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flajg _ 13. 1846r • THE NORTHERN STAR 7
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-foreign iHuDtment&
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^intl I *"& war * at ^ east ' n ^oros, ,...
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. flink I hear a little bird, who sings ...
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riSTERN EUROPE AND TEE EMPEROR I NICHOLA...
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THE INSURRECTION IN PORTUGAL. For the la...
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TRIAL OF LBCOMTE FOR ATTEMPTING TO ASSAS...
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While this ^VtSJ-S*? tears. T h ?^$??R|*...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Flajg _ 13. 1846r • The Northern Star 7
flajg _ 13 . 1846 r THE NORTHERN STAR 7
-Foreign Ihudtment&
-foreign iHuDtment &
^Intl I *"& War * At ^ East ' N ^Oros, ,...
^ intl I * " & war ^ east ' ^ oros , , ij , d—should my chance so happen—deeds , } With aB who war with Thought l "
. Flink I Hear A Little Bird, Who Sings ...
. flink I hear a little bird , who sings people by and by wHI be the stronger . "—Btbok .
Ristern Europe And Tee Emperor I Nichola...
riSTERN EUROPE AND TEE EMPEROR I NICHOLAS . so . -vi . It is now onr task to unveil some of the CRIMES OF THE TYRANT NICHOLAS , , $ 0 was called to the throne in 1 S 25 by tbe death of jksander . This event gave rise to a rebellion in tereral parts of the empire , the explosion of a longjjooded conspiracy , which we purpose to fully explain . j-fcen we come to review the celebrated Revelations of ftssia . jjrST PEBSECtmOS OF THB FOIXS BT NICHOLAS . Tie Russian conspirators , ^ having entered into . comjn-nieation with an association of Polish patriots , the
jjjgnoflfii-holas commenced with a rigid investigation , gj-tnteen of his Polish subjects , from the Russianised porincesof Poland , were sent to St . Petersburgh , and tfei bv the imperial senate , -which condemned them aU tsSberia , Eightinthe kingdom of Poland were tried j ( he Polish senate , by whom , wider the presidfnce of ^ , e dying Bielinski , they were acquitted . Four years jfter their incarceration , and nine months after their acgmttal , these men were set at liberty ; but the venerable gtsinsl-isSoltyit never rose from his bed after this long Mofinement .
The case of these unfortunate men ia even worse Ihan represented by onr author . We are enabled to state on the best authority , that of the eight victims from the "kingdom of Poland , " only ikree were set » t liberty , the others , in spite of their acquittal veresent to prisons in Russia , where they still , if jlive . remain . Prison tortures for twenty years have failed to satiate the demoniacal hatred of their persecutor . The ferocious brute Coxstaxtke was now let loose upon Poland , and the country was exposed besides to all the oppression of double secret police , each smitrary in its power , and each mistrustful even of Jfe other . We pass over the period of the Revoluflmary war of 1830-31 , and the executions and other severities which immediately followed thesuppres . gen of the revolution , sad proceed to narrate some ef ihe tyrant ' s monstrous acts since that neriod .
Siemuis commenced by abolishing altogether the j iantom 0 f the constitution , which , so many years psviously , had been virtually abrogated . jHe declared jnnself sovereign by right of conquest ; and forthwith commenced the extermination of the conquered ^ thousands : — in ukase , dated the 3 rd July , 1 S 34 , condemned two kindred and eighty-six persons to capital punishments , fhe had been put on their trials a year before ; pronouncing tbe same sentence on somewhere about the same gsmberof fugitives . Ibis judgment was an absurd mockery , intended to fetave Europe . At the lowest computation ffty thou -ni Poles had already by that time been sent to Siberia . Ha fate of all of these victims generally remains unsown , but the running the gauntlet till death , of some isaireSs at Cronstadt , may give some notion of the fate . * -2 Re 3 to them .
Bnt , setting aside cases of individual cruelty , the jyssacre of hundreds , and the transplantation of liiusands to the most desolating exile , we entreat 2 s sympathies of our readers , for whole classes and ess es of the children of unhappy Poland , chaine d gcorged , and trampled upon by this merciless mis-Stant . The twenty millions of Poles , of which between fiarteen and fourteen millions may be accounted as oiler the dominion of Russia , are in round sumlas divided nearly as follows : — Three millions ef Cobles . Four millions of Burgers . Two millions of Jews . Eleven millions of Peasants . We will now quote our author as to the persecution frXicnOLAS of these several classes , commencing with
FERSECUTIOS OF THE X 0 BLES . Tbe Polish nobles in tbe Russian dominions amount to cszaderably upwards of two millions , on account of their feinr in a much larger proportion to the inhabitants than fc Susdan-Poland-I : -niU be admitted by the most ardent levellers that a das of such numerical extent acquires , from that cir-SEEtance alone , an importance impossible to deny . The Polish nobility is descended no donbt originally ans a conquering race , so ancient that it probably
beings to a period antecedent to the diffusion of patents aMpIomas , and in some of its most esteemed families is enjoyed by prescription . Amongst this people ( as swngst the Spartans and Athenians ) has always subisid tbe principle of republican equality , though as with fern , not extended to the people they subdued . Through etar change of fortune , this nobility continued inaliena-* - * ; and the great majority of it had become so far reon & 3 la circumstances , or had multiplied so much beyond ^ rs-ources , that its members had become smallfarmers , ! 5 £ = peasants , or labourers .
Under the Russian dominion , they had been divided ina seven categories , or classes . To these , according to Ssnamber of proofs and documents they could furnish , fej were adjudged to belong . Tie qualification required for the first class ivas such as very few could unite ; the next afforded greater fact * Kes , and in the seventh were comprehended all these duchhadno written documents whatever to show , but -io , on th ' eoath of twelveregisterednoblemen . that they --en-jed to tnehody , were themselves enregistered . This seath class alone united , therefore , many times more ambers than the other six , the sixth far more so than £ fifth , and so on in succession . 3 ; one of those sweepimrnkases in wnich iXichelasis so
-si of isdnlging , which affect the vital interests of mm--sis of thousands , and of which we have no examples st of oriental despotisms , he abolished the privileges of brent of sevex * classes , at a single stroke of the pen . Ifthis had been the simple abolition of a right , or a - " e-emiaence exercised at the expense of other classes . - sough enjoyed from time immemorial , the injustice of S principle might have been called in question ; but in -h , it reduces the nobleman ( who perhaps would have ¦ sen better designated as a free-man ) to the condition of teserf ; that is to say , he is wholly in the power of any tosdan police official . One of those men who will ex" ** bribes of half-pence , and make arrangements with the f * «* t thieves , has the discretionary power of inflicting
porai pnni-ameut on nun , at any time , without being - sable to blame or punishment , Furthermore , occasional ukases direct that all such Cobles as have no lands , shan be forcedly removed to ^ tmisetheinterior of Russia , ot he incorporated with -Cossacks of the lines of the Caucasus , or enrolled in Snoops of the line . Jwtj-five thousand families were thus removed by one j *** . The remainder continue entirely at the mercy of * -intliorities . In the most legitimate exercise of their aaions , according to the instructions given them , when fJpmprie ter of a small property dies , and his property P < s to be divided between several children , they may F-Ksons for soldiers . Now it must not be forgotten Ntbe disgrace and hardship of the soldier ' s life in N- . are such , that degradation to the ranks is
con-Nd as a punishment only inferior to file capital puntseat of -exile to Siberia . J only , therefore , has a great majority of the nobility i * deprived-ef its privileges , and rendered liableto every % mty and humiliation , bnt poverty leads at once to i"k ; anathi 5-qualification of poverty the government has ^ hs bestto secure to them , by the most extensive constion of individual property which has occurred " *** many centuries , if we except the period of the fetich revolution . i-f-lis t of upwards of ten thousand estates confiscated , r appeared in the public documents ; and as this profeon has fallen fceavy on the wealthier proprietors , f ? -ire supposed at the lowest computa'ion to amount in Nto-sixty millions sterling , whilst others rate them at Nj the double .
