ng to say on all subjects,) 'was sent over
by Baron de Tott, then in the service of the Porte, to Madame de
Tesse. When they were produced in her society, every body thought them
very fine, but nobody knew what use to make of them. It was determined
that they would make pretty _couvre-pieds_ and veils for the cradle;
but the fashion wore out with the shawls, and ladies returned to their
eider-down quilts.'

"Monsieur Ternaux observed that 'though the produce of the Cashmerian
looms had long been known in Europe, they did not become a vogue until
after Napoleon's expedition to Egypt; and that even then they took, in
the first instance, but slowly.' The shawl was still a novelty in
France, when Josephine, as yet but the wife of the First Consul, knew
not how to drape its elegant folds, and stood indebted to the
_brusque_ Rapp for the grace with which she afterwards wore it.

"'Permettez que je vous fasse l'observation,' said Rapp, as they were
setting off for the opera; 'que votre schall n'est pas mis avec cette
grace qui vous est habituelle.'

"Josephine laughingly let him arrange it in the manner of the Egyptian
women. This impromptu toilette caused a little delay, and the infernal
machine exploded in vain!

"What destinies waited upon the arrangement of this cashemir! A moment
sooner or later, and the shawl might have given another course to
events, which would have changed the whole face of Europe."[111]

The Empress Josephine (says her biographer) had quite a passion for
shawls, and I question whether any collection of them was ever as
valuable as hers. At Navarre she had one hundred and fifty, all
extremely beautiful and high-priced. She sent designs to
Constantinople, and the shawls made after these patterns were as
beautiful as they were valuable. Every week M. Lenormant came to
Navarre, and sold her whatever he could obtain that was curious in
this way. I have seen white shawls covered with roses, bluebells,
perroquets, peacocks, &c., which I believe were not to be met with any
where else in Europe; they were valued at 15,000 and 20,000 francs
each.

The shawls were at length sold _by auction_ at Malmaison, at a rate
much below their value. All Paris went to the sale.

FOOTNOTES:

[109] "Her Majesty told the ladies, that if the Bishop held more
discourse on such matters, she would fit him for heaven; but he should
walk thither without a staff, and leave his mantle behind him."

[110] Life of Raleigh,