The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-06 00:00:00

ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

The Civil Tribunal of the Seine yesterday gave
judgment in an action brought by the heirs of Pier re
Loustaunau, formerly generalissimo of the armies of
the Mahrattas in the East Indies, against the -
preeen tatives of M. Lepine, jeweller to Napoleon 1.,
to recover the sum of 600,000 f., the value of a ruby
which General Loustaunau had intrusted for sale to
M. Lepine. The plaintiffs also demanded damages
to the amount of 200,000 f. In opening the case, the
counsel for the plaintiffs gave a long account of the
adventures of Pierre .Loustaunau, who was a native
of a village at the foot of the Pyrenees, which he
left when quite a young man, in 1777, during the
excitement caused by the American War of Inde-
pendeece, with the intention of seeking his fortune
in America. Not being able, however, to find a
vessel for that destination, he took his passage to
the East Indies, on board a ship carrying an envoy
from the King of France, charged to conclude, with
an East Indian potentate, an offensive and defen-
sive alliance against the English, end landed at a
port in the Mahratta territory, not far from Born-
bay. The Emperor of the Mahrattes had just been
assassinated, and two princes disputed the throne,
one of whom was supported by the French and the
other by the English. Loustaunan immediately
determined to join the former, and obtained a let-
ter of recommendation from the French envoy. His
offered services were declined on account of his
youth. He then determined to serve as a volun-
teer, and in the course of the war he distinguished
himself so much as to be intrusted with the com-
mand of a detachment, at the head of which he
gained an advantage over the English, for which
the Prince rewarded him with a horse richly capa-
risoned and a sum of 5,000 rupees. He afterwards
obtained a high command, and greatly contributed
to the successful issue of an important battle, during
which he lost his left hand. He had a silver hand
made to replace it, and the very first time he ap-
peared at the head of his troops with this new
hand, an Indian priest, falling on his knees before
him, declared that the will of fate was accomplished,
for that an ancient prophecy had declared that the
.111atiratta Empire would attain the highest degree
of power when its armies should be commanded by
a stranger from the far west with an invincible
silver hand. From that time Loustounau was re-
garded as the first subject in the empire, and became
generalissimo. He held that high post for 18 years,
during which he amassed immense riches. The love
of his native land, however, was still strong within
him, and he resolved to return home. He accord-
ingly transmitted his fortune, amounting to about
8,000,000 f., to France through a merchant of Chan-
dernagoe, and soon after took his departure receiv-
ing as a farewell gift from the prince the very ruby
for ery of which these proceedings were in-
stituted leaving India his good fortune aban-
doned hriete Onv
,for, after narrowly escaping shipwreck,
the co
he arrived in France to find that his eight millions,
which had been converted into assignats, were then
worth only 220,000 f. With this remnant he bought
some ironworks near the Spanish frontier, but his
establishment was destroyed, in 1808, by Spanisle
guerillas. He then came to Paris to sell his germ,
and intrusted the ruby in question to M. Lepine.
On his return to the Pyrenees, he was captured by
some Spanish partisans and detained for a long time
a prisoner in a small island of the Mediterranean,
from which he at last escaped by swimming to a
passing vessel bound for the Levant. He landed
in Syria, and there became insane, and was
kindly treated by a wealthy merchant. He soon
recovered his senses, but when he related his
history, all who heard it thought him as mad as
ever. He wrote to France, however, and was socn
joined by his son, and both of them 'were intro-
duced to Lady Esther Stanhope, who, being ,3-
clicied to astrology, took a liking to them, becatse
she thought there was some mysterious connection
between her star and Loustaunau's. The yoneg
man died two years before Lady Stanhope, and at
her death General Loustaunau was received into a
French charitable establishment, where he remain c d
till his decease. His representatives are now in the
depth of poverty, and reclaim the deposit made by
their ancestor. The counsel for the defendants
admitted that the ruby had been intrusted to Lepine,
but declared that when estimated by competent
judges it was found to be worth only 6,000 f., at
which price it had been purchased as a present for
the Empress Josephine, and the proceeds had been
paid either to Loustaunau himself or his creditors.
Even had it not been so, the plaintiffs' claim could
not be maintained, as it was barred by the statute
of limitations. The tribunal took this view of tte
case and rejected the plaintiffs' demand.— G
nani's Messenger.