The National Register. — London, England, 1815-04-23 00:00:00

TN APRIL 2 3 . f e male convey of the young torian,, by s , vent by scalit Bradenburghl cording to th 4 l a nguages, bt other as if th( The next c try of 'Jabot cerers. Inqu these unfortw them. Thou Sorcerers, th were carried, the shape of g cumstantial a place at hos excilse the ci had not been to born then children wer in order to .h of them retry ; and Co aide over thi cruelty. of ti the declarati( tion them ; tl but of what places. Her• relates the sa calls the Neu Sixteenth Cer Livonia; for organization oxtravaganCie Soon - after the att - Ittion the future, r The nuns, w contagion to spread as far witched of ti still more Those fanati sword were e Marshal Ifill expedition. In the 18t1 having cease( dicial prose( either sick or We still find La Cadiere and mystery of the chu rcl lebrity. Thi with which t Deacon Pa ri grave l were tiv' name than to cure and they re' 'fish riods ;e4: l4 e y ro NATIONAL REGISTER. tents of Germany; and was called the epidemy Ing nuns. It was occasioned, according to his- AMC young men who penetrated into a con ling. its walls. .It speedily spread over Saxony, '1 and Holland. These bewitched nuns, ac the report of the times, -capered, spoke foreign bleated like sheep, and sometimes bit each ley were mad. century almost all the peasants of the coun. urd in Gascony were charged with being Soy luisitors and Judges were appointed to try unate men, who only wanted Physicians to cure Jusands of them declared that they were really. that they had nightly meetings, to which they some through the air, and some on devils in goats. The women in particular gave such-.cir and uniform details of the scenes which took iose meetings, that we should be tempted to 'redulity of their judges if its consequences so cruel. 'Nothing was thought better than :hem alive on their own declaration ; and their were thrown into the • flames with their parents destroy for ever such an odious race. None tracted their confessions at the aspect of .the Counsellor Pierre de Lancre, appointed to pre exeeutions, displayed in them all the the most ferocious fanaticism. The nature of ~ ,n s of 'the women does not allow us to men.. 'hey spoke not only of what they had seen, they bad -felt —they pointed out times and erodotus, in 'the fourth Book of his History, same of a whole people of Scythia, whom he .turians ; and Gaspard Peucer, a writer of the Century, reports the same of the inhabitants of for at all times, and in all countries, men whose is the same have been subject to the same 'agencies.. -fter these the bewitched of Loudon attracted all of Europe. They were convulsed, predicted read thoughts, and spoke several languages. who had first been infected, communicated the to the rest of the country, from whence it far as Languedoc. To these succeeded the be f the Cevennes , whit were like the otheri, but distinguished by their religious exaltation. fanatics. became at last dangerous ; fire and the employed to destroy theuf; and the illustrious liars was placed at the head of that odious .h century, both sorcerers and the bewitched ceased to be, in France at least, the object of ju secutiotis, arid beginning to be considered as mad, their number considergbly , nd at that period, however, the adventures of and her companions a tissue cf debauchery .tery. It was also at that time that the miracles -h-yard of St. Ml-lard, apt Paris, acqUired ce.' lese miracles consisted at first in convulsions, he persons who approached the tomb . cif the iris, or who swallowed earth taken from his seized. Those Conrulsionera, for such was ivel. them, did not pretend at first to do morel the sick ; but their ambition soon increased, .pealed all the scenes represented, at all Pe very class of enthusiasts ; thus extasies, ra retvela-tions, and predictions * were renewed: and only ceased' When the public attention no le tig.si• garded them. S 6 much analogy exists between the phenomena whit* I have mentioned, and those of animal magneti , m, that it is easy to perceive in all of them an identity of .nature,.as well as of causes. Mesmer ) and his disciples, produced At first, with the assistance Of apparatus, and afterwards with. out it, convulsions like those which have been described. -Pursuing their experiments, they excited that state of ra. vishmc'nt which they denominated Somnambulism, and faa, cied they had created something new, when-they had murely called forth one of the thousand modifications under whicb our sensibility may display itself. A modification exactlf the same as that presented by the -sorcerers of ,the country of Labourd, and the rest, with whom it was effected now solitude, now through a more or less intimate communica.. tion but always without the lea./ participation of the mitt. In France all the exertions ( f the numerous sect of mar e netizers are now required to produce a few convulsions which they have not even the satisfaction of rendering epidemic. It is not the same with our neighbours the Eng.. lisp; it is not, to be sure, magnetisers who obtain thesamg triumphs among them; but of what importance is-the nanie when the same cause is s-rved, the same path folkwed., and the same results obtained ? An epidomy of very strange convulsions has lately displayed itself in -old England , ;.bitt tobe able to describe it properly, I shall be compelled.te refer my readers to a second article. The advices from Malta mention a very extraotdinars/ - fact, which shews either the prodigality of NA.POLAO.V or his extreme earnestness to undertake the enterprise France, and his confidence in its succesa. 'Some time 7 ,11 the month of January, a Lady of distinguished manner'', calling herself the Princess of Roux 4, arrived at Malta. It was soon discovered that the object of her visit was SO raise money ; and after having intffeetually endeavoured As) accomplish this purpose among private individuals, .she ha4l recoutse to the Governor of the Island. To General MA LA ND she stated that she was in a condition of peculiar ern barrassment, from the waut of the small sum of 1,5001. and she requested that either front his politeness c.r his 1int.1.,- nity she might obtain it, engaging at the same time to gi,..k; ample security for the amount, After sot.qe deliberatior o the General gave her for answer that he would accede to itqc wishes ; that he was happy in having it in his power to ac commodate her Highness; and if sllcWould be pleased to.dc posit the security, the sum won:d be immediately forth coniing. On.clutaining this information, the Lady put into the possession of his Excellency, a case Gf jcwels, which si t e said was greatly superior in value to the money required, and begged of the Governor to have it in safe custody, as sh, a should take an early opportunity of making her ackuow. ledgments, and of redeeming these preduc..i articles, by the payment of the money. With this pecen;ary assistance, she set sail from Malta, and it was subsequently discovered that the ship she Lad engaged proceeded to the Isle of Elba, and farther, that she was the secret agent of llt:oN AP A ac. tGie jewels so pawned with General M AITLAND have been trans mitted to this country, acrd having been examined by .com petent persons, their value is discovered VS Lc tirwai,i, ;:),1 1.00,004 Y,