⸺Heu quantum mutatus ab illo

Hectore, qui redit exuvias indutus Achillis!

Upper Seymour Street, Sept. 21, 1803.

CONTENTS.

LETTER I.
Reflections on landing at Calais.—Custom house officers, municipality, commissaires, Dessein’s, theatre.—Montreuil.—L’hôtel d’Angleterre at Amiens.—Chantilly.—State of the roads.—Difficulty of getting lodgings at Paris.—M. Peregaux. [p. 1.]
LETTER II.
The palace and gardens of the Thuilleries.—The Louvre.—The musée central des arts, or picture gallery.—Maria Cosway.—Gallery of antiquities.—Apollo Belvidere.—Laocoon.—List of pictures. [p. 10.]
LETTER III.
The fête of the 18th of brumaire in honour of the preliminaries, and of the anniversary of the consular government.—Apathy of the people.—Fireworks.—Accident which happened to an english gentleman.—Postscript.—The death of the gentleman last named. [p. 40.]
LETTER IV.
State of society at Paris.—The three sets, l’ancienne noblesse, the governmental class, and les parvenus ou nouveaux riches.—Description of a house belonging to one of the latter. [p. 53.]
LETTER V.
Opening of the legislative body.—Election of the president.—Lord Cornwallis.—Reflections of the people in the gallery. [p. 63.]
LETTER VI.
The abbé Sicard, and the institution in behalf of the deaf and dumb.—His favourite pupil, Massieu.—Examination of a young woman, who had become deaf at six years old.—Reflections on the establishment. [p. 69.]
LETTER VII.
A thé or evening party.—French remarks on Shakspeare and Mr. Fox.—Dullness and pedantry of parisian society. [p. 74.]
LETTER VIII.
Bonaparte.—The monthly review or parade in the court of the Thuilleries. [p. 81.]
LETTER IX.
The tribunate.—Speech of Portalis on presenting the code civil in the corps législatif.—Debate in the tribunate on the same subject. [p. 87.]
LETTER X.
Bal des étrangers, (a public subscription ball).—Thinness of the ladies’ dresses. [p. 92.]
LETTER XI.
New year’s day.—The Palais royal. [p. 98.]
LETTER XII.
L’institution des travaux des aveugles, or establishment for the support and employment of the blind.—Their different occupations.—The plate glass manufactory.—Description of another meeting at the hospital of the deaf and dumb.—Massieu taught galvanism and stenography. [p. 103.]
LETTER XIII.
The young savage, or wild boy of Aveyron.—His history.—The state in which he was found, and the means used to restore him to the use of his senses.—The success with which these efforts have been attended. [p. 109.]
LETTER XIV.
Detailed account of all the theatres or spectacles. [p. 116.]
LETTER XV.
The play of Henry IV, read by le Texier. [p. 133.]
LETTER XVI.
Party at a fournisseur’s.—Ball at a ci-devant noble’s. [p. 137.]
LETTER XVII.
A play acted for the first time, called “Edouard en Ecosse,” the hero of which was the english pretender, full of royalist sentiments, performed twice, and highly applauded; “God save the King,” played on the French stage; plot of the play, which was forbidden on the third day. [p. 146.]
LETTER XVIII.
The carnival.—Masks in all the streets.—Account of the different characters, processions, &c.—Masqued ball at the opera house. [p. 152.]
LETTER XIX.
Bonaparte’s audience.—His address to the english gentlemen presented to him.—First appearance, this season, of Vestris.—Madame de St—l’s concert. [p. 158.]
LETTER XX.
The antichamber of the Musée Central, now filled with an additional collection of fine pictures.—Account of the wonderful recovery of some chefs-d’œuvre.—List of pictures in this room. [p. 166.]
LETTER XXI.
Bois de Boulogne.—Account of that promenade.—Order of the police against english footmen wearing laced cocked hats.—Cannon fired in honour of the definitive treaty.—Illuminations in the evening.—Little effect produced at Paris by the peace. [p. 175.]
LETTER XXII.
The palais du Luxembourg.—Théâtre d’Odéon.—The pantheon or St. Généviève.—Tombs of Rousseau and Voltaire. [p. 181.]
LETTER XXIII.
Concordat with the Pope ratified by the legislative body after an eloquent speech by Lucien Bonaparte.—Madame Bonaparte’s first drawing room.—Appearance of Dehayes at the opera, after a long absence. [p. 188.]
LETTER XXIV.
Versailles.—St. Cloud.—Sèvre.—Petit Trianon.—Specimen of an extravagant bill.—Curious trial.—St. Germain.—Malmaison.—Waterworks of Marly. [p. 192.]
LETTER XXV.
Long Champ, account of that annual promenade, date of its origin, and of the great preparations made this year for attending it.—The bustle and gayety which it produced at Paris. [p. 205.]
LETTER XXVI.
Te Deum sung at Notre Dame, in honour of the peace and the reestablishment of religion.—Military insolence.—Account of the ceremony.—Illuminations in the evening.—Indifference of the people. [p. 213.]
LETTER XXVII.
Palais de Justice.—Account of the different tribunals or courts of law. [p. 222.]
LETTER XXVIII.
The gardens and walks of Paris. [p. 227.]
LETTER XXIX.
The manufactory of Gobelins, the observatory, les Enfans trouvés, Champ de Mars, les Invalides, and the temple of Mars, containing the colours taken from different nations, and the tomb of Turenne.—Le Musée des Monumens françois, or collection of monuments.—List of the most esteemed of these.—Note to this letter contains the account of a dinner at the first consul’s. [p. 235.]
LETTER XXX.
General account of literary establishments at Paris.—National library.—Manuscripts.—Memoirs of his own times, by Lewis XIV.—Fac simile of a love letter of Henry IV.—Cabinet of medals.—Cabinet of engravings, &c.—Library of the Pantheon.—Mazarine library.—Library of the Institute. Libraries of the senate, the legislative body, and tribunate.—The Lycées, now called les Athénées.—Admirable lectures given at one of them.—Professors Fourcroy, Cuvier, and la Harpe.—L’Institute national.—Jardin national des Plantes.—Collection of birds, plants, fossils, and insects, in the house attached to the Jardin des Plantes.—Cabinet de l’École des Mines, à l’Hôtel des Monnoies.—Great opportunities afforded at Paris of cultivating science and literature in all their various branches. [p. 249.]
LETTER XXXI.
Calculation and estimate of expenses at Paris.—List of hôtels, traiteurs, &c. [p. 266.]
LETTER XXXII.
General view of Paris, principally taken as compared with London. [p. 282.]

A
ROUGH SKETCH
OF
MODERN PARIS.

LETTER I.

Reflections on landing at Calais.—Custom house officers, municipality, commissaires, Dessein’s, theatre.—Montreuil.—L’hôtel d’Angleterre at Amiens.—Chantilly.—State of the roads.—Difficulty of getting lodgings at Paris.—M. Peregaux.