ABSTRACT
In 1831 Petrus Borel and his followers migrated from the Latin Quarter to the heights of Rochechouart—now Boulevard Rochechouart—to imitate Saint Simon who had settled with his own disciples on the hill of Ménil- montant. As he could not afford a whole house, he rented a large room opening on to a garden, at the corner of the Rue d’Auvergne, and called his settlement ‘Le Camp des Tartares’. Its members were the former Petit Cénacle—Célestin Nanteuil, Bouchardy, Jehan du Seigneur, Philothée O’Neddy, Gérard de Nerval and Théophile Gautier. They were soon however to change their name to Les Jeunes France, intending to indicate that they were the youngest, most advanced and most adventurous spirits in France. They declared that they were pledged to fight against philistinism in all its aspects, and against the new order of Louis Philippe. Gautier has given us a description of the headquarters of the association. Since the Tartares were poor their room was only scantily furnished—especially in the matter of chairs—so most of the guests were obliged to sit on the floor. But the absence of furniture was redeemed by the originality of the decorations. Devéria and Boulanger had embellished the walls with mural paintings, and Jehan du Seigneur had contributed sculptured medallions; on the mantelpiece stood two antique and very precious Rouen vases, always filled with flowers, and they flanked a grinning skull which took the place of the customary clock in the centre—some part of a human skeleton was an essential accessory for every Tartare. It was at this time that Gérard de Nerval, at a dinner at the restaurant of Le Petit Moulin Rouge, produced a skull for use as a drinking vessel, claiming that it was that of his father killed at the Battle of the Beresina—he was, as it happened, very much alive and flourishing at the time. When this strange goblet was produced Célestin Nanteuil called out to the waiter: ‘Bring us some sea water.’ Théophile Gautier asked in astonishment the wherefore of this order and he answered ‘Don't you remember that Hugo, in Han d’Islande, 365made his hero drink sea water from the skulls of the dead? Let us follow his example. Garçon une eau de mer!’
