The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-15 00:00:00

M. DE GIRARDIN'S NEW HOME.

Among the handsome constructions which have
sprung up in that direction within the last year
are the hotels built for Mario, our favourite tenor,
and at ILO great distance, at an angle of the same
boulevard du Roi de Ronne, that lately built for,
nd now tenanted by, M. and Mme, Emile de
Girardin. It has but recently been taken posses-
sion of by its proprietors, who inaugurated the
occasion hy a dinner given to intimates only, the
Princess felathilde forming the sole exception to the
rule. The soirees of de Girardin have a well-
deserved reputation for wit and causertes, a word
which has become almost obsolete as far as salons
are concerned in Paris, and those of his old hotel,
with its small portico, at the corner of the Champs-
Elysees, so well known in the days of their former
mistress, the talented Deiphine Gay (the former
Mme. de Girardin) are said to have lost none of
their prestige by being transferred somewhat fur-
ther on their present site. A written description
r
a
re
l
y
givesavary satisfactory idea of a locality. I
will, nevertheless, endeavour to convey to your
readers some conception of a modern hotel, such
as the improvements of the day, and the require..
ments of French life, have succeeded in producing,
The style of the hotel belongs to the era of Louis
XIII., and is simple, and not overloaded with deco-
rations. An iron gateway shuts out a square court-
yard,
d from the avenue in which it is situated. On
one side of this court-yard are stables and coach-
houses, while on the left side stands the main
dwelling. This is reached by a flight of stone steps,
sheltered by a portico, and leading into a square
vestibule of ordinary dimensions, which, in its turn,
is terminated by a handsome staircase leading up
the first floor. A door at the right-hand side of this
vestibule opens out into a long and magnificent
gallery, not less than 90 feet long, lighted by two
windows at each eud, and by a skylight from the
top. This gallery is repeated above and below,
where it is used for cellars, while on the first floor
it serves as a point of reunion for all those living in
the several apartments distributed along its length
whose doors open out this well-lighted and warmed
closed-in verandah. The ground-floor gallery,
however, is the
chief point of attraction, for
within its walls are gathered all the master-pieces
of sculpture and art with which M. de Girardin
has for years loved to surround himself. There you
can see and admire the exquisite statue of Pradier,
placed on a pivot, and known under the name of
the "Peedora,"eeveral beautiful statuettes in bronze,
and one or two precious antiques, among others one
brought from Athens, in 1854, by Prince Napoleon ;
two busts of the owner's first wife, Delphine Gay,
by Solomon; several masterpieces of Boucher, Reu-
bens, and Delacrois, and some Interesting relics of
Richel, the tragedian, such as her picture of
Gerome, and the last piece of work her fingers ever
plied on, a piece of tapestry, done during her sojourn
at Cairo. These and an infinity more of objects of
interest well repay a visit to this sanctuary of the
arts and of taste, over which M. de Girardin's pre,
sent wife, a remarkably pretty and elegant young
woman, presides with admirable tact and good

