1801. ] 
Bretagne is diftinguifhed from the reft 
of France bya peculiar language, viz. the 
Kymrian, or ancient Britifh. This lan- 
guage is in no other place !poken with fo 
great purity as in the diftriét around St. 
Pol-de- Leon : it is unintelligible to moft of 
the European nations. The following 
proverbs may ferve as fpecimens: Ar 
mean aruill ne xiftum quet a guinvi—A 
rolling ftone gathers no mofs ; Ne quet un 
devés tout araan an—One hot day does 
not make a fummer; Barnit ar reall ével 
ma fell deoch befa barnet—Judge another 
_as thou wouldft be judged thyfelf. The 
inhabitants of Cornwallis and Treguier 
only are able to converfe with the natives 
of this diftrigét. The diale&t of Vannes 
deviates ftill more, and is not underftood 
even here. i 
No manufactures are carried on at St. 
Pol-de-Leon. Some trades are held in 
the createft contempt, efpecially the rope- 
makers and taylors. So great is the 
abhorrence of them, that wealthy peafants 
refufe to marry their daughters to them. 
Perhaps, fays our author, this contempt 
of the {edentary and womanifh employ- 
ment of the taylors is devived from the 
times of chivalry. The rope-makers, on 
the contrary, are confidered to be working 
for the hangman. Another conjecture is 
that formerly great numbers of lepers ex- 
ercifed this trade. What renders this 
conjecture in fomedegree probable, is that 
the Cacous or Cagots are here chiefly of 
that profefiion. They are looked upon as 
conjurors ; and fell their talifmans, which, 
they pretend, prevent thofe who wear 
them from being wounded, or overcome 
in wreftling, The prejudice againft the 
Cacous, however, begins gradually to di- 
minifh ; and they are not,now, as formerly, 
excluded from the churches. 
There is a great want of wood here as 
in the neighbourhood of Morlaix. 
Penpoul is the harbour of St. Pol; but 
now almoft wholly without inhabitants, as 
the feamen belonging-to the place ferve on 
board of the fhips of war. . 
Near Penpoul lies the ifland of Bas, 
one French mile in length, and three-quar- 
ters of a mile in breadth: it is difficult 
and dangerous of accels on account af the 
rocks over-grown with fea-weeds., The 
eaftern part of the ifland is rather moun- 
tainous: but towards the weft and north- 
weft the coaftis lowerand well-cultivated. 
The whole population amounts ta about 
800 fouls, who inhabit three villages, viz. 
Poifénéve, Carn and Goualen, The ifland 
is defended by four batteries and two forts, 
with eleven pieces ef cannon and eighty 
Account of the Department of Finifterre, in France. 
407 
cannoneers. There is befides’ a garvifon, 
of fifty men to guard the coafts: There 
is but one {pring of freth water to fupply 
the inhabitants. The foil is fandy, and 
not favourable to the cultivation of carn 3 
for the vehement winds carry away the feed 
as foon as fown: whence it frequently hap- 
pens that they are obliged to fow freth 
feed three times in one year. The men 
are all failors, and the women cultivate 
the ground ; on the whole ifland, there are 
only two ploughs, and many of the fields 
are dug with the fpade. ‘Thericheft pro- 
prietor here does not poflefs more than fix 
or feven cows, of which there are only 
about two hundred on the whole itland. 
Not a fingle tree grows here. On the other 
hand, the fea abounds with fifh: but fith- 
ermen are wanting, as moft of them ferve 
onboard the fleet. However much nature 
has neglected this fmall (pot, yet in {pite 
of the roughnefs of the climate, in spite of 
the devaftating winds and ftorms, the in- 
habitants are as fondly attached to their 
native rocks, as the Laplanders to their 
{moaky huts. They live together in fra. 
ternal concord ; and confider themfelves, 
without exception, as members of one 
family. The fea-coaft belongs to them 
in common. Here there is neither law- 
yer, monk, nor phyfician. If any difpute - 
arife, it is fettled by means of a few blows 
with the. fift. In no other place do men 
live fo equal. The fyftem of equality was 
eftablifhed here long before the Revolution 
was thought of. i 
Rofcoff is a much frequented {ea-part, 
from which they carry on a confiderable 
contraband trade with England, efpecially 
in wine and brandy. They formerly ufed 
to import linfeed, and export linea manu. 
fa&tured in the country annually to the 
amount of 500,000 livres. Since the Re- 
volution this trade has been interrupted ; 
but may eafily be revived on the return of 
peace. In the mean time, the harbour, 
which is fo well fituated, is in danger of 
being chaaked up with fand, if fome pre- 
cautions are not foon taken. In the 
neighbourhood of Rofcoff, and throughout 
the department. of Finifterre, the fields 
are manured with fea-weed, There is fo 
great a {carcity of wood, that im fevere 
winters they are obliged to cut down even 
the fruit trees for fuel. In the ifland of 
Bas they burn cow-dung and fea-weed.—., 
The town of Rofcoff contains, so00 inha. 
bitants.' . The depopulation from the lafs 
of its trade, the arid fandy ground on 
which. it is built, and the ivy-clad rains of 
former eftablifhments, give the piace .a 
melancholy appearance and defoliation, 
3G 2 Kiera 
