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at Pont de VArche. T'is a long story. It was specially 

 a prince of the Carlovingian race, Charles, the Bald, 

 who gave to Pitres lustre in days of yore. Pitres was 

 famous for its mint and coinage, and it is more than 

 likely it was on this account, Charles, the Bald 

 published there, in 864, the law known as the Edits de 

 Pitres, concerning coinage. Pitres was also selected by 

 Charles, the Bald as the meeting place of the Diets or 

 National Assemblies known as " Councils of Pitres. " 

 In 861-2, in the identical little church yonder, which I 

 have undertaken to restore, the French King, Charles 

 the Bald, held his States General, at which were present 

 the Archbishops of Bouen, Beims, and Sens, the Bishops 

 of Paris, Evreux, Coutances, Soissons, Senlis, Tour- 

 nay, Chalons-sur-Saone, Laon, Meaux, Troyes, Autun, 

 Lisieux, Seez, Beauvais. In 864, a still larger Council 

 met there, some fifty Archbishops and Bishops. But I 

 must refer you to my work on Pitres, for full parti- 

 culars. As to the name of the Hill, the origin is both 

 romantic and tragic. Long, long ago, a proud Baron of 

 Pitres, had a beautiful daughter : a youth whose birth 

 was not noble, had saved her life at a boar hunt, and 

 claimed her hand. The Baron adding cruelty to pride, 

 assented, provided the youth should, unassisted, and 

 without resting, carry his intended to the top of yonder 

 hill ; he won his suit, but dropped dead on reaching 

 the top. 



" Of palpitation of the heart, " my companion sug- 

 gested : 



Whether the youth was too weak or his inamorata 

 too weighty, our host could not say. After such a catas- 

 trophe, Mademoiselle doubtless retired to a cloister ! 



Ladies and Gentlemen, — I have described, such as 

 we found it, a village in Normandy. Pitres, you may 

 not be aware, had special attractions for us. More than 

 two hundred years ago, an adventurous gentleman from 

 Pitres landed on our shores and became a Canadian 

 Seigneur ; I am one of his lineal descendants. Let us 



