please the foreign eye, and that is the dingy colour of our bricks,
which certainly has not so light an appearance as stone, of which the
houses on the Continent are generally built. The irremediable defect in
Paris is certainly the narrowness of the streets, although every
opportunity is turned to advantage by the government when houses are
taken down to compel the proprietors to rebuild them in such a manner as
to afford a yard more width to the public, whilst those streets that are
at present constructing are on a magnificent plan. The great beauty of
Paris consists in its public monuments, which certainly are not only
very numerous, but some upon the grandest scale, independent of those
which are generally conspicuous in a city; the Barriers and Fountains
form a considerable feature in Paris amongst its ornaments.

The Parisians generally are a remarkably persevering and industrious
people, amongst the trading classes, particularly the women, who often
take as ostensible a part in business as their husbands; except that it
is an establishment upon a very large scale, the wife is usually the
cashier, and you will find her as stationary at the counter almost as
the counter itself. The idea that exists in England with respect to
married women in France is quite erroneous, for more domestic and stay
at home is impossible to be, that is amongst the middle classes; the
same remark applies to the lower orders. As to the higher classes they
never can be cited as forming a characteristic in any country; receiving
a highly finished education, they are all brought to the same degree of
polish, and the primitive features are entirely effaced. Good nature is
a very conspicuous trait in the French character, and that is
continually displayed towards any foreigner; ask your way in the street
in a polite manner, and generally the persons become interested in your
finding the place you want, and if they do not know themselves, they
will go into a shop and enquire for you, and not feel easy until they
have ascertained it for you, but it depends much upon the manner in
which you address them. A Doctor Smith related to me a circumstance
which proves how different is the effect of a courteous and an
uncourteous mode of speaking to a Frenchman; the Doctor had with him a
friend who was a regular John Bull, and they wishing to know their way
to some place, the latter stepped up to a butcher who was standing at
his door and asked him in a v