The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-11 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF LACENAIRE.

PARIS, JAN. 9.—Since the rejection of the appeal to the
Court of Cassation, a good deal of curiosity has been
evinced by people who do not usually interest them-
selves in such matters, to witness the last moments of
this extraordinary criminal. A considerable crowd as-
sembled this morning, soon after day break, in the open
space at the back of the observatory in front of the barrier
St. Jacques, where the scaffold had been erected. The
ground was kept by. strong detachments of the infantry and
cavalry of the Municipal Guard ; but there was nothing in
the aspect of the crowd to excite the least uneasiness.
Chairs and tables had been placed behind the line of troops,
and as usual at any street spectacle in Paris, the pro-
prietors were endeavouring to let them to the best advan-
tage by calling out " Place a loner, Place a loner !"
The instrument of death is evidently so contrived as that

it may be put up and taken down on the shortest possible
notice. The scaffold is raised about four feet from the
ground and is about three yards square. The fall of the

knife is about six feet, so that it must be heavily loaded to
perform its work so promptly and effectually as it does.
At half past eight o'clock three carriages made their way
slowly through the crowd, and entered the space round the
platform kept open by the Gendarmes. The two first were
hackney-coaches, in which were the executioner and his a: E
sistants ; the third resembled an omnibus, but without any
windows. This last was backed towards the steps of the
scaffold, on which the executioners had previously taken.
their places. It had been arranged that Avril, the ac-
complice of Lacenaire, should be the first to suffer. The
door of the waggon having been opened, Avril got out un-
assisted, his arms being tied behind him, and mounted the
steps of the scaffold without discovering any marks of trepi-
dation. On seeing the assembled crowd, his complexion
rose perceptibly, and something like a smile was visible on
his countenance. Before leaving the waggon, he had been
divested of his coat, waistcoat, neckerchief and braces, and
his hair may possibly have been cut shorter than usual, but
this was all that marked what is called la toilette d'un con-
damni. The other preparations were the work of an in-
stant. A board was placed before him, to which a sort of
iron hoop was attached, which, turning on a hinge, enclosed
hies behind. Th• board having been let down, was in-
stantly pushed forward, so as to bring the back of the suf-
ferer's neck under the knife ; at the same instant the pully
was drawn, the knife fell, the head dropped into an iron
vessel prepared to receive it, and the body was turned over
into a cavity in the platform before the blood had time to
flow, thus concealing the most frightful part of the spectacle
from those who came to enjoy it.
The door of the waggon was again opened to relieve
the chief criminal, Lacenaire, from the tortures of the
quart d'heure of Rabelais. His deportment discovered less
emotion than that of his victim and accomplice, who had
preceded him, although on their way from the prison he
had probably been exposed to a repetition of those taunt-
ing imputations on his courage which Avril had heaped upon
him in the course of the trial. The slightest change could
not be observed on his features from the first moment of his
appearance on the scaffold till the last, when his head was
placed under the instrument of death. He had probably
resisted the approaches of the clergy, although within
these few days it has been reported that he had at last
been persuaded to make the plonge so sarcastically de-
scribed by Voltaire. To die, sooner or later, by the hands
of the executioner had, according to his own avowal,
formed part of his calculation from the moment of his en-
tering on his career of crime. Seeing no form of death
more easy than that by the guillotine, he have it a simple
preference to suicide, making no account whatever of the
robberies and murders' by which he was to obtain the
means of self-indulgence during the interval. The book he
has written during his confinement is announced for pub-
lication to-morrow or next day, and as it is expected to
contain a full and frank disclosure of all his motives of
action, its appearance is looked for with considerable
eagerness. Lacenaire seemed to be a man about 30 years
of age, of small stature, meagre in person, and of dark
complexion, but his countenance was far from exhibiting
those ferocious features which might have been expected in
the author of so many atrocities. From the extreme cool-
ness and self-possession with which he has conducted him-
self throughout his trial and up to the moment of his death,
it is to be feared that his example will have a most perni-
cious influence on that numerous class to which he formerly
belonged—
" Too protid to work, to beg who are ashamed."
and that we may shortly hear of the commission of such
crimes in this country as are not to be prevented by the fear
or even the certainty of what is vulgarly considered the se-
verest of all punishments.

