1 ^27,] Notet /or the Month. 639 



and malice. There is a decency about the feelings of the English soldier 

 peasant as he is which the Frenchman never approaches. The first 

 has the manners and tastes of a ploughman, or a journeyman carpenter ; 

 the last, the vices (with the address) of a marker at a billiard-table, an 

 inferior actor, or broken-down Bond-street swindler. A French army is 

 full as terrible to its allies in the city, as to its enemy in the field. The 

 order and discipline of an English force is as perfect in one position as the 

 other. But this is taking the question up upon trifles ; because the supe- 

 riority (moral) of the English lower classes over the French, in all matters 

 of real importance, is no less decided than the advantage of the latter over 

 the first in all minor circumstances of demeanour and of good manners. 

 The English boor is coarse ; but there are duties which habit or teaching 

 has taught him to respect. The Frenchman is as cavalierly free from 

 " the prejudice of education," as he generally is from religious feeling. 

 But, for an illustration of the decencies, and taste, and feeling displayed by 

 the French troops at least as they were at the period during which 

 General Foy speaks of them we will refer our readers to the new novel 

 called Cyril Thornton and especially to that part of it which treats of 

 the advance of the British troops, after the retreat of the French out of 

 Portugal, preparatory to the close of the Peninsular war. 



A singular turn of address was performed at Bath -the other day by a 

 chevalier of industry, who found himself, on the sudden, in want of 

 a pair of boots, and also in want of money to purchase them. Having 

 some doubts probably, although he was living at an inn of respectability, as 

 to the faith of the tradesmen of Bath, after the rude shocks which it is so 

 constantly receiving from parties who make it, during " the season," their 

 place of abode, he called upon two shoemakers in opposite quarters of the 

 city, and desired to have some boots sent to the White Lion for his inspec- 

 tion. The first dealer, who was a resident in Milsom-street, came accord- 

 ing to order, and found his customer at breakfast ; and, after some trouble, 

 fitted him with a neat pair of " Wellingtons ;" which the party fitted was 

 just taking out his purse to pay for, when walking two or three times 

 up and down the room to try the " effect" of them he found that " the 

 left boot was tighter rather than he liked it." The right " fitted perfectly 

 well;" but "the left wanted stretching across the instep." Accordingly, 

 the offending equipment was drawn off, and the maker desired " to take 

 it back, and put it upon the tree for a couple of hours," at the end of 

 which time it would fit completely. The Milsom-street boot-maker went 

 away, leaving his customer with one boot on and one slipper ; and of 

 course, leaving the affair of "payment" until he returned with the fellow- 

 boot f< at two o'clock ;" arid he was scarcely out of sight, when the artist 

 from v Crescent-street" arrived, and found Captain C still at break- 

 fast, in his slippers. The last dealer unconscious of the ceremony which 

 had taken place prior to his appearance, tried on all the boots that he had 

 brought ; but not a pair would fit, except one pair of " Wellingtons ;" and 

 these had the fault, that " the right boot pinched a little across the toe," 

 and required " putting upon the tree for an hour or two.'' The second 

 maker departed as the first had done, and was gratified with an order to 

 " bring up an assortment of morocco slippers with him at the .same time 

 when he brought the " right boot," as Captain C had been recom- 

 mended to him, and was determined to give him '" an order" worth hav- 

 ing. It is hardly necessary to add, that the right and left boots which 

 had visited the " trees," were brought home regularly at two o'clock ; but 

 their fellows had disappeared some hours before, in company with the 



