This evening I give a fete, such as not been seen for years, at the Rue de France. You must know there is a custom in celebration of May in Nice; they hang up a garland and a lantern, dancing in circle and singing the while. Since Nice has become French this custom has been more and more neglected, and now you scarcely see three or four lanterns in the whole town. Well, as for me, I give them a rossigno. I call it thus because the Rossigno che vola is the most popular and the prettiest song in Nice. I have had prepared beforehand a big thing, consisting of foliage and flowers, and suspended across the street, decorated with Venetian lamps. Triphon (grandpapa's servant) has been entrusted with the preparation of fireworks on the wall of our garden, and charged to light up the scene from time to time with Bengal fire.... All these splendours are accompanied by a flute, a harp, a violin and cheered with wine in abundance. << less