The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-22 00:00:00

A FRENCH WATERING PLACE.

A correspondent of the Cambridge Independent
Press, writing from Dieppe on Wednesday lut, after re-
marking that " lodgings there are to the English in the
fashionable time just doable the price which is asked for
oorreepooding accommodation at Hastings or Scarborough,"
and that "Eli. a month is considered cheap for two rooms,
op a wearisome flight of stairs," gives a graphic and viva-
cious account of the manner in which the French visitors
pass their time. He says :.—" A peculiarity which the
average English gentleman will regret in Dieppe, is the
artificiality which the Parisians, who mainly compote the
body of visitors hare, all seem to beteg with them into their
holidays by the sea. French ladies come with their most
expensive dresses, and French gentlemen with their loung-
ing caN life and cigars. I have said that the sea before
Dieppe is magnificent, but I scarcely ever meet on it •
Frenchman. I have my pick of the sailing boat; There
are very few of them ; sad almost the only persons
who hire them are Englishmen. Round Dieppe are green
lute in the deepest shade, between high grass and
flower-covered banks, end musical with the song of birds—
but we rarely meet the Perigees there. The forest of
Amines, with nooks, and paths, and roads, that to us were
positively enchanting, is but a short distance off, yet the
visitors who go there rarely exceed twenty or thirty • day.
Could anyone living in • city desire • more exquisite
retreat than the grounds around the Chateau of Eu? Yet
when I have been there, I have not seen a doses people in
the place. My first impression was that the hotel book;
and lodging-house keepers, and local journals had all misled
me, and that Dieppe was deserted. Where were the
people' I must look into this mystery. Accordingly
I ventured an inquiry. Has Monsieur; said the
French lady, to whom I put the question at a table d'hote,
' has Monsieur been to the Arobliassementf I answered
that I had not. I liked to me as mull of dear Nature as
I could. 'Ah !' she said. with • smile, ' I thought you
had not been to the Ela&lessetneul. Go there this even-
ing and the secret will be out.' I went. I became a sub-
scriber, and in two or three seconds I saw what the
visitors did with themselves. The letablisseweerat is a
little toy Crystal Palace, with • large reading-rtora,
a theatre, • hall-room. and • concert-room, and •
large restaurant. It is close to the sea, at the
extreme end of the Plage. and some hundreds of
chairs stead about on the terrace in front, on which you
can sit, and at high water almost touch the white crest of
the waves. This plane is filled from noon to night. Every
Parisian lady dresses herself for it after • late breakfast,
and walks straight to it from her hotel. Here she glides
leisurely round the garden, showing her tasteful robe to the
best advantage, or she reads • little—(a very little) —or chat-
ten with her companions round the tables on the terrace.
At 2 o'clock she has a substantial lunch ; sod at half-past 5
the company all swarm to their respective hotels to
dinner. At 8 o'clock they return—this time in fresh dresses
—and stay until 11 or 12. Of course there is a list of amuse-
'manta, following closely upon one soother. This afternoon
there is • children's ball—one of the prettiest sights, by
the way, in • civilised society ; another, there is a ball for
adult ; two evenings a week French comedy is played by a
competent treepe of actors ; and concerts are constantly
going on. This is the French holiday at the seaside—
music, dress, and comedy. The sea is only an accident, to
be looked at as • curious monster ; and the country is to be
studied in the pages of MM. Michelat and Lamartioe."

A series of correspondence between the govern•
meats of Great Britain and the United States, touching
the restrictions on the trade between the Northern ports of
the United States and the Bahamas, wu leaned yesterday.

Notwithstanding the large increase of our forces
in New Zealand (remarks the Army and Nary Gazdte), we
believe it is not likely that any addition will be made to
the general staff during the present operations. The regi•
meets going on there from India and Ceon—the 43rd,
50th, and 58th—will of course take their own medical
officers with them ; but it is not impebable that, in addi-
tion to this, some increase of the dell may be found
necessary before long.
The pension fur distinguished or meritorious ser-
vice, vacant by the appointment of Lord William Paolet to
the oolonelcy of the 87th Fusiliers. will (nye the Army and
Nary Gazette) be bestowed on Colonel Thomas Williams,
C. 8., of the 4th Regiment. Colonel Williams has been
just forty-one years on full pay, a great portion of which
was on colonel service, and he commanded the 4th Regi-
meet in the Crimea.
The Commissary-General-in-Chief, John Wil-
liam Smith, C. 8., is about (says the Army mid Nary Oa-
'MO on the oompletion of his term of tire yeas' at the
War-office, to retire, after 4L years' service. In him the
department will lose an officer of distinguished ability,
of great administrative capacity. and of untiring industry.
There are few persons unconnected with the service who
keen hoe laboriously and how sucoesefully the oommimarr-
worked at Constantinople to supply our army in
C:i Crimes, and how much he did in placing the much-
abused and hard-toiling department on an eau tine system.
He will, in all likelihood, be succeeded by Commissary-
Cenral W. J. T. Power, C. 13.