1791" TRAVELLING MEMORA>^DUMS. II7 



*' he thinks Rhubarb the fafell laxative, and :\n 

 " excellent llrengthener of the flomach ; but, for the 

 •' reafon fuggelted, he advifes not to ufe it in 

 '* pills, but to cur it into fmall pieces, of five or fix 

 " grains, and to chew it — By this means, it diil'olves 

 " frefh in the Itomach — Hot climates are, in fummer, 

 " dangerous for us of the north — -They produce fevers 

 " in the young, and dyfciiteries in the old, often fatal. 

 " Therefore, he ^dvifes a retreat to more temperate 

 " climates; and in particular he recommends Laufannc 

 " or Spa for our fummer retirement." 



Thus provided with found advice in regard to 

 health, I was defirous to have aid and information 

 fro^n proper books of travels — I purchafed many vo- 

 lumes, not very much to my fatisfaclion — I chiefly 

 confulted Keyflcr, Moore, and Smollet, as modern 

 writers who defcribe the courfe which I intended to 

 take — I found Keyfler heavy, tedious, trivial, and 

 certainly not improved by the Englilli tranfiation from 

 the original German— Though delicient in fubftantial 

 information, yet he points out many uncommon ob- 

 jects to the curious traveller — Mr. Moore writes with 

 propriety, fome fpirit, and with better information — 

 but, to my tafte, he expatiates too much — I was bed 

 pleafed with my old and excellent friend, Doctor Smol- 

 let — Tefty and difcontented as he is, he writes with 

 perfpicuity — His obfervations are generally fenfible, 

 and even his oddities are entertaining *. In the pro- 

 grefs of this journal, I make fome remarks on the 

 travels of Mr, Addifon and Bifliop Burnet ; — but my 

 memorandums are relati\e to Smollet, and are 

 either fupplementary or corrective of his book — I found 

 Dutens's journal very ufeful ; and every traveller 



♦ One of his fellow-travellers reports this ftory of hilii, that at an inn 

 jn their route, the lan41ady was a coarfe red-Juircd woman, and a 

 gTMt fcold. — Dr. Smollet immediately fet down in his pocket-book, 

 y All the women in this t«wn a:>.' red-haired, a;id infuflcraWc flircws." 



