OBITUARY. PRINCE TALLEYRAND. May 17. At his hotel in the Rue de Florentin, at Paris, in his 84th year, Prince Talleyrand. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Perigord was born at Paris in 1754. He was descended from one of the oldest and most illustrious houses of France, which, during the middle ages, were lords of the district of Quercy; and at an early age, as a younger brother, was destined for the church. His ecclesiastical education was formed at the seminary of St. Sulpice, and his talents for public business were already so strongly developed, that in 1780 he was named Agent-General for the clergy. In 1788 he was consecrated Bishop of Autun, and the year after was elected deputy of the clergy of his diocese to the States-General. At that momentous period Mirabeau perceived the extent of his abilities, and signalized him as one of the most powerful and versatile of the men of genius who then abounded in Europe. He proposed several important measures to the States, among others the suppression of tithes and the appropriation of the property of the clergy to the wants of the public treasury. In 1790 he was named President, and in the same year officiated at the altar in the Champ de Mars on the day of the National Federation. He subsequently consecrated the first constitutional Bishops, and for this was excommunicated by Pope Pius VI. His resignation of the bishopric of Autun, and bis election as a member of the directory for the department of Paris, followed soon after. He was left by Mirabeau as one of his executors, and in 1792 was sent into England on a secret mission, together with M. Chauvelin, the ambassador. The English administration under Mr. Pitt, after favourably receiving the French envoys, subsequently ordered them to leave the country within twenty-four hours. M. de Talleyrand returned to Paris, the day after the 10th of August, and was indebted to Danton for a narrow escape from assassination. He then left France for the United States, and remained there, engaged, it is said, in commercial speculations till 1796, when he was recalled by a decree of the Convention. In 1797, after the 18th Fructidor, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, and supported with the most imperturbable sang froid the attacks made against him by all parties. Two years afterwards the 18th Brumaire occurred. Napoleon became First Consul, and M. de Talleyrand continued as Foreign Minister. In 1802 a brief from Pius VII. released the ex-Bishop of Autun from his ecclesiastical ties, and he shortly after married Madame Grandt, of Hamburgh. The rivalry of Fouche and M. de Talleyrand then followed, and to the ultimate advantage of the latter, who, on Napoleon becoming Emperor in 1806,. was elevated to the rank of Prince of Benevento, and Grand Chamberlain of the Empire. The next year he was succceded as minister by M. de Champagny, Duke de Cadore, and was named ViceGrand Elector; but from this period his alienation from Napoleon may be dated; he disapproved of the Emperor's aggressions in Spain; and in 1814 was appointed president of the provisional government of France, until the arrival of the Comte d'Artois. He was French Commissioner at the Congress of Vienna, and on the final return of Louis XVIII. in 1815, he resumed the portfolio of Foreign affairs as President of the Council, but resigned before the end of the year, from his disapprobation of the tendencies of the government. From this period he remained near the person of the Sovereign in virtue of his title as Chamberlain, and ultimately became the leader of the opposition in the Chamber of Peers. The revolution of 1830 found him, though advanced to a venerable age, not too old for the service of his country, and he proceeded to London as Ambassador, where he remained till 1835. After this time the Prince has rested under the shadow of his diplomatic laurels, ample enough to include within their branches the treaties of Amiens, of Luneville, and of the quadruple alliance. The nature and the great gift of Talleyrand was to perceive where power and influence were likely to centre. Even in the turmoil of revolution he was still the courtier, aiming at effecting nothing himself, by either study, or eloquence, or labour, but secking to fasten on the greatest personal character of the moment, in order through him to wield influence. He first attached himself to Mirabeau, whose executor he became. His secret mission to England, under Chauvelin, followed. But the times became far too menacing and troubled for such spirits as Talleyrand, possessed of more finesse than force, to live or prosper in; and he wisely turned his back upon Europe until the combat of brute force should have terminated, and the stage be left once more open to those qualities and powers which he possessed. He returned to France under the