vein swollen and distended with blood. The evidence afforded by seals is material in such an women, like phantoms, assisting in this scene, inquiry; the ostrich feathers do not appear on lit only by a pale and solitary taper, uttered the Great Seals of Edward III. or his consort; in a piercing tone their shrill cries of lu-lu, they occur on Prince Edward's seal for Aquitaine, and some others used by him; and they appear lu-lu, lu-lu. This, mixed with strange songs, hoarse sounds, and the hollow rattle in the to have been borne with a slight difference by throat of each Aisaoua, as he fell exhausted other sons of Edward III., by Richard II., and succeeding sovereigns, by the sons of Henry IV., and senseless, formed altogether a scene so and also by the house of York. The badge does totally repulsive to human nature, that it not appear to have been considered as appropriate seemed, in truth, a feast of hell. Such dreadful to the eldest son of the sovereign, until the reign exertions could not, however, last long: by of Henry VIII, and in subsequent times, from degrees the number of dancers diminished, as ignorance of its real character it has been convertone after another they sank under the fatigue, ed into the crest of the Prince of Wales. and their panting bodies strewed the marble The feast of the Aïsapavement of the court. oua was over." With this long specimen we finish our notice. The return of the travellers to Algiers, their visit to Bona and Tunis, the historical account of the Kabiles or Berbers, and other matters treated of, not furnishing us with aught which we could consider to be of sufficient novelty or importance to occupy our pages. From what we have done, we think it will be seen that the publication is exactly what we have pictured; viz. the frank exposition of a light, slight, and pleasant excursion, over a country from which the latest intelligence must, from the nature of the case, be generally acceptable. PRINCE OF WALES' FEATHERS.-In the Society of Antiquaries, the Secretary resumed the reading of the Inquiry into the Origin of the device of the Triple Plume of Feathers, and the Mottoes used by the Black Prince,' by Sir Harris Nicolas, commenced at the previous meeting. The popular account of the adoption of the badge of feathers at Cressy, as stated by Sandford, rests en no contemporary authority; the tradition that the Black Prince wore the feathers at Poictiers not at Cressy, is first mentioned by Camden, and the tale of their being stripped from the helm of the King of Bohemia is given by no higher authorities than Sandford and Randle Holme. Sir Harris having carefully examined the Wardrobe Accounts, whilst preparing a history of the Order of the Garter, ascertained that the first mention of the feathers in any record, is in a list of the Queen's plate; the date of the document is lost, but it must have been after 43 Edward III., 1369. The facts thus supplied lead to the inference that the ostrich feathers in a sable field belonged to Queen Philippa, either as a family badge, or as arms borne in right of some territories appertaining to her house. The most remarkable notices of them occur in the will of the Black Prince; be directed these badges to be placed among the decorations of his tomb, with the motto Hormort, which, in a singular document preserved in the Tower, is used by him as a signature "De par Homout-Ich Dien. The From the British Quarterly Review: THE NEWSPAPER PRESS OF FRANCE. (1.) Le Moniteur-(2.) Le Messager.(3.) Le Journal des Débats.-(4.) Le Constitutionnel.-(5.) Le Siècle.-(6.) La Presse.-(7.) Le National.—(8.) La Gazette de France.-(9.) La Quotidienne.-(10.) Le Globe.-(11.) Le Corsaire Satan.-(12.) Le Charivari.(13.) L'Esprit Public.—(14.) La Réforme.-(15) La Démocratie Pacifique. Paris, 1845, 1846. (16.) Histoire Edifiante du Journal des (17.) Venalité des Journaux, Révélations (18.) L'Ecole des Journalistes, Comedie en IT were a curious and instructive study to trace the progress of the Newspaper Press of France, from the earliest times down to our own day ;-to record the history of the ancient Gazetier and the modern Journalist-of the old Gazette of times long goue by, as well as of the modern Journal. In the French of the 17th century, the Gazetier signified the Editor of a periodical publication, as well as the Publisher; but the word is not now used in this latter sense, and generally bears an ill signification. Though any frivolous inquiry into the origin of words, in the present age of facts and realities, be for the most part idle, yet it may be permitted to us to state, that the word Gazetier is derived from Gazette, a denomination which the earliest journal received from the piece of