B O U 



Bourdeaur. 8O me style, and on a regular plan*. The Chateau 

 ^ ' Trompette, which was built by Charles VII., and 

 afterwards regularly fortified by the celebrated Vau- 

 ban in the reign of Louis XIV., and which occupied 

 nearly half a mile of the shore, was purchased from 

 the late king by a company of speculators, for the 

 purpose of being taken down, in order to build with 

 the materials a fine square, and several splendid streets, 

 to the number of 1800 houses ; but this plan, which, 

 it has been said, would form one of the finest addi- 

 tions to a city, that is to be seen in Europe, has not 

 yet been completed. The finest parts of the city are 

 the Place Royale, where the hackney coaches have 

 their stand, and where there is an equestrian statue 

 in bronze of Louis XV. ; the quarter of the Chapeau 

 Rouge, which consists of noble and regular buildings ; 

 and the suburb of Chartron, where the principal mer- 

 chants reside. Bourdeaux contains an academy of 

 belles lettres, of painting, of sculpture, of architec- 

 ture, of commerce ; an university, founded in 1441 ; 

 thirteen parish churches ; a number of religious 

 houses ; and several magnificent public buildings. 

 The principal of these are the churches of the Domi- 

 nicans, Carthusians, and Monks of St Bernard ; in 

 which last is the tomb of Montaigne, who was born, 

 lived, and died at the castle of Brede, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Bourdeaux ; the cathedral, which con- 

 tains two remarkable bas reliefs, deserving of the tra- 

 veller's inspection ; the exchange, from which is the 

 finest view of the harbour and the country on the 

 opposite shore, furnishing one of the richest water 

 scenes of which France can boast ; and the theatre, 

 which is one of the most magnificent in Europe, in 

 the shape of the segment of an oval, occupying a 

 space of 306 by 165 feet, with the principal front at 

 one end, where there is a portico of twelve very large 

 Corinthian columns running along the whole extent 

 of the front, from which portico is the entrance, by 

 a noble vestibule, to the different parts of the theatre, 

 to an elegant concert room, and to various saloons for 

 walking and refreshments ; and the whole of which 

 building was raised at the expence of 270,000. 

 There is a new tide corn mill, which is remarkable 

 for its size, the solidity of the building, and the beau- 

 ty of the workmanship. There is a large canal form- 

 ed of hewn stone, with walls four feet in thickness, 

 which leads under the building, and admits the tide, 

 as it comes in, to turn the water wheels ; and there 

 are several other equally well built canals, which con- 

 duct the water into a large reservoir, from which it 

 flows back, as the tide returns, and gives motion to 

 the wheels, in an opposite direction. This immense 

 structure was erected by a company ; and the cost 

 was estimated at 350,000. The whole of the houses, 

 and public buildings of Bourdeaux, are built of a 

 white stone, which adds greatly to the splendour of 

 their appearance. The habitations and establish- 

 ments of the principal merchants are upon a very ex- 

 pensive scale ; and their mode of living is luxurious 

 and dissipated in the extreme. The three chief ar- 

 ticles of commerce in this city are, the cod and 

 whale fisheries; the fitting out of armaments, and fur- 

 nishing of stores for the French American settle- 

 ments, for which it must at present have very little 

 demand; and the disposal of its brandy, wines, li- 



378 



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queurs, especially the vin de Bourdeaux, generally 

 known by the name of claret, and produced in the 

 neighbouring country, called Pays de Maine. It ex- 

 ports also fruits, resin, pepper, honey, cork, &c. and 

 particularly vinegar 10 the amount of five or six thou- 

 sand tons annually, &c. ; and manufactures serge, 

 printed calicoes, stockings, delf-ware, white glass, 

 and cordage. Its wines particularly are an incalcula- 

 ble source of wealth to the inhabitants. It is calcu- 

 lated, that, in the district of Bourdeaux, there are 

 produced communibus annis 200,000 tons of wine; of 

 which 100,000 are exported, 40,000 consumed in the 

 town and its vicinity, and the remaining 60,000 in 

 the territories of France. The quantity of brandy is 

 more variable ; sometimes amounting to 20,000 hogs- 

 heads annually, and at other times only to 12,000 or 

 15,000. Among the principal productions of Bour- 

 deaux, may be mentioned the article hemp, of which, 

 within a space of 12 or 15 leagues round the town, 

 about 20,000 or 25,000 quintals are raised every year, 

 part of which is exported to Rochefort, Rochelle, 

 and Bayonne; and the rest is employed at Bour- 

 deaux, in manufactories of linen or cordage. Its re- 

 fined sugars are accounted the best in France in point 

 of quality ; and possess a firmness and consistency, 

 which render them peculiarly suitable for exporta- 

 tion. The great trade of Bourdeaux, especially in 

 wines and brandy, attracts an immense number of fo- 

 reign vessels, so that there are commonly about 100 

 in the harbour at once, and sometimes during its 

 fairs not less than 500. The greater number of these 

 are from Holland and Great Britain ; and those be- 

 longing to the latter power, besides taking wines to 

 the amount of 6000 tons, and brandies to the amount 

 of 400 hogsheads annually, carry away, vinegar, 

 prunes, raisins, turpentine, chesnut, paper, corkwood, 

 honey, capers, olives, and anchovies, in exchange for 

 woollen stuffs, tin, lead, coals, herring, leather, but- 

 ter, cheese, salt beef, tallow, and painting materials. 

 It has two great fairs in the year, which were finally 

 established by Charles IX. in 1565, and each of 

 which lasts about 15 days; but the resort to these 

 free markets, and its commercial prosperity in gene- 

 ral, are said to have greatly declined since the revolu- 

 tion. It contains about 100,000 inhabitants; is dis- 

 tant from Paris 89 leagues, and from Rochelle 27 ; 

 and stands in N. Lat. 44 50', and W. Long. 39'. 

 It has produced several great men ; by one of whom, 

 the poet Ausonius, it is celebrated in these lines, 

 Surdlgalia, est nutule solum ; dementia casli 

 Mttie, ubi ct rigvae larga indvlgentia terree, 

 Ve.r longum, brumis yue breves, jugafrondea subsunt, &c. 

 See Arthur Young's Travels in France, (cj) 



BOURGES, the Avaricum orBituriges of the an- 

 cients, a town of France, formerly the capital of the 

 province of Berri, but now the chief place of the de- 

 partment of the Cher, is situated on the river Erve at 

 its confluence with the Eure. According to Livy, 

 this was one of the most ancient cities of Gaul. 

 Louis XL, who was born in this place, founded the 

 university in 1466, and conferred several privileges 

 on the town. From the central situation of Bourges, 

 it was declared, at the assembly of the states at Tours 

 in 1 484, as the most convenient place in the kingdom 

 for internal commerce, and fairs were established here 



Bourde; 

 liourg 



