The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-07-19 00:00:00

THE SHAH IN FRANCE.

The following extracts are from an interesting eift.tch
by " An amasional Cu:respondent "of the Daily News,
writing from Paris, Saturday evening
The Shah . . has shown himeelf, since hi. arrival here,
an indefatigable sight-seer. On Friday, which WWI one of
the periods of repose hie cond.' erste entertainers Renee to
him, he maw two very popular lions—the Di rims f the
Siege of Paris, and Franconia troupe. In the evenieg, In no
way toed up by the fatigues of these, to Ole Majesty, very
melting novelties, he went to. torchlight exhibition of tha
antique gallery of the Louvre, got up under the auspices of
id Cherie. Blanc. No intimation was sent to Colonel La-
'quo, the mar ager of the Diorama, of the honour the King
of h Inge was about to do him. General Hartong. the official
Cicerone of the Persian Court, was thunderstruck on learning
that hie Majesty was going in the most bourgeois way lathe
world to see the reproduction in the Champs Ripen of the
most striking outmodes of the siege of Paris . The Shah
eemed, while surveying the Diorama, to realise the horrors
Of the bombardment, and expressed the liveliest sjmpathy
• ith those victims of the Krupp guns in the street of the
Faubourg St. Jacques. The Part-tans will have It that he
said, "Prussians no bono; French bono, bono." Mont
Valerian, wearing hia nightcap, and peppering away with
real guns at the Invisible enemy, delighted the Royal
tourist. . . .

---• • • •
The visit to the Ch.Ctle having been daily heralded, M.
Franconi was able to illuminate, and to make other prepats-
tior • for the reception of the Persian Court. The news of
what was going forward transpiring early in the day, places
were eagerly demanded, though prices were more than
doubled. There were few ladles fortunate enough to secure
seats, who did not come In ertning drew No schoolboy out
on a holiday could have more thoroughly enjoyed the
practical jokes of the clown, the charges of the comic
cavalry, and the equestrian feats ci the Amason. who jump
through hoops. The gymnastic achievements of the scro-
ta. were followed with unfeigned Interest by the Bhati
and those member, of his suite who found themselves
for the first time in a circus. In the course of the even-
ing a microso rpie youth yarned Lehmann, for the moment
the great attraction of Frascoors, on being applauded by
the Shah, boldly advanced to the foot of the Royal box, and
In mock heroic stile saluted Its chief occupant, who, think-
ing the infant prod'gy was °hosing some rule of French
etiquette, returned the ealutatlon with a gravity w Ida sent
the hou-e into a roar of laughter. The performance wag
over w so early hour, In consequence of the renclesrous ith
Charles Blanc. . .

