52 



supplied in the way of vin ordinaire by a good hotel. I can recollect but one 

 instance in which I could derive any satisfaction from the hotelkeeper's 

 gratuitous offering. 



In the neighborhood of Avignon there has long existed a celebrated vine- 

 yard, known as Chateau-neuf-du-Pape : very extensive at one time, and, as 

 its name indicates, belonging to the papal domains ; it has now been split 

 up into a number of small holdings. The wine made in these vineyards 

 has long been reputed one of the best in the south of France. I had the 

 opportunity of sampling some of it ; to my taste, however, it appeared to 

 be no more than the shadow of its former greatness. The old vineyards 

 were completely destroyed by the phylloxera, but have since been wholly 

 replanted on resistant American stock. 



THE VINES OF LANGUEDOC. 



From Avignon, on September 26th, I passed to Montpellier via Marseilles 

 and Tarascon. The Rhone, which for some hundreds of miles flows almost 

 exactly from north to south, in approaching the Mediterranean divides off 

 the two ancient provinces of Languedoc and Provence, which, in the aggregate , 

 are to-day commonly referred to as the " midi " or " southern districts of 

 France/* Agriculturally, Provence is characterised by the olive, the vine, 

 and various primeurs ; whilst its neighbor, Languedoc, is given up almost 

 entirely to the vine. Avignon is situated on the border of the two districts, 

 and if, as I had occasion to do, one proceeds from this town in a westerly 

 direction it is as if one were passing through one huge continuous vineyard, 

 and the illusion is heightened by the fact that very rarely do fences or divisions 

 of any kind separate one owner's block from that of his neighbor. From the 

 point of view of total area under vines and total quantities of wine produced 

 this district must undoubtedly be reckoned the most important vine-growing 

 district in the world ; and to such an extent is the population dependent 

 on the vine for their livelihood that any crisis affecting it speedily reduces 

 them to the greatest distress. It is not so many years ago that a meeting 

 of over 500,000 vinegrowers assembled at Montpellier to protest against the 

 apathy of the Government to the general distress of the people. The hot 

 southern blood even led to some talk of secession, although in reality the 

 latter was never seriously entertained. In the end, however, the objects 

 of this great popular uprising were secured: Government was compelled 

 to realise that it was dealing with a national industry, the ruin of which 

 it could not afford to overlook. 



Some idea of the importance of the vine in Languedoc may be gathered 

 from the consideration of a few statistical data, which I owe mainly to an 

 interesting pamphlet published in connection with the 1910 Brussels Exhibi- 

 tion. Roughly speaking, the old province of Languedoc was split up after 

 the Revolution into what are to-day the Departments of Gard, H6rault, 



