The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-03-26
OUR FRENCH LETTER.
French Facts and Fancy.
Especial Correspondence
PARIS, February %, 1885


General Skobeleff is the man of
the day: he is viewed as the brand
designed to bring about the pending
European confagration, for every
one feels there is gunpowder in the
air, and that it is impossible to keep
up very much longer the hypocri-
tical peace. 1t is not so much the
more than possibility of war bet
cen Austria and Russia that is
discussed, as the role that Germany
will be called upon to play. The
coming crisis simply means a
national and religious war; the
slave against the Teuton. If Austria
cannot Immediately put down the
instruction in Herzegovina, the
fire will soon spread to Montenegro,
Servia, and the Peninsula of the
Balkans. Russian ambition could
never tolerate Austria gaining the
highway to Constantinople. An
eminent writer shrewdly observes,
that it is an errsr to speak of Russia
as an empire, as a state among
states; she is family Of peoples. d
race that represents and directs her;
in word, panslavism.
General Skoheleff in cracking up
the SlaV students here, has certainly
caused them to think hencefOrth
more about the pomp and circum-
stance Of war, than of gramnars
aDd dictionaries. A friend of mine
who was present at the delivery of
the address says, the hero of PleVna
exercises magical influence by the
earnestness of his manner, his SOL
der air, ready for all difficulties and
all sacrifices; his well-known deep
religious convictions, Of which
several anecdotes recall the Puritan
warriors. Then several legends
have been woven round his name.
AS a propaganda he is worth a
regiment of Russian popes. The
French are not sorry to see some
work likely to be cut out for Bis
marck, for with Skobeleff, "the
German-that's the enemyp'
The few French special correspOn-
dents that have found their way
into Herzegovina and Bosnia do not
give a fattering account of the
Austrian occupation. The country
has net in the slightest degree been
improved; the people only are more
heavily taxed. Even to driving
cabs. and taking railway tickets, all
offices are filed by Austrian soldiers.
The inhabitants are hand-in-glOve
with the insurgents, and the latter
are safe till the Austrians equal
them in agility in scaling rocks and
scudding along goat paths. Only in
the city of SerajeVO life is reason
ably secure; but the inhabitants APP
pear to be very filthy, and for their
clothing. insecticides would be
more in place than brushes.
The nation is commencing to in
dulge in unmistakable grOwls at
the do nothing character of the
deputies, who have been six weeks
in office and the only business trans
acted is sanctioning the conStruc-
ton of by-railway in Tunisia. This
must not be COMPOUNDED with the
contemplated Grand Trunk to Tim
buctoO. It's true the representatives
have dismissed Gamhetta, but the
fear of his return ACTS like a night
mare on his eXecutionerS.
No treaty of commerce with Eng
land-that is as plain now as the
road to the parish church. The sec
Ond fact is, that not the slightest
public interest is manifested here
on the matter. I saw Nj. p. QuertieT
few days ago; he looks positively
juvenile since he has led the pro-
tectionists to victory; his bank, too,
claims to have 17,5OO,O00 francs in
the cellars, and not d single bill in
the portfolios.
The money market is slowly pick
ing itself up to cOnyalesence: but
much time must elapse ere conf
dence and speculation return. Build
ing is at standstill; that is TO say
the running up of new houses, and
the greatest eXertiOns are being
made TO complete those in hand.
Now the building trade has ever
been regarded as the test OF good
times. While the list is too extern
sive and well-known of those who
have been killed or wounded in the
recent financial smash, the names
are not mentioned Of those who
have won by the disasters. In stock
gambling, the losses of one are the
gains of another.
Dumas. not content with being a
dramatist, deals in pictures. Louis
XVI. was a whitesmith as we'll as
sovereign, and Villemain claimed
that literature led to every
thing, provided-you quit it.
Dumas Pere, as popular an old
sinner as Henri w, felt aggrieved
wien he was photographed in his
shirt sleeves with the circus hero
Inc, Adah- Menken, sitting on his
knee. grGndchild fashion. He pro-
tested against that Asmodean peep
into his interior. Barrister Duverdy
won the suit for the old novelist.
and the same counsel has compelled
lola to expunge the honorable name
OF Duverdy from the immoral char
acterS in his POT Bouille." The
courts ruled that mans phiz, like
his name, was his personal prop
erty. JacQuet, the artist, sold a
drawing to Dumas 1fls, who in time
disposed of it at q nrolif. IT has NOT