OUR PARIS LETTER.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1662, 16 June 1875, Page 2

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(FKOM OTJR OWN COKRESPONDKNT.)

Paris, April 17.

GAY PARIS.

Although hailstones are more plentiful than new leaves, and cold showers than sunshine, Paris continues her gay life as if Spring was not lingering by a month in the lap of winter. Dinner parties are more general than balls, and conversation turns a good deal upon, end very seriously, the growing fast manners of young French ladies. Perhaps these are algo a fatal relic of the second Empire. Ba this a3 it may, the opinion is pretty general that the girls of the period are anything but bread-and-butter misses. There is something militant, decided, and imperious in their character now as compared with some years back. They 'make war instead of waiting to be attacked. Some attribute the change to the growing habit of allowing young ladies to promenade at certain hours only with their maids—known to be dragons of virtue ; or for a drive in their personal phtetons, for an establishment within the family establisment is the order of the day. Gentlrmen aro becoming more and more addicted to club life, where smoking and gambliug constitute fche chief attractions.

BOIS DE BOULOGNE.

Perhaps the Bois de Boulogne is after all the centre of Paris ; one is certain to encounter these people, you know, that you do not know, and will never know, though daily, meeting them. You are also certain to light on those acquaintances, only to be met with at decisive epochs, tuch as ab deaths, marriages, baptisms, funerals, and duels ; you encounter people that are sympathetic and antipathetic. Belonging to the latter class is a gentleman and his wife, movieg in the best society, but apparently liked by no person, for the Dr Fell reason, perhaps ; the fashionable world of the Lake have given them a sobriquet, reeal ing a familiar but troublesome insect. A young nobleman had the idea of hiring one of the noted advertising vans of a certain shop, famous for its insect destroying powder ; he instructed the driver of this van to keep the horse's head close to the carriage of the unpopular lady and gentleman, making with it the tour of the Lake. The allusion had a great success, but the originator has been invited to cross into Belgian territory to give satisfaction.

jjjgjThe Bishop of Orleans condemns Freemasons as Atheists, and the Archbishop of Toulouse excommunicates Spiritualists as

devils