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 magnificent 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 capplates. 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 mysterious 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 fete 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

delighted with the construction of the double row of magnificent colossal statues of great men who gradually before my eyes had burst into existence; had admired the preparations on the bridge leading to the National Assembly, as also those in front as well as on the right and left of that handsome building; had taken quite an interest in the preparations for a regatta or boat-race on the Seine, as well as for the fireworks in the various localities in which they were to appear, and which severally had been appropriately decked out for the occasion; but I could neither understand the propriety, nor altogether approve, of the preparations I witnessed for ornamenting what appeared to me to be already the most highly ornamented spot in creation, namely, the Place de la Concorde. For instance, I roughly counted in that strange magnificent place of many names (on which-be it remembered on the 21st of January, 1793, Louis XVI. was guillotined. and across which, on the 24th of February, 1848, Louis Philippe fled, never to return) no less than—

1. Two groups in marble, each representing a restive horse struggling with its keeper.

2. Two lions, each with his tail curled round his left leg.

3. Eighteen lofty gilt Corinthian columns, each surmounted by a gilt globe, illuminated by two gilt lamps.

4. Thirty-eight smaller Corinthian columns, partially gilt, each bearing one gilt lamp.

5. Eight allegorical figures, representing the eight chief provincial towns in France.

6. Two magnificent fountains, each composed of ten female figures of sea nymphs, &c., holding in their arms and -without metaphor-wet-nursing, with magnificent streams of cold water, sturdy dolphins; two gigantic male figures, and three children, all in bronze.

7. Thirteen beautiful colossal statues on lofty bases.

8. One magnificent central Egyptian red obelisk from Luxor, with gold inscription, surrounded by rails partially gilt.

Now, on the common, homely principle of "letting well alone," one might have expected it would have been deemed not only unnecessary, but almost impossible, to make the Place de la Concorde more beautiful than it was. It had been determined, however, to give to it the greatest of all charms

especially in Paris-namely, that of novelty; and accordingly notwithstanding repeated showers of rain I observed men and boys, with cartloads and armsful of boughs, employed in converting all the semi-naked figures of both fountains into beautiful bushes of evergreens, and their splendid basins into trellised baskets, which, first painted and while the colour was quite wet (indeed, it had not been brushed on two minutes), then partially gilt, were rapidly filled with artificial fruit and flowers, the whole being ornamented in all directions and inmost beautiful festoons with coloured and also with white semiopaque ground glass lamps, increasing in magnitude from the extremities to the centre of each of the curved lines by which they were suspended.

The fifty-six gilt columns I have enumerated, not only around the circumference, but diagonally across the centre of the place, were connected together by long and elegant wreaths of variegated lamps.

The numerous statues, and innumerable gilt glittering fluted columns were enlivened by a confused medley of brilliant tricoloured pennants, some forked and some pointed, the whole bounded on the left by the new, fresh peagreen foliage of the trees of the gardens of the Tuileries, and on the right by those of the Champs Elysées. The rough asphalte pavement was literally swarming alive with a dense mass of carriages, carts, horses, 'buses, and human beings in clothes and uniforms of all colours. Lastly, the sun of heaven was gilding and painting the whole scene in its gayest and gaudiest hues.

"Where," said I, to a man, nearly as old as myself, dressed in a blouse, and who was standing close to me, "where, if you please, are the principal fireworks to take place?"

Either he or I had that morning, in anticipation of the fête, been drinking a good deal of wine of rather a strong smell; and accordingly, when he grasped tightly hold of my arm, and pointed with the forefinger of his left hand towards the distant dome of the Invalides, we both vibrated a little.

"Tenez, mon garçon !"* said my instructor, kindly trying, notwithstanding our staggering, to point the spot-which apparently kept moving-out to me. "C'est * loin d'ici! Allez !"

* Why, my boy! its ***** -ly far from here! Arrah.

-ment