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Notices to this effect have been inserted by the Editor in the principal English and foreign newspapers.1847. A HANDBOOK FOR TRAVELLERS FRANCE: BEING A GUIDE TO NORMANDY, BRITTANY; THE RIVERS SEINE, LOIRE, RHONE, AND GARONNE ; THE FRENCH ALPS, DAUPHINE, PROVENCE, AND THE PYRENEES. Mitt) UHaps. FOURTH EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. PARIS: A. & W. GALIGNANI AND CO. ; STASSIN AND XAVIER. 1853. THE ENGLISH EDITIONS OF THE HAND-BOOKS FOR TRAVELLERS ARE PUBLISHED In France, at AMIENS BY CARON. AVRANOHES LANSARD DESJARDINS. BAYONNE - JAYMEBON. BORDEAUX — CHAMAS ; LAWALLE. METZ BY WARION. MONTPELLIER— LEVALLE. NANCY NANTES GONET. gue'raud. BOULOGNE — WATEL & MERRIDEW. 1 ORLEANS — GATINEAU BREST — HEBERT. PARIS — GALIGNANI ; STASSIN ET CAEN — AVONDE ; MANCEL. XAVIER. CALAIS — LEROY. PAU - MARKAM. DIEPTE — MARAIS. PERPIGNAN — JULIA, FRERES. DINANT — COSTE. REIMS — BRISSART BINET. DUNKERQUE — LEYSCHOCIIART. ROUEN - LEBRUMENT. GRENOBLE — VELLOT & COMP. ST. 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SOLEURE — REUTER. GENEVA — p. g. le double; LA THUN - GRUB ENMANN. LIBRAIRIE DESROGIS; WINTERTHUR - STEINER. MONROE. ZURICH — K. FUSSLI & CO. PREFACE. The Iland-book for France is the result of four or five journeys undertaken at different times between 1830 and 1841 ; and the Editor has covered the ground with a network of routes, de¬ scribed from personal observation, extending from Dunkirk to St. Jean de Luz ; from Toulon and Hyeres to Brest; from Grenoble and the Grande Chartreuse through Aubenas and Aurillac to trie Port de Venasque ; and from Cherbourg and Mont St. Michel to Brianyon and Embrun, and including the almost entire circuit of France. But in so vast a field many interstices have been left to be filled up by the best printed information ; and that so meagre in some respects, so abundant and scattered in others, that the collecting and arranging of the materials has been a work of very serious labour. The materials, indeed, for describing a large part of France are far more scanty than those which present themselves for Germany and Switzer¬ land ; and the writer may fairly say, that he has, in the follow¬ ing pages, laid down routes of which no account is to be found in French Guides. It would be unjust to omit to mention the admirable Guides of Yaysse de Yilliers, from which he has derived essential information; but though they extend to nearly twenty volumes, they comprise only a small part of France, and only portions of their contents are calculated to interest English travellers. For their use this volume is compiled ; and if any French readers think fit to take it up, they must not be surprised to find many details well known to them, and doubtless many errors, not a few of which will be equally discernible by the Editor’s own countrymen. He trusts that in the statement of Vi PREFACE. facts he has avoided invidious comparisons—that he has set down nought in such a light as to cause prejudice against the French, or to encourage or perpetuate estrangement between the two nations. The chapters into which the book is divided are arranged according to the ancient Provinces, as being less minute, more historical, and better understood by English than the more intricate subdivisions of Departments. Though the latter are universally used by the French themselves, some centuries must elapse before Champagne and Burgundy cease to be remem¬ bered for their wines, Perigord for its pies, and Provence for its oil ; nor will it be easy to obliterate the recollection of Wil¬ liam of Normandy , Margaret of Anjou , and Henri of Navarre. This volume contains no description of Paris, because to have included the capital would have extended this book to nearly double its present size, and because the “ Paris Guide of Ga~ lignani’s” is a very good one, and renders the preparation of another, for the present at least, unnecessary. CONTENTS, Page Introductory Information . . . . . . ix Section I. PICARDY.—FRENCH FLANDERS. — ILE DE FRANCE.— Introductory Information NORMANDY. * • • • • 1 Routes • • • 9 • 3 Introductory Information Sect. II. BRITTANY. • • • • « . 103 Routes • • • « . 109 f Sect. III. r ORLEANOIS.—TOURAINE.— RIVER LOIRE_LA VENDEE. —POITOU.—SAINTONGE. Introductory Sketch of the Country . . . . .166 Routes . . . . . . . .168 Sect. IV. LIMOUSIN.—GASCONY.— GUIENNE.—THE PYRENEES.— NAVARRE. — BEARN. — LANGUEDOC. — ROUSSILLON. Preliminary Information ...... 224 Routes ........ 235 Sect. V. CENTRAL FRANCE.— BERRI.— AUVERGNE. - VIVARAIS.— ARDECHE.— CANTAL.— BOURBONNAIS.— LYONNAIS. — THE CEVENNES. General View of the Country ..... 335 Routes ....... 339 A 4 VI11 CONTENTS. Section VI. PROVENCE AND LANGUEDOC. Preliminary Information .... Routes ...... Sect. VII. DA UP MINE. Introduction. — Sketch of the Country Routes ...... Sect. VIII. BURGUNDY. _ FRANCIIE COMTE. Routes •*...... 503 Sect. IX. CHAMPAGNE— LORRAINE.— ALSACE.— THE VOSGES MOUNTAINS. Routes . . . . . . . .515 Sect. X. ILE DE FRANCE. — FLANDRES. — ARTOIS. Routes 551 421 424 482 483 Index . 563 HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IjST FRANCE, INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION. CONTENTS. a. Money — Table of French Francs reduced to £. s, d. X b. Tables of Weights and Measures • xii 55 French Feet reduced to English Feet • xiii 55 Metres — Do. xiv 55 Kilometres 1 f English Miles \ XV 55 Myriametres J 1 and Furlongs j • 55 Lieues de Poste — Do. • XV 55 Kilogrammes — English Pounds . xvi 55 Pounds — Do. • xvi 55 Hectares — English Acres • xvi 55 Aunes de Paris — English Yards • xvi c. Passports and Police • • • • xvi d. Routes across France—London to Paris — Strasburg — Marseilles, &c. • • • • xix e. Modes of Travelling — Posting and Travelling Carriage . • XX /. Malles postes . • • • • xxiv g- Diligences • • • • XXV h. Railroads • • « • xxvii i. Steam-boats • • • • xxix fc. Inns—Tables-d’Hote, etc. • • • • xxix 1 . Cafes • • • 4 • • • xxxi m. A Traveller’s General View of France—Points OF Interest — Scenery — Architecture • xxxii n. List of the 86 Departments into which France IS divided, and of the 33 Ancient Provinces com- POSING THEM ..... XXXvi o. The English abroad ..... xxxvii p . Skeleton Tour through France . . . xxxix a 5 X a. MONEY TABLES. a. MONEY. In France, accounts are kept in francs and centimes (or hundred parts), the coinage being arranged on the decimal system. 1 franc contains 10 declines (or double sous), and each decime 10 centimes . FRENCH MONET. Silver Coins; — £ s. d. 1 franc = 100 centimes = 20 sous = 0 0 9| to 10 d. English. A ditto = 25 ditto - = 0 0 2\ 1 A ditto = 50 ditto - = 0 0 4=| 5 ditto = 500 ditto -- 100 sous =040 Worn pieces of money, like our old shillings, but composed of silver and copper, are also current, and bear the value of 75 centimes (15 sous), and 1 franc 50 centimes (30 sous), but they will soon be called in. Gold Coins : — Louis d’or = 24 fr. Napoleon, or 20-franc piece Half Napoleon, or 10-franc piece Double Napoleon, or 40-franc piece Copper Coins : — Decime, or 2-sous piece . 5 centimes = 1 sous 1 centime £ s. d. = 0 19 0 English. = 0 15 101 = 0 9 6* = 111 9 = 001 = 0 0 01 = 0 0 F.B. To find the value of centimes, remember that the Tens are all pennies, and the Fives halfpennies: thus 75c.=7±d. : 2 5c.=2^d. — 15c. = l^t/. within a fraction, but near enough for all practical purposes. To reduce French francs to English money for common purposes, where minute exactness is not required, it is only necessary to divide the amount of francs by 25, or to substitute 4 for 100, thus : — Francs. £ 100 = 4 1,000 = 40 10,000 = 400 100,000 = 4,000 1,000,000 = 40,000 The Bank of France issues notes for 1000, 500, 200, and 100 francs, but they are difficult to change out of Paris, not being received in the provinces without paying an agio. FOREIGN COINS REDUCED TO THEIR VALUE IN FRENCH CURRENCY. English sovereign . crown shilling Dutch Willem =10 guilders guilder Prussian dollar Frederick d’or Bavarian florin = 20 pence English. Kron thaler Austrian florin = 2 shillings English fr. c. = 25 50 to 25 fr. 20 c. at par. = 6 25 = 1 25 = 21 30 = 2 15 = 3 75 = 21 0 = 2 15 = 5 81 = 2 57 RBC NcU a. MOXEY "ABLE XI nrycH ziAMs A>‘D rrvmrrs z.zzrr 2 A- :o thais ix zyniy ronfii. s mi: usr,^^yp ?zy cz. i‘. d. rt t. d. 5 c ents. , 0 O 400 15 7 M 4 0 3 500 19 16 3 5 o 3 I ' -*-5> 750 29 15 0 6 o M 9* 1,000 39 13 o 5 rr.> 1 i Fr. pen: 0 Lii. 101 1 ^ _ — Fr. AiZin's 15 CLf- 1 a 15 i Fr. __ _ -- i. Ca. O 9 0 jn> ■* 13 16 o 5 16 403 20 3 0 «-/ i ^ 1 * 1 ~T i t 64 i. 4 * 42S -40 * *± o A — 15 18 90 IS 455 60 5 0 — 1 — — a 16 20 16 19 4~S so 6 0 63 " “ 21 J7) 20 504 0 i o IS gv 50 756 o S o S~r 19 23 94 40 1-005 0 9 0 911 ■» = ^ 15 20 50 1260 0 10 1 5 o 50 40 60 1512 9 11 1 * T x %J o 75 60 50 1 ""5-4 o 1 saillin^ 1 26 100 SO SO 2016 0 Q -o — 5 126 0 90 o 3 3 7S g 151 20 100 2520 0 m 4 5 £ 176 200 5 040 0 5 6 50 g 201 60 300 7 55-0 0 6 i 55 9 225 SO 400 iaoso o 7 s 82 :: p “a 0 500 12.500 0 s lO s n 5'-~ — 20 1003 25.200 o 9 11 51 1 o 302 40 5000 125.000 0 10 12 60 13 327 60 10,000 252,000 0 11 13 So 14 S52 A 6 SO Xll b. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. b. WEIGHTS AND 31EASURES. A uniform decimal system of coins, weights, and measures was intro¬ duced into France in 1790, and since 1840 takes the place of all others. In this new system all the measures of length, superficies, and solidity, the unit of weight, and the unit of money, are connected together, and are derived from one fundamental unit, deduced from the size of the earth, by means of geometrical and physical data, and each is capable of being verified at all times and in all places. This fundamental unit is called Metre, and is equal to the ten-millionth part (O'OOOOOOl) of the distance from the pole to the equator. The prefixes which express multiples are Greek : — Myria Kilo Hecto Deca, represented by the capital letters M K H D, expressing the numbers 10,000 1,000 100 10 The prefixes which express sub-multiples are Latin : — Deci Centi Milli Deci-milli Cent-milli represented by d c m d-m c-in, expressing the fractions 0-1 o-oi o-ooi 0-0001 o-ooooi By means of this system, with a small number of words, the division can be carried almost ad infinitum. The measures of length are all either decimal multiples, or sub-mul¬ tiples to the metre, thus :— Myria- — M.-m. = 10,000 Metres. Kilo- — K.-m. = 1,000 99 Hecto- _ II.-m. = 100 99 Deca- D.-m. = 10 99 m. — 1 Metre. Deci- r^< d.-m. = o-i 99 Centi- — c.-m. = o-oi 99 Milli- — m.-m. — o-ooi 99 One great advantage of the decimal system of subdivision is, that, by the simple movement of a point, any one number of units is transformed into an equivalent number of superior and inferior units, thus:—• m 489*365 — Dm 48-9365 = Mm 0*489365 = cm48936*5. Linear Measure. French. English. The Metre is • 0 about 3 feet 3 inches. 99 Toise . . = 2 metres, or „ 6 „ 6 99 99 Pied (or foot) . _ i • — 3 ” 99 1 „ 1 99 99 Inch _ 1 • — 35 ” 99 0 „ 1 1 8 ” 9) Aune . • = » 99 3 „ 11 99 Weights. The Gramme # # 15-1340 grains 99 Decagramme , 10 5-64 drams, avoird. 99 Hectogramme . . 100 3-527 ounces , avoird. 99 Kilogramme 1,000 2 lbs, 3 oz. 41 drams, avoird 99 Myriagramme . 1 0,000 22*0485 lbs. avoird. Capacity. A Litre is . 1000 grammes 15406 312 grains. or 2*1135 wine pints. b. TABLES OF FRENCH MEASURES AND WEIGHTS. Xlii TABLES OF FRENCH MEASURES AND WEIGHTS. Table A. — French Feet reduced to English Feet.* French Feet. English Feet and Decimal Parts. French Feet. English Feet and Decimal Parts. French Feet. English Feet and Decimal Parts. 1 1*066 40 42*631 79 84*195 2 2*132 41 43*696 80 85*261 3 3*197 42 44*762 81 86*327 4 4*263 43 45*828 82 87*393 5 5*329 44 46*894 83 88*459 6 6*395 45 47*959 84 89*524 7 7*460 46 49*025 85 90*590 8 8*526 47 50 091 86 91*656 9 9*592 48 51*157 87 92*722 10 10*658 49 52*222 88 93*787 11 11 *723 50 53*288 89 94*853 12 12*789 51 54*354 90 95*919 13 13*855 52 55*420 91 96*985 14 14*921 53 56*486 92 98*050 15 15*986 54 57*551 93 99*116 16 17*052 55 58*617 94 100*182 17 18*118 56 59*683 95 101 *248 18 19*184 57 60*749 96 102*313 19 20*250 58 61*814 97 103*379 20 21*315 59 62*880 98 104*445 21 22*381 60 63*946 99 105 *511 22 23*447 61 65*012 100 106 *577 23 24*513 62 66*077 150 159*865 24 25*578 63 67*143 200 213*153 25 26*644 64 68*209 250 266*441 26 27*710 65 69*275 300 319*730 27 28*776 66 70*341 350 373*018 28 29*841 67 71*406 400 426*306 29 30*907 68 72*472 450 479*594 30 31 *973 69 73*538 500 532*883 31 33*039 70 74*604 550 586*171 32 34*104 71 75*669 600 639*460 33 35*170 72 76*735 650 692*747 34 36*236 73 77*801 700 746*036 35 37*302 74 78*867 750 799*324 36 38*368 75 79*932 800 852*612 37 39*433 76 80*998 850 905*901 38 40*499 77 82*064 900 959*189 39 41*565 78 83*130 1000 1065*765 1 French Foot = 1 *06576543 English Foot. 1 English Foot = 0*93829277 French Foot. * Tables A, and B are abridged from Lieut. Becher’s accurate work on Foreign Linear Measures. XIV b. TABLES OF FRENCH MEASURES AND WEIGHTS Table B. — French Metres reduced to English Feet. Metres. English Feet and Decimal Parts. ] 3-281 2 6-562 3 9-843 4 13-123 5 16-404 6 19-685 7 22-966 8 26-247 9 29-528 10 32-809 11 36 -090 12 39-371 13 42-652 14 45-932 15 49-213 16 52-494 17 55 -775 18 59-056 19 62-337 20 65 618 21 68-899 22 72-180 23 75-461 24 78-741 25 82-022 26 85-303 27 88-584 28 91-865 29 95-146 30 98-427 31 101 -708 32 104-989 33 108-270 34 111 -550 35 114-831 36 118-112 37 121-393 Metres. English Feet and Decimal Parts. 38 124-674 39 127-955 40 131 -236 41 134-517 42 137-798 43 141 079 44 144-359 45 147-640 46 150-921 47 154-202 48 157-483 49 160-764 50 164 045 51 167-326 52 170-607 53 173-888 54 177-168 55 180-449 56 1 83-730 57 187-011 58 190-292 59 193 -573 60 196-854 61 200-135 62 203 -416 63 206-697 64 209-977 65 213-258 66 216-539 67 219-820 68 223-101 69 226-382 70 229 663 71 232-944 72 236-225 73 239 -506 74 242-786 Metres. English Feet and Decimal Parts. 75 246 067 76 249-348 77 252-629 78 255*910 79 259-191 80 262-472 81 265-753 82 269 034 83 272*315 84 275-595 85 278-876 86 282*157 87 285-438 88 288-719 89 292-000 90 295-281 91 298-562 92 301 -843 93 305-124 94 308-404 95 311-685 96 314-966 97 318-247 98 321-528 99 324-809 100 328*090 200 656-180 300 984-270 400 1312-360 500 1640-450 600 1968-539 700 2296-629 800 2624-719 900 2952 -809 1000 3280-899 1 French metre — 3"2808992 English feet. b. TABLES OF FRENCH MEASURES AND WEIGHTS XV Table C. — French Kilometres and Myriametres into English Miles, etc. Kilom. Eng. Miles. Fur¬ longs. Yds. Ft. In. Kilom. Eng. Fur- Miles. longs. Yds. Ft. In. 1 0 4 213 1 11 8 4 7 169 0 4 2 1 1 207 0 10 9 5 4 162 2 3 3 1 6 200 2 9 1 myria, 6 1 156 1 2 4 2 3 194 1 8 2 12 3 92 2 4 5 3 0 188 0 7 3 18 5 29 0 6 6 3 5 181 2 6 4 24 6 185 1 8 7 4 2 175 1 5 5 31 0 121 2 10 1 Kilometre = 0 621 English mile. 1 Lieue de Poste = 2'422 English miles. Table D-French Lieues de Posts into English Miles and Yards. L. Mis. Yds. L. Mis. Yds. L. Mis. Yds. L. Mis. Yds. 1 2 743-061 11 26 1,133-671 30 72 1.171-832 400 968 1,544-428 2 4 1,486-122 12 29 116-732 40 96 1,562-443 500 1,211 170-535 3 7 469-183 13 31 859-794 50 121 193-053 600 1,453 556-642 4 9 1,212-244 14 33 1,602-855 60 145 583-664 700 1,695 942-749 5 12 195-305 15 36 585-916 70 169 974-275 800 1,937 1,328-856 6 14 938-366 16 38 1,328 977 80 193 1,364-886 900 2,179 1,714-963 7 16 1,681-427 17 41 312-038 90 217 1,755-496 1,000 2,422 341070 8 19 664-488 18 43 1,055-099 100 242 386-107 2,000 4,844 682 140 9 21 1,407-549 19 46 38-160 200 484 772-214 3,000 7,266 1,023-210 10 24 390-610 20 48 781-221 300 726 1,158-321 5,000 12,110 1,705-350 Table E.—French Kilogrammes into English Pounds (Avoirdupois). Kil. E. Pds. Kil. E. Pds. Kil. E. Pds. Kil. E. Pds. Kil. E. Pds. 1 2-206 14 30-880 27 59-554 40 88-228 300 761-714 2 4-411 15 33-086 28 61-760 41 90-434 400 882 286 3 6-617 16 35-291 29 63-996 42 92-640 500 1,102-857 4 8-823 17 37-497 30 66-171 43 94-846 1,000 2,205-714 5 11-028 18 39-703 31 68-377 ' 44 97-051 2,000 4,411-429 6 13-234 19 41-908 32 70-583 45 99-257 3,000 6,617-143 7 15-440 20 44-114 33 72-788 46 101-463 4,000 8,«22-857 8 17-646 21 46-320 34 74-994 47 103-668 5,000 11,028-471 9 19-851 22 48-526 35 77-200 48 105-874 10,000 22,057-143 10 22-057 23 50-731 36 79-405 49 108-080 20,000 44,114-286 11 24-263 24 52-937 37 81-611 50 110-286 30,000 66,171-429 12 26-468 25 55-143 38 83-817 100 220-571 40,000 88,228-572 13 28-674 26 57-348 39 86-023 200 441-143 50,000 110,285-715 XVI C. PASSPORTS AND POLICE. Table F. — French Pounds into English Pounds (Avoirdupois). Fr. Eng. Fr. Eng. Fr. Eng. Fr. Eng. Fr. Eng. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. Pds. 1 1-080 14 15-116 27 29-152 40 43-188 300 323-913 2 2-159 15 16-196 28 30-232 41 44-268 400 431-884 3 3-239 16 17-275 29 31-312 42 45-348 500 539-855 4 4-319 17 18-355 30 32-391 43 46-427 1,000 1,079-710 5 5-393 18 19-435 31 33-471 44 47-507 2,000 2,159-420 6 G-478 19 20-514 32 34-551 45 48-587 3,000 3,239-130 7 7-558 20 21 -594 33 35-630 46 49-666 4,000 4,318-840 8 8-638 21 22 674 34 36-710 47 50-746 5,000 5,398-550 9 9-717 22 23-754 35 37-790 48 51-826 10,000 10,797-100 10 10-797 23 24-833 36 38-869 49 52-906 20,000 21,594-200 11 11-877 24 25-913 37 39-949 50 53-985 30,000 32,391-300 12 12-956 25 26-993 38 41-029 100 107-971 40,000 43.188-400 13 14-036 26 28-072 39 42-109 200 215-942 50,000 53,985-500 Ta ble G. — French Hectares into English Acres Meet. Acres. Hect . Acres. Hect Acres. Hect. Acres. Hect. Acres. 1 2-471 8 19-769 15 37-067 40 98-846 200 494-229 2 4-942 9 22-210 16 39-538 50 123-557 300 741-343 3 7-413 10 24-711 17 42-009 60 148-268 400 988-457 4 9-884 11 27-182 18 44-480 70 172-980 500 1,235-571 5 12-356 12 29-654 19 46-952 80 197 691 1,000 2,471-143 6 14-827 13 32-125 20 49-423 90 222-403 2,000 4,942-286 7 17-298 14 34-5S6 30 74-134 100 247-114 5,000 12,355-751 Table H. — French “Aunes de Paris” into English Yards. Aun. Yds. Aun. Yds. Aun. Yds. Aun. Yds. Aun. Yds. 1 1-300 7 9-098 13 16-896 19 24-695 70 90-981 2 2-599 8 10 398 14 18-196 20 25-994 80 103-978 3 3-899 9 11-697 15 19-496 30 38-992 90 116-975 4 5-199 10 12-997 16 20-795 40 51-989 100 129-972 5 6-499 11 14-297 17 22-095 50 64-986 200 259-945 6 7-799 12 15-597 18 23-395 60 77-983 500 649-862 C. PASSPORTS AND POLICE. A passport is indispensable to enable a stranger to travel in France. A French passport may be procured in London, at the French Con¬ sul’s Office, 47, King William Street, London Bridge (price 5s.), open from 11 to 4 daily. The passport is at once made out, and, after a des¬ cription of the person of the bearer has been inserted in it, and his own signature (which should be written legibly) has been attached to it, will be delivered to him. The description of his person, or signalement, should on no account be omitted in any passport for France: the want of it may, in remote parts of the country, lead to the bearer’s detention or arrest; and it is the more necessary to dwell on this point, because the officials of English ministers abroad, in making out passports for their countrymen, are apt to slur it over to save trouble. Rentier , or independent man, is a convenient designation for those who travel for recreation. An Englishman landing at any French port, and not in¬ tending to proceed inland, is not required to have a passport. An English passport may now be obtained at the Foreign Office, Downing Street, from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, by C. PASSPORTS AND POLICE. XVU British subjects properly recommended by a Banker, an M.P., or Peer, on payment of Is. 6cl , and is the best certificate of nationality which an Englishman can carry abroad. Passports may be also obtained on payment of 4?. 6d. from British consuls in France, or from French consuls residing at British sea-ports, for 10-s. Mr. Lee, bookseller, of West Strand, will procure passports and vises, and mount them in a case, at a fair price. Continental tourists are recommended to procure a Foreign Office passport, and have it countersigned, before leaving London, by the authorities of the various countries they intend to visit. (The vise of the French Consul costs 4s. 3d.) They will thus save much time and avoid inconvenience, the Foreign Secretary’s passport being readily admitted all over the Continent. The following are the regulations issued by the Foreign Office with regard to passports : — “ 1. Application for Foreign Office passports must be made in writing; and addressed to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, with tile word “passport” written upon the corner. “ 2. The fee on the issue of a passport is 7s, 6d. “ 3. Foreign Office passports are granted only to British subjects, including in that description foreigners who have been naturalized by Act of Parliament, or by certificates of naturalization granted before the 24th day of August, i850: in this latter case, the party is described in the passport as a £ naturalized British subject.’ “ 4. Passports are granted between the hours of twelve and four, on the day following that on which the application for the passport has been received at the Foreign Office. “5. Passports are granted to persons who are either known to the Secretary of State, or recommended to him by some person who is known to him ; or upon the written application of any banking firm established in London or in any other part of the United Kingdom. “6. Passports cannot be sent by the Foreign Office to persons already abroad. Such persons should apply to the nearest British mission or consulate. “ 7. Foreign Office passports must be countersigned at the mission, or at some consulate in England, of the Government of the country which the bearer of the passport intends to visit. “ 8. A Foreign Office Passport granted for one journey may be used for any subsequent journey if countersigned afresh by the ministers or consuls of the countries which the bearer intends to visit.” In cases of hasty departure from England, when a traveller has not time to apply one day in advance, he may obtain a passport in anyplace in France where an English consul resides. A British consular pass¬ port is preferable to a foreign consul's. To secure personally the necessary visas of French and foreign ministers to a passport, to enable the bearer to enter Austria or Italy, is not to be done under two days. The stranger who undertakes to do this for himself will find it a very disagreeable and tiresome business, the passport offices being open only at fixed hours, being situated in C. PASSPORTS AND POLICE. xviii distant parts of the town, and being beset by crowds of applicants. In all the respectable Paris hotels (Meurice, Bristol, &c.), a commis¬ sionaire is appointed to attend to the passports, for which a fixed charge (4 to 5 francs) is made, and this saves the traveller a couple of days’ running about from office to office. The signature of the Papal nuncio is essential for travellers going to Rome, and can be obtained only at Paris. If the stranger is not going to Paris, but only to cross a part of France, on his way to another country, for instance, from Calais to Lille, on his way to Belgium, the passport which he brings with him is vise at the frontier and returned to him. If he wishes merely to make a short stay at the place where he has landed (Boulogne for instance), or in a contiguous department, and the period of his stay do not exceed one month, the local authorities deliver to him a limited passport, re¬ taining the original in their hands. Since the introduction of railways (184G) the passport system in France seems to have been relaxed in strictness, and a peaceably dis¬ posed traveller may sojourn months in the country and traverse it in many directions without its being even asked for. Still he is never safe without it. The Republic is as stern in requiring a passport as the monarchy, and it should always be carried about the person. The gens- darmes are authorised to call for it not only in frontier and fortified towns, but in remote villages : they may stop you on the highway, or way¬ lay you as you descend from the diligence — may force themselves into the salle-a-manger, or enter your bed-room, to demand a sight of this precious document. It is needless to expatiate on this restraint, so in¬ consistent with the freedom which an Englishman enjoys at home, or to show that the police are a pest to the harmless and well-conducted, without being a terror to evil doers; it is the custom of the country, and the stranger must conform, or has no business to set his foot in it. It must be allowed that the police perform their duty with civility, so as to render it as little vexatious as possible. They cannot enter a private house without a warrant. Those who lose their passports, leave them behind, or do not take care to have them “en regie,” are liable to be marched off to the juge de paix or prefet, often a distance of 10, 15, or 20 miles, on foot, unless they choose to pay for a carriage for their escort as well as themselves; and if no satisfactory explanation can be given, may at last be deposited in prison. Before leaving France the passport must be viseed by the British Minister and the police authorities : it must, also be stamped (vise) before embarking at a French port. The duties of rural police are performed by Gensdarmes, a fine body of men, chosen from the line, handsomely dressed, better mounted than any other French cavalry corps. Being settled in their native country, and not moved from place to place, they know every body and all the localities. Their salary amounts to 80/. a-year, out of which they have to provide their horse and uniform. d. ROUTES. XIX d. ROUTES.-ACROSS FRANCE-LONDON TO PARIS — STRASBURG- MARSEILLES, &C. London to Paris by Rail and Steamer. a. By Folkestone , (express 2\ hours), Boulogne (2 hours, steam). By crossing from Dover or Folkestone to Boulogne, instead of Calais, 22 m. of land journey between Calais and Boulogne are saved. b. By Dover , Calais, Lille, 14 hours. c. By Brighton , Shoreham, Dieppe, and Rouen, 16 hours. d. By Southampton arid Havre , 18 to 22 hours. Steamers in connexion with the S. W. Railway (trains from London, 7.30 p.m., daily) leave the Open Dock, Southampton, every night but Sunday. London to Bale, in Switzerland by (Paris, 12 hours), Stras- burg (break in rail from Bar-le-Duc to Strasburg), 56 hours, or 48 hours when the railway is opened throughout. London to Geneva by Paris, Tonnerre, Dijon (28 hours by rail¬ way and mail), (or from Chalons to Lons-le-Saulnier). London to Marseilles in 56 hours, by Paris (railway and steamer) 12 hours; Chalons-sur-Soane, 10 hours (railway express); Lyons, 5 hours; Avignon, 12 to 18 hours (steamers); Marseilles, 4 hours (rail¬ way). * The traveller bound for Marseilles should have his passport vise for that place direct on landing in France, which will enable him to retain his passport as far as Marseilles, and will save delay at Paris. An English Government steamer plies twice a-month direct between Marseilles and Malta, where it meets the steamer coming direct from England. The fare is 9/., including board, for a 1st class passenger; that of the 2nd class being 51. It leaves Marseilles on the 11th of every month, arriving at Malta early on the third day, or the 14th ; and brings with it the London mail for India, which is made up on the 8th, unless it should happen to fall on a Sunday, when it is deferred till the following day. By this junction steamer letters can be dis¬ patched from London three or four days later than by the packet that goes round by Gibraltar to Malta. The arrangements of the Mediterranean steamers are frequently changing; and it is therefore advisable to refer to the tariffs issued annually by the different companies. You ought to reach Marseilles on the 10th or very early on the 11th of the month, in order to embark comfortably. At Marseilles it is necessary to get the passport vise by the British consul and the local police ; also a bill of health, and a permis d’em- barquement. French Government steamers ply from Marseilles to Alexandria, Constantinople, and Beyrout, touching at Malta, twice a month, 10th, and 25th. Other French Government steamers run from Marseilles to Malta, touching on the way at Leghorn, Civita Yecchia, and Naples, on the 9th, 19th, and 29th. XX e. POSTING. London to Bordeaux by Orleans, Tours, and Poitiers (railway thus far in 10 hours). The railway is being continued to Libourne, and is open thence to Bordeaux. London to Dunkerque (screw steamer, 3 times a week) in 12 hours. London to Boulogne (steamer, 9 to 12 hours, 5 hours of open sea). This is an economical route, and not fatiguing for those who can stand the sea. Owing to the prevalence of certain winds and currents, the shortest passages are from Dover to Calais (1 h. 40 m.), and from Boulogne to Folkestone (2 hours). e. POSTING.-PRIVATE CARRIAGE. The French Post Book (Livre de Poste), published under the au¬ thority of the Government, is indispensable for persons travelling post, as it contains the exact distances from post to post, and the extra dues on entering and quitting towns (postes de faveur), which are constantly changing, likewise the legal distances from the chief statiojis of the chemins de fer to places in their vicinity. It may be had in all towns, and even at the post-houses. By a law enforced throughout France since the 1st Jan., 1840, dis¬ tances are no longer calculated by “postes hut by kilometres and my- riametres. 1 kilometre (i.e. 1000 metres) == nearly 5 furlongs, or |lhs of an English mile; 1 myriametre = 10 kilom. = nearly 6J Eng. m. (or G m. 1 fur. 156 yds.). See table, page xv. The postmaster’s authorised charge is, For each horse , 2 francs or 40 sous per myriametre, or 20 centimes per kilom. The Postilion is entitled by the law to demand only 1 franc per my¬ riametre or 10 centimes per kilom. ; but it is customary to pay him 2 francs per myriam., or at the rate of a horse, unless he has misconducted himself, when he may be punished by limiting his pay to the tariff He is bound by the law to drive the myriametre within 46 and 58 minutes. The English, who generally want to go faster, are too often in the habit of giving him 50 sous per myriam., or 5 per kilom., which is at the rate of more than 4 d. an English mile; i.e. more than a postboy in England gets. In fact, French postboys are not satisfied with 4 sous, but well contented with 5. This extravagant remuneration is contrary to the express injunction of the French “ Livre de Poste,” which says, p. 42, “ Les voyageurs con¬ served done la faculte de restreindre le prix des guides a 1 franc, a titre de punition ; et ils seront invites par les maitres de poste, et dans l’interet du service, a ne jamais depasser la retribution de 2 fr. par myriametre.” The cost of posting with 3 persons in a caleche, through France, may be calculated at 8 francs par myriametre, or 80 centimes par kilometre. For 2 persons, with 2 horses and postboy, the rate is about 6 francs, or nearly 9 d. per English mile. * The old poste=8 kilometres. e. POSTING. XXI The average speed of posting does not much exceed a myriametre per hour, including stoppages. In fixing the number of horses to be attached, the postmaster takes into account the nature, size, and weight of the carriage, and the quan¬ tity of luggage : a landau or berlin always requires 3 horses at least, generally 4 ; a chariot will require 3; while a britzka, holding the same number of persons, will need only 2. To facilitate this, carriages are divided into 3 classes : — 1. Cabriolets and light caleches without a front seat, or having one narrower than the back seat, must have 2 horses. 2. Limonieres, heavier carriages, chariots (coupees) ; to these the postmaster may attach 3 horses, even when they contain only 2 persons. 3. The heaviest kind of carriages, berlines, landaus, barouches, whe¬ ther closed or not, but having a front seat as wide as the back, 4 horses. The posting regulations allot one horse to each person in a carriage; but allow the traveller, at his option, and provided the ppstmaster agrees, either to take the full complement of horses, at the rate of 40 sous each, or to take 2 or 3 at 40 sous, and to pay for the rest at 30 sous, without taking them. Thus a party of 4 persons in a light britzka may be drawn by 2 horses, paying 30 sous each for a third and fourth horse, which they are liable to take, or 3 francs extra for the 2 persons above the number of horses, thus compounding with the postmasters along the whole line of road. Where the carriage is so light as not to require as many horses as there are passengers, it is, of course, a saving of 10 sous a myriam. for each horse to dispense wfith them. Postmasters in France are too apt to withhold the third horse, even in cases where the weight of the carriage and the state of the roads require it to be put to. No one ought to submit to this when first attempted; it will cause much loss of time on hilly roads. The limitation of the number of horses on first setting out on a journey is of importance, because you are obliged to take on from every post station (except in the case of supplemental horses) the same number of horses that brought you to the relay. One postilion may drive 4 horses, “aux grandes guides;” where 3 horses are required, they may be harnessed one in front of the others, or “ a l’arbalete.” Formerly, in France, 3 horses required to be yoked abreast ; and for this purpose shafts must be put to the carriage; but this rule is not now enforced, and there is no difficulty in travelling with 3 horses and a pole, as in Belgium and Germanj'. On certain hilly stages one or more extra horses (chevaux de supple¬ ment) are required to be attached to carriages, and at the entry into and departure from certain large towns the postmaster is allowed to charge for a number of kilometres exceeding the real distance of the stage, called “ distances supplementaires,” de faveur or formerly “ postes royales.” For example, 8 kilometres beyond the real distance are charged on entering and quitting Paris. These privileges are defined by the “ Livre de Poste.” Those who merely pass through towns, changing horses but not stopping, are exempted from this extra charge. The furnishing of post-horses does not, as in England, include a post - xxu e. POSTING — CARRIAGES. chaise, and those who mean to post in France must have a carriage of their own. It is true the French postmasters are obliged to keep a cabriolet or small caleche for hire, but it is usually a rickety vehicle holding only 2 persons, with no room for baggage beyond a sac de nuit, and is therefore seldom resorted to. The charge for it is the same as for a single horse, i. e. 40 sous per myriam. Postilions are not allowed to pass another carriage on the road, unless the one in advance be drawn by fewer horses, or has been stopped by some accident. Travellers are supplied with horses in the order in which they and their couriers arrive ; the malles postes and Government estafettes alone having a right of precedence. A register is kept at every posthouse, in which the traveller may enter complaints against the postmaster or his servants in that or the neighbouring relays. These registers are inspected at stated times by proper authorities, and the charges are investigated. Tariff charge of post-horses for conveying a carriage from the railway termini in Paris — for 2 horses and I postilion, 6 francs ; 3 horses and 1 postilion, 8 francs 30 centimes ; 4 horses and 2 postilions, 12 francs. Table of Posting Charges in France. Kilometres. Three Horses, and Two “ Petits Chevals ” paid for but not used. One Post-Boy. Total. fr- c. f r - c. f r - c. 1 0 90 0 20 1 10 2 1 80 0 40 2 20 3 2 70 0 60 3 30 4 3 60 0 80 4 40 5 4 50 1 0 5 50 6 5 40 1 20 6 60 7 6 30 1 40 7 70 8 7 20 1 60 8 80 9 8 10 1 80 9 10 10 9 0 2 0 11 0 11 9 90 2 20 12 10 12 10 80 2 40 13 20 13 11 70 2 60 14 30 14 12 60 2 80 13 40 15 13 30 3 0 16 50 16 14 40 3 20 17 60 17 15 30 3 40 18 70 18 16 20 3 60 19 80 19 17 10 3 80 20 90 20 18 0 4 0 22 0 Carriages. Duty on English Carriages .— English travellers, on entering France with a carriage not of French make, are called upon to deposit one-third e. POSTING — HIRED CARRIAGES. Xxiii of an ad valorem duty for it; a barouche or chariot is usually rated at 1000 frs. (sometimes you can get off for 600), and a landau or coach at 1500 frs. Travellers should be aware of this, in order that they may take with them ready money to meet this charge. A receipt, with an order upon the Bureau des Douanes, is given to the owner, entitling him to receive back fth of this one-third, if the same carriage be taken out of France within 3 years. This order describes very particularly the carriage, and, on presenting it at the frontier, the money deposited is repaid, except ith (i . e. T -L-th of the value of the carriage), which is all the duty paid. Carriages landed in France, and taken out of the country within six days, are exempted from the duty of a third of their value, formerly levied on all carriages without exception.* This remission of duty, how¬ ever, can only be obtained on condition that some respectable French householder will guarantee that the carriage shall quit France within the six days specified. The landlord of the inn at which the traveller puts up in Calais will effect this arrangement: but as he subjects him¬ self to a penalty of a very large amount in case the above condition is not complied with, he requires the traveller to sign an undertaking to indemnify and hold him harmless in case of failure. An order to pro¬ cure this remission of duty, issued by the French custom-house, and called “ acquit d caution,” costs 5 francs, and must be delivered up on passing the French frontier. Owing to the inferiority of the post-chaises in France (alluded to above), those who intend to travel post, and are not furnished with a carriage of their own, must buy or hire one. A travelling carriage, strong and tolerably good-looking, may be hired at Calais, or Paris, or Boulogne, from one of the innkeepers, for 350 or 400 fr. (16/.) for two months, and 8 fr. a-day after the expiration of that time ; the owner to pay for all necessary repairs. Thus the expense of crossing and recrossing the Channel, of shipping and unshipping, is spared. Hired Carriages — Voitures d volonte. It is difficult to fix a fair scale of prices to pay for the hire of a car¬ riage and horses in different parts of France ; the best guide is to calcu¬ late it at one-half or two-thirds of posting price for the same distance, exclusive of the carriage. The carriage usually to be met with for hire is the cabriolet — a heavy, lumbering, and jolting vehicle : the charge for it is commonly 8 or 9 fr. a-day, exclusive of a pourboire of 2 or 3 fr. to the driver. It has neither the neatness nor the lightness of the gigs furnished at a country inn in England, but is necessarily clumsily built to stand the terrible cross-roads of France. In out-of-the-way places often no other vehicle is to be found than a patache — a rustic cab, verging towards the covered cart, wfithout its easy motion. He who rides in a patache must prepare to be jolted to pieces. * It is said that no duty is levied on carriages entering by land. XXIV f, MALLES TOSTES. f MALLES POSTES, equivalent to the English mail-coaches, and kept up at the expense of Government, travel along the following great roads of France to carry the mail, and are allowed to take 2 or 3 passengers. The various railways ramifying from Paris have superseded the 12 malles which used previously to start from the capital. The following malles postes keep up the communication between the railway termini and the stations most conveniently situated and the extreme limits of the territory of France : also between those provincial towns not as yet united by railways : — 1. Tonnere to Bale. 2. Chartres to Brest, 36 to 37 hours. 3. St. Pierre de Vauvray to Cherbourg, 15^ to 17 hours. 4. Chalons sur Marne to Metz, 10 hours. 5. Dijon to Geneva, 15 hours. 6. - to Besancon, 6 hours 194 kilom. 7. Lyons to Miihlhausen, 24 hours. 8. ISevers to Avignon, by Moulins, Lyons, Vienne and Valence (1 place), 35 to 37 hours. 9. Nevers to Montpellier, by Clermont, St. Flour, Lodeve, 36J to 42 hours. 10. Epernay to Sedan, by Fheims, 84 hours. 11. Bar le Due to Sarrebourg (until the railway is finished), 12 hours. 12. Chateauroux to Toulouse, by Limoges, Cahors, and Montauban, 30 to 33 hours. 13. Limoges to Pau, by Chalus, Perigueux, Agen, Auch, and Tarbes, 14. Toulouse to Bayonne, by Auch, Tarbes, and Pau, 15. -to Montpellier, by Narbonne, 16 hours. 16. -to Perpignan, by Limoux, 14 hours. 17. Bordeaux to Bayonne, 14^ hours. 18. -to Toulouse, 15^ hours. The French mails are on the whole very comfortable, though the in¬ side passengers have not very much room, and he that sits by the side of the conductor in the cabriolet is liable to be annoyed at every post town by his companion’s horn in his efforts to rouse the postmasters, and by his bustle in the delivery and receipt of the letter-bags. The mails consist of a stoutly-built barouche which holds comfort¬ ably inside 2 or 3 passengers ; painted of a light red colour, drawn by 4 horses with tolerable harness, with a seat in front for the postilion, and one behind for the conductor. Their rate of travelling exceeds that of the diligence on almost all the roads, equalling at least 9 or 10 Eng. m. an hour. The price of places is nearly double that of the diligence, being 1 fr, 75 cent, per myriam. — to nearly 3d. a mile, the outside fare on an English mail. As the malles postes take few passengers, it is generally necessary to secure a place some days beforehand. Places are taken at the post- offices in the towns whence or through which the malle poste passes. XXV g. DILIGENCES. The passport must be shown if required before the name can be en¬ tered, and half the fare must be paid at once, the remainder before starting. Baggage of passengers is restricted in weight to 25 kilogram, or 55 lbs. ; all above that weight must be paid for. No portmanteau, or sac de nuit, of dimensions exceeding the following measurement can be admitted into a malle poste : — In length . . 0 m , 70 decim. = 2 6 pouces = 27 English inches, breadth . . 0 m , 40 =14 =15 height . . 0 m , 35 =13 =13 These regulations are strictly enforced, so that it is vain for those who travel with much baggage to think of availing themselves of the malle poste. There is room, however, for a writing-case or hat-box inside. The fare includes all charges ; nothing is to be given to the posti¬ lions ; the conductor generally receives a small douceur, varying from 5 to 10 fr. according to the length of the journey, at the good will of the passenger. Places cannot be secured except for three-fourths of the entire dis¬ tance which the mail travels; nor are passengers taken for short dis¬ tances unless they are without baggage. g. DILIGENCES. The French stage coach or diligence is a huge, heavy, lofty, lumber¬ ing machine, something between an English stage and a broad-wheeled waggon. It is composed of three parts or bodies joined together: 1. the front division, called Coupe, shaped like a chariot or post-chaise, holding 3 persons, quite distinct from the rest of the passengers, so that ladies may resort to it without inconvenience, and, by securing all 3 places to themselves, travel nearly as comfortably as in a private carriage. The fare is more expensive than in the other part of the vehicle. 2. Next to it comes the Interieur , or inside, holding 6 persons, and oppressively warm in summer. 3. Behind this is attached the Rotonde , “the receptacle of dust, dirt, and bad company,” the least desirable part of the diligence, and the cheapest except The Banquette, or Jmperiale, an outside seat on the roof of the coupe, tolerably well protected from rain and cold by a hood or head, and lea¬ ther apron, but somew'hat difficult of access until you are accustomed to climb up into it. It affords a comfortable and roomy seat by the side of the conductor, with the advantages of fresh air and the best view of the country from its great elevation, and greater freedom from the dust than those enjoy who sit below. It is true you may sometimes meet rough and low-bred companions, for the French do not like to travel outside; and few persons of the better class resort to it, except English, and they for the most part prefer it to all others. It is not suited to females, owing to the difficulty of clambering up to it. The diligence is more roomy and easy, and therefore less fatiguing than an English stage ; a XXVI g. DILIGENCES. but the pace is slow, rarely exceeding 6 or 7 m. an hour, and in bad weather, when roads are heavy, falling below that. Nevertheless, the diligences have undergone considerable improvement within the last 15 or 20 years; the horses are changed more rapidly ; strips of hide have taken the place of rope harness ; and, on one or two lines of road, the rate of travelling is accelerated to 8, or even 10 m. an hour. The coach and its contents are placed in charge of the Conducteur, a sort of guard, who takes care of the passengers, the luggage, the way¬ bill, and the mecanique, that is, the break or leverage, by which the wheel is locked. He is paid by the administration, and expects nothing from the passengers, unless he obliges them by some extra service. He is generally an intelligent person, often an old soldier, and the traveller may pick up some imformation from him. The large 1st class, three-bodied diligences carry 15 passengers in¬ side, and 4 out, including the conductor, and weigh when loaded 11,000 lbs., or about 5 tons. They are drawn by 5 or 6 horses, driven by a post-boy from the box, instead of the saddle, as was formerly the case. Besides passengers, the diligence carries a great deal of heavy merchandise, such as in England would be sent by the waggon or canal-boat. The places in the diligence are all numbered, and are given out to pas¬ sengers in the order in which they book themselves, the corner seats first; and it comports very much with the traveller’s comfort to secure one of them, especially in long journeys. Before starting, the passen¬ gers’ names are called over, and to each is assigned his proper place. The average rate of th e fares may be calculated at 45 or 50 centimes for 2 leagues, equivalent to l^d. a mile English, except for the coupe, which is somewhat higher. Never omit to ask for the receipt or bulletin for the fare paid, which constitutes your legal title to the place. Two great companies, whose head-quarters are at Paris, the Messa- geries (Royales), Nationales and Messageries Generates (Laffitte, Cail- lard, et Comp ie .), furnish diligences on the great roads of France, and correspond with provincial companies who “ coach” the more distant and cross roads, so that there is no want of means of conveyance in any part of France between places of moderate consequence. In many cases, however, the “turn-out” from provincial towns is of the worst kind, and the organisation is throughout inferior to the stage-coaching of England. The two chief Messageries are equally good, and, generally speaking, superior to any of the minor companies ; indeed, they manage to keep down their rivals, by a mutual understanding with each other. N.B. On those routes upon which railways have been begun, the diligence pursues the line of the rail; the body of the vehicle being taken off from its wheels by a crane, and deposited, luggage, passengers and all, upon a truck attached to the train. On arriving at its desti¬ nation it is taken off’ and placed upon a different set of wheels, and is instantly driven off. N.B. During the month of August the diligences on all the great roads are thronged with school-boys and collegians, with their parents and masters, in consequence of the breaking up of the establishments of g. DILIGENCES- Jl. RAILROADS. XXvii education in Paris, all hurrying home at once into the provinces. It not unfrequently happens, that for a fortnight together every place in every coach is taken. The vacations at the public offices occur about the same time, and contribute largely to swell the crowd of travellers in August. h. RAILROADS. France having allowed herself to be outstripped by her neighbours, not only by England, but also by Belgium, Prussia, and Austria, in these means of extending national resources and civilisation, is now making up for lost time. “By a law passed in 1842, a system of railways was laid down for France, which, with slight modifications, is now being carried into effect. By this plan seven great arteries of railway communication were pro¬ jected. J. “ The Great Northern of France issues from Paris to Amiens, fol¬ lowing the valleys of the Oise, Breche, Arc and Somme. From Amiens it is carried to Douay, where it forks, one branch running by Valenciennes to the Belgian frontier, the other by Lille to Calais and Dunkerque. Connected with this line are 2 great branches from Amiens to Bou¬ logne, and from Creil to St. Quentin. 2. “ A line from Paris to the W. coast of the Bay of Biscay has been completed as far as Chartres only, but is in progress to Rennes. 3. “ A line from Paris by Orleans to Tours, and from Paris to the Pyrenees at Bayonne, by Bordeaux, is in operation as far as Poitiers. This line throws off an important branch from Tours to Angers and Nantes, which is open to traffic. 4. “ The artery intended to proceed S. to the Pyrenees at Perpignan is open as far as Chateauroux, branching from No. 3 line at Orleans. 5. “ The Great Southern Railway, intended to connect Paris with Marseilles, is open by Tonnerre and Dijon as far as Chalons-sur-Saone ; the last section, between Marseilles and Avignon, being also completed and under traffic. From Lyons to Avignon is begun. 6. “ The eastern line, proceeding from Paris to the Rhine at Stras- burg, is open as far as Bar le Due, and also between Strasburg and Nancy. The intervening part will be completed in 1852. “ In 1851 there were in France 1813 m. of railway open to traffic, and 1178 m. in progress : 577 m. were projected, but not begun.”— Times , Sept. 1851. The Livret or Guide of Paul Chaix , published monthly, contains the time-tables, fares, &c., of all the French railways: it is the “ Bradshaw ” of France, and will be a useful companion to travellers in that country. Railway passengers are compelled to deliver up their luggage blindly into the hands of the officials, by whom it is booked ( enregistre ), for which a fee of 2 sous must be paid, and a ticket is given, on delivery of which at the journey’s end the baggage is restored to the holder. This gives rise to frequent inconvenience and serious mistakes and inevitable delay. The best way to obviate the nuisance is to take as little as a 2 XXviii h. RAILROADS. possible, and to place it in one or more carpet bags, which will lie under the seat in the carriage.* RAILWAY STATIONS IN PARIS. Paris to ( Boulogne, Calais. I Amiens. Dunkirk. Dieppe. Rouen. ( Orleans, Tours, and | Nantes. Clos. St. Lazare, Faub. St. Denis. 15 Rue d’Amsterdam. Place Roubaix, at the extremity of the Rue du Havre. Boulevard de l’Hbpital. * Travellers arriving in Paris are exposed to a very annoying delay at the railway stations, arising out of the examination and slow delivery of their luggage — a delay which is seldom less than half an hour, and when the quantity of luggage to be examined is large, often exceeding that time. The traveller is obliged to wait in a cold anteroom, often without seats, until the whole of the luggage arriving by the train is laid out along tables, where it is examined by the Octroi and Custom House authorities. Families can avoid this annoying ordeal, by leaving it to be performed by their servants. ■ Another annoyance to which the traveller is subjected on arriving by railway — The servants employed by the Company will endeavour to per¬ suade him that the only mode of conveyance to his hotel is by om¬ nibus, as these vehicles either belong to the Railway Company, or their owners pay an annual rent for the privilege of plying from their sta¬ tions, and standing in the court of the terminus. The traveller who adopts this mode of conveyance must wait until the last person arriving by the train has left the station, i. e. until a chance remains of their picking up a new fare ; and when the omnibus does start, do not let him suppose he is to be carried direct to his destination, as in London, since the omnibus follows a most circuitous course, dropping its passengers on the way at the dif¬ ferent hotels. Thus the traveller going to the Rue de Rivoli from the Northern Railway Station, may be carried to half a dozen of hotels, in every street in the same quarter of the town, a journey of less than a quarter of an hour, which is seldom performed in less than double, and generally requires triple that time. To avoid this inconvenience, we would advise the traveller to insist on his luggage being taken to a carriage, of which there are always plenty in attendance, at the gate of every railway station, which will convey him immediately to his hotel, and at a charge of a few sols more than he would have to pay to the omnibus, since the seat in the latter costs 12 sols, and each parcel of luggage an additional 6 sols; whereas a cabri¬ olet, including the coachman’s pour boire, is only 30 sols. Families arriving in Paris should desire beforehand the owners of the hotels they intend stopping at to send a carriage with a laquais de place to meet them. The latter can remain with their servants to see their luggage examined, and to take it to the hotel. By doing this, a delay very annoying to ladies, especially when arriving in Paris, as is gene¬ rally the case, by the night trains, may be avoided. J. B. P, 11. RAILROADS — L STEAM-BOATS — k. INNS. XXIX Paris to Lyons. - Strasburg. 5 < i Versailles, right bank, and St. Germain. Versailles, left bank, and Chartres. Boulevard Mazas. Rue Neuve de Chabral, Faubourg St. Martin. Same as Rouen and Havre. Barriere du Maine. i. STEAM-BOATS. The use of steam is now very general in France, all the great rivers being traversed by steamers. Inland Steam Navigation. The Seine, from Havre to Rouen, from Paris to Montereau. The Oise , to Compiegne. The Loire, from Nantes to Tours ; — Orleans, to Gien, Nevers, and Digoin. The Allier, to Moulins. The Aiilne , Brest to Chateaulin. The Charente, Rochefort to Saintes and Angouleme. The Garonne, Bordeaux to Agen. The Gironde, Bordeaux to the sea. The Rhone, from Arles to Lyons and Seyssel, and between Arles and Marseilles by merchant steamers. The Saone, from Lyons to Chalons. The Moselle, from Treves to Thionville. The rivers of France are more liable than those of Britain to rise and fall, and a sudden elevation caused by rains, or a want of water owing to drought, has equally the effect of arresting the navigation ; the last by withdrawing the necessary depth of water, the first by filling the arches of the bridges so as to leave no room for the steamers to pass under them. There are also a great number of coasting steamers; but the traveller should be cautious in trusting himself to them, unless the character of the captains and engineers be well ascertained to be of tried experience, as accidents not unfrequently happen, and even the French themselves do not place unlimited confidence in coasting steamers. h. INNS—TABLES-d’hoTE, ETC. On the whole, the inns of France are very inferior to those of Ger¬ many and Switzerland, in the want of general comfort, and above all of cleanliness — their greaitest drawback. There is an exception to this however, in the bed and table linen. Even the filthy cabaret, whose kitchen and salon are scarcely endurable to look at, commonly affords napkins and table-coths clean, though coarse and rough, and beds with unsullied sheets and white draperies, together with well-stuffed mat¬ tresses and pillows, which put German cribs and feather-beds to shame. Many of the most important essentials, on the other hand, are utterly disregarded, and evince a state of grossness and barbarism hardly to be XXX k. INNS — TABLES-D’hOTE, ETC. expected in a civilised country ; the provisions for personal ablution are very defective ; the washing of floors, whether of timber or tile, seems unknown. In the better hotels, indeed, the floors are polished as tables are in England, with brushes attached to the feet instead of hands ; but in most cases they are black with the accumulated filth of years, a little water being sprinkled on them from time to time to lay the dust and in¬ crease the dark crust of dirt. French Inns may be divided into two classes :— a. Those which make some pretensions to study English tastes and habits (and a few of them have some claim to be considered comfortable), and, being frequented by Englishmen, are very exorbitant in their charges. Such are met with along the great roads to Paris, and thence to Geneva, Lyons, and Mar¬ seilles. b. Those in remote situations, not yet corrupted to exorbitance by the English and their couriers ; where the traveller who can conform with the customs of the country is treated fairly, and charged no higher than a Frenchman. The expense of living in these country inns is mo¬ derate, 0 francs a-day board and lodging, and 10 sous to the servants. In one respect the inns of France are more accommodating than those of Germany, that they will furnish at almost any hour of the day, at 10 minutes or a hour’s notice, a well-dressed dinner of 8 or 10 dishes, at a cost not greatly exceeding that of the table-d’hote. When ordering dinner in private, the traveller should specify the price at which he chooses to be served, fixing the sum at 3, 5, or more francs, as he may please. In remote places and small inns, never order dinner at a higher price than 3 francs : the people have only the same food to present, even if they charged 10 francs. A capital dinner is usually furnished at 4 fr. a-head ; but the traveller who goes post in his own carriage will pro¬ bably be charged 6, unless he specifies the price beforehand. Travellers not dining at the table-d’hote should bargain beforehand for their meals at so much per head (combien par tete), otherwise they will be charged for each dish d la carle, a recent innovation, and a method of fleecing the stranger which ought to be resisted. The usual charge for a table- d’hote dinner is 3 fr. (including wine in a wine country, but not in the north), and ought never to exceed that except in large towns and first- rate inns. Bargaining for rooms before you enter an inn, though usual, some¬ times leads the landlord to suppose that you are going to beat him down (marchander), and he may therefore name a higher price than he is willing to take, and thus you may cause the exorbitance which you intend to prevent. Tables-d’hole, though very general throughout France, are not so much resorted to by the most respectable townspeople, or by ladies, as in Germany. The majority of the company frequently consists of “ commis voyageurs,” Anglice, bagmen, but of a stamp very inferior to those of the same class in England, who swarm in all the inns, and are consequently the most important personages. English ladies will be cautious of presenting themselves at a French table-d’hote, except in first-rate hotels, where English guests form a considerable part of the company, and at the well-frequented watering-places. Even at Bag- XXXI k. INNS — TABLES-d’hoTE, ETC.- l. CAFES. neres de Bigorre, Lady Chatterton relates, “ We laughed a good deal at a scene we witnessed at the table-d’hote yesterday, where a French¬ man, after helping himself to all the best pieces of the roast fowl, turned to the lady next him, and said, with a most insinuating smile, ‘ Madame ne mange pas de volaille.’ ” There are no establishedfor the servants at inns ; 4 a franc a-day “ pour le service,” and something extra (5 or 6 sous) for boots, “ le de- crotteur,” is enough. At Meurice’s Hotel, in Paris, the house charge for servants is only 1 franc a-day, and that sum is ample in any part of France. Average Charges at French Provincial Hotels. Bedroom, 1 fr. 50 c. to 2 fr. 5 c. Salon, 3 fr. and upwards. Breakfast , tea and coffee, with bread and butter, 1 fr. 50 c. ; with meat, 2 fr. Dinner , table-d’hote, 3 fr. — Apart, 4 fr. to 5 fr. or upwards. Bottle of vin ordinaire , 1 fr. — N.B. Included in the charge for dinner in wine-growing countries. The better wines are sold in demi-bouteilles. When only a part of the bottle is consumed, the waiter puts it aside for the owner until an¬ other time. Coffee , 1 fr. It is better to take it at a cafe, where it is always better, and costs only 8 or 10 sous. Bougies (wax lights), 1 fr. Where this charge is made, that for the bedroom ought not to exceed 1 fr. 50 c. 1. CAFES. We have no equivalent in England for the Cafes in France, and the number and splendour of some of these establishments, everywhere seemingly out of proportion to the population and to other shops, not only in Paris, but in every provincial town, may well excite surprise. They are adapted to all classes of society, from the magnificent salon , resplendent with looking-glass, and glittering with gilding, the deco¬ rations of which have perhaps cost 4000/. or 5000/., down to the low and confined estaminets , resorted to by carters, porters, and common labourers, which abound in the back streets of every town, and in every village, however small and remote. The latter sort occupy the place of the beer-shops of England, furnish beer and brandy, as well as coffee, and, though not so injurious to health and morals as the gin-palaces of London, are even more destructive of time : indeed, the dissipation of precious hours by almost all classes in France produces as bad an effect on the habits of the people. It is only to the superior class of cafes that an English traveller is likely to resort, and they furnish some agreeable resources to a stranger in a strange place. In the morning he may there obtain a breakfast of coffee or tea, better and cheaper than in an hotel, and far better than he can procure it in England ; in the afternoon, a demi-tasse of coffee well prepared, and a petit verre of liqueur ; and in the evening, in summer, xxxii m. a traveller’s GENERAL VIEW OF FRANCE. excellent ices, sorbettes, orgeats, limonade, and other cool drinks ; and in winter a very tolerable potation called “ punch,” but differing from its English prototype. They are always supplied with the journals of Paris and the provinces, including, in the principal cities, “ Galignani’s Messenger,” and have usually billiard-tables attached to them. In the evening they are most crowded, and even in the most respect¬ able (except the first-rate Parisian cafes) the company is very mixed. Clerks, tradesmen, commis voyageurs, soldiers — officers as well as pri¬ vates, and men in blouzes, crowded about a multitude of little marble tables, wrangle over provincial or national politics, or over games of cards or dominoes, while others perspiring in their shirt-sleeves sur¬ round the billiard-table. The rattling of balls, the cries of waiters hurry¬ ing to and fro, the gingling of dominoes, and tinkling bell of the mistress who presides at the bar, alone prevail over the harsh din of many voices, while the splendour of mirrored walls and velvet seats is eclipsed behind a cloud of unfragrant tobacco-smoke. Such is the picture of a French cafe ! A large cup of coffee (cafe au lait), with bread and butter, and an egg for breakfast, costs about 20 or 24 sous. A demi-tasse, or small cup, in the afternoon, 8 or ten sous ; a petit verre de cognac, 5 sous. The waiter usually receives 2 sous. VI. A traveller’s GENERAL VIEW OF FRANCE. It has been the custom of the English, who traverse France on their way to Italy or Switzerland, to complain of the tiresome and mono¬ tonous features of the country, and to ridicule the epithet “La Belle France,” which the French, who, it must be confessed, have in general no true feeling for the beauties of nature, are wont to apply to it. By a “beautiful” country, a Frenchman generally understands one richly fertile and fully cultivated ; and in this point of view the epithet is justly applied to France. It is also most fortunate in its climate. Many of its vineyards, the most valuable spots in the country, occupy tracts of • poor, barren, and waste land, which in our climate would be absolutely unprofitable. But in truth our countrymen are unjust in forming their opinion from the routes between Calais and Paris, and thence to Lyons, Strasburg, and Dijon, perhaps the least varied part of the kingdom, and at least no fair sample of its beauties. To this district, and to a large part of the province of Champagne, the descriptions of “ wearisome expanse of tillage, unvaried by hill or dale, and extent of corn-land or pasture, without enclosures, supremely tiresome,” are almost exclu¬ sively applicable. Throughout nearly one half of France, especially in Lower Normandy, Brittany, a great part of the country S. of the Loire, the vicinity of the Pyrenees, Limousin, Auvergne, and Dauphine, en¬ closures and hedge-rows are almost as common as in England, and the variety of surface in some of these districts is far greater. Our own island, indeed, presents as it were a miniature of other lands — a con¬ centration, within a small area, of scenery, varying from flat fen and rolling down to mountains and precipices. In France, the features of nature are broad and expanded, and you must often traverse 50 or 100 miles to encounter those pleasing changes which, in Britain, succeed 771. GENERAL VIEW OF FRANCE ; SCENERY. XXXiii one another almost every 10 miles. If the English had confined them¬ selves less to the beaten track in their way from the Channel to the Mediterranean, they would have verified the truth of this assertion. More than 50 years ago, Arthur Young advised those “who know no more of France than just once passing through it to Italy, that, if they would see some of the finest parts of the kingdom, they should land at Havre, follow the Seine up to Paris, then take the great road to Mou- lins, and there quit it for Auvergne, and so to the Phone at Valence or Viviers: such a variation from the common road, though it demand more time, would repay them by the sight of a much finer and more singular country than the road by Dijon.” The traveller may at present farther vary his route by going from Paris by railway to Orleans, and thence by Bourges either to Clermont in Auvergne, or to Nevers and Moulins on the high road from Paris to Lyons. The districts of France which chiefly recommend themselves by their beauty and variety of scenery are, in the north, Normandy, the banks of the Seine (the finest of the great rivers of France), the valleys round Vire, Mortain, and Avranches, the wild coast scenery of Brittany, and the course of the Ranee, and of other streams near Quimper ; in the centre, the Loire below Tours, and parts of Limousin ; Auvergne, the Cantal and Ardeche, the Rhone — by some preferred to the Rhine, on account of its more extended prospects; in the east, the hills of the Jura, the mountains and valleys of Dauphine, especially the vale of the Gresivaudan, the gorge of the Grande Chartreuse, and the savage mag¬ nificence of peak and glacier around Mont Pelvoux, a region which may be styled the Chamouny or Grindelwald of France. Among the Vosges and Ardennes are many soberly romantic scenes which have as yet attracted but little notice from travellers ; in the south, Provence, with its sunny sky, is too arid to deserve general praise, excepting that favoured terrace at the foot of the Alps along the shore of the Medi¬ terranean, intervening between Toulon and Nice. The Pyrenees, how¬ ever, without doubt, include the finest scenery in France, and, except in the want of lakes, are scarcely inferior to the Alps of Switzerland and Savoy. This slight enumeration of the chief points of interest is filled up in ampler details in the introductions to the different sections into which this Hand-book is divided, with the view of enabling the traveller to lay down for himself the plan of a tour, embracing as many of these points as his time or inclination will permit. “ Bretagne, Maine, and Anjou have the appearance of deserts. The fertile territories of Flanders, Artois, and Alsace are distinguished by their utility. Picardy is uninteresting. Champagne, in general, where I saw it, ugly, almost as much so as Poitou. Lorraine, Franche Comte, and Bourgogne are sombre in the wooded districts, and want cheerful¬ ness in the open ones. Bern and La Manche may be ranked in the same class.” — Arthur Young. On the other hand, these districts, which are not interesting in point of scenery, have a compensating recommendation in their architectural remains, and relics of antiquity. The heaths of Brittany are studded with extraordinary Celtic remains, and abound in most beautiful XXXiv m. GENERAL VIEW OF FRANCE ; TOWNS. churches. Out of the midst of the monotonous plain of La Beauce rises the wondrous fabric of Chartres cathedral; that of Bourges (co¬ lossal pile) overlooks the dull plain of Berri, as the spire of Strasburg surmounts the flat valley of the Rhine. Rheims, Troyes, Laon, &c., give an interest to the otherwise tiresome journey through Champagne; the sight of Amiens, Beauvais, and Abbeville, makes one forget the length of the way through Picardy and Artois; and the Roman remains of Nismes, Arles, St. Remy, Orange, and Antibes, equal to almost any in Italy, would alone compensate for a journey to Provence, even had it no other claims to interest. France, however, is particularly rich in architectural remains, especially in Gothic architecture, of which it pos¬ sesses some of the noblest specimens existing, viz. the cathedrals above enumerated; to which must be added those of Metz, and 3 churches at Rouen. These glorious monuments of architectural skill and lavish devotion are far more stupendous in their proportions than the cathedrals of England, but have this peculiarity, that scarcely one of them is finished: thus, Beauvais has no nave, Amiens is incomplete in its towers, Abbe¬ ville has no choir, St. Ouen no front. It has been said that a perfect cathedral might be made of the portal of Rheims, the Nave of Amiens, the choir of Beauvais, and the tower of Chartres. The rose or wheel windows are both more frequent and of larger di¬ mensions than in English cathedrals, and contribute greatly to the beauty of those of France, where it is not uncommon to find three in one church. The quantity, variety, and richness of the painted glass which the ecclesiastical edifices still retain, in spite of Huguenot icono¬ clasts and revolutionary destructives, is quite marvellous : we have nothing to compare with it in England. The churches in the N. of France are closed from 12 to 6, except the cathedrals, which re-open at 4. In the S. they remain open all day. The choir, its aisles and side chapels, are usually closed by an iron grating, and to obtain admittance one must apply to the suisse , or beadle, who struts about in cocked hat, sword, and laced livery. The finest provincial cities are Lyons, Rouen, Bordeaux, Marseilles, and Nantes, all more or less distinguished for commerce, manufactures, and fine edifices. The minor provincial towns have a certain number of features in common which will not fail to draw the traveller’s obser¬ vation : such are the formal walk near the entrance or on the outskirts, often a mere platform, planted with rows of stunted trees, and the re¬ sort of nursery-maids, washerwomen, and recruits undergoing drill, except on Sundays or fete-days, when the dusty and gritty platform is crowded with a gay throng, to whom the sight of bright ribbons, shawls, and new bonnets, compensates for the want of other prospect. A walk into the country and across the fields is never thought of by the French artisan or shopkeeper, nor indeed are there any field paths, green shady lanes, or pretty villas, or neat cottages with gardens, on the outskirts of the towns, to invite him to sally forth. The high roads in France have been greatly improved within the last 10 years; many are now macadamized—indeed the whole country shows unequivocal signs of great and increasing prosperity. XXXV m. GENERAL VIEW OF FRANCE ; TOWNS. Every town of a certain size is surrounded with a wall or barrier for the purpose of levying the octroi or town duties on all articles for eating and drinking brought into it, and which go to the municipal caisse or corporation funds. All carts and carriages, public and private, are stopped at the gates in consequence, by douaniers, who search them, and the baggage contained in them, to ascertain that no “comestibles” are concealed in order to evade this tax. The space outside the gates usually swarms with low cabarets, guinguettes, &c., where the poor man may eat and drink at a cheaper rate than within the w'alls. Arrived within the town, the traveller will commonly find narrow streets, with no pavement at the sides, but a huge gutter in the centre, neither clean nor sweet, lighted at night by lamps (reverberes), swinging from ropes attached to the houses on either side. After passing one or more barracks, the number of which and of soldiers is striking everywhere, the barrack being often a sequestrated convent or church, he will reach the grande Place or square. On one side of it, or in some other conspicuous situation, appears a large white-washed building, graced probably with a portico in front, guarded by a sentinel, surmounted by a tri-color flag, and fenced round by a tall iron railing tipped with gilt spearheads. This is the prefecture or sous-prefecture. There are many institutions and establishments in French towns de¬ serving high commendation and general imitation in England : such are the Abbattoirs, or slaughter-houses, always in the outskirts ; the public Cemetries, always removed beye d the walls; even the Public Walks to be found in every French town, though not suited altogether to English ideas of recreation, yet show an attention to the health and enjoyment of the people which is worthy of imitation north of the Channel. In all the larger towns there is a museum of natural history, and generally of paintings, which, although for the most part of inferior merit, are commendable as institutions for public recreation. Still more commendable are the public libraries and reading-rooms, arranged in convenient apartments with salaried librarians, common in all French provincial towns. An amiable traveller observes, “ I could not visit these libraries without wishing that similar institutions could be introduced into England, where the easy access to books in every part of the kingdom could not but prove at once agreeable and bene¬ ficial. The encouragement of such an object would be a wise appli¬ cation of the public money.”— Mr. Gaily Knight's Tour in Normandy. There are three authors whose works should be perused before entering France: Caesar for its ancient history; Froissart for its feudal history; and Arthur Young, for the picture of France before the Revolution : his vivid local descriptions hold good to the present day. To those who would attain some insight into the French character , previously to any personal intercourse with the people, no more agreeable or useful work can be recommended than “ A Comparative View of the Social Condition of England and France,” by the Editor of Madame du Defland’s Letters, the author of which has studied the national character through the double medium of long personal inter¬ course with the highest classes of society, and of an intimate acquaint¬ ance with the history of the country. XXXVI n. PROVINCES AND DEPARTMENTS OF FRANCE n. LIST OF THE 86 DEPARTMENTS INTO WHICH FRANCE IS DIVIDED, AND OF THE 33 ANCIENT PROVINCES COMPOSING THEM. Provinces. Departemens. f Seine. t t-. T I Seine-et-Oise. JLE DE FRANCE, WITH LA I „ . , ,, ,, o ■< Seine-et-Marne. Brie, &c. PlCARDIE. Artois and Boulonnais. Oise. (_ Aisne. Somme. Pas-de- Calais. Flandre and Hainault 1 , T . Y Nord. Fran^ais. Normandie. Bretagne. Orleanais. Beauce and Pays Char- train. f Seine-Inferieure. I Eure. -< Calvados. Orne. Manche. r Ule-et-Vilaine. Cotes-du-Nord. Finisterre. Morbihan. Loire-Inferieure. f Loiret. Loir-et-Cher. } Eure-et-Loire. Mai ne. Anjou. Touraine. Poitou. Berri, Marche. Limousin. Angoumois. Saintonge and Aunis. Pi; RIGORD, Guyenne. Armagnac (part of Gas¬ cogne). Bigorre (part of Gas¬ cogne). J Sartbe, Mayenne. Maine-et-Loire. Indre-et-Loire. Vendee. Deux-Sevres. _ Vienne. { Indre. Cher. Creuze. f Haute-Vienne. \ Correze. Charente. Cbarente-Inferieure. Dordogne. ( Gironde. Lot-et- Garonne. Lot. Tarn-et-Garonne. Aveyron. Gers. Hautes-Pyrenees. Chefs- Lieux. Paris. Versailles. Melun. Beauvais.. Laon. Amiens. Arras. Lille. Rouen. Evreux. Caen. Alen^on. Saint-Lo. Rennes. Saint-Brieux. Quimper. Vannes. Nantes. Orleans. Blois. Chartres. Le Mans. Laval. Angers. Tours. Bourbon-Vendee. Niort. Poitiers. Chateauroux. Bourges. Gueret. Limoges. Tulle. Angouleme. La Rochelle. Perigueux. Bordeaux. Agen. Cahors. Montauban. Rhodez. Auch. Tarbes. O. THE ENGLISH AKR0A1L xxxvii Provinces. Gascogne, Bearn and French Na¬ varre. Comte de Foix. Roussillon. Languedoc. VlVARAIS. Gevaudan. Velay. CoMTAT VeNAISSIN, Orange, Sec. Provence. Dauphine. Lyonnais and Beaujolais. Forez. Auvergne. Bourbonnais. Nivernais. Bresse, Bugey, &c. Bourgogne (buche). Comte de Bourgogne, or Franche-Comte. Champagne. Lorraine. Alsace. Corsica. Depcirtemens. Landes. J- Basses-Pyrenees. Arriege. Pyrenees- Orientales. f Haute- Garonne. I Tarn. J Aude. j Herault. Gard. Ardeche. Lozere. Haute-Loire. Vaucluse. Bouches-du- Rhone. Var. Basses-Alpes. Isere. Drome. Hautes-Alpes, Rhone. Loire. f Puy-de- Dome. \ Cantal. Allier. Nievre. Ain. { Saone-et-Loire. Cote d’Or. Yonne. f Doubs. < Jura. {_ Haute-Sabne. f Aube. J Marne. 1 Haute-Marne. Ardennes. Meurthe. Meuse. Moselle. Vosges. ' Bas-Rhiti. \ Haut-Rhin. Corse. Chefs-Lieux. Mont-de-Marsan, Pau. Foix. Perpignan, Toulouse. Alby. Carcassonne. Montpellier. Nismes. Privas. Mende. Le Puy. Avignon. Marseille. Draguignan, Digne. Grenoble. Valence. Gap. Lyon. Montbrison. Clermont. Aurillac. Moulins. Nevers. Bourg. Macon. Dijon, Auxerre. Besan^on. Lons-le-Saulnier. Vesoul. Troyes. Chalons-sur-Marne. Chaumont. Mbzieres. Nancy. Bar-le-Duc. Metz. Epinal. Strasbourg, Colmar. Ajaccio. 0. THE ENGLISH ABROAD. It may not be amiss here briefly to consider the causes which render the English so unpopular on the Continent; as to the fact of their being so, it is to be feared there can be no doubt. In the first place, it arises from the number of ill-conditioned persons (mauvais sujets) who, b xxxvm O. THE ENGLISH ABROAD. not being in a condition to face the world at home, scatter themselves over foreign lands, and bring no little discredit upon their country. But in addition to these, there are many respectable and wealthy per¬ sons, who, through inattention, unguardedness, wanton expenditure in some cases, niggardly parsimony in others, but, above all, from an un¬ willingness to accommodate themselves to the feelings of the people they are among, contribute not a little to bring their own nation into disrepute. The Englishman abroad too often forgets that he is the representative of his country, and that his countrymen will be judged by his own conduct; that by affability, moderation, and being easily pleased, he will conciliate ; whereas by caprice, extravagant squandering, or ill-timed niggardliness, he affects the reception of the next comer. There are many points, however, in which our character is misunder¬ stood by foreigners. The morose sullenness attributed by them to the Englishman is, in perhaps nine cases out of ten, nothing more than in¬ voluntary silence, arising from his ignorance of foreign languages, or at least from his want of sufficient fluency to make himself readily under¬ stood, which thus prevents his enjoying society. If an Englishman were fully aware how much it increases the pleasure and profit of travelling to have made some progress in foreign languages before he sets foot on the Continent, no one would think of quitting home until he had devoted at least some months to hard labour with grammars and dictionaries. Englishmen and Protestants, admitted into Roman Catholic churches, at times are often inconsiderate in talking loud, laughing, and stamping with their feet while the service is going on : a moment’s reflection should point out to them that they should regard the feelings of those around them who are engaged in their devotions. Above all, they should avoid as much as possible turning their backs upon the altar. In a church ladies and gentlemen should not walk arm in arm—as that is contrary to the usual practice of the people and to their idea of good manners : they should avoid talking together during service. Our countrymen have a reputation for pugnacity in France : let them therefore be especially cautious not to make use of their fists, however great the provocation, otherwise they will rue it. No French magistrate or judge will listen to any plea of provocation ; fine and imprisonment are the offender’s inevitable portion. By the official returns it appears that there are at present in France 06,000 English residents. Supposing the average expenditure of each to be 5 francs a-day, the sum total will amount to about 4,820,000/. per annum. In not fewer than 25 towns of France places of worship for the performance of the English Church Service have been established, and at most of these there are resident English ministers, many of them having the licence of the Bishop of London. With few exceptions the stipends are very small, and English travellers availing themselves of the privilege and benefit afforded by these places of worship should remember that they are in duty bound to contribute, according to their means, to the support of the establishments and their ministers. For more detailed information consult “ Dr. Eiber’s English Churches on the Continent a very interesting and useful little work. p. SKELETON TOUR THROUGH FRANCE. xxxix p . SKELETON TOUR THROUGH FRANCE, TO EMBRACE THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF CURIOSITY, AND TO OCCUPY FIVE OR SIX MONTHS. Havre —By land up the N. bank of the Seine, halting to explore its beauties and curiosities. Rouen (to Paris by railway). Andelys. Descend the Seine by steamer to Honfleur, or by railway to Havre. Caen. Bayeux (Cherbourg). Vi re. Avranches and Mont St. Michel. St. Malo. Dinant (Brest and Quimper). Vannes and Carnac. Nantes — Clisson. Ascent of the Loire to Angers. Saumur. Chinon. Tours. Loches — Chenonceaux. Amboise. Bloix — Chambord. Orleans. Bourges. Clermont — Puy de Dome. Mont Dore. Cantal. Le Puy. St. Etienne. Lyons. Descent of Rhone — Valence. Montelimart — Aubenas — Ardeche. Viviers on the Rhone. Orange. Avignon — Pont du Gard. Nismes. Montpellier. Narbonne. Toulouse. Descent of the Garonne. Bordeaux. Bayonne. Pau. Tour of the W. Pyrenees. St. Gaudens. Tour of the E. Pyrenees. Perpignan. Narbonne. Montpellier. Arles — Aix. Marseilles. Toulon. Cannes. Digne. Sisteron. Gap. Embrun — Val Queiras. Brianyon. Pass of Lauteret — Mont Pelvoux. Bourg d’Oysans. Grenoble— Vale of Gresivaudan. Grande Chartreuse. Bourg. Chalons-sur-Sadne. Dijon. Besanyon. Colmar. Strasburg. Nancy. Troyes. Chalons-sur-Marne. Rheims. Soissons. Amiens. Boulogne. ( *1 ) ABBREVIATIONS, &c„ USED IN THE HAND-BOOK. The points of the Compass are often marked simply by the letters N. S. E. W. ( rt .) right, (Z.) left, — applied to the banks of a river. The right bank is that which lies on the right hand of a person whose back is turned towards the source, or the quarter from which the current descends. kilom. for kilometre, m. for English mile. Dept, for Department. Inliab. for Inhabitants. Cent, for Century. R. Rte. for Route, p. for page. Sta. Stat. for Railway Station. The names of Inns precede the description of every place (often in a parenthesis), because the first information needed by a traveller is where to lodge. The best Inns, as far as they can be determined, are placed first. Instead of designating a town by the vague words “large” or “small,” the amount of the population, according to the latest census, is almost inva¬ riably stated, as presenting a more exact scale of the importance and size of the place. Every Route has a number, corresponding with the figures attached to the Route on the General Map of France, which thus serves as an index to the Book, at the same time that it presents a tolerably exact view of the great high roads of France, and of the course of public conveyances. The length of the Routes and the distances from place to place are measured in kilometres. LIST OF MAPS. Course of the Seine and Railways -Loire and Railways The Pyrenees .... Course of the Rhone and Railways General Map of France To face page 31. . 177. . . . 269. . . . 425. . . . At the end. HAND-BOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN FRANCE. SECTION I. PICARDY—FRENCH FLANDERS—ILE DE FRANCE—NORMANDY. INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION. Objects of Interest—Country of Normandy—Architectural Remains — Skeleton Tour. ROUTES. [The names of places are printed in italics only in those Routes where the places are described.] ROUTE PAGE 1 Calais to Paris, by St. Omer, Hazebrouck, Lille, Douai, Ar¬ ras, &c., Amiens— Railway . 3 2 Calais to Paris, by Doullens, Amiens, and. Chantilly ... 9 3 Boulogne to Paris, by Abbeville, Amiens, Pontoise,andSt.Denis —Railroad.11 4 Calais to Paris by Boulogne.— Beauvais .22 5 Dieppe to Paris, by Gisors . . 26 6 Dieppe to Rouen (Railroad) . 30 8 Paris to Rouen (Railroad) . 30 9 Paris to Rouen.— Lower Road, by St. Germain and Louviers . 43 10 Paris to Rouen.— Upper Road, by Gisors or by Magny , . 47 11 The Seine, a. —St. Germain to Rouen.— Roche Guyon. — Cha¬ teau Gaillard .48 12 The Seine, b. —Rouen to Havre 52 13 Rouen to Havre.— Lower Road, by St. George Boscherville, ROUTE PAGE Jumieges, Caudebec, and Lille- bonne .55 14 Rouen to Havre — Railroad, by Yvetot and Bolbec . . . . 59 18 Havre to Dieppe and Abbeville, by Fecamp and Eu . . . . 64 21 Rouen to Alen^on, by Bernay, Broglie, and Seez . 68 23 Rouen to Caen, by Brionne or * by Honjleur .69 24 Havre to Caen.70 25 Paris to Caen, by Evreux and Lisieux .71 26 Caen to Cherbourg, by Bayeux 78 27 Cherbourg to St. Malo, by Coutances, Granville, Av- ranches, Mont St. Michel, and Dol .87 29 Caen to Tours, by Falaise .— Alen§on.98 31 Caen to Rennes, by Vire, Mor- tain, and Fougeres .... 99 32 Bayeux to St. Lo and Avranches 101 Picardy and lie de France, through which lie the routes to Paris from Calais and Boulogne, present no attractions of picturesqueness, but some interesting historical associations to Englishmen, and a few fine examples of Gothic archi¬ tecture, the chief of which are the Cathedrals of Amiens, Beauvais, Abbeville. France. b 2 Picardy — Normandy. Sect. I. Normandy, on the other hand, is full of interest in many respects:—it is remarkable for varied outline of swelling hills waving with corn; for beautiful valleys abounding in orchards, and in rich pasturages, on which large herds of cattle are reared, and traversed by winding rivers; for richness and careful cultivation; and above all, for remains of antiquity; venerable cities, the delight of the painter; noble cathedrals, abbeys, and churches, not confined merely to the larger towns, but scattered over the country, so that every little village, in some parts, possesses a fine specimen of Gothic architecture. Nor¬ mandy is decidedly among the most attractive portions of France. Parts of the upper country are certainly flat, bare, monotonous table-land; but in its joyous sunny slopes and winding dales, in its hedgerows, orchards, thatched cottages with gardens, in the general character of the landscape of La Basse Normandie, especially in its verdure, frequent village spires, and white chalk cliffs, an Englishman recognises with pleasure the features of his own Father- land, which no other part of the Continent affords. He may also take pleasure in remembering that this was the cradle whence came the wise and hardy bands of conquerors from whose possession of England that country dates her rising prosperity and greatness. To those who are fond of Gothic architecture, especially to the architect and antiquary, Normandy will afford a rich treat. Rouen, a city possessing much of the old Teutonic character in its edifices, and containing not only a magnifi¬ cent cathedral, but, if possible, a still finer church, that of St. Ouen, is certainly one of the most interesting places in France, and will alone furnish occupation for many days. Caen is also interesting, though in a less degree ; but in its vicinity are a great number of curious village churches. The ruined abbeys, Boscherviile, Jumieges, &c., on the N. bank of the Seine, are remarkable examples of genuine Norman architecture ; and the scenery of the river on whose banks and penin¬ sulas they lie—the great water highway connecting Paris with its port of Havre —is so very pleasing, that it deserves to be seen both from land and water. The cathedrals of Bayeux (famed for its tapestry) and of Coutances also are noble edifices. Normandy r abounds in old castles; of which the most interesting, both in an historical and picturesque point of view, are Chateau Gaillard, the favourite stronghold of Richard Coeur de Lion; Falaise, the birth-place of William the Conqueror; and many others, the cradles of our English noblesse, whence they derive their titles; and above all, M^nt St. Michel, which possesses a triple interest as an historical fortress, a remarkable ecclesiastical edifice, and a most grand and striking object. The Roman theatre at Lillebonne deserves mention as an interesting example of an edifice of the kind, and almost the only one existing in Northern Europe. The most picturesque parts of Normandy are the banks of the Seine from St. Germain to Havre, and especially from Rouen to Havre, though its innumerable islands, planted with rows of poplars and willows, are often monotonous; the vicinity of Vire and of Avranches charmingly posted on a hill top, whence the view extends to the Mont St. Michel, rising out of the sea, is peculiarly attractive. The Marine Arsenal, Dockyard, and Breakwater of Cherbourg, at the ex¬ tremity of the promontory called the Cotentin, which deserves to be explored for its geological peculiarities, must not be omitted among the curiosities of Normandy. PlCARDT. Route 1 .— Calais. 3 Skeleton Tour of 3 Weeks through Normandy . Southampton to 1 Havre. Tancarville. 3 Lillebonne. Caudebec. Jumieges. 4 St. George Boscherville. 7 Rouen. Chateau Gaillard. Descent of the Seine to Honfleur (or to Havre, and by another steamer to) 8 Caen. 10 Falaise and back. 11 Bayeux. 12 Valonges. 13 Cherbourg. 14 Coutances. St. Lo. 15 Vire. Mortain. 16 Avranches. Mont St. Michel. 17 Dol. 18 Dinant. 19 St. Malo, and by steamer to 21 Jersey and Southampton.—Or from Dol to Dinant, Rennes, and An¬ gers, on the Rly. from Nantes to Orleans, and so to Paris. The best account of the architectural remains of Normandy will be found in Mr. Gaily Knight’s ‘ Tour in Normandy;’ WhewelVs ‘ Notes on German and French Churches;’ Turner’s ‘Tour in Normandy,’ one of the earliest descrip¬ tions of the country published in England or France; Cotman and Pugin’s ‘ Illustrative Plates;’ and Caumont’s ‘ Histoire Sommaire de 1’Architecture du Moyen Age.’ E. Frere’s ‘ Guide de Voyageur en Normandie, 1845/ which is, for the most part, a translation from this Handbook. x ROUTE 1. CALAIS TO PARIS, BY ST. OMER, HAZE- BROUCK, LILLE, DOUAI, ARRAS.—RAIL. 377 kilom. = 233J Eng. m. 4 trains daily—7 to 9 hrs. This Rly., a branch of the Chemin de Fer du Nord, was completed 1848. Terminus at Calais is on the Quay, close to the landing-place. It includes the Custom-house, Passport-office, and Refreshment-room (Buffet—hotel) all under its roof. Calais. — Inns : H. Dessin ; very good. The bed-room in which the author of ‘ The Sentimental Journey’ slept is still marked Sterne’s Room; and that occupied by Sir Walter Scott is also ticketed with his respected name. Quillac’s Hotel; good, and an obliging landlord. H. Meurice; no connection with the house of the same name at Paris, but tolerable. The preference generally given to Boulogne has dimi¬ nished the custom of the hotel-keepers here; and this circumstance leads them to seek to indemnify themselves by an increase of prices. 10 francs is the common charge for landing or ship¬ ping a 4-wheeled carriage; but M. Dessin has of late charged for landing a britzka and placing it on the railway truck 25 frs., with commission and other charges in addition, amounting to 44 frs. 14 c.— a most extortionate charge, which ought not to be sub¬ mitted to. For useful information on landing in France, see Introduction. Calais has 12,508 Inhab.; it is a fortress of the second class, situated in a very barren and unpicturesque dis¬ trict, with sandhills raised by the wind and sea on the one side, and morasses on the other, contributing considerably to its military strength, but by no means to the beauty of its position. Within a few years it has been re- fortified, and the strength of its works greatly increased, especially to sea¬ ward. An English traveller of the time of James I. described it as “a beggarly, extorting town; monstrous dear and sluttish.” In the opinion of B 2 4 Route 1.— Calais . Sect. I. many, this description holds good down to the present time. The harbour, improved and length¬ ened by 282 yards since 1830, is not so deep as that of Boulogne. When the tide is low passengers must land in boats, and wait for their baggage until the steamer can enter. Except to an Englishman setting his foot for the first time on the Continent, to whom everything is novel, Calais has little that is remarkable to show. After an hour or two it becomes tire¬ some, and a traveller will do well to quit it as soon as he has cleared his baggage from the custom-house, and procured the signature of the police to liis passport, which, if he be pressed for time, will be done almost at any hour of the day or night, so as not to delay his departure. It is necessary to be aware of this, as thecommissionnaires of the hotels will sometimes endeavour to detain a stranger, under pretence of not being able to get his passport signed. The owner of the passport must repair to the police-office himself to have it vise. Travellers not intend¬ ing to go to Paris, but merely passing through the country on the way to Ostend, Brussels, or Marseilles, are not compelled to exchange their passport for a passe provisoire. (See Passports: Introduction .) Persons unprovided with a passport may procure one from the British Consul for 4s. 6d. Calais has since 1830 become a ma¬ nufacturing town; the bobbin-net (tulle) trade flourishes in rivalry of that of England; numerous mills have sprung up; steam-engines are multiplying; and the inner ramparts have been re¬ moved, to make way for factories. The gates remain open all night. Water is scarce here, and throughout Artois. 55 millions of eggs are exported hence to England annually. The Pier of Calais is an agreeable promenade, nearly f m. long. It is decorated with a pillar, raised to com¬ memorate the return of Louis XVIII. to France, which originally bore this inscription:— “ Le 24 Avril, 1814, S. M. Louis XVIII. de'barqua vis-a-vis de cette co- lonne, et fut enfin rendu a l’amour des Frangais; pour en perpetuer le souve¬ nir, la ville de Calais a eleve ce monu¬ ment.” “ As an additional means of perpetuating this remembrance, a bra¬ zen plate had been let into the pave¬ ment, upon the precise spot where his foot first touched the soil. It was the left; and an English traveller noticed it in his journal as a sinistrous omen, that, when Louis le Desire, after his exile, stepped on France, he did not put the right foot foremost.”— Quar¬ terly Review. At the Revolution of July, 1830, both inscription and foot¬ mark were at once obliterated by the mob ; and the pillar now stands a mo¬ nument merely of the mutability of French opinions and dynasties. The principal gate leading from the sea-side into the town is that intro¬ duced by Hogarth into his well-known picture. It was built by Cardinal Richelieu 1635. No one needs to be reminded of the interesting incidents of the Siege of Calais by Edward III., w r hich lasted 11 months, and of the heroic devotion of Eustace de St. Pierre and his 5 com¬ panions. Few, perhaps, are aware that the heroes of Calais not only went un¬ rewarded by their own king and coun¬ trymen, but w r ere compelled to beg their bread in misery through France. Calais remained in the hands of the English more than 200 years, from 1347 to 1558, when it was taken by the Due de Guise. It was the last relic of the Gallic dominions of the Plantagenets, which, at one time, com¬ prehended the half of France. Calais was dear to the English as the prize of the valour of their forefathers, rather than from any real value which it pos¬ sessed. The English traveller should look at the Hotel de Guise, originally the guildhall of the mayor and aldermen of the “ staple of wool,” established here by Edward III. 1363. It has some vestiges of English Tudor archi¬ tecture. Henry VIII. used to lodge in it. In the Great Market Place stands the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). In it are situated the police-offices. In front of it are placed busts of St. Pierre ; of the Due de Guise, named le Balafre, Picardy. Route 1 .— Calais to Paris — St. Omer. o who conquered the town from the English; and of the Cardinal de Riche¬ lieu, who built the citadel on the W. of the town: above it rises a belfry, containing the chimes. In the same square is a tower, which serves as a landmark by day and a lighthouse by night, to point out to sailors the en¬ trance of the harbour. The principal Church was built at the time when the English were mas¬ ters of Calais. It is handsome, and surmounted by a stately tower and short steeple, which merit notice. Lady Hamilton (Nelson’s Emma) died here, a pauper, in great misery, Jan. 1815. Her body, enclosed in a deal box, was interred in the public cemetery, which w r as converted, in 1816, into a timber-yard, about 20 yards beyond the Porte de Calais, on the 1. of the road to Boulogne. A pil¬ lar, set up by Mr. R. Barton, marks the spot. The walls round the town, and the pier jutting out nearly f m. from the shore, are admirable promenades, and command a distinct view of the white clitfs of England,—a tantalizing sight to the English exiles, fugitives from creditors, or compelled from other causes to leave their homes—a numerous class both here and at Boulogne. There are many of our countrymen besides, who reside merely for the purpose of econo¬ mising ; so that the place is half Angli¬ cised, and our language is generally spoken. The number amounts at pre¬ sent to 4800 English residents in and around Calais. There is an English Chapel, Rue des Pretres: service on Sundays, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. There is a small theatre here. Calais is one of those places where the fraternity of Couriers have a sta¬ tion. Travellers should be cautioned not to engage one, unless the landlord of an hotel, or some other respectable and responsible person, give him a character derived from personal know¬ ledge ; as many of these couriers re¬ main at Calais only because some pre¬ vious act of misconduct prevents them showing their faces on the opposite side of the Channel. The inn-yards are generally well stocked with car¬ riages to be let or sold; they are mostly old and rickety vehicles, and the hire demanded for them nearly equals that for which an excellent carriage may be obtained in London. Steamboats, 2 every day to Dovor. The new English steamers usually make the voyage in 1^ to 2 hours. The French steamers are inferior. Fare, 10 s. 6d. Carriages, 2l. 2s. Steamers go direct to London several times a- week, in 10^ or 12 hours. Diligence daily to Boulogne and to Dunkerque. Railways to Lille and Paris — to Lille and Brussels—to Mons and Na¬ mur—to Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp. Railways are projected from Calais to Boulogne, and direct to Arras. On leaving the Quai the line skirts the N.E. angle of the Citadel. St. Pierre-les-Calais Stat. This is a sort of suburb of Calais, containing a population of 11,000. The Rly. runs by the side of the river Aa: it crosses the Canal d’Ardres, near the Pont Sans Pareil. Ardres Stat. The plain between this place and Guisnes, a little to the W. of the road, is the Field of the Cloth cf Gold, the scene of the meeting between Henry VIII. and Francis I., 1520, with their suites of 5696 persons and 4325 horses, called Le Champ du Drap d’Or, from the cloth of gold with which the tents and pavilions of the monarclis were covered. Audruicq Stat. Watten Stat. St. Omer Stat. Inns : L’Ancienne Poste ; Grande Ste. Catherine. This is a third-rate fortress, whose means of defence lie less in its actual fortifications than in the marshes which surround it, and the facility afforded by the river Aa, on which it stands, of flooding the land round about, so as to leave only J of its circuit unprotected by the waters. Although it contains a population of 19,344 souls, it is a very dull place. There are, however, two ecclesiastical edifices worthy of notice. The Cathedral, at the upper end of the Rue St. Bertin, is a fine building, showing the transition from the round 6 Route 1.— Calais to Paris — Pailway — Lille. Sect. I. to the pointed style. The E. end is a good example of the polygonal termina¬ tion of churches, with projecting cha¬ pels, so common on the Continent. The interior is good ; — the small Lady Chapel has modern decorations. At the opposite extremity of the same street stand the scanty remains of the famous Abbey Church of St. Berlin, at one time the noblest Gothic monument of French Flanders—in its present state a disgrace to the town, and a reproach to the government; for be it known that its destruction has been perpetrated since 1830 ! At the outbreak of the great Revolution the monastery was suppressed ; the Convention spared it ; and though under the Directory it was sold for the materials, unroofed, and stripped of its woodwork and metal, yet its walls remained comparatively unin¬ jured until the magistrates barbar¬ ously pulled it down to afford employ¬ ment to some labourers out of work! The fragment remaining consists of a stately tower built in the 15th century (1431-1461), displaying the ornaments of the florid Gothic in the mutilated panelling on its walls, and bits of tra¬ cery in its windows ; a small portion of the nave remains attached to it. The tower, threatening to fall, has been propped by an ugly, ill-contrived but¬ tress of masonry; there is some talk of converting it into a museum. The town is well seen from its top, but there is nothing else of interest in the view. Within the walls of the Abbey of St. Bertin the feeble Childeric III., the last king of the first race, ended his days; here also Becket sought re¬ fuge when a fugitive from England. A Seminary for the education of Eng¬ lish and Irish Catholics exists here : it has succeeded the celebrated Jesuits’ College founded by Father Parsons for the education of young Englishmen. Daniel O’Connell was brought up here for the priesthood; and several of the conspirators engaged in the Gunpowder Plot were pupils of the same school. There are not more than 15 or 20 students at present. About 400 Eng¬ lish reside here. English Chapel, Rue du Bon Pasteur, Sunday, 11 and 3. Eblinghem Stat. Hazebrouck Stat. is the point of junc¬ tion of the lines from Calais and Dun¬ kerque (by Cassel, Rte. 188). This is a flourishing town of 7346 Inhab., whose Ch. is surmounted by a spire 240 ft. high, of open work, built 1493-1520. Strazeele Stat. Bailleul Stat. {Inn, Faucon), a town of 10,000 Inhab., nearly 3 m. distant. Steenwerck Stat. Armentiere Stat., a town of 7500 Inhab., mostly weavers. Parenchies Stat. The Rly. skirts the fortifications of Lille, and is joined by the Belgian sec¬ tion near the Porte de Fives. Lille Stat. Lille. (Flem. Ryssel.)— Inns: H. de l’Europe; good, but very dear— D.C. ;—de Bellevuede Commerce. This city of 63,693 Inhab. is import¬ ant both as a fortress of the first order for its strength, forming the central point of the defence of France on her N. frontier, and as a populous and in¬ dustrious seat of manufacture, ranking seventh among the cities of France. It is chef-lieu of the Dept, du Nord, and was formerly capital of French Flan¬ ders. The streams of the Haute and Basse Deule traverse the town, filling its moats and turning the wheels of its mills, and they are connected by a canal, by means of which the country for 1^ m. around the walls can be laid under water. There are no fine public buildings proportioned to the size and wealth of the city, its monuments have been levelled by bomb-shells, and its objects of interest for the passing traveller, un¬ less he be a military man, are few, as may be judged of by the following enumeration :— Its Citadel is considered a master¬ piece of the skill of Vauban, who was governor of it for many years. It is a regular pentagon, furnished with all the accessories which engineering skill can suggest, especially since the siege of 1792, and so strong, because com¬ manded by no point, and capable of isolation by breaking the canal dykes, and filling its wide moats, that it is Picardy. Route 1 .— Calais to Paris — Lille. deemed impregnable. A great deal of misery, however, and enormous de¬ struction of property, and injury to agriculture, would follow an inunda¬ tion. The citadel is separated from the town by the Esplanade, a wide drilling ground, which serves also as a public walk, being planted with trees and traversed by the canal. Lille was cap¬ tured from the Spaniards by Louis XIV. in 1667. At different pei’iods, and un¬ der different masters, it has stood 7 distinct sieges ; the one most memorable for an Englishman was that by the allied armies of Marlborough and Eu¬ gene in 1708, of 3 months’ duration, during which the war was not merely waged above ground, but the most bloody combats were fought below the surface between the miners of the op¬ posite armies, each endeavouring to sap and undermine the galleries of his op¬ ponent. Boufflers, the French com¬ mander, after a masterly defence, was compelled to capitulate, but upon the most honourable terms. The Hotel de Ville was anciently the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. It was built by Jean-sans-Peur, 1430, and inhabited by the Emp. Charles Y. It is a quaint rather than a handsome edifice, in the late Gothic style, but it has a prettily groined staircase in one of its tourelles, and a chapel built by Philippe le Bel and painted by Arnold de Vuez. One division of the building, appropriated to a school of art, contains a most interesting and valuable collec¬ tion of 1200 Drawings by old masters, formed by the late M. Wicar, including 86 by Raphael ! (sketches for the School of Athens, various Madonnas, La Perla, &c.), 197 by Michael Angelo (chiefly ar¬ chitectural—the Cupola of St. Peter’s, Prometheus, Last Judgment), 10 Fra Bartolomeo, 15 Francia, 5 L. da Vinci , &c. &c., well worthy the inspection of all who take an interest in art. The town also possesses a Muse'e, where, among a number of bad pictures, is one by Rubens, St. Catherine rescued from the Wheel of Martyrdom, painted for a ch. in the town. St. Cecilia and St. Francis are by Arnold de Vuez (a native artist of considerable merit, b. 1642) ; and there is a series of curious 7 old portraits of the Dukes of Burgundy and Counts of Flanders. The principal Ch. (St. Maurice) is in the Gothic style of the 16th cent., rest¬ ing on slender piers, but is not very remarkable. The huge storehouses for corn at the extremity of the Rue Royale, a street nearly a mile long, deserve notice. There are some very handsome shops in the Rue Esquirmoise. The tall chimneys of numerous mills, even within the walls, announce the active industry which is working here, and show the unusual combination of a fortress and manufacturing town, while the country around, and indeed a large part of the Dept, du Nord, is like a hive in population and activity, not unworthy of being compared with parts of Lancashire and the West Riding. The chief manufacture is that of f ax, which is cultivated in the vicinity, and is spun into ordinary thread, and twisted to form the kind called Lille thread, by old - fashioned machines moved by the hand ; besides which much linen is woven here. In the spinning of cotton, Lille is a formidable rival of the English. The making of tulles and cotton lace has fallen off. The extraction of oils from colza and the seeds of rape, poppies, linseed, &c., and the manufacture of sugar from beet¬ root, are very important, having given a great impulse to agriculture, as well as employing many hands and hundreds of windmills. About 200 windmills are grouped around the walls of Lille in the vicinity of the road to Paris : they are used for grinding rape-seed and other oleaginous grains for oil. There are, however, not less than 600 windmills in this commune, which has taken the name of Moulins in consequence. Porte de Paris.-— This entrance to the city is by a sort of triumphal arch, sur¬ mounted by a frontispiece in the fashion of a screen propped up behind, filled with the trophies of the glory of Louis XIV. Erected 1682, Brussels may be reached in 5 or 6 hrs. from Lille, by Rail—Rte. 186. The ter¬ minus at Lille is in the Faubourg de Fives. (See Handbook N. Germany.) 8 Route 1.— Calais to Paris — Arras. Sect. I. Hallways to Paris — to Tournay ; Courtrai, Ghent: —(in 3 hrs.) Brussels and Ostende—to Dunkerque—to Calais. Seclin Stat. Carvin Stat. Leforest Stat. Douai Stat.—Here the Lille section of the Railway is joined by that from Valenciennes (Route 184). Douai (Inns: H. de Flandres;—du Commerce) is a town of 17,501 Inhab., surrounded by old fortifications, seated on the Scarpe, defended by a detached fort, about 1-^ m. distant, on the 1. bank. It is the least thriving place in the Dept, du Nord, and appears to be falling off in population; and though it covers more ground than Lille, does not contain half as many inhabitants. Like the Flemish towns, it has a pic¬ turesque Beffroi, in its market-place, rising above the Gothic H. de Ville, built at the end of the 15th cent., and many picturesque and other houses. It possesses a library of 30,000 vols., a collection of pictures, and contains one of the 3 Natio-Royal cannon foundries in France. From the 15th cent, the college or seminary of Douai, founded by an Englishman, Cardinal Allen, has edu¬ cated Homan Catholic priests for Eng¬ land and Ireland. O’Connell studied here. There is a considerable trade in flax here. The sculptor called John of Bologna is supposed to have been born here. Every July a procession parades the streets of Douai, consisting of a giant of osier, called Geant Gayant, dressed in armour, 30 ft. high, attended by his wife and family, of proportionate size; the giant doll is moved by 8 men en¬ closed within it. Diligence to Cambrai. A railway is projected by Cambrai to Rheims. Vi try Stat. Roeux Stat. Arras Stat. Arras. (Inns: H. de l’Europe; dear; —Petit St. Paul; well recommended; ■—the Post-house is at a considerable distance from both.) Arras is a large and fine city, formerly the capital of the Pays d’Artois, and now of the Dept, du Pas de Calais; Pop. 23,485. It is a fortress of third class, seated on the Scarpe, and the passport regulations are strictly enforced. The entrance, between and amongst the lofty ram¬ parts, shaded by loftier trees, is grand and imposing. In the interior it has quite the character of a Flemish town, especially in its Grande Place, sur¬ rounded by gable-faced houses, termi¬ nating in scallops and scroll-work sup¬ ported on open arcades. On one side of it stands the Hotel de Ville, a rather pleasing structure in the latest Gothic, resembling our Elizabethan, built 1510, surmounted by a Beffroi. The Revolution raged here with ex¬ ceeding violence — a matter of little surprise when it is remembered that Arras was the birthplace of the mon¬ sters Maxn. Robespierre and his bro¬ ther. They were the sons of an advo¬ cate, who abandoned them in their childhood and went to America, and they were educated at the College here, and maintained by the charity of some of the clergy of St. Waast. It is said that in one street all the inhabitants were guillotined, whence it was called the “ Rue sans Tetes.” One effect of this fury was the desecra¬ tion of the greater portion of the reli¬ gious edifices. The Cathedral fell like the rest, and only a fragment of it re¬ mains near the Place. The present Cathedral, though in the form of a Latin cross, with flying buttresses, is a pure Italian edifice. Its interior, supported on classic columns, with side aisles and transepts, is plain hut handsome. By a decree of the town council the external architecture of the old Gothic houses must not be altered. Damiens, who attempted to assassin¬ ate Louis XV., was a native of Arras. The cotton manufacture is carried on to a considerable extent here. Diligences to Cambrai.—The Rail¬ way descends the valley of the Scarpe. Boileux Stat. Achiet Stat. Albert Stat. Corbie Stat. Amiens (Stat.) and the Railway thence to Paris are described in Rte. 3 (p. 16). Picardy. 9 Route 2.— Calais to Paris — Chantilly. ROUTE 2. CALAIS TO PARIS BY DOULLENS, AMIENS, AND CHANTILLY. 281 kilom. = 174 Eng. m. At pi’esent the quickest way from Calais to Paris is (Rte. 1) the Raily. Calais is described in Rte. 1, p. 3. The country about Calais, and for some distance inland, is low and wet, intersected by scummy ditches, and traversed by rows of pollard willows. It is drained by the canal de St. Omer, which falls into the sea at Calais : the tides are kept out by embankments. The villages are composed chiefly of mud cottages. The peasants, men as well as women, are frequently seen mounted on very high pattens to avoid the dirt. The road crosses the Pont Sans Pareil, thrown over the two canals from St. Omer to Calais, and from Ar- dres to Gravelines, at the point where they cut each other at right angles, 3 m. before reaching 16 Ardres, a small fortress. 8 La Recousse. 16 St. Omer (in Rte. 1). 18 Aire, another small fortress of the third class, contains a Gothic Church, St. Paul’s, and a belfry built in the 18th century, rising above the public square. Mallebranche was born here. W. of Aire is Therouenne, and a little S. of it Guinegate. 13 Lillers. 11 Pernes. 13 St, Pol. [15 m. N.W. of St. Pol, and 2 m. S. of the post station, Fruges, is Azincour (1415), a village of dirty farms and poor cottages, uninteresting but for its battle-field. Only the foundations re¬ main of the castle mentioned by Shak- speare “that stands hard by.” Azincour lies on the 1. of the high road from St. Omer to Abbeville, which passes through the village of Ruisseauville, mentioned in all the accounts of the battle. The hottest of the fight raged between Azin¬ cour and the commune of Tramecour, where a wood still exists corresponding with that in which Henry posted his archers, who contributed so much to the victory, each armed with an iron- Dointed stake, to fix in the ground be¬ fore him and to serve the purpose of the modern bayonet. Henry, like his great-grandfather Edward III., previous to Crecy, had marched, with a force of only 9000 men at the utmost, through a hostile country, from Harfleur on his way to Calais. On reaching the Somme below Abbeville he found the ford, by which Edward had crossed, staked, and was obliged to continue up the 1. bank, find¬ ing every passage fortified and every bridge broken, until he arrived above Amiens, where he gained the rt. bank by a ford which had been left open. The French army, though more than six times the number of the English, retreated before him beyond St. Pol, and there drew up across the road to Calais to dispute his passage. There is thus a considerable similarity in the events attending the victories of Crecy and Azincour, and these two famous battle-fields are not more than 20 m. apart (see p. 15).] 13 Frevent. 15 Doullens, chef-lieu of an arron dissement in the D(ipt. of the Somme, has a Citadel built by Vauban, now a state prison. St. Martin’s Church is said to be remarkable for the lightness of the pillars which support it, 14 Talmas. 16 Amiens, on the Railway (Rte. 3). 19 Flers. 13 Breteuil.— Inn: H. d’Ange et d’Angleterre, not good. The Abbey of Ste. Marie is an ancient Gothic build¬ ing. Here is a station on the Railway, Rte. 3. Diligence hence through Noiremont, 12 k., ito Beauvais (p. 23), (16 k). 18 St. Just. The park and chateau, formerly the property of the Due de Fitzjames, are passed on the rt., shortly before reaching 16 Clermont-sur-Oise—Rte. 3. 10 Laigneville. The river is crossed at Creil (Rte. 3). A monotonously straight road, through an avenue of trees, partly skirting the forest, leads to 12 Chantilly {Inns: II. de la Pe- louze, tolerably comfortable ; II. d’An¬ gleterre), a town of 2524 Inhab. The B 3 10 Route 2,— Chantilly. Sect. I. splendid chateau, built by the grandson of the Grand Conde, in the reign of Louis XV., was levelled by the mob at the Revolution. The Great Conde here spent his latter years, after, re¬ tiring from military life, in the society of Racine, Boileau, Bossuet, and the other literary men of his age. The Stables remain—a splendid pile, capable of lodging 180 horses, but unfinished. Conde took great pride in this beau¬ tiful retreat, and pleasure in embel¬ lishing it; and when Louis XIV., who had a claim on it, indicated a desire to obtain possession, he said, “ Vous etes le maitre: mais j’ai une grace h de- mander h V. M., c’est de me laisser h Chantilly comme votre concierge and the king had the moderation not to interfere. Conde’s affairs were never in a more desperate condition than at the moment when he was ho¬ noured by a visit from his cousin and sovereign, 1671 ; nevertheless, nothing could exceed the magnificence of the entertainment, rendered memorable by the suicide of Vatel the cook, who ran himself through with his sword in de¬ spair because the fish did not arrive in time for dinner.* Chantilly, one of the most beautiful spots in the vicinity of Paris, abounds in interest and in souvenirs of its most distinguished owner. A noble author,f who visited it in 1841, has touchingly described its vast natural forest, its limpid and purling streams, its green Arbele poplars, which have taken root in the ruins of the Grand Chateau, and now quite overshadow them, its green turf drives, and its hedges of haw¬ thorn. Le Petit Chateau, built by the Montmorencys, is one of the most charming monuments of the style of the Renaissance in France. It is sur¬ rounded by water, and consequently the lower story is scarce habitable ; but in the state rooms and gallery are the Battles of the Grand Conde, painted by Van der Meulen. The Jardin Anglais, laid out before the Revolution, is very curious; the French garden is in bad taste. The Chapel contains a rich altar- * See Mad. de Sevigne’s Letters. t Lord Mahon Life of Conde. screen in the style of the Renaissance, brought from Ecouen: here also is some fine painted glass, representing the story of Psyche. After the mys¬ terious death of its late owner, the Due de Bourbon, the last of the line of Conde, Chantilly became the pro¬ perty of the Due d’Aumale. Ze Petit Chateau is allowed to be shown during the absence of the princes, and ought to be visited. An Hospital, built and endowed by the deceased Prince de Conde, remains a monument of his munificence to the town. The park and grounds are very beau¬ tiful, and are readily shown to strangers. The forest adjoining them has an ex¬ tent of 6700 acres. Paces are held here in May and October. The body of the aged Admiral Co- ligny, the noblest victim of the mas¬ sacre of St. Bartholomew, after having been hung up by the heels on the gallows of Montfaucon, was secretly brought hither by Montmorency, and buried in the parish church without the head, which was conveyed to Catherine de Medicis. Chantilly is famed for its silk lace (blonde , so called from the light colour), made here to a less extent in the town itself than in the 20 or 30 neighbouring communes, the artificers being women and children. The manufacture was originally established 1710, by M. Mo¬ reau. There are now 7 large esta¬ blishments ; but they only give out the patterns and materials: the work is executed at the homes of the lace- makers. Coaches to the Creil Rly. Stat. In the midst of the forest of Chan¬ tilly, on the dam at the margin of the Etangs de Comelle, is a pretty little Gothic building, flanked by 4 towers at the corners, called Chateau de la Loge de Viarmes, said to be built by Queen Blanche of Castille, mother of St. Louis. Its carved ornaments of snakes, frogs, lizards, snails, intermixed with foliage composed of water-plants, are appropriate to the aquatic site. From the style of Gothic it appears to date from the 15th cent., and was probably erected by the Montmorencys for a hunting or fishing house. It was restored carefully in 1326. Three ave- Picardy. Houte 3.— Boulogne. 11 nues traverse the ponds; and here grand stag-hunts were held by the royal princes. Not far from this is the ruined Cis¬ tercian Abbey of Royaumont, founded by St. Louis, 1230, who often retired hither from the world, tending the sick and eating with the monks. A wall and turret of the church, with bits of the refectory and cloister, alone remain, and are now converted into a cotton- mill. The valley of the Oise in this vicinity is very rich and fine. 10 Luzarches has an interesting Church of the end of the 12th or begin¬ ning of the 13th cent.: its portal is ornamented with curious sculptures of martyred saints; and remains of an ancient castle of the French kings exist here on the top of the hill: they con¬ sist of a fragment of a square donjon and a chapel. 11 Ecouen. The chief building is the Chateau of the Montmorency fa¬ mily, built in the reign of Francis I., now the property of the Due d’Aumale. It was converted by Napoleon into a seminary for the education of the daughters of members of the Legion of Honour, grid placed under the direction of Madame Campan. It is now subor¬ dinate to the chief establishment of the order of St. Denis. The principal front was destroyed at the Revolution, the other 3 are well preserved. Within are traces of frescoes, of the 16th cent., which were whitewashed by Madame Campan. The elegant chapel, orna¬ mented with carvings in wood and a richly-decorated chimney-piece, is a chef -d'oeuvre of the style of the Renais¬ sance. Soon after leaving Ecouen a fine view of Paris presents itself. Charn- platreux, the seat of M. Mole, is visible. 10 St. Denis (Stat. on the Railroad), in Rte. 3. 9 Paris. See Galignani’s Guide to Paris, and Rte. 4. ROUTE 3. BOULOGNE TO PARIS. — RAILWAY, BY ABBEVILLE, AMIENS, CLERMONT, AND PONTOISE.—CHEMIN DE FER DU NORD. 272 kilom. = 170 Eng. nr. 5 trains daily; in 5^ to 8 hours. Boulogne.— Inns : H. des Bains, si¬ tuated close to the port, comfortable; a good cuisine and table d’hote at 4 fr.’ good but dear. H. du Nord, also good. Barry’s Marine Hotel, opposite the baths and steamers. Id. d’Angleterre ; moderate. Id. de Londres; good, and great civility. Boulogne-sur-Mer is a seaport in the Channel, or Pas de Calais, on the estuary of a small stream, the Liane, which forms a tide harbour, flanked on either side by wooden piers stretching- out as far as low-water mark. It was the Roman Gessoriacum. The old town occupies the summit of a hill, on which it was built for security in an¬ cient times, and it is still encircled by its feudal ramparts, and entered by ca¬ vernous gateways. The new or Basse Ville, stretching down the slopes of the hills which border the harbour, and under the brown cliffs which partly line it, is the chief seat of commerce, and contains the best hotels, streets, and shops. The number of inhabitants is 29,145, among whom are at least 7000 perma¬ nent English residents; indeed, Bou¬ logne, having the advantage of being within 5 hours of London, has become, since the peace, one of the chief British colonies abroad; and, by a singular reciprocity, on the very spot whence Napoleon proposed the invasion of our shores, his intended victims have quietly taken possession and settled themselves down. The town is en¬ riched by English money; warmed, lighted, and smoked by English coal; English signs and advertisements de¬ corate every other shop - door, inn, tavern, and lodging-house; and almost every third person you meet is either a countryman or speaking our lan¬ guage ; while the outskirts of the town are enlivened by villas and country- houses, somewhat in the style and taste of those on the opposite side of the Channel. There are at least 120 boarding - schools (pensionnats) for youth of both sexes, many of them under English managers. Le Port. The margin of the har¬ bour concentrates the chief bustle and 12 Route 3.— Boulogne. Sect. I. business; here is the landing-place of the packets, and the Donane, whither passengers are first conveyed on their arrival to deliver their passports, and to be visited by the custom-house offi¬ cers. New Quays have been built; a backwater with sluices for scouring the harbour mouth is planned. The tide rises from 18 to 27 ft. here. The present entrance to the harbour was formed 1829, somewhat to the W. of the old, and allows the packets to enter 1^ hour earlier and later than in the old. It is flanked on either side by wooden piers, that which projects from the end of the quay forming a pleasant walk when the tide is in. The number of persons who disembai'k here annually amounts to 100,000 or 150,000, and hence the chief source of the pros¬ perity of Boulogne. On one side of the harbour, on the margin of a fine sandy beach, is the Etablissement des Bains, a showy build¬ ing, fronted with colonnades, contain¬ ing subscription, ball, and reading rooms. In front is drawn up in long array a number of genuine bathing- machines (voitures baignoires), the only ones of the sort to be found in France. Boulogne is much resorted to in sum¬ mer as a watering-place, both by the Parisians and English, on account of sea-bathing, for which it is well adapted, having a fine sandy beach. On the opposite (1.) side of the har¬ bour is a semicircular basin, dug out of the sand by Napoleon, to contain the celebrated flotilla of flat-bottomed boats intended by him to transport an invading French army to the coasts of England, but happily not destined to reach our shores. Almost all the 1300 vessels belong¬ ing to Boulogne are engaged in fishery, and the arrival and departure of the boats collects a crowd of fishermen and fisherwives in their singular and pic¬ turesque costume, such as the pencils of Prout and Stanfield are wont to por¬ tray. These people occupy a distinct quarter of the town on the N. side of the harbour, the streets of which are draped with nets hung out from the fronts of the houses to dry, and in dress and manners they are distinct from the rest of the inhabitants, speaking a peculiar patois, and rarely intermarry¬ ing with the other townsfolk. They are an industrious and very hard-work¬ ing race, especially the women, and very religious: the perils and vicissi¬ tudes of their hard life reminding them more nearly than other classes of their dependence on Providence. The Boulogne fishing-boats are the largest and best worked in the Chan¬ nel. A great number repair annually to the coast of Scotland for the herring fishery, and some go as far as Shetland and Iceland. The Rue de l’Ecu, running parallel with the Liane, and the Grande Rue, ascending the hill towards the upper town, contain some of the best shops. About half-way up the Grande Rue is the Museum (in what was the Grande S^minaire). A sum has been voted for a new building expressly designed for it. It deservedly ranks amongst the best provincial collections in France, is highly creditable to the town, and owes a large part of its contents to private donations. The series of arms, dresses, implements, weapons, &c., of various nations, including the full dress of a Lapland lady given by Admiral Rosa- mel, is very extensive. Here is an imaginary model of the Tower of Caligula, which stood on the heights above the town: also engravings of the siege of Boulogne under Henry VIII.; a curfew of earthenware ; some curious fragments of sculpture of the 15th and 16th cent, from churches, &c. ; a Last Judgment, a bas-relief carved in wood very elaborately ; an extensive series of medals,— among them that celebrated one, which took too much for granted, struck by Napoleon 1804, and bearing the inscription “ Descente en Angleterre,” “ Frappe a Londres,” of which 3 or 4 impressions alone are said to exist, the die having been de¬ stroyed. The quantity of Roman an¬ tiquities, of pottery, glass, bronzes, coins, utensils of various kinds, found in and about the town by excavations, is very remarkable, as well as their good preservation. In digging the foundations of the Abattoir on the road to Paris, a multitude of vases and Picardy. Route 3.— Boulogne. 13 other objects, with more than 1300 medals, relics of the Roman Bononia or Gessoriacum, came to light, and have been deposited here. A collec¬ tion of siege pieces, or coins struck in haste in besieged towns, is curious, as well as a series of French Assignats, or paper money issued at the Revolution. The museum possesses a mummy pro¬ nounced by Champollion one of the finest in Europe, for the number and brillancy of its paintings, &c.; it was brought from Biban el Molouk by Denon. Persons interested in natural history will find collections in all departments, by no means contemptible in extent or preservation. The geology of the dis¬ trict is illustrated by a large series of specimens, including the ironstone of the Boulonnois, the marble of Marquise (lower oolite), and the coal. Of the Picture Gallery much cannot be said, but there are 1 or 2 tolerable modern paintings ; a good sea-piece by Dela¬ croix. The Museum is opened to the public Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 10 to 4; strangers may obtain admis¬ sion on other days by giving a small fee to the concierge. Under the same roof is the Public Library , containing 22,000 volumes and 3000 MSS., many of them rare and richly illuminated, including the oldest copy extant of Bede’s ‘ Homilies,’ from St. Bertin. The Old Town of Boulogne, on the summit of the hill, retains its three arched gateways, and the ancient ram¬ parts which defended it in the 15th cent., but offered a vain resistance to the assaults and cannonading of the army of Henry VIII. The town was restored, however, to Henri II. of France by the English (1550), in the reign of Edward VI., by treaty, upon payment of 40,000 livres. In con¬ sideration of this a bronze bust of Henri (by David d’Angers) decorates the esplanade outside the gate des Dunes. The Bemparts form an airy and agreeable walk, running uninter¬ ruptedly round the town, and com¬ manding views in all directions, over the sea and port, and over the high ground to the E. occupied in turn by the camps of Caligula, Henry VIII., and Napoleon, and along the roads to Calais and Paris. In one corner of the walls is the old Citadelle , flanked by high round towers, and divided from the town by a fosse, but now much mo¬ dernised externally, and converted into a barrack. In the midst of the old town, behind the Hotel de Ville, rises the antique tower of the Beffroi. The Cathedral, a large modern Grecian building, has been in progress since 1827, being built by subscription, on the site of a Gothic one pulled down at the Revolution. Two ranges of cu¬ rious stunted pillars, dating probably from the 11th cent., which belonged to a crypt under the old church, exist be¬ neath the new one. There are several Nunneries in the old town; that of the Ursulines is at No. 2, Rue de la Paille. The sisters, 40 or 50 in number, instruct a pen¬ sion for . young ladies. The Soeurs de Bon Secours (Rue St. Martin, No. 20) devote themselves to attend on the sick, and their services are much esteemed by the poor. The con¬ vent of the “Dames de la Visitation,” about f m. out of the town, near the St. Omer road, is the largest, and has a fine chapel, open on Sundays. At Boulogne, in 1840, a landing and an ineffectual attempt at insurrection was made by Louis Napoleon. Le Sage, the author of Gil Bias, who repaired to Boulogne in the latter years of his life to stay with his son, a canon of the cathedral, died 1747, in a house, No. 3, Rue du Chateau, as an inscription over the door points out The existing building, however, is of much more recent date, and only occupies the site of the original house. Churchill the poet also died at Bou¬ logne, whither he had come on a visit to John Wilkes, then a voluntary exile from England. Attempts made by the priests to obtain access to the dying man, in order to convert him to popery, were stoutly repelled by Wilkes. There are 2 English Chapels here: one in the Rue du Temple, built by subscription of the English (1828), is capable of containing 1000 persons 14 Route 3.— Boulogne. Sect. I. —service at 11 and 3 on Sundays: the other in the Rue St. Martin in the Haute Ville. The Poste aux Lettres is at No. 28, Rue des Vieillards; it is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The British Consul resides in the Rue des Vieillards. In the Cemetery of the upper town is the grave of 82 female convicts from England, drowned in the wreck of the “ Amphitrite,” 1833, and others who perished in the Indiaman “ Con¬ queror,” 1843. At Capecure a large flax-mill has been built, with 2 steam-engines, 6000 spindles, employing 1000 people. Merridew, Rue de l’Ecu, has an English reading-room and circulating library. Stubbs has another. The Office for Passports is open from 9 to 2; but passports are countersigned at later hours in case of urgency. See Introduction, c. On the very edge of the cliff, just above the sea-baths, a little to the E. of the port, are the scanty remains of solid brick walls known as Pa Tour d’ Ordre (Turris Ardens, i.e. light- tower), supposed to be the founda¬ tions of a tower built by Caligula the Roman emperor, a.d. 40, when he marched to the shore of the Channel with an army of 100,000 men, boast¬ ing that he intended to invade the opposite coast of Britain, but con¬ tenting himself with gathering a few shells, which he called the spoils of the ocean. The tower is supposed to have been intended for a lighthouse, but the remains are very scanty, and from the falling of the cliff even these are likely soon to disappear. On the same heights 18 centuries later another emperor—Napoleon—en¬ camped an army of more than 180,000 men, designed to invade England, and placed under the command of Soult, Ney, Davoust, and Victor. Buonaparte himself, during his visits to the camp, occupied a temporary baraque, which was raised within a few yards of the Roman tower. Thence he could sur¬ vey his flotilla of 2400 transports and flat-bottomed boats, and the shore on either side of the town, both under the cliff and upon the heights, bristling with batteries of cannon and mortars ; while in the distance the vigilant fleets of England hovered iucessantly. In one instance Nelson approached near enough to bombard the town and sink two of the floating batteries. “ Bou¬ logne,” he writes, “ was certainly not a pleasant place that morning; but it is not my wish to injure the poor inhabitants, and the town is spared as much as the service will admit.” It is stated, however, that most of the bombs fell short, and that in exca¬ vating the new harbour many tons of them were dug out. He afterwards made an unsuccessful attempt with the boats of his squadron to cut out the flotilla in the teeth of the batteries, and burn it. Another attempt, in 1804, to burn the flotilla with fire¬ ships, made by Lord Keith, was at¬ tended with no better result. The flotilla of Boulogne formed only part of the deeply laid scheme of Napoleon for the destruction of England. He designed to collect to¬ gether the combined fleets of France, Spain, and Holland, which for years previously he had been constructing in the harbours of Antwerp, Brest, Cadiz, and the Mediterranean, and with a squadron of 70 ships of the line to sweep the Channel of the British. Under cover of this vast ar¬ mament, he intended to have crossed over with the army of Boulogne, ex¬ pecting to reach London in 5 days, where he designed to have proclaimed parliamentary reform, abolishing the monarchy and the House of Peers, and substituting a republic!! The troops of the Boulogne expedition were so nicely drilled, and every man so accurately informed of the boat which was to transport him, that at a preliminary review, in 104 minutes 25,000 were embarked; and relanded and drawn up on the shore again in 13 minutes more. The whole of these projects and combinations, however, were scattered to the winds; the fleet of England, under Sir Robert Calder, prevented the junction of those of the enemy, and Nelson finally annihilated them at Trafalgar. A conspicuous memorial of this pro- 15 Picardy. Route 3. —Boulogne jected but unaccomplished invasion exists at the distance of nearly a mile from the town in the Colonne Napoleon , which surmounts the heights traversed by the road to Calais. It was begun by the grand army assembled for the invasion of England, as a monument to their leader and emperor. The first stone was laid by Marshal Soult, 1804; but its construction was discontinued after the departure of the troops, and the withdrawal of the subscriptions which they contributed out of their pay. Under Louis XVIII. it was re¬ sumed, with the ostensible design of commemorating the restoration of the Bourbons. In consequence, however, of the revolution of July it has resumed its original destination; and having been purged of carved fleurs-de-lis and royalist inscriptions, was dedicated, 1841, as a monument to Buonaparte, and surmounted by a bronze statue of him in his coronation robes by Bosio, and one of that sculptor’s best works, while bronze bas-reliefs decorate the base. The pillar is of the Doric order, and 50 metres =164 ft. high, exclusive of the statue, 16 ft., and is constructed of marble from the quarries of Mar¬ quise. A winding stair leads up to the top, whence a view may be had of the white cliffs of England. f m. farther, on the coast, a monu¬ ment of marble commemorates the dis¬ tribution of the Order of the Legion of Honour by Buonaparte to his troops, during one of his visits to the camp. Nearer at hand, attached to a small group of houses down in the hollow, 1^ m. from Boulogne, is the humble chapel of J(fsus Flagella ; curious, be¬ cause it exhibits an instance of the practice so common in the Romish Church of making votive offerings. It is resorted to by the fishermen of Bou¬ logne and their families before they go out to sea; and they have lined its walls with votive pictures, even with lithographs, and hung its roof with models of their barks, each to comme¬ morate some rescue from the perils of the great deep. Bailway to Paris (Rte. 3). Steamers. To Dovor daily in 2 hours. The passage is very little longer than to Paris — Raihvag. from Calais to Dovor, and 24 m. of tedious land journey are saved.—To Folkestone every tide in 2 hours.—To London: in summer almost daily, in winter 2 or 3 times a-week, in 10 or 12 hours. Diligences. To Beauvais; to St. Omer; to Calais ; to Samer ; to Lille and Arras. Landing and embarking at Boulogne (see Introduction). The porter’s ta¬ riff for conveying luggage from the steamboat to the custom-house, and thence to the hotel, or to the owner’s residence, is fixed according to weight. Fr. Cents. 0 70 for 15 kilos ( = 33 lbs.) or under. 1 0 for 15 to 100 kilos (=220 lbs.). 1 50 for 100 kilos and upwards. For excursions in the neighbourhood jackasses (baudets) are much in vogue. Bailway to Paris. Between Boulogne and the mouth of the Somme (36 m.) the rly. is car¬ ried within a short distance of the sea. There is a tunnel of 200 yards, through the forest of Hardelot. 6 Pont de Brique Stat. 14 Neuchatel Stat., a small village in a wooded hollow. 28 Etaples Stat. A town of 2500 Inhab. There is a viaduct over the Cauche, more than 900 ft. long. 39 Montreuil Stat. (Rte. 4, p. 22.) 55 Rue Stat., a poor and hitherto “out-of-the-way” town,with a curious old Ch. 65 Noyelle Stat. The railway runs near the N. bank of the Somme. A branch line is projected (1852) from Noyelle to St. Valery. St. Valery, at the mouth of the Somme, 12 m. below Abbeville, was the port whence the fleet of William the Conqueror set sail to invade England. It is partially resorted to as a watering- place. At Blanchetaque Edward III. crossed the Somme with his army before the battle of Crecy, by a ford passable only at low water. The tide, rising immedi¬ ately after, arrested the pursuit of the French forces, and compelled them to ascend the 1. bank, while the English pursued their way up the rt. 16 Sect. I. Route 3 .—Boulogne to Paris — Amiens. The Somme is crossed by a bridge of 2 arches before reaching 79 Abbeville Stat. — Inns: H. de l’Europe; Tete de Bceuf. This is an industrious manufacturing town of 17,582 Inhab., which, from its situation on the Somme, here a wide river, is accessible for vessels of 150 tons. Those who will penetrate into its narrow and filthy streets will find some quaint specimens of ancient domestic archi¬ tecture, timber houses, &c., but the chief object of interest, which really ought to be seen, is The Cli. of St. Wolfram. The W. front, and 5 first arches of the nave, are a portion of a magnificent design, never carried out, commenced in the reign of Louis XII., under the Cardinal George d’Amboise. The facade is a splendid example of the flamboyant style, consisting of three gorgeous portals, surmounted by a pediment, and flanked by two towers; the whole covered with the richest flowing tracery, or panelling; the niches being filled with statues. The central door is curiously carved. The remainder of the church is a mean continuation of the first plan. The prison is a fragment of the old Castle of the Counts of Ponthieu. Diligences to Eu and Dieppe (Rte. 18); to Rouen; to Beauvais; to St. Valery. Railway to Paris. From Abbe¬ ville to Amiens the line is carried up the valley of the Somme along its 1. bank. 87 Pont-Remy Stat. The village is on the rt. bank of the Somme. 6| m. off lies Ailly le Haut Clocher, so called from the lofty steeple of its fine Ch., in a style resembling Early English Gothic. 95 Longpre Stat. 102 Hangest Stat. 109 Picquigny Stat. The ruined castle, close to the Ch., with its ter¬ races, mentioned in Mad. de S^vigne’s ‘ Letters,’ was built at the end of the 15th cent. This place gives its name to a Treaty, signed 1475, between Edward IV. and Louis XI., who met on the bridge; but so distrustful of each other, that a barrier of stout pali¬ sades and wooden bars, “ such as the cages of lions are made of,” says De Comines, was raised to divide them, eaving space between the bars only wide enough to allow them to shake hands. Ailly Stat. 124 Amiens Stat. — Inns: H. de France et d’Angleterre ; H. de Paris; H. des Postes, good—S'.A. H. du Rhin, near the rly., belongs to the landlord of the Poste. Amiens is an industrious manufac¬ turing town of 46,129 Inhab., formerly capital of Picardy, now chef-lieu of the Dept, de la Somme, and situated on that river, which passes through the town split into 11 branches, and ren¬ ders essential service in turning the water-wheels of many of the numerous manufactories, whose tall chimneys are seen rising above the other buildings, and are clustered around the outskirts. The weaving of cotton velvets, chiefly for Spanish consumption, and the spin¬ ning of cotton and woollen yarn, are the principal branches of industry, Amiens is the cradle of the cotton manufacture of France, which dates no farther back than 1773. The object which deservedly con¬ centrates the attention of travellers at Amiens is the Cathedral, one of the noblest Gothic edifices in Europe. It was begun 1220, only two years later than Salisbury, though in a much more mature style than that edifice. It was designed and begun by the architect Robert de Luzarches, but continued and completed, 1269, by Thomas and Regnault de Cormont, except the W. front, not finished until the end of the 14th cent. Three vast and deeply recessed portals lead into it, the arches supported by a long array of statues in niches instead of pillars, while rows of statuettes supply the place of mould¬ ings, so that the whole forms one mass of sculpture ; an arrangement of constant occurrence in French Gothic, though rare in English. The sculpture of these porches merits attention; over the centre door the bas-relief represents the Last Judgment; the statues are those of the 12 Apostles. Over the rt.