Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-01-29

IcT Davis ina Parfs-His Mode Of life,

Tcff Davis ina ParIs-His Mode Of life.
! Mr. Jef1 Davis, ex-President of the
Confederate States Of America, is among
! Us, with his wife, whose heroism is equal
to the harshness of her destiny. He comes
to see Paris and seek here a retreat to
| which he can bring in week his children,
left temporarily in America. Nothing can
be moro simple than this man, who is ex-
perieDced, like our fathers of '93, and who,
like them, sent suddenly to all points OF
the Southern States as many armies as the
French Republic opposed to the coalition
in Europe. JEFF. Davis is very thin, but
srect His chest is not hollow, and his
body supports an admirable head, joined
to broad shoulders by rather thin neck
His forehead is ample, his hair gray, his
contour rather bullying, in which are set
clear blue eyes, which are very SOFT yet
observing. His face is thin, his cheek
bones prominent, and consequently his
cheeks appear hollow. The nose is aqui-
line and like an eagles beak. His mouth
is rather large and indicative of goodness
and resolution f; his chin prominent The
ensemble of that ascetic face is now mix
ture of meditation and indulgence.
JEFF. Davis speaks mildly, and his face
expands as he smiles. He is naturally slow
in expressing his ideas in our language,
which he constantly mixes up with idioms
from his own tongue. He is quiet in ges-
ture and in recrimination but his phrases
in the mother tongue ara we'll rounded,
concise, and neat. Has experience, in the
failure of better or stronger combinations,
rendered him less positive -? Or does he al
ways proceed, in the expression of his
ideas, less in an absolute than dubious
way :? It is true, he feels his way in our
language.
He has remained true to the principles
of slavery, but modified, as he admits He
comedies rights to the negro race which
can p7oUe that it is born to Joy them and
made to understand them but, at bottom,
he is convinced that the African and the
Caucasian races cannot assimilate. AS to
the rest, the extreme violence which the
exigencies Of the anti-slavery party caused,
the effect of which was the sudden ruin of
the Southern people, was, in his opinion,
the consequence of the resistance which
the latter made.
Here. jeff Davis is fully enjoying all the
curiosities that Paris affords, which he
finds very beautiful, and which he I'M
tiringly visits all the day. AS to his ma
terial life, he does not care as to his food,
breakfast1ng on a Slice OF bread and butter
and cup of coffee, and dining on two
dishes.
Morally, his courage. his views, his
strictness, his exquisite probity, the example
of all his devotedness, his self-denials, his
good faith to his principles-to which he
has sacrificed everything. for which he has
suffered everything-the placidity of an
apostle, and the commiseration of martyr
for his enemies, his resignation and Sc
renity-all these have made JEFF. Davis q
rare and great man-so great that, in the
midst of our modern civilization, one
cannot come near him without the utmost
respect.
Mr.. JEFF. Davis dined on New Years day
at the residence of his old Representative
at Paris. Mr.. Slidell. The dinner was quite
private, and Mrs. Davis, in mourning for
her mother, was not there.