The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-04-29
Douglass Jerrold's Letter from
Paris.

Kings never die of public contempt. They
are too stnte-hardened. Otherwise, many
days since would Louis Philippe have lain
beneath n caraihIGue in the halls ofClayemont.
France, il is clear, has already forgotten him;
great by the way, is the magnanimity of
such forgetihIness, The despUt has pissed
away like an ugly dream in the light of the
morning. There ,OdS, TO be sure, n hideous
nightmare upon the heart of the nation
Grm-torpifyng. A sordid charlatnn, that
lIugled with Il grown as a mountebauk plays
with brass basin. An aged abominaiion,
heaped about by money bags, filled alike by
state-rnpine and state-larceny; by grusping
of the monopolist, and the peddling of the
trickster. Money-money-and still money;
as though the boarded mental brought in
creasing strength against fate ITSELF and gold
became u shield Of ethereal temper between
iniquity and death.
For seventeen years this sceptred night
mare weighed upon Franue; AID with every
year was added some new oppression: with
every year did this grim visitation make new
months in the face of his victim; sneerng at
her in the contemptuous sense ofhis benumb-
ing power; in the insolence of has strength,
holding her suflerings as nothing, so that he
held his scat, still weighing upon her heart.
At length, with one strong effort. the victim
!
cry artery, every ven--Ond the throned OPP
preston falls with the motion.
France, once more erect, walks m the
morning air ofireedom; and in the joyful
ness of her qpickened heart, in while for
gets the nightmare that pnrutyscd her.
France has cast offroyaIty like faded, tar
nshed piece of fiuery; purple irippery
whose web, with her, has too often been lie
heart-strings of The oppressed million: whose
gold and jewels have been the trans muted
sweat, ("iouched by the Midas finger of the
stately the bleeding hearts ola whole nation,
France has thrown olftle livery of "A King.
resolving never again to be branded with H.
May she have almighty strength to hold stead
fast in her righteous resolution!
The quiet of Pars-after the ihroes that
hive so recently conyuscd it--has in it some
thing almost fearful. When revolution
seems necessary thing to be done, it would
seem-lke dinner TO be eaiei,-to he done
! forthwith and no more talk ofth NATTER
Fray and feast are dismissed with like COM
pacency Swords slieathcd--ihe finger
glasses arc removed. .Amd now, messieurs,
for wine nnd nuts, and sipshod gossip.
On Sunday last the Champs EIysees were
tlrougcd with The people. say the people;
for the few, indeed were the culrages Of Tie
nobility. Never for many year, has Sabbath
sun gildcd-ifit can he allowed 10 gid them
so few cororeiS; never vas there so poor an
exhibition oflhe herald's wild beast show.The
| truth is, the nrstocrucy--ol whom more Ivy
uud-hy-have taken flight, scared by the saw
age simplicity of the Republic. Couu,s did
not like TO wake up simple citizens. Well,
even Lord Mayor may shudder in the mid
night sheets, us he feels his lille rung OFT by
the midnight helI even after years use of
nominal glnry-hardly time enough to get
comfortably warm in it--n man may not like
to descend to his breakfast shorn fhis titu-
lar radiance. confronting his egg rs simple
alderman. Yet IL is nh easy, aud, after all,
cnnnot lie avery painful operation, 10 pluck
the property oftho peacock from the tail of
the daw; but TO pluck tie feathers of the
peacock itself, why it is TO draw the blood
with them. Hence, many of the French no.
biIity who would enjoy their tails of state,
have taken wing TO other lands.
The puppctS--~it was Sunday in France
were in full play. acling-was this acciden-
tal?-in front ofIhe Tuileres. And where
the thought arose--where was Louis PhiIippe?
Poor old golden eagle; the gold all changed
poor old beaten cock Of GauP Piucked of
his pnions that were still 10 bear him up safe
in the empyrean-safc above the curses that
arose from every hearth of France! Poor
draggled bird, with only one tail feather left
(the white one.) with which he came down
Ut NtNHdNSus lUS SHEh VI ltle hOy-
al Walk of France pecking alien harley in the
poultry-yard Of Claremont.
"But this is to insult misfortune-this is
cruel, vulgnr-ow," sny the compassionate
lips of May Fair. Oh, wonderful is the
sympathy with fallen greatness, if, in the
tumble, greatness is supposed 10 keep lis
pockets huttoned with few millions in them
Why, had the swords of Tie French army
been as merciless as the thoughts of their
King, every street of Paris would have run
with blood, and at this moment The throne
ofthe dominant Louis PHILIPPE, nigh, have
been, to The weeping eyes ofVioluted truth, n
thousand human carcusses.
But then, 1t is not so very touching, when
the earthly JUPITER lays aside his thunder
bolts prepared for The roofs of his subjects, or
rather, when the bolts-hy Titantic freedom
--are wrestcd from him. it is so very touch
ing to see the divinity of Kings buttoned in a
borrowed coat of frieze; and instead of the
glorious crown that has been knocked top
ping over,to hehold,uii pitying,'he bonnet of
peasant Then certain generous English |
men feel their runnut at their eyes flor, infer
ALL it is really said that The unfortunate strain
ger has millions in our bank) and fight to
carry away as something to ennoble and
sanctify all their future days-the pressure
OF the seeRtreiess hand. Oh, gentleman,
there are many unfortunates in a certain
stonefastncss in the Old Bailey---there nre
hands that have robbed, though it may he not |
the very poor--hands. too, that have at least
no human blood upon them. You would not
touch palms with these? Pollution to homes
Uncertainty up! And yet there are robbed |
millions in France; there are bloody corpees
still in the homes of Paris; and whose the
hand of spoiier--whose the hand which
sgnalled the slanghter?"Very true," yon say,