Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 15 January 1820, page 4


BIOGRAPHICAL ETCHING.

"LOUIS JOSEPH, of Bourbon, Prince of Conde, was born at Chantilly on the 9th of August, 1736, and was the only son of the Duke of Bourbon, who had been first minister to the Regency, and of Caroline of Hesse Rhinefels, an amiable, well educated and intelligent Princess, towards whom Louis Louis XV, while a youth, bore the most tender and irreprochable friendship. In this manner the monarch, who passed a large portion of his time at Chantilly, conceived an almost paternal attachment to the young Prince of Conde. Being suddenly deprived of his father, who died on the 27th of January, 1740, at the age of 47 years, and of the Duchess his mother, on the 23d of May, 1741, aged only 26, the Prince of Conde, left an orphan at five years, found the greatest consolations under these cruel losses in the attention of his King, and in the un-remitting cares of his uncle and guardian, Count Cha-roláis. Louis XV bestowed upon the young Prince the office of Lord Steward of his household, which had been held by the Duke of Bourbon, and entrusted the duties of this office to the Count Charoláis till his ne-

phew should be of an age to discharge them. He gave in the same manner, to the Duke of St. Aignan, the reversion of the government of Burgundy, to be given up to the young Prince, when he should have reached the age of l8 years. The Count Charoláis directed the education of the heir of the house of Conde with a strictness which caused him early to exhibit in his Character the love of study and of glory, fie never spared him a severe opinion. The Duke of Bourbon bad left him an inheritance which was very much dis-ordered, and it was owing to the strict economy and the wí¡>e management of his guardian, that the Priace of Coude saw himself, on becoming of age, the possessor Of a f »rtuue sufficient to enable him io support his rank with honour. On the 2d of February, 175*2, he wa* appoint - ' Chevalier of the Order of the Hol> Ghost. On »he third of May in the following year he married the kJ'incess Cin¡rioüe-Godfrida-ElÍ2abeíh of KoDrifi Soubise, by whom he had M. the Duke of Bour bor, ¿ho was born on the TiUh of April,- Î750, and M^-inoiselle de Conde, Oom ou the 5ih of October, in 1757 Tin» Printe of Coade los* his wife ia the ii »wer of h^r age, on the'5th oí MArch, 1760, On the 13ih of August, 17á4, h'<» R->val Highness convened' the siatt's of Burgundy as Governor of that province, he having then r"ached the age of~seventeen. The following y<*ar he began Ihs career in the army. It was the first campaign of the unfortunate seven years war. While the Freuen generals sustained so ill the honor of their arms, the young Conde added to the glory «f his great name, and obtained some brilliant successes.

" At the battle of Hakenbeck, being desired by his first gentleman and airf-de-camp, M. de U Touraifie to step ten paces to the left, to avoid the direction of a battery which was making great havock about him, he answered " I find none of these precautions, in the history of the great Prince of Conde." He displayed a surprising courage two years afterwards at the battle of Minden. He was seen at the head of reserve char« ing the enemy vigorously, on a spot already covered with the bodies of his officers and soldiers. His mili-

tary talent« were still better developed when he had tinder his command a separate body of troops. It was theil that he obtained several advantages over Prince

Ferdinand of Brunswick, the relation and worthv Lieu

t * % te

tenant of the great Frederick. The victory gained over the Hereditaiy Prince of Brunswick at Johannes

berg in 1762, was the most brilliant exploit of the Prince of Coude, during this war. He had held hi?» council in the midst of cannon balls, and notwithstand-ing the superiority of numbers, he remained master of the field of "battle. Louis XV. to reward the worthy heir of the Condes, bestowed on him apart of the can-non taken from the enemy on this occasion. The Duke of Biunswick being afterwards on a visit to the Prince of Conde at Chantilly, and not seeing these cannons which his Royal Highness, with a truly French> politeness had concealed from him, " You will conquer me twice" said the Prussian general to him ; " in war by your arms, and in peace by your modest)." The first time, the Prince of Conde appeared at the French Comedy after his return, they played Heureusement ; the public applied to him, with acclamations, an expression which is found in this Utile piece, Et moi, je bois a iftfarß* In the dissensions which then divided the throne and the parliament, the Prince, faithful to Ins duty never separated his cause from that of th« King. He appeared but once on the side oT the opposition, this was when Louis XV. by a measure, contrary to the <>ld constitution of the kingdom, but which was justi-fied, by necessity, thought proper to dissolve the par-liament* to establish new Sovereign courts. The Prince of Conde, faithful to the old principles, refused to ac-knowledge these pretended parliament?, and with all the Princes who like himself opposed themselves to this measure, were condemned to exile. But he was soon after recalled -hy the'King. Nevertheless, he wrote io his subjects that his return to court must not make them think that deputed affairs would be carried before the new- parjiainent, and that he renewed his prohibition of their so doing. Before the death of the only son ef Louis XV, there had existed between the

daughter and the Prince of Conde a very intimate con-

nexion.

