144 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



May 7, 1831. 



£,ETTEIIS FROM EUROPE. 



LETTER IV. 



Porie, Jan. 2d, 1830. 



My dear H Normandy is the garden of 



France, and Rouen is its capital. This is an 

 ancipnt town, having been of some note in the 

 time of the Romans, and it is now important, 

 not only on account of the number of inhabit- 

 ants, (being about equal to Philadelphia,) but 

 principally for its manufactures and trade. — 

 To mvself personally, however, 1 confess it 

 •wa6 chiefly interesting from its associations. 

 The Palace of Justice, as it is now called, was 

 once the Palace of William the Conqueror. and 

 is now used exclusively for the courts of civil 

 and criminal law. The principal court room 

 was the saloon of the Prince, and the old oak 

 ceiling, curiously cat ved in crowns and pine 

 apples and beautifully bronzed, remains in the 

 very condition in which he left it, and in per- 

 fect preservation. A small room, to which the 

 judges retire 10 consult together on the fate of 

 the condemned criminal, just before putting 

 an the black cap for pronouncing sentence, 

 was thv private bureau of the Duke, and often 

 used by him for purposes not very dissimilar. 

 The entire preservation of the chief ornaments 

 of these rooms, at this distance of time, struck 

 me with great force, when I reflected on the 

 mighty changes which have since taken place 

 in the world The chapel belonging to the 

 palace, which is very large, is at present a sort 

 of lounging hall for the citizens of Rouen.— 

 Nothirg now remains of the saints which rest- 

 ed in marble around tlio altar and walls of the 

 chapel, except the niches where ihey stood. — 

 The "Id clock, out of time and tune, still how- 

 ever, retains its position, though in venerable 

 ruins. It points now, but to an hour long, long 

 past. There are probably no better displays 

 of the rich carvings in stone, and the brilliant 

 stained glass windows of the olden time, than 

 are to bo seen in the Cathedral of Rouen and 

 the old Abbey of Saint Ouen. Those are made 

 to commemurate a great variety of scenes and 

 events, both in history and in allegory. One 

 cannot but be struck with a kind of awe at the 

 grandeur and magnificence of these venerable 

 piles. But what most attracted my individual 

 attention, was the monuments they contain — 

 The visitor is introduced to some remarkable 

 personages. Old Rollo, and Bobert of Nor 

 inanely, with others, are presented in marble ; 

 the latter, though reclining on his tomb, is in 

 full life and vigour, and seems absorbed in 

 thought. The remains of William Long-sword, 

 with a " Hie positus osl," and ihe heart of 

 Richard Coeur de lion, are buriod beneath the 

 altar of the Cathedral. In one of the walls, 

 which are of incredible thickness, is tho sculp- 

 tured body, as large as life, of one of the Arch 

 ishops of Rouen. In a fit of frenzy he mur- 

 dered one of his slaves, »nd he was buried in 

 the excavated wall, as being unfit from his 

 crimes to rest within the church, and yet toe 

 sacred to be buried out of it. 



Adjoining the Abbe} is the Monastery of St 

 Ouen, which has been repaired and moderniz- 

 ed, and is now the Hotel de Villc, or the Citv 

 Hall of the place. Attached to it is Ihe gar- 

 den, nearly in the same state in which it was 

 occupied by the monks. The priests had once 

 the entire possession of Rouen, and their chur- 

 ches and chapels, built at the expense of a 

 deluded people, to gratify their lust of magnif- 

 icence and to form depots for heir extoited, 

 ill-gotten and overgrown wealth, lined every 

 street, and place, and lane in tho city Before 

 the French Revolution of the last century 

 closed, these leeches were forcod to disgorge 

 JMany of thoir monasteries and other religious 

 houses were suppressed, and the edifices con- 

 verted to useful secular purposes, so that there 

 does not remain in Rouen one church or ehap- 

 ol at the present day, for ten which stood there 

 in 1789, and yet there remain enough for the 

 leligious wants of the oommunity. 



