The Sun.
London, England, 1807-01-01 00:00:00

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ACCOUNT of /
TRANCES 5b..4NAG2:1774/

YOUNG LAM', WllO sF.trl'ED WITH

REPUTATION AS .AN YA.S'S.IGN .1N1) LItUTENANT or

THREE DI FIT:IIENT AUS'I'KEAN R EGIAIEN TS DU 11 ING

'I R E LAST WAR

France,s Scanagatti Was born at Milan, and bap-
tised at the latish of St. Eusebins;;the 14th of Sep-
tembef-, 1781. In her infancy she nude considerable
'progress in the German and French languages under
a Strasburg!) Go-verness named Madame. .Deputs.
This Lady baN'ing in her youth belonged to a coot-
party of the Comadie Ranrave, possessed some in-
tOrmation, and
,engaged her pupil to apply to study
with pleasure, :b} the anni iiig 'means she employed
of reciting and explaining, sometimes in the one
and sometimes in the other -language, such , small
pioces of coinedy and romance as were within her
reach, and, obliging her to repeat the same*by de-
grees. It is not improbable, incolisequence of so many
comic and romantic ideas arising from these amusing
studies, that this young lady insensibly conceived a
-passion 'for thks' Mil:tary profession, and adopted as
a maxim,' that women riiight run the course of
glory and science as well as men, if they entered'on
them .with equal advantages Of instruaiohand-emu-
Int ion.

,At ten years of age she was lint ander the' charge
of the Ntin4 of the Visitation,.an institution in high
repute throughout Italy fOr the education of young
jo,adies ; and here she conduaied herself so as to ob-
tain and deserve the esteenf.and friendship of the
whole, house, forher sweet, amiable, and engaging
disposition. • Such are the expressions made use of
by
.the 'venerable and distinguished Superior, Ma-
dame- De Bayarine; to'convey her approbation, and
the general sense of the Nuns of- this reapeaable
establishdent. ' .

•
To•-carols the end of 17D4, her father„ -Mr. Joseph
resolved to send his daughter to Vienna
as a'. boarder with a W'idoW Lady, in Order to °improve
her in the German latigurtge, and to qualify iler in
details of house-keeping. Ott the journey she
Vas dreFed in boy's doilies, to avoid trOuble and
impertinence ; and She was accompanied by one of
her Lrotliers, who intended k 'stop- at Neustadt, in
order, to att,nd a course of military studies in the
Academy of that town,' which is esteemed the nur-
sery of the best Officers •in the -Austrian. Artily:—
The pupils, to the !mintier of Tour hundred, mo.tly
Officers' sung; are maintained and educated. by the
Imperial court, and 'besides- the military exercises,
are i , nstrated 41 languages, mathematics, and the
Welles Let tres

During the journey the brother fell- sick, and ac-
knowledged to his sister what lie had not had the
courage to avow to his father, that he-had neither
taste nor inclination for a military life. His sister
then strenuouHly urged him-to return -home with the
servant to re-establish .his health ; and having ob-
tained from him the letter of recommendation- he
Gthlled to M. De Haller, Surgeon on the staff of the
Acadeo.y, ant at whose house he' was to have been
boart! L.:4., she had the intrepidity to introduce her-
self, under its.saatiolt, to the Gentleman as the re-,
corium tided boy, and as such received the kindest
welcome. In a short time she had the' good for-
tune to •gain .the friendship of M. De Haller, his
wile, and two lovely, daughters, so as to bcrconsi-
tiered as one of thefamify. Giving daily proofs of
an amiable character and a-strong disposition to be
instructed, she obtained' from Court permission to
attend the. leaures at the 'Academy ; and so con-
,spictiously distinguihsed herself •hy her exemplary
conduct kind her -progress, that she bore. away the
prizes of distin&ion in, both the years.l79s and 1796.
that she remained there. - " 4 -

At this Academy she perfeaed herself in the
knowleite of German and 'French, and also ac-
quired a knowledge of the-English language, und&
Mr. Miket', a Ckrgvman from Ireland, one of 'the
Professors Of the Ll-'14116011, who declares he never
Lid the smallest 'suspicion of young Seanagattibe,
a girl, but considered her as a very mild and ae-
complishcd boy, of uncotnnion prudence. Here
lso she• made. the mast successful applic'ation to
fencing .and inili&y Ladies, as well as to the Various
branches of the mathematics.

In the month of February,. 1797, she resolved to
address•the Supreme Council of \Vaf-at -Vienna tobe
admitted au Officer in' the Army, supporting her ap-
plication by the most honourable testimonies. of
conduct and 'talents, which the Academy Ould not.
:refuse her, aitd accompanying- these with more elo-
quent vouchers, namely, the prizes awarded her
during the two preceding years.
Ihe Supreme Council being at this time particu-
lar!) in want of good Officers,' to replace the great
numbers who had fallen in thepreceding campaigns,
readily appointed Nr to an ensigucy in the regiment,
of St. George.
Her promotion being notified to her through the•
channel of the Academy, she immediately set out. for
Vienna, whence she received orders to join a trans-
port of recruits in Hungary, and proceed with it to
the Upper Rhine, where the-battalion lay to which
she "as appointed. This battalion was composed of
-Waradiners, and was commanded by Major Seitei.
It was stationed•on the. Right Bank of the ithine,in
the neighbourhood of Kehl, and at the extreme out-
posts, when she joined, is, but shortly v. 114 obliciedio
retire to the town of Manheim, the Enemy Cavihg
passed the Rhine between Kitsteit and Deershem.
At length the Peace of Campo Formio put 'an
end to the campaign, and MademoiSelle Scanagatti
having passed about sixteen months in different can- _
tonments in the Eitipire, Silesia, and Stiria, received
an Order to repair to Poland, to join the fourth bat-
talion of the regiment of Wenzel Collorado, then
commanded by Major Deeber. '
She Was now stationed in the. town of Sandomir
and here she experienced the most distres-sing • in-
quietudes, through the dread of -her sex being' diS.l
covered. its -she frequented the Cassino, Where
the select conapany -,essot iatedi some of, the Ladies-
who assemitled there, either tinotigh the conforma-
tion of her body, or'.her reserved manners, con
ceived and communicated their suspicion; ; and ac-
cordingly a young Gentlernan belonging to the town
aaid to" Cher ingenuOusly, " Do you know, 'Ensign,
what these Ladies observe \of you r —She imme-
diately suspe6ed what! the blow was direpted; but,
concealing .her alarm, she answered she should be