- hand porch are the Death and Assump¬ tion of the Virgin; over that on the 1. is the legend of St. Firmin, the apostle Picardy. Route 3.— Amiens . 17 of Picardy. Above the portals runs a colossal line of French kings, behind which appears a noble wheel-window; and the whole is flanked by two stately but unfinished towers. “ The interior is one of the most magnificent spectacles that architec¬ tural skill can ever have produced. The mind is filled and elevated by its enor¬ mous height (140 ft.), its lofty and many - coloured clerestory, its grand proportions, its noble simplicity. The proportion of height to breadth is almost double that to which we are accustomed in English cathedrals; the lofty, solid piers, which bear up this height, are far more massive in their plan than the light and graceful clusters of our English churches, each of them being a cylinder with 4 engaged co¬ lumns. The polygonal E. apse is a feature which we seldom see, and no¬ where so exhibited, and on such a scale; and the peculiar French arrangement which puts the walls at the outside edge of the buttresses, and thus forms interior chapels all round, in addition to the aisles, gives a vast multiplicity of perspective below, which fills out the idea produced by the gigantic height of the centre. Such terms will not be considered extravagant when it is re¬ collected that the vault is half as high ae;ain as the roof of Westminster Abbey.”— Whewell. The entire length is 442 ft. The general character of the architecture is that of the early English, except the geometric tracery of the windows. The triforium is glazed, rvhich gives great lightness to the interior. Just within the central porch are 2 fine brass effigies of bishops; that on the 1. as you enter is Evrard de Fouilly, who laid the first stone of the church; that on the rt. Geoffroy d’Eu, “ learned,” as his epitaph tells us, “ in medicine as w ell as theology.” The splendid pulpit, the work of an artist of Amiens, Dupuis, is supported by statues of Faith, Hope, and Charity. Placed at the crossing of the tran¬ sept, the spectator may admire the 3 magnificent rose windows, all of ela- borate tracery and varied patterns, filled with rich stained glass, each nearly 100 ft. in circumference, which form a great ornament to this church, and surpass everything of the sort which England can show. The font in the N. transept is an oblong trough of stone, probably of the 10th or 11th cent. Found the wall which separates the choir from its aisles runs a low screen of stone, enclosing a series of curious sculptures, in high relief, representing on the S. side the legend of St. Firmin, and on the N. the acts and death of John the Baptist. They date from the end of the 15th cent. The head of St. John the Baptist, brought from Constantinople at the time of the Crusades, has always been considered, and still remains, the most valuable relic possessed by this church. It is deposited in the side chapel dedi¬ cated to St. John. Several other heads of St. John existed before the Revolu¬ tion in other churches of France, and one, indeed, in the neighbouring abbey of St. Acheul; but this, it was main¬ tained, was the genuine one. Since the Revolution, the skull has been re¬ duced to the frontal bone and upper jaw. Attached to a monument of Canon Lucas, at the back of the high altar, and facing the Lady Chapel, is a weep¬ ing angel, which has received more praise than it seems to deserve on the score of art; it is known as “ l’enfant pleureur.” Blasset is the sculptor’s name. The choir , terminating in a semi¬ circular E. end, the elegantly groined roof resting on compressed lancet- pointed arches, yields in beaut} r to no part of the church. It is also especially distinguished for the elaborately carved woodwork of its 116 stalls: in variety of invention and delicacy of execution there is nothing finer of the kind in Europe. The intricate details of the tabernacles and lace-like parapets, the bold drawing, and effective though coarse expression in the bas-reliefs, re¬ presenting subjects from Holy Writ, the Life of the Virgin, &c., and the close imitation of nature in the twin¬ ing tendrils and playful foliage of the vine and other plants, deserve minute 13 Route 3. —Boulogne to Paris — Amiens. Sect. T. attention. The carvers were Arnonlt Boullin and Alex. Huet, menuisiers of Amiens: the work was finished in 1520. The diapering of fleurs-de-lis at the back of the seats was effaced by order of the government in 1830. To appreciate the vast proportions and ex¬ amine the details of this cathedral, the visitor ought to ascend to the triforium gallery; thence he may mount the tower and enjoy the view over the vale of the Somme, remarking in his ascent the turret with the stone table, where Henri IV. posted himself to watch the retreat of the Spaniards in 1597. The roof is a wonderful piece of carpentry, 46 ft. high ; a forest of oak and chest¬ nut must be contained in it. Within the cathedral of Amiens Edward III. did homage for Guienne to Philippe of Valois, 1329; and here, in 1385, Isabel of Bavaria was married to the idiot king Charles VI. The best description of Amiens Cathedral is that of M. Gilbert. The other buildings in the town possess comparatively slight interest. The deserted Ch. of St. Bend, now a stable, was a rich specimen of the latest florid Gothic, the beauty of which is destroyed by mutilations. Within it is a sculptured monument to the family Lannay. In the Hotel de Ville, a building of 1600, the treaty of “ the Peace of Amiens” was signed, 1802, by the plenipotentiaries, Joseph Buona¬ parte for France, Lord Cornwallis for England, Chevalier Azara for Spain, and M. Schimmelpenninck for Holland. The hall is hung with pictures of the modern French school, of slight merit. There is a Museum, containing some antiquities, paintings, &c. A Boulevard surrounds the town, occupying the site of the ancient ram¬ parts, and, being planted with trees, forms an agreeable promenade. A Citadel, however, remains, built on the rt. bank of the Somme by Henri IV., and strengthened by modern works. The Spaniards, in 1597, gained the city, which had claimed the privilege of exemption from a military garrison, through the stratagem of Hernando Tello de Porto Carrero, Spanish gover¬ nor of Doullens, who, disguising him¬ self and a band of companions as pea¬ sants, entered the town at early dawn, along with the market folk, driving a waggon laden with fruit, which he halted under the gateway. In passing the gate it was contrived that a sack of walnuts should burst; and while the unsuspecting guards were occupied on all fours scrambling for its scattered contents, the Spaniards fell on them and put them to the sword. In vain the portcullis was hastily lowered: the waggon had been drawn up so as to catch it as it fell, leaving a passage by which a party of armed Spaniards, in ambush outside, gained easy admit¬ tance. Henri IV., not yet firmly fixed in his throne, felt the loss of Amiens as a severe blow, and hastened to recover it. He was aided in the siege and capture of the town, 1598, by a body of 4000 Englishmen, under Sir Arthur Savage, furnished by Queen Elizabeth. Amiens was the Samarobriva of the Romans; and the Ambiani, the Gallic inhabitants of the district (whence the name Amiens), are mentioned by Ceesar. Here Merovee was proclaimed king by being raised on the shield of his victorious soldiers. The following eminent persons were born in the town or its vicinity:— Peter the Hermit, preacher of the first crusade; Gabrielle d’Estrees, the che¬ rished mistress of Henri IV.; Ducange, author of the ‘ Glossarium ad Scrip- tores mediaj et infimai Latinilatis;’ a statue of him (Du Fresne, Seigneur du Cange) has been set up in the square near the Stat.; Gresset the poet, author of ‘Vertvert;’ Delambre the astrono¬ mer. The Abbey of St. Acheul, on the outskirts of the town, was converted into a Jesuits’ college under the Re¬ storation. The crypt under the church contains some ancient tombs and bas- reliefs. Amiens is celebrated among gour¬ mands for its pate's de canard. Railways from Amiens—to Paris, to Lille (Rte. 1), and to Abbeville. Diligences daily to Beauvais (Rte. 4). At Amiens our route enters upon the Great Trunk Railway from Paris to Picardy. 19 Route 3 .—Boulogne to Paris — Railway. Lille and Brussels, called Chemin de Fer du Nord (Rte. 1 and 184). 9 Boves Stat. 10 Ailly-sur-Noye Stat. 17 Breteuil Stat. — The town lies about 4 m. on the W. Diligence to Beauvais, 17 m. (Rte. 4), and to Rouen. 15 St. Just Stat. 14 Clermont Stat. Clermont-sur-Oise {Inn: Croissant, tolerable), a prettily situated town on the slopes of a hill, surmounted by the Castle, which is now a Penitentiary for women, and modernized. It w^as, how¬ ever, an important fortress from the 10th to the 16th cent.; taken by the English 1359 and 1434, and by Henri IV. from the troops of the League 1595. The elder Conde, disgusted with the Court, retired hither, 1615, and fortified himself against attacks. From the agreeable promenade du Chatellier, which surrounds its walls, jutting out over the valley, a beautiful view of its winding stream is obtained. Cassini, the astronomer and geographer, was a native of Clermont. 8 Liancourt Stat. 7 Creil Stat., a town of 1500 Inhab., on the 1. bank of the Oise. Only the foundations of a tower remain of the old Castle in which Charles VI. was shut up during his madness. It stood on the island below the bridge, but was destroyed at the Revolution. There is a large delft manufactory at Creil. A branch railway diverges from Creil to St. Quentin, by Compiegne (Rte. 183), Noyon, and Chauny. The railroad, hitherto carried along the high land of Picardy (chalk in part), here enters the valley of the Oise. 7 St. Leu Stat. Diligence hence to Chantilly (Rte. 2, p. 9), and to Senlis. 8 Boran Stat. 6 Beaumont-sur-Oise Stat., a town of 2000 Inhab., surmounted by a ruined tower, part of its old castle. From Beaumont the distance by rail is double the direct road to Paris. 7 Ile-Adam Stat. 6 Auvers Stat. 5 Pontoise Slat. {Inns: GrandCerf; H. des Messageries), a town of 5400 Inhab., occupies a steep slope on the river Oise, here traversed by a bridge, whence its name. It is famous for calves and flour, and supplies Paris with these two articles. The Vionne, wdiich here joins the Oise, turns 30 corn-mills. The Ch. of St. Maclose is an in¬ teresting edifice presenting various styles; there is some painted glass in a chapel near the principal entrance. The Palais de Justice is a Gothic building. Pontoise is a place of some historical notoriety. St. Louis, attacked by a violent illness, was here warned by a voice from heaven to assume the cross —1244. During the hard winter of 1437, when the ground was covered with snow, the English took the town by surprise, through the ingenious ruse of Talbot, who clothed his soldiers in white, under cover of which, in the obscurity of the night, they reached the foot of the walls unobserved by the garrison. Coaches to Gisors and Chaumont. 8 Herblay Stat. 3 Franconville Stat. The rly. crosses the vale of Montmorency. 3 Ermont Stat. 3 Enghien Stat. Enghien les Bains (H. des Quatre Pavilions) is a very pretty village on the borders of the Etang de Montmorency, with a Bath¬ ing Establishment supplied with medi¬ cinal waters from a sulphureous spring. Not only on this account, but for the extreme beauty of its situation and en¬ virons, it is much frequented by the Parisians as a sort of French Rich¬ mond. The walks in the Parc de St. Gratian are pleasant. Enghien is about \{ m. from Mont¬ morency, whose beauties are much ex¬ aggerated by the Parisians. A road strikes off through Epinay-sur-Seine to St. Leu, celebrated for its chateau and park, which, before the first Revolu¬ tion, belonged to the Due d’Orleans, and was the favourite residence of Madame de Genlis. In the time of Napoleon it was given to Hortense, the Queen of Holland, and after the Re- 20 Sect. I. Route 3 .—Boulogne storation became the property of the Due de Bourbon, who ended his days there miserably and mysteriously, being found hanging to the window-bolt (espagnolette) of his bed-room. Not a trace remains of the chateau of the last Cond4, and even the grounds are all altered. It was purchased by the Bande Noire, sold for its materials, and streets built on the site, one appro¬ priately called Rue des Vandeles. The Orleans family have erected on the spot an octagonal monument to the family of Cond4. The Comte de St. Leu, father of Louis Napoleon, is buried in the village church. Montmorency is a dirty little town 14 m. distant from Paris. Its fine Gothic Ch., of the 15th cent., contains some good painted glass. The house called L' Ermitage, about | m. off, has attained celebrity be¬ cause Rousseau resided in it, 1756-58, and wrote there his ‘Nouvelle Heloise.’ It was then the property of Madame d’Epinay, and really a peasant’s cot¬ tage. It was afterwards occupied by Gr4try the composer, who died here 1813. It still exists, but incorporated into a large and more modern mansion, in which are preserved Rousseau’s bed, table, &c. The line is carried past one of the detached forts which surround Paris, and skirts (rt.) the margin of the Seine shortly before reaching 5 St. Denis Stat. The Abbey of St. Denis was one of the most important and wealthy reli¬ gious foundations in France : its abbots were powerful potentates; Turpin was chancellor to Charlemagne, and Suger prime minister to St. Louis. The Abbey Church has been the burial-place of the kings of France from the time of Dagobert (580), and is a building of great interest, in spite of the wanton dilapidations of revolu¬ tionary violence, which the restorations carried on under Napoleon, the Bour¬ bons, and Louis-Philippe have not yet entirely repaired, and can never atone for. The W. front, flanked and sur¬ mounted by 2 towers, is in the Roman¬ esque style, having been raised by to Paris — St. Denis. Abbot Suger, 1134. It was in the porch of St. Denis that Henri IV. ab¬ jured the Protestant faith. Over the central portal, which is semicircular, is a bas-relief of the Last Judgment. A vestibule, crowded with piers to sup¬ port the towers, leads into the nave, which was built 1281, and is of re¬ markable width, considering that the roof is of stone. The choir, dating from the earlier period of Abbot Suger, is, like that of Canterbury, narrower than the nave. On the 1., as you enter the nave, is the monument of Dagobert, a singular Gothic structure, raised to his memory by St. Louis. The bas-reliefs on it re¬ present the pretended vision of a her¬ mit, who reported that he had seen Da¬ gobert in a boat pursued and scourged by devils, but defended by St. Denis, St. Martin, and St. Maurice. On the same side are the splendid monuments, in the style of the Renaissance, of Louis XII. and Anne of Brittany, whose recumbent effigies in marble are surrounded by 12 small statues, in niches, of the Apostles, admirable for design, attitude, and execution. The bas-reliefs round the base represent the battle of Agnadel and the entry of Louis into Milan. This monument is the work of Paulo Poncio. That be¬ side it, of Henri II. and Catherine of Medicis his queen, is said to have been designed by Philip Delorme and exe¬ cuted by Germain Pilon. The royal effigies are repeated twice; below re¬ cumbent as dead, above kneeling: at the 4 corners are the Cardinal Virtues in bronze! On the S. side of the nave is the cenotaph of Francis I. and Claude his queen, erected 1550, from designs of Primaticcio. The recumbent effigies are by the skilful hand of Jean Goujon , as well as the elegant arabesques which decorate the canopy. The frieze run¬ ning round the base of the monument represents, in a series of marble bas- reliefs of good execution, the battles of Cerisol and of Marignano. The canopy is surmounted by duplicate statues of Francis and his queen, with their 3 children. In the N. transept are placed monu- Picardy. Route 3. —Boulogne to Paris — St. Denis. 21 mental columns to Henri III., assas¬ sinated by Jacques Clement 1589, and to Francis II., husband of Mary Queen of Scots, its base surrounded by weep¬ ing angels. In the S. transept is a pillar in memory of Henri IV. The effigy of the Breton knight Du Gues- clin, whose valour and renown pro¬ cured him burial in the company of kings, but availed not to save his ashes from sacrilegious dispersion by the republicans, is remarkable for its diminutive size. The choir and its side chapels, elevated considerably above the nave, glow with modern decoration in painting and gilding, which rival heraldic blazonry in gaudy colours, laid on much too indiscriminately, and not in good taste. There is no lack of modern painted glass, a very small portion of the old having escaped the fury of the Revolution. Some frag¬ ments of that with which Abbot Suger decorated the building in 1140, still preserved in the apsidal chapels be¬ hind the choir, are regarded as the oldest in France. A red flag suspended behind the altar supplies the place of the once - venerated OriJJamme, the standard of the realm of France, but not used in battle since the time of Charles VII. It was originally the church flag of the Abbey of St. Denis, which was delivered by the abbot to the military guardian of the church whenever he went forth to fight its battles, and was supposed to secure victory to those who bore it. It sup¬ planted St. Martin’s cloak, which had previously served as the royal standard of France. A flight of steps on either side of the choir leads down into the crypt beneath it. Here, along the aisle, are arranged chronologically the monu¬ ments of the kings of Fi’ance from the time of Clovis. The statues called Clovis King of the Franks, and his Queen Clothilda, were brought from the portal of the church at Corbeil on the Seine at the Revolution. They are supposed to be works of the 11th or 12th cent., and are curious speci¬ mens of royal costume: the filleting of the queen’s long hair is worth notice. Those of kings preceding the 13th cent, consist of rudely-sculptured effi¬ gies executed by order of St. Louis. His own bust and that of his queen, with statues of his two sons, painted and gilt, follow next in a separate chapel. The more modern statues of the sovereigns of the house of Valois and Bourbon are of white marble. The series is closed with those of Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, the Due de Berri, &c., executed for the Monument Expiatoire destined for the spot where the Due de Berri was assassinated, but removed to the darkest corner of the crypt after the July revolution: in conception and execution they appear nearly the worst of the whole. This long range of Royal tombs is now quite empty, in consequence of a decree of the Convention of 1793 order¬ ing the destruction of the tombs of the ci-devant kings at St. Denis. In the course of 3 days 51 tombs were opened, rifled, and demolished; and the bodies of kings, queens, and princes, in every stage of decay, cast out in one indis¬ criminate heap into 2 trenches, hastily dug without the walls of the church, after being subjected to every species of brutal indignity. A soldier with his sabre cut the beard from the nearly perfect corpse of Henri IV. to wear it as a moustache on his own lip; and the valiant Turenne’s body, so little in¬ jured by time that the likeness to his portrait was still recognised, was stuck into a glass case, and made a show to gratify idle curiosity. The broken monuments were conveyed, along with relics of saints and church - plate, to Paris, and owe their preservation and restoration to the praiseworthy zeal and care of M. le Noir, founder of the Mus^e des Petits Augustins. For 12 years after this sacrilege the Abbey Ch. of St. Denis, stripped of its lead to furnish bullets, remained roofless ; hav¬ ing first been offered for sale for the value of the building-materials, and next used as a market-house. Napoleon, however, undertook its restoration, and caused the desecrated sepulchral vaults of the Bourbons to be fitted up as a mausoleum for his own family! His design, however, was frustrated by the Restoration. At present the central 22 Route 4.— Calais to Paris. Sect. I. vaults below the high altar contain the confused mass of royal bones, with¬ drawn by order of Louis XVIII. from the ditch into which they had been cast, together with the burnt remains of Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, the coffins of Louis XVIII. and others of his family. In an obscure corner lies the last Conde, father of the Due d’Enghien, who died so miserably at St. Leu. The Ely. crosses the line of Fortifi¬ cations of Paris, and passes (rt.) the hill of Montmartre. Paris. — Terminus, Clos St. Lazare, 24 Place Koubaix (see pp. 25-26 and e. Charge for posthorses). ROUTE 4. CALAIS TO PARIS BY BOULOGNE, ABBE¬ VILLE, BEAUVAIS, AND ST. DENIS. 272 kilom. = 168 Eng. m. Diligences daily from Calais to Bou¬ logne. Railway thence to Paris in 9 hours. To the flat land immediately about Calais succeeds a hilly tract, unen¬ closed and uninteresting, which con¬ tinues as far as Boulogne. 13 Haut Buisson. The poor village Ouessant, or Wit- sand, on the sea-shore, about 4 m. N. of this, is supposed to be the Portus Itius of the Romans, the spot where Julius Csesar embarked for the con¬ quest of Great Britain. Roman re¬ mains are found in the neighbourhood. The harbour has long since been blocked up with sand; yet it was for centuries the landing-place for passen¬ gers from England. 9 Marquise, a town of 2000 Inhab., having in its neighbourhood mines of coal and iron of no great importance, and quarries of a coarse grey marble. Ambleteuse, another poor village on the coast, deserves mention only as the spot where James II. disembarked, Jan. 5, 1689. In the churchyard of Wimille, at the road side, 3 m. from Boulogne, the two unfortunate aeronauts, Pilatre de Rosier and Romain, are buried; the balloon in which they had ascended from Boulogne (1785), intending to cross the Channel, caught fire at an elevation of 3600 ft., and they were miserably dashed to pieces. An obelisk has been erected to their memory. The road, previous to descending from the open high ground, passes close to a fort thrown up by Napoleon in 1804; beyond which, about 200 yards on the rt., rises the Napoleon Column. (See p. 15.) A rapid descent leads under the walls of the old town into the lower or new town of 13 Boulogne, in Rte. 3. The high road to Paris is nearly deserted by travellers now -that the Railway is open to Paris. It is desti¬ tute of interest, if we except the churches at Abbeville and Beauvais. These two towns are the best resting- places. On quitting Boulogne the road com¬ mands, from an eminence which it ascends, a view into the valley of the Liane—thenceforth it is monotonous and dull. The Railway to Abbeville (Rte. 3) is carried a little to the W. of the post-road, nearer to the sea. 15 Samer (ruins of an abbey near this). Inn : Tete de Beeuf. 9 Cormont. 13 Montreuil-sur-Mer. Inns: H. de la Cour de France, et de l’Europe; —H. de France, et de l’Angleterre. An ugly town and 2nd-rate fortress, on a hill rising out of the marshy valley of the Cache. It has a tall flamboyant church, with a fine W. doorway under the towers. 14 Nampont is situated within the Dept, de la Somme, which anciently formed the province of Picardy. 9 Bernay.—La Poste, comfortable. The little seaport St. Valery is visible from the heights traversed by the road. The wood seen on the 1., at a little distance from the road, is a part of the forest of Crecy, the name of a village 12 m. from Abbeville; obscure in itself, but renowned for a victory gained in its precincts, Aug. 26th, 1346, by Edward III. and his 40,000 men over the French army of Philip of Valois 100,000 strong, commanded by the Count d’Alen^on, which still, after Picardy. Route 4.— Calais to Paris — Beauvais. 23 the lapse of ages, remains one of the most brilliant in English annals. Here, upon that memorable day, to the win¬ ning of which the cannon, used, accord¬ ing to some, for the first time, con¬ tributed less than the clotliyard shafts of the English yeomen, there fell, on the side of the French, the Kings of Bohemia and Majorca, the Duke of Lorraine, the Count d’Alen£on (the king’s brother), with 1200 knights, 1500 gentlemen, 5000 men at arms, and 30,000 infantry. Here it was that the Black Prince gained his spurs, and the feathers which the princes of Wales bear to this day. 7 Nouvion. An extensive manu¬ factory of beet-root sugar is seen on the 1., 2 m. before reaching Abbeville. The most pleasing view on the whole road is that of Abbeville, and of the fertile vale of the Somme, in which it is situated, from the summit of the long and steep descent which leads down to it, 13 Abbeville. See Ete. 3. A Stat. on the Ely. to Paris. [About 6 m. E. of Abbeville (bad road) is the Abbei/ Ch. of St. Riquier, a very splendid and interesting Gothic edifice, well preserved, having a beauti¬ ful flamboyant W. front, in the centre of which rises an elegant tower; while beneath it opens the main portal, hav¬ ing statues in its top and sides. “ The details of the front are exquisite, well arranged, and well executed.” The interior is also very fine; the nave flamboyant, the choir apparently earlier. On the walls of the treasury are curious and ancient frescoes; one in the style of the “ Dance of Death.” It is well worth a visit.] The post-road crosses the Somme by two bridges on quitting Abbeville. 19 Airaines. 10 Camps. 13 Poix(Amiennois), which gives the title to the chief of the Noailles family. The road from Amiens to Eouen passes through this place. 14 Grandvilliers. H. d’Angleterre. 10 Marseille (Oise). During this stage the scenery is rather more in¬ teresting. Vineyards first appear a little to the N. of 19 Beauvais. — Inns; Hotel du Cygne ;—d’Angleterre. This is the chief town of the Dept, de l’Oise: it has 13,082 Inhab. The central portion (la Cit4) is very an¬ cient, still in part enclosed by its old walls, which on the E. side have given place to airy boulevards planted with trees ; many of the houses are of wood. The most conspicuous edifice, and the principal object of curiosity hei*e, is the Cathedral. At a distance it appears a heavy and uncouth mass, overtopping the rest of the town with its prominent roof, which is sup¬ ported by 3 rows of flying buttresses, surmounted by double ranges of pinnacles rising from broad buttress walls. It w'as commenced 1225, and the design of its founders and archi¬ tects, excited to emulation by the splendour of Amiens, which had been begun 5 years earlier, seems to have been to surpass in vastness and mag¬ nificence all other Gothic edifices. They miscalculated, however, the re¬ sources both of their art and their treasury, and the result was repeated failure and final defeat; for the pro¬ gress of the edifice was arrested when it was only half finished, and it re¬ mains a mere gigantic choir with transepts. As it is, however, this choir is the loftiest in the world, the eleva¬ tion of the roof above the pavement being 153 ft.—13 ft. higher than that of Amiens ; but though more extraor¬ dinary, it is less pleasing than it. “The extension of its dimensions up¬ ward is carried to a degree which strikes the spectator as exaggeration. Amiens is a giant in repose; Beauvais a colos¬ sus on tiptoe.”— W. To increase the wonder of the building, the architect designed to support it on half the num¬ ber of piers employed at present; but in spite of the iron braces used to hold the piers in their places, the walls bulged out, and the roof fell twice. The only means, then, of maintaining it was by inserting intermediate piers in the wide spaces left between the original ones. The transepts, begun 1500, under the Bishop Villiers de l’lle Adam (who, as well as his brother the Grand Master of St. John of Jeru- 24 Route 4.— Beauvais. Sect. I. salem, was a Beauvoisin), by the archi¬ tects Jean Waast and Martin Cam- biches, and finished 1555, are a fine example of the flamboyant style. One compartment of the nave was actually begun when the architects (moved, it is said, by a vain ambition to rival the height of St. Peter's dome, and M. Angelo’s masterpiece) aban¬ doned it to raise a tower 455 ft. high, which lasted only 5 years, having tumbled down 1573. The choir, “ though raised to a loftiness that strikes the beholder with awe and astonishment, displays the space be¬ tween the tall and slender pillars so entirely filled with glass that the whole range of windows only appears like a single zone of light supported and separated by nothing but narrow mullions situated at wide intervals.” — Hope. In the interior the effect of the admirable painted glass, executed in the best period of the art, is very rich. That in the N. and S. rose windows is attributed to Nicholas Lepot, and that in some of the side chapels to Augrand Leprince, both celebrated as artists in this line in the 16th cent. In the choir are hung 8 of the tapes¬ tries for the manufacture of which Beauvais was celebrated, and which preceded by 3 years that of Gobelins. The monument in the N. aisle of the choir of Cardinal Forbin de Janson, surmounted by his kneeling effigy, is by Nicholas Coustou, and of good workmanship. The entrances to the Cathedral are by the transepts: the portal at the extremity of the S. transept is loaded with flamboyant decorations, though, from the fury of iconoclasts, it has lost the statues which filled the niches. It is surmounted by a noble rose win¬ dow, of very rich tracery. The fagade of the N. transept has very much the character of English perpendicular Gothic; its portal, deeply recessed, with feathered mouldings to the arches, retains its original carved doors, which are surmounted by a bas-relief, in the tympanum, of a genealogical tree; the escutcheons suspended from the branches. A ruinous building called the Basse CEuvre, on the W. of the cathedral, occupying part of the space which the nave, if carried out, would have covered, is curious as one of the most ancient buildings in France (8th or 9th cent.). The lower part of the outer walls displays masonry with bonds of tiles, and tiled arches in the manner of Roman edifices. The superstructure served as a church in the 10th cent.; in its interior square piers support plain round arches. It seems never to have had a stone roof. St. Stephen’s Church. The nave ex¬ hibits the transition from Romanesque to Gothic; it is very plain, with round pier arches, and round-headed cleres¬ tory windows. The W. front resembles a plain early English front of our own country. The painted glass is very excellent. The Bishop’s Palace, re¬ built in the 15th cent., has externally the aspect of a castle surrounded by walls, and its entrance flanked by 2 large round towers. Caesar thus mentions the Bellovaci, the ancient inhabitants of the Beau- vaisis: “ Plurimum inter Belgas Bel- lovacos et virtute et auctoritate, et hominum numero valere.” The most remarkable event in the annals of Beauvais is its Siege by Charles the Bold in 1472, when, being destitute of garrison, it might have fallen by a coup de main, had not its citizens boldly closed their gates in the face of an army of 80,000 Bur¬ gundians, and maintained an obstinate resistance until succour arrived from Paris. The peculiar feature in this defence was the part which the wives and daughters of the townsfolk took in it, guarding the walls, and sharing in all the perils of the men. The chief heroine, Jeanne Hachette, ap¬ peared upon the breach at the moment of the fiercest assaults, seized a Bur¬ gundian standard which a soldier was endeavouring to plant on the walls, and, hurling the bearer to the bottom, bore it off in triumph into the town. Louis XI. rewarded the valour of the citizens by releasing them from taxes, and complimented the ladies bj r an ordonnance authorising them to take Picardy. Route 4.— Calais to Paris. 25 precedence of the men in the procession of St. Angadreme, instituted to com- morate the raising of the siege. This procession is still kept up, on the Sun¬ day nearest the 14th Oct.; the females lead the way, carrying the banner so valorously acquired by Jeanne Ha- chette, which is preserved in the H. de Ville. A statue of her, erected 1850, adorns the “Place.” At an earlier period (1357) Beau¬ vais was the centre of the revolt of the serfs against their tyrannic lords, called Jacquerie , from Jacques Bon- homme (Goodman James), the familiar sobriquet of the peasantry. It ex¬ tended over several provinces before it was put down by the armed force of the seigneurs banded together, and with fearful cruelty. Froissart thus describes an instance of wholesale ven¬ geance performed upon the rebellious peasants by the Duke of Orleans, the Count of Foix, and the Captal de Buch: “ They set fire to the town and burned it clean, and all the villagers of the town that they could close therein.” Diligence to Breteuil Stat. (Rte. 3.) 15 Noailles. 13 Puiseux. 10 Beaumont -sur- Oise (Hotel du Paon), prettily situated on the 1. bank of the Oise. Here vineyards first appear. Ely. Stat. Before reaching Moisselles, a paved road, bordered with trees, strikes off to Viarmes, the Abbey of Royaumont, and Chantilly. (See p. 9.) 12 Moisselles. Rt. lie the forest of Montmorency, and that of Ecouen, with its immense chateau. (See p. 10.) The road is carried through one of the Forts forming part of the out¬ works of the new Fortifications of Paris, before entering 13 St. Denis. (See Rte. 3.) Travellers bound for the W. end of Paris turn to the rt. on quitting St. Denis, pass one of the new barracks for the garrison attached to the fortifi¬ cations, and, leaving Montmartre on the 1., traverse the Faubourg desBatig- nolles, up to the Barriere de Clichy. The post-road is drawn in a perfectly straight line from St. Denis to the Barriere St. Denis, keeping the heights France. of Montmartre on the rt. It crosses the canal which unites the Seine at St. Denis with the Canal de l’Ourcq, and cuts off a bend of the Seine. Fur¬ ther to the rt., and near the Seine, is the villa of the Prince de Craon, where Louis XVIII. signed the Charter in 1814. 9 PARIS. Galignani’s Paris Guide appears so good as to relieve the Edi¬ tor of this work from the necessity of entering into any description at present of the French Capital. The following information, however, may not be unacceptable to strangers. Inns: —Hotel Bristol, Place Ven- dome, is the Mivart’s or Clarendon of Paris; excellent, perfectly comfortable, capital cuisine. H. Wagram, Rue Ri- voli, excellent. H. du Rliin, Place Vendome. N.B. In first-rate hotels dinners are now charged as in London, a la carte, each dish separately, which renders the charge per head very high. H. Brighton, Rue Rivoli, extremely clean, most civil landlord, charges moderate—a fine view over the Tuile- ries garden: the hotels in the Rue de Rivoli have the great advantage of sun in winter, and a covered walk under its arcades in wet weather ; quiet and good. H. Mirabeau, Rue de la Paix; a good suite of 4 apartments 7 to 10 fr. and higher a-night. H. des Princes, Rue de Richelieu; a capital table-d’hote, very well served, at 6 fr.; expensive. Hotel Meurice, Rue Rivoli; a comfort¬ able and well-managed house, almost exclusively frequented by English and Americans: bed 3 fr. per day ; break¬ fast, tea and coffee, with eggs, 2 fr.; dinner at table-d’hote, without wine, 4^- fr.; lacquais-de-place 5 fr.; carriage 25 fr.; servants all round 1 fr. a-day, but less in proportion for family. H. Wind¬ sor, Rue de Rivoli; on the same plan as the H. Meurice, moderate in charges. Hdtel de Lisle and Albion, formerly Lawson’s, in the Rue St. Honore. Boarding House. Madame Guil- hom’s Pension, 5, Rue des Champs Elysdes; a very respectable establish¬ ment. The best Festaurants are Cafe de Paris, on the Boulevard; Veron’s, Very’s, and the Trois Freres Proven- I <;eaux, Palais Royal; Philippe, Rue c 26 Route 5.— Dieppe . Sect. I. Montorgeuil, is good and very mode¬ rate in prices.— F. Galignani's Reading Room , 18, Rue Vivienne, in a court, is a great resource to the Englishman in Paris: here he will find all the best newspapers of all the world; here he will meet with his friends, a list of his countrymen visit¬ ing or residing in Paris being kept here, and may supply himself with books, or subscribe to the circulating library. Galignani’s Messenger is a capital paper, condensing all the news of the English papers without reference to politics. It is a comfort to have it sent after the traveller from place to place as he moves about France, which MM. G. will undertake to do. Messrs. Stassin and Xavier keep a good assortment of English and foreign books, Rue de Cocq. Public and private carriages are stopped at the outer gate or barrier of Paris by the officers of the Octroi , whose duty it is to levy a tax upon all provisions, wines, &c. Baggage is liable to be searched by them. ROUTE 5. DIEPPE TO PARIS BY GISORS. 168 kilom. = 104 Eng. m. Steamboats in summer from Brigh¬ ton or Shoreham, Mon., Wed., Thurs., and Sat., and from Dieppe 4 days a week, making the passage in 8 hours. See “ Hints on Landing in France/’ (§ c. Introduction.') Dieppe.—Inns: H. Royal near the Quai—very good; H. Victoria, for¬ merly Roi d’Angleterre ; Grand Hotel des Bains (Morgan’s), facing the sea, near the Baths; H. des Bains, next the Custom-house, on the Quai; de Londres; Taylor’s Hotel. The seaport town of Dieppe (17,000 Inhab.) is situated in a depression be¬ tween two high ranges of the chalk cliff's which here line the coast, as white and nearly as tall as those of England. Through this gap the small river Arques flows into the sea, making an abrupt bend round the tongue of fiat land upon which a part of the town is built, and forming a tolerable tide harbour fit for vessels of 500 tons, which is lined with quays, and cleared from mud by sluices. Dieppe is one of the chief fishing-ports in France, equipping annually 60 vessels of 9000 tons for the cod fishery, and many more for that of the herring. It is much frequented as a sea-bathing place in summer. The streets of Dieppe are regular, and display few specimens of antiquity, in consequence of the bombardment of the town by the English, who, return¬ ing from an unsuccessful attack on Brest, 1694, revenged themselves by laying this town in ruins,—a reckless and inglorious exploit. The principal street runs parallel with the sea from the harbour to the castle, and contains some tolerable shops. The market¬ place, especially on market-day, will display samples of the picturesque dresses and strange high caps of Nor¬ mandy ; perhaps one of those towering, helmet-like head-dresses, once the com¬ mon head-gear of the women of the Pays de Caux (eauchoise), may present itself. The Faubourg de Pollet, how¬ ever, on the W., inhabited almost ex¬ clusively by fishermen, is that in which the most character and peculiarity of costume is observable; and it includes a few old houses. This quarter can be reached now only by making the ‘cir¬ cuit of the harbour, the old bridge across it having been pulled down in order not to check the force of the waters discharged from the bassin de retenue behind. In the town itself there is little to merit the stranger’s attention. The Ch. of St. Jacques, in the square a little to the W. of the harbour, is worth a visit. The body of the build¬ ing is much hidden behind the flying buttresses, some of them consisting of open screen-work tracery with 8 mul- lions. The anti-Gothic slated cupola, however, above the cross, does not add to its beauty. The interior also is dis¬ figured by yellow wash and wooden screens. The transepts are the oldest part, built in the 13th cent., as well as perhaps the arches of the choir: the nave is a little later, and the roof and many of the side chapels are not older than the 15th. The screens and curi- Picardy. 27 Route 5.- ous carvings in the side aisles, especi¬ ally that before the sacristy or tr^sor— a confusion of the Gothic and Italian styles—and that in the chapel of St. Yves, deserve notice as examples of French florid Gothic of the 15th and 16th cents. “ The Lady Chapel is a late specimen of Gothic art. The bosses of the groined roof are of deli¬ cate filagree work, and the vaulting is ornamented with knots pendent from the ribs.” Here is one of those strange representations of the Holy Sepulchre surrounded by figures of the 3 Maries and other holy personages, so common in Romish churches abroad, executed in a very inferior style. The Castle, rising on the tall cliff at the W. end of the town, built in the 15th cent., is now a barrack, and much modernised, so that it contains nothing remarkable. It is, however, a pictu¬ resque object, with its group of quaint cone-headed towers, its high bridge and drawbridge spanning a chasm which runs down to the sea; it com¬ mands a fine view, and it possesses his¬ torical associations of great interest. Within these walls Henri IV., retreat¬ ing before the army of the League, found shelter among his “bons Diep- pois,” as he called them, who had been the first to acknowledge his right to the throne, before the battle of Arques. He made choice of Dieppe from the attachment of its inhabitants, the fide¬ lity of its governor, and the advantage of an open communication by sea with England. While here he received from Queen Elizabeth a reinforcement of 1000 Scotch and 4500 English soldiers. In 1650 the famous Duchesse de Longueville, so prominent among the leaders of the party of the Fronde, de¬ fying the royal authority, was com¬ pelled to take refuge in the castle; but being pursued even hither by the ven¬ geance of Mazarin and Anne of Austria, she with difficulty at length escaped hence by night, and, making her way amidst storm and tempest, after innu¬ merable escapes and adventures, em¬ barked alone from the coast in an Eng¬ lish vessel, dressed as a man, and at length succeeded in reaching Rotterdam. Dieppe at present gives little token - Dieppe . of its former celebrity and prosperity; yet 3 centuries ago it was the most flourishing seaport of France, and one of the first in Europe. The fleets of its adventurous merchants tra¬ versed every sea: one of them, indeed (Ango), riding in the Tagus with his merchant squadron, bearded the King of Portugal in his own capital; another captured the Canaries. Its skilful and hardy sailors distinguished themselves by their geographical discoveries and early settlements in the 15th and 16th cents. Claims are put forth for their having found out the passage round the Cape of Good Hope before the Por¬ tuguese. If it were so, they certainly kept the secret so close that they have lost the credit of it. They were among the first visitors of the New World, ex¬ plored Florida, opening the fur trade in Canada, and establishing the earliest European colony in Senegal; whence, as well as from the East Indies, they drew the costliest gums, gems, precious stones, metals, and tissues, with which they for a long time exclusively sup¬ plied their luxurious countrymen. The importation of elephants’ teeth from Africa is said to have given rise to the pretty manufacture of carved ivory, which still exists here, and is almost peculiar to Dieppe. The rivalry of the Port of Havre, and its superior advantages in internal communication up the Seine, were the ruin of Dieppe. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the English bombardment, in¬ flicted severe blows in addition; and although the extensive equipment of vessels for the fisheries of cod in New¬ foundland, and of the herring, has long contributed largely to the support of the town, yet they are much fallen off at present. Dieppe, however, is much frequented as a watering-place in summer. The Etablissement des Bains is situated on the beach, nearly under the castle. There are no proper bathing-machines: and the bottom is a mass of flint shingle, without sand. A series of little huts are erected at the sea-side, from which ladies issue in robes resembling those of nuns, and gentlemen in wide trou¬ sers, and thus bathe in public. Ladies 28 Route 5.'— Dieppe — Arques. Sect. I. are assisted by male dippers appointed for this service, if they require their aid. There are also hot baths near the beach. English Ch. service, Sunday at 1 p.m., in the old Carmelite convent chapel. Diligences to Havre and to Abbe¬ ville (Rte. 18). Railway to Rouen and Paris (Rte. 6). The Environs of Dieppe present se¬ veral interesting excursions. About 2 m. to the E., on the cliffs above the sea, is a camp capable of holding many thousand men, once attributed to Caesar, but now supposed to be Gallic, and called la Cite' des Limes. It is trian¬ gular in form, defended on the land- side by a rampart in places more than 50 ft. high. It is near the road to Ext (Rte. 18), 18f m. distant, where the Chateau of Louis - Philippe and the Church deserve a visit. The most delightful walk, however, in the neighbourhood of Dieppe is to the ruins of the Castle of Arques, irhich are far more interesting than the Cite des Limes. They are situated in the valley of the Bethune, at its junction with the Arques, less than 4 m. S.E. of Dieppe, and are celebrated for the mo¬ mentous victory gained beneath the walls by Henri IV. and his devoted band of 4000 Protestants over the army of the League, 30,000 strong, under the Due de Mayenne, which decided the fate of the Bearnais prince. The ar¬ tillery from its walls contributed not a little to the result of that day. “ II en fut tiree,” says Sully in his Memoirs, “ une volee de quatre pieces, qui fit quatre belles rues dans leurs escadrons et bataillons.” Three or four more discharges not only checked their ad¬ vance, but drove them behind a bend of the valley to shelter themselves from the cannonade, and from this check they never recovered. The king, ex¬ pecting the Leaguers to debouche down the valley to attack him, had disposed and intrenched his little band accord¬ ingly, when he suddenly found the ad¬ vanced guard of the Due de Mayenne in his rear, pushing forward to cut him off from his stronghold, Dieppe. Henri, with great quickness and dexterity, changed his front, threw up fresh ram¬ parts to protect his flanks, and managed still to keep up his communication with Dieppe. Among the heroic traits of Henri on that anxious and hard-fought day, are his words to M. de Belin, an officer of the League, who scornfully inquired where Henri’s forces were, to oppose so large an army : “ Vousne les voyez pas toutes, car vous ne comptez pas Dieu et le bon droit, qui m’as- sistent.” A rude obelisk, raised on the brow of the hill, marks the spot where the deadliest struggle occurred. The Castle, a fine object at a dis¬ tance, occupies a commanding position on a tongue of high land between two valleys, and covers a large area with its ruins; but its shattered condition, arising less from the hazards of war and the effects of time than the dilapi¬ dations of man, has robbed it of much of its picturesqueness. For a series of years, down to the end of the last cent., the government allowed it to be pulled to pieces as a mere quarry of building materials. It is difficult to fix the age of its shapeless walls, deprived of their casing of masonry; but it is probable that the oldest parts, viz. the Donjoxi and its enclosure, date from the time of our Henry II., who rebuilt the castle at the end of the 12th cent.; other por¬ tions are not older than the 16th cent. The English, under Talbot and War¬ wick, again obtained possession of it in 1419, and kept it for 30 years, down to the capitulation of Rouen, by which it was yielded to Charles VII. The main entrance remains flanked by 2 massive towers of immense size; and portions of the piers of the draw¬ bridge which led to it are still stand¬ ing, but “ the 3 successive arches of the gateway are torn into nearly shape¬ less rents.”— D. T. Within a pleasant walk from Dieppe, at the pretty but scattered village of Varengeville, stands le Manoir d’Axigo, the chateau of the celebrated Dieppois merchant Ango,—the host and friend of Francis I. Though now converted into a farm-house, so little of its exter¬ nal form is defaced that the eye can readily trace all the richness of decora¬ tion which distinguished the style of the Renaissance when it was built. “ The walls are principally con- Picardy. Route 5.— Dieppe to Paris — Gisors. 29 structecl of black hewn flint, which, alternating with a white stone, produce a very beautiful mosaic. They retain all the sharpness of their original con¬ struction ; and the sculptures with which they are enriched are of the most classical and graceful form. A number of large medallions above the grand entrance, and along the fa 9 ade of the principal corps de batiment, are remarkable: among them the portraits of Francis I. and Diane de Poitiers. In the interior are some finely sculp¬ tured fireplaces and the remains of a large fresco; but they are only to be discovered by groping amongst the greniers, into which the apartments once so splendid have been changed.” —Miss Costello. The following direct road from Dieppe to Paris by Gisors leaves Rouen altogether on one side, and is shorter by 8 or 10 miles, but few would omit visit¬ ing that highly interesting city. (Rtes. 6 and 9.) Besides, the raily. now renders the route by Rouen the quicker of the two. Diligences have in consequence ceased to run this way. The Gisors road strikes off to the 1., 3 m. beyond Dieppe. 12 Bois Robert. 17 Pommereval. 4 or 5 m. on the 1. of our road lies NeufcMtel, famed for its excellent cy¬ lindrical cream-cheeses, called Bondes. 24 Forges les Eaux. A village and watering-place, possessing chalybeate springs once of some repute, but ne¬ glected at present. They are three in number— La Reinette, La Royale, and Cardinale; the two last named from Louis XIII. and Cardinal Richelieu, who visited Forges to drink the waters in 1632, the period of their highest celebrity, in consequence of Anne of Austria, after living childless for 18 years, here becoming enceinte with Louis XIV.an event which was at¬ tributed to a course of these waters. 21 Gournay, famed for its butter, is situated in the district anciently called Pays de Bray. The Church of St. Hildehert was begun in the 11th cent., but not finished until the 13th, and its W. front, with pointed arches, is perhaps of the latter date. In the interior, very massive round piers support semicircular arches inclining to the horseshoe form. The sculptured ornaments of the capitals are very remarkable for variety of pattern. Herring-bone masonry occurs in the E. end. About 5 m. from Gournay is the Abbey Church of St. Germes, as grand and large as a cathedral, of the 13th cent. 12 Talmoutiers. 14 Gisors.— Inn: H. de l’Ecu. An ancient town of 3500 Inhab., prettily situated on the Epte. Its venerable ramparts are converted into agreeable promenades, whose plantations encircle the ruins of its commanding Castle, once the bulwark of Normandy on the side of France, and still retaining many interesting characteristics of a feudal fortress of the middle ages. The octa¬ gonal Donjon especially, and its enclo¬ sure, crowning the top of a high arti¬ ficial conical mound, are of the most solid construction, and are works of the 12th cent., built by our Henry II. The walls of a dungeon under one of the towers have been curiously carved with a nail by some unfortunate prisoner. At an interview which took place here between Henry and Louis VII., the two monarchs agreed to assume the cross for the recovery of Jerusalem. The Ch. of SS. Gervais and Protais presents a singular combination of styles, and an abundance of uncouth sculptures: it has a choir built in the 13th cent, by Blanche of Castille (it is said); the nave and remainder of the ch. are of a later period. The sculpture of the portal, richly carved, is of the latest style of French florid Gothic, and much overladen with ornament. The organ-loft, and an emaciated monu¬ mental effigy, both attributed to Jean Goujon, merit notice, and there is some fine painted glass in the windows. In the S. aisle is a singular twisted column, surrounded by spiral bands of tracery. Gisors is on the high road from Paris to Rouen (Rte. 10). 19 Chars. 18 Pontoise (in Rte. 3). 10 Herblay. Here the read divides : the l.-hand branch leads to Paris by St. Denis (see Rte. 3); that on the rt. proceeds by Besons, where it crosses the Seine, and by 30 R. 6.—Dieppe to Rouen. 12 Courbevoie, to the Barriere de Neuilly, entering 9 Paris by the Arc de l’Etoile. See Galignani’s Guide, and p. 22. ROUTE 6. DIEPPE TO ROUEN—RAILWAY. 61 kilom. = 37^ Eng. m. This Railway was opened 1848. 6 trains daily : time 1^ to 2 hrs. Terminus near the wet-dock (bassin- h-flot) at Dieppe. A tunnel at AppeYille, rather more than 1 m. long, carries the rly. into the valley of the Scie, up which it runs for more than 18 m., crossing it 22 times. It is enlivened by several mills. In the outskirts of Dieppe we cross the road to Havre. The high road to Rouen is passed on a level. 1. Beyond Sanqueville are the ruins of the Castle of Charlesmesnil. The way is varied here and there at long intervals by villas or chateaux, without any claim to beauty. The numerous orchards are one of the characteristic features of Normandy, which is a cider, not wine¬ drinking, province. 17 Longueville Stat. stands on the domain of an abbey, the chief conven¬ tual building of w r hich is now a cotton- mill. 1. may be perceived the scanty ruins of the Castle of Longueville. 26 Auffay Stat. A considerable vil¬ lage, with several cotton-mills and tan¬ neries, and a pretty church. 30 St. Victor Stat. William the Con¬ queror was the founder of the abbey, and his statue occupies a niche outside of the ch. The Scie rises about 100 yards to the 1. rt. About 2^- m. is Totes. (Cygne, a small but clean country Inn.) The spinning and weaving of cotton furnish employment to the inhabitants. Mills and factories increase in number as we approach Rouen, the great centre of the cotton manufacture in France. The summit level of the line is at¬ tained through the long and deep cut¬ ting of Frithemesnil, leading into the Valley de Cleres. Here is an old castle in Avhich is shown the bed of Henri IV. Monville Stat. The line of houses, factories, and R. 8 .—Paris to Rouen. Sect. I. chimneys, interspersed with villas, or¬ chards, and gardens, almost uninter¬ rupted, from Malaunay to Rouen, may remind an Englishman of the clothing district of the W. of England. In 1S45 (Aug. 19) a terrific whirlwind swept down part of this valley, and in the course of 1^ minute demolished 3 fac¬ tories, crumbling them like houses of cards, and all within them, people and machinery. 60 lives were lost, 100 were wounded, many were buried in the ruins. The Dieppe Rly. falls into the line from Rouen to Havre near Malaunay Stat. and the Viaduct of 8 arches. (Rte. 14.) Before entering Rouen a pretty view is obtained of the blue hills which bor¬ der the Seine; nor is the atmosphere thickened with so dense an envelope of smoke as hovers over the great manu¬ facturing centres of England. A great part of the coal here used comes from England; the Dept, du Nord furnishes also its supplies. 17 Rouen Stat. (in Rte. 8). ROUTE 8. PARIS TO ROUEN—RAILROAD. 137 kilom. = 84 Eng. m. Trains 6 times a day, in about 5 hrs.; Express in 2| hrs. Terminus in Paris, Rue d’Amsterdam. Fares, 16,13, and 10 frs. This railroad was commenced in 1841, and opened May 1843. Its engineer is Mr. Locke, who executed the London and Southampton Railway; many of the shareholders are English capitalists of Lancashire; and even most of the work¬ men were English. A considerable number of experienced “ navigators,” having been transported across the Channel, worked on it harmoniously with their French brethren, showing them the mode of operation. The rails are of French iron, which is much dearer than English; but the locomo¬ tives, though made in France (at Rouen), are executed by an English company, established there expressly to supply this railroad. The minute subdivision of property in France, and the great number of landholders with whom the company had to deal, occasioned some difficulty in obtaining the land over ° bAettfltilii vBoetjuetbit b les Bauds le (< >uttf Evromilb °Goup ilhen’S Marie tie nneampoi. Mninevi/lc ^uiuptei,;/^ It Bote Guerarti TauvilV* Liizarrin (reriiUe Toultiei'iib tibmnav \inae ilotintn i Freteto Mini either. laPottaie S ( 'Maniueiv^ Primeval ’one. p .u.u-oimtv? \Jioissv f / ’tin,in//,- funneville am«*tal Moit twain Gowieville. bujiieG, ^(iiinitieh* I7I/iers Atittm [Winy © H v?hws9 i’.V.'.U uhjt- M • _Jjn 7 >t>Ullj'l//e\, Annei'inc* ,,U l Fo*?V .intjeri'Ule. •rmitjut (riiemv °lleiit/neiilie nrityhielc I/. ; v„ ( ominerville Itouriliy ilauviUe v^_ZVTZ>t (erlanouc 0 ^^ySmts A A.Lean 0 d AbbetorjL o- T \ S. 17./.»/ • 0 o tilinojinll,-f rju^*' 4 ^"— leBonlmn tie IT l’.-iit / S (aiiseniers *('/iatecUi (rtii/lnrri- >mer /rtiin 1 "’ Za JtiHjnett*’ // I-A/Tr ini me villier. ■i ■ ° QAf*yc*v. StviAouiij/ r Leiitliii o ' ineru >ville 'linen [°tbime//e Ble\-iUe n< •uuieinont ojituntiimille oo*..77,. ^- iv* him »i IS. .mn.-rill,' ^C6mr>tmxye lei Hie Hen beet >in-t Ww« Jluitl. r o. r ,,uhuie i-nine , Lazaret ° Lot/rut eh >t •uagnumtier (bur Boutfuelnn o Xoqent lions Alan court Vetheuit ELBOW -Aph-V III/' v tudelt ouvine (blletot k*uiiitnerou«l«‘ l 7 /nine\ >LomTERS * 7uyn-Ue tie KD. tie Grace ° Fan tein tv 'Vi.r.ieaU* /U Gaillou » 7 W piElSMAl: Jftnrnei'iile J'liiterA listin’ Lit netz bnrtiihi ''VUiti/iy Bvneusei ^"S/eh.tlL .' './uiieii ynr.m-fHb-. . ' ;./.■/ /. ///; V Gtnipitinv till tbit ovqneyil/r 8 orvbeirvil/e Tovmillp - NLVNTKS* A.'Siiiip/ionefi Martini ■ii 7 enon in Heunier Acaniaiix'ille y Equetomare Flirt’' erne •inn ns S'< i.-orm-s i/// 1/eiFe ® Mt mile (In m tour Bonneville '•ren.v In Xeuville tin Bose Marbeuf Fon hi I in Mentliile , S'Hreritunn XAitbin Brioiui^ Lieu lev Bltiisp? t Published by John Murray yllheauu-le Street I.o/uLm J/.yi lt)5Z. Drawn S’ EngTuvetl bv .L V ( Walker 31 Normandy. Route 8. —Paris to Rouen by Railway. which the rly. passes, and caused the number of contracts to be multiplied enormously; but the demands of the proprietors were by no means so exor¬ bitant as in England. ,Tlie first part of the line is the same as that to St. Germain (Rte. 9). The rly., after passing on a bridge over the Rue de Stockholm, and through 2 tun¬ nels under the Place d’Europe and other streets, quits Paris by Les Batignolles. The village of Clichyys passed on the rt. hand, and the Seine is crossed by a bridge of 5 arches before reaching the village. 4^ Asnieres Stat., on the 1. bank of the Seine, here crossed by another bridge, below that of the Chemin de Fer. The rly. bridge was ruthlessly burned by the Republican mob of 1848 and has since been rebuilt at great ex¬ pense. The Versailles Railroad (rive droite) and the St. Germain Railroad here branch off to the 1. rt. Branch Railway to Argenteuil. At Colombes, a small village, Hen¬ rietta Maria, widow of Charles I. and daughter of Henri IV., died in great poverty, 1669. The chateau which she inhabited no longer exists. At Bezons the railway crosses the Seine by a bridge of 9 flat timber arches, each 100 ft. span, supported on stone piers. From this an embankment extends nearly a mile to a cutting at Houille which is also about a mile. Beyond this the embankment con¬ tinues to the Seine, which is traversed for the second time by a bridge like the former, conducting to 17 Maisons Stat., at the end of the avenue leading to M. Lafitte’s villa. (Inns : Hotel Talma, so called because once the residence of the actor; good. Le Petit Havre.) The Chateau was the property of the late M. Jacques Lafitte, was built by Frangois Mansard, 1658, for the Surintendant des Finances Rene' de Longeuil, and is a handsome edifice of Italian architecture. Voltaire wrote ‘ Zaire ’ here ; and he was here at¬ tacked with small-pox, which nearly carried him off. Before the Revolution it belonged to the Comte d’Artois, and was afterwards given by Napoleon to Marshal Lannes. The park has been cut into building lots, sold piecemeal, and studded over with villas, in the manner of the Regent’s Park. Access is given to the new colony by the bridge of wood resting on stone piers. The distance hence to Paris is only 12 m. by land. The rly. proceeds hence in a cutting across the forest of St. Germain, and follows the 1. bank of the Seine by 9 Poissy Stat. (H. de Rouen), a small town on the 1. bank of the Seine, the birthplace of St. Louis (1215), who was wont to sign himself by the modest style of Louis of Poissy. The font at which he was baptized is still shown in the Parish Ch., a Gothic building of the 13th cent. The Conference of Poissy was held 1561, with the hope of adjusting dif¬ ferences between the Popish and Cal- vinistic churches; Beza, with a train of doctors, appearing for the one party, and the papal legate, Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, for the other; and Charles IX. attended the first meeting with his mother, Catherine de Medicis. But the controversialists soon separated, with¬ out having approached to a reconcilia¬ tion, each side believing it had the best of the argument. A dirty and inconveniently narrow street leads to the long bridge of Poissy over the Seine, of 37 arches of different sizes, including the approaches, built, it is said, by St. Louis. The 3 central arches, now supplied by timber, were blown up in 1815 to prevent the pas¬ sage of the allies; or, as some say, so long ago as in 1589, by Mayenne, the general of the League, to secure a safe retreat for his army from the pursuit of Marechal de Biron, who had sacked Poissy because it refused to deliver its keys to the kings Henri III. and IV. The greatest cattle-market in France is held here every Thursday for the supply of Paris with meat. 8 Triel Stat. In the ch. is an Adora¬ tion of the Shepherds, said to be an original, by Poussin, and some good painted glass. Here and at Vaux are extensive plaster quarries. 6 Meulan Stat. This town, on the rt. bank of the Seine, is partly built on the slope of the hill, partly on an island 32 Route 8 .—Paris to Rouen , Rail — Mantes — Rosny. Sect. I. in the middle of the river joined to the banks by an old stone bridge in two divisions. 8 Epone Stat. Here is a fine Ch., 12th century. The scenery of the valley is very pleasing, though the chalky white of the rocks is an eyesore. The banks of the river are enlivened with country houses. The post-road runs at some distance from the river until it reaches Limay, the faubourg of Mantes, where it crosses from the rt. to the 1. bank by the bridge. The rly. runs in a cutting to the W. of the town of 7 Mantes Stat. Inn : Grand Cerf— tolerable. This town is prettily situated on the margin of the Seine, whence it has gained the epithet La Jolie. The chief building is the Church of Notre Dame, standing a little way above the bridge, and conspicuous by reason of its 2 towers from a long distance. It is a fine Gothic building; the body supported by flying buttresses, the roof covered with coloured tiles. The poi- tals are pointed; the sculpture which adorns them is sadly mutilated. The interior, in the early pointed style, is very pleasing ; its most remarkable feature being the height of the trifo- riurn gallery formed of triple arches, which, being carried quite round the E. end, and lighted by windows behind, gives a cheerful character to the ch. The towers at the W. end open into the nave. It was built for Blanche of Castille and her son St. Louis by the architect Eudes de Montreuil. The solitary Tower of St. Maclou is the sole remnant of another ch., built in 1344 with the toll dues exacted for leave to tow barges through the bridge on Sundays and holydays. It is de¬ servedly preserved as a fine light Gothic structure. It was among the glowing embers of the houses and monasteries of Mantes, which he had remorselessly caused to be burnt, that William the Conqueror received the injury in his corpulent person, caused by his horse starting, which proved mortal a few days after at Rouen. The castle of the French kings, where Henri IV. held the con¬ ferences with the Romish clergy which preceded his abjurance of the Protestant faith, was destroyed by the Regent Duke of Orleans. Coach daily to St. Germain by the 1. bank of the Seine. rt. About half way between Mantes and Bonnieres we pass Bosny, a dirty little tillage, contiguous to which, be¬ tween it and the Seine, stands the Cha¬ teau, the birthplace of Sully, where he was frequently visited by his friend and master Henri IV., who slept here the night after his victory at Ivry. The king, having overtaken Sully on the road desperately wounded, carried on a litter, accompanied by his squires in a like plight, fell on his neck and affectionately embraced him. The cMteau is a plain solid building of red brick, with stone quoins and a high tent roof, surrounded by a deep ditch; it was rebuilt by Sully at the beginning of the 17th cent. It is destitute of architectural beauty externally, and within has been modernised, although one room is still called Chambre de Sully. From 1818 down to the Revo¬ lution of 1830, Rosny was the favourite residence of the Duchesse de Berri, who erected here a chapel to contain the heart of her husband. The chateau has since changed hands repeatedly, and its present proprietor has pulled down the wings, which were modern, and added by the duchess. The grounds extend for some distance along the margin of the river, to which they owe their sole charm, the ground being per¬ fectly flat, and traversed by long formal avenues. In skirting the forest of Rosny, con¬ tiguous to the village, we are reminded of the sacrifice made by Sully, in fell¬ ing in it at one time timber to the amount of 100,000 francs to pay his master’s debts. A great projecting buttress of chalk now intervenes, over which the high road is carried by a steep ascent and descent, and round which the Seine winds in a widely circuitous curve. The rly. pierces this by a Tunnel about 2480 yards long—driven through the chalk and a flinty conglomerate very hard to penetrate, commencing at Rolle- boise, about 5 miles from Mantes, and Normandy. Route 8. —Paris to Rouen—Pont de VArche. 33 terminating on the W. at a short dis¬ tance from 13 Bonnieres Stat., the rly. having been previously carried over the high¬ road by a bridge. Bonnieres is the stat. nearest to Evreux (Rte. 25), on the road to Caen and Cherbourg. Hence the railroad runs under the high ground close to the river as far as 10 Vernon Stat. Inn : Grand .Cerf. This town (pop. 5300), which, like many others in Normandy, gives a name to a noble English family, is prettily situated, and its interior re¬ tains a venerable air of antiquity in its timber-framed ^houses; but its narrow streets, however picturesque, are by no means convenient on a great highway of traffic. There is preserved an an¬ cient tower, tall and massive; and a Gothic Ch., the choir of the 13th, the nave of the 16th cent., in which one monument only among many escaped the Revolution,—that of a lady of the family Maignard, — consisting of a kneeling effigy in marble (date 1610). At the foot of the bridge is a curious antique building, now a mill. Vernon possesses a hospital founded by St. Louis, an artillery barrack , and vast quarries of building-stone on the opposite side of the Seine. The Chateau de Bizy, one of the finest seats in Normandy, the property of the Counts of Eu, and afterwards of the Due de Penthievre, was destroyed at the Revolution, and is now replaced by a plain country house belonging to the Orleans family. It is small and mean, but the grounds are beautiful and the walks through them agreeable. They are approached by a fine avenue on the outskirts of the town. Coaches to Evreux, Dreux, and Chartres. 13 GaillonStat. A huge penitentiary occupies the place, and in part the re¬ mains, of the Chateau of the arch¬ bishops of Rouen. It was built 1515 for the Cardinal d’Amboise, out of the tribute levied on the Genoese, conceded to him by Louis XII., by the architects Jean Joconde and Androuet du Cerceau, and was adorned by the sculptor Jean- Juste de Tours. It w as demolished at the Revolution, except the entrance portal flanked by 4 turrets, and covered with inscriptions and bas-reliefs, the clock tower, and the chapel tower. The gateway between the 1st and 2nd courts, a splendid example of the style of the Renaissance, was rescued by M. Lenoir and transported to Paris, where it has been reconstructed in front of the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Its architect was Pierre Fain, date 1509. In the distance is seen the imposing ruin of Chateau Gaillard, the pet castle of Richard Coeur de Lion (Rte. 11), rising on a lofty rock washed by the Seine, but 5 or 6 miles N. of our road; so great is the circuit which the river here again makes. Gaillon is the station nearest to Au- teuil and the town of Andelys (omnibus runs thither), and hence an excursion may be made to the interesting castle of Chateau Gaillard (p. 50). Near le Grand Villers, two Tunnels are driven through the mass of a projecting pro¬ montory of chalk hill. The first or easternmost, of Le Rule, is a mile long, and the second, of Venables, 470 yards long. 13 St. Pierre de Vauvray Stat. The manufacturing town of Louviers is about 5 miles or 8 kilom. W. of this stat. (p. 46). Malleposte daily to Cher¬ bourg, by Louviers, Lisieux, and Caen, 15j to 17 hrs. A Rly. is projected. Post-horses are kept here. The Seine is traversed obliquely for the 3rd time by a bridge at Le Manoir just above the confluence of the Eure, and the rly. proceeds along the rt. bank of the Seine for a short distance to 12^ Pont de 1’Arche Stat. at the ex¬ tremity of the bridge leading to that town. Pont de 1’Arche is a small towrn whose main street is a narrow and in¬ convenient lane leading to the bridge of 22 arches, by which the Seine is crossed by the post-road, a little below the junction of the Eure. The view from it is pretty ; on the rt. is seen the Cote des Deux Amants (see Rte. 11). The tide ascends to this point. The Gothic Ch. contains some curi¬ ous painted windows: in one of them the inhabitants of the town, male and female, in the costume of the 16th cent., are seen towing barges through c 3 34 Route 8 .—Paris to Rouen — Rouen. Sect. I. the central arch of the bridge. Coaches to Elbceuf (Rte. 12). The rly. next passes through the hill of Tourville by a short Tunnel of about 500 yards, and crosses the Seine, here divided into two arms, for the 4th time, by a bridge resting on the He des Bceufs, to 5 Tourville, Station for the populous and industrious town of Elbceuf (Rte. 12). Hence it proceeds onwards along the 1. bank of the Seine through St. Eti¬ enne de Louvray and Sotteville (where the line to Havre diverges rt. and crosses the Seine) to its termination in the Faubourg St. Sever of the great city of 12 Rouen: Terminus,Cours la Reine. Postmaster s charge 1 fr. 50 c. for each horse and each postilion in conveying a carriage from the rly. to any part of Rouen. Rouen.— Inns: H. d’Albion, on the Quai, clean and good—H. d’Angleterre, good; excellent table d’hote, dearer of late ;—H. de Normandie, reasonable; —Hotel Vatel, Rue des Cannes. Rouen, anciently jRotomagus, the capi¬ tal of ancient Normandy, and the chief town at present of the department of the Seine Inferieure, is agreeably seated on the Seine, and yields to no provin¬ cial city of France in its majestic and venerable aspect, in historic associa¬ tions, and in magnificent buildings, the triumph of the ecclesiastical and civil architecture of the middle ages. It has this advantage also over most other ancient towns, that it is not a mere heap of dry bones, destitute of life and abandoned by commerce; its narrow streets of gable-faced, timber-fronted mansions, swarm like an ant-hill with busy crowds passing to and fro: it is a focus of trade, and. the chief seat of the cotton manufacture in France. It may be called, indeed, the French Man¬ chester. It contains 92,083 Inhab., and is surpassed in population by only 4 other cities in France. The situation of Rouen on a river which affords ready access on the one hand to the sea at Havre (103 m. dis¬ tant by the windings of the stream), and with the capital on the other, tends highly to promote its industry and commerce. The Seine, here more than 1000 ft. broad, forms a convenient port, accessible for vessels of 250 tons; and though the number of vessels is small, they add both to the picturesqueness and animation of the scene. Its banks are formed into fine broad Quais, and these are lined with handsome modern buildings, which have sprung up within the last 10 or 15 years, and serve as a screen to hide a rear rank of tottering timber houses, such as form the bulk of the city, and which previously ex¬ tended down to the river-side. Modern improvements and additions, indeed, have of late greatly detracted from the venerable and picturesque appearance of Rouen; but the changes are skin- deep, confined to its exterior, and the stranger has only to plunge into its almost inextricable labyrinth of streets to find enough of antiquity to satiate the artist or the most ardent lover of bygone times; although, a law having been passed prohibiting the rebuilding of houses in wood, their number must diminish every year. A Boulevard, occupying the place of the old fortifications which resisted Henry V. of England and Henri IV. of France, runs round the old town nearly in a semicircle, touching the Seine at its two extremities. This line includes within it all the most interesting pub¬ lic monuments and objects worth notice; outside of it spreads a supple¬ ment of populous fauxbourgs, occu¬ pied chiefly by the weavers and work¬ ing classes, who also form the bulk of the population in the suburb St. Sever, on the 1. bank of the Seine, having wider but not cleaner streets than the inner town, interspersed at intervals by tall smoking chimneys and lavishly glazed spinning-mills. A walk through the town in the fol¬ lowing order will carry the pedestrian to the things best worth observation; but if he wishes to see them thoroughly, he will find one or even two days not enough. The distances from one quarter of the town to another are considerable, to say nothing of the want of pavement, the dirt, and the bad smells which he will have to encounter. The Rue Grand Port, which runs up from the quai opposite the suspension-bridge, and Normandy. Route S.— Rouen — Cathedral . 35 which is at once the chief thoroughfare and includes the best shops, will bring you to the Cathedral; a little in the rear of it, to the E., is the ch. of St. Maclou, from the door of which the Rue Damiette, running due N., will bring you to St. Ouen, the noblest ch. in Rouen. A new street opened from the stone Bridge to the Place del’Hotel de Ville passes near St. Maclou and in front of St. Ouen. Close beside it, in the H. de Ville, is the gallery of pic¬ tures ; but more worthy of attention is the Museum of Antiquities, Rue de Beauvoisin, near the Boulevard. Hence you must thread your way back to the river, visiting in turn the Palais de Justice, Tour de la Grosse Horloge, Place de la Pucelle (where Joan of Arc was burnt), and Hotel de Bourg- theroude. As the churches are closed from 12 to 3, except on Saturday and Sunday, they should be visited in the early part of the day. The Cathedral of Notre Dame occu¬ pies with its W. front one side of the fruit and flower market. The vast pro¬ portions of this grand Gothic facade, its elaborate and profuse decorations, and its stone screens of open tracery, impress one, at first glance, with won¬ der and admiration; diminished, how¬ ever, though not destroyed, by a closer examination, which shows a confusion of ornament and a certain corruption of taste. “ It is viciously florid, and looks like a piece of rock-work, rough and encrusted with images and tabernacles, and ornamented from top to bottom.” — G. Knight. The projecting central porch and the whole of the upper part were the work of Cardinal d’Amboise (1509-1530); the lateral ones are of an earlier period (loth cent.) and chaster style; and the sculpture adorning them deserves attention. Above the central door is carved the genealogy of Jesse. Over the l.-hand (N.W.) door is the Death of St. John Baptist,—in it may be seen Herodias’s daughter dancing, or rather tumbling, before Herod: over this on the rt., much mutilated, the Virgin with Saints. Of the two stately flanking towers, that of St. Romain, on the N., rests on walls older than any other part of the build¬ ing (12th cent.): it maybe profitably ascended on account of the view. The rt.-hand, or S.W. tower, called Tour de Beurre, because built (between 1485 and 1507) with the money paid for indulgences to eat butter in Lent, is a far more beautiful structure, sur¬ mounted with an elegant circlet of stone filagree. It contained the famous bell, named George d’Amboise, melted at the Revolution; it is now gutted. Of the central spire the less that is said the better; it is a cage of cast-iron bars intended to replace a spire of wood burnt by lighting 1822; and judging from its shape and size, seen at a distance, might be taken for the parent of all the factory chimneys in and about the town. When finished, it will reach to a height of 436 ft. It is quite out of character with the rest of the building, and is intended to be gilt. A corkscrew or geometrical stair¬ case of iron worms itself up the centre to a dizzy height. The N. and S. fronts are in a style resembling the decorated of England, with geometric tracery. The very beautiful N. door, called Portail des Lihraires, from the book-stalls which once occupied the court before it, was not finished until 1478. The opposite one leading to the S. transept, called Portail de la Calende, and nearly of the same age and style, is ornamented with bas-reliefs from the history of Joseph. The figure hanging, vulgarly supposed to represent a corn-merchant who suf¬ fer for using false measures, while his property was confiscated to build this en¬ trance, is otherwise, and more accurately, explained to be Pharaoh’s chief butler. The N. transept is flanked on either side by open towers of great beauty, and of such proportions as would fit them for the W. front of an English cathedral. The interior measures 435 ft. in length, and the height of the nave is 89^ ft. It is in the early pointed style. Above the main arches of the nave runs a second tier, smaller, but opening also into the aisles ; an arrangement not un¬ common in Normandy, but rare in Eng¬ land. The three rose windows, in the nave and transepts, are very fine in size 36 Route 8.— Rouen — Cathedral. Sect. I. and decoration. In the end chapel, on the S. side of the nave, is the tomb and effigy of Rollo, first Duke of Normandy, and opposite to it that of his son Wil¬ liam Long Epee: but the figures are not older probably than the 13th cent. The choir, separated from the nave by a modern Grecian screen, was built between 1280 and 1300. The carving of the stalls, executed 1467, is ex¬ tremely curious. The finest and oldest painted glass is to be found in the chapels of the choir aisles; it is of the 13th cent. Small lozenge-shaped tablets of marble, let into the pavement of the choir, mark the spots where the heart of Richard Coeur de Lion, and the bodies of his brother Henry (died 1183), of William son of Geoffroy Plantagenet their uncle, and of John Duke of Bed¬ ford, regent (prorex Normannise) under Henry VI. (1435), were interred. Their monuments, much injured by the out¬ rage of the Huguenots in 1663, when all parts of the church suffered more or less, were removed, and lost until 1838, when the effigy of Richard a rude statue 6^ ft. long, was dug up from under the pavement on the 1. of the high altar. His “ lion heart ” was also found still perfect, but shrunk in size, enveloped in a sort of greenish taffeta enclosed in a case of lead, and is now deposited in the Museum. His body was interred at Fontevrault; but he bequeathed his heart to Rouen, on account of the great affection which he bore to the Normans. The effigy of limestone, much muti¬ lated, represents him crowned, and in the royal robes, and is now placed in the Lady Chapel behind the high altar, which contains two other splendid and highly interesting monuments. On the rt. hand is that of Cardinal George d’Amboise, Archbishop of Rouen and minister of Louis XII., and his brother, a magnificent structure of black and white marble, in the style of the Renais¬ sance, executed in 1525. The marble statues of the two cardinals, uncle and nephew, kneel below a covered canopy richly ornamented and gilt; behind is a bas-relief of St. George and the Dragon; above, in niches arranged two by two, are statues of the 12 Apostles ; below' are the Cardinal Vir¬ tues. The pilasters and intervening spaces are adorned with rich and fanci¬ ful arabesques. The bodies of the Cardinals d’Amboise were torn from the grave by the Revolutionists of 1793, the lead of the coffins melted, and the contents scattered. On the 1. side of the chapel is the monument of the Due de Br6z6, grand seneschal of Normandy; but more re¬ markable as husband of Diana of Poi¬ tiers, mistress of Henry II., by whom it was erected. The effigy of the dis¬ tressed widow kneels at the head of an emaciated corpse representing her hus¬ band after death, stretched on a sarco¬ phagus of black marble. She is in a mourning attitude corresponding with the words of the epitaph which she caused to be engraved on the tomb :— “ Indivulsa tibi quondam, et fidissima conjux, Ut fuit in thalamo sic erit in tumulo.” A sentiment, howeA r er, which must be taken in an ironical sense; it is quite certain that she was not buried with him, but at her chateau of Anet, and it is probable that she was as true to her word in one respect as in the other. Above, in an arched recess, is the statue of the duke in full armour on horseback. This tomb is a splendid work of the age of Francis I.; and is attributed to Jean Goujon, or Jean Cousin. A rich florid Gothic niche at the side, surmounted by a stone canopy of open work and intervening stems, was erected at an earlier period (1465) to Pierre de Bv6z6, grandfather of the preceding. Neither statue nor inscrip¬ tion remains. The elaborately carved screen in front of the sacristy, executed in the latter part of the 15th cent., and its wrought-iron door, must not be passed without notice. Passing the Archeveche, contiguous to the cathedral on its N. and E. side, we come to the Church of St. Maclou, which ranks third among the churches of Rouen in beauty. Its grandest feature is its triple porch ; it is a fine specimen of the florid architecture of the 15th cent., and the sculpture adorning it is of Normandy. Route 8.— Rouen — St. Ouen. 37 exquisite taste and beauty of execution. The traveller should pay attention to the wooden doors (including that on the N. side), beautifully carved with Scripture subjects, in bas-relief, by Jean Goujon, it is said, and to the elaborate winding stair of stone near the W. entrance, leading to the organ-loft. There is much painted glass in the windows. The Cemetery of St. Maclou is said to be very curious. The Church of St. Ouen surpasses the cathedral in size, purity of style, masterly execution, and splendid but judicious decoration, and is inferior only as regards historic monuments. It is beyond doubt one of the noblest and most perfect Gothic edifices in the world. Although it suffered con¬ siderably from the Huguenots (1562), who made 3 bonfires within the build¬ ing to burn the stalls, pulpit, organ, and priests’ robes; and from the re¬ publicans, who turned it into an ar¬ mourer’s shop, and raised a smith’s forge in its interior, by the smoke of which the windows were blackened until they ceased to be transparent, it has escaped in a remarkable degree; and recent judicious restorations leave little to desire touching its state of repair. The first stone of the existing edifice (for 4 other churches had preceded it) was laid 1318 by Abbot Jean Roussel; the choir, the chapels, and nearly all the transept were completed in 21 years, and the nave and tower finished by the end of the 15th cent. Thus, one plan being followed to the termina¬ tion, the most perfect harmony of style prevails throughout. The W. front unfinished has recently been completed by the addition of 2 flanking steeples, which formed part of the original plan. They seem light and beautiful, though from the contrast of the fresh stone they do not yet quite harmonize with the other portions. The portals are still unfinished. The architect is M. Gregoire. Above the cross rises the central tower, 260 ft. high, which, whether examined close at hand (as it ought to be) or seen at a distance rising above the town, is a model of grace and delicacy. “ It is wholly composed of open arches and tracery, and termi¬ nates with an octangular crown of fleurs- de-lis ”—(j D. T.), which ancient royal symbol is also discovered in the pat¬ tern of the tracery of the windows, and in the painted glass. The S. portal, called des Marmouzets from figures of the animals carved on it, deserves attentive examination, as a gem of Gothic work scarcely to be surpassed. It is surrounded by a fringe of open trefoil arches; while 2 groined pendants, 6 ft. long, drop from its vault. The bas-relief over the door represents the Death and Assumption of the Virgin: the whole has been restored. The interior (443 ft. long, and 106^ ft. high), notwithstanding its size, is peculiarly light and graceful; the front pillars of its richly moulded piers run up uninterruptedly to the roof as ribs, the side ones bend under the arches. The clerestory being very large increases the effect of lightness; “ the windows seem to have absorbed all the solid wall,” and the roof is maintained in its place by the support of pillars and buttresses alone. All the glass is painted, and there are 3 noble rose windows filled with it. The stranger should look into the holy-water basin (btmitier) close to the W. door; he will find the beauties of the interior all mirrored on the surface of the water. The master mason under and by whom this noble ch. was reared is buried in St. Agnes’ chapel, the 2nd on the 1. in the N. choir aisle. His name was Alexander Berneval; and, according to tradition, he murdered his apprentice through envy, because the youth had surpassed, in the execution of the rose window in the N. transept, into the tracery of which the pentalpha is introduced, that which his master had constructed in the S. transept. Though the mason paid the penalty of his crime, the monks, out of gratitude for his skill, interred his body within the church which he had contributed so much to ornament. The whole of the transept, choir, and lower part of the tower, are decorated in character, passing into the ftam- 38 Route 8.— Rouen—Musee des Antiquites. Sect. I. boy ant in the upper story of the tower and in the nave. The material used in the structure of St. Ouen is a limestone approaching to chalk, and containing flints, which have been often patiently cut through in the delicate carving and tracery. But the details of the building should be studied on the roof, upon the tower, and in the internal galleries. It will well repay the trouble of the ascent. A very pretty Garden, whose great ornament, however, is the adjacent church, extends along the N. side of St. Ouen, behind the Hotel de Ville; it was originally the convent garden. Within it, attached to the church, stands a very perfect Norman tower, with round-headed windows, in the style of the 11th cent.; it probably formed part of a previously existing church. It is called “ La Chambre aux Clercs.” St. Ouen was archbishop of Rouen, and died 678. The Hotel de Ville, a handsome building .of Italian architecture, at¬ tached to the N. transept of the church, formed part of the monastery of St. Ouen, to which a modern front, with Corinthian colonnade, has been added, so as to give the building an official, civic air. Besides the public offices, it contains the Public Library, and Le Musee des Tableaux, a collection in which the good paintings bear a very small proportion to the bad. There is an ancient and curious picture, attri¬ buted to Van Eyck, of the Virgin and Child amidst Angels and Saints, “ a delicious painting, and pronounced on good authority to be original ” — ( E. o. S .); the predella of an altar- piece, by Perugino, brought from Pe¬ rugia; a copy of Raphael’s Madonna di San Sisto; St. Francis in ecstasy, by Ann. Caracci; the Plague at Mi¬ lan, by Lemonniere of Rouen ; and an Ecce Homo, by Mignard. The Bibliotheque Publique is a valu¬ able collection of 33,000 vols., very accessible, being open every day from 11 to 4, and from 6 to 9, except Sun¬ day and Thursday. Among the 1200 MSS., many richly ornamented with paintings, are the History of the Nor¬ mans, by William of Jumieges, 11th cent. ; a Benedictionary, which be¬ longed to an archbishop of Canter¬ bury; and a missal book of the 12 th cent. The Gradual of Daniel d’Au- bonne, 17th cent., containing about 200 vignettes and initials, is very beau¬ tiful. Le M\isee des Antiquites, in the sup¬ pressed convent de Ste. Marie, Rue Beauvoisin, from the number and rarity of the curiosities deposited in it, consisting for the most part of vo¬ luntary donations, is one of the most interesting sights in the town, and highly creditable to the administration of the department, by whom it was founded, 1833-4; no stranger should omit to visit it. The following enu¬ meration will give an idea of the na¬ ture of the objects preserved here:— The door of the house in which Cor¬ neille was born; many Roman and Gallic tombstones, coffins, See., dug up at Rouen and other places in the Dept, de la Seine Inferieure; many fragments of Roman sculpture; specimens of pot¬ tery, glass, mosaics; inscriptions; toge¬ ther with a draped female statue of good work, but wanting the head, from the Roman theatre, Lillebonne. It is chiefly, however, for works of art and antiquities of the Middle Ages, and the following period down to the 17th cent., that this museum is entitled to attention. The windows, 15 in number, by which the gallery is lighted, are all filled with painted glass derived from suppressed convents, churches, &c., forming a chronological series from the 13th to the 17th cent.; very valu¬ able and interesting, as showing the progress of the art. The most remark¬ able are those from the Church of St. Eloi, Rouen, 16th cent.; the miracle of St. Nicholas, from St. Godard (first half of 16th cent..), very fine. There is no collection of glass painting equal to this in France or England. In glazed frames against the wall are hung charters and other ancient MSS., containing autographs of re¬ markable persons—among them, Wm. the Conqueror’s mark, a cross (he could not write); and the signatures 39 Normandy. Route 8. — Rouen of our other Norman dukes and kings, among which those of Henry I. and Richard Cceur de Lion may be ob¬ served. Here also is now deposited the heart of the Lion-hearted King (see p. 36). The shrine of St. Sever, which once contained the relics of that saint, for¬ merly placed in the cathedral, is in the shape of a Gothic chapel, with silver statues of saints in niches round its sides. It is of oak, covered with copper plates gilt and silvered, and is an ele¬ gant piece of workmanship of the end of the 12th cent.: it has been restored. A crucifix, carved in stone, 16th cent.: at the foot of the cross the holy women; on the opposite side the Vir¬ gin and Child. Many other specimens of sculpture, of the 15th, 16th, and 17th cent., in stone and wood, from religious edifices: 5 bas-reliefs of the Last Judgment, in marble, from the Church of St. Denis-sur-Scie; in one, Christ is rescuing souls from the jaws (literally) of hell. Many capitals of Gothic columns richly sculptured. An extensive collection of coins and medals; Roman, Gallo-Roman, French Norman, &c. Casts from the bas-reliefs of the Hotel de Bourgtheroude (p. 41), repre¬ senting the interview of the Field of the Cloth of Gold between Henry VIII. and Francis I. A small collection of arms and armour; among them will be found the coat of mail of Enguerrand de Marigny, from the Church of Ecouis: also several early cannon and wall pieces, ancient furniture, cabinets. A fragment of the famous bell George d’Amboise (see p. 34), which was melted into cannons and sous- pieces at the Revolution. This Museum is open Sunday and fete-days from 11 to 4, and Tuesday and Thursday from 12 to 3; but it is always accessible to strangers. In an adjoining building is a very respectable Museum of Natural History. The amateur of stained glass should not omit to visit the churches of St. Godard, containing two windows 32 ft. high and 12 wide, and St. Patrice, where there are many more of still greater beauty, executed in the 16th — Church of St. Vincent. cent. The architecture of these two churches is not remarkable; they are very late in the Gothic style. The Church of St. Vincent has an exquisite Gothic porch, and very fine painted glass likewise. Another church, St. Gervais, situ¬ ated in the very remote faubourg Cauchois, near the Havre Railway ter¬ minus, is reputed the oldest structure m Rouen, and one of the earliest Chris¬ tian monuments in France. The church itself is low, humble, and not remarkable; but below it is a crypt even more simple and unadorned, but exhibiting to the ey r e of the antiquary marks of construction as old probably as the 4th cent., in the courses of Ro¬ man tiles between the layers of rough masonry. It has an apsidal termina¬ tion: in the side walls are holes for the cancelli or rails, to which the cur¬ tain was hung to separate the chancel from the rest of the church : the altar- slab is marked with 5 -f +. The two low arched recesses in the walls are said to have been the graves of St. Mello and St. Avitien, the first arch¬ bishop of Rouen. The circular E. end of the church itself, which rests upon this crypt, is in the earliest Norman style: and. some of the pillars let into the wall, but too short to support the roof, have classic capitals. The Roman road to Lille- bonne passed close to St. Gervais. William the Conqueror, tortured by the wound he had received at the cruel sack and burning of Mantes (p. 31), repaired to the retired monastery of St. Gervais to die. His death-bed ex¬ hibited a melancholy example of the vanity of earthly grandeur. Deserted by his own sons when the breath was scarce out of his body, forsaken by friends and courtiers, and plundered by his servants, his body remained stripped and deserted, until the pity and charity of an unknown knight in the neighbourhood provided the funds necessary for the funeral; and he him¬ self escorted the body to its last resting- place at Caen. There are perhaps a dozen suppressed churches in Rouen, most of them converted into warehouses. The Palais de Justice is a very in- 40 Route 8.— Rouen—Palais de Justice. Sect. I. teresting specimen of civic Gothic ar¬ chitecture, which may vie with some of the town-halls of the Low Countries. Reared at a time when the style had become fantastic in its forms and exu¬ berant in its adornments, it yet dis¬ plays so much originality of invention, beauty, and gorgeous magnificence, that it is hard to condemn it for a want of taste and purity. It lines 3 sides of a square; the wing on the 1. is the Salle des Procu- reurs, built 1493, as a sort of exchange for merchants, native and foreign, to meet in. It is a large and handsome hall, with an open roof, like a ship’s hull reversed, 1G0 ft. long and 50 ft. high—a sort of Westminster Hall in miniature, and now serving the same purposes. The body of the building in the centre was raised 6 years later by Louis XII. for the Cour d’Echiquier of Normandy, the ancient supreme tri¬ bunal of the duchy, at least as old as the time of William the Conqueror, for which the name of parliament was substituted in 1515 by Francis I. This fac^ade is decorated with all the orna¬ ment which the fertile resources of the architect afforded; the square-headed windows are set within the most deli¬ cate garlands of stone; the buttresses are studded with niches and crowned by pinnacles; and the lofty dormer windows, rising against the high- pitched roof, are surmounted by cano¬ pies of the most delicate open work, with pinnacles and statues, many of them executed by first-rate artists at Paris, and are connected by a pierced battlement of arches and tracery. For many years past this front has been undergoing a careful restoration; it is only a pity that it makes so slow a progress. The chamber in which the parlia¬ ment of Normandy met is now the Salle d'Assises. It has a fine roof of black oak, set off with gold; but the elegant pendants which hung from it have been removed, and the wainscot¬ ing, painted over with arabesques and old mottoes reminding judges of their duties, has been taken down or effaced by whitewash. The large building behind the Palais, once the residence of the president of the parliament, is now the Cour Royale. La Rue de la Grosse Horloge, not far from the Palais, one of the nar¬ rowest and most picturesque in Rouen, is so called from the antique clock gate-house, built 1527, by which it is spanned, adjoining the tower of the Beffroi, whence the curfew is still tolled every evening. In this street are several ancient houses. Nos. 115 and 129 deserve notice. The Place de la Pucelle, known also by the vulgar name Marche aux Veaux, serves to record the fate of the heroic and unfortunate Jeanne d’Arc, the de¬ liverer of her country, and the terror of the English, who was burned alive here as a sorceress 1431, on the spot marked by the contemptible modem statue placed upon a pump, which bears her name, but the outward aspect of Bellona! Her ashes were collected by the hangman, and cast into the Seine, by order of the Cardinal of Winchester. He and other prelates were spectators of her execution; and some of them, unmoved by her suffer¬ ings, even interrupted the priest who was confessing her, by their impatience, exclaiming, “ Now, priest, do you mean to make us dine here ? ” After she was bound to the stake, and while the flames were rising around her, she begged her confessor to hold aloft the cross, that she might still behold the sacred emblem above the smoke; and she died expressing her conviction of the truth of her mission, and calling on the name of Jesus. The cruelty exercised upon this simple and gentle maiden (for in all her battles she never killed an enemy, and was always intent on preventing the effusion of blood) is a disgrace to the annals of England. In prison she was subjected to insult, insidious treachery, and even outrage; at her trial, in the chapel of the castle, she stood alone without counsel or ad¬ viser, browbeaten by her inhuman and bloodthirsty judges, yet baffling their cunning and sophistry by her plain straightforward answers. But one of the saddest circumstances connected with the death of the forlorn maiden of Domrdmy was, that her Normandy. Route 8. —Roicen —Place tie la Pucelle. 41 most active enemies and eventual be¬ trayers were her own countrymen: the Bishop of Beauvais, her unjust judge, her accuser, and the false priest who was introduced into her cell on the pretence of friendship as a spy to be¬ tray her secrets, w T ere all Frenchmen. Her own countrymen allowed her to be made prisoner at Compiegne with¬ out an attempt to defend or rescue her; it was they who sold her to the English; and Charles VII., her king, who owed his country and throne to her enthusiasm, appears neither to have cared for nor remembered the heroine of Orleans, from the hour when she fell into the hands of the English. He certainly neither at¬ tempted to ransom her, nor did he pro¬ test against her trial.* It was not until 24 years from her death that a papal bull proclaimed her innocence; and a cross was raised by her own countrymen, once more be¬ come masters of Rouen, on the spot where she had been bound to the stake. The great tower of the old castle in wdiich she was imprisoned was demo¬ lished 1780. She was shut up in a cage of iron, and her feet were fettered, yet her spirit remained unbroken; and when some English nobles came to in¬ sult her, she answered, “ Je sais bien que les Anglais me feront mourir, croyant apres ma mort gagner le roy- aume de France; mais fussent-ils cent mille Goddams de plus qu’h present, ils n’auront pas ce royaume.” On one side of the market-place, within a short distance of the statue, is an ancient mansion, which the common people call Maison de la Pucelle, but properly VHotel de Bourgtheroude , con¬ structed at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th cent., by Wil¬ liam le Roux, seigneur of Bourgthe¬ roude, nearly at the same period as the Palais de Justice. It is built round a courtyard, and its inner wall is orna¬ mented with a series of bas-reliefs on tablets of marble, representing the in¬ terview of the Cloth of Gold, and the procession of the two kings Henry * From a masterly and most interesting me¬ moir of Jeanne d’Arc in the Quarterly Review, vol. 79. VIII. and Francis I., attended by their suite, among whom Cardinal Wolsey is conspicuous. Above these are other sculptures of allegorical figures, and the elegant hexagonal tower is deco¬ rated with pastoral subjects. The Convent of St. Amand, recently pulled down, was a building of the same age: a few curious fragments alone remain in the Rue St. Amand. There are several Gothic fountains in various parts of the city; the most curious are those of La Croix de Pierre, resembling in form Waltham Cross, but erected, 1500, by the Car¬ dinal d’Amboise; it stands in the Carre- four St. Vivien. La Fontaine de la Crosse is a low Gothic structure of the 15th cent., elegantly adorned with tracery. The house in which “ Le grand Cor¬ neille” (Pierre) was born, the most illus¬ trious of the natives of Rouen, exists in Rue de la Pie, No. 4; a statue of him has been erected by his fellow- citizens on the stone bridge. Fonte- nelle, his nephew, author of the ‘ Plu¬ rality of Worlds/ resided in the Rue des Bons Enfans, No. 132-134. The composer Boieldieu was also born here, and the town has raised a statue to him on the quay facing the Bourse. The great Lord Chancellor Clarendon died here, in banishment, 1674. The Creches - an asylum for infant children while their parents are at work—may be seen here in full opera¬ tion, and deserves a visit. The edifice called Les Halles, situ¬ ated between the cathedral and the stone bridge, appropriated to the pur¬ pose of a cloth-hall for the sale of the manufactures of Rouen, occupies the site of the ancient palace and Vieille Tour, in which King John Lackland is said to have imprisoned and finally murdered his nephew Prince Arthur. The structure called Monument de St. Romain, opposite the cloth-hall (date 1542), w r as the spot where, by virtue of an ancient privilege conceded by King Dagobert, the chapter of the cathedral were entitled to claim, on Ascension-day, the release of a con¬ demned criminal, how great soever his crime. This custom was intended to 42 Route 8=— Rouen — Bridges — Excursions. Sect. I. commemorate the circumstance of a sentenced malefactor having been the only person willing to accompany St. Romain in his dangerous encounter with the dragon (gargouille) which in¬ fested the neighbourhood of Rouen. The monster, as it turned out, did not give much trouble; it was rendered powerless by the simple act of the saint making the sign of the cross over it, and, with his stole tied round its neck, allowed itself to be led quietly into the town. The privilege was maintained down to the time of the Revolution, though latterly under con¬ siderable modifications. In the front of the house at the corner of the Rue St. Romain and Rue la Croix de Fer, a curious bas-relief of the 16th cent., re¬ presenting a school, is inserted. Bridges .—The first bridge over the Seine here was built (1167) by Queen Matilda, daughter of Henry I.; it lasted till the middle of the 15th cent., when it was destroyed, and a bridge of boats substituted for it. In 1829 the upper bridge of stone was completed, and in 1836 the boats were finally re¬ placed by the existing suspension bridge. An opening is left in the centre of this, between the supporting piers, under a lofty cast-iron arch rising 82 ft. above the river, to allow masted ves¬ sels to pass. The cotton manufactures of Rouen are of such extent and importance as to render it the Manchester of France; they are greatly promoted by 3 small streams—the Robec, the Aubitte, and the Reuelle. A particular kind of striped and chequed stuff is called Rouennerie (toiles peintes, rayees, et & carreaux), because originally and more especially fabricated here. Spinning and weaving mills, dye-works, espe¬ cially of Turkey red, printing and bleaching works, are most plentifully distributed, not only through town and suburbs, but over the adjacent country in a circuit of many miles, employing, on a moderate computation, 50,000 persons. The English Church service was given up 1849. There are 800 English resi¬ dents here. At the shop of Lebrument, bookseller, Quai de Paris, the traveller may pro¬ vide himself with many interesting works relating to the antiquities of Normandy, with views and maps. The Poste aux Lettres is on the Quai du Havre, near the Custom - house; open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. British Vice-Consul’s address, Rue d’Orleans, 34. The Messageries Royales in the Rue de Bee, 10. Messag. Lafitte and Co., Rue Thouret, 15. Railroads. —To Paris —Terminus in the Faubourg St. Sever. (Rte. 8.)— To Havre — Terminus in the Rue Verte, on the rt. bank of the Seine, but some distance from the river. (Rte. 14.)—To Dieppe. Diligences to Caen daily, morning and evening; to Gournay and Beau¬ vais daily; to Elboeuf and Lisieux; to Evreux and Orleans; to Pont Audemer and Honfleur. Steamboats daily; to Havre in 8 hrs.; and to Elboeuf: start from the Quai du Havre (Rte. 12). Walks and Excursions. The Mont St. Catherine, the es¬ carped chalk hill on the E. of the city, rising above the Seine and the road to Paris, affords the best distant and pa¬ noramic view of Rouen, and will well repay the labour to those who are not afraid to face a steep ascent, 380 ft. high, which may be mastered in half an hour, starting from the extremity of the Cours Dauphin. The entire mass of the town is spread out below you, surmounted by engine chimneys mixed with spires, sending out its long lines of houses and factories up the hill sides and into the neighbouring industrious valleys, uniting it with dis¬ tant villages; the noble spires of the cathedral and of St. Ouen rising out of the midst, the winding and sparkling river Seine, spanned by its 2 bridges and crowded with shipping, the Rail¬ way also crossing the river, and then pursuing its mole-like course, half above, half under ground, give a pleas¬ ing variety to the landscape. The marks of active industry are every¬ where apparent, the bleach-fields strewn with white webs, the stream - courses 43 Normandy. Route 9. —Paris to Rouen (Lower Road). marked by rows of factories and tall chimneys, the nooks in the hill sides choked with villages. All along the top of the mount are traces of ditches and brick foundations of bastions, part of the strong Fort oc¬ cupied by the Marquis Villars and the soldiers of the League during the siege of 1591, which were captured by Henri IV., and dismantled by him in compliance with the request of the citizens, with the memorable words, that “ he desired no fortress but the hearts of his subjects.” This post was taken by assault, chiefly through the bravery of Henri’s English allies under the Earl of Essex, who challenged Vil¬ lars to maintain, in single combat, on horse or foot, in armour or doublet, that his cause was the better and his mistress the fairer. Not far from St. Catherine’s is Blosseville Bonsecours, whose modern Gothic C^.,with painted windows, was built 1846, to contain a figure of the Virgin, much resorted to by pilgrims. It has 3 portals in the W. front: it is stone vaulted, and it cost 40,OOOZ .! It is worth while to drive out to the chateau of Canteleu, on the road to Caudebec (Rte. 13), on account of its beautiful view, even if you go no farther. A more distant excursion, which will occupy 1 day very agreeably, is to Chateau Gaillard, near Andelys (Rte. 11). The Paris Rly. passes within 3 m. of Andelys, and is the quickest way. There are many interesting monu¬ ments of architecture in the vicinity of Rouen, among them the Chapelle cle St. Julien , 3 or 4 m. S.W. of Rouen, on the 1. bank of the Seine (Rte. 12) ; St. George Boscherville, 9 m. off, on the road to Havre (Rte. 13). ROUTE 9. PARIS TO ROUEN (LOWER ROAD), BY ST. GERMAIN AND LOUVIERS. 137 kilom. = 85 Eng. m. Only one Diligence , in 10 or 12 hrs.; the rest are superseded by the rly. (Rte. 8). This road to Rouen is far more gene¬ rally interesting and more picturesque in scenery than the upper one, through Gisors, but is nearly 7 m. longer than it. It is carried down the valley of the Seine, quitting the bank of the river only to avoid its excessive windings. The high road from Paris to St. Ger¬ main commences at the “star,” or ra¬ diation of routes which gives a name to the Arc de Triomphe de VEtoile, the largest triumphal arch in the world, and the finest entrance into the French capital. Yet the eye scarcely appre¬ ciates its vastness : few would suspect that it is nearly as wide and lofty as the facade of Notre Dame, or that the aperture of the arch equalled that of its nave. The road skirts on the 1. the Bois de Boulogne, famous for pro¬ menades, duels, and suicides — now shorn of its proportions to form a glacis for the new fortifications. A cross road, called Chemin de la Revolte, leading from Neuilly to St. Denis, branches off on the rt.: near the entrance of it occurred the melan¬ choly death of the Due d’Orleans, who was killed in jumping out of his car¬ riage, of which the horses had run away. An elegant Byzantine Chapel has been built on the site of the house in which he breathed his last: it is dedicated to St. Ferdinand, and is in the form of a Greek cross. It contains a monumental cenotaph, the effigy of the prince in his uniform reclining on a bed, by M. Triquety. On a pedestal to the rt. is an angel kneeling in prayer, one of the last works of his sister the Princess Marie. The painted windows w-ere executed at Sevres, from Ingre’s designs. The road next passes on the rt. the ruins of the Chateau de Neuilly , the most frequented residence of King Louis-Philippe, and beyond that vil¬ lage crosses the Seine by the celebrated bridge of 5 arches, each of 120 ft. span, the masterpiece of the architect Per- ronet, built 1772. Henri IV. and his queen were dragged into the water here in their cumbrous state coach, and narrowly escaped drowning: an accident which caused the ferry to be superseded by a bridge of wood. The park of Neuilly extends for some dis- 44 Route 9 .—Paris to Rouen (Lower Road). Sect. I. tance down the rt. bank of the Seine, I and into the islands which here divide its stream. On the 1. bank is seen the village and large barrack of 9 Courbevoie. A little beyond the posthouse, our road, a perfectly straight line hitherto, separating from the Route d’en haut (Rte. 10), bends to the 1. and passes the Versailles Railroad (rive droite). Mont Valerien, on the 1., converted into the citadel of the fortifications of Paris, is not more than m. distant from the chateau of Neuilly. The Church on this height, founded on the debris of one destroyed by Napo¬ leon, contains numerous relics : among them a fragment of the true Cross (!) and the Calvary attached to it has attracted pious pilgrims for several centuries. Madame de Genlis, the preceptress of Louis Philippe, was buried in the cemetery. The aqueduct of Marly and chateau of St. Germain are now seen in the distance. At Ruel the Cardinal Richelieu had a magnificent residence. The large barrack on the 1. of the road was occu¬ pied in the time of the elder Bourbons by the Swiss guard. In the little church of the village, built 1584, and decorated with a portico at the cost of Cardinal Richelieu, from the designs of Lemer- cier, is buried the Empress Josephine. A simple monument bearing her statue kneeling, by Cartallier, has been erected by her children, Prince Eugene (Due of Leuchtenberg), and Hortense Beau- harnois (ex-Queen of Holland), mother of Louis Napoleon, who has since been buried here herself. Josephine died, May 1814, at her favourite villa, hard by Ruel, Malmaison. Her pleasure- grounds have been cut up to be sold in lots; her conservatory and menageries, in which she took much delight, and the Swiss dairy and Merino farm, are swept away. The spot seems to have owed its charms chiefly to art; the soil is very sterile. Buonaparte spent 5 days here in June 1815, between his second abdication and his final depar¬ ture for Rochefort, having been sent out of Paris by Fouche and the provi¬ sional government. The road skirts the enclosing w T all of Malmaison for some distance, and, soon after reaching the 1. bank of the Seine, passes La Chaussde, where La Belle Gabrielle had a house, and Marly la Machine, so called from the cumbrous pile of wooden scaffolding and wheels constructed to raise the water of the Seine 300 ft. to supply Versailles, but now partly replaced by a steam engine. The Aqueduct of 36 arches, the loftiest 70 ft. high, by which the water is con¬ veyed, is a conspicuous and fine object rising against the hill. The Chateau de Marly, built by Mansard for Louis XIV., was destroyed at the Revolution, having been purchased by speculators who pulled it down to sell the materials, and nothing now remains to mark that scene of a monarch’s extravagance and magnificence. St. Simon, describing its construction, relates that whole forests *of full-grown trees were brought from Compiegne, fths of which died and were replaced by others; large tracts of w T ood were suddenly converted into sheets of water, and back again to shady groves; and all to adorn a small villa in a contracted valley without view, in which Louis might pass 3 or 4 nights in the course of the year. The pavilion of Luciennes, on the brow of the hill above Marly, was the last residence of the notorious Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV. Le Pecq is a suburb of St. Germain, stretching down the hill, on whose sum¬ mit that town is built, to the margin of the Seine. 14 St. Germain-en-Laye (see below). Railroad — Paris to St. Germain, 19 kilom. = 12 Eng. m. The distance is performed in less than 30 min. Trains (convois) go every hour: but see the printed bills. The Terminus (Embar- cadere) in Paris is in Rue St. Lazare, No. 120. This rly. received injuries from the Republican mob of Feb. 1848, to the extent of 1,700,000 frs. The Pont d’Asnieres and many of the sta¬ tions were burned by them. The first part of this line as far as 4| Asnieres Stat. is the same as the Rouen Rly. (Rte. 8). Colombes Stat. (Rte. 8). Normandy. Route 9. —Paris to Rouen — St. Germain. 45 The high road from Paris to Rouen is crossed within a short distance of 7 Nanterre Stat., a village celebrated as the birthplace of St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, who preserved it by her prayers, according to the legend, from the invasion of Attila. The chapel of the saint, at which Anne of Austria came to pray for an heir, 1636, who was born 2 years after, no longer exists. Nanterre is famed for cakes. Ruel Stat. (p. 44). The Seine is crossed for the second time shortly before arriving at 3.| Chatou Stat., by 2 bridges resting on an island which here divides the river. The village of Chatou lies on the rt. hand of the rly. and rt. bank of the Seine. An atmospheric branch rly. has been constructed hence to St. Ger¬ main. 3£ Le Pecq Stat., opposite the vil¬ lage of Le Pecq, which is a suburb of St. Germain, and is connected with it by a bridge of stone, erected 1835, in the place of one of w ood, by which, in 1815, the Prussian army under Bliicher crossed the river on its march upon Paris. The Rly. is carried (on the atmos¬ pheric principle) across the Seine and up the slope to the centre of the Ter¬ race de St. Germain, ^ m. The steep ascent, from the bridge up to the town, is surmounted also by a broad road in zigzag, while a flight of stone steps affords access for the pedestrian to the Terrace which runs along the brow of the hill. St. Germain-en-Laye Stat. — Inns: H. d’xingleterre — de Toulouse — de la Chasse Royale. There is a Restaurant on the slope of the hill, au Pavilion de Henri IV.; the best, but all dear. This deserted residence of kings is interest¬ ing from historical recollections, and pleasing from the grandeur of its site; but although it contains 12,000 Inliab., it has a melancholy air of aban¬ donment in its grass-grown streets and straggling edifices. The huge gloomy pile of the Royal Chateau itself, the favourite residence of Marguerite de Valois, Henri II., Henri IV., Francis I., and the birthplace of Charles IX. and of Louis XIV., having been gutted at the Revolution, has nothing but its souvenirs to recommend it. It looks like a prison, and is actually converted into a military penitentiary, and sur¬ rounded by a wall for security. Those who will take the trouble to seek an order of admission from the command¬ ant (which is not readily granted) may see the chapel, the eldest part and the least impaired, the hall of Fi’ancis I., the bed-chamber of Madame de la Val- liere, and the trap-door by which the youthful Louis gained entrance into it after his mother had caused the door of the backstair to be walled up; also the Oratory of James II., and the chamber in which he died, 1701. This palace was assigned to him as a re¬ sidence by his host Louis XIV., who was tired of the place himself, having taken an aversion to it because it com¬ manded a view of his destined resting- place St. Denis. James resided here 12 years, holding the semblance of a court. Part of his body, “ une portion de la chair et des parties nobles du corps,” was buried in the parish church, recently rebuilt and faced with a Doric portico, where a monument was erected to his memory by George IV. The only real attraction in St. Ger¬ main at present is its beautiful Terrace, stretching along the brow of the hill for 2400 metres = 1^ m., and com¬ manding a delightful prospect over the valley of the Seine and its windings, with the aqueduct of Marly on the rt., Chateau of Maisons on the 1., the rlys. and the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile, with the spires of St. Denis rising against the horizon, in front. The Forest of St. Germain, one of the largest in France, having a circuit of 21 m., occupies a promontory formed by a sweeping bend of the river Seine. It is intersected by roads offering agreeable rides and walks in all direc¬ tions. In the midst of it is the Pavil¬ ion de la Meute (Dog-kennel), begun by Francis I. Deer and roes are found in the remote parts. The name of St. Germain-en-Laye comes from a chapel and monastery of St. Germanus, built in the reign of King Robert, in the midst of the forest then called Silva Ledia. 46 Route 9 .—Paris to Rouen — Louviers. Sect. I. Many English reside here, on ac¬ count of the cheapness of living and the pure air. The Church service is performed on Sundays in a private room. There are 2 roads from St. Germain to Mantes; the one called Chemin de Quarante Sous, keeping on the S. side of the Seine, is the shorter by about 5 m., but more hilly; the other, the post¬ road, cuts across the S. extremity of the forest to Poissy. (See Rte. 8.) The road descends the rt. bank of the river henceforth as far as Mantes, through 11 Triel (Rte. 8). 8 Meulan (Rte. 8). The railroad is carried along the 1. bank of the Seine, and passes in the rear of Mantes, where is a station. 15 Mantes. About half-way between Mantes and Bonnieres we pass Rosny. The rly. is carried on a lofty terrace side by side with the high road as far as Rolleboise, where it penetrates in a tunnel through a hill which the road surmounts by a steep ascent. An abrupt curve of the river, here sweep¬ ing round by the chateau La Roche Guyon (Rte. 11), is thus avoided. The farther extremity of the tunnel opens out close to 13 Bonnieres (Rte. 8). About 1^ m. beyond this the road to Caen and Cherbourg by Evreux (Rte. 25). separates on the 1. from that to Rouen, which skirts the margin of the Seine under a shady avenue of walnut and ash trees. A small rivulet flowing into it from the S., crossed by our road, was the boundary of the ancient pro¬ vince of Normandy, as it now is of the department of the Eure; and 2 m. farther on we reach 11 Vernon (Rte. 8). There is another post-road from Ver¬ non along the rt. bank of the Seine, by Andelys (22 kilom.), and Chateau Gaillard (Rte. 11), Pont St. Pierre (19 kilom.), Le Forge Feret (10 kilom.), to Rouen (11 kilom.), but it is longer by 31 m. than the following : 14 Gaillon. The isthmus of the peninsula formed by this curve is traversed by the rly. in a tunnel (Rte. 8). The post-road quits the borders of the Seine before reaching Gaillon, and does not rejoin it until Pont de FArche is reached. At the village Heudebouville the road to Andelys and Chateau Gaillard (6 m. distant) strikes off to the rt. Here also the road to Rouen divides into 2 branches; the rt.-hand one, by Vau- dreuil, though shorter, is more hilly, and takes the same time to travel, so that by Louviers is preferable. Tall chimneys and numerous huge red-brick buildings with many windows proclaim the manufacturing town of 14 Louviers ( Inns : H. de Rouen, dear; du Mouton, good), advantage¬ ously situated on the numerous branches of the Eure ; it is one of the 3 prin¬ cipal clothing towns of France, the other 2 being Elbceuf and Sedan. It contains 30 cloth manufactories, and 19 spinning-mills of woollen yarn, which employ from 7000 to 8000 per¬ sons in and around the town, though the number of Inhab. does not exceed 9927. The cloth of Louviers is re¬ markable for its fine quality; yet the town is not prosperous, being out¬ stripped by its rival Elbouf. Its ancient features are fast being swept away. The Ch. of Notre Dame , shrouded be¬ hind the number of its flying buttresses, presents a mass of incongruities and sad mutilations, yet is well worth ex¬ amination. Its S. portal, projecting forwards on fringed arches, with a pendant hanging from the centre, is decked out with an exuberance of florid ornament. It was built in 1496. The W. end has 3 portals, the centre sup¬ ported by a Corinthian pillar. In the inside the nave and choir date from 1218, and exhibit the transition from the round to the pointed style; low and thick columnar piers support pointed arches, on which rests a glazed tri- forium of round-headed trefoil arches, with lancet windows under trefoil arches in the clerestory; the aisles are more modern. The bas-reliefs, carved in wood, of sacred subjects from the life of our Saviour, and the painted glass, merit notice, as well as the open gallery 47 Normandy. Route 10. —Paris of filagree stone-work under the central tower, S. side. The Gothic house with pointed win¬ dows, called Matson des Templiers , is probably as old as the 13th or beginning of the 14th cent. Coaches —to St. Pierre de Vauvray station of the Rouen and Paris Rly. A road branches off hence to Elboeuf (Rte. 11); coaches thither daily. At Vaudreuil, 3 or 4 m. to the rt. of the road to Rouen, is a modern chateau, surrounded by the waters of the Eure, and a fine church (12th cent.), with a beautiful W. window. A considerable tract of forest is passed between Louviers and Pont de PArche (Rte. 8). To avoid a long bend of the river the road is carried over a high hill, whose top commands a charming view, but on the opposite descent regains the margin of the river before 17 Port St. Ouen, and thence runs beside it, skirting the foot of the chalk hills through a series of villages and hamlets to the extensive suburb of Eauplet, which extends up to the gate of Rouen. The entrance into the town on this side is by the Cours Dauphin, a raised causeway planted with an avenue of trees, having the Seine on the 1. and the Champ de Mars on the rt. hand. 11 Rouen (see Rte. 8). ROUTE 10. PARIS TO ROUEN (THE UPPER ROAD), BY GISORS OR BY MAGNY. By Magny, 119 kilom. — 73 Eng. m. i.e. 6f m. shorter than the lower rd. (Rte. 9), but much less interesting. By Gisors, 126 kilom. = 77^ Eng. m. 9 Courbevoie, 1 14 Herblay, I 9 Pontoise, > in Rte. 5. 18 Chars, 18 Gisors, ) From Paris to Pontoise by St. Denis (Rte. 2) is 3 kilom. = 1-f Eng. m. longer, but there is a Rly. to Pontoise. At Herblay the road by St. Denis joins that by Courbevoie. It is a tire¬ some road from Pontoise to 14 Bord’haut, a hamlet dependent on the village of de Vigny, whose fine to Rouen ( Upper Road). old Castle, flanked by round towers, topped with extinguisher roofs, and surrounded by a moat, stands on the 1. of the road. It was built by the Cardinal d’Amboise, minister of Louis XII., and is a picturesque and interest¬ ing specimen of domestic architecture in the beginning of the 16th cent. 13 Magny.— Inn: Grand Cerf. In the pretty Church, in the latest Gothic, passing into the Italian style, is a monument, consisting of 3 marble statues kneeling, to the memory of the family of Villerond(date 1617); another in bas-relief recording the virtues of M. Dubuisson, pastor of the parish, and a richly ornamented canopy, carved, and bearing statues, which covers the baptismal font. We now enter the district anciently called le Vexin. The little river Epte divided the French from the Norman Vexin, and formed the boundary of Normandy. It is crossed at St. Clair- sur-Epte, whose ruined Castle, a mix¬ ture of late Norman and early pointed, is reputed the scene of the interview between Charles the Simple and the pirate Rollo; when the barbarian con¬ queror, called upon to do homage for the fertile province of Normandy, which he had in fact wrung from the weakness of the Frankish king, instead of kneeling to kiss the king’s foot, seized the royal leg, and without bend¬ ing carried it to his mouth, so as to upset the monarch from his seat, amidst the laughter of the rude warriors of the north. The Epte is crossed on quitting St. Clair. 17 Thilliers-en-Vexin, in the midst of a monotonous plain of rich corn-lancl. Near the middle of this stage the road passes, at some distance on the rt., a vil¬ lage called Hacqueville, insignificant in itself, but deserving mention as the birth¬ place of the late Mark Isambart Brunei, the engineer of the Thames Tunnel, whom England is proud to own as her son by adoption, although France claims him by birth. He was educated in the college of Gisors, and when the vacations called him home his favourite resort was the shop of the village carpenter, whose tools and instruments had greater at- 48 Route 11.— The Seine , A. — St. Germain to Rouen. Sect. I. tractions for the youthful engineer than Latin and Greek, and his allotted holi¬ day task (devoirs). The writer of this has frequently heard him describe the wonder and delight with which he for the first time beheld (1784), on the quay of Rouen, the component parts of a huge steam-engine, just landed from England: “ When I am a man,” he said to himself, “ I will repair to the country where such machinery is made.” 15 Ecouis contains a fine Gothic Church, on the unusual plan of a Greek cross, founded by Enguerrand de Marigny, the unfortunate minister and high treasurer of Philippe le Bel, unjustly condemned to death without trial at the instigation of the succeed¬ ing king’s uncle, Charles of Valois, and hung on the robbers’ gibbet of Montfaucon. His monument, set up in this church at a time when his in¬ nocence and worth were acknowledged, was destroyed at the Revolution. That of his brother, Archbishop of Rouen, is still surmounted by his effigy in white marble. He went as ambassador to Edward III.in 1342, “and appeared at court in the guise of a warrior, not of a minister of peace.” There are several other tombstones in the choir. A rapid ascent and descent carries the road across the industrious and pic¬ turesque vale of the Andelle, in the midst of which is 9 Fleury-sur-Andelle. About 10 m. N.E. of this, and 2 from Lions la Foret, are the ruins of the Abbey of Mortemer, begun 1154 by Henry II. of England. The church is pulled down; but some of the conventual buildings in the style of transition from round to pointed — including a fine chapter-house (date 1174)—remain. It was at Bourg-boudouin that Roland, the ex-minister and Girondist, com¬ mitted suicide, 1793. As soon as he heard of his wife’s death by the guillo¬ tine, he resolved not to survive her ; but unwilling to endanger the generous friends who had sheltered him in their house at Rouen, he took leave of them, and, carrying a sword-stick in his hand, set out on the road to Paris. When he had got thus far, he sat down under a tree and stabbed himself, leaving about his person a note, written by his own hand, to this effect: “ Whoever you may be who find me lying here, treat my remains with respect. They are those of one who devoted his whole life to be useful, and who died as he lived, virtuous and unsullied. May my fel¬ low-citizens embrace more humane sen¬ timents ! When I heard of the death of my wife, I loathed a world stained with so many crimes.” He perished an instance of the miserable fate which unerringly awaits those who, either from good or evil motives, are the first to plunge a country into revolution. 12 La Forge Fe'ret. From the brow of the steep hill lead¬ ing down through deep cuttings into Rouen, a fine view is obtained of that city and the Seine. The upper and lower roads from Paris unite in the suburb Eauplet. 11 Rouen (Rte. 8). ROUTE 11. THE SEINE, A.—ST. GERMAIN TO ROUEN. The figures mark distances from place to place in French lieues = 2| Eng. m. From St. Germain to Rouen is 56 leagues, about 140 Eng. m. The steam navigation has been aban¬ doned in consequence of the comple¬ tion of the Railway (Rte. 8). The scenery of the Seine ( Sequana, —from the Celtic seach, devious, and an, water) is very pleasing, almost meriting the epithet “beautiful;” its banks are abundantly studded with towns, villages, and chateaux, and are alternately wooded, or rise in round bare hills, sometimes presenting escarp¬ ments to the river, which, from the white colour of the chalk, are not alto¬ gether picturesque. There are not many old castles — Ch&teau Gaillard, however, is an imposing and interesting ruin, and perhaps, taken as a whole, the finest feature in the voyage. The number of islands in the river between Paris and Rouen is said to be 300. The circuitous windings of the river prolong the distance from Pecq to Rouen to 141 m., while by land it is only 71 m. Normandy. Route 11 .—La Roclie Guyon. 49 Between St. Germain (or Pecq) and Poissy the river makes abend of 21 m., enclosing as it were in a loop the forest of St. Germain (p. 45); by land the distance is 4^ m. 1. The river skirts the forest of St. Germain, passing Mesnil at the extre¬ mity of the terrace of St. Germain and the village. The Seine has been bridged to allow the rly. to pass at 1. Maisons (1). Rte. 8. rt. Conflans (2£), a village having a suspension-bridge over the Seine, by which the road from Pontoise to Ver¬ sailles crosses the river, is situated a little below the confluence of the Oise with the Seine, whence comes its name. rt. Andresis is situated below the mouth of the Oise; it has a fine Gothic church. 1. Poissy (If); see Rte. 8. Poissy is not more than 5 m. by land from St. Germain, whereas by the windings of the river the voyage takes 1^ or 2 hrs. The most interesting objects on the river as far as Rosny and Rolleboise are described Rte. 8. rt. Triel (2j). 1. Verneuil. rt. Meulan (2). The island lie Belle, opposite Meulan, is reputed the prettiest in the whole course of the river; but it is feared its shrubberies, and thickets, and planta¬ tions have been cut down. 1. Mantes (41), and rt. Limay, united by a bridge. 1. The Chateau of Rosny (J), a red brick building, with terraces on which Sully may have walked, clipped ave¬ nues, &c. 1. Rolleboise (£); between this place and Bonnieres the curve made by the Seine measures 12 m., the direct dis¬ tance is 3 m. rt. La Roche Guyon (3^), one of the largest chateaux on the Seine, and one of the most striking objects, is a structure of different ages, part modern, part Gothic, situated at the base of a rock of chalk, which has been escarped artificially to make room for it. The kitchen, vaults, cellars, &c., are exca¬ vated in the rock, with merely fronts of brick. The oldest part is the tower on the eminence above, commanding France. the country far and near, and communi¬ cating with the chateau by steps cut in the hill side. On the summit of the hill is a large reservoir for water, ex¬ cavated out of the rock. The chateau, long the property of the La Roche- foucaulds, now belongs to the family of Rohan. Framjois de Bourbon, Comte ' d’Enghien, who gained the battle of Cerisoles, was killed here by a box thrown out of the castle window upon his head. The chamber and bed occu¬ pied by Henri IV. on his frequent visits to the castle are kept in their original condition. The attraction which drew him hither was the charms of the lady of the castle, the Marquise de Guerche- ville, whose high-minded reply to his assiduities deserves recording: “Jene suis pas d’assez bonne maison pour etre votre femme, mais je suis de trop bonne maison pour etre votre maitresse.” The bourg adjoining the castle has a hand¬ some Gothic church. “ The houses of the poor people here, as on the Loire in Touraine, are burrowed into the chalk, and have a singular appearance ; here are 2 streets of them, one above another.” — A. Young. A Suspension Bridge , of 656 ft. opening between the piers, has been thrown across the Seine here. 1. Bonnieres rt. Limetz, a village at a little dis¬ tance from the river, nearly marks the situation of the embouchure of the Epte, a small stream, which once formed the boundary or limit of Normandy. Charles the Simple, in 911, was fain to offer to the Norman Rollo all the territory ex¬ tending from this streamlet to the sea, and with it his fair daughter Gisela, to arrest the exterminating inroads of the warriors of the North. The offer was accepted; and Neustria, receiving the name of its conquerors, became Nor¬ mandy. 1. Vernon (2-^), Rte. 8. rt. The hills which border the river, with nearly precipitous cliffs, have a singularly wavy outline, their curved tops being saddled, as it were, with green turf, while between them dry valleys or coombes open out. They rise in the form of an amphitheatre, encircling an extensive plain. Nearly at the centre of the curve which the D 50 lioute 11.— The Seine , A .— Chateau Gaillard . Sect. I. Seine here describes, on the summit of a commanding chalk cliff*, rises rt. Chateau Gaillard (6), the most picturesque ruin and interesting object, both from its situation and associations, in the lower course of the Seine. Im¬ mediately below its frowning antique towers and crumbling crags, a light and convenient w r ire suspension bridge has been thrown over the river. The castle was begun and finished in one year by King Richard Cceur de Lion, in defiance of his rival Philippe Augustus, and in the face of the treaty of Louviers, by which he had bound himself not to fortify Andelys, the little town on the strand at the river side. He thus broke it in substance, while he kept to the letter. Exulting in his stronghold, as he first looked down from its commanding battlements on the defenceless town and exposed river below him, he named it, in the pride of his heart, his “ Saucy Castle.” Even now that it is reduced to a mouldering ruin, one cannot look up to its tower¬ ing battlements, or gaze down from them upon the sunny landscape below —the glassy Seine flowing close at the foot of the castle rocks, then girdling the peninsula in front, and reflecting vine and corn clad slopes, trees, spires, and cottages in its surface—without sharing in this feeling of exultation of the fierce soldier king, in the possession of a stronghold which enabled him to defy his enemies, and overawe the country around, with the terror of his armed bands and unerring archers. The eminence on which it stands projects forward, isolated from the neighbouring hills on all sides but one, where it is connected by a narrow tongue. This was cut through by a deep fosse skirting the outer line of wall. On all the other sides steep escarpments rendered the height in¬ accessible ; towards the river, indeed, it presents a vertical precipice. Yet even along the edge of the cliff tall flanking towers were raised, some of which have long since toppled over, while others are tottering to their fall. But these were only the outworks ; within them rose a citadel of singular form and strength,—a huge circular drum tower, having a wavy surface alternately projecting and receding, like a frustum of a fluted column. The circle is broken by the insertion of a round tower shaped externally like a dice-box on the side overhanging the Seine. This was the Donjon, and con¬ tained the royal apartments; its walls are 14 or 15 ft. thick. A second deep fosse surrounds this citadel, cut in the chalk rock, here interspersed with flints which were used in the building, and thus it served at once as quarry and defence. Extensive caverns, supported by piers of the rock left standing, branch off from one side of this fosse; they probably were used as stables. The original gateway into the citadel is no longer accessible, but entrance may be gained by clambering through a small sallyport in the corner. It is to be feared that only a small part of the existing ruins belonged to the castle of King Richard. At his death Philippe Augustus, waging w r ar as the champion of Prince Arthur with John, laid siege to this castle. It was bravely defended by Roger de Lacy for 6 months, when he was finally starved into surrender. He had previously expelled from its walls the useless mouths, the old men, women, and children, to the number of 400 or 500; but the French king, wish¬ ing to distress the garrison, drove them back and refused them passage, so that the poor wretches, denied admittance into the castle, perished of famine in the ditches between the two armies. Chateau Gaillard continued to be the chief bulwark of Normandy down to 1606, when Henri IV. demolished it along with other castles as dangerous to the Royal authority. In 1314 two frail queens were immured within its walls, and one of them, Marguerite, wife of Louis X., was strangled here by order of her husband. David Bruce found an asylum here 1334, when an exile from Scotland, the castle having been ceded to him by Philippe of Valois. With a small garrison of 120 men it resisted for 16 months the forces of Henry V., and yielded at length because cut off from a supply of water by the wearing out of the ropes by which the buckets were let down into the well! 51 Normandy. Monte 11. — The Seine, A, — Andelys. Against the face of the cliff above the Seine rises a curious pigeon-house tower, lined with cells for the pigeons, a common appendage to ancient for¬ tresses, being a sort of natural larder. A chapel of recent date has been ex¬ cavated in the rock near it. The suspension bridge over the Seine beneath the castle opens a communica¬ tion with Louviers (12 m.), rt. Below the castle rock crouches the town of Petit Andelys (no Inn); the large and conspicuous red building, surmounted by a dome at the lower end of it, is an Hospital founded by the Due de Pen- thievre. Grand Andelys {Inn, Cerf, dear; the house is a curious and picturesque spe¬ cimen of domestic Gothic architecture within and without; it was the resi¬ dence of the Archbishop of Rouen, Pierre Harley, temp. Henri IV.). This town of 5000 Inhab. lies about 1 m. inland away from the Seine. The Gothic ch., somewhat in decay, curiously Italianized on its N. side, contains some painted glass, and a rude representation of the neighbouring Chateau Gaillard carved in stone. It has many rich de¬ tails, including a fine oriel. Turnebus, the Greek commentator, was a native of Andelys. The hamlet Villers, 3^ m. from this, was the birth-place (1594) of Nicolas Poussin, the painter; but the humble cottage of his parents is pulled down. A monument was set up to his memory (1851) in the market¬ place of Great Andelys. In the Mairie is a picture by him—Coriolanus among the Volsci, receiving his mother and wife. La Fontaine de Ste. Clothilde alone recalls to mind the monastery founded here by the first Christian queen of France. It is sw'ept away, but the water of the well is believed by the peasantry still to retain the virtues im¬ parted to it by the royal saint, and to cure their children of stomachaches. Andelys is about 4 m. distant from the railroad (Rte. 8). There is a direct post-road to Rouen by Pont St. Pierre; it is traversed daily by a diligence. The Seine, leaving behind the white crags and towering ruins of CMteau Gaillard, makes a wide sweep along the base of a series of semicircular chalk cliffs. This curve of the river is 18 m. long, while the direct distance from (rt.) Thuit to the mouth of the Andelle is only 8 m. There is no place worth notice on the Seine between these two points. The railway emerges from a tunnel near (rt.) Venables, and skirts the river. - rt. (5j). The pretty and industrious valley of the Andelle opens out into the Seine at the foot of a green hill, “ the last of a long promontory,” bearing the name of Cote des Deux Arnans. It is the scene of the old romantic Lai of Mai’y of France—of the young lover who was to marry the mistress of his heart, a king’s daughter, provided he could carry her to the top of the hill without stopping to rest. He fell dead under his precious burthen, exhausted with the exeition, just as he reached the summit ; at which the king’s daughter died of a broken heart, and was buried in the same grave with him. The hardhearted father, who had caused this catastrophe by imposing such cruel conditions, struck with remorse, founded on the spot where it occurred a convent whose existence is traced to an early period, but the building now standing on the top of the hill is not older than 1685. At Romilly, 8 m. up the valley of the Andelle, are the most extensive copper- works in France, consisting of a foundry with rolling-mills. The banks of the Andelle are studded with fulling-mills. A bridge has been thrown across for the rly. a little above the influx of 1. The Eure, from which the Dept, is named, a considerable and useful river, on which stands Louviers, famed for its cloth manufacture (Rte. 9). The Eure falls into the Seine 2^ m. above 1. Pont de 1’Arche (Rte. 8). This town is only 12 m. from Rouen ; whilst, in consequence of several serpentine bends, the distance by water is 33. The Seine abounds in islands in this part of its course, which increase the intricacies of the navigation. 1. A little below the bridge stand the remains of the Abbey of Bon Port, consisting of the refectory, and another monastic edifice, the ch. being quite D 2 52 Route 12.— The Seine, B.