le. It was judged expedient, therefore, to publish
as much of their contents as was decipherable, in the Indian
papers--under the idea that those to whom they were addressed would
recognize their own missives from the context; and a most
absurdly-mischievous experiment it proved. Never was such a breach of
confidence. All sorts of disagreeable secrets were made out by the
gentle public of the presidency. Intimate friends learned how they
laughed at, or hated one another; matrimonial schemes were betrayed; the
scandal, gossip, and confidential disclosures of the Indian letter-bag
making as strange and unpleasant a confusion as if the peninsula had
suddenly been converted into Madame de Genlis's "Palace of Truth." There
was no little alarm when our steamer was lost, lest a similar disclosure
should be made; but the world had grown wiser; and those epistles which
were illegibly addressed were, we believe, destroyed, unless when
relating to commercial interests, and other business.

We hope we have not wearied our gentle reader with this subject, for we
have yet another little incident for his ear relative to it, which was
told us as a fact by a French lady who knew the person concerned. Some
friends of hers residing in the provinces had an only daughter, an
heiress, and consequently a desirable match. Her hand was eagerly sought
by many suitors, and was at last yielded by her parents to a gentleman
of some property who had recently purchased a chateau in the
neighborhood. His apparent wealth, his high connections, and very
elegant manners, had won their favor; and in great delight at the
excellent match her daughter was about to make, Madame L---- wrote to her
friends and relatives to inform them of the approaching happy event.
Among these was a lady residing at Marseilles, to whom she described,
with all a Frenchwoman's vivacity, the person, manners, &c., of the
bridegroom elect. Answers of congratulation and good wishes poured in of
course; and Madame L----, who had a secret persuasion that she was an
unknown and unhonored Madame de Sevigne, became so pleased with her
increased correspondence, that she made a point of never leaving the
house till after the delivery of the post. The Marseilles correspondent
was the only one of the number with whom she had communicated who had
not replied to her letter. This answer was therefore desired with great
eagerness; and Madame L---- remembered afterward, though at the time it
awok