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

M. DE GIRAR: DIN'S NEW HOME.

Among the handsom a constructions which b ave
sprung up in that din within the last year
are the hotels built for :Mario, our favou.-ite tenor,
and at no great distance, at an angle of the same
atnhda bui.lit for,
boulevard du Roi de Rome,
M.
'7recently been
who .naugur tPe°dtehrsd-
t tenanted nhtacad b
tibty,
t:keEn°ll de
sion of by its proprietors, ;
aGnidrarndoiwn.
occasion by a dinner given to intimates only,the
Princess Mathilde forming the sole exception to thee
rule. The soirees of M. de Girardin have a well-
deserved reputation for wit and causerzes, a,
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 Delphine 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
rarely gives a very satisfactory idea of a locality. I
will, nevertheless, endeavnnr 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 suce,:eded is producing.
The style of the hotel belongs to the era of Louis
XIII., and is simple, and ncbt overloaded with deco-
rations. An iron gateway shuts out a square court-
yard, from the avenue in which it is situated. On
one side of this court-yard are stables and coach-
yd vestibule
shelteredetilli ng.obTf
by
yohri
ads isn ordinary
rreachedyhportico,andimensions,
d and
handsome
dny el a fle
sati
wig
inrhgt oi
into
stoneto
a steps,
square
houses, while on the left side stands the Tnnin
i s terminatedbul eheaicshe, ilneaidtsintgnrunp,
the first floor. A door at the right-hand side of this
vestibule opens out into a long and magnificent
gallery,windu wanao less than 9
at each
ennhend
end, and
feetd y loan
skylightg, lighted
frboym twothe
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
the several apartments cliktributed along length
whose l in
Alt
whose doors open out this well-lighted
and warmede
closed•in verandah. The ground-floor gallery,
however, is the chief point of attraction, far
within its walis are gathered all the mastee-pieres
of sculpture and art with which M. de Giraridin
has for years loved to surround himself. There you
cau see and admire the exquisite statue of Pradier,
placed on a pivot, and known under the name of
the "Pandora,"severalbeautiful statuettes in bronza,
and one or two nrecious 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, Req.
bens, and Delacroix, and some interesting relics of
Rachel, 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 pennelled 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 sea-green, is divided into
compartments by oak designs, which are 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 cam-
hination 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
i
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 kitcher.?, cellars,
and other dependencies for servants in imitation
of the English mode, seemed to be the especial
with whom I was visiting. the new hotel,
saloon,r
rather
ther
heavily-carved
objects of interest to some.
.of the French Party
just then ready to receive its new proprietors.
The antiquities and bronze statuettes had elicited
; athend With its deep-
coloured
some wordsp
oak designs, bad suggested the usual term, applied
to what is in reality thought
ugly,but is odd; e'est
trey distingti.e • But when the arrangements for
conveying, dishes hot from the kitchen into an oXce
aonfe 11; irrEingsse,
adjoining the dining-I°om, and thence into that
were duly
room, explained and exhibited, praise
grew into raptures, which continued unabated as
we examined the minutest details of underground
life, so familiar to ourselves but so deficient here,
where a simple kitchen, very frequently small and
incommodious, is the sole retreat and accommodation
alike for cook and
saddle-room Men and women servants. Thed
the same ' stables, and coach-houses displayed
ideas, appliedlmitationtothe
coamndforar
fresi
tati?n ofl life, whit
our neighbours now try so assiduouslyoin eriortoifadoptti
have not
as yetsaid
a word of the
the first-floor apartments, set aside for family use
and that of visitors. Tne bedrooms, dressing-rooms,
and boudoirs, belonging to each set of apartments,
are as complete in their way as it is possible to
Imagine. Those destined for Mme. de Gi
withrardinher-
self were hung in blue lampas (thick silk),da
Chinese pattern runaing ever the ground, and ioo
fore
the picture of comfort, as did the arrangements_
the bath-room, situated on the ground-floor
.t
luxury you see now in modern french hohteolussqes.i
as frequently as in our newly-built town

oxide of iron,
containing silica, eluminia,
seY and several other metals
cerium, didymium, lime,
maglaanteely observed what appeared
or metallic oxides, M. Bahr
NEW METALS.—In examining
new metal resembling aluminium.
to be the oxide of a
omplicated process. the principal
ntgtraisS: Swedish mineral
drhocehloobritcainaceidd and
Having extracted it by
stages of which
supposed new metal, which
aide of the .
oxalate of the o were
of a white powder slightly
appeared
red, 31. Bahr did succeed e
specific
necistiepc agir•aatvin:
tinged
is::
,uuseli mse blow.
Nickles
sc
t;,
lni
oedlyvnt
an.hdh i
in u.
grs 1
pipe, it
pi
anr.
moren: and
the new metal,
ted by the chemical
precipitation with or.alasa°tecluotif" potash, he
sea m„ he found 3 726 ; before the -Y
of the cx,..-
ith borax a clear
mination
maintained og
of
itsv
e w
spectrumt hdi ame trwpllatulhsr. ee ya' without
thtsrraylngi d,
obexretndseut We.
ofitn:
iwn I aa
.: M.
glass
a
nor less than
t
übium. MM. Reich and Richter announce a new metal
which they have found in examining a specimen of areeni-
cdi pyrites In the mining laboratory of Frieberg. The
chloride of this new metal, which the call Indium, is vola-
tile, and was obtained along with chloride of zinc. T'ne
spectrum of the now metal contains a line of indigo blue
light more refrangible than the strontium blue line. There
is a second faint blue line, which almost, but not quite,
e.,incides with the blue lino of potash. The reactions of
the new metal are the following :—Sulphuretted hydrogenei
gas does not give any prerip acid
in the,
do__
solution of the chloride. Ammonia: throwsh_olt.7
the hydrated oxide from the solution of .thohceoxli,l'elof
The dry chloride of indium, is dOiquf•seent.
iirliura gives a bead of the metal itself whoniilitetsi,siasiygsenuliblto:s(v.l.
with elareoal and coda. The metal itself
og.
ernualitleing-uilvteeswnho7chahreaactteedribsteifcorreeatchtei
ionbd
lowyri.thpipeobalt solution.
very soft. Eminent
The metal is lead grey, ductile,.
icsihoonmiinsttshhisavcaesdee,clared their opinion that there is ho delu-