Venetian coin, 'Gazetta,' which the reader paid for each number in the Piazza de St. Marco, in the seventeenth century. The first regular Journal which modern times has known, however, appeared in England in 1588. It bore the title of the English Mercury,' and probably suggested to the French nation the idea of the Mercure Français, ou Suite de l'Histoiré de la Paix.' This publication commenced in 1605, the Septennaire of D. Cayer, and extended to the year 1644, forming altogether a collection of 25 vols. The curious compilation was, till 1635, edited by John Richer, and continued by Theophile Renaudot. tin de l'Assemblie Nationale,' agreed to in corporate his paper with the 'Moniteur,' and soon after became the first rédacteur en chef of the latter journal. As Maret was an admirable short-hand writer, the paper became, to use the words of his biographer, a tableau en relief. It was not merely fidelity of expression that was transmitted, but the spirit of the debate was embodied, and the gesture and demeanor of the orator described. Something more, however, than mere reports were needed; and a series of articles were determined on, comparing the parliamentary system springing from the Revolution, with the system that prevailed anteriorly. The exact and conscientious Peuchet undertook this difficult task. His articles, under the title of an introduction, form the first volume of the collection of the 'Moniteur.' Without entering upon the early history From this period the principal and the of Journalism in France, or enumerating most precious recommendation of the 'Mothe journals and newspapers of the Revolu-niteur' was, and is, that it is a repertory of all tion, it will best accord with our design to the important facts connected with the annals begin our sketch with the mention of the of modern France. The 'Moniteur,' indeed, only one which sprung out of this great cri- is the only pure well of undefiled historical sis which has survived that stormy and truth, though occasionally dashed and terrific epoch, and which has lived to see brewed with lies, more especially in the many great changes even in our own day. Napoleonic time, from which a thorough We allude to the Moniteur Universel,' the knowledge may be obtained of the parties official journal of the French Government. and history of France. Tables compiled Born of the first Revolution, and a witness with diligence, method, and clearness, and of all the political revolutions which have published for each year, facilitate the resucceeded it, the Moniteur' has had the searches of the student, and conduct him rare advantage of surviving times of trouble through the immense labyrinth of facts and civil strife, without losing any portion which have been accumulated during half of its high consideration, and without a century. Men of extraordinary merit changing either its character or its language. have occasionally co-operated, either as men of letters, or as philosophical writers, The founder of the Moniteur' was a or as publicists, in the editing of this remarkgreat and enterprising bookseller, of the able journal. We have already cited the name of Charles Joseph Panckoucke, fa- Duke of Bassano, who was rédacteur en ther of Madame Suard, and celebrated by chef, to the end of the Constituent Assemthe publication of the Encyclopédie Mé- bly. Berquin, the author of 'L'Amie des thodique.' Panckoucke had, in a journey Enfans,' succeeded him at a time when to England, been struck with the immense Rabaut de St. Etienne, La Harpe; Laya, size of the London journals. He resolved the author of L'ami des Lois;' Framery; to introduce a larger form into France. Guinguené, author of a Literary History of This was the origin of the Moniteur Uni- Italy; Garat, who was minister and senator; versel,' which first saw the light on the Suard, of the Academy, of whom we have morning of the 24th of November, 1789. before spoken; Charles His, Gallois GranBut the Moniteur,' in its infancy, did not, ville, Marsilly, La Chapelle, and others, as the reader may well suppose, possess its enriched the very same pages with their present organization. A very small space united labors. Under the Convention and was alloted to the report of the proceedings the Directory, M. Jourdan performed the of the National Assembly, and the debates duties of rédacteur en chef, and was assistwere often incorrectly given. Shortly after this period, M. Maret, afterwards Duke of * Souvenirs du Duc de Bassano, par Mde. CharBassano, and who was editor of the Bulle-lotte de Sor. Bruxelles, 1843. 