OUR PARIS LETTER.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3483, 23 February 1880, Page 2

OUR PARIS LETTER.

(fbom oub own cobebspondent)

The Hepublic was founded 4th September, 1870, and it has taken more than nine years to"form a true Republican Cabinet —for that constituted by M. de Treycinet is such'at last. Hitherto the effort was to weld men together professing different views aud various degrees of timidity. The new Ministers are united as to programme, and resolved as to action-; if they be not burning and sinning lights, they possess remarkable business capacity, and will soon make the crooked paths straight. The running with the hare and hunting with the hound element, as represtated by M. Waddington, has since a long time proved repugnant to the nation, and the majority of the deputies : he was not a break so much as a garrote for his colleagues, and the first step out of the vicious circle in which Republicans were of late moving, was to supersede him: allow him to return to his " dear studies," as Thiers would say. He made the great mistake to encourage the belief, like that old political rat the Duke Decazes, his predecessor, that his presence was necessary for the external safety of France, and the tranquilifcy of Europe. The French have not the most remote idea of troubling any repose. M. Waddington had to ba chipped from his r ■ ■.>..■.. ■ ..:

portfolio as a barnacle from a rock. He never was popular ; he had always a dash of snobbism ; he could not make a speech, _ did not rank higher than respectable

mediocrity, but not the less wished to pass as one of the gloires de France. The Comte d'Harcourt, cousin of Mavshal Maemahon, attacks the fallen Minister very bitterly, upbraids him with being only half a Frenchman, and so 'only a serai-patriot. Waddington responds by sending his seconds. The cryin« want of the moment is, to give a few vigorous blows of the broom to the Foreign Office, the Treasury, and the Office of Public Works, which swarm

with high officials, who parade their hostility against the Republic; next to reform the judicial bench, by sending its avowed monarchial occupants, who prefer politics to distributing justice, to meditate in private life ; the education and divorce • question will be satisfactorily solved, and with the new electoral law voted, the general elections of 1881 may be looked forward to with confidence, and Gam bet (a for Premier, with the new legislature. *

Tallyrand did not believe in men but in ideas : he did not betray any of the many regimes he served: he abandoned them only when they betrayed themselves : at Erfurt, where Talma played to a pitiull ;„._ of kings, A lexand*rofJßusSia and several kin#B.«a-m'e"6ver'to Tallyrand's box, and standing, talked to Tallyrand, who v^m seated, suffering from an infirmity of tjgJP feet As the kings arrived at the tbea^ej the drums beat a salute: "Here's the Emperor ! " exclaim' d the general spectators : "You pack of fools," said a gendarme, "it is only a German king." The same functionary when Napoleon appeared, ordered the invited not to look v at his Majesty with their glasses, nor to strain their necks; the tragedy had,not well Jbegun, when Napoleon, having Alexander of Russia on his right, and the kings of Saxony and Bavaria close by, fell into a profound sleep and snored till the piece was finished. - According to M. Adolphe Jullien, it is only in the eighteenth century that actors commenced to dress to suit their voles: previously their costume were bizarre, for the actors were in the habit of receiving - ; presents of stuff from the nobles, and ctven their cast off clothes; actresses when playing the part of even servant maid, or, peasant, appeared dressed in velvets and silks, their aims and shoulders laden with precious stones. Mme. Favart was the first to come out at the opera comique as a peasant in wooden shoes. When Talma appeared as an antique Eoman, Mme. Vestris called him a "pig," for not wearing pantaloons. Mile. Clairon pushed " naturalism ■" on one occasion so far that to represent a firightful dream she rushed on >the stage m fearful chemise. Zola would approve of this, but the-manager requested her not to repeat that toilette. Mme. Duparrewas married in 1840; six years later she travelled to Munich iv Company with a M. Destailleurs, and was delivered of a daughter, which he registered as his, under another name. The "real" father claimed the child, but Destailleurs lived iv Italy and avoided the French Courts. In 1860 he paid 10,000fr. to the mother and her husband to leave himself and his daughter tranquil. The latter ultimately became a nun. The mother now claims damages against Destailleurs for abducting her child, and demands that she be absolved from her religious vows. Other, family " difference and in high life: Comte de Brimont married his only daughter to the Marquis de Laizer, giving her a dowry of 3oO,QCQfr_ l __the_ husband . having three times that sum on--his-aide : to euable them to live economically, he consented that they should reside with him; before a year they elbowed the old gentleman out of his mansion, and laughed in bis face. They issued invitations recently for a large dinner party, and daring the . day drove Co pay visits; the Comte arrived,with a (urniture van and his valet, expelled all the servants, packed his daughter's personal property, &c, in the van, a:id sent them to tue State magazine; he then locked the gates, haviug retained the eatables, and when the guests arrived, a policeman warned them off, and not to disturb the house. The Comte is over sixty, and intends to marry, in order to have an heir. One of Napoleon's Marshals observed: "At sixty, a bridegroom may become it father, but at seventy if a man weds, he's sure to be one."

The Figaro announces it has "received a telegram, by cable, from New York." In the lat.3 Hotel de Ville, there were two tablets, commemorative of Louis XIV.—" 1685, Revocation of the edict of Nantes, and the extinction of heresy by the zeal and piety of the king." Next. " 1689, Protection given to the King of England and the Prince of Wales, against their rebellious subjects." The. locks and door handles in the Palace of Elysco, are embroidered with insignia of tht* second Empire; 80,OOOfrs. ere to be voted to remove the eye-sores. Humbert, the amnestied Communist, and editor of Rochefort's organ, the Mot d'Ordre, is a town councillor; his honeymoon is not yet over, yet he has just fought a duel with the editor of the

Lanfcerne, and now enters prison for six months, to purge a condemnation. A manager invited au importunate author to come o his house and read his new drama: he did so : after a time, the manager rung the bell: " I see you are cold, sir; Marie, put two manuscripts on the fire." The servant drew two manuscripts out of a box, and did sjMf&ia author complained of being i 11,,, wit%<J?3w, and has not since been heard of. . . Examiner to assistant: "What is the. measure of your poetry ? " "On an average, at least, twelve feet." Gentleman to gamin: "Don't walk on my feet."—"How can I help it, when they cover all the flag«way."