OUR PARIS LETTER. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Paris, October 6.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2242, 20 November 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

OUR PARIS LETTER. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Paris, October 6.

Tin: Anglo-Austrian alliance, with the benediction of Bismarck, the material aid of ltaty in reserve, and all backed by the JXuiubhn States, is accepted as the rampart against the Seven League Boots March Europcanwards of the Cossack. Tho manly declaration of the foreign policy of England in this sense has done more to clear up tho situation respecting Bulgaria than all the meetings ot the three Emperors. It would be an eternal shame if England abdicated her traditional policy, either out of selfishness or timidity, to desert little nations struggling for their liberties against a Leviathan autocrat. Bruin will paw his head several times before ho will challenge such a formidable coalition. The latter will now act as the histoiical dose of smelling salts on the Sultan, and nip in time his contemplated Blue Beard alliance with Russia. It is Austria that must henceforth " hold the fort ' on the road to Constantinople. The French have lost'a splendid opportunity for investing in the oppressed nationalities business, once their speciality. They preferred to coquet with the Musco\ ite as likely to pay best. In | the end they would have to throw up that hand, as Russia at Constantinople would keep the Mediterranean powers in an unsettled state. Then the spectacle of France, who ever follows in 'the wake of England's role of teaching nations how to live, allying herself to Russian despotism, would be sufficient to cause the gods to -hade their blushes. Since England has declared she will never quit Egypt till satisfied her " protection " has clone its woik, which will likely be simultaneous with the departure of the French from Tunisia and Tonkin, the Paris financial journals are as indignant as a crossed mother-in-law. The new departure of England, with Austria and Italy for partners, promises that desired lepose which all business men have been invoking since three years. The financial situation is the most engrossing subject at present in France. The Budget commission has knocked the Budget on the head ; how the Minister of Finance will survive this demolition, remains to be seen. No two persons in France appear to be agreed as to the condition of the revenue and the current debt of tho nation. This indicates confusion. There is a consensus of opinion, that a chronic deficiency exists ; it is respecting its amount, that opinion dilfeis. M. Clarigny, in the Revue de Deux Mondes says, that since five years there exists an " effective insufficiency" of expenses over receipts. The average annual total ot this deficit, he estimates at 608 million francs, or some £2-1 millions sterling, or more than onefouith of the total revenue of the United Kingdom. The same high authority further states, that the true floating debt of France, and whose payment is exigible at the present moment, amounts to the startling sum of threeauda-half milliards, which represent the accumulated deficiencies of the last five years, and equal to 140 million pounds sterling, or something like two-thirds of the war indemnity paid to Germany. If to this be added the figures of M. Seigftied given at the recent Congiess held at Bordeaux, the exports of France have been diminishing during the last ten years, at the rate of 100 million francs yearly. The picture is sad. These figures may well cause the Budget Commission embarrassment, and tho f i lends of France anxiety. It ia plain she cannot continue this rate of expenditure, simultaneously competing with Germany in her gigantic laud army— a necessity for a Continental power, and England in hor omnipotent navy and almost boundless colonies. The Commih.sion Iris decided to adopt au income tax, which will bo about as popular as the new poll tax in Tonkin. Paying taxes, philosophers say, is what diitinguiMhofs man from all other animals. It is but fair that tho Tonkinoiso should bo initiated into a few of tho joys of western civilisation. It is to be hoped that if the income tax be established, which is still amongst tho glorious uncertainties, though everything happens in France, tho collectors will not include, as in Germany, Christmas-boxes as revenue. Other financial doctors propose not to tax incomes, but capital, which is not fluctuating and a mode which is claimed to bo not personally inquisitorial. Supposing a proprietor (lucky fellow !) to pobsess a house, gardens, parks or