, 1877-11-25
PARIS.
Gen. Grant in the French
Capital.
Besieged by the Reporters, He
Calamity ReDulses the
Enemy.
Grand Reception at the American Min
lister er's--.The Company and
the Dresses,
Latest from the Theatres and Concert.
Halls.--Opcning Of the Musical
Season..

Latest from the Theatres and Concert
Halls.--Opcning Of the Musical
Season.
| Special Correspondence Of The Tribune.
PARIS, France, Oct. 31.-Whie the politicians
break their wise heads over grave problem!
OF state, what is tue careless world NC call So
| cicty doing. Preach as much as you like, there
will always bc numbers to whom II. Gainbctt:
is mere name. and Marshal MacAluhon knowr
only connection with some pleasant soirccs al
the Elyscc or glittering reviews on the sun
dried meadows OF Longchamps; to whom tht
production Of new play is Of more Importance
than the rise and fail Of Cabinets, and the dc
crces Of Worth more binding than Papal bulls
or Presidential manifestoes.
To all these sensibly-frivolous people, md to
great many more, the doings and sayings Of
/ GEN. GRANT
are BY far the most absorbing questions Of the
hour. His colnings and gongs, his likes and
lislikcs, Ills opinions and beliefs, have furnished
sscopy" for countless columns ia the papers
lately. The General had no sooner settled down
in the comfortable quarters prepared for him
at the Hotel Bristol, than those entcrprising
aud irrcprcssblc gentlemen, tic reporters, be-
hotel first-loor has been kept going in
ccssantly By successive visitors, 'swanting to
know, you l1now,'' like the irrcvcrent Clcnnam
ut the Circun1locution Office. When the eN-
| President gets back to his American larcs and
penates, he will have grim and grucsome tale
to unfold Of desperate assaults gallantly re-
PEELED, Of curious callers sent empty away from
the breach, aud, above ali, of
| A1yEE}1, CONVERSATIONS
kept up with polite but pitilcss dignitaries as
| innocent OF English Us the hero OF Richmond is
OF French. AL the intcryiewcrs are, Of course,
| anxious to find out what the General thinks Of
| the crisis We are traycrsiug. 4 declaration for
t or against the Marshals policy-according to
the interyiewer's particular s'colur ur"-wouid be
| OF incstimablc value to him. Now, for many
| good reasons, the General seems fully deter
1niued not to commit himself to any political.
opinion whatever; and, as you n1ay imagine,
he Is, in consequence, not regarded
with the most charitable eyes by tine press.
Iii TACT, the witty Chariruri declared that our
llustrous visitor possesses the golden virtue Of
silence in such Il h15l degree that the only way
for a reporter to work his interview up intoa
readable article is to describe tlle Hotel Bristol,
beginning with the cuncicrge's loge aud ending
with the first-toor bell~Eandc- One may hang
column Of print OIL very slight peg, but there
must be 4 peg OF some sort; and tAafle"ri con-
silers the Generals disclosures altogether in
sufficient, though it very ingcnously cuntriycs
to gA au amusing article out oi the insufficient
cy ITSELF
Gen. and Mrs. Grant made a long cali at the
Elyscc Oil saturday, which was returned by
Madame dc MacMahon. On Monday Gen. Noyes
gave i;
GRAND DINNER AND RECEPTION
at his handsome private residence in the Ave
nae Josephine. The dinner. for which invita-.
tions had been sent to limited number OF
guests, almost all Diplomatsts or Ministers,
proved yery brilliant affair. Marshal McSla-
hon was represented at the feast by his iayoritc
Abode Camp, the Marquis d'Abzac. The whole
III the Cabinet, with the exception of the Minis
ter Of Marine, was also present; besides Gen.
aud Mrs. Grant, Jesse irant, and Consul Tor
bett. There was no spcccll-iiaklng. Under tue
peculiar circumstances resulting from the events
Of tile 1Ghof May, this may, perhaps, have accli
Just rs well.
1t q o'clock in the evening there was grand
reception, which was attended By Marshal Mac.
Mahon, the Diplomatic Corps, and Il number Uf
the most prominent American and English resi-
dents i'll Paris. The general coup 4 ctat in the
salon, as entered about halt-past Q, was really
splendid. Unfortunately, Zen. Noyes' apart
nens not nearly large enough to hold all the
GUESTS he is likely to see this winter. Although
several rooms Ell suite were thrown open for the
accommodation of the company, the heat and
overcrowding soon grew decidedly unpleasant
The refreshing sight Of the bauks OF exotic
plants aud flowers which adorned the salon de
reception afforded some slight relief, to be sure;
but it was more apparent than real, and not
appreciable without good deal OF imagination.
Nothing could well have hcen
TKErT1ER or MORE EFFECTIVE,
however, than tho SCENE, if this reservation be
made. Gen. Torbctt, the American Consul (in
presented each fresh arrival to Gen. |
and Mrs. Nuycs, Gen. and Mrs. Grant, |
who stood at the end OF Lhe room farthest from |
the door. The plain blacE7cl vi the ex- |
Of the Musrer t6e we sin six Of Mrs.
Grant, aud the light blue satin Of Mrs Noycs.
! few minutes after I had shaken hands with |
the General, q loud buzz and stir in the salon !
announced the arrival Of Marshal MacMal'on.
medal and the grand Gordon Of the Legion OF |
Honor. Tail-coats hardly become the Mar
shal's peculiar style OF. beauty, more
suited to grace the rude surroundings
The meeting Of Gen. Grant and the French
President was extremely cordial, and, dare
say, would have been still more SO but for that
little difficulty of language. 10 talk in
change ideas without the help Of an interpreter
was impossible. You may suppose that Gen. !
Noyes could have easily smoothcd away the
stuinblinS.hlock; but strange as it seemed to
me, and will doubtless seem to great many
bcsides the American Minister
DOES NOT SPEAK A WORD or FRENCH.
1t is surely tritlc absurd to think that man
charged with tic serious and lofty mission of
representing 1 great nation at 4 foreign Court
should be liable TO iiud himself, Us Gen. Moves
,Ii1 on Monday, Obliged to have recourse to usl
interpreter in addressing the head Of the State
to which he is accredited. Happily, one was at
hand, and it is probable one always vii! bc at
hand to aid embarrassed Ambassadors and
rulers; but its passing strange that either
should need the aid in an aye Of such wide
spread education as ours.
Directly the Marshal entered, be was Joined |
by the Due de Broglc, NJ dc Fourtou, and N.
Brunei. Within arms length OF me had the
very head and heart, so to speak, Of the Con
,eryatiye reaction. They all stood in group
close to NC, in corner; and I thought, as l
watched the superclious and easy DUKE, the ell
,rgc,ic, handsome Minister OF the Interior, the
mall, ugly, but intellcctual-lookng Minister Of
Public Instruction, and, lastly, the luckless
Marshal HIMSELF that a ProvidentiaGly directed
taxable with Communism by |
.ven the most rabid Alonarcfist-might by fall
ng suddenly in their midst, have done good
eryice
AMONGST THE OTHER GUESTS
noticed particularly the Due Dccazcs, wander
NJ abuut rather aimlessly, like one who feels !
his occupatiou'' ~ almost 'gonc;'' ". Fcrd-
'and Duval, Project Of the Seine; N. Paris, +