the Temple

licanism on the other!

knee, so as to be unable to bend it. Barras, in fact, found that a swelling there had made fearin reality desperate. Nor was he deceived; ful progress, and that the state of the child was for, in spite of the most careful attention, the young Dauphin died soon after.

the matter, that I request of you to publish this letter in your interesting journal.'"

But not only did a real and legitimate which exists between the circumstantial deposi "I was struck with the perfect agreement claimant to the throne disturb the tranquil-tion of the guardian of the young Louis XVII. lity of remodelled France, but pretenders, and the historic recollections of Barras; and it less unequivocally authorized, occasionally is because I would have every body understand sprang up. All these assumed the guise of the unfortunate Louis XVII. The Baron de Richemont was soon disposed of; and soon after, an obscure individual, named Naundorf, likewise tried his hand, and by Gisquet's means was speedily banished the country. The introduction of this subject gives occasion to our author to publish a letter, interesting more from the details it gives, than because it confirms an incontestable fact. It is dated 11th November, 1834, and addressed by M. Graud, Deputy Procureur du Roi at Charleville, to the editor of the Gazette des Tribuneaux. We extract a part :

Good God! only fancy the scene-Barras, the sensual and sanguinary Barras, set to watch over the comforts of the young monarch of a kingdom, given to him and ravished from him at the same strokethat which murdered his royal father, and which might be said to have been actually inflicted by his hand! Picture for a moment the malignant interest of the father's murderer, as he observed the fatal poison, administered probably by the multiplied hands of petty cruelties, eating into the fainting soul of the son! Observe all this, "Every body knows that, as the friend and transformed into a sentimental and romanlegal adviser of the ex-director, Barras, I was tic narrative by the lawyer and confidential in a position to receive from this old minister in- scribe of the villain, and put forward as a teresting information on many of the trans-proof that it was the verp dauphin whe

otism! These are romantic spirits, who thirst for excitement, but for whom common life is too dull and prosaic.

their craving for distinction-when their imagi"When such men are not in a position to satisfy nation cannot devise any means of giving celebrity to their names by deeds of renown-forced to lower their pretensions, they are determined at least to do something odd.

died! Why, the very tone of the narrative takes away all credit from the narrator, and therefore, even as evidence of the fact it seeks to establish, it is utterly valueless. He who could color acts and feelings as he has probably done, would, with less criminality, distort facts. We verily believe that the unfortunate prince did die in the temple; but the document in question "One of the best of my agents was an indidoes not go an inch towards proving it-vidual of this class. A train of very ordinary all it shows is, the school of villany and de-initiated him into the secrets of the corresponcircumstances had placed him in a society which ception of which our author admitted him- dence of the legitimists with the Duchess of self to be a disciple. Berry. This man, unable to extricate himself without danger from the position he stood in, and not wishing to co-operate with a party from whom he differed in opinion, demanded an audihis situation, and explained all the advantages ence of me. He showed me the peculiarity of which I might derive from it.

pass

There is one portion of these volumes which, but that it has been in a measure forestalled to the English reader by the review in the Quarterly of Mr. Frégier's book, we should have drawn briefly upon we mean the statistics of the classes of "I certainly looked for very lofty expectations Paris, according to their moral divisions. on his part-judge of my surprise when my new Those who are epicures in such things, will agent informed me, that he proposed serving his surely get a sufficient meal in the Review; country gratuitously, in order to preserve France for ourselves, a very slight morsel would from the horrors of a civil war! Struck by have satisfied us, and we not unwillingly reading a novel of Cooper's, called The Spy, he them by. No doubt, some of the pre-hero of that work, and wished to perform in aspired to the kind of celebrity attached to the fect's regulations were salutary; those re- France the part which Cooper has made his specting the Morgue, or receptacle for Harvey Birch enact during the American war. bodies found drowned in the Seine, and un- All he stipulated for was a promise that I would claimed, particularly. Nor are we disposed not take any harsh measures against certain to quarrel with him for having suppressed persons whom he named to me, and whom he that powerful but revolting play of Victor was attached to. Hugo's, Le Roi S'amuse: nay, we even agree with him in his opinions respecting the ridiculous over-appreciation of the public interest in such matters indulged in by the dramatist; but nevertheless, we scarcely see why all this need be introduced into a book professing to be memoirs: all that could justify the details we conceive would be its forming a basis or argument of a work of science or political economy; and we observe the same propensities in the author as characterized the retired soapboiler, who stipulated to be permitted to attend weekly on boiling day for his proper amusement. No doubt, he means to make the credit of salutary regulations stand as a set-off against the delinquencies of his administration; but they are too much extended for this, and must be considered as exhibiting the tastes of the man.

He is occasionally amusing in his descriptions of character.

"I have seen," says he, " persons who acted for the police, and gave me important information, who wished, they said, in this way to pay some debt of gratitude for benefits received, either from the royal family, or from some member of the government.

"I must also add, as a remarkable and very rare variety, a class of persons who became agents of the police from motives of pure patri

The conduct of Harvey Birch-for he adopted that name in all his communications-was faithful throughout. He performed some pieces of service which certainly deserved a tolerably large remuneration, yet when the time came at which his particular agency was brought to a close, he contented himself with asking me for some trifling employment, such as might barely meet his indispensable wants.

"But besides the common informere and spies employed by the police, the ministers of the crown must sometimes have creatures who will frequent the drawing-room of fashion, and be admitted into those brilliant assemblies,

where the most distinguished and illustrious class of auxiliaries constitutes what may be personages of the land meet together. This called the aristocracy of the police.

