The arrival for the first time in a foreign country, of a person who has never before quitted his own, is an epoch of considerable moment in his life.  Most things are different from those he has been accustomed to, and the force of first impressions is then stronger than, perhaps, at almost any other period.  We are, in general, not much disposed to like any custom, or mode of dress, which is greatly at variance with what we have been long used to, and the enormous height of the bonnets in France produces, in my opinion, an effect far from pleasing; the ladies, by their strange costume, out-top many of the military.

I found the town of Calais in a state of equal bustle with Dover, and from the same cause.  It is regularly fortified, and contains many very good houses.  The population is estimated at between seven and eight thousand.  The market-place forms a spacious square.  The town-house and church are handsome buildings, and altogether it must be allowed much to surpass Dover as to appearance.

The search which ray portmanteau had undergone the day before in England, was here renewed by the officers of the French Douane, but with no better success on the part of the officers in being able to seize any thing.  They were, however, very polite, and their fees only amounted to half a crown.  My next care was, to attend at the town-hall, and present my passport to the inspection of the mayor, who indorsed it with his licence for me to proceed to Paris.

I accordingly determined on setting out without further delay, and joined an acquaintance in hiring a cabriolet for the journey, to obviate the trouble of changing our luggage at every post, and to avoid any delay that might arise from not finding a carriage at every station, which is by no means certain, as in England.  We found the Cabriolet a very pleasant conveyance, it is nearly as light as a curricle, and has a head and windows, which exclude rain.  It is drawn by two or three horses, and proceeds at a tolerably good pace.  The postilions are provided with boots of a very inconvenient size, and with whips which they are perpetually cracking, not much to the comfort of the ears of their passengers.

Those who have never seen any thing but an English stage-coach, cannot but feel some surprise at the different appearance which a French Diligence presents.  Most of them carry nine inside passengers, and three in the cabriolet, and as much luggage behind, and in the Imperial, as would load a tolerably large waggon.  They are generally drawn by four horses, which present a very different appearance from those under the English carnages, and they are driven by one postilion, who rides the wheel-horse.  Occasionally, a second postilion and two more leaders are necessary from the weight of the carriage, or the heaviness of the roads.  Carriages in France, in passing each other, take exactly different sides of the road from what they are obliged to do by our laws of travelling.