THE PRINCE DE JOINVILLE IN EXILE.

New Zealander, Volume 4, Issue 252, 28 October 1848, Page 3

THE PRINCE DE JOINVILLE IN EXILE.

The Presse publishes the following pxtrnc's from a diaiy said to be kept by the Piince de Joinville at Clareinont. They have been communiiMted by a naval officer who was fotmerly aide-de-camp of the Prince :— " tlarcmont, 25th March — I s*w yesterday by the news paper the arrival of the Solon at Havre. Anotliei stioog affliction {dec/tiremenl) for me to think that I shall never a^ain nut my foot in France ! But let us leave that, and all the sadness with which my heait is filled. " Bth April.— l walk enormously. A grand fee yesterday We took our wives on the lhames, iie<-h east vri'd and fopgy. Arrival of a prodigioue forest of ships. You know how much this spectacle has aheady struck me. I saw innumerable vessels with sciew propellers, and among others a frigate in iron, with battery from end to end. 1 had at one moment the idea ol going to Brest at the time of meeting of the Assembly, and to establish myself there with niy wife nud children. What do you think of thin idea l I think that »t Brett, living as a simple citzen, my pre* sence would give offence to no one. "11th April.-" I tnink more lhan ever of going to Rome, to wait until our lot shall be decided. We should be freer there, and we should live very economically. But pieviously I wish to accomplish my duties to the country to the end. If I cun re-tntei France, under h government stiong enough to peim t me, it u what I desire (he most, if the Assembly be oppressed ami placed under the tenor ol some ritcls (vauriens), and if an effort be attempted to deliver i\ I will be ir. it, however great the risk rui.y be, and I would compromise mjself'und bamfice my life for tlu salvation of the country, if I thought that that would be useful, If nothing of all that mkes place, and if I

cannot return to France, I do not abandon the idea of the ' far west/ which pleases me more and more. ' " 14th April I—The1 — The spring has now arrived, with its verdure, its flowers, and it« sweet aspect. Alas 1 nothing smiles on us this year! Family, country, dreamt of greatness and glory— all are lost. Where shall we go ? Whall shall we become ? I know not ; but it seems imposiible to me that things can last thus. To the meeting of the Assembly there is a truce ; but when the Assembly shall meet, a vigorous effort must be made to cause it to avert from the country the interior danger, and make us profit l>y the fine and great chancts which exterior discord offers us. If the Assembly be not free, it must be delivered— it is not patiiotism to beud the head like lambkins ; by giving way to fear, tht, monarchy was allowed to be overthrown ; in connnuing to give vray to fear, instead of aiding in constituting a good government, the country will be left to go to rum. I know not what measures to take for me and mine. To go to Rome is very far, and very dear. I should prefer Rotterdam. 15th April.— l am anxious to be off. Rome is too far The journey would be fatiguing, and cost too much money. Among the neutral countries, Holland appears to me to be the most suitable. lam inundated with letters, both public and anonymous, inviting me to make a move, to rave a flag, stating that only a leader was wanting. These ate, in fact, no more than drowning men catching at a twig. Ido not think that the Utopists have as yet been made sensible of all the miseries they may engender. If the composition of the Assembly is good, it should be saved fiom brutal tyranny. But that will be done tj the cry of Vtte la Repubhquc ! All that can be done to save the country must be done as quickly as possible, in order that in the events of Europe it may take the predominant part which belongs to it. When we quitted Algiers, we were ignorant of the fate of our family, who might be compromised by any false s ep we might take. Aiago's letter came with an appeal to our patriotic feelings. Havii q faith ia our country, we yielded. We had in our hearts ideas too liberal to allow us to oi>po-e with arms the establishment of a republic. You, who know my heart, know with what joy I would have become a simple citizen, with what jjy I wou'd , have contributed to make France great and powerful, even though all we have been, all we possessed, might ' pass away. Uneasy about our family, and being uu- 1 willing to draw down upon our country all the evils of j ctv.l war, we took our departure, and came here with ' the intent of bidding adieu to our family, aud then of t endeavouring to mane ourselves acceptable to France. If she rejected us, our idea was to go to the United States, seeking there ad asylum for our children, devoting the rest of our lives to providing them, far from poli.ical dit cords, with a tranquil existence and small foi tunes. What has happened since ? Disgust at what has taken place ia France has excited in me a violent irritation. The odious tyranny which at this moment rules over the country awakens in me sentiments of the energetic resistance. I imagine that lam wanting to my country in not offering to her my contingent uf com age iti a Btru<Je in which there appears to be so little of it. Every emigtant I see arriving here, deserting his country from year, causes me a fit ■ of rage. I would give anything to be able to disembarrass myself of my title of Piiuce, with the doubti and suspicions it imisjs against me, in order to be able to return into France and take my part in the strug. gle. All this will give you an idea of the agitated state of ray mind. One day I h ive laith in my coun« try, and submit to relinquish it for ever, if my le^urn ! can be considered as njunous to i ; the next day the ! iui|jotencd aud violence of those who govern it excite my imagination, and then 1 dieam of the finest projects for insuuug the grandeur of my country. At length, however, I dill back m o reflections on the sad reohty, I am seiz d by the des'ue tor tranquillity, and the idta ot the ' tar west' lakes possession of my mind with all its seductions You thus see the state of agitation into which my spiiit is thrown, and you know how that labours when my body is in repose, ivly most earnest desire is, that my country may escape from all iti turmoils, and may, by foice of its wisdom and courage, acquire that calm we so much desirethat it may create tor itself a position for which We shall have no need to hiiish, and th it I may be again restored to dwe.l in France in tranqu llity aud happiness a« » simple citizen. 11 Apr.l 19.— My letter is as confused as my head. ] I am divided lieiwe.n my wish lor repose aud my love for my country, "Apiil 21,— A1l the preceding was written when fresh demonstrations were in >de at Pai is. Once more has the Government been forced to use the bayonet to maintain itself. Troops have been called into the capital. The Provisional Government must have been in a sad condition to be obliged to have recourse to arms lor its support. Its fait would have been haiLd with unanimous acclamations. The decree abolishing 1 the immovability of the J udi/es has destroyed one of th« most precious guarantees we bad gained: Will this odious tyranny be borne ? This alternation of violence and weakness is an indication of the tenor 1 with which this poor Provisional Government; is 1 affected. It is evident to me that we are approaching ' a cri is, but it is impossible to ki ow what will come out of it. All this agitates me. 1 would not that it vshoulJ be siid that I have bstn afraid to act— that 1 bdv? been wanting to my country iv her day of ueed, but I would not be suspected of entertaining a personal ambiti< n, which you -veil know I do not. '• May 5. — 1 stated to y>u that for the pre>ent we i had renounced quitting England. First, to avoid : causing ourselves to be spokt n of, and mxt from m>i tiies ot economy. We remain, tbeiefore, veget.ting : as quietly as possible in the country ; we live an idle life — no interest animates us, I at present re.id a i good iCdl. In my opinion the politic ■! situation is th'n — there has been a tru c ctruck up between the .wo [ parlies until tlie meeting ot the Assembly ; one pariy i wished to gee the rehult of univeisal suffrage ; the i others said to themselves that to overthrow one or several Provision*)! Gove nmeuts would be of no use, • .since in the end the Assembly would have to be faced, i and which they would have to get rid of if it were a " bad one, It was therefore belter to wait, and do ■ everything al one?, In the midst of all the faults of the P-ovi-ional Government, of the hatred and the ridicule wnich tiny excited, the Asbembly has been i elected — il U republican and moderate. 1 think that : it lias been clearly proved that the experiment of 1 universal suffrage is fuvouiable to oider and property. But what will now take place ? This As-tuably, accused ol moderation, will aim at popularity ; but the part of i he population whose n>isy nccUmaiions give die pleasures of p pulariy me not ihe most disci ret. The Assembly will be forced to give pledge to tins rul>ble (tuurbe). who will accuse it ot a leacttouary tpirit, und it is we who will be first offered up as a sacrifice. That bema; done, the quesiioi will ause to know whether tlie Asbemblj wll berve as a d^Le or will allow itnelf to be swept away by the toirent of disorder. If it attempts to arrest «h<* movement, there will he figluinji in Paris. If tlie Government, ih National Guard, the tioops, aie beaten in Pari», if the Assembly is forced to jump out ol the window- , or if they aie forced bv intimidali. n to vote a* tht J others please, we Uull have saturnau of blood j

