The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-16 00:00:00

THE MARSEILLAISE HYMN.

Proved to have been both written and corn:
posed by Rouget de l'lsle.

Daring the last few weeks there has been a very
stormy controversy in most of the Paris journals as
to the authorship of the Marseillaise—Rouget de
l'lsle's right to be regarded as the composer of the
music, at any rate, of that glorious Hymn or War
Song having been distinctly called in question, The
matter has at length, however, as it appears to us,
been definitively set at rest by the following sum-
ming up of the whole matter in dispute by one of
the ablest critics in one of the very first among
the Paris daily newspapers. Having given at con-
siderable length the argument of those calling in
question Rouget de l'lsle's claim to be regarded as
both the writer and composer of the Marseillaise, as
in regard to it both poet and musician, the critic thus
makes good that double claim of his to the glory of
the authorship, thus clearly verifies, as the simple
record of a fact, the beautiful and eloquent descrip-
tion of the origin of that Hymn as related in his
Ilistoire des Girondins, by Alphonse de Lam artine.

" Arrived at this point [the critic is here quoting
the last triumphant sentence of his opponent], the
whole question appears to me to be proved to de-
monstration."

BUT-it is not by any means proved at all.
Quite the contrary. Que diable one does not
destroy thus easily an old time-honoured conviction.
I have always hitherto believed that Rouget de
l'lsle was the author of the Marseillaice—before me
others had believed it—and I cling firmly to the
conviction that others will believe it after me. I
have consulted'all the biographies, all the modern
encyclopaedias, all the books of recollections, and,
above all, while sojourning in Castile Blon, I have
seen, read, discovered that Rouget de l'lsle was in
truth the only, the veritable inventor of the llfar-
seillaise. That proves nothing, however, you will
tell me. It is enough you will say for one error, in
the first instance, to deceive thenceforth all the
biographies of the future, because it is easier to trust
the propagator of one fragment of false intelligence
rather than to do what he has not done, viz., to
consult the sources of it—often difficult to discover.
And it is thus, in point of fact, that errors of all
kinds come to be propagated.
So be it, then, since you will force me to it—l
will at once hasten to carry out y our own counsels
by reverting to the origin of this statement about
Rouget do 'lsle, availing myself, in doing so, of
the very documents you enumerate.
And, while doing this, it will not be my fault if
your own arguments come to be turned directly
against yourself.

I take up, therefore, your cherished thesis at the
very point where it appears to be the most specious.
You remark, in the first place, "He e., Rouget
de l'Isle) published in the year V. an octavo volume,
under the title of Essays in Verse and Prose :' and
anyone will there find the words of the Marseillaise
simply entitled, War kong, but not a word relative
to the music."

I am sorry to say to M. Fetis that this assertion
seems to bet ray on his part a certain ferment of
And I will prove what I say :
At the bottom of page 7 of these very " Essays
in Prose and Verse," I perceive a little note (a foot-
note), in which Rouget de l'lsle apprises
the reader beforehand that tb e lyrical pieces
which he himself set to music are each of
them distinguished from the others (which he
did not set to music) by being marked
with an asterisk. And the Hymn of the Marseil-
laise, which may be found situated in the volume at
Page 57, is precisely marked at the side with the
very distinct've sign indicated thus at the outset of
his book by the author—to wit, an asterisk I
By a free translation, therefore, that asterisk at
page 57 might be said to read literally—"/, ROUGET
DE LISLE, the author of the book, wrote the words
and composed the music of the MARSEILLAISE
That is certainly clear enough.

As early as 1797, therefore, the author himself
asserted his own right to the authorship; to the
authorship, that is, both of the words and of the
music of the Marscillaise.

