The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-08-30
Maria Louisa.
BY REV. j. S. ABBOT.

A darker day never enveloped in its gloom
the Austrian monarchy than when the be-
eaguering hosts of Napoleon encompassed
Vienna and from their encircling batteries
were showered shots and shells upon the
doomed city. The armies of~Austria, i'll
repeated conflicts, had been moved down
and scattered 10y the resistless conqueror.
As the eagle of Napoleon glittered upon The
hills which overlooked the city, the royal
family with the ''hot haste" which terror
inspires, had fled far off into the wilds of
Hungary. Ii is midnight. The sky is
lstreaked with the fiery projectiles, which,
like meteors of death, are descending into
the thronged and dlsInayed metropolis
Flames are bursting forth III every part of
the city. All hearts are frozen with terror
There is no place of refuge. Red hot balls
crush their way through dwellings of brick
aud stone Shells explode in the cradle of
the infant, and upheaving the nassy dwell
ngs, bury their mingled inmates beneath
the ruins, the clumors Of two hundred thou
sand coInbatants fill the midnight air, and
mlngIe with The thunders of one Of the
most awful hombardments earth has ever
witnessed.
In one of the chambers of the royal pal
ace there lies maiden, sixteen years of age,
the daughter of king. Her father and
mother, IN the CONSERVATION of their flight,
were compelled TO leave behind them their
SICK child. Her cheeks were flushed with
fever, and again paled with terror at the
uproar of the assault. The glare of burst
ing shells and the flames of the bursting
IcOnflagratioD, portentiously CLEAN through
the windows upon the eye Of the sufferer.
She in vain bures her head beneath the bed
clothes to shut out the horrid cries OF the
assaliants and the shreks of The wounded.
In the midst of this most dreadful scene
the gates Of the city are suddenly thrown
open and small party emerged, and with a
flag of truce passed through the battling
hosts ill they approach the presence of Ma
poleon. They inform him Of the situation
and peril of the princess. He instantly Or
dered every gun 10 be changed, which might
endanger her person. The flag of truce
again retres within the walls, and the aw-
lul botnbarduent continues.
For ten long hours this terrific storm of
iron descends upon the city, ill three thou
sand shells have filled the city with ruin
aud with blood. But Maria Louisa
remains upon her bed unframed, though
other parts of her fathers palace were
blown from their foundations. Little did
she imagine in the CONSERVATION of that
dreadful night, that it was her future hus-
band who was thus raining down destruc-
/ ton upon her fathers capital. Aud little
did plebian conqueror imagine, as he COM
passonately changed the direction of his
gus, that this maiden was to be the Queen
OF France, and by this botnbardment he was
winning and wooing for bis bride dausa-
ter of the Caesars.
4 daughter Of the Cesarst What a
mysterious influence there is in. ancestral
neutrality-suspicious. even, The creator of his
own glory, was dazzled 10y its glare. Ma
ria Louisa was a lenial descendant Of one
of the proudest monarchs of Rome. The
blood which circulated through her veins
/ bad passed to her from the Caesars, and
through the heroic heart of Maria Theresa.
She had been Graded and nurtured amid
the scenes Of moral suhluity and regal mag
nificence, which one would give an impress
of grandeur even to the meanest SOUL
Surely, then her spirit must he animated
with all that is lofty and ennobling in human
character. Alas, it was not so! She was
nothing more than mild, amiahle. pretty
girl, utterly incapable of cherishing an idea
of magnanimisy or of heroism. She was
endowed by nature only with those qualities
which were most common place and earth
ly, and was entirely unqualified to act a no.
BILE part in the lofty drama through which
she was destined 10 move.
{ Napoleon despairing Of offspring from
Jose phine, and consumed with the mos,
intense desire tn have an heir who should
inherit his glory and perpetuate his maine.
resolved 10 sever the ties which bound him
IN .,ossoi,,ae, the wife Of his youth, and to
obtain more youthful bride from the SER
vitude Of monarchies around him. He
lboped thus TO secure an heir in whose per-
son should be allied all that was glorious in
his own achievements, and all that is illus
trious in exalted descent, The reputation
of Josephine, strong as were the political
motives which led to it, is the darkest stain