94 Biographical Account of fAuc. 
the novelty of the scenery, the abundance of the country, the 
bright blue sky without a cloud, and the broad magnificent roads, 
with elms, and sometimes fruit-trees, on each side for fifty miles. I 
was a little mortified on comparing the climate with our own, till I 
observed the many points in which its advantages were neglected ; 
open fields; harvest not finished, as in England; corn full of 
weeds ; and oats more than one-third inferior in quality to my own 
at Mendip. On approaching Paris, the vineyards were new features 
of this superior climate. At Paris, what strikes one most is the 
narrowness of the streets ; along which as I passed I was in constant 
expectation of getting out of the eternal narrow lanes. Now Iam 
quite reconciled to them.—The backward state of civilized life is 
more apparent here than in the country. You are struck with the 
imperfection of every thing, and the mixture of dirt and meanness 
with pomp and expence. In the theatres, (which, however, are 
quite inferior to ours in size, and still more in elegance,) you see in 
the passages behind the boxes, dirty pavements of brick, with wide 
cracks; and the boxes are opened by a few old women, who are 
employed during the intervals in knitting or mending stockings. 
The women are such as might be taken irom a field in England, 
where they would be employed in weeding.” 
During his stay in France, Mr. Tennant, in the months of 
October and November, made a tour into the southern provinces, 
which he had not before seen, and visited Lyons, Nismes, Avignon, 
Marseilles, and Montpellier. He was much gratified by this 
journey, during which he made many interesting remarks on the 
state of the country, paying particular attention to mineralogy and 
agriculture. In his letters written about this time he describes in 
striking terms the feelings of enjoyment, which he always expe- 
rienced from new scenes and objects, and especially from viewing 
the productions of Nature in southern climates. In speaking of the 
range of mountains from whence the Saone takes its rise, he says, 
“The country is the most rich and picturesque that can be ima- 
gined ; but the contrast of the beggary and dirt of the towns and 
common habitations with the rich vegetation of the country is 
universal, with the exception only of towns of the first rate. Iam 
not yet sufficiently at home in the political economy of the country 
to say on what this depends. In part, on its extreme population.— 
After passing these mountains, a new world appears, marked with 
the characters of a southern climate. The race of people is different, 
with finer skins than in the North. The country women wear im- 
mense hats, to defend them from the sun; and the houses (there 
being no snow) have low pitched roofs, like those in Poussin and 
Claude Lorraine. Nothing can be more beautiful than this style of 
building, which continues to the Mediterranean. —Proceeding south, 
vines and mulberries chiefly cover the ground; and following the 
Saone, its mountainous banks, studded with country houses, almost 
buried in the rich vegetation of figs, mulberries, vines, and pomegra- 
