The Express.
London, England, 1847-08-30 00:00:00

THE PRASLIN MURDER.

The popular exasperation on the subject of this
atrocious crime has been so great, that the utmost precau-
tions have been taken to prevent any act of outrage being
committed against the person of the duke. Even his death
was (not considered to exempt his body from the effects of
the popular fury, and the interment of his remains was
effected in the darkness and silence of night. His body was
deposited in an obscure grave in the cemetery of Mont Par-
name very early on Friday, unattended by a single relative
or friend, and without the observances of the last ceremo-
nies of religion. No tear fell, and no prayer Wall offered up.
The following is the official report of this singular profted-
tog ;—" The body of the Duke de Praslin his been interred
at the cemetery of Mont Farness.. ,Yesterday (Friday)
morniag, at one o'clock, the ordonnateur of the Pompes
Funebres, with the requisite number of men and
carriages, arrived at the Prison du Luxembourg.
On the summons of the chancellor, the prefect
of Police, Colonel Pozac, Military Commandant of the Palace
of the Luxembourg, M. Elouin, Chief of the Municipal
Police, M. Mouvalle, the Commissary of Police of the quar-
ter, and M. Trevet, director of the prison, the body was
placed in presence of the above-named persons in an oak
coffin, and then conveyed to the hearse from the chamber
where it had been placed. The minutes of this proceeding
were then drawn up by M. Monvalle, and signed by him-
self, Colonel Pozac, and MM. Elouin and Trevet; after
which the hearse, followed by two mourning carriages con-
taining these functionaries and the employes, proceeded to
the cemetery, where it was lowered into the grave which had
been prepared to receive it. Another minute was then
drawn up, and the interment was concluded by half-past 2.
The following account is given of the interview of the
. duke, Gr. the day of his death, with the clergyma: 7.1,0 was
caned to anent; " Thii ^,.!ieet was soot :or on Tuesday,
at nine in the morning, by the chancellor, and at once went
to the prison of the Luxembourg. It is not true, as several
journals have stated, that the dying man was unable to
speak two words in succession. The cure remained with him
till half-past eleven, and returned again at two. The sufferer
received him with readineu at both times. After again con-
ferring and preying with him, the card administered to him
the Sacrament of extreme unction, in the presence of Duke
Puquier, who knelt beside him, and was deeply affected.
When the priest was about to leave him, the Drikege Pnudin
took his hand, and said with emotion, ' How much good
you have done me !' He then requested him to leave the
crucifix. In another half-hour he was no more."
. .

The inquiry u to the means by which the duke accom-
plished the suicide is still prosecuted. M. Legouidec, the
examining magistrate, brought from the Chateau de Vau
where he had been to make • search, a sample of a white
substance, which seemed to be arsenic, and stated that he
had left at the château • very =ata nada; Chan-
cellor immediately issued a oo to the
Procureur du Roi of the Tribunal at Maim, who, in virtu
thereof seized and transmitted to the Court of Peers

