deservedly so. The sweet lesson of kindness to animals, which, is a peculiar feature in these charming fictions, is herein most agreeably impressed on the youthful mind. Many English versions of it have been published, and it has suffered less, perhaps, than any other in the series; but in this story the confusion arising from translating proper names begins to be evident. Avenant is in some versions called Graceful, while in others the French name is retained; now as Avenant signifies also, handsome, proper, comely, decent, neat, well-fashioned, well-behaved, well-beseeming, and half-a-dozen other things, it might consequently be rendered differently by as many translators, till the gentle page would cease to be recognised under such a multitude of aliases. Surely Avenant is as pretty a name as Graceful, and, what is of more consequence, it is that which the authoress gave him, and any translation, in my opinion, destroys his identity.
The confusion of Bologna in Italy with Boulogne (sur-Mer) in France, was an easy mistake for any uninterested translator to fall into. Had I not felt that Madame d'Aulnoy never mentions a place or a person without some particular motive, I might not have troubled myself to ascertain which place she really did mean by Boulogne. The fashion mentioned by Evelyn, appears not to have been of long duration, for in "An Agreeable Criticism of the City of Paris," (London, 1706,) we are told, "The Bolonia dogs are now laid aside as ugly and unsupportable, and none are caressed but those with the snout of a wolf, and cut ears; and the more they are deformed, the more they are honoured with kisses and embraces."
L'Oiseau Bleu.—The Blue Bird is another of the most popular of these stories, and has escaped with better treatment than many. The display made by Truitonne of her marriage presents (p. 45), appears to have been suggested by a similar exhibition made by the young Princess of Monteleon to the Countess at Madrid. "They brought thirty silver baskets full, which were as deep and as wide as table-baskets; they were so heavy that there were four women to carry one basket. In them there was whatever is possible to be seen that is fine and rich, according to the fashion of the country.
