. One advantage in this exchange is, that bills may
be had of any date, in which case you may suit the occasions, and put
the discount into your own pocket. My bill on Boulogne was for 3000
francs, about 130_l._ English. I received it in Louis d'ors and ecus. In
the progress of my journey, several of the Louis were refused, as
deficient in weight, and I was advised in future never to take a Louis
without seeing that it was weight. The French coin is indeed in a very
bad state, which here, as elsewhere, is attributed to the Jews.

On the Paris side of Boulogne is a landscape and walk of most exquisite
beauty. The river, after some smaller meanders, takes a wide reach
through a beautiful vale, and shortly after flows into the sea through
two hills, which open as it were to receive it. I walked along the banks
to have a better view, and got into converse with a soldier, who had
been in the battle of Marengo. He gave me a very lively account of the
conduct of that extraordinary man, the French Emperor, in this grand
event of his life. His expression was, that he looked over the battle as
if looking upon a chess-board: that he made it a rule never to engage
personally, till he saw the whole plan of the battle in execution; that
he would then ride alternately to each division, and encourage them by
fighting awhile with them: that he visited all the sick and wounded
soldiers the day after the battle, inquired into the nature of their
wound, where and how it was received; and if there were any
circumstances of peculiar merit or peculiar distress, noted it down, and
invariably acted upon this memorandum: that he punished adultery in a
soldier's wife, if they were both in the camp, by the death of the
woman; if the offending was not in the field, and therefore not within
the reach of a court-martial, the soldier had a divorce on simple proof
of the offence before any mayor or magistrate. I demanded of this
veteran, pointing to the flotilla, when the Emperor intended to invade
England? He perceived the smile which accompanied this question, and
instantaneously, with a fierce look of suspicion and resolution,
demanded of me my passport. Though the abruptness of his conduct
startled me, I could not but regard him with some admiration. A long,
thin, spare figure of 55, was so sensible of the honour of his country,
as to take fire even at a jest at it as at a personal insult. It is to
this spirit that France owes half her victories.