(461

T

Mr. URBAN, London, Feb. 27. *****HE writer of this has long been fubject to a gouty complaint, which chiefly affects his head **** and ftomach, and, from frequent and fevere returns of it, his conftitution has been much debilitated.

feSome years ago, during a very vere attack of this diforder, he conceived the idea of changing the pofition of his bed, the head of which then pointed to the Eaft, which he immediately reversed,

from an idea that, as the Earth in its diurnal rotation turns from Weft to East, fome change might poffibly

be derived by placing his body

a potition which would coincide with this motion, inftead of being contrary to it, as was the cafe during the former fituation of his bed. From whatever cause it happened, the fact was, that he dated his recovery from that illness from the time this change took place, and has ever fince made it a rule to have the head of his bed point to the Weft. If any of your numerous readers make the experiment, and be benefited by it, or fhould any of your philofophical or medical correfpondents fuggeft, through the channel of your Magazine, any caufe that can account for this extraordinary effect, my purpofe in making this communication N. N. will be fully answered.

fcriptural truth in one of their late beautiful engravings, where the wife of. Zebedee, the mother of the ambitious Apoftles, presents James and John to the Saviour, as candidates for pre eminence in his kingdom, fhrunk to the fize and figure of two chubby boys of feven or eight years of age! A regard for confiftency, and for the character of a work in which the national credit and intereft is involved, most imperiously demands another and a better print on the fame fubje&t. In old times, engravers and painters were not ashamed of studying G. R. S. their Bibles!

Mr. URBAN,

June 12.

cation of the prefent worthy

HE calm and candid vindi

Rector of Chelsea, in p. 288-290, cannot but meet with the approbation and concurrence of all who know him and his unexceptionable conduct in his eminent character of a parish-prieft. Of the Oxford proceedings, alluded to in p. 289, col. 1, your volume for 1768 gives a brief sketch in p. 225, 6. The zeal of the Curate can hurt no one but himself in the hurling of the telum imbelle fine itu against the Rector, juftum et tenacem propofti VINDEX. viram.

A TRIP TO PARIS.

(Continued from p. 377-)

Sunday, O&ober 26..

paintings, and other ppendages of royal magnificence, render this the firft room in the world. It is easy to

at 18 livres, to go to Verfailles. Our fervant mounted behind, for which fervice he was entitled to double pay, as he went bevond the barrières. The road to Verfailles is magnificent; it is in many parts 60 feet in breadth. The Seine accompanies the traveller during a great space in that journey. Amidst the numerous carriages which animate the fcene, particularly on Sundays, when well-dreffed people are admitted to the chapel-royal, and to the ftate-dinner, a fet of miferable vehicles, called carrabas, form the contraft which we have fo often obferved in this country. This machine is drawn by eight horfes, and performs the journey in fix hours. Sometimes 20 paffengers are fqueezed into it, and, after half an hour's ftruggle, they fet tle themfelves into fome pofition, which the least jolt discomposes. So deficient is this carriage in common conveniences, that in warm weather the paf. fenger is broiled in the fun; if it rains, he is drenched to the skin. As we meant to go and return with the fame horses, we were obliged to pay fix livres at Sève, that the mafter of the poffe royale in that place might not be a lofer.

The fite of the palace of Verfailles was originally a deep morafs. Louis XIV, whofe pride it was to furmount every obftacle, dried the moraffes, and, by labour and perfeverance, raised a confiderable eminence, on which he built a fru&ture which aftonishes the moft indifferent fpectator. It will be fufficient, in order to give an idea of the magnificence of the place, to mention that the house and gardens coft upwards of 30 millions fterling. The fingle article of lead for the waterpipes amounted to almoft a million and a half. Frightened at the enormous fum-total, Louis XIV. burnt every paper that could perpetuate the memory of an expence which was fufficient to ruin whole provinces.

