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states (p.190) that history tells us Schneider met his death on May 31, and the three others on July 17.On what authority is this assertion based ?The dates given by the official journal Le Moniteur are April 1 and July 17 respectively'.Comparatively small space is allotted to the Philadelphians, and although the matter is new, it is questionable whether it is of sufficient imlportance to have formed the sub-title of the book.We learn that this particular Philadelphia was a secret society founded by Nodier in 1797 and consisted originally of himself and four fellow-students of the Ecole Centrale of Besan;on.The members are described as 'brothers united by friendship' for the advancement of virtue: the rules (which are.included in the pieces justificatives) distinctly state that no theological or political questions shall be discussed at meetings.From its very nature such a society was not destined to have an eventful history.Later changes were made in the constitution with a view to creating a common moral and political code, and the election of Major Oudet as ' archon' marks the introduction of the military element.By the end of 1803 the society had virtually ceased to exist, and although Philadelphians were to be found in the army right up to 1815, they were unmolested by the police, who expressed themselves satisfied as to their loyalty to the government.Thus M. Pingaud conclusively proves Nodier's Histoire des Societes secretes de l'Armee to be an ingenious hoax, 'une aeuvre d'imagination qui semblait une revelation,' so cleverly is truth mingled with fiction.In addition to being an excellent biography, this scholarly volume forms a valuable contribution to the history of the beginnings of Romanticism in France and throws unexpected side-lights on certain Revolutionary figures connected with Franche-Comte.The material is skilfully handled, the facts presented clearly, the criticism sound, and the book should prove useful alike to students of literature and history.As a work of reference, however, it suffers fatally from the lack of an index.Also, since up to the present it has been found impossible to compile a complete catalogue of Nodier's literary productions, a chronological list of those newspaper articles and other minor writings which M. Pingaud has discovered in the course of his researches would have been very welcome. F. PAGE.
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