Napoleonic Literature
Lord Blayney's Narrative
Volume II, Chapter XLVI

Rencontre with a Russian officer . . . . Orleans . . . . A French acquaintance . . . .  National guards and levée en masse . . . . Pope and Cardinals . . . . Neglect and insult to them by France and Napoleon.

At the moment of quitting Pithiviers I was accosted by my name, in very good English, by a Russian officer, whose face was quite familiar to me, and I soon recollected having met him at the Duke of Sussex’s in Lisbon, where he was secretary to the Russian embassy. The road being slippery from the frost, this gentleman walked with me out of the town, and we mutually brought to our recollection several anecdotes which were talked of while we were at the Portuguese capital. Our conversation then turned on the positions of the several armies, and the probable termination of the present important contest. His judgment was sound, and, like all his countrymen, he was warm in the cause, and sanguine as to its success. I observed to him, “that a favourable result entirely depended on the perfect unanimity of the Allies; but it was to be apprehended that discord and disunion might arise amongst so many powers, whose views and characters were so opposite.” –– “Some time ago,” replied the Russian, “this might have been feared; but twenty-four years experience must have taught them a lesson, and convinced them of the boundless ambition and deceit of the man at the head of the French government; therefore they must at this moment be united by one sole object; namely, the destruction of the tyrant and of the satellites who have been his instruments in desolating Europe, and in reducing France to a state of ruin, from which she cannot recover for years to come.” –– “Nevertheless,” replied I (wishing to continue the argument in hopes of obtaining information), “I fear that the greater part of the people of France will still remain devoted to their destroyer, rather than risk the horrors of another revolution. Besides, all the leading persons throughout France, from the bonne ville de Paris to the most insignificant village, are in the dependence of the government; such, for instance, are the maires and their adjoints, the commissaires and other myrmidons of the police, the legions of custom-house officers, gardes-forêts, gardes champêtres, &c., all of whom act in concert with the government, and at the same time form an organized system of espionnage, which prevents any combination of the lower orders. The Allies will therefore be greatly disappointed if they expect assistance from the people; and I sincerely hope they have entered France with a sufficient force to counterbalance the influence of the various authorities.” –– “Soyez tranquille,” replied the Russian, “the French have so entirely lost their national character, that they will join the strongest party; and if we gain some decided advantages in the field, these authorities will be the first to abuse Napoleon and execrate his government; but if, on the contrary, he should be occasionally successful in attacking separate corps, or detachments, by large forces, these same wretches will regain their courage, and enthusiastically praise the sane men and the same government that they the moment before abused as tyrannical and oppressive.” I agreed perfectly with these sentiments, the justice of which has been demonstrated by the fluctuation of opinion and language among the French of all classes, according to the turns of the war, since their country has been invaded, and their dearest interests threatened with the most imminent danger. The people of England, I most sincerely hope, will never be put to so severe a trial; if they were, their line of conduct would doubtless be very different.

I learnt from my companion, that he had been employed confidentially by the Russian government at Paris, previous to the commencement of hostilities; but that some suspicion attaching to him, he had been arrested, his papers seized, and himself made a prisoner of state.

Having taken my leave of him, I proceeded by a very bad road and wretched country to Orleans; on entering which I met with Mr. Thompson, who procured me comfortable accommodation at a hotel, and also invited me to dinner, where I met a large party of English on their route for Blois. Mrs. Thompson and family being kindly attentive, we passed a pleasant evening in relating our various adventures on the road. On returning to the hotel I found a fat good-natured French merchant, a Monsieur Consurge, whom I had formerly known. He had been waiting for me three hours, and politely told me, that understanding I was going to Blois, where possibly I might not be acquainted, he had written some letters of recommendation for me, which he trusted I would find useful.

I thanked him for his kind attention, and we supped together. In the course of conversation he informed me, that since I had last seen him he had been very unfortunate in his affairs, and obliged to declare himself a bankrupt. I seized the occasion to comfort him, in return for his politeness, by remarking that, “though, Sir, you may have lost your money, which, as Shakespeare says,

. . . . . . . . “is trash; ‘tis something, nothing;
’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
“yet you have preserved what is infinitely more valuable, an open, friendly-hearted, good disposition; and, Sir, a
. . . . . . . . “good name, in man and woman,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls.”
I was afterwards very glad to learn, that he was still enabled to continue business.

The following day I remained at Orleans and was highly amused by the exhibition of the national guards and levée en masse, which were now organizing, and one third of them ordered to be immediately armed. To comply with this order, fowling pieces that had hung for centuries over chimnies, were now brought forward; some without locks, and others of which the locks were so rusty and out of repair, as to be totally unserviceable. The number of these arms not being sufficient, different articles were given to different persons; one having a musquet, a second the bayonet, and a third the ramrod. The other two thirds of this motley group were armed with sticks, broken shovels or broken pitchforks, for their patriotism was not strong enough to induce them to bring forward any implement that was serviceable or useful in the farms. After being mustered by their names with great ceremony, an old drunken drummer, with a ragged coat, a cocked-hat, wooden shoes, and a broken drum, was placed at their head, and they were marched off. What with their broad brimmed hats and sabots, their ragged clothing, and their own natural deformities, they presented so ludicrous a scene, that if Napoleon had studied to bring complete ridicule on the great nation, he could not have chosen a more suitable expedient.

While walking on the bridge, a carriage with six grey post-horses, and two others with four horses each, crossed it. On inquiry, I found that it was the Pope, Cardinals, and his suite, who had been hastily removed from Fontainbleau. A great crowd followed the carriage; and as the postillions walked their horses slowly up the ascent of the bridge, I had the satisfaction of a perfect sight of his holiness. His countenance is small, pale and mild; and the pictures of him that I have seen in France and England are sufficient resemblances to give an exact idea of him. He was drest in ermine, as he is also usually represented in prints. The crowd fell on their knees to receive his blessing, which he bestowed in so kind and benevolent a way, as made an impression on me I can never forget; and I have his countenance and manner at this moment before me. I was assured, that no provision having been made for his holiness’s reception at Pithiviers, where he was to sleep the night before his arrival at Orleans, and the inns being crowded by French officers, he and his Cardinals would have been without beds, had not some of the English passing through the town given up those they had engaged, which it was not without difficulty the Pope could be prevailed on to accept: such is the modesty of this worthy Prelate and his Cardinals. The not giving proper orders for the accommodation of his holiness in his journey, was either a most scandalous neglect on the part of the French government, or else an intended insult to fallen majesty; of which it is to be hoped, of all the nations, and all the monarchs of Europe, France and Napoleon could alone be guilty.

After enjoying an hospitable dinner with my friend Major Popham, at Orleans, I set out next day, and arrived at Blois early the following morning. On the road I passed several pieces of artillery, and waggons of military furniture, proceeding to Paris.

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