The Sun.
London, England, 1814-07-07 00:00:00

JOURNAL OF A TILIP-TO 13,1415.
. (No. NVIIO •

In my last I noticed, with pleasure, the tin.
equivocal proof of long-continued attachment to
the mounnoNs, deduced from the exhibition,, in
every quarter, of pictures which hadlbetll
eon-
cealed by their proprietors since the breaking out
of the Revolution. Th..:re is, however, another

species of display, too frequent in the streets of
'P_►ris, of which it is impossible tac,4peak in any

terms hut those of the severest •reprobation ; I al-

bide to indecent and obscene prints, which, with
butsir-boxes toys of the same obnoxious de-
scription, teem in. every direction: It May be a
titiestion to decide, whether ate depravity of a na-
tion is the source of this abominable immorality;

Ivbether it produces that' depravity ; or whether,
its is most probable, the eause and effect is mu-
tual ? C‘rtain it is, that the manners of the French
:people are strongly tainted with that disregard of

decorum which might be §mpposcd lkkely to pro-
.ceed from a familiar acquaintance with such im-

purities ; and, vice versa, these filthy productions,
sb offensive to sense and proper feeling, must not
only meet with palliation, but large eneourage7
_meta from persons of all• ranks, and, I grieve to
add, of both sexes.

I was a good deal surprised to find, on looking
into .soure of the most wretchedly executed of

these pictures, that they bore to be of London
'Manufactory. I .cannot, however,.chargt my me-
mory with ever having seen such thingS in Lon-
-4 lon i and though I know that we are not without
these disgusting -corruptors of .youth, hawied
about and sold in privacy, I am convinced that
the Parisian articles are fabricated in this Capi-
tal, and that the name of London, &c. on the face

of them, are forged libels upon our national

r acter. At any rate, if such are exposed. in
" Fleet-street," as here set down, I am sure the
Society for the Suppression of Vice do not keep
thLir word of promise to the public..
There is another point connected, in some de-
gree, with this, on which-there may exist a dii-

Terence of opinion, J mean the general diffusion
-of nude figures in p ,inting and sculpture among
all classes of society, iii the shape of ornaments or
furniture, as is the case in France. The ad-
mirers of the Arts will tell me that Venuses and

Diavas in their " natural state" are more cal-

ciliated to refine the vulgar than to excite hip-
proper ideas, or infect the habits of a people with

laxity and lyw voluptiounsess. I3ut I cannot sub.
scribe to this opinion. I even doubt that the su-
perabundance of these elegant studies adds to the
virtues of the scientific 'and better informed or-
'ders -§nre lam that th‘ey have a bad effect upon
.the less enlightened portion of a community. The

most boorish and ignorant are taught by the con-
templation of nudities.to be affected, like Doctor
Polyglot, ill GEORGE COLNIAN'S whimsical tale of
The Two Parsons and One Shirt,'' who was,
at " quite shocked and scandalized " with

" Titiau's famed Goddess_ in luxurious buff,"

• . `f A plump Diana, with no clothes on,"

vw h en

The holy man observed in every part
Objects that charned his eyes, and griev'd his heart;
H felt all over him a queer sensation—
A kind of shocking, pleasing, queer-flustration."

But soon he beeline faniiliar with these " un-
chid Ladies," and the merry Bard presents 'Us,' in
his own way, with an example of the. indecencies
into which the honest Divine is betrayed by his
further acquaintance with these mind-poisoning
companions.

They are quite common' in this country, and so
congenial with the living scene around them, that
I cannot doubt they have co►itributed, and, do
Contribute, their share to the prevailing tune of
'manners, which, to say the least of it, is suscep-
tible of great improvement.
The ease and 'freedom, so highly applauded by
some, is; to my taste, ill-exchanged for the re-
'tiring and -modest reserves of life. Virtue itself is
IRA more beautiful than decency ; and the mut-
vaise honte is, at avy rate, more tolerable than
obtrusive and vulgar plainness. When I return to
England, I shall not ouly,worship but
•be inclined to erect a statue in• t.u, garden to a
new Deity, under the name of " AIVE. WARD
BASIIVULNESS." May I never see the fashion
imported which shall lead my fair Countrywomen
to adopt, under the notion of improvement, the
French modes which decnie spirit to consist in
licentiousDess,"good breeding in selfish impudence,
elegance in assurance, ease iu rudeness, and open-
ness in indelicacy. •

With so patriotic a prayer I close this short

IctTrr.

VUTOS.

Mon►iay afternoon the Prince of 4.YLDENBuItGII
returned to.. town fro►u seeing the Nelson launch-
ed, o'clyck left his residence in Sack-
to proceed tO St, rctersburgit.