160 Dunkerque. [FEB. 



station in an open column up the centre aisle of the church, reaching 

 from the great door to the steps of the principal altar. The commandant 

 of the day then gives his orders, in as loud a voice as if he were in the 

 field of battle, and they are executed with as little view to the place . 

 the bayonets rattling, and the butts of the muskets thundering on the 

 marble floor, till the whole edifice shakes with the noise. During all this 

 time, the religious ceremonies of the priests at the altar do not intermit 

 for a moment ; and the same orders, for grounding arms, carrying arms, 

 &c. are repeated at several intervals during the half-hour which the 

 military remain in the church. At certain points of the service, too, 

 the band joins the regular church music ; and at the termination of that 

 part of the service in which the military are supposed to join, the whole 

 double band again strike up, and the battalion leaves the church in the 

 same order that it entered. 



Though the above is more imposing and effective (notwithstanding its 

 almost painfully anomalous nature) than any other religious ceremony, 

 it is not so much sought after as many, on account of its so frequent 

 occurrence. Those which most excite and interest the Catholic spec- 

 tator are the Fetes of the Saints, which occur each but once in the year. 

 Now, while I write (on the evening of the llth of November), the 

 streets of Dunkerque present a singular and not unpleasing appearance. 

 Innumerable painted lanterns, hoisted on long poles, and with lights 

 enclosed in them, are flitting about in all directions, as if floating upon 

 the air ; for it is so dark that you cannot see the bearers of them. In 

 a walk of ten minutes, you w r ould encounter not less than five hundred 

 of these lanterns of various forms, sizes, and colours, and all differently 

 ornamented with figures, flowers, devices, &c., according to the fancy of 

 those who hold them. They are chiefly borne, out of doors, by the 

 children of the poorer classes ; but there are few children, even of the 

 better sort of the inhabitants, who will not be found with one in their 

 hands, either inn-doors or out, on this fete of the patron of little chil- 

 dren Saint Martin. It is he who, here, acts the part of the fairies 

 -with us, and puts the silver penny into the shoes that are placed in due 

 order over-night, and sends other such like rewards and punishments, 

 according as his little proteges are " sages" or " mediants" This " feast 

 of the lanterns" is one of the few Catholic religious customs that do not 

 strike us heretics as either blasphemous or ridiculous ; and the rather, 

 perhaps, as the observance of it is confined to little children. It has, 

 however, one crying objection : many of the little devotes carry, besides 

 their lantern, a cow's horn, with which they make a most uncouth and 

 intolerable noise, from dusk till bed- time. 



Dunkerque is one of those towns which " the English" have been 

 accustomed to frequent since the peace ; consequently, it is always pretty 

 well supplied with furnished apartments a thing scarcely to be met with 

 in towns peopled by the natives alone. Perhaps there is no other place 

 in France where this convenience is to be had on more moderate terms 

 than here. The Englishman who first seeks a sojourn of this kind, is 

 not a litttle surprised to find that at Dunkerque he may have a hand- 

 some and spacious suite of apartments, of four or five rooms, furnished 

 with every comfort that he can need, and with many objects of even 

 unnecessary s^ow and luxury (such as suberb Parisian clocks, bronze 

 candelabras, and so forth) for (say) a hundred francs a month (four 

 pounds) ; and this in the best situations of the town, and the most repu- 

 table of the houses. But a couple, who are economically disposed, and are 





