Our Paris Letter.

Manawatu Herald, 29 May 1894, Page 3

Our Paris Letter.

(from our own corbespondknt.) Pauis, 29th March, 1894, As customary during Holy Week and Easter, ths Paris churches were crowded. With the clear weather, which set in with. the opening of the spring;, this year's early Easter was exceptionally fine, and a general " bouleversement " took place in Paris and the Provinces on Easter Monday. Frenchmen rushed to London, Londoners hastened to Paris, Parisians migrated into the country, . and everybody able to do so, and apparently but few were not, quitted the scene of their familiar surroundings in search of pastures new. According to published statistics 880,000 tickets were issued at the Gare dv Nord, 300,000 at the Gare de I'Est, and 500,000 at the Gare de I'Ouest. Vincennes proved especially attractive. Many pleasure-seekers of both sexes, however, left P-aph on oycles soon after daybreak, Speak ing of customs they are move or less ancient, a3 cemuion in France as in England. Among the carpenters of La Villethe it is habitual annually to display devotion to the Government by organising a vast demonstration. A procession is formed, which first visits the Pi-efect of the Police and several of the minor police officers, and then proceeds to the Palais des Arts et Metiers, where it halts. Finally it returns whence it earned and banquets and feas tings are indulged in during the evening. This time, the company of carpenters, numbering about threehundred members, suddenly arrived at "the Boule\ard dv Palais', headed by a band playing the Marseillaise, greatly to the alarm of several peaceful inhabitants. A delegation then waited upon the Prefect of Police, and one of the "comrades " in the name of all his followers, did homage to the Prefect, at the tame time assuring him of their adherence to the Republic. The scene recalled to mind the sight of ancient tapestry upon whioh is represented, in long faded colours " Ye subjects of William ye Conqueror doing homage and feulty unto." The Prefect, whoofoourse appeared greatly overcome, replied in a few and probably well chosen words, and begged of the enthusiastic joiners to convey to all their companions the expression of his warmest thanks and a reciprocation of their kindly greeting. Another yearly custom is the fair called, the Foire au Pain d' Epiee, or Gingerbread Fair, and tha object of holding this fair is difficult to understand, save that it temporarily raises the depression of trade in the gingerbread market, and affords innocent amusement to a considerable number of honest and hard-working people. It is almost needless to say that this fair in Paris is of very ancient data and was at one time patronised by the highest in the land. I will finish with a pun attributed to M. Mouslet, but whioh cannot be translated. " A well-known signature, that of M. Carre, Secretary Generai of the Bank of France, will be greatly missed. It appeared upon all the former notes issued by the Bank of Fiance— M. Carre died the other day." Mouslet used quaintly to say that he preferred to have a " pupier de Carre " than a " carre dv papier."