KERATRY, SMILE DE, Comte, b. Paris, 1832, of a noble family in Bretagne; son of Auguste Hilarion, who was a moderate participant in every revolution in France from 1789 to 1851. Emile entered the army, served in Africa, the Crimea, and Mexico. In 1865, returning to Paris. he became one of the editors of the Revue Contemporainc, in which his articles on the French occupation and campaigns of Mexico threw such light.
upon them as to produce a lively sensation in France. Afterwards editor of the Rem* Modern, he renewed attention to the same subject. The articles brought out disdainful allusions to their author by Rouher from the tribune; to which Keratry replied by a published letter, announcing that if the government failed to investigate the Mexican misdoings he would make public complete revelations of them. In 1869, against the opposition of the government and the clergy, he was elected deputy to the corps There he became an active member of the opposition, which denounced the prorogation of the legislature by Napoleon III. During the session of 1870 Keratry was active in pressing measures for the reorganization of the army, the suppression of the garde. mobile, the creation of a militia, and the imposition of the condition of suffrage that each elector should know how to read and write. He demanded the restitution to the national archives of papers which Napoleon had caused to be abstracted; and became an advocate of the restoration of rights and citizenship to the Orleans princes. On the opening of diplomatic difficulties with Prussia in July, 1870, Keratry was hot for war.
When, Sept. 4, 1870, the empire crumbled under defeat and the public contempt, Keratry was made prefect of police by the new committee of defense. He ordered the removal of all Germans from Paris and its environs, sent the Orleans prince back to. England, and made qqiek changes in the police department of Paris to deprive its organization of a political or partisan character. He soon resigned this position to take a diplomatic mission to Spain; leaving Paris in a balloon. The mission was futile. On his return Gain betta made him commander-in chief of the forces organizing in the five departments of Bretagne; but, disagreeing with Gambetta, he resigned Nov. 27. In Mar., 1871, Thiers appointed him prefect of the department of the where he took prompt and harsh measures to signalize his detestation of ultra-democratic Opinions. lu Nov., made prefect of the he exhibited such lack of tact, and hostility to the republican party, that his resignation was willingly accepted in Aug., 1872; and he S made an officer of the legion of honor. He then became one of the editors of the journal, Le Soir. He is the author of several comedies and graver works, as follows: A bon chat bon rat; Toile de Penelope; La Guerre des Blasons; Vie de Club; Contre- Guerilla; the Ureauce decker; L'Eievation et la Chute de .tlfaximilien; and Le Quatre Septembre: the last is a curious exposition of the police system under the empire.