FRANCE. 67 



did not fave the urine of his cattle, while 

 they were houfed, for rendering this com- 

 poft the more fertile, he replied, no ; but 

 feemed pleafed with the thought ; and, I 

 dare fay, will execute it this winter. Upon 

 my converting on the point of taxes, and 

 the oppreflion I had feen many of the far- 

 mers labour under, as I travelled, he told 

 me, that his lands were exempt from all 

 land-taxes, from being waftes newly brought 

 into culture, which were freed from all 

 burthens of that fort by the fpecial edict of 

 the King. I had been informed that fuch 

 an edict had been ifTuedj but never before 

 had an opportunity of knowing whether it 

 Was really executed. He told me, that it 

 depended a good deal on the perfonal cha- 

 racter of the Intendant j that, in fome di- 

 ftricts in Burgundy, it had been difregarded, 

 or at lead evaded by pretences which had 

 no foundation ; but that, in all parts of 

 Champagne, he believed it had been very 

 juftly executed. He obferved, that, with- 

 out fuch indulgence, it would have been 

 impoflible for him to have executed one 

 tenth of what he has actually done ; for 

 every addition of culture he made, and 

 F 2 every 