Directory. The utter instability of an executive without talent, honesty, or honour, soon induced him to look out for one of those master-spirits under the shadow of whose success he might hold more durable and honourable influence. He chose Napoleon, and contributed by his councils to the revolution of the 18th Brumaire. From that period M. de Talleyrand was Foreign Minister of France, during seven or eight of the most important years that ever occupied diplomacy. He was the obedient, the approving minister of the Emperor, until the latter had reached the utmost height that arms and policy could bestow. Talleyrand then would have had him rest, telling the Emperor that the ascent was over, that he had reached the mountain-top of his fame and power, and that further progress must be descent. The restless spirit of Napoleon disliked and spurned the advice. Talleyrand was overthrown, and the first difficulty which the Emperor experienced immediately after from the resistance of Spain was pronounced by his ex-minister to be the commencement of the end. At a moment when the military fame of the empire gave way, all eyes turned to M. de Talleyrand in his retreat. His eminence proceeded from his standing almost alone as a French statesman, Bonaparte having extinguished the class and the race. Could Napoleon, indeed, have trusted him, regained his confidence, and so far yielded his imperial will as to enter into his views, France might have conIcluded other treaties than those of 1814 and 1815. But Talleyrand soon flung himself into the other scale, and was, more than any other person, influential in bringing about the Restoration. Except, however, in the negociations which followed immediately the triumph of the allied powers, the Prince was able to recover no permanent position or authority. From time to time, indeed, he made his influence felt, and showed himself in that prominent light which he was ambitious to appear in. But every one perceived, and he perceived himself, that he was unfit to be the minister of a constitutional government, for which he wanted alike the habits, the character, and the peculiar talents. Considerable obloquy fell on the French government after July for appointing him ambassador to London. For, whatever might be the purity of his conduct and intentions, Prince Talley. rand was considered as the representative of that school of duplicity and selfishness which admits all means to be allowable, provided they obtain their object. It is remarked in the Constitutionnel that “ M. de Talleyrand was as eminent 66 for firmness of character as for a comprehensive mind. His powerful influence having been exercised in varying situations, and over destinies the most opposed to each other, and he was naturally charged with having been as changeable as the events of his time. Nevertheless, in the apparently fluctuating character of his existence, one prevailing sentiment may be remarked--an unalterable attachment to the revolution of 1789, and a deep feeling of nationality, for few men have felt so strong an interest in their country's greatness. On the important occasions on which he was employed, his constant study was to derive some advantage for France from the difficult situations which were not his own work, and no man was more capable of turning them to better account. His rare firmness of character, and his imperturbable sang froid, enabled him to assume over others at least some portion of the empire which he exercised over himself. It was impossible to exert more influence over an assembly of diplomatists than that for which Talleyrand was indebted to his superior mind, his infinite resources, and the elegance of his language. To give an idea of the effect produced by his style, which after him will probably find no efficient imitator, we may compare his conversation to the His prose of Voltaire. He frequently gave way to a natural nonchalance, and on such occasions spoke but little; but when he at length shook off this mental indolence, his conversation was enchanting. habitual chit-chat tone was one of graceful levity that skimmed lightly over the surface of every subject, but which, when serious business was the theme, gave way to an extraordinary depth and force of reasoning. It has been often imagined that he lived, as it were, only intellectually, and that his heart found no room for the feelings of affection; but those who were admitted to his intimacy know that his kindness was unequalled, and that its expression not unfrequently penetrated even through the immoveable features which disconcerted so many able negociators." The first symptoms of the complaint which carried Prince Talleyrand off, appeared six days before his death, when he was seized with a shivering fit attended by repeated vomitings. He underwent an operation at the lower part of the loins with great