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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
178 views65 pages

Practical Tableau 100 Tips Tutorials and Strategies From A Tableau Zen Master 1st Edition Ryan Sleeper All Chapters Instant Download

Sleeper

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ohiboksooky
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Cover
Practical Tableau

Ryan Sleeper

Copyright © 2017 Ryan Sleeper

All rights reserved.


Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North,
Sebastopol, CA 95472.

ISBN-13: 9781491977316

4/20/17

Part 1: Fundamentals

Chapter 1 - How to Learn Tableau: My Top Five Tips - AVAILABLE

Chapter 2 – Which Tableau Product is Best for Me? - AVAILABLE

Chapter 3 – An Introduction to Connecting to Data - AVAILABLE

Chapter 4 – Shaping Data for Use with Tableau - AVAILABLE

Chapter 5 – Getting a Lay of the Land - AVAILABLE

Chapter 6 – Dimension vs. Measure - AVAILABLE

Chapter 7 – Discrete vs. Continuous - AVAILABLE

Chapter 8 – 5 Ways to Make a Bar Chart / An Introduction to


Aggregation - AVAILABLE

Chapter 9 – Line Graphs, Independent Axes, and Date Hierarchies -


AVAILABLE

Chapter 10 – Marks Cards, Encoding, and Level of Detail -


AVAILABLE

Chapter 11 – An Introduction to Filters - AVAILABLE

Chapter 12 – An Introduction to Calculated Fields - AVAILABLE


Chapter 13 - An Introduction to Table Calculations - AVAILABLE

Chapter 14 – An Introduction to Parameters - AVAILABLE

Chapter 15 – An Introduction to Sets - AVAILABLE

Chapter 16 – An Introduction to Level of Detail Expressions -


AVAILABLE

Chapter 17 - An Introduction to Dashboards and Distribution-


AVAILABLE

Part 2: The INSIGHT Framework for Data Visualization

Chapter 18 – Introducing the INSIGHT Framework for Data


Visualization - AVAILABLE

Chapter 19 – Identify Business Question - AVAILABLE

Chapter 20 – Name KPIs - AVAILABLE

Chapter 21 – Shape Data - AVAILABLE

Chapter 22 – Initial Concept - AVAILABLE

Chapter 23 – Gather Feedback - AVAILABLE

Chapter 24 – Hone Dashboard - AVAILABLE

Chapter 25 – Tell the Story

Part 3: Storytelling

Chapter 26 – Introduction to Storytelling - AVAILABLE

Chapter 27 – An Analogy for Data Visualization: Tableau’s Iron Viz


Championship - AVAILABLE
Chapter 28 – Tip 1: Know your Audience - AVAILABLE

Chapter 29 – Tip 2: Smooth the Excel Transition - AVAILABLE

Chapter 30 – Tip 3: Leverage Color - AVAILABLE

Chapter 31 – Tip 4: Keep it Simple - AVAILABLE

Chapter 32 – Tip 5: Use the Golden Ratio - AVAILABLE

Chapter 33 – Tip 6: Retell An Old Story - AVAILABLE

Chapter 34 – Tip 7: Don’t Neglect the Set-Up - AVAILABLE

Chapter 35 – Tip 8: Don’t Use Pie Charts - AVAILABLE

Chapter 36 – Tip 9: Use Comparisons - AVAILABLE

Chapter 37 – Tip 10: Use Callout Numbers - AVAILABLE

Chapter 38 – Tip 11: Allow Discovery - AVAILABLE

Chapter 39 – Tip 12: Balance Data and Design - AVAILABLE

Chapter 40 – Tip 13: Eliminate Chartjunk (but Not Graphics) -


AVAILABLE

Chapter 41 – Tip 14: Use Freeform Dashboard Design - AVAILABLE

Chapter 42 – Tip 15: Tell a Story- AVAILABLE

Part 4: Chart Types

Chapter 43 – A Spreadsheet is Not a Data Visualization - AVAILABLE

Chapter 44 – How to Make a Highlight Table - AVAILABLE

Chapter 45 – How to Make a Heat Map - AVAILABLE


Chapter 46 – How to Make a Dual-Axis Combination Chart -
AVAILABLE

Chapter 47 – How to Make a Scatter Plot - AVAILABLE

Chapter 48 – How to Make a Tree Map - AVAILABLE

Chapter 49 – How to Make Sparklines - AVAILABLE

Chapter 50 – How to Make Small Multiples - AVAILABLE

Chapter 51 – How to Make Bullet Graphs - AVAILABLE

Chapter 52 – How to Make a Stacked Area Chart - AVAILABLE

Chapter 53 – How to Make a Histogram - AVAILABLE

Chapter 54 – How to Make a Box-and-Whisker PlotChapter 55 – How


to Make a Symbol Map with Mapbox Integration - AVAILABLE

Chapter 56 – How to Make a Filled Map - AVAILABLE

Chapter 57 – How to Make a Dual-Axis Map - AVAILABLE

Chapter 58 – How to Map a Sequential Path - AVAILABLE

Chapter 59 – How to Map Anything in Tableau - AVAILABLE

Chapter 60 – How to Make Custom Polygon Maps - AVAILABLE

Chapter 61 – How to Make a Gantt Chart - AVAILABLE

Chapter 62 – How to Make a Waterfall Chart - AVAILABLE

Chapter 63 – How to Make Dual-Axis Slope Graphs - AVAILABLE

Chapter 64 – How to Make Donut Charts - AVAILABLE

Chapter 65 – How to Make Funnel Charts - AVAILABLE


Chapter 66 – Introducing Pace Charts in Tableau - AVAILABLE

Chapter 67 – How to Make a Pareto Chart - AVAILABLE

Chapter 68 – How to Make a Control Chart - AVAILABLE

Chapter 69 – How to Make Dynamic Dual-Axis Bump Charts -


AVAILABLE

Chapter 70 – How to Make Dumbbell Charts - AVAILABLE

Chapter 71 – How and Why to Make Customizable Jitter Plots -


AVAILABLE

Part 5. Tips & Tricks

Chapter 72 – How to Create Icon-Based Navigation or Filters - Not


available

Chapter 73 – How to Make a What-If Analysis Using Parameters -


Not available

Chapter 74 – 3 Ways to Add Alerts to Your Dashboards - Not


available

Chapter 75 – How to Add Instructions or Methodology Using Custom


Shape Palettes - Not available

Chapter 76 – 10 Tableau Data Visualization Tips I Learned from


Google Analytics - Not available

Chapter 77 – Tableau Pie Chart: A Better Approach - Not available

Chapter 78 – How to Compare and Create Segments - Not available

Chapter 79 – Five Ways to Balance Data and Design in Tableau


Without Graphic Design - Not available
Chapter 80 – Leveraging Color to Improve Your Data Visualization -
Not available

Chapter 81 – 3 Creative Ways to Use Dashboard Actions - Not


available

Chapter 82 – How to Conditionally Format Individual Rows or


Columns - Not available

Chapter 83 – 5 Tips for Creating Efficient Workbooks - Not available

Chapter 84 – Using Level of Detail Expressions to Create


Benchmarks - Not available

Chapter 85 – Designing Device-Specific Dashboards - Not available

Chapter 86 – How to Make a Stoplight 100-Point Index - Not


available

Chapter 87 – The Case for One-Dimensional Unit Charts - Not


available

Chapter 88 – How to Highlight a Dimension - Not available

Chapter 89 – Allow Users to Choose Measures and Dimensions - Not


available

Chapter 90 – How to Dynamically Format Numbers - Not available

Chapter 91 – How to Change Date Aggregation Using Parameters -


Not available

Chapter 92 – How to Equalize Year Over Year Dates - Not available

Chapter 93 – How to Filter Out Partial Time Periods - Not available

Chapter 94 – How to Compare Two Date Ranges on One Axis - Not


available
Chapter 95 – How to Compare Unequal Date Ranges on One Axis -
Not available

Chapter 96 – How to Make a Cluster Analysis - Not available

Chapter 97 – 5 Tips for Making Your Tableau Public Viz Go Viral - Not
available

Chapter 98 – 3 Ways to Make Beautiful Bar Charts in Tableau - Not


available

Chapter 99 – 3 Ways to Make Lovely Line Graphs in Tableau - Not


available

Chapter 100 – 3 Ways Psychological Schemas Can Improve Your


Data Visualization

Chapter 1 - How to Learn Tableau: My Top Five Tips

Tableau’s mission is to help people see and understand their data,


and I can tell you that after you’ve mastered a few of the
fundamentals, it is an extremely easy way to do just that. For basic
analyses, such as looking at a measure such as sales, and slicing
and dicing that measure by a dimension such as region, I’m not sure
anything could be easier than Tableau. However, there can be a
substantial learning curve required to get exactly what you want out
of the software. In fact, for me personally it has been a career-long
education spanning eight years using Tableau. While I’ve been
through some growing pains and experienced some frustration
learning the tool, I mostly view my lack of perfection as good news.
The challenge keeps my job interesting and I continue to get excited
discovering innovative solutions to complex problems that have led
to several successful visualizations.
This chapter shares my top tips for how to learn Tableau, whether
you have a budget of $0 or $5,000.

5. Follow the community

Cost: $0

The first tip in my list of top five is to follow the Tableau community.
I have learned several software programs during my career in digital
analytics and data visualization, and bar none, Tableau has the most
selfless community of any of them. The great thing about following
the community is that you can tailor the list of users you focus on to
align with your own uses of Tableau. Perhaps you want to follow
users sharing advanced technical know-how, members of the
community who are applying Tableau in your own industry, or users
more focused on design and user experience.

