The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-01-16
The Gazette's Paris Letter.

| IHL NHINEhE QUESTION.
PMS. December 9Th, 1883
Though it be something like hope against hope,
| vet people hug it all the same-that of desiring
| tiny victory for France on the high road to BAG
mini, so as to satisfy her amour pJOpre, permit of
concessions being made, and an arrangement to
remove ,atss beii, effected. But if the Chinese
/ 90 in for amour pyoBFc also, and maintain as in
/ the Kouldia dispute with Russia, a no surrender
/ attitude, it is unknown what catastrophes may
issue. The French people do not desire war; they
| lament, that under republic rs under royalty and
empire, their government cannot keep them ont of
] hot water. Besides there is the shadow of Ger
| many that falls across France, and possible up
heavings in Algeria Of Mussulman's fanatieisfn;
the French feel all such is quite sufficient without
being involved with Celestials, Malagasys and Con-
goans. with China regie, would raise
difficulties with Europe and the United States, that
the wisest heads feel pain when rejecting thereon.
German bankers hold heavy mortgages on the
Customs receipts Of the Chinese open ports France
has no depOts of provisions, Goals for her ships,
in the Far East. her commerce may be swept away
if China issues Lefires de MuqHs, and large eI-
petition Of soldiers must disturb the home mill
tary organizations planned, not for either little or
great foreign wars. People talk Familiarity of a
general war next spring as the only real solution
for the times nov much out Of joint. The au-
rora borealis that has stream1d like meteor in
the troubled air, the last few evenings, is evidence
strong as proof Of holy writ for many easy
going souls. More serious is the fact, that bust
ness people are resOrting to reefs, and taking in
sail, if the storm signals had given the sublime
u
intends not to allow either France or China 10
protect Anam out Of existence. II the Red River
be not left free international route, she will de
mand the island Of Haihnam, as her slice of the
prOioctorate pudding-as coaling station" and
thus commands Sulina, mouth of future Danube.
THE sUEz QUESTION.
Respecting the Suez question, good sign
about Il dispute is that less Chauvnism is mixed
up with the debate. The opinion is gaining ground,
that in the way Of making concessions NJ. de Les
seps will soon have only HobsOn's choice. The
only difficulty lies, IN the reconstruction of the
council of administration. In an Egyptian canal,
Is England who owns a. per cent Of the capital
and keeps the speculation alive by contributing 10
four fhs Of the traffic, to be left out in the codf
Her mercantile interests at first did not believe in
the feasibility Of the project, but when its praCti-
blity was demonstrated, they patronized it. Peo-
pie did not abandon high roads till locomotives
settled the matter, We take advantages where we
can get them. The Mahdi's advance does not
please the French as it implies hencefOrth the in
definite occupation of Egypt by the English The
former certainly would find preteXt for flight
into Egypt after the departure of the last High
lander, and would willingly give up Tonkin, Mad
agascar, and the Congo forliborty to squat on the
Nile.
POLITICS.
The senate has decided, that there,is no neces-
sity 10 Immediately revise the Constitution. For
once at all events, the patricians can boast they
are one with the nation. The Anarchists are still
Of opinion that the only way 10 be sure; first,
society at large and next France, is to kill right
of the middle classes; make a target of every man
with means. Some Of the Anarchists who have
put in their six months in the SaintePelagie Pr
son. for indulging in political literature Of the in
hammable type. have not returned converted.
They are more hardened than ever. fresh batch
Of nitro-glycerine writers and orators have been
sent to the same gaOl ito cease TO do eyiT'-which
is certain TO be assured during their incarceration
but as for Learning 10 do well, such is hopeless.
QUANTITIES ron EDTroRs.
The Saints-Pelagie Prison is commencing TO &C
quire once more nOtoriety. 1t is the "stone Jug
for editors and lame ducks.
There are three classes of prisoners the editors
do not work and who are not called upon to sup
port themselves; the bubble Gnanciers who can
avoid working by paying 1fr. a fortnight for the
exemption, and the workers. who gam one sous
per day pocket money to disspatc IN the canteen.
