184 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



very pretty or striking views of which I should like 

 vastly to have good prints, but I do not know whether 

 any person has of late been illustrating the Rhone. 

 But I must come to a close, not to fatigue you longer. 

 I arrived at the most excellent Hotel du Palais Royal 

 (recommended by Bentham) just in time for the table 

 d'hote at seven o'clock, and after dinner sallied out, 

 with a guide to conduct me to see Requien, 1 to whom 

 Bentham had given me a letter. I found him a prompt 

 man, and in almost ten words we settled my plan for 

 to-morrow, which is to start in a cabriolet for Vau- 

 cluse at five o'clock in the morning, arrive at eight, 

 spend two hours, breakfast, and return here by one 

 o'clock ; spend the afternoon and evening in seeing the 

 most interesting objects in town, looking at his collec- 

 tions, his pictures, etc., etc. What would you give to 

 see Vaucluse? I have many doubts whether it will 

 equal my expectations, which are raised by the descrip- 

 tion ; according to the account it must be very curi- 

 ous and strange, apart from the associations of the 

 place, which here pass for little with me, as I feel no 

 interest at all in Petrarch or Laura, whoever she may 

 have been. 



AVIGNON, Friday evening, April 19, half past eight o'clock. 



I think you will scarcely call me an idle lad. It 

 was about midnight when I went to bed last night ; I 

 was called this morning at half past four ; a few min- 

 utes past five I was on my way in a cabriolet for Vau- 

 cluse, with a very lazy horse, so that it was nine 

 o'clock when I arrived. I visited the famous fountain, 

 admired the rocks, etc. ; collected a few plants as a 



1 Esprit Requien, 1788-1851 ; a pupil of A. P. de Candolle at Mont- 

 pellier. Often quoted in the Fiore Franraise. 



