The National Register.
London, England, 1816-01-14 00:00:00

THE• NATIONAL REGISTER.

THE PRET-ENDED DAUPHIN OF FRANCE.
The general rumour recently revived •on the Continent of the
Dauphin of France, son of Louis XVI. being still in existence,
has brought to light an old stoiy current in France, and generally
believed, in the year 1800. A statement of facts, as they occurred
at the time, has been preserved ever since hy one of the family of
an eye witness, from whom the particulars were derived. The
.copy of the statement is as follows :
" In January, 1800, a young drummer in the regiment of Bol-
gidioso, in the Austrian service, being garrisoned at Tortona, in
Piedmont, was sentenced to run the gauntlet three times for a
slight fault ; as the corporal went to flog him, the young man said,
that he had something of importance to communicate to the Com-
mander, they conducted him to the Colonel of the regime' t) to
whom he declared that he was the Dauphin of France, son of A. is
XVI. ; that his intention bad always been to make himself known
•to nobody but his sister, who, he thought, was at Vienna, and who
would alone know him • but that he could not submit to so vile a
punishment without making himself known. He added, that the
only favour which he asked, was, to be conducted to where his
sister resided. The Colonel, being much troubled, sent the young
man to Metes, Commander in Chief, who had his quart( rs at Turin.
I was myself there at that time, and I will relate nothing that I
have not seen or heard. The young man arrived at Turin in a fine
coach, drawn by six horses, and was treated every where with the
greatest respect : on his pissing through Asti, he was recognised
by an old Swiss of the Palace of Versailles, who fell upon his knees,
wetting them will) tears, and said, that he should be satisfied since
lie had been so happy as to see the son of his old master, whose
death he-had so often lamented.
`4. At Turin every one was permitted to see the young man, and
I went and paid him a visit, accompanied by several friends ; the
day after his arrival, he was fatigued with visits from many Gen-
tlemen of Piedmont; be told us that lie was much pleased at seeing
some Frenchmen, that our couutry was a very unfortunate one,
but that he hoped to-return one day to Versailles.
" I had seenahe Dauphin in 1791, and I recognized his features
in the face of that young man ; almost all those who had known
him formerly, found it so. Somebody having his picture in profile,
which had been taken in the.year 1791, we compared it, and found
the resemblance Perfect ; the consequence was, that he asked it of
us, and we gave it him. I‘desired him to relate to us by what suc-
cession of circumstances he watt now at Turin, and this is what he
told us. I will addult that I learned from him in several private
conversations,, •in which I examined him very closely. He said he
had been entrusted to the care of Simon, a shoemaker. That man,
under apparent bad treatment, concealed an unlimited devoted.
uess to him, and indemnified him in private for the cruelties he
seemed- to exercise over him publicly. Simon having received
orders from Robespierre to poison the Dauphin, took that oppor-
tunity to keep him from his tormentors. He substituted a child of
the same size and age, who had just died, and whose features were
altered., attributing the effects of it to the poison.
"• Simon placed the Dauphin in his house for several days ; and
entrusted him afterwards to the care of one of his friends to con-
duct hint to Bourdeaux. He gave him a sum of money, and
charged the Dauphin above all things to make himself known to
no one but his sister, and to take patience till a time should arri' a
when lie could see her again ; an event, said he, which must one
lday or other take place. Having arrived at Bourdeaux, they em-
barked and sailed to Corsica. At that place, his attendant (lied,
and being in distress, he was compelled to engage as a servant in
a coffee-house, at Bastia. He remained there for a little time,
and having heard that his sister resided at Vienna, he used all his
efforts to gather money to see her again ; he afterwards embarked
and sailed to Venice ; having there obtained passports for Vienna,
he attempted to travel thither on foot ; but the commencement of
hostilities in 1799, having filled Italy with Austrian recruits and
camp followers, &c. the young man had the misfortune of being
surrounded by one of their bands; upon his refusal to engage,
they cruelly treated him, and their conduct terminated in .taking
away his papers and money ; so being without resources, he was
compelled to engage in the regiment before mentioned, in whicls
he et:mid only be received as a drummer, on account of his age,
11 or 15. This is what the young man told us with the voice of
truth, and at the saute lilac with so much apparent indifference, as
'flu. cared not a sous whether his hearers believed him or not. The
kind of little Court wltioli had formed arqund bim never omitted
to address him by the title of Monsieur le Dauphin, or Arinoeigneur.
All the respeeetable ladies in Turin went to see him, and every
one «tiered to provide him with cloaths, linen,dze. Several offered
idui money, whiclr lie refused. The greater ;lumber among thom

JAN. 14.

