Colston’s Tour;through France, Switzerland, and Italy. 
bustle and vivacity of the streets, informed 
us that we were in a flourishing, commer- 
RI Mora gi 2s aisayhol o2 Siew s W 
We viewed the elegant manufactory of 
coral, which constitutes one of the princi- 
pal fabrics of Marseilles. Immense num- 
bers of these: pretty ornaments are con- 
tinually made here, and exported to foreign 
shores, or sent to various parts of France , 
.and, I never. before saw this: natural sub- 
| stance (worked in such various and inge- 
nious forms, Heads exquisitely wrought, 
acorns, strawberries, roses, anemonies, are 
all executed with the greatest taste and 
nicety; most-of them likewise opening, to 
admit a little perfumed cotton, so as to 
serye the purpose of a smelling-bottle. The 
ink coral’ is the rarest as well as the most 
eautiful kind, but the French do not va- 
lue it so:much as the red coral. The pro- 
~ prietors of these manufactories make a very 
great profit, This marine substance, from 
the quantities in which they have it, must 
be procured at a reasonable rate; and the 
_ process of forming it into articles for orna- 
mental use, is far more simple and speedy 
than I had imagined. The branches of 
coral are first cut with a machine, by the 
eye, The next operation consists in bor- 
‘ing the ‘hole, by means of a strong steel 
pin, worked by a bow, with the aid of wa- 
ter.. The beads are next rounded and po- 
_lished. by a grindstone, being previously 
_ fixed ona pin at the head of a small stick. 
») The streets of the new city are built in a 
regular and beautiful manner, at right angles 
with each other, and generally broad and 
airy, The vista, fromthe commencement of 
the Corso, to the end of the Rue de Rome, 
terminated by a pyramid erected to the 
Comte d’Artois, is of great length, and has 
a noble effect,. The Corso, in itself beau- 
tiful, is further embellished by the fruit and 
flower market, which is there held. The 
profusion of fresh and gay-coloured flowers, 
which adorn this part, give it the air of a 
Jovely parterre; and no where have we 
been able to procure the gifts of Flora and 
Pomona at so reasonable a rate. The 
Course de Bourbon is a fine public walk, 
lately completed :—it leads to a steep hill, 
around the acclivity of which winds a 
broad gravel walk, protected on the side of 
the precipice by a slight wooden railing; 
the intermediate spaces are covered with 
_wallflowers, stocks, &c, as high as they 
will grow. 
The port is difficult to enter, being so in- 
closed by rocks as to leave'a very Darrow 
pass for the vessels between them; but 
when it is once gained, they are by this 
means completely. protected from storms. 
_At night, this small outlet. is entirely clo- 
637 
sed by long poles, fastened with chains to 
the rocks, so that the shipping appears, as 
it were, completely housed, and in the 
greatest security. From the narrowness of 
the entry, no large ships of war can be 
brought into this port. The quay extends 
near half a mile, and forms a crescent. 
Shops excellently furnished with innumer- 
able articles of merchandise are built along 
‘it, and a motley crowd, composed of va- 
rious ranks, and different nations, are con- 
stantly passing up and down. Among 
these are many Turks and Armenians, con- 
spicuous by their singular, and usually 
graceful costumes. 
TOULON. } 
The city of Toulon, situated at the 
foot of a range of rude rocks, the high 
masts of the shipping, and the bay, offér 
a charming prospect, though inferior in 
extent and variety to that we had enjoyed 
in approaching Marseilles. 
The position of this city, at the pre- 
sent time—guarded towards the sea by a 
bay, which is defended by fortifications 
so strong as to appear impregnable ; and 
towards the land, by a chain of precipi- 
tous rocks, rising almost immediately 
behind the town; and by the Gorge 
d‘Ollioulles, which constitutes the only 
approach to it—is so strong, as almost to 
bid defiance to any hostile attacks, It 
was given up, by bribery, to the English 
in 1794; and when regained by the 
French army, they shot all the senior 
Officers, and principal individuals, who 
had been corrupted by English gold, in 
an open square, called the Champ de 
Mars. Not content with this vengeance, 
the commander summoned, by proclama- 
tion, all the inhabitants to assemble in 
a handsome square (the Place d’Armes) 
surrounded by houses and trees, and 
when about four thousand men, women, 
and children, were collected there, the 
soldiers put them all to death. . 
Five thousand felons work in the ar- 
senal, chained together by pairs; three 
very large vessels, with grated iron win- 
dows, are their sleeping places; they are 
doubly chained at night, and cannon is 
placed over them with guards, so that 
were it possible for them to liberate 
themselves from their chains, the cannon 
would instantly discharge on them. They 
are likewise all clothed in scarlet dresses, 
that they may be perceived instantly. 
AIX. 
Aix is on¢ of the cities which has suf 
fered most from the revolution ; its popu- 
lation is arma diminished, the fortunes 
of its principal inhabitants reduced, and 
“an air of quietude and tranquillity, ap- 
proaching 