6 ed by Trouvé, Sauvo, and Gallois. Under France, but in every civilized country. It is the best repertory of contemporaneous history, and complete copies of it are therefore very rare, and always fetch a high price. the Consulate, Sauvo was placed at the head of the Moniteur,' and is, or lately was, editor in chief. It may be in the recollection of our readers, that during the crisis of the ministry of Polignac, that weak, During the emigration, Monsieur, afterfoolish man sent for M. Sauvo, and handed wards Louis XVIII., had a species of Mohim the famous ordonnances which pro- niteur of his own, under the title of 'Jourduced the Revolution of July, with a view nal de Monsieur,' in which the Abbés Roto their publication in the official journal, yon and Geoffroy, the latter afterwards so cewhen the courageous journalist remonstrat-lebrated as the feuilletonist of the Débats,' ed with the president of the council, and both wrote; but this paper necessarily expointed out to him the folly-the madness-pired the moment his majesty landed on the of his course. The minister refused, even French soil. The Abbé Geoffroy, indeed, at the twelfth hour, to listen to the voice of played an important literary part after the wisdom, and our readers know the result. Restoration; but before we speak of him, it During a period of nearly forty years, M. will be necessary that we should enter into Sauvo has written in the Moniteur' the the history of that journal, which he renprincipal portion of the matter under the dered so celebrated by his criticisms. In head Théâtres, and all parties most capable so doing, it is indispensable that we should of judging of such matters admit the taste speak somewhat at length of the very reand the tact he has uniformly exhibited in markable founders of the Journal des Déthis department of his labors, his criti- bats,' the MM. Bertin. These two brothers, cisms being extended not merely to the François Bertin the elder, and Louis Berpieces, but to the actors and actresses. If tin, commonly called Bertin de Vaux, were these essays were published separately, they the men who first elevated journalism in would form no mean course of dramatic France into a power in the state, and made literature. Among the numerous collabo- of newspapers a great instrument, either for rateurs of M. Sauvo, from the Consulate and Empire to our own day, we may mention Peuchet; Tourlet; the learned Jomard; Champollion, of the Academy des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres; Amar; Tissot, of the Academy; Kératry; Petit Radel; David, formerly consul-general in the East; Aubert de Vitry, and Champagnac. The 'Moniteur' is the only journal, it should be observed, which reproduces exactly the debates of the Chambers, for other journals have recourse to analysis and abridgments. The only certain basis of an exact analysis would be the words of the Moniteur;' but this journal, contrary to its agreement, which imposes on it the obligation of furnishing proof sheets to all the journals on the evening of its publication, appears after the latter have been printed off, and cannot consequently be of the least use for an analysis of the debates. It were, perhaps, a piece of supererogatory information to state that the Moniteur,' which forms a collection of more than 100 volumes, is furnished to all the higher functionaries of the state, and is constantly referred to, not merely in good or for evil. François was the elder brother of the two, and continued till the period of his death' Rédacteur en chef and Gérant' of the Journal des Débats.' Louis, the other brother, after having been fifteen years a member of the Chamber of Deputies was, soon after the Revolution of 1830, sent ambassador to Helland, and elevated to the Chamber of Peers. Bertin the elder was a man of large and liberal views, intelligent, instructed not merely in letters, but in politics and legislation,-a man of the world, in the best sense, generous, indulgent, and great, not only in accomplishments of the mind, but what is rarer and better, in virtues of the heart. Bertin de Vaux, his brother, was an active, indefatigable man of business, and at the same time a distinguished and spirited writer, and a scholar of no mean pretensions, especially in classical literature. Both these remarkable men were born at Paris, of a rich and respectable family. Their father, who was secretary to the Duke de Choiseul, Premier of France, died young. Their mother, a woman of sense and talent, afforded them the advantage of the best and most careful education. In the Revolution of 1789 they were both young, but the elder was old enough to have witnessed many of the horrors of 1793. He assisted at some of the tempestuous and sanguinary debates of that epoch, and was saved from being a victim by his extreme youth. the House of Commons, and no less