THE PRINTING PRESS OF THE FRENCH FLEET PROVIDENCE PRESTON & ROUNDS CONTRIBUTIONS TO RHODE ISLAND BIBLIOGRAPHY No. II THE PRINTING PRESS OF THE FRENCH FLEET CALENDRIER F. R A N A I S , Pour Vs^nnes Commune 1781. CO N T E N A N T Le Calcul ordinaire du lever & du COM- chtr dit So lei I , di la Lime & leur Decimaifon. Un JZtat des Officicrs dc FEfcadre , 6" des principauxdc VArmeeaux ordres d$ M. le Comte de RoCHAMBE/fu. Lcs fcpoques Us plus intereffantes de la Guerre prifcntc , .avec les Routes du Continent. )e rimprinwrie R/.,l rfe 1'Efcadr*. ptt le Pare dc la Marine.. Reduced ; the original type page measures 125 x 81 mm. CALENDRIER FRANCAIS POUR U AN NEE 1781 AND THE PRINTING PRESS OF THE FRENCH FLEET IN AMERICAN WATERS DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR BY HOWARD MILLAR CHAPIN LIBRARIAN OF THE RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROVIDENCE 1914 Stack Annex One hundred fifty copies reprinted from The Providence Magazine THE "CALENDRIER FRANGAIS." The Rhode Island Historical Society obtained last November a small book entitled "Calendrier Frangais, Pour 1'Annee Commune 1781." The "Calendrier Frangais," as this book is commonly called, is remarkable in several respects. It was discovered by a bookseller in a small .Massachusetts town and was purchased by him for a few dol- lars. As he realized the value of the book he immediately offered it for sale at auction, and after spirited bidding it was finally sold for $525.00. This is the only copy of this book now known to be in existence. It was printed after December 15th, in the winter of 178O-1 and was soon forgotten, but a century later Edwin M. Stone, in 1884, in ."Our French Allies" (p. 352) quotes from the Calendrier, and states that in 1854 there were said to be only two copies in existence. Hammett copied Stone, and subsequently bibliographers have copied Hammett. The two copies of the Calendrier soon disappeared, and historians have sought in vain to locate a copy of the work. This book is particularly interesting because it is the first almanac printed in French in Rhode Island, and probably the first French almanac printed within what is now the United States, having, as the title page states, been printed, "A Newport, De I'lmprimerie Royale de 1'Escadre, pres le Pare de la Marine." It will be remembered that on May 2, 178O, a French fleet under Admiral De Ternay sailed from Brest, carrying over 600O troops to assist General Washington, and that the fleet reached Newport on the evening of July llth. They were greeted by a general illumination of the city and harbour. The custom then instituted, has come down to our own time, for once every sum- mer Newport holds its "Illumination," which now takes place upon the arrival of the New York Yacht Club on its annual cruise. The French fleet remained at Newport until (March, 1781, and during the winter of 178O-81 many of its officers took up their abode on shore. On board the fleet was a printing press used for the printing of no- tices and orders, and this press, according to a contemporary account, was set up on shore at No. 641 Water street, and as the title page of the Cakndrier states, "pres le Pare de la Marine," which was located at 611 Water street. Another reason that makes the "Calendrier" interesting is that it is the first Roman Catholic almanac printed in Rhode Island, or in fact in the United States. At this time there were no Catholics in Rhode Island, but the majority of the soldiers and sailors among our French allies were of that faith. The title page, giving the contents of the "Calendrier," reads as follows : "Contenant Le Calcul ordinaire du lever & du coucher du Soleil, de la Lime & leur Declinaison. Un Etat des Officiers de 1'Escadre & des principaux de 1'Armee aux orders de M. le Comte de Rochambeau. Les Epoques les plus interessantes de la Guerre presente, avec les Routes du Continent." The first part, the astronomical calculation, occupies pages 1 to 25, the second part, the list of officers, occupies pages 26 to 32, and the third part doubtless owing to the exigencies of war was never printed. The "Avertissement," printed on the back of the title page and so facing page one, reads as follows: "La precipitation avec laquelle on a ete oblige de calculer la partie astronomique de cet Almanach, n'a pas permis d'y apporter toute la precision que Ton cut desire; on a ete oblige de se servir de methodes promptes, aim qu'il put etre imprime le plutot possible : on ne sera done point surpris d'y trouver des erreurs de deux ou trois minutes a 1'instant du lever ou du coucher du Soleil, & d'autres plus considerables encore, sur le lever & le coucher de la Lune." Page one is entitled "Articles Principaux du 'Calendrier Pour 1'Annee Commune 1781," and contains the number of the year accord- ing to the various calculations, the chronological tables, which our colonial almanac-makers called "Vulgar Notes," an account of the eclipses for the year, "Festes Mobiles" (Movable feasts) and "Quatre-Temps" or Ember Days, which latter do not appear in New England almanacs of the period. The calendar proper begins on page 2 and gives two pages to each month. Unlike its American contemporaries, it gives the name of the days of the week instead of their number. It also gives the name of the saint for each day in the year, an item never included in American colonial almanacs. Besides giving the day of the month, the day of the week, and the saint's day, the calendar for each month gives the time of sunrise and sunset, the longitude and declination of the sun, the days of the moon and the rising, southing and setting of the moon. At the bot- tom of each left-hand page is given the increase or decrease in the length of day, and at the bottom of each right-hand page is given the date and time of the moon's phases. The time, in all cases, is given in hours and minutes, with the seconds omitted. It is interesting to compare the astronomical calculations of the Calendrier Frangais' with those of its contemporary