Retrofped? of Domeftic Literature.—Voyages, Travels, Sc. 
thofe who enter the holy temples of devo- 
tion. The Proteftants are ‘allowed three 
chapels ; the total for Catholics and Pro- 
teftants is forty-two: befides thele, there 
is at prefent no other place of religious 
worfhip at Paris. You can icarcely ever 
enter the’e churches, but a few folitary 
devotees are to be feen kneeling by fome 
petty fide-alrar and muttering their inter- 
ceflions to the Holy Virgin. The greater 
number of theic are old women. The 
young of either tex are feldom there, ex- 
cept brought to high mats by thew pa- 
rents, or attraéted by fome ceremony or 
church feftival. ‘* At high mafs icfelf, 
the old are much more numerous than the 
young, and the women thanthe men. In 
proportion as the crowd is attracted, the 
congregation is dilorderly. There are no 
feats, a very few within the choir except- 
ed, for perfons in office ; but the choir 
being open, a multitude of rufh bottomed 
chairs, exceedingly rude, and generally old 
and d rty, ftand ready ‘to be hired 5 I for- 
get if at a halfpennv or a penny each; 
and this is a {urce of church revenue. 
s¢ At every part of the fervice, as well 
in fermon time as during mafs, numbers 
are in motion; people come and go, make 
the church their thoroughfare , are filent 
or talkative, dirty or clean, and act with 
the mo:t perfect indifference with refpect 
to time, place, cr other circumftance. 
Behind the preacher a prompter is feated, 
who, as is the prattice at the theatre, 
whilpers the word, if the actor blunders 
in his part. During the fervice, the fu- 
perintendants of the chairs make the 
round of their cu@omers to colleét the 
fous’ The ¢o'd, mechanical, and un- 
fecling manner in which che priefts are 
repreiented as performing their functions, 
és not | kely to arveft the attention of their 
congregation, or an:mate their devotion. 
A conliderable portion of thete volumes 
relates to Pavis. A very ample acccunt 
is given of the fate of its public build- 
ines, gardens, galleries, and curiofities. 
The public inftitutions tor the advance- 
ment of arts and {cicnce, for genera land 
particular education, are. attended to, as 
they ought, with great care; and indeed 
Mv. Holcroft has omiited nothing which 
can render his work at once interefting 
and inftruétive. Tbe engravings which 
accompany thefe volumes, are very nu- 
merous and weil executed. 
Dr. Maciean’s “ Excurfonin Franee, 
&c.”’ is but-a barren journal. It fhould 
be obferved, however, that his view in 
travelling was not to write a book of 
anecdotes, ‘but to eftablifh the truth 
failacy of an hypothelis which he had 
wel 
66L 
formed 5; namely, that peftilential difeafes 
are not contagious. It is to be regretted 
that he was difappointed in his hope of 
fettling this queftion, He has given a nar- 
rative which cannot fail to excite interett 
and abhorrence of the detention of Englifh 
in France as prifoners of war. 
“ Paris as it was and as itis; 0r, @ 
Sketch of ihe French Capitad ; illuftrative 
of the Effects of the Revolution, with re- 
[pect to Sciences, Literature, Arts, Reds- 
gion, Education, Manners, and Amufe- 
ments; comprifing alfo a correct Account 
of the moft remarkable National Efiablib- 
ments and Public Buildings. In a@ Series 
of Letters, writien by an Englifo Travel. 
ler duxing the Years ¥801 and 4802, toa 
Friend in London.” 
We are indebted to an anonymous wri- 
ter for thefe two very interefting volumes. 
Should the conclufion of a peace enable 
Foglifhmen to vifit Paris, this will bea 
mott ufeful companion. The author has 
inter{perfed his narrative with a variety of 
hiftorical anecdotes, illuftrative of the 
French character and manners; and he 
has devoted a great deal of attention te 
thofe naval, military, ard civil inftitu- 
tions, which have been fo multiplied finte 
the e:a of the Revolution. We remark 
that this gentleman is much mare {anguine 
in his expeétations of the eventual import- 
ance of the feminaries of public educa- 
tion and {fchools for public fervices than 
Mr. Holcroft, and indeed gives @ mcre 
flattering account of their pr:fent ad- 
vancement and apparent progreflion.— 
There are two eftablithments to which tle 
patriotic author ts particularly defirous of 
dire&ting the attention of our government, 
thefe are the Dépot dela Marine and the 
Dépat de la Guerre. 
The Dépot de la Marine is a general 
depofitory of maps, charts, plans, jour- 
als, and archives of the navy and of the 
colonies, under the direction of a flag of- 
ficer. Tothis dépot ave attached the ny- 
drogtaphers and-aitronomers of the navy, 
as well as an adequate number of engi- 
neers and draftfmen. A library has lately 
been added to it, compofed of -all the 
works relating to navigation and naval ar- 
chirecture, as well as of ail the vayages 
poblithed in the different ceed or living 
languages. All the commanders ef vel- 
felis belonging to the ftate are bound, on 
their return to port, to addrefs to the 
minifter of the naval department, tn order 
to be depofited in the archives, the 
journals of their voyages, and the aftre. 
namical or other obfervaiions which they 
have been enabled to make, and the charts 
and plans which they have had an oppor- 
tunity 
