CHAPTER XXVI

“_Qu’étais’je donc? Je n’étais que moi, et moi tel que je suis resté, libre au milieu des fers, serein dans les plus grands dangers, faisant tête a tous les orages, menant les affaires d’une main et la guerre de l’autre, paresseux comme un âne et travaillant toujours, en butte à mille calomnies, mais, heureux dans mon intérieur, n’ayant jamais été d’aucune coterie, ni litéraire, ni politique, ni mystique, n’ayant fait de cour à personne, et partout repoussé de tous.... C’est le mystère de ma vie, en vain j’essaie de le résoudre._”

Beaumarchais After His Return from Exile—Takes Up All His Business Activities—Marriage of Eugénie—Her Portrait Drawn by Julie—Beaumarchais’s Varied Interests—Correspondence with Bonaparte—Pleads for Lafayette Imprisoned—Death of Beaumarchais—Conclusion.

“On his return to Paris, July 5th, 1796, Beaumarchais,” says Loménie, “found himself faced with a fortune ruined, not alone as so many others had been in the general crisis, but still more, by the confiscation of his revenues, the disappearance of his papers, and of the debts owing to him. His beautiful house was going to destruction, his garden torn up. While on one hand his debtors had disembarrassed themselves of their obligations by settling with the state in paper money, his creditors were waiting to seize him by the throat. He had accounts to give to, and to demand of the State, who, after confiscating his fortune, held still 745,000 francs deposited by him when he undertook the mission to secure the 60,000 guns....”

Not to go into all the perplexing details of the decisions and counter decisions rendered by the State, the anxieties, the almost insuperable difficulties that surrounded him on every side, let it suffice to say that with old age advancing apace, he still retained almost the same vigor, the same tenacity of purpose, the same indefatigable energy that have characterized him through life. Without ceasing, he drew up memoirs, conferred with the ministers, worked day and night to re-establish his fortune, so that those dear to him might not be left in want.

That he eventually succeeded in this may be judged by the fact that his family continued to inhabit their splendid residence until 1818, when the French government under the Restoration bought it for purposes of public utility. Moreover, the report rendered after his death by his bookkeeper, shows that the fortune which he was able to will his family rose very near the million mark, and this, not counting the debts owing him and lawsuits still pending, notably that with the United States.

But at the moment of his return to France it was not simply with his shattered fortune that Beaumarchais’s mind was occupied. During their sojourn at Havre in 1792, the wife and daughter of Beaumarchais had made the acquaintance, says Bonneville, “of a young man of distinguished family, Louis André Toussaint Delarue, whose sister, a woman of remarkable intelligence, had married M. Mathias Dumas, a soldier with a very great future, who, after having taken part brilliantly in the war of American Independence as aide-de-camp of Rochambeau, was now Adjutant General of the Army under the orders of Lafayette, and had attached to him his young brother-in-law as _officier d’ordonnance_.... In 1792 they all found themselves waiting in Havre for an opportunity to escape into England.”

It was there that M. Delarue met Mlle. Eugénie.... The two young people coming together under these unusual circumstances soon learned to love one another. His determination to obtain her hand in marriage was not at all affected by the fact that at that moment the entire possessions of her father were lost. Beaumarchais on his return to France, touched by so much constancy and devotion, hastened to assure the happiness of the young people. “Five days after my arrival,” he wrote to a friend, “I made him the beautiful present.... They will at least have bread, but that is all, unless America discharges her debt to me, after twenty years of ingratitude.”

They were married June 15th, 1796, Eugénie being nineteen, and her husband twenty-eight years of age. On the eve of her marriage, the Aunt Julie sketches for a friend the portrait of the young girl, in which she shows her as one in every way worthy of her father’s affection—and with a character which, while indicating many contradictory possibilities, had, nevertheless, great charm and lovableness as well as intellectual force. It shows, too, that the terrible experiences through which she had passed, had left their trace upon her. Time, however, softened this very complex and somewhat formal young lady. “Dying in 1820 the daughter of the author of the _Mariage de Figaro_,” says Loménie, “left in the hearts of all who knew her, the memory of a person of charming vivacity, of _finesse_ and goodness; loving and cultivating the arts with passion, an excellent musician, woman of the world, and at the same time an accomplished mother.”

The young man whom she married proved himself in every way worthy of her. In 1789 he was aide-de-camp of General Lafayette, and later held honorable official positions under the empire, the Restoration, and the government of July. In 1840 he was made _maréchal de camp de la garde nationiale_, which post he held until 1848 when he resigned, at the age of eighty-four years. “In 1854,” writes Loménie, “he still lives, surrounded in his flourishing old age by the respectful affection of all those who know how to appreciate the noble qualities of his heart and his character.”

But to return to Beaumarchais; hardly had he found himself reunited to his family than he wrote to his faithful Gudin, bidding him return. The Revolution, however, had left this good man so destitute that he was obliged to request a loan in order to make the journey. This was at once promised. He wrote, August 26, 1796, “I start as soon as I shall have received the ten louis.... My whole heart glows at the thought of finding myself again under the roof with your happy family. And Oh, I shall see you again! How I regret that aerostatic machines are not already perfected.... But any conveyance is good, if it only conducts me to you. Adieu my good friend; keep well. I will write you the moment of my setting out.”

Of their meeting, he writes later, “I came from the depths of my retreat to embrace my friend. Meeting after so many years, after so many atrocious events, was it not to be saved from the dangers of shipwreck and to find ourselves upon the rocks? It was in a way like escaping from the tomb, to embrace each other among the dead, after an unhoped for resurrection.”

Beaumarchais’s activities of this period continued to be the most varied. He entered with interest into the changing fortunes of the republic—which he accepted and over whose future he tried at times to become enthusiastic. In March, 1797, he had written to a friend:

“Yesterday’s dinner, my dear Charles, is one that will long remain in my memory because of the precious choice of _convives_ which our friend Dumas [General Mathieu-Dumas, brother-in-law of M. Delarue] had assembled at the house of his brother. On former occasions when I dined with the great ones of the State, I have been shocked at the assemblage of so many whose birth alone allowed them to be admitted. _Des sots de qualité, des imbéciles en place, des hommes vains de leurs richesses, des jeunes impudents, des coquettes_, etc. If it was not the ark of Noah, it was at least the court of the _Roi Petaut_; but yesterday out of twenty-four persons at table, there was not one whose great personal merit would not have given him a right to his place. It was, I might say, an excellent _extrait_ of the French Republic, and I, who sat silent, regarding them, applied to each the great merit which distinguished him. Here are their names:” And then, after making the inventory, he terminates thus:

“The dinner was instructive, in no way noisy, very agreeable, in a word such as I do not remember to have ever before experienced.

“Caron Beaumarchais.”

“Four months later,” says Loménie, “_un coup d’état_ had proscribed nearly every one of those twenty-four _convives_.”

“The deputies of the people,” says Gudin, “were taken from their sacred seats, locked up in portable cages like wild beasts, tossed on board vessels and transported to Guyan.” This _coup d’état_ cooled very considerably the republican ardor of Beaumarchais; “He was totally at a loss,” continues Gudin, “to understand either the men or their doings; he failed to comprehend anything relative to the forms or the means employed in those times without rule or principle. He called upon reason, which had helped him triumph so many times; reason had become a stranger, she was, if we dare say it, a species of _émigrée_ whose name rendered suspicious anyone who invoqued her.”

