LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 914.4 B53n 1815 x 111. Hist. Surv. NOTES ON A JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE, PROM DIEPPE THROUGH PARIS AND LYONS, TO THE PYRENNEES, AND BACK THROUGH TOULOUSE, iff JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER^ 1814, DESCRIBING THE HABITS OF THE PEOPLE, AND TUt AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTRY. BY MORRIS BIRKBECK. THE THIRD EDITION. WITH THE APPENDIX. LONDON : PRINTED AND SOLD BY WILLIAM PHILLIPI, GEORGE YARD LOMBARD STREET. SOLD ALSO BY J. & A. ARCH, CORNHILL, AND BY J. HARDING, 36, ST. JAMES** STREET, 1815. The Appendix to this Edition may be had by the purchasers of the first Edition, price 6 / v y To Mr. GEORGE FLOWER, of Harden, near Hertford. Dear Sir, You were my agreeable and intelligent fellow-traveller, and I offer you this little volume as the result of our joint observations, heing, your faithful friend, M. BIRKBECK. , Nov. 13th, 18U. llth, 1814. LANDED at Dieppe., after a long but pleasant voyage of thirty-six hours from Brighton. Twelve years have elapsed since an au- thentic account has been given of the internal state of France, therefore it is, in some sort, an unknown country. By noting first impressions as we pass along, a line here and there traced according to nature, we may carry home with us a faithful though slight sketch for the enter- tainment of the friends we have left behind. A noble pier forming the port, and about twenty unfinished vessels decaying on the stocks, denote past prosperity; whilst the carpenters at work upon some of them give a promise of its revival. Near the landing-place the most prominent object is a newly erected gaudy crucifix ; the figure large as life, and painted flesh colour ; a naked body, writhing in torture : the Virgin Mary beneath in gay attire, and a crown surmounting all. Such exhibitions must excite horror and disgust : any thing but reve- rence. 4 / Chalk Cliffs. Strata eighteen inches to two feet in thickness, perfectly horizontal., and di- vided by flints. Chalk in small fragments ; no masses. These strata appear to be of later for- mation than those on the opposite coast. Upon the chalk is a rich sand of great depth, with particles so minute as to occasion considerable closeness of texture. Dieppe is a large town : houses verr substan- tial, but old and shabby-looking : some have three stories in the roof; and many of the houses contain as many families as stories: windows very large, and mostly standing open. Bread, and provisions in general, half the English price : meat so bad that a creditable butcher with us would not expose it for sale. Walking near the barracks, I was struck with the respectable appearance of the soldiers ; several were seated under the trees, reading * o In the evening the streets, the boulevards, the bourse, every convenient place was filled with groups of people, of all descriptions, en- gaged in conversation. No rudeness in the men, no levity in the females; politeness and chearful, sincere, good humour prevailing on all sides. How different, thought I, from an evening scene in a British sea -port ! Yet Dieppe is said to be one of the coarsest places in France. There is more appearance of enjoy- ment, and less of positive suffering than I ever beheld before, or had any conception of; but it is not the sort of enjoyment which suits my habits; I question if I could be happy in their way. What a pains-taking unfortunate race are we! So busy about living that we really have not time to live! and our recreations have so much of vice in them, that serious folks have imagined it impossible to be both merry and wise. The people here, though infinitely be- hind us in the accommodations of life, seem to be as much our superiors in the art of living. July 12. I am informed that all the children of the labouring class learn to read ; and are generally taught by their parents. The relation between a good education and good morals might be studied here, to advantage, by the opposers of our improved modes of teaching the children of the poor. Walked about four miles to OfFranville, and breakfasted with the cm ate, who gave us a loaf and a bottle of wine. He is well pleased with the new order of things; and turns up his eyes in pious ecstacy at the name of Louis. He A 3 shewed us the ornaments of his church with real pride, in the garb of humility. Offranville is a large commune, of 3000 in- habitants. Soil, clay with chalk beneath; sand upon chalk, and thin chalky land. Each de- scription is more fertile than land of similar appearance in England: .rent about 18s. per English acre; fanning not very good; land foul, and nearly all cropped. Wheat fine, and occupying about a third of the surface ; barley and oats indifferent, and extremely foul. Flax, hemp, and rape seed, in considerable quanti- ties. Some excellent clover, and a little meagre lucern. Wages 30 sous per day ; fuel as dear as in England, nearly : plough extremely cum- bersome. They are much behind us in all their implements. Horses good, and well fed. The arguments of the English, for the abo- lition of the Slave Trade by the French, have no weight on this side of the water : " It is a monopoly of West-India products you are aim- ing at," say they ; " your islands are stocked with slaves; and you are anxious to prevent us from obtaining the hands needful for the cul- tivation of ours. The best argument you could hold out to us, for declining the trade, would be to take some steps towards the emancipation of your negroes." As it is, the greater our zeal on this subject, the more jealous are they of our motives. July 13. Visited Tibernon, two miles from Dieppe,, the chateau of a widow lady, who keeps a flock of Merinos ; the only considerable one in this neighbourhood. We found them of good quality as to wool, but nearly ruined by the foot-rot, which they have given up as in- curable, after some ineffectual attempts to con- quer it. The soil is dry, and seems well adapted for sheep. Perhaps their custom of housing them, without due attention to cleanliness, may propagate the infection, and render the disease more virulent. It seems, however, to have entire possession of this flock, which is the first speci- men \ve have seen of Merino sheep in France. The land at Tibernon is extremely fertile ; and, though above the cliffs, as good, I think, as the rich low tract on the opposite coast of Sussex. It is cultivated, without fallows, under wheat, following clover or pulse. Barley, oats, flax, hemp, rape seed, are grown ; but no tur- nips, and very little provision of any kind for sheep. Kent about 30s per acre ; wheat ex- cellent ; barley and oats greatly inferior and foul ; plough very large, and work not good ; harrows with wooden teeth, as is the case all over the kingdom; waggons and carts of enormous length. The bailiff was a priest before the revolution ; and has much of the manners of his order. In Dieppe they have a singular regulation, which must tend greatly to preserve order and prevent accidents in the streets. Every person who is abroad, without a lanlhorn, after ten at night, is taken into custody by the police. With their early hours, ten is equivalent to our twelve. July 14. On leaving Dieppe for Rouen, we enter on a vast expanse of country, covered with luxuriant crops. Not a speck of waste to "be discovered. The road itself is a magnificent object, wide, well formed, and in excellent order; running in a right line for leagues be- fore us, and planted on each side with apple and pear" trees. As we pass along we perceive, to right and left, in all directions, the cross roads marked by similar rows of luxuriant fruit trees, as far as the eye can reach. No hedges, and few villages or habitations in sight. The soil, a deep hazel mould upon chalk, with little variation for many miles. The following seems the prevailing course of husbandry ; but the fallow is often omitted in the better sort of land. 9 One-sixth fallow ; generally well performed. One-sixth clover ; universally good. After standing some days in large cocks, the hay is tied with straw bands, in bundles of 14lb. each : 22 of which are delivered at 10 franks, 50s. per English load of 18 cwt. Two-sixths wheat or rye ; all good. One-sixth oats or barley ; chiefly the former. Some fine, but generally bad, and very weedy. One sixth peas, vetches, flax, rape seed; much of the latter very foul. No provision for sheep pasture ; and but little sainfoin or lucern. Three small sheep- folds in twenty-five miles : the flocks were re- maining in them at eleven in the forenoon, and looking wretchedly. The shepherd's lodging, a little hut on wheels, standing by each fold. All over France the shepherds constantly sleep by their flocks. We observed four or five pro- prietor's houses (campagnes), but not one farm-like establishment. The farms are small ; and their low buildings so embowered in or- chards as not to be seen at a distance. Many cottages by the road side, which are in good repair, well glazed and neat. About nine miles north of Rouen, we open on a different scene ; descending suddenly into 10 a beautiful vrrlley, full of noble houses and ma- nufacturing establishments. Rouen and its neighbourhood is a principal seat of the cotton manufactory ; the Manchester of France. These great works have been wholly at a stand during the later years of the war, owing to the scarcity and enormous price of the raw material : they are now recovering their ac- tivity. I was admitted into a cotton mill at Deville, which employs six hundred people : the neatness and regularity of arrangement., and the decent appearance of the work people, bespoke a well-managed and prosperous con- cern. I thought the machinery good; of this, however, I am not a competent judge. Twist is completed by four operations from the card- ing; and the weaving costs only 2d. per yard. Women who attend the looms earn 15d. per day, equal to eleven pounds of bread ; there- fore the low price is not the result of low wages; a fact which deserves the attention of the promoters of the Corn Bill in England. It is the opinion here, that the high price of pro- visions, with us, will soon give the French manufacturers the means of exceeding ours in chcapn: The approach to Rouen is noble : cverv ob- 11 ject denotes prosperity and comfort. Since I entered the country I have been looking in all directions for the ruins of France ; for the horrible effects of the revolution, of which so much is said on our side of the water : but in- stead of a ruined country., I see fields highly cultivated, and towns full of inhabitants. No houses tumbling down, or empty ; no ragged, wretched-looking, people. 1 have enquired, and every body assures me that agriculture has been improving rapidly for the last twenty- five years ; that the riches and comforts of the cultivators of ihe soil have been doubled during that period ; and that varst improvement has taken place in the condition and character of the common people. In the early part of the revolution, more was done in promoting the instruction of the lower orders than the sinister policy of the late Emperor was able to destroy : and, though much remains to be desired on this point, enough has been effected to shew that a well-educated commonalty would not be wanting in industry or subordination. On my first landing I was struck with the respectable appearance of the labouring class; I see the same marks of comfort and plenty every where as I proceed. I ask for the 12 wretched peasantry, of whom I have heard and read so much ; but I am always referred to the revolution : it seems they vanished, then. July 16. Corn market, Rouen: A retail business chiefly. Wheat about 34s. per quarter, coarse and light ; oats good, 13s. Gd. per quarter ; vetches for pigeons and fowls, 24s. per quarter ; oil cake 4d. for 6 Ib. 12 oz. English weight. Formerly there were, in Rouen, forty con- vents. These buildings are mostly now the property of individuals, and are applied to a variety of useful purposes : a few remain un- sold, as public warehouses, barracks, rc. That of the Benedictines, a noble structure, is the Hotel de Ville. The libraries of the other convents have been collected, and deposited in this building for public use. It is open five days in the week. A splendid gallery of pic- tures, collected in the same manner, is also open (and really open) to the public. The garden, formerly belonging to this convent, is kept in good order, and forms an agreeable promenade, which is much frequented by the citizens. Gypsum, in large quantities, is brought down the Seine from the neighbourhood of Paris. It 13 is used in the interior of buildings ; and for manure on clover,, after the first crop. July 17. Visited a small farmer a few miles from Rouen. Labourers wages lOd. per day, and board ; 20d. per day without board. As all provisions, every article of expenditure, may be taken at something under half the English price, by doubling their wages, we may find the proportion they bear to ours. Great numbers of turkeys are kept here, and fowls of all descriptions. Poultry is an im- portant object of French farming : it is a Question whether there is more weight of mutton consumed than of poultry. The daugh- ters of this farmer were both notable and polite : and the ploughman and boy were eat- ing an omelet with silver forks. On a sheep-walk above Deville, a man was collecting fresh sheep dung which he sold at three farthings per Ib. It is used in dyeing cotton, red. I note this trifle because it may be worth knowing ; but especially as an instance of the danger of observing superficially. I thought that he must of course be a wretched pauper, who was collecting sheep dung to sell