_À propos_ of cooks, an amusing instance of the _amour-propre_ of a Parisian cook was related to me by the gourmand Lord ----, the last time we dined at his house. Wishing to have a particular sauce made which he had tasted in London, and for which he got the receipt, he explained to his cook, an artist of great celebrity, how the component parts were to be amalgamated. "How, mylord!" exclaimed _Monsieur le cuisinier_; "an English sauce! Is it possible your lordsip can taste any thing so barbarous? Why, years ago, my lord, a profound French philosopher described the English as a people who had a hundred religions, but only one sauce." More anxious to get the desired sauce than to defend the taste of his country, or correct the impertinence of his cook, Lord ---- immediately said, "On recollection, I find I made a mistake; the sauce I mean is _à la Hollandaise_, and not _à l'Anglaise_." _A la bonne heure_, my lord, _c'est autre chose_; and the sauce was forthwith made, and was served at table the day we dined with Lord ----. An anecdote is told of this same cook, which Lord ---- relates with great good humour. The cook of another English nobleman conversing with him, said, "My master is like yours--a great _gourmand_." "Pardon me," replied the other; "there is a vast difference between our masters. Yours is simply a _gourmand_, mine is an epicure as well." The Duc de Talleyrand, dining with us a few days ago, observed that to give a perfect dinner, the Amphitryon should have a French cook for soups, _entrées_ and _entremets_; an English _rôtisseur_, and an Italian _confiseur_, as without these, a dinner could not be faultless. "But, alas!" said he--and he sighed while he spoke it--"the Revolution has destroyed our means of keeping these artists; and we eat now to support nature, instead of, as formerly, when we ate because it was a pleasure to eat." The good-natured Duc nevertheless seemed to eat his dinner as if he still continued to take a pleasure in the operation, and did ample justice to a certain _plat de cailles farcies_ which he pronounced to be perfect. Our landlord, le Marquis de L----, has sent to offer us the refusal of our beautiful abode. The Duc de N---- has proposed to take it for fourteen on twenty-one years, at the same rent we pay (an extravagant one, by the bye), and as we only took it for a year, we must eithor leave or hire it for fourteen or twenty-one years, which is out of the question. Nothing can be more fair or honourable than the conduct of the Marquis de L----, for he laid before us the offer of the Duc de N----; but as we do not intend to remain more than two or three years more in Paris, we must leave this charming house, to our infinite regret, when the year for which we have hired it expires. Gladly would we have engaged it for two, or even three years more, but this is now impossible; and we shall have the trouble of again going the round of house-hunting.