But though Beaumarchais was forced to leave the political revolution to take its course without attempting to change it, his mind ever alert, found innumerable points of contact with the age in which he lived. “Although afflicted with almost complete deafness we see him,” says Loménie, “rising above his personal preoccupations and the sorrows that assailed him, to apply his mind with the whole force of his indefatigable ardor to questions of public utility, to literary affairs, and a thousand other incidents foreign to his own interests. Now he points out with indignation, in the journals of the times, the unbelievable negligence which permits the body of Turenne, rescued from the vandalism of the Terror, to remain forgotten and exposed among skeletons of animals in the _Jardin des Plantes_, until he finally brings about a decree of the Directory which puts an end to this scandal; again he writes letters and memoirs upon all subjects of public interest ... now to the government, now to such deputies as Baudin des Ardennes, who represent ideas of moderation and legality.

“He bestirred himself for the agents of rapid locomotion, aided Mr. Scott in the development of aerostatic machines; celebrated in verse a motor called the _velocifère_, talked literature and the theatre with amiable Collin d’Harleville, or pleaded still with the Minister of the Interior for the rights of dramatic authors against the actors, ... and occupied himself at the same time with having his drama _La Mère Coupable_ brought again before the public.”

This drama which had been written immediately preceding the outbreak of the Revolution, had been read and accepted by the Théâtre Français in 1791, but following this, Beaumarchais had been chosen by the Assembly of Dramatic Authors to represent their interests before the _corps législatif_, which was about to pronounce judgment, and he had acquitted himself with so much ardor that a rupture had followed between himself and the Théâtre Français. Another troupe of the neighborhood demanded the play with so much insistence that he allowed them to produce it upon their new theatre; here it was performed for the first time in June, 1792. But the piece was so poorly played that its success was indifferent. During the time of the Revolution its performance was not to be thought of, but it will not be considered surprising that one of Beaumarchais’s first concerns, after the settlement of the most pressing of his family affairs, was to have the piece brought again before the public and played at the Comédie Française. This was effected in May, 1797. Its complete success brought a great happiness to his declining years.

The characters of _La Mère Coupable_ are the same as those of _Le Barbier_, and _Le Mariage de Figaro_—although from a literary point-of-view it is very far from rivaling the two earlier productions, “the subject,” says Loménie, “taken in itself, is at the same time, very dramatic and of an incontestable morality.”

Among the numerous letters, written or received by Beaumarchais in regard to this drama, is one addressed by him to the widow of the last of the Stuarts, the Countess of Albany, who happening to be in Paris in 1791 had begged Beaumarchais to give a reading of _La Mère Coupable_, in her salon. He replied:

“Paris, 5th February, 1791.

“Madame la Comtesse:

“Since you insist absolutely upon hearing my very severe work, I cannot refuse you. But observe that when I wish to laugh, it is _aux éclats_; if I must weep, it is _aux sanglots_. I know nothing between but _l’ennui_. Admit then, anyone you wish Tuesday, only keep away those whose hearts are hard, whose souls are dried, and who feel pity for the sorrows that we find so delicious.... Have a few tender women, some men for whom the heart is not a chimera, and who are not ashamed to weep. I promise you that painful pleasure, and am with respect, Madame la Comtesse, etc.,

“Beaumarchais.”

But from his own interests let us turn with him again to those of national importance.

“As ardent an imagination as that of Beaumarchais,” says Loménie, “could not be expected to remain a stranger to the universal enthusiasm which in 1797 was inspired by the youthful conqueror of Italy.”

Through the intervention of the General Desaix, Beaumarchais who had celebrated in prose and verse the movements of the young conqueror across the Alps, was able to address a letter to him directly, to which he received the following concise reply:

“Paris, the 11 _germinal_ An VI, March, 1798.

“General Desaix has handed me, citizen, your amiable letter of the 25 _ventose_. I thank you for it. I shall seize with pleasure, any circumstance which presents itself, to form the acquaintance of the author of _La Mère Coupable_.

“I salute you,

“Bonaparte.”

“Thus,” says Loménie, “for the General Bonaparte, Beaumarchais is above all else, the author of _La Mère Coupable_. Can this be an indication of a literary preference for this drama, or a certain political repugnance for the _Mariage de Figaro_, or simply the result of the fact that _La Mère Coupable_ had recently been placed upon the stage? This is a question that seems difficult to answer.

“I find,” continues Loménie, “among the papers confided to me by the family of Beaumarchais, another letter of Bonaparte, at that time first Consul, addressed to Mme. de Beaumarchais after the death of her husband, which is a reply to a petition. It reads:

“Paris, _vendémiaire_ An IX.

“Madame:

“I have received your letter. I will bring into this matter all the interest which the memory of a justly celebrated man merits, and that yourself inspires.

“Bonaparte.”

In one of the _mauvais vers_ (from a literary viewpoint) with which Beaumarchais in his old age commented upon the career of the great general, is one which, says Loménie, “honors his sensibility.” It was written in 1797, and runs thus:

“Young Bonaparte, from victory to victory, Thou givest us peace, and our hearts are moved; But dost thou wish to conquer every form of glory? Then think of our prisoners of l’Olmutz.”

The allusion in the verse was to Lafayette and his fellow-prisoners, who for five years had been detained, first in a prison in Prussia, and later in the Austrian fortress of Olmutz. In 1792, Lafayette had been declared a traitor by the National Assembly after the fateful tenth of August, and been forced to cross the frontier and give himself up to the Austrians, who were then fighting against France. He was held as a prisoner of State. His wife and family, having been unable to secure his release, were permitted to share his captivity with him. Napoleon, who never had entertained a very high opinion of the military capacity of Lafayette, nevertheless stipulated for his release and for that of his fellow-prisoners in the treaty of Campo Formio, which was signed during the year 1797.

But to return to the private life of Beaumarchais. Gudin, after visiting his friend, had not consented to remain under his roof, feeling that now he would be a burden and so had returned to his country retreat to await events. It was there that he learned of the joy that was about to crown the old age of his friend. He wrote to Beaumarchais:

“I remember the songs you made for Eugénie, when you cradled her on your knees, and it seems to me that I can hear you sing others for her child. Kiss her for me, my dear friend, compliment her for me, and all of you rejoice over your domestic happiness; it is the sweetest of all, the most real perhaps.”

For Beaumarchais, this was indeed the crowning blessing of this life. On January 5th, 1798, Madame Delarue gave birth to a daughter, Palmyr, as they called her. This event caused her grandfather to give way to “transports of joy,” though at first his only thought was “for his beloved Eugénie.”

With the reëstablishment of Beaumarchais’s fortune, Gudin, who had in the meantime settled his own affairs, returned to live with his friend.

“I came again,” he says, “to my native city, delighted to see my friend, and to find his family augmented. We tasted the sweetness of friendship the most intimate. I saw him abandon himself in our conversations to the most vivid hope for the prosperity of the state and of our arms.

“Beaumarchais, at this time, was full of force and of health. Never were his days devoured by so many plans, projects, labors and enterprises.... His age allowed us to hope that we might retain him a long while.

