The Sun.
London, England, 1824-09-10 00:00:00

NECROLOGY.

'From the Moniteur of Tuesday.]
Literature and society are likely to sustain a
serious loss. Al. LacrtETteer, sea. Alember of the French
Academy, died yesterday, at the age of 73 years. The place
that be has left vacant cannot be filled by a more valuable wri-
ter.- or by a better citizen.
Peter Louis Lacretelle was born at Alets in 1761. His father
was dwe of the most distinguished advocates of the bar of that
city. In 1778 the young Lacretelle entered himself among the
advocates of Penis. About this period, literature, united to
jurisprudence, began to be considered as the indispensible study
of young Barristers. • M. Lacretelle greatly contributed to give
this direction to their lihours. Os discourses, selections and
memoirs, which afterwards itheafett; 4orne Um the credit GS
a correct and elevated mind—a most distinguished talent for
a writer. In 1781 he obtained the prize given by the French
Academy for the Eulogium of Aliontausier ; the discourse
on the precedent of infamous punishments, celebrated as the
best work published in the year 1783, has exercised great ins
fluence over our judicial world. Theauthor afterwards labour-
ed at a catechism of morals demanded by the Academy, but the
revolution, which followed, interrupted his course.
If the friendship of illustrious men may in any degree serve
as a guarantee for those who are honoured by it, Al. Lacretelle
may reckon that of the virtuous Malesherbes among the num-
her of his most precious claims on the public esteem.. The
friendship of such 3 man as Alalesherbes ought to have served
him as a protection aentinst the madness of party ; but it could
thisnot beivision,isfoterr,p_artthye ffurrtyenrdesopfechtsisnoKeinlagima.n
pt
naitonthe
eTinherdo nteo scildoluflotir—st ohrik,
is
juacchre rteelfa ma t ions as
At
his the
cournetqtuy, es,
at
nodf
twhielopwubisllicetio was joined
to a commission employed to present various projects to antici-
pate the wishes of the honest.
Lacretelle co-operated in the digest of the Mercury with
Laharpe.- He was nominated a Supernumerary to the Consti-
tuent Assembly, :Member of the I.egislative Assembly, Mem-
ber of the National Jury, 1795, and was called to the.Consts.
lac Legislative Body-. In these different situations he eigna-
Heed himself by the wisdom and the moderation of his opi-
nions, asd by the integrity of his liolitical conduct. He did
not sink before despotism, and he met every difficult occasion
with that courage which belongs to a pure conscience.
We shall not speak of the writings or the more recent co-
operations of M. Laeretelle; the papers have given an account
of them, and the public bear them in mind. fie was engaged
in arranging the whole of Lis works, when he was interrupted
by death. Numberless acts of generosity do honour to his life,
anti he leaves to his friends sorrow softened by many affecting
recollections.

Last year an old widow lived alone in a small
room in Rue Saint Jacques. Although rich, with stock to the
amount of B,ooof. she had the singular desire to pass fur
a serraste, and to procure for herself all that she wanted.—
One morning she went out, according to custom, to get
Milk, and returned no more. All the endeavours made
during three years to flail her have proved unsuccessful.
As her death was not denied, the heirs are preparing to
take possession of her'property. In the course of last month
two individuals, in the neighbourhood of Tonnere, hav-
ing quarrelled, one said, " If I wished to disclose what
I know, I could have him put to death. I will have three
heads off." These words having been told to the Justice,
the parties have been arrested in Paris, and lodged in
.the
prison La Force. The individual menaced is the cousin
of the person who disappeared froth her lodging, and
who, there is reason to believe,' suffered a violent death% The
proceedings for bringing the suspected murderers to trial are
'going on.--( Paris Paper.)

A SIX 310:441'115' ittdiDE/NCE and. Talltiga hi
MEXICO.-.4ty W. BuLeocir.
