The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-18 00:00:00

make other preparations suitable to
coming visitors. There is certainly no ci efik
world that can appear to better advantage ; its
bright and smiling aspect will give a cheerful wel-
come to all who visit it, and its lovely drives,
promenades, gardens, operas, theatres, and gay life
will cause many to linger here for many mouths.
Spring violets, sermons, concerts, and a stray ray
of sun now and then, have led us to hope for some-
thing more edifying than we have done, since balls,
masquerades, and flirting have had their own way
in the upper circles.
Ash-Wednesday, in its grave, sober suit, hasim-.
I pressed many with a conviction, that to be less ex-
travagantly attired, and to enjoy social meetings
Te quietly, would be but becoming fiog a season ;
and could such Lenten thoughts arise in the minds
of a fiw more than the in my I allude to, we should
not despair of the youth of our age. Th it follies,
alas ! are rather to be laid to the account
of their elders for the very indifferent education
given by them in bowitig time. Parents
have au idea that a large amount of motley
spent on accomplishments must be " the making"
of their offspring. Schools are now sought after
where there is to be no schooling, no hardships,
plenty of liberty, and private masters for every-
thing. Mothers, whose grandmothers (dear good
old souls) rose at six to visit their dairies, and never
sat down to a meal that did not boast of at least
one dish of their own. cookery (and what a deli-
cious relish it had !), have nowadays girls who can-
not bear early hours, who must take steel to give
them an appetite, and who could not live without
the most expensive food. They would positively
die if they had not their yearly mineral waters, and
sea-side bathing, and, what is almost as bad, they
cannot walk above five minutes at a time. They
fortunately can dance,-the valse a ilcux temps, re-
dowas, new polkas, mazurkas, &c., without which
they would certainly droop; poor young crea-
tures ! Their great-grandmothers, too, I repeat,
knitted all the warm woollen under-clothing which
their great grandfathers drew on so nimbly before
setting lout betimes on their farming avocations,
whereas now their female descendants can do
nothing with their fingers but a little crochet or
fancy work, and that only at tea •parties, for the
sake of having something to toy with. The idea of
darning one's brother's socks would appear as pre-
posterous to them as their own small ideas do to
you, readers, and myself. Others only condescend
to take lessons, providing they are taught by the
very best masters (not the best in every sense)—.
those are meant who ask the highest terms, and
who, having nothing to do with beginners, of course
gave themselves the least trouble. Singing masters,
whose names do not end with an Italian " i" cannot
be worth much, while American and English talent
are as little believed in, as native refinement. All
our talents and good manners (?) must come from
the continent, and yet mothers are daily heard who
complain that hi jeune France has lost its chivalric
spirit of polite attention to ladies.
It is but fair to say a word to exonerate all this
jeunesse from such a dire accusation, and to suggest.
that the fault is not entirely on the strong side.
1 have observed that gentlemen's manners depend
very much on those of the ladies with whom they
associate. It is evident we have no right to expect
attentions or any conveniences at the disposal of
gentlemen if we, who ought to be models of feminine
modesty, will indulge in open benoiting. La jeune
France has not lost its proverbial old spirit, for it
revives when in its natural element ; but /a jeunc
France has taken a few hard lessons of late. It
has been frowned at for small offences, it has been
laughed at for its faith in the fair sex, it has been
rudely pushed by on staircases, twittered at behind
fans, stared at through firmly-levelled opera-glasses,
loudly accosted and nodded at in public streets,
which operations have not been undergone without
twinges of inward annoyance. Where is the wonder
if, after this, pride and pique should have estranged
young men from the belles of our drawing-rooms?
When ladies cease sailing down the Rue de la Paix,
leaving their husbands but; just room enough for
one foot on the kerbstone, while the other is left to
explore the gutter, it is probable that la jeune
Fr 1771 Ce will look zu.y ~hearthey knock one down
or tear one's train off instead of cont:nting them-
selves with a " Pardon, madame," which in their