fortitude, merely once saying, "You give me great pain." He was perfectly aware of his danger. Having asked his medical men if they thought they could cure him, they rightly estimated his strength of mind, and told him at once that he ought to put his affairs in order, that he might have nothing to do but to attend to his health. It is said that he had for some time written and addressed to the Popea retractation of his conduct at the famous ceremony of the Federation, where he forgot his episcopal ordination, and condescended to bless that democratic and somewhat heathen ceremony. The Courrier Francais states, that the retractation made by the Prince was in the form of a letter, addressed to the Pope, which had been written six months. In it he retracted the part which he took in the constitutional mass, celebrated on the day of the Federation in the Champ de Mars; and this with a copy was inclosed by him to the Archbishop of Paris, who, according to this journal, did not visit the Prince. When the arrival of the King and Madame Adelaide was announced to the dying courtier, he said, "This is the greatest honour my house ever received." He then presented to his Majesty his physician, surgeon, and valet in attendance. At three o'clock the Abbé Dupanloup, who had not left the Prince for several days, administered the sacrament of extreme unction. The France mentions that, after his death had taken place, Count Molé was admitted into the room, and that he kissed the hand of the corpse. Another journal says, that M. Royer Collard remained by the bedside of the sufferer until he expired. "We are assured," says the Messager, "that the statement of Prince Talleyrand having drawn up his letter to the Pope three months ago, is incorrect. The truth is, that he did not yield till after three days' resistance, and only on the day of his death, to the solicitations and tears of his family. At this time there were in his chamber only the Abbé Dupanloup, the Duchess de Dino and her daughter, the Duke de Valençay, Dr. Cuveilhier, Dr. Cogny, his physician in ordinary, and M. de Bacourt, a friend of the family." Thus, after a long and eventful life, expired Prince Talleyrand, in the full possession of all those wonderful faculties with which he was endowed, and which had been called into exercise under circumstances more extraordinary than, perhaps, have fallen to the lot of any human being to encounter. With some deduction upon the score of his sincerity, which was always questionable, he survived many trials with a high private character; and his personal advantages, the excellence of his temper, clearness of his views, suavity of manners, and, above all, the brilliancy of his wit and quickness of his repartee, have been universally ac knowledged, and are almost proverbial. The Prince's funeral took place on Tues day, May 22, at the church of the Assumption. As he belonged to an an. cient sovereign family, and had been a dignitary of the church, the accustomed draperies of black and silver were not used, but the mourning was in violet. The colours of his family liveries and escutcheons, with all the quarterings of his alliances, were displayed both in the church and at the hotel. The whole was arranged with the strictest observance of etiquette. The coffin lay in state for an hour before its removal to the church. The private friends of the deceased, and deputations from the Chambers of Peers and Deputies, from the Institute, and other public bodies of which the deceased was a member, with nearly all the ambassadors and other personages of the corps diplomatique, &c. assembled soon after ten o'clock. At five minutes past eleven o'clock the cortege began to move in the following order : A Detachment of Hussars. Music of the 16th, playing solemn airs, and the drums muffled. A Detachment of the 7th Regiment of Infantry. The Hearse, drawn by six black horses, richly and superbly caparisoned, with silver ornaments, as well as the Hearse, with plumes, &c. and the pall supported by Marshal Soult, Baron Pasquier, Count Molé, and the Duke de Broglie. After which Deputations from the Institute, the Peers, Ministers, Duputies, Ambassadors, and different corps. Servants in Royal Livery. A Detachment of the 16th of the Line. Four Mourning Coaches, Thirty Private Carriages in Liveries, Detachment of Municipal Guards The hearse arrived at the church at halfpast eleven, when the funeral service immediately commenced. The body was lowered into a vault, where it will remain a month, and then be transported to Valençay, together with the bodies of the brother and the great-nephew of the deceased. His brother, the Duke Archambault de Talleyrand Perigord, and the father of the Duke de Dino, died on the 28th of April, at St. Germaine, aged 76. The Prince's will has been laid before the President of the Tribunal de Première