'Mt was remarked that the heir of the throne and the heir .of the house of Conde were both of'them friends of learning, of the art of war, and of the old principles of the monarchy; and there was seen with pleasure a remarkable conformity of taste and affec-tion between fliese two Princes. During the residence of the Count at Compaigne, when the Dauphin made himself known in so noble a manner to the french army which formed a camp near this town, the Prince of Conde was the assiduous companion of his military exercises. The Dauphin considered it an honor lo

receive from him lessons in the art of war. Mote than once at the head of his regiment, the heir of the throne rendered military honors to tin» happy rival of the Duke of Brunswick. Louis XV., after the death of his son, gave the Dauphin'3 regiment to the Prince of

Conde.

" He was popular without losing his dignify ; the friend and successful cultivator of letter«. He formed

a society of learned men i and at his espence was! formed, ht Chantilly, one of the finest cabinets of na-i tural history which ever existed. It is known that the Bourbon palace was built hy him, which is one of the niost'remarkable monuments of the capital. Foreign Prince/i who came to Fronce were all anxious to visit the Prince of Conde at his magnificent retreat at Chan-tilly. Nothing could be more brilliant than the festi-

vals which he made for illustrious travellers. When the Count of the .North, since Paul I. Emperor of Russia, carne to France, the Prince of Conde detained him three days at Chantilly. Charmed with, all the beauties of this place of 'delight, the Couut of the North exclaimed that he would gladly exchange all his possessions for Chantilly. " Yea would lose too much by that," said the Prince of Coade," and besides your subjects would have reason to complain. " Ah ! I should gain much," replied the Count, " I should be

a Bourbon."

" In the year 1788, the Minister of War having formed three camps for the purpose of exercising the army in grand manouvres, and at the same time to prevent the troubles which the agnation of the public mind gave reason to fear, the Prince of Conde h».d the command of* that which was.placed at St. Omer. He found in the troops which composed it the sentiments which the hame of Coude has always excited in French! soldiers. The Duke d'Eiighien accompanied burt in this military excursion ; and he tnadv a tour to Dun-; kirk, where his grandfather explained to iaiut with the,

greatest care the details of the marne. |

'. The preceding year the Prince of Conde had pre-J

sided over the fourth bureau of the A&.s*inh]y of No-]

tables of 1787; he presided over the same huteau of j

that which the King convoked the folión big year;.»

showed himself a firm pyrtizan of the Principles of an-j! cieiit monarchy, and signed the famous memoir of the! Princes, addressed to the King near the close of the

second session of the Notables. i

" On the 17th of July, 1780, the Prince of Conde:

quitted France with his family, and letired to Brussels,; whence he repaired through Switzerland to Turin. A; great number of gentlemen, all ready to'fight for the cause of royalty, accompanied the Prince in his retreat.! He supported them by great sacrifices. Having ex-;

liausted ins finances, he borrowed ,at Genoa, 500,000j livres upon his diamonds. His little army, on the fron-tiers of Germany, increaced daily.

"Injune, 1790, his Royal Highness published a manifesto of the following import:-"I quitted my country a year' ago ; it is my duty to declare to thej world my motives for leaving it. It will open the eyes of this good people. It wiil*uiake them blush for the crimes which the intrigues and ambition of their chiefs have committed. They will blush for Ihem when I am buried under the ruins of the monarchy. The interest, of the.nobility is one. It is the causes of all Princes, and of gentlemen, that I defend. They will again unite under the glorious standard which 1 shall display at their head. Yes, 1 will proceed, notwithstanding the horror which it ought to inspire in a descendant of Henry IV. io think of dipping his hands in the blood of. Frenchmen. I will go on at the head of the nobi-lity of all nations ; aud, followed by all the faithful subjects of their King, who will unite under my ban-ner, 1 will go, to attempt the delivery of this unhappy kingdom, which they have filled with terrors, by im-prisoning Princes under pretexts the most odious and ridiculous." . ¡To be continued in our next.