I’ve put together a Twitter list, Data Viz Heroes, that might be a
good starting point for you. These are just a few of my favorite users
to learn Tableau from. Remember, this is not a comprehensive list of
every outstanding Tableau user, but a short list of users whose style
aligns with how I want to use the software.

Some of these users have created aggregated learning resources


from several users in the community. One of my favorites is Jeffrey
Shaffer’s (@HighVizAbility), Data + Science Tableau Reference
Guide.

Lastly, get involved with a local Tableau User Group. This is a free
resource where you can meet local Tableau users and learn from
what others are doing. Many of my ‘Data Viz Heroes’ mentioned
above often speak at these meetings. These user groups are all over
the world – use this handy Tableau User Group map to find the one
closest to you and reach out to the leader to get involved.

4. Take a training class

Cost: $13 - $6,000 / day

No matter how many blog posts you’ve read, sometimes you just
need to talk to somebody who can help you connect the dots
between what you are learning. Attending a Tableau training or data
visualization workshop can help you take your skills a significant step
forward in a short amount of time. Tableau training comes in many
shapes and sizes, and as with the community tip above, you should
choose your Tableau training based on what you are hoping to get
out of the software at this point in your development.

If you would like a recorded training, I recommend the resources


available at [Link to Come]O’Reilly’s Safari Udemy, Lynda, or
Pluralsight. Several of these recorded trainings are taught by
qualified instructors including my data viz heroes.

If you are in need of in-person training, you can attend a one-day


training at Tableau’s annual customer conference, a group training
conducted by Tableau, an on-site training conducted by Tableau, or
an on-site training conducted by a third-party trainer. I attended a
group training conducted by Tableau during my second year using
Tableau, and a condensed “analyst” training at a Tableau conference
in my third year using Tableau. I can personally attest to the value
that attending an in-person training provides.

I’d be a bad consultant if I didn’t mention that if you are interested


in my personal training services, please take a look at my speaking
schedule and get in touch.

3. Read up

Cost: $35 - $45

It may be a cliché, but there are simply some good books on


Tableau available to learn from. This is a great starting point for
learning Tableau, and one we sometimes take for granted. When I
started using Tableau (“Back in my day….”), there was only one book
that I can remember, and it was a very short book. There are now
dozens of such resources available. I’m obviously biased towards the
book you are currently reading, but among several other great
options, here are two that I vouch for:

Tableau Your Data! by Dan Murray

This book is possibly the best all-around – Non-Practical Tableau  -


resource for getting started with Tableau. It provides some of the
basic fundamentals, but also discusses more advanced features and
Tableau Server.

Communicating Data with Tableau by Ben Jones

In my opinion, Ben’s book is the best second step as it is more


strategic and provides some ways to think about your approach to
data visualization after you have the fundamentals down. It also
offers several hands-on walkthroughs for different applications of
Tableau.

2. Practice

Cost: $0

There is no substitute for on the job training with your own data and
unique business problems. The more challenges you come across
and push through to an eventual solution, the more unique tools you
get to add to your toolbelt to solve increasingly complex problems
that emerge. This may sound obvious, so I will offer an extra tip to
help you get the most out of your practice:

Start a weekly internal meetup; I call mine Tableau Tuesday. During


Tableau Tuesday, a group of 5 – 10 internal Tableau users get
together to train, share case studies of our own work, and/or work
collaboratively through challenging situations. These Tableau
Tuesday events lead to valuable discussion and ensure that the
entire team is continuously learning.

1. 1. Tableau Public

Cost: $0

I credit Tableau Public as the primary reason for my personal


success with Tableau, and thus, it is my number one tip for how to
learn Tableau. Tableau Public is a free tool that has almost all of the
same functionality as Tableau Desktop (Personal). You can currently
connect to and explore Excel,text files, and Google Sheets with up to
15 million rows.
The only catch with Tableau Public is that your files have to be saved
to the web, and external audiences can potentially find your work.
For this reason, it is not a suitable option for private business data. I
actually view this as a positive. This forces you to find topics and
data outside of your normal work environment. As I described in my
Tableau customer story, Tableau Public is my sandbox to try new
approaches to data visualization that may not be as - let's say,
appreciated - in a business setting. The cool thing is, these ‘attempts
to fly’ are often eventually figured out, and often make it into my
daily corporate work.

You can also download many of the workbooks you find on Tableau
Public. This provides an amazing bevy of dashboards that you can
use as a learning resource by downloading, looking under the hood,
and reverse engineering. There is an option for the publisher to
disallow this feature, but there are still thousands of downloadable
dashboards – including every single one of mine. I previously had
just one dashboard that was not downloadable, The Cost of
Attending the 2015 World Series, and that was because it included
stadium data of Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and Citi Field in
New York worth thousands of dollars to create. Well, I’m proud to
report that even the 2015 Tableau Public Visualization of the Year is
now available to download for free!

I unlocked this dashboard for two reasons, which I’ll relate here
because they illustrate the spirit of Tableau Public. Steve Wexler of
Data Revelations wrote a post called In Praise of Tableau Public. In
the post, Steve describes all of the things that I love about Tableau
Public. Then I came to a line that said, “Unless you indeed have
proprietary data please, please, please don’t stop your workbooks
from being downloaded.” That’s three pleases. It reminded me of
how important Tableau Public is as a resource for people to learn
from and have discussions around approaches to data visualization.

Second, after the announcement that this viz received the honor of
Tableau Public Viz of the Year, I was immediately asked personally
from a new user for the original copy so they could see how it was
created. It simply didn’t feel right to keep the dashboard locked. My
hope is that Tableau users of any experience level have the
opportunity to learn from Tableau Public dashboards so they can
incorporate innovations into their own work and continue pushing
the envelope in their own ways.

That’s it my for my top five tips for how to learn Tableau. Trust me
when I say that everybody is learning! The key is to be persistent.
Tableau is user-friendly enough and has so many resources available
that anybody who is committed can become an expert.

Chapter 2 – Which Tableau Product is Best for Me?

The first thing I wish I knew the first day I used Tableau is which
product or products should I download to get started. Tableau is
growing at a rapid pace and there are still regular updates to all of
their products, as well as their product ecosystem itself, making
product selection a potentially confusing topic for a beginner.

The first thing to know is that Tableau is a brand, not a specific


product. When somebody asks you to “download Tableau”, they
could be talking about Tableau Reader, Tableau Public, Tableau
Desktop (Personal), Tableau Desktop (Professional), Tableau Server,
Tableau Online, and so on.
This chapter provides an introduction to Tableau’s product
ecosystem so you can make the choice that best suits your individual
requirements.

Which Tableau product is best for me?

The decision on which Tableau product to download comes down to


four key attributes:

1. 1. Connectivity – what data sources do you need to access?


2. 2. Distribution – who do you want to see your dashboard and
how will you share it with them?
3. 3. Automation – do you need your work to update automatically
on a refresh schedule?
4. 4. Security – do you require an on-premise level of security or
can your work be saved in the cloud?

From here, I will share a brief synopsis of each product, how each
answers the four questions just mentioned, and who might get the
best use out of each product.

Tableau Reader

Tableau Reader is a free download that allows you to open


“packaged workbooks”, which are Tableau workbooks that are saved
in a special way by Tableau Desktop users so the data and
visualizations are in the same file. Tableau Reader allows you to
open and interact with Tableau workbooks, but not develop them.
Development capabilities could be considered an obvious fifth key
attribute, but as Tableau Reader is the only product listed that does
not provide these capabilities, I have not listed it as a key
consideration. This product works much like a PDF-viewer, where a
developer of a document saves it in a certain way so that it can be
opened by a PDF-reader.
Connectivity: .twbx files only (packaged workbooks)

Distribution: Offline

Automation: Not available

Security: As good as your personal computer / server’s security

Best for: People that need an affordable way to view and interact
with colleagues’ Tableau workbooks

Tableau Public

Tableau Public is another free download, but this product actually


provides development capabilities. The catch is that the workbooks
have to be saved to Tableau’s public cloud, making this an unsuitable
choice for proprietary business data.

Connectivity: Excel, text files

Distribution: Cloud (Public)

Automation: Not available

Security: Limited; your workbooks are potentially accessible by


anyone on the Internet, but you are able to restrict the ability for
someone to download your files.

Best for: Journalists; sharing publicly available data (and Tableau


know-how) with the world; practicing Tableau for free; trying the
software

Tableau Desktop: Personal

Tableau Desktop: Personal is the entry point for the paid


development versions of the software. It allows you to keep your
workbooks private, but connection and distribution options are
limited.
Connectivity: Excel, text files, Access, statistical files, shape files,
spatial files, and Tableau files

Distribution: Offline or Tableau Public

Automation: Not available

Security: As good as your personal computer / server’s security

Best for: Those that only need to connect to flat data files; those
that need the most cost-effective version that will keep their data
private

Tableau Desktop: Professional

Tableau Desktop: Professional is similar to Tableau Desktop: Personal


in that it is a development version of Tableau. Both the Personal and
Professional versions have all of the same development capabilities,
but the Professional version provides full access to every data type
and distribution channel.

Connectivity: All possible connections in Tableau

Distribution: Offline, Tableau Server, or Tableau Public (all possible


distribution options in Tableau)

Automation: Not available

Security: As good as your personal computer / server’s security

Best for: Those that need to connect to data in databases; those


that need the capability to publish to Tableau Server

Tableau Server

Tableau Server provides a central repository for all of your Tableau


workbooks that can be accessed by your business users via a web
browser. Tableau Server also has the advantage of data refresh
capabilities as well as a way for your organization to keep their data
and workbooks on premise in the case that your organization
requires that level of security. Tableau Server requires additional user
licenses, even if you already have a Tableau Desktop license.