It was not far from eleven o'clock when his M ej ,sty reached
the Louvre, where he wag &tented by hi it Batnie (Molder
of Fine Arts), M. Char'es Blanc, General Ladmirault, the
Prefect of the Seine, and itever.l meo.bers of the Academy,
the institute, surf the learned Faculties. The Gallery of
Antique Stainer—a vest Hall on the ground fl or, of a gloomy
style of architecture, was lighted up Ins very effective manner.
At the foot of every larch Mood • cuiras3ter holding a torch.
The servant' of the Petit Bourbon and the Ministry
of Fine Arts were also In attendance with lamps provided
with powerful reflectors, by meths of which • weii d
glow was projected on the statues most worthy of notioe. The
Venus of Milo was assigned the place of honour. Three
arm chairs had been set down before her. When the Shah
occupied the central one the pedeatel on which she stands
was made to revolve on a pivot, thus reveoding to the
Persian monarch her every beauty. Naser.ed.Din's criti-
dome revenled a man of faqir and artistic culture. He
Informed M. Cuarles Blanc that it WU a great nest for
him to see the original statue of which he has a copy in
his plasm, at Teheran. Melpomene, Bacchus, Agrippina,
Luning, Ver., Julie Clear, Nero, and Germanises, were
all parsed in review. At the close of the evening the old
veulted gallery wu suddenly illuminated with (=Matte blue
and red lights, which Lent &goblin wen, to the calm Pagan
divinltlea and sternly modelled heads of the early Ciento.
Tin hall in which Md, strange exhibition took place was the
one in which the balls were given by Catherine de Medici on
the occa.lun of the marriage of her daughter Elizabeth to
Philip It of Spain, and Margaret to the Prince of Bernet,
dterwards Henry IV. of France.
This morniee the Slosh paid a nett to the Prefect of the
Seine at the Luxembourg. The crowd was so great in the
court-yard as to render his entrance difficult. The weather
being oppreulvely hot, he begged M Duval forename him in
the private garden, where foes and cooling drinks were
served. His Majority was taken to hear the debate of the
Municipsl Council, which he was sorry he did not under.
stand, and to test the examination of 113010 boys to whom
the city has granted parses to finish their education In
the Lyceum'. Be was greatly lutereeted In the arith-
metical and geometrical black board exercise.. Ois quitting
the Luxembourg he went to Notre Dame. The Archbishop
of Parts was too orthodox to do the honours of the cattte•
deal to • Moslem Prince, but he delegated the Archdeacon
and Chapter to represent him. 1 hey met the Shah under
toe grand portal, where they stopped to point out to him
the qu.lnt stone sculptures representing the last judg-
ment and eplam'es in the early Christian martyrology.
He was greatly impressed with the architecture of
the cathedral. To obtain a good view he uc-nded
the steps of the high altar, an act of profanation which
set the aged canons crossing themselves. He refused
to look at the relics of the mur..ered archblseops but went
into the sacristy to Sr. the bust of Monsieur Barbey, of
whoee murder he had heard at Teheran. Later in the after.
norm he netted the E:ole des Hines, and requested his ba-
terpi °Mr to make note. in the catalogue of explanations
given by the director concerning the diatribution of miners.
logical wealth in different countries of the globe.
PARIS, eaturday Night.
If the Empire has not been outdone this evening, it has
been fairly equalled Toe Shah'. state visit to the Opera
showe that Pun, under a republican regime, can be, when
she cnoeses, as magnificent as under • despotic one. The
pageant I Dave fiat entnessed was one of extraordinary
splendour. Naar-ad-Din. who had heard much in the cities
which he visited on his way here of the creating disasters
which overtook the French Capital in IE7O-71, must this even-
ing have doubted their reality. Ills route along the Boule-
vards to the Rue Lapelletter presented • scarcely lean
striking appearance than the interior of the Opera. The
homes were Illuminated the whole whole way, and the
Garde de Paris kept with difficulty • narrow space
open In the dense crowd for the carriers which poured
along for hones in one unbroken stream. Balconies were
thronged, flags hying out from nearly every window, and the
trees alive with human beings. The popular element has
hitherto kept aloof from the futiritles of which the Shah is
the ocerelon. But this evening it mixed freely with the
bourgeoisie. The Must., the purlieu of the Temple, of the
Bastille, and the 'gunnel regions lying beyond the Northern
"IA Strasburg Railway termini, sent forth their multitudes
of operatives.
The ehab's oriental belongings had excited for the nonoe
the curiosity of the Fanbourgs. The blouses were In their
turn bitten with the dune to feast their eyes on those mar.
Ue.a.g.a".l-.‘l74;aTlC;Ofitlie Nl= itmarads.r.ubpai
more than two hours before the performance nes to have
begun, hareesome equipages streamed is the direction of the
it so Lepelletier. Toe ful dress toilettes of the ladies in
them moot have reminded Eoglish lock-non of the ap-
proaches to Bucklog ham Palace on day, when the Queen
holds drawing rooms Tne extreme fineness of the weather
o,tmllted of elegantly attires" Pareitennes riding in open cur.
risers ... The front of the 004-ra-house was a blaze
of light. I wide, the toilettes, the flower., and the uni-
forms produced kaleido copic masses of colonr, which ruight
have been offensively crude and harsh if the eye were
onliged indwell upon them. The bustle on the noire SPd In
the lobbies turned the heads of the checktakers and ouorueses.
Marty persons, unpronded with ticket*, were able to slip in,
In the contortion to ;dams in theiredierien The house was very
fu'ionably composed Mr. Haleozier had carefully eliminated
thereat celebrities of the boulevards I never,.. itt the earns
place • richer dieplay of jewellery. Tie Parialarithdles
made • point of displaying tonight all their diamonds for
the purpose of showing Nessr-ed-Din that he does not enjoy
a mouopoly of thew gems. They were beaten, however, by
the Persian monarch, who only wore thou perfumed
diamonds celebrated by the poet Pardoner in his Shah.
Namela. These fragruit jewels, which are the rarest in the
world, see supposed to he imbued with talismanic virtues.
I was t.4d that they emit a perfume, analogous to that of a
bed of flowers on which TOD has freshly fallen. But, as I
bad no opportunity of approaching the Shah, I was not able
to test ribs veracity of my Informant The pit was not,
contrary 0 what 0,11•11110110',00, Covered over. The Royal
box, or roller platform. merely &deuced over eight places
In the empitheatre, It aff vded room PT nvenieee chain"
three of which were fauteuils sf the aniele Louise Quatorze
Meld. Theme arm elutes were in gild and red sell., ay d re-
served or the Stab, and the two president,, M. Buffet and
Marshal M ecMthon . . .
. . .

. . .
When the Shah entered every opu ro e. The toilettes then
appenred it all their dazzling splendour. The unbroken
line which the balcony pre.entel f elegantly attired women
bl,zing in jewels, presented a favourable contrast to inc
west of continuity In the dress circlee of the London Opera.
houses. The spectacle was not on the stage this evening.
Nobody minded what was going on there. The actors
evidently felt that they were of very secondary importance,
and did not pay much attehtlon to their parts The moment
the Shah mu seated the orchestra struck up the Persian
Hymn. It was followed by the third act of La
Jssive. The ballets were Coppelirt and au act of La Source.
Contrary to what was anticipated, the Slink did rot appear
to fake any Interest in the pirouettes of Madame Beatigrand
and the tightly-clad troupe around her. Opera-pars sadly
nitsard the graceful, the aulmi.red Mdllr. Bi.acchl, who
created the role of Coppelia Out of compliment to the
Shah, M. Halausier discarded the Persian hat which the
automaton oi Copp4la nanny wean, and aubaltut,:d a tutb,,n
for It. The parts of Ru hel and Elldclie were performed by
11,adamea MilidAt and Denies. %%floret was the tenor.
it Is not to be regretted that some stare of greater
magnitude were not engaged. Had Patti, Nilason, Faure,
and (lamina been to the I re, they would have been Ica only
liatened to. The Sovereign Assembly had CO official place
.61gi led to It. Nearly PA, deputfes were congregnted in the
plt Literally their lodgings this time were on the cold
ground. As the Shah nrived a arty three-quarten of an
hour after the time et et,ll lh the pro ..11013,11e, the performance
did not end till near ml 'night The bustle and confusion
reigned in the etrerra adjoining the Opera-house for
at least two hour, aft, the King of K outs had taken his
departure was indescribable.