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I cannot conclude my stroll with out giving a little piece of an extract from Pope, not but what this gentleman and myself may vary a little in opinions be that as it may, I just subjoin it by way of a finish.

Time was, a sober Englishman would knock His servants up, and rise by five o'clock; Instruct his family in virtue's rules Send his wife to church, his son to school. -Now times are chang'd

Sons, sires, and grandsires, all will wear the bays;

Our wives read Milton, and our daughters

plays.'

LONDON FASHIONABLE FULL DRESSES.

(With an Engraving, elegantly co

loured.)

1. A DRESS of white satin, trimmed round the bosom and sleeves with a rich Vandyke border of rosecoloured velvet; train long, rounded off on one side, and terminating in a square corner on the other: the Bottom of the dress is also ornamented with the same Vandyke border, of a much larger pattern: over the dress, a drapery of lace, spotted and trimmed to match. The hair is dressed with combs and hands, and hanging ringlets on the right side, ornamented with the paddy. plume. White satin or kid shoes and gloves.

2. Dress of light blue crape, over a white sarsnet lining, made strait over the bosom, and ornamented with lace edged with a puffing of narrow white ribbon; sleeves short, and trimmed to correspond: the waist confined with a cord and tassis; and a rich embossed ribbon

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(From Travels in England,translated from the German of C. A. G. Goede.')

FOR many days after my arrival in London, I was constantly employed in perambulating the town; but it was some time before I found myself capable of forming any compre hensive idea of its stupendous wonders. It is a singular fact, that, in the zeal of discovery, I have often led my London friends through parts of the metropolis, of which they, born and bred within its precincts, were altogether ignorant. It may therefore be easily conceived, that travellers whose stay is short usually remain ignorant of the most interesting features of this picture, which, to be surveyed with advantage, requires to be seen from many points of view.

The Thames, for instance, affords abundant scope for contemplation or curiosity; if only cursorily observed from one of the three bridges where every object is confined, and the inquisitive traveller feels himself on no better title authorised to descant on its beauties. But if we wish to survey the grand lincaments of this river, we must ascend the Monument, or St. Paul's; or if we would

fix our observation to its central points, the Adelphi terrace will fully gratify us. From the latter spot we have an uninterrupted view of Westminster and Blackfriars bridges; to the left, Somerset-house appears in all its magnificence:on the opposite side of the water lies the borough of Southwark, which forms a fine contrast to the gothic beauties of Westminster. We fancy it to be a large manufacturing town; while we see black houses of various forms rising here and there in irregular heaps, crowned with clouds of smoke issuing from numerous furnaces. There are no ships on this part of the river, but thou sands of barges and boats are perpetually passing; some with goods, other with passengers; the whole together forming an agreeable preJude to the unique perspective below the bridge,

Nothing can be more surprising than the eagerness of speculation which contributes daily to increase this vast metropolis. I resided in Southampton-row, Bloomsbury, near which the duke of Bedford is engaged in very extensive buildings, and has some thousands of workmen in constant employment. I remember that on my return to town, after an absence of some months, I could scarcely believe myself at home. On reviewing the neighbourhood, I could have fancied myself transported into a fairy world, where by the powers of a magic wand palaces and gardens had suddenly found existence. I paused, and asked myself whether I had not previously seen these new streets, new squares, new gardens; in a word, this new city: or, whether in reality the heaps of stones and rubbish which I had left piled up from the materials of old houses had been metamorphosed into new and elegant buildings. People crowded along the well-light VOL. XXXVIII.

ed pavement, where I had left only obscure avenues; and every thing wore the appearance of enchantment. The opposite side of Southamptonrow, late an open space, was not only built upon, but inhabited; a coffee-house was open, and some very handsome shops exposed their merchandise for sale! Tavistocksquare, a new chapel already consecrated, and streets intersecting each other, were novelties that rais ed new wonder in my mind at al most every step I took.

Perhaps strangers may imagine that the distant parts of the metropolis are mouldering into decay,' while this new-favoured spot exhibits such peculiar indications of taste and improvement; but their wonder will increase when I assure them that this spirit of enterprise is general, and may be discovered even in the poorest and most wretched parts of the town.

