OUR PARIS LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2385, 22 October 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR PARIS LETTER.

[iKOM OL'll OWN' COKUKSrON'nKNr.] I’akis, August 13. Mi.mstkr Kocvikr is a hard-headed old mail, upbraided with lining practical, and accused of having common souse. It is reported that he has as many reforms on th? stocks as there are arrows in Cupid's quiver. There is one amelioration it. is to be hoped he will labour to introduce —that of telling naked political facts to the people, not allowin'.; an event to be distorted or misrepresented however disagreeable it. may be to national prejudices or mortifying for historical pride. Up to the present no public man has arrived at fame or popularity by disguising facts from his fellow countrymen ; or, what is just as bad, drawing on imagination for the non-existing. Napoleon I. injured the Frenchmen’s belief in war statistics as much as did Louis XV. and his predecessor their morals by their corrupt lives. As for Victor Hugo, although he never kissed the blarney stone, ho so adulated the people that they ultimately believed that they must be as chosen in the ten tribes of Israel. If England has gained nothing by the collapsehirtho'Anglo-Turki.sh C invention, she has eased her situation in Egypt, by leaving to others to discover the means for her safely withdrawing from the country. Before the Bine Hook was issued, or English .Mini-lei's “drawn," on the history of the Wullt mission, the French pipers were fed with two inaccuracies ; first, that England promised not to negotiate se.in.-tlr, but having done so led to the singular commiuatory note of th" C unto de Montebello addressed to the Sultan. TinTmtj)s, which is the serious journal of Franco, olli d-ms'iv announced that England had tricked the French Ambassador It failed to have the courage to state what the Blue Book reveals, such was not the fact. Similarly with regard to the questionable language of Comte de Montebello's curtain lecture to tlie Sultan. Although the text was sealed with the seal of the embassy that the document was exact, it is also officially announced to he tin; contrary. Better to exercise the llux and confess that in tripping up the negotiations France, irritated at the British in Egypt, and for which allowance could he made, blundered. No one even hints now at the evacuation of the Nile Valley. It is for France to find the aw/i* vimnll to satisfy the powers, plus the policeman in charge. A better feeling prevails that the peace of Europe will not he disturbed. It is too late to commence campaigning this year in any case, save for the Skohcloffs, who find all weather excellent for lighting. The strained situation has been eased by Russia and England settling the Afghan boundary question. Tliat should he a sublime warning to France, to fathom well the friendship of the Muscovite, so as not to build on sand, or lean on reeds. If there he room in Asia for Russia and England, there is also room for the latter and France in the world. Bismarck has got the credit of arranging the Afghan point no>r, which is not improbable as ids stereotyped policy is to keep France isolated. It is believed that in exchange England will “draw it mild ” in the Bulgarian question. She may do so, as there are no Battenburgs to lie locked up ; then her neutrality will he her reply to the Sultan's rejection of the contention. Let him stew in bis juice. Clearly there is something going on between the Russians and the English of a satisfactory character Occupying Egypt, England cannot view without knitted brows, the recasting of whit remains of European Turkey. In liumeial circles it is asserted that a vast Angle Russian Trading Cuupmv is to he formed with .special commercial bn-ilit’cs, for developing IVntroi Asia by tfie Caspian .Sea mute, anl a new highway through Persia, working through North Western India. .Since Motion's death, high pressure patriotism Ins subsided in Russia very extensively; the t.'/.ir has been taking stock of the situation, and inclines to try commerce and industry as the future arms of conquest. When realms annex each other in mutual moneymaking, soldiers may give up dreaming of battle fields. Brother Jonathan as usual, has gone in fora ‘•lug thing" in undertaking to farm the celestial Empire. Why does not John Bull follow suit, in contracting for the industrial development of Holy "Russia ?