—Rouen to Havre. Sect. I. destroyed. It was founded 1119 by Richard Coeur de Lion, in gratitude for his escape from drowning in the waters of the Seine, into which he had plunged in the heat of the chace while pursuing a stag. On reaching the bank, after a severe struggle with the current, he called the spot “bon port,” and vowed to build a ch. The approach to the town of Elboeuf is marked by the number of tall chimneys, and the many floating arks moored in the midst of the river, used for washing wool. 1. Elbceuf, 3. Elbceuf is exclusively a manufactur¬ ing town, and, if Rouen has any claim to be compared to Manchester, it may be called a French Leeds, as one of the principal seats of the manufacture of cloth; more than half of its 15,000 In- hab. and about 20,000 persons in the adjoining communes being weavers, or occupied in other departments of this branch of industry. Its situation on the 1. bank of the Seine is advantageous to its prosperity. The wise enactments of the sage Colbert (1669) promoted greatly its already thriving commerce ; but the revocation of the Edict of Nantes annulled their good effect, dis¬ persing its industrious artisans, who settled in Leyden, Norwich, and Lei¬ cester. The manufactures of Elbceuf did not recover from this check until the events of 1815, relieving France from the competition of Belgium, gave them so decided an impulse that their produce is now threefold greater than it was then. The value of the cloth made here in one year is estimated at more than a million sterling. The two Gothic churches of St. Etienne and St. Jean contain curious painted glass; in the latter is a window pre¬ sented by the clothworkers’ guild some¬ where about 1466, in which various implements of the craft, such as shears and teasels, are introduced. The working classes are generally industrious and economical, and are consequently far better off than those of Rouen. Steamers 3 times a-day to Rouen. 1. The Rocks of Orival, a range of chalk cliffs beginning at Elbceuf, con¬ sisting uf detached pinnacles and pro¬ jecting shelves, formed by the hard flint layers enclosed in the rock, pre¬ sent a singular outline of fantastic forms. On a platform half way up their face a small chapel has found a niche; it is partly excavated in the rock, so are likewise many small dwellings around it. One of these needles of chalk, called Roche de Pignon, rises 200 ft. above the river. The Rouen Rly. crosses the river and an island in the midst of it at an oblique angle near Oissel. rt. From Oissel (2^), marked by its spire, to Rouen the river is thickly set with islands bearing long rows of tall poplars. Beyond (rt.) Authieux the rt. bank rises in tall chalk cliffs, at the base of which, between them and the Seine, runs the road to Paris (Rte. 9), passing a series of villages and manufactories. 1. St. Etienne de Rouvray, 1^. Wm, the Conqueror was hunting in the forest of Rouvray, which still exists behind this village, when the news was brought him of the death of Edward the Confessor, and of the usurpation of his throne by Harold, his brother-in-law. rt. The high hill of St. Catherine (p. 42) and the spire of the Cathedral are conspicuous long before reaching 2 rt. Rouen (Rte. 8). ROUTE 12. THE SEINE, B.—ROUEN TO HAVRE AND HONFLEUR. 34 leagues = 85^- Eng. m. The dis¬ tance to Havre by land is 53 m. Steamers daily in summer, making the voyage in about 8 hours, i. e. a little longer time than the diligence. The opening of the Rly. to Havre (Rte. 14) will probably put a stop to the steamers. The scenery is so pleasing, that, not¬ withstanding the windings of the river, the voyage in fine weather is very agreeable. The places where the steamers stop for passengers are marked by Italics. The hour of starting varies so as to enable the vessels to meet the flood tide off Quillebceuf, and by the aid of Normandy. Route 12. — The Seine, B, — Moulineaux, 53 it to pass the shifting sands there. The boats start from the Quai du Havre close to the Hotel de Rouen. Fare 10 fr., carriages 30 fr. For some distance below Rouen the river is intersected by numerous islands, long narrow strips of earth planted with willows and poplars: a scene* of rich verdure, but somewhat monotonous. The hills near Rouen are dotted with white country houses of its citizens and manufacturers. rt. The vale of Bapaume, beset with cotton factories, opens out. 1. Petit Quevilly (3 m. from Rouen). Here is an ancient little chapel of St. Julien in the Romanesque style, ter¬ minating in an apse having the windows and doors roundheaded, built soon after 1162 by our Henry II., who had a hunting-seat in the adjoining forest. Though now degraded into a barn, it is an edifice possessing an interest for the antiquary. rt. Canteleu, a chateau of the time of Louis XIV.; its terraces and gar¬ dens were laid out by Le Notre, but have been modernised. rt. Dieppedale, a long row of houses bordering the river. 1. Grand Quevilly once contained a Protestant ch. (temple) capable of hold¬ ing 10,500 persons; but in 1685, through the machinations of the Jesuits, it was closed, and a few months after razed to the ground. This act of intolerance was committed shortly before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes entailed persecution and exile on the large and industrious Reformed community which then occupied this district. 1. Moulineaux (4), a prettily situated but poor village, on the high road to Honfleur (Rte. 23), has a ruinous but interesting ch. in the earliest pointed style ; date the beginning of the 13th cent. On the hill above it are some heaps of stone, the very scanty traces of the walls of a castle destroyed by King John, which, ac¬ cording to the tradition, once belonged to Robert the Devil, a fabulous per¬ sonage, a sort of Norman Blue Beard, who murdered his friends and mis¬ tresses, and in the end sold himself to the evil one. Some suppose him to have been Duke Robert, the father of William the Conqueror. 1. Near La Bouille and Caumont are extensive quarries of building-stone. Bare yellow cliffs line the river for some distance. rt. St. George de Boscherville. This famous abbey stands at some distance from the Seine, near the Havre road (Rte. 13), and is only just visible from the river. The Seine makes a bend 18 m. long between Rouen and this point; in a direct line they are not more than 10 m. apart. rt. Duclair (5^), a pretty village traversed by the road to Havre (Rte. 13), squeezed in between the river and the rocks, one of which, an elevated crag, goes by the name of la Chaire de Garyant.ua. The rt. bank again sweeps round to the S., its elevated slopes covered with hanging woods. rt. It is recorded that at the little hamlet of Mesnil, Agnes Sorel, mis¬ tress of Charles VII., breathed her last, in the arms of the king. An old building is still pointed out as her abode ; it retains its chimneys of the 15th cent. It was called Mesnil la Belle; it is noAv a labourer’s cottage. The 1. bank below Mesnil has risen into round hills of considerable height, part bare, part wooded; houses few, and scenery solitary. To this succeeds on the rt. a plain, verdant and bosky, formed into a peninsula by the winding river, out of the midst of which rise the now spireless twin towers of Ju- mieges Abbey (p. 56). 1. The Chateau de Mailleraye (7-^), situated at the water’s edge, below the village of Guerbaville, where there is a large shipbuilder’s yard, belongs to the Due de Mortemart. It is an edifice of the 17th cent., in a park surrounded by green walls of straight clipped trees, and is a conspicuous object from the river, but not other¬ wise worth notice. Below Mailleraye the river expands considerably, anditschannel beginstobe beset with the sand-banks which render its navigation so difficult, leaving only a narrow passage in the middle free. 54 Route 12.— The Seine, B .— Quillebceuf. Sect. I. rt. Caudebec (2j), the most consi¬ derable and prettily situated town on the banks of the Lower Seine; its long terrace of houses, screened by an avenue of green trees, and surmounted by its elegant church spire, was a favourite subject of the landscape pain¬ ter Vernet. It is described at p. 58. rt. An humble structure at the foot of the steep wooded heights below Caudebec is the chapel of Notre Dame de Barre-y-va, much resorted to by sailors, who have covered its walls with ex-votos, paintings, models of ships, &c. The name probably comes from the circumstance of the much-dreaded Barre, or Bore, at the mouth of the Seine, ascending at times thus far. rt. Villiquier, prettily placed, and forming an agreeable intermixture of trees and houses surmounted by a Gothic spire, is a fishing village and station of the pilots whose duty it is to carry vessels between this point and Mailleraye. 1. Vatteville la Rue. The Seine, which has run nearly due S. from Caudebec, resumes its pi'oper direction from E. to W. below Vieux Port, and preserves the same as far as its mouth. Its banks, retir¬ ing to a considerable distance from each other, allow it to expand into a wide but shallow estuary, frequently en¬ livened by large shipping, tug steamers (remorqueurs), &c. 1. Quilleboevf, an important town and small seaport which Henri IV. wanted to convert into a fortress, but which his widow Marie de Medicis dismantled, is built on a projecting promontory, at the extremity of which stands its massive church tower and lighthouse. It is the station of the pilots to the number of 110, with 28 apprentices (aspirants), whose duty it is to carry vessels through the in¬ tricate navigation of the mouth of the Seine, from Havre and Honfieur up to Villiquier. This is the most difficult and dan¬ gerous portion of the whole river for vessels, on account of the sunk rocks and shifting sands, only to be passed during high tide. Shipwrecks oc¬ curred here almost every year before the introduction of steam towage, which, by enabling vessels to pass up, even when the wind is unfavourable, has diminished the delay and risk. So variable are the sand-banks off Quillebceuf that they have been known to change their position more than a league in the course of twelve months: this indeed occurred in 1840. The cause of this must be looked for in the sudden contraction of the river at this point to about f m., while a little below it is 3 m. wide. The consequence is that the vast mass of water poured into the Seine by the rising tide forms capricious and powerful cux’rents, and very com¬ monly enters the river in the form of a lofty wave or wall of water, 3 to 6 ft. high, here called the Barre, and similar to the Bore&i the mouth of the Severn. It stretches across from one bank to the other, marked by a line of white foam, sweeping all before it with a roar like thunder, heard forty minutes before it arrives. It seems to acquire the greatest force abreast of Quilleboeuf, where it dashes over the quays, hurling vessels against them, and sometimes injuring the buildings, but it is per¬ ceived as high as Caudebec. The still water produced at the point where the rising tide encounters the descending current allows the sand and mud, carried along by the river when in rapid motion, to fall to the bottom, and accumulate into shift¬ ing deposits of sand. Among these sand-banks the “Telemaque,” a vessel said to have been laden with property belonging to emigres, and with jewels of the Bourbon princes, was lost at the time of the Revolution. A recent attempt to raise the hull failed. rt. Through the vista of the valley of the Bolbec, w hich opens out opposite Quilleboeuf, a glimpse is obtained of the castle towers of Lillebonne, cele¬ brated for its remains of a Roman theatre (p. 58). rt. The opening of another small valley is marked on one side by a conspicuous conical white rock called Pierre Gante (? Geante), overhanging the Seine at a height of 200 ft., and on the other by the Castle of Tancar- ville, the venerable stronghold of the Normandy. Route 13. —Rouen to Havre—Lower Road. 55 chamberlains of the Dukes of Nor¬ mandy, planted on a pedestal of high cliff forming part of the headland called Nez de Tancarville. To the water-side it presents an open terrace, on which stands a modern mansion, with sash windows, and a tall watch- tower, round on one side, and . an¬ gular like a bastion on the other. Behind stretch two long lines of varied and stately towers connected by curtains forming a large triangu¬ lar enclosure, once the castle courts, now grass-grown and encumbered with ruins. The country behind it is one dense forest, over which these ancient battlements peer majestically. The best-preserved portions are the gate¬ house with caged windows, and grooves for double portcullis, and the contiguous tower dating from the latter half of the 15th cent. Here, within walls 9 ft. thick, may be seen the “ cachots ”— and the “ chambre de question ” which is frequently mentioned in the old archives. In the corner tower (l’Aigle), on the brow of the cliff overhang¬ ing the Seine, one or two old wall- pieces, so constructed as to be loaded from the breech, are preserved. In this part only of the old castle do roofs and floors remain. All the rest is mere shattered walls, gutted towers, enclosures dark and overgrown with nettles and hemlock, which now luxu¬ riate on the hearths of the Tancarville, Montmorencys, Harcourts, and La Tours d’Auvergne, its ancient owners. The chapel and the Salle des Cheva¬ liers, with 3 fireplaces, are pointed out to strangers. The loftiness of some of the towers, and their singular form, deserve notice: the Tour de Lion is the segment of a circle; the Tour Coquisart, 60 ft. high, of 5 stories piled one over the other, and still sur¬ mounted by the stone-groined ribs of its roof, while all the rest is fallen, is in the shape of a triangle with curved sides. It communicates behind with the Donjon , which was detached from the body of the place and entered only by a drawbridge. It contains a well 300 ft. deep. The date of its con¬ struction is the early part of the 15th cent., and scarcely any portion of the castle seems older. The English under Henry V. burned down" the preceding one 1437. The modern mansion is tumbling to pieces as fast as possible. From the noble owners whose names are mentioned above, Tancarville fell into the hands of Law of Lauriston, the South Sea schemer. It was plundered and de¬ molished at the Revolution as the property of aristocrats and dmigrtis (the Montmorencys) ; but after having been for 20 years attached to a hos¬ pital at Havre, it has once more re¬ verted to that family. The poor small hamlet of fishers’ huts beneath the castle affords no tolerable accommo¬ dation for travellers. The distance from Lillebonne is 6 m., and from St. Romain on the road to Havre (Rte. 14) about 12 m. Below this the banks of the Seine are too distant and destitute of objects of interest to need further notice, excepting the towns and ports of rt. Harfleur, in Rte. 14. 1. Honjleur , described in Rte. 23. Passengers can be put ashore here, where they can take the diligence to Caen. It is about 7 m. across to rt. Havre, in Rte. 14. ROUTE 13. ROUEN TO HAVRE—LOW r ER ROAD, BV ST. GEORGE BOSCHERVILLE, JUMIEGES, CAUDEBEC, AND LILLEBONNE. 86 kilom= 53 J Eng. m. Diligences have ceased to run. Although the Railroad from Rouen to Havre (Rte. 14) is the quickest way, yet the following rte. is one of the most agreeable in Normandy, both for the pleasing view of the Seine which it commands, and for the suc¬ cession of ancient ecclesiastical re¬ mains in the vicinity of which it passes. It is, however, hilly. A little way beyond the industrious cotton-spinning village of Bapaume, it surmounts the long and steep hill of Canteleu, from whose top Rouen is seen to very great advantage, and the Seine winding away S. to double the ridge of which the hill of Canteleu forms a part. On the 56 Sect. I. Route 13 .—Rouen to 1. is the Chateau of Canteleu, belonging to M. Elie Lefebure, which commands the view in perfection, and about 2 m. beyond it a road turning off to the 1. leads to the Abbey of St. George de Boscherville , whose Church is one of the most ancient and unaltered monuments in Normandy. It was founded by Raoul de Tancarville, chamberlain of the Conqueror, previous to the Con¬ quest, and consecrated in the founder’s presence. From the precision with which its age is fixed, it has been termed “ a landmark of Norman archi¬ tecture as usual, it was destroyed at the Revolution, but the church was preserved for the use of the parish. It has the usual characteristics—vast pro¬ portions, simplicity, and austere grand¬ eur. Its W. end has a round door ornamented with 5 mouldings, and 2 side towers, in whose upper story the pointed arch of a very early date ap¬ pears. This may have been the part of the church last finished. The vault¬ ing of the nave and transepts is also pointed, all the rest is Norman; the arches are carried round the ends of the transepts, forming 2 lofts or tri¬ bunes supported on a column, and there is an apse at the E. end of each, as in Winchester Cathedral, the older part of which is very like this church. The Chapter-house adjoining is of later date, 1157, and of mixed architecture, both round and pointed arches occurring in it. The capitals of its columns, sculptured with subjects in relief, such as the Passage of the Jordan and the Sacrifice of Isaac, merit notice. Returning to the high road, you de¬ scend to the borders of the Seine, on which is situated the village and post- station. 20 Duclair (6 m. from St. George’s), a row of houses between the river and the cliffs, one of which, from a sup¬ posed resemblance to a pulpit, is called Chaire de Gargantua. The Seine once more takes a widely curving sweep, while the high road cuts across the neck of the peninsula. In the midst of this the twin towers of the Abbey of Jumieges are conspicuous. A cross road turns off to it near Yain- ville, whence it is about 2 m. distant. Havre — Jumieges. It was the most important monastic institution on the banks of the Lower Seine for its extent, the number of its inmates, and its share in promoting learning during the dark ages, and it now towers venerable and majestic above the humble timber-framed and chalk-walled cottages of the village. It has been compared with some of the Romanesque churches of the Rhine in its plain but stately W. fa§ade, sur¬ mounted by octagonal towers which have only recently lost their spires, but between them the porch projects in an unusual manner. This and the entire nave as far as the cross, sur¬ mounted by a more massive central tower, one side of which only remains standing, is of unchanged early Nor¬ man (date 1067). The round arches are supported alternately on square piers and circular columns; their capi¬ tals, destitute of any sculpture, were ornamented with painted foliage, some traces of which still remain. The in¬ terior is in a state of ruin, entirely roofless, save a small fragment of vaulting in the aisles, and open to the rains of heaven; greensward supplies the place of pavement ; the E. end, which was in the pointed style of the 13th cent., has been razed to its found¬ ations. For the origin of this dilapi¬ dation the Revolution has to answer, but its consummation is of very recent date, this ancient and interesting fabric having been absolutely quarried and carted away to build barns with its masonry. The stone employed is a hard chalk enclosing flints, which are frequently exposed in the courses of the piers. The present owner fortu¬ nately has respect for the ruins, and watches over their preservation, having fitted up the old gatehouse for his resi¬ dence. A number of curiously and rudely sculptured fragments, keystones, bas-reliefs, &c., have been discovered by him, and merit notice. Beneath a plain black marble slab, fractured into several pieces, and lying in a corner, was once deposited the heart of “ Agnes Seurelle (Sorel), Dame de Breaute.” She died near this, at Mesnil, and Charles VII., her royal lover, had apartments fitted up in the abbey in Normandy. Route 13.— St. Wandrille — Caudebec. 57 order to be near her. She was a bene¬ factress to Jumieges, and the monks retained her heart, though her body was interred at Loches in Touraine. Breaute was the name of one of her domains; some have read the inscrip¬ tion erroneously “ Dame de Beaute.” Here also another mutilated monument has been brought to light. It consists of mutilated effigies of youths in royal garbs, with circlets on their heads, known by the name of “ les Enerves ” (i. e. the hamstrung), from a tradition that they represent the two sons of Clovis II., who, having rebelled and waged war against their father, suf¬ fered the cruel punishment of having the sinews of their arms and legs cut. They were then bound and set adrift in an open boat on the Seine, whose current wafted them down as far as Jumieges, where they were kindly received by the monks, and ended their days. On the S. side of the ch. are remains of the chapel of St. Pierre , a pointed work of the 14th cent.; and of a large vaulted apartment called “ Salle des Gardes de Charles VII.,” parallel with which runs a very extensive range of subterranean vaults, probably cellars, and the gatehouse. The high road beyond Yainville and Le Trait is carried on a lofty terrace along the shoulders of the hills, com¬ manding a most pleasing view of the windings of the Seine both upwards and down. Nearly in front the inter¬ vening slopes are covered with orchards and gardens, and on the opposite bank stands the Chateau of Mailleraye, a conspicuous and large edifice (Rte. 12). At the little village Caudebec- quet, about 3 m. before reaching Cau¬ debec, a road turning to the rt. leads in 1^ m. to another monastic ruin, of inferior interest to the other two, but of great antiquity, St. Wandrille, founded by the saint of that name in the 7th cent., and at first called Fon- tanelle. Here may be seen some ele¬ gant pointed arches, sole relics of a church sold and pulled down at the Revolution for building-materials. The conventual buildings, a palace in ex¬ tent, are in the modern Italian archi¬ tecture of the 16th or 17th cent., and have been converted partly into a ma¬ nufactory of Jacquerie, partly into a bark warehouse and mill. The Cloisters behind them contain several arches, rich morceaux of flamboyant Gothic, and a Lavatory, with a few relics of sculpture, becoming fewer every day through wanton mutilation. Part of the Refectory is Norman, and lined with a circular arcade. The good judgment of the monks is very conspicuous in the choice of the site for this convent, a nook shut out from the world in a side valley of the Seine, fertile, well watered, and wooded. St. Wandrille now stands a monument of the fall of ecclesiastic pomp and wealth. The hill side to the N. was terraced to form gardens and shady walks, now grown wild. On the top of the height above them is a little chapel of St. Saturnin, an early Norman structure, with 3 apses and windows like loopholes and walls of herring-bone masonry, many centu¬ ries older than any part of the convent below. St. Wandrille is about 4 m. from 16 Caudebec.— Inns: Poste,—H. du Commerce, not very clean, but to¬ lerable. This is one of the prettiest little antiquated towns on the Seine, with its quay and terrace along the waterside, shaded by trimmed elms, forming a screen before the row of houses which face the river. The old wooden buildings in the heart of it have been scarcely at all modernized, and are highly picturesque. In its outskirts the hills are dotted with neat villas and country seats. Its only remarkable edifice is its Church, a beautiful Gothic building in the florid style of the 15th cent., in the form of a parallelogram without transepts. It is surmounted by a tower having a short steeple of open stonework, the flamboyant tracery in it taking the form of fleurs-de-lis. Its flying but¬ tresses and variously patterned para¬ pets are very elegant. It was begun 1426, and stands at the side of the church. In the W. end, the gorgeous triple portal, with side porches bent back, all exuberantly ornamented with d 3 o8 Houle 13. —Rouen to Havre — Lillebonne. Sect. I. carved foliage, statues, and niches, and the rose window above, merit notice. Also the N. porch. Within, there is much fine painted glass of the 16th cent., and a wooden cover to the font, well carved in relief with subjects from the life of Christ. The spaces between the buttresses are occupied by small chapels ; those at the E. end expand, and the central one, the Lady Chapel, behind the high altar, is distinguished by a finely groined roof, the ribs of which de¬ scend in the centre to form a pendant of stone, 14 ft. long, ending in a carved boss, or cul de lampe. In the next chapel of St. Sepulchre is a group of 8 figures, as large as life, representing the holy personages at the tomb of our Lord, under a florid Gothic ca¬ nopy. The master mason of the church, William le Tellier, is buried in the Lady Chapel : he was employed on it 30 years, down to his death, 1484, and in that time completed the upper part of the nave, the choir and chapels around it, including the Lady Chapel and its pendant. The artist will find, in penetrating the dirty streets of the town, some picturesque bits among its timber¬ framed houses. Caudebec was anciently a strong fortress ; it was taken 1419 by the English, under Talbot and Warwick ; and, during the wars of religion, Alex¬ ander Farnese, Duke of Parma, com¬ mander of a Spanish force sent in aid of the League, lost his arm in recon¬ noitring the ramparts, 1592. They have been long since swept away. About 1^ m. up the valley, near the road which goes to Yvetot (Rte. 14), stands the Church of St. Gertrude, re¬ paired 1841 : it merits notice for its architecture, Gothic of the 16th cent., its stone tabernacle, and painted glass. The Havre road beyond Caudebec quits the borders of the Seine, not to rejoin it until Harfleur is passed. It mounts a steep ascent and traverses a part of the table-land of the Pays de Caux. There is nothing of interest until you descend into the valley ■where lies the town of 16 Lillebonne {Inn: H. du Com¬ merce), numbering 3500 Inhab., pret¬ tily situated on the stream of the Bol- bec, and interesting on account of its Roman theatre—a relic of the ancient Julia Bona of the itineraries of Anto- nine and Ptolemy, capital of the Ca- letes (inhabitants of the Pays de Caux), of which the present town occupies the site, and retains (with a slight change) the name. The road, on en¬ tering the town, passes under the old Castle on the rt., and nearly over the space which must have anciently been the stage of the Theatre. On the 1. hand is seen the semicircular portion allotted to the spectators, for the most part cut out of the hill, which, form¬ ing a gradual slope for the rows of seats to rest on, saved the cost of vast substructions—an advantage of which the Romans and Greeks usually availed themselves in their theatres. The re¬ mains consist chiefly of foundations, and have been laid open since 1812, The fragments of walls in the centre belonged probably to the orchestra, those on the slope of the side to the dressing-rooms. On the hill, among fragments of masonry, are several semicircular terraces, one above the other, with traces of the vomitories, or entrances ; and round the whole runs a corridor or vaulted passage, gradually rising from the side to the centre, by which entrance was ob¬ tained to the highest seats. The walls and part of the vaults here remain tolerably pei’fect ; they are supported by many spurs or buttresses. The walls are faced with ashlar masonry, or with small stones about the size of bricks neatly jointed, the centre filled in with rubble of flint strongly ce¬ mented with grouting, the whole banded together at irregular intervals by horizontal courses of red tiles. The stone employed is a porous but coherent calcareous tufa, or travertine, which is to this day deposited by the water of a neighbouring brook. This is the best preserved, and in¬ deed almost the only example of an ancient theatre in the N. of France, or of Europe. It measured across the chord of the arc 300 ft., and the di¬ mensions of the circular corridor were 59 Normandy. Route 14. — Rough to Havre by Railroad. 625 ft. The ground in and about the town can scarcely be turned up with¬ out disclosing ancient remains of one sort or another. In 1823 a fine bronze male statue (now in the British Mu¬ seum) was discovered ; and the Mu¬ seum at Rouen has been greatly en¬ riched from this mine of antiquities. On the opposite side of the high road, looking down upon the theatre, is the Castle, a picturesque ruin, histo¬ rically interesting as the residence of Wm. the Conqueror, who here called together his barons to unfold the mo¬ mentous scheme of the invasion of England. The massive outer walls now serve to enclose a garden and modern house ; close beside it is a tall round tower of beautifully even ma¬ sonry, having walls 13 ft. thick, and some finely ribbed vaults ; isolated by a deep fosse, crossed by a drawbridge. It is a construction of the 15th cent., built probably by the Harcourts, who owned the castle down to the Revolu¬ tion. Not far off is a mutilated an¬ gular tower of the 13th or 14th cent. The great Norman hall, in which, ac¬ cording to the tradition, William met his barons in council, has been entirely swept away by the present proprietor, a cotton-spinner. The commanding elevation of these ruins gives them a magnificent view over the adjacent valley, with a peep, through a gap at its extremity, of the broad estuary of the Seine 3 m. below the town. The Parish Church has a fine tower and spire, similar to that of Harfieur, but inferior, and a rich portal. Owing to the abundant supply of water from the neighbouring hills, Lillebonne has become a manufactur¬ ing town, and cotton-mills have multi¬ plied considerably about it, especially up the valley towards Bolbec : calicos and indiennes are principally made here. The Castle of- Tancarville (Rte. 12) is 6 m. distant from Lillebonne, by cross-roads, the latter part so narrow and steep as to be practicable only for a light carriage. A cabriolet may be hired for 12 fr. to go thither, and on to St. Remain on the Havre road (p. 55), waiting to allow the traveller to see the castle. The direct road from Lillebonne to Havre passes within 3 m. of the castle : the diligences go round by Bolbec. (Rte. 14.) Both roads meet at 18 La Botte. In descending from the Plain de Caux towards Harfieur, a fine view is obtained of that town, its noble spire, and the Seine beyond. The road hence to 17 Havre is described in Rte. 14. ROUTE 14. ROUEN TO HAVRE—RAILROAD. 95 kilom. = 59 Eng. m. 4 or 5 trains daily, in 24 and 3 hrs. This line was opened 1847. Its en¬ gineer is Mr. Jos. Locke, and its con¬ struction is almost entirely due to English skill, enterprise, and capital. It is carried, for the most part of the way, over the high and fertile table-land of the Pays de Caux. It quits the line from Paris to Rouen (Rte. 8) at Sotteville, and, a little above the town of Rouen, crosses the Seine by a timber bridge of 8 arches, each 131 ft. span, its centre resting on an island ; rebuilt since its destruction by fire by the mob of 1848. (N.B. Beautiful view of Rouen from the Bridge.) This leads direct into the first tunnel, carried under part of St. Catherine’s Hill (p. 42), 1133 yds. long. It describes a radius of about half a mile ; the works were very difficult, owing to the rush of waters from springs in the chalk. The rail¬ way issues from it into the valley of Darnelat, filled with dye-works and cotton-mills, and crossed together with the 2 small streams which traverse it, the Robee and Aubette, by a raily. viaduct. The line speedily re-enters the chalk hills, and in 2 succeeding tunnels (one of them 1530 yds. long) sweeps round the town of Rouen, penetrating beneath the Boulevards, St. Hilaire, and Beauvoisine, in a series of cuttings and tunnels, works of ardu¬ ous execution and great engineering- merit, made at great cost. It emerges at the Rouen Stat., in the Rue Yerte (built 60 Route 14 .—Rouen to Havre —Rays de Caux. Sect. I. by Tite, architect of the Royal Ex¬ change), situated in a hole cut in the chalk, shut in by escarpment, exclud¬ ing all view, and between 2 tunnels, and a long way from the heart of Rouen and the quays. On quitting the station you pass through the tun¬ nel Cauchois, under the suburb of Bouvreuil and the cemetery of St. Gervais. A fifth tunnel succeeds, which ends near the village of Deville. 6 Maromme Stat. Even after Rouen is a long way left behind, the country traversed by the road exhibits the vivifying effects of the cotton industry, in mills or fac¬ tories, country-houses, villages, &c. The chief of these is Ddville, situated in a pretty valley which bears its name. 3 Malaunay Stat. Here is a Viaduct of 8 arches, and an embankment over the Dieppe road. Nearthis the branch Railway to Dieppe (Rte. 6) diverges. A 6th tunnel, nearly 1 m. and 3 fur. long, pierces the heights of Piccy- Poville, and the railroad crossing the high grounds is carried across the val¬ ley of 8 Barentin —Stat. The curved Viaduct of Barentin, of 27 arches, each 60 ft. span, the central arch 108 ft. high, 765 yds. long, was constructed by Messrs. Mackenzie and Brassey. It gave way in the early part of 1846, covering the valley with rub¬ bish. It was reconstructed in the short space of 6 months, at great cost, with the utmost care and solidity. Barentin is a town of 2500 Inhab., in a small valley on the stream of the Austreberthe, which sets in movement many cotton-mills; the railway leaves it on the 1. The railway has now emerged by gradual ascents out of the basin in which Rouen lies, to the table¬ land of the Pays de Caux, an elevation of about 400 feet. 2 Pavilly Stat. 11 Motteville Stat. 8 Yvetot Stat. (Inn, a cabaret) is an industrious little town of 9032 Inhab., with houses of timber, containing some manufactures of cotton, but destitute of objects of interest. The title of (l Roi d’Yvetot” has given a wide cele¬ brity to its name, and has greatly puzzled antiquaries and local historians, who have failed in proving the exist¬ ence of any sovereign authority, or in discovering the origin of the title. There is a tradition that one Gaul- thier, Lord of Yvetot, having offended King Glothair, son of Clovis, and having been banished his presence, ventured to throw himself at the feet of the king while he was kneeling in prayer before the high altar at Soissons on Good Friday, thinking that the holi¬ ness of the place, and of the day of pardon for the sins of mankind, might obtain forgiveness for him also. Clo- thair, however, no sooner saw him than he drew his sword and slew him, but, repenting afterwards of his crime, and desiring to make atonement to Gaulthier, created his heirs kings of Yvetot. But this story has no good foundation. Bdranger describes the king of Yvetot:— “ II etait. un roi d’Yvetot, Pen connu dans l’hi.stoire, Se levant, tard, se coueliant tot, Dormant fort iben sans gloire, Et couronne par Jeanneton D’un simple bonnet de coton.” Diligence to Caudebec. Rte. 13. Here, in the very heart of the Pays de Caux, the traveller will now in vain look for the Cauchoise head-dress, once commonly worn by the women. It was a huge structure of cambric and lace, something between a cap and a helmet, and appears to have been the fashion even in England during the 15th and 16th centuries. The modern modes of Paris have driven it out of the field, even in remote Norman vil¬ lages, and it is now rarely seen. The Pays de Caux, through the centre of which the railroad runs, retains the name, slightly altered, of its ancient inhabitants in Ctesar’s time, the Ca- letes (? Celts). It is a high table-land, only here and there intersected by river- courses, exceedingly fertile, though somewhat arid. Trees are rare on the high ground, except the usual avenues of fruit-trees on the road-side, and around villages and farm-houses, whose existence and position are invariably denoted by a sort of verdant rampart Normandy. R. 14. — Hallway — Rouen to Havre — Harjleur . 61 of stiff elms, planted in straight lines and double rows, on or near a high bank of earth ; you may be sure that a farm or chateau is hid behind such an enclosure. 11 Alvimare Stat. Coach to Lille- bonne. 8 Nointot Stat. [4 m. S. is Bol- bec, a fresh-looking town of staring brick houses, which replace those of wood destroyed by a great fire in the last century : situated in one of the pleasant little valleys which in¬ tersect the Pays de Caux. It con¬ tains a vast number of cotton-mills, manufactories of calicos, printed stuffs, and handkerchiefs; print works, bleach¬ ing-grounds, &c.; in short, it is one of the most industrious places in the Ddpt. of the Seine Infdrieure, 9030 Inliab. The abundant stream which runs through it, and is a main cause of this activity, turns no less than 113 usines before it joins the Seine below Lillebonne. That ancient town (see Rte. 13) is only 5 m. distant; its Roman Theatre merits notice.] Bolbec lying in a depression of the table-land, high embankments and a viaduct were required to carry the railway across it. At Mirville is a brick viaduct of 48 brick arches, the highest 106 ft. above the ground. Hence there is a steep incline (requiring an extra engine to surmount in coming from Havre) by which the railway descends nearly to a level with the Seine at 6 Beuzeville Stat. Coach to Fdcainp. 8 St. Romain Stat. Harfleur Stat. is situated on the Ldzarde, a small stream now barely navigable for barges, and 2 in. distant from the Seine, yet Monstrelet calls it “ le souverain port de la Normandie.” The deposits brought down by the Ldzarde have contracted its bed, and formed a fringe of land along the shore of the Seine, which has greatly in¬ creased the distance between the town and the estuary. Before the rise of Havre, Harfleur was the chief port of the mouth of the Seine, at which the wool of Spain and Portugal was im¬ ported and sent up to Montevilliers to be wrought, while by reason of its for¬ tifications it was the key to the entrance of the Seine. In 1415 it resisted for 40 days the besieging army of Henry V., who, as soon as it had yielded, uncovered his feet and legs and walked barefoot to church to say his prayers, after which he collected the inhabit¬ ants to the number of 8000, and, turn¬ ing them out of their houses with only the clothes on their backs, ba¬ nished them and confiscated their property, substituting English colo¬ nists in their place. In 20 years, how¬ ever, the town was surprised by a band of peasants, aided by a number of the former inhabitants, and the English were expelled. The tower, spire, and N. aisle of its Church, built in the 15th cent., it is said, by Henry V., and its fringed S. portal, are deserv¬ edly praised as masterpieces of Gothic. The E. end dates from the 13th centy. There is a fine timber-house (15th centy.) near the Cli. The Terrace of the Chateau of Or- cher , running along the heights above the town, commands a remarkably fine view of the river. From Harfleur to Havre the rail¬ road is carried along the side of a hill, sloping gently down to the Seine, whose embouchure is seen at intervals between the trees and houses. On the rt. a little above the road stands Gravillc. Its small church, prettily situated on a wooded bank, is Norman of the end of the lltli century. Its transepts are decorated externally with round intersecting arches, surmounted by figures of animals. The capitals of the pillars in the nave are sculptured with monsters. In the courtyard be¬ hind the Hotel de Ville are caves in the rock, once the monks’ cellars. The church was built in honour of St. Honoria. Her relics were removed for safety, at the Norman invasion, to Conflans, and confided to the custody of the monks, who, when the danger was overpast, refused to restore them. Notwithstanding this loss, the place where they had been retained its sanc¬ tity, so that more pilgrims and wor¬ shippers repaired hither than to the church at Conflans which actually held them! Remains of the masonry 62 Jio ute 14 .—Rouen to Havre — Ila vre. Sect. I. of a quay, with rings to attach vessels, are said to have been found under Gra- ville. (?) Passing numerous gardens and coun¬ try houses, intermixed with inns, ta¬ verns, and guinguettes, composing the towns of Graville and Ingouville, so numerous as to form an uninterrupted street, we reach 7 Havre Terminus , close to the Cours Napoleon, and not far from Bassin Vauban. It covers 36 acres. Havre. — Inns: H. Frascati, excel¬ lent, outside the walls, on the seashore, with a good table-d’liote, reading-room, and neat and cheap warm-baths. H. de 1’ Europe, Rue de Paris, good. Wheeler’s, on the Quai Notre Dame, near the steamers. Havre, originally Havre de Grace, from a small chapel of Notre Dame de Grace which stood on its site, the port of the Seine and of Paris, one of the most thriving maritime towns of France, is situated on the N. side of the estuary of the Seine, and contains 28,000 Inhab. It is quite a modern town, owing its foundation to Francis I. (1516), and its prosperity to the judicious enactments of Louis XVI., though it has received its great impulse since the war, and has been rapidly gaining upon its elder rivals, Bordeaux and Nantes. It has no fine buildings nor ^historical monu¬ ments ; its streets are laid down chiefly in straight lines, and at right angles with one another, and they are grouped round the basins, or docks, which com¬ municate from one to the other by lock-gates, and are placed so as to form a triangle entered from the outer (avant) port. The quays bordering on the basins, lined with vessels, and choked up with cotton-bales, sugar- casks, &c., are the chief scenes of life. The strange cries and glittering plum¬ age of parrots and macaws will remind the stranger of the connexion of the port with tropical countries. Its prin¬ cipal street (and it is a handsome one) is the Rue de Paris, extending through the Place du Spectacle from the Port d’lngouville to the round tower of Fran¬ cois Premier, at the entrance of the port, the only relic of the fortifications constructed by that monarch. Improvements are to be made here. The old ramparts are to be removed, and Havre, Ingouville, and Graville, containing a population of near 70,000, are to be united into one, and to be surrounded by new and more extensive fortifications. The Citadel, built by Richelieu, in which Cardinal Mazarin shut up, in 1650, the leaders of the Fronde, the Princes of Cond6, Conti, and Longueville, “the lion, the ape, and the fox, caught in one trap,” to use the expression of Gaston of Orleans, has been dismantled. The release of these distinguished captives was at length effected (Feb. 1651) by one of those sudden popular risings so common in the history of the Fronde. Mazarin, prostrated from the height of power by this revolution, bethought himself how he might make friends of his former victims, and, disguised as a courier, posted off instantly from Paris, in order to be the first to tell the joyous news, and unlock the prison gates. Assuming an air of the most obsequious servility, he assured them he had no hand in their imprisonment, and stooped to kiss the boot of Cond£, as the hero mounted his carriage, amidst salvos of artillery, on his way to Paris. It is only by aid of a reservoir of water (Jletenue de la Floride'), regulated by sluices, that the mouth of the harbour, formed in the flat alluvium of the Seine, can be kept clear from the deposits of the river still in pro¬ gress. The port is accessible for ves¬ sels during only four hours each tide; at low-water the port and avant-port are left dry. The three old docks are capable of containing 250 or 300 vessels, or more with inconvenience; the fourth dock, the Bassin de Vauban, the largest of all, situated outside the walls, and finished 18-42, is a magnificent work, with a fine masting-machine and ware¬ houses. A 5th dock, destined for steamers, has been constructed at the extremity of the Retenue de la Floride. The saying of Napoleon, that “Paris, Rouen, and Havre formed only one city, of which the Seine was the high¬ way,” explains the cause of the pros¬ perity of Havre. It is the place of Normandy. Route 14.— Havre* 68 import of all the foreign articles needed for the supply of the French metro¬ polis: like Liverpool with us, it is the chief cotton port of France, furnishing this commodity to the manufacturer of Rouen, Lille, St. Quentin, and even as far as Alsace, and from these cities it again receives the manufactured goods for exportation. It is also the point of communication between the Continent of Europe and America ; a great trade is carried on with the United States. The Decla¬ ration of Independence formed the groundwork of the present good for¬ tunes of Havre. A line of American steamers runs twice a month to New York. Here also a great number of emigrants, many from Germany, an¬ nually embark for the New World. The imports of Havre, though only one-half in quantity and weight of those of Marseilles (the chief seaport in France), are said nearly to equal them in value. The number of vessels belonging to the port is considerable. More than a million tons of shipping enter in and out yearly. Some of the principal mercantile houses here are English and American. The shipbuilders of Havre enjoy a high reputation for the skill and science which they display in the construction of their vessels, which are capital sea- boats, yet their ship-yards are nothing more than an open space on the sea- beach, outside the fortifications, fenced in with a wooden paling. The annals of Havre are connected with the history of England at several points. Heury of Richmond embarked here, 1485, for Milford Haven and Bosworth Field, backed by 4000 men, furnished by Charles VIII. to aid his enterprise. The town was delivered over to the keeping of Queen Elizabeth by the Prince cle Conde, leader of the Huguenots, 1562, and the command of it was intrusted to Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick; but the English were ejected within a year, after a most obstinate siege, wdiose progress was pressed forward by Charles IX., and his mother, Catherine de Medicis, in person, sensible that the possession of Havre by the English would be a thorn in the side of France. Hatred of the English, indeed, had united all parties in France against them. The Protestant Conde served in the besieg¬ ing army, which was commanded by the Constable Montmorency, previously the ally of the English. Warwick held out against vastly superior num¬ bers, until his force was reduced by slaughter and the plague from nearly 6000 to 1500; he was himself shot in defending a breach, after which the place surrendered. The fleet of William III., which had failed before Brest, made an ineffectual attempt in 1694 to bombard the town, as it had before done in the case of Dieppe with success. In 1796 Sir Sidney Smith, while cruising in the Channel, endeavoured to cut out a French ship of war from under the batteries, but became entangled in the currents and sandbanks of the Seine, and his vessel, having been perceived next morning lying high and dry, was captured by some gunboats, and he was sent a prisoner to the Temple in Paris. Bernardin de St. Pierre, author of 'Paul and Virginia,’ was born here in a house No. 47, Rue de la Corclerie. Havre is also the birthplace of Made¬ moiselle Scudery, 1697, and of Casimir Delavigne. There is an English Chapel in the Rue d’Orleans; service at 12 and on Sundays. A handsome Grecian edifice, destined to contain a Museum and Public Library, has been raised on the site of the Old H. de Ville. The Cercle du Commerce is a large commercial club-house, furnished with almost all the European newspapers and many American: strangers can be introduced to it by members. The Theatre in the Place Louis XVI., or du Spectacle, at the extremity of the Bassin du Commerce, is one of the most striking buildings in the town. Baths.— Frascati, on the sea-shore, not far from the pier, contains good hot and cold sea-water baths. In sum¬ mer, bathing is carried on in the open sea. Cabinets are provided for dress¬ ing and undressing, and men and women bathe together, but covered up 64 Route 18 .—Havre to Dieppe. Sect. I. in battling dresses. There are no bath¬ ing-machines ; ladies are led out to a sufficient depth of water by the guide, who then seizes them by the shoulders, lays them on the surface of the water, and dips them by sousing their heads under water. JSf.B. The draught of the tide is so strong as sometimes to overpower even skilful swimmers. The bathers lay hold of ropes attached to posts, to pre¬ vent their being swept away in stormy weather. British travellers to Havre need not procure Passports in England, as they are permitted to land without them. They are to be obtained immediately on landing from Her Majesty’s Consul [5 frs.], who has made arrangements for their delivery in time for the first train after the arrival of the steamers. These passports are countersigned at the Bureau de Police, Hotel de Ville, at the corner of the Place Francois I., not far from the old round tower. The office is open at 8 o’clock a.m. Passengers going to England require to have their passports vised—the police office is open for that purpose an hour before the sailing of the steamer. The Custom - house, corner of Quai Notre Dame and Grand Quai (entrance in Rue de la Gaffe), opens at 8—12, and 2 p.m.—5. After the baggage has been examined (see Introduction), the dues for the harbour on the land¬ ing, and for porterage, are fixed by and paid to an Englishwoman, v 7 ho manages this department of the establishment. Poste aux Lett res, Place Louis Seize. Consuls reside here from Great Britain and from other maritime states of Eu¬ rope, and from the U. S. and other Governments of America. Railway to Paris (pp. 63, 60). Diligences (offices, Rue de Paris, 49 and 101).—To Dieppe by Fecamp daily, in 9 hours (Rte. 18); to Caen (starting from Honfleur on the opposite side of the Seine) daily (Rte. 23). Steamers to Rouen daily in 8 or 9 hours; to Caen daily in 4 hours (see Rte. 24); to Honfleur twice a day in f of an hour (Rte. 23); to Cherbourg twice a week; to Morlaix in Brittany in 18 hours, every Saturday; to London 4 times a-week; to Southampton daily, except Sunday (in summer), twice a week in winter; to Dunkirk, Rotter¬ dam, and Hamburg twice a week; to Amsterdam ; to St. Petersburg and Copenhagen twdce a month. More than 40 steam-vessels, including tug-boats, belong to the Port du Havre. The antiquarian and architect may visit the Norman Church of Graville, 2 m. on the Rouen road (p. 61). Those who have an hour or two to spare at Havre cannot better employ it than in ascending the hill of Ingou- ville, a town of 12,000 Inhab., sepa¬ rated from Havre only by the gate, consisting chiefly of neat country- houses with gardens. The view from the top over the town of Havre—its forest of masts rising from amidst its buildings over the embouchure of the Seine, the distant hills of Calvados ap¬ pearing on the horizon like an island, and over the heights of La Heve to the rt. (N.), crownedby its twin lighthouses —is very striking and pleasing. The chalk cliffs under the lofty head¬ land of Cap la Heve, on which the lighthouses are erected at a height of 300 ft., offer some fine rock scenery ; but, except when the tide is low, the shingly beach is not favourable for walking. These rocks were the fa¬ vourite haunt of the author of ‘ Paul and Virginia.’ ROUTE 18. HAVRE TO DIEPPE AND ABBEVILLE BY FECAMP AND EU. 171 kilom. = 106 Eng. m. Diligence daily from the Beuzeville Stat. of the Paris Railway. At Harfleur (p. 61) we turn out of the Rouen road, and ascend the pretty green valley of the Lezarde to Monti- villiers, agreeably situated, with many trees about it, and containing some picturesque v 7 ooden houses. Its Church belonged to a once famous abbey of Benedictine nuns founded in the 7th cent. It is in the Romanesque style of the 11th centy., except the N. aisle, which is florid, and the Lady Chapel, earlypointed. Noticeshould betaken of 65 Normandy. Route 18 .—Havre its elegant Norman tower, surmounted by a light spire, with a florid portal on one side of it, and a round doorway, ornamented with the embattled fret, on the other, and within, of the carved capitals of the columns, and a gallery of stone fret-work near the W. end. 16 Epouville. We now reach the high ground of the Pays de Caux (p. 61), but traverse a number of valleys or gullies intersecting it, running down to the sea, in every one of which a village or small town nestles; this renders the road a succession of ups and downs. When the harvest is cleared from the ground and sheep are feeding among the stubble, a long narrow cart, covered either with a coved wooden roof or thatched with straw—a sort of horizontal sentry-box on wheels—may be seen drawn up by the road-side or in the fields; it is the moveable bed of the shepherd, in which he shelters himself at night or in bad weather. 14 Goderville. 13 Fecamp (Inns: Poste, extor¬ tionate; H. du Commerce), a town of 10,000 Inhab., nearly fills the bottom and sides of a narrow valley opening out towards the sea between 2 high falaises or cliffs, on one of which stands a lighthouse. It has the advantage of being at once a seaport and a ma¬ nufacturing town, owing to the abund¬ ant stream which, as it descends the valley, turns numerous cotton and other mills, besides which there are 3 steam saw-mills. The harbour is small and much sanded up, but is resorted to by colliers from Newcastle and Sunder¬ land, and Baltic timber ships, besides fishing vessels. In the centre of the town stands the Ch. of the Abbey of Notre Dame , a large and fine edifice in the early pointed style, with some Norman features, built in the beginning of the 13th cent., except the 2 round arched apsidal chapels, behind the E. end, which are older, and the S. side of the choir, which is more modern and florid. The Lady Chapel, with its carved wood¬ work of the 16th cent., and the monu¬ ments in the side chapels of abbots Richard (1223), William (1297), and to Dieppe — Fecamp — Eu. Robert (1326), consisting of altar tombs enriched with crocketed niches, bear¬ ing then’ effigies reclining under florid canopies, merit notice. Also some curious carvings of Scriptural subjects in the N. transept. Fecamp was the retreat of Cuvier du*ring the storm of the Revolution. He commenced his studies in natural history here on the sea-beach. On the top of the cliff behind the town, near the new lighthouse, 328 ft. above the sea-level, is the Gothic Chapelle de N. Dame de Salut, built by Henry I. of England, much resorted to as a place of pilgrimage by sailors and fishers. The fishwives sometimes mount up to it on their knees as a penance! About 10 m. S.W. of Fe'camp, on the coast, is the fishing village of Etretat , situated amidst rocks which have been excavated by the sea into arches, aiguilles, and other fantastic shapes. It is resorted to by French artists, and there is a tolerable and cheap little inn (Au Rendezvous des Artistes). The road thither is bad. A hill, steeper than that which leads into Fecamp from the W., carries the road out of it on the side of Dieppe. 19 Cany, in its pretty green and wooded valley, is an agreeable contrast to the bare open land which precedes and follows. The Chateau belongs to the Due de Luxembourg. The road again approaches the sea at 12 St. Vallerv en Caux, a fishing town of 5328 Inhab., with a port formed by locking the stream, which here descends to the sea. 14 Bourg Dun. 18 Dieppe, in Rte. 5. A rudely jolting, one-horse patache runs daily between Dieppe and Eu. A cabriolet costs 10 frs. to go and re¬ turn. The road, as before, is carried over the high ground at some distance from the sea, and traverses in succes¬ sion several valleys. 19 Tocqueville, a small hamlet. Be¬ yond it a considerably larger village, Creil, with a massive church, is passed. 11 Eu. — Inns: Poste or Cygne; H. de TUnion, neither good nor cheap. Eu is a somewhat lifeless town of 3730 Inhab., on the Bresle, a small stream 66 Route 18 .—Havre to Dieppe. — Hu. Sect. I. which formed the boundary of Nor¬ mandy, and which falls into the Channel 2 m. lower down, at Treport. In the centre of the town is an irregular mar¬ ket-place, no two sides of which are parallel, overlooked by the E. end of the Parish Church, a heavy building and injured by modern reparations, exter¬ nally propped up by huge flying but¬ tresses. It is in the early pointed style; the triforium arches open into the aisles ; the E. end is angular, but several of the side chapels are of late florid Gothic. Attention should be directed to the screen before that of St. Laurent, an Irish archbishop; to the Entombment in another chapel com¬ posed of statues as large as life; and to the fantastic, spirally banded column in the S. transept. The church was restored by Louis Philippe, who gave several painted windows from the ma¬ nufactory at Sevres. In the crypt (caveau) below the church are deposited a series of monu¬ mental effigies which were mutilated by the revolutionists 1793, and thrown into a vault filled with rubbish, lout have been restored by the late king. The oldest is of St. Laurent, Archbishop of Dublin, who died at Eu (1181), whither he had repaired on a mission of peace, to reconcile Henry II. and the King of Ireland. The rest are of the counts of Eu, of the family of Artois; viz. Charles d’Artois, 1471—the head and hands are of marble; of his father, Philip d’Artois, made prisoner at Nico- polis by the Turks, d. 1397 in Anatolia; Jean d’Artois, 1386, his surcoat studded with fleurs-de-lis of copper—he was taken prisoner at Cressy along with the French king; Isabella de Melun, liis wife, in an elaborately carved dress, with dogs at her feet ; Jeanne de Sa- veuse, wife of Charles d’Artois, a pleas ¬ ing countenance and curious costume; Hffiene de Melun, his 2nd wife; Isabelle d’Artois, who died unmarried, 1397. Eu is chiefly remarkable, however, on account of its Chateau, which belonged to King Louis-Philippe, who inherited it, with the Comt4 d’Eu, from his mother, daughter and heiress of the Due de Pentliievre. His Majesty here received H. M. Queen Victoria in 1843. The chateau is a low building of red brick surmounted by high tent-shaped roofs of slate, like the pavilions of the Tuileries, and is without architectural beauty. It was built 1578 by Henry of Lorraine, le Balafre Due de Guise, on the site of a castle which had be¬ longed in turn to the Lusignans, the Briennes, the Artois, the Cleves, and the Saint Pols, and which was burnt down by Louis XI. (1475), to punish the treachery of the Comte de St. Pol. It was much augmented by the late king, and splendidly fitted up, the walls being clothed with a collec¬ tion of historical and family portraits, including those of the royal family and the various lines of the counts of Eu to the number of 1100. Many of them are copies, others are mere furniture pictures; yet the collection is highly interesting, and the formation of it seems to have given rise to the grander gallery of Versailles, which this re¬ sembles on a miniature scale. There appears to be no other arrangement than that of making a certain number of pictures fit into certain spaces; names, dates, nations, and families are intermixed, and the walls are covered with them from the top to the bottom of the house. It is feared that the collection may shortly be dispersed in consequence of the Confiscation Decree of the Pre¬ sident, 1852. A few pictures are here noted down, as possessing some peculiar interest :—the Regent Duke of Orleans by Mignard. Napoleon and his father, Charles Bonaparte ! There are several portraits of the frivolous and ambitious Anne Marie Louise de Montpensier, called some¬ times la Grande Mademoiselle, who, after having aspired to the hands of her cousin Louis XIV., of the Grand Cond£, of Charles II., and of the Em¬ peror of Germany, was content at last to be married to Lauzun, a simple gentleman. She often resided in this chateau; and one of these likenesses, at the age of 43, in which she is drawn holding her father’s (Gaston Due d’Or¬ leans) portrait, is mentioned by her in her f Memoires.’ Her bedroom is still preserved. Some of the drawings in Normandy. Route 18 .—Palace of Eu. 67 the Cabinet cle la Coquille, on the first floor, are by her. She became pos¬ sessor of Eu by purchase from Made¬ moiselle de Guise, the last descendant of that family in a direct line, 16G1. She bequeathed Dombes and Eu to the Due clu Maine, natural son of Louis XIV. by Mad. de Montespan, and father of the Due de Penthievre, in the vain hope of ransoming Lauzun her husband from the prison of Pignerol. She first commenced the historic gal¬ lery of portraits at Eu, and her col¬ lection forms the groundwork of that still existing. At the back of one of the portraits of herself there is written by her own hand, “Bergere alant a la faite du Yilage voisin.” Portraits con¬ tinued —of Louis XVI., Marie Antoi¬ nette his queen, the Dauphin their son, w T ho died in the Temple, and all the other members of their family; those of Louis Philippe and his family occupy the Salon de Famille :—the most pleasing and interesting is the Princess Marie of Wirtemburg, the sculptor of the admirable statue of Jeanne d’Arc. There are 2 portraits of Louis-Philippe Egalite (d. 1793), one as a young man in civic dress, the other in uniform, by Sir J. Reynolds. One of the most superb and inter¬ esting apartments is the Galerie des Guises, filled with portraits of that re¬ markable family, who once owned this chateau; among them, Claude de Lor¬ raine, with the armour and sword with which he fought at Marignan; Francois de Lorraine, Due de Guise, who was wounded in the face before Boulogne by an English lance, and who endured the pain of having the lance head ex¬ tracted from his cheek with a pair of pincers, while the surgeon rested his foot on the duke’s head to obtain a purchase. He was the successful de¬ fender of Metz against Charles V., and the capturer of Calais from the Eng¬ lish; he was killed by the poisoned bullet of Poltot, 1563. His son, Due Henri le Balafre', was so called also from a wound in his cheek received from an arquebuse at the battle of Dormans. He began to build the chateau d’Eu 1578; he was the chief of the Ligue, the hero of the Journee des Barricades, and the murderer of Coligny on St. Bartholomew’s night. He was assas¬ sinated by Henri III. at Blois (Rte. 53), 1588, together with his brother, the Carcll. de Lorraine. Marie de Lorraine, daughter of Duke Claude, queen of James V. of Scotland, and mother of Mary Queen of Scots;— Queen Mary herself in her widow’s weeds of white (royal mourning);— Catherine Ducliesse de Montpensier, sister of Le Balafre, who revenged his death by instigating Jacques Clement to assassinate Henri III^;—the Due de Mayenne, brother of Le Balafre, com¬ mander of the armies of the Ligue against Henri IV. ;—Henri II. de Lor¬ raine, Due de Guise, conqueror and viceroy of Naples after Masaniello’s re¬ bellion. “ Le recit de cette salle a fait une longue digression sur les portraits qui y sont,” are the words of Mademoiselle herself, in describing these very pic¬ tures in her own gallery; yet how momentous a tale does every counte¬ nance tell! Where shall we find such an accumulation of ambition, of crime, and of romance, as in that one family? Of Louis XIV. there are several likenesses, also of his family, his mis¬ tresses, his generals, his court; and even more of Louis XV. In the billiard-room are Charles I. and II., Oliver Cromwell, Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Arc, and Agnes Sorel. The superb Salle des Rois is so called because filled with portraits of kings and queens only: here are Marie de Medicis by Van Dyk, given by herself to Mademoiselle de Montpensier, and Henri IV. Here is a cast of the eques¬ trian group of Jeanne d’Arc striking down for the first time an enemy, by the Princess Marie. In the Cabinet da Roi, among por¬ traits of H.M.’s own family, including his father, are Madame de Genlis, his preceptress; Pamela, afterwards Lady Fitzgerald; and Madame de Lamballe, who was murdered 1793. The Hall of Victoria is decorated with pictures representing the visit of the Queen of England to Eu, painted by French artists. The small Chapelle, a mixture of 68 Route 21 .—Rouen to Alengon. Sect. I. Gothic and Italian in its decorations, has some modern painted glass win¬ dows from Sevres; one is a portrait of St. Amalie, after the picture by Paul Delaroche. The Parc or grounds are less at¬ tractive than the palace; being a wil¬ derness of trees, mostly weedy elms, planted in rows with angular terraces; a gloomy canal, and muddy circular ponds beset with willows. No ad¬ vantage has been taken of the slopes of the ground, — no taste shown in laying out the brotherhood of alleys and formal parterres. Only on the 1. of the castle a few ancient beeches survive, beneath whose branches the Balafrd Due de Guise heard the suits of his vassals, and concerted plots against his sovereign. Here a small space was railed in by Louis Philippe, who affixed this inscription :—“ Ici les Guises tenaient conseil au XVIe siecle.” At the extremity of the grounds is a terrace overlooking the gap through which the Bresle, quitting the bare and dull valley, enters the sea, and the little village Treport is per¬ ceived at its mouth. On this terrace is a brick Pavilion, fitted up by poor Mademoiselle, during the time she was banished to her estate at Eu by Louis XIV. for refusing to marry the para¬ lytic and imbecile King of Portugal. Louis-Philippe restored it, and orna¬ mented it with pictures of the events of her life. The effigies of the Due Henri de Guise (le Balafrd), murdered at Blois, and of his wife Catherine de Cffives, are in the Eglise du, College, originally of the Jesuits, who were established at Eu by le BalafrA The church, built out of the ruins of the old castle, as well as the monuments, were raised at her expense; they are rich in marble, but of no value as works of art. He is represented in armour, she in ruff and farthingale; there are duplicate effigies of both, attended by figures of Prudence, Strength, Faith, and Cha¬ rity ; Gillot was the sculptor. From the pulpit of this ch. Bourdaloue preached his first sermon. On the Bresle, close to the palace, is a mill for making sea biscuits, sawing timber, &c., established by an Eng¬ lishman. Treport, the port of Eu, 3 m. dis¬ tant, is a fishing village of 2265 In- hab., having an old Church seated on a height, approached by a flight of steps, remarkable for its elaborate W. porch, and for the roof of its nave dis¬ tinguished by pendants of stone hang¬ ing from it, of the 14th century. Tre¬ port is supposed to be the Ulterior Portus of Julius Caesar. 16 Valines. 18 Abbeville (Rte. 3). ROUTE 21. ROUEN TO ALEN9ON BY BERNAY, BROG¬ LIE, AND SEEZ. 143 kilom.=89 Eng. m. 42 Brionne (Rte. 23). 15 Bernay-^/nn: La Poste, Lion d’Or), a manufacturing town of 7244 Inhab. It once possessed an import¬ ant abbey, founded by Judith, wife of Richard II. Duke of Normandy ; the Ch. of which, now converted into ware¬ houses, is one of the oldest Norman (Romanesque) buildings existing in Normandy, having been begun in the early part of the 11th century. It is large in its dimensions and perfectly simple in its style: plain square piers support equally plain circular arches. The columns attached to the piers are carved, and one is inscribed “ Isam- bardus me fecit.” The choir ends in an apse, and there is one in each tran¬ sept. “The dome vaulting in circular courses over the aisles is exceedingly curious.” In St. Croix are some painted windows, and the high altar was brought from Bee. iV. Dame de la Couture is a Gothic ch. of the 15th cent. The houses in the Grande Rue retain curious porches and bits of Gothic. 10 Broglie, a town of 1052 Inhab. The Church is an ancient and singular building: along its W. front runs a row of interlacing circular arches; one side of the nave rests on very massive piers; the other is modernised, the piers pared down, and pointed arches substituted for round ones. The large and plain Chateau on a height sur- Normandy. Route 23 .—Rouen to Caen. 69 rounded by wood near this is the family residence of the Due de Broglie, ex-minister, and one of the most vir¬ tuous, enlightened, and eminent states¬ men in France. 16 Monnai. 14 Gac4 has a ruined castle. 12 Nonant. 12 Sdez {Tan: La Corne), a poor little city with a population of only 5500, owing that title to the possession of a Cathedral, a fine edifice, the re¬ markable features of which are, the porch, 47 ft. deep, under the W. front, flanked by 2 spires; the nave, 80 ft. high, of pure early pointed Gothic of the 13th cent.; the windows are double lancet and very elegant. The choir and transepts are in the decorated style of the end of the 14th cent. A cathedral was built here in 1055, but no part of it exists in the present one, judging from the style. The town was burnt down in 1150 and 1353, and probably the cathedral also. 21 Alengon (Rte. 35). ROUTE 23. ROUEN TO CAEN BY BRIONNE, OR BY HONFLEUR. a. By Brionne 128 kilom. = 795 m - The road after issuing out of Rouen crosses the Seine, and runs within a short distance of the 1. bank, here bor¬ dered by chalk cliffs (Rte. 12), skirt¬ ing on the 1. the forest of Rouvray, to 12 Grande Couronne; thence by Mou- lineaux (Rte. 12) and near the castle of Robert le Diable to Bouille, where it quits the Seine, separating from the branch to Honfleur, wdiich turns to the rt. (see below). 13 Bourgtheroude. About 2 m. N. of the road, and the same from Brionne, are the ruins of the Abbey of Bee Hellouin, now of little importance or interest, but famous for having given two successive arch¬ bishops to the See of Canterbury, Lan- franc and Anselm. It has been de¬ molished, except a tower of the 15th cent., and the vast conventual building erected in the 17th cent, is converted into a military stud-house. 17 Brionne.— Inn: La Poste, once the chateau of the seigneur of the place. Brionne is a small town on the Risle. The religious council which con¬ demned the doctrines of Berengarius was held in the presence of William the Conqueror in the Ch. of St. Denis. There are some fragments of the walls of the keep of the castle in the middle of the Risle. 11 Marche Neuf. 14 L’Hotellerie. 13 Lisieux, in Rte. 25. 17 Estr^es. 13 Moult. 17 Caen (Rte. 25). Before reaching this the road falls into the great Route 25, from Paris to Cherbourg, and is fully described under that head. b. By Honfleur 136 kilom. = 845 m. To Caen by Pont Audemer and Hon¬ fleur, a diligence runs daily. 12 Grand Couronne. 13 Bourgachard. At 5 min. past 1 on Sat. 19th Sept. 1829, the tower of the parish ch. sank down in a heap, crushing the nave and covering part of the church¬ yard. Had the accident occurred the following day, it being the hour of mass, the whole congregation must have been annihilated. There was a curious leaden font in this ch. A dreary district extends from this place as far as the pleasant valley of the Risle, one of the loveliest streams in Normandy, in which lies 23 Pont Audemer.— Inn: Pot d’E- tain: the samlets (saumoneaux of the Risle) are excellent. This is a prettily situated town of 5400 Inhab., famed for its tanneries, of which it contains 40; besides which some cotton is w r oven here, its industry being greatly pro¬ moted by the Risle, which passes through it in small streams. It once had a castle, in besieging which, in the early part of the 14th cent., cannon were first used in France: it was razed by Du Guesclin. The Churches of Notre Dame des Prds, now a tanhouse, and of St. Germain, in the suburb, may furnish some points of interest to the antiquarian architect. The Churches of St. Ouen and of St. Sepulchre are said to be worth notice. 70 24 .—Havre to Caen. Sect. I. Route 23.— Honfleur. Tlie Terrace of the chateau de Bon- liebon presents a pleasant view. Eng¬ lish Ch. service on Sundays, 45, Rue de Bernay. It is a pleasant walk to ascend the lovely banks of the Risle as far as the Castle of Montfort. A direct road from Pont Audemer to Pont l’Eveque, avoiding the detour by Honfleur, is completed—-by Beuze- ville 14 kilom., to Pont l’Eveque 13 kilom. At Fiquefleur we obtain a fine view over the embouchure of the Seine. 23 Honfleur. (Inn: Les Armes de France, a mere auberge.—Honfleur is famed for melons.) It is a seaport town of 10,000 Inhab. at the mouth of the Seine, here 7 m. broad, on its S. bank, opposite to Havre, and com¬ municating with that port daily by steamboats. The town is dull and utterly without interest to the tra¬ veller, and moreover very dirty, but its situation, backed by wooded heights, is very pleasing. Its commerce, once considerable, has been absorbed by Havre. Its harbour, protected by a stone pier not yet finished, is acces¬ sible only at high water, and is prin¬ cipally resorted to by fishing vessels, though some timber ships unload here. 7000 dozens of eggs are exported weekly to England, besides butter and fruit. The chapel of Notre Dame de Grace, on the hill above the town to the W., much resorted to by sailors and filled with their ex-votos, is in a charming situation for the view over the Seine. It was formerly not un¬ common for the crews of vessels which had escaped imminent danger at sea to make a pilgrimage hither in their shirts, barefooted and bareheaded. The English Church service was per¬ formed twice every Sunday (?) in 1844, in a building on the Route de Rouen. The Steamer from Havre to Rouen calls off the port in going and return¬ ing. (Rte. 12.) Steamers, twice a-day to Havre, 7 m. and back, start according to the tide: the passage takes up f of an hour. Diligences daily to Caen and Rouen. After the long and stately avenue of trees leading out of Honfleur, the way to Caen possesses no great in¬ terest : yet orchards and hedges give an English cast to the scenery. The head-dress of the women, a nightcap twisted like a Phrygian bonnet, is by no means elegant. 17 Pont l’Eveque, a town on the Touques. [Trouville on the sea, at the mouth of the Touques {Inns: H. de la Plage ;—de Paris ;—de Bellevue), is a rapidly increasing bathing-place, much frequented from July to Sept, for sea-bathing : the sea is not so rough as at Havre, and the water is more salt. Steamers several times a-day to Havre.] Here the road to Lisieux (Rte. 25) and Falaise branches S. ^ m. 1ST. of our road, and 2^ m. from P. l’E.; in the midst of the Pays d’Auze is Beau¬ mont, a small bourg with an abbey, in which Laplace, the mathematician and author of the ‘ M^canique Celeste,’ was born. 18 Dozulle. We here cross the Dives, from whose mouth the Con¬ queror set sail for England. 12 Troarn. 14 Caen, in Rte. 25. ROUTE 24. HAVRE TO CAEN. Steamboats pass daily to and fro, starting as soon as the height of the tide allows them. The voyage, which takes up about 4 hrs., 2J of them on the open sea, is pleasant in fine weather. The steamer skirts the coast of the d£pt. Calvados, in sight of the bathing-place Trouville (see above), and of the mouth of the Dives, where William the Conqueror tarried for a month to collect his fleet of 3000 ships and his army of 50,000 men. The mouth of the Orne is en¬ tered with difficulty on account of the sands and rocks, and we then thread its sinuous channel between low banks, but the landscape is enlivened by several ancient churches. A canal is in progress, by which some of the windings of the Orne will be avoided, and the distance from the sea to Caen, 10 m., abridged. If the vessel, owing to tempestuous weather, should miss Normandy. Route 25.—Paris to Cae?i — Evreux. 71 the tide to cross the bar, it must wait outside, and lie off the mouth for 10 or 12 hrs. for the nest tide; but this rarely happens. “ At length the city of Caen ex¬ tends itself, terminated at each ex¬ tremity by the venerable abbeys of William the Conqueror, and Mathilda his queen; the latter, surmounted by 3 towers, is nearest at hand. There are no traces of workshops and manu¬ factories, or of their pollution ; but the churches, with their towers and spires, rise above the houses in bold architectural masses, and the city as¬ sumes a character of quiet monastic opulence, comforting the eye and the mind.”— Pa Igrave. Abreast of the town the river is lined with sumptuous quays of solid masonry, alongside of which the vessel is moored. Caen. Rte. 25. ROUTE 25. PARIS TO CAEN AND CHERBOURG, BY EVREUX AND LISIEUX. To Caen 223 kilom. = 138 Eng. m. Caen to Cherbourg 118 kilom. = 74 Eng. m. This journey is best made by taking the Rouen Railway as far as St. Pierre de Yauvray Stat. (3 hrs.—see Rte. 8) —whence a Malleposte runs daily in 15J hrs. to Cherbourg, by Louviers and Lisieux, 251 kilom. = 125 m. The Railway is to be continued to Cherbourg. Diligences daily. From Paris to St. Pierre de Yauvray is described in Rte 8. A little beyond this we quit the route to Rouen, turn¬ ing to the 1. out of the valley of the Seine, up a wooded combe to an ele¬ vated and fertile but monotonous counti’y. 15 Pacy-sur-Eure. 10 m. S. of this is Ivry, where Henri IY. gained a momentous victory over the Due de Mayenne and the army of the League 1590. At Cocherel, on the rt. bank of the Eure, 4 m. below (N. of) Pacy, Du Guesclin, in 1364, defeated the forces of the King of Navarre, Charles le Mauvais. 18 Evreux — (Inns: H. du Grand Cerf, tolerable — de France, opposite the Cathedral), chef-lieu of the D6pt. de l’Eure, has 10,287 Inhab., and is pret¬ tily situated in a bowl-shaped valley shut in on N. and S. by hills, and watered by the Iton, an affluent of the Eure, divided into several branches. It has a considerable share in the cot¬ ton manufacture (ticking and stock¬ ings), here carried on by the hand- loom more than by the steam-engine. Its chief edifice is La Cathedrale , presenting to the W. an incongruous front of Italian archi¬ tecture, flanked by two towers, and surmounted in the centre of the cross by a loftier tower and florid spire, erected by the Cardinal de la Balue, favourite of Louis XL The nave is in the Norman style, probably of our Henry I.’s time, since he burnt the town, with the permission of the bishop, on condition of rebuilding the churches. The upper part of the nave, and the rest of the ch., are pointed, and for the most part more modern than the reign of Philippe-Auguste, who again burnt the town to revenge himself on the treachery of Jean Sans Terre, in making it over to him during King Richard’s captivity, but on Richard’s unexpected return not only withholding it, but murdering the French garrison placed in the castle. The choir , supported on clustered columns with glazed trifo- rium (1330-60), is very lofty and light. The Lady Chapel and the N. transept are still more recent (1465-75), and the Portal leading into it, in the flam¬ boyant Gothic, elaborately ornamented, is deservedly admired, in spite of the injuries and loss of its statues inflicted by the Revolutionists. It dates from the beginning of the 17th centy. The beautiful rose window in the S. tran¬ sept, and the wooden screens to the side chapels round the choir, showing the flamboyant Gothic style modified by the reviving Italian, also merit notice. “The Lady Chapel, of elegant architecture (temp. Louis XI.), con¬ tains painted glass equally remarkable for its fine execution and perfect pre- 72 Route 25 .—Paris to Caen — Lisieux. Sect. I. servation.”— E. o. S. The woodwork enclosing the chapels round the choir, of mixed Gothic and Renaissance, merits notice. The Bishop’s Palace, built 1484, pre¬ sents some curious details. At the opposite end of the town is the Ch. of St. Taurin, attached to the seminaire ; it is small, and resembles the cathedral in the various styles it displays, having shared like it the for¬ tune of war and conflagration. The outer wall of the S. transept is orna¬ mented with an arcade of semicircular arches, the panels of which are prettily diapered with a pattern formed of red tiles let into the masonry. This is supposed to be a relic of the ch. built 1026 by Richard II. Duke of Nor¬ mandy. The greatest curiosity of this ch. is the Chasse or Shrine of St. Taurin , which once contained his relics, preserved in the sacristy. It is a wooden box, shaped like a Gothic chapel, covered with plates of copper or silver gilt, enchased with a diapered pattern, and set round with bas-reliefs and small statuettes of bishops and saints ; it is a work of the 13th cent. The archi¬ tectural decorations are rich and in good taste : such shrines are now very rare. The precious stones which once ornamented it have been stolen or lost. The streets of Evreux preserve many antique timber-framed houses, and on the Boulevards are traces of the walls which once defended it. It possesses a Beffroi called Tour de I’Horloge, built in the 15th cent. Excavations made at Yieil Evreux (Mediolanum Aulercanun) have led to the discovery of a theatre, baths, &c., and of various relics now deposited in the Musde d’Antiquites. The name of the premier English Viscount, Devereux Visct. Hereford, is derived from this town : the family traces its descent from Normandy. Coaches go hence to Chartres and to St. Pierre and Vernon Stats, on the Paris and Rouen Railway (Rte. 50) daily. The next post-station to Evreux is called 18 La Commanderie, from a castle and ch. of the Knights Templars, of which the ruins and some tombs of members of the order remain. It lies very high. 17 La Riviere Thibouville. A little to the N. is Harcourt, cradle of one of the noble houses of England, who trace their descent from a baron of the name who fell beside William the Norman at Hastings. There are scanty remains of a castle. 10 Marche Neuf. 14 L’Hotellerie. The upland dis¬ trict traversed by the road forms part of the Pays de Lieuvin, celebrated for its fertility and excellent cultivation. 13 Lisieux. {Inns: H. de France ; La Belle Fontaine.) A thriving manu¬ facturing town (11,473 Inhab.), prettily situated at the confluence of the Touques with the Orbec. About 3500 persons are employed in and around the town in weaving coarse woollens, flannels, horse-cloths, &c. Its main street ex¬ hibits specimens of ancient domestic architecture, timber-framed houses and pointed gables, well suited to the artist’s pencil. The Church of St. Pierre (formerly cathedral) faces an open square, with its W. front surmounted by a spire ; one of its towers is rebuilding. It is in the early pointed style of the 13th cent., with lancet windows, holding a place between the Norman and the lancet Gothic of England. A preceding edifice, built 1143-82 (when the pointed style had scarcely begun to appear in this part of France), was burnt down 1226. Norman arches occur in the S. W. tower only ; the outside of the S. transept is a fine example of the pointed style. The Lady Chapel was founded, in the 15th cent., by Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, and pre¬ sident of the unjust tribunal which condemned Joan of Arc, in expiation of “his false judgment of an innocent woman,” as he expressly states in the deed of endowment. Henry II. was married to Eleanor of Guienne, the divorced wife of Louis le Jeune, 1152, in this cathedral. There is a very singular old wooden house in the Rue aux Fdes. Normandy. Route 25.— Caen—Abbaije aux Hommes. 73 Lisieux was the capital of the Lexovii, a Gallic tribe mentioned by Caesar, and ruins of the ancient town ( Noviomagus, 1.) have been discovered at a short dis¬ tance from the present one. Thomas & Becket retired hither 1169, during his exile from England. Le Val Etcher, a small country house near Lisieux, is the summer-retreat of M. Guizot. 17 Estrees. The road from Lisieux to Caen is almost destitute of interest. 13 Moult. 17 Caen. Inns: H. d’Angleterre ; good ; bed, 2 fr.; servants, 1 fr. 10 sous per diem;—H. de la Place Royale ; not very clean, but moderate. Caen, chief town of the Dept, du Calv&dds (so named from a long reef of rocks on its coast, on which a Spanish vessel, the Calvados, was wrecked in the reign of Philippe II.), is situated on the Orne, 10 m. from its mouth, and has 43,079 Inhab. A smaller stream, the Odon, passes through the town and around the line of its old ramparts, to which it served as a fosse, before it joins the Orne, turning on its way several mills. Notwithstanding the antiquity of Caen, its wider streets, its large central square, in which stands the statue of Louis XIV., and its houses of white stone, give it a more cheerful air than Rouen, though less enlivened by passing crowds. The tall white Norman head-dress of the women, ornamented with lappets behind and sometimes with lace, is striking and quaint to a stranger’s eye. To the traveller Caen recommends itself by its numerous specimens of ancient architecture, to the permanent resident by the salubrity of its site and the cheapness of house-rent and provisions, which had caused our coun¬ trymen to settle themselves down here in a colony, until the troubles of 1848 put them to flight, and reduced their number from 4000 to less than 200 . Near the centre of the town, on one side of a small market-place full of bustle and quaint costumes in the early part of the day, rises the Church of St. Pierre, surmounted by one of the most graceful towers and spires, in the com¬ plete Gothic style, which Normandy France. can produce ; the middle story, formed of tall lancet windows framed within reeded mouldings, is a model of strength and lightness. Its spire of stone, partly pierced k jour, was built 1308, and is 242 ft. high. The nave was constructed probably about the same time, the choir, more richly orna¬ mented, rather later, while its roof and the chapels round the choir were added in 1521. The-rich groining of the roof of the choir is surpassed in the chapels, where it assumes the form of pendent fringes, giving the roof a cellular character. The side walls of these chapels are pierced with arches and set with statues. Some of the capitals of the columns in the nave exhibit ludicrous carvings, such as Aristotle bridled and ridden by the mistress of Alexander, and Lancelot crossing the sea on his sword, from the old romances. The exterior of the E. end, well seen from the banks of the river, is as much Italian as Gothic, so entirely are forms and styles jumbled together. Caen possesses two very remarkable monuments of the piety of William the Conqueror and his queen, in the churches of the Abbayes, Aux Hommes and Aux Dames: both founded 1066, and valuable in an architectural point of view, because their date is un¬ doubted. The Church of St. Etienne, or of the Abbaije aux Hommes, destined by the Conqueror as a resting-place for his own remains, was finished and dedi¬ cated by him in his lifetime, 1077, un¬ der Archbishop Lanfranc, who was the first abbot. The W. front is so per¬ fectly and severely plain that it will probably disappoint expectations ; it is surmounted by 2 stately towers and spires of later date (1200), which, with the choir, were rebuilt, or added to the original edifice, long after the time of William. The interior of the nave, however, exhibits the rigid severity and massy strength, with the grandeur of proportion, of the Norman Roman¬ esque style. The ch. is 371 ft. long and 98 ft. high. The lower row of arches supports a gallery,having arches of nearly equal span and § of the height E 74 Route 25.— Caen—Abbaye aux Dames. Sect. I. of those below, an arrangement resem¬ bling the arcades of the Roman Coli¬ seum. These upper arches originally opened into the aisles, the vaulting below them being of posterior date. The clerestory windows consist of a tall and short arch placed alternately on one side or the other to meet the curve of the vault. The choir ending in an apse, and surrounded by apsidal chapels, is in the pointed Gothic style, answering to the early English of the 12tli cent, (some say 1316-44). A plain grey marble slab in the pavement before the high altar marks the grave of William the Conqueror , the founder of the ch., but it has been long since empty : it was broken open, the costly monument erected over it by William Rufus destroyed, and the bones scat¬ tered, by the Huguenots, 1562, and lost, without record, except one thigh-bone, which was re-interred. The Revolu¬ tionists of 1793 again violated the grave, and this also disappeared. The funeral of the Conqueror, un¬ dertaken by the charity of a simple knight, as already detailed (p. 39), was singularly interrupted, even within the precincts of the ch., and before the service for the dead was concluded, by a cry from one of the bystanders, a man of low degree, who claimed the site of the grave, saying, that it occu¬ pied the place of his father’s house, that he had been illegally ejected from it in order to build the ch., and he de¬ manded the restitution of his property. This claim, thus boldly made, in the presence of the dead monarch’s son Henry, the chief mourner, being backed by the assent of the townspeople, who stood by, was not to be denied or re¬ jected, and the bishop was obliged to pay down on the spot 60 sous for a place of sepulchre for the royal corpse. Even then it is related that, as the coffin was being lowered into the grave, it struck against some obstacle, fell, and was broken into pieces, so that the corpse, ejected from its tenement, dif¬ fused so horrid a stench through the ch., that the rites were hurried to a close, and the assembled priests and laity dispersed. The exterior of this ch., surmounted by its 2 W. towers, its central octagonal tower, and 4 tun’ets on the E., has a peculiarly striking effect from a dis¬ tance, and reminds one of the arrange¬ ments of some of those on the Rhine. The adjoining conventual buildings (date 1726) have been converted, since 1800, into a College, numbering not quite 300 students. On the W. side of the court adjoining is a handsome Gothic building (14th cent.), lately restored as a school, which occupies the site of the old Norman Palace, called Grand Palais. The ancient hall called Salle des Gardes, of the 13th or 14th century, still exists and is well worth a visit. At the opposite end of the town, on the heights of St. Gilles, is the Abbaye aux Dames, or ch. of la Ste. Trinite, founded 1066, and consecrated the same year, though probably unfinished, by Queen Mathilda, the Conqueror’s wife, and destined by her for a nun¬ nery of noble ladies. The conventual buildings attached to the ch. are quite modern (1726), and are converted into an Hospital (Hotel Dieu), in which 40 sisters of the order of St. Augustine perform the duties of nurses of the sick : the choir of the ch. is railed off for their use. The ch., in the lighter and more ornate character of its archi¬ tecture, displays so broad a contrast to the masculine plainness of St. Etienne, that it would scarcely be supposed that they had been both in progress at the same time. With the exception of the upper part of the W. towers, however, this edifice is a perfect and unaltered specimen of pure Norman Romanesque; the choir ending in an apsis, being of the same age and style as the nave. “ The piers are lighter, the engaged pillars project more, than in St. Etienne, the embattled fret here runs round the main arches, and instead of a lofty triforium the walls above them are threaded by a gallery supported by misproportioned pillars, exhibiting gro¬ tesque figures among the foliage of their capitals. The arches under the central tower are remarkably bold, and their archivolts are chased with the Norman lozenge.” — Sir F. P. The one opening into the nave is obtusely Normandy. Route 25. — Caen—Hotel de Ville. 75 pointed, but apparently of the same date. The choir, ending in a semi¬ circle of double arches, one tier over the other, encloses in the centre the fragments of the black marble grave¬ stone of the foundress, broken in pieces by the Calvinists, who dispersed her remains, which, however, were collected some years after. Underneath is a crypt resting on 34 closely set pillars. For the student of ancient architec¬ ture the following churches remain also to be visited. Not far from St. Etienne is St. Nicholas, another Norman ch., coeval with the two abbeys, having been built, except the tower and the pointed vaulting of the nave, between 1066 and 1083 ; it is now a hay-store, belonging to the Remonte de Cavalerie. It is unaltered, very plain in style, and ends in an apse. St. Etiennele Vieux, though desecrated and in ruins, is a fine specimen of pointed Gothic: on the wall of the choir is a mutilated equestrian statue, said to be William I. St. Jean has two unequal and un¬ finished towers, in the style of that of St. Pierre, but inferior to it in late pointed style. St. Michel, in the suburb of Vaucelles, displays some curious architectural features; in the Norman tower the very long but narrow and round-headed windows deserve notice. The fringed portal is surmounted by a gable filled with elegant flamboyant tracery, in the style of the 15th or 16th cent. There are many old houses, with curiously ornamented fronts of the 15th and 16th centies., in the Rue St. Pierre (Nos. 52, 3 8, 20, 54, 24, See.), but they are fast disappearing. The Hotel de Valois, Place St. Pierre, now the Bourse, is of Italian architecture. The Castle, surmounting the height to the W. of St. Pierre, built by Wil¬ liam the Conqueror and his son Henry —held for a long period by the Eng¬ lish, but finally taken from them by the brave Dunois, who compelled the Duke of Somerset with a garrison of 4000 men to surrender, 1459—has now the aspect of a modern fortress bastioned and counterscarped ; but having been dismantled by a decree of the Conven¬ tion, it is at present reduced to a bar¬ rack. The only Norman portions sub¬ sisting are the small Chapel of St. George, whose nave is probably of the 11th centy., though the earliest mention of it is in 1181; while the chancel, separated from it by a bold arch, is of the 15th centy.: another very interesting Nor¬ man hall has been ascertained to have been the original Ilall of the Exchequer of Normandy of the time of William the Conqueror. Both these buildings are now used as storehouses. From the ramparts there is a good view of the town. In the Hotel de Ville, which occupies with its Grecian portico one side of the Place Royale, is a Collection of Paintings. The only ones worth notice are a genuine Perugino, Marriage of the Virgin, imitated by Raphael in the famous Sposalizio at Milan ;—the Pas¬ sage of the Rhine, by Van der Meulen ; —Melchizedec offering bread and wine to Abraham, Rubens ;—the Virgin with 3 Saints, by some old master, called Albert Durer. In the Cabinet d'Histoire Naturelle is a collection of the fossils of Normandy, including Ichthyosaurus, Plesiosaurus, and a very perfect crocodile from the neighbouring quarries of rAllemagne. The collections made in the South Sea by Admiral Dumont d’Urville have been deposited here. The English Church Service is per¬ formed on Sundays at 1, in the French Protestant Temple, Rue de la Geole. The Poste aux Lettres is in the Rue de I’Hotel de Ville. Caen is well provided with prome¬ nades, formal avenues of trees ;—the chief are called Grand Cours, and Cours Cafarelli, by the side of the Orne. The handsome quais bordering the Orne and the Odon near their junction form pleasant walks. The women of the lower and middle classes in Caen, and throughout a large part of La Basse Normandie, are finely formed, fully grown, and handsomer than in most other parts of France. The principal street, in which are the best shops, is the Rue St. Jean. Froissart narrates the story of the E 2 76 Sect. I. Houle 25.— Caen — Environs, capture of Caen in 13 ±6, a sliort wliile before the battle of Crecy, by Edward III. and the Black Prince, who, being irritated by the resistance of the citi¬ zens, gave it up to plunder. It was then “large, strong, and full of dra¬ pery and all sorts of merchandise, rich citizens, noble dames, damsels, and fine churches.” The English fleet returned home laden with its spoils. Several of the leaders of the party of the Girondins, proscribed by the Jaco¬ bins of the revolutionary tribunal, and driven from Paris by the insurrection of May 31, 1793, retired to Caen to organise a revolt against the tyranny of the Mountain, but were entirely defeated and put down in a battle at Vernon. It was shortly after this event that Charlotte Corday (a native of St. Saturnin, near S4ez), actuated by the spirit of resistance against the bloody tyranny of the Terrorists, which pre¬ vailed strongly at Caen, set out hence to Paris to assassinate Marat. Among the illustrious natives of Caen, the learned Huet Bishop of Avranches, born 1613, may be singled out ; also the poets Clement Marot, Malherbe, Malfilatre, and Segrais; and the Oriental traveller and scholar Bo- chart. Brummel, the Beau par excellence of the court of George IV. when regent, lived many years at Caen, and ended his days miserably in a madhouse here. Malleposte daily to Paris (St. Pierre de Vauvray) and Cherbourg. Diligences; to Lisieux and Evreux (p. 72), and to the Stat. St. Pierre de Vauvray on the Paris and Rouen Rail¬ way (Rte. 8), in 14 hrs.; daily to Cher¬ bourg (Rte. 26); to Vire, Dol, and St. Malo (Rte. 27) ; to St. Lo, Cou- tances, and Granville (Rtes. 27 and 32) ; to Rennes and Nantes (Rte. 34) ; to Havre by Harfleur and Rouen (Rte. 23); to Tours by Falaise and Alen^on. Steamer to Havre. The making of lace is said to occupy 20,000 women and children in and about Caen. The streets of the suburbs are lined with family parties seated round their cottage doors, merrily twirling their bobbins. They make tulles, broddes, and blondes. With this exception Caen has no claim to be a manufacturing town ; though it was so, in an eminent degree until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes banished all its most indus¬ trious artisans. Environs. A cabriolet or other one- horse carriage may be hired for 8 or 10 francs the day. The student of ancient ai'diitecture might spend many days profitably and agreeably in visiting the ecclesiastical and civil monuments which abound in the neighbourhood of Caen. The Dept, du Calvados is particularly rich in monuments of architecture ; the dis¬ tinguished archaeologist of Caen, M. de Caumont, enumerates nearly 70 speci¬ mens of the Norman architecture of the 11th and 12tli centuries existing in it. a. On the outskirts of Caen, to the E., at the extremity of the Rue Basse St. Gilles, is a singular castellated mansion called Les Gens d’Armes f from 2 stone figures of armed men on the top. Though surrounded by battlemented walls and furnished with towers, it was not built as a place of defence, but as a maison de plaisance, for one Gerard de Nollent, in the beginning of the 16th cent. Its walls are fantastically ornamented externally with medallion heads of emperors, &c. b. There is a very beautiful and re¬ markable ruin near Caen, first described by Prof. Whew ell, the Abbage d’Arclcnne, now a farm-yard. It has a fine gate- tower with a roundheaded gate and pointed wicket, large stables, “a but¬ tressed barn which puts to utter shame the largest of our edifices of this kind,” and a beautiful Ch., closely resembling in style the early English of our ab¬ beys of Bolton and Newstead, now a barn or hay-magazine. Its W. front is especially noticeable ; it has a rose within a pointed window, and a rich porch supported “ on detached shafts.” c. Thann , Fontaine-Henri, La Deliv- rande, Luc . A capital macadamised road, tra¬ versed by a diligence, leads, N. of Caen, to Luc, a bathing-place on the sea, about 12 m. It passes several objects of architectural and autiqua- Normandy. Houle 25.— Caen — Thann — Luc. 77 rian interest, to which. ^ a day may be devoted with advantage, as follows. (N.B. This excursion may be made in a gig, costing 12 frs., in 5 or 6 hrs,, including stoppages.) From Caen a range of high table¬ land is ascended, on the summit of which is a calvoire, or crucifix. “ The traveller will not fail to linger on the little hill just beyond the first crucifix. Here he enjoys a lovely prospect. The horizon is bounded by long lines of grey and purple hills : nearer are fields and pastures, whilst the river glitters and winds amidst their vivid tints ; nearer still the city of Caen extends itself.” It is worth while to walk thus far (2 m. from Caen), for the sake of the view. m. Thann. Here is a true Nor¬ man church, scarcely altered since the days of Henry I,, when it was built, excepting the loss of its S. aisle. It is a good deal ornamented. The tower is capped with a hollow pyramid of stone, the oldest example of the nas¬ cent spire known. lj m. farther to the N. is the in¬ teresting Chateau of Fontaine-Henri, a seat of the family d’Harcourt, built in the first 30 years of the 16th cent., partly in the bastard Gothic, corre¬ sponding more with the late Eliza¬ bethan of England, partly in the Ita¬ lian style, resembling the revived classic architecture of Audley End and Longleat. It is a mansion of no great size, but is distinguished by a prepos¬ terously lofty and steeply pitched roof, surmounting one wing, flanked by an equally lofty chimney. The most profuse decoration of sculpture is lavished on its singularly irregular facade. The ornaments of the win¬ dows, the panelling, balustrades, See., are not inferior to those of the Palais de Justice at Rouen, which they much resemble. The Church of the village is Norman. A second steep ascent, surmounted by another calvaire, commands a pleasing view over the sea, including 6 or 8 village spires, all having a strong family likeness to that of St. Pierre at Caen. A steep descent of about a mile brings you to the pil¬ grimage chapel of La De'livrande, to which the Norman sailors and peasants have resorted for the last 800 years. It is a small Norman edifice. The statue of the Virgin, which now com¬ mands the veneration of the faithful, was resuscitated in the reign of Plenry I. from the ruins of a previous chapel destroyed by the Northmen, through the agency of a lamb constantly grub¬ bing up the earth over the spot where it lay. Such is the tenor of the legend. The reputation of the image for per¬ forming miracles, especially in behalf of sailors, has been maintained from that time to the present, although it suffered much at the Revolution, when pilgrimages were forbidden. It was visited by Louis XI. in 1471. It is a drive of 3 m. from this chapel along the low coast to Luc, another small watering-place, with an hotel (de la Belle Plage), said to be good. 12 m. from Caen, on the sea, is Cor- seulles, a small bathing-place and fish¬ ing port facing the terrible rocks of Calvstdos. It is famed for its oysters. Paris receives from the “pares aux huitres ” here of all that it con¬ sumes, amounting to 5^ million dozen annually, They are transported by light and fast carriages. The Church of Lfs, about 3 m. S, of Caen, has a curious early - pointed steeple ; but a still more remarkable tower and spire exist at Norrey, on the way to Bayeux (Rte. 26). It is worth while to descend one of the quarries of Caen stone, so abund¬ antly used in England during the middle ages, and of which the White Tower, old London Bridge, Henry VII.’s Chapel, Winchester and Can¬ terbury cathedrals, besides many of our country churches, were built: they are situated within the circuit of li m. to the W. and S. of Caen, near Mala- drerie, on the road to Bayeux, and at Haute Allemagne. The rock is an oolite, equivalent to our Stonesfield slate, but without its slaty structure ; it is extracted from subterraneous quarries through vertical shafts, in blocks 8 or 9 ft. long and 2 ft. thick. It is still employed in England ; the new tower at the W. end of 78 Route 26.— Caen to Cherbourg — Bayeux. Sect. I. Canterbury Cathedral is built of this stone. A visit to Falaise Castle, the birth¬ place of the Conqueror, will occupy a day ; a diligence runs thither and back daily (see Rte. 29). Another antiquarian and architec¬ tural excursion may be made on the way to Bayeux, to Fresne Camilly, Creuilly, and St. Gabriel (Rte. 26). ROUTE 26. CAEN TO CHERBOURG BY BAYEUX. 121 kilom. = 74 Eng. m. Malleposte daily in 8-|- hrs. Diligences daily, meeting the Gran¬ ville diligence at Carentan (Rte. 32). A Railway is to be made by 1855. 2 m. beyond Caen is la Maladrerie, so called from a lazar-house founded by our Henry II. for lepers of the town of Caen, now replaced by a huge penitentiary (Maison Centrale de De¬ tention). Near this may be perceived the whims or wheels by which the Caen stone (see above) is raised out of the quarries. At St. Germain le Blancherbe the direct but not post road to St. Lo (Rte. 32) branches off to the 1. The first relay on the way to Bayeux, 12 Bretteville, is called l’Orgueil- leuse, though of what it has to be proud is not evident, except its hand¬ some steeple. This, however, is en¬ tirely eclipsed by the very fine open belfry and spire of Norrey, seen on the 1. about 1 m. off the road. This beautiful Church, which has been termed a miniature cathedral, is in the pure and simple Gothic style of our early English, and of the most elegant proportions, with an enriched choir, circular apse, and N. porch. “ All the mouldings are deep, free, and repeated so as to give the greatest strength of line to all its parts.” The tower owes its character of unequalled beauty to the 4 narrow and tall lancet arches which occupy the N. face of its belfry-story ; the two central ones open so as to let daylight through. In going from Caen to Bayeux a detour may be made to visit Fresne Camilly, a church in the transition style, round arches prevailing in the body of the building, with indications of pointed arches in a panelled arcade on the exterior of the N. wall. At Creuilly, the Castle, a construction of different ages, retains, among more modern additions, 2 round towers. It belonged to Robert of Gloucester, natural son of Henry I., and is now converted into a dwelling-house. The church is genuine Norman. A little farther is St. Gabriel, a ruined priory, founded by Robert of Gloucester, 1128: the choir of the church alone remains, and is a very remarkable ex¬ ample of florid Norman. This is a detour which will repay those of anti¬ quarian taste. There is another road from Brette¬ ville to Creuilly, passing by Sacque- ville en Bessin, whose church is curious, partly pointed, partly round. On the direct road from Caen to Bayeux the country is not very in¬ teresting ; orchards abound, or rather the corn-fields are planted with rows of apple-trees, iinder which the grain- crop ripens. 16 Bayeux (Inns: H. clu Luxem¬ bourg. Grand Hotel ; small, but clean— B.), a quiet and dull ecclesias¬ tical city, with much the air of some cathedral towns in England, was an¬ ciently capital of the Bessin, and con¬ tains 10,303 Inhab. It is washed by a small stream, the Aure, which enters the sea at 5 m. distance. It consists of two main streets, including some ancient specimens of domestic archi¬ tecture, running up a hill to a large open Place, lined with trees. Its only curiosities are its Tapestry and its Cathedral, its chief ornament, though disfigured by a central cupola in a semi-Grecian style. The W. front is a fine elevation, in the pointed Gothic, surmounted by two steeples of the 12th cent., in the towers of which pointed arches alternate with round. The 3 porches, which, as well as that on the S. side, deserve attention for their bas-reliefs and ornamental foliage, are later in date and florid in style. The interior is 315 ft. long and 81 high. The W. end of the nave consists Normandy. 79 Route 26 .— Bayeux — Tapisserie. of florid Norman arches and piers, whose natural heaviness is relieved by the beautifully-diapered patterns wrought upon the wall, probably built by Henry I., who destroyed the pre¬ viously-existing church by fire, 1106. Above this runs a blank trefoiled arcade in the place of a triforium, sur¬ mounted by a clerestory of early- pointed windows very lofty and narrow. The arches of the nave, nearest the cross and the choir, ending in a semi¬ circle, exhibit a more advanced state of the pointed style, and are distin¬ guished by the remarkable elegance of their graceful clustered pillars. They were built by Bishop Henry de Beau¬ mont, an Englishman, 1205. The cir¬ cular ornaments in the spandrils of the arches are very pleasing and of fanciful variety. The stalls are of oak, well carved ; the modern screen is totally at vari¬ ance with every part of the church, except the cupola. The chapels in the side-aisles, and the exterior of the E. end, should not pass unnoticed. Under the choir is a crypt, probably the only part remain¬ ing of the original church, built, in 1077, by Odo, half-brother of the Con¬ queror, and 50 years Bishop of Bayeux. It is supported on 12 pillars with rude capitals, and contains some episcopal tombs. In the Tresor is preserved the chasuble of St. Regnobert, in a casket of ivory, with enamelled ornaments, both apparently of Arab workmanship, said to be gifts of St. Louis. The student of architecture may visit with profit the Chapel of the Se'rni- naire, adjoining the Hotel Dieu, a simple oblong plain gi’oined hall, lighted by double lancet windows, and not unlike the E. end of the Temple Church in London : its date is 1206. Behind the altar is a singular recess, beautifully groined. The little Norman Church of St. Loup, in the outskirts of the town, on the way to St. Lo, also deserves notice. The Tapisserie de Bayeux has been removed from the Hotel de Ville— where it used to be unwound by the yard from a roller like a piece of haberdashery, and subjected to the fingers as well as eyes of the curious— to a new room in the Public Library (open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), where it is more carefully preserved, and quite as convenientiy exhibited, under a glass- case. Many persons will look upon it merely as a long strip of coarse linen cloth, 20 inches wide and 214 ft. long, rudely worked with figures worthy of a girl’s sampler. It is, however, a curious historical record of peculiar interest to an Englishman ; and, al¬ though it presents such anomalies as horses coloured alternately blue and red, there is much spirit in the draw¬ ing. It is ascribed, with much pro¬ bability, to the needle of Matilda, Queen of the Conqueror, and repre¬ sents the Conquest of England, and the events which led to it. It was preserved in the cathedral until the Revolution, being hung round the nave on certain days. The earliest record of it is in an inventory of the effects of the church, taken 1476. Its series of rude worsted pictures repre¬ sents such events as Edward the Con¬ fessor designating William as his heir ; the treachery of Harold ; the shipment and landing of the Norman army and battle of Hastings : in many of these scenes, Odo Bishop of Bayeux, the Conqueror’s half-brother, is a promi¬ nent figure. The design has evidently been to represent Harold as a usurper, and William as the rightful heir to the crown, having other claims besides that of conquest. The Normans are drawn with shaven heads and chins, in armour of scales, helmets protected by nose-pieces in front, and shields shaped like boys’ kites, sometimes bearing devices of crests (supposed to be of later invention) suspended by a belt round the neck. All the build¬ ings have round arches. At the bottom runs a curious border of animals, in¬ cluding camels and elephants, said to represent fables from ri£sop (?). The tapestry has been excellently engraved for the London Society of Antiquaries by the late Charles Sto- thard. When Napoleon was medi¬ tating the invasion of England, he caused this tapestry to be transported from town to town, and exhibited on the stage of the playhouses between 80 Route 26.— Formigvy — Carentan. Sect. I. tlie acts, to stimulate the spectators to a second conquest ! Wace, the author of the Roman de Rou, was a canon of the cathedral. According to it Harold actually did homage to William of Normandy, as heir of Edward' the Confessor, for the throne of England. Many of the women about Bayeux still wear the Bourgogne or Bavolette, a rich and high head-dress, resembling that worn at the courts of the Dukes of Bur¬ gundy. There are good Baths at the side of the river, and near them a pretty Nur¬ sery Garden. Diligences daily to Caen (4), to Cher¬ bourg and St. Lo, Granville and St. Malo. In going from Bayeux to Cherbourg the diligences make a detour of 9 leagues ; by passing through St. Lo (Rte. 32), the malleposte takes the direct line, as follows, passing La Tour en Bessin, whose little church has a chancel in a style resembling the best English decorated ; the nave is Nor¬ man, the tower and spire earlier than the chancel. 16 Formigny. Here the English were defeated (1450) in an engagement so decisive, that it occasioned them the loss of Normandy, which has never since been separated from the French crown. A monument on the rt. of the road marks the battle-field, and commemorates the victory. It must foe borne in mind that Sir Thomas Kyriel, who commanded the English, an old soldier of Agincourt, who took little account of superior numbers on the side of the French, attacked, with a vastly inferior force, the army of the Comte de Clermont, and while thus engaged was assaulted in the rear by a second army, under the Constable de Richemont. 16 Isigny-on-the-Aure is accessible for vessels of considerable size, with the tide. Much butter is exported hence to England and elsewhere. The river Vire, forming the boundary between the departments of Calvados and La Manche, is crossed about one- third of the distance. 11 Carentan (Inn; H. de la Place, good), a town of 3193 Inliab., in a low marshy situation, surrounded by forti¬ fications no longer kept up, possessing an old Castle, which belonged to the Kings of France, and was besieged by Edward III., 1346, and a handsome Church, surmounted by a spire ; it is Norman, with pointed additions, the E. end in the style of the 14th cent. There is some painted glass, but de¬ fective. At Carentan we enter the peninsula of the Cotentin, so called from the “ cotes”—coasts, which border it on 3 sides. It is a fertile and pleasing district, celebrated for its pastures, on which large herds are fed, everywhere enclosed within hedges, and abounding in old ruined castles and ancient churches. It is particularly interest¬ ing to Englishmen, as the cradle of some of the oldest and most noble English families. At every step the traveller will encounter obscure vil¬ lages and hamlets, whose names are familiar to him as household words, as patronymics of great houses distin¬ guished in French and English annals, most of whose founders left their country in the train of William the Norman. Such are Beaumont, Gre- ville, Carteret, Bruce, Neville, Bohon, Perci, Pierpont ; but these are only a few examples among many. 13 Sainte Mere l’Eglise has a similar church to that of Carentan. The ruins of the Abbey of Monte- burg have been swept away to the foundation since 1817, having been sold in lots, and pulled down for the materials. At Quineville, 6 m. N.E. of this, on the coast, is an ancient monument of masonry, 27 ft. high, and 30 in cir¬ cumference at the base, which is square, and surmounted by a hollow cylinder garnished round with 2 rows of pillars. It is called la Grande Che- mine'e ; and though some writers have made it a Roman monument, it may be more safely pronounced a structure of the end of the 12tli cent., and no¬ thing more nor less than a chimney. From the heights of Quineville King James II. beheld the sea-fight of La Ilougue, which destroyed all his hopes Normandy. -Route 26 .— Valognes—La Hougue. 81 of regaining liis throne. It is said that, in the heat of the battle, on see¬ ing the French ships boarded and carried in succession, his English feel¬ ings so far prevailed, that he exult- ingly exclaimed to the French officers about him, “ Look at my brave Eng¬ lish sailors.” (See p. 82.) Through a pleasing country, to which the hedges and woodlands give a per¬ fectly English character, not unlike parts of Sussex, to 17 Valognes (Inns: H. du Louvre, kept by M. Guette, one of the best cooks in France; “ the andouillettes and liomards a la broclie renowned” — R. F.; Grand Turc, tolerable), a pleasant town of 6940 Inhab., contain¬ ing some large and handsome man¬ sions, the residence of numerous gen¬ teel families. The castle of William the Conqueror is demolished; it was here that he was warned by his fool, in the middle of the night, of the con¬ spiracy of the Seigneurs of the Bessin and Cotentin to surprise and assassin¬ ate him. He instantly mounted his horse, and escaped with difficulty to Falaise. M. de Gerville, a distinguished anti¬ quary and geologist, resides here. Although Valognes possesses nothing in itself to detain the traveller, in its vicinity are several objects of high in¬ terest. St. Sauveur le Vicomte (10 m. S.) has a picturesque ruined castle and abbey (Rte. 27). At Bricquebec (9 m. S.4V.) is a convent of Trappists. The geology of the Cotentin is very interesting; its tertiary beds, in which more than 300 species of fossil shells, identical with those of the Paris Basin, have been found, and its Baculite lime¬ stone, may be well studied in the quar¬ ries near Valognes. At Alleaume, the Roman Alauna, a village contiguous to Valognes, are very scanty remains of a bath. A Roman theatre, described by Mont- faucon, has been totally demolished. An excursion may be made hence to La Hougue and Barfleur by Tamarville (2J m.), where the Norman Church has an elegant octagonal tower (a rare form) composed of 3 stories of narrow round-headed arcades and windows. St. Vaast la Hougue, 10 m. from Va¬ lognes, is a seaport town of 3500 Inhab., situated in a fine bay, with the fortified island and lazaret of Tatihou in front, provided with a pier 984 ft. long. Previous to the rise of Cherbourg it was the chief port of the Cotentin. Vauban proposed to make it what Cherbourg is, the chief arsenal of France in the Channel, but the project was stopped, owing to the difficulty of quitting its port with a N. wind. The English frequently effected hostile landings here, to lay desolate the fair fields of France, King Stephen, in 1137, landed here, and the army which conquered at Crecy under Edward III. in 1346. Other armaments disembarked here in the reigns of Henry IV. and V. ; and in 1574 a force of 5000 French and English Protestants, despatched by Queen Elizabeth under the Comte de Montgomery, to aid the cause of the Huguenots, made a descent upon Nor¬ mandy at this point. La Hougue is chiefly known in English history, however, on account of the sea-fight of Cap la Hougue in 1692, when the united English and Dutch fleets, under Ad¬ mirals Russel and Rooke, annihilated the expedition prepared by Louis XIV. for a descent upon England, with the design of restoring James II. to the throne. The action commenced at some distance from the coast between Cape Barfleur and the Isle of Wight, The French admiral, Tourville, a man of great bravery, having orders from his master to engage at all odds, ven¬ tured to measure his strength with a fleet of 80 vessels, the largest which had entered the Channel since the Armada, while his own force did not exceed 44. It is supposed that he was ignorant of the junction of the Dutch, and that he counted on the desertion of Admiral Russel, who, it is well known, was in secret corre¬ spondence with James. However, nothing of this sort occurred ; and, after a running fight, the French, in 3 divisions, retired to their own coast, pursued by the English. 3 of the largest ships, including the admiral’s, le Soleil Royal, sought refuge in Cher- E 3 82 Sect. I. JRonte 26.- bourg, where they were blown up by the English admiral Delaval. Tour- ville, hoisting his flag on board an¬ other vessel, conducted 12 into the bay of La Hougue, where he had time, before the arrival of Russel the day after, to prepare means for a stout de¬ fence, running them aground on the shallows with their broadside to the enemy. The French army, united with a body of Irish and English re¬ fugees, was drawn up on the heights above ; while the artillery was em¬ barked on floating batteries, a fleur d’eau, to assist in repelling any attack on the ships. James II., attended by Marshals Berwick and Bellefonde, who commanded his forces, was a spectator of the action which ensued. The only really brilliant part of the battle was the attack and capture of this arma¬ ment by the boats of the English squadron, under Sir George Rooke ; these, and a few light frigates, only being able to approach near enough to take a part in the action on account of the shallows. In the teeth of a tre¬ mendous fire of musketry and artillery from shore and ships, the English sailors pulled up to the stranded ves¬ sels, boarded them all, one after the other, with loud huzzas, and pointed their guns against the French on the shore. All the 12 ships of war were burnt, together with a number of transports, 300 of which had been col¬ lected in this and the neighbouring ports to convey the army across to England. A magnificent view of the coast may be obtained from the churchyard of la Pernelle. About 7 m. N. of St. Yaast is Bar- fleur, an ancient and now nearly de¬ serted town, built of granite. Down to the end of the 12th centy. it was the most frequented port by which the communication between Nor¬ mandy and England was maintained, in spite of the dangerous rocks around. Upon them perished the “ Blanche Nef,”—the ship which conveyed Wil¬ liam the only son of Henry I., with 140 young noblemen—through the fault of the intoxicated pilot and crew. The prince himself might have escaped had -Barfleur. not an affectionate desire to save his natural sister, the Countess of Mor- tagne, caused him to turn back towards the foundering'vessel. The boat which was bearing him to the shore was in¬ stantly filled by a crowd of despairing wretches, and all sank to the bottom together. On the extreme point of the Cap de Gatteville, the W. horn of the great bay into which the Seine discharges itself, the E. headland being near Fecamp, about 1 m. N. of Barfleur, a magnificent Lighthouse was completed in 1835. It is 271 ft. high above the sea, and is constructed entirely of granite. The light is seen at a dis¬ tance of 27 m. out at sea. There is a fine view from the top. Barfleur is 15 m. E. of Cherbourg: a good road leads thither. Near to it, about 2 m. E. of St. Pierre l’Eglise, lies the Chateau de Tocqueville, seat of the family “of that ilk,” now belonging to the eminent writer on America, M. Alexis de T.; and on the other side of the village, the Chateau St. Pierre, a building of the 18th cent., seat of the Countess de Blangy. At the distance of about 7 m. from Yalognes the direct post-road from Valognes to Cherbourg passes, 2^ m. on the 1., the small town of Brix, a memorable name, since it is the same as Bruis or Bruce in its primitive spelling. The noble family of that name was allied to the Dukes of Nor¬ mandy, and from it sprang Robert Bruce the King of Scotland. The castle of the Seigneur de Brix, built in the 12th centy., is now reduced to a few ruined vaults and foundation walls. It was called Chateau d’Adam. About 2 m. S.E. of Cherbourg, not far oft’ the road, is the castle of Tourla- ville, the magnificent seat of the family of Ravalez, now a farmhouse, belong- to the de Tocquevilles. Its position is beautiful and its architecture of high interest; part of it dates from the 15th centy., part was added in the reign of Henry II., and the Tour des 4 Yents (fine view from its top) has the charac¬ ter of Heidelberg Castle. “ The bleed¬ ing heart, and motto of the Ravalez family, ‘Un seul me suffit,’ are every- Normandy. 83 Route 26.— where visible among the faded frescoes and gilding of its walls and ceilings ” — II. R. There is nothing more to notice on the road, until from the top of the last hill a fine view of the sea is pre¬ sented through the gap of the valley, with Cherbourg at its mouth. A wind¬ ing descent through a picturesque gully, displaying here and there bare cliffs, terminates in a long avenue of trees, which forms the approach to Cher¬ bourg. On the 1. rises the eminence La Fauconniere, crowned by the tele¬ graph; on the rt. the cliff of Roule exposes a precipitous escarpment, 350 ft. above the sea. 20 Cherbourg. — Inns: H. de l’Eu- rope, on the Quai Ouest du Bassin; H. de Londres, good restaurant— R. F .; H. de Commerce. Cherbourg, one of the principal naval ports and dockyards of France, is situ¬ ated at the 1ST. extremity of the penin¬ sula of the Cotentin in the Dept, de la Manche, in the centre of a bay, the extremities of which are formed by Cap Levy on the E. and Pointe Omanville on the W. Its docks have been gained out of the rock, and its harbour won from the winds; for no pains nor cost have been spared to secure for France on this point, so advantageously projecting into the Channel, a naval arsenal and port, whence she may be ready to watch or annoy her rival on the opposite coast. The town lies in the hollow of the valley of the Divette, which opens out to the sea under the lofty falaise of the quartz hill of Roule, crowned by a fort. Apart from its consideration as a naval station Cherbourg is insignifi¬ cant; with dirty streets, reminding one of Portsmouth Point. Its com¬ mercial relations are very limited; but its extensive naval works employ about 10,000 out of its 25,000 Inhab., and upon them depends its prosperity. Among its few articles of export are eggs to the value of one million francs yearly sent to England. Cherbourg has a Bassin de Commerce, a commercial harbour, formed at the mouth of the Divette, never very full of shipping, but often visited by vessels of the Eng¬ lish Yacht Club, who come over to loj’ - Cherbourg . in provisions and champagne. It is lined with quays, and the entrance to it is protected by stone piers, with a lighthouse at its extremity. The com¬ mercial port is quite distinct from The Dockyard (Grand Port), situated on the N.W. of the town. English travellers desirous of seeing the dock¬ yard must provide themselves with a note of recommendation from the British Vice-Consul, 1 from M. Le Mag- nen, or any resident householder, to the Major de la Marine, at the Vieux Port, on the E. of the commercial harbour, in order to procure a ticket < f admission. He will appoint a gendarme to accompany them, to whom a couple of francs may be given for his trouble. The Grand Port occupies a nearly tri¬ angular space of ground', one side rest¬ ing on the sea, and is surrounded by fortifications, which have recently been replaced by more lofty ramparts, taking in a larger extent of ground, sur¬ rounded by fosses cut in the rock, faced with granite masonry, and adding greatly to the strength of the place. The Port Militaire, and Arsenal de la Marine, designed, as well as the Digue, by Marshal Vauban, whose plan, drawn by his own hand and signed, is preserved in the H. de Ville, were only partly begun by Louis XVI. They have been more than 50 years in pro¬ gress; and the new works commenced since 1831 will take as many more, probably, to complete. The docks, floating basins (bassins k Hot), &c., have been created by excavation by the aid of gunpowder out of the solid slate rock, which forms the foundation of the entire yard. From the stairs on the W. quai of the avant port, Charles X. and his family embarked in 1830, The 4 slips (Cales de Construction) are of very solid masonry; the lofty roofs rest on arches supported by piers of granite and slate; the arches are partly closed by wooden blinds. Ad¬ joining them is a dry dock (Forme de Radoub)j and beyond them are the Ateliers des Forges (smithy), des Ma¬ chines (workshops filled with ma¬ chinery for planing, turning, scoop- aag, and cutting rods, beams, screws. 84 lloute 26.— Cherbourg—La Digue. Sect. I. See., of iron); the Atelier de la Fon- derie, roofed with zinc, furnished with 2 large and 6 smaller furnaces, and with iron cranes, &c. On the W. of the docks the Magasins Gdne'raux, the Parc et Caserne d’Artilleric, and the Caserne de Marine, magnificent build¬ ings, are nearly completed. The Timber Shed (Hangar au Bois) is 958 ft. long, and supported on 130 stone pillars. The yard is supplied with water from the Divette by a long and expensive conduit. Convicts are not employed at Cher¬ bourg. La Digue. The roads of Cherbourg, though protected on three sides by the land, are naturally open and exposed to the N. wind. To remedy this de¬ fect, the project of throwing a Break¬ water across the bay’s mouth, in the deep sea, has been favoured by every French government since that of Louis XVI. The old Bourbons, the Republic, the Empire, the Restoration, and Louis Philippe, have all desired to advance a scheme which should contribute to secure for France a safe and strong harbour on this part of her coast, exactly opposite Portsmouth, which would be an eye to watch and an arm to strike the English on the opposite side of the Channel. Hitherto the French have possessed no port for ships of war from Dunkirk (and that is fit only for frigates) to Brest. How that the works have been carried on nearly 50 years, and more than 28,000,000 of francs, together with about 4,000,000 cubic metres of stone, sunk in the operation, the Digue at length ap¬ proaches to completion, since |ths of it are now terminated, and its perma¬ nent duration seems probable, since for several years past no perceptible alteration has been produced by the action of the w T aves in the structure or profile of the base. For a long time the undertaking could be regarded only as a series of experiments and failures. The plan first adopted under Louis XVI. (1784) was that of forming trun¬ cated cones of timber, or huge broad- bottomed tubs, floating them on empty casks to the proper place, sinking them, and filling them with stones, and heap¬ ing up others round about them. But a very brief exposure to a few storms overset some of the caissons, shattered the framework of others to pieces, and spread the stone and wood over the anchorage, so as to injure it. After a considerable interruption from the Re¬ volution, another scheme was resorted to of forming a bank of small stones, and covering these with large solid blocks: this was continued down to the time of Napoleon, who, as was his custom, looked at the project in a military point of view, and at once directed the formation of a fort in the centre of the Digue. All exertions were thenceforth concentrated on this object; a mole was formed, a battery raised on it mounting 20 guns, a garrison of 90 men was established on it, and lodged in barracks erected for the purpose. In 1808, however, a storm of extraordinary violence burst upon the roads; the waves, carried to an unusual height, soon submerged all the buildings raised upon the Digue, and, by the impetuosity of their shocks, swept them all off, save the cabin of the commandant of the prison, arid, forming a wide breach in the masonry, poured over and through it with tre¬ mendous violence. There were at the time upon the dyke 263 soldiers and workmen, of whom 194 were drowned, 69 were saved by finding shelter in hollows among the stones, and 38 got off in a boat which they managed to reach during a short lull, with great difficulty, since the vessels in the roads within the Digue were all driven from their moorings. By this fatal disaster the operations of 16 years in sinking large blocks were nearly annihi¬ lated, and the whole mass of stone re¬ duced to the condition of a rubble bed, rendering it doubtful whether the plan of even protecting the roads at all was practicable. Nevertheless, Napoleon did not abandon it, nor did his suc¬ cessors lose sight of it. A survey made by order of the government in 1828 showed, however, that the foundations had shifted in the course of 40 years from the position in which they had been first placed to a considerable dis- -tanc$. Under the vigorous superin- Normandy. Route 26. — Cherbourg—La Digue. 85 tendence of Louis Philippe a new mode of proceeding was adopted in 1832. As the result of the schemes previously- pursued had shown that the mere weight and volume of the stones thrown into the sea was insufficient to secure their fixity, a layer of beton, a species of concrete, composed of 1 part of small stones and pounded brick and 2 of lime, is now deposited on the loose stone heap, sloping on either side, and upon it a vertical wall of well-jointed and solid masonry, faced with granite, is raised. Even this, however, was destined to be the sport of the waves during a storm which occurred in 1836, the most terrible since that of 1808: the coat of concrete was broken and turned over in places; blocks of stone, weighing 3 tons, were raised 22 ft. high in the air, and carried over the wall to the inside of the Digue. At the end of 3 days 300 of them had found their way across, hurled with appalling violence, and a noise like thunder, against the granite masonry, and acting upon it like battering rams, so that serious breaches and wide gaps were formed in the body of the break¬ water. This is more or less the effect of every serious tempest. More than 500 workmen are con¬ stantly employed upon the Digue, being lodged in barracks on the break¬ water, and protected during their opera¬ tions by a movable shed. The colossal structure now raises its head above the surface of the sea. At the present rate of progress it may be finished in 3 or 4 years. The Digue de Cherbourg extends be¬ tween the He Pelee and the Pointe de Querqueville, in length 4111 yards, or more than 2 m., leaving openings for the entrance and exit of vessels on the E. of 1257 yards and at the W. of about 1^ m. The width at the base is 310 ft. The depth of the sea about the Digue varies, from 36 to 45 ft. at low water. There are to be at each end lighthouses and forts, crossing their fire with those on shore, and guns will be mounted at intervals all along the Digue. The stone employed is partly from the quarries at the base of the Montagne de Houle, conveyed to the harbour along a tramway 7 ; the slate comes from the excavations made in forming the docks, and the granite from Fermanville and Flamanville. Persons desirous of seeing the Digue have only to hire a boat in the harbour and row off to it, the distance being about 2 m. The following statement of compara¬ tive measurements in yards will show how much more serious an under¬ taking the Cherbourg Digue is than the Plymiouth Breakwater:— Length. Breadth. Height. Digue, 4111 103-310 22) M - Break-) 17 C 0 / 1^0 base, \ '"H water, j 1J ( 16 at top, 14J >> The lapse of years however will alone decide whether the Digue will be com¬ pleted successfully. The following d escription was written by Commodore Sir Charles Napier, who visited Cherbourg during the Naval Review, Oct. 1850:—“We have seen, almost within sight of our own shores, a splendid Breakwater of nearly 3 m. long rise from the bottom of the sea, 60 ft. deep, under which can lie at moorings 50 sail of the line with per’ feet safety, almost frowning on Eng¬ land. That breakwater, ere long, will be defended by 3 tremendous fortifica¬ tions, independent of movable guns without number, to protect either entrance that may be attacked. On the Isle of Peffie opposite the break¬ water, on the E. entrance, is Fort Royal (or National), mounting 90 guns casemated, and guns pointing out of ports like a ship. Opposite this, on the main land, is Fort des Fla- mands, mounting many heavy guns; in its rear is the redoubt of Tourla-> ville. ‘ ‘ Opposite the breakwater, to the W., are the Forts of Querqueville, St. Anne, and Hornet, and one intended to be built on a rock between the W. end ofthe breakwater and Querqueville. These forts will mount upwards of 150 guns. There are also strong bat¬ teries to the left of the basin, bearing on the roads. Within the breakwater, excavated out of rock and faced with 86 Route 26.— Cherbourg—Notre Dame de Vau. Sect. I. stone, is the avant port, capable of con¬ taining 10 sail of the line alongside the quay, 30 ft. deep at low-water spring- tides. In this port is a dock and 4 slips; in a line with this, and com¬ municating with it, is an inner basin, in which 10 sail of the line can also lie alongside the quay. On two sides of this basin are magazines; and here also lies the sheer hulk. In the rear of Fort Hornet there is another small basin, and 2 building slips. This serves as a ditch to the fort, which is cut off from the mainland and island by a drawbridge; from the lower tier of guns another bridge conducts you over a ditch to a large barrack-yard, casemated; and two small stairs lead up to a second tier of guns. “ In the rear of the avant port and the inner basin inland, there is another basin in construction, which commu¬ nicates with both. This basin when finished can accommodate 20 sail of the line alongside the quay. Here are 4 docks and 5 slips. To the 1. of the great avant port there is another avant port, which leads to the steam basin, where there are 3 slips. The store¬ houses are large, well arranged, and close to the basins. There is also a port of refuge, leading to another steam basin, where, as in the other basins, the steamers can coal alongside the wharf. “ The splendid dockyard is sur¬ rounded by a high wall, and the wall is again surrounded by regular fortifi¬ cations, with a wet ditch: and to pro¬ tect the works, the heights in the rear, and, indeed, all round fromTourlaville, there is a double chain of strong re¬ doubts. Independent of all these there is a commercial basin, with gates, in which merchant vessels lie afloat. Two piers project a considerable distance beyond the gates. Both the town and basin are outside the fortification.” These works would render Cher¬ bourg, if not impregnable, from the sea, at least very difficult to attack. On the land side it has hitherto been almost open, but the fortifications now in progress are intended to strengthen it there. The expenditure of money on the works here, including the Digue, considerably exceeds 400 millions of francs. In 1758 the English, under General Bligh, effected a descent on the coast, to the number of 7000, in the face of 16,000 French troops, who offered no effective opposition. The English forces kept possession of Cherbourg for three days, in which time they destroyed all the naval and military works, docks, arsenals, &c. , blowing them up with the powder which the French had left be- liind, burning the lock gates of the harbour and all the vessels of war and commerce. They levied a contri¬ bution of 44,000 livres on the town, but no injuries nor pillage of the in¬ habitants or their dwellings were per¬ mitted. To this the French themselves bear honourable testimony, acknow¬ ledging that the protection of the British officers prevented any outrage. All the cannon were carried off, but the bells of the ch. were conceded to the entreaties of the cure, and allowed to remain. Cherbourg has no antiquities to show, except the Vieille Tour, which formed part of the ancient fortifica¬ tions, washed by the sea, and the Ch., not far from it ; both built about 1450, and neither possessing any in¬ terest. The Chapelle de Notre Dame du Vara, outside the town near the dockyard, owes its existence and its name to a vow made by the Empress Maude when caught in a fierce tempest, which threatened to overwhelm the vessel in which she was attempting to gain the port of Cherbourg, on her flight from the usurper Stephen, by whom she had been driven out of England. While still at her prayers, and in the agony of anticipated death, among the waves, “Chante, Reine,” exclaimed a sailor; “behold the land; your prayers are heard:” and from this circumstance, it is said, the spot where the queen landed, and near to which she built the chapel, now enclosed within the dockyard, was called Clianiereine ,—a name which it still retains. T\xq pre¬ sent Chapel of the Yow is however modern, and stands on a different spot. Mathilda is not the only refugee sove- Noumandy. Route 27.— Cherbourg to St. Mcdo. 87 reign whom Cherbourg has seen within its walls at various periods ; besides Charles X., who here took a last fare¬ well of his country, after abdicating the throne at Rambouillet 1830, Don Pedro, ex-Emperor of Brazil, arrived here, 1831, when driven from his states, and James II. repaired hither after the battle of La Hougue. The Hotel de Ville contains a Collec¬ tion of 164 Pictures, formed and be¬ queathed to the town by a native, Thomas Henry, himself an artist. “ The best are (33) David, by Herrera el Viejo ; (34), Christ bearing the Cross, by Alonso Cano (called Murillo);—the majority are of the French school.”— E. F. In the courtyard is a very curious chimney-piece, of the age of Louis XI., rescued from a demolished convent. Consuls reside here from Great Britain and the maritime states of Europe and America. There is a Bathing Establishment on the sands, to the E. of the old Arsenal and Jetee, but it is not well appointed. “ M. le Magnen et Fils, agents to the Royal Yacht Club of England, are very obliging, and their wines, especially their clarets, are excellent.” — R. F. The Paste aux Lettres is on the Quai du Port. Malleposte daily to the Paris and Rouen Rly. Diligences daily to Caen; to St. Lo, Coutances, and St. Malo. Inferior coaches daily to Valognes; to Barfleur; to St. Vaast; to Bricquebec. Steamers to Havre twice a week; to Weymouth once or twice in the sum¬ mer. Excursions may be made to the Phare de Gatteville; Barfleur, and La Hougue; to the interesting CMteaux of Martin- vaast (p. 87), belonging to the Comte Dumoncel; of Flamanville, a splendid mansion; of Tourlaville; of Blangy (p. 82). Querqueville, 5 m. W. of Cherbourg, is a hamlet, whose name is variously derived from the oak, quercus, which once surrounded it, or, with more pro¬ bability, from its small Church (kerk) of St. Germain standing by the side of the parish ch. This is one of the oldest monuments of Christianity in Normandy. It is in the form of a cross; its chancel and transepts, lighted by loophole windows, all end in apses, and all this part is of herring-bone masonry: the nave and tower were added at a subsequent period. The ornaments of the towers, stripes of stone projecting from the wall, sur¬ mounted by the round arcb, resemble those of Barton on the Humber, Bar- nack, and others in England. The fort of Querqueville is one of the defences of the roads of Cherbourg, and its lighthouse points out the en¬ trance to them. 13 m. farther to the W., beyond Beaumont, the Cap la Hague (often confounded on the maps with La Hougue) stretches out towards Al¬ derney (called by the French Aurigny), from which island it is only 9 m. dis¬ tant. Both the cape and the island as well as the Cape Flaminville are of granite, the fundamental rock of the Cotentin, supporting the grauwacke and clay slates, which for the most part appear on the surface of that dis¬ trict. Opposite Cap la Hague, on a rock called le Gros du Raz, about a mile out at sea, stands a lighthouse. The Trappist Convent at Bricquebec, and the Castle and Abbey of St. Sau- veur le Vicomte, are described in Rte. 27. ROUTE 27. CHERBOURG TO ST. MALO, BY ST. SAUVEUR, COUTANCES, GRANVILLE, AVRANCHES, MONT ST. MICHEL, AND DOL. 205 kilom=127 Eng. m. Diligences daily from Cherbourg by Carentan and Coutances to St. Malo. Persons travelling in their own car¬ riage may vary the road back to 20 Valognes, the first post-station (p. 81), by going round by Octeville (l m.), where is a Norman church with an octagonal tower and curious carv¬ ings (a Last Supper, &c., in bas-relief) older than the reign of Henry II.; and Martinvaast (2^ m.), where is a still 88 Route 27.