Year: 1878

went up to see the Emperor open
the great Exposition Of 1867.


1 know not if any of them still
wander on this side of the Styx;
but if on the other side, [ hope
they are enjoying much better
weather for their Exposition cele-
bration than we have to-day in the
city Of Paris. Getting into my car
riage 1 drove down to the Troca-
dero, and soon found myself in a
wild maize Of every description Of
vehicle from a dog cart to an i'm


perial coach. Gendarmes lined the
way, but order was out of the ques-
ton. I was dumped ingloriously
in the mud, and had to struggle up
to the gateway on foot. The char
acter of my invitation claimed i'm
mediate attention, and [ was
ushered at once into the grand cor
ridor of the palace. Everything
! was unfinished, the bricklayers and
plasterers surprisedin their job, had
evidently only beat retreat-a few
hours before magnificent Goeblins
hung against the walls souvenirs of
the mere prosperous days of France,
but they were hung there to con-
ceal unsightly piles Of lumber and
mountains of ruinous debris. At
one o'clock the foreign ambassadors
began to arrive, and these were
followed by number of distin-
guished personages, the most no
table being those of England, Spain
and Italy. The footmen and coach
men were all in knee breeches and
cooked hats; gorgeous in vesture
and resplendent in gold lace; the
carriages were marvels of the coach
makers art, and the Royal occu-
pants covered with orders and
glittering in diamonds were evi-
dently of no common clay. At'two
precisely a flourish of trumpets,
and a wild rush of chasseurs an
nonnced the arrival of the Marechal
President Of the Republic; the
drums beat, the brazen trumpets
brayed, but no vivas rent the air
for the ruler of France the crowd
parted respectfully as he entered,
heads were uncovered, and many
bowed low; hnt the deep enthu-
siasm which popularity engenders
was wanting, and he passed on to
the grand pavilion in silence.
Caught up in the wild throng that
followed in his wake, I was hurried
along the corridor; one moment l
was in the midst cf the delegation
of Deputies, and the next I was in
the suite of the Persian Ambassa-
dor, soon I found myself touching
elbows with the crown Prince of
Denmark; another surge, and l
was landed on the grand stand
alongside of the President of the
Republic. At this moment, the
scene was particularly grand and
inspiring. A lovely amphitheatre
decked in the gayest robes of spring
stretching in gentle slope across
the Seine lay between you and the
main Exhibition. The stand itself
was of purple and gold filed with
magnificent gilded- chains for the
Royal guests who had been specially
invited, and President Mcmahon
and his staff. Immediately behind,
on a raised dais, were assembled
the princesses and the wives of the
foreign Ambassadors, and away in
a corner gorgeous in barbaric splen-
dor the..Ambassador and suite from
Assam and several other savages.
In front of the stand a beautiful
cascade poured it's waters into a
marble lake on the margin of which
gilded elephant was trumpeting
his angry blast ; near by a huge
rhinocerous was uttering his roar
Of defiance; opposite him mag
nifcent bull lashed the air with his
fierce tail while his neighbor a
proud horse undaunted by his looks
seemed ready to grapple with him
in the embrace of death.


Over the buildings of the Ex-
position rose the bright gilded
dome of the Invaides, under which
moulder the sacred ashes Of the
Emperor away in the distance was
the sombre towers of Notre-Dame
and behind it, in bold relief against
the sky, the great dome Of the Pan
theon where in the days of the Rev.
olution they enshrined the naked
Goddess of Liberty. To the East
like some majestic giant stood the