awe;

It

them to destruction. And often was poor Cruickshanks tantalized with the approach of help, which came but to add to the other miseries of his situation, that of the bitterest disappointment. Yet he bore all calmly. In the transient glimpses they had of him, as they were driven past him, they saw no blenching on his dauntless countenancethey heard no reproach, no complaint, no sound, but an occasional short exclamation of encouragement to persevere in their friendly endeavours. But the evening wore on, and still they were unsuccessful. seemed to them that something more than mere natural causes were operating against them. His hour is come!' said they, as they regarded one another with looks of our struggles are vain.' The courage and the hope which had hitherto supported them began to fail, and the descending shades of night extinguished the last feeble sparks of both, and put an end to their endeavours. Fancy alone can picture the horrors that must have crept on the unfortunate man, as, amidst the impenetrable darkness which now prevailed, he became aware of the continued increase of the flood that roared around him, by its gradual advance towards his feet, whilst the rain and the tempest continued to beat more and more dreadfully upon him. That these were long and ineffectual in shaking his collected mind, we know from the fact afterwards ascertained, that he actually wound up his watch while in this dreadful situation. But, hearing no more the occasional passing exclamations of those who had been hitherto trying to succour him, he began to shout for help in a voice that became every moment more long-drawn and piteous, as, between the gusts of the tempest, and borne over the thunder of the waters, it fell from time to time on the ears of his clustered friends, and rent the heart of his distracted wife. Ever and anon it came, and hoarser than before, and there was an occasional wildness in his note, and now and then a strange and clamorous repetition for a time, as if despair had inspired him with an unnatural energy. But the shouts became gradually shorter, less audible, and less frequent, till at last their eagerly listening ears could catch them no longer. Is he gone?' was the halfwhispered question they put to one another, and the smothered responses that were muttered around but too plainly told how much the fears of all were in unison. 'What was that?' cried his wife in delirious scream

That was his whistle I heard!' She said truly. A shrill whistle, such as that which is given with the fingers in the mouth, rose again over the loud din of the deluge and the yelling of the storm. He was not yet gone. His voice was but cracked by his frequent exertions to make it heard, and he

had now resorted to an easier mode of transmitting to his friends the certainty of his safety. For some time his unhappy wife drew hope from such considerations; but his whistles, as they came more loud and prolonged, pierced the ears of his foreboding friends like the ill-omened cry of some warning spirit; and it may be matter of question whether all believed that the sounds they heard were really mortal. Still they came louder and clearer for a brief space; but at last they were heard no more, save in his frantic wife's fancy, who continued to start as if she still heard them, and to wander about, and to listen, when all but herself were satisfied that she could never hear them again. Wet, and weary, and shivering with cold was this miserable woman, when the tardy dawn of morning beheld her, straining her eyeballs through the imperfect light, towards the trees where Cruickshanks had been last seen. There was something there that looked like the figure of a man, and on that her eyes fixed. But those around her saw, alas! too well, that what she fondly supposed to be her husband was but a bunch of wreck, gathered by the flood into one of the trees, for the one to which he clung had been swept away. The body of poor Cruickshanks was found in the afternoon of the next day, on the Haugh of Dandaleith, some four or five miles below. As it had ever been his uniform practice to wind his watch up at night, and as it was discovered to be nearly full wound when it was taken from his pocket, the fact of his having had self-possession enough to obey his usual custom, under circumstances so terrible, is as unquestionable as it is wonderful. It had stopped at a quarter of an hour past eleven o'clock, which would seem to fix that as the fatal moment when the tree was rent away, for when that happened, his struggles amidst the raging waves of the Spey must have been few and short. When the men, who had so unsuccessfully attempted to save him, were talking over the matter, and agreeing that no human help could have availed him. 'I'm thinkin' I could ha' ta'en him oot,' said a voice in the circle. All eyes were turned towards the speaker, and a generally expression of contempt followed, for it was a boy of the name of John Rainey, a reputed idiot, from the foot of Belrinnes, who spoke. 'You!' cried a dozen voices at once, what would you have done, you wise man?' I wud hae tied an empty anker-cask to the end o' a lang lang tow, an' I wud hae floated it aff frae near aboot whar the raft was ta'en first awa', an' syne, ye see, as the stream teuk the raft till the tree, maybe she wud hae ta'en the cask there too-an' if Charley Cruickshanks had ance gotten a haud o'

the rope'He would have finished, but his auditors were gone. They had silently slunk away in different directions, one man alone having muttered, as he went, something about wisdom coming out of the mouths of fools.'"