— Cherbourg to St. Mcilo — St. Sauveur. Sect. I. older ch. in the same style, and un¬ altered, with slender half-pillars, sup¬ porting Ionic capitals outside its semi¬ circular E. end, and a cornice of gro¬ tesque heads under its eaves: its lofty stone vaulted roof is supported on horse-shoe arches. It stands in a se¬ questered spot, with a fine old yew beside it. There is a fine Castle, still inhabited, hard by. Bricquebec (8 m. from Yalognes), a village, including an ancient Castle, whose lofty donjon keep, 100 ft. high, in shape a decagon seated on a high mound, remains tolerably perfect (date 14th cent.), as well as the walls of the outer enclosure. Other portions are as late as the 16th, and some as early as the llth cent. It belonged in turn to the families of Bertram, Paisnel (Pagan el), and Estoute- ville. It was taken from the last by Henry V. after the battle of Agincourt, and bestowed on his favourite William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, who parted with it to ransom himself from the hands of the French. In the adjoining forest, on the hill des Grosses Eoches, are three Druidical monuments of the kind called “ Gale- ries Couvertes.” A little more than a m. N. E. of Bricquebec is the Trappist Convent, founded 1823 by M. Onfray, on a spot of ground just cleared from the forest. Its inmates, 32 in number, of whom 12 are priests, are bound by strict vows to silence, communicating by established signs on indispensable matters, living on coarse dry bread, a few vegetables, a salad with a spoon¬ ful of oil, a little milk, and a bit of cheese, and one plateful of a meagre potage, which on fast-days is reduced to 6 oz. of bread in the morning and 2 or 3 at night, with a fixed allowance of herbs and roots. They are pro¬ hibited from wearing linen even when ill, and sleep with their clothes on, upon a straw mattress piquee, 2 inches thick. They are allowed one sort of meat when sick, but fish is forbidden. They rise daily at 2 A. M., and on fete- days at 12 or 1, and spend their time in prayer, reading, and work. There is a cross road from Bricque¬ bec to St. Sauveur. On quitting Va- lognes our route separates from Rte. 26, and turning to the 1. passes by Columby (a church with pointed lancet win¬ dows) to 15 St. Sauveur le Yicomte, where there is a picturesque and imposing Castle of the Tessons and Harcourts, but given by Edward III. after the treaty of Bretigny to John Chandos, one of the most famous captains of the wars of Edward III. and the Black Prince. He built the square and lofty keep tower, one of the gateways, and other portions. In the 17th century it became a hospital, and continued such down to the Revolution. Al¬ though falling to ruin at present, it is the best preserved feudal fortress on the Cotentin. Here are also ruins of an Abbey, which in 1831 were being pulled down for the sake of the materials. The church was beautiful, the groundwork Norman (1067-1160), with additions, in the pointed style, of the 13th cen ¬ tury. Between St. Sauveur and Bdriers the post-road passes near the Abbey of Blanchelande, founded by Richard de la Haye, a favourite of Henry II. (Ill 5— 85) who had been captured by cor¬ sairs, and passed many years in slavery. It is beautifully situated, and consists of the abbot’s house, still perfect and inhabited by a farmer, and part of the Church, in which late insertions have been added to an original Norman structure. 10 La Haye du Puits. The castle, dating from the llth cent., the only thing of interest in this obscure little town, has been pulled down within the last 15 years to mend the roads! The last remains, a fine old machi- colated tower, have probably by this time disappeared. At Lessay is another abbey and church, in the Norman style, begun in the llth cent., but not consecrated till 1178. “ It is of one character, plain, but grand throughout; and pos¬ sesses a noble central tower. The W. portal is more ornamented than the other parts, and exhibits the dog-tooth moulding, which does not appear in England till nearly the end of the 12th century.”— Knight. Normandy. Route 27.— Coutances — Cathedral. 89 18 Periers. 16 Coutances. (Inns: H. de France dear, 1846— G. ; H. d’Angleterre ; tolerable.) Coutances, at present a somewhat lifeless town of 8957 Inhab., is built upon a nearly conical hill, the summit of which is occupied by the Cathedral, proudly predominating over other buildings, with its 3 towers. The high road, carried in a broad wind¬ ing terrace along the flank of the hill, round the outskirts of the town, forms an agreeable walk, while on the oppo¬ site or E. side are more formal and gloomy promenades closely planted with avenues of trees. The Cathedral is one of the finest churches of Normandy, in the early pointed style, free from exuberant ornament, but captivating the eye by the elegance of proportion and arrange¬ ment. “ The whole is of a piece, com¬ plete in conception and execution. The lofty towers terminating in spires, both finished and alike, flank its W. front.” “Its interior is very lofty, more than 100 ft. from thejloor to the keystone of the vault. Cluster piers divide the nave from the aisles: cou¬ pled pillars surround the choir (which ends in an hexagon.) Most of the windows are of later date than the body of the building.”— Knight. The peculiarities of this cathedral are, the side porches close behind the towers; the open screens of mullioned tracery, corresponding with the windows, which divide the side chapels; and the exces¬ sive height of the choir, which has no triforium, only a balustrade just before the clerestory windows. The central tower is wonderfully fine in the exte¬ rior; it is apparently an expansion of the plain Norman lantern as at Caen. Some of the painted glass is in the oldest style; diapered patterns in a black outline, on a grey ground.”— Palgrave. A magnificent cathedral was built at Coutances in the 1 ltli century with contributions partly furnished by Tan- cred de Hauteville and his 6 sons, the conquerors of Sicily and Apulia, who were natives of the diocese of Coutances; “it was consecrated 1056 in the presence of William Duke of Normandy, 9 years before he con¬ quered England.” Some of the antiquaries of Normandy have maintained that the existing edi¬ fice is the one completed at that time, and have claimed in consequence for their country the invention of the pointed style in the 11th centy.; but as no buildings either in W. France or in England were constructed in that style until 130 years after, and as, on the contrary, all the buildings erected during that period are in the round style—for instance, the church of Lessay, only 9 m. off, consecrated 1178—there is no reason to concede their claim. The evidence upon which they found it is, that the Livre Noir (a mere account of the advowsons of the diocese, compiled 1250) makes no mention of the rebuilding of the church after the 11th centy. There exists, however, proof, from inscrip¬ tions on the walls of the side chapels, that several of them were dedicated, and therefore probably built, in the latter half of the 13th centy. (1274), and it is also known that the church was nearly ruined in 1356 by the army of Geoffrey d’Harcourt, so that it must have needed serious repairs, though the record of them is lost, executed probably about the end of the 14th centy. ( See Knight’s Normandy.) From the top of the fine lantern tower a view may be obtained of the sea, with the distant island of Jersey on the W., and of the rock of Gran¬ ville. The Ch. of St. Pierre is in the florid Gothic sytle of the 15th centy. The steep and narrow valley which bounds the town on the W. and is traversed by the terraced road leading to Granville, before mentioned, is crossed by the remains of an ancient Aqueduct, consisting of 5 perfect arches, and 15 piers supported by buttresses, called Les Piliers, which is also the name given to the village or suburb in which it is situated, ^ m. out of Coutances. In most guide-books and descriptions of the town it is called a Roman aqueduct, but its pointed arches, its buttresses with offsets, and coarse irregular masonry, prove clearly that 90 Route 27.— Hambye — Granville, Sect. I. it is not so, but a work of the middle ages, probably monkish. It is Sup¬ posed to have been erected in the 13th centy. by one of the noble family De Paisnel (Paganel). Coaches to St. Lo (Rte. 32) daily. Those who love old Gothic ruins, either for their picturesqueness or architecture, will be repaid by an excursion hence to the Abbey of Hambye, about 13 m. to the S.E. It may be taken on the way to Granville, making a ddtour of 6 or 7 m. A good road leads through a pleasing but hilly country by Mesnil l’Aubert and St. Denis le Guest, leaving Hambye l’ Eg Use j m. to the rt., to Bourg d’Hambye, a scattered village, with a small but clean cabaret furnishing only homely fare,—coffee, milk, cheese, and cider. The old Castle of Hambye, whose keep, 100 ft. high, stood on an eminence over the Bourg, is swept away to mend the roads. Happily a better spirit is now abroad in France, and the govern¬ ment at present holds out an example to England of zeal for the preservation of the many noble or curious edifices dispersed over the country. It is a pleasant walk of 1^ m. from the Bourg to the Abbey, but the road thither, through narrow lanes, is prac¬ ticable only for light cars. The little Abbey of Hambye nestles in a retired valley, sheltered under picturesque cliffs by the side of a trout-stream (the Sienne), the beau ideal of a monastic site. The roof and W. end are gone, the ivy begins to creep up the mouldering walls, and destruction is advancing apace, yet there is much beauty in the narrow arches which enclosed the choir, rest¬ ing on columnar piers, in the style of the 15th centy. Behind them are side chapels much older, having round and pointed arches in combination, which marks the period of transition. The tower in the centre of the cross rests on square piers which become octa¬ gonal below by chamfering. The con¬ vent buildings are now occupied by a farmer. The Chapterhouse, a double pointed vault elegantly groined, rest¬ ing on angular pillars and entered by a fine doorway deep sunk in its early English mouldings, is now turned into a woodhouse: it should be seen. This abbey was founded by William de Pagnel 1145, but renovated, or pro¬ bably rebuilt, in the 15th century, by Joanne de Pagnel, the last of her family, who was buried in the church with her husband Louis d’Estouteville, the defender of Mont St. Michel against the English (p. 93). Their tombs were destroyed at the Revolution. About 5 m. from Hambye is Perci, cradle of the Earls of Northumberland. The high road to Granville may be regained at Brehal. The direct road from Coutances to Granville has no interest. 19 Brehal. Trees diminish in size and number on approaching the sea, glimpses of which and the island of Chaussey are seen at intervals. The entrance to Gran wile is by a steep descent, excavated partly through a deep hollow way; on the rt. a natural wall of rock separates the road from the sea-shore, and through a gap cut in it access is afforded to the baths and sea-beach. In front rises a high hill, its slope cut away evenly and levelled, until it is as steep and smooth as the roof of a house, in order to form a glacis for the fort on its top. A bend in the road presently discloses to view the lower town and harbour. 10 Granville. — Inns : Trois Cou- ronnes; H. du Nord, abominably dirty. Neither good. This is a small but tolerably prosperous seaport (7600 Inhab.), chiefly resorted to by fishing vessels, but driving some commerce along the coast and with Jersey (33 m. distant) and Guernsey. Its situation is singular, built in steps or terraces under a rocky pro¬ montory projecting into the sea, sur¬ mounted by the fort, whose presence restricts many of the buildings from rising above one story in height. Under the shelter of this eminence lies the little port, screened by it from the N. winds. A new town is gra¬ dually spreading itself along the low margin of this harbour, and up the banks of a stream so small that it is generally swallowed up in soapsuds, and contributes, with the filthy abomi- Normandy. Route 27.— Granville — Avranehes. 91 nations of the town itself, especially at low water, when the harboxir is drained to the lees of mud, to produce a state of atmosphere barely tolerable. The sombre hue of the buildings, whose walls are dark granite and their roofs black slate, renders Granville on a near examination as unattractive to the sight as to the smell, and more¬ over it contains no objects of interest. The stranger desirous to rescue himself from ennui must repair to the noble Pier, begun 1828 and still un¬ finished, enclosing an older one in its much wider circuit. It is very strongly built, so that guns can be mounted on it. The tide rises and falls here at times from 40 to 44 feet. Steamers go hence to Jersey (in 3 hours) and to St. Malo once a week. The Church at the W. end of the town is a low, gloomy building, chiefly in the late flamboyant style, though it has some round arches. It is of grey granite, even the capitals of its columns being worked in that hard stone. In order to ascend the hill above the old town it is advisable not to thread the labyrinth of filthy alleys, steep slopes, and stone steps which compose it, but to issue out by the road to Coutances, and then scale the steep slope no farther than the walls of the fort, a point which commands a good sea-view. Close under the cliffs lie the baths (Salon des Bains) and reacling-room, which can be ap¬ proached only through the breach in the rock before alluded to, leading also down to the sands, a fine smooth and broad expanse, quite shut out from the town. There are no ma¬ chines ; instead of them bathers are enclosed in cases of canvas carried in the fashion of sedan-chairs, and they must walk into the water thick-clad: the ladies led by the women: the men are banished to the distance of ^ m. to the N .—British Consul here. Though Granville is not a particu¬ larly strong place, it resisted effect¬ ually the attack of the peasant army of Vendeans, 30,000 strong, on their ill-fated march, N. from the Loire, in 1793, led on by the gallant Laroche- jacquelin. The inducements of the royalists to make this attempt were the hope of opening a communication by the sea with England, whose go¬ vernment had promised to send them succour; and to secure a fortified place where they could deposit in safety the women and children, the sick and the priests, who embarrassed the opera¬ tions of the army. The Vendeans, being destitute of artillery to breach the ramparts, were unable to resort to a regular siege. The attempt to storm the place, though conducted with the most dashing courage, was foiled. More than once these brave soldiers gained the ramparts, sometimes sup¬ plying the want of scaling ladders by sticking their bayonets into the chinks of the masonry, but as often they were swept off by grape and mus¬ ketry from the walls and gunboats in the harbour, until at length they were forced to retire with a loss of 1800 killed. Their army never advanced farther N.; this was the culminating point of their success, and from hence¬ forth they were compelled to retreat. During this attack the suburbs of the town were set on fire by the repub¬ lican commander of the fortress and burnt down. It is a very pretty ride from Gran¬ ville to Avranehes; the view obtained from the height, after crossing the wooded dell of Sartilly, of the peaked rock of Mont St. Michel, is especially striking. [About 4 m. N.E. of Sartilly is the ruined abbey of Luzerne. The church, in the transition style, is tolerably perfect: it was completed 1178, except the nave, which is later. The conven¬ tual buildings, turned into a cotton- mill at the Revolution, are fast going to decay. The road from Sartilly is wretchedly bad.] 26 Avranehes. — (Inns): H. cle Lon- dres; clean and moderate : table-d’hote 1^ or 2 fr., breakfast 14 fr.; garden be¬ hind. This house would prove a cheap and pleasant residence for a few weeks if managed as in 1851. H. de France; H. de Bretagne ; both tolerable. H. cl’Angleterre.) Avranehes (Abrancae), a town of 7269 Inhab., is now chiefly remarkable for its very beautiful situa- 92 Route 27.— Avranches. Sect. I. tion on the sides and summit of a high hill, the last of a widely extending ridge, rendered accessible for the high road by broad terraces carried up its steep slope in zigzags. The view which you obtain in ascending, and especially that from the little mound on the 1. of the road before you enter the town, in front of the Sous-Pr^fecture, is one of the most beautiful in the N. of France. The landscape abounds in wood, with partial clearances of well-cultivated corn-land, through the midst of which winds the river, flashing in glittering pools until expanding into a broad estuary it meets the sea, which borders the horizon. But the prominent fea¬ ture of the view is the peaked rock of Mont St. Michel, and the twin islet of Tomblaine rising grandly from the hem of the waters. Under this mound is a Public Walk planted with trees, formerly the garden of the Archevechb, in the midst of which a statue of General Valhubert, a native of Avranches, who fell at Austerlitz, is set up. The cathedral of Avranches, one of the noblest in Normandy, and the chief ornament of the town, was de¬ stroyed by the mob at the Revolution: its site remains an open platform, com¬ manding an extensive view, and now named Place Huet, from the celebrated Bishop of Avranches. All traces of the church are swept away, save one or two flagstones and a broken column, said to be the stone upon which Henry II. kneeled, a humble penitent, before the Papal Legates, to make atonement for the murder of Becket, “ which had affected him more than the death of his own father or mother.” After swearing on the Gospels that he had neither ordered nor desired it, he here received the Papal absolution, 1172. The stone stands at what formed part of the door of the N. transept, and is surrounded by a chain. There are some portions remaining of the old ramparts of the town. Another point of view, preferable perhaps, in some respects, even to that above described, is obtained from the Jardin des Plantes. There is an extensive Public Library here, containing 10,000 volumes and some old MSS., among which was dis¬ covered a copy of Abelard’s treatise called ‘ Sic et Non,’ published 1836 by M. Cousin. A Museum of Antiquities and a Picture Gallery have been added. The beauty of the situation, the salubrity of the air, and the cheapness of living, have rendered Avranches a favourite residence of the English, who form a considerable colony here. The English Ch. Service is performed in a room once a barrack, in the Bou¬ levard de l’Ouest, where it joins the Rue Sanguiere. The Post Office is in Rue St. Gervais. There is a way practicable for a light carriage, with a guide, from Avranches to Mont St. Michel, across the sands when the tide is out; but as there are two watercourses to wade through or cross in a boat, it is prefer¬ able to go round by Pont Orson. As is the case on Lancaster sands, the rise of the tide here is so excessively rapid at times, that a fleet horse, it is said, could not outrun it. In going to Pont Orson and Dol you quit Avranches by another series of zigzags overlooking the bay of Can- cale with Mont St. Michel in the midst, rising above a beautiful foreground of trees, and at Pont au Baud, at the bottom of the hill, you cross the little river Selune. At Louis, 3 m. short of Pont Orson, a cross road turns off on the rt. to the Mont St. Michel by Ardevon. 22 Pont Orson. Inn : Croix Verte; tolerable; it will furnish a horse and car for 5 or 6 fr. to go to Mont St. Michel, and this is the best point to start from. The Castle, now entirely swept away, was intrusted by Charles the Wise, 1361, to Du Guesclin, to hold as a frontier post against the English. During his absence on a foraging expe¬ dition, however, it was very nearly lost, through an understanding be¬ tween an English prisoner, Felton, and the waiting-maids of Du Guesclin’s lady. The attempt was discovered, as the enemy were scaling the walls, by his sister, a stout Amazon, who overthrew the ladders into the ditch, Normandy. Route 27 .—Mont St. Michel. 93 and the treacherous waiting-maids were sewed up in sacks and drowned in the river! The granite Church, partly Norman, with a transition W. end and pointed choir, contains, in the N. aisle, a sin¬ gular series of carvings in stone, repre¬ senting the Passion—but so mutilated as to lose much of their value; also a very old stone altar-table, with sculp¬ ture mutilated in the N. aisle. A good macadamised road, leading from Pont Orson to Mont St. Michel, 5 m., renders this by far the best approach to the Mount. It passes near Beauvoir and Ardevon, where are the remains of conventual farm- buildings, anciently belonging to the monks of the mount. The road ter¬ minates on the margin of “la Greve,” i.e. the sands, extending for many square leagues all around the mount, and left bare for 4 or 5 hours by the sea, which interrupts the passage to it between 1 and 2 hours near high water. “ At neap-tides (aux eaux mortes) the rock is not surrounded by water at all at any part of the day. At spring-tides (aux eaux vives) it is surrounded twice each day, and then the sea sometimes breaks into the sol¬ diers’ mess-room.”— G. B. A. The distance across the Greve to the mount is about a mile; the driest track is firm and perfectly safe for horses or carriages, but on either side are quicksands, which render it dan¬ gerous to diverge. There always remain behind a few pools which would reach above the ankles of a pedestrian. There is something mys¬ terious and almost awful in the aspect of this solitary cone of granite, rising alone out of the wide, level expanse of sand. One might imagine it the peak of some colossal mountain just piercing through the crust of the earth, but deprived, at the moment of its appear¬ ance, of the geological force necessary to rear it aloft. Slight as is its eleva¬ tion, its isolated position in the midst of the sea, and its heaven-pointed top, render it the prominent object of every view from the surrounding coast, and from a long distance give it the appearance of being much nearer at hand than it really is. On approach¬ ing it, it is found to be girt round at its base by a circlet of feudal walls and towers, washed by the sea; above these rise the quaint irregular houses of the little town, plastered as it were against the rock, and piled one over another. Above them project the bare beds of rock, serving as a pedestal from which the lofty walls, high tur¬ rets, and prolonged buttresses of the conventual buildings are reared aloft, surmounted in their turn by the pin¬ nacles and tower of the church (now bearing a telegraph), which crowns the whole, and forms the apex of the pyra¬ mid. Not inferior in interest to its out¬ ward aspect are the historical asso¬ ciations connected with this shrine of the Archangel Michael—the successor of Bel and the Dragon—the saint of high places. Holy hermits suc¬ ceeded to Pagan priests in the posses¬ sion of this natural temple, which Norman dukes and kings further ho¬ noured by building a church, and con¬ verted into a fortress almost im¬ pregnable in ancient times. Henry I. here effectually resisted his two elder brothers. Here Henry II., in 1166, kept his court and received the homage of the turbulent Bretons, whom he had subdued with a strong arm. This was the only fortress which held out for the French king when all Nor¬ mandy was overrun by the armies of the conqueror of Azincour; success¬ fully withstanding 2 sieges, in 1417 and 1423, under the brave Louis d’Estouteville. The shrine of St. Michel was for ages visited yearly by thousands of devotees from far and near, and the records of the convent preserve the names of more than a dozen royal pilgrims who have re¬ paired hither to prostrate themselves as penitents before it, and to load it with their bounty. The Revolution dispersed the monks, interrupted the pilgrimage, and changed the desti¬ nation of the building to a Prison, in which 300 aged priests were immured until death should release them. Its prisons and oubliettes, however, are of far greater antiquity. Who has not 94 Route 27.— Mont . St. Michel. Sect. T. heard of the iron cage of St. Michel, which, though originally of metal bars, was afterwards changed to one of thick beams of wood placed 3 inches apart ? Its last occupant was an un¬ fortunate Dutch journalist, who was seized most unjustifiably, beyond the territory of France, for having abused the unscrupulous tyrant Louis XIY., who treated the Dutchman as he did the Italian prisoner of the iron mask. St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, which bears so remarkable a resemblance to this, though on a smaller scale, was one of the foreign dependencies of the abbey. The entrance to Mont St. Michel is by 3 gates, one within the other, the second flanked by two of the cannon with which the English forces of Henry Y. ineffectually bombarded the mount in 1424, firing from them stone balls, 1 ft. in diameter. Near this the arms of the knights of St. Michel, with a lion for supporter, are seen carved in the wall: the third gate is provided with a portcullis, and within it is the little inn (not very inviting; crabs, shrimps, and other fish may be got here). The town (so to call it) consists of one narrow, steep, and very foul¬ smelling lane. The best way of as¬ cending is by the ramparts, turning to the rt. after passing the gate, up a succession of grass-grown flights of stairs “ hanging to the side of the rock,” provided with machicoulis at the side to annoy an enemy below. The uppermost gateway, leading into the castle convent, stands midway across a flight of steps, and is flanked by 2 bartizans or turrets; it “ is very scenic and baronial,” built probably 1257; but the chamber of knights and princes now re-echoes to the clank of chains and the rattle of the shuttle and beam. The present destination of the building is a prison for ordinary criminals and political offenders. For this reason only parts of it are acces¬ sible for the minute examination of strangers; and others are concealed by screen-partitions. The formality of delivering the passport, and requesting admission of the governor, having been gone through at this gate, the stranger is conducted by dark mysterious vaults and passages, up and down gloomy stairs. The convent-building, called “the Marvel,” consists of 3 stories, the lower one a series of vaulted crypts, once used for stables ; above this 2 noble halls, probably erected by Philip Augustus, who was a great benefactor; and above all the cloister and dormi¬ tory. The Cloisters, the most beautiful part of the building, and a gem of Gothic architecture, unique of its kind, were built between 1220 and 1228. Towards the court they are supported by a double row of pointed arches resting on thin granite pillars, leaving an exquisitely groined narrow vault between the rows. The pillar of one arch alter¬ nates with the point of the next, so as to allow a most graceful carved volute or sprig, issuing from the capital of every alternte pillar, to be seen. The spandrils of the arches are filled up with a vegetative creation of foliage, sprigs, flowers, garlands, such as is scarcely to be equalled anywhere for fanciful variety, and sharpness and excellence of execution; the whole is surmounted by a cornice of flowers, and is in good preservation. It highly merits to be drawn in detail. The arches and carvings are of soft lime¬ stone brought from a distance; all the rest of the buildings are of granite, and the rock of St. Michel itself is of that stone. The Chambre des Chevaliers, below the cloisters, is a noble hall or nave, of 4 finely-vaulted aisles, supported on 3 rows of pillars, and measures 98 ft. by 68. The chapters of the knights of the order of St. Michel, foimded 1496 by the bigot Louis XI., who twice re¬ paired hither as a pilgrim, were held in it. This is now filled with the looms at which the prisoners are com¬ pelled to work, and is not shown to strangers. La Salle de Montgomery, or monks’ Refectory, is also a fine Gothic apartment. The Church of the convent consists of 2 parts, of different ages and styles. The Romanesque nave, in the massive style of the 12tli cent, (about 1140), with slightly ornamented capitals and a wooden roof, is now used as a chapel Normandy. Route 27 .—Mont St. Michel — JDol. 95 for the convicts. The pointed Gothic choir is of the 15th cent. (1452-1521): —the mouldings of the arches are car¬ ried down into the reeding of the piers without any interruption of capitals. The arches are closed up with walls, into which curious Scriptural bas-re¬ liefs, such as Adam and Eve driven from Paradise, Noah’s ark, &c., St. Michael killing the dragon, very gro¬ tesquely treated, are let in. The piers supporting the central towers having given way, owing to the injury they received from a fire, the last of the 8 or 10 conflagrations, several of them caused by lightning, which at different times have consumed the abbey, the arches of the transept are staved up by a complicated framework of timber to prevent the roof falling. Beneath the choir of the church a circle of drum-like pillars, set very close together, with one in the centre, sup¬ ports the superincumbent weight, and forms a curious crypt. The view from the top of the church, elevated 400 ft. above the sands, from amidst its florid buttresses and pin¬ nacles, now much mutilated, is curious. The Rochers du Cancale, on the coast of Brittany, the town of Avranches, and the neighbouring rock of Tombeleine, are the most conspicuous objects; all around is, as the tide ebbs or flows, either a waste of sand, interspersed with pools and channels of rivers, or a wild expanse of tossipg waves. “ The sea has receded from this coast of late years, so that it barely reaches the Mount except at spring-tides, and it then rises with such rapidity as to be extremely dangerous, especially as it renders the sand quick for some dis¬ tance in advance of it.”— J. II. P. For¬ merly, owing to the short stay the sea made round the walls at every tide, the castle was hardly accessible by a boat, and from this circumstance, and its amphibious position, changing twice a- day from land to water, its strength as a fortress arose. The river Couesnon, crossed by a bridge on quitting Pont Orson for Dol, forms the boundary between Normandy and Brittany. A fertile and very pictu¬ resque country succeeds, well wooded; in fact, one entire orchard, the corn¬ fields being invariably planted with rows of fruit-trees. A last view is ob¬ tained of Mt. St. Michel from a lofty hill over which the road is carried. The caps worn by the women here¬ abouts consist of a piece of white linen, bent like a roof, laid on the top of the head, the front, or gable, turned up in a sort of scroll, exactly corresponding with that seen on monumental effigies in English churches, of ladies of the 15th and 16th cent. 19 Dol. — Inns: La Grande Maison, not very good; homely, but not dear; Hotel de Notre Dame. Dol is a remarkable town, as bearing thoroughly the aspect of ancient days: the black hue of the granite of which its houses are built, contrasting some¬ times with splashes of whitewash dashed over them, the heavy projecting gables, the arcades of various heights and pat¬ terns running under the houses, the quaintly carved granite pillars on which they rest, all give a peculiar character to the place, and offer some good bits for the artist’s pencil, while he may fill a sketch-book with costumes in its market-place. It has 3990 Inhab. and a considerable corn-market held in a desecrated church (des Cannes) distin¬ guished by a fine flamboyant W. win¬ dow and a Norman nave. The chief building is the Cathedral (before the Revolution an ejfiscopal see), built of sombre grey granite, uniformly in the early pointed style, except the porches; that on the S. leading into the nave being florid, and having carvings in white stone like those in the cloister of Mont St. Michel. The arches of the nave have deep mouldings, and rest on circular piers, composed of a group of 4 columns, the inner one towards the nave being detached half-way up to the roof, where it becomes engaged like the rest. The choir, more ornamented than the nave, but in the same style, has a square E. end, like the English churches, but behind the high altar is an open arch of two divisions separated by a slender pillar admitting a view into a small Lady Chapel behind. The space above this arch is occupied by a 96 Route 27.— Dol — Cancale — St. Male. Sect. I. large E. window filled with old and good painted glass. These are the most striking points in this fine edifice, which is worthy of attention for its similarity to the Gothic of England; indeed many of the churches of Brit¬ tany are said to be the work of English architects. There is an antique building called le Palais or Maison des Plaids , appa¬ rently Romanesque. The old walls of Dol remain tolerably perfect, wanting the gates; many of their flanking towers and bastions are surmounted with deep machicoulis, and the whole is surrounded by a fosse. A high Terrace walk has been formed on the outside of this, and planted with trees. On the side of the town next the cathedral a view is obtained from this walk of the solitary eminence of Mont Dol, a granite rock something like Mont St. Michel, only rising out of the dry land. (See below.) These antiquated fortifications of the 15th and 16th cent, were defended by the Vendeans after their retreat from Granville against the Republican army, which was beat off after a bloody com¬ bat of 15 hours’ duration, and com¬ pelled to retreat. The tract of land between Dol and the sea, a distance of 3 m., is chiefly marsh gained from the waters by em¬ bankments; very fertile, but teeming with miasma, which, however, has di¬ minished of late from improved drain¬ age. A tremendous irruption of the sea, reclaiming its own, in the beginning of the 17th cent., overwhelmed this dis¬ trict. About a mile outside of Dol, and j m. to the 1. of the Rennes road, is one of those Druidical stones, so common in Brittany, called Menhirs (see p. 105). It is known as la Pierre da Champ Uolent, a name which probably marks it as a funereal monument, perhaps on some field of blood or battle. It is a rude, skittle-shaped obelisk of granite, asingle block, 30 ft. high above ground, and 8 or 10, it is said, below, rising in the midst of a cornfield, and sur¬ mounted by a wooden cross. On the way to St. Malo you pass on the rt. the Mont Dol, a granite rock surmounted by a telegraph, rising out of the flat land, and most probably once an island in the bay of Mont St. Michel, for the sea no doubt once extended thus far. Where the road reaches the present margin of the bay the shore is lined by a long scattered village, composed of nearly as many windmills as cottages. Not a boat can approach them, owing to the shallow¬ ness of the water, although the tide comes up to their doors twice a day. On the W. shore of the bay, however, is the small port of Cancale —4880 In- liab.—visible on the rt., backed by high cliffs, famed for the oyster-beds on the Rochers de Cancale below them, whence Paris and a large part of France are supplied. In 1758 an army of 14,000 English, under the Duke of Marlborough, landed here, but after fruitlessly summoning St. Malo, which was found too strong to be taken by assault, they re-embarked, having burned a few small vessels ; and, as H. Walpole said, “TheFrench learned that they were not to be conquered by every Duke of Marlborough.” 28 St. Malo. — Inns: H. de France, kept by M. Gogue, once cook to Lord Melville; good, and not dear, but hor¬ ribly and inexcusably dirty, considering that the mistress is English; rooms at 1, 2, and 3frs. per bed; table-d’liote at 5, 3 frs.; dfijeuner a la fourchette, 2 frs. 50 c. No W. C.’s! The house is the one in which Chateaubriand was born;—H. de laPaix, equally good. This fortified sea¬ port town (pop. 10,100) may be styled a little French Cadiz from its position on a rocky island (l*Ile d’Aron) com¬ municating with the mainland by a long causeway called Le Sillon: the mouth of the river Ranee, which forms the port, being separated from the open sea by the island and this causeway. The town fills the island completely, so that its picturesque walls and flanking towers, surmounted by a deep cornice of ma¬ chicoulis, rise at once from the water’s edge, washed by the waves; and the houses and buildings squeezed closely together, having no room for lateral extension, rise to the height of 5 or 6 stories above its narrow and filthy lanes. The tides rise here higher than at Normandy. Route 27.— St. Malo. 97 any other point in the Channel, viz. to an elevation of 45 to 50 ft. above low- water mark, and the harbour, which is protected by a stout pier, is drained perfectly dry at ebb, so that carriages and foot passengers cross it to go to the populous suburb St. Servan (9984 Inhab.), in places covered an hour or two before with 4 fathoms of water. But a solid wall of granite, designed to be carried across from St. Servan, with lock - gates in the centre wide enough to admit steamers and frigates, so as to retain the tide, and form a floating dock (bassin a flot) of very large dimensions, has been begun. This if finished would open a second approach from the Rennes road to St. Malo, across a bridge to be thrown over the lock-gates. These works, unfortunately, are making very little progress (1851). After an expenditure of more than 6 millions of francs symptoms of failure have shown them¬ selves in the pier and quays, and it seems likely that this vast undertaking will be abandoned. The harbour is lined with a broad quay running just under the town walls, and here the steamers moor when the tide permits them to enter. The Town walls afford an almost unin¬ terrupted walk around the island, and the circuit may be made in § of an hour. The view out to sea is varied by the little archipelago of islands;— white, angular, bare rocks which raise their bristling heads around the roads: the larger ones crowned with forts and batteries. That called La Conchee is occupied by a strong citadel built by Vauban; and Cisambre, 6 m. off, is also strongly fortified. The smaller isles and the sunken rocks attached to them render the access to the port difficult. The public buildings are of no in¬ terest : on the side of the town nearest the Sillon, and separated from it by a bridge, is the old Gastle, which, together with a large part of the fortifications, may have been constructed in the 16th cent, by Anne of Brittany, who placed over one of the towers this inscription —“ Qui qu’en grogne, ainsi sera, c’est mon plaisir.” The Cathedral, very ca- Franee. pacious and much modernised, has a choir something like that of Dol, and a new gaudy Gothic altar from Paris, with several marble statues worth notice. The sabbath is more strictly ob¬ served by the Malouins, and indeed in Brittany generally, than in most other parts of France. English service is performed in a small old chapel, in the suburb of St. Servan, on Sunday. The statue opposite the Hotel de Ville is that of Duguy Trouin, a native of St. Malo (born 1673), and a naval hero of whom the French are very proud, “ parcequ’il a chasse les Anglais sur toutes les mers.” The illustrious Chateaubriand first drew breath in the Rue des Juifs, No. 15, in the house which is now the' H. de France, in the room marked No. 5, from the window of which the sea and his tomb are visible. The Abbe de la Mennais, author of Paroles d’un Croyant, and Malffi de la Bourdonnais, governor of the French East Indies, who took Madras from the English, 1746, were also Malouins. On the sea-shore, by the side of the Sillon, just beyond the castle, on the rt. of the road from Dol, are Sea-baths and a Subscription Reading-room. There is a large expanse of sand extending at low water as far as a little rocky island in front, well adapted for bathing, but unprovided with machines. St. Malo was bombarded by an Eng¬ lish fleet in 1692, and by another under Admiral Berkeley, 1695—both times with slight result. In June, 1758, an army under the 2nd Duke of Marlborough, having landed in the Bay of Cancale, burned 80 vessels lying in the harbour of St. Malo. St. Malo flourished during the last war, when it was styled the “ Ville de Corsaires,” fitting out privateers to prey on the commercial ships of England; many large fortimes were then made. The best view to be obtained of St. Malo is from the half-ruined Fort de la Cite', situated on the promontory a little to the W. of St. Servan, reached by the first turning on the rt. after you F 98 Route 29.— Caen to Tours — Falaise. Sect. I. enter that suburb from St. Malo. Hence from a considerable elevation you look down upon the town, upon the singular inlets of the sea branching out into the land which form the har¬ bour, and on the archipelago of little islands grouped around its entrance. Among them the islet of Grand Bay, situated to the S. W. of the town, chosen by Chateaubriand for his last resting- place, and bestowed upon him by the municipality of his native town, is con¬ spicuous. His fellow-citizens erected a tomb on it to contain his remains. Immediately beneath the spectator on his 1. rises the triangular tower of the Solidor, a feudal fort 60 ft. high, with flanking towers at its angles, ap¬ proached by a drawbridge. It is now a prison. At St. Servan the Union Boarding¬ house is recommended; charges 5 fr. a day, or 100 fr. a month, exclusive of wine. Diligences daily to Rennes (Rte. 41) and Paris (Rte. 35), to Brest (Rte. 36), to Dinan (Rte. 41), to Dol and Caen (Rtes. 27 and 31). Steamers. It is a pleasant excursion up the river Ranee from St. Malo to Dinant. A small steamer ascends and returns with the ebb, when the state of the tide permits. (Rte. 41.) Steamers twice a week to and from Jersey, where they correspond with the boats to Southampton. ROUTE 29. CAEN TO TOURS BY FALAISE, ALENgON, AND LE MANS. 232 kilom. = 143^ Eng. m. A daily communication is kept up by diligences, but with interruptions, and the traveller is compelled to wait 3 or 4 hours at a time for the coach which is to carry him on. A separate conveyance runs from Caen to Falaise and back daily. About 7 m. from Caen, and 2 or 3 to the rt. of the road, lies Fontenay le Marmion, cradle of the family of Marmion. 20 Langannerie. The country for the first 2 stages is bare, open, and monotonous, until the castle of Falaise is perceived on the rt. rising out of a picturesque valley. 6 m. short of Falaise, and nearly 2 to the 1. of the road, lie the rocks of St. Quentin, sometimes called Breche du Diable, a rocky gorge bounded by pre¬ cipices, pinnacles, &e. It has been compared with Cheddar Cliffs, only on a much smaller scale. 15 Falaise. Inns: H. du Grand Cerf; H. de France, good. This an¬ cient and not very prospering town of 9580 Inhab. occupies the summit of a lofty platform, bordering on a rocky precipice, or Falaise, whence its name. One very populous suburb has ex¬ tended into the narrow ravine below this precipice; and another, situated at the distance of 1 m. to the E., called Guibray, now rivals the town itself in size and population, and is distin¬ guished for its Flairs established by William the Conqueror, held in August, celebrated for the horses then brought to market. Falaise is a dull lifeless town at present, having only one ob¬ ject of interest to the passing traveller —the Castle, one of the few real Nor¬ man fortresses remaining in France, the ancient seat of the Dukes of Nor¬ mandy, and the birthplace of William the Conqueror. It is a grand and pic¬ turesque ruin, occupying a command¬ ing position at the extremity of the town, where the platform is cut into a narrow promontory by gullies which isolate it on 3 sides, rendering it a place of great strength, until the in¬ vention of gunpowder. To this it was indebted for the 9 sieges which it had to endure. The approach to it is be¬ hind the modern Hotel de Ville. A college or grammar school has been planted within the exterior court. A grassy terrace walk along the ramparts, shaded with trees, leads to the Norman Donjon Keep, an oblong square, whose walls, supported by high and massy buttresses, rise abruptly from the edge of the precipitous rocks de Norrou. It is now a mere shale, partly filled with rubbish ; its walls show traces of herringbone masonry, and retain se¬ veral round-headed windows, of 2 lights supported on short pillars, and Normandy. B. 29.— Falaise. 31.— Caen to Rennes, 99 having capitals carved with Runic knots. In one corner a cell is shown in which, according to the tradition, the Conqueror was born. From those windows and ruined walls you look down into the Val d’Ante, so called from the small stream which runs through it, crowded with mills and tanneries. It was while gazing upon this scene, according to the tradition, that Duke Robert, the father of the Conqueror (like David of old), first espied Arlotte, the tanner’s fair daugh¬ ter, and became at once so smitten with her charms, that he made her his mistress, and continued faithful to her until death. The keep is surpassed in elevation by Talbot’s tower , a cylinder of beau¬ tifully smooth and perfect masonry, rising beside it to a height of more than 100 ft., crowned with a rim of broken machicoulis. Its walls, 15 ft. thick, enclose a winding stair leading to the top, and a well opening into each of the 5 vaulted stories. The chapel is converted into a powder magazine. This tower is supposed to have been built by "Valiant Talbot,” who was lord warden of the "Marche Normande,” after the capture of Falaise by Henry V., between 1418 and 1450. Henry assaulted the castle from the top of the still loftier cliff Mont Mirat, on the opposite side of the ravine, where traces of his intrenchments still remain: the siege lasted more than 4 months. On the other side of the castle is a relic of another siege, viz. the breach in the wall by which Henri IV. carried the fortress by assault, after 7 days of cannonade, in 1589. A bronze equestrian statue of Wm. the Conqueror was set up by his fellow townsmen in 1851, in Trinity-square, at the foot of the Castle. He is repre¬ sented in the attitude of leading on his followers to invade England! The churches are not remarkable. A considerable portion of the old town walls remain, running round the edge of the ravines, through which the stranger may ramble agreeably, either upwards into the suburb of Val d’Ante, the birthplace of the Conqueror’s mo¬ ther, below the castle keep, or, issuing out of the picturesque " Porte des Cor¬ deliers,” the only gate remaining per¬ fect, he may follow the direction of the Ante downwards through shady lanes, and re-enter the town by the dismantled Porte St. Laurent. The Saturday market exhibits a larger collection and greater variety of quaint old Norman female headdresses than any other in Normandy perhaps. There are several cotton-mills in the vicinity, and the weaving of nightcaps occupies a considerable number of hands. 22 Argenfcan.— Inn: Trois Maures (?). A town of 6147 Inhab., on the Orne, surrounded by ramparts. 23 Seez (in Rte. 21). 21 Alen§on (in Rte. 35). 14 La Hutte. 9 Beaumont-sur-Sarthe. 15 La Bazoge. 11 Le Mans (in Rte. 46). 21 Ecommoy.— Inn: Poste. 20 Chateau du Loir.— Inn: Poste. The Castle, after which this village is named, is gone; it w r as built 1080 by Robert JEveille-chien, Due d’Anjou. The cliffs near this are hollowed into caves, serving partly for houses to more than 100 poor families, partly as cellars for the richer. 20 La Roue in Touraine. 20 Tours (in Rte. 53). ROUTE 31. CAEN TO RENNES BY VIRE, MORTAIN, AND FOUGERES. 171 kilom. = 106 Eng. m. 2 Diligences daily. The road conducts through some of the most pleasing scenery in Nor¬ mandy; at first it ascends the valley of the Odon, in which lies 13 Mondrainville. We now enter the Bocage of Normandy, a pretty wooded district, situated about the soiirce of the Orne, Odon, and Vire. 12 Villars Bocage; here is an hos¬ pice, founded 1366 by Jeanne Bacon, of Mollay. 15 Menil au Zouf. 19 V ire (Inns: H. St. Pierre, clean and moderate, fine view ; Cheval f 2 100 Route 31.— Caen to Rennes — Vire — Mortain . Sect. I. Blanc, not good), a picturesque an¬ tique town (pop. 8000), the capital of the Bocage, situated on a lofty emi¬ nence, bordered by ravines. A Norman Castle occupies the extreme point of the promontory, naturally inaccessible on 3 sides, owing to the precipices which surround it; and on the 4tli originally separated from the town by a deep ditch. It is now reduced to the fragment of the tall keep , a con¬ struction of the 11th cent., having been dismantled 1630, by order of Richelieu, but its ruins are preserved, and surrounded by a sort of dusty pleasure-ground or plantation belong¬ ing to a private individual. It com¬ mands a view of the country around, streaked with long lines of “tenters” upon which cloth is hung, and especi¬ ally of the 2 valleys beneath it, called, par excellence, Les Vaux de Vire, whence comes the word Vaudeville, originally applied to the merry and humorous drinking songs composed among these valleys by one Oliver Basselin. He w r as a native of Vire, and owner of a fulling-?m7/, which still remains at no great distance from the town. He flourished in the 15th centy., and is reported to have been present at the battle of Formigny. His chansons, chiefly in praise of good wine and his native province, soon became so popular over France, that their name was transferred to those truly national dramas peculiar to the French stage, in which the plot or story is carried through chiefly by songs. In the narrow and steep streets of Vire may be found many specimens of ancient domestic architecture, well adapted for the artist’s sketch-book. The Ch. of Notre Dame is a fine build¬ ing; but the chief boast of Vire are the walks in and about it. Terraced paths are carried up the hill side amidst thickets and plantations, commanding at intervals very pleasing views. The valleys in the neighbourhood, generally shut in by craggy heights and copse-covered slopes, abound in mills of paper and cloth, in which the clothing for the French army is made. This gives employment to half the inhabitants of Vire. On the 10th of August the “Fete des Drapiers” is celebrated here, and more than 10,000 persons assemble under the apple-trees, which are illuminated at night for the occasion. Vire has a gastronomic celebrity for chitterlings (andouilles) and for pastry. Diligences, several daily, to Av- ranclies through a beautiful country, “rich swelling hills, green meadows, and vast seas of waving wood, The first view of Avranclies, about 8 m. before you get there, with the rich foreground, the spire of the town crowning the height, and the sea be¬ yond, with Mt. St. Michel rising out of it, is truly striking.”— W. J. [10 m. S.E. of Vire is Tinchebray, where Robert of Normandy succumbed in battle to his younger brother Henry, 1106. This victory secured a throne to the one prince, and a prison for life to the other.] 13 Sourdeval. 10 Mortain. ( Inn: La Poste, opposite the Ch.; not bad, but not clean.) Mor¬ tain, a decayed and lifeless town, occu¬ pies a position nearly resembling that of Vire, and at least equally romantic. “The valleys are narrower, the steeps more rocky and better wooded; the river at the bottom is more consider¬ able, and a wide extent of distant Cam- pagna is seen through the jaws of the ravine. The whole scene put me in mind of Italy and of Tivoli, and the cascades which we heard from above and visited afterwards helped to keep up the resemblance.”— G. Knight. “ You descend to the side of the old Castle, but when you arrive there you find it a most suitable spot for an eagle’s nest. A jutting cliff, only con¬ nected to the height by a narrow ledge of rock, afforded just space enough for a feudal fortress. The strength of this fortress made it once a place of im¬ portance. Here dwelt the brothers and the sons of kings of England.” The whole of this venerable structure has been levelled with the dust, and in its place now rises the staring modern Sous-Prefecture. The Collegiate Ch. has been ground¬ lessly pronounced to be a work of the year 1082, when a church is known to Normandy. Route 32 .—Bayeux to Avrcinches — St. Lo. 101 have been founded here. But the only fragment remaining of that epoch is a circular doorway leading into the nave on the S. side, ornamented with zigzags and saw-tooth ornaments ; the rest is of the pure and unmixed early pointed style of the 13th cent., and the clumsy junction of the new wall around the old circular portal is very apparent. The arches of the nave rest on thick short pillars; those of the choir are narrower. About a mile out of the town, seated in a secluded valley, is the Abbaye Blanche, founded 1105. The Church , restored with care 1850, is in the Transition style, round-headed win¬ dows alternating with pointed. An early pointed cloister also remains tolerably perfect. The abbey is now a Seminaire for the education of priests. The Cascades of Mortain are the finest, and indeed almost the only ones, in Normandy. About 8 m. from Mortain are the ruins of the Abbey of Savigny, b. 1173, in the Transition style, but partaking more of the round than pointed cha¬ racter. 15 St. Hilaire du Harcouet is the entrepot for the agricultural and ma¬ nufacturing produce of a large part of Brittany:—its markets are greatly fre¬ quented. The frontier of Brittany is crossed about 4 m. to the N. of 11 Souvigne. Just before reaching Fougeres M. cle Lescure, the Venddan chief, died of his wounds, and was buried at the road-side—site unknown. 16 Fougeres. — Inns: Poste, good, but bad attendance; — St. Jacques. This town (4635 Inhab.), once a fron¬ tier fortress, the key of Brittany on the side of Normandy, “is full of pictu¬ resque interest. The old town, built on a steep acclivity, shows traces of the Middle Ages; the ancient arcades still obtrude in places upon the streets. It is still surrounded by antique ram¬ parts. There is a Church of some archi¬ tectural interest, and a charming promenade, on a high eminence com¬ manding romantic prospects.”— G. Attached to the town walls, at the lower end, is the huge and picturesque ruined ‘ Castle , of which the Donjon (Melusine) and Tour du Gobelin are probably of the 12th centy.; the rest of the 14th and 16th; and the outer towers and curtains are still later. Its approaches and defences are very curious. 20 St. Aubin du Cormier. Near this La Tr^mouille gained a decisive vic¬ tory, in 1488, over Francis II. Duke of Brittany, the Duke ©f Orleans, after¬ wards Louis XII., and others, who had leagued against the Crown. 10 LiffrA 18 Rennes (in Rte. 35). ROUTE 32. BAYEUX TO ST. LO AND AVRANCHES. 90 kilom. = 551 Eng, m. Diligences daily. 13 Vaubaclon. The road traverses a portion of the extensive forest of Cerisy. The Abbey of Cerisy, one of the most considerable in Normandy in olden time, lies on the rt. of the road. The church still exists, an early Norman building of the same plain character as St. Stephen’s at Caen (p. 73), It was founded 1030, by Robert Duke of Normandy, and com¬ pleted by his son William the Con¬ queror, 21 St. Lo,— Inns: Clieval Blanc; Soleil Levant; far from good, and very dirty. This town, named from St. Lo, or Laudus, who lived in the 6th centy., and came from this part of Normandy, is picturesquely situated, and its Ca¬ thedral, standing prominently oil the brow of the hill, has an imposing ap¬ pearance, with its double towers and spires, but as a building it is inferior to those of Bayeux or Coutances. The W. end is florid, of the 15tli centy.; it has three fine porches, but the upper part is defective and irregular; and, as well as the choir, exhibits marks of slovenliness in its builder. The nave is earlier and better, in the pointed style of the 12tli centy. Outside the Church, in the S.W. angle, is a fine stone pulpit, with a pyramidal canopy over it. Charlemagne founded here, in the 9th centy., the once celebrated 102 Route 32 .—Bayeux to Avranches. Sect. I. Abbey of St. Croix • but this building was swept away at the invasion of the Northmen, and the present Eglise de St. Croix, a very curious edifice in the early Norman style, does not appear older than the 11th centy. The nave arches rest on pillars, and the S. side is plainer, and apparently older than the N. Over the round-headed door¬ way at the W. end is a bas-relief repre¬ senting St. Lo restoring sight to a blind woman. The adjoining conventual buildings are of late dates ; they are now converted into a Stud (haras) for improving the breed of horses. St. Lo is chef-lieu of the D£pt. de la Manclie, and numbers 8941 Inhab.; it has a manufacture of fine cloth, but possesses no great attraction to the stranger. There is a small terraced platform to the W. of the cathedral, called Petite Place, which commands a view of the vale of the Vire. Diligences twice a day to Coutances (Rte. 27), passing within a short dis¬ tance of Hauteville, the humble village which sent forth the bold Baron Tail¬ ored and his sis sons to conquer Sicily and Apulia. On the way from St. Lo to Vire (Rte. 31) lies the town of Torigni. The building now used as an . Hotel de Ville is one wing of the Cha¬ teau of the family of Matignon, Counts of Torigni, one of whom, by marriage with Louisa Grimaldi, became Prince of Monaco. In 1793 the building was turned into a prison, and the park, ter¬ races, and gardens sold piecemeal. The Ch. of St. Laurent is early Nor¬ man, and that of Notre Dame retains traces of the same style. The road from St. Lo to Avranches lies through 19 Villebaudon. The little humble village Perci was the cradle of the ancestors of the house of Northum¬ berland. 15 Villedieu les Poeles derives the adjunct to its name from the number of coppersmiths, who drive a thriving trade in pots, pans, and other articles, which the French call dinanderies and quincailleries. These artificers were originally settled here by the Knights Templars, who employed them in making decorations for churches. Here are many furnaces for melting the copper, and mills for rolling it into sheets. 22 Avranches (Rte. 27). ( 103 ) SECTION II. BRITTANY. INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION. 1. Character of the Country. 2. People. 3. Language. 4. Celtic Remains classified. 5. Superstition. 6. Churches, Carvings, Flamboyant Gothic , Bone-houses, Kersanton Stone. 7. Connection with England. 8. Chouannerie. 9. Books to con¬ sult. 10. Tour of Brittany. 11, Accommodation for Travellers, ROUTE PAGE 34 Paris to Rennes, by Versailles, Rambouillet, Chartres, Le Mans (Railway), and Tjaval . . , 109 35 Paris to Rennes, by Versailles, Dreux, Verneuil, Alenpon, and Laval (Railroads to Ver¬ sailles) .120 36 Rennes to Brest by St. Brieuc and Morlaix.124 38 St. Brieuc to Brest, by Paim- pol, Lannion, Morlaix, St. Pol de L£on ....... 132 41 St. Malo to Nantes by Binan, Rennes, and Chateaubriand . 137 ROUTE PAGE 42 Morlaix to Nantes, by Huel- goat, Carhaix, Pont ivy, and Josselin .141 44 Brest to Nantes, by Quimper, Lorient, Auray, the Druidical remains of Carnac, Vannes, and Roche Bernard .144 45 Rennes to Vannes, by Ploer- mel .—Excursion to Carnac . 153 46 Le Alans to Nantes, by Angers .153 47 Dreux to Argentan, by l’Aigle ........ 165 1. There can scarcely be a more abrupt contrast to the smiling land of Normandy than that presented by the neighbouring province of sombre, poverty-stricken Brittany. Here we find an atmosphere of mist and moisture ; and a soil based on hard granite, best fitted for heath, furze, and broom, the very broom ( genet) which supplied our first Plantagenet with his crest and name. In many points the country bears a strong resemblance to Scotland; the same wide, barren moors, the same deep and picturesque wooded dells and storm-beaten coasts. Here, however, are no grand lofty mountain chains like the Grampians: the highest ridges of the Menez-Arrds hills, the back-bone of the peninsula of Brittany, rarely surpass 1200 ft. above the sea-level. 2. In civilization it is behind almost every other part of France: its inhabitants are of Celtic origin, speaking a language of their own, allied to, and, indeed, essentially the same as, the Welsh and Cornish, so that Breton sailors landing on our coasts can make themselves understood by the Welsh there. It is exclusively spoken to the W. of a line drawn from the point of Finisterre through Chatelaudran and Pontivy; the “ Vrai Bretagne Brettonnante,” as Froissart calls it, to distinguish it from “La Bretagne Douce,” where French is spoken. One of the principal objects of interest and study for the stranger in Brittany is its inhabitants, who have been kept distinct from the rest of France by position as well as difference of language. The peasantry are almost as wild as their country, excessively quaint in their costume, wearing broad-brimmed hats and flowing hair, and in some districts trunk hose (bragous bras = breeks) of the 16th cent.; in others wrapped up in goat-skins, like Robinson Crusoe, a costume which they retain as it was handed 104 JBrittany—Character of the Country and People. Sect. II. down from their ancestors. They are usually mean and small in their persons; coarse-featured in face; squalidly filthy in their habitations; rude and unskilful in their agriculture. They are almost unchanged in their manners, customs, and habits: modern innovation has not entirely rubbed off the rust of long- continued habit; old legends and superstitions still retain their hold on the popular mind. They present a curious picture of a primitive state of society; and if a century behind their neighbours in what is called improvements, they are at least not corrupted by revolutions and commotions. In no part of France are the people, both of upper and lower orders, more observant of their religious duties, of festivals, fasts, &c.; nowhere are the churches so thronged. “ There is much picturesque beauty in Brittany, though of a character not so imposing at first sight as that of countries moulded on a grander scale. Scenery of great and winning loveliness is to be found on the banks of the Trieux, the Lannion, the Chateaulin, and the Ranee, and in many other secluded and scarcely accessible valleys, where the £ broomie know T e,’ the wooded dell, and the rocky cliff alternately border the brawling mountain torrent, as it flashes along its stony bed, or is pent up in the still pool of an old water-mill, which looks as if it had stood untouched (as it has perhaps) from the time of the £ good Duchess Anne.’ The quaint and antique aspect of the buildings adds much to the picturesque character of the country. Some, as in Dinan, Morlaix, Quimper, &c., are framed of timber, with projecting stories resting on gro¬ tesquely carved brackets ; but generally the houses both in the towns and vil¬ lages are of grey granite, with massive round or ogee arched imposts to the doors and windows, often enriched with Gothic mouldings; and presenting, from the peculiar colour and grain of the stone, an appearance of antiquity even in buildings recently erected. The churches again are features of great interest and beauty scattered profusely over the country, and many a ruined castle or tower, or dilapidated £ manoir ’ with its old avenue, huge granite portals, round turrets, and £ extinguisher ’ roofs, recalls the days of the Breton chivalry. Add to these characteristic features, that the country is usually very intricate and thickly wooded, the enclosures being small and surrounded by high earthen banks, upon which, from six to ten feet above the level of the road or field, grows a close phalanx of timber-trees, oak, elm, or ash, gnarled and pollarded into grotesque forms, and intercepting all view, so as to give rise to constant excitement, as the scene changes almost at every step that the traveller advances.”— G. P. S. ‘‘The Bretons are impetuous and violent in their temper, and give way to furious bursts of passion when angry. Their way of living is homely and frugal to a degree, even when in circumstances to afford better fare. Of drink they unquestionably are fond, but it is not a regular habit with them to indulge in strong potations—w 7 ater is usually drunk at meals, and cider in small quan¬ tities on Sundays and feasts. Wine is hardly ever tasted in the province, but brandy is cheap and good, as in other parts of France. They live much upon buckwheat, made into cakes, and mix rye with their wheat into a coarse meal, which forms a dark-coloured bread; these, wflth savoury esculents, and at times salt-fish and meat, constitute the staple of their subsistence. With a climate unfavourable to production, or rather to the maturity of their produce (for the sun is even more coy in Brittany than in the British Isles), and a soil generally of a cold wet character, the Bretons labour under far greater difficulties than their Norman neighbours as to tillage. Yet if they would be guided by wise advice, much progress might be imparted to their well-doing. Even now some improvements have obtained, especially since 1834, and capital is finding its w T ay to the land, although most commonly in the shape of a loan to the occupant, w r ho pledges his land for the amount. When a Breton saves a little money, he buys more land, if he can; he never seeks to apply more money to the land he has already under culture. The most perceptible feature of difference, perhaps. Brittany. § 4 .— Brittany—Celtic Remains. 105 between Normandy and Brittany, is that, in the former, large and commodious farm-buildings are observed around the farmer’s dwelling, whilst in Brittany it is rare to see a barn, or granary, or any roomy out-house—in short, the Bretons pursue the wasteful habit of threshing out their corn in August, and housing it in the grain; paying enormously for such labour (to an ambulant class called “les batteurs ”), and losing the otherwise valuable season of warmth and day¬ light for cleaning and working the soil against seed-time. But having no barns, they must do this. Stacking is unknown, and besides, there is no sheltered floor for threshing on in winter; the threshing grounds, as in Italy (here termed “aires”), are in the open space adjoining the cultivator’s .dwelling, and are composed of bare earth, swept clean. It is a pretty incident in rural life when you behold all the family at this work, in fine weather, singing as the flail twirls to enliven their toil; but the inconceivable drawback which it forms to profit¬ able farming obtrudes itself upon the mind of the traveller and impairs his pleasure at this primitive pastoral picture.” “The indescribable forms of many of the caps worn by the Bretonnes are worth remarking. Both Norman and Breton caps are pleasing auxiliaries to the scenery, which they enliven by their snowy whiteness. Old point lace is not unfrequently discerned on peasant heads, and these curious and costly ‘ coiffures ’ sometimes adorn the brows of more than one generation in turn. When caught in the rain the women instantly cover their fine caps over with a coloured handkerchief. It is the Bretons who chiefly man the navy of France: their qualities are eminently suited to the seafaring life, and the perseverance and patient courage they display stand out in contrast with the natives of other provinces of France, and denote a totally different origin.”— G. 4. Of Ancient Monuments of different ages there is no lack in Brittany, and, above all, of Celtic Remains; those extraordinary masses of rude unhewn stones whose objects, age, and uses have never been satisfactorily accounted for, but which are supposed to have been in some way connected with the religion of the Druids, and their number would prove this country to have been the chief seat of that mysterious worship. In Great Britain we possess a few, and, above all, we have in Stonehenge a more stupendous monument than any elsewhere; but in Brittany the number is enormous; almost every wild heath possesses one or more. They are most numerous, however, on the storm-beaten promontories and islands of the W. coast; especially in the Morbihan, which includes the wondrous stony array of Carnac and the monstrous granitic obelisks of Lok- mariaker , larger than any single blocks at Stonehenge, but now fractured. These rude Remains are of several different kinds, distinguished by the fol¬ lowing names:— a. Menhir (literally long stone: Ir-min-Sul; long stone of the sun) is a mono¬ lith in the form of a rude obelisk set upright on one end, whose height much exceeds its breadth. There is a menhir near Dol which rises 30 ft. above the ground, but the largest specimen of this class known is at Plouarzel, near Brest; it exceeds 42 ft. in height. Those at Lokmariaker, now laid prostrate and broken by violence, were more than GO ft. high, and were thick in proportion. b. Peulven (pillar of stone), an upright stone of inferior height to the menhir; the single stones at Carnac are generally of this class. c. Dolmen (from “taal,” table, and “maen,” or men, stone), in England commonly called. Cromlech, is an arrangement of rude blocks, by which one or more upright stones are made to support a horizontal block or slab. Some¬ times they nearly resemble a table; the upright stones serving merely as props or legs, and are called in French pierres levies, or pierres couvertes; at others the supporting stones are wide slabs, so arranged as to fit close to one another, and so lofty as to allow a man to walk upright beneath the horizontal roof-stone which they support. Kits Coity House in Kent is an instance of this kind, and there are others in Cornwall, but they are far inferior in size to those of Brittany, F 3 Secf. II. 106 § 5.— Brittany—Celtic Remains. which are often 60 or 80 ft. long. The French sometimes call them “ allies couvertes.” d. Kistvaen is similar to the Dolmen, inasmuch as it consists of two rows of upright stones supporting flat blocks; but the stones are smaller, and the whole structure lower and longer; it appears to correspond with the “ Hunnengraber ” of North Germany. The most remarkable example is on the island Gavre Innis near Lokmariaker. e. Galgal is a tumulus, barrow, or cairn; the largest known is the Butte de Tumiac on the shore of the Sea of Morbihan. The Celtic remains are not confined to Brittany, though most numerous there ; they occur almost invariably on some flat open plain at a distance from the hills, in situations corresponding with Salisbury Plain and Dartmoor in England. Brittany appears, like our Mona, to have been the sacred land of the Gauls, the centre of their worship, to which probably the various nations and tribes repaired on pilgrimage at stated times to pay their devotions. Of the particular destination or object of these rude elevations in general, or of the individual uses of the different classes enumerated above, no satisfactory explanation has been offered. The accumulated ranges, the long avenues of stones of Carnac and Erdevan, amounting to thousands in number, may have stood in the place of temples where rites of initiation and purification similar to the Grecian mysteries may have been performed. The upright solitary menhir may have been a symbol of some individual deity, as the sun ; the dol¬ men may have served as an altar or shrine, and the galgal and kistvaen were probably monumental. Equally unexplained are the mechanical means by which a rude people contrived to transport, and to elevate one above another, such huge masses. 5. Their mysterious influence is not yet, by any means, effaced from the mind of the lower orders in Brittany. The first teachers of Christianity in this region found this attachment to superstition so strong, that, after in vain attempting to eradicate it by overthrowing and destroying these rude stones, they altered their plan to that of engrafting, to a certain extent, their own faith upon the old idolatrous worship of stones and fountains, converting the dolmen into a chapel, and making the menhir serve as a pedestal to a crucifix, which it commonly does even to the present day. The influence of paganism lingered long in these remote wilds, attached as it was to visible objects : indeed, the inhabitants of Ouessant are said to have been idolaters until within 150 years. Hence has arisen a strange jumble of Paganism and Romanism; thus pilgrim¬ ages are made to fountains by those who desire to be relieved from some malady, by pouring its holy water over the affected part: and visits are paid in the depth of night to some solitary menhir by the barren woman, who hopes to become fruitful by rubbing her bosom against the hard stone. Some of these inanimate objects also are supposed to possess virtue to cure the diseases of cattle. Heathen divinities were replaced by saints, of which the number in Brittany exceeds that of any other part of Romanist Europe; most of them are peculiar to the country, their names being unknown elsewhere, and their canonization conferred rather by the popular voice than with the authority of the Pope. Almost every church has its own strange legend, and on its saint’s day a pilgrimage or Pardon is celebrated, when indulgence for past sins is obtained, and the penitent pilgrims are no sooner shrived than they begin to run up a fresh score at the riotous festivities which follow these assemblies. These pardons, or village festivals, which are nearly equivalent to the German kirchweih, the Flemish kermes, and the English wake 1 deserve the attention of strangers, from the illustrations they afford of Breton life, manners, and costume. 6. In Ecclesiastical Monuments Brittany is not so well furnished as Normandy, Brittany. 107 § 6.— Brittany—Gothic Architecture. but the architecture is of a different style, chiefly the florid or flamboyant Gothic, and of a much later period : indeed, even in architecture, Brittany seems to have been behind the rest of the world, and the fashions of building only reached it when superseded in other parts. The following excellent remarks apply generally to all parts of France, yet will not be out of place here. “ The most obvious characteristics of the Flamboyant style are the flat 3-centred arches of doorways, the entire independence of different pilasters upon the same pier as regards the vertical height of their base mouldings, the scrupulous interpenetration of different mouldings, and the absence of capitals if the arch mouldings are continued on the pier, or their dying gradually into the pier by penetration if they are not continued on it.” — G. B. A. There are some peculiarities in “the Breton style,” which render it well worthy the attention of architects. In elaborateness and profuseness of ornament, in the minuteness and delicacy of carving, especially of the foliage (for the figures are inferior), there are some churches in Brittany which yield to few in any part of Europe. As instances may be mentioned those of Folgoat near Brest, St. Pol de Leon, which is remarkable for its exquisite spire, The'ogonec near Morlaix, St. Herbot near Poulahouan, and the cathedral of Nantes. The Department of Finisterre is the quarter in which churches more espe¬ cially abound, and it is quite as profusely supplied as Lincolnshire, and many of the village churches are of unusual size and richness. “ In the churches near Brest, instead of building a tower with 4 walls, containing windows or panel work, the practice seems to have been to raise stages or floors, one upon another on open arches, so as to make a kind of square pagoda, not contracting in dimensions, through which in certain directions the light is seen and the arch piers look comparatively small. This peculiarity deserves attention from architects.”— G. B. A. Several of the churches, even in remote situations, as at St. Herbot, are decorated internally with carvings in wood and stone ; roodlofts still exist at Folgoat, St. Fiarre le Fahouet (of oak painted and sculptured), Lambader, &c., though scarcely found elsewhere on the continent: painted glass is also by no means uncommon. These very gorgeous churches of Brittany were erected principally from the end of the 14th to the beginning of the 16th cent. Formerly the churchyards and even roadsides were adorned with Crucifixes of most elaborate execution, and comprising a multitude of figures ; “most of them suffered by the Revolution, but many exquisite examples remain almost as perfect as those of Plougastel near Brest, St. Tli^ogonec, &c., and hardly a single point of intersection of two roads can be passed which is not marked by a more or less mutilated cross, oftentimes restored by the piety of the present generation.” — G. P. S. The Bone-house or Reliquaire will be constantly found in the Breton church¬ yards, and illustrates a curious custom. To allow “the rude forefathers of the hamlet ” to repose quietly in the grave is opposed to the ideas of piety and affection in these rude people : after a certain number of years the survivors are required to show their remembrance and respect for their parents and relations by removing the skulls and bones from the coffin and placing them in the Ossuary,—where the former are arranged on shelves, open to the view of all, each with the name or initials in black paint written across the fleshless brow. There is -a curious Reliquaire in St. Herbot. One cause of the profuse decoration of these churches, and of their excellent preservation, may be referred to the materials employed—a greenstone, peculiar to Brittany, called Kersanton (St. Anthony’s house), remarkable for the facility with which it is worked, and its tenacity in withstanding the weather. Its composition is not exactly understood, but it is supposed by mineralogists to consist of mica and amphibole, in particles minutely disseminated. It is found only in two localities, on the W. of the harbour of Brest, near the escarped 108 § 10 .—Skeleton Tour of Brittany. Sect. II. rocks of Quelern, between the river of Fa'ou and that of Landerneau. It is regarded as volcanic, both from its composition and because the rocks adjacent to it show marks of dislocation, caused apparently by its intrusion. The w r eather has scarce any destructive effect on it, even after the lapse of ages; and its peculiarly bright green colour gives to a portal carved out of it the appear¬ ance of being cast in bronze. Of churches in the Romanesque or Norman style the examples are few; among them are the church of Dinan and the chapel of Lanleff, which, after all the dis¬ putes of learned antiquaries respecting its origin and great age, is probably merely an equivalent to the round churches of England. The cathedral of Dol nearly corresponds in style to the Early English ; and the tradition of the country attributes it and some of the later churches to English architects. This is not surprising, considering the long and early connection between Great Britain and Little Britain to the S. of the Channel— Armorica, as it was styled, which the careful researches of historians and philo¬ logists have proved to have been colonised by natives of Britain after the 6th century, partly during the Roman dominion, partly after the invasion of the Saxons. From Brittany, if we believe the native traditions, we derive our most popular romances, our nursery and fairy tales. Arthur here held his court with the Knights of the Round Table; and the cradle of Merlin was on the He de Sein, a low sand-bank in that stormy sea La Baie de Trepass^s. 7. Many of the names of places closely resemble those of Wales and Cornwall. Brittany also has its Cournouaille, equally celebrated with our own for wrestling matches, still held annually, at which the true Cornish hug is said to be given; and for wreckers, whose infamous trade is promoted by the ever-raging sea and iron-bound coast. The Droit de Bris, right of “jetsam and flotsam,” is, how¬ ever, nearly abolished in France as in England : and the time is past when a race or whirlpool was as productive to a landlord as a mine or fishery. English armies have fought and bled on this soil of Brittany; and the cliivalric heroes of our history, Edward III., Chandos, Sir Walter Manny, were opposed to no unworthy antagonists in the Du Guesclins and Clissons. In the castle of Elven, Henry of Richmond passed 15 years of his youth, though a prisoner, yet protected from the vengeance of the Yorkists. A perusal of Froissart will be a good preparation for a visit to Brittany. 8. Brittany, old-fashioned iu all things, is still the stronghold of that old- fashioned virtue, loyalty to its sovereign; and, besides sharing in the horrors and glory of the war in support of the legitimate monarch, which had its rise in La Vendee, was the seat of a hard-fought contest of its own, called La Chouannerie, from the cry, “ chou, chou,” in imitation of the night-owl, the signal for onset among the Breton peasantry, originally employed as a sign by smugglers in their nocturnal expeditions. Memorials or recollections of these struggles will be encountered by the traveller at every step. 9. Those who desire full information respecting the antiquities, customs, legends, and poetry of the Bretons should read Souvestre’s excellent work, ‘ Les Derniers Bretons,’ and Freminville’s ‘ Finisterre and Morbihan.’ For its churches and Druidic remains consult Merimee, ‘ Sur les Monumens de l’Ouest de la France;’ for its history, Daru:—Miss Costello's ‘ Bocages and Vines,’ Mr. Trol¬ lope’s ‘Brittany,’ are interesting English works ; and Mrs. Stothard's ‘Tour in Brittany,’ and Villemarqutf’s ‘ Chansons Populaires de la Bretagne,’ will repay the perusal. 10. Skeleton Tour of Brittany. Brittany is accessible to travellers from England, by steamers either direct from Southampton to St. Malo, a very good starting-point, or from South¬ ampton to Havre, and thence by land through Normandy, or by steamer to Morlaix. Brittany. Route 34 .—Paris to Rennes by Versailles . 109 The traveller coming from Paris may commence his tour at Rennes, hut the capital of la Bretagne does not possess any of the characteristic features of the province. Dol. St. Malo. Dinan. St. Brieuc. Lanleff. Paimpol. Treguier. Morlaix. St. Pol de Leon. Folgoat. Brest—dockyard. Pointe St. Matthieu. Chateaulin (by water). 11. Accommodation for travellers, even in the large towns, is inferior to that of the rest of France ; while in spots at all remote from the high road the filth is most disgusting, the fare miserable. The following excellent description of the chief inn of the chief town of the province is from the private diary of a tourist:— “ The Hotel de France, if it be not good, is at all events highly amusing as a curiosity. It is something akin to what the ‘ Swan with Two Necks’ in Lad Lane, or the ‘ Four Swans ’ in Bishopsgate Street, probably were 40 years since. You get a good dinner for 2 francs at the table-d’hote, exclusive of a fair table wine ; and, by dint of importunity at the kitchen, some coffee and bread and butter for breakfast. You also get your bed made in time to get into it again at night ; but you never see a servant except one who flits round at the table* d’hote. The yard is crowded with diligences and baggage, and strewn with straw and ordures, and the proprietors are incognoscible beings. Everything seems to move on by unseen agency ; yet you really want for nothing material if you will but give up getting the bell answered. This inn is in fact a sample of the ‘Tom Jones’ inn of the 18th cent., and the landlady at Rennes (whom * we succeeded in finding out before we left) was a French counterpart of the English one of that day : slaving daily at her stews and stoves, like any neces¬ sitous hireling, in a dress indicating the most rigorous economy. But the virtue of prudence and the desire of accumulation occupy the foreground in the mind of a French ‘ bourgeoise.’ The landlord we learned had a delightful country house out of Rennes, whence he daily visited his gainful but ill-appointed ‘ auberge.’ No trade so profitable as an aubergiste, it would seem, in a fre¬ quented town of France.”— G. (Carhaix. J Folgoat. | St. Herbot. vChJteaulin. Quimper. QuimperlA Auray. Carnac and Lokmariaker. [Peninsula of Rhuys.] Vannes. Roche Bernard. Nantes. ROUTE 34. PARIS TO RENNES BY VERSAILLES, IIAMBOUILLET, CHARTRES, LE MANS (RAILWAY TO LE MANS), AND LAVAL. kilom = 230 Eng. m. Trains daily to Chartres. Terminus in Paris, Barriere du Maine. From Paris to Versailles there are 2 railroads, one on the L, the other on the rt. bank of the Seine. The 1. bank railway is continued from Versailles to Chartres and Le Mans. a. Che min de Fer, Rive Gauche, 16'| kilom. = llj Eng. m. Terminus out¬ side the Barriere du Maine at Paris. Trains go every ^ hr. Those starting at the hour are stopping trains, those at the -y hour quick or direct. Time employed 20 to 25 minutes, with stop¬ ping train 35 minutes. Before issuing beyond the line of the 110 Route 34 .—Railways to Versailles. Sect. II. new fortifications you see on the rt. Grenelle and Vaugirard, now forming a town of about 6000 Inhab., most of the houses being cabarets, the resort of the working classes on Sundays and fete-days ; and on the 1. Montrouge, where are numerous quarries of build¬ ing stone. Beyond the Lines the railway passes between the detached forts of Vanvres and Issy, a village whose name is fanci¬ fully derived from a temple of Isis ! In the Seminaire, which still exists as a sort of country-seat dependent on that of St. Sulpice, FenMon was in¬ terrogated by a conclave of bishops, styled the Conference of Issy, on cer¬ tain points of doctrine, and here the Cardinal Fleury died, 1745. rt. Vanvres. The Chateau, formerly the property of the Condes, built here by Mansard for the Due cle Bourbon, now belongs to the College Louis le Grand. 5 Clamart Stat. The village, half hid among the trees, on the 1., was the retreat of La Fontaine, of the Abbe Delille, who wrote here his poem ‘ L’Imagination,’ and of Condorcet. Emerging from a deep cutting we traverse on a lofty viaduct (Pont du Val) of 2 rows of arches, one above the other, 108 ft. high and 145 ft. long, the bosky dell of Val Fleury, com¬ manding a pretty view of the chateau of Meudon on the 1., while the Seine is perceived on the rt. 2 Meudon Stat. A little on the 1. lies the bourg of 3000 Inhab. Rabelais was cure of Meudon, 1550. The Chateau, now belonging to the nation, approached by a fine avenue of 4 rows of lime-trees, was built by the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV., who died in it, from designs of Man¬ sard, 1699, by the side of an older cMteau now destroyed, the work of Philibert Delorme, which the widow of the minister Louvois sold to Louis XIV. During the Revolution the Comitfi du Salut Public converted it into a factory for inventing and perfecting warlike engines, and surrounded it with a per¬ manent camp to keep out spies. The existing chateau was fitted up for Marie Louise by Napoleon, 1812. The best things about it are its situation, its gardens laid out by Le Notre, but lately re-arranged on a more modern plan, and its terrace. The view from the terrace is very fine. There is a breeding-stud for race-horses here be¬ longing to the Due de Nemours. The Foret de Meudon is a favourite holiday resort of the Parisians. Near this the fatal accident occurred on this railway, May 1842, when, by the frac¬ ture of the axle of a locomotive, several ' of the foremost carriages of a long train were crushed, thrown upon the engine- furnace, and set on fire, and more than 100 persons were burnt alive, together with the railway-carriages in which they were locked up, in the space of about 4 hour. An expiatory chapel, dedicated to Notre Dame des Flammes, has been erected on the spot where this catastrophe occurred. Another cutting succeeds, and the railway passes under the Meudon avenue. 1 Bellevue Stat. was named from a villa built in a few months to please Madame de Pompadour, but pulled to pieces during the Revolution. rt. Sevres Stat., contiguous to Belle¬ vue, is described farther on (p. 120). The high road, and the chemin de fer, rive droite, now run parallel and with¬ in a musket-shot of our line. A deep cutting through part of the crown forests leads to 4 Chaville Stat., so called from a village on the 1. 1 Viroflay Stat. 1. Railway to Char¬ tres diverges. 4 Versailles Station (in the Avenue de la Mairie). See Galignani’s Paris Guide. b. Chemin de Fer, Rive Droite. Ter¬ minus in Paris, Rue St. Lazare, 120, the same as the St. Germain and Rouen railways, and the 3 railways use the same line of rails as far as Clichy. Trains every 4 hour (stopping), and every hour direct, from 7^ a.m. to 10 p.m., 22 - | kilom = 14 Eng. m. ; time in going 30 to 35 minutes. After crossing the Seine by the Pont d’Asnieres Stat. beyond Clichy, this railway turns to the 1. out of the St. Germain line (see Rte. 8) to Brittany. Route 34.— St. Cloud—Les Hcimeux. Ill Courbevoie Stat., whose large bar¬ rack, built by Louis XV., is seen on the L, and beyond it the Arc de l’Etoile. The avenue leading from it, after pass¬ ing the Seine by the Pont de Neuilly, branches out into two roads leading to Rouen, the upper and the lower, both of which are crossed by the railway before reaching Puteaux Stat. A fine view is ob¬ tained of Paris and the Seine from this part of the line, while skirting on the rt. the flanks of Mont Valerien, now con¬ verted into one of the citadels of Paris. Suresnes Stat. St. Cloud Stat. The Royal Ch&teau, built or altered by Mansard for the Due d’Orleans, brother of Louis XIV., has been the scene of great events. Here the fatal Ordonnances of July 1830 were signed, which lost Charles X. the throne ; here Napoleon, like Cromwell before him, laid the foundation of his power on the memorable 19 Brumaire (Nov. 11,1799), by expelling with his armed grenadiers the Council of Five Hundred from the Orangerie, in which they held their sittings ;—two of the most momentous of the Revolutions of France. It was a favourite residence of Marie Antoi¬ nette and of Bonaparte, and is now occupied by the President. The interior is handsomely furnished, and contains some paintings chiefly of the modern French school, Gobelin tapestry, Sevres vases, &c. The finest apartment is the Salon de Mars ; the most interesting for its associations, the Orangerie already mentioned. Even more remarkable than the Chateau is the Parc de St. Cloud, laid out by Le Notre, always open to the public, and well wortliv of a visit on account of the beautiful view which it commands over the winding Seine and the country around Paris, for its artificial cascades, and its waterworks, which play the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. The Grand Jet d’JCau rises from the centre of a circular basin, at the extremity of a long avenue, to a height of 137 feet, and discharges 5000 gallons per minute. The copy of the beautiful circular temple at Athens, called the L ante me de Demos- thene, should not be passed unobserved. In this part a fair is held on the 7th September, and lasts 3 weeks, one of the most celebrated and frequented of all the fetes near Paris. The name of St. Cloud is a contrac¬ tion of St. Clodoald, grandson of Clovis, who escaped alive when his brothers were murdered by their uncle Clothaire, by hiding himself in a wood here, and living as a hermit. Here, in the Maison de Gondi, Henri III. was assassinated by Jacques Clement, 1589, while his army, united with that of Henri of Navarre, was encamped on these heights preparing to attack Paris. The father of Louis-Philippe was born here. The rail way is carried under a part of the park of St. Cloud in a Tunnel more than 1650 ft. long. Sevres Stat. Both railways have stations here, but at some distance from the village, as well as at Viroflay Stat. 1. The railway to Chartres diverges about 1 m. beyond Viroflay. rt. The small village of Montreuil, famed for peaches, is the birthplace of General Hoche, who commenced life as an under groom in the royal stables, and rose to be commander of the army of the Moselle. Versailles Station, Rue Duplessis, Boulevard de la Reine. [Near Magny—Les Hameux are the scanty remains of the once celebrated abbey of Port Royal des Champs, de¬ stroyed by royal decree 1709, at the instigation of the Jesuits, as the head¬ quarters of Jansenism, after the nuns, its tenants, had been subjected to the most cruel persecutions in order to compel them to subscribe to the bull of Alexander VII. against the doctrines of Jansen. In 1644 a number of learned men and profound divines, professing the same doctrines, settled in a farmhouse near the convent, called La Grange, repairing hither for study; and here composed those works w T hich, as “they were published anony¬ mously, are known by the name of their place of residence. Arnauld, Nicole, are among the Messieurs de Port-Royal,—an appellation so glorious in the 17th cent.”— Hallam. Boileau 112 Route 34 .—Port Royal — Rambouillet. Sect. II. and Pascal were their friends, and Racine, who wrote their history, their pupil. “He whose journey lies from Ver¬ sailles to Chevreuse will soon find him¬ self at the brow of a steep cleft or hollow, intersecting the monotonous plain across which he has been passing. The brook which winds through the verdant meadows beneath him stag¬ nates into a lage pool, reflecting the solitary Gothic arch, the water-mill, and the dovecot, which rise from its banks, with the farmhouse, the decayed towers, the forest-trees, and innumer¬ able shrubs and creepers which clothe the slopes of the valley. France has many a lovelier prospect, though this is not without its beauty, and many a field of more heart-stirring interest, though this, too, has been ennobled by heroic daring; but through the length and breadth of that land of chivalry and of song, the traveller will in vain seek a spot so sacred to genius, to piety, and to virtue. That arch is all which remains of the once crowded monastery of Port-Royal. In those woods Racine first learned the lan¬ guage— the universal language—of poetry. Under the roof of that humble farmhouse, Pascal, Arnauld, Nicole, De Sace, and Tillemont me¬ ditated those works which, as long as civilization and Christianity sur¬ vive, will retain their hold on the gratitude and reverence of mankind. There were given innumerable proofs of the graceful good humour of Henri IV. To this seclusion retired the heroine of the Fronde, Ann Gene¬ vieve, Duchess of Longueville, to seek the peace the world could not give. Madame de Sevignd discovered here a place ‘tout propre a inspirer le desir de faire son salut.’ From Versailles there came hither to worship God many a courtier and many a beauty, heartbroken or jaded with the very vanity of vanities—the idolatry of their fellow-mortals. Survey French society in the 17th cent, from what aspect you will, it matters not, at Port-Royal will be found the most illustrious examples of whatever imparted to that motley assemblage any real dignity or per¬ manent regard. Even to the mere antiquarian it was not without a lively interest.”— Stephen. The magnificent ChdteaudeDampierre, in the vale of Chevreuse, has lately been restored by its owner, the Due de Luynes, one of the richest nobles in France. It has been adorned with paintings by Ingres, and with sculp¬ tures by Si/nart. The park has an area of 2000 acres. The valley is one of the prettiest and least visited spots in the vicinity of Paris. The Chateau is curious. 32 La Verriere Stat. 39 Lartoire Stat. 48 Rambouillet Stat., a dull town of 3000 Inhab., remarkable only for its Chateau, long the residence of the kings of France, down to the time of Charles X., who, after the July revolution, here signed, in conjunc¬ tion with the Due d’Angouleme, his abdication of the French throne, Aug. 2, 1830, under pressure of the news that the mob of Paris, armed, was on its march hither, seeming to threaten results not unlike those which befel Louis XVI. at Versailles, Oct. 1789. It is a gloomy and ugly pile of red brick, with 5 flanking towers of stone, destitute of interest beyond what it may derive from its history. A cham¬ ber is shown in the great round tower where Francis I. died, 1547, aged 52. The dreary park and extensive forest adjoining, the favourite sporting-ground of Charles X., are now hired to private clubs of sportsmen. The chateau was converted by Louis Napoleon into a Seminary for officers’ daughters, 1852. Beyond this the road becomes more hilly and varied. The rly. descends the valley of the Guesle, following its sinuosities, as far as 61 Epernon Stat., no tolerable Inn. The name of this town of 1600 Inhab. was changed from Autrist to Epernon by Henry III., who created it and the district around a duchy for his favourite Nogaret. It retains por¬ tions of its old walls and towers, and is prettily situated on the banks of the Guesle, under a commanding rock of limestone. Maintenon Stat. is situated between Brittany. Route 34.— Maintenon — Chartres. 113 the ruined aqueduct of Louis XIY. (see below) and the imposing modern rly. viaduct of 3*2 arches, 65 ft. high, raised on light piers. The Chateau attached to this little town was given by Louis XIY., with the estate and title of Marquise de Maintenon, to Franchise d’Aubigne, widow of Scarron, at the time when the king made her his wife. Their marriage is said to have been celebrated in the chapel of the castle by the Pere la Chaise in the presence of Harlay and Louvois, 1685, she being 50 years old and Louis 47. The Castle stands on the margin of the Eure, and now belongs to the Due de Noailles; parts of it are said to appertain to the original structure raised by Cocquereau, treasurer of .finance to Louis XI. and Charles VIII. The bedroom of Mad. de Maintenon, and her portrait in robes trimmed with ermine and fleurs - de - lis, are shown. The valley of the Eure is here crossed by the imposing ruins of the Aqueduct, constructed 1684, at the mandate of Louis XIV., to convey the waters of the Eure from Pont Gouin to Versailles, but afterwards abandoned for the machine at Marly. “ As Louis had committed the blun¬ der of building in a place without water, he proposed to remedy his mistake by conveying the river eight leagues, by a new channel, to adorn his park. To accomplish this it was necessary to join two mountains at Maintenon, and form an aqueduct: 40,000 troops wei’e employed in this great work, and a camp formed ex¬ pressly for the purpose. From the unhealthiness of the work or of the air, a great mortality ensued; the dead were carried away in the night¬ time, that their companions might not be discouraged; but the loss of many thousand lives to please the wanton caprice of a despot excited no sympathy and created no surprise. The war of 1688, however, interrupted the labour, and it was never afterwards resumed.”— Lord John Russell. It was partly pulled down, after a lapse of 65 years, to build the villa of Cr^cy for Mad. de Pompadour. The remains consist of 47 arches, 42 ft. wide and 83 high. The total length of the canal, of which this was to form a part, would have exceeded 33 m. if completed. On leaving Maintenon behind we enter the fertile plain called La Beauce, comprising some of the finest corn- land in France. In the early summer it is an uninterrupted ocean of waving corn as far as the eye can reach—with¬ out hedges, little varied by trees or houses. “ In crossing this monoto¬ nous plain I was much struck with the number of churches. I counted at one time about 13, yet the villages are neither numerous nor large.”— P. LI. 78 Jouy Stat. Rather mox*e than 1 m. from Chartres the river Eure is crossed. The twin steeples of Chartres are conspicuous a long way off. 88 Chartres Station. — Inns: Post, or Grand Monarque, best; Hotel Due de Chartres; H. de France, indifferent. Chartres, a city of 14,439 Inhab., once capital of the fertile Beauce, and now of the Dept. d’Eure et Loire, is situated on a slope, at the bottom of which runs the Eure, washing the only remaining portion of the old forti¬ fications and two of the city gates. The Porte Guillaume, one of these, is picturesque; the rest have been pulled down, the ramparts levelled into walks, and the town thrown open. Chartres is remarkable in a commercial point of view for one of the largest corn-markets in France, held every Saturday, where the produce of the Beauce is disposed of; and in point of architecture ,.for its Cathedral, one of the most magni¬ ficent in Europe, conspicuous far and near, with its two tall but unequal spires surmounting the hill on which the city stands. Its most striking and interesting features, after its vast dimensions and elegant proportions, are its two rich and singular lateral portals, its painted glass, scarcely equalled in France, and its three rose windows. There is much perplexity in the dates assigned to different parts of the building, but, with the evidence of style, we may pronounce the Crypt, running under the whole extent of the 114 Route 34.— Chartres — Cathedral. Sect. II. choir aisles, to be the only part remain¬ ing which was bnilt by Bishop Fulbert, 1029. He was aided in his pious foun¬ dation by gifts from the kings of Eng¬ land, France, and Denmark, and a great body of people came over from Rouen to work at it, encamping in tents around while it was in progress. The ch., as it exists, was not dedicated until 1260, and the greater portion of it may safely be referred to the 13th centy. ; but the W. front was completed in 1145, except the elegant crocketed N. spire raised in 1514, partly at the charge of Louis XII., by Jean Texier, an archi¬ tect of the Beauce : it is 304 ft. high, and the upper part of beautifully light and delicately executed work. It is well worth ascending for the view, not only of the surrounding country, but of the Cathedral itself. In the W. front, which is simple in its style, we have to remark the triple portal of pointed arches ; that in the centre, called Porte Roy ale , supported and flanked by statues of royal saints. These are attenuated figures with formal plaited drapery, characteristic of the Byzantine sculp¬ ture of the 12th centy. Above the door is the image of Christ in an oval, with the symbols of the 4 Evangelists, as designated in the vision of Ezekiel, around him. Below these are the 14 Prophets in a row, and in the arches above the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, playing on musical instruments of the middle ages. The sculpture of the right-hand portal relates to the life of the Virgin, and in that of the 1. is seen Christ, again surrounded by angels, with the signs of the zodiac, and the agri¬ cultural labours of the twelve months. Far finer are the two entrances on the N. and S. sides, consisting of triple projecting Gothic porticoes (something like the W. end of Peterborough), resting on piers, or bundles of pillars, with side openings between them. The stately statues which line the sides and vaults are of a superior style of art, and of a later date (14th cent.) than those of the W. front. The interior is of such consistent vastness in all its parts, that its dimen¬ sions do not perhaps strike the specta¬ tor, at first sight, to their fullest extent, but its length is 422 ft., and the height to the apex of its roof 112 ft. The style throughout nave and choir is the vigorous early Gothic. In the centre of the nave a maze or labyrinth, of in¬ tricate circles, is marked out on the pavement in coloured stone : to follow it through its windings (1320 ft. long), saying prayers at certain stations, was probably at one time a penitential exer¬ cise. The ch. possesses a perfect trea¬ sure of Painted Glass, more than 130 windows being completely filled, and few being quite destitute of this splen¬ did ornament. They date, for the most part, from the 13th centy. Some of the glass is ^ inch thick. The 3 rose windows at the end of the nave and transepts are remarkable for their size, 30 or 40 ft. diameter, and their com¬ plicated tracery, but it is somewhat clumsy. The windows, both in nave and choir, illustrate subjects from the Bible, or legends of saints; in the lower compartments are frequently seen re¬ presentations of various trades—shoe¬ makers, basket-makers, &c.—showing that their guilds or corporations were the donors. Attached to the E. end is a chapel dedicated to St. Piat, in the form of an oblong; it was founded in 1349, and is flanked by two round towers ex¬ ternally. The choir has double aisles and a semicircular E. end; in the inside 8 marble bas-reliefs, of Scriptural sub¬ jects, mediocre in design and execution, are inserted, and behind the high altar is a huge marble piece of sculpture, in the taste of the time of Louis XIII., not consistent with the character of the building. The outside of the screen, which separates the choir from its aisles, is ornamented with a series of very remarkable Gothic sculptures, each representing an event in the life of Christ or the Virgin Mary, in 45 compartments surrounded with the most elaborate tracery and tabernacle work ; they were begun 1514, and con¬ tinued down to the middle of the 17th century, and are interesting as some of the final efforts of Gothic art. The execution has been compared to “ point lace in stone, and some of the sculp- Brittany. 115 Route 34.— Chartres — Rretigny. tured threads are not thicker than the blade of a penknife.” In the choir of Chartres cathedral Henri IV. was crowned, 1594; Rheims, the ancient scene of the royal corona¬ tion, being at the time in the hands of the Leaguers. The ceremony was performed by the bishop of the dio¬ cese, and, as the “Sainte Ampoulle ” was not to be got at, a vial of holy oil, said to have been given by an angel to St. Martin of Tours, to cure a bruise, was brought in procession from the Abbey of Marmoutiers, and with this the king was anointed. This cathedral narrowly escaped destruction by fire in 1836 : fortunately the roof and interior of the towers were alone consumed. “ The origin and splendour of this cathedral are owing to the circum¬ stance that it was the earliest and chief church in France dedicated to the Virgin, and thus the object of vast pilgrimages. The sacred image, sup¬ posed to date from the time when this place was the centre of the Druidic worship, as described by Csesar, stood in the crypt. It was burned and the crypt sacked in 1793. The church still contains the relic of the Sacra Camisia, given by Charles le Chauve; and there is a black image of the 12tli centy. in the N. aisle, which attracts much de¬ votion. It is worth while to ascend the tower—not for the panorama, which is only over a vast plain, but in order to have a near view of the painted glass inside the cathedral. A full account of every window will be found in the elaborate History of the Cathedral by the Abbe Baltran, price 4^ francs.”— A. P. S. After exploring this noble and sur¬ passing edifice, the traveller will pro¬ bably have little desire to look at inferior churches, yet the only other curiosities here are The Church of St. Pierre (St. Pere), contiguous to a huge caserne, once a convent, and not far from the river; -—although very inferior to the cathe¬ dral, it presents a remakable lantern¬ like E. end, filled with rich painted glass. The lantern character is in¬ creased by the triforium, running all round the choir, being open and glazed. The choir, though pointed, must be very early in the style, the piers having a Romanesque character, the nave slightly different, and apparently later, yet retains the transition appear¬ ance in its columns. Its triforium is a row of trefoil-headed arches, sup¬ ported on pilasters. St. Andre, also near the river, and now a magasin de foiirrage, filled with straw and hay, is yet interesting to the student of architecture as an early, plain, and severe example of the pointed style. In the W. fa§ade a cir¬ cular-headed doorway is surmounted by a triplet of lancet windows, and these by a bold rose window. The piers supporting the nave arches are cylindrical, marking the transition from Romanesque to Gothic. The choir, which was carried across the Eure, is destroyed. A curious crypt extends from the south aisle down to the river, and below its level. St. Andre is supposed to have been founded 1108. An Obelisk has been set up in the Marche aux Herbes, to record the fact that Marceau was a native of Chartres, —“Soldat a 16 ans, General a 23 ; il mourut a 27.” The original inscription mentioned his exploits in destroying the rebel Vendeans at Le Mans and Laval. The revolutionary hero Petion was born here. The Corn Market is exceedingly well regulated ; business is transacted for ready money, and is usually over in f hour. The measuring and selling of the grain, and receiving payment for it, are managed by a corporation of women, of long standing, remarkable for their integrity, and implicitly trusted by the owners. There are a public Library of 30,000 volumes and a Museum in the town. Malleposte to Brest. Diligences daily to Orleans and Rouen by Evreux (Rte. 50). To Tours by Vendome (Rte. 54). To Nantes. Railway to Paris by Versailles—to Le Mans and Rennes in progress. The little village Bretiyny, 6 m. from Chartres, gives its name to the celebrated treaty of peace, signed 1360, between France and England, by which 116 Route 34 .—Paris to Rennes—Le Mans. Sect. II. Edward III. renounced his claim to the throne of France, and released the French king, John, taken prisoner at Poitiers, upon payment of a vast ran¬ som, and delivery of numerous host¬ ages. A violent storm which fell upon Edward and his army near Chartres, and “ reminded him of the day of judgment,” caused him to make a vow (looking towards the towers of the cathedral) that he would give peace to France, and led to this important treaty. The journey from Chartres is con¬ tinued through the monotonous but fertile and well-cultivated corn-plain of La Beauce. La Loupe Stat. [Courville, 3 m. S. of this is the Chateau de Villebon, where the illus¬ trious Sully died. It is a square build¬ ing of brick, with towers at the angles, and not many years ago retained its ancient furniture, even to the bed on which the great minister expired. The Eure rises about 15 m. to the N. of Courville. At Montlandon the fertile Beauce terminates, and the country becomes hilly. Nogent-le-Rotrou Stat., a town of 7070 Inhab., contains a ruined Castle, the residence of Sully, and his Monu¬ ment in the chapel of the Hotel Dieu founded by him. It bears the marble statues of himself and his wife by Boudin, 1642, and a long inscription at the back ; it escaped the fury of the Revolution, but the grave itself was violated, and the bones disinterred and scattered. The word Nogent is an abbreviation of the Latin Novigen- tium ; Rotrou was the name of a count of Perclie, in which district it is situ¬ ated. The river produces crawfish in great abundance, ( Inn ; St. Jacques.) The road follows the direction of the Huisne river from Nogent nearly to Le Mans. Ferte-Bernard is a prettily situated town in the Dept, de la Sartlie, skirted by the road. Within it the Parish Church is an interesting Gothic build¬ ing, having a richly-sculptured ex¬ ternal gallery, with the words “Salve Regina” cut in stone, and 3 chapels, fron the vaulted roofs of which hang stone pendants. Near Connerre is a large Dolmen or Druidic monument of rude stone slabs, like Kits Coity House in Kent. (§ 4.) St. Mars-la-Bruyere indicates by its name the desolate sandy heaths in the midst of which it is situated. Le Mans Stat. (Inn: Le Dauphin), once capital of the province of Le Haut Maine, now chef-lieu of the Dept, de la Sartlie, is situated on the 1. bank of the river Sarthe, a little above the junction of the Huisne, and has 20,000 Inhab. The principal edifice is the Cathe¬ dral of St. Julien, which is well de¬ serving of attention. It is in two styles ; the nave, Romanesque, though with pointed arches, dates probably from the 12 cent., but its side aisles and walls, and the plain W. front, are not later than the 11th, perhaps much earlier. Indeed, the external masonry of the .side walls, resembling Roman construction, is probably part of the original church, founded in the 8th or 9th cent. Above the W. door are portions of reticulated masonry, and an ancient bust of a king or bishop ; on each side are figures supposed to represent the 2 signs of the zodiac, Capricorn and Sagittarius. On the S. side is a very richly- carved Romanesque doorway —a round arch preceded by a pointed porch, flanked by statues of kings and saints, resembling the W. door at Chartres, and with angels in the vault. It is much mutilated, unfortunately. The Choir is a beautiful production of the 13th centy., the period of per¬ fection in pointed Gothic architecture. It is surrounded by 11 chapels, and its windows are filled with beautiful painted glass, little inferior to that of Chartres, except in preservation. In the transept is a fine rose window, together with much stained glass of the 14tli or 15tli cent., a date rather more modern than that of the choir. This church contains the monu¬ ments of Berengaria of Sicily, queen of Richard Coeur de Lion, brought from the abbey of Epau, and much defaced ; of Charles of Anjou ; and of Langey du Bellay, distinguished as a soldier and as a writer in the reigns Brittany. 117 Route 34.- of Francis I. and Henri II. The last is attributed to Germain Pilon ; its ara¬ besques and bas-reliefs in.marble are well worthy attention. An undressed block of silicious sand¬ stone, standing on one end, has been incorporated into the wall of the church on the outside ; it is supposed to be a Druidic stone. The Church of Notre Dame chi; Pre' is probably of the 11 th cent. Notre Dame de la Couture (de cultura Dei) has a very old choir, supposed to have been begun 990 ; both arches and vaulting are round and of rude construction ; it has a very elegant portal, adorned with sculpture of con¬ siderable merit (Last Judgment). The conventual buildings to which it was originally attached are now the Pre¬ fecture , but contain besides the Library and a Museum, partly devoted to na¬ tural history, partly to paintings of a very inferior order, but possessing one curiosity at least, viz. a portrait of Geoffroi Plantagenet, enamelled on copper, a very early specimen of that class of art : it was anciently placed in the cathedral where he was buried. There are also many objects of Roman antiquity found in Le Mans and the neighbourhood, at Alonnes pottery, &c. St. Pierre is supposed to be the oldest church here, that is to say, the lower part of its walls. The Seminaire , originally the Ab- baye de St. Vincent, has a noble fa- 9 ade and a fine staircase. There is a handsome theatre. Many specimens of ancient domes¬ tic architecture remained here until lately, but are fast disappearing, and the town is becoming modern and commonplace. There used to be some old houses in the Grande Rue. Nos. 7 , 10 , and 12 deserve attention ; the last is known as the house of Queen Berengaria, but appears not to be older than the 15th century. It contains a chimney-piece adorned with bas-reliefs. The house of Scarron (husband of Madame de Maintenon) is pointed out near the cathedral. The vestiges of the Roman rule at Le Mans are not considerable : the chief are the re¬ mains of 3 subterranean aqueducts, by -Le ManSi which the city was supplied with water from a distance. A portion of them may be seen in a cellar of the Rue Gourdaine. Fragments of the Roman town walls still exist ; but all traces of an amphitheatre, discovered in the last century, have been swept away. Le Mans was the birthplace of Henry (II.) Fitz-Empress, the first of the Plantagenet kings of England: a name derived from the plant or sprig of broom (genet), the abundant produc¬ tion of his native province Anjou and Maine, which his father, Geoffroi, used to wear in his cap. A great trade is carried on here in clover-seed, which is sent over in large quantities to England. The chief ar¬ ticle of manufacture is wax candles. Le Mans is also famed for poultry ; its poulards and chapons supply the markets of Paris. Le Mans witnessed the ruin and final dispersion of the Vendean army in 1793. Worn out by the disastrous fatigues of a six months’ campaign, they were here assaulted by the Re¬ publican forces under Marceau’s com¬ mand. Very obstinate was the resist¬ ance made by the Royalists in the streets and great square of the town before they were finally expelled, with their leader, Larochejacquelin, who was wounded in the action. Then en¬ sued the most fearful carnage, not only of the Vende'an soldiery, but of their miserable wives and children, who accompanied them. By the joint exercise of cannonades of grape and platoons of musketry, discharged upon the defenceless crowd, under the order of the commissioners of the Convention, upwards of 10,000 persons were slaughtered on that occasion. Conveyances daily to Caen by Aien- 9011 and to Tours (Rte. 29). The Railway to Rennes (230 m. from Paris) is in progress through Laval and Vitre. From Le Mans to Laval the post¬ relays are 14 Coulans. 19 La Lune Brulon. 18 La Metairie de Beauvais. 10 Soulge-le-Bruant. 16 Laval. (Inns: Tete Noire;— 118 Route 34 .—Paris to Ren?ies — Laval. Sect. II. Cour Royale), a curious ancient town, chef-lieu of the Dept, de la May- enne, on the river Mayenne, has 16,500 Inhab. The oldest part con¬ sists of black timber houses, each story projecting beyond that below it, until the gable overhangs the street; but a new quarter has risen on the W., where the streets are wide and regular. On the rt. bank of the river, close to the old bridge, the Castle of the seigneurs of La Tremouille rises from a basement of rock, on which its lofty wall is raised, flanked at one end by a machicolated round tower. It was built in the 12th centy., and its Chapel on round arches is perhaps of that date, but there are many later additions, and the jambs of some of the windows facing the inner court retain some rich ornaments in the style of the Renaissance (15th or 16th centy.). It is now a prison. The Cathedral presents a singularity of ground plan, taking the form of a right angle, occasioned by the sloping ground on which it stands. It is a curious Gothic edifice. The nave and choir (except the aisles and side chapels, additions of the 15th and 16tli centuries, in the flamboyant style) are not older than the 12th centy. The E. end is square; the porch is a wretched addition of recent times. Under the cli. are very extensive substructions and crypts, thrown up in consequence of the slope of the ground to form a platform or pedestal for the building. St. Venerand, a cli. of the 15th or 16th centy., has a little painted glass. The church in the village of Avenieres, adjoining the town, built 1040, deserves the notice of the architect. Its choir, in the early pointed style, is sur¬ rounded by 5 apsidal chapels, and 2 others open into the transepts. Above the cross rises an elegant stone spire of decorated Gothic. The church contains a miracle-working image of the Virgin. The architect and antiquary ought not to leave unseen the little ruined eh., of Grenoux, 2 m. from Laval. It is destitute of all ornament. The structure of its masonry, small square stones with intervening bonds of tiles, marks the style of a period not later than the 9th cent. Within it is a monument of a knight and his lady. Laval is essentially a manufacturing town, occupied in the production of linens and cottons (toiles, coutils, sia- moises), and of linen thread, large quantities of which are spun here. A market for the sale of these produc¬ tions is held every week in the Halle aux Toiles. Laval was the centre from which arose the Royalist insurrection of 1792, called Chouannerie, either from 4 bro¬ thers named Chouan, its first leaders, of the village St. Ouen des Toits, or from the cry of the owl, imitated by the salt-smugglers of this district as a signal to their confederates, and after¬ wards adopted during the struggle, by the peasant guerrillas, to announce the enemy’s approach. One of the most glorious victories of the Vendeans was gained in Oct. 1793, a little to the S. of the town. Defeated in several previous combats, and driven across the Loire, with a large Republican army in pursuit of them, their enemies believed the war extinguished. Barrere announced this intelligence to the Convention in Paris : “La Vendee is no more, the brigands are exterminated, a profound solitude reigns in the Bocage, covered with cinders and watered with tears:”—but at the very time that these words were being uttered, Larochejacquelin had carried Laval at the point of the bayonet; then, turning round on his pursuers, he exhorted his brave bands to efface the memory of their former defeats, and to fight for the preserva¬ tion of their wives and children who accompanied them, now far from their homes. Lescure insisted on being car¬ ried through the ranks on his death- litter, mortally wounded as he was, to encourage the Royalists by his pre¬ sence, and to share their peril and toil. The Vendeans, obeying the ap¬ peal, on this occasion rushed upon the enemy in close column, routed them entirely, and pursued them beyond Chateau Gonthier, with a loss to the Republicans of 12,000 men, among whom were the redoubted garrison of Brittany. Route 34.—- Vitre -— Rennes. 119 Mayence, who were mostly cut to pieces, and of 19 cannon. The conflict began at les Croix de Bataille, 2 m. S. of Laval. So precipitate and com¬ plete was the rout, that the remains of the Republican army, reduced to 12,000 men, were not collected and reorganised until 12 days had elapsed, and not before they had left the town of Angers in their rear. 21 La Gravelle. “ There are large coal-works at St. Pierre la Cour, near this.”— L. 16 Vitrfi (Bin: La Poste) is in ap¬ pearance a town of the middle ages, Gothic and irregular, retaining the greater portion of its feudal fortifi¬ cations, high and thick waits flanked by tow’ers, surmounted by machicola¬ tions, and surrounded by a deep ditch. They appear not later in date than the 15th cent. On one side of them, but detached from them by a ditch, stands a venerable and picturesque Castle of the Seigneurs de la Tremouille, now converted into a prison and/ailing to decay. In the court is an elegantly ornamented structure, half Gothic, half Italian, supposed to have been a pulpit. At the time of its construction the lords of the castle were adherents of the reformed faith, and the inscription, which may still be read around the console, “ post tenebras spero lucem,” probably alludes to the persecutions they suffered. The Ch. of Notre Dame is in a style indicating the decline of Gothic art; attached to it, on the outside, is a stone pulpit, and within one of the chapels hangs a frame containing 32 small enamels, probably from Limoges. The peasants of this part of Brittany wear a dress of goatskins with the hair turned outwards, which gives them a somewhat savage aspect, and reminds one of Robinson Crusoe. About 3 m. S. of Vitre is the Chateau des Rochers, long time the re¬ sidence of Madame de Sdvigne; her bedroom and the cabinet where she wrote many of her charming letters are pointed out, and there is a fine portrait of her by Mignard, but the furniture, &c., of the interior has been altered. [Near Essd, 7 lieues S.W. of Vitre, is aDruidical monument called “laRoche aux Fees,” consisting of 43 large rough blocks of stone—34 upright, support¬ ing 8 others which form a roof.] The Vilaine river, after which the department is named, rises near Vitre; our road runs parallel with its course as far as Rennes, crossing it by a stone bridge at 15 CMteaubourg. 2 m. beyond this the road passes close to a large slate-quarry excavated to a depth of more than 100 ft. 9 Noyal. The country possesses little interest. 12 Rennes. — Inns: H. de France, rebuilt 1851 ; table-d’hote 4 frs. ;—- H. de la Corne de Cerf, well situated and moderate charges; — H. Jullien (formerly H. de TEurope). This town, once capital of Brittany, now chef- lieu of the Ddpt. Ille et Vilaine, is situated at the confluence of these tw T o streams, and contains 37,900 Inhab. Here are few antiquities; the town has an entirely modern aspect, arising from a dreadful fire which in 1720 reduced nearly the whole to ashes. It lasted 7 days, and consumed 850 houses, be¬ sides nearly all the public buildings ; the ancient and solidly built clock tower crumbled to pieces on the third day, calcined by the flames. The pub¬ lic buildings, of a date subsequent to this catastrophe, display for the most part the bad taste of the 18th centy. The streets are uniform ; and, £ £ not¬ withstanding the sober and gloomy hue of which the houses are chiefly built, Rennes is rather a handsome city,” but dull. Considerable improvements have taken- place, many narrow streets have been removed, and a new bridge has been thrown over the Vilaine. The stately Palais de Justice, in the handsome Place du Palais, was the parliament house of the States of Brit¬ tany, and is the most remarkable building here. It contains one fine large Salle, des Pas Perdus, and several apartments rich in gilded ceilings and stucco ornaments, Cupids bearing fes¬ toons, &c., with roofs and panels painted by Jouvenet. Its date is 1670. 120 Route 35 .—Paris to Rennes — Sevres. Sect. II. The interior of the modern Cathedral “is a very spacious, lofty, and im¬ posing Hall of Grecian architecture; the principal aisle having a richly de¬ corated vaulted roof, supported by massive and well-proportioned fluted Corinthian columns. On the whole the effect is striking, but not all eccle¬ siastical.” M. A. S. — St. Melaine retains a Romanesque porch supported on engaged pillars with curiously carved capitals, probably of the 12th century. The telegraph on the top of the cathe¬ dral is one of the chain communicating between Paris and Brest. There is a very handsome modern Theatre, situated in another respectable square, with covered arcades around it, lined with shops. In the modern Hotel de Ville facing the theatre is a collection of pictures removed from the damp Musde in wdiich they were before deposited : the greater part are of little worth. As a curiosity may be cited a Judgment of Solomon painted by King Rene' of Anjou, but much injured, faded and dingy in hue. There is a Lion Hunt, said to be by Rubens (?) Here is also the Public Library, con¬ taining 30,000 volumes, and many rare MSS., among them a charter of Don Henry of Trastamare, granting lands in Spain to Du Guesclin. The chief attraction of Rennes, how¬ ever, is its Public Walks, especially that called le Mont Thabor, planted with fine trees and commanding a pleasing view over the town, and valley of the Vilaine. A miserable statue of Du Guesclin has been set up in it. The other walks are le Mail, extending down to the junction of the Ille and Vilaine, le Mont de Madame, and le Champ de Mars. One of the old town gates, la Porte Mordelaise, is preserved opposite the new cathedral; the entrance is by a pointed arch, and the masonry includes a stone bearing a Roman inscription, dedicated by the town of Rennes ( Re- donis) to the Emperor Gordian; it is no longer legible. Through this gate the ancient Dukes of Brittany made their solemn entry into Rennes on their accession, but before passing it they swore to preserve the Catholic faith and the ch. of Brittany, to govern wisely, and to execute justice ; they were then conducted into the ch., where, after 2 days spent in prayer, they were crowned with the golden circlet, and girt with the ducal sword. The manufactures of Rennes are sail-cloth, which it supplies to the French navy, and some table linen. The butter (beurre said) is excellent, especially that of Prdvalaye, large quan¬ tities of which are sent to other parts of France. Rennes has a communication by Canal with St. Malo and the Channel on the one hand, and with Nantes and Brest on the other. Diligences daily to Le Mans Rly. Stat. for Paris, and to Brest (Rte. 36) ; to Dinan and St. Malo (Rte. 41) ; to Caen (Rte. 31); to Nantes (Rte 41). ROUTE 35. PARIS TO RENNES BY VERNEUIL, DRElfX, ALEN$ON, AND LAVAL. 355 kilom. — 220 Eng. m. c. The High Road, Route Roy ale, now deserted for the railway (Rte. 34), quits Paris by the Barriere de Passy. The village of Passy was the residence of Benjamin Franklin, 1788. He occu¬ pied the house No. 40, Rue Basse, previously Hotel de Valentinois. The Abbe Raynal died here, 1796, and Bellini, the composer, 1834. Beranger has long lived in a very modest house here. The road runs along the rt. bank of the Seine through Auteuil, 2 m. farther on, which was alsS the resi¬ dence of many eminent men. The wise and good Chancellor d’Aguesseau lived and died here; an obelisk in the church¬ yard marks his grave. Boileau’s house is still pointed out, Rue de Boileau 18, and Moli&re composed here a great part of his works. Condorcet and Madame Helvetius had also houses here. The park and chateau de St. Cloud are conspicuous on the hill to the rt. The river Seine is crossed by the Pont de Sevres, a short way before entering le Bourg de 12 Sevres fPop. 4000), situated on the 1. bank of the river, 6 m. distant Brittany. Route 35 .—Paris to Rennes — Dreux. 121 from Paris, between 2 hills, the hill of Meudon on the 1. and that of St. Cloud on the rt., along whose slopes the 2 railways to Versailles are carried. Sevres, like Faenza and Delft, gives its name to the china made in it, and for w T hich it is principally known. The manufactory is in the large building on the 1. of the road, erected 1755, when the works were transferred from Vin¬ cennes, and purchased by Louis XV. It is now the property of the nation, and employs 150 persons. Admission to see it is given by the directeur, M. Brongniart, a distinguished mineralo¬ gist and geologist, to whose scientific researches the manufacture owes much of its present perfection. Besides the show-rooms filled with objects for sale, there is a very complete and curious Porcelain Museum here, consisting of clay, earthenware, and china of all countries and periods, from the oldest Greek and Etruscan vases down to the most recent productions of the nations of Europe and Asia, China, Japan, and the East Indies, and of many of the rude tribes of America. Here is a series of all the objects made in the establishment since its commencement, markiug the change of fashion and forms : also the various materials, earths, calces, colouring matters used in the manufacture. The Kaolin, or white clay, comes from St. Yreix near Limoges. The paintings are very re¬ markable from the talents of the art¬ ists employed, (among whom Madame Jacotot and M. Constantin rank high¬ est,) and the skill displayed in the burning of the colours gives an equal pre-eminence to Sevres w r are. Several pictures by ancient and modern masters have been copied in the size of the originals; some were painted on the china tablet in Italy and sent over to Sevres to be burnt, and again sent abroad to be retouched. The Sevres manufacture is celebrated for its white unglazed ware, biscuit de Sevres, the white glazed ware, the elegance of the shape, and the beauty of the painting. The manufacture of painted glass, erroneously supposed to be lost, has been revived and brought to consider- France. able perfection within a few years ; also the imitation of precious stones. The park of St. Cloud (p. 114) reaches as far as Sevres ; there are 2 entrances to it from the town. The road continues betwnen the 2 railways as far as Versailles, and enters that town by the Grande Avenue de Paris. 7 Versailles. — Inns: H. du Re¬ servoir and H. de France. (See Galig- nani’s ‘ Paris Guide.’) A Railroad is open from Versailles to Chartres. (Rte. 34.) The road to Rennes and Brest, in quitting Versailles, passes between the park wall and a large sheet of water called Piece des Suisses. A little w T ay on the rt. lies St. Cyr, converted by Napoleon into an Ecole Militaire, 1806, for 300 pupils—a des¬ tination which it still preserves ; but it was originally founded by Louis XIV., at the suggestion of Madame de Main- tenon, as a school for 250 young ladies of noble birth, and Mansard furnished the designs for it, 1686. Racine’s tra¬ gedies of Esther and Athalie, written for the pupils of the establishment, were here first brought out, in the presence of the King and Madame de Maintenon. She retired hither after Louis’s death, and dying here, 1719, was buried in the church. At the village of Trappes the road, leaving on the 1. the route to Nantes (Rte. 46), passes through a dull country to 19 Pontehartrain. 11 La Queue. 13 Houdan.— Tnns: l’Ecu; le Cygne. There is a handsome Gothic Church and an old Tower, part of the ancient fortifications, in this town of 2000 Inhab. 7 Maroles. The river Eure is crossed at Cherisy. 12 Dreux — {Inn: H. du Paradis) (Durocassis), a town of 6400 Inhab., on the Blaise, a tributary of the Eure. It was on the plain between the two rivers that the battle, known as la Journee de Dreux, one of the bloodiest in the French religious wars, was fought between the Roman Catholics, under the Due de Guise, w T ho was victorious, and the Huguenots, under the Prince G 122 Route 35 .—Paris to Rennes — Ivry. Sect. II. de Conde, who was made prisoner, 1583. The Due de Guise shared his couch the night after with his mortal enemy, and slept soundly by his side. The hill which rises above the town is crowned by the ruins of the Castle of the Comtes de Dreux, which was cap¬ tured with the town from the Due de Guise by Henri IV.: the remains of the very old Donjon or keep tower of brick, of a handsome Norman gateway, and of a Gothic chapel, built 1142, still exist. The space enclosed by the walls is planted and converted into a garden, in the midst of which rises a modern Chapel, in the form of a Greek temple surmounted by a cupola, ei’ected by the late Louis Philippe, when Due d’Orleans, to replace one destroyed at the Revolution, which was the burial- place of his maternal ancestors. Be¬ neath it are interred the Ducliesse de Penthievre, the remains of the Prin- cesse de Lamballe, who was massacred at the Revolution, the Princesse Marie of Wurtemberg, the accomplished daughter of the King, and the Duke of Orleans. Louis Philippe expended vast sums in adorning the edifice with the best productions of modern French Art. The entrances to the Chapel are Gothic: the dome is painted in fresco with the 12 Apostles. Some of the painted glass is very fine, and the sculpture on some of the tombs is exquisite, the finest of all being an Angel, in a bend¬ ing attitude, the chef d’oeuvre of the late King’s daughter—finer even than her well-known Jeanne d’Arc. The Chapel of the Virgin is enriched with carving, with pendants from the roof, and with painted windows of modern glass, representing religious subjects. The King built a long low range of apartments for the residence of him¬ self and his family when he visited the spot—and they are left just in the state in which he quitted them. The sum laid out here by Louis Philippe exceeded 4,000,000 francs. Around the hill are carried agreeable walks. Its top is sur¬ mounted by a telegraph-tower, and the view from it is very extensive. The Gothic Parish Church, its lower portions in the style of the 13th cent., the upper part and tower in that of the 16th, contains the graves of Rotrou, a dramatist of the 13th cent., and of Philidor the chess-player, both natives of Dreux. The Hotel de Ville, part Gothic, part the revival style of the 16th cent., now turned into a museum, contains a curious chimney-piece, and a bell, cast in the reign of Charles IX., bearing a representation, in relief, of the pro¬ cession of the Flambards. There are numerous manufactures of coarse cloths, serges, &c., in the arron- dissement of Dreux. Diligences to Paris by Versailles:—to Chartres and Rouen daily. [11 m. N.E. of Dreux are the scanty remains of the Chateau cl’Anet, built by the architect Philibert Delorme for Diana of Poitiers out of the funds furnished by the liberality of her royal lover Henri II., 1552, on the site of a castle which belonged to her husband Louis de Brdz£, to w T hich she retired to pass her widowhood. When she first became acquainted with the king she was 31, and he a youth of 13, yet she maintained her influence over him to the day of her death, in spite of the Queen, Catherine de Medicis, and he wore her colours—the widow’s weeds, black and white—to the last, and her symbol, the crescent of Diana, is con¬ spicuous in all his palaces. She was buried in the Chapel, which still re¬ mains, surmounted by a cupola, but her monument was removed to Paris, 1793, when her body was torn from the grave and lost. The chateau was almost entirely pulled down at the Revolution; part of the fagade was transported to Paris, where it has been re-erected at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. The ruins are pleasantly situated on the banks of the Eure. That stream traverses, a little lower down, the Plain of Ivry, the scene of one of the most decisive victories gained by Henry IV. over the armies of the Ligue, 1590, composed of French and Spaniards under Mayenne. Henri’s words to his soldiers before the battle were—“Je veux vaincre ou mourir avec vous. Gardez bien vos rangs, ne perdez point de vue mon panache blanc, vous le Brittany. Route 35 .—Paris to Rennes — Alengon . 123 trouverez toujours au chemin de l’honneur.” The monumental obelisk erected on the spot to commemorate the battle was thrown down 1793, but restored by Napoleon.] The Ch. of St. Beane near Dreux is a fine example of the flamboyant style. On the Avre, a tributary of the Eure, are several manufactories: the paper- mills of the very eminent stationer and publisher Didot, 2 or 3 cotton - mills belonging to Mr. Waddington, and the woollen yarn mill of Mr. Vulliamy— the 2 last Englishmen, who employ a great number of persons. The me¬ chanical power is water only. 14 Nonancourt. The site of the house in the market¬ place, near the church, in which Henri IV. slept the night before the battle of Ivry, is pointed out. 11 Tillieres sur-Avre. 10 Verneuil.— lams : Poste ; Cheval Blanc. This interesting old town, of 4000 Inhab., contains several remark¬ able specimens of Gothic architecture —the finest being the Tour de la Made¬ leine, a magnificent work in the most gorgeous late Gothic style, surmounted by a stunted spire. Verneuil was once a place of strength:—under its walls, which partly remain, a fine specimen of fortification of the 12th cent., was fought a bloody battle, August 17,1424, between the French and English, which, after two days of hard and uncertain contest, terminated in favour of the Regent Duke of Bedford, and was the last great victory obtained by him. The bravest leaders and most efficient troops who fought on the side of the French were the Scotch. Their com¬ manders, the Earl of Douglas, who had been created Duke of Touraine, his son, the Earl of Buchan, and many other knights were slain. The English army was inferior in numbers to the enemy, yet it left 1600 dead on the field, while on the side of the French there fell 4000, including Scotch and Italian allies. As usual, the English archers contributed mainly to the victory. Attached to the portion of the fortifica¬ tions not yet removed, is a tall tower, 60 ft. high, on the margin of the Avre, called la Tour Grise. The road by Argentan and Falaise branches off here (Rte. 29). 16 St. Maurice. 22 Mortagne.— Inn: H. de France. An old town (5158 Inhab.) which claimed to be capital of la Perclie. It is situated in a commanding position on a hill, surmounted by the high road in a series of zigzags, in order to reach the principal square/ It was a place of strength, often besieged, and suf¬ fered much from the horrors of war. During the contests of the League it was taken and pillaged by the two par¬ ties 22 times in 3^ years. Parts of its ramparts remain. Its only supply of water is obtained by means of a steam- engine pump, from springs at the bot¬ tom of the hill. The Church is remark¬ able for the pendants in the roof of its nave. The canvas used for pictures is made at Mortagne, besides other coarse cloths, and some porcelain. [7 m. N. of Mortagne, at Soligny, is the convent of La Trappe, founded in the 12tli cent., but owing its celebrity to the severe rule of the order enforced, 1666, by the Abbe la Ranee, who, so far from leading a dissipated life in his youth, as is commonly reported, is proved, by documents and letters pub¬ lished by M. Gonod, to have always lived u strictly and ascetically. The well-known story of his conversion is a pure fable.”— G. The convent was suppressed 1790, by a decree of the Assemblee Nationale, and its church destroyed with the tomb of La Ranee, but the monks were restored in 1814 by the exertions of M. Lestrange. They are interdicted from all intellectual labour, and only allowed to work in the fields.] 16 Mesle-sur-Sarthe. The Sarthe, a tributary of the Loire, is crossed here. 10 Menil Broust. 13 Alen^oai (Tams: none good; Poste;— Grand Cerf;—H. d’Angleterre), chief town of the Ddpt. de l’Orne, has a population .of 14,500, and is a thriving place, situated on the Sarthe, near the junction of the Briante, in an open plain. Its manufactures consist chiefly of cotton and woollen, hempen and linen cloths, called l( Toiles d'Alen$on.” g 2 124 Route 36.— Rennes to Brest — Lamballe. Sect. IT. The making of point lace, “Point cTAlen§on,” established here by Col¬ bert, for which the town was long cele¬ brated, has now nearly disappeared. Cider and perry (poire), the common drink of the country, are sold to a con¬ siderable extent, in casks called pipes. The public buildings are not very remarkable. The Cathedral consists of a Gothic nave, built in the 16th cent., having some painted glass, injured by a storm, 1821, and a pulpit approached by a staircase cut in the pier, attached to a plain modern choir. The crypt be¬ neath the church contains the remains of the Dues d’Alen§on—lately opened. Three battlemented towers of the old Castle, built by Wm. de Bellesme 1026, are converted into a prison, and the Prefecture is a brick building, which once belonged to the Duchesse de Guise. One of the most atrocious of the Revolutionary leaders, Hebert the anarchist, editor of the infamous journal Pere Duchesne, was a native of Alenqon. He was led trembling and weeping to the scaffold, to which he had condemned so many thousand innocent persons, in 1793, exhibiting in his last moments the most abject cowardice. The name Diamants d’Alemjon is given to the crystals of smoky quartz (rock crystal), found in the neighbour¬ ing granite quarries ; where the beryl also occurs. Alen§on is built of gra¬ nite, which becomes the predominant rock of the country further W. The cultivation of wheat becomes rarer, buckwheat takes its place; broom and rushes abound. Diligences to Tours and Caen. (Rte. 29.) 11 St. Denis. The river Mayenne rises near this, and is crossed about half way to 13 Prez en Pail, in the Dept, de la Mayenne ; the portion of it traversed by the road is a dreary country, un¬ enclosed and covered with heath. 18 Le Ribay. The high road to Brest merely skirts a suburb of Mayenne, leaving the town itself on the rt. 18 Mayenne.— Inns: Belle Etoile ; Tete Noire. A town of 10,000 Tn- iab., situated § on the rt. bank and j on the 1. of the Mayenne. Its manu- hetures of calicoes, linen cloth, and tokens employ 8000 persons in and around the town. The Castle, now in ruins, is a picturesque object, on the rt. bank of the river, near the bridge. It belonged to the seigneurs of May¬ enne, and was taken after a 3 months’ siege, by the English, under the Earl of Salisbury, 1424. Many of the streets are very narrow, and so steep hat it requires 8 or 10 oxen to draw a cart up them. The road descends the valley of the Mayenne, having the river on the rt. mt out of sight, to 13 Martigne. } <*• Rte ' “•) ROUTE 36. RENNES TO BREST. 240 kilom. = 149 Eng. m. Malleposte daily in 18 hours. Diligences daily. 10 Pace. 13 Dedee. 14 La Barette. 16 Broons is remarkable only as the birthplace of Bertrand Du Guesclin, the great captain of France in the 15th century. He was 10th child of Robert Du Guesclin, and remarkably ill-fa¬ voured to look upon. He first saw the light in the castle of La Motte Broons, of which no vestiges remain, but the place where it stood is marked by an avenue of trees, and a Monument, erected at the cost of the department, by the side of the road to Brest, about 1 m. out of the town. 12 Langouedre. 15 Lamballe (4400 Inhab.) was the chief place of the Comte of Penthievre; the castle of the counts was reduced and dismantled by Cardinal Richelieu, 1626, to punish a rebellious seigneur. The Ch. of Notre Dame, on the top of the hill whose slope is», occupied by the town, was originally the castle chapel, and is a fine Gothic building. Thick cylindrical piers, surmounted by capitals in bands, support the lancet Brittany. Route 36 .—Rennes to Brest — Morlaix. 