CHAP, in.] GENERAL VIEW OF HUNINGUE. 77 



Mulhausen, done the penance of the salle d'attente, and then, 

 attaining our seats, had left the sultry city behind us. The 

 air became at once cool and moist, and the torturing Paris 

 thirst left us that fierce thirst which no quantity of well- 

 mixed vin ordinaire and water, no amount of brandy and eau 

 de seltz, could assuage. After reaching the outskirts of the 

 city, and passing those manufactories, wood-yards, tile-depots, 

 brickfields, and stone-yards, which are common to the environs 

 of all large towns, we could see well about us, and enjoy the 

 sights and sounds of French agriculture all but the perfume 

 of the rotting flax in process of manipulation in the watery 

 pits ; we certainly did not enjoy that potent compound of all 

 that is awful in the way of smell. It was pleasant to note the 

 industry of the small farmers, all busy with their wives and 

 families on their little allotments, or rather estates, for numbers 

 of them are owners or perpetual holders of the land on which 

 they work ; and it looks curious to eyes accustomed to the 

 large fields of England to see the little patches which compose 

 the majority of French farms. We saw no particularly choice 

 landscape scenery on the line of rail by which we travelled 

 via Troyes and Chalindrey but there was no lack of pictur- 

 esque villages and immense barns, giving cheerful token of a 

 rude plenty, and there was no end of tall pollard trees, and 

 numerous vineyards ; besides, here and there, upon a bit of 

 stubble, we were agreeably surprised by the whitter of an 

 occasional covey of partridges. 



Bent on a piscatorial tour, I noted with care to the occa- 

 sional wonderment of my friends the spots of water that 

 pretty often fringed the line of rails, and wondered if they 

 were populated by any of the finny tribe ; if so, by what kind 

 of fish, and whether they had been replenished by the aid of 

 pisciculture ? There was evidently fishing in the districts we 

 passed through, because at many of the stations we encoun- 

 tered the vision of an occasional angler, and a frequent " flop" 



