1 824.J 



Mr. Mortimer's Notes on Paris. 



disgusted with the frippery of artifi- 

 cial flowers, and other tinsel, appended 

 to the different tombstones. Aflecta- 

 tion, bad taste, false sentiment, exag- 

 gerated expressions of regret, and 

 hyperbolical eulogiums, stare you in 

 the face at every step. On one tomb- 

 stone I saw the representation of a 

 time-piece, with the hands pointing to 

 the precise second when the deceased 

 departed from this life ; under which 

 was some poetry, in which " the be- 

 loved of my soul, everlasting regret, 

 &c." were jumbled together with their 

 usual regard to truth, and we know 

 that one of their proverbs expresses, 

 " he lies like an epitaph," It is cer- 

 tainly very desirable to have burying- 

 grounds^distinct from places of wor- 

 ship, as nothing tends so much to 

 make our churches damp, and preju- 

 dicial to lieallh, as the constant exca- 

 vation to which their interiors are 

 subject. 



Gambling Houses. 

 Abhorring our own eontemplible 

 resource of lotteries, as emanating 

 from government, which should pro- 

 tect the governed from delusion and 

 imposition, 1 nevertheless feel consi- 

 derable satisfaction in reflecting, that 

 we are infinitely more pure than our 

 neighbours in this particular. Gamb- 

 ling is carried on to a great and mis- 

 chievous extent in London ; but these 

 haunts of vice and dissipation are 

 much less known and frequented than 

 in Paris, where it is impossible to be a 

 single day in ignorance of tliem ; and 

 where, from the smallness of the sums 

 which may be ventured, it infects with 

 ils pestilential influence all classes of 

 the community. With us it is more of 

 a lordly vice; and, when our govern- 

 ment abolishes the lotteries, the species 

 of gambling most resorted to by the 

 lower orders, we shall enjoy a proud 

 pre-emiiienee in this particular. 

 Jicst Metlwd for qidvkbj attaining a 

 Lanyuage, 

 I have often remarked that servants, 

 and j)ersons in the humble walks of 

 life, make tiiemselves understood 

 nnich sooner than persons of educa- 

 tion. The reason is obvious : it is 

 from their not having increased difli- 

 culties in the study of grammatical 

 rules, and not being intimidated from 

 the fear of transgressing them. This 

 appears lo suggest a very useful hint, 

 namely, that the more simple and na- 

 tural niethoil of acquiring a language 

 is to commence with word.s and 



phrases, and to transpose the English 

 part of the dialogues agreeal)ly to the 

 order of the construction which you 

 are studying ; and, when you have 

 impressed on your memory a good 

 stock of words and phrases, you may 

 then have recourse to your grammar 

 with ten-fold advantage. The student 

 will also do well to get his master to 

 read slowly to him, wliilst he should 

 endeavour to write off what is read to 

 him, a plan which conduces to accus- 

 tom the ear to a strange accent. 

 Concludiny Observations. 

 The French have much politeness, 

 but little delicacy, and I have fre- 

 quently witnessed scenes not very dis- 

 similar to the rose of Madame Ram- 

 bouillet described by Sterne, With 

 regard to young unmarried ladies, a 

 restraint is exercised, whicii must tend 

 very considerably to corrupt their 

 manners as wives, all violent changes 

 being prejudicial in their nature. In- 

 dividual egotism never (ails to disgust, 

 but the misoiiief it produces is slight, 

 when compared with that national 

 egotism and sclf-su(Beiency which in- 

 duces ignorance to exclaim, witiiout 

 enquiry, " We are the best, wisest, 

 and most independent people upon 

 earth ; let us have no innovations.'' 

 Sue!), in all ages, have been the ex- 

 pressions of folly and superstition, and 

 it is with the greatest jealousy that 

 improvement ever gains a footing. 

 We have certainly many advantages 

 over our neighbours, we enjoy a 

 greater freedom of the press, we arc 

 not quite so much subject to a police 

 espionage, nor so continually ai/.ioyed 

 with passports and barriers. Bnl, if 

 we possess these blessings, it is at the 

 expense of being subject to a much 

 greater imposition of tythes and taxes, 

 and to a more severe, undefined, and 

 expensive, system of laws. A fondness 

 for reading pervades all classes of 

 French society ; and, when the next 

 revolution takes place, it will not be 

 stained by the horrid acts of atrocity, 

 nor be distinguished by that barbarous 

 warfare waged against the productions 

 of genius, which rendered the last 

 such a melancholy subject of contem- 

 plation to the ])hilantliropist and the 

 philosopher. The people are now 

 well assured, that tyranny and super- 

 stition have no better opponents than 

 the difl'usion of knowledge, and the 

 (consequent extension of the arts and 

 sciences. I tiiink the class of people, 

 by us so absurdly termed eominon, are 



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