A NEW PARIS MANIA.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 202, 15 January 1866, Page 3

A NEW PARIS MANIA.

Dubroni mania is the latest novelty in Paris Dubroni is the name of a young and most promising engineer, a pupil of the Ecole Polytechnique. Laid up for several years with bad health, his mind remained as active as ever. Amidst the most intense bodily sufferings he applied himself night and day, to the study and perfection of photography, hoping to initiate the masses into its mysteries by simplifying the manipulations and turning photography into a drawing-room amusement within the reach of every purse. In this, Dubroni appears to have been quite successful, inasmuch as his ingenious apparatus entirely does away with necessity of an operating chamber. You have no longer to dread any stains or spots on your dress or hands, as the chemical operations are all accomplished with the pipette, a small instrument by means of which you can introduce into the camera obscura, through a little orifice, the different chemical baths which the plate must undergo previous to its bearing a picture. Dubroni, after having pursued his experiments with unabated ardour, is certainly entitled to the honour of attaching his name to the science of photography. Another distinguishing feature of his Lilliputian apparatus is the readiness with which it can be set up for use and repacked in a box whicn does not exceed in size a lady's writing desk. Among the notabilities who are amusing themselves during their summer vacations with the appareil Dubroni ai'e the wellknown diplomatists Marquis De La Valette and M. De Persigny, and no less a personage than Prince Napoleon himself. LOED PALMEETON'S PEOMPTITUDE. It seems that we owe, and Mr. Consul Cameron (wtiich is of more consequence) owes, his release to the determination of Lord Palmerston not to let the matter rest, albiet the other officials were getting sleepy over it. The great key to Lord Palmerston' s undying popularity is that he knows the voice of the people when he hears it, can tell when it is raised i in earnest, whilst his colleagues or subordinates " pooh-pooh ! " and put their fingers in their ears. Many years ago Mr. Grruneison, the correspondent of an I English daily paper at the camp of Don Carlos, was taken prisoner by Esparetro, and was sentenced to be shot as a spy. On the arrival of the news, Mr. Michell, the managing proprietor of the paper, went to L ord Palmerston, ringing his Lordship up in the middle of the night. Lord Palmerston wrote a despatch, sealed it, gave it to Mr. Michell, with instructions to proceed at once to the residence of a Cabinet messenger, who had just returned from Vienna. On arriving, the messenger was in bed, but to Mr. Michell' s surprise, came down in ten minutes, booted and spurred, and all ready for a journey. His orders were to start for the Christinos' head-quarters at once, to travel night and day, and to spare no expense. He started, and by incredible exertion — the railway system was in its infancy in those days — presented himself at the entrance to Espartero's tent at the very moment when poor Grrunesion was waiting amongst a crowd of Chapelchowries the arrival of the firing party. "What's your business? " "1 come from Lord Palmerston to request that the Englishman's life may be spared." "Impossible ! he's a spy. " " Read that ! " pulling out his despatch. The grim General read and swore, and stamped and cried" Carrajo!"but he also called his aide and instructed him to have Grruneison unbound and delivered up. "What was in that little despatch — there were only three lines — never transpired ; they were "neither deep as a well nor as wide as a church-door," but they were enough, and our "special" of the old. days was liberated. Compare this promptitude of action with the worse than finicking which would have ruled in the case of poor Cameron, but for the interference of the glorious old boy. He never deserts a friend — and every Englishman is his friend — until he proves himself unworthy. But if a stick once break in his hand, he never leans on it again. — Court Journal.