The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-13
a SURVEY OF PARIS.
Getting to the CIty-First Impressions
A Trip to versaflles-The Ruins and
the Spirit OF the People.
,correspondence Boston Advertiser.l

have run over here to see with my own
eyes what is the condition of Paris, and how
far the dreadful stories of its destruction are
true. The political SITUATION, too. is 80 inter
estlng that considered it desirable 70 stuoy
1t on the spot, and to ascertain as tar as possl-
BILE what is the future of unhappy France. In
all essentials Paris Is more fearfnlly damaged
than any account I have read has brought
home TO me, and all that feared concerning
the uncertainty of II. Thiers's tenure has been
confirmed. But will, If you please, give you
the rough notes Of my trip hither and the I'M:
presslons it has conveyed, promising that l
arrived Without difficulty, and that / am SO
fortunate as to possess friends in Paris who
have exceptional opportunities for acquir-
ing sound information. First, as to the jour-
The Prussian soldiers at the railway stations
of Amiens and Creuilly bring the condition or
France more thoroughly home to the visitor
than aught else he has seen on ms way 1I,.I., TO
unusual strictness with the passports. You
have paid the slightly exorbitant sum OF eight
shiIlinps to have yours UiSed at the Frencn
consular Office in Finsbury square, ana nave
been content to set the exactton down 70 tne
pecuniary difficulties of France. It Is only
when YOU feel the cold gray eye. OF authority
upon You at the Calais landing-place, and find
Yourself examined from top 10 toe, that you
realize that the whole country Is In state OF
siege. You ask the English friend you meet
Ia the refreshmentroom ii Prusslans are to oe
seen on the way down, and receive the laeon-
ic answer, "Heaps !"
A stumpy figure In blue cloth, and with
helmet of shining brass. marches up and down
soldier have seen, and regard him curious
ly. he is not favorable specimen, being, in
truth, rather under the standard OF he1gnt,
concerning which 30 much Indignation has
been expressed by the reformers OF tae BTU
ish army. He is squatty, moreover, and ,DutGn-
walks slowly up aud down, his musket over
his shoulder and his bayonet fixed, he Is the
limpersonatlon of vlctory-the commonplace
symbol of frances defeat. There were plenty
| Of other Prussian soldiers. Later, SOW them
|. In great abundance in the fields as the train
shot by, In tents and drilling, and at other
stations on my way to Paris. But they none
OF them quite produced the impression caused
by this very common soldier. 1t was on the
day Of the rejoicing at Berlin that made my
way hither, and behind this sentry one SEEM
ed to see Kaiser Wilhelm, Moltke, Bismarck,
ard the whole might and pomp Of the German
army. We are accustomed to say that the po.
| liceman's truncheon represents the law anC
order of England, andit was m some suGn ,1
brown face of the little man In the helmet, and
wondered how the Frenclmen near liked his
Paris looked bright and clean as we entered
| It by the Cherain de Fer du Nord. The friend
travelled with is, abbVe all things, a prudent
man; so he had registered his small hand Dag
instead of taking 1t with him Ia the carriage.
He might lose 1t, he said. 1t was awkward
carrying it from railway to boat. He preferred
having nothing to think of on the journey.
This cogent reasoning caused me to stL fifty
| five minutes by the clock In the courtyard OF
the station. The railway staff was inadequate
or demoralIzed, and the luggage from England
half q dozen local trains. Could anything
mark the altered condition of things more
strongly? The mail trains between London
and Paris are In ordinary times trtumphs OF
organization. The whole force Of the compa-
niles is concentrated to insure punctuality, and
that luggage and passengers shall be promptly
assorted on arrival As 1t was, 1 resigned my
dence' which prevented my seeing aughtaI
Paris that night, applied myself to The study aa
the scene around The Paris eabmen attained
position under the Commune which they are
| 10th to resign, Each man charged what seemed
right In his own eyes. 1t Is the same thing
now. The National Assembly and Its servants
have not had time TO turn their attention to
matter which our own home secretary found
too much for him, though public opinion was
| unanimous In his favor and the country was at
peace. The cab fares of Paris have not been
settled, and the old regulations concerning
the tcourso'' and "the hour" are laughed to
scorn.s Five francs, eight francs, twelve francs,
asked for distances for which two, three, and
four francs would be handsome pay. It was
| amusing tossnote the disgust of the people
with luggage who found their efforts at hiring
metwlt6; q disdainful shrng. This was the first
stage Of the bargain, and no Paris cabman
will, under any circumstances, carry you any
where without distinct agreement before
hands Now, no one likes parting with his
money less than q Frenchman, and the air re-
sounded with 'oaths, the gesticulations grew
fast and furious, and finally many stout and
respectable patertamilfas shouldered his own
portmanteau aud disappeared, putting and
groaning under a burden which he carried as
Christian Is represented doing In the "Pilgrim's
Progress.n9
Ny friend appears at last smiling feebly, and
jocularly penitent. Then comes our first drive
through the clty-dusk coming on rapidly and
we tired and hungry with our days travel.
We see but little. A lamp-post broken Of
short and lying helplessly In the gutter, other
lamp posts twisted into odd shapes like brazen
serpents which have ruSted; broken plate
glass window; q shop-ffont as completely out
as If .sellIng off for alterations;n few odd
looking holes foot or two In diameter, show
ing where stout stone walls had been perforat-
ed like pasteboard; soldiers on duty here and
there, and vast number OF French uniforms
In the streets, are the CHEF things that we see.
It Is P. M. when we sit down to dinner at
Voisin's, and we agree that Paris is not so
much altered after all. Where have all the
garcons hidden themselves during the two
| sieges the beautiful city has undergone l
| was last at Voisin's few days before Sedan,
| and I recognize every waiter saw then.
There Is the bland proprietor, too, with the
cork leg, rubbing his hands and giving vocal
| The garcon who sells cigars as his own specu.
| lation, recommends the Partagas In the big
box In exactly the same tones as he did last
August, and the other walters assist each other
and look on and cry, "Bten, M'siea" in a way
which makes one rub ones eyes and ask If all
one has read concerning Paris besieged, Paris
conquered, Paris starving, and Paris In flames,
be not part of some idle dream. The pier
glasses, the walls of white and gold, the gay
talk and merry laughter OF the replete diners,
| and the general llghthearledness which
seemed to prevail, were all bewilderng. There
Is great want of gas in the streets. Only
! every other lamp is lighted there, and The
\ sparse jets shed but only q feeble glimmer.
~There are great piles OF stone, too, by corner
In the Rue Rovale and opposite the Made.
laine, and vie stump of the column which
once stood In the Place Yendome tells its own
story; but all is dim and lndistinct, and we re-
tire for the night puzzled and confused at the
contrast between the ruined Paris OF imagina'
tion and reading, and the Paris Of sober fact.
CRIMES And CASUALTIES.
4 Nrtry nor T,,Ir