A Sportsman 185 



wealth, which resulted in his conclusion to have a 

 commissioner sent out to examine and report officially 

 upon the subject. This afterwards led to the appoint- 

 ment of Louis Simonin, author of La Vie Suterraine, 

 a prominent French work on mines, and of other min- 

 ing works, and Professor of Geology in the French 

 "Ecole des Mines." Monsieur Simonin was also a 

 prominent contributor to the Revue des Deux Mondes, 

 published in several languages, in which after his visit 

 he gave extensive accounts of Colorado and his experi- 

 ences there. 



Our conversation with the Emperor then turned 

 toward Mr. Ruggles's subject of a universal system of 

 coinage, weights, and measures, which the Emperor 

 highly approved of, and remarked that such should be 

 decimal, which France had already adopted. The Em- 

 peror asked Mr. Ruggles if he had acquired a knowledge 

 of the French language, to which Mr. Ruggles had to 

 own he knew little of it, but thought he had acquired 

 a slight knowledge until a late incident satisfied him 

 how hopeless it was. A few days before, finding 

 himself confused in a part of the city he was unac- 

 quainted with, he thought it an appropriate occasion 

 to air the little French he had acquired, and approach- 

 ing a gendarme asked him the way to the Rue de 

 Rivoli, for if he could get there he would be all right 

 for anywhere he would wish to go. The gendarme had 

 him repeat his inquiry several times, and then, with a 

 puzzled air, said : 



"Pardon, monsieur, mais je ne comprend pas Alle- 

 mande " (Pardon, sir, but I do not understand German). 



The Emperor laughed very heartily at this, in 

 which Ruggles and I had to join. 



