OUR PARIS LETTER.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1194, 16 January 1885, Page 3

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(Paris, November 11, 1884). SCIENTIFIC. Two specimens of electric portable safety lamps were submitted to the inspection of the Academy of Sciences the other day by M.Jamin. O oof the lamps starts alight on being grasped in the hand, and goes out by itself immediately it is laid down. The second safety lamp, on the contrary, which is devised especially for use by firemen and miners, will only light up and burn when laid down or suspended from t**o belt or bead of the person using it. M. Maret rea I an interesting paper on his researches and experiments on the locomotion of man, and on the conditions most favourable to enable him to fgo a long journey af.ot. The experiments carried out by M. Maret prove conclusively that the step made by man diminished in ratio in height of his heel : a long shoe with a short heel causes a man to take a longer slep. He spoko of the influence of the rhytm of the heat of the drum and bugle upon a marching regiment, maintaining that the sound of these instruments, provided it was not too precipitate, quickened the step of the men. The Geographical Society held its first setting for the season on the evening of the 7th November, when M. Ferdinand de Lesseps announced his departure for Suez for the next day. A large staff of engineers, Italian, English, German, and Dutch, was to accompany M. de Lesseps, Speaks of the Canal, ho said : —“lt is complained that the Canal is not wide enough. Well, we will enlarge it! The information in ray possession warrants me in stating that our efforts will be crowned with success. It is not a question of creating a new canal; no, but merely to improve the present one in order to enable ve-se!s to pass each other freely.’’ He likewise expressed astonishment at the attacks made against Captain Houdaire,' who. he stated, was about to proceed to Gabes The captain is authorised to pursue the soundings already started there, with the object of creating a port Captains Renaril and Krebs carried out a further experiment with their navigable balloons the other day. The balloon ascended from Meudon a little after 12 o’clock, and rose over Mention, and passed some distance over Billanevurt Island. The seven-propeller was then set to woik, and the serial machine was turned round and returned to the starting pout,, after f->l-Jo,ring '.he wemion Valley, without once deviating from the course steerel. At I p.m. the balloon descended in the yards, the experiment having thoroughly succeeded.

A considerable quantity of Phoenician antiquities have just been brought to light in tiie neighboui hood of the city of Saida, in Algeria. Among the most valuable recovered is the marble statue of a divinity, which was at oaco purchased by Runtau Pacha. The collection included numerous statuettes of Phoenician idols in terra cotta, which evidently belong to an unknown religion. Unfortunately, most of them are broken, hut enough remains to form an important addition to the cabinet of Phoenician antiquities iu the Louvre Museum, whither they are to be brought.

VARIETIES. THE PARIS OPERA. Many are the difficulties that beset the part of the successful candidate for the management of the opera, the director M. Vauborbeil, who died a few days ago. The hare cost of keeping up the theatre is appalling. The expense for gas at the obi Opera House in the Rue Lepelctier amounted to 550f. per night ; at the new building it now reaches 15 .'Or.; the to al annual ex pense of lighting, labour include I, is 300,000fr. ft takes 50,()00fr. a year to warm the p'aoe aud 36,000fr. to sweep it. Another item of expense that has considerably increased is that under the head of “ author’s rights.” Formerly this amount was set down at a fixed sum of SdOfr. per night ; it is now 8 per cent, of the gross earnings. Thus, when the opera reaches the maximum receipt of 20,00 )fr. a night, the authors take IOOOfr in lieu of 500fr. Then omies the enormous expense of mounting a new piece, which is never leas than 2 ID.OOOfr. As some of them brought out during the last ten years have not been played near a score iraes, each of the permances is thereby charged wilh a sura of lO.dOOfr. over ordinary expenses. Another embarassment a manager of the opera has to contend with is in obtaining popular artists of the day The directors of other g'-eat European theatres can produce a sue cession of celebrities engaged for a fortnight or a montli, but it is the tradition of the Paris opera that even the leading parts shall bo filled by members of the permanent company. Were the manager to propose to engage a celebrated singer for a series of performances all the ladies iu the company would break out in revolt, and the journals would pretend that tho Paris Opera had descended to ihe level of a provincial theatre. He can therefore count only on his ow.i forces ; and with all the impediments which prevent him from varying his performances, he is expected to take the lead in the artistic movement and maintain the opera in the first rank of the lyric stage. M. Halanzler, tho former director, was an exception, but ho probably owed his fortune more to the marble staircase, the curiosity to see tho magnificence of the interior, and the Exhibition of 1878, Ilian tho woik he produced. A profitable management un ler snob conditions is therefore an impossibility, and the anxiety of candidates to secure the position would seem to he peifect folly. M. Dennery, the wellknown play-right, is credited with having summed up bis opinion of tin candidatures in tho following words :—“Wore I Minister of Arts, I should consider tho very fact of an application for tho position of director of the opera as a manifest proof of incompetency on the part of the applicant, ami would weed out these candidates. ’’

