19797-] 
a black domino. After he had anfwered 
fome introductory queftions, the magif- 
trate faid.to him, wih a ftern voice, 
“¢ You are the rebel who already have 
attempted to incite the peafants of Up- 
land to revolt againft his majefty. Your 
being prefent on this occafion appears to 
me very fulpicious ; what were your mo- 
tives for coming to the ball?” To chis in- 
terrogatory, Anckarftroem replied with 
great boldnefs : ‘*.1 am under no obliga- 
tion to render an account of my pieafures ; 
and it does not become you totulpeét pub- 
licly of fo afe a crime a man againft 
whom you have no proof.”’—Having 
made the anfwer, he walked off from the 
tribunal and loft himfelf among the 
crowd, 
The hall ftill continued furrounded 
with troops, and intelligence was con- 
veyed every minute of rhe ftate of the. 
wounded monarch. On coming to him- 
felf his firft care was to fend for all the 
foreign minifters, He was inftantly at- 
tended by four, the Spanifh, Imperial, 
Ruffian and Polith ambaffadors.. Among 
other difcourfe, the king let fall this re- 
markable expreffion : * I fhould like to 
know what Briffot will fay of my death 
in the National Affembly.” This f{peech 
being immediately circulated, both with- 
in doors of the Opera-houfe, and through 
the town, expofed all the French to great 
infult, and> for fome days rendered it 
unfafe for them to appear in the ftreets. 
In proportion as the lieutenant of 
police proceeded in his examination, 
sthofe who had paffed mufter were con- 
duéted isto the lobbies, till, at length, 
the hall was entirely cleared. .A brace 
of piftols, with a dagger, were nosy dif- 
covered onthe floor. The dagger was 
‘of a very fingular form, and conftructed 
on fuch principles that the flightett 
wound inflicted with it could not fail of 
proving mortal. The piftols were of 
_ Englith manufa€ture, the barrels about 
| five inches in length. One appeared to 
» have been newly fired off. On unload- 
ing the ocher, it was found to contain two 
{mall round balls, not equal to the cali- 
bre of the piece ; one fmall ball, which 
feemed to have been cut, another fewesd 
upin leather, cight {mail nails, and fome 
Dits of lead ; in all twenty-eight pieces. 
This difcovery gave reafon to apprehend 
) that the piftol with which the king 
| had been wounded, might have been 
_ loaded in the fame manner, and, confe- 
quently, that his majefty had received an 
equal number of shots in his fide. 
_ Monrsry Mac. XXIV. 



Propofals for a new Biographical Work. 379 
At fouro’clock in the morning, the exe y 
amination clofed in the hall, without any 
information being obtained, which might 
lead toa difcovery of the affatlin. Every 
perfon was now fuffered todenart. The 
fame morning the lieutenant of police 
canfed a proclamation to be iffued, pro- 
mifing a reward of 10,000 dollars to who- 
foever fhould difcover the aétual mur. 
derer of the king. In the next place, 
he recommended all the gun-fmiths and 
{word-cutlers to appear at the Hétel de 
Police, there to undergo an examination, - 
touching the dagger and the piftols. 
This prudent meafure led toa difco- 
very. ‘Che company of armorers having 
affembled at the Hvsel de Police about nine in 
‘the morning, the weapons were produced. 
The piftols were immediately recognized 
by one of the company, who depofed, 
that he had imported them from England, 
and fold them to M. Anckarftroem,enfign 
in the regiment of blue guard. A 
party of foldiers were immediately dif- - 
patched to his lodgings, where they 
found him quietly in bed with his wife, 
who appeared to be ignorant of the fhare 
which her hufband had in the regicide. 
Anckarfiroem was direétly taken inte 
cuftody, and underwent feveral examina~ 
tions, which led to a complete proof of 
the charge againft him. , 
ee 
No. IV, FROM MY PORT-FOLIO. 
The Editor of the Port-rorto has been fa- 
voured with feveral communications, whick 
fhall receive early notice: farther correfpons 
dence is earne({tly folicited.] 
A NECROLOGY *. r 
OF Jate, numerous are the tributes 
given in favour of the ftudy of bio- 
graphy ;° and this amiable fpecies of litera- 
ture begins to be underftood and tafted by 
the public. It is, indeed, of recent date 
in this country. The lives of our greateft 
writers, prefixed to their collected works, 
prefent the curious with f{pecimens of the 
unhappy manner of our biographical coms 
pofitions. “A few uninterefting dates ; 
fome petty anecdotes, given without tafte, 
and placed without art; an arid catalogue 
of works, without criticif{m; and this 
penury rendered more fordidly repulfive 
by the tattered finery of fuperlative pane» 
gyric, of which the reverberated phrafes 
defcending, like entailed jewels, to the 
race of thefe biographers, enabled them 

* Necroxocy is derived from the Greek 
words vexcos, nekras, a fierfon deceased, and roves, 
togos, a difcourfe, 
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