THE OBSERVER'S PARIS LETTER

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 226, 10 January 1885, Page 8

THE OBSERVER'S PARIS LETTER

Specially Weittbn for the Ladies

Paris, November 15. There is only one princely establishment in which recalls the light of other days — that of Chantilly, the property of the Due d'Auniale, the second youngest son of Xiouis Philippe. It was the family seat of the Montmorency and the Conde, and its importance may be judged from the circumstance that the stables alone can accommodate 300 horses, and that occasionally the Great Conde came up to Paris to hunt stags in the Champs Elysees. The Cnateau of Chantilly has had its ups and downs. It became national property pending the [Revolution, and served many purposes. It was so delapidated in 1814, when visited as & an historical ruin by the Emperor of Russia, that an, umbrella had to be held over his head during his promenade through the galleries. It was in 1830 that the Due de Bourbon, the last of the Conde, committed suicide in the Castle. He was never himself since Napoleon assassinated his son, the Due d'Eughien. The property descended to the Due d'Aumale, whose father, Louis Philippe, urged him to refuse it, as it was not worth the succession duty. In the celebrated Spanish marriages, Queen Christine worked heaven and earth to obtain d'Aumale for her second daughter, in place of the Due de Montpensier, his junior brother. She failed. The Due de Montpensier' s daughter married her cousin, the Comte de Paris, and their son, the young Duke of Orleans, prospective King of France—if such be ever needed — . will succeed his grand uncle, the Due d'Aumale, in the possession of Chantilly. The sons of Louis Phillipe were poor ; the rakes of the family were Montpensier and d'Aumale : their weekly pocket-money was soon exhausted, and there was not a pawnbroker's shop in Paris, but kept their watches in safe custody, and also their sisters', as they were ever borrowing hers, to raise the wind, on the pretext that it required repairs. By his marriage with the Princess Salerno the Due d'Aumale caught an heiress. She brought him the celebrated vineyard of Zucco, and the chief sulphur mines in Sicily. He was very attached to her and he never recovered from her premature death. His unhappiness was augmented by the death of- his two sons. To occupy his mind and practice resignation, he devoted his wealth to rebuilding Chantilly castle, restoring the gardens and parks to their pristine splendor, and, filling the galleries with the choicest ■paintings, rare books, sculpture, and curios. It is a veritable museum of art treasures. It is his custom to invite during the season, by series, the celebrities of Prance, and any distinguished foreigners, to Chantflly'. The KepublicaSi Government watches these receptions wi&;a jealous eye. He jusk.iriaiigurated the||junting season on the

anniversary of St. Hubert's clay — the Nimrod of the moderns — in honor of the Grand Dnke Wladmir of Eussia and Duchess, and a select party. The ceremony of blessing the pack, by the chaplain, was done privately ; but the Grand Duchess, in a scarlet costume, as queen of the hunt, attached the rosette in the Orleanist colors — blue and gold — round the neck of the oldest dog in the pack, and then the hunt commenced. A fine stag was brought down, after a splendid run of three hours. Its hoof was presented on a silver salver to the Grand Duchess, amidst a grand blowing of the horns of the chase. The guests are free to hunt, shoot, course, fish, ride, drive, etc., as they please, only all are expected to unite at dinner. An hour or so before the latter the host conducts his guests through the picture galleries and art salons, not forgetting his own sanctum, the one room where he works and dines all the year round; the chair he occupies being composed of tapestry worked by his wife. The Emperor Augustus lived similarly simple in his palace, and when he desired j to be thoroughly alone he mounted a ganet, that being, as he styled it, his ' ' villa residence." There is a room in Chantilly worth a visit to see, the "Monkies." This is a collection of our pre-Adamite ancestors, di-essed in the costumes of the period. Each monkey is the representative of a learned profession, or the type of a courtier or a notable. The fete des morts was unusually sombre this year. Mourning toilettes were more than general. Never were attempts so numerous to reconcile fashion, that is to say elegance, with severity. There was a time when elegant ladies simply wore a black robe, with white spots or stripes, and a plain black shawl ; while gentleman patronised a white cravat and lasting shoes. The Pagans wore black for mourning, because they believed souls went to the sombre empire. In Japan, and other regions of the East, white is the colour of mourning, and black of joy; and the Court of France observed white as mourning — hence la Reine Blanche — till the commencement of the sixteenth century. It was Anne de Bretagne who substituted black, in memory of her first husband, Charles VII. But she wore a sash of white silk over the dark toilet, with corddieres of a similar colour round the arms in true lovers' knots, which did not prevent her marrying her husband's cousin, Louis XII., before the close of the year. A Friday face and a Lenten look are not always symbolical of grief. It was true sorrow that of some followers of Gesostris, who desired to be walled up alive with their master's remains. In Paris it is only when a Rothschild dies that Israelites rend ther garments. lam not aware if they comply with the injunction not to repair such a toilette for the space of thirty days. It was the custom of .the Grecian ladies to scratch their faces till the blood flowed to reveal their sorrow ; but the Lycians regarded mourning as ridiculous, and insisted on men dressing as woiren if they desired to outwardly grieve. The Roman ladies wore white veils and put aside jewellery. In France a widow remains in mourning for one year and six weeks ; a widower, for six months. In Portugal during the last century, and in some parts of the country even yet, a widow dare not even leave her house pending a period of twelve months; nor to sleep in a bed, but on a mattress stretched on the most obscure corner .of the floor. Both in Spain and Portugal still a widow must continue in weeds till she re-marry. By the employment of English crape the severity of a mourning costume is diminished. The long veil cannot be dispensed with ; it can be aliowed to fall down behind, wearing over the features a little veil in tulle, bordered with crape. The robe should ever be the princess 'shape with a slight train, or a detached jupe with cuirass corsage, forming a point before and postilion at back ; long shawl or mantle in same stuff as the robe, but not lined with silk. The decided leaning tor chenille, as a trimming, is the dominant novelty for winter bonnets. Little capotes in. black lace are in general favour. The materials for their making are lace, jet, and some gold fringe. Some pretty hats are also in Chantilly lace. Figured velvets in gold and silver are also employed. The tendency continues to suppress strings, which, nevertheless, are very useful in cold weather ; where possible, wear strings with the capote, but, if inclined for the contrary, adopt the round hat. Generally young people prefer the straight-up crown hat, with feathers or ribbon knots in front.