Dictionnaire général de biographie, histoire, littérature, agriculture, commerce, Industrie et des arts, sciences, moeurs, coutumes, institutions politiques et religieuses du Canada by R. P. Le Jeune (review)

REVIEWS OF BOOKS 313 greatnessof Montcalm, whoseastonishingsuccesses, against vast odds on both sides,have not been exaggeratedin an inscription which has been suggestedas recognizing his real claims to commemoration: Quatre fois victorieux Une lois vaincu Touiours Au grand honneur Des armes de la France But Dr. Doughty is not writing any formal historyin this Quebec of yester-year. He isjust usinghisvast archival knowledgefor onealluring end--to tell us tales of vie intime in French Quebec. He sits besideus round the evening fire, not lecturing or delivering an address, but easefullytalking of many an intriguing tragi-comedy, more especially of such as are of equal interest to both the men and women who are in the game oflife to-day. WILLIAM WOOD Dictionnaire g•n•ral de biographie, histoire,litt•rature,agriculture,commerce ,industrie et des arts, sciences, moeurs,coutumes,institutions politiquesetreligieuses du Canada. Par leR. P. LE JEUNE. Ouvrage orn6 de 187 photographies et de 56 gravureshors-textesur papier de luxe. Two volumes. Paris: Printed for the Universit• d'Ottawa. 1931. Pp. viii, 862; 827. HERE is a remarkablepieceof long and conscientious work which will be welcomedby historicalstudents,and evenby ordinary readers. It is the mostambitiouspublicationof its kind that hasyet appeared,as can be seen by its cecumenicalbut most cumbersometitle. Besides the usualsubjects of biography, history,andgeography, it covers literature , industry,and commerce, and takesin, aswell, politicaland religious institutions and even arts, sciences,manners,and customs. It is really an encyclopaedia of all historicalmattersin two quarto volumes containing Oversixteenhundredpages,implemented with two hundred and forty-three prints and twenty-two full-pagemaps. After one has beenusingit for sometime,delving into its massof methodicalinformation on all possible questions, one is not surprisedto know that it representsover twenty yearsof patient reading,searching,and sifting among all kinds of books,pamphlets,and manuscripts. Certainly Father Le Jeunehasput Canadianhistoricalworkersundera heavy debt by presentingthem with suchan important contribution. Naturally the biographies form by far the major part of the work. They run the wholegamutfrom Cabot to Lord Willingdon. To the great figuresin Canadianhistory so often described, they have added a vast numberof lessprominentpeopleand perhaps,after all, this is the mostuseful purpose of a biographical dictionary to supplyinformation not somuchon outstandingpersonalities ason moreor lessknown persons who have playeda smallpart of somehistoricalvalue. Historyproperisdealtwith in manyarticles, undervarious headings: amongothers France, Great Britain,• New France, Canada, and each of its provinces, whileall treatiescomeundertheirpropernames, and separatesketchesare devotedto political events,constitutions,and administrative institutions. Geographyreceivesa smaller share of 314 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW attention, being restricted to the most important rivers, battlefields, forts, and cities. Literature is only studied under the names of the various authors, English and French. Many articles are devoted to commerceand industry under the titles of the operating companies, or the trade carried on, or the commodities concerned,while financial institutions are alsodealt with under generalheadsor the namesof corporations . To arts and sciences are devoted a few sketchesof a general nature, while their various representativebodiesare made the subjects of brief articles. Religious sects and institutions have been given extensiveattention aswell asschoolquestions. There is a bibliography of each article. As canbe seenby this summary,the author has mappedfor himself a most ambitious programme. On the whole, he has succeededin realizing it in a very commendablemanner. Of course,being so extensive , the work was bound to present some failings. The surprise is rather that there should be so few. Beginningwith accessories, it must be noted first that the maps--of which there is no list-- are totally inadequatein their over-simplifiedform. As to illustrations,of which there is no list either, they are open to criticism. Fanciful or spurious portraits have been freely reproducedwith no explanation; too much spacehas been sacrificedto insignificantcontemporaryeffigies;there is a groupof thirty-eight dignitarieswithout a singlename attachedto it; and to end with an individual case,the portrait of Admiral Du Quesne is given as that of the governorof the samename, who is called Marquis de Du Quesne(I., 561). As to the biographies,the author hasunfortunately brokenthe golden rule of restrictinghimselfto the dead. By listing descendants, he has introduced into his book a number of absolutely insignificant people. He hasin addition evenlet in openly a few persuasiveand self-pleased notabilities. Certainly Father Le Jeune...