Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1858-11-27
Lola Montez and her Book.

'" Let hlm that Is wltnout SIN among you, mSt |
cast u stone at her.
Yes! we will be charitable even to Lola
Mcntez, under deep sense of our own in |
firmities, and the liability of all humanity, |
unrestrained by deep-rooted principle, to be- |
come even such as she has been.
We have been sosingularly charitable as to
read her book, which the prudish portion Of
society has frowned upon, just as if it were
a half naked danseuse boldly seeking entrance
into their unpolluted parlOrs; just as if its
pretty brown cover would taint the pure at
mosphere they breathe! Yes! Lola Montez'
who has turned the heads of half the Kings oi
Europe, and raised as stupendous excite
| ments as human ambition may desire; revo-
lutionizing governments and overturning time
honored institutions; she, who has "tripped
the light fantastic toe" behind the foot lights
of Royal Theatres from one end of Europe to
the other, and outvied Ninon de L'Enclos in
intrigues; she, Lola MOntez, with a graceful
pirouette hands you, with her own delicate fin
gers, the record of her life, embellished with
a fine steel engraving Of her own masculine
head.
| The first seventy pages of the volume be-
fore us, contained her autobiography Her
| thoughts, like her little feet on the boards,
twinkle gracefully along the pages, and we
must give the lady the credit of being as
pleasant writer, as ever had taste of type.
There is even probability, that, what she says
| ahnnt herself iS truo, che .-...h-o Az a.tei"Pt
to conceal her youthful follies; but, rather
piaues herself upon her numerous brilliant
adventures She tells us good deal about
herself that we did not know, and is certainly,
extremely facetious in her style.
She begins with merry laugh over the
innumerable biographies of her own immortal
self, not one of which, she inform us, is true,
particularly that which asserts that her moth
er was acasheruOman 81 declare" says
| she, ''if were Lola MonteZ, l should begin to
doubt whether ever had a father, or whether
l was ever born at all, except in some such
| fashion as Minerva was said to be-bOrn of
the brain of Jupiter"
She was, however, actually born in the city
of Limerick in the year of 1924. Her father,
she writes, twas son of Sir Edward Gilbert,
and his mother, Lady Gilbert, was considered
believe, one of the handsOmest women of
her time The mother of Lola was an Oliver,
of Castle Oliver, and her family name was of
the Spanish noble family of Montaloo, descen-
ded from Count de Montaloo, who once pos
| sessed immense estates in Spain, all Of which
were lost in wars with the French and other
nations The Montaloos were originally of
| Moorish blood, who came into Spain at the
| time of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic"
| So much for her blood, which is the most sin
gular compound that was ever got up-Irish
and Moorish Spanish verita BILE ola pOdri-
da!
| SO Captain Gilbert, of the 44th regiment,
was married to Lola's mother, they being at
the interesting ages of twenty and fifteen.
Lola's real name is Marie Dolores Eliza RO-
sanna Gibert-Lola being the diminutive Of
| Dolores
Shortly after Lola was born, her father was
| ordered to India, where after three years, the
cholera took him off leaving her mother, one
| of the handsomest widows in the world, and
herself, pretty, spoiled child. Of course she
was snapped up instantly, by handsome Of
| ficer, friend of hor late husband and the
| old love was forgotten in the new.
When Lola was six years old, she was sent
10 England to be educated. After she had
been there some eight years, her mother came
from India, and Immediately began to make
preparations for marrying her pretty little
daughter to rich old nabob. OF course Lola
made fuss, believing her destiny to be more
brilliant, and went toa certain Captain James
for advice, which the said Capt. bestowed up
on her by running away with her. AS neth-
| or he or Lola cared one straw for each other,
they had delightful married life. The Cap
tain at last, was ordered to India, where he
and Lola went and had a splendid time of it.
| Lola gives very amusing account of their
journey into the interior, which wound up
with the Captain eloping with another officers
wife, and leaving Lola to herself She did MT
care fig, however, and thought the whole
affair a good joke; but her mother, who was
then in Calcutta, did care good deal, and
| packed Lola off to some very pious cousins in
Scotland, to keep her out of mischief Her
fathcr-n-law very generously slipped five
| thousand dollars in her hand before she left,
so with her jewels she was pretty well Off
When Miss Lola got to London she positive
ly refused to go and live with such sober peo-
pie as Scotch cousins, and stamped and raw
| ed so that the cousins left. and Miss Lola set
up for herselfin London-and from that time
| forward was as Independent as you please
After enjoying herself for some months in the
metropolis, she began to take lessons in dane
ing, and finally made a successful debut at
her Maiesty's Theatre But we must stop
here, as we are not writing her life and she
has done it so well herself that We had better
not say anything more. OF her more mature
life, there ore minute details. Her descrip-
ton Of the row she melted in Poland is laugh
able beyond measure. She describes with the
o'~~<ses eeol,>~eo ler doinsc ", Ravor;o whore
she and King Louis used to have such plea
SAINT times together; gives us some interesting
particulars of her Prussian life, and tells us a
good deal about Alexander Dumas and George
Sand, whom she admires beyond expression
We don't much wonder at her admiration of
George Sand; they would make pretty team
harnessed together, being so admirably well
matched.
Her Lectures are very readable, and we
wo0d mention the "Wit., and Women of
Paris" as particularly interesting. In fact
the book is worth reading; only we are sorry
Lola has written it, as it destroys the delusion
which we had fallen into that she had become
true Magdalene No person who will relate