landscape fading into blue distance, the relics of ancient castles,
nor the beautiful Rhine glittering in sunshine, detained his regards.
He who at home, in his own barren and level sands, had been used to
no greater elevations than his stilts, was now mounting like an eagle
towards heaven, and admired by thousands. When he reached the summit,
he deliberately seated himself on the highest stone, with one leg on
each side of the vane; and while his clothes were visibly fluttered
in a strong breeze at such an eminence, he, with a hammer and chisel,
displaced the cross that had caused such alarm, It flew spinning to the
earth, and, borne away by the wind, fell in a neighbouring field, where
it sank twenty inches into the soil. The air was now rent with
acclamations towards him,

Cui robur et aes triplex
Circa pectus erat--


(for, be it remarked, he was the only person who had even proposed
to effect its removal). On his descent, he was carried in triumph to
the Hôtel de Ville. Being thanked by the authorities then and there
assembled, and assured of their intense anxiety for his life ever since
he had quitted the earth, he was asked what was the recompense he
demanded? He modestly replied, "that if they were pleased with what
he had performed, he hoped they would not think him presumptuous, but
he should so much like to walk through the Arsenal, and see all its
wonderful stores and docks!"--and they could not prevail upon him to
ask more.

A week afterwards he left Strasbourg, with twenty-five Napoleons in
his pocket; and declared that he had never before spent his time so