bliotheques et les mufees vous foient ouvertes. Je vous falue.

A Monfieur

L. BONAPARTE.

Anglois a Calais, Dept- du Pas de Calais. Notwithflanding this aufpicious in ftance of republican breeding, I was detained three weeks at Calais, without hearing from Citizen Fouche, to whom I addreffed two letters: but as Mr, an Englishman, was under the neceflity of taking a gens d'armes with him to Paris, owing to fome informality in his paffport, I defired the commiffary would grant me leave to accompany him. We were accordingly both configned to the care of the gens d'armes, who was charged to prefent us to the minifter of police.

The road from Calais to Paris is to

lerably good. We were much truck with the appearance of cultivation, and an abundant harvest on each fide of us all the way. I do not recollect a fingle uncultivated fpot. The people of Amiens amufed us with a ludicrous example of their wifh for peace. As we paffed through that populous town, a confiderable crowd was bufied in preparing a plot of ground in the middle of the city, for a column in honour of peace, and this only five or fix days after the victory of Ma. rengo had been announced.

At Chantilly we stopped an hour to view the ftables, which are entire, and the remains of the chateau, which has been fold to an individual for its value in raw materials, and is confe

quently configned to deftruction. The skeleton was ftanding when we were there. On the 29th of June I was left by my conductor at the office of Citizen Fouche, minister of police,

and in the courfe of a few hours obtained permillion to refide in Paris for two months, with the power to prolong my ftay from time to time. It was here that I was first taught

veras audire ac reddere voces, by the following notice, which I after

wards found in all the public offices, except that of the minifter for foreign affairs, Ice on s'honore du nom de citoyen."

Paris--In attempting to defcribe this capital of the civilized globe, I lament my inability to inftitute a contraft between its prefent and its paft fplendour. A traveller who had feen it before the revolution, might doubtJefs enrich his obfervations by many faw it then for the first time, and I curious and interefting comparifons. I believe I may fay that the effect of its first impreffion was heightened by the humble expectations which I had form ed of it, from the partial reprefentatons of my countrymen in former comparison to the refpective streets of times. They did well to confine the the two capitals and to fet again t the fplendour of Paris the uniform neatnefs and convenience of London. With regard to the public buildings, it is therefore no wonder if my hopes they usually maintain a discreet filence; and expectations, upon a firft view of Paris, were not very elevated.

folebam.

tulit urbes,

Verum hæc tantum alias inter caput exQuantum lenta folent inter viburna cupreffi.

Thuilleries-The palace of the Thuand is divided accordingly. Upon illeries is allotted by the three confuls,

the dome in the centre is infcribed in

large golden letters," Republique clock, divided according to the nume Françaife," above which there is a ration now in vogue, namely, into decimal inftead of duodecimal parts. The fecond conful, Cambaceres, refided, during my ftay at Paris, at a large

houfe in the Carouzel, until his allot ment in the Thuilleries was prepared for his reception. The apartments in

ge

general are in the fame ftate as, I understand, they were formerly; the gardens, on the contrary, confiderably improved. They are kept in the molt exact order, and are decorated with the choiceft fpecimens of ancient and modern fculpture, befides hundreds of the finest orange trees.

Every evening, whilft the weather permits, they are filled with the people of Paris. On the fifth of every decade, when the First Conful reviews his troops in the court before the palace, the windows and apartments are crowded at an early hour. At twelve, Bonaparte and his staff defcend the grand stair-cafe, and employ about half ao hour in the review, or, to fpeak more properly, the parade. I was frequently tempted by the gaiety and brilliancy of the fcene, to attend this folemnity in honour of the God of War: and upon these occafions I was always defirous of indulging in fome phyfiognomonical remarks upon the countenance of Bonaparte*. I know not whether I should have difcovered in it those characters of genius, which a contemplation of his hiftory had prepared me to expect; but I can fay with confidence, that, inftead of the ftern and fullen brow of a warrior, I could difcover nothing but good humour mixed with almoft infantine fim. plicity. Every habit of his life is, I am well affured, in unifon with this -appearance; and I could eafily fill my letter with anecdotes, with authentic anecdotes, that at once prove the fimplicity of his manners, and the elevation of his mind.