as manure : this excited my curiosity, which was agreeably relieved by the above infor- II mation. At a very poor inn in a remote village, where we stopped on our morning's ride, the landlady kept a child's school, and her daughter was weaving cotton check ; her sister kept a little shop, and was reading a translation of Young's Night Thoughts. This was more than we should have expected in a village alehouse in England. A dirty fellow, with a good voice, and a fiddle with three strings, alternately chanting and preaching to the croud in one of the market places at Rouen, attracted my attention. The morale was the collection of three sous each front his hearers, for a sacred charm : being much amused and somewhat edified, I purchased a packet. It contained two papers of prayers and saintly histories ; a small crucifix, and a vert/ small bit of the real cross. When I displayed my treasure at the hotel, our landlady's son, a boy of about thirteen who spoke a little broken English, cries out, on seeing the crucifix, " Dat is God," " Dat is God." July 19. From Rouen to Louviers is an en- chanting country. The valley of the Seine, in breadth, beauty, and fertility, is superior to any river valley I have seen. This noble stream has worn its channel through about fifty strata of 15 chalk. The strata are from 18 inches to 2 feet in thickness, and divided by flints. The chalk is soft and mouldering, and the cliffs in manv O J places have a singular appearance from the flints remaining prominent, whilst the chalk has crumbled away : it is of so tender a texture that the whole mass would give way but for the support of the flints. The horizontal position, the number of thin strata, and the thickness of the layers of flint, give a different character to these cliffs from those of England ; and the soft- ness of the chalk denotes a later formation. July 20. Louviers, famous for its fine cloths, is favourably situated on a beautiful clear stream, of which full advantage appears to be taken, for \vorking their machinery. Here are several noble establishments for spinning woollen yarn. Their cropping or shearing machines were performing their office with the greatest precision. I think they are wide awake to mechanical improve- ments; indeed, the quality of their cloth proves their skill too well to leave a doubt of the excel- lence of their implements. There is great decency and comfort in the looks of their work people ; of whom women form by far the principal part. At Evreux is a manufactory of ticking, which seemed to be in motion, at least, if not in acti- 16 vity. A ci-devant convent has been converted into a prison and a court house for the depart- ment. There are 1GO prisoners, "who are as well off' as people in their condition can be. Much rye cut, and some carried, between Louviers and Evretix. Women were every where hoeing French beans (Haricos ;) they are planted in rows, and seem to be well cultivated, as a fallow crop. We saw more sheep in these fifteen miles than in the whole distance from Dieppe to Louviers. The land is poorer, and there are more fallows ; wheat good, generally ; oats, as usual, bad. July 21. Between Evreux and Passy are large tracts of fine turnip land, under the routine of fallow, wheat, oats. The wheat, as before, good ; oats universally bad and foul ; very few sheep ; the soil still poorer. There surely is room for great improvement here, by the introduction of turnips, unless the dry ness of the climate forbid ; and clover sown on their wheat in the spring, would give them a produce of much greater value than their wretched oats, at one fourth of the expense. Vineyards begin to make their appearance ar BoneX about 50 miles north of Paris. In all the country we have passed, the manu 17 facturing districts excepted, and they are small in extent, our English eyes look in vain for re- spectable homes. As we approach Paris, good houses and country seats are not unfrequent; but in the country, remote from large towns and manufactories, there seem to be no habi- tations but those of small farmers and cottagers. Paris, July 21. From Rouen to Louviers we travelled by diligence; a most unweildy machine: it was an extremely large and heavy coach body, on two wheels, which carried eight persons within and three without. The descent of the hills, with this weight balanced on the axletree, was a tremendous operation. From Louviers we pro- ceeded, post, to Paris ; a mode which unites the worst parts of English and French travelling : English expence and French accommodation. We afterwards found posting not so incon- venient or expensive. If you take your own \ oiture, or hire one for the journey, you escape the miserable Cabriolets provided by the post- masters, and the trouble of changing every seven or ten miles. You may also take two horses at 40 sous each instead of three at 30 sous; and you save 30 sous a stage, which is charged when they furnish a carriage. With 18 these precautions, there is not much room to Complain of French posting. On our arrival at our hotel, the postillion demanded double for the last posf, as a Postc Royale ; armed a 1'Anglois at all points against imposition, I objected ; he proposed going to the Bureau des Postes, to prove his right ; I, curious to be introduced to a French Authority, willingly consented, and away we went to the Bureau des Postes : there he established his claim. On returning to the hotel to his voiture and horses, an article of our baggage was missing ; the postillion declared he had not seen it, and as we could not ascertain at what place it had been left, it was given up as lost ; it was a sac de nuity containing sundries of some value. In three days the same postillion left our sac at the hotel unopened, not an article missing : he had traced it back until he found it; and con- sidering the mode of our settlement, it was more than we expected. I give it as a sample of French honesty and regard for character. Ag another instance of the same kind; a postillion gallopped after us three miles, with a small article which had been overlooked in shifting the lug- gage. July 27. We have now been a week in Paris ; we have delivered our letters and looked about us, comparing what we see here with what we have left at home, like other travellers. We find things here, not of a piece; public profusion and private frugality ; a brilliant go- vernment and a plain people. The people wiser, and of course better than their rulers; this, I imagine, is a common case ; but they generally differ only in degree, the character the same. This opposition of character I do not compre- hend, but I suspect the work is not quite finished. There is a marked difference between the two languages, of which I was not at all aware, in the manner of delivery. The English use much emphasis, the French scarcely any ; and in speaking French, anxious to be understood, \ we are apt to use still more emphasis than in our own tongue; which makes sad work of it. Teachers should attend to this; to the cadence of the sentence, as well as the pronunciation of the words. July 28. Waited upon M. Tessier, who is Inspector of the National Flocks, and well known as a writer on agriculture; he received us with great politeness and liberality ; he shewed us specimens of wool from the Rambouillet flock, from the shearing of 1787 to that of 1814. The 20 quality of the original stock was very good, yet there is an evident improvement from year to year in the early part of the series ; probably from selection. There appears no great differ- ence in the latter years. There are many spe- cimens of two, three, and even five year's growth. It is remarkable that the wool of five year's growth, though more than twelve inches long. preserves a fibre of equal fineness throughout : this circumstance confirms M. Tessier's report of the healthy condition of the animal. One specimen of two year's growth is extremely curious. The sheep, with his first year's fleece on his back, was dipped in Indigo dye ; his wool received the colour, and, what is most curious, though exposed the whole year, has retained it perfectly: one half of the fibre is a beautiful blue; and the other, which grew after the im- mersion, a snowy white. I have heard of cloth- iers dyeing their wool in the grease. Has that substance a tendency to render the colour per- manent ? M. Tessier conducted us to his flock at Isy, a league from Paris; they are Merinos, of good quality both in wool and carcase: 450 ewes, ewe lambs and rams, which are kept in three parcels. They are housed from 8 in the evening 21 to 7 in the morning; and from 11 in the fore- noon to 4 in the afternoon, in summer. Their hours of feeding of course are from 7 to 11 in the morning, and from 4 to 8 in the evening. As the cool weather advances, the day-housing is gradually dispensed with. They are in good and healthy condition. The practice of sheltering their flocks at noon, during the summer, is universal. It is very re- freshing to the sheep, and affords them pro- tection from the flies. Where buildings are commodiously situated, I would recommend it to the attention of English flock-masters. M. Tessier hires the whole of the keep of this flock. He pays 62. 10s. sterling to the farmer for the sheep pasture of his farm, which consists of the borders, fallows and stubbles; stocking at his own discretion. He buys Lucerne hay for four winter months; perhaps 40 ton on an average of seasons, at about 40s. per ton ; making the expense of keep ,142. 10s. sterling. His Shep- herd's wages are extravagant according to our notions; the following are the particulars. s. d. Wages of chief Shepherd 300 francs per Ann. 12 10 3 francs per head for every sheep sold, say 200 25 Board at 1} francs per day ...... 22 15 A Cottage 2 10 Wages of second Shepherd 200 francs per Ann. 868 Board 22 15 25 sous per day for 3 months to a boy . 4 7 O Extra expenccs 400 Expence of labour ... 102 3 8 Ditto of keep 142 10 244 13 8 450 Fleeces 6 Ib. each, 2700 lb. of wool, at 20d. 225 Lamb Wool . . . 200 .... Is. 10 Sale of 200 Sheep The Shepherd is a wealthy man. His wife shewed us her ample stores of home-spun linen. She sows the hemp, prepares and spins it her- self. The labouring class here is certainly much higher, on the social scale, than with us. Every opportunity of collecting information on this subject confirms my first impression, that there are very few really poor people in France. In England, a poor man and a labourer are sy- nonymous terms : we speak familiarly of the poor, meaning the labouring class: not so here. I have now learnt enough to explain this dif- Terence; and ha\ing received the same infor- mation from every quarter, there is no room to doubt its correctne^. The National Domains, consisting of the con- fiscated estates of the church and the emigrant nobility, were exposed to sale during the pe- cuniary distresses of the revolutionary govern- ment in small portions, for the accommodation of the lowest order of purchasers, and five years allowed for completing the payment. This in- dulgence, joined to the depreciation of assig- nats, enabled the poorest description of peasants to become proprietors; anc! such they are al- most universally , possessing from one to ten acres. And as the education also of the poor was sedulously promoted during the early years of the Revolution, their great advance, in cha- racter as well as condition, is no mystery. July 37. The Fruit gardens at Montreuil are a curious instance of the accumulation of capi- tal in a small space. It it a little commune of walls. These gardens are said to be worth 400 sterling per acre. All the occupiers are pro- prietors. I do not think their management ol' wall-fruit trees equal to that of our gardeners. The Gypsum quarry of Mont Martre is wrought Jo the depth of about 400 feet. The strata are 24 about two feet in thickness, and the lowest are considered the best, as in our chalk pits. About 200 feet from the surface is a single stratum of argillaceous limestone, which breaks with a con- choidal fracture. Above the gypsum, is an irregular bed of clay marl, about ten feet in depth. It is in this quarry that M. Cuvier found the fossil bones which have excited so much the attention of naturalists. The gypsum is calcined on the spot by a moderate heat, which expels rhe water of crys- talli'ation and reduces it to a soft powder. From Mont Martre is a fine view of Paris. The atmosphere is nearly as clear as in the country. Their cookery being performed mostly by charcoal fires, very little smoke is produced in summer. July 89.- Examined a curious invention, by which the mode of building with earth of almost any description except pure sund, called Pise, is carried to great perfection. The earth, instead of being rammed in a large frame of the dimen- sions of the intended wall, is placed in a strong mould of about a cubic foot, or of any size or shape which the particular purpose may de- mand. Then, after a few strokes from a very heavy stamper, it is turned out a solid mass, as 25 durable, as it should seem, as stone. The ma- chinery consists of a mill-stone, on which is lixed the mould, and a stamper like a common pile-driver. The earth is used of the degree of moisture of mould fresh dug. Chalk rubble was the kind employed in this instance. The name of the inventor is Cointeraux: he was building for M. le Comte de Neufchateaux. The blocks are laid in mortar; and it was surprizing to see the expedition with which a heap of loose rub- bish was converted into a solid wall. July 50. Fifty miles south of Paris. Soil, sand on gravel ; chalk beneath good turnip land. Still two crops and a fallow. The uni- versal course on soils of middling quality clay, sand, or chalk, whatever the description. The following account of the distribution of a small commune, may give an idea of the ge- neral occupation of the country. Acres. "Vfoods and meadows in the occupation of the proprietor 250 2 farms let; ket-ping 2 ploughs each ; together 8 horses 300 10 freeholders, keeping 1 plough each ; together 20 d 750 28 freeholders, keeping no horses ...... 