farms, ho would not be taxed with the revenue derived from these, but a small percentage would be struck on their as.sespcd or marketable value. Such is the distinction between taxing fluctuating income and next to unfluctuating property. It is useless proposing a reduction of expenditure ; the pace is killing all the same. He.uLsmnn Deiblor, has just put two fnst-cliiSs scouudiols beyond all surgery. Riviere and Ficy wore aged respectively o0 and 25 years. The latter had his nickname, "IS T o chance," titooed between his cycbiows, and " MKfoi tune's child" (he was illegitimate) on liN arm. Both murJcicis weic too idle to work, aud wanting pocket money decided to kill the propueirci-s of a low loilgiug-houso, populaily believed to keep h*r cash in her bed-tick. Ou tho _Stli Much last tli"y dci led to rem<>\v 1.- r, " pivpaiing thctn>Llvos for the j At' 1 by i -0 O'l supper. i\i two in the mm mug tli.-y knocked and demanded a bed,st itiii',' thoy wae clients. The old woman came clown stairs and let them in. They felled her, threw a noose round her neck aud finished her. Next they wont to her room, breaking open presses and drawer^. Whilo so engaged they heard tho pounds of a luudy-gurdy. Tho Campbells wuro co-rung in tho shtpe of three children, Italian wandering mm- | jjtrels, who lodged at the deceased'" house. Astonished at the unusual .sight of a light iv the landlady's room they peeped

tluouyh the curtained window and saw the robbers at work. Tying the, hall door with a cord they ran to the police station and gave informition, and tho police arrested the nssaeslns, who were pale with terror, hid under a bed. They were sentenced to death on the 6th July, and were executed on Monday last. It they were kept waiting the agony was selfinflicted. They boa&ted they would peach respootinsr some of the numerous undiscovered crimes committed in Pnris. Seeing no revelations coming justice was left to follow its ecurse, a judge boing delegated with the power to stay the execution if the culprits had any denunciation to make. Rivi6re aivived first at the scaffold. He was no longer bravo. Before the crime he boasted to his pal that if the worst oamo to the worst " Father Gi<svy'' would pardon them, as he did to many others, and that there were ploasint days, before them in New C ilcclonio-, or perhaps the New Hebrides. Deibler had such a fear of the criticisms of the Press that at his request the reporters wore placed or penned at a greater distance than ever from the scaffold. Yet he is a better executioner than his fathor.in-law, who lust week at Algiers let the knife fall twice, and failing to strike off the culprit's h<md, seized a paw to terminate his bungling till hooted to stop, when he again tried the guillotive, and on the fourth fall decapitation was effected. Riviere, as he walked from the prison, desired only to know if his pal would be executed, and with clenched hand demanded to be let at him. As for the clergyman he told him to be gone, as ho believed neither in God nor anything. On the scaffold he in embracing the abbe almost strangled him, then he yelled forth " Grevy is an assassin !" Deiblor at once seized the unfortunate, locked his head into the bull's eyo : then the thud of a butcher's axe, and the basket had its head. Time, le*s than four second. It was now the turn of Frey. Where two condemned have to die for a crime committed in common, one must witness the execution of the other. This was Frey'.s case : the poor clergyman tried to screen the scaffold, but Frey vituperated tho chaplain so grossly that the latter had to retire. Frey was now marched forward, after seeing the knife glitter and drop : he said to the crowd, " Good bye, men !" and, castiug a glance into tho basket uttered, " Our heads are at last toirether." Auother three seconds, and France counted a murderer le«s. Tho bodies were galloped off to the cemetery, let down into graves, then instantly taken up, and delivered to the Auatomy School. Since ISI3, thisis the fourteenth multiple execution. Two con-uated of a mm and his wife, a motherland her son. Iv 1817, the famous four sergeants of Rochelle were guillotined, and in 18*24, three brigands, the last of the Chevaliers of the celebrated Forest of Bondy. There is no truth in the rumour that the exhibition will be postponed |till 1890 to meet tho squeamish views of some crowned heads who dislike the centenary of the French Revolution. On the contrary the marking out of the bito is rapidly progressing, a resolution which ably seconded, lass its later terrors which disgraced it, that inaugurated years before in England, and adding to the sum of the rights and