Current:

Northern Star (1837-1852), 13th June 1846, Edition 3 of 3, Page 7, * It was not a cadet school, but ihe sch...

Page 7
Page 7
7 of 8

On this page

  • Departments (1)
    • f*ni%$^ijipcittfif.
  • Text (6)
  • Transcript

    • 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.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Jme M-. 1846, __ The Northtrn Star. 7

      Jme _M-. 1846 , ___ THE NORTHtRN STAR . 7

      F*Ni%$^Ijipcittfif.

      f * _ni _%$ _^ _ijipcittfif .

      <• And I Witt War, At Least In Wards, 1 ...

      <• And I _witt war , at least in wards , 1 ( And—should my chance so happen—deeds , ) j _WiOiaQ who war with _Thoughtr w I think I hear a Htfle Wrd , who sings Tbe people brand by _wBl be the _stronger . "—Brxoic . EASTERN EUROPE AND THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS . NO . TH . It is now pur task to unveil some of the CRIMES OP THE TYRANT NICHOLAS , who was called to the throne in 1825 by the death of Alexander . This event gave rise to a rebellion in several parte of ihe empire , the explosion of a longbrooded conspiracy , which we purpose to fully explain when we come to review thecelebrated Revelations of Russia .

      ITCST PERSECOTHW OP THE POMS BX * HICHOIAS . The Russian conspirators , " having entered into eommunication with' an association of Polish patriots , the reign of Nicholas commenced with a rigid investigation . Seventeen of his Polish subjects , from the Russianised _fronnceg of Poland , were sent to St _Petersburgn , and tried by the imperial senate , which condemned them all to Siberia . Eight in the kingdom of Poland were tried by tiie Polish senate , by whom , under the preddence of the dying _BielinsK , they were acquitted . Ponr years after their incarceration , and nine months after their acquittal , these men were set at liberty ; but the venerable Stanislas Soltyk never rose from bis bed after this long confinement .

      _i-The case of these unfortunate men is even worse than represented by our author . We are enabled to state on the best authority , that ofthe eight victims fiom the _""kiHgdom of Poland , " only three were set at liberty , the others , in spite of their acquittal _, were sent fo prisons in Bussia , where ihey still , if alive , remain . Prison tortures for twenty years have felled io satiate ihe demoniacal batted of their persecutor . The ferocious brute Coj * stastd * e was now let loose upon Poland , and the country was exposed besides io all the oppression of double secret police , each arbitrary in its power , and each , mistrustful even of the other . "We pass over tbe period of the Revolu tionary war of 1830 _^ 31 , and tbe executions and other severities which immediately followed thesnppres . sien ofthe revolution , aad proceed to narrate some of the tyrant ' s monstrous acts since tbat neriod .

      Nicholas commenced by abolishing altogether the phantom of the constitution , which , so many years previouBly _. nad been virtually abrogated . ; Hedeclared himself sovereign by right ofconquest ; and forthwith commenced the extermination of the conquered by thousands : — An ukase , dated the 3 rd July , 1834 , condemned two -hundred and eighty-six persons to capital punishments , ¦ who had been put on their trialaa year be fore ; pronounc ing the same sentence on somewhere about the same number of fugitives . This judgment was an absurd mockery , intended to deceive Europe . At the lowest computation fifty thou Ss * 4 Poles had already by that time beeu sent to Siberia . The fate of all of these victims generally remains un"fcnown , but the running the gauntlet till death , of some hundreds at Cronstadt , may give some notion of the fate reserved to them ;

      Sat , setting aside cases of individual cruelty , the massacre of hundreds , and tbe transplantation cf thousands to the most desolating exile , we entreat the sympathies of onr readers , for whole classes and mas-es of the children of unhappy Poland , chaine d scourged , and trampled upon by this merciless miscreant . The twenty millions of Poles , of which between thirteen and fourteen millions may be accounted as ¦ under the dominion of Russia , are in round numbers divided nearly aa follows : — Three millions ef Nobles . Four millions of Burgers . Two millions of Jews . Eleven millions of Peasants . "W e will now quote our author as to the persecution byNicHOLAs of these several classes , commencing with the

      EERSECCT 10 S OF THE KOBLES . The Polish nobles in the Russian dominions amount to ¦ considerably -upwards of two millions , on account of their being in a much larger proportion to the inhabitants than in Rassian-Poland-2 t will be admitted by the most ardent levellers tbat a class of such numerical extent acquires , from that circumstance alone , an importance impossible to deny . The Polish nobility is descended no doubt _originally from a conquering race , so ancient that it probably

      belongs to a period antecedent to the diffusion of patents and diplomas , and in some of its most esteemed families is enjoyed by prescription . Amongst this people ( as amongst tbe Spartans asd Athenians ) bas always _sub-B ' sted tbe principle of republican equality , though as with tiiem , not extended to the people tbey subdued . Through every change of fortune , this nobility continued inalienable ; and the great majority of it had become so far reduced indrcnmstances , or bad multiplied so much beyond Its resources , that its members had become small fanners , noble peasants , or labourers .

