THE SEINE, MARNE, AND OISE. 271 



Here the celebrated Bossuet exercised the episcopal func- 

 tions, and composed those works, which, apart from his 

 peculiar views, will last as long as theology is interesting 

 to the human soul, and eloquence holds its sway over the 

 human heart. 



The river between the Chateau Thiery and Meaux is 

 well adapted for the fly ; and when the water is in fine 

 condition, and the fish on the feed, very fair sport may 

 be anticipated. A little below Chateau Thierry, the 

 Marnc receives the river Morin, which runs a course of 

 more than thirty miles from its source, and which is a 

 very fine trout-stream. The fish in this water are not so 

 large as in the Marne, but they are, on the whole, of fail- 

 average size. The country people indeed tell us of trout 

 in the Morin, of six or seven pounds weight; but we 

 never were so fortunate as to see any at all approximating 

 to that size. 



The river OISE takes its rise near the borders of 

 Ardennes, in the north-easterly part of France. It is an 

 important river, and traverses a course of more than one- 

 hundred and fifty miles from its source, before it enters 

 the Seine below Paris. 



To those English anglers who may happen to be in 

 Belgium, and who may wish to traverse the Oise, the 

 most convenient mode, in our opinion, is to commence 

 a little below its source and follow its windings, until it 

 loses itself in the Seine. It will be found, on the whole, 

 a very fine stream for angling purposes, though it passes 

 through a comparatively flat and level country, and its 

 current is interrupted at intervals by the requirements of 

 the internal navigation. 



The small town of Guise, is situated on the left bank 

 of the Oise, about twelve miles from its source. This is 



