PARISIAN GOSSIP.

Southland Times, Issue 1038, 14 October 1868, Page 2

PARISIAN GOSSIP.

(fbom our own correspondent.) Paris, 25th July, 1868. After a persistent disbelief in the speeches of the Emperor, the announcements of ministers, and the inspired articles in the official journals, a better feeliug is taking possession of the nation within the last few weeks. War seems to have been postponed till a more convenient season. In fact, the French are beginning to see, that while it is necessary they themselves should be French, it is equally so to permit Prussians to be Germans. The prudence of Bismarck, in removing all cause of complaint on the part of France, and avoiding, without being subservient every irritating subject, has done much to maintain European peace. The policy of the Government has received some rough handling in the Corps Legislatif, whose labors, unusually long as they have been, will end in a few days. Under the belief, hitherto generally indulged in, the Opposition vigorously, and notably M. Thiers, attacked the Government, believing in the prospect of "a general election. In this end, the philippics on both sides, were addressed, not to " honorable members," but to electors. The Emperor's politics were charged with being undecided and fitful , — ruinous in a monetary point of view — and disastrous in a political one. Foreign expeditions, as that of Mexico, had proved to be the Emperor's Waterloo : and his indecision towards Austria, had allowed Prussia to overshadow France, reducing the latter to a future something like Athens in the midst of Roman grandeur — the depositary of arts and letters. In the discussion of the various sections of the Budget, that on the War and Navy Estimates received most prominence. Marshal Niel, the War Minister, was subjected to a little cutting down in his demands, but his frankness stood him. He honestly said France required an army of a million and a-quar-ter of men to hold her proper influence in Europe, and sustain the glories of the second empire. M. Jules Favre, the Republican leader, said the Empire had already cost more than the preceding governments put together, and repudiated glory of such a price. The debate proved that the Ministry had no longer in hand its " tyrant majority," and many deputies showed a disposition to " hedge," as the country was opposed to the enormous army and heavy expenditure. The Home Minister defended the Government in its plan of setting up official candidates. He accused all preceding ministries with having done so, even under the republic of 1848, that every government backs up its adherents more or less directly, and the Second Empire would do so also — those who were not for it being looked upon as against it. The Emperor had no intention to dissolve the Chamber — every casual election returned a friendly deputy, which was but the reflex of what the entire nation would do in 1869. The voting of the sums on behalf of religion — for France pays every religion without distinction — led to a very decided expression of opinion from the " every-man-his-own-Pope party," and the Minister of Justice, who has charge of this portion of the State expenditure, hoped the time would soon come when every clergy would be supported by the offerings of their flocks. The new liberal press-law, so much vaunted, turns out to be a kind of. mockery and delusion. New journals spring up like mushrooms, nearly all hostile to the powers that be, and some of them, struck at by the law, have at once their fortunes secured. Five influential journals have been recently condemned, the writers fined as high as £200, and that most hateful part of the penalty supplemented — imprisonment for two or three months. The new right of public meeting is being acted upon chiefly by the working classes to carry out co-opera-tive schemes. The law will not allow such meetings to be called together by ordinary placarding, &c, the notice must appear solely in the newspapers. Baron Haursman's account of the eighty millions expended in re-building Paris, is deferred till next session. The Customs* Union between France, Belguim and Holland is viewed with distrust in political circles. It is regarded as a coming event casting its shadows over the Rhenish provinces. Prince Napoleon has returned from his continential tour, and is relating his travels to the Emperor at Plombieres. The Prince is said to be a complete convert to the German Unity idea, and that the only hope for Austria is to " federate " herself with Turkey and the Principalities, as an impassable barrier to Russia. The Emperor of Eussia is prosecuting his hobby of gaining the consent of the " civilised" powers to eschew the employment of explosive balls ; pity he would not go farther, and try to give up gunpowder altogether. The French Government has subscribed to the proposition, and as a substitute, is about employing the revolving cannon, which literally rains bullets as fast aa the chassepot. Under such circumstances, the Queen of Prussia may be excused for organising brigades of girls to assist the army medical staff. The results obtained from the training of the French soldiers in the camps of St. Maur and Chalons, are everything that could be desired ; the soldiers have been accustomed to throw up instantaneous trenches, and 'ice some ton rounds per minute, lying ILd on the ground. The Empress and the P. vice Imperial are living quietly at Fontamebleau. Her Majesty does not, of late, take much part in the cabinet meetings, and is devoting much of her time to the education of the Prince. The Emperor's afterdinner chat on political assassinations, is considered plucky, and hints that he has no fear for his dynasty, should Felix Pyat's resolution to kill him, be acted upon.

