Alexandre Privat D'anglemont

PRIVAT D'ANGLEMONT, Alexandre, West Indian author, born in St. Rose, Guadeloupe, in 1.815 ; died in Paris, France, 18 July, 1859. He was a rimlatto, and, after receiving his early education in Basse Terre, went to Paris to study medicine, but abandoned it for literature. In 1846 he published a volume on the Prado palace, which showed wit, elegance, and simplicity. Soon afterward he made a voyage to Guadeloupe, and, in a sojourn of three days, settled all his interests there, and, carrying his small fortune in a bag, returned to Paris, where he became a contributor to magazines, etc. Privat gained fame, but failed to earn a living. It was his custom to wander at night through the streets, studying the habits of the poorest classes, and he discovered some extraordinary trades, such as those of killer of cats and dealer in the tongues of rats and mice, which he revealed to the world in a volume that caused a great sensation, "Paris Anecdote" (Paris, 1854). After his death from consumption, which his wandering habits had developed, Alfred Delvau, the author of the " Parisian Slang Dictionary," collected some articles by Privat d'Anglemont, and published them under the title "Paris inconnu," which enjoyed the same reputation as the preceding (1861).