I must, though with sorrow, leave this poetical picture for the humble walks of prose, though not forgetting, that from the stained contents of the chiffonier's basket comes the smooth billet, qui me prie de faire l'honneur de venir passer la soirée, where wit sparkles and beauty enchants.

The receipts of this interesting personage amount to about twenty cents a day. Occasionally an article of real value is found, for which he rarely seeks the owner, preferring to pocket the entire proceeds, arising from its sale, to the small fraction thereof offered as a reward. Some days ago, a student in medicine, discovering one of this calling sitting on the trottoirs with his face bound up, and evidently in pain, inquired the cause. He was answered very gruffly, that it was the tooth-ache, which occasioned this suspension of his labours. He told the man, that, if he would come to his apartments the next (Sunday) morning, he would extract it gratis. At the appointed hour a stranger was ushered in, clothed in a suit of black, a fresh-looking hat, gloves, and well polished boots, whom he did not once mistrust to be the crabbed chiffonier, whom he encountered the previous evening. It was, notwithstanding, the veritable man, who, when making an appointment that morning with another gentleman of his own class to visit the Louvre, and inspect the new paintings, placed there recently, observed, that he had a previous engagement with his dentist.

The stranger, especially if he has lived where mad dogs are in vogue, and the race is heavily taxed, is astonished at their frequency in this capital. Paris contains more puppies, reckoning all descriptions, than any other city, perhaps, in the world. Everybody has a dog of some kind. The fashionable lady rarely walks, or rides abroad, without her favourite to accompany her. The rich have a leveret, a small animal of the greyhound species, originating in Italy. The poor have such as they can get. I have seen several, that equalled in size the ponies of General Tom Pouce, the distinguished representative of American dignity at the foreign courts, who is reported to be kissed so much by this kissible and kissing nation, as to be compelled to protect his cheeks and lips with a mask of goldbeater's skin, graciously sent him by her

Majesty Queen Victoria. This mark of her anxious interest in the health of this renowned warrior is the more valuable, since, according to rumour, it has been shown at the expense of incurring the jealousy of the hero of Waterloo. I trust, that no one will imagine by the accidental mention of this distinguished Yankee, in connection with puppydom, that I dream of classifying him with these pets. Certainly not. Private opinions must yield to circumstances. That which, at home, I might incline to censure, is here, with ardent nationality, upheld and praised. In Paris, every American pronounces General Jackson a hero, greater in every respect than Napoleon, or any other person who ever lived. If they say any thing regarding cotton bags, we immediately retort, that he differs but little from the French themselves-that if he used breast-works, French women do the same-the difference being, that he fought behind them, whereas they surrender-" at discretion." No; Tyler is a man of probity and consistency; Bobby, the greatest living poet, not excepting Prince Albert himself; and Polk a Cincinnatus, called from the plough-tail, to tell a tale to old Europe, now in her second childhood, which makes all its members tremble. We insist, and satisfactorily prove, too, that the republic is our mother country; for within three months, she has brought into the world two states at a birth, and is already far gone with two more.

Bat revenons à nos moutons-the phrase is good, since dogs are frequently served up for muttons. These dogs are generally muffled, when large, and all are confined by a cord around the neck, which, as one is walking, is often also found around his legs. If a man wishes to insult another, or wreak his spite against him, he kicks his dog. If you desire to speak to a pretty woman, whom you do not know, stumble over the dog, attempt to soothe his barking, take off your hat, bow three times to the snarling, ugly brute, and the heart of the lady is won. Wind the cord adroitly around your legs-do it quickly, while she is gazing at the goods in the shop windowand you can be as long as you desire in "getting out of the scrape." If he quarrels with another dog, and is thrown down into the gutter, take him up carefullynever mind the white kids-and wipe him with your

cambric. This last was never known to fail. "Love me, love my dog," is of French origin. This is part of what is called the dog exercise, and is almost as curious an art, as that of the fan in Madrid. Poets may talk of the beauty of women, when "floating in the mazes of the giddy waltz," or at the domestic fireside, darning stockings, the dear creatures never appear so interesting, as when exhibiting the sublime virtues of "patience, lovingkindness, and tender mercy," while they stand awaiting the pleasure of this sweet animal busily occupied at the side of a house, or by a lamp-post.

