Daily Republican., 1878-12-17

stepping on his own.
Well nov about the champagne cures,
which are not at all down In the guide
books, and which very few travellers
Save wandering Wilmingtonians in
company With ex.ministsrs ofthe crown
ever see. Champagne 10 not BY any
means al easily made beverage--for
made" it Is. The products Of three
or four distinct neighberhoods are min
glsd in huge casks that Goliah might
swim in; the mixture is then put In
barrels and kept from October until
say May, partly fermenting all the
while, especially as 1t contains sugar
naturally in quite large quantities. II
is then bottled and put in the caves to
deposit Its sediment; the bottles are ar
ranged In racks nscks, pointing some
what downward, and every day each
bottle is taken and shaken, turned and
twisted so as to keep the sediment from
the sides OF the glass and cause it tt
settle on the cork. When clear say in
six weeks, It is skillfully uacorked tn.
explosion driving out all the sediment
with the cork il the operation is vel
conducted. The bottle is then madt
perfectly full by the addition Of a syr
up made Of champagne wine and rocR
candy, and sometimes cognac brandy
1t is then put again in the tanks and
kept until ready. The temperature
must not be too hot or too cold; and
must not vary; here the advantage OF
the deep chalk h caves. In the Ter
inenting season ere are great many
breakages and it is necessary to veal
q wire mask on the face when passing
through the caves. When the wine
has not enough natural sugar to make
plenty OF gas, plenty is added; "the
more the merrier;" very much sweet
.ned wine is called "mousseux" and
preferred by the Frenchmsn; Americans
prefer "dry" wine or not giving 10
much headache in the morning.
We first visited the caves of Mr.. Theo-
phil Roederer as the most remarkable
There are l3 OF them, about 50 iee'
deep, and all cut out of the solid chalk
rock. Some of them were roughed out
by the Romans and the Gauls in quar-
rying; these are almost black; the later
ones are only greyed by time; like the
Paris houses: the new y cut ones would
he white, if there were light enough to
show it. There are ventilation shafts
every now and then but candles are
the correct thing to have down there.
This Mr.. Roederer has 10000 square
metres, or about 55, 900 square yards OF
such caves. or course was more i'm
pressed by these caves than by the
great Gel .ars OF the famous Burgundy
wines and you know | had tasted the
"Clos Vougert and the Romance, y
right in their own cellars, but prefer
the gayer red wines OF the Cote-d d'or to
tn. devils drunk" champagne nous
sur.
The next day we visited another kind
of caves-also the most complete Of
their kind, those of King and 60. These
gentlemen have dug out the chalk and
built vaults of masonry with cement
floors; over all rearing huge warsh ouses
of brick and iron, as their ground is in
the heart of the city, while The Roeder-
er caves are outside Of the line of the
old Notifications. | saw wine prepar-
ing for America and my companion
noted some labeled fr his home in
Australia, on the other side OF the
world (pty one can't take the short
cut straight through instead of going
all the way around the curve to get
there.)
We visited some huge wool factories;
making beautiful white and wide
French merinos. Que manufacturer OF
wool working machinery, (our hosD
has a specimen factory running to show
his machinery and turning out $1,000
worth per day of goods ready for sale.
The last day we saw the Porte de
Mars, built as said before. in tae
time of Caesar, of course 1t is shocking
ly out Of repair" but what can be ex
pected, and it would have been much
work had it not been covered up long
time with earth in the old ramparts
now leveled. One corner has been
brought back to its old state by new
stones. Other portions have been
patched up until they remind one Of
the boys knife that had five new han
dies and seven new blades, but there
are unmistakably arches, carved key
stones and geometrically patterned
vault plates that 'time the destroyer"
has not yet etfaced and mutilated.
The story goas that in the old days Of
the Roman Government, there was a
tax laid on every flock of sheep that
passed through this gat ore hundred
or over in number, and after this edict
there were always ninty-nine sheep to
each driver, The Governor, much in
censad at seeing on the. record ninety
nine sheep and one herdnan, put this
construction on the law, that ninty
nine sheep and the driver made hun
dred; and here arose the saying: 80
moutons ct champenois font 100 betes -
" Ninty nine sheep and one champa-
gredis, make one hundred beasts" to
this day.
The R-ims museum is strong in man
uscripts but weak in pictures. 1t really
was a welcome change, for every other
place has any quantity Of pictures that
one must zee (and growl at inwardly)
in order to escape abuse for not having
noticed them, when one returns home
or meets other travellers.
have seen Ruhens by the acre and
if hear that any town is especially
strong in beef steak beauties from the
market-shop of that emin-ntly partial
commercial "sld master, let 1t severe
ly alone. Antwerp of course being an
exception which | made with pleasure
and profit. 1t pleased me no much more
than Brussels, the latter is but little
Paris, but Antwerp has an individu.
aIity quite quaint and pleasing. Ant
n l. L