FRANCE. 343 



merce and opulence. They still rank next to Paris in population, 

 the former containing 112,844, and the latter 111,130 inhabitants. 



Lyons, a rich manufacturing city, suffered greatly in the civil wars 

 of the revolution, but is stated still to contain 109,500 inhabitants. 



The ancient city of Orleans stands on the Loire, in the depart- 

 ment of Loiret, about sixty miles to the south of Paris. It has a no- 

 ble cathedral, which commands a view of the Loire for an extent of 

 thirty miles, and a stately bridge of nine elliptic arches, nearly a 

 quarter of a mile in length, and forty-five feet broad. The centre arch 

 is above a hundred feet wide. The population of this city is, howe- 

 ver, only 36,175. 



Strasburg is a strongly fortified city, and has a Gothic cathedralj 

 the spire of which is 574 feet high. 



Brest is a small but very strong town upon the English channel, 

 with a most spacious and finely fortified road and harbour, the best 

 and safest in all the kingdom ; yet its entrance is difficult, by reason 

 of many rocks lying under water. At Brest there are docks, maga- 

 zines for all kinds of naval stores, rope -yards, store-houses, &c. 



Lewis XIV rendered Toulon, from a pitiful village, a sea-port of 

 great importance. He fortified both the town and harbour for the re-* 

 ception and protection of the navy. Its old and its new harbour lie 

 contiguous ; and, by means of a canal, ships pass from the one to 

 the other, both of them having an outlet into the spacious outer-har- 

 bour. Its arsenal, established also by that king, has a particular 

 store-house for each ship of war; its guns, cordage, &x. being sepa- 

 rately laid up. Here are spacious workshops, for blacksmiths, join- 

 ers, carpenters, lock-smiths, carvers, &c. Its rope-walk, of stone, is 

 320 toiees or fathoms in length, with three-arched walks. Its gene- 

 ral magazine supplies whatever may be wanting in the particular 

 store-houses, and contains an immense quantity of all kinds of stores, 

 disposed in the greatest order. 



Commerce and manufactures. ...Next to Henry IV, justly styl- 

 ed the Great, the famous Colbert, minister to Lewis XIV, may be 

 called the father of the French commerce and manufactures, Un- 

 der him there was a great appearance that France would make as il- 

 lustrious a figure, as a trading, as she did then as a warlike people ; 

 but the truth is, the French do not naturally possess that undaunted 

 perseverance which is necessary for commerce and colonization ; 

 though no people, in theory, understand them better. It is to be con- 

 sidered at the same time, that France, by her situation, by the turn 

 of her inhabitants for certain manufactures, and the happiness of 

 her soil, must be always possessed of great inland and neighbouring 

 trade. 



The silk manufacture was introduced into France so late as the 

 reign of Henry IV ; and in the age of his grandson, Lewis XIV, the 

 city of Tours alone employed 8000 looms and 800 mills. The city 

 of Lyons then employed 18 ; 000 looms; but after the impolitic and 

 unjust revocation of the edict of Nantes, the expulsion of the protes- 

 tants, and the ruinous wars maintained by France, they decreased to 

 4000 ; and their silk manufacture is now rivalled by that of England, 

 where the French protestants took refuge, and were happily encou- 

 raged. Next to Tours and Lyons, Paris, Chatillon, and Nismes, are 

 most celebrated for silk manufactures. France, before the revolution, 

 contained 1500 silk mills, 21,000 looms for stuffs, 12,000 for ribbands 

 and lace, 20,000 for silk stockings, all of which employed two mil- 



