HERMITAGE 



103 



its place being taken, in general, by the mulberry. The 

 plain round Avignon is said to be one of the richest in 

 France. At Avignon I found that there is a regulated 

 price at which the diligences are accustomed to take 

 merchandise, much lower than they charge for the addi- 

 tional baggage of a passenger. I accordingly agreed for 

 the carriage of the two cases of vine plants to Lyons. 



Friday^ ^th December, Valence. — Having joined the 

 dihgence for this place late on Thursday evening, I ar- 

 rived about seven this evening, and immediately proceeded 

 to the house of the merchant for whom I had brought a 

 letter. I was informed that he was then from home, and 

 it would be very late before he returned. I was, there- 

 fore, prevented joining a diligence which was to proceed 

 to Tain at eight next morning. After quitting Avignon I 

 saw no more olives, but the mulberry was most abundant 

 on all sides; and every person with whom I have spoken 

 on the subject, including Messrs. Durand, Professor 

 Delisle, Messrs. Audibert, Negrel, and Brest, concur in 

 representing the rearing of silk worms as a most profitable 

 pursuit. M. Audibert said, that many persons in their 

 neighbourhood who had mulberries did not themselves 

 rear the silk worm, but disposed of the leaves to others. 

 The ordinary price given for the leaves of a good-sized 

 mulberry tree was from seven to eight francs, and if the 

 leaves happened to be scarce, so much as 10 or 12 francs 

 have been given. They do not begin to strip the trees of 

 their leaves till they are five or six years old. 



Saturday, lOtJi December. — The gentleman to whom I 

 brought the letter was not himself a proprietor of vine- 

 yards at Hermitage, but was requested to introduce me 

 to some person having a vineyard there. On waiting 

 upon him this morning, I found a letter prepared for me, 