S 6 E 503 IOS -OF THE -BURGEE'S , JEWS , & SD PEASANTS . ^ now tarn to the burger class , itmay be sufficient * - » te , ihatasfar as their trade is concerned , they are * - * d to more vexatiocs grievances than in an earlier * ef this ehapter they have been described as liable ^ -ag the lastyear of Alexander's reign . As to their " jghle , tlie equality la the eye of the law , which % onhad established , and Alexander solemnly con-< a , has been abolished . There remain tbe Hebrews % peasantry . The great bulk of the Jewish people '•" habits Poland , which first offered tbe example of toleration , afterwards followed by Holland and - ¦ Britain . It is true that ia these . latter connlo ' es ' has succeeded a toleration of opinion , which has 1 jet ariien in Poland . Nevertheless , though the ** shad not been admitted to the full rights of
citi-™ R they bad , on the other sand , hithe . vte been ex'« a from one of the most onerous of its charges—one *• their prejudices rendered peculiarly od urns—thef * -J service . The Emperor Xicnolas , distrogolslied -5 strong personal antipathy to this people , has vig-% submitted them to the conscription , making the "• S responsible in their persons and property tor the ¦ ** aaee of the children—not only without conferring ^ tnjfinj equivalent right ? , bnt exercising towards ^ a " bolesale violence , such as the utmost rigour v » f wntdaji despotism has never displayed in its most vi-^ Ptt judice . ^¦ e to stop tbe smuggling in the frontier governr . diitfly on account of the gross venality and col-P ° f his own agents , he fell , as is well known , on the r ^ of simultaneously transplanting into the inte-| r Knesia a hundred thousand families . Those who [ ° K get rid of their property within a given space
Ristern Europe And Tee Emperor I Nichola...
of time , ( which how should they do where all were sellers ?) were to leave it in the care of the police , to dispose of for Hum . Tor all who have ever been in Russia , and know that thename of every branch of the police is synonymous with the utmost depravity , and the most flagrant dishonesty , there is an appearance of the most cynical derision in such a proposition . A stranger might as well confide hie watch and puree to the swell-mob in London . The next imperial interference with the Jews was to prohibit , under thepenalty of a fine , the wearing the distinctive eostume and beard which they have learned to consider as symholical of the faith they profess , and to which previous ukases had , under other penalties , confined them . It may he imagined what a means of extorj tion this prohibition proves to the police , who have the charge of enforcingit .
ThweremauiR to consider the condition of the peasantry . IntheRusBo-Polish provinces , —that is to say , in those incorporated in the Russian empire , —they eon . tinue in the slavery from which Alexander in 1818 forbade their masters to emancipate them . In the kingdom of Poland , where six-and-twent y years previously they had been enfranchised for ever by Napoleon , by the first article of the constitution of the grand duchy of Warsaw , which decreed equality in tbe eye of the law , Nicholas , the signer of treaties for the suppression of the slave-trade , in 1 S 33 , reduced them by ukase again virtually to the condi . tion of serfs . It is meant here literally of serfs , —that is to say , to a state of servitude as it has exis ted in Poland , not to the absolute slavery of Russia , where practically a peasant is gambled away at cards , and transferred Kke a horse .
On the other hand , however , the Polish peasant is far more oppressed by the government authorities than even tbe Russian . For himthereisno ' possihleredrr |»; ainst the lowest and the meanest of his tyrants , because even Mslorfl is divested of all interest , On a market-day , for instance , the fruits of his produce are unhlushingly confiscated by any thing that wears a Russian uniform . His best poultry is seized '" tmder the ' pretext that it is diseased , — hisiinest fruit and vegetables because unripe ; and if he ventures one single murmur , he is pressed into the public service , to work at paving or sweeping the streets for several days ; leaving the remainder of his goods at the mercy of the police .
We pass over the infernal system of espionage , and coercion of everything in the shape of opinion , these are too well known to need description . A long account is given of the re ' . igious persecution of the Polish people . No sooner was the authority of Nicholas re-estaulished in Poland than he set on foot a system of persecution which gradually increased in intensity , till in lS 39 . it was undertaken on a scale of unprecedented magnitude ' and severity . He determined forcibly to incorporate the United Greeks , or Basilians , ( that is 'to say , Roman Catholics , to whom the Papal see had allowed the marriage of the priesthood , and other of the usages and ritual of the Eastern Ch-.-rch , ) numbering three millions in his dominions , with the Russian Church .
The bishops were gained ' over , and immediately 13 , 000 priests were forced to abjure Roman Catholicism , or suffer the tortures to which non-conformists were doomed . These tortures we need not describe at length , suffice it to say , that imprisonment in horrible dungeons , starvation , flogging , incorporation in the Caucasian army , and banishment to Siberia , were among the " means employed to convert the recusant priests . Of course , the fate of hundreds of these unhappy men will for ever remain unknown to Western Europe , but what the end of many of them has been may be inferred from the murder of the friar Siebocikbki , exiled to Siberia , who wasrecentlj knouted to death at Tobolsk , having been detected secretly administering the [ sacrament to his fellowprisoners . As to the congregations of these priests , the most shameless and cruel measures were adopted to force them to conform to the new faith .
The Empexor Nicholas , who at the close of the revolution , published a free pardon , with certain exceptions to all who should return to their homes within a given time , expressing their contrition , —by a letter dated 6 th of April 1832 , instructed the governor of Podolia to transport into Russia those who , trusting in his promise , had submitted . But though so merciless towards those whom he had ranked in the class of most venial political offenders , and had allured into his power by solemn assurances of forgiveness , he offers by an ukase of the 2 nd of January , 1839 , an absolute pardon to aU Soman Catholics condemned for murder or theft to capital punishments , on condition of embracing the Greek faith .
