Part 17

The _Journal de Paris_ published, on September 8, 1780 and January 8, 1781, letters exchanged between Messrs. Le Sesne, shipowners in Paris, and the Chevalière d’Eon. In their first letter these gentlemen begged to be allowed to give the name of the illustrious Chevalière to one of the two vessels which they were fitting out at Granville as privateers, at England’s expense. This frigate was built to carry forty-four cannon, eighteen and twenty-four pounders, broadside, and fourteen eight-pounders on her quarter-deck and forecastle, eighteen howitzers and twelve swivel guns, with a crew of four hundred and fifty picked men under the command of an experienced and distinguished captain, who would take charge of the whole expedition.

“We feel sure, Mademoiselle,” continued Messrs. Le Sesne and Co., “that once so commendable a name has been submitted to the promoters of this enterprise everyone will endeavour to share the glory attached to it, and to imbue himself with the spirit that animates you for the advantage and prosperity of the State.”

The tone of d’Eon’s reply to this flattering request was proud, dignified and patronising.

I received this morning the letter which you did me the honour of writing to me yesterday, for the purpose of obtaining my permission to give my name to the frigate which you are building at Granville.

I am too sensible of the honour that you pay me, and too deeply impressed by the patriotic sentiments that stimulate your spirit, zeal, and courage for the service of the King, against the enemies of France, not to do on this occasion all you wish, so as to contribute promptly and efficaciously to the beneficial and glorious end which you have in view.

I am aware, too, Gentlemen, of the care you will devote to the selection of a good captain, of experienced officers, and of the brave volunteers they will take with them.

With such wise precautions, economy in your finance, and great intrepidity in action, your enterprise should be crowned with success.

All I regret is that I am unable to accompany the expedition either as combatant or as spectator; but if my personal esteem can increase your zeal, the sparks emitted from my eyes and the fire from my heart should mingle with your cannon at the first call of glory.

Together with this reply, Messrs. Le Sesne published another letter, in which they expressed their great gratitude to the “heroic Chevalière” for the invaluable patronage which she deigned to confer upon them, and declared that they could not find a better way of showing their appreciation than by submitting to Mademoiselle d’Eon the choice of the captain, officers and volunteers of the frigate which was to bear her name.

This letter was followed by another reply from d’Eon, stamped with the humility that befits a hero.

I have to answer the last letter with which you honoured me on December 4.

Had I foreseen the consequences that resulted from the reply which I thought it my duty to give to your flattering request that I should name one of your frigates, I would carefully have refrained from accepting such an honour.

The praise which that compliance causes you to bestow upon me, gives an idea of my talents and my merit which is quite at variance with the opinion I ought to have of them.

As to the choice of the captain, the officers, and the volunteers who are anxious to distinguish themselves on the vessel which you are fitting out, I believe, Gentlemen, that once a career so glorious and so useful to the government is open to our soldiers and sailors, they will come in crowds to risk their fortunes and their lives for the right of pursuing it. I therefore consider this choice much more difficult on account of the great number of competitors than on account of their courage and merit, such qualities being natural to all French soldiers, whom I am better able to applaud and imitate than I am to criticise.

There was, indeed, no lack of men in quest of adventures who applied for posts on the _Chevalière d’Eon_. D’Eon’s papers include numerous letters of application, and there was a rumour even that the Chevalière herself would embark on the vessel which was to bear her name.

Unfortunately, the shareholders’ money did not flow into the offices of Messrs. Le Sesne and Co., Rue de Bailleul, at the same rate as the offers of service. An extract from the _Journal de Paris_, containing the letters exchanged between the shipowners and the Chevalière d’Eon, had been issued in form of a prospectus and addressed to all persons thought likely to take an interest in the matter. Even the vignette representing the _Chevalière d’Eon_ surrounded by the enemy’s vessels, and firing two broadsides at once, did not induce people to subscribe, and the undertaking had to be abandoned. Such a turn of affairs did not answer the purpose of those to whom d’Eon had already distributed appointments on the frigate. A certain “mestre de camp de dragons,” who signs only with his initial, and had been chosen to command the ship, wrote to him on July 14, 1781, from Granville, where he had gone to watch the preparations for the expedition:

The equipment of the _Chevalière d’Eon_, my faithful old friend, is not taking the turn that I would have wished for your sake, as well as for M. Le Sesne’s and mine, notwithstanding all the efforts I have made and am still making. I must not conceal from you the fact that the vessel destined to bear your name exists as yet only in M. Le Sesne’s imagination, and that there is not in the dockyard at Granville a single foot of timber for the framing of the ship. M. Le Sesne, it is true, had bought a certain quantity of wood for that purpose, which was seized, as it had not been paid for, and in order to avoid disagreeable consequences a certain M. Agaste has lately been sent here to prevent legal proceedings; but all that does not, and will never, further the building of the vessel _La Chevalière d’Eon_.

