his pockets and took from him about 11. 14 thillings fterling which was all he had, and then went all away without offering any violence to his perfon, On the morning of the 29th of December, a fire happened in the house of Alexander Robb mannfacturer, in Dundee, which entirely confumed the fame. Fortunately for him, both house and ftock were infured.

On Monday evening the 4th inftant, Several hundred people of both fexes, met in a riotous manner in Dundee,and carried off from the Pack-house, about 400 bolls of wheat and barley; they then proceeded to a fhip lying in the harbour, from whence they carried off a confiderable quantity of victual. They likewife broke open two cellars, out of which they took a great quantity of Potatoes. The Magiftrates read the Riot-act, and ufed every method in their power to difperfe them, but to no purpose. There was no body hurt that we hear of, excepting one woman, who oppofed their going into one of the Potatoe Cellers.

The meal mob, mentioned in our last, affembled again on Friday night laft, in order to rescue two of their number, who, on account of Wednesday's riot were confined to prifon: the magiftrates called for the affiftance of the military, and endeavoured to prevent them; the mob behaved very rudely to the foldiers, and pelted them with ftones; the riot-act was read, but the rioters ftill coutinued affembled, and their numbers encreased, and rather than order the foldiers to fire, the provoft very humanely ordered them to withdraw, and delivered up the two prifoners to the mob, who then proceeded in triumph to the houfe of Mr John Donaldfon, a corn-factor at Elcho, about three miles down the river, and committed great outrages at his house, breaking down and deftroying every thing they could come at, and threatened greater outrages, but by the prudent and foothing behaviour of a neighbouring gentleman with the ringleaders, they defifted

from their purpofe; after which they brought off the keys of his granaries, and delivered them to the fheriff fubftitute, with orders to bring the corn to Perth, and have it ground into meal as faft as poffible. Mr Donaldfon prevented the sheriff from this trouble, by fending in the grain himfelf next morning. The original caufe of these riots is faid to be the want of meal in Perth market for ten days preceding the first mob; this, to be fure, is a very great error in those who have the charge of the police, but at the fame time, it will, by no means, excufe the mob, who ought to have deputed fome perfons to wait on the magiGrates and theriff, to reprefent their starving condition, who, no doubt, would have given immediate redrefs. The pelting and infulting the foldiers, whofe affiftance was called for by the magiftrates, can admit of no apology; thofe poor fellows were doing their duty, and ought on no account to be maltreated. Mr Donaldfon and his wife fled from the fury of a lawless mob.

On Monday night the 4th inft. The rioters affembled again, and went to the house of Mr Blair of Balthayock, where they were courteoufly ufed by the fervants, in Mr Blair's abfence, who gave them the keys of the granaries, and finding no victual but what was for the gentleman's family-ufe, they retire ed without doing any hurt. They proceeded to two farmers houfes, and finding nothing for their purpose, returned home.

On the night following a troop of dragoons arrived in town from Lithgow, to aflift the magiftrates in keeping the peace.-There has been no more riots fince, we hope this ftorm is blown over.

OBSERVATIONS on the MANNERS and CUSTOMS of the FRENCH.

Believe the climate of France to be the most healthy, the foil the most fruitful, and the face of the country the moft pleafing in the univerfe; and I hope, for the honour of human nature, that its inhabitants are the vaineft and moft illiterate. Can you believe that this all-fufficient people, who look on the reft of Europe with contempt, are in most of the mechanic arts at least a century behind the favage English, as they affect to term us? In their tapeftry, looking-glaffes, and coach-varnish, they are confeffedly our fuperiors; but their carriages are more clumfy than our dung-carts; their inns inferior to an English ale-houfe; their floors, both above and below, of brick or kind of plaifter, without carpets; their joifts unceiled, the windows without pullies, drawn up to a certain height, where they catch a book, which prevents their falling; their tables confift of three or four planks nailed together, and the houfes are totally deftitute of every kind of elegance, I had almoft faid convenience; I do not mean to include the houfes of the opulent great, as money will purchase the elegant fuperfluities of every country; but in this fituation you will find the inns and the houfes of the gentry and tradefmen. Their gardens are moft uniformly dull, but in

VOL. III.

these they condefcend to follow thofe ftandards of tafte the Dutch. Sandy walks at parallel lines between yew hedges, parterres tortured into form and furrounded with the lively box, and trees planted at equal diftances, will give you a juft idea of a French garden; I ought to have added, that they blend the utile dulci; for I remember the parterres in the gardens of the bishop and intendant of Anjou were prettily diverfified with garlick, onions, and other ufeful vegetables. They are fuch flaves to fashion, that they have different feafons in the year for drefs; which they carry to fuch excefs of folly, that they defcend even to the minutia of a ruffle; and a man's character would be ruined, were not the lace of his ruffles adapted to the feafon of the year.

