:

exquisite voices, accompanied by the organ. The effect was wonderful-a perfect illustration of the sublime and beautiful together. His Majesty is a very well looking dark man, tall, with his head hanging a little over the left shoulder-a habit of the Bourbon family it seems-his eyes large, black, and piercing; upon the whole I thought him handsome for his age (sixty one), and not unlike the Duke of Kingston. He was dressed in a coat of plain lilac-coloured watered silk, a waistcoat of blue silk embroidered with silk, but no jewels about him, except those of his order (the Holy Ghost). At the elevation of the Host, during the service, his guards made us all kneel, which it seems every one must do in his Majesty's presence. I felt sorry for several English ladies who were obliged to conform to a custom, in my thoughts, more honoured in the breach than the observance,' though I avoided it by leaning against a pillar, and thus saved myself from the hard-hearted marble with which the chapel was paved. As none other of the Royal Family were present we felt ourselves rather disappointed, but still the sight, upon the whole, was worth the kneeling penance and the tedious waiting we had gone through. The roof of the Chapel, painted by Coypel, is very beautiful, representing God in all his glory the high altar of the finest marble, and the gallery that runs round the Chapel, nine feet wide, paved with handsome marble, and railed in with very curious iron rails, richly gilt. Just before the conclusion of the service we got out through a dreadful crowd, and took our stand in the grand gallery of the palace, magnificently painted by Le Brun; fortune threw a chair in my way, upon which, like the little fellow in the Scripture, I mounted, but not with his success, for I saw not the King upon his return from the Chapel, as he did not pass that way; however, as a sort of recompense, I got a transient view of Madame Provence, a little plain woman, her nose I think rather à la Pug, I beg her pardon if I am wrong, as the short sight I had of her might lead me into an error: soon after had a full view of her husband, the Count de Provence (the late Louis the Eighteenth), a tolerably handsome face and eyes, but with a stiffness in his gait, owing to a weakness in one of his knees; as he is not yet sixteen he may grow out of it. A sedan chair, waiting for Madame the Dauphin's eldest sister, I took my stand close to it, by which means I had a full view of her when she got into it; she is fair, and has a very pretty face, but is one of the fattest girls for her age I ever saw, being only twelve. From this gallery we hurried off to the Dauphin's apartments, for the purpose of seeing him at dinner; this point we gained with great perseverance, and almost Herculean labour, the want of which sent back several of my countrymen and women as bootless as they came, not chusing to run the risk of a Calcutta entertainment, or a mess of soup in their pockets-a treat which I narrowly escaped (thanks, I believe, to my uniform), till I accomplished a stand within five yards of the Prince and Princess. The Dauphin (Louis the Sixteenth) is just turned seventeen, thin, his face long and sallow, and he looked in tolerable good temper, though that is said not to be his natural failing; he did not seem to take much notice of, or speak often to, his spouse; his dress was very rich, the coat and waistcoat light rose coloured silk en suite, embroidered with silver and covered with precious stones; on his left sat the Dauphiness, a small well made woman, handsome, fair, with beautiful hair, hand, and arm, her eyes appeared to me rather weak; she was dressed in light blue silk, with a silver gauze over it, a large bouquet of diamonds at her breast, and her hair full of them, very prettily arranged. I remarked that they both feed indelicately, and drank frequently with their mouths full. A Duchess performed the duty of butler, and, according to the etiquette of this Court, the service of waiting was executed by ladies only. The Swiss guards, with their hats on, brought in the dishes, which they delivered to the ladies, who placed them on the table and did everything requisite to be done afterwards. In about half-an-hour the Dauphin rose from the table to wash, which is never done as it is in this country, for which reason they say they are cleaner than us with our water-glasses and

• What would the silver fork gentry say to such feeding in these days?

napkins. After he had washed, which was the signal for retiring, we went into the gardens, from which we had a full view of the Palace. Here, I must confess, it made a noble appearance, and looked like what it is-the residence of a great King. I shall not here enter into a particular description of the gardens, fountains, water works, &c., which are beautiful and grand, though rather too formal for my ideas of what gardens ought to be; at any rate, they are well worthy of the mansion they adorn.

