X PKEFACE,

nccessity in bis case to crack the nut in order to discover tlie"maggot" in it,— for, in true butterfly fashion, it crecps out ofits own accord. At the very first sitting, Frenclimen dclight to teilyou everything about themselves ; taking care, of course—likepersons who eome to liave tlicir portrait taken—to trick them-selves out in all their best: so that, if you be at all skilled inmoral photography, you requiro to see them'only for a short timeafterwards—just to know the preeise colours in whicli to paintthem.

We appear, however, in our modern love of masquerading inFrench fashions, and aping French manners, to be losing a goodpart of our native honesty and simplicity. Instead of followingnature, wo copy, like poor artists, from mere dressed-up dolls orlay-flgures. Old English hospitality is fast passing into thosomere dress parades termed "receptions," and friendship growing asobsolete among us as chivalry ; while Dean-Paulism and British-Bankolatry show that religion and charity are lapsing into a merespecies of pharisaical " trumpet-blowing," or social and commercialpufifery (your Bank Director always entering into his "closet"when he prays, but never " shutting the door")—a trick of trade,—a eonvenient screen behind whicli to sand the sugar—a "stall" tocover pickpockets.

The materials for that portion of the present volume whichtreats of the manners of the Bhenish Prussians have been classifiedunder six heads: —

1. The Household Arrangements of the people, including thevarious domestic appliances, means of comfort, and habits ofcleanliness and decency among them.

2. The Style of Living; under which head is given an accountof the species of food, mode of cooking, and manners at table pre-vailing in Rhincland.

3. The Classes of Amüsement that are generally populär.

4. The Forms of Etiquette and " Manners" in the morelimited senso of the term.