difficult was it for M. Bertin to hit the will of the emperor, and the humor, whim, and caprice of the good people of Paris. It was, indeed, an up-hill task to make a journal palatable to a successful soldier, who had made himself emperor, and who desired that neither his laws nor his victories might be discussed or criticised. And nearly as difficult was it to conciliate the good will and favorable attention of a people accustomed to the rank and strong diatribes of the democrats. Any other man than Bertin the elder would have given the task up in despair-but the word 'despair' was no more to be found in his vocabulary than the word peror. To create a journal without freedom of speech were indeed hopeless. M. Bertin spoke, therefore, freely, but he was freely outspoken only of literature and the theatres, holding his peace on higher and more dangerous topics. It is not our purpose to go over the history of the press during the Consulate. It will be sufficient to state that soon after Bonaparte had established himself in the seat of power, he practically annihilated the decree of the 9th of September, 1789, which declared that the liberty of the press was one of the inalienable rights of men. With one stroke of the pen, the little Corsican decided that among the numerous political journals existing, twelve should alone survive, and to these was conceded the exiguous liberty of publishing the list of sales of impossible' in the vocabulary of the emreal and personal property by auction and otherwise, the bulletins and recitals of battles published in the Moniteur,' the new laws, and dramatic criticisms on the spectacles of the day. It should be remembered, that in those days the largest journal was no bigger than a quarto sheet, and that The history of the rise and progress of charades and rebuses were then more in the Journal des Debats' is a moral and vogue than political disquisitions. It was psychological study, not without its interest. in such a season as this that Bertin the eld-Tact, and management, and moderation, er purchased for 20,000 francs, or £800, were necessary in order to write at all in of Baudoin, the printer, the name and copy- that epoch, but the moment Bertin obtained right of a Journal d'Annonces.' With permission to put pen to paper, he used the the sagacity of a man of profound sense, two-edged weapon so discreetly, that govM. Bertin soon perceived that the journal ernor and governed were equally content. of which he had become the proprietor ought To use the phrase of Burke, he hit the neither to resemble the journals of the an- ruler and the ruled betwixt wind and wacient regime, such as the 'Mercure de ter.' What was the cause of this success? France,' of which we have already spoken, Bertin called to his aid men of science, nor the journals of the Revolution, such as learning, talent, and art, but all inexpethe 'Orateur du Peuple,' formerly con- rienced in the art of journalism. There ducted by Dussault, of whom more anon, was not one among them who had ever benor the journal, reeking with blood, of the fore written a stupid leading article, or gracowardly Herbert, called the 'Père Du-duated in the stenographic tribune of the chesne.' The 'Mercure de France,' though Constituent or National Assemblies, but supported by Marmontel, and the beaux they were men of mind and education,— esprits of the court, was but a pale reflec- not what in England are called literary men tion of the inane vanity and emptiness of-i. e., men without letters-who have failed the old monarchy. But the journal of the in other callings, but scholars 'ripe and Père Duchesne' was the very image of the good,' brimful of learning. The greater blood and fury and worst democratic drunk-number of the earlier contributors had been enness of the Revolution. Such journals bred in the schools of the Jesuits; some as either the one or the other were impossible, under a strong and intelligent government. Neither as consul nor as emperor had Napoleon permitted their existence; and even though he had, the nation would not have long supported it. It was a difficult task to hit the House betwixt wind and water,' to use the familiar phrase of Burke, in speaking of the wonderful success of the wonderful Charles Townshend in among them were intended for the priesthood, but all were deeply imbued with the literature of Greece and Rome. Among the earliest regular contributors of the new journal were Geoffroy, Dussault, Feletz, and Delalot. On a second floor, in a small, dingy, damp hole, in No. 17, in the Rue des Prêtres, St. Germain l'Auxerrois, where was situated the office of the journal, these choice spirits met. After having traversed Si l'Empereur faisait un pet, A