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houfe claims-This, I believe, is moderate,especially as I was affured that a large cafe of English knives and forks would be liable to forfeiture, if the custom-house officers were rigorous-In this and other points, I think I can perceive fymptoms of conciliating meafures with. France. The quaintnefs of Sterne's wit (which has many admirers) ftruck me forcibly when I again converfed with the Capuchin-This inn is not only magnificent, but commodious, and remarkably well served

It well merits the encomiums bestowed on it by travellers-Mr. Deffein appears to me a fenfible, confiderate, unaffected man-He is very attentive and ferviceable to travellers who defire to converse with him, and I think, wifely, leaves travellers who exprefs no fuch defire, to their, own discretion-I thought myself rich obliged to him for his kind service, and good advice in feveral particulars-He aided me to fettle with the custom-house-He gave me French money for my English guineas, at the best rate of exchange-He advised me to keep my English crowns and half crowns, as they have a profitable currency in all parts of France -He explained to me, that by the king's ordinance, if I kept the pole of my carriage, I muft employ four horfes; but that by quitting it, three would ferve, which proved a confiderable faving in the course of my long journeys through France.

On the 10th, I fet out for Paris, and proceeded no farther that day, than to the poft houfe at BoulogneI had good entertainment, below the common rates in England-Five livres for two bottles of very good Burgundy-Four livres for dinner to two perfons, and three for my lodgings-Here fome British gentlemen, by recommendation from friends at Landon, waited on me, and offered me many civilities, which my state of health obliged me to decline-So, on the 11th I proceeded to Montreuil, and lodged at the Court of France. inn, where my entertainment was elegant, and my bill

very moderate-My fervants were on board wages, at the rate of three livres each per day.

12th September. Dined at the Tete de Beuf, at Abbeville, very well, with a bottle of good burgundy, for a reckoning of fix livres-Supped and ftaid at the poft houfe Felixcourt, and fared well, for feven livres -In feveral articles, the expence of pofting here is more moderate than in Britain-The rate per mile is lefs-We pay no tolls, no charge to waiters, hoftler, or boot-catch-The waiting maids and drivers are well contented with one livre each.

13th September. I breakfafted at the Duke de Burgogne Arms-The French people are joyous and happy in all ranks, down to the lowest poverty-They are more properly objects of our envy than pity-My ragged driver this morning enjoyed his pipe, and fung a merry fong by turns-Whilft, with fome British thoufands of income, I could not divert a fit of British melancholy. To me, every thing appeared under a gloom -The ill condition of villages I had paffed throughHalf inhabited-Houfes in dreary difrepair-Numbers of beggars, of whom the most deteftable are Capuchins-Custom-house extortions-A fine country, ill cultivated and uninclosed-Nothing like the accommodations for travelling in Britain.-N. B. I had been reading my friend Smollet's obfervations on this route.

14th September. I dined and flept at Bretuil-After dinner, I imbibed with my excellent burgundy, a portion of French spirit and good humour-I perceived that the ill condition and ruinous ftate of villages, as defcribed, was exaggerated—I confidered that it was better idle people be allowed to beg, than that the induftrious fhould be obliged to maintain them--The difgrace of begging is fome restraint on the practice, and the miferable uncertainty of its fuccefs, a ftill greater difcouragement-But legal maintenance is the reverse-It is a never-failing incitement to idleness, and difcouragement to induftry-The CaVOL. III. +

puchins are refpectful, generally modeft in their applications, and very pioufly thankful, returning prayers as value for our charity; and what better pennyworths have we from our own established clergy?The cuftom-houfe officers are on public duty-A moderate bounty contents them, and they are always politeThe farmers begin to make fome improvements in this country, and they feem to be in a good train-In the north of England and Scotland, the theory and practice of ornamental and profitable agriculture, are of a very modern date-If the accommodations for travelling in the articles of hired carriages, drivers, harness, are not yet fo good as in Britain, they are cheaper, and this advantage is alfo a modern improvement, in which, with other more important reforms, it is not improbable that they may foon éxcell us.-Moft kinds of provifions are good and plentiful in this countryCookery, to the general tafte, is fuperior; the wine better, and cheaper Good burgundy for the price of adulterated port, in the English inns.-Thefe are capital articles for honeft 'fellows who love good cheer, and defire not to join any of those multitudes who difturb this world fo often about ferious, and, for the moft part, incomprehenfible matters.

To be continued.

SIR, J

To the Editor of the Bee.

A few evenings ago, having accidentally caft my cye upon the queries of Arcturus, in the 9th number of the second volume of your useful mifcellany, concerning the great revolution of the heavens, or the Platomic year, as explained by Mr. de la Grange, of the academy of Berlin; I fell into a profound and pleafing meditation (after fupper, when I had retired to reft),

on the regularity and beauty of the universe,and on the divine energy of its creator,

Aftronomy and natural philofophy have always been my favourite studies, and I may fay, the attendants of my devotion; fo that while thefe delightful thoughts had taken full poffeffion of my imagination, I fell into a sweet sleep, that called up before me the following most enchanting delufion.

Methought I was feated on the ruins of a stately edifice, that feemed to be the remains of an ancient abbey.

The architecture exhibited a mixture of Greek, Roman, and Gothic; yet it was exceedingly pleasing and majestic.

All over the huge fragments of this magnificent building, I saw the ufurpation of nature over art, that indicated the great antiquity of its deftruction.

Oaks, elms, and yews, of an immenfe bulk, grew from the rubbish within the walls.

The shapes of the doors and windows feemed but little altered; fome of them were quite obfcured; others only partially fhaded by tufts of ivy; one circular window was edged only with its flender tendrils, and lighter foliage, wreathing about the fides and divifions of its aftragal carvings, which were radiated from the centre to the circumference.

From the crevices of the ruins, there fprung a profufion of flowers, in the wildeft, but most beautiful diforder.

The gold and purple gleam of the fetting fun fhone through the doors and windows, and the open aisles of the ftructure, beyond which there was a beautiful meadow, fprinkled with venerable trees of various hue and shape, amid the stems of which I obferved a beautiful flock of fheep, and a fhepherd reclining on the turf, playing on a flute to a fhepherdess who stood by him, leaning on her crook, in a beautiful attitude of attention to his mufic,

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From the reverberation of rocks that were beyond, a beautiful river that flowed through the meadow, echo brought to my delighted ear the mellow wooings of the fhepherd's pipe.

Beyond the river, the horizon was bounded by a mountain that feemed like the fabled mountain of Parnaffus, but rofe with three conical eminencies, whose tops were intercepted from my view by the clouds.

A gentle zephyr raised a voluptuous fragrance all around me; and during the intervals of the fhepherd's mufic, I heard the refponfive notes of the wood-lark, the thrush, and the nightingale.

An inexpreffible fenfation of pleasure thrilled through my nerves. Then there was an awful ceffation of found, and of motion, and a ftillness that gave me the prefage of an earthquake. Then the ruins feemed to shake below me, and a delightful found of vocal mufic, at a diftance, immediately fucceeded to the fhock; and I heard, as it were, the founding of the pinions of gigantic birds. Suddenly I beheld feated befide me, upon the ruins, a young woman of enchanting beauty, who, before I could recover from my aftonishment, laid her hands upon my mouth, and upon my eyes, and breathed upon me, when I perceived her to be an inhabitant of the celeftial regions, yet I was not afraid.

She looked upon me with divine complacency.

Her features were overfpread with all the wellknown marks of human intelligence, but lighted up, and exalted to a degree, that filled me with the most pleasing awe and aftonishment.

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My fon, said fhe, (with a tone, accent, and expreffion, that is ftill upon my foul), I have been with thee from the beginning of your exiftence, though unseen ; I have been the anxious fpectator of your warfare with the paffions and prejudices of this ftormy life; and I congratulate you on the profpect of a sweetlyfetting fun, after the fuccefsful bufinefs of the day.

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