France -- Civilization; France -- Politics and government; France -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
[Footnote 3136: M. de Vitrolles, "Mémoires."--M. d'Haussonville, "Ma
jeunesse," p. 60: "One morning, my father learns that he has been
appointed chamberlain, with a certain number of other persons belonging
to the greatest families of the faubourg Saint-Germain."]
[Footnote 3137: Madame de Rémusat, "Mémoires," II., 312, 315 and
following pages, 373.--Madame de Staël, "Considérations sur la
révolution française," 4th part, ch IV.]
[Footnote 3138: Roederer, III., 459. (Speech by Napoleon, December 30,
1802.)--"Very well, I do protect the nobles of France; but they must
see that they need protection.... I give places to many of them;
I restore them to public distinction and even to the honors of
the drawing-room; but they feel that it is alone through my good
will.--Ibid., III., 558 (January 1809): "I repent daily of a mistake
I have made in my government; the most serious one I ever made, and
I perceive its bad effects every day. It was the giving back to the
émigrés the totality of their possessions. I ought to have massed them
in common and given each one simply the chance of an income of 6000
francs. As soon as I saw my mistake I withdrew from thirty to forty
millions of forests; but far too many are still in the hands of a great
number of them."--We here see the attitude he would impose on them, that
of clients and grateful pensioners. They do not stand in this attitude.
(Roederer, III., 472. Report on the Sénatorerie of Caen, 1803.)--"The
returned émigrés are not friendly nor even satisfied; their enjoyment
of what they have recovered is less than their indignation at what they
have lost. They speak of the amnesty without gratitude, and as only
partial justice.... In other respects they appear submissive."]
[Footnote 3139: Duc de Rovigo1 "Memoires." V., 297. Towards the end,
large numbers of the young nobles went into the army. "In 1812, there,
was not a marshal, or even a general, who had not some of these on his
staff, or as aids-de-camp. Nearly all the cavalry regiments in the army
were commanded by officers belonging to these families. They had already
attracted notice in the infantry. All these young nobles had openly
joined the emperor because they were easily influenced by love of
glory."]
[Footnote 3140: Madame de Rémusat II., 299 (1806): "He began to surround
himself about this time with so much ceremony that none of us had
scarcely any intimate relations with him.... The court became more and
more crowded and monotonous, each doing on the minute what he had to do.
Nobody thought of venturing outside the brief series of ideas which are
generated within the restricted circle of the same duties.... Increasing
despotism,... fear of a reproof if one failed in the slightest
particular, silence kept by us all.... There was no opportunity
to indulge emotion or interchange any observation of the slightest
importance."]
[Footnote 3141: Roederer, III., 558 (January 1809).--"The Modern
Régime," ante, book I., ch. II.]
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