Scottish Rite (Masonic Order) French Language Collection, 1787-1825, 1907, n.d.

The origins of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry can be traced to France around 1754, when a Chapter of Claremont was founded in Paris. Initially this chapter had seven degrees, but by 1758 there were twenty-five degrees, known as the Rite of Perfection. In 1761, Stephen Morin was appointed to introduce the Rite into the New World. He began with Kingston, Jamaica and San Domingo. Further establishments were made in New Orleans, LA(1763); Albany, NY (1767); Philadelphia, PA (1782); and Charleston, SC (1783). In order to improve the disorganized state of the degrees in Europe, “Grand Constitutions” were enacted in 1786. These Constitutions formally brought into existence the “Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite”. None of the degrees of the Scottish Rite would seem to have origins in Scotland. “Scottish” is translated from the French word “Ecossais”, which is found in some of the French titles of some of the degrees of the Rite of Perfection. It is possible that the Scottish connection is a result of the involvement of a Scotsman, Andrew Michael Ramsey, who may have devised some of the degrees.

Letter by Napoleon Buonaparte (Bonaparte) to Guillaume Thomas Francois Raynal, 24 June 1790

A letter written by Napoleon Buonaparte (Bonaparte) to Guillaume Thomas Francois Raynal, dated at Ajaccio [Corsica] June 24 the first year of freedom [1790]. The letter is written in French. A transcription and a translation of the letter are also available.

Letter - Mayor Armour L.McCrae to The Ninety-Nines, Inc.,

A letter written by Mayor of Welland, Armour L. McCrae, to The Ninety-Nines (International Organization of Women Pilots), recommending Mrs. Dorothy Rungeling for the Amelia Earhart Scholarship. The letter reads: "Dear Madam: I am taking this opportunity of writing to you to support the name of Mrs. D. Rungeling for the Amelia Earhart Scholarship. Mrs. Rungeling has brought considerable fame to our city through her activities in the air and has placed second and fifth in recent All Womens Air Races. Perhaps, however, her most outstanding feats have been performed through her support of flying through the medium of our Flying Club. Towards this end, she regularly contributes through her column in the newspaper and was rewarded last year by receiving a National Trophy for her efforts. It would not be out of the way to say that Mrs. Rungeling has meant the difference between our City giving up this Airport or continuing. Her splendid personal triumph and her daily advocacy of flying has made our people flying conscious and we feel that we owe her a debt of gratitude for this fine work. Trusting this communication is in order, I am Yours very truly, Armour L. McCrae, Mayor.

Elisha B. Sherwood letter, February 26, 1845

Elisha Barber Sherwood (1810-1905) was a Presbyterian minister. He began his career as a minister in the Church at Wilson, Niagara County, N.Y., subsequently becoming pastor at various churches in New York, Michigan, and Missouri. He is the author of Fifty Years on the Skirmish Line, a review of his ministerial work.

Letter to Samuel D. Woodruff from Mr. Steers

Letter to Samuel D. Woodruff from Mr. Steers stating that the claim will be brought forward in July. The writing on this letter is smeared due to moisture, but the text is legible, Apr. 24, 1848.

Letter - S.D. Woodruff to Elizabeth Cudney

Letter to Elizabeth Cudney from S.D. Woodruff stating that he could execute the papers on the 6th or 7th of February regarding 18 acres of her land [most of the writing is illegible], Feb. 1, 1893.

Letter to A.K. Boomer of the Niagara District Agricultural Society, 1845

Mr. Graham of the Bertie Agricultural Society is writing to obtain information from A.K. Boomer of the Niagara District Agricultural Society. The Niagara District Agricultural Society was established in 1793. Regular meetings and annual fairs were held by the society.

Letter to Joseph A. Woodruff from Mr. Brown

Letter to Joseph A. Woodruff from Mr. Brown (2 ½ pages). Most of the writing is illegible, but he mentions cutting timber and an extension of a lease, Jan. 15, 1869.

Letter to Robert Dickson from John Hamilton

Letter to Robert Dickson from John Hamilton who was in Brighton. He says that he has had scarlet fever. He speaks of his travels to the Giant’s Causeway and Londonderry. He says that his poor brother-in-law is not getting any better. The writing on this letter goes in 2 directions in order to save paper (3 ½ pages, handwritten), Sept. 5, 1834.

Letter to Henry Nelles from Michael Harris regarding estate problems

Letter to Henry Nelles from Michael Harris regarding estate problems (3 pages, handwritten with writing going in 2 directions on the last page), May 30, 1821.

Letter to Henry Nelles from James Ingersoll.

Letter to Henry Nelles from James Ingersoll. Most of the writing is illegible, but he does mention turning a poor man off the premises without paying him. There is a note at the end of this letter (in different handwriting) to write to John Willson to provide an honest Scotch [Scottish] girl for Andrew Muir, about 9 or 10 years old(1 double-sided page, handwritten), April 1832.

La poésie graphique : Christian Dotremont, Roland Giguère, Henri Michaux et Jérôme Peignot

Réalisé en cotutelle avec l'Université de la Sorbonne - Paris IV

Metacognitive knowledge and self-regulation: A qualitative lecture of students functioning in writing

This research emerges from the world-wide problematic concerning student's failure. It particularly analyzes the meta-cognitive competences in the writing process of this population. Based on Flavell's (1992) viewpoint about meta-cognition and the socio-cognitive approach of self-regulation, two variables were measured: meta-cognitive knowledge and self-regulation strategies. A qualitative study was conducted on a sample of 12 French students at first year university. This study uses a specific technique of interview known as "explicitation interview". The data analysis included the categorization, codification and quantification of the information obtained with the interviews. In conclusion, even though the students had metacognitive knowledge related to the written tasks, they did not show strategies that could help to go beyond the descriptive modality of written discourses by taking into account the readers' expectations. Their writing processes focused on transcription of ideas with little control on the planning and revision phases.

Designing Year 12 strategy training in listening and writing: from theory to practice

This article outlines some of the key issues involved in developing a programme of strategy training for learners of French, in listening and in writing. It highlights the theoretical perspectives and research findings on listening and writing that informed the selection of strategies to teach learners and thence the development of appropriate materials. Examples of these materials are given as well as advice regarding their use. The article concludes with suggestions for how strategy training might be incorporated into teachers' own work with learners.

Selective listening in L2 learners of French

This paper considers the issue raised by Brown (2008) regarding whether nouns are ‘privileged’ in memory over verbs during listening tasks, and whether attention to nouns, at least in the early stages of L2 learning, is a desirable strategy to be taught to learners, as Brown suggests it might be. The question of verb/noun recognition was explored in the present study using data from 30 lower-intermediate learners of French in England. Learners completed a listening task on two occasions, six months apart, producing recall protocols for short oral passages in French. We also explored learners’ attentional strategy use by asking them to report on this in writing immediately after the recall task. An analysis of verbs and nouns recognised indicated that verb recognition was lower than that of nouns, and that progress in verb recognition over six months was negligible. A qualitative analysis of learners’ strategy use indicated that learners with a more balanced verb/noun recognition profile took a broader focus, tending to focus their attention consciously at phrase/sentence level rather than at word level. These findings are discussed in terms of the development of listening skills over time, and the implications of this for L2 listening pedagogy.