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volition in ones direction or movement.
How the women & children escaped being
crushed I have no idea. You could but
well fall, but if once down no man would
ever have risen again. I was occasionaly
conscious of the presence of a child between
my legs - at that level the [indecipherable] was
not so great, but I can't conceive how
the little wretches managed to escape suffo-
cation. However they were borne along
merrily and seemed to think it good fun. I
did not afterwards hear of any "squashed
children" and suppose they escaped.
Two days ago I saw the fireworks and
illuminations here in rejoicing for the
baptism of the Prince Imperial and
was able to compare the two. In the
matter of taste I think very little was
displayed generally either here or in London.
The public part of the illuminations here
in the Jardin des Tuilleries, Place de la Concorde,
Champs Elysees, & at the Hotel de Ville
certainly much surpassed any that I saw in