mark of public approbation. I was a little furprised to obferve, in the windows of the principal print fhops, prints expofed to fale, representing the late king, in his full robes of ftate, under which was written, Le Restaurateur de la liberté, (an equivoque, no doubt) and the parting interview between that unhappy sovereign and his queen and family in the tem ple, upon the morning of his execution.

This little circumftance will fhow the confidence which the present rulers feel in the strength and fecurity of the present government; for fuch reprefentations are certainly calculated to excite feelings, and to restore impreffions which might prove a little hazardous to both, were they lefs powerfully fupported.

I was alfo one morning a little surprised, by hearing from my window, the exhilirating fong of " Rule Britannia" played upon a hand organ; upon looking down into the street, I beheld a Savoyard very conpofedly turning the handle of his musical machine, as he moved along, and a French officer humming the tune after him. Both were, no doubt ignorant of the nationality of the fong, though not of the truth of its fentiment.

In the courfe of one of my morning walks, I went to the metropolitan abbey of Notre Dame, which is fituated at the end of a large ifland in the Seine, which forms a part of Paris, and is filled with long narrow firests. It is fine gothic pile, but in my

humble opinion, much inferior to our Westminster abbey, and to the great churches of Rouen.

From this building I vifited, with a large party, the celebrated mufeum, or palace of the arts, which I afterwards generally frequented every other day.

This ineftimable collection contains one thoufand and thirty paintings, which are confidered to be the chefs d'œuvre of the great ancient mafters, and is a treafury of human art and genius, unknown to the most renowned of former ages, and far furpaffing every other institution of the fame nature, in the prefent times.

The first apartment is about the fize of the exhibition room of Somerset house, and lighted as that is, from above. It contains feveral exquifite paintings which have been prefented to Bonaparte by the princes, and rulers of thofe ftates which have been either fubdued by his arms, or have cultivated his alliance. The Parifians call this apartment Bonaparte's nofegay. The most coftly pictures in the room, are from. the gallery of the grand duke of Tuscany. Amongst fo many works, all exquifite and beautiful, it is almost temerity to attempt to felect, but if I might be permitted to name thofe which pleafed me moft, I fhould particularize the Ecce Homo, by Cigoli Ludovice Cardi.

The breaft of the mild and benevolent Saviour, ftriped with the bruifes of recent punishment, and his heavenly countenance, benignly looking forgive

ness upon his executioners, are beautifully delineated. L'Annonciation, by Gentileschi, in which the divine look of the angel, the graceful plumage of his wings, and the drapery of the virgin, are incomparable. La Sageffe chaffant les Vices, which is a very ancient and curious painting, by Andrea Montegna, in which the figure of Idlenefs, without arms, is wonderfully conceived Les Noces de Cana, by Paul Veronefe, which is confidered to be the best of his works. It is the largest painting I ever beheld. The figures which are feated at the banquet, are chiefly the por traits of contemporary royal perfonages of different nations. From this room we paffed into the gallery of the Louvre.

I cannot adequately defcribe the first impreffionswhich were awakened, upon my first entering it, and contemplating fuch a galaxy of art and genius. This room is one thoufand two hundred feet long, and is lined with the fineft paintings of the French, Flemish, and Italian fchools, and is divided by a curi ous double painting upon flate placed upon a pedestal in the middle of the room, which reprefents the front and back view of the fame figures.

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The first divifion of this hall contains the finest works of le Brun, many of which are upon an immense scale. L'Hyver ou le Deluge, by Pouffin, is truly fublime, but is unfortunately placed in a bad fight. There are alfo fome beautiful marine paintings, by Verney. Les Religieufes, by Philip de

Champagne, is justly celebrated for the principal figure of the dying nun. Vue de Chevet, d'une eglife, by Emanuel de Witte, is an exquifité little cabinet picture, in which the effect of a ray of light fhining through a painted window, upon a column, is inimitable, and the perspective is very fine. There are here alfo fone of the finest works of Wouvermans, and a charming picture by Teniers. La Vierge, l'enfant Jefus, la Madeleine, et St. Jerome, by Antoine Allegri Correge, is confidered to be a picture of great beauty and value. There are also fome glorious paintings by Reubens, I have thus briefly felected these pictures from the reft, hoping, at the fame time, that it will not be inferred that thofe which I have not named, of which it would be impoffible to offer a defcription without filling a bulky volume, are inferior to the works which I have prefumed to mention.. The recording pen must rival that matchlefs pencil, which has thus adorned the walls of the Museum, before it can do justice to fuch a magnificent collection

This exhibition is public three days in the week, and at other times is open to students and to ftrangers, upon their producing their paffports. On public days, all descriptions of perfons are here to be feen. The contemplation of fuch a mixture is not altogether uninterefting.

The fun-browned rugged plebeian, whofe mind, by the influence of an unexampled political change, has

been long alienated from all the noble feelings which religion and humanity inspire, is here seen, with his, arms rudely folded over his breast, softening into pity, before the struggling and finking sufferer of a deluged world, or filently imbibing from the divine resigned countenance of the crucified Saviour, a hope of unperishable blifs, beyond the grave. Who will

condemn a policy by which ignorance becomes enlightened, profligacy penitent, and which, as by ftealth, imparts to the relenting bosom of ferocity, the fubdued, and focial difpofition of true fraternity?

To amuse, may be neceffary to the present gouernment of France, but furely to fupplant the wild, abandoned principles of a barbarous revolution, with neru impreffions, created by an unreferved difplay of the finest and most perfuafive images of refigned fuffering, heroic virtue, or elegant beauty, cannot be deemed unworthy of the ruler of a great people.?

At this place, as well as at all the other national exhibitions, no money for admiffion is required or expected. No perfon is admitted with a ftick, and guards attend to preferve the pictures from injury, and the exhibition from riot. The gallery, of the Louvre is at prefent, unfortunately, badly lighted throughout owing to the light iffuing chiefly on one fide, from long windows. This inconvenience, however, is foon to be remedied; by obferving the fame manner of lighting, as in the adjoining apartment.