«90 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



ranged round the sides, according 

 to the order of the respective sub- 

 jects, and are said to amount to 

 nearly half a milHon. Each divi- 

 sion has an attending librarian, of 

 whom every one may require the 

 book he wishes, and which is imme- 

 diately delivered to him. Being 

 themselves gentlemen, there is no 

 apprehension that they will accept 

 any pecuniary remuneration; but 

 there is likewise a strict order that 

 no money shall be given to any of 

 the inferior attendants. There are 

 tables and chairs in numbers, and 

 nothing seemed neglected, which 

 could conduce even to the comfort 

 of the readers. 



The most complete department 

 of the library is that of the manu- 

 scripts. This collection amounts 

 to nearly fifty thousand volumes. 

 and amongst them innumerable 

 letters, and even treatises, by the 

 early kings of France. A manu- 

 script is shown as written by Louis 

 the Fourteenth ; it is intitled, 

 "Memoirs of his own Time, writ- 

 ten by the King himself." I much 

 doubt, however, the authenticity 

 of this production. Louis the Four- 

 teenth had other more immediate 

 concerns than writing the history 

 of France. France is full of these 

 literary forgeries. Every king of 

 France, if the titles of the books 

 may be received as a proof of their 

 authenticity, has not only written 

 his life, but written it like a philo- 

 sopher and historian, candidly con- 

 fessing his errors and abusing his 

 ministers. 



The second floor of the building 

 contains the genealogies of the 

 French families. They are depo- 

 sited in boxes, which are labelled 

 with the several family names. 

 They are considered at [lublic re- 



cords, and are only producible in 

 courts of justice, in order to de- 

 termine the titles to real properly. 

 No one is allowed to copy them, 

 except by the most special per- 

 mission, wliicli is never granted but 

 to historiographers of established 

 name and reputation. The cabinet 

 of antiques is stated to be very 

 rich, and, to judge by appearances, 

 is not inferior to its reputation. 

 Thecollection was made by Caylus. 

 It chiefly consists of vases, busts, 

 and articles of domestic useamongst 

 the Romans. The greater part of 

 them have been already copied as 

 models, in the ornamenting of fur- 

 niture, by the Parisian artists. 

 This fashion indeed is carried al- 

 most to a mania. Every thing 

 must be Greek and Roman, without 

 any reference to nature or pro- 

 priety. For example, what could 

 be so absurd as the natural reali- 

 zation of some of these capricious 

 ornaments? What lady would 

 choose to sleep in a bed, up the 

 pillars of which serpents were 

 crawling ? Yet is such a realization 

 the only criterion of taste and pro- 

 priety. 



The cabinet of engravings de- 

 tained us nearly two hours. Tlie 

 portfeuillescontaining theprintsare 

 distributed into twelve classes. 

 Some of these divisions invited us 

 to a minute inspection.. Such was 

 the class containing the French 

 fashions from the age of Clovis to 

 Louis the Sixteenth. In another 

 class was the costume of every na- 

 tion in the world; in a third, por- 

 traits of eminent persons of all ages 

 and nations, and in a fourth, a 

 collection of prints relating to pub 

 lie festivals, cavalcades, tourna- 

 ments, coronations, royal funerals, 

 &c. France is the only kingdom 



in 



