Rouen and Paris. 203 



other objects of interest, were visited, and, at 12 o'clock, we 

 left in the cars for Paris. 



Rouen to Paris. — No rail-road route that we have ever trav- 

 elled can compare with that from Rouen to Paris for the beauty 

 of its scenery. It winds along the banks of the Seine, and, 

 nearly the entire distance, glimpses of its placid waters are 

 obtained, beyond which the hills tower up, clad with the vine 

 to their summit. As we emerged from the long and dark tun- 

 nels, the effect of this was enchanting; and we reached this 

 city almost regretting that the ride could not be prolonged. 

 What pleased us was the little enclosures by the roadside, 

 often filled with plants, and now teeming with the gay flow- 

 ers of the dahha, aster, marygold, &c., and mignonette, filling 

 the air with its fragrance. 



Paris, September 6. — We arrived here at 4 o'clock, but the 

 lateness of the hour after dining, did not give us an opportu- 

 nity to call upon our friends. 



The location, soil, and climate of Paris are entirely unlike 

 London. The situation is high and irregular ; the soil a rich 

 loam on a calcareous subsoil; the climate dry and warm. 

 Around the city, beyond the walls, there is much plain and 

 waste land : while around London, not a spot scarcely remains 

 but what bears the stamp of cultivation. On each side of the 

 road, a few miles from the depot, we passed hundreds of acres 

 of vines, now just ripening their luscious fruit. In and around 

 Paris, every avenue is formed in regular lines ; around Lon- 

 don, they run in curves, or irregular lines. But few of the 

 streets have sidewalks, and those of recent addition. For 

 fruit, the climate is far superior to London, and may be com- 

 pared to our own. But for vegetables, the moist atmosphere 

 of London is more favorable to a continued growth. 



Nursery of M. Jamin, Rue de Buffon. — The most exten- 

 sive collection of fruit trees around Paris is that of M. Jamin. 

 His garden is in the Rue de Buflbn, directly opposite one of the 

 entrances to the Jardin des Plants. It is about two acres in ex- 

 tent, and is filled in part with specimens of pear trees trained 

 en quenouille, in full bearing, forming, as M. Jamin states, in 

 his catalogue, an ecole of fruit trees, in which is planted every 

 new variety as soon as obtained, so that their merits may be 

 studied, and those of superior quality made known and mul- 



