"Perhaps I should have previously mentioned," continued I," that by the system of our countrymen Bell and Lancaster, for the explanation and adoption of which we dispersed emissaries throughout Europe, the blessings of education have been almost universally diffused; and we may flatter ourselves to have done more, by this single discovery, towards the amelioration of human destiny, than has been hitherto achieved by all the philanthropists that ever existed."

"Ah, oui, sans doute!-C'est l'enseignment mutuel; mais nous autres, nous avons çela aussi; vous en verrez des écoles partout."

"Very likely, but you borrowed them all from us. Then, without minately adverting to our innumerable discoveries and improvements in mechanics, particularly in the steam-engine, by which the painful employment of human and animal muscles, as a means of power, promises to be almost superseded, and by whose superior economy the comforts and even luxuries of life are placed within the reach and enjoyment of the humblest classes, I would submit that the highest combinations of science were never blended with more practical and beneficial results than by Sir Humphrey Davy in the invention of the safety-lamp."

"A la bonne heure! Parbleu!" exclaimed my companion; "if we had had as many mines and as much bad air as you, we should have invented this long ago."

"Having noticed," said I, "one or two of the benefits we have conferred upon European society, let me not omit to mention that whatever may have been the motives for extending our empire in Asia, its result has brought sixty millions of natives under a mild and equitable system of government, that forms a striking contrast to the barbarous and ferocious dynasties of its predecessors, and is rapidly advancing the civilization of its subjects:—while in Africa we have, as far as our power extended, blessed, pacified, and humanized the whole country by the suppression of the slave-trade-a voluntary sacrifice which can only be duly appreciated by recollecting that we were the greatest Colonial power in the world. Nay, we even purchased or negotiated its abolition by other governments, though I have understood, Sir, that your countrymen have not yet entirely relinquished the traffic."

"The Emperor, on his return from Elba, pledged himself to its suppression, but as to these"-here my companion again looked suspiciously round, and observing a marchand de coco at a little distance, he shrugged up his shoulders, gave me a significant look, and took a pinch of snuff.

"It may be doubted," I resumed, "whether we have done more for the minds or bodies, for the intellectual or physical health of our contemporaries, for while we have been widely diffusing moral improvement, we have, by the introduction of vaccination, laid a basis for speedily extirpating the greatest foe to beauty and life with which humanity was ever afflicted. This discovery, too, with an indefatigable philanthropy, we gratuitously disseminated through the world, without distinction of friend or foe; and the striking diminution of mortality among children, wherever it has been practised, is the best proof of its importance."

"Pour moi, Monsieur, je vous avouerai franchement que je prefère l'inoculation. Que diable! qu'avons nous à faire avec les vaches ?"

"These," continued I, without noticing his philosophical question, "are such of the benefits, bestowed upon mankind of late years as more immediately occur to me. I might mention our literature, which, by its unexampled fertility and excellence, supplies sources of gratification to all Europe, and to France in even a greater proportion than her native founts; but your country has doubtless many claims of the kind I have been enumerating, and as they have really escaped my notice, I shall feel sincerely obliged by your enabling me to recall them."

"Parbleu! Monsieur," replied my confabulist, buttoning up his coat with an air of ruffled majesty, "Ce n'est pas la peine, car vous conviendrez," (here I expected a bouncer)" you will admit that in the greatest of all arts, that of war, we have conquered all Europe.”— "Even if this were quite accurate," said I, "so far from its affording any proof of the benefits you have conferred, I should rather adduce it as a striking evidence of the contrary; but unless we have been grievously deceived, you were somewhat discomfited in Russia."

"Ah! oui-c'est clair: mais c'etoit le froid, le climat; ou ne fait pas la guerre aux élémens.”"And if my faith is to be given

to public documents," I pursued, "you do not reckon among your victories many triumphs over the British arms. By sea you do not, probably, claim any, and I believe the result was not very dissimilar upon terra firma, from St. Jean d'Acre to Maida, and Egypt, and all through the peninsular war down to Waterloo."

"Eh, Dieu! que voulez-vous? perhaps we are not invincible; but whenever we have been beaten, it has been by superior numbers or treachery."- "It would be but fair to grant the same excuse to the adversaries of France," said I; "in which case her triumphs would reduce themselves to numerical superiority, or more extensive seduction."