You may be sure that I did not leave Rouen 

 without paying a visit to the raimumenlof the 



too celebrated Joan of Ate, erected over the 

 spot where " the maid" was burned by order 

 of the Duke of Iifdford. On one side of the 

 little square where it stands, and which is ap- 

 propriately named " Place de la Pucelle," is 

 the palace of Bedford with a small corridor of 

 beautiful workmanship, from a window of which 

 the noble Duke looked out to enjoy tho spec- 

 tacle of a burning heretic ! 



Oft be residue of the country between Havre 

 and Pnris, lean only speak, from the passing 

 view I had of it in the course of a rapid ride 

 over it As far as Rouen, the route, except to 

 a stranger Uj whom eyery thing was new was 

 not particularly interesting Until within a 

 few miles of the latter place, the whole coun- 

 try was remarkably level, and all under the 

 most perfect cultivation. Not a foot of ground 

 is suffered to be lost or wasted The eye nan- 

 ■ders over immense fields, often without any 

 thing, not even a fence, to break Ihe uniform- 

 ity. In the season of vegetation and growth, 

 these fields are diversified with the appearan- 

 ces which the cultivation of the various crops 

 'of which the soil is susceptible would natural- 

 ly present, but these artificial divisions are not 

 as with us, marked with fences Sometimes a 

 i ditch is made to serve the purpose of a fence, 

 i but for the roost part, it is onlv the dwelling 

 houses, with their court and inner yards, that 

 | are walled or hedged in. For miles and miles 

 |in extent, the mucadamized or paved road is 

 apparently made through the open and uuen- 

 j closed fields of the country. Tho neat man- 

 sion, or Ihe splendid chateau of tho proprietor, 

 may occasionally be caught by the eye of the 

 traveller, at a great distance, standing in a 

 thick copse of wood, to which a libeial avenue, 

 bordered with double or triple rows of trees, 

 conducts. The more modest dwellings of the 

 tenants, farmers, and small proprietors, gen- 

 erally approach more nearly the great high- 

 way 



Between Rouen and Pari9, our route was a- 

 long the banks of the Seine, occasionally chan- 

 ging sides of that beautiful river. This route 

 conducts through a picturesque and interest- 

 ing country. '1 he high banks of the Seine, 

 receding for the most part on both sides to a 

 considerable distance from the river, present 

 on thair declivities frequently, a curious diver 

 sily of chalky cliff-, and beds of rich earth cul 

 tivatod like a garden. 1 saw mote than one 

 instance in which one of these beds, apparent* 

 ! ly of not more than three or five feet in width 

 | where there happened to be a sufficient cover- 

 ling of earth, would run up from the base to 

 | the very summit of the steep lull side, or moun- 

 tain, presenting a very singular contrast, even 

 at this season, of green vegetation with the 

 bare white rocks which bordered it on eithet 

 side. This is the way in which "every rood 

 of ground maintains its man." 



