Charles of Brushes

Charles of Brushes , Count of Tournay, Baron of Montfalcon, Lord of Pregny, Chambezy, Vezin S and Prevessin, says “the president of Brosses”, is a Magistrat, Historien, Linguiste and writer French born with Dijon the February 7th 1709 and died in Paris the May 7th 1777.

Biography

Wire of an adviser to the Parliament of Burgundy and grandson of the jurisconsult Charles Fevret, it made its humanities at the Jésuites of his birthplace where it had in particular as a school-fellow Buffon, who was to remain his life during his friend expensive. He studied then the right and was named, with blackjack years, adviser with the grand' room of the Parliament of Burgundy.

In 1739 - 1740, it carries out a long tour in Italy, company of Jean-Baptiste of Curne of Holy-Palaye (1697 - 1781), of the twin brother of this one, Edmond de Lacurne (1697 - 1779), of Benign Gouz de Gerland (1695 - 1774), Germain-Anne Loppin of Montmort, marquis of Boulaye (1708 - 1767), and of Abraham-Guy de Migieu, marquis de Savigny (1718 - 1749), all scholars and impassioned. On its return, it will become President with mortar at the Parliament of Burgundy, then First president in 1775.

It cultivated the letters with distinction while fulfilling its functions with zeal. Buffon writes about it: “Its sight extended from in top until on more the small details, at the point not to let escape none of these fugitive reports/ratios that the glance of genius can only see”.

Yielding to the incentives of Buffon - reader of the Small Letters of Maupertuis - it wrote the History of navigations to the Southern lands, compilation of all the voyages then known in the South Seas, precedee of a plea in favor of a voyage campaign of exploration in this water in order to there discover and exploit the Austral continent which, for mechanical reasons, could not miss being there. Work it was known as that the reading convainquit Bougainville, then soldier in Canada, to be done marine. Charles of Brushes maintained a correspondence with the Scot Alexander Dalrymple, future first Hydrograph of his British and competitor Majesty unhappy of James Cook to the head of the voyage of discovered finally undertaken by this last, which shared this point of view. It has Charles of Brushes which one allots the paternity of the words " Polynesie" and " Australasie". It did not have the marine, same foot on the Rhone.

Impassioned by the work of the Roman historian Salluste, it was to seek the lost book of its great history of the Roman Republic that it left for Italy. This research being proven unfruitful, it occupied thirty years of its life to compose a Histoire of the Roman Republic in the course of the 7th century (1777), in which, after having translated all the preserved pieces of the work of Salluste, it endeavoured to fill the gaps of them.

Of its voyage in Italy, it however brought back the work which the most contributed to establish its reputation, the Written letters of Italy , published for the first time under the title historical Lettres and criticisms written of Italy (1799) according to a bad copy fallen between but of Séryeis, then republished by Colomb according to the authentic text under the title Italy there are hundred years, or Written letters of Italy to some friends in 1739 and 1740 (1836), before being finally published per H. Babou under the most used title written Lettres familiar ofItaly (1858).

Brushes was accepted free associate with the Académie of the inscriptions and the humanities in 1750. It also formed part of the Académie of Dijon. Contentions which it had with Voltaire prevented it from entering to the French Academy.

Works

Letters on the actual position of the underground city of Herculée and on the causes of its burial under the ruins of the Vesuvius , Dijon, Desventes, 1750, in-8: First work which was published about Herculanum.

History of navigations to the southern lands , Parigi, Durand, 1756, 3 vol. in-4: In this work of Brushes creates the names of the Polynésie and the Australasia .

Of the worship of the gods Fetishes , Ginevra, Cramer, 1760, in-12: In this work, Brushes creates the word Fétichisme .

Treated formation mechanical of the languages , Paris, Projecting, 1765, 2 vol. in-12: Invaluable work for the etymology, and held a long time for most important of its writings.

History of the Roman Republic in the course of the 7th century, by Salluste, partly translated from Latin on the original, partly restored & composed on the fragments which remained of its books lost, given in order in their true place or most probable , Dijon, Frantin, 1777, 3 vol. in-4

Written letters of Italy :

historical Letters and criticisms written of Italy , year VIII (1799), 3 vol. in-8
Italy there are hundred years, or Written letters of Italy to some friends in 1739 and 1740 , Paris, 1836,2 vol. in-8
written Lettres familiar of Italy , Paris, 1858, in-18
Lettres of Italy , nouv. ED. by F. of Agay, Paris, Mercure de France, coll “found time”, 1986 and 2005

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