FRANCE-POPULATION, CHARACTER, MANNERS, etc. xix lotine. The only exceptions to this are in the case of parricide and high treason, when the right hand is first cut off. The trial by jury has been for some time established in France, Robbery, burglary, murder, and other great crimes, are infinitely less frequent than in England.

The police of France is excellent, and is powerfully assisted by the royal gendarmerie, a corps of nearly eighteen thousand horse-soldiers, (resembling our life-guards in their equipments), divided into twenty-eight legions, stationed, by small brigades, all over the country, and destined to watch more particularly over the safety of the high roads. The expense of conducting the whole police of the empire is not more than 400,000l. per annum.

Population, Character, Manners, etc. The po pulation of old France (or France within its present limits) was, in 1818, 29,327,388. The French are a lively, amiable, and brave nation; but are accused of being vain-glorious, inconstant, and volatile. In addition to the various calumnies and misrepresentations of modern writers, they are also taxed with insincerity in their affairs of minor services; but their wish to oblige strangers, whom they consider as visitors, is really unfeigned. Of ten have we experienced their unsolicited acts of kindness in the course of our travels. They can never be sufficiently praised for their indiscrimi nate, their natural, their totally disinterested and spontaneous benevolence..

In speaking of character and manners, we must first advert to that sex which every where bears the preponderating sway. The characteristic feature of their beauty is expression. Besides the ease of her manners, a French woman has commonly a Book of cheerfulness and great vivacity. The women, in the middle ranks of life, are active and industrious wives, and tender mothers. The manners

of those in polished society are playful, sprightly, enchanting For gaiety, accomplishments, and grace, French women are inferior to none. There is perhaps no country in the world (observes Lady Morgan, in her "France") where the social position of woman is so delectable as in France. The darling child of society, indulged, not spoiled, presiding over its pleasures, preserving its refinements, taking nothing from its strength, adding much to its brilliancy, permitted the full exercise of all her faculties, retaining the full endowment of all her graces, she pursues the golden round of her honoured existence, limited only in her course by her feebleness and her taste, by her want of power and absence of inclination to overstep the modesty of nature," or to infringe upon privileges exclusively the attribute of the stronger sex. The conversation of a Frenchman has a variety and playfulness which delights and fascinates; their common chit-chat is of a superior order, as far as amusement goes. However shallowly they may think upon a subject, they never fail to express themselves well. This is the case with both sexes; and this observation not only applies to the higher classes, but extends to the whole body of the people.

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The lower classes behave to each other with a surprising degree of civility. It is well remarked by Mr. Scott, that "the advantages of what is called a common education are universally dif fused, and a taste for reading, for accomplishments, for all the embellishments of existence, is a general characteristic. The peasants have it, and in almost as high a degree as the most cultivated persons. The poorer orders are polished far beyond the corresponding classes of the English, and the effect of their behaviour is extremely pleasing. One is chiefly surprised by the propriety of their

mode of speaking; the ceremonies of courtesy, and the idiomatic phrases of politeness, proceeding from milk-women and carmen to each other, rather amaze an Englishman. The lowest persons touch their hats to each other in the streets." Po liteness and good manners indeed may be traced, though in different proportions, through every rank. Brutal battles, quarrels, and noisy drunken frolics, are disturbances seldom to be met with in France. The unhappy females who roam the streets at night, are neither obtrusive, rude, nor riotous. At the theatres the tranquillity of the audience is seldom interrupted; people go for the wise purpose of being pleased, and with the goodhumoured disposition to be satisfied. These places of amusement are doubtless much indebted for their tranquillity to the national sobriety of the French.

The passion for dancing is universal; not a village in France but has its rural ball upon a Sunday evening; and here may be witnessed scenes which portray, in lively colours, the innocent gaiety and good-natured mirth of the country people in France, and forcibly call to our recollection the well-known descriptions of Goldsmith.

The scrupulous honesty of the lower and middling classes in restoring any lost property to its owner, is worthy of particular remark. The pos tillions, coachmen, servants, etc. etc. may generally be trusted with confidence. Many a traveller will bear testimony to this. The tradesmen also, though they ask more than they mean to take for their goods, would cheerfully and unasked restore to you your purse, unbrella, cane, or any thing that you might have left in his shop by accident, and this if not reclaimed for a considerable time. As off Mode of living, etc. Animal food is cheap, be cause the consumption is very limited. In France,

but more particularly in the south, not one-sixth of the butcher's meat is consumed by each man or woman which would be requisite in England. Bread, wine, fruit, garlic, onions, and oil, with occasionally a small portion of animal food, form the diet of the lower orders; and among the higher ranks the method of cooking makes a little meat go a great way. The immense joints of beef and mutton to which we are accustomed in England, were long the wonder of the French, but latterly they have begun to introduce (among what they hu mourously term plats de resistance) these formi dable dishes.

In every part of France women employ themselves in offices which are deemed with us unsuit able to the sex. Here there is no sexual distinction of employment: the women undertake any task they are able to perform, without much notion of fitness or unfitness. This applies to all classes. The lady of one of the principal clothiers at Lous viers conducted us over the works, gave us pat terns of the best cloths, ordered the machinery to be set in motion for our gratification, and was evi dently in the habit of attending to the whole de tail of the business. Just so, near Rouen, the wife of the largest farmer in that quarter conducted me to the barns and stables; shewed me the various implements, and explained their use; took me into the fields, and described the mode of husbandry, which she perfectly understood; expatiated on the excellence of their fallows; pointed out the best sheep in the flock, and gave me a detail of their management in buying the wether lambs, and fattening their wethers. This was on a farm of about 400 acres. In every shop and warehouse you see similar activity in the females. At the royal por celain manufactory at Sevres, a woman was called to receive payment for the articles we purchased.

In the Halle au Bled at Paris, women, in their little counting-houses, are performing the office of factors, in the sale of grain and flour. In every department they occupy an important station, from one extremity of the country to the other.

Plan of a Tour in France, Expense of Travelling, etc. The first object of an English traveller is PARIS, and whether he have or have not visited that capital before, he will first bend his steps thither, as the central point whence he may make excursions into the other parts of France. Arrived at Paris, the usual tour, and that which promises the highest degree of gratification, is towards the south; returning, by the western departments, to the capital, and embracing every object of importance in this fine country. This journey may be performed in about three months, for an expence of about rool. This calculation supposes the traveller to go by the diligence, dine at the table d'hôte, and regulate his expenses on an economical scale; and does not, of course, include any purchases. The best months are August, September, and October. Should the tourist, however, have more time and money at his disposal, we should most particularly recommend him to extend his excursion to Auvergne, as the exquisite beauties of that charming country will amply repay him for the additional expense.

Mr. Birkbeck, who went from London to Paris, by way of Rouen, in July 1814, and afterwards visited Lyons, Avignon, Nismes, Montpellier, Perpignan, and the Pyrenees; thence to Toulouse and Montauban, and returned by Clermont and Montargis to Paris, and thence by Amiens to Calais and London, states his expenses at 70l. each person. The party consisted of two grown persons and a youth of fifteen, and they were absent from England nearly three months. They also made several