PARIS CLUBS IN LONDON. (From Punch.)

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 409, 4 July 1849, Page 4

PARIS CLUBS IN LONDON. (From Punch.)

Verily, the Clubs may be abolished in Paris, but there's no shutting one's ears to the fact that they 'exist with equal fury in London. They have taken refuge in the coffeeshops, and the different restaurateurs about Leicester-square. Enter any of the cafis, where the long beards most do congregate, and try to get through a newspaper. A hundred voices, each shouting its loudest, soon makes nonsense of the very best leader. The noise completely ruins all attempt at reading. It is a perfect Babel de Paris. It gives you a faint notion what the National Assembly must be. Every Frenchman is talking at once. In vain is silence implored; the discussion still continues and the arguments wax so warm that you imagine every minute they can only be settled by blows. There is generally a representative of every class of opinion. Henry Y. (that never was and never is to be) finds his champion in some closely cropped enthusiastic, and the reactionaires prophesy all sorts of revolutions yet to come, Royalists, Legitimists, Bona-' partists, all contribute to the din ; and they talk so earnestly and confident that you are persuaded they must be, at least Gcizot or Louis Napoleon, or Joinville, in disguise. Communism even has its rabid oracles, and they are generally of the loudest. On one of our visits we heard one prophet declare that " all goods ought to be equally divided;" and certainly his system had one advantage, for, judging from his appearance he could not possibly be a great sufferer by it himself. We involuntarily shifted ou* 1 quarters to the other end of the room. His denunciations made us tremble for the safety of our breakfast ; for we naturally expected that he would begin sharing our ham and eggs, and help himself to half our tea, as a simple matter of right. He was very mild, however ; a perfect Danton in speech, but a gentle Beranger in demeanour. He wished the room " Bonjour" with all the amiability of a "bon enfant" and walked out with his own umbrella. There was one republican who, we confess, somewhat alarmed us. We do not know whether he belonged to the social Republic, or to the Democratic, or to the Red or White, Tri-colour, Purple, Green, or to what particular shade of the numerous series of polychromatic Republics. Suffice it to say, he startled us by loudly asserting that — "Allproperty was n theft!" We had a sovereign at the time (we hope no one will think us proud) in our pocket, and felt very uneasy lest this mad disciple of Monsieur Proudbon should denounce us as a public robber. A certain panic was created, also in the room. Coats were buttoned up, and several of the most timid asked very suddenly " what they had topay." We did not linger long. The discussion was very interesting at first, from its peculiarity ; but the novelty soon lost its charm when we, discovered that two of the apostles entertained such very peculiar opinions. We left the place in safety, though the latter gentleman followed us down stairs with no other intention, as we thought than thtt of tearing the coat off our backs, and carrying off our diamond pin, if only to prove his favourite theory that " all property was a theft." We are weak enough to confess we should not like to lodge in the same house with that man ! These discussions are continued, it seems, upon une seance permanente. We passed the r qfd at 'eleven o'clock at night, and they were speaking altogether, in the same loud strain, as when they spoilt our breakfast. Now we like to read the morning newspapers quietly by ourselves. It is the enjoyment with which we always open tht day ; but we defy any one to tell what the funds are, or to make out a single word of last night's interesting debate, whilst fifty clamorous Frenchmen are throwing into your ears such horrible truths, as that " all goods ought to be equally divided," and that " property is nothing better than theft." Admirable laws these, doubtless, for a nation of pickpockets, of which Newgate was the capital, but scarcely adapted for industrious persons, who have to learn that meum and teum mean exactly the same thing whether in French or in English. These wild 4migr4s of the Parisian Clubs should have a room to themselves. In the mean time, we only say, " Landlords, look to yonr spoons."