l'honneur de prouver la chose.' a dirty court, whose sweltering walls con- some of the most remarkable actors and ducted to the first floor, they groped their actresses of our own day, as Talma, Mde. way to the second floor, where the elder Contat, Mlle. Duchenois, &c. The viruBertin sat enthroned in all the pomp of edi- lent war carried on by Geoffroy, also, against torial majesty. When the lively, intelligent, Voltaire, was indiscriminate and unjust, witty, and spirituel populace of Paris-for, and in some respects ridiculous. Venality, after all, they are but a populace-but he in respect to contemporary authors and actcleverest and most gifted under the sun- ors, has been more than once imputed to when this mob of something more than fine him; and it is openly said in the 'Histoire gentlemen, though less than perfectly rea-du. Journal des Débats,' that he received sonable beings, read the first number of a cachemires, services in porcelain, bronzes, journal written with moderation, yet vigor- statues, cameos, clocks, &c. But without ously; witty, yet with the air of good breed-giving too much heed to those imputations, ing and good society; learned, yet without it may be truly said, that his constant and the rust of the schools; bitter and incisive, unvarying adulation of Bonaparte is not a yet without personal malignity-the town little disgusting and suspicious. This serwas amazed and delighted, as though a new vile trait in his character is energetically pleasure had been invented, or, what is equi- castigated in an epigram, whose coarse, valent in France to a new pleasure, a new gross energy may be pardoned under the sauce. And a sauce piquante certainly circumstances: was invented, for Julien Louis Geoffroy, the most ingenious critic of our age, and of the civilized French nation, so improved and expanded the Feuilleton, that it may in his hands have been pronounced a new creation. A distinguished scholar of the Jesuits, at Notwithstanding these and other defects, the school of Rennes, Geoffroy afterwards however, the feuilleton of Geoffroy "faisait entered the College of Louis le Grand. He fureur parmi toutes les classes.' The lively, subsequently was admitted to the Collège learned, alert, ingenious, mocking manner, de Montaigu as Maître d'Etudes, and was of the ex-Abbé had been unequalled since ultimately named Professor of Rhetoric at the time of Fréron. The vogue and poputhe College of Mazarin, where for three larity of the Journal des Debats' were, years he successively obtained the prize for therefore, soon established, and the people, Latin prose. This success procured him who were beginning to be tired of war and the editorship of the Année Littéraire,' in Te Deums, desired no better pastime than which he succeeded Fréron, the redoubt- to read the account of new actors, new able adversary of Voltaire, after Renaudot, books, and new plays, by Geoffroy and Dusthe founder of the Journal in France. In sault. An unheard-of prosperity was the the first years of the Revolution his mon-result. The Journal des Débats' soon archical opinions pointed him out as the had 32,000 subscribers, a number never colleague of Royou, in the editorship of the equalled, we believe, even by the 'Times' Ami du Roi;' but in the reign of terror for any lengthened period, though surhe did not aspire to the crown of martyr- passed on particular occasions. Jules Jadom, and escaped it by hiding his proscribed nin relates that a friend of his saw in Provhead in a small village, where he exercised ence a travelling showman, with magic the calling of a schoolmaster. After the lantern in hand, who exhibited for two sous 18 Brumaire (18th Nov. 1799,) he returned the heads of the most remarkable men in to Paris, and was soon after chosen as the-France. The first of these was Napoleon atrical critic to the Journal des Débats.' It were difficult, indeed, within the limits to which we are confined, to explain the immense vogue which his articles obtained. Every other day there appeared one of his feuilletons, of which the occasional bitterness and virulence were pardoned because of the learning and the wit. It was, indeed, the liveliest and most pungent criticism, but frequently partial and unjust. It was, above all, partial and unjust in regard to Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, &c.; the second was Geoffroy, writer of the Feuilleton of the Journal de l'Empire,' as it was originally called, and indeed as it continued to be called till 1805, when it took the name of 'Journal des Débats.' The manner in which the Débats' treated public topics was dexterous in the extreme. It was not then possible or practicable, indeed it was dangerous, to dilate |