To Mr. Bor./meat we are indebted tor the-first.
auan
g► coun-
td
kept,
i,sl:e:wrtnt.lxoti ii:fc,olsiseetci!,(auti usdjneetdiai
ol°ewflu.t.
om eysholotYrtfeistiSt tio:o.afffiensittelllcea
beauties before fotiraeuitehaef ipnaqturiis6ittiimv: r which
esderibu:shtofosvrit'll:
in
be pleased, as well as instructed, by the simple,
yet agreeable Narrative of Mr. B. As the first
,PAtiglislimen that bad yet freely traversed the
country, he had every reason for being satisfied
with the civilities lie met with, and still more
with the politeness of some members of the 'Alexi.;
can government. By such assistance he was en-
abled not only to visit all that was Worthy of
notice, but, moreover, he was permitted to dig
for antiquities, and bring to light reninauts of
Old Mexico, which the ill-judged seal ofits
Apanisli conquerors had- doomed to remain for
ever buried in oblivinu. Nor was this all ; thougl,
setting a proper value upon Some of the few
unique specimens yet remaining; the government
did not hesitate to entrust Mr. B. with them, and
they now form one of the most interesting poi
(ion of his highly curious exhibition.
The inspection of all the •vgilutible docements
of ancient Mexico affords ample tnatterfor'refleca
tion. it is not only the beauty of the workman,
ship, and the science displayed in the execution,
which most awaken the astonishment; it is, above
all,, the very striking resemblance so observable
between the productions of the Egyptian and
Mexican artists. From this resemblance, and
'srnMfre:peinaxnrioacrttoiltgEadoit:etto;gfilitittititlieslatirbtvic'soYeell.lysalaeriaat'ilsvoto,lll:dWses'utesielpillaecrteeillixfoliigtisngtealhilsiegit:leoildiw::,
with Mr. BULLOCK, to believe that " there were •
antiquities erected. by a people whose history
was lost even before the building of the city of
Mexico," and consequently by a race of men su••
perior to those who dwelt in that country at the
time of its conquest by the Spaniurds. The fol-
lowing description of several,of these antiquities
will give our readers some idea of their nature; it
is a description of what is called Bun° deiilonte-
zunia, situated near the summit of a conical.
mountain called Tescosingo :
" We etxployed our horses as far they could take us, Nit the
unevenness of the ground at last obliged us to dismount, and
having fastened theni to a nopal tree, we scrambled with great
difficulty, and at last perceived that we were near the ruins of
very large building—the centented stones remaining in some
places covered with stucco, anti forming walks and
In some places the terraces were carried over chasms by Solid
pieces of masonry, in others cupkougli the living rock : but.
as we endeavouretLto.prortelin. straiihtljne,,our labour
..was
very great, being sometwoesidaltgar tu climb on war hands and
knees. By the assistance of underwood, however, at length,
after passing several buildings anti terraces, the stucco of which
appeared fresh and of a fine peach colour, we arrived at about
two-thirds of the height of the hill, almost exhausted voitlt our
exertions : and great was our disappoinunent when We found
that our guide had mistaken the situation, and did not know
exactly where we were. Greatly chagrined, we began to retrace
our steps; and luckily in a few minutes perceived the object of
our search: It was cut in the solid rock, and standing out lilze
a martin's nest from the side of a house. It is not only an extra- •
ordinary bath, but still more extraordinarily plats d. It is a beau-
tiful basin, about twelve feet long by eight wide, having a well •
about five feet by four deep in the centre, surrounded by a pa-
rapet, or rim, two feet sixinches high,with is throne, or chair, -
such as is represented in ancient pictures to have been used by
the kings. There are steps to descend into the basin or bath :
the whole cut out of the solid Ix*phyry rock with the must
mathematical precision, and polished in the most beautiful
manner. This bath commands one of the finest prospects in
the Mexican valley, including the greater part of th...lake of
Teecuco, and the city of Mexico, from which it is distant
about thirty miles.
