An order had been given to the managers of all the theatres in Paris to
admit a certain number of soldiers of the army of occupation, free of
expense. It happened that a party of the Guards, composed of a
sergeant and a few men, went to the Theatre des Varietes on the
Boulevards, where one of the pieces, entitled Les Anglaises pour Rire,
was admirably acted by Potier and Brunet. In this piece Englishwomen
were represented in a very ridiculous light by those accomplished
performers. This gave great offence to our soldiers, and the sergeant
and his men determined to put a stop to the acting; accordingly they
stormed the stage, and laid violent hands upon the actors, eventually
driving them off. The police were called in, and foolishly wanted to
take our men to prison; but they soon found to their cost that they had
to deal with unmanageable opponents, for the whole posse of gendarmes
were charged and driven out of the theatre. A crowd assembled on the
Boulevards; which, however, soon dispersed when it became known that
English soldiers were determined, coute qu'il coute, to prevent their
countrywomen from being ridiculed. It must be remembered that the only
revenge which the Parisians were able to take upon the conquerors was
to ridicule them; and the English generally took it in good humour, and
laughed at the extravagant drollery of the burlesque.
The English soldiers generally walked about Paris in parties of a
dozen, and were quiet and well-behaved. They usually gathered every
day on the Boulevard du Temple, where they were amused with the
mountebanks and jugglers there assembled.
This part of Paris is now completely changed: but at the time I speak
of, it was an extensive open place, where every species of fun was
carried on, as at fairs: there were gambling, rope-dancing, wild
beasts, and shows; booths for the sale of cakes, gingerbread, fruit,
and lemonade; and every species of attraction that pleases the
multitude; but that space has now been built upon, and these sports
have all migrated to the barriers.
During the time our troops remained, we had only one man found dead in
the streets: it was said that he had been murdered; but of that there
was considerable doubt, for no signs of violence were found. This was
strongly in contrast to what occurred to the Prussian soldiers. It was
asserted, and, indeed, proved beyond a doubt, that numbers of them were
assassinated; and in some parts of France it was not unusual to find in
the morning, in deep wells or cellars, several bodies of soldiers of
that nation who had been killed during the night; so strong was the
hatred borne against them by the French.