Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-07-17
From Our Regular Correspondent -
Paris Letter.

Slnce last wrote nave seen the cata
combs of Paris, where the bones Of three
millions of skeletons are arranged, and
have also seen the great illumination in
honor of peace and industry. which it il
estimated was witness ed by no less thar
two and half millions of persons.
hardly know which most N admire, the
catacombs or the tete. As the old rhetori
clan said in his parallel of Virgil ant
Homer, the first was more correct, the
latter more impressive. The catacombi
are the accumulations of the last hundred
years from the ancient cemeteries of Paris
and they consist of literal thousands o.
cords Of human bones. arranged on each
side of subterranean galleries, extending
for miles in various directions under the
city. Our party of about two hundred
representing many tongues, and boil
sexes, each with candle, descended 2
shaft of one hundred and two steps below
the surface Of the earth, and then walked
without stopping for forty minutes before
we reached The point of ascent. We had
however, explored but small portion Of
this popuous city of the dead, for there
are as many rs sixty different places o.
entrance to the catacombs, and we passed
numerous galleries leading off from the
one through which we were conducted.
In the arrangement of the bones Il must
say bones for did not see an entire indi-
vidual skeleton among them) | am again
compelled to admire the French talent for
ornamentation. In the first place then
regularity Is perfect. On the floor and
back to the wall, about yard in depth
are arranged leg and arm bones, on top Of
these layer of skulls, then another aries
of limb bones, diversified with skulls OF
top. To relieve the monotony of thes,
long CHASTITY galleries. the skulls are nj
intervals for a few rods arranged in grace
ful curves, which present to the spectator
as pleasing in appearance as, considering
the material used, conld be expected
Then again the facade is diversified by
artistic presentations of death heads am
cross bones, used by druggists to labe
poisons, but made of the genuine materi.
al. We observed in passing that many Of
the skulls had bullet holes, some more
than one, in the forehead, others had th'
ppearance of having been crushed by
sabre stroke. There has been no etfor
made to keep the bones of different indi-
viduals separate. Only of late years have
the bones disinterred from different ceme-
teries been arranged in distinct galleries.
ana prince and peasant, monarchist ant
revolutionlst, rcligonist and infilel, friend
and enemy, male and female been mad,
to exchange and mix limbs in most GRO
tesque and moralesque manner. Haste
thee to my lady's chamber and tell her
though she paint an inch thick to this
favor must she come at last / observed
that many of the skulls were toothless
and from the way in which an American
dentist Che said he was dentist pulled al
the teeth as we passed, l thought had
hint of how they became toothless. Whar
Il ridiculous mania for relics some peopl,
have.
Every thing favored the great illumina.
ton in honor of peace and industry, thai
has for days been the talk of Paris. The
weather was clear and pleasantly cool
The bouevards were lined on each side
with gas pipes with jets of light about
four inches apart. The trees in the parks
md along the streets were hung with Chi
1ese lanterns The public buildings and
churches were outlined in the darkness BY
cts of gas on their lines of architecture
md the dome DIES Invaldes and the church
If St. Augustine, especially, looked like
empes Of fire. The main avenue of the
garden of the Tulleries was gorgeous
with lattice work of light, in various
designs, which, shining through glass oil
different colors, presented scene of indie.
'cribablc beauty. But by far the most
part Of the spectacle was tn,
hundreds Of thousands of French thinking,
tcling and speaking man, women and
children of all classes, mad with excite
ment and happiness, surrendering them
.nlya to tba Dr Tho ,,oo.,o;>.
with n volatile abandon that some would
call childish and others ridiculous. The
and episodes of that night will
not be forgotten by those who witnessed
them, and they will furnish key to French
character and to the tragedy of French
history such us cannot be found in volumes
of brilliant dissertation. Hundreds of pro
cessions composed of boys, girls, middle
aged and well dressed men and women,
servants, male and female, with white caps
and aprons, singing the Marsaillaise or q
love song, were marching at quick step
in the direction of Bots de Bologne. The
procession was not continuous, but scores
of crowds of from fifty to two hundred
people each, appeared to rally to the stand
ards of self-conslituted leaders. One crowd
was lead by boy with white apron and
bare arms. To see him walking back
ward in front of mob of genteel looking
men and women, waving a little stick after
the manner of leader of the orchestra,
while they were chanting love song was
exceedingly ridiculous. Another motley
division was lead by an elegantly dressed
girl Still another battalion had rallied to
the leadership of man who had basket
on his head with his child in it.
G. A. s.
The internal revenue receipts are in
creasing rapidly since congress adjourned,
partly because the whiskey and tobacco
Trade WAS lerresS ed the laSt faw ,Uool,s 81