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<h2>Letter 24.</h2> Paris. Dear Charley:— On a fine morning we left London, by rail, for Dover, in company with the Rev. Dr. Murray, of New Jersey, and Dr. Chetwood, who made quite a pleasant addition to our party. On reaching Dover, we were gratified with the commanding position of the castle, which stands upon the white chalky cliffs so celebrated by Shakspeare. The town lies in a charming valley. Dover boasts of high antiquity. The Saxons and Romans both left enduring memorials of their residence. Its importance was felt at a very early day, on account of its being the best and authorized port to carry on intercourse with France. Dover Castle was a strong fortification when William the Conqueror landed. We found a steamer ready to start, and in a few minutes were all on board. The Straits of Dover are but twenty-one miles wide; and yet, in this short passage of barely two hours, we all suffered sadly from sea sickness. The boat was small, the passengers were numerous, and all were thankful to plant their feet upon the soil of the republic. The examination of our passports, and refreshment at the station-house, occupied about half an hour, and we again entered on our journey by the rail. I shall say nothing of the place, at present, as we fully intend to pass a day here, on our return, to examine this interesting old city. We found the cars good, the railroad excellent but every thing looked strange. No farms laid out in fine fields, and divided off by hedges, as in England; or fences and stone walls, as with us. We every where noticed women working in the field. We passed through St. Omer, a fortified town, of twenty thousand inhabitants. This is a town where many English Catholics have been sent for education. We then came to Lille, which looked like a large city. It has about seventy thousand inhabitants. The fortifications look very strong, and were constructed by the great Vauban. This place has been besieged several times—once by the Duke of Marlborough, for three months, when it surrendered under Marshal Boufflers. We were amazed at the vast number of windmills—amounting to hundreds—every where to be seen around the town; and the tall chimneys in the town tell plainly that this is a great manufacturing place. The windmills are employed in preparing flax for linen. Douai was our next town. It has about eighteen thousand inhabitants, and has a foundery for ordnance. The Theological Seminary here has been famous, and most of the Catholic clergy of England and Ireland were formerly educated here. Arras is a town of about twenty-five thousand population, and is celebrated as the birthplace of Robespierre. It is said to be a very beautiful place, but we saw little of it. The cars next passed through Amiens, a city of about fifty thousand inhabitants. It was at this city that a treaty of peace was made between France and England, in 1802. Clermont is a very neat little town, of about five thousand inhabitants. It has a fine old castle, and every thing looked lively and prosperous. Pontoise, on the River Oise, is a small town; and I should think that, from the upper part of the town, the prospect is very beautiful. We reached Paris in about eleven hours and a half from London. Really, this seems very strange, that I should breakfast in London and dine at Paris. After having our luggage examined at the station, by the police, we repaired at once to the Hotel Windsor, on the Rue Rivoli. This was the hotel where Dr. C. had his quarters, fifteen years ago; and is it not strange that we have the same suite of rooms that he then occupied? We have a fine drawing-room, a dining-room, and three good chambers. Our hotel is exactly opposite the gardens of the Tuileries, and is in the pleasantest part of the city. James, you know, was once here for three months; and he has quite a knowledge of the city, and seems perfectly at home. We take our breakfast in our apartments or the coffee-room, as suits us best, at about nine o'clock; our dinners in some good café, in various parts of the city, or at the table d'hôte, at Meurice's Hotel, which is just next door to us. In calling on one or two persons, we found them in old apartments, but quite noble rooms, as high up as four and five stories; and we hear that many families live in the same building, and that many very respectable people live in the sixth, and even seventh story. This I should never like. Whenever we go out, we leave our key with the concierge or his wife, who live in a snug little apartment just inside the great gate, which opens into a well-paved court. We have determined not to engage a guide in Paris, because it is often annoying to have a coarse, vulgar mind disturbing you, when all you ask is silence and your own reflections. It is quite a mistake to suppose that you cannot get along without a valet de place—for in every hotel, and almost every large establishment, there are persons to be found who speak English. We paid our respects to our good friend the consul, and found him very comfortably settled down in his office, and residing in excellent style. A pleasant evening with his family made us all think of our old times on board the Arctic. The day after we arrived was James's birthday, and he was to give us a dinner, and had invited the consul and his son to dine with us. Well, at five we met at the consulate, and we boys walked ahead with Mr. G., Jr., leaving the doctor and the consul to bring up the rear. He supposed that his father understood where he proposed to take us, and so we went on speedily. In the Rue Vivienne they lost sight of us; we arrived at the Café Vachette, on the boulevards, and ordered dinner for the party. The gentlemen, however, kept walking the street for two hours. At last they gave up the matter as a bad case, and took refuge for a late dinner by themselves in a neighboring café. At nine we all met, sadly disappointed. The pleasant occasion had been quite disarranged, and some hard jokes passed upon our want of tact in not sending out scouts to search the Rue Vivienne, with the geography of which the doctor declares he is now perfectly acquainted—having tramped it for two hours with the consul. Of course, we all have to take their jokes upon our defrauding them of a fine dinner. We have dined since at the Trois Frères Provençaux, which has the reputation of being one of the best cafés in Paris. Our room commanded a perfect view of the quadrangle of the Palais Royal, and the spectacle was highly interesting. The accommodations of the room we occupied were very fine; and nothing could surpass the beauty of the table linen, plate, &c. We are about to commence the sights of the city in earnest, and are this evening to arrange our plans. Yours affectionately, george. <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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