[352 
which are deemed incompatible 
with secular occupation. The days 
being too sacred for Jabowr, and 
too long for devotion, a great part 
of the time is yawned away in list- 
less ennui. 
The-consecratien of days is a 
custom of barbarous origin; and 
the pious enthusiasm of the first 
Christians gave it the sanétion of 
their own observance. The church 
of England, which has hed the 
merit of restoring to society the 
days and. weeks hailowed by bigor- 
ry, still retains some few, which 
she refuses to secularize, and which 
serve, like the ancient hangings im 
a modernized mansion, to mark 
the dare of the edifice, and perre- 
tuate the taste of those who under- 
took its reform. It is plain, the 
contract between priest and people 
in those regions of superstition, is 
very much in favour of the former, 
though equally to the satisfa@ion 
of each, The latter surrender 
without relu€tance the fruits of 
their labour to the use of the for- 
mer, who/only engage for an unde: 
fined retribution—a bright rever- 
sicn in. the sky—at some future 
znd.distant pericd. 
OR ras ee SCRE eR 0 | eee gene 
Account of the alteration produced by 
the French Revolution at Stras- 
burgh. From the same. 
The generat complaint at Stras- 
burgh was want of money. No- 
thing is to be found in circulation 
but paper and copper. ‘* Tout 
iroit bien,”’ said an old man, ‘¢ si 
‘on avoit de H’argent.’’ Ar all the 
shops, the greatest apprehensions 
are entertained of being paid for 
their merchandizein paper. This, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
amongst eachother, they are obliged 
to admit; but in theif intercourse 
with strangers, they struggle very 
hard for specie. 
I turned into the shop of a mar- 
chande de modes to purchase some 
articles. The bargain was struck, 
the several particulars wrapped up, 
and I was searching in my, pocker 
for the mcney; when observing 
me draw out some paper by acci-+ 
dent, she laid immediate hold upon 
the packet ] had purchased, and 
demanded with haste, ‘* Allez- 
yous me payer en papier, mon- 
sieur 22? oit©Si faity?? said 1. :¢¢ bh 
bien donc,’’ replied she, ‘* je gar- 
derai ma marchandise.”? I soon 
relieved her of the anxiety she felt, 
and brought a glow upon her 
cheek, by counting out upon the 
table the sum agreed. This is in- 
deed the greatest—I had almost 
said the only—grievance that I 
have discovered among them ; and 
they scruple not to prediét that 
the very favourable sale of the na- 
tional domains will raise the credit 
of their paper, and give them as 
much moncy as they have liberty. 
I must assure you, that I found 
the state of the people in this part 
of France very different from 
what it had been represented. At 
Manheim and Worms, reports pre- 
vailed of the most serious tumults 
now reigning in France; and we 
were more than once cautioned 
against trusting ourselves amongst a 
canaille, who would hang us up 
at the lamp-post for a word or a 
look. This statement has so little 
connexion with truth, that every 
thing passes with the utmost order ; 
and, so far as Lcan judge from ob- 
servation and report, freedom of 
remark encounters less danger here 
than at the court of . Manheim. 
Nothing 
