2 00 Travels in France 



hotel de ville — have the permanent council assembled — and place 

 a sentinel at my door. I told them they might do what they 

 pleased, provided they did not prohibit my dinner^ as I was 

 hungry ; they then departed. In about half an hour a gentleman- 

 like man, a Croix de St. Louis, came, asked me some questions 

 very politely, and seemed not to conclude that Maria Antonietta 

 and Arthur Young were at this moment in any very dangerous 

 conspiracy. He retired saying he hoped I should not meet with 

 any difficulties. In another half hour a soldier came to conduct 

 me to the hotel de ville, where I found the council assembled ; I 

 had a good many questions asked; and some expressions of 

 surprisethat an English farmer should travel so far for agriculture 

 — they had never heard of such a thing; — but all was in a polite 

 liberal manner; and though travelling for agriculture was as new 

 to them as if it had been like the ancient philosopher's tour of 

 the world on a cow's back and living on the milk — yet they did 

 not deem anything in my recital improbable, signed my passport 

 very readily, assurred me of every assistance and civility I might 

 want, and dismissed me with the politeness of gentlemen. I 

 described my treatment at Thuytz,which they loudly condemned. 

 I took this opportunity to beg to know where that Pradel was to 

 be found in this country of which Oliver de Serres was seigneur, 

 the well-known French writer on agriculture in the reign of 

 Henry IV. They at once pointed out of the window of the 

 room we were in to the house which in this town belonged to him, 

 and informed me that Pradel was within a league. As this was 

 an object I had noted before I came to France, the information 

 gave me no slight satisfaction. The mayor, in the course of the 

 examination, presented me to a gentleman who had translated 

 Sterne into French, but who did not speak EngHsh; on my 

 return to the auberge I found that this was Monsieur de Boissiere, 

 avocat general of the parliament of Grenoble. I did not care to 

 leave the place without knowing something more of one who had 

 distinguished himself by his attention to English literature ; and 

 I wrote to him a note, begging permission to have the pleasure of 

 some conversation with a gentleman who had made our inimit- 

 able author speak the language of a people he loved so well. 

 Monsieur de Boissiere came to me immediately, conducted me to 

 his house, introduced me to his lady and some friends, and as I 

 was much interested concerning Oliver de Serres, he offered to 

 take a walk with me to Pradel. It may easily be supposed that 

 this was too much to my mind to be refused, and few evenings 

 have been more agreeably spent. I regarded the residence of 



