Six vues de Finlande - No 1. [Une vue de Wybourg]

S.l. 1832

Presentació. El diàleg, entre la tragèdia i la filosofia

Plató és autor d"uns Diàlegs fonamentals en la història d"allò que abans s"anomenava «la nostra» cultura, la cultura d"Occident; no hi deu haver ningú que ignori aquesta dada bàsica, elemental; i potser per això mateix pot semblar sorprenent que calgui reblar-ho. Ara bé, el fet de preguntar-se amb calma per quins motius el primer monument filosòfic que reconeixem en part, almenys com a «nostre» adopta la forma dialògica no constitueix cap platitud anacrònica, si es fa amb cura, ni mereix un encongiment d"espatlles com a tota resposta.

En què creu el nostre cervell?

Un dels monuments més vistos pels turistes que van a Barcelona és la Sagrada Família. No és excepció: qualsevol lloc que visitem sens dubte amaga un monument religiós digne de ser vist: el monestir d'El Escorial; el Sagrat Cor de París; els temples hindús d'Ellora; l'estupa budista de Boudhanath a Kàtmandu; el mur de les Lamentacions i la mesquita d'Al-Aqsa a Jerusalem... Per què totes les cultures han tingut i tenen creences religioses, al marge de l'aparent augment de persones que es declaren agnòstiques o atees? És només una construcció cultural o el nostre cervell hi té alguna cosa a veure? I si fos així, tenir creences religioses té algun valor adaptatiu?

[21 lettres autographes signées de Léon Halévy à Jacques Léopold Heugel, 1861?-1875]

1er juillet [1861] : Promet un article sur la distribution des récompenses des Salons et des Concours où il rappellera le nom et les oeuvres de Gustave Doré dont il a "le talent en grande estime" : "Le concours de sculpture a été très fort ; le nombre de médailles est trop restreint, et les Grands Prix de Rome toujours favorisés". Evoque aussi le nom de Charles Garnier : "Le "Sujet d'Opéra" de Garnier a obtenu la première médaille d'architecture. Décision tout exceptionnelle et très flatteuse car l'oeuvre ne faisait point partie, à proprement parler, de l'Exposition d'Architecture" (NLAS-212-1). - Février 1865 : Réclame un droit de réponse à un article de Blaze de Bury paru dans le "Ménestrel". La lettre contient également la réponse de Heugel datée du 3 février 1865 dans laquelle l'éditeur lui demande d'adoucir ses propos (NLAS-212-9). - 30 juillet 1866 : Echanges et négociations au sujet de la publication de "Tobie" de Fromental Halévy. Est vexé que l'éditeur ne voie pas dans cette parution une bonne affaire et rappelle qu'il a donné au "Ménestrel" "à titre purement gratuit" un travail important sur l'oeuvre de son frère, alors que tant d'autres collègues sont très bien payés pour fournir des notices sur des compositeurs auxquelles il reproche "un esprit de dénigrement à l'égard de [s]on cher frère". Tente de rendre justice à son frère : "Je ne puis cependant m'empêcher de remarquer, quand j'entre chez vous, qu'à côté des bustes ou portraits de Meyerbeer, de Rossini, d'Auber, qui décorent vos magasins, je ne vois pas une seule image du grand maître qui fut leur égal" (NLAS-212-11). - 2 août 1866 : Le remercie pour le témoignage personnel de ses sentiments à l'égard de son "cher et regretté frère" : "cette justice que vous lui avez toujours rendue me dédommage amplement des torts que peuvent avoir envers sa mémoire plusieurs écrivains qui ont coopéré avec moi au monument que vous élevez à la gloire de nos grands maîtres français et étrangers" (NLAS-212-12). - 25 avril 1867 : au sujet des droits d'auteur de "Tobie" (NLAS-212-16). - 7 mai 1873 : Se dit heureux que son article convienne au directeur du "Ménestrel". Évoque "Carmen" de Bizet : "Ludovic [Halévy] et Meilhac sont à l'oeuvre et achèvent un poème où l'ami Bizet aura toute occasion de déployer son talent" (NLAS-212-17). - 16 juin 1875 : Le remercie pour son article consacré à "[leur] cher et infortuné Bizet" : "Impossible de rendre un hommage plus complet et en meilleurs termes à une existence si courte et si bien remplie" (NLAS-212-19). - 22 juin 1875 : Au sujet d'un opéra inachevé de Bizet, "Le Cid" : "La seule personne qui pourrait vous donner des renseignements que vous désirez sur l'opéra laissé inachevé par Bizet [...] serait sa jeune et malheureuse veuve, ma pauvre nièce Geneviève, mais elle est dans un tel état de prostration, d'accablement et d'inconsolable affliction qu'il est encore impossible de l'interroger sur un sujet si douloureux pour elle et qui raviverait de si poignants souvenirs" (NLAS-212-20). - Contient aussi 2 LAS de sa belle-soeur Léonie Halévy au sujet de sa fondation "Le Pain à bon marché" (NLAS-212-22/23)

