the elevation of Louis Philippe to the French
throne are marked by a clear, cool judgment.

When she diverts her thoughts, she says, from the dethroned and banished
king to him whom she saw before her, walking without guards and with an
assured step, she could not but recall the vicissitudes he had
experienced, and the conclusion forced itself upon her that this earth
and all its inhabitants were but the toys of children, which change
their name and destination according to the moment's whim. It seemed to
her that all men must be classed in the order which it was good for them
to hold; and that everything would be thrown into the greatest confusion
if they were cast down in order to be raised up again, and thus they
were perpetually hurled from side to side; with all this, so powerless
in themselves, and so completely governed by chance! She felt humbled by
the sight of human weakness, and turned her eyes from the monarch to
meditate on the insignificance of men.

How vain are all the efforts which man is able to make to direct the
course of his own existence! There is nothing, in truth, but confidence
in an exalted Wisdom and an immovable Power which can enable us, from
the greatest to the smallest, to traverse with courage and tranquillity
a world subject to such terrible convulsions.

In the opinion of one French critic, the book upon "Paris and the
Parisians" is one of the most interesting works which has dealt with the
subject of French society. It reflects with wonderful accuracy the
physiognomy of the reign of Louis Philippe; those outbreaks which so
frequently troubled the city; those political discussions which every
evening transformed the _salons_ into so many clubs; the romantic
aspirations of Young France; the turbulence of the people, and the
general want of respect for the monarchy.

Everywhere, moreover, as one of her translators has said, this literary
Amazon marches, armed with a bold and vivid criticism, which gathered
around her eager readers and bitter foes. Do not expect that she will
relate to you (as Lady Morgan does) the tittle-tattle of the boudoirs of
the countries she visits or in which she resides; for from the
particularity and range of her observations it is clear that she made no
flying visit, that her masculine mind penetrated below the surface. When
she arrived in a new land she planted there her flag, and with pen
upraised set forth to attack or energetically praise, according to he