The latter in prison costume, and have for vaca-
ton the fetes and sundays
BY paying four sous day, an editor has right
To room where only two other prisoners sleep.
He can pass his DAYS in chit chat can get special
out leave occasionally, and can live like Dives,
though luEuries strictly forbidden. There are
three fars for the execution of errands who paid
following a special tariff. Prisoners are allowed
TO see visitors on Sundays and Thursdays, in iron
rallied of parloTs warder, called dbogeHr or
baker" calls each prisoner as he is wanted. tx
cent debtors to the State there Is Imprisonment
for debt in Trance since 1863, and if there is no
room in the princes department, the unfortu- |
nate editor must take Pot-luek with the herd.
Sainte-Pelagie the favorite prison, its 0gJii
sffss where Napoleon l. sent all who displayed no
admiration for his policy Napoleon Ill, after the
conn iaf incarcerated in this prison 81 deputies
and 200 dangerous citizens. Louis XVIII, few |
days after bis restoration imprisoned 10 lndlYld-
uals who exhibited no admiration for Bourbonisn.
In 1914, when AleIanderof Russia entered Paris, |
he set free all Napoleon prisoners, replacing them
by lg2 Russian desertefs, chiefly Poles II was on
quitting this prison for the scafold- that Madame
Roland exclaimed, "Ohi Liberty, what crimes are
committed in thy nancy Josephine de Beau
barnais, later Empress of the French was I'M
prisOnod in Sainte- Peiagie IN 1874. The same es-
had Nufth - wal HQFQnUnT
poet p l., Courier, Cavaignac, Lamennais, Felix
Pyat, PrUudhen, Blanqui and Rochefort In 1855,
Cavaignac and Is co-detenus escaped Baron
Freuck fashion, having borrowed n run 90 feet
long: the Count de Richmond who boosted to be
the son Of Louis XVI, also escaped. The last in
this line was an Englishman, Thomas jackson;
lac hoistod himself on the roof one winters night
and went down on the other side, babe the sentry
goodbye.
REVIVAL OF Az OLD OPERA.
Tho theatre des Italiens has had many ups and |
downs in Paris, because it could never count for
permanent support on the French who prefer their
own school Of nalsic. The ltaliens has lust re-
opened after SIX years Of silence with Verbs three
act opera Simon Booc7Heggd. A quarter OF cen
tury ago this work was failure at Venice; however,
IN 1881 Verdi rctouched it, and II was brought
ont at Ia Scala, at Milan, where it eaptvated
all who heard it, much Of this success, and the re-
yerSal Of the Judgment of the Nenetians, was due
70 the admirable singing and acting Of Meson,
Manuel and Reszke and Madame tldes-Devr1es,
three incompatible artistes who interpret the
opera here As IN the case OF Igofdfoff te llDret-
to is 7ery 50 so. The plot is laid in Genoa about
1887; Tiesque, Is 4 patrician, Simon Boccanecgra-
is plCb, and a corsair who has done the hepubie
some service both candidates for the Office of
Docr Simon has seduced the daughter of Pies
que, by whom be had one child, q lovely girl The
mother Is taken back by her father and.dies IN the
palace: the child is adopted unknowningly by
fiesque and Simon Is elected Doge. The music
is neither the best the worst written by Verdi
it belongs 10 his neutral style. The first act Is the
best and contains much Of that plaintiye music
Of which Verdi has the secret. The third act,
where Simon and Fiesque are reconcledi is full Of
pathetic and graceful nioreeaHr- The opera IS
well put on the stage, but perhaps the sscees
dtsiisss is as much due to the artistes.as to the
sjmposcr.
NrSoB MATTERS.
The law courts are occupied With two important
swindling plots; one, where m inquiry Office, the
private kind. cOncocted evidence for an old
lady who desired to be separated from her husband
and chose for their victim, the young. pure and
innocent wife Of Coris Hughes the pOet-deputy
for Marscillss- The young couple intended to dis
pose Of the calumuiat0rs themselves by means of
revolver but better leave the sooundrels to the