The National Register.
London, England, 1816-01-07 00:00:00

JAN. 7.

the benefit of the Insolvent Debtors Act. Never (said the
learned gentleman) was a case of criminal conversation made
out so as to produce heavy damages, unless full and pregnant
evidence was adduced to prove that the parties had previously
lived in a state of uninterrupted happiness.
The Deputy Sheriff briefly recapitulated the evidence, and
the Court having been cleared, the Jury consulted for a short
time, and found a verdict fur the plaintiff—Damages, Three
Thousand Pounds.

LAV A LETTE.

The following letter from the son of the arrested Gaoler, re-
specting Count LA v At. ET TE, appeared in the Journal de Paris
Gof Thursday se'nnight

TO THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL DE PARIS.'
" Paris, December 26.
gi The account which you have given of the escape of M. La-
valette is correct, with the exception of two circumstances.
You stated, that the Minister of General Police and the
Prefect of Police went to the prison, and immediately ordered
the arrest of the gaoler. You should have stated, that six mi-
nutes precisely after the escape of M. Lavalette, the gaoler,
after having ordered the keepers and myself (and it was I who
stopped the sedan chair on the Quai des Orfevres) to go in pur-
suit, proceeded himself to the Prefect of Police to inform him
of the disastrous event. It was then only that the Prefect sent
my father to the prison of the depot of the Prefecture. Now is
it probable that if the gaoler had been guilty, he would have
given an account so soon to the Prefect of Police, and placed
himself at his mercy ? would he not have concealed the escape
until next day, nay even disappeared himself before it was
known ?
" Several Journalists have said, that the gaoler seemed to be
guilty of negligence : No, Sir, he has not. The gaoler was
present in the front lodge when M. Lavalette went out, dis-
guised in his wife's clothes, supported by his daughter and an
old servant, all three sobbing and crying, which appeared to
him quite natural. It has been said, why was not the handker-
chief taken from his face? but I ask those who put this ques-
tion, would they have done so themselves, to a female in the
last agonies of grief and despair, at seeing her husband for the
last time previous to his ascending the scafibld ? Would not
such conduct have been an insult and a cruelty, with which the

gaoler might have been justly charged ?
" It has been said, why was it not discovered at the various
wickets, that a man and not a woman was going out ? In answer
to this it may be said, that Madame Lavalette, every time she
came to see her husband, was covered with a large fur cloak,
which seemed to accord with her sickly condition, and under
which her shape was completely disguised.
" If my father had been capable of selling his honour, he
would have accepted the offers made him by Madame Ney to
save her husband—offers of which 1 can now give an account
from a conversation of which I took notes immediately after
my father reported it to me:—
" On the I ith of November, at seven o'clock in the evening,
she came into the Lodge where 1 was: she said to my father
that slie was desirous of speaking to him in private-1 retired
into the front Lodge. After both were seated she spoke as
follows M. Rocquette, 1 know that nothing but the misfor-
tunes you experienced at St. Domingo reduced you to the ne-
cessity of becoming a gaoler—you have a large family. It may
be possible, if you wish it, to place them in opulence.'—' How
so, Madame ?'—' A victim is wanted, and my husband is marked
out ; it depends upon you to save him ; set off
it.—My with him—no-
thing can happen to you, depend upon fortune is con-
siderable—l offer you half, nay the whole, if you wish it
6 What, Madame, do you propose to me to forfeit my honour?'--
• Sir, honour is not affected when it is necessary to save an un-
fortunate person.'—' No, Madame, nothing can make me traffic
Nvith my duty. Your grief affects me, but I beseech you in-
stantly to cease speaking of a proposal which hurti me beyond
measure.'—' What I will nothing in the world move you on
behalf of an unfort,inate family ?'—' I participate most sin-
cerely in your just grief, but I cannot do more.',' Then give

8(4

me your word of honour that you will notmention what I
have said to you to the Marshal, who is ignorant of my pro.
posal.'—He made her the promise, and rose in order to put
an end to a conversation which was disagreeable to him. She
said to him, on going away, Will you think of it ? Will
you reflect on what 1 have said?'—' Madame, all my re.
flections are finished, I beseech you to think no more on the
subject yourself.'—From this moment he avoided being alone
with Madame Ney, lest she should renew the proposal. I have
the honour to be, &c. (Signed)
RO CQUE TTE DE KERGUIDER,

Madam Lavalette's interference in effecting the escape of her
husband from prison, has numerous parallels in the examples
of history. Among these the wife of the celebrated Grotius is
particularly eminent. During the contests which arose in Hol-
land on account of religion, Grotius sided with the Arminians ;
for which he was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in the
Castle of tom estein. His wife having obtained leave to con-
vey away a chest of books, fin• fear her husband should injure
his health by over study, Grotius was placed in the chest and
taken out of the castle. As the soldiers were carrying the chest
one of them said it was so heavy that there must bean Arminian
in it, to which Grotius's wife answered that it was indeed full of
Arminian books. When the chest was brought out of the castle
it was conveyed to Gorcum, from which place Grotius escaped
to Antwerp, and afterwards to France, where he obta'ned a pen-
sion. He subsequently returned to Holland, and was honoura-
bly received.
Whatever may be our opinion of Lavalette, of the action of
his courageous and noble wife there can be but one opinion.—
As the old song says.
In every woe, in every ill,
Ob ! Women are our best friends still.
She remained, according to our last letters, in the prison from
whence she had released her husband. But surely she will not
be kept there.

BUONAPARTE —A Gentleman lately returned from St. He•
lena, and who was frequently with Buonaparte, describes him
as in the highest spirits, even to a degree of jolity. When he
was coming away, and mentioned his destination to ano-
ther part of the world, the Ex-Emperor exclaimed, " What,
Sir, and leave such a fine island as this He talked about
India, and shewed the most complete and detailed knowledge of
its atl'aiis. Ile knew all the petty Princes, their situations, op-
posite interests, the names of the principal bankers, merchants,
&C. in our settlements. He was as much au fait on the subject
as if he had passed his life there. Being asked his opinion of
Lord Wellington, he said, " He is a good General, but slow.
I should put 300,000 men in motion while he was thinking of it.'
He rides at a prodigious rate, and sets off full gallop the instant
he is mounted, leaving the cavalcade who attend him at a good
distance behind.

The Hampshire Chronicle, however, contains the following
letter, which flatly contradicts the former part of the above
statement

" His Majesty's ship Ferret, St. Helena, Oct. 25.
"Gen. Bounaparte is much dejected, and highly displeased
with the island and the residence allotted to him : however,
here he is, and likely to remain, until death closes his mortal
hours. Marshal Bertrand and all his attendants are at a house
near the landing-place; but Buonaparte is at Mr. Balcombe's, in
the country, where he intends taking up his abode until the
house appropriated to his reception is ready. The island of St.
Helena is so fortified by natute, as well as art, that it is impos-
sible he can make his escape; but, notwithstanding, Admiral
Cockburn (the fittest man in the world to guard him) has
thought it necessary to place two brigs on the 100k-out, one
above, and the other below, the island. Madame Bertrand has
been extremely ill since her arrival ; but we hope she will soon
recover, as she is remarkably attentive to the English.—Thes
Peruvian, Capt. White ; and Zenobia, Capt. Dobree, have sail•
eel for the Island of Ascension ; the Havannah, Capt. Hamilton;
sails to-morrow for the Cape."