Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-10-27
Correspondence Of the PHGsIX.
LETTER FROM EUROPE.
a Day Of France.

from our SleHulpT. lutsb IestlilDlb lnOSb
we LETT behind in England and suggest the
idea that the two lands were once united,
and have been disconnected at some re-
mote time in the past by the action, per-
haps, of the sea. Deppe is an old town and
has quaint air Sea bathing is good here
aud the place Is much frequented of late for
that purpose. We pass the custom house.
officers without trouble OF loss Of Time, as
we have only a valise in hand. We are
simply asked If we have cigars or jewelry,
and mo and a shake of the head allows
US 10 go on. We report at once to the cham
bre mdngcr, for it is past three in the af-
ternoon and our breakfast was early. We
do not find II easy to make our wants
known, for we are served by those who do
not understand our tongue, though we are
but sixty-five miles from England. But
by our slight knowledge of their language
and the aid of friend we get along very
well.
We are soon on our way by rail TO Paris.
We pass through a delightful part of
France, much better we are told than the
route from Calais. The grass is green, the
hillsides have more or less trees, the farm
ers are gathering their harvests. We only
stop a moment at Rouen, the ancient cap
ital of Nor ormandie, the most considerable
town of northern France, celebrated for its
cathedral and for tower which Is fast ap-
preaching completion. We are told that ii
is several feet higher than The highest of
the pyramids. What it commentaries we
did not learn. We get glimpse of Rouen
a little afler leaving it. II is toward dusk
and near us is a quiet lake or broad river;
beyond, The city, and in the distance a
mountain-a panorama not soon forgotten.
Our compGgnons de voydJe arc an English
man, and Frenchman, his wife and boy.
| We sit face 10 face. Monsieur Leblanc
holds in his hand a volume concerning
"Reform." He soon exchanges this for
La Figaro and this again for La France
NouviHe. We see that he is a French lib
eral and perhaps II radical. We learn that
he is a bookseller at Dieppe and claims a
professorship in its college. Monsieur Le-
blanc is a small man, dark complexioned,
with quick movement and the character
istic shrug of the shoulders. Madame Le-
bl anc has light hair and a quieler way.
Leblanc plus jeane is intelligent and well
behaved, and resembles his mother. This
family travel in a comfortable way in the
cars OF the second class, and Madame Le-
blanc's satchel contains an abundance of
victual, which in due time they proceed a
mdnJer. Monsieur Leblanc hopes that
they will not "choke" US by their table
dhote. They have our permission TO 60 on
and they had a really comfortable meal,
wine included. Afler they had done lie
Professor asks if he might offer US glass
of wine. We refuse but subsequently taste
to the prosperity of France.
We reach Paris at $3.50 in the evening,
and after refreshmeut at the "Brtish and
Ame rican Hotel" 80 Rue Pasquier, we
stroll out for an hour in Paris by gaslight.
We have no particular end in view, but di-
rect our steps TO the Rue st. Honore. We
inquire for that street. We make ourselves
Ineligible 10 those whom we address, but
are not so successful In understanding
them. We could easily say "ou est Rue 81.
Honore," but the rapid reply vibrated our
tympanum, but conveyed scarcely any
idea. By frequent replies, however, as
sisted by signs, we reached our destination,
passing The Madeline. The light was so OBJ
scure that we saw only that il was an inn
mense stone structure, around which aud
supporting 1t were stately pillars of stone,
which call 10 mind the architecture of Gil
rard College. We are impressed with the
polleness of the Parisians, each one of
whom we asked a question giving us all
the Information he could.
We experience in the morning one OF
those annoyances 10 which the traveller in
Europe is exposed. We wish TO take the
7:45 train from Paris to Bale. We say that
to the waiter at the hotel the evening be-
fore. He recommends cab, stating that
the omnibuses do not run in the morning
Till O'Clock. Suspecting that he was
working In the interest of The cabmen we
sought gend drme, and from him learned
that the oinnibuses run at 7, which would
accommodate us perfectly. We were en-
tirely surprised in the morning 10 find a
cabman waiting for us. We protested
against riding with him on the ground that
we had not ordered cab. The waiter in-
sisted that we had, and our alternative was
either TO pay three-Gourths of a franc and
not ride with him, or two francs aud ride
We saw that they had the advantage Of us
and, considering that discretion is the bet.
Ter part of valor," we submitted, rode and
paid our two francs. 1t will always be &
problem with us whether that waiter mis-
understood us or cOnspired with the cab
man to deplete our treasury.
From Paris to Bale it is 525 Frencl
miles !; but as The French mile is only 9
thousand metres (about yard is metre
It is only 325 English miles. 1t takes near
ly fourteen hours TO run it by express, av
eraging less than twenty-five miles th'
hour. French, like English railroads, arr
operated differently from ours. No con
ductors accompany the trains. Our ticke
was stamped before we entered the car a
Paris and was shown from time 10 time L
the guard, and before we reached the ter
mination of line the coupons were sever
ally taken by the guard. The division o
the same car into compartments for first
second and third class travellers would b.
unfavorable for the conductor were he 9th
erwise wanted. These compartments ar
severally entered from the sides of the ca
carriages called here, and have no connec
ton save from the outside. We were assignee
to 1887, second class, and kept this compart
ment through France. This had seats 70
ten persons, but at no time were there NOR
than half that number in 1t, and much O
the way we had it alone. Some of the wa
our fellow travellers we're men, some of tn
way women. Some of them knew no Eng
r lish, some of them spoke our tongue III
D tic. We made it a point TO converse wit
. | oil of iban no far aa Xya aould vii hont rudf