THE GRAND TOUR (1768-69) 99 



that date and for half a century later a fashionable ornament 

 to the house of a gentleman or a lady of taste both in France 

 and England. De Saussure had the further privilege of being 

 admitted to the select party that met at supper on Wednesdays 

 at Mile. Clairon's house, where Marmontel led the conversation 

 not at all to de Saussure 's satisfaction. He writes in his 

 journal, 9th March : 



' Marmontel talked a great deal ; most of his stories were witty 

 and in good taste, some, however, rather common, and all told too 

 slowly. I recognised in him what I had been warned to expect in 

 Parisian beaux esprits a very arbitrary tone, a habit of speaking of 

 his set as the only one to be called philosophic, and of despising and 

 making odious insinuations against those who did not belong to it, 

 attacking their manners and their integrity, and throwing doubt on 

 their aims. It was thus he spoke of M. Mirabeau, the Abbe Troublet, 

 M. le Batteux, M. Grimm, the Bishop of Mirepoix, and many others 

 whose names I forget. He was, however, backed and applauded by 

 all the company.' 1 



On 25th March the party went to St. Denis to view a Court 

 function and procession on the anniversary of the death of the 

 Dauphine. There they saw the Dauphin, the future Louis xvi., 

 ' grand, pale et maigre, mais avec une physionomie bonne et 

 douce, un peu celle d'un Anglais,' and the whole Court defiling 

 in full dress. De Saussure 's ladies had to sit up all night with 

 their coiffures arranged in order to be in time for the ceremony. 



The party stayed in Paris for four months, from February to 

 10th June, when they parted, the Turrettinis taking back Mile. 

 Boissier to Geneva, while de Saussure and his wife started for 

 Holland. They passed through Compiegiie and Noyon, which 

 interested them as the birthplace of Calvin, to St. Gobain, where 

 they stayed three days in order to inspect the glass and chemical 

 works of their friend M. Crommelin. From St. Gobain they 

 drove by Ghent and Brussels. From Rotterdam they travelled 

 in a canal boat to Leyden and by carriage to Amsterdam. 

 There they were hospitably entertained by a wealthy Genevese 

 of the name of Horngacher. 



In a letter written to the ' charmante Minette,' his younger 



1 J. F. Marmontel (1723-1799), a prolific writer of plays and stories. His 

 Contes Moraux had considerable success. 



