New-York daily tribune., 1845-05-20
THE TRIBUNE.
Mlchelet's History of France.

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The historian possesses the talent OF seiziDg on
What is characteristic and arranging such traits in
on order so clear, SO closely linked and progressive
IN its development tha; hls book is to be read
r,ry rapidly yet no less distinctly kept in mind
He takes you over great deal of ground in
.hort tme, but without hurry or neglecting any
,Sius Of importance. Yethls talent is not that Of
compresioa but of selection, so you are left with
,ieeing OF leisure
He has the French talent at Interpretation; his
c,pdor and his insight are both superficial; but he
has skill al arrangement and willingness TO let
The truth be Known; there is nothing TO impede,
but much to assist the reader in forming just
Judgment
As "a specimen Of his skill at marking characters
tics (and no nation possesses tine freedom of spirit
and readiness Of sympathy requisite for observation
OF what is specific and individual in higher de-
gree than the French) none can be found better
taan what is said OF the Celts. To give an idea Of
his pictures painted with long sweeps OF the brush,
and sfective at any distance, take the following
The landscape, the human or moral interest, the
images and illusions are touched and mingled with
,Igh,ness, an energy, a richness, and power of
.s.itnla,ion that make this rtle piece of writing,
By itself aoae, valuable gift from any writer.
And of such there are many. This is the very
look for the American, who wishes to learn some
thing ustf full ichitc he is travelling on the railroad,
for we mast again repeat he will find il difficult not
10 read or to forget it when read. =;
Brittany, poor and hard, the resistant element of
France extends her fields OF quartz and OF schstus
from the slate.quarries Of Chaleaalln, Brest,
le the slate quarres of Angcrs This is her extent,
reologcaly speaking. However from Angers TO
Rennes, the country is debatea6e land, border
like that between Eng land and Scotland, which
early escaped from Brittany The Breton tongue
does not even begin at Rennes, but about Elven,
pontlyy, Loudedc, and Chalelaudren. Thence,
"a far ds Cape Flnislerre, 1t Is true Brttany-Sre-
ton Brittany, (Bretasuc Bretonnantc,) country
which has become altogether foreign from ours,
exactly because il has renamed TOO faithful TO our
punitive condition. the more unlike the French
that it is like the Gaul, and which would have
sl,pp.d from us more than once had we not held II
srasped, as lin vice. betweenfeur French cities OF
rough and decisive character. Nantes and 81. Ma
o, Renhes and Brest.
Aud vel this poor old province has saved us more
than once. Often when cur country has been held
atby aud been at the point o.. despair, Breton
heads and breasts have been found harder than the
EraRgers sword. When the Mortimer were raw
aging with impunly our coasts and rivers, the Bre-
ION, N0menuc, was the HIST lO resist lHc Lug
l,h were tepu.sed in the fourteenth century by
Du.uesclin IN the fifteenth, by Richemont; and,
in the seventeenth, were chased through every SEA
by Duguay Trou,n. The wars OF religious and
those Of political liberty present no more purely and
nnOcenlly glorious names than Lanoue's and that
Of Latour dAuvergne. the first grenader OF the re.
public. The story runs, that II was native OF
Nantes who uttered the last exclamation heard al
Waterloo" The guard dies, but does not s'uTtn-
dr."
The Breton character is that of untameable re-
sisance, and of blind, obstinate, intrepid opposl-
toa-lur Instance, Moreau, the opponent OF Bona
parle In The history of philosophy and literature,
this chracler is still more plainly evidenced 1 he
Breton, Prldglus, who infused stoicsm into CHRIS,
tanity and was the first churchman who uplltted
his voice ia behalf of human liberty, was succeed
ed by the Breton A5eard, and the Breton Descartes
Each OF these three gave the impetus TO the phi
losophy Of his own age. However, Dsscartes dis
taln OF facts, and contempt for history and Ian
gaages, clearly show that this independent genius,
who founded psychology, and doubled the sphere OF
mathematics was rather vigorous than comprchen-
sve
This spirit of opposition, which is naturalto Brit
tany, manifested itself Ill the last century and IN
oars, by two apparently contradictory facts Inc
ame part OF Brittany Isl. Malo, Oman, and 81.
Bl-uc) which, ia Louis the Fliteenth'S day, pro-
tuced the uubelievcrs Duclos, Maupertuls, and La
metric, has gwen birth IN our own time to Tie poet
and 10 The orator of Catholicism, 10 Chateaubriand
and 10 La Mennais
Now, 10 take rapid survey of the country.
Al It's two gates, Bretagne has two forests-the
Norman Bocage, and the Vendean Bocage; and two
citlcs-St Malo and Nantes, the one the city ol
p,ivteers, the other of Guineamen. 81. Malo lsoi
angularly ugly and sinister appearance; and therelS
N H. besides, something iantastlcal. observable
tlroushoutthe whole penlnsuar as well, whether
costume, in pictures, or IN monuments. III is a
snail, wealthy, sombre, and melancholy spot-lhe
home OF vulturrs and cf ospreys; by turns, as The
Id ebbs and flows, apenlnsular and an island, and
oodereo with foul and teud shoals where the sea:
Sesd rO,s at will In the distance, Is coast OF
While, angular rocks, cut sheer as 1t with razor
War is lhe harvest of ST. Malo-they know no
more delightful holiday. To feel This, one should
aae seen them on their black walls with their tele
Scopes, winch already brooded over the ocean,
when, no long lime since, they were fl!ed with
aopesof running down the vessels OF the Hoilander.
At lis other extremity hes Brest, our great Elll-
ary port-planned by Richelieu, created by LOUIS
AV. for,, arsenal, and bagnlo, cannon and ships,
eiIies and millions, the strength OF France amass
"a al one end OF Fraucc-and all this IN CON
iacied harbor, where one is pent up and stuffed be-
tween TWO mountains, covered with immense
buildings. The entrance into the port Is like pass
as into a small boat between TWO lofty vessels
he heavy masses seem about 10 close upon and
efash YOU. Your general impression is grand, bat
Painful. lou see prodlglous effort OF strength,
aoace defiance 10 England and TO Nature. You
every where are Of the effort, and so are
you Of the air Of the bagnio, and of the galley.
SAVES chain It's precisely a, the point on which
TIE SEA escapiug from the Straits of Dover dashrs
wlih lis utmost fury, that we have pitched our
Great naval arsenal. Certes, II is well guarded |
saw a thousand cannon there. Ali entrance is
o4ed but, at the same ti'ne, the port is be
sil a, pleasure More than one vessel has been
o'i iu Bres, chaunel The whole coast is grave.
isrd Sky vessels are wrecked on 1t every win
sf The sea is English at heart. She loves mo-,
'islce but dashes our ships TO pieces, and blocks
2 our harbors with sand.
Nothing can be more sinister and formidable
aan the OF Brsst; It is the extreme limlt the
?9ni, the Prov OF the old world. Here the TWO
senl.es, land and sea, man and nature, are tace TO
ace When the seamadly ashes herself INTO fury,
IVA should see what monstrous waves she hirls on
yat s.. Matthew, fifty, sixty, eighty ieet high.
.ls spray Is flung tar as the church, where
%S9'aers end sisters are at prayers. And even IN
Sose moments of truce, when the sea ls sieDi, who
I ~s Passed aloGg ,his tun-real coast without rX-
Sniias or ferllng- Trusts usqHe ad moriem' (the
@'srow sr OF death is here)
Is INA, Their is hero what is worse than shoai