THE MAID OF ORLEANS.+

IN 1422 Charles VI. of France died, and the kingdom was inherited by his son, Charles VII., surnamed "the Victorious." During the first six years of his reign, the English arms in France were almost uniformly successful. At the siege of Orleans the ruin of the young king seemed inevitable, when Joan of Arc completely turned the scale in his favour. This singular heroine, Joan d'Arc, a native of Droimy, near Vaucouleurs, on the Mense, was a country girl, somewhat above twenty years of age, handsome, lively, and of irreproachable conduct. She had been early accustomed to the management of horses, and rode with grace and ease, having filled the humble situation of maid in the inn of her native village; where she had frequent opportunities of hearing discussed the calamities and misery under which the lower orders were suffering, the deplorable state of the country, and the peculiar character of Charles-one strongly inclined to friendship and affection-which naturally rendered him the hero of that sex whose generous minds place little bounds to their enthusiasm. These discussions warmed the maiden's imagination, rendered her indignant against the English, and inspired her with the noble resolution of delivering her country from its enemies. She went therefore to Vaucouleurs, obtained admittance to Baudricourt, the governor, and assured him that she had seen visions, and heard voices exhorting her to re-establish the throne of France. The governor of Vaucouleurs treated her at first with neglect; but after a time, wisely considering that, in the present state of affairs, advantage might be taken of her enthusiasm, he entered into her views, and sent her, with proper attendants and recommendation, to the king, who was then residing at Chinon. The age was one of almost unbounded credulity; and it was the interest of the king and his friend, when accepting her services, to persuade the people she was sent by God. She resided two months at Chinon, and the priesthood confirmed the rumour of her being an inspired person. It is but fair

From the Juvenile Library-No. II.-Historic Anecdotes, France.

to suppose that all were disposed to believe what they so ardently wished. Joan, armed cap-à-pie, and mounted on horseback, was triumphantly presented to the people as the messenger of Heaven, and began her martial transactions by escorting a large convoy for the supply of Orleans, as the English were then besieging that city. She ordered the soldiers to confess themselves before they set out on their enterprise; banished from the camp all dissolute characters; and carried in her own hand a consecrated banner, on which the Supreme Being was represented grasping the globe of earth, and surrounded with fleurs-de-lis. The maid wrote to the commanders of the English troops, desiring them, in the name of the Omnipotent Creator, to raise the siege and evacuate France, and menaced them with divine vengeance in case of their disobedience. The English affected to deride her and her heavenly commission, but their imaginations were secretly affected by the strong feeling that prevailed in all around them; and they waited with anxious expectation for the issue of these extraordinary proceedings. Strange it was, but no less true, that provisions were safely and peaceably permitted to enter the city; and Joan was received as a celestial deliverer by all the inhabitants, who now believed themselves invincible under her influence. An alteration of affairs was visible to the whole civilized world, whose attention was fixed upon the war between two such nations; and the sudden change had a proportionate effect on the minds of both parties. The spirit resulting from a long course of uninterrupted good fortune, was rapidly transferred from the victors to the vanquished. The maid cried aloud for an immediate sally of the garrison-her ardour roused to exertion-she attacked and conquered. Nothing, after this success, seemed impossible to her votaries; she declared that within a little time the English would be entirely driven from their entrenchments, and was herself foremost in the battle, animating and exhorting her troops. Nor was her bravery more singular than her presence of mind; in one attack she was wounded by an arrow in the neck; she pulled the weapon out with her own hands, had the wound quickly dressed, and hastened back to head the troops, and plant her victorious banner on the ramparts of the adversary. The English no longer denied that Joan was inspired, but they declared she was possessed by an evil, not a good spirit. Whether the Maid of Orleans" (an appellation given to her when she had finally succeeded in obliging the English to raise a siege, upon which so much money and so many valuable lives had been expended) really acted upon her own counsel, or upon that of the French general, Dunois (as it was said), she is alike

