4&4 PALAIS ROYAL* 



You fee by. this plan what is to be expected in the 

 circus when once it comes into full play. This is not 

 yet entirely the cafe ; but there is room to fuppofe that 

 it will very foon become a brilliant place of refort for 

 the beft and choicefl company of Paris. 



It was opened for the firft time on the third of this 

 month ; and you may imagine that I was not among the 

 laft to be there. I was afked three livres for admiffion, 

 and at this price it ftill continues, as the fubfcription is 

 not yet quite fettled. The place of entrance was in the 

 avantcorps, oppolite to the wooden galleries. Eight- 

 and-twenty elegant large iuftres hung from the cieling 

 length-wife along the falon. This had an effect incre- 

 dibly magnificent. The rays of fo many lights played 

 againft the large Iky-light, and fo luxuriantly illumi- 

 nated the exteniive and magnificent colonades, that in 

 the remoteft corners of the upper and lower galleries it 

 was eafy to read any thing written with a lead pencil. 

 The upper gallery was richly filled with fpectators, the 

 grand orcheftra in full play, and the room itfelf fwarm- 

 ing with well-dreffed people of every age and ftation, 

 part moving among the columns, part flocking about 

 the pavillions of the limonadiers and the reftaurateur, 

 'part following to and fro in motley mixture in the 

 large area of the hall, part Handing in thick multitudes 

 around the orcheftra. About nine o'clock the ball was 

 opened, and all preffed forward to the dancers. To- 

 wards eleven the, croud began to draw off. My expec- 

 tation was perfectly fatisfled* 



Hitherto the circus, or the falon national, is opened 

 only twice a week, and the entrance continues fixt at three 



livres. 



