The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-11 00:00:00

Miscellaneous French News.

(From Correspondents of Anglo-American Times.)

PARTS, March 7.

The weather really deserves mention this week,
for sunshine has enlivened Paris for some days past,
and though quite cold, the Boulevards have been
crowded with promenaders. The week has also
been marked by the procession of the Bceuf Gras;
which was a novel and interesting spectacle
to many Americans who never witnessed any-
thing of the kind before.
Tuesday closed the Carnival in Paris ; the
streets were thronged with persons in costumes of
all descriptions ; men dressed in the habiliments of
the " fairer sex," and many a short coat and blouse
pantaloons enclosed the pretty figure of some
petite demoiselle.

The Americans have greatly enjoyed the past
weeks of festivities ; and now that all gaieties are
thrown aside till after Lent, many will leave for
tours through Italy and Spain. _ _ _

In the American circles this week there is no news
of interest, and after the festivities of the past few
weeks everything now seems dull. Mrs. Colonel
Norton has had a severe attack of illness, but hopes
are now entertained among her numerous friends
of her rapid recovery.
It is said that by the 10th of this month all
goods that are intended to be exhibited in the Ex-
position must be received in their designated places,
or they will be refused entrance. This official order
will no doubt be extended to a later date, as there
are yet many goods to arrive. The works of the
Exposition buildings are progressing rapidly, but
slight hopes are now felt that it will be completed
by the Ist of April, though the persons haring the
affair in charge are using their utmost endeavours
to insure its completion by that date.
The little ship Red, White, and Blue is not to be
shown in the Exposition building, but in the
Pompien Palace, in Avenue Montaigne, for-
merly the property of Prince Napoleon.
Judgment was given on Thursday in the case of
M. Emile de Girardin, prosecuted on account of his
recent article in the Liberte. The Court allowed
the defendant the benefit of extenuating circum-
stances, and condemned him to a fine of 5,000 f.
The printer, M. Serriere, was condemned to pay a
fine of 100 f.

Some people think it is a very agreeable and easy
task to be a fashion writer, to attend all the Court
balls, parties, and banquets, and look at all the new
clothes that are invented before any one puts them
on. Superficial observers do not know that a
fashion writer has a great deal to go through in
private life, and that the pleasure one certainly ex-
periences on beholding pretty girls tastefully and
elegantly attired is deafly bought in the course of
every-day existence.

Ladies who read fashion letters, and gentlemen
too (for while they are pretending to be deep in
politics they are often running over the next
column all about crinolines), have no idea of the
annoyances a fashion oracle is exposed to. The
following are only a few, but still they convey an
idea of the rest :

In the first place, one's sleep is disturbed by the
ringing of bells at an hour when none but. chiffon-
nkrs and dust-carts ought to be allowed in the
public streets. These early visitors, intent on way-
laying the doomed writer, take up their station in
her hall, and bribe her servants to carry in a chignon
or pots of poinatum on the neatly-laid breakfast tray.
Now, hair oil and head grease of any description,
howeTer nicely they may be perfumed, are notprecisely
what people order for sharpening a morning appe-
tite. The things have to be examined, however,
as suffering humanity must wear chignons, and
it is a duty to recommend what is really deserving.
Then letters, prospectuses, and invitations come in
by the basketful. All must be answered as at-
tended to. At about 10 carriages draw up con-
taining ladies who are in want of advice, which one
feels will never be followed, for the simple reason
that it is asked for. I have observed that when
a young beauty is in a tremendous hurry to know
what she is to wear, and on being told presses one's
hand with overflowing gratitude, she is sure to
change her mind before she has got to the end of
the street, and. comes out in blue if she was
advised to wear mauve. Women do not believe
in women ; they trust in man's taste, and man—
who cannot invent anything more becoming for
his own wear than black cod tails behind and
waistcoats without any buttons in front--pretends
to find fault with us for treating our skirts as
those lovers do daisies, who, on throwing petals to
the winds as they tear them off, repeat—" A little,
very much, not at all." We may love crinoline
a little if we have not yet acquired the habit of
walking without one ; we may love it very much if
we are so destitute as to have nothing else to build
on ; we may love it not at all if we can get through
this world without it; but these are affairs of our
own on which woman should make man hold his
peace.

These are the grave considerations which absorb
a fashion writer by day, but at night her real
troubles begin. She must give an account of every
dress worn by " her friends," hear all the new songs,
record all the bon mots among which je ne le de-
mande is almost as witty as " Lambert, eh ! Lam-
bert !" She must drink sugar and water in one
salon, sirop and water in another, ice and water in
a third. Aquariums are fashionable in more senses
than one. She mast hear Ah /si avais des