Volume 1

The memoirs of Dr. Thomas W. Evans : recollections of the second French empire / edited by Edward A. Crane, M. D.

  • Evans, Thomas W. (Thomas Wiltberger), 1823-1897.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: The memoirs of Dr. Thomas W. Evans : recollections of the second French empire / edited by Edward A. Crane, M. D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    day that followed—the 16th of October, 1793—when the shouting of the people was heard by her for the last time ; for Eugdnie de Montijo even then had learned by heart this touching story of royal happiness and despair. In the cathedral, where the marriage ceremony took place, the columns and lofty vaults had been decorated with rich draperies, and banners, and banderoles ; and palms, and garlands of white blossoms, and banks of flowers had been scattered everywhere—innumerable candles lighting up the whole of the vast interior, filled to its utmost capacity by the great bodies of the State, the diplomatic corps and the representatives of the Army, the Church and the cities of France, and by the elegance and beauty of the world of fashion. The scene was one of unparalleled magnificence. Nothing was wanting to invest the occasion with splendour and solemnity. On entering this ancient church and going forward to the altar, while a wedding march was played by an orchestra of five hundred musicians, the bride was quite overcome by her emotions. But when the archbishop said to her: “Madame—you declare, recognise, and swear before God, and before the Holy Church, that you take now for your husband and legal spouse the Emperor Napoleon III., here present,” she responded, in a clear, sweet voice, “ Oui Monsieur.” If the elegance of her person evoked admiration on every side, the modest dignity with which she per- formed her part in this great and imposing ceremony secured to her the sympathy and good-will of all who witnessed it. After the ceremony was over the procession returned