dance at dinner, and with all the english and foreign newspapers. I
always dined here when I was not engaged. After parting from Madame
H----, who intended returning to town the next day, I went to see the
consular guard relieved at the Thuilleries. About five companies of this
distinguished regiment assemble in the gardens, exactly at five minutes
before twelve o'clock, and, preceded by their fine band of music, march
through the hall of the palace, and form the line in the grand court
yard before it, where they are joined by a squadron of horse. Their
uniform is blue, with broad white facings.

The consular guard were in a little disgrace, and were not permitted to
do the entire duty of the palace at this time, nor during several
succeeding days, as a mark of the first consul's displeasure, which had
been excited by some unguarded expression of the common men, respecting
his conduct, and which, to the jealous ear of a new created and untried
authority, sounded like the tone of disaffection. Only the cavalry were
allowed to mount guard, the infantry were, provisionally, superseded by
a detachment from a fine regiment of hussars. On account of the
shortness of this parade, which is always dismissed precisely at ten
minutes past twelve o'clock, it is not much attended. The band is very
fine, they had a turkish military instrument, which I never heard
before, and was used instead of triangles. It was in the shape of four
canopies, like the roofs of chinese temples, one above another,
lessening as they ascended, made of thin plates of brass, and fringed
with very little brass bells, it was supported by a sliding rod which
dropped into a handle, out of which, when it was intended to be sounded,
it was suddenly jerked by the musician, and produced a good effect with
the other instruments. The tambour major is remarked for his noble
appearance, and for the proportions of his person, which is very
handsome: his full dress uniform on the grand parade is the most
splendid thing, I ever beheld. The corps of pioneers who precede the
regiment, have a singular appearance. These men are rather above six
feet high, and proportionably made, they wear fierce mustachios, and
long black beards, lofty bear skin caps, broad white leathern aprons,
which almost touch their chins, and over their shoulders carry enormous
hatchets. Their strange costume seemed to unite the dissimilar
characters of high priest, and warrior. They looked like _milit