New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-07

gotten or overlooked, the feast being thcncefor-
ward kept simply and solely as day Of rest and
recreation.
The history of the Bastile cannot be written
without at the same time sletching the history
OF France from the building Of the prison, and
this Captain Bingham has done with great deal
OF care end research, end with considerable spirit.
long line OF notables passed through the gloomy
old place. and their careers in turn outlined
with sur'ciont clcarncss An interesting chapter
on the Man In the Iron Mask was inevitable. II
Is not possible to discuss that subject without
stimulating the curiosity OF the reader. Captain
Bingham conscientiouslv recapitulates all the
guesses made at the identity OF the mysterious
captive and settles finally upon that Of Colonel
Jung as being the MOST plausible. thoaeh OF
course only conicctural. The fact Is that the
archives thus far examined have thrown no light
upon this historical secret and even the latest
speculation is not free from obvious objections
Colonel Jung thinks that the Man in the Iron
Mosx WAS a Lorrainer named Marrhiel. an adj
vrnturcr who plotted with an Amsterdam banker
named Groetz the assassination Of Louis XIV
It il shown that knowledge Of such plot came TO
T,onvo1s: that he arranged an ambush for the
party Of consprators: that the chief was taken ID
il the rest of the band escaping; and that the
first appearance Of the Man in the Iron Mask
corresponds with the disappear nee OF this posoner
Marchie Moreover, De Ynnce. one OF the gov
ernors of the Bastile, under whose care the Man
in the Mask finally died called him de Marchiel
in the register This circumstance, however, Is
not corroboiative evidence, because il was the
custom to give state prisoners in secret
fictitious names and to avoid mention OF their real
ones Besides, what reason could there have been
toll In SpclUlp
so little consequence in an age when the summary
execution Of such on offender would naturally
have offered the surcst method Of silencing him
lie was confined with the most jealous precautiOn
for thirty years and until his death This seems
to indicate that he was some OF consequence,
and yet on Che other hand IT, must be remembered
that no man Of Importance is known to have dis
appeared at the time when he is first heard or
There remains faint hope that when the archives
ire more thoroughly examined some clew TO this
riddle may appear Thus far however, IT CON
tinucs rs insoluble and the more II is con-
sidcrcd the more do conflicting and rrcconciiabie
facts appear to balance and ncutralize one an
other.
Captain Bingham has brought together all the
available information on this and every other
point of interest connected with the Bastile In
the very nature Of the subject IL is impossible 10
write a continuous narrative, and tins causes the
present work to appear something like mosaic.
Nothing however is omitted which could con
tribute to the completeness Of the record ard per
hars some readers may dpd the docnm ntary evil
dcncc even unnecessarily full in places But tins
is not fault Captain Binghanl's work IS cN-
haustive and il will take rank rs an ndlsp n>tbie
and most valuable reference book. 1t is Illus
tratod with number Of portraits of }astile prs
oners of celebrity in photograN urc. and 1t is fur
nished with a sufficiently full index.