Connecticut western news., 1888-04-11
THE LAFAYETTE MONUMENT.
A Selection Made of the Four Sub
 sidiary Figures.

The choice at last effected by the Lafayette Monument Committee for the subjects of the four minor statues, to be placed at the corners of the pedestal, will be generally approved. The successful design in the competition was the joint production of the sculptors Alexandre Falguiere and Antoni Mercie, both of the Les ion of Honor, and the former member of the French Institute. The act of Congress has ap- propriated $5O,0 for the entire work, which Is to be completed in two years from the settle ment of preliminaries
 It was happy idea to unite subordinate figures to that of Lafayette, since, although his fame towers above that of of his country men who came to the aid of our Revolution, it was yet highly desirable tbat in so prominent memorial of the alliance, standing at the na- tional capital, honors should be paid to other renowned French officers. The design pro- vides for & pedestal of Italian marble, sur mounted by statue of Lafayette, to whom the figure of America offers the sword of liberty. At the four corners are to be placed the sub ordinate statues, all the figures of the monu- ments beiug of bronze.
 There was practically no hesitation whatever in fixing upon the subjects for three of the Admiral Count d d'Estaing. It is true that this officer was unfortunate. His fleet, bringing 4,6OO troops arrived off the mouth of the Del aware little too late to prevent Washington from undertaking, with this reinforcement, the same class of operations against Howe at Philadelphia which had already been happily tried against Burgoyne at Saratoga, and were afterward successful against Cornwallis at Yorktown. D Estaings arrival was unexpect- edly delayed, and the English marched off Pigot at Newport between the French fleet and the American troops under Sullivan, arranged soon after, Count d'Estaing was also unfortunate Soon after he had en- tered Newport harbor for this purpose Howe arrived of Narragansett Bay with his fleet, md Inc ont fo f1crhf violent storm used up-both fleets. In D'Es- taing's subsequent undertaking, the attack Savannah in conjunction with the American forces, under Gen. Lincoln in .17o9, he was also unlucky. the combined French and American columns being repulsed. But these were the mishaps of war. D'Estaing was the senior officer sent to us by France under the alliance. He gained naval successes over the British in the West Indies, after the failure at Newport, and stretched the discretion allowed him by his orders to the utmost in order to take part in the attempt to expel the enemy from Georgia before returning to France. He shed his blood, too, for America, being twice wounded at Savannah.
 As France aided us both by land and sea, it was resolved to have two figures of navy and two of army officers for the quartet on the monument. The second naval figure, there fore, plainly must be that of Count de Grasse, who had served under D Estaing and after him commanded the French fleet in American waters. The part play ed by De Grasse in block ading the British at Yorktown was of the highest importance For the first figure of a French army officer there could be no donbt as to the selection, since the honor obviously belonged to Lieut. Gen. Count de Rocham- beau, who commanded the French land forces, and whose troops at the siege of Yorktown were of invaluable service.
 Rut about the fourth figure there has been much hesitation, since no one French officer really equslled in celebrity the three just named. Among several names suggested for the honor was that of Viscount de Noailles, who served in the attack on Savannah as we'll at Yorktown, and was a brother-in-law of Lafayette. Another name taken into consid- eration was that of Gen. Armand, a French officer of dragons, who also commanded American cavalry. Had it been possible to take statesman. the one chosen would cer- tainly have been Count de Vergennes, Minister under Louis XVI, who played so prominent part in the diplomacy of that period. Finally, 8 candidate who was mentioned at the outset by those who took the most interest in bring ing the whole subject before Congress was Chevalier Duportail, directing engineer at Yorktown and upon him the Commission set tied.
 It is thought that the monument as whole will be very effective So will be compl ted an enterprise long ago mooted for the purpose of establishing permanent memorial of our ob- legations to France during the most trying hours of the Revolution.