"Allez, Monsieur, je vous convaincrai en deux mots que la France -mais voyez-vous, il va tomber de l'eau-excusez-j'ai l'honneur de vous saluer." So saying, he raised his venerable hat perpendicularly from his head, replaced it, made me a bow, and shuffled away at a dog-trot. The rain in fact beginning to fall, I removed to the corner of the Passage Feydeau, beside the marchand de coco aforementioned, at whose back was suspended a tin cylinder, decorated so as to resemble a little tower, from the three divisions of which, respective tubes, brought round to his front, and furnished with syphons, enabled him to draw off into a polished cup, beer, lemonade, or liquorice-water, according to the taste, or rather the want of it, in his customers. This figure, who was in conversation with a shoeblack in a cocked hat and monstrous plaited pigtail, on the subject of the new bronze figure lately set up in the Place des Victoires, occasionally broke off to bawl out, "Qu'est-ce qui désire à boire-à boire-à boire?" and then earnestly resumed his discussion upon the work of art, which was shortly interrupted by the approach of a small party apparently not long imported from the banks of the Thames. It consisted of three persons; a lady who, besides the evidence of a fair and flushed face, presented a legitimate specimen of what the French term "la tournure Hollandaise des Anglaises;" her husband, dressed in a frock coat, and those two rare articles in Paris-a pair of clean yellow gloves and a smooth,

well-brushed hat, seemingly very unhappy lest he should lose a spaniel that was following them; and a little girl of twelve or thirteen, who was devouring, with laudable diligence, a huge brioche which she had just bought. The second of these personages, addressing himself to the shoeblack and coco-merchant, exclaimed, "I say-quel est le cheming à Vivienne Street?" In answer to which they severally interjected "Comment?" and "Plait-il, Monsieur ?" looking up to him with a vacant astonishment, when I came forward and informed him that he was then at the beginning of the Rue Vivienne. A loud whistle, and the cry of "Carlo! Carlo!" were my thanks: the party, after proceeding a little way down the street, turned into a milliner's shop, and, as the rain began to increase to a smart shower, I followed them in, well knowing the courtesy of the Parisian shopkeepers upon these occasions.

Taking a chair by the door, I overheard my countryfolks at the other end proceeding to purchase a bonnet, in which treaty the young lady, on the strength of having learnt French for several years at a Chelsea boarding-school, was put forward as principal negotiator. Of the poor girl's accent I can only say that it was worthy the French, which she began as follows:-"Nous besoinons, s'il vous plait, un bonnet."-This word unfortunately signifies a cap, several of which the marchande des modes proceeded to place before them, ejaculating at the same time" Comme elle parle bien François! c'est étonnant! Mais, voyez donc Zoe, Celestine, Hippolyte, voyez comme elle a bonne mine!" and "Comme elle est gentille !" was echoed by the smiling demoiselles aforesaid. By pointing to some bonnets in the window, the young lady, whose name I found was Harriet explained the object of their visit, observing at the same time that it was excessively stupid of the woman, for of course "bonnet" must mean bonnet; and declaring that, in her opinion, the Parisians in general spoke very bad French, not at all like Mrs. Harrison at Chelsea. Carlo, meanwhile, was whisking about among the young ladies, who in various tones and attitudes of mincing terror exclaimed, "Est-il sage?" "They want to know if he is wise, Papa," said the daughter." Wise! no; what the deuce, do they take him for Munito?" Miss Harriet gave them a negative reply, when their consternation expressed itself by simultaneous exclamations of "Eh Dieu! il n'est pas sage!-va-t-en!-ôtestoi de-là !-O Ciel!" and "Méchante bête!" until a whistle from his master brought him crouching to his feet, and relieved them from their apprehensions. The young interpreter now returned a bonnet which had been pressed upon their acceptance, with the observation"Maman dit que çeçi n'est pas un bon un," and would have added that she wanted one lined with pink, but declared her ignorance of the French for "lined" and "pink;" whereat her father expressed some indignation, observing that it was a dead take-in of Mrs. Harrison to make him pay so much for French, and he always paid her bills regularly, when the child knew no more of it than the Pope of Rome. Signs-that cheap and convenient language which one may learn without Mrs. Harrison-supplied the defect, and the marchande produced a bonnet "doublé en couleur de rose," exclaiming, "Ah! celui-ci vous siéra bien," and pretending to be in raptures as she tried it on, she ejaculated, "Voyez, donc, Anastasie, Cassandre, Flavie, Hortense,

comme ça va bien à Madame;" when the demoiselles respectively interjected, "C'est gentil-c'est joli-c'est charmant-c'est distingué !" This was decisive, the bonnet was selected, the husband put his purse upon the counter, and at the same moment Carlo, rising on his hind legs, as if to overlook the settlement, deposited his front paws on two pieces of white satin, leaving upon each a large sample of the black liquid mud collected in the kennels of the Rue Vivienne.