the whole of the substance in question, and a phial
containing a considerable quantity of laudanum. The
white substance was given over to Dr. Orfila and Dr. Tar-
dier to be analysed. The Duke de Praslin had made
his will, and before his death stated that it would be found
in his portfolio. He has appointed two of his daughters le•
gatees of the whole of his personal property, expressing his
confidence that they would make an equitable distribution of
it. After Metre:legacies to different members of his family,
he bequeaths an annuity of 3,0000. to Mlle. de Luazi.—e In
speaking of the large fortune of Mme. de l'raslin (says the
Conatitutionnel), we did not fix it sufficiently high. One of
the journals states that the notary of that lady, at Paris, has
said that her fortune, coming from her mother, mil from the
legacies made to her since her marriage, now amounts to a
capital of 10,600,000 fr."
The journals of Paris of Friday and Saturday were filled
with innumerable details respecting this extraordinary cata-
strophe from which we select the following :
Respecting Mdlle. de Lei wi Desportes, the governess, who is
said to have excited the jealousy of the duchess. and who,
it will be remembered, is still kept in solitary confinement in
the conciergerie, on the suspicion of complicity in the crime
of the Duke of Praslin, La Pattie says n
" She has been twice taken before the chancellor and the
committee, and interrogated. The peers who heard her re.
plies agree in wandering her a woman of superior talent.
Her language is moat remarkable in form and substance.
' Impossible to write it down,' said a competent judge, M.
Cousin, ' nothing can be more clear and brilliant.' Het
name is Henrietta de Luzzi.Deseortes, aged 37, teacher, born
in Paris, and residing at No. 9, Rue du Harley, in the
Marais, in Mme. Lemitire't boarding-school. She entered the
Duke de Praslin's family on May It 1841. She was before
that at Lady liislop's, at Charlton, in England. Her salary
was 2,400 f. a year, besides being fed and lodged. An under
governess shared with her the care of the education of three
of the daughters and of a little boy of the duchess's. The
other sons were placed under M. Boumu, professor of the
College Bourbon. She has, it is said, protested energetically
against the suspicion of a culpable intercourse with the duke.
She was dismissed by the duchess en July 18, in the even-
ing, just as all the family were on the point of leas ,ng for the
country. She was greatly grieved, as she was anxious to
preserve her place as a provision for the future. She had
no other resource than an old grandfather, who treated her
harshly. She was anxious to remain in the house, where
she could be comfortably off. The children liked her, and
she appeared attached to them. It is said that she denies
having seen the Duke de Pressen more than twice since her
being sent away, and that she cried much on hearing of the
crime which he had committed. She could not believe that
he was the murderer of his wife. • • • •
The examining commission continued it; operations on
Thursday. Further searches were male, and additional
letters were found, written by the Duke de Prashe to Mdlle.
de Luzzi-Desportes, or by her to the duke, of such a nature, it
is said, ae to have rendered necessary a further examination
of Mettle. de Luzzi-Desportes. Among the seizures at the
Chateau de Vaux a voluminous correspondence of the
duchess appears. The letters addressed by her to her hus-
band are filled with the noblest sentiments. Nothing can
be more touching than the expression of ner reproaches to
him, which are at the same time tempered by teszimonies of
strong affection."
The condition in which the body of the cinches- was found
is thus described:—From the neck downwards to the feet,
both before and behind, her body was covered %Wit clotted
blood, and the following wounds were found on different
parts of her person, namely, eleven on her h sit, five of
which were deep and large ; the fractures of the ekull indi-
cating that the four first must have been inflicted with
extreme violence by some sharp-edged weapon. The torn
parte of these wounds prove that they must have been
given by some one standing above her, while she was in
a recumbent position with the face turned towards him.
These blows must have been given by the murderer while
she was still asleep. There are fire excoriations of the
nose, the left eye, the lower lip, and the chin, which are the
r effect of strong force used upon these parts, and the marks
of the nails are to be observed. Four large wounds were in
the neck made with a weapon which was both pointed and
sharp ; but neither the carotid artery nor the inner jugular
vein was divided, as several journals have announced. On
• the two bands, the abdomen, and the chest, there are ten
wounds, more or less deep. The thumb of the left hand was
nearly severed at the joint. Thus, more than thirty severe
wounds are apparent on the person of the unhappy Duchess
' de Praslin. There are, besides, many bruises and livid spots
• on the limbo. At the same time, it is certain that her death
• was the consequence of the hemorrhage from the wounds on
the head and neck. The number and situation of the
wcunda and their nature attest that her death was preceded
be a long and violent struggle ; and the state of disorder in
which the chamber was fount's leaves no room for doubt on
' this point. It is also certain that the duchess cried out
several times, and lived a long while after receiving the first
blows. It is believed that the wounds in the front of the
neck, sad particularly that which extended across it under
the jaw, were given while she was in bed, and that the mar-
derer pressed hard with his hands, on her mouth, imprinting
I his nails, in order to stifle her cries.
It is a singular circumstance relative to the parties, which
' has not been, so far as we have seen, alluded to in the various
reports in circulation, that the marriage of the duke and
duchess wits what is called a love match, made against the
consent of the Marshal Selustiani, the duchess's father, and
the other members of her family.
Marshal Sebastian', the father of the Duchess de Praslin,
arrived in Paris on Thursday night. Aides-de-camp of the
King immediately waited on him to offer the condolence of
the royal family; and it was said that an intimation was given
to him that apartment* in one of the royal palaces were
placed at his disposition, should he be disinclined to occupy
. the Hotel Sebastiani, his own residence, which was the scene
, of the recent terrible event. He decided, however, to occupy
, his own residence.