250 1550 1500 acres of arable, of which there are under Fallow . . . 433 Wheat . . . -433 Oals 433 Those who have no horses pay 40 francs (33s. 4d.) per acre to their neighbours for the team labour of the whole course, viz. four ploughings on the fallow ; and one ploughing for oats : four load of dung per acre carted on the fallow; and the harvest carting. These small proprietors are labourers, and in genera] work for the neighbour who does their ploughing. In this commune, the number of ploughs appears to be fully equal to the annual task. The number of acres ploughed in the course of the year is 2165, which is about seven acres and a half per day for fourteen ploughs, leaving ample time for harrowing, (of which with their constant fallowing, very little is required,) har- vest, and dung cart. Thus the Tillage is tolerably well performed; but the land is in an exhausted state, as appears from the allowance of dung which the two crops are estimated to provide for the fallow ; four small cart loads per acre. The ancient nobility, before the revolution, were not very refined in their mode of living at their chateaux. These houses, generally in a ruinous state and badly furnished, were oc- casionally visited by their owners, accompanied probably by a party of guests, and a numerous 27 tribe of domestics. These visits were the result of caprice sometimes; often of necessity; to recover fresh vigour for the expences of Paris; but rarely for the true enjoyment of the coun- try. Their appearance was not welcomed by their tenants, from whom certain extra services were then required. Provisions of all kinds, grain, fish, flesh, fowl, all were in requisition. The dependants, almost plundering, and inso- lent of course. The gentry, spending their time at cards or billiards; or promenading in their strait lined gardens, in stiff Parisian dresses, were only known on their estates to be hated and despised. A better spirit prevails at pre- sent. Proprietors have acquired a touch of the country gentleman, and are cultivating their estates; whilst the tenants are relieved from degrading corvees and other odious oppressions. Still, much is wanting to render a country resi- dence inviting to those who cannot be satisfied in the society of their own domestic circle; or who may not be blessed with a numerous and happy family. When capital, in the hands of well educated men, begins to be directed to rural affairs, a foundation is laid for a better state of society. A broad foundation of this sort is, I have been 28 informed, already laid in France. Thanks to the Revolution ! Sunday is but slightly observed in this part of France, at any season ; very slightly indeed in harvest. Some go to church for about an hour ; but, before and after, no great marks of Sabbath are perceptible. This is to be regretted : a day of rest is at least an excellent political regula- tion ; good for man and beast. It is, however, pleasant to perceive how little hold the church has upon the minds of the people. Surely it can never recover its influence. The churches here are modest structures ; not so imposing as those of Normandy; and I fancy they have less influ- ence on the imagination of the inhabitants. Cosne, their pleasure over these solitary regions through the day. They are the property of different people in the neighbouring communes, who pay the man for his attendance, and a small acknowledgment for the pasture to govern- ment, to whom this mountain belongs. It for- merly belonged to a Spanish convent ; and, I believe on that account, was not sold with the National Domains. JMont Louis, August 26. We congratulated each other this morning on having paid our visit to Canigou yesterday ; his upper regions being white with snow which fell during the night. The road from Prades to this place is ascending the whole way through an opening between vast masses of granite and schist, forming a deep and rugged valley, down which tumbles the river Tec with astonishing rapidity. About a league from Prades is Ville Tranche, a forti- fied town, beyond which there is no passage for wheel carriages. Through aH-this valley is an union of the beautiful and the sublime, of which 07 I before had no conception. At every turn, the mountains and their attendant stream pre- sent themselves under fresh combinations of grandeur and beauty ; and, to crown the whole, from the head of the valley is a view of surpri- sing magnificence along the entire vista; Cani- gou in all his majesty closing the prospect, the Sovereign of the mountains! So he is stiled in a Catalonian song, which we heard from some girls who were singing his praises, as we passed one of the villages in our way. Here every spot is cultivated that is accessible to human industry. A few square yards of soil is propped by a wall, and a little rill conducted along the upper side to insure its fertility. Wheel carriages are wholly unknown ; every thing is conveyed on mules and asses; and where these cannot go on account of the steep- ness, they carry even the manure in baskets on their own backs. The women wear long hoods; the men, red caps, crimson sashes, and sandals. They are almost Spaniards both in language and dress. Trains of mules, with their numberless bells and crimson trappings, convey the traffic ^of this populous country. There are large tracts of ex- cellent arable land about Mont Louis, notwith- standing its great elevation. The crops are luxuriant, though backward in ripening. The E 2 68 barley beautiful and still perfectly green. Near the town are 500 acres of well watered meadow. Aug. 27. Walked from Mont Louis to Mi- genes, over a country mountainous, but culti- vated for the most part to very great perfection. Large clusters of houses, forming dirty but populous villages, are scattered over a surface the most broken and unpromising to the hus- bandman ; yet, by the inchantment of irrigation, as fruitful as a well-soiled plain. On an exten- sive tract, which appears to be out of the reach of that improvement, is a noble forest of pines. Near Mont Louis granite prevails; then schist for some miles; afterwards decomposing granite forms a fruitful soil over a large space around the village of Migene's. I am every where struck with the appearance of oxide of iron, where the rocks, of whatever character, are giving way. Iron, which as form- ing the integrant part of rocks, usually occurs in the form of an oxide, seems to be the great agent in this change, so important to man. By exposure to the action of air and water, it be- comes still more highly oxidated, and passing into the state of a powdery tends gradually to the disintegration of rocks, and by degrees ren- ders their component parts suitable for the labours of the husbandman. Perhaps iron is the most universally diffused of all substances in 69 the mineral kingdom; and though in itself un- favourable to vegetation, it seems, by chemical agency, to become one of the greatest promoters of fertility. As the colouring matter of minerals, it is found in combination with almost every par- ticle ; and being, under certain circumstances, generally susceptible of a higher state of oxida- tion, it is perpetually working a revolution even among the mountains, which have been thought as enduring as the globe itself. It is remarkable also that this grand agent of disinte- gration, under other circumstances, is cement- ing loose fragments, and forming a new rock from the ruins of the old. Of this there are many instances in this country ; one in particular, which is very remarkable, about four miles north of Ax, Aug. 28. We had a laborious march over a very high region from Mi gene's to Ax. Much snow, as hard as ice, is collected in many of the hollows. The verdure of the turf, to the very edge of the snow, is remarkable. This dis*\ trict of the Pyrennees, too elevated for culture, a fiords excellent pasture. The rocks are chiefly schist us. Ax is a mean town, though noted for hot sulphureous springs, which are resorted to by a considerable number of invalids. .4?/. 29. From Ax we descended about t\ve!\c miles to Tarascon, a little town delight- 70 fully situated on the Arriege, at the confluence of several vallies and their streams. Here the granite and schist of the higher regions, give place to stratified rocks of limestone. These vallies are perfect gardens. In the evening we walked to a forge about four miles west of the town ; we reached it about sun-set, but unfor- tunately it was not at work. However the beauty of the scenery amply repaid us. We were completely among the mountains ; the snow remaining in many of the hollows near their summits. They are chiefly calcareous in this neighbourhood ; and covered with vine- yards almost to the edge of the snow. The contrast is so great between the products of the soil, and the rugged wildness of the sur- rounding crags ; between the balmy air you are breathing, and the wintry prospect ; that you are ready to suspect an illusion of the senses. On our return, whilst the rich tint of the de- parted sun remained in the west, with a glow unknown in our chilly latitude ; the moon, ap- pearing over a dark cloud., threw the shadow of one huge cliff upon the bosom of another, and produced such a scene of sublime tranquility as no poet or painter could describe. The ear, too, partook of the enchantment from the roar- ing of the mountain streams. *4ug. 30. Left my companions at Ussat, two 7i miles from Tarascon (enjoying the hot baths at three sous a time) and, mounting an excellent por.ey, visited the iron-mine of Vicdessos ; which is situated very high in the mountains, about fifteen miles to the south-west, and not far from the frontier of Spain. I rode to the village of Vicdessos, about twelve miles, up a charming valley, and from thence had two hours climbing before I reached the mine. On my arrival, two of the miners offered themselves as guides, and I proceeded with them to explore the interiof. They conducted me, through passes, in many places very narrow and steep, descending some hundred fathoms, to the " chan tiers/' the places where the ore is dug ; which, by the dim glimmer of the lamps, seemed to be vast excavations. Up these passages the ore is brought, with amazing toil, on their backs: some carry 100 Ib. some 120 Ib. and some even more ; according to their strength. This mine is the property of Cro'vernment. There are 400 persons at work in it, under in- spectors, but paying themselves by the sale of the ore to the forge masters. It is miserably wrought ; without a single improvement, I should suppose, since the days of Julius Cassar. The ore is rich, and, containing calcareous spar, is reduced to metal without the addition of any other substance. It lies very irregularly, under limestone of a schistose appearance. The mass of ore is in some parts upwards of sixty feet in thickness. Like the peasantry, the miners are mostly proprietors of land. The whole surface of the mountain is divided in patches of differ- ent dimensions; all cultivated and watered with the utmost assiduity, and clothed with lr.xuria.nt vegetation. Aug. 31. From Tarascon to Foix ; still des- cending towards the plain, through a romantic rocky vale. From Foix to Pamier; no longer mountainous,, but alluvial hills of quartzose sand, or of schist assuming the character of clay, with some calcareous rocks. From Pamier we pass over a vast sandy flat, bounded by sand hills of poor quality, to the Garonne, which we cross by a ferry two leagues above Toulouse. Here the land is richer, and as we approach Toulouse, is extremely fertile. Two strong oxen yoked by the horns to the be > *m of a light plough, of pretty good construction, the ploughman driving them by means of a long start* which answers the double purpose of a goad and a paddle, are performing their work in a style which some English farmers might envy. This is an improvement on the poor little implement drawn by a pair of light cows, on the Pyrennees. I note it with pleasure, being the only district in which I have seen good ploughing since we 73 left Normandy. The course of husbandry ap- pears to be extremely simple ; on the poor lands, wheat ; fallow : on the rich, wheat ; In- dian corn. The latter, \vhen well managed, is an excellent practice : the former, an ex- tremely "bad one under any management. Having quitted the Pyrennees, and entered on a district, where, instead of small fields, nume- rous villages, and a thick population, are large towns, large divisions of land, and fewer people; I have to remark, on taking leave of my moun- tain friends, that their poverty is more in ap- pearance than reality. They have frugal habits; and consider as luxuries, some things which may perhaps be among the necessaries of life in the estimation of their lowland neighbours. They are not an alms-taking indigent peasantry ; but laborious and independent ; living upon little, and heedless 'how : but nothing of the negligence which is the constant companion of hopeless poverty, is discoverable in their fields; on the contrary, these are cultivated with gar- den-like exactness. Their lands and their cattle shew that they are far removed from beggary and want. In the richer tracts, where their little estates are productive with moderate toil, the inhabitants are living in great plenty and comfort. Those beautiful and fertile vallies which con- 74 verge at Tarascon, seem to