We ranged fome time, under the direction of one of the Swifs guards, through the maze of public apartments which compofe this aftonishing edifice. But the object which particularly attracts public attention is the gallery. The length of mirrors on one fide, the wiew of the gardens on the other, the

the different objects which brought them to Court. The look of curiosity and amazement of the stranger, the eager anxiety painted in the face of thofe who come to catch a ray of royal patronage, and the cynic fmile of the philofopher, who laughs at both, can fcarcely escape the attention of the obferver. At 12 o'clock the king paffed to go to chapel. He was preceded by the counts Le Provence and D'Artois, He is of a middle ftature, inclined to be corpulent; his nose is aquiline, and his eye beams goodness and affability. We followed him to mafs. Here his demeanour did not conciliate our veneration. Except at the adoration of the hoft, he was, during the whole mafs, employed in the most jocular converfation with the Comte D'Artois, The religion of Englishmen receives the moft serious countenance from the example of their king, whose devotion, and whofe fenfe of his dependence on the King of kings, have procured him admiration. This levity in a crowned head was, therefore, to us. an afflicting confideration,

We returned to the gallery, to fee the queen go to her mifs, preceded by Educhs, and followed by Madame and her female attendants. She begins to be much inclined to the en-bon-point; but there is a charming fweetness in her looks, and he has a keen and penetrating eye. It might be imagined that he wishes to appear the hand. fomeft woman at Court; for, we could not perceive the least trace of beauty in any of her train.

Our object was to fee the public dinner. Our guide, after conducting us through the royal apartments, placed us in the room of the grand cou. vert. It was a court-mourning; and my friends, with two English gentlemen who joined us in the gallery, were dreffed in coloured cloaths. The gentleman-ufher in waiting defired them to leave the room. Neither prayers nor promifes could move him, Two English ladies, whole beauty feemed to place them above the forms of etiquette, were forced to fubmit to the relentless mafter of the ceremonies. As foon as they were gone, he came up to me and faid, he was furprized to fee that I did not follow my company.

I answered, that I was in mourning, and therefore thought myself at liberty to remain, "Sir," faid he, "you are in black, it is true, but you are not dreffed; you have neither fword nor bag."-"I am an English clergyman; and you have furely too great a fenfe of propriety to with me to wear either." That, indeed, alters the cafe," faid he; but you are en gilet" (in an undreffed or lapelled waistcoat). I buttoned my coat. Even that, Sir, will not do; you have a round hat." My hat was immediately cocked, and placed under my arm. Sir," faid he, you are fo ingenious in metamorphofing your drefs, that I fhall make no more objections."

44

The ftate-dinner conĥfted of two courses, the first of eight dishes, the fecond of ten. A defert of ten dishes followed. Every thing was ferved in gold. Had not the queen's natural affability been exerted in converfation with the lords in waiting behind her, the must have been in an uncomfortable fituation at the fight of a good dinner of which the does not partake, although the fits at table with the king. The dinner of ceremony being over, the king retires to dine with the queen in the private apartments. The royal dining room is fuch as no countrygentleman in England would be fatisfied with; for, although it is elegant, it is extremely fmall.

After this, I was conducted to fee more attentively the public apartments, and to view the paintings. Of thefe there are many in the belt ftyle of Raphael, Reubens, the Carrachis, Corregio, Vandyke, befides feveral excellent performances of the French fchool. One in particular is highly pleafing to an Englishman, that of Charles I. by Vandyke; from which a print has lately appeared in England. I re-joined my companions, and we dined together at Madame G's. Her fon is a polite ingenious young man, who has travelled, and published a Sentimental Tour through Italy, in the manner of Sterne, written with great eafe and animation. He is a page of the King of France; an office for which he gave 70,000 livres, and barely receives the intereft of his money. He was dreffed in the English manner; and he has, like his young Countrymen, a marked predilection for English fashions and cuftoms. Here we met M. V, a gentleman

who was formerly engaged in an extenfive branch of commerce, and whom Government had chiefly confulted in fettling the terms of the commercial treaty with Mr. Eden. In this gentleman's converfation a great knowledge of general politicks, and of the particular state of the French finances, was fingularly interefting. He told us he forefaw a florm in the political horizon of the kingdom, from which he apprehended fatal confequences.