But, it may be asked, does not this enormous metropolis swallow up the towns of the interior; and do not its monopolising riches reduce the most considerable of them to a state of listlessness and decline?→→→ No; it appears as if the whole kingdom were inspired with one general soul, and that every town in it were increasing in the same proportion as the capital itself. London may be called the heart of this great empire; it infuses into all the mem❤ bers that vital energy with which its own surcharged pulses so proudly heat. If we visit Bath, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle; in short, all the great provincial towns; we perceive the same spirit of emulation, and the same diffusive opulence.

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Then these cities are thus richly embellished at the expence of the country at large; and while commerce and manufactures flourish, the blessings of luxuriant nature are 3 K

greatly neglected?'-By no means. Agriculture and every part of rural economy ficurish in England with unrivalled success. Even the details of farming engage the attention of the higher classes, and the treasures accumulated by commerce in the city are applied to the cultiva tion and improvement of the soil. The rich London merchant, retiring from the fatigue of the counting house, creates an earthly paradise upon his estate, and generally terminates his busy life in the honourable distinction of being a countrygentleman,

Nothing so effectually elucidates a point as comparison; I shall therefore frequently, in the course of this work, compare London with Paris; not, however, without being aware that my task is invidious. All persons have their prejudices, and these are sometimes too powerful to be conquered either by reflection or observation. General views often depend on particular optics, and prepossessions, national or political, cannot be expected to be without their influence. Though both might intend the greatest impartiality, it would be difficult to find an Engdishman and a Frenchman of the same opinion. Each will suppose and contend that the metropolis of his own country surpasses all others; though while some points of resem blance may exist, they are in their general character and appearance wholly opposite.

Every traveller will say without hesitation, that London affords less enjwent to a stranger than any fother metropolis in Europes In this particular it certainly yiel is the palm To Paris; for without connections a man can do nothing in England; whereas, at Paris, while we pursue pleasure, pleasure still follows at cur Heels. And yet I doubt whether an Englishman would candidly ad mit the fact. Hence modern French

writers affirm, and with truth, that of all the European capitals, London is the most dull and gloomy. To the superficial observer, I admit, it may appear so; but let a man domesticate in London, and form a free and extensive acquaintance with the inhabitants, and he will assuredly form a different opinion. To such a one every object will insensibly change its form. What at first appeared trivial will assume consequence; and he will perceive those peculiar features which characterise a great and free people. He will forget the deficiency of external ornaments so evident in all places of public amusement; he will cease to dwell on the importance of splendour and variety; while he contemplates with silent admiration the su perior excellences of the prevailing constitution and system of laws.

All who have had an opportunity of viewing these two large cities, must admit that Paris surpasses London in the number and beauty of its palaces. The latter cannot show any public building that will admit of comparison with the Thuilleries, the Louvre, the Palais Royal, the palace of Luxemburg, the former dwellings of the prince of Condé, of the minister at war, the minister of marine, and many others which are the unrivalled boast of Paris; nor do I know a single private building in London, which vies with any of those numerous hotels that formerly manifested the existence of a French nobility.

In Paris every thing reminds us of its having been the residence of a splendid court, where the nobles rivalled each other in luxury and magnificence; but in London there are no traces of this kind. Indeed, a stranger may live here some time before he discerns the presence of a court at all, which only manifests its grandeur on particular occasions: and though much expensive

fusion decorates the interior of the houses inhabited by the higher classes of society, yet the outside of them inspires no ideas of exalted rank; and the building which exclusively claims the name of palace, and is the residence of England's kings, has an appearance perfectly miserable; !

From the Pont Neuf, at Paris, the eye wanders over an immense per spective, in which the magnificent quays show an extended line of su perb edifices; but the Thames affords no such objects; it exhibits no magni ficence but its own, which, however, certainly surpasses that of any other river in the world. On the other hand, the streets of Paris are narrow, unpaved, and, consequently, filthy in the extreme; and besides this so crooked, that we can have no perfect view along any of them; but those of London are extremely grand and spacious, excellently paved, and, in general, regula

The Place des Victoires, and the Place des Vendome, are finely and regularly built, but are by no means lively. London has upwards of twenty squares on the more extensive scale, independently of others. The houses in these, perhaps, are not very large, or remarkable for their architecture; but who in his senises would exchange the cheerful impressions arising from the extreme neatness of these buildings, and the green lawns which they surround, for the vacant splendour of solitary palaces?

