New-York tribune., 1909-02-06

zsaton william Edward Frye was BRUSH
,,-sesr .yi,o after years Of service IN India re-
.,,-ns5 ~ Furor.e on eurlouEh ir 1914 and hnaliy
lset +l,e army fn 1922. The rest Of his hfe ne
susnt In learned leisure II France he was
remarkable Inguist. lover Of art ana hpeFa-
+r,-e and q fluent writer. The letters which M
.his volume were drawn from a rlahuscr-p'
which. a11er mis- death lay long forgotten IN the
possession OF the family Of an old friend NJ
Resnach believes that the correspondent 10
whom these eristles were apparently addressed
vas . myth the major choosing as matter OF
v,reference or convenience this method Of record
sns his experiences His style has pleasant
old-fsshioneS favor, and though he has no
striking episodes to relate his "reminiscences OF
travel OF the Continent in the years Immediately
succeeding the fall OF Napoleon are eulinentiy
worth reading-especially by those who care 10
trace the changes that have come about since
bis day.
The reader need not wonder shat French
man should have edited with evident enjoyment
The PAPERS Of q son Of the once detesteo Al
hon {" FRYE was liberal in politics, a worship
pe~ Of liberty and OF Napoleon He admired the
French and especially the Frencnman IN batue
array Yes. the French soldier is fine fei-
low" he writes ''I have served against them IN
Holland and in Egypt. and I will never finch
from rendering Justice 20 their exemplary con-
srct ard lofty vaior" He held that the French
had spread civilization and improved "the arts
OF life" anc he by no means Ia sympathy
with the coalition thai conquered 81 waterloo
He was ct Brussels when the battle was fought
srd afterxard visited the field II sickened
him with horror and his description Of the
wounded brief as It is, goes far 10 make MS
reader share his feeling, and to be thankful Tor
sne great organization which now renders such
conditions improbable There is e little Tighten
ing OF the shadow in his mention OF the people
who went TO the field from motives OF CURIOSITY
hut uIac nevertheless took with them VINE
bread and other refreshments for the wounded
He does not forget to speak of the capture OF
Napcleons carriage, wherein we're found the
printed proclamations from Our Imperial Pal
zcs 81 Iaecken~ those cocksure proclamations
announcing q victory which never TO be-
This" admits Major Frye. was certainly
rather premature, and reminds me OF an anec-
s7cfe of a Spanish officer at the Siege Of GibraI-
tar related Icy Drinkw7ater in his narrative OF
shat siege When the British garrison made
so-tie they carried the advanced Spanish lines
and destroyed au their preparations; the Span
Ssh sfacer on guara at the outeTmost post was
killed but on the table OF his guard room was
found his guard report filed Up and signed.
stating that nothing extraordinary had hap
pensd since guard mounting
From Waterloo the major went upon his trav-
els through the Rhenish cities. continuing,
GS went, 10 euISESptTSe HIS lOEeSEdpA4G<A d42O
snecdotic descriptions with expressions Of his
sentiments regarding the French and their
fallen monarch. At Ccblentz where the Bourbon
-,rfnces had held their court, ne listened to
stories which showed that they were abhorred
BY the inhabitants. and he asserts that their in
trieues with The Jacobins and the Brissotins
were at the bottom Of the tragedies Of the scaf-
fold in Paris The object OF this atrocious pol
tcy," he says. was that the French people
would. by witnessing SO many executions be-
come d!sgusted at the sanSuinary tyranny OF
Robespierre and recall the Bourbons uncondl-
*ionaIly" NJ Reinach thinks that there seems
70 be much truth in FTye's opinion concerning
The schemes Of the princes, but history has not
Vet settled that question. As for the cruelues OF
the Revolution Englishnan devotes some
vigorous pages to pointing out the frightful acts
OF violence committed by royalist troops in pre-
cedinx epochs- We viii not quote his blood
curdIng instances. but may note that he Is not
backward IN censuring his own countrymen for
their conduct IN the American War OF 1nde-
,,endence-for their wanton destruction Of prop
ertv ana their employment of Tavening Indian
.zvxilszries- He defies any man to name
single instance where the French republican
armies or Napoleon ever injured or wantonIy
destroyed q single national edihce. single work
OF art g single book belonging 10 any other
country" On the contrary. he adds they in
and sciences" The vandalism Of the Terror
hs sdrnits.-'qt was Madness" He excuses Ma
.,oleons removal TO Paris Of the works Of art OF
other countries in these terms:
The statues and paintings in question belonged
either to governments at WaT with France OF 70
Epect 70 individuals, I viii venture TO afnrr Stl
ts hest su5h0y from maj him me ydt sn equiSaien
Those who had statues and pictures OF Eaiue and ana
wished 70 sell them received their full value from
fhe French government put there was no 80 IorG1 i1
1sed on the oCcaSioh t,S ~ 20 a. the onpoTunitv Of
ceiling as they could never have otherwise dis
The same price that the French government gave
ree9ts sits Nisnese on tfs subject and Others
connected with the occupation OF Italy oy me ne
o. T;sir By The Republican armies must have been
atenSeq e % In s,cS Ii as conscafion Of property
TOOK Place: thar 50 far from being the losers by by
sysfs 5nsy hfo for tat the country orished IN
Known ana that enc of the greatest advantages
sSeTE - an equality OF weights and measures, the
decimal SSsioi se o. 81 ne laws freed from ali bara-
rfsrns-cgai political and theologicai-and intei,
to cite old authors and go back for three or four
ann5re9 years & 70 9,sn % Of Sense Gould eerine at
onse BY following the dictates OF their own Judg-
e WI be admitted believe that it ana has
sen III ne aGt p o lew wa co-tri6utions On the
conquered oecJpied coSntriss nj BuonapaT.e @ -.
sslxs works Of srt instead Of money and not
E5ssSe q Toe,t by soiernn treaty OF cession
given IN lie q CONTRIBUTIONS NJ tG apon i %
W their pictures and statues, which the most q
esv ss v,iob +eZ were al anxious 70 keep: and on
sudee.-
Major Frva's special piea IS not without un-
conscious hurnor FIe finds matter Of comnen-
eatsor whenever he discusses the French sol
esers He cites the reforms and improvements