entitled to our praise and admiration; for there is often as much wisdom shown in following, as in giving advice. And it must never be forgotten that, when necessary, she curbed her visionary temper and zeal by prudence and discretion. The maid gave two promises to Charles; one that she would force the invaders to raise the siege of Orleans; the other, that she would see him crowned at Rheims. The former having been kept, the latter remained to be fulfilled. The king joined his victorious people, and, accompanied by her who might be truly termed his guardian angel, set out for that ancient city. Such was the universal panic, that he hardly perceived he was marching through an enemy's country. When he arrived at Rheims, he was there joined by the Dukes of Lorraine and Bar; and next day, the 17th of July, 1429, his coronation was performed with the holy oil, and which, it was said, a pigeon had brought to King Clovis from heaven, on the first establishment of the French monarchy. The Maid of Orleans stood by his side in complete armour, displaying that sacred banner with which she had so often animated his troops, and dismayed his enemies. When the impressive ceremony was concluded, she threw herself at the monarch's feet, and shed a flood of exulting and tender tears. "At last," she exclaimed, 66 my dear sovereign, the will of God is fulfilled; in this happy event he hath shown that you are he to whom this kingdom doth indeed belong." It is impossible to imagine one more devoid of personal ambition than Joan d'Arc. It is true that Charles ennobled her family, and exempted her native village from taxation; but, having fulfilled the professed end of her mission, she earnestly solicited the favour of being permitted to return to her home and tranquillity. When the indelible stain made by her death on the page of English history is remembered, it will be deeply regretted that Charles refused her request. Finding that her services were again required, she threw herself into Compiegne, then besieged by the English, and made many successful sallies against the assailants; but being deserted by her party on one occasion, she was pulled from her horse and taken prisoner by one Lionel de Vendôme, an officer of the Burgundian army. It is hardly to be credited, that a king whom she had crowned, a people whom she had saved, should have made no effort to recover their preserver from her bitter enemies. Yet they left the intrepid girl to the cruel vengeance of her foes; and the Duke of Burgundy purchased, for the sum of 10,0007. sterling, the casket that contained the soul of Joan of Arc. She was carried to Rouen, loaded with irons, and summoned to appear before a tribunal formed of persons interested in her destruction. Nothing could

:

exceed the intrepidity of her conduct, or the coolness of her replies: they could not try her as a prisoner of war; and so for a period of four months they harassed her with religious interrogatories. During the whole time, she never betrayed any weakness or womanish submission, and no advantage was gained over her. Her answers to the various questions proposed to her are too long for insertion here, but they must ever prove highly interesting to the lovers of true heroism. In the issue she was found guilty of all the crimes imputed to her of being a sorceress, an idolater, a witch, and a heretic. But the chief part of her accusation was wearing man's apparel: and she was finally sentenced to be delivered over to the secular arm. It was hardly to be expected but that, sooner or later, the weakness of the woman would triumph over the fortitude of the heroine. Browbeaten by men invested with the appearance of holiness, her spirit was subdued: the visionary dream of inspiration with which she had been buoyed up by the applauses of her party, as well as by continual success, faded before the punishment to which she was condemned. She confessed her willingness to recant, acknowledged the illusion of those revelations which the church had rejected, and promised never more to mention them: her sentence was then, as they termed it, mitigated." She was doomed to perpetual imprisonment, and to be fed during life upon bread and water. But the vengeance of the maiden's enemies was not yet appeased. Suspecting that the female dress had been rendered uncomfortable by habit, although she had consented to resume it, they purposely placed in her chamber a coat of armour, and meanly watched for the effects of the temptation. At the sight of a dress in which she had acquired so much renown, and which she had once believed she wore by the direct command of heaven, all her former feelings and passions revived, and she ventured in her solitude to clothe herself again in the forbidden steel. Her base and contemptible foes surprised her in that condition; the slight offence was interpreted into an heretical relapse, and she was doomed to be publicly burned in the market-place of Rouen (June the 14th, 1431). "This admirable heroine," says Hume, " to whom the more generous superstition of the ancients would have erected altars, was, on pretence of heresy and magic, delivered over alive to the flames, and expiated by that dreadful punishment the signal services she had rendered to her prince and her native country."

