DOMENECH, Emmanuel Henry Dieudonn6, French author, born in Lyons, France, 4 November 1825; died in France in June 1886. He became a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, and was sent as a missionaryto Texasand Mexico. During Maximilian's residence in America, Domenech acted as private chaplain to the emperor, and he was also almoner to the French army during its occupation of Mexico. On his return to France he was made honorary canon of Montpellier. His "Manuscrit pictographique Americain, precede d'une notice sur l'ideographie des Peaux Rouges" (1860), was published by the French government, with a facsimile of a manuscript in the library of the Paris arsenal, relating, as he claimed, to the American Indians, but the German orientalist, Julius Petzholdt, declared that it consisted only of scribbling and incoherent illustrations of a local German dialect.

Domenech maintained the authenticity of the manuscript in a pamphlet entitled "La verit6 sur le livre des sauvages" (1861), which drew forth a reply from Petzholdt, translated into French under the title of "Le ]ivre des sauvages au point de vue de la civilization Francaise" (Brussels, 1861). He has also published "Journal d'un missionaire au Texas et au Mexique" (1857); "Voyage dans les solitudes Americaines, le Minnesota "(1858) • "Voyage pittoresque dans les grands desert du Nouveau monde " (1861); "Les Gorges du Diable, voyage en Islande" (1864); "Legendes islandaises" (1865); " Le Mexique tel qu'il est" (1867); and "Histoire du Mexique, Juarez et Maximilien, correspondances inddites" (1868). The historical accuracy of the last-named work has been questioned by several writers, including General Pt'im. Domenech also published "Quand j'etais journaliste " (1869); "Histoire de la camagne de 1870'1 et de la deuxieme ambulance de la presse Francaise" (1871); and "L'dcriture syllabique (Maya) dans le Yucatan d'apres les decouvertes de l'Abb6 Brasseur de Bourboug" (1883); and during the latter part of his life he produced also several works pertaining to religion and ancient history.