July 1833

It is a pleasant thing to walk along the Boule- vards and see how men live in Paris. One man has live snakes crawling about him, and sells soap and essences. Another sells books which lie upon the ground. Another under my window all day oiFers a gold chain. Half a dozen walk up and down with some dozen walking sticks under the arm. A little further, one sells cane- tassels at 5 sous. Here sits Boots brandishing his brush at every dirty shoe. Then you pass several tubs of gold fish. Then a man sitting at his table cleaning gold and silver spoons with emery and haranguing the passengers on its vir- tues. Then a person who cuts profiles with scis- sors— "shall be happy to take yours, sir." Then a table of card-puppets which are made to crawl. Then a hand-organ. Then a wooden figure called [?] which can put an apple in its mouth when- ever a child buys a plum. Then a flower mer- chant. Then a bird-shop with twenty parrots, four swans, hawks and nightingales. Then the show of the boy with four legs, etc., etc., with- out end. All these are the mere boutiques on the sidewalk, moved about from place to place as the sun or rain or the crowd may lead them.