The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-09-16
OUR FRENCH LETTER .
Special correspondence of the HERALD.)
PAR1s. August %, 1888.


II little strangers be rot on the in
crease in France, there is progress t
report in the manner of baptieinl
those that do come. There have
been baptiams Ger flowers and bap'
tisms in teare, but Toulon reserves
for us the novelty ofthe civil baptism
We have the civil marriage to bind
The high contracting parties legally
to their bargains. We have of neces-
sity civil buria!s, for theGeRd must be
inferred if not with, certainly Withou
religious ceremonies, That mac
Prussian baron. Jean Baptis!e d.
Cooiz, who proposed 90 many uto
pies pending the first revolution, anC
who was rewarded with the guillo'
tine, commenced his work by debap-
thing himself, and assuming the name
of Anracharsis, which was anything
but compliment for that seventh
cage. At Toulon, the baby appeared
in the red Phrygian cap, and sash
of red ailk. 1t was placed on flag,
whether the tricolor, the white, the
black, or the red-for all exist tC
meet tastes, is not stated. The spon-
sOrs stood by, and the local deputy
quite lew Office for the ration
representatives, delivered an address,
welcoming the infant citizen into the
republican fold. The Marseillaise
was then chanted, and the company
/ separated, for the best friends must
part, as Dsgobert said when he
drowned his dogs.
Much sympathy ia felt Tor the
Comte de Chambord-even among
bis political adversaries, for in bis
slowly shaking cf the mortal coil,
there is that touch of Nature which
m8kss the whole world kin. His
protrscted death-bed, recalls not a
little that of the late Earl of Derby in
October. 1869. The bulletins of the
Comte's health set forth, that the pa
tent is in "agnoie. This word is
not the equivalent for the English
agony, but means, a state where the
patients life is slowly ebbing away;
where the marks of death are re-.
hearsed, a oadayerous physiognomy;
loss ofvoice, dryness and lividity of the
tongue and lips, weak and intermit-
tent pulse; death rattle, and cold
ness of the extremities gradually
spreading over the whole body. In
the case of adults these closing acts
of lite are painful, but such is not so
for old people: they sleep and forget
to awake.
Madagascar still occupies atten.
ton, and the French intend to civil
iza. rather than colonize, whatever
parts OF the island they May be
pleased t9 permanently retain.
The people will be supplied with Of
fetal instructions from the home
country. The word "Mslagache," or
"Malagasy," is corruption by the
Portuguese OF Madagascar. Three
kinds of gold are in circulation in the
island. The native, which is soft and
melts like lead; that which comes
from Arabia, and the real "haId
money" introduced by the Christians.
The Inhabitants make three kinds OF
wine; from honey, from sugar-as in
France, and from the banana, a
large kind of apple, and, recalling
Normandy cider. White pepper grows
wild and can be had in shiploads, less
what is consumed by the pigeons.
The bamboo is the favorite plant. It
is as thin as thread, or as thick as
an alderman's thigh. Tia spro2ts do
duty as asparagus or green peas;
more developed, it is made into
sticks, pots, bottles, writing pens, vi
oliDs, harps, boats for two persons,
and chairs. The pith OF the cane, or
marrow. is highly esteemed. To.
bacoo is grown, but the natives pre-
fer the dried leaves OF hemp, which
the negroes eheW-and become quar-
relsome; doctors and clergy patronize
it, to drive away "moping melan-
choly and moon-struck Madness"
The name Of the inhabitants are cor
ruptions of Adam, Moses, Esther, etc,
which raises the presumption, they
are of Jewish extraction-perhaps the
Lost Tribes. Are not the Esquimo
said TO be descendants OF the aborigi-
mes of England? Arabs introduced
writing into the Island three hundred
years ago; paper is made from an in
side bark boiled down and coated
with a solution Of rice to insure writ.
ing surface. Pens are made from
bamboo, and ink from medicinable
gum. In Offering sacrifices, the first
rnorsel of the victim is thrown on the
ground, to appease the Evil Spirit,
the latter can be tied at will. Come
dams are much in favor; they shave
their bearda and make up ia women 9
clothes. The people hand over their
wives to strangers, like
Heroic, stole Cato, the sententious,
Who lert his lady 10 bis friend Hor-
tentious.
Summer has its suferings as we'll
as It's ridicules; it is the silly season.
A Russian Pole had organized for the
French. a sea trip, comprising Mar
settles to Havre, touching at Belgium
and Holland, then making the tour
Of Great Britain and Ireland, landing
at selected seaports, and back 20
Havre. The steamer was chartered
and duly fitted up, arrived at Havre
to take in her complement of pas.
sengers from Paris. and that the or