Sed cui non dictus Hylas puer, et Lato

nia virgo?

Public Buildings.Lucien Bonaparte, minister of the interior, has expended, and continues to expend, immenfe fums on the decoration of the capital. The Louvre is literally full of ftatues and paintings. A gallery, from 230 to 240 toifes (460 to 480 yards) in length, is covered with the

See p. 17.

choiceft fpecimens of the Flemish, French, and Dutch fchools. Besides which there are two other spacious rooms, the one filled with French, the other with Italian paintings. To give an idea of their excellence I need only mention the St Jerome of Domenichino, and the Madonna della Sedia of Rafaele. The Italian pictures were taken down in September, to make way for the annual exhibition of the works of living artifts. I do not pretend to much knowledge in the art, but I think I may fafely fay, that, with a few exceptions, they are defigned and executed in a style of mediocrity far below the exhibitions at Somerset House.

The Hall of Apollo, and fome other apartments adjoining it, on the groundfloor, in the Louvre, are fitted up with decorations that difplay the most elegant and correct taste, for the reception of the Apollo Belvedere, Laocoon, and others, which 1 faw; and the Venus de Medici, which I have fince heard is placed there along with the ref. In fome fmail courts adjoining the Louvre, I had the curiofity to obferve the different workmen. employed in polishing the various maffive columns of granite and porphyry. I copied fome, and read many Greek and Latin inferiptions upon the feattered fragments of it one and marble, which are now only like a disorderly. heap of rubbish.- -a rudis indigeftaque moles-referved for the fiat of the minilter of the interior.

Jouy, Versailles, and Trianon-I employed one day in vifiting the manufactory of Jouy, the palace of Verfailles, and the Petit Trianon. At Jouy I was furprised to find an immenfe building, the most complete in all its parts I ever faw, in which from 1500 to 1600 people are employed every day in printing cottons. Their trade, by the help of a long credit, is at prefent brifk and flourishing: but I was told by an Englishman who ac companied

companied me, and who himself has an extenfive manufactory in England, that they do not work fo methodically, nor fo expertly and well, as with us. Before I come to the chateau of Verfailles, I fhould fay a few words upon the manfactory of arms, which is eftablished in a large building formerly filled with the officers attached to the court. This establishment owes its birth to Benezech, who was minister of the interior four or five years ago. They have already brought the maqufacture to fuch perfection, that I have been told fome guns have been fold, for toca louis; and they have had a confiderable fale for their pif. tols to foreigners, efpecially Americans, although the lowest price is 30 louis a pair. I was thewn a late invention for rifling the barrels of their guns, which is extremely ingenious; I believe in that point their guns cannot be excelled..

The chateau of Versailles is, as to its exterior appearance, juft as it always was. Within, it is miferable and naked, having been ftripped of most part of its furniture and paintings; there are, however, fome curious and valuable paintings ftill left. The middle part is applied to the accommodation of from 1500 to 2000 invalids. The gardens and water, works are neglected, but not entirely abandoned; the hedges, for inftance, appeared to have been trimmed; but none of the jet's d'eau were in a flate fit for ufe. In the evening we des fcended to the Petic Trianon, the favourite hermitage of the unfortunate Antoinette. The houfe, ftripped of the glaffes and its principal decorations, is let along with the gardens for 250 louis a year, to an apbergifte; who makes his rent by balls, fetes, and il luminations, during the fummer. Two hundred and fifty louis for a house and a few acres of pleafure-ground, ten miles from the capital, is a pretty con, fiderable rent, aud yet but a trifle compared with Fracati, at the corner of

the Rue de la Loi, the rent of which, unfurnished, is 1250 louis. The houfe and gardens are opened to the public every evening from fix till one. They are handfomely illuminated, and a band of music is employed for the entertainment of the company; yet no money is required for admiffion!! All the profits arife from the fale of ices, fyrep de groffeille, and other refiefh

ments..

