“In the same building is also to be seen a most extensive assortment of minerals, spars, gems, ores, crystals, medals, etc. etc., which merely to enumerate singly, would more than fill a long letter.  We next saw the Museum of Zoology:  this contains reptiles and fish, innumerable, and of which I can only say, how wonderful are their varieties!  I must not, however, forget to tell you that we saw a part of an elephant’s tusk, which when complete is believed to have been at least eight feet in length.  Only imagine what must have been the height of the possessor of such a pair of tusks!  Here too we saw the skeleton of an enormous whale that was captured on the coast of France; and from the size of its jaw bones, I can readily believe the old story, that the tongue of the whale is as large as a feather bed.

“But the whale’s was not the only skeleton which we saw,—­here were collected and strung together, the bones of men, women, children, quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, and fish to form perfect specimens.—­All this was very remarkable:  but I cannot say that I much admired them, though I was much struck by the sight of an Egyptian mummy, embalmed and unwrapped, and supposed to have been in its present state far more than a thousand years.  We none of us very much enjoyed the sight of the dead specimens, we therefore gladly left them, in order to pay our respects to their living neighbours, whose houses were not very far off.

“The Garden of Plants contains a very considerable number of wild animals, and who all appear to be living very much at their ease.  Indeed they are surrounded with every thing that can be devised to render their captivity as little irksome as possible.  They are confined it is true; not in narrow cages, but in wide enclosures; around them grow trees of their own country, and under their feet springs the herbage of which they are most fond.  The Polar bear is indulged with a fountain of water, and when the camel is inclined for a nap he reposes on a bed of sand.  Of the usefulness of this animal I must not omit to give you an instance, and that is, that so far from eating the bread of idleness, he actually more than earns his living by raising all the water that is used in these extensive grounds, and thus he may be regarded as a general benefactor to all the plants and animals by which he is surrounded.  So much for the king’s garden as it is sometimes called; to attend all its different branches no less than a hundred and sixty persons are constantly employed, and to keep it up nearly twelve thousand pounds is annually expended.  This of course includes the expenses of travellers who are sent abroad by the French Government to collect new treasures to enrich this wonderful place, which may truly be called the museum of the world.”

By the way, if it be not too late, we recommend parents to peep into this pretty little volume for masters and misses.  If “Black Monday” is past, the “Gift” will still be acceptable:  it will make school-time pass as happily as a holiday.