are also loges grillées, which are very agreeable, having a gilt grating, removable at pleasure, through which one may see all, yet be seen by none. What we call the dress boxes, they term le balcon, which, though certainly the prime place, is not the highest-priced, being without division of seats, and entirely open: behind these are the premieres loges. There is also the amphithéâtre, or hinder gallery of the Parterre, which, in their Opera House, is reserved for the ladies; a sensible distinction by preventing that much complained of interruption of sight occasioned by female feathers and head dress.

At the Theatre François I saw Talma and Mad. Duchesnois in the characters of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Earl of Leicester, in our English history. Talma's powers are universally acknowledged, though this tragedy is not the most qualified to elicit them; and Mad. Duchesnois is equally great.

Being however seated in the pit, and rather too near the stage, there were two trifling matters which operated on me to dispel the mimic illusion. I saw too clearly that the youthful, and lovely, Mary Stuart was old, and plain, and that the sage, and grey-headed, counsellor Burleigh, so conspicuous throughout, was, strange to say, in appearance not more than thirty.

Though an admirer of dramatic talent, and con

French Tragedy.

59

sidering a deep and well written tragedy, when read in the closet, as a production to elevate and purify the soul; and, when well acted on the stage, as an union of talent and ingenuity, calculated to take the deepest hold upon a sensitive mind; to rouse the nobler passions, and to awake the softer feelings, lifting us for the time out of the petty jarring conflicts for ever agitating us ;-yet, with all this, I am not often inclined to attend a French tragedy. The talents of Talma and of Mademoiselles Duchesnois, and George, are of the most brilliant and comprehensive order; but the endless declamation prevailing in the French tragedy-the strict adherence to unity of place, with other rigid laws-the usual recitative or chaunt-and, to my ears, the poverty of the language in deep-tongued, forcible, tragic, sounds, render it too often tedious and monotonous.

Yet the French are, perhaps, the most theatrical nation in Europe; a French audience the most attentive, and absorbed in the scene before them: the production of a new tragedy interests all Paris, and produces as much anxiety as the minister's budget.

Tivoli, or Vauxhall, much pleased me. On occasion of any particular fête it opens at twelve o'clock in the day, though of course the chief diversions commence in the evening. Our Vauxhall must yield to Tivoli, according to my taste; for

here are arrangements to suit every fancy. Papa and mamma may be amused, and children too. Here is tight and slack rope dancing, shooting with arrows, le jeu de la bague, or making a rapid evolution on wooden horses, or swans, &c. in a sort of circular swing, and trying your dexterity to carry off a small ring hanging on a stick, while thus whirling rapidly round. There are also plays, machines for various feats of strength, and dancing to exceedingly pleasing music, and various bands. Fire-works, very brilliant, in which one device struck me as novel and beautiful:-an immense serpent, call it a boa constrictor, in many coloured lamps and folds, pursuing and opening its fiery jaws to swallow a butterfly. Here also you have the montagnes Russes, or cars of descent. Two people placing themselves in a car at the top of a steep hill whirl down with incredible velocity, and with an impetus which alone sends them up again on the opposite side, and nearly on a level with their first fall, though naturally on a less inclined plane. I have not calculated the velocity of the descent at its highest moment, but it is such as to take off hat or bonnet, though there be little or no wind. At the Jardin Beaujon, the cars make several windings and turnings up and down, and bring you back to the original starting place; but this is effected by machinery beneath, and eight stout horses.

Then again all refreshments are exceedingly cheap; the nicest down to a glass of beer, or even only sugar and water may be called for;-andchiefly attractive, Tivoli is in parts romantically solitary and shady-

"From lamps, and show, and public glare,

To shadowy groves we lead the fair;
For murmurs fit, and sighs, I ween,
And lover's tales, and things unseen."

The Palais Royal remains to be spoken of. Originally intended as the Orleans palace, its form is that of a parallelogram; its centre contains a basin and beautiful jet d'eau, enclosed gardens, orange plants, and avenues for promenading, with regular rows of trees. The exterior front is stately, lofty, and strictly uniform, the inner promenade is through lengthened arcades extending in front, and laterally; at bottom is a double gallery, this part not being finished in a corresponding style to the others. The Palais Royal is the grand, the pre-eminent, focus of attraction. In all weathers, here you may walk with ease, and shelter; in the garden you may loll in a chair while perusing the news of the day, and there enjoy your breakfast, your ice, or your chat; or, within the arcades, walk on with the throng, though arrested at every step by the beauty and extraordinary varieties of articles ornamental, costly, fanciful, luxurious, so temptingly displayed by the attractive shops of this quarter.

In the evening, the effect is more brilliant, from the illumination of the entire building, and the crowded, eager, pleasure-hunting, throngs, each seeking the sport most suited to their respective tastes or pockets. Here too are the most luxurious Cafés, and the best Restaurateurs; and, here also, in order that nothing may be wanting, are cellars, or caveaur, beneath these lordly saloons, fitted for the humbler classes, where the same revelries, merriments, and orgies, prevail, but where the refinements are less, and graduated even to the lowest scale. The Café Montansier is preserved in its original form, a spacious theatre, with boxes, pit, and stage: here they act plays for your amusement while sipping your ice; and you have the publicity of a coffee saloon, or the retirement of a theatrical box: but I must add that the frequenters of this café are not of the most genteel species. Perhaps the circumstance of a noble palace being thus abandoned to the community, and laid out in glittering shops, theatres, cafés, &c. &c. &c. is unparalleled. No elegance of merchandise; no means of indulgence of passion, or fancy, is here wanting. It may be always entered with eagerness, and quitted perhaps with regret: almost every gratification sought may be found, and even the most indifferent may be arrested at every step by music, or some other fascination.

Here also are several of the most noted gaming