close, it presents a pleasing picture of the purest conjugal affection triumphing over ill usage and abandonment.

Josephine was born on the 24th June, 1763, at Trois-Ilets, in the island of Martinique. Her father, M. de Tascher de la Pagerie, Captain of the Royal Navy, was of a respectable French descent, and her mother, whose name was De Sanois, was a native creole. Josephine, says her Sybilline biographer, was born with "her forehead encircled with a transparent crown," which, in plain English, signifies a caul, "an infallible sign of prosperity, and one that opened to her the career of happiness!" By the silly fondness of her parents, she soon became a spoiled child, and would have been utterly ruined but for a timely change in her mother's conduct. She was allowed

to play with the little negroes, and of course became proud and overbearing, though being naturally just and tender-hearted, she took the part of those who behaved best. Her picture, when a child, is thus given :

"C'etait dans ses traits que l'on démêlait le melange heureux d'une douce langueur et d'une vivacité singuliere; mais son excessive timidité la privait quelquefois des avantages qu'un esprit cultivé et des talens remarquables auraient dû lui assurer. Sa santé etait délicate; le son de sa voix avait un charme inexprimable, une harmonie enchantresse; son cœur vrai ne connut jamais l'imposture; le sourire de la bienfaisance etait sur ses lèvres. Vêtue ordinairement d'un leger voile de mousseline adopté dans ces climats, elle ne paraissait que plus libre dans tous ses mouvemens. Les talens agréables allumaient tour a tour sa noble émulation; mais ce qui l'affectait surtout jusqu'a l'affliger reellement, c'était la preference que les habitans de la colonie lui accordaient sur sa sœur ainée, qui, cependant, etait plus jolie qu'elle: ils caressaient son amour-propre et affligeaient son cœur. On ne la nomnait que la belle Créole. Ce titre produisait sur elle la plus vive impression: ou vantait sans cesse les charmes de sa figure; les couleurs da la rose embellissaient son teint, et Josephine ignorait alors qu'une femme aimable pût employer l'empire de l'art pour ajouter au pouvoir de ses attraits." Vol. i. p. 52.

Our grandiloquent Mademoiselle proceeds, "Josephine had not yet numbered two lustres, when Terpsichore became the object of her especial regard;" which, we presume, means that she loved dancing before she was ten years of age-no very extraordinary predilection at that time of life. She was also fond of singing and solitude, and had a timidity that she never lost till after she lived in France. She could not bear confinement; she ran, and jumped and danced, and at the same time received her education, for she seemed to read and write in play, and every thing she ever knew, was taught her by way of amuse

ment, with the happiest results, as she herself remarks. This, however, does not quite accord with what her biographer states, "that when she neglected her studies her mother used to threaten her with a convent, and scold her heartily," upon which, very naturally, she would cry, and would not be pacified till her father soothed her, though she would never disclose to him the cause of her distress. About this period, "love, under the disguise of friendship, was on the point of penetrating her heart," and we find that this precocious young lady did actually obtain a sweetheart of about eleven years of age-a little wonder of a boy-for whom she felt a tender interest to the period of her death. His name was William de K. His heart was warm, and the children became so much attached, that their mothers came to an understanding with each other that they should be united when of age. Mademoiselle Le Normand gives us a very minute account of the whole course of Josephine's early love, of her separation from her lover who was sent to England, of her jealousy, and the various devices she employed to discover the feelings of her absent William. In one of these fits, she determined to apply to a mulatto fortune-teller, of great notoriety in Martinique. Josephine was accompanied in her visit by two female friends. The first had her fate laid open to her, and it all came to pass, as we are told; but as we know her not, we shall proceed to the second Mademoiselle de L-, whose destiny astonished Euphemia, the sibyl, so much that she uttered a piercing exclamation. On examining the lines of her left hand she told her, that her parents would soon send her to Europe for her education-that the vessel would be captured by the Algerines, and she made captive and put into a seraglio, where she would have a son, who would reign with glory, &c. &c. We are told in a note that all this actually happened to the young lady who became the mother of Sultan Selim III. Josephine's turn came last, and as it has often been referred to as a remarkable glimpse into futurity, we give it as we find it. She presented her hand, when the astonished Pythoness uttered these oracular words:

"You will marry a man with a fair complexion, destined for another of your family; she whose place you are appointed to fill, will not live long. A creole who loves you will never cease to do so: you will never marry him, but you will make some useful attempts to save his life. Your star promises two alliances, your first husband is a native of Martinique, but he will live in Europe and wear a sword; he will have some moments of happiness, but an unfortunate law-suit will divide you, to be followed by great troubles to the kingdom of France. He will perish in a tragic manner and leave you a widow with two young children.

Your second husband will be a very dark man, of European origin aud small fortune: but he will become celebrated, will fill the world with his glory, even subjecting to his authority a great number of nations. You will then become an eminent personage, and be raised even to supreme power: but many of the ungrateful will, in one day, forget your benefits after having astonished the world, you will die unhappy. The country in which this will occur makes a part of Celtic-Gaul. Often in the bosom of prosperity you will regret the sweet and peaceful life you lead in this colony. When you leave it (though not forever) a prodigy will appear in the air, which will be first fore-runner of your astonishing destiny."

:

Now we cannot conceal our most lively, yet ill-natured suspicion that this remarkable prediction was made after the events. The old woman may have promised her, as she probably did a hundred others, two husbands and a crown, but the filling in has been skilfully done by our sibylline biographer to give dignity to her profession.

