The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-22

A correspondent of the London Dlily Veios
writes ~ read in the papers that an action at
law is pending in France, involving the question
OF fwhether Rouget de Lisle was the author of thi.
song. According to the account of NJ. dc Lisle
himself, he composed both the verses and the
music and If this statement was misrepresen-
tation, he must have been not only n literary i'm
posor, but one Of a remarkably fraudulent kind,
because believe it was principally, il not solely,
owing 70 his being the supposed author of the
song that he received pension Of fifteen hun
dred francs, Immediately after the revolution Of
1880, from Louis Philippe.
"At that time, IN September, l saw M. de I,isIe
at his own hsusc, at Choisy LEROY, village near
Paris. He was then seventy years Of age, a fresh
looking atmble Old gentleman. ] showed him a
printed copy Of the song, and he related to me
minutely the circumstances under which it was
produced, pointing out, however, in my COPY,
several words wherein, rs he said there were
mistakes, that is, variations from his own cOmpO-
sitiOn.
"The song, he told me, was produced while he
was on service as captain Of engineers in the
French amy, and he composed it at StrlSburg in
the mCnlh Of april, 1892, during tho night fol-
lowing the declaration Of war by Austria and
Prussia. lie Chant dc PArmee du Rhin' was the
title given to it by the author but Il daily publi-
cation, edited at the time by M. de Lisle and
other young officers OF the army Of the Rhine,
conveyed the animating eiiusou throughout the
marching upon Paris; they read it on their way;
and they arrived at the capital chanting these
verses Hence the name given by the Parisians,
LHymne des Marseillaise.' The forty battalions
of national volunteers, formed az Paris in fifteen
days, beat the Duke Of Brunswick and the Prus-
slams in Champagne on the 2Sth of September,
1892, and routed them again in a few days after
at JemaDpe. These volunteers were commanded
by General Dumouriez, having under his orders
General dOrleans, since King Louis Philippe;
ana they marched up to each engagement with the
enemy singing, 'AllOus enfans de Ia patrie,' &C.
"Ihe 'Marseialse was always the song Of the
French army from 1892 to 1904, when the first
Bonaparte, having made himself Emperor, and
donhti"a the henoht 20 himself of such hymn,
caused other songs to come forth which were
bet er calculated to make soldiers admire empe-
rors. Twice subsequently, in 1880 and lS1S, the
same chant has performed its revolutionary
office, and received its quietus by suppression.
M. de Isle was the author Of whole volume of
lyric poetry, which was published along with
good deal of music of his own, think in 1880.
His account of the 'Marseaise as he told it
to me, was this His brother officers, knowing
him to have some pretensions TO the poetic
as well as the musical faculty, said, upon
the occasion before mentioned, that he
must write song. IL was, too required TO be
trthCOming without delay, and it was, as De
Lisc said, the result OF one nights meditation,
the martial muse being aided only by the fiddle.
Going TO bed with the Injunction of his COM
rades, be joined them at breakfast-time playing
mentioned are these LES nlaitrc3 nos destinees'
should be Les mOteurg,' &c. Dams tes enuemis
expirans rOiS should be Tue tes ennemis eXpiraus
roient.' There is a seventh stanza frequently
added, beginning, Nous eRtrerOns dams Ia car
Tiere but this is not De Isles, and belongs, ]
think, tO another song.
IN. de Lamartine gives if remember rightly
a somewhat different account Of the 'Marsolase,
but he does not question the authorship being that
or De BsIe. I believe that Sir Waller Scott has
some here speculation that the air is borrowed,
and OF date much older than the Mirseillaise
volunteers. As 10 another French song, Sir Walter
leaves record TO which recent turns OF fortune
lend a greater moral interest than he could have
anticipated. IL Paul's Letters to his KinsfOllS
speaking OF the field OK Waterloo, he says "A
Ielique OF greater moral interest was given me by
lacy, whose fa'her found il upon the hold OF
battle. It's a manuscript collection of French
songs, bearing the stains OF clay and blood
which probably indicate the fate Of the pro
prk tor. ene or two of these romauces thought
pretty, and have since had an opportunity o.
having them translated into English by meet
ing at Paris with Que OF our Scottish mer
of rhyme HereupOn Sir Walter produces
q translation entitled Romance of Dunos,' o
that same 'Partant pour la syrie,' which is nos
the French national music Of an Emperor, Napo
leon the Third"