Theophile Berengier, who was borin around 1827, was a monk of Solesmes, the Benedictine monastery near LeMans in north-western France. In 1868, while visiting the Community of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Marseilles, he met Bishop Salvado, who was on his second European tour raising funds and seeking recruits for New Norcia. A friendship grew and soon Berengier was writing regurlarly to Salvado who, by this time, was keen to establish a library in New Norcia; Berengier agreed to act as Salvado's agent in France in securing books and other items for Salvado's library. Berengier had an extensive network of contacts through whom he also raised considerable sums of money for the mission by soliciting Mass intentions (money paid for Mass to be said) and through bequests. In 1851, Salvado published his Memorie Storiche dell Australia (The Salvado Memoir) in three parts partly as a fund raising exercise. In 1879, Berengier published his Historie, likewise in three parts, which also intended to raise funds for the mission. Apart from a serialized English translation in 1879, this is the first modern translation of Berengier's book and is an important companion volume to Salvado's Memoirs