Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-07-14
OUR PARIS LETTER.
The Democrats Foreign Core
spOndent Goes from London
to Paris.
Visits Made to roataineblaau. YER
sales. st. Cloud ard Seyres.

ieskar We have been charmed by sara Bernhardt
We have worshipped Patti and Dinorah,' We
have been carried away" by Lucca as Car
men, by Nilsson in the Messiah, by Albani,
by eembEich; in fact We have tasted of all the
sweets from the Horse Show 10 Rotten Row, from
Bank Holiday at Windsor Castle TO the grand
flower show at the Crystal Palace finally We have
seen royal personages by the dozen and have
found the Princess of Wales prettier than any
professional beauty But London could not hold
US forever, and for the last week we have been in
this paradise of Americans. From London u
Paris is step from one world 10 another. Two
large cities could hardly be more unlike in APP
pearance. customs and enjoyments. Everything
here seems made for pleasure. The streets and
their adjoining buildings please the eye; the
shops are arranged in the most attractive
manner; the parks, the squares, the bouievard>,
all serve 10 make think that there is something
besides business in the world and the people 80
tastefully dressed and 50 deliberate i'll their
movements make one think that life here is one
long holiday
Last saturday We went with some friends 10
Fontainehleau to visit tie palace and the mag
niticent forest Ii was very fine day. the finest
we have Yet had in France. and TO get out into
the country, 10 gaze on the pretty landscapes and
admire the fields of dark red peoples, mixed
with the deep blue corniowers was sufficient
treat in itself After a ride of forty miles we
reached the town of Fontainebleau, situated in
the middle Of the forest. The palace adjoins the
town, and before going 10 lunch visited it.
Without doubt il is as lar the interior is con
cerned, the most magniticently furnished palace
10 be seen in England or France. Nothing
seems to have been too costly for lis adornment.
The most exquisite examples of the most at
tractive period of French art are used i'll Profu
sion in the decoration. The rarest tapestries
bronzeS, porcelain, moSaics and brocades are
scattered everywhere with lavish hand, and with
perfect taste Room after room, each seeming
more splendid than the one before it, we
passed through rooms filled with historical
associations well treasures of art. Marie
Antoinette Madame de Maintenon. the Empress
Josephine and the Empress Eugene, Louis the
Fourteenth, the great Napole1n Louis Philippe
Louis Napoleon and many Others of renown had
occupied the rooms. One room was the scene Of
the divorce of The Empress Josephine and from
one window Napoleon took his last las fond
i'pN. l.pu4N M 'lStAl SRtit lti &c sums VI
money ON the palace, and the private theatre
built by him is one Of the prettest rooms II
was only used eight times and in looking III il
on Saturday it was difficult to realize that the
man, for whose pleasure it was built has With
all his power passed away i'll the last few Years.
Never did crowned heads receive more sudden
shock than did those OF the last Emperor and
Empress of the French. But 10 return To the
palace. The exterior is not Very imposing, al
though ii covers a great dead Of ground. The
palace gardens are very beautiful. and there are
several large ponds one Of which is stocked With
carpof enormous size, which our .arty amused
itself in feeding. The carp is by no means a
pretty fi>h, and is certainly ye-y rayenous 70
judge from the way the fish on Saturday dcvoured
loayes OF bread. The Young laties OF our party
imagined themselves 81 many Daphucs while
thus engaged, for a certain popular allIhoreSS in
one Of her latest novels described her heroine,
Daphne, in the same position, feeding the carp
ut Fontainebleau. We wentto luacheon NJ the
sweetest, clcanest whitest 1rette>t hotel" i'll the
town. The odor of the roses, the banks of
flowers The delightful breakfast with fork. :"
tile open doors ana windows all combined 10 put
~ III tllS NNN iillit'i w III tilt NhIhi
and especially with Fontainehleau To eat We
had radiShcs then cold veal and ham, then
something nice forge. what il was called then
something else very nice also nameless, then
some pretty little bsef>teak>, surrounded 10y
sarlands Of potatoes, theu an ice aud finally
some mammoth strawberries. Some good clarct
MAS our drink, and the whole combined IL
make meal III for king. Long shall re-
member il and the vista of roSebeds ana White
walls decked with hanging baskets
Afterwards we drove for several hours through
the forest, visiting the different places of inter
est the weeping rocks, the sponge rocks, the
lettering rocks, the giant trees the different
gorges, the highest hilltops all combining To
make the drive as delightful as the luncheon was.
The young ladies bought souvenirs and quoted
"reminiscences of Daphne. To emphasize the
Importance Of the forest and come down 10 dry
fnCtS-for what is the good Of being an American
sight-Seeer if one does not measure everything
o. tell how wide, or deep or high everything is
the forest is fifty miles in circumference and
contains = 80 acres
When we got back to Paris all joined in saying
that il had been most delightful day. only
that all friends 81 nine intending visitors Il
Paris, may visit there also. Since saturday we
have been 70 Versailles, where we spent II day.
Putting on one side die beautiful palace park
and gardens We We're principally interested III
those places once frequented by Marie Antoin-
cite. We were able 10 visit the Trianon, which
has been latel! opened To the public. There we
walked through the rooms She occupied iii the
charming little palace, in which Size lived rs
quietly possible for a queen to live. in
one room was her bn>t showing the matkS Of the
commune, when in the first revolution they tried
70 destroy everything. The gardens i'll which
stand the houses where She and her court played
al farmers and dairymaids are most interesting
The next day We followed mp the tale Of her
slngularly interesting life and visited the Con
cergerie. where She was imprisoned. We were
quite alone visited her cell and looked at
the various things used by her in her iInprisou-
ment. 1t was most impressive We walked ont
over tile stones tpod by her on her way to
execution \ few STEPS from oHr hotel stands the
obelisk Of Luxor in The middle OF the magnificent
Place lie Ia Concorde. II marks the place where
the guillotne stood and where Marie Antoinette
vas beheaied. Poor, unfortunate young queen
no matter whather faults were, ami no doubt She
had many, the story Of her short life will always
lie one Of the most pathetic III history.
one afternoon we spent nj =. Cloud and Sesres.
At the former place the ruins Of the chateau are
still standing. hiieous reminder Of the late
war. There Is plan on foot 10 build there an
exhibition building similar 10 the Crystal Palace
near London The grounds are very beautiflLand
the view from one Of the hilltops is most mag
nifcent. II Sevres the costly porcelain is made.
The works belong 10 the French government, and
the products are given away as state presents,
There are some fine Specimens in the museum.
We came back 10 Paris by the river. and en-
jnyed the trip very much We thus got a very
good view Of the building the principal one Of
the late exposition. One of the most amusing
things il connection with the Seine /, the mum.
Der of fishers one sees. From early until late
one can see these patient anglers, and no mater
how long one watches them thew never catch a
fish. The exhibition Of patience i marvellous.
The washer-women are also well worth looking
IL as they thump ana wiring tie linen in the in
houses along the edge al the river.
That they dc not have PUSHES Of blood II the
head Is surprising, for most Of the time their
heads seem lower than their feet. The river
Itself j credit to the city - clean and free
from dissgreeable odors. Would that the
Thames and above all the Chicago river. could