Connectivity: Workbooks that have been published to Tableau Server


and that you have been granted access to

Distribution: Cloud

Automation: Available via data refresh schedules

Security: As good as your on premise or server host’s security

Best for: Those that need to access / distribute workbooks in the


cloud; those that want to automate workbook refreshes; those that
want to edit workbooks in the cloud (limited capability); those that
need to keep their data and workbooks on premise

Tableau Online

Tableau Online is similar to Tableau Server, but it is hosted via a


third-party partner of Tableau. This product still has the advantages
of cloud distribution and automatic refreshes, but it is hosted off
premise, which can result in security challenges for certain
organizations. Like Tableau Server, Tableau Online requires additional
per-user licensing, even if those users already have access to
Tableau Desktop.

Connectivity: Workbooks that have been published to Tableau Online


and that you have been granted access to

Distribution: Cloud

Automation: Available via data refresh schedules

Security: As good as Tableau’s third-party host


Best for: Those that need to access / distribute workbooks in the
cloud; those that want to automate workbook refreshes; those that
want to edit workbooks in the cloud (limited capability); those that
are okay having their data and workbooks hosted off premise

Tableau consistently invests in research and development so it is a


good idea to keep an eye out for updates and new products at
Tableau’s product page at tableau.com/products. Also, if you are
a non-profit organization and just getting started with any of the
paid products mentioned above, be sure to ask Tableau for special
pricing!

Chapter 3 – An Introduction to Connecting to Data

Once you have chosen the best Tableau product for you, it is time to
start finding insights in your data! Much like Tableau’s suite of
products, data connections come in many shapes and sizes. As of
this writing, Tableau Desktop: Personal has five different types of
data connections, and Tableau Desktop: Professional adds another
54 native ways to connect to data. That doesn’t even count the
ability to access web data through customized connectors or Open
Database Connectivity (ODBC).

As you can imagine from the breadth of connection options, you can
connect to almost any type of data in Tableau and if you don’t see
the connection you are looking for, somebody is likely working on a
customized solution that will help. I could write an entire book on
the different data connections alone, but they all work similarly and
are fairly intuitive. So for the purposes of this chapter, I will show
you how to get started with one connection type and a few of the
ways you can prepare to work with the data.

An introduction to connecting to data in Tableau


When you open Tableau, you will see a screen that looks like this,
where you have the option to choose your data connection:

[Insert Image 3-1]

Image

The options under the navigation heading “To a File” can be


accessed with Tableau Desktop: Personal. All possible data
connections, including to data that resides on a server, can be
accessed with Tableau Desktop: Professional.

At the bottom of the left navigation, there are a couple of data


sources that come with every download of Tableau. The first, Sample
– Superstore, is actually an Excel file, so you can connect to it
whether you are using Tableau Desktop: Personal or Tableau
Desktop: Professional. I like to train with this data source because it
is the most common data source used in online tutorials and during
Tableau’s own training. To start using it, click on it.

After clicking on a saved data source, you are immediately thrown


into the authoring interface. We discuss getting a lay of the
land [link to chapter 5 – Getting a Lay of the Land] in another
chapter, but I actually want to take a step back to show you what
happens when you normally connect to a new data source. To get to
the data editing interface, click the “Data Source” tab in the bottom
left corner of the authoring interface. You should be taken to a
screen that looks like this:

[Insert Image 3-2]

Image

This is the screen you will be presented with when connecting to an


Excel or database connection. In Tableau, the Excel workbook is
treated as a database and the individual tabs are treated as
individual tables within that database. For this reason, you can join
tabs to each other if they have at least one field in common. When
you join tables, you are appending additional fields to your data
source based on shared fields. To do so, simply drag the table (tab)
that you want to join into the data editing interface and tell Tableau
what the two tabs have in common. Here’s what the Sample –
Superstore dataset looks like after I dragged the Returns table into
the view and set up a left join on Order ID. This means that every
field that has a matching Order ID in the table on the right will be
appended to the table on the left.

[Insert Image 3-3]

Image

You can even do cross-database joins, even if the data come from
different types of data connections. To do this, you would click “Add”
to the right of “Connections”, connect to your additional data source,
and set up a join just as pictured in the previous image.

If you’re working with multiple tables that all have the same column
headers, it may make more sense to union, or stack, the tables
instead of joining them. Maybe you’ve got twelve months of web
analytics data in one Excel file, but each month’s data live on a
separate tab. To union the twelve tabs, you would drag “New Union”
from the left navigation onto the data editing interface, then drag
the tables that you want to union into the box that appears. When
you create a union in Tableau, a column will be added that tells you
what sheet the data came from.

After you’ve retrieved the data you want to work with, there are a
few more options for preparing each column. To access them, click
the down arrow next to the data type icon for each column:

[Insert Image 3-4]


Image

The options are:

Rename: Allows you to rename the field


Copy Values: When nothing is selected, places the value in the first
row on your clipboard (preselecting rows before choosing this option
will copy your selection)
Hide: Hides the entire column
Aliases…: Allows you to assign new names to individual dimension
members
Create Calculated Field…: Allows you to create a new field before
you start using it within Tableau
Create Group: Allows you to group different dimension members.
This can be handy for quick data clean-up.
Split: Tableau will look at the dimension members in your column
and guess the most appropriate way to split them into multiple
columns
Custom Split…: The same as split, but you determine how to
separate the dimension members
Pivot: When you have multiple columns selected, you can transpose
them. Note you can only do one data pivot per data source.
Describe: Gives you additional information about the field

When going through this process for quantitative fields, the string
functions are not available, and one additional option is available:
“Create Bins…”. This creates equally-sized bins, which can be used to
make histograms. We will discuss how to make histograms in a later
chapter.

Lastly, you can also change the data type of a column by clicking the
data type icon at the top of the column.

It’s important to note that any changes you make to the data at this
point creates metadata and has no impact on your underlying data
source. This means you can make rapid progress in Tableau without
the risk of messing up your existing infrastructure.

Another notable task that you may choose to do when connecting to


a new data source is to either extract or filter the data source. By
default, most data source connections will be live with no filters;
these options can be seen in the top right corner of the data editor:

[Insert Image 3-5]

Image

Extracts create a snapshot of your data at whatever point they were


created. They are typically faster than a live data connection,
especially when connecting to a live database, and are my general
recommendation. Just remember that extracts have to be refreshed
periodically so that you are working with the latest data possible.
From within Tableau Desktop, extracts can be refreshed by
navigating to “Data” in the top navigation, hovering over the data
source you want to refresh, then hovering over “Extract”, and
clicking “Refresh”. If you eventually use Tableau Server, the cloud-
based version of Tableau, you will see option to automate the
refresh process when you publish from Tableau Desktop.

The final option discussed in this chapter is the ability to filter the
entire data source before you start working with it in Tableau. These
filters can be created with any combination of fields by clicking the
“Add” button under “Filters”. This is an easy opportunity to make
your workbooks more efficient because you have the ability to filter
out the data you don’t need for your analysis. For example, if your
analysis is about this year’s data, don’t pull in the last ten years of
data! Or maybe you are building the workbook for a stakeholder that
is only responsible for one division and they’re not allowed to see
the performance of other divisions. Adding a filter in this scenario
not only makes the workbook process more efficiently, it will help
you manage security to ensure data does not fall into the wrong
hands.

With all of these choices, you should be able to set your data up
exactly as you wish before you start working with it. However, if you
are trying to transition existing Excel reports or working with
irregularly shaped data, you may benefit from reading on
into chapter 4, Shaping Data for Use with Tableau before you get
seriously down to work.

Chapter 4 – Shaping Data for Use with Tableau

The second thing I wish I knew the first day I used Tableau is that
there is an optimal way to shape data for use with the software. I’ll
never forget the day I was introduced to Tableau. The boss walked
in and asked three of us in the office to try out this new tool they
had heard of for creating data visualizations. The first thing every
one of us tried to do is connect to an existing Excel report and
recreate it in Tableau. After all, this was supposed to be intuitive –
perhaps even magical - software, right? We quickly found out that
nothing worked as we expected, we couldn’t figure out how to make
a single chart, and we had to fight the temptation to immediately
revert back to our familiar Excel experience.

It’s fun to look back, and this now seems like a simple problem to
solve, but the scenario I experienced my first time with Tableau is
not uncommon. In fact, it’s both the most common Tableau adoption
scenario that I come across—and the most difficult:

First-time users connecting to an existing Excel report without any


consideration to the format of the data.
Most existing Excel reports are not set up to work well with Tableau,
and if this is the first data source that a first-time user attempts to
work with, they are setting themselves up to fail. But don’t despair -
I can personally attest to what it’s like to start using Tableau without
any data or visualization software experience. I’ve always said that
there are three or four key things to know when getting started with
Tableau, and sometimes you just need somebody to share them with
you so you can connect the dots and get started.

Shaping data for use with Tableau

This topic is easiest to illustrate, so take a look at the first image,


which is meant to be similar to a typical report in Excel:

[Insert Image 4-1]

Image

There is a title along the top, a column header for each quarter, and
a row for each KPI (Sales, Profit, and Orders). In addition, there is a
total for each row on the right-hand side of the table.

