1827.] Letter from Paris, upon Affairs in general. 503 



who has been in consequence condemned to the gallies for life, to stand in the 

 pillory, and be branded with a hot iron, as well as to all the costs of his trial. 



The congregation, furious at this verdict, could only revenge itself in prevent- 

 ing, as much as possible, the publicity of the affair, and not allowing it to be 

 stated that Contrefatto is a priest. You, who have the happiness to know nothing 

 of the censorship, except for the drama, cannot form an idea of this daily tor- 

 ment; these poor creatures, chosen from the dregs of those who dishonour the 

 pursuit of letters, betray the greatest ignorance and incapacity in all that concerns 

 politics, frequently cancelling what the ministers wish them to approve, and ad- 

 mitting passages the latter would fain suppress. But in whatever concerns the 

 church, they never deceive themselves. Will you believe that they have sup- 

 pressed the following article, which had been changed and reproduced in ten dif- 

 ferent forms? 



"A catholic priest, M. Fischer, professor at the Lyceum of Landshut, having 

 quitted the catholic church to embrace the protestant faith, the king of Bavaria 

 would not allow that this act of mere conscience should be prejudicial to his tem- 

 poral interests, and therefore requested the learned professor to continue his ser- 

 vices in the direction of public instruction. He has been, in consequence, trans- 

 ferred to a protestant college, with the same rank and emoluments he enjoyed at 

 the Lyceum of Landshut." 



The censorship has also prevented all the journals from inserting a decree of the 

 king of Prussia, which interdicts any of his subjects from pursuing their studies in 

 any seminaries conducted by Jesuits ; and yet the publication of these two facts 

 was permitted by the official censors ol Germany, and actually appeared in the 

 journal of M. Metternich. The Frankfort journal, edited by the Abbe Harmerin, 

 under the inspection of M. de Miinch Billinghausen, the Austrian minister at the 

 diet, also published them without the least scruple. The truth is, that notwith- 

 standing the boasted liberties of the Gallican church, we bow the head much more 

 humbly to Rome, than ever Austria did ; when I say we, I of course allude to the 

 government, for the nation marches in a totally opposite direction. 



The nation advances so rapidly, that they will one day find themselves so far 

 apart, that it will be impossible either to understand, or find each other out. I 

 shall endeavour to enable you to follow the progress of both one and the other, 

 whether as regards the sciences or arts, politics, literature, and religion. In elo- 

 quence, the Abbe Fayet, a furious missionary, and full of audacious pretension, 

 represents the court and its wishes. Royer Collard, a practical philosopher and 

 real stoic, eloquent by the force of morality and reason, represents the nation and 

 its wants. In poetry, nothing is left for the court but the canticles of Saint Sulpice 

 and the hymns of the missionaries ; for all the young writers have gradually come 

 over and joined the phalanx directed by the Berengers, De la Vignes, and Lebruns. 

 In politics, the Abbe Loignet remains master of the field, whilst the two opposi- 

 tions continue to be increased by all the social and intellectual superiority of the 

 nation. In fine, every notion favourable to ignorance and despotism, seem to be 

 terminating with the closing generation, while a love of truth and virtue appears to 

 be the distinguishing characteristic of that which has commenced. 



Our young female writers have been the first to second this improving spirit in 

 the age. Mademoiselle Delphine Gav, whose head and figure might, like those 

 of Lady Hamilton, represent the Pythonissa, has withdrawn from the society of 

 which she is so great an ornament here, to seek, in the fine climate of Italy, that 

 independence of thought, which she incurred a great risk of losing at Paris. 

 Mademoiselle Gay is the daughter of a lady well known as the author of several 

 literary productions of merit; this young lady's visit to Italy has led to some 

 poetical effusions, of which report speaks very highly, and they will, no doubt, 

 soon see the light. Madame Tastu, wife to the printer of that name, is not less 

 distinguished for her poetic talents ; she has been peculiarly happy in some attempts 

 to transfer the spirit of some scenes of Rorneo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, King 

 Lear, and a Midsummer Night's Dream, into our language. Madame Tastu is 

 about to publish a series of historical sketches in the style of your Sackville's 

 " Mirror of Magistrates ;" the scenes are principally taken from the " Chronicles 

 of the Middle Ages," published by M. J. A. Buchon. 

 Another lady, Madame de Bauer, has just made an attempt at the theatre 



