legant, and handsome, and the players were
good. I was struck with the ridiculous antics, and gestures of the chef
in the orchestra, a man whose office it is to beat time to the
musicians. In the municipality box which was in the centre, lined with
green silk, and gold, were two fine young women who appeared to be
ladies of fashion, and consequence; they were dressed after the antique,
in an attire which, for lightness, and scantiness I never saw equalled,
till I saw it surpassed at Paris. They appeared to be clothed only in
jewels, and a little muslin, very gracefully disposed, the latter, to
borrow a beautiful expression, had the appearance of "woven air."--From
emotions of gratitude, for the captivating display which they made, I
could not help offering a few fervent wishes, that the light of the next
day might find them preserved from the dreaded consequences of a very
bitter cold night.

Rouen, upon the whole, is a fine city, very large, and populous. It was
formerly the capital of the kingdom of Normandy. It stands upon a plain,
screened on three sides, by high, and picturesque mountains. It is near
two leagues in compass, exclusive of the fauxbourgs of St. Severs,
Cauchoise, Bouveul, St. Hiliare, Martainville and Beauvisme. Its
commerce was very celebrated, and is returning with great rapidity. Most
of the fine buildings in this city, and its environs are Anglo-Norman
antiquities, and were founded by the English before they left Normandy.

The cathedral is a grand, and awful pile of gothic architecture, built
by our William the Conqueror. It has two towers, one of which, is
surmounted by a wooden spire covered with lead, and is of the prodigious
height of 395 french feet, the other is 236 feet high.

The additional wooden spire, and the inequality of the towers produce
rather an unfavourable effect. During the revolution, this august
edifice was converted into a sulphur and gunpowder manufactory, by which
impious prostitution, the pillars are defaced, and broken, and the whole
is blackened, and dingy.

The costly cenotaphs of white marble, enriched with valuable ornaments
containing the hearts of our Henry III, and Richard I, kings of England,
and dukes of Normandy, which were formerly placed on each side of the
grand altarpiece, were removed during the revolution.

The altarpiece is very fine. Grand preparations were making for the
inauguration of the archbishop, which was to take place the following
Sunday