      Under the Russian dominion , they had been divided into seven categories , or classes . To these , according to tbe number of proofs and documents ihey could furnish , they were adjudged to "belong . The qualification required for the first class was such as very few could unite ; the next afforded greater facilities , and in the seventh were comprehended all those Which bad no written documents whatever to show , but who , on the oath of twelveregistered noblemen , that they -belonged to the bod ; , -were themselves enregistered . This seventh class alone united , therefore , many times more members than the other six , tbe sixth" far more so than the fifth , and so on in succession .

      By one of those sweeping abases in which "Nicholas is so fond of indulging , which affect the vital interests of hundreds of thousands , and of which we have no examples ont of oriental despotisms , he abolished the privileges of four out of seven classes , at a single stroke ofthe pen . If this had beeu the simple abolition of aright , or a pre-eminence exercised at tiie expense of other classes _, although enjoyed from time immemorial , the injustice of its principle mighthave been called in question ; bnt in feet , it reduces the nobleman ( who perhaps would hare "been better designated as a free-man ) to the condition of the serf ; that is to say , he is wholly iu the power of any Russian police official . One of those men who will extort bribes of half-pence , and make arrangements with the lowest thieves , has tbe discretionary power of inflicting corporal _punUhment on him , at any time , without being amenable to blame or punishment .

      Furthermore , occasional ukases direct that all _ench ex-nobles as have no lands , shall be forcedly removed to colonise the interior of Bussia , or be incorporated with the Cossacks ofthe lines of the Caucasus , or enrolled in the troops of the line . Forty-five thousandfamilies were thusremovedhy one ukase . The remainder continue entirely at the mercy of fhe authorities . In the most legitimate exercise of tbeir functions , according to the instructions given them , when any proprietor of a small property dies , and his property comes to be divided between several children , they may seize sons for soldiers . Kow it must not be forgotten that the disgrace and hardship of the soldier ' s life in _"Rnisia , are such , that degradation to the ranks is considered as a punishment only inferior to tbe capital punishment of exile to Siberia .

      "Hot only , therefore , has a great majority ofthe nobility -been deprived of its privileges _. and rendered liable to every indignity and humiliation , bat porerty lead ' s at once to exile ; and tbis qualification of poverty the governmeuthas done its best to secure to them , by the most extensive confisca tion of individual property which has occurred -within many centuries , if we except the period of the Prench revolution . A list of upwards of ten thousand estates confiscated , has appeared in the public documents ; and as this proscription has fallen heavy on tbe wealthier proprietors , they are supposed at the lowest _computa'ion to amount in value to sixty millions sterling , whilst others rate them at nearly the double .

      PERSECUTION OF IBB BCEOKBS , JEWS , _AKD _1-EASASIS . Ifwe now turn to the burger class , it may be sufficient to state , that as far as their trade is concerned , they are exposed to more vexations grievances than in an earlier part of this chapter they have been described as liable to , during the last year of Alexander ' s reign . As to their civil rights , the equality in the eve of the law , which _rlapoleonnad established , and Alexander solemnly confirmed , has been abolished . There remain the Hebrews and the peasantry . The great bulk ofthe Jewish people still inhabits Poland , which first offered the example of Civil toleration , afterwards followed by Holland and 6 reat Britain . It is true that in these latter countries there has succeeded a toleration of opinion , which has

      sever yetariien in Poland . Nevertheless , though the Hebrews had not been admitted to the full rights of cititenship , they had , on tbe other hand , hitherto been exempted from one ef the most onerous of its charges—one whicb their prejudices rendered peculiarly odious—thexailitary service . The Emperor Nicholas , distinguished fcj his strong personal antipathy to this people , has vigorously submitted them to the conscription , making the parents responsible in their persons and . property for the appearance ofthe children—not only without conferring on them an ; equivalent right * , but exercising towards them a wholesale violence , such as the utmost rigour of Habomedan despotism bas never displayed in its most virulent prejudice .

      Unable to stop the smuggling in the frontier governments , chiefly on account of the gross venality and collusion of his own agents , he fell , as is well known , on the expedient of simultaneously transplanting into the interior of Bussia a hundred thousand families . Those who could net get rid of their property within a given space

      <• And I Witt War, At Least In Wards, 1 ...

      of tim _^ fy _^ h tow should they do where all were _gellersl ) _*^ _"i"toieayeit in the care , of the police , tod * qw « // or fhen % For all who have ever been in Russia , and know th * . * ; _thename of every branch ofthe police is synonymous with the utmost depravity , and the most flagrant dishonesty , there is an appearance ofthe most cynical derision in such a proposition . A stranger might as well confide his watch and purse to theswell-mob in "London . The next imperial interference with the Jews was to prohibit , under thepenaltyof a fine , the wearing the distinctive _COBtame and beard which they have learned to consider as symbolical of the faith they profess , and to which previous ukases had , under other penalties , confined them . It may be imaginedwhat a means of extortion this prohibition proves fo _^ _ihTpolic _^ who have the charge of enforeinBit _.-., ; *' _*) 8 m

