The New Hampshire Gazette

A late tragical AFFAIR.

Which may serve as a Supplement to that published in our last, as it runs translated at the same Place.

Extract of a Letter from Toulouse in FRANCE.

THE blind religious Zeal, or to speak more properly, the Spirit of Fanaticism and Persecution that has always reigned in this Place, is at present exerting itself with the most unjust and unrelenting Fury against a protestant Family, whose dismal story is as follows: - Mr. John Calas, a Merchant of unblemish'd reputation, is so unhappy as to have had a Son, who thought proper to hang himself in the Month of October 1761, without any Body's being able even to guess at the Motive that impelled him to this desperate Measure. After having supped with his Family, and one of his intimate Friends named Lavie, he stepped down into his Father's Warehouse, and having contrived the Means of fixing a Cord between the two Leaves of a folding Door that separated the Warehouse from the Shop, he executed the horrid Deed already mentioned. About two Hours afterwards, as Mr. Lavie was retiring, conducted to the Door by another of the Sons of Mr. Calas, they perceived that the Door of the Warehouse was open, and stepping in were filled with Horror at the Sight of the wretched Youth hanging. -They raised a hideous Cry, which immediately alarmed the Family. The Father ran to the Place and beheld, full of Astonishment and Anguish, the melancholy Spectacle. The other Children ran instantly for a Surgeon, to see if there were yet any Means left of recalling to Life their unhappy Brother. The Surgeon arrives and finds the Body already cold, and void of the least remaining Spark of Life. In the mean Time, the Cries of the afflicted Family, and the Noise and Hurry of this dismal Scene, drew a great Crowd of People before the Doors, who were soon informed of the Matter. The Sheriffs soon came to the House of Mr. Calas, and took Minutes of all that had passed. While they were thus employed, a Voice was heard crying from the midst of the Multitude, that young Calas had been strangled by his Parents, to prevent his embracing the Romish Religion, to which (according to his unknown Voice) he had a secret Inclination. On the Strength of this Vague, uncertain Clamour, supported by no legal Evidence, the Father, Mother, and Brother of the Deceased, together with Mr. Lavie and the maid Servant of the House, were committed to the public Prison. The next Day this tragical Story was spread through the whole City, and all was in Uproar and Confusion. Malignant Bigotry was Zealously at Work to clothe it in the blackest Colours, to the Disadvantage of the unhappy Family, whose Religion drew upon them a general Indignation, and shut up against them those Bowels of Compassion, which their Affliction must have excited, had not the feelings of Humanity been suppressed by the infernal Spirit of Persecution. The credulous Multitude wallowed with Avidity the barbarous Calumnies that were forged against them: and, without even the Shadow of a Proof, they were universally Supposed to have committed a Crime, which nothing but the highest Frenzy and Distraction could suggest. Every one was persuaded that Calas had died a Martyr to Popery; and in Consequence thereof, he was buried with solemn Pomp in consecrated Ground, and the Funeral Rites of the Church of Rome were performed at his Interment. At the same Time, all necessary Preparations were made for the Trial of the pretended Criminals, and Informations taken, but with such Precipitation, Animosity and Partiality, as never, perhaps were heard of in the Annals of the most barbarous Nations. Every Step that has been taken under the Mask of Justice, shews a fixed Determination, to charge the unhappy Prisoners with this enormous Crime. All things seem to take it for granted that they are guilty, and only seek for plausible Pretexts to justify, at least in Appearance, the iniquitous Sentence which they have already pronounced. It is pretended, among other Things, that the Deceased was to have abjured the Protestant Religion on the 14th Day of last October; and that to prevent this, his Parents formed and executed the horrible Design of which they are accused. The Servant maid is supposed to have been an Accomplice in this detestable Plot; and yet it appears, that this very Servant maid, who has lived 20 Years in the Family of Mr. Calas, is not only a rigid Papist, who went constantly to Confession, and received the Sacrament regularly twice a Week, but also that she had been already the Instrument of perverting to Popery another of the Sons of Mr. Calas. How then can it be supposed, that she should be accessory to a Murder, which was designed to prevent the Deceased from embracing that Religion? but this is not all: A Proclamation has been published by the Bishop, commanding all the Ecclesiastics who may have had any Conversation with the Deceased upon the Subject of Religion, to appear before the Judges to give in any Evidence they may be able to produce of his Intentions to become a Proselyte to Popery. This Proclamation has not produced the least effect: Not one Ecclesiastic has appeared, nor has there been any Attempt made to prove, that the Deceased ever had the least Conversation upon that Subject with any Person whatever; or that he ever took any Step that discovered the most remote Intention to change his Religion: On the contrary it has appeared, that this unhappy young Man, having formed the Design of embracing the Profession of the Law, about 18 Months ago, had demanded of a Curate the Certificate, required in all such Cases: which the Curate refused, unless he brought him a Testimonial of his having been confessed by a Priest; that Calas was so far from complying with this Condition, that he renounced, on that Account, his Inclination to the Law, and turned his Views towards Trade. It has, also been proved, that since that time, he has been frequently seen at the religious Meetings of the Protestants, and given the most satisfactory Marks of his Zeal and Attachment to the Protestant Cause. Among his Books, Papers, and Furniture, that were immediately seized after his Death, there has been found neither Missal, Beads, Crucifix, nor any Book of Devotion used by the Papists, nor any Books of Controversy: in a Word, not the smallest Circumstance to form even a Presumption of his Inclination to Popery. In Opposition to such striking Proofs of the Innocence of the afflicted Parents (whose natural Affection must be sufficient to acquit them, where it is not counterbalanced by the most glaring and demonstrative Evidence) what has been alledged against them? Vague Rumours, Testimonies founded upon Hear-say, and not verified by going to the Source; Depositions of the most contradictory Nature, and glaringly false, in the most essential Circumstances; and these Depositions made by whom? By the vilest of the Mob; by common Prostitutes: and by the declared Enemies of M. Calas. It would be endless to enumerate the variety of Circumstances that concur to demonstrate the infamous Calumny of the Accusation brought against this unhappy Family. Had their Characters been exceptionable, had they even been scandalous, the Evidences that have been given against them would not form even a Presumption of Guilt in the Eye of impartial Justice: And yet two aged Parents whose grey Hairs have been rendered doubly respectable by a Life without Reproach, a Brother, a Friend, a Maid-servant zealously attached to Popery, have been condemned upon these Evidences, to an ignominious Death: They have however, appealed from the iniquitous Sentence of the Sheriff to the Parliament of Languedoc; and it is hoped that this Assembly will pronounce in a Manner more suitable to the Dictates of Justice and Humanity. New Informations have been taken; and we expect the Result of this second Trial with the utmost Impatience. (London Chron.) I am, Sir, &c.