The end of the sheet admonishes me to conclude this doggerel description of some of the peculiarities of Parisians and their habits. In a future letter I may resume the thread of my narrative, unless you find the subjects are alreany worn thread-bare.

Hospital La Charite.

Gerdy.

XXVI.

Andral.

Rayer. Cruveilhier. Fouquier. Bouillard. Course of Medical Study in Paris and America compared. Importance of a special attention to a single Branch. Difficulties of American Physicians. The French and American Practitioner contrasted. American Students at Paris.

WHEN speaking of Velpeau in a former letter, I incidentally mentioned the hospital La Charité. This is one of the most important of these institutions, and at the same time one of the oldest. This its time-worn and dilapidated appearance fully attest. The same renovating hand, which is employed on many of the other public buildings, is also engaged in re-constructing and modifying this. There is little in its history worthy of mention, except that it was founded by Marie de Medicis, in 1613, for a community of Monks, who discharged the double duties of physicians and priests. It contains 530 beds, which are appropriated to all sorts of disease, the class of patients differing not much from those received at the Hotel-Dieu. Monsieur Gerdy assists Velpeau in the care of the surgical patients. Being wholly independent of his profession, he is not obliged to seek for practice, which perhaps he might not obtain, if he did; his bluff, sarcastic manners creating many enemies. His personal appearance is not more prepossessing. His continually contracted forehead, and heavy, lowering eye-brows, add not to the beauty of a darkskinned, hard-featured countenance. As a writer, he occupies a fair position, possessing the merit of good arrangement and perspicuity. His judgment, one would be apt to consider faulty, had he witnessed some operations lately performed by him, which many present considered not only useless, but as hurrying his patients out of the world. The physicians are Andral, Rayer, Cru

L

veilhier, Fouquier, aud Bouillard. The first three are well known in the United States by their numerous works, which have been there translated.

Without exception, these same three gentlemen are much less followed in the wards, than the other two. Fouquier is the private physician of the King, and his class is much the largest. This is very much owing to his gentlemanly manners, in addition to his acuteness in detecting the nature of disease. His grey hairs, or rather white locks, have brought wisdom with them. Monsieur Bouillard, in personal appearance, resembles Benjamin Pierce, the distinguished mathematician of Cambridge University. When I saw him first, I was struck with the similitude, and followed him, from curiosity to ascertain, if their intellectual developments corresponded. Although pursuing a different branch of science, I found that Bouillard was not deficient in the good judgment, fine reasoning, and correct deduction, which distinguish so highly my old instructor in mathematics. His bedside remarks are exceedingly interesting and improving, and I strongly urge every student to follow him. His number of pupils, not being so large as many of the other general physicians, enables one to see the patient, and sometimes to examine the disease in person. Monsieur Rayer, author of a work on the diseases of the skin, with his lofty, bulky person, will clear his own way in the world. He needs no trumpeter. The stentorian voice, with which he interrogates his patients, and prescribes for their wants, will speak for him, and will leave a record of himself, ringing in the ears of the poor sick, which will perpetuate his memory to the end of their lives.

The method of studying medicine in Paris is very different from that pursued in America. In some respects it is better, and inferior in others. There is none or next to none, of what is called office study; and indeed very little study of books anywhere. Many students finish their entire course with scarcely ever having looked at a medical work. The cost is also far less, and the opportunity for deception in regard to the time employed, almost impossible. In the United States, a certificate of three years' study is not unfrequently obtained, by a noviciate, for a few dollars. No such certificates are here required. The Government regulates that matter