The peasantry were promised their freedom on the condition ofapostacy ; and a period of famine was taken advantange of , to offer them flour on the condition of their making three crosses on a register , to acknowledge its receipt . This register contained a general recantation , to which their mark was thus surreptitiously obtained ; but as after this thejwere , by the terms of the ukase , considered as belonging to the Russo-Greek Church , from which any departure is capitally punished , they were thus utterly at the mercy of the authorities . In some places whole villages were driven into baths and barns , where they were smoked by lighted straw tM they yielded .
A commission , composed of government agents and apostate priests , summoned the inhabitants of the village of Worodzkof to appear before them , where they were sitting , about sixteen miles off . When before the commission they refused to sign their adherence to the new faith , they were ironed , thrown into baths filled with a fetid smoke , bnt without fire , in the severest weather . Here they were kept several days , without food , beaten and ill-treated , and being constantly informed that they would be sent to Witepsk , to be capitally punished . When many of them had fallen ill , they were forced to sign their adhesion ; but immediately on their return exposed these facts in a petition signed by sixty-four of their number , nobles and peasants ; but met with no redress ; they were considered as irrevocably orthodox .
In one place , some hundreds of the peasantry having obstinately taken refuge on a frozen pond , the so diers accompanying the Russian missions were directed to break the ice , and the nnyielding wretches perished wholesale . We must refer our readers to the work itself for . a fuller account of these devilish doings . By these means two millions of proselytes were enregistered as having accepted the ' Russo-Greek faith . " When Nicholas had produced this desired result , he caused a medal to be struck , recording the incorporation of the United Greeks with the Orthodox ( Russian ) Church . It ran as follows : — - " Separated by violence in 1596 , re-mdted by love in 1839 . "
There , ye Exeter Hall hypocrites , bigots , and fools . ye who " strain ] at a gnat and swallow a camel , " who compass sea and land to save Hindoos , Hottentots , & e ., ifec ., from the tyranny to which their spiritual chiefs snbject them , read the above account of the wrongs ofyoru fellow Christians , and blushfOr your heartless indifference to their sufferings . Convinced by long experience that the Polish people are unconquerable , their savage persecutor adopts every possible effort to keep under and reduce the population . To effect this , besides the banish ment and incorporation into the Russian armies , o f large masses of Poles , no Pole , without a special permission , is permitted to marry before the age of thirty ; bnt this is not the worst , we have now to relate a series of inhuman atrocities , unmatched in history , unless we except the slaughter of the " Inno-I cents" by Hebod .
SEIZOHB AND DEBinCCTlOS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN , An ukase , dated 1832 , authorised the police to seize all children who were orphans , or the offspring of poor persons , to internals them into Russia , and bring the-n up in the Greek religion . In two days , seven hundred were sent off to Warsaw , amidst the despair and imprecations of their parents , who followed till exhaustion obliged them to abandon the convoy . The children of all those who had fought in the Polish armies were subjected to the same fate , and it is calculated that some thousands of those belonging to individuals who were obnoxious to the government , were seitcd in the bosoms of their families in a like manner . Soon after this , a diabolical means was resorted to , of saving the police trouble , which , till known , was used throughout the country , particularly in the large towns .
Scarcity and famine , which embarrass other governments , proved a useful auxiliary to tlie Russian ; and charity was used as a lure to reach its victims . The police declared that they were to draw up lists of the indigent , for the purpose of affording them relief in food , and remitting their burthens . AU who were in that condition were invited to declare iL As soon as the lists appeared completed , the police , condemning the applicants on their own showing , relieved tnem indeed , —but it was of their cfeiMren , who were thus collected without trouble . When this experiment was exhausted , raazias were made in all fee parochial schools of the large towns , — - even in these of charitable institutions , theschools for the soldiers' children , and the foundling hospitals .
This constant dram of the inhabitants , but especially of the youth of the country , proceeds augmenting systematically . A larger number were transplanted in 1843 than in 1842 , and a larger number in ISM than in 1843 . It is in pursuance of a plan for transplanting , as far as possible , the Polish population , and dispersing it over Russia . Of these children it is calculated that more than one-third never reach the place of their destination . In 1832 and 1833 , before this service was organised , those that fell from exhaustion were abandoned by the roadside , with a few pounds of blaci bread beside them- and the number confided to the escort was recruited farther on .
What language of denunciation can sufficiently c . Varacterise the abomination of these atfocities 1 Is there not some chosen curse , Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven , Bjed with uneommon wrath , to blast the man , W . Ho ones his greatness to a people ' s ruin 1
Ristern Europe And Tee Emperor I Nichola...
Let us hear no more of the maudlin cant which would excuse t yrants their crimes because forsooth they don't know they are doing wrong (!) , because they have been so taught , so trained , dsc . The miscreants live in no fool ' s paradise , not knowing good from evil , wrong from right . Will any maudlin philosopher gravely assure us that the modern Herod is satisfied in his own conscience that his wholesale child-murderingtisright and justifiable ? We hear much in these canting days , of " the sacredneBs of human life , " and the principle is twisted into a
safeguard for tyrants , to save them from the merited reward of their crimes ; but the life of a mad dog is not sacred in our eyes , and as little sacred do we regard the lives ol Imperial beasts of prey , who ravage nations , and , wolf-like , tear infant children from their mother ' s breasts to gorge their ravenous appetite for blood . As we read the following , we , from our heart ' s inmost depths , curse the drivelling morality that influenced the men who , having their country ' s fate in their hands , threw away their glorious chance , and to save mere units ensured the destruction of thousands , and the misery of millions .
CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE AUTOCRAT . At the coronation of Nicholas at Warsaw , the expe . dienthad been adopted by the conspirators of freeing their country by the massacre of the imperial family , of which all the members , as well as nearly every personage , ofnote in tbe empire , were there assembled , and which defiled unconsciousl y between the students of the cadet * schools , * whose muskets were loaded with ball-cartridge , whilst every avenue of escape was occupied hj the con . federates . At the eleventh hour , a counter-order came from their chiefs , who were unwilling , on due reflection , to sully their cause by such a massacre ; and the family of Romanoff was saved . Men who conspire to crush tyranny should remember that " revolutions are not made with
rosewater . " The imbecility whicli covers ' itself with the cloak of a spurious morality may be , and often has been more fatal to the interests of the oppressed , than all other causes of failure combined . ' In the month of August last year , twenty-one con spirators were condemned to Siberia ; in October , eighty-two ; yet in spite of this an attempt was shortly afterwards made to assassinate tbe policemaster of Warsaw . Many were arrested : the ac cused were tortured in many ways , especially by giving them salted food , without water . Several were condemned to be knouted , and all died under the infliction ; the executioner continuing to strike th <
dead bodies . With the torturing to death ef Sci gennt , and Levitoux , and the recent hanging of F « totski , Zabski , and Kocsiszewski , and the fcnoutinf to death of Madame Kbosxowska and other victims our readers are familiar . But , "let us , " in tin words of the author of this work , " close this chaptei of horrors ; it may suffice to show that the Poles without being turbulent , dissatisfied , or unruly would be unworthy of the respect of Englishmen , if all their thoughts and energies were not directec to overthrow a domination of which they have hac such terrible experience , and which still weighs like a fearful nightmare on their country . "
£ S" Next ' week we will re-publish from the Heforme , an account , by an eye-witness , of the Gallician massacres prompted by the infernal Austrian government . * It was not a cadet school , but the school of Pate-Enteignes . —Ed . N . S .