[4 phot. de monuments musulmans en France, 3 du cimetière musulman au Père-Lachaise à Paris, 1 d'une gravure représentant la mosquée Mahomet à Buzancy (Ardennes), le tout dû à la Photogravure parisienne de monuments historiques, 30, boulevard Saint-Germain. Des collections du prince R. Bonaparte]

Donateur : Bonaparte, Roland (1858-1924)

Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Troarn [diocèse de Bayeux].

Acquis le 22 février 1842 par don de M. Auguste Le Prevost; cf. B.n.F., département des Manuscrits, registre des acquisitions 1833-1848, n° 3067; — note "Ce manuscrit, sorti des archives de l'abbaie de Troarn à l'époque de la Révolution, a été acquis par mon ami Frédéric Galeron des héritiers de monsieur l'abbé de La Rue, qui y avait inscrit quelques notes. Au moment où il fut enlevé aux recherches locales qu'il cultivait avec tant de zèle et de succès, mon excellent ami me fit l'honneur de me le léguer par son testament. Désirant concourir autant qu'il peut dépendre de moi, à compléter la collection des mss. relatifs à l'histoire et à la topographie de la France, que renferme la Bibliothèque du roi de Paris; convaincu par une triste expérience des inconvénients graves et des chances de destruction que présente le passage de ces précieux documents dans des collections privées, où ils restent trop souvent inaccessibles aux amis de l'histoire; voulant enfin rendre un hommage durable à la mémoire d'un ami dont le souvenir me sera à jamais regrettable et cher, et entrer dans les vues généreuses qui l'ont engagé à me léguer ce cartulaire de l'abbaie de Troarn; je déclare faire hommage du présent ms. à la Bibliothèque du roi de Paris, désirant qu'il y demeure comme un monument authentique de ma reconnaissance pour le bienveillant accueil que j'y ai constamment reçu, de ma pieuse vénération pour la mémoire de l'excellent ami de qui je le tiens et de ma sollicitude pour les progrès futurs du genre de recherches auquel j'ai voué ma vie. Paris, ce 17 février 1842. A. Le Prevost" (IIv); cf. Delisle, Cab. des mss., II, 298.

Governor General Michener's Visit

In October of 1969, Governor General Rolland Michener along with the Bailiff of Guernsey were invited to tour the Niagara Region with Dr. Gibson as part of a series of events to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Sir Isaac Brock's birth. Here they are visiting a stone monument erected in Queenston years ago by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Pictured in the foreground are Mrs. Michener, Dr. Gibson, and Governor General Michener - the man speaking with Dr. Gibson with his back to the photographer.