A strange will. The question of tombstones is a very important fact to the public in Paris, where everything has to bo submitted to the sanction of the Administrators. Theie exists a Permanent Committee, composed of cemetery inspectors, whose special permission is

necessary before an inscription can he plgced'On a tombstone. Nor dare worker! in funeral stones undertake to carry nut an order without the applicant providing the requisite visa of the Committee on the inscription tho slab is to bear. Then, again, the inscription themselves are often a source of trouble and anxiety to heirs, assigns, and executors, inasmuch as the wording laid down by a testator in his will is sometimes of such a nature that the Committoa refuse to sanction its reproduction on bis tombstone. A case in point arose last month, when an old man of 75, Eelix Duryet, once a great celebrity in the culinary art, died in Paris. He had been assistant to the head cook of Louis Phil lippe, and afterwards chef of the famous Freros Provenciiim Restaurant, in which establishment ho amassed considerable wealth, which was further increased by successful speculations on the Bourve. His will was found to contain a most extraordinary clause in regard to the way in which his memory shonid be commemorated. Instead of the usual headstone to his grave, he required of his heirs that they should erect a marble column merely inscribed with his name, and supporting a frame containing a moveable board. “Every day,” said the will, _ “my heirs shall affix on said board, and in a legible manner, a recipe for the kitchen. For. this purpose 1 leave a list of 363 recipes, which will be found in my cash box. In this manner, while paying a visit to tho graves of relatives, people desirous of acquiring information may obtain it in the cemetery.” So far the clause had nothing terrible about it, but the following rider threw the heirs into a cold perspiration : “ Should my heirs fail to carry out said clause, tho whole of my estate shall revert to the public chalkier.” Of comae, the Gommittee ot Inscriptive unanimously rejected the “ broken column surmounted with the frame containing a recipe for each day,” and as naturally “Hough, the notary entrusted with the execution of the will refused to put the heirs in possession of choir inheritance. The latter had nothing left but to submit the case to the Courts. Tile supposition is that the Assistance Publiqne con d not think of accepting a legacy made under such absurd conditions. Should the Courts, on the other hand, consider the will as drawn up by deceased while labouring under a mini*, instead ot two of his nephews obtaining the whole of his p opet ty, this would lie divided among all the living relatives, of whom three are live or six. This strange case will come on shortly before the Civil Tribunal.