The Insurrection In Portugal. For The La...
THE INSURRECTION IN PORTUGAL . For the last few weeks we have reported the progress of agitation and revolt in Portugal , and in our last number we had the gratification of announcing the fall of the Cabral administration ; we think however that a more detailed account than has yet appeared in our columns will be interesting to our readers , more particularly as the insurrection is not yet over , aud may before the end comes produce most serious results not only in Portugal but Spain also . We have compiled the None can deny the talent of the two brothers , Cabraes . But they went too far—they trusted too much to themselves , and were certain that by paying well the army and their friends—keeping them pleased , that they could do anything they pleased . To keep the army in their favour , they paid them very well , and they gave to the commanding officers and some of the captains , & c , gratificacoens ,
through the secret-service money ; this is to say , they did not care for the rest of the nation , and they acted as if the whole nation was comprised in the ministry and the army . Not minding the public distress , the total stagnation of trade , " they increased the expense of the civil list , by augmenting the number of the public functionaries , and creating new " courts , tribunals , and God knows what , to satisfy those who had been useful to them at the elections , and keep them from publishing all their manoeuvres ; the present Cortes being entirely composed of public functionaries , or of persons depending upon government . They established new sanatory laws to oblige and reward the services rendered them , at the last elections , by the country surgeons and apothecaries ; these laws imposed heavy taxes upon all the shops selling any sorts of tatables or drinkables , so much so that a tacerna
selling twenty-five Sardinbas , some wine , bread , and onions , of which all the stock is not worth six shillings , was obliged to pay twelve shillings ; and when those people think proper they carried away all the stock , under the pretext that they are not in good condition . No one , no matter poor or rich , in any village , could be buried without a certificate from the surgeon , paying for . it from four to six shillings . Tbe fees to the curates had been also much altered . They altered completely the method of taxation , and imposed direct and personal taxation , much heavier than before , and quite on a new . system , of which the people had no idea , and they appointed to have this new law executed , people unfit for it , and who bad not the proper manners to deal with them .. For the new direct taxation , every one was obliged to declare the property each one possessed , where it was situated , and
their exact limits ( oonfron ' acoens ) ; heavy taxation , oppression of the magistrates , and an undue hand in exciting the people , and showing to them how this excess of taxation was misapplied to useless expenses , to keep an army of janissaries , and to enrich a few , who hat a short time hack were beggars . Women , or men dressed in women's clothes , were tbe first in the Minho to rise against the authorities and the military ; they had the better of them : encoura-red by it , the different parishes rose en masse , and attacked the troops , at Guimaraes and Braga , and fought desperately . When government could ne longer conceal the doings from the public , and a force of six thousand men was marching upon Oporto , they applied to the Cortes to grant them the suspension of the guarantees , and an authorisation to place the revolted country under martial la w : and they passed a law making
the whole province answerable for the loss that these people might occasion which law was sanctioned by the Cortes by a large majority . Some troops were immediately sent to Oporto , the loth Regiment , Commander Taborda , wfh Joseph Cabras , to whom the Queen wrote a carta regia , granting him full powers over the whole country revolted , and over all tlie civil and military . Jose Cabral , in arriving at Oporto , instead of looking into the grievances of the people , and forgetting that the Minho is the most populous Province in Portugal , the best soldiers and the bravest , and that every man there has been a soldier , ordered a few hundred men , divided in three columns to march against them , and to carry everything by sword and fire . Tabordo
proceeded to carry out the minister's order by delivering up the town of Villa Nova de Tamelicao ' to plunder , setting fire to property , violating women , and shooting the prisoners who unfortunately fell into their hands . These aud other like proceedings exasperated the people against the military , and more particularly against the 16 th Regiment , to such a degree , that they solemnly swore their destruction , which they very nearly accomplished . The hatred against the military soon spread all over the country . To enter on the detail of tbe different movements of the tro » ps and the encounters with the Sublevados , would be a too long tale ; the fact is the troops were beaten everywhere , the people fought bravely and desperately , and In some places the troops would not fight against the people but have joined them .
In Oporto , Cabral distributed arms to the Cabos de Seguranca ; but finding out his error , he wanted to have them disarmed ; they refused , and fought against the troops ; Veing without ammunition they retreated and joined the Sublevados . Oporto was therefore for some days in the greatest consternation , and ready to explode and take revenge on Cabral , whose barbarity was such that he ordered to set fire to a house because they fired from it upon him . The whole of Jlinho and Trasos Monies being in arms , the people in such force that they attacked and besieged Melgaco and Valenca , and troops in Trasos Montes joining the Sublevados ; the Beiralta , with Vizan being also in arms , everything being ready at Combra and all over the country , Cabral at Oporto being guarded by his friends to save him from assassination , the government being without troops , the whole army amounting to scarcely 8 . 000 men , and without money , the people of Trasys Montes having formed a junta at VUla
Real , with Bon Fernando , son of Count of Villa Heal , the head ; the people having proclaimed " Death to the Cabraes ; " the insolent dictator deemed it prudent to decamp . It was with difficulty that he could --et . out of Oporto . On his arrival at Lisbon a Cabinet Council was immediately assembled—the news of his arrival , of the state of the northern provinces , and of ihe Beria Alto , was in every body's mouth , and produced the greatest excitement . On Sunday evening ( the 24 tli ult . ) , Ministers , much against their will , tendered their resignation , whicli the Queen accepted apparently , and Count de Villa Real was called to form the new Administration , with instructions to form it of persons in the interests of Cabral * ihe worked hard but could find no one who would accept it . In the meantime the officers commanding the corps of the garrison , were called to know if they could answer for their corps , and would support Minis ters ; they did not ££ T . es . three of them declaring that theilr duty wae 4 o
The Insurrection In Portugal. For The La...