The format of this report poses several problems for Tableau which,
upon connecting, will try to interpret the data source, classify the
fields, and set up your workspace:

1. 1. There is a title in the first row. The first two rows are critical
for Tableau to interpret the data source, so we’ve immediately
gotten off on the wrong foot.
2. 2. The column headers are quarters, which will cause Tableau to
create a field for each quarter, when in fact the quarters should
all be consolidated into one field for date / quarter.
3. 3. The KPIs are running down the first column so, by default,
Tableau will not interpret these KPIs as unique fields.
4. 4. There is a total in the right column. As Tableau totals fields
for you, not only is this unnecessary, it will likely lead to double-
counting.

The ideal format for Tableau looks like this:

[Insert Image 4-2]

Image

Each column now represents a unique field, so the layout is vertical


instead of horizontal. The title and totals have also been removed.

With the data in this shape, Tableau will be able to look at the first
row to determine the fields and the second row to classify the data
(i.e. type, discrete vs. continuous, dimension vs. measure). We will
discuss the ways Tableau classifies data in the next two chapters in
this series.

As one additional tip, if your dataset includes a date field that is not
in a traditional date format (as we’ve shown here with quarters), I
recommend adding a column that looks like an actual date. In this
case, I’ve added a column for quarter as date, and chosen the first
date in each quarter as the entries:

[Insert Image 4-3]

Image

Dates are a special data type in Tableau and by having dates in a


date format that the software recognizes, the full functionality of
date fields is unlocked.

Finally, if data reshaping is required for you to work with a dataset in


Tableau, you can reshape it prior to connecting – which is my
personal preference - or use Tableau’s data interpreter and data
pivot tools when you connect. Regardless of the method you choose,
putting some thought into the shape of your data will help you get
off to a strong start with your analyses in Tableau.

Chapter 5 – Getting a Lay of the Land

This chapter provides an overview of the Tableau interface,


terminology, and a couple of things that I like to do first whenever I
start working with a new dataset. While this is certainly not an
exhaustive list, it will help you get started authoring in Tableau
immediately and will provide a foundation for what’s to come.

Tableau terminology

To walk through some of the most important Tableau terminology,


we will use the following key followed by names and definitions:

[Insert Image 5-1; O’Reilly production to add key numbers from


original image in own style]