Tivoli. The gardens of Tivoli are opened once or twice each decade. The admifhon is two fhillings and fixpence, but the illuminations and fireworks are upon a most magnificent fcale.

I went one

Seve Manufactory. morning to fee this celebrated manufactory. A few days before I was there a fale of all the old articles had been announced, in order to make way for a collection of new patterns; in confequence of which they reduced the price one third. Instead of 250 or 260, the ufual complement, only 60 workmen were then employed. But this article fluctuates with the political tide, and the price of china at Paris is almoft as accurate a criterion as the Tiers Confolide, of the question of peace and war.

Price of provifions, and expence of living.-At Paris, few things are cheap except bread, meat, and the common neceffaries of life. Meat is five pence, and bread three halfpence, a French pound (about eighteen dunces. English). Wine too is cheap; house-rent is dear; manufactures of all kinds, ex, cept china and filk, are dear. I was charged by a friend to buy fome lace and cambric; but, independent of the illegality of fuch merchandife, it is fo dear, that I believe it might be bought almoft as cheap in London. A friend of mine at Paris fhewed me the cambric of his cravat, which he declared coft him eighteen livres (fifteen fhil lings) a yard. Fuel is very dear át Paris. I could not afcertain its abfolute price; but by comparing the coft

of

of a certain number of fires at Paris with that of the fame number in London, I found that this article is nearly one third dearer there than it is in London, except during extraordinary feafons like the prefent.

Cain. I was much furprised to find all traces of paper money to complete ly vanished, that it was impoffible, even as a matter of curiofity, to procure an affignat, They are now as rare as Fauft's bibles; and the original plate is placed in the public library amongit the antiques and curiofities. The currency confifts of Louis's, which bear a premium of a few fous (1'believe four); aid filver pieces of fix livres, and pieces of five francs, which they have continued to coin for the last three or four years; as well as pieces of thirty, and fifteen fous, and single and double fous.

Police-Upon this fubject, I fhall confine myself to fuch remarks as may be pfeful to any of my countrymen that may travel in France. The bufinefs of this department of the ftate is fo complicated, and of fuch extent, that no one need be furprised to find fome delay and confufion with regard to paffports. I would advife no man, particularly an Englishman, to crofs the water without his paffport. I left feveral people at Calais, who had waited for their papers five, and fome fix weeks. When the paffpart is once obtained, all is safe. If you pafs the frontiers, it will be examined at least a dozen times, as happened to me in travelling from Paris to Amfterdam, At Paris the inhabitants, as well as frangers, are obliged to carry their cards (a fort of paffport) with them; and if they are found after twelve o'clock at night without that agis, by any of the police officers, they will moft likely be obliged to pafs the night in the Bureau Centrale. This rigour, however, has its ule. The

Bonaparte,

The writer of this article has been favoured with the following defcription of this extraordinary man, by a friend whofe opportunities of feeing him were greater than his own. "His hair is of a dark brown colour, cut fhort, and without powder; forehead high, narrow, conformably to the fhade of his head, which is much compreffed at the fides; eye-brows thin, arched a little, and low; eyes large, of a dark grey colour, well formed, but dull and languid, which, toge ther with the yellow hue of his brown fkin, give an appearance of a perfon labouring under an hepatic affection; nofe large, regular, approaching to the Grecian; upper lip very fhort, turned up a little at its extremity; mouth large lips thin, pallid, distance very long from the upper lip to the apex of the chip, which projects a little, and is flightly dimpled, his countenance is rather expreffive of mildnefs and languor than of heroifm and animation; his ftature cannot much exceed five feet fix inches; he is thin, bụt mufcular, and well proportioned; however, his neck is fhort, and his chelt very narrow; he dreffes ufually in the Englth fafhion, commonly wearing all day pantaloons and boots."