      There remains to consider the condition of the peasantry . In the _Busso-Polish provinces , —that is to say , in those incorporated in the Russian empire _^—they eontinne in the slavery from which Alexander in 1818 forbade their masters to emancipate them . In the kingdom of Poland , where _six-and-twenty years previously they had been enfranchised for ever by Napoleon , by the first article ofthe constitution ofthe grand duchy of Warsaw , which decreed equality in the eye of the law , Nicholas , the signer of treaties for the suppression ofthe slave-trade , in 1833 , reduced them by nkase again virtually to the condition of serfs . It is meant here HteraUy of serfs , —that is to say , to a state of servitude as it has existed in Poland , not to the absolute slavery of Russia , where practically a peasant is gambled away at cards , and transferred like a

      horse . On the other hand , however , the Polish peasant is far more oppressed by the government authorities than even the Russian . For him thereis nojKWsiWeredre . 'M _jainst the lowest and the meanest of his tyrants , because even his lord is divested ofall interest . On a market-day , for instance , the fruits of bis produce are _unelushingly confiscated by anything that wears a Russian uniform , His best poultry is seized Under the pretext that it is diseased , —his finest fruit and vegetables because unripe ; and if he ventures one single murmur , he is pressed into the public service , to work al paving or sweeping the streets for several days ; leaving the remainder of his goods at the mercy of the police .

      We pass over tbe infernal system of espionage , and coercion of everything in tbe shape of opinion , these are too well known to need . description . A long aceount is given ofthe religions persecution ofthe Polish people . No " sooner ; was the authority of Nicholas re-established in Poland than he set on foot a system of persecution which gradually increased in intensity , till in 1839 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 ofthe priesthood , and other of the usages and ritual of the Eastern Church , } numbering three millions in his dominions , with the Russian Chturch .

      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 tbe means employed to convert the reensant priests . Of course , the fate of hundreds of these unhappy men will for ever remain unknown to Western Europe , bnt what the end of many of them has been may be inferred from the murder ofthe friar SiBEOCDiSKi , exiled to Siberia , who was recently 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 now faith . The "Emperor _Nicholas , who at tbe 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 Cth of April 1832 , instructed tiie 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 alt _Jftmtan- Cathoties condemned for murder or theft to capital punishments , on condition of embracing the Greek faith .

      The peasantry were promised tbeir freedom on the condition of apostacy ; 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 . Tbis register contained a general recantation , to which their mark was thus surreptitiously obtained ; but as . after this they were , by the terms of the ukase , considered as belonging to the _Russo-Greek Church , from which any departure is capitally punished , th ey were thus utterly at the mercy ofthe authorities . In some places Whole villages were driven into baths and barns , where tbey were smoked by lighted straw till they yielded .

      A commission , composed of government agents and apostate priests , summoned fhe inhabitants ofthe village of Worodzkof to appear before them , where they were Sitting , about sixteen miles off . "When before the commission they refused to s ' gn tbeir adherence to the new faith , tbey 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 "Wltepsk , 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 tbe peasantry having obstinately taken refuge on a frozen pond , the sodiers accompanying tiie Russian missions were directed to break the ice , and the unyielding wretches perished wholesale . We must refer our readers to the work itself for a fuller account of these devilish doings . By these means two mfflions of proselytes were enregistered as having accepted tbe '' Russo-Greek faith . "When Nicholas had produced this desired result , hecaused 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-united hy 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 , < fcc ., < fec , from the tyranny to which their spiritual chiefs subject them , read the above account ofthe wrongs of your fellow Christians , and blush for 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 nnder and reduce the population . To effect this , besides the banishment and incorporation into the Russian armies , of large masses of Poles , no Pole , without a special permission , is permitted to marry before the age of thirty ; but 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 " Innocents" by Hkeod .

      SEIZURE _AXO _BEBTnUCTIOS Of THOUSANDS OF _CUIUmEN , An ukase , dated 1833 , authorised the police to seize all children who were orphans , or the offspring of poor persons , to internate them into Russia , and bring the-q up in tie 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 ofall 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 seized in tbe bosoms of their families in a like manner . Soon after tbis , a diabolical means was resorted to , of saving the police trouble , which , till known , was used throughout the ccranby , particularly in the large towns .

      Scarcity and famine , which embarrass other governments , proved a useful auxiliary to the llussian ; 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 . All Who were in that condition were invited to declare it . As soon as the lists appeared completed , the police , condemning the applicants on their own showing , relieved them indeed , —but it waa of their children , who were thus collected withont trouble . . "When this experiment was exhausted , razaias were made in all the parochial schools of the large to wns , — even in these of charitable institutions , the schools for the soldiers' children , and the foundling hospitals .

