m, if ever, to be acquired by strangers. Never
dwelling long on any subject, and rarely entering profoundly into it,
they sparkle on the surface with great dexterity, bringing wit, gaiety,
and tact, into play.

Like summer lightning, French wit flashes frequently, brightly and
innocuously, leaving nothing disagreeable to remind one of its having
appeared. Conversation is, with the French, the aim and object of
society. All enter it prepared to take a part, and he best enacts it
who displays just enough knowledge to show that much remains behind.
Such is the tact of the Parisians, that even the ignorant conceal the
poverty of their minds, and might, to casual observers, pass as being
in no way deficient, owing to the address with which they glide in an
_a propos oui, ou non_, and an appropriate shake of the head, nod of
assent, or dissent.

The constitutional vivacity of the French depending much on their
mercurial temperaments, greatly aids them in conversation. A light and
playful sally acquires additional merit when uttered with gaiety; and
should a _bon mot_ even contain something calculated to pique any one
present, or reflect on the absent, the mode in which it is uttered
takes off from the force of the matter; whereas, on the contrary, the
more grave and sententious manner peculiar to the English adds pungency
to their satire. Our old and valued friend, Mr. J. Strangways, has
arrived at Paris, and very glad were we to see him once more. He passed
through a severe trial since last we parted; and his conduct under it
towards his poor friend, Mr. Anson, does him credit.

The two companions--one the brother of the Earl of Ilchester, and the
other of Lord Anson--were travelling in Syria together. They had passed
through Aleppo, where the plague had then appeared, and were at the
distance of several days' journey from it, congratulating themselves on
their safety, when, owing to some error on the part of those who
examined their firman, they were compelled to retrace their steps to
Aleppo, where, condemned to become the inhabitants of a lazaretto until
the imagined mistake could be corrected, they found themselves
_tete-a-tete_.

The first two or three days passed without any thing to alarm the
friends. Engaged in drawing maps for their intended route, and plans
for the future, the hours glided away even cheerfully.

But this cheerfulness was not long to continue; for Mr. Anson, having
one morning asked Mr. Strang