“We had spent the day together in the midst of his family, with one of his oldest friends. He had been very gay and had recalled in the conversation several events of his youth, which he recounted with a charming complacency.... I did not leave him until ten o’clock; he retired at eleven, after embracing his wife. She was slightly indisposed; he recommended her to take some precautions for her health,—his own seemed perfect. He went to bed as usual, and wakened early. He went to sleep again and wakened no more. He was found next morning in the same attitude in which he placed himself on going to bed.”

An attack of _apoplexie foudroyante_ had carried him off at the age of sixty-seven years and three months. This was on the 18th of May, 1799.

The suddenness of the death of Beaumarchais caused, as may be imagined, the most profound sorrow to his family and friends.

Madame de Beaumarchais wrote a few days after his death:

“Our loss is irreparable. The companion of twenty-five years of my life has disappeared, leaving me only useless regrets, a frightful solicitude and memories that nothing can efface.... He forgave easily, he willingly forgot injuries.... He was a good father, zealous friend, defender of the absent who were attacked before him. Superior to petty jealousies, so common among men of letters, he counselled, encouraged all, and aided them with his purse and his advice.

“To the philosophic eye, his end should be regarded as a favor. He left this life, or rather, it left him, without struggle, without pain, or any of those rendings inevitable in the frightful separation from all those dear to him. He went out of life as unconsciously as he entered it.”

“The inventory,” says Gudin in his narrative, “which is made at a man’s death, often reveals the secrets of his life. That of Beaumarchais showed us that to succor families in distress, artists, men of letters, men of quality, he had advanced more than 900,000 francs without hope that these sums ever should be repaid. If one adds to these, sums that he had lavished without leaving the least trace, one would be convinced that he had expended more than 2,000,000 in benevolences.”

The mortal remains of Beaumarchais were laid to rest in a sombre avenue of his garden which he himself had prepared. “In planting his garden,” says Gudin, “he had consecrated a spot for his eternal rest.... It was there that we placed him. It was there that his son-in-law, his relatives, his friends, a few men of letters, paid him their last respects, and that Colin d’Harleville read a discourse which I had composed in the overflowing of my sorrow, but which I was not in a condition to pronounce.”

“A beautiful copy of the Fighting Gladiator,” says Lintilhac, “decorated the entrance to the ostentatious mansion where camped _la vieillesse militante_ of Beaumarchais. The posture of the combat, like the face of the gladiator, betrayed a manly agony. What expressive symbol of his life and work!”

In pausing now to cast a backward glance over the achievements of this one man, we scarcely can fail to admit with Lintilhac that Beaumarchais was not boasting when he wrote toward the end of his life: “I am the only Frenchman, perhaps, who never has demanded anything of anyone, and nevertheless, among my great labors, I count with pride, to have contributed more than any other European towards rendering America free.”

That he ever looked upon his work in the cause of American Independence, as his strongest claim to immortality among men, can be judged from his constant return to the subject and especially from what he says in his memoir of self-justification delivered before the Commune of Paris in September, 1789. (Given in Chapter XI.) It may be said that the very persistence of his reclamations in this regard was responsible for the indifference with which they were universally received. A man so rich, so happy, so prosperous, so gay, so universally successful in all his undertakings, could not expect to be taken seriously when he loudly decried the universal ingratitude of mankind, even though his accusations might be just. What Beaumarchais essentially lacked, as La Harpe has pointed out, was above everything else, _measure_ and _good taste_. He was too ostentatious, too expansive, talked too much of himself, pushed himself forward with too much noise, was too brilliant, too daring, too successful; and yet, as M. de Loménie has said in the remarkable résumé of the character of Beaumarchais given at the end of his work: “It does not seem to us possible to contest the fact that Beaumarchais is one of those men who gains the most by being seen at close range and that he is worth infinitely more than his reputation.” And the same author continues:

“Beaumarchais had implacable enemies; but one very important point is to be noted, namely that all those who attacked him with fury either knew him very little, or did not know him at all; while those who lived intimately with him loved him passionately. All the literary men who knew him in life, and who spoke of him after his death, have spoken with affection and esteem. Two minds as different as those of La Harpe and Arnault meet, in regard to him, with the same expressions of sympathy, and I have not found a trace in all the papers left after his death of a single man who, after knowing him intimately, became his enemy. On the contrary, I constantly have found testimonials of attachment that are far from common. I have found that friendships, begun in his youth, when he was a simple watchmaker, or _contrôleur_ of the house of the king, follow him for thirty or forty years without ever changing or weakening, but on the contrary, redouble in intensity and manifest themselves in the greatest tenderness, and in the most disinterested ways....

“The goodness of the author of the _Mariage de Figaro_, extended not only to those about him. Gudin affirms that M. Goëzman fallen into misery was succored by him; that Baculard was on his register for 3,600 frs. which were never returned.

“A charming trait of his character often has been remarked, in relation to the inscription engraved upon the collar of his little dog, which was as follows:—‘I am Mlle. Follette; Beaumarchais belongs to me. We live on the Boulevard.’

“We can therefore say with La Harpe and Arnault who knew him, that although the author of the _Mariage de Figaro_, was followed all his life by black calumnies, he resembled in nothing the portrait which his enemies have left us of him. It is true that his good qualities are often somewhat veiled by _légèreté d’esprit_ and _défaut de tenue_. His friend d’Atilly painted him to nature, when he said, ‘_he has the heart of an honest man_, but he often has _the tone of a bohemian_.’ The frivolity of the century in which he lived had too much colored his ideas ... and indeed equitably to judge the character of the man in its entirety, one must not forget either the situation in which he found himself, or the century in which he lived.”

Louis de Loménie wrote in 1854, more than half a century after the death of Beaumarchais. Since the appearance of his work, many others have taken up the pen to discuss the pros and cons of this many-sided character. The last of these, M. Eugène Lintilhac, calls attention to the crowd of obliges from the scepter to the shepherd’s crook. “What man in need,” he says, “great lord or modest author, ever came and knocked at his door, without carrying away consolation in words and species? To how many oppressed, mulattos, slaves, Jews, protestants has he not held the hand?”

Sainte-Beuve says somewhere, that the Society of Dramatic Authors should never assemble without saluting the bust of Beaumarchais. It can do so henceforward because they have placed in the hall where their meetings are held, a marble bust of its founder.

On the one hundredth anniversary of the first production of the _Mariage de Figaro_, on April 27, 1884, the play was performed again at the Théâtre Français. At the close of the performance the bust of Beaumarchais was brought forward, and crowned while Coquelin recited verses to his praise written for the occasion by M. Paul Delair.

Thus to have survived a veritable death from oblivion, and to have come after a century of neglect into a resurrection of honor and fame, is sufficient proof of the real greatness of the literary genius of Beaumarchais to convince all unbelievers. This has been the act of reparation accorded him by France. The debt of gratitude owed him by America is still unpaid. It remains to be seen whether the same resurrection of honor awaits him among us.

This book is a first attempt to state fully the facts of the life of Beaumarchais for the American people, so that they may know the man who was their friend, even before they came into existence as a nation, and it is put out in the hope that they may share the sentiment renewed in M. Eugène Lintilhac and so forcibly expressed by Gudin—“I soon found that I could not love him moderately when I came to know him in his home.”