Rhode Island almanacs. Benjamin West, the noted astronomer, calculated for three Rhode Island almanacs for 1781, and we may presume that his calculations were very nearly accurate. They differ from those of the 'Calendrier some two or three minutes with regard to sun- rise. Taking West for the standard, we find that on January 2 the Calendrier is one minute fast, on January 31 it has become two min- utes fast, and on February 28, three minutes fast. It is identical with West for March 1, but has become two minutes slow by .March 31. Thus it varies slightly from time to time, ending on December 31 with calculations identical with those of West of that day. As the "avertissement" states that the calculations for the moon are less ac- curate than those for the sun, and we sometimes find a discrepancy of over an hour between the two almanacs in the time given for the setting of the moon. The phases of the moon, as given in the Calen- drier and in the West almanacs are sometimes identical to the min- ute, as on November 30, and sometimes there is a difference of a day, as on the 15th and 16th of January. The second part of the Calendrier is of far more historical value and particularly so in this copy on account of the manuscript anno- tations, evidently made by some officer of the fleet. Page 26 is entitled "Escadre" and under the sub-title "Etat- Major" some one has written in ink "Monsieur de Barres." This refers to Louis, Count de Barras Saint Laurent, who took command of the fleet after the death of Admiral De Ternay. As neither the name of De Ternay nor that of de Barras appears in the printed list, it is evident that the "Calendrier" was printed after De Ternay's death, which occurred on December 15, and before the news reached Newport that de Barras had been appointed to succeed him. A list of the officers of the squadron follows, and the manuscript annotations are of considerable interest. After the name of M. De Cheffontaine Capitaine en second of "Le Conquerant" is written "tue." The same is also written after the names of MM. De Kergus and De Macarty, both Enseignes de vais- seau, while "hie a Chesapeake" appears after the name of M. De la Jonquiere, Enseign. These officers were all of "Le Conquerant." "Mort" is added after the name of M. De Marsilly, Lieutenant on board "L'Eveille." "Blesse au jambe" is placed after the name of M. Lamoisse, Offi- cier auxiliaire on "L'Ardent." "Tue" is found after the names of M. Misnessi de Quier, En- seign de Vaisseau and MlM. Bonniec and Tranchant, both Officiers auxiliare on "La Surveillante." M. Scot, Garde de la Marine of "La Surveillante," was evidently transferred to "Le Due de Bourgoyne," for after his name is written "d'abord Le Due de Bourgoyne." At the bottom of page 30 a manuscript note reads : "Ces officiers de la Sur- veillante furejit tue dans une combat navale avec un Vaisseau de 50 Canons pour 1'espace de 3 heures." Pages 31 and 32 contain a list of the chief officers of the "Armee aux Orders de M. le Comte de Rochambeau." The historical importance of the Calendrier is brought out by the fact that "La Surveillante'' and four other warships mentioned therein are not mentioned in "Les 'Combattants Francois de la Guerre Americaine," published in 1903 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, and that several of the manuscript annotations record facts which seem to have been unknown to the compilers of that extensive and valuable work. Besides the Calendrier Franc,ais which we have described, we know of five other works issued by 'TImprimerie Royale de 1'Escadre" while the vessels were in North American waters. The earliest is entitled "Declaration adresses, au nom de Roi de France, a tons les Americaines Francois de 1'Amerique Septentrion- ale." It was dated "dans le port du Boston, le 28 d'Octobre 1778," and states that it was "Imprime a bord du Languedoc par F. P. Demange, Imprimeur du Roi & de 1'Escadre." No copy of this decla- ration has been located. The largest work from the "Imprimerie" was printed at New- port and is the first edition of iM. de 'Chastellux' "Voyage de New- port a Philadelphie." This is a book of 187 pages and has been often reprinted. There are but four copies of the "Escadre" edition now known to exist, and these are preserved at the New York Public Library, the Harvard College Library, and in the private libraries of Mr. Huntington and Mr. Halsey. Another important work from this press, the one which perhaps is of the greatest historical value, is a seven-page pamphlet entitled "Articles de la Capitulation." This is the first draft of the articles of Cornwallis' surrender, together with Washington's comments thereon, printed in French. This document was "Fait a York en Virginie, le 19 Octobre 1781." The only recorded copy is at the John Carter Brown Library in Providence. From advertisements in "The Providence Gazette" for 27 Dec., 1780, and "The American Journal" of Providence for 23 Dec., 1780, we learn that a newspaper, "La Gazette Frangais de Newport," was published by the "Imprimerie de 1'Escadre," which at this time was set up on shore at Newport. No copy of this paper has yet been located. As the Providence printers at this time had no French type, it is clear that these advertisements must have been set up at the "Imprimerie" and shipped from Newport to Providence for printing. The advertisements read as follows: "Nous prennons ici les Sou- scriptions par la Gazette Fran^aise de Newport, a un demi Gourde par mois." Another work from this press is entitled "L'Amour paternel qui a toujour anime le coeur du Roy pour les habitans du Canada." This is a folio broadside and is signed by La Fayette. The only copy of this proclamation is at the Boston Athenaeum. The works from this press it will be seen are quite rare, num- bering at present only seven recorded copies. This is doubtless due to the fact that only a few copies of each were printed, the aim of the printer being simply to supply the few officers who would be inter- ested. ' in