1. Data Window – Displays all of the data connections in the


workbook. Note that only one data connection (Sample –
Superstore) is being displayed in this example, but you can connect
to more than one data source at a time.
2. Dimensions Shelf – A list of all of the fields in the data source
classified as dimensions (discussed in the next chapter).
3. Measures Shelf – A list of all the fields in the data source classified
as measures (discussed in the next chapter).
4. Pages Shelf – The Pages Shelf allows you to pivot through
dimension members and/or add animation to a view. For example,
you can put a dimension for Month of Order Date onto the Pages
shelf and have the view rotate through one month of data at a time.
5. Filters Shelf – Any dimension or measure that you filter a view by
will be displayed here.
6. Marks Card (Marks Shelf) – Each square in this area is called a
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
In respect to literature, the arts and sciences, certainly every
opportunity is offered which knowledge can afford, or which a zeal
for letters can desire. In this respect, I think, Paris is superiour to
London. Besides the immense acquisitions which it has lately made,
and the great and wonderful collections that are constantly open to
the public, there are so many private institutions within the reach of
men of moderate fortune, that this city would soon rival all the
universities of Europe, did not the pleasures of the place hold out
temptations dangerous to the morals of youth.
Literary men also are more respected than in England; and,
instead of abandoning society (which is too much the case with men
of learning in our country), the industrious, but unprotected
frenchman, who engages in the career of letters, finds his way into
the most brilliant circles of the capital. Even the haughtiest of the old
nobility admit into their most intimate coteries, those who have
attained any literary fame, however low their origin, or however
mean their appearance. On this head, I give unqualified and
unrivalled praise to Paris.
Whether a foreigner could profitably pursue any commercial
speculation here, it is not for me to inquire. I shall only observe,
that, notwithstanding the laws of equality, prejudices exist as
strongly as ever at Paris; and could a fortune be accumulated here
as rapidly as in London, that fortune would never purchase the
respect and consequence with which a similar acquisition is attended
in England. A merchant (or “négociant,” to use the french
expression) is still an insignificant character in this town, and all the
wealth of India would not place him on a level with a general, a
minister, or a ci-devant noble.
A man of pleasure, or rather of dissipation, may, in all the joys of
unbounded variety, destroy his health, vitiate his principles, enervate
his mind, and ruin his fortune. To the rich, however old, ugly, or
deformed, beauty will not refuse her smiles; and every assembly is
open to him who, in the morning, will convey “madame” to milliners,
jewellers, and lace merchants, and will devote his evenings to the
boulotte[93] of “monsieur.”
The politician, or in other words, he who is anxious to become
acquainted with the real causes of the present order of things, and
to examine to their source the many-coloured events which have
preceded it, will be much disappointed. The greater number of those
who took an active part in the revolution, have been swept away in
the general torrent; the few that remain, are either living in
obscurity, and cautious of expressing their opinions, or become, like
other apostates, as violent on one side as they were formerly on the
other. Of course, no satisfactory information is to be derived from
them. As to the general bulk of the nation, passive under the iron
tyranny of that sanguinary monster, Robespierre, they preferred, at
that time, the accidental hope of individual escape, to the generous
and braver conduct of a bold resistance. They are still the same
people; and, now that their tranquillity and private happiness are
secured, they look on in perfect apathy, and (if the term were not
too rash) I should add, in sulky content.
Should France be deprived of Bonaparte, a circumstance which
french men of all parties allow would be at present a great national
misfortune, I have no doubt that obedience would be quietly and
generally yielded to whatever party should seize the reins of power.
It is universally allowed, that there is no security beyond the life of
the first consul[94]; yet no one proposes, and I am sure no one
thinks of providing against an event, which, in the order of nature,
must sooner or later arrive. You cannot, living in England, form an
idea of the indifference prevalent here about public matters.
The time of Robespierre, or “la regne de la terreur,” as it is
commonly called, is often the subject of conversation, and it is
mentioned with as much disgust and horror as in other countries;
yet it never seems to occur to any one, that in having been the tacit
spectators and instruments of the murders committed at that time,
the inhabitants of this country were parties to his crimes. But it is
perhaps absurd to complain of the present want of feeling, when we
recollect the strange unconcern with which, under the immediate
terror and view of the guillotine, the persons confined in the
different prisons, while they awaited their turn of cruelty, engaged in
every sort of frivolous amusement. I have been assured, by those
who were themselves in custody at that unhappy period, that toilets
were made, parties planned, cards played, scandal talked of,
assemblies arranged, and little jealousies entertained, in the very
caverns of death. More than one person was taken from the dinner
table, or the game of chess, to the place of execution. From a nation
so strangely indifferent to its dearest interests, what intelligence can
you expect to collect? If you ask a question relating to those
dreadful moments, instead of a simple answer of facts, you receive a
violent philippic against the memory of a man, too infamous even to
deserve the honours of abuse. If you make an inquiry about the
present constitution, you are laughed at, and, pour toute réponse,
are told, “C’est Bonaparte qui fait tout—tout lui est soumis—tout lui
est possible.[95]”
A gentleman and his wife, proposing to visit Paris, particularly if
they happen to be attached to each other, and have no decided
rank, ought carefully to provide themselves with all the letters of
recommendation which they can possibly obtain, if they wish to be
admitted into any of the houses of the parisians. They must
remember, that every thing is calculated in this town, and that, if the
female traveller will not conciliate the masters of families by her
smiles, nor her husband by presents and attentions to the ladies, no
door will be opened which is not forced open by the imperious
command of some person, on whose power and interest the party
depends. With the most insignificant title, or the lowest order of
chivalry, something may be done, for these add to the splendour of
an assembly; but without these advantages, and without vice,
foreigners live but dully in this gay city. An english lady, of superiour
talents, observed to me one day, with great truth, that she never
discovered that her title of “countess” was of any use, till she
entered the territory of the french republic. I ought also to mention,
that it seldom happens in this country, that a person, to whom a
stranger is recommended, thinks it necessary to present him to
another. Of course, the number of acquaintance will not exceed that
of the letters with which a foreigner is favoured. It may be doubtful,
whether all of these will be attended to; but, at any rate, the houses
of those to whom he is addressed will form the limits of his society.
Families coming here with children, will have great advantages in
procuring them education. Masters in every science, and in every
language, may be had at a very easy expense. The only antidote is
the temptation to pleasure. Under a certain age, no place can be so
well suited to the purposes of instruction.
Having taken a hasty view of the different situations in which this
town may be visited, I shall conclude my subject by enumerating in
what I conceive London is superiour to Paris, and in what Paris is
superiour to London.
In width, cleanliness, and beauty, the streets of London have such
a decided advantage over those of Paris, that I believe even a
frenchman would acknowledge, that the question could not be
disputed. The footpaths of the former, on which the pedestrian may
walk without danger or dirt; the excellent pavement, which prevents
any fatigue from being experienced in the use of a carriage; and the
brilliance of the lamps at night, which renders the passage, in an
evening, from one part of the town to another, rather a pleasure
than a pain, are but ill contrasted by the narrow and filthy lanes of
the latter, in which persons on foot are constantly exposed to every
kind of accident and inconvenience; to the neglected carriage ways,
in moving over which individuals are bruised, and wheels rapidly
worn out, and to the dismal and uncertain light, which a few
lanterns, hung by cords suspended from the opposite houses, faintly
afford. But if the streets of Paris must yield to those of London, the
former city is undoubtedly superiour in its palaces and public
buildings, and in the height, style, and architecture of private
houses, the stone fronts, regular plan, and lofty dimensions of
which, have a very commanding appearance. But though the edifices
are finer, and the arrangement more convenient, each floor
consisting of a complete set of rooms, yet, from their great size, it
usually happens that the same house is inhabited by several families,
and the stairs, consequently, becoming public, are as dirty and as
disgusting as the common streets. Where too an individual keeps an
entire house in his possession, the number of his servants is rarely
proportioned to the size of his habitation, and either only a part is
occupied, or the whole is neglected and in bad order.
I cannot help adding, as a singular circumstance, that
notwithstanding the extensive and superiour scale on which private
hotels are built at Paris, I have seldom seen open, at an assembly
here, either as many rooms, or those of such large dimensions, as
are met with, on similar occasions, in families of rank and fashion in
London. The reason of this apparent contradiction, perhaps, is this,
that as but one floor (whether others belong to the same person or
not) is generally made use of, the bed rooms, offices, and
antichamber, occupy too large a space to allow much extent for the
apartments devoted to the reception of company. From the opposite
reason, it often happens that a house in London, of moderate size,
has several large rooms, in which a numerous society may be
entertained, though these rooms are scattered on different floors.
In respect to furniture, the houses of the “parvenus” are elegantly
and splendidly fitted up. Most of the other private hotels have
received little improvement, repair, or alteration, since the beginning
of the revolution, and are consequently not very remarkable, either
for freshness or novelty of taste. Carpets are not common; and
though the beds are generally better, and in a more ornamental
form, than those usually seen in England, and the antique shapes
are most classically imitated in the decoration of these, and in the
chairs, or fauteuils; yet, in other respects, I think our modern
manner of fitting up houses has the advantage over that which
generally prevails at Paris. Mahogany, so commonly used in England
for dinner tables, is seldom applied to that purpose in France; and,
as the cloth is never removed, they are made of deal. En revanchè it
forms, instead of gold, the frames of satin furniture; and the walls of
drawing rooms are often ornamented with that wood. I cannot say, I
admire mahogany thus employed; but this is entirely a matter of
taste. Plate glass is, of course, very superiour, and infinitely more
common in the decoration of rooms than in England; yet, with this
exception, and a few others, I think our apartments in London are
more completely furnished, are much cleaner, and have many little
comforts which are wanting in those of Paris. Some particular houses
here do, indeed, present models of taste, profusion, and luxury,
unequalled by any of ours; but the number of these is very trifling,
and alters but little the general result.
The eating rooms of french houses are very disgusting. Instead of
the comfortable turkey carpet, handsome curtains, stuccoed walls,
blazing fire, and ornamented sideboard, of a London parlour, the
dinner is here served in a dark and gloomy apartment, called “la
salle à manger,” imperfectly heated with a stove, the floor generally
of stone, and always without a carpet, the windows without curtains
or shutters, and the whole dirty and uninviting. Where there is not a
separate antichamber, the servants occupy the dining rooms in the
absence of their masters; and, in that case, the smell, which such
company are apt to leave, is extremely offensive.
