The Wilmingtonian., 1823-12-25
THE DUO D'ENGHEIN.

As there are few real or tsncied aes more ira
gical than the story OF tine Due d d'Enghein, de-
termined that would not ieave Paris without VIZ
sitting the scene Of his murder; murder which,
|of all Bonapartc's actions, was certainly the black
les, and least justiiable. After driving through
1.-THE Faubourg ST. Antoine, which witnessed SO
lmany of the eventual circumstances of the Revo-
LUTON, passed the barriere du Tronc, and at the
distance of AN English mile from that spot found
myself at the gates of the old castle of st Vim.
lcennes, whose solitary position, gothic structure,
and moated fortihcatons, are all in unison with
the bloody deed perpetraed within its walls =
lThc sentinel on duty would not allow us to enter
the castle by the principal gate, but allowed us
Ito walk round the ramparts to the drawbridge on
the opposite side. In casting my eyes on the
ditch which runs round this extensive edfce, /
observed little to the right of the drawbridge,
scme persons busily employed in laying out a
small garden, while others were surrounding it
with an iron railing, and in the centre OF the gar
den appeared an accumulation OF earth of the
shape and size of an ordinary grave, but covered
;iwith turf I enquired the reason of these prepa.
|ra' ions. and learnt with no small interest, tina,
this was the identical spot where the gallant and
lil'-fIted Due d'Engllein received his death blow
and under which lie was Immediately buried.
Il To record these events, Louis XVIII. h,d or.
,Idered these simple memorials to be prepared
j Af'er crossing the drawbridge, we were conduct,
led up the narrow staircase of an ancient tower
into very small and dark room, where. covered
with white cloth, richly embroidered with golden
! Ilieurs de lis, appeared coffin, containing the
bones of the murdered duke, which bones have
:, lately been removed from the spot in which they
lwere first deposited, and which we had just visit
led. On the coffin lay u large stone, which the
Iexecutioners had thrown over the SPOT under
which they had inferred their victim. The cham
: Der which contains these articles is now convert
3 ed into a chapel, and the body was surrounded
with lighted tapers, near which also sentinel
was posted. This is the place where the roya
:, snileryr underwent his mock trial, II appears
that soon AS he had acknowledged, in answer
to the first interrogat put to him, that he WA,
the persoe sought for, he was condemned with
out any further tormal,y, conducted into another
. chamber, where he was kept two hours, while .
message was sent to the Palace Of the Thuilleries
for the final commands of Napoleon, which were
no sooner received than he was sent to the spot
already described, and shot BY torch light. This
: Infamous act was committed on the 23th OF March
i. and Louis XVIII. has ordered, OH the nnual re
turn of this day, that religious expatory cere-
, nlony shall be performed
7 n person, who was at Paris when the melan.
icholy event occurred, assures me that in spite o
: the rigid system of espionage which then pre-
vailed, it excited much alarm and some com
lpaint 1t was rumoured that a Prince of the
Bourbon family had been put to death. but the
name OF the victim was unknown. My informant
i was told by soldier that lie had been called
-upon, with several others, to carry into execu-
n ION military sentence, at one O'Clock in the
ymornlng, at the castle of st yincennesi but who
1.-THE prisoner was, had been carefully concealed
{ have heard that the unfortunate Duke was
t exposed not only to every possible indignity,
II but even to great physical suffering That after
Dhavlng been hurried to Paris from the Banks of
= the Rhine, without an interval ofres, he was not
J. allowed the smallest reireshment on his arrival
within these dismal walls. But this is refinement
on cruelty. which, for the honor of human nature
S am not disposed on mere rnmour TO believe.
: After visiting the spot where one member OF
the royal family so mserably ended his short but
e honourable career, thought could not take a
better opportunity of visiting the scene OF another
t iliustrlous victims suHerngs, and therefore pro-
t ceeded from the castle Of St. Vlncennes TO the
yprlson of the Conciergerie. There found low,
e small, damp and dark cell which has lately been
t converted into an expiatory chapel; and here the
once beautiful, elegant, high.born and high-mind-
G ed Marie Antoinette, Arch-duchess OF Austria
S and Queen of France, was confined sixty-seven
days, and only left this wretched apartment to
d|cend the cart, which conveyed her to the place
! OF execution During her long imprisonment,
+ she slept on stone floor, on which truss of
straw was thrown by way of a bed No one who
remembers,lor has read Of her personal and men.
tai charms and regal splendour, or who recollects
!. the beautiful passage which in our eloquent
Burke, has painted her charms, and recorded
her claims to compassion, can view this spot with
J. indifference.
e Of all human actions, rRrnE seldomest gains its
rlend; for aiming at honour and reputation, il
c, rcaps contempt and derislon.