125 arches of the nave, whilst the choir rests on clustered pillars, the arches being surmounted by a double tri- forium gallery. It has a wooden roof. In a side aisle is some good carved woodwork, with decorated and flam¬ boyant tracery, perhaps the remains of a roodloft. Part of the church was built 1545. The road to St. Malo (Rte. 41) diverges from this. Glimpses of the sea are obtained on the rt. before reaching 20 St. Brieuc. — Inns: Croix Blanche, clean and good: dinner, wine, bed, and tea for breakfast, 4 fr. 50 c. ;—• H. Tassin. There is nothing worth notice in this town of 12,500 Inhab.; it is situated on the Gouet, and has a port called Legud, 2 m. lower down the stream, provided with a long quai, accessible for vessels of 400 or 500 tons to un¬ load at. On the top of a hilly pro¬ montory, commanding the bouchure of the river, stands the ruined Tour de Cesson, built 1395, to defend its en¬ trance, but blown up 1598, after the war of the League, by order of Henri IY. Such, however, was the thickness of the wall, and the coherence of the mortar, that one half of the cylinder re¬ mains standing, braving the tempests, while the other lies shattered into a few large masses at its base, as it fell. There is a pretty walk from St. Brieuc to Legue, through a narrow ravine, traversed by a small tributary of the Gouet. St. Brieuc was taken by the Chouans in the Vendean war, 1799. An interesting antiquarian and archi¬ tectural excursion to Lanleff, Paimpol, &c., may be made from this (Rte. 38). 17 Chatelaudren, a small town on the Leff. 14 Guingamp (Hotel des Voyageurs) is a very picturesque town, situated in the vale of the Trieux, which abounds in pleasing scenery (7200 Inhab.). It formed part of the vast possessions of the Dues de Penthievre, and de¬ scended from them to Louis-Philippe. The site of their castle, razed to the earth, is occupied by a grove of trees, and serves as a promenade ; but frag¬ ments of the town walls remain. Its Church, surmounting the other build¬ ings, part Gothic, part in the style of the revival, has some peculiarities, viz. grotesque heads projecting from the shafts of its piers. The Fontaine de Plornb, in the middle of the Place, is rather an elegant work of Italian artists in the 15th cent., it is supposed. The Chapel of Notre Dame de Grace, 3 m. out of the town, is well deserving a visit, although its rich decorations in sculptured tracery and figures have been much mutilated. “ Its elegant spire, finely proportioned pillars, and light arches, are still worthy of ad¬ miration ; and much of the grotesque carving which formed the cornices of the nave and aisles may still be seen.” — Trollope. It was erected in the 14th cent, by Charles of Blois. 19 Belle-Ile-en-Terre. The D4pt. of Finisterre, in la Basse Bretagne, the ancient Armorica, is en¬ tered before reaching. 19 Ponthou. 15 Morlaix (Inns: H. de Provence ; good and moderate;—H. de Paris) is a flourishing little port and town of 10,500 Inhab., picturesquely seated in a valley wide enough only for the tidal river or creek which runs up it, lined with 2 quays and 2 rows of houses, “behind which the hills rise steep and woody on one side, on the other gardens and rocks and wood ; the effect romantic and beautiful.”— A. Young. The rock rises so close behind the houses as to give rise to a proverb, “ From the garret to the garden, as they say at Morlaix.” It is only 6^ m. from the sea, and is reached by vessels of considerable ton¬ nage. To the stranger its chief attrac¬ tion is the unaltered air of antiquity which it retains in its older quarters, such as the Rues des Nobles and du Pave, and the thoroughly Bi’eton cha¬ racter of its street architecture and houses overhanging the footway, each story, fronted with an apron of slates, more nearly approaching its neighbour on the opposite side of the way, until the inmates of the garrets may shake hands. The grotesquely carved corner 126 Route 36 .—Rennes to Brest — Landivisiau. Sect. II. posts, ornamented with figures of kings, priests, saints, monsters, and bagpipers, the Gothic doorways, the sculptured cornices, would enrich an artist’s sketch-book, and furnish em¬ ployment for many days. The cos¬ tume of the people also is thoroughly in keeping with the buildings ; their pent-house brimmed hats, their loose trunk hose, their shaggy locks hang¬ ing like manes down their backs, are all thoroughly characteristic of la Bre¬ tagne Bretonnante (§ 2). Sad havoc, however, has been made in this antique town by modern im¬ provements ; and the opening formed for the new Rue Nation - Royale, by which the road to Brest issues out on the W., has swept away a crowd of crazy but picturesque constructions, whose loss would have made poor Prout sigh. Two small streams, descending from separate ravines, but uniting above the town, are arched over to furnish space for the market-place and modern Hotel de Ville ; below which, expanding na¬ turally, and partly by their bed being artificially excavated, they form a port, lined with quays and lofty picturesque houses, resting on covered galleries or arcades called Lances. One of the houses on this quai is particularly re¬ markable for its carved staircase. Be¬ side these quays several merchant ves¬ sels may usually be seen lying, together with a variety of small craft. The churches are not remarkable : St. Mathieu is Gothic ; in St. Melaine is some good carved screen-work. Many of the houses in the Rue du Pavd and Rue des Nobles (especially the staircase of one high up on the right hand) deserve notice ; they are richly ornamented in the flamboyant style. The Gothic fountain of the Carmel¬ ites, and the Chapel of the Convent of St. Fran§ois, may be visited by those who have time. The Manufacture Naiionale de Tabac, a large building on the W. quay, is said to produce the worst tobacco in Europe. In 1522 the fleet of Henry VIII., who was at that time incensed with Francis I. for seizing the ships and goods of English merchants in French ports, on its return from escorting the Empr. Charles V. to Spain, under the command of Henry Earl of Surrey, entered the river, in number 50 ves¬ sels, and, effecting a descent in the neighbouring bay of Dourdu, surprised Morlaix. The English set fire to it in 4 different places, pillaged it, mas¬ sacred the inhabitants, and burnt to the ground great part of it, ‘ ‘ together with some right fair castles, goodly houses, and proper piles.” — State Papers. They retired to their vessels loaded with booty ; but 600 of the hindmost were intercepted by the in¬ furiated inhabitants, and cut off with great slaughter near a spring, still called Fontaine des Anglais, or, as the Bretons, like their Welsh kinsmen, style them, the Saxons. Near the said fountain begins a very pleasant promenade, planted with trees, called Cours Beaumont, which extends nearly 1^ m. down the 1. bank of the river. The views from it of the river and the wooded valley are very pleasing. The site of the old castle, planted with trees, also commands a fine view of the town. Morlaix is the native place of Gene¬ ral Moreau. Diligences daily to Brest ; to St. Malo ; to Rennes ; to Lorient. A well-appointed Steamer runs from Morlaix to Havre, 70 leagues, in 20 hrs., once a week, fare 30 fr. The churches of Kreisker, at St. Pol de Lfion, and of Folgoat, may be visited by making a dfitour on the way to Brest (Rte. 38). Another interesting excursion is to the mining district of Huelgoat and Poulahouen (Rte. 42). Rather more than half way (9 m.) between Morlaix and the next relay the village of Thfiogonec is passed, re¬ markable for its fine Church, in the style of the Renaissance ; a vast edi¬ fice, richly decorated with sculptures in the dark Kersanton stone. Its deli¬ cately carved pulpit, its reliquary, and its Calvary, deserve notice. 21 Landivisiau has a Church also, with a very fine S. portal filled with statues of the 12 Apostles ; and at the Brittany. Route 36.— Brest — Dockyard. 127 W. encl a most elegant tower and spire, well worth studying. [The Church of Lanbader, 5 m. N. of this, on the road to St. Pol, sur¬ mounted by an elegant tower and spire, was originally attached to a commandery of Templars, ruins of which exist near the tower. Within is a beautifully pierced and carved roodloft and screen of wood, composed of exquisite flamboyant tracery; also a staircase in the same style. The chains of some knight, liberated from slavery among the followers of Ma- houn, still hang in the choir.] 3 m. short of Landerneau, on a hill above the village La Roche Maurice, stand the ruins of its castle, reduced to 3 shattered towers, but very pic¬ turesque in its outline and position. In the churchyard is an Ossuary, filled with skulls and dry bones, orna¬ mented in front with a sculptured frieze, representing the Dance of Death, executed 1639. The Church is Gothic, and built 1559, and contains some good painted glass. The carved portal in Kersanton stone, and the sculp¬ tured roodloft of wood within, are worth notice. 16 Landerneau (Inn: Hotel de 1’Uni vers), a pretty town, seated in the hollow of a valley on the Elorn, whose mouth forms one branch of the roadstead of Brest. There are some picturesque Gothic bits among its old houses. 4963 Inhab. The roads to Brest from Morlaix, from Carhaix (Rte. 42), and from Quimper (Rte. 44), all converge at this point. A little beyond Landerneau, on the 1. of the road, between it and the river Elorn, a ruined gateway, draped with ivy, is the sole subsisting relic of the Castle of the Joyeuse Garde, now known as Chateau le Foret, the cradle of chivalry, the seat of Arthur, Lancelot du Lac, and the Knights of the Round Table. Of course there is no preten¬ sion that the existing remains are of their time. No satisfactory explana¬ tion is given of the origin of the name Joyeuse Garde, but it is supposed to be a perversion of a Breton term. 20 Brest. — Inns; H. du Grand Mo- narque;—H. de Provence ; exorbitant — V. S. 1851. N.B. The gates of Brest are closed at 10 p.m. in sum¬ mer, and 9 in winter; no entrance after. Brest, the chief naval seaport of France, an arsenal of war, and fortress of first class, is very advantageously situated near the W. extremity of the Dept. Finisterre (the Land’s End of France), on that portion of her territory which projects most to the W. between the Channel and the Gulf of Gascony. It stands on the N. side of one of the finest harbours in the world, nearly land-locked, accessible only through a narrow and well-fortified throat, Le Goxdet, and extending far inland in 2 branches, one running up to Lander¬ neau, the other towards Chateaulin. The town is built on the summit and sides of a kind of projecting ridge, and some of its streets are too steep to be passable except on foot. A narrow but deep creek, which is in fact formed by the mouth of the small stream the Penfeld, running up from the harbour behind this ridge, serves as the basin to the dockyard, and divides the town on its 1. bank from the suburb La Re- couvrance on its rt. The communica¬ tion between the town and suburb is kept up by numerous ferry-boats. Close above the mouth of this creek, which is not more than a musket-shot across, and is defended by several tiers of batteries on either hand, rise the feudal round towers and colossal cur¬ tains, not less than 100 ft. high, of the picturesque old Castle, which be¬ longed to the Dues de Bretagne. It was besieged in vain by Du Guesclin and Clisson, was long held by the English, having for governor, 1373, the brave warrior Robert Knolles. It was yielded up by Richard II. 1395, in consideration of 12,000 crowns, and was finally modernised by Vauban, 1688, who formed casemates in the interior of its massive towers, and platforms with embrasures for cannon on their tops. From its walls there is a good view of the port and dockyard, but the Fort de l’Ecole, on the opposite side of the water, commands one still finer, including the roadstead also. 128 Route 36.— Brest — Dockyard. Sect. II. There are numerous dungeons beneath the castle, and extensive vaults. The inner port of Brest, or creek above mentioned, is so narrow, that if the town had any commerce it would not be large enough to hold the mer¬ chant vessels ; but there is no defici¬ ency of depth (25 ft. at low water), and 30 or 40 ships of war might lie within it in single file. Above the castle the shores of both sides of this creek are enclosed by a high wall, separating the dockyard within it from the town. The mouth of the creek is closed by a boom. The population of Brest is said to exceed 32,000, though, to avoid the additional contributions on large towns, it is put down in the census at 29,860. There is accommo¬ dation in the numerous barracks for a garrison of nearly 10,000 men. Although Brest is enclosed within ramparts, there are several fine open spaces within its walis ; such are the square called Champ de Bat aide, inno¬ cent of any other combat than a sham fight, and the Cours d’Ajot (so named from an officer of engineers who laid it out), a promenade agreeable on account of the fine trees which shade it, and the beautiful view of the roads, ap¬ pearing like a vast lake, which its ter¬ race commands, but infested all the morning by parties of recruits under¬ going drill. More rain, it is said, falls in Brest than in any other town of France, and the whole department of Finisterre is peculiarly exposed to storms, winds, mists, and fogs. In 1548 Mary Queen of Scots, then a child 5 years old, landed at Brest, and a few days after was affianced to the Dauphin Francis at St. Germain. The Dockyard, or Port Militaire .— The authorities connected with the dockyard (major de la marine, &c.) are very niggard in giving admission to strangers, but an application to the Port-admiral or Prefet Maritime, made by the English consul, who is particu¬ larly obliging to persons recommended to him, will procure it. Entrance to the Bagnes and Hopital de la Marine, the most interesting objects here, should be expressly included in the ticket of admission. The celebrated dockyard of Brest is situated on the 2 sides of a narrow but deep creek or arm of the sea, running up in a wind¬ ing direction between high and steep rocks, which intrude so near upon the water that it is only by paring them down that space is formed for the buildings, and for the quays and yards required in front of them. The first view, looking down from above into this narrow ravine, lined with long and massive ranges of buildings rising tier over tier in the form of an amphi¬ theatre, is exceedingly striking. On one side is the Voilerie (sail-house), Magasin General (slop-shop), and Cord- erie (ropery), of 3 stories, surmounted by the Bagne, and above it rises the New Hospital. On the opposite side are various ateliers, forgeries, Atelier d’Artillerie de Marine (burnt in 1833). The Foundry (for casting cannon), and the Quartier des Marins, or sailors’ bar¬ racks, where they are lodged when in port in the same manner as soldiers— an admirable establishment, which might be advantageously copied by the English Admiralty — fill up the opposite side. The level space at the water’s edge is occupied by slips (cales de construction), only 2 of which are covered, about 8 being uncovered, dry docks (formes), at times converted to the purpose of building ships. It is surprising that the first dockyard of France should possess so few covered slips. There are, besides, timber- yards, boat-sheds, water-cisterns sup¬ plied by a steam-engine where vessels fill their tanks, sheds for containing the new tanks, and government cellars, while a very large space near the sea entrance of the dockyard is covered with dismounted cannon. Here also is placed a trophy from Algiers, a brass gun 20 ft. long, which forms an excellent column reared on its breech. The precautions against fire and theft are very rigid ; a vigilant guardian watches in every apartment, a door¬ keeper at every door ; cisterns are placed at short distances, with tubs full of water every 8 or 10 yards. The ground occupied by most of these buildings has been gained, as Brittany. Route 36 .— Brest — Bagnes. 129 before observed, by excavations out of the hill-side. Greatly as the space on either side of the water has been widened by artificial means, the cliffs even now approach too near the slips and timber-sheds, preventing a free circulation of air, causing dampness, and consequently dry rot. Near the timber-sheds is the Musee Maritime, filled with models, ships’ heads, &c., but containing nothing very remark¬ able. On both sides of the port, roads are carried up the steep sides of the con¬ fining heights in zigzag terraces, so that they may easily be surmounted by heavy carriages. The Victualling Office (Direction des Subsistances et Parc aux Vivres) is near the mouth of the port, on the rt. bank, and includes the bakehouse, containing 24 ovens, the slaughterhouse, kitchens, &c. In 1802-3, when the combined Spanish and French fleets lay in the roads, 50,000 rations were supplied hence daily. The Bagnes (from bagnio, Ital., bath; the Christian slaves in Turkey and Barbary were employed in heating the baths of the sultans, pachas, deys, &c.) contain about 3000 convicts (formats), condemned to forced labour for a cer¬ tain term of years or for life. Their dress is a jacket of dirty red serge, fitting no better than a sack, yellow trowsers, and a green, red, or yellow cap : the green cap denotes one con¬ demned for life ; the yellow sleeve one twice sentenced. The worst offenders are heavily loaded with shackles fastened to a ring riveted fast round the leg. The chain and shackle together weigh more than 7 lbs., and usually cause a wound on the leg at first. It is not, however, the hideous dress nor the clanking chains which render the formats repulsive; it is the countenance marked with bad passions and villany, which indicate the degradation of human na¬ ture. The worst offenders are coupled two together to the same chain. They work in gangs, each gang accompanied by a plante or garde chourme, a fierce- looking moustache, with a tranchant sabre, accompanied by a soldier with a loaded musket. The Prison of the Bagnes has a long facade, with more of archi¬ tectural ornament and style in its pediment than usually marks a prison destined for doubly and trebly dyed criminals. It contains 4 salles, lofty, wide, and airy, filled with large wooden platforms, having sloping tops like desks; these are the bedsteads of the formats, who recline on them upon a small mattress provided with a coarse quilt of sackcloth, the chain of each being passed over a bar of iron running along the foot of the bed, but allowing tether enough to move a distance of 5 or 6 ft. Only the better class of con¬ victs are allowed a thin mattress. As soon as their allotted task for the day is done out of doors, they are allowed to repair hither ; some have writing - desks,, others employ them¬ selves in handicrafts, many in making- toys out of cocoa-nuts, horsehair, &c., by which they may earn a little money. At gunfire the names are called over, and in an hour profound silence is re¬ quired ; the night, passed on a hard board, is a time of suffering, especially in winter, from the cold. Their daily allowance of food includes a pint of wine, a measure of biscuit, or ^ a loaf of brown bread. The 4 salles are closed by strong iron gates at night, but stand open during the day ; there are, however, plenty of guards at hand, and imme¬ diately behind the Bagnes rises the Caserne cle la Marine Militciire , which could pour in some hundred men in a few minutes in case of revolt. The format, degraded as he is, is not allowed to be struck by his guards or keepers ; his punishment, if he does wrong, is either solitary confinement in the black hole, a series of cells in the court be¬ hind the building, or deprivation of his wine, &c., coupling to another prisoner, or flogging with the rope’s end. As a further preventive of tumult or rebellion, the walls of each salle are pierced with embrasures through which 2 cannon show their mouths ; they are loaded with grape, and would enfilade the chamber, and sweep it from end to end. Outside the dockyard, a little higher up the hill than the prison, rises the g 3 130 Sect. II. Route 36 .—Roadstead of Brest. Ilopital de la Marine, an edifice of great extent, though of unpretending archi¬ tecture, of which Brest may well be proud. It was begun 1824. It con¬ tains 26 salles, each with 53 beds ; and is attended by between 30 and 40 Re- ligieuses, Soeurs Fid kies de la Sagesse as they call themselves, who are also lodged within the building. So far from being revolting, as is the case in many hospitals, it is a pleasing sight to enter one of the salles ; its cleanliness puts to shame the confined frowsy wards of Greenwich Hospital. Here are wide, airy apartments, the roofs without speck, the floors, though of tile, sedulously polished and provided with pieces of carpeting, each window hung with white curtains, each bed of metal, also with white curtains and furniture. The salle des officiers is superior to the common rooms, even elegant. The kitchens, laboratories, linen-closet, &c., are in the same style. Even the convicts, when sick, are re¬ ceived and nursed in this establish¬ ment. A British Consul resides here. At Hebert’s library and reading- room, Rue d’Aiguillon, the papers may be seen, and many interesting works on Brittany, especially those of MM. Souvestre and Freminville, obtained. Malleposte daily to Chartres in 36 hours: diligences daily to Rennes ; to St. Malo; to Lorient and Nantes. A railroad to Paris by Chartres is in progress. Steamer every other day traverses the roads and ascends the river of Chateau- lin, on the way to Nantes (Rte. 44), as far as Port de Launay, a very pleasant voyage. The Roadstead of Brest lies between the great promontory of Finisterre on the N. and the smaller peninsula of Quelern on the S., which approach so near as to leave a passage only 1749 yards broad between them, called the Goulet. The Mingan rocks, rising in the midst of this channel, contract the entrance still more, and compel vessels to pass close under the guns of bat¬ teries which line it on either side, and command it by a cross fire. The road consists of numerous bays, into which several rivers empty themselves, the principal being the Elorn from Lander- neau, and the CMteaulin, which is navigated by a steamboat. In some places the harbour is 3 m. broad, and the area of its surface is estimated at 15 square leagues. All the fleets of France might lie snugly within it, and a hostile ship dare not venture within its entrance without the risk of being battered to pieces. Not only are the jaws of the harbour bristling with for¬ tifications “k fleur d’eau,” but the works are carried inwards so as to command the anchorage, and the bat¬ teries spread outside to the rt. and 1. of the entrance, while every eminence is crowned with other forts command¬ ing those below. The number of can¬ non and large mortars which could be brought to bear on an enemy from the batteries of the Goulet, and of the coast ouside of it, is not less than 400, while 60 pieces sweep the anchorage from the forts within the Goulet. On the N. of the Goulet, in the midst of the bay of Bertheaume, are 2 island forts, united together by a rope bridge, and by one of wood with the shore. The extreme fort on this side is the batterie de St. Mathieu, under the ruined abbey (p. 131), and close to the new lighthouse. On the S. of the Goulet lies the Bay de Camaret, one of whose numerous and formidable bat¬ teries goes by the name of Mort Anglaise, commemorating the miserable defeat of the expedition which landed here 1694 from a British fleet commanded by Admiral Berkeley. On approaching the shore, the English found it bristling with armaments: batteries were thrown up on all sides, gunners at their posts, troops of horse and foot drawn up behind the guns, and, as soon as the English began to disembark, 3 masked batteries opened on the ships a destructive fire. 900 men under the command of General Tollemache, who persisted in landing in the face even of such formidable preparations, reached the shore, and were almost immediately cut to pieces, the ebbing of the tide having left their boats dry, and cut off their retreat. And thus the expedi¬ tion failed miserably. What wonder? Brittany. Route 36 .—Roadstead of Brest — Excursions . 131 The news of the intended descent had been betrayed to Louis XIY. and Jana.es II. more than a month before by the Duke of Marlborough, the hero of Blenheim! These are the words in which he communicated the intelli¬ gence to his old master James:—“The capture of Brest would be a great ad¬ vantage to England, but no advantage can prevent or ever shall prevent me from informing you of all that I be¬ lieve to be for your service ; therefore you may make your own use of this intelligence.”— Macphersoris State Pa¬ pers. In the interval between the re¬ ceipt of this letter and the sailing of the armament, the skill and activity of Vauban had put the intended landing- place in such a state of defence, by throwing up batteries, disposing can¬ non, and collecting troops, as to render success hopeless, defeat inevitable. The Pointe cles Espagnols owes its name to a body of Spaniards, about 600 strong, who occupied it for several weeks, 1594, and threw up an earthen redoubt, which was captured by assault. The peninsula of Quelern is defended by lines, drawn across the isthmus which connects it with the mainland, nearly a mile long, consisting of bas¬ tions faced with masonry, constructed by Vauban, mounting 60 pieces of can¬ non. From a point near these lines, just above the Bay of Camaret, the finest view is obtained of the roads of Brest and their defences, with the point of St. Mathieu and the archi¬ pelago of Ouessant on the N., and on the S. the Bay of Dournenez and the Pointe du Raz. The defences above enumerated do not include those of Brest itself, amounting altogether to 400 pieces of cannon, nor of the intrenched camp behind it, numbering 60 more cannon and mortars. Excursions. —The country about Brest is far from picturesque, but it contains many objects of interest. The Menhir of Plouarzel (§ 4), about 10 m. N. W. of Brest and 3 beyond the village of St. Renan, is the loftiest of those singular Celtic monuments now remaining in Finisterre. It measures 35 ft. in height, and stands on an eminence in the midst of a wild heath. Whatever its original destination, it is still looked on with awe by the pea¬ santry, and singular superstitions are associated with it. Often in the dead of night the barren woman repairs hither, hoping to procure the boon of fruitfulness by rubbing her naked breast against the hard granite. Near the mouth of the pretty river Aber Ildut, which flows past St. Renan, are the quarries of granite which fur¬ nished the pedestal for the obelisk of Luxor, erected in the Place Louis XV., at Paris. 3 m. N. of St. Renan, at Lanriouare, is the graveyard of the 7777 saints, a walled enclosure, never trod by the peasants except with bare feet and head uncovered ; it is paved with slabs, and marked by a cross. The ruined Abbey of St. Matthew , situated on the extreme W. cape of Finisterre, N. of the Rade de Brest, is about 15 m. W. from Brest and 10 from St. Renan. The roads from both places converge at the little town of Le Conquet, where La Grace de Dieu is a decent cabaret. Conquet suffered from an English fleet sent forth by Queen Mary, 1558, to ravage the French coast, and to surprise Brest, “because it was known not to be well garrisoned, and was thought the best mark to be shot at for the time.” But the English commander contented himself with a far more inglorious enterprise. Land¬ ing at Conquet, “ he put it to the saccage, with a great abbey, and many pretty towns and villages, where our men found good booties and great store of pillage.”— Holinshed. Thence it is a walk of 3 m. along the tops of the cliffs, battered below by the waves, to the storm-fretted ruins of St. Matthew's Abbey, which stand on the bleak exposed promontory above the sea—the most W. spot of France, and, with the ex¬ ception of Cape Finisterre in Spain, of the European continent. It occupies a position similar to St. Mary’s Abbey, Whitby, so as to be the first and the last object seen by the mariner quitting or entering the Bay of Brest. What¬ ever wind may blow, it is rare but it rages a hurricane around these moulder- 132 Route 38.— St. Brieuc to Brest. Sect. II. ing arches and piers, which yet have braved for 5 centuries the pelting storm and whistling wind. The architecture is pointed in the greater part of the building, with some Romanesque por¬ tions and round arches. It is of solid granite, simple in style, and without ornament. Close beside the ruins a Lighthouse has been erected. There is much savage grandeur in the scene around, viewed from this point, in¬ creased by the sullen roar of the mighty Atlantic chafing in the eaves and fissures of the rocks below. In clear weather the eye ranges over the dangerous strait called Passage du Four, beset with rocks, between the mainland and the granitic islands Molene, Beniguet, and Ouessant. The last is supposed by some to be the Ultima Thule of the ancients : its in¬ habitants remained idolaters down to the 17th century. The indecisive naval action of Ushant (as we call it) was fought off this island, 1778, between the French Fleet under D’Orvilliers, and the English under Kepp.el and Palliser. On the S. the roads of Brest and the peninsula of QudLern lie open, and on the horizon appears the Pointe du Raz. On the E. side of the roadstead, and on the shore of the estuary of the Landerneau river, opposite to Brest, lies Plougastel, remarkable for a Calvary attached to its cimetiere, one of the most remarkable of the Gothic monu¬ ments of Finisterre. The 3 customary crosses, carved in Kersanton stone (§ 6) are surrounded by an army of stone saints on foot, raised on a platform with bas-reliefs running round it. A mul¬ titude of sculptures, rudely but forcibly executed, representing scenes of the Life and Passion of Christ. Some of the subjects, such as the entry of our Saviour into Jerusalem to the music of the bigniou (bagpipe), the Temptation, and Hell, are treated in a homely manner, approaching the grotesque, marking the hand of a rustic artist. ‘ ‘ Notwithstanding its Gothic character, it appears by an inscription upon it to have been executed in 1602 : but we must remember that the middle ages lasted longer in Brittany than else¬ where.”— Souvestre. The costume of the women of Plou¬ gastel is remarkable for its elegance. Ferry-boats ply between Brest and the point of Plougastel. The fine Gothic Ch.of Folgoat(Rte. 38) would form an agreeable day’s excur¬ sion for any one who interests himself in architecture. He might take the patache which runs daily from Brest to Lesneven and back. ROUTE 38. ST. BRIEUC TO BREST.—COAST ROAD BY PAIMrOL, LANNION, MORLAIX, ST. POL DE LEON, and FOLGOAT. The distances are marked in lieues communes of 3 Eng. m., measured from place to place. This rte. properly consists of two excursions from the high road from Rennes to Brest: it carries the traveller to a succession of interesting churches and ecclesiastical remains well worth visiting, though much of it lies over cross roads ; no posting. St. Brieuc (Rte. 36). A wretched patache runs between this place and Paimpol, passing near the little port of Binic, through Plouha. Thus far there is nothing remarkable, unless the traveller diverge about 1 m. to the 1. of the road beyond Binic, to visit the beautiful Gothic chapel of Lantec, which has been compared with the Ste. Chapelle at Paris, but is far inferior to it. From Plouha the antiquarian tra¬ veller should diverge to the 1., to visit a ruined building, known as the 7i Temple de Lanlcf, about 8 m. from Plouha. A carriage cannot easily get within a mile of it, owing to the bad¬ ness of the roads. It has been the subject of much controversy, some writers calling it a Pagan Temple: but in truth it is nothing more than an early Christian church, probably of the 10th or 11th cent., in the form of a rotunda, like the English churches of the Temple, St. Sepulchre, Cam¬ bridge, Little Maplestead, &c. But the building which it perhaps most nearly resembles is the round church at Nymegen, in Holland, attributed to 133 Brittany. Route 38. — St. Brieuc to Brest — Paimpol. Charlemagne, but now in ruins. It consists of 2 concentric walls, the inner one a cylinder, 30 ft. high, resting on 12 circular arches, supported on square piers, with engaged columns on each side, of granite, having rudely carved capitals of monsters, human faces, rams’ heads. Outside of this runs a lower concentric wall, destroyed for a con¬ siderable part of its circuit, but which once extended quite round the inner wall, and thus formed the aisles of the church. It is pierced with narrow loopholed windows, which widen in¬ wards, the early form common in churches built before glass came into use. The edges of the vaulted roof which covered this aisle may still be traced, and a small portion of the aisle is included in the modern clmrch; but whether the vaulting of it be as old as the walls on which it rests cannot be distinctly affirmed. This ruin now forms a vestibule to a little village church. As a ruin, it is too rude in its architecture to be pleasing, but in the midst of it rises a noble yew-tree, tall and straight, surmounting the old wall with its dark canopy of foliage. The tradition of the country is, that it was built by the Templars, the “ Moines Rouges” as they are called. It is just possible that Gothic archi¬ tecture in Brittany was not more ad¬ vanced in the 12th cent, than this building indicates. LanlefF is about 24 m. from St. Brieuc and lh from 2g Paimpol (Inn: H. du Commerce, formerly Pelican), a town of 2112 Inhab. On the sea-shore, 2 m. to the E. of Paimpol, are the ruins of the Abbey of Beauport (in 1841 the keys were kept at Paimpol, and should be obtained before setting out). It is beautifully situated on the shore of a retired bay. The remains consist of a Church, now roofless and deprived of the choir, in the pointed style, built 1202, with a W. front showing an early English character, together with several con¬ ventual buildings at the E. end. An elegant small chapterhouse, its vaulted roof supported on a row of circular pillars, is so perfect that it is now used as a school. On the N. side are an extensive vaulted cellar, and an apartment of a superior character, also vaulted, which was the grand refectory. These serve the purpose of farm-build¬ ings at present, being divided between 2 tenants. From Paimpol to Treguier is about 9 m., passing through Lezardrieux, where the river Trieux, descending from Guingamp, is crossed by a fine wire suspension-bridge resting on lofty piers. The castle of La Roche Jagu, near this, is an interesting specimen of domestic architecture, now in ruins, finely situated on the Trieux above Lezardrieux. It is a semi-castellated mansion, entered by a low doorway closed by an oaken door and a heavy iron gate of cross-bars. Although dis¬ mantled, it is inhabited by a peasant. There is a fine view from its roof. Another still larger and loftier sus¬ pension-bridge thrown over the Jaudy leads into 3 Treguier (Inn: Hotel de France, tolerable), a town of 3178 Inhab., oc¬ cupying the summit and slope of a hill. The Church in the market-place, for¬ merly the cathedral, has a fine S. porch, the vaulted roof panelled, and the divisions filled with quatrefoils, and a doorway ornamented with statues in niches, of good workmanship. The piers of the nave are irregular in form, and its arches vary in width. The FT. transept is Romanesque, with circular arches and well-wrought capitals to its pillars. Contiguous to it is a tower in the same style, and probably of the 11th cent., though named Tour de Hastings, after the Danish pirate of a much earlier period. This tower is best seen from the cloisters, where some mutilated effigies of ecclesiastics and knights are deposited. In a farmhouse a little way out of the town, called Kermartin, is pre¬ served the bed of St. Yves, a favourite Breton saint. It is a cupboard bed¬ stead, the front of dark wood finely carved. 4 Lannion (Inn: H. de France), on the Guier, possesses a market-place 134 Route 38.— Lannion — St. Pol de Leon. Sect. II. filled with, odd old houses, several of a very peculiar style of architecture, and nothing else worthy of remark but narrow and dirty streets. A diligence runs daily to Morlaix. There is a post¬ road hence to Guingamp, 32 kilom., and another by Plesten, 18 kilom., to Morlaix, 19 kilom. The district extending N. from Lan¬ nion to the sea, between the rivers Guier and Jaudy, is the very cradle of romance. King Arthur held his court at Kerdluel, graced by the presence of the Paladins, Lancelot, Tristan, and Caradoc; and a short distance off the coast is an islet called Agalon or Avalon, which the Bretons maintain to be King Arthur’s burial-place, thus depriving Glastonbury of that honour. About 6 m. S. of Lannion, on the E. bank of the Guier, between it and the road to Guingamp, is the Castle Ton- quedec, one of the largest and best pre¬ served in Brittany. It was built in the 13th cent., and dismantled by order of Richelieu, after having served during the wax’s of the Ligxxe as a royal fortress. It consisted of 3 courts de¬ fended by moats, drawbridges, and portcullises. In the inner court is the keep, a tall round tower, “ accessible only by an opening in its 2nd stoi’y, approached by 2 di’awbridges, sup¬ ported midway upon an isolated square pier.” The staii’case was formed in the thickness of the wall. “ In many respects these ruins are well woi'th coming some distance to visit. To the antiquary they are precious as a speci¬ men of the finest militai'y architecture of the 13th cent. For the sketcher they combine the requisites to form a lovely landscape.”— Trollope. The direct road from Lannion to Morlaix (about 23 m.) passes St. Michel- sur-Greve, a spot where the sea en¬ croaches on the shore, and a little farther we enter the department Finis- terre. On the sands near this, accord¬ ing to the legend, King Arthur fought the dragon. The crypt under the church of Lan- meur is of great antiqxxity, and encloses the holy fountain whicli caused its foundation, and is still held in repute by the common people. The piei’s which support the ci'ypt have serpents carved on them. About 5 m. N. of Lanmeui’, close upon the coast, lies the village of St. Jean da Doigt, whose church, contain¬ ing the precious finger of St. John, from which it is named, is a favourite place of pilgrimage with the peasanti'y, who repair hither to the number of 12,000 on the eve of St. John. The church has a wooden roof elegantly carved and painted, and sui’mounted by a spii’e of lead; it also possesses a ciborium bearing enamelled medallions on the 12 Apostles, a beautiful crucifix of the 16th cent., a chalice and a patina presented by Anne of Bi'ittany, who was a pati’oness of St. John’s finger. She built the hospice by the side of the church to receive pilgrims. Souvestre mentions a singular little chapel called the Oratoire, between this and Plougasnon, in which the young girls who are about to marry in the course of the year hang up their hair as an offering to the Vii’gin; this ancient Gaulish custom, however, is diminishing every year. 7^ Morlaix (Rte. 36). Tliere is nothing very interesting beyoixd Moi’laix until the towers and spires appear of 5 St. Pol de Ldon.— Inn: Hotel du Commerce, tolei’able. This ancient and almost deserted ecclesiastical city reminds one of St. Andrew’s in Scotland, and St. David’s in Wales, in its remote position near the sea-shore, in its decayed state, and in its ancient edifices. It possesses 6700 Inhab. and 2 vexy fine chui’ches. The Cathedral, dedicated to St. Pol, is flanked at the W. end with 2 fine towers, whose centi’al stories, pierced with long and elegant lancet windows (like St. Pieri’e at Caen), ai’e sur¬ mounted by spires, also pierced through to the sky. They open to the choir beneath, so as to form a sort of vesti¬ bule as at Peterborough. The nave is in the eai’ly pointed style, probably of the 13th cent.; the transepts display Romanesque features; in the S. tran¬ sept is a fine circular window, its tra- cexy cut in granite. The trough-shaped b^nitier near the AY. end was probably Brittany. Route 38 .— St, Brieuc to Brest — Folgocit. 135 a tomb, and from its rude sculpture is certainly very old. The choir, longer, more ornamented, and of later date than the nave, is surrounded by double aisles, and ends in a Lady Chapel ; it contains some good carved wood-work of the 16th cent. The S. porch, a rich florid work with foliage delicately cut in Kersanton stone, merits exami¬ nation. The boast of St. Pol is the spire of the Church of Creizker (the word means centre of the town), 393 ft. high; a structure of open work of great light¬ ness and grace, though constructed entirely of granite. The richly orna¬ mented square tower is surmounted by a very boldly-projecting cornice, above which rises the spire, its masonry cut to imitate overlapping tiles. The whole rests on 4 pillars, not particularly thick, but the arches of the aisles act as buttresses to support it. This spire was built at the latter end of the 14th cent, by John IV., Duke of Brittany; according to tradition the architect was English. The N. portal, florid and fringed, is very rich and in good taste, though much injured; the rest of the church is not remarkable. These are the curiosities of this dull town, and after exploring them one is happy to leave behind its grass-grown streets, and the melancholy which they in¬ spire. 3 m. to the N. lies the little port of Roscoff. Half-way, near Chapel Pol, are some Celtic remains, several dol¬ mens, and a menhir (§ 4). Roscoff is filled with sailors and smugglers, and contains a vegetable prodigy, a fig - tree, in the garden of the Capucin convent, whose branches, supported by scaffolding, would shelter beneath them 200 persons. The church, though of the time of Louis XIV., has a Gothic character, while its details are Italian; below it are 7 very curious bas-reliefs in alabaster. Opposite Roscoff lies the little island of Batz, separated from the mainland by a strait which may be crossed in 10 min. In the cemetery there is a monu¬ ment of granite to the memory of a lady who succoured the proscribed and fugitive priests during the Revolution. The young Pretender landed here after his hazardous escape from Scotland, subsequent to the battle of Culloden. The road from St. Pol to Brest lies through 7 Lesneven.— Inn: Grande Maison; tolerable. Some Roman remains, urns, &c., found a few miles S.-E. of this dull little town on the way to Lan- divisiau, have been supposed to mark the site of the long-lost Breton town Occismor. *■ Pursuing the road to Brest, 1 m. beyond Lesneven, on a dreary, bleak, unsheltered spot, we reach the village of Folgocit, marked in the distance by its tall spire, little inferior to the Creizker, of unusual splendour for a village, attached to the Church of Notre Dame, one of the most remarkable Gothic buildings of Brittany. It owes its origin to the following circumstance: —This spot was once haunted by an idiot-boy, who was in the habit of begging alms of those who passed, using at the same time this one un¬ varied exclamation, “Oh! Lady Virgin Mary! ” so that the place became known as “ ar fol coat,” the fool of the wood. The fool died, and in a short time there sprang up from his grave, even out of his mouth, according to the legend, a beautiful lily, whose leaves bore inscribed upon them the name of Mary. This miracle was noised abroad, and, coming to the ears of John de Montfort, then warring with Charles de Blois for the dukedom of Brittany, he vowed to build a church on the spot if he triumphed over his rival. In consequence, after the vic¬ tory of Auray, he laid the first stone on the spot where the lily had sprouted forth, but the church was not finished until 1423, by his son John V., who, in an inscription legible on the 1. of the W. portal, claims to be its founder. It is built of the very dark green¬ stone called Kersanton (§ 6), which gives the edifice on the whole a gloomy appearance, but it is well adapted for delicate sculpture, and by the sharp¬ ness with which it has retained the delicate touches of the artist’s chisel, shows how great judgment he exer¬ cised in selecting it. Almost every 136 Route 38.— St. JBrieuc to Brest — Folgoat. Sect. II. part of the church, inside and out, deserves minute inspection; the fertile invention, laborious pains, and dexter¬ ous skill of the sculptor are visible in almost every part, though the edifice has been sadly injured through neglect. This is more especially conspicuous externally in the W. portal, the canopy of which fell down 1824; but round the portal runs so delicate a wreath of thistles and vine-leaves, perfect in their prickly flowers and .stems, and even in the very fibres of the leaves and the curves of the stalks and tendrils, as cannot be seen without wonder. Birds also (chardonneret) and serpents are interspersed among the leaves. Above the door is a bas-relief of the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi on one side (St. Joseph with wooden shoes has all the character of a Breton pea¬ sant), and of the Shepherds on the other. Below, the centre pier is formed into an elegant niche enclosing the benitier under a graceful canopy, and supporting it on a bracket. Among the foliage here and in other parts may be seen the ermine, the armorial de¬ vice of the dukes of Brittany, bearing their motto, “ Melius mori quam foe- dari.” The thistle (chardon) and the goldfinch (chardonneret) also recur re¬ peatedly in the ornaments of various parts of the church. A far more beautiful porch is at¬ tached to the S. transept. Here 12 very exquisite niches line the vault leading to the door, in the mouldings around which similar leaves and wreaths are reproduced with far greater truth and delicacy. The stone from its pecu¬ liar colour has all the effect of bronze. This portal is believed to have been built by Anne of Brittany, as the arms of France united to those of Brittany are visible on it. The sloping, open parapets which decorate the gables of the transept, the tracery of the E. windows, espe¬ cially the central one sumiounted by a rose, and the elegant arched niche at the E. end below it, on the outside of the church, constructed to receive the waters of the miraculous fount, which burst forth from beneath the high altar itself, are not to be passed unnoticed. The water of this spring is held in great repute by pilgrims, who, regardless of bystanders, strip themselves to apply it to all parts of their persons. Within the church on the rt. as you enter is the Fool’s Chapel, covered with frescoes nearly destroyed by the damp. Every capital, cornice, and border merits attention for the minute carv¬ ing; but the chief object of interest is the jube' or roodloft between the choir and nave: it consists of 3 round arches most elegantly fringed, surmounted by canopies resting on panelled pillars, and supporting a gallery, of rich open work, pierced with quatrefoils. The foliage composing the crockets is an elaborate yet natural imitation of the most complicated leaves, and the two angels who occupy the place of finials are well designed. The E. window, seen from within, surmounted by its rose, is admirable for its tracery: the high altar below it is a single slab of stone, 14 ft. long, sup¬ ported on a front of niche-work filled with statuettes. The side screens and side altars are all more or less worthy of observation. There are numerous statues of saints curious for their cos¬ tume. But the chief peculiarity of this church is the manner in which the sculptor who decorated it has rendered into stone the productions of the vege¬ table creation. The roof of the church does not agree with the rest in splendour, and is evidently not completed conformably with the original plan. The Gothic College on the N. side of the church was built bv Anne of Brit- */ tany; she, as well as Francis I., were lodged in it when they came on a pil¬ grimage to Folgoat. The country between St. Pol and Brest is very dreary; much heath, furze, and broom;—the cottages are poor dingy peat-covered hovels, among which a few starveling black sheep seek a scanty mouthful: few trees appear higher than brushwood. There are many beggars, some of them rivalling in their rags the mendicants of Ire¬ land . We fall into the great high road Brittany. Route 41.— St. Malo to Nantes—The Ranee. 137 from Paris about a mile before enter¬ ing 6j Brest, in Rte. 36. ROUTE 41. ST. MALO TO NANTES BY DINAN AND RENNES. -ASCENT OF THE RIVER RANCE TO DINAN. To Rennes direct 71 kilom. = 441 Eng. m.; thence to Nantes 107 kilom. = 66j Eng. m. The detour by Dinan is 13 kilom. or 8 Eng. m. longer than the direct road. St. Malo is described in Rte. 27. A Steamer ascends the Ranee 3 or 4 times a week, when the tide permits (N.B. not at neap tides). There is little beauty in the scenery, and no comfort in the voyage except when the tide is up. It takes 3 hrs. There is a lock (barrage ecluse) to be passed mid¬ way, at Chatelier, which is not plea¬ sant : by means of this a depth of more than 6 ft. is alway maintained in the Ranee at Dinan. Owing to the variation of the tides on this coast, amounting to 40 ft., the current of the Ranee is desperately rapid, and the river fills and empties with remarkable celerity. The places passed in succession upon either bank are— rt. St. Servan and the Castle of So- lidor, p. 98. 1. St. Suliac, the prettiest village on the Ranee. 1. Port St. Hubert, a little watering- place in a charming situation. 1. Plouer. rt. Pleadihen. Chatelier. 1. Tadens. The river is confined between lofty precipices nearly all the way to Dinan, and may vary in breadth from 4 to 4 m. Sometimes expanding into wide reaches, it resembles a Scotch lake. The high road from St. Malo to Dinan runs on the E. side of the Ranee, but only now and then in sight of it, and is devoid of interest until it comes in view of Dinan. The postmaster charges 4 kilom. extra on quitting St. Malo at high water, on account of the circuit round the port which his horses are obliged to make, instead of crossing direct to St. Servan, as is done when the tide is out. 35 Chateauneuf, a strong fort cover¬ ing the high road to Rennes; here are remains of an old castle. We here quit the direct road to Rennes by St. Pierre ,de Plesguin 13 kilom.; Hede 2D kilom. (in the chapel of Montmureau, near Hed4, Du Gues- clin was armed a knight: here also he was married); Rennes 23 kilom. = 34-| Eng. m. Some of the prettiest scenery of the Ranee may be seen by those who, tra¬ velling by land, choose to quit the high road and their vehicle about 8 m. short of Dinan, walk over to the river at 1’Ecluse, and ascend its rt. bank. Pursuing the post-road, the pictu¬ resque towers and spires of Dinan are seen crowning the summit of a rocky steep. “ Dinan is a surprising place for beauty of situation, but the great wonder here is a modern one (though a work worthy of the Romans) — a viaduct —not yet finished, made to carry the carriage-road across the valley of the Ranee nearly on a level with the town, so as to avoid the tedious and toilsome descent and ascent formerly incurred by travellers approaching from St. Malo or Paris. The arches, 10 in number, are completed; the principal piers, rising from the bed of the Ranee, are 130 ft. high; the whole of solid masonry. The work was begun by Louis Philippe, but has lingered since his fall for want of funds.”— W. J. 18 Dinan.—Inns : H. de Bretagne, outside the gate, on the road to Brest, clean and cheap, best; H. du Com¬ merce; Poste; both in the Place Du Guesclin. The country in which Dinan is placed is perhaps the most beautiful in Brittany. The situation of the town (8044 Inhab.) is very singular, on the crown and slopes of a hill of granite, overlooking the deep and narrow val¬ ley of the Ranee, flowing 250 ft. below it. The sides of the hill are exces¬ sively steep ; but, notwithstanding, 138 Route 41.— St. Malo to Nantes — Dinan. Sect. II. houses and streets have been built along the face of it to the water’s edge. The Rue de Jersuel, which stretches down to the old bridge, is so preci¬ pitous as to be impracticable except on foot, and it is even difficult for a pe¬ destrian to descend its slippery pave¬ ment; yet this originally formed the only approach to the town on the side of St. Malo, through a pointed and ribbed Gothic gateway* The modern road from St. Malo, after making a wide sweep and many turns under the old walls, in order to master the hill, enters the town by the Porte St. Louis close to the old and picturesque Castle, built about 1300, and often inhabited by Anne of Brit¬ tany, but now a prison. It was be¬ sieged by the Duke of Lancaster, 1389, and successfully defended by Du Gues- clin against the English. It stands on the edge of the ravine on the out¬ skirts of the town, and isolated from it by a deep fosse. The present en¬ trance has been forced through a wall into the chapel, a finely vaulted cham¬ ber. A recess on one side, beside the altar, in which the lord or lady of the castle might hear mass without being seen, is called the oratoire of Anne of Brittany. The deep cornice of machi¬ colations which crown the Donjon tower give it a very picturesque ap¬ pearance, and there is a pleasing view from its top. The Place Du Guesclin receives its name from that Breton hero, whose statue (in plaster!) is placed in the midst of it ; and from the circum¬ stance of its having been the lists in which he fought and vanquished an English knight, “ Thomas of Cantor- bie,” whom he challenged to single combat for seizing treacherously, in time of truce between the two nations, his brother Oliver, 1359. The Cathedral of St. Sauveur is an interesting edifice to the antiquary, in the Romanesque style, such as is more commonly met with in the S. of Europe than in the N. The crum¬ bling nature of the granite of which it is composed gives it the appearance of greater antiquity than it really pos¬ sesses. The lower part of the W. front and the S. side are probably of the 12th or even 11th centy.: the rest is modernised. The central portal, a round arch deeply recessed within mouldings and pillars (the two outer ones detached), is flanked on each side by blank arches, containing statues of the four Evangelists stand¬ ing on lions, &c., under curious Roman¬ esque canopies. From the wall above, the winged lion and ox, attributes of of St. Mark and St. Luke, project in high relief. The buttresses against the S. wall are in the form of round attached pillars, or square pilasters surmounted by capitals. Nothing within the church merits notice except a black tasteless slab in the N. tran¬ sept, bearing engraved on it and gilt a double-headed eagle, whose outspread wings are crossed by a bar, below which a quaint inscription, in gold let¬ ters, informs us that the heart of Ber¬ trand Du Guesclin (spelt gueaqui) reposes beneath it, while his body lies among those of kings at St. Denis. Now, at least, neither statement is any longer true. The slab was found, among the ruins of the church of the Jacobins, now razed to the ground; and all traces of the heart, and of the tomb of the Lady Tiphaine, the wife of Du Guesclin, by whose side the heart was deposited, are gone: the body shared the fate of the royal ashes at the desecration of St. Denis in the Revolution. The old town wall and watch -towers still remain; the streets in the older quarters abound in picturesque bits of archi¬ tecture ; and no spot in Brittany is better fitted to exercise the artist’s pencil. The admirer of ancient domestic architecture should explore the narrow streets, with overhanging houses, the basements planted on pillars, each story projecting on corbels, which form the nucleus of the town. Ar¬ cades resting on carved granite pillars or wooden posts are very prevalent. Besides the steep Rue de Jersuel already mentioned, the Carrefour d’Horlage, so called from its lofty granite clock-tower, the Rue de la Vieille Poissonnerie (where is a house Brittany. Route 41.— Dinan — Excursions. 139 bearing the date 1366), and the Rue de la Croix (where the house of Du Guesclin and his lady Tiphaine is shown near the Hotel de Ville), are the most remarkable in this respect. The Canal d’Tile et Ranee begins at Dinan. The English settled in Dinan are reduced from 400 to 100 since 1848: they have a Chapel here, in the Ancient Tribunal, Rue cle la Lainerie, in which the English Church Service is per¬ formed on Sunday at 11^. Mademoiselle Costa keeps a tolerable circulating library. Mrs. Barr’s Boarding-house, Rue de St. Malo, is recommended. Families can be received for one or more days. It is kept by the widow of a captain of the 33rd. The Steamer from St. Malo ascends the Ranee as far as the bridge of Dinan. (See p. 137). Diligences daily to Rennes and Le Mans, to Brest, to St. Malo, and Dol. On the outside of the town, under the old walls, now overgrown with ivy, while the ditches are converted into gardens, run agreeable Terraces , commanding beautiful views over the vale of the Ranee. The Mont Dol and Mont St. Michel are visible, it is said, from some points. There are manufactories of fine linen and of sailcloth in and about the town. Excursions almost without end, each varying from the other, may be made on horse and foot in this delightful neighbourhood. At the distance of less than a mile from the Porte St. Louis, prettily situated in the bottom of a dell, through which a streamlet falls into the Ranee, lies the village of Lehon, where are the ruins of a once cele¬ brated abbey and a castle. The abbey is entered by a fine circular archway within deep mouldings : the church, now roofless, is in the early pointed style : it is called La Chapelle des Beaumanoir, from being the burial- place of the family of that name, whose tombs were broken open at the Revo¬ lution, and the remains dispersed, while their monumental effigies, ori¬ ginally placed in the niches on either side of the church, have been removed to the Mairie. There are 4 figures of warriors armed, and an ecclesiastic, all in high relief; the drapery well executed, the hands folded in prayer. One of them is said to have been the leader of the Bretons in the famous “ Combat des Trente.” (See Route 42.) The steep wooded height above the village is crowned by the Castle, now reduced to a square enclosure of walls levelled down to the surface of the potato-field which they enclose, having round towers in the angles and centre of each face. It was taken by Henry II. of England, 1168. From this castle-crowned height a beautiful view opens out of the village and abbey at its feet, of the course of the Ranee and the romantic valley through which it flows. The navigation above this is continued by means of a canal which unites the Ranee with the Vilaine. The walk may be very pleasantly extended from this along the slopes of the hills, by paths across the fields behind the Hospice des Ali^nes, towards the Village of St. Esprit, where there is a curious Gothic crucifix of granite, with figures of the first and second persons of the Trinity, now much mu¬ tilated. The charm of this walk, how¬ ever, is the fine view it presents of the antique towers and spires of Dinan, on the opposite side of the valley to the rt., and the insight it affords into the curious system of labyrinthine lanes by which a great part of Brit¬ tany is traversed. The country is well wooded, abounding especially in oaks, and each field is surrounded by hedges. The lanes by which it is intersected in all directions, owing to the soft unci crumbling nature of the soil, differ little from ditches worn down 8 or 10 ft. below the surface of the fields, and vary in character between a pool or slough of mud and a mound of hard bare rock. A stranger is almost sure to lose his way among them, so intricate and numerous are their crossings. The country, seamed and grooved by these hollow ways, is like a rabbit warren, and this thoroughly explains how the 140 Route 41 .—Dinan to Rennes — Chateaubriant. Sect. II. Chouans and Vend^ans were able, among such fastnesses, to put to de¬ fiance so long the armies of the Repub¬ lican Government. On the opposite side of Dinan, about 1 m. distant, at the bottom of a really romantic little valley, is the spa or Eaux Minerales, a source of saline sul¬ phureous water, good for liver com¬ plaints, much resorted to in summer. Alleys have been planted and a sort of pump-room built, which contribute little to the beauty of the spot, though they cannot spoil it. A walk along the paths, cut through the trees along the steep sides of the dell, is highly to be recommended. The Chateau dc la Garaye is a ruined mansion of the time of Francis I., exhibiting in its falling walls and towers some picturesque bits of archi¬ tecture, in the style of la Renaissance, intermixed with Gothic ornaments. The last owner, M. de la Garaye, quitting the gay world, converted this house into an hospital, while, with his wife, he devoted all his time and for¬ tune to the care of the sick. To fit themselves for this duty they both studied medicine and surgery, and the lady became an excellent oculist. The hospital was destroyed at the Revo¬ lution, which the benevolent founders fortunately did not live to see, having died 1755-7; but the monument over the graves even of these benefactors of the district, in the churchyard of Faden, did not escape destruction from the ruthless hands of the Repub¬ lican spoilers. About 10 m. 1ST. W. of Dinan is the Chateau of La Hunandaye, an inter¬ esting old castle surrounded by ram¬ part and ditch, and tolerably perfect, in the form of a pentagon. It is sup¬ posed to have been built in the 13th century, by Olivier de Tournemine. It is to be reached only by a cross road, intricate to find without a guide, passing through Corseul, where Roman remains have been discovered. About 10 m. beyond the castle, on the coast, is St. Cast, where an ill-con¬ trived expedition of the English was ignominiously defeated in attempting an inroad on Brittany in 1758, with a loss of 822 men, including 42 officers, killed and taken prisoners. On the road from Dinan to Rennes the small town of Evrau is passed; it is situated on the Canal which joins the Ranee to the Ille. The castle of the Beaumanoir here is now modern¬ ised. The country beyond is very tame; fields and hedgerows, and few villages. Country-houses, where they occur, lie at a distance from the road, without lodges or dressed grounds. 29 La Chapelle Chaussee. 24 Rennes, in Rte. 34. There are 2 roads from Rennes to Nantes: —a. By Derval 107 kilom. = 66^ Eng. m. 16 Bout de Lande. 11 Roudun. A high hill is crossed before reaching 17 La Breheraye. 9 Derval. 12 Nozay. 14 Bout de Bois. 14 Gesvres. 14 Nantes, in Rte. 46. —b. By Chateaubriant 119 kilom. = 73 Eng. m. 18 Corps Nuds. 17 Thourie. 18 Chateaubriant {Inn: H. des Voyageurs, small, but clean), a town of 3673 Inhab., at the intersection of several roads. Its ancient walls remain nearly intact. The Castle was dismantled by Henri IV. and Louis XIII., but part of it, including a spiral stair leading to the chamber in which, according to tradition, Fran- §oise de Foix was bled to death by her husband Jean de Laval (1525 or 37), are incorporated in the public offices. The Ch. of St. Jean de Re re is an interesting Romanesque struc¬ ture. 18 La Meilleraye. About 1 m. on the 1. of the road lies a Monastery of the Order of La Trappe. It was sold as national pro¬ perty 1793, and was repurchased 1816 by a Romanist Society of Trappists, who had been settled at Lulworth in Dorsetshire, but their number has been greatly diminished (to 25) since Brittany. Route 42. —Morlaix to Nantes — Huelgoat, 141 1830, in consequence of their having mixed themselves up with the Chouan insurrection of that period. 19 Nort is a small town on the 1. bank of the Erdre, which becomes navigable here for steamers. One plies daily between Nantes and Nort, to and fro. Below this the Erdre swells out into the form of a lake; on its rt. bank are Chapelle-sur-Erdre, and the castle of la Gacherie, residence of the Princess Marguerite de Navarre, sister of Francis I., and authoress of the romances known by the title Hep- tameron. A little farther is the castle of Blue Bleard (Gilles de Retz), whose story is told in Rte. 58. 18 Carquefou. 11 Nantes, in Rte. 46. ROUTE 42. MORLAIX TO NANTES, BY THE MINES OF HUELGOAT AND POULAHOUAN, CAR- HAIX, PONTIVY, JOSSELIN, AND PLO- ERMEL. This is a cross-country road, not a post-road, but traversed by a Dili¬ gence. It is described because it includes several places of interest. There is a good view of the pic¬ turesque town of Morlaix (Rte. 36) from the heights crossed on quitting it. The road gradually approaches and surmounts the chain of the Menez Arrds hills, through a desolate country chiefly moorland. The summit level is reached at Croix Court, which is also the boundary of the arrondisse- ments of Morlaix and Chateaulin. About l;j m. beyond Le Mendi, a hamlet 12 m. from Morlaix, a road turns off on the rt. to Huelgoat (4 m. farther). Here is only a poor Inn (Lion d’Or), which, however, can furnish a clean bed and something to eat. Huelgoat is a town of 1200 Inhab., in a remote and thinly-peopled district celebrated for its Mines of lead containing silver mixed with it. They are situated about 1^ m. from the town, in the midst of a picturesque valley, through which runs a rushing stream, concealed from view at one particular spot by an eboulement of co¬ lossal fragments of rocks. The path to the mines is carried through thick woods by the side of a narrow canal or aqueduct, conveying water to move the machinery and the hydraulic pump by which the mine is kept dry. This machine is a master¬ piece of mechanical skill, constructed by M. Juncker, an engineer of Alsace, and related to Cuvier. It well deserves the minute attention of all who take an interest in mining or machinery, and has been thought worthy of an eulogistic report, read to the Academy of Science by M. Arago. It has the force of 280 horses, and raises 3 cubic metres 53 centiemes per minute, a height of 754 ft., effected by a column of water equal to 21 cubic inches falling from a height of 196 ft. It has been at work for many years night and day; its movements are free from the least irregularity or the slightest noise. It is entirely under ground, at a considerable depth below the sur¬ face. The process of separating the silver from the ores by amalgamation with mercury is also very curious. M. Juncker, who for many years di¬ rected these works, introduced con¬ siderable ameliorations on the Saxon method, by means of which large masses of very poor ores have been worked, which were formerly rejected; by this means the prosperity of the Huelgoat mines has increased much of late years. Permission to enter the mines is readily given by the director. The best time for visiting them is at six o’clock, when the gangs of miners are shifted, and the nightworking set relieve those who have toiled through the day. The descent is made by a bucket and rope. The vein of lead has been traced for more than a mile in a clay slate of the upper Silurian formation. The lead ore (galena) is sent to Poulahouan to be smelted. In the Church of Huelgoat is a cu¬ rious reading-desk (lutrin) resting on a pedestal resembling the classic tripod, but of wood, each of the 3 sides orna¬ mented with a figure in bas-relief of a classic character. On one is a man with long hair and a mace over his 142 Route 42 .—Morlaix to Nantes — Pontivy. Sect. II. shoulder, with no other clothing than a short cloak ; on another a young man in classic garb, bearing a torch in one hand and a dart in the other; on the third a female bearing a cup and vase, in the guise of a Bacchante. It has been well described by M. Fre- minville; but nothing is known of its origin or the meaning of its carv¬ ings. The Menage de la Vierge is a species of cave formed by fallen masses of granite rock, through which a small stream of black water and of unknown origin flows, in places out of sight. It is possible with a sure foot and steady head to descend into the gulf. Near this is a Booking Stone. The Cascades of St. Herbot are worth the walk to them, less on account of the waterfalls themselves than for the scenery of the little valley in which they lie, varied with dense woods and bare jutting rocks. The village Church , surmounted by a fine square tower on a height above, contains the tomb and effigy of the anchorite St. Herbot, some carved screen-work in the choir, and a roodloft of elaborate and beautiful workmanship in the style of the Re¬ naissance. There are 2 painted win¬ dows of rich colour with the date 1556. It has a fine W. portal in the decorated style, but bearing the date 1516, an ogee arch ornamented with frizzled foliage, and a still more beautiful S. porch, but the statues are poor. Herbot is a veterinary saint, who cures the diseases of animals, provided a lock of the beast’s hair be laid on his altar. At Branilis in the parish of Locque- fret, about 6 m. from Huelgoat, at a distance from any village, surrounded by 3 or 4 hovels, is a fine large Church in the best style of Gothic art, sur¬ mounted by a spire, and internally adorned with carving in stone and wood, and with painted glass, now all going to decay. Poulahouan, on the direct road from Morlaix to Carhaix, contains other lead- mines, but inferior in extent and pro¬ ductiveness to those of Huelgoat. Here, however, are the smelting-houses in which the ore from both mines is reduced. The galleries of the mine have been driven horizontally f of a mile and vertically more than 600 ft. in the grauwacke. There is a direct road (15 m.) from Huelgoat to Carhaix (La Tour d’Auvergne is a good little Inn: game very cheap ; partridges 3d. a brace), a primitive town (2000 Inhab.) among the hills, in the midst of that most unsophisti¬ cated district of ancient Brittany, Cornouailles. It abounds in old houses, with projecting cornices and carved timber-work, and is inhabited by people as old - fashioned as their dwellings. Here is shown the house in which La Tour d’Auvergne (Th^ophile-Malo Corret) was born, in 1743; who, stern republican as well as brave warrior, steadily refused rank, but died the “premier grenadier de France,” in the battle-field on the banks of the Danube. A statue of him by the sculptor Marochetti is erected in the Place. In the Chateau de la Huge are preserved his heart, an early portrait, his sword, and his boots. The canal from Nantes to Brest will send a branch to Carhaix. A little way out of the town on the road to Callac is an ancient structure, said to be a Roman aqueduct. There is also a Roman road which can be traced for more than a mile on the way to St. Gildas. Richard Coeur de Lion was defeated at Carhaix, 1197, by his rebellious vassals, the nobles of Brittany. Six high roads—to Brest, Morlaix, St. Brieuc, Vannes, Chateau- lin, and Quimper—unite here. A direct road leads from Carhaix to Lorient, by Le Faouet, and over the high range of the Montague Noire. Not far from Le Faouet is a very hand¬ some Gothic chapel. The road to Pontivy and Vannes quits the Dept, of Finisterre soon after leaving Carhaix, passes Rostrenen (Dept. Cotes du Nord), beyond which it crosses the Brest and Nantes Canal, and reaches Pontivy {Inn: H. des Voyageurs), an ancient town with old walls and gates, to which a new quarter was tacked on by Napoleon, who changed the name of the place to Napoleonville. Brittany. Route 42 .—Morlaix to Nantes — Josselin. 143 At tlie restoration of tlie Bourbons, however, his name and his public works were dropped; and many of the buildings remain half finished. The river Blavet, now rendered navigable to the sea at Lorient, and the canal from Brest to hiantes, afford openings for some commerce. The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany is of ancient foundation, but the actual edifice was rebuilt 1485. It is very picturesque, but rapidly falling to ruin. The fine church tower and spire of St. Nico- deme is 2^ lieues from Pontivy. About 6 m. N. of the road to Jos¬ selin is Rohan, cradle of the noble family of that name, now a poor and insignificant village, but prettily situ¬ ated. Of the Castle, now neglected by the princes its owners, scarcely a morsel of wall remains above the sur¬ face; the last fragments having been pulled down to build cottages with the stones. Posting is established on the road between Pontivy and 34 Josselin.— Inns: Poste ; Ci’oix d’Or. The Castle of Josselin, an ancient feudal fortress, founded on a rock above the river Oest, was the residence of the famous Constable de Clisson, who added a donjon, now destroyed, to the building, and died here, 1407, in a chamber facing the river, still pointed out. The oldest parts are the round towers, on the outside, built of slate. The most remarkable portion of the building is the inner front, in the irregular but picturesque style of Gothic in its latest form, equivalent to our Elizabethan, and dating probably from the lGthcenty. It is surmounted by pointed gables, and no two divisions correspond; the windows, surmounted by Gothic canopies, are interspersed with parapets of interlacing tracery, in the midst of which the words “a plus,” the motto of the Rohans, to whom the castle still belongs, cut in letters of stone, are constantly recurring. From the initials A. V. with a coronet, it is supposed to have been built by Alain VIII. Vicomte de Josselin. The Tomb of Olivier de Clisson, in the Ch. of Notre Dame, was violated at the Revolution, and the effigies of himself, and his wife Marguerite de Rohan, through whom he inherited the castle, were broken to pieces. The mutilated fragments were to be seen lately in the sacristy. A modern mausoleum has been erected, in execrable taste. In the midst of a wild open heath, half way between Josselin and Ploer- mel, a modern obelisk marks the spot where the Combat des Trente took place. Here, if we may believe Breton poets and writers of modern date (for ancient authority is wanting for the event, and many have doubted whether it ever occurred), close to an oak, which has long since disappeared, called “chene de mie voi,” a battle is said to have been fought 1351, between 30 Bretons on the side of Charles de Blois, and 30 partisans of Jean de Montfort, consist¬ ing of 20 English, 4 Flemings, and 6 Bretons, there not being enough English on the spot to form the full complement of combatants. The chal¬ lenge was given by Du Beaumanoir, the Breton leader of the garrison of Josselin, to his opponents, who com¬ posed part of the garrison of Ploermel, in consequence of an alleged infraction of a treaty by the latter. The English were led on by a knight whom the French call Brembro (? Pembroke), and after a very stout resistance -were vanquished, chiefly owing to the death of their leader. The combat of the 30 is not mentioned in the oldest copies of Froissart, the contemporary chro¬ nicle of the wars of Brittany, and is doubted by Daru in his History; not¬ withstanding which the monumental obelisk erected since the Restoration, in the place of one destroyed at the Revolution, headed “ Vive le Roi ! Les Bourbons toujours!” gives a list of the names of the 30 Bretons engaged in it. 12 Ploermel, in Rte. 45. 15 Malestroit.—There is no posting from this place to Redon, a towm of 4500 Inhab., on the Vilaine, a tidal river up to this point, and navigable for vessels of considerable size, while the navigation is continued by locks above this to Rennes. The Church, originally belonging to 144 Route 44 .—Brest to Nantes. Sect. II. the Abbey, is a fine Gothic building with a semicircular E. end. The con¬ ventual buildings are turned into a college. The Chateau de Beaumont, in the vicinity of the town, retains 3 towers of considerable antiquity attached to its modern constructions. There are extensive slate-quarries near this. 19 Rozay. 24 Bout de Bois. We here enter Rte. 41 a, p. 140. 14 Gesvres. 14 Nantes. (Route 46.) ROUTE 44. BREST TO NANTES, BY QUIMPER, AURAY, VANNES, AND LA ROCHE BERNARD. -EXCURSIONS TO LORIENT AND TO CARNAC AND LOKMARIAKER. 307 kilom. = 191 Eng. m. Diligence (mail) daily, in 36 hours, including 3 or 4 hours stoppages. It is a finely constructed road, though hilly from Brest to Le Faou. Between Brest and Chateaulin the steamer (see below) is preferable to the diligence. The high road from Brest to Cha¬ teaulin makes a great circuit in order to avoid the creeks jutting out of the Bay of Brest: it follows the Paris road to 20 Landerneau (Rte. 36), then turns abruptly S. to 19 Faou, seated on a river which becomes all slime at low water. The costume of the people in this part of Brittany is such as was worn in England in the time of Charles I. and II.— slouched hats, trunk hose (bragou bras, i. e. brogues or breeks), very wide, and with many folds, the hair hanging down the men’s backs, reminding one of the pictures in Isaac Walton. The black charcoal-burners thus attired have a very singular appearance. The women here wear a sort of cravat round their necks. The Pardon (§ 5), cele¬ brated four times a year at Rumengol near Faou, is attended with very curious ceremonies. From the high ground beyond Faou a pretty view is obtained on the rt.; the road, which is very hilly, next dips into a wooded and picturesque dell, at the bottom of which is a royal manu¬ factory of gunpowder, called Pont de Puis. Another hill surmounted, and we reach the banks of the Chateaulin river at Port de Launay, the point of arrival and departure of the steamer from Brest. The steamer runs only three times a week, making the voyage from Brest to Port Launay, 2 m. short of Cha¬ teaulin, in 4 hours. It traverses the Rade de Brest through its entire length, and thus enables the stranger fully to enjoy the beauties of that fine salt¬ water lake. For a general description of it, and of the vast range of batteries which defend it, see Rte. 36. On setting out, the opening of the Goulet is seen on the rt., and on the 1. the wide creek or inlet which extends up to Landerneau. The steamer passes between rt. The Pointe des Espagnols, the extreme projection of the peninsula of Qu^lern, and 1. the Pointe de l’Ar- morique, both strongly defended by forts. During the wars of the Ligue, a Spanish force sent over to aid the Due de Mercoeur in his resistance to Henri IV. took possession of the point, and, intrenching themselves on it, com¬ pletely commanded the entry of the roads. Their fort was at length cap¬ tured by assault by Mar4chal d’Au- mont, assisted by 1800 English, com¬ manded by Col. Norris, sent over by Queen Elizabeth, after an obstinate defence, and all within it were put to the sword — the French say, chiefly through the savageness of the English. The English formed the forlorn hope in scaling the breach ; and here the veteran mariner Frobisher, the tamer of the Spanish Armada, got his death- wound. The peninsula of Quelern, consumed on both sides by the ever-restless waves, exhibits a fringe of notched and jagged rocks, which, as they become under¬ mined by the ocean, are constantly giving way. Immense fissures are formed every year in the ground above, and are followed by numerous land¬ slips. These bare and exposed pro- 145 Brittany. Route 44. —Brest to Nantes — Quimper . montories, covered with heath and out up and corroded by the waves, were the chosen site of the worship of the Druids, and abound in those curious Celtic remains called Druidic stones. ($ 4 .) 1. The Bay of Daoulas, or “ Double Murder,” is so called from the slaugh¬ ter of two saints by a pagan chief, which gave rise to an Abbey whose ruins still remain. They are chiefly of the 15th centy., with earlier portions in the round style. Near this are the quarries of the Kersanton stone, so much used for the chui’ches of Brit¬ tany. (§ 5.) rt. The steamer next enters the inlet of Chateaulin, bending round the projecting promontory Landevennec, on which are ruins of a church attached to a once celebrated Abbey, the Breton Chartreuse, which was destroyed at the Revolution, and its valuable char¬ ters and MSS. sent to Brest to be made into cartridges by the artillery. The banks of the inlet, now contract¬ ing into a river, are picturesque, but the course of the stream is very wind¬ ing. At Port de Launay the voyage for steamers ends ; the river Aulne being crossed by a weir and lock a short way above this, to render it navigable for barges as far as Chateauneuf, where the canal to Nantes commences. There are many slate-quarries on the banks of the river near to 19 Chateaulin. — Inn: none toler¬ able. A small, but not remarkable town, in a pretty, park-like valley, hav¬ ing a bridge over the Aulne, and an old castle in ruins on a rock behind it. At Pleyben, 7 m. E. of this, is a fine Gothic Church, with a lofty tower and well-preserved sculptured portal, bear¬ ing inside of it statues of the 12 Apostles; the windows are adorned with painted glass. In the churchyai'd is a very curious Calvaire resting on 4 arches, on the sides and the top of which our Saviour’s passion is repre¬ sented in bas-reliefs and statues, more than 120 in number, not ill drawn, the drapery especially. The costume is France. that of the 16th centy., yet the date affixed to the monument is 1650. Quimper may be reached from Cha¬ teaulin in about 2^ hours. The road here quits the valley of the Aulne by a steep ascent 3 m. long; from the very top of which, an open moorland tract, you still look down upon Chateaulin and its valley. This ridge is called the Black Mountain. It was near this part of the road that a party of in¬ trusive clergy and bishops, appointed by the Revolutionist government, pro¬ ceeding to a confirmation at Brest, were stopped, dragged out of the coach by a party of Cliouans, and murdered on the highway. 28 Quimper (Corentin), — Inn : H. de l’Epe£, the only good one. Quimper is capital of the Dept. Finisterre, though it has only 9860 Inhab., while Brest has 30,000. It bears the stamp of antiquity as much as any town in Brittany, and is still partly surrounded by the walls and watch-towers erected for its defence by Pierre de Dreux, who, though a bishop, was also a great captain in his time. The Cathedral rears its stately W. front, with a deep sculptured portal, rich in foliage, but much fractured, between two massive towers, on one side of the market-place. It is a large and fine edifice, begun 1424, and has this peculiarity, that its nave is not on a line with the choir, which inclines considerably to the N.E., although the irregularity is not so perceptible as to be a defect. The interior is of a stately height; in the S. aisle is a curious grated niche. The pulpit is carved and gilt. The sculpture of the porch is like that of Folgoat in the beautiful treatment of the foliage. The towers though massive are not heavy, being set off by the slit windows 30 ft. high which pierce them, and by the light open parapet with which they terminate. The ruined Ch. of the Cordeliers, begun 1224, with its elegant though mutilated cloister, and a large window looking over the Rue St. Frangois, and the chapel of Locmaria, on the out¬ skirts of the town to the S., appa¬ rently older than any in Quimper, and H 146 Route 44 .—Brest to Nantes — Lorient. Sect. II. a work of the middle of the 12th centy., will be appreciated by the anti¬ quary. The best and most modern houses line a quay on the rt. bank of the Odel, which flows through Quimper in the form of a canal. On its 1. bank stands the Prefecture, fronting a sort of Champ de Mars, behind which a tall and steep hill rises, covered with a hanging wood, cut into terraces and zigzag paths, forming an agreeable public walk, leading to the top, whence there is a fine view of the river, which expands greatly below the town. Quimper is said to be an agreeable residence ; its situation is very pretty, and some trout-fishing might be had in the neighboui'ing streams : the cli¬ mate is bad, however. For those who have time and in¬ clination, there remain to be visited near Quimper the picturesque rnanoir of Coat Bily, a little to the rt. of the road to Chateaulin (date 1517) ; the elegant and well-preserved chapel of La Mere de Lieu, 16th cent. ; the Moustoir, an ancient fortified mansion on the way to Concarneau. A new high road has been made from this to the Pointe, or Bee da Raz, a storm-beaten promontory, sur¬ mounted by a lighthouse, which, though nearly 270 ft. above the sea, is constantly covered by the spray during tempests. The spot has little gran¬ deur, but a savage wildness ; the sea around is always tempest-tossed, and the shore of the Baie des Ti’epasses, so called from the number of dead bodies washed upon it, is perpetually covered with wrecks. The flat, bare, rocky peninsula of Penmarch abounds in Celtic remains. Near Soc’h is a Dru¬ idic parallelogram of upright stones, and the finest dolmen in Finisterre, consisting of 16 vertical slabs support¬ ing two horizontal or tabular stones. (§ 4 -) The road out of Quimper to Quim- perle has been carried round the flanks of the hills, instead of over their tops. 21 Rosporden stands on the borders of a large pond. 25 Quimperld (no good Inn ) is seated amidst hills, on a brawlimr river, the File, and is a pretty town. 5300 Inhab. The large mass of building on one side of the Place, now serving as Mairie, &c., was originally a convent of Benedictines, attached to which, behind, is the Ch. of Ste. Croix, a build¬ ing calculated to interest the anti¬ quary and architect, from its age (10th or 11th cent. ?), and its form, a ro¬ tunda surmounted by a dome with 4 projecting apses, one of which has been modernised. The arrangement of the central piers, concave inwardly, convex outwardly, the pilasters at¬ tached to them, the narrow, loop- holed, roundheaded windows high up in the wall, all mark its antiquity. 3 flights of steps lead up to the altar, beneath which is a curious and still more ancient crypt, entered from the outside. It contains the grave of St. Gurlot : the Bretons thrust their arms through a hole in his tombstone, in order to be cured of rheumatism. Above the main entrance to the church is a bas-relief of good execution, of the age of Francis I., representing the 4 Evangelists and the Theological Virtues. There is another church (St. Michel ) on the top of the hill, its groundwork Romanesque, with additions of the 12th and 15th cents. Travellers bound for Lorient (where the H. de France is a good Inn) take a route to the rt. of our line on quit¬ ting QuimperlA There is nothing re¬ markable in that dull modern town of straight streets and 19,095 Inhab., save its Dockyard, which is not readily shown to an Englishman, and which he need not care to see, as it is much inferior to those of his own country. The town is strongly fortified, and stands in the angle between two creeks, one of which, the estuary of the ScorfF, forms the port militaire, the other the port marchand. They unite below the town, where they are met by the estuary of the Blavet from the E., and expand into the Roads ; but as the dockyard occupies nearly the entire margin, and is surrounded on all sides by a high wall, all view of the water is excluded from the town, and contri- Brittany. Route 44 .—Brest to Nantes — Hennebon. 147 butes nothing to remove the mono¬ tonous dulness of its dirty streets, whose meagre houses look as though they were built merely to be knocked down. An excellent bird’s-eye view of the dockyard may be obtained from the top of the tower of the parish church. At the entrance of the Dockyard is the house of the Prefet Maritime. The adjacent buildings are part of those erected by the “ Compagnie des Indes Orientales,” whose establishment here, 1666, converted into a town a previ¬ ously obscure village. The company was dissolved 1770. Law of Lauris- ton, the South Sea schemer, occupied the house which is now the Prefecture. Near to it stands a narrow look-out tower 180 ft. high, overtopping all other buildings, affording a view of the whole roadstead and of the coast far and wide ; near this is a small astronomical observatory. Lorient is exclusively a building dock ; there are no bagnes nor convicts here. There are 15 or 16 building-slips (cales) here and on the opposite side of the creek, but only one has a permanent roof, fit for first-rates ; the rest are mostly for frigates and steam - vessels. A new Fonderie near to the shed for masting vessels, 2 large mast-houses, and very extensive workshops, provided with a steam-engine, have been finished. The roads open out at the lower ex¬ tremity of the creek which forms the port : they are partly dry at low water. Some way down is the lie St. Michel, covered with the yellow build¬ ings of the Lazaret, and beyond it, on a projecting point, the fortress of Port Louis, commanding the entrance of the harbour, mounting 500 cannon (?) A steamer goes from Lorient to Nantes, and vice versa, every week, touching at Belle Isle, a barren rock, which was captured by the English, under General Hodson and Admiral Keppel, in 1761. The estuary of the Scorff is crossed by a wooden bridge in going to Auray from Lorient.] A coach runs between Quimperle and Nantes daily in about 24 hrs., through Lorient and Hennebon. The direct road to Hennebon passes out of the Dept. Finisterre into the Morbihan about 6 m. from Quimperle. The river Blavet is crossed by an iron suspension bridge to reach 24 Hennebon (H. du Commerce ; tolerable), an antique town, 4477 Inhab., prettily situated on its 1. bank, once the chief port of Morbihan. Its name must be familiar to all who have read Froissart, through the noble defence w’hich it made in the succes¬ sion war of Brittany 1342, during two sieges sustained by Jeanne de Mont- fort against the armies of Philippe de Valois and Charles of Blois. The cap¬ ture and imprisonment in Paris of Jean de Montfort would have ruined his cause in Brittany but for his heroic countess, who, possessing the courage of a man and the heart of a lion, threw herself into Hennebon, strengthened its works, filled it with provisions, and animated the courage of the garrison and inhabitants to resist to the last extremity. To marshal troops, to lead them to the onset, to fight hand to hand armed cap-k-pied with sword and casque, to manage a war-horse with the skill of the most adept cava¬ lier, to preside in council, or dictate treaties ; such were the accomplish¬ ments of this noble dame. Several times did she boldly sally forth at the head of her troops to assail the enemy, and on one occasion set fire to his camp ; and when the besiegers turned round to defend it in such numbers as to cut off her retreat into the town, she forced her way through them and effected her escape to Auray, whence, after beating up the country around for 5 days, she returned in triumph to Hennebon with a force augmented from 300 to 600 men, and entered the gates in safety. At length the last extremity arrived ; provisions were nearly exhausted, her counsellors ad¬ vised surrender, and articles of capitu¬ lation were drawn up. She was forced unwillingly to consent to yield, pro¬ vided at the end of 3 days succour did not arrive from England. On the eve of the 2nd day, as she was gazing from her watch-tower, she perceived the H 2 148 Route 44.— Brest to Nantes — Auray . Sect. II English fleet, whicli had been detained by contrary winds, entering the month of the Blavet full sail, bringing the brave knight Sir Walter de Manny, with a strong force of English knights and archers, and plenty of provisions. . All thoughts of surrender were now abandoned ; and, after one or two suc¬ cessful sorties, the siege was raised. Two years after this, Edward III. in person landed here with an army of 3 2,000, which laid siege to Yannes. In 1375, however, the town was taken by Du Guesclin, and the English gar¬ rison all put to the sword, except the commanders Wisk and Prior, who were reserved for ransom. The only relics now remaining in the town from that period of bloodshed are a portion of the town-wall on the side of the river, and an ancient gate which led to the castle ; it is a pointed gateway be¬ tween 2 very massive round towers, and is now a prison. The Church is said to have been built by the Eng¬ lish ; it is unfinished, and only re- mai’kable for a lofty and elegant portal, recessed and fringed, not unlike that at Harfleur, surmounted by a crock- eted steeple. There are some pic¬ turesque old houses here. [Near Baud (a poor town, destitute of a tolerable inn), 15 m. N. of Henne- bon, is the statue called Venus of Qui- nipily, from a castle of that name now razed to the ground, on whose site it is placed. It is of granite, coarsely worked and badly designed ; the arms are crossed in front over a piece of drapery like a stole, descending half¬ way down the thighs ; in other re¬ spects it is naked. Nothing is known concerning its origin, and the conjec¬ tures are very vague. One writer supposes, from its Egyptian character, that it was a Gallic Isis, and it is called Yenus only in the inscriptions on the pedestal set up 1689. This much is certain, that down to the 17th centy. it was worshipped with foul rites, and is even now looked on with superstitious veneration by the peasantry.] A dreary and monotonous country of moor and heathland is crossed on quitting Hennebon to reach 13 Landevan. 15 Auray {Inn: Pavilion d’en Bas ; tolerable), a town of 3734 Inhab., on the Auray ; in nowise remarkable, but from its position it is the best start¬ ing-point for a visit to the Celtic anti¬ quities of Carnac and Locmariaker. Jolting gigs may be hired here for 10 fr. to go and return. The Castle of Auray, no part of which is now standing, is said to have been founded by King Arthur. A battle fought under its walls, 1364, settled the succession to the dukedom of Brittany in favour of young De Montfort, son-in-law to King Edward III., who owed the victory to his Eng¬ lish allies, led on by the brave John Chandos. In the opposite ranks fought Du Guesclin, who was made prisoner by Chandos, and Olivier de Clisson, who lost an eye in the battle. Charles de Blois was slain in the thickest of the fight, and there fell on his side not less than 5000 men, while the English lost a very small number. St. Anne d’ Auray is a celebrated pil¬ grimage church 6 m. from the town, frequented usually by 6000 devotees from all parts of Brittany in the month of July, but not otherwise remark¬ able. It is a modern and not hand¬ some building. In another direction, about a mile from Auray, is the nunnery of the Chartreuse, occupied by the Soeurs de la Sagesse, who instruct a school for the deaf and dumb. Attached to their church is the Expiatory Monument, erected by the Bourbons to the me¬ mory of the 950 unfortunate Emigres and Royalists who composed the ill- advised expedition to Quiberon, 1795, and who either fell there, or were shot by the Republicans on the banks of the Auray, at the spot marked by a Grecian temple not far distant from the Chartreuse. Another monument, which has been placed in the church to record their unhappy fate, is not a work of merit, either in genei’al design or in the execution of the bas-relief intended to adorn it. It bears the names of those who fell. The village of Breech was the birth¬ place of George Cadoudal, a leader of Brittany. Route 44.' — Morbihan — Locmariciker. 149 the Chouans. Morbihan was the centre of then’ insurrection. The Excursion to Carnac and Loc¬ mariaker may be made in one day by pursuing the following plan, and pro¬ vided the traveller can walk 8 m., the only mode of passing between these two places being on foot. If the wind be favourable he may take a boat and descend the Auray to Locmariaker, a pleasant voyage of a little more than an hour ; if he visit Gavr Innis (N.B. in this case take candles and matches), 1 or hr. more is required : from Locmariaker on foot to Carnac will take 2 hrs. He must, however, be¬ forehand, hire a gig at Auray, and send it on to Carnac to wait for him. He may return to Auray in the gig in 2^ hrs. In sailing down the estuary of the Auray he will pass rt. The Chateau de Plessis Kaer, a Gothic castle, with additions of the time of Francis I., and the ruins of another, called Rosnareu. Ne'ar this the boatmen assert that ruins of the piles of a bridge, which they attribute to Caesar, may be discovered at low- water in the bed of the river. rt. A perfect Chateau, called Ker- entrec. The river now widens out, and a little farther on we enter The Morbihan (Little Sea), an inland sea or archipelago from which the de¬ partment is named, so thickly beset with islands that the common belief assigns them a number equal to the days of the year. The shores on all sides have a most jagged outline, fringed with capes, creeks, and inlets ; they are of granite, barely covered with the scantiest vegetable soil, sup¬ porting a growth of barren heath ; very often the surface is mere bare rock. 2 narrow peninsulas or arms, projecting from the E. and W., sepa¬ rate this gulf from the sea, allowing only a narrow passage between them. This archipelago is very difficult to na¬ vigate—a perfect labyrinth of islands, separated by intricate passages which only the experienced navigator can thread. The land rises but little above the sea ; it is sterile in the ex¬ treme ; the peasantry are miserably poor, and barely win a scanty crop from a soil whose proper pi'oductions seem heath and furze. Yet this me¬ lancholy and mysterious but unin¬ viting district seems to have been the head - quarters of the religion of the Druids — the number of barrows, cairns, dolmens, menhirs, &c., is ex¬ traordinary (§4). The island of Gavr Innis, or Gaffr’ nd, nearly opposite Locmariaker, may be visited on the way thither, diverg¬ ing a mile or 2 to the E. It is “an island of granite about i m. long, of granite covered with turf, in which rises a tumulus 30 ft. high and 300 in circumference. It is traversed by a subterranean passage or cromlech, con¬ sisting of 13 and 14 vertical props at the sides and 10 cap-stones. Some of them are covered with engraved lines forming patterns somewhat resembling the tattooing of a New Zealander.— Lukis. The only way to get to these islands is to take a boat from Loc¬ mariaker. The Auray boatmen either cannot or will not go over. Locmariaker is a poor village, not possessing accommodation of the com¬ monest kind for a traveller, nor even affording provisions. It stands on a heathy promontory projecting between the ocean and the Gulf of Morbihan, but is deserted by the tide at low water, so that one must land at a sort of pier a little to the N. of the village, near the Mont Hellu, a mound of stones or galgal, about f m. N. W. of the vil¬ lage. There is another similar mound to the S. E. called butte de Caesar. The most interesting of the Celtic monu¬ ments lie to the N. of the village, between it and the Mont Hellu. Con¬ tiguous to the last house is a menhir 20 ft. long, overthrown like every other in this district; a little to the 1. on an eminence is a dolmen, the top stone of which is 12 to 15 ft. square, and in parts 3 ft. thick. Still farther to the N. lies prostrate and broken into 4 fragments the largest Menhir known; it measures nearly 60 ft. in length, and 5 or 6 ft. in height as it lies. It is difficult to imagine by what force so huge a mass can have been snapped short across, with such clean 150 Route 44.— Locmariaker — Carnac. Sect. II. fractures. Some have attributed its fall to lightning. Near to it is another dolmen called Dot ar Marchant, the Merchant’s Table, which seems larger than any other in the neighbourhood; it consists of 2 table-stones, one of them 16 ft. by 12, supported on 3 vertical ones; it is possible to creep under it, and remark the singular figures cut on its under surface. Be¬ tween it and the Mont Hellu, a vast heap of cinders is said to have been found (?) There are many other similar monu¬ ments near Locmariaker, but these are the principal ones. Locmariaker (i. e. place of the Virgin Mary) is supposed to occupy the site of the ancient Dariorigum, the capital of the Venetes: its position agrees with Caesar’s description of their “oppida in extremis linguis, promontoriisque posita,” and some substructures of houses laid bare near the village are attributed to the Romans. [The peninsula of Rhuys , which, with that of Locmariaker, form, as it were, the natural piers separating the Sea of Morbihan from the Atlantic, contains the following objects of curiosity. 1. Le Grand Mont, called also la Butte de Tamiac, situated about 4 m. from Sar- zeau, an obscure little town, but me¬ morable as the birthplace of the author of Gil Bias. It is the largest tumulus existing in France, 100 ft. high and 300 in circumference, and is planted near the extremity of the promontory. 2. The ruined ch. of the Abbey of St. Gildas de Rhuys, remarkable because it was the retreat of Abelard in 1125, who narrowly escaped poisoning at the hands of the refractory and ill-con¬ ditioned monks, whose dissolute man¬ ners he wished to repress. The re¬ mains consist of a modern nave, and a very ancient choir in the Romanesque style, terminating at the E. end in 3 semicircular chapels. The walls of the transept are partly of herring-bone masonry. The date of the oldest part of the building is probably 1038. The tomb of the saint is pointed out; an ancient font deserves notice. St. Gildas is about 21 m. from Vannes. On the way to St. Gildas from Vannes, 3, the Castle of Succinio may be visited. It is a fine and perfect feudal fortress, built 1260 by John the Red, Duke of Brittany. It has nearly the form of a pentagon flanked by 6 round towers. It was the birthplace of the Constable de Richemont, who defeated the Eng¬ lish at Formigny.] Between Carnac and Locmariaker a deep frith of the sea penetrates far inland, and is crossed half way by a ferry; the way is very intricate, from the number of paths, so as scarcely to be found without a guide, and the road is very bad. The distance, 8 m., is practicable only on foot. The Ferry of Cherispere over this inlet is prettily situated, and com¬ mands a view of the little port of La Trinity in the bay of Crach. A little to the W. of the ferry, near some salt-works, at the bottom of a shallow dell, is a rude monument to mark the grave of a royalist, shot on the spot, 1801. The approach to Carnac is marked by the prominent Cairn, or Tombelle de St. Michel, so called from the chapel surmounting it. It is a cone of loose stones artificially heaped together, standing at the E. extremity of the great army of rocks of Carnac, of which it commands a view, as well as of the sea and promontory of Qui- beron. Carnac. Inn: LI. des Voyageurs, an humble auberge. The great Celtic Monument of Carnac, the most extensive in France, is situated about £ m. from this remote village, and is traversed by the road from Auray. In the midst of a wide heath, as dreary and blasted in aspect as that “ near Forres,” extends this brother¬ hood of grey stones,—rude blocks set on end, angular, showing no marks of polish, and hirsute with the long moss which has covered the hard surface of the granite, and marks the length of time they must have stood in their present position. At first sight it is difficult to distinguish any order, so many are overthrown, and the gaps left in the lines by depredations are so numerous and wide; indeed, every house and every wall in the vicinity Brittany. Route 44.— Carnac — Quiberon. 151 seems to have been built out of this ready quarry. The great mass of the stones extends between 2 windmills. They are arranged in 11 lines, forming 10 avenues, with a curved row of 18 stones at one end, touching at its extremities the two outside rows. The ranks are best preserved, and the stones are highest, near the farm called Menec. There are, it is said, not less than 12,000 stones, blocks of the granite which forms the basis of the country, and which is barely covered with soil, and in many places projects naked above it. None ex¬ ceed 18 ft. in height, and a very large proportion are cubical masses not more than 3 ft. high. They give one the idea of a regiment of soldiers, and the tradition of the country respect¬ ing their origin is, that St. Comely (Cornelius), hard pressed by an army of Pagans, fled to the sea-shore, but, finding no boat to further his escape, uttered a prayer, which converted his pursuers into stones. Of the numerous theories invented by learned antiqua¬ ries to account for the origin and object of these stones, several are not less absurd nor more probable than the legend just mentioned; none are satis¬ factory. The opinions perhaps least unworthy of consideration would sup¬ pose either that it was a burial-place on the site of some great battle-field, and that each stone marked a grave, or that it was a great temple dedicated to serpent worship. It was probably connected with some of those rites of initiation which formed part of the Druidical religion, and were derived from the same source as the Greek Mysteries. At Erdevan, about 8 m. W: of Car¬ nac, and again at St. Barbe, between Carnac and Erdevan, there are similar assemblages of stones, but not so nu¬ merous. Some have maintained that these three systems of rude pillars were once united, but there is no evi¬ dence of this. The piles of stones invariably follow the same direction from E. to W. One can scarcely see Carnac without comparing it with Stonehenge; and it must be admitted that, in spite of the vast multitude of stones, the few and gigantic masses of Salisbury Plain are far more im¬ pressive than the long array of the petrified army on the heath of Mor- bihan. At Carnac there are no cross¬ stones raised on the top of the upright slabs, as at Stonehenge. The Peninsula of Quiberon stretches 10 m. S. into the sea, a little to the W. of the village of Carnac. Its name is associated with melancholy recollec¬ tions of the ill-contrived and ill-exe¬ cuted expedition, consisting of 6000 French emigrants in the pay of Eng¬ land, who were landed there from a British fleet 1795, and, after a futile attempt to break through the Repub¬ lican armies opposed to them, were for the most part driven into the sea by General Hoche. The surprise, by Hoche, of Fort Penthievre, which guards the neck of the peninsula, and of which the emigres had made them¬ selves masters on first landing, decided the fate of the expedition. Sombreuil, their brave leader, when expelled from it, drew up his little band on the farthest extremity of the sand, where they made the most determined resist¬ ance, so as to call down the admira¬ tion of their antagonists and fellow countrymen. Humbert, the repub¬ lican general, advanced with a flag of truce, and promised that their lives should be spared if they laid down their arms. A storm prevented the 152 Route 44.— Vannes—Roche Bernard . Sect. II. British fleet rendering them any assist¬ ance; one corvette alone for a time checked the Republicans by its de¬ structive fire, and a few of the fugi¬ tives were brought off in the boats of the squadron; but many, including women and children, perished in the waves. 950 unfortunate men, most of them persons of rank or station, who capitulated on promise of am¬ nesty, with their commander, Som- breuil, were, in spite of that, con¬ veyed to Auray as prisoners of war, and shot there (see p. 148). The descent on Quiberon was an example of the danger of disgrace and failure which England runs by ‘ ‘ waging a little war.” The road from Auray to Carnac is not good; the latter part is very bad. There is nothing to note between Auray and 18 Vannes. — Inn: Hotel du Com¬ merce, tolerable. This town, capital of the Dept, of Morbihan (population 12,000), is built at the extremity of a narrow inlet, branching out from the Gulf of Morbihan, and about 15 m. from the open sea. It possesses in an eminent degree the character of anti¬ quity which distinguishes most Breton towns, in its narrow streets, overhang¬ ing houses, massive town walls and gates, but has no curiosities to detain the stranger. The portal of carved Kersanton stone, the towers of the Cathedral, and a tower in the centre of the town, erroneously called Tourdu Con- netahle, because Olivier de Clisson was said to have been confined in it 1387, are the only buildings worth mention¬ ing. 3 or 4 old convents, suppressed at the Revolution, now serve for barracks and similar purposes. The castle into which the Constable de Clisson was entrapped, under pre¬ tence of asking his opinion of the new fortifications, by John (IV.) de Montfort, who then locked the door upon him, and loaded him with chains, was the Chateau de V Hermine, which was razed to the ground in the 16tli centy. Clisson owed his life to the forbearance of the governor, Bazvalan, who (like King John’s Hubert) pre¬ tended compliance with De Montfort’s order to murder his prisoner, but, when his master’s anger cooled, in¬ formed him of his captive’s safety. Clisson was not released, however, without paying a heavy ransom. A sailing-boat with a favourable wind will cross the Sea of Morbihan to Locmariaker, on the way to Carnac (p. 149), in about 2^ hours; but as no conveyances are to be obtained at either of these places, most persons will prefer the land journey via Auray. Excursion through the Promontory of Rhuys. The pedestrian may walk by the Castle of Succinio (p. 150) to Sarzeau (where is an humble Inn), St. Gildas Abbey, and back to Sarzeau for the night; next day by Butte de Tumiac to Port Navalo, whence cross in a boat to Gavr Innis and Locmariaker (see p. 149). Diligences daily to Rennes (Rte. 45); to Brest; to Nantes. Through a country abounding in heath and broom, we pass through 9 Theix, and 15 Muzillac, to 16 Roche Bernard, on the 1. bank of the Vilaine, which is here crossed by a remarkably fine Suspension Bridge of iron wire, supported on 2 piers of granite masonry, each approached by 3 lofty arches of granite. The opening between the two points of suspension measures 626 ft., the elevation of the rqadway above high-water mark 108 ft. In its general appearance it resembles the Menai bridge; it was constnicted under the superintendence of M. Le¬ blanc, the engineer des Ponts et Chaus- s£es. It was completed 1839, and subjected to the trial of its strength which the French law requires, by placing 2 rows of 115 carts and car¬ riages heavily laden on the carriage¬ way, and of 117 barrows filled with stones on the footpath, which it stood without the least sympton of weak¬ ness. The road leading to and from the bridge is well engineered, and leaves the town of Roche Bernard on one side. Inn : Hotel Silvestre, tolerable, Brit. R. 45 .—Rennes to Vannes. 46 .—Le Mans to Nantes. 153 on the new road, f m. S. of the bridge. Those who remember the tedious and dangerous ferry which this bridge re¬ places, and all the trouble and in¬ conveniences of embarking and disem¬ barking, will rejoice in the improve¬ ment. There is nothing of interest beyond this; the country is very dreary, with few hills; the road in the Dept, of the Loire Inferieure is only beginning to be macadamized. 19 Pont Chateau. 15 Le Moere. At Savenay, on the rt. of our road, in December, 1793, the last relics of that daring army of Vendean peasants, which had crossed the Loire 6 weeks before 80,000 strong, now reduced to 8000 or 10,000, made a last stand against the Republicans, but their obstinate bravery was of little avail against over¬ powering numbers. They fought long after their ammunition was exhausted, even women taking part in the combat, but were at length cut to pieces or made prisoners, 3000 only escaping back into La Vendee. 11 Le Temple. Glimpses of the estuary of the Loire, running parallel with our road, are seen on the rt. Near Santron, through which the road passes, is the Chateau de Buron, one of the residences of Madame de Se- vignd. The approach to Nantes is marked by the number of neat country houses. 23 Nantes (in Rte. 46). ROUTE 45. RENNES TO VANNES BY PLOERMEL, AND TO CARNAC. 92 kilom. = 57 Eng. m. A diligence daily. 15 Mordelles. 20 Plelan. 24 Ploermel ( Inn: H. du Com¬ merce), a town of 5207 Inhab. In the Parish Ch., a low and heavy structure of the 12th centy., are the monumental effigies in armour of Dukes John II. (1305) and III. (1341) of Brittany. They were brought from the church of the Carmelites, founded by John II., who had fought in Syria against the Infidels, and had visited Mount Carmel; the sculpture is good, and they are tolerably perfect: the church was destroyed at the Revolu¬ tion. These statues are interesting examples of the costume and armour of the time. There is some painted glass in the church. About 7 m. W. of Ploermel is the Castle of Josselin (Rte. 42). 10 Roc St. AndrA 16 Pont Guillemet. Beyond this, about 1 m. to the rt. of the road, is the ruined Castle of Elven, one of the best preserved fortresses of the middle ages in Brittany, built on the model, it is said, of some castle in Syria. It stands on a flat, surmounted by a lofty octagonal keep-tower. Elven is interesting to an Englishman, be¬ cause young Henry of Richmond (after¬ wards Henry VII.) was shut up in it for many years, along with his uncle the Earl of Pembroke, by Francis II., Duke of Brittany. The two English fugitives, escaping from their own country after the battle of Tewkes¬ bury, were driven by a storm on the coast of Brittany, and Henry remained a prisoner nearly 15 years, until 1484. when, escaping into France, he accepted the invitation of friends in England to supplant the tyrant Richard III. 18 V ' annes . (Rte. 44: where the excursion to the Druidical Monuments o Carnac is also described.) ROUTE 46. LE MANS TO NANTES, BY ANGERS. kilom. = Eng. m. Diligence daily. Le Mans is described in Rte. 34. The road, on quitting Le Mans, crosses the Huisne just before it falls into the Sarthe, and then runs along the 1. bank of that river as far as 16 Guecelard. On the outskirts of Le Mans, not far from the bridge over the Huisne, the buffoon Scarron threw H 3 154 Route 46 .—Le Mans to Nantes — Angers . Sect. II. himself into the river, to conceal him¬ self from the pursuit and. taunts of the mob, whose derision he had ex¬ cited by parading the streets during the Carnival tarred and feathered, by way of masquerading. The result of this frolic, so little becoming his posi¬ tion as canon of the cathedral, was, that he caught a rheumatism in his limbs which rendered him a cripple for life. Maize begins to grow to the S. of Le Mans, but nowhere to the N. of that place. 7 Fouletourte. The road descends into the pretty valley of the Loir ( N.B. , not to be confounded with the Loire), a little be¬ fore it reaches 19 La Fleche (Inn: La Poste), a town of 6500 Inhab., prettily situated in a country where vineyards begin to be cultivated with advantage. The large edifice, now the Ecole Militaire, was built by Henri IV. as a Jesuits’ College, 1603, but turned into its present destination by Napoleon. The heart of Henri is still preserved in the church. The Church of St. Thomas is a heavy Romanesque edifice. [20 m. N. W. of La Fleche is Sable [Tan; Croix Verte, comfortable and moderate), u a beautiful little town on the Sarthe, with a chateau built by M. de Torcy, foreign minister in the reign of Louis XIV. (1696-1715), and nephew of Colbert, still in the Torcy family. Near Sable are immense marble quarries. Anthracite coal is worked at La Ragotene.”— L. About 2 m. be¬ yond Sable, ^ an hour’s walk by the river side, is the Abbey of Solesmes, pur¬ chased since 1830 and re-occupied by a society of Benedictine monks, who devote themselves to study in this picturesque retreat. The church is remarkable for 4 groups of statues, called Les Saintes de Solesmes, enclosed in niches, each surrounded by a rich framework of architecture and sculp¬ ture, in a style of Gothic approaching to the Renaissance. The groups of statuary represent, 1. The Entomb¬ ment of our Saviour ; the head of Christ and the figure of the Magdalen are particularly well executed. Above the recess rises an ogee arch decorated with the richest foliage of thistles and mallows. It bears the date 1496. 2, Christ disputing with the Doctors ; the figures, in the dress of the 15th centy., are somewhat coarse, remind¬ ing one of a Dutch painting. 3. On the 1. of the choir, the Communion of the Virgin. 4. Death of the Virgin, in the N. transept. These sculptures have been variously attributed to Italian artists, and to the Frenchman Germain Pilon, but without authority. An altar in the S. transept has been lately fitted up with fragments of other statuary found among the ruins of the abbey. The stalls in the choir, carved with the genealogy of Christ, are worth notice.] The road to Angers follows the valley of the Loir downwards, running at the foot of gentle hills covered with vineyards. 13 Duretal is a town of 1500 Inhab., overlooked by two picturesque em¬ battled towers, part of a Castle built by Foulques Nera, Comte d’Anjou. 14 Suette. The Loir now bends away from the road to the W., and 6 m. below this falls into the Sarthe. On approaceing Angers the road passes near some of the vast quarries of slate, which forms a principal pro¬ duction of the district. 19. Angers. — Inns: no good inn. Cheval Blanc, in the heart of the town, least objectionable, 1851;—H. le Roy; —H. de Londres, dirty and ill-con¬ ditioned. Angers, chef-lieu of the Dept. Maine et Loire, is situated on the Maine, called Mayenne in the upper part of its course, a little below the junction of the Sarthe with it, and about 5 m. above the influx of the Maine into the Loire. It has 33,000 Inhab. Modern improvements, the formation of a broad quay along the 1. bank of the river, the substitution of tall, regular white stone houses, like those of the Rue Rivoli, for the old gable-faced cottage-built structures, have greatly innovated upon the thoroughly antique character which Angers previously bore. A broad formal boulevard, Brittany. Route 46 .— Angers — The Castle. 155 planted with young trees, replaces the old fortifications,— “ The flinty ribs of this contemptuous town . . . “ those sleeping stones, That as a waist did girdle it about, By this time from their fixed beds of lime Have been dishabited.” King John. The “ strong barred gates” are all down, and only one tower remains near the upper bridge of those “ saucy walls.” Black Angers, as it was called from the sombre hue of its buildings of slate, is now like an old coat with a modern trimming: but plunge into the midst of its labyrinth of buildings, scale its steep and narrow streets, many of them inaccessible to wheel carriages, and you will find traces enough of the Angers of olden time, the capital of Anjou, and residence of its dukes. In few towns of France will the antiquary, artist, or architect find a greater number of interesting antique churches and houses than here. Most of the old houses are timber¬ framed, their fronts gable-faced, the roofs, and often fronts, covered with scales of slate, which abounds in the neighbourhood and forms the common building-stone, and many of the door and corner posts, the joists and cor¬ nices, bear rich Gothic carvings. The most venerable relic of antiquity is the old Castle, at the water-side, close to the suspension bridge. Its walls were originally washed by the waters of the Maine, until its moat was partly filled to give place to the new quay. If its size and preservation be jointly con¬ sidered, it is perhaps the finest feudal castle in France. 17 colossal towers surround it; they are 70 to 80 ft. high, close set along the walls, shaped like dice-boxes, thick below, narrow waisted, and having bands of white stone let into the black rough slate of which they are built, so as to give them the appearance of being hooped. A broad and deep ditch isolates the castle from the rest of the town; it is entered by a massive gateway under a perfect portcullis, and within its portal is the furnace where lead and pitch were melted for the benefit of invaders. This castle was begun by Philippe- Auguste, and completed by Louis IX. It serves at present for a prison, bar¬ rack, and ddpot of powder. The part which served as a palace of the Dukes of Anjou, overlooking the river, is now in ruins, but shows the architecture of the Renaissance. It stood between the high tower called Da Moulin, because it once supported a windmill, and that called Da Diable, because close to it was the fearful Oubliette, down which criminals were cast alive. From this tower there is a capital view of the town, its spires and other buildings, of the river and its bridges; while a slight glimpse of the Loire also, deep set in its distant valley, may be gained. There is a neat chapel, now 7 filled with fire-arms, showing, in the delicate tracery of its windows, a good example of Gothic. Beside it is a small build¬ ing flanked with turrets, in which, it is said, King Rene of Provence and Anjou was born. The view from the terrace outside the castle-gate is less extensive, but nearly as good, as that from within the walls, and on the whole the castle is more imposing from without than interesting within. On one side of the open space sur¬ rounding the castle stands a handsome modern building, originally L’ Academic d’Equitation. Mr. Pitt (afterwards Lord Chatham) and the Duke of Wellington received part of their education at the military college here, now 7 removed to Saumur, which occupied this edifice, still called L'Academic. It has been converted since the Revolution into a caserne de cavalerie and depot de re¬ monte. No trace or tradition is pre¬ served of either of these great men, of whose education it maybe said “fas est et ab lioste doceri.” The Cathedral of St. Maurice is every¬ where conspicuous from its elevated position and its twin towers, placed so close together as to seem throwrn into one. The very delicate spire on one side is injured by the contiguous ugly pavilion, an addition of the Renais¬ sance (1540). The W. portal, a work of the 12th centy., is remarkable for the richness and good preservation of the sculptures surrounding its elegant early-pointed arch; they retain indeed 156 Route 46.— Angers — Cathedral — Musee. Sect. II. even their colouring. On either side are 4 saints, male and female; above, the curved niches are filled with smaller statues, angels, &c., while the tym¬ panum is occupied by the Saviour, surrounded by the attributes of the 12 Apostles. The woi'kmanship is good, the faces expressive, the draperies ela¬ borate, but the whole displays the stiff style of Byzantine art of the pe¬ riod. Higher up, in a row of niches, are 8 statues of Dukes of Anjou, later in date (15th centy.) and inferior in ex¬ ecution. On the 1. hand as you enter, passing from below the carved organ- loft, is an antique benitier of oblong form, in verde antique, supported on lions, a Byzantine work of the Lower Empire; it was brought from the East, and presented to the church by King Rene. The church consists of a very long nave without aisles, each division of the side wall being a wide pointed arch resting on the ground without pillars, and an upper arch rising from engaged groups of pillars having Ro¬ manesque capitals, enclosing a pair of narrow circular-headed windows. The greater part of these windows, as well as those of the nave and choir, are filled with painted glass of the richest colour and very old (13th centy.), form¬ ing one of the chief ornaments of the church. This and other churches in the Angevine style are destitute of tri- forium or clerestory. The choir and transepts are short, the E. end is mul¬ tangular. In the choir, on the 1. as you look towards the apse, is a splen¬ did Flamboyant doorway. Both tran¬ septs (1225) terminate with fine wheel windows, the other windows are pointed, and below these along the wall runs a rich pointed ai’cade. The nave is about 80 ft. high, and nearly 54 ft. wide, stone vaulted. Local his¬ torians lay great stress on its roof being supported without flying but¬ tresses, but their place is supplied by huge clumsy square piers at least 8 ft. by 10 square, and retaining the same thickness up to the roof, raised outside between each pair of windows and at the angles of the transepts, and thus the wonder is removed. Margaret of Anjou was buried in St. Maurice, but her tomb was destroyed at the Revo¬ lution. Not far from the cathedral is the Musee, placed in a building erected by an intendant of the province, after¬ wards converted into the Seminaire, and added to in the time of Louis XIV. Its cloister and winding staircase are curious examples of the latest Gothic style. It contains a large collection of me¬ diocre paintings, mostly of the modern French school. Among them is placed a Vase of antique Egyptian porphyry, obtained by King Rene from the East, which for a long time passed for one of the water-pots used at the marriage feast of Cana. It bears 2 bearded masks carved on it, and is broken, which is not surprising considering its thinness. Here is a fine bust of Napo¬ leon by Canova, in marble, condemned to be broken at the Restoration, but saved by being hid in a garret. One room is filled with casts from the works of the living French sculptor David, given by him to his native town. His statues of Guttemberg, in¬ ventor of printing, for Strasburg, of General Foy in a Roman dress, of Armand Carrel in loose pantaloons plaited round the waist, of the Greek girl at the tomb of Marco Botzaris; his busts of Gothe, Hahnemann the ho- moeopathist, and Jeremy Bentham, appear best worth notice. He has also executed a series of medallion heads of celebrated persons of the 19th century. The Museum of Natural History, situated in the upper story of the building, is reached by a corkscrew stair remarkable for its lightness and its singular groined roof. The collec¬ tion is exceedingly well arranged and named. The geology of the depart¬ ment is illustrated in a series of speci¬ mens by themselves. Among a few antiquities is the crosier of Robert d’Arbrissal, founder of Fontevrault, found in that Abbey; it bears a semi- pagan representation of St. Michael and the dragon, of gold (?) partly ena¬ melled. The shoes of Joanne de Laval, 2nd wife of King Rene, high-heeled and ornamented with open work; also Brittany. Houle 46.— Angers. 157 an aerolite, which fell in one of the fauxbourgs of Angers 1822, deserve attention. The Library possesses some curious old MSS. Not far from the Musee is the ruined church of Toussaints, attached to a con¬ vent now converted into a Depot des Subsistances Militaires. It is an elegant pointed building, and almost identical in style with the early English. It is a cross church without aisles, with lancet windows, richly cut capitals, and corbels, from which springs the roof destroyed at the Revolution. The E. window is a wheel, apparently of later date. The massive and stately tower of St. Aubin, in the early pointed style, un¬ finished and surmounted w T ith a conical roof of slate, is now converted into a shot-tower. Not far from it is the Prefecture, on the site of the ancient convent of St. Aubin; along the cor¬ ridor on the 1. hand, now released from a coating of plaster, runs a colonnade of florid Norman architecture, of very early date, and of curious and elaborate workmanship. The small roirnd arches rest alternately on piers faced with pilasters, and on detached pillars arranged in 2 rows, each 5 deep. All the pillars, cornices, and mouldings of the arches are elaborately and sharply carved, very perfect, and no two alike. The mouldings running round the arches consist of bearded heads, mon¬ sters, animals, fish, &c. In the midst is a circular portal, the lower part of which is sunk rather below the surface of the ground, supported on cut co¬ lumns of varied patterns, and sur¬ mounted by a series of Runic bands, cords, and foliage, each confined to one stone, and radiating from a common centre. Next to this is a double arch ornamented with fresco paintings in¬ stead of sculpture, the subjects being Herod on his Throne, the Massacre of the Innocents, the Temple of Jerusa¬ lem, and the Nativity and Adoration of the Magi, who are seen on horseback approaching Bethlehem. The style of drawing bears a near resemblance to the tapestry of Bayeux; the colours are very perfect. These arches formed part of the Refectory of the convent. The old Eglise de St. Martin, now converted into a magazine of fagots, and piled up to the roof with them, so as to be scarcely visible, will yet interest the antiquary from its age and style of structure. It is in the early Romanesque style, consists of an inordinately long nave, of a transept— having thick round pillars set in the 4 inner angles of the walls which sup¬ ported the tower, and of an apsidal E. end. Its windows are round-headed and long. It is the oldest church in Angers, and one of the few churches in France whose origin can with pro¬ bability be referred to the period of the Carlovingian kings. The nave and transept, exclusive of certain repairs, appear to be part of the church founded in the 9th centy. by Hermengarde, Queen of Louis-le-Debonnaire, who died 819. The choir is later, probably of the 12th centy. At the extremity of the town to the N. is the Church of St. Serge, remarkable for a choir built 1050 by the monk Vulgrin, who became abbot, supported on 6 columns of peculiar lightness and height, from whose freely cut capitals rises an elegant pointed roof; behind it is a square Lady Chapel. The style indicates the transition from Roman¬ esque to early pointed. The windows are without tracery, for the most part round-headed, enclosed within pointed arches. The transepts seem of a much older date than the choir; the nave is in the late Gothic of the 15th centy. St. Serge is entei’ed by a vestibule or atrium. Here is a finely-carved spii'al stair¬ case of wood; every panel contains a different sculpture and composition. In the same quarter of the town is the Jardin des Plantes, an agreeable walk in hot weather under shady trees, near to the Seminaire, a vast edifice. Among the more interesting speci¬ mens of ancient domestic architecture, with which the streets of Angers abound, may be mentioned a corner house, in the Place behind the cathe¬ dral, adorned with curious carvings in wood; that called Hotel des Marchands in the Rue Baudriere; and another in the Rue du Figuier, known as the Hotel 158 Route 46.— Angers. Sect. II. des Dues d' Anjou, for wliat reason is not evident, since Reiffi, the last Duke of Anjou, died 1480, and this building cannot be older than the 16th centy., and is in the style of Francis I.’s time, with more of Italian than of Gothic in the composition of its architecture. The square turrets, or projecting oriels, at its angles are singular. In the Rue St. Sang is a house called Abraham, and another called Adam in the little Place St. Maurice, end of Rue St. Aubin, de¬ serving notice. The wire Suspension Bridge close to the castle over the Maine fell in 1849, during the march of a regiment of in¬ fantry across it; the greater part were precipitated into the river and nearly 250 men were drowned. In the suburb of la Doutre (beyond, or on the further (or rt.) bank of the Maine) are several buildings deserving notice for their antiquity. The Eglise de la Trinite is a Romanesque building probably of the 11 th and 12 th centu¬ ries. It consists of a long nave with¬ out aisles, having in the side walls a series of apsidal recesses under pointed arches. The choir, very shallow, and formed of a central and 2 side apses, is separated from the nave by a wall pierced with a pointed arch, which contracts the view of the high altar, but serves as a support to the Tower, which is square below, octagonal above, and very elegant. Close to this church, indeed touch¬ ing it, is a second equally ancient and in a nearly similar style, VEglise de Ronceray, once attached to a famous nunnery founded in the 10 th century by Fulk Count of Anjou, who placed under the rule of its abbess the whole suburb. It is now included in the ex¬ tensive range of buildings forming the Ecole des Arts et Metiers. The church serves as a chapel for the students; it is plain excepting some rich Roman¬ esque arches and pillars. On the same side of the river, a little higher up, is the TIospice St. Jean, founded by Henry II. King of England and Duke of Anjou, 1153. The great hall, said to be of that date, is a fine apartment, lofty and airy, its groined and pointed roof supported on 2 rows of light pillars. Here the beds of the patients are ranged in rows, the males separated from the females by a low partition. The office of nurses is per¬ formed by nuns; the whole is kept very orderly, the linen-closet particu¬ larly neat. The cloisters between the great hall and the church are partly in the Romanesque style; double pillars support the arches; a round portal with deep mouldings leads into the Chapel. A decayed Barn near the hospital is still older than it. It is Norman, with 3 aisles, like old Westminster Hall, and deserves to be drawn.— F. P. At the opposite extremity of the Suburb Doutre, below the suspension bridge, near the Nantes road, is the vast Nunnery du Bon Pasteur, sur¬ rounded by high walls. The sisters keep a school for females. Very extensive Boulevards, planted with trees and lined with some very handsome houses, the Mairie, &c., oc¬ cupy the site of the old walls, and communicate with a wide open space for the exercise of troops, called Champ de Mars, traversed by the road to Sau- mur. Some of the houses about it bore until lately the marks of bullets fired in the attack of Angers by the Vend&in army, 90,000 strong, 1793. The forces of King John laid waste Brittany in 1199, and to that period we must refer the scene in Shakspeare “ Before the walls of Angiers,” where the citizens are summoned by both the rival kings— “ Ye men of Angiers, open wide your gates.” Angers occupies a fortunate position near the mouth of 3 navigable rivers, in a country producinglime, coal, and slate. Angers is famed for its nursery gar¬ dens; there are not less than 30. The neighbourhood abounds in Slate Quarries, which employ between 2000 and 3000 men, and supply a large part of France. They furnish 80 millions of slates yearly, which are exported to the value of 15 million of francs per annum. The most considerable, Le Grand Carreau, is about 4 m. off, a little to the 1. of the road to Saumur. It is nearly 400 ft. (105 metres) deep, and occupies an area of 4000 metres. Be- Brittany. Route 46.— Nantes • 159 sides the yawning open excavation, a considerable cavern, approached by a horizontal gallery on one side of the quarry, has been driven under ground. It is a grand sight, like an under¬ ground cathedral, and well worth a visit. It is approached by vertical ladders, and frail extracting machinery overhangs the precipice. At times serious slips, or eboulements, produce very dangerous avalanches of rock. 10 m. from Angers, beyond the Loire at Pont de Ce, is the interesting Chateau de Brissac. 2 Steamers daily to Nantes. (See Rte. 58.) Diligences daily to Le Mans (Rte. 46); to Alenin, Rennes, Brest, L’Orient, Vannes, Laval, Choles. Railways to Paris by Tours; to Nantes; to Saumur. The post-road to Nantes quits Angers by the Suburb Doutre, and, leaving the Mayenne on the 1. hand, reaches the Loire at 17 St. George-sur-Loire. 8 Champtoce. 13 Varades. 13 Ancenis. 9 Oudon. 15 La Seilleraye. 14 Nantes Station. — Inns: H. de France, in the Place Graslin, close to the theatre, clean and good; H. des Colonies and du Commerce, 2 hotels united into one, and very good, com¬ fortable, and cheap; H. des Voyageurs, Rue Moliere; H. de L’Europe, reason¬ able.— A. B. R. Nantes, the ancient residence of the Dukes of Brittany, when that province was independent—which disputed with Rennes the title of capital of the duchy, now chef-lieu of the Dept, de la Loire Inferieure—is situated on the 1. bank of the Loire, at the influx into it from the N. of the Erdre; the junc¬ tion of the two rivers being in the middle of the town. The Sevre (Nan- taise) from the S. flows into the Loire a little below Nantes. There are at least 16 bridges in the town over these various streams. It is distant about 40 m. from the ocean, and is a flourish¬ ing seaport, the fourth in rank and population in France, numbering 77,992 Inhab. Though less prosper¬ ous since the loss of St. Domingo to France, and of late outstripped by Havre as a port, it has remained nearly stationary in population and commer¬ cial prosperity for the last 50 years: it is still the seat of much respectable opulence and active industry. As a town it is one of the handsomest and most pleasing in France. Its fine Quais, extending about 2 m. along the Loire, and on both sides of the Erdre, and the wide open space left by these two rivers, enlivened with small craft, remind the traveller somewhat of the busy aquatic towns of Holland—Am¬ sterdam and Rotterdam, and give a very cheerful character to Nantes, which is, besides, far less dirty than most French towns. In the new quar¬ ters it has streets lined with houses not unworthy of Paris. The Place Royale and Rue d’Orleans contain the chief shops, while the old quarters, belonging to the capital of the ancient duchy, abound in picturesque houses, gable-faced and overhanging the narrow streets. Those who admire and would seek out picturesque bits of street architecture, now fast disappearing even from the old town under modern im¬ provements, must penetrate the Rues de la Poissonnerie, where the house "aux Enfans Nantais,” so called from the carved figures of the martyrs St. Donatien and St. Rogatien, at the corner of the Place du Change, deserves particular notice: it dates from the 15th centy. There are other old houses in the Rues du Calvaire and de la Juiverie. In the Rue de la Bouche- rie is a house said to have been inha¬ bited by Anne of Brittany. The most prominent and remarkable edifice is the Cathedral of St. Pierre, externally an unsightly pile, from the unfinished towers not rising much higher than the roof. The three lofty portals of its W. front, however, are striking for size and the great number of small bas-reliefs and other sculptures adorning them. It was begun 1434, and finished about the end of the centy. The nave, of the same age, “a remark¬ ably fine structure of admirable pro¬ portions and great effect, in pure Railway de¬ scribed in Rte. 58. 160 Route 46.— Nantes — Cathedral. Sect. II. Flamboyant style,” is very imposing ' on account of the great elevation of its roof, 120 ft. above the pavement, and the elegance of its arches; but its win¬ dows are destitute of tracery. The modem wood-carving in some of the side chapels, and the stone-work of the organ-loft decorated with pendants, a delicate work of the 16th centy., de¬ serve notice. Attached to this noble nave is a plain Romanesque choir, infe¬ rior in height and plain in style, pro¬ bably of the 11th centy.: it was already enclosed in new walls, corresponding with the nave, preparatory to pulling down the old structure, when the works were stopped for want of funds near the latter end of the 15th centy. The solitary transept on the S. side, which had been alone completed, is now partitioned off, and serves to con¬ tain the splendid Monument (removed from the suppressed Carmelite con¬ vent) of Francis II., last Due de Bre¬ tagne, and his wife. Marguerite de Foix, raised to their memory by his daughter, Anne of Brittany. It is a splendid work of art in the style of the Renaissance, executed by a Bas Breton artist, Michel Colomb, a native of St. Pol de Leon, who preceded Jean Gou¬ jon. It was fortunately secreted at the Revolution, and thus preserved from destruction. It is a large altar tomb of marble, black, white, and red, raised to a height of 5 ft. Upon it repose the recumbent figures of Francis and his wife; three angels support their heads, and their feet rest on a lion and greyhound. In the four cor¬ ners stand statues as large as life in white marble: of Justice, with sword and scales, said to be a portrait of the Duchess Anne; of Power, strangling a dragon (heresy), which she draws out of a tower; she is attired with helmet and breastplate, and has a scarf wound round her arm: Wisdom or Prudence, double-faced, bears a mirror and a compass; and Temperance holds a lan¬ tern in one hand and a bit in the other, as attributes. These statues are well designed, and executed with great delicacy, which is particularly conspicuous in the draperies. Along the sides of the tomb small statues of the 12 Apostles are ranged in niches, and below them are figures of mourn¬ ers in coloured marble. The patron saints of the Duke and Duchess, St. Francis d’Assisi and St. Margaret, stand at their head, St. Louis and Charlemagne at their feet. The re¬ mains of the illustrious dead, for whom this splendid tomb was raised, having been torn up and scattered in 1793, the body of the Constable de Riche¬ mont, one of the generals who contri¬ buted to drive the English out of France in the reign of Charles VII., was deposited within it in 1815. The N. transept and the choir of this ch. are in progress of completion, to cor¬ respond with the nave, and it is pro¬ posed to pull down the old choir. Beyond the cathedral a broad and much-frequented promenade, occupy¬ ing the site of the old fortifications, and forming a sort of boulevard, ex¬ tends from the Loire to the Erdre, under the names Cours St. Pierre and Cours St. Andre'. The former is ap¬ proached by a broad and stately flight of steps from the Loire, and is orna¬ mented with statues of the Duchess Anne and the three Breton heroes,— the constables Du Guesclin, Clisson, and De Richemont. Between the two walks stands a Column raised to the memory of Louis XVI., and sur¬ mounted by his statue; but since 1830 made to commemorate a combat between some young men of the town with the troops of the line, in which 10 of the former were killed, during the July Revolution. The brass plate which records this states that “ Des ouvriers Anglais ont fait graver cette inscription.” ’Tis a pity English work¬ men cannot mind their own business, without meddling with the politics of a foreign country. The Castle, a massive and venerable edifice of the 14th centy., partly mo¬ dernized in the 16th by the Due de Mercoeur during the wars of the League, flanked with bastions, still bearing on them the cross of Lorraine, stands at the extremity of the Cours St. Pierre, on the margin of the Loire, surrounded on the land side by a deep fosse. Its massive round towers are Brittany. Route 46.— Nantes — Chateau. 161 built of slate and granite: a portcullis still defends its entrance, and the inte¬ rior contains several constructions of the 16th centy., in the latest Gothic, the windows surmounted with cano¬ pies. In one is a curious spiral stair¬ case. Most of the Kings of France, from Charles VIII. downwards, resided for a time within its walls. The powder magazine is said to have been the Chapel in which Anne of Brittany was married to Louis XII. (?), thus becoming for the second time Queen of France. She certainly was born here, and made the castle her residence. In this castle Henri IV. signed the Edit de Nantes for the protection of the Pro¬ testants in 1598, revoked, to the injury and stain of France, by Louis XIV. In 1654 it was the prison of the Cardinal de Retz, who escaped by letting himself down by a rope from the bastion de Mercoeur into a boat moored in the Loire, which at that time, and until the present quai was formed, washed the castle walls. The attention of the sentinel meanwhile ■was taken off by a bottle of wine given him to drink, and his eye was deceived by the cardinal’s red cloak and hat slipped off and hung over the battle¬ ments. De Retz, reaching the shore by means of the boat, instantly mounted a horse provided for him by his friends, which, however, quickly threw him and dislocated his shoulder. In spite of this accident and the pain it caused, he rode to a place of safety, the Chateau de Beaupreau, whence he effected his escape through Spain to Rome. Madame de Sevigne describes her visit to the castle in 1648, shortly after, and the Duchess de Berri was shut up in it previous to her removal to Blaye. That adventurous Princess, after having long encouraged disaffec¬ tion and fermentation in Brittany and La Vendee, was finally detected, after a concealment of 5 months within the city, which had eluded the vigilance of the Police, Nov. 1832, in the house No. 3, Rue Haute du Chateau, facing the castle, which belonged to two ladies, named Du Guigny, zealous partisans of the Bourbon cause. Her presence in this house had been betrayed to the government by a Jew, named Deutz, previously a confidant of the duchess and her friends, and a party of soldiers and police were despatched thither instantly. They searched the whole building from top to bottom, hut found her not. Confiding, however, in their information, a party of gen¬ darmes was left behind to keep watch. Some of them, posted in a garret, remained a whole day beside a fire which they had lighted, when on a sudden they were startled by voices and the sound of kicks, proceeding from an iron door which formed the back of the chimney, and, to the sur¬ prise of the soldiers, out scrambled four persons—the duchess, a lady, and MM. de Menars and Guibourg, who had passed 16 hours in a secret hole or hiding-place, entered by a door 20 inches wfide, and too low for a man to stand upright in. Not only this oppressive confinement, but even the heat of the fire, was endured patiently, and without the slightest noise, until they were nearly suffocated, and the duchess’s dress, entirely scorched by the iron door being heated red hot, was on the point of catching fire. Nantes possesses a Museum of Paint¬ ings, rather above the average of pro¬ vincial collections, though a large portion are copies; situated in the upper part of the Cloth Hall, Rue de l’Arche-Seche. The greater part were collected by one M. Cacault, of this town. Among the curiosities may be specified a head of a Crusader painted by Canova ; an old church painting of a Holy Family, on two shutters; a head of Christ, brought from the cathedral; portrait of Queen Elizabeth (? artist unknown); portraits of the children of Henri II., by Janet; a Bull, by Brascassat, a modern artist, good. Here is a copy of Napoleon’s bust by Canova. Travellers who have leisure to de¬ vote any time to a Library will find that of Nantes, above the Halle aux Grains, Quai Braneas, an especially rich collection of 30,000 volumes. A MS. copy of the Cite de Dieu of St. Augustin, of the year 1375, is remark¬ able for its beautiful miniatures. 