And so with this expression of a friend’s esteem, let us leave Beaumarchais in company with his faithful Gudin, Gudin, “whose great work,” says Lintilhac, “_the History of France_, still sleeps in the _Bibliotèque Nationale_, ... but whose author has found a surer path to glory in taking the first place in the cortège of his illustrious friend,—Beaumarchais.”

Although America has been slow to recognize the claims of Beaumarchais to her gratitude, yet Time, the great leveler, is restoring all things to their place; and to-day, if our “friend” is cognizant of what history is doing, he realizes that this same United States, which his services did so much to found, is repaying this debt with interest so far as money goes, but still more with warm affection and heartiest friendship cemented by the life blood of both nations—and to-day he repeats what he wrote in December, 1779—

“As for me, whose interests lose themselves before such grand interests; I, private individual, but good Frenchman, and sincere friend of the brave people who have just conquered their liberty; if one is astonished that my feeble voice should have mingled with the mouths of thunder which plead this great cause, I will reply that one is always strong enough when one has right on his side....

“I have had great losses. They have rendered my labors less fruitful than I hoped for my independent friends, but as it is less by my success than by my efforts that I should be judged, I still dare to pretend to the noble reward which I promised myself; the esteem of three great nations; France, America, and even England.

“Caron de Beaumarchais.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

_Beaumarchais et son Temps par Louis de Loménie_, Paris, 1850. Translated by H. S. Edwards. N. Y. 1857

_Histoire de Beaumarchais, Gudin de la Brenellerie._ Edited by Maurice Tourneux, 1888

_Œuvres Complètes, précédées d’une notice sur sa vie et ses ouvrages par Saint Marc Gerardin_, 1828, 6 tomes

_Nouvelle Edition Augmentée de quatre pièces de Théâtre et des documents divers inédits avec une introduction par M. E. Fournier, ornée de vingt portraits, etc._ 1876

H. Doniol—_Histoire de la Participation de la France dans l’établissement des Etats-Unis_, 5 tomes. Paris, 1886-1892

E. Lintilhac—_Beaumarchais et ses œuvres; précis de sa vie et histoire de son esprit, etc._ Paris, 1887

_Beaumarchais the Merchant._ Hon. John Bigelow in _Hours at Home_, June 1870

_Marie Thérèse Amélie Caron de Beaumarchais d’après sa correspondence inédite par Bonneville de Marsangy_, 1890

_Bibliographic des œuvres de Beaumarchais._ H. Cordier, 1883

_Beaumarchais: eine Biographie._ A. Bettleheim, 1886

_Mémoires sur le Chevalier d’Eon, suivis de douze lettres inédites de Beaumarchais._ F. Gaillardet, 1866

_New Material for the History of the American Revolution._ J. Durand, 1889

_Diplomatic Correspondence._ Francis Wharton

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_Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin._ James Parton, 1864

_Deane Papers_, (6 vols.). 1887

_A Vindication of Arthur Lee, designed as a refutation of the charges found in the writings of Benjamin Franklin, as exhibited by Jared Sparks_, etc. 1894

_Beaumarchais: étude par P. Bonnefon_, 1887

_Beaumarchais and Sonnenfels._ A. von Arnett

_Mémoires de Beaumarchais. Nouveile édition, précédée d’une appréciation tirée des Causeries du Lundi par M. Sainte-Beuve_, 1878

_Cours de Littérature ancienne et moderne par La Harpe_, 1799-1803

_A History of England, in the 18th Century._ By W. E. H. Lecky (4 Vols.) 1887

_Correspondence and Public Papers of John Jay_, 1890-93

_Judgement—qu’approuve le nouvel échappement de montres du Sieur Caron_, 1754

_Claims of the Heirs of Beaumarchais Against the United States._ House Documents

_Report of the Committee of Claims on the Petition of the Heirs of Beaumarchais._ 1812-1817

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INDEX

Aix, Beaumarchais doubles fine imposed on him at, ii. 174 lawsuit in progress at, ii. 173 recommendations for, ii. 65

Alfort, professional school at, i. 45

Alliance, open, between America and France, ii. 153

Ambassador, English, complains to Vergennes, ii. 120 first French, sent to America, ii. 190, 193

America, Cause of, aided by Beaumarchais’s financial training under Du Verney, ii. 78 love of, by French, ii. 35 wild sweet charm of, for Frenchmen, ii. 35

Americans, addressed by Beaumarchais from Hamburg, ii. 263 distrusted motives of French, ii. 34 eulogized by Beaumarchais, ii. 43 looked on French as natural enemies, ii. 34

America’s, “friend,” final word of, ii. 288, 289

Ammunition, from France, i. 31

Amphitrite, again sets sail, ii. 131 cargo of, taken by Beaumarchais, ii. 172 errors found in bills of lading of, ii. 155 indiscretion of officers, ii. 136 put in command of Captain, ii. 120 returns to port, ii. 119 sets sail, ii. 116 the vessel of Beaumarchais, ii. 107

Angellucci, Guillaume, author of libel, gives written agreement, i. 258

Archbishop of Lyon, adopts idea of Beaumarchais, ii. 227

Archives, Secret, edited by H. Doniol, i. 36

Armament, goes out to America, ii. 192

Arnault, M., Memoirs of, ii. 230, 241

Arnold, Benedict, i. 32 gave costly dinners, ii. 194 put in command at Phila, ii. 194 Tory principles fixed, ii. 194

Artois, Comte d’, comes to Grennevillier, ii. 216 takes part of Figaro, i. 284

August 10th, mob enters house of Beaumarchais, ii. 255

Austria, Empress of, sends diamond ring to Beaumarchais, i. 266 Beaumarchais demands audience with, i. 262

_Barbier de Séville, Le_, author of, demands settlement, i. 282 brilliant preface to, i. 275 first performance a failure, i. 273 first prohibition to produce, i. 272 last play staged at Le Petit-Trianon, i. 285 permission granted to perform, i. 273 second performance of, great success, i. 274 story of, i. 276