      This constant drain of the inhabitants , but especially of the youth of the country , proceeds augmenting systematically . A larger number were transplan ted in 1843 than in 1842 , and a lar _ger number in 184 ithan in 1843 . It is in pursuance of a plan for transplanting , as far as possible , tbe Polish population , and dispersing it over Bussia . Of these children it is calculated that more than one-third never reachthe 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 bia < k bread beside them ; and the number confided to the escort was recruited further on .

      What language of denunciation can sufficiently characterise the abomination of these atrocities ? Is there not some _^ chosen curse Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven , Red with uncommon wrath , to blast the man _. Who owes his greatness to a people ' s ruin 5

      <• And I Witt War, At Least In Wards, 1 ...

      " ~ fcet ml hear no more of the . maudliri " cant which would excuse tyranfcai their , crimes because forsooth they don't know they are doing wrong (!) , because they have been so taught , sotrained , Ac . _Themis creants live in no fool ' s paradise , not knowing good from evil , wrong from right . Will any maudlin philosopher gravely assure ns that the modern _HERonis satisfied in his own conscience that . ' hig wholesale chHd-murdering t isright and justifiable ? We hear much in these canting days , of "the _sactfedness 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 ot 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 ensored the destruction of thousands , and themisery of millions .

      CONSPIRACY _AGAINSI THB ADTOCHAT . At the coronation of Nicholas at Warsaw , the expe . dienthad been adopted by the conspirators of freeing their country by the massacre ofthe imperial family , of which all the members , as well as nearly every personage of note in the empire , were there assembled , and which defiled unconsciously between the students of the cadetschools , * whose muskets were loaded with ball-cartridge , whilst every avenue of escape was occupied by the confederates . At the eleventh bcur , a _ceunter-order came from their chiefs , who were unwilling , on due reflection , to sally 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 whioh coversj itself with the cloak ofa _spnrious morality may be , and often bas been more fatal to the interests of the oppressed , than all other causes of failure eombined . In the month of Augnst last year , twenty-one con spiratorswere condemned to Siberia ; in October , eighty-two ; yet in spite of this an attempt was shortly afterwards made to assassinate the policemaster of Warsaw . Many were arrested : the accused 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 strihe the

      dead bodies . With the torturing to death of _Sci-G-essr , and Levitoux , and the recent hanging of Pe « totski , Zabski , and Kocsiszewski , and the knouting to death of Madame Khosnowska and other victims , our readers are familiar . But ,- "let us , " in the words of the author of this work , " close this chapter 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 directed to overthrow a domination bf which they have had such terrible experience , and which still weighs like a fearful nightmare on their country . "

      9 W Next ' week fwe will re-publish from the Re forme , an account , by an eye-witness , of the Gallician . massacres prompted by the infernal Austrian government .

      * It Was Not A Cadet School, But Ihe Sch...

      * It was not a cadet school , but ihe school Of PonU _Enteignes . —Ed . N . S .

      The Insurrection In Portugal. Per The La...

      THE INSURRECTION IN PORTUGAL . Per 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 ofthe Cabral administration ; we think however that a more detailed account than has yet appeared incur columns will be _interesting to our readers , more particularly as the insurrection is not yet over , aud may before tbe end comes produce most serious results not only in Portugal but Spain also . We have compiled the None can deny the talent ofthe 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 tbeir favour , tkey paid them very well , and they gave to the

      commanding officers and some of the captains , & c ., _grotiflcacoens , through the secret-service money ; this is to Bay , 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 npon govcrnmeht . They established newsanatory 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 ( _oueriia selling twenty-five Sardinhas , 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 ave 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 . The fees to the curates had been also much altered . They altered completely the method of taxation , aud imposed direct and personal taxation , much heavier than before , and quite on a new system , of whieh the people bad 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 ono was obliged to declare the

      property each one possessed , where it was situated , and their exact limits ( con / _roiifacoetw ) , * 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 but a short time back were beggars . Women , or men dressed in women ' s clothes , were the first in the Minho to rise against the authorities and the military ; they had the better of them : encouraged by it , the different parishes rose en masse , and attacked the troops , at Guimaraes and Braga , aud 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 law : 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 16 th Regiment , Commander Taborda _, wth Joseph _Caeras , to whom the Queen wrote a carta regia , granting him full powers over the whole country revolted , and over all the civil and military . Jose Cabral , in arriving at Oporto , instead of looking into the grievances of the people , and _forgetting that the Miriho is the most populous Province in Portugal , the best soldiers and the bravest , and tliat 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 Tamolieao to plunder , setting fire to property , violating women , and shooting the prisoners who unfortunately fell into their hands . These and other like proceedings exasperated the people against the military , and more particularly against the 16 th "Regiment , to such a degree , tbat tbey solemnly swore their destruction , which they very nearly accomplished . The hatred agaiust the military soon spread all over the country . To enter on the detail of the different movements of the troops 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 tbe Cabos de Seguranca ; but finding oat his error , be nan led to have them disarmed ; they refused , and fought against the troops ; being without ammunition they retreated and joined the Sublevados . Oporto wns therefore for some days in the greatest consternation , and ready to explode and take revenge on Cabral , whose barbarity was such thathe ordered to set fire to a house because they fired from it upon him . The whole of Minho and Trasos Montes 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 Behalta , with Vizan being also in arms , everything being ready at Combr .-i aad all over the country , Cabral at Oporto being guarded by his friends to save bim from assassination , the government being without troops , tlie whole army amounting to scarcely 8 , 000 men , and without money , the people of Trasys Montes having . formed a junta at Villa

