theatre and ruined, because they had displeased the Dauphine par deux sots placets. At this act of littleness, Madame de Genlis cannot restrain her admiration. "If," she said, "Louis the Eighteenth should dismiss two great actors for want of respect, there would be a general insurrection in society. Yet this event made no sensa..

tion in Louis the Fourteenth's time."

"Il est passé le bons vieux temps," sung Talma, from a vaudeville, which Carbonel had been singing. "I remember," said Madame de Vilette, "when young Vestris sprained his ancle, and could not move, the queen, who had her brother, the Emperor Joseph, in her box, sent behind the scenes to insist on his dancing: "Ne fut ce qu'un entré." The thing was impossible, and the minister Breteuil immediately signed an order to arrest Vestris, who was sent to La Force."

Talma shuddered; and Denon told the anecdote of the old Dieu de la Danse on this occasion, "C'est la première brouillerie de notre maison avec la famille des Bourbons."

I think it was Langlés who said, that the nickname of La Mère de l'Eglise, by which Madame de

Genlis is distinguished among the wicked wits of Paris, is not a modern malice. It was given her on occasion of her publishing" La Religion Considérée," &c., a deep theological work, written when she was the platonic friend of Egalité. This christian work was a most unchristian attack on the philosophers, whom she hated, as mothers of the church alone know how to hate.

"The actor's privilege, however,” said Talma, "of being insolent, did not compensate the degradation of the caste, whose liberty and life were at the mercy of every court favorite, from the prince of the blood to his valet de chambre."

"Still," I said, "the actors had a fine time of it under Louis the Fourteenth. It was an allusion to the wealth and consequence of La Dancour, that La Bruyère has said, that the actor, lolling in his carriage, casts its mud in the face of Corneille, who goes on foot."

66

"Yes," said Talma, "but La Bruyère has also said, that we in France think of the actors like the Romans, and live with them like the Greeks."

"The favour of the great," said M., "un

accompanied by their esteem, is not a distinction, but a disgrace."

The conversation reverted to Dangeau, Madame de Genlis, and Demontey's amusing extracts from the same work, which form the most humorous comment that could be given on Madame de Genlis. Madame de Sévigné had long since made hers, when describing a day at Versailles, "On parle sans cesse, et rien ne demeure sur le cœur ; et What a

Dangeau est ravit de tout ce caquet." motto for his book!

DOCTRINE OF CAUSATION.

ONLY think of my giving myself the air of talking metaphysics this morning, and throwing in a word on the Doctrine of Causation, merely to shew off before the Prince C-li, Count del Po, and L -B- who were breakA look from fasting with us. 66 my master"

"They talk there without ceasing, but nothing remains in the heart of all they say; and Dangeau is ravished with this gossip."

"I had got

convinced me, that like Cathon, "furieusement dans l'énigme ;" and with the distressed Irish gentlewoman, whose necessities obliged her to cry "hot mutton pies," and who always added, "I hope nobody hears me," I too hoped my observation had escaped the ears for which it was intended; and so I began to recommend the beauties of the county of Wicklow to my guests, and made "r pure description hold the place of sense, or non-sense. When they were gone, we fell to talk upon the subject, and here was the result.

The idea of cause is a consequence of our consciousness of the force we exert in subjecting externals to the changes dictated by our volition. From this we deduce the presence of a force, which is the sine qua non of those other changes in matter, in which we have no part. It is this association of ideas which predisposes the savage to impute intelligence and volition to the unknown causes of natural phenomena. Experience, shewing the constant concurrence of certain antecedents with certain consequences, while it dispels the error of the savage concerning voluntary

agents, strengthens the notion of natural causes. into a principle. The human mind cannot conceive a cause which is not necessary; because the same experience, which proves that it is a cause, proves the universality of its antecedence to the effect, with which it stands in relation.

THE COUNTESS D'ALBANY.

TALKING of the accidents, incidents, and odd conjunctions of travelling, it happened, one fine autumnal morning, at Florence (and oh, for the Tuscan autumn! with its "Tuscan grapes," fresh olives, and autumnal flowers, which give the Tuscan capital its pretty name) — it happened that my illustrious countryman, Mr. Moore, my husband, and myself, were seated on a sofa in our old palace in the Borgo Santa Croce, looking at the cloud-capt Appenines, which seemed walking in at the win