Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-10

pounds, which he borrowed from Mrs
White, widow, who dealt in tobacco at
Bridgewater. Out of this trading specu-
lation he came better than there
were reasons for anticipating. The man
rowed money was repaid But the
partners disagreed, and Fontaine was
glad to get rid of them and carry on the
business on his own account.
From this period all was sunshine. On
Sundays he preached, at certain times
during the week he taught French, while
as principal reliance, he carried on a
system or manufacture besides which,
Madame, pattern wife, was busy as a
bee, keeping the shop, with two boys to
help her. Nj. Fontaine did not thinkit the
least derogatOry to be an administrator
of ghostly counsel and at the same time
work with all his might st. Paul was
his model, and he cared nothing for pro-
fesslonal etiquette. We cannot refrain
from quoting the account he gives of the
industrial arrangements of the establish
ment.
manufactured stuffs in the upper
part OF the house. which my wife sold at
at profit in the lower part. | went to
Bristol and Exeter once a quarter, to lay
in fresh stock of groceries, and pay off
the old debt. procured direct from
Holland linens of various qualities, gal
looms, thread, needles, and tin and cop
per ware, Manufactured there by French
refugees. These articles cost me much
less than if l had bought them in Eng
land. | was supplied with beaver hats
from Exeter, where they were made by
Frenchmen, who furnished them to no
one in Taunton but myself | sold
French brandy, pure and unadulterated,
whereas the Englishmen generally play
ed tricks with theirs. | drew custom by
selling Malaga and Alicant raisins at the
price retail that | paid for them by
wholesale. | sold needles on the same
terms. Every one knew the price of
these articles, and the sale of them did
not amount to any great sum. One
would say to another: " You can buy
beautiful raisins from the Frenchman
at such and such a price; )" and they
would come to see for themselves, buy
some raisins, and probably ten or twelve
shillings worth of other articles, upon
which we made a profit, so we found
our account in selling cheap raisins."
The success of the French refugee in
this miscellaneous trade was CALLING to
the native shopkeepers of Taunton. Far
| from resembling Englishmen in their
| generous treatment of foreigners driven
! by misfortune on our shores, they con-
ceived hatred of the poor Frenchmen,
| whose industry ought to have command
| ed their admiration, and they hatefully
conspired to ruin him. In the present
| day, one reads Of their proceedings with
amazement They lodged a complaint
| with the mayor and aldermen, accusing
/ him Of being a monopolist in trade, an
! umderseller. Wooden manufacturers. tin
! plate workers, dealers in brandy. raisins.
| stockings, and chamois leather for
breeches, denounced him as interfering
| unduly with their profits. A summons
| to appear before the civic dignitaries
was of course granted. The descrip-
! ton of the trial is about the best thing in
| the book, but it is too long Tor our pages.
! Fontaine defended himself by few
simple explanations. He was bred a
| scholar and a gentleman. Religious
/ persecution had driven him away from
| his native country. He followed line
! of honest industry in order tOsupport him
! self and family, and trusted he was doing
! nothing wrong in dealing i'm variety OF
articles for the public accommodation.
! This sort of argument would have had ne
effccton the cour: but forthe good sense
| of the Recorder. who represented that
| unless his accuserswere prepared TO raise
"A fund and settle Al annuity on the poor
| Frcnchman. he must be allowed to earn
| his bread for the sake of himself auC
| family. All were abashed at the deci
sion. Goo, SAID he to FOntaine ''wC
return You thanks for your industry
| God bless you and your labor" The
! triumph over narrow considerations wa,
complete
Dismissed from the bar there was still
on the part of the magistrates amaliciou,
disposition to modest the refugee, fol
which the political condition of tho
| country offered an opportunity. The
Prince Of Orange had just landed. The
| revolution was complete, and there was
| on all hands a search for JacObites an
Jesuites. 1t was easy getting up a CRY
that NJ. FOntaine was a Jesuit in dis
guise He pretended to preach the Cos
pei, and to gain friends by selling arti
Giles Mt cost-price. He was a downright
Jesuit and ought to be hanged Ominou
murmurs of this kind gave the French
man some measiness. He had pro
found respect for the English, but OF
landing in Devcnshire at the close o
! Monmouths rebellion, ne observed will
dismay that there was a great dea
of hanging and quartering, and thu
CHASTITY heads were stuck about at til,
| entrance to towns in most unpleasant
promence.
Things might not come to pass, but il
the fervor of the moment no one cOult
safely say there would be no excuses
As a beginning, soldiers were quarter
ed on Fontaine to an extent beyond en-
durance, and the poor man could Sc
nothing but a determination to brin,
him to ruin Taunton was a plac
in which he could no longer d.
and good as a retail dealer, an
so far he resolved to wind u
his affairs. Being occupied durin
the day teaching French and Latin, h
was obliged to steal many hours of th
night to find time to make an exact II
ventory of all he possessed. To discharg
his debts he sold off his stuffs to whole
sale merchants. and the residue of hi
effects were disposed of to purchase
for four hundred pounds, which he re
tanned as a little leaven, TO begin bushes
in some new line when an Opportunit
| OlI6TGQ.
For several months his only employ
ment was keeping school, by which
however, he did not make quite enoug
to maintain his family, now consistin
of several children. Thoughtful and il
genious, he pondered on the probabilit
of success as a manufacturer of a neY
kind Of worsted stuff, called calimanicC
for which Norwich had become celebra
ted. In a spirit of enterprise he deter
! mined to make an attempt to initiate th
article, even though ignorant of the re
, quisite mechanical knowledge. How di:
, tressing to have to record that the at
, thorities of an English country tow
should have had the despicable NEAR
ness to Cypress man with so nobl
a spirit of self-reliance and industry
, Meanly tyrannized over, Fontaine wa
, not to be baffied. 81 engaged" says ht
"a weaver for my Experimental attempt
! who was out of employment, and wa
apparently very docile. l made all tn
] machinery, / put it up with my ow
hands, and spent a couple of hours ever