636 
ter, we suffered much fromthe cold; ocea- 
sioned by the immediate neighbourhood of 
the snowy Appenines; but at Montpellier, 
although, from the: beautiful: walk of the 
Peyrou, we could, on a clear day, distinct- 
ly see the Pyrenees, at the distance of one 
hundred and twenty miles, and the:Alps 
of Grenoble on the other side, with the ex- 
ception of a few short intervals of wind and 
rain, we enjoyed a tual. spring... The 
fire, after incobdast 3 ab rome left. to 
expire of its own accord, and a silk pelisse 
was the warmest garment that could be 
worn, The same causes which render it a 
most eligible abode for winter, must ne- 
cessarily make it the reverse for the sum- 
mer months, The wide expanse of plain 
im which ‘the town stands, contains few 
trees excepting the olive, the scanty foliage 
of which scarcely shades the ground, above 
which it waves its silvery leaves, Olives 
and vines sound delightful in the ears of 
the inhabitants of northern nations, but 
great. is the disappointment of travellers 
from these regions, when they first disco- 
ver how far, in this respect, reality falls 
short of their expectations, 
The vine in France is as_ inferior 
to the Italian in picturesque beauty, as 
it is superior for the qualities of the wine 
which is ‘made from it. The vine and 
olive are almost the exclusive produce of 
the soil around Montpellier, There is, in- 
deed, some wheat, but no great encourage- 
ment is given to agriculture in this part of 
France, There are no agricultural societies 
or institutions, and experiments in farming 
are, novelties rarely heard of. Many of 
the wines made in this neighbourhood are 
excellent; among the best are the sweet 
wines. made in the villages of Lunel and 
Frontignan, I suppose it is in consequence 
of the superior profit derived from the vine 
and the olive, that there is scarcely a tree 
of any other species to be seen in a coun- 
try where shade would be so particularly 
refreshing and delightful,. [am happy to 
say, however, that a countryman of our 
own, Sir 8. B., is now engaged in making 
extensive plantations, which in some years’ 
time will add greatly to the beauty of the 
country ;, and I trust his example will 
hereafter be followed by the natives. 
The great. ornament of Montpellier is the 
beautiful walk called the Place Peyrou....It 
is an extensive oblong square, finely gra- 
velled, and planted with rows of elms, 
Noble flights of steps lead up to it, and by 
the same you descend on each side to two 
handsome walks below. An. iron gate 
forms the principal object on the side 
nearest the town, and the upper end. is 
gracefully: terminated by an elegant temple 
€olston’s Tour through France, Switzerland; and Italy. 
of Corinthian architecture, and by an aque- 
-duct-almost worthy of Roman times, 
We were so fortunate as to procure, soon 
after our-arrival, avery pretty house,’ called 
-les Bains de Peyrou, from the much ‘fre- 
quented baths belonging to it, ‘and which 
-was so immediately contiguous to this de- 
lightful walk, that our acquaintances called 
it the park ‘to our house: ©’ Front hence we 
enjoyed a fine view of thesea, and in our 
walks before breakfast, a frequent sight of 
the Pyrenees, 4 ein 
We experienced a most polite aud ‘obli- 
ging reception from’ the “inhabitants of 
Montpellier, and shall always: remember 
with gratitude the kind: attentions ‘with 
which they honoured us, Our ‘residence 
here was during the period of the Carnival, 
which is the gay season of the year;and 
we were invited to a great many’ private 
dances, called Soirées priées, which were 
brilliant and agreeable. ‘The French'style 
of dancing is slower, and more prac 
than the English ; but they in tum, greatly 
admire the animation and vivacity of ours, 
and the “ Kitchen-dances,” as they are 
called, disgraced and. scouted in’ England, 
are the objects of admiration, and unsutc- 
cessful imitation in France. ‘The married 
ladies waltz, but the: unmarried “are~ not 
permitted to do so. ¥ 
MarsEILtes, March 22.—Leaving Aix 
to be seen on our return, we proceeded this 
morning straight to Marseilles, -At'the first 
mentioned place, and Pin, whichis the 
next post, we had: the best horses that;we 
have seen in France. We passed, on the 
left, the large chateau of .Albertas.” ‘The 
traveller is apprized of his near approach to 
Marseilles, by the numbers of pretty coun- 
try houses, which are ‘scattered over ‘the 
plain so thickly, as almost to -resemble'a 
town, At the summit of the’ hill, “and 
about a mile and a half from the town, an 
extensive coup dail arrests the attention. 
The Mediterranean. opens its boundless ex- 
panse to the traveller's view,-and the city 
of Marseilles, the port and ‘vessels, the high 
rocks in the bay, sea-surrounded, and sur- 
mounted. by castles, ‘offer.a prospect of 
beauty and variety, which .we ‘enjoyed 
with ahigher zest, from the dreary mono- 
tony of the country through which we had 
previously passed. ° At our ‘entrance’ we 
drove: through ‘some'very fine streets3" in 
particular, a beautiful.boulevard, called the 
Corso, where a broad gravel walk*in' ‘the 
centre ‘is occupied by the foot-passengers, 
bordered by-a:-row of trees°on each’ side ; 
on the outside of whichare two streets for 
horses and ‘varri In ‘the central part 
are two large fountains of white marble. 
The gay appearance of the shops, con 
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