After a very elegant dinner, and a profufion of the richest wines, in paying our refpects to which we were in dulged with the English perfeverance, but without losing the company of the ladies, whofe vivacity added new fpirit to the fparkling Champagne, and sweetened the rich Conftantia, we took a walk to Trianon. Of this feat the gardens are laid out in the English taste, and produce a charming effect, forming a ftrong contraft to the regular magnificence of the royal palace. It was with great difficulty we could tear ourselves from our agreeable and hofpitable friends at Verfailles at nine o'clock. A road of 12 m.les in length, regularly lighted every night with reverbères, is not the least of those great objects in which this country abounds. Such is the attention paid by the police to the fecurity of the publick, that robberies are scarcely ever committed on this road. (To be continued.)

purging Senna. In warm the'tered Spots of ground, or in the green-house, there is a fair profpect of fucceeding; and, without efforts and trial, it is unreasonable to conclude it improbable, as it is fhutting the door to all improve ment, especially in the rearing of mamy valuable medicinal drugs in this kingdom.

The Peruvian Bark and its ufes might be fupplied by the oak-bark taken from clean and healthy oaks felled at maturity, and the bark dried gradually, and heltered from rain or dews; and, indeed, without that prudent precaution in weathering, it is at this time in many fhops used, and fold for the Peruvian, Jefuits Bark, and with general fuccefs. V. and B.

I

AM at prefent engaged in building me a houfe not many miles from London, which the contractor, who is a carpenter, has undertaken to finish by Michaelmas-day; and, as he is a man of integrity, though he has not fubjected himself to any pecuniary peDalty, of course he wishes to fulfil his covenant. But, though he pays his men well, and lays nothing unreafonable upon them, yet idleness, and a capricious unfettled difpofition of mind, have caufed most of his workmen to go aftray from him, to plunge themselves into thofe fcenes of London profligacy, in which they may engage without being molefted, or even difcovered; where their vicious condu&t is loft in the general mals; and where there are more refources than one for a fupply of their extravagant defires.-Anxious to complete his work, this man very lately went to London, and made his application at feveral boufes of call for a certain number of workmen, whom he declared himself ready to take imme. diately into his employ, to give them good wages, and to establish them in a good airy spot in the country for a confiderable time. These houses of call he found generally full at all hours of the day the guefis, fome ftupified with excefs; others fo pot-valiant, as to be refolved to liften to no terms; refolved not to accpt 3s. 6d. 4s. or even, for the fuperior joiners' work, 5s. a day. He has juft now declared to me, that he found near as many mafters (fpeaking largely) foliciting, but in vain, as men; not only retufing, but triumphing in their impudent

refufal-faying "'Tis our time now ;”

"We will come when we like," "We are not broke yet;" &c. &c. My, poor carpenter returned full of difappointment; and my house is ab. folutely at a ftand, without a fingle workman to finish it. I am not without hopes, Mr. Urban, that these houfes of call for inferior tradefmen will be watched with a jealous eye; and pay tables alfo difcountenanced as much as poffible-hey are very great, and have not the plea of being necef fary, evils. An attempt has been made, by feveral manufacturers and others, and alfo by fome active magif. trates, to abolish them: it has been done, without any material inconvenience, and with the beft poffible effect. I trust that the fame good confequences will arife from "a word in feafon" to these publicans. In vain will it he urged, that, if the men were not allowed to affemble at fuch houses, they would meet elsewhere: not certainly at their own houfes, where a provoked wife, half-starved children, and a hundred other inconvencies, would render their fituation very unpleasant. Their fatisfa&tion arifes from vifiting thofe places, where the oftener they are feen the more we'come they are; and where the longer they stay the more kindly they are treated. It is quite fufficient for unnatural wretches of this defcription, if their families (perhips through the labour of an induftrious wife) are kept from being abfolutely chargeable to the parish: every thing hurt of this they are contented to have them endure; and care not to what inconveniencies they put their employers, who frequently invent work for them in the winter rather than they should not be employed; fetting them about that from which themfelves are likely to derive little or no advantage, rather than these ungrateful people should be deprived of a neceffary fupply for their families.

I will only add, Mr. Urban, that I hope that claufe in the amended vagrant act, which confiders perfons wafting their time and money at public houfes, neglecting to feek for work, and refufing it when offered, thereby reducing their families to the neceffity of applying to the parish officers for relief, as having deferted their families, and as idle and diforderly, will have its proper effect, and convince thefe thoughtiefs people, that it is their duty

not