Their converfation confifts in compliments and obfervations on the weather: no flattery is too grofs for them either to offer or receive; they will talk for ever but never pay the least attention to what you fay. The barber and the looking-glafs employ their whole time within doors, and walking in a fandy mall is all their entertainment without; one of these things, the moment it enters the room, pays its refpects to the glafs, and views the pretty fellow with wonderful fatisfaction. His hat, if a thing of fix inches in circumference deferves the name, is

I

always

always carried in his hand; but in this the French are humble imitators of their tutelar Saint Denis, who has refined upon politenefs by carrying, inftead of a hat, his head in his hand; at least he is thus poutrayed in all the Atatues I have feen of him.

Nothing is more common than to fee gentlemen ornamented with ear-rings, while their fhirts are facking, and their heads a dung-hill.

In fome inftances they are as neat, as filthy in others. At table you have a clean napkin and clean plates, but your knife is never changed nor wiped. A common bourgeois will not drink out of the fame cup with you, though a nobleman will spit over your room with the greatest unconcern.

I have feen a lady, through excefs of delicacy, hide her mouth while the used a toothpick; and to preferve the character entire, fhe has the next moment fcratched her head with the fharp-pointed knife he was eating with.

Ladies of fashion alone have the privilege of making themselves horrible, which they moft effectually do, by applying a large patch of rouge or vermilion under each eye; the fhape and colour at the difcretion of the Wearer. The only pretty women I have feen are among the trading people, who are not allowed to disfigure themfelves, neither are they obliged to be in the fun, which makes the peafants an antidote to the loofeft libertine; I ought to tell you, that all ranks of women, to convince you that they have neither feeling nor common fenfe, never wear a hat; it may be extraor dinary, but not lefs true, for a hat they never wear: They feem as regardlefs of their heels as their heads, for flippers without quarters are the general wear; notwithstanding which, it is amazing how well they dance, and how firm they walk. I do not include the peafants; they, poor devils, have no ftockings, and wear large wooden fhoes, lined fometimes with a piece of fheep

fkin to prevent galling the inftep; but that is a piece of luxury you feldom

meet with.

In every branch of agriculture the farmers are incredibly deficient; but can it be wondered at, when you confider that there are no inducements for improvement? The nobility and clergy are exempted from the land-tax, a heavy affefiment, which confequently muft fall on the occupier. The gabel, on falt is likewife extremely burthenfome for every family is obliged to buy annually in the proportion of two bushels and a half to ten perfons, which if not confumed within the year muft not be fold. Add to this, that the feignior or lord, (for all lands are held by vaffalage) exacts ad arbitrium from his tenants. To what purpose then are improvements, when the king, or the lord, will reap all the fruit of the farmer's induftry and labour? Hence arifes that mifery fo confpicuous in every farm. I have often feen a halfftarved cow and an afs ploughing in the fame yoke; and I have heard it afferted as a fact, that a pig and an ass are fometimes ploughing together: but I can fcarce believe, that two fuch opinionated animals could be induced to work together with any degree of fociety. In fome of the provinces, the little farmers who have no barns, and can afford to build none, are obliged to thrash out the grain in the field where it grows, to their great lofs in the best of weather; in a wet feason, to their utter ruin. For want of money to purchafe waggons, they are obliged to carry both their corn and their hay on the backs of their cattle; and it is with much ingenuity they will load a horse till you can fee only his head and feet; at a distance he appears a moving haycock. Thefe are the unavoidable confequences of poverty; fome other inftances feem the refult of ignorance. For example, the cattle draw entirely with their horns; a board of two inches wide is fixed on their horns, and a cord is tied to each end, which is

faftened

faftened to the cart: That is their method of drawing; a more uncouth method could not have been followed in the days of king Pepin.

They wash their linen in a river by dipping it into the running ftream, then placing it on a block or ftone, and beating it with a board like a battle-dore. Such proofs of ignorance would furpafs belief, did not the notoriety of them exact your credit. Even in Paris I have feen men hold a faw between their legs, and rub a stick of wood against it till it was fawed afunder.

1

In the whole city of Paris there is not a flat stone to walk on, nor a poft to gaurd you from the carriages, which are so numerous and the streets fo narrow, that the foot paffengers are never out of danger.

+

The lamps bang in the center of the Atreets on cords which are fixed to the oppofite houfes: If the cord breaks, the lamp is destroyed, as well as the unfortunate perfon who is paffing under at the time.

To light a lamp is two mens bufi、 nefs; the one lowers it, while the other lights it, which forms a temporary barrier across the ftreets, a method as aukward as inconvenient.

