New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-22
LIFE IN PARIS.
,u,sEs OF FRENCH SOCIETY.

cFRvAN INBAsSY MADAME DE PoZLoS
CAREER.
trRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBUNE'l
PARIS Feb. 2G-FOr the last ten years tbe1ore as
well as after the war of 1870 every Winter has begun
in Paris with the same funeral chant: Never was
SO dull n season scent" This note of mourning was
to he heard every Christmas and while the Empire
endured the dullness was invariably broken by the
paveties of the American colony alone. The balls
and suppers sof the transatlantic population began
the work of animation among the Gauls, and the per-
petually repeated phrase was: There's nothing
doing in our world-lf you want amusement you must
plunge into America" But the American colony was
there numerous. and over ready with ITS wealth. us
oayety and its hospitality and little by little the in
digenous Partisan followed suit and the great
houses even in the FaubOurg st. German were
opened to festivities, costing sometimes fabulous
sIms The really busy time did not begin TIL
after Eastcr-but il was always understood that
IL ended with MAY. The seasons of '75 and 20
were all that could be desired, beginning ana endinG
later till the London habits those OF Parls ana
July was still "a period for dancing till the dawn.
But this year seems to show a stiff sulkinesS that
has no intention of giving way. Madame de
Behague did give her ball in the week preceding the
;oyrs aros bnt il was unanimously regarded a
dismal failure "Ihere was a want of eatrGIH|
was the universal judgment "and awant of guests
was the unfailing rejOinder. Then worst sign OF
AIN there were one or two small balls iaboriOusly
Got M for lit was sad) les jeapes fHc9!" say
"worst of ALL" because never yet saw community
invoke a reason for dancing unless its genuine dane
ing DAYS were drawing to a Close Dancing Is an IN
stinct not an institution. 1t should come nat
urallv. or it is altogether out of its element.
French civilization does not recognize girls
French civilization knows Of the married woman
only; fhe unmarried one is a thing to be kept
Il 49, haT
late legally with her proper trade mark. Conse-
ouently these halls have not been a success, ana
have ended in the mature married women having
the best of it, while the girls sat down or danced
with few stray commissioning brothers.
Asa example of what sort of festivity, on tn"
other hand, the young married woman Oh CERTAIN
class in this country thinks possible, may quote
the following incident, which has made no ordl-
nary sensation: On STove Tuesday, ball was an
nouaced at the house of a lady recently married
The invitations were given mostly verbally, and
many people refused to believe they were anything
save a hoax Tor the whole family was In mourning
for its head ard clief. who had died about two
months and half ago. AS this constituted glaI-
Ing infraction upon French traditional uSages and
customs the reaciOnary matTOns Of nearly all c0loIs
ard opinions rose with one accord and denounced
tho criminal Unuckily, the euing fair one was
noted aud personal enemy Of the Bonapartist se-sO
the CLIQUE of tho Empire, the SNOWY fleet which once
sailed under the Metternich flag ana recognized for
its commanders MeSdames de Pourtales and de Cali
fet ponred forth it's broadses with terrible thunder
and exultinqly exclaimed well! We never did
ANYTHING as bad as thatw However, the bail was
given and certain number of people went to 1t !;
but great has been the scandal, and no occasion
have the geese Of the capital caciled more loudly
Luckily for the giver Of the f6te in question,
still more recent event has thrown his miSdecdS
into the shadc-for the reception at the Irua-
sian Embassy on the day before yesier-
day has absolutely left the great world of
Paris 10 leisure for thinking or speaking Of
ANYTHING else When it was known that We'd
ncsday the DIST. Princess HoLenlohe would OH
Cially Opcn her salons and expect to receive what
is termed call Paris" the excitement became ire
meudous; the question asked on ail SIDES vas not
50 much "Sha l 20 y OF "Shali not gop but
"WAo viii go Z"
Who did gof That is not to be disposed Of in
few words. There moderate thrOng, not a
crowd. OF there was all the official world
they must go to all official places
and added to them, there were pretty nearly
all those who expect anything from them.
Then there were all the foreigners their wives and
daughters as well as their male chiefs Bat how as
60 the grand monde, pure and simple, which
styles itself 1.-THE world" and pins its glory
on doing nothing and being nothingl Why, Of
these there were certainly not many, but some
there were, and this is fact sufficiently strange
to have caused dispute nay, almost civil war,
in numerous families. 1t was rimOrcd even that
the uuapprOachablc PoZzO herself was there!
Some said she had positively dined there; 10 which
others added: Yes! in order 10 be able to leave
before any body canew Az my own two eyes did
not her during the s0irec and rs have not been
able to find hitherto living witness OF her presence,
/ Will affirm nothing, but enlighten the American
public touching the immense Importance OF tins So
cia planet.
Madame Pozzos born Crillon, daughter of the late
Duke dc Cuiion, and married TO nephew of
the late Count Pozzo di Borgo the famous Russian
ambassador 10 France under the reign OF Louis
XVIII. They were curious race of semi-adyen-
turers, these POzzos. CorsIcans bern, cousins OF
Louis Blanc people of what in ancient Europe IS
called no standing whatever, they made themselves
notorious their toadieS say usfrouSl in the person
of the diplomat have mentioned, who got himself
made Russian pleased the Gar Alexander, ard
was ambassador in Paris during the better half OF
the Restoration. His family renladc themselves
French, and were absolute nObOdics, only eX-
tremcy wealthy The nephew, heir to the
fortune, married, as | have said, Mile
de CrllOn, and in the dwellings of the
Inteacbable the old stih-jonted pures, there
was loud wailing and fearful gnashing Of teeth
But the levels sank under Louis PHILIPPE and the Re
public of February; and more than all, under l1ouis
Napoleon and during the Empire, what had Becn
voted mere paste grew to shine brilliant Of the
first water. So, when the Empress held her mock
court and court followers threw fortunes out OF
window TO Worth, the tailor, fIngng duSt IN the
eyes OF all Europe Madame POZZO me CriloD) rose
serene and declared that the whole thing was
naught and must not bel And 10! when she
opened the doors Of her temple The world went down
fiat before The Idol once for ali, rubbing ITS nose
on Madame POZzo's drawingroom carpet 1ea!
even once aud for all, for here there IS no rebel
li0n You may deny the Marshal and vote against
monarchy, but yOI may not dispute Madame POzZp.
at all events reigIiS supreme. The greatest u