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LEMAITRE, FRANCOIS ELIE JULES (1853— )

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Originally appearing in Volume V16, Page 409 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LEMAITRE, See also:FRANCOIS See also:ELIE JULES (1853— ) , See also:French critic and dramatist, was See also:born at Vennecy (Loiret) on the 27th of See also:April 1853. He became a See also:professor at the university of See also:Grenoble, but he had already become known by his See also:literary criticisms, and in 1884 he resigned his position to devote himself entirely to literature. He succeeded J. J. See also:Weiss as dramatic critic of the See also:Journal See also:des Debats, and subsequently filled the same See also:office on the Revue des Deux Mondes. His literary studies were collected under the See also:title of See also:Les Contemporains (7 See also:series, 1886—1899), and his dramatic feuilletons as Impressions de See also:theatre (Io series, 1888-1898). His sketches of See also:modern authors are interesting for the insight displayed in them, the unexpectedness of the judgments and the gaiety and originality of their expression. He published two volumes of See also:poetry: Les Medaillons (188o) and Petites orientates (1883); also some volumes of conies, among them En marge des vieux livres (1905). His plays are: Revoltee (1889), Le depute Leveau, and Le Mariage See also:blanc (1891), Les Reis (1893), Le See also:Pardon and L'See also:Age dicile (1895), La Massiere (1905) and Bertrade (1906). He was admitted to the French See also:Academy on the 16th of See also:January 1896. His See also:political views were defined in La Campagne nationaliste (1902), lectures delivered in the provinces by him and by G. See also:Cavaignac.

He conducted a nationalist See also:

campaign in the See also:Echo de See also:Paris, and was for some See also:time See also:president of the Ligue de la Patric Francaise, but resigned in 1904, and again devoted himself to literature. LE MANS, a See also:town of See also:north-western See also:France, See also:capital of the See also:department of See also:Sarthe, 77 M. S.W. of See also:Chartres on the railway from Paris to See also:Brest. Pop. (1906) town, 54,907, See also:commune, 65,467. It is situated just above the confluence of the Sarthe and the Huisne, on an See also:elevation rising from the See also:left See also:bank of the Sarthe. Several See also:bridges connect the old town and the new quarters which have sprung up See also:round it with the more extensive See also:quarter of Pre on the right bank. Modern thoroughfares are gradually superseding the winding and narrow streets of old houses; a See also:tunnel connects the See also:Place des See also:Jacobins with the See also:river See also:side. The See also:cathedral, built in the highest See also:part of the town, was originally founded by St See also:Julian, to whom it is dedicated. The See also:nave See also:dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. In the 13th See also:century the See also:choir was enlarged in the grandest and boldest See also:style of that See also:period. The transepts, which are higher than the nave, were rebuilt in the 15th century, and the See also:bell-See also:tower of the See also:south See also:transept, the See also:lower part of which is Romanesque, was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Some of the stained See also:

glass in the nave, dating from the first See also:half of the 12th century, is the See also:oldest in France; the See also:west window, representing the See also:legend of St Julian, is especially interesting. The south lateral portal (12th century) is richly decorated, and its statuettes exhibit many costumes of the period. The austere simplicity of the older part of the See also:building is in striking contrast with the lavish richness of the ornamentation in the choir, where the stained glass is especially See also:fine. The See also:rose-window (15th century) of the north transept, representing the Last See also:Judgment, contains many See also:historical figures. The cathedral also has curious tapestries and some remarkable tombs, including that of Berengaria, See also:queen of See also:Richard Coeur de See also:Lion. See also:Close to the western See also:wall is a megalithic See also:monument nearly 15 ft. in height. The See also:church of La See also:Couture, which belonged to an old See also:abbey founded in the 7th century by St See also:Bertrand, has a See also:porch of the 13th century with fine statuary; the See also:rest of the building is older. The church of Notre-See also:Dame du pre, on the right bank of the Sarthe, is Romanesque in style. The hotel de ville was built in 1756 on the site of the former See also:castle of the See also:counts of See also:Maine; the prefecture (1760) occupies the site of the monastery of La Couture, and contains the library, the communal archives, and natural See also:history and See also:art collections; there is also an archaeological museum. Among the old houses may be mentioned the Hotel du Grabatoire of the See also:Renaissance, once a See also:hospital for the canons and the so-called See also:house of Queen Berengaria (16th century), See also:meeting place of the historical and archaeological society of Maine. A monument to See also:General See also:Chanzy commemorates the See also:battle of Le Mans (1871). Le Mans is the seat of a bishopric dating from the 3rd century, of a See also:prefect, and of a See also:court of assizes, and headquarters of the IV. See also:army See also:corps.

It has also tribunals of first instance and of See also:

commerce, a See also:council of See also:trade-arbitrators, a chamber of commerce, a See also:branch of the Bank of France, an See also:exchange, a lycee for boys, training colleges, a higher ecclesiastical See also:seminary and a school of See also:music. The town has a See also:great variety of See also:industries, carried on chiefly in the See also:southern suburb of Pontlieue. The more important are the See also:state manufacture of See also:tobacco, the preparation of preserved vegetables, See also:fish. &c., tanning, See also:hemp-See also:spinning, See also:hell-See also:founding, See also:flour-milling, the founding of See also:copper and other metals, and the manufacture of railway wagons, machinery and See also:engineering material, agricultural implements, rope, See also:cloth and stained glass. The fattening of poultry is an important See also:local See also:industry, and there is trade in See also:cattle, See also:wine, cloth, See also:farm-produce, &c. The town is an important railway centre. As the capital of the Aulerci Cenomanni, Le Mans was called Suindinum or Vindinum. The See also:Romans built walls round it in the 3rd century, and traces of them are still to be seen close to the left bank of the river near the cathedral. In the same century the town was evangelized by St Julian, who became its first See also:bishop. Ruled at first by his successors—notably St Aldric—Le Mans passed in the See also:middle ages to the counts of Maine (q.v.), whose capital and See also:residence it became. About the middle of the 11th century the citizens secured a communal See also:charter, but in 1063 the town was seized by See also:William the Conqueror, who deprived them of their liberties, which were recovered when the countship of Maine had passed to the See also:Plantagenet See also:kings of See also:England. Le Mans was taken by See also:Philip See also:Augustus in 1189, recaptured by See also:John, subsequently confiscated and later ceded to Queen Berengaria, who did much for its prosperity.

It was several times besieged in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1793 it was seized by the Vendeans, who were expelled by the Republican generals Marceau and \Vestermann after a stubborn battle in the streets. ,In 1799 it was again occupied by the See also:

Chouans. The battle of Le Mans (loth-12th January 1871) was the culminating point of General Chanzy's fighting See also:retreat into western France after the See also:winter campaign in See also:Beauce and See also:Perche (see FRANCO-See also:GERMAN See also:WAR). The numerous, but See also:ill-trained and ill-equipped, levies of the French were followed up by See also:Prince See also:Frederick See also:Charles with the German II. Army, now very much weakened but consisting of soldiers who had in six months' active warfare acquired the self-confidence of veterans. The Germans advanced with three army corps in first See also:line and one in reserve. On the 9th of January the centre corps (III.) drove an advanced See also:division of the French from Ardenay (13 M. E. of Le Mans). On the loth of January Chanzy's See also:main defensive position was approached. Its right wing was See also:east of the Sarthe and 3-5 M. from Le Mans, its centre on the heights of Anvours with the river Huisne behind it, and its left scattered along the western bank of the same river as far as See also:Montfort (12 M. E.N.E. of Le Mans) and thence northward for some See also:miles.

On the loth there was a severe struggle for the villages along the front of the French centre. On the filth Chanzy attempted a See also:

counter-offensive from many points, but owing to the misbehaviour of certain of his rawest levies, the Germans were able to drive him back, and as their See also:cavalry now began to appear beyond his extreme left flank, he retreated in the See also:night of the 11th on See also:Laval, the Germans occupying Le Mans after a brief rearguard fight on the 12th. LE MARCHANT, JOHN GASPARD (1766-1812), See also:English See also:major-general, was the son of an officer of dragoons, John Le Marchant, a member of an old See also:Guernsey See also:family. After a some-what See also:wild youth, Le Marchant, who entered the army in 1781, attained the See also:rank of See also:lieutenant-See also:colonel in 1797. Two years before this he had designed a new cavalry See also:sword; and in 1801 his See also:scheme for establishing at High See also:Wycombe and Great See also:Marlow See also:schools for the military instruction of See also:officers was sanctioned by See also:Parliament, and a See also:grant of £30,00° was voted for the " royal military See also:college," the two See also:original departments being afterwards combined and removed to See also:Sandhurst. Le Marchant was the first lieutenant-See also:governor, and during the nine years that he held this See also:appointment he trained many officers who served with distinction under See also:Wellington in the See also:Peninsula. Le 111archant himself was given the command of a cavalry See also:brigade in 1810, and greatly distinguished himself in several actions, being killed at the battle of See also:Salamanca on the 22nd of See also:July 1812, after the See also:charge of his brigade had had an important See also:share in the English victory. He wrote several See also:treatises on cavalry See also:tactics and other military subjects, but few of them were published. By his wife, See also:Mary, daughter of John See also:Carey of Guernsey, Le Marchant had four sons and six daughters. His second son, See also:SIR DNIS LE MARCHANT, See also:Bart. (1795-1874), was educated at See also:Eton and Trinity College, See also:Cambridge, and was called to the See also:bar in 1823. In 1830 he became secretary to See also:Lord See also:Chancellor See also:Brougham, and in the Reform See also:Bill debates made himself exceedingly useful to the ministers.

Having been secretary to the See also:

board of trade from 1836 to 1841, he was created a See also:baronet in 1841. He entered the House of See also:Commons in 1846, and was under secretary for the See also:borne department in the See also:government of Lord John See also:Russell. He was See also:chief clerk of the House of Commons from 185o to 1871. He published a See also:Life of his See also:father in 1841, and began a Life of Lord Althorpe which was completed after his See also:death by his son; he also edited See also:Horace See also:Walpole's See also:Memoirs of the Reign of See also:George III. (1845). Sir See also:Denis Le Marchant died in See also:London on the 3oth of See also:October 1874. The third son of General Le Marchant, SIR JOHN GASPARD LE MARCHANT (1803-1874), entered the English army, and saw service in See also:Spain in the Carlist War of 1835-37. He was after-wards lieutenant-governor of See also:Newfoundland (1847-1852) and of Nova See also:Scotia (1852-1857); governor of See also:Malta (1859-1864); See also:commander-in-chief at See also:Madras (1865-1868). He was made K.C.B. in 1865, and died on the 6th of See also:February 1874. See Sir Denis Le Marchant, Memoirs of General Le See also:Merchant (1841); Sir William See also:Napier, History of the War in the Peninsula (6 vols., 1828-1840).

End of Article: LEMAITRE, FRANCOIS ELIE JULES (1853— )

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