Sketches of Paris Author:John Sanderson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: T"- SKETCHES OF PARIS- LETTER I. Havre, June 29th, 1835. I Wrote by a vessel going out yesterday, and have eight days between me and the next packet.... more » I write to-day in advance, not having any thing better to do. We arrived late on Saturday, so that Sunday and a festival on Monday compel us to await the custom house till Tuesday evening. Do not detain your husband; I expect him for the latest in October. You don't know how much absence from home and loneliness in a foreign country try the consistency of one's courage.—And tell him to listen to my advice in preparing his voyage. His first step is to obtain, by a few lines to the secretary of war, a passport describing his features, dimensions, titles, (nose straight, eyes hazle, 'fec.) and if he can add " Major," or "Colonel" or some cheap American dignity, he will have a great many bows in this country, he otherwise cannot aspire to. I was foolish enough to come over nothing but simpla " John." If he brings the wife along, tell him to include her in the same document—(a little black girl, four feet and something, having a sharp tongue, pretty enough mouth and teeth, and eyes too good for her nose.) I don't ask pardon; a nose is only an important feature on a passport; faces can be pretty in spite of their noses. You don't kiss the book, so he may put down any age your ladyship pleases. You must next provide a " certificate of health." For this you must call upon the French consul. You will find him grave and diplomatic, and very watchful of his Most Christian Majesty's interest, somewhere in Wall street, having an eye also to his individual comforts; he will say to you thus: " Have you been in a good state of health for the last two months?" " Yes." " Have you at this time no contagious disease?" " No." And then y...« less