PARIS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 3310, 27 March 1879, Page 2

PARIS.

[from otje own correspondent.] Jan nary 18. The Russians have observed their New Year's Day, a fete less lively than usual, but the Muscovites do not conceal they arejpoor since they speculated in Christianizing Bulgaria, and which has not returned the dividend of an unlimited liability bank. I agree heartily with one point of the Nihilists character, that of demanding the adoption of the Gregorian calender ; the double date is about as attractive as the employing, by certain republic journals, of the revolutionary names of the months instead of the old Roman. The Russian church belongs to the orium order of architecture, and is a very showy structure from its lavish gilding and the fresco portrait of St. John ; around the railing, creeping where no life was seen, is to be observed that gay old . plant, the ivy green ; the coachmen seemed to be very proud of the tabernacle ; the ladies were dressed very soberly and displayed but little jewellery ; they had a serious look, though one goes to church to hear mass and talk a little of jupes and corsages ; if they were not contrite they were cold ; temperature six degrees below freezing point. Those who could not repeat their prayers counted them on amber bead necklaces, and the ceremony ever there was a general exchange of kisse3 of peace— what a pity English and Turks were absent. In the evening there was high life s/bove as well as below stains i.) all Ru-uian , homes, and a vast consumption of j | kaulisoh and beloi, which do duty for ] plum padding and Twelfth Night cakes, i

washed down with tokay, finishing up with the samovar — the only utensil be it said for making tea perfectly. There is a row over the lottery j one of the Commissioners has resigned because the Government has broken faith with the public by Tefusing to publish, as promised, the catalogue of prizes before the drawing commenced, and so prevent the possibility of changing the numbers from a valuable to a worthless prize. A winner must then act on the advice cf some vendor of " best patent blacking," — when you ask for your prize see that you get it. The explanations only make confusion worse confounded. The Palace of Industry, where the prizes are stored and classed, is a veritable Siberia; tbe guardians and clerks are muffled in rugH like Laps, and insurance .offices demand extra premiums for .those w nosedives they have insured. The commander of these forces gives his orders by bugle calk, the sounds of which promise to be frozen like those from the trumpet of Baron Mouchausen. Other mess and muddle; the Republican journals rate the authorities for secretly-giving the printing of Ac lists to a notorious Monarcbial prhSr instead of inviting' estimates. As a Bet off there are free lectures on the working of the wheels of fortunes to be employed to tell out the winning numbers, and an exhibition of the grand prize, 150,000fr,, in eimulated five franc pieces, that makes the mouth of r a ticket-holder water, though haying -twelve millions of chances against his mind's eye big Bonanza. A M. Aron, a gold and silver smith of standing, complains that he was subjected to 28 days preventive arrest last month in Bordeaux, on suspicion of being a a wanted" thief, though he produced papers, business bills, and letters establishing his identity; as well as honesty ; he was not allowed to communicate with his family at Paris, but marched between two policemen handcuffed to be examined from time to time by judges. At last the error was discovered; he was set at liberty, declared to be innocent, but cautioned never to do the like again. This is shameful under a rational constitution. In Spain matters are better managed, for a prisoner can claim a friend to share his captivity in a common ward. At one of the railway branch stations at Bordeaux, a lady of high family was travelling with her son, a lad aged 15 ; while he was walking along the platform, she entered the waiting room, was observed by a porter to be ill ; she rejoined her son and and they took their places in a first-class carriage ; the scene occupied less than five minutes, and occurred near midnight ; the porter hearing a sigh discovered a new-born healthy baby between the rails ; he informed the policeman, who had only time to jump on the moving train ; chance had it that he entered the compartment where were the lady and her son, and he told her, of his mission as a topic of conversation, and the lady agreed with him the matter was horrible. At the next Btation a search was made for the mother, and the carriage steps afforded the proof that the policeman's travelling companion was the culprit. After indignations and a medical examination she confessed her crime. She was sentenced to a month's imprisonment. Separated from her husband she wished to conceal her shame from him and her son. The baby lived three days. Three young gentlemen belonging to the first families in Paris— two titledlost all their money at a gambling club ; they drove up in their 'carriage to a commission jewellers office, forced the door, with a jemmy, carried off a box of watches, sold' them, and with the proceeds gambled again and lost. The arrests have caused a great sensation, but the crime will have a salutary result, if it leads to the abolition of gambling in crack clubs, which are only so many hells.— At Tours, during a wedding ball, a side- wall of the room fell ip, killed five persons, amonewhom were; the bride and bridegroom,' and wounded eleven. — At Dieppe last summer a young married and wealthy lady, while leaning on the arm of an old gentleman friend, was insulted by a discarded gentleman acquaintance j , only herself heard the insult. She was a good swimmer, so one day when the insular was bathing, she being on the watch, swam out, seized him, and mercilessly ducked him, so much so, that when she brought him to land he was restored to life with great difficulty, while the orowd applauded the lady for her ooarage in rescuing him. The young man has only now recovered, and has lodged a charge of " attempted murder "—on the high Beas perhaps— against the young lady. The most eminent counsel are engaged on both sides. Preault the sculptor, who has just died, and whose bust of " Silence" — the terrible features with finger on lips is so well known to visitors to Pere Lachaise cemetery—was as excellent a talker as D,umas. Pere. He observed of the rival painters, Jugres and Delacroix : the first was the constipation of colors, the second the diarrhea. Gambetta has received from the Speakers, of the English House of Commons and the American House of Representatives,' a copy of the regulations of those assemblies, and is having translations made. PaulFevsl since he has turned "religious" is buying up all his naughty novels to convert them into pulp. Judge to prisoner : " You cannot live by stealing geese, since the birds are only good three months in the year."