[ 8 ] 
centre of which is a fountain. Each has a large 
umbrella, which covers her and her productions 
from the rain and sun. The fish women, the poul¬ 
terers, the herb women, See. all have their separate 
quarters, so that you are never at a loss to find what 
you wish to purchase, nor are any suffered to deal in 
different sorts of commodities. Butchers, or rather 
butcheresscs, for these too are women, their hus¬ 
bands after having killed the cattle assigning to 
them the care of disposing of it, being in a dif¬ 
ferent quarter from the rest of the market. By this 
regulation the market affords no place for the col¬ 
lection of filth, or the stagnation of air. When the 
market hours are over, the stalls and umbrellas are 
removed, and the whole may be perfectly cleaned ; 
whereas no care can keep our markets from being 
sources of corruption, at least till we give them 
brick or stone pavements : For the animal and ve¬ 
getable substances, which even, in the very act of 
washing, find their way below the flooring, garri¬ 
son an impregnable fortress, from whence in hot 
weather, with certain aim, they shoot envenomed 
arrows winged with death. I'hough the decay 
of trade makes this place abound in beggars; yet 
there is much less appearance of poverty than 
one would expect to find. This is probably ow¬ 
ing to the ease of subsisting near the sea, where 
fish is easily obtained ; to horses not consuming 
the food of men, for none except post horses are 
kept in L’Orient, all transportation being done by 
porters ; and above all, to the fgrests and chesnuts 
