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avoiding the renewal of war, that several journals, and, at last, the Moniteur, hint that the action took place by a mistake of the British captain.j...

The director general of the posts mentioned in my hearing, the other evening, that the service of the mails between Dover and Calais, which had been interrupted a short time, was now re-established and in activity, as usual. It would be the height of injustice in any one of the few Englishmen now at Paris not to own that he has been treated with an attention and deference by all classes, which, considering the distinct national air and appearance, joined with the present public politics of our countrymen, no inconsiderable command of manner and language must be requisite to enable the French to assume.

I believe that none of us, who have chosen to make the application, have been refused admissions to the ceremony of opening the parlia ment to-morrow, although only three hundred spectators can be present, and many, even of the court, have not succeeded in procuring tickets. The grand marshal presented one to

me.

Your friend B-- has had two sent to him, which you may think were not obtained by any undue concessions, or any exclusive atten

tions to one party, when I tell you that one of them has beeu transmitted to a notorious royalist lady of the Bourbon court, who would otherwise have been unable to be present at the sight. It is not the least obligatory circumstance attending the reception of your friend here, that no unbecoming partiality of language or conduct has been expected from him; and that, on the contrary, he has been even encouraged in a freedom of discourse which he has found contrary to the forms or express regulations of almost every other continental capital. Neither these tickets nor that reception may be a reason why the English and French nations should not go to war, although I most firmly believe that the present attachment to the Bourbons in our country dates from the day when those princes refused the invitation to Kensington Palace, and basely administered to the rancour of the most pitiful persecution that ever disgraced the domestic annals even of the house of Brunswick.

On Wednesday, at two o'clock, another Englishman and myself went to the palace of the legislative body, and, after some trouble, got into the galleries of the theatre of the house of representatives, which were shortly filled chiefly with ladies in evening dresses. A tribune was boarded off for the ladies of the court: a throne was placed on the elevation in the circular niche, where the president's chair is raised; and on the steps beneath were ranged benches, those on the right being for the ministers, and the others on the left for the marshals of the empire. One chair was at the right of the throne, and two on the left; and a stool stood at each side beyond. The four lower ranges of seats were reserved for the house of peers, except a semicircle on the left, which was kept apart for the counsellors of state. The deputies filled all the upper seats of the theatre. an hour the peers began to arrive, nearly all of them either in regimentals or in broad cordons.

In

The counsellors of state took their places and shortly afterwards Napoleon's mother (usually known by the title of Madame Mere, a very handsome, regular featured, princely personage, young of her age) entered the gallery with the Princess Hortense, and the beautiful Duchesses of Bassano, Rovigo, and Vicenza. At four

o'clock we heard the cannon of the Tuileries, and, in about twenty minutes, the cannon stationed near the palace; at which time the folding doors of the theatre, opposite the throne, were thrown open; and the twenty-five members, with the president, who had received the' court, walked down the steps, followed by the ministers of state and the marshals, who took their places by the throne: after these came the chamberlains and pages; and lastly, a man shouted with a loud voice, L'EMPEREUR! —and Napoleon appeared. He wore his bonnet' and imperial mantle, and was attended by the princes his brothers, by aide-de-camps and marshals in waiting, together with other great officers of his court; amongst whom were Cardinal Cambaceres, the grand almoner, and the prince archchancellor his brother, in his robe of bees. The whole assembly arose-Napoleon walked down to the area of the theatre, and then ascended the steps to the throne amidst

continued acclamations. He turned round, bowed, and sat down. Lucien took place to his left; Joseph, King of Spain, to his right. The chair of Prince Jerome, King of Westphalia, was vacant, so were the stools. The princes wore white robes as on the Champ de Mai. The aide-de-camps and marshals stood behind the throne. The whole assembly continued standing, when the grand master of the ceremonies, the Count Segur, was addressed by the Emi peror. The grand master then exclaimed, "The Emperor begs you will be seated,”—and all took their seats. The president The president Lanjninais was seated in front of the throne, with two serjeants at arms behind his chair. The archchancellor, advancing in front of the Emperor, informed him that the members of the two houses would proceed to take the oath of obedience to the constitution, and fidelity to his Majesty. Accordingly, the names of the peers were first called over, beginning with Prince Joseph; who, standing up, turning to his imperial brother, and stretching on his hand towards him, exclaimed, "Je jure !" a ceremony observed by Lucien, and by all the peers. This oath, and that of the representatives, which followed, lasted a tedious time. Several names must have awakened certain recol