obey , but not to support men in power ; they were dined and cajoled to make a representation to the Queen , asking to keep the Same Ministry , as it was indecorous to yield to thevoice of the people ; they , the same three , refused to do so—some very threatening scenes took place . The Duke de Palmella was next sent for by the Queen to form a ministry . In this Palmella was not immediately successful , and several days of anarchy succeeded . The run upon the Bank , and the several companies allowed to issue paper notes , was immense , and the Bank paid in silver in three days , about 600 pontes ( £ 185 , 000 at 51 per 1000 ) . In the impossibility of continuing thepayment of the notes , they presented an address to the Queen , in which they declared the impossibility to meet the notes , on account of the great debt of Government , and the difficulties arising in consequence of the state of the country ,
and praying the Queen to order the forced circulation of the notes , and allow them three months to meet them , ordering at the same time that no one might refuse to re . ceive them in private transactions , except in foreign bills . It is easy to form an idea of the impression such a step caused , the more so as all the companies and savings ' hanks took advantage from it , and formally stopped payment . Government , afraid of some popular movement in the capital , had ordered on the 23 rd tho closing of all the receiving and paying houses , that is to sayj Custom House , && , and of this order the bank and the companies took advantage , to the great detriment of the public , many bills of very respectable houses were protested . It being Saturday , when private accounts had to be settled , it was a great annoyance to the public , and on the 25 th , the government order was published : allo \ ving them the three months as above mentioned , '
The Bank of Lisbon was established in 1821 by the Cortes sitting after the popular movement of 1820 . T , he King , Don John VI ., by a decree of the 7 th ot June , 1824 , granted the bank some privileges- —a charter for thirty years from that date , and that it was to have a capital of 2 , 400 contos ( £ 540 , 000 at d 4 per 1 , 000 reis ); it was afterwards authorised in 1827 , to increase Its eapital by 2 , 500 contos more ( £ 585 , 000 . ) The capital , therefore ,. of the Bank of Lisbon is 5 , 000 contos , say £ 1 , 125 , 000 , at the exchange of 54 dollars per 1 , 000 reis . The bank is allowed to issue notes , with such circumspection thatit may never be forced to defer or interrupt the payments . In another place it is left to the discretion of the directors to buy Government securities , but never to endanger the interests of the bank , and it is positively enacted that the directors of the bank are never to make loans , or enter
into transactions with the Government without assembling the shareholders , and have their consent for it . The bank is also authorised to discount bills , and lend money upon safe guarantees . The Government , for some years past , has had a direct influence in the election of'the Governor ( President ) and Directors of the Bank ; consequently , tha election has fallen upon persons in their own interest . Though they have assembled at different periods , the general assembly of the shareholders to obtain their consent to contract with government , the influence , both of the government and their friends has been such , that they have contrived , notwithstanding the just opposition of those shareholders who know their own interests , to obtain their consent , sometimes with certain restrictions , and sometimes without ; the consequence , therefore , is , that the government is indebted to the bank , for between three and four contos of reis , that is to say , £ 675 , 000 and £ 900 , 000 , The loan made upon securities is about three hundred and fifty contos ( £ 78 , 750 ); the Bank has some gold and silver bars .
It is not rightly ascertained the amount of the notes they have out , but no one doubts that it exceeds their capital . It is manifestly known that government are indebted to the Bank and to these companies for very large amounts advanced by them upon the revenue ; that is to say , the whole public revenues are mortgagad to the Bank and this company for some . vears to come ; and it must be the most difficult task of the Ministers to find out the means of defraying the current expenses . Fine promises have already passed between Palmella and the Bank directors , as well as those of the companies , but people doubt much of their mutual sincerity . These loans and advances made to the government were of such immense advantage to the parties making them , thay even if they lose half it will be a very profitable affair . A general and total bankruptcy is feared . The pronunciamentos continued , on the 20 th , Almada , Carilhas , and all the small places on the south side of the Tagus , opposite to Lisbon , made their pronunciameuto , deposed the authorities , and appointed others ,
We have now to record a shameful and brutal massacre ef the unarmed people . Thursday , the 21 st , the dayafter the packet left , was holiday or saint ' s day , [ and the panic which already existed in all classes of society was increased by the augmented numbers of soldiery parading the streets and formed into strong guards in the public squares . - The curiosity of the people was naturally excited at a measure , which from their existing tranquil conduct , appeared wholly uncalled-for and ill-timed . Groups were ordered to disperse from the squares , and a park of artillery and platoons were placed at the entrances of the streets to intimidate an inoffensive people dressed in their holiday suits and armed with walking canes , and deprived of their customary privilege of crossing the Tagus in the small steamers which ply every half hour for that purpose , or of their harmless promenade in the
magnificent square of the Terrciro de Paco , facing tho river , now the scene of so much warlike preparation and anticipated feud . These wholly unncessary steps were the forerunner and provoker of a demonstration of dissatisfaction and just irritation on the part of the people , which , however , merely showed itself in an obstinacy to resist the same feeling of pertinacity in the troops . They were then charged by the patrols of lancers , and maltreated and driven by the infantry , and several were badly wounded . The cavalry and infantry of the municipal guard and 7 th Rigiment of Foot then made their appearance , and after some useless hissing , hooting , and pelting , tbe troops fired vollies , and ten or twelve people were killed . At night the guard-houses were set fire to , and universal terror reigned . On the following morning , the now frightened Queen issued the following proclamation : —
PBOCLAJIATlON OF THE QUEEN . : The evils which afflict the Portuguese nation , so worthy of being free and happy , deeply afflict my heart . The complaints of the people cannot be otherwise than listened to by me , when they are made known to me . The state of the nation imperiously demands the application of' immediate and efficacious remedies , with which my Government is about to occupy itself incessantly . . - . ¦¦ - The ordinary session of the Cortes will be immediatelyclosed . The sanitary laws , and those for the reform of the system of taxation , are going to be abolished by a royal decree , which the Cortes will in due time be made acquainted with . The eminent public opinion , the best counsellor in representative Governments , will serve as a becon light to my Government , and the freedom of tho press is already in force .
Portuguese—The establishment of order and respect to the laws is at the present moment the primary necessity , and my greatest desire consists in the' cessation of the disastrous effects of the public inquietude— -this state is indispensable in order that the government may occupy itself with urgency , and , at the same time , with confidence in whatever be necessary for the people ; really to enjoy the benefit and effects of the constitutional charter . My actual Ministers are commissioned by me to form the projects of law which may most tend to the furtherance of economy in the public finances , and the satisfying the principal necessities of administration and justice . The national representation will be convoked the moment the tranquillity of the country permits , for only then can this representation be real and competent to transact the public affairs .
Portuguese , confide in me , as I equally confide in the honour of this nation , which , with so much valour and loyalty restored to me my Crown , and the liberty of the country , the keeping and preservation of which are objects of my greatest solicitude . The Qoeen . Puke of Palmella , Duke op Tebceira . Court of Belem , May 21 , 1846 . The signature of Tereeira in the above proclamation called forth against him the public hatred , and no confidence was placed in such a paper . Many proclamations were then published , some calling the people to arms , and not to allow more doubt and procrastination ; amongst them , one signed "M ., " which is an exact description ofthecountry . during the lute administration ; we give it as follows : —
poutogoese . The general rising of the nation , recently ridiculed by half-fl-dozen scoundrels , has sufficiently pointed out to you the path you have to follow . The Janizaries of Lisbon are few and cowardly ; ihey scour the streetsof the capital to impose , and where there is imposition there is no force . The troops are ready to follow you , but they know not the will of the people , because they are deceived . The liberty of the press , one of the most precious guarantees of tbe Constitutional Government , has been wrested from you , and the Diario do Gooemo , organ of the Ministers , contains nothing but falsehood .
