The New York herald., 1874-09-27

cro,zette and Nine. Nathalie, both from the Com
edie Francaise, are yet to come. The theatre at
tached to the casino is the theatre par ercete'es
the Theatre des Varieties, seats IN which eau be
had Tor one, two or tbres rancs, but 1t s not ex'
tenslvely patrolized by Vichy vlst ors.
CONVERSATION AT vICHY.
Ordinary people ought not 20 be expected 70
shine In conversation. The Vichy batners and
that they should be blamed for talking great
deal about their ailments Alter we have drunk ana
0a,SsS oI or 50 az know n ws haye
oonic acid and bicarbonate OF soda and potassa TO
say nothing OF suiphates or phospates. 1t Is only
natural after breakfast and dinner. and even dur
Ing those meals. that we should fall to comparing
notes. Smith Is anxious to know whether Jones
enjoys a carbonlc acid gas bata or an ascending a
for which he pays two francs, trumphs in the fact
that he gets only one pea1nOtr less tnan Robinson,
premiere classe A, who inhaes ten litres
OF oxygen every morning before breakfast, Is
burning to discover whether It Is incumbent upon
him 20 give the waiting woman two sous after
eacn sednce GtnhaLatton, and b. who has had
to wait half an hour before MS turn came, Is full
OF regrets that he wasted five franc piece upon
the head tat0neur. The freedom with which
people, to whom you find yourself speaking for the
nrst time talk about their diseases Is one OF the
most singular characteristics OF life at Vichy.
And then, OF course, there is the due proportion
OF vulgar people coarse, foreign and mlnclng
action in order to bear their wealth with grace,
and that familiar specimen, seen among al ma.
tlonalitles, who Is too ignorant OF his own
ignorance ever to acquire good breeding.
MIsCELLANEA.
Vichy has a history. julius Caesar set up the
nrst thermal establishment here, and here Louis
XI., in l4lo founded the Monastere des Celestins
In 1857 Mesdames Adelaide and Vctolre OF France
came hitner for their health, and thermal estaD-
hshment was erected. In 1874 Nine. la Duchesse
d'Angouleme built similar establishment. 1t
was here the ustrious Fiechier spent his youth:
Hther Nine. de Sevigne repaired In 1875, and
hence she wrote some OF her most charming let
ters TO her daughter Above all, the late French
emperor did more for Vichy than any one ese
He first came here IN July oil 1861, and 1t was at
his lnsttgatlon that the stone dixie was erected
winch protects the springs or vlchy against tue
encroachments OF the River Alller Under his
German des Fosses was built; large boulevard,
amply shaded, was traced around the town; new
streets were laid out and hotels and cottages con-
structed.
At good hotels the price of board and lodging at
Vlchy varies from ten to fifteen francs per DAY.
Good and comfortable living Is not easily to be
had Tor less than ten First class baths are
three francs per day, gas baths and inhalation one
franc. ANY one can live comfortably at V1chy,
enjoying every reasonable luxury and paying for
almost every hing except doctors lees for $23 or
s2S per week, though this WIZ not admit Of ex-
travagance, and does not include horseback rid
Ing or the constant use OF carriages. These are
TO be hired for two francs and TWENTY-FIVE CEN
carriage has one horse or two About 20 0O0 people
arrive here every year; quite enough TO give the
place thorough support. There Is circulating IN z
get q good choice of novels, moral and immoral,
from Miss Mulock IN English to NJ. Paul de Kock in
French. There are donkeys TO be had by the
dozen, an abundance OF haggard old beggar
women, dwarf whom Barnum might covet, and
VINO is politeness itself when you throw him sou,
Spanish women besieging motel doors to sell their
embroidery and iaces ''Le Paradis des Enfants
Sages." headquarters for chldren's TOYS, peasant
esses who swarm into the hotel corridors alter
breakfast and dinner with immense bouquets
which they sell for franc and half apiece, kiosks
and booths without number, where straw baskets,
china ornaments, Japan tribes. photographs and
Vichy souvenirs OF all kinds sold at
high prices, and there ia q wonderfully patient
and polite lady in the box ofiice OF the
casino, who Is at her post from hafpast
seven in the morning until nearly midnight, and
who is the very ideal of urbanlty and Dusine So
prOmptltude. Finally, there Is the delightful
scenery OF vichy, which overcomes and neutral
izes the artifcialles Of existence here. When
one is forced to be away for a time from phase o
life which has Broadway on one side OF 1t and the
BOwery on the other, 1t IS pleasant 10 have nature
to iaH back upon. And here there is certainly a
large sylvan background The very songs OF the
people have wildwood touch IN them. Every
thing In them Is pastoral and nothing is Tony
Pastoral.