MISCELLANEOUS. 



891 



in the world wliich possesses a trea- 

 sure like tliis, and which knows how 

 to estimate it at its proper value. 



From the national library we 

 drove to the Athenee, a library and 

 lecture institution, supported by 

 voluntarj' subscription. It is much 

 of tiie same nature as an institution 

 of a similar kind in London, term- 

 ed the British Institute; but the 

 French Athenaeum has infinitely 

 the advantage. The subscription 

 is cheaper, being about four Louis 

 annually, and the lectures are more 

 elegant, if not more scientific. There 

 are usually three lectures daily ; 

 the first on sciences, and the other 

 two on belles lettres. The lecture 

 on science is considered as very able, 

 but those on the belles lettres were 

 merely suited, as I understood, to 

 French frivolity. The rooms were 

 so full as to render our stay un- 

 pleasant, and we tl)ereby lost an 

 anatomy lecture, which was about 

 to commence. I should not forget 

 to mention, that all the Parisian 

 journals and magazines, and many 

 of the German periodical works, 

 were lying on the tables, and the 

 library seemed altogether as com- 

 pleted as it was comfortable. The 

 subscribers are numerous, and the 

 institution itself in fashion. How 

 long it will so last, no one will ven- 

 ture to predict. 



The library of the Pantheon and 

 that of the Institute finished our 

 morning's occupation. They are 

 both on the same scale and nearly 

 on the same general plan as the 

 national library. The library of 

 the Institute, however, is only 

 open to foreigners and the mem- 

 bers of the Institute. The Institute 

 holds its sitting every month, and, 

 according to all report, is then fri- 



volous enough. I had not an op- 

 portunity of being present at one of 

 these sittings,but, from what I heard, 

 I did not much regret my disap- 

 pointment. 



We returned home to dress for 

 dinner. Mr. Younge informed me, 

 that he expected a very large party 

 in the evening, chiefly French ; and 

 as his lady herself was a French 

 woman, and had arranged her do- 

 mestic establishment accordingly, I 

 felt some curiosity. 



About eight, or nearer nine, Mr. 

 Younge and myself, with two or 

 three other of the dinner company, 

 were summoned up to the drawing- 

 room. The summons itself had 

 something peculiar. The doors of 

 the parlour, which were folding, 

 were thrown open, and two female 

 attendants, dressed like vestals, and 

 holding torches of white wax, sum- 

 moned usby a low curtsey, and pre- 

 ceded us up the great staircase to 

 the doors of the antichamber, where 

 they made another salutation, and 

 took their station on each side. 

 The antichamber was filled with 

 servants, who were seated on 

 benches fixed to the wall, but who 

 did not rise on our entry. Some 

 of them were even playing at cards, 

 others at dominos, and all of them 

 seemed perfectly at their ease. 

 The anti-chamber opened by an 

 arched door-way into an handsome 

 room, lighted by a chandelier of 

 the most brilliant cut glass; the 

 pannels of the room were very tas- 

 tily painted, and the glasses on each 

 side very large, and in magnificent 

 frames. The further extremity of 

 this room opened by folding doors, 

 into the principal drawing-room, 

 where the company were collected. 

 It was brilliantly lighted, as well 



by 