The eldest sister of Josephine, a serious little girl, very pretty in spite of a red mark over one cheek, was destined for one of the sons of the Marquis of Beauharnois. As the time approached for the nuptials, she sickened, and to accomplish her sister's, destiny died. She had been the favourite of her mother, but Josephine was the best beloved of her father. The latter now emulated the steady conduct of her lamented sister, and soon obtained the place which she had filled in Madame de Tascher's affections. But she gradually grew melancholy, became tired of herself, in short was perfectly ennuied, till her father aroused her by the intelligence that he intended she should fill the place of her deceased sister in the nuptial contract with M. de Beauharnois. Agitated and surprised, she gravely replied "that she hoped he would not one day, have cause to lament her fate." He told her that her aunt, Madame Renaudin of France would consult her happiness-that she had prodigious influence over the father of Beauharnois, and would exercise it in effecting the desired change. Josephine now began to recollect that she was affianced to William de K-, but that alliance her father told her was now impossible-circumstances had changed; and, as her sister was no more, her expectations from her aunt would now make her one of the most advantageous matches in Martinique. They also told her that her lover had been left a great fortune on condition that he would marry the grand niece of the testator. They intercepted his letters and made Josephine believe that he had forgotten her. She yielded to her father and promised to obey his will.

Letters were shortly after received from her aunt, who, it seems, really had at her disposal, in some unaccountable way, the hand of M. de Beauharnais. She urged them to send her niece immediately to her, and it was accordingly so determined. Upon the ship's sailing, the crew and the people on shore, were immediately astonished by the appearance of a luminous meteor in the clear blue sky before they had time to contemplate this phenomenon, their attention was drawn to their ship, over the mainmast of which hovered a phosphoric flame, forming a kind of crown. These signs, says the astrologer, she regarded as a happy presage of a brilliant and happy future! and they were recorded as the first evidence in favour of Euphemia's predic

tions.

After a stormy passage she at length arrived at Marseilles, where Madame Renaudin met her. She could not avoid feeling a secret satisfaction at hearing that her lover and his father were at Paris, and it had so powerful an influence on her organs, says Miss Le Normand, that when she reached Fontainbleau her health was nearly re-established. After some few

days had elapsed, William was presented to her by his father, who was her father's friend, and that also of the Marquis de Beauharnais, the old governor of Antilles. But Josephine was prudish. Her lover prayed to see her alone, but she refused his petitions, and he fell almost into despair, and implored his father to suffer him to renounce the fatal legacy with its abhorred condition, and to throw himself at Josephine's feet: all which was of course refused; and moreover related by the old gentleman to Madame Renaudin, in her niece's presence, who listened with a mortal paleness of visage and depression at the heart. Josephine now begged to be permitted to board in a convent, pretending that it was necessary to her health. This was at first refused, but she took to her bed where she remained some days, which caused great uneasiness to the old lady, and she consented. "Ainsi," says the biographer with great good sense," les deux familles calculaient froidement quels seraient les résultats de leurs communs projets. Que leur importait de livrer leur enfans au désespoir, de les séparer à jamais l'un de l'autre, pourvu que le fils de M. de K- fit revivre un nom illustre, et que Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie recueillit la fortune que lui promittait Madame Renaudin? Dociles victimes de leurs parens, il leur fallait renoncer à s'aimer; ils devaient, eomme Paul et Virginie, eprouver les tristes effets de l'ambition Européenne."

It seems that the old Marquis de Beauharnais had no idea, when Josephine was presented to him on her arrival from MarVOL. VI.-No. 12.

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tinique that her aunt intended her for his son; and when the project was disclosed he showed such repugnance to it that he silenced the old lady for a time. Poor Josephine ardently wished the idea of these nuptials to be forever banished. The son also, by the influence of a certain Madame Vass-, who had a hold on his affections, declared himself equally repugnant to the union; but the old Marquis, being at length overcome by the ascendancy of Madame Renaudin, and another female friend Madame de L-, consented that his son should give his hand; and French sons in those days were obliged to comply. Josephine was apprised of Madame Vass-'s improper influence over her intended husband, and naturally apprehended the union would be destructive of her happiness. He visited her occasionally at the grate of the convent, but she could not receive him without remembering but too well her lost William. This made her exhibit a coldness for which her aunt reproached her: she knew of Josephine's affection and she endeavoured to eradicate its roots from her heart, and to plant in their place the seeds of ambition. Josephine still pouted, till the old lady's patience becoming exhausted, she told her niece she might do as she pleased-she would send her back to her parents, or break off the match, for all she desired was her happiness! This produced a re-action in Josephine's mind. She sobered down, discarded romance, and wrote to a young friend that "she now wished to study M. de Beauharnais's character, observe his conduct, and judge, in fine, if the beauty of his soul corresponded with that of his figure!" This kind of study producing the natural effect, she soon told the cunning old lady, (who knew that the best way of getting a woman to adopt your opinion, is to pretend to leave the decision to herself,) that she would submit to her wishes; and shortly after, that the Viscount de Beauharnais possessed her heart exclusively! Accordingly in her sixteenth year she married, against his will, Alexander de Beauharnais, who was at the same time the "cavalier servente" of Madame Vass. In a little while, says the biographer, she loved her husband above all things! She took care, however, not to disclose to him the early passion that had nearly destroyed her repose. Her conduct at first was not very tender towards him, and on one occasion she was so impolitic as to tell him she would have preferred him as a brotherin-law: but after the birth of their first child, they became reasonably attached.

Beauharnais was a major, and as he received with his wife a good property, they saw much company. She never was presented publicly at court, but twice privately at the "petit