The scheme formed by Messrs. Le Sesne and Co. failed, therefore, for want of money, and d’Eon found himself obliged to disband the officers and crew whom he had enlisted to fight under his colours. The idea, however, was not lost; for a few months later, other shipbuilders, Messrs. Charet and Ozenne, of Nantes, gave the name of _Chevalière d’Eon_—a name which they considered, no doubt, a symbol of successful audacity—to one of the vessels they were fitting out to convey the commodities which, in spite of the naval war, were being exchanged with the French colonies in America and India.

D’Eon, discouraged doubtless by the failure of the first enterprise, does not appear to have concerned himself about this fresh undertaking; but he remained in Paris whither this business had called him. He did not return to court, and only resided in the capital during the winter of 1780-81. At that time he was living in the house of Madame de Brie, in the Rue de Grenelle-Saint-Germain, leading a quiet life with his friend Drouet, formerly secretary to the Comte de Broglie. His old acquaintances came to call upon him. Madame Tercier invited him to dinner, promising “to talk of secret affairs until they should be obliged to stop for want of breath.” The Marquis de Courtenvaux, a relative of Louvois, who called him “sa chère payse,” would send his coach to fetch the Chevalière “at the swing-bridge of the Tuileries.” They would go together to visit the Abbey of Port Royal des Champs and the Château of Bagatelle, the property of the Comte d’Artois; or else, crossing the much-frequented Bois de Boulogne, they would go to hear the beautiful singing of the Ladies of the Abbey of Longchamp, who, during Lent, attracted the most fashionable and, it would seem, the least devout society. D’Eon led the life of a tourist, being eager to see the beauties and the curiosities of a town which he had left more than twenty years before, and which he had not been able to explore on his return from England, occupied as he then was with his disguise. The diary which he kept at that time leads us to suppose that he was not indifferent to the attractions, new to him, of the boulevards. Although he did not frequent the _Café Turc_, the _Babillards_ and the _Café Sergent_, where an elderly spinster of quality would have felt out of place, he greatly enjoyed the _Théâtre des Danseuses du Roi_, where Nicollet had lately made changes, and instead of pantomimes, real plays were being performed. He even visited Curtius’ famous shop, where the “_mannequins illuminés_” could be seen, the figures in wax of the royal family and of the leading people of the day. On being informed of his arrival, the impresario wished to avail himself of the opportunity for taking his portrait. But we must conclude that d’Eon did not care to appear in effigy amidst the illustrious company assembled in the _Salons du Boulevard du Temple_, for Curtius wrote, some time after, begging him to grant him this favour. D’Eon was unable to fall in with these renewed entreaties, for he had already left Paris. Curtius’ letter followed him to Tonnerre, whither he had retired at the beginning of spring, to look after his small property.

From that date to the year 1785 nothing worthy of note occurred to disturb, or even to relieve, the monotony of his life. Famous travellers did not fail to call upon him on their way through Tonnerre; they devoted the time of changing horses to conversation with the Burgundian heroine, admiring this odd phenomenon, by no means the least interesting curiosity on their route. Prince Henry of Prussia, whose acquaintance d’Eon had made in Germany, wished to meet the former captain of dragoons again. He did not think it beneath his dignity to have supper with the Chevalière and her aged mother, who was very nervous in the presence of so illustrious a guest. The Comte d’Albon, an intrepid traveller who had the gift of shrewd observation as well as a rare talent for telling stories, scribbled on a sheet of paper, which he hastily sealed with a crown-piece, the following laconic note of regret:—

The Comte d’Albon greets, embraces, and loves Mademoiselle d’Eon with all his heart. He is passing through Tonnerre in a post-chaise and is in despair at being in so great a hurry as to be unable to see her and tell her once more how sincere are the sentiments that he has avowed to her for life.

