When I think of all those bright, happy days I spent in Paris I regret often that I cannot live them over again. I had hoped to be allowed to end my days on the banks of the Seine, in the gay city which has always proved so attractive to Russians. St. Petersburg did not interest me any longer. Its climate is far too severe for my old lungs and my everlasting rheumatism, and all the persons who were my friends in the old days have either died or disappeared from the social horizon. Fate ruled it otherwise, and my seventy-five years have not been allowed to remain in Paris where they believed they had found a home. An Imperial order removes me to another place where very probably I shall miss the attractions of Paris, and the resources which it offers to a bookworm like myself. Before going away I have read over again the reminiscences that in my idle moments I have scribbled for the benefit of those who care to read them when I am gone, and I have found a melancholy pleasure in doing so. It has been such a happy time, even for a misanthrope like myself. Each time I have left Paris it has been a joy to return, and to look once more on the familiar haunts where I used to walk in company with friends who, alas! have already gone. Would that I could follow them on that journey whence no one returns, before leaving Paris for ever; because at my age one cannot hope for anything that the morrow may bring along with it—this wonderful Paris, where is so much of what constituted my former pleasures, will remain buried. Russia can only increase my melancholy, it is so different from what it was when I was young, and when the sadness of the snow which covered its ground found no echo in my young heart.
Count Vassili’s wish was realised. He died just before his intended departure from the Paris he had loved so well.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, Z
A
Abzac, Marquis d’, 151;
influence in Germany, 152
Adam, Edmond, 191
——, Mme. Juliette, 188, 189;
her antagonism to Bonapartism, 196;
and Boulangism, 248, 253;
and Gambetta, 192, 232
Agoult, Comtesse d’, 190
Alexander III., death of, 285
Amélie of Portugal, marriage of, 126
André, Mme. Edouard, 177, 180
Aosta, Duchess of, 46
Arnim, Count, 383
Aumale, Duc d’, banishment annulled, 139;
biography of, 133;
cause of banishment, 138;
offered the Presidency, 145;
in the Army, 137;
popularity of, 124;
and Trochu, 82
——, Duchesse d’, 141
B
Bartet, Mme., 379
Bazaine, Marshal, 64;
trial of, 129
Beaulaincourt, Comtesse de, 23, 30
Beauvoir, Marquis de, and Boulangism, 247
Bernhardt, Madame Sarah, 379
Berryer, M., 48
Biron, Vicomte de Gontaut, 161;
and Bismarck, 162
——, Comte de Gontaut, 349
Bisaccia, Duc et Duchesse de la Rochefoucauld, 169
Bismarck and Gambetta, 238;
and Jules Favre, 73;
and Vicomte de Gontaut Biron, 162
Bonaparte, Prince Pierre, private life of, 40
——, Prince Victor, shoots Victor Noir, 39
——, Princess Marie, marriage of, 41
Bonnat, Joseph Leon, 142
Bonnemains, Madame de, and Boulanger, 247, 256
Bontoux, M., and the Union Générale, 227
Boulanger, General, 244;
elected to Chamber, 247;
flight of, 255;
retirement of, 246;
returns to Paris in disguise, 247;
suicide of, 256
—— Plot, the, 244
Boulangism, the beginnings of, 246
Boulangists and the Comte de Paris, 125
Bourget, Paul, 377
Briand, Aristide, career of, 366;
political future of, 363;
and the Socialists, 368
Brisson, Barnabé, Nicholas II. visits, 289
Broglie, Duc de, 147;
an ardent Orleanist, 158;
biography of, 156;
and Feuillet, 158
——, Prince Amédée de, 159
——, Princesse de, 160
Bülow, Prince von, 385
C
Caillavet, Madame de, 332
Canrobert, Marshal, candidature for Presidency, 145
Carnot, Sadi, 245;
as President, 271;
becomes candidate for Presidency, 229;
murder of, 271
Castellane, Comte de, affairs of, 316
Castellane, Comtesse Jean de, 350
——, Marquis de, 349
Castelnau, General, and the Prince Imperial, 60
Castiglione, Comtesse de, 53
Cavaignac, M., and the Dreyfus affair, 328
Chambord, Comte de, biography of the, 112;
death of, 116;
funeral of, 122;
dispute with MacMahon, 218;
home life of, 112;
and Marshal MacMahon, 115-118;
and the Monarchical restoration, 115;
and the Republic, 88;
and Versailles, 116
Chantilly, bequeathed to the French Academy, 139;
glories of, 124, 134
Chanzy, General, defeated at Orleans, 81
