The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-23 00:00:00

-1•••••--
~DNS.
• PARIS IN MARCH, 1850, "2,
(CONTINUED.) 71°14*
The general impreision made by the aspect of
Paris and the Parisians is described by the adage—
" Homo hernial lupus"—hateful and hating. Such
a tt eling is too visible just now, especially at theatres,
and the faded cheeks, sunken eyes, worn-out faces,
exceed even those of London. The ladies are well
dressed but ill-looking, and the number of old ladies
remarkable. Perhaps, however, the main ' diffi-
culty" should be looked for in gastro-
nomy eating is the principal amusement
end study—music, decors and actors only accessory.
The music, in point of execution, is excessively tame
and sleepy, absolutely comatose. The instrumental
performers playing to so large a proportion of
foreigners, whom they despise, betray a lofty egotism
and no genuine zeal. Italian music has always been
proscribed here, and Rousseau was more persecuted
for his published opinion of French and Italian music
than for graver heresies. If they adopted Italian
principles as Balfe has done, it might raise a doubt
whether Rome ought indeed to be, as intended, the
second city of a French empire, and the Mediterra•
nean sea a French lake. Belle's Bohemian Girl,
which • unites Italian melody with English rhythm,
besides immense research in harmony, was given
186 times, and her Majesty was present at the 150th.
When sung at Vienna the first time, file pieces of music
were bissies, or encored. Balfe's career is similar to
Purcell's, who imitated Pelestrina, Carissuni, and
Stradella,".because," by his own account, " he was sa-
tisfied that the system of harmony and melody which
they had redacel to practice was founded on just'
principles." Purcell was much beloved by Dryden,
yet he had managers, wit, and fashion against him.
Rizzio, probably, fell a victim to the same feeling, or
no feeling, •yet the native music of Scotland was
thought to be imported by the ill-fated minstrel. Ex-
tinctus amabitur idem. The soul floated off the strings
and survived, but the music remains just where it
was, without semitones ! Von Raumer, a must ha-
partial judge, said the music of London was more
cantando than at Berlin, possibly from a more frank
imitation of Italians, as in Purcell and Balfe.
Since writing the above I took care to have a seat
close to the orchestra. The intonation, even at the
Italians, is " Hullah's pitch," a good semitone below
our " opera pitch," which may explain how the music
comes to be so flat. The conductor, a Frenchman,
having no clear musical ideas, does nothing but harm,
yet still the performance is good, from the great
talent of the singers and players engaged there.
Such things bring to mind an anecdote lately given
of Mozart in his youth. The conductor at a theatre,
where his earliest work came out, was wholly
ignorant or indifferent—perhaps even spiteful. Here-
upon little Mozart wrote home to his papa, saying he-
had made up his mind at the very next rehearsal
to snatch the fiddle publicly out of the leader's hands.
The terrified parent, himself a fiddler, made answer
that, being brave like all Frenchmen, he would resent
such a proceeding, and the consequences might be
serious. The indolence and egotism of these musicians
are beyond description. Each is satisfied with him-
self and his droit de duel—if the leader does his duty
he must immediately fight. Each flute-man, contra-
basso, and trumpet, each long-drum, appears installed
with his coiffure as a deese de café or dame du comp-
toir might be. All the world comes to Paris because
geographically it is every man's half-way house—
the Parisian attributes this to innate superiority—an
idea which never enters a sound head. Wait till the
Fauxbourgs come down. At the Grand Opera when a
few notes arpeggio are wanted, four harps are brought
in : still, no cantabile—no elects—nothing sings—
nobody sings—in the orchestra. Excuse my passion.
Another cause of the orchestral paralysis may be
Protection. The Grand Opera has a subvention which
drags into competition many who are not naturally
led to music, sleeping partners with small realized
capital in that branch.
Mrs. Malaprop disapproved of comparisons, but I
plead " the weakness of an analogise" and persevere.
By way of courtesy to our neighbours let us concede
that the French are equal to us in physical constitu-
tion, and sheer animal courage—inferior in honesty
and true wisdom —equal at least in all that is exter-
nally military, diplomatic, or theatrical—inferior in
delicacy and tenderness of feeling, much less -noble
and honest in money matters, and here the one ex-
ception of Napoleon proved the rule—superior in the
arts of bed and board and week•day life—equal in
natural affection—inferior in patriotic feelings—
rather superior in all construction of wood, stone,
and iron, however inferior both to Italians. The
French also deserve praise for appreciating the great
and persecuted O'Connell, more bitterly regretted
here than even in Ireland : also for their long, long
patience with Charles N. and Louis Philippe ;
whereas the English have always been insolent to
their kings.
Our climate of incessant humidity and variation,
with less frost and few summers, makes rheumatic
complaints, including rheumatism of vital cavities, or
gastritis (Hamlet's disorder) almost universal. Von
Raumer made a minute while in England, " The tooth
is quiet, but the climate has seized on one leg."
