in Paris; such as Passy, Belleville, etc. The extreme height of the
houses would induce a belief, that a more, dense mass of people
inhabited the same space of ground than could be the case in London; but
to counterbalance that circumstance, it must be taken into consideration
that there are such an immense number of large gardens and court-yards
in Paris, which occupy a great extent of ground. I have often been
surprised to find, that in nasty dirty narrow streets, the back windows
of the houses looked over extensive gardens, with lofty trees; these are
oftener to be found in the old parts of Paris than in the modern
quarters. A much greater proportion of the population consists of
foreigners, than is the case in London, consequently it is more moving
and changeable. It is the great post town for almost all Europeans who
visit England, and hundreds of thousands come to Paris, who never think
of going to London, deterred by an exaggerated idea of the expense;
hence it will be found that very few persons from the Continent visit
London who have not already been to Paris, although, now that steam
conveyance affords such facilities of accommodation between London and
many of the large cities in Europe, the case is somewhat altered. But
Paris has been long regarded as the Museum of the Continent, and few men
possessing good fortunes from civilised countries, if gifted with
enquiring minds, consider their education complete if they have not
sojourned some time at Paris, which has for time immemorial had the
reputation of being the seat of the polite arts. Nearly a third of the
houses in Paris are designated hotels, many of which do not provide
meals but merely furnished lodgings, and most of their inmates are
foreigners, others, persons from the provinces, consequently at least
one quarter of the population of Paris is constantly changing. But
perhaps no city is anywhere to be found where a stranger can sooner
accommodate himself in every respect, as the customs are such that a
person may live as he likes, go where he likes, and do as he likes,
provided he do no harm. In London, if a lady and gentleman from the
country arrive for the purpose of passing a day, and have no
acquaintances, there are no houses as in Paris where one can take a
wife, sister, or daughter to breakfast or dine, without being subject to
remark, unless indeed you can draw up to the door of a hotel with an
equipage; then certainly every attention and accom