unite lowland abun- dance with mountain simplicity. Sept. 1. Toulouse is large and well-built, but horribly filthy. It contains 67,000 inhabi- tants, and has much the appearance of prosperity. How the people of this place, and of some others in the South of France, can tolerate the detes- table stench of their own nuisances, is marvellous. Sept. C 2. Montauban is a good and cleanly town, of 28,000 inhabitants, with -a thriving manufacture of silks and woollens. Between Toulouse and Montauban is much poor -white sand, which is cultivated with wheat and fallow alternately. On the better soil, Indian corn, well managed with plough and hoc, is a substi- tute for the fallow. The plough good, and work well performed by two oxen. A plank \ised instead of a roller, as in Rousillon. In many fields, men and women were employe-d in strip- ping the Indian corn of the leaves, and tops> which are tied in bundles as fodder for the oxen. I have seen no clover and very little lucern since we entered the plain. Few flocks are to be seen in the country. In their poor land they make no provision, and in their good land they leave no room, for a summer flock. Round Toulouse, for some leagues, the land is chiefly cultivated by large proprietors. The few small plots which appear to be in the possession of the peasants are badly managed. Between Montau- ban and Costades, is an agreeable variety of hill and dale. On this road we meet droves of mules daily ? passing from Auvergne, where they are bred, to supply the Spanish market. Sept. 3 We proceeded from Costades to Ville-franche. At Caylus is a stratum of chalk between strata of lime-stone. A circumstance I have noticed in several places in this country ; but I believe no such instance occurs in Great Britain. Ville-franche is a large, mean town, in a delightful situation. Sept. 4. By Figeac to Maurs, a fine romantic country. About Maurs, schist prevails, after art extensive tract of lime-stone. We now ascend for many miles; the road winding in an extra- ordinary manner through beautiful glens, to- wards Aurillac. About halfway there is granite, then schist again. Maurs is a pleasant looking place, but wants that active industry which renders Aurillac the most thriving little town I have seen in France : it is full of busy work- shops ; cutlers, copper-smiths, curriers, shoe- makers, tanners; all following their occupations with that sort of spirit which implies and insures prosperity. There is a Haras or Depot de che- vaux, at Aurillac, for the supply of the royal stud. It contains, in royal stables (formerly a convent) about thirty-five horses : several of 76 them are chargers of the late Emperor. His fa- mous white Arabian (Superbe) is of the number. This horse is now old ; but has been a grand figure, as his name implies. There are some beautiful specimens of the breed of this district. Sept. 6. Proceeding northward from Aurillac, is a vein of chalk in a situation where I should least have looked for that substance. Imme- diately we enter on a mountainous country, of great extent, covered with volcanic remains; reaching, in the direction of our route, with little intermission, to Clermont ; how far east and west of this line, I know not. Great part of this tract is extremely rugged, and unimprovable, the whole surface being covered with blocks of granite or basalt ; and the roads are so rocky that, although we had a carriage, riding was out of the question. There are however some con- siderable tracts where the soil is good, and cul- tivated in a superior manner, with wheat or rye, and buck-wheat alternately. The latter being of rapid growth, allows them an interval between harvest and seed time, sufficient for the neces-, sary tillage; and the land is generally clean and in good condition. There are also tracts of ex- O cellent pasture, with numerous herds of catlle, but very fe\v sheep. A small flock here and there, a third of them black, kept, as it should seem, in numbers just sufficient to produce wool 77 for their home manufacture of coarse cloth, as I imagine is the general case through the mid- dle and south of France. Here also, plots of hemp are very frequent, proportioned like their flocks, to their own wants merely. Mountain poverty is visible among the peasants; both sexes hobbling about among the rocks in wretch- ed sabots with high heels; they acknowledge they are bad things to walk in, but they are cheap. The women wear small bonnets, and brass plates, like fillets, round their heads. Tails and immense round hats are the fashion lor the men and boys. I saw a boy of four years old with a large hat, and a tail a foot long, tied up with a leather thong. I suppose his hair had not been cut from his birth : perhaps they have some superstition about hair cutting, and tails follow of course. A stratum of basalt seems to have covered a large part of this volcanic district, the remains of which are seen on every eminence forming horizontal crests on the same level. Near St. Chamant some masses of this substance which have evidently been broken off from the main rock, appear to have been detached and thrown out of their perpendicular position before the fused matter had acquired consistency, that is, before it was perfectly cooled ; the columns being bent in an extraordinary manner. 78 On examining the basalt of this country, and comparing it with the blocks of granite and schist, which every where accompany it, and have undergone the action of fire, in every de- gree up to a substance no way distinguishable from basalt, except in form, I think it impossible to doubt the agency of fire in its production. These antediluvian volcanic remains extend over a space of several thousand square miles. The basalt was probably a stratum of granite fused by a subterraneous lire without being ejected from its native bed, and acquired its prismatic form from the circumstances attending the cool- ing. The conical hills, which form the chief ornament of this interesting and romantic dis- trict, appear to be rocks of basalt, which have crumbled and shivered down, until they have assumed their present shape. I ascended one of these cones, called La Tour d'Auvergne, from .in old castle on its summit, which was evidently of this character. Among the scorise, about 3 leagues from Clermont, are the charred remains of many trees. No appearance of a crater was to be observed any where. The volcanic origin of basalt has been doubted from the circumstance of a small stratum of coal being found between two of basalt: but I do not conceive it more difficult to reconcile this fact, than that of the trees above mentioned. 79 During our march over this mountainous tract the mornings were extremely cold. On the 4th of September the fields were white with hoar frost, as in the middle of winter. Many fields of oats, and even of wheat were perfectly green. But, on descending to Clermont, we found our- selves suddenly in a warm southern climate, sur- rounded by vineyards ; such is the effect of ele- vation on the temperature. Thus, at Perpignan, harvest ended in July : at Mont Louis, forty miles south west, barley was green, without the least appearance of ripening, on the 26th of August! Sept. 9. Clermont is a well built and pleasant town, containing 30,000 inhabitants. If is situ- ated in one of the most fertile districts of France, a deep hazel mold on a basis of soft limestone. It is cropped every year, mostly with wheat ; yet it appears to be clean and in high condition, and the stubbles denote excellent crops. On this rich land, I was informed that turnips are often sown after wheat, and that they grow large enough to draw for cattle. As August had passed this year without a shower, I imagine they had entirely failed ; nothing like a turnip field was to be seen through the whole country, nor in any part of France from our landing to this place. Here we took our places in the diligence for Montargis: travelling day and night, and making 80 nearly a blank space of two hundred miles. On our road we observed the elms in many places under the process of lopping, whilst in perfect foliage, as fodder for the sheep in winter. They are lopped once in three years; and the two intervening years they are stripped of their leaves to make an infusion for the cows. Both these operations were in full activity over a great space of country ; men lopping the trees, and women stripping them. Paris, Sept. 15. After three days of repose and social enjoyment with our friends at , .\ve find ourselves again in this vast city. It is an object too great for the study of the passing traveller. However, in the fortnight which we allow ourselves, we shall see a great deal to amuse, and something, I doubt not, to instruct and improve us. I prefer the country character of France to that of the city. In the former, the good fruits of the Revolution are visible at every step : pre- vious to that aera, in the country, the most nu- merous class, the bulk of the population, all but the nobles and the priests, were wretchedly poor, servile and thievish. This class has assumed a new character, improved in proportion to the improvement of its condition. Servility has vanished with their poverty ; their thievishness, an effect of the same cause, has also in great 81 measure disappeared. But there is a selfishness and avarice, too prevalent in the general charac- ter of the people ; which may be natural to their present state of society, from the virtues of in- dustry and economy in excess. I question if a proportionate amelioration has taken place among the Parisians, a sort of insulated nation, who know very little, and seem to care as little, about the rest of France. With a restrained press and education under the direct influence of government, I should think very meanly of French political liberty, under any form of government ; I could not long breathe in an atmosphere so dense and polluted. Not a pamphlet is exhibited by the booksellers except on the side of the prevailing politics: nothing of liberal discussion existing, except by contraband. Every paragraph in the public journals is modelled and pared down to suit the temper of the Tuilleries, whatever that temper may be, to-day: just so, it would be adapted to an opposite temper to-morrow. Sunday, Sept. 18. Being a day of fte at St. Cloud I joined all Paris in toiling through the heat and dust to visit the favourite abode of Buonaparte. Here we walked through a few rooms, and saw a few fountains. The young men and maidens diverted themselves with blind man's buff, and many other games; and we all 82 returned fatigued and contented. Never were people entertained, or provided with occupa- tion, at so cheap a rate as the Parisians. This I had often heard; and the hundred thousand individuals, who found themselves well satisfied with the amusements of the day, proved it. I was struck with a medallion on the base of an urn of great beauty in a saloon at St. Cloud : the figure apparently the late Emperor, res- training a wild horse, which he has caught by the under jaw, with the inscription " Vaganti tandem imponitur frasnum ;" meaning, I sup- pose, French liberty. Though a symbol of Napoleon's tyranny, it is the most beautiful work of art I ever beheld. As we were taking our refreshment at a res- taurateurs in the village of St. Cloud, the Duchess of Angouleme arrived in a state coach with eight horses, and was met, directly opposite to our window, by an open landau and six, which was to convey her to the palace. She changed car- riages among an immense crowd, who paid her very little attention. This moved the choler of a flaming royalist of our company, and led to a political discussion, which afforded me fresh reason to observe how surprizingly little is known, by this party in Paris, of the Revolution in the French character which has really taken place. They are so dazzled by their own 83 gaudy city, that they think but lightly of the twenty-six millions of independent inhabitants of France who are not in the Parisian circle. Paris is the punctum saliens, the organ of poli- tical feeling; elsewhere political feeling is absorbed in the love of tranqtiility. The court may seem to be of the same importance as under the ancien regime; when the pea- santry were a mere number, and the nobility and the church were the French nation, of which the court was the centre. The fact how- ever is now far otherwise : it is the indifference and not the insignificance of the people which now gives consequence to the politicians of the Tuilleries. Should that indifference be rouzed, the charm will be broken. Sept. 19. There was a magnificence about Buonaparte which carries you away in defiance of your sober judgment. To-day I gained a sight of the astonishing colossal elephant, which was to have been elevated on the scite of the Bastile; from which a grand street was projected to the front of the Louvre, through the whole length of the city. The canal of Ourque., a grand work of his for the supply of Paris with water, was to have formed a fountain through the proboscis of the elephant. It is said that he invited the artists to furnish him with designs for a monu- ment, to be erected on this spot, and having F2 84 received them, he proposed his own of the elephant, which was characteristic of its author, but will probably never be completed. Where- ever you turn is some majestic monument of his taste. In fact, the grandeur of Paris was his creation, and you now see workmen busy in all parts, scratching out his name, and defacing his eagles. This is very pitiful. The Bourbons, in their attempts to disgrace Napoleon, by pulling down his statues and obliterating the ensigns of his power, are directing their attack against his least vulnerable part, and