The intense heat of coal—chilly palliative—produced
with rheumatism a morbid susceptibility of cold and
damp, which did: us no good at Cawbool. The
French have a more healthy climate and greater
physical patience under extremes of temperature. A
Dr. Robertson, who resided in France, convinced
me unwillingly that Frenchmen survive wounds
which would kill an Englishman.
Insular pride sustains the Englishman—conti-
nental applause the Frenchman.
"Honour, the praise which real merit gains,
Or e'en imaginary worth obtains,
Here passes current--spread from hand to Land,
It shifts in splendid traffic through the land.
From courts, to camps, to cottages it strays,
And all are taught an avarice of praise."
In every bonne, every badaud, every petit bonhomme,
you may see the immense doses of praise their
stomachs will bear. They exact from children more
fortitude, and more civility than we do, but in return-,
give them much more importance, and with this sti-
mulus the " sagesse franeaise" of children is pro-
verbial according to Montaigne.
To show that we are superior in genuine bienskince,
imagine au English young lady compelled to trans-
late literally such phrases as these :—His woman has
done a child (sa femme a fait un enfant ). 11 a pris
une femme. Cul de sac. Culbuter. Betes puantes.
Ares cuisses. J'ai Bien sue. .le l'ai fait danser (I
made her dance). The following are perfectly good
French, but desperate English :—He couldn't learn
nothing, and for why ?—lt's according (c'est selon).
I'll tell you what 'tis, mister, I am determined for to
go. I can't eat nothing, and what I eat won't digest
by no means. They learned him to read. May-be
I'll go seek. This here, that there. How goes it?
(comment ca We went, him and me. Yes,
miss. Elisions also, the consummate flower of French
elegance, are quite homely with us. Now, let any
of your readers find a single phrase adopted in Eng-
land which shall be bad style in French.
What can be said to such titles for houses and
streets, such metaphysical abstractions :—La Renom-
mee des Tripes—Rue da la Grande Friperie. What
a malheureuse facilite de se payer de paroles !• You
have had etats generaux, chambre des deputes,
assemblee nationale, assembl‘s I6gislative. Under
Louis Philippe were deputes—now repreien-
tans, in spite of that wise saw, "Eadem
magistratuum vocahula." Some years ago the
sale of pawnbrokers' duplicates was announced :
On dkage les effets du Mont de pieta : now
it is still more superfine : On achite les recon-
naissances The notice to ladies and gentlemen at
railway stations draw forth the word, infandum.—The
Chancellor Olivier said his countrymen were like mon-
keys that climb up a tree from branch to branch till
they come to the highest and then show ... [what
they had much better cmceal]. Here the Chancellor
may be fairly saddled with a judgment—he fell as
usual into the very error he condemned.
Soon after " February" the president of a tribunal
asked a witness, What role did the two elements
play ? (viz., le rouge et le social.) Two undistin-
guishable elements, one of which is a colour, each
acting a part! Such is their "superficial decision"
and personification of the vaguest generalities--
analysis, they call it. But, in fact, the poverty of the
language leaves them no choice.
Von Raumer's observation that English men had
much less of the beauty appropriate to their sex than
the women, and the latter much more than elsewhere,
is verified now by every one. This may be accounted
for if we consider that females only require freedom
from toil and hardship to become handsome ; also that
the luxuries of English wealth are tasted by them
with a certain caution from the weaknesses and defen-
sive policy of the sex : also that they are more
domestic than here. The plainness of Englishmen
may arise partly from the chilly, rheumatic atmo-
sphere to which they are more exposed and from the
absence of military education. Not cne Englishman
in a hundred ever saw a glacis.

CHESTER CITY ELECTION.—CHESTER, MONDAY.—
The vacancy in the rep' esattation of this city has been filled
up. Our anticipations that Mr. Stanley would be returned
have not been disappointed. Although the Tories 1131 o used
every spcciei of exertion for the return ofo ti r cardidate,
Mr. C. E. Egerton, they have signally failed. Their con-
fidence in the strength of their party was soon shaker. The
polling commenced at eight o'clock yesterday mcrivng, and
closed at four. The result was a large and overwhelming
majority for the Hon. W. 0. Stanley, the Liberal candidate,
but the declaration of the result had not been made at the
time our account left.
STEAM-BOAT ACClDENT.—Yesterday morning, at
about ten minutes past seven, as the Gravesend Star Com•
pt
seated
nogh o f
theth e
p ironworkaddlpaddle-box,
ho
x, attached
which
a was
swimmer, Precipitated
h
pany's new steam-packet, the Jupiter,] had just left Rosher•
ville pier, and was on her way up the river to Blackwell, an
consternation
rescued
by taoccithdeeifiltoahat.ppseneveedrablymtheeassneaa
wereeinp g
himself'atknockedth fortunately,e a
time.
ombaeeti. down,hi,eg vTaaehhnr
Theeadl
excellentemoo nni
tie utNetW
into2a
abt
boat
broken,
adk:ti river; ea
skr es;
7bm fai
tie pn.sengers was very great. The accident i. s supposed to
nave ha..ipened from the defective welding.