The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-08-24
Our Letter from Europe.
The Paris Exposition.

Oho VI Lie IuUSt ileCuiidE IeituicS VI
this Exposition is that just about the
time you imagine you have explored
its wonders pretty thoroughly, you
suddenly come upon IA section that
you have never seen or heard of be,
fore. and wonder how it could pos
sibly have escaped you.
commenced my tour of inspection
on the first day of May. In fact, |
was pretty familiar with the building
some weeks before that, and yet, du-
ring the past week, l have seen things
which have filed me with wonder to
think that | could have wandered
about through this Exposition and
never have seen them before. As you
cross tho magnificent bridge which
spans the Seine between the Troca,
dero and the main building, number
OF beautiful structures lie immediately
10 the right. The little Principally
Of Monaco has raised al elegant little
Oriental kiosk and filled it with
ceramics and curious objects of art.
1ou will doubtless recollect that it
was to this place the gamblers went
when they were banished from Baden-
Baden, and to-day it is the great
gambling house of Europe. When |
fist heard Of the Monaco exhibit, |
expected to find faro boxes, packs of
cards, sweat cloths, roulette tables,
dice boxes and you may guess my
surprise to discover one Of the most
beautiful exhibitions of ceramics in
tile entire Exposition, surrounding
fountains and flowers, and other OBJ
iects of beauty and art.
Beyond the exhibit of Monaco, is Il
special exhibit by Spain, and just here
let me say that Spain has made a
magnificent disp)ny in II number of
other departments. The building of
which am now going to speak IS the
Spanish exhibit of wines, aud remark
able as it may seem, is composed ex-
elnsiyely Of bottles. The building is
quite large and imposing. Only little
distance Off . party of Wild Arabs
fresh from the desert sands lay easily
about beneath the shadow of their
tents, and looking as we imagine Ish-
mael lnust have looked, first born of
Abraham. Entering The door at once
yoll are dazzled by a scene Of Oriental
spleudor: gorgeous pillars Of glass
and arches of crystal rise before you,
flashing and glittering with millions
of colored lights. The arches and
pillars are modelled after the grand
palace of Alhambra. Yon fnrn to the
tight or the left and, multiplied by
the crystal refeetorS, as you look
through long avenues Of beautiful
arches where the light, multiplied Il
thousand times, flashes and breaks in
diamond coruscations, till you feel
that you ale standing i'll fairy land.@
Over your head hang multitudes of
glitEering stalactitcs of the pnrest
white, of the brightest Of crystal and
of the most emerald green, purple,
yellow, violet and mulfitudes of
shades for which art has not yet
found Il name, add to wonders OF this
enchanting palace. You have been
inspecting this marvellous bnilding
some time before yOu begin to realize
that you have only been looking at
bottles. Pillars of wine, roof Of wine,
walls of wine and floor of wine wine,
wine, wine everywhere !: hook, sher-
ry, champagne, port and Ncres dc In
Frontara, the wine of the city of
Paradise. As n specimens of archi
tectural genius it has excited general
wander, and even among this assem-
blage of works gathered from every
portion of the globe, this unique ex
hbition of Spanish wines has been
considered one of the marEels of the
Exposition.
In the United States department,
almost hidden by displays of shining
teeth and tempting jewelry, paper
fashions, patent tins and model post
Offices, is Il little ease which you
might pass unnoticcd, ard yet which
deserves something more than pass
ING mention. As an exhibit it is in
Significant and small. Il came SO late
Chat it has not even earned Il place
on tho catalogue, and yet small rs it
is, it demonstrates a pfineipel which
is destined to do for the Southern
States of the United States of North
America. what the prophet Of old did
for the captive jews when lie led
them ont Of the house Of bondage.
This little case was brought on by
Col. E. Richardson, the great cotton
planter of Mississippi, and is the
product of his mills at Wesson, one
hundred and forty Eve miles above
New Orleans. It looks hopeful for
the Sonth when in little out of the
way place like Wcsson, where twenty
years ago not a man il thousand
could have told what spindle was
when he saw it; that n factory should
rise running II ,0G0 spindles employ
ing $50 hands, consuming 5000 bales
of cotton, half million pounds OF
wool, and producing fabrics sold at
their own door worth three-guarters
of a million annually. The fabrics
produced are principally those woin
by the people Of the South, and are
evidently made ts last. This enter