Dieppe to Rouen. 245 



landscape ; but avenues are now common all over the Conti- 

 nent, and hedges are at least not very rare in the north of 

 France. The prevalence of the ancient style, therefore, 

 where it no longer possesses the beauties of contrast, may be 

 attributed partly to a want of cultivated feeling for natural 

 landscape, but chiefly to the want of examples in a better 

 manner. Improvements in matters of taste have hitherto, 

 in monarchies at least, commenced with the court, or with 

 the very highest classes. The titled rich, who are supposed 

 to know every thing, and to have every thing within their 

 power, have the credit given them, by the newly enriched 

 citizens, of choosing the best ; and the latter, being limited 

 in their means of knowledge as well as of choice, naturally 

 think they cannot do better than follow what they consider 

 a good example. Hence the great majority of people, in 

 every country, are influenced much more by fashion than by 

 reason ; and hence, also, the importance, in all matters what- 

 ever, of the example shown by the higher or powerful classes 

 to the lower. Much good, in point of example, has been 

 effected by the aristocracy of England ; but much is still want- 

 ing from them, in matters of political justice, no less than in 

 matters of morality and taste. No person of any reading or 

 experience will ever expect this improvement as a voluntary 

 production ; but necessity will gradually bring it about, and 

 the elevation and amelioration of the lower and middling 

 classes will force a wiser policy, more humanity, and a greater 

 degree of self-respect, on those which are above them. The 

 press and the school will lead to every thing, and that ebb and 

 flow of taste called fashion will one day be under the in- 

 fluence of a more enlightened reason. 



O 



The soil, almost every where between Dieppe and Rouen, 

 and, indeed, we may say, between Dieppe and Paris, or rather 

 Dieppe and Strasburg, is a friable loam on a calcareous sub- 

 soil. The ploughs we saw here were better constructed than 

 in some districts in England, with a well-curved iron mould- 

 board, two wheels, and drawn by three horses abreast, with- 

 out a driver ; the harrows are not so good, and have wooden 

 tines. In the carts may be traced the origin of the Scotch 

 corn or harvest cart. The horses bear considerable resem- 

 blance to what is called the Suffolk punch. The radical 

 defect of the agriculture here, as in all those parts of France 

 through which we have passed, is that of not ploughing more 

 than half the proper depth. An East Lothian or Berwick- 

 shire farmer on such a soil, we should think, would raise 

 double the quantity of disposable produce; and, notwithstand- 

 ing all the prejudices and difficulties which are to be taken 



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