Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-29
EXCURSIONS NEAR PARIS.
DELIGHTFUL SCENES ALONG THE SEINE
AND MARINE.
Our Correspondent Gets Mixed Up in a
Love Affair, and Leaves the
French Capital.
PARIS. Nav. 1889.

PARIS, May, 1889.
There are most charming excursions to
be made, for day, or even few hours.
from Paris, when one suddenly finds him
self in the country with surroundings so
truly rural that it is hard to believe that
one of the greatest cities of the world is so
very near. Madam Dussolin went with
me one day up the Seine to Clarendon,
leaving the girls to attend to the little
restaurant. 1t was a perfect day, and there
are many such at this time of the year in
France the banks, after leaving the city,
were green, and the new willow leaves
were beautifully bright in the sunshine.
Boys were swimming or running along the
paths, the flesh tints harmonizing finely
with the green, in way to catch the eye
of an artist.
About l we left Pont Royal on the lit
tie express steamer, stopping at many sta
lions on both sides of the river. The
bridges over the Seine are very numerous
and beautiful, but none of them seem to be
so solid as those of the Thames, yet make
an imposing appearance viewed from the
river. Presently huge elm or willow trees
take the place of houses and then, at a
sudden bend, the river Marine is met with.
bringing a great quantity Of water to the
Seine. Above the Marine confluence the
banks near each other, and tho scenes along
them become more picturesque. The
steamer, however, went but a short dis
lance up the Seine to its last station, and
returning iollowedthe course of the Marine
which IS very winding, swift and shallow,
as far as
THE BRIDGE AT CHARENToN.
was quite proud of my companion, she
was so neatly and tastefully dressed as
French women seem to know so well how
to d }, and wore her little green bonnet, of
that very yerdant shade now in vogue, as
gracefully As princess, or at least as the
conventional princess Charenton is
small place, but famous for its well ar
ranged asylum for the insane which covers
the side Of high hill to the left, over
looking wide expanse of lovely scenery
In both the valleys of Marine and Seine.
Henry ". allowed Protestant church to
be erected here in the first part of the
seventeenth century, but it was DESTROYED
when he edict of Nantes was withdrawn.
We wandered along the narrow and badly
paved street into the suburb of ST. Maui
rice, where one of those pretty garden res
taurants offered temptations impossible to
resist and We sat down in the shade of
chestnut trees to luncheon of chops and
green peas The waitress here amused me
very much by her wiles to attract passers-
by; she sat near the gate, and when
ever she heard footstep approaching she
would begin 10 sing and rattle her dishes,
but if they went on she would stop imme-
-d4ately and continue her work as quietly
as mute.
1t was racing day and crowds of peo-
pie were on taeir way to the race course in
the park Of Nincennes, whittier we also
wandered. 1t was very pretty scene, the
gay dresses Of the ladies and the handsome
horses.
vINCENNES
Is certainly more beautiful than the more
famous Bots de Boulogne for it has lie; art
and much of nature about it. In the
thirteenth century Louis TX made this
his hunting seat and since that time it has
always been the stage of much that has
interested the world. The old castle is
full of historical and romantic interest.
In l740 it was used as the porcelain fac
tory of the famous institution which was
in Il few years removed to Sevres. During
the years when it was used as prison, it
held many illustrious captives, among
them the Cardinal Retz, Mirabeau and
Fouquet, but more sad than all was that
cruel murder, by Napoleon, of the unfortu-
nate Due d Enghien in 1904, the last of
the famous family of Condi. :. He
was suspected of conspiracy against Ma
pOleon, and by his order was arrested,
tried and shot. Everything possible was
done to save him, but the Emperor wished
him out of the way. His body was
buried without the usual obsequies, in the
ditch where ne was shot However, there
Is now a monument to his memory in the
chapel where his remains were placed by
Louis XVIII. in 1916. 1t is when we
hear of such acts of the Emperor that we
have grain Of pleasure in contemplating
his fall. Another romantic episode oc-
Cured in 1871, when the castle was aband-
oned by the insurgents when the Govern
ment forces came from Versailles A man
was left to set fire to the powder magazine
and destroy the place; what he thought
or why his heart failed him we shall
never know, for instead of the wholesale
slaughter which the explosion would have
caused, the man committed suicide and
was found alone in the great castle when
The troops entered. We took a short
drive to
NoGENT SUR MARINE,
With ITS many fine villas overlooking the
broad fields and winding river. There were
crowds Of old women and children gather
ing daisies and making them into boquets,
bound with grass. to sell on the race course.
Returning, we made a little detour to
visit the tomb of Americas old friend,
General Lafayette who died in 1884 and
was buried in the cemetery of Picpus.
Here is also the burial place of nearly
1000 victims of the Revolution, and also
the tomb5 Of some famous and noble
French families On the way home,
Madam told me what hard time she had
with Marie, who, 1t seems, was in love
with young cook, who was unfortunately
poor, but worst of all, she had also to
fight against the influence of Dussolin.
himself who actually encouraged his
daughter in the unfortunate ENHANCEMENT
Madam's little green bonnet vibrated with
indignation all the way home, which be-
came alarming when she thought that the
hateu young COOK might make use o.
Madam's absence to visit the Rue St.
Dominique. Down the Seine to Anteuil,
past the enormous scatfold
TOWER OF EIFFEL,
OF which the people Of Paris with their
usual versatility are already beginning to
be tired, SAYING ii draws on thunder
storms, and may tear it down to celebrate
the Nth Of July; 50 also the pretty islands
and the villas, each adds its tribute to the
pleasure Of the journey. Above all, though,
in interest and beauty, is the excursion to
st. Germaine-en-Laye on the steamboat
Touriste, giving nearly four hours on the
river. Marie made that trip with me,
and as She had often visited the place she