Women’s Literary Club of St. Catharines Fonds

The Women's Literary Club of St. Catharines was founded in 1892 by a local author, Emma Harvey (Mrs. J.G.) Currie (1829-1913) and held its last official meeting on February 19, 1994. The Club developed, flourished and eventually waned. After more than one hundred successful years, the last members deposited the Club's archives at Brock University for the benefit of researchers, scholars and the larger community. The ‘object of the Club’ was established as “the promotion of literary pursuits.” The Club was a non-profit social organization composed of predominantly white, upper middle class women from the St. Catharines and surrounding areas. Club meetings were traditionally held fortnightly from March to December each year. The last meeting of the year was a celebration of their Club anniversary. The early meetings of the Club include papers presented and music performed by Club members. The literary pursuits that would dominate the agendas for the entire life of the Club reflected an interest in selected authors, national and local history, classical history, musical performances and current cultural and newsworthy events. For example in 1893 a typical meeting agendas would contain papers on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hawaii, Brook Farm, Miss Louisa May Alcott and “Education of Women 100 years Ago.” Within the first year of the Club’s existence, detailed minute books became the norm and an annual agenda or program developed. The WLC collection contains a near complete set of meeting minutes from 1892 until 1995 and a comprehensive collection of yearly programs from 1983-1967 which members took great care to publish each year. Mrs. Currie brought together a group of women with a shared interest in literature and history, who wanted to pursue that interest in a formal and structured manner. She was well educated and influenced at an early age by her tutor and mentor William Kirby, local historian, writer and newspaper editor from Niagara-on-the-Lake. While Currie’s private education influenced her love of literature and history, the Club movement of the 1890’s offered a more public forum for her to share knowledge and learning with other women. Mrs. Currie was the wife of St. Catharines lawyer, James G. Currie, who also served as a Member of Parliament for the county of Lincoln. Mrs. W.H. McClive, who was also married to a St. Catharines lawyer, worked closely with Currie and they began research into the possibility of a literary Club in St. Catharines. Currie corresponded with a variety of literary Clubs across North America before she and Mrs.McClive tagged onto the momentum of the Club movement and published “A Clarion call for Women of St. Catharines To Form a Literary Club” in the local paper The St. Catharines Evening Journal. in 1892 and asked like Clubs to publish the news of their new Club. The early years of the WLC set the foundation of how the Club meetings and events would unfold for the next 80 plus years. Photos and minutes from the first ten years reveal an excitement and interest in organized Club outings. One particular event, an annual pilgrimage to the homestead of Laura Secord, became a yearly celebration for the Club. Club President, Mrs. Currie’s own personal work on Laura Secord amplified the Club’s interest in the ‘heroine of 1812’ and she allocated the profits from her publication on Secord in order to create a commemorative plaque/monument in the name of Laura Secord. The Club celebrated this event with a regular pilgrimage to this site. The connection felt by Club members and this memorial would continue until the Club’s last meetings. The majority of members in the early years were of the upper middle classes in the growing city of St. Catharines. Many of the charter members were the wives of merchants, business men, lawyers, doctors, even a hatter. Furthermore, the position of president was most often held by a woman with a comprehensive list of interests. This is particularly the case in Isabel Brighty McComb (1876-1941). Brighty who became a member in 1903, became Club president in 1932 and stayed in her post until her death in 1941. Similar to Mrs. Currie, Brighty was a local historian and published 2 booklets on local history. Her obituary indicates her position in the community as an author and involved community member committed to lifetime memberships in the Imperial Order of Daughters of Empire, I.O.D.E., the National Organization of Women, N.O.W. and the United Empire Loyalist Society, as well as the WLC. She was a locally known ‘teacher of elocution’ and a devoted researcher of Upper Canadian history. In a Club scrapbook dedicated to her, the biographical sketch illustrates the professionalism surrounding Brighty. There is very little personal history mentioned and the focus is on her literary works, her published essay, booklets and poetry. This professional focus, evident in both her obituary and the scrapbook, illustrate the diversity of these women, especially in their roles outside of the home. The WLC collection contains a vast array of essay, lectures clippings and scrapbooks from past meetings. Organized predominantly by topic or author, the folders and scrapbooks offer a substantial amount of research opportunity in the literary history of Canada. The dates, scope of topics and authors covered offer historians an exciting opportunity to examine the consumption of particular literary trends, artists and topics within the context of a midsized industrial city in English Canada. This is especially important because the agenda adhered to by the Club was bent on promoting, discussing and reviewing predominantly Canadian material. By connecting when and what these women were studying, scholars many gain a better understanding of the broader consumption and appreciation of literary and social trends of Canadian women outside of publishing and institutional records. Furthermore, because the agendas were set by and for these women, outside of the constructs of an institutionalized canon or agenda, they offer a fresh and on the ground examination of literary consumption over an extensive length of time.

