New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

COLLECTIONS OF THE HUGENOT SOCIETY OF
A AM Nsx YORK. wG ap sS Pr By the Society
The large and handsome volume with which the
fIugucnot Society begins what ought to be valu-
able and interesting series Of publications chal
iengcs comparison with the best products OF such
antiquarian and historical enterprise. 1t is printed
with unusual luxury, and seems TO have been ed
itcd with intelligence and scrupulous attention to
minute details. The subject Of this initia' volume
Is the foundation and progress Of the French Prot
cstant congrce alton in the city of New York which,
bc-nn ng as a Hugucn,t organization subsequently
conformcd to the Protestant FL iscopal Church, an
is still a part of that body, being known as the
French Church Du Saint Esprit. The Rev. Alfred
w. Wittmeycr pastor of this congregation AMI sec
rotary Of the lIugucnot Society, has furnished.
under the modest title of an introduction. an adj
mrahle sketch of the history of the Huguenots o.
Ncw-York from their first settlement On Manhattan
Island down TO their practical disap carance as q
distinct element of the populate about the be
ginning Of the present century Their first church.
the "kese Fancoise la Nouvelle York." was or
ganizcd in 1888. but q French Reformed service
was held at Ncw-Amsterdam at least sixty years
before that and there is record of the birth OF a
IIuguenot Jean Vignc, on Manhattan Is ana as
early as 1914 At the middle. OF the eighteenth
century the church in four1slng cohuiuoh
but it declined RAPIDLY during the ke' ouuoh an
II was definitely absorbed by the Eriscopalans IN
1904. great many of its members had previ-
ousy driftei into that denomination. one reas
for the change no doubt bcn, Chat English soon
became more familiar than French to the descend
ants Of the Fren and Walloon settlers. Inc
story of the IIuguenOts America has been written
pretty fully by the Rev. Dr. Balrd; ana
MIR Wittmeycr's excellent summary OF the New
York chapter in the narrative VIII be READ WIN |
fresh interest for its sldlful construction an
abun ance of illustrative detail. The lntroducuon
is followed by Trecise verbatim transcript iron
the birth marriage and death registers OF the |
"Erlise F,an~oise a la Nouvclle York from 1893
n 1sO4a publication of considerable value to gen
ealoeists although the registers are by no means |
pcrfect: and The volume is completed by numer |
Gus documentary pieces brought together from
scattered publications or now printed for the fist |
time and by an index Of family names
RoMANCEs OF CHIvALRY Told and illustrated In
fac-simile ny join ASHTON svo PIP Kill 3oo' q.
Y. Putnsln's Sons.
Mr. Ashton's book is intended for popular read |
ing but he has apparently spent upon 1t an amounr
of research which would do credit to an antuuary.
The texts which he has used in the compilation |
are old and rare. One il a manuscript in the Brit
,sh Museum which has never been printed |
Another is a specimen of the Fifteenth Century |
hand work OF Wynkyn de Worde; and nearly all
the rest are products OF the press OF william
Copeland, who was established In London about
1850. We get therefore. III everv case an ancient
version of the romance, although not perhaps It's
authentic original FORM since successive na rators
amplifed and altered at their pleasure. Into the |
question of the of these tales Mr.. Ashton
does not enter. He excludes from his scheme the |
legends of Charlemagne and OF Arthur. which
form distinct cycles and deserve separate treat
,nent: and be selects eleven rOmances of
sufficiently various characters, all of which seem
to have been popular in Englanl. The most I'm
portant of thsse are the stories of the fairy Melu
sine, Sir Bevis of Hampton. the knight of the
Suzanne (w hch includes a curious distortion of the
leg MI of Lohengrn, along with much other mat
teri CIV of Warwick. and Robert the Devil: and
Mr. Ashton has added an account of the English
version Of Howlegla,s. which is not romance OF
chivary but a jest-book his method is to pre-
sent running surnmary of the legend i'll his own
with occasional literal extracts from the
old text Sometimes he quotes t"o much. The
language il rather archaic for popular reading
wuiie the book would not be. ami is not intended
to be- acceptable to stu Tents Of literature
Nevertheless it is highly interesting publication.
and its value is increased by the quaint and anus
ing woOl-cuts reproduced in fac-simile from the
early prints Some of these blocks. as Mr.. Ashton
points out are manfesily older than the books
which they illustrate, being wOrm-eaten with age
and broken by much USE
Ncm 11ublirdtious.