hing was genuine but his pride, his
hate, and his physical infirmities.

The ministers of Charles X. meet with a much fairer appreciation than
those of Louis Philippe. Towards them, one might even say that he is
indulgent. This is easily accounted for: in the war of party, those with
whom we come into the closest and most frequent collision, must, of
course, excite the largest share of our animosity. M. de Polignac seems
to have been aware that he had little to fear from the fierce democrat:
he has not disdained a sort of literary participation in the work,
having contributed some manuscript notes of his own, explanatory of his
share in the transactions of 1830. Altogether, we may presume that the
history, so far as it relates to the ministers of Charles X., is not
unfairly written. Let us approach the narrative by this quarter.

It is a singular picture that M. de Polignac presents to the
imagination, with his unruffled serenity, his extreme audacity, his
violent measures, his negligent preparation, his strong will, his weak
intelligence. The minister is always smiling, and, in the midst of
disaster and ruin, is still beaming with self-confidence; he seems to
have thought that self-confidence wrought like magic, or like faith, and
could of itself remove mountains. If difficulties occurred, his resource
was to be still more self-confident. He was well aware of the hostility
his ordonnances would create; he was well aware that the army must be
their veritable support: yet observe with what a sublime air of
nonchalance he prepares himself for the subjection of a people. "How
many men," asked M. d'Haussez, as the ministers sat round the
council-table, "can you reckon on at Paris?--have you twenty-eight or
thirty thousand?" "More," said the premier; "I have forty-two thousand;"
and, rolling up a paper which he held in his hands, he threw it across
the table to d'Haussez. "But," said the latter, as he looked over the
statement that had been given to him, "I see here only thirteen
thousand. Thirteen thousand men on paper--that amounts to about seven or
eight thousand actually ready to fight your battles. And the other
twenty-nine thousand to complete your number, where are they?" M. de
Polignac assured him that they were spread about the neighbourhood of
Paris, and in ten hours, if it were necessary, could be assembled in the
capital. The ministers felt, adds our historian, that they were entering
into a dreadful game blindf