1851 
THE CULTIVATOR 
343 
Lord Mayor leading off. We passed through a level 
country to Amiens, about 100 miles. The whole coun¬ 
try, as far as the eye could reach, was under cultivation. 
The crops generally, were quite light—comprising almost 
every variety of grain. There were no division or other 
fences on the route; the land cultivated in small plats 
by the peasantry, and the variegated fields of every hue, 
presented a beautiful appearance. There were no farm 
dwellings to be seen, as with us. Occasionally we pass¬ 
ed a small village, with thatched houses, and narrow 
winding streets, where the cultivators of the land re¬ 
side, many of them having to go miles, daily, to their 
work. Their implements are quite rude—-the plow in 
general use, and in fact the only one I saw, was like the 
one in the Agricultural Museum, from Canada. 
On the marsh land on the route, of which there was 
considerable, we observed immense quantities of peat, 
cut up. and in many places pits of it smoking, which is 
used for fuel, and in some instances, I presume, for ma¬ 
nure. On many of the small grass plats in the fields, 
cows were feeding, tied to stakes, on others sheep, in 
care of a shepherd and dog. Yery few pastures were 
seen, where there was any considerable number of cat¬ 
tle grazing, and meadow land is very rare. The whole 
country was under crops—wheat, oats, barley, buck¬ 
wheat, rye, clover, red, scarlet and trefoil, sanfoin, hemp, 
potatoes, poppies, Swedish turneps, mangel wurtzel, &c. 
The land, evidently, on this route, requires deeper 
plowing, and much more manure. Occasionally lime 
was to be seen, prepared for the land, but generally the 
crops, from the shortness of the straw, and the light heads 
of the grain, gave evidence of a lack of proper culture. 
Much of the grain was being cut. A cradle with short 
fingers was in use. They cut with this towards the grain, 
as with the sickle. "Women are employed in all varieties 
of work in the fields, and old men generally with them. 
Yery few young men, comparatively, are in the fields. 
They, I presume, are in the army of the Republic, to 
keep the people in subjection. 
When we arrived at Amiens, which is quite a large 
town, we found a great crowd gathered, and a large 
party of military in ferocious looking caps, and abun¬ 
dance of hair upon their faces, who were regaling them¬ 
selves at a table which had been liberally prepared for 
my Lord Mayor. We alighted, and prepared to do jus¬ 
tice ourselves to the viands which were left, and several 
of us were in time to do our part to the remains of the 
feast, but the hell rang for the cars, and we hastened to 
our seats, and remained for half an hour, while the sol¬ 
diers demolished the whole of the repast, wines and all! 
We thought this was rather rich for La belle France! 
but we took it as a very fair joke, and passed on. We 
arrived in Paris about 12 at night, and having taken the 
precaution to engage rooms some days previous to" the 
fete, we found comfortable quarters, which very many 
were unable to obtain. The next morning Paris was 
opened up to us, with all its beauties and splendid pala¬ 
ces, churches, &c. 
In the afternoon, or rather evening, 7| o’clock, we 
had the dinner served up to some 500, in a style, that 
few can equal. The room itself was one of the most 
splendid I have ever seen—most gorgeously decorated, 
with splendid paintings, statuary of busts, lighted by 
nearly 3,000 wax lights. No account can do justice to 
it. The dinner was most admirably got up, enough for 
all, a plate for each, and 300 French waiters, who did 
not wait for a call, but anticipated your every want, and 
studiously furnished to each the very best provided. 
After the dinner was concluded, a speech from the Pre¬ 
fect of the Seine, answering to our Mayors, was respond¬ 
ed to by Lord Granville on behalf of the Royal Com¬ 
missioners, and one fi;om the President of the Municipal 
Council of Paris—was responded to by the Lord Mayor 
of London, and an adjournment was had to the other 
rooms of the hotel, where several thousands were as¬ 
sembled, to listen to the music of a concert which came 
off as soon as the dining room was arranged for that pur¬ 
pose. The afternoon of the next day, the Palace of 
Versailles, its ground, gardens and fountains were all 
opened to the guests and the public. The Palace found¬ 
ed-by Louis XIV, is an immense structure, furnished in 
a manner the most costly and elaborate that can be 
imagined. Every room was ornamented with superb 
paintings of the Kings, Marshals, Constables, &c. of 
France, from its earliest history, down to Louis Philipe. 
The great victories of the Empire, from the* earliest 
dates to the conquest of Algiers, and the battle of 
Navarino. The paintings of Napoleon’s reign are among 
the most attractive, though one of the Algerine battles 
struck me as a picture that would bear study better 
than almost any other in this great collection. The 
palace is so extensive, and the rooms so numerous, that 
it took upwards of three hours to pass through it and 
catch even a glimpse of its many paintings and statuary. 
They have our American officers and statesmen of the 
Revolution—Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, &c., and 
the surrender at Yorktown is admirably given, with por¬ 
traits from life of the French and American generals 
and officers. 
The fountains were let to play at a cost of 10,000 
francs. They are scattered in different directions over 
the entire grounds through the avenues of trees, very 
tastefully arranged, and more than a thousand jets were 
throwing up columns of water altogether, producing a 
scene the tout ensemble of wffiich probably cannot be 
seen elsewhere, the world over. I could not but reflect 
as I sauntered through the palace, the garden and the 
grove, who built these splendid palaces, and who furnish¬ 
ed the means. They were erected to idolize a man, who 
has passed away for ever. They were erected by the 
toil and sweat and blood of the people, who in those 
days were esteemed as fit instruments to live and toil 
and die merely to gratify human pride and ambition. 
May that day never arrive when our country shall be 
trampled down by the despot, erecting the monuments 
of his triumph upon the ruins of our free institutions! 
After returning to town in the evening, we walked 
through the grounds and gardens of the Tuilleries, 
Champs Elysees, &c. Here we found, apparently, the 
whole population of Paris, engaged in every kind of 
amusement. Theatres, circuses, mountebanks, gaming 
tables, and lighter amusements, were all in full opera, 
tion, open to all, and the people enjoying, to all appear¬ 
ances, this motly scene right well. On returning, we 
went through the Boulevard, the great fashionable 
promenade of the city. The most fashionable p i 
