prison in Paris, France, by a mob angered at the perceived absolutism and arbitrariness of the monarchy and a belief that the aristocracy was doing nothing for the country's starving peasants.

That historic event, which signalled the beginning of the French Revolution and the founding of the Republic of France, forever remains a symbol of liberty, democracy, and the struggle against all forms of oppression for all citizens of that country.

While Bastille Day, as the July 14 anniversary became known, is celebrated as a public holiday in France, elsewhere French nationals choose other ways to mark the occasion. Here in Bermuda, honorary French Consul, Mr. Edgar Humann, will join members of the Alliance Francaise at a gala dinner at Ariel Sands.

The Royal Gazette's Nancy Acton sat down with Mr. Humann to discuss his heritage, his role in Bermuda, and his observations on la vie francaise.

Tanned, relaxed, and eminently charming, Bermuda's honorary French Consul Edgar Humann is about as far removed from a French revolutionary as it is possible to get. Indeed, as he readily admits, not only does he speak French with a trace of an American accent, but also he has little skill in writing it.

Yet, the Gallic blood coursing through his veins contains genes no less heroic than of those who overthrew social injustices in 1789.

Mr. Humann's French father valiantly served his country in two world wars, and was a member of the Intelligence Service between them.

As a prisoner of war, the elder Humann organised a successful escape for others, and on his release helped spring another pal from a Gestapo prison, as a result of which he was smuggled out of France with a German death warrant on his head.

Another relative also served in an intelligence service.

If young Edgar was not exposed to military daring, he would, in time, experience daring in another sphere -- as a stock broker and banker on Wall Street.

Born in Paris in 1938, Mr. Humann (the German-sounding surname stems from the family's Alsatian roots) spent the first two years of his life in France. With the war in progress, his father became increasingly disturbed at the Government's behaviour, and so anxious for his family's safety, that he dispatched them to the United States in 1940.

Safely settled in New York, Mr. Humann's earliest childhood memory is of answering the doorbell several years later when his mother was out to find a six foot, four-inch skeletal stranger facing him.

"I had no idea who he was, but he turned out to be my father,'' he remembers.

The elder Humann quickly assumed his role as head of the household, and set about ensuring that his children received a good education. Until age 11, Edgar was taught at home by a governess-tutor from Luxembourg, whom he credits with giving him "an incredible basic education''.

"I learned French, and (with French parents) we spoke French in the house,'' he remembers. "But I spoke English with my friends.'' Deciding that, since he was dyslexic -- and especially after spending a year in boarding school in France (an experience he remembers as "tough'') -- his parents enrolled him instead in Portsmouth Priory boarding school in the US.

Here he excelled, graduating at 16, and already accepted for admission to college.

However, because of his age, his parents deferred the opportunity, enrolling him instead in Avon Old Farms college prep school, which Mr. Humann fondly recalls as "a lot less restrictive'', and allowing him to own a car.

When finally he entered college, it was first to Brown University, where he majored in social sciences, and thence to the University of Virginia, where he studied law.

On Wall Street, Mr. Humann enjoyed a long, successful career "helping people organise their lives from a tax planning point of view as a money manager''.

From being regular visitors during the 1970s and '80s, Mr. Humann and his wife Faith decided in 1993 to retire to Bermuda, choosing the Island over several other jurisdictions.

"It was a very good decision, if I may say so, and we have been here six years,'' the transplanted Frenchman notes.

Sipping a cool lemonade on the patio of his elegant Paget home, surrounded by luxuriant gardens and splendid harbour views, he adds: "I really do feel that the Almighty was smiling on this whole situation.'' To even the casual observer, it is clear that the couple are supremely happy in their adopted home, although their two sons continue to reside in the United States.

Indeed, Mr. Humann is proud to point out that his family's relationship with the Island goes back a long way.

"A relative on mother's side was looking for a safe place for his money in the 1930s, and he chose Bermuda. The person he met and was terribly impressed by was Sir Henry Tucker, whom he described as `a real statesman'.

"From that time, the family has continued to do business with Bermuda, and my late brother created the Humann Foundation, which I believe was the first private foundation in Bermuda,'' he said.

Among those the Foundation, of which Mr. Humann is a trustee, has helped are the Masterworks Foundation, the National Gallery, and the National Trust.

In addition, connections to both Mr. Humann's and the Mayor of Hamilton's families were once nearly united in marriage.

In 1993, the then-honorary French Consul, Mr. William Frith, was among the first to welcome Mr. Humann to the Island. When, due to the pressure of his duties as Mayor of Hamilton, Mr. Frith was obliged to relinquish his consular role, it was his friend Edgar whom he recommended to the French Consulate in New York as his replacement.

Although the office represents a "first'' for Mr. Humann, and he is honoured to serve his motherland, it is with typical modesty that he suggests his duties are not onerous.

"The phone rings a fair amount. I get a number of calls from people requesting information about France,'' he explains. "Thanks to Willy Frith, Bermudians don't need a visa to travel to France. That is a great compliment which France has paid to Bermuda. They were the first country, other than the UK, not to require a visa.'' It is a concession Mr. Humann attributes to Bermuda having one of the highest standards of living in the world.

"I think Willy was able to prove to the French Government that it was to its advantage to (waive the visa requirement) because there are a lot of tourists from Bermuda visiting France. What the French are scared about is that somebody will immigrate illegally, and of course Bermudians aren't likely to do that.'' While it is the genial consul's duty to maintain good relations between the French and Bermuda governments, he also makes it clear that his mandate is to actively protect the rights of his fellow countrymen living here.

A long-time admirer of the French government's egalitarian approach to education and culture, he is happy to expound on what he believes are its successes.

"The French have an absolutely superb public school system,'' he explains.

"It is meritocratic, and very much based on the idea of levelling the playing field. It allows the knowledgeable members of society who may not have been born with a silver spoon in their mouths to rise.

"Like the Orientals, the system is very competitive, and the students have to take a week-long examination which determines the rest of their lives.

"Of those who pass, the least successful are directed to trade schools, while the middle orders go to university, and the top percentile then spend three years preparing for an entrance examination to one of the top seven schools in France, where admission is on merit.

"Those schools are where all the leaders of France come from,'' Mr. Humann continues. Graduates literally get the pick of the jobs, and the top 20 percent are expected to work in the public sector.

Looking back on history, Mr. Humann feels that the attitude of his forebears towards politics and the arts suggested they were the cultural descendants of the Greeks.

"As colonisers, they took a different approach to the British, exporting French culture rather than French institutions, while at the same time retaining respect for the culture of the countries they conquered,'' he says.

"In addition, they adopted elements of foreign cultures into their own, particularly those of the Orient.'' Could that be why Mr. Humann enjoys Japanese and Chinese food when dining out in America? Certainly, it makes an interesting counter-balance to the French cuisine which he enjoys at home, thanks to Mrs. Humann, whom he describes as "an absolutely superb cook''. "And of course we have wine with every meal,'' he says with a smile.

Tres Francaise!