CHAPTER II.

ARRIVING at Paris, we had a strange experience with the Frenchmen at the depot, but finally succeeded in getting a cab to take us to Mr. J. Eppler's, No. 9, Boulevarde Malesherbes, to whom Rev. Dr. Hamma directed us. These French cab-drivers always expect pour boire, that is, a few cents with which to buy drink, in addition to their regular fare; and if you do not give it them they get fearfully angry, and gesture and talk all over.

Mr. Eppler assisted us to find a hotel, centrally located, with comfortable apartments, where English is spoken. The name of the hotel is American Family Home, No. 7, 9, and 11 Rue de la Bienfaisance, near the Boulevarde Malesherbes. It is a very large building, and we lost our way several times, until we *became accustomed to its labyrinth of halls. The floors are of dark oiled wood, with the carpets laid on loose. We were struck with the diminutiveness of our wash pitcher, it being only four inches higher than the bowl. Upon inquiry, we found that this was the ordinary size used by the Parisians.

If one had nothing else to judge from, he might suppose them not a very cleanly class of people. But indeed, it is quite the contrary. To my mind, Paris excels all other European cities in cleanliness. The streets are immaculate, its perfect system of sewerage wonderful, and its being built up with lofty structures of white limestone, of the finest architecture, gives it a bright, clean, cheery aspect ; such a pleasant change from smoky, foggy London.

Here we entered upon a style of taking our meals essentially different from the habits of our own country. But we afterwards discovered that the same custom prevails all over the Continent, viz., déjeûner (a light breakfast consisting of a French roll and a cup of coffee), which may be had any time after half-past eight

in the morning; at twelve comes lunch, the regular déjeûner à la fourchette; and between five and six o'clock comes table d'hôte, a dinner of eleven or twelve courses, finishing up with delicious fruits, especially in Italy. If one eats everything he is offered, he will be sure to have enough.

Wine is as freely used here as water is in America. I once counted the wine bottles on the table and found there were four

teen, besides all the private bottles. We had to call for water,

We

as there was none on the table. The waiters looked at us in astonishment. It takes fully an hour to go through all the ceremonies of this extensive dinner; so one day in Brussels, coming in a little late, we thought it would be a kindness to the waiters, and also to ourselves, not to take all the courses from beginning to end, but select from the bill of fare what we preferred. did so; and when we came to pay our bill found that they had charged us two francs (forty cents) apiece more than if we had allowed the waiters to bring us ten courses, ten clean plates, and ten clean knives and forks! After that experience we permitted waiters to make themselves all the trouble they desired.` But I must not omit to tell you what a feast of strawberries we had during our trip. We began to have them about the middle of May in Paris, and continued to have them in different countries until the last of August, when we bid them good-bye in Scotland.

Paris! The very name has a charm, but one cannot imagine its beauties and attractions. They must be seen to be realized. The boulevards, of which we have heard so much, are streets ninety-nine feet wide, with an addition of thirty-five feet of pavement on either side. They are macadamized, and are flanked with beautiful shade trees. These great thoroughfares, some sixty in number, are universally admitted to excel all other cities in the grandeur of their architecture, the attractiveness of their shops, and the briskness of their traffic. The vehicles which traverse these boulevards daily, from the superb private equipage to the ponderous wagon, are more than twentyfive thousand. The population of Paris is two millions. Late

in the afternoon on the day of our arrival we took a walk to the Place de la Concorde, situated between the Garden of the Tuileries and the Champs Elysées, where stands the wonderful obelisk of Luxor, with a picturesque fountain on either side. This obelisk is a single block of reddish granite, covered with hieroglyphics, from the quarries of Syene, in Upper Egypt. It is seventysix feet in height, and weighs two hundred and forty tons. The pedestal of Breton granite is thirteen feet high, and is also a single block. The steps raise it three and one-half feet above the ground. It was presented to Louis Philippe by the Pasha of Egypt, and it cost four hundred thousand dollars to move and erect it. It formerly stood in front of the Temple of Thebes, fifteen hundred years before Christ. This delightful Place de la Concorde, to which crowds of visitors are attracted by the obelisk and the sparkling fountains, could tell of many a dark historic deed if it could speak. It was here, during the French Revolution in 1793, that the guillotine, a horrid machine used for beheading people, was set up to execute Louis XVI.; and soon after his wife, Marie Antoinette, was subjected to the same cruel fate.