D’Eon was received with cordiality in neighbouring country houses: at Persey, by the Comte d’Ailly; at Croûtes, by the Vicomte de Lespinasse; and especially at Anci-le-Franc, where all the members of the Louvois family met in summer—the Marquis and the Marquise de Louvois, the Marquis de Courtenvaux and Madame de Souvré. Entertainments, balls and theatricals, in which every guest was called upon to take part, followed one another in rapid succession. D’Eon supplied costumes, “some laced coats of brown camlet,” and he himself, whose life was one long comedy, was one of the actors, though the part was a small one for so great a virtuoso.

Ever in great request at the châteaux of the neighbourhood, he was in the eyes of the inhabitants of Tonnerre, and of all Burgundians, the distinguished countryman, the provincial celebrity, whose undisputed privilege it was to preside at all public gatherings. Thus Father Rosman invited him to witness the distribution of prizes at the Royal Military College of Auxerre. “Your presence,” he wrote, “can but stimulate the zeal and the emulation of our pupils preparing for the army, in which you have distinguished yourself. I add my entreaties to those of your admirers (that is to say to those of the whole town).”

The officers of the Languedoc dragoons, whose regiment had crossed the Weser by the side of the squadron commanded by d’Eon, came in a body from Joigny to visit him at Tonnerre, and a few months afterwards invited him to take part in an entertainment which they were giving in honour of their colonel’s wife. D’Eon sent the following reply to the Comte d’Osseville, major and secretary of the regiment:—

It is with the feelings of the heart of a young woman grafted on that of an old captain of dragoons, that I received yesterday the very kind invitation with which you have honoured me, in your name as well as in that of all your brother officers. It would have been a great pleasure for me to place myself under the colours of Languedoc on the day of the entertainment which you have organised for the Comtesse d’Arnouville, who, while allowing only her husband to enchain her heart, has nevertheless succeeded in captivating all the dragoons as well as all those who have the good fortune to know her. It is indeed much to my regret and vexation that I am obliged to remain at home, on account of a kind of sunstroke that seized me while watching the making of a terrace on the bank of the river Armençon during the great heat we had a week ago. I am in the doctor’s hands, and extremely sorry to have met with this disappointment. I trust that after your entertainment and the review by the inspector you will find time to visit some of the country-houses in the neighbourhood of Tonnerre, and that you, or some of the officers, will avail yourselves of the opportunity for spending a few days with Mademoiselle d’Eon, who will ever consider it an honour to receive and entertain her old brother officers to the best of her ability.

I earnestly beg you will express to the Comte and Comtesse d’Arnouville, and to all the officers of the Languedoc regiment, my deep regret on this occasion.

Not only was the Chevalière the patroness of the dragoons, but she also held a rank among the Freemasons, and, in spite of her sex, which should have excluded her, was summoned to the solemn assemblies of the Lodge of the Nine Sisters.

I consider myself happy (wrote the F— to her) to act as mouthpiece for the sisters of the R—, L—, who beg that you will favour them by your presence at the funeral service in memory of their deceased brothers. I enclose the invitation card for this ceremony, in which you have a prominent place as a mason, as an author, and as one who is now the glory of her sex, and was once the pride of ours.

Mademoiselle d’Eon alone has the right of crossing the barrier which excludes the more beautiful half of the world from our labours. The exception begins and ends with you; do not neglect to avail yourself of the privilege, and if you do us the favour of complying with my wishes, add a second favour by arriving early, so as to see the whole ceremony, which would not be complete without you.

So firmly established was d’Eon’s popularity in Burgundy, that the poets who sang the charms of this fertile province would have considered they had forgotten its chief attraction had they omitted to celebrate the achievements of their strange countryman. The Prior of Chablis composed a little poem in Latin on Tonnerre, drawing a flattering portrait of the Chevalière, while acknowledging, however, that her martial gait was not in keeping with her virginal attire.

So much celebrity led his fellow-citizens and his old comrades to suppose that his influence was equally great, and never doubting that he was in high favour at court, and with men in office, they hoped to obtain through him every kind of favour. Naturally a great many dragoons sought his aid. They aspired to an order or a pension, a pass or a furlough. D’Eon was flattered by such requests and received them with untiring good grace, laying his numerous acquaintances under contribution and even applying to persons whom he did not know, but who, in his opinion, could not fail to know him. Answers such as that of the Marquis de d’Espinay Saint-Luc, who assured him that “the regard due to his celebrity was a sure guarantee of the effect of his protection,” confirmed d’Eon in his favourable appreciation of himself. So in one year, 1783, he endeavoured to obtain for his protégés appointments in the navy, in the administration of taxes, and even in the King’s household.