Instance; he has appointed his niece, the Duchess de Dino, universal legatee, and has left a number of specific legacies to the Duke de Valençay, his grand-nephew. At the end of this will, which is entirely in his own handwriting, there is a declaration, also written by himself, in which he exposes the political principles which have guided his conduct under the different governments which have succeeded since 1789. It is said that this declaration, which he ordered to be read to his family along with his will, contains some curious exposures on the nature of the political crises in which he has been called to play a part. This declaration, as well as the will, is dated in 1836. There is also the most complete prohibition made to his heirs from publishing his memoirs, which are, it is said, deposited in England, before the lapse of thirty years from the day of his death, and he orders them to disavow all which may be published in his name before the expiration of that period. He expresses a desire to be buried at Valençay, and concludes his testament with a declaration that he dies in the Roman Catholic faith. We believe we may affirm, says the Constitutionnel, that his Majesty continued to grant to Prince Talleyrand, out of the civil list, the allowance of 100,000f. which he enjoyed under the Restoration as Grand Chamberlain. Prince Talleyrand was invested with most of the principal orders of Europe. He was a Knight of the Holy Ghost, Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour from its first creation in 1805, a Knight of the Golden Fleece, Grand Cross of the Orders of St. Stephen of Hungary, the Elephant of Denmark, Charles III. of Spain, the Soteer of Greece, the Sun of Persia, the Conception of Portugal, the Black Eagle of Prussia, St. Andrew of Russia, the Crown of Saxony, and St. Joseph of Tuscany. It has been remarked as singular that, notwithstanding he took an active part in the formation of the constitutional government of Belgium, he had not received the Order of Leopold. He was a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Letters, and the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques. SIR C. H. PALmer, Bart. Lately. Aged 78, Sir Charles Harcourt Palmer, Bart. of Dorney Court, Buckinghamshire. One of the oldest titles of the baronetage has become extinct by the death of this gentleman. It was conferred by the Founder of the Order, King James the First, in 1621, on Sir Thomas Palmer, who had been knighted in the expedition to Cadiz; he was seated at Wingham in Kent, and was descended from an ancient family which had long flourished in that county and Sussex. The elder branch of the family terminated in heiresses, on the death of the fourth Baronet, in 1723; viz. Mary, married first to Sir Brook Bridges, and secondly to the Hon. Charles Feilding; Elizabeth, married to the Hon. Edward Finch Hatton and Mary, married to Daniel Earl of Winchelsea. The title then devolved on Sir Charles Palmer, great-grandson of Sir James Palmer, Knt. (third son of the first Baronet,) by his wife Martha, dau. and heiress of Sir William Garrard, of Dorney Court. Sir Charles married Anne daughter of Richard Harcourt, esq. by Elizabeth half-sister to Simon first Lord Harcourt, whence the late Baronet (their grandson) derived that name. Sir Charles Harcourt Palmer was the only son of Charles Palmer, esq. an officer in the East India Company's service, (only surviving son of Sir Charles,) by Sarah, daughter of Thomas Clack, esq. of Wallingford, and sister to Frances Viscountess Courtenay. Sir Charles succeeded his grandfather in the title Nov. 8, 1773. He has died without legitimate issue, but has left three sons born out of wedlock, between whom he has left a large property, the accumulations resulting from an unostentatious style of life. SIR RICHARD COLT HOARE, BART. May 19. At Stourhead, in his 80th year, Sir Richard Colt Hoare, Bart. F.R.S. F.S. A. F.L.S. the amiable, benificent, and very diligent Historian of Wiltshire. --- Sir Richard was born on the 9th of December, 1758, the eldest son of Sir Richard Hoare, the first Baronet, by Anne, second dau. of Henry Hoare, of Stourhead, esq. and of Susanna, daughter and heiress of Stephen Colt, esq. In a modest biographical sketch, which he has drawn of himself, he observes:"In my youth I was initiated in the business of our family bank, till my grandfather removed me from it, and gave up to me, during his lifetime, all his landed property. An early habit of application to business induced me to have recourse to the pen and pencil; for, without some amusement, life ultimately must produce tedium and ennui; and, thanks to Providence, I now, in my advanced age, feel 1838.] OBITUARY.