Chartres, Duc de, characteristics of, 128;
marriage of, 130;
and the Franco-Prussian War, 128
Claretie, Jules, 217, 376
Clemenceau, Georges, influence of, 309;
and Baron Mohrenheim, 280;
and Comtesse d’Aunay, 310;
and Edward VII., 361;
and Fallières, 358;
and Russia, 279;
and the Commune, 92;
and the Dreyfus affair, 312, 321
Cléry, Maître, 140
Clotilde of Savoy, Princesse, 45;
and Empress Eugénie, 14
Commune, the, fight with Thiers’ troops at Père-la-Chaise, 95;
opinions on, 94;
outbreak of the, 87;
stamping out the, 97
Compiègne, life at, 9, 25
Conneau, Dr., contrives Napoleon’s escape from Ham, 21;
Napoleon’s friendship with, 20
Constant, M., and General Boulanger, 255
Conti, M., 23
D
Darboy, Archbishop, assassination of, 95
Daudet, Alphonse, 215
——, Ernest, 217
——, Leon, 216
——, Lucien, 216
——, Madame Alphonse, 335
Débats, Journal des, 299
Decazes, Duc, 147;
as Minister of Foreign Affairs, 160;
biography of, 156
Delahaye, Jules, denounces Panama affairs in Chamber, 263
Déroulède, Paul, and Boulangism, 248, 252
Dillon, Count, and Boulangism, 247
Donnersmarck, Count Henckel von, 238
Dorian, Madame Ménard, 332
Dreyfus affair, 318;
a family incident, 336;
the religious element, 328;
the verdict, 319;
and Faure, 295;
and Zola, 323
——, Captain, in the dock, 318;
personality of, 323
Dumas, Alex., 211
——, Colette, 213
——, Jeannine, 213
E
Empire, last days of the, 48
Esterhazy, Col., and the Dreyfus affair, 326
Eugénie, Empress, 3, 9, 26, 65;
as Regent, 63;
attitude before the Franco-Prussian War, 59;
bravery as a nurse, 11;
flight of, 71;
leaves St. Cloud, 63;
unpopularity during war, 59;
and her son, 12;
and Marshal MacMahon, 64;
and peace negotiations, 78;
and the 4th of September, 37;
and Thiers, 104.
(See also under
Napoleon III.)
F
Fallières, André, 365
——, Armand, at St. Petersburg, 362;
elected to the Presidency, 358;
and Clemenceau, 358;
and the Vatican, 359
——, Madame, 364
Falloux, Comte de, 214
Faure, Félix, at the Elysée, 283;
death of, 294;
early career, 276;
elected to Presidency, 276;
supposed overtures to Germany, 296;
visits Nicholas II., 294;
and Nicholas II., in Paris, 284;
and the Russian Fleet, 277
Favre, Jules, makes a false move, 90;
and Bismarck, 73;
and the Franco-Prussian War, 75
Ferry, Jules, advocates the Republic, 68;
and Esterhazy, 326
Feuillet, Octave, 28
Flaubert, Gustave, personality of, 375
Fleury, General, 23
Flourens, Pierre, and the Panama scandal, 267
Fontainebleau, life at, 25
Fortoul, M. de, 150
France, Anatole, personality of, 374
France, estimation of patriotism in, 96
Franco-Prussian War, capitulation of Paris, 83;
defeat of army of Chanzy, 81;
effect on Monarchy, 63;
first disasters in, 63;
peace negotiations at Versailles, 84;
Prince Imperial at, 62;
Prussian troops enter Paris, 84;
the Emperor’s review outside Paris, 86;
the eve of the, in Paris, 56;
troops’ return from captivity, 94
Franco-Russian misunderstanding, 313
—— entente, the, 278, 285
French court life under Napoleon, 111
Freycinet, M. de, 224, 229
G
Galliera, Duchesse de, 177
Galiffet, Marquise de, 29
Gambetta, Leon, as Prime Minister 236;
biography of, 231;
death of, 241;
forms his Cabinet, 236;
his chief ambition, 233;
his early social errors, 194;
his estimation of MacMahon, 224;
his projected marriage, 239;
in 1871, 88;
the mystery of his accident, 239;
and Bismarck, 238;
and Comte de St. Vallier, 237;
and European politics, 233;
and Germany, 233;
and Madame Juliette Adam, 192;
and the 4th of September, 65
Gaulois, the, 303
Gortschakoff, Prince, and the Russian canard, 164
Gonne, Miss Maud, and Boulangism, 253
Gramont, Duc de, 46;
at Vienna, 47
——, Duchesse de, 351
Granier, Jeanne, Madame, 380
Grévy, Jules, as President, 225;
resigns the Presidency, 228;
and Daniel Wilson, 227
H
Hading, Jane, Madame, 380
Hanotaux, Gabriel, as a writer, 297
Harcourt, Vicomte Emmanuel d’, 149
Henry, Colonel, and the Dreyfus affair, 327
Herz, Cornelius, and the Panama Canal 259
Hohenlohe, Prince, 383;
as Ambassador, 276
Hohenzollern, Prince Leopold of, and the Spanish throne, 52
Hugo, Georges, 334
Humbert, Madame, 355
I
Imperial, Prince, and the Franco-Prussian War, 60
J
Jacquemard, Mlle. Nelly, 180, 182
Jaurès, M., and the Socialists, 369
Journal, the, 299
L
Lacroix, Madame, 58, 188
Laguerre, George, and Boulangism, 248, 251
Lamartine, M. de, 48
Lambert, Madame Juliette, 190.
