The Portland daily press., 1871-08-19

struggle took place between the French and
herman nations for supremacy. The initials
Will be readily recognized as those of our for
mer Secretary of Legation to Russia:
LONDON, August 8, 1871.
My Dear WJe:-I returned yesterday from
the Continent, where very likely have made
my last visit, but feel very much refreshed by
it. w. M. w. had gone about two weeks
since to rejoin his family at Ems, where they
had come from Dresden, in which place the
children had been at school since their leaving
Russia, and proposed to make short tour with
them up the Rhine, in Switzerland, and by the
way OF Geneva, Lyons and Paris to London.
We talked of my joining them in Switzerland,
and left London for that purpose last Satur-
day, going by the Ostend route to Brussels.
This journey was very pleasant, the sea calm'
aud the pretty Belgian country charming. l
stoned at the old fashioned Hotel de Flandres'
where you and with thechildren passed night
" hen you came over in 1866. The next morn.
ing left for Basic, Switzerland, with a through
ticket, by new route through the Ardennes
forest, by way of Luxembourg, Metz, Nancy,
&C. The scenery was very picturesque along
the road, through valleys, with lovely rivers
ohu oiuCos Due We WcEo bJOppcu at JUG
capital Of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The trains did not connect and there we had
to stay the whole afternoon. However there
was concert in the Public Gardens by the
band of the Prussian regiment of Uhlans sta
| toned at the frontier town of Thionville, and
bad the advantage of talking with the Off
GERS of this regiment, who were there with
| their wives. talking GERMANY and hearing
| their adventures in the late war. They had
| been at Sedan and Gravelotte and all the hard
fights along the frontier. Luxembourg is also
very interesting place historically, and from
its position as military post, being surround
ed by valley hundreds of feet deep so as to
make it fortress by nature, as well as by art,
lmpregnable.
Late in the evening went on to Metz so ia
nous in the late war, as we'll as before, the
strongest place as fertilization in the world,
except, perhaps Gbralter. The trains did not
connect there either. was not sorry, being
glad to s<e tie place, and began to change my
views abodtmy journey. The next morning,
Monday, l went about seeing the town. 1t lies
on high ground, surrounded by valleys and
higher hills. 1t has magnificent garden near
its public buildings, abutting on terrace or
esplanade, from which the surrounding forts
and battle grounds are clearly seen. A ser
geant of a Prussan regiment most kindly
pointed out to me the places where the awful
fights of last year took place, and told me the
names of the forts. visited the Cathedral,
| one of the finest in Europe and in the after.
noon left for N ancy, still en- route for Switzer-
land. At Nancy again the trains did not meet,
i md fnd T
mined to give up my proposed tour, and after
seeing Nancy 60 to Paris. Nancy is one of the
most charming towns in France-not least so
now because it has been retained by the French.
There is charming park, very handsome old
palace and wonderful gilded wrought iron
fences, constructed by the ex-King Stanislahs
of Poland, in the reign of Louis XVI. But the
most remarkable building is great edifice Of
very curious architecture, the old residence OF
the Dukes of Lorraine, last independent SOW,
ereigns of the country, which with all its con.
tents, Roman and Gothic and medieval anti
quities, was destroyed by fire about two weeks
since-an irreparable loss-many think by
Communist incendiaries, as extraordinary fires
OF the kind have lately occurred in France,
two cathedrals in the provinces having been
| burned. r
drove about Nancy and saw all the sights.
This country of Lorraine through which I pass
ed is most beautiful full of hills, valleys rapid
streams, rich fields Of grain, vineyards, and ia
nous in history. There was little to show that
the torch OF war had so recently passed over it
except the fresh graves of men and horses. The
Prussian soldiers still occupy it and were in
force at every railway station, with theil
"Etappen Commands" officers for the pro.
vision and transportation of troops. saw sew
eral trains of German soldiers going back to
/ VtIO H'.-.aA---,
| the inhabitants, the carriages bedecked with
| green branches.
On Monday evening 1 left Nancy for Paris
where arrived Tuesday morning. The Prus
sian sentinels were at every station still. Pitt.
full horses in the fe " cabs and Omnibuses first
showed how the great city of pleasure has
been punished. 1 went to Meurices Hotel
fronting the garden of the Tueries, an old &C.
quaintance, and got front rom with balco-
ny. You cannot imagine, not seeing it, the
desolation and ruin caused by those Commun.
ists.' From my window 1 looked along the
once splendid Rue de Rivoli, taking in the
| view from the picturesque old tower Saint
Jacques to the Arc de PEtoile and the heights
| of Sevres. The grand old Tuileries were befor re
me in ruins; the roof fallen in, the broken,
fire-cracked walls standing; the trees in the
garden shattered by bullets and bombs, and
the grass all gone; the Ministry of Finances, a
magnificent building on the right, all crumb-
ling to prices after its consumption by petro-
leum. 1 first went about the town to see the
ruins of the burned portion of the Louvre,
Tuileries, Palais Royal, Hotel de Vile, and
other places. 1t was sickening The Palace
Vendome was melancholy place in the abb
sence of its columns The Rue Royale, lead
| ing from the Place de la Concerde, (how mis-
namedJ to the Madelaine W as ruin, the stand.
ing houses being all shattered with bullets.
They are making repairs with stucco as fast as
possible, and have already nearly effaced the
trees OF the barricades and filled up the d.ches
Hundreds of Americans and English go there
to look at the ruins and then 60 away. The
| town is dull, really dull. There is no danger
| of being run over in crossing the streets. The
| few old white horses move like f1ies-or rather
| snails. The boulevards are lively, howey-
| er, not with fashionable visitors but with Par
| isians, who seem to take pride in what has
taken place, and are occupied as usual before
the cafes, and lock with sort of pleasure at
all the horrid pictures of Communists ar
their deeds, which are exposed in the shop
windows. The Grand Hotel is rather full of
visitors-not very healthy, think, after its
unchanged beds have been employed in its use
as an ambulance for SO many months for all
sorts of horribly sick people. On Wednesday
and Thursday ran about good deal. Went
| to the Bots de Boulogne, which is in a sadly
neglected condition, the trees having been cut
away up to the road around the lake, the ave-
nue. de PImperatrice entirely bare, and all
showing the desolation OF long siege. At the
NOrtre Dame Cathedral the sacristan showed
me whara the free bad haan Observation-Disclosures
ly petroleum was not used. La Sante Chspello
escaped by miracle, all around being burned.
Really. felt very sad in Paris, and was glad to
return to London, as I did yesterday. But
they will rebuild la belle Paris and all will 90
on as before. J.P.
PORTLAND, Aug. II, 1871.
Mr. EDIToR,-Wil you, oblige. me by print.
| ing the enclosed extract from the Washington
Patriot? do not wish to make any direct an
peal to the Masons of my own State, but if
there is any impulse among them to follow the
&c tbor hra 6 A.