which, we immediately entered the
town of St. Germains, distant from Paris about twelve miles, which is a
large and populous place, and in former periods, during the royal
residence, was rich and flourishing, but having participated in the
blessings of the revolution, presents an appearance of considerable
poverty, and squalid decay. Here we changed horses for the last post,
and ran down a fine, broad paved, royal road through rows of stately
elms, upon an inclined plane, until the distant, and wide, but clear
display of majestic domes, awful towers, and lofty spires, informed us
that we approached the capital. I could not help comparing them with
their cloud-capped brethren of London, over whose dim-discovered heads,
a floating mass of unhealthy smoke, for ever suspends its heavy length
of gloom. Our carriage stopped at the Norman Barrier, which is the grand
entrance to Paris, and here presents a magnificent prospect to the eye.
The barrier is formed of two very large, and noble military stone
lodges, having porticoes, on all sides, supported by massy doric
pillars. These buildings were given to the nation, by the national
assembly in the year 1792, and are separated from each other, by a range
of iron gates, adorned with republican emblems. Upon a gentle declivity;
through quadruple rows of elms, at the distance of a mile and a half,
the gigantic statues of la Place de la Concorde (ci-devant, de la
Revolution) appear; beyond which, the gardens, and the palace of the
Thuilleries, upon the centre tower of which, the tricoloured flag was
waving, form the back scene of this splendid spectacle. Before we
entered la Place de la Concorde, we passed on each side of us, the
beautiful, and favourite walks of the parisians, called les Champs
Elysees, and afterwards, on our left, the elegant palace of the
Garde-meuble; where we entered the streets of Paris, and soon afterwards
alighted at the bureau of the diligences; from which place, I took a
fiacre (a hackney coach) and about six o'clock in the evening presented
myself to the _mistress_ of the hotel de Rouen, for the women of France
generally transact all the masculine duties of the house. To this hotel
I was recommended by Messrs. G----, upon mentioning whose name, I was
very politely shown up to a suite of pleasant apartments, consisting of
an antiroom, bedroom, and dressing-room, the two latter were charmingly
situated, the windows of which, looked out upon an agreeable garde