The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-09-08
Paris Correspondence or the Republic.
PANS, August. %, 1852


The grand celebration of the national holiday
having taken place but nine days ago, feel that 1t
would be superfuous TO refer to il at length II il
altogether too late for any detailed account NAV
say, en- passant that although its failure may with
perfect justice be laid to the abominabe weather.
yet 1t Is very doubtful whether 1t would have com.
pieteiy succeeded under a cloudless sky The
preparations were upon too magnificent a scale;
=. mere was TOO much to do and the best reason
'A"' be given for the partial non-success of the
festivities, was that it simply impossible to en-
sure infallibility to such colossal enterprise. Not
one fifth Of the lamps and lanterns and globes and
transparencies burnt-that was because the wind
blew them out; but not over two-thirds of them
were ever lighted at all and this was because
there were not men enough nor time enough to
apply the match to such an infinity of wicks. And
YET there were hive hundred men and three hun
urea ladders detailed for this single service But,
seheraiiy sPeaaing, the wind spoiled every thing.
The electric light refused to flow into the fountains,
and the water was purposely withheld, that the
spectators might not be drenched with the spray.
Mount st. Bernard was demolished by tornado;
the tent for the grand ball at the Halle unfn-
ished Sunday night, either from the effect Of the
wind, a strike of the workmen, both together.
And when the ball did take place, the squeeze was
awful, the thunderstorm terrific, the deficiency in
refreshments conspicuous, and the satisfaction
| among the class whom the ball was intended to
please, absolutely null. The President was not
present, either because be indisposed, or
on account Of the storm, because of
threat from the ministers that they would re-
sign il he went, because he never intend
ed to go. The review of the National Guard
was, rs might have been expected, dismal and
frgid affair. Louis Napoleon is seriously offend
ed, and has shown his displeasure in various ways
since in a cold expression of satisfaction commu-
nicates to the commander Of the guard q meagre
distribution Of crosses and decorations to the men,
bers of that body, and the paucity of invitations
given them for the soiree at Cloud Last but not
least, if omens 60 for any thing, heaven has GER
| tainly been prodigal of them for the eagles and
crowns, done in lance and skeleton work, invaria-
bly, hang fire. The colossal eagle upon the Arch
of Triumph not only refused to illuminate
on Sunday night, when the wind served
excuse, but has steadfastly declined firing.
up ever since. Attempts have been made for ma
ny successive evenings, but it will not go, and
there seems to be end Of the matter. The Ms,
on the contrary, blazed with unremiting brillian.
cy. And there ia no good reason, indeed, why
they should not. Napoleon certainly has existed,
and it is nothing more than a matter of strict JUS
tice to allow his initials to celebrate his name if
they like; the crown and the eagles, however,
which refer rather to the future than the past,
could not with consistency be permitted to burn If
they are prognostc OF nothing. There are, doubt.
less, many people who have sort Of unacknow-
lodged faith in omens; and the utter obscurity in
which the imperial cmblens remained involved on
Sunday night was a subject of universal remark.
In endeavoring 70 extricate themselves from the
Place dc Ia Concorde, at the close of the reworks,
many persons were tramped upon, or were bruised,
or tainted, were sufIocated outright; and fatal
accidents occurred on many of the railroads. The
number of persons killed must be considerable;
though the papers, for obvious reasons, arc IN
willing to publish the facts. Ipassed by the Morgus
on the following morning; it was full Of bodies;
and the crowd of persons pressing to obtain sight
Of them, and perhaps recognise an acquaintance,
was unusually large. asked the cause of the cir
cumsance. on. ce sont des femnses, pour la pla-
part, ecrasfss on eton6ees par la toule. can bear
positive witness to one death. My milkman, man
whom cherished as being of severe probty, and
practicing, as far as compatible with milkman's
interest, total abstinence from water, was killed
by second class between Paris and St. Cloud.
The day after the fete, workman in a wine
shop, in one of the suburbs, foolish enough to
shout, "a bas NAPOLEON! js bois a So chute" A
scuffle cnsued between him and one Of the Pres-
dents allies in blouse The Napoleonist struck
fret and the French laws the giver of
the fret blow; but the police, upon learning the cir
cumstances, arrested the gentleman that had
drank to the downfall oftheir master, and promised
to report the conduct Of the other to headquarters
presume he will soon receive the cross Of the Le
gion of Honor. AS for the other, he was huddled-
off to the prefecture His offence technically is
"insult and injury towards the President of the
Republic, and urging the citizens to hatred and
contempt, one OF another.''
A 1s Deum was performed in all the churches of
France on the 18th. The chant, Domino saivum,
fac Ludooicum Napoleonem, assembled from every
choir in the country, by order from Paris. The
French ambassadors caused similar ceremonies to
be acted at their pels in Brussels and in London
M Berlin, the envoy of France. was less fortunate;
the Catholic clergy did not assent to his request to
celebrate Divine service in commemoration of the
Emperor Napoleon. The clergy in this matter
worthily appreciated the national sentiment, says
the Cologne Gazette. At the mass, celebrated on
the day of the Assumption in the church of Ste.
Hedwige, prayers were put up for the dead land the
Emperor Napoleon was politely comprised among
them. NJ. de Varennes and the attaches of the
embassy attended No other member of the corps
diplomatique present.
Throughout Germany public opinion seems to
be uncompromisingly opposed to the present gov
eminent of France. The opening of the railroad
from Paris TO Strasburg has, see, been the subject
Of much comment among military men the
other side of the Rhine. France" says a Berlin
journal, "may in few days concentrate n army
the western side of the river and all the resour.
ces of the country. troops, money, and provsions,
all, by means of the railroad, near tho scat of
operations" Another journal replies, that there
is nothing new in these remarks that if France
can make use of railways to attack, Germany can
make use Of them to defend. So long "a it ia
known that she is ready to repel with energy any
army that should threaten her territory, an inva-
sion by Strasburg is not to be fearcd.''
Several of the councils of reimbursement in va
rious parts Of France have passed resolutions in
favor of petitioning the Senate to make Louis Ma
poeon's powers permanent; and in two, if not
three departments, the projects collecting sig-
natures to petitions for the restoration of the en-
pire.
The warnings inflicted upon the country papers
average at the present moment two day. The