(See also Adam, Juliette.)
Lanterne, the, 304
Lasteyrie, Marquis Jules de, 194
Lecomte, assassination of, 91
Legitimists, position of, under Third Republic, 168
Lemaitre, Jules, 141
Léon, Princesse de, 179
Lesseps, Ferdinand de, mental breakdown of, 264;
sentenced to imprisonment, 265;
and the Panama Canal, 258.
(See also Panama scandal.)
——, Charles de, 259;
his affection for his father, 264.
(See also Panama scandal.)
Loti, Pierre, personality of, 376
Loubet, Emile, achievements during Presidency, 313;
elected to the Presidency, 308;
in London, 314;
in Rome, 314;
Nicholas II. visits, 289;
refuses to visit the Pope, 315;
and the Catholic rupture, 311;
and the Dreyfus affair, 312
Luynes, Duchesse de, 169, 172
Lyons, Lord, 383
M
MacMahon, Marshal, at the Elysée, 147;
coup d’état of, 159;
death of, 155;
dispute with Comte de Chambord, 218;
elements of failure as President, 221;
fall of, 218;
his letter to Jules Simon, 149;
overthrow of, 154;
Presidency of, 144;
proceeds to join Marshal Bazaine, 64;
retires from Presidency, 226;
and the Comte de Chambord, 115, 118;
and d’Harcourt, 149;
and the coup d’état of May 16th, 223;
and Thiers, 110
Magenta, Duc de, 148
——, Duchesse de, 148
Maillé, Duchesse de, 186
Mathilde, Princess, 14;
and Taine, 209
Matin, the, 298
Maupassant, Guy de, personality of, 376
May, the 16th of, 218
Mazas, prison invaded by mob, 83
Mérimée, M., 27
Messine, Mlle. Juliette la, 190.
(See also Adam, Juliette,
and Lambert, Juliette.)
Metternich, Prince, 382;
and Adolphe Thiers, 102
—— Princess Paul, 2, 17
Meyer, Arthur, career of, 301;
starts the Panama revelations, 262;
and Boulangism, 247;
and Charles de Lesseps, 260
Millevoye, Lucien, and Boulangism, 248, 252
Mirbeau, Octave, career of, 372
Mocquard, M., 21
Mohrenheim, Baron de, and Clemenceau, 280;
and Faure, 277
Monaco, Princesse de, 175
Monarchist restoration, chances of, in 1871, 88
Montagnini, Mgr., and the Catholic crisis, 360
Montalembert, Charles de, 49
Montebello, Comtesse Jean de, 346
Morès, Marquis de, and Russia, 279
Mouchy, Duc de, marries Princess Anna Murat, 167
Mun, Count Albert de, and Boulangism, 248, 250
Munster, Count, as Ambassador, 275, 385;
and the Dreyfus affair, 274
Murat, Princess Anna, and Empress Eugénie, 16
Muravieff, Count, 387
N
Napoleon III., at the Franco-Prussian War, 58;
end of his dynasty, 70;
in 1868, 3;
influence of, 67;
leaves St. Cloud, 60;
personal characteristics, 6;
and Italian secret societies, 6
——, Prince, and Empress Eugénie, 14
——, Prince Louis, 45
——, Prince “Plon Plon,” 43
National Assembly, first meeting of the, 225;
ratifies peace, 87
—— Guard, the disarmament trouble begins, 90
Nelidoff, M. de, 387
Nerville, Madame Aubernon de, 188
Nicholas II. at Chalons, 290;
at the Russian Embassy, 290;
visits Brisson, 289;
visits Loubet, 289;
visits Paris, 284, 287
Nigra, Count, 32, 382;
a significant prophecy, 33
Noailles, Comtesse Mathieu de, 337
Noir, Victor, shot by Prince Pierre, 39
O
Ollivier, Emile, 24, 38;
changes in Cabinet of, 46;
Ministry of, distrusted, 48;
urges Napoleon’s return to Paris, 64
Orleanism, hopes of, 220
Orleans, Duc d’, 127
—— family, 131
Orleanist cause, the, 123
Orleanists and the confiscated millions, 123;
and the Republic, 88
Orloff, Prince, 386
P
Panama Scandal, money becomes scarce, 258;
the Canal scheme, 257;
the lottery is suggested, 258;
the public trial, 265;
and the Republic, 269
Paris, Bismarck and the Peace of, 73;
capitulation of, 83;
during the siege, 73;
experiences of, during revolution, 78;
invasion of Mazas by the mob, 83;
