Paris as well as London, but modified by the French character, and transformed into self-love. Pride, in its pure state, appertains to the solitary man, who is not obliged to make any sacrifice; but he, who lives much with his equals, is forced to dissimulate and conceal his pride under the softer and more varied forms of vanity. The passions are, in general, more sudden and determined among the English; more active and refined among the French. The pride of the former makes him wish to crush every thing at once by force; the self-love of the other slowly undermines what it wishes to destroy. In England a man is hated for a vice, or an offence, but in France such a motive is not necessary; for the advantages of person or of fortune, success in life, or even a bon mot will be sufficient. This animosity, which arises from a thousand disgraceful causes, is not less implacable than the enmity founded on more noble motives. There are no passions so dangerous as those, which are of base origin; for they are conscious of their own baseness, and are thereby rendered furious. They endeavour to conceal it under crimes, and to impart, from its effects, a sort of apalling grandeur, which is wanting from principle. This the French revolution sufficiently proved.

Education begins early in England. Girls are sent to school during the tenderest years. You sometimes see groups of these little ones, dressed in white mantles, straw-hats tied under the chin with a ribband, and a basket on the arm which contains fruit and a book, all with downcast eyes, blushing if looked at. When I have observed our Frencl: female children dressed in their antiquated fashion, lifting up the train of their gowns, looking at every one with effrontery, singing love-sick airs, and taking lessons in declamation, I have thought with regret of the simplicity and modesty of the little English girls. A child without innocence is a flower without perfume.

The boys also pass their earliest years at school, where they learn Greek and Latin. Those who are destined for the church, or a political career, go to the universities of Cambridge and Oxford. The first is particularly devoted to mathematics, in memory of Newton; but the English, generally speaking, do not hold this study in high estimation; for they think it very dangerous to good morals when carried too far. They are of opinion that the sciences harden the heart, deprive life of its enchantments, and lead weak minds to atheism, the sure road to all other crimes. On the contrary, they maintain that the belles lettres render life delightful, soften the soul, fill us, with faith in the Divinity, and thus conduce, through the medium of religion, to the practice of all the virtues.* When an Englishman attains manhood, agriculture, commerce, the army and navy, religion and politics, are the pursuits of life open to him. If he chuses to be what they call a gentleman farmer, he sells his corn, makes agricultural experiments, hunts foxes and shoots partridges in autumn, eats fat geese at Christmas, sings "Oh the roast beef of old England," grumbles about the present times, and boasts of the past which he thought no better at the moment, above all, inveighs against the minister and the war for raising the price of port-wine, and finally goes inebriated to bed, intending to lead the same life on the following day.

The army, though so brilliant during the reign of Queen Anne, had fallen into a state of disrepute, from which the present war has raised it. The English were a long time before they thought of turning their principal attention to their naval force. They were ambitious of distinguishing themselves as a continental power. It was a remnant of ancient opinions, which held the pursuits of commerce in contempt. The English have,

* Gibbon.

like ourselves, always had a species of physiognomy, by which they might be distinguished. Indeed, these two nations are the only ones in Europe, which properly de- serve the appellation. If we had our Charlemagne, they had their Alfred. Their archers shared the renown of the Gallic infantry; their Black Prince rivalled our Duguesclin, and their Marlborough our Turenne. Their revolutions and ours keep pace with each other. We can boast of the same glory; but we must deplore the same crimes and the same misfortunes,

· Since England is become a maritime power, she has displayed her peculiar genius in this new career. Her navy is distinguished from all others in the world by a discipline the most singular. The English sailor is an absolute slave, who is sent on board a vessel by force, and obliged to serve in spite of himself. The man, who was so independent while a labourer, appears to lose all the rights of freedom from the moment that he becomes a mariner. His superiors oppress him by a yoke the most galling and humiliating. Whence arises it that men of so lofty a disposition should submit to such tyrannical ill-usage? It is one of the miracles of a free government. In England the name of the law is almighty. When the law has spoken, resistance is at an end.

I do not believe that we should be able, or indeed that we ought to introduce the English system into our navy. The French Seaman, who is frank, generous, and spirited, wishes to approach his commander, whom he regards still more as his comrade than his captain. Moreover, a state of such absolute servitude, as that of the English

The reader will bear in mind, while contemplating this overcharged picture of our gallant navy, that the artist, by whom it is painted, is naturalized in France, though not born there.EDITOR.

sailor, can only emanate from civil authority; hence it is to be feared that it would be despised by the French; for unfortunately the latter rather obeys the man than the law, and his wishes are more private than public ones.

Our naval officers have hitherto been better instructed than those of England. The latter merely knew their manœuvres, while ours were mathematicians, and men of science in every respect. Our true character has, in general, been displayed in our navy, where we have appeared as warriors, and as men improved by study. As soon as we have vessels, we shall regain our birthright on the ocean, as well as upon land. We shall also be able to make further astronomical observations, and voyages round the world; but as to our becoming a complete commercial nation, I believe we may renounce the idea at once. We do every thing by genius and inspiration; but we seldom follow up our projects. A great financier, or a great man as to commercial enterprize may appear among us; but will his son pursue the same career? Will he not think of enjoying the fortune bequeathed by his father, instead of augmenting it? With such a disposition, no nation can become a mercantile one. Commerce has always had among us an indescribable something of the poetic and fabulous in it, similar to the rest of our manners. Our manufactures have been created by enchantment; they acquired a great degree of celebrity, but they are now at an end. While Rome was prudent, she contented herself with the Muses and Jupiter, leaving Neptune to Carthage. This God had, after all, only the second empire, and Jupiter hurled his thunders on the ocean as well as elsewhere.

The English clergy are learned, hospitable, and ge nerous. They love their country, and exert their powerful services in support of the laws. In spite of religi ous differences, they received the French emigrant clergy

with truly christian charity. The university of Oxford printed, at its expense, and distributed gratis to our poor priests, a new Latin Testament, according to the Roman version, with these words: "For the use of the Catholic clergy exiled on account of their religion." Nothing could be more delicate or affecting. It was doubtless a beautiful spectacle for philosophy to witness, at the close of the eighteenth century, the hospitality of the English clergy towards the Catholic priests; nay, further, to see them allow the public exercise of this religion, and even establish some communities. Strange vicissitude of human opinions and affairs! The cry of "The Pope, the Pope!" caused the revolution during the reign of Charles the First; and James the Second lost his crown for protecting the Catholic religion.

They, who take fright at the very name of this faith, know but very little of the human mind. They consider it such as it was in the days of fanaticism and barbarity; without reflecting that, like every other institution, it assumes the character of the ages, through which it passes.

F

The English clergy are, however, not without faults. They are too negligent with regard to their duties, and too fond of pleasure; they give too many balls, and mix too much in the gaieties of life. Nothing is more revolting to a stranger than to see a young minister of religion awkwardly leading a pretty woman down an English country-dance. A priest should be entirely a divine; and virtue should reign around him. He should retire into the mysterious recesses of the temple, appearing but seldom among mankind, and then only for the purpose of relieving the unhappy. It is by such conduct that the French clergy obtain our respect and confidence; where as they would soon lose both the one and the other, if we saw them seated at our sides on festive occasions and fami