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"How many reasons, then, have English folks to be one day in love with the French character, and the next disgusted with it, even in the same persons, I had almost said, and nearly under the same circumstances? How many of our countrymen return home with unfavourable impressions of a people they cannot comprehend; or, carried away by their frivolity and gasconade, ape them while here, and exclaim highly against every thing that is plain, honest and unassuming at home, because it is not French. Is it woven in our nature to find fault somewhere? After leaving England in the foolish hope of finding France a paradise, and Frenchmen Milton's good angels, when we behold a fine country peopled with beings who have manners, customs, opinions and tastes peculiarly their own; Must we contemn them for this? Can we not come here without returning home dissatisfied with all we have heard, and almost with all we have seen? Yet I have met some who have railed as violently against all they left in England, as if Frenchmen who heard their exclamations of dislike, were such simpletons as to believe they had been beaten both by sea and by land, by a host of knaves and fools, whom these inflated travellers could not live among. But little do these silly people who pretend to despise the land they draw pensions and reats, and annuities from, consider that the French, to whom they thus address themselves, most potently believe us inferior to themselves in arts, in arms, and in politeness. In a word, they fawn on those English tourists and levellers, for an hour, to laugh at them for an age. These roving economists cannot be persuaded they might vegetate as cheaply at home as abroad. But why? Their pride is too great to stoop at home to the niggardly modes of marketing and living which they resort to, where necessity compells the poor around them to the same. But why cannot they live as cheap at home as in France? In England they would buy even their potatoes on credit to be paid at Christmas; in France, on the other hand, they must go with ready money for all they want to eat or to drink or to wear. This then is the great secret of economy among all whose fortune is not enough for their luxury in England." The following day our travellers visited the Royal Library. "Pray Edward," said Dr. Walker, "look at that good man and his wife, they appear to be engaged in earnest conversation.”

Our travellers drew near to them, and soon discovered that they were travelling to Switzerland for cheapness.

Dr. Walker." Now do you not suppose, Edward, that a corner could be found in Wales where cheapness would enable that worthy English couple to exist with comfort, without crossing the Alps?"

The attention of the travellers in question, whom we may designate idle and inquisitive travellers, was at length excited and engrossed by the curiosities contained in the cabinet of the royal library, and the following conversation took place between them, to the amusement of the Doctor and his pupil, but which was looked upon with ineffable contempt by the porter who stood at the door.

Husband." This is a mummy from Egypt."

Wife." O! a mummy-there are some of these things in Bullock's museum, I believe. Let us look at something

else, that's so frightful."

Husb." This is the shield of Francis the First."
Wife." Ah! indeed!''

Husb.

"And that is his casque over it."

Wife." Casque! casque! why it looks very like one of the fire men's helmets; but it an't brass like theirs? How many pounds weight may it be? I shouldn't like to walk to the Gobelins with it on my head this hot day. I dare say Francis the First walked much farther with it often?"

Husb.- - Look here, my dear, these are antique gems." Wife." Let me see. Why, yes-they look so upon my word; but then there an't a crucifix on one of them.

what are these things?"

But

Husb" I have been looking at them myself with my glass.-They are Roman coins, I think."

Wife. They are all gold!"

Husb.-" I see A. U. G.-C. æ. Yes! yes! they are Roman. Augustus Cæsar-That's the word."

Wife." I suppose these are French ?"

Husb." Not one of them, I think.-I've been spelling the inscription. Why they're coins of Alexander the Great,

as I'm a sinner."

Wife. "You don't say so?"

Husb. "The pieces themselves say so."

Wife. -"How many

Husb.

do you

66. I don't know."

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think I counted in this case?"

Wife." Eighty-one. How much, my dear, do you think. this room is worth?"

Husb.-"'Tis impossible to say."

Wife." Pray what do you think this piece of carved metal is? It looks like a pastry-cook's mould ?"

"La targe de Scipe, Madame," said the porter, observing her pointing to this antique.

Husb.- Bless me!-The shield of Scipio; Aye! aye! I see by my guide it's here.-And there's the shield of Hannibal," added he, looking the porter in the face, who nodded assent, and pointed to the great African's targe.

Wife." Why, my dear, this Scipio's shield, as you call it, is full of Highlanders-"

Husb.-" They're Romans; but I confess if one wasn't told, he might take this for Ossian's shield."

Wife." O! then I suppose the Highlanders took the fashion of their petticoats from the Romans."

Husb.-" Whist, my dear, pray don't talk so loud." Wife." There's only that old gentleman and his son know what we say."

Husb." That clerk, or secretary, that sits writing there, may know our tongue."