Last week an old worn in was buried before her time ; the doctor certified, she was dead, and made way for the undertaker, who had the aged dame carefully screwed down in hercollin, and deposited in her narrow coll The first few .-hovelfnlls of earth on the coliin lid, galvanized the occupant into life, as a .-watching noise was heard, the coffin wis lifted up. smashed open, and the poor woman thanked her wool l-iie deliverers with an expiring gasp. Her children have taken an action against the doctor, for professional ignorance. Weil, a medicine man ought at least to he aide to distinguish a corpse from a living being. This does not appear to be so easy a matter as might he supposed. The Academy of Medicine has a fat pri/.e out-standing some years, fur whoever can make known a sure and handy way of recognising when a person is death Competitors of every country Germany inclndc.l, are invited to send in their ways ami means, just the same as for the hmnr i •rri:n/«t.»' offered to discover an agent that would clear the vineyards of the phylloxera. In a children's hospital at Aubervilliers, outside Paris, a poor woman sent, tier only infant, aged fit years, to be treated for small-pox, a disease which had carried off her husband and two children. Dining six weeks she “took the news" of the little patient on visiting days; all was going on satisfactorily. At the end of the six weeks she was aided by neighbours to purchase now clothing for the convalescent. Her cousin delivered the clothes at the hospital, and saw the boy for the first time since his admission. He was so changed—so very much so, indeed—that she declined to take him away till having first consulted his mother; hut next day a nurse took the child, dressed in the new clothes, to the mother, requested her to take delivery, and to give a receipt for the body, or else the pi l 'd would be lodged in the Foundling Hospital. The mother looked astounded, and duly allowing for the changes disease often brings about, could not recognise her boy in the lad before her. .She declined to accept him,- and re-demanded from the Director of the hospital her infant. After an agonising lapse of two days she received a letter to call at the hospital. Ushered into the presence of two gentlemen of very emharassed air, after a hem and a haw, one of them said he had very bad news to relate. Her child hdd been dead, and “ buried by its parents live weeks previously', in error." The latter was due to the mixing up of the carddockets at the head of each patient’s bed, and that referring to her deceased child had been wrongly placed over the cot of the infant remitted to her, while the parent's of tire living hoy had buried her son, believing he was their own. The juy of the mourning father and mother was only equal to the anguish of the poor widow in the loss of her only and pet lamb. The hospital authorities have delivered a certificate to Hie parents of the living hoy that their lad has not bseu interred, ami they in return have presented their bill for -Join, the expenses of the erroneous

burial they were put to. They ought to add on a sum lor anxiety of mind, like the lawyers. The officials decline to pav, alleging that the child not hung dead could never have been buried. It is -nr prising they do not indict the fath-r and mother for attempting to obtain money under false pretences. Pranziiii’s days are now more than ever numbered. His appeal to quash his trial and secure a new one has h.vn rejected. Tiie appeal was chiefly based on the fact that the court, instead of being left open for the general public to enter, as if for a wed ling ceremony, bad been packed by privileged persons, admitted privately by ticket. As it could not be shown the accused antlered in fair ~layby the special entries, even if all were so, or that the course of justice had been impeded, the appeal was negatived. Nothing now reonins lint the usual formality to petition President Crevy for clemency. Tins will not likely be accurdei. Tile crime was terrible; terrible must be its expiation. There is only one point opinion would like to see closed up. Who was the person the condemned drove to several parts of Paris within some four hours after the crime? The second person has been sworn to. That confession would not change the unanimous belief that I’ran/.ini alone murdered his Hiree vh-'has, tint would throw some livid, it i- presumed, on the assassination of < i--n--r.il Skob-’-hdf’s mother, and perhaps nm-irth a band of assassin couriers. Midimc Sabhatier. the mistress of the