The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-12-29
Louis Napolcou-populnr,ty and Habits.

Louis Napoleon-Popularity and Habits.
Moses Y. Beach, re-visiting Europe after
many years, writes home q glowing description
Of public works in progress at Paris under the
Emperor Napoleon. He adds:
Every improvement, let it be ever so grand
or insignificant, is the work Of Napoleon !;
every boat, steamer, bath-house, bridge, hill,
valley, or whatever else it may be, is all Ma
poleon, and it is Napoleon so much that the
French people are beginning to think the Lord
never created much Of any thing else besides
their Emperor and France. They have a faint
notion that something has been said about such
a place as Russia, but their ideas are not very
clear Oh the subject. The way England sprung
into existence is not clearly defined and that
there is such a country as the United States is
only evident to them through the " lusic
Amcricaine," containing a few Indian bows and
picked up some where in South America.
The Emperor is very cratic as well as in
dustrious. He sometimes rides in state, in an
open barouche, drawn by four magnificent
horses, with outriders, all furnished and trimmed
in the most lavish manner with gold mountings.
At other times he may be found in q closed
carriage, drawn by two horses sometimes
even in a cab, whereto a sorry single beast is
harnessed, and anon he uses shanks' mare
pretty freely. Some times he goes out at one
of the many doors to his various palaces, and
sometimes at another. His dress is equally
varied, and but for having become familiar
with his face we should often be at fault. In
a word, he is constantly moving, changing
places, dresses, conveyances and routes. You
go with the expectation Of meeting him at one
point, and he is in quite a different direction.
1t would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer to keep
track Of his movements. Ills six or eight
palaces we have examined pretty thoroughly,
and estimate that, in all of them, there is not
far from forty miles in Length of walls, fifty feet
high, and these walls are almost entirely
covered with the richest and most costly kinds
of paintings.4 The ceilings of the various
rooms, averaging thirty or forty feet in height,
are also adorned with rich paintings, by the
first artists of the world. The paintings in a
singleroom, estimated from prices they formerly
brought at auction, amount to a sum exceed
ing two millions Of dollars, so that the value Of
the whole forty miles Of rich paintings, may be
set down at hundreds of millions of dollars.
10 these great collections the present En-
peror is constantly making additions. Mag
%niticent statnary is to be met in every direc-
ton. The Emperor's palaces and gardens, the
geological gardens, and hosts of other places
are free to the public, who are there invited on
Sundays, fete days, or at other times, to amuse
themselves nominally at the expense of the
Emperor, but in reality it all comes out of theil
own pockets. All the Emperor gets for this
lavish expense Of the nation, his toll, and the
risk Of his head at every step, is simply, hi;
%victuals and clothes, like any other laborina
man. Did lie ever think Of that2