Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-12-29
MORE HISTORY.

Hon. James Lyons. OF Virginia, ;eho vas
the Blanton Duncan nominee for We Pfcsi.
dent, with Charles O'Conor for President IL
the last election, has wrttcn letter To Mr..
Ai,c" B. Magrudcr, Of Baltimore, in wuirh he
makes the following statements:
That III 1862 Count Mercict, the French
minister, visited Richmond, by pcrm,,,i Jon Of
the Federal authorizes, and was Mr. Lyol,s'
guest during two days. That ia poiar ol iay
the Count was sent by Mr. Seward, ,k.n Sec
r"tary OF State, With Il view to make peace and
save the life OF the nation. That he propos-
cd to Mr.. Lyons that if the South would .t1u
the war return to the Union would be per
united without any conditions, slavery should
DC continued, aud any guarantee made Tor the
future that the South would dictate"
Mr.. Lyons adds:
Some time atterward the French Consul.
Monsieur Paul, entered into conversation about
the acknowledgment of the Confederate Gov.
ernmcnt by the Emperor of the French, and
asked me II we could not pass some bill for tie
gradua abolition OF slavery in fifty or sixty
Yeas. Maybe it might do even if it was longer,
apd said that if that were done the Emperor
would immediately ackuowIcdg &c u. but that
the French people would not be satisfied with
out such provision for the abolition OF slavery.
They did not care how distant il was, So the
and the Emperor would be fully justified.
Il expressed my individual willingness to
accedc 10 those terms, and promised 10 see The
President upon the subject next morning when
went lrto Congress-, and if he agreed with
me | would Immediately Introduce bill for
the purpose But, said |, Monsieur Paul,
what gu .fantee can you give Us. if W. take 50
important step, the Emperor will ackaowI-
edge Us"
''He replied 'Mr. Lyons, nobody can guar
an:2e the Emperor but you may be- sure tia.
the Emperor will do what tell you he will d.
which | considered rs but another mode OF
saving that he had been authorized to do what
he had done.
IL is due to Mr. Davis to say that saw him
next morning at his OVID house before Congress
met, as soon as | went into town and tod hun
%hft %shhf ,tf tffaH passed between the French Consul
with you 10 accepting these terms but for the
Constitutional difficulty. You know that Con.
grcSs has no jurisdiction over the subject of
slavery. True, | said, but that difficulty may
be gotten over, III my opinion, without any vio.
latlon OF the Constitution
I" Let the bill providing for the gradual alb
clifton OF slavery also provide that ii shall not
take effect until the States have, by acts of
their respective Legislatures, duly passed, ap-
proved, and ratified it, which you know will he
just as good as ii passed beforehand, authoriz-
ing Congress to do TIL" thing. [ will Dot be
guilty oil the presumption of offering such
bill upon my simple responsibility, but if | may
say that you concur with me will introduce
the bill to morrow He then asked me why the
French Government could not deal with the
States III the matter so as to avoid all ConSt-
tutIonal questions. | told him had put the
very question to the French Consul, aud ms
answer was : France does not know the States,
but She koows the Confederate Government
and President Davis. Mr. Davis then said.
'Wcll. | must consult the Cabinet, and if the,
agree with you will send for you And there
the matter ended. '''-Bnh. SIN.
HOTEL LIFE IN TIE CITY OF MEXICO.
Every thing in the way Of living is cheap in
Mexico. VI course, prices range higher in the
capital than elsewhere, but even there the
prices are much lower than viii Us The ho-
tells, for instance, furnish excellent room at
from $50 t. $50 month At the Hotel Itur.
bidc the rooms are very large, and Usually d.
vided by curtains sn as 70 make parlor and
bed room. The arrangement is a pleasant one,
and preferable to having two rooms. For
LiiltIS YOU procure one OF
these apartments, handsomely furnishes and
efficiently attended. The schcne of t." notcl
extends no further. Your bath and you. meals
are outside affairs
% the ground floor of the Hotel Iturbide is
an excellent French restaurant aud very good
bath house. The price OF the bath istwo reals
twenty hive .ents-and at the restaurant two
persons can contract tor meals at $50 each
per week. Oi course there are ether rcstau-
rats, and OF one-the Grand Tiyoli-I can
safely speak in terms Of unboundcd praise. 1t
Is arranged as a park, with lovely grounds,
fountains, streams and flowers in profusion.
In the city dining places arc scattered about
here and there Chinese pagodas, Swiss cha.
lets, French cottages 10 mniaturc--you choose
the retreat which peases you most. Il is here
hat you fad the great tree, on one of whose
branches is a pretty little cabin, to which you
ascend by spiral stairway, il you prefer din
ing so far from mother earth. | hecveit will
be conceded by all who have partaken of the
mcnu of the Grand Tivoli that better cooked,
better served and more elegantly appointed din
pcr could hardly be found anywhere in the
world. The cooks are ofthe finest Paris schools,
the wines genuine and the accessories simply
fascinating. .-Ncv Orleans Pycuy'nle.
FRESH AlR-One of the iuccssant wants of
man Is air Nc want air mainly to nourish Us
and keep us cool. The quantity OF air inhalcd
by an adult 10 twenty four hours amounts on
an average to about three hundred cubic feet,
or two thousand gallons. What we take in
and give ont in twenty. four hours 10 the shape
of solid and liquid food occupies on an average
the space Of five and a half pints, which is
equal to one three hundredih of the volume OF
ar passing through our lungs 1t will as,onish
you to hear, perhaps for the first time, this
amounts to seven hundred and thirty thousand
gallons 10 Que year and to be reminded of that
continuous work which goes on day and night
"a pevcr ceasiug bellows blowing by which |
the organ of our If: is kept in play. o! course
the quantity Of ali flowing around the surface
OF the human body is greater than that.
DO not Object that air is sometimes so light |
that 1t need not be taken into account. 1t has