The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-12
Correspondence Of the N. Y. Courier and Enquirer
Printing In France.
PARIS, April 8, 1852.

PARIS, April 8, 1852. 4
| The National Printing establishment o
France was founded in 1910, by Louis XII.
at the instigation Of Cardinal Richelieu. i
was first installed in the Louvre. It's chief OBJ
ject was to preserve the purity of French typo
graphY, and to furnish learned men with eucl
types and characters ss could not be found il
private establishments. Pursuing these ends, i
has been from the commencement the depository
of large and valuable collection. It's first ele
ments consisted of an assortment Of Greek
characters, engraved at the instance of Francis
l.. and certain Arabian, Persian and Turkish
| characters, which were executed under the di
rection of Savary dc Breves, while an.bassados
Mt Constantinople, from the year 1889 to 1911
| There have been several national printing
establishments in France at different periods
but they were most of them instituted fol
special purposes, and have become one by one
merged in the establishment under consdera
ton. Among them may be mentioned one that
was opened in 1853 at the hotel of the minister
of war, in Versailles called the Printing House
of the Cabinets and third instituted at Paris
just after the revolution, for the express service
of the rational lotteries,
In 1889 the national establishment was es
pecially charged with the printing of all privae
official papers, such as the conges of the toat
passports, breve's, treasury bonds, and AIN.
pers which required peculiar guarantees of Sc
crecy. 1t also had the printing Of the laws, and
of all works published at the private expense OF
the King.
After the revolution the national printing
establishment was removed to the Hotel Tou-
louise, now occupied by the Bank Of France
In the year H., all lotteries having been sup
pressed by the convention, the lottery printing
house was charged with printing all ministerial
documents, and also all papers connected with
the department of the treasury, and the various
manufacturing administrations. But in the year
~. this establishment was united to the princi.
pal one, and the latter, thenceforth the only ma
tional establishment, was organized into two
distinct departments, the one scientific, the other
official
Under Louis XIV. the national collection was
greatly enriched by the contribution on the part
Of that monarch Of large collection of Greek
and Hebrew characters; and Napoleon having
despoiled the printing houses Of the Propaganda
ut Rome, and the Me2icis at Florence, contrib
uted valuable assortment of Arabian, Coptic,
Ethiopian, Malabarian, Samaritan, Syriac, Thi-
betan, and Burman engraving tools. (.
A decree of the Gath March, 1909, confirmed
by law of July 90, 1919, continued and as
sured to the national establishment, under ape.
cial regulations, the printing of the admnstra
ton. This law has remained in force up to the
present time. 1t specifies rs the peculiar pre-.
rogative of the establishment list, the print
ing of the Bulletin of The La,cs I'd, the print.
ing for the cabinet and house of the King, the
Chdncellerie, the ministry and all dependent ad-
ministrations; Sd, the execution of all works
requiring types and characters not found in ordi
nary printing houses; 4th, the printing of all
works printed gratuitously by the government
The printing included in the first and last cate
gorirs, as also the printing of the bulletin Of the
DEGREES of the court of appeals, must be done
without charge. The annual accounts were to
be presented TO the national assembly by the
minister of Justice.
In 1909 the national printing establishment
was removed to the Hotel de Souhize, more
generally known as the Palais Cardinal, after
Cardinal Rohom by whom il was built in l7I2
From time to time it has been much enlarged
and includes, now, department for engraving
and photographic printing Office. and departments
for binding, stitching, ruling, coloring, end hot
pressing.
The liquidation Of its fairs ND to 1918 left
il with capital of about Sl56,00O, which by