1803.] 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ORIGINAL LETTERS Of an AMERICAN 
TRAVELLER, 70 bis FRIEND 72 LON- 
DON, containihg a CIRCUMSTANTIAL 
accounrT of alaie TOUR frov BOUR- 
DEAUX toPARIS. Continued from p.224. 
LETTER Vil.—From Tours to Paris. 
HE city of Tours, the capital of the 
ci-devant province of Touraine, 
lies on the fouth fide of the River Loire, 
which is the largeft river in France, and 
navigable for feveral hundred miles. 
There is here a magnificent ftone- 
bridge over the Loire, of which oneof the 
arches was purpofely deftroyed during the 
Vendée war, to prevent the rebels from 
crofling the river, and marching towards 
Paris, ‘Tours is entirely built of hewn 
ftone, and its main ftreet is one of the 
fineft in Europe. It is called, in compli- 
ment to the army, Rue del’ drmée d’Ita- 
lie. In this ftreet, there are but few thops ; 
the houfes are moftly private ones, belong- 
ing to the proprietors of eftates in the 
neighbouring diftri&s, and to merchants, 
who trade extenfively between Nantes 
and the diftri&ts of the Upper Loire. At 
' Tours, travellers from the fouth muft have 
their paffports visé, or examined and coun- 
ter-figned, before they crofs the Loire for 
Paris. Jn the neighbourhood of this city 
is a fine palace, that formerly belonged to 
the Archbifhop of Tours, the gardens of 
which are made one of the many fine pub- 
lic walks belonging to this town. At the 
other fide of the river, clofe to the bridge, 
there is a village, at leaft half a mile in 
length, confirusted in the fame manner as 
that which I defcribed on the Garonne. 
At the foot of the hills, on the north-fide 
of the Loire, is a regular range of foft 
rock, of about two miles in length. 
It is from this quarry above ground, 
that the city of Tours itfelf is built. In 
thefe recks, which they have excavated, 
the villagers have very comfortable habi- 
tations, and a neat town. 
The fhell and roof of thefe houfes, hol- 
Jowed from the rock, may laft as long as 
the world itfelf, and bid defiance to the 
ftorms, or the winter’s rains. Some of 
thofe houfes are fo covered with vines, 
that one would not eafily know what ma- 
terials they were made of. The country 
in the neighbourhood of Tours, for riches 
and beauty, exceeds all power of defcrip- 
tion. Touraine has been always deemed 
the Garden of France ; and [I believe it 
may be called with truth the Garden of 
Evrope. Here every varied beauty that 
cultivation can draw from the richeft foil, 
MONTHLY Mac, No, 1090, 
Letters of an American Traveller in France. 
305 
and happieft climate, is to be found in the 
utmoft luxuriance, while an immenfe po- 
pulation animates the fcene, and gives it 
an intereft, which a mere land{cape cannot 
convey ; neither can one or two great de- 
mefnes, however drefled in folitary gran- 
deur. The verdure of the Eneglifh paf- 
tures, nor the cattle and the flocks that 
are to be feen feeding upon them, by no 
means prefent a fcene {o interefting to the 
heart as thefe delightful valleys, through 
which the Loire winds its majeftic courfe : 
they are covered with the richeft produc- 
tions of nature in European climates ; the 
air breathes fragrance, the climate and the 
rural beauties of the profpeét difpofe the 
ming to tranquillity and harmony, whilethe 
never-ceafing founds of mirth and gaiety 
proclaim the happinefs of their numerous 
inhabitants. The high road from Tours 
to Blois keeps clofe to the river-fide the 
whole of the way, and cannot be furpaffed, 
or I believe equalled, in Europe for rich- 
nefs of profpeét and fcenery. I think 
that every traveller, who wifhes to have a 
complete idea of France, and happens to 
be in Paris in the fummer feafon, fhould 
vifit this country, which has been long 
called the Garden of France. A week’s 
excurfion from Paris would be fufficient 
for the purpofe; and it would furely be a 
week well employed. Blois is a large 
but irregular town, and is neither well- 
built, nor handfome. As it has long en- 
joyed the reputation of being the town 
where the French language is fpoken with 
the greateft purity, I mult therefore fup- 
pofe that many perfons of fafhion and 
high education live at Blois, although it 
cannot be compared with Tours for beau- 
ty or attractions. In the center of the 
town of Blois there is a very fine palace, 
which tormerly belonged to the Bifhop ; 
but was, in the time of afignats, fold for 
a mere trifle to a private zegoliant. .The 
town of Blois gained very little by this 
transfer of property: for, in the Bifhop’s 
time, the gardens were thrown open to 
the public for a walk ; but the zegotiant’s 
firft a&t of ownerfhip was to fhut them 
up, and exclude the public from the liberty 
of walking there. 
From Blois to Orleans, which is alfo 
upon the Loire, the road follows the di- 
rection of the river, but in a ftraighter 
courfe. The country is, the whole of the 
way, rich and beaatiful. 
Orleans is a large city, poflefling acon- 
fiderable fhare both of manufactures and 
commerce. 
There are a great number of paflage 
and trading veflels belonging to Orleans, 
Rr whic 