At the moment when the people of the Minho were valorously fightin-r , deprived . perhaps , of their daily bread , everything in the capital appeared to abound in wealth and rejoicing , the Queen visited the theatres ; the Ministers , during the day , rode in their gilded carriages , and at nigkt were closed with those deputies elected at the point of the bayonet , for the purpose of contriving means to oppress and deceive the people . The ministers of religion—the Patriarch and Bishops , prostituted their characters in counselling and approving the sanguinary laws of extermination . The money of the taxes disappeared in balls and splendid banquets , given by a handful of usurious money-lenders , who , in conjunction with the Cabraes and other Ministci s , have absorbed in scandalous and clandestine contracts the revenues of the nation . And do these miscreants persuade themselves , that , in the midst of banquets and bacchanalian orgies , the fate of a virtuous nation is decided %
Ho , people—for you have in your hands arms which you roust not lay down . For a length of time Palaces have been purchased , and immense sums deposited in foreign sountrics safe from . the justice of the peaple . Robbery was the fundamental base of the edifice of the -fle-braes ; ftey even dragged the Queen to Thomar , and ,
The Insurrection In Portugal. For The La...
without shame , pre rented to her a Castle , richly adorned —the result of much infamy and immorality . ; Still they want to deceive you , to induce you to depose your arms and then return to power . Why does the Court show itself the enemy of the peo * pie , who with the sweat of their brow , sustains its magnificence ? - . ' , Why does not the Queen appoint a Ministry that is popular ? Do you not see in the Ministry the Duke of Tereeira , who has been battling against the people , that he is n dirty dishelout of the Court , and the accomplice of the Cabraes 5 What confidence can he merit from you ? People , be on the alert ? The Cabraes are still in Lisbon hidden in the house of a foreign Minister , and the Court continues in its blindness . It is necessary for every one to be firm to his duty , and to prevent assassination and robbery . Without having obtained a popular Ministry , and new Cortes , do net lay down your arms 1 People , be on the alert !
On the 24 th , arrived the Archiluke Constantine of Russia , to wbom no attention was paid , and he went about in a hackney carriage . On the 25 th the Cortes were dissolved , which was agreeable to the people , and new ones are to be assembled on the 1 st of September next . On the same day the troops sent to resist the Pronunciatos at Cacithas and Almada being attacked , were forced to retreat to Lisbon . On the 26 th the new ministry was formed as follows ; - — President and Finance—Duke of Palmella , Home Department—Luiz da Silva Mouzinho Albuqucrque . Foreign Affairs—Count Lavradio . War—Marquis Saldanha . Marine—Joze Jorge Loureiro . Justice—Joaquim Felippe de Soure .
We must now return to the Cabrals , who durin ; the the above events hid themselves , in the first Instance in the Carmo barracks , the chief quarters of the Municipal Guards and there endeavoured , but in vain , to stimulate the military , through the Deputy , Major Joaquim Bento , and others of their partisans , to an armed movement in their favour . The two Cabrals now dreaded lest they might bn betrayed , and betook themselves to the house of the Spanish Minister , Gonzalez Bravo . From this they proceeded under the escort of a boat ' s crew , armed to the teeth with cutlasses and pistols under the cloud of the night to a French brig of war which happened to be lying in the river . Here they were at least safe , and remained for threee or four days , while the flames of insurrection was raging on both banks of the Tagus , themselves tho cause . Often
their eyes were anxiously turned in the direction of the Cortes , in the neighbourhood of which , within a few months , one had moved into a fine palace , and the other was in the net of finishing a still more magnificent palace in a style of splendour larcly seen in the Portuguese metropolis , It is generally agreed to have been most signal impolicy in Costa Cabral , that sort of madness , in fact , " which precedes destruction . " to employ forty labourers daily , for months past , in the completion of this : sumptuous edifice , a monument of hatred in the eyes of the Lisbon people ; who could not fail , as they passed , to "compare this splendour with the salary ( £ 700 a-year ) which the Minister legitimately possessed . . This egregious folly—this popularly regarded "Castle plunder , " contributed as much as anything else to his downfall . It was the
universal supposition , that the excited populace , maddened by his escape from their clutches , would have set his palace in a blaze to light him out of the river . This they did not do , however , either moderated by their victory , or kept in restraint by the Municipal Guard . Costa Cabral had moved his most valuable effects to the Estrella Convent , and his brother had moved his to another place of security . These they are said to have managed to remove o : i board the French bri-r , and the fairy tales do not exceed ' the rumours afloat amongst the populace , about the wealth which their boxes contained . Of course , no one but those concerned knotvs anything on the subject , but it is currently said ^ that no means of making money were neglected by the two brothers . The next night Cachilas
and Almada were in active insurrection ' , and the rattling musketry of the skirmish between the people anrl soldiery oould be heard by the Cabrals , who were conscious that tbey ' were the cause . This , too , passed over , but offered little encouragement to remain in the French brig , which could not leave the river without special orders , and the Cabrals apprehended a coup de main by the Exaltado populace in boats to seize them from on board the brig , and cut them to pieces . Accordingly as the Pacha Peninsular steamer which arrived on Sunday from England , was sailing out of the Tagns , they moved alongside of her , were towed past the town of Beloa , and then went on board of her , and proceeded to Cadiz , where they now are vegetating like Milo at Marseilles .
On the 30 th ult . the Queen , after much difficulty , signed a decree , granting a general amnesty , to the Almedia insurgents , and ' re-establisbing them to their ranks and places On the same day news was received from Oporto that the new Governor , Visconde de Beive , had liberated the political prisoners whom Jose Cabral had confined , they were brought into the city in a triumphal procession . The armed Minho peasants were still encamped , and whether they would return to their homes at the bidding of the new government was much doubted . The walls of the capital continue to be covered with proclamations warning the people not to lay down their arms without havingproper guarantees . The state of affairs in Portugal caused considerable uneasiness at Madrid , and fears were entertained that the movement would extend itself to Spain .
Trial Of Lbcomte For Attempting To Assas...
TRIAL OF LBCOMTE FOR ATTEMPTING TO ASSASSINATE LOUIS PHILIPPE . Pabis , June 4 . The trial began on Thursday . M , llebert , Proeurenr-General , and M . Bresson , Avocat-General , conducted th <> prosecution ; M . Duvergier , the defence . The accused was brought into court , escorted by four gensdarmes . His step was firm , and hisdemeanour composed ; and as he stood at the bar he gazed around him with a calm aud deliberate air , wholly free from insolence or affectation . He is a stout-built man , about five feet eight inches high ; 48 years of age ; with black hair , closely cropped : short , thick moustache , and was attired in a suit of black . When his counsel took his seat , he rose and bowed to him , and resumed his place with the indifference of a spectator .
