National Republican., 1883-11-30
A City Where Traveller Can Have Anything
His Heart Graves,
Art, Architecture, History, People, and
Horse Flesh
How the Noble Animal is Served Up 10 Tickle
Epicurean Palates.
Hints OF How the Best Cooks in the
World DO business.

she had yet visited for o permanent resi-
dence, but for a short stay she preferred Paris.
1t is indeed tho capital city Of tho civilized
world, no other city approaching il near
enough for comparison. In ali material
interests and appliances she stands unrivaled.
Her magnificent bouevards and avenues are
lined with trees, her streets well paved and
clean. Her buildings are lofty, seldom less
than six or seven stories in height, invaria-
bly, of light gray stone, and uniform in their
architecture. Her churches and public build
ings are magnificent in tho extreme; her
galleries, hospitals, and colleges unsurpassed
in excellence. Tho average tourist visits all
these, guide book in hand, and departs boast
ing that he has "done" Paris. These have so
often been described that 1 will not weary
your readers with them. But there are many
out of tho way places many peculiar customs
and habits of the people, unnoticed by the
passing traveller which are worthy of observa-
tion.
To me tho most wonderful thing in Paris,
the most stupondous in its uselessness, is the
great wall which surrounds the city. 1t is
about twenty-five miles in length and forty
feet in height, built of stone of uniform size
and laid in cement. The angles and bastions
are laid with large blocks of neatly-dressed
stone Of the same quality and appearance as
found in nearly all the buildings of Paris.
This wall is surrounded ON the outside by a
wide and deep grassy ditch, and banked up
ON the inside with earth, also covered with
green sward. This fertilization is provided
with numerous barracks for tho accommoda-
tion of the great number of soldiers quar-
tered in and about the city, and is pierced by
ffty-two gateways, each provided with great
iron gates, at which officers are stationed to
collect q tax on all food entering the city.
Not an egg or potato, chicken or bottle
of wine, escapes this active duty, which
amounts to many millions of francs per year.
Thus this tax finally comes upon those
who eat, so that even the beggar,
who expends few centimes for food,
contributes toward the expenses of the city.
This immense line of Notifications was built
by Napoleon Ill, under the pretense of de-
Tending the city from her enemies, but really
was intended to overawe the people of Paris
who might rebel against his imperial sway.
In case of any disturbance the guns upon tho
ramparts could have been turned against the
people with terrible effect. Now their mock
defenses are no longer a menace, but a disa-
greeable reminder of former methods of over
awing the people and destroying the liberties
of the citizens. They are of no avail for de-
fense in modern warfare. During the siege of
Paris the city was defended by numerous bat
teres at com manding points at some distance
outside the walls. The Germans could easily
have concentrated parks of artillery upon the
city and destroyed it utterly. But the day
for sacking and burning cities has passed.
Since the disgraceful burning of Washington
by the British, an episode Of which every
Englishman is now heartily ashamed, amuse-
ments of this kind are not tolerated in civil
lied warfare.
1t is now proposed to level down these use-
less ramparts and form magnificent boule-
ward in its place. The immense quantity of
material of which tho wall is composed
renders II an almost inexhaustible stone
quarry which would realize many millions
of francs for building material possibly
sufficient to defray the whole expense of
grading and preparing the roadway. The
word boulevard originally signifed q bull
wark, and was thus called on account of
taking the place of the ancient bulwarks or
ramparts of town. This would be a boule-
ward indeed, the most extensive and magnif-
cent in existence. The wide spaces thus
made available for public use can also be
utilized Tor n grand belt railway, besides
leaving wide belt of land to be sold for
building purposes. The authorities also pro-
pose to erect along portions Of this belt cheap
residences for the poor. Altogether this will
be tho grandest of all modern improvements.
With a population Of 2,500,0O0 within the
walls, and nearly o million in the suburbs,
Paris would then be far in advance Of any
city on tho green footstool.
Among the places worthy of visit is the
great horse market on tho Boulevard dc
PHopital, containing abouttwo acres of land,
in which 5000 or 1000 horses are exposed for
sale on each Saturday. Here arc found per-
haps thousand of the sorrost worn out cab
horses, selling at $40 to $40 each, together
with ponies of every imaginable variety. But
the show of the great strong-limbed Norman
horses is very fine. These superb animals
bring at auction from $3.50 TO 81 500. A pecu-
liar feature of this market is the many tests
made to ascertain the soundness and temper
of the horse offered for sale. Bells are rung,
whistles sounded, paper thrown before their
eyes, and they are harnessed to heavy loads
and driven up a steep hill. Any that "balk"
are greeted with much jeering and derision
and cries of "oR to the slaughter house." A
noted dealer from Bloomington H., is here
buying horses in Normandy for the Ameri-
can market, and has already sent forward
several hundred, and Emery Cobb, of Kan
kakie. has secured several for breeding pur-
poses upon his farm near that city.
Upon the same wide boulevard, and nearly
opposite, is found the Abbatoir Hippique,
where horses are slaughtered for food
noticed q number of carts in waiting labeled
Boucharie Hippique, with the street and
number where the horse butcher may be
found. On entering perceived the carcasses
of twenty or thirty horses strung up in the
usual fashion of beef for market. When
divided into quarters they are neatly trimmed
and covered with clean white cloths and pre-
sent rather enticeable appearance whom one
does not know they are hippophagi instead OF
bOpi About dozen donkeys had been treated
in the same manner, and was assured they
We're esteemed much better for food than
their more snowy and aristocratic relative,
the horse. The animals are inspected by an
officer of the health department before being
offered for sale, and those not fit for food are
sent to the geological gardens to regalo the
dogs, bears, ostriches, and other brutes inn
prisoned there. About a dozen living horses
awaited their turn TO minister to the
exquisite taste for fine cookery so character
istic of the French. Ono vory fine animal.
we'll known upon tho Champs Elysees and
the Bois, who had become somewhat crippled
was sent to the shambles rather than sold as
cab horse, his owner explained, to wear out
weary existence by night and by day upon
the streets of Paris
Fne peculiarity of the horse above all Other
brutes Is that he seems to know and dread q
death of this kind. The OK and the sheep
seem not to be afraid Of their brothers blood
but these poor beasts trembled and struggled
quite humanely upon being forced to the
slaughterng floor. These waiting sacrifices
to taste and high living were not in remarka'
BILE good condition so far as the appearance OF
Juicy fatness is concerned. Some OF them
were very old and poor, others disabled in
their limbs or feet, the hoofs being frequently
: split or broken, so as to render them nc
longer valuable for work. During the siege
of Paris the inhabitants found, by woeful ex-
perence, that horsehosh could be utilized for
food, and since that time special restaurants
have been established where roasts and
ragouts are prepared with great care and
aarya1 N In 0ood atvla at "A nlueh less uricu