162 Route 46.— Nantes—The Noyades. Sect. II. The Archives, deposited in the Pre¬ fecture, contain a mass of curious documents relating to the history of Brittany; many ancient charters of Abbeys, &c., and the trial of that most infamous of criminals, Gilles de Retz, Mardchal de France, who was burnt on the Chauss^e de la Madeleine (Rte. 58). It is in Latin, and will not bear translation. In the Musde d' Histoire Naturelle, Rue du Port Communeau, may be seen a collection illustrating the geology of the department, formed by the late M. Dubuisson; besides several fragments of antiquity found in the neighbour¬ hood, and a mummy, presented by the Egyptian traveller Caillaud, who is a native of Nantes. A handsome new Palais de Justice was finished 1852. An Arcade called Passage Pomme- raye leads by a flight of iron steps from the Rue Crebillon to the Rue de la Fosse. The Quais, lined on the one side by handsome houses, and on the other fringed with shipping, present a lively scene, and form an agreeable walk about 2 m. long (at least in the lower part, where they are gravelled). An Englishman, in traversing them, may remember with some interest that it was at this port that the young Pre¬ tender embarked on the expedition of 1745, in a fast-sailing brig, the Dou- telle, provided by one Walsh, a French subject settled at Nantes, who accom¬ panied him. He was disguised as a student of the Scotch college at Paris, and for better concealment had allowed his beard to grow. On the quais are situated the Halle aux Grains and the Bourse, which is not remarkable for excellence of architecture. The Quai de la Fosse is lined by a fine row of trees, reminding one a little of the Boompjes of Rotterdam. Near its lower end, where the shipbuilders’ yards commence, in which the steamers for the Loire are constructed, is a building, insignificant in itself, but remarkable for its associations, and they are melancholy, called Salorges . built as an entrepot for colonial mer¬ chandise, and still serving as a ware¬ house. Who has not heard of the Noyades and republican marriages; the invention of Carrier, the most detest¬ able, perhaps, of the monsters of the revolution, when sated with single murders by the guillotine, and thirst¬ ing for more blood, and the excitement of executions on a large scale? It w T as in front of the Salorges that they took place, and that building served as a temporary place of confinement for the miserable victims, who were dragged hence and put on board barges (ga- barres) furnished with a sliding valve (soupape) or trap-door in their bottom. These boats, when towed into the middle of the river, and deserted by the crews, were sunk with their load of 20 or 30 human beings, by pulling from the shore a cord attached to the valve. To prevent the possibility of escape for the strong swimmer, or poor wretch who might be cast ashore alive by the current, armed men of the bloody band called Compagnie de Marat, composed of the most aban¬ doned wretches whom the lowest dens in Nantes could pour forth, were sta¬ tioned on the banks to fire on those who rose to the surface, while others, armed with swords, cut off the hands and fingers of such as struggled to reach the boats. As many as 600 human beings perished on one day; the total number of persons thus destroyed has never been correctly ascertained, but 25 of these Noyades or executions by water are known to have taken place, and the number who perished has been variously estimated at 6000 or 9000! At first the whole¬ sale butchery was perpetrated at night, but, emboldened by impunity, and supported by a portion of the citizens, almost exclusively of the class of little tradesmen, the tyrants did not hesitate to immolate their victims in broad day. The most atrocious feature in these massacres is the number of women and of young children who were thus consigned to eternity, with¬ out the possibility of having committed any offence, by the exulting savages who then ruled the people’s destinies. When a remonstrance was made against the murder of the children, “Ce sont Brittany. JRoute 46.— Nantes—The Noyades . 163 des louvetaux, il faux les ddtruire,— Ce sont des viperes, il faut les 4touf- fer,” were Carrier’s answers. The experiment of the Noyades was first tried on 24 priests condemned to transportation (deportation). “ Le decret de deportation a ete execute verticalement,” was Carrier’s boast. The Manages Republicans, as another refinement of cruelty was called in mockery, consisted in binding together a man and woman, back to back, stripped naked, keeping them exposed for an hour, and then hurling them into the current of “ la baignoire nationale,” as the bloodhounds termed the Loire. That river, as it were indignant at crimes scarcely paralleled in the history of the world, threw back upon its banks, at each returning tide, the corpses with which it was choked, until the air became pestilen¬ tial, and its very water and fish poison¬ ous. When Carrier was at length called to account for his crimes, which, however, had been connived at, if not approved, by the Convention a short while before, and asked for proofs of the accusations against him, he was answered, ‘ ‘ Yous me demandez des preuves? faites done refluer la Loire.” But these are only a part of the revolu¬ tionary atrocities committed at Nantes: to the victims of the Noyades must be added those who perished by the guil¬ lotine, by disease, famine, and terror in the prisons, and, above all, by the fusillades, which took place day after day on the Plaine de Sainte Mauve, where, at one time, 500 children, the eldest not more than 14, were mowed down by musketry, and where deep ditches, dug for the purpose, were filled with corpses heaped confusedly one over the other. The population of Nantes, which amounted in 1790 to 81,000, was reduced to 75,000 in 1800, and the number who were slaughtered in 1793 belonging to the town and surrounding country is estimated at 30,000. It is painful to describe these horrors, but they form an integral part of the history of Nantes, and that which is here detailed is only a sample; they might be greatly expanded. The Venddan war has also left some sad souvenirs at Nantes. In the at¬ tack of the town by the Vendean forces on the 29th June, 1793, their leader, the gentle Catlielineau (the carter), was mortally wounded in penetrating into the Place Viarme, now the cattle-mar¬ ket, and his fall was the cause of their retreat. Not far from this spot another of their generals, Charette, was shot, at the corner of the Rue de la Miseri- corde, April, 1796. Fouche, the police minister, Due d’Oti'ante, Marshal of France, regicide, and minister of Louis XVIII. in 1814, was born at Nantes. The New Quarter of the town, the West End of Nantes, was commenced 1784, by M. Graslin, ancien fermier- general, after whom the Place con¬ taining the theatre is called. He seems to have exhausted the Biographie Uni- verselle for names to the adjoining streets; among them appear the Rue Jean-Jacques, Rue Racine, Rue Frank¬ lin, Rue Crebillon, &c. The houses are built of white stone from the neigh¬ bourhood of Saumur. The commerce of Nantes, though no longer what it wa3, is still of great value; in 1836 it was carried on by 458 vessels, but more than ~ of them were of less than 100 tons. Owing to the want of water in the Loire abreast of the town, vessels of more than 200 tons burthen are obliged to unload at Paimboeuf (p. 164), 24 m. lower down, near its mouth. A Canal is in progress to connect Nantes with Brest by the Erdre; it will be about 230 m. long when finished. The importations consist of sugar, coffee, cotton, and other colonial pro¬ duce. Much corn and flour is exported to England since 1849. Nantes is gradually changing from a commercial to a manufacturing town. The most .considerable manufacture is that of cotton-yarn ; in 1837 there were 16 mills in the vicinity of the town. There is a singular manufacture here of preserved dinners ready cooked (Conserves Alimentaires), prepared by the firm Colin et Comp ie , Rue de Sa- lox'ges, No. 9, which sends forth, her¬ metically sealed, all kinds of provisions, 164 Route 46.— Nantes — The Environs. Sect. II. so as to be capable of perfect preserva¬ tion in all climates, and for any length of time. 150,000 boxes of young peas and 800,000 boxes of sardines (pil¬ chards) are embalmed in one season, and 8 oxen can be cooked at once in a single boiler. Roasting is carried on by heated air, and boiling by steam, in a kitchen roofed with glass, after the manner of the Passage d’Orleans in the Palais Royal. The proprietor of the establishment employs in the autumn 800 persons in curing and packing sardines alone, and monopo¬ lizes all the green peas which come to market in early spring to supply his wants. The suburb of Nantes on the S. side of the Loire is spread over a series of islands, formed by the branches of that river and the Sevre, connected together by no less than 6 bridges in one line, over all of which the roads to Boi'deaux and Clisson pass. The Protestant Ch. is in the Rue des Carmelites, in the chapel of the former convent. The Poste aux Lettres is in the Rue Boileau. Prosper Sebire, bookseller, Rue Cre- billon. No. 17, has a number of views, plans, guides, &c., relating to Nantes, as well as maps. Fiacres are found for hire in the prin¬ cipal squares. Omnibuses (said to be a Nantais in¬ vention, transferred from this to Paris) run along the Ligne des Ponts from the Place du Commerce to the Pont de Perrnil, and along the quays from the Bourse to the Chantiers de Con¬ struction. Diligences daily to Le Mans; to Brest, 2 hrs.—Rennes, 3—Bordeaux, 4—Poi¬ tiers—to Bourbon Vendee, 2. Railways to Angers and Tours. Steamers daily ascend the Loire to Angers in 7 or 8 hrs., starting from the Quai du Port Maillard. Steamers down the Loire to Paimboeuf daily; and to St. Nazaire when the high tides permit; to Bordeaux 3 times a month; to Lorient and Quimper once a week. Steamer on the Erdre to Nort starts from the Quai Ceneray, behind the Prefecture. (Rte. 41.) Environs of Nantes. —The immediate vicinity of the town displays great marks of opulence and prosperitjq in its numerous and neat white villas, many of them quite in the English style, and in the great number of fac¬ tory chimneys, many of them new. The excursion most commonly re¬ commended to a stranger is that to Clisson, the Richmond of Nantes, 18 m. S. of the town, on the borders of La Vendee, described in Rte. 60. It is a pretty spot, though its beauties have been considerably exaggerated by local enthusiasts. You may go thither by the omnibus in the morning, visit the castle and all its curiosities, and return by the same conveyance at 7 p.m. But as this may leave the traveller a prey to ennui for several hours after exhausting the sights of Clisson, it is even possible to hire a cabriolet, and see Tiffauges, returning to Clisson in time for the omnibus. The Loire below Nantes Is navigated by steam-vessels, but with caution, on account of the nu¬ merous sand-banks. 1. A little below Nantes the Sevre Nantaise enters the Loire. On the island of Indret, 7 m. below Nantes, the French government have an establishment for the construction of steam-engines. More than 800 workmen are employed here. The steam-engines turned out here are very bad, far inferior to those made by pri¬ vate establishments. Indret is well situated at the mouth of the Loire, so as to have a speedy communication, safe from cruisers in time of war, with the great dockyards of Brest, Lorient, and Rochefort. The estuary of the Loire is 3 m. broad abreast of 1. Paimboeuf (30 m. below Nantes). This place may be regarded as the out- port of Nantes, since large vessels above 200 tons burthen stop here and discharge their cargoes into lighters (gabarres). The loss of St. Domingo, and the long-continued wars under Na¬ poleon, reduced the population of this town from 9000 to 4000, which it does not exceed at present. 2 Steamers ply daily to Nantes in 4 Brittany. Route 47 .—Dreux to Argentan. 165 lirs. Coaches go hence to the water¬ ing-place of Pomic, 12 m. S. of Paim- boeuf, situated on the shore of the hay of Bourgneuf, opposite the island of Noirmoutiers, the last retreat of the Venddan bands. Comfortable ac¬ commodation is to be had in the Etablissement des Bains. The town was burnt in the Vend&in war, An old castle overlooks its little fishing- port. ROUTE 47. DREUX TO ARGENTAN, BY L AIGLE. Verneuil. (See p. 117.) 14 Chaudfi. 8 L’Aigle—the scene of the frolic between the Conqueror’s sons, when William and Henry threw the water over Robert, Here are 2 rather curious Churches , 16 St. Lanburge. The road passes by a great govern¬ ment stud (Haras) and through a forest. 16 Nonan. 22 Argentan (in Rte. 29), ( 166 ) SECTION III. ORLEANOIS. — TOURAINE. — RIVER LOIRE. — LA VENDEE.— POITOU. — SAINTONGE. ROUTE PAGE 48 Paris to Orleans . . .168 49 Paris to Orleans (Railway) . 169 50 Rouen to Orleans by Chartres. 175 51 Paris to Sceaux— Railway . 175 52 The Loire (a). — Gien to Or¬ leans .... 176 53 The Loire (b).—O rleans to Tours, by Blois and Amboise. — Railway. [Chateaux of Chamhord and Che'nonceaux~\ . 177 54 Chartres to Tours, by Vendome 191 56 Tours to Loches and Chateau- roux .... 191 57 Tours to Saumur, by Chinon and Fontevrault . .193 ROUTE PAGE 58 The Loire (c).—T ours to Nantes, by Saumur and An¬ gers (Railway) . . .195 60 Nantes to Poitiers, by Clisson 204 61 Saumur to Saintes and Bor¬ deaux .... 207 62 Nantes to Bordeaux, by Bourbon Vendee, Rochelle , Rochefort, and Saintes . . . 208 64 Tours to Bordeaux, by Poitiers and Angouleme — Railway . 213 65 Poitiers to Chateauroux, by St. Savin. \_Excursion to Mont- morillori] . . . .222 66 Poitiers to Rochefort by Niort. 223 INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF THE COUNTRY. Arrived on the borders of the Loire, which divides France nearly in the centre, the traveller already finds himself amidst sunny landscapes, under the influence of the more genial climate of the south. The provinces bordering on that great river—Touraine, Orleanois, Anjou, Poitou—have been styled “ the garden of Franceand the golden vineyards, the blooming orchards, the yellow corn¬ fields (especially those of La Beauce, the granary of France), and the acacia hedges bear testimony to the facile bounty of Nature. But little pains have been taken to improve her gifts; an ornamental garden or pleasure-ground is rarely seen: the earth seems to bring forth abundantly with less than the ave¬ rage amount of painstaking: “c’est le pays de rire et de ne rien faire.” The Loire, which forms its chief feature, is decidedly inferior in beauty to the Seine. In Touraine its banks are flat and monotonous, and it is only after passing Tours that it becomes really picturesque. Near Saumur it is a roman¬ tic stream; and from thence, with slight interruptions, nearly all ihe way to Nantes, the “ considerable boldness of its banks, the richness of the culture, the wooded islands, and the animation derived from the swelling canvass of active commerce, conspire to render it eminently beautiful: but for the rest of its immense course it exhibits a stream of sand, and rolls shingles through the val¬ ley instead of water.”— A. Young. “Quel torrent revolutionnaire que cette Loire!” was the expression of Barrere the democrat: and the unbridled im¬ petuosity of its course, its sudden inundations and changes of bed, justify the epithet, and are as detrimental to the utility as to the beauty of this main artery of France. The inundation of the Loire in October (18th and 19th), 1846, was the most extensive and disastrous of that river on record. It burst through the Lev4e or dyke in several places above and below Orleans, spreading over the plain round Orleans to an extent of 39 kilometres; while in the streets Sect. III. The Loire — Touraine—La Vendee . 167 of Orleans the water rose 5 metres. 100 barges, with bargemen, were sent from Paris to assist the inhabitants of the city and neighbourhood, isolated by the flood. In winter the Loire rages, and swells, and has too much water, just as in summer it has too little. Its broad shoals greatly disfigure the land¬ scape; its shallows and sandbanks render the passage of steamers intricate. Na¬ vigation is limited to very small vessels, and is frequently arrested in the dry months. The cave dwellings excavated in the cliffs of soft chalk (craie tufeau) along the river banks, and the long Levee or dyke raised to protect the right bank between Blois and Angers, a distance of 96 m., from inundations, will be remarked as peculiar features in the borders of the Loire. The descent of the Loire from Orleans to Nantes is productive of much interest, partly derived from its venerable cities, gloomy castles, and the great events in French history which have passed upon its banks. These provinces of France, especially Touraine, were the chosen residence of her kings (les Yalois) down to Louis XIY., and they afford a hundred sites preferable to the sands and morasses of Yersailles. The vast and castellated Chambord, bristling with turrets and pinnacles, studded with Diana’s crescent, where the Emp. Charles V. was entertained by his good-natured enemy Fran¬ cis I.; the gloomy Blois, haunt of bigotry and scene of the deep-plotted assas¬ sination of the Guises; Amboise, the favourite abode of the warrior Charles YIII., and also witness to conspiracy and wholesale massacre; Chenonceaux, the retreat of Diana of Poitiers; Plessis, the den of the timorous bigot Louis XI.; Chinon, where passed the careless revelry of the indolent Charles VII., and the opening scene of the wondrous career of “the shepherd girl of Domremy;” Fon- tevrault, the last resting-place of the lion-hearted Richard; Loches, with its dungeon of sighs and tears, a provincial Bastille, contrasting with more agreeable recollections of the beauteous and gentle Agnes Sorel; Dampierre, where Margaret of Anjou’s life and sorrow ceased; and Nantes, which saw Henri IV. put his hand to the edict of toleration, and in later times witnessed the heroism and frailty of a daughter of Bourbon, his descendant:—all these are national monuments—integral portions, as it were, of French history. It is a region of interesting associations and recollections: here Joan of Arc first unfurled her victorious banner; here the chief events of the contests of religion in the 16th century occurred; this soil is watered with the blood of Guise and Condfi; the fields of La Vendee are fattened with the unburied bones of the thou¬ sands who fell in the cause of loyalty, and in opposition to revolution and irreligion. All the places above-named or alluded to well deserve to be visited by the tra¬ veller. Orleans, though retaining few traces or relics of the Maid; Blois and Amboise; Tours, a fine city, though seated on a flat, amidst dust and glare; Saumur, once the stronghold of Protestantism; Loches, for its architectural remains and historical souvenirs, and pleasing situation in the charming valley of the Indre; black Angers, cradle of our early Plantagenet monarchs—all abound in specimens of ancient architecture, all possess more or less claims to attention. Chenonceaux is a charming specimen of the old French chateau, with turrets and extinguisher towers; without, all crinkum crankum—and within, lined with tapestry and armour; preserved unimpaired, and well kept up. Aizy-le-Rideau is neaidy as perfect and beautiful, but with less interesting associations. S. of Nantes, between the Loire, the sea, and the Sevre Niortaise, lies La Vendee, celebrated in the history of the wars of the Revolution for its adhesion to royalty and opposition to innovation. The framework or foundation of that country is composed of the elevated plateau of the Gatine, whose crest is in no wise distinguishable, and which presents a series of hills, furrowed by narrow glens or valleys, through which run a few muddy streams. “It is an inex¬ tricable complication of heaths, brooks, heights, hollows, and little plains 168 Route 48. —Paris to Orleans, Sect. III. having no connection with one another, and apparently no general water-shed. It is covered with trees, yet has no forests; every field, every dwelling is sur¬ rounded by quick hedges, abounding with close-set trees, and surrounded by ditches, forming complete natural redoubts. The lines of communication from place to place are hollow ways, cut so deep below the surface of the ground that a man’s head in walking along them will not appear above it, and their vertical sides are surmounted by hedges. They are narrow, shady, and muddy or rutty, according to the season, and intersect one another so as to form a multitude of crossways, looking all like one another. There are few high roads, no large towns; the villages are scattered and thinly inhabited, estates very much subdivided, houses concealed by trees and bushes, and a peasantry of primitive and rude manners; these are the combination of circumstances which have made this distinct a complete labyrinth, perfectly adapted as the theatre of the civil war which so long and so fearfully desolated it. It is divided into three parts: the Marais, comprising the sands, salt marshes, and ponds bordering the sea-shore, intersected by dykes and canals, abounding in pastures, destitute of drinking-water; the Bocage, covered with thickets and heaths, rough and bristling, much cut up and well cultivated; and the Plaine, very rich and highly cultivated, abounding with corn and vines.” The traveller disposed to visit the theatre of the Vendean war may do so from Nantes by way of Clisson; but the character of the country and its inhabitants is fast changing under the system pursued by Napoleon and Louis-Philippe; and intersected, as it has been by them, with a network of high roads, it has lost much of its primitive character. The Ely, to Orleans and Tours brings this interesting country in a manner to the gates of Paris, and opens the readiest line of communication between Paris, Lyons, Tours, Bordeaux, and the South of France. ROUTE 48. PARIS TO ORLEANS. 119 kilom. = 74 Eng. m. The high road is now superseded by the Railroad. Mallepostes and dili¬ gences are transferred to it. See Rte. 49. The high road to Orleans quits Paris by the Barriere d’Enfer; it passes through Bourg-la-Reine, where Con- dorcet, proscribed by the Convention, arrested and placed in jail, put an end to himself by poison concealed in a ring, 1794. It leaves about 1 m. to the rt. the town of Sceaux. (Rte. 51.) 12 Berny. Chatenay, about a mile to the rt. of Berny, was the birthplace of Voltaire, 1694. He was born in a house which belonged to the Comtesse de Boignes. 8 . Longjumeau, a small town on the Yvette. Beyond this the road skirts the hill of Montlhery (Rte. 49). 12 Arpajon. The Marolles Stat. of the Rly. is about 1 m. to the 1. of this town (Rte. 49). 12 Etrdcy, a walled town. Morigny, on the 1. of the road, be¬ yond the river Juine, has a fine Ch. 8 Etampes, a Stat. on the Rly. (Rte. 49.) Beyond this the road enters the mo¬ notonous plain of La Beauce, famed for growing corn. 9 Montdesir. At M^reville, on the 1., about mid¬ way in this stage, is the Chateau of Comte de Laborde. 10 Angerville. 14 Toury. 14 Artenay. Here the road from Chartres falls in. (Rte. 50.) 6 Chevilly. We here enter the Forest of Orleans ; Cercolles is a small hamlet in the heart of it, inhabited by woodcutters. The suburb Bannier, more than 1^ m. long, precedes the town of 14 Orleans (in Rte. 49). Sect. III. Route 49.— Railway.—Paris to Orleans. 169 ROUTE 49. RAILWAY.—PARIS TO ORLEANS, AND BRANCH TO CORBEIL. 121 kilom. = 75 Eng. m. Trains go to Corbeil (30 kilom. = 19 Eng. m.) in 1 hour, or 55 min., 8 times a day on week-days ; every hour on Sundays and fete-days. The Trains to Corbeil stop at inter¬ mediate stations, which are distin¬ guished by the letter C. Trains to Orleans 7 times a day, in 3 and 4 hours. Fares: 12 fr. 60 c., 9 f. 50 c., and 3rd class uncovered 6 fr. 35 c.; a place in the coupd 15 fr. Car¬ riages 62 to 82 fr. The railway was completed to Or¬ leans in 1843. Terminus in the Boulevard de l’Ho- pital, close to the Jardin des Plantes. The line, at first skirting the walls of the Hospital of the Salpetriere, is carried through a pretty country, at the foot of the slopes which border the 1. bank of the Seine. It approaches the river closely at each curve which the Seine makes, and commands plea¬ sant views of it. There are many pretty villas and country-houses on the river banks, and villages are nu¬ merous. It skirts the walls of Ivry, and of Vitry, famed for its nursery-gardens, on the rt. 10 Choisy Stat. is close to a viaduct of 8 arches, which also support the towing-path along the Seine; 4 of the arches are left open to allow a passage between the Seine and the town. Choisy is a very thriving manufacturing town, whose population has increased within a few years to more than 3000. It was called Clioisy-le-Roi, because Louis XV. made it one of his resi¬ dences ; the Chateau which he built for himself and Madame de Pompadour is demolished, except a fragment, now turned into a china manufactory. There are also manufactories of mo¬ rocco leather (the largest in France), of glass, and of beetroot sugar, and a chemical work. Close to the station the Seine is crossed by a bridge of 5 arches, built 1802. The chateau and j France. village of Orly are seen on the height to the rt. The rly. skirts the pare of Villeneuve-le-Roi. A new bridge over the Seine gives access to it. We approach the vine-clad slopes bounding the valley of the Seine. 6 Ablon (C. Stat.). Ablon is com¬ posed almost entirely of neat villas. One of the 3 Protestant churches which the reformers of Paris were allowed by the Edict of Nantes to possess stood here. 2 A this Mont (C. Stat.). 9 Juvisy Stat., situated at the foot of a hill on the rt., is re-markable for its antiquity. Its bridge over the Orge anciently formed the boundary be¬ tween the kingdoms of Paris and of Orleans. Isabella of Bavaria was ar¬ rested here as she was carrying off the Dauphin. [At Juvisy the Branch Rly. to Cor¬ beil separates from the main line to Orleans, turning off to the L, but con¬ tinuing along the margin of the Seine, and running near the high road to Lyons (Rte. 105). It passes through Chatillon, a little port on the Seine. At Viry is the fine garden of the Du- chesse de Raguse. 3 Ris (C. Stat.), close to Laborde. Here is a suspension bridge built over the Seine by the late M. Aguado, the Spanish banker. The rly. cuts through a part of the park of Petit Bourg, broken up and parcelled out by its owner, the late M. Aguado. The Chateau, when it be¬ longed to the Due d’Antin, was often the residence of Madame de Montes- pan, who was visited here by Louis XIV. 4 Evry (C. Stat.). 3 Corbeil (C. Stat.) is a considerable manufacturing town of 3900 Inhab., on the Seine, here crossed by a bridge, at the influx of the Essonne. Here are very extensive Flour Mills and a corn warehouse (Magasin), belonging to Government, for the supply of Paris. The Ch. of Ft. Spire (Exupere), rebuilt 1437, after a fire, contains the tomb of Jaques de Bourgoin, founder of the college of Corbeil, 1661, and the casket or reliquaire containing relics of St. Leu and St. Rembert. The little church I 170 Route 49.— Railway—Paris to Orleans. Sect. III. of St. Jean en Vile was built by the Templars in the 13th centy. Omnibus from Corbeil to Fontaine¬ bleau (Ete. 105). A continued street connects Corbeil with the village of Essonne. At Juvisy (19 kilom. from Paris) the Orleans Line, curving a little to the S.W., enters the valley of a small stream, the Orge, the railway crossing previously the high road to Antibes. It traverses the gardens of 3 Savigny Stat., a village with a castle, fortified 1486 by Etienne de Yesi, chamberlain to Charles VIII. The handsome Chateau occupying its place is now the property of the Prin¬ cess Dowager of Eckmiihl. A great hemp market is held here. A viaduct of 3 arches over the Yvette leads to 2 (rt.) Epinay Stat., which is 2^ m. distant from Longjumeau on the post¬ road (Rte. 48). The quarries near this furnish paving-stones for the streets of Paris. Another viaduct of 5 arches carries you from Epinay Stat. You next skirt on the 1. the foret de St. Genevieve: on the rt., beyond the Orge, you see the chateau of Yaucluse; Yil- liers, and its villas of Paris citizens; and Longpont, whose church of the 14th centy. is the sole relic of its an¬ cient abbey. A portion of the pare of the handsome chateau d’Ormay is tra¬ versed before reaching 4 St. Michel-sur-Orge Stat. Mont- Ihery is about 1^ m. on the rt. Its ancient castle, of which a tower re¬ mains, built (1012) by Tliibaut-File- Etoupe, forester of King Robert, was the terror of the kings of France in feudal times, and has been made fa¬ mous by Boileau in the poem of the Lutrin:— “ Se s murs dont le sommet se derobe a la vue, Sur le cime d’un roc s’allongeant dans la nue, Et presentant de loin leur objet ennuyeux, Du passant qui les fuit semblent suivre les yeux.” A bloody but indecisive battle was fought between Montlhery and Long¬ pont, 1465, between Louis XI. and the troops of the so-called “ Ligue du Bien Public,” commanded by the Comte de Charolais, afterwards Charles the Bold, of Burgundy. The spot still goes by the name of Cimetiere des Bourguinons. The line passes through the midst of the collection of hamlets called 3 Br^tigny Stat., beyond which the rly. attains a summit level, and de¬ scends into the valley of the Juine shortly before. 5 Marolles Stat. The village and chateau lie a little on the 1.; Arpajon (2400 Inhab.) is about 1 m. off on the rt. Beyond Cheptainville we pass through the park appertaining to the chateau of Mesnil Voisin, the property of the Due de Choiseul Praslin, a build¬ ing of brick and stone on the borders of the Juine. 4 Lardy Stat. Farther on to the 1. is another chateau, Chamarande. The rly. skirts the walls of 5 Etrecy Stat. It here approaches the post-road, which passes through Etrecy, a walled town, and the two run parallel for some distance. 7 Etampes Stat. Here refreshments may be had. Close to the Stat. rises a ruined tower called Guinette, the only remains of the royal castle and palace, built in the 11th centy. by King Ro¬ bert, and dismantled by Henri IY. It is formed externally of 4 segments of circles. Inn: H. du Bois de Yincennes. This interesting ancient town, of 8000 Inhab., carries on a considerable trade in flour, the produce of its 40 water-mills, and in wool. The main street is about 4 m. long from octroi to octroi. Notre Dame is a curious forti¬ fied Ch. of the period of transition from the Romanesque to Early French style, with an elegant tower and spire. St. Giles is another fine transition Ch. The tower has 4 gables with early crockets, of the end of the 12th centy. St. Martin has a detached W. tower built at the time of the Renaissance in imitation of St. Giles : “ it leans con¬ siderably, from its foundations having given way.” — J. H. P. The royal castle was given as an apanage to va¬ rious remarkable personages, among others to the mistresses of the three French kings, Francis I. (Anne de Pis- seleu), Henri II. (Diana of Poitiers), Sect. III. Route 49.— Artenay — Orleans. 171 and Hemi IV. (Gabrielle d’Estrdes). The town consists of one long street, and retains several picturesque old houses of the age of the Renaissance: one of them is attributed to Diana of Poitiers. The H. de Ville is an antique building with turrets. Omnibus twice a day to Pithiviers. A high embankment, a bridge over the Louette, and a steep incline carry the Rly. from Etampes. 4 Monnerville Stat. The Rly. crosses the stream of the Chalonette on a viaduct, and ascending the valley of l’Hemery reaches the upland plain of La Beauce and a second summit level. It crosses the post-road on a bridge shortly before reaching 5 Angerville Stat. Coaches run hence once a day to Chartres. 14 m. from this is Pithiviers, famed for path cValouettes, for almond cakes, and for its trade in saffron. From this point the post and railroad run side by side, within a short distance of each other, so that the description of the one will serve for both. 13 Toury Stat. 14 Artenay Stat. Here the road from Chartres falls in (Rte. 50). A little to the W. of the road, near Rouvray, an English detachment of about 2000 men, under Sir John Fas- tolf, escorting a convoy of provisions to the army besieging Orleans, de¬ feated a force 4000 strong, consisting of French and Scotch, commanded by Dunois and the Count of Clermont, who endeavoured to intercept them. The French left 500 dead on the field, among them Sir John Stewart, con¬ stable of Scotland. This engagement, fought February 10, 1409, was called “ The Battle of Heri'ings,” from the salt fish for Lent, which formed the bulk of the provisions intended for the English. A few months later, June 18, and nearly on the same ground, at Patay, the English forces under the same com¬ mander, retreating dispirited from Or¬ leans, were put to flight at the first onset by the French, led on by Jeanne d’Arc. Fastolf ran away, and the brave Talbot, who never turned back on an enemy, being left to fight almost alone, was made prisoner together with Lord Scales. 6 Chevilly Stat. Fossil remains of gigantic quadrupeds (Deinotherium) have been discovered near Chevilly. 14 Orleans Terminus a little .to the E. of the Porte Bannier. Orleans. — Inns: H. d’Orleans, close to the railway, good ; H. du Loiret, very clean and comfortable; H. du Boule d’Or, good. Orleans (the Roman Genabnm, named afterwards Aurelianum, from M. Au¬ relius, who rebuilt it in the Srdcenty.) occupies an extensive level area on the 1. bank of the Loire; it contains 45,000 Inhab., and is chef-lieu of the Dept, of the Loiret. In a town so important for its situation, nearly in the centre of France, midway on the course of the sunny but shallow Loire, of conse¬ quence in a military point of view as commanding the passage over that river from the FT. to the S. provinces of the kingdom, and conspicuous in history from a very early period—the traveller will probably expect more of interest than he will find. Orleans is not conspicuous for trade or manu¬ factures, and is deficient in tangible historical memorials, chiefly owing to the cacoethes of pulling down for the sake of what is called improvement, which has prevailed to a most de¬ structive extent during the last 50 years in the town council. The town gates and walls have been destroyed, several of the latter since 1830, and above all, nearly every memorial of the heroine of Orleans, Joan of Arc, has been swept away. A tolerably handsome street leads from the bridge over the Loire to the irregular Place du Martroy, which occu¬ pies nearly the centre of the town, and is prolonged from it under another name ( Rue de Banier') to the Barriere de Paris and the rly. A wide and handsome new street (Rue Jeanne d’Arc) has been driven through a dense mass of old houses from the Rue Royale to the W. front of the Cathedral (St. Croix), the chief building of the town, which this open¬ ing now for the first time allows to be seen to advantage. The remarkable I 2 172 Routed .— Orleans — Cathedral — Museum . Sect. III. circumstance connected with this church, is, that it was built as it now stands, in the 17th centy., at a period when Gothic architecture was not only on the decline, hut had fallen into disuse. Notwithstanding this, it is a beautiful edifice, in a pure style, and reflects credit on its architects, and on Henri IV., who furnished the funds, to atone for the destruction by the Calvinists of the former church, to ingratiate him¬ self (vain hope!) with the Jesuits, and to liberate himself from the pope’s excommunication. He laid the first stone 1601, and the building, unfinish¬ ed at his death, was continued under Louis XIII., XIV., and XV. The design of the W. front was made, 1764, by the architect Gabriel, and modified by his successor, M. Paris. It consists of 3 somewhat plain pointed portals, surmounted by 3 rose windows flanked by 2 towers of equal height (280 ft.) and of great elegance: the circular top is capped by a circlet of cut stone; below this runs a light arcade with fringed arches; in each tower are 3 circular windows. Over the W. portal are some incongruous coats of arms, supported by cherubs, including the shield of the old Bourbons, now lily¬ less. The S. porch is a Grecian abomi¬ nation ; indeed the exterior is in many respects faulty. The nave is flanked by double aisles. The magnificent effect of the interior depends in a great de¬ gree on the large size of the clerestory wfindows (double that of the side aisle windows). A portion of the former cathedral, blown up 1567 by the Huguenots, who had previously turned it into a stable for their cavalry, in spite of the remon¬ strances of the Prince cle Conde, still remains in the 1ST. choir aisle: the choir ends in an apse. There is nothing else to notice in the interior. The other churches are either modern or so muti¬ lated as scarcely to deserve notice. St. Aignan is the finest; its much injured portal and nave are in the florid style. Under it is a Romanesque crypt; its towers are surmounted by a pyramid. The houses Nos. 2 and 4 in the Place adjoining this church, formerly the Convent of St. Aignan, were built and inhabited by Louis XI. They are of plain red brick, with high pitched slate roofs, having dormer windows, and resemble closely the remaining frag¬ ment of the chateau of Plessis les Tours (Rte. 53). St. Pierre-le-Puellier (Petrus Puellarum) has a Norman N. porch and an ancient apse. Next to the cathedral, the stranger will find the most to interest him in the Muse'e, in the ancient Hotel de Ville, a picturesque edifice of the time of Charles VIII. and Louis XII., situated Rue des Hotelleries, not far from the Rue Jeanne d’Arc. Here is placed a cast of the statue of the heroine by Louis Philippe’s daughter. Besides a consi¬ derable number of ordinary pictures it contains a curious collection of local antiquities, carvings in ivory, wood, and stone, which once ornamented the houses and churches of Orleans, chiefly of the 15th and 16th centy. Amidst old furniture, cabinets, chimney-pieces, bas-reliefs and statues, is an elaborately carved chest, bearing the history of Solomon and David in relief; another, which came from St. Aignan, is orna¬ mented with a representation of the coronation of Louis XI. A Massacre of the Innocents in stone, an enamelled triptic, and some elaborate iron-work, locks, &c., with Gothic patterns, chefs- d'oeuvre of the hammer and anvil, also deserve notice. Not far from the Musde, in the Rue des Albanais, and Rue Neuve No. 22, is the house of Diane de Poitiers, so called because she is supposed to have been laid up in it with a broken leg; but it appears to have belonged to the Bishop of Orleans, and was built 1552. The inner front facing the court is a good specimen of Italian architecture, such as we see in the works of Inigo Jones. Owing to the excessive filth and bad pavement of the older streets of Orleans, the stranger will do well not to trust himself to thread their labyrinths, but should rather keep to the great tho¬ roughfares and the quays, and should only dive into the side streets to visit some particular object and return. The Rue du Tabourg contains some interest¬ ing specimens of domestic architecture, Sect. III. Route 49. — Orleans—Maid of Orleans . 173 as the house of Jeanne d’Arc (No. 35), described below, and that of Agnes Sorel (No. 15), which is well worthy of examination, on account of its carved wood and stone work, its doors, the reliefs round the galleries facing the court, their roofs, and the staircases. The style of architecture and ornament, and the coats of arms, fleurs-de-lis, &c., render it probable that it was erected by Charles VII. for his mistress pre¬ vious to 1470. No. 28, Rue de la Recouvrance, called Maison de Francois Premier, is supposed to have been built for the Duchesse d’Etampes 1540, and in its general ar¬ rangement and sculptures (including the Salamander of Francis) is a good specimen of the Renaissance. At one extremity of the Place du Martroy is a bronze statue of Jeanne d’Arc, erected 1804, affected in attitude, incorrect in costume, and entirely in bad taste: around the pedestal are bas- reliefs, representing her exploits and death. An ancient statue, erected on the bridge soon after her death, was broken to pieces by the Revolutionists of 1792, to melt into cannon! We have reserved to the last the enumeration of the few remaining memorials, souvenirs, and relics of the heroic Maid of Orleans. A careful inquiry has discovered only the following:— In the Salle du Conseil of the Hotel de la Mairie is a portrait of her, painted 1581, from an older picture, it is said; it represents her in a theatrical atti¬ tude, and in a female costume of the time of Francis I., and apparently de¬ serves little confidence as a likeness. A view of the town, hung up here, shows its ancient configuration about the time of the siege. King Louis- Philippe has presented to the town a bronze cast of the statue by his gifted daughter, by far the worthiest repre¬ sentation of the inspired Maid. The Maid entered the city on Friday, April 29th, 1429, in the teeth of the English army, which was vastly supe¬ rior to the French force. She had convoyed a supply of provisions from Blois to the famished townsmen, who, as she rode in triumph through their streets on her charger, in full armour, bearing her sacred banner, looked on her as their guardian angel sent from heaven. She was lodged in the house of Jacques Bouchier, treasurer of the Due d’Orleans, which she had selected, with that sense of modesty which al¬ ways actuated her, because she wodld there be under the protection of a matron of good repute, his wife. It stood close to the Porte Renard (long since removed), and only in part exists in the house No. 35, liue du Tabourg. The chamber which she occupied is re¬ moved, and a sort of pavilion of Italian architecture, erected in the latter part of the 16th centy., occupies its place. The scene of the chief exploits of the Maid was the old bridge, which stood considerably higher up the river than the present one (b. 1761), and rested in the centre on an island. It was defended at its extremity, on the S. bank of the Loire, by a fort, or Tete du Pont, called Res Tourelles, which had fallen into the hands of the English before Jeanne’s arrival, and, together with another tower in the centre of the bridge, formed a strong post, whence the English greatly annoyed the be¬ sieged by a battery of cannon planted on it. It was while reconnoitring the town from this battery that the Eng¬ lish commander, the Earl of Salisbury, was mortally wounded by a shot from the walls, which drove a splinter into his head. The Maid in her enthusiasm decided that this post should be first attacked ; and though her design was opposed by the most skilful of the French commanders, they were obliged to yield, because she carried the people and soldiery with her. As the bridge had been broken between the Tourelles and the town, when that fort fell into the hands of the besiegers, a chosen band of troops with the Maiden at their head was pushed across the Loire in boats, and began the attack upon the Tete du Pont on the 1. bank, which formed part of the Bastille des Tourelles. It was defended by a picked body of 500 Eng¬ lish soldiers, under Sir Wm. Gladsdale, who for many hours kept their assail¬ ants at bay by their unerring flights of arrows and fire of cannon. At length 174 JRoute 49 .—Maid of Orleans — The Siege. Sect. III. the Maid, seeing her countrymen falter, snatched up a ladder, and planting it against the walls began to mount to the escalade, but an arrow pierced her corslet, and she fell as one dead into the ditch. She was with difficulty rescued by her own people from being made prisoner, and was borne to the rear. Here, however, after a few wo¬ man’s tears called forth by the anguish of the wound, she received, as she said, the consolation of “ her voices,” and, encouraged by St. Michael, St. Cathe¬ rine, and St. Margaret, &c., hurried back once more to the contest. Great was the dismay of the English when they beheld her, whom a few minutes before they had supposed mortally wounded, again leading the assault, and waving on high her magic banner. To the feeling of supernatural agency being exerted against them, was now added the failure of arrows and ammu¬ nition, and the hopelessness of aid from their army on the opposite bank. The spirits of the French proportion¬ ately increased, and they now began to assault the Tourelles from the side of the town, throwing beams over the broken arch to render it accessible. 300 men had fallen on the side of the English, but the surrender of the fort was at length decided by the death of their leader, whom a cannon-shot hurled into the river as he was cross¬ ing the drawbridge. That same even¬ ing the courageous Jeanne, whom but the day before the English had taunt¬ ingly desired to “go home and mind her cows,” entered Orleans in triumph by the bridge which had remained many months closed; as she had her¬ self foretold before she began the attack. Next day the English broke up the siege, burning the remaining bastilles which they had erected around the town to hem it in, and retreating from before the walls. Thus in seven days from her arrival in the town had the Maid accomplished its deli¬ verance. Opposite to the spot where the old bridge terminated, on the 1. bank of the river, stands a small cross called Croix de la Pucelle ■ and the cellars, under¬ neath the neighbouring cabaret called Le Boeuf, are part of the celebrated Tete du Pont included in the English bastille called Les Tourelles. They are now below the surface of the ground, but receive partial light from the old loopholes, which seem designed for the firing of cannon, and are furnished with rings above, from which it is probable that the guns were suspended by chains, as carriages were not then in use. The fort has two branches, and there is a vaulted passage from it, which the people say led to the river. In its present state the fort is nothing more than a damp, dirty, low cellar, possessing this interest alone, that it is perhaps the sole remaining contempo¬ rary relic of the siege. The life of the Maid of Orleans has been admirably told in the Quarterly Review, No. 138, by one who has used the discrimination of the practised his¬ torian in sifting the true from the false, and has unravelled, for the first time, the mystery of her story, with¬ out depriving it of any of the charms of romance. During the Wars of Religion, at another siege of Orleans, 1563, the Due de Guise, the conqueror of Calais and defender of Metz, who commanded the Catholic army which invested the town, was assassinated before its walls by a fanatical young Huguenot, Poltrot de Mere. He was shot near the village Olivet (Rte. 70), and died a few days after in the Chateau de Caubrai. Or¬ leans was then justly regarded as the stronghold of the Protestant party, and continued so until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes banished those who followed the Reformed faith. Pre¬ vious to that event its population amounted to 54,000. Francis II., husband of Mary Queen of Scots, ended his insignificant life at Orleans, whither he had repaired to assist at the meeting of the Estates, in the building now the Mairie. In his last illness, at the instigation of his mother, Cath. de Medicis, he sent a deputation of pilgrims to Notre Dame de Cl dry, promising to purge the king¬ dom of heretics if he ever recovered. The vow was accomplished not by him, but by Charles IX., at the instigation Sect. III. R. 50 .—Rouen to Orleans. 51 .—Paris to Sceaux. 175 of the same wicked mother, in the St. Bartholomew’s night. Caesar mentions Orleans in the fol¬ lowing passage: “ Carnutes Genabum concur runt, civesque Romanos, qui ne- gotiandi causa ibi consisterant, inter- ficiunt.” Promenades are formed round the town upon the line of the former ram¬ parts. The Post-Office is in the Rue cl’Il- liers. Railways to Paris, 7 trains daily; to Vierzon; to Tours (Rte. 53) and Nantes. Diligences :—to Gien, to Montargis and Briare, to Roanne. Steamboats on the Loire, (?) in sum¬ mer, 3 times a week, to Gien, Nevers, and Moulins, up the river (Rte. 52). Environs. The objects of interest in the vicinity of Orleans are— Notre Dame cle Clery, the burial- place of Louis XI. (Rte. 53.) The Chateau de la Source , the resi¬ dence of Lord Bolingbroke (Rte. 70), is about 5 m. off; a cab costs 4 or 5 fr. The way thither leads across the bridge over the Loire to the village of Olivet, whither omnibuses run every hour from Orleans, where the road turns to the 1. The cMteau is named from the little river Loiret, which here rises at once out of the ground in full flood, from a natural basin, but injured by art, close under the walls of the cha¬ teau, in the midst of the pare. After a course of only 10 m. it falls into the Loire, giving, however, its name to the department. With this exception, the grounds, laid out in the formal French style, have little interest; nor has the chateau itself any other than what it derives from having been the residence of Bolingbroke, who rented it from the proprietor during the latter years of his life when exiled from England. He was visited here by Voltaire. He wrote here his Reflections on Exile. There is a second and more copious source, produced, at the beginning of the last century, by the artificial means re¬ sorted to to confine the waters of the old source, which, in consequence, broke a new passage for themselves. Not far from La Source, near the road, is another handsome Chateau—de la Fontaine. ROUTE 50. ROUEN TO ORLEANS BY CHARTRES. 201 kilom. =124 Eng. m. 11 Port St. Ouen, ] /r ,, AN 17 Louviers, } < Kte ' 23 Evreux (Rte. 25). 13 Thomer. Our route traverses the fertile but monotonous district of La Beauce (Belsia), one of the granaries of France, on a table-land extending nearly from the Seine to the Loire; of which Chartres is considered the capi¬ tal. 15 Nonancourt. 14 Dreux (Rte. 35). 16 Peage. 16 Chartres (Rte. 46). Diligence to Angerville Stat. (Rte. 49). It takes about 10 hrs. to travel hence to Or¬ leans. At the village of Bercheres are stone-quarries from which Chartres cathedral was built. The road tra¬ verses the fertile corn-lands of La Beauce. 26 Allonne. 19 Allaines. 15 Artenay, on the Paris Railroad (Rte. 49), and in the Dept, du Loiret. 6 Chevilly. 14 Orleans (Rte. 49). ROUTE 51. PARIS TO SCEAUX—RAILWAY. Terminus in Paris, Barriere d’Enfer. The peculiarity of the line is, that, for the sake of economizing outlay, it is constructed upon steep slopes and curves of narrow radius, which are tra¬ versed in safety by railway trains called trains articules, owing to the carriages being made to turn on their wheels like road carriages, the invention of M. Arnoux. Arcueil Stat. Cachan Stat. Bourg-la-Reine Stat. (see Rte. 48) is situated in the valley, at the foot of the ascent on whose summit is situated the town of Sceaux. The intervening space is traversed by means of curves 176 Route 52 .— Gien to Orleans. Sect. III. carried along the face of the slope in zigzags (lacets) of small radius. The town of Sceaux was once famed for its splendid Chateau, built by the Minister Colbert (1760), afterwards enlarged by the Due de Maine, whose duchess assembled around her here a literary circle the most eminent in France. It was destroyed, except some of the offices and the menagerie, at the Revolution, and its park, laid out by Le Notre, ploughed up. A part of it has been made a public garden, and part belongs to the Due de Trevise (Mortier). The Terrace is a favourite walk of the Parisians. Sceaux is now celebrated for its large cattle-market, and has a considerable glass-manufac¬ tory. Florian, the novelist, who re¬ sided in the chateau and died here, is buried in its Cimetiere. ROUTE 52. THE LOIRE (a)—GIEN TO ORLEANS. 62 kilom. = 38j Eng. m. 2 Diligences daily. Steamers 3 times a week. The scenery of this part of the course of the Loire is not particularly inter¬ esting. When the height of water permits, the steamers ascend as high as Nevers, and sometimes even mount the Allier by Moulins to Digoin (Rte. 105). From Gien to Nevers the course of the Loire is described in Rte. 105. Gien is a town of 5530 Inhab., on the rt. bank of the Loire, here crossed by a bridge, on the road from Orleans to Lyons. Its old church, St, Etienne, has been injured by repairs. Near it is a portion of the ancient Castle, now turned into the prefecture. It was at Gien that the Maid of Orleans crossed the Loire on her way from her native village, to announce her divine mission to “ Charles the Dauphin” at Chinon. 1. A mound of earth, called Motte du Leon, is supposed to be a Celtic tumulus. About 12 m, below Gien lies 1. Sully, a town of 2145 Inhab., possessing a wire suspension bridge, and an old Castle , resting its front upon the Loire, and separated from the town by a deep ditch. It is remarkable as the residence of the minister of Henri IY., Maximilian de Bethune, first Due de Sully, who purchased it from its for¬ mer possessors, the family de la Tr£- mouille; and in the alterations which he made in the building everywhere effaced their arms to substitute his own, along with cannons, grenades, bullets, and similar ornaments. He passed here the latter years of his life, after his disgrace under Louis XIII., maintaining considerable state with his regiment of lancers, and occupying himself with the preparation of his work ‘ Sur les Economies Royales,’ which he printed at a press established in one of the towers. It remained in the possession of his descendants down to 1807, when the last Due de Sully died. One of them fitted up a little theatre in the chateau, and was visited by the literary men of his times, among them by Voltaire, who here commenced his Henriade. The building is now going to decay, and is no longer inhabited: in one corner a few bits of tapestry, old portraits, &c., have been brought together; also a statue of Sully. rt. The Ch. of St. Benoit, one of the oldest and finest in the Dept., was originally attached to a monastery, de¬ stroyed 1792. Its tower was lowered in consequence of a revolt of the monks against the royal authority under Fran¬ cis I. It has a curious N. portal, some carved stalls, and one or two curiosities in the sacristy. rt. Chateauneuf. Here are remains of a fine chateau. The river is crossed by another sus¬ pension-bridge at 1. Jargeau, a town of 2358 Inhab., 12 m. from Orleans. It still retains a portion of its old walls, within which a few hundred English soldiers, with their commander, the Earl of Suffolk, shut themselves up, after the raising of the siege of Orleans, to resist the attacks of the French led on by Dunois and the Maid. She was struck down into the ditch by a stone while mount¬ ing a ladder to scale a breach made in the walls by the besiegers’ cannon; but, recovering herself, instantly rose, and encouraged her followers by her voice FROM ORLEANS TO THE SEA foil da uUfedli Porianee Tournoisis o' R into' ft lain. rrrqvy Jji (tiforritn ,i’iu,ry'=• . 1/ sRodies. , hi Rots Jouhun. 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Fnseii/f Xeuxy Trwiinle* rum (ourrnenin Ainboisc. j/i/e/,iup Foi i l.Ir'MiUv I. unx'iUV en. ° Gault dirtier gnenl’ Prepay in i ires JLuVilt. Tilliers o n/ioi- Noiruioatitrd I (■Jiiiionreaur >X’/ft/ilie c \ V ^ K\7TU7uUle\ 'eon Mourtanrou Jtonidi 'onnerav oBo assay S7nere. CHIN< >N voir surM/U' Beruuh (luileenmait' la GaJmadu' leLicqc o [Tiqnc Louam TheiUav /Bella y pSTPtml ihiipiy hiPeit'oHe / a.Pammemy Chamiioui'if Mont S Beaumont. ", L Villon,-,J Mail thoj/ •urn, i 7 1 Iroiso Montiers loiHa^u; alencay S l 5 Maure V1ERZON 'lutmpiqnv ‘a alien Luc P- iihjnrre Pallium ,^/^LaTurneUie Ch/itillon ’BdLe» ill Published by .Tulin Murrat .AlbemarleStreet Londa Sect. III. JR. 53 .— The Loire ( B)—Notre Dame de Clery. 177 and waving banner. The town was taken, and almost all the garrison put to the sword, in spite of the endeavours of the Maid to prevent the shedding of blood. Suffolk was made prisoner. The Gh. of St. Etienne and St. Vrain, though injured by the Huguenots 1562, is still a fine building. rt. A little below Checy, at Com- bleaux, is the opening of the Canal d’Orleans, which unites the Loire with the Seine. rt. Orleans, Rte. 49. ROUTE 53. THE LOIRE (b).—ORLEANS TO TOURS —RAILWAY BY BLOIS AND AMBOISE. — EXCURSIONS TO CHAMBORD AND CHENONCEAUX. Railroad along the rt. bank of the Loire, 115 kilom. = 73 Eng. m. 4 or 5 trains run daily in 3j hrs. Steamers have been superseded by the railway. The course of the Loire from Orleans to Tours lies for the most part through a wide valley, slightly varied by hills of very moderate height: its scenery, therefore, consisting chiefly of slopes covered over with vineyards, of low banks and islands, fringed with willows and poplars, is somewhat monotonous, though of a sunny character, and re¬ lieved now and then by a frowning old town such as Blois or Amboise, or by a formal chateau. Lower down a yel¬ low streak of cliffs hollowed out into caves and subterranean dwellings fre¬ quently forms the bank. The river itself winds very much : its shallow waters occupy a bed too large for them to fill in summer, and it is obstructed by shifting sandbanks. The first thing worth noticing after quitting Orleans is, 1. The outlet into the Loire of the Loiret, a stream not 30 feet broad, which yet gives the name to a depart¬ ment. On the peninsula between the rivers once stood the abbey St. Mesmin, whose fertile territory was the gift of Clovis to the monks. A part of the church and traces of the gardens re¬ main. The road to Cl£ry crosses the Loiret by a bridge at St. Mesmin. 7 La Chapelle Stat. 7 St. Ay Stat. 1. Opposite to St. Ay,* whose vine¬ yards produce the best wine in the Orleanois, the spire of Notre Dame de Cle'ry may be perceived about 3 m. from the Loire, on its 1. bank. This little town, 9 m. from Orleans, con¬ tains a very fine Ch., remarkable for the veneration in which its image of the Virgin was held by Louis XI., who was buried within its walls. Its name must be familiar to every reader of ‘ Quentin Durward.’ Louis, passing this way in his frequent journeys into Touraine, always performed his devo¬ tions to our Lady of C14ry, whose leaden figure he carried in his cap. The existing church was almost entirely built by him, in the place of an older one ruined by the English under Salis¬ bury, 1428. He selected it as his burial-place in preference to St. Denis, because he believed he had recovered from a severe illness by the inter¬ cession of the Virgin. A grave was made for him in his lifetime, in which he used to lay himself at full length to ascertain whether it fitted him: but this, as well as the statue in bronze which adorned the tomb, was destroyed by the Huguenots 1563. The existing monument is said to resemble the pre¬ ceding one, except that the statue is in marble: it was executed by Michel Bourdin, an artist of Orleans, for Louis XIII. It went to Paris 1794, but re¬ turned 1818, and has a fresh and mo¬ dern air from the restoration it has undergone. Louis is represented bare¬ headed, on his knees in an attitude of prayer, upon a black altar-tomb with four angels in the corners. The image of the Virgin is said to be the identical one before which Louis spent so many hours in prayer: it is black. Inde¬ pendently of its fine architectural pro¬ portions, the church possesses several objects of interest,—as the sculpture of the Sacristy, much mutilated, the carded wood-work of its stalls, and the Chapel of the family of the Counts of Dunois, in which Tanneguy du Chatel * Post-road .—13 St. Ay. I 3 178 B. 53.— The Loire (B')-~ was buried, 1477. A wretclied road leads from this to Meung on the Loire. The Loire is crossed by a wire sus¬ pension-bridge at 6 Meung, or Mehun Stat., a town whose name occurs in the annals of the English campaigns. It has a Roman¬ esque church, and a red ruined Castle close beside it, partly concealed by trees, and backed by a hill. 1. In the churchyard of Lailly, Con dillac was buried without a line to mark the spot. An irregular bridge of some 30 arches, the oldest parts of which date from the 15th or 16th cent., is thrown over the Loire at 7 Beaugencij* Stat. {Inn: l’Ecu de Bretagne, good), an antique town of 4849 Inhab., prettily situated between two hills. Conspicuous above its old houses rises the square Donjon tower, of great antiquity (10th or 11th centy.) and solid construction, 115 feet high, adjoining the Castle built by le beau Dunois. The H. de Ville, designed by the architect Viart of Orleans 1526, has an elegant front ornamented with the arms of the Card, de Longue ville and of the Comte de Dunois. The clocher de St. Firmin is the only remains of the eh. of that saint, and is now attached to the Hotel Dieu. Beau- gency gives its name to one of the best wines of the Orleanois. Some miles off, beyond the Loire, is Eugene Sue’s Sybarite chateau, the effeminate and selfish splendour of which was thought so inconsistent with his Republican professions. The high road runs at the back of the town, skirting without entering it, and for the next 3 stages separates itself from the Loire, to avoid its wind¬ ings, and passes the little town of 12 Mer Stat. and Suevres, f and the village of 11 Menars le Chateau* Stat., so called from the well-built but ill-kept chateau, which belonged to Madame de Pompadour, and under Louis XVIII. to the Due de Bellune. It is now the property of the Prince de Chimay, who has established a college here. 1. St. Die, nearly opposite Suevres, * Post-road .—13 k. Beaugency. f 13 Mer. t 10 Menars. Beaugency — Blois. Sect. III. is about If m. distant from the Palace of Chambord. (See p. 180.) 9 Blois * Stat. —Inns : H. de Nou- velle Angleterre, and Tete Noire, close to the bridge, comfortable. H. de Blois, in the centre of the town, said to be best.— I. F. 1851. This ancient and picturesque town, chef-lieu of the Ddpt. Loire et Cher, containing 14,000 Inhab., is built upon a steep slope, crowned by its historic and gloomy castle at one end of the ridge, and by the cathedral at the other. The quarter which reaches down to the river consists of modern houses, forming a handsome quay lined with rows of trees, and along it, between the town and the river, the high road passes. A bridge of 11 arches, sur¬ mounted by an obelisk in the centre, unites Blois with its suburb Vienne on the 1. bank. Numerous streets of stairs running up the hill, and winding narrow lanes lined with picturesque old houses, form the bulk of the town, and must be threaded to reach The Castle, for ages the residence of kings and princes, and the scene of momentous events, crimes, and mur¬ ders. It has been degraded to a bar¬ rack, and for many years was neglected and allowed to go to ruin, until 1845, when the government, with laudable zeal, began to restore it to its pristine splendour; and the work has been executed with excellent taste. TheE. front, of red brick, facing the square, is of the time of Louis XII., who re¬ built this edifice, in which he was born. The fine Gothic portal, surmounted by a niche or oriel, is not in the centre of the facade: it leads into a court, the E. side of which is lined with a cloister, resting on pillars carved with a net- like panelling. On the rt. hand (N. side) is the pile raised by Francis I., corresponding in style (Renaissance) with part of Chambord. That on the W. was commenced under Gaston Due d’Orleans from the designs of Mansard, but never finished; that on the 1. (S.) is the most ancient and least like a palace, the work of the early Dukes of Orleans. An elegant winding staircase * 8 Blois. Sect. III. Route 53.— The Loire (R) — Blots — Castle. 179 of stone, on whose rich roof the Sa¬ lamanders of Francis I. have been lately replaced, leads into the suite of rooms in which the tragedy of the Guises was consummated. Tradition, as it seems, gloating over this deed of blood and deception, has preserved the memory of the minutest particulars connected with it; and, though the interior was stripped of almost all its decorations at the Revolution, and the walls whitewashed like those of a pri¬ son, points out the chamber and ora- toire of Catherine de Medicis, the contriver of the plot,—the cabinet of Henri I IT., where he distributed with his own hand the daggers to his 45 gentlemen in waiting, who were to rid him of his rival, the hero of the barri¬ cades,—the Vieux Cabinet, at the en¬ trance of which the victim, sent for by the king, was set upon by his assassins as he was turning aside the tapestry hung over the door, and fell pierced with more than 40 wounds,—the outer chamber where the body lay for 2 hours with a cloak and a cross of straw thrown over it, until the royal mur¬ derer, issuing from his den to look at the corse of the once mighty Henri le Balafrd, spurned it in the face with his foot, saying, “Je ne le croyais pas aussi grand,” and then ordered it to be burnt, and the ashes thrown into the river. During the progress of the murder, prayers were being offered up for its success in the adjoining chapel, distinguished by the pendants which still ornament its roof. This happened on the 23rcl December, 1588:—on the following day the Cardinal de Lor¬ raine, brother of the Balafre, was mur¬ dered in cold blood in another part of the castle. The ground floor at the N. E. angle of the building is occupied by the Salle des Etats de Blois, to attend the meeting of which the Guises had been enticed hither from Paris, their stronghold. It was while seated at the council board in this hall, eating prunes de Brignolles, that the duke was sum¬ moned by the royal page to attend the king. This hall is supposed to be as old as the 13tli centy.: a row of pointed arches supports its double, barn-like roof of wood. The king’s throne was placed against the wall on one side. One other memorial of that age of crime and superstition remains to be noticed,—it is a sort of pavilion raised upon an old tower, detached from the S. side of the castle, projecting over the Ch. of St. Nicholas towards the river: this was the Observatory of Ca¬ therine de Medicis, to which she used to retire, with her astrologer, to consult the stars. It bears the inscription “ Ur anise Sacrum.” A stone slab, like a tombstone, in front of the pavilion, served as a support for the astrolabe. The beautiful porcelain floorings in the rooms of Catherine de Medicis deserve notice. A good general view of the gloomy chateau is gained by turning to the 1., as you issue out of the great gate, through a vaulted passage into the Place du College, above which it rears aloft its sombre mass from a basement of grass-grown buttresses. Here we may remark the window from which Catherine de Medicis let herself down, to escape from the Calvinists engaged in the Conjuration d’Amboise. (See p. 183.) In the Eglise St. Vincent, now belong¬ ing to. a sisterhood, facing this Place, is the tomb of Gaston d’Orleans, who passed here, in a sort of exile, the last 8 years of his insignificant life. The Ch. of St. Nicholas is a fine Gothic edifice, chiefly belonging to the 12th centy., except the lower part of the side chapel, said to be of the 11th, and the three first arches of the nave, which probably date from the 13th. The manner in which the capitals are executed, and the regularity of the arches, deserve notice. This ch. has been restored lately. The terraced Gardens attached to the former Evechd form a very agreeable walk, commanding a fine view of the town and river, extending to the dis¬ tant towers of Cliambord and Chau- mont. The Cathedral, or Ch. of the Jesuits, said to have been built by Mansard, has been repaired. Not far from it a Maison des Fous, a handsome edifice, has been built. A vaulted sewer, partly cut in the solid rock, by 180 Route 53.— The Loire (B) — Blois — Chambord. Sect. III. some attributed to the Romans and called an aqueduct , runs under a con¬ siderable part of the town. It is known to the common people as the Pont de Cesar. A new square has been erected, having on one side the Prefecture, on another the Palais de Justice, and on a third the Halle au Ble. In the old streets of Blois may still be found some interesting specimens of domestic architecture of the 16th centy. The H. d’Alluye retains an elegant portico in its inner court, and some rooms on the ground floor, but little altered. Miss Costello mentions a curiously-carved house in the Rue Pierre de Blois, leading to the E veche; and there is an elaborately-sculptured staircase of wood representing St. George and the Dragon, with a central balustrade corded to the top, and com¬ partments filled with various composi¬ tions. Among the illustrious natives of Blois may be named the learned divine and chronicler, Peter of Blois, who died in England a.d. 1200; Louis XII.; and Denys Papin, for whom the French have claimed the invention of the steam-engine. In 1814 the Empress Marie Louise, with the King of Rome, and the rem¬ nant of the Imperial court, govern¬ ment, and army, were despatched hither by Napoleon, who made his wife regent; and the last Imperial de¬ crees were dated from hence. [The interesting excursion to the Cha¬ teau de Chambord may be conveniently made from Blois, whence it is about 12 m. distant, a 2 hrs.’ drive. Omnibus daily to and fro; a carriage with 1 horse 8 fr., with 2 horses 15 fir. The road thither runs up the 1. bank of the Loire in sight of the Chateau of Me- nars on the opposite bank, on an em¬ bankment or Lev£e, nearly as far as St. Die, a village with a small Inn (au Grand Chambord), 1^ m. distant from the ch&teau. A cross road, in very bad condition, leads thence to Chambord , the Versailles of Touraine, until Louis XIV. deserted that beau¬ tiful province to fix the royal residence in a swamp close to the metropolis. It has no beauty of site to recommend it, being placed in the midst of a sandy flat, surrounded by a park 21 m. in circumference, where the roe and deer cross the traveller’s path. The chateau itself, though somewhat fantastic, is on the whole a grand edifice, sur¬ mounted by a vast group of turrets, minarets, and cones, which rise con¬ spicuous at a distance from a solid basement, the chief features of which are 6 round towers of prodigious size, 60 ft. in diameter, which seem the types of all those which characterise French chateaux. Its architecture marks the transition between the for¬ tified castle and the Italian palace, and is a fine specimen of the age and taste of Francis I., who built it, after his return from captivity in Spain, on the site of a favourite hunting lodge of the Counts of Blois, engaging Primaticcio to furnish designs for it. He laid the foundation of it 1526, and employed 1800 men constantly on its construc¬ tion until his death. It was afterwards continued, though with less zeal, by Henri II. and Charles IX.; and even Louis XV. added the low screen at the back, which, though from Mansard’s designs, is ugly, and of course inappro¬ priate to the style of the original. It is at present the property of the Due de Bordeaux, having been purchased for him and presented to him by public subscription. He has been confirmed in his possession, though the Bourbons have forfeited other estates in France, by the decision of the French law courts. Its 440 chambers, though un¬ inhabited, are undergoing judicious re¬ pairs in capital style and in good taste, the rental of the estate, amounting to about 3000/. a year, being entirely spent by its present possessor on its restoration. The sum already expended amounts to about 40,000/. Enclosed wuthin the building a cen¬ tral tower rises above all the rest, called Donjon , or Tour de la Fleur de Lis, from the lily of France, in stone, 6 ft. high, which surmounted it. After having escaped the hammer which defaced all its minor brethren so profusely scattered over the build¬ ing, at the first Revolution, this mon- Sect. III. B. 53.— The Loire — Chamhord — Valeyi^ay. 181 ster lily was destined to fall at the second. This tower is filled with a very beau¬ tiful double spiral staircase, an archi¬ tectural curiosity, so contrived that 2 parties may pass up or down at the same time without meeting, scarcely even seeing each other. It opens on each floor upon 4 corridors, branching from it like the arms of a cross, vaulted. The compartments of their roof were once filled with the Salamander and F. of Francis I. One of these corridors was converted under Louis XIV. into a theatre, for the first performance of Moliere’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme, in which Moliere and his troop performed before the King, for the first time, 1670. The device of Henri II. and Diana of Poitiers, the H. and D. en¬ twined with the crescent, are distri¬ buted over the parts which he built, but left unfinished. It is worth while to mount to the terrace and top of the tower to examine the details of the building, its solid masonry inlaid with morsels of black slate cut into the shape of lozenges, crescents, &c. Its rich niches, its classic chimneys converted into orna¬ ments instead of being eye-sores, its balustrades and flying buttresses, are all curious specimens of the style of the Renaissance, resembling somewhat the Elizabethan architecture of Bur¬ leigh. The roof is like the hull of a ship, and must contain a forest of tim¬ ber. From the top of the tower you look down upon the wide forest and wilderness of a park with its avenues. Since the commencement of the libe¬ ral repairs and restorations now in pro¬ gress, it is once more a pleasure to traverse the labyrinth of rooms, though showing no traces of the frescoes with which they were decorated by Jean Cousin. The well-read traveller, in imagination, can repeople their halls and corridors with the brilliancy and beauty of the courts of Francis I. and Henri II., recalling the time wdien Charles Y. was entertained here on his passage through France, 1539, by his generous rival, or that when poor Ma¬ demoiselle de Montpensier here lost her heart to the fickle Lauzun. Among the occupants of Chambord since it was deserted by its royal own¬ ers, was Marshal Saxe,—that veteran of a hundred fights, to whom it was given by Louis XV. He brought with him 6 cannon taken from the enemy, and a regiment of lancers, whom he reviewed daily from the terrace, al¬ though with one foot already in the grave. He died here 1750. It after¬ wards became the asylum of Stanislas King of Poland, and his queen Maria Leczinska. It was plundered and dis¬ mantled by the mob of 1792, and sold as national property. Napoleon be¬ stowed it in 1809 upon Marshal Ber- thier, from whose widow it was pur¬ chased by a body of Loyalists, and presented to the Due de Bordeaux, as already mentioned.] [Another excursion may be made from Blois to Yalengay by Selles, an old town on the Cher. The Chateau of Valengay, built by Philibert Delorme in the reign of Francis I., is interesting architecturally as a specimen of the style of the Renaissance, and historic¬ ally as the prison-house allotted by Napoleon to Ferdinand YII. of Spain from 1808 to 1814, and still more as the residence of M. de Talleyrand during the latter part of his life. The larger rooms contain portraits of mo- narchs (Napoleon and Louis-Philippe presented by themselves) and of states¬ men, his contemporaries. His study and bedchamber remained in 1843 exactly as he left them: his shoes, one furnished with steel spring and ban¬ dages for a club foot, his walking sticks, his desk, writing materials, to¬ gether with his robes, stars, and orders, in a glass case, may still be seen. Talleyrand’s last resting-place is in a vault beneath the chapel of a small nunnery, in a narrow street off the Place at Yalengay. It is entered through an iron trap-door in the floor, and in one corner a dark stone sar¬ cophagus contains all that remains of the wily minister of so many sove¬ reigns. By the marriage of a niece of the Duchesse de Dino, it now belongs to the family Montmorency. Returning to Selles, the traveller may proceed down the valley of the 182 Sect. III. Route 53.— Ihe Loire (-5*)— Amboise. Cher to Chenonceaux, and thence to Amboise or Loches, passing through St. Aignan, where there is a magnificent Chateau of various ages, formerly be¬ longing to the Dues de St. A. It is inhabited and kept up with beautiful gardens and terraces, fine trees, and profusion of flowers; the gardens open to the townspeople.]— L. Bidding adieu to Blois, its frowning castle, whose W. front looking down the Loire is imposing and more cheer¬ ful than the rest, with the astrological tower of Catherine de Medicis in front of it, and the pepper-box dome of the cathedral in the distance, we resume our journey between vine hills and wil¬ low beds. rt. Hereabouts begins the colossal dyke called La Levee, commenced in very ancient times under the Carlovin- gian monarchs, and augmented and improved by different kings of France, to restrain the furious Loire within its bed, and check its destructive inunda¬ tions. It runs along the rt. bank as far as the mouth of the Mayenne, below Angers, a distance of about 100 m. It is faced with masonry kept in constant repair, and the high road is carried along its top. It is a considerable work, though vastly inferior to the dykes of Holland, and was burst through by the inundation of 1846. There are other very extensive dykes on the 1. bank in different portions of the river’s course. This high embankment conceals from the view of those who travel by water the wide and fertile plain beyond it; only now and then the tops of houses are seen xising above it. 9 Chousy St at.* 6 Ouzain Stat. The first object to be noticed below Blois is, 1. The Chateau de Chaumont, a con¬ spicuous building, on a height, w r ith machicolated towers, forming 3 sides of a square. It was the residence of Catli. de Medicis, who here spent her time in plotting and in reading the stars until the death of her husband, Henri II., when she obliged his mis¬ tress, Diana of Poitiers, to exchange * Post-road .—10 Chousy. her bijou chateau of Chenonceaux (p. 184) for this, which, however, Diana does not apjiear to have inhabited. It was the birthplace of the Cardinal George d’Amboise, 1460, the wfise and popular minister of France under Louis XII. The arms, still visible, cut in the masonry, are a blazing hill,—chaud- mont. Limeray Stat. rt.* Veuves: a little beyond this the Loire enters the province of Tou~ raine, and the Dept. Indre et Loire. The high road does not pass through Amboise, but through a suburb on the opposite bank of the river. 1. Amboise Stat. f— Lnns: Lion d’Or; La Boule d’Or (?) shut up. At the Cygne, on the rt. bank of the river, close to the Poste aux Chevaux, the landlord keeps a good horse and cab, and charges to Chenonceaux 8 fr., or thither and to Loches 15 fr. Amboise, an old and languid town of 4600 Inhab., stands on the 1. bank of the Loire, here divided by an island, upon which the 2 bridges which cross the river rest. The principal and most conspicuous object is the Castle, long the residence of the Kings of France, and late the pro¬ perty of the King of the French, Louis Philippe. Its buildings, flanked by round towers roofed with cones, re¬ duced to a very small portion of their original extent, occupy the platform of a lofty rock, escarped in front and rear. The late king, who inherited the castle as the descendant oftheDucdePenthievre, caused the old houses to be swept away from the base of the rock, so as to form an opening from the bridge to a tunnel which he bored through the rock and under the castle. It is vaulted with masonry. Two enormous towers, 90 ft. high and 42 in diameter, spring from the ground at the base of the rock, and rise to the level of the other towers. They contain 2 -winding, inclined planes of so gradual a slope that horses and even carriages can ascend them to the summit of the rock. The one in front has been lately closed to form a saloon, but that behind, on the 1. as you emerge from the tunnel, still gives * Post-road .—11 Veuves. -j-12 Amboise. Sect. III. 183 Route 53.— The Loire (i?)— Amboise, access to the castle, and is remarkable for its elegant florid Gothic doorway and groined roof. This and most of the other existing buildings date from the time of Charles VIII., who was much attached to Amboise, having been born here, 1470; he also died here, 1498. The castle has been closed since 1847, and converted into a prison, in which the brave Arab chief Abd-el-Ivader and his family are immured. All ac¬ cess to him and entrance into the castle is closed. In the interior of the chateau there is nothing worth seeing. The improv¬ ing hand of the late possessor had pierced holes as big as the embrasures of a battery in its old and massive walls, to admit broad day into vaults once perhaps cachots or oubliettes, but now, by the aid of whitewash, ventilation, and stoves, converted into comfortable kitchens, larders, pantries, and cellars ; wdrile the upper rooms, papered, polished, and filled with cast¬ off furniture from the Palais Royal, preserve no traces of antiquity. Yet in them perhaps was decided the bloody doom of those 1200 miserable and mis¬ led Huguenot prisoners concerned in the well-known “ Conjuration d’Am¬ hoise” which had for its object to ex¬ tricate the young and simple king Francis II. from the clutches and in¬ fluence of the Guises, 1560. The secret of the plot was betrayed to the Due de Guise by one of the conspirators, and its leader, La Renaudie, seized and hung on a gibbet in the centre of the bridge. The remainder of the con¬ spirators were dispersed and every¬ where seized; the castle walls were de¬ corated with the hanging bodies of the criminals, and the courts and streets of the town streamed with blood, until the wearied headsman, resigning his axe, consigned the remainder to other executioners, who drowned them in the Loire. Such was the extent of the carnage that the court was driven from Amboise by the stench of the dead bodies. This butchery formed the prelude to the still more horrible tra¬ gedy of St. Bartholomew. In 1470 the exiled Queen Margaret of Anjou and her son, through the intervention of the cunning Louis XI., were reconciled in this castle to her quondam foe, by whom her own husband had been de¬ throned, the Earl of Warwick, the king¬ maker. Hatred to Edward IV. became the bond of union, and they agreed in vowing vengeance on him. The gardens are well kept up, and the view from their terraces is as good as that from the chateau itself, which is not worth entering, as it contains no paintings or architectural decorations, and is simply fui’nishecl as a country gentleman’s house. Within the gar¬ den, however, stands the little Chapel , one of the most exquisite morsels of profusely florid Gothic in France, re¬ stored by Louis Philippe in a manner creditable to French taste. It is in the form of a cross, was built for Anne of Brittany, and is dedicated to St. Plubert, whose miraculous meeting with the stag, having a cross growing between its horns, is curiously carved over the rich doorway. This and the interior are panelled throughout, or decorated with foliage of the most de¬ licate sculpture. The leaves, showing all their fibres, crisped and curled round the edges like kail, are cut be¬ hind in a style more common in ivory than stone. Interspersed among the foliage are singular and grotesque figures; along the wall runs a sort of frieze of stone-work; the roof is elabo¬ rately groined, and the pendants hang¬ ing from it carved with grotesques, the whole reminding one of the richness of Henry VII.’s chapel, without its ar¬ rangement. Underneath is a crypt in which was originally placed the Holy Sepulchre, now removed to the chapel of St. Florentin in the town below. It consists of a group of figures as large as life, well executed in baked clay and coloured, representing the entombment of our Lord. The figures are said to be portraits of the family of an in- tendant of the palace named Babou, the three Marys being likenesses of his daughters, who were in turn mistresses of Francis I., as the story goes. Marie de Beauvilliers and Gabrielle d’Estrees, mistresses of Henri IV., were daughters of 2 of these ladies. TheC/i. of St. Denis has lately been restored. 184 Route 53.— The Loire ( J5)— Chenonceaux. Sect. III. In the cliff a little above the castle, and entered from the garden behind a private house, are very singular ca¬ verns called Les Greniers de Cesar. They consist of a lofty, narrow excavation running in a direct line into the rock, evidently once divided into three sto¬ ries, as the broken edges of the chalk vaulting which formed the roofs and floors still remain ; and by their re¬ moval the three are thrown into one. The walls are covered with cement. At the extremity is a round, vaulted chamber lined with masonry; at one side runs a staircase cut in the rock, descending towards the river and as¬ cending to a level with the roof of the high excavation, where it leads to three other similar vaulted chambers, con¬ structed, it is supposed, to hold corn. There is a tradition that Caesar, after conquering the Gallic confederation, reached the Loire at this spot, and formed a camp, traces of which still exist on the cliff above, together with these caves below it, to serve as store¬ houses. It seems likely that these caves had a much later origin, though their desti¬ nation was probably for granaries or cellars. Amboise is said to derive its name from its position between the two streams, “ ab ambabus aquis,” the Loire and the Amasse, which here falls into the Loire. [A very pleasant excursion may be made from Amboise to Chenonceaux, 10 m. S. The road lies through the forest of Amboise (till 1852 a domain of the Orleans family), passing on the rt. the pagoda of the park of Chant eloup, whose magnificent chateau, the retreat of the Due de Choiseul, discarded mi¬ nister of Louis XV., when banished from the court to his estate by way of punishment, has disappeared. After the Revolution it belonged to le Comte Chaptal, the distinguished chemist and minister of Buonaparte, who estab¬ lished here a refinery of sugar from beetroot, which he first brought to per¬ fection. The chateau was pulled down and sold about 1830 by the “bande noir.”] At Bl£r4 (Inn: Boule d’Or) we reach the valley of the Cher; and a road turning to the 1. up the rt. bank of the river, covered hereabouts with black vines (gros noir), leads to the village of Chenonceaux (possessing a poor auberge), which is connected by an avenue with the Chateau de Chenonceaux . In front of the building extends a stately terrace lined with stone balus¬ trades set with orange-trees, approached by a flight of steps; and adjoining is a pleasure garden. Chateau Chenonceaux has nearly as many souvenirs about it as Amboise, but not of so disagreeable a kind. It was built in the more joyous days of Francis I. Its picturesque round towers, bartizans, and bridged moat, though still preserving the shape of a castle, were not meant for defence; and its front is covered over with graceful and delicate Italian ornaments, such as are seen at Longleat, at Audley End, and in works of Inigo Jones. It stands on the river Cher: literally on, for it is built partly upon a bridge, and the river passes under it. At a distance, it is most picturesque, with its green court, its single advanced round tower, occupied by the Concierge, and pretty formal gardens around. Its interior is almost unaltered since the . day it was built, besides, what is so rare in France, being well and carefully kept up, retaining all its old furniture, old cabinets, old china, enamels, and glass. Its vaulted hall is hung with armour, its walls are covered with stamped cloth, its doors are screened by tapestry curtains which draw aside, and the rich ceilings are of blue ground studded with stars. You are shown the very glass out of which Francis I. drank; Mary Queen of Scots’ mirror, &c. But its chief interest depends on the per¬ sons who have lived in it. It was given by Henri II. to his mistress, Diana de Poitiers, who enlarged it by extending the bridge, previously constructed over only part of the river, quite to the other side, and raising upon it a hand¬ some, but less quaint and interest¬ ing building, of two stories. Hither her royal lover used to repair after hunting in the neighbouring forest of Sect. III. Route 53.— The Loire (B) — Tours. 185 Loches. Her initial D is plentifully introduced combined with his H, thus m. She was, however, dispossessed of her fair mansion, on the death of Henri, by the wicked and unscrupu¬ lous Catherine de Medicis, whose bed¬ room, with the original furniture, is still shown. It was afterwards for some time occupied by Louise de Lor¬ raine, widow of Henri III.: her chamber is still hung with black. Nor does the list of distinguished inmates cease here, for near the end of the last century all the wits of the time used to assemble here, drawn together by the owner of the mansion, Madame Dupin, a beau¬ tiful, amiable, and accomplished lady, who died so recently as 1799, at the age of 93. In her time, Voltaire, the exiled Bolingbroke, Rousseau, and many others, were her constant visit¬ ors; and in the little, dusty, faded theatre, which occupies the end of Diana’s gallery, Rousseau’s opera, 'Le Devin du Village,’ was performed for the first time. The collection of his¬ torical portraits, including all the persons who have lived here, is very curious ; among them a whole-length portrait of Diana, said to be by Pri- maticcio, in the costume of her name¬ sake, the goddess, with a dog in a leash, a bow at her back, and wearing a taffeta petticoat, embroidered with golden fleurs-de-lis. Here are also portraits of Henri IV., of Sully, of Rabelais, and a cast of the sweet face of Agnes Sorel from her monument at Loches. The most remarkable thing about Ch^nonceaux, perhaps, is that it escaped the ravages of the Revolution, owing solely to the respect which the character of Madame Dupin, its mis¬ tress, commanded. Strangers are obligingly admitted by the present proprietor, le Comte de Villeneuve, to see the interior. Loches (Rte. 56) is about 18 m. S. of Chenonceaux; the road runs partly through the forest of Loches. It is a dreary ride. rt. The road to Tours, below Am- boise, is carried along the Lev^e, at no great distance from the Loire. Noisay Stat. Vernau Stat. 13 Vouvray Stat. Here the Rly. is carried across the Loire to its 1. bank on a bridge. 1. Mont Louis Stat. This village, com¬ posed partly of caves cut in the rocks, was the place of meeting of an eccle¬ siastical assembly, convened to witness the reconciliation of Henry II. with Thomas Becket only 3 months before his assassination. rt. Frilliere.* Near this the banks of the river rise into considerable heights; and on the top of a projecting promontory stands, conspicuous from afar, rt., the feudal beacon-tower, called Lanterne de la Roche Corbon, not unlike a great factory-chimney of modern times. It anciently communicated by telegraphic signals with the Castle of Amboise. It is about 50 ft. high, and stands on the very verge of the cliff, above the smalJ village of Roche Cor- bon, remarkable because most of its habitations are cut out of the lime¬ stone (craie tuffeau). They are some¬ times faced with walls, at others with partitions of the living rock, and are prettily festooned with vines. One mass of rock which must have slipped from above, and now lies in a nook, is turned into 2 cottages of 2 stories. These habitations seem comfortable, and are mostly provided with little gardens in front. Some large excava¬ tions which belonged to the castle of Roche Corbon, with fragments of ma¬ sonry, remain. It is worth while to climb up to the top of the rock, beside the Lanterne, to look down upon the Loire from thence—a pleasing pros¬ pect. It is possible to scramble through the vineyards along the top of the cliff nearly to St. Radegonde, and so to reach Tours (4^ m.), but there is no path. rt. A row of villas with formal gar¬ dens, interspersed with villages, line the bank nearly all the way to Tours, whose cathedral towers form a fine object in the distance. rt. The round tower, rising at the water-side, close to the road, together with a gate-house and a few crumbling foundations of pillars and walls, are the sole remains of the once magnifi- * Fust-road .—12 La Frilliere. 186 R. 53.— The Loire (L>) — Tours — Cathedral. Sect. III. cent Abbey of Marmoutiers (Majus Mo- nasterium), one of the richest in France, founded by St. Martin, in which the sainte ampoulle, or vessel of holy oil, given by an angel to St. Mar¬ tin to rub a bruise which he had re¬ ceived, was preserved, an object of veneration with pilgrims. It was sent to Chartres to anoint Henri IY. at his coronation. 1. Just above the city of Tours is the mouth of the canal or cut which joins the Loire to the Cher, whose course is nearly parallel with the Loire, and only 13^ m. S. of it. rt. Opposite to it are remains of the Gothic bridge built by Eudes Count of Touraine, in the 11th centy. 10 1. Tours Terminus on the S. side of the town. It is also terminus of the lines to Bordeaux (Rte. 64) and Nantes (Rte. 58). Tours. *— Inns: H. de l’Univers, a large and handsome building, one of the best in France, fitted up with every English convenience ; H. de Bordeaux; both these are near to the railway ter¬ minus; Faisan, good; H. de Londres, comfortable ; La Boule d’Or, in the Rue Nationale; H. St. Julien, adjoin¬ ing the church of that name. Tours, chief town of the Ddpt. Indre et Loire, and once capital of Touraine, is situated in the midst of the fertile but flat valley of the Loire, on its 1. bank, and between it and the Cher, and has 28,000 Inhab. The highway from Paris to Bordeaux and Bayonne here crosses the river by its bridye of 15 arches, 1423 ft. long, and traverses the whole extent of the town through its principal street, the Rue Natio-Royale, a fine avenue running in a direct line from the bridge, and containing the principal hotels, cafds, shops, and offices of the diligences. At its entrance from the bridge stands on the rt. the II. de Ville, and on the 1. the Musee, while in front run quays and planted platforms, serving as promenades. The town is no longer remarkable for the many objects of curiosity which it possessed before the sweeping convulsion of the Revolution ; and the charms of its situation, in an unvaried plain, have * Fost-road .—12 Tours. been greatly overrated by the French. The Loire, though a fine river at cer¬ tain seasons, contributes less to its beauty than might be expected, owing to a great part of its channel being left bare in summer, so that only three or four of the arches of the bridge be¬ stride the shrunken stream, while the rest traverse wide, ugly beds of bare gravel. Owing to the flatness of the surface and the dust there are few in¬ teresting walks or rides in its imme¬ diate vicinity. However, our descrip¬ tion of the town shall assume the form of a walk which may occupy a long morning or a short day. Starting from any of the hotels in the Rue Nationale, a turning on the 1. (Rue de la Scellerie) leads you past the Poste aux Lettres to the Arch- eveche, approached by a handsome Italian portal, at the side of which rises the stately Cathedral of St. Gatien. The W. front, consisting of 3 lofty portals enriched with florid ornaments, niches, and foliage, surmounted by a window having a 4-pointed head, as¬ tonishes by its vastness: it dates from about 1510. The 2 towers which flank it are 205 ft. high; their domed tops, carved as with scales, are somewhat later than the rest, and of a debased Italian style, not conformable with the lower part. The interior, 256 ft. long and 85 ft. high, is in a mature and noble style of Gothic resembling early English, with varied capitals to the columns. The choir was begun 1170, and the nave carried on to completion in the reign of St. Louis; but the W. end is still later, of the 15th century. In the beautiful old painted glass surround¬ ing the choir, and shedding a venerable gloom about the altur, may be seen the arms of St. Louis, of his mother, Blanche of Castile, and those of the town, a group of towers. The fine rose-window in the N. transept is in¬ jured in effect by a thick stone prop carried through the middle to support the roof. At the angle of the S. tran¬ sept and aisle is the marble monument of the 2 only children of Charles VIII. and Anne de Bretagne, in consequence of whose early deaths the succession Sect. III. Route 53.— The Loire (J5)— Tours. 187 passed to the branch of Valois Orleans. Figures of the 2 princes, watched by angels, recline on a sarcophagus of white marble decorated with the arms of France, with dolphins, bas-reliefs, and ornaments in the style of the Re¬ naissance : it is the work of 2 Tourain- geaux artists named Juste, contempo¬ raries of Jean Goujon. It is worth while to ascend the towers on account of the view, which includes Amboise, Plessis les Tours, and the course of the Loire and Cher. The woodwork of the roof, a master¬ piece of carpentry, covering the stone roof, and the elegant, light, spiral staircase ( Renaissance ), resting on a crown of open groins or ribs, in the N. tower, should be seen at the same time. Passing from the cathedral towards the quay, a circular and machicolated tower is seen on the rt., enclosed with¬ in the Cavalry Barracks: it is the only remaining part of the Castle built by Henry II. of England in the 12th centy. From this tower Charles de Lorraine, the son of the Due de Guise le Balafre, imprisoned by Henri III. after his father’s murder at Blois, escaped by letting himself down by a rope. Turning to the 1. and following the line of the quay, you reach the iron wire Bridge (Pont Suspendu) erected by M. Seguin 1847, and lower down the stone Bridge (b. 1762) al¬ ready mentioned: several of its arches have given way at different times, owing to the river undermining its foundations. The Musee contains a collection of nearly 200 bad pictures, chiefly copies, and some casts; it is open to the public only on Sundays, 12-4. A Last Judg¬ ment, brought from the chapel of the castle of Plessis, may be mentioned as curious. A little way up the Rue Nationale, on the 1. in going from the bridge, is the Ch. of St. Julien, until 1847 dese¬ crated and turned into a remise and coach-house for diligences, but now happily rescued by a subscription raised among a few private persons amounting to 80,000 frs. It is a fine pointed edifice, date 1224, except the lower part of the W. tower, which is founded upon circular arches, with Romanesque capitals belonging to an older church. The building is under¬ going repairs in order that it may be rendered fit for divine service. There are 3 or 4 desecrated churches here. The first street on the rt. is the Rue de Commerce; and No. 30, said to have been the Chancellerie de Louis XI. (now Hotel Gouin), is the handsomest old mansion in the town, and a per¬ fectly preserved specimen of the style of the Renaissance (16th centv.) adapted to domestic architecture: its front is richly decorated with coats of arms, scroll-work, &c.; its dormer windows are terminated by crocketecl gables; a turret projects in front, below which is the entrance, and round the bottom runs a light trefoil balustrade. Continuing our walk along the Rue de Commerce we come to the Rue des Trois Pucelles, where the house No. 18 passes for that of Tristan Vllermite, the ill-omened executioner of Louis XI. (see ( Quentin Durward’), though there is no authority for the designa¬ tion. It is a brick mansion, evidently of the 16th centy.: its front termi¬ nates in a gable, and is flanked by a stair turret, 70 ft. high, overtopping the neighbouring houses and com¬ manding a view of Plessis. Its door and windows are enriched with florid canopies, that over the door supported on twisted columns; but the remark¬ able feature, to which alone the house owes its name, is that the string courses dividing the 3 stories are formed by ropes in relief, ending in fantastic knots so as to resemble the noose of a halter. The same ornament occurs on the tomb of Anne of Brittany, to whom or to some of her retainers this house may have belonged. On the wall may be read the motto, “ Assez aurons, et peu vivrons,” and “ Priez pour —.” The court-yard walls are similarly deco¬ rated, and on the ground floor is an elegant vaulted recess for a lavatory. In the same street, on the opposite side, is a house of evidently much greater antiquity (14th centy.), having a vaulted ground floor, and an arcade 188 JR. 53.— Tours — St. Martin—Plessis les Tours. Sect. Ill, of pointed arches running along its first floor. In going hence to the Vieux Marche, a corner house, now a shop, is remark¬ able for the carvings on the front, re¬ presenting the Holy Family. In the centre of the market-place itself is a white marble fountain, La Fontaine de Baune, of considerable elegance, in the Renaissance style, ex¬ ecuted by the brothers Juste. Among its ornaments are the porcupine, the crest of Louis XII., and the ermine of Anne of Brittany. Two Towers, rising on either side of the Rue St. Martin, are conspicuous objects in all views of the town: one, containing the clock, having a domed top, is called the Tour de St. Martin, or d’Horloge; the other, La Tour de Charlemagne, was so named, it is said, because his wife Luitgarde was buried below it. They deserve notice and mention as the only remaining relics of the vast Cathedral of St. Martin of Tours. The palladium of this cele¬ brated building was the shrine of St. Martin, the first metropolitan of Tours (a.d. 340), which became to the bar¬ barians of the dark ages what Delphi was to the Greeks—the oracle which kings and chiefs came to consult in the beginning of the 7th centy. The con¬ course of pilgrims to this shrine occa¬ sioned the old Roman town Ccesarodu- num of the Turones to swell to ten times its original extent. The great eccle¬ siastical establishment, of which this church was the centre, spread civiliza¬ tion and religion through the country, and its archbishop became the patriarch of France and one of the most influ¬ ential persons in the state. At the head of the chapter even the kings of France were proud to enrol them¬ selves. Its treasures in precious metals, jewels, &c., amounted to 575 marcs of gold and 2200 marcs of silver in 1562, when it was pillaged by the Huguenots, who broke the images, melted the lamps, and burnt the relics deposited here. After flourishing for 12 centu¬ ries, the church, an enormous edifice, was utterly destroyed at the Revolu¬ tion, excepting two towers out of the five which adorned it. On viewing the space which now intervenes between them, some idea may be formed of its extent. One of these stood at the W. end, the other at the N.W.; both seem from their style to date from the 12th centy. Attached to that of St. Martin may be seen Romanesque pil¬ lars and capitals of an earlier edifice. Louis XI., through gratitude for sup¬ posed benefits derived from the Saint’s intercession, surrounded St. Martin’s shrine with a railing of solid silver which weighed nearly 6776 marcs. His needy follower, Francis I., had it taken down and converted into good crown-pieces, which were called “tes- tons au gros bonnet.” Bishop Gregory of Tours, a native of the city, was buried within the walls of this church. A florid Gothic portal, forming the front of a house in the street running from the market to the Rue St. Mar¬ tin, was one of the residences of the chapter. The Halle au Ble' is another secu¬ larised church, dedicated to St. Cle¬ ment, gutted to a mere shell. It is a building of the 16tli centy.; its florid X. porch, though mutilated, still re¬ tains portions of foliage cut with much delicacy. There is nothing to be seen within. The new Palais de Justice is a splen¬ did building. There are extensive Barracks at the river-side near to the suspension bridge. Plessis les Tours, the castellated den of the tyrant and bigot Louis XI., with which all the world is acquainted through the admirable descriptions of ‘ Quentin Durward,’ is situated in the commune of La Riche, adjoining a humble hamlet of scattered cottages, on a perfectly flat plain, about a mile distant from the Halle au Ble, on the W. of Tours, passing the Barriere des Oiseaux, and beyond the Hospice G£- n^rale. Visitors to Plessis must not expect anything in the shape of a feudal castle, for it was built at a time when the fortress was giving place to the fortified mansion. When complete, it must have been somewhat like the older parts of Hampton Court and St. Sect. III. Route 53 .—Plessis les Tours. 189 James’s Palaces, wliicli were built not many years after Plessis, with this dif¬ ference, that the niggardliness of Louis, and his apprehension of danger, caused it to be built in so plain a style, and with so many defensive precautions, walls of enclosure, drawbridges, bat¬ tlements, and wet and dry ditches, that its external appearance must have corresponded with that of a gaol much more than of a palace. The small fragment now remaining, so far from having about it the least trace or cha¬ racter of a castle, looks like a mean ordinary dwelling: indeed it formed part of the inner constructions, but was surrounded by three ramparts and fosses. It is of plain red brick, with quoins of stone and sash windows, surmounted by a high pitched roof, and almost all traces of the scanty ornaments have been destroyed. Be¬ side it is a stair turret, recently raised 16 or 20 ft., with a wooden addition at the side, to convert it into a shot-tower! Originally a cloister ran along the front. The interior is modern, except the stair, and contains nothing worth notice. All traces are gone of the pit- falls, fosses, &c., which originally sur¬ rounded the castle; but on the 1., as you approach the house, are seen the foundations of walls of masonry; and a door, below ground, leads into a range of vaulted chambers barely lighted by small windows, which may once have served for prisons, as they now do for cellars. It is evident that the palace was well supplied with dun¬ geons. At the end of the small ter¬ race walk in the garden is another vault, called the prison of Cardinal de la Balue, who was shut up for betray¬ ing his master’s secrets to Charles of Burgundy: it has been repaired, but the lower steps of a stair, the lower part of the fireplace, the grated bars and shutters are old. At the back of a cottage, nearly facing the garden gates, is a small vaulted chapel, now filled with casks, said to be the Oratory of Louis XI., where he passed hours in abject prayer to the Virgin and Saints for cure of his complicated maladies. The present doorway has been broken through the wall where the altar stood; the two small windows are nearly stopped up. Louis ended his miserable life here, 1483. Plessis was converted into a Depot de Mendicity about 1778; it was sold and pulled down at the Revolution. Plessis lies on the tongue of land between the Loire and Cher, about 1 m. from the Cher, and 9 m. above their junction. Between Plessis and the Hospice is an old house, called La Rabaterie, having a square turret at the back which passes for the residence of Olivier le Daim, the barber and minister of Louis. There remains little else to describe at Tours. Under the mutilated and uninteresting church of Notre Dame la Riche (originally called La Pauvre) is a cave, vaulted, and having pillars in the corners, where it is said St. Gatien, the predecessor of St. Martin, first preached Christianity to the Gauls, a.d. 251, but it is now shut up. At the Prefecture is placed the Public Library of 40,000 volumes, including some curious MSS.; for example, a copy of the Gospels in gold letters on vellum, which belonged to the church of St. Martin, upon which the King of France took the oaths as premier cha- noine of that church; Les Heures of Charles V. of France and of Anne de Bretagne; and numerous Missals, be¬ sides early printed books. The library is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs¬ day, and Friday, 12-4. The most respectable Cafe' is that de la Ville de Paris, Rue Nationale. The Poste aux Lettres is in the Rue de la Scellerie, and the Theatre in the same. The number of English established in and around Tours is considerable, but has diminished since 1848: they have a subscription club. The English Church service is per¬ formed every Sunday at 11^ and 6^ in the chapel, Rue de la Prefecture. There is a second chapel, 5, Levde St. Symphorien. Railways: —To Nantes and to Poi¬ tiers; to Paris, by Orleans; Malleposte to Bordeaux; and 3 great Diligences daily, besides others to Poitiers, An- gouleme, &c.; to Loches, Bourges, and 190 Route 53.— The Loire ( B )— Tours — Mettray. Sect. III. Chinon daily. Daily to Le Mans, Yen- dome, to Chartres and Laval. Steamers (?) to Nantes (in 11 hrs.) and Angers start very early—4 or 5 a.m. Tours was long famed for its manu¬ facture of silk, established 1480 by Louis XI., who brought over and set¬ tled here Italian weavers. This branch of industry, however, was ruined by the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, by which the population Avas reduced from 80,000 to less than one half. This tyrannical act transferred 3000 families, with their wealth and in¬ dustry, from France to Holland, and the manufacture dwindled away at Tours to take root at Lyons. Tours has noAV no manufacture of great im¬ portance, but receives some life from being a place of much passage, planted on one of the great high roads of France. The pruneaux de Tours , once so celebrated, are now far less esteemed in commerce than the dried plums of Gascony and Provence. Tours is a city of some importance in history. The Turones, its ancient inhabitants, joined the league of the 64 Gallic towns under Vercingetorix against Julius Caesar, and are mentioned by Lucan, “Instabiles Turones circum- sita castra coerunt.” The Lande de Mire, about 9 m. to the SAV. on the road to Azay-le-Rideau, is supposed to be the place where the Saracens under Abderahmen were defeated by Charles Martel, and Europe saved from the Mahomedan yoke, a.d. 732. One of the chief mints of France was established in the middle ages at Tours, Avhence come the livres Tournois , silver pieces (libra or as of the Romans), the equivalent of francs at present, which were coined here. The Porte Hugon, which stood at the end of a street running down to the Loire, is said to have given the name of Huguenots to the Protestant party in France, who, being very numerous in the town, but checked and watched by their enemies, used to meet beyond the walls, issuing out stealthily through this gate at nightfall. A more pro¬ bable derivation of Huguenot is from the Swiss Eidgenossen, i. e. Confede¬ rate. Another memorial of the days of persecution of the Protestants is re¬ tained in the name Hue Eenard, persons suspected of heresy being pursued in the streets by the Romanists about 1562, hunted down with the cry “ au Reynard,” and often massacred. Touraine was bestowed as an apanage on Mary Queen of Scots and her short¬ lived husband Francis, and she is said to have drawn revenue from it, as Duchess of Touraine, even Avhile in captivity in England, but it was after¬ wards given in her lifetime to the Due d’Alengon, brother of Henri III. It is a pleasant walk of about 4 m. along the road to Orleans up the rt. bank of the Loire to the singular vil¬ lage La Iioche Corhon, excavated out of the rock (p. 185). It would be better to ride thither, and thus avoid the long dusty road. The Colony of Mettray , about 4^ m. from Tours, established by two philan¬ thropic French gentlemen, the Yicomte Bretigneres de Courteilles and le con- seiller Dernetz, deserves very high praise, and will be visited by all who take an interest in the improvement of their fellow-creatures. The objects which its founders and directors have in view are, the education, reward, and restoration to society of juvenile offend¬ ers who while in the public prisons have distinguished themselves by good conduct and by signs of penitence. This is sought to be effected by teach¬ ing them the mode of gaining an honest livelihood, chiefly by agricultural la¬ bour. The ground on which the esta¬ blishment stands was given by the Vicomte; it is conducted by him and his friend in person, and is supported by \ T oluntary donations and annual subscriptions. More distant and highly interesting excursions may be made to Amboise (p. 182), Chdnonceaux, 24 m. off (p„ 184; 4 hrs.’ drive), Loches (p. 191), and to that curious and unexplained monument of antiquity La Pile de St. Mars (p. 198). M. Souill4 furnishes good horses and carriages. Sect. III. it. 54.— Chartres to Tours. 56.— Tours to Loches. 191 ROUTE 54. CHARTRES TO TOURS, BY VENDOME. 139 kilom. = 88 Eng. m. Diligences daily. 15 La Bourdiniere. 16 Bonneval. An ancient Benedictine convent here is converted into a cotton-mill. 14 Chateaudun, a town of 6500 Inhab., standing on the banks of the Loire. Its most conspicuous building is the ancient Castle of the Counts of Dunois, surmounted by a prodigious tower, 90 ft. high, built by Thibaut le Tricheur in the lOthcentv. The an¬ cient name of the town, whence comes the modern, was Castellodunum. During the next stage the road de¬ scends by the side of the Loire, passing the Gothic castle of Montigny on a height beyond the river. 12 Cloyes. 17 Pezou. 11 Vendome.— Inns: H. Gaillarde, good; Lion d’Or, not bad. A town of 9470 Inhab., on the Loire, at the foot of vine-clad slopes. Above it rise the picturesque ruins of the Castle of the Dues de Vendome, demolished at the Revolution, when the graves of Jeanne d’Albret, mother of Henri IV., and of several Bourbon princes, were rifled, and their tombs destroyed. “ Near the Lion d’Or is a fine flamboyant Ck ., containing good painted glass, with elaborate and beautiful wood carvings in the stalls of the choir. It has an early Gothic tower and spire. Nearly opposite to it are very curious remains of a Norman Domestic edifice of un¬ usually early date.”— E. o. S. Several smaller churches will repay the notice of a lover of church architecture. There is a College here. We now cross the Loire for the 4th time, and quit its valley to traverse a monotonous plain to 14 Heuve St. Amand. 12 Chateau Regnault, a town of 2500 Inhab. 15 Monnaye (Indre et Loire). 15 Tours, in Rte. 53. ROUTE 56. TOURS TO LOCHES AMD CHATEAUROUX. 108 kilom. = 67 Eng. m. Diligences , daily, to Loches, in about hrs. You continue along the road to Bor¬ deaux (Rte. 64) for about 2 m. after crossing the Cher; then turn to the 1. There is little to notice until, after passing the prettily situated village of 19 Cormery, we reach the borders of the Indre, which flows through one of the richest and most fertile valleys of Touraine ; in the midst of which stands 21 Loches. Inns: H. de la Tour; cheap, and obliging landlord : H. Grand Monarque. This is one of the most picturesque towns of Touraine, far more striking than Chinon or Am- boise; its buildings are huddled to¬ gether round the base of a lofty rock, from whose commanding top the ro¬ mantic ruins of its historic and ill- omened Castle still frown over the land¬ scape, forming the grand and striking feature in every view. In and around the town the number of religious houses, which clustered around the castle, is remarkable. Many of the buildings remain. The town still re¬ tains several of its old gates, grooved for the portcullis, and garnished with holes for stockade beams, and in its streets are some old houses. Pop. 4753. On the opposite bank of the Indre lies the suburb of Beaulieu, connected with the town by a row of bridges. The river winding through the vale over¬ spreads its bottom with a carpet of the richest verdure, fringed with willows and poplars, and turns the machinery of one or two mills. The Castle of Loches, though long a royal palace, in which James V. of Scotland was married to Magdalen of France, and where Francis I. held his splendid court and received the Em¬ peror Charles V. on his way from Spain to Ghent, is better known and has a more terrible reputation as a prison of state, especially during the reign of Louis XI., when ,f the sound of the name of Loches was yet more dreaded than Plessis itself, as a place destined to the workings of those secret acts of 192 Route 56.— Castle of Lockes. Sect. III. cruelty with which even Louis shamed to pollute the interior of his own re¬ sidence at Plessis. There were in this place of terror dungeons under dun¬ geons, some of them unknown even to the keepers themselves; living graves, to which men were consigned with little hope of further employment dur¬ ing the rest of their life than to breathe impure air, and feed on bread and water. At this formidable castle were also those dreadful places of confine¬ ment called cages, in which the wretched prisoner could neither stand upright nor stretch himself at length; an invention, it is said, of Cardinal Balue.”— Scott. Louis appointed Oli¬ vier le Daim, the barber, who was also his prime minister, governor of the castle and gaoler. It is composed of a pile of buildings of various ages, partly in ruins. The most conspicuous of all is the tall white Donjon tower, rising at the extremity of the platform of rock to a height of 120 ft., and over¬ hanging the verge of the precipice. Its walls of even and perfect masonry, supported by buttresses in the form of circular pillars, pierced by scanty round headed windows above, and by mere slits below, mark it as a work of the Norman style, probably of the 12th centy., though some attribute its con¬ struction to Foulques Nerra, Comte d’Anjou, in the 11th. In its size, form, and arrangement of the entrance stair, within a projecting lower tower, it is not unlike the White Tower of London, and the castles of Newcastle and Nor¬ wich. Its walls, 8 ft. thick, are now empty, gutted of the four stories into which they were divided. It stands within the enclosure of the town gaol, a part of the castle having been con¬ verted into that ignoble purpose. Be¬ side it rises a picturesque group of less ancient towers, in one of which, cir¬ cular in form, are the terrible Cachets of Louis XI., extending downwards in four stories below one another. Two of them contained the iron cages in¬ vented by Cardinal Balue, who himself expiated his treasonable betrayal of his master’s secrets to the Duke of Bur¬ gundy by a confinement of 8 years in one of them. In another, Ludovico Sforza, il Moro Duke of Milan, the pri¬ soner of Louis XII., was confined from 1500 until 1510, when death released him. Here Philip de Comines, the historian, was also shut up in 1486; the Due d’Alen^on, 1456; Charles de Melun, who was beheaded, 1468; and many more victims of tyranny. These dungeons are vaulted, and dimly lighted by small windows, whose deep recesses, in walls 10 or 12 ft. thick, are crossed by double iron gratings. The cages existed down to 1789. At the other end of the castle plat¬ form, on the 1. as you ascend from the town through the arched gateway, is a more modern pile of building, now serving as the Sous-Prcfecture. At one end of the terrace behind it, within a small tower, is placed the monument of Agnes Sorel, mistress of Charles VII., who was born, 1400, in the neighbour¬ ing chateau of Fromonteau. Upon a base of black marble reclines the effigy of La Belle des Belles, well sculptured in white limestone, her hands uplifted in prayer, with two angels bending over her head and shielding her with their wings, and two lambs reclining at her feet. She is gracefully attired in long robes, and a simple circlet sur¬ rounds her brow; her countenance ex¬ hibits a refined character of beauty, modesty, sweetness, and gentleness, not unworthy of the Madonna of Ra¬ phael, and befitting one whose influence over a king was never exercised but for good. It has been proved, however, by an acute historian, that she could in no wise have contributed to stimu¬ late Charles to the assumption of his dominions and the expulsion of the English, not having been seen by him until 1431, after the death of Jeanne d’Arc. When Charles died, the ungrate¬ ful monks of Loches, whom the bounty of Agnes had cherished and her bequests had enriched, were desirous of eject¬ ing her remains and tomb from their church, on the score of some scruples as to the purity of her life; but even Louis XI., much as he hated Agnes, re¬ proved such ingratitude, telling them that if they abandoned her body they must also resign her legacies : so the bones remained in their place until the Sect. III. Route 57.— Tours to Saumur. 193 Revolution, when the grave was vio¬ lated. and the monument was preserved from destruction only by the inter¬ ference of the prefet. Between the Sous-Prefecture and the Norman keep stands the Ch. of St. Ours, a very interesting monument of the ecclesiastical architecture of the 11th centy., founded by Foulques Nerra, Comte d’Anjou, or his father; but said to have been in great part re¬ built at the end of the 12th centy. It is surmounted by an octagonal cupola and by two spires, in the manner of the churches on the Rhine. A large W. doorway, enriched with very singular mouldings and carvings of monstrous heads, has been preserved in a very perfect state, owing to its being co¬ vered by a porch or vestibule. An¬ other doorway on the N. has harpy-like figures on the capitals of its pillars. The choir and short transepts have apsidal terminations. The nave is sin¬ gularly roofed in compartments, form¬ ing two cupolas which rise externally in the form of conical pyramids. The crypt chapel, beneath the choir, recently discovered, was the place of devotion chosen by the bigot Louis XI. In the suburb Beaulieu are extensive eccle¬ siastical remains of fine architecture. The rest of the road lies up the pretty vale of the Indre to 21 Chatillon-sur-Indi'e, a town of 2700 Inhab., in the Dept. 1’Indre, and the ancient province of Berry. 23 Buzan^ais, a town of 3800 Inhab., on the rt. bank of the river, whose branches are here crossed by several bridges. 23 Chateauroux, in Rte. 65. ROUTE 57. TOURS TO SAUMUR, BY CHINON AND FONTEVRAULT. 76 kilom. =47 Eng. m. Diligences daily. This route issues out of Tours lined by avenues of poplars, and crosses at the distance of if m. the river Cher, a little to the E. of Plessis les Tours (p. 189). The Cher runs for about 15 m. below this nearly parallel with the Loire, before uniting itself to that river. France . Along its N. bank runs a considerable lev^e or dyke constructed by Madame de Vermandois, abbess of Beaumont les Tours, to protect the land between it and the Loire from inundations. After crossing the flat land, passing numerous white hamlets and villas, the road ascends and traverses an ex¬ tensive table-land before entering the valley of the Indre, on whose banks stands 24 Azay-le-Rideau, a small town prettily situated, 15 m. from Tours. On the 1. of the road, nearly concealed by trees and surrounded by branches of the Indre, is the Chateau, one of the best preserved specimens in France of the semi-castellated manor-house, in the style of the Renaissance. It was built by Gilles Berthelot in the reign of Francis I., and over the chief portal, enriched with sculpture and combina¬ tions of three classic orders, may be discerned the emblem of that king, the Salamander, with the motto “ Nutrio et extinguo,” and the initials of Diana of Poitiers. The carving has been thought worthy of Jean Goujon; the entire facade and the staircase are very elegant, the wall partly panelled, and the compartments filled with diversi¬ fied patterns. The interior has been preserved nearly unaltered, and con¬ tains old furniture and a collection of portraits. A bed, supported in the 4 corners by carved figures, is of very elaborate Gothic workmanship. A neatly kept garden surrounds the house. The present owner is M. de Biancourt. A considerable tract of forest is tra¬ versed on the direct road from Azay, before it descends by the hollow way behind the castle of 22 Chinon. — Inns: H.de France, best, tolerable, though small;—Chene Vert, dirty. A deserted and dull town (6700 Inhab.), which yet deserves a visit, owing to its pleasing position on the rt. bank of the Yienne, and on account of the numerous and interest¬ ing historical associations attached to its utterly ruined Castle, the French Windsor of our Plantagenet kings, as it has been termed, where Henry II. breathed his last, uttering curses on K 194 Route 57.— Chinon—The Castle . Sect. III. his own sons, whose disobedience had hastened his death. It was the fa¬ vourite residence, also, of the French monarchs, from Philippe-Augustus to Henri IV., and the scene of Joan of Arc’s first public appearance. The re¬ mains are of vast extent, but too much demolished, and too white in colour, to be very picturesque. They occupy the summit of a lofty platform of rock, rising nearly 300 ft. above the town and river. A natural escarpment sur¬ rounds it on 3 aides; where the cliff was not naturally vertical, it has been cut away, and huge walls of smooth masonry have been built rip from be¬ low to a level with the top of the cliff, so as to render it hopeless, before the days of gunpowder, to scale or batter such a fortress. Between the river and the rock crouch the buildings of the town. Behind the castle, in a deep hollow, runs the road to Tours, ori¬ ginally commanded by the castle em¬ brasures; and a deep gully or fosse is cut through the rock on the 4th side, to isolate the promontory from the ridge of which it forms the termina¬ tion. Several of the tall flanking towers remain tolerably perfect; the rest is all crumbling wall. The 3 divisions into which the castle was separated by deep dry ditches may still be discovered. In the central division, above the en¬ trance to which rises the tall Donjon, the only part now inhabited, are shown the royal apartments; and among them the very one in which Joan the Maid, the simple shepherdess of Do rare my,* recognised Charles the Dauphin, though disguised in plain attire, and, singling him out from among the crowd of courtiers, led him apart to the recess of the window, where she unfolded to him “ secrets known only to himself and to God.” The scene of that inter¬ view, and of the splendours of the court of the careless and luxurious Charles, whom even the loss of a king¬ dom could not recall from indolence and pleasure, is now a broken ruin open to the sky, with one or two tran¬ soms remaining in the windows, and a few traces of paint upon the walls. * See Lord Mahon’s Life of Jeanne d’Arc. Close beside it is a very deep square tower, adjoining one of the ditches, and without openings, said to have been the Oubliettes down which prisoners were cast. Crossing a bridge into the 3rd court, we find around it the towers of la Glaciere, in which Jacques cle Molay, Grand Master of the Templars, is said to have been confined ; the Tour du Moulin, so called because it was sur¬ mounted by a windmill, standing at the farthest extremity, and of very solid structure; and the Tour d’Ar- gentau , from which, as the story goes, a secret passage led beyond the wall to the Maison Robardeau, the retreat of Agnes Sorel, Charles’s mistress. Among all these fragments, the only trace of the original Norman castle is to be found in the round tower du Moulin; the rest seems not older than the 15th centy. The view from the walls is very pleasing, extending for a long distance up and down the fertile valley ,—“ a glowing and glorious prospect; a green expanse of groves and vineyards all blending into one,”—with the winding Vienne sparkling and flashing among the green meadows, or foliage of pop¬ lars, walnut-trees, and vines, nearly as far as its junction with the Loire, which, however, is not visible. Fon- tevrault, the last resting-place of Henry II. and his undutiful son the Lion- hearted Richard, is concealed from view by intervening heights. There is nothing worth notice in the town of Chinon itself. No tra¬ dition is preserved of the hostelry in which the Pucelle was lodged on her arrival from her native village, and where she was kept two days before she could obtain admission to the king, until his councillors had ascertained whether she was a sorceress. Nor can the ch. be pointed out in which she spent the greater part of each day in prayer while she resided here. It w r as at Chinon that she first received from the king her suit of knight’s armour, and an escort of a squire, a confessor, and 2 pages. Here she first girt on the mysterious sword found in the ch. of St. Catherine of Fierbois, and here un* Sect. III. Route 58.— The Loire ( C)—Tours to Nantes. 195 furled her white banner sprinkled with fleurs-de-lis, made expressly for her under the direction of her mysterious “ voices.” The rocks behind the town, under¬ neath the castle, have been quarried for ages to supply building materials, and these subterraneous excavations, called Les Caves Peintes, have attained a great extent. There is nothing worth seeing in them, nor is it a task of pleasure to explore them. Chinon is the countiy of Rabelais, who was born 1483, in the farm-house called la Deviniere, in the commune of Seuilly, a little way on the 1. of the road to Saumur, on the opposite side of the Vienne. He commenced his education in the school of the neigh¬ bouring abbey, whose monks he after¬ wards ridiculed in his writings. At Champigny, about 9 m. S. of Chinon, is a chapel containing very re¬ markable painted glass, representing the life of St. Louis. It is a very delightful drive from Chinon to Saumur, through a country teeming with fertility, amongst or¬ chards, and walnut groves, and acacia hedges, wdiile beneath the fruit-trees springs up a crop of corn, without ex¬ hausting the soil. The valley of the Vienne terminates at Candes, remark¬ able for its fine ch. (p. 205), where that river falls into the Loire; and our road, emerging upon its 1. bank, is carried along it, through most pleasing scenery, to 30 Saumur, described, with the rest of the road, in p. 206. At Montsoreau, close to Candes, our road passes within 3 m. of the Abbey of Fontevrault. The excursion thither is described in p. 196. ROUTE 58. THE LOIRE (c): TOURS TO NANTES, BY SAUMUR AND ANGERS—RAILWAY. Ply. —196 kilom. == 122^ Eng. m. 3 Trains daily, in 6^ (fast) to 8 hours. From Tours this rly. follows the 1. bank of the Loire as far as Cinq Mars. The prettiest part of the course of the Loire lies below Tours, in the neighbourhood of Saumur, and thence to Nantes. For some distance below Tours, however, its banks continue low, and its bed, everywhere too large for its stream, is left bare and un¬ sightly in summer. In winter the river sometimes rises 20 ft. above its ordinary level; and from these irregu¬ larities it is unfit for the permanent establishment of water-mills or manu¬ factories on its banks. It is confined on both sides by levies as far down as Angers. The high road continues, as before (p. 182), along the Lev£e, or river dyke, often on a level with the tops of the houses and cottages, which, to¬ gether with the fertile fields, orchards, gardens, and vineyards, it protects from the inundations of the Loire, commanding, both on the river and land side, an extensive view. rt. St. Symphorien, nearly opposite Tours, forms a sort of suburb to that city ; and not far from it is the pretty hamlet of St. Cyr, where a cottage, called La Grenadiere, is at present the retreat of the veteran poet Beranger. 14 Savonnieres Stat. rt. Luynes* is a small town at the opening of a valley into the Loire, backed by a limestone cliff, pierced with numerous cave dwellings, on the top of which stands the old Castle, commanding the country around. It was the residence of the seigneurs of Luynes, and among them of the first duke, the favourite of Louis XIII. and Constable of France, who gave his own name to the castle and town, previously called de Maille, 1619. Not far off are the ruins of an aqueduct, said to be Roman, of which nearly 50 square pillars and 8 arches remain. Luynes is the birthplace of Paul Louis Cour- rier, the celebrated political ivriter; he w r as found shot dead near his own residence, Veretz, on the banks of the Cher, not far from this, 1825. The Rly. crosses the Loire on a bridge of 19 arches at rt. 21 Cinq Mars Stat., or more cor¬ rectly St. Mars, since the name is sup¬ posed to be a contraction of St. Me- dard. Near this village, whose ruined castle gave a title to another favourite * Post-road .—10 Luynes. K 2 196 Route 58.'— Tours to Nantes—Railway—Loire. Sect. III. of Louis XIII., who fell by the execu¬ tioner’s axe, under the relentless rule of Cardinal Richelieu, is the curious ancient monument called La Pile de Cinq Mars, a square tower of brick, 92 ft. high and 13 ft. wide on each face, surmounted -originally by 5 pinnacles 10 ft. high, one of which was thrown down by a-"Storm 1751. The origin, use, and age of the pile are equally unknown. Some attribute it to the Romans, others to the Celts. It is des¬ titute of door, window, or other open¬ ing, and is perfectly solid. On the S. face the bricks are arranged so as to form 12 compartments. It was probably a funereal monument. The traveller continues to pass en¬ tire villages, cut in the yellow chalk rock, or tuffeau, whenever it rises into cliffs favourable for human habita¬ tions. 1. The Cher, after running parallel with the Loire for about 15 in., enters it a little above Cinq Mars, but sends off a branch which continues to run parallel with it until it joins the Indre, 9 m. lower-down. rt. 26 Langeais* Stat., another little town, has also a Castle, in tolerable pre¬ servation, which is remarkable because the marriage of Charles VIII. with Anne of Brittany was celebrated within its walls—an event which united that important province to France. It is well preserved and furnished in antique style. The gate-house serves as a gaol. This castle was built, in the 13th centy., by Pierre de Brosses, minister of Phi¬ lippe le Hardi, after having been bar¬ ber to his predecessor, St. Louis. He ended his career on the gibbet of Mont- faucon, being hung for high treason in poisoning his master’s son, and accus¬ ing the queen of the crime. rt. St. Patrice Stat. Hear this is the Chateau of Rocheeotte, where the Chouan leader of that name was born ; it belongs to the Duehesse de Dino, now Princesse de Talleyrand, who was often visited here by her uncle, M. de Talleyrand. rt. Trois Volets.ff 1. Nearly opposite this, backed by a Wooded hill, is the Chateau d’Usse, * 14 L,angeajs. f Trois Volets. belonging to one of the family of La- rochejacquelin, but partly built by Vauban, its original owner. rt. Chouze,* on the confines of Tou- raine. Near this, if anywhere, the val¬ ley of the Loire exhibits its garden¬ like character, an exuberant vegetation, with trees of large growth, capable of furnishing some shade to the road,— among them the graceful feathery aca¬ cia, which also forms the hedges,— vines, Indian corn, and mulberry-trees, prevail. 47 Port Boulet Stat. Omnibus to Chinon, about 10 m. up the valley of the Vienne (Rte. 57). At Port Boulet the Loire is crossed by a wire suspension-bridge of 5 spans, leading to 1. Cancles, opposite to which place we pass out of Touraine into Anjou. 1. The river Vienne here pours itself into the Loire; and immediately below it-stands the pretty white town of Can- des, where St. Martin of Tours breathed his last. It has an interesting cli., of which the apsidal choir seems to be of the 12tli centy., and the nave of the 13th (1215). Its S. porch is remark¬ able, though much mutilated ; 14 sta¬ tues in trefoil-headed niches adorn the fa§ade, with smaller niches below them filled with heads. The porch itself is a vestibule supported by a light central column, in the manner of the chapter- houses of English cathedrals. The W. end is flanked on either side by a ma- chicolated buttress, and includes a cir¬ cular window, now stopped up. The tomb of St. Martin is shown in this ch. The possession of his remains was warmly contested between the Poite- vins and Touraingeaux. A small brook alone separates Candes from Montsoreau, whose castle, now par¬ celled out among poor people, was the seat of that cruel Comte de Montsoreau who became the executioner of the Pro¬ testants of Anjou by carrying out the infamous St. Bartholomew decrees of Charles IX. [3 m. up the little retired and wooded valley behind Montsoreau lies the Abbey of Fontevrault, one of the richest in France in ancient times, * 12 Chouze. Sect. III. Route 58.— Abbey of Fontewault. 197 where 150 nuns and 70 monks sub¬ mitted to the rule of an abbess, who was always a lady of high degree. This singular establishment, which thus combined members of both sexes, was founded by a Breton monk, Robert d’Arbrissel, 1099 ; who by his power¬ ful preaching converted and led after him a multitude of followers of both sexes and all ages, amounting to 3000, whom he at length settled here, in a sequestered forest, on the borders of Touraine and Anjou. In spite of the scope for scandal, the convent main¬ tained its existence for 9 centuries, down to the Revolution. It has an in¬ terest to Englishmen, from having been the burial-place of several of our Plan- tagenet kings. A tolerably good road leads to the poor village of Fontevrault, where the inn (Croix Blanche) does not look promising. The Abbey is now converted into a prison (Maison Centrale de Detention); one of the largest in France, covering 30 or 40 acres with its courts and ranges of building, occupied by 500 women, 1200 men, and 300 boys; the entrance is in the little place close to the inn. The prison is not shown without an order from the prefet; but no objection is made to admit strangers into the ch. to see the tombs, which they can do without coming in contact with the pri¬ soners. Above the abbey building rises a singular octagon, which was in fact the Kitchen of the monastery, * called Tour d’Evrault- it dates from the 12th centy. The ch., approached by a covered way, from which you look through loopholes into the prison-yards, is a very ancient building, supposed to have been begun by Foulques, 5th Comte d’Anjou, 1125. Its nave is now par¬ titioned off, and, by the introduction of 2 floors, is converted into dormi¬ tories for the prisoners. The Royal monuments are transferred to the S. transept, enclosed by bolts and bars and grilles, in a dark corner, mutilated and broken by the Vandals of the Revolu¬ tion, who rifled the gravesof their con¬ tents, and scattered the royal dust. The effigies, in spite of the injuries * It is described in Turner’s Domestic Archi¬ tecture. they received, are interesting from the evident marks they exhibit of being portraits ; ; they retain still a little of the colouring with which they w T ere or¬ namented. They are recumbent statues of Henry II. and Richard Cosur de Lion, represented in their royal robes without armour; the drapery of com¬ plicated execution. Richard is remark¬ able for his lofty stature (6-i ft.) and broad forehead; he wears moustache and a beard; his hair is cut short. The two female effigies are in better preservation; they represent Eleanor of Guienne, queen of Henry II., and Isabelle d’Angouleme, widow of King John; the last a statue of considerable beauty. It is much to be desired that these neglected effigies of our kings should be transferred from their dark prison-house to Westminster Abbey, where they would form an interesting link in the series of British historical sculpture. There can be no longer any harm in separating them from graves rifled and empty, and from an abbey now become a prison. The French go¬ vernment owes us some return for our ready compliance with its wishes to possess the bones of Napoleon. The body of Henry II. was brought hither from the neighbouring royal re¬ sidence of Chinon, and laid in the sanc¬ tuary previously to interment. When Richard, his undutiful son, approached, the dead body is said to have shuddered convulsively, and to have sweated drops of blood while he remained in its pre¬ sence ; “ the very corpse, as it were, abhorring and accusing him of his un¬ natural conduct.” At a short distance from the abbey is a curious cemetery chapel, or Lanterne des Morts.'] 1. Souzd, a little below Montsoreau, contains a castellated mansion, behind which are vast excavations in the rock, which is pierced through and through like a rabbit warren to furnish dwellings for people of the poorer sort. 1. Still lower down is Dampierre, where Margaret of Anjou ended a life of ambition and sorrow, in misery and poverty, in a house granted to her by Louis XI., who had ransomed her at the price of 50,000 crowns from the 198 Route 58.— The Loire ( C) — Saumur. Sect. III. hands of Edward IV., after 5 years of imprisonment, dating from the battle of Tewkesbury. 55 Varennes Stat. 1. The approach to Saumur is marked by the number of windmills on the heights, below which stands the domed church of Notre Dame des Ardilliers. Beneath its cupola runs an inscription celebrating the suppression of heresy throughout his dominions, and the ex¬ pulsion of its followers, by Louis XIV.; a subject rather of shame than of boast, on a spot which suffered in turn the massacre of St. Bartholomew, the atro¬ cities of the Dragonnades, and finally ruin from the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The convent attached to this ch. is now the Hospice de la Providence, at¬ tended by charitable sisters: a portion of the patients, including the insane, are lodged in cells and vast dormito¬ ries cut in the cliff behind. rt. La Croix Verte,* a suburb of Saumur, at the extremity of the bridge opposite to the town, contains the post- house. 1. 64 Saumur Stat. — Inns: Hotel Bu- dan best; beautifully situated, fitted up with English comforts ;—one of the best in France. A very pleasant light effervescing wine grown in the vicinity may be had here. Belvedere, on the quay, fine. This cheerful white town is one of tl^e most picturesque on the Loire. Seen from the river or the bridge, its quaint Hotel de Ville, near the water¬ side, surmounted by a tent-like roof and pinnacled turrets, its church spires and towers, overhung by the castle behind, have a very pleasing effect. The town itself, however, is torpid, though its population amounts to 15,000 souls, and it does not possess many curiosities. On the handsome quay which lines the river stand a modern edifice which combines theatre and market-house, and the above-mentioned antique Hotel de Ville, a square building of black and white stone, with a peaked roof as high * Post-road .— 16 "Croix Verte. 