mysterious "Open Sesame" in the
Arabian nights, you have only to say, "Je suis Anglais" and you go in
and out at pleasure. I have seen Frenchmen begging in vain with ladies
and officers of the party and turned away because they had happened on
the wrong day or hour, and then we, without solicitation, have been
desired to walk in. But all these museums and living animals, curious
and interesting as they are, are surpassed by the still greater
liberality shewn in the daily lectures given by the members of the
Institute or Professors of the several sciences. I have attended
Haiiy,[47] Dumeril,[48] l'Ettorel, du Mare, and others upon Mineralogy,
Nat. Hist., and Entomology, and Haiiy, you know, is the first
mineralogist in Europe, and I never looked upon a more interesting
being. When he entered the lecture room, every one rose out of respect,
and well they might. He is 80 years of age apparently, with a most
heavenly patriarchal countenance and silver hair; his teeth are gone, so
that I could not understand a word he said, though, indeed, had he been
possessed of all the teeth in Christendom I apprehend I should not have
been much wiser, as he lectured on the angular forms of the Amphiboles.
He looked like a man picked out of a crystal, and when he dies he ought
to be reincarnated and placed in his own museum.

Another Scene to which I found my way was equally interesting: I went to
a lecture on Iconographic drawing, or Science, as it was called, of
representing natural subjects. In other words, when I got there I found
it was a professorship of drawing, everything connected with Nat. Hist.,
such as flowers, animals, insects; and the Professor lectures one day
and practically instructs on another. I happened to be present at one
of the latter. Conceive my surprise at finding myself in a large library
filled with tables, drawing books, ladies and gentlemen all sketching
either from nature or excellent copies here. As it was not a public day
except to those who wished to attend for instruction, I ought not with
propriety to have intruded, but "J'etais Anglois" and every attention
was paid. You would have given a little finger to have seen the room; it
was a hot summer's day, but there all was cool and fragrant; the windows
opened on the gardens, the tables were covered with groupes of flowers
in vases; the company, about 40, were seated up and down where ever they
chose, each with a nice desk and drawing board--in short, it wa