The only crowned head amongst us is her Majesty from Moh%. She is constantly driving out, and wears her goldeji crown and yellow pantaloons. Her big cook attends her, with his terrible sword ever drawn, with which he smites off the heads of sundry chickens daily, for his royal mistress, in the name of " Allah, the all-merciful." In September, the Siamese Twins are coming tb'Paris to be separated by Dr. Nelaton, These " brothers of the mystic tie" are getting old, and desire to be divided before death. A congress of doctors and surgeons has been invited. .. The Emperor *has devoted much of his time at Fontainebleaii to experimenting, under the direction of Mr Norton; the American inventor, on the boring of instantaneous wells, of which the driving power was coal gas. The results have been perfectly satisfactory, upwards of 1300 gallons of water per hour have been obtained. Mr Norton has sold his interest in France in his patent, and the Government are going to adopt it in Algeria, and on the immense arid wastes in the south west of the kingdom. Nadar, the celebrated photographer and aeronaut, has succeeded, by means of the "balloon captive," in taking, at an elevation of 1000 feet, some beautiful planispheres of Paris and its environs. He , has presented them to the Emperor, and has discovered means of easily making ihe process as useful to armies as to engineers. The French are quite delighted in being rendered independent of England in having, as the matter may be considered accomplished, a cable of its own to America. The French Government has granted a concession of twenty years to the Company who will lay down a wire from Brest to the city of New York; the subscribed capital is one million sterling, and there will be only two offices to keep up, those of the termini. Waterloo is at last revenged. The harvest operations are nearly closed in France. Excepting the oat crop, all other grains have turned out magnificent. Since three weeks, new season's bread has been selling in the city, the first loaves of which being sent, accordining to custom, to the several editors, crowned with a wreath of flowers, and gilt. The heat has affected the yield of grass, but matters have not been so bad as in Russia, where the trees have been so parched, they have disappeared by a sort of spontaneous combustion. The vintage never promised better, both as to quantity and quality, and already the vine-growers are buying up casks in enormous numbers. Trade, home and foreign, is one the whole, dull; confidence has not completely set in ; money is becoming more pentiful, though the Bank of France has its cellars still full of gold, thus depriving commerce of its life-blood. The bankruptcies are uncommonly numerous, averaging 170 per month, and among the oldest business houses. Eevenge is sweet, especially m woman. At Limoges, the pottery district of France, the man Boudineau, beats Jris wife while in a state of intoxication. When he falls asleep, the wife passes a cord round his neck and strangles him. She then deliberately cut the body into junks and scatters it on the highway at night. The body becoming decomposed befere she could dispose of it all, she . wraps the remaining portions up in dishcloths, and in noon-day, throws them on the public roads. The head she had concealed five days up the chimney, being similarly got rid of. The greatest consternation existed in the town, the poor shoemaker was missed, his wife arrested, who confessed the deed, pointed out the minutest details and boasted, that alone she did it. Captain Negroni, is a Knight of the Leigon of Honor, of aristocratic connections and leading a half pay life. During the late war in China he obtained as " loot" in the " Summer Palace," a box of diamonds, sapphieres, &c. On his return to France, his wealth became noised about, his diamonds were exhibited in London and Paris, and Eothschild offered a high price. .The Captain preferred buying a property for £10,000 outside Paris, and borrowing £4000 more from his landlord, depositing diamonds as a security. When the diamonds were offered for sale, they turned out to be false. An attempt was made to hush up the case, but the Public Prosecutor interefered, and the Captain was fined £120, and sent to prison for three months for swindling, his brother receiving a slighter punishment for for assisting him. Maeie lleutal is aged 22, very tall, handsome and clever. She is religious too, and her favorite saint is St Anthony ; Mary and her mother are, nevertheless, arraigned on a charge of murder, robbery and arson. Madlle. Chantreau, was, like thousands of such arrangements in France, everything to M. Forest, an eminent contractor, but his wife. She had lived with him for 20 years, was ultimately to become his wife, occupied a country house at Saint-Hilaire-Varenne, to which M. Forest repaired every Saturday, returning to Pa is on the Monday. The mansion was luxurious. On the night of the 9fch of August 1867, the house was observed to be °in flames. To the cry of alarm, Marie responded from her bed-room window, she had not the keys of the gate, they were in her mistress's room, access to which, was cut off by the fire. On an entry being forced the firemen were surprised to fiud the fire raging around the mistress's bed, the occupant partly burned, but looking from its position to have died tranquilly. The doctor said she had been suffocated; Marie was regarded as innocent, and the affair blew over. But the police enquired into Marie's history, found it to be a series of robberies, debaucheries, &c. Her room was searched, immense quantities of deceased's property found. A judical enquiry was opened, and it was proved, that Marie, assisted by her mother, had murdered the poor woman in her bath, dressed the body a little, carried it to the

