The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-01 00:00:00

THE DUKE OF ORLEANS AND

THE FORTUNE-TELLER.

A little more than sixty years since, p fortune-teller
in Paris was roused from his bed at the dead of night by
a loud knocking at the door. On opening it he perceived
standing before him a man muffled up in an ample cloak,
with a large hat slouched over his face. " What do you
want ?" said the fortune-teller, somewhat alarmed The
stranger answered sternly, " If you aro what you profess
to be, you can tell me that—" " i can tell nothing with-
out my earth.," replied the other. They both walked in,
and the fortune-teller having shuffled his cards. and laid
them out, after a pause, observed with a tone of deference,
" I perceive I stn in the presence of an illustrious person."
" You are right," said the stranger ; " and now tell me
what it is I wish to know." The fortune-teller, again
consulting the cards, answered—" You wish to know
whether a certain lady will have a son or a daughter."
"Right again," said the stranger. After another pause,
the fortuneteller pronounced that the lady would have a
son. On which the stranger replied, "If that prove
true, ou shall receive fifty pieces of gold—if false, a good
cudgelling." A few weeks after about the same hour
and in the same manner, the stranger re-appeared, and
before he could speak, the fortune-teller exclaimed, "You
find I was right." " I do," said the stranger ; " and I
sin come to keep my promise." So saying, he produced
a purse of fifty louis and departed. The stranger's mode
of proceeding seems to have been designed to put the
fortune-teller's skill to the severest test. The circum-
stances of his coming alone, and at such an hour, make
it probable he had not communicated his intention to any
one ; whilst his carefulness in concealing his person and
face, and his extreme caution to afford no clue to the
discovery of himself or his object by conversation, were
admirably calculated to render imposition impossible.
The history of the case is this. I have heard it about
seventeen years since, from a gentleman in Paris, who
learned it from Volney, the celebrated traveller in the
East. Volney had it from the fortune-teller himself,
who applied to him for some Syriac expressions. On
being asked for what purpose he wanted them, he con-
fessed his trade ; and Volney finding him a remarkable
shrewd person inquired of him the story of his life. He
said that when he was young, he had a great turn for
expense, very slender means, end an inveterate repug-
nance to anything like drudgery. After long puzzling
himself to discover some mode of life by which he could
unite certain profit with continual amusement, he deter-
mined to set up as a fortune-teller. He commenced by
taking a lodging in the obscure quarter of the Marias,
and practising in a small way in that neighbourhood,
where the blunders of a beginner would not be of much
consequence. At the same time, he never failed to be
in daily attendance about Court, and spared no pains to
make himself familiar with the personal appearance and
private history of every person of the least note there.
After two years of practice among the small, and of
study among the great, he thought himself qualified to
commence business on a grand scale ; and having, by
bribery of a servant procured a proper customer, he tried
his art in his new sphere with great success. His fame,
and of course his gains, increased rapidly, and it was
when he was in his zenith that the adventure above re-
lated happened. He explained it thus :—Whilst
shuffling his cards, he purposely let two or three fall,
and, in rising from picking them up, he contrived to
catch a glimpse of the stranger's countenance to discover
that he was no less a person than the Duke of Orleans,
afterwards Philippe Egaliti and the father of the present
. King of the French, who was actually the child in ques-
tion. He took not the least notice of the discovery he
had made, but pretended to ascertain the fact by the
contemplation of his cards. Having overcome this diffi
culty, his practised acuteness made the rest easy to him.
It was publicly known that the Duchess was near her
confinement, and he had heard the Duke was anxious to
have a son ; he therefore confidently guessed the object
of his visit, and after the manner of his tribe hazarded
the prediction which he thought would insure him the
most liberal pay. He did not expect the proposed alter•
native, which obliged him to be on his guard, and he
had actually only just returned from learning the news
at the Palace, and was scarcely in bed, when the Duke
arrived, whose faith must have been confirmed by the
fortune-teller's anticipation of his intelligence.—The
Original.

- -
ENROLMENT OF THE DOCKYARD WORKMEN AT
PEMBROKE FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE PORT AND ARSENAL.
—The code of regulations from the Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty was received at Pembroke Dock-yard last
week by - the Captain Superintendent, by which all the
workmen between the ages of eighteen and fifty-five are
invited to enrol themselves in a corps to be called the
Royal Dock-yard Battalion, and the Battalion is to be
trained to the use of the small and heavy guns for-
the defence of the arsenal, and drilled for that purpose for'
twa hours each day from the Ist of April to the Ist of Sep-
tember. All riggers, lightermen, hoymen, and sailmakers, to
be trained, in addition, to the use of guns in the dock yard'
launches and gun-boats. In furtherance of this object Cap-
tain Superintendent Falcon issued an invitation to ar-
tificers, labourers, and apprentices, to 'come forward
at once to enrol themselves for this patriotic purpose. He
energetically called upon all having the character and feel-
ings of Britons, to be ready to enlist their best energies to
repel on all occasions, every attempt, whether from foreign
or domestic enemies, to injure or destroy establishments of
so much importance to the prosperity, safety, and honour of
the country, as well as of such essential beinfit, to the
thousands who are so fortunate as to be-iimployed in these
national Works. On Monday last this ca I-was responded to
in the most satisfactory manner, almost every man readily
enrolling himself as solicited. T
very few exceptions, who of course ° can nwexpectwere,
o nweevfearv, suorma et
the hands of the GOvernment. A force has thus been raised
of upwards of 850 men in the prime of life, ready on auy
emergency to repel the attacks of an invading foe, for it is
not intended they should otherwise act than in repulsing
invaders.— WeIshman.EFFECTS OF RALWAYS —Messrs. Boustead, but-
chers, of this city, have this week slaughtered 100 sheep
for the London
the Bell yard, peen.. Eighty sheep were slaughtered in
I the London market on the osanmtehed 23. d inst., and
i) taken to f
I railways, the agricultural districts .31 the Northi means
are nowo
=NOW With the motcopigio.Carliale Journal.