The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-05-17


who's nasrIes and deeds have become al
h6usehold words by the vivid narrative of
RresS0tky W4xo, in fact, distant Cousins of
oue OWN PARTLY descended from the same
: old GermAnic stock The name attached
to- tho. letter was not wholly unknown t.
as1stnot 70 familiaslto the general reading
public O&xour country a.. it deserves to be.
It was that Of the Able Brasaenr de Bour.
bourg. 1,.''ia "r
The Able issthes1nost learned living
writer concerning the "a. ancient things gs+s q
Of his life and 1abors viii lead to q more
general recognition Of his merits than he
/. nov enjoys in the United States. tii.h
Il WhGtheE IN, ipexorable fate does not
mark man for-an aptiquary from the very
mehcement might well be asked; for
certainly there is no more absorbing passion
than that which is kindled in the bosom of
q, Dryasdpst from earliest life. Thus we
find when but ten years old, or thereabouts,
our Abbe-theh no Able, but simply e.
nChaaRes 1Brasseur, an urchin In the Flemish
TEiNaees Of Rourbourg,s near Dunkerque-
accidentally came across q Gme-wOrn copy
of the Jpur4saI DIES Sarans, containing
short descriptions Of the ruins u Palenque,
thsfamons ancient city Of Guatemala. = It
is impqssiblss1oE me- says be, recalling, in
after years, this incident, % TO describe the
which t3s peruaal Of this article gaveime.
Ii fixed M destiny a. an rsrehseolOgist. A
Vague nTNaautiment showed nae in the dis
tant fuEufS I know not what mysterious
wells stretched over The pest, which secret
linsttnSE uxaea ma tn M uPs An the renown
myseK whether the Western world would
I1Sst a 70 Weld up Her treasures Of memory to
the iraxad whole Of universal history. -
Fortune favored the l0ngings Of the boy:
When he had completed his studies and had
kaH
to ouebse. fThis was in 1845. Here and in
Boston he, studied, history and English.
The nar1s,L of Prescott,s incompatible
Conunest If Mexico fired his Imagination
anew, and fixed him in his determination to
devote himseaf, in his own words, as.r
chooses Apserieainesn {r,--g-,-5ts. ..,.5;
Returning to Rome, where he had finished
his preparation for the Church, he applied
himself for two years to the serious study
of the rare and priceless documents on an
Gent America preserved in the Library OF
the Vatican. When, in 1e46, the clash Of
arms disturbed the quiet OF the EeernM
City, he set out, well prepared IN mind, for
the scene of his future labors. Landing at
Quebec. he visited Philadelphia and the
other Eastern cities, jonrneyed down the
Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans, and
from there reached the city Of Mexico at
the close Of the year mid IL thsss scenes mes
dreams he passed several fruitful summers.
az waited with eager curiosity he says,
I" the sculptured rocks of lula, celebrated
as q metropolis in the antique annals,
whose foundation is lost in the night of
showed me her superb hqnednet; paced
with sadness amid The solitary edifices of
Santa Cruz; and passed through the an
cient' Tonolan, now Guadalajara, where
once q queen came forth in stately pomp
to welcome the Spaniards under Nuno de
1,4 fhn Snf
aAnoner TO tho French legation, every facil-
ity was farnished him to visit the ancient
remains even as far north as California !;
while the National Museum offered him
. unique manuscripts and relics of aboriginal
art In gratifying abundance. In his zeal he
went SO far al, to acquaint himself thoroughly
with the native Aztec tongue formidable
task for o European-but he was well repaid
by the ability it gave him to peruse various
documents written in that language shortly
after the conquest. "H iH.
The first fruit of these wide travels and
studies was little volume entitled, "Let-
tiers to the Duke of Valmy, being an Intro
duction to the History of the Ancient Civil
lied Nations of Mexico" To be sure, before
this he had composed a history OF Canada
and one or two minor works, but TO none
of these does. he attach much Importance.
The letters were rather a., crude and hasty
sketch, but betray in every page the enthu-
siastic antiQuary, and served to bring their
author into connection with various dlstln-
guished ethnologists-Mr. Squler, OF New
York, and M. Aubin, of Paris, among others.
40 The subsequent year or two he was in
Europe again, but constantly longing for
the sombre forests Of tropical America. At
length his ardor swallowed all prudential
considerations, and, poor as he was, he
started to explore the ancient cities of Qua
temala and Yucatan. He reached New Y ork
actually penniless, and to prosecute his