New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-05
c9Iatts and Tictia,ls.

MUNCHAusEN.-Iti is but short time since atten-
ton was called, under the above heading, to the
incorrectness of the account given III Mr.. "hee-
ler's appendix to Webster's Unabridged OF the
author of the travels of the Baron Munchausen.
Since that time Mr.. Wheeler has published pook
based on that appendix, and IN 1t he shows that ne
has discovered that he was in error in saying that
the author of the work really was Munchausen'
while the real author was Rodolf Eric Raspe (not
Gaspe, as his book prints it, however, But IN
order to cover his mistake, he clngs to the state
mont that the ctions related are based upon those
| related by Munchausen. Now the simple fact is
that long before either of the Munchausens to
| whom he refers existed, the adventures Raspe
narrated had been published by various authors
and he did no more than compile them and dress
them up in his own style. AS Mr.. Wheeler quotes
pe,bat5Yle ct lteratirl from the authority-Cham-
bers's Day Book-which shows this fact, 1t would
} have been only ingenious in Mr. wheeler TO nave
} abandoned his error entirely; it would have been
only heightened to have acknowledged 1t. II Is
patry and mischievous to persist in it and foist
it on unsuspecting readers, with both the suppress
5 sio ueri and the sugJestIo Jalss.
e In the previous notice of the subject we iuti'
0 mated that Mr.. Wheeler as unreliable in other
S respects as in this. We have possibly made him
- -'oN
d fixed to 1.-The Pronouncng Vocabulary of Com
g. mon English Names,' in which we fouud such
errors as telling the readers that the Spanish name
"Jaron is pronounced " Hago,'-that is as j
- the Spanard really pronounced the 90" in thE
ia word "a they do in Jose - while in fact this let
Us ter is regarded simply an "1," and the name
he pronounced as everybody who has seen Othel
en- has heard it, Iago" Nor, perhaps, Is he respon
of sible for the caricature made in the Pictora
Is, ulustrationsn under the heading Races OF Men,
,is where the Caucasian " is represented as prog
nv uathous, wooy pated, bubber-lippednegro, dItle
Re- inc from the picture styles of the African only
not being quite so brutal specimen OF the rac
cb But if he is not directly responsible ior these
certainly is for the attempt to countenance the o
r,, barism of calling Don Quixote's famous sqm
low Sanko instead of Z" sancho )" that is with II
or I" ch " pronounced like "k, " instead OF ike cl
sa in "chinn Nor is he less open to criticism lor SUI
,bn omissions as neglectng to tell us who the De!a
I'D was and who the Sappho was in ropes
wi, mous-and perhaps infamous-ilhes III
" Poison or slander dread from Delia's rage;
aeo Hard words hanging if your judge be Page;
From furious Sappho scarce mider iate etc''
be- AN ALLIGATOR SToRY.-A friend sends the II
Or lowing good Alligator Story" for Incorporate
ices among our i" Facts and Fictions: ~
of 7 had occasion, a short time ago, to visit J
girl James and Livingston parishes, La, for the p
on nose of acquiring a knowledge of the count
tey preparatory to engaging in business in that ocai
tied To obtain the necessary information, was co
. pelled, in the absence of any other means
re- travel, to make my investigation in dug on
Try Our party, consisting of two friends and riys
left all from the city, occupied one boat, while
not guides, three in number natives and to the MAJ
srty born, occupied second. In making our obser
e. tions corzing down Bayou Chene Blanc,
amused ourselves By shooting alligatoss, in wh