The proceedings opened with the calling over the names of the Peers , of whom 200 and upwards answered to their names . This completed , theChancellor inquired of the accused his name . He rose and replied respectfully , " Pierre Lecomte . " The witnesses were then admitted , 44 or 45 in number , and then the Secretary of the Chamber read at length the "Acte d'Accusation , " which comprised a long resume of the transaction , with many details as to Lecomte ' s previous life , and arguments as to his motives and conduct before and since the attempt , to which he listened with the same air of composure as at first . The names of the witnesses were then read over , and they withdrew , except the Comte de Montalivet ! The Chanoellor ^ then in terrogated Lecomte as to how and when he left Paris on the 15 th of April—of his attempt on the king—his motives , & c , to which , with much alacrity , and at times , when be spoke of his fancied wrongs , with
much vehemence , the accused replied , saving , he had reached Fontainebleau on the morning of the lGfh April , concealed his carbine in the forest , taken his breakfast at Valvins ( two miles distant ) , returned to the Parquet d'Avon , an enclosure in the park , whirc he loaded both barrels of his carbine , and piled some faggots , to enable him to stand and fire from behind the wall , but the noise of wheels having made him ascend the pile hastily , he bad only got up in time to see tho carriage abreast of him , He had then fired both barrels , and missed the king by firing too much to the right , in order that he might not hit any other persons in tlie clutr-a-banc . As to his motires , he said all his applications for a sum to recompense his loss of salary and place were Vefused ; he had but a miserable pittance , 'to be paid only during the life of the king . None of his letters of remonstrance were answered , and then he resolved to shoot the king .
Ihe Comte de Montalivet , Intondant ne la Lists Civile , who was with the king in the carriage at the time . . Lecomte fired , then deposed to the fact of the two shots being heard , which whistled close to his left ear . The king said calmly to the postilions , who had stopped , — " Proceed , proceed ; " and the queen , having picked up a piece of wadding between herself and the king , they proceeded to the chateau de Foutnincbleau , when , on examining the carriage , he found several bullet aud shot boles ill the roof . The Comte then guve a long account of Lecomte s service in the woods of the royal family , his conduct , and dismissal from the royal service . Lecomte denied some of the details , but in a very trifling degree , and mainly as to a point of date . M . de Montalivet on being asked by Lecomte ' s Counsel said his behaviour as garde-forestier had been pretty good as far as he personally knew .
Augustin Goniau , a jyi . 7 itc « r in the King ' s Stables at Fontaiubleau , was outrider to the cltar-a-banc on the 10 th nt April , and heard the shots fired ; ho stopped , but the Queen cried ' * En Avattnt , "and he desired tbe postillions to advance whilst lie waited with Milet and others to watch the Parquet d'Avon , and prevent any one from escaping . Joseph Borel , a Lieutenant of the 1 st regiment of Hussars quartered at Fontaiubleau , was one of the escort on the 16 th of April ; saw Lecomte ( whom he identified ) when seized by Milet , and helped to escort him to the guard-house .
Charles Gournay , ihe Captain commanding the Geild . ii'inerie of the Seine and Marne , was on duty , on the 16 th of April , at Fontaiubleau , on horseback , behind the carriage . Heard a shot tired—looked up , and saw a man , half of whose form was visible , and who was armed with a gun , aimed In the direction of the King—looked and saw no one was hurt ; put his horse into a gallop , aud then heard a second shot ; placed his men round the l ' arquet d'Avon , saw Lecomte arrive with Milet and Lieutenant Deflandre ; heard Lueomto say before the prefect , " The king is not hurt—so much the better for him : he is luckier than I am . "
Pierre Milet , a groom in the King ' s service , was out with the carriage on the U-ih . Heard the shots fired , looked up and saw a man in a blouse with a handkerchief tied round his mouth ; jumped off his horse , entered by a gate , then , placing his horse against the wall , put his foot on the saddle , and thus climbed upon and over the wall—saw a man scrambling over a heap of faggots , in order to get-over the wall , ran to him , seized his gun , and arrested him in the king ' s name , He made no realstance , but appeared purprieed . Lieutenant Diflandrc arrived ; witroess took ofi" lecomte'e blouse , and found in
Trial Of Lbcomte For Attempting To Assas...
his jacket a phial , a small utirror , and some ponder an 4 ball in" a paper . : This evIdoncB was confirmed by " Lieutenant Deilandre , who added many details . He stated that when lie arrived where Milet was who cried for "help , " he saw Lecomte , who said . " I ' m caught ; it was I who did it , " Witnesi did not recognise him at first , until he said , " You know me very well , Lieutenant ; I am Lecomte . I have played for high stakes , and I have lost the game . " . ' ¦ The next witness was M . de Monicault , prefect at Ms-Inn , who attended the king on the day of the attempt . He repeated the circumstances of it , and added , that on his coming up with Lecomte , when in custody , and on
his way to Fontainebleau , he heard him say , " The king is not wounded , he is more fortunate than I am . " When they had arrived at the prison , Lecomte declared that na had intended to hill the King , and had come to Fontaiubleau for that purpose . " Colonel Berryer , who was with the King , deposed that after Lecomte was arres'ed he said , in answer to the questions of the prefect , "Iliad to complain of the conservator of the Crown Forests . I addressed theintendauti * . and was from thence referred to the conservator . This was trifling with me , and 1 resolved to be revenged . I have only one thing to blame myself for . I placed myself badly , and regret it . The King has profited by it . I shall be blamed , but I have as much heart and as much honour as those who will blame
me . " M . Cante , a gunsmith , identified the gun produced in court . Denele , a corporal of the 1 st Hussars , deposed that he had seen Lecomte in the morning before the attempt , in company with another person , but he could not swear that they were talking together . He had previously seen him three or four times alone . — -Other witnesses gave similar testimony , and " Lecomte observed that what the witnesses stated wa » improbable . He would hardly have exposed himself la * place where he could be recognised , as he was so well known at Fontainebleau .
