Library of the King. 167 



name : this made me quite at my ease with Prince 

 d'Essling. 



" September 1 1. I have been travelling all over Paris 

 to-day, and have accomplished nothing. Called on M. 

 Geoffrey St. Hilaire, and he gave me some good advice 

 and directions respecting obtaining the King's subscrip- 

 tion, and others. 



" September 12. Visited, at his library, the librarian 

 of the king, M. Van Praet, a small and white-haired gen- 

 tleman, who assured me in the politest manner imagina- 

 ble that it was out of the question to subscribe for so 

 heavy a work. He however gave me a card to introduce 

 me to M. Barbier, a librarian belonging to the king's pri- 

 vate library at the Louvre. Here I learned that the inland 

 postage of a single letter from Paris to London is twenty- 

 four sous ; there is a mail to London four times a week. 

 After some trouble I found the library of the king, be- 

 cause I followed the direction ' toujours tout droit,' until 

 quite out of latitude and longitude by tacking and retack- 

 ing ; but at last I reached the place, and entered a gate 

 fronting the river, and found M. Barbier absent. Bui 

 later in the day I found him ; and he, not being able to 

 say anything definite himself, referred me to the Baron de 

 Boullerie, intendant of the king's household. I wrote to 

 him in French, the first letter I have written in this lan- 

 guage in twenty-five years, and I dare say a very curious 

 one to such a personage as he is. 



" September 13. Took my portfolio to Geoffrey de 

 St. Hilaire, and then to Baron Cuvier ; the former, after 

 examining it, retracted his opinion respecting its size, and 

 expressed himself pleased with it. A Mons. Dumesnil, a 

 French engraver, was sent to me by Prince d'Essling, and 

 I learned from him that my work could be done better and 

 at less expense in England than in France. Copper is 

 dearer here than in England, and good colorers much 