bed and set fire to it, having previously steeped the bedding in petroleum and oil* The jury returned a verdict of " G-uilty 1 * with extenuating circumstances, thui taking away the penalty of death. Both prisoners were condemned to transportation for life, Mane laughing audaciously at the audience, who clamored for her death. The Exhibition at Havre drags its slow length along, every known art has been . resorted to in order to attract the public who do not seem to be charmed there in great numbers. Possibly the . most. pleasing part of the exhibition ia the acquarium, modelled after PingaPs Cave; Even the bull-fights haVe faded to draw, and the animals, seem to jindefstana they have not been transported front Seville for business. The public regard the display as Hamlet without Hajrnlet; ; The Sultan last year presented Prince Napoleon with a splendid yacht, the rahabieh ; only think the authorities have converted her into a floating grogshop. The " Tasting Banquet" was to feast on specimens .of the preserved food . exhibited in class %, such as fruits, mtat, fish and vegetables. Amongst other danties figure -preserved kangaroo', stuffed snails, and frogs limbs ift. white' wine. It is to be regretted, China setlt. no preserved dog, or water rate. The \ Freemasons intend having a meeting of " the Sons of Light,'.' here in September, from all parts of the world. Tie • Emperor is opposed to the craftsmen, and the Congress may not meet. After the first of July, the " world 11 is presumed to have left Paris. Some go to the country, others to the sea side, and another class, shut up the front ottho house, and live in the back. The intense heat— 94 degrees in the shade — forces all who care to go, and it is gratifying to those who must remain, that the absent find themselves but out of the frying-pan into the fire. Those who desire the luxury of a vapor bath gratis, will goto a~ theatre ; but nearly all amusements now, are out-of-doors. As for horse-racing, the French have become mad on this new . fashion, or passion if you will, as the amusement is not racy of the soil. In the vicinity of Paris, there are races two or three times a week, and well attended. The fever is equally high in the provinces. Occasionally sad ♦accidents occur. Thus at Ameins a few Sundays ago, a grand stand was run up in a night, and the wretched affair broke down the next day killing four people, and wounding fifty others Regattas are mimicked also, but few" old salts" are to be had 160 miles from a sea-board. However, there are frequently good rowing matches, particularly when an Englishman or a Yankee nave the bow oar. The French have fallen quite in love with that new toy the Volicipede, introduced by the Germans, but popularized by the Americans. Eaces with these machines are the order of the day ; not only are they pitted against each other, as to which will roll the quickest, but which will go the slowest; they challenge trotting horses, and contest a distance of 30 miles with a dray " losing by a few lengths." Boys ride to school on them, and bigger children propel themselves during the evening along the boulevards, displaying a lamp or the electric light. One gentleman thus " paddling his own canoe," has. a perch behind ior two of his olivet branches, who appear to be in a seventh heaven with their Pa. • The .French are ever upbraiding the English and Americans with their number of suicides, forgetting they live in glass houses themselves. Here is^ a ... bouquet of cases of sell-destruction 1 culled at random, and essentially dramatic. A French Stock-broker, in nourish-r > ing circumstances addresses a note to a friend, inviting him in the '* friends will please accept this notice" style, to see the last honors paid to him. On repairing to the writer's house, the unfortu- , nate man was dead in an arm chair, i having blown his brains out with a> i revolver. Another unfortunate met a i lady and gentleman crossing one of the principal bridges. He politely asked them " did they wish to see the road to happiness," before they could reply, he ; mounted the parapet, plunged into the ■ river, and two hours after, his body was found. As a train was slowly approaching Cherbourg, a gentleman descended to v the line, the driver, whistled, wavedhis s hands, and put on the break. The object of these attentions raised his hat, saluted the engineer, was observed to smile in • throwing himself across the rails, and his remains were scattered over a distance of 200 yards. But the ladies ! Here is to . be found the old old story of love and want. The latter is so frequent a cause, that it has ceased to be surprising. Sweet sixteen falls in love with a gentleman of whom her parents disapprove, and who took a house for her in the country, to banish her regret. The lovers still met, and the mother chided her daughter on her conduct. Next morning the handsome young creature was found suspended, and dead, from her bed, dressed in bridal apparel, with a crown oi orange blossoms on her head. M-9* 1 ? tragical still : a gentleman promised to marry an humble but respectable girl, but married another, who had money. Two years after, his wife died of consumption ; he renewed his addresses, but to break his faith again. Last week he got married, and the rejected suffocated herself with charcoal fumes, bis presents being placed on her chest,