The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-05-30

Baron de Rothschild'S private office, request
ing permission to visit, not his drawing rooms
and offices, which have been so often describ-
ed, but his cellar and kitchen, which have
hitherto escaped description. Mons. de VII
lemessant accompanied me to support my re-
quest, and thanks to the card he sent III 70
the celebrated banker, we were at once ad-
mitted to his presence, while portly nianclefs
whose "pair' were champing the DIT IN the
street, CAPPED on the benches OF the ante cham
Der, while awaiting their turn 10 DE admitted.
Baron lie Rothsohild stood IN front of a
desk, above which hung the tasselS OF dozen
different hell ropes. Each Of these bell ropes
and tassels are of different color. It was
easy to see from the many colored chimes
that the prosperity takes it rise here where
the master lives as active and as sprightly as
ever. -
The Baron inquired the object of our visit.
When he heard what it was, a cloud came
over his brow, and he said in an agitated
voice, "You come at an unfortunate time
My kitchen and cellar are in confusion. | no
longer give dinner parties. l have no pleasure
in receiving company now that my son is
dead. 1t might formerly have been curious,
perhaps, to witness the preparation of those
bahquets which gave to kings, but at present
such visit has little interest The palate
shares the hearts sorrows, and the most eX-
ouiste wines and the most delicious dishes
leave them insensible whom grief never
quits" We insisted upon vi iting the offices.
He replied, every well, then, if you will visit
them you may" He rang the third bell,
whose rope and tassel are OF blue and gold
A servanv appeared in livery of blue and gold,
and the Baron ordered him to show us through
the larder, kitchen and cellar.
Preceded by my guide, | went down.to the
succulent lower regions, from whence rose an
odor in strong contrast with the Baron de
Rothschild's warnings of sobriety. first en-
tered room whose walls were covered with
glittering hooks, from which hung hares,
pheasanis and deer. Magnificent turkeys
were ranged in files ON shelves, whose lower
ranges were filed with baskets of trufies.-
Baron de Rothschild adores truffies He eats
them every day, and as he is excessively fond
of pheasants, the larder master told me he
had discovered way to keep this game three
months after it was killed, without the least
trace of putrefaction appearing. l thought of
buying his secret; but then thought to at
tempt with my capital to bid against Baron de
Rothschild's capital was sheer mauness, and
kept my peace. e
When think Of the dazzling copper uten-
sis which l saw in the kitchen, am still
blind; eighty suns hung ON an immense wall!
l expressed my admiration to the chief cook,
who replied to me in a tone of authority, "In
this house there is as much copper down
stairs as there is gold up stairs" The truth
is, | never saw so much copper in my life, ex-
cept at Sax's, the brass instrument maker
On lateral shelves, iron stew pans were placed
III order; their polished bottoms reflected the
glow of the furnaces A dandy turnspit was
lying the knot OF his cravat before one Of
these extemporized mirrors. One of the
scullions bawled to him, ''Set to work, We dan
dy, you" The turnspit bounced forward to-
wards the fire, where spits were turning be-
fore a flaming beech log, thicker than the Leb-
anon cedar in the Garden Of Plants. heard
him call youthful colleagues attention to my
appearance; they both wore white skull caps.
The notebook, which l held open, and on
which jotted my notes, puzzled them exceed
ingly. l do not know what he said about me
TO mis- companion, but l am positively certain
they did not take me for deputy sheriff, tax
ing an inventory of a seizure. Baron de
Rothschild is not quite there. was about to
withdraw, when fat, jovial-looking woman
stopped me, saying, "I'll bet you are a news
paper" l was near the range, which was
heated red hot; my cheeks were consequently
cherzy-colored; SO she thought was ashamed
of my profession. She added in an encour-
aging tone; "Confess it. That may happen
to anybody; and besides, | don't detest news
paper writers. They spoke about me whe
the Emperor visited Territories, and wheneve
any one peases I'll prove that DR.. Vernon's (
old Sophie isn't SO good a cook as she has the
reputation of being. ] dare her to make mac
caroni, hdricots q la etouTee and omelette
aaI tomdtes as well as do"
The reader may easily imagine / soon
struck up an intimacy with woman who
showed herself so mdulgent towards my hor-
rid profession. We had long talk together
She is from Kissengen, near Frankfort She
has been for fifteen years at the head of Bar
on de Rothschild's kitchen. She won her
high rank as much by her iDcorruptible hon
esty and rare talenes as by the mastery man
ner in which she prepares the Baron's sauer-
kroute Under her hands sauerkraute under
goes complete metamorphosis. The care
she bestows ON this vegetable casts into shade
the manipulatiops of the alchymist who strives
to extract the philosophers stone from his re-
tort. Judged Clara places her sauerkraute in
u silver pot, which she keeps for two days and
two nights on gentle fire. Every halt hour
she carefully lifts the top to pour into it
glass of wine and an ounce ot goose grease.
She told me she had passed many restless,
anxious nights, while her masterpiece was
simmering under the watch Of an assistant
cook. She would wake with a start many and
many a time, her forehead covered with cold
perspiration and awefght OF lead on her heart
and does not 60 to sleep again, until with her
own hands she adds the above mentioned ele-
tude, it seems the Baron's sauerkraute has
. SAVIOR which the gods of Olympus never
dreamed Of
L Quilted Clara to enter the confectionery
which is managed by a confectioner from vi
emma, whom | surprised in earnest conference
with his aid. They did not perceive me, and
thinking they were discussing some new bon
bon. listened to what they were saying with
all my ears. They were discussing the days
quotations of the stock exchange. saw that
| was indiscreet, and | coughed to let them
know a stranger was present. The head con-
fectioner came up to me. He is charming
Young man, blond, beardless, nay, quite dis
tinglished in appearance He showed me his
moulds, earthen dishes, syrups, and did not
conceal from me that he had the monopoly OF
an elsewhere unknown nougat. l exclaimed:
$50 young, and already so inventive? He an
swered: Il am not young; am thirty-fiye,
reioined "Y gu don't seem to be twenty-five.
He replied: sugar keeps man young.
1t is not enough to eat-man must drink
too. went to the cellar where the butler
waited for me, lamp in hand. The massive
oak door vibrated with the creak of the lock,
and we entered the first cellar, whose sides
are filled with quadrangular shelves, surmoun-
ted by a label containing the name OF the
wine and the date of its bottling. / do not
know the value of these bottles contents, but
their outward appearance has nothing repul-
sive. Their sealed mouths are covered with
respectable mould, and their sides are hidden
under the dust OF thirty years. ! noticed the
Chateau YqueIn of 1884, Branns Mouton Of
1929, andSt Julien Of 1915. III reckon ac-
curately, there are 100000 bottles of wine in
the Baron's cellar, worth at least 100000
francs. 1t contains wine of every country,
from the golden drops OF Lacryma Christi to
the purple syrup of the cape; from the ordi-
nary Juice Of Macon vines to the precious cas-
cades which pour from Medocs' presses. The
cellar where the liquors and spirits are kept in
is as rich as the wine cellar and like the lat
Ter has it's history and catalogue. Baron de
Rothschild's servants drink two barrels Of wine
a week. As soon as barrel is brought to the
house. il is at once bottled; he allows no such
thing as drinking from the cock. AS was
leaving the house, footman came and said
the Baron wished to see me. FASTENED to
to his office. He said to me: my dear SIT,
have thought over the matter, and you would
obliga me- nv mblishiug nothing about my