all undertakings, I would commit my ways unto thee, O God, my Creator and Redeemer. Direct thou my paths, and be with me and my companion." The passage to Dieppe was boisterous; but the raging of the storm seems only to have aroused his enthusiasm for the grand and terrible. He thus addressed the wide sea: "Vast and illimitable ocean! How does the amplitude of thy power, and the infinitude of thy terrors, set forth the greatness of His might, and the terribleness of His majesty, whose whisper can hush thee to sleep, and whose voice thou art swift to obey! 'Hitherto thou shalt come, but no farther: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.' Natural scenes, if not always lovely, are ever interesting, whether clothed with beauty or sublimity. Nature, I love thee! and, "Whether I view thee in the lowly glen, Where vales recline, or where proud mountains rise; What time the moon is gliding soft; or when Thy mighty Maker in thy face I see, And sing his praises while I gaze on thee.” Again, a few days after entering France, his journal furnishes us with an insight into his delighted feelings at the scenery which broke on his view: "Soon after sunrise, I journeyed on to Forges, near to which a magnificent scene of great extent burst on my view. The sunlit sky and the beautiful scenery much excited me. It was a moment of intense enjoyment; a feeling of liberty, a pleasurable sense of novelty, and a strong emotion of thankfulness to the Giver of all good, came over me, and brought the teardrops into my eyes. Something like this I have felt on the summit of Skiddaw, and when wandering among the romantic scenery of Derbyshire. I speak not of a mere admiration of natural objects alone, but also of a deep, reverential conviction of His goodness who has so profusely adorned even the temporary dwellingplace of man. Seasons of this kind are precious; there is more of the bliss of existence, more of the free outpouring of the heart to the Almighty Maker of heaven and earth, crowded into the brief space of such a moment, than is to be found in a year of every-day emotions." The costume of the Normandy peasantry was much admired: their primitive modes of agriculture, and their domestic and personal habits came under his keen observation; while the abbeys, castles, and other ancient buildings, were objects of a lively curiosity. Passing through Gournay, Gisors, and Chars, he reached Pontoise. Fond as he was of adventure, he now met with one, at a time when he had parted with his travelling companion, which appeared rather of a desperate nature, but which he often related for the entertainment of his friends. "After a walk of eleven or twelve miles, I entered a cabaret, or town public-house, at Chars, where I was soon joined by a sprightly looking Frenchman, who shrugged his shoulders, and expressed much surprise at finding me there. He said that he had passed me several times while I sat by the way-side, making notes on paper, and he could not make out how it was that I had outwalked him. Thinking it a good opportunity of picking up a little French, I agreed to accompany him on the road to Paris, and willing to show him a civility, I paid the reckoning for the refreshment we had both taken. He was in high good humour, had something to say to every one we met, and entertained me by a relation of his exploits when a chasseur under Napoleon. He showed me his scars, 'Fought all his battles o'er again, And thrice he slew the slain.' Perceiving, however, in him too great a fondness for forte bière, and also a disposition to trespass upon me, I felt constrained to be upon my guard. “I was anxious, if possible, to reach Paris that night, though a distance of thirty-four or thirtyfive miles, in addition to what I had already walked, was a bold undertaking. “The chasseur and I, as we journeyed on, by degrees were betrayed into a friendly contention; he attempted to outwalk me. At first the thing was treated as a joke, but it afterwards grew more serious, appearing like a sort of national affair. There was I, an Englishman, by accident pitted, as it were, against a Frenchman; a spirit of rivalry rose within me, and I should have sunk in my own estimation had I allowed myself to be beaten. "The sun had great power, so that, what with the heat, and our unusual exertion, we were soon bathed in perspiration. The chasseur took the lead, ejaculating most vehemently. My slender knowledge of French, only enabled me to comprehend some of his remarks; they amounted to this, that he was determined tc finish me up at once. "On went my companion up a hill, which must have been more than a mile in extent being close behind him, his distress was very visible to me; he kept up to the very top of his speed, wiping his steaming face with his handkerchief every dozen paces. I kept as close to him as his shadow, and never lost a single step; he tried me hard, very hard, but could not shake me off, for I could have taken the lead when he was fairly exhausted. When we came to Pontoise, he entered a cabaret, declaring that he could walk no further. "There is much indiscretion in allowing ourselves to be led into such unnecessary exertions: the state in which we both were was pitiable, and I felt confident that it was highly dangerous; the rupture of a blood-vessel in such an uncalled-for competition would have been a melancholy source of bitter recollections. "We had not sat long in the cabaret before I discovered that the cabaretier, or publican, and my companion, were well known to each other, and many little circumstances took place which made me suspect that I was not in the best company. A restless anxiety came over me; I expressed a desire to proceed, and was only persuaded not to do so, by the assurance that a diligence would leave Pontoise about one or two o'clock in the morning. "Just before the chasseur accompanied me to the house, whence he said the diligence would |