Page images
PDF
EPUB

im

Paris, intended ftaying about a month, and then returning to Toulon. He warmly made me an offer of his fervices, and during my ftay here, fent every morning to know if he should attend me as a friendly guide, to conduct me to any place which I might wish to fee, or to prevent me from fuffering any pofition from tradefmen, His attentions to me were always agreeable, and fometimes ferviceable, and ftrongly impreffed upon my mind, the policy, as well as the pleafure, of treating every being with civility, even where first appearances are not favorable, and where an expectation of meeting the part again is not probable. In the course of the ? I was introduced to Madame B, who refides, by permition of the first conful, in a fuite of elegalit apartinens in the Louvre, which have been granted to her on ac count of her merits and genius, and alfo in conf?deration of the loffes which fhe has fuitained by e revolution. In her ftudy the prefented me to

#

emoiselle T, the then celebrated beauty of Paris, her portrait by David, had afforded much convert tion in the fashionable circles; the was then copying, with great tafte, from the antique, which is generally the morning's occupation of the French ladies of fashion. She is certainly a very handsome young woman but I think if the painter of France was to visit a certain western county of England, he would difcover as many attractions for the difplay of his ad

K

mirable pencil, as were at this time to be found in the ftudy of Madame B. When we left her, Madame B asked me what I thought of her; I candidly made the above remark to her, "Ah!" faid fhe, "you should have feen her about a month fince, the "was then the prettieft creature in all France;" how "fo, has the fuffered from indifpofition? oh no repli❝ed Madame B, fmilingly, "but a month, you "know, makes a confiderable difference upon the face " of beauty."

[ocr errors]

I was much obliged to Madame B, for the remark, which is greatly within an observation which I frequently made, on the evanefcent nature of youthful beauty. Madame B's calculations of the given progrefs of decay, were eighteen times more fwift than mine. The fubject of our converfation, and the bufts by which we were furrounded, natur

[ocr errors]

y led us to talk of the French ladies, and they reminded us, though flightly, of their prefent dress. Madame B, entered into a particular account of the decorations of a lady of fashion in France. L have not patience enough to enumerate them here, except that the wife of a fourniffeur will not hesitate paying from three to four hundred pounds for a Ca chemire fhawl, nor from four to five hundred pounds for a laced gown, nor a much larger fum for diamonds! cut like pearls, and threaded. In this coftly manner, does the ingenuity of art, and the prodigality of wealth do homage to the elegance of nature. The

[graphic]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[graphic]
[ocr errors]

entrance to Madame B's apartments feemed at firft, a little fingular and unfuitable, but I foon found that it was no nufual circumstance, after grouping through dirty paffages, and up filthy ftaircafes to enter a noble hall and splendid rooms,

[ocr errors]

Upon leaving Madame B, I paffed the Place de Caroufel, and faw the ruins of the houfes which fuffered by the explosion of the infernal machine, which afforded fo much converfation in the world at the time, by which the first conful was intended to have been destroyed in his way to the National Inftitute of Mufic. This affair has been fomewhat involved in mystery. It is now well known that Monfieur Fauché, at the head of the police, was acquainted with this confpiracy from its first conception, and by his vigilant agents, was informed of the daily progreis made in the conftruction of this deftructive inftrument, of the plan of which he had even a copy.. The confpirators proceeded with perfect confidence, and as they thought with perfect fecurity. Three days before it was quite completed, and ready for its fell purpose, from some furprise or dread of detection, they changed their place of meeting, and in one night removed the machine from the spot where it had been usually depofited. The penetrating eye of the police loft fight of them. Fauche and his followers exercised their unrivalled talents for purfuit and difcovery to no purpofe. The baffled minifter then waited upon Bonaparte, to whom he had regularly im

« PreviousContinue »