MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 838, 13 August 1853, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

The following curious anecdote of Cardinal Latil is related by the Chevalier Bunsen in the recently published life of Neibuhr, the historian of Borne, " When, in the summer of 1829, Pins VIII. bad been elected successor to Leo XII., tbe cardinal's hat was given to Latil, formerly as Abbe Lttil, the Confessor of the Comte D'Artois aod of bis mistress, — later as Archbishop of Rheiras, tit* prelate who anointed Charles X. Diplomatic dimers preceded and followed this great ceremony. At a dinner given on this occasion at the Russian embassy, the Cardinal, after a joyous repast, entered into a private conversation with Prince Gagarin, the Russian Minister, with the import of which the Prince, who was 'liomme d'espritf and very fond of fun, made me acquainted on' the spot. The Cardinal bad said to him : • Prince, we,' — meaning the King and the Cardinal, or the Cardinal and the King — ' have come to the conviction, that two things are incompatible — the Catholic Church and the constitutional Charter. We see that we must choose between, them, and our option has been made. You will believe me, Prince, it has not been difficult. You • T will soon hear more of it. We must modify the - Charter, in order to make it compatible with the*; 'precepts of the Catholic Church-; iifd we are decided to do so soon.' We ' both agreed that this was a most important revelation, and that;

unity and wine had made LatH say mort than a confessor and a cardinal ought to have divulged. Th« manner in which be had said those words was such, that it was impossible not to believe that be spoke the secret of the Cabinet* And indeed, when, a few days Afterwards, he received, under a princely dais, the red hat from the Pope s Ablegate, instead of answering his congratulations, as other cardinals used to do, with a few words-of thanks, he made a set speech, evidently learnt by heart, and delivered with great emphasis, in which he said -.—"Tell the Holy Father, that 1 am fnlly aware of the duties and responsibilities, which this high honour imposes upon me in the situation which 1 bold, my conduct will show my aense of duty, and my gratitude. Of course, Prince Gagarin and I did not fail to con. vey this important intelligence to our respective Courts." The Irish abroad And at HoMfi.— Arthur Dillon was guillotined on tie 24th Germinal, an. 11, (14th of April 1794.) together with seventeen other persons, (two of them females,) of various stations in life, some of them distinguished by birth, more of them by crime. All were inno Icent of the particular offence for which they ostensibly suffered death. They where conveyed in common caits from the Conciergerie to the Place de la Revolution, where stood the guillotine en permanence. When they arrived at the fatal spot, they descended from their hideous vehicle, and were mustercl at the foot of the scaffold and counted by the executioner before commencing the slaughter. This preliminary over, he laid his hand upon the shoulder of -one of the female victims, and motioned to the steps leading to the scaffold. She shrank from bis touch, and turning to Dillon, said, '<Gh % M. DiHon, will you go Brstr 'Anything to oblige a lady/ said the elegant and courteous Dillon, with his usual captivating smile, and ascended the scaffold. His last words, pronounced in a voice that resounded through the Place, were 'Vive le Roi t 1