Morning journal and courier., 1891-09-22
The BIood Tax in the Pyreuees.

The Independant des Basses-P -Pyrsnees | publishes description, written by NJ. AL
 fred Cadisr, French protestant clergy
 man at Pau, of a ceremonial which he wit
 messed short time ago on the frontier of France and Spain. This consisted in the
 payment of a blood tax, and it appears
 that there are two or three places in the Pyrenees where the custom founded upon the belief that ''a murder committed by the inhabitants of village or canton upon those of an adjoining village or canton must for ever romain burden upon the the descendants of their descendants" is still observed.
 Thus, about the middle of the fourteenth century, the inhabitants of the valley of Lavedan, having massacred the detenceless residents of Aspe, were condemned by the pope to pay a perpetual tax of thirty sols, which was levied upon twenty-two villages and paid up to the time of the Revolution. In the thirteenth century, if not earlier, similar crime was committed beween the the valleys of Baretons, in French Navarro, and Roncal, in Spanish Navarro. The
 blood tax which the inhabitants of the former were ordered by the pope to dis cnarge IS pald to tnls uay, the ceremony taking place annually on July 13 in the
 mountains, about seven hours march from Osse, at the pass known as La Peyre St. Martin.
 It is thus described by NJ. Cadier: "There is crowd of people to be seen making their way to the rendezvous. The shep
 herds of the Baretons valleys, with their red waistcoats interspered with dark threads, the mayors and delegates of the villages of Arctic, Laune, Aramits, and 1s- sor, the foresters of the mountain, the GUS tom house of cers without their guns,
 the clergy, represented by the priest of St.
 Engrace and two curates, and few En-
 glish tourists from Osse, helped to make
 up this singular assembly. When we
 reached the narrow stone which marks oil the frontier, with the name St. Martin in sc1ibed upon the two sides of it in French
 and Spanish, we found ourselves face to
 face with the Spaniards, who formed an
 imposing group. First of all there was the
 alcade (mayor) of Isaba, who was to act the
 part of lord chief justice. He was wearing
 black robe bordered with red, and
 large collarette by way of bands, while he carried in his hand a wand of justice, in
 the shape of black stick With silver knob. The arcades of three or four other Spanish villages were similarly attired, and they were accompanied by a numerous suite made up of delegates from the gene
 ral junta of the valley of Roncal, the not ary, the veterinarian, and others, the es- cort consisting of seven or eight armed car abineros and guards, while in the rear were a number of ourlioueros," who had
 come in the hope of selling the skins of
 vine with which their donkeys were
 loaded
 ''It was about nine a. m. when the inter
 esting ceremonial, which has been observ
 ed without interruption since 1875, com menced by the French mayors donning their tricolor scarf, and by the Spanish al caldes advancing towards the frontier stone, accompanied by herald bearing 0
 lance on which was painted a red flame, the symbol of justice. The two parties having halted at distance of about twen- ty feet from their respective frontiers, the herald substitutes for his red flame a
 white one, which is the sy inbol of pacific intentions, and the alcalde of Isaba ex-
 claims in Spanish, Do you wish for peacef
 To this the French mayors reply in the af-
 frmative, also speaking in Spanish, and, in
 order to testify to to the sincerity of their
 intentions, their herald lays down his lance
 upon the top of the stone in the direction of the frontier, whereupon the Spanish
 herald comes and inserts his lance in the French soil, resting the shaft against the
 stone so as to form a cross W ith the French
 lance. The mayor of Arctic then comes and lays his hand upon the cross so form ed, Spanish alcalde places his right hand
 upon that of the Frenchman, and the oth
 CT mayors and alcaldes do the same alter nately Then, last of all, the alcalde of Isaba steps forward, and, lifting his wand
 of justice over the pile of hands, pro-
 nounces the form of oath, which all swear
 to keep. After this oath has been taken, the alcalde of Isaba exclaims three times,
 'Paz daraus' (peace in the future). Peace
 is thus anew concluded, and to ratify their
 having given up all idea of vengeance the
 men of Roncal order the escort to discharge
 their guns in the direction of France.
 Then comes the reception of the blood tax,
 which used to consist of three perfectly
 white mares, but owing to the difficulty of
 getting them exactly elike, three white heifers have now been substituted for them. The three heifers presented this
 year were worth about e23, which is a
 large sum for the district, and after the Roncal notary had drawn up proces-ver-
 bal, which was signed all round, repast
 was served at the expense of the Spaniards,
 toasts being proposed in honor of Spain,
 France, and England, the introduction of England being due to the presence of sev
 eral British visitors. After the repast was
 over dancing followed, and we then said pood- -hv til neyt vaar D