cmd-nm-i, and wlio-e evidence nailed his coffin, has been accorded an audience by M. Grew. Sin; cam. to item in I bis eieimury, or. falling this, a respire Till tb' semi min was discovered. It is net, f..r Pr.avzini to secure cither. His family do not expect a commutation of Hie death se-itence, us they have fonnllv applied for bis remains. On the o’b- r Inn-i. the University of Medicine claim tie ir rigid, which has precedence oT that of the family. Specialists who have studied Pranzini allege his remains would he use ful to biological sci me-. At. Alfrontville evictions are executed with a lightness of hand avl c enph-tc-ness, which must make Irish 1 iiidl uds regret they m mage thi-e things better in Franco. The proprietor of a cafeenneert was in nrni.il of his payment-. One day a creditor appeared -and deni inded the settlement, of a claim i f I.OOOfr. Impossible at tiie inonieii*. Tiie creditor went to tbs do r, whist!-d. and immediately ,-ix targe vans drove up. They were full of men, who mi entering at once proceeded to look up the tenant. Next they ejected the clients, then took away chairs, tables, curtains, and everything removable, leaving only hare walls behind them. The gutting party then drove away. Ail was elfected within thirty-nine ndua'es, before even water could be boil-d to d niche the invaders or a barricade run up to be attacked at bayonet point. The soft goods shops of Paris write oil ten percent, of their protils to meet the losses due to shop-lifters and kleptomaniacs, and this independent of-a special staff of highly-paid detectives. When a of the secret police has to retire from business, having arrived at tiie legil limit of service, he is at once engaged as “ boss ”in some leading magazine. Viointers of the Decalogue forget tl.at by tiieir pilferings they subject honest employees to he tin deservedly suspected. Every shop assistant's trunk is periooically examined by a searcher, not with

the view of tlisuoverin;; tiii'N, but of his moral lihiv?, «liio to tli»* owtainty that all attempts to '‘convoy * will he expose A KiS'im a poetess, an-1 rcl iteil t:u- fani:lios in Ku'si.i, his ja-st appcircJ in Ihe «lojk. with her ** la Iv coinpini*i:i.** '.:!;ar”o-l with .iiwrs ar!i-;U*< in tile Louvre* in I>it 1 ln*l hj c:i rv fijsed. The princess inilicatc-l wh-n in the shop the article that pl-as.*! h*-r fmey, the c nnp mi’m took it, an ! place I it in her ilress sack pocket. They were arrested amt searchcil ; at their rt-si !eacv • jtiite an extensive collection of valuable trilies were discrmre-L The princess was anpiitreil, as she prowl she only indicated to her comp uiiosi what to buy, not to steal. and had given her the means, •JOOOfr., which was true, to pay lor purchases. The companion was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. Ordinarily, when a member of the Upper Ten indulges in scalping shops, she is allowed to compromise tin: theft hy handing over a round sum to the Ward Charily Fond. Steal, like, swe ir not at all, is the safest plan. Many public men in F. m.-c on tlir-ir decease leave their widows and families totally unprovided for. Th-y never were rich, and never had enough to lie aide to save, for frugili'y is tin- o!t spring of superfluity. The State, nnalde to grant pension., aecnrds the widows of goin-rals, colonels, high ei-dl servants, and cron legislators, a tobacco shoe. It is not a had lift. Many of the tobi-c ) shops i.f the capital make •J0, , ;!)-'lfr. a year profit hy selling the weed and stamps. The endowed puts in a manager at tMtinfr. or TJOOfr. a year, and lives comfoitably on the difference. A Novkl I’ruiA 1. Frsn.—There is a factory employing IdiM) haads. ami on the death of one of the latter the survivors put down half a fnne. or more each; the total is lodged to un i t the funeral expenses, &c., of the ilex' fall-11, and any balance is handed to the family of the deceased, Gustave Naqnet, the condemned duellist, is agi eat Republic an. In IsTo he went to contest a seat in Ajaccio for the Chamber of D -pntics. lie was drawn in his carriage like a conquering hero. He kept bis hat on, when suddenly the crowd cried “ Hat’s off!” Naquet removed his, bowed, and smiled to the crowd. He was passing the Napoleon statue, and mistook the meaning of the demonstration, and that was tie; way ha was compelled to honour tic- dynasty he detested. A paper advertises: “ Wanted a nurse; men need not apply." It is droll, but true. Then- are male housemaids and male laundresses, in addition to the nurses for weaned or buttle-reared babies.