nd
wishes to impress everyone with the same idea of its high importance,
and all his ambition is to be considered a cook of the first-rate
talent. In England it is different, one of the great objects with a
tradesman is the hope, that by making his fortune he shall be enabled to
get out of his class and take a higher walk in society. For this purpose
they bring their sons up to the liberal professions, and often retire
into the country at a distance from London, where they flatter
themselves that the circumstance of their having been in business may
not travel; their plan seldom succeeds, but has in several instances
when they have come over to France, as being rich, appearing
respectable, and their children highly educated, they have obtained the
_entree_ to French society, which has ultimately led to that of the
English. I remember one instance of a hatter marrying his five daughters
to persons of the higher classes, three to English and two to French,
who now with their father have that position in society, into which at
one period he never could have dreamed of entering; had they remained in
England, they would have had but little chance of emerging from their
original station, even with the aid of all their wealth.

Street scenes often afford amusing exhibitions of natural
characteristics; I remember one which I witnessed, which developed a
feeling truly French; two common-looking men had been disputing for some
time, when one upbraided the other with want of delicacy and not having
a nice sense of honour, but finding his reproaches made but little
impression upon the accused, at last said, "As I see you are destitute
of any mental susceptibility, I must try if you have any bodily feeling,
and thrash you as I would a dog or any other brute." So saying, he
advanced to put his threat into execution, but the assailed proving far
the strongest, soon overcame the assailant and laid him prostrate;
rising from the ground, he regarded the conqueror with a dignified air,
and said, "Yes! you have the physical force, but I have the force of
reason," and with a flourish of the head he strutted off with as
triumphant a demeanour as if he had vanquished a host of enemies.

The French are exceedingly fond of moralizing; a few days before the
Revolution occurred, whilst a man was driving me through the Place de la
Concorde, I observed a scaffolding in the middle, and asked what it was
for, and having informed me that it was for t