‘660° 
abandon the sons to the tuition of a mer- 
cenary preceptor, aud place the daugh- 
ters in a convent, whence they never 
come forth, unless to receive husbands 
from the hand of a parent, actuated by 
avarice and ambition. 
“« A certain air of study and affectation 
has for some time occupied the beau 
monde, and even taken possession of the 
theatres. The new comedies are replete 
with a sentimental jargon, and the dia- 
logue often aims at being epigrammatic; 
the art of Moliere seems entirely lost ; 
no more droll incidents, pleasing situa- 
tions, or original characters. 
The age of great actors is past. La 
Dumesnil has retired on account of old 
age; Mademoiselle Clairon no longer 
makes her appearance in a theatre; Le 
Kam is dead; Aufrene is in Russia; 
and Brizard and La Live have quitted 
the French theatre. I ought, however, 
to do justice to the talents of those two 
great actresses, Mlle. de Raucoux and 
Mile. de Gareins. I have scen the for- 
mer in the characters of Leontina aud 
Aggrippina; in that of Cleopatra she 
chilled me with affright when she ex- 
elaimed : 
«< Epargne moi Vhorreur de mourir 4 
yeux!” 
Ses 
Besides the Freach theatre, there are 
six other spectacles. ‘The Parisians, like 
the Romans of old, seem to demand no- 
thing so muchas bread and shows. The 
Opera is the most perfect representation 
ever witnessed by me, ‘ Cidipe 2 Co- 
Jone,’ accompanied by the music of Sac~ 
chini, made me fancy myself at Athens, 
and 1 actually began to ‘think I was lis- 
tening to a Greek tragedy. As to dan- 
cing, “all the world knows to what per- 
fection it is carried here, and that too by 
2 vain creature, who, pluming himself on 
his art, exclaims, ‘ ach there never were 
and never will be hut one Frederic, one 
Voltaire, and one Vestris!’ Adieu.” 
= Voyage a Petersburg, &c.”—A 
Journey to Petersburg, by MassELrere, 
to which is added an Historical View of 
the Russian Empire, 1 vol. 8vo. 
This is a new sees of a work, origi- 
nally printed some years since. N otwith- 
standing the care of the Russian govern- 
ment, to prevent any but royalists from 
entering their territories, yet M. de la 
Masseliere found means dui ing the Revo- 
lution to penetrate to St. Petersburg, and 
examine the manners, custains, resources, 
and military strenath of the dominions of 
the Czarina. The “ Historical View aids 
Retrospect of French Literature—Miscellames. 
from the pen of V. D, Musset Pathay, 
who fully enters into the commercial and 
political connexions of the empire, and 
from the details concerning the present 
state of Russia, affects with a prophetic 
foresight, to decide on the future great- 
ness of that extensive empire. 
“ Histoire des Guerres des Gaulois et 
des Francois et [talie.”—A History of the 
Wars carried on by the Gauls and French 
in Italy, with a’ Description of the Civil 
and Miliary Events which occurred on 
this occasion. By M. Aucustus JusE, 
Member of the Tribunate, with a portrait. 
of the emperor, an atlas, &c. 7 vol. 8vo. 
This work is the Joint production of se- 
veral authors and aruists. M. Jube, one 
of the new legislators, has written that 
portion of the history, which is included 
between the time of Bellovesus, and Louis 
XII. inclusive, which Joseph Servan, now 
a general of division, and formerly a noted 
meinber of the Constituent Assembly, 
had undertaken to describe that peried, 
which intervenes between the death of 
Louis XII, and the peace of Amiens, 
Isabez and Tardieu have furmished the 
portrait of the emperor; Lapie, geogra- 
phical engineer, has produced the maps, 
while Le Jeune, known by his View of the 
battle of Marengo, has here sketched two 
of the principal actions. 
It is utterly impossible for us, om this 
occasion, to enumerate the events con- 
tained in seven octavo volumes, but the 
_are meant in general, to be highly flat- 
tering to France. Jt seems to be insi-~ 
nuated, that while Carthage and Rome 
rose into ennence and disappeared from 
the politica} horizon, the Gauls remained . 
a great and mighty nation. The Franks 
their conquerors, are traced from the 
the banks of the Vistula to those of the 
Seine, and after giving their name to the 
country which they had subdued, they 
prepared to distinguish and to enrich 
themselves by foreign conquests. Like 
the Gauls, they also crossed the Alps and 
overran Italy; but although a warlike, 
they are allowed to have been a rude and 
a barbarous people, and it 1s acknowledg- 
ed that their exploits do not possess any 
satisfactory results, either in respect to 
civii government, or military science. 
Yn contemplating the reign of Francis 
J. the author is anxious to prove that 
France was one of the first states in Eu-- 
rope, that could lay any claim to eivili- 
zation, His account of the political si- 
tuation of Asia, Africa, and America, 
during the sixteenth century, is written 
with ability, and the revolt of the Cane 
ble 
