The New York herald., 1878-11-11
THE FRENCH LOTTERY.

awaiting her arrival and wondering over the delay.
THE FRENCH LOTTERY.
WHAT THE PEOPLE HAVE GONE WILD ABOUT
MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF TIcKErs-cAII..
ING FOR MORE.
from the London Daily News.l
All sorts and estates of French people, with not .
few foreigners into the bargain. in pardonablo
state of excitement about the drawing of the Grand
Lottery. which is to begin day next month. In
former article this subject stated facts which
were correct them but have ceased to be now, as
for instance that million tickets had been issued and
that there would be 5000 prizes. Five extra issues
have brought the number of tickets to 600o0o0.
and there to be less than 900 prizes part
of these will be furnished by purchases made out of the
sale Of the tickets and will include great variety Of
valuables from jewelry to works of art. pictures.
statues pianos, machinery. &C., but the great bulk Of
tho 'lots will have been collected from voluntary
offerings. and these comprise the greatest medley OF
things ever scheduled within catalogue. Some Of
the donors have brought gifts not entirely disin-
terested. One cannot acquit the gentleman who
tenders five and twenty boxes Of corn plaster OF
wishing rather to advertise his wares than to re-
leve suffering humanity; and surely the professor
who pledges himself to give twelve gratis les
sons with the sapate (which is the French mode
of boxing with the instead of the hands has for
gotten that his present may devolve upon a pious
young student i'll theology OF Aberdeen. As the
Iates always manage things queerly for us. may
be sure that there viii be many an incongruous
draw The twenty dinner tickets. empowering
the holder to dine for score of days at of the
be won by some Russian. who has returned to Tagan
rog. and will sigh plaintvey over his inability to
make use OF his prize as he eats his rancid tchi.
cabbage soup; and one might boldly wager that the
months free entry to Frascatis Casino will be re-
mtted to scandalized bishop.
MUCH RUBBIsH.
What is person to do who draws prize for which
he find use? In respect of the prizes purchased
by the commission the course will be simple for the
Commissioners have sensibly stipulated that the win
ners shall be able to commute for money IL they
please and notification to this effect will be made to
the ticket holders when they apply for their prizes
But 1t has obviously been impossible to make any
such arrangement as this with regard to prizes which
voluntary offerings, and there WILL doubt bo
good many tantalizing disappointnents. The num-
Der of foreigners who have bought tickets is said to
Z be enormous; but, in fact everybody having .
franc to spare-men. women, school boys. girls.
priests, nuns. moralsts and monks-have bought one
or more OF these little shares in the Bank of Hope
II may obtrude personal matter. have bought
lottery ticket. 1t is quite wrong l know. but then
should be very glad to draw the Gros Lot Of 125OOo
francs commutable for $4,000 of British money
There are several gros lotsviz OF f5 900. two
of $4,000 and two of $4,000; the actual prizes
being jewelry, which the vendors have agreed
to take back at the above rates. Why the prizes
are not simply given in cash fail to UNDER
honest II the Commissioners had discarded the pre-
tence of this being Fine Art Lottery, for It Ii
nothing of the sort Speaking for my humble part.
can say that have not met with man, woman
child who has subscribed in the hope of winning
jewelry, pianos, corn plaster lessons in boxing;
the drawing win be OF general emotion, and ou
the days following Paris will be filled with dishevelled
persons hurrying about to inquire how they can
vert their lots into cash.
THE ovERsErRs
] hope may have the chance OF seeing the gentle
man who will have won the Magasin du Louvre's LOT
OF cradle and baby linen, under these lively circum.
stances, for one may be sure this winner will be
bachelor without so much a married sister, aunt.
cousin or niece TO take the gift Off his hands, The
drawing so far as at present arranged win take place
for space of four hours from twelve till four, dur.
ing many days may be necessary to exhaust the
list of prizes Acommiee Of Journalists elected by
the syndicate of the Parisan press. will act az
overseers to superintend the operations, which
will be conducted in public in this wise:-On
platform. in full view of all the spectators, will
be set huge glass receptacle, shaped like Z
wheel, mounted on an iron stand, and revolving by
means of windlass 1t will contain 5000, 600 mum.
bers printed on thin cardboard rolled up tight and
sealed like capsules; but these will only fill up
threeomrths T the receptacle so that every turn Of
the wndlass WIN allow Of the numbers being COM
petey shutiied. A company OF soldiers will be on
duty to turn the wndlass. the men performing this
task in series of four who will be relieved every i've
minutes and the tickets will be drawn by little boys
from the Enfants Trouves Foundling). One of these
youngsters will open the lid Of the receptacle:
other, blindfoded, will dip his hand and extract one
ticket Mt time. and third will take this ticket and
pass it to official with leather lungs. who win act
HOW MANY CHANCES?
This having been done the ticket will be passed to
the order in which it was drawn then 10 two Others
who will register it. each in his ledger; then
fourth who will score up its figure in chalk upon
blackboard, and finally to fifth who will fatten 10
out and slip it into iron frame covered with glass;
and set in tableau whore all the tickets will be
posed TO public view. During all these proceedings
the wheel will be kept in motion by the soldiers.
so that between each number there viii be-
pause OF nearly one minute. This will
ma la ln "A fv ot,ah hyrtx
shorter formacs would do to satisfy the public that
there was fair play. Az it is. many honest people.
who have built Spanish castles the faith Of tenpence
invested disposed to grumbe at the indisnctness
of their prospects, They puzzled to whether
the prizes merely the prizes in his SERIES
the tickets having been issued by series of 0OO
Obviously every. ticket holder will have
chance for all the prizes. else there would bo
half q dozen lotteries instead of one The Com.
missioners have not been quite explicit enough on
this subject. but find on inquiry that they dvid
ing all their lots into series corresponding 70 the diff
ferent days of the drawing that each day there
will be grand prize and number Of smaller ones
varying in value between f3,000 and twenty francs.
The Commissioners profess to accept prizes worth
less than twenty francs. and at last they have had
decide upon refusing presents OF live stock. People
beginning to send mongrel dogs, deaf cats and
broken windcd cobs. all with view to seeing their
names advertised for nothing in tho Journal ODicie
THE PRIZES.
One need hardly say that the prizes bought by the
kind No less than f105OoO have already been spent
in purchases. and all the sections of the Exhibition
at least all the French oneshave been laid under con-
tributon. So n lady or gentleman may be made per-
fcctly happy without drawing OF the big iots.
Among the smaller ones will be found grand pianos
by Erard, Gobcns tapestry Sevres china pieces ~
Lyons silk, vaenciennes lace crystals Baccarat pic
lures and statuettes by leading artists, brougans
and baroucbes from the crack Parisian makers.
carpets Of Beauyais, hampers OF wine from Burgundy
Bordeaux and Champagne. and. last but not least
Strasbourg pies. All these elements Of cntics.
ment only render this grand lottery greater nuis-
ance. and say 1t with vrtuous ire. though hoping,
above sad that OF the prizes will fall To me.
think IL IL scandal that and other folks should
been For the last three months every corner OF
France has been made noisy with the voices officials
hawking these lottery tickets with an cagerneSs
which reminds one of bookmakors operating ON u
racecourse. 1t would have needed the virtue OF
the late Cato 10 resist their interested solicitations
When the collectors had done molesting you tho
postmen took II up and when you had done with them
the tobacconists had their try upon YOU At certain