The appearance of an approaching storm, joined to hunger and fatigue, drove us to our garret, where we sat down to a soup that looked like the rinsings of a kettle, three half-starved chickens, and a small trout, with a dessert of the same stamp as the dinner, washed down by two tolerable bottles of Burgundy, for which they had the modesty to charge us a crown a-head: but as this kind of visit forms a harvest for the hotel keepers, we submitted with as good a grace as we could. During our dinner we had a violent thunder tempest, with rain and hail in drops as large as marbles; but as that was soon over, and the weather clear again, we made the best of our way back to Paris, and drove to the French Comedy, when the justly famous Preville (the Garrick of France) and his charming wife performed in the comedy of Le Surprise de l'Amour, in which Preville, Madame, and Bellcour were admirable. The petite piece was Le Mercure Galant in which Preville played again as a drunken soldier, a counsellor, and an abbé, and was great in all three. Returned home from thence, highly delighted, and supped en famille with only the abbé. To morrow we go to St. Cloud and the porcelain manufactory there, which they say is well worthy of inspection.

H. P.

PARAPHRASE.

"Qui vit sans folie, n'est pas si sage qu'il croit."

He who lives free from folly's by no means so sage
As he thinks; or of wisdom there's dearth
For our sweetest companions from childhood to age
Are innocent folly and mirth.

It is folly to laugh, it is folly to sing,

And indulge in the heart's lively feeling;
Yet pleasure is floating on folly's light wing,
And joy to our hearts is revealing.

It is folly to love, it is folly to drink,

So we learn by philosopher's diction;

But in both there is practical wisdom, I think,
And in practice is perfect conviction.

Then love, laugh, and sing while there's life to enjoy
And health to give zest to the measure;

For sorrow is sadness, in merriment joy,
And in folly is life's purest pleasure.

G. F.

183

THE PERSIAN ROBBER.

The plains of Teheran possessed no cottage more cleanly than that which sheltered the gentle Sulema and her widowed mother, though the hand of poverty lay heavy on them and it was with difficulty that they could by the aid of their spinning-wheel gain sufficient for a scanty subsistence. Sulema had just attained her seventeenth year and her beauty, like the opening blossom, was just expanding with modest loveliness that steals upon our senses and commands our admiration.

She was one day employed at her spinning-wheel whilst her mother had gone to the city to dispose of the produce of their joint labours, and had been for some time expecting her return, when as she turned with a look of anxious enquiry towards the door she observed an aged man advancing towards it, his head was white with the snow of many winters, yet the freshness of unexhausted health was still on his cheek. Sulema drew dack on the approach of the stranger, but seeing him assume the attitude of entreaty she remained, "Gentle maid," said he, "I have traversed mountains and plains to-day without repose, spare me therefore. I beseech you, some food to recruit my strength ""Alas!” replied Sulema sweetly" the cottage of Mandara boasts not the power to give, yet if you want repose, our shelter shall be yours, and I will prepare for you a little rice that still remains." The old man seated himself in the cottage, and Sulema set before him a small bowl of rice and some dried grapes, which had been destined for her own supper. As soon as he had finished his meal the stranger rose to depart. "Fair maid" said he "thy benevolence shall be rewarded, take this ring and with it an old man's blessing; if any misfortune should befall you or your scanty means of subsistance should fail, apply to the Cadi of Teheran, and on it being shown to him, your wish shall be granted." Sulema received with pleasure the good will offering of her guest and he departed. Her mother soon returned from the city with the small sum she had recieved for her work, Sulema related what had passed with her good guest, and they were rejoiced at the thought of having relieved his distress with their simple means, and they retired to rest with those buoyant spirits that ever accompany those that relieve the distresses of their fellow mortals.

In the neighbourhood of the cottage, stood in an elevated situation a noble Castle surrounded by a fine wood, in whose umbrageous shade the weary traveller might find a rest and shelter from the mid-day sun, The owner of this noble pile had not long been a resident there, for its former possessor having died without issue it fell to the state, and its present proprietor, whose name was Kandor, had purchased it. Nothing was known of his history, for he came as a stranger and was likely so to remain, for everything except his name was involved in obscurify; he appeared to be rich, but he kept aloof from his neighbours, fortified his castle, and kept a band of armed men within its walls; suspicions were excited by these means that all was not right as many robberies had lately been committed near the outskirts of the city, and at length the officers of justice were on the alert to trace the robbers to their stronghold.

