New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-21
EUROPE REvfsITED. No. TX.
TWO DAYS AT CLICHY.
Of The n. Y. nihrne.

- hich affirms that .'one half the world ion
an, w bow the other half lives" This is no.
r,.-siv rue, but a good deal inside Of thetruth
We visa sores of people, feast with them
dance uitS sher,, buy and sell with them; yet
Of how very few d. we really know how they
live, Just this of US travellers, for instance
whose Sisplsys Of oar ignorance are only more
conspicuous and em,satic than those OF other
people-rbat do we euow as to TIT resi- manner
of life of the nations we write ab0't' lie re-
alze how much ignorance may be crowded ir'o
a l2mo., open almost any volume OF recent
travels. Think Of Frenthman or German
whisked through the United STATES, steamiDs up
a few rivers and over half dozen railroads,
taking breakfast in New-York, dir-er Gin twes-
ty minutes) at Utica, tea at Buffalo, and on the
strength of three months of such racing and as
many weeks spent among his particular friends
(marly foreigners of course) in two or hree of
the great seaports undertaking to tell Europe
what sort of people we are and how we live
Fairly considered, the mere audacity Of the at
tempt challenges amazement if not admiration.
had been looking at things if not into them
for good many years prior to yesterday. had
climbed mountains and descended into mines,
bad CROPPED in caves and scaled precipces, seem
Venice and Cincinnati, Dublin and Mineral
Point, Niagara and st. Gothard, and really sup
posed was approximating middling outside
knowledge of things in general. had been
chosen defendant in several libel-suits, aud been
Hattered with the information that my censures
were deemed Of more consequence than those of
other people, and should be paid for accordingly.
| had been through twenty of our States, yet
never in Jail outside of New-York, and over half
Europe yet never looked into one. Here had
been seeing Paris for the last six weeks visiting
this sight, then that, till there seemed little
remaining worth looking at or after-yet l had
never once thought Of looking into a debtors
prison. should probably have gone away next
week, as ignorant in that regard as came, when
circumstances favored me most unexpect-
eddy with an inside view Of this famous "Msson
"de Detention" or Prison for Debtors, 20 Rue de
Clicby. think what | have seen here, fairly
told, must be instructive and interesting, and l
suppose others will tell the story if do not
and don't know any one whose opportunities
will enable him to tell it so accurately as / can.
So here goes:
But first let me explain and insist on the i'm
portant distinction between inside and outsii
views of prison. People fancy they have been
in a prison where they have by courtesy been
inside of the gates; but that is properly an out
side yiew-at best the view accorded to an out
slider. 1t gives you no proper idea Of the place
at all-nO access to it's penefratid Inc diner
ence even between this outside and the proper
inside view is very broad indeed. The green
ness of those who don't know how the world
looks from the wrong side OF the gratings Is
ptiable Yet how many reflect on the disdain
with " hich the lion must regard the pumpkin
who peryerts his goadstick to the ignOble use OF
stirring said lion up or how many suspect that
the grin wherewith the babOen contemplates
the human ape who with umbrella at arms
length is poking Jocko for his doAy's deiecta-
ton, is one of contempt rather than complacen-
cy9 Rely on it, the world seen here behind the
gratings is very different in aspect from that
same world otherwise inspected. Others may
think SOL kno,o it. And this is how:
had been down at the Palace of Industry and
o'clock yesterday afternoon, four strangers
called for me. BY the help of my courier
soon Lead that they had writ Of arrest Tor
NE at tbeVt of one Mons. Lechesne, sculptor,
affirming that he sent statue to the New-York
Crystal Palace Exhibition at or on the way to
vhich il had been broken, so that it could not
be Cat all events it bad not been) restored to
- nfnr
and representative of the Crystal Palace Asso-
citation, to pay him "douze mile francs" or
81, 5Ce Not happening to have the change, and
no idea of paying this demand If had It, L
could only signify those facts; whereupon they
told me that was under arrest, and must go
along, which / readily did. We drove cir
cautiously to the SCULPTOR residence at the other
end Of Paris, waited his convenience for long
balEhour, and then went to the President Judge
who bad issued the writ. | briefly explained TO
him my side of the case. when he asked me II
wished to give bail. told him l would give
good bail for my appearance at court at any tlme,'
but that knew no man in Paris whom / felt
willing to ask to become my security for the
payment of 20 large a sum as g, 500. Alter
little parey named Judge Piatt, United States
Secretary of Legation, as one who, felt con-
fdent, would recognize for my appearance when
wanted, and this suggestion met with universal
assent. Twice over, carefully explained that
l preferred going to prison to asking any friend
to give bail for the payment in any case Of this
claim, and knew was fully understood. So we
all, except the Judge, drove off together to the
Legation.