inviting a comparison greatly to their own disadvantage. He executed, many great works of lasting utility, and many of amazing splendour. Under his auspices the internal government of the country was wise and effectual : property was sacred, and crimes were rare, because they could not be committed \vith impunity. It was through the madness of' his external policy that his tyranny had become intolerable; for this he drained the best blood of his people, and sacrificed the commerce and manufactures of France; and to render the na- tion subservient to his ambition he laboured to enslave it. Let his successors pursue an oppo- site course : let them study peace, encourage commerce, and cherish liberty ; then they will have no rival in Buonaparte. I think there is not in France any political party in his interest. S5 If we view France at large, apart from the busy politicians of the metropolis,, nine-tenths of the people will be republicans when put to the test. To the Republic they owe all that they possess of property and independence ; but their only present prayer is for repose and security. Let the restored monarch look to this. There is a strong party in favour of tranquility ; but very little love for royalty oyt of the imme- diate circle of the court. Touch, or 6"nly threa- ten, the present arrangement of property, and such a fermentation will be excited in the re- publican mass, as will shake Paris, and " discover its foundations." With regard to the late Emperor, there seems to be no cement by which a party can be united for him. Many, no doubt, have lost situations of profit which they held under his government. The host of officers of revenue, and of all the de- partments of state who have been displaced ; these naturally regret the power which nourished them ; but they are now mere individuals, who, with their places, have lost much of their influ- ence. The army too may regret him ; but it had suffered so deeply by his latter madness, that I really belies r e, highly as they respect him in character of General, they do not wish for ex- actly such a leader. Beside, a large part of the army is now re-settled in good pay and quarters 86 under the present government ; and there is little prospect of Napoleon's being in a situation to stand forward as a rallying point for the discon- tented among the remainder. A good lesson this for the present king. The fermentation of twenty- five years, has purged off that mystical affection called loyalty, (so serviceable to kings and go- vernments, that they have classed it among the cardinal virtues of a good citizen), and they will value their government like other things, ac- cording to its usefulness. Their experience has given them more to fear than to hope from their rulers: reverse it, and they need not fear a com- petitor, though backed by all the potentates of Europe. In speaking of parties I had forgotten the brood of priests which is hatching in all quar- ters. These are objects of derision and disgust wherever they appear. Their contracted shoul- ders, inclined heads, and hands dangling from their weak wrists, together with their immense hats and long camblet gowns, give them a sneak- in^ demeanour, which contrasts most unfavour- ably with the erect gait and manly air of all other descriptions of people. It is a miserable thing that a class of men, born like their fellows, " Vultu erecto conspicere ccelum," should be so debased by bigotry and hypocrisy. Religion, that most sublime relation, which connects man 87 with his Maker, 'must ennoble the character ; yet, strange to tell, these cringing attitudes have been a successful mean of operating on the imaginations of the ignorant a belief of their sanctity, I am happy in the conviction that no pretensions of this, or any other sort, will reconcile the people of France to the restoration of tithes or ecclesiastical domination. The ci-devant priory of St. Martin is now a conservatory of arts and manufactures. Here are models of implements of agriculture, in- cluding those in common use in different dis- tricts, and the modern improvements or attempts at improvement. Among these curiosities are some models of threshing machines, in which the mechanics have proceeded no further than to put in motion a set of flails. I recognize in this collection many implements, particularly ploughs, which I have seen at work as we passed. The spirit of invention is hardly at work among the French farmers. Poverty shifts with things as they are: capital looks for improvement. I have visited this collection twice, and it is with regret I acknowledge that I did not bring away one idea worth recording. Agricultural imple- ments form but a small part of the establish- ment : it contains every machine, I imagine, which is in use in the silk and cotton manufac- ture. One room contains not models, but a complete set of machinery, which is under the care of a professor, and regularly at work, for the instruction of pupils in the art of spinning cotton. Here are also deposited numberless specimens of curious inventions in mechanics, in philosophical instruments, and in every branch of arts and manufactures. It is open on particular days of the week to the public ; and every day to foreigners. Such is the liberal spirit of the nation; exemplified not in this in- stance only, but universally. Those of my countrymen who have been driven through the British Museum, or conducted through any other place of exhibition at home, can put a proper value on this generous treatment. 1 once visited the galleries of natural history in the Jardin des Plantes on a public day : it was amusing to see the crowd, mostly of what is called the lower order, which thronged the rooms ; and edifying to observe their decorum, and the interest they took in examining every thing. At the menagerie in the Jardin des Plantes, I met always a number of English ; but I had the advantage of hearing only two of the obser- vations which this nobie museum of living cu- riosities gave rise to. The first was on a baboon : " A d 'd queer specie by G d ! ** This, repeated three times with an ascending climax. 89 included all that my countryman could think or aay upon the subject. The second was. on the elephant, which exhibited proofs of intelligence as astonishing as his great bulk. " D n the fellow, he can't run much." I remarked in reply, happening to be nearest the speaker, that I had read of their moving on certain occasions with great swiftness: " Yes, of course," replies my countryman, " but, d n the fellow, I could get away from him, I know." The ani- mals in this collection are very healthy, and seem to enjoy themselves. The elephant has the range of a building and palisadoed yard, in which he can exercise himself. And there are many paddocks where the harmless animals are very comfortably accommodated: among them are curious specimens of deer, and several va- rieties of the goat and sheep tribe. Of the latter, a ram and ewe, from Africa I believe, bearing a short coat of glossy brown hair ; with- out the least tendency to wool : thus, the sheep is not necessarily a wool bearing animal. There is a large collection of lions, tigers, hyenas, wolves, bears, and abundance of the monkey tribe. There are pools for water fowls in great variety, and many other rare birds, especially a large assemblage of the falco order; favourites I presume of the late Emperor. Profligate fools are intolerable at home ; but 90 when they travel they become tenfold more de- testable. There are men who talk familiarly of Rome and Naples, and Genoa ; but know no- thing, imitate nothing, but the follies and vices of those places. I have been doing penance at a table d'hote, where two of these miserables were displaying their acquirements. Virtuous and honorable men are improved by travelling, whilst these fellows are still more corrupted by it. Sept. 22. Was present at a sitting of the Corps Legislatif. The room is one-fourth of a sphere, with eight rows of seats to hold 500 deputies, and galleries for the accommodation of 300 spectators. The seat of the president is in a recess opposite the centre, and raised to the level of the middle seats. Three secretaries are seated on each side of the president; some- what lower, and before him, on a level with the secretaries, is the tribune, from which the deputies read their speeches. The president is distinguished by a white sash; and the members, with their gold collars and cuffs, have more the look of livery servants than of the representa- tives of a free people. The Salle de Pairs, or House of Lords, appears also to be a section of a sphere : it is a splendid room, but the echo is so great that they are obliged to disfigure it by curtains during, the sittings. It contains seats 91 for 158 senators, but no galleries. Near the throne are twelve statues of Greek and Roman worthies. The approach is very noble : a stair- case of white marble, which occupies the whole of a long gallery, ornamented by statues of men famous in modern France ; among them is Vergniaifx as haranguing the national assembly, and Condorcet in an attitude of thought. Sept. 24. Visited the Brie, a fruitful district to the east of Paris. Soil ; clay, with chalk or marl beneath. It is well cultivated on the old system of fallow, wheat, oats. Average rent 16 francs, 13s. 4d. sterling per acre; and the impost, which is one-fifth of the rent, making about 17s. per English acre. The beautiful estate of our friend M , near Rosoy, is managed with accuracy and success by the intervention of clover and lucern ; the latter of which stands six years. He has also a fine sheep pasture, a rare sight in France. He keeps a large flock of Merinos, of very good quality in wool and carcase. The whole flock is now under inoculation for the claveau ; a disease which seems analagous to the small-pox in the human species. It is infectious, and when taken in the natural way frequently carries off great numbers; under inoculation, very few in comparison. 92 Sept. 28. Versailles. This palace not having been a favorite residence of Buonaparte, was found by Louis in a neglected state,, excepting the gardens, which have been well maintained. Fifteen hundred workmen are now employed in the repair of this immense structure. Le Petit Trianon, a short walk from the grand palace, is a small comfortable house, with delightful grounds, agreeably laid out in the English taste, with the exception of the sham village of unin- habited cottages ; which is however no bad ex- ample of Imperial taste. There is a round- about, like those at our fairs, on which, it is said, Napoleon was wont to be whirled about by four men who were concealed beneath. So childish are tyrants ! Le Grand Trianon is a superb mansion. Sept. 29. Between Versailles and Rambou- illet is a fine tract of land, with some farms of good size, from two hundred to four hundred acres. The soil, sand upon limestone (tupha) of excellent quality, light and fertile Its value is pretty well ascertained, as it lets from 32s. to 42s. sterling per English acre, tax in- cluded, which, according to the price of pro- duce, is equal to 64s. and 84s. in England. The tillage is well executed. Lucern is grown to considerable extent, and some excellent clo- ver. Fallows for wheat are, however, very pre- valent, and dunged amazingly : I have rarely seen it half so thick in England. Very many of the oat stubbles, though clean, are without grass seeds. Hay is worth 45s. per load, of 18 cwt. In various parts of France I have been struck with the beautiful colour of their lucern hay. The green is not faded in the least ; it is so vivid that one might almost believe it improved in drying. I have also had occasion to observe the perfection with which flowers are preserved for medical purposes; their hues as bright as when growing. These, however, are cured in stoves. A tolerable double plough, which seemed by the marks of wear to be in regular use, was standing by the road-side at a wheelwright's shop, on our way to Rambouillet ; and the com- mon plough of the country was of the better sort. The fine clover and lucern, and tares, and the general aspect of the fields on this road > denote a spirited and prosperous husbandry. Sept. 29. The estate or demesne of Ram- bouillet consists of near 3000 acres surrounded by a wall : of this, five or six hundred acres are arable, the rest mostly woodland. The arable is sandy, of middling quality. It appears to be well managed, if the total omission of the turnip crop be right : of this I am not prepared to decide ; for although the soil is perfectly adapted 94 %". i to turnips, the dry ness of the climate possibly may forbid their c'ulture. The flock, of which we have heard and read so much, consists of 188 ewes, about 100 rams, and probably 1)0 young ewes, including the ewe> lambs of the present year. The ewes are of good size, and their wool tolerably fine : they are free from all disease and in excellent con- dition. They are however very throaty, as this peculiarity of the Merino race is deemed an excellence and carefully encouraged by selec- tion. The favorite ram, which the shepherd considered as a perfect animal, and perhaps the best that had been bred at Rambotiillet, was chiefly remarkable for the five folds of his throat. He was inferior in fineness of wool to some others which were little noticed for want of this curious appendage. The best ewes in the flock, as the shepherd pointed them out, seem to owe their preference to the same qua- lification. I fancy the truth lies between the French and English taste in this particular. The very fine necked sheep often bear a scanty fleece ; and extreme coarseness in that part is rarely accompanied by wool of the first quality. The