~ : T ; 
MAGAZINE. 
MONTHLY 
No.'88.] 
JULY 1, 1802. 
No.6, of Vog43: 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS, 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
_ LETTERS wwritien during an EXCURSION 
through FRANCE t0 GENEVA. 
(Continued from page 416, N. 87.) 
LETTER Vs 
Provins, Thurf. Dec. 10, t80t. 
GIVE you the date of this letter with 
T great parade of circumftantiality, be- 
caule I fufpeét it may not be right, and 
you will thus have an opportunity to cor- 
reét it: the fa¢étis, that I am not initiated 
into the myiteries of the new calendar ; 
and as the old one is obfolete in this coun- 
try, between the two I have almolt for- 
gotten how time goes. 
We have now left the capital of France, 
and are making rapid ftrides to Geneva: 
perhaps you wiil follow us on your map, 
where you will travel with much more 
eafe, expedition, and fafety, than we can 
do on thefe unmerciful roads: with that 
in your hand, 
A river or a fea 
Will be to you a dith of tea, 
Anda kingdom, bread and butter. 
Our plan is to pafs through “Lroyes and 
Dijon, to crofs the val chain of Mount 
Jura, and ftep over the little neck of 
Switzerland which divides France from 
Geneva; here we fhall remain no longer. 
thanis neceflary to tranf{aét our bufinefs,and 
then return by a different road, if we can 
without materially lengthening our jour- 
ney, in order to fee as much of the coun- 
try as poffible; but aflure Mr (elf, that 
*¢ Where’er I roam, whatever realms to fee, 
My heart untravell’d fondly turns to thee; 
Still to my ** turns with ceafelefs pain,’ 
And drags at each remove a length’ning 
chain.” 
We fet off this morning at half after 
eight o’clock, having waited for the lafh- 
Ing on of the luggage a full hour and 
half; our faithful courier, De Buck, ne- 
ver \fuffers a trunk to be faftened on be- 
hind ; and to-day we experienced the wif 
dom of his provifion, for the roughnefs of 
the pavé had fo Joofened the cordage, that 
two of the trunks were within a very little 
of the ground, when one of us oblerved_ 
‘the accident time enough to prevent the 
ill confequence. I leave you to imagine 
the comfortable congratulation we should 
_ Montury Mac, Nov 88, 
t. 
have made to each other, after a long 
‘day’s journey, at the lols of our luggage, 
which, had it been placed behirid inftead 
of before the carriage, would, in all pro- 
bability, have befajlen us. 
I have once or twice hinted to ycu the 
great ufefulne(s of our courier: indeed we 
are execedingly fortunate, and particularly 
fo, confidering the circumftances undcr 
which weengaged him; amidit the confu- 
fion and buftle of preparation for our 
journey we had abfolutely omitted to take 
any {teps towards procuring a travelling - 
fervant, till che chaifes which took us the 
firft ftage for Dover ‘were ordered to “the 
door! We inftantly fent to two or three 
places, and in lefs than five minutes had 
two or three applications. Frangois de 
Buck brought his credentials of good 
character in his pocket, which we werg 
lucky enough to-have authenticated with. 
out any delay: we hired him on his own 
terms, which were fo moderate, that we 
felt no difpofition to abate him one fix~ 
pence, hn 
De Buck is an extraordinary man, or I 
fhould’ not have introduced him to your 
acquaintance. He is a Swils “by ‘birth, 
and is about oa oe and-forty years 
of age: when quilé@ youth, he cultivated 
a fmall farm with fuccels, and here he 
expected to eftablifh himfelf for life with 
‘a young woman, to whem he had been - 
long and tenderly attached. “His: father, 
however, a fevere and determined man, 
oppofed the conneétion, probably from 
prudertial motives, and infifted that’ his 
fon fnould for ever break it off, or in- 
ftantly quit the farm, and be turned peni= 
nyleisonthe world. The indignant youth 
fcorned the alternative ; and as he could 
not enjoy the patrimonial inheritance of 
his father with che girh of his heart, he 
‘would not _enjoy it without her. He pack- 
ed up as many cloaths as‘he could conve= . 
niently carry on his fhoulder, colleéted all 
the favings of his farm, which amounted 
to a confiderable fum, and fet off at the 
dead of night from his own houfe, to 
whicli he has never fince returned! It wag 
fome time before his family heard any 
thing of their lof& fon; the latter, how- 
ever, at length thought proper to acquaint 
them with his fituation and his fchemes; 
he has’ ‘kept up an occafional coriefson- 
3 & dence 