Baron von Steuben, at Valley Forge, i. 32 invoked by Beaumarchais, ii. 247

Barry, Mme. du, i. 249 libel against, destroyed, i. 253 sustains Maupeou, i. 175

Bastille, ii. 214 opposite house of Beaumarchais, ii. 241

Beaumarchais, Caron de, i. 35 activity of, i. 287 addresses daring memoir to King, ii. 46ff. addresses President of Congress, ii. 203 again faces bankruptcy, ii. 239 anxiety for health of father, i. 99 appeals to La Borde, i. 243 appeals to ministers, ii. 258 arrives in Paris, ii. 77 arrives in Vienna, i. 262 attempts to buy guns, ii. 254 avenges his sister, i. 88ff. begs M. de Sartine to intercede, begs to read his play to Mesdames, i. 151 buried in garden, ii. 284 bust of, crowned, ii. 287 buys titles of nobility, i. 71 carried in triumph, ii. 101 charity of, arouses enmity, ii. 228 claims of the heirs of, i. 40 commissioned to settle affairs of D’Eon, ii. 18 compared to Grandison, i. 143 compared with Figaro, i. 270 composes popular song, i. 267 composes song on return from Vienna, i. 268 confers with ministers on problems of finance, ii. 111 confined in l’Abbaye, ii. 257 consulted by ministers, i. 254 dares accuse King of false sensibility, ii. 49 death of, ii. 283 déblâmé, ii. 100 defends ancestors, i. 237 defends himself, i. 221 demands account from actors, i. 282 demands aid for America, ii. 58 demands a new censor of his M. de F., ii. 218 demands return of thirty-five louis, i. 75 demands settlement, i. 293 destroys libel against Mme. du Barry, i. 253 destroys libel directed against Queen, i. 256 determines to visit Empress of Austria, i. 260 difficulties of his position, i. 66 directs ministers in regard to recall of Deane, ii. 187f. disavows du Coudray, ii. 120 discloses plans of secret aid to Lee, ii. 57 distaste for gambling, i. 74 dog, little, of, ii. 286 duel forced upon him, i. 63 enters Secret Service, i. 249 excuses violence of D’Eon, ii. 26 faces bankruptcy, ii. 137 faces ruin, ii. 151ff. fantastic letter of, to Congress, ii. 92ff. freed by Manuel, ii. 257 gains lawsuit at Aix, ii. 174 gay life at Madrid, i. 100ff. generosity of, i. 81, ii. 284 gives Comedians lesson in accounts, i. 295 goes to Spain, i. 84 home life of, recounted by Gudin, i. 72 honorable position at court, i. 105 honored by invitation to Petit-Trianon theatricals, i. 283, ii. 232 humbles himself, i. 199 impatient at delays, ii. 112 imprisoned at St. Lazare, ii. 229 indiscretion of, ii. 115 induces Steuben to go to America, ii. 140, 141 infatuated with Lee, ii. 57 inflamed for cause of liberty, ii. 22 initiated into finance, i. 71 invites authors to dinner, i. 299 jealousies aroused against, i. 304ff. judged by parliament Maupeou, ii. 100 lawsuit with Comte de le Blache, i. 167 learns he is set aside in aiding America, ii. 149 letter to de Francy, ii. 159ff. letter to Dubourg, ii. 86 life of, by E. Lintilhac, i. 126 loudly reclaims the fifteen louis, i. 208 made gifts of first two dramas, i. 292 meets Gudin, i. 170 meets her who becomes his third wife, i. 245 meets Madame Lévêque, i. 156 meets Pauline, i. 108 memoirs of, criticised by Lintilhac, i. 215ff. memoirs to King regarding America, ii. 38 merchant, the, i. 36 more attractive than other men, i. 179 music master to Mesdames, i. 59 nephew of, recommended to care of Congress, ii. 110 objection to card playing, i. 100 pays tuition of pupil, ii. 248 plans to go himself to Santo Domingo, i. 115 plays _comédie_ on stage of life, i. 260 plea of self justification, ii. 243ff. pleads for Lafayette imprisoned, ii. 281 preparations for voyage to Spain, i. 85ff. prepares to leave London, ii. 73 private character, i. 172 private life, ii. 240ff. proudly reclaims rights, i. 200 reads _Le Barbier_ to friends, i. 189 receives written order from King, i. 257 recommends Deane be escorted by fleet, ii. 188 replies to Mlle. Ninon, ii. 181 replies to Lord Rochford, ii. 63, 64 reposes full confidence in Deane, ii. 89 restored to his rights as Citizen, ii. 100 retires to Flanders, i. 243 returns from exile, ii. 273 returns from Spain, i. 103 saved by Mesdames, i. 64 saved by Vergennes, ii. 152 second wife dies, i. 162 secret missions of, i. 249 seeks safety from mob, ii. 254 sends in his _règlement de comptes_ with Pauline, i. 137 sends “ostensible” letter to Vergennes, ii. 41 sends uncle to Santo Domingo, i. 109 sent to For-l’Evêque, i. 191 serious side of education of, i. 144 serves himself through the Ministers, ii. 98, 99 starts for London, i. 252, ii. 44 still pleads for aid to be sent to America, ii. 67 still used by Ministers, ii. 143ff. stops at Nuremberg, i. 260 tact of, with royal pupils, i. 60 takes Gudin from Temple, ii. 178 thrown into prison, i. 264 touched by child’s letter, answers, i. 202 unites family, i. 83 unable to obtain explanation, ii. 202 uncle dies at Santo Domingo, i. 114 uses attitude of English Lord to gain end, i. 257 victimized by widow of father, i. 247 warns ministers of English spies, ii. 132 writes angry letter to Janot de Miron, i. 117, 118 writes de Francy, ii. 157 writes for the _Morning Chronicle_, ii. 73 writes to Vergennes regarding America, ii. 31

Beaumarchais, Julie de, accuses brother of levity, i. 121 after the terror, ii. 265ff. as authoress, i. 79 attacked by Goëzman, i. 236 describes family love making, i. 115 literary aptitudes of, i. 236 maliciousness of, i. 131 writes tenderly to brother, i. 128

Beaumarchais, Madame de, i. 36, ii. 240 beauty of, ii. 247 imprisoned at Port-Royal, ii. 262 protests decree of Revolutionary Tribunal, ii. 258

Bertrand, le grand, i. 236 attacks Beaumarchais, i. 227

Bigelow, Hon. John, i. 36 comments on letter of de Francy, ii. 168 defends memory of Beaumarchais, ii. 138

Blache, Comte de la, i. 165 appeals to the parliament Maupeou, i. 177 brought Beaumarchais before tribunal at Aix, ii. 173 contests settlement, i. 167 lawsuit of, ii. 101

Boisgarnier, Jeanne Marguerite de, i. 79 courted by Janot de Miron, i. 116 death of, i. 235 marries J. de M., i. 124 plays charades of her brother, i. 142

Bon Secours, Mlle. Eugénie attends convent of, ii. 248

Bonvouloir, instructions to, i. 30, ii. 37

Brenellerie, Gudin de la, _Historie de Beaumarchais_, i. 36

Breteuil, M. de, memoirs to, ii. 218

Buchot, gives out receipt of Beaumarchais for 1,000,000 livres, ii. 204

Burgoyne, entrapped at Saratoga, i. 32 news of surrender of, reaches England, ii. 147 surrender of, ii. 145

Caillard, invents calumnies against Beaumarchais, i. 167 supports the parliament Maupeou, i. 176

Calumny, as described by Basil, i. 278

Campo Formio, treaty of, ii. 282

Canada, “_le point jaloux_,” ii. 37

Cape Henry, Battle of, i. 33

Carmichaël, Wm., ii. 161 returns to America, ii. 196 writes to Beaumarchais, ii. 196

Caron, André-Charles, i. 45

Caron, le père, courts Madame Henry, i. 122, 123 death of, i. 247 devotion to son, i. 82 letter of, i. 46ff. marries second time, i. 124 marries third time, i. 246 meets the Princesses, i. 61 retires from business, i. 78

Caron, Marie Louise, settles in Spain, i. 80

Caron, Pierre-August, assumes name of Beaumarchais, i. 59 becomes inmate of palace of Versailles, i. 58 born, i. 43 _contrôleur clerc d’office_, i. 57 devotes himself to study, i. 57 escapades of i. 45 _horloger du roi_, i. 53 invention crowned by Academy, i. 52 marries widow, i. 58 “_Maudite musique_” denounced by father, i. 48 petitions Royal Academy of Sciences, i. 51 wife of, dies, i. 58 writes _Le Mercure_, i. 49

