The North-Carolina standard., 1846-03-18
From Chambers Journal.

From Chambers Journal.
PRISON ADVENTURES Of LAFAYETTE.
The Marquis de Lafayette entered upon the
scenes of the French Revolution with the idea
fixed in his mind that republican institutions were
rcconcilable with monarchy. He was, there
fore, friend to the royal family at the same time
that he promoted the reforms which were success
svely conducted by the States General and the
Legislative Assembly. His chvalric fidelity 10
Louis and Marie Anloinette powerfully tried
on the 5lh and 9th of October, 1889, when, as
commander of the National Guards, he protected
them from the populace who had assailcd them in
the palace of Versailles. Subsequently, when the
king was deposed and imprisoned august, 1892
Lafayette, then with the army the frontiers,
deavorcd TO incte the soldiers to march upon Pa
ris, in order to restore The throne, and put down
Potion, Danton, and their associates But the
revolutionary tide, mpelled as it was by the f ars
of the people for the foreign armies pressing on
the country, was too strong to be thus resisted :;
and few days thereafter, lafayette obliged
to seek his own safely by flying from the king
dom.
He and the officers of kindred sentiments bv
whom he was accompanied, had scarcely passed
the frontier, when their farther progress was ar
rested by body of the Lmburg volunteers; and
the national cockade, which, unthinkingly, they
had retained, betraying them to the leader. they
were, by his command, arrested and conveyed to
tine prison OF Luxemburg, from thence removed
to Vessel, then to Magdeburg, and lastly to o..
mutt.
Onlthe plea of lafayette having been seized on
neutral ground, and that, having ceased to be a
soldier, he could not properly be considered
prisoner of war, strenuous efforts from all quar-
tiers were made to obtain his release; but the en-
peror of Germany, who regarded him as princ-
pal nstigator Of the Revolution, as well as one of
the chief instruments Of the insulting degradation
and subsequent death ofthe royal family of France
was not to be moved. The vengeance of Robes
pierre for the loss of his victim was, meanwhile,
wreaked with savage inveteracy against the unfor-
tunate wife of Lafayette; for no sooner was the
escape of her husband known, than that unhappy
lady was arrested and thrown into prison. She
escaped death something like miracle; different
members of her family persisted on the scafold !;
and she herself for the space of fifteen months,
endured all the horrors of loathesome confine-
ment. On the death Of the tyrant she was re-
leased from prison, and so as her health was
sufficiently reinstated to allow of her taking so
long journey, without servants, or the means of
procuring the most necessary comforts, she, ac-
companed by her children, set out for Vienna,
and, throwing herself at the feet of the emperor,
mplored his influence for the liberation of her
husband.
What Francis ILL., had denied 10 the various
authorities interested in the fate of Lafayette, he
yielded to pity; and, raising the suppliant, he
granted her request allowed of her repairing i'm
mediateIy to Olmuz, and held out the prospect of
the speedy deliverance ofthe prisoner. Whether
the emperor afterwards regretted the elemency
he had shown, or that other powers were interest
ed in proIonging The captivity of Lafayette, does
not appear; but 50 far from obtaining his hoped
for release Madam de Lafayette found herself and
daughters immersed in the same dungeons that
contained her husband. have, however, antic-
paled this event, for it was not until within two
years of the release of Lafayette that his wife and
family were thus unexpectedly made the partners
of his imprisonment.
Two years Of solitary confinement had, from
the period of hls capture, been dragged on by La
Eayette, when the romantic scheme of procuring
his liberation was formed by one an utter stran-
ger to the prisoner, and foreigner. From mo-
tives of pure compassion, and an earnest desire to
free from so calling thraldom the great promo
ter of liberty, NJ Balman,* a Hanoverian by birth
young, active intrepid, and inteligent--repair-
ed, alone and on foot, to Olnutz, there to gain
such Information as might enable him to judge of
J "Dr. Eric Boliman.-LIvIe AGE.