      Real , with Don Fernando , son of Count of Villa Real , at 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 get out of Oporto . On his arrival at Lisbon a Cabinet Council was immediately assembled—the news of his arrival , ofthe state of the northern provinces , and of'he Beria Alto , was in every body ' s mouth , and produced the greatest excitement . On Sunday evening ( the 21 th ult . ; , Ministers , much against their will , tendered tlieir resignation , which the Queen accepted apparently , and Count de Villa Real was called to form the new Administration , with _instruc - tions to form it of persons in the interests of Cabral ' ; he worked hard but could find no one who would accept it . In tho meantime the ofiieers commanding the corps of the garrison , were called to know if thev could answer for their corps , and would support Ministers * , they did not agree ; three of them declaring that their duty was to

      The Insurrection In Portugal. Per The La...

      _ol-ejybut ' not " to support mmihpbwer _f 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 the voice of tbe people ; they , the same three , _refuseflto 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 npon the Bank , and the several companies allowed to issue paper notes , was immense , and the Bank paid in silver in three days , about 600 contes ( £ 135 , 000 at Si per 1000 ) . In the impossibility of continuing the pavment of tbe 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 ofthe ooantry ,

      and praying the Queen to order the forced circulation of the notes , and allow them three months to meet them , ordering atthe same time that no one might refuse to re . e ' eivethem 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 ' banks 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 ofall the receiving and paying houses , that is to say , Custom House , & c „ " 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 _wsb a great annoyance to the public , and on the 25 th , the government order was published { allowing them the three months as above mentioned . .

      The Bank of Lisbon was established in 1821 by the Cortes sitting after the popular movement of 1830 , The King , Don John VI ., by a decree ofthe 7 th ol June , 1824 , granted the bank some privileges—a charter for thirty years from that date , and thatit was to have a capital of 2 , 400 contos ( £ 540 , 000 at 51 per 1 , 000 reis ) ; it was afterwards authorised in 1827 , to increase its _eapitul 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 51 dollars per 1 , 000 rei ? . : The bimk 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 in-• _terests ofthe bank , and it is positively enacted tbat the 1 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 , bas had a direct influence in the election of the Governor ( President ) and Directors ofthe Bank ; consequently , the 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 lo contract with government , the influence ; both of the government , and their friends has been such , that they have contrived , notwithstanding th ' e just opposition ol 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 _sotre gold _andsilverbars .

      It is not rightly ascertained the amount of the notes they bavo 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 thein 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 ndvances 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 , CarilhaB , and all the small places on the south-side ofthe Tagus , opposite to Lisbon , made their pronunciamento , deposed the authorities , and appointed others .

      We bave now to record a shameful and brutal massacre ef the unarmed people . Thursday , the 21 st , the day after 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 the river , now the scene of so ranch warlike . preparation and anticipated feud . . These wholly unncessary steps were the forerunner and provoker ofa 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 . Ihey were then charged by the patrols of lancers , and maltreated and drive . n by . the infantry , and several were badly wounded . The cavalry and infantry of the municipal guard and 7 th Regiment of Foot then made their appearance , and after some useless hissing , hooting , and pelting , the 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 , tht now frightened Queen issued the following proclamation : — -

      _PHOCXAHATION OF THE QOEEN , The evils which afflict the Portuguese nation , so worthy of being free and happy , deeply afflict my heart . The complaints ofthe 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 immediately closed . ' The sanitary laws , and those for the reform ofthe 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 ofthe 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 ofthe public inquietude— -this state is indispensable in order tbat 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 thc principal necessities of administration and justice . The national representation will be convoked tbe 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 - thc honour of this nation , which ,- with so much valour and loyalty restored to me my Crown , and the liberty of the country , the keepiug and preservation of which are objects ef my greatest solicitude . The Qoeen . BOKE OF _BALHEl-LA . Duke of Teuceira . Court ofBelero , May 21 , 1816 The signature of Terceira in the above proclamation called forth against him the public hatred , and no confidence was placed in such a paper . Many proclama . tions were then published , some calling the people to arms , and not to allow more doubt and procrastination ; amongst them , one signed "M ., " whicb is an exact description of the country during the late administration ; _n-e give it as follows : —

      - PORTUGUESE . The general rising of the nation , recently ridiculed by half-a-dozen scoundrels , has sufficiently pointed out to you the path you have to follow . The Janizaries of Lisbon are few and cowardly ; they 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 tho people , because they are deceived . The liberty of the press , one of the most precious guarantees of the Constitutional Government , has been wrested from you , and tho Diario do _Gooerno , organ of tbe Ministers , contains _notbing but falsehood .