M . Hebert de la Grave knew Lecomte when Secretary of the Inspection of Forests of Villiers Cotterctsin 1830 , and also in 1832 , when under the orders of ilie witness ,. He described him as of an eccentric , taciturn , sombre , violent and vindictive character , severe to his subordinates , and rstless under the authority of his superiors , owing to his excessive pride and self-love . He lived alone without friend or companion , but his conduct was regular , and ltis exactitude and probity were irreproachable :. H « was considered an excellent marksman . M . * * avoie , an Inspector of Crown Forests , said he never had to complain of Lecomte . His intelligence was limited , but he always did cheerfully what the witneae commanded . He liked to live alono , and held no communication with bis subordinates , except on matters of duty . His probity was unquestionable , and nothing could have induced him to violate his duties ,
M . Le Griel , who had given Lecomte leave of absence in . 1838 for illness , was caUed to give evidence as to the state of his mind . It had been said that this witness had declared Lecomte to be deranged . He deposed that the mind of Lecomte was in a state of excitement , and that he needed repose ; but he had never imagined that he was insane . M . Duvergier asked the witness whether , as the superior of Lecomte , he had not ordered him to be severs towards his inferiors . The witness replied that he had ordered him to enforce the rules of the service , but to be moderate . M . Jallon , a physician at Orleans , deposed to his having attended Lecomte whilst labouring under an affection of the chest . He bad given him a certificate as to his state of health , in order that he might obtain leave of absence . In answer to a question from the President , the witness stated that he had found no trace of insanity in the prisoner , nor had he ever thought of looking for any symptoms of the kind .
M . Lecoufle was the next witness examined , but his evidence was immetcrial . Samson , a guard in the Crown Forests , deposed that . he had served under the orders of Leeomto , but had , nevcr'been on good terms with him . He bad heard him » . when speaking of both the present and the old royal family , mutter words between his teeth which he couldnot distinctly make out . The evidence of the next witness , Leffcvtv , merely went to the fact of his having known the prisoner in . 1139 and 1840 , and of their having taken their meals together at Fontanebleau . Lecomte had once asked his opinion as to the capitalisation of his pension , when be had told him that his chiims were not well founded .
M . Marrier de Bois d'Hyver , inspector ef forests , deposed that he had frequent intercourse with the prisoner during the last four years . He . considered him as a man of a very violent and proud character , morose , and taciturn , and capable of going to great extremities when thwarted . On one occasion , in particular , he remembered liis coming to him in a great passion and asking him if he meant it as an insult , his having placed his name on some official paper below another name which was written on it . He , the witness , had replied that nothing was further . from his intention , whicli Lecomte ought to have been aware of as he saw him write the name in great hurry just as he was about to mount his horse , i The answer , however , did not pacify him , and he appeared much excited . On another occasion he had given way to much violence on the occasion of having 20 fr . of his pay stopped for some breach of duty . Lecomte was , however , a man of great energy of character , and . capable of mastering his temper when he thought proper .
The prisoner denied the assertion of this witness , and said that he had himself admitted that the punishment inflicted on him was unjust . M . de Sahune , conservator of forests , deposed that ho had seen Lueomte tor the first time on a tour of in . spection at Yillars-Cottcrets . He had received a satisfactory account of his activity and intelligence , but was told that he was severe towards his inferiors . He had taken him aside and made some observation to him oathe subject , which , if lie remembered right , were properlyreceived . His conduct , however , did not alter , and he had consequently proposed to the Intendant General tostop from him the usual annual gratification : He had afterwards ordered twenty francs to be deducted in consequence of his disobedience to an order given him by
his sub-inspector . In consequence of this , Lecomte had addressed a letter to the administration , demanding the settlement of his pension . He had heard nothing more of him until in November last . " when passing near the Palais Royal he was insulted by him in tbe grossest manner . He did not at first recognise him . He had since frequently met him . and had every time received the most outrageous insults . He had in consequence complained to the Perfect of Police , who sent a police officer to accompany him in order that he might know him . On the next occasion of his being insulted , the police officer pursued Lecomte , and discovered his residence in tbe Hue Colysee . ; He bad been summoned lo appear before ihe police authorities , and since that period he bad ceased to annoy him , although he had met him frequently .
M . Theologue , Under-Secretary of the Civil List , stated that in November last Lecomte came to his office to inquire the result of his last application to the King ; he did not know him , and could not have told him , or any one else , that an unfavourable note had been added inthe margin when it was laid before his Majesty . The prisoner persisted in affirming that the witness did give him such an answer . Mme . Cochois , who keeps the house in whicli the prisoner lodged , deposed that Lecomte was in the habit of using bitter language frequently , Huffier , one of tho waiters at the lodging-linuse , stated that L ? comte was rarely visited by any one except a M . Bracowich , a clerk in the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs . That he kept very early hours , and never slept from home . This testimony was confirmed by another servant of the house .
M . Bracewich stated , that he had heard Lecnmte de . clare that all Frenchmen were cowards , the Parisians thieves , and Louis Philippe a scoundrel , but this was said in such a tone that no one could believe he meant seriously what he said . The Court then proceedid to hear the witnessses for the prisoner . The first called was M . Boycr , who deposed that Lecomte lived with him from November , 1843 , till Jnne , 1844 , and that he was very steady and quiet during the whole of the time . He gave a long statcm- nt of a duel , in which he ( the witness ) was second to Lecomte , who , after having received his adversary ' s fire , discharged his own pistol in the air .
The next witnesses were M . Carrier and M . Arnonlt , who were both asked whether they knew that Lecomte , after the 27 th of August , lS-li > , took a joarnsy from Paris to Fontainebleau , where they then were , but both gave a negative answer . ^" It being seven o ' clock , the Court adjourned till Friday . During the whole of this long sitting , Lecomte never lost his composure or sangfroid : he the whole " : time paid an undivided attention to the proceedings ; was . always ready to volunteer explanations ; but never once interrupted a witness . On Friday morning the Court again assembled . M . Hebert , the Pricceureur du Roi , reviewed the evidence , and strongly urged the violence of character and Ions premeditation against Lecomre , who had , he asserted , long matured his plan , and , idthough the accused denied it , had visited Fontainebleau once or twiee before the lfith of April , vrhen the King was there .
M . Duvergier then rose to address the Court in behalf of the prisoner . After recapitulating the history of the life of Lecomte , enlarging upon the good conduct of Lecomte during his services i : « . the army , he repelled all idea of Le : omte's having been impelled by political feelings , affirming that he scarcel y , if ever , read any of the journals . M . Duvergier next combated the charge of the crime having been in premeditation from May , 1 S 44 , to April , 1840 , and protested that there was no evidence whatever of its being ascertained till after his letters to
the king , and the insulting language aiidrcssed to M . de Sahune in the open street . The Learned Counsel , ia support of the bravery and good conduct of Lecomte when in the army , r ^ ad a Letter from Colonel d'Argon , of the Chasseurs , and stating , as a proof the generu 6 it 5 of his min'i , that having , when in war , made several officers his prisoners , ho refused to accept the money to « hich he was entitled for their ransom . M . Duvergier also i ead a letter from the ' prisoner ' s sister , written immediately after his resignaticn , expressing her . -regrrt that her brother had suffered himself to fall into a
mai asmus and morbid excitement . being read , the prisoner shed y Counsel then entered into the ' comte ' s mind when he committed ' ^ ing him to have vacillated and even £ abandoning his project , until he hearing tho King ' s carriage coming * ^ \
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), June 13, 1846, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_13061846/page/7/
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