The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-09-28 00:00:00

TRIAL FOR SEDUCTION.

COWS'? Or emus OF PARIS.
The sitting of to-day hes been occupied by au
accusation of carrying off a minor, the only daugh-
ter of a cabinet•maker possessing some properly.
The 'reenact was • young men, uuthor of several
articles. who had no other meal's of sub.istence.
though an Advocate. than his recent imploymet t
by a Journal entitled the Pilots.
Pierre Barthelemy had met several times Miss
Elisabeth Florence daughter of a cabinet-
...ha. aged 17 yours. He am II or IS years
older, lie is far from being ugly, but he is short
sod lame, and obliged to aid the shortness of one
leg by • high heeled boot, and to support himself
on a cane.
The Act oe Accusation and the Justieestary
Papers, make us acquainted with the manner in
which he acquaintance wee established. Barthe-
lemy frequently followed Miss Elisabeth in the
street, whom • servant accompanied from school,
hotue. He very soon found means to speak to her,
and offered to lend her some books. The first
which he lent her were, according to him. some
works on Educatiou and a Treatise on Mythology.
Some time afterwards he put into her hands the first
volume of Lis Nouvelle Ileloise, and reread to give
her the second. He wished to shew her Julie guilty,
but not Julie repentant. Elisabeth, it is said, heW-
taied to finish the first volume; she was stopped by
this remarkable passage of the preface:—" What-
ever young woman, in spite of the title, dares to
read • single page. is for ever lost." She added.
however. I have arrived at the 110th page, and sin
dot yrt lost. Barthelemy replied, that the danger
was only to weak minds, and that she might con-
tinue.

In a letter written to the object of his arts, Bar-
thelemy developed his•theory of seduction. Very
soon he menaced Elisabeth, that he should be
driven to deeds of the greatest despair. He dared
to advance that suicide was not a crime. He au-
pounced his approaching departure for Barcelona,
where he was going to brave the yellow fever. Eli-
: tbeth aas alarmed ; Barthelemy changed his plats
of a journey into Spain far a trip to England, and
by degrees he led her into the abyss of seduction.
At length the place of her retreat was discovered,
and she was conducted to the convent of Sr.
' Michel, by virtue of the paternal authority, and
'of theasthority of the President of the Civil Court,
Barthelemy wrote a menacing letter to the father,
in which he reproached him as a tyrant and gaoler,
and the executioner of his daughter, and weut so
far as to say, " you have lost your rights in abusing
them."

Barthelemy alleged for excuse the violent passion
with which he was inspired by his victim, and the
project which he had always entertained of marry.
mg her ; but the father would not accept of a re-
paration which only confirmed the ravisher io the
possession of the prey which he had coveted. He
appeared before the Court as a party to a civil suit.
At the commencement of the trial, Elisabeth
was led forwa'd by the son-in-law of M. Leboo,
her father's advocrte. Her steps trembled, she was
evidently confused, though a long black veil cover-
ed her features, which are described as regular and
handsome. Her eyes appeared to avoid those of
M. Barthelemy.
After the act of accusation was read, in the pre-
sence of a numerous audience, M. de Broe, Advo.
cate-General, required, in consequence of the no-
tore of some of the detail., that the cause should be
heard with closed doors.
The Court agreed to this requisition, the audience
were ordered to depart, some persons, however, re-
mained; we shall not abuse this favour in reporting
afflicting derails, which the interest of morality re-
quires us not to submit to the eyes of our reader,.
M. de Broe supported the accuratioo with the
same talent that he has recently displayed in a num-
ber of criminal prosecutions.
M. le Bon pleaded the father's cause, and M.
Came defended Barthelemy.
The audience were again admitted, when the
Judge summed up, and they then learnt that all the
difficulty of the case turned on 354th and 3561 h ar-
ticles of the Penal Code, and on a defect wheel the
Legislator seems to have left iu them. The defence
maintained that the minor being more than sixteue
years of age, and having voluntarily followed her
seducer, the charge of fraud provided fur in the
354th article was not applicable.
After a short deliberation the Jury found Bar-
thelemy not guilty of having carried off the minor,
Elisabeth Florence G--, by fraud. le conse-
quence the President absolved him and spoke to
him ere follows : --
" Pierre Barthelemy, the sikaee of the law rather than
your innocence, enables roe to escape from this accusatiou.
You have been guilty of the greatest trespass that can be
committed not oely against the risks of sioeslity, but against
the Arm principles of as haseat and vktseue ,sea. You
have tempted a young comas from her duty, kouwieg that
her father "meld sever coolies' hi give her is you N seat.
riser. Yee have not eves asked the tuber's GOMM/ j pas
began the seslattios of this riming penes is the west irVe
us , and with a cleverness that has hitherto bee* foetid
only is Novels, where the character of Lovelace has bins de-
scribed with such odious features. It will be said that pea
have learned your means of seduction from works which we
dare sot ease on this Beach. Remember the impose pas
have sow been guilty of pew whale life, and endeavour to
expiate it by better conduct. Admonished fur the (Were by
the lesson you have received, endeavour to forst DO ether
manmade* but what are pure sod vineries. Abairesll„ do
sot abuse talests which Mall be acksowkdged, which eaters
has gives pay, and educatiois hos cultivated, but of which
you have made a most fatal use."
.1111111te Or TIM LICH, IMPTSIIIIIIII IL
A commercial letter which has just reached us
from Venice, of the I tilt of September, inform. us
that a numerous Greek feet has doubled the