"If it be really true, that the empress
numbers a certain 'Kirk' among her ancestors,
her majesty must be related also to
Robinson. Both Daniel de Foe and Sainteire
relate the miraculous adventures of the
legendary sailor 'Kirk,' who was a native of
the county of Dumfries." The persons here
indicated are no other than Robinson Crusoe
and Alexander Selkirk; and the assurance
that they are connected with the French
imperial family is printed with perfect gravity
in the second column of the paper, among
its soberest political intelligence.

Among prominent facts of the same kind
is the important statement that "Lord
Sauton" and "Sir Baronnet Vere de Vere"
have arrived within the past week at Nice,
and we have much similar international
knowledge in the same number, before we
are regaled with light reading. The
contributors to the Cigarette all sign their
names, and seem to be a happy and united
fraternity; but they are very seldom of
the same opinion upon any subject.
Sometimes, the proprietor (who is also nominally
editor-in-chief), and one or more of his
staff entertain convictions of so opposite a
character that they come to an open
dispute, and argue it out amicably in a series
of leading articles, abounding in spirit and
good-humour. The public take a lively
interest in these discussions. Every
contributor to the paper is, so to speak, a
personal friend of the Parisian world,
indeed, of "tout le monde," as it calls itself.
We, the readers of the Cigarette, know all
their acquaintance, their habits, and mode
of life; where they dined yesterday, where
they mean to dine to-morrow, the tradesmen
they employ, and the works of art
they admire. The paper has a freshness
and liveliness about it quite astonishing
when compared with our own newspaper
paragraphs. The editor is a favourite
actor, who is always on the stage of our
social life. His portrait, in every
conceivable attitude, figures in the shop-windows
of all the print-sellers; and no
photographer's advertisement-frame is
complete without him. This worthy and genial
gentleman seems absolutely to live in
public, and diligently records every act of
his existence in the columns of his journal.
Thus, he had a house to be let or sold,
and the subject was treated in a leading
article so delightful that almost the
entire population of Paris went to look
at it. It was visited by so many holiday
parties, bent on passing an agreeable
day, that another leading article, of a
still more amusing character, was written
to moderate the enthusiasm of persons
whose imagination had been over-excited
by the first. Whenever it chances that one
of the staff has a duel, or a love affair, or
makes a joke at an evening party, or buys a
new coat, the capital city of France and its
suburbs is informed of the circumstance.
These confidences are made in a style so
terse, vigorous, and elegant, they have such
a vivid human interest, that the reader is
infinitely charmed by their perusal, and the
bright, friendly little print appears every
morning as the most familiar and welcome
of guests. Even to read it again at a cafe
after dinner, is as invigorating as a glass
of curaçoa.

The most enchanting part of the business
is that this joyous literary composition
gives us nothing wearisome or dull. Some
time ago, indeed, when the editor-in-chief
was absent, it got into a bad habit of
conveying small quantities of solid information
to its readers; but on his return he
observed this peculiarity with disfavour,
published a reprimand of his contributors in
place of their usual articles, and summarily
put a stop to the practice: recommending
them to be merrier and wiser in future.
Nevertheless it is indubitable that a
newspaper must say something about passing
events, and lately the most modish topic
was the trial of M. Tropmann. Accordingly,
one day, the whole of the space
usually devoted to leading articles was
taken up with that extraordinary investigation.
Politics, literature, jokes, were all
thrust unceremoniously aside to make way
for this law report. Even the feuilleton
was omitted, and considerably more than
half the available surface of the paper was
devoted to the concerns of the Pantin
assassin. The account of the proceedings
was in every respect remarkable. As an
imaginative work, it was of a high order;
but as a piece of fact, on comparing it
with the reports of less ably written papers,
there were strange discrepancies to be
found. According to the statement of the
Cigarette, Tropmann must have been one
of the most extraordinary young men who
ever lived. His replies, while under the
stern interrogatories of the president of the
criminal court, were so brief and pertinent,
that it is nearly impossible they could have
been given in the language cited, by an
uneducated mechanic of twenty years old.
The report is altogether as interesting as
a well-written romance. The judge, the
advocates, the witnesses, are each personally