4 kilom. extra are paid by those who take the horses into or from Saumur, crossing the bridge. as its walls, a cornice of trefoiled machicolations running under it, and turrets or bartizans in its corners. It was anciently included in the fortifica¬ tions, and joined the town walls, and, therefore, has few openings in the lower part. The front towards the court-yard has not the same castellated character, but is enriched with florid Gothic ornaments, very elegant, and recently restored. The date of the building is probably the 15th eenty., about the time of Louis XI. The upper story is converted into a Museum. The best part of its limited collection are the antiquities found in the depart¬ ment; such as Roman vases, statues, spear-heads, axes, &c., of bronze; a complete set of Roman carpenter’s tools, Roman weights, glass, cinerary urns (30 of them dug up in one spot), pottery, &c. But its chief curiosity is a Roman trumpet of bronze, 5 ft. long. Among the Celtic remains are several stone axes, dug up under one of the Dolmens in the neighbourhood, and a Druid knife of flint, from that of Bois Berard. St. Pierre, the principal Ch., in the centre of the town, is disfigured by a modern Italian facade, and its massy tower is surmounted by a recent spire. Its interior, originally built without aisles, in the Angevine fashion, has had side chapels added. It is in the pointed style. More curious for its age and archi¬ tecture is the Ch. Notre Dame de Nantilly, on the outskirts of the town. The oldest parts, the N. side, the nave, and E. apse, in the Romanesque style, have been supposed to date from the 5th or 6th, but cannot be older than the 11th centy. The S. aisle is an addition of the 15th centy., nearly as wide as the nave itself, and the pil¬ lars between are nothing more than the old buttresses. The roof of the nave is slightly pointed, with plate- bands running across from pier to pier. In the S. aisle is the oratory of Louis XI. Against one of the piers is a bas- relief of John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness, renewed 1830. The Ch. is hung with curious antique tapestries, probably of the 16th centy., Sect. III. Route 58.— The Loire ( C) — Saumur. 199 production^ of the looms of Flanders, if we may judge by the style of art. In one, representing the siege of Jeru¬ salem, one soldier appears to be dis¬ charging an instrument like a match¬ lock, (?) but all the others are armed with bows and arrows. In this Ch. are buried Gilles Archbishop of Tyre, keeper of the seals of St. Louis, whose crozier is preserved here, and the nurse of King Rene of Anjou. The Castle, standing conspicuously on the top of the ridge which rises like a wall above the town (Sous-le- mur is a fanciful derivation of its name), is only worth entering for the view, from its terraced bastions, over the Loire and the rich flat land on either side of it, not forgetting the pretty gardens at the base of the walls. The tall Donjon, circular below and octagonal above, and flanked by four turrets, is a magazine for powder and fire-arms, and is shut to strangers. The wise Protestant leader, Du- plessis Mornay, was appointed go¬ vernor by Henri IV., and under his prudent and fostering care Saumur was a stronghold of the Protestants, and a flourishing town of 25,000 inha¬ bitants. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes annihilated its prosperity, by expelling the industrious Hugue¬ nots, and reduced its population to one fourth. One of the greatest exploits of the Vendian army was the capture of Saumur, June 10, 1793, by storming the heights, on which the Republican army, 15,000 strong, had formed an intrenched camp, defended by 100 pieces of artillery. Henri de La- rochejacquelin forced the intrench- ments of the town from the side of the meadows of Varen, exciting his followers to the capture of a redoute by throwing his hat, conspicuous for its white plume, into the midst of the enemy, crying “ Qui va me le cher- cher?”—an appeal not lost upon his followers, especially when enforced by his own example in taking the lead. Foremost of his band, with only 60 of his men to back him, he burst his way into the town, clearing the streets before him as far as the bridge. Here, seizing two cannon, he turned them against the enemy, drove them quite across the river, and on the road towards Tours, thus separating them from the garrison of the castle, which surrendered the day following. The Vendeans obtained this victory with a loss of only 60 killed and 100 wounded, and with a gain of 60 pieces of cannon, 10,000 muskets, and 11,000 prisoners, who were released after having one side of their head shaved, and pro¬ mising not to serve against La Ven¬ dee—humane conditions, contrasting strongly with the atrocious system of massacring their prisoners, already adopted by the Republicans at the command of the Convention. Detached from the town, to the S.W., on the rt. hand as you issue out of the main street, is the Ecole de Cavalerie, for the instruction, in all branches of information suited to their profession, of between 3000 and 4000 sous-ofliciers, who are drafted hence into different legiments to instruct their corps. There are large riding- schools, covered and open, in which the various exercises of the manege are performed with much precision. This establishment was transferred from Angers hither at the latter end of the last century. Some remains of the old fortifica¬ tions may be seen in the Rue du Petit Mail ; they consist of two feudal towers and a prison-house. In the quartier des Fonts, the suburb which fills the island on which the bridge rests, is a house built by King Ren4 of Anjou, and called Maison de la Feme Cicile (de Sicile). Its once highly ornamented front, in the latest Gothic, not unlike that of the H. de Ville in style, has been so deplorably defaced that it retains little interest, but it may still be worthy to employ the artist’s pencil. Within about 1^ m. of Saumur, on the S., stands one of the largest, most perfect, and best preserved Druidical monuments in France, the Dolmen of Pontign€ (§ 4). It is a chamber com¬ posed of huge blocks of unhewn stone set upright to form the walls, Avith others laid across them for a roof, in 200 Route 58.— The Loire (C)^St. Maur. Sect. III. the manner of a house of cards. This rude cot measures more than 50 ft. in length, yet consists of only 14 stones, 4 on each of the sides and on the roof, one at the W. end, which is closed, another at the E., now thrown down, serving as a threshold over which you step to the present doorway, formed by bricking up the mouth. The largest stone measures 24 ft. by 21 ft., and 2-f ft. thick. The stones are set so close, that originally a man could not force his body between them. The blocks composing it are of the sandstone found in this district, but not near at hand, nor near the sur¬ face. Among the adjoining vineyards stands an upright stone, also of Celtic origin. Near Riou, \ m. distant, on the top of an eminence, is another pierre-couverte, formed of only 6 stones, in the manner of Kits Coity House in Kent. The road to these Druidic stones, on issuing out of Saumur, crosses the small river Thoue by a handsome new bridge of 3 segmental arches, called Pont Fouchard, thence by cross roads proceeds to the village of Bagneux, beyond which they are situated. Anne Lefebre, who became Madame Dacier, the learned translator of Homer, was born at Saumur. Diligences daily to Le Mans; Chinon, Cholet; Poitiers and Bordeaux; to Niort and Saintes; Rochefort. Steamboats. The ascending boat from Angers and Nantes arrives here about 10 A.M.; the descending boat from Tours about 12. They bring to, for a few minutes, opposite the Bel¬ vedere. 1. The Ecole de Cavalerie is seen as you quit Saumur. The whiteness of the houses about Saumur is remark¬ able, and arises from the pure colour of the stone, which, being readily cut, is formed into smooth, nicely jointed masonry, and gives even to humble cottages the aspect of villas. They add much to the pleasing character of the country, peering from amidst the luxuriant foliage. Acacia hedges, vines, and walnut-trees, with orchards and rich crops of corn, cover this really beautiful district, upon which all the bounties of nature seem to have been lavished. 1. The village of Tuffeau receives its name from its quarries of tufa, worked into vast subterranean cata¬ combs, which have furnished building materials for the surrounding district. 1. Treves is conspicuous owing to its pretty Gothic tower, 100 ft. high. It was built by Foulques d’Anjou, 1010, and given by Charles VII. to his Chancellor, Robert-] e-Magon, for saving his life at the capture of Paris by the Burgundians: it is carefully kept up by its present owner. Not far off is the Ch. of Cunault, attributed to King Dagobert, and, though not of his time, at least of great antiquity: 11th to 13th century. rt. 80 Les Rosiers Stat. 1. Nearly opposite, the very ancient Ch. of Gennes rises on the top of a hill: it is dedicated to St. Eusebe, and is said to have been used by the early Chris¬ tians. The ruined nave is built of small stones, alternating with bands of tiles in the fashion of Roman masonry. The N. door is arched with bricks intermingled with stones, and in the wall above is a row of small semicir¬ cular arches. Gennes lies in a remark¬ ably pretty situation, on a streamlet called Avort. 1. The vast conventual buildings of St. Maur, with 16 windows on a row in front, deserve to be looked upon with respect as the retreat of those learned and laborious Benedictines who, in the 17th centy., under the patron¬ age of Richelieu, 1621, compiled those ponderous folios—stores of learning and erudition,—‘ L’Art de verifier les Dates,’ ‘ Gallia Christiana,’—the Col¬ lection of French Historians—the Mo¬ numental Antiquities,'&c. “ Works of general and permanent advantage to the world at large; showing that the revenues of the Benedictines were not always spent in self-indulgence, and that the members of that order did not uniformly slumber in sloth and indolence .”—Sir W. Scott. Among the most eminent names which distin¬ guished this society of learned monks are those of Felibien, Montfaucon, Vaissette, Lobineau, and Mabillon. Sect. III. R. 58 .—Angers to jYantes, Railway—The Loire ( C ). 201 A wire bridge of 5 spans has been constructed at rt. 89 St. Mathurin* Stat., nearly opposite St. Maur. At Dagueniere, a little lower, the Levees de la Loire terminate, after running by the river¬ side from Blois hither, a distance of nearly 100 m. Near this the railroad to Angersb and Nantes turns away from the Loire, to rejoin it about 20 m. lower down. 96 La Bolialle Stat. 102 Trelaz5 Stat. 105 La Paperie Stat. Below this the Loire is split into a number of channels by considerable islands, which are connected together by a series of 4 bridges of more than 100 antiquated arches of wood and stone, equally inconvenient for boats which pass under, and for vehicles wdiich go over them, measuring alto¬ gether about 4600 ft. rt. Ponts de Ce. A town of 3520 Inhab., on the rt. bank of the Loire, which is here nearly 2 m. distant from the 1. bank. It is about 4 m. from Angers (Rte. 46). Some antiquaries have attributed its origin to Ce- sar, who, according to them, also be¬ queathed to it the first syllable of his name—a theory which is considerably thwarted by the fact that the name was anciently written Ponts de Scez. The bridges form an important passage over the Loire. A bloody engagement was fought here in the Venetian war, 1793. 109 Angers Stat. (in Rte. 46.) [1. About 7 m. S.E, of Ponts de Ce is the Chateau de Brissae, seat of the noble and ancient family of that name, consisting of a handsome Italian palazzo, between two older castellated round towers, of such solid construc¬ tion that it was found impossible to remove them when the centre was built, and they were in consequence amalgamated with it. It is conspi¬ cuous for the red colour of the stone. The general effect of its fagade, though * Post-road from Saumur. 15 Les Rosiers. 11 St. Mathurin. + 21 Angers, on the Mavenne, is described in Rte. 46. of a mixed character, is stately and good, but the details of carving have been destroyed by mutilations. The chateau, was ransacked, stripped, and dismantled during the Vendean war, and returned to the Due de Brissae at the Restoration a mere shell. It is still uninhabited, but contains only a few articles of antique furniture.] 115 Bouchemaine Stat. rt. The Loire is joined by the Maine (called Mayenne above Angers) about 6 m. below Ponts de Ce. On the point of land between them stands the vil¬ lage of La Pointe Stat., where are numerous white villas and walled gardens of the citizens of Angers. The Rly. crosses the Maine near La Pointe. Below the junction of the Maine the Loire is sensibly augmented in expanse and depth, and its banks attain a more considerable elevation than above, rising into hills, often in abrupt precipices from the water’s edge. rt. One of these heights., called Coulee de Serrant, is clothed with vines, the growth of which is much esteemed. The Chateau de Serrant, the stately mansion of Count Walsh, is one of the finest on the Loire, and is situated 3 m. from the river, be¬ tween it and the high road to Nantes. Its gardens, park, and orangery are said to be fine and well kept up. In the chapel is a marble monument by Coysevoix to the Marquis de Vaubrun, killed at the passage of the Rhine. The family is of Irish origin, having emigrated with James II. A portrait of the Pretender, still in their posses¬ sion, was a gift from him to their ancestor, who fitted out the vessel which conveyed Charles Edward from Nantes to Scotland in 1745. The pretty wooded He de Behuard contains a chapel of Our Lady, founded on a rock, whose uneven surface forms its floor, and projects upwards in a point 4 or 5 ft. high. It was for ages a place of pilgrimage, and was visited with superstitious veneration by Louis XI., whose faded portrait, a contem¬ porary work in fresco, remains on the wall. Both he and his son lavished on 202 Route 58.— The Loire ( C) — Chalonnes. Sect. III. it considerable gifts. By accident it was forgotten at the Revolution, and remains undespoiled, retaining many ex-votos, some church plate, &c. Its walls, still displaying the fleurs-de-lis and other coats of arms with which they were painted, are hung with the chains of Christian captives rescued from Algiers. rt. The Ch. of the small town of Savenieres (Pop. 2500), opposite the lie Beliuard, has parts of extreme an¬ tiquity. The front and part of the S. wall of the nave, of singularly con¬ structed masonry, consisting of black slate alternating with bands or layers of red tiles, arranged in fern-leaf pat¬ tern, intermixed with white tufa stones, are probably as old as the 6th or 7th centy. The doorway is more modern. The choir and E. apse, added in the 11th or 12th centy., display on their external walls and around the windows rich Byzantine ornaments and mould¬ ings. 1. The triple rock of Rochefort was anciently crowned by a fortress of which nothing now remains but a few frag¬ ments of wall. It was destroyed by Henri IY. 1598. 120 Les Forges Stat. 123 La Poissonniere Stat. 129 Chalonnes Stat. Between (1.) this picturesque town, surmounted by the square tow T er of its castle, and (rt.) St. George (at some distance from the Loire, on the high road), the river traverses a small coal¬ field , which has been worked to a con¬ siderable extent of late, though it produces only an inferior quality of coal. This bed, extensively developed throughout the Depts. Maine and Loire, occurs at the bottom of the true coal formation, and is fit only for burning lime; but that lime, being employed as manure, has converted much barren ground into corn-land, and converted this part of France, since 1849, into a granary for supplying Great Britain with wheat. The quantity of flour exported from Nantes is enormous. At Chalonnes another suspension- bridge has been thrown over the Loire. 1. The eminence crowned with a mo¬ dern-looking ruin, through whose nu¬ merous windows and roofless walls the sky appears, is Mont Jan; whose name, according to etymologists, has some¬ thing to do with Janus—though they cannot exactly agree what the con¬ nection is. The ruins are those of a convent of Cordeliers: it had been con¬ verted into a sort of state prison, of which the monks were the gaolers, when it was burnt during the Vendean war. rt. 137 Champtoce Stat.,* a little vil¬ lage opposite Mont Jan, and situated on the post-road, which here again joins the Loire, is surmounted by the imposing ruins of a feudal castle, cele¬ brated from the crimes of its owner in the reign of Charles VII., the infamous Gilles de Retz, Sieur de Laval, a mon¬ ster in human shape, the bugbear of the surrounding country, called Barbe Bleu, and the original of our well- known Blue Beard; who, although clothed by tis in a turban, in reality comes from the banks of the Loire, His history affords a remarkable in¬ stance of the superstitions of the 15th centy., and of the impunity for his atrocities which a feudal seigneur en¬ joyed in that dark age. Having run through an enormous fortune by ex¬ travagance, and impaired by excesses his constitution in early youth, the Sieur de Retz sought to renovate both by magic. He kept in his pay an Italian alchemist and magician, who induced him to believe that a charm could be produced from the blood of infants, which would restore him to health and fortune by using it as a bath. For this end children and young persons were spirited away and mur¬ dered in the deep dungeons of his castles or in the solitude of his forests, to the number, it is said, of more than 100; he himself, in most cases, plung¬ ing the poignard in their breasts. At length the whole country rose up against the tyrant; and his suzerain, Duke Jean V. of Brittany, having heard the charges against him, caused him to be seized and tried : he was * Post-road from Angers. 17 St. George-sur-Loire. 8 Champtoce. Sect. III. Route 58.— The Loire (C)— St. Flcrent. 203 found guilty, condemned, and burnt at the stake in Nantes in 1440, after making full confession of his misdeeds. The peasant still regards with horror the ill-omened walls and vaults in which the monster raised the devil, and sold himself to Satan, according to the po¬ pular belief. rt. 142 Ingrande Stat., a long-line of houses raised upon a terraced wall stretching along the strand, is placed exactly on the boundary of ancient Brittany and Anjou, and between the modern Departements of Loire Infe- rieure and Maine et Loire. The name was originally “Ingressus Andium,”the entrance of the country of the Andes, i.e. the Angevine. rt. At Montrelais are extensive coal¬ mines, some of the pits extending un¬ der the river. The coal is not good enough for the steamers, which burn English coals. 1. The heights of St. Florent are marked by two piles of building; the vast but not picturesque ruins of the Abbey of Montglonne, whose founda¬ tion is traced to Charlemagne, burnt down and destroyed by the Republic¬ ans in the Vendean war; and a little below it, the church of St. Florent, surmounted by a modern-looking tower, by the side of which rises a Pillar to the memory of the brave Vendean general, Bonchamps, but now sur¬ mounted, as if in insult and mockery, by the symbol of revolution, which he died in combating, the drapeau tricolor. Wounded mortally in the fatal fray of Chollet, he was brought hither by the routed Vendeans to die. He closed his career with an act of mercy in res¬ cuing the lives of 4000 Republican prisoners, who had been taken and shut up in the church, and against whom the irritated Vendeans were already pointing their cannon, worked up to madness by defeat, by the mortal wound of their general, and by terror for their wives and families. The com¬ mands and entreaties of the dying hero, and nearly the last words he uttered —“ Grace aux prisonniers ”— had the effect of saving them from military execution, when nothing else could have rescued them. Bonchamps expired in a miserable hovel, in the village of Meilleraye, on the opposite side of the Loire, but is interred within the ch. of St. Florent, and a monu¬ ment of marble by David is erected to his memory. St. Florent was the scene of the most memorable event in the war of La Vendee, which all who have read Madame Larochejacquelin’s touching Memoirs will remember—the passage of the Loire by the Vendean army after their rout at Chollet, 1793. They reached the narrow strip of level ground at the base of the semicircle of heights on the 1. bank, in number nearly 100,000, half of them unarmed, old men, women, and children; the enemy pressing on in the rear, the country behind smoking with the con¬ flagration of their homes by the Re¬ publicans, who, to use their own words, left behind nothing but asbes and piles of dead.” The tumult of such a multitude crowding down to the 25 small barks which alone could be mus¬ tered to ferry them ovei*, the cries of children seeking parents or rela¬ tions, the groans of the wounded, the alarm caused by the enemy, formed a scene of pain, confusion, and despair, which Madame de Larochejacquelin compares with the awful spectacle that the world must behold at the Day of Judgment. The whole multitude, however, were transported across in safety before the arrival of the enemy, whose advanced posts reached the river the day after. The broad expanse of the river is di¬ vided by an island, between St. Florent and rt. 151 Varades Stat.,* the spot where the fugitives, when landed, waited the junction of their companions. It is a town of 4000 Inhab. Passing many monotonous clumps and rows of willows, we reach the suspension-bridge of wire, supported by wire shrouds or stays, erected 1839, of five arches, more than 1300 ft. long, which leads from La Vendee to the little town of rt. 163 Ancenis Stat.f {Tan: H. de France; small, but clean and comfort¬ able— II. M.), a town of nearly 4000 * Post-road .—13 Varades. f 13 Ancenis. 204 Route 60 .—Nantiers to Poitiers — Clisson. Sect. III. Inhab., having remains of an old castle of the Dues de B^thune at the water¬ side, above the bridge, now reduced to a few strong walls and towers. The large barracks are formed out of a ci- devant convent of Ursuline nuns. Here a broken remnant of the Ven- dean host, which had crossed at Ya- rades, endeavoured to recross a few weeks after, shattered by the recent defeat of Le Mans. Larochejacquelin, on this occasion, volunteered to cross the river in the only boat which could be found on the 1. bank, to bring over some hay-barges attached to the opposite shore; but while so engaged he was attacked by the enemy and driven into the woods. A gunboat of the enemy sunk the barges destined to transport his followers, and thus cut off all communication between them and their general. 1. On the top of a hill covered with brushwood stand the ruins of the castle of Champtoceaux, in which Jean de Montfort was kept a prisoner by Mar¬ guerite de Clisson; and at the foot of the hill a bridge or pier of 2 arches projects into the river, designed by the owner of the fort above to facilitate the levying of toll on the vessels which passed, in feudal times. rt. The tall black octagonal tower of Oudon,* 5 stories high, surmounted by machicolations, overlooks the flat land and a series of islands which here intersect the river. It was built pro¬ bably in the 13th centy. rt. After passing a group of pseudo- castellated modern constructions, worthy of a tea-garden, and called after their founder, a citizen of Nantes, Les Folies Siffait, we approach the rt. 176 Castle of Clermont, Stat., on the top of an abrupt and lofty escarp¬ ment, yet not destitute of foliage, forming one of the most picturesque scenes on the Loire, but unendowed with any historical interest. rt. La Seilleraie,f at a little distance from the river, was several times visited by Madame de S6vign4, who dates some of her letters hence, and its gardens were laid out by Le Notre. The apart¬ ment and portrait of the Sevigne are * 9 Oudon. -j- La Seilleraie. preserved, and the mansion contains other portraits by Mignard, Le Brun, &c. rt. The precipitous heights gra¬ dually give place to gentle undula¬ tions, which, below the rocks of (184) Mauves Stat., subside into a flat mo¬ notonous plain, out of the midst of which, in the distance, the towers of the cathedral of Nantes are seen to rise. Islands and sandbanks greatly multiply in this part of the river, in¬ terspersed with dykes of stone heaps to regulate the river, and a few insigni¬ ficant villages occur at intervals. 196 Nantes Station.* (Rte. 46.) ROUTE 60. NANTES TO POITIERS, BY CLISSON. 178 kilom. = 110L Eng. m. Diligence daily in about 19 hrs., and several from Nantes to Clisson. Our road, before it gets clear of the suburb of Nantes (St. Jacques), is car¬ ried over the different branches of the Loire on a series of 7 bridges, united by causeways, about 2 m. long, lined with houses. Beyond the last bridge the road to Bordeaux (Rte. 62) branches off to the rt. About 2 m. S. of Nantes we find the country, though nearly level in surface, covered with vineyards. 13 Tournebride. The little village Le Pallet is cele¬ brated as the birthplace of Abelard; the crumbling brier-grown foundations of a square tower behind the church on the 1. of the road are called the remains of the house of his father Beranger. The stream of the Sevre Nantaise runs nearly parallel with our road, a little on the rt., as far as Clisson. A small bridge carrying the road over a valley is stated in an inscription to have been built “l’An 2 du Regne de Napoldon le Grand.” 15 Clisson. — Inns: Poste, beyond the bridge, fine view; H. de France. This small town (21 m. from Nantes) is celebrated for its very romantic situ¬ ation in the deep, narrow, bosky valley of the Sevre, on one side of which towers the stately old castle. The scene has a somewhat Italian character. f 14 Nantes. Sect. III. Route 60.— Castle of Clisson. 205 As the town was destroyed in the Ven- de'an war, its houses are mostly mo¬ dern, and contribute little to the beauty of it. A handsome new Bridge of 12 arches, 54 ft. high in the centre, rising on very lofty double piers, now spans the valley, carrying the road to Poitiers across, without descending the very steep slope which leads to and from the river. The perspective of the interior of the bridge from below, through its arched piers, forms a vista like that of a cathedral. The Castle of Clisson, the cradle of that illustrious family from which sprang the famous Olivier de Clisson, the fierce and successful antagonist of the English in the wars of the 14th centy., who was thought worthy to succeed Du Guesclin as constable of France, stands on the 1. bank of the Sevre. It is based on the rock, or, where that was wanting to furnish a foundation, huge sustaining walls have been raised from the bottom of the valley, on a line with the escarpment of the rock, to support its towers and bastions. Where not protected by an escarpment, it is surrounded by a fosse. On the 1. of the grass-grown court¬ yard, after entering by the gateway of the Tour des Pelerins, so called from the crusader Clisson, who built it after his return from Palestine, is a vast pile separated by ditches from the rest, en¬ tered by several gates in succession, containing the great hail, the tall don¬ jon, of which one side only remains, and the kitchen, with its wide fire¬ place. From some of the windows a fine view is obtained over the two val¬ leys of the Maine and Sevre. All this part of the building is in a state of complete ruin, occasioned by the civil war of La Vendee. Before that broke out the castle belonged to the family of Rohan-Soubise, and had fallen into neglect, but its destruction was com¬ pleted by the Republican army in 1793. When the town was set on fire and destroyed by them, a number of its unfortunate inhabitants, chiefly old men, women, and children, sought re¬ fuge within the castle walls, and re¬ mained in its gloomy vaults and dun¬ geons, whither they had conveyed some of their cattle also, for a little time unnoticed. But no sooner was their retreat discovered by the army of Kleber, than they were dragged forth from their hiding-place, and hurled alive down a deep well in the second court of the castle, now stopped up, and marked by a cypress planted near it. For many hours the feeble and half-stifled cries of these unfortu¬ nate creatures were heard issuing from its depths, before they utterly perished. The number thus destro 3 ^ed is variously stated at 100 and 405; the latter, it is to be feared, is nearest the truth. The story of the well of Clisson is one of the blackest spots on that page of atro¬ cities. The pretty grounds of La Garenne, once highly extolled, perhaps too highly, as “ a show-place,” but now no longer kept up, are indebted for the considerable beauty which they possess to the full stream of the Sevre, which flows past them, to the fantastic rocks piled one above another rising near its margin, and to the fine trees dipping their branches in its waters, alternating with rich flat meadow land, which here gives variety to the valley, and to the glimpses of the old castle seen at certain points. Winding walks are carried through the park, decorated at intervals with monuments and sta¬ tues, a temple of Vesta, a grotto called after Heloise, and a Roman milestone of the age of Antonine found on the road to Poitiers. The Garenne owes its artificial embellishment to the brothers Cacault, who deposited their collection of paintings here, and to M. Lemot, a sculptor; successively its owners, who built the house on the height now deserted. The Villa Valentin is a would-be Italian cascina on a height above the Maine. On leaving Clisson you pass on the top of the hill the little Chapelle de toute Joie, so called by a lord of Clisson who received on this spot the joyful news of the birth of a son, and built it in consequence. The road from Clisson to Poitiers has been made about 15 years, and is part of a network of lines of communi- 206 Route 60 .—Nantes to Poitiers. Sect. III. cation formed to facilitate not only commercial intercourse, but the passage of large bodies of troops ; they will contribute more than anything else to alter the primitive state of society in this part of France. Clisson is on the very verge of La Vendee (p. 168), which begins on the 1. bank of the Sevre ; but our road, running parallel with the river, skirts, but does not enter it. 14 Torfou, a village almost exclu¬ sively composed of new houses, the old having been destroyed in the civil war. One of the greatest victories of the Vendean peasantry was gained near this over a Republican army superior in numbers by 10,000 men, including the terrible garrison of Mayence,— veterans and reputed the best soldiers in France, and commanded by Kleber. A pillar set up on the post-road, about a mile beyond Torfou, at the junction of four highways, marks the scene of the battle, which occurred Sept. 19, 1793. Its four sides bear the names of Charette, D’Elb^e, Lescure, and Bon- champs, the four Vendean leaders who took part in it. The day would have been lost for the cause of the Roy¬ alists, soon after the action began, had not Lescure rallied around him 1700 peasants of the village of Echanbrognes, who stood the brunt of the assault for two hours, until the division of Bon- champs came up. About 3 m. from Torfou in a direct line, and more than 4 by the post-road, passing the column (where turn to rt.), is the Castle of Tiffauges , an extensive ruin on a high table-land between the 1. bank of the Sevre and a small rivulet (laCrume) falling into it. The donjon stood on the rocky height overlooking and commanding the gap through which the high road to Les Herbiers is carried. The inner courts, now sepa¬ rated merely by a few foundations of wall, are converted into productive corn-fields; but behind two cottages, built in the midst of them, runs a pile of building skirting the brow of the cliff, originally occupied by the seigneur, and more perfect than any other part. The most picturesque bit is a round tower projecting over the rivulet, con¬ taining a fine vaulted apartment and a spiral stair, probably of the 16th centy. Round the top runs a covered gallery, resting on the corbels of the machico¬ lations. These chambers now serve as store-rooms for hay, corn, and other farm produce, and the inner wall is prettily draped with vines. By a little postern you may descend into the val¬ ley of the Crume. This castle is said to have been one of the residences of the wicked Gilles de Retz, the Blue¬ beard of the Loire (p. 202) ; it was dismantled by Card. Richelieu. The part of the valley on which the village Tiffauges stands is rocky and somewhat bare of grass. A cotton-mill has been built under the castle. There is no good inn. Those who take the direct line be¬ tween Torfou and Tiffauges will have an opportunity of learning what sort of a country La Vendee was before Napo¬ leon and Louis-Philippe intersected it in all directions by broad, open, mac¬ adamized high roads. At the distance of a few hundred yards from either village you find yourself in a labyrinth of lanes branching in all directions, worn down by cart-wheels or winter torrents considerably below the sur¬ face, lined on either side with trees or hedges, which close above your head and form a covered way like a subter¬ ranean passage. So numerous are these deep paths, and so intricate their cross-- ings, that even the inhabitant is apt to be misled by them, while the frequent stagnant pools and sloughs of mud, alternating with deep ruts or project¬ ing bosses of bare granite rock, render the passage through them harassing and fatiguing. At the same time, the country is so thickly wooded by thick¬ ets and hedgerow trees, which sur¬ round every small field, that it is diffi¬ cult to see your way far before you. It can easily be understood what a com¬ plete stronghold such a district would become when defended by a brave pea¬ santry, fighting close to their own homes, and thoroughly acquainted with all its intricacies. 20 years ago, it must be remembered, only two high roads, properly so called, existed in La Ven¬ dee—that from Nantes to Bordeaux, and from Tours to Poitiers; and these Sect. III. 207 Houle 61 .—Saumur to Bordeaux. were 70 m. apart. The peasantry were all accustomed to the use of the gun; many were old poachers and capital marksmen. The tactics which they adopted was a species of skirmishing, never attacking the enemy but to ad¬ vantage, themselves choosing time and place, when and where they found him entangled in the toils. At the word of command from their chief, these rude bands assembled at the place of rendezvous, scattered themselves on the enemy’s approach, lining every hedge and copse, from which a mur¬ derous fire opened on all sides, the Venddan marksmen picking out their men, while they themselves were invi¬ sible or unassailable. 15 Mortagne (Vendee) on the Sevre was burnt down, like Torfou, in the Vendean war, and has been since re¬ built. It was long the headquarters of the Royalist army. At Ghollet, 8 m. N.E. of this, a manufacturing town of 8897 Inhab., entirely rebuilt since its destruction in the civil war, two actions were fought in 1793 ; in the first of which the Vendeans lost one of their bravest leaders, M. Lescure, who was shot through the head, and in the second suffered a more fatal defeat, which, in fact, decided the war, and drove them across the Loire (see p. 203). Before this battle began, on the 13th of October, 1793, the whole Ven- d£an army heard mass by torchlight, performed by the cur4 of this parish. On the first attack, the peasants, who here, for the first time, marched in close column, succeeded in driving back the enemy, and a party, headed by Larochejacquelin and Stofflet, even captured a park of artillery ; but a charge of the Republican cavalry, and an attack from the garrison of Mayence, the so-called “ invincibles,” turned the scale; the Vendeans were utterly routed, and their best general, the brave and generous Bonchamps, was carried off the field mortally wounded. At a short distance from Nouaille, on the road from Chollet to Saumur, a third leader of the Vendeans, Henri Larochejacquelin, fell, March 4, 1793. For a long time after the wreck of the Royalist cause, he had carried on a successful partisan warfare, issuing out from the fastnesses of the Forest of Vezins at the head of a few determined followers, and spreading dismay among the Republican outposts. He was shet by a grenadier, while in the act of offering him quarter. At his death, the Convention could, for the first time, with safety and truth, proclaim that La Vendee had ceased to exist. An apple-tree is pointed out as marking the spot where he fell. 18 Chatillon-sur-Sevre, destroyed also, except three houses, in the civil war, is now rebuilt. It was called Mauleon down to 1737. 22 Bressuire (Inn: H. de France), a new town built on the ashes of one ruined by the same disastrous war. Here are grand remains of a Castle built by the English. 31 Parthenay (Inn: H. des Trois Piliers), a poor town of 4024 Inhab., though carried by storm by the Re¬ publican forces under Westermann, escaped annihilation, and retains some fragments of antiquity, in the ruins of its castle, the gate of St. Jacques, and the Ch. of St. John, said to be a struc¬ ture of the 9th centy. The town stands on the rt. bank of the Thoue, a tributary of the Loire, in a hilly dis¬ trict. 25 Ayron. 25 Poitiers. (Rte. 64.) ROUTE 61. SAUMUR TO SAINTES AND BORDEAUX, THROUGH PARTHENAY, NIORT, AND ST. JEAN D’ANGELY. Montreuil. Here is rather a fine church and conventual establishment. Thouars. Road rather hilly, but good. Thouars is beautifully situated on a hill, with the river Thoue running round it at a very considerable depth, so as to give it the appearance of an island. Here is a very fine old cha¬ teau, which originally belonged to the ancient family of Tremouille. It was sold at the Revolution, and was to have been broken up, but the town authorities purchased it, and it is now the Mairie. Here is also an old and curious Romanesque church. The front 208 B. 62 .—Nantes to Bordeaux—Bourbon Vendee. Sect. III. lias been handsomely decorated with images of saints,, but they are all mu¬ tilated or badly preserved. To Parthenay (Rte. 60), a poor town, the country hilly. St. Maixent. Here is a very fine church of the early Gothic, and a curious old chapel under the principal altar, where are deposited the remains of St. Maixent and St. Leger ; the former founded the church, &c. To it is attached a fine originally Bene¬ dictine monastery, which is now a seminary for priests. There is a very fine staircase in the convent. There are in the church some very beautiful wood carvings. Niort. Inns ; H. de Raison de Bur- gogne, good and clean; the best ;—H. de France, fair (Rte. 66). The country in the immediate neighbourhood of Niort is very picturesque and very rich, growing vines which produce a very fine vin ordinaire. St. Jeand’Angely (Inn: H. de France, very good and reasonable). There is nothing remarkable here ; the prison has an ugly Italian fa§ade. It was the commencement of an immense cathe¬ dral, but want of funds prevented its completion. Saintes, \ Blaye, l See Rte. 62. Bordeaux, I ROUTE 62. NANTES TO BORDEAUX, BY BOURBON VENDEE, ROCHELLE, ROCHEFORT, AND SAINTES. 345 kilom.=214 Eng. m. Diligences daily. It is an uninter¬ esting drive. Steamers thrice a week between Nantes and Bordeaux. N. B. Some trustworthy person should be con¬ sulted as to the efficiency and safety of the boats before embarking. On quitting Nantes by the six bridges at the extremity of the Fau¬ bourg St. Jacques, our route turns to the rt. out of that to Clisson (p. 204), and crosses, on a handsome new bridge, the Sevre Nantaise, just above its junction with the Loire. 21 Aigrefeuille. A little beyond this the road enters the department of la Vendee, and thenceforth traverses the centre of the district which was the theatre of the terrible civil war of 1792-93. 13 Montaigu, prettily situated on a height above -a small stream called the Maine, in the midst of the Bocage of la Vendee, has fallen from the con¬ dition of a town to a village since the war, when two-thirds of its houses were burned, and a large part of its inhabitants massacred. The terrace of the chateau / not now inhabited, com¬ mands a good view. After crossing the Maine, a wild, open, heathy country succeeds, pro¬ ducing furze, broom, and a little barley or buckwheat, as far as 24 Belleville. 13 Bourbon Vendee ( Inns ; H. cles Voyageurs; H. de l’Europe—both slo¬ venly and comfortless), a new town of right-angled streets and ugly fresh¬ looking houses, founded by Napoleon in the very centre of the rebellious province la Vendde, and destined by him to be called Napoleon-Vendee, is now the chef-lieu of the Dept. La Roclie-sur-Yonne, an ancient appanage of the Bourbons, occupied nearly the same site, and now, united with it, forms a suburb. It has not quite 5060 Inhab. Destitute of commerce or manufactures, in a situation deficient in any advantages required to render a town flourishing, in the midst of a district of barren open heath, it stands about the dullest town in France, and a melancholy example of the folly of establishing a town by word of com¬ mand. “ It is exactly what one might expect it would be from the hasty and arbitrary manner of its creation. A huge oblong ‘ Place ’ forms the centre and principal part of it. From the sides and corners of this 8 or 10 streets branch off at right angles. The build¬ ings which compose this square are almost all public edifices, each looking more mesquin and meagre than the other, and all having the appearance of being stretched out at the least pos¬ sible expense to the greatest possible extent of front, for the purpose of Sect. III. Route 62 .—Natites to Bordeaux—La Rochelle. 209 making them go as far as possible to¬ wards the composition of the proposed town. A theatre, on the steps of whose portico the grass was growing, forms part of one side. A huge Hotel de Ville, which seems deserted and shut up, stands opposite to a great barn of a church. A prefecture, a court-house, a mairie, and enormous barracks, sur¬ rounding a court in which a dozen regiments might manoeuvre at once, occupy the most of the remaining space. The barracks have been con¬ structed so much in haste and with so little solidity that they are already beginning to fall to ruins—new ruins, the most unsightly spectacle. They are deserted, and apparently aban¬ doned to their fate.”— Trollope, W., France. Conveyances go from this to Nantes, Bordeaux, Saumur, and Les Sables. About 4 m. to the W. (2 of them not fit for carriages, but only for the pedestrian) are the ruins of the Abbey of Fontanclles; a Gothic chapel remains in excellent preservation. Les Sables, 20 m. W. of Bourbon Vendee, on the sea, is a town of some interest, curiously placed on a narrow sand-ledge, at the margin of a bay forming a large and beautiful crescent. The sands are smooth and extensive. A fleet of 70 fishing-vessels may be seen at times entering the roads in one hour, sweeping from the wide sea into a deep narrow channel between two piers, and so entering the large har¬ bour at the back of the town. There are two ; peculiarities in the female costume here,—a small bell-shaped laced cap, and an enormous blue hood of cloth-shreds or wool, giving to their upper figures the shape of a huge bee¬ hive.— Inn: H. de France, fair, and civil people. The same dreary, unenclosed, and heath-clad land extends to 22 Mareuil, beyond which a fine corn country commences. Between Les Sables and Lu§on (25 m.) is the Castle of Talmont, a lofty picturesque feudal ruin. 10 Lu§on, a dull and dirty small town, in a situation which is unhealthv on account of its vicinity to the marshes, connected with the sea by a canal, and having a population of about 3000. Lu§on was the episcopal see of Cardinal Richelieu, having been a sort of family living, into which he, though bred up for a soldier, was inducted at the age of 22. Its Gothic cathedral, surmounted by a tall spire of open¬ work, is the principal building. 10 Moreilles. Our route now lies across a district which may be called the Fens of France, a series of marshy flats, traversed by numerous rivers, the chief of which are the Vendee and Sevre Niortaise ; it is intersected also in all directions by canals, and, not¬ withstanding the drainage effected by them, is unhealthy from malaria. A solitary conical mound rising out of the flat on the 1. of the road is crowned by the village of Chaillc. The limits of la Vendee and the stream of the Sevre Niortaise are crossed shortly before reaching 17 Marans, a town of 4000 Inhab., 9 m. from the sea, which exports corn from la Vendee and flour from Niort. Before half the next stage is tra¬ versed the road crosses the canal from la Rochelle to Niort. Near this the marshes of la Vende'e terminate, and the marly lands of the Aunis begin. At 15 Grolaud the canal is crossed. A picturesque group of towers and spires, visible from a considerable dis¬ tance, announces the approach to 9 La Rochelle. — Inns: Poste, very good ; H. de France. This third-rate fortress, and commercial town of se¬ condary importance, is situated on the sea, on the shore of a bay in front of which rise the lies de Re and d’Oleron. It was capital of the district of Aunis, and is now chef-lieu of the Dept, de la Charente. Before its me¬ morable siege of 1G28, it had a popula¬ tion of 27,000 ; at present it contains no more than 14,857. Its little port is entirely enclosed by the buildings of the town, and consists of an outer tidal basin, and an inner wet dock, protected by a pier, and flanked at its entrance on either side by the round towers of la Cliaine and St. Nicholas, built 1418 out of the 210 Route 62 .—La Rochelle — The Siege. Sect. III. remains of the castle. A quay, planted with trees, runs round the harbour, and forms an agreeable promenade. Its chief commerce consists in the exportation of the brandy made in the adjoining province of l’Aunis, the finest in France, of wine, corn, and flour. At low water, the remains of the famous dyke, thrown out into the sea by order of Richelieu during the siege of 1628-29, and which contributed mainly to the surrender of the town, by interrupting all supplies and suc¬ cour from England, are distinctly visible. This long pile of stones, stretching for a distance of 1640 yds. from the point of Coreille to that of Fort Louis, was built by the engineer Metezeau. In the Hotel de Ville, a handsome building in the style of the Renais¬ sance, of the time of Francis I., is shown the chamber in which the heroic Guiton accepted the office of mayor on the very eve of the siege, “on condition,” said he, “that I be allowed to plunge into the heart of any one who speaks of surrender the dagger which I hold in my hand, which I insist shall be placed on the table of the council-chamber where we meet, to be used against myself first, should I be weak enough to propose-a capitulation.” Influenced by so ob¬ stinate a spirit of resistance, the citi¬ zens held out for 14 long months against the vast force brought against them, commanded by Cardinal Riche¬ lieu in person, and supported by the presence of Louis XIII. At length, when famine, which followed the vigi¬ lant blockade established on the land side, by throwing up lines 3 miles long, - and by the dyke before-men¬ tioned drawn across the harbour, had reduced the numbers of the besieged from 27,000 to 5000, la Rochelle, the bulwark of the Protestant cause in France, which had remained in the hands of the Huguenots since the first unsuccessful siege of 1573, was yielded up to the king, and its fortifications levelled, except the two towers at the mouth of the harbour. The ill success of the two expeditions fitted out by Charles I., whose favourite, Bucking¬ ham, contributed to the failure of the first by his incompetence, and who was assassinated by Felton while about to assume the command of the second, prepared the way for its fall. The town never regained its previous pros¬ perity, though Protestants are still numerous here. By its capture, Riche¬ lieu destroyed the political influence of the Calvinists in France. The chair of Guiton, and the council-table of marble, are still preserved in the H. de Ville. His house, at the Rue Guiton, is also pointed out—a build¬ ing in the style of the Renaissance, flanked with tourelles. Six or eight of the old town gates remain, and the Tour de la Lanterne, a conspicuous structure, surmounted by a spire, dates from 1445. The Gothic Porte de V Horloge, whose architecture announces it to be a work of the 16th centy., is another relic of the time of the siege, and there are some old houses still standing which must also have existed at that me¬ morable event, when streets and houses were rendered infected by the dead bodies too numerous for the living to bury. Such was the extreme misery to which the inhabitants were reduced, that one of them declared that for a whole week he had kept his child alive solely by blood drawn from his own body. One of the articles of capitulation was, that the invincible Guiton should continue in the office of mayor, retaining all his dignities : lie is lost sight of, how r ever, after the siege. The town was again fortified by Vauban in the reign of Louis XIV. The tower of the church of St. Sau- veur, the loftiest in the place, now used as a shot-tower, commands from its top a view embracing the lies de Re, whose town, St. Martin, resisted all the efforts of the English under Buckingham to capture it, 1628 ; and of Oldron, a long, low bank of land, separated from Re by a strait called Pertuis d’Antioche. Still nearer, not 2 m. off the shore, is the lie d’Aix, opposite the mouth of the Charente: the fort and batteries upon it, defend¬ ing the entrance of the roads, were 211 Sect. III. Route 62.—Nantes to captured by the English 1757, but have been greatly strengthened since that time. An attempt was also made, 1809, by the English, to destroy the French fleet here by fireships, and was partly successful, as, out of 14 vessels, 4 ran ashore and were burnt, and 2 were captured. Some years ago a singular plague of white ants (Termites), originally im¬ ported from India, infested the wooden buildings of La Rochelle. There is an Etablissement des Bains here, situated on a fine Promenade or Mall, a grove of trees stretching along the shore ; nice gardens are attached. Much salt is made near the town, by evaporating the sea-water. A steamer plies daily between La Rochelle and Tile de Re. Rochelle is the birthplace of Reau¬ mur, inventor of the thermometric scale named after him, and of Billaud Yarennes, member of the National Convention. Coaches to Paris by Poitiers daily ; -—5 times a day to Rochefort. An uninteresting tract of flat marshy land intervenes between Rochelle and Rochefort. Near the village of Pass¬ age stood an ancient town, Chatelaillon, which preceded La Rochelle, and has long since disappeared, owing to en¬ croachments of the sea. 14 Trois Canons. 17 Rochefort {Inns: H. des Etran- gers ; H. Grand Bacha), a fortress of 4th rank, but standing third in im¬ portance among the naval arsenals of France, is built on the rt. bank of the Charente, about 10 m. from its junc¬ tion with the sea, and contains 15,911 Inhab. The river is deep enough to float vessels of the lai’gest size abreast of the town, having 20 ft. water at ebb, and 40 ft. at the highest tides, and five forts at its mouth protect the dockyard from hostile approach. Its position is well chosen, owing to its vicinity to the roadstead formed at the embouchure of the Charente, by the protection of the islands of Re, Oleron, and Aix. In order further to defend the roadstead, a fort is being con¬ structed at their mouth, on a sand¬ bank called the Boyard, between the Bordeaux — Rochefort. He d’Aix and lie d’Oleron ; and a million of francs was voted for the purpose 1840. Rochefort is quite a modern town, founded in 1644 for the establishment of a dockyard by Louis XIV., or rather by his wise minister Colbert, who saw the necessity for a second port and arsenal on the ocean besides Brest. Its streets are built at right angles, and the only buildings of consequence are those connected with the Port Militaire or Dockyard. Ad¬ mission is given by the Major de la Marine, on application of the British consul, and on exhibition of the pass¬ port. Among the vessels on the stocks are several large war-steamers ; the model-room contains some curiosities. To describe the sailmakers’ shops, the cable-twisting loft, the workshops whose machinery is set in motion by a steam-engine, would be nearly to repeat what has been said of Brest and Cherbourg. The only novelty to an Englishman, acquainted with the Bri¬ tish dockyards, will be the Bagne, or convict prison, capable of containing 2200 formats, but occupied by only half that number. The largest and most remarkable edifice here is the Hopital de la Ma¬ rine , outside the town, consisting of nine separate masses of building, con¬ taining 1200 beds. It is excellently arranged, and well kept up, cleanly in the extreme. There is a tolerable anatomical museum attached to it. The town was originally very un¬ healthy, owing to its low situation among the marshes ; but these have been drained, and fevers are become rare. In the Grande Place is a foun¬ tain adorned with figures representing Old Ocean shaking hands with the Charente ! In 1809 Lord Cochrane penetrated into the Basque Roads, between the lie de R£ and the He d’Oleron, with a small squadron, and burnt 5 vessels of the French fleet destined for the W. Indies, he himself steering the leading fire-ship, charged with 1500 barrels of powder and 400 shells, through the concentrated fire of 1000 guns ! On the 3rd July, 1815, Napoleon 212 Route 62 .—Nantes to Bordeaux — Saintes. Sect. Ill arrived at Rochefort, seeking to escape to America, and lodged at the Prefec¬ ture ; but finding that the Bellerophon, an English line-of-battle ship, was at anchor in the Rade des Basques, and that there were no possible means of evading it, he went on board on the 15th, and sailed for England, after in vain attempting to obtain a pledge from Captain Maitland for safe-conduct. A Steamer runs 4 or 5 times a-week from Roy an, a small port on the N. bank of the Gironde, 29 m. from Rochefort to Bordeaux : the voyage takes 7 hours. Coaches convey pas¬ sengers between Rochefort and Royan, fare 4 fr. 25 c., and total to Bordeaux 8 fr. In going to Royan (a small watering-place opposite the lighthouse of the Tour de Cordouan [Rte. 69]), the Charente is crossed by a ferry. The road traverses an uninteresting flat, only redeemed by drainage from the state of a pestilential marsh, called Les Marennes. A Steamer ascends the Charente to Saintes (35 m.) every morning, return¬ ing in the afternoon: the passage takes 4 hours. The voyage up the Charente is agree¬ able, though somewhat monotonous, from the windings of the river and the unvaried nature of the green flat pasture-lands on its banks. Near to Saintes it passes the ruined Castle of Taillebourg, on an isolated rock, near which St. Louis defeated the English in 1242. Those who travel by land from Rochefort to Bordeaux cross the Cha¬ rente by a magnificent new suspension bridge, in the place of the old ferry, close under the town of Tonnay- Charente, which Louis XIV. had fixed upon for the site of his dockyard, a design which was defeated by the enormous demands of its owners for the purchase of the ground. The Gothic Castle, having a park and gar¬ dens attached to it, is the ancient seat of the family of Mortemart. A great quantity of brandy is exported from hence, almost all the vineyards on the banks of the Charente being cultivated for the manufacture of eau-de-vie (see p. 213) : 6000 casks, a large part of the produce of Cognac, is annually shipped here for England. 11 St. Hypolite. 13 St. Porchaire. On the 1. bank of the Charente stands 14 Saintes (Inns: H. du Bateau h, Vapeur ; best and very good), for¬ merly capital of the province Saint- onge: it betrays in its name the anti¬ quity of its origin, as chief city of the Santones, and has many traces to prove its importance under Roman rule. The principal and best preserved ancient monument is the Soman Arch of Triumph, upon the bridge over the Charente, serving for a principal en¬ trance into the town, constructed of a coarse limestone, originally very plain, and now, after the lapse of ages, much injured by the weather, which has rounded the angles of the stone, and converted the joints of the masonry into gaps. It is a heavy pile of masonry, pierced by two arches, and destitute of all architectural beauty, 38 ft. high. Five inscriptions upon it, now half effaced, record that it was raised (in the reign of Nero) to the memory of Germanicus, of Tiberius his uncle, and of Drusus his father, by Caius Julius Rufus, priest of Roma and Augustus. It was saved from destruction in 1665 by Blondel the architect, who at that time rebuilt the bridge; and it was repaired in 1844, when the arch was pulled down, but the separate stones were marked for re-erection. It is said to have been built originally on dry land, and that the river has since altered its bed, and isolated the arch; but this seems doubtful. There are also considerable remains of a Roman Amphitheatre, near the church of St. Eutrope, in the fau¬ bourg. Though nearly equal in size to the grand circus of Nismes, it is very inferior in an architectural point of view, being built of small stones squared, and destitute of ornament, and it is now reduced to a few frac¬ tured vaults and arches. The oval of the arena measures 70 ft. in its great¬ est length, and 57 ft. in width. The dens destined for the wild beasts still Sect. III. Route 64.— Tours to Libourne. 213 remain, and there are fragments of an aqueduct, contrived, it is supposed, to convert the arena into a naumachia for aquatic spectacles. (?) Many an¬ tique fragments, capitals, inscriptions, sarcophagi, &c., are preserved in the garden of the sous-pr^fecture. Such are the few traces of the former mag¬ nificence of the ancient Mediolanum Santonum , one of the most important cities of Aquitaine. The Ch. of St. Eutrope is a structure of the 11th centy. : its huge crypt is the most curious part of it; some of the capitals of columns have quaint carvings. The spire was built in the 15tli centy. The detached tower of the Cathedral, a fine Flamboyant structure, conspi¬ cuous from the pinnacles which sur¬ mount it, occupies the site of the church built by Charlemagne in fulfil¬ ment of the vow of his father Pepin, after defeating on this spot Gaiffre Due of Aquitaine. The portal is ancient. The public Library contains FenA lon’s Bible, with notes in his own hand. The population of Saintes amounts to 11,000. The Charente is here a tidal river, but navigable only for barges. Much eau-de-vie is sent down to the sea for exportation. [About 18 m. to the E. higher up the river, on the road to Angouleme, is the town of Cognac {Inn: H. d’Orleans, poor outside, very comfortable, but dear), which gives its name to the best brandy in France, produced from vine¬ yards in its vicinity, and along the banks of the river near Jarnac and Angouleme (Rte. 64), in the department of La Charente. The quantity pro¬ duced annually does not exceed 6000 butts (tiergons), but the number sold under the name “les fines Cham¬ pagnes,” by which the best quality is distinguished, exceeds 15,000 butts. Cognac contains numerous distilleries, and is the staple place for the brandy produced in the surrounding districts. The vines cultivated for its manu¬ facture are allowed to grow to greater luxuriance than those used for wine¬ making, and run along the ground, whence they acquire strength, while the earthy flavour which is inseparable from wine produced from creeping vines is dissipated in the process of distillation. Francis I. was born at Cognac, while his mother Louise de Savoie, Duchesge d’Angouleme, was residing in the castle; but, according to tradition, he first saw the light under an elm-tree, where his mother was unexpectedly brought to bed. A stone now marks the spot.] A Diligence runs from Saintes to Mortagne on the Garonne, to meet the steamer to Bordeaux. The road frorq Saintes to Bordeaux is carried through 12 La Jard. 9 Pons, a town of 4000 Inhab., pic¬ turesquely seated on the 1. bank of the Seugne. Its castle, distinguished by a keep-tower, 100 ft. high, built in the 11th century, is now a prison. Theodore Agrippa d’Aubigne, grand¬ father of Madame de Maintenon, and a favourite of Henri IV., was a native of Pons. 11 St. Genis. 12 Mirambeau. 17 Etauliers, Dept, de la Gironde. The road reaches the banks of the Gironde at 13 Blaye, described in Rte. 69. Steamers ply daily between Blaye and Bordeaux. 15 Graviers. There is a direct road from Etauliers to Graviers, avoiding the detour by Blaye round two sides of a triangle; but not long since this road was impracticable for carriages for want of repair. 14 Cubsac is on the high road from Paris to Bordeaux. (Rte. 64.) 11 Bordeaux. } ( Rte * ROUTE 64. TOURS TO LIBOURNE AND BORDEAUX, BY POITIERS AND ANGOULEME RAIL¬ WAY. kilom. = Eng. m. Railway. Tours to Poitiers—101 kilom. = 60 Eng. m. —was opened July 1851. Angouleme to Bordeaux—183 kilom. = 83 Eng. m.—will be finished 1852. 214 Route 64.— Tours to Lxbourne — Chdtellerault, Sect. III. Meanwhile the Malleposte and Dili¬ gences run daily. This railway in the first part of its course crosses 4 or 5 rivers, tributaries of the Loire, in succession, on via¬ ducts, and the ridges separating their respective valleys in deep cuttings. Soon after quitting Tours it passes the Cher on a bridge of 6 arches, 590 ft. long; next it is carried over the valley of the Indre on a long viaduct of 59 arches, 30 ft. span, 65 ft. high, 2624 ft. long. A monotonous avenue, 2£ m. long, leads out of Tours .across the Cher, and the rich green pastures bordering on it. At the end of the vista stands the Chateau de Grammont, once belong¬ ing to the Archbp. of Tours. Villeperdue Stat. 13 Montbazon Stat., a small town, with a castle on a rock. A little beyond 7 Sorigny you pass on the 1. the Chapel of St. Catherine de Fierhois, whither Joan of Arc sent from Chinon to fetch the sacred sword, “ marked with 5 crosses, lying in a vault,” which she afterwards bore in all her battles. She had previously passed through the village, however, on her journey from Lorraine to Chinon, and had doubtless then remarked the weapon ; but the vulgar belief attributed its discovery to divine inspiration. Near this a handsome modern Gothic chateau has been built, 1850, by the Marquis de Lussac. 14 Ste. Maure Stat: here a road to Chinon branches off. (See p. 193.) The river Creuse is crossed at Port-de-Piles Stat., about ^ m. above its junction with the Vienne. Higher up, on the rt. bank of the Creuse, and 3 m. to the 1. of our road, is the village of La Haye, the birthplace of the philosopher Descartes. The house in which he was born (1596) is preserved. [About 7 m. S. of La Haye, also on the Creuse, is the Chateau de Guerche, built by Charles VII. for Agnes Sorel, his mistress, where she resided when the king was at Loches, and where he used to visit her on his way to and from the chace in the neighbouring forest. It is a massy pile, rising 100 ft. above the water¬ side, flanked by 4 towers at the angles. It retains in its interior some traces of fresco painting, and the punning initials of his mistress’s name, an A over L ( A-Sur-Elle ). In the chapel is placed a statue of Agnes.] 16 Les Ormes Stat., on the Vienne. —The chateau belongs to the family d’Argenson. The railroad runs parallel with the Vienne, through Dang6, and 12 Ingrande Stat. 7 Chdtellerault Stat. ( Inns: H. de l’Esp^rance, good; Tete Noire, fair dining-place), a smoky town of mean houses, on the rt. bank of the Vienne, is one of the chief seats of the Manu¬ facture of Cutlery in France, which gives employment to about 600 fami¬ lies, out of its 9437'Inhab., who work for large houses. There is also a royal manufactory of swords and bayonets (armes blanches), established 1820. No sooner does the traveller’s carriage stop here than he is assailed by a host of women plaguing him to pur¬ chase knives, scissors, &c., mounting upon chairs to force them in at the window. The Duchy of Chdtellerault was bestowed by Henri II. upon James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, Regent of Scotland, 1548, to induce him to consent to the projected match between his ward, the infant Queen Mary, and the Dauphin Francis. The duchy was forfeited to the crown, and has never been restored. On quitting the town, the Vienne (which is navigable for a short distance higher up) is crossed; and a portion of a gateway flanked by turrets, erected by the Due de Sully, is passed at its extremity. 8 Barres de Nintiri Stat. 5 La Tricherie Stat. 8 Clain Stat. For the last 3 stages the road has continued to ascend the valley of the Clain. That stream traverses a rocky and wooded ravine, of much picturesque beauty, before arriving at 12 Poitiers Station. — Inns: H. de Sect. III. Route 64.— Poitiers — Cathedral . 215 France; bed 2 fr., dinner^fr., tea 1 fr., coffee 15 sous;—Trois Piliers. Poitiers, the capital of ancient Poitou, an early possession of the kings of England, who were its dukes down to the time of Charles V. (1371), stands on a rounded eminence of con¬ siderable height, the summit of which is occupied by the Prefecture and Palais de Justice. From this its streets sweep down in steep slopes, or curve, in winding mazes, to the small river Clain, which encompasses nearly f of its circuit, while the smaller river Boivre encircles another part, so that they formed, in ancient times, a sort of natural fosse round its ramparts, now almost entirely swept away by town - council improvements. The number of inhabitants is 23,128, but it has neither commerce nor manu¬ facture of any great importance, as might indeed be surmised from its dull and empty streets, excepting the market-place, which is a scene of much bustle and densely crowded. It has an Ecole de Droit, numbering between 200 and 300 students, but of greater celebrity in former times than at present. Lord Bacon in his youth studied here. The town still contains more than a dozen nunneries, chiefly serving as boarding-schools for the education of young females. The curiosities of Poitiers are chiefly of an antiquarian nature. It possesses a remarkably large number of churches, all more or less interesting to the lover of architecture and antiquity,—and, as some of them date from a very early period, and others were commenced later, and continued down to compa¬ ratively modern times, they form a very instructive series by which to study the progress and change of style in building. Notre Dame de Poitiers, in the market-place, nearly opposite the Ecole de Droit, presents, a remarkable ex¬ ample of the florid Romanesque style in its W. fa§ade, which is nearly covered with sculpture from top to bottom. It rests on a triple arcade; the central arch forming the entrance being circular, the two side arches pointed, but all decorated with mould¬ ings and capitals of the same character of richness and singularity. The rest of the fa§ade, on each side of a tall window, is occupied by arcades filled with statues and bas-reliefs; and the usual pointed oval frame (vescica piscis) within the gable contains 2 statues. The whole is flanked by 2 round turrets. The probable date of this facade is the middle of the 12th centy. The interior is of a more severe style: it has an apsidal E. end, with circular arches and hooped vaulting, except the side chapels, one of which, in the S. aisle, an addition in the florid style of the 15th centy., contains a rich recess to include a somewhat grotesque group of sculpture meant to represent the Entombment. The Salle des Pas Perdus, attached to the Palais de Justice, which origin¬ ally formed part of the palace of the Comtes de Poitou, is a vast hall, with an open wooden roof; its walls are decorated with arcades, circular on one side and pointed on the other, yet both perhaps nearly of the same date, the 12th centy. The front, re¬ cently thrown open, is said to have been built by Comte Jean de Berry. The Cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter, is said to have been founded by Henry II. of England. The 2 towers, similar in style, but unequal in size,—the semicircular 1ST. doorway, in which the capitals of the pillars are human figures, stiff, but good in style,—and a large part of the body of the building, whose round and pointed arches are intermixed, as in the Salle de Justice,—may possibly be of Henry’s time. The building is divided into 3 aisles, the central one being much the widest. The piers, composed of 4 engaged shafts, surmounted by sharply-cut capitals, are very elegant. There are several painted windows, and a fine rose at the W. end, hid, internally, by the organ. Very solid buttresses sup¬ port the walls and roof. A little way behind the E. end of the cathedral stands the Ch. of St. Rade- qonde; the lower part of whose elegant Byzantine tower, though masked by a 216 Route 64.— Poitiers - florid porch, is probably of tlie 11th centy., as well as the white marble benitier, shaped like a horse-trough, within it. Above it is a curious niche, containing the statue of a saint. The Romanesque choir is raised upon a very old crypt, perhaps older than any part of the upper structure, partly cut out of the rock. In this is deposited the black marble Coffln of St. Raclegonde, resorted to, in the month of August, by thousands of pilgrims, chiefly of the lower orders, who throng the low vault to kiss the worn marble Sar¬ cophagus (on which some curious orna¬ ments of an early age may be dis¬ cerned), and to bring their sick children to be cured. The saint’s empty coffin, it appears, still retains the virtue of healing possessed by her body, before it was burnt by the ruthless Hugue¬ nots in 1562. In the S. wall of the nave is a small chapel, fenced with iron bars, called “ Le Pas de Dieu ,” because it contains the stone impressed by the footmark of our Saviour, who here appeared to St. Radegonde, ac¬ cording to the legend! It is covered over by an iron case to protect it. Part of the internal decorations of this ch. are, like the porch, of the 15th centy., and some of the sculpture is by no means appropriate to a church. The building called the Temple de St. Jean, now converted into a Musee, and previously a church, is, next to the Roman Circus, the oldest edifice in Poitiers, and one of the oldest Christian monuments in France; on which account, as well as from the style of its architecture, it deserves particwiar attention from those who take an interest in antiquities. It is an oblong building, measuring about 40 ft. by 25, its greatest length being from E. to W., and its walls on these sides terminating in obtuse gables. The masonry is very neat; and on 3 of the walls, inside as well as out, a sort of arcade is introduced, consisting of a circular arch, flanked and surmounted by small triangles re¬ sembling pediments. This debased style of building, arising from want of skill in the architects, and of funds in -Temple de St. Jean. Sect. III. the founders, ^followed the Roman, at the fall of the Empire, and preceded the Romanesque, and it is probable, therefore, that the Temple de St. Jean dates from the 6th or 7th centy. It appears to have been a Baptistery, judging from the well in the centre of its floor, about 8 ft. deep, having a pipe running obliquely into it. The style of construction is decidedly post- Roman. To convert it into a ch., a semi¬ circular apse was thrown out from the E. wall, and a sort of porch was raised before the W. The style of building in these alterations denotes a date probably not later than the 10th centy. ; and the curious frescoes, still visible on the inner walls, are perhaps nearly as old. The bull’s-eye windows by which it is lighted were originally round-headed windows, the lower part of which has been bricked up. This edifice was condemned, a few years ago, by the municipal authorities, to be pulled down, because it stood in the way of the road to Limoges. Luckily there were found in Poitiers some ad¬ mirers of ancient art to save it from destruction. The antiquities deposited within con¬ sist chiefly of broken fragments of Roman sculpture and architecture ; a mile-stone of the age of Alexander Severus, and some inscriptions; also a curious Byzantine bas-relief represent¬ ing St. Hilarius. The following churches deserve the notice of the antiquary and architect, in addition to those already mentioned. St. Hilaire, finished 1049, has lost a portion of its nave. The apsidal choir rests on 7 lofty columnar piers. The Ch. of Moutiersneuf is also Roman¬ esque, but has been much restored since the Revolution. St. For chair e has a curious portal with bas-reliefs. In the Public Library are some fine illuminated MSS. The Romans have left traces of their settlement here, on the site of Gaulic Limonum, a city of the Pictavi, in the remains of an Amphitheatre, which is best approached through the Inn called Hotel d’Evreux. At the back of the stable-yard is a tolerably per- Sect. III. Route 64.— Poitiers — Battle . 217 feet wedge-shaped vault, now filled with hay; and leading to it, a part of the vaulted corridor which ran round the building on the ground-floor. The oval interior of the Circus is now con¬ verted into the inn garden, and some houses have been built upon the sloping constructions around it which formerly supported the rows of benches. There is no doubt that other vaults and corri¬ dors remain under them. The hard¬ ness and regularity of the masonry, in the portions of the wall exposed to view, are such as characterise all Roman constructions. The town of Poitiers is surrounded by narrow valleys or ravines on all sides but the S.W., where a neck of land connects it with the high ridge whose extremity it occupies. In ancient times the town was defended on this side by strong walls and a deep ditch dug across the isthmus. The space immediately within these walls is now converted into a Prome¬ nade, called de Blossac, from an intendant of the province in the last centy. It would be a very agreeable walk were it only kept clean, for the terraces, resting on the foundations of the old walls, command a pleasing view into the deep valley of the Clain below. The Bains du Belvedere, not far from this walk, are comfortable, and the charge moderate. From the heights on the rt. bank of the Clain there is a very good view of the picturesque town of Poitiers, but no path runs along them. The writer of this took an agreeable but scrambling walk, issuing out of Poi¬ tiers by the Paris gate, crossing the bridge over the Clain, then ascending through vineyards behind the Fau¬ bourg, and keeping along the edge of the cliff as far as the road to Li¬ moges, where he recrossed tbe Clain by another bridge, at the back of St. Radegonde. About 1^ m. out of the town, a little to the 1. of the road to Limoges, on a height, is a Dolmen, or Druidic monument, called Pierre Levde. It is a block of calcareous sandstone, about 13 ft. long and 3 thick, resting France . at one end upon upright stones, but at the other deprived of its support. Rabelais attributes its erection to Pan- tagruel, “pour le divertissement des escholiers de 1’University.” At about an equal distance from the town, in another direction, a little to the 1. of the road to Angouleme, are remains of a Roman Aqueduct, which supplied water to the town^mcl circus. 4 or 5 of its arches are still tolerably perfect, but they are neither imposing nor very ornamental. Poitiers is historically very cele¬ brated. The invading tide of the Saracenic hordes penetrated in the 8th centy. thus far into W. Europe, at a moment when the fate of Christi¬ anity seemed trembling in the scale. At that epoch, having already con¬ quered Spain, they poured through the defiles of the Pyrenees, overspread Aquitaine, advanced up to the walls of Poitiers under their famed chief Abdelrahmen, and burned the Ch. of St. Hilaire to the ground. They were even threatening to pass the Loire, when they were met, some¬ where between Poitiers and Tours, by Charles Martel, in 732. This con¬ test between the E. and the W., be¬ tween the Gospel and the Koran, ended in the defeat of the Saracens, 300,000 of whom, it is said, but on the doubtful authority of a single chronicler, were left dead on the field; and the remnant retired, never more to trouble Christendom in the W. The site of the battle-field has never been exactly ascertained, and no dis¬ covery of bones has been made, which would surely mark the scene of so enormous a slaughter. At an earlier period (507) the plains of Poitiers had been the scene of the defeat of Alaric King of the Visigoths, by Clovis. Poitiers is distinguished in English history by the signal victory gained under its walls, in 1356, by the army of the Black Prince, consisting of English and Gascons, who early in that year had invaded the S. of France, and spread desolation through Langue¬ doc, Limousin, and Auvergne, as far as the gates of Bourges in Berry. The prince’s whole force did not exceed L 218 Route 64.— Poitiers — Rattle — Civray. Sect. III. 12,000 or 14,000 men, ancl the expedi¬ tion had no other design than that of a foray to “harry” the fair fields of France. On his way back to Bordeaux, however, suddenly and unexpectedly, on 9th September, he encountered the army of John King of France, amount¬ ing to 60,000 men, of whose vicinity, and even of their march to meet him, he had bean entirely ignorant. “God help us,” said the prince, “we must now consider how we can best fight them.” The Pope’s Legate, Cardinal Talleyrand, assuming the office of peacemaker, in vain endea¬ voured to prevent the impending strife and bloodshed; even Edwai’d himself offered to acquiesce in any reasonable terms, consistent with his honour, to be permitted to go free. He offered to give up all the towns and castles he had taken, together with the prisoners, and not to bear arms against the French king for the space of 7 years. The French, however, confident in num¬ bers, would listen to no conditions but the surrender of the Black Prince and 100 of his principal knights. The result is well known. The English owed the success of the day, under Providence, to their well-chosen posi- tion, to the deadly and skilfully aimed arrows of their yeomen, which availed more than the lances of their knights, and to the stout hearts of their leaders, the Black Prince and Lord Chandos, and of all the English under them. On that fatal day France beheld the flower of her chivalry laid low, while her king, John, was led into captivity. The noble dead were buried by the townsfolk in the churches of the Cordeliers and Jacobins within the town. The field of battle, fixed by Froissart on a spot which he calls Maupertuis, a name now lost in the country, is proved, by old records, in which it is frequently mentioned, to have been situated between the com- mandery of Beauvoir and the Abbey of Nouaille, near the road to La Rochelle. Diligences .—Daily to Bordeaux; to Limoges; to Rochefort (Rte. 62); to Nantes (Rte. 60); Niort, Les Sables, Chateauroux, Civray. The Railway from Poitiers to Angou- leme is begun at several points, but will not be completed for some time (1852). The road from Poitiers to Angou- leme possesses little interest. Shortly after quitting Poitiers, by the neck of land bounded by the Clain valley on the 1., it passes on the 1. the road leading to the Roman Aqueduct (p. 217), and at a short distance on the rt. that to Saintes and Rochefort (Rte. 62). 7 Croutelle. 12 Yivonne. 8 Minieres. 8 Couhe. 11 Chaunai. 8 Maisons Blanches. [ Civray, 2 leagues E. of this, contains a Romanesque Ch. whose fa§ade is curiously ornamented with sculptures, including signs of the zodiac, some¬ what like Notre Dame at Poitiers, but dating probably from the early part of the 12th centy. At Charroux, 8 m. farther off, are remains of an Abbey, now reduced to a tower about 80 ft. high, rising from 2 circular arcades, one above the other, supported by piers formed of bundles of shafts. This was originally the central tower of a very curious ch., consisting of a circular choir, preceded by a rectangu¬ lar nave: but all the rest is destroyed. The abbey was founded by Charle¬ magne, but these ruins are not older than the 11th or 12th centy. A few m. N. E. of Civray is Geu§ay (H. du Lion d’Or) where there is a very fine and picturesque Castle of the 12th or 13tli centy., finely situated, and the walls in good preservation. And near it is the Ch. of St. Maurice, a fine Romanesque structure, central tower, apsidal chapels, and the other usual features of a fine ch. of the 12th centy.] 12 Ruffec .—Inns : H. des Ambas- sadeurs; the pates de perdrix aux truffes unrivalled.— Ld. B. Poste, very good. "6 Les Negres. At 11 Mansle the river Chai’ente is crossed. 14 Churet. Sect. III. Route 64.— Angouleme — Castle, 219 The towers of the cathedral and castle of Angouleme are espied 10 m. off. The cultivation of the vine now becomes general. The wines produced about Angouleme and along the bor¬ ders of the Charente are of inferior quality, but fit for converting into brandy. The picturesque and broad valley of the Touvres is entered, and that stream is crossed at Pontoux. [A few miles up this stream is the Royal cannon-foundry of Ruelle; char¬ coal is exclusively employed as the fuel for the smelting furnaces, and is abundantly supplied by the neighbour¬ ing forests. Farther on, in the same direction, is La Rochefoucauld, whose castle was the ancient residence of the family of that name, its most noted scion being Fran§ois, author of the cele¬ brated ‘Maximes.’ It escaped destruc¬ tion at the Revolution, and still be¬ longs to the same family, though no longer inhabited by them. It is a huge pile, flanked by round, cone- roofed towers at the angles, forming 3 sides of a square, and, with the exception of the antique donjon, was erected, 1527, by Antoine Fontan, in the style of the Renaissance. A range of arcades serves as a passage along the inner fa§ade, and a curious and richly ornamented spiral stone staircase leads to the upper stories. Below the castle are very extensive Caves, not now entered, which served as a refuge to the Huguenots in the wars of Religion. There are similar natural caverns all along the valley of the Tardonere, the largest of which, les Grottes de Rancogne, are about 3 m. above La Rochefoucauld. They are traversed by a streamlet, and con¬ tain some stalactites.] The approach to Angouleme lies through the long suburb de l’Hou- meau (in which is the Poste aux Chevaux), and it is not necessary to enter the town at all, in proceeding to Bordeaux, unless you intend to stop here, but the inns are in the upper tow r n. A very steep ascent leads from l’Houmeau into 11 Angouleme.—Inns: La Poste, good; the landlord’s pdt^s of foies de canards, famous; the cuisine excellent; —H. des Etrangers, diligence-house ; —Croix d’Or, on the road, at the foot of the hill, good but dear.— J. H. P. Angouleme, the ancient capital of the Angoumois, now of the Dept, -de la Charente, occupies a situation, not unlike that of Poitiers, on the top of a high hill, terraced round with remains of the ancient ramparts above, wdiile below it is nearly encircled by the course of the Charente, and by another small stream falling into it. The town is distinguished by far more life, in¬ dustry, and trade, than Poitiers, and possesses, with its suburbs, a popula¬ tion of 17,000 Inhab. Though planted on the top of an isolated hill, more than 200 ft. above the Charente, it is most abundantly supplied with foun¬ tains of fresh water, pumped up by machinery recently established. Its houses, being of a very white stone, easily cut, have a cheerful appearance: it has many new streets and a few old buildings. Its most pleasing features, however, are the series of Terrace-walks running round it, in the place of the old ramparts, and commanding a charm¬ ing view of the industrious valley deep below, of the winding Charente fringed with verdure, of the suburbs, and the paper-mills on the river banks, which furnish the staple article of manufac¬ ture here. By far the finest portion of these terraces is the Promenade Beaulieu • and a series of walks and shrubberies extend down the slopes below it to¬ wards the bottom of the valley. In the midst of them stands a column de¬ dicated, by pi'ecipitate loyalty, to the Duchesse d’Angouleme in 1815, re¬ dedicated, since 1830, “ h la Liberte.” In the irregular Place, serving for the market, in the centre of the town, stands the old Castle, distinguished by its 3 picturesque feudal towers and tall donjon, now converted into a pri¬ son, and surmounted by the telegraph. It contains a number of vaulted apart¬ ments, but possesses nothing of in¬ terest, save the recollection that it was the residence of the ancient Counts of Angouleme; that Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre, was born in it,—the most accomplished princess of her day, I. 2 220 Route 64.— Angoidenie —■ Cathedral. Sect. Ill “ La Marguerite des Marguerites/’ as lier brother Francois I. called her; and that its walls gave shelter to Marie de Medicis. She retired hither, after her husband’s assassination, under the pro¬ tection of the Due cl’Epernon, governor of the Angoumois, who has been sus¬ pected of being the accomplice of Ra- vaillac; while the queen-mother herself is not free from suspicion—“ The death of Henry did not sufficiently surprise her.” The Cathedral is rather a curious than a beautiful edifice, in the Roman¬ esque style, rebuilt from its founda¬ tions in 1120. It suffered at the Revo¬ lution; and till very lately bore over its frontispiece the ill-effaced inscrip¬ tion, “ Temple de la Raison,” set over it at that period. It is surmounted by a fine tall tower, of 6 rows of semi¬ circular arcades, rising on the N. side. The W. front is in the style of the churches of Italy; almost the whole space being divided by circular arcades, resting on elegant columns, enclosing statues much mutilated, surmounted in the pediment by a statue of the Saviour (once supposed to be Jupiter), surrounded by the attributes of the 4 Evangelists. The nave has no side aisles, and its roof is formed of 3 vaulted cupolas, a style of construction not known to the N. of the Loire. At the cross rises an octagonal tower. The choir ends in an apse. Numerous ad¬ ditions and repairs were made to the interior, after the barbarous devasta¬ tions committed by the Huguenots in 1562 and 1568. Among modern buildings, the Palais de Justice is by no means contemptible. In the attic has been placed the public Library, containing 14,000 vols., and a small collection of Natural History. Outside the town, to the N., in the escarped rock below the ramparts, is the Grotte de St. Cybard, a holy hermit, whose real name was Eparchus, who occupied it as his cell, and died here in the 6th century. By the sanctity of his life he caused the foundation of a ch. and monastery, which extended from the cave to the Charente, and was once much frequented by devout pil¬ grims, but both are now swept away. In the grotto, which Charlemagne him¬ self approached on bended knees in order to perform his devotions, mass was said daily down to the time of the Revolution. This oldest Christian monument in Angouleme is respected by its present owner, but no longer serves as a church. Ausonius makes mention of this town under the name Iculisma , fanci¬ fully derived from “In collis summa,” and gradually softened down, as some conjecture, into the modern Angou¬ leme. Angouleme and the surrounding pro¬ vince were governed, from the 8th cent, down to 1303, when they were united to France, by a long line of indepen¬ dent counts, 19 in number; first of the race of Taillefer, and, after 1180, of the house of Lusignan. It also be¬ longed to the English, and was some time the residence of the Black Prince after the battle of Poitiers, 1360. One of the town gates, not pulled down until 1808, was named Porte de Chandos, from the brave English knight who built it, while Constable of Aquitaine for Edward III. A house in the Rue de Geneve is pointed out as that in¬ habited by Calvin, who sought refuge here 1533, and taught Greek to main¬ tain himself. The Place de Murier receives its name from a mulbei’ry-tree which stood in the midst of it while it was the convent garden of the Jacobins. During the outrages committed by the Calvinist soldiery 1562, when they captured and sacked the town, the monk Michel Grillet was hung to its boughs, in the presence of the Ad¬ miral Coligny, whose death he is said to have foretold with his dying words, saying, “You shall be thrown out of the window, like Jezebel, and shall be ignominiously dragged through the streets.” Among the remarkable persons na¬ tives of this place are Ravaillac, the assassin of Henri IY. ; Poltrot, who shot the Due de Guise le BalaftA, be¬ fore the walls of Orleans ; and Monta- lembert, the inventor of a system of fortification. The Naval School, established here at the suggestion of the Due d’Angou- Sect. III. Route 64 .—-Tours to Bordeaux — Cubsac . 221 leme 1816, was suppressed 1830, and transferred to Brest, and the building in the Faubourg l’Houmeau still re¬ mains closed. The manufactures of Angouleme con¬ sist of paper, made in numerous (36 ?) mills in the neighbouring valleys, and brandy. Capital pates de perdrix aux truffes are made here. The Cliarente is navigable up to the quay below the town. A Steamer runs to Saintes (Rte. 62) 3 times a week. [18f m. W. of Angouleme, on the way to Cognac (Rte. 62), is Jarnac, where a handful of Protestants, commanded by the Prince de Conde, engaged the royal army commanded by the Due d’Anjou, doubling their force in num¬ ber, and were defeated. Conde fell, after giving the signal for a third charge, which he led, with one arm in a sling, and his leg shattered. Young Henri, Prince of Bciarn, his nephew, was a spectator of the bloody affray, but was not permitted to take part in it.] The road to Bordeaux descends from Angouleme into the valley by a series of zigzags, under the Promenade de Beaulieu. About the middle of the stage the ruins of the Abbey of la Cou- ronne are seen on the 1., in the midst of a green valley abounding in paper- mills. After escaping destruction at the Revolution, it lias been demolished for the sake of the material since 1808, and is now reduced to a mere fragment, including the W. front with a fine door¬ way, and part of a rose-window over it. 13 Roullet. 8 Petignac. A steep ascent. 13 Barbezieu.— Inn: Poste (Boule d’Or) ; the only good inn between An¬ gouleme and Bordeaux : dinner in pri¬ vate, 4 francs, with wine. The high road traverses the boulevard, or pro¬ menade, on the outskirts of this little town of about 2500 Inhab. : it once belonged to the Seigneurs of La Roche¬ foucauld. 7 Reignac. 7 La Graulle, in a monotonous sandy district of heath and common. At Clievanceau a road branches off to Libourne. (Rte. 71.) The Railway from Angouleme to Bordeaux will be carried round by Libourne (Rte. 71), in order to cross the rivers Dordogne and Garonne. 14 La Garcle-Montlieu. 6 Cliierzac. More common and fir plantations. In this district, and else¬ where in the S., during very tot weather, the oxen wear coats, and the asses are breeched, to protect them from the flies. 13 Cavignac (Dept. Gironde). About 1£ m. beyond the village St. Andre the road reaches the post- station 16 Cubsac, on the rt. bank of the Dordogne, here a broad estuary, for¬ merly crossed in ferry-boats, in which passengers and carriages were embarked. The transit occupied from 4 to ^ an hr., and was sometimes attended with danger, and always formed a serious interruption to the communication be¬ tween Bordeaux and the French metro¬ polis. For this disagreeable ferry an iron-wire Suspension-bridge is now sub¬ stituted, divided into 5 curves, sup¬ ported on 6 pair of piers, consisting of hollow open columnar shafts or towers of cast iron. The roadway of the bridge is raised 93 ft. above the water, so as to allow vessels of large size to pass under it ; and the approaches to it, from either bank, are by a series of lofty stilted arches, 29 in number, on either bank, which have a striking effect. The bridge itself has much the appearance of the Brighton chain- pier, and is of slight construction, being warranted to stand no more than 40 years, it is understood. Besides the suspending wire cables, others are attached to the summits of the piers, in the manner of stays or braces, to steady them. The length of the cen¬ tral, or suspension-bridge, is 1640 ft., and the 29 arches, on either side, measure 656 ft., making a total length of 2952 ft., or more than 4 a mile : it is 20 ft. wide. The wire bridge of Cubsac, the longest in France, and in¬ deed in Europe, was begun 1835, and finished 1839, at a cost of 3,000,000 fr., by the engineer Fortune de Vergez. The Dordogne joins the Garonne 10 m. below this bridge, and their united waters form the estuary called 222 Route 65.—Poitiers to Chdteauroux. Sect. III. the Gironde, after which the depart¬ ment is named. The tongue of land which separates the Dordogne from the Garonne, across which our road lies, is a fertile district, chiefly laid out in vineyards and corn¬ fields, and scattered over with country seats. It is called the “ Entre Deux Mers.” 10 Carbon Blanc. The approach to Bordeaux is very striking; the road is carried down from a considerable height in gently terraced slopes, winding round the shoulder of the hill, overlooking the broad Garonne, and the city of Bordeaux lining its op¬ posite concave bank. From the foot of the hill a straight avenue, 2 m. long, leads to the magnificent bridge, one of the finest in Europe, consisting of 17 arches of stone, the walls and spandrels being brick, with stone quoins, 1534 ft. long, traversing the Garonne, from the little suburb la Bastide to the city of Bordeaux. Until 1821 the Garonne was passed, in the same manner as the Dordogne was down to more recent times, by a ferry; and the want of a bridge has confined the city exclusively to the 1. bank of the river. A bridge of wood was begun in the time of Napoleon, but was abandoned soon after for one of stone, which was completed, 1821, by a company of shareholders, who are repaid by the tolls during 99 years for their outlay, which amounted to 260,000k (6^ mil¬ lions of francs). The architect was M. Deschamps. A vaulted passage runs under the roadway, between it and the arches, for the whole length of the bridge : this gives a great height of wall be¬ tween the crown of the arches and the parapet. As the French are fond of comparing this bridge with that of Waterloo, the dimensions of both are here given in English feet. No. of Width Length. W r idth. Arches, of Arch. Bordeaux 1534 47 17 85* Waterloo 1326 40 9 118 * Only the 7 central arches have this width, the rest are smaller. The view of Bordeaux from the bridge is very striking. Opposite the bridge stands the Porte de Bourgogne, erected to commemorate the birth of the Due de B., grandson of Louis XIY. 11 Bordeaux, in Rte. 73. ROUTE 65. POITIERS TO CHATEAUROUX, BY ST. SA¬ VIN ;—EXCURSION TO MONTMORILLON. 119 kilom. = 73^ Eng. m. This cross-road, not much travelled, leads to some interesting antiquities. 23 Chauvigny, a town of 1000 Inhab., occupies a commanding height on the rt. bank of the Vienne. It was, in feudal times, a strong fortress, and still possesses the ruins of 3 distinct Castles built on the same plan, a square flanked by turrets. The Donjon, on the top of the hill, shows on one side a breach in its wall, made by a battery of cannon in the 16th century, during the wars of Religion, and now filled up with bricks arranged herring-bone fashion. One of the castles, the most modern, probably of the 13th or 14th century, with pointed windows, now serves as a prison. There are many old houses in the upper town dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Church, also in the upper town, is a very interesting Romanesque build¬ ing, decorated with all the ornaments of Byzantine art externally, and also within; the capitals of its columns being carved with mermaids, monsters, &c., as well as with Scriptural sub¬ jects. 19 St. Savin has a Church decorated in its porch, nave, and crypt, under the choir, with fresco paintings, repre¬ senting Scriptural subjects from the Creation, the figures as large as life, and tolerably well preserved. Those in the crypt describe the legend of St. Savin and St. Cyprien, and are of smaller proportions. They are probably the work of Greek or Italian artists in the 11th, or at earliest of the 10th cen¬ tury, and are certainly very valuable as monuments of early art. It has been remarked, as a proof of the antiquity or the Eastern origin of these frescoes, Sect. III. 223 Route 66 .—Poitiers to Rochefort. that the horsemen are represented riding without stirrups. The whole ch. was originally covered with paint¬ ings ; those in the choir have been effaced by whitewash. The ch. itself is a very ancient specimen of Roman¬ esque architecture ; it is entered by steps leading down into it, and the W. end seems to have been separated from the rest, so as to form a Narthex, like the Galilee of some English churches. The choir and shallow transepts end in apses. [At Montmorillon, 12 m. S. of St. Savin, “ in the courtyard of what was the baronial castle, and is now a col¬ lege, there is an ancient and very curious chapel. Originally it must have been the domestic chapel of the lords of the adjacent castle, doubtless erected by them, and for their private use. It consists of a subterraneous crypt, which probably was the family vault, and an octagonal chapel above it, with a conical roof. Part of this building is in the round style, and part in the pointed. That part which is in the round style may belong to the 11th cent. The pointed part cannot be older than the 13th. But the most remarkable feature in this building, and that to which it owes its celebrity, is a group of rudely sculptured figures which occupy a recess above the door¬ way. Various explanations of this sin¬ gular group have been offered by the learned, but none of them are satis¬ factory, and the problem is more diffi¬ cult to solve, as some of the figures are taken from ordinary life, and some are allegorical.”— H. G. K. The most singular and inexplicable, perhaps, are two female figures, the one corpulent, having toads or scarabs hanging from her breasts ; the other meagre, en¬ twined by serpents, and suckling them. This Church has been repaired by the Government. Under an arch on the rt. is the tomb of Etienne de la Hire. “A few miles W. of Montmorillon is LussaclesChateaux {Inn: TroisPigeons), where there are a small Romanesque church, and the ruins of 2 castles, and of a bridge which connected them, the towers of which remain in the water, but the arches, probably of wood, have been destroyed. The scenery is very picturesque; there is a cavern in the rock.”—,/. II. P. 18 Le Blanc. The abbey of Fron- quambant is again taken possessiorqof by the Trappists. The fine ruined Ch. of the 12th and 13th centuries is being restored by them. 18 Scoury. 11 St. Gaultliier. 15 Lothiers. 15 Chateauroux. (R. 70.) ROUTE 66. POITIERS TO ROCHEFORT BY NIORT. 132 kilom. = 80 Eng; m. Poitiers (in Rte. 64) to 6 Croutelle, on the road to Bor¬ deaux. 17 Lusignan on the Vonne {Inns: H. Ste. Catherine ;—Lion d’Or) gave its name to the noble family which rescued Jerusalem from the Infidels and for some time occupied its throne. The castle was surprised and razed by the Catholics 1574, and a public walk occu¬ pies its site. The Church, a dilapidated building, has a curious portal, orna¬ mented with the signs of the zodiac. 14 Villedieu du Perron. 15 St. Maixent {Inn: L’Ecu de France —extortionate), an old walled town, 5500 Inhab., on a height above the Sevre. 10 La Creche. 13 Niort {Inns: H. du Raisin de Bourgogne ; H. de France—good), a modern town, chef-lieu of the Dept, of the Deux Sevres, on the Sevre Niortaise, 22,000 Inhab. The old Castle, surmounted by 2 keep- towers, each flanked by 8 turrets, re¬ markable as the birthplace, or at least the cradle, of Madame de Maintenon, whose profligate father, Constant d’Au- bign£, was confined in it, is now the Maison d’Arret. 10 Frontenay. 13 Mauze. 12 Surgeres. 10 Muron. 16 Rochefort, in Rte. 62. ( 224 ) SECTION IV. LIMOUSIN—GASCONY—GUIENNE—THE PYRENEES—NAVARRE— BEARN—LANGUEDOC—ROUSSILLON. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. § 1. Scenery of Limousin and of the Pyrenees. § 2. Objects of interest in the Pyrenees. § 3. Comparison with the Alps ; Forests, Gaves, Lakes, Ports or Passes, Valleys, Cirques or Oules. § 5. A Dash into Spain. § 6. Inhabitants. §7. Cagots, Sporting. § 9. History, the English in the Pyrenees, Froissart, the Black Prince, Wellington. § 10. Characteristics of the chief Watering-places, the Baths. §11. Works on the Pyrenees. § 12. Directions for Travellers, Approaches and nearest Routes, Starting-points. § 13. Skeleton Tours. § 14. Passports, Accom¬ modations, Lnns, Conveyances, Guides, Horses, Chaises a Porteurs. ROUTE PAGE 70 Orleans to Toulouse, by Vier- z6n, Chateauroux, Limoges, and Montauban (Railway) . . . 235 71 Limoges to Bordeaux, by Pe- rigueux and Libourne . . . 249 73 The Garonne. —Toulouse to Bordeaux, by Moissac, Agen, Marmande .252 74 The Gironde from Bordeaux to La Tour de Cordouan.— Wine District of Me'doc. —• Chateau Margaux, Lafitte, and Latour .2G1 76 Bordeaux to Bayonne, St. Jean de Luz, and the Spanish Frontier.266 77 Bordeaux to Bajmnne, across Les Grandes Landes . . . . 274 78 Bayonne to Pau, by Orthez . 276 79 Bordeaux to Audi, by Castel Jaloux and Nercic .... 277 80 Bordeaux to Paw .... 278 82 Pau to the Spanish Frontier, by Oloron and the Val d y Aspe. 282 83 Pau to Eaux-Bonnes and Eaux- Chaudes.—Pic du Midi d’Os- sau, and Spanish Baths of Pan- ticosa .283 84 The Col de Torte. — Eaux- Bonnes to Cauterets or Luz . 289 85 Pau to Lourdes, Cauterets, Luz, St. Sauveur, Bareges, and Bagneres de Bigorre. — The Mountain Road, with Excur¬ sions to the Lac de Gaube, ROUTE PAGE Gavarnie, Breche de Roland, Mont Perdu, Pic du Midi, fyc. 290 86 Bagneres de Bigorre to Bag¬ neres de Luchon. —Mountain Road, by the Hourquette d’Aspin, Arreau, Col de Pey- resourde, and Vcd de V Arboust. — Excursion to the Lac de • Seculejo .305 87 Pau to Bagneres de Bigorre and Bagneres de Luchon, by Tarbes. — Post Road. —Excur¬ sions to the Val de Lys, Port de Venasque, and Val d’ Aran . 308 90 Toulouse to Pau, by Auch and Tarbes. 321 91 Toulouse to Bagneres de Luchon and Bagneres de Bigorre, by St. Gaudens . . 322 93 Toulouse to Narbonne, by Ccircasso7ine. — Canal du Midi . 323 94 Narbonne to Perpignan, Port Vendres, and the Spanish Fron¬ tier .326 95 St. Gaudens to Foix and Car¬ cassonne, by St. Girons . . 328 97 The E. Pyrenees. —Toulouse to Foix and Puycerda. — The Valley of the Ariege .— Vic- dessos. — Andorre .329 98 The E. Pyrenees. —Perpignan to Mont Louis and Puycerda, by the Valleys of the Tet and Tech .—Ascent of the Canigou 332 Pyrenees. 225 The Pyrenees —- Gavcs. § 1. The scenery of Limousin, through which province the following Routes conduct the traveller to the Pyrenees, is thus described in the excellent work of Arthur Young:— “ In regard to the general beauty of a country, I prefer Limousin to every other province in France. It does not depend on any particular feature, bu$ is the result of many. Hill, dale, wood, enclosures, streams, lakes, and scattered farms are mingled into a thousand delicious landscapes, which set off every¬ where this province.” The length of the portion of the chain of the Pyrenees running between the Mediterranean and the Bay of Biscay, and forming the boundary line between France and Spain, is estimated at about 270 m. The highest parts of the chain are near the centre, and it descends considerably towards the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Gascony. The highest summits do not occur on the central ridge or main chain, but on the buttresses running out from it to the S., and therefore belong to Spain. Only one summit within the French frontier, the Vignemale, attains an elevation of 11,000 ft., while 3 in the Spanish portion of the chain exceed that measure. The average length of the valleys running up from the plain to the crest of the mountains is about 36 m. § 2. Without doubt some of the finest scenery in France is to be found among the Pyrenees, which, though inferior in height, and on the whole in grandeur of scenery, number of snowy peaks, and area of crystal glaciers, to the Alps, yet possess beauties peculiar to themselves, of which the Alps cannot boast. The sunny atmosphere, which they owe to their more southern latitude, gives a warmth or glow to the landscape which will in vain be sought farther to the N. ; and this genial climate, while it banishes perpetual snow to a height of about 9000 ft. ( i . e. 1300 ft. above the Alpine snow-line), also spreads a richness of sylvan decorations over these mountains unparalleled in Swiss scenery. Heights which in a more northern region would either be condemned to naked¬ ness, or to a scanty growth of lichens, are here clothed in verdure to the very top; and precipitous rocks, elsewhere rejecting all vegetation, are tufted in every cranny and fissure with brushwood, especially with box, which thrives and spreads wonderfully. But the pride and boast and chief charm of the Pyrenees are their vast forests, the seas of undulating foliage which clothe their sides and tops, not merely of dark monotonous fir, but oak and beech: examples of these are pre¬ sented in the upper part of the Yal d’Ossau, near Gabas, in parts of the Val d’Argelez and Yal d’Aure. . The meadows which carpet the lower slopes and bottom of the valleys equal if they do not surpass those of Switzerland in intense verdure produced by irri¬ gation and sunshine, and approximate to the even surface of an English lawn; and while the plains of Languedoc and Provence are parched into a yellow desert, here the hues of spring are prolonged into summer and autumn, and the tra¬ veller is constantly refreshed by vernal gales. § 3. The brawling rivers (Gaves is the local name, derived from the same Celtic root as our Avon) are remarkable, beyond those of almost any other country, for their excessive purity, and for tints resembling beryl and cliryso- prase. The waterfalls are second rate, quite inferior to those of Switzerland; those above Cauterets are pretty, and perhaps the finest. That of Gavarnie, the loftiest in Europe but one (in Norway), though 1300 ft. high, is a mere thread of water. Lakes are almost entirely wanting, and here the inferiority of the Pyrenean mountains to those of Switzerland is most decided. The Lacs de Gaube, of Seculeijo (or Lac d’Oo), and the Lac Bleu, though very interesting from the adjuncts of scenery, precipices, and streamlets dashing into them, are mere mountain tarns, yet they are the finest and almost the only sheets of water. The chain of the Pyrenees has in a considerable degree the character of a l 3 226 Sect. IV. The Pyrenees—A Dash into Spain. vast wall drawn from sea to sea, inasmuch as it preserves an almost unvarying ridge, notched by frequent passes or cols, rarely more than 1000 ft. lower than the summit of the crest which surmounts them. The consequence is, that the passes leading across the chain are generally higher than among the Alps, far higher in proportion to the comparative elevation of the Pyrenees, and that they are much less accessible for high roads ; indeed only two are practicable for carriages—the Pass of the Bidassoa, at the W. extremity, close to the Bay of Biscay, and that of the Col de Pertus, at the E., along the shore of the Mediter¬ ranean. There are however at least 50 passes known to, and used by, the shepherds and mountaineers, and most of them practicable on horseback. They are here called “ Ports ,” a very expressive name, for in many instances they are literally doors cut in the crest of the mountains leading from France into Spain. The most striking of these, and well worth the traveller’s attention, are the “Breche de Roland,” and the Port de Yenasque, the passage of which reveals the grandest, and almost the only, view of the Maladetta, the monarch of the Pyrenees. The valleys of the Pyrenees run nearly at rt. angles with the great dorsal ridge, descending from the central spine into the plain in a series of basins and gorges: the most considerable are the valleys of the Garonne and Ariege. The most beautiful on the French side of the chain are the Yal d’Argelez (which no one should omit seeing), Yal d’Ossau, and valleys of the Garonne, Adour, and Lys, Yal d’Aure, and Yal d’Aran. The most grand gorges are those leading from Pierrefitte to Cauterets and Luz, and that of Mahourat leading to Pont d’Espagne, and the approach to Eaux-Chaudes. § 4. Several Pyrenean valleys have a termination quite peculiar to themselves —in a Cirque or Oule (a local word, meaning pot, Latin olla), a vast circle or semicircle, excavated in the mass of the mountain, walled round by precipices of great height, surrounding two-thirds or three-fourths of the basin, and leav¬ ing no opening but that by which the waters escape. The finest of these Cirques is that of Gavarnie, at the commencement of the Val de Lavedan: its walls are loftiest and most perfect; that of Troumouse at the head of the Yal d’H^as is larger, but not so deep: another occurs at the bottom of the Yal Estaube. The nearest approach to this peculiar formation of the vale head in the Alps is at Leuk; but the precipices of the Gemmi, which wall it round, want the semi¬ circular arrangement, as well as the waterfalls, the towers, and cylinders of rock, which give the grand character to the scenery, of Gavarnie. The valleys of the Pyrenees are separated from one another by lateral ridges descending like ribs or buttresses from the great chain, over which the com¬ munication is maintained by numerous minor cols, called Portillons, or in some parts Hourquettes. Such are the interesting passes of the Tourmalet and of the Hourquettes d’Arreau and d’Aspin. Most visitors to the Pyrenees make a point of ascending one of the high peaks in the vicinity of the baths, either for the sake of the view, or to say they have been on such or such a peak: hence, “Avez-vous fait quelques ascensions?” is a common inquiry. The mountain which may be ascended wfith least trouble, and which repays well by its prospect, is the Pic de Bergons, above Luz. The Pic du Midi de Bigorre, conveniently reached from either Bareges or Bagneres de Bigorre, is loftier and more difficult. Less easy still are the Pic du Midi d’Ossau, the Canigou in the E. Pyrenees, and the Breche de Roland ; while the still more lofty Vignemale is no easy task to surmount, and the Mont Perdu is both difficult and dangerous—an exploit for a practised mountaineer; and the Maladetta wears snow on its crest never trodden by human foot until 1842. § 5. A dash into Spain , of three or four days’ duration, will add much to the variety and interest of a journey among the Pyrenees. The points whence it may be made with most advantage are either from Bayonne to St. Sebastian, Pyrenees. A Dash into Spain—Cagots — Sj/orts. 227 from Eaux-Bonnes or Cauterets to tlie Baths of Panticosa, from Gavarnie to Busaruelo and Fanlo, or from Luchon to Yenasque and the Val d’Aran. The scenery on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees is far grander and wilder than on the French. Those who attempt to explore it must be prepared to “ rough it they will encounter a wild people, rude villages, accommodations of the very worst kind, yet very expensive, paths scarcely passable, and cookery nauseous to those unused to it, owing to oil and garlic. The sudden transition from France to Spain, the total difference of people, language, manners, habitations, food, combined with the grander features of the mountain scenery, yield the chief zest to such a journey. An invitation to one of the Spanish Bullfights, which are held every year in all the large towns of the N. of Spain, may tempt some to penetrate farther into the country. (See for details the Handbook for Travellers in Spain.) § 6. The inhabitants of the Pyrenees, composed of various races, interesting for their antiquity, customs, costumes, &c., are worthy of the attention of the traveller. At the W. extremity of the chain, S. of Bayonne, you have the Basques, the aborigines of W. Europe, w T ho have seen Carthaginians, Celts, Romans, Goths, Saracens, pass before them, and still remain in possession of their mountain home, part in France, part in Spain, speaking a language which has nothing in common with any other of Europe. (See Rte. 76.) The peasantry of B4arn, who occupy the beautiful Yal d’Ossau and its tribu¬ taries, the land of Henri IV., in the midst of which he spent the years of child¬ hood, are a fine race, retaining much of their primitive simplicity of manners, along with their ancient costumes ; the men wearing the berret or cap, like the Lowdand bonnet of the Scotch, and a red sash round the waist ; the women covering their heads with the red hood or capulet. In the E. Pyrenees the people of Foix and Roussillon have a considerable resemblance, in character, dress, and language, to the Catalans of Spain. § 7. The proscribed and outcast race called Cagots exist more in tradition than in reality at present among the Pyrenees. In these mountains there may be families who have intermarried with them, or are descended from them, but the ban of caste no longer hangs over them. They are said to have been weak in body and mind, low in stature, sallow in countenance, and to have lived only in the remotest valleys, shunning their fellow-men. There are various theories to account for their origin and name, none of them satisfactory-—for example, that they are the descendants of the Goths, dispossessed of Aquitaine by Clovis—“chiens de Goths,” whence Cagots, by a somewhat forced derivation. 2nd. That they sprang from the Saracens who stayed behind in France after their defeat by Charles Martel. 3rd. That they were lepers, banished from human haunts for fear of infection ; or, what seems probable, fugitives tainted with heresy and driven apart from the community by the prejudices and aver¬ sion of the Romish priesthood. They are now nearly lost through intermixture with the mass of the population.* § 8. The Sportsman may still find some occupation among the Pyrenees in the pursuit of the bear, the ibex or bouquetin, and the chamois or izard, though these animals are growing rare. The bouquetin, especially, is almost extinct ; if anywhere, he may be found on the Maladetta. The izard is not uncommon, and the best localities for enjoying this chace are Eaux-Bonnes, where are some capital guides (see Rte. 83), the snow-fields of the Vignemale, the Mont Perdu, and the Maladetta, or in the Spanish Val de Broto. The izard is hunted either by stalking, in the manner in which the red deer is stalked, though with much more difficulty and danger, amidst precipices, glaciers, and snow-fields, until, after a tedious pursuit, the huntsman may have the chance of a steady shot, or by driving the animals by guides and mountain * The best account of the Cagots is contained m tne ‘ Histoire des Races maudites de la France et de l’Espagne, par N. Fr. Michel,’ Paris, 1847 ; an excellent work, and reliable authority. 228 Sect. IV. The Pyrenees — History. shepherds towards the spot where the chasseur is posted. Success in this case entirely depends on the perfect knowledge possessed by the guides of the habits and haunts of the izard. The rivers are so much netted as greatly to interfere with the sport of angling ; a scientific fisherman, however, would doubtless find full scope for the exercise of his rod among its innumerable Gaves and mountain streams. § 9. History and Antiquities .—The passage of the Pyrenees by Hannibal, and afterwards by Caesar, with large armies, are the earliest events of importance connected with these mountains. The pass by which they crossed was that of Pertus, at the E. end of the chain. Charlemagne’s advance into Spain, in 778, was through that of Roncesvaux, where he received the memorable check so celebrated in history and romance, chiefly at the hands of the hardy moun¬ taineers, the Basques, who fell upon his rear guard while entangled in the defiles, and killed many of his “ paladins and peers,” amongst them the renowned Roland, who has left his name upon the highest mountain ridge of the chain in the so-called Breche, cleft through the rock, according to the tradition, by a swashing blow of his celebrated sword Durandal. The valleys and passes of the Pyrenees, like those of all other border countries, abound in castles and watch-towers, relics of feudal times, when war and rapine was the business of a great portion of the inhabitants, especially of all who claimed to be noble or gentle. Those who would know something of the history of these ruined hill forts, and of the mode of life of those who occupied them in the 14th century, of the marauding expeditions which went out from them on border forays, to harry the cattle or fair fields of some neighbouring chief, of ambus¬ cades to rob the burgess of the neighbouring towns of his merchandise, or capture some wealthy ecclesiastic or seigneur of eminence, and clap him into the deep dungeon until a ransom was paid, must refer to the delightful pages of Sir John Froissart’s Chronicles, the oldest and best handbook for the Pyrenees, which he traversed and threaded in various directions, picking up anecdotes for his history. In his time many of these strongholds were held by English garrisons for the Black Prince, the province of Gascony, with Bigorre, having been ceded to the English as part of the ransom of the French king, John, captured at Azin- cour. The tradition of the country, indeed, attributes the building of some of the castles to the Black Prince. He led an English * army into Navarre, to * The name of Bastides (applied to the citizens’ boxes in the neighbourhood of Marseilles) was the name of the Free Towns founded in the 13th and 14th centuries, which are very numerous in many parts of France. They are often called the English Towns, and many of them were undoubtedly founded by the kings of England, especially that wise and politic monarch Edward I.; but many were also founded by the French kings and by the counts of Toulouse, and it is doubtful which had the priority. They are all readily distinguished by the regularity of their plan, the streets being in straight parallel lines, with narrow lanes at the back serving for mews, and usually a narrow passage between each house, so that each plot of ground was complete in itself, and each house independent of its neighbours. The cross streets are at right angles with the others. There is usually a central market-place with a covered way or piazza round it, the covered way being often high enough and wide enough for two carts to pass; and it is usually vaulted over, the vaults often retaining their original character where all the superstructure is modern. The church generally stands in one corner of the market-place. These towns were always fortified, and in many cases the old walls with their turrets and gate¬ ways remain perfect. From this circumstance, and from their regular military plan, they are commonly considered as military towns only, built during the wars between the French and English. But this is only a part of the truth ; they often were so, but they also played an im¬ portant part in the history of civilization. They were pre-eminently Free Towns; all their inhabitants were freeman, and they were endowed with liberal privileges against the oppressions of the nobles or lords of the neighbouring castles; especially they had the important privilege of Free Tkade. They often served as places of refuge for the serfs, when driven to despera¬ tion by the exactions of their masters. It was in defence of their privileges, much more than for the sake of either party, that they were always ready to fight and defend their city from the attacks of the barons. They may often be recognized at once on the map by the names of ^ ille-Franche or Ville-Neuve, of which there are some scores in all parts of France. Others had more specific names, as Libourne, Saint Fov, Montpazier, &c. &c. Perhaps one of the most Pyrenees. The Pyre?iees — History. 229 reinstate Pedro the Cruel on the throne of Spain, through the pass of Ronceval, the scene of the “ dolorous rout” of Charlemagne. Four centuries and a half later the Pyrenees once more became connected with English history, and in a more glorious cause. “Many of these romantic heights are endeared to an Englishman by the recollection of gallant deeds of British valour performed at the close of the Peninsular war.”— S. To visit the scenes of the masterly passage of the Bidas- soa, and of the Adour below Bayonne, the spot where the fatal sortie took place under the walls of that fortress, the heights of Orthez, and those where the hard-contested but decisive and final battle of Toulouse was fought, cannot but add to the interest of the journey. It will augment the satisfaction of an Englishman, on visiting the theatre of the war, to know that the British com¬ mander, so far from displaying the insolence of a conqueror on entering the French territory, took measures to repress rigidly all acts of plunder on the part of his troops, by careful discipline. No inconsiderable difficulty was at first experienced in restraining the Spaniards, smarting under the oppression and wrongs inflicted on their own fatherland by the soldiery of the country which they then entered in triumph, and expecting to avenge upon its inhabit¬ ants the injuries they themselves had suffered. The firmness of the British commander, however, succeeded in alleviating, as far as possible, the horrors of war to the French ; and the two following extracts, one from a general order of the Duke issued after the passage of the Bidassoa, the other from a letter written by him to a Spanish officer, will show how great care he took to effect this. General Order .—“ The Commander of the Forces is particularly desirous that the inhabitants should be well treated, and private property must be respected, as it has been hitherto. “ The officers and soldiers of the army must recollect that their nations are at war with France, solely because the ruler of the French nation will not allow them to be at peace, and is desirous of forcing them to submit to his yoke ; and they must not forget that the worst of the evils suffered by the enemy in his profligate invasion of Spain and Portugal have been occasioned by the irregularities of the soldiers, and their cruelties authorized and encou¬ raged by their chiefs towards the unfortunate and peaceful inhabitants of the country. “ To revenge this conduct on the peaceable inhabitants of France would be unmanly and unworthy of the nations to whom the Commander of the Forces now addresses himself ; and, at all events, would be the occasion of similar and worse evils to the army at large than those which the enemy’s army have suffered in the Peninsula ; and would, eventually, prove highly injurious to the public interests.” * * * To General -, a Spanish Officer .—“I did not lose thousands of men to bring the army under my command into the French territory, in order that important was Libourne, founded by Edward I., at the highest point to which the River Gironde was navigable for the wine-vessels. In consequence of this favourable situation it grew rapidly in wealth and population, and in the fourteenth century it bid fair to rival Bordeaux, the jea¬ lousy of whose citizens led them to petition for the curtailment of the privileges of the inha¬ bitants of Libourne, in which they ultimately succeeded; but it long continued a place of importance, both in a. military and a commercial point of view. A similar history would apply to many of the others, and the success of these new towns often caused the decay of the more ancient ones in the same neighbourhood, which had clustered round the walls of some castle or abbey for protection. Such was the case with St. Emilion, near Libourne, which now has a most desolate appearance ; scarcely a house seems to have been built since the fifteenth century, and it is quite a storehouse for the antiquary. It may be observed that the English bastides are generally more regular and perfect in plan than’the French ones, which some attribute to their being the earliest, and the French ones bad copies of them—others to their being the latest, and built when the system was brought to greater perfection. The original charters of nearly all the English bastides are still preserved among the national archives in the Tower of London.— J. H. 1. 230 The Pyrenees — Watering-Places. Sect. IV. the soldiers might plunder and ill-treat the French peasantry, in positive dis¬ obedience to my orders ; and I beg that you and your officers will understand, that I prefer to have a small army that will obey my orders, and preserve dis¬ cipline, to a large one that is disobedient and undisciplined ; and that, if the measures which I am obliged to adopt to enforce obedience and good order occasion the loss of men and the reduction of my force, it is totally indifferent to me ; and the fault rests with those who, by the neglect of their duty, suffer their soldiers to commit disorders which must be prejudicial to their country.” — Wellington Dispatches. § 10. Hot Springs—Character of the Watering-Places—Baths in the Pyrenees. —The bounty with which Nature has poured forth, throughout the whole range of the Pyrenean mountains, mineral sources of healing quality, of various kinds, adapted to the various ills to which flesh is heir, is truly surprising, and an interesting natural phenomenon. It has been calculated that in the whole chain there are not less than 200 springs, many of them of a high temperature. It has been observed, that they usually issue forth to light near the junction of the primitive rocks, as granite, gneiss, or slate, with some other formation, chiefly limestone. The value of these natural medicines was not unknown to the Romans, traces of whose constructions have been discovered near more than one of the hot sources. Here follows a list and a brief character of a few of the principal watering- places, beginning from the W., with a notice of the nature of the mineral waters attached. Faux-Bonnes. —A fashionable resort, consisting of a row of eighteen or twenty fine tall houses, chiefly modern, and Parisian in their style, and rather expen¬ sive, in a wild mountain nook. The water is sulphureous. It is recommended for those afflicted with complaints in the lungs. Eaux-Chaudes. —Water sulphureous, nearly like Eaux-Bonnes, from which it is only 3 m. distant ; more homely accommodation, and visitors less stylish. Cauterets. — Sulphureous water. A neat little mountain town, in an upland valley surrounded by colossal peaks. Plenty of accommodation, and good ; also a place of fashionable resort. In autumn frequented by many Spaniards. Climate bracing, if not cold, from the elevation of its site. Excursions nu¬ merous. Its waters and site are considered efficacious in bronchial complaints and rheumatism. St. Sauveur. —Feebly sulphureous. A mere watering-place of 1^ dozen lodging-houses. Bareges. —A complete hospital, thronged with miserable invalids ; inferior accommodation ; a poor village in a dreary gorge, which nothing but the hope of recovering health would render endurable beyond an hour or two ; yet the efficacy of its waters is astonishing, and in a medical sense it deserves its cele¬ brity, more extended over Europe than that of any other Pyrenean bath. It is often quite full in the season, and lodgings dear. A sharp atmosphere, owing to its great elevation. Bagneres de Bigorre. —Saline springs ; "weak ; one ferruginous spring. A considerable town, something more than a mere watering-place, seated just within the roots of the Pyrenees on the verge of the plain, and not much raised above it ; warm climate. Various amusements ; pleasant excursions. The tepid baths are efficacious only for slight complaints ; the waters are not powerful remedies. Bagneres de Luchon. —Seated in the bottom of a basin surrounded by moun¬ tains ; resorted to for pleasure as well as cure. Its waters are sulphureous and hot—efficacious in rheumatic complaints or cutaneous affections. There are charming excursions in its vicinity. Pyrenees. The Pyrenees—Directions for Travellers. 231 At every French watering-place is a medical inspector appointed by the government, and invalids intending to take a course of the waters had better put themselves in communication with him. He will assist them respecting lodgings, and assign to them a fixed hour for bathing, which they will retain during the whole time of their stay—a measure often indispensable during the season, owing to the number of bathers, in order to obtain access to the bath at all. The Bath Houses (Etablissements Thermals) of the Pyrenees are very far behind those of Germany in orderly and medical arrangement ; the waters, in many cases, losing some of their properties in their passage from the source to the baths. But their chief inferiority is in want of cleanliness. The cabinets des bains are dark hot cells ; the baths themselves, though of marble, mere troughs, calculated to inspire disgust in those who either do not need, or are not tho¬ roughly convinced of their sanative power. Works relating to the Pyrenees. —The best of all the descriptions of the Pyre¬ nees are the works of Ramond (the Saussure of these mountains), ‘ Observa¬ tions dans les Pyrenees,’ and f Voyages au Mont Perdu.’ To these maybe added, Vayse de Villiers, 2 vols. of Itine'raire ; and Charpentier’s Geological Essai, &c., now superseded by the more recent geological papers by Elie de Beaumont and Dufresnoy, in the Transactions of the French Geological Society. In English, we have Mrs. Ellis’s very pleasant little volume, Lady Chatterton’s charming work, more recent and more comprehensive, and the Hon. Erskine Murray’s ‘ Summer in the Pyrenees,’ which relates especially to the little- visited valleys in the E. part of the chain. The very amusing ‘ Letters from the Pyrenees, 1843,’ of Mr. Paris, a hardy and intrepid pedestrian, have shown the way into some of the most remote valleys rarely visited and never yet described by any English writers. § 12. DIRECTIONS FOR TRAVELLERS IN THE PYRENEES.—APPROACHES AND MOST DIRECT ROUTES. 1. The extension of railways through France since 1845 has greatly facilitated access to the Pyrenees. The best and quickest route is by Paris ; Orleans ; Tours ; Poitiers, by railway in about 42 hours, to Bordeaux, which may be reduced to 36 hours when the Rly. is finished from Poitiers to Bordeaux. Thence to Pau, a land journey of about 125 m., 2 or 3 days’ posting, 18 hours’ diligence ; or up the Garonne to Langon, and thence by land to Pau. 2. From Paris to Orleans, Vierzon (railway), Limoges, Toulouse, Bagneres, is a long and uninteresting land journey. 3. Paris to Ch&lons-sur-Saone, by rail ; thence to Lyons and Avignon, by steamer ; to Beaucaire, JSTism.es, and Montpellier, by railway ; by land or canal to Toulouse ; a land journey thence of nearly 90 m. to Bagneres. The best starting points for making the tour of the Pyrenees are Pau for those coming from the W., and Toulouse for travellers approaching from the E. Those who do not intend to make a permanent stay at any of the watering- places should dismiss their heavy baggage before they plunge into the moun¬ tains, sending it on by roulage, from the one extreme point of their intended tour to the other,, from Pau to Toulouse, or vice versa. The Brunnen of the Pyrenees, ensconced each in its own beautiful valley, form good halting-places for the passing traveller who visits these mountains merely from curiosity to explore their beauties, and he may thus terminate almost every day’s journey in a comfortable hotel, or at least in tolerable quarters. Almost every valley is accessible by a good carriage road, but it stops at a certain distance, without surmounting the mountain ridge, or pene¬ trating into Spain, except the two extreme passes at the E. and W. ends of the chain. As there are few carriage roads over even the lateral ridges from one 232 The Pyrenees—Directions for Travellers. Sect. IY. valley into another, those who travel only in carriages must retrace their steps clown the valleys. Pedestrians and equestrians (and the. only way to see the Pyrenees to advantage is on foot or horseback) may pass, in most instances, by foot or bridle paths, out of one valley into another across the minor ridges which separate them, and thus enjoy some of the finest scenery without going twice over the same ground. The great chain can only be crossed in the same way, by bridle or foot paths, over some of the many Ports or Cols, more than 50 of which are enumerated between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean. § 13. SKELETON TOUR OF THREE OR FOUR WEEKS, TO INCLUDE THE MOST INTERESTING OBJECTS IN THE W. PYRENEES. Pau. Starting-point to— Eaux Bonnes et Chaudes. * Pic clu Midi d’Ossau. * Col cle Torte. * Yal d’Azun. Argelez. Cauterets. * Pont d’Espagne, Lac cle Gaube [or from * Eaux-Chaudes to Panticosa in Spain, by Pont d’Espagne to Cau¬ terets]. Gorge of Pierrefitte. Luz, or St. Sauveur. Gavarnie. * Breclie cle Roland, back to Luz [or to Busaruelo and Fanlo in Spain, and back]. * Yal d’H^as. * Vignemale, Bareges. * Tourmalet. * Pic du Midi de Bigorre. Bagneres de Bigorre. * Lac Bleu. Hourcjuette d’Aspin. * Arreau. * Tramesaigues and the Yal d’Aure. * Port cle Peyresourdes. * Lac de Seculejo. Bagneres de Luchon. Val de Lys. * Port de Yenasque, Yenasque, Viella. * St. Beat, in Yal d’Aran. * Toulouse. N.B. This mark * denotes places which cannot be reached in carriages, but only on horseback or foot. CARRIAGE TOUR BY POST-ROADS. Pau, Eaux Bonnes et Chaudes. Louvie, Lestelle, Lourdes, Argelez, Cauterets. Pierrefitte, Luz, Bareges. Lourdes, Bagneres cle Bigorre, Yalley of Grip, Arreau (? no posting). Lannemezan, Cierp, Bagneres de Luchon. Cierp, St. Beat. St. Gaudens. Toulouse. N.B. Ladies may be carried up to most of the points of interest in a chaise a porteur. COMPLETE ITINERARY OF THE FRENCH PYRENEES FROM BORDEAUX TO PERPIGNAN.* Days. Night Quarters. 1 Mont de Marsan. 41 St. Sebastian and back, 5j by Diligence. Objects of Interest. Citadel (Sortie). Embankments to turn the course of the Aclour.—St. Pierre d’Arruby.—Biarritz. Interesting ride, through scene of the war in Spain. —Irun and Hernani, curious Spanish towns.— See Citadel of St. S. and walk to Passages. * Compiled from the notes of J. J., a most experienced traveller in the Pyrenees, obligingly communicated to the Editor. Pyrenees. Information for Travellers , 233 Objects of Interest. ( Inn; Soleil) on tlie slope of a hill, crowned by Days. Night Quarters. 6 St. Jean Pied de Port. { the citadeL Arrange about passport and procure a guide and horse at St. Jean. It will take a day to go, and the same to return.—A poor village.—The Abbey is tenantless; but there is an Inn.—A stone cross on the plain marks the spot where .Roland fell. (By Mauleon (Hotel Vefour good), a Basque town, 71Roncesvalles, 15 m. 8 / from St. Jean. 9 Oloron. 10 Val cl’Aspe. , (Eaux-Chaudes: Yal ( d’Ossau. | ojEaux-Bonnes. 14 Pau. 15 Cauterets. 1G Cauterets. 17 Panticosa. 18 Eaux-Bonnes. 19 Ar*gelez. 20 Luz. 21 Luz. 22 (Grip or Bagneres de \ Bigorre. 23 24 j-Bagne eres de Bigorre. | and Tardetz. jBedous, best sleeping-place, but bad.—Take pro- | visions—at least white bread. .Cross from Escot by the Col de Marie Blanche, J and Plan de Benou (the bed of a former lake), to | Bielle in Val d’Ossau. Ascent of Pic du Midi d’Ossau. ) By Diligence. Or, if you do not wish to visit Pau, cross Col de Torte and descend Yal d’Azun to Argelez. I By Lourdes (Argelez, ascend Val d’Azun, as far as | Pouy le Hun).—St. Savin. Ascend Monne; 10 hrs. up and down, j-Visit, on the way, the Pont d’Espagne and Lac de | Gaube. By the Case de Broussettes. (By Col de Torte and the beautiful Val d’Azun, 12 j hours’ walk. Pic de Bergons.—St. Sauveur. { Gavarnie and Breche de Roland. If Val d’LIeas also, you must sleep at Gavarnie and scale the Breche next day. j By Bareges, which may be seen en passant. Turn off at foot of Tourmalet, and ride up by the Lac d’Oncet to the top of the Pic du Midi. Sleep at Grip, if unable to reach Bagneres. Start early. /See marble-works.—Baths,.—Walks.—Visit Lac •{ Bleu. j Ascend Penne de l’Hyeris. Cross Hourquette i d’Arreau. '‘Ascend Val d’Aure by Vielle, beyond which it splits into several branches. That called Val d’Aragnouet and Gorge de Couplan contains magnificent mountain scenery, forests, cascades. —Return to Arreau. By Val de Louron, Port de Peyresordes, and Lac cl’Oo. If time admits, ascend by Scala to upper Lake. 29 Bagneres de Luchon. v Val de Lys.—Go or return by Sopra Bagneres. { Port de Venasque—Trou du Taureau—returning by Port de Picade, to Luchon. N. B. This ex¬ cursion may be extended to Venasque, and round the Maladetta to Vitallez and Viella. j By Port de Portillon to Ghl de Garonne.—Castel { Leon.—Bososte.—Sleep at Baths of Lez. 25 Arreau. 2 g f Aragnouet or Hospice 9 rjl de Coubise; miser- [ able quarters. 28 Bagneres de Luchon 30 Luchon or Venasque. 31 Val d’Aran: Lez. 234 Information for Lravellers. Sect. IV, Days. Night Quarters. 32 Cierp or Luchon. ! St. Bertrand de Com- minges; Inn in Haute Ville. 34 St. Gaudens. 34 St. Girons; poor Inn. 35 Foix. 36 Tarascon. 37) og>Ax or Mt. Louis. 39 Prades. 40 Prades. Objects of Interest. Below Lez the finest part of Yal d’Aran.—St. Beat. /See the church and remains of Lugdunum Con- j venarum below the town.— Ride up Yal de 'i Barouse to Maul eon. The mountains are pierced { with caverns. ( Visit la Basse Grotte de Gargas, 5 m. from St. Bertrand, near Tyberan.—Cross the Neste to St. Gaudens. ! By Diligence to St. Martory, where hire a horse to St. Girons, on the Sallat, a bad cross road, but practicable for vehicles. By Remont and La Bastide de Seron. Yisit Iron Mines of Yic de Sos. Cross to Puycerda and Bourg Madame by Port de I Morens. Arrange with the Douane to take a horse across the frontier. Sleep at Bourg Madame or at Cabannes under the walls of Mt. Louis. Ride by Olette down Yale of Tet. Ascend Canigou: must start early. Next day to Perpignan and Narbonne. §14. PASSPORTS —CONVEYANCES—ACCOMMODATION FOR TRAVELLERS. Passports. —Those who mean to enter Spain should obtain a Spanish Consul’s vise at Bordeaux or Bayonne, to prevent their being mistaken for refugees or smugglers;—they should also provide themselves with the Spanish Handbook. Mallepostes from Toulouse to Bayonne and from Limoges to Pau. Diligences run regularly from Bordeaux and Bayonne to Pau and Tarbes, from Toulouse to Bagneres and Tarbes, which is the point of concentration for conveyances from all directions; and in summer a constant communication is kept up between all the watering-places. The diligences, however, are ill appointed and very slow, and the routes they follow exceedingly circuitous. They are of use to the pedestrian in conveying his luggage from place to place. Inns are far inferior to those in the German watering-places: the best are at Pau, Eaux-Bonnes, Cauterets, Luz, and Bagneres de Bigorre (by far the best), but they have all the fault of filth. Those at Bareges are inferior. The charges vary much, especially for rooms, according to the season, rising exorbitantly when the places are full. Provisions are cheap.—Bed, 1 f. 50 c. to 2 f.; dinner (table-d’hote), 3 f.; breakfast h la fourchette, 2 f.; tea or coffee, 1 f. 50 c. On ordinary occasions the traveller’s expenses ought not to exceed 8 f. per diem; and if he stop a week or longer in an hotel, he may easily bar¬ gain for 6 f. The chance-traveller is often asked 3, 4, or 5 f. for the worst bed¬ room for a single night during the season. Expenses at Bagneres de Bigorre. Board and lodging at an hotel for a month or 6 weeks, per diem Caleche and 2 horses A horse, exclusive of feed . 3— 4 0 ,, , , for a month . 60—80 0 A room in the town • • . 1 f. 50 c. to 2 f. Bath at a fixed hour • • . 1 0 Warm linen • • . 0 10 Chairmen (porteurs) • • 0 40 game, ortolans, truffles, mountain-trout, green figs, and straw- Fr. 5— 6 16—18 cent. 0 0 berries, are among the delicacies which await the traveller in the Pyrenees. Pyrenees. Route 70.— Orleans to Toulouse , 235 “ The remote valleys—Val d’Aran, Yal d’Aure, and all those on the Spanish side—are miserably off for inns ; travellers should always take provisions thither, or at least white bread, as the rye-bread, which can alone be procured, is apt to disagree with strangers.”— J. J. Riding horses, or rather ponies, very unprepossessing to look at for the most part, yet hardy and capable of work, and well used to the mountains, are kept at all the watering-places. The charges for them are moderate, viz. 5 f. a day, including the feed, or 3 f. paying the forage, which it is not advisable to do. It is the custom of the French visitors at the baths to unite in large parties, and invade some quiet valley, or interesting point of view, in troops of cavalry 50 or 60 strong, and to establish there a pic-nic. Very little regard is paid by these riotous assemblages to the beauties of nature. Awakening the echoes with the loud cracks of the whip with which they urge on their jaded hacks, they scour along the rough roads, up hill and down dale, attired in the most fantastic costume—men and women wearing the red sashes of the peasantry, and broad-brimmed felt hats; while even the ladies assume neat white pan¬ taloons, sometimes set off with boots and spurs. Guides .—There are very excellent and trustworthy professional guides, well acquainted with the mountains, and many of them capital mountaineers and skilful sportsmen; though not, perhaps, so good as the guides of Switzerland or Savoy. The best are met with at Eaux-Bonnes, Cauterets, Luz, Bagneres de Bigorre and Luchon. A guide receives 5 f. a day, feeding and lodging himself. A horse must be provided for him, unless the traveller is willing to be retarded by his following on foot. For return-money, 4 f. a day each for horse and man, until the guide can reach his home from the place where he is dismissed, is the fair allowance; but 5 f. are generally asked. Chaises a Porteur. —There is scarcely an excursion off the high-road, however distant, or a mountain-top, or other spot, however difficult of access, which ladies may not reach by the aid of a chair on poles. Each lady will require from 4 to 6 chairmen; the cost is 15 f. a day, and 3 or 4 f. pour boire. This conveyance has been pronounced by a lady traveller “ at once the gentlest, safest, and most agreeable mode of conveyance imaginable. The chairmen will go anywhere and everywhere; and instead of being rocked and jolted in a dislocating machine, those who cannot walk, and fear to ride, are carried about like petted children, without the risk of fatigue or the probability of danger.”— Mrs. Boddington. ROUTE 70.* ORLEANS TO TOULOUSE BY CHATEAU- ROUX [CHEMIN DE FER DU CENTRE], LIMOGES, AND MONTAUBAN. 570 kilom. = 353 Eng. m. Railway — Orleans to Chateauroux 143 kilom. A Malleposte —CbAteau- roux by Limoges to Toulouse in 33 hrs. Diligences daily. A bridge carries the line across the Loire. It nearly follows the line of the post-road. The tunnel of l’Allouet is 1236 * The Editor has not travelled this route beyond Vierzon, and will be glad of corrections or additional information from those who have. metres long, and is lighted by 18 openings. An avenue of trees leads from the bridge of Orleans to the suburb St. Mar- ceaux, abounding in country houses ; and a little farther on is the indus¬ trious village of Olivet (3250 Inhab.). Here the river Loiret is crossed by a bridge, about 2 m. below its source, and 5 or 6 above its termination in the Loire. The Chateau of La Source, the residence of the banished Lord Boling- broke, near this, is described in Rte. 48. Below the bridge, between it and the Chateau de Ponty, on the 1. bank, it is pretended that the assassination 236 Route 70.