e management of
business and augmenting their foreign commerce to a great extent,
particularly with America; from the town of New Orleans alone, last
summer, there were eighty merchants in Paris at one time, and the amount
from all the United States was estimated at two thousand; in fact if
France remain at peace, the increase of her prosperity in every branch
of industry must be certain, as if she obtain English machinery, which
she must ultimately, with those who know how to set it in motion also,
as provisions are cheaper, and always will be than with us, because she
needs not so much taxation, her debt being so much smaller than that of
England, labour must be lower, therefore she will have an advantage over
us which it will be impossible for England, with all her talents, to
circumvent. Already the Americans purchase, not only silks and fancy
articles in France, but also even cotton goods of the superior
qualities; the only obstacle which prevents the French from making still
more rapid advancement than is at present the case, is first timidity of
capitalists, deficiency of knowledge of the higher order of business,
and extreme slowness in proceeding with any grand national operation, as
for instance, her railroads, in which she has not only seen England
surpass her tenfold, but other neighbouring countries; but as there is a
sort of system of centralization in favour of the metropolis, Paris
improves more rapidly in proportion than the rest of France.

CHAPTER VI.

The monuments of Paris, the gardens, promenades, markets,
libraries, etc.

In order to facilitate the progress of the reader in viewing the
monuments and different objects of interest in Paris, I shall classify
them within certain limits, so that they may be viewed in the shortest
possible time, stating those which are contiguous to each other, so that
a greater number may be visited in a day, than if the traveller went
from one distant quarter of Paris to the other promiscuously, as he
happened to hear of any building or monument he wished to see, and thus
have to return perhaps two or three times to the same neighbourhood
instead of finishing with one district first, then taking the others in
rotation; as I shall suppose that some of my readers can only afford ten
days or a fortnight to view Paris, I shall be as chary of their time as
possible; having been accustomed to show the lions to many different
friends or acquaintances fro