3O4 CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES. 



ment is long, and though I have a fac-simile copy of 

 that page in the ancient register containing it, I will 

 give but the substance here. It states that " Messire 

 Joseph Gaspard de Tascher, chevalier, seigneur de 

 La Pagcrie, native of the parish of St. Jacque du 

 Carbct, of said island of Martinique, lieutenant in 

 the artillery, son in legitimate marriage of Messire 

 Joseph- Gaspard de Tascher, chevalier, seigneur de 

 La Pagcrie, and of Madame Maric-Francoise Bou- 

 reau de La Chcvalerie, living in the town of Port 

 Royal," was married to "demoiselle Pose-Claire des 

 Vergers de Sannois, native of the parish of Trois-Ilets, 

 daughter in legitimate marriage of Messire Joseph 

 des Vergers de Sannois and of dame Marie- Catherine 

 Brown, natives of and dwellers in the parish of 

 Trois-Ilets," etc. 



Thus we have in this register of marriage, dated 

 November the ninth, 1761, the names and rank of 

 the parents and grandparents of Josephine, and, what 

 is of equal importance, their place of residence at that 

 time, only eighteen months previous to her birth. 



Let us turn for a moment to her biographers. One 

 or two will suffice to show how inaccurate are their 

 statements. Thus, in " Memoirs of the Empress Jose- 

 phine," by John S. Memes, LL.D., I find that the 

 parents of the Empress were " both natives of 

 France, though married hi St. Domingo, about 

 1761." . . . "Of this parentage, the only child, 

 the subject of these Memoirs, was born in St. Pierre, 

 the capital of Martinico, on the 23d of June, 1763." 



A French dictionary of biography also repeats that 

 Josephine was born in St. Pierre; but this is refuted 

 by the register of baptism at Trois-Ilets, which the 



