, 1842-07-09
TVOL. I.-NO. 36.1

he demanded only that his conduct
should be fully and impartiaIly inves-
tigated; and, without fear of the con-
sequences, laid his head and his con-
science at the feet ofhis sovereign.
He was Immediately thrown into
the Bastille, and preparations for his
trial were Immediately made, upon
the triple charge of collision with the
enemies of France, high treason, and
having sold Pondicherry to the En-
glish. Counsel was refused to him,
and he was obliged to plead in his
own defence. The impolitic impetu-
osity which had ever been his leading
characteristic, breathed in every syl-
liable CT this defence, and served only
to augment the general irritation
against him;-in short, bis destruction
had been previously determined on;
and, Notwithstanding his long and
brilliant services-notwithstanding
the eloquent conviction Of the Attor-
ney General Seguier, his enemies tri-
umphed, and the gallant Tally Toll
lendal was compelled to be dragged
on a hurdle to the Palace de Greve,
there to undergo a traitors death.
When the Counts sentence was
communicated to him, he was alone
in his prison, employed in tracing out
a military plan; and unable to subdue
the Indignation and despair which
such cruel injustice called forth, he,
in a moment Of frenzy, plunged the
compass which he held violently into
his breast. and, drawing it forth Gov
cred with blood, would have inflicted
a second blow, had he not been quick
ly seized and hand-cuffed. The scat
fold, however, was not to be cheated
Of its prey; the wound was not q
mortal one; and this incident served
only to accelerate the preparations
for his execution.
AT last the fatal day arrived. A.
lone with his confessor in his cell,
abandoned by the whole world, (for
among his former friends an associ-
ates there were none possessed of
moral courage sufficient TO induce
to them mark their sympathy for this
ill,fated victim of political intrigue,
by bestowing the consultations OF
friendship upon his last momentsD the
once-brilliant. ever-brave Lally Toll
lendal,-the 1attered, the followed,
and admired, now reviled, deserted,
and condemned,-with a last effort
endeavored to abstract his thoughts
from the bitter retrospection that
crowded upon them, and 10 yield up
his undivided attention to the holy
words which his confessor breathed
to him, ofhopes which the injustice of
man could not deprive him Of
hopes which could alone enable him
to support without shrinking, the ter
rors Of the last scene! Suddenly the
door ofthe cell was thrown open, and
a man with grave and downcastm ien
entered, bearing in his hand a gag,
which had been prepared for the pri-
soners mouth; for his enemies, fearing
that he would raise his voice upon the
scaffold 10 make a public protest
against the iniquity Of his sentence,
had, in the plenitude of their maligni-
ty, devised this cruel method Of in
surfing the silence of their victim. The
man silently approached, and prepar-
ed to accomplish his terrible office;
but the Count, yielding to an irrepres-
sible burst ofindignation, started back
and haughtily waved him from him.
'My son. said his confessor, 'let
this n last act of submission prove
the earnestness of your resignation to
the Divine Will! Remember that
our blessed Lord and Saviour suffered
even greater indignities than this
The unfortunate Count bowed his
head in token Of submission, and, with
out further resistance, allowed the
man to approach; then for the first
time looking into this face, their eyes
met, and a long s%crutinizing gaze
passed between them. A cry ofhor-
ror burst from the lips of the doomed
man:-no sound, no exclamation from
the other responded to it; but there
was that in his look which had rended
words surper1uous, and which told
that the recognition had been mutual.
1t was the executioner's son, whose
young bride had been insulted so ma
ny years before by the Count de Lal-
Iy TaIIendal, in the wonton flush Of
youthful spirits! and the ominous
words that had accompanied his ex-
pulsion from the scene Of his delin-
quency returned to the recollection
of both at the same moment, and with
the same startling distinctness.
Blu. this was not all. Half stiffed
by the gag which had been applied TO
his mouth, his head uncovered, aud