770 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804 



and may be removed from one place 

 to another. This little fortress is 

 about the height of a man, built in 

 the form of an amphitheatre; below 

 it has a draw-bridge, over which the 

 Malls are gradually raised, and on 

 them a number of soldiers stationed 

 at intervals. Eight or ten yards 

 from tlie fortress a wooden mortar 

 (or CTcn a cannon) is planted, 

 from which, as with the children's 

 guns, a ball is discharged. The 

 force of the mortar is calculated ex- 

 t6i]y according to . the distance, 

 from eight to ten paces. The skill 

 in this play censists in taking so 

 good an aim, as to knock down one 

 or more soldiers at once, or even in 

 nccurately hitting the very centre, 

 in which case, the draw-bridge falls, 

 and by means of the spring, which 

 bas been touched by the ball, a state 

 coach with six horses comes out: in 

 others a white flag is hoisted at the 

 top of the fort; the ball is lost 

 •within, and comes out again at the 

 bottom. This pretty game has ma- 

 nifold advantages over the common 

 f am.e at nine-pins ; it can be exhi- 

 bited in the smallest garden, nay, 

 even in any room in the least spa- 

 cious. It rec|uires but trilling bo- 

 dily exertion, so that e\o}i ladies 

 Hiay play. It is interesting, because 

 the aiming and hitting premises a 

 certain dexterity and practice; in 

 short, by describing this game, I 

 hope to have furnished a pleasing 

 supplement to the gymnastic exer- 

 cises. 



Decorum not permitting u?, ray 

 dear friend, to partake of this game, 

 eu the Bo'.dcTards.Avc had better look 

 awhile at those jjoor little canary 

 birds, who are instru6ted in yonder 

 booth in all sorts of arts directly 

 contrary to their nature. Here one 

 turns a, fpit; another drives hi» feU 



low in a wheelbarrow; ft fhlrd 

 stands centry with his gun, sword, 

 and grenadier's cap; a fourth does 

 not stir from his master's shoulder, 

 though he beat the drum loud 

 enough to make one run away; a 

 fifth fires a cannon, the burning 

 cork of which knocks a sixth down 

 from the table, and leaves him on 

 the ground for dead; a seventh sits 

 in the very middle of a flaming 

 wheel, as quiet and merry as if 

 perched upon a rose-bush in its 

 native island. You have pro- 

 bably often seen such things in 

 Germany, though not in equal per- 

 fection ; but one observation rela- 

 tive to these birds, you have per- 

 haps never heard. It was made br 

 their teacher and master, and affonU 

 matter of reflection. " The hen," 

 said he, " certainly takes every thing 

 much quicker than the cock, and I 

 can generally render them very skil- 

 ful at the expiration of a few weeks, 

 but they soon forget, and soon die." 

 IMethinks his argument i-especting 

 the feathered tribe ma}' be equally 

 applied to his tormentors, men : for 

 if our belles learn moral or Kstheti* 

 arts, they do not indeed die of it, 

 but their loveliness generally find» 

 its tomb in them. 



Having yet half an hour to spare, 

 let us make use of it to see two ce- 

 lebrated fountains. The fountain in 

 the Rue Grenclle is really very 

 fine, but the street narrow and ob- 

 scure : the fountain has not a free 

 exposure on all sides, and the great 

 building is, besides, deformed by all 

 sorts of signs. On the right is a 

 large painted com', because milk is 

 sold there; on the left is a carpen- 

 ter's sign, &c. To me, pardon th« 

 heresy, if it really be one, it will al- 

 ways appear ridiculous to raise such 

 a building with two wings to such a 



Keight 