As Sulema resided near the castle she had been seen by Kandor while one day returning to her cottage. He was struck with her beauty, and from that moment he determined to possess her; he applied to Mandara for her consent to espouse her daughter, but she gave him her refusal (for she knew Sulema's heart had long been bestowed on the young and noble Zemor the son of the merchant who purchased the produce of their spinning-wheel.) He was a soldier in the Schah of Persia's army, and had seen the lovely maid in his short absence from his duties, unknown to his father, and was

charmed with her loveliness while his heart burned with the most ardent love. Sulema was not long proof against his solicitations, for a flame was raised in her gentle breast equal to that which burnt in the breast of Zemor. He had lately been commanded on a very hazardous expedition to chastise one of the Schah officers who had broken out in rebellion, and Sulema had been very anxious respecting him, as she had not received a letter for some time. Kandor was enraged at the refusal of Mandara, and determined to apply to Sulema on the first opportunity; this was not long wanting, but she gave a gentle but decided refusal to his offer and he retired, but not without swearing she should be his in spite of every obstacle. He returned home and with a part of his retainers, when darkness had cast its shadow over the earth, and when he knew her mother was absent, he rushed into the cottage seized the gentle Sulema, and having put her before him on his horse, he collected his followers around him and set off at a gallop that would soon have brought them to the castle, but about midway they met a small party of police, that were out to attempt to trace the robbers, who accosted them, but Kandor finding himself much the stronger party instantly charged them, but though in point of number he had the advantage, yet in skill and bravery they were their superiors. They received the shock of their first onset without loss, and being advantageously posted with a wood in their rear, the battle was long and furious, but Kandor by the aid of numbers at length prevailed, and left the commander and above one half of his men dead on the field, and the rest secured their safety by flight. Kandor reached the castle in safety, when he informed the unfortunate Sulema that until she consented to be his bride she should remain in solitary confinement,

Zemor returned from the expedition of chastising the rebels who had been defeated and was promoted for his bravery. His first enquiry was for Sulema, and as it was known that the police had been defeated in the neighbourhood of the cottage, he soon arrived there, and learnt from the broken hearted Mandara of the loss of her daughter; he was almost frantic at the news, and as Kandor was supposed to be the person who had carried her off; they consulted what was best to be done for her relief. She thought of the ring that had been given her daughter by the aged stranger, and she intrusted it to Zemor to apply to the officer of justice to obtain assistance to relieve her from her imprisonment. He hastened to the city and having presented the ring, he was put in command of a large body of soldiers to storm the castle of Kendor; he divided his force into two parties, one of which was to attack the castle in front while the other, commanded by himself, was to proceed under cover of the wood to examine its strength, and assault it on the weakest side. He gained the wood unperceived by the enemy, while the other part of his force marched boldly in front of the castle. Zemor examined it with the utmost care, and at length perceived a small archway covered with trees and bushes and which was nearly filled up with rubbish. Having cleared the entrance he entered into an irregular passage, not much larger than a drain, where he was often obliged to go almost double to make his way, which was completely dark amidst fragments of stones and timbers, which he discovered by feeling around him, and having climbed over these, frequently stumbling, he at length reached a small chamber, at the end of which was a rough wall that appeared to be the boundary of the place; he with much difficulty found his way back, and having procured a torch he again entered, but found no passage that could lead further into the interior; but as the top appeared to be only boarded over he gave directions to his men to force it through, and after much difficulty it was accomplished, and they could perceive above them a spacious chamber, they applied scaling ladders and easily entered, and Zemor was much astonished to find it filled with the most costly merchandise; in one place stood vessels for all uses of the purest gold and silver, and in another the most magnificent robes were spread out, set all over with precious stones of all kinds and of an uncommon size. No doubt remained in his mind who were the robbers that had infested the neighbourhood, and that this was the apartment were they concealed their plunder; they passed through two apartments, and at the end of the second was a long passage, on one side of which