Two men likewife are required to fhoe a poor little bidet; one fmith holds the horfe's-hoof, while the other drives the nail.

The police of France, fo much admired by travellers, is in many inftances wonderfully deficient: The whole kingdom fwarms with beggars, an evidence of poverty, as well as defect in the laws. This obfervation was confirmed at every inn I came to, by crowds of wretches, whofe appearance fpake their mifery. I have often paf fed from the inn-door to my chaife through a file of twenty or thirty of

to amend. It confifts of trumperyfaints and tinfel-ornaments; in prayers estimated by their number, more than for the devotion with which they are offered. The Virgin Mary is adored with all the fuperftition of idolatry, while the Saviour of mankind is almost unnoticed, unless by being gibbeted in every public road, a profanation equally impious and abfurd. The priests hurry over the fervice, which is in Latin, left it should be understood by the congregation, in the most slovenly man. ner; they are illiterate to a degree of contempt; the clergy are in general unacquainted with the Greek characters, and moft who profefs a knowledge of the Latin tongue are strangers to the elegance of the language. Indeed, I think illiterature feems to be the national misfortune; the infinite number of Notaries in Paris will juftify my obfervation.

All ranks of people celebrate Sunday in merriment and diflipation, and it is the genteel day for routs and the play-houfe. Their feftivals are out of number, which are commemorated by idleness and pageantry, making no dif ference between the feaft of God's heart, or the commemoration of parfon Berenger; and celebrating with equal magnificence the feaft of the Virgin Mary and the Whore of Orleans.

The good qualities of the French are confined in very narrow compass; they are lively, temperate, fober, and good-humoured; but in general are ftrangers to the manly virtues: Tho' I know two or three individuals, who are not only an honour to their country, but an ornament to human nature.

with them, and I have feen many a devotee, in the midft of her devotions, interrupted by their importunity.

Their religion feems calculated for the vulgar, and is rather to amuse than

YER.

feffion. But a volubility of tongue, fupported by an intrepid front, will moft affuredly carry you great lengths, for the vile client, who knows in his heart he has a bad caufe to maintain, will employ you against a meek and virtuous adverfary, as a proper perfon

to brow-beat and confound bafhful e

vidences, efpecially if they are women; in which cafe, affurance will be your beft plea.

Sound the depth of your client's purfe, and proportion your art of nurfing a law-fuit to his capacity to fupport repetitions of fees.

Whatever becomes of the substance of justice, confine your attention moft religiously to its terms; which you muft carefully defend at all events, or, to the violation of all precedent-the greateft wrongs will want legal fanction, and half the business of Westminfter-hall be deftroyed.

Always prefer the fide on which the wrong lies-it is generally the moft lucrative-if nature fhould unhappily have given you a bias to the rule of right-you muft, on this account, fhake off its weakness, and unmanacle your mind from the fetters of a virtuous education, if perchance you have had it--though that is ten to one,if you have made your progrefs from a fafhionable boarding-fchool, to Eaton, or Westminster, and from thence to our univerfities.

What you want from nature in a genius for lying, take care to supply by art-but efpecially take care to find a hand fome apology for giving your opinion on one fide, and being retained on the other this is the only fafe way of enjoying the precious emoluments of double fees.

Never throw up your brief, though the caufe be ever fo foul-unless you do it by way of giving yourself an air of confequence, as being engaged in a more important cafe, or overwhelmed with the hurry of business.

Be as indolent, and as fuperficial, as a phyfician of the firft repute-inftead

of going to the bottom of your client's caufe-but pretend, at the fame time, that you have thoroughly difcuffed and prepared it-though you have hardly looked further than the endorfements of the papers.

Omit no article that may be productive of quibbles and delays in the fuit-for the attorney must have his fhare of the client; and every wife physician takes care to provide for the apothecary, by the fame rule, a skilful councellor will fupport his Jackall, the attorney.

If an indigent client applies to you, with only the naked merits of a good caufe to recommend him-tell him it is ftatute law-that want of money ought, of courfe, to be want of remedy.

Never draw up any inftrument, no not your own will, without fome flaw in it for it would be high-treafon againft the profeffion, to make it perfect, and not liable to any contest.

Write plays, out of term, when have no briefs to employ you.

you

N. B. This was fcratched through with the pen, and under it was this obfervation-It is not worth the labour : poor Murphy has not advanced himself by it-and to be taken in as a writer for the miniftry, as times go, will hardly pay tavern bills.

Let your converfation abound much in contradiction, and start arguments on every fubject. This combating the opinions of private perfons in company, however difagreeable it may make you to them, will be highly ferviceable by keeping your talent for wrangling at the bar in practice.

CONDUCT in COURT.