194 M. Rozet on the Life and Writings of 
EMILE LE PUILLON DE BoBLAYE, Chef d’escadron au corps 
royal d’etat-major, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, and 
of the Greek order of the Saviour, Member of the Geolo- 
gical Society of France, and of many other learned Societies, 
was born at Pontivy, in the department of Morbihan, on the 
16th November 1792. His father, member of the Chambre des 
Comptes of Brittany, died in 1838, being president of the Civil 
Tribunal of Pontivy. His mother, a highly educated woman 
and of great merit, having undertaken the early education of 
her six children, did not fail to inspire them with that filial 
and fraternal affection which has its source in the heart of 
mothers, and to excite in them a strong taste for study. On 
leaving his mother, Emile de Boblaye entered the College of 
Pontivy, where his brilliant success soon shewed the strength 
and superiority of his intellect, both to his teachers and fel- 
low-pupils. From the College of Pontivy he went to that of 
Rouen, where he completed the studies required for the Po- 
lytechnie School, into which he was admitted in the month of 
November 1811, his name being the ninth on the list of 
merit. 
On the 25th September 1813, he left this celebrated school, 
with the brevet of sub-lieutenant in the Imperial corps of 
military geographical engineers. He had been six months 
in the école d’application of this corps, when severity of cli- 
mate, joined to the defection of our allies, after having opened 
the gates of France to united Europe, brought under the walls 
of Paris the remains of those innumerable legions, before 
which our valiant soldiery had shed almost the last drop of 
their blood. At this period of mournful recollection, the de- 
fence of the Barrizre du. Tréne was entrusted to the batta- 
lion of the Polytechnic School, in which there happened to 
be one of Boblaye’s brothers. Influenced by his patriotism 
as well as by his attachment to this brother, he ran and 
placed himself by his side, and shared, by his spirited con- 
duct, in the glory which the Polytechnic School acquired in 
that memorable defence. 
When peace was re-established among the nations of Ku- 
rope, and the mutilated remains of our valiant army were 
permitted to sheath their swords, the government conceived 