All the arguments of M. Fe:is crumble away
like a scaffolding bAdly constructed. For, at all
events, before hazarding such an assertion, he ought
at least to have taken into consideration those
asterisks which have proved hidden snares to him.
There remains another objection. Further on M.
Felis says :—" When he (Rouget de l'Isle) had
placed this piece with other melodies of his compo-
sition, which were published in 1827, he did not
accompany it with any explanations." I call you
to account here again. The collection to which you
allude is entitled—" Fifty French songs, the words
by different authors, set to music, with piano-forte
accompaniment, by Rouget de Hale. Paris : Carli.
(no date) Folio." In this work, pages 80 to 87, I
find the Marseillaise Hymn, with a historical note to
the following effect :—" I composed the words and
the air of this song at Strasbourg during the night
which followed the proclamation of war at the end
of April, 1792. Entitled at first Song of the Army
of the Rhine,' it became known at Marseilles. by
means of a constitutional journal conducted by the
illustrious and unfortunate Dietrich. When it
became the rage some months after, I was wander.
ing in Alsace in extreme destitution, in con-
sequence of having refused to adhere to the
catastrophe of the 10th August, and pursued by the
proscription, which, in the following year, at the
very commencement of the Reign of Terror, threw
me inf;o the prisons of Robespierre, from which I
was not liberated until after the 9th Thermidor."
After this, what remains of this profound series of
arguments ? I see absolutely nothing left to
answer.

HUDSON'S BAY MONOPOLY.

(From the Daily British Whig.)

Canada sent Chief Justice DRAPER on behalf of
Canada to the Colonial Office, to oppose the renewal
of the Hudson's Bay Company's Monopolies and
exclusive privileges, and to open up to settlement
under the Crown the Red River districts, and the
rich and fertile prairies between Lake Superior and
and the Rocky Mountains as colonies, and not under
the rule of any irresponsible private company. The
Government of the Earl of DERBY, with Sir EDWARD
BULWER LYTTON as Colonial Secretary, wished to
do by these territories as they did by British
Columbia; but it appears from an answer of Mr.
CHICHESTER FORTESCUE, the Under Secretary for
the Colonies, that the present Government intend
renewing the monopoly and admitting the claims
of the Hudson's Bay Company to these rich coun-
tries. We dispute these in toto. We claim that all
monopolies are against the principles of the British
Constitution, and against the interests of Canada.
We assert that the tenure of the Company over these
districts has expired, and that the greater portion
belongs to the Crown, representing the people, and
a smaller portion to Canada, representing the old
French settlers. We tell the Duke of NEWCASTLE
and Mr. C.FORTESCUE that the rights of the Crown,
the people, and Canada are not to be bartered away
to any irresponsible private Company ; but that
this monopoly, like that of the East India Company,
must be swept off the statute-book. We give an
article from the Dublin Irish Times on the subject
worth the attention of our Legislature
HUDSON'S BAY MGNOPOLY.—The article we gave
this day on the gold discoveries, from the Toronto
Globe, shows that the Hudson'ti Bay Company, "in
spite of their prospectus," are giving up the claims of
the rich and fertile districts which a Whig Govern-
ment was about bartering away to there. Thus we
will have the statesmanlike views of Sir EDWARD
BULWER LYTTON carried out in having new colo-
nies formed. The Canadian press is strong against
the reply .of Mr. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE, the
Whig Under-Seeretary—almost every paper in the
colony condemning it when he stated, " that
Canada did not complain." One of the first de-
bates in the Canadian Parliament will be on the
renewal of the monopoly, as intended by the
Colonial Office here, and from the tone of the press,
there is no doubt but it will be strongly condemned.
The exclusive privileges of the company should be
abolished, and all her MAJESTY'S subjects in British
America placed on an equal footing, while to for-
ward railways, canals, roads, and public works,
grants of alternate sections of land may be made to
the companies willing to undertako them, as already
done in Illinois And Wisconsin.

