tion was at that moment reciprocal with
every other power, and with England in particular. The decree of course
closed the argument. We next addressed ourselves to their politeness
(forgetting that the revolution had made sad inroads upon it) and
requested them, as we had been misled, and had no other views of
visiting the country, but those of pleasure, and improvement, that they
would be pleased to grant us our passports for the interior. To this
address, these high authorities, who seemed not much given to "the
melting mood," after making up a physiognomy, as severe, and as _iron
bound_ as their coast, laconically observed, that the laws of the
republic must be enforced, that they should write to our embassador to
know who we were, and that in the mean time they would make out our
passports for the town, the barriers of which we were not to pass.
Accordingly, a little fat gentleman, in a black coat, filled up these
official instruments, which were copied into their books, and both
signed by us; he then commenced our "signalement," which is a regular
descriptive portrait of the head of the person who has thus the honour
of sitting to the municipal portrait painters of the departement de la
Seine inferieure.

This portrait is intended, as will be immediately anticipated, to afford
encreased facilities to all national guards, marechaussees, thief
takers, &c. for placing in "durance vile" the unfortunate original,
should he violate the laws.

The signalement is added in the margin, to the passport, and also
registered in the municipal records, which, from their size, appeared to
contain a greater number of heads and faces, thus depicted, than any
museum or gallery I ever beheld.

How correct the likenesses in general are, I leave to the judgment of
others, after I have informed them, that the hazle eyes of my friend
were described "yeux bleu" in this masterly delineation.

If the dead march in Saul had been playing before us all the way, we
could not have marched more gravely, or rather sulkily, to our inn.
Before us, we had the heavy prospect of spending about ten days in this
town, not very celebrated for either beauty, or cleanliness, until the
municipality could receive an account of us, from our embassador, who
knew no more of us than they did. The other english gentlemen were in
the same predicament.

However we determined to pursue the old adage, that what is without
remedy, should be without regret, and, en