(From the Journal des Debuts.)
We find in the Augsburgh Gazette, under the head of
Berlin, December 26, some fresh'explanations on the Speech
of the Emperor Nicholas to the Municipal Deputation of
Warsaw. It is difficult to conceive the object which the Rus-
sian Government or its friends can have in view in reviving
this affair. We should have looked won it, without
seeking to excuse it further, rather as an unpremeditated
explosion of the imperial wrath, than as a studied and
deliberate attempt to humiliate and strike with terror
the whole Polish nation, in the persons of the Municipal
Councillors of Warsaw, as the Correspondent of the
Augsburgh Gazette assures us was the case. We know
not how the actual situation of Poland could be better
pourtrayed than in the picture sketched in the subjoined
article, where the silent populace, congregated together
in the streets of the town, whisper fearfully to each other,
" Look at the Emperor, how he is examining the cannons
of the citadel!" _ _

According to the opinions of well-informed persons,
the Journal des Debats had no need of diplomatic commu-
nications to enable it to give to its readers the famous
Speech of the Emperor Nicholas. A great number of
persons at Warsaw were acquainted with it, and several
copies, differing slightly one from the other, were in circu-
lation in the town, of which one alone had something like
a semi-official character, because it emanated from a person
whose connexion with the authorities was well known.
This is the whole truth, from which it results that it
was proposed to publish the Speech, and that its publica-
tion had quite a different source and quite another interest
than might be believed from first impressions.
M. Laszizewski, Referendary of State, and President
of the Municipality of Warsaw, of the province of Posen,
who, since the revolution, in conjunction with, or, if you
will, under a Russian Vice-President, has directed the
affairs of the city in a manner that has given satisfaction,
nominated this deputation to receive the Emperor, and
named the eighteen persons who composed it from
among the most eminent merchants of the town. Men
of such character were chosen as, it was thought, would
not offend the Emperor ; and, among others, the banker
Eppstein, who wore several Russian decorations. It
is, then, very clear that the wrathful language of
the Emperor was not addressed to the' members of the
deputation, but to the whole Polish nation, and that it was
intended tithe speech should be made public. It may
also be admitted that the President of the deputation had
received and made communication about this speech (which
was not at all extemporaneous, save in form) prior to its
publication. The spirit of it had been carefully studied,
and its language was not the result of the mere anger of
the moment, but of a political combination calculated
long beforehand ; in other words, a manifesto. Accord-
ingly the Emperor spoke without affectation, and without
any passionate movements of his arms, which remained
folded upon his bosom during the whole time of its deli-
very. Immediately afterwards he went to the Citadel,
and the people remained all quiet in the streets, whispering
to each other, Look at the Emperor, how he is examining
the cannons.' The words of the'Emperor are now before
the tribunal of history, they belong to the tragic scenes of
that drama, of which we know not yet whether the last act
is about commencing or has long since finished.—Augs-
burg Gazette.

SPAIN.

ESTAMENTO OF PROCURADORES, Dec. 29.

SECOND DAY'S DEBATE ON THE BILL RELATIVE TO THE VOTE

OF CONFIDENCE.

Senor Acuna stated, that it was fortunate the Queen
Regent had listened to the counsels of prudent men, and
reconciled the Spanish people by appointing good Ministers.
They now asked a vote of confidence for four months, and
he would support their demand, as they founded it upon the
necessity of the case.
Senor Montilla asked why were the constitutional ar-
rangements of the Estatuto Real to be voided. Economy
had been promised, and yet since last year it had not been
carried into effect. He would, however, support the vote
of confidence, if it could be shown that it would tend to al-
leviate the burdens of the people.
Senor Calderon y Collantes contended—lst, that in the
present extraordinary position of the nation, it could not be
expected that the mere forms pointed, out by the Estatuto
Real would be preserved ; 2cl, that there were sufficient
data to warrant the vote of confidence, which was proposed
to the Estamento by order of a Royal decree ; and ad,
that while the nation was well constituted and unanimous,
there was nothing to be apprehended from a vote of confi-
dence to such Ministers for so short a period.
The Conde de. Toreno wished to explain the grounds on
which he should vote on the occasion. The report on the
estimates of last session was to be voted without examina-
tion. That was a measure which necessity sanctioned even
in other countries. He thought that there might be some
danger in allowing the Ministers to alter the essential
forms of the taxation, as the project of law required; but
still there was a remedy even for any bad results occur-
ring from the revision in the next Cortes. The third
point was a most difficult one, in allowing the Govern-
ment to make use of whatever resources and means were
within its reach. The committee said it was satisfied
with the explanations given by the Minister ; but yet it
did not say what' were those explanations. As for the ac-
counts of this year, they could not be made up until the
beginning of the next. He was prepared with the requi-
site papers to give a full explanation of his Government at
a fair opportunity.
M. Mendizabal—The Government, which yesterday ex-
, perienced some anxiety respecting the state of the ques-
tion, feels to-day satisfied, for the Procuradores are, as it
I is evident, disposed to do justice, and to honour it with
their confidence. Senor Martinez de 19. Rosa is willing to
grant taxes, loans, and even national property, and so
are the other Procuradores, but they are not asked for.
The only difficulties for the Procuradores, therefore, is to
make use of the vote of confidence ; 42 days have the
present Cortes been open, and the same confidence was
exhibited now to the Ministry as in the beginning. The
Conde de Toreno bad stated? that he believed he knew the