FRANCE. J 97 



teriftic of his countrymen. Upon my 

 making many enquiries concerning the 

 heaths and unimproved lands of Nivernois, 

 he began to clear up, and gave me an ac- 

 count tolerably perfpicuous. 



He allured me, the quantity uncultivated 

 in this province was very inconfiderable ; 

 and that the exemption which the King had 

 granted from taxes, for twenty years, to all 

 breakers up and improvers of land not be- 

 fore in cultivation, had had very good ef- 

 feds inleflening even that quantity. What 

 waftes there are, are in general of a toler* 

 able foil; fome tradts very good. Upon my 

 fettling, fiud he, in this province (for I was 

 originally from Languedoc), the fmallnefs 

 of the eftate that had been left me, made 

 me eager to enlarge it, and I turned my at- 

 tention to the heath, which almoft fur- 

 rounded it. I purchafed feveral parts of it, 

 all which I (hould have imp r oved, had not 

 my purchates taken fa much of my money 

 as to leave me in too great neccility to un- 

 dertake great things. I afkcd him, whe- 

 ther he had not found the improvement a 

 work of confiderable profit; and coniequent- 

 ly, if one improvement did not make way 

 O 3 for 