It is necessary to mention, with respect to the above list, that as on leasehold and freehold property there could not exist much difference of opinion, the real value being easily ascertainable, the ground upon which such enormous demands have been made, as appear every where through the list, is that of good-will. In several instances where the good-will has been set down at 1000., or 2000, or 30007., not a farthing has been awarded by the jury. The most extraordinary excuses have been made for making unreasonable demands. In one case a very respectable firm asked for a large sum as a compensation for a wharf where they used to ship and unship their gcods, which wharf they fancied was their own, because, being influential citizens, they had obtained for years an exclusive and most lucrative privilege of crowding it with their own goods without paying a shilling rent.

THE DUKE OF ORLEANS.+

THE Duke of Orleans, now Louis Philip I.

of France, is the eldest son of the too famous Louis Philippe (better known under the name of "Egalité "), and of Louise Marie Adelaide of Bourbon Penthievre. He was born in the year 1773, and, together with his brothers, the Duc de Montpensier and the Count de Beaujolais, was educated by the celebrated Madame de Genlis, upon the system recommended by

Rousseau in his " Emilius."

At the period of the Revolution, and when only nineteen years of age, we find him, in accordance with the popular policy of his house, a lieutenant-colonel in the 14th Dragoons, and distinguishing himself against the invaders of his native country, under General Kellerman and Dumouriez at the battles of Nerwind and Jemappe. He was at this time, in consequence of Dumouriez's defection, included with the other members of his family in the sweeping denunciations of the sanguinary monsters then at the head of the French government. His father and two brothers were unluckily arrested at Nice, and subsequently removed to the prison of Marseilles. The fate of the father is well known-that of the brothers was more fortunate, and that it was so, was mainly owing to their generous brother, the Duke of

Orleans.

In 1796, Mr. Tweddel, in a letter, gives the following interesting account of the Duke of Orleans:

"I have collected the following particulars of the events that have befallen the young Duke of Orleans: they will interest you,

From the Athenæum.-No. CXLV.

and they have been communicated to me by one too nearly connected with the duke to be misinformed, and too honest and sincere to deceive; you may therefore rely upon the truth of the story. Having learned that a decree for his arrest had issued, he determined to quit France, but with a resolution never to take up arms against his country; and this resolution he maintained so faithfully, that when the Archduke Charles (then at Mons) offered him the rank and appointment of lieutenant-general in the Austrian service, with all the honours due to his birth, he refused to accept them, remained at Mons only as long as necessary to procure a passport (twenty-four hours), and set out for Switzerland with something less than one hundred louis, being the whole of his wealth. From the moment of his arrival in Switzerland, he was persecuted by the aristocratical party there; and knowing on the other hand that Robespierre would hold his relatives in France responsible for his flight, he determined to disappear so completely that in France he should be supposed to be no longer in existence. He withdrew, therefore, to the loftiest mountains of the

Alps; but not daring to show himself in those places which are commonly the resort of the curious, he pursued a route the more interesting, as it was wholly unknown. As he had left with his sister the little money which he possessed, it was in extreme penury and privation that he passed the four months of his retreat. On great days and holydays his expenditure-the cost of lodging and diet for himself and the faithful valet, who could not be prevailed upon to quit him-amounted to thirty sols (1s. 3d.); but being at length reduced to his last louis, the duke was obliged to relinquish this only servant, this last consolation; and having learned that the place of professor of geometry in a college of the Grisons was vacant, he applied for and obtained it. He remained there six months, without any one knowing who he was, and so far gained upon the affections of his pupils, and the respect of the masters, that M. de Salis, who had persecuted him when he had known him as the Duke of Orleans, struck with the good sense and merit of the young professor, invited him to become the preceptor of his sons. The duke refused, and remained in his college, teaching geometry in the German language, until the death of Robespierre removing his apprehensions for the safety of his mother and brothers, he emerged from his retreat, reclaimed the affectionate correspondence of his friends, and from that time has constantly resided in a small Swiss village, with the same simplicity, and as little known

as before."

duchy of Holstein, after his father had fallen It was during his concealment in the

a victim, and whilst his brothers were lan