Eastham-Leinour Indenture, 1830

Fonds consists of one indenture, the sale of part of lot 94 in Niagara Township, to Thomas Eastham, by James Leinour. Thomas Eastham was a driver in the Her Majesty’s Royal Artillery and was General Brock’s trumpeter at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Eastham owned a hotel on the corner of Queen and Highland streets in Queenston. A watercolour of the hotel forms part of the J. Ross Robertson Art collection at the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. Eastham also served as pound keeper in the Village of Queenston. Thomas Eastham died in 1839 and an inscribed monument marks his grave in the cemetery of St. Mark’s Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. No additional information is known about James Leinour.

The Welland Canals Foundation, Honourable William Hamilton Merritt and the St. Catharines Historical Society and Museum, 1971-1990, n.d.

‘The Father of Canadian Transportation’ is a term commonly associated with William Hamilton Merritt. Although he is most known for being one of the driving forces behind the building of the first Welland Canal, he was many things throughout his life; a soldier, merchant, promoter, entrepreneur and politician to name a few. Born on July 3, 1793 at Bedford, Westchester County, N.Y. to Thomas Merritt and Mary Hamilton, Merritt’s family relocated to Canada shortly after in 1796. The move came after Merritt’s father petitioned John Graves Simcoe for land in Upper Canada after serving under him in the Queen’s Rangers during the American Revolution. The family quickly settled into their life at Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines. Merritt’s father became sheriff of Lincoln County in 1803 while Merritt began his education in mathematics and surveying. After some brief travel and further education Merritt returned to Lincoln County, in 1809 to help farm his father’s land and open a general store. While a farmer and merchant, Merritt turned his attention to military endeavours. A short time after being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Lincoln militia, the War of 1812 broke out. Fulfilling his duty, Merritt fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812, and numerous small battles until the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in July 1814. It was here that Merritt was captured and held in Cheshire, Massachusetts until the war ended. Arriving back in the St. Catharines area upon his release, Merritt returned to being a merchant, as well as becoming a surveyor and mill owner. Some historians hypothesize that the need to draw water to his mill was how the idea of the Welland Canals was born. Beginning with a plan to connect the Welland River with the Twelve mile creek quickly developed into a connection between the Lakes Erie and Ontario. Its main purpose was to improve the St. Lawrence transportation system and provide a convenient way to transport goods without having to go through the Niagara Falls portage. The plan was set in motion in 1818, but most living in Queenston and Niagara were not happy with it as it would drive business away from them. Along with the opposition came financial and political restraints. Despite these factors Merritt pushed on and the Welland Canal Company was chartered by the Upper Canadian Assembly on January 19, 1824. The first sod was turned on November 30, 1824 almost a year after the initial chartering. Many difficulties arose during the building of the canal including financial, physical, and geographic restrictions. Despite the difficulties two schooners passed through the canal on November 30, 1829. Throughout the next four years continual work was done on the canal as it expended and was modified to better accommodate large ships. After his canal was underway Merritt took a more active role in the political arena, where he served in various positions throughout Upper Canada. In 1851, Merritt withdrew from the Executive Council for numerous reasons, one of which being that pubic interest had diverted from the canals to railways. Merritt tried his hand at other public works outside transportation and trade. He looked into building a lunatic asylum, worked on behalf of War of 1812 veterans, aided in building Brock’s monument, established schools, aided refugee slaves from the U.S. and tried to establish a National Archives among many other feats. He was described by some as having “policy too liberal – conceptions too vast – views too comprehensive to be comprehensible by all”, but he still made a great difference in the society in which he lived. After his great contributions, Merritt died aboard a ship in the Cornwall canal on July 5, 1862. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=38719 retrieved October 2006 Today numerous groups carry on the legacy of Merritt and the canals both in the past and present. One such group is the Welland Canals Foundation. They describe themselves as: “. . . a volunteer organization which strives to promote the importance of the present and past Welland Canals, and to preserve their history and heritage. The Foundation began in 1980 and carries on events like William Hamilton Merritt Day. The group has strongly supported the Welland Canals Parkway initiative and numerous other activities”. The Welland Canals Foundation does not work alone. They have help from other local groups such as the St. Catharines Historical Society. The Society’s main objective is to increase knowledge and appreciation of the historical aspects of St. Catharines and vicinity, such as the Welland Canals. http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/dec2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006 http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/feb2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006

