132 
deftruétive pleafures of drunkennefs. or 
‘gaming. But to return to Bourdeaux— 
between 8 and 9 o’clock the company 
yi the Public Gardens, and repairto a 
ne mall, called La Tournée, in the centre. 
of one of the fineit ftreets; here alfo are 
a great number of chairs. At the extre- 
mity of this ftreet flands the theatre, 
which is very large, in the firftflyle of 
architegture, and juftly ranks as one of 
the fineft theatres of Europe. | Noetwith- 
ftanding the charmof the public gardens, 
this theatre is well attended. 
The aéiors of Bourdeaux are highly 
yefpectable ; and as to dancers, the Opera 
Houle is the only theatre in London that 
ean compare with this. Befides the great 
theatre, there are, in the {ame ftreet, fe- 
veral fmaller ones, for different exhibi- 
tions, fuch as ombres Chinoifes, optical 
Geceptions, hydraulic experiments, &c. 
This laft isa very curious and beautiful 
exhibition. Ina theatre not bigger than 
a Jarge room in a private houfe, and from 
the water contained in a large ciftern in 
the centre of it, all the variety and beauty 
of water-works is difplayed in miniature. 
Some of the moft fafhionable coffee-houles 
in Bourdeaux are in this ftreet. There 
sare many differences between the French 
eoffee-houfes and the Englifh. The 
¥rench neither dine nor drink-wine there, 
but take every other kind of refrefiment, 
end amyfethemfelvesat billiards,draughts, 
cheis, and dominos, which are to be had 
at almoft every coffee-houfe. Theelegant 
and icientific game of billiards is by no 
means confined here, as in England, to idle 
yen of fafhion and profefled gamefters ; it 
js a univerfal recreation, and almoft every 
Frenchman can play it well. 
for playing is very moderate; and, as it is 
not the cuttom to wager any thing of con- 
fequence at this game, the billiard-table 
3s by no means a gaming-table as in Eng- 
Jand, but affords an innocent paftime to 
all deferiptions. It is very much the 
cuftom here for young gentlemen to retire 
immediately from dinner to the coffee- 
room, and pafs an hour at this game. 
They ufually play tor nothing; fometimes, 
for variety, they egree that the lofers fhall 
‘pay for the coffee: frem the coffce-room 
they go te the public walks or to the 
theatre, which is not an expenfive amufle- 
ment here. It appears to me that this 
mode of palling an evening is net only 
ynore rational, more elegant, more im- 
proving, bat allio much more agreeable, 
than the methods of killing time which 
ave pradtiled by the young men of fafnion 
_ jm your ccuntiy. Another material dif- 
Particulars concerning Kotzebue. 
The charge 
[Sept. 1, 
ference in the appearance of a French 
coffee-houfe is, that it is by no means un- 
ufual to fee ladies here. ‘It has been lone 
known, that by the cuftoms of France 
the company of the ladies is fo far from 
being ‘confidered a reftraint upon the con- 
verfation of the men, that it is f{uppofed to 
improve confiderably the pleafures of gene- . 
ral converfation, by giving it a more ani- 
mated and agreeable turn; therefore the 
ladies in France are not in hafte to retire 
from the focial table, where-they perceive 
that their company is always agreeable. 
Why. is the cafe fo different in Eng- 
land? Will the\gentlemen fay, that Eng- 
lith ladies are too ftupid to underftand the 
fublime fubjects. of their converfations ? 
Or, will they jay, that their converfations 
are too ftupid and dull to intereft or to 
pleafe women of tafte.and fpirit? IT bes 
lieve neither of thofe anfwers will be 
given, ‘and that it will be acknowledged, 
that, {peaking generally, the free intercourfe 
of the fexes is the ftrongeft proof of the 
civilization of a country; and that the 
pleafures which are derived from fuch in- 
tercourfe are the richeft fruits) which are 
produced by the cultivation’ and improve- 
ment of the focial order. I have already 
mentioned the commercial advantages that 
Bourdeaux derives from its fituation, 
being iurrounded by the countries that 
produce the fineft wines and brandy, con- 
nected with the entire South of France 
and the Mediterranean by inland navigas 
tion, and confequently, having for its ex: 
ports mot only the wines, brandy, oil, and 
vinegar, of the South of France, but alfo 
its manufaétures, particularly of ‘filk, 
which can be purchafed here on the moft 
reafonable terms, (hs 
If, therefore, you have any friend de- 
firous to fettle on the Continent of Europe, 
in whatever city beft fuits the profits of 
commerce, with the pleafures of fociety; 
the means of making a fortune, with the 
opportunities and facilities of enjoying it; I 
think you may fafely tell him,. that as 
foon as the general peace fhall be figned, 
Bourdeaux will be the firft, the molt ele- 
gant, and the moft agreeable commercial 
city on the Continent of Europe. i 
: (To be continued). 
Er 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
Further PaRTicuLars relative io M. 
- VON KOTZEBUE’S MEMOIRS of the 
mofi remarkable YEAR cf bis LiKE. 
| ie books have of jate years been 
read in every part-of Europe. with 
greater avidity by people of ail ranks — 
Sree Raat eesbeiat wh ee Soon #e 
