in Brittany and Normandy. 229 



the surrounding country and the vine-covered banks of this 

 famed river, we should have found our voyage very tedious. I 

 observed the vines in many places dipping their shoots into the 

 water, which were laden with grapes ; so favourable is this fine 

 climate. Some German venders of brooms, and musicians 

 male and female, were on the deck ; these we soon induced to 

 while away the hours by singing and playing. Their seeming 

 wild harmony, but still strictly in time and tune, with the 

 sparkling river and bright sun, made the greater part of our 

 voyage most delightful. The French captain and mate were 

 " bearded like the pard ; " and, when on meeting the vessel from 

 Angers they arrayed themselves in their blue and gold uni- 

 form, and strutted their hour on deck, we were struck with the 

 contrasting simplicity of John Bull ; the captains of our steam- 

 boats, two or three times the tonnage and power of our little 

 " inexplosible," being rarely seen but in their professional blue 

 jacket, or, at most, in a plain coat : but the Frenchman likes 

 parade and " much ado about nothing ; " still it ought not to be 

 complained of, for it serves to throw a gleam of sunshine on the 

 too often gloomy path of life. 



We were much struck with the very pretty situations of 

 many of the towns and villages on the banks of the Loire. I 

 remember particularly Poissoniere, a short distance below An- 

 gers, entirely surrounded by vineyards : one could scarcely 

 help wishing that one's lot was cast there ; but French villages 

 and towns are like many in Wales, more pretty to look at from 

 a distance, than to live in. 



Angers is the head-quarters of the nurserymen of France : 

 we were delighted with the gardens and nurseries. They say 

 here that from thirty to forty nurseries are in and about the 

 city. For a population of 33,000, this seems a veiy large pro- 

 portion ; but Angers supplies a great part of southern and 

 Avestern France with trees and plants. We paid an early visit 

 to the botanic garden, but found it small, and no plants or 

 specimens of any interest in it : in happy contrast was our 

 visit to the extensive nurseries of M. Leroy, Rue des Fonts de 

 Ce, leading to that curious long bridge over the Loire, the junc- 

 tion of Avhich with the Maine takes place a short distance south 

 of Angers. We found this nursery very extensive; jDcrhaps 

 nearly forty acres ; the soil a fertile sandy loam, on a sub- 

 stratum of schist ; the quarters of fruit trees looked as if they 

 were situated among the chips of a carpenter's yard, for in 

 trenching the schistose rock was brought plentifully to the sur- 

 face. Our attention was first attracted ])y Bignonm grandi- 

 flora covered like a sheet of flame with its brilliant flowers ; 

 in every situation, whether trailing on the ground, or trained to 

 walls, it was blooming most abundantly, and presented a most 