Of the assemblies I have already spoken. Excepting a great ball
given by madame Recamier, where there was a crowd of three or
four hundred persons of different classes, with only a standing or
sandwich supper, and a superb fête given by monsieur de Dimidoff, a
rich russian, I have heard of no very numerous party. The balls
generally consist of from fifty to a hundred people. Those at which I
was present, appeared rather calculated to show the dancing and
dress of the ladies, than to promote general gayety or diversion. In
splendour of costume, and in graceful movements, our
entertainments of this sort must yield to those of Paris; but in
general mirth, in decorations, in supper, and brilliancy of light, the
comparison is decidedly in favour of the former. The constant
fluctuation also which takes place in London, from the number of
engagements of each individual, gives a variety which is wanting in a
french party, at which all the invited pass their whole evening.
The thés, which answer, in some respects, to our card parties, are
infinitely less in number than the latter. The conversation of the
former is, undoubtedly, on subjects more worthy of occupying the
attention of rational beings, than the senseless chit chat of our
fashionable coteries. It is only to be regretted, that the desire of
speaking on literary subjects with éclat, so generally prevalent at
Paris, not unfrequently degenerates into pedantry and affectation.
Hence the tasteless coiner of pompous sentences is often mistaken
for a man of genius; and the chattering ostentatious coxcomb is
admired, while the silence of modesty, and the reflection of good
sense, expose those in whom they are discovered, sometimes to
ridicule, and always to neglect. The conversation too, is commonly
monopolised by a few, and the rest of the company yawn away their
evening uninterested and uninteresting. On this subject the higher
classes, of both countries, might improve, by observing the faults of
each other; those of England, in rendering the topics of their
conversation less trifling; and those of France, by letting ideas,
instead of expressions, occupy their attention.
The concerts here are dull and tiresome entertainments, which
last five or six hours uninterruptedly. Young ladies are often the
principal performers, and admired rather in proportion to their rank
and fashion than to the harmony of their voice, or the scientifical
proficiency which they have made in the study of music. As we have
generally in London the first italian masters, and the most
distinguished singers, I conceive that our amusements of this sort
must be superiour to those of Paris.
Of the spectacles I have fully spoken in a former letter. I shall,
therefore, be as concise as possible at present. The opera of Paris is
superiour to that of London in dancing and decoration; but the latter,
in point of brilliance, gayety, music, beauty, and elegance of
company, has such an advantage over the former, that it may be
justly said to be, in the language of Shakspeare, “Hyperion to a
satyr.” As to the play-houses, the comic performers in France possess
a degree of extraordinary merit, and of professional skill, which I do
not conceive any theatre of Europe can equal; but if they have
attained a higher point of perfection than our actors in that line, I
think our tragedians as decidedly exceed the french in simplicity of
diction and of manner, in the just representation of human passions,
and, above all, in taking nature for their guide, which, in assuming
the buskin, the latter seem entirely to forget. As to the general state
of the spectacles as public places, those of London are infinitely
gayer, but those of Paris more orderly, and less subject to riots,
indecency, and disturbance.
The walks, or promenades, of both these great cities, are
delightful. Ours have the singular merit of being pleasant even in
winter; and, besides, our large streets, the footways of which, even
after rain, are soon dry, with the gardens of our various squares and
inns of court, St. James’s and Hyde park offer constant and beautiful
spots for exercise. At Paris, there are no trottoirs; and the
Thuilleries, Champs Elisées, and Boulevards, are almost impassable
for foot passengers in bad weather. When the spring begins, the
scene changes, and this city then boasts some charming gardens,
which I have already enumerated, and which are well frequented. In
my opinion, however, there is nothing here to be compared either
with Hyde park or Kensington gardens.
For excursions round the town, the neighbourhood of London
seems to afford more variety and picturesque views than that of
Paris; but the vicinity of both cities is very beautiful.
The hours of the two capitals are now so nearly alike, that it is
unnecessary to draw a comparison between them. No genteel family
at Paris dines before four or five o’clock, and some persons not till
six or seven. The thés begin about nine, the balls at twelve. The
theatres commence at seven, and are generally over between ten
and eleven.
The shops of London, as well as every kind of trade and
manufactory, are so decidedly superiour to those of Paris, that it
would be ridiculous to make the subject a question of doubt. There
have been, however, some very elegant “magazins” (or shops) lately
opened in la Rue de la Loi (ci-devant de Richelieu), particularly that
of M. le Roi, and another called “la Maison de la Providence,” nearly
opposite la Rue de Feydeau.
Hackney coaches are a convenience which both these cities enjoy
in great perfection. Those of Paris have improved so much since the
revolution, that I conceive them now to be superiour to ours, both in
carriages and horses. The fare for one distance (or “course,”)
whether long or short, provided it be within the gates of Paris, is
thirty sols (or one shilling and three-pence english). There are,
besides these, “cabriolets,” or open carriages, constantly plying,
which are not only good, but uncommonly elegant. They are equal
to the best appointed gigs of private persons in London. The horses
are fleet, and the drivers civil. The fare is something more than that
of a “fiacre,” or hackney coach.
The “hôtels garnis” are not so good or so numerous as they were
formerly; but I think them still better than our houses of the same
kind in London. There is also a privacy in a french apartment (the
outward door of each making a distinct habitation), which gives it a
decided advantage over the lodgings of an english hotel.
The public rooms and private cabinets of “restaurateurs,” are
certainly more elegantly fitted up than the apartments of our taverns
or coffeehouses. The cooking of the former is better, and presents a
much greater variety of dishes, and the affixed price to each article,
makes the price of a dinner depend entirely on the choice of him by
whom it is ordered.
As to society, that material ingredient in the happiness of man, of
which every one who has a head or heart, feels the vast importance,
I conceive that foreigners arriving either in London or in Paris,
without pressing recommendations or exalted rank, may be much
embarassed, and may in both places pass months and even years,
without making one proper acquaintance. Yet it appears to me that
there is this great and distinguishing difference between the
manners of the two capitals, that a person properly introduced to a
few families of fashion in London, will rapidly find his way into every
society which he wishes to frequent, whereas, in Paris, however well
individuals may be received in one or two of the most esteemed
houses, that circumstance will not contribute to their introduction to
any others, and if a stranger arrives with a certain number of
recommendations, he may, after a six months residence, quit Paris
without having increased the list of his acquaintance. I speak on this
subject from experience. Besides a near relation of my own, two or
three families[96] long connected with mine, have still establishments
here, and live in the best company of the place. By all of these Mrs.
⸺ and myself were well and hospitably received, but the persons
whom we met at their houses, neither paid us visits, or in other
respects showed us the most trifling civilities.
Madame de St—l, is the only new acquaintance to whom we are
indebted for a polite and hospitable reception, which indeed every
foreigner of character is sure to find at her house, which on account
of the public characters often seen there, on account of the rational
conversation, and general gayety which always prevail, and above
all, on account of the distinguished wit and universal politeness of
“madame,” is the most agreeable of Paris.
Having thus drawn a comparative statement of the advantages
and disadvantages of these cities, principally viewed as places either
of study or of amusement, I shall be excused for adding a few words
on the state of charitable institutions, though they do not
immediately form part of my subject.
Our hospitals and asylums for suffering poverty, are too well
known, and stand on too high a basis to require any eulogium from
me. I am happy to add, that those of Paris have not been neglected
during the united horrors of war and revolution. A respectable
physician (not a frenchman) assures me, that even during the most
barbarous moments of the sanguinary Robespierre, these useful
establishments were not abandoned. By a strange contradiction,
while virtue and innocence were daily dragged to the scaffold,
misery here found a refuge from the agonies of pain, and the
menaces of disease. These institutions are now kept up with
liberality, and every possible attention. Besides several others the
medical gentleman in question particularly praises “l’Hôtel Dieu, rue
du Marché Palu,” where from fifteen hundred to two thousand sick
persons receive the advice of the ablest physicians, and are treated
with the most delicate care. The government, and the persons
particularly entrusted with the management of this establishment,
show the most laudable zeal in its support. “L’Hospice St. Louis” is
an excellent appendage to this, to which those whose complaints are
contagious are immediately removed. He next commends “l’Hospice
de la Pitié, rue Fossés St. Victor,” behind “le Jardin des Plantes,” the
refuge of distressed innocence, in which two thousand children of
soldiers, who died in the service of their country, are rescued from
misery, and comfortably supported. “L’Hospice de St. Sulpice, rue de
Sèvres,” originally built by madame Necker, in which one hundred
and twenty sick, and eighteen wounded persons are relieved.
“L’Hospice des Incurables,” where the doom of these unhappy
wretches is softened by an extensive garden; and “l’Hospice de la
Salpétrière,” built by Louis XIII, and maintained at present in all its
original grandeur. The building is fine, presenting a majestic façade,
and its boundaries are so extensive that it is almost a little city. Here
sixteen hundred girls are employed in making linen and in working
lace. Old married men, young women affected with madness, and
female ideots here receive those little comforts, of which their
respective situations still allow them to partake.
Requesting you to pardon this digression I shall conclude my
subject with a few short observations drawn from my former
remarks.
To those who are fond of the arts, and who devote their time to
the pursuit, Paris offers objects of great interest and unequalled
beauty. Persons who pass their lives in a career of dissipation, who
are satisfied with public amusements, bought pleasures, and high
play, will find here, decked in all the joys of variety, the means of
gratifying their favourite wishes. To such as come to view the
curiosities of the place, Paris will appear delightful during a residence
of two or three months, as that time will be fully and agreeably
occupied in examining its various institutions, and in visiting its
different theatres, particularly if the traveller arrives in the beginning
of spring, when the charms of nature are added to those of art. But
to him whose attachments are centred within the circle of his own
family, who is fond of the investigation of truth, and whose early
days have been passed in the polished societies of London, Paris,
after its great and striking beauties have once been sufficiently
viewed, will appear comparatively tame, dull, and uninteresting. He
will daily miss the freedom of conversation, which is so generally
prevalent in England; he will look in vain for that manly sense, with
which great national questions are discussed by men of education in
London, he will be irritated by the flippancy of french politicians, and
by the pedantic terms and laboured sentences, which take the place
of sound argument and solid reasoning. He will find the amusements
rather various than splendid. He will find society difficult when it is
good, and dangerous when it is easy[97]. He will admire the grace
and elegance of the ladies, and will look with an eye of pity, it not of
contempt, on the indelicacy of their dress. He will hear “la bonne
compagnie” talked of in every set, and never defined. He will
perhaps at last discover that it only exists, where it does not assume
the name, or as Voltaire says,