      At the moment when tlie people of the Minho were valorously fighting , deprived _/ _purhaps , of their daily bread , everything in thc 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 nigfct were closed with those deputies elected at tho point ofthe bayonet , for the purpose of contriving means to oppress and deceive the _peopla . The ministers of religion—the Patriarch and Bishops , prostituted their characters in counselling and approving tbe 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 Ministei 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 ? '

      No , people—for you have in your hands arras which you must not lay down . For a length of time Palaces have been purchased , and immense sums deposited iu foreign countries safe from the justice of the pesplc . Robbery was the fundamental base ofthe edifice of the Cabraes ; they even dragged the Queen to _Thomar . and

      The Insurrection In Portugal. Per The La...

      without shame , presented to her a Castle , richly adorned - _^ _thereBultWMchmfamy ahdimraoraU ty . y Still tbey want to deceive you , to induce you to depose yonr arms and then return te power . < . Why does the Court show itself the enemy of tbe peopie , who with the sweat of their brow , sustains its magnilicence * " Why does not the Queen appoint a Ministry that is popular ! Bo you not see in the Ministry the Duke of Terceira , who has been battling against the people , that he Is a dirty dishilout of the Court , and the accomplice of the Cabraes What confidence can he merit from you t People , be on the alert ? The Cabraes are still in Lisbon hidden in tbe house ofa 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 !

      Oh the 24 th , arrived the Archi _' uke Constantino of Russia , to whom no attention was paid , and he went about in a hackney carriage . On the 25 th the Cortos 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 . ' Oa the 26 th the new ministry was formed as follows : — - President and Finance—Puke of Palmella . Home Department—Luiz da Siiva _Mouzinho Albuquerque . ' 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-j thc the above events bid themselves , in the first instance in the Carmo barracks , the chief quarters of the Municipal Guard , and there endeavoured , but in vain , to Stimulate the military , through the Deputy , Major Jonquim BentO _, i and others of their partisans ,, to an armed movement in their favour . The two Cabrals now dreaded lest they might bo' betrayed and betook themselves to the house of the Spanish Minister , Gonzalez Bravo . Prom 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 bf 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 the 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 act of finishing a still more magnificent palace _, in a style of splendour rarely ' . seen in the Portuguese metropolis . It is " generally agreed to have heeii most signal impolicy iu Costa _Cabyal , 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 _manument of hatred in the eyes of the Lisbon j _peopls ; Who could not fail , aB _, 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 hi ' m out ofthe river . This they did notdo , 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 hiB brother had moved his to another place of security . These tbeyaresaid to have managed to remove on board the French bri _* , and the fairy tales do not exceed the rumours afloat amongst the populace about the wealth which their boxes contained . ' Of course , no pne but those concerned _knevs 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 and soldiery could be heard by the Cabrals , who were conscious that they were the cause . This , too , passed over , but offered little encouragement to remain in the French brig , which cauld not leave the river without Special _OrdfiKS , and the Cabrals apprehended a « oup de main by the Exaltado populace in boats to seize them from on hoard the brig , and cut them to pieces . Accordingly as the Pacha Peninsular steamer which arrived on Sunday from England , was sailing out of the Tagus , 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 ageneral amnesty , to the Almedia insurgents , and re-establishing them to their ranks and places On the game 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 atthe 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 having proper guarantees . Tbe state of affairs in Portugal caused _conB ' _ulernblo uneasiness at Madrid , and fears were entertained that the movement would extend itself to ' Spain _., -. . .

      Trial Op Lecomte For Attempting To Assas...

      TRIAL OP LECOMTE FOR ATTEMPTING TO ASSASSINATE LOUIS PHILIPPE . , _Paeis , June 4 . The Ji'ial began on Thursday . M . Hcbert , Procureur-Gonerul , 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 bis demeanour composed ; and as he . stood at the bar he gazed around him with a calm aud deliberate air , wholly _freefi-om 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 . Wheu 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 , the Chancellor inquired ofthe accused his name . He rose and replied respectfully , "Pierre Lecomte . " The witnesses were then admitted , 44 or _45 in _number , and then the Secretary ofthe Chamber Tead 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 tliey ' withdrew , except the Comte de Montalivet ! The Chancellor _' thcn interrogated Lecomte as to how and when he left Paris on the 15 th bf April—of his attempt on the king—his motives , & e ., to which , with much alacrity , and at times , when he spoke of his fancied wrongs , with

      much vehemence , the accused replied , saying , he had reached Fontainebleau on the morning of the 16 th April , concealed his carbine in the forest , ' taken his breakfast at Valvins ( two miles distant ) , returned to the Parquet d'Aeon ' , ah enclosure in the park , where he loaded both barrels of his carbine , and piled some i _' aggots _, to enable him to stand and fire from behind the wall , but the noise of wheels having made'him ascend the pile hastily , he had only got up in timo to see the carriage abreast ef him . He had then fired both barrels , and missed the king by firing too much ti ) the right , in order that' he might not hit any other persons in the char-a-banc . As . to his motives , he said all his applications fer a sum to recompense _Iiisloss of salary and place were _Vsfused ; he had but a miserable pittance , to be paid only _during the _lifeiof the king . _Jfone of his letters of remonstrance were answered , and then he resolved to shoot the king .

