7 
1903.] 
When the proceffion ftopped.in the pub- 
lic gardens, the military paraded round 
the chariot, and the band played the dif- 
ferent republican airs.. The lower orders 
_of the people are mightily pleafed with 
thefe proceffions and fetes, while the 
higher orders feem to defpife them as 
mountebank mummery, and the foppery 
of republicanifm. The government, how- 
ever, confiders thefe inftitutions in the moit 
ferious light ; they hope from them to.at- 
tach the paffions and pleafures of the peo- 
ple te the republican caufe and to repub- 
lican ideas. With this view, they give 
them many republican holidays, fet off 
with republican pomp and republican 
mulic. 
Thefe kind of holidays have, I believe, 
never been introduced before in any coun: 
try. TI remember nothing like them in 
ancient or modern hittory ; if we. except 
the annual rejoicings of the Egyptians on 
the retiring of the waters of the Nile, and 
the annual cuftom of the Emperor of 
China holding the plough, as an example 
to his fubjeéts, and as a mark of ref{pect 
to thefirft of arts. It appears to me, that 
the idea of thefe national holidays was 
firft fuggefted to the French philofophers 
and /iterati by Marmontel, in his hiftori- 
cai romance called the Incas of Peru. The 
Peruvians are therereprefented as having 
annual-feafts of the fun; fétes for youth, 
for marriage, and for oldage. The Di- 
retory have inftituted. annual fetes for 
youth, and fétes for old age; and as for 
marriage, having feen their republican 
marriages, I think the fubjeét too impor- 
tant to pafs it over without a particular, 
defcription. I was in the cathedral ijait 
Decade (which is the republican fabbath) 
and faw ten or twelve couple married. A 
part of tne church was inclofed for the 
purpofe, with feats at each fide, and an 
altar at the extremity, to which one mult 
afcend by fteps. Upon the alrar lay a bai- 
ket of flowers, molt of them the common 
fiowers of the fields; at one fide fat the 
brides and their female friends, all in 
white, with garlands of white flowers (na- 
tural or artificial) on their heads, the fame 
in their bofums; at the other fide fat the 
bridegrooms and the male friends... The 
- inclolure was taken up exclufvely by the 
parties to be married and their friends ; 
but, from the outhde of the inclofure, I 
faw diftingtly what pafled within. After 
the company had been fome time feated, 
the noife of the fife and drum at the 
church-door, and the difplay of military 
ftandards, announced the arrival of the 
sounicipal officers, Their appearance was 
Letters of an American Traveller%n France. 
TSS 
not much fuperior to that of conftables of 
the watch in England: they were diftin- 
guifhed by tri-coloured fearfs, and wore 
their hats on during the ceremony, which 
is confidered by the law asa mere civil 
contract. 
Every couple Knew the order that they 
were to go up in to the altar. At the 
fignal, which is given by the roll of a 
drum, the firft couple, with two or three 
friends on. either fide, who attended as 
witneffes, went up to the altar, and figned 
the marriage contract ; they then defcend- 
ed, and figned their names in two more 
books or regifters, which lay upon a 
table in the centre of the inclofure. 
They then falute the municipal officers 
and a fhort republican hymn, appropriate 
to the occafion, is fungs That couple 
then retires from the church’ with their 
friends, and another roll of the drum 
gives the fignal to the fecond couple to 
come forward, and go through the fame 
ceremonies. With fuch a difplay of mi- 
litary ftandards and military mufic, you 
would almoft fuppofe, that the govern- 
ment meant to conlider marriage as a 7i/t- 
tary inftitution ; but the real caufe is, that, 
ot all thews, a military fhew 1s the leaft 
expenfive, and government wifhes to have 
as much fhew as poffible at a fmall coft. 
Before the ceremony had begun, I parti- 
culatly noticed among the females who 
were within the inclofure, one of about 
nineteen years of age, who peculiarly at- 
tracted my attention by the fuperior fine- 
nefs of her form and eyes, and the great 
degree of fenfibility and foul which mark- 
ed her countenance, which was noble and — 
interefiing im the extreme. 
She was, of all the females within the 
inclofure, the moft carelefsly dreffed, not 
having even the ufuai ernaments of flow- 
ers in her hair. She was fo remarkably 
unadorved (except by nature), that I ra- 
ther wondered at her coming to this | feaft 
withouc a wedding-garment. For a con- 
fiderabdle time fhe feemed ealy and carelefs, 
but a roll of the drum (awful to her as 
the laft trumpet) feemed to harrow up her 
whole foul ; fhe ftood up, burit into tears, 
and dropped down again upon her feat. 
It was with the utmoft difficulty that fhe 
could be fupperted to the altar, where 
fhe ftood drowned in tears, and hardly 
knowing where fhe was, or what was pai- 
fing. Fromthe men’s fide of the inclofure: 
there hobbled out an old fourmiffeur, .or 
contractor, of the Army of Italy, who was 
to be her fpoufe. Then what there was 
before of myftery in. her deep affliction 
became appareat ; then one could trace 
$2 her 
» 
