542 
which amufed the literary circles. Aman 
of letters travelling in Germany, was in- 
troduced toa Baron, who piqued himfelf 
on his literary tafte, and whofe library 
was periodically enlarged from the Leipfic 
Fair. The Baron conduied him into his 
Bibliotheque ,. and, taking down the firft 
literary novelty, confulted him on its 
value: but to his furprife, the man of 
letters, though recent from Paris, had 
never heard it mentioned.—A fecond, a 
third, and a fourth, were as unfortunate 
as their brothers. —But,Sir, exclaimed: the 
German Baron, here is my favourite au- 
thorefs! fhe has written more than 15 
noveis!—On my honour, replied the man 
of eters, the Jady’s name is perfcély 
unknown. The Baron looked erave; the 
mani of letters wondered who thefe authors 
were who wrote fo, much at Paris, and 
were perfectly unknown at Paris. —They 
parted with mutual contempt. 
A Parifian bookfeller cleared the myf- 
terious circumftance to the man of letters. 
**You gentlemen critics,”” faid he, “are fo 
refined in your fpeculations, damning this 
man’s ftyle, and that man’s fenfe; abufing 
this book asduil, and that as fuperficial; 
——that our sHEET-AUTHORs ftick on 
hand. You ruin a bookfeller by a quo- 
tation from Quintillian, and filence us 
when we have got a #ew Hiffory, by cry- 
ing up Tacitus. Now, in the country 
they are not fo difficult ; in Germany Ikfs; 
and the Weift-India market is rot difficult 
at all... We have a race of authors who 
write as if they were inipired, very faft 
and very cheap. We print an edition here 
~ at Paris, without attempting to fell one: 
packed in bales they go to the Leipfic Fair, 
and there we barter them for coarfe linens: 
or, put up in cafes, they are fent to the 
Indies, where, for fome infipid novels, I 
receive a puncheon of rum; and for fome 
dul! hiftories, hnefpices. Inthis manner, 
fir, we live, and the garrets of Parnaffus 
are tenanred.”’-—‘* And the public are de- 
Juded !”? exclaimed the irritated man of 
tafte. 
Such were a few years back the prac- 
tices .of book-traders at Paris; and fuch 
are they now in London! EKut may we 
not be furprifed, that while our merchants 
are careful not to purchale unicafoned 
leather, damaged cotton, or unproved 
mufkets; yet on the important interefts of 
human nature, the culture of the under- 
ftanding and the heart, they are not only 
incautious, but actually countenance a - 
practice difhonourable and pernicious. 
Bat while LITERATURE is merely an 
French Funds. | 
[July 1, 
article of commerce, the wort will prof. 
per; for the worlt only bears a difcount! 
at May, 1802. Ww. K. ‘ 
aa 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR Ag 
AVING in the courfe of my, life lo 
two friends by accidents in going | 
aboard a fhip, I wifh to inquire what 
reafon there can be for only ufing a narrow 
plank on fuch occafions. Are feamen 
ftrangers to the fenfations. of land{men? 
When at Margate, &c. I have known 
ladies, who would not have objected to 
the paffage by fea, if it had not been for 
this firft difficulty: and 1 need not, men- 
tion many ufeful lives, even of feamen 
and officers a little in liquor, which have 
been loft by this unaccountable practice. 
Two or more boards might eafily be laid ; 
and fome kind of hand-railing, on one 
fide, would be ftill more fafe and agreeable. 
Pray infert thefe lines, and oblige 
AN OLD CORRESPONDENT, 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, / 
MIDST the various information 
A contained from time to time in your 
valuable Magazine on the affairs of France, 
I do not recolleé&t to have feen any account 
of her Public Funds. The hiftory of the 
French Finances from the commencement 
of the Revolution, of the mode in which | 
money has been raifed year after year for 
carrying on fo long and expenfive a war, 
the origin and amount of their prefent 
debt, their refources, and other particu- 
lars conneéted with this fubject, would no 
doubt be very interefting to many of your 
readers. Iam Jed to make thele obferva- 
tions by the following circumftance. See- 
ing the French Tiers Confolidé trequent- 
ly quoted in our newfpapers, curiofity 
prompted me to make fome inquiry re- 
fpeéting their Public Funds, of a friend 
whole fituation I thought would enable 
him to procure me fie defired information. 
He fent the following ftatement, which 
was taken from a paper juit put into his 
hands, and is probably a tranflation from 
the French. IJ here iniert it, that, if mac- 
curate, it may be corre€ted, and that its 
deficiency of information may be fupplied 
by one of your correipondents qualified 
forthe undertaking. 
The Public Fuads sf France confit of, 
ift. Bank Shares, or Adctions de la 
Banque, as they are called, | 
ae 
and. 
