New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-04-07

A.. Ian
too long for its breadth. and there Is not no
pretepse of architectural decoration uhlesS 'o 0o
ing deeply cOved by plaster ribs' in'oi'oO'"e -
right-angles and with badly painted s,"i !" cav"
cove can be called decoration III Is hgntcu ~ 'o'
or five large windows on one SIDE WHO oPPo'''0
these windows. canvas stretcheu oh 'no wa"
snaces between pilasters, are hye portraits oi "ho
the middle one is of course portrait OF Napoleon -
a miserable COPY of the celebrated picture oil inc
Fmperor in the coronation robes designed LOT MN
by Talma, and in the attitude which Ialma taught
him TO assume for as all the world knows he TOOK
lessons of the great actor for this piece OF stage cere
mony, as any other debutant might nave dohe'
This copy is one of the official copies from this that
or the other picture of the Emperor which are iur
nished by the Government to all the public build
ings throughout France, and on either side OF IL are
two ful.length portraits of celebrated lawyers coun-
sellers or other legal dgnites equally badly painted
and whose names nobody seems to know or care
AT one end of the room temporary gallery has Deeh
erected-a tribune as it is calledto which access Is
had by a narrow and steep stairs at either end' Inc
benches are narrow and hard. but the view OF the
hall is good and It's the gallery that we all ann ior
as soon as the memorable gendarines open
the gates and let us in. The foor OF INC
hall is thus arranged. Don't quarrel with my details
for want to describe to you the scene OF one OF INC
most interesting events that has taken place Ill
France for many years. and whose consequences are
like enough to be serious if the so-caed justice Oh
France goes on to the end with the mockery Oh all
decency with which she has begun opposite INC
gallery is raised platform running entirely across
that end of the room. In the middle OF the wall Is
semicircuar recess the halfdome of which is filled
with one of those meaningless alegorical pieces OF
painting of which the French are so inexpllcably
Il 70
either, than the sort of things on the Louvre
ceilings In front of this recess is the long table al
which the Judges sit and each side of the recess
is n door by one of which the Court enters ana
bv the other the jury and the ProcureurGeneral win
his assistants At the left side OF the hall under the
windows are the seats for the Sc uymen arranged IN
three rows of II chairs EACH long desk runs Ill
front of each row and is supplied with materials lor
writing The seats of the jury are placed within an
ipclosure covered with green hangngs so that they
are only able to leave the hall by the way they en-
tered it, Directly below them-for they sit on plat
form level with that which the Judges are placed
are seats at table for four extra Jurymen VINO
are there in case of absences and seats for about
50 ladies, the creme de la creme of Tours, who
are. as you may believe the object of a good deal of
envy from people who are less comfortably seated.
Against the opposite wall, at the judges right, is
the prisoners box; next him a box in which dozen
advocates of Tours, who have a certain official right
TO be present sit in their black gowns, white bands,
and black, brmless hats and the line is continued
by two rows of journalists whose seats were added
to those on the floor below at the last hour and did
not satisfy the call for places, even then Directly
i'm front of the prisoner sit his lawyers Ill their box,
so that they can easily communicate with him. In
front of them sit the family and friend of Louis
Nor the brother of Victor, the party In the civil
suit They face the Court, and do their lawyers.
who sit directly behind them, as well the rest of
the journalists who fill up the remainder of this half
of the floor and whose place to those of the
fifty or so ladies OH the other side. Up and down the
middle of the hall runs narrow alley by which the
witnesses come and 90. They stand on the floor not
raised above it, and not in box, but simply at q
raliluS ~t-''. makes q right angle that they
| lean upon it and address the Judge, turn to
left and lean upon it and address the jn,y-a thing
which, by the by, not single of them has done
without being told, and even then more than half of
them insist upon turning and talking TO the judges.
A narrow passage running across the hall and with
a door at either end separates this half of the hall
from that occupied by the mere spectators who are
in the gallery and under it. AS always and every
where there are the privileged spectators, the fifty
ladies' as aforesaid, and behind the Judges and be-
hind the Procureur General and his assistants, who
forget to say, sit in a box of their own facing tho
Judges and close by the door by which the jury
tiers. These privileged guests fill up beside, every
inch of the platform where chair can be put and
every inch of the floor that they can insinuate them
selves into, and l am never tired of watching the
maneuvcrs by which people well armed with assur-
ance and with physical strength, manage to secure
places when timid, simpl minded people are easily
persuaded tits quite impossible. The most adroit and
the most successful the women. the ladies, who
A. Il 80 &c
and achieve comfortable seats III choice places by the
exercise of sweet audacity that takes the sting out
of even being sat upon and suflOcated
To describe the noise and confusion that fill the
hall while all this seating and being seated and
settled is going on where Ievery is talking, chat
ting calling oh-ing and ahng. demonstrating, beg
ging, scolding. pleading, cOquetting laughing, and
all at the top of lungs and speed. would be simply
impossible. The French do dearly love a noise, and
they have good lungs and use them well. Meanwhile
the lawyers get their places, dressed in their queer
but not uDbecoming costume the ample black gown
with big sleeves and tppet the left shoulder
edged with white fur, and long linen bands at the
neck and black hat either round. or square, or
many-sided, without brim and which they put on
or off as the fancy strikes them. Floquet, the elo
quent advocate Of the Noir family, has such a
tremendous head of hair that think he must find
it difficult to put on his calotte have never
him with it on. The lawyers are in no hurry to get
their places but standsabout in groups chatting and
talking; then come in the jurymen, wel-looking
set of men, and finally, the excited huSsiers, who
have been flying about like parched peas, distracted
with their manifold duties, rush up to the platform
and appealing with clasped hands to the audience
1.-THE black aprons which they wear tied round their
necks by a string and hanging over their backs,
deprivng their appeal of all dignity. beg us to be
seated to be seated, and to preserved silence une
grande silence for look you. the High Court is COM