New-York daily tribune., 1859-12-24
NEW PLAYS At PARIS.
From Oar Own Correspondent

PARIS, Dec. 8, 1859.
There is lull in politics for the week. The
clouds that lowered upon our heads are for the
moment dispersed The political horizon" to
use favOrite French metaphor is no longer threat
enipgly darkened-not that it is clear, either, but
,hrouded in q -colored fog The meeting Of the
Congress ia Paris, some time next month, is rs
good as assured-LOrd Cowley, well looked on at
the TuiLries, to be the English representative;
Count Cayour (who has lately assisted" actively
in the councils Of Victor Emanuel, once well
looked on ut PlOmbieres you recollect, to be the
gentleman from Sardinia. Relations with England
have almost reached the condition of entente cor
diate Everybody knows how the Emperor gave
begus d'aiIianee to Lady Cowley at Compiegne,
With pretty mot to match, and secs its profound
symbolic meaning. Private Secretary Mocqaard's
response to the question put by the four
anxious Liverpool merchants to Louis Ma
pOleon-" Aren't you gong to invade En-
land really, new, aren't l"-Mocquard's
"nspired response, the gist of which is, !" You
"dum phooles If you'd think three consecutive
minutes you'd see that the asking of the question
"impies the aDswer-and a comment. From your
"asking the question II is natural to suppose that
"yOu will believe in his responsive word and that
"you don't be6eYe in all his past words. He has
"aways sad that he isn't, and now he says that
he isn't have the honor to be, etc. hOcquard's
response has been published in all the Paris
papers. with all the Liverpool innocents, their
names wrongly 'sDeed, and has helped to quiet
other innOcents. SO business and the Bourse are
locking up. For the rest the innOcents are not to
be utterly Knocked at The Emperors wcTd does
seem to need frequent clinching
NJ. Haussman, Prefect of the Seine-that is, Ad-
miuistyatOr ,0Oyernor, Imperial Lieutenant OF Paris
|-eave dinner last Tuesday to the Municipal
Council at the Hotel de Vile. / may say, m pass
ing, that parisaD Municipal Councillors do not
have permanent feeding crib in that building as
the NeVy.York Fathers have, or used to have, IN
their Hotel de Vile, or City Hall. The dinner OF
last Tuesday was a solemn State affair, III sort
the IkeOf which comes off only at the close OF the
yearly iprolonged hard-wOrkng session of the Mu-
nieipahty. And Haussman offered toast there 70
the health and honor of the Imperial family, and but
tered fb with a speech, from which 1 cannot help
quoting: Gentlemen, FE"F.rS o'ese % P%II This
ueptgaple declaration, made by the Emperor at
L" Bordeaux before he was voted Emperor, in 1882 ]
'thiS promise t1ice kept, despite the seducuons OF
victory has Just been solemnly ccnsecrated anew.
The salusion is to the immense and vigorously
pushed changes and amelOrations IN the way OF
tearing down, building up anew and beantlfying, and
enlaTgIug Paris. But pray note that PROMISE the
Empire is peace kept t,cice Overt Preect Hauss-
man cave the toast and speech toward the close OF
the dinner, must suppose. 1t reminds one 0i that
'taxicated Boston gentleman who was reprOacncd
by his wife for coming home SO late at night-ra-
ther so late in the morning: "Going on o'clock
Edward, for shame" No, my dear-hic-Iz
zonly one-hic-'cock. When-hc-eome past tn
Old South-hic-'urch-hear clock strike one
hie--two, three times-hic-a running"
Emperor, Empress, and the boy came IN last
Sunday from COmpiegne. AS TO Dir. Seward
brebkfast with him there, and what.was and was
notssaid before at and after breakfast, and about
WHICH there has been excess of nonsensica con-
lecture and invention among Ar1ercans-all that,
ift we're proper matter for your correspondent TO
treat should have been touched on last week. Let
it pass now, and take a look at the theafers
: Almost all of them have brought cut their pieces
for the season. The one that ezotes the most at
Tension is In P6re Prodigee Young Alexander
Duuas's new c)medy, represented for the hrst
tine last week at the GyRaGse The performance
Of a new play from the pen Of the most successful
living French dramatist, IL an event IN Paris.
ghe euilletOnist critics y with rare exceptions.
nnite in loud uncritica laudaen G its merits, and
in ignoring It's defects. The town nightly crowds,
and Cor months will crowd The illfEvOred, unI enti-
lated and generally uncomfortable, not to say dam
eerous Gymnase, 10 see and hear its excellent per-
iormance. year or two hence 1t will take
it's ralk lowest on the scale of the authors
pioys. For the moment, Il enjoys sue
cess ,of curiosity. The dialogue is brilliant,
beue and there is n striking sit1ahon; tut
the ple is loose the st0ry hardly stcry stopping
rather than rounding cut at the close oil the hiih
act. q is a collection of scenes. 9hete ls no de-
yelopmeot of character, no portrayed of strong
passion no parsonage in whom or "a WhsSe tate you
take mu IN interest. Locked at from the purely
literary side the play has one remarkable quahty-
the author escapes, avods, overcones tie peculiar
a 4 x.on1arEH ,.nUpnuIfy.
The skill SSith which he cO&ducts the Pcodgal father
through fiss acts just thstoppling brink OF the
nitying contempt into which profigate, tsollsh Old
noe without honor must fall, and the son on the
parallel brAb as il were Of the horror ane disgust
INTO which an unfilal son mRst fall yet kegs them
though tOtteEng, both uprigh till they lad st last
embracing. IN each others arms, as the curtain
drops. This. as mere tour Dc JORGE, Is SSeai 70
ANYTHING one can see at the clrcus.
The play has no moral. II. Dumas Is sot TO
be blamed Tor that. He is of the school tssf sets
IN the motto +" Art for art" Furthermore, he ls
Realst-claims to represent life IS he sees II. M.
Dumas has evidently seen great deal OF one OF m
AIDES of French life. ii is 10 be Aoped that ne ~
nj seen much Of re better side ebe front SIDE 81
II say nothing 0s his Danes aux Cameilas' nj
s,,r.,en of the dsnsisROade. His respectable men
auS vzomen of the world, of the AG1 monde, are,
roDSslerirg their imputed respectablhtg. amentaby
worse His familiarity with, and faitAisi portrayal
Of characteristic scenes in the life Of The dem,-
n,onds, are not TO be doubted. 1t is to be hoped
for fhe ake of good French society that be knows,
by personal experience. very little about y. for
not only are hisgentlemen good society as fsmar
as himself with the other social hemisphere en' bis
younQ ladies', his unmarried isgsaHes, girls not YET
ant of their teens, are alarmingy advanced, ny ln-
stipct il would seem, in the same direction
Although Monsieur Dumas fils, does not set uP
TO teach morality, he has Of course his system OF
prss He presfsl.s certain of his personages to our