The English Piess and the Defence of

Canada,

In the Legislative Council of Canada, on the 24th
uit., the Hon. Mr. Carrie spoke as follows on the
address :

Hon. Mr. CURRIE said the hon. gentleman who
had just sat down had been unfortunate in the lan-
guage he had made use of with reference to the
militia of this province. He (Mr. Currie) was not
one of those who would stand tamely by, when
either the peers of England or the press of England
attacked the legislature or the people of this coun-
try for not evincing that proper interest in militia
affairs which they conceive ought to be evinced.
For what were the facts ? With a population of
less than three millions, we had at the present mo-
ment in Canada a volunteer force of 25,000 men,
uniformed, well drilled, and supplied with every
material for active service, while in Great Britain
and Ireland, where the press had undertaken to
lecture us for our apathy, with a population of
thirty millions, the whole of their volunteer force,
on April 1, 2862, amounted to 162,000 men—
whereas the number, if the same in proportion to
population as the number in Canada, ought to have
exceeded 300,000 men. While in 1862 the people
of Canada were taxed upwards of half a million for
the support of their volunteer force, all that was
paid from the public exchequer for the support of
the volunteer force in England in that year was only
42,000 dols. As a Canadian he felt proud of those
facts, and thought the legislature might afford
to speak out manfully and boldly in its own
justification. (Hear, hear.) He did not say he
was satisfied with what had been done, and would
say that we ought to do more, but he thought that
instead of being upbraided for our apathy, we
should receive credit for what had already been
accomplished. It was no small matter for a young
country like Canada, in the course of a year or two
to raise and equip 25,000 soldiers; yet he was sure
that if needed the number could be doubled. The
volunteer movement had shown that the people pre-
ferred that mode of organisation to the old militia
system, and the Government were therefore fully
justified in the course they had pursued.
Hon. Mr. CAMPBELL begged to allude briefly to
the remarks of the hon. gentleman (Mr. Currie), on
the temper of the British legislature and press to-
wards Canada in respect of the provision made for
defence. He was quite aware that in the part of
the province from which the hon. member himself
came great progress had been made in the organisa-
tion of volunteers, which was due very much to the
personal exertions of the hon. gentleman himself,
but it pained him to hear the hon. member speak as
he had done of the parliament and press of the
mother country. For his part he held that they
had shown no disposition to treat Canada oth2rwise
than in a fair and proper spirit. The feeling in
England, to which the hon. member had alluded,
was exhibited at a time when the exertions Canada
was making for defence were unknown, and he was
sure the British people were only anxious that all
should be amply protected in case war should break
out. There had been nothing selfish in their
feelings, for they had nothing to gain in the
matter. All they desired was our perfect safety ;
and as they were exerting themselves for us at
great cost, they thought, and correctly, that they
had a right to speak. But so far as the language
used in the British Parliament was concerned, he
had been unable to discover that it failed in conside-
ration towards this country. Teen, referring to the
comparison drawn by the hon. member between the
volunteer movement in England and C..nada, he had
forgotten that the people of England kept a large.
standing army and a powerful and costly navy'
that they built and maintained fortifications over
half of the world, and had to find men and money
for all these purposes. He would repeat that,
highly as he admired the spirit exhibited by the
volunteers, he could not feel that the country would
be safe in relying exclusively upon such defence.
We should do all that can be done, and endeavour
to cherish kindly thoughts towards the mother
country.

Hon. Mr. litlooßE said he thought Mr. Currie
was fully justified in speaking as he had done of the
tone of many articles iu the English press.
Hon. Mr. CURRIE said no one thought more of
the British army and navy than he did, but at the
same time he did not feel it necessary to allow the
country to be misrepresented and belittled. He
would be the last man to say aught that would tend
to dissever the ties with the mother country;
but when he found the leader of a large political
party in the province saying, at a great demon-
station, that a large proportion of the people of both
sections were disloyal, he felt that it was no great
wonder that the statesmen and press of England
should speak and write as they did about us. When
statements such as that he referred to crossed the
Atlantic, it was not surprising that the press and
people of England should be in some measure
deceived by such misrepresentations. If ever there
was a time in the history of our country when we
ought to be united, it was the present time, and it
was much to be regretted that one political party
should bring against another such reckless and base-
less charges of disloyalty. (Hear, hear.) If ever
our whole people were thoroughly, and truly loyal,
they were so now, and the recollection of the spirit
evinced by the whole people at the time of the
Trent difficulty, and of the way in which the British
troops had been received on their arrival in this
province, ought to have prevented the hon. gentle-
man from bringing so unworthy and unfounded a
charge against his political opponents. (Cheers.)

