New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-26
TOPICS IN PARIS.
AN EXODUS OF RULERS.
FEAsTING THE FIREMEN-AN INEVITABLE POST
A BOURBON RoMANCE-HAwAIAN DANCERS
AMATEUR BuLL-FICHTING


AMATEUR BuLL-FIoHTING.
Paris. August l6.
Our rulers seem bent on demonstrating to us
how very we'll we are able 10 get along without
them; for there Is scarcely OF them left at
Paris The President Of the Republic is at Pont-
sur-Seine the President OF the Senate is in Swift
erand the President OF the Chamber Of Deputies
Is at Allevard the Prime Minister Is lying III at
an out-of-the-way pace bearing the odd name OF
Ille-sur-la-Tet. Seven OF his colleagues In the
Cabinet are absent. and even NJ. Lepine our
energetic and active project Of police is Lyons,
Indeed the only representative OF the Govern
nent that remains here Is the Minister OF For
eign Affairs whose peculiar name OF Hanotaux
has naturally led to his being invested with the
nickname Of "Hanneton." or Maybug. sobriquet
peculiarly adapted to him since there is no MEM
Der Of the Administration who Is so restless, dis
turbing. and, in general buzzng. He was too
busy in endeavoring to get the best OF England
In his negotiations with Belgium concerning Afrf-
can affairs 10 find time to be able TO take part
In the very hospitable and cordial welcome ac-
corded TO the dele cations Of foreign fire brgades
which have recently been attending convention
al Lyons, the members Of which were entertained
BY the authorities here before separating to re-
is no finer fire brigade than that of Paris. which
Is composed almost exclusively OF veterans from
the army and navy. yet somehow or other there
is always a disposition in France to ridicule the
flremen Probably this due 10 the laughable
figure cut BY the rural "pompier." whose vaga-
RES military aspirations tempered by prudence
| essentially bourgeois and extravagant uniform
constitute the stock joke of every farce comedy
placed upon the stage here. II there was any
tendency to ridicule the foreign pompiers on the
part Of the laughter-loving Parisians, TO whom.
like the traditional "sapeur." nothing Is sacred.
II was repressed. at least the only remnant
thereof which left was disposition to make
the advent Of the fremen an occasion for 1oity
merry making and feasting The amount OF eat
ing and drinking that they have been called
upon to undergo since they have been In France
has been Of such a generous nature that the
Portuguese delegation forced to give up
before the end of the festivities and to return to
Lisbon In a sadly demoralized condition. The
others look as II they had been undergoing
slow killing by too much kindness. I'VE came
here for the purpose Of discussing improvements
at the convention and with the object OF each OF
us getting all the good points that we could from
the others and especially from the French fire
brgades. But We have had no time TO attend 70
any business. whole visit has been taken
up by one perpetual round Of feasting and drink
Ing so much that we did not even have time
10 sleep. and there Is not one Of who has had
n square nights rest since we reached Lyons.
was remarked by Belgian fireman. Their
presence here has Of course led to a tendency on
the part Of the press to establish comparisons
between the various fire brigades OF the world,
and am sure that the readers of The Tribune
,,o,r hat, her ic n
tendency to accord far and away the first place
20 the American pompier. both as far as equip
ment organization ard the quality Of the men are
concerned.
Everybody here that has any relations with
the official or diplomatic world knows Baron Won
| Susskind. who for many years has been
| stationed a the German Embassy as military at
| tache He has just been recalled to Berhn and
| received an appointment which can scarcely be
| regarded as bearing any comparison with the
agreeable and pleasant life that he led here For
he has been intr,isted with the duty OF taking
charge Of the household-and also Of the person
of old Prince Alexander Of Prussia. Emperor
Williams uncle. or rather granduncle Ihis
Prince has all his life been more less Of an
imbecile among his many phases OF alteration
~ mind being his inveterate habit OF proposing
marriage TO every woman whom he encounters
no matter whether she Is married or single. old
or young a princess a kltchenmaid. This
peculiarity of course. necessitates his being con-
stantlv watched. as there are always women on
the lookout TO take advantage thereof. and II was
but year ago that. during the absence on leave
Of his former guardian. General Won Winterfeld'
who died So suddenly the other day ut Osend. that
he became involved in the meshes of a net spread
for him bv the divorced ard actress wife Of Baron
s. the affair leading 10 newspaper scam
dal ~ no small dimensions productive Of much
annoyance 10 the imperial family al Berlin WI"
tho execution of this craze which keeps those
abou, him on the qui vive old Prince Alexander
who Is a yeptuagenarian much resembling In
nersonal appearance the late Emperor Willanl'
il dull wi,ted to a degree. his conversation eN-
ro, ,rglv inane and the idea Of being tied TO
such a man and in constant attendance on MN
,,us, no tho reverse of agreeable 10 diplomat
ord soldier who has been enjoying such de-
rc,,f,,, time AZ Paris as Baron Susskind.
Much sensation has been caused here by the
rov,s of the narrow escape from drowning Of the
Con,tesse de Montesquiou and the Matauise
a. Aramont two Of our grandest mohdaines' u"
the coast Of St Malo. II seems that THESE TWO
elegantes and their respective husbands having
iust arrived from Cowes, where they had pee"
spending the first portion of the yach''hs "eeN.
became impatient when they found that seVerai
hours would elapse before the steamboat wou'u
no an hand to take them TO Dnard; so they hited
q small boat on which they piled most OF ther
belongings leaving their servants 10 roho" by the
rer,,ar mail steamer They had scarcely pee"
gone quarter OF an hour when the poat was
canszed by a squat. everybody on poard oe'"s
precipi,ated into the water. where the Co"'''es'
and the Marauise managed to keep themselves
aooa, on some OF the wreckage until they were
rescued by the yacht Of Count Evry' uhfor'u-
nately. when the boat sank It carried along VIII"
Il 4 lad who was acting as cabin boy ana VINO
had been below when the mshap occurred Sec
ing that he did net reappear. his uncle VINO was
ono Of the crew. dved down AFTER him. so'
caught In some OF the tackle ana never arose W