* It will not be improper to explain the Nature of this Certificate mentioned here, to give the uninformed Reader some Notion of the horrid Tyranny under which the Protestants groan in France. In order to fill any civil Post or Profession in that Kingdom, a Protestant must produce a Certificate of his having abjured his Religion and his having been at Confession. This Certificate is frequently bought of a mercenary Curate, where neither Abjuration nor Confession have really preceded. This Qualification for civil Employments, however despotic and unjust is not a Burden absolutely intolerable because the Protestants can't live happily without such Employments, by confining themselves to trade. But what is most unsupportably grievous and barbarous is, that the same Certificate is required, in order to enable them to marry, and to render their Marriages valid. A Marriage celebrated by a Protestant Minister is by the odious Laws of that Kingdom, null and void: and the Children that are the fruit of it, are declared Bastards, incapable of inheriting from their Parents, or others: - You will Say What then? As Marriage is merely a civil Contract, let them have it performed by a Roman Catholic Priest. True, but in order to be married by the Priest, they must either abjure (according to the dreadful Form of Pope Pius) the Protestant Religion, or (which is near as bad) must produce a Certificate signed by some Curate that they have abjured it. This latter Piece of Fraud is the only Resource left to the unhappy Protestants to maintain their Children in the Possession of their natural Rights. They must either perjure themselves personally, or bribe a hireling Curate to forge a Lie in their Favour, or see their Children treated as Bastards, and deprived of the Character and Privilege of Children and Citizens.
TOULOUSE, Lat. 43°40', a city of France, capital of the province of Languedoc, it stands on the river Garonne, 50 miles W. of the Mediterranean, 60 N. of the Pyrenees, and 200 S. of Paris. It is one of the largest cities in the kingdom but neither rich nor populous there not being more than 40,000 families in it. It is the see of an archbishop and an university; a city of great antiquity, the Romans mentioning it as one of the most flourishing cities of the Gauls. It was, afterwards capital of a Roman province; then of the kingdom of the Visigoths; and afterwards of the kingdom of Aquitaine; and here are still the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre.