PARIS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6859, 28 July 1900, Page 1

PARIS.

Its Exhibition And Its Pleasures. A good deal' of what people call " bad luck " (says an English paper) has followed the career of the Exposition, since its evening : death, fire, absence of crowned heads, together with the general confusion which has been too apparent to make things pleasant to those who like to take things gaily. On the Queen's Birthday the doors of the British Pavilion were opened. This building is erected in the style of an old English country house, and the idea- has been consistently carried out. The spiteful feeling of the Paris Press towards anything English was displayed by many of the principal journals almost ignoring the opening of this section. To other nations every attention was shown and long descriptive avficles appeared ; but British manufactures and examples of our industry have been treated with all but silent contempt. The Ottoman Pavilion in the Rue des Nations is a 'handsome building #nd is much admired ; it has a gay and pleasing aspect, whilst the interior is most picturesque. The model of the reconstruction of the City of Jerusalem is an < extraordinary piece of work, and* reflects great credit en the designers. The Cafe Concert attracts a considerable number of persons. The Porte .Monumentale on the Place de la Concorde is the main entrance. In architecture it is an original fantasy, the design being quite fairylike, as is the main body of the build•ing3y situated on the banks of the river. Italy and Spain, have built MARVELLOUS PALACES, put together by native workmen, specially semti to Paris for the . purpose. A beautiful picture is found under tlief shadow of the Trocadero: a dazzling mass of white, highly decorated palaces and houses, representing an Oriental city. . On a sunny day it is positively enchanting to gaze upon the minarets gleaming bright against a background of blue sky. The Imperial Chinese Village is truly a thing of beauty. If there is one thing more than another th& Chinese understand it is the art of illumination.' When the numberless, lanterns of all colours are lighted! up the effect is dazzling and fairylike. The Swiss Village and porj tdons of Old Paris are wonderful specimens lof artificial building. The quaint figures on these erections are remarkable for their clever and artistic carving. ' In the Russian Courts the golden map, presented by the Czar to the President of the French Republic on the occasion of the official opening of the Russian Courts, attracts crowds, who view with delight this costly souvenir of favom\ The map is over a- yard square, accurately drawn to scale. Each department is shown by a precious stone. The frontiers are outlined in jasper, and t-he courses of tlie rivers traced in platinum. It is an exquisite work of art, and is worth., so it is reported, £160,000. Of course, ib need hardly be said that France's supposed ally is favoured beyond any other country with regard to position in the grounds. The Russian display is full of VIVID COLOURING AND ORIENTAL SPLENDOUR. From Pretoria there is a striking model of extraordinary interest. This model represents a gold mine dug underground and extending some five hundred yards ; the walls axe built of gold ore from the Witwatersrand; cages, shafts, stopes, drives, chutes, tramways, electric light-iDg — in fact,

all the scenes of mining life are depicted with rare, fidelity. ... The feeding in the Exhibition is by no means equal to that obtained outside, in the famous restauranfe of Hhe city ; these places are not noticeable for their external beauty, but their charges Vrill be long remembered! by 'the guest. The'Maison Doree, Durand, L^rne, Paillard, Voisin-, and Le Cafe Anglais are houses famed for exquisite cooking ; once through the portals of these establishments econcmy, should be east to the Winds, for nothing spoils the appetite more than worrying about the total of the bill. In ordering, do <oot forget; to tell the waiter "One for two." Just to give an idea, we jot from our tumble meal some of the items :— Fowl with truffles, 20 francs ; dish of asparagus with maslin sauce, Wfrancs ; crouter-au-pot, .3 francs ; duckling, delicately flavoured with a pure© of young turnips' and cream, 14 francs ; a bottle of excellent Graves, 4 francs ; cognac," 2 to's francs ,according to age- This bill is costly, we admit, but the memory of it will linger, and iB *-..■■ WOBtH THE MON3T CHAEGED. When tired of Paris and ite Eshibitdon, those who have been thoughtful enough to bring their cycles should take a spini the to surrpuuding country being easy of. access.- A great help will be foumd in applying to the Touring dub de France for advice, and one should also prccure some of their publications. These books are small enough to slip into a waistcoat pocket, and should you wish to make a trip to Havre, Dieppe, through the orchards of Normandy or the lagoons of Picardj, these special French itineraries will- be found up to. date. The fees of the club are moderate, while the road-books, maps, etc., are thoroughly reliable.- They indicate the best routes to take and reads to avoid, for there are some pretty bad ones that are enough to dishearten even a seasoned traveller. The chisf pleasure of biking round Paris is the beautiful and varied scenery to be found on all sides, and. yet the distance at any time need not be more than fifty kilometres from the town. A drawback to the enjoyment of the wheelman or wheelwcman is the Juggernaut Car, driven with reckless speed by the motor-fiend, whose tootling spoils the enjoyment of seme of the loveliest views in the fair land of France. The charming weather of the last few days has made the grounds a delightful promenade ; but the buildings will not be completed, it is feared, till the 'middle of this month, whdn the crush is expected to.ba phenomenal. There are 30,000 French exhibitors, 6564 United States exhibitors, 2500 Belgian; Germany has 2000, Italy 2000, Russia 1500, Scandinavia 1400, Austria 1000, Great Britain 600. The United States exhibits occupy 329,052 square feet, in forly-seven distinct exhibition spaces — thirty-three' in the main Exposition grounds and fourteen in the Vincenoies .Annex. ,