Wife." And if he does?"

Husb.-"Yes, Sir, I see it is (to the garçon.) My dear, this is Hannibal's targe. See, there's the Numidian lion on it."

"'Twas found in the Garonne," said the garçon.

Here the good man looked at his watch, and finding that his hour of dinner drew near, he prepared to depart, perfectly satisfied with his own erudition and that of his wife. Dr. Walker and his pupil also departed; and on passing over the Pont Neuf, they observed a charlatan at the north end, who, to attract the passengers' attention, appeared with an odd cap on his head. The Parisians stopped and looked at him. "An indifferent inventor," said one of the crowd; "does not lower the nation: we have long been accustomed to this tone of singularity in this fellow. It is his hardihood alone that arrests the attention of some few young fools." "How so?" said another of the crowd. "Oh! granting this droll fellow has some wit," said the other, " you see whom he takes off." "Have you not so much discernment ?" said a third." He is taking off the citizens," said a fourth. "Not at all," said the man who spoke first. "He is making game of the English." All the others believed it was so ; that is to say, they affected to do so, though they very well

knew the charlatan was laughing at the Parisians all the while. "Now that good man we have just seen at the Thuilleries, would scarcely deign to glance at that mountebank," said the Doctor," and if he did, he would as soon think of scaling the monument without ascending the stairs, as be the dupe of his fooleries. The French of the inferior ranks of society, have all a superficial knowledge of most of the arts, I will not say sciences. In this lies their superiority. The Englishman of the same rank, on the contrary, knows but little beyond his immediate calling; but he has his superiority notwithstanding. Comparisons, are, however, as my old copy used to say, 'odious.' So I will say no more upon the subject. I am rather tired, and we will pass a quiet evening at home."

On the following day they amused themselves with making several little purchases, which they intended to dispatch to England, aud writing letters to their friends, mentioning the principal places at which they should stop in their intended route towards the Pyrenees. In the evening they went to the opera, and here Edward could not help expressing much surprise at the gloomy appearance of the house, the ladies being all in an undress, most of them wearing large bonnets. The following evening they went to the principal theatre, where they saw Corneille's celebrated play of the Cid. The solemn monotonous recitation of a French tragedy, seems in direct contradiction to the character of the Parisians; and strange to say, the English, who are in general more uniformly given to thought and intense attention than their gayer neighbours, become extremely weary at the representation of a French tragedy. This is not because they do not understand either the genius or the idiom of the language, for many natives of Great Britain comprehend them thoroughly. How is this contradiction in the character of the two nations to be accounted for?" enquired the Doctor.

"I suppose," said Edward, who had learned to think, "that we may set it down to the inconsistency of human nature in every country."

"Why, I believe," replied his friend, "you are right, and if we admit the truth of your observation, what forbearance should it not excite! The trundling of a cleanly mop-"

"Not one word more, if you please, Sir," hastily interrupted Edward. "Not one word more; for every day of life do I here wish a few of the Dutch predilections in

my

favour of that article the mop; and a few of their antipathies to dirt, could be infused into the minds of the Parisians."

"Of some of them," replied his friend, " beware, Edward, of stamping a whole people, or even the inhabitants of one town with an epithet so repulsive to our national feelings of cleanliness. Be candid and impartial if possible." EDWARD." I shall say no more, Sir, upon this subject. I may express my surprise at seeing a woman taking the money at the theatre to night."

DR. WALKER.-"Oh, certainly, and you were not less surprised, I dare say that women were the check takers, and national guards, or gens d'armes, their protectors. I myself could but smile to see Madame lay aside her knitting to attend to a solitary customer, nor could I help pronouncing the French a philosophical people, and the English, who fight their way into Drury-lane Theatre, a nation of gobe

mouches."

EDWARD." A nation of freemen, if you please, Sir." DR. WALKER." I must beg a truce, not a parley! for I have mounted you on your high horse, Edward, and I am sure you will be off in a twinkling far beyond my reach,"

SECTION VI.

THE CATACOMBS..

AMONG the numerous objects of peculiar interest in Paris, the Catacombs stand conspicuous.

Thirty years ago, the word Catacombs was unknown to the greater part of the Parisians. Some learned men, and some devoted to the reading of legends, or church history, knew only that the Catacombs were vast caverns, situated under the city of Rome, and had been formed by the extraction of materials employed in the building of that celebrated city; but the mass of the Parisians were far from forming any idea of these souterrains; and though a great part of their city was built over cavities resembling those at Rome, it was another thing for them to know that such immense vaults actually existed, and could be visited.

Learned men, themselves, were not agreed on the use to

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