house at Rambouillet is a mere hunting- box, but the stables are enormous. Sept. 30. On our return to Paris we visited the Royal Manufactory of Porcelain at Sevres 95 Here we saw exquisite productions of art and genius ; vases, tables, busts, &c. of thirty or forty thousand francs value ; plates of ten or twelve guineas each. Any thing, however, but marks of a prosperous, busy, establishment. This kind of patronage, I imagine, overlays, rather than cherishes manufacture. Buonaparte seems to have been aware of the want of capital in masses to create manufactures. And he set about supplying the deficiency. In addition to the carpet manufactory, and the porcelain manufactory, which he inherited from his predecessors, he commenced iron-master, and I believe, cotton-spinner and sugar-baker ; and, most ambitious of men ! he even aspired to be the first of Merino breeders. But it would not do. A throne is not the genuine source of com- mercial and manufacturing prosperity. Paris, Oct. 1. In the Ancien Couvent des Petits Augustins, is a collection of ancient French monuments which were saved from destruction at the moment when the fury of the revolution was directed against all the symbols of super- stition and tyranny. They are arranged accord- ing to their dates, in halls so constructed as to be illustrative of the style of architecture which prevailed in the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. They furnish an in- teresting study to the moralist and historian, as 96 well as to. the antiquarian and the artist. But to me this collection appears still more valuable, as it shews the revolution in a light favourable to the liberality of the age we live in ; and affords a slight trait of the real character of the revolution itself; which was good and mild in principle, though deformed by horrors foreign to its nature. Whilst waiting for my passport of departure, at the Bureau of the Prcefeture, many persons were receiving passports of removal from one section of Paris to another. A strictness of police of which I before had no conception. 1 imagine a register is kept of the inhabitants of every house; and from the arrangement of the numerous clerks in this long and commo- dious apartment,, called the Bureau des Passports, I have no doubt but this important object is at- tained without difficulty or confusion. I pre- sume passports are procured without much trouble or any expence to the parties: they are therefore not likely to be neglected by any but the evil disposed ; and as general security is the aim, and in a great degree the result, of these seemingly, severe regulations, they may be submitted to with cheerfulness. A police of this kind must prevent the existence of such hordes of banditti as infest our metropolis. Here can be no dark and inscrutable recesses, 97 where villains by profession may collect in a mass, and conspire against the public. This is the fair side. How much these regulations favour political tyranny, I am not qualified to say ; but here I suspect mischief. However, the clerks in this office appear to be a civil, respectable set., and much better employed in preventing crimes, and are probably better men, than the swarm of police officers, with us, who live by them ; who, by overlooking small dffences, nurse up the criminals to that eminence in guilt, which entitles the thief-taker to a re- ward. Security of person and property, two great ends of Society, are attained in a higher degree under the French than under the English system. Prevention of crimes is the very spirit of the former, which pervades every place, and meets you at every turn. In the country, the Gardes champetres, a revolutionary institution, are the great means, always in activity, of crushing them in the egg. One or more of these officers is ap- pointed in every commune, whose duty it is to prevent all petty depredations, and even trespas- ses out of the public paths. In every case they may arrest the offender, and carry him before the mavor of the commune, who levies a penalty 98 according to law.. Tliese men are always on the alert ; armed, mostly with a pike, sometimes with a gun ; and are authorized to use force in case of resistance. In towns, the preventive police is performed by the military, and most effectually. Being under the direction of the civil power, if such a force must be maintained,, perhaps this is the best mode of employing it. The regularity and strictness of military discipline form the French soldiers into excellent civil guards ; and the end is so beneficial that the means may well be tolerated. The Gardes champetres are so watchful and alert, that they seem to possess a sort of ubiquity which is very effectual in preventing petty depredations. Walking up a hill from Corbeil, I strayed into a vineyard by the road side. The grapes were miserable ; small as currants, and unripe. To plunder was the last thing I should have thought of; however I picked a little bunch. As I came out of the vineyard, a stout young fellow, with a pike in his hand, met me, and civilly enquired if the grapes were good. " Les raisins sont ils bons ? " cc Non," replied I. " Comme c.a ;'" and shewed him the bunch I had gathered. You must go with me " a la Ville," says he, " devant le Maire." I 99 remonstrated he threatened : at length he consented to let me off for a frank. This I should not have complied with if my company had not been forward and waiting for me ; but would have paid the legal penalty before the mayor. In the south, where vineyards are universal, the same degree of strictness would not have appeared in this particular, but the watchful spirit is perceived every where. With a Government really .Representative, such a police would not be an engine of op- pression ; and, to estimate its value in comparison, with a vindictive police,, such as that of England,, we must consider the wretchedness of the agent of a criminal act, as well as the suffering of its object. Its watchful character renders pilfering unprofitable and dangerous, therefore it is not followed as a profession: a man rises to an ac- complished villain by degrees, therefore the prevention of small offences hinders the com- mission of atrocious crimes. Oct. 4. After posting over the well known road from Paris to Boulogne, we are now on the point of embarking for Dover. Including the sinuosities of our course we have travelled about two thousand miles, without accident, or. a 2 100 < insult. Beyond Montpellier we were the first English travellers who had pursued that route since the peace of Amiens. Having stripped off every rag of our country,, and equipped ourselves from head to foot in travelling dresses, adapted to a hot climate and strong exercise, we were taken in turn for Germans, Russians, Italians, and Spaniards or Portuguese, and in those characters we received but a faint wel- come : the moment, however that we declared ourselves English we were treated as friends. This partiality to our nation arose chiefly I think from the good report of our humanity to our numerous prisoners of war. During this long contest many individuals have had an oppor- tunity of comparing our treatment with that of the Spaniards, infinitely to our advantage. I do not believe that there is among the French, a feeling of jealousy towards us, a sentiment of national rivalship, such as I am sorry to see cherished on this side of the water. They have no idea of the English and French being natural foes : the animosity which has been said to pre- vail between the two nations, they refer exclu- sively to the governments. This sentiment is so general, and does them so much credit, that I cannot forbear recording it. 101 In several points I found the French character different from what I had conceived it, from the common report, There is a sort of indepen- dence, an uprightness of manner, denoting- equality and the consciousness of it, which I was not prepared for. This is sometimes, in the lower class, accompanied by something like American roughness, and is not altogether agree- able to our habits. In general however they are extremely attentive to good manners in their intercourse with each other, and with their superiors; but you may look in vain for that deference, bordering on servility, which we are accustomed to from our dependants ; who are, notwithstanding, free-born Englithmcn. I have had constant occasion to remark the excellent condition of the labouring class; their decent respectable appearance. This was moro than I had expected. The decorum of manners in both sexes which prevails universally, surprised and delighted me beyond expression. Here are none of those exhibitions of profligacy, which disgust you at every step even in our country villages. No ragged wretches stair li'erint; home from a filthy oo i-, o o ^ alehouse. One drunken man, and but one, I saw in all my journey. Now, this is not to be 102 attributed to abject poverty, absolutely depriv- ing them of the means of intoxication,, as might have been the case before the revolution : on the contrary, wine and brandy are cheap, and the earnings of the labourer are at least one third more in proportion than in England. Such is the habitual temperance of the description of people who with us are most addicted to drinking, that the inns, frequented by postillions and waggon- ers, seldom have any liquor stronger than their ordinary wine. If you call for brandy, they are obliged to send for it to the CafFe. The mana- ger of an iron forge was describing to me the severe labour which the workmen performed before their immense fires: I enquired about their drinking, and he assured me that they never drank even their own weak wine without water. Intimately connected with the temperance of the men is the modesty of the women, and equally exemplary. A habit of economy and frugality accompanied by a perfect indifference to stile and shew, is another characteristic of the French nation, ex- tending through all ranks; and entirely incon- sistent with the fashionable frivolity which has been attributed to them. 103 I am a countryman, and it is France as a country that I came to visit and am describing, not Paris in particular. The exceptions to my statement will be found in the latter, where no doubt there are too many examples of every enormity. Yet Paris itself will bear me out when compared with London. Among the circumstances of constant occur- rence in which France differs totally from Eng- land, is the frequency of commons in the latter, whilst in the former there is no single instance which came under my observation, of what we call a common. No animal of whatever kind is suffered to graze at large in France, without an attendant. This regulation, though from the open state of the country absolutely neces- sary, occasions some inconvenience. You see a single cow, half a score sheep, or perhaps a single hog, followed by a boy, or girl, who might be better employed. Not unfrequently the cows, and the hogs, and the sheep of different people, are collected in some bye corner, and their keepers form a party almost as numerous as the animals they are tending. However the loss of time and misapplication of labour is re- duced, in this economical country, by the uni- versal practice of spinning or knitting, or pick- 104 ing hemp. You never see one of these females without some work or other in her hand. There are some particulars in the habits and customs of the French in common life, which an Englishman would hardly tolerate after three apprenticeships. For instance, The habit of spitting up and down their houses and churches, not confined to the gen- tlemen,. The abominable custom of cheapening every article in dealing. Their Voitures, waggon-diligences, and their carriages in general ; with all their harness and trappings. Their prodigious saddles, and bridles, and boots. The Cabinets d'aisance ; and, in some places, the litter want of them. The streets, without flag causeways. The stench of their populous towns, particu-r Jarly in the South, for want of a cleanly police. The frequent discharge from the windows. The sabots, or wooden shoes. The ceremony at meeting and parting a little overdone. perfect abruptness with which domestics, 105 male, or female, enter your chamber on all occa- sions. Their long meals, and countless dishes. The lean mutton of Gib. per quarter; and the leanness of the meat in general. Cards and billiards all day long, for want of better employment. The paucity and extreme barrenness of jour- nals, from a restrained press. The immense standing army, and the increa- sing number of priests. The two last items are somewhat out of cata- logue ; but they deserve a place somewhere. There are also a few circumstances and habits in which they excel the English. Their drinking no healths, and their tempe- rance in general. Neatness in their linen, of every description. Their great propriety of manners, and general politeness ; including all ranks, but most re- markable in the lowest. The good treatment and excellent condition of their unmutilated horses, of every sort. The activity and consequent good health of the women. The superior condition of the labouring class; and, as a set off against some political grievan- 106 ces, exemption from tithes, poor-rates ; and, in comparison, from taxes. Notwithstanding the nuisances, most horrible, in many of the French towns, there is in Paris a sort of military regulation, which is no bad thing. Within a certain number of yards of a centry-box, if a man commits what every un- protected nook of our public streets exhibits, the soldier on guard takes possession of the offender's hat, which he returns on receiving a frank; otherwise he retains it. I once saw a fellow who was performing without