The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-12-11
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF EUROPE.
European Railroads and Customs Regula
tions-Dijon aud the Dukes OF Burgundl
The Journey to Paris French Scenery
Paris, Its Public Buildings, WORKS o
Art, People and Customs Various Inter
estIng Particulars
Especial Correspondence Of the Bonner.
NUMBER xI.
In Europe, outside the British Isles, we
saw no policemen, gendarmes take thell
places. These men wear military uni
4 form, a cooked hat and short sword,
those of each country wearing the
cooked hat in a different man
ner: the uniforms are exceedingly
neat, the men all look as if they
had come out of bandbox. In Italy, the
gendarmes always hunt in couples, it is
said the second one is sent to keep the
other company, so he will not be lone
some. The rules require that they shall
meet every train at the station, so we
never had to hunt for them they were al
ways looking for us. Outside OF Italy 1t
appeared that the guardians of the peace
did not need company.
Crossing the Swiss frontier going to
INutllGNd, lllt CuSlOillb OlilItlc uo nv
trouble, one of them, simply as a form,
put his head into about every other car
riage; the train did not stop more than
three minutes, but passing back into
France was the most rigorous examina-
ton of any we had in Europe. 1t seems
that tobacco is government monopoly
in France, so that cigars and tobacco are
very dear, while they are cheap in Switz-
erland, and every one seemed to be try
ing to get cigars through. One man had
a light overcoat hanging on his arm, and
after officers had closely examined his
baggage, they pOked their hands into
every pocket of this coat.
Leaving Culoz, which is about 80 miles
from Lyons, the line runs through mar
row valley bounded by tremendous rocky
walls, and with q heavy down grade,
finally emerging into the great plain of
France. At Macon, the railway made a
junction with the great through route
from Marseilles to Paris ria Lyons,
known as the "P. l.. NJ"
Our next stop was at Dion, very old
and quaint city, the former capital of the
Dukes of Bergundy, and the centre OF the
famous wine trade. 1t is a bright, clean,
old style French town, little changed
from its ancient ways, as very few tour
lists stop there. The old palace of the
Dukes is study in architecture, very
pleasing withal, and although now used
as the Hotel de Vile, or City Hall, is
very much as it was it in the olden time.
A broad boulevard, mile long and lined
by noble trees, leads from the city to a
200 acre park, and is divided ihto two
parts by large fountain with a great
basin. The park is thickly covered with
forest trees, and the tract was left as it
was except that vistas were cut through
the timber in various directions, and
| fine macadamized road built in circle
just inside the park limits. This park
way has an arched roof of lcafy boughs
its entire length, about two miles, max
ing it the most beautiful drive or bicycle
course ! ever beheld, for neither rain nor
sun can penetrate the leafy screen.
Diion is quite railroad centre, and the
Bourgogne canal passes through the city.
| From DijOn to Paris the railway fol-
lows the valley of the Yonne River,
through a beautiful rolling pastoral
country, well cultivated, and III places
well wooded, but the scenery was rather
monotonous: in fact the parts of Europe
| England and Scotland not excluded),
which are not especially rugged will not
lttlilDdlt III DCdutN VI vi cNNiSil
with the Eastern part of the United
States. The country is much more park
like than on this side, and far better cul-
tivated and the roads are incomparably
ahead of ours, but the sameness is wear
ring. In all parts of France one will see
the long lines of poplar trees, single
row on each side of most of the roads
it gets tiresome after a while. Some of
these are very slender, scarcely any foil
age except a bushy plume-like top. Ap'
preaching Paris the railway passes
through many towns and villages, at one
place running through the great forest
of Fontainbleau, so famous in historical
memories. The wood extends as far as
one can see, it is said to be 60 miles il
circumference, very heavy growth OF
timber, the largest tract of the kind we
saw.
We were alert to catch the first glimpse
of Paris, but it seemed as If there was nC
end to the suburbs, none of the village:
on that side possessing much beauty
With its handsome wide streets anC
boulevards. numerous open spaces, fine
parks, handsome buildings, and splendid
bridges crossing the Seine, Paris is &
very beautiful city, bright and cheerful
it seemed to us while there, but the i'm
preston left on my mind since, is the ex
treme coldness of the place, all show anC
glitter, but the glitter is like the CLEAN
of an iceberg. For the boulevards it car
thank Napoleon III, who demolished
great numbers of old buildings on mar
row crooked streets, thus making it fal
easier to get about the city. The Sein'
is confined between great stone walls til,
entire distance through the city, usually
with quays at the water level, reached
by inclined planes down the face of til,
great wall. On the quays the boats un
load cargoes, as they arrive on some o.
the numerous canals. The Yonne il
used as a canal for a great many miles
The river walls rise about four fee
above the streets along each side of thu
stream, and this parapet is covered for {
long distance with old books and pic
lures, the stocks in trade Of various
dealers in such things, numerous stores
also, all about the city, testify to a larg'
trade in those articles. / saw grea
many men at various places along thu
river fishing with very long poles, anC
standing behind the parapet, q long wa,
from the water over quay and wall, anC
the streets are many feet above th'
stream: report says none of them wer'
ever seen 10 eaten q 0Sll. An interesting
spot near the river was the old hous'
where Napoleon | while "a simple p
lieutenant, lodged; from his window III
could look across the Seine to the Palace
of the Tuileries, where he lodged late
on. / was surprised to find Paris no
nearly so well paved as had supposed
instead of smooth asphalted streets wer'
pavements of large stones, none too wei
laid, very unpleasant to ride over 81
much has been said too about the bril-
liancy of the Paris streets at night, but
failed to find any, it was wofully disap
pointing, even the Champs Elysees
which is lined with elegant cafes, gilt
tering with lights, seemed dark, TIL,
trouble is gas is used almostentirely, be
ing very cheap, to the exclusion of th'
electric light, so that to our eyes, accus
toned to the newer and more brilliant
light, the streets seemed gloomy Many
small American town has better Lighted
streets than Paris, in fact Europe is far
far behind us in all the uses of electricity
On special occasions, like that of July
last, the city is brilliantly illuminated
when in one night enough gas was
" ~ 1T