OUR PARIS LETTER.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 446, 29 October 1880, Page 3

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(From oun own Couiiespondknt.)

Paris, September 9. Not the slightest political importance is attached to the " studiously accidental meeting " in Switzerland, of the Comtes de Chambord and do Paris —or tho oxking and the ex-dauphin, without realm and without subjects. A few royalist . journals assert this event has sent an electric thrill through France. J lowever, not a soul appears to luve experienced the shock, liven the farce of " playing at kings," is over for Franco ; the Republic has Rettled down as the sole constitution possible: only an unhappy foreign war could imperil its existence ; hence, "why the Government avoids m every overture to be coaxed or dragged into European complications. Supposing even the Republic were destined to disappear, the chances are, that the most successful soldier of the moment, - or the most influential public man would be named dictator. Dynasties would have no chance, save tho expected miracle was worked in their favor. In England the tim-s seems to be gone by when a patriot could exclaim, " thank God we have a house of Lords." The radical journals here are in ecstacy ijw , fit the attack made on the Peers by Mr Forpter, and are only jealous, lest the iM»itution should' disappear before their own Senate. Tho latter is ». coming in for many hard knocks based on the " approaching revolution in England." tor a true blue republican, no legislative body is worthy of respect, that is not elected by the direct universal suffrage vote. The late Pope firmly believed England was marching in seven league boots to Catholicism." French republicans as firmly believe she is in the high road to democracy, and give notice to quit accordingly, to *" all kaisers, kings, and princes. Be these changes near or remote, possible or improbable, there is no doubt the present institutions .of France are creeping 00Mh» like leaven among the masses of neighboring realms. The principle of equality that Jack is as good as his master, is making way, and Jack is quite prepared f maintain that ho is in addition " better " than his master. The anniversary of the 4th September 1870, may be said to have passed without any marked expressions of joy, save - in some provincial towns, where banners wero hung on outer walls and the evening wound up by modest banquets at at fixed prices. The fact is the disap- • pearance of the empire is too close to Sedan to permit of unmixed joy. The Tarpeian rock is too near the Capitol besides, after " the glorious fourt "-eenth of July, gushing patriots ought to be satisfied. M. Gambetta received on Saturday last, a magnificent crown of * flowers from the ladies of Switzerland, and as if suspicious that this was a skirmishing stratagem against his celibacy, the ladies of his own electoral district. Belleville presented him with a congratulatory adcVess. The hitter must have proved gall and wornnvood to

Rochefort and his friends. Th_ese enfants —without being terrible—unable to make the slightest impression on the parchydermatous skin of Gambetta now adopt the tactics of denouncing those functionaries who are known to be his warmest admirers, the Prefect de police, for example—not with much success.

Victor Hugo is the most prolix of conversationalists. He has very often " flashes of silence " which recall Lord Bute's " minute gun " speaking. The most difficult duty to invite M Grfoy to perform is to sign a death warrant. The consequence is, there are a score of culprits under sentence of death, aw!ii:ing to learn their fate as embodied in their la«t clwnce—ii demand fur pardon. They may count upon having their sentence commuted if they have not cut up their victims after killing them. The young brute Meaesclou made the mistake to disjoint the infant four yours of ago after violating and strangling her. The consequence is, he has first been executed and so has had his wish realised, to be disposed of as soon as possible. When 'tis done, 'twere well it were done quickly. • He died as he lived—a dangerous idiot.

Crimes of a capital nature .ire unpleasantly frequent, and the police are equal to the occasion for discovering the murderers when the latter voluntarily confess. Perhaps the continued hot weather has not a little to do in provoking inflamation of brains, or the increase of hereditary insanity may ba a cause. According to the latest statistics, there are 22 in ev».ry 10,000 of the population suffering from mental disease, either as violent lunatics, idiots, or paralysed imbeciles. And these numbers are below the mark, for idiots being relatively harmless, are retained in their families, or sent to private homes. Of the 82,523 officially classed lunatics, the number of men exceed the women by 2000, and that greater excitement in modes of living may explain. However, I have noticed within the last few years, ah increase, perceptible to the naked eye, of paralysed young men, between the age of 23 and 30. I cannot explain the augmentation, save by an abandon to debauchery, and an addiction to absinthe drinking.

Let the ordinary passer-by note seated before cafes, in the mornings, as well as in the afternoons, the number of persons and of both sexes, having glasses filled with the terrible green decoction. Not Ions? ago such a spectacle would have been included in the Commination service ; at present it has become an institution. The poison, for it is really such, is replacing beer, curacoa, Madeira, and other sweet winos. It cracks up the nerves, but the reaction is awful.