liberties of royal subjects ought not to displease. Besides, now-a-days a king's head runs no danger of being chopped off. He is either evicted or kidnapped. The Nihilists have still a weakness for the blowing up of their Czar 3 . JThe munificent bequest of the Duo de Aumile of his castle at Chantilly, its artistic treasures, forests, and vast estates does not create any extraordinary expression of joy. If ho had only made the gift after the conclusion of the FrancoGerman war in place of his family claiming compensation for the confiscation of their property by Napoleon 111., he would have scored a pplendid winning. The populace will never forgive the Orleanist, not in the restitution of what was due them, but exacting at such an agonizing moment. The total value of the donation is valued at oO,000 ; OOOfr. Iv the natural order of events this wind fall would have gone to the Comte de Paris. It is not just to assume that tho Duke made over all this in order to be allowed to re-enter France, or purchase political support for his pretendernephew. He is too able a man, too keen a student of his country not to be aware that speculating in tho restoration of any French dynasty is the worst of all investments. General Boulanger no more likes cats in the army than did his predecessor General Fane, drums. The former has struck out of the estimates the item of 5000fr for cats' meat, and the caring of pussies, whose duties consisted in keeping the rats out of the store-rooms. The War Minister is now asked to include dogs in his schemes of army reforms. Germany and Russia employ dogs for out-poat duty and carrying despatches in neck- baskets between certain stations. France made the experiment four years ago, but saw nothing practical in making dogs militaries. Further there is plenty of employment in France for dogs able and willing to work: in the provinces they draw costermongers' carts, and turn wheels for whitesmiths : iv the circuses they dance, jump through hoops, and find out the most amorous person in a ring of spectators. It is too late to utilize them as did a King of Lydia, by letting packs loose on the Cimmerians. Garamantas had cohorts of battle clogs. In 1770 the town of St. Malo had shepherds' dogs for "watchmen." As messengers, they are surpassed by carrier pigeons, as the latter do not bark, and are not required to swim across rivers, and even the French shell, melinite — what a sweet name, or its new German rival— hclinite— what a nasty title, can scarcely hit a business pigeon. The King of Greeco and his family are here enjoying themselves like ordinary cook tourists. Some way the French conclude, the Royal visitors owe them a deep debt of gratitude, because France lately abstained joining Austria, Italy, and Eugland from compelling the descendants of the Helats— not the Hellenes, according to some authorities — from being annihilated by tho Turks. It is said His Majesty will sound the way while here for a new loan. If he succeeds iv securing a few millions he might start next, say, the Madagascar joint. The Italians invite the French to imitate their plan of duelling — fight like game cocks till a combatant be dead. If both fall then, as in the Cid, the combat is over, in default of combatants. M. Clemenceau adopt 3 the new style of killing by ridicule. An American from 'Frisco sports the not democratic title of "Baron " Hickey. He is the proprietor of a royalist TiwcJt, and represented Clemenceau as receiving a bribe froir. a Government contractor. To such a calumny Clemenceau made a stinging retort. The Baron sent his secouds, and j Clemenceau utilised them to convey his reply, which was this : "As Monsieur must possess the proofs of my corruption, I cannot be a foeman worthy of his steel. In case he cannot justify his calumny, he will remain what 1 denounced him to be, and so unworthy of crossing foils with me." This logical crucifixion has set the city giggling. Of all the cities in France, Marseilles is the filthiest. While the deaths from typhus fever per 10,000 inhabitants are only 17 yearly in London, and 63 in Pans, they are 147 in Marseilles. Smallpox; there ciuses, in the same ratio, 91 deaths, while but nine at Paris, and five at Berlin. In Paris 28 per cent, of the total interments are " civil," and confined chiefly to the poor. One half of the male prisoners arrested in Paris are under 25 years of age. "St. Peter, open the gates of heaven to me. I have the right." "What have you done to gain admission ?" said the Saint. " I have had two mothers-in-law," " Begone, heaven is for martyrs, and not for imbeciles."

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