The religious orders ever found in him a kindly advocate. The Abbé de Molly-Billorgues, on hearing that Madame Elizabeth, the King’s sister, was to have a household of her own, begged him to obtain from M. Amelot the title of chaplain to the Princess. The Abbé de Lacy requested to be attached to a certain regiment. On another occasion d’Eon applied directly to the Bishop-Duke of Langres, Mgr. de la Luzerne, in favour of a prior who was afraid of being dispossessed of a living obtained by a “surreptitious decree.” A little later he wrote to the Archbishop of Paris, recommending to him a curate of Epineul, who was uncongenially situated in his present position.

At this time, too, when all his follies appear to have been blotted out from the memory of his contemporaries by the celebrity he had attained, d’Eon thought of his relatives who were then in a poor plight. His brother-in-law was penniless, having contracted numerous debts at Tonnerre; and d’Eon, who was obliged to devote several payments of his pension to meeting them, solicited for O’Gorman first an inspectorship of post-houses, then a consulate in America. He took particular interest in his eldest nephew, and intended adopting him; meanwhile he allowed him to bear the name of d’Eon. On leaving the Military College the Chevalier O’Gorman d’Eon, on the advice of his uncle, volunteered for the American War. D’Eon gave him 700 livres for his equipment, and, his services being accepted by the Comte de la Bretonnière, he embarked on board the _Ceres_. “M. de Treville promised to do all he could to contribute to the promotion of the young officer”; and M. d’Estaing “took as much interest in him as in the modern Joan of Arc,” whose “loyal knight” the intrepid sailor would have desired to be. No sooner had the young man arrived in America than he gave proofs of his bravery, and Count Macnamara hastened to let the Chevalière know how happy he was “to have such a comrade with him.” The future seemed to smile on this young officer whom his chief treated so familiarly, and d’Eon, who had afforded him an opening, followed him, in imagination, into those distant countries which he longed to visit himself. The heroine of Tonnerre, shut up in her humble abode, saw in her nephew the realisation of her hopes. She paid but little heed apparently to the storm that was brewing in France, and was so soon to burst out. She entertained a regular correspondence with the generals and admirals who were fighting in the Colonies; and they felt flattered when she congratulated them upon their victories.

Every letter that you are kind enough to send to me, Mademoiselle, fills me with new joy (writes the Marquis de Bouillé). I take the keenest possible interest in your relations and protégés, who, as such, could not have better claims on my notice.

M. Rougeot is at present in command of the artillery in the regiment of Martinique; it was not possible to find a better post for him. Young O’Gorman has been very ill; I have obtained a reward for him, which is all I can do for the present. Later on perhaps some favourable opportunity may offer.

I have been very successful hitherto; Fortune has treated me with special favour; but if you were not the Chevalière d’Eon I would say that Fortune is a woman and consequently addicted to caprice. Poor Grasse has had a terrible proof of this; he is old, it is true, and I am still young, and she loves youth; I will therefore continue to court her, and should she prove obdurate I must use violence. You see I think like an old soldier.

Young O’Gorman being no longer able to support the brave marquis in his hand-to-hand fight with fortune, d’Eon wrote at once, inquiring anxiously about his return, and, thanks to M. de Sartine, obtained for him a commission as lieutenant.

I am delighted to hear, Mademoiselle, that your nephew is included in the list of promotions in the navy; I congratulate you and am pleased to have been able to use my influence on his behalf. I have no doubt but that he will follow the good example set by his family. His elder brother’s success does not surprise me. They will both win distinction if they follow your advice.

While d’Eon was making these successful efforts to launch his nephews in an honourable career, he contemplated quitting not only Tonnerre but France. The peace which had just been concluded with England enabled him to return to that country, where he had learned to love liberty. Besides, business of an urgent nature called him there: his extensive library and his valuable collection of weapons had remained in the hands of creditors whom he had been unable to indemnify, and who kept threatening to sell the property left as security. He appealed once more to the Comte de Vergennes for assistance, and, in spite of a peremptory refusal, persisted in his determination.

In the middle of the summer of 1785 he returned to Paris, where the Duchesse de Montmorency offered him hospitality. He saw his old and faithful friends again—the Campans, the Fraguiers, the Tanlays, and made the acquaintance of a family destined for a brilliant future, being introduced to the Comtesse de Beauharnais, who soon became infatuated with him. There seems, at this time, to have been a revival of that same curiosity which he had formerly excited; but the urgent affairs which called him to London obliged him to disregard it, and on November 25, 1785, he left his native country, to which he never returned.

XI

LONDON AND THE END