New-York tribune., 1913-11-28
ON CHATEAUBRIAND's VOYAGES"
Issue Taken with Author of "Mystih-
cations Litteraires ct Theatrales.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In your issue OF this morning YOU
note the issue OF "a book full Of odd
facts" entitled "AGystifications LitteraireS
et Theatrales." by one Albert Gin. You
mention as one of this works most In
teresting assertions" that Chateaubrlsnd
wrote his Voyage en- Amerique" before
he had seen this country and that his
descriptions of (George) Washington
Niagara. the Great Lakes and the Mis-
sissippi, as we'll as OF the Indians and the
wild animals. were all borrowed from
the writings of travellers who came here
I'm the early years Of the last century.
This statement is borne out by the vague
ness of Chateaubriand's account Of his
visit TO Washington.
Hardly. Chateaubriand came 20 AmeT-
ca in l7ol The writings OF the travel
lcrs who came here In the early years
of the last century" were not yet aces
sible-iT your reviewer refers 10 the nine
teenth century; if he means the seven
teenth. he is equally mistaken. Chateau
brands chief borrowings we're mace
from eighteenth century travellers-not
ably Bartram and CharlevoiX. but Cha
teaubriand did not for many years publish
his Voyages es'-and SO had access even
10 some of the nineteenth century Az
thors before his work actually reached
the public.
Chateaubrand returned 10 Europe 70
take up arms for the Bourbon monarcn'
He served in the royalist army was
wounded, and took refuge in England
There he taught school, tutored pret'!
ladies and began the literary TorN
which (once he had got rid OF his bore
some "Essai sur les Revolutions
brought him great fame. For a time ne
lived with Suffolk parson who ha'
travelled extensively in the New World
the Rev. John Ives. celebrated for MS
bottle exploits Ives had something VI
a library. and ii was in his study tha'
the young Frenchman read the books
from which he cribbed in writing h'S
own This story is charmingly told 'no'
forgetting the love affair OF the Frencn-
man and his hosts fair daughter IN W.
Anatole le Braz's "Au Pays d'ENl "
Chateaubriand." NJ. lie Braz is nre
ton-just as Chateaubriand was; he IS
scholar and poet and an eNceedlhs"
graceful narrator. Scholarship OF tne
least repellent visage distinguishes NO
account of a Galic charmer in a Briu'"
parsonage.
Your reviewer attributes 10 NJ. Clnl s"'
apparently accepts for himself the vic"
that Chateaubriand never met NashHe
ton. He is mistaken. The facts are 'e''
briefly stated in a paper which oo"
tributed to THE Atlantic Monthiy "
April. 1908. C'Chateaubrand in America
Chateaubriand bore TO Washington a ie'
ter OF introduction from charles-N'iia"1
Tefin de la Rouarie-a Breton MARQUIS
who served in the American Revolution
General Armand and had an ad'en,
uresome time OF il during the freh's
Revolution, when he acted as an agent ',
the princes. Chateaubriand's letter
introduction is preserved at. Washinsu"
department of Mss, Letters to Washi"e
ton, Vol. 76 $780, p. 2l0), and bears 81
Endorsement i'm Washington's own hal..
So much for NJ. Gins 'Mystifcauohs'
have not seen the book-only your coz"
ment. | wonder il its other facts s''
equally interesting?
w b. BLAME
New York, Nov. %, 1918.