      The Comte de Montalivet , Intendant de la Lists . Civile , who was With the king in the carriage at the time Lecomte fired , then deposed to thc fact of the two shots being heard , which whistled close to his left ear . The king said calmly to the postilions , who bad stopped , — " Proceed , proceed ; " and the queen , having picked up a piece of wadding between herself and the king , they proceeded to the chateau de Fontainebleau , when , on examining the carriage , he found several bullet aud shot holes in the roof . The Comte then gavo a long account of Lecomte ' s service in the woods of the royal family , his coudnct , 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 gardc-forcstitr had been pretty good as far as he personally knew .

      AugU 6 tin 6 oiliftU , apiq \ mr in the King ' s Stables at Eoiitaiubleau , was outrider to the _ehar-a-odno on ' the loth of April , and heard the shots fired ; he stopped , but the Queen cried " En _^ _uaunf , " and he desired the ' postillions to advance whilst he waited with _Jiilet and . ' others to watch the Parquet d'A von , aad prevent any one from escaping . . . . . Joseph Borel , a Lieutenant of the 1 st regiment of Hussars quartered at Pontainbleau , was one ofthe 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 , the Captain commanding the Gendarmerie of the Seine and Marne , was on duty , on the ICtli of April , at _Fontainbleau , on horseback , behind the carriage ,. Heard a shot fired—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 bis horse into a ' gallop , and then heard a second shot ; placed his men round the Parquet d'Avon , saw Lecomte arrive with Milet and Lieutenant Deflaudre ; heard Lecomte say before the prefect , " The king is not hurt—so much the better for him : be is luckier than I am , "

      Pierre Milet , a groom in the king ' s senice , was out with the carriage on the 16 th . 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 liis horse ftgalnst the wall , put bis foot on the sarldle _, and thus climbed upon and over the wall--saw a man scrambling ev « r a heap of faggots , in order te get over the wall , ran to him , seised his gun , and arrested , him in the king ' s name . He made no resis tance , but appeared surprised .. Lieutenant Deflnndre arrived , * witness took o & Lecomte ' s blouse , and found in

      Trial Op Lecomte For Attempting To Assas...

      his jacket a phial , a small mirror , and some powder and ball in a paper . This evidence was confirmed by Lieutenant Deflandre , who added many details . He stated that when ' hc arrived where Milet was , who cried for "help , " he saw Lecomte , who said . "I ' m caught ; _itwasl who did it . " Witness did not recognise him at first , until he said , "You know me very well , Lieutenant ; I am Lecomte . I h ' aveplayed for high stakes , and I have lost the game . " The next witness was M . 'de Monicault , prefect at MelHn , whe attended the king on the day of the attempt . He repeated the ' eircumstances of it ; and added , that on his coming ' up with Lecomte , when in custody , and on

      his way to Fontainrblenu , he heard him say , "The king Ishot wounded , he is more ' fortunate than I am . " When they had arrived at the prison , Lecomtedeclared that he had intended to kill tho King , and had come to Fontainbleau for that purpose . " Colonel Beriyer , who was wilh the _Klngj deposed that after Lecomte was aires'ed h » said , in answer to the questions of the prefect , " I had to complain of the conservator of the Crown Forests . I addressed the intendaiits , and was from thence referred to the conservator . This wns trifling with me , and I 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 m court , Denele , a corporal ofthe 1 st Hussars , deposed that he had Eeen Lecomte in the morning before the attempt , in company wi th another person , but he ceuld 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 was improbable . He would hardly have exposed himself in a place where he could be recognised , as fie was so well known at Fontainebleau ;

      If . Hebert de la Grave knew Lecomte when Secretary ofthe Inspection of Forests of Villiers Cotteretsin 1830 , and also in 1832 , when under the orders ofthe witness . He described him " as of an eccentric , taciturn , sombre , violent and vindictive character , severe to his subordinates , and ristless under the authority of his superiors , owing to his excessive pride and sclf-lb _^ e . Hc . Uvcd alone without friend or companion , but his conduct was regular , and Ms exactitude and probity were irreproachable . He was considered an excellent marksman . M . ' _Savoie , an Inspector of Crown Forests , said he nevcrhad to . complain' Of Lecomte . His intelligence waa limited , but he always did cheerfully what the witness commanded . He liked to live alone , and held no communication with his subordinates , except on matters of duty . His-probity was unquestionable , and nothing could have induced him to violate his duties .

      M . La Qriel , who had given Lecomte leave of absence in 1858 tor _ttlu ' eu , w & s called to give evidence as to the state of his mind . It had been said that this witness had de . clared ; Lecomte to be deranged . He deposed thatthe mind of Lecomte . was in a state of excitement , and that he needed repose ; but he had . never imagined that he was insane . M . "Duvevgier asked the ' witness wheth ' er _, as the superior of Lecomte , he hud not ordered him to he severe towards his inferiors . The witness replied that he had ordered hira 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 had given" him a certificate as to his state of health , in order that be might obtain leave of absence . In answer to a question from the President , thewitneBSBtated that he had found no trace of iusanity in theprisoner _^ nor'bad he ever thought of looking for any symptoms of the kind .

