ais donc" said I, "Madame
wants a warming-pan. Allons, where is the chambermaid to carry it?" "Oh,
n'importe," replied this flying Mercury; "c'est moi qui fera cela pour
la dame!" Only guess Kitty's escape! Another moment and he would have
been in her presence, warming-pan and all. By dint of remonstrating I
checked his course and prevailed upon the Maid to go herself with vast
ill humour, innumerable shrugs, and some few "Mon Dieu's" and other
suitable expressions. Kitty must herself be the interpreter of her own
feelings in these lands of novelty. I am almost glad you were, none of
you, here to witness what she will have such pleasure in describing. Our
morning passed away in strolling over the town. Kitty and I dined at the
table d'hote with about 20 people. Farmer Dinmont sent for a bottle of
the best wine to try it and offered me a glass. I begged to propose a
toast, "Prosperity to Old England." His features brightened up, he
grasped the bottle, filled a bumper, and replied, "Aye, aye, with all my
heart; that Toast I would drink in ditch water." We left Ostend at 3
o'clock to take passage in the Bruges canal, and I do assure you we all
felt quite sorry to leave our dear, good, honest John Bull.

At Saas we fell in with a specimen of Lord Wellington's operations.
There is a formidable battery erected last year by way of guarding
Ostend from a "coup de main"; it is singular that the English have
placed a Battery for the defence close to the celebrated sluice gates of
this canal, which gates were blown up by Sir Evelyn Coote to prevent the
French from inundating the country, when he invaded it some years
before.

Behold us seated in a spacious room, for it does not deserve the
diminutive name of "Cabin," decorated with hangings of green cloth and
gold border, on board a most commodious barge. Behold us on a lovely
evening starting from the Quay with full sail and 3 horses, a man
mounted on one and cracking a great long whip to drive on the other two,
which trotted away abreast at the rate of 4-1/2 miles an hour. Behold us
seated on this easy chair of Neptune! our ears deafened and our spirits
enlivened by a band of music--trumpet, violin, and bass--admirably
playing Waltzes and other national tunes. When they had amused us on
deck they went below to another class of auditors. Our fellow traveller,
Mr. Trueman, followed them, and perceiving him to be English they struck
up "God save the King." A Frenchman called out "