Canal of Picardy 87 



to Villes-Coterets, in the midst of immense forests belonging to 

 the Duke of Orleans. The crop of this country, therefore, is 

 princes of the blood; that is to say, hares, pheasants, deer, 

 boars! — 26 miles. 



2,0th. Soissons seems a poor town, without manufactures, 

 and chiefly supported by a corn trade, which goes hence by 

 water to Paris and Rouen. — 25 miles. 



T^ist. Coucy is beautifully situated on a hill, with a fine vale 

 winding beside it. At St. Gobin, which is in the midst of great 

 woods, I viewed the fabric of plate -glass the greatest in the 

 world. I was in high luck, arriving about half an hour before 

 they begun to run glasses for the day. Pass La Fere. Reach 

 St. Quintin, where are considerable manufactures that employed 

 me all the afternoon. From St. Gobin are the most beautiful 

 slate roofs I ha\e anywhere seen. — 30 miles. 



November 1. Near Belle Angloise I turned aside half a 

 league to view the canal of Picardy, of which I had heard much. 

 In passing from St. Quintin to Cambray the country rises so 

 much that it was necessary to carry it in a tunnel under ground 

 for a considerable depth, even under many vales as well as hills. 

 In one of these \alleys there is an opening for visiting it by an 

 arched staircase, on which I descended 134 steps to the canal, 

 and as this valley is much below the adjacent and other hills, 

 the great depth at which it is dug may be conceived. Over the 

 door of the descent is the following inscription:— L'aww. 17 81. — 

 Monsieur le Comte d'Agay etant intendant de cette province, 

 Monsieur Laurent de Lionni etant directeur de Vancien et 

 noiiveau canal de Picardie, et Mo?isieur de Champrose in- 

 specteur, Joseph II. Empereur Roi des Roniaines, a parcourni en 

 battean le canal sous terrain depuis cet endroit jusques an puit, 

 No. 20, le 28, et a temoigne sa satisfaction d' avoir vu cet ouvrage 

 en ces termes : '' Je snis fier d'etre homvie, quand je vois qii'un de 

 mes semblables a ose imaginer et executer un ouvrage aussi vaste 

 et aussi bardie. Cette idea me leve rawe."— These three ^Messieurs 

 lead the dance here in a very French st}le. The great Joseph 

 follows humbly in their train; and as to poor Louis XVI. at 

 whose expense the whole was done, these gentlemen certainl}- 

 thought that no name less than that of an emperor ought to be 

 annexed to theirs. When inscriptions are fixed to public works 

 no names ought to be permitted but those of the kiiig, whose 

 merit patronises, and the engineer or artist whose genius 

 executes the work. As to a mob of intendants, directors, and 

 inspectors, let them go to the devil ! The canal at this place is 



