The herald., 1917-07-05

RLrl~.,-S 9 INTCs
n URING ~ojouru On Tho French
l West India island uf Mar;i-
J h'auo. where Theodore 4"
Ep"y was engaged in making
an archaeological reconnaissance iu
Me interest Of ,hr Museum of the
American Indian QI,yr touuIa,ion) Of
NJ" York ,.ry. he VS. enabled. thanks
20 H.. kiudnr>, If Nj simon Hayo,,
4 Resident If tA.~ island. =" Wit the
birthplace of Josephine Ta~,h,r q" ia
Pagcr.r, who subsequently, hcramc The
wife Of Napoleon BuaaIar,c and ,Iu-
press Of France
The great events in the life of the
unfortunate empress are too well
known To students and historians tu
need recital Ia this short paper, SHyS
Mr.. De BOoy In the French edition of
the Bulletin Of the Pan-American
Union. The writer thinks II may be
OF Interest 10 AmeriCanistS. however,
TO have some record Of Josephine's
birthplace. Due 10 the various pOliti-
cal changes that took place in France
after the fall Of the first empire and
10 the republican form Of government
which IVES subsequently adopted, no
efforts We're made 10 preserve the
buildings In which Josephine spent her
childhood. Al the time of writing n
movement has been started by the gov
ernur Of Martinique. VI. Camille Guy,
an historian of note. 10 preserve what
ruins still remain Of La Haserie and 70
erect within tie walls of what once
was the plantation residence a fitting
monument 10 the empress.
Famed for Its Hospitality.
The property Of La raCcrie. anccS-
trail home OF Josephine Tascher sec
ond daughter o: McSs.rc J. G.. TaScher
de Ia Pagerie. lies some two miles west
Of the small village of TrOiS ISlets, on
the southwest coast Of the island of
Martinique. No record can be found
us 10 how long this La Pagerie prop
erty had been in possession of the
TasCher family. That il was famed for
hospitality, even IN the days when Gre
ole hospitality in the West Indies was
at its zenith, IS cherished tradition
among the inhabitants of Martinique.
Sugarcane was extensively cultivated
at La Pagerie, and there can be no
doubt that. with q large number Of
slaves, and with the high price that
sugar commanded in those days, Mon
sieur TaSCher was well-tO-dO planter.
There still remains on the plantation
the ruin Of the old sugar house, where
the cane was ground by the windmill
process and the juice boiled In the open
copper kettles.
Local traditions have IL that JO-
sephine was born in the old sugar
house, instead of in the plantation res
ldence. Ii seems that the island of
Martinique was visited by one Of the
typical, all-Gestructive hurricanes
which are such 4 common occurrence
in this region: the family. anxious for
its safety, took refuge in the more sub
stantially constructed factory, and II
was here that Madame TasChers sec
DDG WIS bbIll OlI Nllt -tliI VI
1853.
Not Much Of Residence Left.
But little rcmains of the Tascher res
| idence. Successive hurricanes sue
cpded but too well In effacing the hand
iwork of man, and one can now find
hut the low. thrce-foot-high walls of
the residence proper. These walls are
So overgrown with tropical vegetation
that II is wcll-niCh impossible 10 pho
| tOgraph them. II is the plan of the
! commission headed by Monsieur Guy,
| the governor of the island, 10 remove
| this vegetation and the debris inside
! the walls. md to erect therein the mon
ument 10 Josephine.
Strange 10 say. the best-preserved
ruins on the La PaGerie estate consist
| OF the kitchen walls. What higher trib-
ute can the writer pay 10 the delights
Of the far-famed Martinique cuisine
than 10 say that he considers IL 1T
ting tribute TO the hospitality Of JO-
sephine's parents that Of al the plan
tallon buildings, this should be the one
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