Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1806-10-06

enough TO demo unee the author OF
his days. With the wreck of their
fortune in St. Domingo, he procur-
ed his fathers releafe, who, being
acquainted with the perverGty of his
younger fon, addreaed himfelf TO the
department, TO be reinttated in his
property. This was oppoied by
Louis, who defended his title to the
ehate by the revolutionary maxim,
which had pahed into law, enaaing
that all emigrants fhould be confder-
ed as politically dead. Hitherto
Baron de Saurac had from affection
declined to mention the forged will :
but :hocked at his fon's obduracy,
and being reduced to diitrefs, his
councillor produced tAis document,
which not only went to deprive
Louis Of his property, but expoled
aim TO criminal profecution.
This unnatural fon, who was not
yet Is, had imbibed all the revolu-
tionary morals of his contemporaries,
and was well acquainted with the
moral characters of his revolutionary
countrymen. he addrcf1ed himfclf
therefore, to Merlin of Douai, Bon
aparte'S imperial attorney general,
and commander of his Legion of
Honor who for bride of fifty thou
tand livres, 2lool. obtained for him,
after he had been defeated in every
other court, a judgment in his ia
vor, in the tribunal of cahation un-
der the fophiltical concluGon, tha,
all emigrants being, according TO law,
contIdered as politically dead, a will
in the name of any one of them was
merely pious fraud, to preierve the
property in the family.
This Merlin is fon of a labcrer
OF Anchin, and was fervant of the
abbey of the fame name. One of
the monks obferving in him fome ap.
pllcation, charitably fent him to be
educated at Douai, after having be-
itowcd on him fome previous educa
ton Not fatisfisd with this pener-
Gus act, he engaged the other monks
as well as the chapter of Cambray,
TO iubicribe for his expences of ad
mliiion, as an attorney, by The parlia.
ment Of Douai, In which lrua.ion
the revolution found him. By his
difilmulation and afumed nodeity.
ne continued to dupe his benafaGt ors
who by their influence obtained for
him the nomination as reprefcnta-
tive of the people to our 6rit national
afIembly. They foon, however, had
reafon to repent of their generofi.y.
He joined the Orleans faction, and
became one Of the mott perfevering
violent and cruel perfecutors of the
privileged cIahes, particularly of the
clergy, TO whom he was indebted for
every thing. In I7o2, he was ele4-
ed member of the National convcn-
ton, where he voted for the death
Of his King. 1t was he who propof-
law, Guilty called by Prudhomme
the production Of the deliberate HON.
icide M-rlin) againlt E1ibeaed perfons,
which was Gecreed on the 18th Sep
TENDER, 1893, and cauftd the I'M
Prifonment or profcription of two
hundred thou(and families. This
decree procured him the appcllation
OF Merit" SsPeaJ, and of Merlin Pc
fence. In 1898, he was hrft appoint
cd a rninifter Of police, and iooa af-
forwards a tninlfer of Juice. AZ
ter the revolution in favor Of iacobins
OF the 4th September, 1877, he was
made director a place which he
was obliged by the fame jacobins TO
reign in June 1899. Bonaparte ex-
Preiied at firit the mott fovereign
contempt for this Merlin but on
account Of his fon who was his aid
de-camP. he was appointed by him
when Firlt Consul, his attorney gem
eraL
AS nothing paints better the true
features of a government, than the
morality or vices of It's fun6ionaries,
will fniih this mans portrait with
the following chara6tariitic touches.
Merlin dc Douai has been fuccefs-
lively the councillor Of the late Duke
or Orleans, the friend of Danton,
az Cha hnt a-xI -f IL 81