Smyrna times., 1877-12-05
The Paris Banquets to Gen. Grant.
HUMOROUS DESCRIPTION BY A PARIS Jorpv,r

81
Noyes presided. 1t differs somewhat fro,,'
the accounts that have been published
from American sources. he Go,tLoie saws
1t IS not every day that one has a cb.ncc
|" oe present at an American loveleast in
the very centre OF Paris, and we can unlor.
Stahd the eagtrncss with which ucctlo
VINO are fond of novelties bought tick kot. ,t
the theatre agencies at 80 francs a,,iocn
three hundred and fifty persons worc
present at Grand Hotel yesterday EVENING
(NoV' o. The American colony was C..
corted 10y Its dentist in ordinary, Dir. Evans.
an" an" a crowd Of Parsians and stranrnr.
i ne "lhner was lar from being worth thirty
| francs tut the entertainment was worth
'"u"le that. At halfpa>t seven the excel
leht orchestra OF Nj. DrSgrango salutod the
TnIIy Oh Neneral Grant with " Hail Colum
ol'' SpltItedly performed The quests
VINO were dying with heat and thirst in the
upper stories, descended the stems of thn
spiral staircase hy which the large dinjnu.
room is entered.
There We're pretty women. dressed ,,ar.
maps rather oddly, but making up for that
hy the beauty OF their arms and the s,,leu.
iof "l their diamonds. If | live a hundred
years shall never forget the clever face Of
M'he. Mackay, (nct income five millions a
month"; nor the playful grace of Mile.
Hutchinson. We had all taken our seat.
III mat immense hall, dcckcd with French
ana American tlags intertwincd, were wait.
'nE lihFttIently Tor til" soup and the Mad.
terra OF 1873, when General Moves. who
presided, rose with all the air of lneanin,
to make a speech
Ladies' and gentlemen" said he. 81
call upon the Rev. Father Hitchcock to
pronounce blessing"
NO sooner had these imprudcnt words
escaped the general than the reverend
IN question rose to his feet as ifmoved by a
spr1ng, his eyes closed and his hands
cl"sprd. lie lmplorcd the divine bencdic
Ioh Tor quarter Of an hour, discussing
progress and civilization, international
IrlehdShlp, education, the RusSo-Turkjsb
War-ln a word, everything except the
Ylctuals he had been asked to bless
Inc Americans could not conceal their
hewlidcrmrnt as they listened to this ex.
tiaordhtly rloquence- They begged us to
$ tte t3'at things We're never mInareI in
thlS way III America. 50 much the better |
i"r Transatlantic epicures. The SOUP and |
hsh, meantime, had got cold, the vlctuals. |
so well blessed, We're nothing but hash. and |
the butler did not serve half the wonderful |
old wines promised on the bill of faro |
>undry amateurs. who had bought tickets |
at an extra price, had the bad taste to |
complain.
Having nothing to eat or drink. we had
time Tor good look at Gen. Grant and tbe
people about him. The cX President Of the
United States bad been perchcd up on a
platform like the upper gallery of theatre.
rem NoycS, the new minister Of the United
States, had on his right Gen Grant. and on
his lett Nine. Grant, Il muthcrlv.lookino
woman OF not Very arlstocralic figure. On
'ither sIde were pretty women and the
members Of the committee These ladies
lrrayed in all the colors of the rainbow
ooNed Ike the bdrmaids you see behind
English counters. A portrait of Gen.
irdnt, decorated with wreaths of flowers.
vas placed on the upper table. The nor.
r1t was not tiattered. The General has
he AR OF Il genuine soldier. His uniform
1t dar K blue cloth, with golh buttons, is OF
heroic simplicity. The Generals portrait
las added not Il little to the pleasure of the
uestS, who had the bad taste TO take it for
portrait OF Gen. Hayes, the President
low in office.
When dinner was half over, we were
uprlsed hy the entrance of two male and
wo female singers, Ia piece of pure Ameri
anlsm') who took their places on plat
'rm opposite the table of honor. The I
'altzes and polkas of Strauss ceased. and
eneral Noyes rose for the second time. {
liter moment Of silence he cried ont in a Il
.entorian voice: {
Ladies and conference.-the are about v
} listen to these young persons; they are j.
olng to sing some beautiful airs which YOU /
now well. rise to ask you not to make q
noise with your knives and forks. A g
oiSe of that sort need not remind YOU IS G
urtful to the inspirations of art" a
This said, and all the Americans present il
avlng translated General Noyes's words TO
leir French neighbors, one of the two
'ung women rose and sang the rational c
melcan air, The Star-Spangled Btnner 7
the accompaniment OF II piano. She was Ii
Jplauded beyond measure, and bowed Il
peatedly. Gen. NOyes was enraptured. n
Q called tor another song, and made r.
lother speech in these words: /" Mes. I
aurS les garcOns who are waiting, | ex. I
ess the wish of all those who have done a
the honor of being present at this din. st
II, in asking you not to take away the cI
ates, and ii you must walk about, to walk W
tiptoc."
The walters were stupefpd and covered
tn bushes. After hearing an air from NJ
lcrczia Borgia, sung by NJ. NovelH, Gen. 10
1yes made II third speech, in which he ca
rrrcd briefly to the war of secession. to n
p brilliant career of Gen. Grant, and TO ii,
e pleasure he had in seeing him at Paris. IN
This taciturn general" said he, "has com. br
'nded 100000 men. This great states. Tn
IN has been chosen by 44,000,0OO of his of
low citizens, and has come to this beauti pr
capital for repose after life Of consum. nj,
activity. Gentlemen, let us drink to
= health of Gen. Grant"
We all raised our empty glasses to our Sa
;, tried faint hurrah. and sat down. m,
nat could you expect? The buffers had XIII
N turned out by the singers. no
len. Grant rose, and, in the midst of wh
Mound silence, uttered the following Sa,
rds, which we reproduce exactly: an,
Ladies and GentlPmen-I am very glad hes
see you. am truly very happy to find will
self among you. hope all the strangers 5th
are IN Paris at this moment amuse per
mselves as well as / do. | have seen
20 | came here some of the leadinu S
n of France, and can assure YOU that is
ir cordial words were addressed To the cor
ion to which belong as much as to the WI
2 whom they knew 10y reputation" the
his said, the General sat down and ous