, 
#798. ] 
Jaw enagting the eftablifhment of thefe 
fchools been carried into effet univerfally, 
or even generally, thronghout the re- 
public? On the lait of thefe fubjeis Iam 
more particularly anxious for information, 
as I have heard it afferted, that ‘the in- 
ftruction of youth has been miferably 
negleéted in France fince/the commence- 
ment of the revolution, and that thefe 
high founding theories have been merely 
held cut to amufe the people; in the 
fame way as we have heard plans pro- 
‘pofed in this country, for the ameliora- 
tion of the ftate of the poor, without any 
intention whatever of carrying them into 
effect. C.B 
Bath, Sept. 11, 1798. 

TOUR OF ENGLAND. 
(Continued from page 25.) 
Journal of a Tour through almott every county 
in England, and partof Wales, by Mr. Joun 
Housman, of Corby, near Carlifle; who 
was engaged to make the Tour bya gentle- 
man of diftinétion, for the purpofe of col- 
le€ting authentic information relative to 
the ftate of the poor. The Journal com- 
prifes an account of the general appearance 
of the country, of the foil, furface, build- 
ings, &c. with obfervations agricultural, 
commercial, &c, 
CTOBER the ath, I went from Pe- 
tershield to Portimouth, in Hants, 
diltance eighteen miles. A great part of 
this diftritt is open, and naked; much 
of it is in pafture, and has a chalky foil, 
which is not remarkable for its truitful- 
nefs. After pafiing an abrupt hollow, 
or what in Scotland is calied a glen, the 
fides of which gre covered with {mall 
trees and underwood, I afcended a chalky 
hill; the road then leads fer’a great 
nuniber of miles over green hills, called 
Downs, or, Commons: the country is 
extremely uneven. Some pretty feats and 
villages followed next, and then I paffed 
through a large wood, or foreft, but in 
which are few trees of value. 
I had not left this wild foreft many 
miles, before I came in fight of the Eno- 
lifh channel, and Portimouth prefented 
itfelf to my view when 1 was three 
miles from it. The Ifle of Wight is 
allo diftimétly feen from end to end; be- 
tween which’ and Portfmouth, an objeé 
moft awfully grand ftruck my eye, the 
Britifh fleet, under the command of Lord 
Howe, which was lying at anchor at 
Spithead. j 
Portfmouth ftands clof to the fea, on 
alow, naked, and pretty extenfive plain, 
deeply indented in fome places with the 
MONTHLY Mag, No. xxxyvt. 
Mr, Houfman’s Tour in Hampfire, Sc. 
ocean. It is very ftrongly fortified with 
walls, ditches, gates, and drawbridges, 
one behind the other, quite round the 
town. On thefe great abundance of can- 
non are placed. ‘The fortifications are 
juft fnifhed, and are faid to have render- 
ed the town almoft impregnable. Portf- 
mouth and Pertfea, though connected 
together, are diltingt parifhes: the for- 
mer is the ancient town, the latter of 
modern date. Gofport is feparated from 
Portfmouth by an arm of the fea, nearly 
half a mile broad; and altogether the 
three places form a pretty large town. 
In many parts the ftreets are very narrow 
and dirty, particularly in Portfmouth old 
town and in Gofport; neither are the 
houfes in general very good. 
This place is almoft wholly fupported 
by the fleets and thips of war, which are 
almoft conftantly at anchor here, and the 
time of war is the harveft or jubilee of 
Portfmouth! Atthefe times the wages of 
watermen, and artificers of all forts, are 
exceedingly high, and tradefmen find a 
rapid fale tor their commodities, Peace. 
is the curfeof Portfmouth, every thing 
being then in adead ftate, and the people 
accordingly wear long faces; no fooner, 
however, do the flames of war rekin~ 
le, than their countenances light up in 
proportion to their probable duration. 
Clofe to the fhore is the fignal poft, 
which is continually making and anfwer- 
ing fignals to the fleet, the large thips of 
which lie in a long range at a little dif- 
tance towards a naked point of land, 
called Spithead. Boats and {mall veflels 
are continually going.and returning from 
the fleet. The old Royal George,which was 
overlet here in the year 1782, has now 
quite dilappeared, but the place where 
fhe lies is marked by two buoys, the one 
faftened to her head and the other to her 
ftern: fhe is only a few hundred yards 
from the fhore. 
Upon the walls there are ome very 
pleafant walks, particularly onthe eaft- 
fide, and near the fea, over which, and 
the adjacent country, there is a fine prot. 
pect. I was fhewn through ail the large 
dock-yards, where immente preparations 
for facilitating human deftruction, were 
going on. Many hundreds of men are 
here employed in making cables, anchors, 
mafts, &c. and building and repairing 
men of war. In paffing along the place 
where the prodigious-anchors are made, 
I imagined myfelf in the thop of Vulcaa- 
The other vait works of this place muft 
be equally furpriiing to thofe who bave 
not been accuftomed to them. The new 
2E Royal 
193 