THE NA'

•
Who saw and spoke to him, really remained in the perimasion that
be was the son of Louis XVI. as to myself,. who saw him without
prepossession, I declare that I was much embarrassed what opi-
nion to form of him. The whole exterior of the young man cor-
responded with what he said. The resemblance of his face was
perfect ; and a person who had formerly been attached to the
French Court having observed, that he ought to have a scar in the
skin on account of a fall which lie had in the 'great stairs at Ver-
sailles, we really found a slight scar on the place in question ; he
had besides the gait common to all the Bourbons, a majestic air,
his skin exceedingly fair, and upon the whole possessing rare
personal qualities.
‘.‘ Gen. Melas had dispatched a courier to Vienna, to the Em-
peror, in order to know what conduct he ought to pursue. He
received orders to have the young man exanthied by a Court-mar-
trial. They told him at first, that if he confeed the truth he
would be forgiven, hut if they proved he had told a falsehood he
would be shot. He persisted in saying he was the Dauphin of
France, son ot'LouiS XVl.and asked nothing else but to be con-
ducted
where his sister resided. From that time the Public no
longer had liberty to visit him, and a few days after a rumour was
circulated that he had confessed that he was the son of a watch-
maker at Versailles. However, he told a friend of mine, who took
the opportunity to speak to him while they were conducting him
to prison, that it was false : and that he had confessed nothing
contradictory to what he had at first said. Nevertheless he was
sentenced by the Court Martial, composod of Austrian Officers, to
run the gauntlet three times on St. Charles's-square.
" The ladies of the town, who bad interested themselves in his
happiness, went and asked General Melas for his pardon, who
consented he should only pass once : he was accordingly conducted
to St. Charles's-square to suffer his punishment ;
.and a person wor-
thy of faith, who approached very near him at that moment, told
me that when the Corporal took off his shirt, he exclaimed—What
au indignity for a Bourbon !—From that time the young man disap-
peared, and nobody knew what had become of bim."

FRENCH PROTESTANTS.
The follow;tig letter from the Duke of Wellington to the
secretaries of the " Protestant Society for the Phtectio4 of
Religious Liberty,"mustaffind our Readers great satisfaction
(Copy) " Paris, Nov. 28, 181.5.
" GENTLEMEN—I have had the honour of receiving your
letter of the q.ith inst. and 1 take the earliest opportunity of re-
plying to it. I have every reason to believe that the Public,
and the Society of which you are the Secretaries, have been
misinformed regarding. what is passing in the South of France.
" It is natural that there should be violent contests in a coun-
try in which the people are divided, not only by a difference of
religion, but likewise by a difference of political opinion, and
that the religion of every individual is in general the sign of the
political party to which be belongs ; and at a moment of pecu-
liar political interest, and of weakness in the Government, on
account of the mutiny of the army, that the weaker party
should suffer, and that much injustice and violence should be
committed by individuals of the more numerous preponder-
ating party. But as far as I have any knowledge acquired
shiring my residence at this Court last year, and since the entry
of the Allies into Paris, the Government have done every thing
in their power to put an end to the disturbances which have
prevailed in the South of France, and to protect all his Majes-
ty's subjects in conformity with his Majesty's promise in his
Royal Charter, in the exercise of their religious duties, accord.
ing to their several persuasions, and in the enjoyment of their
several privileges, whatever may be their religious persuasions.
" In a recent instance, an Officer Gen. La Garde, was sent
down to Nisnies, specially by Government, to enquire into the
state of affairs in that country ; and upon his first report he had
orde.is to open the Protestant Churches, which, in the course
of the contest between the parties, had been closed. He was
severely wounded when in the execution of these orders ; and
I have been informed by good authority, that his Royal Highness
the Duc d'Angouleme has since marc!ied at the head of a body
of troops against those who had ppo,ed themselves to the exe-
cution, by Gen. La Garde, of the 0 tiers of the Government
" I inclose the copy of the King's ordinance, issued in conse-
quence of this event, which suiliciently chews the views and
intentions of the Government.