Chamfort, accepts invitation of Beaumarchais, i. 303

Charles I. of England, judicial murder of, i. 161

Chartres, duc de, honors Beaumarchais, i. 242

Chaulnes, duc de, determines to kill Beaumarchais, i. 183 goes to Louvre to find Beaumarchais, i. 185 sent to Vincennes prison, i. 190 strange character of, i. 179

Chevalier du S., i. 115, 129 carries off Pauline, i. 136

Chenu, the commissioner, arrests the duc de Chaulnes, i. 188 carries out order of King, ii. 230

Chevalier D’Eon, abuses Beaumarchais, ii. 26 agent of Louis XV., ii. 14 declares himself a woman, ii. 19 disguised as woman in St. Petersburg, ii. 15 exiled to London, ii. 14 reasons for change of sex of, ii. 19

Chinon, The forest of, i. 159

Clavico, Joseph, i. 217 adventures with, i. 91ff. immolated by Goethe, i. 96 signs declaration, i. 93 successes of i. 96

Clôture, compliment de, i. 279ff.

Colin d’Harleville, reads discourse over grave of Beaumarchais, ii. 284

Collé, replies to Beaumarchais, i. 301, 302

Colonists, forbidden to extend settlements, i. 27 had no sympathy with the French, i. 29 turn to France, i. 29

Comédie des Italiens, refuses the _Barbier_, i. 173

Comédie française, refused to permit singing, i. 279

Comedy, morality of, i. 146 the serious, i. 145

_Compte rendu_, of Beaumarchais, i. 292

Condé, Prince of, dispute with Beaumarchais, i. 107

Congress, Continental, devoid of power, i. 28 debt of, to Beaumarchais fixed by Deane, ii. 199 disavows all commissions of Deane, ii. 135 draws up contract with agent of Beaumarchais, ii. 163ff. holds aloft famous receipt, ii. 205 ignores letter of Deane, ii. 193 parties of, reversed, ii. 236 petitioned again and again by French Government, ii. 205 sent Barclay to revise account of Beaumarchais, ii. 200 strange silence of, ii. 202 urged to admit claim, ii. 208

Constant, _le petit_, writes to Beaumarchais in prison, i. 201

Conti, Prince de, honors Beaumarchais, i. 242

Cordilières, convent of, i. 192

Cornwallis, defeat of, i. 33

Cotignac, amusing story of, i. 65

Coudray, Tronson du, at Metz, ii. 106 fascinates Deane and Beaumarchais, ii. 107 gives pretext of bad weather, ii. 119 good officer, ii. 121 issues pamphlet against Deane and Beaumarchais, ii. 122 openly thwarts plans of Deane and Beaumarchais, ii. 115 placed in command of Amphitrite, ii. 115 unworthy of confidence, ii. 107

Counter order revoked, ii. 119

Dauphin, i. 60

Deane, Silas, i. 37 accompanied by first French Ambassador to America, ii. 190 addresses Beaumarchais, ii. 191 addresses letter to Congress, ii. 193 associated with Arnold, ii. 194 changes date of contract with Lafayette, ii. 134 commended by King, ii. 190 commended by Vergennes, ii. 190 communicates fears to Beaumarchais, ii. 187 compact between Beaumarchais and, ii. 90, 91 defended by Franklin, ii. 186 defended by John Jay, ii. 186 difficult situation of, ii. 171 embarrassing position of, ii. 118 given portrait of King, ii. 189 guest of French Admiral, ii. 193 insists on meeting French Minister, ii. 84 a loyal patriot, ii. 195 manly firmness of, ii. 132 meets Beaumarchais, ii. 87 meets Lafayette with Von Kalb, ii. 134 no traitor, ii. 195 papers of, ii. 187 receives news of his recall, ii. 187 reluctantly signs recommendation of Du Coudray, ii. 121 returns to France, ii. 199 sent by Franklin to Dubourg, ii. 83 sent to Paris, i. 31 signs contract with Lafayette and Von Kalb, ii. 134 starts for France, ii. 69 writes to Congress, ii. 92

Delarue, Louis-André-Toussaint, meets family of Beaumarchais, ii, 274

Delarue, Mme. gives birth to daughter, ii. 282

Des Epinières, Beaumarchais demands he return to post, ii. 131 commended by Gen. Sullivan, ii. 197 nephew of Beaumarchais, i. 80 nephew of Beaumarchais goes to America with Steuben, ii. 142 writes to uncle, ii, 142

Diderot, founder of new literary School, i. 148 replies to Beaumarchais, i. 302, 303

Doligny, Mlle., created rôle of Rosine, i. 279 letter of, i. 290

Doniol, II. monumental work of, ii. 32

Dorat, M., i. 299

Dramatic authors, rights of, i. 288 rights of, recognized by Napoleon, i. 307

Dubourg, Barbeu, discredits Beaumarchais with Franklin, ii. 85 friend of Franklin, ii. 83 greets Franklin, ii. 117 officious zeal of, ii. 105 tries to discredit Beaumarchais with Vergennes, ii. 84

Duras, M. le Maréchal de, confers with Beaumarchais, i. 298

Du Verney, Paris, dies, i. 163 tutelage of Beaumarchais under, of use in cause of America, ii. 78

England, difficulties of recruiting in, ii. 38 parties in, ii. 33

Estaing, Admiral D’, commandeers _Le Fier Roderigue_, ii. 234 writes to Beaumarchais, ii. 235

_Eugénie_, _La vertue malheureuse_, i. 149ff. success in England, i. 149

Eugénie, Mlle., daughter of Beaumarchais, i. 246 marries M. Delarue, ii. 275 returns home, ii. 249 sent to convent school, ii. 248 suitors of, ii. 250 writes to her father, ii. 262

Ferrers, Lord, friend of Chev. D’Eon, ii. 25

Figaro, creation of, i. 147, 269 creation of, ranks Beaumarchais with Molière, ii. 223 first conception of, i. 271

Flanders, Beaumarchais retires to, i. 243

Follette, Mlle., little dog of B., ii. 286

For-l’Evêque, Beaumarchais sent to, i. 191

France, aid to America openly avowed, i. 33 attitude of, towards America, ii. 35 betrayed, i. 29 disclaims Canada, ii. 37 important rôle played by, i. 33 no intention of claiming part of New World, i. 30 still demurs, ii. 45

Francis, Cape, base of mercantile operations with America, ii. 80

Francy, Theveneau de, gives impressions, ii. 167ff. letter to, ii, 132 reports on conditions in America, ii. 156 sets out for America, ii. 154 writes Beaumarchais of Deane’s recall, ii. 156

Franklin, Benjamin, arrives in France, i. 116 at Versailles, i. 32 defends Deane in letter to Congress, ii. 186 idol of Paris, ii. 119 intentionally arouses suspicions of French Government, ii. 133 overlooks a million, ii. 201 won over by du Coudray, ii. 121 steadily refuses to treat with Beaumarchais, ii. 142 writes Dubourg, ii. 117

French, generosity of, ii. 35 loved America, ii. 35 motives of, distrusted by Americans, ii. 34