-Sir R. C. Hoare, Bart. the benefits of an early habit of application." In 1783 he married the Honourable Hester Lyttelton, eldest daughter of William-Henry Lord Lyttelton. She died in 1785, leaving issue a son, Henry. To alleviate his grief for her loss, he resolved to travel. In September that year he left England, passed through France and Italy to Naples, and after exploring the classic ground in the vicinity of that city and Rome, returned by Genoa to the South of France. He then visited Switzerland, afterwards made an excursion to Barcelona, repaired a second time to Rome, and again reached England in July, 1787. This year, by the death of his father, he succeeded to the baronetcy. In 1788, he left England a second time, passed through Holland, the Austrian Netherlands, Hanover, Prussia, Saxony, and Bohemia, to Vienna, where he ar rived the same autumn. Thence to Trieste, examining the most interesting objects on the coast of the Adriatic. He devoted a considerable time to the examination of Rome and Naples, and their vicinity; visited Sicily, Malta, and Gozo, Capri, Ischia, and Elba; and returned through the Tyrol to England, which he reached in August, 1791. In the course of these tours, as he himself observes, "portfolios were filled with drawings of the most interesting objects that occurred: an account of which I was induced to record in print, for the gratification of my family and friends, thus recalling to my recollection the many agreeable hours I had passed in search of pleasure and information." These Recollections formed four volumes, the substance of which was afterwards condensed and published, in 1818, in "A Classical Tour through Italy and Sicily, tending to illustrate some Districts which have not been described by Mr. Eustace, in his Classical Tour." At this period he had several offers of being brought into Parliament, which he uniformly declined. Latterly he has often been heard to say, "I hate politics." During the convulsed state of Europe," he observes, "when a veto was put on all foreign travel, my resources were confined to my native country; and Cambria presented itself as an object worthy of attention. But as travelling without a pursuit becomes tedious, I resolved to take Giraldus as my guide, and to enlist myself as one of his followers, through his Iter laboriosum. This work, illustrated by numerous plates, and very handsomely printed by Bulmer, was presented to the public in the year 1806. "Another object of amusement, in the ENT. MAG, VOL. X. 97 same district, occurred soon afterwards, in making the Tour of Monmouthshire, with my friend Archdeacon Coxe, and in furnishing drawings for his description of that interesting county. "The principality of Wales having been traversed in every direction, my attention was next attracted by the neighbouring Province of Hibernia, which I visited in the year 1807, and published an account of this short excursion, to afford my countrymen the information I had gleaned, in a country so little visited, and so much deserving of notice. "The next and grandest object in view, was the History of my own County, in which the remarkable relics of British Antiquity were situated—namely, Abury and Stonehenge. From a neighbouring antiquary, Mr. W. Cunnington, of Heytesbury, who, during his rides over our open Downs, had made many new and important discoveries, especially as to the history of our ancient British inhabitants, I became infected with the mania of antiquarianism, which increased to such a degree, as to enable me to complete, in 1821, two folio volumes of the History of Ancient Wiltshire." The The labours of all former writers upon British Antiquities and Roman Roads bear no comparison to those of Sir R. C. Hoare. The first volume of this splendid work is confined to South Wiltshire, and to British Antiquities; and includes several plans, elevations, &c. of that interesting monument Stonehenge. second volume commences with North Wiltshire; Part I. of which is confined to the British æra; and a full account is given of that wonderful circle of Abury. Part II. of the second volume is allotted to the Roman period; and an accurate survey is taken of all the Roman roads and tesselated pavements in the county. "Being still blessed," continues Sir R. C. Hoare, "with a tolerable degree both of health and energy of mind, I am anxious that the Modern History of our county should be the sequel of the former work, and am now, in this Hundred of Mere, laying the foundation of a structure, which I earnestly hope a future generation will see advanced to a happy termination." Of the Modern History of Wilts, the parts published consist of, 1. Hundred of Mere, 1822; 2. Hundred of Heytesbury, 1824; 3. The Hundred of Branch and Dole, 1825. In this portion of the work Sir R. C. Hoare was associated with the Rev. John Offer, whose untimely death, Dec. 23, 1822, was a serious loss both to Sir R. C. Hoare and to the History of Wiltshire. Mr. Offer's labours gave a promise of great ex |