Star.
London, England, 1822-11-23 00:00:00

41

FRANCE.

TIWBUNAL OF CORRECTIONAL POLICE., N0V.49.

TRIAL OF M. BENJAMIN CONSTANT. •
This day the Tribunal pronounced judgment in the
ease of M. Constant, who was accused of having pub-
lished a libel in a letter which he had publicly ad-
dressed to M. Mangin, the Procureur.General of the
Royal Court of Poitiers. The Court was excessively
crowded. The *proceedings in the cause had pre-
viously occupied two days. Upon the first day, M.
Constant* addressed the Court at considerable )apgth,
in order to prove its incompetency to proceed in the
trial, on. the ground that the letter which formed the
ground of accusation had been written by him in his
character of Deputy, in defence of the opinions which
he had delivered from the tribune, and which had
been grossly attacked by M. Mangin.
M. BILLOT, the King's Advocate, in reply, main-
. tained .that the letter which was the subject of prose-
cution was not written by M. Constant in his cha-
racter of Deputy.
The Judges declared their competency to try the
cause, after which the..-Tribunal adjourned till the fol-
lowing day.
On the econd day, M. CONSTANT commenced his
defence. kle declared that-he had considered it his
duty to reply promptly and publicly to the imputa-
tions which M. Mangin had cast upon him and the
party to which he was attached. M. Mangin had
gone so far as tri say that he (M. Constant) had writ •
ten a letter to M. Gorgel de la Senile, one of the pri-
soners tiled at Poitiers, stating, that if an insurrection
took place, he would proceed to any place of which
the rebels might obtain possesi imputation
whole offence
consisted in having repelled The which
was attempted to be fixed upon him, that of seducing,
and afterwards abandoning, a band of unhappy men.
He trusted the tribunal would deliver such a verdict
as would not give cause to imagine that the Repre-
sentatives of the Nation— men who were invested
with functions—were the only persons in France who
could he insulted with impunity; that every descrip-
tion of insult was to be permitted on one side, and
all defence prohibited on the other.
The KING'S ADVOCATE was heard in reply, and
was followed by M. MoLLoT. After a few words
from M. Constant, the Tribunal then adjourned to
this day, when the Judges declared M. Constant
guilty upon the first count of the indictment w hich
charged him with having libelled M. Mangin; and
acquitted him upon the second count, loy which he
%vas accused of having libelled the President and the
Maoistrates of the Assize Court of Poitiers.
The sentence of the Tribunal was—That M. Con-
stant be imprisoned one month, • and do pay a tine of
.500 francs. The copies of the libel which had been
seized were ordered to be destroyed.
TftlA 1. OF M. 'MARQUE, A MEDICAL STUDF.NT.
LI r;UTENA NT-COLONEL DE.NTZEL, COLONEL
FADViEIt, AND M. LATOLTCHE.
The tribunal proceeded to the trial of the above-
tnetitioi.el individuals, who are accused of having at-
tempted to bribe the keeper of the Bicetre, to con-
nive at the escape of the prisoners who were con.
demnesi for their conduct in the affair of Rochelle.
The prisoners were saluted by a great niinit:ser of
their ft :ends. Vbvier and DentzrlexhibiteciThe riband
of the Legion of Il'atour in their button-holes.
The Pre-ident proceeded to inteirngate the pi i-
srner,. Ile first a !dressed Colonel Dentzel.
The President.—Wvre you not present at many meetings, in
Liet the ne....na of effecting the escape of the prisoners was
dist,:ssed?
Culenel Ihmtzel.--4 tried to aid their escape; but I soon
alx.reloned the idea, fv,ding that it was impracticable.
D:rl you send 30,000 francs to Marque to cot rupt the jailer ?
I did nor know that it was intended to corrupt the jailer.
The President to M. Marque.—You have -aid in your inter-
ngatorks that one of your irieuds brought you money from
Lieutenant-Colonel D-ntzcl?
M. Marque.—The Lieutenant-Colonel often declated himself
Eterested in favour of the prisoners; but I never said. nor ever
can say, that the money came from Lieutenant-Colonel Deutzel.
All yocr plans were discussed and agreed upon at Asper, near
Garre, were they not 7—No, Sir, nothing was decided upon at
that time ; it was subsequent to it that everything necessary for
Ili: execution of our &sign was agreed upon ; Lieut.-Colonel
Det,tzel was a stranger to the resolution that was adopted.
The President to Colonel Fabvier.—When Mr. Dowling, an
Fi:glish traveller, was arrested at Calais, a letter was found upon
iota, addressed by you to tht. Sicurlt. Marian, a Piedinoutose
re:vgev, in which you not only statis your opinions, but declare
intentions hostile to the King's Government.
Colonel Fabvier.—:`.Pow t•s explain this matter. Money
was owing to me in England, which I despaired of being able to
obtain, bnause it was necessary that M. St. Marian should pre-
viously obtain permission to proceed to England. Tiis circum-
stance railed my temper.
The President to M. Marque—Did:you ever see Colonel Fab-
vier at any of your meetings?—No.
Did your friend, who brought you the 30,000 francs, tell you
from whence he got the money?-rile did not.
The interrogatories having closed the Tribunal proceeded to
the examination of witnesses.
Simon, the keeper of the Dicetre, was the first witness. He
deposer! that Marque was the person who first proposed that he
should permit the prisoners to escape. He received the proposal
with indignation ; but, in order to serve the King, after having
given infoeinaaon to the Public Authorities, he pretended to
agree to every thing. It was then determined upon that be
should receive 60,000 francs, 10,000 of which were to be paid
down immediately. M. latouche was acquainted with all these'
circumstances, but neither he nor M. Marque mentioned the
name of any person. M. Marque produced the 10,000 francs,
and was immediately arrested.
M. marque—With the exception of one fact, all that he has
said is true. He did not receive my proposals with indignation,
but with enthusiasm ; he appeared to be affected even to tears.
Ile wished to do everything gratuitously, and said he would part
with his last shirt to save the prisoners. It is true that his enthu-
siasm did not last long, and it because necessary to proceed in
another manner with regard to him. He himself named the sum
of 00,000 trancs, and required 10,000 to be paid on the spot, to
provide fur the expenses of his flight.
Senors—lt was only t. on: attachment to the Royal family that
I pretended to accede to ya.r proposals; but it is true that I at
first received them with indignation.
M. Marque-11 that were true, should I have dared again to
repeat them?
the King's Advocate.—The facti speak' for themselves. The
• jailor has dune his duty, and these observations are, at the least,
toeless. _