Fronsac, duc de, wishes to hear _Le Mariage de Figaro_, ii. 216

Gaillardet, life of Chev. D’Eon, ii. 16

Garrick, adapts _Eugénie_ to English audience, i. 149

Gates, Horatio, i. 32 Congress in favor of, to replace Washington, ii. 193

George III., appealed to by Louis XV., i. 251

Gérard, de Rayneval, accompanies Deane, ii. 190 First French Ambassador to America, ii. 195

Goethe, reads memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 231 writes drama _Clavico_, i. 231

Goëzman, Counsellor, accuses Beaumarchais of attempt at corruption, i. 209 aided by Beaumarchais, ii. 286 attacks Julie, i. 236 presided over the parliament Maupeou, i. 177

Goëzman, Madame, confrontation of, with Beaumarchais, i. 223ff. demands two hundred louis, i. 204 demands fifteen louis for the secretary, i. 206 memoir of, i. 222 refuses to return the fifteen louis, i. 207

Government, English, redoubles watchfulness, ii. 117 of France, embarrassed by presence of Franklin, ii. 116 of France, slow to move, ii. 36

Grand, M., Banker in Paris, ii. 146

Grasse, Comte de, off Cape Henry, i. 33

Grennevilliers, festival of, ii. 216

Gudin de la Brenellerie, accused of writing memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 219 alone in house of Beaumarchais, ii. 257 gives account of triumph of Beaumarchais, ii. 174 goes to live with Beaumarchais, ii. 241 meets Beaumarchais, i. 170 returns to join friend, ii. 276 seeks refuge in _le Temple_, ii. 176 seized by the duc de Chaulnes, i. 184

Guerchy, Comte de, quarrel with D’Eon, ii. 14, 23

Guilbert, Marie-Joseph, settles in Spain, i. 80

Hamburg, Beaumarchais at, ii. 260

Hamilton, Alex., revises account of Beaumarchais with Congress, ii. 204

Havre, Beaumarchais goes to, ii. 115 family seeks safety at, ii. 251

Heirs of Beaumarchais, claims of, settled, ii. 211

Héloise, La Nouvelle, ii. 179

Hessians, hired to fight Americans, ii. 38 start for America, ii. 64

Hinterland, i. 27

Holland, engaged by Beaumarchais to unite with Spain and France, ii. 32

Independence, American, Beaumarchais intervenes in cause of, i. 250 declared by Congress, ii. 126 war of America, important rôle of Beaumarchais in, i. 267

_Institut de bienfaisance_, ii. 227

Institute for Nursing Mothers, ii. 228

Jay, John, correspondence of, ii. 111 defends Deane, ii. 186 writes Beaumarchais, ii. 236

Jefferson, sends letter to Beaumarchais, ii. 245

Kaunitz, Chancellor, i. 264 suspicions of, i. 266

La Borde, aids Beaumarchais, i. 243

Lafayette, Marquis de, i. 37 about to sail on Beaumarchais’s vessel, ii. 134 dinner at Metz, ii. 133 forced to borrow from Beaumarchais, ii. 162 pleads for Beaumarchais imprisoned, ii. 229 returns borrowed money with interest, ii. 247 sets sail for America, ii. 134

La Harpe, comments on du Verney, i. 69 defends character of Beaumarchais, i. 219 eulogizes Beaumarchais, i. 213 eulogizes memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 238 final characterization of Beaumarchais, ii. 285 invitation of Beaumarchais accepted by, i. 301 refuses invitation to dine with authors, i. 299

Lamballe, Princess de, invites Beaumarchais, ii. 214

_La Mère Coupable_, first played, ii. 278

Lawsuit, against Comedians, i. 287 of the fifteen louis, a master stroke, i. 214

Lee, Arthur, added to commission in France, ii. 117 comes to Paris, ii. 89 condemned at bar of history, ii. 195 connections with Beaumarchais broken, ii. 88 denounces Deane and Beaumarchais to Congress, ii. 88 distrusted by Vergennes, ii. 185 effects of letter of, to Congress, ii. 108 enraged against Deane and Beaumarchais, ii. 88 in London, ii. 57 jealous of Deane, ii. 185 meets Beaumarchais, ii. 56 not permitted to come to France, ii. 66 poisoned Congress against Deane, ii. 186 revises account of Beaumarchais, ii. 203 summoned to join Deane and Franklin, ii. 117 Vergennes refuses to see, ii. 89 writes to Congress, misrepresenting action of French Government, ii. 68

Lebrun, gives passport to Beaumarchais, ii. 258

_Le Mariage de Figaro_, i. 39

Lepaute, plagiarism of, detected, i. 52 watchmaker to the Luxembourg, i. 51

Lepin, Françoise, sister of Beaumarchais, i. 180

Lenormant d’Etioles, festival given by, i. 268 gives festival, i. 142 second marriage of, i. 201

_Les deux Amis_, i. 157

_Le Temple_, chosen as refuge by Gudin, ii. 177 prison of, ii. 232

_Lettres de Cachet_, Beaumarchais a victim of, i. 190

Libel, against Mme. du Barry destroyed, i. 253 against Queen destroyed, i. 256

Lindet, Robert, makes appeal for Beaumarchais, ii. 270

Lintilhac, Eugène, _Beaumarchais et ses œuvres_, i. 36

Living, high cost of, after the terror, ii. 266ff.

Loménie, Louis de, _Life and Times of Beaumarchais_, i. 36

Louis XV., i. 56, ii. 14 death of, i. 253 dies, i. 242 _le grand projet de_, ii. 18 occult diplomacy of, i. 249 parliament of, destroyed by fifteen louis, i. 231

Louis XVI., ascends throne, i. 254 hesitates, ii. 32 inflicts outrage without motive on Beaumarchais, ii. 230 refuses to commit himself regarding aid to America, ii. 53 replies in own hand writing to questions of Beaumarchais, ii. 52f. seeks to undo wrong done Beaumarchais, ii. 231 won over to American cause, ii. 70

_Mariage de Figaro, Le_, i. 39 Beaumarchais composes, ii. 212 Monologue of, ii. 223 permission given to play, ii. 215 permission revoked, ii. 215 proceeds go to charity, ii. 226 returns from, ii. 226 story of, ii. 221

Marie-Antoinette, attacked in libel, i. 256 in the Temple, ii. 232 protectress of Beaumarchais, i. 267 takes the part of Rosine, i. 283

Marie-Thérèse, Empress of Austria, receives Beaumarchais, i. 263

Marmontel, i. 173

Maupeou, Chancellor, dissolves parliaments, i. 174 the parliament, i. 174 the parliament, abolished, i. 254 the parliament, Beaumarchais called before, i. 177 the parliament, judges Beaumarchais, i. 240 the parliament, sentence of, annulled, ii. 100 the parliament, supported by Voltaire, i. 219

Maurepas, le Comte de, Beaumarchais works for, ii. 113 Beaumarchais addresses memoir to, ii. 127ff. promises letters-patent, ii. 96 uses Beaumarchais as political agent, ii. 111

Meinières, Madame de, enchanted by memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 232f. compares Beaumarchais to Demosthenes, Cicero, etc., i. 233

Memoir, Beaumarchais addresses new, to King, ii. 42ff.

Memoirs of Beaumarchais praised by Mme. de Meinières, i. 232f. read by Goethe, i. 230 read by Voltaire, i. 219 read in Philadelphia, i. 231

_Mémoire justicative de Beaumarchais_, ii. 237f.