In all this route, there was not, of course, 

 wanting the usual vaneiy of ancient towns 

 and villages, time-worn abbeys and monaste- 

 ries, and spacious mansions and chateaus. — 

 Near Mantes we passed the Castle of Rosnv, 

 once the residence of the great Sully. Lately 

 it was the prooerty of the Dutchess of Bern, 

 and formed one of the moderate number of 

 twenty-seven baronial castles which the lute 

 reigning family possessed in France, while 

 they had the power to Ihrust their hands into 

 the pockets of thirty millions of people for the 

 means to sustain them in tho current expenses 

 of their living 



Tho character of the Normans, thro' whose 

 country I have passed, is very marked and pe- 

 culiar They are shrewd and intelligent; ra- 

 iher grave and given to taciturnity on general 

 topics ; curiously inquisitive in a sly way, and 

 oautiously reserved when tho conversation 

 might disclose anything relating to themselves 

 which they may imagine their interest would 

 require them to conceal. They are industrious 

 and fond of gain, yet generally restraining 

 themselves within the bounds of honesty. — 

 They love nothing bolter than to turn a penny 



in the way of barter. Very many of this peo- 

 ple, by their industry, shrewdness and frugal- 

 ity, have risen from the condition of poor ten- 

 anls of other men's lands, to become themselves 

 proprietors of considerable estates. In this 

 hasly sketch, do you recognize nothing of re- 

 semblance to a singular race in our own coun- 

 try ? You and I are both Yankees and ought 

 to know. In short the Norman character,like 

 the Yankee, might be broadly drawn in caric- 

 ature, so as to present many points both ludi- 

 crous and despicable; but look at it as it is 

 developed in the practical concerns of life, and 

 it has as many, nay more, points to be admired 

 and loved. Adieu. B. 



MONTREAL MARKET. April 23. 



Sir — When we issued our printed circular 

 of the 1st ultimo, we did not anticipale being 

 called upon by a sense of duty towards out 

 numerous friends and customers, so soon a- 

 gain !o publish another ; but the recent suc- 

 cession of arrivals from Europe at New-York 

 and Quebec, bringing advices down to the 

 24th ultimo, having (we regret to say) chang- 

 ed the prospects for ihe woise, as regards 

 some of the principal articles of export, we 

 feel b-und to apprise you of it without deiaj. 

 ASHES — We stated in our circular of 

 the 1st till., that Ihe quar.tity on hand in this- 

 market was 3485 bbls. Pots and 1500 Pearlf 

 Received from 1st Man h to 1st April 

 270 bbls. Pots and G24 do. Pearls. 



Received from Isl to 23d April 477 bbl?, 

 Pols and 462 do. Pearls. 



Slock on hand this day. 4232 bbis. Pots ami 

 2766 Pearls. 



Our latest European advices are discourag- 

 ing in the extreme, both Pot and Pearl hav- 

 ing declined many shillings per cwt and tend- 

 ing to further decline, which in a great meas- 

 ure was owing to ihe arrival in Ihe English 

 markets of a number of shipments of New- 

 York ashes, and being forced off at auclion, 

 the effect produced here is what might natu- 

 rall; be expecled, a tutal want of confidence 

 in the article, and therefore an almost impos- 

 sibility of effecting sales at prices at ail sat- 

 isfactory, and indeed until many more vessels 

 arrive, and ca'goes are immediately wanted, 

 we can scarcely form an opinion what (be 

 current price will be ; some have been forced" 

 off here wilhin a day or (wo a 30s for Pots, 

 and unless our next Eurooean news is more 

 favorable than Ihe last, (and which can scarce- 

 ly be expected.) we apprehend thai 30s or 

 something under for Pols, and 32s a 33s for 

 Pearls, will be as high as can be ohtained. 



GRAIN AND FLOUR —The very high 

 rates to wbich these articles had attained, 

 causing the duty to decline to the lowest point, 

 had brought from undei the lock immense 

 supplies of bonded grain and flout, wbich pro- 

 duced a decrease in price and demand ; con- 

 siderable parcels arriving here from U. Cana- 

 da thus early, with little shipping to take it off, 

 we are obliged to moderate our expectations 

 a little, still we have great confidence in ear- 

 ly shipment- doing well, and if war takes 

 place, (of which il appears to us there can be 

 little doubt) we shall expect to see our most 

 sanguine anticipations more than realized ; — 

 but under the present aspect of things. U. C. 

 wheat of the best desjriptiuii cannot bo quo- 

 ted here over 6s Od the 60lbs. whereas, a feiv 

 weeks since, some parcels were contracted 

 as high as 7s 9d a 8s. Canada free flour ts 

 generally held at 36s 3d a 37s 6d, but we be- 

 lieve it is difficult to get on ivnh sales, at -nort 

 than 35s. United States floor in bond seems 

 rather neglected for the moment. 



Yours, Ac. 



HORATIO GATES, & Qo, 