taste.
A small saloon is entered into from the gallery,
and, in turn, leads to the larger and handsome
reception-room, which is striking from its utter
contrast to any of the ordinary saloons of modern
taste, usually overloaded, it must be said, with
gilding and meretricious ornamentation. The walls
are pannelled with a deep red-coloured cloth,
bordered with black, on which are lines and designs
in gold, relieving the sombre effect of the hangings.
The ceiling, of a light Bea-green, is divided into
compartments by oak designs, which aro likewise
employed for the doors and other portions of the
saloon. The chimney, which projects boldly, and
is of large dimensions, is of a light green marble,
corresponding with the colouring of the ceiling,
and is quite artistic in design and sculpture. Tastes
might differ upon the effect produced by the com-
bination of light sea-green, and deep red colour
throughout the apartment; but no doubts can exist
as to the perfect , ensemble of the designs, and the
artistic idea which pervades the whole.
The dining-room is entirely in mahogany (another
infringement on our English ideas of taste), inlaid
with panels of green marble, and is fitted up with
every imaginable device to facilitate the service of
the table. Indeed this and the distribution of the
underground floor, given up for kitchens, cellars,
and other dependencies for servants in imitation
of the English mode, seemed to be the especial
objects of interest to some of the French party
with whom I was visiting the new hotel,
just then ready to receive its new proprietors.
The antiquities and bronze statuettes had elicited
)1,0,k saitesa
stables,
panellings, and rather heavily-carved
some words of praise ; the saloon, with its deep-
colouredoak designs, had suggested the usual term, applied
underground
to what is in reality thought ugly, but is odd; c'est
tres distingue ! But when the arrangements for
Tice,
here,
r e
conveyingadjoining
the dishes hdeisn
no;
..frrooomrn haenkdi tct hheenancci eel
accommodation
into
snammtnooao
that
rgoroemw,explained and exhibited, praise
intosv e were duly
r ewhich d
l o continuedren e e
but so deficient
life, so familiar to ourselves f
the sole retreat and
mtchinenstl,esvterdyetarielscooefnt
dllatainond
urvnaanbtast.edTahse
wherewe examined
a simple
im p the h
kitchen'
and coach.
houses displayed
the same imitation and appreciation of English
applied to the comfort of - • • -
ideas, interior life, which
our neighbours now try so
saddle-room, incommodious,
al d dei ef oc
assiduously to adopt. I
have not as yet said a Word of the distribution of
the first-floor apartments, set •
and that of visitors. Tr,;- b aside for family use
and boudoirs, belonging bedrooms, dressing-rooms,
are as complete in to each set of apartments,
imagine. Those their
. way
as it is. possible to
her-
self were haw-,
blue destined for Mme. de Carardin her-
Chinese pattern ue
lampas (thick silk), with a
the picture of running aver the ground, and !oohed
the Comfort, as did the arrangements for
luxury you bath-room,
situated on 'the ground-floor-7a
see now in modern french hotels quite
frequentlyas as in our newly-built town houses.

Ncontaining silica, aluminia,
EW V
--.ETALS.—In examining a Swedish mineral
yttria, oxide of iron,
cerium, didymium, lime, maganese, and several other metals
or metallic oxides, M. Bahr lately observed what appeared
to be the oxide of a new metal resembling aluminium.
Having extracted it by a complicated process, the principal
stages of which were solution in hydrochloric acid and
precipitation with o=alate of potash, he obtained the
oxalate of the oxide of the supposed new metal, which
appeared under the form of a white powder slightly
tinged with red. M. Bahr did succeed in separating
the new metal, which he called Wasium, and repre-
sented by the chemical symbol Ws. The specific gravity
lietal
of the oxide he found 3 726; before the blow•pipe, it
a specimen of arseni-
cewhahil iocrphi3dle theyipyrites
st havehi
ni nt hefe:iinetilnhationiantitlen.:
gave with borax a clear and colourless glass ; examination
of its spectrum was without result. Al. Nickles has since
blue
maintained that M. Bahr's oxide of wasium is nothing more
which the call Indium, is voll
and
Itlchwioei chr 11 i tsit
ctarehi ron
strontium
almost,at
in unmloi
nubenlcuoefe ail : netsindl.g
oiln,
nor
along
ge xlaaiwbnoiirt:hai nt
chloride
containinghr
yll.loi siroofilluecir;‘uocrbtifi dt,eucbyztraer ri;airk:glicoe.ryi..titidig:tr,
Tti::,11;1,
,ngsieht
I,tredoef3o..e:fi
tubium. MM. Reich
tile, and was obtained
is a second lights. i.) spectrum rmucomorneodfatihnet
refrangiblebl nowu
cAncidrs with the blue lino cf. potash. The
the nedwoemsetanloatre
gthiveefollaoiN,vyingo.:--ce-iSt
gas rit at e in
solution of the chloride. An: , --1 the • acid
the hydrated oxide irem the
e,,, tritium throws down
The dry chloride of indium, is thr Wiwi
Of the chi fide.
indium gives a bead of the t iqet,cent. The oxide of
with charcoal and soda. The metal
itselt when it is ignited
metal itself gives a yellow
sublimate when heated before
mate gives no characteristic the blow. pipe ; this ;Arbil-
The metal is lead gr c reaction with cobalt solution.
chemists have Declared their diThille'
and very soft. Eminent
sion in this case. their opinion that there is no dela-

lIRET.,Att, T),e.
a Pers'''-il naultcl CLocionc.,
12.—The Gazette says :--" An
exe"tlGh took place. eu the IGcb. at lVdrbAveiwhe"
•having tflken part in the attempt agaiest; ifernant
i-.-,ski waki banged fe,:.
at' the Hotel de l'Earope. Th polivo have !It.
Seals, on. the establishment of M. Sylcnk'sn'l7°'''''t
or; the dealers of Warsaw, :Ind !tare rcalovel :J.: 1;.-4L
clgnS U his housr:."

