LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC. 279 



Duchess ran to a window, and beheld with the eye of jealousy the Baron and M. 



de FerrioUes ah'ght." 



The lecturer next proceeded to oifer some remarks on the grammars and dic- 

 tionaries generally used in teaching the French language. " An immense number 

 of French grammars have already been published in this country, and every 

 month produces a new one ; but notwithstanding the ostentatious pretensions of 

 some, and the quackish titles of others, I do not find they are better, or even so 

 good, as those that are now commonly used by the generality of teachers, I mean 

 Hamel's, Levizac's, and Wanostrocht's, and were I to express my humble opinion 

 on the merit of these three last mentioned works, I should say that an excellent 

 grammar might be compiled by combining the simple plan of Hamel's with the 

 grammatical knowledge of Levizac's, and the familiar exercises of Wanostrocht's. 

 After all, it matters little what grammar a master uses. An efficient instructor 

 should be able to supply the place of the grammar, and indeed to give a great deal 

 of explanation that is not found in it. As to the dictionaries, there is nothing that 

 calls more loudly for improvement. I do not hesitate to assert that there is not one 

 good English and French, or French and English dictionary extant. Boyer's 

 Dictionary is very defective, Levizac's, in spite of its improvements, is bad enough, 

 and Nugent's is the worst of all. They are not only very deficient in examples of 

 French idioms, and behind the present state of the French language as relates to 

 the more modern and newly-established modes of expression, but of the words in 

 the most common use, some are altogether omitted, others are translated in such a 

 manner as to mislead entirely the French student." 



Here the lecturer adduced many examples in proof of the justice of his charge. 



We regret that our limits will not allow us to follow the lecturer in his remarks 

 on the different modes of teaching the French language, and especially on the 

 system called the Hamiltonian. He illustrated the utility of exercises on Homo- 

 nymous words by relating an adventure which occurred to Mr. Reynolds, the 

 dramatist, and in vthich he cut rather an awkward figure. An account of the 

 scene, which took place at Dessein's Hotel, at Calais, is extracted from that portion 

 of his diary which describes his excursion to the continent, when about seventeen 

 years of age, on some business for his father : — " Wanting to walk on the Pier," 

 says Mr. Reynolds, " J. asked the gargon, who spoke English very tolerably, the 

 French for it. He, thinking as Milord Anglais, I could mean nothing but peer^ 

 a lord, 'replied pair. Away I then went, and passing over the market-place and 

 draw-bridge, stumbled on the pier, without having had occasion to inquire my way 

 to it by the gar^on's novel appellation — there I remained, strutting my half hour, 

 till dinner time. At the table d'hote, the Commandant of the troops of the town 

 sat next to me, and among other officers and gentlemen at the table, were the 

 President of the Council at Ratisbon, a Russian Count, and several Prussians j 

 in all amounting to about twenty, not one of whom (as it appeared to me) spoke a 

 word of English. I thought I could never please a Frenchman so much as by 

 praising his town : " Monsieur," I said condescendingly to the Commandant, 

 " J'ai vu votre pair," meaning I have seen your pier ; but which he naturally 

 unilerstood, I have seen your father. This address from a perfect stranger sur- 

 prised him. " II est beau et grand. Monsieur," I continued. The Commandant 

 examined me from head to foot with an astonishment that imparted to me an almost 

 equal share. I saw there was a mistake, and I attempted to explain, by pro- 

 nouncing very articulately, " Oui, Monsieur, j'ai vu votre pair — votre pair, sur le 

 havre." " Eh bien, Monsieur," replied the Commandant, " Et que vous a-t-il 

 dit? (What did he say to you ?) I was astounded, and looking round the room 

 for the keeper of the supposed madman, I discovered that the eyes of the whole 

 company were upon me. " Monsieur," I cried, again attempting to explain, with 

 as much deliberation and precision, and in as good French as I could command— 

 " Monsieur, est-il possible que vous residiez ici et que vous ne connaissiez pas votre 

 pair — votre pair — si long!" This speech only increased the incomprehensibility 

 of the whole conversation ; and the Commandant beginning, in rather haut en 

 bas terms, to demand an explanation, like all cowards, when driven into a corner, 

 I became desperate. " Messieurs," I cried, somewhat boisterously, " II faut que 

 vous connaissiez votre pair ! le pair de votre ville, qui est fait de pierre, et a la tete 

 de bois." This was the coup de grace to all decorum ; every Frenchman aban- 

 doned himself to his laughter, till the room fairly shook with their shouts, and even 

 the Commandant himself could not help joining them. " Allow me, Sn-," said a 

 May, 1835. — vol, ii. no. x. 2 o 