LA JEUNESSE PARISIENNE !—Ce que c'ese que la
Jeunesse! the old gentlemen cry, sitting in the
strait-laced, severe cafe, under the Palais Royal, whence
Camille Desmoulins issued to address the angry mob, and
inaugurate the Revolution. Jeunesse, it must be confessed,
has gone a little mad in Paris. Jeunesse reads Dumas the
Younger and Figaro, and the " Yellow Dwarf," and is
pleased to glance at the free-and-easy morals pictorially
developed in the foul nal Amusant. A very serious gen-
tleman of the old school, who has passed his life doing solid
work, a well-informed high-minded but not brilliant man,
who loves the classics of his country, and has made some
sacrifices in an endeavour to spread the knowledge of them
among his countrymen, said to me a few days ago, " It is
frightful to contemplate, this Jeunesse of ours : smoking at
the cafés ; supping at the Maison Dore° ; driving about the
Bois de Boulogne; chaffing, and snapping jewelled fingers
at every honourable relation of life; ignorant as a chigbnnier
—with Shame, in an Indian shawl, on its arm. I look at
the noisy, gaudy crowds, laughing along the asphaltum,
and wonder what the nest generation will be. What can
it be ?"

NEW PICTURES AT THE LOUVRE.—It appears,
from the last report of the Superintendent of the
Beaux Arts, that the number of paintings in the galleries
of the Louvre, the Luxembourg, and Versailles, which in
1849 amounted to 10,000, has been increased by 80 pictures
of various schools, some of them of great value. Among
these additions are a Holy Family, by Perugin, considered
as the chef d'oeuvre of that master ; and a portrait of Baron
Vicq, by Rubens. These two pictures were bought at the
sale of the gallery of the King of the Netherlands. The
price paid for the former was 53,302 f. ; and for the latter,
15,934 f. In 1852, the Conception, by Murillo, was bought
at the sale of the pictures of Marshal Soult for 613,3,0 E,
and placed in the Museum of the Louvre; also a marine
subject of Vandervelde, for 11,550 f. In 1854 four new
pictures were bought for the Louvre, one of which, pre-
sented by the Emperor, is a Murillo (the Virgin sur-
mounted by Glory). In 1858 eighteen pictures were added,
including five works of Murillo, Zuxbaran, and Herrera le
Vieux, which cost 300,000 f. Two paintings of Rubens
were bought in 1859, and nine in 1861, including a Hob-
bema (a Windmill), bought for 52,500 f. Last year there
were five pictures added, including a Velasquez —a full•
length portrait of Philippe IV., which cost 23,000 f. The
Chapter of Notre Dame also last year presented to the
Louvre forty-one pictures of the French school. Among
these is the Magnificat, which Jouvenet, having become
paralysed, painted with the left hand in the year 1716.—
Paris Correspondent of the Building New 8.
SALE OF THE LATE SIR PATTON SYKES'S STUD.—
The sale of thoroughbred blood stock, the property of the
late Sir Tatton Sykes, Bart., was brought to a close on
Saturday evening at Sledmere, Yorkshire, the Messrs.
Tattersall having during the three days, Thursday, Fri-
day, and Saturday, disposed of the whole 313 lots, in the
presence of a vast number of noblemen, gentlemen,
farmers, and breeders, from all parts of the world, there
being representatives present from France, Russia, Austria,
Prussia, Hungary, Italy, China, Australia, &C. The first
days' sale on Thursday realised 9,803 guineas, Friday 6,454
guineas, and Saturday 7,914 guineas. The total of the three
days sale amounted to 24,171 guineas, which was deemed a
remarkably good sum, although Fandango, who cost the
late Sir Tatton 3,000, was sold to go into Hungary for 500 ;
and Colaterdale, who cost 1,000, was sold to Mr, J, Osborne
tvr 300,