news of Sedan reaches, 66;
on the eve of the Franco-Prussian War, 56;
population fraternises with Prussians, 85;
prepares for the siege, 71;
Prussian troops enter, 84;
September 4th in, 65;
settles down after Commune, 97;
society after the fall of the Empire, 166;
society in 1868, 1;
society of to-day, 343;
society under Loubet, 315;
the Commune, 87;
Thiers returns after the Commune, 97;
visit of Nicholas II., 284, 287;
food during siege, 80
——, Comte de, personality of, 125;
and the Boulangists, 125
Peace negotiations of Franco-Prussian War, 84
Pellieux, General de, and the Dreyfus affair, 327
Périer, Casimir, early career of, 272;
elected President, 273;
strength of character, 273;
why he resigned Presidency, 274
Père-la-Chaise, the fight at, 95
Petit Parisien, the, 300
Plebiscite, the, first suggested, 41
“Plon Plon,” Prince, 43
Pobedonosteff, M., and Boulangism, 254
Poilly, Baronne de, 30
Pourtalès, Comtesse Mélanie de, 17, 19, 180
Press, the French, 297
Presse, the, 304
Prévost, Marcel, personality of, 378
Psichari, Madame, 335
R
Radziwill family, the, 352
Reinach, Baron Jacques, and the Panama Scandal, 261
Réjane, Madame, 380
Renan, Ernest, 205
——, Henriette, 206
Republic, the Third, birth of the, 69;
disbelief in its stability, 88;
Jules Ferry incites revolt, 68;
the mistake of the, 74
Revolution, excesses during the, 77;
of 1870, start of the, 69
Rochefort-Luçay, Henri, Marquis de, as a journalist, 305;
and Boulangism, 248
Rochefoucauld, Comte de la, 174
——, Comtesse Aimery de la, 174
——, La, family of, 173
Rochette, career of, 355;
scandal, 355
Rodin and Mirbeau, 373
Rohan, Duchesse de, 179
Rostopschine, Countess Lydie, 388
Rothschild, Baron Henri de, 339
Rouher, M., 38;
character sketch of, 42;
and the Plebiscite, 42
Rouvier, Maurice, as candidate for the Presidency, 308;
characteristics of, 340;
and the Panama Scandal, 267
S
St. Vallier, Comte de, and Gambetta, 237
Sagan, Prince and Princesse de, 183
——, Princesse de, 128
Sedan, fall of, news received in Paris, 66
September 4th in Paris, 65
Siege of Paris, 73;
food during, 80
Simon, Jules, as Prime Minister, 221
Socialism in France, 368
Sorel, Cecile, 379, 380
Spain, Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern and the throne of, 52
T
Taine, Hippolyte, 209
Talleyrand, Duc de, 186
Temps, the, 298
Thiebaud, George, and Boulangism, 247
Thiers, Adolphe, as a historical writer, 100;
characteristics of, 99;
death of, 110;
elected head of National Assembly, 89;
explains his severity during the Commune, 108;
flight of, to Versailles, 9;
imprisonment of, 103;
M. and Madame, at the Elysée, 167;
Ministry overturned, 144;
negotiates for peace, 84;
opposes the Plebiscite, 41;
returns to Paris after Commune, 97;
his troops defeat Communards at Père-la-Chaise, 95;
and Empress Eugénie, 104;
and Marshal MacMahon, 110;
and Prince Metternich, 102;
and the Bonapartists, 109;
and the Commune, 106;
and the Empire, 104;
and the situation in 1871, 89
Thomas, Clément, assassination of, 91
Tornielli, Comtesse, 388
Tradern, Comtesse de, 350
Trochu, General, 65;
conduct during the siege of Paris, 81;
and Duc d’Aumale, 82
Tsartoryski, Prince Ladislas, 351
Tuileries, the, forced by the mob, 1870, 70;
life at, 24
U
Union-Générale collapse, 226
Uzès, Duchesse d’, and Boulangism 248, 269, 251
V
Valovska, Countess, 17
Viollet-le-Duc, M., 29
Vogué, Vicomte de, 377
W
Wilson, Daniel, and President Grévy, 227
Wimpffen, General, 76
Z
Zola, Emile, 214, 336;
burial in the Panthéon, 324;
and the Dreyfus affair, 323
——, Madame, 336