New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-09-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

rrafiXp of tlp French DOMINION IN NNAAi Ah'ii'''
receives n valuable addition in the present volume.
II has been prepared froo a careful examination OF
ORIGINAL authorities, including the manuscript col
lectioos of the French Government in the Archives
Natonales. the Bibliotheque Rationale. and the
repositories Of the Archives OF the Marine
and. Colonies Besides these copous sources
he has made free use Of the COLLECTION
Of French, English, and Dutch documents
puhiishcd by the State of Ncw-lorN. and OF the
manuscript collections made in ti' ne by the
Governments IL Canada aud Massachusetts. In lhe
arrangement and exposition o. historical mi,r'is'
Nj Parkm0n i % rare master. Tie combines naln-
raj aptitude for composition with long AND success
fol practice intelligent zeal, great power OF re-
search. and poeical temperament which expresses
itself in vivid and picturesque description. The
sense of historical truth Is never impaired by his
active imagination, and his critical analysis oi facts
is as keen and searching if lie were student eN-
clrsyely of external details Ills narrative ia con-
duct.d with admirable skin; It's cXaotneSs does rot
fall into stiffness aad foruaity; il is never diifusr
and never laucud; sufficiently copous ~ IT, re-
hear,al of events, and singary happy III Its por-
traitureS of character.
Tie Count dc Frontcnac rs representatives. the most
remarkable man who ever served tie Crown 81
France i'm the New World. He came OF an ancient
and noble race. supposed % have been OF Basque
origin. 40 the age Of fifteen he showed On in-
satiahla passion for the life Of soldier, and was
sent to the scat OF varin Holland, 10 serve under
the Prince Of Orange A. the age of nineteen he took
uar, i'm the segc Of IIusdcn; in the next year hc
DISTINGUISHED himself az Arvcs during sortie of tie
garrison: and within the ncXt two years
was present at the siege of Airc Of Cal
hounc, and Of PcrpiCnan. At the age OF
twenty-three he was made a colonel Of the reel-
meut Of Normandy. which he commanded IN re-
peatcd battles and s.cgcs OF tile Italian campaign
IT, 1916 hc was wounded at the siege oi Orbhcito
and in the same year. when tweni y-SlN years CO. ne
was raised 10 the rank Of COMPREHENSIVE equivalent
10 that of Brigadcr-GoueTol il 1863 a Venetian
enl,.s came to France 10 beg for aid AGAINST the
encroachments of the Turks on Gambia. Tie empa5-
sailors offered 10 place their own troops under
French command and Fiontcuac was selected by
Tur,nnc for the a1duous position. He accordingly
went TO Candia, bat in spite of his ability
and courage. tie result was unfortunate, ana
its chief fortress fell into the hands OF The
Turks, after a pro1acted struggle when Is
said To- have cost them 10000 mon. Three years
later Frontcnac received the appointment OF Gov
emor and Licutcnant-Gencral for the King IN
all Ncw-Francc He was ffty-twO years old when
he landed mt Quebec d" II time had conc ht6ie to
cure his many faults. il had done nothing towcaken
The springs Of his unconQuerabe vitality. In his
headstronc as when he quauelcd with Preion'alne
in the hall at st. Fargeau. Had nature disposed
him 10 melancholy there was much In his position
10 awakcni IT, man Of courts and camps, born and
bred in the focus Of most gorgeous civilization, n
was banshed to the ends of the earth, among savage
horlcs and half-Tecaimed forests, 20 exchange the
splcadors Of It. German and the dawninC eioucs OF
Versailles for stern gray rock, haunted bJ sombre
priests rugged merchants and traders, banketed
Indians. ana wild bush-rauCcrs. But Froutcnac was
aman of action. Tie wasted time in vain regrets,
and SET himself to his work with the elastic vgor Of
youth His first impressions had been very favor
able When as he sailed up the 81. Lawrence, tine
basin Of Quebec opened before him, bis imagination
kindIed with tie grandeur of the scene. / never
he wrote saw anything more superb than the Pc
s1tion of this town. II could not be better situated
as the future capital of a great empire %
Trontenac. as the author alirns. was not mere
soldier He was an excellent soldier. and more
besides He was q man OF vigorous and cultivated
mind and ample travel and experience. lie wrote
exceedingly well he is said also to have eXcellcd
as an orator: and he certainly never averse 10
tbe tones OF his own eoQucnce. On the 23d oil
October. 1872 She three estates of Canada wefc
convoked with all possible pomp and splendor
I'm the church of the Jesuits on which occa-
sion Frontenac delivered elaborate haranguc.
His speech was as aTtful it was eloquent.
and applied TO a twofold audiencc-the tbTong
that filed the church, and the King and
the minister three thousand miles away. Ii
fully expressed the spirit Of the French colonial
rule in Canada, q government of excellent inten-
tons but of arbitrary methods. Frontenac who
was filed with the traditions of the past, and sin
cerey DESTROYS Of the good of the colony set himself
against the prevailing current. His zeal however,
was counteracted by the violence of his prciudccs,
It Il, por.pn9l nd V1utare him
self from the fruits of his admins tration. In his
relations with the native tribes Frontenac dis
PLAYED a remarkable fitness for his Office. Few
white men have ever approached him III the art of
dealing with Indians lie seems to have been drawn
toward them by natural sympathy. He conformed
to their ways borrowed their rhetoric attered them
with great address, and yet constantly treated them
with an air Of paternal superiority In their eyes,
Frontcuac was bY far the greatest Of all the Govern
ors OF Canada. They admired the prompt and fiery
soldier who played with their children, and gave
beads and trinhet> to their wives WHO smiled on
them when their hearts were true, bat never failed
10 frOwn on every act of misconduct. Frontenae
had the air Of distinction natural to man who all
his lfc had been familiar with the society Of courts.
AT times mtOlerable by his Oyerbearing manners,
he was usually gracious and winning. When IN
good humor. his ready wit and cheerful vivacty
made him very agreeable. He was all sunshine
until some new offence aroused his outrageous
temper from its peaceful sumbers. At length, after
n series of misunderstanding and Quarres, espe
cally with the ecclesiastical authorities Frontenac
was recalled by the Crown His departure in 1853
was an occasion Of rejoicing to more than half the
merchants Of Canada, and TO most of the priests
but he left behind him very general impression
a.. fi.ttf y cd tlp col