ship of Padre Ignacio de Azevedo, were proceeding to the missions in the Brazils. Shortly after this he landed at Gomera under a flag of truce and left there his Portuguese prisoners. Cardinal Cienfuegos says that the Governor, Don Diego de Ayala, obtained possession of the cassock of one of these martyrs which became an object of veneration. In the following year, 1571, there appeared in these seas, in command of the same ship, another pirate, a worthy successor to Jacques de Soria. This was Jean Capdeville, a Béarnese, a daring Huguenot, whose name was a terror in these islands. He presented himself on August 24 before San Sebastian de la Gomera at the head of five ships, four French and one English. Their landing could not be opposed, and they sacked, burnt, and destroyed a great part of the town. Upon this followed some wonderful instances of Christian constancy related by the Bishop of Mantua and by Padre Luis Quirós of their brethren the Religious of Gomera. Surprised by this sudden invasion, not only did Fray Bernardino Ramos, the superior, take to flight, but also those under him, abandoning the convent, the church, and the Holy Eucharist. Fray Antonio de Santa Maria had not gone far when shame overtook him. He came back full of zeal, ran to the Sagrario and consumed the holy wafer; but when leaving the church he was caught by the Huguenots, who had already made prisoners the priest and others. They were all taken on board the admiral's ship, Fray Antonio all the time preaching to them and exhorting them to martyrdom. After six days they were fetched from the hold to dispute about dogmas; then they were transferred to another ship, beaten, and finally thrown into the sea with heavy stones round their necks. Meantime Fray Diego Muñoz (who had remained in the convent gathering together the sacred images, ornaments, and jewels), found himself surrounded by enemies. Full of holy enthusiasm, he reproached the heretics with their outrages, but both he and a lay brother, who had remained concealed and who came forward to defend him, were killed and cast into the sea. The Count, having gathered together some men, threw himself upon the invaders, who fled and re-embarked in confusion, leaving many dead upon the shore. Such was the day of St. Bartholomew 1 which the Huguenots inflicted upon our Gomeros. Could they have foreseen what was to happen to them in France in the following year? The records of the town were burnt. It

1 Although the writer was a Romanist priest, he calls this in a note the "execrable" Massacre of St. Bartholomew.

became necessary to rebuild the convent and to enlarge the fortress. In 1578 Philip II. granted half the cost, or 1,500 ducats, out of the royal treasury 'to protect the island against further attacks by Lutheran ships.' (Communicated by E. Belleroche).

III.

LA CHEVALLERIE.

(Extracts from letters from Captain Theodor von La Chevallerie, living at 80, Greisenau Strasse, Berlin; communicated by I. H. Layard).

In reference to the La Chevalleries in Germany, there is a remark in the "Chronik" of Professor Erman of Berlin, published in the beginning of this century :

"Les La Chevalerie sont de Poitou, une très illustre et nombreuse famille."

All the knowledge we have of our ancestry is confined to that branch which came to Germany in some relation to the House and family of the Princes Electoral (Kurfürsten), of Hanover, and also with the Dukes of Brunswick.

We have the same arms as the house of Hanover and Brunswick-Lüneburg, namely:

Gules, a "cheval effrayé" argent, surmounted by a Viscount's Coronet. My father always told us that we were of high rank, but had come down in the world by evil circumstances, for instance, that one of our ancestors, contemporary with King Frederick William I., father of Frederick the Great, gave all the money which he had saved since his flight from France, as recruiting officer of the King, to help him levy his giant guards from all the ends of the world. So our great-grandfather was foolish enough to lose his money and we became poor, without any estate to our name, and were obliged to serve in the army, where several of the La Chevallerie have been very good officers, one being a Knight of the "Black Eagle."

Another of our ancestors, by name Siméon de La Chevallerie was a great friend of the Kurfürst. His tomb is in the vault of the Cathedral of Hanover, beside that of the Kurfürst; but we have not been able to see the grave, for the Duke of Cumberland, who lives at Gmund, does not allow strangers to enter the vault.

The sisters of Siméon de la Chevallerie were with the Prussian Royal Family at Berlin as "dames d'honneur."

There are two other branches of the Chevallerie besides ours. One of them writes the name 'VON DER CHEVALLERIE,' the other 'DE LA CHEVALLERIE.'

We have accepted, and are authorised by the Heralds' College to write our name ' VON LA CHEVALLERIE,' which is the best way to show that we are noblemen, without corrupting the

name.

There are La Chevalleries in Paris; they are Roman Catholics and bear the name of 'AYMER DE LA CHEVALERIE.' One of them is a Marquis.

We always consider ourselves to be of Refugee and Huguenot descent. The German Chevalleries are all protestants, belonging to the Reformed Church.

Our pedigree is officially authenticated.

We possess a picture of Siméon de la Chevallerie, a fine old miniature, depicting a very knightly face. He is painted in armour and looks, with his noble face, a perfect "chevalier."

I append the arms of the French alliances in the genealogy of the de La Chevallerie family.

I. d'Andigny.

Argent, three eagles, gules. Above the helmet, an eagle. II. Philipponneau, Montargis de Haute-Cour.

III.

Argent, on three chevronels gules, three stars, or. de Bazin.

Gules, a lion, or.

IV. Dupuis de Sacetôt.

Above the helmet, a lion rampant.

Argent, 2 chevronels sable between 3 ravens sable, two

over one.

Dans le premier salon de la Bibliothéque Nationale à Paris se trouve le dossier DE LA CHEVALLERIE, où l'on voit le cheval effrayé et la couronne de marquis.

Le dossier indique la famille comme originaire de l'Auvergne Foire Angoulême.

Le Château de la Chevallerie à St. Maixent entre Poitiers et Niort (Vienne) appartient aux domaines du marquis AYMER DE LE CHEVALLERIE dont Ernest Auguste fit le connaissance à Paris en 1855. Le marquis habitait alors avec le nombreuse famille le domaine de Pillouet près de Poitiers. Madame la marquise fut née Comtesse de Moussy.