DE

';^ffglyt:,tfrtft/ffimj£i
\fo>- the founding ef a. College ot-jAi-J Colony?

0

¦YAiLE'WanviEiasinnf- - iLmaiRAisy •

BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME
or THE
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RECOLLECTIONS

OF

PATtlS.

VOL. II.

Strahan and Prefton,
Printers-Street, London.

RECOLLECTIONS

OF

PARIS,
IN THE YEARS 1802-3^4-5.

By J. PINKERTON.
4 m _

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

LONDON:
RST REES
t, St. DAVI1
1806.

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN HURST REES & ORME, PATERNOSTER-ROW;
AND CADELL & DAVIES, STRAND.

CONTENTS OF
THE SECOND VOLUME.
V^HAP. I. Theatres. — Mufic . Page i
Chap. II. Revenues and Taxes. . . 8
Chap. III. Conftderations on a Commercial Treaty
•withFrance . .. 19
Chap. IV. Further Conftderations on a Commercial
Treaty between England and France . 5 ©
Chap. V. French Taverns . .88
Chap. VI. French Dinner . . . 96
Chap. VII. Drefs . . 105
Chap. VIII. Coronation of the Emperor . 11 1
Chap. IX. Verf allies . . 134
Chap. X. Popular Superflitions . 142
Chap. XI. The Garden ofthe Tuileries . 159
Chap. XII. Small Talk . . 169
Chap. XIII. The Pope and his Mule . 182
Chap. XIV. Churches . . 190
Chap. XV. Luxury of Paris . 195
Chap. XVI. The new Code of Laws . 217
Chap. XVII. SmallTalk . . 226
Chap. XVIII. Anfwer to Francois de NeuJ "chateau 241
Chap. XIX. Poles at Paris.— PoliJIj Literature 267
Chap. XX. Literary Journals . 303
Chap. XXI. Marriages . . 309
Chap., XXII. Geography of French Wines 323
Chap. XXIII. Longchamp . . 33a
Chap.

VI CONTENTS,1
Chap. XXIV. Chantilly . Page 33 J
Chap. XXV. Drunkennefs • 33"
Chap.* XXVI. Fragments' . .362
Chap. XXVII. Mode of Travelling . 397
Chap. XXVIII. Flanders . . 4°5
Chap.-XXIX. Bruffels . . 413
Chap. XXX. Antwerp . . -444
Chap. XXXI. Holland . . 473

RECOL-

RECOLLECTIONS OF
PJ RIS.

CHAP. I.
THEATRES.—- MUSIC.

tt is, not the intention of this work to re
peat the trivial themes of every travel
ler, but, even in the articles of amufement,
to offer fome degree of novelty, by the
obfervation of peculiar features or circum
ftances. I fhall not, therefore, enlarge up
on the theatres of Paris, nor attempt to de
fcribe the fplendid fafcination of the opera,
the moft magnificent fpe&acle in Europe.
The laft grand piece that appeared, was
called the Bards, being taken from the po
ems afcribed to Oflian. But the director of
VOL. ii. B the

**"*- THEATRES. — MUSIC.
the mufic is not accufedof much tafte j and
people were furprifed, or rather not fur
prifed, that inftead of the beautiful Scotifh
melodies, appropriated to the fubjecl, the
piece was filled with German, Italian,
and French mufic, far from being well put.
together. In general, the fatire of Rouffeau_has
little affedled the French mufic, which paf-
fes from the gentle to the loud and harfh,
without intermediate fhades; and has
never been approved by good judges. It
would be better entirely to adopt the Italian
fchobl. Some of the French fongs, or
melodies, are neverthelefs excellent ; . but
fuch is the pOwer of fafhion, that if an air
be old, and five 'years fometimes form an
epoch, it can.no longer be fung or played.
When the French is well fung, the fmaF <?,
in particular, being often accented, it ap
pears nearly as "melodious as the. Italian,
which the French, however, pronounce a
jahg*uage too foft and emafculate. The airs of

THEATRES. — MUSIC 3
of Auvergne, a mountainous country, are
often exquifite, with the fweetnefs and pa
thos of the Scotifh mufic, and fimilar re
petitions ; as, in the fong,
Quand j'etois chez mon pere,
Petite camifon, &c.
A good collection of the fongs 6f Au
vergne, words and mufic, would be very
acceptable to the lovers of natural me
lody. .The example of the air of Malbrquc,
may prove that the French are not wholly
irreconcileable to ancient mufic ; and a few
women of fafhion might, with no great
difficulty, reftore fome beautiful ancient
fongs to their due eftimation. An academy
of ancient mufic might alfo be found of
great importance, and, by fele&ions and
repetitions, might perhaps form a national
mufic of no fmall merit. This leads me to
obferve, that a. fele&ion of old French plays
is alfo wanted, exfclufiye df the celebrated
B 2 drarnatifts,

4 THEATRES. — MUSIC.
dramatifl6. Some authors have only writ-,
ten one good play, while all the reft might
be forgotten. The capital tragedy of Wen-
ce/Ias, by Jtotrou, is rivalled by the Effrit
Folet, a comedy, by a contemporary au
thor. The hymn of the Marfeillois, confidered
independently of 'all faction," is a truly no-,
ble air, and produces a fublime effect.
Such pieces are utterly prpfcribed at pre
fent, but they fhew that the French have
great talents for genuine mufic, if they
were properly directed and cultivated. It
has been faid that the French have proper
ly no national mufic ; but borrow from
their neighbours, in the mountains of
Savoy, as the Englifh have always borrow
ed frdm Scotland, infomuch, that the fup
pofed national air of God Save tbe King^ is
a mere tranfcript of a Scotifh anthem, pre-
ferved in a collection printed % at Aberdeen,
1682 : nor is it generally known that the
ccclefiaftic mufic of Scotland fometimes, rivals,

THEATRES. — MUSIC. 5
rivals the fecular. But, independently of
the fongs of Auvergne, the French have
other claims to national mufic, if a defec
tive routine were avoided, and more tafte
and felection difplayed' in producing the
beft features, inftead of the worft; but a
tafte for natural and perpetual beauty is un
happily rare, and the fongs of the' Graces
are drowned by the clangour and diffonance
of Comus and his crew. ,
Under the monarch y» there ufed to be
fifty or fixty good judges in the pit, who
generally pronounced an equitable decree
upon dramatic productions. But, fince the
revolution, . there is a complaint of want
of judges ; and the audience being raw and
untutored, often applauds filly plays, and
is afhamed to retract its favour; while, per
haps, in two or three inftances, good pie
ces have been condemned. The tragedy of
the Templers may probably ferve to reftore
and fix the national tafte, being perhaps
the beft dramatic effort which has appeared
B 3 within

& THEATRES. — MUSIC.
within thefe thirty years. A fimilar want
of judges may indeed be obferved in fome
Other departments, for1 example, that of
works of erudition ; the few judges that
remain having often parties and prejudices,
Tvhieh prevent a candid examination ; not
to mention a degree of nationality and
'jealoufy which warps their judgment,
and often leads to ridiculous preferences,
where the truth of the doctrines ought
to form the fole criterion. If this na
tionality were fet afide, the importation
of a dozen German profefforsj who,
inftead of idle theories, eafily formed
by the imagination, would inftitute fo
lemn , inquiries, and proofs refting on
authorities, would be of infinite advan
tage in the prefent ftate of French li
terature ; and the confequences of idle
{peculations in hiftory, for. example, have
been fufficiently proved, by the frightful
dreams of the revolution, to demonftrate
the importance of facts, cool judgment, aad

THEATRES. — MUSIC. J
and folid experience. Nor am I wandering
far from my fubjedt, for hiftory has, on
the theatre itfelf, been perverted to the7
worft purpofes of faction.

B 4 CHAP.

REVENUES AND TAXES.

CHAP. II.
REVENUES AND TAXES.
"TpHE moft authentic document of the
revenues of France is the Comptes
Generaux du Trcfor Public^ containing the
receipts an4 expences of the twelfth year
of the republic, ending in September 1804,
as reported to the emperor by the minifter
of the public treafury, Barbe-Marbois, a
public functionary of celebrated fkill and
integrity. As this work is in very few
hands, a fhort account of it may be inte-
refting to many.
Prefixed is an addrefs to the emperor by
the minifter, who compliments him on his
having commanded this publication. He
then proceeds to general obfervations on
the accompts, the order which has been
introduced

REVENUES AND TAXES. §
introduced into the finances ; and the gene
ral courfe of bufinefs at the treafury. The
operations of various years are afterwards
ftated : " The flownefs of operations in the
, treafury is an evil which muft be conftantly
combated, becaufe it always recurs ; but
confiderable accelerations have taken place
during the twelfth year. The receipts had
been valued at feven hundred millions,
(near thirty millions fterling) ; and this
fum has been realized, within twelve mil
lions, before the end of the year. The re
ceipts of the adminiftration of regifters
have arrived more fpeedily at the treafury,
than during the preceding years. Thofe v
of the cuftoms have alfo been lefs re
tarded." " The execution of the projects formed
for the profperity of the empire, has' not
been fufpended on account of the war.
Befides the ordinary funds affigned for the
highways, feven millions extraordinary havebeen

IO REVENUES AND TA^ES.
been allotted for the reparations ; two mil*
lions for the road by Mount Simplonj a
like fum for the great bridges ; fix millions.
for canals and drying roarfhes* ; two mil
lions and a half for internal navigation;
and three for the .reftoration of commercial
ports." The encouragement of the arts, the ex^
pences of the opera, the punctual payment
of the public annuities and penfions tp one
hundred thoufand people throughout all
parts of the empire, are afterwards men
tioned. The verificatibn by the arch-trea-
furer of the great book of the public, debt \
and the little lofs now fuftained by making
all payments in cafh, form other topics of
this prefatory addrefs.
The accompts follow, to the amount of
more than one hundred ¦ pages, but fome
official words and phrafes will prevent
their being completely intelligible tp the
general reader, whofe chief object, indeed,
6 is

REVENUES AND TAXES. Jt
is the grand refult. Yet the receipts of
ihe year twelve may be abftradted as a
fp'ecimen. DireEl Contributions.
trj wps. '-.
Ponciere (land tax) - - 21 0,000,000 '
Perfonal, moveables, and fumptuary 31,880,079
Additional -centimes - - 18,930,164
Doors and windows - - 16,000,000
Patents and licences - - 17,512,722
Voluntary contributions for the war 18,739,503

Total of dir-eft contributions 3 13,062,468

f 125,771,075;
I 44.967,223

Payments by Various Of/ices.
The regifter office, and that of na
tional domains -
Cuftoms - - ¦'- 33,054,276
Poft - - - - 7,400,000
Coinage .... 434,529
Lottery  15,658,500
Salt-works > • - - 2,700,000
Diverfe.
Receipts on fureties [catttionnemev.s) ' 22,257,66*2
Carry over .565,305*683 Brought

It REVENUES AND TAXES.

Brought over

S6S>3°S>6H

Grants of towns

S63>5*6

Indemnities of confcripts

1,749,561

Debts paid -

385>6'3

Gifts for the war -

i>567.745

Various -

1,832,011

National rents -

- , 73.2S8

Extraordinary and exterior receipts

116,221,135'

Total receipts of the twelfth year

687,698,53a

But from another table, page 34, it ap
pears that there are alfo fpecial funds which
yielded about forty millions ; and the gene
ral receipts for the twelfth year are com
puted at moire than feven hundred and
fixty-three millions. The fums paid that
year, which belong to preceding years, alfo
throw fome confufion into the general ac-
compt. There is however a general table
ofthe receipt and expence, page in, in
which it, is mentioned, that the total receipt
is eight hundred and twelve millions, and
the expence. eight hundred and fixteen; but

REVENUES AND TAXES.

r3

but that from both thefe fums fhould be
deducted forty-eight millions, which ftriaiy
belong to-the tenth year ; fo that the real
receipt will be feven hundred and fixty-
four millions, and the expence feven hun
dred and fixty-eight millions. Hence
the real revenue of France may be com
puted at thirty-two millions of pounds
fterling. But as fome idea has been given of the
receipt, a like notice may not be unfatif-
factory concerning the expenditure :

Public debt and pennons -

94,827,655

Civil lift (Maifon de Pempereur)

4,666,667

Minifter of war

1 8 7,406,674

Adminiftration of war

*'34>504,9<53

Marine - _

213,519,056*

Interior -

57,648,196

Public wprfhip

5>232j057

Mirtifter of finances r

40,173,895

Public treafury -

6,607,208

Exterior relations - -

7,596,096

Carry over'

752,182,467

Brought

»4

REVENUES AND TAXES*

/. i

Brought over 752,182,467

Juftice

, - - - .4i»7J7»458

General

police _ - - - I94>887

Expence

of negotiations - - 19,368,075

813,462,881
" — I — ' 

But fome other expences fwell the
amount to near eight hundred and fixteen
millions ; from which, forty-ejght millions
muft be deducted as above mentioned.
So much for the general amount ; but
there are particular tables which deferve
notice. The council of ftate receives
IjSgo,ooo livres ; the fenate four millions ;
the legiflative body 2,464,006 ; the tribu-
Ei.te i,26"J,684. , Thefe and fome- other
payments are made by the minifter .of the
finances. While the minifter of war pays the artil
lery, engineers, imperial guard, &c. the
adminiftration of war, a diftinct branch,
defrays the other expences of tbe army ;
among which, what are called the" majfes are

REVENUES AND TAXES. 15
are the moft confiderable, including bread,
forage, fire, drefs, beds* hofpitals, &c.
Among the expences of the marine, are
claffed the works conduded at Boulogne,
Ambleteufe, Oftend, Antwerp, Breft,
l'Orient, Toulon, Fort Boyard ; and thofe
at Cherbourg are rated at 2,315,050 livres.
Among thofe paid by the minifter of the
interior, are the canals: of St. Quentin,
Aries, to join the Vilaine and Ranee, be
tween Dijon and Dole, of Blavet. It would
feem from one of the accompts, that the
.mafters of the fchools in the departments
receive about 880,000 livres, and the ex-
pence ofthe lycees is about 1,200,000. In
the accompts for the twelfth year (for feveral
years are here included), the expence ofthe
national inftitute is rated at 356,701 livres,
and the garden of plants 265,000, while the
opera coft 631,000, which may fhew how
•tnuch amufenient is preferred to inftruc-
tion. At the' end are tables of the public debt and

l6 REVENUES AND TAXES.
and penfions, beginning with the perpetual
rents or five per cents confolidated ; then
proceeding to the annuities, the penfions,
and the life-rents paid by the ftate. As
certified by the arch- treafurer, the annual
payment on the five per cents amounted
to - - 46,6-4,634 francs.
Annuities - ig^^,5S°
Penfions of ftate 24,89 1 , 1 77
9°»854»361
The latter cannot ftriaiy be regarded as a
part of the public debt. If we eftimate the
annual payment at fixty millions of francs,
this intereft, at five per cent, would require
a capital of one milliard, two hundred
millions of francs, or fifty millions fterling,
the intereft being two millions, five hun
dred thoufand pounds.
Before the revolution, it appears, from
the reports of Necker, that the revenue of
France was five hundred and fifteen mil
lions ; fo that the augmentation is almoft
precifely

REVENUES- AND TAXES. I'J
precifely one third, which is not* to ^be
wondered at, from the great acceffion of
territory, not to mention other caufes. The
public debt before the revolution: was com
puted at five milliards., or more than two
hundred millions fteslingj.fo that it is dimi-
nifhed by mqre than three quarters, j
Yet to raife this immenfe revenue, not a
few taxes are required. The people of
Paris, in particular, complain that the taxes
are higher than before the revolution, while
the means' of paying them are diminifhed.
The taxes in general amount, as in London,
to about one third of the rent ; and it is an
unpleafing1 circumftance, that inftead of
being paid at home, as here, the citizens
muft go to the offices, and perhaps wafte a
day or two in attendance before their turn
come in the crowd. The hotels being
divided into numerous floors or houfes,
each tenant pays his taxes ; but the land
lord, or chief tenant, who rents the whole,
is refponfible if any fail to pay. A printed
., vol.. ii- c paper

lS REVENUES AND TAXES.
p^per is. fent in once or twice in the year,
ftating the amount of each tax on move
ables, windows, &c. ; and if the notice be
not complied with, it is followed in a fort
night by another, threatening the feizure of
goods in cafe of further delay.
In the country, the farms being more
divided, and greater fkill and induftry
exerted than before the revolution, the
taxes are not fo heavily felt j but as Paris
is the focus of public opinion, it might feeni
prudent to alleviate the taxes of the capital,
which might be fupplied by more general
branches of finance.

cr&AP.

CONSIDERATIONS, &C.. J,Q

CHAP. III.
CONSIDERATIONS ON A COMMERCIAL TREATY
WITH FRANCE.
•npHE lading 'enmity between England and
France, has long filled thinking men
of all natipns with the deepeft regret. This
perpetual ftate of warfare, between the two
moft enlightened] countries of the world, is
not confined tp their own provinces, bu£
has repeatedly deluged Europe, and indeed
the whole world, with blood and. rapine.
The progress of mental illumination, whicla
ought to he accompanied by general bene
ficence, as the fupreme dejigfyt of elevated
mjn4$ is to confer benefits and increafe hap
pinefs, yet feems, in this inftance, only to
increafe th,e hardnefe of obduracy, and to
empoifon !tjhe fjtjngs of mutual rancour.
c 2 In

CQ CONSIDERATIONS ON A
In former ages, when the true intereft of
ftates was feldom known and fittle con-
fulted, thefe perpetual contefts could only
have been terminated by the utter deftruc-
tion of one ofthe parties ; but at the prefent
period, when the future may be read in
long recorded experience, the voice of rea
fon will interfere, and point out the infal
lible confequences of fuch an event. As
Athens and Sparta were faid to be the two
eyes of Greece, fo England and France may
juftly be pronounced , to be* the two eyes,
not- only of Europe, but of the world. For
what other nations can enter into the com
parifon, with regard to the arts and fciehces,1
the general intelligence'' and enterprife of
the people, and all the arts of civilized
life ? At the further extremity of Afia, we
find indeed two grand civilized nations,
placedby the hand of providence nearly in
the fame -natural circuniftances ; the iflands
of Japan,1, conflfting of a larger 'and two
fmaller, refemblirigf Our Great Britain' and
Ireland.

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 3 I
Ireland. They are peopled by thirty or
forty millions of induftrious inhabitants, in
the, higheft ftate of Afiatic civilization,
which only wants the enterprise which
neceffity lends to the European. Thefe
iflands are divided by a fhort navigation
from the grand empire of China, that
univerfal repertory of the human race, con
taining, according to moderate calculations,
about two hundred and thirty millions.
The Ghinefe, during the latter half of the
laft century, increafed their dominions to a
prodigious extent on the north and weft, by
the conqueft or affumption of the territories
of the Monguls,' of little Bucharia, and of
Tibet, fo that it equals all Europe in fize.
The Japanefe, though a moft warlike people,
and ready to throw away their lives for the
moft trifling and imaginary point of honour,
have yet never felt any apprehenfion, nor
difplayed any indignation upon this occa
fion. Contented with their fertile iflands,
and extenfive commerce, if they at all
c 3 intereft

22 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
intereft themfelves in the affairs on the con
tinent, it is to obferve the occafions of im
proving their trade.
This practical leffon of wifdom might
perhaps have been imitated, if our ftatefmen
Tiad ever heard of Japan, .except from its
cabinets and porcelain; if our mandarins
were obliged to go throiigh a. regular courfe
of education, "to qualify them for their
offices. But as the geography ofthe neigh
bouring iftates is much ftudied in Japan,,
the minifters are no ftrangers to the prodi
gious wealth, population, and refources of
China, and do not choofe to violate the ever
beneficent intentions of God and nature by
ufelefs wars againft that mighty empire,
which if they were fuccefsful at fea, rrught
greatly increafe their commerce, while the
fhips of the enemy would not dare to leave
their harbours, hut could only terminate in
the exhauftion of their own refources, and
in the aggrandizement of twenty or thirty
thoufand individuals ; while, as there are no

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. &J
no workhoufes, one quarter of the nation
would be reduced to abfolute beggary, and
two thirds of the remainder, not only op-
prefled with intolerable taxation, but de
prived of the former comforts of their
exiftetaee. A Japanefe mandarin would be
¦degraded, and probably, in their ufual way,
be obliged to open his belly, however re
plete with venifon, turtle, and delicious
liquors, if he even ventured to propofe fuch
aieafures, as under the mafk of prefent ad
vantage, and prodigious commercial prof
perity, would excite the deepeft envy and
hatred of other ftates, and fow the infallible
feeds of the future deftrudtion of his
country. To return from this digreffion, I have
repeatedly heard fome ofthe moft enlight
ened men in France, regret the enmity
which prevails between their couptry and
England. They at the fame time did not
hefitate to aflert, that if even this country
^could be conquered, which they ihew'ed -no
c 4 difpofition

24 ."Qi'i CONSIDERATIONS ON A
difpofition to believe, their advantages
would be of a moft fleeting nature, and
chiefly confined to the foldiery. By €x-
tinguifhing a rival in the arts and fciences,
they would themfelves fink into fupinenefs
and apathy, and Europe would lofe a great
inftrudrefs. The fame eternal wifdom
which has allotted diftind talents to differ
ent individuals, and inftituted fociety by the.
neceffity of mutual aid and intercourfe, has
in like -manner affigned different attributes
and qualities to thofe large portions of man
kind which we term nations ; and which
being influenced by diftind laws, cuftoms,
and above all moulded as it were by the
habits and paffions imbibed by example in
early life, become nearly as inherent as the ,
individual charader. Thus, in perufing
hiftory, we find that one people has been
celebrated for fcience, as the Egyptians ; for
commerce, as the Phoenicians and Cartha
ginians; for arms, as the Romans; for
philofophy, as the Athenians ; and other
qualities

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 2f
qualities " might be", particularifed. But if
any one nation were to feek tp affume all
the qualities, fhe would, fo to fpeak, coun-
terad the beautiful order, and break the
golden chain of mutual intercourfe and
affiftance, which has diffufed civilization
throughout Europe. But this argument is
unneceffary, for the over-ruling hand of
providence will not permit the laws of
nature and mutual intercourfe tobe violated.
England fends annually vaft fums to China
in order to procure tea, which has becpme
one of the neceffaries of life. It would no
doubt be a moft patriotic idea, and in the
eyes of a French ceconomijle a* very enlight
ened projed, to fill England with green
houfes for the cultivation of tea, that we
might be preferved from an annual fubfidy
to China. But our plain fenfe w'ould re
gard fuch a plan as an idle vifion of author-
fhip, and is contented to fuffer this perpe
tual drain, for what is in truth a mere fuper-
fluity. In like manner, the difference of
7 foil,

£6 ' CONSIDERATIONS ON A
foil, climate, and produdions, renders na
tions mutually dependent upon each other
from pole to pole ; and this neceffary inter
courfe has been the grand mean of the in
creafe of knowledge and civilization, the
natural medium of commerce being peace
and amity among nations ; and if, by a
fi-ngular concurrence of circumftances, it
ihould be found to profper amidft hoftilities
and bloodfhed, fuch a ftate may be pro
nounced to be violent and of fhort duration.
Fo» if it could happen in human affairs, that
a nation could reap commercial advantages
by the devaftation and impoverishment of
other countries, which feems to be in "itfelf
a contradidion in terms, that nation muft
in the eye of reafon and benevolence, ap
pear as an individual wlio cannot exi*ft
except by nefai ious means, and who trem
bles on the very brink of focial law. Otn
the cither hand, a nation which fhould feek
the deftrudion of another, becaufe her fu
perior in wealth and' commerce, ads indeed upon

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. '27
upon the natural principle of violence,
which has always excited, barbarians to
attack civilized countries, but would little
difplay her own magnanimity, or an en
lightened regard to general order, policy,
and felicity.
Orators have ftyled the French and En
glifh natural enemies. Nature knows no
enmity, except that between vice and virtue.
The founder of our religion has faid, " Ye
know not of what fpirit ye are. He that
ufes the fword fhall perifh by the fword."
Hence the worthy Quakers, who afpire to
a literal obfervance of the precepts of chrift
ianity, rejed warfare, as totally inconfonan't
with their religion ; in' other words, they
deny the exiftence of natural enmity among
mankind. The law 'of refiftance muft how
ever be admitted, as ftridly natural; and if
one nation were to endeavour to conquer
and deftroy another, there is inconteftibly
a right of natural enmity. I choofe to for-
get, that the minifters of one nation threat ened

28 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
ened to blot out another, from the map of
Europe. Such tranfitory ebullitions of
anger muft be buried in mutual oblivion.
What would Japan gain by the annihilation
of China, except the acceffion of barbarians,
who would have no occafion for her com
modities ?
That the enmity between England and
France is neither natural nor neceffary, may
appear from a rapid glance on their hiftory.
In the moft early times, it would appear,
from Casfar, that the tin mines of Eng
land were celebrated, and that her ample
meadows produce numerous herds of cat
tle. In exchange for tin and fkins, Gaul
fent the gold found iff the fands of her
rivers, the luxurious ornament of the Bri
tifh chieftains. Under the Roman empire,
the intercourfe was alike friendly and per
petual. When the Angles and Saxons had
eftablifhed their petty* kingdoms, France,
likewife frequently divided, was no objed
of rivalry. Offa king of Mercia, heard
* with

COMMERCrAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 29
t
with aftonifhment the cortquefts of Char
lemagne, and fent ambaffadors with
prefents, which were requited in the moft
friendly manner. Offa neither trembled at
the prodigious extent of -thefe conquefts,
nor fent to inquire if the fleets of Charle
magne were deftined for ari invafion. In
fhort, one thoufand, perhaps fifteen-* hun
dred years, had elapfed in perpetual amity
and intercourfe ; and the rude commerce in
French wines and Britifh produds, among
which were feveral faints, continued to
profper, till William the Conqueror, in an
evil hour, by his poffeffions in France, en
chained this happy country to continental
politics. Repeated wars afte'r wards arofe
en account of thefe poffeffions ; and in the
courfe of three centuries, "Edward III.
thought proper to affert his right to the
crown' of France, an idle pretenfion, inad-
miffible by the Salic law, or fundamental
conftitution of the kingdom, but which
was to' be ftamped on our coin/ difplayed in

30 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
in our fenates, and borne on our banners
through all the regions of the navigable
world. This. little vanity, unworthy of a
fpirited and magnanimous people, has only
been recently difmiffed : and a further
proof of good fenfe would be to difmife
pur natural enmity.
Yet, in the more recent periods of our
hiftory, long periods have occurred of amin
ty with France. In the field of the cloth
©f gold, Henry VIII. was no natural ene-t
my of France, though his fiuduating polir
tics prevented him from decifive condud ;
and it was left to Elizabeth to curb the ami
bitious fanaticifm of Spain, flufhed with
colonial wealth, and afpiring to univerfal
empire, which, whether by fea or land*
has always ruined the country that pretend?
ed to predominancy, by the infallible wafte
of blood and treafure. That great princess
would have even become a natural friend
of France, by marrying the duke of Anjou,
if ihe had not been prohibiled by perfonal
5 or

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH ERANCE. It

J'

or religious motives. James I., a monarch
defpifed by the injuftice of mankind, be
caufe he preferred the bleflings of peace to
the horrors of war, was the grand founder
of the fhips, commerce, and colonies of
England, but did not confider the deftruc-
tion of France as any part of his plan.
The wild expedition in defence of the pro
tectants, and fome incoherent events of; the
commencement of the following reign,
were produced hy the private, pique of that
unwieldy favourite the duke of Bucking
ham. Charles I. had married the daughter
of Henry the Great, and was the very na
tural friend of grace and beauty. Over the
reign of Charles II. the veil may bt
dropped, as the intercourfe was little ho
nourable while the king was penfioner of
France; a compliment which was returned'
whert the duke of Orleans, regent, or at
leaft his minifter, became the penfion«rs*o*f
England. But

32 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
But the reign of Louis XIV. muft not
be paffed in filence, as it was his ambition
which gave birth to the laft furious blaze
of enmity, of which the effeds are ftill
perceivable. He was accufed of «afpiring,
to univerfal dominion ; and the bigotry of
his latter years, foftered by Madame de
Maintenon, rendered him an implacable
enemy of the proteftant faith, and, eventu-j
ally, of the induftry of his dominions, as
appeared by the revocation of the edid j of
Nantz, the confequences Of which aire in
calculable, and can never bp remedied.. It
is-vain, therefore, to adduce the rivalry of
England, as a chief caufe of the decline of
the French .manufadUres, while, in fad,
the pernicious counfels-of Louis XIV. alone;
merit the reprobation of his patriotic coun
trymen. : The inveterate enmity of thar
pompous- and really magnificent monarch-
agSinft the proteftant fyftem, of courfe ex-;
cited a religious war, the moft intenfe- o£
all

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 33
Ml enmities. Hence the king of France
and the Whofe of Babylon were infepafa-
bly mairf led by the high priefts of prejudice,
and the Pretend'er formed another head of
this new Cerberus, whom the populace re
garded as the fpecial precurfor of Satan and
Antichrift. This truly theological hatred
Was followed by its ufual confequences,,.
contemptuous expreffions, and all the vili
fications of religious zeal, which regards
its enemies as the enemies of God, and
rancour as a proof of devotion. The
French, on the contrary, having no religi
ous enmity, fpoke of their antagonifts with
the moderation which becomes a great nation,
ahd often with the applaufe which candour
extorted from their politenefs ; while our
painters, noveliftS, and dramatifts, facrificed
to depraved prejudices by the moft ridicu
lous caricatures of a gay and gallant people.
Above all, French flavery was a conftant
theme, and the other tropes were fo mime*
fous, that no old lady could have exceeded
vol. 11. J> <- us

34 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
us in expreffions pf altercation: verba femini-
na^fa&a mafculina. Like other iflanders, we
faw little of foreigners ; and having no
ftandard of comparifon, the moft indifferent
varieties of manners and drefs, occafioned
expreffions of outrage and contempt from
the mobility, refemblihg thofe of the peo
ple of Vallais when a ftranger appears
without a goitre. This infular arrogance,
arifing from the want of familiar inter
courfe with other nations, was alfo obferved
in Sicily by the ancients, and afcribed to
the fame caufe. A nobler motive, howe
ver, exifted with us, and which has perhaps
led Goldfmith, with the flattery of a poet,
to call us " the lords of human kind ;" this
wa§ the facred flame of liberty and indepen
dence, venerated and applauded by the
French themfelves: 'but the great qualities
of a nation, like thofe of an individual,
are heightened by modefty and difgraced
by ^rrogance. A great mafter of the hu
man heart might have advifed us to " wear our

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE.1 $$

•

our faculties meekly," in order to affert our
claim to fuperior rank ; but, as if it were
deftined that the faults fhould be balanced*
the Great Nation has appeared, and the
French begin to fcold us, as a proof that
they are our rivals.
Yet the regent duke of Orleans lived in
ftrid amity with England ; and George L
was the ally of France againft Auftria.
The war with Spain, in 1739, led to
that with France, which has been followed
by repeated contefts. The abfurdity,. how
ever, began to be fo clearly feen, that Mr.
Pitt,' though a violent antigallican, by
birth, parentage, and education, perceived
at length the real intereft of the country*
and entered into a commercial treaty with
France. This commercial treaty was
the more liberal, as it commenced foon
after the termination of a war, in which
France had affifted the American colonies
againft the parent country, and continued
till 1793, when an ill-ftarred ambition led
D 2 its

$6 ^ CONSIDERATIONS ON* A k
its founder 'to a rupttire with France,
riot from any apprehenfions of the prepon
derance of that power, which he was even
tually fo much to increafe. No ; his talent
¦was eloquence, and not fagacity : eloqnentitt
fatis, fapientiee parum. He was, like his
father, ambitious to be diftinguifhed in the
eternal page of hiftory ; and he^knew that
a pacific minifter is fcarcely once mention
ed. JHe had before twice attempted in
vain this diftindiori, by a meditated wat
againft Ruflia, for a town called Oczacow>
of Which he knew nothing: and with
Spain for an acre of ice on-Nootka Sound.
Difappointed by a Vigorous and wife oppo
sition, he eagerly feized the opportunity of
a Coalition, for the divifion and annihilation
of France, when fhe feemed loft in inteftine
commotions. But the bear was not killed;
and, by a fmgular deftiny,. this famous
ftatefman, as well as his father, expended
prodigious quantities of blooH and treafure,
to accomplifh 'precifely What they wifhed to

COMMERCIAL TREAT Y^ WITH FRANCE, if
to prevent. For the acquifition of Canada,
at the expence of one hundred millions,
was the lofs of America ; and repeated co
alitions, at the expence of two hundred
and fifty millipns, have laid Europe at the
feet of France.
Mr. Pitt's commercial treaty is, however,
little to be regretted. The French appear
to have been duped ; and this nation was
ftill ¦ poifoned with Portuguefe wine. It
was conduded on the ancient principles of
routine, in which one minifter tries to out
wit another ; and, in order that the reve
nue might not fuffer, the people were not
permitted to enjoy the common comforts
pf life, which lay fo eafily within their
reach, and to folace their cares with a glafs
of the genuine and generous juice of the
grape. For the financial reafons of this
celebrated treaty, the reader may confult
Smith's Wealth of Nations, in which he
will find a juft expofition of the folly
of our condud towards France. James
D 3 Howell,

38 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
Howell, who was fent abroad by a wine
company in the reign of Charles L, to ex
amine what wines were fit for the Britifh
market, has folemnly declared in his letters,
that Portugal produces no wine worth ex
portation. On the fpot, indeed, it is little
better than our elder wine, till it be mixed
with a portion of Spanifh brandy, to the
great injury of the tender coats of the fto^
mach, of the nerves, and of the head ;
while French wine, as may be judged by
the known charader of the nation, univer-
fally wine drinkers, rich and poor, imparts
health and gaiety.
A landlord who, in order to improve his
revenues, fhould deftroy the health and
morals of his tenants, and even deny them
the common comforts of life, would
encounter the moft deferved cenfures. In
like manner, an adminiftration which fhould
difplay a fimilar fpirit towards a country at
large, is equally reprehenfible. The tenants
have, indeed, the refource of quitting the
eftate :

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 39
eftate ; but a financial minifter, who may
in many refpedts be pronounced to be a
kind of peftilence, is extremely anxious
that his miferable prey fhould not . efcaps
him, and any hint of emigration throws
him into convulfions. His tools are all at
work to mifreprefent the ftate of more fa
voured countries ; and the public opinion
is fq. completely perverted, that the moft
palpable fubjeds are mifunderftood, and,
as in the plagues of Egypt, the ferpents
are followed by total darknefs.
A commercial treaty between England
and France ought to be arranged by refped-
able merchants, chofen on each , fide, and
calculated on the moft candid principles of
equal gain, and of the moft favoured na
tions. Such foundations can alone giv e it
a lafting ftability ; and as pradice differs
much from theory, annual or biennial
meetings might be held alternately at Lon
don and Paris', to remedy any inconvenien-
cies, and fupply any omiffions. The do-
d 4 minions

40 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
minions of France are fo large, that fome
facrifices may well be made, in order to
fecure fo important a trade : and England,
with the commerce of the whole globe,
can afford to make fome facrifices. Inde
pendently of financial quackery, the cafe
is a fimple exchange of the commodities
of one country for thofe of the other.
France is a great agricultural country, re
plete with vineyards, olives, and other pro-
dudions unknown to the climate of Eng
land ; which, in return, has flourifhing
manufadures, and a ftock of foreign arti
cles. In that language which fpeaks' home
to men's bofoms, Dr. Franklin would have
faid, " gentlemen, one of you is a wine-
merchant, and the other a dealer in toys.
Qannot you accommodate each other, and
live in peace, without jhefe conftant quar
rels which diftrad the whole neighbour
hood?" But forae obftacles remain to be confi
dered. On the part of France there are,
many

POMMERGIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE, /fi
^Jany errors, proceeding from a ramifica
tion of thofe theoretic principles whiofjt
Jiad a fatal influence in the French revolur
tion, and vyhich, though fplendid in theo
ry, are fallacious jn pradice ; the equality
pf nations being as abfurd as that of indi
viduals. As one individual excels in one
-talent, and another in another, fo na
tions have different attributes and ad
vantages. If France wifhes to rival Eng
land in fhips, colonies, and commerce ;
England might as well attempt to rival
France in extent of territory, in popula
tion,' in vineyards, and other peculiar and
exclufive advantages. France has already
many excellent manufadures of velvets,
(ilks, broad cloths, linen, laces, porcelain,
glafs, &c. But if fhe afpire to all forts of
manufadures, fhe would only expofe her
felf to great inconveniences, and injure
a far more firm and lafting branch of na
tional dependence, her agriculture. It is,
perhaps, in eonfequenee of the vaft increafe of

42 CONSIDERATION* ON A
of our manufadures, that, for half a cen-v
tury paft, England has not fupplied a fuffi-
ciency of grain for the inhabitants ; and
many real patriots, who prefer the morals
of a country to its finances, have lamented
the progrefs of manufadures, which have
introduced drunkennefs and debauchery,
debility and difeafe, into, the tranquil vales
of rural life, formerly the feats of inno
cence, health, and vigour. France is by
nature a moft fertile, agricultural, and pro-*
dudive region, bleft with the happieft of
climates. ; Her profperity feems very little
to depend on manufadures, trade, or colo
nies. Like China, fhe fuffices to herfelf.
England, pn the contrary, in, a more
northern and humid climate, and not pror
ducing even grain enough for annual ufe,
is of courfe obliged to depend on com
merce ; while the very climate recommends
manufadures, conduded under fhelter.
Her colonies and commerce have, more-
Over, been conduded on fuch grand and
durable
13

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 43
durable principles, as juftly to excite the
admiration of the French themfelves ;
while the glaring defeds of their own
commercial and colonial eftablifhments,
have excited the derifion of their own
writers, from Lery, in the imiddle of the
fixteenth century, who, after defcribing
the ruin of the colony in Brazil, pronoun
ces it a peculiar quality of his countrymen,
to begin well and end ill, down to Volney
in the nineteenth, who has fo well depided
the caufes of the degradation of the French
colonies. Idle theorifts, and, pretended
patriots, who muft afcribe the calamities
of France to England, ad as juftly as
thofe invidious bigots, who accufed the
Roman farmer of magic, becaufe his fields
were far more produdive than their own ;
but, when he brought to the door of the
fenate his vigorous fons who aflifted him,
his oxen and his ploughs, and other inftru
ments of labour, adding, " I cannot fhew
you my toil and my early hours," inftead of

44 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
of condemnation, tfiiere was general applaufe.
England deferve?> her colonies and com
merce, becaufe r hey were generally acquir
ed with pruden ce and moderation, govern
ed with impartial and equal juftice, foftered
with confun>mate policy and liberality.
No pofition in natural law can be more
clear, than tfftat an induftrious man has a
right to enjpy the fruits of his labour, the
eftate whic'n he has bought by the rewards
of his toil ; and 'if, in a moment of fub-
verfion, an adventurer were to feize on
that eftate, it would not profper in his
hands, 'out, from the unavoidable want of
equal feill and management, would foon go
to decay. In treating objeds of fuch im
portance to nations, and generations of
mankind, timidity muft be laid afide.
After confiderable attention to the fubjed,
I often declared at Paris, and now repeat
my opinion, that the French are, of all
European nations, the moft unfit for com
merce or colonies. The caufes have been
detailed

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 45
detailed by their own writers, ¦ the chief
being the want of ftability of charader, of
longanimity, of perfeverance'and patience
in purfuing a purpofe, inceffant mutability
and defire of change, and, efpecially fince
the revolution, complete egotifm, and the
confequent contempt of probity. Among
individuals, there are great and glorious
exceptions, but fuch individuals do not
form colonies. If the French were in pof
feffion of our colonies, they would be
utterly ruined in the courfe of twenty
years, if haply fome abfurd decree did not,
in one day, reduce them to the ftate of
St. Domingo.
Thefe obfervations, however fevere in
appearance, are not didated by' any nation
al fpirit, but their juftice will, it is believed,
be admitted by all thinking and candid men
in France itfelf. It is, however, a habitual
defed in human nature, moft ardently to
defire thofe advantages which we do not
•poffefs, while the numerous inconvenien- cies

46 CONSIDERATIONS ON A
cies which may attend their poffeffion,
efcape our obfervation. France is endued
by nature with infinite advantages, which
have long rendered her the firft of the con
tinental nations of Europe, and flie little
needs to envy the advantages of others.
Opulent in native produds, and a territory
of vaft extent, what occafion has fhe for
commerce or colonies ? Powerful by land,
why fhould fhe defire the dominion of the
fea, which England has acquired by an
education and perfeverance of three hun
dred years ? Muft the farmer abfolutely be
alfo a merchant : muft the renowned gene
ral be alfo a fkilful admiral ? Nature fays
no : and, if we be vain enough to ftruggle
againft her laws, we muft finally obey
them. The obftacles, therefore, on the part of
France, will be found chiefly to arife frotri
the mifconceptions of theory, which infer
that one nation may poffefs all the advan
tages of any other ; and that it would be
the

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 47
the intereft of France, inftead of the natu
ral exchange of her produds for the maiiu-
fadures of England, to try the experiment
of introducing thefe manufadures intp her
own dominions. Some Frenchmen, , of
more zeal than knowledge, have even de
clared that a war with England is lefs ruin
ous than a commercial treaty. . They fpoke
from their experience of the laft ; but
when the prefent principles were fome-
what explained, the objedions foon vanish
ed, and the view of mutual advantage foon
produced ideas of mutual amity.
On the part of England, the fpirit of
monopoly and exorbitant gain, muft, in
this inftance, be abandoned ; and financial
Machiavelifm muft be laid afide, in treating
with a military government, difpofed to
franknefs, when accofted with fincerity.
The noted treaty made by Sir Paul Methu
en, which converted Portugal into a vine
yard, and denied her bread, muft be laid
on' the fhelf with the treaty of Weftphalia, and

4$ CONSIDERATIONS ON A
-.and other antiquated politics, of no more h(4
at the prefent period, than a fuit of armour
in the ROyal Exchange. Inftead of being
proverbial among nations for our naufeoug
and unwholefome beverages^ our malt li*
quor made without malt, and our wine
without pne drop of the juice of the grape^
we may have generous and wholefom*!
French wines on our tables at moderate
prices. Among the miracles of the finan*
cial fyftem, will it be believed, in the future
hiftory of our manners, that our common
people, were maddened and deftroyed
by fpirituous liquors ;> that in a country ^
the miftrefs of the feas, the deareft pries'
•was paid for fifh ; and that the richeft na
tion in the univerfe, drank the moft deteft*
able liquors in the univerfe ? In the name
common fenfe, let us forefee what pofterity1
will do for us, let us not facrifice, to ideal
confideration s, all the common comforts of
life, and live like mifers, that we may be
buried like princes. But, if only a mode-
6 rate

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 49
rate duty were impofed on French wines,
the fuperiority of the produd, and the
proximity of the market, would occafion
fuch univerfal demand, that the quantity
imported would itfelf be a great fource of
revenue. But to grant the importation, aa
in the laft inftance, and afterwards to lay
duties which amount to a prohibition,
would be a piece of jefuitifm fufficient to
deftroy the whole effed of the treaty,
which, to be really and laftingly beneficial,'
muft.be built on the broadeft bafis of good
faith and fincerity. '

VOL. U. E CHAP.

5« FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A

CHAP. IV.
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A COMMERCIAL
TREATY BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE.

U'

'PON the topics above mentioned, I am
happy to have the concurrence of the
ableft of all writers upon political economy.
Dr. Smith, in his Wealth of Nations, has
thus difcuffed the confequences of a com
mercial treaty between the two moft power
ful countries of Europe *.
" To lay extraordinary reftraints upon
the imporiation of goods of almoft all kinds,
from thofe particular countries with which
the balance of trade is fuppofed to be difad-
vantageous, is the fecond expedient by
which the commercial fyftem propofes to
increafe the quantity of gold and filver,
* Vol. II. p. 217, j ith edition, 1805^
Thus

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. $1
Thus in Great Britain, Silefia lawns rhay
be imported for home confumption, upon
paying cerfain duties ; but French cambrics
.and lawns are prohibited to be imported,
except into the port of London, there to
be warehoufed for. exportation. Higher
duties are impofed upon the wines of France
than tipon thofe of Portugal, or indeed of
any other country. By what is called the
rmpoft, 1692, a duty of five and twenty
per cent of the rate or value, was laid upon
all French goods ; while the goods of othet
nations were, the greater part of them, fub-
jeded to much lighter duties, feldom ex
ceeding five per cent. The wine, brandy,
fait, and vinegar of France were indeed ex
cepted ; thefe commodities being fubjected
to other heavy duties, either by other laws,
pr by particular claufes of the fame law.
In 1696, a fecond duty of twenty-five per
cent, the firft not having been thought a
fufficient difcouragernent, was impofed up
on all French goods, except brandy; to-
e 2 gether

52 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
gether with a new duty of five and twenty
pounds upon the tun of French wine ; and
another of fifteen pounds upon the tun of
French vinegar. French goods have never
been omitted in any of thofe general fub-
fidies, or duties of five per cent, which
have been impofed upon all, or the greater
part, of the goods enumerated in the book
of rates. If we count the one-third, and
two-third fubfidies, as making a complete
fubfidy between them, there have been five
of thefe general fubfidies ; fo that, before
the commencement of the prefent war, fe
venty-five per cent may be confidered as
the loweft duty, to which the greater part
of the goods of the growth, produce, or
manufadure of France were liable. But,
upon the greater part of thefe goods, thofe,
duties are equivalent to a prohibition. The
French in their turn have, I believe, treated
our goods and manufadures juft as hardly;
though I am not fo well acquainted with
the particular hardfhips which they have im
pofed

CCiMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 53
pofed upon them. Thofe mutual reftraints
have put an end to almoft all fair com
merce between the two nations, and fmug-
glers are now the principal importers, either
of Britifh goods into France, or of French
goods into Great Britain. The principles
which I have been examining in the fore
going chapter, took their Origin from pri
vate intereft and the fpirit of monopoly ;
thofe which I am going to examine in this,
from national prejudice and animofity.
They are, accordingly, as might well be ex-
peded, ftill more unreafonable. They are
fo, even upon the principles of the com
mercial fyftem.
" First, though it were certain that in
the cafe of a free trade between France and
England, for example, the balance would
be in favour of France, it would by no
means follow that fuch a trade would be
difadvantageous to England, or that the
general balance of its own trade would
thereby be turned more againft it. If the
' e 3 wines

54 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
wines of France are better and cheaper than
thofe of Portugal, or its linens than thofe
of Germany, it would be more advantage
ous for Great Britain, to purchafe both tha
wine and the foreign linen which it had
occafion for of France, than of Portugal
and Germany. Though the value of the
annual importations from France would
thereby be greatly augmented, the value of
the whole annual importations would be
diminiflied, in proportion as the French
goods of the fame quality were cheaper
than thofe of the other two countries.
This would be the- cafe, even upon the
fuppofition that the whole French goods
imported were to be confumed in Great
Britain. "But, fecondly, a great part of them
might be re-exported to other countries,
where, being fold with profit, they might
bring back a return equal in value, perhaps,
to the prime ooft of the whole French
goods imported. What has frequently been

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH TRANCE. $$
been faid of the Eaft India trade might
poffibly be true of the French ; that though
the greater part of Eaft India goods" were
bought with gold and filver, the re- expor
tation of a part of them to other countries,
brought back more gold and filver to that
vvhich carried on the trade, than the prime
coft of the whole amounted to. One of
the moft important branches of the Dutch
trade, at prefent, confifts in the carriage of
French goods to other European countries;
Some part even of the French wine drank
in Great Britain, is clandeftinely imported
from Holland and Zealand. If there Was
either a free trade between France and
England, or if French goods could be im
ported upon paying only the fame duties
as thofe of other European nations, to be
drawrt back upon exportation, England
might have fome fhare of a trade which is
found fo advantageous to Holland.
" Thirdly, and laftly, there is no cer
tain criterion by which we can determine
e 4 on

5<S FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
on which fide what is called the balance
between any two countries lies, or which
of them exports to the greateft value.
National prejudice and animofity, prompt
ed always by the private intereft of particu
lar traders, are the principles which general*
ly dired our judgment upon all queftions
concerning it. There are two criterions,
however, which have frequently been ap^
pealed to upon fuch occafions, the cuftom-
houfe books and the courfe of exchange.
The ciiftom-houfe books, I think) it is now
generally acknowledged, are a very uncer
tain criterion, on account of the inaccuracy
pf the valuation at which the greater part
pf goods are rated in them. The courfe of
exchange is, perhaps, almoft equally fo."
For his arguments upon thefe topics, the
reader is referred to the work itfelf. In
anotjber part, the editor has added fome re-
fledions on the treaty of commerce he-
tween. England and France 1787, the ope
ration pf which was fo very unfavourable TO

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 57
to the latter country, that it mtaft of itfelf
have foon provoked a renewal of hoftili
ties*. The French had little elfe but wines
and brandies to fell to England, while our
fuperior capital, and long credit,' forced every
fpecies of Englifh manufadure into France.
Even where we neither excelled in quality,
nor underfold in price, our length of credit
gave the preference. The French manu-
fadurer, who had neither the means nor
the power of giving the fame credit, was
compelled to give up the competition ; and
a very general difcontent and diftrefs were
the confequences. He juftly obferves, that
it is the intereft of thofe who frame a treaty
of commerce to build on fuch fair and
equitable terms, that, on a trial, each party
fhall be fatisfied ; otherwife, it will be either
evaded, or totally obliviated by the lofing
nation ; for compads of individuals are
^enforceable by law, while thofe of nations
* Smith, Vol. II. p. 379.
2 are,

58 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
are, by their very nature, only during
pleafure. Any attempt, therefore, to over
reach, is as unwife as it is unfair ; as it muft
finifh by putting an end to the connedion.
In fad the treaty of 1787, while it did con
fiderable injury to France, yielded no dura
ble advantage to England. It was at firft
intended to have reduced the duties on
French wines and brandies ; but the re-
monftrances of Portugal, and the Weft
India merchants, frightened a miniftry
always accuftomed to ruinous half- mea
fures, and the duties on Portuguefe wine
and rum were reduced in the fame propor
tion. Thus the whole became an illufion ;
and the treaty was violated before it was
figned. Vergennes, then on his death bed,
did not dare to oppofe the national wifh ;
but the eventual difcontents and penury
that followed, were among the caufes of
that terrible revolution, which hurled
Fiance againft the very foundations of
England ; fo dreadful are fometimes the
1 3 , confe-

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 59
confequences of an ad of injuftice! The
paltry confiderations of a duty on port
wines and rum, may be faid to have coft
this nation two hundred and fifty millions ;
for if the treaty had ftood on the plain
terms of equity and good fenfe, inftead of
ftate quackery, it may well be inferred that
amity would have continued. It has been
remarked that, even during this period,
the trade with France was infignificant
in comparifon with that with North Ame
rica, or with Holland, Germany, and
Flanders. Our chief, trade is that with
the United States, Hindoftan, and the
Britifh Weft Indies ; followed by that with
Italy, Spain, Holland, Germany, and
Ruflia. That with Portugal amounts
annually to about only one half of the
latter, the imports being about fix hundred
and fifty thoufand pounds, and the exports
one hundred and eighty thoufand. But
the treaty with France had not fufficient
time to operate, nor can indeed be (aid to
have

60 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
have operated at all, having been fruftrat-
ed by the duties ; and the intentions, which,
feemed at firft of a moft liberal nature
and godlike beneficence, were annulled by
the commercial fetters which too often im
pede a Britifh miniftry. A more refped-
able charader than a Britifh merchant can
not exift : but when mercantile bodies con
trol the policy of nations, the fyftem has
ever, by the experience of ages, been found
ruinous to themfelves, as well as to their
country ; prefent gain being preferred to
long and future advantages, which laft
alone deferve the attention of a true- ftates-
man and enlightened patriot. It is further
obfervable, that the navigation ad, the
foundation of colonies, and other plans
which have the moft advanced our com
merce, were not the work of merchants,
but of fagacious and profound politicians.
It may be regarded as an axiom in the
code of nations, that no unneceffary bur
dens fhould be laid on articles, which can not

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 6t
not in any cafe be produced by the im
porting country. Arrangements might
alfo be made concerning the articles in
which they are. rivals. The territory of
the United States of America is prodigi
ous; and as the inhabitants find it their
intereft to prefer agriculture to manufac
tures, the market will continue to be im
menfe, and might alone, if duly weighed,
terminate the ridiculous jealoufies of na
tions. The manufadures and commerce
of England, as well as the natural produds
and the manufadures of France, might
there find an ample fpace. It is familiar
ly faid, that two of a trade never agree ;
but the trade of thefe two great nations
is extremely different ; and it is probable
that America may not only have the honour
of fetting the example of a wife and pacific
government, but of thus obliquely contri
buting to the pacification of Europe,, and
of the world. Nor

&2 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
Nor muft it be here omitted that the
enlightened author -of the work on the
Wealth of Nations, has finally examined
our noted treaty with Portugal, and point
ed but its glaring deficiencies.*
" By this treaty the crown of Portugal
becomes bound to admit the Englifh wool
lens upon the fame footing as before the
prohibition ; that is, not to raife the duties
which had been paid before that time. But
it does not become bound to admit them'
upon any better terms than thofe of any
other nation, of France or Holland for ex
ample. The crown of Great Britain, on
the contrary, becomes bound to admit the
wines of Portugal upon paying only two-
thirds of the duty, which is paid for thofe
of France, the wines moft likely to come
into competition with them. So far this
treaty, therefore, is evidently advantage-
* Smith, Vol.11, p. 361. ous

COMMERCIAL /TREATY WITH FRANCE. 6$
ous to Portugal, and difadvantageous to
Great Britain."
It was imagined that this difadvantage
was balanced by the gold fent to England,
and the .worthy Dodor is fo credulous as
to lend fome credit to the report of an
Italian adventurer, Barretti, who wifely in
forms us, that the weekly packet brings
from Lifbon, one week with another, more
than fifty thoufand pounds in gold, which
would amount to more than two millions
fix hundred thoufand pounds a year. This
puerile computation is beneath all notice.
Portugal draws very little gold from the
Brazils ; it is chiefly brought from their
fettlements on the coaft of Africa, which
being very feeble, and very productive,
they wifely bury in complete filence.
Their own writers compute the returns
from Brazil at twenty-feven millions of
francs, or fomewhat more than a million
fterling; but even this calculation is fup
pofed to include the gold of Sofala, which feems

