New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-30
Letter from, Paris.

PARIS, May Z, 1872.
To the Editor Of tie Nep National Era.
Thanks to- the energetic spirit of the
Deputy of Guadalupe, Melvil-B loncourt. the
Minister Of Public Instruction, Mr.. Jules 81
mon, has given orders to establish libraries
in all the principal towns of Guadalupe. and
has actually forwarded through the Ministr,
of Marine the first installment necessary 70,
founding the same, in the shape of some O.
the most valuable works on record. as the
following translation of an extract from the
Journal d. O,are-mer, Of the Cd inst, will show
By an order of the Minister of Public Tn.
struction, dated April 10th, and made at the
request of NJ. Melvil-Bloncourt, Deputy OF
Guadalupe, several collections of works. in.
tended to serve as q basis of libraries. have
been donated to all the Communes of that
colony. Previously, by an order of the 27th
of last December, M. Melvil-B loncourt had
obtained from the Minister of Public Instuc-
ton a grant of books for Grand Bowg-ae-
Marie Galante, and for the towns of Base
Iare and of Pointe-d-Iitre He has lust OBJ.
tanned, by an order dated April 22d, a new
grant OF books for these two aforementioned
localities. Among these works figure the
Ancient Monuments of Merico and Yucdtan, by
M. de Waldeck, Ga folio album with descrip-
tive text the F'oano Manuscript, and Studies
on the Graphic System and Language of the
Mayas, by the learned Able Brasseur de
Bourbourg, member of the Mexican Scientific
Commission, 1.-TWO large volumes i'm quarto. }
These works are of the first Importance and
the aforementioned was published by order of
the Government.
Through the kind attentions of M. Edward
Goeppe, Chief of the Bureau OF Scholastic Lii
braries in the Department of Public Instruc-
ton, twenty-siX packages, containing the
books donated to the Communes named above,
were transmitted, last week, to the Depart
ment OF the Marine, in order to be forwarded
to Guadalupe. The remaining packages for
Basse-Terre and Pointe-a-Pitre will speedily
follow them"
This concession is one of vast Importance,
and one, too, of which the Honorable Deputy
has just reasons to be proud, more especially
as it has been obtained entirely through his
perseverance and unaided efforts.
Duplicate copies of the Ancient Monuments
Of Aerico and Yucdtan, together with some
very rare and curious manuscripts were pre-
sented to Mr.. Bloncourt by the Minister of
Public Instruction. 1 had an opportunity of
peusing these reproductions of the remains
of a high state of civilization that is supposed
to have existed many centuries on our CONT
nent, long before its discovery by Christopher
Columbus, and must confess that they were
to me the most curious, certainly the most
edifying, subjects have ever scanned.
1t was the intention of Mr.. Bloncourt to
have organized a subscription bill for the re-
lief of the sufferers by the late fires which oc-
CURED in Guadalupe, and he had been ac-
tually promised the use of the Grand Opera !;
but, through jealousy and ill-will on the part
of some of his colleagues, at what they con-
sidered an excess of favoritism towards the
Mulatto Representative of Guadalupe, the
benevolent project had to be abandoned,
much to the regret of those for whose benefit
it was intended.
The following article, translated from the
Journal POutre-Nv, of March 2, 1872, will
explain, in measure, some of the difficulties
encountered by Deputy Bloncourt:
An item, which we copy, appeared in a
recent issue of the Courier de France, and
gave rise to the subjoined communication,
as well as to the editorial response thereto.
The subscription ball which was to have
taken place at the Opera House, for the
benefit Of the sufferers by the conflagration
in Pointe-a-Pitre, has been indefinitely post
poned.
M. Melvil-Bloncourt, the deputy from
Guadalupe, and the getter-up of the affair,
cannot succeed, neither in finding the requi-
site committees, nor in disposing Of suffi-
Gent number of tickets.
The reason is that, to represent the good
little blacks of that locality, is not sufficient
to justify claim upon the sympathy of the
Creoles of Paris"
"7o the Editor Of the Courier de France.
PARIS, April 10, 1872.
"MR. EDITOR: In your paper of to-day
you announce that the ball which was to
have taken place at the Opera House for the
benefit of the sufferers by the confagration
in Pointe-a-Pitre, has been indefinitely post
poned, and you attribute this postponement
to the difficulty experience in finding the
requisite committees and in disposing of a
sufficient number of tickets. In that an
nouncement there are as many errors as there
are words. The truth Of the matter is this:
At meeting held on the 18th of February,
and presided over by the Minister of the
Marine and Of the Colonies, our subscription
committee felt it to be its duty to decide
SAAeSsS IA SohoAuCidtlou Va tHC pubic STIcl Vi
France, the charity ball which had pro-
posed, ought not to take place. But the
committee adopted the second part of my
proposition--that of a lottery Of objects of
art in favor of the unfortunate inhabitants of
Pointe-a-Pitre; and the subcommittee, of
which am one of the members, is charged
with arranging the details so as to make it a
success. 1t is very strange that this deci-
sion, published in many newspapers of the
10th or 18th of February, and known in Qua
dalupe more than month ago, should have
escaped the notice of the Courier de France.
always SO well informed.
I" As to the distinction which you make
between the good little blacks and the
Creoles of Paris, do not very well COM
prehend it; for the 'Creoles of Paris are
made up as well of good little blacks as of
good little whites But let US say no more
Of these triyialities. As the Deputy of Qua
dalupe, represent all the citizens Of that
Colony without distinction ; and the 'citi-
zen,' q reasonable being, is of no color, no
more than genius is Gas Madame de Stael has
well said) of no sex.
"MELvIL-BLoNcOURT,
deputy of Guadalupe"
"We hasten to make PREPARATION in refer
ence to the just demand Of NJ. Melvil-B lon-
court. We regret exceedingly fhat the in.