faith are so well suited to
support, it is fitting that there should be some occasions on which the
distinctions of the world should be forgotten; some moments in which the
rich as well as the poor should be humbled before a greater power--in
which they should be reminded of the common faith in which they have
been baptized, of the common duties to which they are called, and the
common hopes which they have been permitted to form.

We had the good fortune to see high mass performed in Notre Dame, with
all the pomp of the Catholic service, for the souls of Louis XVI. Marie
Antoinette, and the Dauphin, on May 16, 1814, soon after the King's
arrival in Paris. The Cathedral was hung with black in every part; the
brilliancy of day wholly excluded, and it was lighted only by double
rows of wax tapers, which burned round the coffins, placed in the centre
of the choir. It was crowded to excess in every part; all the Marshals,
Peers, and dignitaries of France, were stationed with the Royal Family
near the centre of the Cathedral, and all the principal officers of the
allied armies attended at the celebration of the service. The King was
present, though without being perceived by the vast assembly by whom he
was surrounded; and the Duchess d'Angouleme exhibited, in this
melancholy duty, that mixture of firmness and sensibility by which her
character has always been distinguished.

It was said, that there were several persons present at this solemn
service who had voted for the death of the King; and many of those
assembled must doubtless have been conscious that they had been
instrumental in the death of those for whose souls this solemn service
was now performing. The greater part, however, of those whom we had an
opportunity of observing, exhibited the symptoms of genuine sorrow, and
seemed to participate in the solemnity with unfeigned devotion. The
Catholic worship was here displayed in its utmost splendour; all the
highest prelates of France were assembled to give dignity to the
spectacle; and all that art could devise was exhausted to render the
scene impressive in the eyes of the people. To us, however, who had been
habituated to the simplicity of the English form, the variety of
unmeaning ceremony, the endless gestures and unceasing bows of the
clergy who officiated, destroyed the impression which the solemnity of
the service would otherwise have produced. But though the service itself
appeared ridiculous, the effect of