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tioners for cakes, and the porter was difpatched all over the city for the choiceft fruits. In a fhort time a noble dinner was ferved up to this unfortunate family, followed by confectionary, fruits, and burgundy. When the repaft was over, Mons. O

ordered Madame

bis bill, and his cabriole to be got ready. Pentered, and in the moft amiable manner requefted him, as she had exceeded his orders, to confider the dinner as a little acknowledgment of her fenfe of his paft favors; money, though earnestly preffed upon her, fhe would not receive.

The whole of this interesting party were moved to tears, by this little act of nature and generofity. When they entered their carriage, they found in it bouquets of flowers, and boxes of cakes for the little children. No doubt Madame P moved lighter

that day, than the ever did in her life, and perhaps found the remembrance of her conduct upon the occafion almost as exquifite as the hours of love, which the appeared most happily to enjoy, when we had the honor of being under her roof.

Monfieur O could not help exhibiting much feeling, when he related this little event to me. I muft not fail to mention that all the houfe feemed, for the moment, infected with the happy difeafe of the mistress. General Ruffin's valet de chambre was in love with Dorothee, our chambermaid; the porter was pining for a little black eyed grifette, who fold prints and pastry, in a stall oppofite; and the

'hostler was eternally quarrelling with the chef de cuifine, who repelled him from the kitchen, which, in the perfon of the affiftant cook, a plump, rofy Norman girl, contained all the treasure of his foul-love and negligence reigned throughout the household. We rang the bells, and facre dieu'd, but all in vain, we fuffered great inconvenience, but who could be an

gry

? In the courfe of our walks, and converfations, with the workmen, whom we met, we found that most of the mafons, and gardeners of Rouen, had fought in the memorable, bloody, and decifive battle of Marengo, at which it appears that a great part of the military of France, within four or five hundred miles of the capital, were prefent. The change they prefented was worthy of obfervation; we faw men fun-browned in campaigns, and enured to all the ferocity of war, at the found of peace affuming all the tranquil habits of ingenious induftry, or ruftic fimplicity. Some of them were occupied in forming the fhapeless stone into graceful embellishments for elegant houses, and others in difpofing, with botanic taste, the fragrant parterre. After spending four very delightful days in this agreeable city, I bade adieu to my very worthy companion, captain W. C, whofe intention it was to spend fome time here, and thofe friends, from whom I had received great attention and hofpitalities, and wishing the amiable Madame P, many happy years, and reH

ceiving from her the affurances of civility, about feven o'clock in the evening I feated myself in the diligence for Paris, and in a comfortable corner of it, after we had paffed the pave, refigned myself to fleep.

CHAPTER VIII.

Early dinner-Mante.-Froft. Duke de Sully.-Approach the Capital.-Norman Barrier.-Paris. Hotel de Rouen.-Palais Royal.

AT day break, the appearance of the country in all directions was delightful. The faint eastern blush of early morn, threw a mild, refreshing light over the moift and dew-dripping fcenery.

The fpirit of our immortal bard, awaking from the bofom of nature, feemed to exclaim→→

Look love, what envious streaks

Do lace the fevering clouds, in yonder caft;
Night's candles are burnt out; and jocund Day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

About eight o'clock in the morning, we arrived at Mante, a picturefque town, built upon a fertile mountain, at the bafe of which the Seine flowed along rippling against its many iflands of beautiful poplars. At this hour, upon our alighting at the inn, we found a regular dinner ready, confifting of foups, meats, fowls

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and confectionary. To the no fmall furprife of the hoft, I expreffed a wish to have fome breakfast, and at length, after much difficulty, procured fome coffee and rolls.

The reft of the party, with great compofure, tucked their napkins in the buttonholes of their waiftcoats, and applied themfelvcs to the good things before them, with very active addrefs.-What a happy race of people! ready for every thing, and at all times; they fcarcely know the meaning of inconve

nience.

at In the midst of difficulty, they find accommodation; with them, every thing feems in harmony. After paying thirty fols for my repast, a charge which announced our approach to the capital, I walked on, and made my way to the bridge over another winding of the Seine, at the bottom of the town, which is a light, and elegant structure. The houfes along the fides of the river are handfome, and delightfully, fituated. The principal church is a fine gothic building, but is rapidly haftening to decay; fome of its pinnacles are destroyed, and all its windows broken in.

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A fmall chapel, in the ftreet oppofite, which had an appearance of confiderable elegance, was converted into a flaughter-houfe. Embofomed in woods, on a fine chateau, former

the other fide of the bridge.

ly belonging to the count d'Adhemar; here, while edjoying the enchanting profpect about me, I heard

the jingling approach of our heavy diligence, in which, having refeated myself, we proceeded upon a fine high road, through thick rows of walnut, cherry, mulberry, and apple trees, for feveral miles, on each fide of which, were vineyards, upon whose promifing vintage, the froft had committed fad devaftation. For a vast extent, they appeared blackened and It was faid that France fuftained a loss of two millions fterling, by this unufual vifitation.

burnt up.

In the courfe of our journey, I experienced in the conduct of one of our two female companions, an occurrence, allied to that, which is related by Sterne, of Madame de Rambouillet, by which he very juftly illuftrates the happy ease, with which the French ladies prevent themselves from ever fuffering by inconvenient notions of delicacy.

A few miles from Mante, on the borders of the Seine, we paffed one of the venerable chateaus of the celebrated duke de Sully, the faithful, able, and upright minifter, of Henry IV. of France, one of thofe great geniuses, who only at diftant eras of time, are permitted to fhine out amongst the race of men. Hiftorians unite in obferving that the duke perform-" ed all the duties of an active, and upright minifter, under a mafter, who exercifed all the offices of a great and good king; after whofe unhappy fate, this excellent man retired from the bufy fcenes of the world, and covered with time and honors expired in the eighty-fecond year of his age in the year 1641 at

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