The French people kept this infamous instrument warm with the blood of human beings until its victims numbered more than two thousand eight hundred persons. Here it was, during the celebration of the marriage of Louis XVI. and Marie Antionette, that the accidental discharge of some rockets caused a panic, and twelve hundred people were trampled to death. And in 1871, during the Franco-Prussian war, this square was literally soaked with the blood of the slain. As we turned our steps toward our hotel, we could not but think, what a happy transformation! These beautiful fountains shooting up their crystal streams seem to be trying to wash away all traces of the bloody scenes enacted here.

The dress of the French ladies we met on the street appeared to be faultless, from the nicely-fitting glove to the dainty boot, although I cannot indorse the French heel. As a natural consequence, the ladies of this city, in which all our fashions origi

nate, have exquisite taste. If they put a spray of blossoms or an ostrich tip on a bonnet, tie a bow, or drape an overskirt, it at once possesses the charm of gracefulness. A French milliner has probably more grace in the tips of her fingers, than in her heart.

When we saw Paris by gas-light, we fully realized that we were in the "gay capital." Yes, evening is the time to see the gayety of Paris. The innumerable gas jets and electric lights make the city almost as light as day; the fashionable people in luxuriant attire are promenading; the vast number of cafés are brilliant and attractive; and outside, on the pavement, seated at small tables, are crowds of ladies and gentlemen sipping their favorite beverage from their dainty wine-glasses; and the display in the shop windows exceeds anything I ever saw elsewhere. The artistic taste in the arrangement of articles is wonderful! The jeweler's French plate glass windows, with rows of gas jets on the outside as well as inside, flashing and sparkling with diamonds, gold, silver and precious stones, attract you like a magnet-men just as well as women. Open-air concerts, enter

tainments of all sorts, to suit the different classes of people, operas, balls and games, serve to while away the time; and this gayety is kept up half the night, as they do their sleeping in the morning.

One day, passing through the magnificent arcades in the Rue de Rivoli, its shop windows rich with splendor, we at length reached the Louvre, that world-renowned museum, a perfect gem of architecture, and covering a space of forty acres. It is a vast palace in the form of a square, with an open court in the centre, thus giving a good light to all parts of the building. As the admission is free, these halls are thronged with visitors daily; and you can form some idea of the number, when I tell you that more than twenty thousand dollars per annum is received for depositing canes and umbrellas at the door, for which you pay a penny or two. People are not allowed to take canes, umbrellas, etc., into any picture gallery in Europe, as some would be thoughtless enough to use them for pointers.

This museum is a perfect wilderness of pictures, statuary, curiosities, relics from all parts of Europe and Egypt and Assyria. The Gallery de Apollon is the most beautiful hall in the Louvre, and is considered one of the finest in the world. It is two hundred and ten feet long. The ceiling paintings are very fine, and around the edge of the ceiling is the most beautiful statuary standing out in high relief. There are handsome inlaid tables and other furniture, dating from the time of Louis XIV. Glass cases in the centre contain objects of art, rare gems, etc. The collection of enamels is the most extensive and valuable in the world. One room of French porcelain consists chiefly of dishes adorned with snakes, frogs, fish, lizards, plants and flowers moulded from nature, and the coloring perfect, standing out life-like. Just fancy at one of your family gatherings, having a roast turkey on a platter of this description, and as the turkey diminished you would discover a huge snake coiled up in the bottom, with his head raised and tongue extended. The Egyptian sphynxes, sarcophagi, and the immense Assyrian winged bulls, four in number, are ponderous. It seems almost impossible that they were brought all the way from Africa and Asia; yet when we think of it, many seeming impossibilities are overcome by mechanical skill.

We walked through room after room of statuary, and finally found the one piece of sculpture of all others that we had been looking for the celebrated Venus of Milo. The face is very handsome, delicately carved and full of expression; but both arms are broken off, and it is otherwise mutilated. In passing through the almost endless number of picture galleries, said to contain seven miles of pictures, we found so many to admire that we will not attempt to mention those which pleased us most : suffice it to say, that we saw many, many masterly productions by Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Vandyke, Rembrandt, Paul Veronese, Albert Dürer, Claude Lorraine, Murillo, Holbein, Leonardo de Vinci, Quentin Massys, and many others.

The marine and ethnographical departments are very extensive, instructive and interesting.