— Vierzon — Chateauroux. Sect. III. of the Due de Guise by Poltrot took place : he was conveyed to Caubray, where he breathed his last. The Railroad, as far as Vierzon, tra¬ verses the district of la triste Sologne, noted for its barrenness; a large part of it being waste land, heath, and com¬ mon ; a dead flat of hungry sandy gravel, the surface slightly varied, and the scenery monotonous. The name Sologne ( Segalonia ) has been derived from “segale,” seigle, barley, the crop chiefly produced on its unprofitable soil. (?) 23 La Ferte St. Aubin Stat. At the entrance of this village, on the 1., stands the Chateau of Lowendahl, named after a Danish general who served in the armies of France along with his friend Marshal Saxe, and was made Marechal de France for his share in the capture of Bergen-op-Zoom. It now belongs to the Prince d’Essling, son of Marshal Massdna. It is a low building, surrounded by water. The name Ferte, an old form of fortifie, denotes the existence, in ancient times, of a castle, embattled and fortified by royal permission, granted to the seig¬ neur. 39 Lamotte Stat., Dept. Loire Cher. 46 Nouan le Fuzelier Stat. 58 Salbris Stat. 70 Theillay Stat. 80 Vierzon Stat. — The railway Bourges and Re vers (Rte. 103) here branches 1. from the line to Chateauroux. (Am; H. des Messageries.) Vierzon, a town of the Dept. Cher, and of the ancient province of Berry, enlivened by the Canal de Berry, which passes through it, running side by side with the river Cher. By means of it the iron of Berry, manufactured in furnaces not far distant from the town, is ex¬ ported; and coal is brought hither to smelt it. Pop. 4700. At Vierzon the tiresome Sologne has terminated; the valley of the Cher is rather cheerful, and on its borders are some vineyards. The Evre and the Cher are crossed on quitting Vierzon. 96 Chery Stat. 100 Reuilly Stat. 109 St. Lizaigne Stat. et to 117 Issoudun Stat. 128 Neuvy Pailloux Stat. 144 Chateauroux Stat. — Inns: La Poste (Ste. Catherine), clean, and people attentive ; H. de Finance. This town, chef-lieu of the Dept. Indre (Pop. 13,847), is of little interest to the traveller, but of considerable in¬ dustrial importance, owing to its ex¬ tensive cloth manufactures, the sale of which is estimated at 4 millions of francs yearly. The wools of Berry are almost exclusively used in their fabrication. Some trade is also carried on in iron, there being more than 40 iron furnaces in the department. The Castle, on an eminence above the Indre, close beside the modern Prefecture, is a gloomy building, flanked by turrets, probably of the 16th centy. It was the prison, for 23 years, of the un¬ fortunate Clemence de Maille, Prin- cesse de Conde and niece of Richelieu, who here ended a life of suffering, 1694. The Grand Conde, her husband, repaid her devotion to him, and ill- requited affection, by procuring from Louis XIV. an order for her imprison¬ ment ; and his last dying request to the king was, that she should never be set free. Her grave in the ch. of St. Martin was violated 1793. The town owes its name to an older chateau, built in the 10th century by one Raoul de Deols. One of the old town gates, a venerable structure, still remains. General Bertrand, who accompanied Napoleon to St. Helena, was a native of Chateauroux. At Bourg Dieu, or Deols, situated within 1^- m. of Chateauroux, are the ruins of an ancient monastery, and a ch. containing, in a crypt under the altar, a curiously carved marble sar¬ cophagus. Malleposte to Toulouse by Limoges in .33 hours. Diligences to Bourges, and to Tours by Loches. (Rte. 56.) 15 Lothiers, a dreary country of heath, to 14 Argenton, a town of 4000 Inhab., on the Creuse: it had once a large castle flanked by 10 high towers, dis¬ mantled by Louis XIV., and farther reduced to ruin in recent times. 15 Le Fay. Pyrenees. Route 70 .— Limoges — St. Michel-aux-Lions. 237 25 La Souterraine. 16 Morterolles. 17 Yille au Brun. 17 Morterol. 12 Clianteloube. 15 Maison Rouge. 14 Limoges {Inns: Bouled’Or, dirty; H. Richelieu, not much better; H. cle Perigord), the capital of the ancient province of Limousin, at present chef- lieu of the Dept. Haute Vienne, is a commercial and manufacturing town, situated on the rt. bank of the Vienne. Pop. 27,611. It is very picturesque in its ancient street architecture, but has few curi¬ osities to show to the passing stranger. The Revolution swept away the greater number of its churches, many of which were curious from their antiquity. Of those which remain the most interest¬ ing are The Cathedral of St. Etienne, begun in the 13th centy., and slowly con¬ tinued down to the 16th, when the work came to a stand; and the build¬ ing has since remained a mere frag¬ ment, consisting of the Choir, the N. transept, and two compartments of the nave, now blocked up by a common partition wall, while at the spot to which it ought to have extended rises an isolated belfry, now in a very in¬ secure condition, separated by a wide gap from the rest of the edifice. Under this tower is a Romanesque porch be¬ longing to an older cathedral. The ch. is built of granite, and terminates in an apse. The interior is not re¬ markable in itself, but contains a Jube, or roodloft, removed without reason, 1789, from its proper place between the choir and nave, to one side of the nave. It is a curious jumble of flam¬ boyant Gothic ornaments and tracery, with sculpture in the style of the Re¬ naissance (date 1543). It has been seriously mutilated, and its niches robbed of their statues, but contains curious bas-reliefs, among which are represented the Labours of Hercules. Its construction is attributed to Bishop Langeac, whose Tomb is remarkable for the richness and elegance of its decora¬ tions, far superior to those of the Jube. It was prepared for him before his death, 1541, and includes some admirable bas-reliefs, well worth ex¬ amination in spite of their mutilations ; among them one, representing “ Death on the White Horse,” is much praised*. Two other monuments, that of Bishop Regnault cle la Porte, of the 14tli cent., and of Bernard Brun his nephew, de¬ serve notice. St. Michel-aux-Lions is the most con¬ spicuous object in the town, owing to its tall and graceful tower and spire, planted on the highest ground, sur¬ mounting the other buildings. This cli., erected 1364, is named from the rudely sculptured figures of lions which ornament its porch; the lightness and height of the 8 lofty pillars supporting the roof are alone remarkable in the interior. An old Cross of granite, in front of the ch. of St. Aurelian, deserves men¬ tion for the elaborate workmanship bestowed on it, which has recently been concealed under a coat of oil paint. The Episcopal Palace is a handsome building of granite, with a fine Garden attached to it. Although Limoges was an important place in Roman times, under the names Lemovices and Augusioritum, there are no remains of Roman buildings. The only trace of the amphitheatre, to which Moliere alludes in M. de Pour - ceaugnac, Act I., Scene 6, is the name Les Armies given to a burial-ground. Its site is nearly covered by the Place d’Orsay, on one side of which runs a terrace, whence there is a view over the valley of the Vienne. A Latin name, “Aqua lenis,” is said to be re¬ tained in the Fontaine Aigoulene, and its water is supplied through a Roman conduit. The ancient fortifications of Limoges have been thrown clown, planted, and converted into boulevards and public walks; nothing therefore remains as a relic of that terrible siege (1370) and capture by assault of the place by the Black Prince, who, irritated at its re¬ volting from him, through the treachery of its bishop, swore by the soul of his father that he would have it back again. Too ill to ride on horseback, he 238 Route 70 .—Limoges to Toulouse. Sect. IV. directed the operations from a litter, and, having forced a breach by blowing up a tower, entered through it, and, denying quarter to its wretched inha¬ bitants, allowed 3000 men, women, and children, to be massacred—a blot on the fair fame of his heroic career, the verge of which he had already reached, for the hand of death was upon him, and he breathed his last six years after. Limoges is distinguished by having been the birthplace of the upright chancellor d’Aguesseau, born 1688. Vergniaud, the Republican orator, the leader of the Girondins, beheaded by Robespierre 1793, Marshal Jour dan, the conqueror at Fleurus, Marshal Bugeaud, and Dupuytren the surgeon, were also natives. Limoges likewise produced in the 15th and 16th cen¬ turies a series of artists, among whom the names of Laudin, Noel, Leonard, Courtois, Rexmore, are conspicuous, eminent for the beautiful paintings in enamel which they produced, still so highly esteemed all over Europe. Nayllier, the last master in this genre of art, died 1765, and the art died with him. It appears to have originated as early as the 12th centy., and was brought hither by Greeks from Byzantium, but was at its acme in the time of Francis I. The private cabinets of M. Germeau and M. Maurice Ardent, of Limoges, contain some very remarkable speci¬ mens of enamels. The Manufacture at present most prevalent here is that of porcelain, due to the discovery in this neighbourhood (at St. Yrieix) of the kaolin, or pure white porcelain earth, consisting of the decomposed felspar, arising from gneiss, which alone furnishes a fit material for the manufacture. The substance appears to owe its origin not to a mere disintegration of the gneiss, but to an electro - chemical decomposition, and combination with neighbouring rocks, especially such as are ferruginous. Se¬ vres is supplied hence with the kaolin, and nearly 2000 persons are employed in and about Limoges in making china. There are also some cotton and woollen mills. The Limousin horses are a celebrated breed, in much request for the French cavalry; they are reared in the prairies bordering on the Vienne. Mallepostes to Toulouse;—to Peri- gueux, Auch, and Pau. Diligences to Toulouse, Bordeaux, Poitiers, Angouleme, Clermont, Mou- lins, Blois, Valengay. The road from Limoges to Bordeaux, by Perigueux, is described in Rte. 71. [At the town St. Junien, 18 m. from Limoges on the way to Angouleme, is a very curious ch. of the 11th centy., containing at the back of the high altar a curious sarcophagus of white marble, adorned with reliefs in the Byzantine style of art. It contains the relics of the saint, much visited by devout pilgrims. In the lower part of the town near the bridge is a chapel of the 15th centy., of Notre Dame ; and 1 m. out of the town, on the borders of the Vienne, are the ruins of St. Amand. M. Merim^e ob¬ served in its transept a basin hollowed out of the rock, supplied by a spring of running watex-, into which little pieces of bread had been cast by the peasants, as offei'ings to St. Amand, who is believed still to woi’k miracles, though his shi'ine has been destroyed for ages.] At Boisseuil, 7 m. from Limoges, we leave about 1 m. to the rt. the ruined Castle of Chalusset, a cui’ious example of the art of fortification in the middle ages, situated on an iso¬ lated rock at the junction of two streams. It must have been very strong both by its natural position and its outwoi'ks. It has been re¬ ferred to the 12th centy. 20 Pieire Bufhei'e. Arthur Young pi’aises much the beauty and variety of the country to Bi'ives, hill and val¬ ley, a quick succession of landscapes. 21 Beausoleil. 18 Uzerche, a picturesque little town on a conical hill, convei-ted into a penin¬ sula by the bend which the Vezei’e makes round it. It has a curious ch. on the ci’est of the hill, sui'rounded at the E. end by 5 apsidal chapels. Under it is a crypt, containing the tomb of St. Coronat, in a niche, closed in front by a wooden railing. Iixsane Pyrenees. Route 70.— Orleans to Toulouse — Turenne. 239 persons are shut up within it for a night, in the belief that they will thereby recover their reason! The road to Tulle here turns off to the 1. [Tulle (Inn: H. de Lyon), a town of 8000 Inliab., singularly placed in the fork of a deep narrow valley of the Corr&ze, a fresh bubbling stream, which runs through it, bordered for a considerable distance with houses, many of them ancient and picturesque. The Cathedral had a slice cut from it, in Revolutionary times, to make way for a public walk. The nave only remains, of granite, in a severe and early style of Gothic. The town has an important manu¬ factory of fire-arms. Diligence to Clermont by Ussel, and to Mont Dore les Bains. About 10 m. W. of Uzerche is the Chateau de Pompadour, anciently the residence of a noble family, several of whom were governors of the province of Limousin, whose name was never sullied, until, after the extinction of their line (1722), it was bestowed upon the mistress of Louis XV., tlie daughter of the bankrupt butcher Poisson. 25 Donzenac. Picturesque varied country; groves and forests of chestnut. 10 Brives (Inn: H. de Bordeaux, clean, comfortable, and a good cook, who makes capital pat(is) enjoys a fine situation in the valley of the Correze; but its favourable appearance at a dis¬ tance is not realised in its interior, which contains nothing remarkable but an ancient Gothic house attributed to the English: it is said to have been the residence of the governor. Brives is the birthplace of the Cardinal Du¬ bois, son of an apothecary, who be¬ came tutor and afterwards minister to the Regent Duke of Orleans; and of Marshal Brune, one of the generals of the Republic, assassinated at Avignon 1815. The culture of the vine and of maize flourishes near this. The road has now reached a hilly country: it passes within a short dis¬ tance of the castle de Noailles, cradle of the noble family who derive their ducal title from it, now in ruins; a modern chateau has been built not far off. The old feudal Castle of Turenne, situated about 2 m. to the E. of the road, on the Tourmente, a tributary of the Dordogne, gave a name to another great family, illus¬ trious by deeds as well as by descent: the Dues de Bouillon obtained the domain and viscounty of Turenne by alliance. Within its walls the wife of the Great Conde, a fugitive with her son from the pursuit of Mazarin, was received amidst a crowd of en¬ thusiastic partisans of the Fronde, in 1650, and sumptuously entertained for 8 days; during which, taking counsel with the Dues de Bouillon and de La Rochefoucauld, she planned the me¬ morable rising in the South which was called the civil war of Guienne. She here summoned her vassals and re¬ tainers to mount the fawn-coloured scarf, and to rally round her for the rescue of her husband from prison. At the order of the Due de Bouillon the tocsin was sounded in the 400 villages of his vicomte of Turenne, and the peasants at once flew to arms and flocked round his standard. 20 Cressensac (Dept. Lot). Truffles flourish in the uncultivated ground around this village. 16 Souillac, a miserable little town in the deep valley of the Dordogne, on its rt. bank. After crossing the river, a steep hill, nearly 3 m. long, requires to be surmounted, in effecting which the postmaster is authorised to attach a pair of oxen to all four-wheeled car¬ riages. 2 m. on the 1. is the village and chateau of La Mothe F^ndLon, not the birthplace, as some have stated, of the author of Telemaque, but a property belonging to his family. A hilly country, arid, barren, and un¬ interesting, all the way to Cahors. 16 Peyrac. 18 Pont de Rodes. 17 Pelacoy. Near this is Murat, and a little beyond it La Bastide, the birthplace of Joachim Murat, general of cavalry, and King of Naples. He was the son of an aubergiste who was steward in the family of the Talley- rands. 240 Route 70.— Orleans to Toulouse — Cahors, Sect. IV. A long but gradual descent of nearly 5 m. leads down into the valley of the Lot. The very distant outline of the Py renees, 150 m. off, may be distin¬ guished in clear weather near 16 Cahors. (Inns: H. des Ambas- sadeurs, not very clean, but excellent cook; Trois Rois; de 1’Europe, good.) Cahors, the chef-lien of the Dept, le Lot (Pop. 12,050), is situated on the top and round the base of an escarped rock, on a wide sweeping bend of the river Lot. It is a very ancient town of narrow streets, full of antique edi¬ fices, to which a new quai'ter has been added. The name comes from its ancient appellation, Divona Cadurcorum, and there still exist the scanty remains of a Roman amphitheatre, and of a conduit, which conveyed water to it from the village St. Martin de Vern, through La Roque, where are vestiges of the arches of an aqueduct. The Cathedral, a truly fine edifice, consists of a large nave, surmounted by two hemispherical cupolas, in the Byzantine style ; a portal and the choir are Gothic. The Bishop’s Palace is now the Prefecture. The bishop originally bore the title of count, and enjoyed the privilege of wearing a sword and gauntlets, which he depo¬ sited on the altar when he said mass. "YVhen he took possession of his diocese, he was received at the gate of the town by his vassal, le Yicomte de Sessac, bareheaded, without cloak, with one leg bare, and the foot in a slipper, and was conducted by the count in that guise to his palace, and waited on by him there at table. This curious tenure had fallen out of use before the Revolution. The surprise and capture of Cahors in 1580 was one of the most brilliant exploits of Henri IV. (when King of Navarre). He reached the town by a forced march of 30 m. under a burning sun, and, posting his men in ambus¬ cade among the walnut-trees, awaited the nightfall; when, silently approach¬ ing the gate, he blew it up with a petard, and entered himself the seventh, followed by 700 men, and leaving 700 outside to check the arrival of reinforcements to the gar¬ rison. The bursting of the gate had alarmed the town, which was strongly guarded, and a shower of stones and tiles from every housetop assailed the Navarrese troops and their general. The combat was carried on throughout the night, and yet, when dawn ap¬ peared, the assailants had gained but a very small footing. Henri was strongly advised to retire, especially when intelligence was brought of the arrival of succour to the town ; but the king, setting his back against a shop, persisted in fighting on, ex¬ claiming, “ Ma retr&ite hors de cette ville sera celle de mon ame hors de mon corps.” The reinforcements were driven back, but Henri still had to struggle step by step, to lay siege to every street, and almost to every house. It was not until the fifth night that Cahors submitted. Henri’s sol¬ diers, irritated by the resistance made by the garrison, put a great many to the sword. On the open promenade de Foss6, in front of the college, is placed a statue of F^nelon, who was a student here. One of the bridges over the Lot, built in the 14th and 15th cents., is curious, being surmounted by 3 gate-towers, to defend the approach to the town. Cahors is the native place of Pope Jean XXII., whose name was Jacques d’Euze ; his Castle is pointed out near the entrance to the town, on the side of Paris ; also of Clement Marot, the poet, author of sonnets, ballads, &c. (1495), and page to Marguerite, sister of Francis I. The country around produces a good deal of wine, which is not much known, but is not bad, and truffles in abundance. 21 La Magdeleine. 17 Caussade stands on the fertile plain watered by the Loire ; it is a town of 5000 Inhab., famed for turkeys stuffed with truffles. In the next stage the river Aveyron is crossed, and we enter the wide and fertile plain of Languedoc, which ex¬ tends to the foot of the Pyrenees with little interruption. 23 Montauban ( Inns ; H. de France ; Pyrenees. Route TO.— Orleans to Toulouse — Toulouse. 241 de 1’Europe ; good, clean, and com¬ fortable— J. II. PI), chef-lieu of the D^pt. Tarn et Garonne, is a good- looking little town, with clean and wide streets, on the rt. bank of the Tarn, here lined by a fine quay, and crossed by a brick bridge of the 13th cent., but modernized, at the end of which stands the Prefecture, a square building with 4 turrets at its angles. There is not much to be seen in the town. The Cathedral is a large modern building of Italian architecture, with a frontispiece at the W. end. “ The Promenade of Les Terrasses on the borders of the Trescon, and on the highest part of the ramparts, com¬ mands that noble plain, one of the richest in Europe, which extends on one side to the sea, and in front to the Pyrenees, whose towering masses, heaped one upon another in a stu¬ pendous manner, and covered with snow, offer a variety of lights and shades from their indented forms and the immensity of their projections. This prospect has a sort of oceanic vastness, in which the eye loses itself; an almost boundless scene of cultiva¬ tion ; an animated but confused mass of infinitely varied parts, melting gra¬ dually into the distant obscure, from which arises the amazing frame of the Pyrenees, rearing their silvered heads far above the clouds.”— A. Young. Montauban is a flourishing manu¬ facturing town, producing various kinds of woollen cloths, hair stuffs (cadis, molletons), which are exported to the colonies. It has 24,660 Inhab., nearly one-half of them being Protest¬ ants, and there is a Protestant College here for the instruction of pastors. In the 16th and 17th cents. Mont¬ auban was a stronghold of Protest¬ antism, its inhabitants having early embraced the Reformed doctrines, and being prepared to defend them. It endured in consequence a very me¬ morable siege in 1621, from the royal army led on by the favourite Luynes, who brought hither his master Louis XIII. ; but, instead of witnessing its fall, after nearly 3 months of fruitless assault, Louis and his minister w r ere forced to withdraw, such w T as the ob- France. stinate bravery of the inhabitants and the skill of their governors. Under the reign of Louis XIY., and the influ¬ ence of Madame de Maintenon, the Protestants of Montauban w r ere singled out to suffer the direst persecutions, inflicted by the so-called Dragonnades, or quartering of regiments of soldiers on them, who exercised every species of licence, inquisitorial tyranny, and cruelty, with the design of forcing them to become Roman Catholics. At the farther extremity of the bridge over the Tarn we pass under ah arch of brick into the extensive suburb of Ville Bourdon, founded by the Protestants expelled from Tou¬ louse in 1562. We enter the grand route from Bordeaux to Toulouse (Rte. 73) a little short of 22 Grisolles. The Garonne runs parallel with our road, at a little dis¬ tance on the rt., through a plain of unequalled fertility. The British army, under the Duke of Wellington, passed the river, before the battle of Tou¬ louse, by 2 pontoon bridges above the small towm of Grenade on the 1. bank nearly opposite Castelnau, 15 m. below Toulouse. The road crosses the river Lers a little farther on. The capture of the bridge over it at Croix Daurade, by a gallant charge of the 18th hussars, on the day before the battle, secured a communication between the columns of the allied army, part of which marched up the rt. and part up the 1. bank of the Lers, to attack the strong position of Marshal Soult. 12 St. Jory. The approach to Toulouse lies over a bridge, flanked by 2 columns, thrown across the Canal du Midi, which, half encircling the town on the N. and E., joins the Garonne about a mile to the rt. of this bridge in the Faubourg d’Arnaud Bernard. The Obelisk on the height to the 1. marks the centre of Marshal Soult’s position at the battle of Toulouse, which, though strongly fortified by redoubts and cannon, was carried by the Allies (see p. 248). 17 Toulouse. — {Inns: H. Bibent; very good. H. de 1’Europe, Place M 242 Route 70.— Toulouse—Copit ole. Sect. IY. Lafayette ; good situation; comfort¬ able ; good cuisine. H. Souville ; very good— C. P. B. H. du Midi— L. Y. H. Casset.) In the midst of the great plain of Gascony and Languedoc, beginning at the very foot of the Pyrenees, and stretching from them nearly 100 m. X., stands Toulouse, the ancient capi¬ tal of Languedoc, and now of the Dept, of Haute Garonne. It is built on both banks of the Garonne, just above the point where the Canal du Midi, connecting the Atlantic with the Mediterranean, falls into it, after winding round the X. and E. sides of the town. The river is crossed by a brick bridge connecting the city with the suburb St. Cyprien on the 1. bank of the river. It is far from being a handsome city ; its streets are irregular and dirty, its houses and even churches of brick ; and neither public nor private buildings are distinguished by special architectural beauty : but it ranks as the seventh city in France, from the number of its inhabitants (77,400), and the extensive trade and commerce of a provincial capital which it enjoys. It is interesting from its historical souvenirs, as the capital of the king¬ dom of the Visigoths from 413 to 507, when it was destroyed by Clovis on the battle-field of Vouille near Poi¬ tiers ; as the place where the art of the Troubadours was encouraged at the gay court of its counts ; as the scene of the papal crusade against the Albigenses, headed by an English leader, and as the seat of the ancient Parliament of Toulouse. But the Re¬ volution has, as usual, done its worst to extirpate all tangible relics of by¬ gone days. The Place du Capitole (once Place Royale), a handsome though unfinished square, consisting of three sides of regular modern buildings and one of old and irregular structures, is the centre of bustle and traffic ; the chief market-place, and the point of de¬ parture of the main thoroughfares. It is named from le Capitole , or Hotel de Ville, so called either from the tradi¬ tion that in the time of the Romans the Capitol of the Tolosates may have stood here, or from the meetings of the civic chapter (capitolium), whose members were also called capitouls, on this spot. The building presents externally a modern front, finished 1769, with eight columns of red Pyre¬ nean marble in the centre, and in¬ cludes, besides the municipal build¬ ings and the archives, the Theatre in the 1. wing. The principal apartment, running along nearly the whole length of the first floor, is the Salle des 11lus¬ tres, or hall of the worthies of Tou¬ louse, so called from 38 terra-cotta busts of men of note, born in and near Toulouse, or connected with it, each with a pompous Latin inscription below it, filling as many gilt niches in the walls. In real truth, a great many —as Riquet, engineer of the Canal du Midi, Pope Benedict XII., &c., have no connection of birth with the town ; and many more, though really citizens, have no claim to renown beyond its walls. Among those of most general celebrity may be mentioned Raymond St. Gilles, Count of Toulouse, one of the leaders of the first crusade ; Cujas, the lawyer (“ cujus merum nomen plus laudis amplectitur quam quadibet oratio potest ”), who was rejected by the university here when a candidate for the professorship of law ; and P. Fermat, the mathematician, inventor of the integral calculus, b. 1608. In this hall are held every year the meetings of the Societe des Jeux Flo- raux, deriving its origin from the an¬ cient troubadours, but founded, it is said, by one Clemence Isaure, a Tou- lousan lady, who revived the science of the “ gai Scavoir ” in the 14th centy. (1333). Her very existence, however, is not a little doubtful, as there is no mention of her in the archives of the town, though her statue is preserved in the Capitole. In spite of these doubts, the society has adopted her as its patroness and founder, and every year at the begin¬ ning (3rd) of May, after making a pil¬ grimage to the church of the Daurade in which feer tomb once was, it distri¬ butes, to various competitors, prizes consisting of golden and silver flowers, Pyrenees. Route 70. — Toulouse — Capitole — St. Semin . 243 the violette, amaranthe, eglantine, souci, ancl lis, for the best original compositions in verse, and essays in prose, "for which the directors give the subject. The society maintains about equal importance, and the prize com¬ positions have nearly the same literary value, as those of the bardic meetings held in Wales. Although the exist¬ ence of Clemence is uncertain, there is no doubt of the antiquity of the society, and it claims for itself to be the oldest literary institution in Eu¬ rope, dating from 1333. Indeed, it appears that in that year a number of Troubadours, or Mainteneurs du Gai Scavoir, citizens of Toulouse, met in a field near the town to distribute prizes to the composers of the best verses. In the same room with the statue of Clemence Isaure is preserved the axe with which Henri Due de Montmo¬ rency, the victim of the implacable Cardinal Richelieu, and one of the last of the great vassals of the crown of France, was decapitated. It is a sort of huge carving-knife, and was made in the town. The execution took place 1632, in the first court of the Capitole, at the feet of the statue of Henri IV., in whose reign that part of the building was erected. In the 2nd court on the rt., two barred win¬ dows mark the dungeon in which the duke w r as confined, and belong to the oldest portion of the building. Here also is the old Salle de Consistoire, with ornamented roof and chimney (? if still existing). The council chamber of the senators of the town, or capi- touls, equivalent to the eclievins else¬ where, no longer exists. The antiquity of the municipal pri¬ vileges of Toulouse, and of the meet¬ ings of the magistrates, who were elected by the people themselves, and who were recognised by Raymond V. as far back as 1152, deserves notice. These rights, of 5 centuries’ duration, were infringed, in spite of the remon¬ strances of the citizens, by Louis XIV., who caused the capitouls to be appointed at Paris by royal ordon- nance. The Place du Capitole is a good starting-place from which to visit the chief curiosities of the town. L'Eglise St. Semin, the largest, oldest, and most perfect ecclesiastical edifice here, is a plain building of brick and stone in the Romanesque style, finished and consecrated 1090, by Pope Urban II. It is conspicuous for its lofty octagonal Tower , formed by 5 tiers of arches, each story less in size than that below it. The upper part is of the 14th cent., the lower corresponds in style with the church below. Of its 2 S. porches , one is distin¬ guished by a curious early Byzantine bas-relief over the door, and by the capitals of its columns representing the murder of the Innocents, expul¬ sion of Adam, &c. ; the other, a double portal leading into the S. transept, bears carved capitals of the 7 deadly sins. By the side of it, within a mo¬ dernised chapel, open to the air, are several tombs of early counts of Tou¬ louse. The interior is remarkable for its very long Nave (not unlike that of St. Albans, but flanked by double aisles). The E. end is semicircular and its arches round; close-set columns support the vault above the high altar, painted with the colossal figure of Christ and the symbols of the 4 evan¬ gelists. From the aisle behind it pro¬ ject 5 apsidal chapels, decorated with curious carvings of saints and legends in w T ood. Here also is a model of the church as it stood before the Revolu¬ tion, showing that it formed an iso¬ lated fortress, apart from the town, walled in by towers and battlements. Some curious Byzantine bas-reliefs in white marble, said to have belonged to the old church of St. Sernin, built by Charlemagne in the 8th centy. (?), are let into the wall of the aisle behind the choir ; they represent o\ir Saviour, angels, and saints. The Crypt under the choir, modernised in the 15th centy., was the place of deposit of relics in great number and esteemed of immense value. Before the Revo¬ lution this church indeed boasted of possessing the bodies of no less than 7 of the apostles ; that of St. James was, it is true, a duplicate, another of his bodies being preserved at Compos- 31 2 244 Route TO.— Toulouse — Cathedral — Musee . Sect. IV. tella ! This motto was blazoned over the entry —“Non est in toto sanction orbe locus.” The wooden stalls of the choir are well carved in the style of the 16th centy. The Church of St. Taur, situated in the street leading from the Capitole to St. Sernin, derives its name from the wild bull to whose horns the body of the martyr St. Saturnin was bound by his heathen persecutors. The struggles of the furious animal having detached it from the cords on this spot, a church was in consequence erected. That at present existing has nothing remarkable but its flattened fronton belfry, surmounted by an¬ gular arches. The Church of the Cordeliers , a brick building of great loftiness, erected in the 14th centy., is now turned into a magasin de four rage, and filled with hay ; that of the Jacobins, surmounted by a conspicuous brick tower, rising in arches having straight-angled heads, is of vast size, and of brick, like the other churches. It has become a barrack, and is divided by floors, the lower story serving as a stable for artillery horses. Issuing out of the Place du Capitole by the Rue de la Pomme, we come to the Cathedral, or Eglise St. Etienne, remarkable for the irregularity and want of concord in all its parts. The large and beautiful rose window is out of the line of the centre of the main portal immediately below it ; the cen¬ tre of the nave is parallel with the side aisle of the choir, and its two walls do not correspond. The nave was built by Raymond VI., Comte de Toulouse, in the 13th centy., at a time when he was favouring the heretical Albigeois, and was excommunicated in consequence by the Pope. Raymond was besieged within the walls of Tou¬ louse by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, appointed by Innocent III. head of the crusade against the he¬ retics. He met his death in one of the suburbs of the town, from a stone discharged by a mangonel, whilst he was endeavouring to repel a sally of the citizens, in the 9tli month of the fruitless siege, on St. John Baptist’s day, 1218. Count Raymond’s con¬ struction is the oldest part of the church, and was doubtless intended to be removed by those who raised the very elegant Flamboyant Choir. It was begun 1272, but not roofed until 1502, by the Cardinal d’Orleans, son of the brave bastard Dunois, who built also the cloclier and the singular isolated column called Pilier d’ Orleans, which fronts you as you enter the nave. There is some good painted glass in the choir. The tower is sin¬ gular from its form, having two broad sides and two narrow. In the Rue des Arts is the Musee, deposited in the desecrated church of the Augustins, and comprising a large collection of bad paintings, copies, &c., filling two rooms, one of them being the old church itself, which has been re-roofed and re-floored. The best pictures are a Perugino, St. John Evangelist and St. Austin ; a Vander Meulen, Siege of Cambray ; and a cu¬ rious painting of the eight capitouls forming the town council of Toulouse in 1645. A good collection of casts from the antique is placed in the chapterhouse, an elegantly vaulted and groined apartment of the 14th centy., supported on light pillars. The Collection of Antiquities in this museum is the most interesting sight in Toulouse ; it is placed under the admirable direction of M. du Mege, who may be considered its founder. The locale which it partly occupies is the elegant Gothic Cloister of the old church, the traceried arches of which are supported on pillars of marble in pairs, producing an effect not unlike the Campo Santo at Pisa. In addition to a small series of Egyptian sculptures, there are nu¬ merous inscriptions, Roman and Gallic, votive altars, &c., with fragments of statues and of marbles, from various places in Languedoc and the Pyrenees, showing that the quarries of the Py renees were worked by the Romans. The most remarkable part of the col¬ lection, however, is the three following series, forming an almost uninterrupted chain in the history of art, from the Pyrenees. Route 70.— Toulouse — Museum. 245 Gallo-Roman period to the Renais¬ sance or cinque-cento through the Gothic period. 1st. A very large collection of an¬ tiquities dug up near the small town of Martres, on the 1. bank of the Ga¬ ronne, a little below St. Gaudens, and proved by M. du Mege to be the an¬ cient Calagorris. In consequence of the excavations undertaken at his sug¬ gestion, it has become a Gallic Pom¬ peii. The discoveries consist of a series of about 40 busts and medal¬ lions of Roman emperors, and of members of their families, from Au¬ gustus and Claudius down to Gal- lienus, forming a tolerably complete portrait gallery ; of a number of small statues of gods and goddesses, of good execution, especially in the draperjq including Isis, Venus, Diana, Jupiter, Serapis, Esculapius, Harpocrates ; a series of bas-reliefs, much mutilated, representing the Labours of Hercules ; a mosaic of the head of a river god ; a number of Corinthian capitals, friezes, and other architectural orna¬ ments. Among the bronzes are a pair of wheels and the pole of a Roman chariot, very rare and interesting ob¬ jects, dug up at Fa, near the Bains de Rennes. Two bas-reliefs, with in¬ scriptions relating to the two Em¬ perors Tetricus, have given rise to much discussion among antiquaries. They were found at Nerac. 2nd. A collection of works of art of the middle ages, consisting of bas- reliefs, statues, monuments, portals, and a long series of curiously carved capitals of columns obtained from ecclesiastic edifices and Christian monuments destroyed or desecrated at or since the Revolution, beginning with early Christian tombs, sarco¬ phagi, and coffins, covered with sculp¬ ture rude and debased in point of art, but showing Roman influence, bearing Christian symbols combined with heathen subjects, the cross, X, P, the vine-branch, &c. One of these, brought from the outer wall of the church of La Daurade, where it went by the name of Tornheau de la Reine Pedauque (pes aucse, queen goose-leg), bears six bas-reliefs of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, tlie raising of La¬ zarus, and other Scriptural events, which were adopted as types sym¬ bolical of the goodness of God, and of the resurrection, by the early Christians. Another sarcophagus from St. Orens, at Auch, displays, with similar symbolical allusion, the sacri¬ fice of Isaac, and Lazarus deplored by Martha, with Adam and Eve. Others of these tombs come from the very ancient cemetery of St. Saturnin in Toulouse. Several bas-reliefs which ornamented a portal of that church are preserved here ; one represents 2 females seated, their legs crossed; one holds a ram, the other a lion : the names of these two signs of the zodiac being written at the side, and below one of them, ^Hoc factum est in tem¬ pore Julii Ca3saris.” They are sup¬ posed to have formed part of a Zodiac, or Julian Calendar, attached to that church. It is not improbable that they were executed in the time of Charlemagne. From St. Sernin also comes a carving of a hawk, with a human head, treading under foot a monster, inscribed “ Crocodilus the allegory seems derived from Egypt. A pedestal in white marble, bearing 4 figures in relief, 2 of them saints with palms (St. Justus and Rusticus), the Virgin, and a crowned king, supposed to be Charlemagne, holding a lotus¬ headed (?) sceptre, and wearing a cross on his breast, was brought from the Cathedral of Narbonne, of which he was the founder. The curious Portal of the old Church of La Daurade, pulled down in 1812 when the monas¬ tery attached to it was converted into a tobacco manufactory, has been re¬ erected here, as nearly as possible in its original condition. Its circular arch is supported by statues, instead of pillars : attached to it are 4 figures in bas-relief,—David playing on the Harp, and the Virgin and our Saviour, with a king and queen, founders or benefactors of the church. In like manner, the Portal of the Cathedral Chapterhouse at Toulouse, decorated with figures of the Apos¬ tles in bas-relief, has been removed hither. 246 Route 70.— Toulouse — Museum — Inquisition. Sect. IY. Here are numerous statues, partly coloured and gilt, of Christ, the Vir¬ gin, Apostles, and Saints. A series of more than 60 capitals of columns, almost all differing in form and deco¬ ration, the greater part ornamented with subjects minutely carved from the Bible or Legends of Saints. The casts of sculptures from the church of St. Victor at Marseille, and from that of Moissac, merit attention, as well as many monumental effigies of noble knights and high-born dames, and holy ecclesiastics, mitred abbots, bishops, and several archbishops of Toulouse, here deposited. The museum also boasts of possess¬ ing the ivory horn of the renowned Roland, richly carved—formerly pre¬ served in the treasury of the church of S. Sernin. A third division of the museum contains Monuments of the Renaissance, including casts from a portion of the carved wood screen-work in the Ca¬ thedral of Auch, and church of St. Bertrand de Comminges. A Pieta, in white marble, from the Eglise des Carmes at Carcassonne, several frag¬ ments of statues, bas-reliefs, &c., by Bachelier, a sculptor of Toulouse, and pupil of Michael Angelo, 1485-1567. A relief, in white marble, of boys dancing, by Pierre Paul Puget, is very clever. The plastered and stuccoed church of La Daurade derives its name from the gilt mosaics of a former church, of which no traces are now left : the monastery attached to it, on the quay, a little below the bridge, is now the Manufacture Royale de Tabac. There are numerous specimens in the streets of the grand but exagger¬ ated architecture of the Renaissance ; one, perhaps the best, is attributed to Primaticcio’s design, and is situated near the bridge over the Garonne. If the stranger w r ill continue past the bridge, up the street, on the rt. bank of the Garonne, called Rue du Couteliers, he may view the Hotel St. Jean, of Italian architecture, that called Hotel Haguin, or more com¬ monly Maison de Pierre, a gaudy spe¬ cimen of the style of the Renaissance, and nearly opposite an ornamental portal, in much better taste, designed by Bachelier, already mentioned. Still farther on is the cannon foundry, occupying the ancient nun¬ nery of Sainte Claire ; and a little be¬ yond it IjC Convent de l’ Inquisition, an obscure edifice retaining its old ill- omened name, but now belonging to a religious brotherhood engaged in edu¬ cation. It is memorable for crimes which stain the annals of Toulouse. Here alone, in France, was that ac¬ cursed tribunal allowed to take root. Here, as in Spain, it brought with it its usual train of tyrannous atrocities, torturing, imprisoning, roasting at the stake the living, tearing up the dead from their graves, or refusing Christ¬ ian burial to persons deceased. It was first established here, in the time of Count Raymond VII. (1221), by the ecclesiastical council assembled to ex¬ terminate the heresy of the Albigenses, which, at the beginning of the 13th centy., had overspread the entire S. of France, under the connivance or en¬ couragement of Raymond VI., of Toulouse, one of the wealthiest, and most powerful princes of his time. St. Dominic himself, the founder of the Inquisition, visited Toulouse to water the thriving offset from his own terrible foundation ; the cell which he occupied was shown until 1772. The Place de Salin was the scene upon which the French Autos da Fe' were enacted. The house No. 50, Rue des Fila- tiers, was in 1762 occupied by a re¬ spectable Protestant family, named Calas. The father, Jean Calas, car¬ ried on the trade of a draper, and prospered, in good repute with his neighbours, and in contentment at home. The only exception to his domestic happiness was the conver¬ sion, by a priest named Durand, of his third son, Jean Louis, to the Roman Catholic faith. The youth had, in consequence, been sent from home, receiving a small allowance from his father. On the night of the 13th-14th Oc¬ tober, 1761, cries were heard issuing from the house of Calas, and the chief 247 Pyrenees. Route 70.— Toulouse—Tice Inquisition. of police, with an escort of soldiers, on entering it, found near the door the dead body of the eldest son of Calas, Marc Antoine by name. A proces verbal was prepared, de¬ claring that he died, hung by himself; which there can be no doubt is the truth, for he was of a melancholy tem¬ perament ; but a malicious cry was raised in the crowd by a voice un¬ known, that he had been strangled by his father, to prevent his abjuring Calvinism as his brother had done, and the report spread, and was partly believed by the fanatic Toulousans. The elder Calas was in consequence accused of the murder of his own son, before the Parliament of Toulouse ; and that ancient and venerable as¬ sembly, without listening to one-tentli of the evidence which had been pre¬ pared, and without any proof of his guilt, sullied its reputation for justice by condemning him, at the age of 63, to be tortured and broken on the wheel, and his remains burnt and scat¬ tered to the wind. The act of condemnation, in virtue of which this atrocious judicial murder was committed, runs as follows :— “ La Cour le condamne a etre livre aux mains de l’executeur de la haute justice, qui, tete, pieds mis, et en chemise, la hart au col, le montera sur le chariot a ce destine', et le con- duira devant la porte principale de l’Eglise de Toulouse ; oh, etant a genoux, tenant entre ses mains une torche de cire jaune allume'e, du poids de deux livres, il fera amende honor¬ able, et demandera pardon a Dieu, au Roi, et h la justice, de ses crimes et mefaits ; ce fait, le remontera sur le chariot, et le conduira a la Place St. George de cette ville, ou, sur un echaufaud, qui y sera h, cet effet dresse, il lui rompra et brisera les bras, jambes, cuisses, et reins ; ensuite l’ex- posera sur une roue qui sera dressee tout aupres du dit echafaud, la face tournee vers le ciel, pour y vivre en peine et repentance de ses dits mefaits, servir d’exemple, et donner de la ter- reur aux mechants, tout autant qu’il plaise h Dieu de lui donner la vie ; et son corps sera jete dans un bucher prepare h cet effet sur la dite Place, pour y etre consume par les flammes, et ensuite (ses cendres) j etebs au vent. Prealablement le dit Calas sera appli¬ que h la question ordinaire et extraor¬ dinaire, sera le dit Calas pere etrangle, apres avoir reste deux heures sur 'la roue. Juge le 9 Mai, 1762.—Cassan, Clairac, rapporteurs.” He bore the torture inflicted on him in the Hotel de Ville with the greatest firmness, answering all questions with the ut¬ most clearness, and giving no advan¬ tage to his interrogators, but persisting in maintaining his innocence. On the scaffold, after suffering with the most patient resignation the agonies of his punishment for 2 whole hours, during which he was subjected to the mental rackings of a Romish priest, being still fully alive, the signal was given to the executioner to inflict the “ coup de grace.” “ De faux temoins ont egares mes juges,” exclaimed he, before breathing his last breath; “je meurs innocent: Jesus Christ, qui £tait 1’innocence meme, voulut mourir par une supplice plus cruel encore.” The very Domi¬ nicans who attended Calas exclaimed as he expired, “ Il est mort un juste!” With his murder an end was put to the martyrdoms and cruel persecutions of the Protestants which had disgraced the South of France for almost a cen¬ tury, and chiefly owing to the praise¬ worthy exertions of Voltaire in defend¬ ing Jean Calas and exposing his perse¬ cutors. His sentence was reversed and his innocence proclaimed by the Conseil Royal at Paris. The Palais de Justice, totally mo¬ dernised externally, and for the most part a new building, was the seat of the Parliament of Toulouse, where its sittings were held. The fine ceilings ornamenting its interior have been retained in two apartments : one, carved with reliefs in compartments, representing the Labours of Hercules, is by no means contemptible; the other is richly gilt. At a short distance below the bridge the navigation of the Garonne is inter¬ rupted by a weir thrown across it to supply water to the large corn-mill 248 Route 70.— Canal du Midi—Rattle of Toulouse. Sect. IV. of the town, called le Basacle, rebuilt 1814. Between this mill and the church of La Daurade is the mouth of the Canal de Brienne, constructed by the arch¬ bishop whose name it bears, to remedy the interruption in the navigation caused by the mill-weir. It runs nearly parallel with the Garonne for about f mile below the Basacle, and then falls into the Canal du Midi. A fine avenue of trees leads to this junc¬ tion. Here the 2 canals are crossed by small bridges, between which, on a level with the w T ater, is stuck a large piece of sculpture, in high relief, of white marble, representing some un¬ meaning allegory, without allusion to the founder of the great work, Riquet, and contemptible in execution. A few hundred yards below this, the Canal du Midi, after sweeping round the E. and N. sides of the city of Toulouse, enters the Garonne through a basin provided with double locks, and guarded against ice by a sort of pier. The Garonne is at this point 144 metres, or 473 feet, above the level of the Atlantic. The navigation of the Garonne, though carried on by barges, is very difficult, owing to rocks and stems of trees in its bed, from Toulouse to the junction of the Tarn. A lateral canal has been projected from Toulouse to Castels in Dept, de la Gironde. For a description of the Canal du Midi see Rte. 93. At the battle of Toulouse the inner bank of the canal, towards the town, was lined with French troops, and every bridge over it strongly defended by tetes de pont and intrenchments. In an attack made by the British Light Division upon the bridge nearest the embouchure of the canal, designed by Wellington merely as a feint, but converted by Picton, in disobedience to orders, into a hopeless assault, the British were repulsed with a loss of 400 men. A monument has been erected, in the grounds of the Chateau Gragnague, on the N. side of the canal, to a British officer of great merit, Colonel Forbes, of the 45th regiment. Several other English monumental tablets are also placed in the Protestant Church of Toulouse. The best point of view for surveying the fold of the Battle of Toulouse (April 10, 1814), as well as for viewing the town, is the Obelisk of brick, erected by the city, “ Aux Braves morts pour la Patrie,” occupying the site of one of Marshal Soult’s redoubts, taken by the English, on the height of Calvinet. It is reached by traversing the fine oval place, and the broad Avenue Lafay¬ ette (originally d’Angouleme), crossing the canal at the flying bridge, or Pont Matabiau, and ascending at the back of the Ecole Vffiffiinaire. The view owes its chief interest to the distant chain of the Pyrenees, occupying the horizon, whose peaks may be discerned, in fine weather, from the Canigou on the E. to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre on the W., with the Maladetta, Cra- bioules, and Mt. Perdu in the centre. The city itself is not striking; the country around is very flat and mono¬ tonous, and the Garonne runs in too deep a bed to form a feature in the landscape. The most important part of Marshal Soult’s position, at the time of the battle, was along the heights called Mont Rave, composed of two plat¬ forms, Calvinet (on which stands the obelisk) and Sypierre, both of which had been fortified, several weeks beforehand, with 5 redoubts, and in¬ trenchments between them, mounted with a great many guns. The position was supported by the canal, and by the ramparts by which the town was then surrounded in the rear of the canal; and in front the position was covered by the Ers. That stream was at the time unfordable, and all the bridges over it were blown up, or strongly guarded, except that of Croix Daurade, taken by the British Hussars the day before the battle. General Beresford’s division, which achieved the victory, had to make a flank move¬ ment, marching for 2 m. up the rt. bank of the Ers, under the fire from the heights, over ground naturally very difficult, marshy, and intersected by watercourses, but rendered almost Pyrenees. Route 71 .—Limoges to Bordeaux . 249 impassable by artificial inundations. After passing Calvinet, the British troops formed, and, charging up the height, took first the redoubt on Sy- pierre, and afterwards those on Cal- vinet. Here, however, a terrible struggle took place : the British, “ clinging to the brow of the hill,” in spite of the masses opposed to them, stood fast on the ground they had gained; and though the French made desperate efforts from the canal, they never retook Calvinet. A previous attack on Calvinet, made in the early part of the day by the Spaniards, had been very different in its result ; so quickly, indeed, did they retire, that the Duke of Wellington said of them, “he never before saw 10,000 men running a race1500 of them were slaughtered on the slope of this hill, chiefly in a hollow road upon its flank, raked by a battery from the Pont de Matabiau on the canal, which “ sent its bullets from flank to flank, hissing through, the quivering mass of flesh and bones,” to use the words of Colonel Napier. At 5 o’clock p. m. Soult withdrew his whole army behind the canal. The next day he remained inactive, and on the night of the 11th was “forced to abandon” Toulouse, leaving behind 1600 wounded and 3 generals, to fall prisoners into the hands of the allies. They lost in this battle 4659 men and 4 generals; the French nearly 3000, and 5 generals killed or wounded; a useless waste of human life, since Napoleon had abdicated on the 4th April, some days previously, though that event was unknown to either of the commanders. There can be no doubt that the charge brought against Marshal Soult of fighting this battle though aware of what had happened at Paris is unfounded, and the Duke of Wellington himself has nobly vin¬ dicated him from it. The forces of the allies amounted to 52,000 men; but of these only 24,000, and 52 guns, were actually engaged in the battle; the French had 38,000 men, with from 80 to 90 guns. This is the estimate drawn out with the utmost fairness by Colonel Napier. The country immediately about Toulouse is generally flat and unin¬ teresting, and, being besides arid, and burnt up in summer, the want of shade and verdure, and the excessive dust, offer no inducements to explore. Its fertility, however, is very conspi¬ cuous. Toulouse is joined by a bridge of brick, pierced with round holes be¬ tween the spandrels of the arches, and terminating in an archway, with the suburb of St. Cyprien, which was invested by General Hill and one division of the British army at the time of the battle. The principal Cafes are in the Place du Capitole. The market held here is very abundantly supplied : fruit, vegetables, poultry, and wine are very cheap; butter and milk dear; ortolans, truffles, figs, pates de foies de canards, are the delicacies which await the gourmand here. Mallepostes daily to Chateauroux by Montauban and Limoges; to Nar- bonne and Montpellier; to Bordeaux by Agen; to Bayonne by Audi and Pau. Diligences —daily, to Paris (Cha¬ teauroux Stat.) ; to Bordeaux; to Tarbes, Pau, and Bayonne; to Auch and Bagneres de Bigorre; to St. Gau- dens and Bagneres de Luchon; to Foix, Ussat, and Ax; to Villefranclie (Avey- ron) ; to Narbonne and Montpellier; to Perpignan by Limoux; to Alby. ROUTE 71. LIMOGES TO BORDEAUX, BY PERIGUEUX AND L1BOURNE. 215 kilom. = 133^ Eng. m. Mallcposte as far as Perigueux. Diligences daily. Through a hilly country we reach the first relay at 12 Aixe, on the Vienne, a small town skirted by the road. 23 Chalus. The post-house and inn is situated at some distance from this little town, which is only remark¬ able for its Castle of Chabrol, rising above it in picturesque ruins. Be¬ neath its walls Richard Coeur de Lion M 3 250 Route 71 .—Limoges to Bordeaux — Perigueux. Sect. IV. received Iris death-wound from the arrow of a youth named Bertrand de Guerdon. The tamer of the infidel, and hero of the Crusades, thus ended a chivalrous life of nearly constant warfare, before the petty fortress of a vassal, the Viscount of Limoges, which he had besieged in consequence of a quarrel about the division of a trea¬ sure found in the viscount’s domain, of which Richard claimed the whole, or a larger share than had been con¬ ceded to him. The castle was soon taken, and the garrison of only 38 men were hung by the king’s order, except the bold archer who had sped the shaft so fatal to him. The youth avowed, when brought before the dying monarch, that revenge for the death of his father and two brothers, slain by Richard, had prompted him to free the country of its oppressor. His life, though magnanimously spared by Richard, was taken after his death; and he is said to have been flayed alive by order of Richard’s minister. The most conspicuous part of the castle yet remaining is a circular donjon, entered by a doorway high up in the wall, and no longer accessible without a ladder. The tower is en¬ tirely gutted. Around it are grouped some shattered fragments of buildings, including a portion of a chapel. A little conical stone, rising out of the meadows in the front of the castle, in the valley below it, is pointed out as the spot where Richard had placed himself to reconnoitre the fort, when the arrow struck him in the 1. shoulder. The stone is called Maumont. The bridge of Firbeix, 3 m. from Chalus, crosses the boundary line of the ancient provinces of Limousin and Perigord. 13 La Coquille. 15 Thiviers. 13 Palissou. 19 Perigueux (Inns: H. de France; good ;—H. de Perigord, famed for its Pies, turkeys stuffed with truffles, &c.; —du Chene Vert), the chef-lieu of the D^pt. Dordogne, contains 12,157 In- hab., and is situated on the rt. bank pf the river L’lsle, which was canalised in 1837. The town, composed of streets narrow, tortuous, and dirty within, is fringed by green alleys ex¬ ternally. Its Cathedral of St. Front is supposed to be of the 10th centy,, except the lofty tower, 197 ft. high, which is rather later. The arrangement of the ground-plan and the construction of this ch. display some remarkable pecu¬ liarities. It is in the form of a Greek cross, with 4 equal arms, formed by squares, set round a 5th square in the centre. Each square is surmounted by a stone-vaulted cupola, concealed from without by a wooden roof, but visible to those who choose to mount up to the roof. Its resemblance to St. Mark’s at Venice, in style and size, is very singular. In a chapel within it, is a remarkable bas-relief in wood, representing the Assumption of the Virgin, of elaborate execution. The Prefecture is a handsome modern building. The first ancient name of this city was Vesuna, retained in the tower de Vesune, a circular edifice of Roman construction, 100 ft. high, its walls 6 ft. thick, without doors or windows. It is supposed to have been a tomb, and is situated in a suburb called La Cit5, which contains other ancient remains of a Roman amphitheatre (very picturesque) and arch. At a later period the name Vesuna was changed to Petrocorii, mentioned by Caesar, whence Perigueux. The Chateau de la Barriere is a most curious building, raised on Roman foundations, which themselves show evidence of hasty construction. Other portions date from the 10th to the 17th centy. Part is inhabited by the Comte de Beaufort, being his paternal inheritance reco¬ vered after the Revolution.— P. The streets of Perigueux contain some curiously ornamented houses of the 16th century: one at the corner of Rue l’Aiguillerie bearing the date 1518; 2 others in Rue Taillefer, Nos. 31 and 37; and a 4th at the end of the Rue de la Sagesse, ornamented with arabesques and carvings, merit notice. There are some buildings and vaults which are as old as the 12th and 13th centuries. Pyrenees. Route 71. —Limoges to Bordeaux — Libourne. 251 The celebrated pates de Perigueux, well known to all gourmands, are made of partridges combined with truffles, and form an article of con¬ siderable export. The road descends the valley of the L’lsle nearly all the way to Libourne, crossing the stream opposite Castel Fadaise. Passing under the castle of Montan- cey, we reach 18 Massoulie. 17 Mussidan. 17 Montpont. 18 St. Medard (Ddpt. Gironde). A few m. to the rt. lies Coutras, where Henri IV., while still only King of Navarre, gained a bloody victory over the forces of the League under the Due de Joyeuse, who lost his life on the field, along with many other great lords, 1587. Coutras is visible from a hill overlooking the valley of the LCsle, surmounted before reaching 20 Libourne (Inns: H. de France; des Princes), a town of nearly 10,000 Inhab., situated on the rt. bank of the Dordogne, here a tidal river, ca¬ pable of receiving vessels of 300 tons burthen, and crossed by a bridge of brick, like that of Bordeaux, at the confluence of the LCsle, which is tra¬ versed by an iron bridge. It is neat and regularly built, and is one of the “ Bastides” or free towns founded by Edward I.* It is said to occupy the site of the “ Condatis portus” men¬ tioned by Ausonius. Railroad, Libourne to Angouleme and Bordeaux, in progress. [An interesting excursion may be made from Libourne up the valley of the Dordogne to St. Emilion, a town of 3100 Inhab. (3 m. distant), celebrated for its wines, and one of the most remarkable in France for the antiquity of its buildings. It is, as it were, a town of the middle ages preserved to our times ; with its crenellated ramparts, watch-towers, and 6 gates still perfect. There is not a house in it less than 3 centuries old. It is seated in a sort of ravine or quarry, and many of the dwellings are caves * See p. 228 . hewn in the rocks. It has a ruined Castle, le Chateau du Roi, built by Louis VIII., surmounted by a square keep-tower, in a style resembling the Norman, most singular ; in fijet unique. “ At the top of the ridge is an immense Gothic steeple that would suit a cathedral, but has under it only a church (now abandoned) cut in the sandstone rock, very large and lofty.” — S. A round Gothic church, called the Rotonde; the Parish or Collegiate Church, a fine building, reduced to the nave and W. portal, of the 12th centy. On the S. side is a curious Cloister, and not far off rises a graceful tower, octagonal above, square below, com¬ manding from its top a very fine view; the ruins of several other churches and convents; and a handsome build¬ ing, the Palais du Cardinal de Cantarac. The Girondins Guadet, Petion, and Barbaroux sought refuge for a time in the cave dwellings here, but were cap¬ tured and slain here, 1794.] [About 12 m. S.E. of this is Castillon, under whose walls was fought, in 1453, the battle in which valiant Lord Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, “ The Frenchman’s only scourge, Their kingdom’s terror, and black Nemesis,” hemmed in by a French force greatly superior to his own, was slain, at the age of nearly 80 years, gallantly fight¬ ing, along with his son, the Lord Lisle, whom his father in vain counselled to depart out of the field, seeing that all was lost,—a real incident, which has furnished Shakespeare with a fine scene. The result of Talbot’s defeat and death was the capture of Bordeaux from the English, and their final expulsion from Guienne. Near Montraval, on the rt. bank of the Dordogne, a tomb was formerly pointed out under the name of Talbot’s ; but it is known that his body was transported by his friends to England. 3 m. from Castillon, on the 1. of the road, but accessible only by rough cross-roads, is the Chateau of St. Michel de Montaigne, the birthplace of Montaigne, the philosopher essayist, Shakespeare’s favourite author. It is a considerable building, never fortified, and remains nearly as described by 252 Route 73.— Toulouse to Bordeaux — Agen. Sect. IV. him in his Essai des Trois Commerces. The room which was his library is pre¬ served in the gate tower, over the en¬ trance, and its roof is inscribed with Greek and Latin sentences ; among them some from Ecclesiastes also— “ Homo sum : humani h, me nihil alie- num puto.” There is a pleasing view from the terrace. The ch. is near the house.] The great line of railway from Paris to Bordeaux passes through Libourne, and is nearly finished from that place S. The road to Bordeaux, after cross¬ ing the bridge over the Dordogne, passes through 16 Beychac. A few miles S. of Carbon Blanc our road falls into that from Angouleme to Bordeaux, described in Rte. 64, while 15 Bordeaux itself will be found in Rte. 73. ROUTE 73. TOULOUSE TO BORDEAUX BY MOISSAC, AGEN, MARMANDE J -DESCENT OF THE GARONNE. 256 kilom. = 158^ Eng. m. Malleposte daily in 16 hours. Diligences daily. Steamers ply on the Garonne from Agen or Marmande to Bordeaux : a good restaurant on board. The first 2 stages from Toulouse by 17 St. Jory, and 12 Grisolles, are the same as Rte. 70; but we turn to the 1. out of the road to Paris by Montauban, before reaching 16 La Yitarelle. The Garonne runs nearly parallel with the road, but so far off (lj to 2 m.) as scarcely to be seen. After skirting the little town of St. Porquier, and crossing the road from Montauban to Auch, we reach 13 Castel Sarrazin, a town of 7000 Inhab., carrying on some trade in the corn grown on the fertile plain around. Opinions differ as to the origin of the name ; some deriving it from the Sara¬ cens, who may have built the castle, of which scanty remains exist, to secure themselves in this part of France; others, from Castel-sur-Azin, the name of the small stream running through it. The river Tarn, flowing down from Montauban to join the Garonne, is crossed before entering 7 Moissac ( Inn : Grand Soleil), a town of 10,165 Inhab., on the rt. bank of the Tarn. Its Ch. of St. Pierre and St. Paul, once attached to a celebrated abbey founded by Clovis, or more probably by St. Amand of Maestricht in the 7th centy., has a very remarkable portal, which was added in the early part of the 12th centy. to the still older church. It is a deeply recessed porch, preceding a pointed arch, the mouldings and tym¬ panum of which, over the door, are enriched with the most fantastic sculp¬ tures, designed with the utmost bold¬ ness and fancy. Figures of apostles, saints, angels, bas-reliefs, fanciful pat¬ terns and mouldings, have been dashed off with wonderful freedom. The cen¬ tral pier, supporting the doorway, and the side walls, under the porch, are similarly adorned. In the interior are some very early mosaics. The cloisters, a range of pointed arches, resting on twin pillars with, singular capitals, were constructed in 1110, as is recorded on one of the pillars. An ancient fountain in the town merits notice. A hilly stage intervenes between Moissac and 10 Malause, a prettily situated town, whose ancient castle has been destroyed since the first Revolution. The flat land ceases here, and the country around is very pleasing : the Garonne, which the road now approaches more closely, is a charming feature in the landscape. The little town of Valence is passed, and a few miles further the road runs along a sort of terrace or quay by the side of the Garonne, through 12 LaMagistere. 10 Croquelardit. About half way between Toulouse and Bordeaux lies 10 Agen.—Inns : H. du Petit St. Jean, beds not clean, but good cuisine, famed for its Terrines de Rerac and Pyrenees. Route 73.— Toulouse to Bordeaux — St. Come. 253 pates aux truffes ; pretty garden ;— H. de France, good and cheap. Agen, chef-lieu of the Dept. Lot et Garonne, is a very old town, chiefly of narrow streets, with 12,500 Inhab., agreeably situated on the 1. bank of the Garonne, between it and the gently sloping height, covered with trees, vine¬ yards, and country-houses, called Cote de l’Ermitage. The Garonne is here crossed by a bridge of stone, and also by a Suspension-bridge, between which and the town runs a beautiful avenue of trees, forming an agreeable pro¬ menade called Les Graviers. The old Ch. of St. Caprais is a fine Romanesque building with numerous apses, and has been well restored. There are a few scanty remains of the cathedral of St. Etienne, destroyed at the Revolution, and its site is now become a beast- market. The Prefecture was originally the episcopal palace, and is a handsome edifice. The Canal is carried over the Garonne here, on a 3rd Bridge or ponderous stone Aqueduct of 23 arches, of good architecture. The town was known to the Romans under the name Aginum. The early Christians suffered severe persecution here from the Roman preetor ; and St. Vincent, the 2nd bishop, and many followers, underwent martyrdom, being torn to pieces on the spot now occupied by the Fontaine St. Vincent. Agen suffered much from the fortunes of war, especially in the 14th century, when, by sieges and assaults, it passed repeatedly from the hands of the French to the English, and vice versa. Dur¬ ing the wars of the League it was taken by the Marechal de Matignon, with the aid of an engineer, who blew in one of the gates with a petard, 1591. Marguerite de Valois, who was in the town at the time, had great difficulty in securing a horse, with a pillion, for herself to escape, and post-horses for a portion of her maids of honour, many of whom were compelled to decamp “on foot without masks, others with¬ out riding-habits.” Those who have time should walk to the top of the rocky height of L’Ermi¬ tage, on the way to Villeneuve, for the sake of the view over the beautiful valley of the Garonne and the distant Pyrenees. In a pretty gorge or recess in the slope of the hill is the curious house of the erudite Julius Scaliger, whither he retired, in the reign of Francis I., after migrating from his native city, Verona. He died here 1558, and here his no less learned son, Joseph Julius Scaliger, was born Agen is also the birthplace of Bernard Palissy, inventor of a beautiful species of earthenware, the Wedge wood of the 16th century, and not less scientific for his age; also of LacepMe, the naturalist. Here was born, and still dwells and sings, a rustic poet named Jasmin, a perruquier by trade, the last represen¬ tative of the Troubadours. His songs are very popular throughout the S. of France, in the country of the Langue d’Oc. A great number of plum orchards clothe the neighbouring slopes and fields, and produce the celebratedpmncs d'Agen, which form an article of con¬ siderable export. Steamers navigate the Garonne as far up as Agen, when the river is of proper height: the descent hence to Bordeaux requires 8 hours, the ascent 11 or 12. You reach Agen from Bor¬ deaux about 6 or 7 p.m. The vessels are clean but small, so that they do not take carriages, which must be sent by land by voiturier. Mallepostes to Auch and Pau ; to Limoges and Orleans ; to Bordeaux and Toulouse. The traveller bound to the Pyrenees may turn off here to Pau, by Lectoure. 10 Pont St. Hilaire. 11 Port St. Marie. Here is a sus¬ pension-bridge over the Garonne. Near the village of St. Come, on the rt. of the road, the remains of a tower, called Tour de St. Come, constructed of small square stones, and supposed to be of Roman origin, are worthy of notice. It stands at a short distance from 10 Aiguillon, a town of nearly 2000 Inhab., on the 1. bank of the Lot, about a mile above its influx into the Garonne. Its principal building is the large chateau 254 Route 73.— Toulouse to Bordeaux — Cardillac. Sect. IV. on an eminence, left unfinished by the Due d’Aiguillon, minister of Louis XV. by favour of Mad. du Barry. But it is said to include portions of older con¬ struction. The duchy was created by Henri IV. 1599, to bestow it upon the Due de Mayenne. The old castle, so stoutly defended by the English in 1346, when besieged for 5 months by Jean Due de Normandie, son of Phi¬ lippe de Valois, with an army of 60,000 men, no longer exists. Although the prince directed against it 20 assaults in 7 days, and though he had sworn not to move until it was taken, he was compelled to retire from before its walls without having succeeded, being called off by intelligence of his father’s defeat at Crecy. The Lot is crossed here by a bridge of 8 arches, built by Napoleon. 11 Tonneins (Inn: H. d’Angleterre), a cheerful - looking town, chiefly of modern buildings, remarkable for the beauty of its situation, on the rt. bank of the Garonne, containing 6500Inhab., half of whom are Protestants. There are extensive manufactures of rope here, and a royal manufactory of to¬ bacco, large quantities of which are cul¬ tivated around Tonneins, and through¬ out the departments of Lot and Lot et Garonne, under the inspection of the excise. There is a suspension-bridge over the Garonne here. 17 Marmande (Inns: H. de France; —H. de la Providence ;—Tete Noire ; good, clean, and reasonable— M. L.), a town of venerable aspect, many of its houses being timber-framed, but possessing no objects of interest to the traveller. Pop. 9900. Below Marmande the navigation of the river is more sure, and steamers ply more regularly, than above. One or two vessels run daily to Bordeaux, corresponding with the diligences to Toulouse. The road avoids the windings made by the river below Marmande, being carried in nearly a straight line to 11 La Mothe Landeron, which lies within the D£pt. of the Gironde. 1. The lofty old ruined tower of Meilhau remains long in sight of those who travel by water, owing to its posi¬ tion at the extremity of an acute angle or elbow made by the river. A fine suspension-bridge of a single curve, 558 ft. wide in the opening, spans the river at 9 La Bfiole (Cerf Volant: a mere public-house, but clean beds and good food)—a town of 4000 Inhab., retaining the ruins of an ancient castle, which Froissart says was built by the Sara¬ cens. The vast Benedictine convent, rebuilt in the 17th century and sup¬ pressed at the Revolution, has been converted into a nunnery. The Gothic church attached to it has been allowed to go to decay. 9 Candrot. The ancient town of St. Macaire, re¬ taining its feudal walls and possessing a fine Romanesque church, is passed shortly before reaching the suspension- bridge, 656 ft. long, which carries the road over the Garonne into 9 Langon (Inn .- H. de France; homely but clean), a miserable town of 3745 Inhab., partly surrounded by old walls, on the 1. bank of the Garonne, which could be crossed only by a ferry¬ boat down to 1831, though Langon lies on the great line of traffic between Bordeaux and Toulouse. The high roads from Bayonne and Pau to Bordeaux (Rtes. 76 and 80) unite with that from Toulouse at Langon. The tide runs up as far as Langon. The post-road hence to Bordeaux is described in Rte. 76. The banks of the river are here clothed with vineyards, whose produce, chiefly white wines, enjoys some repu¬ tation and fetches a considerable price, being known by the name of Vins de Grave. Sauterne and Barsac are both grown in the commune of 1. Preignac, not far from Langon. Bertrand de Gout, who became pope under the name of Clement V., was born in the very picturesque castle of Villandraut, about 8 m. S. of Preignac. 1. Barsac, whence comes the white wine named after it, is a town of 2896 Inhab. rt. Cardillac was the seat of the Due d’Epernon, governor of the province of Pyrenees. Route 73 .— Bordeaux — Cathedral. 255 Guienne in the 17th Q^ntury; the first duke, who was the favourite of Henri III., but died in the prison of Loches, built the Chateau (1598), which is now converted into a female Penitentiary. His splendid monument, attributed to Girardon, erected by his son in the parish church, was destroyed at the Revolution, except one statue now in the Louvre. There is a great manu¬ facture of wine-casks here. 12 (1.) Cerons, an old castle. 1. Podensac, 15 m. from Bordeaux. rt. At Langoiron, at the foot of the slope, are ruins of a castle built apparently in the 14th century : near this l’Ami cles Enfans, Berquin, was born. 1. Portets is the place where the in¬ habitants of the Landes embark their rosin and timber, the produce of that sandy district, which stretches S. from the Garonne near this to the Adour. 11 (1.) Castres. 13 (1.) Bouscaut, at some distance from the river. Among the numerous villages which crowd the banks of the Garonne none appear to deserve parti¬ cular mention. On approaching Bor¬ deaux the wooded and vineclad (rt.) heights of Floirac form a pleasing feature in the view. The bridge is described in Rte. 64. 11 (1.) Bordeaux. — Inns: H. de France ;—France et Rouen, very good — G. G. B. ;—H. de la Paix (Sansot’s) ; beds, 2 frs. ; sitting-room, 3 frs. ; very comfortable ;—H. de Paris, fre¬ quented by English, good;—H. de Richelieu, good situation; no table- d’hote. Bordeaux, the second seaport-town of France, containing 110,000 Inhab., is placed on the 1. bank of the Garonne, on a spot where its voluminous stream, deep enough for vessels of 1200 tons burthen, makes a very regular curve, which, being lined with handsome buildings of varied architecture, chiefly Italian, forms a noble crescent, lined wflth quays not less than 3 m. long, surmounted by several Gothic towers and antique spires in the background. No city in Europe, except perhaps St. Petersburg, can display a more splendid quay than this. The river abreast of the town, 2000 ft. wide, and 18 to 30 ft. deep, is filled with shipping up to the magnificent Bridge, the handsomest in France. (See Rte. 64.) This noble ex¬ terior, equally striking to the stranger whether lie approaches by water or by land from the side of Paris, is borne out by the aspect of a large part of its interior, which has a courtly rather than a commercial air. The Rues du Chapeau Rouge and de 1’Intendance, running E. and W. through the heart of the town, nearly separate the old town, of narrow and insignificant though very populous streets, from the N. or more modern quarter, consisting of wide openings, broad streets, extensive places, and avenues, and gardens run¬ ning into one another, which render Bordeaux a sprawling city, difficult to get over on foot, but omnibuses and neat fiacres are fortunately very abun¬ dant. The Place and Allies de Tournay are so named from an ancient intendant of the province, who in 1750 led the way in improving the city. Some of the finest streets and rows of houses, and the open Place Louis - Philippe terminating at the river side with 2 lofty rostral columns, occupy the site of a citadel called Chateau Trompette, built by Yauban for Louis XIY. to overawe the Bordelais, dis¬ mantled under Louis XVI., and re¬ moved since the Restoration. The con¬ struction of this new quarter has united with the town of Bordeaux the vast Quartier des Cliartrons (so called from a convent of Cliartreux), stretching down by the river side, and once a dis¬ tinct faubourg. One of the most conspicuous, and at the same time handsomest buildings, is the Theatre, of good Grecian archi¬ tecture, faced with a Corinthian portico of 12 arches and isolated on all sides; it is situated in a very central part of the town. It was erected 1780, under the direction of the Due de Richelieu, by the architect Louis. The Cathedral of St. Andre is dis¬ tinguished by its 2 elegant spires, 150 ft. high, at the end of the N. transept, said to have been erected by the Eng¬ lish, who held possession of Bordeaux 256 Route 73.— Bordeaux — St. Michael. Sect. IY. for nearly 300 years, and flanking a pointed portal, enriched with statues and bas-reliefs, above which is a fine rose-window surmounted by a gable. The nave, partly in the round Roman¬ esque style, partly, towards the W. end, repaired in a bungling manner in the 15th centy., after the destruction of a part of the church by an earth¬ quake, is destitute of aisles, and re¬ markable only for its breadth—56 ft., which, being out of all proportion with its height, deprives it of the chief merit and characteristic of Gothic archi¬ tecture—elevation. The choir is more elevated, and in a more truly Gothic style, with a triforium gallery and lofty clerestory windows; it is probably of the same age as the spires, and is also said to be by English architects. Our Richard II. was christened, and the marriage of Louis XIII. with the In¬ fanta of Spain, Anne of Austria, was solemnized in this church, 1615. Opposite the W. end of the cathedral are the Palais and Hotel cle Ville. Near the E. end of the cathedral, but quite detached from it, is the Tour de Peyberland, a noble structure 200 ft. high, square below, and supported by buttresses, but gradually diminishing from its base until it terminates in a circular top. It was originally sur¬ mounted by a spire, which rose to a height of 300 ft. It is named from Pierre Berland, who rose from being the son of a poor labourer in Medoc to be bishop of Bordeaux; he caused it to be erected in 1430. During the Reign of Terror it was condemned to destruction; but the spire alone suf¬ fered, the rest resisting all attacks, owing to its solidity. Its handsome windows, however, were stopped, and it was converted into a shot-tower, in which capacity it still continues to bear the words, “ Fabrique de plomb de chasse,” L’Eglise Ste. Croix, situated quite at the S. extremity of the town, near the quay, considerably above the bridge, is supposed to be the oldest church here, though a much earlier age has been assigned to it by some than it can claim, as its oldest parts cannot date farther back than the 10th or 11th centy. Its W. front, quite without uniformity, owing to its partial de¬ struction and subsequent repairs, is a specimen of richly decorated Roman¬ esque architecture, and from its age and quaint ornaments deserves some notice. Its semicircular portal and 2 lateral closed arcades are surrounded by mouldings elaborately carved, some with singular and unexplained naked groups of figures, intermixed with cable mouldings. In the tympanum above the door are 3 rows of bas-reliefs, in a style curiously resemblingthe Egyptian. The rest of the fagade, and the wall of the tower rising on the one side, are occupied by arcades; groups of twisted or grooved pillars flank the portal, and 3 tiers of 4 small pillars, placed side by side one above the other, serve in¬ stead of buttresses to the tower. The interior is of later date and in¬ ferior interest; its clustered roof rests on clumsy drum-like piers, partlyplain, partly surrounded by shafts, some of them surmounted by curious stiffiy- carved capitals. It contains a handsome canopied tomb of an abbot, in decorated Gothic. In a chapel on the 1. as you enter, the panelled walls of which are decorated with tolerable paintings from the life of the Virgin by an old Italian artist, Vasetti, is an oblong baptismal font, bearing on 2 sides well-executed bas-reliefs of the Last Supper, with de¬ corated ornaments. In descending the quay from Ste. Croix, you pass, a little above the bridge, near the church of St. Michael, situated nearly on a line with the bridge, and distinguished by its lofty detached tower, deprived of much of its effect by being hemmed in with mean houses. Its N. front is a superb Gothic elevation in the florid style (15th centy.). It has an elegant rose window framed within a richly decorated arch, whose mouldings are curved back below it. Under it is a florid porch. Over the door are placed a pair of bas-reliefs representing the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Paschal Lamb, dating from the 16th centy.; they are separated by a charming group of wonderful expression, representing Judas’s kiss. Within the church, at Pyrenees. Route 73.— Bordeaux—Palais Gallien. 257 the back of this portal, over the door, is another group, an “EcceHomo,” of the same period, and a century earlier than the bas-reliefs on each side of it, which represent St. Michael destroying the Dragon, and Adam and Eve. The nave and choir are nearly uniform, and of noble pointed Gothic; the choir (about the 13th centy.) has a triforium and clerestory running behind the high altar, so that the E. end is like any compartment at the side, except that the space below, behind the altar, is filled with a shallow apse. There are afewgood painted windows, and in the N. side of the nave a chapel furnished with an altar in the richest and most overladen Renaissance style. Within its niches are 3 graceful statues —the Virgin and Child, St. Catherine, and St. Barbara. Near the W. end stands the elegant detached belfry , 178 ft. high, which now bears the telegraph, but was ori¬ ginally surmounted by a steeple, and rose to a height of 300 ft. It is of oc¬ tagonal form, supported by elegant buttresses, and was built between 1472 and 1480. In the vault beneath it are shown from 40 to 50 human bodies, in¬ terred in the vault below before the Revolution, and preserved by its dry and antiseptic qualities, until they are now like leather, or salt fish,—a disgusting sight. St. Seurin (St. Severin), situated be¬ yond the Place Dauphine, in the Allees d’Amour, is remarkable for a finely carved triple S. porch, consisting of a trefoil - headed door, enriched with statues of good workmanship, well- executed draperies, and dating from 1267. They represent the 12 Apostles and 2 more sacred personages. The W. front is modern, but is a tolerable attempt to follow the Roman¬ esque style. The W. porch consists of 3 detached low vaults, one within the other, supported on pillars with curiously carved capitals. Within this church, on the rt.-hand or S. wall, is a curious bas-relief within a pointed arch above a doorway, now walled up, representing a pope saying mass (supposed to be Clement V., Archbishop of Bordeaux), assisted by a cardinal. On the opposite wall is another bas-relief of 7 figures in niches. The Gothic woodwork of the choir is curious, but sadly bedaubed with paint. Under the seats are numerous grotesque groups. The high altar is decorated with 14 curiously carved bas-reliefs of marble, framed, representing the legend of St. Severin, Bishop of Bordeaux in the 5th centy. On the one side of the chancel stands the Bishop's Throne, a curiously carved seat, under a canopy, all of marble, richly sculptured. This church was the cathedral before St. AndrA Under the choir is an early crypt with 3 aisles and semicircular arches. At the W. end rises a tower surrounded by a double row of circular arcades. In the Chapelle of the College, a bold Gothic structure, is the monument of Montaigne, the essayist, a native of Montaigne St. Michel in Perigord, who was mayor of Bordeaux in 1553. He is represented in full armour, accord¬ ing to the custom of the period, laid on his back, with his hands joined in prayer. The statue is a well-executed work of the 16th centy. At No. 17, in the Rue des Minimes, stood his modest mansion, in which he lived and died, 1592, now pulled down. These are the most remarkable ec¬ clesiastical edifices of Bordeaux, but it retains still a monument of the Roman city Burdigala, in the fragment of an amphitheatre, now called Palais Gal- lien, not quite accurately, because, though possibly built in the reign of the Emp. Gallienus, it was not a palace, but a circus, capable of containing 1500 persons. It is supposed to have been built by Tetricus, one of the so-called 30 tyrants, who assumed the purple here. It was condemned to destruc¬ tion 1792, and has been since gradually pulled down to build houses, so that it is now reduced to mere fragments, in¬ teresting to the antiquary alone, of an oval wall formed of small stones with layers of tiles between them, inter¬ rupted by the broken archways which lead into it. The interior is occupied by houses and workshops, and 2 streets cross in the centre of it: so that you may stand in the midst of its area and 258 Houle 73.— Bordeaux—The Bourse. Sect. IV. scarcely recognise these ancient re¬ mains. Bordeaux has preserved 2 of its feudal town gates: one, now called Tour de V Horloge, built 1246 by Henry III. of England, surmounted by 3 pointed turrets, formed part of the old Hdtel de Ville ; the other, Porte de Caillou, at the end of the Rue du Palais, was built 1492, to commemorate the victory of Charles VIII. at Fornova. The old Bourse, in the Place d’Aqui¬ taine, now an office of roulage, but built as a palace for Charles IX., and the old Eveche in a narrow street near it, are picturesque examples of the architecture of the 16th centy. Bordeaux, like almost every other chef-lieu de Ddpartement in France, has a Gallery of Paintings. They are placed in the numerous saloons of the Hotel de Ville; but, except for their number, they are in no wise remark¬ able, and the less said of their merits the more true the description. There are, however, some tolerable works of the French school. The Muse'e, situated in Rue St. Do¬ minique, a street leading out of the Cliauss^e de Tourny, contains a col¬ lection of antique fragments, inscrip¬ tions, altars, &c., chiefly Roman, found in the vicinity of Bordeaux; 2 sarco¬ phagi, with bas-reliefs, of inferior merit and late date; also fragments of the marble bas - reliefs, representing the battle of Fontenoy, and the capture of Port Mahon from the English by the Due de Richelieu, which ornamented the pedestal of the statue of Louis XV. in the Place Royale, destroyed at the Revolution. Here are some relics of Na¬ poleon, including his tooth-brush! and the star of the Legion of Honour which he wore. In the Muse'e d’His- toire Naturelle are tolerable collections of shells, of the fossils of the neigh¬ bourhood of Bordeaux, marked by blue tickets, and of the marbles of the Pyrenees. A specimen of a sea-eagle was shot at La Teste. These museums are open daily to strangers. In the same locality, Riie St. Do¬ minique, is the library of more than 100,000 volumes, partly the bequest of a member of the old Parliament of Bordeaux, partly the remains of con¬ ventual libraries forfeited at the Re¬ volution. A copy of Montaigne’s Essays with marginal notes in his own hand, and the first French translation of Livy illuminated, are among its curiosities. The Bourse, the centre of the com¬ merce and trade of the city, is situated on the quay at the extremity of the Rue Chapeau Rouge, between it and the Place Royale. The merchants meet here daily, under a glass dome which covers the inner court of the building, 98 ft. long by 65 broad. The commercial importance of Bor¬ deaux is due to its situation on a fine navigable river, where the rise and fall of tides amounts to 20 ft., in which vessels of more than 1000 tons may ride at anchor, at a distance of about 70 m. from the sea. It is connected by the same river, through the Canal du Midi, with the Mediterranean. The commerce of Bordeaux is carried on chiefly with South America and Mexico, the United States, French colonies, and Great Britain. Its principal articles of trade and exports consist in wines, known in France as vins de Bordeaux, and in England as claret, a name of doubtful origin. From 50,000 to 60,000 tuns of wine are exported annually. Nearly half of the best quality and highest price is sent to Great Britain; very little is consumed in France. The Quartier des Chartrons is the focus of this trade; here the principal wane- merchants have their counting-houses and cellars. The Cellars of MM. Barton and Gues- tier, leading bankers and wane-mer¬ chants, 35, Cours des Chartrons, are among “ the lions ” of Bordeaux. They are 2 stories in height, and com¬ monly contain from 8000 to 9000 casks (barriques) of wine, never less than 4000 or 5000. The duty paid by this house in one year alone to the British government has amounted to 300,000^. For an account of the wines of Bor¬ deaux see Route 74. Among the delicacies furnished by , the Bordeaux markets to the table are Royans, a species of sardines (pilchards), caught in autumn ; Ceps, a sort of Pyrenees. Route 73.— Bordeaux — Environs—La Teste. 259 mushroom cooked in oil; Muriers, small birds something like beccaficas ; and Ortolans, caught in August, near Agen and the Pyrenees. The Cafd de Paris is a tolerable Restaurant. Consuls reside here from the chief powers of Europe and America; Great Britain is most respectably represented by Mr. Scott, No. 7, Place du Champ de Mars. The English Ch. service is performed on Sundays at the English Protestant Ch., 8, Corns des Chartrons, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Poste aux Lettres is at No. 5, Rue Porte Dijeaux: a letter reaches London in 4 days from this. Public baths on a very extensive scale, in two fine buildings on each side of the Place Louis-Philippe. Newspapers of all countries, Eng¬ lish, French, German, Spanish, &c., may be found in great abundance at the Cercle, 7, Place de la Comddie, op¬ posite the theatre. The only resident English physician is Dr. Coppinger, Place Dauphine, 43. Paul Chaumas Gayet, the bookseller, 34, Rue fosse du Chapeau Rouge, keeps a number of topographical works, maps, &c., besides the newest French publications. Besides the Grand Theatre, men¬ tioned already, open commonly three times a week, there is a smaller The¬ atre Francois or des Varie'tes, near the extremity of the Rue de 1’Intendance, adjoining the Place Dauphine. Omnibuses run along the quay from one end to the other, and in a direc¬ tion across the town, from the river to its outskirts. Fiacres stand for hire in the prin¬ cipal places : they are better but rather more expensive than those of Paris, charging 2 f. for the course, or, by time, 2 fr, for the first hour, and 1 f. 80 c. for every hour after. Conveyances. — Mallepostes daily to Tours in 34 hours; to Bayonne in 17 hours; to Nantes in 22 hours; to Tou¬ louse in 16 hours. Diligences daily to Tours (3 or 4); to Toulouse several; to Bayonne in 17 hours; to Pau, Bagneres, Cauterets, and the Pyrentean baths; to Libourne and Perigueux; to Nantes, by Niort, Rochefort, and la Rochelle. Pailway to Libourne, the first limb of the great line to Paris via Angouleme and Tours, to be finished 1853. Steamers to Nantes twice a week. Steamers on the Garonne.—Down the river, to Blaye and Pauillac daily, start¬ ing from the quay abreast of the ros¬ tral columns; toRoyan. Coachesthence to Rochefort 29 m. several times a week in 7 hours. Up the river, daily to Langon, Mar- man de, and Agen (Rte. 73), on the way to Pau or Toulouse (one of the most agreeable and least fatiguing approaches to the Pyrenees), starting from the quay just above the bridge. Environs of Bordeaux. A railroad has been formed from Bordeaux to La Teste, an inconsider¬ able place 31 m. distant—a journey of about 2 hours, near the sea, on the borders of a great salt lake in the flat district of the Landes, whose sole pro¬ ductions are salt and pitch from the large fir forests. This railroad has been most unac¬ countably made through a line of country where no previous traffic ex¬ isted, to a spot possessing no commer¬ cial or manufacturing importance, in the vain hopes of generating these advantages in the midst of a desert. The speculators should have known that a railway is rather the conse¬ quence than the cause of traffic and commerce. An excursion to La Teste ( Inn: La Providence ?) will give the traveller some notion of the nature of the sandy district called Les Landes, and will probably afford him an opportunity of seeing some of its inhabitants mounted on stilts. Here are several bathing establishments, and an Agricultural Association for redeeming the barren Landes. The banks of the Garonne below Bor¬ deaux, and the wine district of Medoc, which produces the claret, are des¬ cribed in Rte. 74. 26 0 Sect. IV. IZoute 73.— Bordeaux — History . Garonne above Bordeaux, inBte. 73, p. 254. The excursions to the Chateau de la Brede, the birthplace of Montes¬ quieu, 2 hours’ drive (Rte. 76), or to Blanquefort, the castle of the Black Prince, p. 261. Passages in the History of Bordeaux. The earliest mention of Bordeaux is in the geography of Strabo, who calls it B ovp^iyaXa, under which it was known to the Romans, and described in some pretty verses by Ausonius the poet, who was born here in the 4th centy.:— “ Impia jamdudum condemno silentia quod te, O patria, insignem I3accho, fluviisque, vi- risque, Non inter primas memorem. * * * * Burdigala est natale solum, dementia cceli Mitis ubi, et riguse larga indulgentiaterrse ; Ver longum, brumaeque breves, juga frondea subsunt, Fervent sequoreos imitata fluenta meatus.” Auson. Clares Urhes. Hadrian created it the capital of 2nd Aquitania. Bordeaux belonged for nearly 300 years to the kings of England, who obtained it along with the duchy of Aquitaine by the marriage of Eleanor of Guienne, sole heiress of the last native duke, with Henry II., in 1152, and her inheritance became the fruit¬ ful cause of strife between England and France. The Black Prince, having been in¬ vested by his father with the govern¬ ment of Guienne, resided many years at Bordeaux. Hence he set forth on that adventurous foray into the centre of France which led to the battle of Poitiers. Here he held a brilliant court, to which Don Pedro the Cruel repaired, when driven out of Spain, with his two fair daughters, who were here married to the English Princes John of Gaunt and the Earl of Cam¬ bridge. Here the Black Prince’s son, Rich¬ ard II., was born, and surnamed from his birthplace Richard of Bor¬ deaux. The Bordelais retained their affec¬ tion for the English long after the downfall of our sway in the rest of France, in the reign of Henry VI.; revolting from the rule of Charles VII. to receive within their walls the valiant Talbot (1453), but his speedy defeat and death forced them again to submit to the French monarch. Eordeaux was the seat of one of the provincial Parliaments of France, or high court of justice, composed of lay¬ men and ecclesiastics, who registered the royal decrees and transmitted them to the lower courts. One of the most momentous events of the civil war of the Fronde was the siege of Bordeaux, undertaken by the royal army, with Mazarin, young Louis XIV., and his mother, at its head, while the city held for the Princess de Condd, the Dukes of la Rochefoucauld and Bouillon, at the head of their vassals, assisted by the townspeople and backed by the Parlia¬ ment of Bordeaux. The heroic wife of the Great Conde, having escaped the clutches of the Cardinal, who already held her husband in prison, and wished to transfer her and her son to like durance, traversed the country from Chantilly, and after a series of adventures and escapes threw herself into this city, where the interest of the Cond&s was strong. Her beauty, eloquence, and forlorn position en¬ listed in her favour the enthusiasm of the magistrates and townspeople, and upon her persuasion they agreed to admit her allies and resist the force of Mazarin. She captivated all hearts, and became as it were queen of Bor¬ deaux, then the second city of the empire; and Conde, while shut up in Vincennes and employed in watering his pot of violets, learned with surprise that his feeble princess was acting the part of a general, conducting the de¬ fence of a town, and exposing her life on the walls. The defence was con¬ ducted with such obstinacy, that, at the end of several weeks, Mazarin, having made little progress, was happy to offer fair terms to the Frondeurs. The citizens of Bordeaux were right glad to be released from the blockade just at the approach of the vintage, for their warlike enthusiasm had begun Pyrenees, i?. 73. — Girondins . 7?. 74. — The Gironde. 261 to cool at tlie prospect of being shut out from their vineyards. A great impulse was given to the French Revolution by the inhabitants of Bordeaux. At the beginning of the reign of Louis XVI. the Parlia¬ ment of Bordeaux, having refused to acknowledge the edict of the king, was banished to Libourne, and in con¬ sequence contributed largely to the clamour for the assembling together of the States-general. Many of the persons of greatest eloquence and talent sent as members to the Legislative Assembly, including Vergniaud, Gau- det, Gensonne, Ducos, &c., were re¬ turned by the department of the Gironde, whence the party which they composed was called the Girondins ; but having themselves brought on all the evils of the Revolution, they were swallowed up by the monster they had created, and guillotined for the most part by the stronger party of the Montague, which succeeded them in the Convention. Bordeaux had a Reign of Terror of its own ; the guillotine was erected in the square near the centre of the town, called Place Dauphine (in honour of the Dauphin, afterwards Louis XIII.), but then named Place de Justice, and some of its best citizens were sacri¬ ficed. Xo less than 500 persons suffered death here, whom either envy of their merits, or cupidity for their wealth, caused to be condemned under the false charge of conspiracy against the sovereignty of the people. The names of some of the streets afford a curious commentary on the history of the town, and a proof among many of the mutability of the French nation. The Place Louis-Phi- lippe was Place Louis XVI. down to 1830, and a statue of that king had been prepared, and its pedestal actually erected, when the July Revo¬ lution broke out. The Cours de Douze Mars was the name given to the row of houses now called Trente Juillet, because on the former day, in 1814, the Due d’Angouleme made his triumphant entry into Bordeaux, at the invitation of the Mayor Lynch (whose name has also been erased from a street which bore it), and amidst the acclamations of a part of the inhabitants. On the 8th March in that year 2 divisions of the British army, under Marshal Beresford, marched upon Bordeaux; where the presence of the dauntless Duchesse d’Angouleme, who had thrown herself into the town to revive the dormant spirit of loyalty towards her family, and the intrigues of the Due d’Angouleme, contrary to the advice and wishes of the Duke of Wellington, caused the premature pro¬ clamation of the Bourbons by the royalist mayor. The Duke had ex¬ pressly declared that “he could not interfere to produce any declaration in favour of the Bourbons, nor to sup¬ port their measures by military force.” ROUTE 74. THE GARONNE AND GIRONDE FROM BOR¬ DEAUX TO LA TOUR DE CORDOUAN; THE WINE DISTRICT OF MEDOC. 100 kilom. =62 Eng. m. Steamers daily to Blaye and Pauil- lac—4 or 5 times a week to Royan; fare, 15 and 8 frs. Diligences daily along the S. W. side of the river to Chateau Margaux and Lesparre, through the midst of Medoc, and along the rt. bank to Blaye. The road on the W. side of the Garonne passes Bouscat and Bruges, so named by Flemish settlers established here by Henri IV. to drain the marshes, and Bkmquefort, whose castle, a favourite residence of the Black Prince, still pre¬ serves part of its outer circuit walls and fosse, and some of its apartments entire. The leopards of England are only half effaced from the walls. It is a picturesque object. Thence the road runs to Margaux. Bordeaux Wines. The long tongue of land stretching N. from Bordeaux, between the sea on the one hand and the Garonne and Gironde on the other, is called Medoc (quasi medio aquae), because nearly surrounded by water. It is the X. termination of the extensive 262 Route 74.— Wines of Bordeaux. Sect. IV. district of sand bills and sand plains, called Les Landes, extending from Bayonne north, which changes to a bank of gravel on approaching the 1. bank of the Garonne, and forms a narrow strip of land nowhere more than 1 or 2 m. broad, raised from 50 to 80 ft. above the river, which is planted with vines, and contains some of the most precious vineyards in the world. The transition is abrupt from this gravel bank near the river to the mere Landes or sandy waste running to the W. and S. of it, producing no¬ thing but firs, furze, and heath. The soil of Medoc is a light gravel, and indeed, on the spots where some of the best wine is produced, it appears a mere heap of white quartz pebbles rolled, and about the size of an egg, mixed with sand. The best wine is not produced where the vine-bush is most luxuriant, but on the thinner soils, where it is actually stunted—in ground fit for nothing else ; in fact, where even weeds disdain often to grow. Yet this stony soil is congenial to the vine, retaining the sun’s heat about its roots after sunset, so that, in the language of the country, it works (travaille) in maturing its precious juices as much by night as by day. The accumulation of sand and peb¬ bles, of wdiich this soil is composed, is apparently the spoils of the Py¬ renean rocks, brought down by the torrents tributary to the Garonne and other great rivers, and deposited in former ages on the borders of the sea. At the depth of 2 or 3 feet from the surface occurs a bed of indurated conglomerate, called alios, which re¬ quires to be broken up before the vine w T ill grow, as it would stop the progress of the roots, being impene¬ trable to their fibres. The vine is trained exclusively in the fashion of espaliers, fastened to horizontal laths, attached to upright posts at a height not exceeding 1^ or 2 feet from the ground, running in an uninterrupted line from one end of the vineyard to the other. Manure is scarcely used in the culture, only a little fresh mould is laid over the roots from time to time ; but the plough is driven between the vines four times every season, alternately laying open and covering its roots: this is per¬ formed by oxen, who, with steady and unvarying pace, thread the ranks without treading on the plants. Ma¬ nure destroys the fine quality of the wine, and moisture or standing water is most injurious to the plant. The vine begins to produce at 5 years of age, and continues productive some¬ times when 200 years old, provided its roots have found a congenial soil to insinuate (pivoter) their fibres, which they sometimes do to a dis¬ tance of 40 or 50 ft., when the soil is dry and deep enough to protect them from the sun. The wines are classed into growths (crus), according to their excellence, and only a very small part of the strip of land before mentioned is capable of producing the “pre¬ miers crus;” indeed so capricious is the vine, that within a few yards of the finest vineyards it degenerates at once. The following list will show the classification of Bordeaux wines, or clarets as we call them in England (though whence the name, or what its meaning, are unknown in Medoc), together with the average quantity of each produced in one season. The tun, or tonneau, contains 4 hogsheads. called barriques. f Chateau Margaux . . 140—160' First • owt / ' Chateau Lafitte . . 120 . | Chateau Latour . . 120 <5 ’ Ilaut Brion . . • . go— 80 The last is properly a vin de Grave, grown on the Garonne above Bor¬ deaux, yet is classed with Mivo; . i/t l/iiitsj A ru Jy Jserir > in ii Vanihrs. .oll/’/e 'll tine lite Riviere La Earth, mour .ouro . Hduidrtf/ M 1 fes y enters 'ran Jierrueta Araues a!a fife - Mon/iizei \ . e-'.- ' —p .ajiastide y -['/ii, rida/„ ,AV \( \fXS-Xil m o\ iatnOores ‘ Tapani- fNi,nnhiu S. Bertrand. ,//* Cornminoes • lei Top ne '""'/iiarr ■•'tires leaJe . fA’fi i ^ g A iU -nii^| \Bains ile 'Mont/errand -'it rent Rn’" i oil lan v p on nr Montpal/h SaiTannditi ) J lot d r . 'fi •hpi-S alias Lantzii Tonne* AmtZ\ Vo ruin ns 'Mormse Umpas % rA sCOn 1 ' sSltt Yraoni terrier •Caslilloji /a Hum Massai Pintle Lonstalnaii p. K^Ai/lv . V. Martin 7s O'.IO 'll IS, m auteLVts' •ai.x-as o ‘ j*«- 'A Jf Vernef Al ii- 0 1 S. Sel>astia3i Pyrenees. Route 76.— Bayonne — Cathedral. 269 Ad our, and is divided into three parts by these fine broad rivers, which are lined with quays, and always include a small quantity of shipping. The suburb St. Esprit, on the rt. bank of the Adour, lies within the Dept, des Landes, and alone includes 5897 Inhab. (more than the chief town of the dept.), among whom are 2000 Jews, descendants of those expelled at different times from Spain. On an eminence rising above this suburb, just at the lower end of it and com¬ manding with its formidable batteries the town, both the rivers, and the plain to the N., rises the Citadel, the most formidable of the works laid out by Vauban, and greatly strengthened, especially since 1814, when it formed the key to an intrenched camp of Mar¬ shal Soult, and was invested by a de¬ tachment of the army of the Duke of Wellington, but not taken, the peace having put a stop to the siege after some bloody encounters. The last of these, a dreadful and useless expendi¬ ture of human life, took place after peace was declared, and the British forces put off their guard in conse¬ quence. They were thus entirely taken by surprise by a sally of the garrison, made early on the morning of April 14th ; which, though re¬ pulsed, was attended with the loss of 830 men to the British, and by the capture of their commander, Sir John Hope, whose horse was shot under him, and himself wounded. The French attack was supported by the fire of their gunboats on the river, which opened indiscriminately on friend and foe. 910 of the French were killed. Admission to the citadel is obtained by a ticket from the com¬ mandant ; but, except to a military man, it possesses nothing of interest. Steep approaches, resembling inclined planes, lead up to it, deep fosses sur¬ round it, neaifly vertical walls, 40 feet high, and numerous bastions flank and enfilade every access to it ; visitors are n?>t allowed to mount the ram¬ parts. Bayonne Proper occupies the trian¬ gular space between the two rivers, and stretches for a considerable dis¬ tance up the bank of the Nive, which is crossed by 3 bridges. Its total population, excluding St. Esprit, is 15,912 souls. Many of the streets have a half Spanish character from the piazzas running under the houses^. The handsomest quarter of the town is that adjoining the theatre, newly built, consisting of fine tall houses. The only building of consequence is the Cathedral, ugly externally, but within a fine lofty church in the pointed Gothic of the 13th centy., with choir and transepts very short. The arms of England are still visible on its roof. The cloisters behind, in the florid style, nearly the largest in France, deserve notice. From the top of its tower there is a good view of the distant Pyrenees, of the town, rivers, and citadel, ancl of the spot a little below it, at the extremity of the long avenue of trees, where a part of the British army under Sir John Hope crossed by a bridge of boats furnished from the fleet of Admiral Penrose, and transported with much difficulty over the bar, Feb. 23-27, 1814, in order to invest the citadel. As very malignant calumnies have been spread by some French writers respecting the conduct of the Duke of Wellington’s army in France, it may not be amiss to refute them by the unexceptionable testimony of one of their own writers, and an eye-wit¬ ness, the late M. Vayse de Yilliers, author of the Itinera,ire de Id France , the best guide-book for that country. He traversed the theatre of the war only a few months after the occupa¬ tion by the Duke of Wellington, and states that, so far from laying waste the country to a distance of a league aroyncl Bayonne, as a French writer had asserted, * £ II avait etabli une telle discipline qu’il 4tait accueilli partout comme liberateur.” —Route de Paris en Espagne, p. 91. The Duke’s own immortal Dis¬ patches show with what severe disci¬ pline he prevented the troops, Spanish and English, under his command, imitating the cruel injuries which the French army had inflicted on Spain and other countries invaded by them. 270 Route 76.— Bayonne—Passage of the Adour . Sect. IV. The construction of the bridge over the Adour below Bayonne, and the passage of the Allies across it, dis¬ play the genius of Wellington in con¬ ceiving, combining, and executing a measure deemed impossible by his ojDponents ; and is styled by Colonel Napier “a stupendous undertaking, which will always rank among the prodigies of war.” The impediments consisted in the breadth of the river, the rapidity of its current, the height to which the tide rises (14 feet), the difficulty of procuring and transport¬ ing the materials of the bridge : since, if sent by land, through bad and difficult roads, they must have alarmed the enemy ; if by water, the bar, passable only at high water, and surf at the river’s mouth, rendered the entrance of boats next to impossible. The latter measure, however, had been decided on by the Duke ; and to effect this purpose a little flotilla of chassemarees had been prepared in the Spanish harbour of Passages. But the long prevalence of storms and con¬ trary winds had rendered its approach impracticable ; and the gallant Sir John Hope, to whom the execution of this measure had been intrusted by the Duke of Wellington, at last on the 23rd of February, 1814, began to push his troops across upon a raft at¬ tached to a hawser ; and thus, in the teeth of a strong fortress and garrison of nearly 15,000 men, 600 men of the Guards gained the opposite bank ; the French gunboats which guarded the river being silenced by rockets, three of them burnt, and a sloop of war driven up the river under the guns of Bayonne, while the same effective weapons kept the garrison at bay. Next morning, in spite of the tem¬ pestuous weather and the raging surf on the bar, which was so furious as to leave no strip of black water to point out the passage;—without pilots, with no landmarks on the shore, the little fleet made for the mouth of the Adour. Each vessel had an engineer on board, and a supply of timber, cables, &c., and, aided by men of war’s boats from the fleet, they boldly dashed into the midst of the breakers, blindly seeking the entrance. Several of the foremost, mastered by the wind and the waves, ran aground or were dashed ashore, and their crews perished. This did not deter the others, however ; one more fortunate boat discovered the only safe channel, and the rest, follow¬ ing in its wake, gained smooth water within the bar—a glorious and gal¬ lant exploit. The 26 chassemarees thus introduced were moored head and stern by ropes stretched over the dykes which line the river at a spot where it is 800 ft. broad, at a dis¬ tance of about 3 m. below Bayonne. Platforms of loose planks were laid between the boats, and the ropes were left slack, so as to allow the bridge to rise and fall with the tide ; yet this seemingly frail structure was strong enough to bear the heaviest artillery, and it was finished by the 26th. This deep-laid scheme entirely foiled Mar¬ shal Soult, whose attention had been drawn off by the British general to an attack among the Gaves, the tributaries of the Adour high up the country, at the very moment when the passage of that river was effected close to the sea. Bayonne is a town of commerce as well as of war, though its port is of comparatively small use, on account of the shifting bar at the mouth of the Adour, which can only be passed at high water, and not without danger at some seasons, though the employ¬ ment of tug-steamers now diminishes the risk. In the 14th or 15th centy. the Adour changed its bed, owing to its mouth becoming obstructed by shift¬ ing sands or dunes blown up by the winds, and running N. parallel with the coast within this sand-wall, until it found an outlet either at Cape Breton or at Vieux Boucaut. This lasted down to 1579, when the engineer, Louis de Foix, restored it to its old channel, called Boucaut Neuf, In 1684, how¬ ever, it broke a fresh channel for itself to the 1., in the direction of the Cham- bre d’Amour, but was brolight back again shortly after to the bed by which it still finds a passage to the ocean through a waste of sand-hills. The commerce of Bayonne consists PYRENEES. Route 76.— Bayonne. 271 chiefly in Spanish wool, which is largely imported, and in an extensive smuggling trade carried on with that country. Excellent chocolate and eau de vie are made here; but the Bayonne hams, so called because largely exported hence, are reared and cured among the Pyre¬ nees, near Orthez and Pau. Some ships are built here. From what has been said, it will be perceived that Bayonne has few sights to amuse the passing stranger. The well-supplied markets , abounding in fruit and vegetables, sold at the cheap¬ est rates, are worth a visit; and these, or the promenades, will afford an oppor¬ tunity of seeing the Bayonnaise ladies, who are remarkably pretty, as well as the Basquaise peasants, who are also distinguished by pretty faces and good figures, and contrast with the inha¬ bitants of the Landes to the N. of Bayonne. Those who desire a pleasant shady walk and fresh air should repair to the Alices Marines, an avenue of trees more than a in. long, on the 1. bank of the Adour, below the town and oppo¬ site the citadel, reaching down almost to the bend of the river, near which the Duxe threw his army across. A little way outside the town is the dilapidated Chateau d/e Marrac, de¬ stroyed by fire in 1825 and gutted. It belonged to Napoleon, who here re¬ ceived the degraded sovereigns of Spain, Charles IV. and his queen, and her minion G-odoy likewise. The Em¬ peror also brought hither to meet them Ferdinand Prince of Asturias, whom, by false pretences, he had entrapped from Madrid in 1808 : and in this chateau, under threat of death or imprisonment, they resigned to him their hereditary rights to the crown of Spain. Bayonne was the capital of the ancient district,, enclosed within the Adour and Bidassoa, called Pays de Labourd (from Lapurdum), by which it was known down to the 10th centy. The name Bayonne is merely the Basque Baia una, a port. Hence comes the word Bayonnette, said to have been invented in this neighbourhood (see p. 274), and first made here. The gloomy old Castle opposite the Sous-Prefecture, now a barrack, was probably the resi¬ dence of Catherine de Medicis when she dragged hither her weak son, Charles IX., to that secret conference with the Duke of Alva, in 1563, at which, it is now known, the massacre of the St. Bartholomew’s night was suggested and decided on. Yet Bay¬ onne has the rare credit of refusing to execute the bloody orders of Charles IX. to slay all the Protestants in the town, owing to the firmness of the governor, Dapremont, Vicomte d’Or¬ thez, who told the king that the town of Bayonne included only good citizens and brave soldiers, but not a single executioner. The chief place of resort for the in¬ habitants of Bayonne out of the town is the little watering-place of Biaritz, described farther on (p. 272.) Cambo, in the vale of Nive, is also a pretty watering-place, with mineral baths, A short but interesting excursion into Spain may be made by taking the dili¬ gence to St, Sebastian, which starts every morning. You pass through a portion of the country which was the theatre of the Carlist war, visit the citadel of St. Sebastian and the sin¬ gular land-locked harbour of Passages, eat an olla, and smoke a cigarillo, and may return to Bayonne the following afternoon. See Handbook fok Spain, The British Consul, residing at Bay¬ onne (Captain Graham), will sign his countrymen’s passports for the journey. In the coach-offices and inns at Bay¬ onne will be found hung up advertise¬ ments of approaching Bull Fights, to be held at Vittoria, Tolosa, Saragossa, and other places in the N. of Spain, in the vicinity of the French frontier. Conveyances : — Mallepostes daily to Bordeaux in 14 hours; to Toulouse in 21 hours. Diligences daily to Bordeaux (2 or 3); to Toulouse; to Pau, by Orthez. Conveyances into Spain; to Madrid— Malleposte travels by night, and is three nights on the journey. Diligences belonging to different com¬ panies to Madrid. 272 Route 76.— Biaritz — The Basques . Sect. IT. Diligences every other day to Tolosa and St. Sebastian in 10 hours. The Southern Road quits Bayonne by the Porte d’Espagne, through which Napoleon poured so many gal¬ lant armies in succession into the Peninsula. The road is hilly the whole way to the frontier, and from time to time affords glimpses of the sea on the rt. After passing a number of country-houses, amongst which, at a little distance on the 1., stands the Chateau de Marrae (p. 271), a finger¬ post at the end of 2 m. points the sandy way to Biaritz {Inn: H. de Monhau; rooms small, but clean and comfort¬ able), a little secluded watering-place, 3 m. on the rt. and about 5 m. from Bayonne. It consists of a group of whitewashed lodging-houses, cafes, inns, traiteurs, cottages, &c., generally of an humble character, scattered over roiling eminences and hollows bare of trees, on the sea-shore, here fenced with cliffs 40 or 50 feet high, excavated by the waves into numberless quiet coves and curious caverns. In these the sea at times roars and chafes, per¬ forating the rock with holes, and un¬ dermining huge masses, which are detached from time to time; and some of them, left like islands at some dis¬ tance from the shore, still project above the waves. From the tops of these cliffs, especially that which bears the ruins of an old fort or lighthouse, you look over the wide expanse of the Bay of Biscay, bounded on the rt. by the French coast, on which rises the new Phare, showing the way into the mouth of the Adour; and on the 1. by the shore of Spain beyond St. Sebastian, with peaks of distant Sierras rising behind it. The limpid purity of the sea and the smoothness of the sand render bathing in the sheltered bays most agreeable. French ladies and gentlemen " en costume cles bains" consume hours in aquatic promenades. The ladies may be seen floating about like mermaids, being supported on bladders, corks, or gourds, attired in woollen trousers covering the feet, and overshadowed by broad-brimmed hats. The geologist will be interested to re-. cognise in the rocks of Biaritz the fos¬ sils of the lower chalk and greensand, though the rock here assumes an ex¬ ternal character very different from that we are accustomed to in England. Beyond its sea-bathing, its rocks, and its view, Biaritz must be the dullest place upon earth, except to those who have other resources of friends, &c., on the spot. Omnibuses and coueous are constantly plying between the baths and the Porte d’Espagne of Bayonne. The ancient mode of conveyance hither, which is peculiar to the spot, but is now becoming obsolete, w r as to ride ££ en cacolet.” In this mode of convey¬ ance, the rider, seated on one side of a hack, in a wooden frame fitting to a horse’s back, as a pair of spectacles does to a human nose, occupies the place of a pannier on one side of an ass’s back, while his conductor, usually a stout and buxom lass, fills the oppo¬ site division, and by her weight the balance is preserved. Some little skill is required in mounting, for, unless both parties jump into their seats at the same moment, he who reaches it prematurely runs the risk of destroy¬ ing the equipoise and of being capsized into the dust, and the same in dis¬ mounting. It is chiefly peasants and market-women, now-a-days, who ride en cacolet; though, under the ancien regime of the Bourbons, the frolicsome Duchesse de Berri, when on a visit to this part of France, was wont to resort to this primitive conveyance. There are 3 lines of custom-houses on the road from Bayonne to the Spanish frontier. The 3rd, or inner¬ most, is not more than 5 m. from Bay¬ onne. A large fresh-water pond within a funnel-shaped basin is passed shortly before reaching. 11 Bidart. We now enter the Pays Basques, inhabited by that peculiar race who speak a language having no relation with any other in Europe. They occupy in France only a small part of the S.W. corner of the Dept, des Basses Pyrenees, but are much more widely disseminated in Spain, where they form the mass of the popu¬ lation of 5 provinces. The French and Spanish Basques are distinguished by Pi r ren. H. 76.— St. Jean de Luz — The Bidassoa — Behobia. 273 their speech, and also by their costume, consisting of the red beret, a cap resembling that of the lowland shep¬ herd in Scotland, a red sash round the waist, and sandals made of hemp, called Espai’tillas, on the feet, and a stout stick in the hand. They are supposed to be the descendants of the ‘ ‘ Cantabrum indoctum ferre juga nostra,” who sided with Hannibal in opposing the Romans, who contributed mainly to the defeat of Charlemagne and Roland in the pass of Roncesvaux, and whose boast is that they were never conquered. In France they are confined to portions of the arrondisse- ments of Bayonne and Mauleon, which formed part of the ancient kingdom of Navarre. 9 St. Jean de Luz.— Inns: H. de France, very good; Poste; St. Etienne. A frontier town of France, at the mouth of the Nivelle, where it falls into a small creek or bay, over which a new bridge has been thrown. The inroads of the sea for some time past have washed away parts of the town, breaking through the dykes thrown up to protect it, and the shifting sands at the mouth of the Nivelle have almost entirely blocked up its port. The town is distinguished by its narrow street and whitewashed houses, some of considerable antiquity. Here is the 2nd Douane. The suburb on the 1. bank of the river is called Sibourre. The marriage of Louis XIY. with Maria Theresa, Infanta of Spain, was celebrated here 1660. In Nov. 1813, the British army, under the Duke of Wellington, crossed the Nivelle close to this town, after attacking and carrying the very strong intrenched position occupied by the French army upon the heights on the 1. bank of the river. In the midst of barren, heathy, high ground stands 5 Urugne, last post-station in France. The forms of the mountains are pic¬ turesque, especially of that called Mon- tag ne d’ Arrhune, rising above Urugne, which is visible even on the other side of Bayonne. Before reaching this point the traveller finds, contrary probably to what he could have expected from books, that the mountain chain of the Pyrenees by no means terminate in France, but stretches W. in lofty ridges and bare peaks tossed about in wild confusion, traversing Spain to its* farther corner, and ending in Cape Ortegal in the Asturias. Beyond Urugne, the antique Chateau of Urtubi is passed. Louis XI. came hither, 1462, to meet the King of Aragon, John II. The French frontier custom-house is placed at Behobia, a small village (with a poor inn, Poste) on the rt. bank of the Bidassoa, which here separates France from Spain. The baggage of travellers entering France is strictly searched; and after it has undergone the pi’ocess, they will do well to have it plombed, to saye themselves from a repetition of the same twice between this and Bayonne. 10 sous is the charge for plombing each package. The wild and lofty mountains around and behind Behobia, called Montagne Yerte and Mendele, now so solitary, were strongly fortified by Marshal Soult in 1813, to defend the Passage of the Bidassoa , which the Duke of Wel¬ lington effected nevertheless, in the face and in spite of them. In the course o? several months preceding, intrenchment behind intrenchment had been thrown up by the French; every weak poipt had been strengthened, and the whole line of slopes and precipices, from the sea to the Arrhune mountain, bristled with ramparts and batteries, defending the fords of the river; the bridge of Behobia being then broken down. From the middle of the existing wooden bridge, which unites France to Spain, the stranger looking up the stream will perceive the green knoll or mamelon of St. Marcial; on this a strong battery was planted by the Allies, which covered the passage, by the ford higher up, of one division, consisting of Spaniards, under Gen. Freire, who won from the French the heights of Mendele. The most formid¬ able part of the French position was the Montagne d’Arrhune, not only from its elevation, steepness, and tre¬ mendous precipices, but from the re- n 3 274 IL 76.— -Bidassoa. It. 77 .—Bordeaux to Bayonne. Sect. IT doubts, intrenchments, abattis, See,, thrown up on it, wherever there ap¬ peared the least facility of approach, and from the strong body of troops who held every commanding point, sweeping the slopes and ravines with their cannon and musketry. The Duke of Wellington employed nearly 20,000 men in the attack of this mountain, which was gained, as it were, inch by inch, the enemy being driven from one work after another up to the very summit, where they occupied a rocky height called the Hermitage. This was nearly impregnable, and they de¬ fended it for some time merely by rolling down stones upon their assail¬ ants. The bones of many a brave man are probably even now whitening among the dells and clefts of that rugged mountain: many who w r ere wounded •were left to perish where they fell, from the difficulty of discovering them among these vast solitudes. A lower ridge, or projecting but¬ tress, of the Montagne d’Arrhune, is called La Bayormette, from that weapon of war, invented extemporaneously, it is said, on this spot, by a Basque regiment, w T ho, having run short of ammunition, assaulted the Spaniards opposed to them by sticking the long knives which the Basques commonly carry into the barrels of their muskets, and thus chaining the enemy. This must have occurred some time in the 16th or early in the 17 th century. The ridge of the Bayonnette was stormed and carried by the Allies 1813, before they gained the Arrhune. Behind St. Marcial opens out the Valley of the Bastan, the cradle of the Bidassoa. Close below the bridge of Behobia is a little island, reduced by the washing of the current to a narrow strip of earth, tufted with grass and willows. This is the historically cele¬ brated lie des Faiscms, on which the con¬ ferences were held between the French Minister Mazarin and the Spanish Don Louis de Haro, which led to the famous treaty of the Pyrenees, 1659, and the marriage of Louis XIV. with the daughter of Philip IV. Each party ad¬ vanced from its own territory, by a tem¬ porary bridge, to this little bit of neu¬ tral ground, which then reached nearly up to the bridge. The piles which sup¬ ported the Cardinal’s pavilion were visible not many years ago. The death of Velasquez, the painter, was caused by his exertions in superintending these constructions; duties more fitting to an upholsterer than an artist. The Bidassoa forms the line of de¬ marcation between the two kingdoms only for about 12 m.: it enters the sea about 5 m. below Behobia, between Andaye on the French side, and the ancient Availed town of Fuentarabia (ac¬ cent on the i) on the Spanish, after passing near the town of 9 Irun, first Spanish post-station. (See Handbook tor Spain.) Between Irun and Fuentarabia are the 3 fords discovered by the Duke of Wellington, on the information of Spanish fishermen, by which he car¬ ried one division of his army across, and, gaining the first permanent footing in the French territory, turned the rt. of the French position, and the strongly defended heights near Andaye (once famed for distilling brandy). These fords were practicable only at certain states of the tide, and for 3 or 4 hours, being covered by the sea, to a depth of 14 ft., at high water. Soult was there¬ fore perfectly unprepared for an attempt to cross at this point, and his troops were deceived by the tents of the Bri¬ tish camp being left standing as though still occupied. At the close of a fierce thunder-storm, early on the morning of Oct. 17, the allied army formed into 7 columns behind banks and ridges, issued forth at a given signal, and wind¬ ing slowly, like snakes, across the broad sands, effected the passage. ROUTE 77. BORDEAUX TO BAYONNE, THROUGH LES GRANDES LANDES. About 116 Eng. m. This was once the only road into Spain; but since the construction of tiie route through the Petites Landes (Rte. 76), and the removal of post-horses from this line, it has been almost en¬ tirety abandoned, although it is 25 m. Pr renees. Route 77 .—Bordeaux to Bayonne—The Landes. 2 75 shorter than the other. In fact, it tra¬ verses a country scarcely practicable for carriages, owing to the want of pro¬ per materials for the roads ; a small portion only, near Bordeaux and Muret, being paved. The accommodation for travellers is, of course, very scanty. Many of the old post-stations enume¬ rated below, with the distances from one to another, are mere single houses or stables, established solely as relays, and perhaps now abandoned. 3 Gradignan. Beyond this village fields give place to heaths and pine- woods, interspersed with a few patches of barley and a little maize ; for these crops will grow wherever manure and industry can be employed upon the soil. The surface of the ground is of a dull grey or asli-coloured sand. A few flocks of lean, tattered, ill-conditioned sheep wander over this waste, tended by shepherds renowned for walking on stilts (^chasses). By the aid of these they are not only enabled to stalk over the prickly bushes, and avoid the in¬ convenience of filling their shoes with sand, but they gain an elevation not afforded by the even surface of the ground, from which they can overlook their flock, and prevent their sheep straying. They carry a long pole, which, when stuck into the ground, forms a support, and against it they can rest and knit stockings all the day through. A stranger, unprepared for the sight, would have some difficulty in explaining the nature of the extraordi¬ nary tripod thus formed; and the sheep¬ skins worn by the peasant would not diminish the mystery. The peasants of the Landes are all accustomed to the use of stilts, and with a very slight ex¬ ertion, and not a very quick movement, will clear the country at a pace which would keep a horse at a hard trot, by the aid of these wooden legs. “ The in¬ habitants are rather diminutive in size, and not a very long-lived race. They endure severe privations—among them, the want of water. Even the lower ani¬ mals must here change their nature to accommodate themselves to the soil. I saw large flocks of ducks which, I was assured, had never seen a pond!”— F. There is at least one thing which appears peculiarly at home among the Landes, which seems to rejoice in this dry sand, and to flourish in the most robust vigour—the pine (Pinus mari- tima). Nearly j of the Ddpt. des Landes is covered with dark forests of this tree, and the distribution of it is greatly increasing, since, from the value of the timber and of the rosin which it produces, and the facility with which it is grown, large districts have been planted by order of the government. The Landes, it must be remembered, are not confined to the dept, so called, for we have hitherto been traversing that of the Gironde, and it is only between Belin and the next station, 3 Muret, that the boundary-line of the Dept, des Landes is passed. Here the small river Leyre is crossed, which falls into the sea at La Teste. Like all the streams of the district, its waters are brackish; and one of the chief evils to which the inhabitants are subject is the want of good water. 2 Bellevue. 2 Puch. 3 Barps. 2 Hospitalet. 2 Belin, a small town. 3 Lipostey. 4 Bonhere. Here used to be the best inn on the line. 3 Belloe, a single cottage. 4 La Harie. 3 Esperon. 4 Castels. The Pignadas, or pine-forests of the Landes, furnish a large quantity of ro¬ sin, which is obtained by grooving the trunk, or scarifying the bark, 3 or 4 ft. above the root, and allowing the pitch to flow into a hollow below. 4 Majese. An inn here formerly. 3 Les Monts. 2 St. Vincent. Here our road falls into the post-road from Bordeaux to 9 Bayonne (Rte. 76, p. 26S). The wild district of the Landes stretches uninterruptedly from the Ga¬ ronne at Bordeaux to the Adour at Bayonne, and from the sea to Mont St. Marsan and Dax. The inhabitants of the Landes oc¬ cupy a low position, physically and morally, in the scale of civilisation. 276 Route 78 ,—Bayonne to Pan — Orthez . Sect. IV N.B. Any more accurate and recent information than what is contained in the above route will be welcome to the Editor. ROUTE 78. BAYONNE TO PAU, BY ORTHEZ. 105 kilom.= 65^ Eng. m. Malleposte to Pau and Toulouse daily. Diligences daily by Orthez and by Oloron. The road turns to the rt., out of that to Bordeaux (Rte, 76), on the top of the hill above St. Esprit, the suburb of Bayonne. It runs in a direction nearly parallel with the Pyrenees, through a country abounding in heath, having the Adour at some distance on the rt., until, a few miles beyond 17 Biaudos, that river is crossed: the descent upon it is fine. The Gave de Pau falls into the Adour a little below the bridge ; henceforth we as¬ cend the rt. bank of that stream all the way to Pau. Hereabouts the Gave divides the district called Chalosse from the Pays Basque (see p. 272). 20 Peyrehorade ( Inn: H. de Voya- geurs; second rate), a prettily situated town, on the Gave de Pau, just below its junction with the Gave cVOloron, under a height crowned by a ruined Castle mentioned by Froissart, About a mile out of the town a turning on the rt. carries the new road to Pau by Oloron (unfinished 1841) across the Gave de Pau, by a new wire suspension bridge. It passes through Sorde, a walled town, Sallies, so called from its strong brine spring, which furnishes the salt used in curing Bayonne hams, and Sauveterre. The road from Peyrehorade to Or¬ thez crosses, shortly before entering 16 Puyoo, a rivulet which anciently formed the boundary-line between the kingdoms of France and Navarre. The fertility of the plain, the abun¬ dant watercourses, the luxuriant fes¬ toons of the vines, and the magnificent views of the Pyrenean range, give great interest to this portion of the route. At Berenz, Sir Stapylton Cotton’s divi¬ sion of cavalry, and Picton’s 3rd bri¬ gade, crossed the Gave before the Battle of Orthez. That victory was achieved, Feb. 27, 1814, by driving the French from a very strong position on the heights above Orthez, extending from the town to the high road to Dax and the village of Bo&s. The retreat of the enemy ended in a flight, and they were pursued by the British, the same night, as far as Sault de Navailles. A wound received by the Duke of Wel¬ lington in the critical moment of pur¬ suit contributed to save the French from greater loss. They attribute their defeat to a superiority of force on the side of the Allies, but the impartial estimate of Col. Napier sets down the numbers of Soult’s army at 40,000 (in¬ cluding 4000 or 5000 raw conscripts), and that of the Duke at 37,000. The British cavalry outnumbered that of the enemy by 1000. The French lost nearly 4000 men killed, wounded, and prisoners; the Allies, 2300. 12 Orthez (Inns: H. Jennes ;—H, Bergerot) is a somewhat dull town of 7857 Inhab., though situated at the junction of 6 roads,—to Spain, by St. Jean Pied de Port, to Dax, to Bordeaux, to Oloron, to Pau, and to Bayonne. It has an old Gothic bridge, which resisted the attempts of the French to mine it and blow it up, consisting of 4 arches, surmounted in the centre by a tower from which, according to tradition, the Calvinist soldiers of the army of the Comte de Montgomery, after taking the town by assault, 1569, and putting to the sword most of its defenders, pre¬ cipitated into the river the Roman Ca¬ tholic priests who were found with arms in their hands, and who refused to abjure their religion. Jeanne d’Al- bret. Queen of Navarre, mother of Henri IV., established here a Protestant College. The little Inn La Belle Ho- tesse was Froissart’s “ La Lune.” Orthez was once a place of greater importance, as residence of the Princes of Bearn down to the end of the 15th centy., when they removed to Pau. The Castle de Moncada, built by Gas¬ ton de Foix, IV., 1240, after the pat¬ tern of a Spanish castle of that name, is reduced to a few ruined walls, over¬ topped by one stately tower, left to attest its former splendour, on a height above the town. It is mentioned by Pyrenees. B. 78.— Artix. B. 79 .—Bordeaux to Auch. 277 Froissart, who paid a visit to Gaston Phoebus Comte de Foix, 1388, and was received into the household, in order to obtain, from the Count’s own mouth, information for his history respecting the wars in Gascony and Spain, He describes the death of Gaston de Foix, at the neighbouring village of Riou, on his return from hunting the bear, and the celebration of his funeral in the Church of the Cordeliers at Orthez, where he was buried in front of the grand altar. The Castle of Orthez was the scene of unparalleled crimes during the life of the brutal Gaston Phoebus, who filled its dungeons with the vic¬ tims of his unbridled passion ; among them his own kinsman, the Viscomte de CMteaubon, Pierre Arnaut, the faithful governor of Lourdes, who, be¬ cause he refused to betray his trust, and surrender the fortress, was stabbed by Gaston’s own hand, and thrust into a dungeon to perish; and, finally, his own son and only child, whom he killed with his knife, in the dark cell into which he had caused him to be thrust. The churches of La Trinite (1107) and of St. Pierre deserve notice. The very picturesque peak called Pic du Midi d’Ossau is visible near this. 20 Artix. About 4 m. before enter¬ ing Pau, the road passes, at a short distance on the 1., the curious old and decayed town Lescar, supposed by some to be the ancient Benehamum , whence the district of which it was originally the capital was called Bearn. The town was sacked and ruined during the wars of Religion, 1569, by the troops of the Comte de Montgomery. On a detached eminence, rising above the town, stand the Castle and the Ch. of Notre Dame, a decayed edifice, 10th centy,, partly in the Romanesque style, containing carved oak stalls in the choir, and a curious mosaic pavement under the flooring. The early princes of Bearn, including Henri d’Albret, grandfather of Henri IV., and his wife, the Mar¬ guerite des Marguerites, were buried in it; but their tombs were destroyed either by the Huguenots or the Revo¬ lutionists. There is a fine view of the mountains from the cathedral terrace. The Jesuits’ College, founded here by Henri IY. after his conversion, has been turned into a manufactory. Still nearer to Pau, on the 1. of the road, is Bilhere, where Henri was nursed by a peasant, whose humble dwelling is still preserved and pointed out with some pride to strangers. The eminence rising on the opposite bank of the Gave, its slopes covered with ver¬ dure and vineyards, is the Cote de Ju- ranqon, which produces the best of all the Pyrenean wines. The road, before entering Pau, skirts the woody ridge which forms its beau¬ tiful Parc; and which, intervening be¬ tween the river and the road, conceals the view of the mountains. 20 Pau (Rte. 80). ROUTE 79. BORDEAUX TO AUCH, BY CASTEL JALOUX AND NERAC. 186 kilom. = 115 Eng. m. The road is the same as Rte. 76 as far as 61 Bazas. 14 Grignols. 15 Castel Jaloux, a town of nearly 2000 Inhab., owing its name and origin to a Castle built by the Seigneurs d’Al¬ bret, on the 1. bank of the Avance, now in ruins. At Barbaste corks are made. Henri IY. had a flour-mill here, whence he was sometimes called ‘ ‘ le Meunier de Barbaste:” it still exists. 17 Pompiey. The road passes a little to the S. of the castle of Xaintrailles, the birthplace of Pothon de Xaintrailles, a knight celebrated in the wars against the English in the reign of Charles VII., who took the valiant Talbot prisoner at the battle of Patay. 13 Ne'rac {Inn: Tertres; famous for its pate's, or terrines de perdrix), a town of 6327 Inhab., pleasingly situated on the Ba'ise, once capital of the duchy d’Al¬ bret. It was an ancient possession of the family d’Albret, who built and resided in the venerable Castle, which remained nearly entire down to the Revolution, but is now demolished, excepting one wing, and its fosses turned into gardens. Yet even this fragment is interesting, because within its walls Marguerite 278 lioute 80 .—Bordeaux io Pau. Sect IV. d’Angouleme, Queen of Navarre, held her court, assembling around her the men most distinguished by learning and literary genius of the time; among others, Calvin, Beza, Clement Marot, here found an asylum from persecution down to 1534. At a later period, the “Bon Roi Henri,’’whose mother resided in the castle to within four months of his birth, passed here a portion of his youth. His chamber is pointed out at the W. end of the building. Here, in 1579, Catherine de Medicis held a con¬ ference. The tomb of Pothon de Xain- trailles was destroyed along with the ch. of Cordeliers, at the instigation of the Calvinists. The promenade called La Garenne was once the park of the kings of Navarre, planted by Marguerite de Valois. A bronze statue of Henri IV. has been erected to his memory by a private individual, inscribed “Alumno, rnox Patri Nostro Ho. IV.” The Fontaine de St. Jean is over¬ shadowed by 2 elms, planted by Henri IV. and Marguerite de Valois. Corks are manufactured here for the wine-merchants of Bordeaux. We enter the Dept, de Gers before reaching 22 Condom ( Inns: Cheval Blanc ; Lion d’Or), a town of 7144 Inhab., and of considerable trade. It has a handsome Gothic Ch. 19 Cast