THE SOUTH .ERN CONFEDERACY.

(From the Sloe cial Correspondent of the Times.)
RICHMOND, Nov. 14.

The Confeder ette States are evidently approaching
a stage in the s war which will test more than ever '
the stub borne .ess and tenacity of their temper and
patience, an? A can only be successfully encountered
by a nation, Al spirit as systematic as it is resolrate.
Their enee ay, with as much pertinacity, and far
more saga city than heretofore, hems in the edges of
the " rebe Ilion" on every side, avoids the frequent
recurretaro, of pitched battle and general engage-
ments, p ounces with hawk-like swoop upon isolated
and inadequately supported bodies of men, evinces
possession of admirable secret information, keeps the
Confederate generals eanstantly on the rack, and,
harrassed by irruptions of cavalry, makes his supe-
riority of numbers, and still more his abundance of
supplies for horse and man, more and more felt, and
finally is investing the ports of Secessia with a cor-
don of veesels so numerous as for the first time in 30
months to make access to the Confederate coast
really dangerous and difficult. On the other hand,
in rebeldoee itself the Federals have a powerful
ally in ehecumstances which, to my thinking, have
from the beginning quadrupled the magnitude of
the Confederate task. No one who has been con-
versant with the Northern States during the 2/
years can have failed to notice with astonishment
the fai th stronger than death which the Northerners
have exhibited in their " star," their " manifest
destiny," their " religion," their Alpha and Omega,
their dream of dominion from sea to sea, and (to
quote) Mr. Everett's words) " from the icy Pole to
the flaming belt of the Equator." No parallel faith
has ever been exhibited by the Confederate States in
their future. Six great Southern victories in the
field and three drawn battles, exhausting the nine
principal collisions of the war, the entire absence of
any such panic routs as Bull Run or Claicamauga,
the tried inefficacy of the Federal blockade, the un-
molested prediltory flight of Alabamas and Floridas
at sea, hive a2ttogetber failed to inspire the masses
of the South. with a tithe of that confidence in them-
selves whic'a neither defeat, nor disaster, nor hope
deferred, u ,or illusions dispelled, have ever shaken
out of the Northerners. Deny it who may, there
is somett' lug sublime in this shadowy earnestness
and mis'zy magnificence of Northern faith and self-
relianc ee Would that I could see promises of future
and final Southern triumph in any corresponding
quF,'.ity of the Southern mind! In many fashions
So atnera unfaith crops up and recoils upon the Con-
te:aerate Government, making, for instance, Mr.
memeeinger's task, though he takes his stand upon
re.w material worth 60 or 70 millions of pounds
sterling, Herculean as compared with Mr. Chase's,
who issues vsetiy larger promises to pay on a security
of breadstuff exports worth only 60 or 70 millions
of dollars. 'There are, of course, other reasons to
account for the fact that three dollars in " green
backs" wil I buy two dollars in gold, while it requires
30 paper 'dollars of the Confederacy to buy a like
sum ; but, this fundamental explanation of the dis-
crepancy in value of the irredeemable paper issues
elf the two sections lies in the vastly superior faith
to themselves of the Northern people. For months
we have heard throughout the Confederacy the
cuckoo cry, " D something to arrest the deprecia-
tion of the currency, or we perish ;'' bat hitherto
nothing has been done, and, as is now seen by every-
body, we are on the brink of a precipice. It is univer-
S ally admitted t hat the country is richer in everything
that constitutes wealth than it was 12 months ago;
that there is a sufficiency of meat and far greater
abundance of cereals than last year; that fruit and
vegettebles has been granted us in unusual abundance,
that Ctichmond has supplies of coal and weed vastly
in e xcess of those laid in against last winter—in proof
of which I may mention that the streets are now
as well lighted as those of London, whereas last
year their Cimmerian darkness was a favourite
V:eme ,of the New York. Herald; but in spite of
these facts unfaith in Confederate currency grows
apace, the farmers refuse to part with their crops on
any terms, flour fetches 100 dols. per barrel, and is
rising, bacon is close on 3 dols. a lb., everything is
proportionately dear, and nothing plentiful, save
Confederate currency, until at last a woman going
to market has been heard to exclaim, "I carry a
*basket to market to hold my mouey, and I carry a
pocket-book to fetch home the slice of beef which it
bays."

