God bless you, come and see them!—And if you do, I will show you a still more grotesque figure than either. A sly sinner, creeping along the very edges of the walks, getting behind the benches: one hand in his bosom, the other held up to his chin, as if to keep it in its place: afraid of being seen, as a thief of detection. The people of fashion, if he happen to cross a walk, (which he always does with precipitation) unsmiling their faces, as if they thought him in their way; and he, as sensible of so being, stealing in and out of the bookseller's shop, as if he had one of their glasscases under his coat. Come and see this odd figure*! you will never see him, unless I show him to you: and who knows when an opportunity for that may happen again at Tunbridge?....

.... Mr. Cibber was in love, over head and ears, with Miss C her admirers (such was his happiness!) were not jealous of him: but, pleased with that wit in him which they had not, were always calling him to

over. The sprightly veteran shows, in every line of his corre spondence with the author of Clarrissa, the man of wit and the man of the world.

* Richardson speaks here of himself.-The following is the description he gives of his person to Lady Bradshaigh, in one of his letters: Short, rather plump than emaciated—one hand generally in his bosom, the other a cane in it—looking directly fore-right, as passers by would imagine, but observing all that stirs on either hand of him, without moving his short neck; hardly ever turning back; of a light-brown complexion; teeth not yet failing him; smoothish face, and ruddy cheeked: -a regular, even pace, stealing away ground, rather than seeming to rid it: a grey eye, by chance lively; his eye always on the ladies."

her.

}

She said pretty things for she was Miss C-; he said pretty things-for he was Mr. Cibber; and all the company, men and women, seemed to think they' had an interest in what was said, and were half as well pleased as if they had said the sprightly things themselves; and mighty well contented were they to be second hand repeaters of the pretty things. But once I faced the laureat, squatted upon one of the benches, with a face more wrinkled than ordinary with disappointment. "I thought," said I, "you were of the party of the teatreats, Miss C is gone into the tea-room."—"Pshaw," said he, "there is no coming at her, she is so surrounded by the Toupets."—And I left him upon the fret.-But he was called to soon after, and in he flew, and his face shone again, and looked smooth.

He has written a dialogue between a father and a daughter the intention to show that the paternal authority and filial obedience may be reconciled! He has read it to half a score at a time of the fair sex; and not a young lady but is mightily pleased with a lesson that will teach her to top her father. He has met with so much applause among the young flirts, that I don't know whether he will not publish it. The piece is calculated to throw down all distinction between parents and children.

Another extraordinary old man we have had here, but of a different turn; the noted Mr. Whiston, showing eclipses, and explaining other phenomena of the stars, and preaching the millenium and anabaptism to gay people, who, if they have white teeth, hear him with open mouths, though perhaps shut hearts, and, after his lecture is over, not a bit the wiser, run from

him, the more eagerly, to flutter among the loudlaughing young fellows upon the walks, like boys and girls at a breaking-up.

You see, my dear, what a trifling letter I have written!-If you could bear such stuff, I could run on a volume; relating others' follies and forgetting my own. But 'tis time to relieve you....

FRENCH JUSTICE, IN 1804.

-He's a king who triumphs free from law, Like the fierce monarchs who the deserts awe; Whose haughty nod the trembling herds obey,

Nor are their subjects only, but their prey." BLACKMORB.

THE administration of justice in France is so conducted, that the innocent can be condemned, and the guilty acquitted, according to the pleasure of the government/ Among the crimes which at present attract most of their attention, is that which is termed faux; and which alone, considering all the cases it comprehends, as well as the mode of trial adopted, puts a great proportion of the French nation at the entire disposal of the government. The offenders are called faussaires; every species of fal sification, from coining of money to a simple error in an account, comes under the denomination of faux. A commissary general of the army, in whose accounts an error of four sous is discovered, may be tried for this offence. The accused are tried without a jury, by judges of the special tribunal; and if they happen to be ob noxious to the government, we may guess what, in the present state of things, is likely to be their fate. The

evils occasioned by the extensive signification given to this term in France, are almost incredible. A poor woman lately tried for the murder of a man who died a natural death on his bed, and acquitted, had been obliged, in order to maintain herself during a six months' confinement in prison, to put her watch in pledge. Ashamed to appear under her own name, she employed one of her neighbours to execute this commission, under a feigned one. This circumstance appearing upon her trial, the neighbour who had put the watch in pawn under an assumed name, was committed to prison in order to be tried for a faux, and the poor woman who had been already six months in prison, and acquitted on the original charge, was recommitted as an accomplice.

When a commissary, having demands to a large amount against the government, presents his accounts, the slightest error, or any false document, of which he may have been innocent or ignorant, being found, he is brought to trial before the judges of the special tribunal. His being found guilty, liquidates all his demands upon government; and in that case, any property of which he may be possessed, is confiscated to pay the charges of the prosecution; which charges are at the discretion. of the judges; and these judges receive a stipend of only 4000 livres a year each (less than 2001. sterling), with pens, ink, and paper, from the government; for which reason the people say that the committée revolutionare was instituted by the government of Robespierre, pour battre de la monnoie (to coin money); but that the tribunal special has been instituted by the government of Buonaparté pour payer ses dettes (to pay their debts).

As an instance of the extraordinary charges of this tri bunal, we may cite the cause of Mr. L. He was con victed of a faur, which was only an error of 400 livres in an account of several millions. Beside being condemned to be publicly exposed, and to work eight years in the galleys, the expence of his process amounted to the very moderate sum of twenty-five thousand livres.

.... A man well known on the turf in England, whose name I cannot at this moment recollect, was imprisoned either in the Bicetre or St. Pelagie in Paris, and kept for a long time en secret.. He was not allowed to have any communication with his banker, who did not know what had become of him, and could not therefore, supply him with money, although he had funds for that purpose in his hands. After some months, however, this restriction was taken off, and he was allowed to emerge from his cell and bed of straw. He then related to some English gentlemen, with whom he had an opportunity of conversing, that his imprisonment arose from the following circumstances:-A Frenchman, of some fortune, who had been in England, took a fancy to a horse belonging to this person: he said, if he would deliver the horse in Paris, he would agree to pay the price of five hundred pounds for him. The bargain was struck; the horse arrived in Paris; the Frenchman receded from his bargain; the Englishman got angry; and fruitless altercations ensued. Meet. ing with this Frenchman one day, coming from the se cond consul's, after dinner, the Englishman again addressed him with remonstrances; but, finding these could produce no effect, was proceeding to use argu