The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction | Page 9

were soon visible; his eyes half opened, and a faint tinge of colour
spread over his cheek. I administered a little more, and it revived him
so much that he tried to sit upright. I raised him, and contriving to place
him in such a manner, as to support him against the dead body of a
horse, I put the flask and biscuit by his side, and departed in order to
procure assistance to remove him. I recollected that a short time before,
I had seen a smoke issuing from a deep ditch, and that my olfactory
nerves had been saluted by a savoury smell as I passed. Guided by
these indications, I retraced my steps to the spot, and found some
Scotch soldiers sheltered by a hedge, very agreeably employed in
cooking a quantity of beefsteaks over a wood tire, in a French cuirass!!

I was exceedingly diverted at this novel kind of frying-pan, which
served also as a dish; and after begging permission to dip a biscuit in
their gravy for the benefit of my patient, I told my tale, and was
gratified by the eagerness which they manifested to assist me; one ran
to catch a horse with a soft Hussar saddle, (there were hundreds
galloping over the field,) and the rest went with me to the youth, whom
we found surprisingly recovered, though he was still unable to speak.
The horse was brought, and as we raised the young Frenchman to put
him upon it, his vest opened, and his "livret" fell out. This is a little
book which every French soldier is obliged to carry, and which
contains an account of his name, age, pay, accoutrements, and services.
I picked it up, and offered it to my patient--but the young man
murmured the name of "Annette," and fainted. "Annette!" the name
thrilled through every nerve. I hastily opened the livret, and found that
it was indeed Louis Tissand whom I had saved! The rest is soon told.
Louis reached Brussels in safety, and even Madame's selfishness gave
way to rapture on recovering her son. As to Annette--but why perplex
myself to describe her feelings? If my readers have ever loved, they
may conceive them. Louis soon recovered; indeed with such a nurse he
could not fail to get well. When I next visited Brussels, I found Annette
surrounded by three or tour smiling cherubs, to whom I was presented
as le bon Anglais, who preserved the life of their papa.
* * * * *
NOTES OF A READER
* * * * *
GERMAN SCHOOLS.
A law respecting schools has existed, more or less, in the states of the
south of Germany, for above a century, but which has been greatly
improved within the last thirty years. By this law, parents are
compelled to send their children to school, from the age of six to
fourteen years, where they must be taught reading, writing, and
arithmetic, but where they may acquire as much additional instruction
in other branches as their parents choose to pay for. To many of the

schools of Bavaria large gardens are attached, in which, the boys are
taught the principal operations of agriculture and gardening in their
hours of play; and, in all the schools of the three states, the girls, in
addition to the same instruction as the boys, are taught knitting, sewing,
embroidery, &c. It is the duty of the police and priest (which may be
considered equivalent to our parish vestries) of each commune or
parish, to see that the law is duly executed, the children sent regularly,
and instructed duly. If the parents are partially or wholly unable to pay
for their children, the commune makes up the deficiency. Religion is
taught by the priest of the village or hamlet; and where, as is frequently
the case in Wurtemberg, there are two or three religions in one parish,
each child is taught by the priest of its parents; all of which priests are,
from their office, members of the committee or vestry of the commune.
The priest or priests of the parish have the regular inspection of the
school-master, and are required by the government to see that he does
his duty, while each priest, at the same time, sees that the children of
his flock attend regularly. After the child has been the appointed
number of years at school, it receives from the schoolmaster, and the
priest of the religion to which it belongs, a certificate, without which it
cannot procure employment. To employ any, person under twenty-one,
without such a certificate, is illegal, and punished by a fixed fine, as is
almost every other offence in this part of Germany; and the fines are
never remitted, which makes punishment always certain. The
schoolmaster is paid much