quitto
ancieiNne ttli
ag srhsektiiwot, ettael
which
chffic)r:h; approaching--
model,opielefbeenoao n c hiwe gher
n—nel
monarchs
eitriecayiy ejoaufstthmostr"country.sns iDg reluctantlyt
darrot
ace Arel
ddsa
hurre
we descended, our guide showed us in the rock a large reser-
voir for supplying with hater the palace, whose walls still re-.
tuained eight feet high ; anti, as we examined further, we
found that the whole mountain had been covered' ith. palaces, • •
temples, baths, hanging gardens, &c. ; yet this place has never
been noticed by any writer.
In the plain of Otumba, famous for the defeat.
'of an innumerable host of Indians by, Cortezi.on
his Forc\ed retreat from Mexico to Tlascala, there
are sevei;il barrows, and two pyramids. On'the
.summit of. tflegesser one are remaiiis of a build-
ing, forty.seveit'4et long and fourteen wide of
which the walla are -chiefly of, unliewnstone,thrte
feet thick and eight high. Bet‘rerit-tiA4lllTeilie
greater pyramid, our inquisitive traveller and his
son • were shown two enormous stones, apparently
of great antiquity, covered with seulptured Ofna.
,;tents. • The largest pyramid, is then described
by Mr. B.:—
"We soon arrived at the foot of the largest yramid," and
began commend .. . . The terraces are perfectly visible, Par-
ticularly the second, which is about thirty-eight feet w*,
vered with a coat of roil eetzieut, 'eight or tervitiches•thick, eott!
pored of pebbles and lime. lii many ,pisses,tlr
6":ll,aut In,: •
nopal trees have ,destroyed the tegfulanty
peer-
Where injured the
et
e
small
e lri
spear
he thisi observed
heads,or e
broken as git the
obsidian,
great
aoltrnte' pyramid
0,1 nonotsitl
ntr
att
ts ohe albsot ;Idoilar to trtihrleilgso. Ykbt!attact
ye found
vuill shsti I."ent
amSltraglv'heetm:sadoe: ,tdiTrioetlnbrme‘aa' arrow
.ptloiltnehst
y
h
les
th
ofen
iiift
oloarl rueittnncliddi
earthen-ware,
oabit-ertiwiroltinaakeatreteosbn:ltui
naviliat:l,llnitactiidi:
leet
Keen
t,t_iovh.iseflntarul
iteclripos
uibnvioneccrr:i3pitilb.anir
s.ftilli:3o:arg::i..
:et
isti,i4hewznn7
:a
rr
ee
at:p
leen:pp:ants:l:i
Species,
and gold
o
more, o y
of China ;
agtoahbnnii:veledgyeoe.nolttslott';:sorlvitihilteitia:lbstee'lnraoiae:g:na'gri'do:Cterrelseisqlaroituerit:ihhhieemtetsalmhlieull'estepaihtnlillahnrd:rafdteatml:cr'teleeisnd:nlialebillofm)lneulrleaigt,tkhC°tioshnittoleisYlteehza.eb'absr‘ev'ehaootfi. t h1:17.1
ight.
()f Modern Mexico, Mr. B. gives a flew acid a
filrat pleasing;
a' ec ent t
irdisffihppoecutioe:ipa4:suuctloirtonex:t::
usedneggrtll ‘lvaeir.titeitespi
of
represented
dstdeot ohnreattueivecededodranuace,%:inivicttiirretty'iNhhPueiettlis°-intn:atmngiduoleiloossriy-tf:
•
a e these
nghctiftui s;:aivitt'iselvr,petisreoutactilurikieenntlo.i
valuableons to the
and ia ri
a u•
so
gaEneldriolpet
sail inoffensive of human beings. •'.l-ii.shorty
twuerefleetl,conscious that the book' will be Pernsed
with equal pleasure by the 'philosopher, the na.
is
the antiquary, and the merchant.