THINGS AND OTHERS. The forthcoming discussion of the Transatlantic Steamship Lines Subsidy Bill, in the German Reichstag, lends peculiar interest to the statistics of the mercantile navy of that country. On the Ist of January last Grrtnniy possessed 3712 sailing ships, with a tonnage of 2,535,908, as against 3 J 55 sailing vessels, of 2,593.462 tons, on the corresponding dale last year. The number of German steamships on the Ist January last was 603, with a capacity of 1,061,515 tons, as aeamst 518 lepivsenling a tonnage of 881,049 on the cor.csponding date in ltS3, thus showing... an increase of 88 steamers ami I'ifl.Sdd tons during the year. This gives for tho present year a mercantile fleet of 4315 vessels, with 3,596,421 tons, as corap ired with 4777 shins an I 3.318,165 tous of the corresponding date last year, showing a decrease of 462 in the numb, r of vessels, but an increase of 278,236 in the ton .age. Ai‘(i.n-.iinpr I- 1 O-.-lo poy of the new Ttivneoe Law. whenever ajndgunn*. in n. case his bei-ii rendered to the .patty whose faiomit has been given, is bound to come up before tlie Registrar’before two months; and the second party : to the suite is likewise summoned. The first case under the new law occurred a few days ago ; it was that of the Count and-Countess de Bauffremoat. This lady alone appeared, anil was duly notifled of the divorce in a nice little speech by the Deputy Mayor. The flag of the Chinese despatch boat Tupo, carried off by Lieutenant Bone Lapeyrere, who boarded the vessel in the Min River, has reached Haris, anti will be hung away with the other trophies in the Hotel lies Turalides. A modern model of the M ingay fort, taken after the capture of tho place by the sailors, ’ under Admiral Courbet. has also reached Paris. It is destined to the Naval Museum of the Louvre. Tlie model, which is executed with the utmost care and correctness of detail, measures Ira. 50e. hy Im. 6Uc., and shows that the fort was built according to tho modern style of defence. Go the end of November tho Bmlc of France will put into circulation a neat 50a. note. The main features of the engraving are as follows :—The designs on noth sides are of an oval form, and printer! in blue, as ere the letterpress and signatures, the indication and numbering alone being printed in black.

It would appear that the first work issued from French Presses is the “Chrouifjues de St. Denis,” published in 1476 by the printer Pasquier. Several bimiographera, it is true, have maintained, that “ L’aeqmllon de I’amour olivra,” by Saint Bouaventura, was printed in 1474 This assertion is, however, erroneous; and in his “ Manuel ilu Libndre,’ Brunet has demonstrated that the first book was only printed in Paris in 1476, and it was the “ Chronique de St. Denis. Up to that period books were very rare, and wore considered as real estate ; they were exchanged for landed property, and were mentioned in wills.

In 1452 the Emperor Frederick 111. could make no greater present to the Ambassador of the Duke of Wurtemburg than a Bible. Louis XL, who borrowed the works of Rosorperu, the Faculty of Mo licine, not only left as security an enormous amount of silver plate, but chose a nobleman ns security, who engaged to return the books on a certain dale. At that time there were 10,000 naligraphers of work in Paris aud Orleans, engaged outlie copying of and illuminating manuscript hooks. The Pa-is Mint is at pres nt striking coin to represent the fractions of the piastre currency for Cochin China to the value of 3,000,000f. The three-quarters of the piece bear the letters “ Tude Chine Frauoaise,” which will in future be solely employed in similar coinage. An extra Parliaments! y Committee has been appointed by Government for the purpose of drawing up the conditions and plans for holding the Exhibi ion in 18S9 The first duty of the Committee will bo to fix upon a convenient spot for the Exhibition. The following is the constitution of the Committee M. Antonian Proust, President ; the Under Secretaries of State for the Colonies and Public Works ; the Governors of the Bank of France and Credit Fmicier ; a General on the Committee of Engineers ; and the President of the Council Genera', of the Seine; and the Municipal Council of Paris. A gigantic oyster, measuring 24 inches in diameter, was sold the other day at the Central Market. Tue price paid for the bivalve was 7fr. 75c. Tiro monster pumppin has likewise just- been sold at the Holies. It weighed 130 kilos., and was raised in the Department of the Soertho. The Soap Kitchens established by the Philharmonic Society, presided over by the Marquis do Nontenant, are now open throughout Parisi There is a kitchen in every arroudissement. These institutions

are available to the necessities bom iii tlin mo ning until nine at night, and for tea continue (one penny) the applicant may procure 100 grammes (about a Jib) of meat, or half a litre (about a pint) of a mp, dr an equal portion of vegetables at choice. The Kitchens are managed by the Nuns of the Sisterhood of St. Vincent de Paul.

The bi-centenary of the invention of the Thimblehaa just been celebrated in Amsterdam. According to the Dntcb the inventor of the thimble was a goldsmith named Nicholos von- Benscboten, who, in 1689, imagined the little useful article to preserve the dainty fingers of his lady love, Mynfran von Rensselaer. A prior date is fixed to the invention by the French however. In his “ Ballads des Peudus,” published in 1484, Francos Villon says: ‘‘Plus beequetes d’oiseaux qua de’s a condre,” which would go to prove that thimbles were then in nse.