Ménard, Mlle, de, _femme d’esprit_, i. 173 painted by Greuze, i. 179 takes refuge in convent, i. 191

Mercantile project outlined to King by Beaumarchais, ii. 78ff.

Mesdames, i. 59ff., 84, 151

Metz, famous dinner at, i. 35

Meudon, i. 63

Miron, Janot de, aids in writing memoirs, i. 236 marries Mlle. Boisgarnier, i. 120 writes Beaumarchais, i. 116

Morande, Theveneau de, French libelist, i. 251

Morris, Robert, i. 39

Napoleon, characterizes house of Beaumarchais, ii. 241 recognizes rights of dramatic authors, i. 307 writes Beaumarchais, ii. 280

New York, fall of, effect in Paris, ii. 113

Nivernais, duc de, suggests change in _Eugénie_, i. 152

Nuremberg, i. 260 Burgomaster of, i. 261

Opposition, The, in England, favors Insurgents, ii. 34

Paris du Verney, early life, i. 69 founds Ecole Militaire, i. 67 notices Beaumarchais, i. 68

Parliaments, reëstablished, i. 242

Passy, deputies at, thwart Beaumarchais, ii. 157 deputies at, uncomfortable position of, ii. 158 Franklin takes up quarters at, ii. 118

Pauline, charming Creole, i. 108 fortune of, i. 109 marries the Chevalier du S., i. 140

People, English, respect of, for law, i. 252 of France, enthusiastically greet Franklin, ii. 116 the, of France, support Beaumarchais, i. 214

Philadelphia, evacuated by British, ii. 193

Philadelphian, reads memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 231

Poland, division of, declared iniquitous by Beaumarchais, ii. 49

Polignac, Mme. la duchesse de, hears _Le Mariage de Figaro_, ii. 216

Pompadour, Madame de, i. 53

Port-Libre, family of Beaumarchais imprisoned at, ii. 262

Receipt, Famous, for “lost million,” ii. 82

Rochambeau, Comte de, at Yorktown, i. 33

Rochford, Lord, aids Beaumarchais to gain ends, i. 257 complains to Beaumarchais, ii. 62 friendship for Beaumarchais, i. 101 intimate with Beaumarchais, ii. 56 King bids Beaumarchais encourage friendship of, ii. 66

Roderigue Hortalès et Cie, assumed name, ii. 79 commercial house of, ii. 77

_Roderigue, Le Fier_, takes part in Battle of Granada, ii, 234 vessel of Beaumarchais, ii. 161

Ronac, assumed name of Beaumarchais, i. 261

“_Ronde_,” of Beaumarchais, ii. 250

Roosevelt, Theodore, erects Statue to Rochambeau, i. 34

Rousseau, J. J., effect of teaching of, shown in letter, ii. 179 reads the memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 219

Russia, Crown Prince of, supporter of _Le Mariage de Figaro_, ii. 215

Saint-Amand, Imbert de, account of _Le Mariage de Figaro_ given by, ii. 224ff. _Le Barbier de Séville_ given at Le Petit-Trianon, i. 285 Recounts reception of Franklin, ii. 118f.

St. Antoine, hotel Boulevard, i. 240

Sainte-Beuve, M. de, eulogizes Beaumarchais, i. 230 invocation of Beaumarchais, i. 229 gives honor to memory of Beaumarchais, i. 289

St. Petersburg, ii. 15 50 representations given in, of _Barbier de Séville_, i. 275

Saratoga, Arnold wounded at, ii. 194 mock hero of, i. 32 victory of, news of, reaches Paris, ii. 145 victory of, turning point of war, i. 31

Sartine, M. de, appealed to by Beaumarchais, i. 255 explains imprisonment, i. 266 friendly to Beaumarchais, i. 197 grants permission to play _Le Barbier_, i. 272 intercedes for Beaumarchais i. 211 Lieutenant General of police, i. 177 secures written order for Beaumarchais from King, i. 257

Sauvigny, M., i. 299

School for Rakes, adapted from _Eugénie_ of Beaumarchais, i. 149

Seals, placed on house of Beaumarchais, ii. 258

Secret aid, impossible to avow, ii. 201

Sedaine, i. 173 correspondence with Beaumarchais, i. 305, 306

Shippen, Miss Margaret, belle of Philadelphia, ii. 194

Spain, i. 80, 84 Beaumarchais’s intimacy at Court of, aids in affairs with America, ii. 78 engaged by Beaumarchais to aid America, ii. 32 preparing to aid America, ii. 109 urged to join France in war on England, ii. 137

Steuben, Baron von, i. 38 called on by Beaumarchais, ii. 247 life of, by Kaft, ii. 139 sees deputies at Passy, ii. 140 takes des Epinières to America as aid, ii. 142 urged to lend services to America, ii. 137, 138 visits Paris, ii. 139

Sully, Beaumarchais recommends prudent measures of, ii. 127, 128

Terror, Reign of, i. 246

Théâtre Français, Comedians of, refuse account, i. 293

Toryism, rampant in Philadelphia, ii. 193

Tourneux, Maurice, Edits life of Beaumarchais by Gudin, i. 36

Trianon, _Le Petit_, i. 283

Tucker, Mr., of Virginia, address of, in favor of Beaumarchais, ii. 209

Valley Forge, Winter at, i. 32

Vallière, duc de la, i. 105, 200

Vaudreuil, M. de, at Grennevilliers, ii. 218 thanks Beaumarchais, ii. 219

Venice, enthusiasm for _Eugénie_, i. 150

Vergennes, Comte de, addresses Beaumarchais like an Ambassador, ii. 65 aids Beaumarchais, ii. 125 approves change of costume of D’Eon, ii. 23 augments credits of Beaumarchais, ii. 85 Chevalier D’Eon demands ransom from, ii. 17 discountenances Dubourg, ii. 84 finally overcomes scruples of King, ii. 54 praises Beaumarchais, ii. 29 replies to Beaumarchais, ii. 124 speaks at last, ii. 69

Versailles, Beaumarchais reappears at, i. 252 court of, i. 32

_Victoire, La_, vessel bought by Lafayette, ii. 134

Voltaire, eulogizes the memoirs of Beaumarchais, i. 215

Vrillière, duc de la, keeps Beaumarchais in prison, i. 197 releases Beaumarchais, i. 212

War declared on England, ii. 233

Washington, George, at Valley Forge, i. 32

Wilkes, Lord Mayor, insolence of, ii. 38 members of opposition, meet at home of, ii. 56

STUDIES IN AMERICAN HISTORY

BEAUMARCHAIS, AND THE WAR OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. Two volumes. Illustrated. _By Elizabeth S. Kite._

THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE PUBLIC LANDS, FROM 1840 TO 1862. FROM PRE-EMPTION TO HOMESTEAD. _By George M. Stephenson._

GEORGIA AS A PROPRIETARY PROVINCE—THE EXECUTION OF A TRUST. _By James Ross McCain._

LINCOLN, THE POLITICIAN. _By T. Aaron Levy._

THE AGRICULTURAL PAPERS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON. _Edited by Walter Edwin Brooke, Ph.B._

RICHARD G. BADGER, PUBLISHER, BOSTON