Marque.—The observations are useful, and very useful, to
my cause. If the jailer bad not listened to my proposals, I
should not now be here.
M. Belhomme.--.A restaurateur near Bicetre deposed, that on
the 7th of September Lieutenant-Colonel Dentzel dined with
M. Marque at his house. Upon one occasion the Curate of
Bicetre ordered some coffee at his Louse for the young men who
were wider condemnation. The witness proceeded to obey the
order with alacrity, and did not fall to augment the usual quan-
tity of sugar and coffee. His zeal was remarked by Simon, who
pressed him to go and see the four young soldiers ; the visit, he
said, would afford them pleasure.
The Tribunal here adjourned to to-morrow.
FOVESIBER 20.
This morning the Court was even more crowded
than yesterday. The Knia's AZIVOCAT2 addressed,

the Tribunal. and called open the J4tdget to convict
the prisoners.
M IVfarque afterwards spoke. He acknowledged
that it, was his intention to have procured the escape
of the prisoners, and snatch them from the scaffold.
Lieutenant-Colonel Denton 'also addressed the
Court, and denied that he knew of the scheme for
liberating the prisoners.
The Judges retired to deliberate upon their verdict,
and -after being absent for an hour aad a half, they
returned and acquitted Colonel Fabvier, but declared
MM.Latouche and Marque, ai,r Lieutenant-Colonel
Dentzel, guilty. The two former were condemned to
three months' imprisonment, and the payment of a tine
of 100 francs each; Dentzel was sentenced to four
months' imprisonment, and to pay afine of 300 francs.

1 UK EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1822.

STUCK EXCHANGE, TWELVE O'CLOCK.

In the earlier part of the morning little business war doing,
and Consols were 81i to e; soon afterwards an express arrived
from Paris, and it was reported that Government had received
one from Verona; the operations immediately commenced more
actively in the above Market, when an eminent Prcker soli
about 50,000 Consols at 81i, and offered more it 81k, but could
not find any person to take them. Various reports were again
in circulation, such as that the King of France is dangerously
indisposed, that the French troops on the Spanish frontiers are
in motion, and that the French Funds have fallen, though the
exact price is (up to this hour) kept a secret; the reported price,
however is, 86f. Ooc. and 87f. 50e. AU the 13rolscrs are selling,
and great confusion prevails.