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STATE AGEIOULTUEAL SOCIETY 
it, and find myself asking, “Is not this, after all, a fairy dream, which will 
leave me, at the waking, still in the midst of gloomy London, elbowing my 
way to the Great Exhibition ?” 
During my stay of a week, I have witnessed no collision of man with his 
fellow, heard no hard words, and not once been asked for alms. Always 
cheerful, affable, approachable and polite, they seem to require nothing but 
a little more solidity and a profounder religious sentiment to make them the 
most agreeable people to live among in the world. 
Napoleon understands them well, and admirably adapts his administration 
to their peculiar traits of character—achieving glory for the Empire by his 
feats of arms, adding, by means of the most prodigal expenditures, to the 
transcendant beauty and attractiveness of the capital, and at the same 
time holding them to their places by the unyielding reins of a strong gov¬ 
ernment. If he can financier his treasury into a more sound and happy 
condition, I see no reason why he may not succeed in establishing quite a 
permanent Napoleonic dynasty. 
But I have not forgotten, in the midst of all the dazzling splendor of the 
court and city, that the chief object of my visit to France was rather to get 
some idea of the industry of the country. 
Thus far the agriculture has been a surprise—better than expected. More 
beautiful fields of wheat, rye, oats, sanfoin, lucerne and potatoes I have nev¬ 
er seen. There are beautiful hedges along the railway and around the dwel¬ 
lings, but otherwise no enclosures for miles. 
Interesting excursions to Versailles, St. Cloud, St. Denis, and professional 
visits to the Agricultural School at Grignon, the Veterinary School at Al- 
fort, the Royal Polytechnic and other institutions—of which I may sometime 
publish an account—and good bye to the great capital. 
PARIS TO GENEVA, VIA LYONS. 
Fontainebleau, where the kings and emperors of France, since the days of 
Louis VII., have delighted themselves with the beautiful scenery of the 
place, the splendid works of art, and the exciting sports of the wood, is a 
peep at paradise. No wonder I lingered by its beautiful lakes and streams, 
and wandered by moonlight in its majestic, glorious wood until the mute 
statues and half-hushed birds were my only companions and the iron gates 
were closed ! The gardens and fountains, too, are lovely—partly a la Ver¬ 
sailles, partly unique. 
The Palace occupies ten or twelve acres of ground, and though not so 
grand in its external as the Louvre and the Tuilleries is nevertheless mag-- 
nificent and gorgeously decorated within; a favorite with Napoleon the 
Great and Josephine. 
* * * Down the beautiful Saone, (pronounced Sone,) stopping at Dijon 
and Chalons-sur-Saone. Crops of grain and grass looking well, though the cul¬ 
tivation is hardly as good as in Northwestern France. The vine shows itself 
on the way, clothing many fields and all the favorable hill sides. It is look¬ 
ing splendidly and gives good promise of a great crop. The grass crop is 
about half cut, and the wheat is perceptibly beginning to change its shade of 
deep green to a brighter hue. Scenery on the Saone, much of it, very beauti¬ 
ful ; rivalling, it is said, that on the Rhine, which I have yet to see." 
Lyons! the great silk city of Europe; numbering some 700 large estab¬ 
lishments where it is manufactured. It was these manufactories that brought 
me all these 316 miles from Paris, and I feel well repaid for the journey. The 
city itself is well worth a visit, being one of the handsomest, as well as one 
of the most populous in France. It is located at the junction of the Saone 
with the Rhone, lying between and on both sides of these charming rivers. 
The Rhone is crossed by eight fine stone and suspension bridges, the Saone 
by nine. Population, including the suburbs, about 275,000. On the north 
side, lies a mountain, from the top of which, in a clear day, the summit of 
Mont Blanc, though distant an hundred miles, is said to be distinctly visible. 
The process of silk manufacture is most interesting. Silks of every pattern 
