The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-01-21 00:00:00

losses sphioitii-il.by that colony from the late horrie
cane MC 25.000.000 francs.. What is more allictiog
still than the 'owl of property on the island is. that
more then • thousand individuals hove perished.
and sting-tenths of Use vessols hare been shipwrecked.

MEMOIRS OF MADAME MANSON,

[From a Paris lyiper.]

EXPLANATORY OF HER CONDUCT IN THE TRIAL
FOR THE MURDER OF H. FUALDES.
Writs iv Herm?, sad **treated Se Ur Mather, Madame
Aaistara; with a Portrait, Eignottot, sad Potkolotto,

The strongest interest has long been attached to
this mysterious personage, for whom chance has
►eserved such an extraordinary part. in • trial that
has become celebrated by the rank of the victim,
the friendship which subsisted between him and his
assassins, the terror which they struck into some of
the witnesses whom justice called to its aid, sod
the veil which still seems to cover a part of their
crime.

Madame Manson, at first summoned as a witness,
but transformed by her alarm, her energetic ex-
pressions, her numerous concealments by silence
into an accuser—alternately questioned as a spec-
tator, or threatened as ass accomplice of the crime—
had hitherto confined herself to a system of bide.
cisiots which tortured without gratif)ing curiosity.
The law had placed her at the mercy of public
opiniati, winch, &appointed a thousand times, re-
proached her for her silence and revenged itself,
for what was called her obstinacy, by assigning to
her motives, sometimes the most disgraceful, at
others the most generous. . _ .

Daring the whole tune of the f►rst trial of the
assassins of M. Fumbles, fiLdame Mattson gave
full scope for conjecture. tier appearance was con.
sidered by some as one of those eveiits which Pro-
vidence keeps in reserve to overwitTlm ■nd confound
the guilty, when on the point of escaping from
human justice. Others—they formed sucked the
mino►ity—seemed to think that this most extraor-
dietary wituess, indulging the vain desire of a ro-
mantic celebrity, had aspired Duly to produce tf.
feet. None had formed a cor►ect judgment of
the author of these Memoirs. Fearful myself of
ctasiveying but an imperfect idea cif her character, I
►hall borrow her own words, extracted from one of
her letters to M. • s a, tie whom Nletlarne Manson
committed her manuscript.
" I have said that nobody knew me, and it is
true. 1 scarcely know myself, and I study myself
every day. I astonish myself, and, as my mother
toy.. 1401
" I do isothiaig like other people; it has happened
that I have beets accused utiaustly, ■nd from a mis-
taken pride, or, if you please, Irons toy eccentricity,
1 diadem to justify myself. 1 um callable of the
greatest elbow to oblige; nothing gives ine merle
pleasure as a., exeite fee hugs of gratitude. Selibion
tin I calculate the coneeepieticee of an action which
my heart bids me perform ;•31,01 seldom do I r.pent
of hating followed it. dictates.
" I always act without 'al emeditation ; im Woof,
I belie cc I am what is coiled a wrong-bend, •t
least so lam told every dew. 1 lately wrote to it
Isar. that the deficiency of my head may pus•ibly
he compensated by lily beast—but you must go
thither to are, fur what *n,ce enters that Delft', collies
OW Non...
These few lines, which delineate in all the candour
of her soul a wotnau *hese extraordinary situation
commands at once respect and interest, will afford
an idea of the manner in which these Memoirs are
written. The heart tualliferts itself throughout ;
as►cl intelligence and elegance often act as its inter-
torten'. Every one of the circumstances which
have given else to her numerous contradiction., is
explained with a sitnpltcitr. u clearness which eon-
►cious ocence can alone inspire. This time
Madame MOllOOll has torn the veil which concealed
from us part of the truth ; she has thought it her
Duly to confide to the baton) of the best of mothers
the secret which she only looted at to justice.
Before we analyst theft Memoirs, we shall pee.
sent the reader with an extract from • petition ad-
dressed by the author to his Excellency the K e'er
of the Seals. Madame Mloloollllo* recourse to the
supreme fountain of justice to obtain a cessation oaf
the persecutions to winch she has been subjected.
" I know not," rays she, " what language is
made use of to the great ; I am lICCIIIIIOIIIed to
speak the language of the heart. The lllitiaster of
a Bourbon cannot mistake it; I need not employ
ally other with your Escelleisey. There is nut all
example in the annals of justice, of a Willie** so
pervecuted as I am.
" I am a victim sacrificed to 1 know not what :
any enemies are unknown to sue. No, Sir, lum
not the woman who was shut tip at llancal'e ; and
yet by a concatenation of circumstances almost in-
credible, I may have admitted that 1 was that
woman—inch is the stature of the fears which I
hare frit ; such is the impress which they have
produced upon my soul, alai l basic chosen rather
to ;aloe fur an isifamous prostitute, than to see them
realized. . •

" Let not your Excellency reproach toe with my
hid in the sitting of the ,2-2,t1 of August. if
the proceedings bad mit been annulled. I would
myself hare tittered my life. I would have fallen.
My dime was involuntary—no matter:—the con-
sequences of it would have been too fatal, and I
alii a striking example of the dangers of convic-
tion. _ .

" In the state into which I have fallen, death
would be a bles►iiig to me, fur with death the
terror:. of life Wye an end. lint to lose my liberty,
to be kept for ever ►eparated from what is dearest
to me, to be deprived of the embraces of my child.
Ali, Sir ! If you think me guilty, punish me not
thus; you could not invent a cruel torture."

- .
•• I will gu," says the iiiirortuisate woman, part
of *hose existeuce is so painfully described in these
Memoirs, •• I will go, if necessary, to a distant
couut►y, to hide my pans but not recaorse." Who
can read these words u 11111 l leed ? %Via eau help
discovering iu this IsuKseiage the exprewriou of a soul
kat-sowed by grief, but *hien g.uslt has never up.
I/II skirt,.
It is natural to suppose that maternal love,
%loch occupies so important a place in the life of
Madame Yawut►—th.►t the passion fur her sou, au