The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-02 00:00:00

ROMANTIC 111ARR1AGES IN FRANCE.

A curious development is taken place in the ad-
vertising columns of some daily newspapers, pub-
lished at Paris, in which it is not unfrequent to see,
Confiance—Garcons et _Demoiselles a Narier suc-
ceeded by an announcement of the situations and
facilities of living enjoyed by the former, as well
as the dots belonging to the latter, and several other
details that would not be out of place in the mouth
of a South American auctioneer disposing of his
negroes, but which seem to be taken rather cooliy
by the French. Indeed, everything connected with
a matrimonial engagement is every day becoming
more and more business-like in its character. A
young gentleman gives out that he is an eligible
party, and a young lady's friends, who do the same
with their youthful charge, at once enter into nego-
tiations with a minuteness and a coolness that is
perfectly amazing, previous to the examination of
actes denaissance et de baptcnze, in case none of the
parties are Jews, and I understand, a doctor's
certificate to prove that both were vaccinated.
In addition to the dot, the lady's friends not
unfrequently obtain good conditions by calculating
the probable income she could obtain when at lull
liberty, as a married woman, to go about and make
money by giving lessons ; but in such cases, if these
calculations are any way well founded, a stiff strug-
gle takes place to have the contract drawn up under
the regime de la separation des biens. A few days
ago a case occurred in which a good, provident
lady, wishing to establish a ne'er-do well of a son
upon the earnings of a girl supposed by her to be
itl receipt of a considerable income, was notably de-
ceived, and also deceived as notably the respectable
matron to whose daughter she wished to act as
mother-in-law. The 3 oung gentleman was com-
pelled by his wary parent to appear very studious,
to wear spectacles, and to go out at regular periods
with books in his hands as if for the purpose of
giving lessons, when he would be almost certain to
meet a young lady and her, mother, living on the
first floor in the same house, and whom the con-
cierge, by means probably of a small bribe, was
prevailed on to describe as an institutrice tres re-
cherchec. This game at mutual deception lasted
about three weeks, when the principal parties in it,
both of whom were new comers to the same house,
apparently by accident fell into conversation on
the stairs about a little poodle, and commenced an
acquaintance which led to the hoped-for result.
The more effectually to blind each other, the young
gentleman gave gratuitous lessons to several juve-
niles, and the young lady, who was in her way a
perfect comedienne, acted the part of an over-
worked person so well as to deceive effectively the
deceivers pitted against her, who did all in their
power to hasten the match, the more so because the
others appeared to be growing cool about it. But
the gods punished the whole set by granting them
their desires, as the marriage was celebrated,
and a week hardly elapsed when both found
the mistake under which they laboured, and
far from having wedded a young woman who
had obtained a superior diploma at the Hotel
de Ville, the disappointed husband found, to his
utter discomfiture, that he had only married the
namesake and the first cousin of one, a girl who had
been, like himselt, brought up en ailiant gate, and
whose whole genius was developed into being an
accomplished intriguante. It is flat improbable—
as this auspiciously-founded menage is nut the
happiest in the world, and presents the spectacle of
a youthful pair leading a cat-and-dog existence with
each other—that the juge de paix will be called
upon to terminate an engagement that might not
have been out of place in some of the Paris theatres,
where such comedies are often played.—.l" etter from
Paris.