The will of the Duchess de Pratlin was deposited on Tues-
day in the hands of the President of the Tribunal. The
Duchess de Frain had made dispositions by which her
husband obtained life interests of a considerable amount. It
appears that, in speaking of the education of her children,
she manifees the desire that one of the eminent professors of
the cspital, and not a governess, shall be chosen tor them.

MEXICO AND THE UNITED
STATES.

An outline of the following appeared in the Express
of Saturday :
The Hibernia, Capt. Ryrie, arrived at Liverpool a
little after midnight on the morning of Saturday last.
Her dates are : New York, 14th Aug. ; Boston, 16th
Aug.; Halifax, 18th Aug.; Philadelphia, 14th Aug. ;
Washington, 12th Aag.; New Orleans, Bth Aug.;
Vera Cruz, 2nd Aug. ; Puebla, 30th July ; Mexico,
29th July; Brazos Santiago and Tampico, 31st July.
The Cambria reached Halifax on the 17th inst. ;
the Hibernia, and the Philadelphia of the Havre and
New York line of packet steamers, both sailed from
New York on the morning of the 15th inst. The
Missouri, another of the French ocean steamers, put
into Halifax on the 17th, short of coals, 14 days out
from Cherbourg. The Washington had been ordered
to remain a few weeks at New York for improve-
ments. _ _ _

A report disseminated by the American Flag, pub-
lished at Matamoros, that General Scott had entered
the city of Mexico on the I ith of July, had excited
quite a ferment in Washington, Philadelphia, New
York, and Boston. Later and more authentic
information rid Vera Cruz had, however, dispelled
the illusion.

On the 30th of July, General Scott was still
at Puebla ; preparing, however, for an immediate
advance upon Mexico. He enly waited to be joined by
General Peirce, who was expected to reach Puebla in
the first week of August. The attack upon Peirce's
detachment at Puente Nacional, of which vague
rumours only were received by last mail, was repulsed
with considerable logs to the Mexicans. Notwith-
standing_the natural strength of the position occupied
by the Mexican guerillas, the Americans carried it in
gallant style. They reserved their fire till within
100 yards of the enemy, and then opened it with
murderous effect, forcing the Mexicans to an imme-
diate retreat. General Peirce reached Perote without
any further attempts to interrupt his march, and
there he was joined by Smith's brigade, which Gen.
Scott had despatched to meet him.
The news from Mexico is very vague. In order to
be free to act, government had suspended the publi-
cation of all newspapers, except the official organ.
The Yew Orleans Delta states that the Mexican
Congress had met and adjourned, without coming to
any determination respecting the propositions of the
government at Washington. It was understood that
they sought to throw on the executive the entire
responsibility of conducting the war. Santa Anna
was represented by one account as having held is
council of general officers, at which it was resolved to
seek one more general engagement. The fortifications
of Mexico were said to be completed ; and the armed
force assembled in the capital; was stated at 25,000.
General Valencia had arrived in the capital with 4,000
men. Alvarez was also there, and had had several
long interviews with Santa Amid.
As tr as Mexico is concerned, the rest is all con-
jecture. Mr. Kendall, of the New Orleans Picayune,
who is at Puebla, represents the chances of peace
in an unfavourable light; other communications
to that paper are more sanguine, representing the
Peaaan as gaining ground. On all hands, how-
-1 ever, . rist's mission is regarded as a failure, and
a renewal of hostilities is looked upon even by those
who anticipate little more than a nominal resistance
as an inevitable prelude to peace. The old report of
Santa Anna aiming at the dictatorship, with a view
to patch up a peaee, was revived. The foreign
merchants in Mexico were said to be anxious tor
General Scott's arrival, and confident that he could
take the city without difficulty. A rumour had
spread among the Americans to the effect that the
English legation was secretly exerting its influence
to keep the Americans out of the capital.
Commodore Perry had withdrawn his force from