It is said, that Dehayes was convicted, during the time of Robespierre, of an attempt to emigrate to England. He was condemned to the _guillotine_; but afterwards pardoned, on condition of dancing, during the whole of one season, without fee or reward, before “le peuple souverain.” The agility, therefore, of a dancer, obtained that mercy, which was refused to the innocence of youth, to the gray hairs of age, to the purity of virtue, to the charms of beauty, and to the dignity of talent. After this example of the power it possesses, the art of dancing ought certainly to be ranked, in France, if not in other countries, among the liberal and useful sciences. I am, &c. LETTER XXIV. Versailles.—St. Cloud.—Sèvre.—Petit Trianon.—Specimen of an extravagant bill.—Curious trial.—St. Germain.—Malmaison.—Waterworks of Marly. Paris, april 13th, 1802 (24 germinal). MY DEAR SIR, I went yesterday, with a small party of english friends, to Versailles, and am just returned. I sit down now to give you the details of our little excursion. We stopped at _St. Cloud_, which is situate about half way, to view that favourite palace of the unfortunate Lewis XVI, which will long be celebrated in history, on account of the extraordinary meeting held there by the council of five hundred, in the orangerie, or green house, which ended in the establishment of the present consular government. St. Cloud is undergoing a thorough repair, previously to its being inhabited by Bonaparte. It is difficult, therefore, to form a proper estimate, either of what it formerly was, or of what it may become. I do not suppose it ever could have been on a very large scale. The gallery, which still remains, is a fine room, and the view is extensive from the large window, by which it is terminated. The walls are ornamented with some excellent paintings (I believe) by “_le Brun_.” The chapel is now in a state of disorder, and I did not examine the pictures which it contains. The garden has been neglected, and can never have been either very extensive, or very beautiful. Formal walks, and regular rows of trees, constitute all its merit. As to the famous _jets d’eau_, or cascades, they are still in high preservation; and the Parisians, on a particular day in every year, come here, in splendid procession, to enjoy this favourite sight. I only saw unmoved stone dragons, Neptunes, frogs, swans, and griffons, from whose mouths these artificial waterfalls are vomited. In this state, at least, a _jet d’eau_ forms but a disagreeable ornament in a garden, which ought to unite every beauty of nature, and to disdain every other.