Toulon 215 



hotel de Necker, the landlord worried me with a list of English 

 that pass the winter at Hyeres ; there are many houses built for 

 letting, from two to six louis a month, including all the furni- 

 ture, linen, necessary plate, etc. Most of these houses command 

 the prospect of the vale and the sea; and if they do not feel the 

 vent de bize, I should suppose it must be a fine winter climate. 

 In December, January, and February perhaps it may not in- 

 commode them, but does it not in March and April ? There is a 

 table d'hote very well served at the hotel de Necker in winter, at 

 4 livres a-head each meal. View the king's garden here, which 

 may be 10 or 12 acres, and nobly productive in all the fruits of 

 the climate, its crop of oranges only last year was 21,000 livres 

 (£918 15s.). Oranges at Hyeres have produced as far as two 

 louis each tree. Dine with Monsieur de St. Csesaire, who has a 

 pretty new built house, a noble garden walled in, and an estate 

 around it, which he would sell or let. He was so obliging as to 

 give me, with Doctor Battaile, much useful information concern- 

 ing the agriculture and produce of this country. In the evening 

 return to Toulon. — 34 miles. 



11th. The arrangement of my journey in Italy occupied some 

 attention. I had been often informed, and by men that have 

 travelled much in Italy, that I must not think of going thither 

 with my one-horse chaise. To watch my horse being fed would, 

 they assured me, take up abundantly too much time, and if it 

 was omitted, with respect to hay, as well as oats, both would be 

 equally stolen. There are also parts of Italy where traveUing 

 alone, as I did, would be very unsafe, from the number of robbers 

 that infest the roads. Persuaded by the opinions of persons, 

 who I suppose must know much better than myself, I had deter- 

 mined to sell my mare and chaise, and travel in Italy by the 

 vetturini, who are to be had it seems everywhere, and at a cheap 

 rate. At Aix they ofiered me for both 20 louis; at Marseilles, 

 18; so the further I went I expected the price would sink; but 

 to get out of the hands of the aubergistes, and the gar^ons 

 d'ecuriea, who expected ever}'Avhere to make a property of me, 

 I had it drawn into the street at Toulon, with a large label,, 

 written a vendre, and the price 25 louis: they had cost me at 

 Paris 32. My plan took, and I sold them for 22; they had 

 brought me above 1200 miles, but yet were a cheap bargain to 

 an officer that was the purchaser. I had next to consider the 

 method to get to Nice; and will it be believed, that from Mar- 

 seilles with 100,000 souls, and Toulon with 30,000, lying in the 

 great road to Antibes, Nice, and Italy, there is no diligence or 



