SOME days before the demolition of the statue of _Henri_ IV. on the
_Pont-neuf_, there was a flag placed near that statue, on which was
painted _citoyens la Patrie est en danger_; (citizens, the
mother-country is in danger) and it still remained there when I came
away.
On the Monday after _the_ Friday, I saw a paper on the walls, among
those published by authority, wherein a person acquainted the public,
that on the preceding Saturday, in consequence of some suspicions which
had been entertained of his principles, his house had been visited by
above thirty thousand persons;[34] and that notwithstanding masons and
smiths had been employed in pulling down, breaking open and
scrutinizing, the people had _found nothing_ to criminate him, and he
had _found nothing_ missing in consequence of their scrutiny. I had the
pleasure of reading this aloud to an assemblage of elderly ladies, not
one of whom could see to read it, as it was placed out of their _focus_,
or too high, as they said.
[Note 34: _Poco más o menos_,(a little more or less) as the
Spaniards say when they are complimented with _Viva V. S. mil años_ (may
you live a thousand years.)]
Before the 10th I saw several dancing parties of the _Poissardes_ and
_sans-culottes_ in the beer-houses, on the _Quai des Ormes_ and the
_Quai St. Paul_, and have played the favourite and animating air of _ça
ira_, on the fiddle, to eight couple of dancers; the ceiling of these
rooms (which open into the street) is not above ten feet high, and on
this ceiling (which is generally white washed) are the numbers 1 2 to 8,
in black, and the same in red, which mark the places where the ladies
and gentlemen are to stand. When the dance was concluded I requested the
ladies to salute me (_m'embrasser_) which they did, by gently touching
my cheek with their lips. But a period was put to all these amusements
by the occurrences of the 10th; after which day, most of my time was
employed in endeavouring to obtain a passport.
On the _Quai des Augustins_, at six or seven in the morning, may be seen
a market of above a quarter of a mile long, well stocked with fowls,
pigeons, ducks, geese and turkies: these birds are all termed
_Volaille_. Rabbits are likewise sold in this market. I also saw here a
few live pheasants, red-legged partridges and quails in cages, for
sale.
I did not see a _louis d'or_ this time in Paris, it is probable that a
new golden coin may be struck of a different value and name, and
_without_ the name of the die-engraver.
There are few, if any, _tables d'hôte_ (ordinaries) in Paris at present,
except at the inns. I have not seen any for many years, because the hour
of dining at them is about one o'clock, and that is customary to be
served in those coffee-houses which are kept by _restaurateurs and
traiteurs_ (cooks) after the English manner, at small tables, and there
are bills of fare, with the prices of the articles marked. The most
celebrated of these houses is called _la Taverne de Londres_, in the
garden of the _Palais-Royal_: here are large public rooms, and also many
small ones, and a bill of fare printed on a folio sheet, containing
almost every sort of provision, (carp, eels, and pickled salmon are the
only fish I have seen there.) An Englishman may here have his
beef-steak, plum-pudding, Cheshire cheese, porter and punch just as in
London, and at about the same price, (half the price as the exchange
then was.) Thirty-five sorts of wine are here enumerated. That of
_Tokay_ is at two _livres_ for a small glass, of which a quart-bottle
may contain about fifteen. _Rhenish, Mountain, Alicante, Rota,_ and red
_Frontignan_ at 6 livres. _Champagne, Claret, Hermitage,_ 4 _l._ 10_f._
_Port_ 3_l._ 10_f._ _Burgundy_ 3_l._ _Porter_ 2_l._ 10_f._ Most of the
dishes are of silver, and I dined at two or three other taverns where
all the dishes and plates were of silver.
The barbers or hair-dressers have generally written on their sign _Ici
on rajeunit: rajeunir_ means properly to colour or die the hair, but in
this instance it only expresses, here people are made to look younger
than they are, by having their hair dressed. I saw a peruke-maker's sign
representing the fable of _the man and his two wives_, thus: A
middle-aged gentleman is fitting in a magnificent apartment, between an
old lady and a young one, fashionably dressed. His head is entirely
bald, the old lady having just pulled out the black hairs, as the young
one did the grey: and Cupid is flying over his head, holding a nice
periwig ready to put on it.