56 



Travels in France 



a man builds his stables near his house. This edifice is a con- 

 siderable one, built by the present duke; begun about twenty 

 years ago, when he was exiled here during eight years. And, 

 thanks to that banishment, the building went on nobly; the 

 body of the house done, and the detached wings almost finished. 

 But as soon as the sentence was reversed, the duke went to 

 Paris, and has not been here since, consequently all now stands 

 still. It is thus that banishment alone will force the French 

 nobility to execute what the English do for pleasure — reside 

 upon and adorn their estates. There is one magnificent circum- 

 stance, namely, an elegant and spacious theatre; it fills one of 

 the wings. The orchestra is for twenty-four musicians, the 

 number kept, fed, and paid by the duke when here. This 

 elegant and agreeable luxury, which falls within the compass 

 of a very large fortune, is known in every country in Europe 

 except England: the possessors of great estates here preferring 

 horses and dogs very much before any entertainment a theatre 

 can yield. To Tonnance. — 25 miles. 



24/A. Many new and good country seats of gentlemen, well 

 built, and set off with gardens, plantations, etc. These are 

 the effects of the wealth of Bourdeaux. These people, like other 

 Frenchmen, eat little meat; in the town of Leyrac five oxen 

 only are killed in a year; whereas an English town with the 

 same population would consume two or three oxen a week. 

 A noble view towards Bourdeaux for many leagues, the river 

 appearing in four or five places. Reach Langon, and drink of 

 its excellent white wine. — 32 miles. 



2^th. Pass through Barsac, famous also for its wines. They 

 are now ploughing with oxen between the rows of the vines, the 

 operation which gave Tull the idea of horse-hoeing com. Great 

 population and country seats all the way. At Castres the 

 country changes to an uninteresting flat. Arrive at Bourdeaux, 

 through a continued village. — 30 miles. 



26th. Much as I had read and heard of the commerce, 

 wealth, and magnificence of this city, they greatly surpassed 

 my expectations. Paris did not answer at all, for it is not to 

 be compared to London; but we must not name Liverpool in 

 competition with Bourdeaux. The grand feature here, of which 

 I had heard most, answers the least; I mean the quay, which is 

 respectable only for length and its quantity of business, neither 

 of which, to the eye of a stranger, is of much consequence if 

 devoid of beauty. The row of houses is regular, but without 

 either magnificence or beauty. It is a dirty, sloping, muddy 



