globe to reach the most attractive of all European cities with comparative
economy and facility. All foreigners arriving in Paris seem by instinct
to rush to the restaurateurs', where strangers may be counted by tens
of thousands. It is not surprising that we find in every important
street these gaudy modern triclinia, which, I should observe, are as
much frequented by a certain class of French people as by foreigners,
for Paris is proverbially fond of dining out; in fact, the social intercourse
may be said to take place more frequently in the public cafe than under
the domestic roof.

In 1815, I need scarcely remark that the condition of the roads in Europe,
and the enormous expense of travelling, made a visit to Paris a journey
which could only be indulged in by a very limited and wealthy class
of strangers. Hotels and cafes were then neither so numerous nor so
splendid as at the present day: Meurice's Hotel was a very insignificant
establishment in the Rue de l'Echiquier; and in the Rue de la Paix,
at that time unfinished, there were but two or three hotels, which would
not be considered even second-rate at the present time. The site of
the Maison Dore, at the corner of the Rue Lafitte, was then occupied
by a shabby building which went by the name of the Hotel d'Angleterre,
and was kept by the popular and once beautiful Madame Dunan. The most
celebrated restaurant was that of Beauvilliers, in the Rue de Richelieu;
mirrors and a little gilding were the decorative characteristics of
this house; the cuisine was far superior to that of any restaurateur
of our day, and the wines were first-rate. Beauvilliers was also celebrated
for his supreme de volaille, and for his cotelette a la Soubise. The
company consisted of the most distinguished men of Paris; here were
to be seen Chateaubriand, Bailly de Ferrette, the Dukes of Fitzjames,
Rochefoucauld, and Grammont, and many other remarkable personages. It
was the custom to go to the theatres after dinner, and then to the Salon