Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-04-20
THE BOURBON QUESTION.
Further Evidence Sustaining the
TIo;r,s TSIar1ar NViIIiornSt

Cla1mS Oh
PUTNAM's MONTHLY for April is publish
ed to-day. Of its dozen papers, each of
them highly interesting, the public atten-
ton will be mainly directed to second
article by the Rev. j. IL. HANSON, in sup
port of the claim which he perfered in the
FEBRUARY number on behalf of the Rev.
ELEAzAR WILLIAMS, that he was the indeu-
teal Dauphin, son of LOUIS XVI, hither-
to generally supposed to have died in the
Temple. during the atrocities of the Reign
of Terror.
The present article is in form of "a review
of the work Just published in Paris-enti-
tied, :" Louis xvii. his Lie, his Suffer
ings. his Death-the Captivity of the Roy
al Family in the Temple ; the work en-
riched with Autographs, Portraits and
Plans, by NJ. y. BEAUCuEs&E, "a con-
densed summary of which has just been
published by the HARrERs, and which has
been very widely cited as establishing
beyond all possibility of further doubt, the
fact of the Dauphin's death. Mr.. HAN
SON examines its successive statements
with decided critical ability, and reaches
the distinct ctssconciusion that the book ra-
ther confirms, than dIssipatcs the doubts
that have hitherto existed upon this point,
and that, in spite of the confidence with
which it has been quoted in proof of the
Dnuphin's death, it does not even wakeu
the positive testimony to the fact that he
was removed from the Temple, and ano-
ther child re1cmb ing him left in his place.
But with this part of the article we are
not nov especially concerned.
1t will be remembered that in the first
article upon this subject. MIR. HANSON en-
bodied Il statement made by Mr.. WILLIAMS
himself that in October, 1871, while i'll
Mackinac, Capt. JoHS Shook said to him
that Prince DE JoINvILIE, who was then
there, had enquired after him and wished
to see him that both embarked on board
the steamboat for Chicago that the
Prince sought and obtained an introduce
ton to him, and on first seeing him ap
peared to be greatly affected and surprlS-
ed that they had II conversation of seve-
raj hours together upon various points in
American and French history that on
reaching Green Bay the Prince desired
him to take up his quarters with him at
the same hotel, to which he assented ; that
in the evening the Prince. enjoued secre-
sv, told him that he WAS the son of Louis
XVI, the verilab.e Dauphin who was
supposed to have died in The Temple
placed before him document enTro5sed
parchment and sealed in due form, abdi.
catinr the throne OF France in favor Of
Louis PuILLIPpE, and requested him to
sign it, offering as an iuducement IL prince
iy establishment, either in this country or
in France, and that lie refused to sign it,
upon which II warm alteration ensued
between him and the Prince, though they
parted as friends.
This direct assertion upon this material
point in the whole case, was brought to
the attention of Prince DE JolNvILLE by the
London agent of the 4Ndg0=ine. to whom,
in reply the Prince wrote the following let
ter {:
CLAREMoNr Surrey, Feb. ., 1853.
SIR.-'' The Prince DE JoINvILLE has
received the number of the Monthly Mag
azine of New Y ork, which you hay, kind
ly thought fit to transmit to him and has
read the article to which you have called
his attention. His first thought was, to
treat with the indifferent which it deserves,
the absurd invention on which this artl-
Gle is founded-but on reflecting that Il
little truth is there mixed with much false
hood, the Prince has deemed it right that
l should in his name. give few lines in
there is in the mass of fables. .
'' Y ou can make, Sir, of this reply, the
use which you think proper.
g 1t is very true, that in voyage
which he made to the United States, to-
wards, the end of the year 1841, the
Prince finding himself at Macknac, met
on board the steamboat, passenger
whose face he thinks he recognizes, in
the portrait given in the Monthly 4Kaqn-
zine, but whose name had entirely cscap
ed his memory.
"This passenger seemed we'll informed
concerning the history of North America
during the last century. He related many
anecdotes and interesting particulars CON
cerning the French who took part, and dis
tinguished themselves in these events
He added that, on his fathers side, his
origin was French, and went so far as to
cite name which the Prince abstains
from repeating. 1t was by this means
that he had come in possession of so many
details curious to hear. One of the most
interesting ofthese recitals was that which
egave OF the last moments of the MARQUIS
OF MoNTCALM, who died in the arms of an
lroquolS, who was his relative. and to
whom the great captain had left his sword
These details could not fail vividly TO IN
terest the Prince, whose voyage to Missis-
sippi, had for its object to retrace the glori-
Gus path of the French, who had first