PARIS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1381, 22 July 1872, Page 2

PARIS.

[ipOM OUR OWN COBBESPOtfDEHT.] •• v, •' fa ,« | .>.,'- May IS, 1872. As an orator it is difficult to judge the due i d'Aumale irom an extemporary speech. ; He was incoherent,, .cphiused, and embarrassed, well aware every word he. uttered, was accepted as a programme, and that,he ; was known to be a Pretender —that, is a censpirator against the Republic physical appearance is in his favor ; his attitude is soldier-like; his head inclines towards his left shoulder; his eyes had a Wandering expression; his gestures were ''moderate, and his voice sonorbusl Re is not timid, but he had an air of timidity ; for he tried to avoid the devouring gaze of the Assembly. As an Academician, an " Immortal," his style was very incorrect, his words badly chosen, and his sentences never completed. He has a manly voice : and appearance, in his favor—what M. Thiers wants; but the latter has talent—elasticity of words, profound knowledge of public meu, finesse, ready wit, and tact. When we dispose of all the scandals connected with the contracts effected under the imperial and Gambetta regimes, possibly the questions of obligatory education and military service may be taken in hand. The postponement of these allimportant matters would be respectable only delay confirms the issues of the nation to have these reforms adopted. Colonel Denfert would take the child from infancy, and rear him up \o all the requirements of military life. He seems to think the citizen only exists for the State, rather than the State for the citizen. It was Sparta that took charge of the education of its youth ; the women were only allowed to '"bring forth men;" the Spartan discipline is in many respects admirable, it accustomed to fatigue, and hardships; to stratagems of war; the study of eloquence was regarded with contempt, long speeches were held in ab horrence, and to express one's self with sententious brevity, was something like a virtue.

There are good reasons for supposing that M. Thiers will not be able to carry out his protection scheme, and that he will be forced to adopt the income tax as the reliable source of revenue. Money is very plentiful in France at present, and the proof is shown by the eagerness of foreign countries to bring out national or local loans as heretofore. There will be no difficulty in finding the three milliards for Bismarck. Were a protection tariff to be carried, it would destroy those English and American houses that have been established not only in Paris, but in the chief towns of France. lam aware of two gentlemen, who give employment to 30 and 80 persons and that protection if adopted, would at once set adrift. The population of English and Americans is 25,000 in all France. The weather continues to be something milder, but it has been terrible and miserable. The intense damp and cold, in addition to developing sickness, and devastating market-garden?, has seriously injured vines and cereals. Fxcept in stopping out-door amusements, perhaps citizens, are reconciled to what they cannot prevent. The strangers are not returning permanently, and one third of the most valuable houses in the most fashionable quarters of the city, are in want of tenants. Parisians have themselves a good deal to thank for the absence of their best customers ; they have never been famous for liberality in their commercial, their shop transactions with foreigners; they are infinitely worse now. Even the most experienced stranger must have at present an Argus eye sight or he will be fleeced. He will ever have this consolation, that the French pluck each other quite the same; there are losses to be made good and terrible taxes to be paid.

I visited the chief market a few evenings ago—-the Holies Centrales, and was much amused at seeing some 120 of these historically famous market-women and girls—aged from 50 to 15—enjoying themselves in the game of battledore and shuttle-cock, as well as the skipping rope. Tliese gens form a colony of themselves, a close borough. I was informed that several of the grown up matrons attend an evening school after the recreation, Their homes are only places to sleep in, their meals are taken at their stalls, and are furnished by a co-operative cook--Blwu.

The Comte Dubourg will be put oa bis trial in ten days hence for the assassination of his wife. It is only to vindicate Jhe faw> as the jury would never convict? |irnj for killing his wife so taken in *f he Count Precorbin, whoseduced the unfortunate woman, has resumed his official duties as a clerk in the municipality. The Court-of-MontpelMer has jus| decided a very? singular sppfeal case. In 1866, a gentleman' farme/,. aged 23, and named -Barboussej married' Anne Jumas, aged 25. For two yearsthe couple lived together, when the husband demanded the marriage to be nul» lifted as his so-called wife belbiigeWia the! male sex. Anne,, however, objected j alleged it was two years age that : such, objection should have been made,* but declined to submit to the decision of *l jury of matrons, as she produced a properly signed medical certificate that: shebelonged to the fair sex. Doctors differed of course, the Galecs of Paris documentarily decided,. without seeing the •lady it would seem, that, she was not a< woman, and had never been, nor couldi ever become one. The Court ruled that; Anne was . mistaken as to her being a woman, and broke the marriage. It is for the census Commissioners to decider under which of the columns—male or fe-male—ex-Madame Darbousse is to be classed.

I Although France fabricated during the--1 Prussian siege imitation calve's heads,, famine was not at all kept back. Just now she is occupied making other heads i during the last three weeks one sculptor has sold 500 busts of M. Thiers, 185 of Marshal Macuiahon, 125 of the Cointe de Paris, 75 of Victor Hugo r and 5G of General Chauzy. He has a stock-in-trade siuce years of public men. When, a political character is played out (a soldier especially) he takes off the beads* and replaces them by the fortunate successors. It is thus he has made his Napoleons the Third by putting their heads, on the Caraignac busts; the first succesful soldier who will be King will havebis head fitted on the Napoleon trunk. The phases of the Swiss question areas complicated as the marches of Don Carlos on Madrid, and the defeat of the- " Revisionists/' is welcomed by theFrench because they believe the Germans: are at the bottom of the affair, and feet proud that the solemn mass celebrated in this city to invoke defeat has been heard. Switzerland contains 22 Cantons, inhabited by a people of German, and Italian extraction, and protestant and catholic. In the voting that has taken place, religion and race became mixed, so that no fair or clear issue can be disceroeJ, [save that the voters ara nearly equal in point of numbers, and that the Cantons by a majority of four„ prefer to hold only their individual independence, and decliue to be swamped in a central Federation. The grand feature in the popular passionate voting is, that all was legally effected and in good order. M. Thiers observed that in France everything is motion and locomotion. A strange accident occurred the other day ou the Boulevard, whereby a wagon full of pigs became '* locked " in a passing hearse, knocking off a wheel of the latter, The hearse-horses (four in number) I learned are named respectively " Repose," "Crier," "Catafalque,"and "Philosopher." Never was a greater or more curious crowd collected. Ultimately the vehicles were separated-™the mourners rejoiced—-the wheel was repaired provisionally, and the looker-on left to his reflection. [Concluded from our last.]