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tambour major, who had never ceased dancing for an instant, accompanied by the two white half-shaved poodle dogs, darted after them, until the whole disappeared from view.

On expressing my astonishment at the pace at which they had passed, I was assured by two or three general officers, as well as by the President himself, that the "chasseurs à pied "in the French service can, in heavy marching order and carrying everything, keep up with the cavalry at a trot for two leagues; indeed, they added, if necessary, for a couple of hours;—the effect no doubt of the gymnastic exercises I had witnessed, and which I had been truly told by the French officers superintending them were instituted for the purpose of giving activity and celerity of movement to the troops. The chasseurs à pied are armed with the new internally grooved French carbine, the extraordinary range of which I have described; and as their fire is deadly at a distance more than three times greater than that of the English ordinary musket, their power of speedily advancing, and, if necessary, as speedily running away, all added together, form advantages which, it is submitted, are worthy of the very serious consideration of the British nation.

After a variety of manœuvres of infantry and

cavalry, separately and combined, the latter charged up the Champ de Mars in line. The sound of their approach was like that of distant thunder; but as their pace freshened, their disorder increased, until, on the word "Halt!" being sounded, they were far from forming a compact line. During the charge a horse fell, and the President, riding up to the man, very kindly inquired of him whether he was much hurt. His trousers were rubbed into holes; he had taken his stock off; and was altogether considerably jumbled both in body and mind; however, with a comrade on each side, and a surgeon on foot behind him, he managed, sometimes walking and sometimes reeling a little, to get off the field.

The review was now over, and accordingly the President (after the expression in a very pleasing tone and manner of a few words of approbation to the General commanding and to the principal officers of his staff) returned along the avenue of the Champs Elysées to his palace, in the yard of which he took leave of the same crowd of officers assembled there in the morning, and who during the day had accompanied him.

PRISON MODÈLE.

FROM the Elysée, as I was hastening to my lodging, I ordered the Commissionnaire standing at the corner of my street to get me a fiacre; during the few moments he was employed in doing so I changed my clothing, and in the course of little more than half an hour found myself, by myself, standing gazing at the lofty loopholed dead walls, 30 feet high, and exterior massive gate of the great Prison commonly called "La Nouvelle Force" or "Prison Modèle," on the outside of which, in grey coats, red epaulettes, and scarlet trousers, were reposing on stone benches a guard, composed of a lieutenant, two sergeants, four corporals, and 51 soldiers, who watch over the building night and day. All looked indolent or half asleep, save a few, who, as if to keep themselves awake, were smoking smoking-smoking—

"And thus on till wisdom is push'd out of life."

On ringing at the bell the gate slowly opened, and, passing across a short space, I was, on the

production of my special order of admission, conducted through another gate into the interior of the prison, which during the horrors of the revolution of 1792 was twice in the hands of the infuriated populace, who, in September of that dreadful year, in cold blood massacred within it 160 persons, among whom was the unfortunate Princesse de Lamballe.

On arriving at the "Bureau Central du Brigadier," I entered a small detached office, containing six windows, from each of which, like a large, fat, black spider looking at once over half of his web, I saw radiating before me six passages, each 264 feet long, separating six sets of buildings, three stories high. Every one of these buildings, or rather narrow slices of a building, was a prison, containing on each of its three floors 70 separate cells, or altogether 210 cells. From the central office my eye consequently glanced along passages below and galleries above, communicating altogether with 1260 separate cells.

On asking the superintendent to be so good as to explain to me the nature of the curious-looking establishment over which he presided, he told me its objects were two-fold

1st. The prevention of crime ;

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2nd. The retention of those who were sup

posed to have committed crime.

He added that it contained only males, the first class beggars and "vagabonds" forwarded by the police to be retained for three or four weeks; the second (who composed by far the greater proportion) robbers and assassins, usually confined three or four months previous to their trial; and having given me this information, he obligingly desired one of his subordinates to take me over the buildings.

At the entrance of each of the six passages, I found on a level with my face three hooks and a little round mouth-piece. The former were bells, communicating with the galleries of the three stories; the latter a speaking trumpet,

or

"porte-voix," communicating with each and common to all. By this simple arrangement the superintendent, if he wishes to communicate with the surveillant or keeper of any one of the three galleries of any one of the six prisons which converge upon his office, has only first to call his attention by ringing his bell, and then, through the mouth-piece, to whisper into his ear through the speaking-trumpet whatever he may wish to say; moreover, by putting his own ear to the "porte-voix," he can hear whatever answer the surveillant may have to give to him.

VOL. II.

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