"But what rare and opposite qualities must in such be united! With how many valuable talents must he be endowed who would fill this delicate post! Those privileged persons, whose wit, taste, and rank would naturally be supposed not, after all, the persons who fill it. In short, to secure for them this enviable position, are I should despair to trace, in a satisfactory manner, the portrait of these secret agents of the first class, were it not that I have in my eye a unique specimen-a type, such as in all probability will never be met with again.

"The individual I allude to was of noble birth, and bore a title which enhanced the natural charms of his deportment; for nature had refused him no external advantage, and, not less prodigal to him in other points, had given

him a rich and fertile imagination, and a remarkable power of observation. Finesse, tact, repartee, originality of thought, all caused him to be distinguished even amongst the most suc

cessful lances in the list of wit.

"But he is greatly mistaken who thinks that the Marquis of P- allowed himself to descend to common manœuvres; who supposes, for example, that he would provoke a confidence with more or less cunning, or would set about leading the conversation to a subject in which he might take advantage of an unsuspecting candor. All this would be to be a common agent, or rather it would have involved duplicity and a want of faith, quite foreign from his character. No; the Marquis of P. was determined to have all the credit of perfect fairness and honesty.

"But some of my readers, perhaps, disappointed by my last remarks, may here ask whether I am not reading them a riddle. I beg of them to follow me to the end.

"All men in Parisian society knew that M. de P, well bred as he was, did not possess a sous in the world, and yet he had a handsome house, horses, a carriage, and all those other appliances of comfort and luxury, indispensable to a man who lives comme il faut.

them, beyond the singular grace of the style in which they were conveyed; and she received for this a moderate sum out of the secret service money. The insignificance of these communications at last decided me to give her her congé, but the baroness was immovable-she was determined not to give up the advantages of the position she held.

"It was towards the end of October, 1832, at a time when the government knew that the Duchess of Berry was hid in the environs of Nantes, that our baroness affirmed to me, by word and by letter, that she knew Madame's retreat, but that she could not bring herself to divulge so important a secret without being promised a large reward, and a moderate sum of one thousand francs, paid in hand on account. "Although I confess I was not very confident of her veracity, the baroness's affirmations were made with so much assurance, the names of some of the legitimist party, from whom she affected to have learned the secret, were chosen so cleverly, and besides her former position gave her in reality so many facilities for penetrating the secrets of that party, that I durst not reject such a chance of eventually rendering an important service to government.

"The required sum was, therefore, remitted to "No one understood better than he the minu- the baroness, and the next day she announced to tice of fashion, the arcana of refinement, theme that the Duchess of Berry was hid, under the maniere d'etre of high life; none could order an name of Bertin-in a chateau near Arpajon. entertainment better, give a more recherché dinner, or prove by his gastronomic skill, his qualifications for the society he lived in. And when on the green cloth, the billiard-ball, or écarté, he set gold circulating freely, no one ever saw a player gain with less apparent satisfaction, or lose with greater indifference.

"I knew perfectly well that the mother of Henri the Fifth was hid at Nantes, or within a circuit of a few leagues around that town; and consequently the intelligence given by the baroness was simply a story fabricated for the purpose of swindling the government out of a thousand francs.

"One more story I will give of a proceeding of the same kind, chosen out of a thousand others of which I have the particulars in my memory:

"As besides all this the Marquis of Palways appeared kind, useful, a pleasant storyteller, harmless in his wit, though unrivalled in his skill at epigram and raillery, he was the constant object of attentions, and was sought for, "This time it was Madame la Comtesse de feasted, and admired by his numerous amphi-B, who had all the honor and profit of the tryons. Now, incredible as it may seem, not trick. This lady was perfectly well aware of only his friends, but the whole circle of his ac- our wish to discover the retreat of those repubquaintance, (and no one had a more extended licans who escaped in July, 1835, from the pri one,) knew perfectly well what he was. This is son of St. Pelagie, and accordingly she wrote to what would have overwhelmed any one of or- me to say, that extreme want of money obliged dinary talent-here was the transcendent merit, her to commit a dreadful act; she demanded a the climax of genius. To put no questions, and few thousand francs for revealing the secret of to learn much; to invite no expression of opin- which she was the depositary, offering to tell ion for the purpose of revealing it, and yet to where a number of the runaways had gone, and ascertain the opinion of every body; to urge no only asking the trifling advance of one thousand one to disclosure, and yet to penetrate into the francs. The minister of the interior authorized most secret thoughts, to know every thing, in the payment of the money, and the Countess de fact, without appearing to observe any thing, B- announced to us that she had herself unand to retain the confidence even of those who dertaken to accompany two of the principal of were perfectly well acquainted with the part he fenders to the frontier, who were to pass, one for played, surely this was to do the business of po- her husband, the other for her servant; she lice agent in an accomplished way, enough stated what diligence they were to go by, the almost to make it agreeable to the public!" day of their intended departure, and the real and assumed names of the fugitives. She actually set off in the coach named; six of my agents took places in it with her, and, as may be "A certain baroness, whose husband had supposed, every precaution was taken to secure been in the service of the old royal family, af- her imaginary fellow-travellers; but if the amiafected the sincerest devotion for the new dynas-ble countess had any delinquents in her comty. She sent me periodically relations which pany, their crimes were not of a nature to call generally did not turn out to have much in for the high jurisdiction of the Court of Peers,

But even the police may be taken in. Here is the other side of the picture