National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-11-09
LA BELLE FRANCE.
OUR CORRESPONDENT AT BORDEAUX,
The Fair OF the Quineonces-The Capital Of the
Gironde-Beauties Of the Ciiy--Remark-
able Collections-A Trait OF
the Merchants.



laid comic panoramic pastoral and semi-tragicel
spectacle; wherefore we confess that the Interna-
tional Phylloxera Congress just closed here, and |
certain famous wine bodegas that are always open,
and certain business matters of Importance TO the
combined to draw your correspondent |
from the festive shores Of the Seine to the COM
parativcy gloomy banks Of the Garonne. There |
fore let no one wrong him by surprising that the
Legion of Honor ribbon In his but |
ton-tole was the mark the would-be assassin Of
NJ. Gambelta fired at in his despair at not find
ing the President the Chambre at Vile dAvIay
the other day, and that he has run all the way
to Bordeaux from fright. For the gentleman who
did the running in said circumstance was
FULL. BREED FRENcHMAN, ..
who had lively appreciation ofthe Chinese prov
erb that palpitating heart is better than a rid
died one. The gentleman who aspired to Guiteau-
like honors was a laborer from Rheims, by the
name OF Florin and finding that his revolver eff
fected no special execution on Others, pointed 1t
down his own throat, blasting an ugly hole in his
face, and landing himself in Jail, instead of In
h-the other world. 1t is getting palmer
every day that men in high public
positions, no matter what their merits. must
DO protected In some manner or other from knaves
and lunatics. There are plenty of desperate per-
sons in the minority parties In France who would
not scruple at anything that promised the effect
uar taking off of the Republican leaders-and
perhaps France is not the only country that is
similarly afflicted. But this letter is 10 be strictly
devoted to tho
FAIR OF THE ouINcoSCEs.
The news of the assembly of the French Con-
gIess and all things political will be known in
brief by cable before this will reach Washington.
The largest square in Bordeaux bears the name
that is given to this great annual fair 1t contains
about thirty acres, the whole extent of which
spread the booths, Junk shops, crcuses, theatres,
menageries, side'shows, merrysgo-rounds, lot
teries and every manner of hook and crook that
was ever Imagined by gypsy mounte-bank or q
Jerusalem native for eatchnga stray penny selling
gew-gaw or deluding tho gullible multitude.
Eight pereile avenues and n grand central promen-
ede more than an eighth Of amile in length extend
through the motley show, and are lined OH
both sides by such an array of shops and wares as
would have puzzled the great Dickens himself
to describe 1t is an old institution dating back
some centuries, and yet II seems to meet with un-
abated appreciation, to judge by the thousands
who visit II day and night on week days, and the
tens OF thousands who throng 1t on Sundays The
avenues ON the westsde of the central promenade
are mostly devoted to junk and curiosity shops In
one of these will be found collection Of every
small object that has been made of iron since the
days of Tubal Cain, and probably before, If
ANTIQUE SHAPES AND RUST
any criterion. TO go by Anything, from strong
box to a three-cornered file, with locks, knives,
cutlasses hinges, nails screws, bolts andirons, in
strumcnts of torture Chat were evidently used
during the inquisilion) and million other objects
of the same category, that are sold for few sous
| or few francs according to their size and the
the style ofdress Of the purchaser. Thclatter con
| sideration has great weight and importance with
| these nomadic merchants. For instance, u damsel
| with handkerchief about her head, and mailing
from hordalaiga ktnhans ms ha fo
pair Of scissors, and is informed that seven cents
| will make her the owner Of the coveted object.
| A lady in neat costume and with hat on
who has been examining an ancient spit
| happens to observe said scissors, and on inquir-
Ing the price is told that they very cheap at one
franc fifty. Whether this trait is to be accounted
weakness oil the part of the merchants, or Il
meritorous power Of discrimination, shall moi
venture to say, but that 1t is general Throughout,
Europe is a fact which am glad to have occasion
to speak Of Your servants here get handsome
percentage from the trades people on the custom
of their employers, and foreigner or stranger is
always asked from twenty five to Any per cent
more
| FOR AN ARTICLE THAN A NATIVE.
| Beside the junk-shop Is one that contains more
less fraudulent collection of old china and other
bric-a. brac. Louis XIV" and Empire" treas
ures that were made last winter are offered al
| holiday prices Here's Seyres vase" says the
vender, " for fifty francs instead Of seventy five.
Cunning roguel He knows 1t is worth about the
latter number ofcents. The observer is surprised
at the apparently useless accumulaiions of rubbish
OF every description that is piled along these
avenues with living men and women to sell
and living men and women to buy them
And yet hundreds of these rowing peddlers who
are now assembled In Bordeaux make tour o
| the whole country each year, collecting, and sell
| ing and exhibiting their rubbish at each fair o
! which they form part Stalls containing ode
volumes of old books music and pictures succeed
each other on one Of the avenues. Then com,
some acres of crockery ware, tin ware, wagons
carts plows, and other farming utensils and i'm
plements, to saynothing of
HUGE STORES OF POTTERY:
oilcloths clothing, boots and shoes, hats and caps
bonnets baskets brooms, brushes, barrels, buckets
and great rait of wares known In the world or gu
oft, flung about with such confusion and aban
y don that new arrival from the West could onl
suppose that Bordeaux had been the victim of
fire or food, and the wreck of Its stores had beef
hurriedy dumped In square, TO be disposed ofa
luck and the weather would permit. Heaven neve
endowed person with sufficient imagination
to form any conception Of this remarkable spec
tacle. Though have seen 1t several times,
hardly believe 1t myself But apart from tn
strange congregation of salabe wares, there is an
other feature of this fair that Is no less peculiar
which Is the number and variety of the shows an
entertainments offered. All Of these--as is tn
case with what has already been mentioned-ar
in temporary and portable
BUILDINGS OF WOOD AND CANVAS,
and they range IN character from the gypsy-wago
of the bear.eyed clairvoyant and somnambullst t
the arena of the strong men who are at the dis
posal of all corners for bout with the gloves or
trial of strength at wrestling. These gentleme
are down on tie sign with lofty surnames,. sue
as the "Ox of the Alps" "The Brave Parisan," 9Th
Terrible Savoyard, -" The Bulwark of the North,
&C. TO the number of some ten or twelve, VIII
exhibit their giant bulk OH q platform out
side during the intervals between the ea
hibitions In. the ring. One Is forced
the mental observation that there Is goo
material for hod-carriers and stone -breakc
going to waste. But us one thinks thus, the pre-
prlctor of the arena or mill" If you like, show
his salow and bearded countenanco on the plat
form and in colts voice persuudes the anxiol
! crowd below that their eternal happiness large
depends upon their witnessing the performan,
that is about to take place, in which he reminC
them, with look of pride, the noble specimens
, manhood before them are to take part Some n
, mark in his Grafton calls forth
Az AUDIBLE SMILE
' from the assembled hosts Of street cleaners al
other citizens to which he replies: "Ah, friend
: you laughs at my words; but you all have YOU
. professions, have mine. want to elevate yol
=, thoughts inspire heroism and patriotism in yol
. sordid bosoms, and for that reason present III
: highly intellectual entertainment for gcntlemc
= only-remember ladies, you can't come inf
: gentlemen only. You make bricks, sweep street
" sell wine, and do all sorts of things for your IL
ing; but /, gentlemen--I would turn myself insi'
out for miserable louis dor" (twenty Francs
4 Dreading the threatened calamity the crow
a made n rush toward the arena and fll'
a It to the door. The best entertainments,
well as the best shops and incest stocks of good