The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-19 00:00:00

Balzac's Poverty and Magnificence.

Three pennyworth of bread, and two of m ilk,
and three of sausage-meet, prevented my dying of
hunger, and kept my brain singularly clear. My
lodging cost me three sous a day. I burnt my
midnight oil for three sous. I was my own house-
maid. To save the washerwaman, I wore flannel
shirts. I warmed myself by charcoal, which is
cheap and cheerless. The Jardies became an object
of public curiosity. Many travelled from Paris
by the railway to ;Tulle d'Avray, only to look at the
outside of Balz ao's Folly ! There it was, perched
up on the steep and slippery ground. The shutters
were green ; and truly the house needed shade, for
only one tree was near it, and the tree was a huge
walnut tree—of historical local celebrity. For some
years the inside of this abode was furnished only
by Balzac's imagination, as thus explained by Leon
Gozlan, his frequent visitor there .—" Upon the
bare,stucco walls of each empty room, sentences
such as the following were inscribed in charcoal :
—' Here, an adornment in pure Pares marble
Here, a pedestal in cedar wood. Here, a ceiling
painted by Eugeue Delacroix. Here, a carpet by
Aubusson. Here, a mantelpiece of chiselled
marble. Here, doors like those of Trianon. Here,
a mosaic inlaid floor, formed of all the rare woods
of the isles. Balzao not only allowed jesting upon
this ideal furniture, but he laughed even more than
I did one day when, in characters still larger than
this, I wrote upon the wall of :As own room, which
was as empty as the other rooms. Here, a picture
by Raphael, beyond all price, and such as never
has yet been seen,' " The same guest, whilst ren-
dining testimony to Balzac's hospitality, declares
that the host himself drank nothing but water, and
ate little meat, but that he consumed a quantity of
fruit. "It was in one. of the lower compartments
of the Jardine that we dined at six ChiOCk j although
Balzac himself sometimes did not join us until des-
sert, but he was superb in vegetarian panta-
grizelisme. Dressed in his ordinary costume at
home (i.e. a white cashemiro or flannel robe), his
cravat eff, his shirt open, it was a sight to see him,
fruit•knife in hand, cutting into the pulp of a
pear, langhing, drinking water, and I would add,
talking—bnt BalzAc talked little at a table. He
let others talk ; he laughed from time to time
quietly, or else burst forth like a bomb if any say-
ing pleased him. Then, his chest inflated, his
shoulders danced, and- it seemed as though Rae
helais were before us. Wine was drank freely at
Balzac's table, often too freely.--French Authors
at Home.

The extraordinary action, Travers v. Wilde,
which has been occupying the law courts in Dublin for
several days, terminated on Saturday. After a brilliant
speech by Mr ;Butt for the plainliff, the Chief Justice
summed up. The jury, after a brief deliberttion, returned a
verdict for Miss Travers, with one farthing damages.

-' LA PRINCESSE DE LAMBELLE, s:.► Vie, sa Mort,"
is the name of a work which has been a great success in
Faris.

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Dec. 17

The Queen, with their 1-oyal Highnesses Prin•
cess Helena, Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice,
and Prince Leopold, left Windsor Caste this morn.
ing at a quarter to 11 o'clock for Osborne.

Toe suite in attendance consisted of the Dowager
Countess of Mount-Edgcumbe, the Lady Caroline
Barrington, the Hon. Mrs Bruce, the Hon. Florence
Seymour, Lieutenant-General ttie Hon. C. Grey,
Major-General the Hon. A. N. Hood, Lieutenant.
Colonel Du Plat, and Mr Duff.

OSBORNE, Dec. 18,

Her Majesty, their Royal Highnesses Princess
Helena, Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice, and
Prince Leopold, arrived at o,lborne shortly after 2
o'clock yesterday.

Her Majesty crossed over from Gosport in the
royal yacht Alberta, Captain his Serene Highness
Prince Leiningen.

This morning the Rev J. Prothero performed
Divine service at Osborne before her Majesty,
Princess Helena, and Prince Leopold, and the
Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting.