The Arkansas banner., 1848-02-15
From Me Rew Orleans Bsilain. CURIOrS LITERARY COlNCIBIxcE.

TIE DoNNAvAS Nux.-Our attention has recent iy been called to amusing bSochavs entitled DOa- Rsvaa's AdreefHrss nt Mexieo. by an extraet from It's pages, published in the DeIta. The author pro- tests very gravely, in his preface, that "with prrtentions to profound views of men events, to any elaborate elegance of diciion, hc has aimed at simplicity and truth rather than striyen be
 bilions for effect" Of course we are bound to be- lieve his story. We pass over his own adventures In love and and, tGrning to page ninety four, we find a narrative of . scandatous and t.agieal event in Puebla, which we could not credit, did he not positively stats that it occurred the night after his arrival in that city. and that ihe circumstances were submitted to the Clergy" bat the murderers was suffered to escape through their proteeaon. As this happened at the tims Gen. N orth was mili tary commandAnt of Pueba the inference k that he connved at the escape of the cuIpst. Agreeably 10 Mir. Donnavans story, two AmeIican officers attend the Cathedral an the afternoon of the 18th May, and when about rctireing, nun sccosts of them tells h that she presnmes he is ga man of hcnor" a. enquiries if he is willing to render her can im portam service" He asscnts- She warns him that 1t requires not only discretion but '.cxtraerdinary inuepidity." He answers that he is determined She bids him, when he heats the Convent bell strike twelve that night to be at the side gate, and that she will be ihere fo open t SupPosing the affair was to end in "oue Of those innocent adventures % common in Mexico" the officer keeps his ap- poinsment, and is admitted within the walls. The nun conducts him to her cell, where lamp Is burn ing; requests him to take glass of wine, and sfter aaklnr him .to 70 to the opposite side of the bed, suddenly discloscs to him the dead body of a monk, whose clothes are stiff and matted with blood" She orders him, under psin of death, to take the body on his shoulders and carry beyond the Con- vent gates. He obeys and throws bis horrible bur den at the feet of his comradc, who had been patiently waiting for him outside They deter mine to reveal the occurrence to GeD. Worth, bat proceed only short distance, when the hero of tho adventure complains of "excrueiaiing pains, falls upon the P.~e@-at and expires" MaTtyred Sol dier Ingenious Nun! Were ever before such srtfal means eontrived to conceal a murder Of courseit is all true The author assures us he has s'aimed" as "simplieity and truth. The author Is an American soldier, and American soldiers seldom miss their mark Besides, Mir. Donnavan would not retail such tale of horror. disgracefn to the closter and the eowi and 90 well htted to east od'- um on the ancient religion of his native land, for VIC presume from his name that he is an irishman,) were it not undoubtedly true. He is evidently too ardent lover of truth, toe noble, too honest, and has too much of Mesisn gassntry In his character, to calumniate defenceess religious sisterhood Undou btedly ths tale is true We do not therefore notice this matter for inc purpose of mpugning his veraciiy, but merely to point out remarkably lit- erssy coincidence.
 It is clever story book, by T. Colley Gsttan. pubitshed some twenty years ago, entitled "Trsits ef Travel or, Tales of Men and Cities, we find tho very counterpart ef this startling drama Mfr Grai- lan is true presents his story fiction, ca tale
 and. unlike eus military author, certainly does h;hit considerable elegance of diciion" and Gan .r,h;sIon for effect" But la ell other particulars, his ,om snce is SO like Mir. Donnsvans history, that T Mr. Gruttan's book had been published twenty vr.rs later than Mr. Donnavanss. his ambition xonld have ended In his being imPeled fe. ever as
 .;ls ad .r,cksd plagiaris. His tale Is called the s.canvrpt BeN" His heroes, like Mir Dannavans, ar, two Americans. Being strangers in city cf inc Nesherlands, they too, are visiting . church f,cr,, eur;oaity Mr. Gra:tan's heroine, also, is . nun. She, too, accests ehe ef she Amencans- telIs him that she believes him to be man ef nen- or,' and asks him: "Are you incl ned 70 ao me service '" She, like Mir. Dohnavau's cautious ne- roine, warns him that death may eross his path in the adventure, te which he answers thai ne welia svurp l. Mr. D.s nnn appoints i3 at night Ter tne .s....ination: MT. G.Ss. h both eases the advcn- iurcs anticipate an Intrigue. Besh Of MT. DonnA- van's heroes repair to the convent gate ss shs ap
 pointed hour--so does Mir. Graitans'. Mr. Donna
 y.n' "a hero euters aione-so does Mr. Cattan's The Deanavan nun leads the hero to her csli-Mr: Gras- tan's nun does the same with hers Ia MT, uenna- yan's cell lamp is bnrning-se there is tn MT Grai. tan's Mir Donnavan's nnn gises her hsTs Essss oi wne--so does Mr. Graitan's. The one naR then dis closes .'the dead body of menk"-ihe ethef "ihe dead body of priest" The one body has been Poin- iard- so had ;;se other. The Donnavaa naa bids her hero take the body on his shoulders and cary 1t beyond the convent gates--the others ordef is "take that base body in yoar arms, bear U hence and fling it in the first canal" Both heroes eney orders and shortly die of the poisesed wine. Bot Mr. Grattan's does his "dying scene" with rather more melo-dramaiic effect. To complete the mar veous coincidence in both eases, the ssPnss escape through the influence of the Priests, and both sa- thors arc of the pre~s gang and Irishmen. weeon- fcss this s the aost striking itersry coincidence we
 have ever met with, bat h has not shaken ssr eenf. dcnee ia Mir. Denssvan's vesseity. We have ne doubt that his entire volume k sqasliy entitled ts
 belief and ws strongly rscsmmead t ss fssaA fts | k.~