The morning call., 1893-11-30
TWO lNQUISlTIvE VISCOUNTS

China was invaded by France the other
night. There was no pitched battle. China
capitulated gracefully, albeit with stencil
in the nostrils of the invaders, and the
Parisians won their way by smiles and
small silver coins.
The invading army was led by General
w. Fl. Turnbull, who in turn was led by
Mr.. Field. the guide. Clement Bennett was
the official interpreter. He said oui very
gracefully, and some other things that
sounded strange to the English ear and
made the Frenchmen smile.
The latter were the ViscOunt Raoul de
Butler and the ViscouDt de Brion, two
Partisan gentlemen who took in the weird
and grotesque sights of Chinatown with all
the sang froid of the professional globe
trotter.
For a fact they have travelled much in
the past year, and the Chinatown of San
Francisco is only one Of the many strange
places which they have visited. The Wis
counts brought letters with them from
Baron Rogniard OF Los Angeles and Paris
to W. 3. Wiltshire of this city. Mr.. Will
shire had to leave the city Unexpectedly,
hence General TuTnbull and Monsieur
Bennett were pressed to tine service of
entertaining the travelling visitors.
Already the Frenchmen had done"
Bohemian Club dinner. the Midwinter
Fair grounds, the Union Iron Works and
the Potrero. 1t only remained that they
should see Chinatown and smell il. This
they did last night and in a day or two
they Will depart on their travels.
Cum Cook alley and its dens, the thea
tiers. the josshouses, the opium Joints and
those other things they show strangers in
Chinatown were exhibited with pride to
these strangers. They may have been
amazed or dlsmayed at what they saw, but
you could never tell as much from the
calm and smiling contour Of their counte-
nances.
Monsieur Bennett began his duties as
official Interpreter when the brazen and
gaudy interior of the LOong Koong Kong
Shoor 1OsshOuse was reached. He made
his guests understand that this was copper
and that brass and the other thing punk :;
but when he tried TO explain some of the
mysteries of the Conlucian theology in
the soft sylables of Gaul he found himself
lost in a sea of meaningless vowels.
Monsieur Bennett has good working
flow of French. He lived in Paris once
without starving or getting lost, and was
one of the first nighters when CoQuelin
and Hading appeared at the Grand Opera
house. But he draws a sharp line at the
ideas of heather philosophy. as he init
mated to the guide In stage whisper: Il
say. old man, can't you take US where the
words are eaSier%'
So the party was led across the mud of
Jackson street and into the dark. foul al
| leyways that tend to the opium Joints.
! Mon sleur Bennett explained carefully the
| character OF the mud and the Kind of con-
| ditioD of the dirt and CRIME Oh the walls.
Then he and General Turnbull stood out
side while the visitors went into the
opaque atmosphere OF the dens and saw
the simon pure heather roll his eyebals
to the white under the influence of snug
ged opium.
There was 96-act tragedy Oh the boards
at the theater ana the Viscounts managed
to make Monsieur Bennett understand
that they had not heard so much noise in
San Francisco since their visit to the
boiler-room or the Union Iron Works.
The guide led the way beyond the range
OF the tomtoms IN time to save the visitors
from the menacing danger of ruptured ear
drums.
Into the drugstores of heathendom the
visitors were shown next, and then a shop
was reached that Monsieur Bennett desig-
mated to the Frenchmen as the home OF lie
barber" or something that sounded like
that The Frenchmen smiled apDrecia-
lively and minated that they had guessed
as much from the fact that all the patrons
were getting shaved.
After this stroke Monsieur and the Wis.,
counts became very friendly and chatted
away In the Gallo verDacular, totally OBJ
liviOus of the fact that neither the General
nor the guide was proficient French
scholar.
The party visited all the sights Of China
town that are open to visitors for cOiu.
They breathed all the different kinds of
atmosphere that can be found in China
town in one night, and then they dispersed
quietly and peaceably and with mutual
well wishes.