The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-05
FRENCH EMIGRATION.
The New Exodus-Paris in Brussels

Brussels (Sept. 2O) Correspondence London Times.
Few English who have not dwelt In Paris for
long periods and examined it below its merest
surface-life, know of what all that fast-and-
loose population of the boulevards consists, and
how many nationahties it comprises, for all
these people dress alike, look alike, speak the
Partisan slang of the day with equal glibness,
and French sufficiently well to impose on the
majority of Britons. Numbers of them
are now to be seen in Brussels, either on their
way to more peaceful lands than Fra .ce, or
awaiting the happy hour when they may return
to their cherished haunts and habits. The feat
ing population of Brussels yesterday was 35, 600,
enormous for a city of this size / know not
to what extent members of the defeated French
armies figure in it.; but there must be consider
able number of them here in hospital or in pri-
vate houses. Several ambulances have been
installed, and the wounded meet with ready
sympathy and aid, and excite great curiosity and
interest. Before one of the hospitals in the bust
ling Rue Neuve, tan has been spread to deaden
the noise of vehicles, and there, on Sunday,
permanent crowd kept its station, conversing
in low tones and gazing up at the windows.
There was not much to be SEEM occasionally an
emaciated countenance peeped through pane,
and one could frequently discern the white sum-
mits of several nightcaps, but that was about
all. Imagination did the rest, and when some
of the gapers grew weary and departed others
took their places, and so all day the hospital
had its guard of peaceful and sympathizing cti-
Zens. On the balconies of private houses one
sees wounded Frenchmen sitting and smoking,
most Kindly cared for by their hosts,
who have volunteered to take them in. l saw
a sergeant of Turcos-neither black, brown nor
yellow, but pure white, for many of these African
troops, whose employment has justly scapdaliZed
the PIusslans are native Frenchmen-with a
sleeve of his jacket hanging empty and his
bandsged arm in sling, conversing on bal
cony with a worthy Belgian burgess, whose
honest round face beamed with sympathy, and
also, If / mistook not with admiration OF the
mighty feats of war and perilous adventures his
interesting guest was relating to him. Probably
most of the unwounded French military now
in Brussels have put on civilian garb, but one
still meets a certain number of uniforms, their
colors faded, their smartness gone-gone,
too not little of their wearers' former swag-
ger Can these be the Hussars and Chasseurs
we saw ruffling it in Paris so short time ago ?
Sore indeed, must have been their disaster, and
sadly has the pride been taken out of them by
Prussia's stern and steadfast legions, They
form but a very minor feature of the crowd OF
French now here, and which comprises innu'
merable familiar faces. Here are journal
lists, actors, pillars of the Bourse, sing
ers and dancers, artists Qn France
every tumbler or tight-rope vaulter is, an
artist) from the Cirque de PImperatrice, whole
orchestras from Paris concerts (Strauss himselt
included) ballet girls, and ambiguous females il
numbers, but hardly recognizable in sedatt
attire and in the absence of paint That nationa
institution of France, the rogue pot, at times
pretty freely exported into some other coun
tries, is forgotten in the sadness of exile. /
war is a great destroyer and a dreadful scourge
it is also in some respects mighty purifier, ant
so Paris, when it shall have got through it
present trials, will, perhaps, find 1t to haV
been.