The Portland daily press., 1869-05-27
Letter from France.
PARIS, MAY 7th. 1860

GAIETY AT THE FRENCH CAPITAL.
Thic is the season when strangers from
every quarter of the globe flock to Paris,
not!for long tarry, but to taste the last drop
of the .exhiarating cup of pleasure that the
city of Jstes holds out to them, 10 attend the
races where the fashions and the two rival
worlds of Paris. the court circle and the
demi-monde, are arrayed in fresh toilets
and furnished forth to catch their votaries in
their ''strong toll Of grace" Then, too, the
salon or exhibition of living artists, opens
the first of the month, and the orange trees
take their stations around the palaces and
the floral exhibitions are something exhilar-
ating, especially to flower fanciers, and the
city gardens are worth visiting and SO are the
flower markets, and the court is giving its
last dances, and the elegant world" passes
Off in brilliant coruscations of color and dia-
mond sparkle-pass es off with glee and jolli-
ty as if the last, the zenith of May, was the
best of all the game.
PARIsIAN LION.
They have in Paris now an Archduke of
Austria, Louis Victor, the youngest of the
brothers of the Emperor of Austria. Tall,
slim, and Of the true Hapsburg type, he is
now the great attraction in conrt circles. He
waits in Paris, they say, till the Prince of
Wales arrives from his Eas tern tour and then
brilliant tstes will be offered these "curled
darlings" of the cream of the polite world.
The Austrian and the English embassies will
have special pageants.
THE ELECTIONS.
The elections in Paris are making very
lively agitation, some clever manipulators and
pamphleteers having succeeded in getting up
deal of political excitement The muzzle
is OH the mouth for few days, and French
orators and journalists are making speeches
and writing sharp articles during this brief
period of liberty. They win not be allowed
to drink too deep at the spring of liberty for
fear they might like it for daily beverage
doubt much whether the Latin race think
the game of freedom is worth all it costs.
They prefer to let their enthusiasm mount to
fever heat over the first night of successful
play, or over some exquisite picture, which
IS rrasment uae belle chose, to pass their
time in vague, metaphysical discussions, rath-
er than spend their strength in the rough
| collisions of the caucus-room. A difference
in the nervous organization from the Anglo
Saxon races accounts, perhaps, for the perfect
control which a successful man gets and
keeps over them.
FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES
The immense defalcation of the cashier
Taillefet, you notice, on the principle that
one rogue makes many, has been followed by
various similar financial irregularities. In
one of these episodes, Mrs. H, an Amer
lean lady, has been implicated, she having
disappeared with an absconding banker from
Nice. 1t was reported at first that she was
drowned, and great excitement followed
Various articles belonging to the lady were
left on the beach to confirm this opinion, but
it was not long entertained, and La Patrie
OF this city came on. in piquant notice OF
the affair. Justice is in pursuit Of the loy-
ers, with what success have not learned.
THE MARKETS.
The summer vegetables are getting to be
familiar sights in the shops and streets.
though the tiny pots of Strawberries holding
about four or five of the berry of which an
old English writer declared that "God could
no doubt make better fruit than the straw
berry, but then he never did, cost twelve
cents apiece, and tomatoes are eight and ten
| sous apiece, and the incest shelled green meas
forty cents for litfe, measure less than ON,
quart.
| THE FASHIONS.
The ladies' dresses continue to be looped up
at the sides, and all their mantillas and skirts
10 be perfect exemplifcations of the beauty
ol curved lines over straight ones, and their
SILK dresses to be trimmed with satin, and
tneir bonnets to be small, with nodding crests
OF flowers. Pansies are in all the milliners'
shops, because it is flower which is much
worn by the Empress. WANDERER:
San Francisco is examining gun that
fires five hundred shots in minute.
+ "A curious incident in the chapter of acci-
dents has just happened in London A young
lady of high social position was engaged to be
married. The wedding trousseau was obtain
| ed, and "all went merry as a marriage belP'
until the day before that on which the youth
should have led his fair affianced to the altar;
on that day he mysteriously disappeared, and
up to the present time nothing has been heard
| of him. The expectant bride felt her loss