A traveller, unaccustomed to any large city, will be surprised on entering Paris, at the population which it exhibits, but that surprise will be raised into wonder if he afterwards visits London, where he will encoun ter three times the number of passengers in every street. This difference is easily accounted for. In the first place, London is in itself

more populous than Paris; the returns of the latter, according to the most recent calculations, giving oily 547,756 souls, whereas, agreeably to the records laid before the house of commons, in 1802, London is stated to contain 804,85, inhabit ants. I have been assured too by friend conversant with the subject, that this statement was entirely in dependent of the perpetual influx of foreigners and strangers from all parts of the united kingdom, as well as of the numerous soldiers and sailors on service here: so that London may be taken to contain nearly half a million of inhabitants more than Paris. But there are still more powerful reasons. London is avowedly the first commercial city in the world; and consequently the ac tivity and industry of its inhabitants give new life and diversity to every busy scene. It contains by far a greater number of opulent idlers than Paris; and the number of travellers here exceeds that in any part of Europe. The latter fact is proved by the receipts of the London turnpikes, from which it appears that upwards of ten thousand persons daily pay toll at the several gates.-These causes together account for the superior populousness. of the streets here; and it is no less true, that London, so vast in its compass, and so thronged as it is in all its avenues, appears scarcely large enough for the accommodation of its inhabitants.

The illuminations of Paris and London are unquestionably the most. magnificent spectacles in Europe," but they differ both in their nature and their effect.

Paris on such an occasion presents a coup d'œil calculated to lull the senses into a state of enchantment. The magnificent arcades of the nu merous palaces which decorate the banks of the river appear like fairy

eastles; the effulgence of whose appearance is reflected with almost inconceivable effect on the placid bosom of the stream.

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The boats floating on the Seine resemble meteors issuing from the water: while groupes of small craft, decorated with variegated lamps, form a moving picture of surprising splendour. Every distant object contributes to heighten the magnifi, tence of the whole, till the mind, catches the delusion of the eye, and each faculty participates the dominion of fancy.

If we follow the crowd from the quays to the Thuilleries, we shall behold a blazing wood, from the glare of which the dazzled eye cannot fail to shrink. In the Elysian' Fields, which are contiguous to the palace, temples and pyramids bril fiantly illuminated rise to the view. in every direction; while music mingles with the plaudits of the spectators, and heightens the impression of the scene.

position, London exhibits in every quarter. Each bye-street claims its share in the public rejoicing, and we wander about the town ull we are lost in the contemplation of an object that appears without end.

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But here the effect ends. stranger now perceives the whole to be a show prepared by government to amuse the people; and all other parts of the city are enveloped in their usual darkness.

In London an illumination is a token of public rejoicing, voluntarily evinced by the people themselves. It is general, because every individual is interested, and every individual cordially contributes to its splendour. The public buildings on this occasion cannot make much parade, as they do not, with the exception of the Bank, present any considerable façade for the purpose, and are otherwise disadvantageously situated: but the private houses are superbly and fancifully decorated with lamps; so that in a long handsome street the brilliancy is uninterrupted, and inexpressibly grand. In a word, what Paris displays from one particular

The inequality of the buildings, and the circumstance of every occu pier following his own fancy, prevent any regular plan of illumination; but this perpetual variety serves only to improve the scene. The eye might :: otherwise be fatigued with, sameness; but now fancy and caprice create fresh objects of admiration at every step we take......

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(Continued from p. 261.)

ONE day as Matilda was sitting at a window ruminating over her unfortunate destiny, she perceive ed a lady on horseback, richly caparisoned, accompanied by two gen tlemen and a numerous retinue, approach the outer gate, What were her sensations may be easily conceived, on discovering the lady to be her sister, one of the gentlemen her husband, and the other her father. For a moment she forgot all her sor rows; but she recollected there was yet a dear object she must inquire after, her favourite brother, and yes greater favourite whom she durst not

mention. To her most anxious ques tions concerning her brother, why he behaved so unkind as never to write to her, even if he could not see her, were returned the most eva sive answers. Indeed the pertur bation of an accusing conscience scarcely permitted the old man to

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