“Qui ne s’appelle pas la bonne compagnie, mais qui l’est.”

He will view with wonder and admiration the works of art, and see
with no little pleasure and curiosity the extraordinary man now at
the head of government. Such will be his principal sources of
satisfaction at Paris. He will soon discover that every thing else,
however blazoned out in the trappings of grandeur, or vamped up in
the colouring of hyperbole, is only “air and empty nothing.”
Adieu, my dear sir, I propose setting out to-morrow morning for
Lyons, Switzerland, and Italy. You will, therefore, not hear from me
again till I am far distant from this capital. I came here big with
hope, and eager in expectation. I rejoice at having undertaken the
journey, as it has afforded me much useful information, but I leave
Paris without regret, and with but little desire of a speedy return.
I am, &c.

THE END.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Three horses and a post boy cost six livres, or five shillings
per post. The post is two leagues, or five miles english.
[2] The room in question has, since this was written, been
limited to a better use. Vide letter xx.
[3] Maria Cosway. Her plan is to follow the arrangement of the
gallery, and to devote one copper-plate to each of the fifty-seven
grand divisions or compartments, of which it at present consists,
engaging to continue her work, as the collection shall be
increased. The size of the copper-plate is to be twenty-one inches
high, and seventeen wide. The numbers are to appear monthly,
and each is to contain two engravings, with an historical
description of the subjects, and the artists, by J. Griffiths. Didot
the elder, in the Palais royal, receives her subscriptions. Coloured
proofs cost thirty-six livres, and plain ones twenty-four.
[4] I ought perhaps to mention, that judges of painting have
frequently, in my hearing, complained of the double light in which
the pictures are seen in this gallery. Individually speaking, I was
always during the very many times when I visited this museum so
amused, and so delighted, that I had no inclination to criticise;
but it is certainly true, that on some days the pictures were seen
to greater advantage than on others. The windows of the gallery
are directly opposite to one another, and the paintings are hung
on the piers between them. The glare which this circumstance
produces, is the cause of the objection I have named.
[5] Next to the Apollo and the Laocoon, the most celebrated
statue is the Dying Gladiator, the copies of which are dispersed
over almost every country in Europe.
[6] Spectacle.—This is so important a word, and of such
general use in french conversation, that I cannot too soon
introduce it to the notice of my english reader. It means, first, all
the theatres, puppet-shows, pantomimes, horse exercises, and
other motley amusements of this gay capital.
It is also perpetually in the mouths both of gentlemen and
ladies. If you ask one of the former, whether he were pleased
with the opera, he replies, “Oui, enchanté; le spectacle étoit
magnifique.” (Yes, delighted; the spectacle was magnificent.) And
if you put a similar question about a ball to one of the latter, you
receive a similar answer.
If you speak with enthusiasm of the picture gallery, a parisian
coldly observes, “C’est bien vrai, c’est un très beau spectacle.”
(Yes, it is a very fine spectacle, or sight.)
If a stranger inquire, whether the monthly parade of
Bonaparte’s troops deserve its celebrity, he is told, “Oui, c’est un
très beau spectacle.” (Yes, it is a fine spectacle.)
It is also the favourite theme of conversation; and a parisian
compelled to talk with a foreigner, is sure to begin with the
following words: “Allez vous souvent, monsieur, au spectacle? Ne
sont ils pas bien beaux nos spectacles?” (Do you often go to the
spectacles? Are not our spectacles very fine?)
A similar observation forms likewise the hospitable kind of
consolation which an englishman sometimes receives, if he
complain, that he has not seen much of french society. “Mais
cependant, vous ne pouvez pas manquer d’amusement; à Paris
les spectacles sont si beaux.” (You cannot want amusement,
however; the spectacles at Paris are so fine.)
In consequence of the general application of this word in
France to every thing relating to the stage, a parisian, on his
arrival in London, wishing to go to the play, supposed that he had
only to look for the word spectacle in a french and english
dictionary; and, having found that the literal translation gave him
the same word, with perfect confidence directed his hackney
coachman to drive to the spectacle. The fellow, supposing that he
wanted to purchase a pair of spectacles, conducted him to the
celebrated shop at Charing-cross. The frenchman flew into a
passion, and by his gestures conveyed, that this was not the
place where he desired to go. The coachman, imagining that this
was not the optician’s, to which he wished to be taken, carried
him to several others in different parts of the town. After a long
round, during which the favourite oaths of the two countries were
mutually exchanged between monsieur and his charioteer, the
former was compelled to pass his evening in the hackney coach
instead of the play-house, and thus learnt the difference between
french spectacles and english spectacles.
[7] Mademoiselle Beauharnois is since married to Louis
Bonaparte, one of the brothers of the first consul; to whom she
has become, therefore, both daughter and sister.
[8] Married to General le Clerc, who commanded the expedition
to St. Domingo. She accompanied him to that island, and incurred
all the dangers of climate and of war. She did so in obedience to
Bonaparte’s particular orders; with whom it is an undeviating
principle, that a wife should always follow the steps and fortunes
of her husband.
[9] As we should say in english, “a lost thing.” The french
expression is more commonly used, and is infinitely stronger in its
meaning. It is adopted on all occasions of misfortune; such as to
deplore the death of a friend, or the loss of a “spectacle.” A
general was lately killed in a duel. A fair parisian of high fashion,
to whom he was much attached, on hearing of the accident,
exclaimed, with an accent of deep despair, “Que je suis à
plaindre! il devoit m’avoir amenée au bal de l’opéra demain. Voilà
une affaire bien manquée.” (How am I to be pitied! he was to
have taken me to the ball at the opera to-morrow. Here is a lost
thing, or a party completely deranged.)
[10] What bad weather! what a misfortune! really it is terrible!
it is shocking! The fête would have been so fine, if this devilish
rain had not fallen!
[11] By the good fortune of Bonaparte.
[12] At the house of the respectable M. de la T⸺, whose
niece is the lady of the celebrated P⸺t, some time president of
the convention, and afterwards banished, with many other worthy
men, at the revolution of the 18th of Fructidor. M. P⸺t is a
distinguished writer; and, as a politician, was much esteemed for
the moderation of his principles, and the integrity of his conduct.
Madame P⸺t is a woman of very superiour talents and great
acquirements. She is likewise justly admired for the humanity
which has induced her to devote her hours to that excellent
institution, la Société Maternelle, of which she is the president.
The object of this society is, to afford deserted orphans that
comfort, of which they have been deprived by the death or the
fault of their parents.
[13] “De mauvaise compagnie”—“of bad company, unfit for
good company.” The terms, “bonne compagnie,” and “mauvaise
compagnie,” are for ever in the mouths of coquettes and petits-
maîtres. It is difficult to define what, I believe, is meant to be
indefinable.
[14] L’ancienne noblesse, literally translated, “the ancient
nobility.” I use the expression in french, because the word
“nobility,” in our language, expresses a very different thing.—The
nobility of England are a small, respectable, and wealthy body,
exercising a great and important part of the constitution, and
possessed of powers highly important to the state. The french
“noblesse” consisted of sixty or seventy thousand families, every
individual of which would have thought himself disgraced by
engaging in any branch of trade, or useful industry; enjoying
many privileges personally advantageous, but discharging no
public functions, as nobles, at all connected with the government.
[15] “Contractors.”
[16] Every landholder in France, in consequence of a law
passed in one of the most violent moments of the revolution, and
which is still continued, pays one fourth of his real revenue to the
state; and as, in particular parts of the country, the rate has been
unfairly made, it happens, in some cases, that even a half is paid,
instead of a fourth. The latter is the minimum of the present
taxation.
[17] I am very sorry, but to tell you the truth.
[18] At their house—I am really quite distressed.
[19] “New Comers,” upstarts.
[20] Eating room.
[21] Silence guards the slumbers and the loves of this bed.
[22] President’s chair.
[23] To the Legislative Body, to the first Consul, and to
madame Bonaparte.
[24] Yes, yes, that tall man is lord Cornwallis. He has a fine
figure. He looks like a military man. He has served in the army. Is
it not true, sir? Look at that little man near him, what a
difference! what a mean appearance!
[25] “They do right,” said one, “to wear boots—it is a travelling
dress. They will not stay here long.”
[26] We pay them ten thousand francs for doing nothing. I am
astonished Bonaparte does not get rid of these fellows.
[27] I believe that your ambassador has an income of his own,
larger than that of all these fellows together. Without their salary
of legislators, they would die of hunger.
[28] The sovereign people.
[29] The abbé Sicard, in the course of this lecture, took
occasion to remark, that of all languages, the english was the
most simple, the most reasonable, and the most natural, in its
instruction. As a proof of the truth of his assertion, he informed
us, that his pupils, as they began to learn the means of conveying
their thoughts by writing, were constantly guilty of anglicisms. He
added, that it was difficult to make them lay aside idioms purely
english, and still more so, to teach them those which are peculiar
to the french language.
[30] I hear only silence and see only night.
[31] Your droll Shakspeare.
[32] By way of an unanswerable argument, said, “It is Mr. Pitt
who understands reasoning; but as to Mr. Fox, he can declaim
prettily: all his talent consists in this. You will allow me to know,
for it was I,” assuming a look of great dignity, “who translated his
speeches.”
[33] General Dessaix, by whose valour the battle of Marengo,
in which he fell, was principally gained.
[34] To take advantage of the discoveries of the present age,
but not to run before them.
[35] To love the world at large, it may be truly said, that we
ought first to love our own country; but he who begins with
loving the world at large, will probably end in not loving any
country whatever. Philosophy has done its duty; it is for you,
citizen legislators, to discharge yours. Philosophy begins the
happiness of men; but it is legislation which completes it, &c.
[36] “La loi d’aubaine,” by which foreigners were prevented
from inheriting or purchasing lands in France.
[37] Boissy d’Anglass. This worthy man was president of the
national assembly on one of those occasions, when the mob burst
into the hall, and attempted to dictate to the members.
With heroic courage, he refused to put any question, while the
rabble remained in the assembly; and persevered in his
resolution, notwithstanding the poignards which were raised
against him, and the dreadful example of one of his colleagues,
who was murdered by his side.
[38] That dark and wet climate.
[39] Believe me, sir, our young men see all this with the most
perfect indifference.
[40] Coffeehouses.—The number of coffeehouses (properly so
called, as coffee and liqueurs are the only articles which they
supply) is very great at Paris, and they are constantly crowded.
Swarms of idle persons spend their lives at these places, playing
chess, talking politics, reading the journals, or sitting still. I have
often counted more than one hundred individuals in a coffeeroom
of a moderate size; and there is no hour of the day when the
same scene does not present itself. Paris, under every
government, and at all periods, will bear the same appearance as
to amusements. Montesquieu, in his Persian Letters, gives the
following description of the coffeehouses of his time, which
applies exactly to those of the day:
“Le café est très en usage à Paris, il y a un grand nombre de
maisons publiques, où on le distribue. Dans quelques unes de ces
maisons on dit des nouvelles, dans d’autres on joue aux échecs.
Il y en a une où l’on apprête le café, de telle manière qu’il donne
de l’esprit à ceux qui en prennent; au moins, de tous ceux qui en
sortent, il n’y a personne que ne croie qu’il en a quatre fois plus
que lorsqu’il est entré.”
“Coffee is much in use in Paris. There are a great many public
houses where it is distributed. In some of these houses the news
of the day is reported, and in others chess is played. There is
one, in which coffee is prepared, in such an extraordinary
manner, that it improves the intellects of those who take it: at
least, of those who come from this house, there is not one who
does not think himself four times as wise as when he went in.”
[41] The establishment for the employment of the blind.
[42] In spite of myself.
[43] As our Saviour did of old.
[44] It is the art of writing as quick as speech. Stenography
moves like the deer or the horse, but common writing like the ox.
[45] You speak of Molière! Oh! his reign is past; our age is
much more refined in its ideas; our stage, cleared of such trash,
is at last adorned with the really beautiful, which was so long
sought for in vain.
[46] “Tom, my dear Tom.”
[47] Every large house in France is approached by a court yard,
the gate of which is called “la porte cochére.”
[48] I speak only of the superiour orders. Among the common
people, I have remarked some of that liveliness so vaunted, as
forming a material ingredient in the french character.
[49] Edward in Scotland.
[50] Provision for the convent.
[51] I am delighted to see here so many english. I hope our
union may be of long continuance. We are the two most powerful
and most civilized nations of Europe. We should unite to cultivate
the arts, the sciences, and letters; in short, to improve the
happiness of human nature.
[52] When the present worthy and respectable minister from
the United States of America Mr. Livingston was presented,
Bonaparte said to him, “Vous venez d’une république libre et
vertueuse dans un monde de corruption.”—(You come from a free
and virtuous republic into a world of corruption.)—Mr. Livingston,
who is rather deaf, and does not perfectly understand french, did
not immediately hear him. Bonaparte instantly called to M.
Talleyrand, and desired him to explain, in english, what he had
said.
[53] Thus, thanks to the genius of Victory, the public will soon
have the pleasure of seeing these four magnificent compositions
united in the Musée Central, or Central Museum.
[54] “The gratitude of the country dedicates this building to the
memory of great men.”
[55] You must ask that question of the government. The church
will probably be finished, when the government has so much
money, as not to know what to do with it otherwise.
[56] Here reposes the man of nature and of truth.
[57] He enlightens the world even from the tomb.
[58] To the manes of Voltaire, the national assembly passed a
decree, on the 30th of may, 1791, declaring, that he deserved the
honours due to the memory of great men.
[59] Poet, historian, philosopher, he enlarged the human mind
and taught it, that it ought to be free.
[60] He defended Calas, Serven, de la Barre, and Mont Bally.
[61] He combated atheists and fanatics. He preached tolerance.
He vindicated the rights of man against the monster Feudality.
[62] The return of Zephyr.
[63] Orangerie.—The following description, given by la Fontaine
of the same place in his time, is exactly descriptive of its present
situation:
“Comme nos gens avoient encore de loisir ils firent un tour à
l’orangerie. La beauté et le nombre des orangers et des autres
plantes qu’on y conserve on ne sauroit exprimer. Il y a tel de ces
arbres qui a resisté aux attaques de cent hivers.”
“As our friends had still some time to spare, they took a turn in
the orangerie, or green house. The beauty and number of orange
and other plants here preserved, cannot be described. There are,
among these trees, some which have resisted the attacks of a
hundred winters.”
La Fontaine, Amours de Psyche & de Cupidon.
[64] The distance is great from the hand of an assassin to the
heart of an honest man.
[65] The king’s apartment.
[66] Lodging account at the Little Trianon.

Francs.
Three masters’ rooms 36
Wax lights 6
Wood 9
Four servants’ beds 12
Total 63

N. B. Sixty-three francs of french money make exactly two


guineas and a half english; and this sum was asked for one
night’s lodging (without eating or wine) for three masters’ beds
and four servants’.
[67] To the nation.
[68] The ambassador of the emperor of Russia.
[69] To fleece strangers.
[70] “Ladies of good company,” or, as we should say in english,
women of character.
[71] Carriages in the english fashion, or carriages really english.
[72] What a fine sight! what pretty carriages! what beautiful
horses! what elegant dresses! Really it is charming!
[73]

How I pity the frenchman, whose gayety’s lost;


The creature’s a wretch, from his element toss’d.

