The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-08-11

LOwNEss.
(Correspondence OF the Philadelphia Times.J
PARIS, July 24.-When YOU asked me and
| half promised 10 write you some account
OF my Journeys did you think / would give
you geographical descriptions OF places, or
| history OF my personal adventures, or
repetition Of private statements made TO me
or in my presence by public meny throw
not. What, then, would be the use OF such
correspondent None whatever, and told
you so. IL you want current news The ca
BILE will promptly convey whatever Is worth
having, and the mails so loaded with much
more than YOU care about. For public econ
omy can refer you with some confidence
| 10 Mr.. Walker, our cOnsul-gcneral, from
whom ESSAYS and speeches on that and all
kindred subjects flow rs from fountain
unfailingly full. OF diplomacy there is no
point so knoity but General Noyes unties 1t
as easily as his garter. On the more import
ant subject OF French fashions you can
| learn all YOU want from a semi-oflicial
source-the wife OF the yice-consul, who,
besides being a very accomplished lady, has
the merit Of deriving her lineage from Cnam-
bersburg.
have realized the truth OF the aphorism
expres sed by Horace with his untranslatable
tersencss, that he who crosses the sea may
change his climate, bat not his mnd-in
other words, he takes his preiudices along
wherever he goes. Mine adhere to me
with as much tenacity as il had stayed at
home: and some OF them, particularly that
one in favor OF honest constitutional gov
ernment, is rather intensified than weak
ened. There is not much here to gratily
the pride which some OF our cOuntrymen
feel in their institutions. The American
colony is not merely reSpectable-it Is Ru-
merouS, rich, and talented enough to
exercise great social Influence; but it
is as different as possible from an Ameri-
can colony struggling against The tyranny
OF George the Third. Nevertheless they
are good, as well as gay and festive, and
nv patriotism was much invigorated by at
tending their Fourth-oi-July celebration,
where we had the most sumptuous Of
Franco American dinners, at which our
Minister presided with pride Of place be-
coming the successor OF Franklin and Jei-
ferson, mingled with the genial kindness
which the heart Of Ohio always pours out
when il gets a chance to overflow without
drowning is party ambition. There, also,
MIR. Foster explained the mysteries OF our
diplomacy with clearness which showed IL
| TO be no mystery at all and General heys
| told us in short address so much OF militia
| nv science and history that our civil employ
ments seem stale, fiat, and Improbable IN
comparisOn: and Mr.. Walker gave dlsser-
| tation on commerce, full OF curious facts ana
abounding in general propositions, some OF
| which were true; and Mr.. Elliot sheppard
| said so many seductive things about money
that we could scarcely believe 1t 10 be the
root OF all evil. General Stanford, OF Call
| fornia, made us see at glance bow stupen-
dous was our system OF railroads, and what
mighty results It was working for Us and
for all the world. But to my taste the speech
OF the evening was Governor Bonman's.
Admirable as the others were they did not
III the occasion so perfectly as his. 1t was
on the old trite theme, The Day We Gel
ebrate.v which we all Qhat Is, all the Amer
lean part Of the audience) thought we un-
derstood very well, for we had heard 1t OF.
ten and eIaborately dwelt upon; but he nao
looked through and through it with q
learned spirit and handled it with so much
force and felicity OF dictiOn that truths
divine came mended from tnat tongue"
FRENCH LACK OF APPRECIATION.
| II is not now very easy to find memorials
OF that aflectionate admiration with whlcn
the great men Of our revolutionary period
once inspired the French heart. They have
almost forgotten Jefferson, whose profound
philosophy taught ihem the value OF liberty,
but from whom they would not learn the
dangers OF license. Franklin's name Is con-
secrated by the almost miraculous eloquence
of Mirabeau's funeral oration upon him, and
his character Is permanently woven into the
history OF their science. But the simple
purity OF his political principles are,
think, dstasteful TO them. There Is but
la part of Mirabeau's famous quota
tion from Lucan which they fully be-
lieye 10. While they admit that Frank
lin drew down the thunder from heaven
lin a very mastery way, they do moi
think his other achievement OF Wrestling tnt
seentre from tvrants was much 10 boast OF
Hungering and thirsting 10 see some recog
milton OF WashingtOn's unapproachablt
greatness. / found that one Of their magnifi
cent streets had been called after his name
but that seemed very inadequate way oI
expressing the honor due to the foremost
man of all this world. Afterwards, in the
Palace of Versailles, came rather sudden
ly upon the great picture OF Washington
giving bis final order for the assault upor
Yorktown, and | could almost have wor
shipped II. There, in the foreground, Il
the figure Of the matchless chieftain. heroic
but pretensonless; while Count Rocham
beau and other French officers seen
gIorifed by merely standing around
him. But Lafayette, the friend o.
liberty in two bemispberes-how az
the French regard him? / do not know
: for they say little about him. They are
. compelled. as a matter Of course, to respec
, his character, for they know now, whatever
they may once have believed, that II hl,
wise counsels bad prevailed France would
have been saved not only from the tyranny
Of the monarch, but from The madness o
the multitude as well. But they do no
seem to think OF him with much enthusi
asm; they are Joined 10 other idols. Per
baps IL Is natural that they should feei ne
gratitude for the good advice that was no
needed or the great service that was not nc
cepted. They forget what sufferlngS ne en-
dured and what sacrifices he made Tor tnell
sake because they think they gained noihins
by his losses, and they do not see that the!
dishonor themselves II they fail 10 ap
preciate him. But we, the American peo
Die. cannot so meet the debt OF graltud
we owe him, In onr cause he was not onl
/ trne and faithful, but able and successful
Young ss he was (cornwal.is called him
boy, the great arm Of Washington ieane