      . M . Leepiiflewas the next witness examined , but his evidence was immeferial . Samson , a guard in the Crown Forests , deposed that he had served under the orders of Lecomte , but had never been on good terms with him . He had heard him , when speaking of both the present and the old royal family , mutter words between his teeth which he _^ could not distinctly make out . The evidence of the next witness , ' Leffevrp . merely went to , the fact of his having known the prisoner in 1189 and 1810 , aud of their having taken tbeir ' meals together at FontanebleaUi Lecomte had once asked his opinion as to the capitalisation of his pensio »"' wiien be had told him that his claims were not well founded .

      M . Marrier de Bois d'Hyver , inspector ef forests , deposed that he had frequent intercourse with ' thepri . soner 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 oue occasion , in particular , he remembered his 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 belew another name which was written on it . He , the witness , ' had replied that nothing was further 1 from his intention , which'Lecomte ought to have been aware of as tie saw him write the name in great hurry just as he was about to mount his home . 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 waB , however , a man of great energy of character , and capable of mastering his temper wheu 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 Sahuue , conservator of forests , deposed that he had seen Lecomte lor the first time on a tour of inspection at _Villars-Cotterets . ' He had received a satis factory 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 os the subject , which , if he remembered right , Were properly received . His conduct , however , did not alter , and he had consequently proposed to the Intendant General to stop from him the usual annual gratification . > He had afterwards ordered twenty francs to be deducted in con . sequence 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 Hntil in November last , " wben passing near the Palais Royal he was insulted by him in the grossest man . ner . He did not at first recognise him . He had since frequently met him , and had every time received the most-outrageous insults . ' He bad in consequence complained to the Perfect of Police , who sent a police oSicer to accompany him in order that _hs might know him . On the next occasion of his being insulted , the police offieer pursued Lecomte , and discovered his residence in the Rue Colysee . He had been summoned to appear before » ue police authorities , and since that period he had 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 Kins ; he did not know him , and could not have told bim , or any one else , that an unfavourable note had been * added in the margin when it was laid before his 'Majesty ;' . ' The prisoner persisted in affirming that the _wituess did give him such an answer ' . - r ' ' • ,. •' - _; . Mme . Cochoig , who keeps the house in which the prisoner lodged , ' deposed that Lecomte was in thei habit of using bitter language frequently . Ruffier , one of the waiters at the lodging-house , stated that Lecomte was rarely visited by any one except a M . _Braoewieh , 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 , thathe had-heard Lecomte declare that all Frenchmen were cowards , the Parisians thieves , and Louis Philippe a scoundrel , but this was said in such a tone tbat no one could believe he meant seriously what ho said . Tbe Court then proceeded to hear the wiinessses for theprisoner _. The first called was M . Boy- r , who deposed tbat Lecomte lived with him from November , 1843 , till June , 1844 , and that he was very steady and quiet during the whole of the time . He gave a long _statem' _-nt ofa duel , in which he ( the witness ) was second to Lecomte , who , after having received his adversary ' s fire , discharged hig

      own pistol in tho air . >' : - _¦• ¦¦¦ The next witnesses were M . Carrier and M , Arnoult , who were both asked whether they knew that Lecomte , after the 27 th of August , 1845 , took a journey from Paris to Fontainebleau , where they then were , but both gave a negative answer . •¦;¦ ' _; ~ It being seven o ' clock , the Coart adjourned till Friday . . _- . _' . Baring 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 ouce interrupted a witness . ' . ' . ' ., _- On Friday morning the Court agaiu assembled .

      M , Hebert , the _Prsceureur du , Boi , reviewed the evidence , and strongly urged the violence of character and long premeditation against Lecomte , who _had , be asserted , long ' matured his plan , and , although the accused denied it , had visited Fontainebleau once or twice before the 16 th of April , when the King was there . M . Duvergior then rose ' to address the Court in behalf of the prisoner . After recapitulating the history of the life of Lecomte , enlarging upon the _^ ood conduct of Lecomte during his services in the army , he repelled all Idea of _Leuomto ' _s having been impelled by political feelings , affirming that he scarcely , if ever , read any of tbo journals . M . ' . Duvergier next combated tlie charge of the crime having been in premeditation from May , 184 * , to April , 1846 , and protested that there was no evidence whatever of its being ascertained . till after his letters to the King , and the _iusulting language _addrcssed . toM . do

      Sahune in tne open street . The Learned Counsel , in support of the bravery iihd good conduct of . Lecomte when in the army , read a Letter from Colonel d'Argon _, of the Chasseurs , and stating , as a proof the generosity of his min _

  • Citation
    • 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/ns3_13061846/page/7/