New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-01
LIFE IN PARIS.
LETTER FROM ARsENE HOUssAYE

ROYAL BOAR-A wIrTICIsM OF ~. DE RoTHs-
CHILD.
tFEoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE .TRfBUSE.l
Pans. Nov 3d. anu the veriest cOclmey of ali
Paris 1t is impossible to tear myself away from the
shores of the Seine. Every year | promise to 20
around the world. But when have gone around
nv house and garden feel that have Travelled
enough. l had sworn TO Paul dc ST. Victor that
auring this vacation we would 90 more to
Venice where we have already been thrae times.
Rpt this aquatic excursion is postponed TO next
year Nevertheless. l have bought palace at
Venice the only palazzino in the city which still
preserves upon its facade the consecraed frescoesOf
ciorpione 1t is close by that of the Comte de
Cbambord. | had a great fancy for Yemce and
once thought of living and dying there-at least
boped to spend my Winters there. You know the
Winter in Venice is called the poor mans cloak.
had arranged everything. l had bought gon-
3ola and had sent ten little silver keys to ten of my
best friends. TO offer them a royal hospitality /
must say that hospitality costs little i'll Venice /
merely gave them the keys and the run of the gou-
dola night and day, with share of all the moonlight
there was going. The little palace possessed a well
of frs-rato water thing rare in Venice, where the
sea invades everything. All this very well
Rut all at once learned that had been ordered by
the municipal authorities to rebuild my wall which
was faulty in its foundations The piles were rotten
and more money would have been required under
ground than above And besides it would have
been an endless job. This is why have never real
eL my dream of life in Venice, though come back
10 il occasionally as 10 a bright iBlpossibity.
Yesterday l resolved long yoyage-nine
miles, by water-and took an Admiral with me,
IN the n boat which runs from the Poat de Ia Con-
eorde to the Point de Sevres. wished to see asbOy-
hood friend the worthy and charming Jules San
dean. who has a villa near 10y the celebrated manu-
factory of porcelain created by Madame de Pompa-
dour Jules Slndean. whom YOU know through
Nile de Ia Sciglare, Mariana, and other novels is
man as wise az he is learned, something you rarely
see in France. When 1 knew him he was torn by
two conflicting passions, Madame DOryal, the great
actress, and Madame George Sand the famous
novelist IL was like Daniel III the lions den. lie
was handsome, Byronan, and fatdL Fatal " was
q word in fashion about 1891. In those days
you had TO have " fatal air :" to be popular with
romantic women. We lived at that time in the Rue
de Bac in the pavilion of large house over beau
uful garden which we called the Babylon garden
because it was on the Rue de BabylOne. We had
yOung comradc, a sailor who is now Admiral Coup
vent DIES Bots. We lived somewhat in the future,
but not badly in the present. though we Lad not
cent Our dinner at the Cafe Cafazza was often the
result Of miracle 1t required more genius to pay for
It than to write a novel sail ship. But the lady
dined on our good looks. 1t was not a cheap place,
for al that The Clf6 Carazza was about as fash
Ionahle among the viveurs Of that day the Cafe
De Paris. good many sham lyers used to come
to take their coffee there and get credit
for having dned there two eccentric creatures for
example who also played the ByrOnic, La Sally and
Chaude,agne The Providence of San1eau was
Bnloz. the publisher of the Beoae dee Deac MoRies
who is still extant and the bookseller Verdict,
chartered rascal who lived on poor writers. had
about the same Providence. The one who had no
money lent the others; result financial conplica-
6ons but no end Of Ollty. Ii is great pleasure to
All Of AS to recall those pleasant days all bright with
youth and gayety. For my part, as have preserved
nv blonde hair an1 beard call myself still young,
out Jules Sanlean, who is pentfuly silvcred, COLI
iders himself FIVE hundred miles away from LIS
twentieth year. lie talks about it as he might OF an
Ancient sarcOphagus 1t IS true that he has passed
through the French Academy which is hard on
youthfuness 1t the halfway house to the grave
When you are saluted as an immortal you have al
ready one foot in the other world.
Sandeau is the finest smoker Of his time. If one
of his American admirers should wish to afford him
great pleasure he should send him box Of cigars,
which will be most welcome. If at the same time
he should send him draft on the Bank OF France
for 100 600 francs il would also be very desirable
for he would never DO a days work until she money
was spent. He is the dredmiest idler living. Ihis
charming novelist, who has written such master
pieces of sentiment Of grace and OF hunor, has sac
riced too much TO his cigar. His enemies say he
has ended in smoke DO not believe IT. this true
heart and sterling wit have not finished their work.
IL is an especial pleasure to meet him when his wife
ia there She IS one Of the cleverest Of women. At
the Institute in Paris where they live, she has one
OF the few surviving salons of French society
little too Academic perhaps, but that is scarcely
fault at present, when most salons have smell OF
the stables She was beauty in her youth. and II
still. with her crown of white hair, which cannot
make her look old, and to talk of which is her only
caauetry Size is tue mother Of one Of our bravest
naval officers.
We made a little visit to the porcelain works
where We met ChampAeury. the Conservator of the
Ceramic Museum. He lives in porcelain and faenoe
as other sayauts do in books You might break
everything to pieces in France, governments, WIN
dovs and gasgAts and lie would lool, on philosoph-
icallv without interfering; but break historic
dish i'm his presence and be wOuld faint. lie was
terribly nervous whenever Jules Sandeau picked mp
one Of the curiosites of the Museum 1t is fashion
able 10 call them now the "Chneseries' OF the age
Of Iouis XIV And in fact if it had not been for the
Revolution, we were going straight into the morals
Of the fans and fre-scrcens. We were becoming
tributary TO the Chinese allow TO the chemists
chat the pate of Seyrcs was more vitnfablc than
That Of China OF Japan. We must add in justice to
tre artists that it possessed elegance of form, regu-
lauty of drawing, yiyacity Of colonng; three con
ventional epithcts which are tie three praces Of
criticism Vinccnnos had witnessed IN 174O the
building Of the first porcelain works. the embryonic
L. IL I1. Inn tor