SS eS eee 
Goo Letters of an Ancrican Traveller in Francé.*. [April ¥, 
Terable idea of the rate and expence of tra- 
velling in‘France. As to our living onthe 
yoad, we always had two regular meals, 
the diner and the fouper. At both thofe 
meals, the table was covered with a varie- 
ty of difhes, and a pint of good wine was 
placed at each corner. The. dizer was 
ufually at ten or eleven o’clock, the fouper 
at five or fix. An Englifhman would ra- 
ther call the firft a meat-breakfaft, and the 
aft the dinner. 
The table was regularly covered, both 
at dinner and fupper, and the foup and 
heavy difhes removed by poultry—gibier, 
or game of fome fort, omelets, &c. and 
vegetables ; after which follows the deffert. 
When FE talk of heavy difhes being re- 
moved, you will probably wonder what I 
mean by heavy difhes in France. In the 
firft place, there is always on the tablea 
large piece of beef, which has been boiled 
for the foup. As France is as famous for 
foup and dbouillz, as old England for roaft- 
beef, the French cooks have the art (per- 
haps more than any other) of making 
Zooé foup, without f{poiling the meat, the 
belt pieccs of which are ufed here for foup. 
A leg of mutton roafted, or, as they 
callit, ux gigot de mouton braifée (which 
means dreficd with charcoal, in diftin&ion 
to baked meat) ts a very favourite dith 
here; there is always a rofz either of beef, 
mutton, or veal; but one does not fee large 
joints roaffed as with us. 
I belicve that they do not know how to 
reaft a large joint of meat in France: their 
hittle charcoal-fires, and their kitchens 
fwhich are quite in Count Rumford’s 
ftyle) were not conftructed for dreffing ve- 
ry large joints, and I doubt very much 
whether they have fuch a contrivance as a 
jack for roafting meat in the whole coun- 
try. 
- “[met once, among the fide difhes, with 
a fricaffee of frogs:-as we have heard fo 
much cf this French difh, I was determined 
to tafe it: I was helped to fome of it, and 
thoughi it very nice. The frogs grow here 
co a much Jarger fize than in England— 
the hind quarters only are eat. I am con- 
vineed, that if Englith frogs were as large 
as the French, this difh, inftead of being 
defpifed in England, would be confidered a 
delicacy. “Fhe mention of French frogs 
and Englith beef reminds me of a ftory I 
heard told at a table d’hote, by a French 
ofacer of charaéter. He faid, that at a 
time when he was prifoner in England; he 
was afked, by an Enelith officer, whether 
there was anydeefin France? Heanfwered, 
with much gravity, that there was not ; 
and that, for want of beef, Frenchmen eat 
frogs. SoTI have heard, replied the En- 
elifhman. But then, Sir, rejoined the 
French officer, our frogs are of a very dif- 
ferent kind from yours.. They are almoft 
as large as your oxen ;—we plough our 
fields with them firft, and then eat them. 
Indeed | faid John Bull, opening his mouth 
wide with altonifhment, and fwallowing 
the ftory of the French frogs, that were 
nearly as large as Enclifhoxen. Having 
now given youa general view of my jour- 
ney, I fhall, in my next, give you @ more 
minute detail of circumftances, and fome 
defcription of the face of the country. 
LETTER Vi.—From BOURDEAUX f¢ 
PARIS. 
Berore [ attempt defcribing the coun- 
try from Bourdeaux to Paris, F fhall firft 
mention a peculiarity, which I have no- 
ticed in my walks about Bourdeaux. One 
hears, in every field, a noife as loud, but 
not fo fweet, as the finging of birds. I 
wasa little farprifed at this kind of feld-mu- 
fic :—My firt guefs was, that the perfor- 
mers were frogs; but, upom inquiry, I 
learned, that it proceeded from a kind of 
fly, nearly as large as a.grafs-hopper, and 
of which there was a great number both 
on the grals, and in the trees! Previous 
to getting into the diligence for Paris, the 
River Garonne muft firft be crofled in a 
ferry-boat. It is fomewhat furprifing, 
that a city fo large, rich, and commercial, 
as Bourdeaux fhould not have a bridge 
ever the river. Ihe Garonne is certainly, 
at Bourdeaux, broader than the Thames 
at Weflminfter Bridge, and fomewhat 
more rapid ; but a wooden bridge might 
eafily be thrown acrofs it, the expence of 
which would bear no proportion to the 
advantages that would be derived from it. 
On this jubjeCt I can fay, with truth, they 
manage thofe things better in America. 
The foil about Bourdeaux is a rich, 
deep mould, refembling garden-mould. 
The country is beautifully diverfified with 
corn and vines; the rich green of the 
vines forms, at this feafon of the year, 
fine contraft to the yellow harveft. 
As it is probable, that you have never 
feen a vineyard, I think it will not be fu- 
perfiuous to mention to you, that the vines 
are here not fuffered to grow above four or 
five feet in height ; that they are fuppost- 
ed, fometimes by efpaliers, fometimes by 
ftakes ; and are planted inregular lines, at 
fuch diftances as will barely allow room to_ 
the labourers to pafs between them. As the 
crowth of the vine is fo much checked, the 
© Sag : 
quantity of fruit is greater. ‘The feafon 