throughout the whole of France. The belt thing to be done in that caic would be to select some town, such as Amiens, Bourges, or Alengon, and there to call together all the Assembly that was dispersed, to collect there all the troops, and all the Natioual Guards, The members of the Assembly could there vote what they pleased, and then march to Paris. But, alas ! the Government thai would be established would receive a baptism of blood— it is only by the extermination of its enemies that it would be able to exist — Buch an idea striken one with horror ! I am actuated in this moment by two interests, by two passions my country and my family— .these pass.sions are the mainspring of my actions. When I was in France I laboured lor both j now they are separated. Wcie I an unmarried man, I should naturally devote myielf to my country for e?ef. But, at piesent, it I foresee that 1 shall not be able to return to my country unless at an uncertain and distant time, I ask myself if 1 ought not to give up- the idea at once, whatever may be my regret, whatmi tbe chances of the future, in order to prepare for my^children some certain provision ? If I wait indefinitely until my country opens to me its door, I may die and leave my children pour, without country, and invested with that title of prince which is more and more difficult to bear. If, on the contrary, I take a decisive part, I can employ my remaining year* in vigour and energy in forming in the United States an establishment, and making a little fortune for my children. In dying, I shall leave them a country to know and to love, and suitable means of existence. It is only in the ' fa* wvst' that T can throw off the old man. I should there, m fine, be able to satisfy part of my tastes, aad have before me an object to attain, Tovardi which all my thoughts would tend. My projects as to the future will depend on the turn that the Assembly will take ; I hope to be decided befoie long. "May 11. — I have excellent hopes of the Assembly ; its preliminary (sittings are a little disorderly, but that is inevitable in so numerous a meeting. Its spirit appearj to he good. I believe that it really has tha j intention of founding a grand and powerful Republic. God grant that it may be so ! The country yearns after order, aiid that will facilitate the commencement of the new Goveinuvnt. If they had the courage to effoct economy so at to restore order to the nuances, they will get on quickly and well. We, who know our country, are aware how strong will be an authority which speaks in the name of universal suffrage ; it must be allowed that it is the only authority that can save the country. Ttie taults of the past Government did not prevent its lasting seventeen years ; so that it is not so difficult to gcvern France. For us, personally, we always think of returning to France. Once that the Republic is constituted, we cannot be refused the title and quality of French citizens. The weather is delightful ; I take advantage of it to pass my days in tbe open air. S. retched on tbe grass I read an immensity whilst our wives work. They make all their own dresses, bonnets, &c, aud I can assure you that they could e«irn their living. As to me, a company m London has offered me the command of a vessel destined for India, so that you see we can battle against wan. My heal h cont nues to be not very good — there is ulwtiys something wrong-— sometimes one thing bometimts another. Happily my wile and dear litUe ones are well. May we again beuoldour native land I"