heart of hearts they would rather do without. If
well-bred sisters and daughters dispose of their
evenings without making one effort to entertain
their fathers and brothers at home, it is likely these
honourable supports of society will carry the strength
of their admiration and muscle to the Eldorado,
where they will vociferate bravoes and diminish
their energies in loud clapping, without even giving
an impetus thereby to the glove-trade, for people
are not expected to wear kid gloves at the cafe-
concerts, and Theresa herself is not particular.
This reminds me that Theresa is resting, and that
Mdlle. Cornelie is drawing crowds to the divas
temple such large audiences—in fact, that the Go-
vernment " causeurs" have given it as their opinion
that Mdlle. Cornelie is a dangerous person ; not
because her style is two florid, but because she has
taken to tragic outpourings, which it appears are
more exciting than the "femme a barbe." Mdlle.
Cornelie, in one word, is a great tragedian, and bad
she been fortunateenough to remain at the Theatre
Francais, her flan-1.3 would be coupled with those of .
our best actresses; only managers do sometimes
make mistakes, and are often hard of conviction
until the public voice rise in one " Tolle ! toile !"
Corneille and Racine positively look treasonable
when given out from behind the fumes of tobacco
proceeding from the pipes of the Eldorado habitue's.
The numerous Parisian administrateurs who ever
must administer something for the sums paid them,
look upon Mdlle. Cornelie very suspiciously when
she is attired in the antique chlanzyde ; without the
said chlainyde she is free to be Phedre, Iphygenie,
le Cid, or Theramene. She happens to entertain an
idea that appropriate costumes ought to be adopted
for the roles she appears in.
'The censors do
not admit of this
s clothes when
'iling, though
gour en sapeur.
If an efficient adnzinistrateur could be arrested on
"
she sang " rien West sacre' p
nothine. was said aboutsim
whysome of the belle Helene
pTleherreesaso
Theresa's
his way, I would ask
whether Racine's dramas are not
sympathies, and
peplums at the Bouffes excited their benevolent
if it would not be as well to give the nation
preferable to "Be qui s'avance ?" 1 would Also in-
quire
strong food instead of exciting draughts? I never
Ishall have a chance of being thus impressive, how-
-
ever, for censors are always very busy, feeling mys-
sterious-looking wigs here, and complaining of the
seditious appearance of knocked- in bats there, div-
ing into false calves, shooting off unloaded pistols,
striking out Alexandrine metre, and thus gaining
their lives at the very sweat of their brows. Mr.
Ponsard's new piece, " Galilee," knows all about
censorship. Verdi's " Don Carlos" and Mr. de
Girardin's opinions have also come under notice ;
and if I keep not to my fashions, even I may be
cut out of the Franco, which to me is the land of
the living.

PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN IN ENAMEL. MeSSrS.
Dickenson, of 114, New Bond-street, have recently com-
pleted the enamel portrait of her Majesty, intended as a
present to Mr. George Peabody ; a memento of her Majesty's
appreciation of that gentleman's generosity to the poor of
London. Tho enamel is the largest which has been pro-
duced in this country; the plate is of solid gold, and no
pains have been spared to produce as perfect a work of the
kind as possible. Her Majesty afforded special sittings to the
painter, Mr. F. A. Tilt, and throughout sl c i wed great interest
i m the undertaking; and some idea may be formed of I he_
labour and critical nature of the process when we state that
I wel ve months have been spent on a surface of 10 inches
by 14. The results aro very satisfactory, inasmuch as a
most faithful portrait of the Queen has been secured in
matorials which aro considered almost imperishable. It
is not commonly expected of the enameller that he shall
approail the truth of nature with the same nicety as
I painters in oil or water-colouriA•yet-we have seen few
miniatures truer in tint and texturo than the present ono
by Mr. Tilt. Her Majesty appears in simple black, re-
lieved 1,3, a light veil falling from a diadem of pearls.
Thoso and the broad blue ribbon servo to impart force to
the features, which are tinted with unusual delicacy,
and modelled with a fidelity that has seldom been sur-
passed. In the course of a few days the portrait (which is
admirably set) will be forwarded to the 'British Minister at
Washington to be presented to Mr. Peabody, who, we hear,
has been to much expense in preparing a room specially
for the Royal gift.
THE RISING GENERATION.—The Feniane.—
i ' punch.