, 1866-05-14
FRENCH TOWN. IN lSGG.

Paris monopolizes SO much the attention of
. Ahe world that the progress Of the provincial
towns Of France is too apt to he Overlooked.
Yet, 20 for as external improvements are con-
eerned, progress IL as conspicuous In Mar
scf1les as In Paris. Indeed, the A1arseillcs of
1866 seems 10 he altogether different city
from that Of the Inst generation. 1t is now
cmbeltshed with new and brilliant streets,
hotels and cafes, aud begins to look worthy
Of the trnde Of which II is the focus, the mag
nitudc Of which is .attestcd by The shipping
oi every nation that crowds the fine harbor,
md hy the multitude Of Lcvuutinss,. AIter-
tans and Greeks, who swnr1n along the quays,
and who take not IN inconsfacrable part In
The local commerce and industry. As the
starting point Of the overland mail to India
and China tia suez, and or steamcss to a.l
parta OF the Orient, the loniau Islands,
Greece; Southern Russia, Spain. Italy, TO
Malta, Gibraltar and Corsica, MarseilIes pos
eeesc# greater maritime importance than apy
Other french seaport, Bordeaux being con
fined to the transit o! the Lisbon, Brazil, La
Plata and St. Nazaire to the Mexican, West
India and California maii, wllils Havre,
moncpolizes the North American line Of
steamers, and shares also, 10 some. extent.
WAtu Sk4Rl6 III luG CUQf1QOnS
: traffic with England. Marseillcs stands at
the head OF all French ports and though the
Pcnlnsular and Oriental southampton steam
ers make a powerful competition with the Mar
scillcs overland mall, md the Italian steam
c1s ria Brindisi md Corfu also begin To eu-
croach upon that traffic, the Trench Aessa-
oertts l'nfestdafs steamers arc so admirably
managed that they continue to command an
aJfN S$r-nA A. e x.H.
Ercat centre. For social refinement and intel
lectual cultivation, however, Mars.ii1cs is al
together inferior to Bordeaux ard Toulouse,
and Is more akin to Havre, with the ex:cp-
ton that Its population has scui-Corsicau
impctnositg, while that Of Havre Is rlaeac-
terized by Northern stolidity. As tar, how
ever, os the anIrnns Of the inhabitants goes,
those Of Marsciilcs and Havre have the more
exclusive bent for nercenasy pursuits, and
carc fur less tor politics or for the gsaces of
civilization than the non-comme1cial cities.
The consequence Is that the social atmosphere
OF both places is rathcr rough, and, indeed, !
such an Intense practical mercantile dlspo- |
sitfon Is 80 little congenlal 10 the French |
mind, that. It sits most unEraccfully upon
them, and actually gives TO the Masze,lIes |
merchants sctni-Lesanune, and to those OF J
Uavre scmi-Dutch lock- The beautliul no
sition On the Medltcrxancan, and tile tlue public
rcsots which arc on the shores of tho sen, |
as well as the mobility OF the people and the /
picturesque commiuEling OF 1urbaned or1cn-
1als with crowds Of French, Swiss, Germans,
Italians, Greeks, Moors and Jews, invest |
Marseilles With degree OF originality. while |
navre Is the very Incarnation OF dullness, 1
and apart from Its commerce only Interesting
from It's proximity to Paris and London aud
number of fashionable French watering
plnces. Dicppe, too, Is in the vicinity Of
uaFra. bnt has ceascd to be Ia vogue and is
now only patronized by old fashioned French
and English people, whose iuaaity suits the
monotony Of the place, and By sumo very fast
English fellows who resort thither To cseape
from their crcditors-
Both at -Marsctlles md Hay1e there is The
usual military and bureaucratic society, each
distinct from the other. In the former city
The banker Pasquale aud 4 lew o,hcr great
French and Greek merchants, constitute.
together With the principal public authorities
and the naval officers who happen 10 be In
the port, what Is called the bequ monde. bu
which assemble, only once yeas, for few
balls during winter. Soclal circles "a they"
exist IN Fnris, London, and also In Bordeaux,
and Toulouse end many other provincial towns
90 not thrive In placcs Ike Marseilles md
dasre, where all intellectual Vitality fs spal-
lowed up in business. and where the women.
whatever soc,al aspirations aud talents ,ley
msJ have, find no scope for their develop
ment- In The absence Of political and ,ntc1.
lectual activity, there is no element for the
v1tAlizstl0n o. social lie. Hence there is but
little OF II, and every family lives 10 f,se,,-
and all atnuse themselves as bcs. u.ry car