Page:Notes and Queries - Series 2 - Volume 1.djvu/499

 25., JUNE 21. '56.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

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tin in alarm endeavoured to escape in flight. But it was of no use. The vision followed him, and found him out. It accompanied him into church, took the holy water along with him, and came out with him ; and as he hur- ried home, and intended to shut the door upon it, sud- denly preceded him ; and, face to face, commanded him to do as he was bidden. ... At last, Martin resolved to leave the neighbourhood altogether ; but the youth met him in the barn, and said, 'You have resolved to make your escape ; but you would not have gone far, you must fulfil your commission.' These things being reported to the bishop, were by him communicated to M. Decazes, minister of police, who sent them to the prefect of the department, M. de Breteuil, who ordered Martin and the curate to Chartres. The prefect determined to send him to Paris. The minister of police attempted to intimidate him, and to treat him as insane; but Martin was firm and collected, and was always informed beforehand by

his mysterious visitor of what would befall him

After a long investigation, and much correspondence, a full report of which was drawn up by MM. Pinel and Royer Collard, physicians, who examined Martin, he was sent to the hospital at Charenton, to be treated as a lunatic. At this time, M. de la Rochefoucauld received a letter respecting Martin from the Duchess of Luynes, his grandmother, who resided near Gallardon. It stated the case in such a manner as to excite the curiosity of the viscount, and he determined to enquire into it, unknown to the minister. For this purpose he paid a visit to the hospital, without expressing a desire to see any par- ticular patient, but the whole institution. He visited numerous cells, and talked with many of the inmates. But he took little interest in them ; he was looking for Martin, but never named him. At last he found a calm, serene, and intelligent looking peasant, who, he at once concluded, was the man he was in search of. After en- quiring his name, &c. : 'What is the matter with you?' ' Me ! nothing,' replied Martin ; ' but the minister has shut me up here to prevent me from seeing the king.' Then the whole story was told. After much correspon- dence, examination, &c., and another interview with the apparition, the king was informed, who resolved to grant the interview. . . . The king received Palmer very gra- ciously, and asked him to sit down on the other side of the table. The interview lasted about an hour. The conversation began with a narration of the facts of the case. After this the king said that he understood that Martin had some secret to communicate to him. Up to this time, Martin knew nothing of the secret ; but no sooner had the king spoken the word, than Martin's organs of speech were suddenly seized by an irresistible force ; and he spoke volubly, without even the power of choosing his expressions. The secret was, that in hunt- ing in the forest of St. Hubert, the king had formed the design of assassinating his brother Louis XVI. He had a double-barrelled gun, and with one barrel he meant to shoot the king, and then fire the ether in the air, pre- tending to have been attacked ; but was prevented from executing the design by being entangled among the branches of a tree, through which the king passed freely. On hearing this, Louis wept bitterly, and Confessed the truth ; but extorted a promise from Martin that he would preserve his secret, which Martin did as long as the king lived. The king was then making preparations for his coronation ; but Martin told him, that, if he dared to receive the oil of consecration, he would be struck dead during the ceremony. Accordingly, the king counter- manded the preparations, and he never was crowned. He was ordered to look out for the proper heir, the orphan of the Temple, who Martin said was alive. He also pro- mised to tell his brother, afterwards Charles X., of this ;

and he is said to have done so. But no search took place ; and Charles X., who accepted the consecration and coro- nation, was dethroned, and died in exile, as Martin fore- told. At the death of Louis the XVIII., Charles X. sent the Duke de Montmorency to Martin, to endeavour to make him change his testimony. But Martin was firm. The interview took place in the house and presence of the Cure de Bleury, near Gallardon. ..." Abridged from the Spiritual Herald for June, 1856.

MERCATOB, AUTHOR OP THE POUND AND MIL SCHEME.

I shall be much obliged to any of your readers, who can inform me who was " Mercator," the author of the plan for changing our coinage, which is now commonly known as "the pound and mil scheme." His tract, dated " London, 1st July, 1814," was published by Valpy, in The Pamphleteer (vol. iv. p. 171.). The writer ex- presses his admiration of the system of monies, weights, and coins, used in France ; and suggests that the subject should be taken up on the return of peace with that country. He advises that we should adopt the rate of 10 per cent, as the pro- portion of alloy for both gold and silver coin ; and that we should divide the pound sterling into 1000 mils, and the pound weight into 10 ounces, each ounce containing 1000 grains. His pam- phlet has been lately republished by Mr. Robert Slater, in his valuable Inquiry into the Principles involved in the Decimalisation of the Weights, Measures, and Monies of the United Kingdom, Appendix, p. 71.

As Mercator's monetary plan has been brought forward since he wrote by a considerable number of individual writers, as well as by the members of the two scientific commissions appointed for another purpose in 1838 and 1843 ; as it has more- over been embraced by the Decimal Association, and recommended for adoption by several of the witnesses before the Committee of the House of Commons on decimal coinage ; and as it is pro- bably regarded with no small share of favour by the three royal commissioners, who are now in- quiring into the same subject, it is a matter of considerable interest to know who was the first proposer of the plan. Also, as his proposal, though showing a laudable attention to a very important subject, and conceived in a spirit of liberality by no means common in his day, was only a first idea, or a suggestion arising out of temporary circumstances, it would be very grati- fying to know whether the writer adheres to his original scheme, or is inclined to harmonise with those who would bring our method of reckoning and our system of coinage into exact accordance with those of our continental neighbours.

JAMES YATES.

Lauderdale House, Highgate.