[74] Official defenders.


[75] Hackney coach.
[76] That all the good company of Paris went there.
[77] Surveillance—Watch, or special care.
[78] Formerly a convent.
[79] Molière and Thalia rest in this grave.
[80] Nicholas Boileau is in this tomb.
[81] My cares, as well as my happy days, are past. I feel no
longer the indignation of my youthful anger, and leave an open
course to the tribe of dull and cold versificators.
[82] French Parnassus.
[83] The following is nearly the exact translation:
“My dear heart, we have just dined, and are very drunk. I will
see you before I set out from Paris, and will caress you not as
you deserve, but as I can. The bearer hurries me so much, that I
can only say this one word—good night, my dear heart, I kiss you
a million of times.

8
This xiiiiith october, 8 h 8
8
HENRY.”

[84] The national garden of plants.


[85] Among the curious quadrupeds here preserved is the
Camelopardalis. Vide Vaillant’s Travels in Africa.
[86] I do not mention l’École Polytechnique, that admirable
institution, in which eight hundred young men, named by the
government (principally as a reward for the services of their
fathers), are liberally educated, because it forms part of the
system of public instruction, which, being of a political nature, is
foreign to my object. In this letter I only mean to point out those
establishments, from which foreigners can derive either
information or pleasure.
[87] The boiled beef, which, after making the soup, is always
served at a trench table. “Le vin ordinaire,” or common wine, is a
weak, sour beverage, which costs about sixpence english per
bottle, and is not, either in taste or strength, superiour to our
small beer.
[88] The boxes “au baignoir” are on the level with the pit,
under the first tier, and are in the shape of a bath, from which
they take their name.
[89] Persons going to France ought to know, that, the
exchange being at present against England, we regularly lose
from five to seven per cent on the money drawn from the latter
country. This loss must of course be added to the calculation of
expenses on the continent.
[90] I have heard, since I left Paris, that a very fine house,
formerly belonging to a nobleman, and known by the name of
“l’Hôtel de Beauveau,” has lately been opened as an “hôtel garni,”
and assumed the title of “Hôtel de Prince de Galle.” It stands in
“la Rue Fauxbourg St. Honoré,” nearly fronting one of the
avenues to the Champs Elisées. In spring the situation must be
very pleasant. It is at a considerable distance from the theatres,
but in a most respectable part of the town.
[91] “Restaurateurs” are tavern keepers, where dinners are
served.
[92] Visits.—It is the custom, in all parts of France, and
particularly at Paris, to receive and pay perpetual visits. The
whole of every evening is passed in a routine of this kind (when
the spectacle offers no irresistible temptation); and a parisian
belle was, the other day, quite astonished and disgusted, when I
told her, that in England ladies seldom received the visits of
young men.—“Qu’elle vie ennuyeuse que votre vie de Londres!”
exclaimed the fair one; “qu’on doit passer des tristes journées!
Que peut elle faire, une malheureuse anglaise, après diner?”
“Elle va aux assemblées ou à l’opera—Mais si elle est malade?
“Elle reste chez elle.”
“Quoi toute seule! que vos dames sont à plaindre! Que je me
félicite d’être françoise! Sans les visites de quelques amis choisis,
je mourrois d’ennui.”
What a dull life must your english manners afford! What dismal
days must one pass in such a country! What can a poor english
lady do after dinner?
She goes to assemblies, or to the opera.
But if she is ill—
She stays at home.
What quite alone? Oh, how I pity your poor english ladies! Oh,
how I rejoice at being born a frenchwoman! without the visits of
a few well chosen friends I should die of ennui.
Notwithstanding this passion for receiving and returning visits
among one another, the french are frequently negligent in this
respect towards the foreigners who are recommended to them. I
have heard english ladies at Paris complain, that their visits were
often not returned at all, and that that early attention was rarely
shown as to this little etiquette, which well bred persons in
England are so careful to observe.
[93] Boulotte is a gambling game much played at Paris, and
said to be the support of several families.
[94] This was, of course, written before the late changes in the
government, which appear to provide against this event. I leave
the remark unaltered, as, in the first place, this provision comes
not from the people, but from the first consul himself. Secondly,
this arrangement is only on paper, and if it last the life of
Bonaparte, will scarcely be respected after his death.
[95] It is Bonaparte who does every thing—every thing is
submitted to him—every thing is possible for him.
[96] Among the old friends of my family, from whom we
received particular kindness, I shall be pardoned for naming
madame (la ci-devant comtesse) d’H—t, so frequently mentioned
in the confessions of Jean Jacques, and the real model on which
he formed his imaginary Heloise. We had the pleasure of passing
some days at her country seat, in the valley of Montmorency, and
several evenings at her hotel at Paris. This accomplished woman,
who at the age of thirty, had the talent to attract, and the virtue
to resist the affection of Rousseau, has still at seventy, that
amiability of manner, that suavity of disposition, and that fund of
enlightened conversation, which, notwithstanding the
disadvantages of a person far from handsome, gained her the
love of that extraordinary man. The latter has been very unjust in
the character which he has drawn of the husband of this lady. He
is still living, and is a respectable man of ancient family,
independent fortune, and irreproachable reputation. St. Lambert,
the Thomson of France, resides with Mr. and madame d’H—t, and
his extreme old age receives from their attention the comforts
and kindness of unvarying friendship.
[97] There are innumerable houses at Paris in which, with
every appearance of respectability, and often with the assistance
of some lofty sounding title, the unwary stranger often finds his
ruin. Amidst the smiles of beauty, the splendour of foreign orders,
the jollity of wine, and the gaiety of dancing, youth loses its
prudence, and one evening’s entertainment is paid by the loss of
that fortune, on which a man’s happiness, and perhaps that of
many dear relatives depended.
INDEX.

A.
Advocates, 223
Affaire manquée, definition of the term, 44
Albani, Francesco, his paintings, 32
Amiens, 6
Ancienne noblesse, account of, 55, 57
a ball of, 140
Antiquities, cabinet of, 16
Apathy of the french people, 179
Apollo Belvidere, 16, 18
Arabian horses, 202
Archbishop of Paris, 217
of Tours, 218
Artistes, théâtre des jeunes, 130
Athénée, 255
Aveyron, savage of, 109

B.
Bagatelle, garden of, 231
Ball, a public, 92
Ball, a private, 140
Ballets, 123
Bargains, necessity of making them, 280, 283
Beggars, 5
Berthier, general, 139
Bendette, paintings of, 31
Blind, Institutions for the, 103
Boissy d’Anglass, 90
Bois de Boulogne, 175, 228
Bonaparte, first consul, account of, 81, 158, 161
court of, 159
dinner with, 247
madame, 43, 188, 220
Lucien, 188
Boulevards, 229
Brun, le, the third consul, 59
Charles, paintings of, 23
Burgoing, mademoiselle, 116, 117

C.
Calais, 2
Caravaggio, Michael Angelo Amerigi, 34
Cardinal legate, 217
Carnival, 152
Carracci, Agostino, 33
Lodovico, 33, 173
Antonio, 33
Annibale, ib.
Carriages, 177, 209, 211
job, 270
Castiglione, Gio Benedetto, his paintings, 31
Cavedone, James, 35
Champagne, Philip of, 25
Champ de Mars, 237
Champs Elisées, 228
Chantilly, 7
Claissens, Anthony, 25
Clotilde, mademoiselle, 124
Cloud, St., 192
Comparison between London and Paris, 282
Concert of the blind, 104
Conciergerie, 225
Concordat, 188
Contat, mademoiselle, 118
Cornwallis, lord, 67
Corregio, 35
Costume of dress, 93, 176
Cosway, Maria, copying the principal pictures in the Museum for
prints, 15
Court of Bonaparte, 159
of madame Bonaparte, 188
Criminal law, 224

D.
Dancers, 123, 190
Dances, 95, 142
Dancing, 144
Deaf and dumb, 69
Dessein’s hotel, 3
Dinner with Bonaparte, 247
Domenichino, 35
Douaine at Calais, 2
Dover, 1
Duel, frivolous occasion of one, 233
Dress, 93, 176
Durer, Albert, 25
Dutch school of painting, ib.
Dyck, Anthony Van, 26, 173
Philip Van, 27

E.
École Militaire, 238
Edouard en Ecosse, 146
Élèves, theatre of, 131
Elephant, account of, 261
Emigrés, their conduct to the english, 57, 58
Enfans trouvés, 236
English language most simple and natural in its construction, 70
Engravings, cabinet of, 253
Exorbitant demands at Versailles, 198
Expenses at Paris, 266
F.
Fashions, 176
Ferrari, Gandertio, 36
Fête for the peace, 40
Feydeau, théâtre, 125
Fire arms, manufacture of, 195
Fireworks, 50
Fitzjames, the ventriloquist, 132
Flemish school of painting, 25
Fleury, the actor, 119
Fond, la, 116
Footmen, english, publicly forbidden to wear laced hats, 178
Fournisseur, assembly at the house of a, 137
Fox, Mr., opinion entertained of him, as an orator, in french
society, 78
French school of painting, 23
Frescati, 231
Furniture of the houses in Paris, 60, 295

G.
Gallery of paintings, 11, 166
of statues, 16
Galvanism explained by Massieu, deaf and dumb, 106
Gambling houses, 99
Gardens of Paris, 228, 229
Garden, national, of plants, 260, 261
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