a hat, but the soldier seized him by the collar, and shook him to the full amount of the penalty. There is something very striking to the tra- veller who passes rapidly through France, in the costumes of the peasantry, which occur from district to district. They are so distinctly marked, and even contrasted, that they seem to belong to different nations. Here you see round hats, measuring two feet across, with very shallow crowns; the hair long and lank: There, im- mense cock'd hats, and the hair en queue. Red caps, like jelly bags, hanging down their backs, on one side of the Pyrennees ; purple ones on the other. The head dress of the women varies as much : there is the Norman cap, with 107 wings of snowy white, and the black hood of the South : the bonnets differing from each other as much as the hats of the men, in shape and size ; some very large, covering their shoulders, and with high crowns, the brim turned up behind ; some broad and flat, with crowns an inch deep ; and some fitting the head, without any brim at all. I had heard much of French beggars, and there are too many to be seen hovering around the post-houses, and on the hills of the great roads, especially north of Paris : they are mostly very old or blind people who follow begging as a profession, without exhibiting marks of extreme poverty, being often neatly, and even well, clad. Beggars seem to be an essential part of the Catholic system, affording occasion for the meritorious work of giving alms : but as the amount required to constitute a title to reward has not been exactly stated, very small coins are chiefly in request for that purpose, and people generally carry a store of them. One of my fellow travellers from Cler- mont, who was on his way to Paris, I believe, to purchase an estate, was a fine example of French economy, and Catholic charity united. He 108 gave a beggar a sous, and took back two liards in change. It was a saying of Sully, that "Labourage et Paturage sont les deux mammelles de laFrance," and it is a subject of curious observation to an Englishman, the direct way in which the people of this country are nourished by these two breasts. There are the little flocks; a third of which are black, and very coarse withal, yet furnishing the homespun woollens of the entire country population ; and spun by the women who tend the sheep : the plots of hemp and flax, chiefly the former; which you see in all parts ; from these they derive their abundant stock of sheets, table-linen, and shirts, spun also by themselves. There are the orchards in the north, and the vines in the south, supplying them with drink, and their arable land with food, in a way far more direct than we, in our complicated society, have any conception of. Our wool is collected by the stapler for the clothier ; and the draper distributes it again in cloth for our wearing. The linen with us is of the same materials, but they are produced in Ireland perhaps,, or in Russia. Our liquor may be the produce of our fields ; but it loses the appropriate flavour of home in the hands of the maltster and the public brewer. In France the arrangement Js extremely simple, less calculated for the splen- dour of life, but it may be better adapted to its real enjoyments. In the agriculture of France there is a great sameness. The arable land, which comprises al- most the whole surface of the country, the vine- yards, and a few tracts of mountain excepted, may be divided into five classes, according to its fer- tility, without regard to the nature of the soil. The first bears a crop every year, as in An- vergne, in the neighbourhood of Toulouse, in some parts of Normandy, &c. This description is highly cultivated, and on a principle well adapted to soil and circumstances. The second somewhat inferior in quality, but good land, is also judiciously cultivated, with the intervention of a fallow once in six years ; as about Dieppe and Rouen. The third, land of middling qua- lity, which embraces a very large part of the kingdom, is managed on the old plan of fallow, wheat, oats. The fourth, poor land, which also covers a large space, is fallow and wheat al- ternately. The fifth, land still poorer, is cul- tivated in the round of fallow, rye, rest, without grass seeds. The first and second classes include what 110 is of variety and spirit in French husbandry. In the South, Indian corn alternating with -wheat exhibits management as good as the beans and wheat of the best English farmer: and the va- ried routine, observable in the north, affords many proofs of a spirited and judicious culture. It is the three last which betray its weakness : if they comprise half the cultivated surface., which I believe is not over-rating their extent, half of that portion being fallow, it appears that one-fourth of the whole country is lying in a state entirely unproductive, a few weeds, mostly thistles., excepted ! A very few half- starved sheep are kept to pick over the con- stantly recurring barren fallows, often accompa- nied by three or four long-legged hogs. On the borders and out of the way corners you may see a cow or two with an attendant. But there appears so little for any of these animals to eat, that you wonder how even they are sup- ported. The prairies artificielles (the artificial grasses as we less properly call them) of which so much is said by the amateurs, are like specks of green on a desert. Clover and lucern are cultivated with great success, on the two first classes of land; but very rarely indeed on the ethers. Thus there is probably as much reaJJy Ill waste land in France as in England, and it is of an expensive kind ; whereas our wastes support much more stock than theirs,, without any expense whatever. It has been said that it would be vain for the French to increase their flocks,, because they have already as much mut- ton as they consume ; and there would be no. market for more. This sort of argument would, hold equally against every other improvement. The price of mutton is fully in proportion to that of grain. Mutton is 5d. per Ib. wheat 5s. per bushel. With us, mutton is lOd. per Ib. and wheat 10s. per bushel. Cheese and butter rather exceed in price this proportion, beef is about the same. Thus it appears that stock pays as well in France as in England. The French sheep are chiefly remarkable for their long legs, thin carcases, and coarse wool. The same characteristics prevail from north to south, except that in the north they are larger, stouter, and bear finer fleeces; in fact, they are better treated than in the south. The best flocks we saw in the country were here and there one of the Spanish breed, which we took care to visit when we heard of them. We were anxious to obtain information respecting the Merinos of France, for which Buonaparte has done so much ; as we had been taught by the knowing on our side of the \vater. The history of our proceedings in this business is just a counterpart of theirs. In 178G Louis XVI. established a flock at Rambouillet ; the produce was at first given away,, or thrown away, exactly as was the case in England. Here ends the first chap- ter. Recourse was then had to public sale, and the higher the prices, the more eager the pur- chasers. This high-priced stock was well at- tended to, and succeeded accordingly. Fine wool was produced and offered to the manufac- turers, who did not meet the wishes and ex- pectations, probably unreasonable ones, of the growers. This is the second chapter of their history : precisely like our own, but unfortu- nately for the French sheep- masters, it proved of much longer duration. The revolution came on, during which manufactures suffered, and the wool still lay upon hand. At length, in an evil hour, Buonaparte (whose ambition branch- ed out in every possible shape) resolved to cover France with fine woolled flocks, and pub- lished his famous decree of the 8th of March, 1811 : this gave the final blow to the Merinos. As soon as it appeared, all sales of sheep ceased, and even agreements, which had been pre- viously made, were set aside. From that time to the present the breed has been declining in France. An effort is now making in its favour, by a law which has just passed, allowing the exportation of wool and rams. Boulogne, Oct. 4. On entering France we trrdeavoured to lay in a stock of good humour which might last the journey ; and I am happy to say we succeeded. This is the grand secret of travelling, as it is of living ; the better your temper the greater your enjoyment. On quitting it, perhaps never to return, the friendly offices I have received from some, whose names would be an ornament to this little volume, are full in my recollection, and will be recurred to when I shall have rejoined iny family circle, a the most pleasing incidents of this very pleasant tour. It is due from us to add, that in the course of our enquiries on every topic we met with no instance of incivility ; no reserve or appear- ance of suspicion, It \yas thus from the north to the extreme south ; and in whatever direc- tion we had shaped our course, I am satisfied we should have experienced the same kind re- 114 ception. And, in our own country, wherever an intelligent Frenchman shall present himself, prepared to communicate, and anxious to obtain information, he will be received as we were re- ceived in France ; making some allowance for a degree of jealousy among the manufacturers, not incompatible with personal benevolence, but arising from particular circumstances which might render competition ruinous. A sufficient proof that we are not natural enemies ! " Les peuples ne s' entrehaissent pas," as I heard many of the French exclaim. How long then shall forty millions of civilized people, in the two countries, remain the dupes of that wretched and disgraceful policy, by which governments foment perpetual rivalship and war, under the hackneyed plea of supporting social order and religion, and *' Make enemies of nations who had else, Like kindred drops, been mingled into one." Wanborough, Oct. 5. Seated by my own fire- side, I can hardly believe that yesterday I was posting in France. We were just three hours on our passage from Boulogne to Dover, where we airived at four o'clock. Dined; (paid duty for a small portmanteau, containing fragments 115 of granite, &c. not worth a sous;) reached London at six this morning by the mail ; and here we are at our happy, English, home. FINIS. Printed by W. Phillips, George Yard, Lombard Street, London. APPENDIX TO THE SECOND EDITION. WanborougJi, Jan. 9, 1815. AS the public has called for a second edition th.s htrle work, I take advantage of the cir- cumstance to add a few notes in expiation of some particulars which I am told are mentioned too slightly, or wholly omitted. To those who have complained of its brevity beg to offer my acknowledgments; and to as- sure them that I was only desirous of placing ny readers on a par with myself: possessing mntemls for much profitable reflection, and ! cunosuy excited rather than gra,ified,- t he na- tural result of a hasty survey of such a country * France. A traveller passing over so large a surface, and viewing objects so , mteresnng, from their causes, their probable ^sequences, or their immediate influence on ~ A the character and condition of the people, must confine his observations in great measure to the outlines, or he will be in danger of observing nothing to any useful purpose. There is hardly a subject which I have ventured to touch, but might have occupied in its details the whole of my canvas. My agricultural friends are aware of the time which is required to obtain a com- petent knowledge of the economy of a single district ; and have seen writers of considerable pretensions to professional experience, who have miserably failed in describing the agriculture of a small English county. Indeed, I am con- vinced that on this subject (on which I might have enlarged with some confidence) as well as on every other, those who can best appreciate the little I have given, w T ill be the least disposed to censure my forbearance. I have been frequently asked about our ex- pences ; and much is said of the impositions to which travellers, especially English travellers, are exposed in France. The fact is, they expose themselves to imposition by a ridiculous affec- tation of indifference about expence, and often through actual ignorance of the relative value of money in the two countries. But you may escape very well, provided you accommodate yourself to French habits, avoid stile, and get over all delicacy in resisting extortion, which you may generally do without giving offence? and, where it can be done, bargain before-hand. This saves a great deal of money, time, and temper. Our party, consisting of Mr. G. Flower, my- self, and my son, a youth of fifteen, performed the journey for ~Q. sterling each person, in- cluding all our expenses, excepting a few pur- chases which had no relation to travelling. We had no servant, and were tolerably attentive to economy. Plain people may visit France without spend- ing their fortunes. This is a piece of knowledge which may be productive of good : for I am convinced that a friendly intercourse between the middling classes of the two nations would be of incalculable benefit to both ; especially be- tween the middling classes of the country popu- lation, who are at present almost entirely un- known to each other. The great are rivals in politics, and the merchants in trade; and tra- vellers have generally belonged to one or other of these descriptions; or they have been men of science, too often dependant on the former: but when the cultivators of the earth shall meet, they will give each other the right hand of fel- lowship, without fear or