PEOS AND CONS OF BRITANNY. 121 



himself for the want of certain English comforts. House- 

 rent is moderate, except in towns, as the French in general 

 do not like country-houses. A good house in the country 

 is to be had at from 12/. to 251. per annum, and generally 

 with land and a garden ; but often money must be laid out 

 to make it a comfortable residence. Wages are low, from 

 3Z. to dI. for women, and about the same, or a little more, 

 for men. Meat is cheap; beef and mutton 3d a lb., and veal 

 2d. Bread too is cheap, and all poultry, game, fish, and 

 vegetables extremely cheap also ; fowls Is. a couple, birds 

 the same ; hares \s. each, and so on. But groceries arc 

 dearer than in England, as also good clothes. Brandy is 

 cheap, l5. a quart, but bad. Beer cheap and tolerable, though 

 not like English beer. Wines are cheap and good, i. e. to 

 Englishmen who can exist without port or sherry, as the 

 wine of those descriptions is poor. But there you have 

 splendid Burgundy at 35. ; the finest clarets, Chateau-Lafitte, 

 Chateau-Margaux, Hermitage, Cote-Rotie, wines which in 

 England, when obtainable, cost \0s. and 125. a bottle, — 

 you have all these fine wines for from 35. to 45. Then witli 

 Champagne for 25. 6cZ., and less if you like, with the lighter 

 clarets. Saint- Emilion, Medoc, and the stronger " vins du 

 Midi" of Saint-George and Roussillon at \s. to I5. Q^d.y a 

 man must be fastidious not to be pleased with his cellar here. 

 Where is a finer wine than Lafitte, with its splendid co- 

 lour, deep crimson purple, its fine bouquet, but finer 

 flavour, — than Clos Vougeot, the Burgundy of princes? 

 These wines are as superior to others of their class as is 

 the original sherry of Carbonell, or the real Amontillado, 

 to the sherry of an inn. Wliere all these luxuries, with 