64 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A'
feems to be firft tranfmitted to the Brazils,
(where, according to fome reports, there
are no mines of gold, the metal being only
found in the rivers :) nor can it be fup
pofed that, even in the moft favourable
times, more than one half of the gold of
Brazil arrived in England. Yet Dr. Smith
has evinced that, even on the ideal fup
pofition of Barretti, the trade is difadvan-
tageous to England ; and the merchants,
upon a quarrel with the Portuguefe ad
miniftration, formally declared that " this
annual importation of gold, was not on
account of Great Britain, but of other
European nations ; the fruits and wines of
Portugal, annually imported into Great
Britain, nearly compenfating the value- of
the Britifh goods fent thither." Probably
when this treaty was made, it was ima
gined that we could procure gold for our
coinage from Portugal, on more advan
tageous terms than from other countries ;
but Dr. Smith has fhewn the fallacy of
this

COMMERCIAL TREATY WJTH TRANCE. 65
this fuppofition; and regards the whole
treaty as being founded on principles
alike narrow and unprofitable.
" It was upon this filly notion, however,
that England could not fubfift without the
Portugal trade ; that, towards the end of
the late war, France and Spain, without
pretending either offence or provocation,
required the king of Portugal to exclude
all Britifh fhips from his ports, and, for
the fecurity of this exclufion, to receive
into them French or Spanifh garrifons.
Had the king of Portugal fubmitted to
thofe ignominious terms, which his brother-
in-law the king of Spain propofed to him,
Britain would have been freed from a much
greater inconveniency than the lofs of the
"Portugal trade, the burden of fupporting a
very weak ally, fo unprovided of every
thing for his own defence, that the whole
power of England, had it been direded to
that fingle purpofe, could fcarce, perhaps,
¦have defended him for smother campaign.
. vol. 11. 9- , The

66 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
The lofs of the Portugal trade would, no
doubt, have occafioned a confiderable em-
baraffment to the merchants at that time
employed- in it, who might not^ perhaps,
have found out, for a year or two, any
other equally advantageous method of em
ploying their capitals; and in this would
probably have confifted all the inconveni-
ency which England could have fuffered
from this notable pieCe of commercial
policy." In March 1804,, a member of the tri
bunate of France pronounced a difcourfe in
that affembly, on a projeded law regarding
the cuftoms, which contains fome fenfible
obfervations, immediately conneded with
the prefent fubjed. After having difcuffed
the origin of property and taxes, he pro
ceeds to confiderthe encouragement of na
tional induftry.
" The national induftry, let us be affur
ed, is not every fort of induftry exercifed
in France by Frenchmen, but is that induf*
3 try

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 6j
try fufficiently favoured in France, by na*
tural or by naturalized advantages, to be
long, in an almoft exclufive manner, to the
French foil ; and at the fame time fufficient
ly. produdive to furnifh a fuperfluity for
foreign exchange. Such is, for example,
the agricultural induftry, which produces
wines oils, grain, flax, &c. Such is alfo
the manufaduring induftry of the filks of
Lyons, of fine and coarfe cloths, of linens,
4aces, glafs, porcelain, jewels, and of innu
merable objeds of tafte and luxury, which
France is accuftomed to furnifh to the reft
of Europe. Such, in fine, will be that of
improving the breed of fheep, doubly pre
cious, becaufe it belongs to both the kinds
of induftry above mentioned. Such are
the articles which belong to real national
induftry. " Has this truly native induftry any
want of encouragement ? No : with the
exception of the hreed of fheep, which is
not yet altogether accuftomed to the cli- ,
/ f 2 mate,

68 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
mate, all the reft are in want of nothing,
provided that they be not difcouraged by a
re-adion refulting from the adoption of
the prohibitory fyftem. All tfiey demand
is the free exportation of their produds.
We may truft to nature and habitude the
dqvelopements of which they might be in?
finitely capable, if they were riot compref-
fed by obftacles of all kinds.
" What Tcall pretended national induf
try, js that of fome manufadurers, of con*
fiderable talents and adivity, who feek to
imitate, in France, various ohjeds, af which
the materials are foreign, as well as the
workmanfhip, but are here fought by tafte
and luxury, and promife, in confequence,
infallible profits.
" Independently of _felf-inter.e.ft, a kind
of patriotifm, at leaft I love to believe it
fuch, though it only miflead, didates to '
them this language, ' Why fhould we pur
chafe of ftrangers what- we can make our-
felves? The French aught not to depend oh

COMMERCIAL TREATY' WITH FRANCE. 6g
on others, nor be the tributaries of any
nation.' " I fhould reafon with equal juftice, my
colleagues, if, ftruck with the inconveni
ence of giving to my fhdemaker, my taylor;
my hatmaker, money, which is an: article
of trade, for fhoes, clothes, and hats,
which are alfo articles of trade; I fhould
learn, at great expence, the labours of fhoe-
maker, taylor, hatmaker, that I might no
longer be the tributary of thofe arfifans,
but completely fuffice to myfelf. It is true
that I fhould, after all, have Very bad fhoes,
and av ftrange drefs, and they Would coft
me a great deal dearer; — but I fhould be de
livered from an infupportable fervitude.
" And if I wifhed to force you, tribunes,
becaufe I have the honour of being your
colleague, to employ me exclufively, offer
ing, as the fole recompence,. the precious
advantage of never ferving you without
thefe doors ; if, for more certainty in my
patriotic operation, I demand a prohi-
F 3 bition,

7© '..'¦ FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
bition, in order to raife the articles
which might rival mine, to the price
which I want for thofe of my manufac
ture ! But I ftop, for here is neither room
nor occafion to trifle, as a more important
objed can fcarcely be offered to your medi
tations than what I now difcufs."
After proceeding to ftate the ridiculous
abufe of terms, in applying the name tri
bute to a commercial tranfadion, the moft
free of human affairs, he fhews, from the
confeffion of our own writers, that if there
be any tribute or dependence, they are ra
ther on the fide of, England, which has
unwifely abandoned her agriculture, in or
der to furnifh other countries with manu
fadures. The unhappy confequence is,
that the grain is far from being fufficient
for the confumption; and it has coft, in
one year, not lefs than fifteen millions fter-
ling, in order to prevent a famine. This
feems to be an exaggeration ; but the necefla
ry quantity was two millions feven hundred
thoufand

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH PRANCE. JI
thoufand quarters : and, as advantage was
taken of the neceflity, the payments were
no doubt immenfe.
" Pronounce, my colleagues, on which
fide is the tribute, the dependence, the
danger, in the adual circumftances.
And fhall we fee, without concern,
France blindly conduded to the fame
abyfs with England, and afking bread
from wifer and happier nations, in return
for paper and cotton ? Can we read in fu
turity, without terror, that difmal epoch
when the fair and robuft population of
France fhall have abandoned the plough,
and be gathered in manufadories, to breathe
phyfical and moral corruption, to ferment
with the leaven of infurredion, without
any final profpedive but the agonies of fa
mine and defpair, upon a land which Pro
vidence has covered, and, as it were, im
pregnated with its moft energetic and pro-
dudive force, in a word, with all its
favours ? f 4 " Far

72 ' FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
" Far from regarding with apprehenfion
or- envy the manufadures of England, who
fupplies us with ftuffs and hardware, I be
lieve we ought to congratulate each other
that fhe has thus' placed herfelf in a depen
dence which tends to improve our relative
pofition. We owe, T agree,, toleration and
indulgence to all who undertake fimilar ar
ticles of induftry in our own country ; be
caufe they tend to eftablifh a concurrence
which will prevent the Englifh from abu-
fing their exelufive circumftances j but if
our own manufadurers were to cOnftrain
us to purchafe this advantage by fifeal mea-
fare&j for eftablifhing a monopoly in their
favour, fo that we might pay dearer for
an inferior article, with no advantage
whatever, except that of buying of one
man rather than of another; in that 'cafe,.
I muft fay, that the. governors, the govern
ed-, and the manufadurers themfelves, we
ihould all be alike the dupes and the vic-f
tims of a pernicious fyftem,-' This

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 73
This argument he unfolds by various
ftriking confederations, and efpecially from
the reports of the chambers of commerce
at Paris and Antwerp, founded upon folid
pradice and the current of human affairs,
and not upon the idle theories of th'e
dofet. " But, reply the advocates of the prohi
bitory fyftem, fhall we allow the Englifh
to pump our gold and our filver, with their
cottons and their iron, and get rich at our
expence ?
" This is another of thofe arguments
which feem to fpeak to the heart, and
which* of courfe, the mind fcarcely dares
to analyfe. If it had this courage, it would
foon difcover that we fhould be no more
ftripped of our metals, than be tributaries
of another nation.
" Good fenfe pronounces, that as long
as we fhall have any thing to fell, proper
for Englifh confumption,. or it may be
added, for that of .the world, as the Eng lifh

74 rURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
lifh are the univerfal carriers, their mer
chants will not be fo ignorant as to draw
their returns in metals, on which they' can
gain nothing, inftead of merchandife,
which always offers fome chance of profit.
The return in money will therefore only
amount to the difference in the fum of the
articles exchanged ; and it depends upon
us to furnifh more produds of our agricul
tural induftry, than they can fell of their
manufaduring induftry ; and thus to turn,
in our favour, if we fee convenient, this
portion of the general balance of the com
merce of France.
**¦ But, in difficult queftions, it is proper
to confult people of experience. I know
none more enlightened, nor more worthy
of confidence, than thofe diftinguifhed
merchants who compofe the chamber of
commerce of Paris. They have juft pub
lifhed a memoir, in anfwer to two pam
phlets, written by cotton manufadurers,
who folicited certain prohibitions. This
memoir,

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 7$
memoir, full of inftrudive fads and lumi
nous ideas, and accompanied with a num
ber of authentic documents, prefents the
following conftderations on this queftion,
founded on infallible proofs.
1 Thus the portion of Britifh induf-
'.try which is paid by the confumption of
* France, and which, in this branch of
* cotton goods, had been valued at feventy-
* fix millions, is reduced by adual calcu-
* lation. to four millions of francs *.
* No nation comes to fell which does
* not buy.
' There is always a reciprocity, dired,
'* or indired; and, as to balances in money,
' Spain and Portugal, which reckon gold
c. and filver among the principal produc-
* tions of their colonies, pay all thofe
* which take place among all the nations
* This portentous error of theoretical economiftj,
arnounts to eighteen -parts in nineteen,

c

of

j6 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
* of Europe*. Thefe two countries muft,
* for the fake of their own profperity, fell
' their metals and defray our balances,
1 juft as we muft fell our wines and our
' filks. Thefe two kingdoms pay even
* thofe of European nations with the Eaft
* Indies.' " Another fad muft not be omitted,
which is, that, the balance of our trade
with Turkey and the ftates of Barbary, is
paid in the precious metals." — Muft we,
therefore, regard ourfelves as tributaries
of the Turks and of the Africans ? Thus I
hope, my colleagues, we are confoled for
the alarming exportation of coin, for that
unfavourable balance which, like a ghoft,
might terrify us on its firft appearance, but>
when we endeavour to examine it, it va-
nifhes." * TJius it is that England^- the univerfal carrier,
brings great quantities of gold and filver for other nations.-
His

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 77
His remarks on the ftate of the French
cuftoms we fhall not enter upon. This
branch of revenue, which in England, a
commercial country, forms a very confi
derable portion, about one- third, in France
cannot be computed at above one-twentieth,
the chief revenue being territorial and agri
cultural. And to this circumftance, that
the cuftoms form one of the chief bafes of
Englifh revenue, it is owing that they are
exaded with fuch extreme feverity, as in
fome cafes to difguft and bpprefs the native
as well as the ftranger, and to induce them
to look upon Englifh freedom, and the
privilege of catching cold in our climate,
as articles of very dear purchafe. In fome
inftances, relative to literature and the no
ble arts, the regulations of the Englifh
cuftom-houfe would do honor to barbarians
of the thirteenth century, being very ex-
adly calculated to prevent the introdudion
of knowledge and art. A learned foreigner,
wl »f books for his
own

78 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS Ott A
own ufe, or a native who returns with
ftores of foreign inftrudion, or fpecimens
of art, is taxed as if the articles were for
fale ; and no exemption can be made, ex
cept in favour of the great and the rich,
who can beft afford to pay. A poor tra
veller will pay fifty pounds, where a prince
of the blood would not pay one farthing.
Thus, for the paltry gain of about two
thoufand a year, we throw violent ob-
ftrudions in the way of literature and
the arts, and expofe the country to a
charge of barbarifm. The commiflioners
of the cuftoms can grant no redrefs, and
the lords of the treafury Were inexorable,
except to wealth, rank, and parliamentary
intereft. This charge againft an enlighten
ed country is equally true and fingular, at
a period when even the moft ignorant na
tions of Europe at leaft affed to encourage
the arts and fciences.
After having recommended to the imi
tation of France, the regulations of the
cuftoms

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 79
cuftoms pradifed by the United States of
America, our orator proceeds to, confider
the probable effeds of a peace between
England and France.
"This peace cannot be durable if we
do not confult, in its eftablifhment, thofe
immutable relations between man and man ;
and if we do not, to decrees and claufes
reciprocally oppreffive, to that artillery,
of which it has been faid, that the recoil
does as much harm as the bullet, fubftitute
a fyftem of interefts, wifely balanced, and
founded on the liberty of the fea and of
commerce. " When the paffions, which at prefent
juftly agitate us fhall have been appeafed, we
may reafon upon invariable principles and
evidences. We fhall fay it is impoffible
to make the ftranger pay any duty of im
portation or exportation, except what is
levied on merchandife, which belongs to
us exclufively, and fuch are few. " Duties

8p FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
" Duties on exportation form a ruinous
kind of hoftilities for the nation which
impofes them; beeaufe they force the
merchant to fell at a cheaper rate to
ftrangers. Duties on importation form
a tax on foreign merchandife paid by the
confumer, but which does not difpenfe
him from that on national merchandife of
the fame fort, although it be of inferior
quality. Thefe laft duties may add a
confiderable revenue, if the foreign mer
chandife have and deferve a confiderable
fale. " It then becomes a queftion, whether
it be for the intereft of. fuch or fuch a
manufadure, called national, becaufe it is
eftablifhed on the French foil, that a tax
be raifed on other manufadures or pro
duds, and upon the generality of con-
fbmers, before it be maturely - eonfideEed,
if this new induftry be proper in ail re-
fpeds for our fituation, and if there do not
6 exift

fcOMME R fclAL tVeatV WITH FRANCE. 8 1
•ekift dired means of encouragement^ by
premiums for example*
" If even the propriety of1 encourage
ment; by the effects of an impoft, be ac
knowledged, it' may ftill be demanded if it
Would not be better to levy that impoft iii
a manner which only requires little ex-
pence, and few vexations ot interruptions,
than the contrary? But Would it not be
ftill better tq raife on all foreign merchan
dife a duty of twelve to fifteen per cent on
the value* without attending to the con
currence, than to increafe on fome the
medial duty to thirty-eight per cent on
linenSj and forty-two per cent on muflins,
a proportion refulting from the law which
we now difcufs ; while the current price
of the mfurance for the fraudulent intro-
dudion of lihens is only eighteen or twen
ty per cent, and of muflins only ten or;
twelve ?
" Governments pafs away, but nations
¦remain. Not only their gepgraphical fitu-
Vol. n.; o ation

82 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
/
ation exifts, but with the indelible marks of
nature, which ages cannot efface. We may
avail ourfelves of all our advantages, yet
leave theirs to our neighbours : and the
fimple and produdive principle of recipro
city will be the bafe Of a new code of re
lations, equally advantageous to both na
tions  What a compenfation for the evils
fuffered by the prefent generation, if the
hand of the Supreme Diredor of human
deftinies fhould efface, before our eyes,
from the lift of miferies the chief of all
the fcourges which have, fo long depeopled
the earth, and oppreffed humanity !"
Such are the fentiments of rational men
in France ; and it is to be hoped that their
voice will prevail in both countries. An
ger and enmity are indeed the blindeft of
all the paflions, and will fometimes incur
even great perfonal injury, in order to hurt
an adverfary. But Wicked and defigning
men, who wifh to rob during the confla
gration, can alone defire to encourage or
prolong

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 83 '
prolong fuch diabolical paflionsj attend
ed with confequences abhorrent to hu
manity, not to fpeak of chriftianity, be
tween the two moft powerful nations of
the globe, and formed, by nature for mu
tual affiftance, intercourfe, friendfhip, and
efteem. It is time that an end be put to
the collifion of the mean and ridiculous
intrigues of concubines, priefts, and pre
tended ftatefmen; and that the voice of
nature and nations be heard. Above all,
if we wifh for durable profperity, we
muft, inftead of combating againft tho
decrees of providence, learn to avail our-
felves of repeated leflbns, and of the exift-
ing circumftances. Where the events can
no longer be controled by counfels, wif
dom will feek to accommodate the counfels
to the events. An oriental proverb de
clares, that a wife man may change his
opinion, but a fool never : and it is indeed
in the very nature of ignorance, not to
know the real nature and influence of the
G 2 events,

84. FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS 0& A
events, and of obftinacy, its moft ufual
concomitant, to endeavour a vain ftruggle
againft them. £>uppofing that no relations;
of friendfhip Or enmity had ever exifted
between this iflattd and France, fuppofing
that it had moved from "one part of the
world- to another, and had unexpededly-
been placed in the immediate neighbour
hood of a great and powerful empire, ever
celebrated for the military ardour, of its
people, and with three times our popula
tion, would it not have been accounted im
prudent to feek occafions of war againft this
mighty neighbour ? But when it came to be
difcovered that this large adjacent territory
produced articles of which- we ftood much
in need, while it wanted many of our
manufadures and commerce ; would it not
be accounted ftill more imprudent to ex
change -the advantages of commerce and
mutual intercourfe for the privations of
war, and the incalculable detriment of mu
tual enmity ? If* we were placed in the
fituation

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 85
fituation of Japan, we fliould, by parity
of .reafoning, enter into conftant warfare,
patriotic rancour, and moft honourable
jealoufy againft the potent empire of
China, It has been proved by the prefent con-
teft, that the wide preponderance of France
upon the continent can greatly injure our
trade, the exportations having declined by
about one third, or fifteen millions fterling;
and this preponderance unhappily rather
tends to increafe than decline. Our com-
merce can never be augmented in a real
and durable manner by exciting war and
devaftation, and the Confequent diminution
of confumers. It is our palpable intereft
that neighbouring nations fhould be rich,
fhould be able and willing to buy our con>
modities. While the real honour and dig
nity of a nation fhould ever be ftridly
maintained, for on reputation depend
influence and opulence ; yet the perpetual
interefts of a people are not to be facrificed
Q 3 to

86 FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ON A
to romantic enmity; nor muft the folid
forms of calculation continue, in this en
lightened age, to be obliterated by antiquar
ted prejudices, and idle fchemes of chival
ry. There is no occafion for rhetoric to
enforce the plain propofitions, that France,
an agricultural country, would not find
her true interefts promoted by the diffufion
of manufadures, which the United States
themfelves wifely facrifice to a more im
portant objed, that of agriculture; that
the extenfive, various, and excellent foil
of France, 'difpenfes her from a neceffity of
colonies, the lafting utility of which has
been queftioned by many able authors, as
from ancient and modern hiftory it appears
that they are fometimes eventually deftruc-
tive of the parent country; that nature and
climate have denied vineyards to England,
where wine is neverthelefs one of the ne-r
ceffaries of life; that the exchange of
Englifh manufadures for French wines,
oils, and fruits, (for brandy is np neceffa-

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE. 8/
ry of life, and may well be facrificed to
the rivalry of the Weft India merchants),
is one of the moft natural and equitable
modes of commerce which can be conceiv
ed : and that the utter facrifiCe of the Por-
tuguefe trade, the utility of which is
doubted by the beft politicians, would be
of little account when compared with
the prodigious objeds in viewr, lafting
amity, and friendly intercourfe, between
the two moft powerful and enlightened na
tions of this globe, and the confequent
tranquilfity of the univerfal world.
C<?m-r'\J''-i^aJ' *'*¦ '**¦'* *'&¦ ^ ' ...

6 4 CHAP.

$S FRENCH TAVERN'fi?

9 H A P. V.
FRENCH TAVERNS,
OUCH is the fuperiority of England ia
*-* many of the accommodations of life,
that a traveller from that country is rather
apt to be difpleafed with the inferiority of
foreign reception. > Above all, Englifh ta
verns are regarded as the maft convenient
that are any where to be found. In the
true fpirit of bufinefs, the landlord or
landlady receives you at the door, and you
are ufhered into a convenient apartment,
and attended by numerous waiters. The
French, though famed for politenefs, fel
dom greet your arrival. At a capital inn,
you are received by an hoftler, or a dirty
wench, and muft fpeak to the cook to or-
d^r your dinner. One or two beds are
already/

FRENCH TAVERNS. 8<)
already in your room, fo that there is no
occafion to afis for the chamber-maid to
fhew you a bedrchamber. As in France
the taverns themfelves are rarely fcenes of
drunkennefs, the bed forms a part of the
national charader ; and if there be a lady
in company, it wrould, in a country tavern,
be regarded as a want of the ff avoir vivre,
if this piece of furniture were not ac-
ceflible. In the vicinity of Paris the entertainment
at a forry inn is often more expenfive than
at the moft capital traiteur's in the Palais
Jloyal. For a fowl, fome vegetables, and
fifh, (for fifh is ferved the laft in France,)
with a bottle of decent wine, of thirty
fous, or fifteen pence, you pay twelve or
fourteen fhillings for two perfons. The
difhes are feldom well cooked : and it
would be more for the intereft of the inn
keepers, if their charges were more mode
rate, for the frugal Parifians generally pre
fer tp carry provifions with them, which they

go , FRENCH TAVERNS.
they eat in fome rural fituation, or at
a tavern, demanding only plates and a
fallad. In fummer, the fpacioufnefs of a French ,
tavern is not , unpleafant ; but the floors,
generally laid with hexagonal tiles, and
without carpets, prefent a cold and dreary
appearance. The windows are, however,
generally of large plate glafs, and in excel
lent order. Thefe, with numerous fteps
and flairs in the ftreets, and the frequent
want of parapets, are among the proofs, if
any were wanted, of the fobriety of the
nation. The tavern formerly belonging to Def-
fein at Calais, and now kept by Quillacq, is,
however, juftly accounted one of the moft
magnificent in Europe. The large court,
in front, a garden behind, kept in excellent
order, and the theatre at the bottom of the
"garden, With' the extent and variety of the
apartments, render it a grand and Angular
hotel, i In the more capital towns, large
hotels

FRENCH TAVERNS. 91
hotels are alfo found ; and Bruffels is par
ticularly celebrated for grand and excellent
acc'ommodations, which muft, however, be'
fought at. the hotels, and not at the inns.
In fuch houfes you are ferved by waiters,
as in England ; while, even in the beft
inns, there are only female attendants.
Yet, at fome places frequented by the Eng
lifh, Amiens, for example, it is not unufual
to find waiters.
At- a fmall diftance from Paris, on the
eaft, there are feveral taverns in a hamlet
called La Rappee, particularly famous for
the difh called matelotes, which confifts of
qarp and eel ftewed together, but feafoned
in a fuperior arid exquifite manner. The
beft cooks of Paris could never equal this
celebrated difh ; and it has lately been dif
covered, by the moft learned and profound
author of the Almanac des Gourmands,
Grimdd de la Reyniere, the fon of a lux
urious farmer-general, that the impenetra
ble fecret confifts in the extreme and con-
13 ftant

§1 • FRENCH TAVERNS.
ftant attention of the untaugty female
cook to the regular uniformity of the
culinary heat, Thefe taverns are gene
rally neat, with a pleafing view of the .
river, which might however be more ani
mated with boats and barges. One of the
beft is the fign of the Englifh Garden,
which is within the barrier, and has two
entrances, a great convenience, as the quay,
during rains, is fcarcely paffable for car
riages- One room has fpace enough for
one hundred and fifty guefts, with a view
towards the river on one fide, and towards
the garden on the other. All the other
chambers have bells, a luxury in Erance ;
and fo arranged, that the waiter cannot
make any miftake. There is even a hand-
fome boat on the river, in the cabin of
which twenty perfons niay dine. The
billiard-room is fo neceffary an adjund to
any houfe fomewhat in the country, that
it has not been here forgotten ; arid a
Frenchman feems to go to the country* more

/ft'ENCH "TAVERNS. ^j
mOre with a view to a game at billiards,
than to enjoy the beauties of nature.
All the environs of the capital are filled
with guingueites ', or little aje-houfes, where
the fhopkeepers and poorer , Claffes go ort
Sundays and holidays to take a glafs of
wine, a fallad, and a dance. Curiofity led
me to one in Vaugirard, one of the moft
rioted villages for thefe recreations. It
happened to be kept by a very decent wo-"
man, a refugee from the negro power in
St. Domingo, and who had feen far better
days : having only a very fmall fum of
money, fhe was advifed to employ it i,n
renting one of thefe houfes; and deferibed
with great naivete her furprife at the ap
pearance of her guefts the, firft Sunday
after fhe took poffeflion. Her houfe was
Crowded with tradefmen and foldiers, their
wives and doxies, bawling for pennyworths
of wine; fallads and bread they had brought
with them in their economy; and her wine
being of a decent quality, fhe and her maid
fervant

94 FRENCH TAVERNS.'
fervant gained about fifteen pence by a day
of noife and diforder.
Many of thefe guinguettes have large
gardens, fo as fomewhat to refemble the
tea-gardens in the neighbourhood of Lon
don, and very tolerable dances may there
be feen. The waltz is equally a favourite
with the low and the lofty, and feems to
have abfolutely fupplanted the refpedful
minuet. The fexes know each other bet
ter, and rejoice in the perpetual contad ;
but the whirl requires fome previous edu
cation, though the partners feem to wifh
to be giddy. When it is danced with great
grace it is beautiful ; but it approaches fo
nearly to the lafcivious, that one would
not wifh to fee one's7 wife or one's miftrefs
thus in the arms of another ; nor would it
be matter of furprife to fee this dance fol
lowed by the fandango, or even by the
volero, the voluptuous amufements of Spain.
The dance indeed may always be faid to
** *
be under the cognizance of Venus, whence it

FRENCH TAVERNS. 95
it is paflionately loved by the women, who
wifh to attrad the other fex by a difplay^
of perfonal charms and graces, and by
motion to excite defire. But the contre-
danfe, (our cotillon) in which the partners
ftand oppofite to each other, and not as we
Englifh it country-dance, in which the pea-
fants generally move in one line or circle,
is ftill better calculated for a difplay of
perfonal charms ; and the unaffeded grace
of the French girls in this laft defies all
defcription, being, perhaps, the very per-
fedion of the real and natural' dance, while
the violent geftrires and exertions, often
applauded at the opera, appear ungraceful
and unnatural.
The humours of a French guinguettte
have been admirably depided by Vade in
his poem called La Pipe CaJJec.

CHAP.

§5 FRENCH DJN&EI4;

C HA P. VL
Erench DINNER.
''ipkAT folemn hour of conviviality called.
dinner, alike agreeable to infancy^
youth j and age, is celebrated in a very dif
ferent manner irt France from Our general
old Englifh habits. While we dine in a
Warm parlour covered with a thick Turkey
carpet, in France it is ofteri a matble faloon;
and it is fortunate if there be a mat under
the table, Or a few cufhions for the feet of
the guefts. If the lady love muficj perhaps
there is no carpet any where, that the found
may not be injured. 'This want of carpets
is very general, though it bean eafy manu
fadure which might confume the coarfe '
wool of the country. Thofe of La Savon-
nerie are too expenfive^ and are referved
3 for

FRENCH DINNER. 97
for the drawing-room. This is certainly a
great inconvenience, efpecially in winter;
and an Englifhman is ftill more furprifed
when he finds not a bit of carpet in his bed
room, though the floor be often formed of
cold tiles. In like manner the hall of the
general affembly, national convention, 6cc.
was uncarpeted, whence the feet becoming
chilled, the head became hot, and the con
fequences are known to all Europe, form
ing another chapter of great events from
little caufes.
Sometimes the covers bear the name of
each gueft ; but, in general, the miftrefs of
the houfe points out the places, a ftranger
or man of diftindion being on either hand,
while the mafter has in like manner a.lady
on each fide, and the fexes are as much in
termingled as poffible, an ufage recently
adopted by ourfelves.
The univerfal ufe of napkins is conveni
ent ; the perfons of the family fold them
in a particular manner, or diftinguifh them
vol. n, h by

§8 FRENCH DINNER.
by a bit of ribbon, fo that each may always
have recourfe to his own ; while a gueft
only puts his carelefsly on the table, for if
he folded it, it would be humoroufly taken
as a hint that he intended to dine there
again on the morrow.
In the winter a good French dinner often
begins with oyfters, which are folemnly ac
companied with white wine, efpecially chab-
lis, particularly agreeable on that occafion.
The ufe of red wine with oyfters fhews a
great want of fcavoir vivre, and is even
pernicious to the health, as it generally pro
duces indigeftion. The oyfters at Paris
are tolerable, but never fo white or fat as
thofe brought to London. The foup fol
lows, without which there is no French
dinner, they regarding it as a neceflary pre
paration of the ftomach for the due digef-
tion of more folid food. It is commonly
followed by a libation of ordinary wine,
which they regard as fo wholefome after
foup, that, the proverb fays, the phyfician
13- thus

FRENCH DINNER. 99
thus lofes a fee. The foup generally does
credit to the Frenoh beef, which is excel
lent. In a fmall family the pot of earthen
ware is put by the fide of the wood-fire,
and continues fimmering from eight o'clock
in the morning till four or five in the after
noon, when the produce is a lufcious re*
paft, equally agreeable to the palate and
to the ftomach. An Englifh traveller
affufed me, with great emphafis, that he
had repeatedly tried to prepare fuch a difh
from Englifh beef, but without fuccefs.
The failure he imputed to the very nature
of the animal, and the climate ; the juices
being more matured and exalted by the
warmth of the temperature ; " for fee,"
fays he, " how much more ripe, full blown,
glowing, and expreflive are thofe girls flut
tering around us, than the watery beauties
of the north !" My epicure purfued his
comparifon, in the full convidion that
French beef is as fuperior in juice and
flavour as their peaches. h 2 The

lOO FRENCH DINNER.
The foup is conftantly followed by the
boiled beef, or bouille, which is however
fometimes preceded by anchovies, to ftimu-
late the palate and appetite. If the foup
be rich, the beef in this ftate is rarely ac
ceptable to an Englifh appetite, as it often
appears in exhaufted threads ; but fome
parts, after yielding an excellent foup, are
ftill very palatable. To ferve melons at
the defert, would in France be accounted a,
grofs impropriety : melons and green figs
are only eaten, when in feafon, with the
boiled beef, and in this way melons never
incommode -the ftomach. The muftard is
alfo far fuperior to ours, being prepared
with different flavours, and without that
fiery quality which interrupts the guefts by
fudden fits of coughing. In the winter,
the beef is often accompanied with to-
mates, or love apples, a new difh imported
from Italy.
Small plates of raddifhes, eggs, &c. with
butter of Bretagne in little pots, form what are

FRENCH DINNER. IOX
are called the hors d'cvuvres, or extraordi-
naries ; but the delicious paftry called petits
pates, have an almoft exclufive right to
follow the boiled beef. The hors d^amvres
are followed by the entrees of fowl in
various fhapes, fricaffees, fricandeaux, cut
lets, fweetbreads, &c. &c. Among thefe,
pigeons ftewed with green peafe, or in
winter with falfafi cut fmall, form an
agreeable difh little known in England.
The vegetables are ferved apart, and are
eat by themfelves. Many of them are
kept in perfedion by the gardeners dur
ing many months, particularly artichokes,
juftly reputed among the moft whole-
fome. A great Angularity of the French table
is, that fifh is ferved laft, at leaft at all
moderate and daily tables. When there
is a folemn roti, roafted turkey, lamb, &c.
forming the fecond or third fervice, as the
defert forms the laft, the warm fifh has
already been eaten at the end of the pre-
h 3 ceding

102 FRENCH DINNER.
ceding courfe ; but few perfons retain appe
tite even for a fmall morfel of the roti, and
if the fifh- be cold, as pike, &c, it follows
the roti. This cuftom feems far more
agreeable to the ftomach, and by pradice is
found to be fo, than our fafhion of begin
ning with the fifh, a crude food, of little
nutrition, and often of difficult digeftion.
Indeed it has often appeared to me, from
long experience, that what may be called
the iatrical, or medical arrangement of the
French difhes, cannot be furpaffed ; and
one would imagine that the cooks had con-
fulted beneficent phyficians. A perfon
who leaves England with fo weak a ftomach
that it has long refufed the luxury of two
difhes, may, without inconvenience, tafte
of twenty at a French repaft.
Before, or upon the appearance of the
roti, the ordinary wine is changed for the
richer kinds of Burgundy or Bourdeaux.
When the defert enters,* the mafter and
miftrefs have each a filver bafket full of
clean

FRENCH DINNER. I03
clean glaffes fet before them, with variety
of vins de liqueur, or the moft generous
wines of France, Spain, Hungary, and
other countries, at the choice of the guefts.
The converfation becomes extremely ani
mated, and the ladies difplay their powers
of wit and repartee. After the defert, cof
fee and liqueurs are often ferved in the
fame room, but at entertainments it is more
ufual to prefent them in the drawing room;
and, after an hour or two of converfation,
the company feparate. It will be eafily
perceived that there is no fpace allowed
for our potations after dinner, and though
a few glaffes of wine may be drank after
the defert, yet the men rife with the ladies,'
and their converfation is juftly preferred
to the charms of the bottle. But it muft be
remembered- that their converfation is fingu-
larlyeafy and engaging; while, in fomecoun-
tries the fex is fo fhy and referved that they
would feel uneafy,and thus tire and conftrain
their companions ; whence French travel
lers in Germany, &c, have confeffed that,
114 with

I04 FRENCH DINNER.
with all their gallantry, they were happy
when the ladies left the company, as. they
only ferved to conftrain and damp the con
verfation, which their lively and graceful
countrywomen would have infpirited> va
riegated, and embejlifhed.

CHAP.

DRESS. 105

CHAP. VII.

DRESS.

yNURiNG the exiftence of a commercial.
treaty, the Englifh drefs began to ob
tain the preference at Paris, and, in fpite
of national enmity, ftill retains favour i
fo that it is in general, by a Angular con-
traft, only fome old men who retain the
gaudy colours of the former fafhions. As
to the ladies, they retain their prerogative
of giving the law to the reft of Europe,
and even during war, their modes are imi
tated in London. Nay, the blooming
Dutch damfels have abandoned their ftiff
flays and dozen of petticoats, and in Am-
fterdam, Rotterdam, and the Hague, adopt
the light elegance of the French drefs. The

106 DRESS.
The male raiment is fo little diftind,
that a Frenchman would not be remarked
in the ftreets of London. There is, how
ever, one variation; the ridingote, borrow
ed, as the name implies, from the Englifh
riding-coat, an antiquated term for great
Coat, but which in France is often a loofe
coat worn over the veft for the fake of
greater warmth.
The dreffes of the conftituted authori
ties, and of various orders of men", are
often rich and elegant. The lawyers and
priefts have, in fome meafure, refumed the
ancient coftume ; but the latter are liable
to petty infults, and if they pafs the markets
the poiffardes will exclaim au chie au lit, as
if it were a mafquerade drefs of the carnival.
Officers of rank in the army difplay very
rich uniforms ; and the caparifons of their
horfes fometimes coft enormous fums.
The French ladies have made a facrifice
to the graces of all fuperfluities of drefs. Even

DRESS. , lo7
Even the ridicule has been abandoned, and
the handkerchief is often carried by a bro
ther, lover, or friend. " Who is that tall
fellow, who always walks with you ?"
faid a mother to her daughter. The
anfwer was, " My dear madam, muft I not
blow my nofe ?" Some Parifian petites
• maitreffes fpoke of exchanging the little
corfet for the prefervative cafes of the
bofom, worn in Hindoftan, one of the few
fafhions that contribute to a fine form.
It has been ridiculoufly afferted, by a Ger
man traveller, that the French ladies do not
wear fhifts,, while they form on the con
trary the moft fixed article of drefs of all
ranks. If he had faid that the fhift and
the robe, or gown, form the only articles
of female drefs, he would have fpoken the
truth. But in winter the peliffe, or clofe
cloak, fhares the honour of proteding the
fair wearer, if the more humble fhawl do
not take its place. • In fummer the drefs is
fo light that, before a breeze, every part of
the

Io8 DRESS.
the perfon Is deferibed as by a wet drapery.
Latterly the back has been more difplayed
than the bofom; and there feems, in this.
part, a variation in the fouthern women
frpm thofe in the northern kingdoms : the
fhoulders fwelling more gracefully, with a
deeper cavity on the fpine. But though
the drefs be thus feemingly economical,
nor can it be faid minima eft pars ' ipfa
puella fui, yet the wife of a general, or a
commifTary, can ruin his fortune by the
expence of her habiliments. Of this ex-
pence the diamonds of the head-drefs form
no doubt a confiderable part ; but the robe.
is alfo richly decorated, and the fhift fringed
with the moft expenfive laces of Flanders.
The 'veil of Englifh manufadure, or at
leaft what they call Englifh, is alfo a feri
ous ohjed, fometimes cofting from eighty
to one hundred guineas.
On the court days, which occur once
a month, when the Emperor holds a grand
parade, the dreffes are Angularly rich ; and
3 the

DRESS. IO9
the prefence of four thoufand perfons, ia
the moft variegated coftume, from the car
dinal to the mamaluke, renders the ap
pearance magnificent and almoft oriental.
Upon thefe occafions the ladies difplay all
their decorations, and it was whifpered that
the hoop petticoat was about to revive ; but
it was hoped that the power of ridicule
would banifh this antiquated drapery, alike
foreign to nature, grace and claflical tafte.
At prefent, while in furniture the moft
modern fafhion is the moft antique, and
Herculaneum feems to rife again in Pa
ris, a lady in a hoop petticoat, amidft
Grecian furniture, would form a very
ludicrous contraft. This leads me to ob
ferve that the tafte in furniture, plate, &c.
is truly beautiful ; and that magnificence
is often joined with a claflical purity of
forms. The bronze decorations of cabinets,
tables, &c. join a pleafing appearance of
folidity ; while our furniture of eternal
mahogany has become, like our eternal
chimney

HO DRESS.
chimney pieces of white -marble, too fim-
pie and uniform to gratify an eye ao
cuftomed to the diversities of claflical art,
or the infinite varieties of nature. No
where do the ancients more excel us than
in the abundance and pleafing contrafts of
their materials. Almoft all the rocks and
ftones in nature may be found in the ruins
of Rome, while thofe of London would
only afford bricks and white marble. So
little has our tafte kept pace with our uni
verfal commerce! So wide, fo truly mag
nificent was the ancient mind!

CHAP.

CORONATIONj &C Ill

CHAP. VIII.

CORONATION OF THE EMPEROR.
QOME days before this ceremony took
place, the following orders appeared :
I. On the eighth of Frimaire, (29th November
1 804,) at five o'clock in the morning, piquets of fix
battalions of grenadiers and chafleurs of the foot guards,
and piquets of the chofen gendarmerie, foot and horfe,
fhall be ftationed at the palace of the archbifhop of
Paris, and at the cathedral, and fliall occupy all the
avenues to thefe edifices.
II. The eleventh Frimaire, (Sunday the 2d of De
cember,) at the point of day, a round of artillery
fhall announce the feftival, and fhall be repeated every
hour until the evening.
III. The Grand Marflial of the palace fhall take
charge of the police of the metropolis ; nothing fhall
be done but by his orders, iflued in confequence of
inftrudtions tranfmitted to him by the grand mafter of
the ceremonies. They fhall take, in concert, all ne
ceflary meafures to fecure the order of this folem
nity.
IV.

1 1 2 CORONATION OF
IV. The military deputations, and thofe of the na*
tional guards, fliall join in the Place Dauphine, at fix
o'clock in the morning. The members of thefe depu
tations, who are to have places in the church, fliall be
there by feven o'clock; the others fhall begin their
march,, in order to line the ftreets, in the places which
fliall be pointed out to them by the governor of
Paris. V. The court of caflation, that of national cotnp-
tabilite, the members of the tribunals, and of the ad-
miniftrations, and thofe of the electoral deputations,
- as well as all other public fun£tionaries, fummoned
by fhut letters, fhall be re-united, at feven o'clock,
at the palace of juftice, whence they fhall proceed on
foot to the church, where they ought to arrive before
eight o'clock.
VI. The fenate fhall quit its palace, the council of
ftate the Tuileries, the legiflative body, and the tribu
nate, each its palace, .at eight o'clock precifely; — each
of thefe bodies fhall have an efcort of one hundred ca
valry. The prefect of the police fhall name the ftreets
through which thefe proceffions fhall pafs ; he fhall
advife on this fubjeft with the governor of Paris, and
the grand mafter of the ceremonies.
VII. The diplomatic body fhall be requefted to meet
at the houfe of one of its members, in order to pro
ceed to the church, and to be there by nine o'clock,
in the gallery deftined for its members ; it fhall be
conducted by one hundred cavalry. VIIL

THE EMPEROR. 113
VIII. The prefedt of the police is charged to give
orders, and to take the neceflary meafures that all the
Carriages which do not belong to the emperor's fuite,
rior to that of the pope, fhall pafs without confufion.
He fhall firft order the proceffion of the diplomatic (
body, then thofe of the fenate, of the council of ftate,
of the legiflative body, and of the tribunate ; and fhall
advife for this purpofe with the grand efquire* and the
grand mafter of the ceremonies.
IX. The pope's fuite fhall leave the Tuileries at
nine o'clock ; the order and march of this proceffion
fhall be arranged feparately by the grand efquire, and
by the grand mafter of the ceremonies.
X. At ten o'clock in the morning, the emperor
fhall leave the palace of the Tuileries, to proceed to
Notre Dame, through an avenue of troops. A round
of artillery fhall announce his departure. The empe
ror fhall pafs to Notre Dame by the Carroufel, ftreets
St. Nicaife, St. Honore, du Roul, Pont-Neuf, quai
des Orfevres ; ftreets St. Louis, Marche Neuf, and
Parvis Notre Dame.
XL The march of the imperial proceffion fhall "be
opened > by eight fquadrons of cuiraffiers, and by the
fquadrons of chaffeurs of the guard, mingled with cir
cular platoons of. Mamelukes ; the governor of Paris
fhall proceed, with the officers of his ftaff, at the head
of thefe troops.
XII. The imperial proceffion fhall be in the follow
ing order. Heralds at arms on horfeback -, a coach.
vol.. 11. 1 for

114 CORONATION OF
for the mafters and affiftants of the ceremonies ; four
coaches for the grand military officers of the empire j
threefor the minifters ;one for the grand chamberlain, the
grand efquire, and the grand mafter of the ceremonies;
one for their ferene highriefies, the arch-chancellor
and the arch-treafurer j one for the princefl'es; that of
the emperor, in which fhall appear their imperial ma-
jefties, and their imperial highnefles the princes Jofeph
and Louis ; one coach for the grand almoner, the
marflial of the palace, and the mafter of the hounds ;
one for the lady of honour, tire-Woman, firft efquire,
and firft chamberlain of the, emprefs; two coaches for
eight ladies of the palace; one for two other ladies of
the palace and two chamberlains; three for feveral offi
cers of the emperor and of the emprefs ; four for the la
dies and officers of their imperial highnefles the prin
ces and princefl'es.
XIII. The emperor's coaeh fhall be drawn by eight
horfes ; all the others in his fuite, by fix ; the mar-
fhals colonels- general of the imperial guards fhall be on
horfeback at the doors of. the emperor's coach ; the
marfhal commanding the gendarmerie fhall be on
horfeback behind the coach; the aids-de-camp on a
line with the horfes, the efquires with the hind
wheels.

XIV. The imperial proceffion fhall be clofed by the
grenadier cavalry, mingled with platoons of cannon
eers on horfeback, and by a fquadron of the chofen
gendarmerie.
XV.

THE EMPEROR.' 1 15
XV. The imperial fuite, on arriving at the fquare
of Notre Dame, fhall turn to the left of the great
gate, by the ftreet of the Cloifter. Their majefties
and their retinue fhall alight at the little door of the
archbifhop's palace, proceeding thence to the apart
ments prepared for their reception. The emperor will
there put on his robes, and will pafs with his train on
foot to the great gate of Notre Dame, by a decorated/
gallery, conftrudled along the chutch, and ending, at
that gate.
XVI. The efquires of his majefty fhall fuperintend
the proceffion, and the placing of the carriages of the
imperial fuite, according to orders received from the
grand efquire;
XVII. After the ceremony, the emperor will re
turn to the archbifhop's palace by the fame gallery,
and will quit the fame door by which he entered,
to return to the Tuileries, with the fame train and
in the fame order.
XVIII. The imperial proceffion, upon its return,
fhall proceed by the ftreets Parvis Notre Dame,
Marche Neuf, Barrillerie, Pont-au-Change ; ftreet
St. Denis, Boulevards, ftreet and fquare of Concord,
Pont Tournant, and garden ef the Tuileries.
General Arrangements.
No carriage, except, thofe in the proceffions of
j 2 the

11(5 CORONATION OF
the emperor and the pope, fhall be drawn by mofe
than two horfes.
Hackney coaches cannot be permitted in the ftreets
where the proceffions pafs ; and after eight o'clock, no
carriage, except thofe of the proceffions, can pafs the
ftreets allotted to them..
After the arrival of the pope at the church, no per
fon, except thofe who belong to the imperial retinue,
can be permitted to enter.
Five hundred torches fhall be diftributed, by orders
of the grand marflial, to light the imperial procef
fion and that of the pope on their return.
The palace and garden of the Tuileries and the
Boulevards, fhall be illuminated. Flames of Bengal
fliall be kindled on the moft lofty buildings.
L. P. Segur,
The Grand Majler of the Ceremonies,

Such were the arrangements for this
grand and. unique ceremony, which pre
tended to place a new dynafty upon the
throne of France. The weather was re
markably favourable, confidering the time of

"THE EMPEROR. 1 1 '$
of the year ; but Bonaparte is proverbially
happy in this refpedt, and, after long rains,
he has only to appear" on the parade, ac
cording to the good people of Paris, to
reftore funfhine. It was faid with exqui-
fite beauty of an ancient hero:
O nimium dilefle Deo! cui militat ather/
Et conjurati veniunt ad claffica venti !
The roaring of the cannon at the Inva
lids fet all Paris agog at an early hour, yet
the ftreets were not fo crowded as was to
have been expected from the Parifian love
of any thing like a fhow, many having
apprehenfions of fuffering in the prefs,
and, in their eyes, the ghofts of thofe who
had perifhed on a fimilar grand occafion
under the monarchy, feemed to hover
around. Yet there were empty windows
even on the quays ; and a goldfmith faid
that he could have placed eight more per
fons in his firft floor. The ftreets were
lined with foldiers, leaving room for a
depth of three or four perfons, behind
i 3 their

J iS CORONATION OF
their ranks. The ends of the ftreets, en-,
tering into thofe of the proceffion, were
fecured by cavalry, behind whom appeared'
groups mounted on tables and ladders.
Some of "the houfes towards Notre Dame
were hung with tapeftry, or fefitoons pf
artificial flowers. .
The grand weftern gate of the cathedral
was 'decorated with fome tafte, and a fort
of harmony preferved with the reft of that
gothic fabric. Under a temporary arcade
were paintings in cameo of the chief cities,
of France. A long feftoon of green leaves,-
perhaps laurel, was rather frivolous ; but,
above, an pbjeS, fimple enough in itfelf,
impreffed ideas of majefty. For from the
battlement between the two towers, that is
precifely over the grand gate, was fufpend-
ed a crimfon gonfanon with the eagle of
gold, which fometimes repofed, and fome
times gently unfolded its length before the
wind. As- the form of this ftandard is
ancient, it was in ftrict concordance with the

THE EMPEROR. Iig
the venerable edifice, and its form recalled
the days of chivalry, in which military
power was predominant, as on the prefent
occafion. The great modern general, always think
ing, with Othello, of the tented field, feems
to prefer the appearance of a tent to any
other. Hence the portico at Malmaifon is in
the form of a tent, fupported with fpears,and
his favourite room refembles- the infide of a
tent, hung with painted trophies of the arms
of various nations. On this folemn occafion
a large and high tent was erected at the
door of the archbifhop's palace, under
which the emperor alighted with his train.
The ceremony of the coronation was per
formed on a platform erected in the middle
of the church, wa*s very fplendid, and ac
companied with excellent mufic.
The ftreets through which the procef
fion paffed and returned were covered with
fand-; but the garden of the Tuileries,
which had already fuffered confiderably by
i 4 the

ISO CORONATION" Op
the proceffion to the Invalids, in order to
diftribute the badges of the legion of ho
nour, was greatly injured on this occafion ;
the gravel walks being tpin up by the
numerous carriages and cavalry. The or
der, was very exact, and I did not hear of
any accident. The emperor's coach was
not greatly admired, being in the light
modern ftyle, while the Imperial crown
on the top was extremely heavy ; it was
drawrn by eight fawn-coloured horfes from
Hanover, decked out with feathers and
bunches of ribbons ; and the traces muft
have been more ornamental than folid, for
it was faid that in the ftreet St. Denis one
of them having broken, the proceffion was
obliged to flop half an hour before it
could be repaired. All the other, coaches
were fimply painted green, with brown
mantles on the doors. But Bonaparte,
though a great character, has fome failr
ings whjch rather belong to a little mind,
fuch as an avarice of ambition, a coye-
toufnefs

THE EMPEROR. 121

toufnefs of power that will permit no fpleri-
dour but his own ; and knows not how
much greater it is to give than to enjoy.
In fhort here, as upon other occafions, there
was the emperor and his train.
I forgot to mention, that when the Pope
left the Tuileries, he was preceded by an
ecclefiaftic mounted on a mule, and bearing
a rich crofier. This part of papal cere
mony had far better have been omitted in
fuch a laughing city as Paris, for the poor
prieft, who bore in his countenance and
figure no fmall marks of imbecility, was
befides fo daunted and overawed by the
exceffive fplendour of the military pomp,
that all the foldiery, who ftood four
deep, burft into one torrent of laughter,
which roared from the Tuileries to Notre
Dame, to the great ' difcomfiture of his
Holinefs, who muft have intenfely felt that
Paris was not the fhrine of Papal venera
tion. There being foon after at the thea
tre de* Vaudeville a piece reprefented, in
which

122 CORONATION OF
which ftrange and fantaftic animals appear
ed, a loud cry arofe, " the Pope's mule !
the Pope's mule !"
That part of the Boulevards, through
which the proceffion paffed, was illumina
ted with yew trees and oranges, that is
triangular and. round frames of lamps.
The return to the palace was the moft
fplendid period of the proceffion, the
garden being fuddenly illuminated in a
new and moft brilliant manner. For ar
cades of wood, about forty feet in height,
had been difpofed in fuch a manner, as
with the back front of the palace to form a
fquare of illumination, like a magical caftle
in a fairy tale ; and, befides the novelty of
other parts, feftoons of coloured lamps
were fufpended between the trees of, the
grand avenue. The illumination of the
houfes was penurious, being confined to
thofe occupied by placemen. This is
generally the cafe at Paris, where the in
habitants do not put candles in their win
dows

THE EMPEROR. 1 23
dows as in London, but place little earthen
faucers of' oil or greefe on the balconies, or
projecting ledges of their houfes. In Paris
it is an illumination of palaces, bridges,
and public edifices ; in London an illumi
nation by the people : and never can be
obferved, at the French capital, that univer
fal blaze which tinges the very clouds witl\
flame. What are called Bengal fires, in
the directions of the mafter of the cere
monies, were, I believe, veffels fo difpofed
as to emit vivid flames at certain intervals;
but though I looked every where I could
not perceive their effect.
reheard no acclamations ; and I was told
tbat none were perceivable except upon
one of the quays. It would have been bet
ter to have bought them ; but Bonaparte
has learned to entertain a fupreme con
tempt for the popular voice. Who can
blame him? Has not this popular voice
been difhonoured with acclamations to
IVIarat and Robefpiere ? There

l-2'4 CORONATION OF*
There were three other days of folemrife
ty ; when the new emperor difttibuted the
eagles, a reftitution of the ancient military
enfigns, to deputations from the army
affembled in the Champ de Mars; when he
dined with the fen ate at the Luxembourg;
and when he was treated by the governor
of Paris at the Maifon de Ville or Guild-Hall:
The Tuefday following his coronation was
the day originally fixed for the diftribution
of the eagles: it was fine, according to his
ufual fortune, and the ground congealed by
a hard froft; but, from fome unknown caufe,
this ftriking ceremony was poftponed uni-
til the Wednefday, when a fudden thaw
and rain fucceeded. The deputations were.
upon the ground at an early hour, and were
not extremely pleafed to wait until noon
for the appearance of their chief. The
populace alfo became impatient, and an odd
incident happened. The colours borne by
the deputations, being about to be fup-
planted by the eagles, were brought to the
field,

THE EMPEROR. I2J;
field, but negligently lodged in the care of
a fingle centinel ; the peevifh mob feized
upon them, tore them in pieces, and
trampled them under their feet.
A temporary wooden edifice had been
erected in front of the military fchool.
When I faw it, on the Monday, it feemed
impoffible to complete what remained in
the courfe of one day ; and this was pro
bably the caufe of poftponing the folemni
ty. This edifice was open to the north-
weft, and wa* of courfe not exempt from
the cold rain, which- fell during the greater
part of the day. Here the council of
ftate, fenate, and other authorities were
affembled at ten o'clock, when their empe
ror was expected to make his immediate
appearance, but were obliged to ufe their
patience until noon. A councellor of ftate,
a man of wit, to whom I was indebted for
many kind offices at Paris, fuddenly rofe as
if to make a fpeech ; all were furprifed, as
this was not in the order of the day, but he
onlv

•IlfjT. CORONATION Ot
only faid, " Meflieurs," and after a paufe,
"Virtus laudator et algetV As the French
laugh at every thing, the effect of this
oration, from a man of his. talents and in
fluence, may eafily be conceived ; and the
rifible faculty was only appeafed by the
appearance of the emperor.
Mean while, amidft the thaw and rain,
the military deputations ftood above their
fhoes in water and mud, with which the
cavalry alfo fprinkled the fpedtators. The
emperor was fcarcely feated when a man of
doubtful appearance approached, but had
hardly pronounced Vive la liberie, when he
was feized ; and it was faid, that a concealed
poignard was found. Report ftated tha the
had been in correfpondence with Madame
Moreau, to whofe hufband he was attached
with fond enthufiafm. However this be,
he was fent to' prifon, and the affair buried
in complete filence.
* Virtue is praifed, but is frozen to death.
The-

THE EMPEROR. I27
The folid enfigns of the ^Greeks and
Romans were certainly better adapred to
bear the ftrefs of weather, and the adven
tures of a campaign, than the modern flight
flags of filk. The eagles, dragons, and
other images of brafs richly gilt, and fome
times adorned with gems, muft alfo have
prefented a far more fplendid appearance
than banners, whofe difplay depends on the
wind, and which are the proper decorations
of fhips and caftles. But the idea was not
properly caught. Each legion, fquadron,
or regiment, ought to have had a different
badge : the eagles are too fmall, not ex
ceeding the fize of ravens, and the penon
with which they are accompanied deftroys
tbe effect. They were diftributed with
appropriate fpeeches ; and the ceremony
having lafted till near five o'clock, the de
putations, many of which had arrived from
the moft diftant parts of the empire, were
difmiffed with tickets for the theatres,
6 which

128 Coronation of
which they would gladly have exchanged
for a warm dinner.
During the week allotted td thefe cere
monies, meat and fowls were* for three al
ternate days, given to the people, to all
who chofe to apply ; and hogfheads of
good wine were opened in moft of the
fquares and public places. To the credit
of this indefcribable populace no fort of
riot enfued ; the ftreets were only a little
noify during the night with cries of Vive
V Empereur ! and fometimes a merry fellow
would difplay a nice chicken, and fhout Vive
• V Empereur ! y Cefl un tendron /* On the
day of the Champ de Mars, happening to be
in company with an old lady from the coun
try, I afked her carelefsly if the emperor gave
any poultry that day. She anfwered very
ferioufly, " Certainly, fir j he gives eagles."
I thought at firft that this was a piece of
* Long live the Emperor ! How tender it is !
irony,

The emperor. 129
irony, but found that fhe was quite ferious,^
and imagined that the eagles were tobe de
voured by the troops.
On the day of the Luxembourg, the
gardens were illuminated with confiderable
tafte, and a concert of mufic was perform
ed. When the emperor went to the Hotel
de Ville there were many new decorations.
A large triumphal arch, and an open
gallery of wood were conftructed in front
of the 'Guildhall ; and along the quays
^ reaching from the Tuileries to that man-
fion, were .pillars encircled with feftoons bf
coloured lamps, which, with the reflection
in the water, produced a furprifing effect.
Oppofite to. the Hotel de Ville, on the
other fide of the river, a capital fire work
was conftructed, reprefenting the march
over- Mount St." Bernard; and the emperor,
feated in the open gallery, lighted a fquib,
which, paffing the river on a tight cord, fet^
fire to this exhibition. The effect was
VOL. 11. K complete

Ij;0 CORONATION OF
complete and admirable, efpecially when
the moon retired behind a cloud. The
new emperor and emprefs won the hearts
of the city dames by their affability and
condefcenfion ; and the ball difplayed no
fmall elegance and beauty. I obferved,
however, no acclamations at the proceffion,
but rather a kind of brouhaha of curiofity
and wonder. This circumftance was alfo
remarked by a French lady who was with
me, and who could not help faying, "How
different is all this from the days of the
monarchy, when the tears gufhed into our
eyes to behold our King, our Countryman,
our Father." This idea feemed precious to
me, as explaining the lingular affection
which the French ufed to entertain for their
fovereigns ; and 1 found it to be an unde-
finable mixture of fenfibility and vanity.
The king was a Frenchman, a countryman,
they thought ; one of us, and at the fame
time the firft monarch in the univerfe. If

TH? EMPEROR. ,131
If we pxcept however, the firfi day,
jhat of the coronation, the general effect
fatljer leaned towards difappointment. TJue
jycjod,eo arcades, which had been erected,
with fo much preparation and expence in,
"the garden of the Tuileries, though they
¦femained entire, were never illuminated
jexcepjt once. Qn the day of the Hotel de
Ville, the people preffed towards ,the palace,
iexpe&ing a grand illumination, on the em
peror's return : inftead of which, the cen-
tinels had received the wanton and abfii"c,4
(prders of admitting no perfon into ,the gar
dens. More ininute circumftances reflect
ed little credit: on the mafters of the cere
monies ; for inftance, at a ball given by
¦fth,e ^egjflatiye body £t their palace, there
was abundance of delicious ices, but not
.one fpoon. This mixture of, thp great ar^d.
£he J,jt"Je has been long fince remarked to
preyajl # IVi?» an^ the revolution has
flnade ludicrous additions. When you ad-
K 2 ' drefs

I32 00*LONAtION OF
drefs a lady fplendidly attired, fhe will
fometimes betray her, birth and educatiott
by fome low expreffion. A poiffarde, a
pretty girl, who fold fruit in the ftreets, has
become the wife of a marechal of France. .
Having one day loft a filver bodkin, which
would have been very precious to her in
her former condition, fhe called in her
valet," whom fhe fufpected, and after fome
imprecations, and a torrent of language
which neither belonged to the beautiful nor
the fublime, actually fearched his cloaths,
not excepting his breeches, with her own
fair hands ; and not finding the object of
her refearch, difmiffed him with a hand-
fome kick upon the feat of honour. Ano
ther ne\v lady of diftindtlon, when her
coachman afked her, upon a vifit, at what
hour he fhould return ? anfwered N' im'-
porte. II y en a gros f Another, invited to
the feftival given by Talleyrand to the king
of Etruria, and politely" allied by that
minifter

THE EMPEROR. x^^
minifter how flie liked the entertainment,
replied, Mais dame, tres bien \ les fricaux
etoient charmans*.
* Thefe expreffions can fcarcely be tranflated. The
firft may be obliquely interpreted, " No matter, there
are plenty in the market." She was probably think*
ing of hackney coaches, and forgot that fhe had come
in her own carriage. In the other, not to mention tha
ignoble interjection, the word frieaux is a mean ex-
p re (lion of the low eft vulgar.

K 3 . CHAP,

I j^ VERSAILLES.

CHAP. IX.
VERSAILLES.
•HpHE palace of Verfailles has been fre
quently deferibed, but the accounts
of travellers differ not a little. Mr. Gray
has called it a huge heap of littlenefs ;
while others enlarge on the magnificence
of the architecture. The firft defcription
may not be unjuftly applied to the firft
front, or that towards ' Paris ; while the
other„belongs to the fecond front, or that
towards the gardens.
The. three diverging avenues before the
main front, and the approach from Paris,
are truly grand and ftriking : but when
you enter the court, and perceive the little
old chateau, built by Louis XIII. in a mi
ferable tafte, with paltry bufts, and gilded
ornaments, it is fcarcely poffible to avoid
- laughter.

VERSAILLES. 1 35
laughten It is diflicult to conceive that
fuch a building fhould be of the fame pe
riod .with the palace of the Luxembourg ;
but as this was merely a hunting feat, by
what abfurdity came it to be retained in the
middle of the chief front of the palace ?
This abfurdity arofe from a capricious, va
nity of Louis XIV., who, in oppofition
to the advice of the celebrated architect,
Manfard, infifted that it fhould ftand, as
an object, forfooth, of comparifon between
his power and magnificence, and thofe of
his predeceflbr. A courtier, who well
knew this royal foible, made ufe of a fimi
lar flatfery. The king going to one of his
caftles rarely vifited, he, was told that there
were not lodgings fufficient for his train,
and faid, " how ! my grandfather and fa
ther often lived there." Upon which the
courtier replied, " pretty kings indeed !"
- Manfard propofed to take down the old
chateau, that his" grand plan might not be
impeded. The defect arifing from the
king's puerile obftinacy is irremediable, as
K 4 it

136 VERSAILLES.
it deftroys the very form, but might be.
fomewhat foftened by altering the walls
and windows to fome confonance with
thofe of the garden' front. There are,
however, other defects on this fide of the
edifice, which it would require a prodigi
ous expence to re'move.
The garden front, the uniform work of
Manfard, may be pronounced to be truly
magnificent. Yet the numerous trophies
on the top do not feem aufhorifed by claf-
1
fical examples, and difturb the repofe and
maffes of the reft. The projection of the
middle is alfo not a pleafing circumftance,
as fuch a facrifice can only be made tp the ar
rangement of the main front, which, in this
inftance deferved no'facrifice whatever. An
exclufive tafte is the fecret of refufing en
joyment; but the gardens, though not in the
order of the day, may be pronounced to
be truly noble, and agreeably diverfified.
The grand ftaircafe leading to the orangery,
is worthy of Greece or Rome ; and many
of the bofquets are charmingly arranged. The

VERSAILLES. 137
The ftatues are perhaps too numerous,, and
fome of them have the flutter and trifling
decorations of French fculpture at that
period. The chapel and the theatre are' elegant,
but the latter too much loaded with gild
ing. The palace ftill contains many excel
lent paintings, exclufive of the grand gal
lery by Le Brun, and ceilings, &c, by
other artifts. The large pieces in enamel,
reprefenting hunting parties of Louis XVI.,
may be ranked among the firft-rate pro
ductions. In a lower chamber are ftill pre-
ferved feveral portraits of the late royal fa
mily, not commonly fhown. The cabinet-
of natural hiftory formerly belonged to the
prince of Conde', and was brought from
Chantilly, where it had been arranged by
Valmont de Bomarre. Several of the ob
jects are injured, and the whole neglected,
but it ferves to increafe the pleafure of a
lounge at Verfailles. There ,are alfo fome
, artificial

5jS VERSAILLES.
artificial curiofitie§, which may amufe even
grown children.
Upon a vifit to Verfailles, a hot day
ought to be avoided, as there are vaft open
jfpaces in the gardens, expofed to a burn
ing fun. The fame obfervation applies to
the greater and lefler Trianon in the vici
nity. The garden of the former is not un-
pleafing, but the buildings going rapidly to
decay, the pillars being of marble of Cam-
pan in the Pyrenees, of which both the
red and the green forts have their beauty,
but as they contain much clay, they exfo
liate in the open air. Little Trianon was
built by Louis XV., and the Ertglifh garden
forms, near Verfailles, a contraft Angularly
pleafing. Formerly the favourite retreat of
Marie Antoinette and love, it has funk into
the hands of a traiteur, and is the feat' of
more vulgar pleafures. On a Sunday it is
crowded with dancing parties, Venus being*
univerfally in France more worfhipped than
Bacchus.

VERSAILLES. 139
Bacchus. The walks are in tolerable order,
and the rivulets and lakes well arranged;
but the buildings are in a ftate of decay,
and even the* ruins are gone to ruin.
At Verfailles a letter of introduction is
required to fee the mineralogical cabinet
and garden of M. de Cubiere, formerly a
marquis, and chief equerry to the king,
but now governor of Verfailles:, a finecure
Of fome profit- The cabinet by no means
anfwefed expectation, being rather neat
than opulent, but is fhewn with laudable
liberality, even during his abfence. He
fhowed me two vafes which he had brought
ffOfn Italy, of that beautiful Egyptian
breccia, ufed by the ancients, and of
which the rocks have been difcovered to
ekift in the valley of Coffeir, towards the
Red Sea, where it has been miftaken for
th'e ferpenfine- marble, called verd antique.
But it is wholly filiceous, and one of the
moft fingular rOcks, being compofed of
fragntents, fometimes rounded, fometimes angular,

140 VERSAILLES.
angular, of eight or ten primitive fubftan-
ces, granite, porphyry, jafper, petrofilex,
jad, &c, &c, but the ancients preferred
the parts in which the green jafper is pre
dominant, as working more regularly than
thofe which contain granite and porphyry.
The noble farcophage, in the court of the
Britifh Mufeum, idly given to Alexander
the Great, is of this fubftance ; but a high
polifh is required to call forth all its beau-
.ties, though expofure to rain produces, as
ufual, nearly the fame effect. The fame
gentleman had brought from Italy -fpeci
mens of the dialage metalloide of Haiiy,
the fmaragdite of Sauffure, which he had
found in the ruins of Pompeia, an addition
al proof, if any were required, of the wide
attention of the ancients to every intereft-
ing fubftance in lithology.
The houfe of M. de Cubiere is fmall,
but difpofed with great tafte. He lives at
the extremity of a "ftreet, and his garden
occupies all the fpace which would other- wife

VERSAILLES. 141
wife be divided into twenty fmall patches.
It is difpofed in the Englifh fafhion, and
with an exuberance Of fhade. On one fide-
is a fmall laboratory, and another cottage
with models of machines. Befides pavil
ions, and a well conceived hermitage, the
moft fingular monument is the Tomb of
Love, in the ftyle of the fourteenh centu
ry, with an infcription^in French verfe, in
the language and character of that time,
importing that true love is dead and bu
ried, fo that it is no wonder that he is now
unknown. The idea is pretty, and the
execution happy ; the gloom of the feem-
ing fepulchre being thus changed into an
agreeable and ingenious furprife.

CHAP.

14* POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS*

CHAP. X
POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
A midst the infinite number of books
printed in France, there is none upon
this fubject, while we have, J:wo or three
ingenious collections. A Frenchman, by
lodging in villages, and converting with
the peafantry, might, ftill gather many of
their traditions. In Bretagne, which is by
far the moft barbarous part of France, the
fuperftitions are numerous, but they are in
general common to the "Welch and other
Celtic tribes. The fairies in France feem
to be taller than ours, being about three feet
in height ; and they carry large ftones with
great' eafe, fpinning all the way pu/ their
diftaffs. The reign of witches feems to be
at an end ; but I faw, in the national libra
ry, a fingular work in Latin, publifhed by a
8 magiftrate

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. I43
magiftrate of Lorraine, towards the clofe of
the feventee'nth century, in which'he cites
all the evidences taken before himfelf, and ¦
exults, in his preface, that he had put three
hundred magicians and witches to death !
It is to be regretted that he had not been
led to the ftake before he pronounced the
firft judgment. Yet the common people
ftill believe in what they call the fore • or
perhaps fort. JDonner un fore fomewhat
refembles the Lapqnic gad-fly. An invifi-
ble infect is fent to ' fting the perfon, and
produce an inflammation in the eye, or an
ulcer in a limb, nay fometimes general con-
vulfions. The fhepherds ufed to be accufed
of this practice, and there are even trials on
record of the reign of Louis XIV.
Animal magnetifm cannot be claffed:
among popular fuperftitions, but I knew a
refpectable and well informed gentleman
who firmly believed in its exiftence and
effects, Which he affured me he had him
felf often exercifed. Befides curing fome
difeafes,

144 POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
v ' "**
difeafes, its chief power was over a lady,
whom he could force to come from any
diftant part of the houfe, and lie down at
his feet. She would often ftruggle much,
and exclaim " Do what you will, I won't go-
this time," but was* always obliged to
comply. He deferibed this unaccountable
power, as fimply proceeding from an in
tense and continual exertion of the will ;
an operation extremely fatiguing to the
mental powers, fo that moft of the new
magicians loft their fenfes. As the power
is not worth the danger, it is no wonder
that the fyftem and its difciples have de
clined. In every 'other inftance I could
have believed the teftimony of this gentle
man, whofe judgment is acute, and his love
of truth invincible, and if it muft be credit
ed in this inftance, the diftinction between
mind and matter becomes very cogent, for
it is impoffible to conceive any combination
of material caufes whieh could produce fuch
an effect, 7 Moft

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 1 45
Moft of the ghofts feem to have vanifh-
ed to Flanders and Germany, and there are
very few of them who fpeak French. The
ftories moftly correfpond with fome of our
own, and the indentity of the tales may in
this cafe fhew them to be the works of ima
gination. The late Captain Grofe, the anti
quary, was fond of relaxing his fancy with
productions of this fort ; he would throw
an old pamphlet before you, with a look of
ironical exultation, "Look there; I have
got a nice ghoft !" A nice ghoft has alfo
occurred to me, in a book where it would
not be expected, the works of the benevo
lent and philofophic Abbe de St. Pierre,
which I fhall tranflate for the amufement
of my readers*.
" Having been told lately (fays St. Pierre)
at Valogne, that a good prieft of the town^
who taught children to read, and was
called M. Bezuel* had feen an apparition in
* Tome IV. p. 57.
vol. 11. L broad

14*5 Popular superstitions*
broad day, ten or twelve years before ; and
as the ftory had excited great fenfation, on
account of his well-known character of
probity and fincerity, I had the curiofity to
hear him tell his adventure himfelf. A re
lation of mine, a lady who knew him, in
vited him to dinner yefterday, the 7th of
January 1708 ; and as, on one fide, I tefti-
fied my-defire of hearing the circumftances
from his own mouth, and as on the other
he feeiried to view the event as an honour
able diftinction, he repeated the whole to
us before dinner, in the moft fimple and
ingenuous manner." ,
RELATION.
" In 1 695, ' faid M. Bezuel, being a
young fcholar of about fifteen years of age,
I formed an acquaintance with the two
fons of Abaquene, a lawyer, fcholars like
myfelf. The eldeft was of my age ; and
the other eighteen months younger. This
laft was called Desfontaines : we took our
walks,

POPULAR SUPERSTltioNS.'" I47
walks, and formed our parties of pleafure^
together; and whether it were that Def-
fontaine^s had mofe friendfhip for me, or
was more gay* complaifant, and intelligent
than his brother, I liked him better.
" In 1696, as we were both walking in
the cldifter of the Capuchins, he told me;
that he had read, a little while ago, a ftory
of two friends, who had promifed to each
other that the firft who died fhould re
turn, and inform his comrade of his fitua
tion : that thd dead man did appear, and
told him furprifing things. Desforttaines
then faid that he had a favour to afk, which
he moft earneftly defired ; this was to
make him a like promife in confequence
of his : but I faid I never would confent*
He repeated this propofal during feveral
months, and moft ferioufly; but I always
refilled. At laft, about the month of Au
guft, 1 696, as he was about to depart in
Order to purfue his ftudies at Caen, he
preffed me fo much, with tears in his eyes,
L 2 that

148 POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
that I contented. He inftantly produced
two little papers, ready written, and one
figned with his blood, in which he pro-
mifed, in cafe of death to return, and tell
me his fituation ; while by the other I
made the fame promife. I pricked my
finger, and with a drop of blood figned
my name. He was delighted with this fo-
mUch' defired contract, and embraced me
with a thoufand thanks. ' V
" Not long after he departed with his.
brother. Our feparation occafioned much
mutual regret, and we wrote to each other
from time to time ; but fix weeks had
elapfed fince I had received any letter,.
when the event happened which I am
going to relate.
" Oh the 31ft July 1697, 'll ™as a Thurf
day, I fhall remember it all my days, the
late M. de Sortoville, with whprii I lodged,
and who fhewed me great kindnefs, defired
me to go to a meadow near the monaftery
of the Cordeliers, to haften his fervants who

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS'. 149
who" were making hay. I was not there a
quarter of an hour, when, about half an
hour after two o'clock, I felt myfelf as it
were ftunned, and feized with great weak-
nefs. I tried to fupport myfelf on my hay
fork, but was obliged to fit down on a heap
of hay, where it was half an hour befc-e
I recovered my fenfes. This paffed away ;
but as nothing fimilar had ever happened
to me before, I was furprifed, and feared
the attack of fome difeafe : yet the reft of
the day little impreffion remained, fiut I
flept lefs than ufpal the following nigfit.
" On the morrow, at the fame hour, as I
went to the meadow with M. de S. Simon,
grandfbn to M. de Sortoville, a boy of ten
years of age, I felt myfelf feized on the road
with the fame weaknefs, and fat down on
a ftone under the fha,de. This alfo foon
paffed away, and we continued our walk.
Nothing further happened that day j but I
did not fleep the whole of the night.
l 3 "At

!5® POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
" At laft, on the next day, the 2d of Au*
guft, being in the loft where they were
putting the hay, 'now brought from the
meadow, and precifely at the fame hour,
1 was feized with the fame giddinefs* and
weaknefs; but this attack, being more
fevere than the two others, I fainted away,
and loft all fenfe. One of the fervants
perceived it ; and, as I was afterwards told^
lie afked me what was the matter? to which
I anfwered, ' I have feen what I never
would have believed.* . But I remember
nothing, neither of the queftion nor the
anfwer, though they correfpond with what
I remember to have feen, like a perfon
naked to ' the middle, whofe face I did not
however recollect.
" I was aflifted in defcending the ladder,
and held firmly by the fteps, but when I
faw my comrade Desfontaines at thcbottom
of the ladder, the weaknefs again attacked.
me; my head fell between two of the
fteps,

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. T.51
fteps, and I again loft all knowledge. I
was taken down, and placed on a large
beam, ferving asa feat' in the adjoining
fquare of the Capuchins. Sitting there, I
did not perceive M. de Sortoville, nor his
domeftics, although prefent ; but feeing
Desfontaines near the bottom of the ladder,
he made me a fign to come to him. I
drew afide on my feat, as if to make room
for him ; and they who faw me, but whom
I did not fee, though my eyes remained
open, obferved that motion.
" As he did not come to me, I rofe to
go to him ; when he advanced towards
me, took my left arm in his right, and led
me about thirty paces into a bye ftreet, ftill
retaining his hold. The domeftics believ
ing that my faintnefs had paffed, and that
I was going on fome occafion, went about
tlieir bufinefs, except a little lacquey,
who came and told M. de Sortoville
that I fpoke to myfelf. M, de Soctoville
believed that I was drunk ; he approached
and heard me make fome queftions and
l 4 fome

152 POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
fome anfwers, which he repeated after
wards. " I was nearly three quarters of an hour
in converfation with Desfontaines. * I haye
pledged my promife to you, faid he, that if
I died before you, I fhould give you inform
mation. I was drowned the day before
yefterday, in the river of Caen, much about
this hour. I was walking with fuch and
fuch perfons ; it was very hot, we propofed
to bathe, but a faintnefs feized me in the
river, and I funk to the bottom. The
Abbe de Menil-Jean, one of my comrades,
plunged to bring me up, and I feized his
foot ; but whether it were that he thought
it was a falmon, as I preffed it hard, or
found it neceffary, for his own fafety, to
remount directly ; he fhook his leg with
fo much violence, that he gave me a hard
blow on the breaft, and threw me to the
bottom of the river, which is very deep in
that part.'
" Desfontaines told me afterwards, aft that
had happened on their walk, and the fub-
x jects

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS* I53
jects of their converfation. I then afked
him queftions, if he was faved, if he was
damned, if he was in purgatory, if I was
in a ftate of grace, and if I would follow
him foon? He continued his difcourfe
as if he had not heard me, and as if he did
not choofe to hear me.
" I often approached in order to embrace
him, but it appeared to me that I embraced
nothing, though I felt well that he held
me ftrongly by the arm ; and that when I
endeavoured to turn away my head, be
caufe I could not fupport the fight without
affliction, he fhook my arm, as if to oblige
me to look at him and to hear him.
" He appeared to me always taller than
what I had feen him, taller even than he
muft have been at the time of his death,
though he muft have grown during the
eighteen months that we had not feen each
other *. He always appeared to me only
* There muft be fome miftake, perhaps in the cy
phers, 18 being put for 13. as

I54 POFULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
as half a naked body, his head uncovered,
fave his beautiful fair locks, and, as it were,
a white billet twifted into the hair upon his
^forehead, which contained fome writing,
but I could only read the words, In> &c.
" The found of his voice, was the fame
as when alive, and he did not appear to me
either gay or fad, but in a calm and tranquil
temper. He begged me, when his brother
fhould return, to tell him certain things to
be repeated to his father and mother. He
defired me to fay the feven pfalms, enjoin
ed to him as a penitence on the preced
ing Sunday, and which he had not yet re
cited. In fine, he repeated his entreaties
that I would fpeak to his brother, and then
bid me adieu, and left me, hying^/ufques,jie/-
ques, his ufual phrafe when we quitted each
other, after our walks, to return home *.
¦** He told me alfo that when he was
* That Isjufques a revoir, "till we fee each other
again,"** ftill a common farewell : as is auplaifir, " till
^ve have the pleafure of meeting again."
3 drowned,

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. 1 55
drowned, his brother, who was occupied
with his theme, had repented that he had
permitted him to go, as he feared fome ac
cident. He fo perfedly deferibed to me
the fpot where he was drowned, and the
tree of the avenue of Louvigni, where hc^
had cut fome words, that, two years after^
wards, being in company with the late
* chevalier de Qotot, one of thofe who were
with him when he was drowned, I pointed
out the precife fpot ; and then counting the
trees on the fide that Desfontaines had fpe,
cified, I went ftraight to the tree, and
found the writing. Gotot likewife told me
that the article of the feven pfalms was
true, and that, on leaving the confeffional,
they had told each other their enjoined pe
nitences. His brother has alfo told me
that it is true that he was compofing his
theme, and reproached himfelf for not be
ing of the company.
" As more than a month paffed before I
Was able to execute the commiffion which
Desfontaines

156 POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.
Desfontaines had given me to his brother,
he appeared to me two other times. One
was before the hour of dinner, at a coun
try houTe, a league from hence, where I
went to dine. I found myfelf fuddenly
taken ill, and defired to be left alone, faid
k was nothing, and that I would foon re
turn., I then went into a corner of the
garden, where Desfontaines appeared, and
reproached me that I had not, yet fpoken to
his brother. He talked a quarter of an
hour, but would never anfwer to my
qUeftions. " One morning, when I was going to
ike church of Notre- Dame de la Victoire,
he again appeared, but for a fhorter fpace,
prfeffed me to fpeak to his brother, and
quitted me, faying^ as ufual, jtfques,jujques,
without anfwering my queftions.
*' It is a remarkable circumftance, that I
always felt a pain in that part of the arm
where he held me the firft time, till I had
fpoken to his brother j nor did I fleep dur ing

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS. I J/
ing three nights from the effects of my
aftonifliment. Immediately after the firft
converfation I told M. de Varauville, my
neighbour and fchool-fellow, that Desfon
taines was drowned, and that he had juft
appeared to me, and told me fo. He ran
to the relations to know if the fact was
true : news had been received, but by a
miftake, he fuppofed that ,it was the elder
brother. He affured me that he had read
the letter, and infifted that it was fo ; but
I fold him that it could not be, as Desfon
taines had appeared to me himfelf. He
returned, came back, and told me with
tears, that it was too true.
" Nothing has happened fince : and I
have now told you all my adventure. It has
been fometimes changed in the repetition,
but I have never told it otherwife than as
I have now repeated. ' The late Chevalier
de Gotot, told me that Desfontaines alfo
appeared to M. ' de Menil-Jean. But I
have

158 Popular superstitions*
have not the pleafure of his acquaintance J
he lives twenty leagues hence, towards
Argentan : and I can add nothing further
on the fubject."

CHAP.

THE GARDEN OF THE TUILERIES. I59

CHAP. XL
THE GARDEN OF THE TUILERIES.
¦T^his beautiful garden, which forms one
of the chief promenades of Paris, is
very remote in its plan from what is called
the Englifh Garden, yet I never met with
any Englifhman of tafte who would have
wifhed a change in the arrangement. The
noble terraces give every variety of eleva
tion that the ground would permit ; and
the wide alleys were indifpenfible for the
numbers admitted. An Englifh garden
would here be alike ufelefs and prepofte-
rous ; and, the parts of the park at Bruffels,
which approach to this form, are thofe
which give the leaft fatisfadtion. Sauffure
has obferved, in his celebrated Travels in
the Alps, that when he left thefe wild
fcenes

I (So THE GARDEN OP
fcenes of nature, and found himfelf in the
Borromean gardens, trimmed and adorned
with every effort of art, his fenfations of
delight were inexpreflible. The prefence
of induftry, the fympathy of fociety, the
powers of man and mind, breathed a glow
of fatisfadtion into his feelings; and thefe
mingled fenfations were fuperior to the
mere fight of rude nature. This great and
philofophic obferver certainly has on his
fide good fenfe, and the feelings of all[man-
kind ; and if what is called the Englifh
garden were univerfally adopted, the uni
formity of this variety would be truly irk-
fome. The truly fublime fcenes of nature
do not admit of imitation ; and while we
are of neceffity reduced to the beautiful,
the lady may as well wear a decorated
gown, and artificial arrangement of her
hair, as appear in a ftate of nature, with
disfhevelled locks. Let us not, therefore,
with an exclufive tafte, wifh to plant
Englifh gardens every where: and though
8 jets-

THE TUILERIES. l6l
jets-d'eau be little neceffary in our humid
climate, let us not rail at the inhabitants of .
more torrid countries, where they afford a
delicious refrefhment to the feeling, to the
eyes, and to the ear. An artificial river,
refembling a horfe pond or a ditch, may
be unfightly, and only fhew the reluctance
of nature tofalfify her operations ; while a
jet-d'eau of cryftaliine water, in addition to
the pleafures already mentioned, delights
by many correlative ideas on human art
and induftry.
The number of ftatues forms a pleafing
decoration in this celebrated garden, and
fuggefts never failing fources of amufe-
ment. Were they in the park of St.
James's, not a night would pafs without
fome fhocking mutilation, from which even
the ftatues in Weftminfter Abbey,a church
and the facred fanctuary of the dead, cannot
efcape. How are we to explain this diffe
rence in the boys, and in the populace, of
the two countries ? How comes it that
vol. n. m. the

162 THE GARDEN OF
the childifh malignity, which finds a de*
light in mere and unmixed mifchief, feems
totally unknown in France, while unex
pectedly the moft ferocious- adtions have
often difgraced the populace ? Is this one
of the inconfiftences of the human cha-
' racter, which fo often embarrafs the cool
obferver ; or is it connedted with certain
habits and circumftances, which have more
power over nations than climate and form
of government ? Fielding, a traveller, and
a great .mafter of the human heart, has in
his voyage to Lifbon obferved, from his
own experience, that the mob. of his own
country is far more replete with malignity
than any other, but regarding this quality
as innate, he does not" attempt to afiign its
caufes. It may be faid, that the French
being a people more early civilized, their
progrefs muft of courfe, precede our's ; and
that they 'thus regard childifh malice as be
neath their maturity. A French lady will •
fay of another, eile ejl ajfez bete pour etre
maline,

THE TUILERIES. 163
toialine, " She is foolifh enough to be mali
cious ;" which is a folemn and important
moral axiom, while with us it is not un-
ufual to fay, " I believe I get foolifh, for I
cannot fay a harfh thing." What is called
fun often arifes from giving ludicrous but
real diftrefs to another, from breaking of
windows, deftroying folitary feats, muti
lating ftatues, or fuch innocent actions, at
which a foreigner would only fhrug up his
fhoulders, and declare them la derniere betife,
or confummation of folly. Some have
fuppofed that the veneration of ftatues in
catholic countries may have occafioned this
difference ; but this caufe" can fcarcely be
extended to the Pagan deities, and could
fcarcely have operated during the revolu
tion, when the catholic religion was utterly
abolifhed. A fpectator affured me, that
when the Swifs fled through this garden,
on the unhappy tenth of Auguft, which
delivered France to fo many horrors, fome
of them got up behind the ftatues to fave
M 2 themfelves j

I(J4 THE GARDEN OF
themfelves; but the infuriate populace,
afraid, even at fuch a moment, of dama
ging the ftatues, pricked them down with
their bayonets, and afterwards fhot them.
To return from this digreflion, which,
however, implicates a queftion of no fmall
moment to the progrefs and prefervation. of
the arts, the ftatues in the garden of the
Tuileries, ate generally far fuperior to
thofe at the Luxembourg, and the pofi
tions are commonly well chofen. The per-
fpedtivo of the four horfes towards the
Elyfian fields is truly noble. The latter
coniift of thick groves of trees, planted in
the quincunx form, and thus affording an
infinite" number of fhady walks. The two
groves, in like manner, on each fide of
the grand ...alley in the garden of the
Tuileries, having no fod, but only a fandy
foil, may be permeated in every direction ;
and, on the happy Chriftian feaft of Sun
day, are filled with groups of dancing
children. The number of chairs to be
5 hired

THE TUILERIES. 165
hired forms, as it were, a little pyramid ;
and for one penny you may fit at your
eafe under the fhade, and view the paffing
groups. Three or four people lend out the
journals or newfpapers, at one fou, or
halfpenny each, except, the Moniteur and
the Argus, which being dearer,, one penny
was demanded. Many Englifh at Paris
read the latter, though they little admired
an Englifh paper fubfervient to the French
government, merely becaufe the Englifh
news appeared in their native language,
while the French tranflations are often er
roneous. A ludicrous inftance amufed
even fuch of the French as underftood the
Englifh language. Some French boats
having been driven by a ftorm towards
our fouthern fhores, the people exclaimed,
' Huzza ! they are coming at laft,' which '
was gravely tranflated in a Parilian news
paper, Helas ! Erijin nous voila marts I
4 Alas ! we are dead at laft.' A defcrip-
tion of Great Britain and Ireland having
m 3 been

l66 THE GARDEN OP
been drawn up for the ufe of the officers-,
the tranflator found that a large fifh called
the bq/king fhark fometimes appeared on
the weftern fhores, but reading barking
Jhark, he gravely put requin aboyant into
his text, to the great terror of zoolo-
gifts. Refreshments of all kinds may be had in
the garden itfelf, under a large and elegant
tent, erected in the fummer by Very, the
celebrated traiteur : and in his rooms, or
thofe adjoining of Le Gacque, or more
humble ones at the other extremity of the
garden, an excellent dinner may be begun
within five minutes after your appear
ance. The terrace on the fide of the river is
perhaps the moft pleafant walk, and will
be rendered ftill more agreeable when the
Improvements are completed. But as there
is little or no fhade, the favourite mall is
in what is called la belle allee, on the other
fide of the garden, which, in fummer, is
4. lined

THE TUILERIES. 167
lined with fuperb orange treees ; or rather
in a fmall walk, on the fide, under the
fhade of the grove. Though the moft
fafhionable people go to the country on
Sunday, yet, on that day, between the
hours of three and five, the mall is often
crowded with elegance and beauty. Many
- of the ladies fit as fpectators, three or four
deep, veniunt fpeclcntur ' ut ipfe : while
others walk with infinite grace. It has
impreffed many ftrangers, on this and
other occafions, and in various countries,
that numbers of beautiful women often ap
pear together, while there are what may be
called plain days, on which not a pretty
woman can be feen. On the Sundays of
the parade, the paffage of the felect troops
which formed the confular (now imperial)
guard, and which a Polifh general, who
had feen all the troops of Europe, declared
to me were the fineft men, and moft com
plete foldiers he had eyer beheld ; the
grandeur of the mufic, and the mixture of
M 4 - courtly

1 68 THE GARDEN OF, &C
courtly and military pomp, render the
garden of the Tuileries a moft fplendid
and variegated fpectacle.
The view from the front ofthe palace,
along the grand alley and the Elyfian
fields, tp the diftant barrier on the top of
an eminence, is truly majeftic ; and on apT
proaching by that barrier, on the evening
of an illumination, the effect refembles enr
chantment. Nor muft it be omitted that:
the palace itfelf, as feen from various part§
of the garden, adds not a little to the,
grandeur of the fcene.

CHAP.

SMALL TALK. ?6g,

CHAP. XII.

SMALL TALK.

A Frenchman being generally gay,
thinks- that you are not fo happy as
he, and fays flattering or pleafing things to
confole you. An Engljfhman being often
melancholy, imagines that you are happier
than him ; and will fometimes fay vexa
tious things in order to reduce you to his
level. No Frenchwoman could have written
the Art of ingenioufly tormenting.

It feems impoffible to effect a revolution
in the French drefs. That ridiculous pow
der, thofe ear-rings, that bare head carried about

I^O SMALL TALK.
about like the Holy Sacrament, can they
ever become republican ? ,

The public exhibition of the produce of
French induftry, in the court of the Lou
vre, was a happy idea, but feems to be dif
continued. The French themfelves obferve
that nothing lafts-at Paris above two years.

Speaking to a celebrated and moft re^
fpectable Frenchman, of a low , artifice
which had been practifed on a ftranger, he
anfwered, £%ue voudrez vous, mon cher .?
Nous fommes tons de fripons : il y a feulement
le plus et le moins *. This fevere farcafm
might unhappily be extended to ' many
countries, and probity is faid to be on tlie
decline, even ia Spain and Germany. A
depravation of the moral principle not Only
* My dear Sir, what would you have ? we are
all rogues j there are only the greater and the
lefs ! accompanies

SMALL TALK. I7I
accompanies but occafions the decline of
ftates. For where is their fafety when
even commanders cannot be trufted, and
miferable felf-intereft overcomes every ge
nerous affection ? Severe laws againft pri
vate treafon, againft every fpecies of fraud,
and all the advantages which low cunning
has over the noble fimplicity of honefty,
would often prevent public treafon and na-*
tional calamities.

The number of foundlings in France,
in the ninth year of the republic, was
eftimated at fixty-three thoufand. Thofe
received in the Foundling Hofpital of Paris
are computed at four thoufand four hundred
a-year, inftead of fix thoufand five hun
dred, which was the eftimate before the
revolution, when many were admitted
frOm the adjacent provinces. They have
little to regret from the want of paternal
tendernefs, which is never common, nor
generally well directed. A late writer on
population

172 SMALL TALK.
population has juftly inferred that it is of
far more importance to preferve the lives
of- adults, than to multiply marriages and
children; and innumerable good parents
have been brought to the grave, by unceaf-
ing efforts and anxious cares to provide for
their families. Their little comforts are
loft, their lives- rendered utterly wretched,
and their, cares increafed to defperation-
Thofe who write againft the utility of
foundling hofpitals are much at their eafe,
and utter ftrangers to the fenfations which
the birth of a child gives to a poor parent,
and the tranquillity reftored by its death.
That libertinifin is thus fomewhat encou
raged, is true ; but, in all human inftitu-
tions, we can merely weigh the good
againft the evil, and look into our own lift
of infanticides, a crime unknown in France.
The intereft required to place a child in the
Foundling Hofpital at London, is truly lu
dicrous, as it opens the door to rich liber
tinifin, while it fhuts the gate upon poverty and

SMALL TALK. i*i-i
and mifery. The number of carriages at
our Foundling Hofpital forms a curious fa-
tire upon the charitable intentions of the
founders. It is not, however, without difficulty
that a French girl can be perfuaded to fend
her child to the Foundling Hofpital. A
defigning woman, in particular, wifhes to
enforce the provifion, which the laws or
dain againft the father, and which is far
more expenfive than the fum here required
by the parifh.

In the want of pockets, and even of ri-
dicules, the French ladies often carry a
fmall watch, letters, &c, in their ibofoms,
the cavity eorrefponding to the beauty of
the elevations.

The length of the great gallery of the
Louvre, now wholly replenifhed with pic
tures, is faid to be thirteen hundred and
fixty-five feet, approaching to one third of
an

\

1.74 SMALL TALK.
an Englifh mile. The impreffion made ort
-the firft entrance is indefcribable, and may
be juftly called fublime. The artifts em
ployed in taking copies are chiefly females,
who, by their attire and graceful pofitions,
feem to have adopted a new plan of
coquetry.

At the French theatres, the money is
received at a fmall grate without the door,
fo that the inconveniences • and dangers of
a crowd are greatly obviated.

The h^.ll of the legiflative body is like
the fenate, in the fopm of a femicircle or
theatre. The decorations ate near, but the
bafio "relievo of the head of Liberty, under
the feat of tho prefident, has fcarcely any
relief. On faying to the concierge, Mon
ami, voire liberie ejl bien platte, he anfwer
ed, fmiling, Monfieur, ccfit d'apres nature **
* Your liberty, friend, is very flat  Sir, it is
drawn from the life.
The

small Talk. 175
The conflagration of the Halle au Ble,
in 1802, prefertted a terrible fpectacle, and
deftroyed a roof of furprifing architecture.
It was 120 feet in diameter, compofed of
deal boards, about four feet long, and one
broad. It was covered with copper, and
the fire was occafioned by the negligence
of the artifan, employed in fome repara
tions. The building is ftill applied to the
fame purpofe, though the grain is fome
what expofed to the weather.

Many of the Parifian ladies amufe their
folitary hours, by pretending to read futu
rity in a pack of cards. The fmalleft
events are calculated in this manner. Go
ing one day with the intention of dining
with an amiable lady, I found the cloth
laid for two, and fhe faid with a fmile,
* you fee I expedted you to-day,' Upon
inquiring the reafon of this expectation,
fhe produced her pack of cards, and
gravely

1 7*5 small talk.
gravely added, that the method feldorft
failed her.

An Englifh traveller has feverely obferv
ed . that, " in England places are generally
fought for men, while in France men are*
fought for places." This may have been
true ; but tlie reign of court intrigue and
intereft has revived. Court telefcopes, it
is well known, are often inverted, fo that
an elephant appears a fly, and a fly an ele
phant. Upon obferving that robberies are
very rare at Paris, it was wittily anfwered,
" we know how to difpofe of our robbers ;
we give them places."

The book entitled, " Voyage deParisa Saint
Cloud par mer, et le retour de Saint Cloud a
Paris par terre" is an ingenious and laugh
able fatire on the cockrteyifm of the Pari-
fians. A raw Parifian lad miftakes the
Seine for the fea, miftakes barges for fhips of

small talk. 177
of war, difcovers miany iflands, defert and
inhabited ; and diverts his reader by exag
gerations of the commoneft incidents,, and
errors worthy of Don Quixote. It is faid
that fome Parifian citizens fuppofe that
the beft wine is made at the Gobelins ; and
thaf butchers have manufactories of mutton.
Thefe are farcafms ; but I followed, one
day at Mont Martre, an old citizen and his
wife, who were difcuffing whether barley
and wheat grew on the fame ftalk. A
buftard was one day hung up at a fhop in
the Palais Royal, when two Parifians ftood
to admire the novelty ; ' Is that a large tur
key ?' faid the one : ' You fool,' anfwered
the other, ' do . not you fee it is an
oftrich.'

The polytechnic' fchool is chiefly calcu
lated to form engineers, but has alfo train
ed many able men. It is juftly regarded
as an inftitution of great importance.
vol. ii. N The

\J% SMALL TALK.
The hymn of the Marfeillois was con>
pofed by Rouget de Lille, an officer of
engineers. Like Dryden's ode, it was
faid to have been written in- one night.
When the French entered Bruffelsj it was
fung by a chorus of ten thoufand ; and the
effedt may be imagined, as it is one of the
moft martial and fpirited airs in the world,
but now difufed, as unhappily connected
with fanguinary fcenes, remote from its
firft intention.

The corbUlard, or Parifian herfe, is re*
markably fi tuple; Tbe coffin is only co
vered with a cloth" expofed? to the weather.
Tlie London herfe is mofe compact, but
the Edinburgh, of all others, the moft'
elegant.

The confervatory Of arts and trades,
near the gate St. Martin, is a noble
collection of mechanical models and in*
ventions.

small talk. J79
Mentions. Englifh travellers converfant in
"mechanics, have expreffed great fatisfadtion
at this exhibition.

A French ftoopkeerkr will fometimes not
hefitate to take one third lefs than the price
demanded ; and moft articles are objects of
bargain. He is furprifed if you afk the
price of an article which you do not
Intend to buy; and, in the markets, to
afk the price without an actual intent
to purchafe, would be regarded as an
affront, In making a ferious bargain,
writings ought to be drawn diredtly,
as twenty-four hours are allowed by
cuftom to diminifh or retract. This
leads me to obferve, that the firft im-
^reffions and adtions of a French tradef*
ifian are often juft, and even liberal;
while * his fecond thoughts and fiibfe?
^uent condudt will be found mean and
oblique, to an inconceivable degree. Re?
•fleeted felf intereft feems thus to deftroy
N ? the

ISO SMALL TALK.
the firft impreffions, which may, per
haps, be the work of vanity, leading
him to affume a favourable appearance
in the eye of a ftranger. Nor does a
Frenchman ever feem to calculate upon
the return of a cuftomer, he only wifhes
to extOrt a prefent profit.

A traveller has no right to introduce
the names of private perfons, or* even
of public men, whom he has feen in
moments of intimacy, into a publication.
It is not only a flagrant breach of de-,
lic'acy, and of hofpitality itfelf, but ope
rates dreadfully to the difadvantage of
future travellers, by excluding them from
the beft houfes and the beft Tociety.
The rage of printing every thing is
attended with infinite confequences. If
we print treaties of alliance degrading
to other powers, we muft infallibly lofe
the friendfhip of thefe powers, as an in-
fult is more deeply refented than- an in
jury.

SMALL TALK. l8l
jury. In like manner, if a traveller give
anecdotes with the names of perfons, he
is fure to entail neglect upon fubfequent
travellers, efpecially his compatriots. The
practice is likewife ufelefs as well as inde
cent, as any amufement or inftrudtion re
ceived in private fociety, and ftill more a
reproof or exhortation, may be as well
conveyed without perfonalities. The prac
tice of French travellers in America, has ,
been highly blameable in' this refpedt ; —
but they, unhappily, do not ftand alone.

N 3 CHAP.

185 . THE frOPE AND HIS MULE*

€ H A P. XII*.
the pope and His mule.
*T*pHiE pontiff, and the animal which pre*
ceded him in folemn proceffions, be
came aflbciated in Parifian ideas, and
Parifian converfation. The head of the
catholic church was an object of very mo
derate curiofity, and found Paris very-
different from Lyons, where his public
and folemn benediction had been received
with great apparent veneration. Jt was\
expedted that he would have repeated
, this impreffive ceremony from the balco
ny, of the Tuileries, where , he was lodged
in the pavilion formerly graced by the
charms of the unfortunate queen. An
idle crowd often affembled in the garden,
Under his windows, with the pretence of
' waiting

t THE- POPE AND HIS MULE. IJ5J
i
waiting for his blefling, but the laughter,
and affected drawling cries of Notre Saint
Pere, prevented his committing his dif
cretion to fuch a facetious affemblage.
There were no great marks of mind in his
phyfiognomy ; and his protuberant lips ra
ther indicated vulgarity, and, ludicroufly
contrafted with his white drefs and folemn
demeanour. The malicious Italians printed
a third edition of a fermon, which he had
preached when a bifhop, upon the entrance,
of the French into his fee, and which was
thought to bear more of the odour of jaco-
binifm than of that of fandtity.
He was vifited by deputations of the
public bodies, and infpedted moft of the
remarkable objects at Paris. His gifts were
medals and chaplets; and the bofoms of
Parifian beauties began to be decorated with
a crofs, « Which Jews might kifs, and Infidels adore"
N4 The

184 THE POPE AND HIS MULE.
' The vifit of his holinefs to the national
library may not be uninterefting, as a fpe-
cimen of thefe folemnities, and was thus
related in the public journals.
" Yefterday His Holinefs vifited the im
perial library. He was received by M.
Goffellin, an administrator and confervator
of the library, who addreffed him in the
following terms.
'Moft Holy Father, in introducing your
Holinefs into the richeft treafure of human
knowledge, we rejoice to reflect that Rome
was for France, what Greece formerly was
for Italy ; that your predeceffors, in re
ceiving the few literary men who furvived
the deftrudtion of the eaftern empire,
re-kindled, towards the end of the fifteenth
century, the lamp* of fcience which had
been nearly extindt ; that it was under their
powerful protedtion that learning flourifhedr
which was afterwards to acquire fuch per
fection in the fertile foil of France. But our

THE POPE AND HIS MULE. 185
our fuccefs does not make us forget our firft
mafters ; and we are happy to renew our
gratitude to the fucceffor of fo many illuf-
trious pontiffs.
' The confervators of the library requeft
your Holinefs to accept their homage, and
the expreffion of their profound refpedt for
your fupreme dignity, and facred perfon.'
" The Holy Father, after having teftified
his fatisfadtion at the fentiments contained
in this difcourfe, began to pafs through the
rooms filled with a great number of perfons*
to whom his Holinefs prefented his ring
to kifs. In proceeding to the door of the
cabinet of medals, he entered with his
train and the confervators of the library,
and having fat down, M. M. Goffellin and
Millin, confervators of the cabinet, brought
to him the moft precious objects. His
Holinefs examined, with much- attention,
many ancient gems and medals. He then
proceeded through the other rooms, amidft
a numerous crowd, moftly ladies, who
awaited

t$6 THE POPE AND HIS MULE.
awaited his benediction. Having arrived
at the laft room of printed books, Mefs.
Caperonnier and Van Praet, the conferva*
tors, fhewed feveral fcarce productions of
the prefs. Thofe which feemed the moft
to excite his attention, were the Bible,
without a date, but fuppofed to have been
printed at Mentz, in 1436} the Bible, at
the fame city, dated 1462; the Pliny, print
ed at Venice in 1469, remarkable for the
beauty of the impreffion ; the firft editions
of Cefar, Virgil, Apuleius, Aulus Gellius,.
Rome, 1469; the Salluft, the firft work
printed at Paris, 147 1 ; the firft edition of
Homer, Florence, i486, a magnificent
copy on vellum. Others were the Myfte
ries of the Paflion, with beautiful minia-.
tures, printed at Paris, towards the end of
the fifteenth century ; II Monte Santo di
J)io, printed at Florence in 1477, whicli
contains the firft examples of engravings
on copper. The Lactantius, printed in
1465, in the Benedictine abbey of Subiacoj being

THE POPE AND HIS MULE. iS?
being the firft work printed at Italy, gave
great pleafure to his holinefs, who alfo
looked with fatisfadtion on a copy of St.
Auguftine's City of God, printed at Rome,
on which the king, Francis I. has written
his name with his own hand.
" The pope then paffed into the rooms
of manufcripts, where Mefs. Langles, Du-
teil, and Dacier, confervators of the Orien
tal, Greek, Latin, and French manufcripts,
difplayed the moft curious. His holinefs
particularly remarked the copy of a Ghinefe
infcription, found by father Ricci, which
proves that Chriftianity was known in
China in the feventh century ; a Pentateuch
of the eighth or ninth century ; a Koran,
in the ancient Arabian character, called
Kuphic, which belonged to the famous ca
lif Haroun-ah-Rafchid, contemporary with
Charlemagne ; a poem compofed by the
lafl: emperor of China in the Manfhur lan
guage; the epiftles of St. Paul, in Greek
pf the ninth century; the Latin Bible of
Charles

I 88 THE POPE AND HIS MULE.
Charles the Bald, with coloured figures,
the only monument which gives an idea
of the ancient purple. His Holinefs ex
amined, with particular pleafure, the Hours
of Anne of Bretagne, having on every page
a plant coloured, with its , flowers, or fruit,
and the infedts that feed on it. The Hours
of Louis XIV., fplendidly adorned, alfo
fixed his attention ; and he threw an eye
upon the manufcript of Telemaque, in the
hand writing of the author.
" The Pope terminated his vifit to this
immenfe treafury of human knowledge
and induftry, by paffing to the cabinet of
prints. M. Joly, the confervator, fhewed
the moft remarkable objedts of the collect
tion. After teftifying his fatisfadtion, the
confervators were fucceffiyely prefented to
his Holinefs, and had the honour to kifs
his ring.
" The Pope, before his return to the
Tuileries, went to the college of mines,
where he faw the fpecimens of .all the
mines

THE POPE AND HIS MULE. , l8g
mines of France, arranged under the feve
ral departments of the empire, and claffed
according to the method of Haiiy. The
Holy Father, found an equal crowd, efpe-»
daily of ladies, who afked his benediction,
and prefented their children."

CHAP,

IgO GHtJRCHEB*

C HAP. XIV»

CHURCHES.

*|*T** may be queftioned whether' the Pan*
theon fhould be reckoned among the
churches of Paris, for though it was
originally defigned as the church of St.
Genevieve, and the Catholic religion be
re-eftablifhed, the original intention feems
to be forgotten. It is however a noble
edifice, deftined to receive the tombs
of great men ; but, in the various currents
of opinion, it will be diflicult to determine
the proper objedts.
The cathedral of Notre Dame is a grand
Gothic edifice ; in a ftriking fituation, on
the eaft fide of the ifland called the city,
where its windows of painted-glafs admit
the firft rays of the riling fun. The infide
has been ftripped of the monuments and
paintings

CHURCHES. 1^1
paintings by the revolutionary rage; but
fome of the paintings have been reftored,
and the whole wears an afpect of decency.
The noble mofaid pavement of the choir
remains entire. In the little chapels on
the north fide, children, moftly females,
are inftrudted by priefts in the principles
of the Catholic religion ; and fervice is re*
gularly performed, but the chief auditors
are women. The bourdon, or great bell,
has a moft deep and tremendous found, and
in the filence of the night may be heard at
a great diftance ; nor are the occafions of
tolling it rare, as of our great bell of St.
Paul's. The church of St. Sulpice is a noble
monument of modern architecture, the
portico and whole effedt being grand and
impreflive. Behind the altar there is an
image of the virgin, in a redefs, receiving
light from above in a very ftriking manner^
fo as to give the idea of a living figure,
defcending from the fky. This magical
4 effect

churches;. ^
effedt, has however been copied from the
church of St. Roque, but it is carried^ to
greater perfection. This church, as is- well
known, was chiefly built by fubfcriptions
procured by a zealous curate ; but he is
accufed of having fometimes unduly in
fluenced the death-bed, and thus turned to
his favourite object fums which might have
paffed to poor relations. The pulpit of
this church is. alfo fingularly light, and of a
new and beautiful defign. The church of
St. Roque is disfigured, if I remember
right, by a prepofterous glory, richly gilt,
and with all the fublime effedt of a ginger
bread ftall. The parifhioners were recently
affeffed by the veftry for repairs, which
however went on very flowly, though this
claim may, by new regulations, be enforced
by the prefect.
The church of ,St. Gervais is eelebrated
for its, portal of three orders of architecture.
The tower of St. Jaques de la Boucherie
is another eminent object in that part of
7 the

CHURCHES. 193
the town, but the church is deftrbyedi and
the -tower was only preferved on the re
mo nftran ces of Mercier, the author of the
Tableau de Paris, as commanding a moft
extenfrve view of the city ; but with the
ufual inconfiftency the ftairs are not kept
in repair. The church of St. Euftache
prefents nothing particular^ but is connect
ed with a tale of the naive ignorance of the
Parifian cockneys. When the Englifh had
taken the ifle of St, Euftache in the Weft
Indies, an bid Parifian told the news to his
neighbour, who replied in confternation,
ks Anglois ont. pris St. Euftache ! Diable !
Bientot iis prendrbnt St. Roque ! " The
Englifh have taken St. Euftache ! Lack a
day, in a ' fhort time they will take St.
RoqueJ," The church of St. Germain 1' Auxerrois,
near the Louvre, deferves little notice ex
cept' that its bell was the fignal of the
maffacre of St. Bartholomew. The church
of the Magdalen, which received the re-
vol. 11. 0 mains

194 CHURCHES,
mains of Louis XVI., remains unfinifhed,
though in a noble fituation, and may pro
bably, if the prefent fyftem continue, be
dedicated to fome other purpofe.
It is remarkable that, from fome anti-
chriftian caprice, any account of the
churches is, omitted in moft of the recent
defcription of Paris;

CHAP.

LUXURY OF PARIS. ( 19^

C H A $. XV.
LUXURY OF PARIS*
A ** EnglifhrnaUi who has not vifited
Paris, will fcarcely believe that the
luxury of London can be ' exceeded*
But in fact the luxuries and opportune
ties at Paris ate allowed, by all candid
judges, infinitely to furpafs thofe of the
Englifh capital, in the variety, and the
cheap rates at which they may be procured.
The fuperior drynefs of the air alfo exhi
larates the fpirits, and gives a keener relifh
to many enjoyments*
The well known work Called the Alma
nack des Gourmands, by Grimod de la Rey*
niere, may ferve in- fome meafure as a text
book in treating of the luxuries of Paris.
But it is in fo many hands, that a few ex*
tracts, or rather remarks fuggefted by its
o 2 perufal,

t$6 LUXURY OF PARIS.
perufal, may fuffice. That work indeed
only embraces one; branch of luxury, but
a branch particularly cultivated by the; new
rich ; whofe cellers and larders are far bet
ter replenifhed than their libraries. This
tafte has become fo general, that many
bookfellers have become: traiteurs, and find
the corporeal food far -mote profitable than
the mental..
The old new year, the fifft of January^'
is ftill the feafon of little gifts, chiefly eat
ables and fWeetmeats, for which laft the
Rue des Lombards is defervedly famous;
The beft beef, at Paris is that of Auvergne
and Gofentin, and the -aloyau, which feems
to be the inner part of our firioin, is regard
ed as the moft chofen. ; morfel j but the
French cuftom of flicking fuch pieees with
little mdrfels.of lard, is to an Englifh :palate
truly naufeous, and irreconcilable with any
juft principles of cookery, as it diminifhes
the juice and injures the flavour of the
meat. When M. Grimod fuppofes that
beef-

LUXURY OF PARIS. 197 '
beef-fteaks form the chief difh of an Englifh
dinner, he fhews -a ridiculous ignorance of
our cuftoms. The beft veal is that of Pon-
toife not far from' Paris; but as they are
ftrangers to our' mode of nourifhing the
animals, this food is regarded as of difficult
or irregular digeftion, nor can it ever be
compared with Englifh veal. Our author
fays that the French calves are fed with-
cream and bifcuits, which may account for
this quality. The lamb is alfo fo young,
fo infipid, fo vapid, that it bears no refem-
blance to the delicate juices and flavour of
the Englifh. The beft mutton is from the
Ardennes, but is as rare as Welch mutton
in London. In general the mutton cannot
be praifed ; and while the French import
the Spanifh breed on account of the wool,
they ought alfo to import fome other for
the meat. Nor does their pork feem
equal to the Englifh.
The game is in general fuperior to that
of England ; and the red partridge forms
03 an

I98 LUXURY OF PARrS.
an elegant regale. The pheafant has be
come extremely rare, the pheafantries hav
ing been deftroyed with the other marks of
* rank. The quails of the neighbourhood of
Paris are excellent.
Young turkies, of the fize of a large
fowl, are very common, " though fomewhat
higher in price ; and poultry in general is
about one third cheaper than in London, if
bought in the large markets. Among the
vegetables fpinnach is particularly well
cooked, and not diluted with water as in
London. As the leaves take up much fpace,
it is always fold at the green fhops fimply
boiled, and is afterwards cooked according
to the fancy of the purchafer. The vine
gar put into the fauce for cauliflower de
ftroys its flavour ; and in general a mix
ture of the Englifh and French modes of
cookery would be: the beft. Boiled endrve,
rare with us, is a common and healthy difh
at Paris, being mucilaginous and agreeable
to weak ftomachs. But another ufual difh,

LUXURY OF PARIS. 199
difh, a partridge boiled with bacon and
cabbage, feems ah abfurdity, the flavour
being loft, and the whole naufeous to the
Englifh palate. Carrots are regarded as
ftomachic, and a bafon of vermicelli foup
-with grated carrot* is a fafhionable break-
faft. The French paftry is much celebrated*
but many perfons feem defervedly to prefer
the Englifh. Some have an averfion to
the pigeons of Paris, becaufe they are fed
from mouth to mouth. The goofe is left
to the populace, being in general meagre
and unfavoury ; but the ducks are often
excellent. In the winter there is a fufficient fupply
of excellent fifh, and turbot is fold by the
pound. A rich farmer-general, about to
give a folemn dinner, fent his maitre
d'hotel for fifh, who reported that there
Was only a large turbot, for which a coun-
fellor had paid two louis d'or. * Here,*
faid the farmer-general, throwing four louis
on the table, * go and buy me the turbot
o 4 and

200 LUXURY OF PARIS.
and the counfellor.' During the fummer,
the fifh is fcarce and bad ; and a large foe-
tune might be made by bringing this arti
cle to .Paris in ice. Fifhwomen carry about
live carp in leathern veffels, fufpended at
their girdles : thefe are dangerous to en,r
counter, as any derangement of hfcr fifhr
pond occafions a torrent of abufe ; and
fometimes a live carp ferves as an inftrn?
ment of manual exercife. A difh. of
gudgeons is a favourite food of a petite--
maiireffe. The hams of Bayonne are ex
cellent, and extremely mild ; but thofe of
Mentz, though harder, are more favoury.
The milk and eggs of Paris are fuperior to
thofe fof London, Q£ artichokes and
ftrawberrieS the feafon is prolonged by the
art of the gardener, and both may he had
at the §nd of September.
M. Grimod has wittily obferved, that
thirteen form an unlucky number at table,
when there is only food for twelve ; and
that' the falling 0f ^n? faIt(eller js very unT
lucky,

LUXURY OF PARIS. £0?
lucky, when it fpoils a good difh.T Yet he
recommends as facred another prejudice,
that of paying a vifit at the houfe where
you are treated, fome days after the dinner;^
as if the bufinefs of a forenoon could be
neglected. for fuch an idle ceremony. His,
parallel, vol. i. p. 225, between the plea^-
fures of the table and thofe of love» gave,
fome offence to the Parifian belles, and he
was' obliged to foften it in a fecond
edition. Le dejeuner a lafourchette, or fork-break-
faft, is fo called, becaufe in eating meat
you have occafion for a fork. Since the
Jatenefs of the dinner hour, and the dif-
continuance of fupper, this repaft has be
come very common. It generally confifts
pf cold meats; but broiled fowls, kidneys,
and faufages, are admitted with petits-pateV.
During the winter, oyfters. from the rock
of Cancale, a public houfe fo called, and
much celebrated for this article, form the
ufual introduction. The

262 LUXURY OF PARIS.
The mafter and miftrefs of the houfe
continue to carve, while it is to be regretted
that the German fafhion is not introduced,
of having the difhes carved by a fervant at
a fide table. The plateau which decorates
the middle of the table, is often ftrewed
with- fine fand, of various colours, in com
partments, and decorated with fmall ima
ges, and real or artificial flowers. Images
of porcelain feem particularly adapted for
this purpofe ; and the proper decorations
are peculiar -objects of good tafte. In Eng
land it is not uncommon to fee a fplendid
filver vafe containing a few oranges, or a"
fallad, placed in the middle of the table,
with, perhaps, two fmaller vafes at either
extremity, filled with fimilar articles, or
with bottles of favourite wine. Nothing
can be more void of tafte, as the contents
do not correfpond to the richnefs of the
vafes, and a ftatue of clay might as well be
mounted on a horfe of gold. A bottle of
wine, a few oranges, or a fallad, can. never
delight

LUXURY OF PARIS. 20J
delight the eyes, the chief intention of the
plateau ; and the vafes are only profitable
to the filverfmith. It was at the marriage *^
of Louis XV., in 1725, that the firft fand-
ed plateaux appeared at Paris. Desforges,
father of the celebrated author of the Jea
lous Wife,- Tom Jones at London, &c,
introduced artificial verdure with great fuc
cefs. The fon was no lefs remarkable as an
actor and dramatic poet, than as the author
of the very fingular and erotic Memoirs
of his own Life, in eight fmall volumes,
under the title of Le Poete, ou Memoir'es
d'un Homfne de Lettres. Little temples
were added by Dutofy, who alfo invented
artificial fire- works in miniature, delighting
at once the eye and the fmell.
The cuftom of dining without the at
tendance of fervants is warmly recom
mended by M. Grimod, who juftly
obferves that they throw a conftraint
over the converfation. He recom
mends the ufe of numerous dumb-waiters,
13 and

2©4 ""LUXURY OF PARIS.
and that the fervants fhould only bring in
the fervices.. The cuftom of vifiting during
the dinner, not uncommon at Paris, feems
contrary to every rule of true politenefs,
as it difturbs. the guefts, and prevents the
enjoyment of the repaft. But the French
^alk fo much during the dinner, that one
would conceive they are anxious not to
know what they are eating. The want of
carpets in a French dining room forms''
alfo, as already mentioned, a great and un-r
healthy inconvenience.
The hour of invitation is marked in
three ways. If it be a fix heures, it is un-
derftoocj, that the dinner will be ferved at
feven ; if fix heure.s precifes, it is half after
fix ; if fix hcureJ $res precifes, it is an invi
tation fpr fix o'clock exactly. The art of
arranging the guefts, fo that the characters
and conyerfation may cprrefpond, is regard
ed as the height of good- breeding.
Among the fineft wines of France are
efteemed Qos-Vougept, Ilpmanee, Cham-r j)ertin?

LUXURY OF PARIS. 805
bertin, S. Georges, Potnrnard, Volnay,
Vofne, Nuits, Beaune, Tonnerre^ Macon,
La Fitte, Chateau- Margot, S. Julien, S. Ef*
tephe, Pic-Pouille, Tavel, S. Giles. The
white wines are thofe of Montrachet,
Murfault, Pouilly^ Ghablis, Sillery, Pierr)%
Ai, Sauterne, Grave, Barfac, Condrieux,
Hermitage, Cote-Rotie^ Rhenifh, Mofelle*
Bar, &c. The fweet wines ferved at the
defert, are thofe of Lunel, Frontignan,
(which we call Frontiniac,) and Riv'efaltes*
which laft is efteemed the .beft. That of
Saint Peray, near the Rhone, which the
eye cannot diftinguiffi from water, is alfo
excellent. The foreign wines are thofe of
Malaga, Alicante, Xe'res, (Sherry,) Paca-
ret, Madeira, Glazomene, Conftantia, Ca
labria, Tokay, Laerima , Chrifti, Canarie,
&c. Nor fhould that called the wine of
Syracufe be omitted. -When it is confidered
that all theFrench wines have different and
peculiar flavours, more or lefs acceptable to
the ftomach at paUicular times, and with
3 various

20f*> LUXURY OF PARlSi «
Various aliments, the luxury may be com*
pared with our very homely port wine and
claret. The ordinary wines common at Paris are
often thofe of Orleans, which rather load
the ftomach ; and thofe of lower Burgun
dy,, which are alfo known under the name
of Macon, though they chiefly come from
the neighbourhood of Auxerre. Thefe
laft are often healthy, hourifhing, and
generous, without being in the leaft
heady. But, at the beft tables, the ordi*
nary Wine is fometimes of a bad- quality.
The beer at Paris refembles our table beer,
but is always in bottles. There are two
kinds, the white and the red, the malt Ufed
in the latter being higher dryed. What is
called double beer, approaches to our ftrong
beer. Bierre de Mars, or March beer, is the
moft efteemed, and advertifed at every pub*
lie houfe, though it cart feldom be found
within. The fignS are often Angularly im>»
proper ; one of the beft brewers of Paris lives

LCXIjRY OF PARIS. 207
lives at the Incarnation of the Word, in
the ftreet Ourfine.
Great quantities of cyder are brought
from Normandy by the Seine, and lodged
on the quay of the Louvre, where the
venders may be found in a kind of fentry
boxes. Another quay* on the other fide of
the town, is often loaded with thoufands, of
barrels of wine, from Auxerre and Orleans.
As the Normans do not make good keep
ing cyder, it is a winter drink at Paris, be
ing always made in the preceding autumn.
For the Parifians, who love fweets, it is
alfo mixed with honey, &c. fo as to be a
corrupt and unwholefome beverage.
The coup du milieu is a recent refine
ment, which has paffed from Bordeaux to
Paris. It is thus deferibed by the modern
Apicius. " Between the rSti and entremets, that is
about the middle of- dinner, you fee at
Bordeaux the door of the dining-room
open, and a young girl appear, between the
age

2o8 LUXURY OF PARIS.
age of eighteen, and twertty-tw'o, tall, fair^
and well made; with features befpeakirig*
affability. Her fleeves aire tucked up to
her fhoulders ; and fhe holds, in one hand
a tray of mahogany, replenifhed with
glaffes, and in the Othe? a decanter of
Jamaica rUm, Wormwood wine, or that of
Vermouth. This Hebe goes round the
table filling to each gueft, and then retired
in filence."
This glafs is thought tb reftore* the appe
tite to its original vigouri
The French liqueurs forni another ar
ticle of their luxury ; and even thofe of*
the ifles or Weft Indies are fold at lefs than
one quarter of the price which they bear in
London. The variety is alfo great ; but
many defervedly refufe this luxury and
even coffee. M. Grimod obferves that
" coffee, mixed with milk or cream, forms
a common breakfaft of nine-tenths of the
Parifian females, in fpite of the inconve
niences which refult from its habitual ufe ;
the.

LUXURY OF PARIS. 2®g
ihe confequences of which are prejudicial
to their health and/ frefhnefs, and often
caufe the infidelity of a hufband or lover**^"
After dinner, and limply prepared with
water, coffee is thought to affift the digef-
tion ; but many find it on the contrary
heating and prejudicial.
To fuch a pitch is luxury carried by
fome, that their cooks regularly take medi
cines, in order to preferve the finenefs of
their palate, and of their fauces.
Fromage or cheefe is a lax term at Paris
for any fubftance compreffed. Thus a
fromage d'ltalie is a Bologna faufage, afro-
mage glace is a kind of ice* &c. Animals
killed by eledtricity are found to be Angu
larly tender.
The French have only one term, confi
tures, for pickles and confections. The
beft preferved fruit at Paris is that of the
* Being - regarded as a chief caufe of the fliior
alius, and gonorrhoea benigna, fo general at Paris.
VOL. II. P juliaa

2tO LUXURY OF PARIS.
Julian or green plumb, here called thofe 6?
queen Claude, but in the time of the tevo*
lution they were cried through, the ftreets
prunes de la citoyenne Claude.
The mafter and miftrefs of the houfe
generally fit oppofite to each 'other, at the
middle of the table, 'not as with us at the
head and foot. They can thus conver-fe with
all the guefts, and fee that a proper attention
is paid to each. The foup is diftributed on
the right and left alternately ; and if there
be few or no ladies, it is paffed from hand
to hand, fo that the" neareft are the lafl:
ferved. In fome houfes glaffes of fugar
and water are prefented two hours after the
dinner, in order to affift the digeftton ; but
it muft be drank by mouthfulS and ilowly,
Otherwife the intention will be defeated.
Three or four hours after dinner, the guefts
efcape one by One, and in filence; forto take
leave would be thought as impolite as not
to make the ceremonial vifit, of tacit ac
knowledgment, within a week after the
dinner*

LUXURY OF PARIS. 2 1 1
dinner. Healths are rarely drank, but
it is ufual to clafh the glaffes as a
token of intimate good-will. Twelfth
cake and the king and queen of the
bean now re-appear. On the birth-day
of die . maftej, the fervants often exhibit
little fire-works. ,
The author of the Almanach des Gour
mands has wifely added a chapter upon in-
digeftion, from which there are not a few
fudden deaths at Paris. A beautiful lady
died fuddenly after a copious breakfaft of
Oyfters and new bread. This Arbiter ele-
gaatiarum advifes flow maftication ; and he
well obferves the diverfity and caprice of
the fionjach, which may be very ftrong in
fome refpedts, yet weak in regard to certain
foods. According to his decifion, a great dinner
is compofed of four fervices : ift, the foups,
the hors-d?ceuvres, releves, and entrees ; 2d,
the roaft meats and fallads j 3d, the cold
p 2 paftry

212 LUXURY OF PARIS.
paftry and entremets; 4th, the defert.—*
The fuperiority of the French cookery
is thus vifible even in the language ; and
I know not that any tranflation has been
attempted. Among the fruits of France the peaches
are excellent and cheap. The fmooth peach
which we call nectarine is common and is
called brignojet ; but that called the teton de
Venus, which ripens towards the end of
Auguft, is preferred. The pears are alfo
excellent, efpecially the crefanne and bon
chretien. The moft excellent grape for the
defert is what is called the chaff elas de Fon-
tainbleau, which over a golden colour pre
fents a rich bloom. The beft apples are
the rainette, calvil, apt, &c. In the autumn
1804, rainettes weighing more than a
pound, and of excellent flavour, were
brought from Trefiancourt, two leagues be
yond St. Germaine. The chefnuts >, of
Lyons are large and celebrated. Almonds
5 "pen

LUXURY OF PARIS. 213
ripen at Paris, and are highly beneficial to
the ftomach by diminifhing acrimony from
bile or other caufes. In the form of orgeat
they become a febrifuge. Figs and melons,
as already obferved, never appear at the
defert, but accompany the boiled beef.
The Wednefday club confifts of lovers
of good cheer, who affemble at le Gacque's,
in the garden of the Tuileries. The per
petual pot of the ftreet Grands-Auguftins
is faid to have been in adtivity for more
than a century, and is always well re-.
plenifhed with capons. Green peas are
•preferved in fait; when boiled they are
thrown into cold water, which reftores
their frefhnefs and colour ; they are then
warmed with butter and fugar. Sugar
alfo is often ufed with fpinnach.
The beft oyfters come from Dieppe,
Cancale, Marrene, Etretat, and Grandville.
Cahors is celebrated for partridges, wine,
truffles, eels, cheefe, and fine bread ; and is
p 3 thus

214 LUXURY OF PARIS. f
thus of fingular eminence in Apician geo
graphy. Gluttony is of all ages. A little boy, in
the middle of a great repaft, having no
longer any appetite began to cry ; being
afked the caufe, " Oh, fays he, I can eat
no more;" " But put fome in your pockets."
*' Alas they are full." replied the child. A
little girl hearing a converfation, whether
gluttony or liquorifhnefs gave the moft plea*
fure, faid, " I prefer being liquorifh becaufe
it does not take away the appetite."
Children, and even women, will pocket
fweetmeats from the table, while in other
Countries fuch a practice would favour of
very bad breeding. After eating eggs it is
ufual to break the fhells, a fragment of an
cient fuperftition, as it was thought that
witches made ufe of them to procure fhip-
wrecks. The buftard, and the cock of the woods,
cr in French of the heath, about the fize "of

LUXURY OF PARIS. 215
of a peacock, are not unufual in the fhops '
of eatables at Paris.' The latter is chiefly
from the mountains of Vofges.
So much for the luxury ofthe table ; that
of drefs and furniture is elfewhere difcuffed.
The luxury of the houfes is often extreme,
particularly in the boudoir. Windows over
the fire place were invented for a farmer
general, who was confined by the gout, and
wifhed vto enjoy the profpedt of his gar
den. The luxury of equipages is on the
increafe, but that of beautiful jockies
muft be paffed in filence, though known
even by advertifements in the newfpapers.
The worfhippers of Venus, or as they are
here called amateurs, may at Paris gratify
every tafte and caprice with females of
all countries and complexions ; moral liber
ty being complete, and aberrations only re
probated by ridicule, while civil liberty"
does not find the climate fo favourable.
Nor muft the luxury of the theatres be
p 4 forgotten,

2 1 "6 Luxury of paris.
i
forgotten, particularly the grand and ex
penfive opera: fo that, in this refpedt,
Paris propably rivals ancient Rome, or any
other luxurious metropolis, ancient pr
modern.

CHAP.

"THE NEW CODE OF LAWS. 317

CHAP. XVI.
THE NEW CODE OF LAWS.
A fter many impreflions had been taken
vand deftroyed, and long and repeated
deliberations,, the civil code at length appear
ed in fpring 1 804. There are feveral edi
tions of various fizes ; the fmalleft being
that of an Elzevir claffic, and containing
five hundred and fifty-fix pages. I fpeak
of thofe printed at the national, now im
perial, prefs ; fpr many other editions have
been iffued by various bookfellers. It is
certainly a remarkable circumftance to fee
the laws of a vaft empire occupy fo fmall
a fpace in a library, and may perhaps lead
to the Amplification of the laws of other
countries : but, perhaps, a more important object

21 8 THE NEW CODE OF LAW*?*
object would be to abbreviate the proce
dure, and leffen the expences, which render
the law itfelf an inftrUment of oppreffion,
in the hands of the rich and powerful,
while the poor, who have the greateft
occafion for ,its benefits, cannot afford
to pay the expence of juftice. Even
in France, with the advantage of this
Ihort Code, a common procefs may he
prolonged by chicane for three or four
years. The ftudy of chicane has even
been recommended, by a writer on edu
cation, as neceffary to obviate its effects,
and extirpate an inveterate evil ; as in
the art of war it is neceffary to be a
mafter of ftratagem, as well as of open
attack and defence. A Code of Proce
dure is fpeedily promifed, which, it is
hoped, will remove this inconvenience;
and the Criminal Code is ftill wanting tp
complete th^e body of Laws.
The civil code of France is divided, into
three

THE NEW CODE OF LAWS. 219
r
three books, which are again fubdivided
into titles, chapters, and fections.
- The firft Book contains the laws relative
to Perfons; the fecond, which is very
fhort,. thofe relative to Effects, and the va-
rious Modifications of Property; while
the third, which occupies the greater part
of the volume, concerns the Different
Manners in which Property may be ac
quired. The Titles of the firft Book are as
follow :
1. Of the Enjoyment and Privation of
Civil Rights.
2. Of the Acts of a Civil State, Births,
Marriages, &c.
3. Of the Refidence.
4. Of the Abfent.
5. Of Marriage.
6. Of Divorce.
7. The Relations' of Father and Son.
8. Adoption

220 THE NEW CODE OF LAWS.
8. Adoption and Guardianfhip.
9. Paternal Power.
10, Minority, and Emancipation pro
duced by Marriage or other Caufes.
11. The Age of Majority, and In
terdictions on account of Imbeci
lity. The following belong to the fecond
Book :
1. Of the Diftindtions of Property. '
2. Of Property in general.
3. Of Ufufrudt and the Right of Ha
bitation. 4. Of Servitudes.
The third and laft Bpok prefents
the following Titles.:
1. Of Succeflion,
2. Of Donations and Teftaments.
3. Of Contradts and Conventional Obli*
gations in general. 4. Of

THE NEW CODE OF LAWS; 2IU
4. Of Engagements without Conven
tion. 5. Of the Contradt of Marriage, and of
the refpedtive Rights of Hufband and
Wife. . 6. Of Sale.
7. Of Exchange.
8. Of Hire and Leafe.
9. Of Partnerfhip.
o. Of Loan.
1. Of Pledges and Sequeftration.
2. Of Gaming Contracts.
3. Of Powers of Attorney.
4. Of Surety.
5. Of Agreements and Arbitrations.
6. Of Bodily Conftraint in Civil Af
fairs. *
7. Of Pledges.
8. Of Privileges and Hypothecs.
9. Of Seizure by Creditors.
20. Of Profcription.
Such are the chief divifions of this Code. As

(222, the NEW Code of laws*
As the coronation oath taken by the empe
ror included a declared enmity againft the
feudal fyftem, it may well be fuppofed that
the new laws are not favourable to that
order of things. A complete analyfis, fo
as to be intelligible to the Englifh reader,
would occupy a volume larger than the
work itfelf. One of the moft peculiar fea
tures is the contradt by Cheptel. This is
defined to be a contract hy which one of
the parties gives to the other a ftock of
cattle to feed and keep upon certain condi
tions. Of this contradt there are feveral
kinds. The moft fimple is that in which
the cattle are given in charge, under con
dition that one half of the increafe is to
pafs to the keeper, who is alfo to bear one
half of the lofs. In other cafes the 'keeper
has oply a right to the milk,* the manure,
and the labour of the cattle, and to the
half of the increafe, and the wool. What
is called the Cheptel de Fert or Cheptel of
Iron, is that by which the proprietor of a
6 farm

"THE NEW CODE OF LAWS* 223
farm lets it on condition that, at the expi
ration of the leafe, the farmer fhall leave
Cattle of an equal value to thofe which he
has received. The continuance of thefe-
inftitution^ does not argue much in
creafe of wealth on the part of the
farmers. The Law of Sucteflion prefents the fol
lowing Article : " The children or their de*
fcendants fucceed their Father and Mother,
Grandfafthef and Grandmother, or other
Afcendants, without any diftinttion of Sex or
Primogeniture, and although they bethe iffue
of difrerentmaTriages. They fucceed by equal.
portions, and by each head, when they
are aU in the firft degree ; they fucceed by
the Stock, Suuche, when they are wholly
or iti part reprefented." Thus the Laws of
Sex and Primogeniture feem to be finally
abrogated. In divorce the French had paffed to a
dangeTOUs facility, from the ridiculous ec-
clefiaftic

434 THE NEW COD'E OF LAW*.
clefiaftic regulations of the Canon Lavr
which have infected- the codes of Europe
with monaftical reftrictions and fubtleties,
totally foreign to fecular virtue or human
affairs. In the new Code, the caufes of di
vorce are thus explained :
" The Hufband may demand a Di
vorce on account of the Adultery of his
Wife. " The Wife may demand a Divorce on
account of the Adultery of her Hufband,
if he keep his Concubine in the mutual
habitation. " Either may demand a Divorce on
account of exceffive abUfe, bad ufage, or
great injuries.
" The Condemnation of one to an in*
famous punifhment, fhall afford the other
a plea of Divorce.
" The mutual and perfevering confent
of the Hufband and Wife, expreffed in the
manner prefcribed by the Law, and under the

THE NEW CODE OF LAWS. 225
ie conditions and trials therein determined,
lall fufficiently prove that their life is in-
jpportable, and fhall be regarded as a pe-
smptory caufe of divorce."

Vol. n. q_ chap.

226 SMALL TALK.

CHAP. XVII.
SMALL TALK. ,
among the chief defedts of v modern
French compofition, may be mentioned
the bold affertion of hiftorical facts, unfup-
ported by any proofs. Thus it has been
folemnly ftated that Ravaillac affaflinated
Henry IV., becaufe he had feduced his
fifter, and abandoned her without any
provifion. This fact is faid to have ap
peared in a manufcript in the national li
brary ; but- the number, contents, and au
thority of that maniffcript, have never
been indicated.

The drefs a la fauvage was known dur
ing the revolution. The fair wearer had no

SMALL TALK* 227
ko fhift, but wore filk ftays, in net-work
of a flefh colour* fo as rather to heighten
than conCeal her charms.

The bifhops and priefts who were mur
dered during the maffacres of September,
were carried to Mont Rouge, where they
were thrown into one of the deepeft quar
ries.. They were not even undreffed, and
their venerable garments were defiled with
their blood,

The new walls and barriers were erected
by the advice of Lavoifier, the celebrated
chemift, when farmer-general. This in-
clofure was regarded as an infult by the
Parifians,, and perhaps contributed to his
undeferved fate*

The old nobility ftill confider themfelves
as the beft company in Paris, and, during
the peace, adted with little propriety to
feveral Englifh, whom they regarded as
<l 2 inferior

'22*8 SfaALL TALK.
inferior in birth, though, while emigrants,
they would have been very happy to have
received favours at their hands. This par
ticular kind of pride feems the only vice
which cannot be cured by adverfity.

The head-drefs a la cochoife is common
among the lower clafs of females at Paris.
It is generally white kwn with floating rib
bons, and inform fomething like a calafh.
It is a provincial drefs which has withftood
all fafhions. The women of Normandy
ftill continue to wear the high towering
cap, general among their anceftors, as ap
pears from the Norwegian and Icelandic
monuments. Even among the peafant
girls it is decorated with rich laces,- the
fabrics of the country, and forms a ftriking
contraft to the mean head-drefs of the dirty
females of Bretagne, which is a coarfe
clout, moft ungracefully arranged.

Travellers who have embarked at Mor- laix
2

SMALL TALKS., 249.
laix have aflured me thattlj^ people o£
Bretagne are the molt fqualidrand mifer
able of a/iy in France, and a£ leaft two
centuries behind the reft of the nation..
Their particular cuftoms and, language:
ferve as barriers againft tjle advancements
of civilization, yet they talked of a fociety,
to preferve thefe. precious remains of anti
quity, or, in other words, to obftrudt the
induftry and happinefs of the people * Dirt,
vermin, and the itch, are ufual concomi
tants of a genuine Breton ; and they alfo,
refemble favages in their cruel and revenge-.
fui difpofitions. Many of the murders are
*' too horrible for the ear;" and one of the
moft merciful malefactors, lately executed,
had flayed his wife alive.

Englifh travellers are 'commonly ferved
at their hotels, &c, according to the
cuftom of their country, and often have
not even one French acquaintance. Hence
many cuftoms. efcape -^thejtp obfervation;
Cb3 and

23© , SMALL TALK".
and I knew a gentleman who had lived years
at Paris without knowing that the French
end -theif dinner with fifh; nor would he
believe this circumftance till he had fum
moned his cook, who furprifed him with a
confirmation. It is impoffible to know the
cuftoms of a country without a familiar
intercourfe with the natives.

During the peace, Bonaparte was delight
ed to feeTo many Englifh at Paris ; he ex
preffed his fatisfadtion to the Britifh envoy,
and added, *¦' we are the two moft power
ful and civilized nations in the world.
We fhould unite together to cultivate the
arts and fciences, and enfure happinefs to
the human race." I have been affured by
an aid- de-camp of Bonaparte, who dined at
his table after the fignature of the prelimi
naries of Leoben, that this extraordinary
man then faid, <* So much for the Auftrians.
The Englifh alone remain. Our perpetual
wars with that gallant people are much to
be

SMALL TALK. ' 23 f
be regretted. Why do not the two nations
form an alliance, and divide the world be
twixt them ?"

Several Englifh travellers, fome of whom
have publifhed accounts of Paris, have la
mented the fcarcity and dearnefs of fuel.
But if they had mixed much with French
fociety, or had been put upon their guard,
they would have found that article as cheap
as in London. A kitchen .fire, throughputs
the year, and a chamber fire for feven
months, coft about fix guineas a year ; and
coals cannot now be procured fo cheap in
London. A French porter, or fervant,
thinks nothing of embezzling wood, befides
demanding far more than the price. The
mafter himfelf fhould go to the chantier
and purchafe - the wood, and fhould keep
the key of the ftore-houfe ; for in wood
there is no confeience.

The machine of Marly is greatly de-
q., 4 ranged.

2^2 SMALL TALK.
ranged. The celebrated Mongolfier, who
lives in a retired manner in the Marais,
offered to fupply its place by an engine of
great force, of his~ own, invention, upon
condition- that the fuperfluous water fhould
be at his difpofition to fupply the, inhabi
tants of Verfailles. , This offer was illibe-
rally andf unaccountably refufed. .

It. is fuppofed that there is not above the
twentieth part of beggars in Paris that there
are in London. Their addrefs is generally
timid and.m.ode,ft, only whifpering, Mon*
fieur, je meurs de faim, tc Sir, I am dying
with . hunger." If you fay you have no
change, it is Brave honime, ce fieroit pour
un autre fois, " Noble fir, it fhall be for
another day." A little Savoyard, in the
Place Vendorne, pathetically fhewed a dead
marmot, formerly the living fource of his
gains, and faid, Ma marmotte il eft mort.
" My marmot is dead." It may be ima
gined that fie received, many a fou. The

SMALL TALK., 233
The- epitaph on the poet Santeuil has
not been generally underftood :
" Cy git le celebre Santeuil ;
Mufes et fous prenez le deuil."
Santeuil wrote elegant Latin poetry, but
was at the fame time of fo eccentric a
character, as fometimes to pafs for a mad
man. Hence the „ epitaph, which cannot
however be faid to be the work of a
friend.

The flowers of the linden tree are in
ufe, inftead of tea, at Paris, efpecially by
ladies fubjedt to the head-ach.

In the time of the revolution, the beard
left on the cheek was called tempera
ment, a word which rather belongs to
naked language.

B,uffon ufed to obferve that time is a
neceffary ingredient in many things ; and it

«34 SMALL TALK.
it is thus that nature operates many won
ders, which art could alfo produce, if it
had the fame means.

Louis XV. faid to M. de Noailles, in
fpeaking of Madame du Barry, " I know
well that I /ucceed Sainte Foi." " Yes," '
he replied with a bow, " juft as your
majefty fucceeds Phararpond."

It has been obferved that, if we adopt
a falutary habit of life or action, during one
month, it may be preferved for the whole
of one's exiftence. Therefore to conquer
a vicious habit, or acquire a good one,
there is only occafion for firmhefs' and re-.
fiftance during one month.

Montefquieu was fond of reading the
Arabian Nights, as a complete relaxation
from ferious ftudies. An eminent Oriental
fcholar at Paris expreffed to" me his fur
prife at the favour fhewn to that work in
4 England,

SMALL TALK. 235"
England, not reflecting that, after the pro
ductions of Shakfpere, k is the moft ori
ginal and creative work in the whole circle
of literature.

Fontenelle had a brother at Paris, wha
was an abbe. Being afked what his bro
ther did, he anfwered, " In the morning he
fays mafs ; and in the evening he don't
know what he fays."

The continual conftraint ' in which the
kings of France were educated, fo that
every word was watched and reported, re
duced Louis XV. and XVI. to a ftate of
feeming imbecility in public reprefentation.
When the Duke de Richlieu had taken
Mahon, all the court poured from the palace
of Marly into the gardens, to fee the king's
reception of the victor, and hear fome
flattering compliments from the royal
mouth. Unhappily the king had not
been prepared ; and after much embarraff- ment

236 SMALL TALK,
ment and univerfal filence, being at length;
obliged: to addrefs the Duke, faid, " Do
you. know the porter ofthe caftle is dead ?"
Richlieu anfwered that ?
was confounded with- tL.„ ..~..  r«
ment. A refpedtable prelate, having eome to
court after a long refidence in his dibcefje,
Louis XV. was told; that he. fhould fpeak to
him with kindnefs. "How old are. you ?'*
faid the king. "I am feventy-five, fire.'*
**• In that caft you have not long to live.'*
The bifhops turned towards the courtiers
and faid, " This young man has received a
fhocking education."

The Princefs of Heffe Darmftadt brought
her three daughters , to the Emprefs of
Ruflia, that fhe might choofe one of them
as a wife for the Grand Duke, The Em
prefs decided inftantly in favour of the
fecond. Being afked the motives of this
decifion, fhe anfwered, " I looked at them from

•SMALL TALK. '337
flora, "nsy "window when they alighted from
their coach : \the eldeft made a falfe ftep ;
the fecond alighted with eafe and grace*;
the third jumped on the ground." In fact
the eldeft. was aukward ; and the youngeft
precipitate.

A young man^ telling a tedious ftory,
while he was carving very clumfily with a
fmall knife, a lady exclaimed, " Sir, when
you know a little more of the world, you
will have fhort ftories and long knives."

Some favages, having made an incurfion
on a Spanifh miffionary ftation, captured a
Capuchin friar, an animal which greatly
furprifed them ; finding foon after a Domi
nican, they capered with joy, crying out,
M We have found the female."

Madame Necker has obferved that the fu
ture and the prefent are always rivals; what
is given to the one is taken from the other. The

23$ SMALL TALK.
The fenfibility of women gives them up
entirely to the prefent, without forefight for
the future. She adds that they feldom write
well, except letters ; and do not compofe,
but invent. They ftop at the firft ftep,
while the men get before, and reach the
goal, for they know how to live at a great
diftance from themfelves.

In warm weather the French are very
lightly clothed. A farmer general one day
received fome ladies to dinner in his fhirt
and. breeches, but making an excufe to
Madame de Brancas, he faid, " Madame
de Monteynard gave me permiffiom" " I
confent, fhe replied, provided you keep the
reft." The farmer general could not ftand
the laugh, but went to drefs himfelf

Many French authors, and particularly
authoreffes, read long parts of their works
to their vifitors. This pradtice, unknown
with us, may intereft them; but even a
man

SMALL TALK. «39
man of known talents rarely interefts his
company. /

The lieutenant-general of the police ob
ferved that, for the three weeks during
which the theatres are fhut, he was obliged
to double his guards. The number of
theatres, and their being open on Sundays,
certainly prevent m^ny crimes.

Diderot faid of Thomas, whofe elo
quence is much efteemed in France, " He
is a truly virtuous man. Few would have
been capable of writing his work on wo
men ; but he has attempted to be impartial,
and that book has no fex. It is a difficult
fubjedt. If one wifhed to write on women,
one fhould dip one's pen in. the colours of
the rainbow, and throw upon one's lines
the duft of the ^ wings of butterflies. One
muft be like the pilgrim's dog in the tale,
who never fhook his paw but there flew
out a pearl. In fine, to paint the mobility of

24& SMALL TALK.
of their character, and the variety of thei
paffions, you muft know the manner t
exprefs them like degrees of the thermo

meter."

The French character is fo impetuous
as to infedt the mufic, which forms, as i
were, a cataradt of founds, withput thef
beautiful intervals of repofe, which confti
tute a great charm of the Italian har
mony.

Buffon faid that patience and attentior
are the parents of genius. In this b<
agreed with Newton, who modeftly -af
cribed his immortal difcoveries to th<
fole faculty of patient thinking.

CHAP

ANSWER TO NEUFCHATEAN. 2At

CHAP. JtVIII.
ANSWER TO FRANCOIS DE NEtJFCHATEAUi
""^To fooner did the French tranflation
of my geography appear at Paris*
than Francois de Neufchateau publifhed an
elaborate anfwer to the fuppofed political
principles, of that work. He has chofen
for epigraph, a line of the celebrated lyric
poet, J. B. Rouffeau,
Rofs, foyez attentifs ! Peuplesj ouvrez l'oreille !
" Be attentive, oh kings ! Men, ye nations !"
and introduces his attack by the follow
ing propofition:
" The policy of Great Britain wifhes
to fubjedt the world to its fupremacy. It is
no longer a myftery which fhe endeavours
to conceal. It is'not a fecret of ftate, con
fined to the cabinet, but, on the contrary,
vol. n. R a public

$4* ANSWER TO
a public and a popular project. If any
doubts could have been entertained, behold*,
finfce the peace of Amiens, a new intima
tion Of this defpotic plan, and, as it were,.
a laft and complete profpectus of that ty
ranny, which would enchain the globe,,
and which is openly difplayed-, even where*
"it is leaft expected*. A work has been?
tranflated into French called Modern Geo-
graphy^ &c."
, Nothing can be more fanciful ©r unjuft
than to fuppofe that work, begun and con
ducted with views purely fcientific, to have
been in the leaft connedted with any party,.
adminiftration, or government ; and it was
even endeavoured, as a duty, to avoid na
tionality as much as poffible. But as the
work was written in Englifh, with Englifh-
feelings, and for the ufe of Englishmen,
without any view or certainty of its being,
tranflated into other languages, it was alike
natural and neceffary to enlarge the defcrip-
tion of the Britifh dominions, as the proper
commence-

FRANCOA DE iJEUFCHATEATT. S4|
6ohlrrience*rnent of the ftudy of geography
is to be accurately and well informed con
cerning one's own country. If a hook of
geography were publifhed in a fmall ftate,
the author might juftly be blamed, if he
did hot give ah ample defcriptiOn of that
ftate, with which he may be fuppofed to be
<beft acquainted, and in which his readers
were the moft deeply interefted. In a
great ftate this rule becomes ftill more
effential. If his countrymen had not eftablifhed
any colonies, the author would not of
Courfe have occafion to confider political
relations which did not exift ; but if, on
the contrary, they had large and flourifli-
ing fettlements in various regions of the
globe, and a navigation unrivalled in an
cient or modern times^ ; he muft of courfe
extend his views to thefe grand circum
ftances, not from any theory of the ambi
tion or defpotifm of his country, but from
an actual ftate pf things, fo vifible and ap-
r 2 parent,

244' ANSWER TO
parent, that he might juftly be accufed of
grofs ignorance or inattention^ and his
work be deemed imperfect, if 'they were
forgotten or dtminifhed. It is neither a fe
cret of ftate, nor a myftery of the cabinet,
that Great Britain has ample poffeffions in
many parts of the. world; and it was indif-
penfable to cOnfider the means of fecuring
thofe advantages. An author can rarely
extend the power of his- country, but he
muft of courfe confider the means of pre-
ferving ;7and ftrengthening that power,
where he finds it already eftablifhed. A
trivial and dry defcription might indeed
efcape fuch accufations ; but any writer of
common ability confiders his fubjedt in all
its chief lights and relations.
If this attack had been merely perfonal,
no anfwer fhould have been returned, as
fuch vindications are a mere wafte of time
and labour, feldom or never intereft the
public, and are read with inattention or
difguft, when injudicioufly preferved in the
works

FRANCOIS -DE NEUFOHATEAU. 245
works evenof great authors ; not to men
tion that a good book will always defend
itfelf, and a bad one is not worth the de
fence. The political principles, in which
M. Francois choofes to confider that book
as the echo of the Englifh government, fhall
alone be very briefly confidered, as affecting
great and perpetual objedts. And from his
fituation in life, as formerly minifter of
the interior, and at prefent prefident of
the fenate of France, it may be inferred
that our author expreffes the fentiments of
his government, and of courfe merits great
attention in the prefent ftate of pub
lic affairs, fo decifive of the deftinies of
nations. .
The, heavieft accufation is, that the
Englifh geographer wifhes to excite wars,
becaufe, from the very nature of human
affairs, he is obliged to confider that event,
unhappily too frequent, in detailing the
political fituation of countries. But till,
the beautiful dream of an univerfal peace,
R 3 can

$4$ ' -VAST ANSWER TO
can be realized, it becomes abfolutely in™
difpenfable to confider political relations
during war, which affect the whole fortune
and exiftence of the ftate, in preference to,
pacific intercourfe, which is the moft to be
defired; becaufe the latter not only leaves
little room for obfervation, but does not
either require* fuch prudent counfels, nor im,
ply fuch 'decifive confequences. , Nor is it
with a view, to excite war, but with a 'view
to prevent it, that political relations during
war are chiefly confidered. * After thefe
obfervations, what is the reader to think of
the following paffage ? " The author af-
fttres us himfelf, that, in thefe parts of his
work, he has confulted the beft political
writers of his country. Now in this divi
fion of' his geography, one muff be, I 'will
not only fay aftonifhed, but extremely
fcandalifed at the fpirit of difcord, , which
this Englifh policy wifhes to diffufe ; at
the alterations which it fuggefts or announ
ces, and at the clear defign of fharing the

FRANCOIS DE ^EUFgHATEAU. 247
fpoil? of the world* This project is the
¦effect of a- plan which has been , maturing
for a long time. Its exiftence was fufpedt-
«d ; but it is an Englifh author who affures
us of its certainty." ;
Thefe remarks might well be retorted,
for it is fuppofed that France makes by far
•the greater ftrides towards univerfal defpo-
jiation. But a philanthropift would wifh
them to ceafe on all fides ; while a fatirift
might advife the two nations to join their
efforts and fhare the fpoil .of the uni
verfe. The political parts, which have excited
fuch' pretended terror, form a very fmaU
portion of a work dedicated to fcience ; and
which, from its very nature, required the
pen of a cofmopolite, a , well wifher to all
mankind. But M. Francois has amaffed
4hem into one point of view, or in fact
rather extracted the paffages that might
ferve his purpofe, without either obferving
the connection and tendency of the feveral
R 4 parts,

248 ANSWER TO
parts, or having the candour to adduce the
whole. Hence the propofitions are often
diftorted to ferve his particular views.
With regard to the particular policy of
Great Britain, fo long as war, enmity, or
jealoufy fhall exift between ner and France,
it is abfolutely unavoidable that fhe fhould
endeavour to fortify herfelf by all poffi
ble means againft that power; and efpe
cially at a period when the conquefts and
acquifitions of France have alarmed all
Europe. In fpeaking of the offence given
by England to certain powers, our author
feeiris to forget what is knowm to every
diplomatic man, that the acts' of any par
ticular miniftry are not underftood to be
adts of the nation, which may cordially
condemn thefe meafures, nor even of the
government itfelf. For while in France
the old train of ideas prevails, where the
minifters were abfolutely appointed by the
crown, a pradtice unavoidable fo long as
there is np fixed- and ftable organ of
ariftocracy

FRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEATJ. 24Q
ariftocracy or democracy, to recommend
particular charadters to the government, or
even to force it to accept of their fervices,
whence the minifters are confidered as
fractions of the government ; in England,
on the contrary, the minifters, as the very
name ftridtly implies, are merely fervants of
the government ; and maybe warmly blamed,
eppofed, or impeached, by the beft friends
of the government, and the conftitution of
the country. Till this diftindtion fhall have
been adopted, there can be no rational op
pofition, nor of courfe any genuine and
temperate liberty in France ; and the want
of fuch preliminary ideas has produced
fatal confequences. None of the moft en
lightened Frenchmen, with whom I con
verted at Paris, could form a juft and practi
cal notion of this radical diftindtion; and
on this, and other objedts not lefs ftriking*
I fometimes found them fo Uninformed j
that I was obliged to tell them that they
knevr

85<3 'ANSWER*©
knew juft as much of England as of
Japan. < 7
In Afia the beft informed patriots are of
Opinion that our poffeffions are already toe
ample ; and the idea of our feizing China
is a mere chimera. But, according to M*
France's, all the geographer's information
concerning the military ftrength of even
the moft diftanl? countries, refers to the
fupremacy of England; while in confider*
ing China it is only weighed with Ruflia
its neighbour. This perverfion of ideas
would be accounted fingular in fuch an
able and enlightened critic, did we not
know that "anger is the blindeft of the
paffions, and that national enmity will lead
even the wife 'into abfurdities.
The afcendency of England, in the vari
ous quarters of the globe, is not a patriotic
theory, but a broad fact palpable to th©
moft ignorant ; and it would be truly fin
gular if the -colonies fent from England to

FRANCOIS DE NEUFGHATEAU. 251
to North America, where they have found
ed a powerful and: independent empire, if
our vaft poffeffions in Hindoftan, and our
other fettlements, fhould , efcape the notice
of geography ! Yet the critic pretends
vehement offence at a prophecy that our
colony in New Holland, of which the
policy was fo much admired by the Ftench
navigators with Baudin, fliall be predomi
nant in that region. £< Africa is the only
quarteur of the world where the Englifh
power is little known ; and if France fhall
have occafion for colonies, perhaps M,
Francois may regard it as a proof of can
dour and moderation, when that quarter is
recommended to her, as a fcene of new
and vaft ambition, where wealth might be
acquired without crimes, and conquefts
might enforce civilization and humanity.
But candid French authors are the firft to
allow that the Englifh colonies, and the
preponderance of the Britifh navy, are not
the invidious fruits of fudden ufurpatipn, or

25* ANSWER Tp
or the mere gifts of fortune ; but the laud
able confequences of national induftry and
enterprife, and of laborious perfeveraace
during fucceffive centuries. An individual,
who acquires wealth by hisk induftry and
honefty, is juftly venerated in all countries^
and he who, by mere fuperiority of ftrength,
would deprive him in an inftant of the toil
©f many years, would, wherever human
reafon is known, be called a robber or a
tyrants Power itfelf leads to its abufe, nor
has human nature ever been able to with-r
ftand this fatality, and the right of con
queft will unfortunately laft as long as
mankind. But the Englifh fettlements have
always been conducted with at leaft as
great a degree of liberality as thofe of any
nation, ancient or modern, and have forne^
times even imparted fingular advantages to
the country and the natives. If England
were therefore arraigned at the bar of the
human race, fhe might be blamed for the
wafte of bipod in European wars, but would be

FRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEAU. 253
be abfolved in regard to her colonies, her
commerce, and her navy, the fruits of
national induftry and integrity : nor can
France, above all, be admitted as the ac*
cufer, when it was fhe that fet the firft ex
ample of power and enterprize, which fhe
would now affedt to call ufurpation,
both in America and Afia ; and England,
obliged to arm in her own defence, has
only profited by the intrigues of her an
tagonift. If M. Fran9ois fliould affert, in
the preponderance and infolence of mili
tary power, that all this is againft the order
of the day, and that France alone has a
v right to make conque-fts, England, if fhe
even fell in the ftruggle, might lodge her
manifefto with hiftory and, pofterity. Em
pires pafs away; but juftice and memory
remain. " Do not extinguifh one of the
eyes of Greece," was the emphatic fpeech
which faved Athens from the power of
Sparta. If France could overwhelm Eng
land, fhe would in a few years be the firft to

£j4 Afc-sWER b&
to feel and lament the blank left ariiofif
nations, the want of a ftimulating rival in
the arts and fciences ; the lofs to the gene*
ral fame of Europe ; and the interruption
of the golden chain of univerfal civiliza*
,tion. If the wealth of England acquired in
Hkidoftan have been diverted from its beft
objects, of national cultivation and decora*
tion, to the bafe purpofes of bloodfhed and
intrigue, it is deeply to be regretted that
great opulence is rarely applied to any pur*
pofes of beneficence. But this abufe muft
be regarded as the fruit of minifterial in
fatuation, the work of a few men inflated
with power^ while the nation regretted fuch
a palpable mifapplication of the means of
profperity at an enlightened period. The
example pf Spain, who wafted the exube*
rant wealth fhe imported from America, in
vain fchemes of univerfal conqueft; might
have warned other nations againft the dan
gers and follies attendant on vaft opulence*
14 But

FRANCOIS DE NElfFOHATEAtr. 2*£g:
But our enterprife and induftry remain ; and
our minifters have modeftly imputed to
their own -efforts and wifdom, the fpirit
and profperity of the people, while cool
and candid obfervers regarded it as a mira
cle that the national vigour ffiould fupport
kfelf even under fuch perverfe manage
ment. The chief fource of our profperity
is our commerce, a branch which, a& is
proverbially known, cannot admit arty in-
terpofition of government without injury,
and always prefers a foil of freedom to that
©f authority; whence it becomes truly ridi
culous to fee an Englifh miniftry arrogate
Co themfelves the national profperity, the
mere work of the induftry and enterprife
©f the people. Nor is there wanting a
falutary leffon to France, that if fhe wifhed
so eftablifh commerce fhe muft firft efta-
blifh a firm and lafting plan of national
liberty; fhe muft prepare the foil before
the feed can be fown ; and above all aban
don nationality, and an exclufive fpirit,
which

©56 ANSWER TO
which leads her to hate or defpife the efibrts
of ftrangers, while England has always ad*
mitted and rewarded the induftry, artifans^
and talents of all nations. But it is eafier
and more fafe for a French patriot to de*
claim againft England, than to expqfe the
faults of his own country, the only real
caufes of her want of fhips, commerce, and
colonies. In the ideas of this critic there feem to
be only French and Englifh in the world j
whence he fuppofes that the geographer
fpeaks of the French in Hindoftan, while
he only alludes to the native powers, none
of whom had a greater right to Bengal in
1 765 than the Englifh, as the legal fuccef-
fion failed ; and it became an object, in
whatever hands, of either usurpation or
conqueft. When he regards the fentiments
expreffed on this, and on other occafions,
as thofe of the" Englifh government and
nation, he^ forgets that books are the works
of individuals, never revifed by govern-
13 ments,

FRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEATJ'. £5?
Ittents, except where there is art inquifition j
and their expreffion of, the national fenti
ments can only be inferred by a violent
and gratuitous implication. For an author
may *' To party give up what was meant for mankind j'*
may be the tool of faction, or even the ene*
my of his country : nor can he, in any
cafe, be fo highly honoured as to be re
garded as the organ of the national voice.
That he is the friend of his country may
not be diflicult to perceive; but even in
this cafe he may be mifinformed, or want
fagacity, and muft continue to be regarded
in his mere individual character.
Some of the farcafms, however pointed
or fevere, may be paffed with a fmile by an
Englifh patriot who admires French wit;
but wilful perverfion cannot be admired.
It having been mentioned as a fortunate
circumftance that the United States had-
acquired their liberty after a ftruggle^ of
vol. 11. s feven

258 ANSWER TO
feven years, while the war between Spain
and Holland continued fixty yearsj our
critic fuppofes that the fhort duration of
the American war is regretted \ The author
was abfolutely aftonifhed to find in this,
and many other paffages, the moft benevo
lent intentions wrefted to the worft of pur
pofes ; and though menaced with the Tem-
'ple on the appearance of fuch an attack,
from an antagonift of fo much weight, he
.refted fecure in his confeience, and in the
benevolence of- his friends, who laughed,
even within the precincts of authority, at
fuch wanton and injurious afperfions. If
the prefident of the French fenate have
fuch ftrong objections, p. 22, to an Englifh
colony in Papua, or New Guinea, the
French are welcome to fix a fettlement
there : but let them beware, as in the cafe
of New Orleans, of fending out two thou-
•fand dozens of old fafhioned fnuff-boxes,
as a principal article of commerce among
a people who do not take fnuff. When

iFRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEATJ. 25*}
Wheri our French patriot reafons that
it would be far wifer to cultivate the wafte*
lands of England, and to fupply our defi
ciency of grain for home confumption*
than to plant a colony in Papua, he rea
fons moft juftly. It muft however be con
fidered, that as nations rarely adt on fe*
vere principles of prudence, it .is proper to
direct their habitual efforts towards the moft
effential objects:
" The recapitulation of this chapter, con
cerning Great Britain, is truly alarming to
all the reft of Europe, and gives a terrible
idea of her arribitious projects. This part
Of the work may be called a portrait of
Englifh policy, painted by herfelf. The
pidtiire is dreadful, but a true refemblancej
which ought to fix the attention of Euro
pean governments, and be placed in all
their cabinets." The various European
governments have known, for centuries,
the extent Of Englifh power, which has
however excited no fenfation of terror,
S 2 having

2<S0 ANSWER TO
having been generally condudted with juf
tice and moderation. The power of France,
on the cpntrary, during the reign of Louis
XIV., filled Europe with trepidation;- and
threatened to eftablifhed the Catholic fuper
ftition and bigotry on the ruins of reafon
and liberty. At prefent it is truly ludi
crous to hear a French patriot found the
trumpet againft the preponderance of Eng
lifh power, while all the fears of Europe
originate from a different quarter.
In quoting the paffage concerning Ruflia,
that it threatens to overwhelm Europe with
barbarians, M. Francois ought not to have
found the intention of exciting war againft
Ruflia, but fimply that of putting other na
tions on their guard againft a power, whofe
kivafions and conquefts would be more
dangerous to civilization than thofe of any
other. The geographer is accufed of preach-a
ing an affected fermon to the French on re
ligion ; and that, though he be. a heretic
Proteftant, he wifhes to convert them to the
4 ¦¦"**.'* Catholic

FRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEAU. 26 1
Caiholic faith. It is unworthy of a philo-
fopher, like Francois de Neufchateau, to
confound religion with the Catholic fyftem,
however general the idea may be in his
country. There is another fyftem called
the Proteftant, which has been found to be
produdtive of greater talents, cultivation,'
and induftry. The moft enlightened men
in France ftill wifh that the latter had been
preferred, at a period when the nation, fick
of atheiftic cruelty, was ready to embrace
either; and the celibacy of priefts, above
all, is not only inimical to their patriotifm,
but fatal to female morals. The critic re
turns fo repeatedly to the wanton charge of
a wifh to excite univerfal war, that he may
well be accufed of grofs mifapprehenfion,
or violent mifreprefentation. It is not with
a view to excite war, but to provide againft
it, that the political relations of ftates are
difcuffed ; and it is neceffary to repeat and
enforce this obfervation, as inattention to it
is the chief bafis of this attack. He alfo
s 3 finds

262 ANSWER TO
finds contradidtions, and inconfiftencles
merely becaufe he imagines that the au
thor , wrote fyftematically, and in favour of
one nation only; while he really wrote
with general views, and as a well wifherto
humanity. Hence, in balancing the inte-
refts of different ftates, he attempts to enter
into their political views ; and the incon-
fiftencies imputed to him by his antagonift
would be fuch, if they helonged to this ima
ginary fyftem ; but totally vanifh when exa
mined ifi theirgeneral point of view. Suchis
the perverfion, that what candour would have
confidered as the moft convincing proofs of
impartiality, are regarded as inconfiftencies,
in a fyftem, which no where exifts, except
in the imagination* of the French philofo-
pher. Whether his production or mine
be placed in the Index Expurgatorius of
Vienna is of no moment to the queftion,
The counfel given to Pruflia, to form a
ftridt alliance with Denmark and Sweden,
cannot be retradted, though the prefident of
the

FRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEAU. 263 •
the French fenate, in language far too em
phatic, declares that it is perfidious, calcu
lated to excite diftruft and alarm, to perplex
fovereigns and difmay nations. , Thus an
innocent work of fcience, a mere lamp of
illumination, becomes, in his diftorted op
tics, a comet, " that from his horrid hair
Shakes peftilence and war . . . with fear of change
Perplexing monarchs."
But that advice, inftead of being retracted,
ought to be repeated and enforced. Nor
is there any certain profpedt, in the prefent
circumftances, of a pradtical balance of
power in Europe, except under the form
of five empires. I , Great Britain and Ire
land, with a powerful marine. 2, France,
with Spain in fubferviency. 3, Auftria,
with the whole of Turkey in Europe. 4,
Pruffia, with Sweden and Denmark ; but to
form a due balance, fhe ought to poffefs all
the north of Germany, and Holland as
far as the Leek, which is the real northern
S 4 ' branch

264 ANSWER TO
branch of the Rhine, and the whole of
former Poland. 5, Ruflia, reftridted to
the limits already mentioned, which*
with her Afiatic territory, will ftill con-
ftitute an empire too powerful to ap
prehend conqueft, furpafling even the
ambition of a warlike fovereign, and too
<vaft for all the cares of a wife and pa
cific monarch. Italy alone remains, which
might form a fixth independent power,
of far inferior (¦ ftrength, yet detached
by the hand of nature, and reverenced
by all as a kind of holy ground, the
parent country, and chofen refidence of
the arts. A perpetual peace might even
be guaranteed to this portion, fo as to
render it a quiet afylum of the arts
and fciences. The monarchs to be fue-
ceffiv.ely nominated from the royal fa
milies of all the other ftates.
Such feems the only pradtical fcheme,
after the deftrudtion of the former balance,
and the demolition or the fmall ftates,
which

FRANCOIS DE NEUFCHATEAU. 265
which can fave Europe from univerfal con
queft and fubjugation.
In fpeaking of the exceflive power pf
Ruflia, which threatened to fubjugate the
northern kingdoms, the geographer had no.
other view than his wifhes for the liberties
and independence of Europe. The con
nections of England with Ruflia were not
efteemed fufficiently cogent to induce him to
forget this grand object, which is of perpetual
importance, while treaties and their advan
tages are tranfitory. But my antagonift is
ever inclined to regard a work purejy
fcientific as a fyftem of policy. Hence
the fuppofed inconfiftencies reft, as before,
with the French critic. The alliance be
tween England and Portugal might indeed
weigh with a political writer, but cannot
prevent a man of fcience from regretting
that the Portuguefe leave their colonial
poffeffions in fuch obfcurity. Thefe re
proaches do not proceed from enmity, but
merely ferve as inftigations to fupply the
deficiency.

5t$6 ANSWER TO NEUFCHATEAU.
deficiency. Thus M. Fleurieu having re
proached the Spaniards with a like inatten
tion to their recent maritime difcoveries,
an account of them was foon after publifh
ed at Madrid, and though the anfwers to
M. Fleurieu - be fufficiently fevere, ftill the
intention was anfwered. It would be ridi
culous to reproach a nation with its climate,
pr mountains, or the poverty of its foil,
defects which cannot be remedied ; but inr-
dolence or want of knowledge are defects
which may be remedied, and the blame is
virtually a fervice.
The erroneous information and declama
tions of Raynal have paffed away, and
there is little reafon to regret the oppofition
which may be found between his fenti
ments and thofe of ihe geographer, who
can only lament that a man of fuch talents
as Francois de Neufchateau, fhould have
taken fo perverted' a view of the grand
pbjedts which he has attempted to difcufs.
CHAP,

PO^ES AT PARIS, &C. 267

CHAP. XIX.
"POLES AT PARISt— POLISH LITERATURE,
' *
•n /tany celebrated and ingenious natives
of Poland, difgufted with the pre
fent fituation of their country, refide at the
French capital. Kofciufko I often met,
and though two fabre wounds on the head
have unhappily impaired his abilities, he is
ftill an interefting character, with eyes full
of fire and expreffion. La Fayette was ge
nerally prefent on thefe occafions, but his:
amiable mildnefs feemed little calculated to
hold the helm during a political ftorm. ;
while, perhaps, a more firm and decided
character might have conducted the regal
veffel fafely into port. He refides at a
fmall farm of his own, about ten leagues
from Paris ; apd fo rapid has been the tran-
fition

268 POLES AT PARrs,
fition of events, that he is regarded with a
refpectful curiofity; as if he had furvived
the wreck of ages.
General Sokolni^ki, the friend of Kof
ciufko, and who raifed, clothed, and
maintained five thoufand men at his own
expence, in defence pf his country againft
the Ruffians, for which he was rewarded
with two years imprifonment in the dun
geons of Peterfburg, alfo lives in obfcurity
at Paris, though the great abilities of this
noble Pole are well known to the Inftitute,
where he reads interefting papers on various
improvements and inventions. He had
recently invented a machine which would
take a drawing or even engraving, while the
operator' Was engaged in the furvey of a
country. In Poland he had executed a
canal in one third of the time, and at one
third of the expence propofed in the other
plans, by a fingular contrivance. In the
autumn, the ground was interfedted with
narrow and deep trenches, fuch as are
here

POLISH LITERATURE. - 269
here ufed in marfhy meadows. Thefe
were filled with dung ; and when a hard
froft fet ip, the interfered fquares were
raifed as firm as large ftones, and dragged
away on fledges *. But the nationality of
the French, the very deformity, fo to
fpeak, of patriotifm, but which too often
fupplies its place, has always led them to
reject the abilities of foreigners, and Ita
lians at prefent form the only exception.
With the divifion of Poland began thofe
marvellous changes which threaten to
overthrow all Europe. The entire tranf-
ference of a nation to a new dynafty was,
indeed, no uniifual circumftance in modern
hiftory ; but the annihilation and partition
of a kingdom was a novelty ; and, the fuc
ceeding events have too clearly evidenced
that it was a dangerous novelty. I was ra-
* It may be ufeful to mention a mode of multiply-
ing the potatoe, which he obferved in Pruffia. As the
(talk grows, the earth is heaped up, leaving oniy three
leaves at the top. The roots are thus greatly encreafed,
and the produce is aftonifhing. , ther

£?© POLES AT PARIS,
ther furprifed to learn that the moft con
tented Poles were thofe allotted to the
Auftrian monarchy. The Ruffians are bar
baric and cruel mafters * and Under the
Pruffian fceptre* the proceedings of govern*
ment and law were unaccountably ordered
to be in the German language, to which
the Poles are generally ftrangers.
The fate of Poland, and the amiable
characters of the victims, render their fo
ciety extremely interefting^ It is difficult
to meet with individuals more full of infor*
mation, or of more pleafing manners.
Yet in fuch individuals did the Polifh le*
gions abound, who, after "having formed
the vanguard of the French army in Italy^
were, by way of reward, fent to perifh in
the contagious climate of St. Domingo,
whence not a man returned. The new
dynafty was jealous of their fpirit of free*
dom ; and unfeelingly abandoned to de*
ftrudtion the patriotic emigrants who had
Ihewn fuch valour in the fervice of France*
3 A»

POLISH LITERATURE. 27 1
As injuftice is commonly an error in poli*
tiCs, in cafe of a conteft with Ruflia, a
country deeply detefted by the Poles, the
lofs of thefe brave men may be regretted
in vain ; and if any compenfation can be
made, it muft be by heaping favours on
their compatriots.
Among my Polifh friends at Paris was a
literary gentleman,M. Orchowfki, who wrote ,
French with confiderable elegance and pre-
cifion. Having expreffed to him a great
defire of fome information concerning the
progrefs and prefent ftate of Polifh litera
ture, which is lefs known than that of any
other country in Europe, he favoured me
with three letters on the fiibject, of which
I fhall give tranflations, only omitting the
complimentary parts. He at the fame time
prefented to me a Polifh alphabet, which
totally differs from the Ruffian, being fim-
ply the ufual Roman of the reft of Europe ;
but the number of charadters is encreafed
by minute marks, which indicate different founds.

272 POLES AT PARIS,
founds. As the font is unknown in London,
I cannot here infert them ; but fhall content
myfelf with obferving, that the books re-
: cently printed in Poland would do honour
to any prefs. LETTER t.
" The two works which I recommend
ed to you will ferve as guides concerning
Polifh literature in the fifteenth, fixteenth,
and feventeenth centuries. In the firft of
these works, entitled, ' Centum illuflrium.
Polonia fcriptorum elogia et vitce, you will
find thofe who have written either in Latin
or Polifh. The fecond, by Daniel Hoff
man, prefents fufficient details concerning
the various printing preffes in Poland, dur
ing the fame centuries, their number, and
the works which they produced. I muft
add the chief names of thofe who have
^written fince the biography above recom*
mended. They are : "I. The

POLISH LITERATURE. ?7J
I. The fame Simon Starowolfld, whofg
pen has tranfmitted to pofterity the names
of the learned Poles who preceded him, de*
ferves great praife for the' extent of his
knowledge and the utility of his labours.
He wrote in Latin :
I. De rebus Sigifmundi I. libri 4.. Cra*
covise, 1 61 6.
2. Penu biftorieumi feu defruSluofa ratio-
ne hiftorias Jegzndi commentarius. Venetiis,
, 1620. 3. Oratio in obitum Caroli Chodlueime%.
He was one of the greateft generals of
Poland, , was diftinguifhed in many wars,
and died on the field of honour.
4, Centum iUttfirium Polonies fcriptofum
flogia et vitee, ¦
5. De claris- or atoribus Sarmatiep. Flo*
rentias, 1628. -This work, though very
fuccindt, contains valuable information con*
cerning the Polifh orators.
6. Eques Polonus : Vita clarorum bellato-
rup Polonia?. Venetiis,- 162B,
vol. 1 J. T 7. Df*

274 POLES AT. PARIS*
7. Deelamatio contra obtreclatores Polonia.
Cracovise, 1631.
8. Orationes IV. Ibidem, 1623.
' 9. Polonia, cum tabulis geographicis, (opus
optimum ejufdem Starowolfki.) Colonise,
1632. 10. Acceffus. ad juris utriufque cognitionem.
Roma* typis Vaticani, 1633. ,
1 1 . Commentarius in libros Infiitutionum
Juris Civilis. Cracoviaz, 1638.
ia. Infiitutionum rei militar is. Cracovise,
1630. This author, who was a profeffor
in the univerfity of Cracow, and died in
1652, alfo left a number of writings in the
Polifh language, which have eftablifhed a
high reputation among his compatriots.
" II. James Sobiefki, caftellan of Cracow,
wrote in Latin, Commentaries of a war
againft the Turkifh fultan, Ofman I., whp
had attempted the conqueft of Poland.
Sobiefki was prefent in many of the bat
tles which he has deferibed. But his chief
work

POLISH' LITERATURE. 275
work is an inftrudtion, written in Polifh,
and addreffed to Staniflas Orchowfki, to
whofe care this great fenator had entrufted
the education of his two fons ; the eldeft
of whom, Mark, afterwards fell in a battle
againft the Coffacs; and the younger, John,
was afterwards king of Poland, a diftin
guifhed hero, and the deliverer of Vienna.
Thefe inftructions, which may be regarded
as the beft pradtical treatife on phyfical and
moral education, breathe the wifdom of a
tender father, and the patriptifm of an en
lightened citizen, who wifhed to render his
fonS worthy of their country, to which he
devoted them.
" III. Jezowfki, author of a poem called
" the Sarmatian farmer, or the Order of
agricultural toils in Sarmatia." Printed
in 1648.
" IV. Opalinfki, the author of fome inge-
T 2 nious

276 POLES AT PARIS,
nious fatires iii blank verfe, ill the Polifh'
language. " V. Twardowfki, a poet full pf fire, par
ticularly in thofe pieces in which he cele
brates the military exploits of his coun
trymen. '
"VI. Chrofeinfki and Bardzinfki„ writ
ers recommeded by their tranflations r of
the Pharfalia, executed at the fame time,
and printed at Oliva in J 691, as well as by
their original poetry.
" VII. Gawinfki, whofe* eclogues' arid
epigrams are written in pure Polifh.
" VIII. In fine the king, John Sobiefki,
the beft informed, the moft eloquent, and
the moft valiant among the Poles of his
time, clofes the feventeenth century, and
the glory of his country, as well with
regard, to; literature, asto military fpirjit. f
* 4 "I leave

POLISH LITERATURE. 277
" I leave in filence other authors who
diftinguifhed themfelves in the fifteenth,
fixteenth', and feventeenth centuries, by
tranflations of the Greek, Latin, French,
and Italian writers, with which they have
enriched the Polifh language. n»;
" After this fketch of the literary an
nals of fhe country of Kopernix, (Coper
nicus), you may well afk me why the
progrefs of knowledge is not fo extenflve
in Poland as in other countries. The an
fwer is , eafy; a map of Europe -will
fhew the vaft extent of territory which
Poland included. The population was very
thin when meafured with the extent, and
even at prefent does not exceed four hun
dred inhabitants on the fquare league. The
villages, and hamlets are much fcattered,
and, as it were^ infulated. The cities are
ftill rarer in proportion, and little populous.
Thofe of the firft order, as Warfaw, Cra
cow, and Wilna, do not. altogether-contain
T 3 more

2*78 POLES AT PARIS,
v »
more than a hundred and fifty thoufand
fouls. Hence a rarity of the iatercbUrfe fo
favourable to the advancement of theart^and
fciences. Another obfervation alfa occurs.
The communication and commerce of a na
tion with civilized neighbours generally con?
tribute to the progrefs of illumination. Who
were the nations that furrounded Poland ?
On the one fide favage Tatars and brutal
Turks ; on the other, the Hungarians, the
Bohemians, among whom literature re
mained in a ftate of infancy, efpecially
fince thefe two nations fuffered a foreign
yoke. What was alfo the ftate of fcience
among the Ruffians and the Pruffians, till
the time of Frederic the Great and Cathe
rine II. ? You, Sir, can well judge, as this
object has not efcaped your learned re-
fearches. Poland remained almoft infulated
among. thefe nations, whom fhe had pre
ceded in civilization, and every fort of in
telligence. " Let us add, at the fame time, thq fre-
§ quent

POLISH LITERATURE. 279
quent and terrible wars which the Poles
maintained againft their powerful and cruel
neighbours. Thoufands of men perifhed,
almoft yearly, during many ages, in conti
nual wars againft the Germans, Hunga
rians, Moravians, Bohemians, Turks, Ta
tars, Coffacs, Ruffians, Pruffians, Saxons,
Swedes, and Danes. The banks of the
Danube and of the Borifthenes, the plains
of the Ukrain and of Moldavia, the fhores
of the Euxine and of the Baltic, are yet
fteeped in the blood of the Poles, who fell
in the fields of glory for the < defence of
their country. What numbers of youth
perifhed ; what talents were deftroyed in
the bud I
" So far, Sir, I have fpoken of the efforts
of the Poles, during thefe diftant periods,
for the advancement of letters and of the
fciences in their country ; and of the obfta-
eles which oppofed their ardent vows. I
fhall next difcufs the literature of the cen
tury which has recently elapfed, and which
T 4 will

286 POLES AT PARIS,
will form the object of another letter,
which, I hope, will be a further proof o!
the high confideration, &C."
IetTeS. ii.
" It is a painful tafk for a Pole to fpeak
of the literature of his country during- the
eighteenth century. Melancholy remem*
brahces awake in hjs foul, torn by .the
events under which his country has fallen.
But what isj if poffible, ftill more difagree*
able, is, that a refpedt for the truth forces
him to confefs that the fame century, or at
leaft its greater part, waS at the fame time
an age of ignorance and difgrace. Never-
thelefs a period had arrived that the Poles
would have made great efforts to redeem
themfelves from their depreflion. Their
wifhes were about to be crowned with fue*
cefs, when fataV conjunctures replunged
them into a yet more terrible precipice,
Where all that was ' dear to them perifhed-,
and even hope itfelf. , Thefe difafters muft
intereft;

POLISH LITERATURE. fiSl
intereft fenfibility, and you will excufe my
entering into fome details.
"I have averred, in my former letter, that
the glory which thePoles had acquired in arms
and fciences, during the fifteenth, fixteenth,
and feventeenth centuries, vanifhed with the
reign of the brave Sobiefki. The affertion
afflicts me, and I fhould rejoice to be con*
futed j: — but 1 fhould be guilty of a great
injuftice if I accufed all the Polifli nation
in general. Some families, become too
powerful in a republic not well organized,
fome ambitious grandees, whofe audacity
had beat down the barriers of the law ; in
fine, the weak chiefs who governed Poland
during the eighteenth century, brought dif-
* >
grace upon the nation, and are alone re*
fponfible at the bar of pofterity. I leave
them to its impartial judgment, and pro*
eeed to my fubjedt.
" The adventures and fcandalous gallan*
tries of a Saxon prince, by which he had
rendered his youth notorious, are well
known;

8.82 - .-r POLES AT PARISy
known ; and this prince was to reign in
Poland under the name of Frederic Au
guftus. As foon as he was placed on the
throne, ftill furrounded with the laurels and
trophies of the heroic deliverer of Vienna,
vain pomp and depravation of manners en
tered with him under the roofs of the
Piaftes and Jagellons. * His court,' fays
Voltaire in his hiftory of Charles XII.,
f was the moft brilliant in Europe after that
of Louis' XIV.'
i " The great number of Poles, who fold to
the elector of Saxony the fceptre of Sobi
efki, opened tlieir hearts with avidity to
the baits of corruption, as during the elecr
tiort they had debafed their fouls, and feared
their confciences with the venality of flaves,
Nothing was feen at the court of Frederic
Auguftus except the effrontery of miftrefles,
a fcandalous prodigality, and, what is ftill
more fhameful, brutal exceffes of wine.
In a fhort time the Polifh grandees, who
furrounded this luxurious, fovereign, be
came

POLISH LITERATURE. fl?*
jeame like the companions of Ulyffes durr
ing their refidence in the ifland of Calypfo,
and fatally forgot that they had been the
comrades of this Sarmatian Achilles, the
Valiant Sobiefki.
" The Polifh mufes, whofe charms were
unknown to the prince, a ftranger in lan
guage and in education, ceafed to approach
the throne, from which, before his reign,
they bad enjoyed every protection^ lgnor
ranee began to appear among the clafs
whole influence was greateft. But this evil,
however great, would not have been fo
• flreadful, nor its effects fo rapid, if other
unhappy circumftances had not forced the
nation into unforefeen viciffitudes.
" The elector of Saxony, before he was
firmly feated ¦ on the throne of Poland,
where he had only been placed by a party
whofe fuffrages he had bought, againft the
yows of another party as numerous* as
powerful, entered into an unjuft coalition,
for the purpofe of depriving the young king

it-4- Poles at Paris, •
.king of Sweden, Charles XII., of his here
ditary domains. . War neceffarily followed
thpfe criminal projedts. The pleafures abam*
doned the court of Poland ; the malcon
tents rejoiced, and fet at defiance a monarch
who had not talents to s gain their confi
dence. Poland foon became a theatre of
defoktion. The mutual hatred of the par
ties kindled internal hoftilities : the Swedes;
SaxOns, and Ruffians entered into Poland,
and filled it with rapine and blood.
" It is not my defign, fir, to trace a pic
ture of the battles, misfortunes, and ruin of
sny country. Hiftorians have already deve
loped the circumftances, and the Confe
quences of that ruinous war. Were an
impartial judge to examine the documents,
and weigh the follies of kings and their fub
jedts, no, doubt many would be found guil
ty. For my part, when, with tears in my,
eyes, I retrace the idea of thofe ten years
of confufion and horror, I muft lament the
biindnefs of a great number of my country-, men,

POLISH LITERATURE. 285
men, who were accomplices or inftruments.
The time will come when their names will
be unveiled before the wondering eyes of
nations ; and it would be unjuft that an
entire people, overwhelmed with calamity,
fhould alfo be ftained with difgrace, while
the reproach can only affect a certain clafs
of intriguing and ambitious men. -Js.-'f
¦"" Neverthelefs, however deep the wounads
of say country, they might have been
healed, and the misfortunes fpeedily re
paired, if fortune had favoured the vie*
tuous man, who after the deferved fall of
Frederic Auguftus was raifed to the throne
ofthe Piaffes. But Staniflas Leizezyufki
was forced to abandon his country, and en
rich another nation with his virtues. Peace
W9& at length reftored to defolated Poland ;
but the confequences of a difaftrous war.
were long perceivable. The peafantry was
reduced to the laft diftrefs by the pillage of
fucceffive armies. The citizen, crufhed by
mUitary extortion, was at the fame time de*
prived

&$6 POLES AT PARISj
prived of eveiy refource of induftry. The
nobility, dragged by its tfery prerogatives!
into the quarrel of two rival kings, and
into wars with powerful neighbours, was'
completely ruined. The grandees alone,
though they could not efcape the general
calamity $ ftill found in the prodigality of
Frederic Auguftus, and ftill more in the na
tional domains, and other property, fuffi
cient means to repair their Joffes. The lu
crative offices, the Starofties, the national
wealth, were fhared among the moft power
ful ; and while the gentleman and the citi
zen could not defray the education of their
children, the court and the grandees dif*
played fhamelefs pomp and frivolous luxury.-
While, the chief object ought to have beeirt
to reftore fubordination* economy, juftice^
commerce, and^ above all, education, which
had become totally neglected ; the Polifh
ariftocracy was occupied with pleafuresj
political intrigues, and public rapine. The
fenate was compofed of ignorant boys, the
miniftry

POLISH LITERATURE. t%f
miniftry were only diftinguifhed hy frivo*
lity; and the national affemblies, upon
which alone depended all the happinefs of
the country, were either haftily diffolved
or diftorted with factious cabals.
" The monarch deeply felt the recent
difgrace which had hurled him from the
throne, and forming a ftridt alliance with
Ruffia, reduced the nation to a ftate of
foreign dependance. Having no confi
dence in the Polifh troops, Frederic. Au
guftus reduced them to feventeen thoufand
men. This fatal, reduction for ever ruined
the refpedt p.aid to the nation by other
countries; and withdrew from the nobility
the means' at once of a decent exiftence, and
of being ufeful to their country. The fons
of the companions in arms of Sobiefki
might be feen creeping in the anti-cham
bers, of wretched intriguers and court
favorites. " The richeft dignities of the church, the
abbeys,

*S8 PQLES AT PARIS,
abbeys, the bifhoprics, became the inheri
tances pf powerful families, while talents,
virtues, and merit, were" fhivering in the
porch- This crowd of evils, which began
and increafed under Frederic Auguftus, was
ftill further augmented during the reign of
his fon ; while the philofophic Staniflas was
deprived a fecond time of the throne of the
Piaftes, to which he had been a fecond time
elevated by the good fenfe of his country
men. Auguftustll., who expelled his rival
by the arms of Ruffia and Auftria,was only
a poor devout creature, and in confequence
void of all the qualities neceffary to govern
a nation. He diftinguifhed the beginning
of his reign by outrages againft that part
of the Poles who did not profefe the catho-r
lie religiPn, Poland became a field of
monkifh difputes; and the preffes being
fubjedt to the cenfure of the Jefuits, groaned
at the wafte of paper in catechifms, litanies,
and lives of faints, as ill written as foolifhly
imagined.

POLISH LITERATURE. 289
imagined. Here is a little catalogue of
the chief 'works which appeared during
the firft half of the eighteenth century :
The clock of the paflion of Jefus Chrift,
*7i> The precious ftone of Bohemia placed in
the crown of Poland, or the life of St. Hed
wige, 1 7 16. *
Studium polemicum pro doElritia catholica
fufceptum, 1716.
Tyranny conquered, or the life of St.
Thecla, 1726.
The celeftial almanac, feledted and com*
pofedof the examples of the faints, 1722.
The fables of JEfop, tranflated by the
Prince Jablonowfki.
" If I were to add the fermons, homilies,
rofaries, and other productions of the ca
puchins, jacobins, jefuits, as void of good
fenfe as of rational devotion, by idly fwel
ling my pages, I fhould only blufh before
the learned perfon whom I have the ho
nour to addrefs.
vol. 11. u " It

290 • POLES AT PARIS,
" It is true that many Polifh grandees be
gan to travel, and to vifit countries celebrated
for the arts and fciences ; but thefe jour
neys were devoted to idle pleafures and
diflipation, and by withdrawing the curren
cy, helped to increafe the national diftrefs.
The bifhops and rich abbots crowded to
Rome; and for ready cafh brought back
chaplets, agnu.fes, and holy relics. Is it
then furprifing that fo many vexatious cir
cumftances, accumulated on Poland, began
to extinguifh that ardour for letters and the
fciences, for which we had been diftinguifh
ed by foreigners ?
, " Yet do not imagine, Sir, that this gloom
of ignorance long continued to darken the
horizon of my unfortunate country. It
had been occafioned by two foreign reigns;
and began to vanifh during the laft. Nor
were' there wanting enlightened men, even
during that period ; but they were little
active, or altogether eftranged, by the ar
rogance of the grandees, from thofe paths hich

POLISH LITERATURE I &<J1
which might have been ufeful to their
country. That country exifts no more;
Her unnatural children; who dragged her
to the brink of the precipice, have perifhed
in Oblivion*. But before our Iaftcataftrophe,
although expofed to the greateft calamities
which ever oppreffed a country, Poland
continued worthy of her rank among the
moft civilized nations; In another letter
I fhall proceed to further details, for this
pleafing toil will relieve the affliction of
my heart. With the higheft cortfidera-
tion$ &ci" Letter iii.
" The death of a friend has prevented
hie from feeing you, or refuirting my pefl^
but I now wifh to conclude my obferva
tions oh Polifh literature. 1 refume this
labour with the greater pleafure, as it
feemed tP give you fo much fatisfadtion,
and it will become more agreeable to me,
if it furnifh you with fome motives to in-
ri 2 tereft

292 POLES AT PARIS,
tereft your feelings in favour of my coun
try, i. In my laft letter I ftopped at the
middle of the reign of Auguftus III., and'
now continue my remarks.
" In the decline of his age, that monarch,
immerfed in bigotry, became every day
more indifferent to the future deftiny of
Poland, or to the memory of its ancient
fplendour. All fell into decay, but chiefly
literature and education. Yet fome en-
lightened patriots, deeply afflicted with this
melancholy degradation of their country,
meditated the means of awaking their com
patriots from a lengthened flumber, and of
infpiring^ them with the love of" letters and
the fciences. The number of thefe valua
ble men was fmall, but they were animated
with the pureft intentions for the public
good* " I. The firft rank among thefe patriots
belongs, in my opinion, to Staniflas Kon-
arfki. He was the firft who, with courage
. attacked

POLISH LITERATURE. 293
attacked political prejudices, and demon-
ftrated the defects in the education of Polifh
youth. His work entitled ' On the means of
increafing the utility of the national diets,'
written in pure Polifh, opened the eyes of
his countrymen to the defects of the poli
tical conftitution. He loudly declares him
felf againft the fatal prerogative of the
liberum veto, exercifed by every member of
the diet, and which led to dreadful abufes.
The grandees of Poland, who often fought
to make their fortune .by the public difor
der, never forgave the author, who fuffered
many difgufts. In his fecond work, ^On
the means of correcting the faults of elo
quence,' Konarfki explains the principles
of good tafte and found logic. But being
perfuaded that there was a great deficiency
in the education of the children of nobles,
which alone could fecure to their country a
better generation than that of their fathers,
he founded at Warfaw the college of no
bles j eftablifhed profeffors capable of aflift-
u 3 ing

294 POLES AT PARIS, "*
ing his views, introduced1 found*; plans of
ftudy, became himfelf the rector, and by
thefe means rendered to his country a fer
vice fo much the more important, as our
kings had never thought of eftablifhing
fuch a falutary inftitution.
" II. At the fame time alfo fiourifhed
Veneeflas Rzewufki, the heir of a great
fortune, and ftill more that of the glory of
his grandfather, whom the king John So
biefki ufed to call his buckler. Seventeen
times a deputy to the diet, a general of the
Pfelifh troops, at the fame time full of tafte
and knowledge, Rzewufki wrote in verfe
and profe, tragedies, comedies, fmall poems,
political and moral difcourfes. This en
lightened citizen had three fons, to whom he
gave aP excellent education, and drew up for
their inftrudtion a fyftem of rhetoric in a
good ftyle, and an art of poetry in pure
and well turned verfe. Thefe works were
printed under the name of one of his fon*

POLISH LITERATURE. 295
called Jofeph ; and the fecond edition of
thi& collection appeared in 1762. In his
art of poetry he thus fpeaks of Englifh tra
gedy. * The tragic mufe, on the banks of
the Thames, regards not the laws prefcribed
by Horace, yet fhe draws tears from the
eyes of the Britifli fair, while imagination
and harmony embellifh her accents, and
enchant the heart and the mind. Of what
confequence are precepts to the dramatic
fcene, whofe excellence can only be con-
feffed by tears ?'
" III. At the fame period a lady called
Druzbacka ftruck the lyre of poetry, and
charmed the ears of her aftonifhed country
men. This lady contributed not a little to
the progrefs of Polifh poetry.
*' IV. Bohomolec publifhed feyeral comer
dies in good Polifh, and difcourfes written
with purity and precifion. Minafovicz
u 4 gave

POLES AT PARIS,
gave a tranflation of Martial ; and Bo*
reyko' tranflated fome parts of Cicero.
" As the letters and fciences were not ex*
tinct in Poland, though their fplendour was
eclipfed by the fhades whieh furrounded
the throne, only a fpafk was neceffary to
rekindle their former flame. The writings
juft mentioned had this effedt ; the public
mind began to awake, and other indivl*
duals began to lend their contributions.
" Four enlightened perfons ef the family
of Zalufki had fucceffively, for a century,
enjoyed epifcopal fees. After having amaf-
fed about twenty thoufand wPrks of Polifh
authors, they had eftablifhed a vaft library
at Warfaw. This truly royal treafure was
, by the proprietors laid open to their coun
trymen, at the moment that literature be*
gan to refume its ancient vigour. The fer
vice was important ; but one of the Zalufki
did ftill more by prefenting this library to
the nation ; but he could not fqrefee that it
3 was

POLISH LITERATURE, ipp
¦. >
was to become the prey of the ravagers of
his country. This library, after the laft
divifion of Poland, was carried to Peterf-
burg, where it remains in confufion.
"The revival of literature was followed
by that of the ufeful fciences.
"V. Wifzniowfki publifhed in Polifh.
three volumes of philofophical dialogues,
and rendered philofophy familiar tp the
fair fex.

CC

VI. Nakcyanowiez, profbfiorof aftro-
nomy in the univerfity of Wilna, compofed
a courfe of mathematics for the ufe of
the fcholars, With regard to this wfark, it
is remarkable that a Polifh lady, the coun-
tefs Puzyna, defrayed the expence of the
impreffion ; and this illuftrious lady ftill
further merited the gratitude of her country,
by prefenting a rich collection of aftrono-i
mical inftruments to the obfervatory of
Wilna. *5 VII,

998 POLES AT PARIS, T
"'VII. Dogiel publifhed a 'diplomatic code,
Containing the treaties,alliances, and conven
tions^ between. Poland andi Bohemia, Hun
gary, Auftria, Denmark, Bavaria, Branden*
burg, Venice, Saxony, Brunfwick, France,
Holland, Tranfylvania. The author of
this code little imagined that this political
monument, on the faith of which his
Country repofed, was only to precede' a to
tal fall,
" VIII. Chmielewfki, a philologift, form*
ed a feledtion of what is moft inftrudtive,
curioUs, and amufing, in civil and natural
hiftory, the arts, and books of travels,
which he publifhed in four volumes quarto,
M IX. Lubieniecki was the author of an
inftrudtive cofmography in folio.
" X. Niefieoki was the author of a Polifh
heraldry, a work of \ittle confequence, if
he

POLISH LITERATURB. 299
he had not chiefly rendered homage to
thofe men who had deferved well of their
country, and at the fame time reminded
their defcendants of the virtues of their an
ceftors. In this refpedt the work deferved
efteem, and found a place in the houfe of
f very Polifh. gentleman,
" Such was the fituation of Polifh litera
ture, at the death of AuguftUs III., 5th
October, 1763, the fame day that he had
mounted the throne, which he poffeffed for
thirty years. Hiftory has, but imperfedtly
fketched the picture of his reign ; but, to
form an idea of it, it will be fufficient to quote
fome lines of a proclamation, which the pri
mate, viceroy of Poland, publifhed after the
death pf that monarch, to invite the nobility
to the diet of election,and to exhort the prin
cipal members of the republic to an union
pf fentiments, in an affair of fo great im
portance. * They will pay due attention
{luring the interregnum, fays the primate, tp

o

OO JPOLES AT PARIS,

to the prefent ftate of the republic, of
which not only every citizen, but even
ftrangers, may eafily forefee that the com
plete ruin cannot be far diftant. We have
feen, during thirty- feven years-, all the diets
interrupted and frustrated. This vaft em,
pire, every where furrounded by enemies*,
by warlike and powerful neighbours, has
for half a century been, abandoned to- its
peculiar deftiny, The laws have been
unexecuted, juftice without vigour, liber
ty opprefled, commerce extinguifhed, the
towns and villages ruined, the public trea
fury without money, and the money with
out intrinfic value.'
"*' When in my preceding letter I men
tioned the infolence of the grandees, and
the imbecility pf the two kings of the
houfe of Saxony, perhaps your judgment
fufpetted exaggeration ; but my j unifica
tion will be found in the above extract.
No man can feel the calamities of my
country more than myfelf; and I believe that

POLISH LITERATURE, 30!
that thefe are the chief caufes, Under a
chief worthy of his place, under a lion, as
the proverb you mentioned" to me, bears,
the deer become lions ; but under a deer
the lions become deer. Auguftus II. was
of a light character, fond of pomp and
debauchery ; fuch were alfo the Polifh gran
dees of his time. Auguftus III. was a poor
bigot, and his weaknefs infected the nobles.
" When in the hiftory of his own time,
Frederic II. of Pruflia paints the manners
of Europe, in the middle of the eighteenth
century, he has traced, with a pen of iron,
thefe injurious lines againft my country.
* In times paft the courts of Germany were
temples of Bachanals ; but this mean de
bauchery, unworthy of good company, has
been banifhed in Poland. Formerly there-
was not a court in Germany which was
not full of buffoons ; grofs pleafantry was
thought to make amends for the ignorance
of the guefts ; and as they could not fpeak
wit they^ fpoke nonfenfe. This cuftom, the
eternal

JJ62 POLES AT PARIS, &CI
eternal difgrace of good fenfe, has beefl
abolifhed ; , and not a trace of it remained*
except at the court of Auguftus II, king of
Poland and elector of Saxony/ The royal
author places this obfervation under the
year 1740, at the commencement of his
hiftory. But this reproach- does hot apply
to the Polifh gentleman, citizen, or peafant;
in which claffes patriotifm^ courage* and ir
reproachable manners, may moft generally
be found. But I muft elofe this long letter,
affuring you of the inviolable refpectj &gi"

Cha,#*

LITERARY JOURNALS. 303

CHAP. XX.
LITERARY JOURNALS.
.""TpHE periodical accounts of literature
and the fciences1 are perhaps too nu
merous at Paris, as they embarrafs each
other, and their efforts are diminiflied by
the confequent reftridtion of the fale.
While in England five thoufand have been
fold of a monthly publication, in France
the number rarely exceeds five hundred ;
and I have been well informed that of the
Magazin Eney elope dique, and the Decade^
now Revue, the fale rarely paffes three
hundred. So various are the powers of
habit, even among the moft enlightened
and civilized nations, that it would fcarcely
be poffible to eftablifh a publication re-
fembling an Englifh Review at Paris. The
1 impa-

304 literary Journals.
impatience of the national charadter re»
quires more fpeedy information; and re*
views of books of any moment are given
in the daily journals or newfpapers. Hence
the great utility of the Efprtt des ffournaux,
which ufed to prefent all that was intereft-
ing in the daily journals.
The Bibliotheque Fran$aife is publifhed by
Pougens, a worthy bookfeller, who is blind,
but contrives to condudt a confiderable bufi
nefs. By the force of intrigue, and the
publication of a flimfy and ignorant me*
moir on the northern languages, he has' be
come a member of the inftitute, and of
feveral foreign academies ; a kind of honour
rather rejedted by the pride of a man of
real talents, who knows that his name may
lend "honour to an academy, but can re
ceive none. _ The Bibliotheque Francaife
is a paltry work, rather calculated to re
commend the books publifhed by its edi
tor, than to open^ the fources of real repu
tation. The

LITERARY JOURNALS. 305
The other chief periodical publications
are the^
Annales de Chimie. -
Bulletin de la Literature.
Journal General de la Lit. Francaife.
— — — —  —  . Etrangere.
Journal des Mines. ¦
Journal de Phyfique.
Among newfpapers.
Le Moniteur.
Journal des Debats, now de V Empire.
Publicifie.
y Journal de Paris.
.  ¦ — — du Soir.
Petites Affiches.
The two general journals, publifhed by
Treuttel and Wurtz, are very /ufeful as re
pertories of all the publications ; the Bulletin
de la Literature fometimes contains learned
and interefting articles, and the reputation
of the others is fufficiently eftablifhed.
vol. 11. x There

306 literary journals.
There are moreover other good journals
in medicine, and other particular depart?
'ments. Among the newfpapers, the Moniteur
being official, though expenfive, has a great
fale, but I have not heard it calculated.. A
feries of this paper forms the moft authen
tic repertory of the events during the re
volution, and an abridgment has lately been
publifhed, in which all the advertifements
and other fuperfluities are omitted. Of the
Journal des Debats there are daily fold fix
teen thoufand, there being five thoufand
fubfcribers at Paris, and eleven thoufand in
the country. The Publicifie, "the next in
fale, rifes to about ten thoufand. Of the
others it ,is not fuppofed that any exceeds
five thoufand : but I have been vaguely
told that of the Petites Ajfiches, refembling "
our old Daily Ad vertifer, the fale ufed to
be twenty thoufand ; but as there are two
papers of that name, the new and the old,
bbttr/ filled with advertifements interefting to

l-iterary journals.

3°7*

to all ftations- and orders, it is not. improba
ble that the conjundt fale may amount to
that number.
The following table of the journals
and editors was communicated to me at
Paris :

Journal dea Debats,

Le Publicifie,
Gazette de France,
Moniteur,La Revue (ci-devant la De
cade)
Mercure de France,

Journal du Commerce,
Journal Typographique,
Le Telegraphe,

Journal de Paris,
Courier Francais,
Bulletin Litteraire,

M. Bertin Devaux, Rue Hau-
teville, No. 32, Quartier
Poiffonniere.
M. Suard, Place de la Con
corde, No. 3.
 Rue Chriftine.
M. Sauvo, imprimerie du Mo-
niteur, Rue des Poitevins.
M. Aumaury Duval, Rue
Grenelle St. Germain, en
face la Rue des Saints Peres.
M. Bertin Devaux, Rue Hau-
teville, No. 32, Quartier
Poiffonniere.
M. Bailleul, Rue. Grange
Batteliere, No. 3.
M. Dujardin Sailly, Rue de
Corneille.
M. Colas, Rue de Grenelle
St. Germain, chez Mad.
Paukouke.
Rue Traifnee.
M. Lemaire, Rue d'Enfer.
Rue de Clery, No. 88.
x 2 Magafia

jo8 LITERARY JOURNALS...
Magafin Encyclqpedique, M. Millinr ia. la Bibliotheque
Nationale.
Bibliotheque Fhyfico-Ecorio. M- Buiffon, Rue Hautefeuille,
mique, No. 20.
La Cie des Cabinets, 1 , M. Courfier, Quai des Au-
Le Journal Economique, J guftins
Bibliotheque Commercial, M Peuchete, Rue des Rats*
No. 3.

CHAP.

MARRIAGES. 309

CHAP. XXI.
MARRIAGES.
HP HE re are at Paris three or four offices
for marriages; and large fheets are
pafted up in the public places, containing
the advertifements to this effect. At the
fame offices may alfo be had houfekeepers
of all denominations, and fometimes fer
vants. Some advertifements for marriage
may amufe.
" The mother- of two charming children, a boy and
a girl, to whom (he has given a, good education, now
drawing near the term of life, wifhes before that pe
riod to fee them joined in the holy bonds of matri
mony, but chiefly the young lady, for whom (he
willies to find a hufband of character ; and a batchelor
would be preferred, between the age of thirty .and
forty, of a mild and religious turn, irreproachable con
duct, and an income between four and five thoufand
francs a year. The lady is twenty-four years of age,
of an elegant perfon and agreeable countenance, and
a ferious and folid character. Her fortune confifts in
thirty-fix thoufand francs of patrimonial inheritance,
x 3 • free

3 IP MARRIAGES.
free of all debts; with almoft as much more on the?
death of her mother. The fan is five years older,
with an equal fortune, and an honourable fituation."

"An amiable- lady, entering into the autumn of
her age, of a lively difpofition, good education, and
irreproachable manners ; now at the head of an eftab-
lifhment adapted to her fex, and worth between twenty-
five and thirty thoufand francs 5 wifhes to marry a
batchelor aged between forty and fifty, with a revenue
between three and four thoufand francs, health, and
good morals."

" A lady of twenty-feven years of age, of irre
proachable conduct, and an education above her fitu
ation in life, which, without "being unhappy, neverthe-
lefs obliges her to have' recourfe to her talents for a
decent fubfiftence, yet, having withal, fome neat fur
niture, and fome fparings from her gains, defires to
unite her deftiny by the religious bonds of matrimony
to that of a man of ferife, of a mild character, who has
fome employment, or trade, independant of a wife.
His age would be a matter of complete indifference."

u A young lady, in the fpring of her age, living
with her father who has no other child, defires to be
united in marriage to a batchelor of mature age, who
unites a decent income to a perfon full of health.
The lady is of moft agreeable appearance, and poflefles*
in the fecond degree of perfection, vocal and inftru
mental mufic. Her fatheT will leave her an income of
between two and three thoufand francs." « A lady

MARRIAGES. git
*" A lady aged thirty, without father or mother,
miftrefs of a fortune of two hundred and fifty thoufand
francs, conflfting in three inheritances, in the moft
agreeable of which (he dwells, nine leagues from
Paris, on the banks of the Seine, wifhes to be united
to a batchelor, of an extremely mild and polite cha-
4 rafter, Capable of attachment and attentions to a
woman of whom nature has neglected .the perfonal
attractions, and has even afflicted with deafnefs, but
endowed with a feeling foul and a generous fpirit.
Nor would fhe propofe, in contracting the facred bonds
of marriage, to purchafe the coiTiplaifance and cares of
her hufband, but would only ally -herfelf with one who
Could prove a decent exiftertce, a diftinguifhed family,
and education more folid than brilliant, morals and re
ligion, of an age between thirty-five and forty-five."

" A lady aged thirty-two, but who might pafs for
twenty-feven, having a plump arid frefh perfun, a
widow without children, with education, morals, and
poueffing fome agreeable talents, defires to be United
*to a batchelor aged between thirty- five and forty two,
of a tolerable exterior, and good health, with at leaft
five thoufand francs of patrimonial income in the
neighbourhood of Paris. This lady, not Iking the
Climate where an honourable employment fixed her
late hufband, has fince realized her fortune, which,
amounts to one hundred aud twenty- five thoufand
francs, which flie means to lay out in land."
" A lady aged, thirty-four, having no children,
although the widow, of a fecond hufband, poffeffing
x 4 fifty

312 MARRIAGES.
fifty thoufand francs in ready money, and moveables
to the amount of ten thoufand, wifhes to try a third
marriage, and take for hufband a batchelor between
forty and forty-five, with an eftablifhed trade, valued
at between eighty and one hundred thoufand francs."

" An American lady, a widow without children,
of a perfonal appearance which age and misfortunes
have changed, but ftill inheriting fufficient fweetnefs
and fenfibility to pleafe a hufband older than herfelf,
would wifh to choofe among thofe who may fee this
advcrtifement. She has faved from the wreck a little
fortune, which places her above want, according to her
moderate plan of life ; and would defire an equality of
manners, cendutt, and fortune. Other circumftances
may be learned of the publifher, the fworn mediator
of thefe alliances."
The advertifements of batchelors are "in the fame
ftyle. " A batchelor aged forty-nine, of an agreeable and
very healthy perfon, lively character, and fond of the
pleafures "which decency permits, enjoying ten thou
fand francs of territorial revenue, wifhes to, marry a
young lady of good birth, aged between eighteen and
twenty-five, of fweet difpofition, fimilar tafte, and
inGome between two and three thoufand francs. His
intention is to make a contract of marriage to the laft
liver."

" A young man of twpnty-nine years, of good
birth, and belonging to a refpectable family, which has

MARRIAGES. 313
has procured him a careful education, fo that he pro
fits of feveral agreeable talents which produce a decent
fubfiftence, can only offer them, together with his per
fon, which, without vanity, may pleafe a reafonable
woman, fuch as he would defire, who muft.be amiable,
and poffefs an eafy income. Her age is wholly in
different." This matrimonial journal is publifhed regularly
every week, and is certainly not one of the leaft amuf-
ing. As the advertifements are living proofs of the
ftate of characters and manners, I fhall not hefitate to
felect a few more from feveral numbers now before
me. The following are from Verfailles. " A lady, aged
twenty-five, daughter of one of the king's equerries,
and pofftfling fome talents, fuch as vocal mufic, the
piano, and drawing, as well as thofe neceffary in keep
ing a houfe, with fix hundred francs of income, and
fix thoufand in ready money, wifhes to be united to a
batchelor between thirty-five and forty-five years of
age, who has an honourable and fixed employment,
and a houfe decently furnifhed. She muft infift on
good morals, prudent conduct, and religious princi
ples."

" A widower aged forty three, without any in-,
cumbrance, of a handfome ftature, oval face, brown
hair and beard, florid complexion, every appearance of
health, large black eyes announcing the mildnefs of
his character, mouth of a middle fize, with white
teeth in perfect prefervaHcn; born of honourable pa-
rents^ and having received an education in the liberal
ftudies,

$«4 Marriage:":.
ftudies, of a very eafy character though referved tiri
he knowhis company, lively, and not fond of expen
five and. noify pleafures, but of thofe which he finds
at a charming country houfe, where he lives in the
neighbourhood of Verfailles, and poffeffing a clear in
come of three thoufand francs, wifhes to marry a lady
between thirty and thirty-fix years of age, of fimilar
ihclina'tions, either' Unmarried or a widow without
children, without natural defects, and preferring; like
him* a rural life, with nearly an equal fortune."
The following is a letter from a lady, dated frorii
the banks of the "filarne' near Paris. " Far from the
noife of the city, in a retreat which the prefence of my
loved parents rendered agreeable to me, I have attained
my twenty-fixth year without thinking of hymen ;
but the tribute which every mortal muft pay to nature;
having for ever feparated me from thofe who alone
received my care, and occupied my thoughts, this re
treat; formerly fo pleafant, appears a defart, and I
feet the neceflity of repairing the void which that lofs
has occafioned. After having borne, beyond the terni
exacted by decency, , but furpaffed by my grief, the
mournful marks, the tears and regret, which I owe to
their memory, I wifh to divert my mind from the
melancholy which has overwhelmed me for fifteen
months, and to unite myfelf with a prudent man of a
mild and complaifafi't character, holding an honourable
fituation in the capital, fo as to maintain a houfe above
the middling rank. The heirefs of five thoufand francs
a year, I offer him this patrimony. He will find my
perfon rather plump than delicate, rather frefh than
beautiful, with more good fenfe than wit, more of
pradtical

MARRIAGES. 31 j
practical philofophy than of fcience ; but a good heart
and a flexible character. It is to your fagacity, Mr.
Mediator, that I entruft this refearch, begging you to
place me- on the lift of your fubfcribers."

" A young woman, aged twenty-four, very prudent
and laborious, fprung of a decent family, gaining be
tween three and four francs a day by making toys for
children, with a portion of fifteen hundred francs, and
a handfome trouffeau *, wifhes to unite herfelf with a
decent young man of good conduct, who has a fixed
fituation, and eftablifhed houfe."

" A young man, without actual fortune^ but having
a perfon and education fit to appear in any company,
and an amiable character, fuch as may pleafe any r:a-
fonable and fenfible woman; 'of refpedtable parents,
who were formerly very rich, and are ftill at their
eafe, but have a numerous family; afpires to hope
that he may find* by the means of this journal fo fer
tile in propofitions of all kinds, a lady generous enough
to feek his acquaintance, choofe him as a hufi>and, and
(hare her fortune with him."

" A batchelor aged fixty, but as frefh and healthy
as poffible at his age, having a character and education
v hich render him ftill amiable in fociety, defires to
narry a lady between the age of twenty and thirty- five,-
of an agreeable perfon, that is to fay, a genteel figure,
regular features, beautiful eyes, a pretty mouth,adorned
• The trovjfeau is a packet of female drefs, which a bride brihgs on her
marriage. with'

3 1*5 MARRIAGES.
with fair teeth well arranged and very white, in fine a
rofy complexion, and free of all bodily defects. This
batchelor will pay no attention to fortune, his own
being fully fufficient to procure for a beloved compa
nion all the comforts that a folid education, virtuous
foul, and grateful heart can require."

" A widower aged forty- five, without children or
followers, enjoying five thoufand francs a year, and a
decent houfe, wifhes to marry a young lady between
twenty and twenty-four years, of a reputable family,
bringing for her portion good morals,' a very agreeable
perfon, and a mild character."

"' A girl aged twenty-five, born in the country, and
of fimple manners, though fhe has lived in Paris for fix
months, wifhes to find a "hufband in the working clafs.
She has no fortune, but a very handfome trouffeau, and
fome ready money ; nor does fhe wifh for -fortune, but
health, talents, fobriety, and above all probity; and
would prefer a hufband occupied in fedentary labour.
She is fingularly handfome, and in the moft complete
health."

" A young woman aged feventeen, beautiful, frefh,
well educated, rather in a folid manner than in the
tafte of the prefent day, but in confequence of the re
volution, abfolutely without fortune. She would prove
a prize to a man of mature age, who would prefer to
fortune with a tafte for diffipation, pure manners, a
charming perfon, and an inclination for the cares of a
houfehold

MARRIAGES. , jl7
houfehold. This young woman belongs to one of the
beft families formerly eminent in the law."

" A young lady aged eighteen, Sfrefh and beautiful
as a new blown flower, and endowed with all the
graces and talents which increafe the charms of beauty,
but without fortune, in confequence of difafters which
have happened to her parents, is offered by them to a
man of fenfibility who would fhare with her a decent
exiftence."

" A lady aged forty,- enjoying good health and an
income of two thoufand francs, wifhes to marry a
batchelor about her owu age, of a healthy conftitution,
with a decent income, and fufficient gaiety to drive.
away care in the long winter evenings."

" A lady aged twenty-fix, of a pretty perfon, (killed
in mufic, as well as in drawing, which laft (he teaches
with fuccefs, enjoying nine hundred francs of fixed
revenue, and very decent furniture, defires to be united
in marriage with a batchelor aged between thirty and
forty, having an honourable and fixed expfoyment.
This lady belonging to a diftinguifhed family, and
having received a complete education, will expect to
meet with fome equality in thefe circumftances."

" A man nearly forty years of age, a doctor of
medicine, with a good practice, particularly among
the le'arned focieties, pofF- fling two thoufand four hun
dred francs of patrimonial income, and four thoufand
from his practice, willies to find a wife of good edu-
4 cation

318 MARRIAGES.
cation and a mild charafter, accuftomed to perform
the honours of a houfe; and, joining to thefe advan
tages, fufficient fortune to invite friends to dinner, fee
a new play, take a coach if it rains, and keep a coun
try houfe in the neighbourhood of Paris."

Some advertifements are of a different kind. " A
ftranger, extremely rich, wifhes to find a young lady of
fourteen years of age, who has a father or a mother
alive, who has had fome education, and if poffible can.
play on fome inftrument. He will propbfe to the fa
ther or mother to follow him, in a month or two, when
he will return to his own country, affuring them of a
moft agreeable fituation. This young lady will be
deftined as companion of another young lady of the
fame age. She muft be extremely beautiful, and an
entire ftranger to any bad principles." The advertife-
rhents for jockeys bien efpiegles may be paffed over.
Yet anbther letter from a lady. " Mr. Mediator,
fifteen years ago I was young and thought handfome,
but I had the fancy of being amiable rather than the
good fenfe of wifhing to be beloved, that is to fey,
I ftudied the art of pleafing, and thought I had
had learned it when I faw the crowd pf my admirers,
increafe every day. Proud of my fuccefs, and not
knowing at that time that, with the fame management,
any woman might have the fame, I amufed myfelf
with throwing every lover into defpair, precifely at the
moment that he thought himfelf fure of his triumph.
If any thing can plead my excufe, it was the tone of
furprife with which every fuitor received the intelli
gence of the lofs of his attentions ; for, by the bye,
3 the

MARRIAGES. 315
tbe men are at leaft as confident as we; and the high
opinion which the fex called mafculine conceives of
fts little merit, in being more occupied with its dear
felf than with us, has faved our fex from more blun-.
ders than our own reflections.
" Time, who is always on the wing, bas carried
away my beauty, as well as that of others. That
detefted fellow, with a clock in one hand and a look
ing- glafs in to'ther, offered me the melancholy image
of my faded charms, I muft confefs my firft fenfa-T
tion was bitter regret ; but the fecond a vow that I
fhould employ better the remnant of my years. I
clearly perceived that to pleafe was not the fame as to
Jove and be beloved. An unknown want rofe in my
heart, and my whole frame trembled with a new
emotion. I was then thirty years of age, my inclina
tions had been light and tranfitory, while my heart was
empty and my mind defultory. My firft occupation
was to adorn the latter, hoping alfo to render the other
worthy of pleafing in its turn. Reading fupplied the
place of elegant fuppers, and men of talents the want
pf young admirers — of themfelves. Domeftic cares
were no longer ben<-ath the dignity of a goddefs; and
my hands, till thr-n ony occupied with my drefs, in
diftributing ideal favours to, my fuitors, or in wander
ing over the keys of a harpfichord, began to be more
highly honoured by carrying prefent-s to the hut of the
poor, and by being wet with tears of gratitude.
*' Such h*s been my life for thefe ten years. Do
you believe, Sir, that this noviciate is fufficient to ex
piate my faults^ and entitle me to happinefs in a well
chofen marriage? «« There

320 MARRIAGES.
" There only remains of my* fortune fifteen thoufand
livres a year, a pretty country houfe, which fome might
call a villa, a beautiful garden, romantic woods, and a
cryftal ftream: — at Paris a handfome fet of apart
ments, a convenient carriage, faithful fervants, and
fome tried friends. If there were added a man of
refpedtable character, between the age of forty and
fifty, of genteel appearance, the tone of good com
pany, good fenfe and a. good heart, and fufficiently at
his eafe to prevent me from imagining that he only
wifhes for my fortune, if my examination agrees with
your recommendation, only half' of that fortune will
in future belong to your humble fervant."
The editor of this journal has also introduced fome
reflections on what he calls marriages by inclination
and by mediation. " Malevolence or prejudice, fays
he, may attempt to throw ridicule on the offer of
forming marriages by mediation, and we are no ftran-
gers to* what may be faid on this fubjedt, either in
pleafantry or in argument. As to pleafantry, it proves
nothing : but in point of argument, we may be per
mitted to inquire which marriages fucceed the beft,
thofe produced by an ebullition of what is called love ;
or thofe which, proceeding on reflection, and conducted
by difinterefted mediation, are the refult of Hiict pro
priety and undoubted convenience ? Now pur jour
nal is folely dedicated to difcover the truth of the de
fired conformity and fuitablenefs of the perfons to
make each other happy, both in perfon and morals, be
fore introducing the parties to each other. In com
mon life a man fees a woman, becomes enamoured,
and, blinded by his paflion, haftens to fix the bonds of
matrU

MARRIAGES. 321
matrimony. He has not taken time to examine the
¦character, JncHnations, or means of exiftence, of
her to whofe deftiny he unites himfelf: and what we
lay of the man is a yet more dreadful truth fof the wo
man. In the fedentary life, to which this fex is con
demned, how can they obtain certain information con
cerning their lovers, whofe Wandering exiftence would
fatigue the fpeedieft courier ? What is the confe
quence ? They are united'. For a month they are dai
sied with family banquets; f-he young, Wife, loaded
with jewels, does not "know that they are pdrthafed
with her little portion. At length the happy couple
are left to themfelves, and begin to feel comfortably
tired of each other. A young neighbour comes to
amufe the lady, the naughty hufband is crofs, and the
wife cries out that fhe is ill ufed ; the cafh begins to
run low, and ill humour to run high : and the happy
couple, united under fuch brilliant auguries, begin to
deleft each other moft cordially, and fe.k, in an in
famous law, a remedy for the evil worfe than the evil
itfelf. The wife, now a mother, noiirifhes with tears
the fruit of her love ; and, with a hufband, condemned
to the lonelinefs of widowhood ; with a child, to the
fliame of not being a wife; (he becomes the riddle of
fociety; withput fortune, without friends, without
confideration, not able to offer to her daughter even
the example of duty, (he expiates, in melancholy foli-
tude, the misfortune of having too lightly fixed the
bonds which regulate the happinefs or mifery of life.
«* Compare with this victim of imprudence, and of
her own heart, the decent and referved young woman,
waiting under the wing of her refpe<aed mother or be-
VOl. II. y lovcd

,322 MARRIAGES.
loved father, till an honeft and intelligent mediator
has found a perfon whofe manners, health, and for
tune, correfpond with hers.' If the age^ tafte, com
forts, appear fuitable, the parents are informed, the
young people meet, like each other, and the marriage
is fortunate, becaufe it has been prudently conducted.
Time, far from changing their happinefs, increafes it
by the birth of children, whofe fubfiftence is fecured
by the fortune or labour of their parents. It may
then be fafely averred that he muft be -the moft pro*
per to find fuitable matches, who for eight years has
been occupied in this important bufinefs, and could
mention more than a hundred happy matches, formed
by his mediation alone."

CHAP.

GEOGRAPHY OF FRENCH WINES. 323

CHAP. xxir.
GEOGRAPHY OF FRENCH WINES.
Tt/E are told of a lady who had ftudied
geography from the information of
her palate. She knew Mentz and Bayonne
from their excellent hams; Strafburg
from the pies of goofe-livers, to increafe the
fize of which the poor animal is nailed on
a board, and placed before a fire. Chefter
in England was not unknown »to her tafte,
on account of its cheefe, nor Martinique
for its liqueurs. Dalmatia was familiar for
its marafquin, and Turin for its golden li
queur, floating with the fragments of that
metal. , Even Cayenne entered into her
fyftem for its pepper, Arabia for its coffee,
Ceylon for its cinnamon, and Africa for its
gums. Her fur cloak came from Siberia,
her muflin gown from Hindoftan, ; and her
y 2 fhawl

324 ' GEOGRAPHY OI*
fhawl from Cachmer. Malta was knowfl,
not as the occafion of war, but as produ
cing oranges with a red juice ; and it was
hoped that the conqueft of Naples wOuld
not increafe the price of macaroni. The
emperor of Morocco was of her acquaint
ance, becaufe his country produced dates.
Chocolate and vanilla recommended the
geography of New Spain; and the Weft
Indies were known by preferved ginger.
The fall of St. Domingo had increafed the
price of fugar ; and the, Spice Iflands had
' many claims to her palate.
In like manner a confiderable proportion
ofthe geography of France might be ftudied
by the localities of its wines. B^ginning^
cn the, north and weft, after having paffe<J;
the. cyder country of Normandy, and tha.
brandy of Nantz, excellent ordinary wine
is produced 1 in the neighbourhood of Orleans-
and Auxerre, which are however towards
the centre of France, the weftern coafts
being colder than the eaftexn parts under the

FRENCH WINES. 325
the fame latitude. But the neighbourhood
of Bordeaux produces the wine which we
call claret, from Various celebrated vine
yards, which the exa&nefs of the French
palate diftinguifhes with great eafe. La
Fitte, Chateau Margot, Hautbrion, Leo-
ville, St. Julien, St. Eftephe, are all pofitions
which may be traced in a good map of
France; nor are the white vVinesof Saulterne,
&c. to be forgotten ; but fome of the beft
are of a more fouthern latitude and ap
proach the Pyrenees; When we advance
to the fh-ores of the Mediterranean, we find*
Rivefaltes near Perpignan, and the equally
celebrated Froritignac near Cette. Luftel^
which produces another elegant white wine,
is to the e'aft of Montpellier.
The courfe of the Rhone may be faid to
be the favourite promenade of Bacchus, for
the vineyards1 of its banks, even when not
recommended by flavour, may be praifed
for f^liVbtity, fo that Hygeia walks hand in
hand1 with the jolly god. The wine called3
y 3 Lafcguedo*

326 GEOGRAPHY 05
Languedoc is 'often excellent ; and on af
cending the river appear Rochemaure and
Savaffe producing . excellent and healthy
wines for common ufe, which may be had
at Paris for ten-pence a bottle. That of
Donzere is ftronger, and may be, re
commended to .the drinkers of port. Tavel
fupplies a delicious wine of a fine rofy
tranfparency, and a peculiar but exquifite
flavour. -St. Peray, oppofite to Valence,
prefents a beautiful and delicious white
wine, which cannot be diftinguifhed from
watei. The wine called in general Cote-
de-Rhone is often excellent, as is the Cote-
Rotie. The Hermitage comes from the
neighbourhood of Tain in Dauphiny ; and
the confines of Swifferland produce many
good wines.
On leaving the Rhone at Lyons, and af
cending the Saone, its grand tributary
ftream, we find Macon, whofe vineyards
are among the moft falubr*ous for daily
ufe ; but. the wines of other places,- fuch as
Tonneins,

FRENCH WINES. 3*7
Tonneins, are fold under this name, from
the fimilarity of quality^ As we approach
Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, we find
Beaune, with its neighbours on the weft
Pomafe and Vollenay, and Nuitz to the
north, a celebrated range of the Burgundian
Bacchus. Nor muft Tonnerre, and its neighbour
Auxerre, already mentioned, be forgotten.
Clos de Vougeot and Romane are the
deareft and moft celebrated wines of Bur
gundy, felling even at Paris for fix livres
or five fhillings a bottle, but in the hogf-
head may be had for four. The St.; George's
and Chambertin are alfo excellent wines of
this province ; nor is the Vofrie without
praife. The wine of Vollenay, already
mentioned, is often remarkable for its
bouquet or fmell of violets. Among the white
wines of Burgundy are Montrachet, Mur-
fault, Chablis, and Pouilly j the firft being
the moft celebrated, while the Chablis is
only drank with oyfters, with . which it
Y 4 firigularly

32 § GEOGRAPHY OF
finguUrly accords* The vin de Grave,
from the country between Bordeaux and
the Pyrenees, is another noted white wine,
but feems to me infipid, and far inferior to
Barfac or Saulterne.
Leaving the ancient province of Bur
gundy, and turning to the north-weft, we
enter the gay province of Champagne,
whofe light wines originate from hills of
chalk, and are medicated with the fame
material. The foaming wines of Sillery,
Ai, and Pierry, are known all over Europe,
and, with a beautiful kind of a rofe colour,
are fold at Paris for three livres ten fous, or
about three fhillings a bottle. There is alfo
what js called Tifanne of Champagne, an
elegant white wine, which does not froth,
but is agreeable in warm weather.
Nor is the Rhine without its celebrity,
the fineft wines of that clafs being produced
in the neighbourhood of Mentz ; but they
are chiefly drank by the Germans who love
their cold acid and heady qualities', and
they

FRENCH WINES. 3 20 '
they are very fit to be ferved with four-
crout. Their want of race, generous
warmth, and flavour, muft always feparate
them from the rank of elegant wines.

CHAP.

33° LONGCHAMP.

CHAP. XXIII.

LONGCHAMF.

HP he proceffion to Longchamp forms one
of the Angularities of the French capi
tal. On the Wednefday, Thurfday, and
Friday before Eafter, it had become fafhion-
able to go to the nunnery of Longchamp,
in the wood of Boulogne, to hear vefpers,
which were exquifitely chaunted by the
firft female voices of the opera. Though
the nunnery be demolifhed, the proceffion
flill remains, becaufe the rich wifh to make
the ufual difplay of their equipages, and the
middle fort of their new clothes which they
commonly purchafe at Eafter. That of
1803, during the peace, was Angularly
fplendid, but the two following ones were
not equal ; and that of 1805, in particular, had

LONGCHAMP. 33I
had greatly declined. The prefect iffues
his orders that no carriages, except thofe of '
the proceffion, be permitted to pafs through
the grand avenue of the Elyfian fields, after
two o'clock. On one fide the carriages
pafs to Longchamp, entirely filling the
fpace for two or three miles, while 'on the
left is an equal number on their return, the
middle fpace being referved for horfemen.
The foot-paths on each fide, are crowded
with walkers and loungers of both fcxes ;
and innumerable chairs are hired to thofe
who choofe to be fedentary fpe&ators. The
avenue of foldiers does not form the moft
pleafing part of the fpedtacle, but as they
prevent embarraffment and accidents, which
in the vivacity of a Parifian crowd have
fometimes proved terrible, their prefence
cannot be regretted ; and he; muft look
through ftrange fpectacles who can perceive
any contempt or outrage of the foldiery to
wards the people. Their chief occupation,
on the contrary, is to prevent broken limbs
8 to

^i LONGCHAMP.
to rafh bays, who will attempt to run in
bravado acrofs the proceffions. Yet I have
heard of a democrat who expreffed his
wonder that the people did not rile in in-
furredion againft the military, who are only
ftationed there for their prefervation ! Were
they abfent, and fome ferious accidents to
happen, the fame men would rail againft the
government for its inattention to the fafety
of the people. The fable of the old man,
his fon, and his afs, may be applied on
many occafions.
This- is the only proceffion at Paris which
fomewhat refembles our Hyde Park on a
Sunday ; but on that day it is the fafhion
to be in the country.

CIJAP.

CHANTILLY. 333

C H A P. XXIV.

CHANTILLY.

T twice vifited the ruins of this celebrated
palace, on my arrival in France, and on
my return. More than three years had
elapfed, and the progrefs of defolation was
vifible. At my firft vifit, the peace, and the
fceqqerit paflage of Englifh travellers, fome
what vivified the village ; and the poft-
office, a large arid handfome inn fronting
the beautiful park, was bufy and crowded.
Qn my return, I learned "the decline of that
houfe, and paffed to the hotel d'Angleterre,
which is little better than a public houfe,
afld- though fo near Paris almoft deftitute of
decent accommodation. The tranfition was
tfuly violent ; and I regretted that I had
not chofen the direct toad by Senlis, a hand
fome town with feveral reputable inns. The

334 CHANTILLY.
The road from Chantilly to Senlis, through
the park, which I travelled next morning,
has become totally neglected arid difagree-
able, though there are handfdme avenues,
and the relics of former beauty.
The caftle of Chantilly is totally demo
lifhed to the cellars, but what is called the
new caftle remains, though fomewhat dila
pidated, and finking into a ftate of decay ;
and the profufion of gilding, fo general in
France, has in this condition a fingular and
mean appearance. The decorations of the
boudoir, conflfting of grotefques, with thou-
fands of little monkies in various attitudes,
are certainly very ill chofen for a lady's
bed-chamber, or a fhrine of love. The
houfe on the adjoining eminence, built
to fupply fleeping rooms to the numerous
ftrangers who ufed' to frequent this princely
manfion, is now converted into barracks ;
and the horfes of the cavalry are lodged in
the magnificent ftables, which remain entire
and uninjured, Not

CHANTILLY. 335
Not fo the Ifle of Love, and the other in
numerable decorations of the enchanting
gardens. All the ftatues are broken or
removed, the fountains dry, and the river
itfelf bears marks of defolation, being like
a puddle of weeds and rufhes. How are
the mighty fallen !
. After a magnificent fete, Louis XIV.
wifhed to purchafe Chantilly from the
prince of Conde, and requefled him to
name any price. " The price," anfwered
the prince, " fhall be whatever your majefty
" pleafes, and I have only one favour to
" afk." " Name it, any thing, any thing,"
replied the impatient monarch-^-" it is that
" your majefty would make me your por-
" ter at Chantilly." ** I underftand you,
" cpufin," retorted the king, " and fee- that
" Chantilly will never be mine,"
The foreft of Chantilly contains feven
thoufand fix hundred acres. In the mid
dle is an open circle, celebrated for the
feftivals, which the great Conde there gave to

33^ CHANTILLY*.
to Louis XIV. and all his court, and the
centre of twelve great avenues, moft of
which are a league in length. This foreft
has been little injured.
The cabinet of natural hiftory, as already
mentioned, has been removed to VerfatHes,
but its original difpofition is ftill vifible,
ome wild fwans, whofe wings were clipped,
were kept in a piece of water, where they
were heard to utter melodious founds. This
circumftance led M. Mongez to a difquifi-
tion on the fong of fwans, which he read:
to the Academy of Infcriptions in 1783.
The prince invited fome academicians td
Chantilly, where a tame fwan was facrificed
to the fury of the wild ones, as in the opi
nion of fome ancients thefe birds only fing
after a vidtory. They are faid to have fung
on this occafion, the male in the tones -oi"
mi-fa, and the female in mi- re.
On the 23d October 1763, the celebrated
abbe Prevoft, author of fome popular no
vels, which are however a little tedious, if
11 we

CHANTILLY. 337
we except tihe hiftory of the Chevalier
Grieux and his miftrefs, and of the General
Hiftory of Voyages, chiefly tranflated from
the Englifh, was ftruck with an attack of
apoplexy, while walking in the foreft of
Chantilly. He was carried to the curacy
of the neareft village', where the rafh and
ignorant furgeon inftantly proceeded to
open the body. On plunging his knife
into the belly, the fuppofed dead man ut
tered a piercing cry, to the horror of the
affiftants who perceived too late that he was
alive. Notwithftanding every care the
wound was mortal.
Manufactories have been eftablifhed of
copper articles, of earthen-ware, ' and of
blond lace ; but though Chantilly be a large
and pleafant village, the defolation of the
caftle, and events yet more recent, have
diffufed an air of melancholy.

VO*U II. Z CHAP.

33$ DRUNKENNESS.

CHAP. XXV.
, DRUNKENNESS.
TN fome of the northern kingdoms of Eu>
rope one half of human life may be faid
'to have been paffed in fleep, and one half
of the remainder in drunkennefs.- Germany,
Ruffia, Sweden, and Denmark, were for
merly celebrated for this mode of non-ex-
iftence ; and even in Swifferland it was a
rule of the French court not to name any
ambaffador, whofe head, in the common
way of fpeaking, but in fact whofe ftomach,
was not ftrong enough to rival the fenators
of Berne in this department. One French
ambaffador gained great glory by filling his
boot with wine, and drinking it off at one
draught. In the gallantry of the modern
Poles, they do not hefitate to. alarm modeft
beauty, by taking off a lady's fhoe, and
paffing

DRUNKENNESS. 33c

paffing it round the table, as a bumper full
of wine to her health.
The account of the phyfical or natural
club at Mofcow, given in the interefting
work called The Voyage of Two French
men to the North of Europe, might lead us
to fuppofe that the orgies of the Ruffians
are now diverted to a different direction.
-Yet it is reported that prince Potemkin
.would drink fix bottles of ftrong wine after
dinner : apd the ladies have a kind of right
to be intoxicated at a ball. When Shak-
fpere, in his Hamlet, fpeaks of the baccha
nalian orgies of the Danifh court, he feems
to have been impreffed with the vifit of the
Danifh monarch to his brother-in-law
James I. of England, thedeep potations ofthe
foreign,prince having aftonifhed and infected
the Englifh courtiers and even the ladies.
An old author informs us, that a mafque
.being to be performed one evening, for the
entertainment of the Danifh king, by feve
ral ladies of the court, reprefenting many
z 2 ideal

34° DRUNKENNESS.
ideal virtues, Patience got out of humour,
and began to fcold ; Temperance was dead
drunk, and vomited in the royal prefence ;
while Juftice reeled about, and Fortitude
fell, and broke her nofe.
The vice of drunkennefs is almoft a
ftranger to the fouthern climates, where
even a porter or a drayman will prefer a
glafs of ice or lemonade to any ftrong be
verage whatever ; and with this light regi
men the Turkifh porters are faid to be the
ftrongeft in Europe, and to carry burdens
which would appal an Englifh lighterman,
after he had fwallowed four pots of porter.
The idea that a perfon's ftrength is increafed
by fuch exceffes muft therefore be futile :
and a Chinefe porter, with his tea, is ano
ther proof of the oppofite pofition.
In France, a middle temperature between
the hot and the cold countries, drunkennefs
is, certainly rare. If you afk a tradefman
or a fervant to drink-a glafs of delicate wine,
you will generally be furprifed with the
8 anfwer,

DRUNKENNESS. 34!
anfwer, Merci,je naipasfoif " thank you,
I am not thirfty." It is true, however, that
many of the lower clafs get intoxicated in
joyous and finging company : but one may
pafs many months at Paris without meet
ing a drunken perfon in the ftreets. In the
upper claffes of fociety the difufe of the
abominable practice of toafts, and of all
other incitements to this odious vice, render
it fo rare that it may be regarded as anni
hilated. It is no wonder, therefore, that
they fhould exprefs fome furprife at the
•tontinuance of this unaccountable folly in
other countries. To the plea of focial plea
fure they reply, that it ruins focial inters
courfe, by depriving it of its chief ornament,
the fair fex ; and that they can talk more,
and certainly more to the purpofe, without
wine, than with its affiftance. They, at
the fame time, wonder that the ladies do
not, by marked contempt and averfion,
difcountenance this unmanly profligacy.
z 3 DoSor

342 DRUNKENNESS.
" Doctor Johnfon has informed us that, in
his time, every man of his native town
went to bed in a ftate of intoxication ; and
he believed that the practice was, as general
in other places. It is painful to mentMbn
that even our campaigns are defeated by
this low vice, which, in a French general*
or officer, would meet with the fharpeft
reproach and execration, and would-be in
fallibly followed by the lofs of his rank or
employment. A venerable French mar
quis, formerly general of the moufquetaires,
and commanding a body of emigrants dur
ing our taft war in Flanders, faid to me in
confidence ; " Nothing was wanting but
prudence and fecrecy. We Were defeated
by punch. I cannot recover my aftonifh-
nvent when I think that the moft ' fenfible
nation in Europe fhould be flaves of fuch a
habit. An invafion at ten o'clock at night
would find you all intoxicated." This fa-
tirip} effufion ' may be pardoned" to the
worthy

DRUNKENNESS. 343
worthy general's keen feelings; of difap-
pointment. But certain it is that the Ruf
fians were twice defeated in Swijferland, by
the mere drunkennefs, and confequent want
of fecrecy in the leaders. A French fub-
altern officer, or foldier, may be found in
toxicated on the day of battle, and the 'Very
fmoke and fmell of the gunpowder will
often, on fuch occafions, produce that effect ; _¦
but the extraordinary man at the head of
» their armies is a model of the fevereft tem
perance, and the other leaders approach to
his example.
We have been told of decifive meafures
propofed in parliament by ftatefmen inflated
with the fumes of wine ; but as thofe mea
fures muft have been previoufly digefted,
they bear no refemblahce to the councils'
and orders of generals in the field, where
( one inftant, at any hour of the day or night,
often decides the fate of a campaign ora
war. Z4- In

344 DRUNKENNESS.
Inprivate life the confequences of drunk
ennefs are often fatal to health and fortune;
and even the habit of a moderate degree
of intoxication towards the evening often
leads to pernicious effects, domeftic quar
rels, and the confequent lofs of character
and tranquillity. In the character of Caffio,
our great anatomift of the human heart has
admirably expreffed the feelings of a noble
and generous mind, which has chanced to
be overcome by this difgrace. But a moft
pathetic moral tragedy, more univerfally
ufeful than that of George Barnwell, might
be built on this bafis; the murder of a be
loved wife, of a miftrefs, or of a friend in
a ftate of intoxication ; the confequent an-
guifh and filicide.
In the fouthern climates the coolnefs and
tranquillity of the body are among the
chief pleafures of fenfation; and ftrong
drink proves fo inflammatory that it com
monly leads to extreme irritation and vio
lence.

DRUNKENNESS. 345
lence. Hence the ufe of wine was wifely
forbidden by Mahomet, the Arabs being of
a moft quick and irafcible difpofition : and
even the habitual ufe of opium is fpoken
of with an utter contempt and abhorrence,
as a borracha, or drunkard, is mentioned by
the Spaniards. For as this vice takes away
all felf-command, and unites the extrava
gance of madnefs with that of all the wick
ed difpofitions that can render a man crimi
nal, it is not unjuftly regarded, when habi
tual, as the very loweft ftate of infamy, to
which human nature can be reduced.
Jt is faid, that in wine there is truth, and
that intoxication reveals the real character.
But this pofition is more than doubtful ;
the effects, when not ftupefactory, being
precifely thofe of an inflammatory fever.
Now in fuch a fituation- an innocent girl
will fhock her attendants with vollies of
bkfphemy and obfcenity, fo as to have the
appearance of being poffeffed by a demon.
In like manner drunkennefs, being a com plete

34^ DRUNKENNESS.
plete alterative of the body, fuperinduces a
like change in the mind : the molt gentle and
_ humane characters will be the. moft apt, as
in the cafe of Caffio,to become quarrelfome,
furious, and cwel ; the modeft knd chafte
to become impudent and libidinous ; the fad
will .fing, and the merry will flied tears.
Imagination will fupply the lofs of memory,
and, through the fumes of liquor, wi41 view
objects in a light wholly falfe and delufive.
Some, it is true, will allow their fetrcts to
efcape ; but thofe who are the moft fubject
' to this weaknefs when fober, are often, dur
ing ebriety, the moft taciturn. There are
fome exceptions : but the rule is far more
general that drunkennefs, inftead of unveils
ing the real fentimentss changes and perverts
the natural character. <~
The caufes ana" remedies of this vice
might form the fubject of a large volume,
one of the moft important which can be
given in moral philofophy: and the practi
cal conduct of Ufe. It is often the effed of

DRUNKENNESS.. 3^7
of mere example; and the fame man, ac
cording to the company he keeps, will be
diffolute or temperate. As vicealwa*£s feels
her inferiority to virtue, fhe can only,op-
pofe ridicule to reafon ; whence the appel
lation of milkfop, and other farcafms, will
induce a -moderate youth to become a
debauchee, though nature have infpired
him with a falutary difguft at wine. Lucki
ly, in this inftance,. the influence of the fair
fex, and of fafhion in France, has enlifted
all the banners and weapons of ridicule,
where they ought to be, (for fhe is a mere
mercenary,) on the fide of virtue. Tenir
perance is regarded as a plume -in the cap of
youth ; and as the. ftrongeft recommenda
tion to confidence, employment, and ad
vancement : and,, all the wrealth, rank, ho
nours, and royal blood, of the late Duke
of Orleans could not fave him from the
ridicule arid contempt of being a drunkard;
nor could his afpiring ambition perfuade
gven the vileft mob to refpedt a map who,
3 did

348 x DRUNKENNESS.
did not refpedt himfelf. As youth has gene
rally an averfion to wine, the corruption of
idle ridicule, and hoary debauchery, which
loves to diminifh its own fhame, by having
companions of infamy, may be regarded as
the firft paffage to this paradife of , fools.
A tafte for this vice being thus acquired,
it is found to produce a temporary gaiety,
and to heighten, for a fhort half hour or
two, the pleafurable fenfations of exiftence.
Hence it becomes a part in the computa
tion of happinefs ; and a good dinner,
which in France is a feparate confideration ',
becomes connected with the idea of a fuper-
abundance of wine. The pleafures of fo
ciety, which are alfo feparate confiderations,
are likewife joined in the imagination, with
the paffing of the "bottle ; and though per
haps all the guefts naufeate their liquor af
ter the third glafs, ftill it is hofpitable, it is
focial, to pufh the bottle round, and fpeak
nonfenfe, till the tongue refufes an office for
which it was not formed. The glorious inven-

DRUNKENNESS. 349
invention of toafts is alfo of fimilar ufe in
this procefs of empoifonment, as the loyal
ty, love, friendfhip, or gratitude, of the
poor drunkard may be called in queftion,
if he refufe any one of thirty or forty
toafts ; vice being far more ingenious than
virtue, and having numerous ftratagems
to attack her fimplicity. The inventor
of toafts may juftly claim a nich by the
fide of any hero who ever deluged the
world with flaughter ; and if the peftilence
had been a human invention, he might cer
tainly be ftationed by the fide of its great
founder. In the progrefs of life, cares and misfor
tunes furnifh a further excufe for recourfe to
the bottle; and, as Mr. Gray, the poet,
expreffes it, brandy will finifh what port
wine has begun. The moft noble minds
are thus overthrown, and the madhoufe of
ten clpfes the fcene. The fubjedts of com
plete fottifhnefs, of drunkennefs in a fore
noon,^ dram drinking, are too contempti ble-

35<*> DRUNKENNESS.
ble to be here noticed. I only wifh to
r
fpeak of that moderate and genteel intoxi^
cation, to be found in good company among
men of refpectabiiity. This cup of flight
oblivion is certainly regarded as a great plea
fure, or at leaft as a relief from the tirefome
length and famenefs of human life* which we
call fhort, while we practically regard, it as.
far too long. ' There are even few favage
nations who have not difcovered fome
means of intoxication ; and fuch Is poor
human nature, that to lofe our confciouf-
nefs becomes the moft chofen pleafure of
our exiftence. It has been juftly obferved
that temperance is comparative ; bne man's
ftomach being able to fupport a great deal,
before the nerves of his head be affected by
fympathy, or what is called intoxication be
produced ; while with another, a fmall
quantity will occafion the fame effedt. But
men of fuch powerful ftomachs (for their
head certainly cannot claim any fhare in
the compliment) ought to form feparate clubs

fifcU'NkE'NNES'3. 55*
dubs or focieties, and not corrupt the tem
perance of others. Perpetually mingled in
refpedtable fociety at Paris, I do not re
member having ever feen a French gentle-
man exceed' fix or eight glaffes of an ele
gant and^ generous wine; compared with
which our port wine and fherry are merely
brandy in difguife, and ought, in the Dutch
.phrafe, to be cvWe&brandy-ivines. Hence
they arife from table with all the refrefH-
ment that nature requires, with light and
cheerful fpirits, and a ready difpofition to
witty and interefting converfation. The
long evenings are beguiled at the theatre,
a ruling paflion of the French * people ; in
converfations ; or in little games, which
with us are left to children, but in a French
family, and amid familiar friends, become
the amufement of all ages. This art of
paffing the evening feems the very antidote
to drunkennefs, and the want of it often
leads to the bottle : nor is it unneceffary to
repeat that if there were twenty theatres in
London,

35* DRUNKENNESS.
London, as at Paris, and open on all days of
the week, there would not be one half of
the drunkennefs, vices, crimes, and confe
quent mifery, which now prevail in our
metropolis. , So powerful is the force of habit, that it is
difficult even for a man of ftrong mind, and
good difpofitions, to overcome this propen-
fity. The ennui, liftleffnefs, and even ine-
lancholy, which would follow his abftinence
are invincible motives to have recourfe to his
ufual remedy. But unfortunately, after hav
ing drank the fmall quantity which nature
requires, for fupport, refrefhment, and cheer-
fulnefs, he begins to lofe felf command; and
to imagine that a glafs or two more would
increafe the pleafure of his fenfations. Even
if he had purfued the prudent plan, of hav
ing" dictated to himfelf the precife number of
glaffes which he knows that he can bear
without injury, and which he ought on no
occafion to furpafs, ftill his fomewhat heated
fancy will fuggeft to him fome apology for
a lit-

"DRUNKENNESS. 353
a little eXcefs, on that day ofily, fuch as
fome vexation, depreffion of fpirits, . flight
difeafe, unufual fatigue ; or, on ?the con
trary, fome occafion of joy which ought to
be celebrated, and other trifling excufes,
which, when he awakes the following morn-
ing with the head-ach,4ieated blood, and
difordered nerves, appear to his renewed
reafon fo contemptible, that he is ready to
fmk with fhame and remorfg.
In this way a man may form conftant
refolutions in the morning, and violate them
in the evening ; and Doctor Johnfon has
very juftly obferved, that it is far more eafy
to be abftemious than to be temperate.
Hence in his old age he had recourfe to
lemonade, not being able to truft himfelf
with a glafs ofwine, which, as he expreffed
it, always altered a man, and made him wifh
for more, till the confequence was excels.
Yet it may feem no great difficulty for a
man to fix his refolution, on no occafion
whatever to exceed four or fix glaffes of
vol, ji. A a wine,

354 Drunkenness.
wine, according to its ftrength or the varie*
ty at, table: and I know one of the. moft
opulent men in England whb will, on no
account whatever, drink more than two
glaffes, though there be fix or eight kinds of
wine prefented. In France the more tem
perate never tafte the vins de liqueur, or
feven white' wine, but content themfelves
with the ordinary wine, at firft mixed with
water arid afterwards pure. Others Obferve
that it is ridiculous to procure good wine
in order to mix it with water; and, begin
ning with pure ¦water, clofe their moderate
potation with pure wine. It is, in fact, a
fuperlative advantage of French fociety that
there is no example of drinking, and no
temptation to drink. They will indeed
fometimes prefs an Englifhman to exceed,
and adduce for a reafon the cuftom of his
country; but they will efteem him more if
he prefer their temperance* Hence if a
ftranger fall into any excels in France, it is
always in the company of other ftrangers. In

DRUNKENNESS. 355
In his own country, a prudent man will
fhun thofe companies where there is a pro-
fufion of wines, for example is fo contagi
ous; that even the temperate may be fur
prifed and overcome ; and the defire of
avoiding offence or the appearance of fin-
gularity will fometimes fhake the beft re
folutions. One of the firft rules of temperance in
this refpedt is therefore to count the num
ber of glaffes, Which is on no account to be
exceeded. The next, to have refources of
aihiifement or inftruction*'iri the evening,
fo that wearifomenefs may not furnifh any
temptation. The chief object of all fufte-
nance beirig not to exceed the production
of eafy and cheerful fpirits, and any excefs
having an oppofite effect, will be carefully
avoided by a true epicure, who would pre
fer uniform cheerfulnefs to any oppreffive
gratification. The tranquillity arifing from
a fenfe of felf-command will be preferred
to the fleeting dream of intoxication. A
A A 2 fenfible

35*$ DRUNKENNESS.
fenfible man will fay, " I would not ex
change my cheerfulnefs for all the wine in
the world."
Various legiflators have inftituted fafts at
particular periods^ of the year, fometimes
politically plaufible, as the rifing generation
of animals is thus fpared. till it attain greater
maturity ; but always ufeful to the fociety,
as imprefling habits of -temperance, and re
cruiting .the frame from the confequences of
former repletions. On; this occafion, as on
many others, Mahomet has fhewn a pro
found acquaintance with human nature ;
and his difciples are in general remarkable
for health and ftrength, and dignity of
form. Stated days of fafting, or of extreme
fobriety, might be an ufeful obfervaoce in
the habits of daily life.
An ingenious French writer obferved to
me that, if he wifhed to employ his even
ings in compofition, he drank nothing but
water at dinner, as even the fmalleft quan
tity of wine was fufficient to cloud his
ideas.

DRUNKENNESS.- 357
ideas, fo that he was obliged to alter on the
following morning the little that he had been
able to accomplifh in the evening. He alfo
expreffed the aftonifhment which he felt,
on feeing our fenates conftantly affembled
in the evening, when the mind is over
whelmed and exhaufted, while in all other
countries public bodies affemble in the
morning. The frequent and long en
croachments on the hours of fleep, certainly
cannot lend clearnefs to the argument, nor
animation to the elocution. If we could read
in ancient or modern hiftory of any fenate
habitually affembled in the evening, and
fometimes fitting during the night, we
fhould be aftonifhed at fuch a heterogeneous
darknefs of policy. It would be very difficult
to find any precedent, excepting the meeting
of the Roman fenate, at midnight, in the
reign of Domitian, in order to fix upon a
fauce for the emperor's turbot ; an occafion
altogether extraordinary, and which, even
at that hour, might have been accomplifhed
A A 3 with

358 DRUNKENNESS.
with due deliberation. It is very far from
my intention, to infmuate the flighteft
fufpicion of flufhed or ebriated counfels,
the minifters often inviting members to
dinner after the debate, at four or five
o'clock in the morning: it is merely the
Angularity of the fact, the fatigue and ex-r
hauftion, which excited the remarks of my
French acquaintance.
This fermon on drunkennefs, " the fin
which moft eafily befets us," is, as ufual,
preached by a finner ; and has even, in the
fafhion of modern fermons, wandered into
politics. But it is hoped that the confide
ration s offered will be found of lafting im
portance, both in a public and a private
point of view. The progrefs of civiliza
tion, and confequent greater variety of
rational purfuits and amufements, and hap
pily the influence of fafhion, begin to ba-
nifh this vice from good company ; but its
confequences among the lower claffes are fo
deftrudtive of health and morality, that
6 an

DRUNKENNESS. 359
an enlightened legiflature ought to obviate
them by the pradtical means which have
been found to fucceed in other countries.
Among thefe the fubftitution of other
amufements may be regarded as the chief;
and it is furprifing that no modern ftate has
imitated the magnificence of the ancients
in eftablifhing gratuitous exhibitions for the
innocent amufement of the poor. The
effects might not be fpeedily vifible, as this

A A 4 reputed

3*5c3 DRUNKENNESS.
reputed the coldeft of all wines, and the
moft deftitute of alcohol. But it would bd
difficult to find, in the beft claret imported
into the northern kingdoms, the flavour of
La Fitte or Chateau Margot, the two moft
celebrated vineyards of that wine* And
certainly it is not the gratification of the
palate, which leads the fons of the north to
habits of ebriety: A Frenchman would
imagine that we are condemned to drink
our beverages by way of penitence ; and
would conceive the act to be as difagreeable.
as the confequences. It is not however the
pieafantnefs of the liquor, but the actual
wifh of being intoxicated that leads to
habitual excefs ; and in order to produce
this precious effedt a Ruffian will fwallow a
glafs of fpirits of wine, or a favage a bottle
of rum,, with great pain to the palate. The
excefs of excitement, and the oblivion of
care, which muft accompany the lofs of
memory, feem fo delicious, that the confe
quent madnefs and melancholy repentance are

DRUNKENNESS. 36 1
are forgotten; nor is it perceived that the,
fuppofed cup of nectar is drawn from the
river of Lethe'.
I muft conclude with recommending this
interefting fubjedt to the ample confidera
tion of fome moralift ; who might enrich
his work with numerous examples of an
cient and modern times, and might incul
cate marty precious maxims of legiflation,
ethics, and humanity.

CHAP.

36a FRAGMENTS.

CHAP. XXVL
FRAGMENTS".
HThe new civil code has moderated' the
number of divorces, by the introdue-.
tion of greater delay and more impediments.
The following ftatements, for the years nine
and ten of the republic, appeared in the
journals. They extend to all the twelve
mairies of Paris.
Year IX. Tear X.
Births - 19,703. Births - 21,390.
Deaths - 20,255. Deaths - 19,585.
Marriages 3,842. Marriages 2,604.

Divorces 808. Divorces

910.

The able report on the ftate of the French
empire, publifhed in January 1805, under
the name of Ghampagny the minifter of
the interior, was written by Le Brun the
arch-

' FRAGMENTS. 363
arch-treafurer. The language concerning
this country is moderate, but was publifhed
at ihe time that France made propofitions
of peace: "When England fhall have been
convinced that her efforts to agitate the con
tinent will produce little effect ; when fhe
fhall perceive that loffes alone can accom
pany a war without purpofe and without
motives ; and that France will never accept
any conditions except thofe of the treaty
of Amiens, nor allow her to break treaties
at her pleafure in feizing Malta ; England
will then entertain precific fentiments : ha
tred and envy only laft for a time." This
report was made to the legiflative body,
and the fentiments of the government were
underftood to be the fame till the laft coali
tion. It remains to be feen whether the
triumphs of France do not increafe her pre-
tenfions. No where, it is believed, is there
in human hiftory the example of a fpeedy
rupture of a folemn treaty that was not fol
lowed with calamity. Oaths may feem jefts

364 FRAGMENTS.
jefts to politicians ; but it was generally ob
ferved even at Paris, which is not diftin
guifhed for piety, that, ait the folemn con
federation, Louis XVI., the girondifts or re
publicans, and jacobins or anarchifts, all
fwore to obferve the conftitution. They
all violated their oaths ; and they all pe
rifhed. *^?t*-0£ ->:,..
In the above report it is meridoned that
the number of poor in the capital is lefs by
thirty-two thoufand than in the year 1791,
and by twenty-five thoufand than in 1802.
The general number is not mentioned ; but
the differences muft evince it to be im-,
menfe. It was vaguely computed at one
hundred and twenty thoufand fouls, or a
fifth part of the population, including thir
ty thoufand helplefs females.

It has already been mentioned that a
difeafe called the grippe was very prevalent
and fatal, at Paris in January and February
1803. A phyfician publifhed a report on
the

FRAGMENTS. 365
the fubjedt, pronouncing it a catarrh or cold
in the breaft, arifing from the heats of fum
mer and autumn having been followed by
rains and , fogs ; and from the weight and
want of elafticity in the atmofphere, which
thence became impregnated with unhealthy
exhalations. The fymptoms were drynefs
of the fkin, chills, fever, and violent head-
ach. The remedies foporifics and vomits.
Syrup of marfhmallows in brandy, with
fix drops of laudanum, was found benefi-
jCial ; but the difeafe feemed, in many cafes,
to pafs into a malignant fever, the chief
caufe of the mortality. When the hard
froft fet in the diforder became more mode
rate. It may not be without utility to re
cord here the fpecific againft contagion, in
vented by the celebrated chemift Guyton,
and found to be fuccefsful in Spain againft
the yellow fever. Take fea fait four ounces,
oxid of manganefe Tix grains, water two
ounces, vitriolic acid two ounces. The
manganefe in powder is mixed with the
4 fait

$66 FRAGMENTS.
fait in an earthen veffel ; the ''water is then
added, and afterwards the vitriolic acid. One
fumigation fuffices, if the chamber be not in
habited ; but if there be patients it muft be
repeated three or four times. Ten fumiga
tions would not coft above two fhillings.

The follies of the firft of April are little
known or practifed at Paris. They fay
danner un poiffbft d,avril a quelquun, to
give an April fifh to a perfon. Some ety-
mologifts think that the word poifibn was ih
the profanity of the middle ages corrupted
from the paffton of Chrift, on the third of
April, whowas fent as in derifion from one
tribunal to another ; but this feems very far
fetched and improbable. As the month of
April was facred toVenus,itis more probably
a Pagan relict of fome fports in honour of
that capricious goddefs ; and the fifh may
allude to the dolphin which attends her, the
fymbol of her birth from the fea ; as our
may-poles feem to be relics of the wanton
worfhip

FRAGMENTS. , 367
.worfhip of Flora. Thofe converfant in
the hiftory of manners and cuftoms welt
know that fome popular ufages can fcarcely
be eradicated either by time or authority.

I have fome where met with a long and
violent charge againft the veracity of the
French in general, becaufe forfooth the
candid and well informed traveller Was told
that the cheefe of Neufchatel arrived at
Paris in a day. The error is wholly on the
fide of the traveller, who has confounded
Neufchatel in Switzerland with Neufchatel
in Normandy, from which laft this cheefe
is brought by the Seine. \ The vallies of
Neufchatel, in the department of the lower
Seine, yeild a very delicate cheefe much
ufed at Paris, the beft being in a cylindrical
fornij about four inches in length by two in
diameter, called bondes de Neufchatel. The
cheefe of Brie is from the; department of
the Seine and the Marne. That of Rocfort, one

3<58 FRAGMENTS.
one of the deareft and moft efteemed, is
from Auvergne.
The fame traveller, who is fo fond of
truth, has given an ehgraving of the Invalids
and the Military School, in which not only
two objects are prefented which can never
be feen together, but the fituation is entirely
reverfed ; as, if they could be viewed in
front at one glance, the Military School
muft be on the right-hand: but the Invalids
front nearly north ; while, by a bend in the
river, the Military School fronts nearly
weft. He who is prone to blame fhould
be exact.
Another example. He fays that the
paffage under the arcades of the Palais
Royal, according to his memory, will not
permit above three people to walk abreaft.
It will with great eafe permit three times
three, if not four times three. Nor is the
fouth end the moft frequented part of the
garden. He means the north end as ap
pears

FRAGMltNTS. 369
pears from his mention of the pavilion.
Such are pompous books of Travels, in
which 'the price is counted by guineas,
while the information may be counted by
pencei

The democratic writers are often great
fin-hunters, and rival the puritans in
this charitable amufement. The moft in
different adtion of their opponents was
called a crime, till the fin-hunters fhewed
themfelves to be the greateft finners.

Among the religious pageantries reftored
at Paq-s, the foldiers wear nofegays at the
end of their mufkets on Palm Sunday.
Some da,ys before Lent the butchers con
ducted through moft of the ftreets of Paris
a fat ox, richly caparifoned, followed by a
little boy in a car, dreffed like a cupid, a
band of mufic, and ten or twelve foldiers to
divide the crowd*
vol. 11. b b The

37° FRAGMENTS.
"The etymology of the word calembourg,
ufed in France for a kind of pun, in which
the found of one or more words is preferved,
but not the fpelling, has not been afcer-
tained. ""An ingenious friend informs me
that it was occafioned by the curate of a
place called Calembourg in Flanders having
publifhed a collection of bad jefts.

It Was emphatically faid of the catholic
priefts that their religion was a part of their
depravity. It may alfo be faid of fome
pretended philofophers that their philofophy
is a part of their depravity.

Les jours fe fuiv ent, mais nefes reffemblent
pas: " the days follow each other, but do
not refemble each other," is a iuft obferva-
tion on the viciflitudes of human life.

In the villages near Paris the children
fometimes form a fingular chaunt by infert- .ing

FRAGMENTS. $JX
ing the fyllable pi between each fyllable of
their words. When the children of their
own accord march about beating drums, &c.
like little foldiers, the credulous people be
lieve that it is a fure indication of war, or
the continuance of war. '
A more folid obfervation is that pears
become bad and unwholefome when the
tree is in flower; The fame Angularity has
been obferved in fome wines.

Prendre fur les depens is the familiar
phrafe of a French domeftic, who conceives
a firm and confcientious right to charge
more than what is paid in the market. The
idea feems to be that the tradefman has
charged lefs than he ought, merely that the
fervant may enjoy this right.

The lune roujfe or red moon at Paris is
underftood to bring cold winds, chiefly
north-weft, from the beginning or middle
of April to the beginning or middle of May.
B b 2 When

tfZr FIRAGM^ENTSV
When thefe cold winds ceafe, the weafrhefV
without any preparation, becomes intenfely
hot.

Dr. Lifter's Journey to Paris, at the end
of the feventeenth century, is a. curious and
interefting work.

'£>

It was fuppofed that a binding Of Ruffian
leather fecured books againft infects, but
the contrary was recently demonftrated at
Paris by two volumes pierced in every
direction. The firft book-binder in Paris,
JSozerian, told me he knew of no remedy^
except to fte'ep the blank leaves in muriatic
acid.

The fringal is a fingular complaint^ to
which botanifts and mineralogifta are fome*
times fubject. It is a fudden and preter
natural attack of extreme appetite ; and
dangerous, if means be not found to gratify
it, but bread will fuffice for that purpofe. The

FRAGMENTS. 373

The hofpital of the Sajpetriere now con
tains about four thoufand eight hundred
old women, and about a hundred and forty
infane perfons of that fex. Among the
latter are fome abbeffes and nuns, and a
poor girl, about twelve years of age, the
daughter of a rich financier, a completely
fpoiled child, who loft her little fenfes when
deprived of her pomp and attendants. The
furious are confined in the cells, which are
long and low buildings, like a firing of cot
tages, of one room each. The others were
walking about or ftanding at the doors ;
and though many had loft their fenfes for
love, there was not one fine form, nor in
terefting countenance. There are cold
baths where the water defcends on the head :
and the cleanlinefs of, the whole hofpital is
admirable.

Napoleon is an uncommon name, but it
pccurs in the " Amours du grand Alcander". .
B b 3 The

374 FRAGMENTS.
The word blackguard feems immediately
derived from the French word blaguer to
lie. A fold er will call a girl of the town a
blaguer or a blaguereje.

On the 1 6th Odtober 1804, ftrawberries
were "felling in Paris at twenty fous, or ten-
pence, a large pottle fufficient for two per
fons. The means of prolonging the dura
tion of this excellent and wholefome fruit
Well deferve the attention of our ingenious
gardeners. •if'.\
Nations differ entirely in the manner in
which they reafon. The fa$on de voir is
fo different, that what is good fenfe in one
Country is nonfenfe in another.

I borrowed from the national library
Korb's Diary of the embaffy fent to Ruffia
by the emperor of Germany in 1699. It
is a Latin folio, with plates, printed at
Vienna in 1700, and immediately fuppreffed at

FRAGMENTS. 375
at the earneft defire of Peter the Great.
The anecdotes, which are very curious, and-
told with fingular fimplicity, reflect no ho
nour on that .czar, who, in the decapitation
of the ftrelitz, acted like a common execu
tioner. It is truly fingular that the firft
years of this illuftrious monarch fhould
have been fo infamous.

Nature pays little honour to human rea
fon, for fhe has not even trufted to it the
care of our own bodies. The fuftenance of
the individual, and the continuance of the
fpecies,- are not committed to our reafon.

The phlegmatic character is not unknown
among the French. During the regency
of the duke of Orleans, the chancellor dy
ing fuddenly, D'Agueffau was appointed,
and received the feals early on the follow
ing morning. On his return he found his
brother fitting, as ufual, in his arm-chair,
fmoking by the fide of the fire. " Wifh
B b 4 me

376 FRAGMENTS.
md joy, brother, I am lord-chancellor"— j
" the devil you are,'' fays the fmoker,
" and what have you done with t'other ?"
<< Dead." "Well, brother, I would rather.
you had the place than I," faid the phleg
matic man, continuing to fmoke with the
greateft compofure. \ \ .

The Velocif, eres are newly invented ftage
coaches, of a new and elegant ftrudture,
which proceed with great expedition and
fafety. On the laft days of Longchamp*
1 805, they appeared in great pomp, by way
of advertifement. The French diligences,
it is well known, are the moft mea nand
ugly vehicles that can poffibly be conceived.

- Brunet, the comic adtor at the theatre
Montanfier, has been twice in prifon. The
firft occafion was the inftitution of the tri
bunate, when he ventured to fay in a piece,
Moi je fuis Tribun, ma femme Tribune, et
nous fa fons des tribunaux. On a late oc-
6 cafion

FRAGMENTS. 377
Cafion a fervant fays, Monfieur je ne puis pas
remifer la voiture ? to which Brupet replied,
II f aut oter V imperial.

Thou is the common word of friendfhip
or tendernefs in France. A hufband com
plaining to his wife that flie never ufed this
form of expreffion, fhe anfwered, Va fen\
tu m ennuis ; " get thee along, thou tireft
me..

The reading-rooms at Paris are ufeful and
amufing ,inftitutions. The beft is that of
Girardin in the Palais-royal, now kept by
M. Saint- Jorre. All the French Journals,
with manj German and Italian, may here
be read for fix fous, or three-pence., The
fubLription for a month is fix francs, and
for fix months thirty-two francs. A long
refearch made in the journals, for any par
ticular article, cofts two francs. There is
alfo a confiderable library : and books are
fold for the benefit of the authors. The

378 FRAGMENTS.
The fall of a great number of ftones from
a burfting meteor, near Aigle in'Normandy,
muft be well known to moft of my readers
from the accounts publifhed in the literary
journals, and efpecially from the detailed
relations given by Biot and Izarn. Cardan,
in his book de varietate, mentions a fimilar
incident in Lombardy, and from his .de-
fcription the ftones muft have been of the
fame nature. The idea that they proceeded
from a volcano in the moon feems ridicu
lous, as they have neither the fubftance nor
appearance of lava ; but, wherever found,
confift of iron, filex, magnefia, and nickel :
and they feem to be productions of the at-
mofphere, which is probably full of fmall
particles which efcape our fenfes, as may
be judged when a ray of the fun pierces a
dark chamber. ,
Another event' of the fame nature, but
lefs known, fhall here be repeated from the
Proces- Verbal, taken by the prefect of the
department of Vauclufe. " On

FRAGMENTS. 379
" On the 15th Vendemjaire in the twelfth
year, (8th Odober 1803), about half an
hour after ten o'clock in the morning,, the
fky being only covered with fome light
clouds, and the weather very calm, a noife
refembling that of a cannon-mot, at the dif
tance of a quarter of a league, was heard
by a great number of individuals, chiefly
in the, country, and" over a furface of feven
or eight leagues around the town of Apt,
the chief place of the fourth divifion of the
department of Vauclufe. This noife could
not be the effedt of artificial explbfion, as
neither cannon nor mine was at that time
fired in the neighbourhood ; yet, by its re-
percuffibn from the mountains, it refembled
the effect of a cannon, differing in that re
fpedt from the report of thunder.
*' This event, which at firft aftonifhed all
its witnefles, was accompanied with a yet
more extraordinary phcenomenon. On the
' fame day, and at the fame hour, Jofeph
Jully, a farmer of Apt, and his wife, being
4 about

o

8o FRAGMENTS.

about five hundred paces from the country?
houfe of M. Barthelemy Devaux, fituated
to the north of the town of Apt, at the
diftance of a fhort quarter of a league, in
the territory of Saurette, after having heard
the found above-mentioned, were alfo 'fur
prifed with a hiffing noife, which continued
to increafe for' fix or feven minutes, and
which announced the fall of fome fubftance,
Affrighted, they looked up, and the wife of
Jully faw the defcent of fomething black,
the fall of which was alfo heard by the huf
band ; and after which the hiffing noife
ceafed. From the account of Jully 's wife
the faid black fubftance muft have fallen in
the vineyard of M. Devaux ; whofe wife,
being in the country at the fame time, had
alfo heard the firft noife, and the hiffing
found ; but the fright with which fhe was
feized had induced- her to run to the houfe,
fo that fhe did not fee nor hear the fub
ftance fall. Her fon was occupied with
agriculture, at three or, four hundred paces from

FRAGMENTS. ^, 38 i

from the houfe, and had heard the noife
and fall of a fubftance, which, however, he
had not feen. At the fame moment twd
Women, Marguerite HugueS the widow of
Tamiffier, and Marie Jean the wife of
Jacques Julien, were Upon' the road from
Villars to Apt, when they heard the firft
report, the hiffing no'ife^ and the fall of a
fubftance in the vineyard of M. Barthelemy
Devaux, which borders on that road ; after?
which the hiffing ceafed, and they imagined
that the fubftance had only fallen at the
diftance of thirty paces from them.
" It may be conceived that it was fpeedily
reported that a confiderable fubftance had
fallen in the vineyard of Devaux, and that
a fearch' was eagerly begun. On the firft
day it wasfruitlefs, but on the 17th Vend.
the fon of Devaux, on a careful examination
of the vineyard, perceived, at the diftance
of thirty paces from the houfe, a large hole,
newly made, between two ranks of vines
much covered with leaves, and which
feemed

382 FRAGMENTS.
feemed to indicate the place where the fub
ftance had fallen. He was the more con
firmed in this opinion, as he obferved, tbat
the little pebbles, within and around this
hole, were reduced to powder. He there
fore began to dig, and found a ftone ex
tremely hard, of the weight of feven pounds
fix ounces ; and he has no doubt that this
is the fubftance, whofe fall affrighted the
neighbourhood. " 'Hearing this incident from common
report, I, the under prefect of Apt, having
required the produdtion of this ftone, given
to M. Jofeph Brun, a fhopkeeper in the
town of Apt, by the fon of Barthelemy
Devaux, and afterwards paffed on the 25th
Vendemiaire, year 12, to the country, houfe
of Devaux, in company with feveral p blic
functionaries, where we faw the fpot whence
the ftone had been drawn, and fhewed the
faid ftone' to the foil of Devaux, who well
knew it to be the lame wh<ch he had taken
from that fpot, at ihe depth of about ten
inches,

FRAGMENTS. 383
inches, and which he had given to Jofeph
Brun. We have moreover heard the re-
ports of all the perfons mentioned in'this
relation, and which we have faithfully re
peated. In teftimony of all which we have
drawn up this formal procedure, which we
addrefs to the prefect of the department of
Vauclufe, as well as the ftone above-men
tioned, upon which we have put our feal,
that he may obtain fome explanation of this
phcenomenon, and publifh it if he judges
proper. " Done at Apt the 26th Vendemiare.
" The Sub-prefect,
" (Signed) Terras.
" It muft be obferved, that in the xj.ne-
yard of Devaux there was no other ftone of
fo large a fize ; and all the perfons ac
cuftomed to pafs the -mountains and plains
of Apt do not remember to have feen any
Jftone of this kind. " Agreeable

384 FRAGMENTS.
" Agreeable fo the Original.
, " The Prefect of Vauclufe,
" (Signed) Ch. A. Baurdori.
" A true Copy.
" The Minifter of the Interior,
" Chaptal."

Among the recent inveptions of the
French are a tranfparent paper for copying
. maps, &c. made of fome particular plant,
without the ufe of oil : and what is called
Papier Lucidonique, which, according to
the inventor, poffeffes many fingular quali
ties, befides its tranfparency, and is imper
meable by water.

The manufactory of granite,, porphyry,
and ferpentine, oh the Italian boulevard at
Paris, deferves to be vifited. Many elegant
pieces of furniture are formed of thefe beau
tiful ftones, which are chiefly brought from
the mountains of Vofges, particularly the

green

fragments "385
green .granite which is a rare fubftance. That
called feuille viorte is rather of a, dull rofe
colour. The blue granite of Stiria is of ce
lebrated beauty ; but I faw at Paris a fpeci-
men, which had been found in the ruins of
Ombos in Upper Egypt, and exceeded any
other. The felfpar was of fo bright a green
as to be indiftinguifhable from the emerald,
the quartz was tranfparent white, and the
mica filvery. The quarries probably exift
in Nubia or Abyffinia.
The ancient tafte for lithology revives at
Paris, where the beautiful Scotifh marble
from the ifle of Tirey, with green fpots
like leaves on a rofe coloured ground, ex
cited juft admiration, and might have been
fold at any price. It is faid that the noble
proprietor fent two fhip-loads to London,
where they were totally rejected, becaufe
the fubftance was fomewhat harder to work
than common marble ! In confequence the
fhips returned, and the precious cargo was
thrown under the pier of Leith, where the
vol. n. c c traveller

%tS FRAGMENTS.
traveller may ftill find abundance of that
beautiful ftone, fo much admired in cabi
nets of mineralogy throughout Europe.
When we can no longer procure infipid
white marble from Italy, We fhall be forded
to ufe the wealth of our native fhores ;
fo that neceflity may fupply the miraculous
Want Bf tafte.

The almanac of Liege is a grand ftan
dard of prediction among the cOrrrrildft peo
ple df France- It is furprifing to obferve
the credulity with which they confult this
repertory of fate.

It is well known that the ctrrate of Saint
Roch, refufed to, bury Mademoifelle Cha-
meroi, a dancer at the ortera, who died in
child-bed. The archbifhop of Paris, the
venerable cardinal Du Befloy, iffued an
ordinance on this fubject, commanding the
bigotted'curate fo a retreat of three months,
that he might call to remembrance that
Jefus

fragments; 387
Jefus Chrift commands us to pray for our
enemies ; and that 'recalled to a feftfe of
hjs duties he might learn that all the fuper1-
ftitious obfervances, only known in times
of ignorance; degraded religion by their,
folly and want of charity ; and had been
folemnly prefcribed by the concordat be
tween France arid Rome, and by the law
'ofthe 18 Germinal. Such were the terms
of this mandate, as repbrted in the official
journal. About the fame time a married prieft
thought proper to retract, and diffolve that ,
facrament of his own accord. ' Portalis, the
minifter of public worfhip, immediately
publifhed a letter, in which he obferves thai:
"The civil law permits the marriage of
priefts, while the ecclefiaftic law declares it
incompatible with the fu'wdtions of prieft*
heod; but this latter cannot be permitted to
difturb the public order." He,- at the fame
time, threatens fevere penalties upon any
^repetition of a fimilar offence.
c c 2 At

388 FRAGMENTS.
At Paris the floors of the apartments are
rarely wafhed. The frotteur comes once a
week, and with brufhes fattened to his feet,
and a little wax, reftores the floors to their
proper appearance, whether inlaid with
wood, or with tiles.

It was faid that a new plant from Mexi
co had begun to be an object of cultivation
in the fouth of France. It was called Ara-
chide, and was faid to yield more than half
its weight in oil.

The French are ftill fond of what is call
ed hieroglyphic writing ; and many female
ornaments are decorated in this fantaftic
manner. The petits maitres fometimes ufe
it in billet-doux ; thus the head of a horfe,
a branch of a tree, and number i2, mean,
*' Meet me at the wood of Boulogne at
noon." An O, a 7, and a 2, imply, " At
the opera, the feventh box of the fecond

row."

Oo

FRAGMENTS. 389
On the 28th of December 1803, there
was a terrible tempeft at Paris. Many
chimnies were blown down, and the flates
flew through the air like birds Twenty-
fix.of the largeft trees in the garden of the
Tuileries were difrooted ; and one in its fall
injured the group of ftatues reprefenting
Papirius and his mother.
It is believed that corporal punifhments
are" unknown in the armies of France. It
is well known that the attempt of marfhal
Broglio to introduce them with other Ger
man plans of difcipline, was the chief caufe
which indifpofed the whole army againft
the unfortunate monarch Louis XVI., and
was among the events which led to the re
volution. To ufe a man like a Have is not
the way to infpire military fpirit. A gre
nadier, whofe unruly horfe had joftled
Louis XIV. during a review, received a
blow with the monaroh's cane. Inftantly
drawing his piftol from the holfter, and
c c 3 pre-

3§0 FRAGMENTS.
prefenting the butt-end to Ws fovereign, he
faid, "Sir, you have taken my hqnour?
take my life." He was applauded and
promoted, as poffeffing the true fpirit of a
foldier. During the fame reign a common
fentinel at the palace was degraded and
imprifoned by the grand court of Marfhals
pf France, becaufe he did not fhoot a gene
ral who ftruck him while on duty- — but as
fentinel at the palace, he was confidered as
a part of rsgal reprefentation; and in that
charadter was confidered as haying an un
doubted right, and even an invincible duty,
to kill a marfhal of France if he had offered
fuch an outrage.
. An Englifh grenadier took a more plea
fant revenge ; for being ftruck on the legs
by a boyiih officer, who could not reafch any
higher, fie gravely took off his grenadier's
cap, and holding it by the point over the
head of the child, he faid, " Sir, if you
were1 not my officer I would extinguifh
you." During my1 ftay at Paris a country? man,

FRAGMENTS. 39*1
man, viewing the palace of the Tuileries,
found that one of the fentinels was an old
. ' ' ' i
acquaintance of his own village. He "un
happily brought wine ; and they drank too
much to the renewal of their acquaintance.
The foldier being found drunk on his poft,
was fent home; but was fo fenfible of his
difgrace that he inftantly fhot himfelf. It
has long been a maxim that French troops
cannot be conducted by feverity, but if flat
tered and led with gentlenefs are capable
of any fervice. This circumftance is con
fidered by military men as one caufe of the
fuperiority of the French troops. It is faid
that, on the contrary, German foldiers can
not be managed except by the cane. Iq
the modern French tactics little attention
is paid to exad/tnefs in the trifling parts.
and mechanical motions. It is the preci-
fion of large movements, on the field oi
battle, which forms the chief object.
c e 4 Bona*

392 FRAGMENTS.
Bonaparte is a landfman ; he has no fkill,
and can have no (kill, in maritime affairs.
Even his minifter of the marine, Ducrps,
had difgufted the beft officers, by forcing
them to make idle journies to Paris, with-?
out paying their expences.

In the extenfive garrets of the Hotel des
Invalides, is a large and interefting collec
tion of plans of all the fortified towns of
France. They are only fhewn on one par
ticular day of the year, and it is not eafy
to procure accefs. They are beautifully
executed in relief, with cork and other
materials, the rivers and trenches being of
looking- glafs. This exhibition is one of
the moft rare and fingular in Paris, and
does honour to the magnificence of Louis
XIV. Of the library of the cotincil of ftate the
catalogue has been printed in two volumes
foliQ, That of the arfenal, which formerly
belonged

FRAGMENTS. 393
belonged to the marquis of Paulmy, will
foon be transferred to the" palace of the
Luxembourg, as it is deftined for the ufe
of the fenate. It contains a great number
of curious manufcripts, fome of which
might illuftrate Englifh hiftory. Of this
defcription there are few in the national
library ; and the modern, or thofe within
thefe fifty years, are among the archives of
the minifter of the exterior.

The hot regimen in the fmall pox has
been long abandoned by the Englifh phyfi
cians; but in many other diforders they ftill'
retain the ufe of heating medicines, while the
French phyficians have long fince left that
pradtice, and adopted cooling remedies. In
the train of nervous and hypochondriac dif
eafes, fo common in Britain, and which the
French would often treat as mere indigef-
tions, the ufe of heating medicines will gene
rally increafe the malady, while the blood and
nerves

' 594 {FRAGMENTS.
perves -would be tranquillized and refrefhed
jby a cooling regimen.

In France a preacher muft previoufly
fiave attradted great applaufe, before he
can venture to publifh a fermon ; and fer-
pions always have been, and are, extremely
Tare productions in that country, .- A com-*
mou preacher, printing a common fermon,
would not only be an object of ridicule ;
but would be admoniihed by the bifhop for
|iis worldly vanity, and want of chriftian
humility, |]he chief ornament of a paffor,

At Paris the lottery is in conftant em
ploy. ' Befides that of the capital, there are
three- or four others of which tickets and
ihares are daily fold. Inftead of a "fingle'
number, as in our lottery, there are five
marked, with proportional advantages if
three or more of thefe numbers fhall ftart
on the f^me day. This plan is derived from

FRAGMENTS. 395
from Italy, and feems ufeleftly complex.
Impoftors pretend to predict what numbers
will appear, and even publifh books on this
fubjedt. One of the moft noted of thefe
quacks was a blind man belonging to the
g>uinze Vingts, who was guillotined jnft be*
fore I left Paris, though this pretended
knowledge led to many applications for
his life. He had, in a fit of jealoufy,
lodged fome gunpowder in a block of
firewood, with an intention to deftroy
his miftrefs and her fuppofed lover; but
the block being fa wed the defign was dif?
povered.

A German apologue, was very current at
'Paris, and applied to feveral of the new
promotions, in which pitiful cringers had
been preferred to men of talents. An
eagle returning to his neft finds a fnail on
the top of the tree. " You pitiful reptile,
b.ow came you to mount fo high ?" *** Why,

3f6 FRAGMENTS.
my dear brother, by creeping and cring
ing." The chief plates in a ftate are in
fadt always filled by two diftindt claffes, the
eagles and the reptiles.

chap:

MODE OF TRAVELLING, ?9

CHAP. XXVII.

MODE OF TRAVELLING.

A t prefent on a long journey in France
it is rare to , meet' carriages of any
kind, except the diligences, which are a
difgrace to the country by their uncouth
form and dirty appearance. The veloci-
feres are of far more elegant conftrudtion,
but are only eftablifhed on a few routes, as
thofe of Strafburg and Bordeaux.
In thefe dirty diligences moft refpedta
ble paffengers, of both fexes, are conveyed,
upon the few occafions which the French
have to travel ; and for a fpace of two
hundred miles you perhaps meet with.no
other equipage on the road. The French
in general travel as it were in difguife ; and
a man of rank will appear in a fimple jacket

gg""** MODE OF TRAVELLING.
jacket and night-cap. They are alfo eco
nomical in the expence, and often carry
provifions with them.
By the regulations of the poft, which
remain much the fame as under the mo
narchy, if a traveller take an Englifh poft
chaife, or four wheel carriage of any kind,
Jhe muft have three horfes,- while in a car
riage with two wheels fie is only obliged
to .have two. The difference of expence be
ing thus about one-third, a four wheel car
riage is feldom ufed. What is' called a
chafe de pofte, though only mounted on
two wheels, is often very convenient and
eafy ; efpecially if it have long fide ftraps,
fixed obliquely from the back to the fhafts,
which, though unfightly,- moderate the
fhoeksi and render the journey very gen
tle and pleafasn^. There is ample room for
two iperfons, with a trunk and portmanteau
at their feet, four large pockets for fmall
packages, one on each fide and two before;
fide- windows with fiores, or fvlk blinds* in-
difpett-

MODE OF TRAVELLING. 399
difpenfable in warm weather : and, to guard
againft rain, thin folding boards in front
with little windows, e.ifily fixed or thrown
back. The chief inconvenience is in chang
ing horfes, when the fhaffs are obliged to
be raifed, there being no fupport before.
Such a carriage may be hired from Paris to
Bruffels for three or four guineas. From
Bruffels to Holland good carriages may he
procured at Simon's, the firft coachmaker
in France ; but at a dearer rate, as there is
lefs chance of their being returned in a mo
derate fpace of time. If your baggage require
a four wheel carriage, three horfes are ne
ceffary from Bruffels to Antwerp, but from
Antwerp to Holland four horfes, by the
cuftom of the country, and becaufe in paf
fing the heaths of Brabant the roads are a
deep fand. The rate of travelling is alfo
dearer in Holland ; and you are Angularly
incommoded by little park gates, aerofs the
highway, which fometimes occur at eve^y
half mile, and which, if you have not a
o fervant

40© MODE OF TRAVELLING.
fervant with you, the poftilion muft alight
and open. This ftriking, peculiarity, fo un
worthy of a rich commercial country, is
owing to economy, and the value of paf-
ture ; for as the high roads are moftly ele^
vated terraces, the cattle feed on the green
banks, and if not hindered by the gates
would pafs from one property to another.
The inconvenience might, however be re
medied by a flight railing along the road ;
but as fhe expence would be greater, this
remedy is feldom pradtifed by the parfimo-
nious inhabitants.
• Another inconvenience in Holland arifes
from the numerous ferries. There are one
or two rivers thus paffed before you reach
Moerdyke, which a is long and fometimes in
winter a dangerous paffage, of from two to
four hours acrofs the chief branch of the
Rhine, or as it is abfurdly called the Meufe,
which in fact only runs into the mouth of
the Rhine. From the fcale on the maps
one would conceive three other long paf-
fages3

MODE OF TRAVELLING. 40I
fages, between Dort and Rotterdam 5 while
in fadt there are only two ; the firft at Dort
being paffed in four or five minutes, and the
fecond in about ten minutes. At both the
fgrry-boats are very convenient, and it is
not even neceffary to ftep out of the car
riage. Even in the Dutch towns a carriage.
with four horfes is fo rare as to excite a
great deal of attention; for moft of the
Dutch travel by water, or in fmall carriages
with one or two horfes. Some of the
Dutch carriages are Of a form as ancient
as the feventeenth century.
The rate of polling in France is laid
down by authority in a book publifhed
yearly at the national prefs, called Etat
General des Poftes et Relais de LI Empire
Francais. By the regulations prefixed, en
acted in the feventh year of the republic,
it is forbidden to any poftilion to exact any
retribution beyond that fixed by the law ;
to infuk travellers, or to furnifh any fub
ject of complaint, under certain penalties ;
VOL. 11. D D each

402 MOOE OF TRAVELLING;
each poftmafter being obliged to keep a
book in which fuch complaints may be en
tered. The poft mafters are anfwerable for
any accidents, that may happen by the fault
of the poftilions, either by their not being of
the requifite age, or employing horfes riot
properly trained. A perfon travelling on
horfe-back is obliged to pay for two horfes,
in the idea perhaps that a guide was necef
fary, or a perfon to bring back the horfe
borrowed. Hence it is not unufual to be
overtaken by a traveller of this defcription,
who will inquire your route, and defire the
favour of being permitted to order your
horfes, becaufe in this eafe he is regarded as
a courier, and only charged for one horfe.
A poft is in generall about two leagues,
or fix miles, and travelled in one hour;
but it is fometimes feven miles, fome-
tirries only four. For each poft, and each
horfe, you pay thirty fous or fifteen pence;
and one livre or ten pence to the poftilion,
who expects befides a few fous if he drive well.

MODE OF .TRAVELLING. 403.
well. The fame proportion is obferved on
two pofts, and even on the. halves and
quarters ; fo" that upon the whole the ex-.
pence is about a fhilling a mile. The
poftilions in general are civil and obliging;
and the horfes fuperior to what they were
before the revolution. The timannier or
fhaft-horfe is however generally chofen for
ftrength, and has the appearance of a cart
horfe; while the other, mounted by the
poftilion, is a fmart bidet. Geldings are
uncommon ; but the animals have fo lit
tle fire that there is no danger. On fome
pofts there is a right of changing horfes, if
another traveller be met, which is alike ufe
lefs and inconvenient*. The barriers or
* This practice feems intended to fave the trouble
of returning the horfes to each poft, but the traveller
may forbid it -in one word /narche. To avoid delays ia
changing money, it is ufual to pay a furplus in advance,
and the next, poftilion afks, Combien de pa~ye f The
cheminferre refembles our roads, but the origin of the
name feems unknown ; the pave is not pleafant, but
if you fay, " Allezfur terre" the driver will take the
(ide road if pofiible.
if D d 2 turnpike

404 MODB OF, TRAVELLING.
turnpike gates are meanly conftructed, hut
the charge is often as high as in England.
Several of the pofts are folitary houfesj
without any accommodation ; but the itine
raries of M. Dutens. ftill fupply ufeful in
formation concerning the beft ftations for
dining or fleeping.

CHAP,

FLANDJJRS. 405

CHAP. XXVIII.

FLANDERS.

Tl ecollections of Paris in Flanders!
Yes ; Paris is the heart of the French
Empire, and its impreflions extend to the
extremities. The recollections of Paris are
vivid at Bruffels — and too ftrong even at
the Hague. May they go no further !
On the road to Flanders, one of the moft
fuperb in France, the firft remarkable place
is Senlis, a large town with fome handfome
inns. Thenext ftage is Pont-rSaint-Maxence,
where there is a beautiful bridge built by
the fame architect, who conftructed the ce
lebrated bridge of Neuilly. The ends of the
parapets, which diverge greatly, are fur-
mounted with obelifks ; and the piers are of
a fingular form7 that of four round maffy
p p 3 pillars,-

406 FLANDERS.
pillars., The whole has a Roman air of
magnificence, and is worthy of the repu
tation of the architect. :
Roye is a, picjurefque. little town, one
half of the ramparts' remaining, , and form
ing a pleafant promenade. Peronne is a
pretty latge town, with a ruined cathedral,
and* decent inn-s. The nest place of arty
confequence is .Cambray, which may. be re
garded as the entrance of Flanders. Some
remains of the ancient fortifications ftill
exift ; and your paffport is demanded for
the firft time. There is however an afpect
pf folitude, and many fyiriptoms of depart
ed commerce. The beft inn is very large
and has a cheerful garden. There is on the
town-hall a large clock, with the image of
a man who ftrikes the hours with a ham
mer; whence is faid < to be 'derived the
French; expreffion coup de marteau, applied
to a man of feeble intellects., as the Cam-.
brefians are m-alicioufly faid by their neigh
bours to labour under this defect. The only
fymptom

FLANDER8. 4°7
fymptom of this was in the high road be
tween Cambray and Bouchain, which was
in the moft deplorable fituation, having been
deftroyed by heavy artillery, and no at
tempts at reparation.
The road, turning to the right, does not
enter Bouchain, fo that Valenciennes forms
the next ftation, a town fufficiently known
even in recent hiftory. Many houfes ftill
remain in ruins, from the effects of the laft
fiege ; but the fortifications are far more
complete, and there is a greater air of life
and bufinefs, than at Cambray. Mons is a
neat city placed on an eminence;, but my
fituation prevented any due infpedtion of
the fortified towns.
From Mons to Bruffels the route is mag
nificent •': and on approaching the capital of
Auftrian Flanders, forms a grand avenue
with high poplars on either fide. Hall,
within two pofts of Bruffels, deferves notice
as the feat of a miraculous image ofthe Vir
gin ,which Juftu&Lipfius, one of the moft
DDf learned

4^3 FLANDERS.
learned men of his age, was fo weak as to ce
lebrate in a formal work. A French tranfla
tion of this, with fome additional miracles, is
ftill fold on the fpot. The church is a fmall
but neat Gothic building. At the entrance
are people who fell little images of the Vir
gin, chaplets, &c, and on entering there is
a kind of prieft, in a detached chamber,
who fells the account of the miracles, and
ferves as a guide. Except the ornaments
of maffy gold and filver, the other parts
and oblations remain in tolerable preferva
tion. There are feveral ancient pictures of
perfons who have received benefit, or fome
times reprefenting the events themfelves;
and the altars are adorned with various
images and marbles. This church having
feemingly efcaped in a great degree from
the ravages of the revolution, and confe
quent war, is not a little interefting as a
fpecimen of the ancient devotion of the
Flemings: but I found the poor prieft ex
tremely ignorant, and unable to explain in
a fa-

FLANDERS. 400
a fatisfadtory manner how fo many of the.
decorations have been preferved ; nor could
he fay from what quarries of Flanders the
marbles had been brought, nor give any
account of the pictures. Far from being
fatisfied with my guide, I wifhed to excite
"him to pay more attention, by the profpedt
of his own intereft with future travellers,
aod gave him half-a-crown for no informa
tion whatever. He was fo much aftonifhed
at this generofity, a fcalin or feven pence
being the ufual fee, that he was ready to
faint ; and infifted upon returning, and
opening every door and retefs ; but as he
was ftill a ftranger to the contents, his gra
titude could riot fupply the want of know
ledge. When the catholic fyftem was more
predominant, it was not unufual for the
ladies of Bruffels to walk bare footed to
Hall, in order to make or accomplifh a
vow ; but the road is truly beautiful.
Throughout Flanders the traveller is de
lighted w'ith the variety and luxuriance of
1 1 the

4»0 FLANDERS.
the agriculture; juftly efteemed among the
firft in the world. The rich fields of wheat
are intermingled with others of colza, a plant
with a yellow flower, cultivated for its oil ;
and of tall poppies of a lilac colour, reared
for the fame and other purpofes. Inclofures
however are little known; yet fome, parts
recal the idea of England : and the gentle
fwells form a ftriking contraft with Hol
land, which is one dead flat like a vaft
meadow. In fome of the villages it was the time
of the Kermeffe, or feftival on the anniver-
fary of the patron faint ; and enough of the
ancient drefs ftill remains to remind one
of the paintings of Teniers ; nor are the
countenances much improved, being gene
rally hard featured ; and Flemifh beauty
is feldom to be found except in the fuperior
ranks, nor are blondes more coriimon than
at Paris. A manner of begging is to re
peat a hymn; while the children of the
French cottagers will often throw a frefh
12 rofe

FLANDERS. m J\.n
rofe into your carriage, and run along till
you throw out fome reward. Even in fuch
trifles the difference of national character
may be perceived. The Flemifti malt li
quor, though much vaunted, appeared to
me thick and heavy, and even the noted
alembique of Bruffels far from being agree- ,
able to the palate. But the moft celebrated
malt liquor continues to be made at Lou
vain, where it is faid that the water has a
peculiar quality ; and that a Louvain brew
er, who wifhed to eftablifh himfelf at Bruf
fels, could not fucceed. On entering Flan
ders the horfes begin to affume a more no
ble appearance ; but the cattle did not ftrike
me as having any peculiarity. The modern
hiftory of many centuries throws a ftrong
intereft over a journey in Flanders, as every
town, and many a village, has been the
fcene of fome remarkable action. The
Flemifh language and manners begin to
yield flowly to the French ; but an honeft
Fleming is embarraffed when a Frenchman fpeaks

4*** FXANDER8.
fpeaks of the emperor, as the idea prefented
is always that of his former fovereign, the
emperor of Germany. The variety, and
want of exact gradations, in the coinage '
form a ferious evil, and it would be defira-
ble to reduce it to a proper ftandard omit
ting the billon. In Holland this evil is ftill
greater, as each province iffues its own
money. In the towns of Flanders the black
Spanifh mantle is ftill retained by many of
the women, and gives them a moft melan
choly appeairance, as if they were equipped
for a funeral, almoft the fole memorial that
this fine country was fubject to the Spanifh
crown. The people continue to be cele
brated for frank and honeft difpofitions ;
and un bon Flamand, a good Fleming, is a
eharadter -repeated with great em phafis by
the French . themfelves.

CHAP,

BRUSSELS. 4*t|

CHAP. XXIX,
BRUSSELS.
¦"HP His beautiful city being no longer re
garded as fortified, there was no rifk
in paffing fome days there. It may be faid to
unite the cleanlinefs of a Dutch town with
the magnificence of a French city; and the
pofition on a gradual afcent imparts a plea
fing variety to its profpedts.
The fortifications^ no longer of ariy ac
count in modern warfare, and in many
places gone to decay, have been fingularly
magnificent ; the height of the walls, ef
pecially towards the weft, being prodigious,
while the ditches are of great width and
depth. The ramparts now form an in
terefting walk, and are in tolerable order.
On entering them from the park, and pro
ceeding towards the weft, there firft appears
.aLr^e

4H BRUSSELS.
a large and high tower, imprudently ufed
as a magazine for gunpowder ; for, in cafe
of explofion, the noble fquare around the
park, the former palace, the public library,
the botanic garden, and many elegant pub
lic buildings, would be precifely the parts
which. would fuffer the moft. Were this
magazine transferred to the north-weft fide
of the city, where there are many open
meadows, gardens, and bleaching-grounds
within the walls, it would not be fo objec
tionable, Continuing the fame direction, you ar
rive at the port de Halle, now the prifon
for criminals. Thence you turn towards
the north, and pafs a bridge over the little
river Senne, which, running through the
town to the north-eaft, falls into the Scheld.
This is followed by the higheft part of the
ramparts, where there are feveral windmills.,
A canal for inland navigation afterwards
appears ; and the fouth-eaft part of the
rampart towards the gate of Louvain, which is

BRUSSELS. 415
is the moft ruinous, as the part next the
park, decorated with three avenues of trees,
is the moft frequented and kept in the beft
order. The whole circuit of thefe fortifi
cations, which emphatically recall to mind
the celebrated wars of Flanders, may occupy
about two hours of moderate walking.
The park is towards the eaftern fide of
the city, and is an agreeable, though not
extenfive promenade, adorned with feveral
tolerable ftatues. In one part, where was
formerly a quarry, there is a little deep
vale, irregularly difpofed in the manner of
what is called the Englifh garden. The
reft is in the ufual tafte of ftrait alleys and
gravel walks. On each fide there are rows
of houfes, forming a very large and beau
tiful fquare. On the north-eaft, fronting
the grand avenues of the park, ftands the
palace of the council of Brabant, now the
prefecture, a building of noble and pleafing
architecture. The other buildings on that
fide are well difpofed; and the foot-path is
divided

4l6 BRUSSELS.
divided from the carriage- road by maffy
pofts of ftone," connected with heavy iron
chains in feftoons; and even this trifle
improves the effect. On the fame fide is
the hotel de .Prince de Galles, where tra
vellers will find excellent accommodations.
The hotel de Belle Vue in the neighbour
hood is equally celebrated.
On the weft of the park is an -open
fquare, formerly called the Place Royal,
with a handfome church formerly called
that of Coudenberg ; but the revolution
has introduced many new appellations, and
as the old ones begin to be reftored, a
plan publifhed, in 1803, has become fome
what antiquated, becaufe it had been too
much mbdernifed with Jacobinical cant,
for thefe people, begin with canting and
end with recanting. In the park itfelf is a
peat little Vauxhall, and theatre, which
were crowded during the three days of the
Kermeffe which happened while I was
there. The firft night of this annual fef-
tivity

BRUSSELS. 417
tivtty was fpent by the common people in
drinking and noife, the bell of retreat, ufu
ally founded at eleven o'clock being omit
ted during the three nights of the Kermeffe ;
and the 'fireets refound with bacchanalian
fongs, but there is feldom any riot or acci
dent. The people, who arrive from the
country in "the old Flerriifh drefs, formed as
it were a mafquerade, and recalled the idea
ef the carnival. A great number heard
mafs at the church cf St. Gudule, a riecef-
fary ceremony of the Kermeffe, a. word
not eafily explained, but the laft fyllable in
dicates that it is the fair attending the an-
niverfary mafs of the patron faint ; for fairs
originate from "thefe occafions, and the
Latin ymVz or fair implies fimply the feftival
of a faint. There are veltiges of this pracr
;ice in the north of England, where the
peaiants affemble. to celebrate a holiday, on
the anniverfary of thefaint to whom their
church is dedicated.
VOL. II. ***"* B la

41 3 BRUSSELS'.
. Ip the proximity of the park is the for
mer palace, and Place de la Cour, where
are now the public library and botanic
garden. The outfide of the palace, for
merly called La Cour, or the Court, h^s
few pretentions to architecture, and is in*
deed fcarcely vifible, being hid by the fur
rounding houfes. There are however fome
noble apartments, now chiefly remarkable
by the eleganee of the floors, inlaid with
Wood of different colours, a decoration
which feems peculiar tp Flanders. The li
brary is ample, and well regulated for the
public benefit. The flair was formerly
very noble, the baluftrade prefenting large
alto relievos in bronze. At the palace I
was told that they had been removed and
melted by the French ; but in? the city, tha^
they were among the valuable effects fent
away by the archduchefs, before fhe retired;
to Vienna on the approach of the French
army. The

¦BRUSSELS'. Sfjf§
The botanic garden is bi Utile account,
Ihe moft interefting part of it running sit
the bottom of a high Wall, part of the for
tifications ofthe original tOWh; The cabi
net of natural hiftory is neglected, dilapii.
datedi and in great diforddr ; nor do t
remember any thing remarkable except the
trunk of an oak tree, brought from the
vicinity of Liege, perfectly ftrait and'ninety'-
etght feet iri length. The moft interefting
6bps6t in the palace is a large collection of
jpamtiings, fitting eight or ten1 rooms, and
whicli. being gathered from many ruined
mbriafteries and cables, prefent, amidft much
rubbhn, fome carious remains ofthe ancient
Flemifh fchool. This foundation is called
the Mufee, and is open every Wednefday
and Saturday from nine o'clock till noon,
and from two till* free,- except in the four
winter months ; but ftrangers may fee it at!
afty time, and a fmall gratification is thank
fully received. Moft of the fubjedts are
devotional ; and a large picture by Rubens
e £ 2 is

4*0 BRUSSELS.
is remarkable, as well by hisufual riierit, as
by the difgufting nature of -the"' fubjedt,
reprefenting a faint .{St. Livin,) whofe
tongue is torn out ; and the truth of the pic
ture is horrible. The feventh room, called
"that of antiques,; prefents fome, curious
fpecimens of the mode of painting, "before
the ufe of oil had been rendered'conimoa
by Van Eyck, for it was known to the Ro
mans, and always pradtifed in the Byzantine
•empire and fome parts of Italy.* There is
in this room a pidlure of the Virgin and
child, with four other faints, pretended to
be by Raphael ; and may be by one of his
fcholars, but bears no mark of his immor
tal hand. , There is alfo a Trinity by Zuc-
chero, fufficiently fingular, as the Holy
Ghoft is perfonified.
The arrangement is not the beft; and
the moft ancient pieces, by unknown artifts,
are mingled with the others. Such are St.
Jerome in the defart ; Our Saviour in the
garden of olives, with another compartment with

BRUSSELS. 421
with St. Peter cutting off the ear of Mal-
chus ; a holy fupper ; a dead Chrift ; our
Lord waffling the feet of St. Peter ; thef
confecration of St. Jerome; a virgin with
angels ; St. George and the dragon. One
ofthe moft ancient is the adoration of the
fhepherds; and to this divifion likewife
belohg a flagellation, and transfiguration,1
the kifs of Judas, and the refurredtion ; the
Virgin and child, with folding doors, repre-:
fenting two female faints ; the adoration of
the magi, with folding doors, reprefenting
the adoration of the fhepherds and the cir
cumcifion, by Roger of Bruges. In general
the oldeft pieces fold in this manner, or are
in two or more compartments ; fuch as one
reprefenting Jefus among the doctors, and
the marriage of Cana. There are alfo
fome very ancient paintings Of which the
fubjedts are unknown, one of which is in
feven compartments before the ufe of oil.
There are alfo nine curious portraits of the
ancient dukes of Brabant, and fome old
E E 3 portraits

4%%. BRUSSELS.
portraits of abbots and abbeffes j nor among
the moft ancient paintings muft be fprgottie"a
one in two compartments reprefenting the
wprks pf mercy.
Thefe curious remains of early art well,
deferve more exact arrangement, and mi-
ijute defcriptions, with an inquiry concern-.
ing ljhe periods and the artifts. It is proba-
bje that few or none of them are mor<e
ancient than the fourteenth century; nor
could opulence, and the inland commerce
with Venice, have introduced the arts into
the Lpw Countries before that period.
Another fingular picture, by Rubens, re
prefents St. Francis protecting this globe
from the vengeance of Jefus Chrift. TJbfe
piece is ftridtly in the fentiments of the ig
norant and fanatic order of Franpifcanv
who blafphemouffy preferred thei**? fain$ to>
Jefus Chrift in every refpedt, of power*
quality, and attribute, as may be feer* inj
the famous book of Gonforipities, abridge-
in the Akorm dei, Gwcdtlim* Tkey« may
k be

BRUSSELS. 4*23
be faid, in fact, to have been a fedt of ariti-
chriftians, who wifhed to obllviate every
merit of the gtfeat author of the Chriftian'
religion, in order to place their lunatic
founder at the right hand of God, while the
Virgin and her fon were reprefented at his
feet ! As fuch pretenfions could not bear
the leaft ray of learning or knowledge, they
became the declared enemies of all litera
ture ; whence it is that their fed was ex
pofed to the fevereft fatire of the reftOrers
of learning. An adoration ofthe magi by
Rubens is more worthy of that great mafter;
nor muft his coronation of the Virgin be
forgotten. There is alfo ari elevation on
the crofs, and an adoration of the fhepherds,
by Vandyck, whofe portraits have' oblite
rated his other merits.
Of Philippe de Champagne, born at
Bruffels, in 1602, there are a prefentation
in the temple, and St. Genevieve; and
many pieces by.fCrayer. The Tarquin
and Lucretia, • by {Lievens, is, like one
e e 4 or.

4*^4 BRUSSELS.
or two others, an erroneous defignation,
as fhe is highly delighted and looks at him
with great tendernefs. Upon the whole,
though the collection confift almoft en
tirely of devotional fubjedts, yet it is re
fpedtable and interefting, on actount of its
tttility for a hiftory of the art.
Not far from the park, on the other fide)
is the cathedral church of St. Gudule, a
noble Gothic edifice, which had been made
a, ftable for horfes ; but workmen were bufy
repairing the pavement ; and the whole
had affumed an ajr of decency, the pulpit
being, as not unufual in the Low Countries,
a magnificent piece of old carving in wood.
The other objects in this beautiful and
interefting city, one of the moft delightful
refidences which can be beheld, fhall be
briefly mentioned, without pretenfions to
order or arrangement. The convent of the
Recollets has been converted into a very
neat and commodious market for butter.
The tomb of John I. duke of Brabant, in
terred

BRUSSELS), 425
terred in 1294, in the church of this con'
vent, had been long fince deftroyed in the
bombardment of 1695, by which the French
hoped to conftrain William III. ;of England
to "abandon the fiege of Namur. The
church of St. Gery is alfo demolifhed, and
fupplied by a fquare and fountain. Ano
ther church is converted into an exhibition
room. In general the devotion of the
Flemings, which, by their own cdnfeffion;
chiefly depended on the wealth and in^
fluence ofthe clergy, has difappeared*, and1
given place to a tafte for the theatre , and
Other focial amufements ; and a devotion'
which depends upon human eftablifhments
is only another name for hypocrify.
«:The guildhall at Bruffels, begun in 1401,
and finifhed in forty-one years, is regarded
as- the moft beautiful monument of Gothic
architecture in the Netherlands. The ftone
is very hard, and preferves the original
finifh. The fpire is beautiful, and three
hundred and .fixty-four feet in height, the
fummit

4-2*5 BRUSSELS'.
funwnit being adorned With a ftatue of St.
Michael, of gilt copper, erected in I445>
Whitfii though feventeen feet in height;
turns on a pivot to mark the courfe of the
wind. The architect feems to have ftudied
irregularity ;. neither the gate nor the tower
being in the middle ; and the turrets are
of unequal height. The good Flemings
believe that this ftatue was fpared by* the
French Jacobins, on account of their bro
ther,, who is reprefented^ as ufuali at the
feet of the faint.
The* little image at a fountain, called
Manneke-Piffe, is ludicroufly regarded as
thermofti ancient citizen of Bruffels and is
cloathed- on folemn occafions. The mili
tary; companies called Serments fometimes
contend in> fhooting with the crbfs^bow, at
a bird placed on a very high pole, or at
the top of a tower; .a frequent amufement
even in the villages of Flanders, where there
is commonly, in a neighbouring: meadow,
a: polet eredtfed for this purpofe.
The

BRUSSELS. 4S7
The inland navigation forms an intereft
ing ad vantage "of Bruffels; and- the quays
iu the lower part of the town prefent fome
femblance of commerce, but are far from
being agreeable promenades, as they are
neither fpacious nor clean. The draw
bridges, and the facility with which they
are managed, even by children, form ftrik
ing fpecimens of mechanical power ; nor
atethey dangerous, as in Holland, where
the fudden defcent of the balancing beams
may crufh the unwary or mufing paffenger.
The veffels are generally dirty, and; incon
venient for. f paffengers ; but the canal is
very confiderable, and forms a beautiful ob
ject along what is called; the Green Alley,
on the road to Mechlin and Antwerp, which
paffes for a confiderable fpace along the
capal. The Green Alley is the principal
promenade for carriages, and is even ufed
for horfe races, though of no great length ;
and, being in a low meadow, it is fcarcely
paffable, except in the fummer. The firft
14 attempt

4S&- BRUSSELS*
attempt to renderthe Serine navigable was
ha 14:36* when Philip, the Good, duke of
Burgundy, granted to ahe people of Bruf
fels a privilege to enlarge the courfe of their;
riarer. But the jealoufy pf the people of
Mechlin frafrrated the defign; and after
the difputes of ages the canal was only be-'
gun in 1550, and was obliged to be carried
in a different direction, not to violate the
independance of the mighty republic of
Mechlin. By means .of . this eafial- good'
fifh ..may be had. at Bruffels, brought from-
Antwerp and other ports near the fea. But
I never faw here, nor in Holland, an excel-
lefit flat filh called the rouget ± on account
o£ the red or violet colour of the flan,
which it retains even , when boiled, and
which is common at Calais. The rouget
of Paris is quite another fifh, refembling a
haddock, and having nothing red but the
narnae. The theatre was built in 17-00, in the
fquare de Ia Monnoye,. under the direction of

¦Brussels. -439
t>f "Bombardi, 'an Italian architect ; and
"good actors fometimes pafs from Paris.
In the quarter called the grand Sablori,
there is a noble fountain, built by fhe will
of a Britifh nobleman, the Earl of Ayles
bury, who had long refided iri that quarter*
The houfe ofthe duke of St. Alban's is ftlft
pointed out in the park.
The kind of bank for the benefit" of the
poor, called the Mount of Piety, was be
gun in 1619, in order to preferve the un
fortunate? from the claws of thofe infernal
harpies the pawnbrokers, who prey oh the
very bowels of mifery and diftrefs. At the
time of this foundation they were accuf
tomed to exact not lefs than thirty-two pet
cent, when a rich man might have had mo
ney for ten per cent or lefs. I believe I have
forgotten to mention that new regulations
have recently been iffued at Paris reftridting
the number of pawnbrokers, obliging them
to find fecurity, and moderating their enor
mous profits. The. greateft defect of hu-
1 r man

43° BRUSSELS.
man fociety is that poverty implies every
other difadvantage ; and the poor muft pay
double the price for articles of the worft
quality. The form of a government is of
far lefs confequence than its beneficial ad
miniftration ; and the faireft theory that
could be formed would be to turn the ba
lance entirely againft the rich, and fupply
the poor with every comfort at half the
price paid by the opulent. Inftead of
thirty-two per cent the Mount of Piety
lent money at fix and a quarter ; but, like
other human inftitutions, which feldom
improve, but eafily decline, the management
is not fo pure as might be expedted, and
oblique advantages are wrefted from the
unfortunate, in addition to the legal inte
reft. The ancient cavalcade of the bufgefles
called the Qmmeganck, on the Sunday be*
fore Pentecoft, is now difcontinued. Ano
ther relic of antiquity was the Droffar of
Brabant, a kind of. high fte ward, or chief
magiftrate

BRUSSELS. 431
^giftrate who had great influence m the
duchy. The ancient palace at Bruffels, enlarged
by Albert and Ifabella, was in the form of
a fquare inclofing an open court, with a
fuperb donjon or tower. A great part of
what is now called the royal fquare was \pr
clofed with the bailies of the court, a higlji
baluftrade furmounted with a cornice, on
whieh rofe thirty columns, ferving as pe-
deftals t° ftatutes in hronze, of emperors,
kings, and other fovereigns of the country.
This large aud beautiful edifice was reduced
tp afhes i in one night, between the third and
fourth of February 1731; and the ruins
were entirely removed in 1 774 and 1 775*
the epoch when the modern embellifhment?
of this city began.
One pf the beft living painters at Bruf
fels is M. de Landtheer ; anp\ M. Qmrne-r
ganck has fome celebrity a*t Antwerp. The.
tomb of Velvet Breughel, .fo, named, from
the foftnefs of his pencil, is in what is
called

432 BRUSSELS.
called the church of the chapel, in the high
ftreet near the quarter called the grand
'Sablon. The Maufoleum of the houfe
of Spi nola is in the fame church; the
tomb being of black marble, the other
parts variegated, with ftatues in white mar
ble, among which the figure of Tirhe has
been admired. The whole is the celebrated
work of Plunders,
* The public baths, are fituated near the
¦Senne, in the weftern patt of the city.
Though far from being fo commodious or
elegant as thofe at Paris, they are cleanly
and ufeful, and far fuperior in convenience
to any in the Englifh capital, where the
uncertainty and humidity of the climate
render them the moft defirable of all falu-
tary luxuries. Their conftrudtion and ufe
are on the French plan ; and the Flemings
frave happily not imbibed the idea of three
dips in cold water, or a vident fhock in the
fea, in order to reftore coolnefs and vigour
to their frames. They rationally remain an

Brussels. '433
an hour or more in the warm bath, in or
der to refrefh their blood and fortify their
nerves, by the contiguity and abforption of
the liquid. Bruce, the traveller in Abyffi-
nia, may deferve credit when he confirms
the account of Dolomieu concerning the
ufe of the warm bath, even in the hotteft
climates. " When hot, and almoft fainting
with weaknefs from continual perfpira-
tion, I have gone into a warm bath, and
been immediately reftored to ftrength, as
upon firft rifing in the morning. Some
perhaps will object, that this heat fhould
nave weakened and overpowered you ; but
the fadt is otherwife, and the reafon is, the
quantity of water, taken up by your abforb-
mg veffels, reftored to your blood that finer
fluid which was thrown off; and then the
uneafiriefs occafioned by that want ceafed,
for it was the want of that we called un-
eafinefs." The fame author has juftly ob
ferved that while fpirituous liquors filtrate
through the very veffels of the brain, black
vol. 11. f f pepper

434 BRUSSELS.
pepper r- and other fpices never heat- the
frame, though taken in greaj excefs. The
experience and practice of all ages demon-
ftrate/that the advantages to be procured
from the bath are derived from its continu
ance and the confequent abforption ; while
a plunge ora fhock may be regarded as the
laft abfurdity of empiricifnu
The environs of Bruffels, though rather
flat, are not unpleafant. The Maifon forte
at Vilvorde deferves to be feen ; and Trois
Fpptaines and Marli are remarkable for ex
cellent pike and other fifh. Boitsfort, a
village fituated about a league and a half
from .Bruffels, at the entrance of one of the
thickeft vparts of the foreft of Soigne, is a
charming place^ by the diverfity of waters,
woods, and ruftic houfes, forming delight
ful landfcapes. The road towards. Ixclles is-
alfo. diverfified by the pobls and woods of
La Cambre.
But the chief object in the neighbour
hood of Bruffels is the country houfe of
the

BRUSSELS. 43|
the former regents called Laeke or Lakeri,
built by Maria Chriftina archduchefs of
Auftria in 1 78 1, and afterwards gradually
embellifhed. It has fuffered greatly from
the revolution, and the elegant pagoda is
demoliftied, having been bought by a mer
chant of Bruffels on fpeculation, and after
wards removed to fell the ftones, which
fcarcely paid the expence. This chateau is
now refumed by the government ; and
though fhut up, on account of the repara
tions rapidly, making for the reception of
the French emperor, who had announced
his intention of refiding there for fome time,
yet I was admitted to fee it by a fpecial or
der of Count d'Arberg, chamberlain for the
Netherlands. The houfe, though fmall, is
of elegant architecture, with a grand por
tico and dome, and detached offices, in the
form of wings. The floors are inlaid with
large pieces of wood of different colours,
as not unufual in the Netherlands ; and the
ceilings are of elegant patterns in white
F F 2 ftuccp,

4$£ BRUSSELS.
ftueco. The' entrance, or grand hall, undef
the dome, is paved With marble of different
colours. On turning to the left, after paf
fing fome anti-chambers for guards and
officers, is the bed-chamber of the emperor,
the bed being placed in an alcove, fur-
mounted with an eagle of gold. A large
window opens to a flight, of fteps defcending
into the garden, an entrance facred to love
Or fecrecy. Adjoining is the bathing-room,
in the ufual French ftile ; the bath being a
long tub of metal, juft large enough to re
ceive the perfon fitting or reclining, with a
bell pull, and two cocks for hot and cold
water. From the dreffing-room you enter
a grand prefence chamber in the back front
of the houfe ; which is followed by a dixs-
ing-room, and a with-drawing room.
On the right hand of the entrance are
the apartments deftined for the emprefs, thp
bed-room and boudoir being very elegant,^
and. the whole painted and papered with the
fofteft and moft delicate colours, fuch as
ftraw,

BRUSSELS. 437
ftra*w, light lilac, &c. The fecond .floor
was deftined for ladies of the court, and
other neceffary inmates of the palace.
About fix hundred rnatraffes had been pre*
paredi and were depofited at the hotel
d' Angleterre. The gardens are not very fpacious ; but
there is a confiderable piece of water with
an ifland, to which you pafs by a fteep;
wooden bridge ; and a temple of Venus in
great decay. The rivulet and cafcade have
alfo been neglected, but might be reftored
at no great expence. An old fhepherd was
feeding his flock in the garden, which is
wholly in the Englifh ftyle.
In the neighbourhood is a charming
country houfe, built by a rich merchant of
Bruffels, who now refides at Paris ; and the
houfe, with fome others belonging to the
fame firm, are to be fold. This chateau is
a little gem of architecture and interior de
coration. The floors, in a large mofaic of
wood, were the moft elegant which I had
F F 3 yet

438 BRUSSELS*
yet feen; and the furniture feemed alike
accommodated to the apartments ; fome of
the chimnies are decorated with baffo re
lievos in white marble* There are befides
many ftatues by a living artift of Bruffels,
whofe name I forget, but who has great
merit. In a circular dining-room there are
four female ftatues of a gay defcription,
one of which, in a particular pofition, dif
play s the immodefty of the French tafte ;"
but if not approached in that direction fhe
is completely decent, and like the others,
has a gaiety and expreffion in her counte
nance, feldom found in the infipid fimilari-
ty of the Grecian models.
The land around Bruffels. is generally in
the hands of fmall proprietors, fo that great
eafe and comfort are diffufed ; and the Ne
therlands in general do not bear any marks
of oppreffion, but appear to be fomewhat
refpected with regard to the confeription,
and fome other topics of complaint in the'
French empire. Among other objects of
cultiva-

BRUSSELS. 439
cultivation that moft ufeful of roots, the-
potatoe, is not neglected ; and Bruffels is
remarkable for five or fix forts, While at
Paris, unaccountably, it is difficult to procure
above two forts, and thofe among the worft^
the fmall oblong red, and the large of the
fame colour. The white kidney, and other
forts efteemed in London, are totally un
known. At Bruffels the moft noted is the
violet, which keeps remarkably well during
the winter. The moift climate is however
very unfavourable to the fruits, which have
univerfally the flavour of the turnip ; and
one is furprifed to find the varieties of the
turnip which appear at a defert in Bruffels,
in the fhape of peaches, ftrawberries, ap'-
ples, and pears. But the focial qualities of
the inhabitants more than compenfate any
deficiency of their entertainments, which
are not conducted on the French model.
The four corners of the table are decorat
ed with four fmall decanters, each hold^
ing about three quarts Englifh meafure;
f f 4 "one

44^ BRUSSELS.
one full of white wine, another of red, and
two of various beers. It is not unufual to
begin withvpudding, a difh totally unknown
at Paris, and even wanting an appellative
in the language, for the boudin is a hog's
pudding; nor can the delicacy of the
cookery at the houfe of a citizen of Bruf
fels be much recommendedi A traveller
accuftomed to Parifian delicacies will be de
lighted to find a roafted fowl among the
rough and abundant Flemifh fare.
Refpedtability of character is often
happily united with love of the arts. Mr.
Plo v its, the acting partner in the long
eftablifhed banking houfe of Danoot & Co.
has a noble colledtion of paintings, contain
ing many valuable productions of the Ita
lian and French School, among which is a
capital Leonardo da Vinci.
, Flanders and Holland are reputed cheap
countries, but a traveller finds little dif
ference between them and Paris. At
Lange's, the hotel de prince de Galles, only
¦t a r.~

BRUSSELS.

44*1

fix francs a day were charged for moft
elegant apartments ; but the nourifhment
amounted to about a louis a day for two
perfons. The variety of wines begins gra
dually to diminifh, and the price to increafe;
circumftances however which become far
more vifible in Holland. The following
lift contains the wines and prices to be had
at the hotel de pi ipce de Galles. It is beau
tifully printed with a border, in the ancient
Flemifh tafte.

Prix des Vins.

Vint ordinaires.

Vofne

Medoe

- 2 liv.

Nuits - - 4 io

Givry

- 2 IO

Chambolle . 4 ig

Rilljr

- 3

St, George - <J

Vergenay -

- 3

Riche- Bourg - 6

Cumiere -

- 3

Mont-Rachet - 6
Chambertin - 7

Bourgogne.

Romance - "7

Meurfeault

- 3

Clos de "Yougeot -

Eeaune

- 4

Pom mare -

- 4

Bordeaux.

Vollenay -

- 4 10

Premiere qualite 6
Deuxieme

442

BRUSSELS.

Deuxieme qualite

5

Champagne mouf-

Claret

4

feux - - 6



Champagne non

Hermitage- -

5

moufleuK - 6

C6te-R6tie

S

Rofe mouffeux - 6

St. Peree, blanc

4

Rofe non mouffeux 6

Rhin, premiere

qualite -

6

Vins de liqueur.

Idem, deuxieme qua

Mufcat Frontignan 4 10

lite

4

Mufcat Lunel - 4 10

Mofelle -

4

Alicante - - 6
Paqaret -

Champagne.

Rota - - 6
Sillery rouge- -
6
Madere fee. - 9
Sillery blanc
6
But the tranfition to the Hague is very
violent, though the diftance may be paffed
in thirty-fix hours, the wines at the Hague
beingPontac - - 1 fl. 4 Bourgogne - 2fl.io
Chateau Margot 2fl. 10 Caap - - 58. 5
The Duch florin is worth about one
fhilling and nine- pence fterling, being twen
ty-pence of the country, fo that the price of
BRUSSELS. 443-
of Bordeaux and Burgundy, the latter of a
very middling quality, is about four fhillings
and four-pence fterling, while the Cap*
wine cofts about nine fhillings.

CHAP.

444 ANTWERP*

CHAP. XXX.

ANTWERP.

"TPhe archiepifcopal city of Mechlin pre
fents little remarkable, but ftill retains
a cleanly and venerable appearance. Here
the poftilion alighting foon after fetting off,
in order to arrange the traces, the firft fire
of four beautiful bay horfes which I
was obliged to take,' my baggage being
very heavy, fet them off at full fpeed,
and I was preparing to jump out, when a
journeyman baker rufhed from his fhop,
and with great courage, at the imminent
hazard of his life, , feized the head of the
foremoft horfe. I had borrowed an honeft
heavy Flemifh fervant, to ferve as my in
terpreter in Holland, and to look to the
baggage, which was valuable and contained the

ANTWERP. 445
the literary collection of three years; he
at the fame time kept the cafh, as he knew
the currency of the countries. I defired
him to reward the bold baker mofi liberally^
and expected that he would have given
him a louis d'or. Upon inquiry,- however
his liberality amounted to two fcalins, or
about fourteen-pence. " Was that liberal ?"
" Yes, Sir, very liberal ; and the great
crowd that affembled, faid that he was very
well paid, and that one fealin was fufficient ;
but you are an Englifhman and do not
know the value of money in this country."
" You rogue, do you value my life at two
fcalins?" The honeft Fleming burft into
laughter at this queftion ; but I never knew
till then the real and current value of the
life of an author.
We foon arrived at the large and vene
rable city of Antwerp, which ftill retains
ineffaceable marks of ancient fplendour,
and a population, as a Flemifh author ex
preffes it, of fifty thojjtfand fouls befides
Jews,

44*5 ANTWERP.
Jews. Many of the ftreets are noble, and
the houfes formerly belonging to the chief
merchants magnificent. The floor of the
cathedral has been injured in many parts,
and the monuments removed ; but it is
-otherwife entire and open for divine fervice.
The height of the tower has been com
puted at 466 feet of Brabant. ' The noble
paintings of Rubens have ueen removed to
Paris, but it was reported that fome were
about to be reftored. The Exchange is
rather fpacious and fingular, than beauti
ful; the gothic or rather barbaric pillars,
though every one be of a different form,
are diminutive in fize.
But the chief feature of Antwerp is that
noble river the Scheld, which ufed to con
vey, and will re-conduct great commerce to
her port. The reports which have pre-
vailed for ages, concerning the obftrudtion
of the navigation, have proved entirely fa
bulous ; and the French government has
publifhed a noble map of the Scheld in two
ffieets,

ANTWERP. 447
fheers, with all the foundings. There were
many fhips, chiefly American, and the
quays prefented an afpedt of bufinefs.
They have recently been greatly improved
by the removal of an entire ftreet, and
new docks are about to be opened. Nine
fhips of the line were upon the flocks,
from feventy-four to one hundred and ten
guns; and perhaps it would be prudent to
add ftrbng batteries for their protedtion.
The renewal of the commerce of this
city is a fubjedt not a'little interefting, in
many points of view ; and the fecretary of
the chamber of commerce at Antwerp has
had the goodnefs, fince my return, to tranf-
mit to me a fhort memoir on the fubjedt,
which fhall here be tranflated.
" The commerce of Antwerp, fince the.
Scheld was fhut up, as ftipulated in the
treaty of Munfter 1648, may be regarded
as having been annihilated. Reduced to
the objects of interior confumpt, and that
of fome neighbouring .towns, it became of
little

44^ ¦ ANTWERP.
little value, efpecially as the whole were
•furnifhed by the Dutch.
" Even the port of Oftend did not acr
quire any confiderable trade till the Amerir
can war, which rendered it a mart for all
the belligerent nations ; as we have feen
Hamburgh become a fimilar mart during
the war of the French revolution. The
Auftrian government faw the importance of
this advantage ; and, by the conceffion of a
free port, fixed at Oftend fome remains of
the trade which had been attracted by the
circumftances of the war. The port of
Antwerp gained nothing by this procedure;
but the merchants of this city had the
advantage of a direct demand for the ob
jects ,of confumption from the countries
which produced them ; an advantage which
was fometimes balanced by the inconve
nience of the delays, which were expe
rienced, in paffing the merchandife by
internal navigation from Oftend to Ant
werp. « The

.ANTWERP. 44£
" The fruitlefs attempts of the emperor
jofeph IL, in 1783, to open the Scheld are
univerfally known : but the commerce of
Antwerp did not begin to offer even hopes
of revival till Belgium was united to the
French republic
*' The number of fea fhips which arrived
during the eighth year of the French re
public (1800)^ was fixty-one, all from the
ports of Embden, Altona, and Hamburg.
" The number of fhips during the ninth
year was one hundred and forty-feven, all
from the fame ports, excepting a few from
America; " During the tenth year the number was
one hundred and forty nine ; but it already
began to be obferved that the commercial
connections were pufhed to a greater ex-
tentj becaufe there were fhips from tlie Bal
tic and the Mediterranean, and even a few
from the Weft Indfes.
" The moft important objects of im--
portation during thefe three years were
VOL. IU CO coffee,

45° ' ANTWERP.
coffee, fugar, cotton, and cotton cloths,
tanned hides, dying woods, tea, indigo, &c.
" During the eleventh year (1803) the
number of fhips entered at the port of
Antwerp arofe to one hundred and eighty-
one; and the arrivals from America and
the Weft Indies became much more confi
derable, as well as thofe from Spain, who
feemed to remember her former connedtions
with the Netherlands.
" In the twelfth year the number was
one hundred and fixty two, among which
were many American veffels.
" In the thirteenth year (1805) before
the 20th Meflidor (i8i:h July) there Were
not lefs than three hundred and fifty-four
fhips entered ; among which were two
from Canton, and one from Batavia. The
number of thofe under the Pruflian flag
has in general been the greateft, and is fol
lowed by the American.
" The colonial productions compofe the
moft confiderable cargoes of importation, as

ANTWERP. 4JI
as - well as cotton cloths paffing indiredtly
from England, but of which the greater
part arrives by way of Holland, and is not
comprehended in the cargoes of the fea
fhips.
j " The fame fpirit of jealoufy, which had
interdicted the navigation of the Scheld,
attempted to propagate reports that the in
ternal navigation from Flefiingen to Ant
werp was dangerous, difficult, and, accord
ing to fome, almoft impracticable. Ex
perience has proved the complete falfehood.
of thefe rumours.
" During the campaign of 1792 a beau
tiful French frigate, of more than twenty
pieces of cannon, arrived at Antwerp ; but,
on the evacuation of the country by the
French troops, it was burnt and funk before
the city.
" On the 7th July 1 794 there arrived,
without the fmalleft difficulty, a fleet of
more than fixty Britifh tranfports, who
g g 2 came

452 Antwerp.
came to take on board a part of the Englifh
troops and effects belonging to the army.
" The free and excellent navigation of
the river has finally been recognized by a
great number of commercial veffels, which
have fince entered, and by the grand chart
which the French government has ordered
to be executed, and publifhed, after the
foundings made by its command in the
years feven and eight. This map indicates
in French feet the various depths of th«
water during the loweft ebb, and obferved
at the time of the equinoxes.,
*c If tbe city of Antwerp before the dif
covery of America, and that of the paffage
to the Eaft Indies by the Cape of Good
Hope, offered to the merchants of Italy,
then in the fole poffeffion of the Indian
trade, a vaft mart, and advantageous mar*
ket for their commerce with nations in the
north of Europe, we do not believe that its
fituation has greatly changed ; above all at
prefent,

ANTWERP. 453
prefent, when the progrefs of civilization,
induftry, and commerce among thefe na
tions, has augmented their natural products
and the confumption of thofe of other
countries. " The difficulties experienced in the na
vigation of the northern feas, of which the
ports are embarraffed or clofed the greater
part ofthe year by ice, and do not permit de
partures except during a few months, may
ferve to attradl to the port of Antwerp a part
of the commerce ofthe north. Ships coming
from thefe ports may make more than one
voyage to Antwerp during the feafon ; which
Would be abfolutely impoffible, if they were
to carry their products to the ports ci Spain
Or the Mediterranean. The inhabitants of
the latter regions, and even of fome ports
in the fouth of France, may in like manner
depofit their productions with much econo
my of time and freight; and at the fame
time avoid, the dangers which the naviga
tion of the northem feas prefents to marU
G g 3 ners

454 ANTWERP.
ners who are not accuftomed to them, and
whofe veffels even are no ways adapted to
that navigation.
" The port "of Antwerp will likewife
offer in time a great outlet from the interior
of France, Swifferland, and a part of Ger
many, comprehending the new departments
on the Rhine.
" The emperor of the French has fince
feen the importance of facilitating thefe
communications, and has ordered a plan to
be made of a canal which fhall join the
Rhine with the Meufe, and the latter with
the Scheld. The funds for this purpofe
have been pofitively affigned during his
refidence at Bruffels in the eleventh year.
" The dry and wet docks which his
majefty has ordered to be conftructed, afld'
for which the funds have equally beefl
affigned upon the national domains, of
which the fales are fucceffively made, will
offer to navigators who fhall frequent the
port of Antwerp all the advantages and
con-

ANTWERP. 455
conveniences which they can defire, as well
for unloading their cargoes as for repairing
their fhips, Meffrs. Danet & Co. have al
ready eftahlifhed, on the northern extremi
ty of the city, a vaft dock-yard, whence
feveral veffels have been launched, as well
for the fervice ofthe empire, as on account
of mercantile houfes.
" There is therefore every reafon to hope
that the city of Antwerp will recover its
ancient fplendour, under a vigorous govern
ment, as fhe only loft it becaufe the reins
pf the Spanifh government had fallen into
the hands of a doating monarch, and mini
fters fometimes ignorant and fometimes cor
rupted." So far this concife and authentic memo
rial which does credit to the talents of its
author, M. Vernlmmen, to whom I muft
offer my acknowledgements for the com
munication, and the permiffion to publifh
it with the name of the author. I requefl
ed him to write an hiftory of the commerce
GG'4 of

45""? ANTWERP.
of Antwerp, which might have been intetv
mingled with curious anecdotes of the mid*
die ages ; but he informs me by letter that
there are only popular traditions of great
trade, yet it feems rather to have been a
fair than a conftant traffic. When the cor
porations were abolifhed their papers were
unhappily deftroyed, fo that few materials.
remain for fuch an hiftory.
There is no guide or particular defcrip*
tion of the city of Antwerp, but a mere
catalogue of the paintings formerly to be
feen, and which is now of little ufe. The
Place de Meir is one ofthe moft handfome;
and the Guildhall deferves a vifit. There
were fix companies called ferments, becaufe
an oath was taken ; but they were merely
military, and received their names from the
crofs-bow, bow, the iword, and the mufket.
Thefe ferments therefore do not feem to re
femble pur pity companies. In the old
magazine of the city there was the ftatue
of a giant twenty-feven feet in height, like pur

ANTWERP. 4«7
©ur giants at Guildhall, a relic of paganifm
frequent in the cities of Germany. The
houfe of Eafterlings, built by the Hanfe
towns in 1564, was very large; but the the
atre and concert rooms are of little moment.
The celebrated printing houfe of Plantin
ftill exifts under the fame name, but was
latterly chiefly employed in printing books
of devotfon. Some opulent and enlighten
ed merchants, and other inhabitants, have
recently inftituted a fociety, who have a
large houfe with elegant rooms, acquired
by fubfcription, for reading, converfation,
and other amufements. The printed regu
lations were prefented to me, and they may
ferve for a model in their kind. As fuch
focieties are extremely ufeful in the diffu-
fion of knowledge, and this exifts in a
newly conquered country, under circum
ftances which require particular prudence,
4
I dp not hefitate to prefent a tranflation.

R.EGULA-

458' ANTWERP.

REGULATIONS OF THE LITERARY CIRCLE OF
ANTWERP.
Preliminary Declaration.
Article 1. The members who compofe the "Literary
Circle declare that their amufement, the interefts of
commerce, and the advantages of frequent focial in
tercourfe, are the fole motives of their affociation.
2. Wifhing to give infallible proofs of a conftant
fubmiffion to the laws of the ftate, and of their re-
fpec*t for the government, they invite to their fociety
tlie perfons undernamed, or thofe who may fucceed
them in their dignities. 1. The prefect of the depart
ment. 2. The maritime prefect. 3. The mayor of
the city. 4. The commandant of the department.
5. The commandant of Antwerp. The commiffaries
are charged to communicate the prefent article to
thefe perfons. Conditions of the Jffociation.
3. The circle is compofed of effective members and
of honorary members.
The effective members are alone entitled to prefent
Grangers, and to vote' upon all affairs relative to the
fociety. The honorary members do not enjoy thefe privi
leges, and have no part in the affociation.
4. The term of the affociation is tbree years, which
will begin and end with the leafe of the houfe taken
by the fociety. 5. During

ANTWERP. #4-59
5. During this term the unanimous votes of the
effective members can alone diffolve the circle.
6. The term of the affociation will of itfelf dif
folve it.
7. The affociation may be continued for a new
term of three years. The propofition fhall be made
at thebeginning of the third year; and the members
may accede, by writing, during the firft three months
of that year. Thofe who have not fubfcribed during
that fpace, fhall be reputed to have left the fociety, and
cannot be re-admitted till a year after, and by a new
fcrutiny. 8. For the continuance of the fociety, one member,
over and above one quarter of the members, muft
confent to its continuation. The diffolution may be
afterwards pronounced by the remaining members, by
a plurality of votes, whatever be the motive which
fhall determine them to take that refolution.
9. If the Circle be diffolved, the moveables fhall be
be publicly fold for the benefit of the exifting effec
tive members; and thofe who have before been mem
bers can have no claim on the product of the fale.
10. The number of the members of the Circle is
proviforily fixed at one hundred and fifty effective mem
bers, and as many honorary members.
11. Every effective member muft pay forty-eight
francs for his entrance.
The annual contribution is of feventy-two francs,
payable by anticipation, and by halves from fix months
to fix months.
The

460 ANTWERP.
Tbe abfent, from whatever caufe, fhall pay tliei?
annual contribution equally with thofe who are pre
fent. It fhall be equally paid till the end of the affociar
tion, although force "fhould prevent the frequentation
of the Circle.
12. Every effect iye pr honorary member fhall fub-
fcribe an obligation, guaranteed by another effective
member refjding at Antwerp, for the total fum of hia
contribution for , three years, if he do npt prefer to
anticipate the whole payment.
The fubferibtd obligations fhall be depofited in the
hands of the treafurer, who fliall exchange them with
receipts at the end of the affociation.
13. No member can, under any pretext, or in any
cafe, be obliged to pay beyond the fum above ftipu-
lated. No propofition derogatory from this refolution can
he admitted nor ballptted,
14. In cafe of the death of an effective or honora
ry member, his heir6 fhall be obliged to continue the
payment of the annual contiibution, till the end of
the term of three years.
15. The officers in garrifon at Antwerp, and thofe
perfons who are domiciliated in this city, without an
eftablifhed houfe,. but living alone, or with their
friends, can alone have the advantage of being admit
ted honorary members pf the Circle ; and their ad-
miffion fhall be fubjeft to the fame formalities as that
of the effective members. They fhall pay a louis d'or fo?

.ANTWERP. 46I
for entrance, and thirty fix francs of annual contri
bution. 16. The military officers may, at the end of each
year, renounce their engagement, but in this cafe they
cannot be admitted anew, except by another fcrutiny ;
and thofe who do not at the faid term pay their annual
contribution fhall be efteemed to have abandoned the
affociation. 17. The Circle fhall fubfcribe for fuch a number oft
public papers, national and foreign, and fhall acquire
fuch number of books on the fciences, literature, and
commerce, and fhall procure fuch neceffary furniture
as its means fhall perm.it. The choice and acquifition
belong exclufively to the commiffaries.
18. The members may amufe themfelves with all
kinds of domeftic games, and take all forts of refrefh-
ments and eatables, which muft be furnifhed by the
undertaker, at the prices fettled between him and the
commiffaries. Thefe prices (hall be fixed up in one of
the halls of the Circle.
19. All perfons who frequent the Circle fhall en«
gage themfelves to obferve all its decifions, as well as
the prefent regulations, and to pay the fums fixed in
cafes of infraction, ftipulated as fimple indemnities in
the form of contract. Of the Admimflration.
20. The eftablifhment 13 managed by commiffaries
of adminiftration, compofed of four members and a
treafurer,

462 ANTWERP.
treafurer, to watch over its police and economy. There
fhall alfo be a fecretary.
21: Ihe commiffaries fliall be chofen by fcrutiny,
and' a decided plurality of votes of thofe effective mem
bers, who have been admitted more than three months
before : they fhall be named for a year, but the trea
furer for three years, and he fhall have a deliberative
vote with the commiffaries.
22. In cafe of a vacancy of one or more of thefe
offices, the Circle fhall choofe another to complete the
term of him who is replaced. Nor can the office be
abandoned before the Circle fhall have named a fuc
ceffor, or at leaft a month after he has given in his re
signation. 23. There fhall always, be an acting commiffary for
three months, and each commiffary fhall take his turn ;
he fhall, during that time, fign all papers, and fliall be
addreffed when there is any demand or prefentation to
make either to the Circle or to the commiffaries.
24. No letter nor demand can be laid before the
Circle without the confent of the commiffaries, and
the vifa or figned affent of the commiffary for three
months. The commiffaries may fupprefs any thing of
this kind which fhall not be fupported by tbe Signature
of twelve members, and which fhall not appear to them
proper to communicate.
25. The commiffaries, or a plurality of them, have
a right to make propofitions to the Circle, and to con-
6 voke

ANTWIRP. 463
voke the members in order to proceed by a ballot upon
thefe propofitions.
26. They are alfo bound to fubmit to fcrutiny every
propofition which fhall be made by a member, and
fupported by the fignature of twelve others, whofe
names fhall not be declared by the commiffaries.
27. Ten days before the ballot they fliall affix ra
the reading-room the propofitions above-mentioned.
This notice fhall be figned by the commiffary for the
three months, and by the fecretary.
28. The commiffary fhall not permit the ballot on
any propofal, except that at leaft one half of the mem
bers of the Circle fhall be prefent. It fhall be decreed
by a plurality of voices; and the notice placed in the
reading-room fhall ferve to fummon the members.
29. The commifTiry fhall choofe an undertaker, un
der fuch conditions as they fee proper, and may revoke
their choice. They (hall form with him fuch arrange
ments as may be judged ufeful for the direction and
welfare of the Circle, and fliall regulate the price of
eatables and articles for the games. This price fhall be
obligatory from the moment that it is affixed, as men
tioned in article 18,
30. All the fervants of the Circle, even thofe chofen
and hired by the undertaker, are fubordinate to the
commiffaries, treafurer, and fecretary, with regard to
the police of the adminiftration.
31. If the undertaker have any propofition to make,
it (hall be affixed with the formalities prefcribed in
article 27, to which fhall be added this fubfcription,

4^4 ANtWERP.
on the part of the undertaker: and this notice fhall ferre
as a fummons.
32'; The functions of she treafuter are, to keep the
money, to give receipts for fums paid; and to defray
the ordinary expences. At the end of each year the
commiffaries fhall receive his accounts, and fhall pre
fent them to the general meeting, which fhall defini
tively decide on them.
331 The treafurer fhall collect the annual contribu
tions by the intermediation of fuch perfon as he may
choofe. 34. At the clofe of eath term of payment of the
annual contribution; the lift of the members of the
Circle (hall be affixed in the reading-room; and the
names of thofe who have paid (hall be fcored. The
remaining names fliall ferve as a notice during tbree
months to thofe who delay. After this time thofe
who have not fulfilled their engagements fhall inftantly
cafe to be members of the Circle, without prejudice to
the judicial procedure which they may have incurred.,
35. The treafurer, having no falary, can only be
anfwerable for his own actions. His prefence is in-
difpenfable in every deliberation relative to pecuniary
affairs. Of the Secretary.
36. The commiffary fhall name the fecretary, and
fhall agree with him on his falary. The choice and
replacing him, if neceffary, fhall always be unanimous.
37. The fecretary is the immediate agent of the
Circle, and fuperintends its management. He who
14 fails

ANTWERP. 465
fails in refpect to fhe fecretary fhall be efteemed to
have failed in refpect to the Circle itfelf.
.38. The fecretary fhall watch, under the direction
of the commiffaries, that the prefent regulations be
obferved, as well by the perfons who frequent the Cir
cle, as by the fervants.
39. He fhall keep the books and public papers which
belong to the reading-room. On the arrival of the
public papers, he fhall put the mark of the Circle, and
place the former in a press of which he alone fliall keep
the key. He (hall look to the prefervation of the papers
and books, and perform the office of an exact and care
ful librarian.
40. If any member defire to fee an old paper he fhall
addrefs the fecretary, and reftore it to him.
41. When the fecretary (hall perceive that a paper
or papers are wanting, he (hall inform the commiffaries,
that they may replace thofe that are miflaid.
42. The commiffaries fhall make a yearly review of
all the public papers, to fee that they are complete, and
to fupply any defects, if thought neceffary.
43. The fecretary fhall be anfwerable for the papers
which fhall not be found, unlefs he can prove that the
fault does not reft with him, which (hall be decided by
the commiffaries. On his entrance into oflice, he fhall
promife neither to truft them nor the books, out of the
houfe occupied by the Circle.
44. He will caufe complete filence to be obferved in
the reading-room, that the readers may not be inter-
vol. n. hh rupted

46S ANTWERP.
rupted nor difturbed. The refractory (hall pay a pe
nalty of twelve francs.
45. He fhall watch affiduoufly that no perfon be in
troduced into the Circle without having a right ; and
(hall take proper meafures in cafe of any force or
• violence. 46. He fhall feverely exact the penalties fixed by
thefe regulations in cafes of infraction, as well as thofe
which fhall be ordained by fubfequent refolutions, and
is efpecially authorifed to that effect.
47. If any one refufe to pay the penalty which he
may have incurred, the fecretary is charged to require it
by-law ; and (hall act in the fame manner with regard
to thofe who have not paid their annual contribution
within the time prefcribed, in which cafe he may pro
ceed vviib the confent of the commiffaries.
4B. If a member, ora ftranger, during the time of
his prefentation, have any complaint againft the fecre
tary, he the"! inform the acting commiffary, who fhall
grant redrefs, ^nd, if neceffary, confult his colleagues
to take fuch meafures as the cafe may require.
Of Strangers.
49 An effective member may prefent ftrangers, but
the prefentation muft be fupported by four other effec
tive members.
50. The Circle confiders as ftrangers thofe who
have not refided in Antwerp above three months, and
who have no intention to remain.
51. A

ANTWERP. 467
51. A ftranger who, after his prefentation, (hall
take a houfe or apartment at Antwerp, or fliall mani
feft a defign of eftablifhing himfelf there, may never-
thelefs complete the term of his prefentation.
52. In order to prefent a ftranger, the actin? com
miffary fhall be informed, and the time (lull be ex
preffed, which cannot exceed a fortnight, and muft
confift of fucceffive days.
53. The commiffary fhall caufe to be infcribed by
the fecretary, upon a particular regifter, the names of
the prefenting member, and the four fupporters, and
(hall fign the prefentation.
54. After the expiry of his prefentation the ftranger
(hall withdraw.
55. If he continue to frequent the Circle, the fe
cretary fhall notify to him the preceding article, and
afterwards take the neceffary meafures, if the notifica
tion prove Ineffectual.
56. The ftranger who has not yielded to the requeft
of the fecretary, can never be prefented to the Circle,
nor become one of its members. 1
57. A ftranger, prefented for the term of a fort
night, if he wifh to continue, Canhot be prefented a-
new, except for & term of three months j in which
cafe he muft fubmit to the ballot, and the fame for
malities which regulate the admiffion of a member,
and the member who fhall prefent him fhall pay twelve
francs a month.
58. For this ballot the prefence of a commiffary
and one quarter of the members is fufficient, and the
h h 2 majority

4*58 ""ANTWERP.
majority fhall decide. It may be fixed for any Sun
day ; and thofe who are abfent do not pay a penalty.
59. Every ftranger who has been rejected on a
fcrutiny, cannot be prefented in any fhape, during the
fpace of one year, Ofthe Management.,
60. The Circle may be frequented every day, from
eight o'clock in the morning, till midnight, by the
clock in the halh After that hour, all the eatables,
drinks, re frefh ments, and expences of the games
played, fhall be doubled ; and there fhall be paid over
and above one franc each hour to the porter, and one
franc to the waiters. If the hour be commenced, it
(hall be efteemed complete.
61. Accefs tp all the chambers in the houfe, rented
by the Circle, fhall be abfolutely free to all the mem.-
bers ; nor can any perfon or perfons, upon what
ever pretext, affume an exclufive ufe ; with the ex
ception of the apartments occupied by the undertaker
and his family, and of thofe which the fociety may
let. 62. It fhall not be permitted to carry from the read
ing room, into the other chambers, public papers, or
books belonging to the Circle. The penalty is three
francs for each offence.
63. He who fhall tear or burn a newfpaper fhall pay
fix francs.
64. He who fhall carry away a newfpaper or a book
(hall pay twelve francs. He fliall, moreover, pay
the value of the whole work, if he fhall lofe or fpoil "
one

ANTWERP. 469
one volume, either according to the price paid or a fair
valuation. 65. Silence muft always be obferved in the reading-

room.

66. The quarrelfome fhall be called to order by the
fecretary, or the commiffaries, or, in their abfence, by
the members prefent; who, according to circum
ftances, may refer the quarrel to the Circle, in order
to decide by fcrutiny, if the denounced member fhall
be excluded.
67. If a member can forget himfelf fo far as to af
front or ftrike another, the denunciation oecomes ab
folute. As the fociety would by no means defire fuch
members, he is abfolutely excluded by fhe act itfelf.
68. No member nor ftranger prefent can introduce
perfons eftablifhed at Antwerp. In fuch a cafe fuch
perfons fhall be required to withdraw, and the offen
der fliall pay a forfeit of one hundred francs.
69. Children are not admitted.
70. Dogs cannot be brought to the houfe ; the pe
nalty is twenty-four francs..
7r. Smoking fhall not be allowed, except in the
room deftined for that purpofe.
72. If a re/laurant be eftablifhed, it fhall not be
permitted to take eatables, or drink beer or wine in the
reading-room, billiard-room, or gaming-roora, but
only in thofe deftined for that ufe. The penalty
is twelve francs.
hh 3 73. The

4JO ' ANTWERP.
73. The undertaker may refufe to fupply thofe who
^do not pay ready money, and he is forbidden to give
credit beyond one month.
74. The member who may have any complaint
againft the undertaker or his waiters, fliall addrefs the
acting commiffary, or the fecretary, who fhall be
obliged to give redrefs.
75. If upon this point there be any difference be
tween the commiffary or the fecretary and the com
plainant, .all the commiffaries (hall hear the complaint,
and decide the difficulty without appeal. Impertinent
waiters fhall be inftantly difcharged ; but the com
plainant cannot affume juftice in his own hands.
Ofthe Games.
76. The games of chance, fpecified and forbidden
by the laws, are abfolutely profcribed by the Circle.
He who is convicted' of having played at any of them
(hall forfeit one hundred francs for the firft offence,
and five hundred francs for the fecond. Upon a for
mal complaint he may even be excluded for ever, by
decifion of the fecretary. This prohibition of games
of chance is extended to all the apartments, in the
houfe of the Circle.
77. At the billiard table the game called guerre fhall
be preferred to all others ; apd may exclude any other
game after that which is begun fhall be finifhed.
78. Tbe game fhall be paid according to a rate
eftabliflied by the commiffaries ; whofe arrangements
(hall alfo be obferved, with regard to the prefervation
of the billiard table and other implements. 79. All

ANTWERP. 47I
79. All the games fhall be abandoned during the
time of a fcrutiny, under a penalty of twelve francs.
Of 'the Admiffton of New Members.
So, Any perfon domiciliated at Antwerp, or having
the intention of fixing his refidence there, may be
prefented to the Circle, and become an effective mem
ber. 8 1 . The prefentation muft be made to the acting
commiffary by an effective member, and fupported by
four other members, the whole in writing. He who
has not refided above fix months muft be recommended
by eight members.
82. The acting commiffary, if the prefentation be
regular, fhall affix in the reading-room the names of
the candidate, presenter, and fupporters, during ten
days before the ballot. The prefenter cannot with
draw the name of the candidate after the firft eight
days, but muft permit him to take the chance of a
fcrutiny. If the candidate be admitted, the prefenter
muft be refponfible for the regular payment of his
contributions, and (hall in confequence guarantee the
obligation exacted by article 12.
83. Votes by proxy cannot be admitted on a fcru-
iny, which fhall be valid if attended by one-third of
the members, and fliall always be preceded by calling
oyer the names twice. v
84. Every effective member prefent at a ballot is
obliged to vote either for or againft. If afteran admoni
tion from the commiffary, or the fecretary, he refufe
h h 4 to

47 2 ANTWERP.
to pronounce, he fhall pay fix francs. The members
who do not appear at a ballot (hall pay three francs,
except in the cafe of known illnefs, or abfence from
the city, announced by writing to the fecretary the
evening before.
85. The ballot for candidates is fixed for the firft
Sunday of every month.
86. The hour of ballot is fixed at noon, accord
ing to the hall clock j and if the number of effective
members, as required by article 83, be not complete
within half an hour thereafter, the ballot cannot take
place, but muft be poftponed till the Sunday fol
lowing. 87. A negative third of the votes. forms. an exclu-
fion. S8. A'candidate who is not admitted cannot again
be prefented within the year.
89. He who is admitted an effective member muft,
after paying forty-eight francs for his entrance, and
the whole annual contribution, as prefcribed by ar
ticle 11, fign the acceptation of thefe regulations,
which fhall be depofited in the archives.
90. To fecure the punctual obfervation of thefe re
gulations, the members of the Literary Circle autho
rize Meffrs. Demoor, fparifh, Thuret,  and
De Heyder, appointed commiffaries and treafurer, as
well as their fucceflbrs, to ratify them, in their name,
before a notary and witneffes, that they may have.
every effedt in law.
CHAS,

HOLLAND.

473

CHAP. XXXI.
HOLLAND.
HP he journey from Antwerp to Rotter
dam may be eafily accomplifhed in a
fummer day, but, to arrive with day-light,
fhould be begun at four o'clock in the
morning. During the firft poft from Ant
werp, the road is well paved, but foon after
reaches the deep fandy heaths of Brabant,
where there are many trads, and the pofti
lion choofes that which he efleems the beft
at the time : there are few parts which do
not greatly retard the traveller, and the pro
grefs is very flow through a wild level
heath, in which no objecT: occurs to diverfir
fy the fcene.
The boundaries between modern France
and the United Provinces are indlftinctly marked

474 HOLLAND.
marked by a fmall board nailed to a tree.
The place called Coin d' Argent is thejaft of
the. French pofts, being, it is fupp fed, the
Achterbroek of the Dutch nomenclature.
A fmall cuftom-houfe is afterwards paffed;
and when the traveller reaches Cruys-ftraet
he begins to feel that he has left the nomi
nal boundaries of the French, Empire. The
road has alfo begun to improve, and to pafs
through a country with fome marks of cul
tivation. After leaving Cruys-ftraet the traveller
enters on, the general and perpetual appear
ance of Holland, flat meadows, bounded hy
broad ditches full of water, inftead of fences
of wood or ftone; while the highways are
raifed terraces -without any parapets ; and
the diftant landfcape polled willow trees, a
windmill, or a fpire. At Moerdyk begins
the conftant* fumigation of tobacco, fo that
it is fcarcely pofiible to enter an inn. ' The
manners, dreffes, carriages, alfo affume quite
a different appearance ; and many of the
g coaches

HOLLAND. , 475
coaches and chaifes command great venera
tion from the antiquary, being genuine fpe
cimens which have efcaped the wreck of
ages. The paffage of the Moerdyk is not
the moft agreeable, efpecially if the wind
be contrary; but, with a favourable gale, it
may be performed in an hour. It may in
fadt be regarded as the chief branch in the
Delta of the Rhine, which has been joined
by the Meufe at two mouths, the moft
wefterly running by Worcum. But the
people, accuftomed to the ancient and more
"northern egrefs of the Rhine by Leyden,
continue with great impropriety to give the
name of the Maas or Meufe to the new
eftuaries of the Rhine. In ftritT: geogra-
phy this laft noble river fhould be regarded
as dividing into two branches, the northern
being called'the Leek, and the fouthern the
Waal ; which laft receives the Meufe on
the two fides of the ifle of Bommel; while
even at Rotterdam, and below the Brill, the
name of the Meufe has unjuftly triumphed over

47 S HOLLAND.
over that of the Rhine, fo that a large river
of a moft extenfive courfe, is ridiculoufly
fuppofed to be loft in.a comparatively fmall
and unimportant ftream.
The Scheld maintains its juft and feparate
honours, the fouthern or main eftuary af
fording a free entrance to Antwerp for fhips
of any burden; while the northern, or
what is called the eaftern branch, is only
navigable for very fmall veffels. Nor is the
navigation of the United Provinces fo much
favoured by nature as might be conceived,
moft of the mouths of the Rhine being
only navigable by fmall craft. The outlet
called the Crammer, on the fouth of Goree,
may be regarded as wholly innavigable;
and that which paffes by»Rotterdam and the
Brill, will not admit veffels beyond a certain
burden ; while the Haring Vliet, paffing
to Helvoet-fluys, is the only eftuary which
admits veffels of large fize : but the fouthern
Scheld alone is more than equivalent to all
the mouths of the Rhine, which, in fo flat
a coun-

HOLLAND. 477
a country, become fhallow in proportion to
their width. In like manner what is called
the Zuyder Zee or Southern Sea, (idly con-
trailed with which, in the ignorance of
Dutch mariners, is the Northern Sea, an
abfurd name for the German Ocean,) is,
like the Palus Meotis, a fhallow inconve
nient recefs, through which large fhips muft
be conveyed by means of camels, a kind
of large barges drawing little water, and
fupporting the veffel on either fide.
It may hence be perceived that the
United Provinces are as little indebted- to
the water as they are to the land ; and may
on all accounts be juftly venerated as a
furprifing monument of human induftry,
which has conquered the land from the fea
and the fea from the land. The only har
bours, through the whole extent of the
country, which deferve that name, are
Helvcret-fluys, Rotterdam, and chiefly Am-
fterdam ; though the navigation even to
this laft, which receives the larger fhips and
6 principal

478 HOLLAND.
principal commerce of the country, would
in any other cafe be regarded as incon
venient. From Moerdyk the traveller paffes to the
ifle of Dort, and proceeds by land to that
city, where he is ftruck with the celebrated
cleanlinefs of the ftreets and houfes in
Holland. Ferrying over in a few minutes
another fmall branch of the Rhine, he pro
ceeds through the ifle of Yffelmond ; and
after a ferry fomewhat wider, and occupy
ing about ten minutes, is condudted to
Rotterdam. In the maps the roads are far
from being accurately deferibed ; and the
Dutch maps and even charts are commonly
very defective. It is not therefore without
reafon that the French government has or
dered an entire new map of the United
Provinces, in which it is faid a confiderable
progrefs has been made.
Voltaire faid, on quitting Holland after a
refidence of fome time, Adieu canaux,
canards, canaille ! This emphatic defcrip- tion,

HOLLAND. 479
lion, however fatirical, retains fome degree
of juftice, as there are few countries in the
world in which a man of tafte or fcience
will not find more fociety, and more ob
jects of amufement and inftrudion. Du
ring the twelve days that I remained at
Rotterdam waiting for a favourable wind*,
I fhould have been devoured with ennui, if
a refpedable merchant, defcended from a
Scotifh family, had not invited me to pafs
the greater part of the time at his houfe,
where he has a good library, and a noble
.colledion of paintings. The inhabitants
are fo totally immerfed in commerce, that
even letters of recommendation excite very
fmall attention ; and their converfation
wholly regards trade or politics. Literary
or fcientific men can rarely be found except
at the univerfities, and even there in no
great perfedion, money and calvinifm
* The fpring and autumn are the moft favourable
times for paffing from Holland to England, during the
eafterly winds. forming

4$0 HOLLAND.
forming the fole meditations of a Dutch
man. Their confined language and popu
lation are invincible obftacles to their fuc
cefs in literature or the fciences ; and the
reverfes of their recent hiftory have ftill
further contributed to increafe their apathy
to fame or glory. In this inftance the pre
fence of a court was of real utility, as it
relieved the flatnefs of the fordid democra
cy. Though as free as frogs in a fog, a
man of talents would rather aflbciate with
an Italian flave, than with a Dutch mafter ;
and numerous proofs might here be found
that liberty and induftry may render a peo
ple opulent, without contributing to their
happinefs. On the Exchange a ftranger can fcarcely
refrain from laughter when he beholds the
formal black coats, and wigs moft exadly
arranged in twenty large buckles or elabo
rate curls ; many of the merchants rather
refembling the grave Scotifh clergy at a
general affembly. The church is regularly Lvifited

HOLLAND. ^f
vifited three times on a Sunday; a cere
mony which is underftood to be an aiaple
indulgence for all the fins of avarice,, and
over-reaching their neighbours, which may
-be committed • during the reft of the
week. A;folemn faft being held, to pray for the
continuance, of their freedom amid ft the
fall of fo many pther, ftates, the magiftrates
even vifited the fhips, and in feveral Ame
rican veffels took the meat from the pots,
to the aftoriifhment of the failors, wh® did
not conceive that they were bound to faft
for the fins of the republic. It was with
.great difficulty that their conful could vap-
peafe their clamour; and, as extreme's .al
ways meet, this _,puritanical rigour had
¦almoft , excited a riot .and fhocking profa
nation qf, the day. At the prefent period
reUgion will meet with far greater fuccefs
by ; exciting, love, than fear : and, attention,
to. trifles, marks, the dotage :oft, a ftate, . as
welt as of aa Individual.
vol, n. 1 1 But»

482 HOLLAND*
> ¦ (
But, at Rotterdam, eating is a more
prevalent amufement than fafting. In a
genuine Dutch company the dinner will
commence at two o'clock, and continue till
fix; the four hours being wholly and in-
tenfely occupied in maftication.- Not a
plate is prefented but muft be tailed ; and
fometimes the banquet is begun with ten or
twelve kinds of fifh, all which the guefts
muft devour and applaud. The perch of
the Rhine, or Maas, as here ftyled, are re
markably large, often exceeding a, foot in
length ; and Dutch herrings, fkinned and
cut obliquely, form a conftant difh.
There was however not a decent tavern,
till Mr. Crabb, an Englifhman, affumed the
diredion of that ftyled the Marechal de
Turenne, which has alfo occafioned the im
provement of one or two others. Three
or four years ago travellers were obliged to
dine at one o'clock, becaufe it was the land
lord's hour, and he could not allow the
trouble of dreffing feparate dinners. Even
now

Holland. 483
mow what is called the table d'hote, or landr
lord's table, though he rarely dine there
himfelf, is ferved at three o'clock ; and it is
not eafy to obtain a feparate dinner for one
or two perfons.
The bronze ftatue of Erafmus it not with*
out its merit,- and is perhaps the only pub
lic ftatue ereded by a city to a man of let
ters. The chief walk borders the Rhine,
being that called the Boompies, on account
of the young trees with which it was ori
ginally planted, but which are now fuffi
ciently old, and afford an exuberance of
fhade little ufeful in Holland. That thefe
trees increafe the humidity of the apart
ments in . the adjoining houfes is a well
known fad; and inftead of planting trees
along the canals, the Dutch fhould order
them all to be cut down, as contributing
greatly tp increafe the inconveniences of
their climate, by arreftingand concentrat
ing the vapours. Far from this they have
fought to imitate their native marfhes, even
1 1 a in

484, HOLLAND.
in their tropical fettlements of Batavia and
Surinam ; where the mortality is prodigi
ous, and arifes from the fimpleft and moft
ignorant of all overfights, as in a hot cli
mate a hill, and not a marfh, is the proper
fituation of a fettlement. Even in England,
it is to be believed that the multitude of
the trees contributes greatly to the humidi
ty of the climate ; arid that the health of
the inhabitants is often facrificed to fuppofed
decoration ; while the barrennefs of the
French landfcape may often contribute to
the dry falubrity of the air.
The cabinet of the philofophic fociety
prefents few objeds worth obfervation, and
the optical deceptions are only fit for the
amufement of children. It is truly fur
prifing, that, with fuch an extenfive com
merce, Holland fhould prefent fuch few ob
jeds of natural hiftory, efpecially that of
her own fettlements., A colledion of
paintings belonging to a Mr._Gevers was
mentioned ; but I was told that, befides be-
6 ing

HOLLAND. 4$$
ing diflicult of accefs, it is of little value.
That of Mr. George Craufurd is highly
feled and excellent. There is a beautiful
female, faid to be of the houfe of Auftria,
painted in the manner of Rembrandt with
furprifing effed ; an excellent fmall land-
fcape with cattle, by Paul Potter; a fine
piece by the younger Teniers, in his beft
manner, and in the moft complete prefer- '
vation ; with many other capital pidures
chiefly of the Flemifh and Dutch fchools.
The houfe itfelf is fuperb, and one of the
beft in the city, with a beautiful view over
the Rhine. The interior decorations are
worthy of the tafte and opulence of the
proprietor; and the ftate bed-rooms,' in the
beft French ftyle, might accommodate the
new emperor, if he were to vifit Holland.
The opulent merchants have fuffered not
a little by the conqueft of their country ;
and the Dutch in general would greatly
prefer the fceptre of Pruffia to that of their
prefent rapacious mafttrs, to -whom their
1 1 3 very

486 HOLLAND.
very charader and manners are fingularly
adverfe. Schimmelpenninck*, the Grand
Penfionary, does not belong to the ancient
noble family of that name, but was origi
nally an attorney. A paralytic ftroke had ¦
affeded his eyes, and he has fince been
feized with incurable blindnefs. Though
expofed to much enmity, and all the vio
lence of political opinions, he is allowed to
be a man of talents and amiable affability.
It was however impoffible for him to main
tain the conteft againft the ancient oli
garchy of the country. The government
of the United Provinces may in fad be
faid to be invefted in the French generals,
agents, and commiffaries ; whofe controul
over the commerce is however in fome
meafure obviated by prefents, intrigues, and
artifices. The Dutch commiffaries may
harafs a paffenger with idle queftions,
but conclude with faying, they can do no-
* Literally mu/ly-penny,
thing,

HOLLAND. 487
thing, and referring them to the French ;
who, by their politenefs and knowledge,
often form the ftrongeft contraft with the
boorifh ignorance and unmannerly inqui-
fitivenefs of the Batavian.
The prohibition of all intercourfe with
England had often been attempted, at leaft
in appearance, but had as% often been evaded.
Papers and paffports indeed bore that the
fhips were deftined for Embden, but the
French confuls and agents well knew that
England was intended, which the mari
ners jocularly called New Embden. The
total obftrudion of the intercourfe would
not indeed 'have been favourable to the
French themfelves, for many fpies pafs and
repafs ; and I learned from the beft autho
rity j with no fmall degree of furprife and
indignation, that the fureft intelligence was
derived from French emigrants in this coun
try, who had no other occupation but in
thus betraying their unfufpeding benefac
tors. How far it may be prudent to nourifh
1 J 4 thefe

488. S , - HOLLAND.
thefe ferpents in our bofom may be too
foon difcovered by fad experience; thofe
who had returned to Paris, far from- evin
cing any gratitude for the favours received,
often, fought to fhew their fidelity to the
new government by expreffions1 of the
bittereft enmity againft this country, and
by propofmg ¦Nplans for its fubjugarion. Oft
reproaching them for their incredible ingra
titude, they would anfwer, with great cool
nefs, " What your miniftry did for us, was
merely to ferve their own intereft ; and the
motives claim no gratitude whatever." A
Frenchman of whatever rank or ftation
will ever intenfely feel his own nationality,
and never can be the friend of this country;
which, in his own idea, he cannot be, with
out being a traitor. The affair of Quibe-
ron is not the only grievance ; and fcarcely
one can be found who does not complain,
forfooth, of the parfimony of the Britifh
government which furnifhes fuch fcanty
penfions to men of their fuperlative merit. The

HOLLAND. 48^
The reign of infatuation feems gradually
to pafs away ; but a complete return to
found fenfe, and the rational and experi
mental policy of all nations, will be clearly
marked by fending them all to -Canada;
where they may have ample grants, of lands,
find an honourable exigence in improving
a barren country, and exert their induftry
among their countrymen. Their perpetual
fpirit of intrigue and mifreprefentation,
which have already in fo many inftances
proved detrimental to the interefts of this
country, and which alone would render
their prefence extremely dangerous, may
there be diverted to other objeds, ufeful to
themfelves and to pofterity/ Thefe reflec
tions are wrefted from me by the indigna
tion I felt at the intelligence I received in
Holland, as well as by the condud of fome
whom I faw at Paris ; and fhall be clofed
with one obfervation, that thofe emigrants
who are the moft culpable are often thofe
who are the leaft fufpeded, as they cover their

49° H6LLAND.-
their plots with expreffions of the bitterefl
enmity to the new French government,
while they are courting its favour, and the
reftitution of their poffeffions, by the moft
nefarious means.
The Kermeffe or fair at Rotterdam is
faid to be the gayeft in Holland, and forms
a ftriking contraft with the folemnity ofthe
general Dutch charader. Every cart is
full of peafants, dreffed in their beft attire,
finging ruftic ditties ; and on meeting ano
ther company railleries are not fpared ; nor
are accidents unfrequent, from the narrow-
nefs of the terraced roads. . The canals,
alfo without parapets, lead to many acci
dents, chiefly among children ; and rewards
are given by the municipality to thofe who
withdraw the little fufferers from the water
or the mud. The ftreets are generally
tranquil ; but a perfon abroad after eleven
o'clock muft fing, or affed to fing, elfe he
is liable to be feized by the watch. In the
tea gardens, feveral games, which in France and

HOLLAND. 49I
and England are played in the open air, are
obliged to feek the fhelter of long covered
rooms. The fmoke of tobacco is univerfal;
and boys begin this difgufting habit at the
age of eight or ten : on going to an enter
tainment you will fometimes fee an affem
bly, in a feparate room, of a dozen little
fmokers, each about as tall as his pipe.
This habit often disfigures the mouth of
a Dutchman, and drys and embrowns his
face and frame. But the ladies, having no
filch drawback, are fometimes of exqui-
fite beauty, with all the lilies and rofes of
the Englifh fair; nor are their perfons
grofs, as might be conceived from the com
mon defcriptions. The French extreme
perfottal cleanlinefs and drefs begin to pre
vail at Rotterdam, the Hague, and Amfter-
dam ; while at Dort, and the other towns,
the ladies retain the old fafhions, and are
ftuck into a kind of barrell compofed of a
dozen ftiff petticoats. As the Dutch ima
gine that one tongue is fufficient for a wo
man,

492 HOLLAND*
man, no language^ except their own, is
known among the females ; and the French,
officers, not being able to parley, are forced
to abandon the fiege, the want of education
proving a fufficien*; barrier of chaftity. Nor
is love indeed a favourite deity, as his ar
rows muft be headed by Plutus; and a
folid Dutch girl chiefly regards money and
a good fettlement. The magiftrates, as
ufual in Caiviniftic countries, are fuch
friends of grace and predeftination, that
they are great enemies of nature and crea
tion. They pioufly imagine that the au
thor of this beautiful world, fo richly de
corated with all 'that can pleafe the fenfes,
predeftined it fpr the tranfitory fatisfadion
pf the wicked, while it is only a fnare and
fcene' of temptation for the good. In the
fpirit of CaLvinifm the clerical ariftocracy
bears great fway ; and the clergy being
obliged, by their charader, to maintain ap
pearances; of fandity, naturally wifh to
render their flocks as miferable as them
felves.

HOLLA ""D. 493
felves. But as in Scotland the exhibition
of frail girls on the repenting ftool, often
led to infanticide, fo in Holland too fevere
inftitutions fometimes occafion deplorable
effeds, which are not wholly counteraded
"by the , univerfal toleration. This preva
lence of the clergy muft alfo be claffed
among the obftrudions of the arts and
fciences, as the fhades and gradations of
""Calviniftic- principles are more regarded
than fuperiority of talents ; and the dunces
have fecured the perpetuity of their govern
ment, by eftablifhing tefts, which none
but themfelves and their genuine fucceflbrs
can receive.
It is a remarkable circumftance at Rot
terdam, and particularly in fome quarters of
the town, that the figns are in the Englifh
language, or in Dutch and Englifh ; fuffi
ciently indicating the great intercourfe be
tween the countries. The neatnefs of the
houfes is a trivial theme ; and on Saturday
the work of cleanfing proceeds with great1 noife

494 HOLLAND.
noife and vigour ; but the Dutch are faf
from being fo cleanly in their perfons as in
their houfes. In the chief quarters? as the
Boompies for example, the houfes are not
only well built and commodious, but ap
proach to the magnificent ; nor are their
prices much inferior to thofe in London*
In the fmaller houfes the fteepnefs of the
ftaircafes forms a fingular feature, as they
rather refemble ladders, a particularity per
haps owing to the economy of fpace.
On travelling in Holland it is not an un
ufual circumftance to fee the cows wrapt
up in coarfe cloths. Some .tfavellers have
ingenioufly imagined that this" precaution
is ufed to prevent their catching cold ; but
the fad is, that, in hot weather, the flies
become fo troublefome, in the marfhy mea
dows, that it becomes neceflary to guard the
cattle againft them, as they would, other-
wife exhauft their milk by running about
to efcape their enemy. As the meadows
are only furrounded with wet ditches, a
little

HOLLAND. 495
little drawbridge is let down for the cattle
to pais, and when it is raifed they can have
no egrefs. In many of the fields are feen
ftripes of turf; and in the purfuit after this
material the field fometimes becomes a lake.
After having afforded a fupply for twenty
or thirty years, it is drained by means of
windmills for the purpofe, which are ex
tremely common in Holland, where the ufe
ofthe fteam engine feems almoft unknown.
In 1804 ten thoufand acres of land had
been thus drained in the neighbourhood of
Nieuween. The herring fifhery, the original ftaple
of the country, has greatly declined. In
ftead of fifteen hundred buffes, the ufual
number, there were only two hundred' em
ployed in 1802.
The United Provinces are now confidered
as divided into eight departments, Zealand,
Holland, Utrecht, Dutch Brabant formerly
called the Generality^Lands, Guelderland,
Gveryffel,Friezland, Qroningen. The Grand
8 Penfionary

'49 b HOLLAND.
Penfionary may be regarded as a Viceroy
named by the French government ; and he
is aflifted by a councir of twelve. The
legiflative body confifts of thirty-five mem
bers, who affemble 'twice a year; and one
third of the members ought to be annually
replaced by popular eledion, but they are
in effed nominated by the Penfionary.
Though fome Dutch regiments be retained,
yet the military force may be regarded as
entirely French. The coinage remains
upon the ancient ftandard which is not a
little confufed. The rareft coin is the
fhip-guiider or florin, fo called becaufe it
prefents a fhip on the reverfe. The only
copper coin is the duit, of which eight go
to a ftiver or penny, the ufe of larger cop
per being fuperfeded by bullion as in Flan
ders. ' A more claflical coinage is wanted
in both countries.
A vifit to t'-.e Hague prefented but little
remarkable. fhe Grand Penfionary is
diftinguifhed by .his fcarlet liveries, and
half

HOLLAND. 497
half a dozen guards dreffed in white uni
form. The ladies tittered on his appearance,
and no marks of refped are paid. The
Hague prefents a defolate appearance when
compared with the times when it formed
the political focus of Europe. The public
garden, formerly that of the palace, is well
difpofed and kept in tolerable order. The
fenate houfe has been often deferibed.
Between Rotterdam and the Hague is
the town of Delft, famous for its manufact
ure of earthen ware. It is itfelf fo neat
and clean, that, if imitated in miniature, it
might adorn the plateau of a deffert. Here
I firft law, on the top of one of the gates,
what is efteemed a fingular feature of Hol
land, a couple of ftorks in their neft.
*The paffengers for England now embark
at . Maas-fluys, , a village about eighteen,
Britifh miles to the weft of Rotterdam, on
a little canal leading to the Maas. Schie
dam, famous for its manufadure of gin
from juniper-berries brought down the
vol. n. k k Rhine,

4-S^S HOLLAND.
Rhine, is fituated on this road ; and con
trary winds obliged fome of the paffengers
to land at the Brill, in order to enjoy a
-more quiet repofe, after having been toffed
for a night in the packet. But the genuine
Dutch beds prefented little comfort, re
sembling^ boxes with a fingle mattrafs ; and
the food and fervice in a Dutch tavern are
execrable. The cookery is befides fo bad,
that, of ten difhes prefented at table, not
one was eatable; and we dined on the fruit
which luckily had not been cooked. It is
difficult even to procure good Dutch cheefe,
and I never faw, except at Mons, the beft
kind, which is eyed, and approaches to the
Parmefan, or properly Lodefan. During
the naufea of the voyage, the moft agree
able aliments were found to be anchovies,
potatoes, and a glafs of Madeira. The
paffage to Harwich occupied five days ; but
I was prepared for this contrariety, having
been feventeen hours in paffing from Dover
to Calais. In the firft inftance the wind
E fuddenly

HOLLAND* , 499
fuddenly became adverfe, and afterwards
funk to a calm ; fo that, after in vain at
tempting to reach Boulogne, the captain
was obliged to anchor all night. In the
fecond, the wefterly winds never ceafed to
blow with fome violence ; and though the
Orion was a new and beautiful packet, and
the- -captain of acknowledged fkill, inftead
of gaining the mouth of the Thames, the
firft land perceived was Orfordnefs. The
fhip having three times touched the ground
at three o'clock in the morning, the chief
paffengers infifted on being landed at Har
wich ; and the delight with which I fprung
upon Englifh ground may eafily be con
ceived. - Delivered ftom the police of Paris,
from paffports, garrifons, commiffaries, and
confuls, I felt a flufh of fatisfadion which
doubled the fenfation of exiftence, and
hailed a country which retains fo large a
portion of pradieal liberty. Efio perpetual

THE END,

Strahan and Prefton,
Priotefs-Street, London.