The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-22 00:00:00

ANECDOTE OF A PARISIAN ACTRESS.

It is said, in fact, that the delight which Paris has felt
from the presence of Mademoiselle Sontag is due to a
romantic passion which a young Nobleman, heir to one of
the first families of Prussia, had conceived for her. The
story is as follows:—The young Count of no
sooner saw Mademoiselle Sontag at the Theatre of Berlin
than he became desperately enamoured of her ; his heart,
his fortune, and his hand, were offered to her, but she re-
jected every overture except he could obtain the consent
of his family. The young Count having received from
his father a formal refusal, fell into a state of torpid melan-
choly, from which nothing could arouse him : he renewed
his entreaties to the lady, but with no better success than
before, and at length wrote to his father that, not wishing
to act contrary to his commands, and at the same time
being unable to support life without the object of his love, he
was determined to free himself from pain by putting a
period to his existence. On the receipt of this letter, the
' father, who was strongly attached to his only son, and no
less strongly attached to the prejudices which the ancient
German Nobility contrive to unite with great simplicity of
manners, answered his son in a letter, conceived in the
most touching terms ;—nothing, he said, could induce him
to consent that any dishonour should be thrown on his
name during his life-time by an improper alliance; but
as the term of his life was approaching near, it would bet-
ter become him than his zon to part with existence, and
that if the Count persisted in his projects, he should soon
have full liberty to execute :hem. The young Count,
without renouncing his love, sacrificed it to a more sacred
duty, when at length the whole affair reached the ears of
the King of Prussia, who is much attached to the old
Nobleman. His Majesty commanded his attendance, ■nd
not participating at all in the pnjudices of birth, observed
to him that if, as was generally reported, the conduct of
Mademoiselle Sontag was irreproachable and even exem-
plary, he could see no dishonour in the alliance, since the
Count's passion was so violent ; that it was not the first
time that the heir of a great name had raised an actress to
his own rank ; but that it would he necessary to submit tha
young people, one to the proof of absence, the other to the
trial of seduction.

The King of Prussia, it appears, is well acquainted
with the measure of the seductions to be met with in Paris.
for to Paris he was determined Mademoiselle Sontag should
come, and certainly she has not wanted admirers here. It
is also said that emissaries are despatched to watch secretly
her conduct and behaviour, and that no imprudence or
levity escaped her which could furnish the slightest pre-
text for a sinister report. Such is the story told of Made-
moiselle Sontag; and to be the heroine of such a story must
be Battering to the heart of any prima donna

Yesterday was the Birth-day of the Duke of Clarence,
when his Royal Highness completed his 61st year. The
tradesmen of his Royal highness illuminated their houses
in the evening. . . .

The Duko of Sussex entertained the Duke of Gloucester
and a select party to dinner on Sunday, at his apartments
in the King's Palace, at Kensington.
Mr. Secretary Peel left his residence in Privy-gardens,
about two o'clock yesterday afternoon, for Broadatairs.
Sir Herbert Taylor arrived in town yesterday, from the
King's Pavilion, Brighton, where Sir Herbert tad been on
a visit to the Duke of York. . _

Despatches were received yesterday at the Foreign-office,
from the Right Hon. Frederick Lamb, our Ambassador at
Madrid ; and also from Lord Granville, our Ambassador at
Paris, for Mr. Secretary Canning.
We understand that Mrs. Watt, the venerable widow
of our illustrious townsman, the late James Watt, Esq.,
of Heatlifield, is at present in this part of tl:e country, and
stopped a short time here on Wednesday, on her way to
Large.—Greenoe:7 Adeet fixer.
ittLiCHOUS FANATICISM.—A young woman named
Stevens, residing at Lambhay Hill, whose mother is a
member of the Brianites in Exeter, has, for a long time,
been persuaded that she is possessed with a devil ; and the
ravings of the poor creature, evidently the effect of a dis-
ease in the brain, are wrought to the utmost possible pitch
by the expedients adopted by the leaders of the sect to
expel the enemy from his strong bold. Exorcisms by fire,
prayer, fasting, and watching by night, with repeated de-
nunciations from the Holy Scripture, have been resorted
to; and it may well be supposed that the administering of
such food to the imagination is not calculated to heal the
disturbed fancies of the patient. We apprehend the most
needful assistance, in all such cases, is medical advice.—
Exeter Newt.