In this emergency all eyes turn to the Confede-
rate Congress, which meets upon the 7th of Decem-
ber ; and never was grAver question submitted to a
deliberative assembly than that which awaits its
immediate discussion. Some 800 or 900 rnilliontvot
dollars are afloat in a community which could with
difficulty sustain a circulation of 200 millions, and,
worse than all, Mr. Memminger's paper mill is
harder at work than ever, until the dorair, which
now represents a value of fourpence English, pro-
mires shortly to be worth only four* farthings. The
redundant currency has somehow to be funded, fresh
issues to be suspended, a limited amount of circulat-
ing medium to be put forth, and a solemn pledge
given that this amount shall not hereafter be ex-
ceeded. I am bound to record thct the people are
id a temper to stand extravagant taxation. For
many weeks past the Confederate Cabinet has been
e:erly engaged in discussing and excogitating a
'" ale of relief, and a financial convention of the
presidents of Southern banks is to assemble at
Auguste
otl tho 16th inst. I have reason to think
that soave
:each plan as the following has found
favour
in
tic i;1 be givtel'e eyes of influential men. Authority
n
to the Secretary of the Treasury to
issue 1,000 millions of 6 per cent. coupon bonds,
and simultanee
Y to impose an annual tax of
5 per cent. on real
and personal estate capitalised,
of which tax one-b5l
a_:s. to ba paid in currency and
the other half in
loan. There Will
or coupons of the 1,000
million
per ebe inducements offered
(such as a bonus of 5
rot-) at once to buy up or
so much of the existing
convert currency into this,
eireuhlt,xand it is hoped that
redttieon will be quickly
retired as will immediately
e prices, and admit
of a limit being put to the outstanding currency.
Other details of this scheme tlia„.
d its outline. ein abundance
but, concisely state is not far from what'
I have sketched. My own apprehension is that it
will not be prompt and drastic enough in
its opera-
tion to sweep away at once the vast redundancy of
the currency, to inspire confidence in a distrustful
people, and to bring supplies promptly . into muse...
If it fails there is no alternative left for the (-srver!_
meat but to seize and impress whatever. it Wants
it will be it:.
with a high hand, and to this step
Yankee, by the
pelled, rather than yield to the hated
almost unanimous voice of the Confederate people.
It was long ago remarked by Machiavelli that no
people once embarked in war is ever forced into
peace by reason of pecuniary inanition, and never
were there nations less amenable to considerations of
cash than the two sections of a sundered republic,
which three years ago exhibited an average of indi-
vidual wealth among its citizens such as could be
found nowhere else upon earth. The embarrassments
of the Confederates in adjusting their currency, in
getting the supplies which abound in distant Florida
and elsewhere up to the mouths which need them,
and in introducing through an increasinglystringent
blockade all that is vital for the continued struggle,
144 y be, and probably will be, grievous and per-
Vezi_ng that they will be such as to extinguish or
paralyse future resistance will not be lightly cre-
dited by one who knows what difficulties
have
already be
en surmounted, what shortcomings sup-
.T.,leint„.e_T what energy and ingenuity displayed.
ported
.capture of the two principal G
vernment ve,,sele o-
engaged in runt7eich have since January last been
/Bede. nearly fifty the blockade, and which have
doubtless be held ul,roantd voyages between them, will
-eat instance of ,)aatigland by Mr. Seward as
ee vigour; and yet it re-
galia rgu charity o e„.e.,
as effective such a
aS has been for I'l7
bUilia and Ginsa months pierced at will
by the ,--or a ors as she has recent!
uc,i, Lee Robert E. L„ tocm_ recently c.t te less fresh
- vessels will soon be 0143, Go
vcrnme Yleg the behests
and in
of the Ordnance Bureau, the teeancrne
such
is the glut of blocgading goods ietrod_ecei
in to utuh!e'
by
the vessels belonging to
Confederacyprivate
that I understand there dre ,h.
enmp,ullB nao_
wristnous ed Wee,-
fl Cr en cargoes
they
meal in.' a rise :Li prices befire are offers tor
vor since the t-Ftiih i ih!i7f'n2 or Amerie,te
„, ,;, tit bran.

a gr