444 LETTERS FROM PARIS* 



Neither does the filthinefs of the narrow ftreets pro^ 

 ceed from the badnefs of the pavement. It is much' 

 better, and more carefully looked after than I have 

 feen it any where, London and Vienna excepted. The 

 paving ftones are in the form of oblong quadrats, nice- 

 ly fitted together. They decline towards the middle of 

 the ftreet in fuch manner as to form a gentle defcent ; 

 which, without any kennel, properly fo called, carries 

 off all the water, foas not to put carriages in danger of 

 being overturned. The very folidity of the pavement 

 contributes one half to the keeping of the puddles fo 

 long Handing, and the other half of the circumftance 

 is, that the fun cannot flrike down between the loftv 

 houfes to dry them up. For faving the pavement, all 

 heavy carriages are obliged by law to have very broad 

 wheels ; and even the fiacres are not allowed to have the 

 fmall wheels of the remifes and caroffes. 



If the mire be more troublefome here than elfewhere, 

 on the other hand there is no place where one may be 

 freer from the dull than in thefe ftreets. Hitherto I 

 have only found one Angle ftreet where it was dufry in 

 fine weather; and this is the old boulevards. It is 

 broad enough to admit the fun the whole day long; 

 and the thoufands of carriages and horfemen which 

 daily pafs, contribute at once to keep them both dry 

 and dufty. But even here the duft is layed by 

 machines which I take to be the moft convenient and 

 limple that could be contrived for this purpofe ; and 

 which llioukl be adopted, for example, at Vienna and 

 Berlin *. On a two-wheel cart, drawn by one horfe, is 



* As they have long been at London, 

 i - p'aced 