Pleasant Hours: A Paper for Young Folk, Vol. III No. 20- October 6, 1863

This issue of Pleasant Hours: a paper for young folk contains an article titled "The Story of Queenston Heights".

Local Postcards, 1996, n.d.

6 of the postcards are sketches by Norbert Collins, these include: St. George’s Anglican Church, the museum, St. Paul United Church, Ridley College clock tower, St. Catherine’s Cathedral and the Willam Hamilton Merritt monument (all of St. Catharines). The 7th postcard is a picture of the St. Catharines Craft Guild Shop in Port Dalhousie (artist unknown). Norbert J. Collins is a Canadian artist.

Sketches of the Battle Fields of Ontario from the War of 1812, July 15, 1876.

Accompanying caption from the Canadian Illustrated News, July 15, 1876: “We publish today a page of sketches consisting of the following battle fields in Ontario :--Lundy’s Lane where, without doubt, the hardest fought battle of 1812-15 took place, and in which more troops were engaged than in any other engagement of that war : the battle field of Stony Creek where the Canadians and Indians made a night attack on the Americans and achieved a victory over a greatly superior force and obliged the Americans to retreat back to the shelter of Old Fort George which was the scene of many engagements during the war. Beaver Dam battle field is just in the suburbs of the thriving village of Thorold, and the monument covers the remains of several soldiers whose bodies were unearthed during the building of the new Welland Canal at that place.”

Battlefield House flyer, n.d.

Battlefield House was originally the home of Mary Gage, a widow who arrived in Canada with 2 children after her husband was killed in action in the American Revolution in 1777. The original house was a log cabin which was replaced by a storey and a half frame house. Col. Nelson was the next owner of the house, and in the middle of the 19th century he raised the roof to make it a 2 storey house and added a large west wing. Successive owners: the Glover, Williams and Fisher families made a few changes to the house. The last owner was D.A. Fletcher who tore down the newer, western half of the building in 1895. In 1899, Mrs. John Calder, a granddaughter of James Gage formed the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society and raised enough money to buy the Gage Farmhouse and the land around it on which the Battle of Stoney Creek was fought. In 1910 this group purchased another 13 acres of the original Crown Grant and made 17 ½ acres of parkland open to the public. The women of the Society renovated and furnished the house. They maintained the building for 63 years. It was due to them that a monument was erected above the house by the Dominion Government. The monument was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the Battle, June 6, 1913. The house was turned over by the Historical Society to The Niagara Parks Commission on January 19th, 1962. Source: Battlefield House Flyer, information provided by Mrs. E.B. Thompson, past president of the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society.

Province of Upper Canada Land Grant to Ann Cook, 1812

A grant of land to Ann Cook of the Township of Crowland. The land is situated in the township of Wainfleet, in the County of Lincoln, in the district of Niagara. Ann Cook is granted 200 acres in lot no. 32 in the 4th concession in Wainfleet. One of the signatures on the document is illegible but other signatures include: Prideaux Selby, auditor general on April 15, 1812. This is the date that the document was entered into the auditor’s office. Isaac Brock has signed in the upper left hand corner as “Isaac Brock President” which refers to the fact that he was President administering the Government of Upper Canada and Major General commanding the forces within the province. It is also signed on the left hand side by John Macdonell (who is buried at Brock’s Monument). At the time, he was the attorney general.