teurs, choosing unknown dishes out of five
closely-printed columns of _fricandeaus_ and _a la financieres_.

Before I proceed let me inform you of some simple matters of fact which
I may forget if delayed. Such as that we found the Sothebys and Murrays,
and Leghs of High Legh, and Wilbraham of Delamere Lodge. With the former
we have made several joint excursions and contrived to meet at dinner.
Mr. Sotheby is in his element, bustles everywhere, looks the vignette of
happiness, exclaims "Good!" upon all occasions, from the arrangement of
the Skulls in the Catacombs to the dressing of a _vol au vent_. In
short, they are all as delighted as myself, and that is saying a good
deal.

Pardon this digression. Again to the point--to Paris. Where shall I
begin? Let us take the theatres. We saw Talma last night, and the
impression is strong, therefore he shall appear first on the list.

The play was "Manlius," a tragedy in many respects like our "Venice
Preserved." The House was crowded to excess, especially the pit, which,
as in England, is the focus of criticisms and vent for public opinion.

When a Tragedy is acted no Music whatever is allowed, not a fiddle
prefaced the performance; but at seven o'clock the curtain slowly rose,
and amidst the thunder of applause, succeeded by a breathless silence,
Talma stepped forth in the Roman toga of Manlius. His figure is bad,
short, and rather clumsy, his countenance deficient in dignity and
natural expression, but with all these deductions he shines like a
meteor when compared with Kemble. He is body and soul, finger and thumb,
head and foot, involved in his character; and so, say you, is Miss
O'Neil, but Talma and Miss O'Neil are different and distant as the
poles. She is nature, he is art, but it is the perfection of art, and so
splendid a specimen well deserves the approbation he so profusely
receives.

The curtain is not let down between the acts, and the interval does not
exceed two or three minutes, so that your attention is never
interrupted. The scene closed as it commenced--with that peculiar hurra
of the French, expressive of their highest excitement. It is the same
with which they make their charge in battle, and proportioned to numbers
it could not have been more vehement at the victories of Austerlitz and
Jena than it was on the reappearance of Talma; and not satisfied with
this, they insisted on his coming forth again. At length, amidst hurras
and cries of "Talma! Talm