jealousy, and form a strong combination in favour of universal be- nevolence. A 2 The naked proposition respecting the eman- cipation of our Negroes (p. 6,) seems to call for some explanation. I consider every regulation in the economy of the Planters,, which produces an improvement in the condition of the negroes, as a step towards their emancipation. Within the last twenty years many such steps have been taken in our colonies by individual planters, all of which have been attended with a correspond- ing advantage to those humane and judicious persons who have adopted them. It seems now to be expedient that the law should step in to confirm to both master and slave the benefit of these wise regulations, and to extend to the whole those improvements which partial ex- perience will in vain hold up for imitation with- out this sanction. We have acknowledged that negroes are men. Our laws declare them to be objects of penal coercion ; and are they not equally entitled to legal protection ? The friends of the Africans began their ho- nourable career as the enemies of slavery : this was the corner stone, the fundamental principle of their association. But, unhappily, as I think, they were early diverted from the main object, and have been directing their whole strength to the demolition of one gigantic branch of this corrupt tree. At this branch they hewed, and hewed, for many a long year; and at length when they had fairly severed it from the trunk, behold ! it sprouted again,, for the trunk re- mained untouched, and uninjured. No man estimates more highly than myself the zeal and the strenuous, continued exertion of this most respectable body; but I shall never cease to lament that they became a society for the abolition not of slavery, but of the slave trade ; and even entered into a sort of compro- mise with the one, in order to secure the de- struction of the other : flattering themselves, in opposition to all analogy, that the effect would cease whilst the cause remained. Thus emancipation has been nearly lost sight of, and the discussion of the subject has been deemed almost forbidden ground. As though, by the emancipation of our negroes, was meant a mere act of manumission, which might in- stantly convert, into an ungovernable and vin- dictive savage, the being who now crouches to the rod in hopeless submission. Whereas the conversion of a slave into a free man must be the gradual result of a series of wise regula- tions, under which the unhappy beings, whose sudden liberation would be viewed with justi- fiable dismay, might enter into the possession of their rights, in the exact proportion of their rapacity to enjoy them. Under the same regu- lations the colonies would speedily become in- 6 dependent of the trade in slaves by breeding free men. Such regulations would also effect a most happy change in the character and circum- stances of the planters themselves : in their characters by the development and gradual ex- pansion of principles of universal justice : in their circumstances by placing at their disposal the immence capital which, at present, is ab- sorbed in the stock of negroes. By way of elucidation of the foregoing re- marks, I beg to offer the following facts : not as singular, because I trust every colony, if not every district, can produce their parallels. In the Island of Tobago are three estates be- longing, at this time, to the family of my friend Henry Brooke, Esq. who, from motives of hu- manity felt by him, in common with many others whose property lies in the West Indies, has communicated to me these details, of what he justly terms, . 8 The managers and overseers were prohibited from rearing these animals ; by which regula- tion the negroes were protected from the dan- gerous competition of such powerful rivals. Although the Island of Tobago is not re- markable for the salubrity of its air, the result of these measures has corresponded with that union of policy and benevolence which dictated them. The stock of negroes has required no further external supply ; and the general economy and good management which were introduced, has contributed largely to th^ir comfort in all respects. I have also been favoured by Edward Sharpe, Esq. (a gentleman who has lived 20 years on the island of St. Vincent, and has filled the highest legal situations, with equal advantage to the colony and credit to himself) with a ge- neral account of the treatment of slaves in that colony; which he concludes by observing that ee the state of the negroes is improving every year. They are better treated by those who have the care of them, and they are better behaved." Is it not plain that these benevolent and ju- dicious measures, if generally adopted, would most effectually abolish the slave-trade by dry- ing up its source ? And when the comforts and the little possessions of money and other 9 property, the result of their industry and eco- nomy, become secured to them by law, is it not further evident that this operation would, in some degree, unclasp the fetters of the slaves themselves ? And, farther, that a vast improve- ment in character, affecting both the planter and his negroes, must be the inevitable conse- quence of the change in their relative situa- tions ? By this time the former has risen in feeling, and almost in fact to be the master of free men. And the latter has learnt to appre- ciate freedom without the temptation to abuse it. He is possessed of property, and he is under the protection of the law ! Here is a broad and secure basis for complete emancipa- tion. Give them, when arrived at this point, the legal right of purchasing, at a fair and fixed rate, the privilege of working for their master one day in six for wages : this would soon enable them to purchase the same privi- lege for a second, and so on to the sixth : and thus the work of emancipation is accomplished as far as concerns the individual. Let the chil- dren, born before this time, be liberated by government on a fair and generous principle of remuneration to the planter, and the family is free. Henceforward; master and servant be- come united by the legitimate tie of mutual interest. 10 Such is the outline of a plan which requires only to be filled up and to receive the sanction of the law to render it effectual to the general restoration of the negroes to freedom and hap- piness. It is dcmonstrably to the advantage of the planters to put such an end as this to that calamitous system ; and with Slavery, the Slave Trade falls of course. If then the endeavours of the friends of the Africans were directed to produce this change, so beneficial during its progress and in its consequences, ^every step would tell ; they would tread upon sure ground: they might be joined in the work by the Planters themselves ; and from the com- mencement to the completion of the work, every succeeding labour would be easier than the former. It is, as I have observed (p. 40,) the constant practice of the women in France to perform many of the operations of husbandry, which in most parts of our island are confined to men ; and, from the universal cultivation of the coun- try, there is much more field labour there than with us ; women are therefore seen in far greater numbers in the fields by the passing traveller. From which, and the concurrent testimony of the Gazettes for the last twenty-five destructive 11 years, an Englishman unacquainted with the habits of the French peasantry, and probably under the influence of political excitement, very naturally infers a deficiency of the male popu- lation. This was a subject we never lost sight of; and from observation and enquiry in every part of our journey, we were fully convinced that the alleged disproportion between the sexes does not exist. The abstraction of men was not felt as a public grievance until the last two years of Buonaparte's tyranny, when the draughts amounted to a number, as 1 was informed, con- siderably exceeding a million. \ r ery many of these, however, as well as of former conscrip- tions, had returned when we visited France. Indeed, the proportion which the French armies bore to the mass of the people was little more than half of the number absorbed by our army and navy, in proportion to our entire popu- lation ; and to these we have to add the pro- digious number with us employed in commerce, who are equally abstracted from the home sup- ply : yet we are not sensible of a paucity of males. Much has been said of this horrible con- scription, by which Buonaparte was enabled to repair his wasted legions : but it is rather the abuse of the practice, than the principle, which is the proper ground of complaint. When ir- resistible power becomes united in the same individual with insatiable ambition, it is no wonder that, in order to promote his views, the most righteous institutions are perverted. Thus the conscription, which, under a free govern- ment, would be the surest and most equitable principle of defence, and at the same time the best security against the adoption of ir.ad schemes of offensive warfare, became a dreadful engine in the hands of a despotic ruler. I know nothing of military affairs; but from what I have seen of French officers and soldiers, I am struck with the difference in character be- tween an army drawn from all ranks by con- scription, and whose officers rise by merit ; and one formed from the dregs of the lowest orders, or from the scum of the highest. And their demeanour when disbanded differs as widely as their composition. The former return to their homes, resuming their stations among their peaceful fellow-citizens; whilst the latter are too often wretched vagabonds, the terror and pests of society ; and the officers, probably, a burthen to themselves, and a tax upon the com- munity, To shew the value of French addresses as marking the real state of public opinion ; and also to shew the true character of their pcriodi- 13 cal press, (p. 81,) the following fact may suf- fice. The good citizens of Nismes were first apprized of their own congratulatory address to the restored Monarch by reading it in the Paris journals. This exposure (p. 88 89,) of the ignorance and vulgarity of two of our fellow visitors at the Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes, has been attributed to anti-patriotic feelings, which I utterly disclaim : but having on a preceding evening, at the Theatre Franc, ais, witnessed what, in our gibberish, is called a grand rou\ between two young Parisians, I observed that in their utmost ire thev used no such coarse J expletives as too many of our countrymen are apt to produce on the most common occasions. The contrast, I acknowledge, disgusted me, and I was desirous of marking it, not for ornament, but for the use of those whom it may concern. The symptoms of a mean education, which they imputed to each other, formed the sum of the mutual objurgations of these Parisian heroes. Having mentioned the Theatre, I must not omit commending the good sense of the French in lavishing no money on splendid decorations. They can thus afford to employ a full corps of good performers. 14 The phenomena of this most interesting and beautiful district, (see p. 77) furnish a grand, and to me convincing illustration of the theory of which, I believe, the venerable De Lnc is the author, accounting for the irregularities in the present surface of the earth by subsidence, chiefly. The disruption of continuous hori- zontal strata, by partial depression, necessarily occasions those salient and receding angles \vhich form the outline of our elevated dis- tricts, our long and winding vales, and (where the depression is so narrow as to allow a com- parison of the corresponding edges of the strata) those abruptly serrated dells which have been thought to resemble the beds of ancient torrents. In like manner the partial subsidence of strata every where furnished with perpendi- cular fissures, necessarily produces isolated masses and longitudinal ridges : If we discover at the bases of these, the same character of sur- face with their summits, we can scarcely resist the conviction that their relative level alone is altered ; and such precisely seem to be the cha- racters of this district. The cones, amounting to about one hundred, and the numerous longitudinal ridges, crested with basalt, with which this charming country is, " parsemeY* appear to be the venerable re- mains of the ancient surface, and the currents 15 of basalt which M, D'Aubuisson discovered at the base of some of the cones, the relics of that same surface after depression. An isolated mass of shivery basalt produces a cone with as much certainty and precision as the emission of scoriae, by volcanic eruption. And the surrounding evidences of volcanic agency, have naturally led to the supposition that these cones were produced by the latter cause. Though not directly applicable to this discus- sion, I shall be excused for remarking, that the zigzag fissures, which we often see running from the high level of an elevated region to the low country at its base, cannot have been pro- duced by a rapid and mighty current; for such a current must have passed nearly in a right line down the declivity. It is when a stream works its passage through a level, that these sud- den windings are produced. I have received from a gentleman of great information and respectability a letter contain- ing sundry enquiries and strictures ; and as it is probable that many persons may have similar views with that gentleman of the particulars on which he has favoured me with his sentiments, I insert, with his permission, the following ex- 16 tracts from his letter, and my reply, though cer- tainly not originally intended for publication. Extract of a letter to the author: