follow the stream, I was lingering to take a last look at the altar, when I obeserved two or three priests most actively employed in hurrying off every glittering object, and in covering it with black trappings. At a side altar in the centre of the church similar preparations were making, and the alterations were scarcely effected, when the great gates of the church were thrown open, and a procession of people in mourning, marked with rain-drops, slowly walked up the aisle. In a few seconds there followed four well-dressed men, bearing, covered with dingy white serge trappings, a coffin, on which rested a milkwhite wreath of immortelles.

The coffin was deposited in the centre of the church, and those of the congregation not seated were gathering around it, when I heard a priest say, "Il y aura un autre !"* and the words were hardly out of his mouth when the "rap-a-tap-tap" of a couple of muffled drums was heard outside the great gates, which instantly rolled open to admit about twenty soldiers of the National Guard, followed by a crowd of persons of apparently every condition of life. As soon as all had entered, the corporal in command gave the word of command— Reposez-vous sur vos armes !" on which the butts of the muskets reverberated against the hard pavement. After waiting a few minutes, the word-" Portez vos armes !" was given, in compliment to the coffin which now entered the church.

66

On its lid were the scarlet epaulettes, the drawn sword and empty scabbard, the one crossed over the other, of its inmate, and the body, guarded by its comrades, proceeded towards the little altar, before which it halted.

While the rich man's requiem was resounding from the great altar, the soldier's funeral was going on at the little one. There were the same words, the same gestures, and the same holy ceremonies. Candles were burning round each of the two corpses, and while the service of the rich one was dignified and continuous, that of the soldier was interrupted not only by little words of command from the corporal, but, on the elevation of the host, by the sudden roll of the two muffled drums. It was striking to see the power and authority of the army existing within the walls of the church, and the stiff, motionless, upright attitude of the soldiers, who during the whole ceremony wore

+ Order arms.

*There will be another!

+ Shoulder arms.

their shakos, was strangely contrasted with the varied obeisances and white and black vestures of the bare-headed priest.

The military service was first concluded, and on the departure of the priest I was about also to move, when I observed that the ceremony was still not quite over.

The last operation of the holy father had been to sprinkle with a hair brush, the silver handle of which was about eighteen inches long, the coffin, epaulettes, sword, and scabbard of the dead soldier with holy water.

With the same brush the chief mourner slightly repeated the ceremony-crossed himself-and then handed it to his next comrade, who, after going through the same movements, handed it to the next in the procession, and so on. As there was no supply of water, the brush was of course nearly dry, and, as the ceremony appeared almost endless, I got quite tired of it, and was therefore just about to retire, when I observed among the procession, following some men in common blue linen frocks and trowsers, a few women, several of whom were in tears.

The men in the blouses paid very little attention to the coffin, and merely made over it two or three apparently heartless movements, as, however, the women approached, I observed that their feelings became stronger. The first woman, on receiving the brush from the last man, was barely able to wave it over the immortelles, scarlet epaulettes, drawn sword and empty scabbard lying on the lid of the coffin-the second, a young person of about twenty, exhibited a picture I shall not readily forget. On receiving the brush she burst into bitter tears-trembled-totteredcould not look at the coffin. I thought she would have dropped; at last, in a frenzy of grief, she stepped forward, waved the brush twice over the corpse-hurriedly delivered it to some one else, then, putting both her hands to her eyes and pressing them against her forehead, she reeled against me, and then, staggering onwards a few paces, she stood still, evidently bereft of her senses, and altogether overwhelmed. The third woman was also much grieved, but the remainder of the sex less or but little affected.

The same ceremony of pretending with a dry brush to sprinkle the coffin with holy water was afterwards performed over the body of the rich man by his relations and followers,

but for some reason or other, which I have not the slightest desire to know, very little-to tell the truth-no grief whatever was evinced; indeed, one little girl of about nine years old, after giving two or three dabs, looked around her with a sweet innocent face, and laughed.

When all was over, after I had made my exit from the church, and, with my umbrella over my head, had reached the magnificent flight of steps, by which I descended to the foot pavement, I happened to see the woman who had been so grievously affected at the soldier's funeral. Although it was raining unrelentingly, their tears, as for a few moments they stood together, repeatedly dropped upon the wet pavement. They then, careless of the inclemency of the weather, kissed each other several times-stooped, kissed, and cried over the heads of one or two little children who came up to them, and then, after another last kissing farewell of each other, they pattered through the rain on foot, in different directions, towards their respective homes.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE FETE OF THE
REPUBLIC.