Fresh exclamations were occasioned by this accident, and Miss Harriet was made to understand, with some difficulty, that it was necessary to take a yard of each piece. "Combien l'aune?" enquired the father, who had accomplished that extent of French. “Monsieur, cette pièce se vend à sept francs, et celle-ci à neuf," which words she pronounced, as customary, se' and neu'. "How much is that, Harriet ?" "I'm sure I don't know, Papa; she says one piece is new.""Well, well, we all know that, but how much is se'?"-"Indeed, Papa, there is no such a number in Chambaud, nor Wanos trocht's Grammar, and they've no right to invent words in that way." Papa shook his head, and began a new abuse of Mrs. Harrison; the marchunde explained the price by uplifted fingers; the former objected to taking more than half an aune; Harriet exclaimed-"Vous faut couper une demi;" and, as I was in momentary apprehension of being appealed to by one or other of the parties, which I knew would entail a colloquy for which I had no time to spare, I made my bow of thanks, and hurried out of the shop, leaving the marchande des modes, Papa, Mamma, Miss Harriet, and Carlo, to settle the dispute in the best manner they could. H.

SONNET FROM BENEDETTO DALL' UVA.
On the Siege of Cyprus, in 1571.

In cui Cipro confide, in cui più spera?
IN whom shall Cyprus hope, in whom confide,
After her wantonness and crimes abhorr'd?—
Not in her nymphs and lovers, saith the Lord,
Nor her first Goddess-falsely deified.
Behold, the day is come, when far and wide

Her cry of desolation shall be pour'd,

And led in chains before the Scythian horde
Virgins and youths move sadly, side by side.
Now let not him that buys rejoice-nor he

Who sells be sorrowful-one equal fate,
As equal was their guilt, involves them both.
In vain her walls and bulwarks to the sea
Does Famagusta rear-against her gate
And towers God's arm is stronger than the Goth.

MEMOIRS OF HAYLEY.*

IN the general rush, which, within the last twenty years has been made into the literary market, by persons of every age, rank, and condition, men, women, and children, octogenarians and infants, lords and day-labourers, all eagerly, exposing their wares to sale, the name of William Hayley, a great trader in his day, and whose credit stood exceedingly high, has been in considerable danger of being forgotten. The fashion of his goods is, indeed, that of the last century, and the public, always intent upon novelties, have of late years preferred manufactures from more modern hands. However, as Hayley was considered one of the most skilful workmen of his own times, this last specimen of his craft now before us may be regarded as a matter of interest and curiosity.

To those persons who are attached to literary biography, and more especially to literary auto-biography, these volumes will afford much amusement. Education, habit, inclination, and fortune, all conspired to render Hayley a complete author. His existence was one round of reading and writing; he breathed in an atmosphere of books. He had no hopes, no wishes, no wants beyond literary eminence and literary ease. So deeply was he imbued with the quintessence of authorship, that every thing around him was tinctured with the same spirit. That his son should have repeated Pindar at the age of five, and should have become a poet before he was six, is not to be marvelled at; but that an ancient nurse should criticize the " Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," would seem somewhat extraordinary, did we not remember that she resided under the roof of Hayley. The present Memoirs, then, are the faithful chronicle of an author's life, and as such are certainly highly curious. They contain no romantic adventures, no brilliant achievements, no wonderful accidents by land or sea, no surprising relation of political intrigues, and by some persons they may therefore be thought destitute of interest; but this is a mistake. Incidents like these would be strangely misplaced in the annals of an author. The only contest in which he engages, is "the battle of the books." His only travels are round his library. He mingles, it must be confessed, in politics, but they are those of Rome and of Athens. His biography is a history of his mind,-of his progress in his studies,-of his connexion and friendship with men of similar habits and pursuits, and of his advancement and success in literary reputation. There is surely something better, and there ought to be something more interesting in this than in the hair-breadth escapes of the soldier or the traveller. Then we are admitted in some degree to inspect the mighty mysteries of author-craft; we see the mode (to be figurative once more) in which the commodities are prepared for the literary market, and we become acquainted with the bibliopolistic art. Moreover, by our familiarity with the corporeal man, we divest ourselves of a portion of that veneration and awe with which we are apt to

Memoirs of the Life and Writings of William Hayley, Esq., the friend and biographer of Cowper, written by Himself; with extracts from his private Correspondence and unpublished Poetry; and Memoirs of his Son, Thomas Alphonso Hayley, the Young Sculptor. Edited by John Johnson, LL. D., Rector of Yaxham with Welborne in Norfolk. 2 vols. 4to.