BESIDES the perennial, or rather perpetual, gaiety which in all weathers and in all seasons characterises Paris, on my arrival there I observed in almost every direction workmen and artists employed in arrangements, more or less incomprehensible, which, I was informed, were in honour of, and in preparation for, the "grand fête of the Republic."

Some were erecting poles, others constructing scaffolding. Here I observed a crane lifting, as slowly as if it had been a locomotive engine, a sea-horse's fore-leg; beneath it several carts laden with moss, grass, and fir-trees. There, two or three men in blouses were as carefully hoisting to its destination (the summit of a pole) the pensive colossal head of a statesman. In another direction, a tall, cylindrical canvas screen, occasionally flapping in the wind, concealed an artist, from morning till night, working behind it. Now and then

there trotted by a cart laden with huge baskets full of rosyfaced apples, as big as pumpkins. Then were to be seen men and boys hurrying along with arms full of boughs, glass globes, wire, candles, bundles of flags. One fine-looking man, with a face exceedingly hot, was carrying a gold eagle, beneath which was inscribed "Honneur et Patrie."*

The rapidity with which-out of this chaos of confusionorder, symmetry, and the creation of an infinite variety of beautiful objects were effected, it would be almost impossible to describe. For instance, over the principal arch of the Pont de la Concorde I observed a gang of workmen in beards or mustachios, directed by one or two gentlemen with books in their hands, and surrounded by an incomprehensible conglomeration of gigantic human limbs, horses' legs, fishes' tails, wooden packing-cases of different sizes, with barrels and bags in piles of plaster, moving, and, with the assistance of cranes and pulleys, lifting these various masses.

On passing the spot the following day, I beheld a magnificent and stupendous group of figures-representing the Genius of Navigation, surrounded by Tritons and sea-horses -covered with workmen in blouses, swarming like bees, and crawling like mice, about the snow-white colossal figures they were now rapidly completing, and which appeared standing on a mass of artificial rocks, descending to the water's edge, over which was to be precipitated an artificial cascade, representing the most beautiful falls of natural water. The rocks (the wooden packing-cases I have seen) were not only beautifully painted and covered with moss, but, as if by the hand of nature, ornamented with real pine-trees, some of which appeared lying prostrate, as if blown down by one element, and about to be carried away by another. Again, at the end of the bridge there stood immediately before me that magnifi cent building called the National Assembly, the house of parliament of the Republic.

On the landing-place beneath the colonnade, and on the flight of long steps by which it is approached, were standing in dense masses, and in various attitudes, soldiers in bluish-grey coats, red epaulettes, scarlet trowsers, and glittering cap plates. Above their heads, hanging against the white wall

* Honour and the country.

and between twelve lofty Corinthian columns, were a variety of tri-coloured flags, of which the blue and scarlet were particularly vivid. In the middle was a large gold ornament, as if to assimilate with the gilt horizontal bars and tops of the iron railings which protect the bottom of the steps. On the right and left of the assembly was a long embryo colonnade, composed at first of nothing but at regular distances, and standing upright out of the ground-a series of logs of timber, which the next day appeared converted, by bricknogging, into columns, connected together by horizonal logs. In this state I left them; and, in the course of three or four hours repassing the spot, I found that, while I had been going over one public institution, the columns had almost all not only been covered with painted canvas admirably representing porphyry, with gilt capitals, but had been surmounted by shields and a beautiful set of vases, eight or ten feet high, overflowing with flowers.

Again, in passing in front of the Church de la Madeleine, before which the day previous I had observed some myste rious preparations, I found the whole of its front—excepting the superscription—

"LIBERTÉ, FRATERNITÉ, EGALITÉ”—

above the great entrance door-completely covered with festoons and curtains of gold, silver, and crimson tissue, the columns being connected together by garlands of coloured lamps.

Again, in approaching the Seine, I found on both sides of it, rejoicing in the air, and almost touching each other, a line of flags of various colours, all bright; while I was admiring them, the various vessels, barges, and bathing-houses moored in the river, to join in the universal joy, were rapidly decked out with similar pieces of bunting, of which the blue, white, and red were particularly and appropriately conspicuous.

Among all the beautiful preparations making to expend, as has been customary for many years, nearly 400,000 francs -voted partly by the National Assembly and partly by the city for a fête which latterly, on the 4th of May, has celebrated the anniversary of the Republic, there was one, however which I own very much astonished me. I had been