ee ee eeeEeEeEeEeE—ee—eeee 
has its little garden, and the rofe-tree is 
the queen of that garden. 
The firft fenfation I experienced in 
walking about a French town, was that 
fort of pleafure which the fight of wniverfal 
cheerfulnefs and gaiety always infpires. 
This everlafting funfhine of the mind 
cannot be taken away from the French 
»people, either by the rage of tyrants or 
the confequences of revolutions ; and whe- 
ther it is the gift of nature to the inhabitants 
of this favoured climate, or whether (as 
I rather fuppofe) it is the effeé&t of early 
education, it is the folid foundation of the 
happinefs of Frenchmen. This province 
of France is called Gafeony. The people 
of the country have a diale&, phrafes and 
words peculiar to themfélves, which are 
not underftood out of Gafcony. The 
Gafcons are however efteemed to be the 
livelieft, wittieft, and mott agreeable peo- 
ple in France ; a great proportion of the 
dafbing young fellows and fortune-hunters 
in Paris were born in Gafcony. As you 
are fond of curiofities, I am happy that I 
have met with one, in my paflage up the 
Garonne, which I think full as worthy of 
attention as any that travellers through 
France have hitherto defcribed; I have 
feen a village near the town of Blaye, 
which is very properly called La Roche, 
where the houfes, or rather the habitations 
of the people (for I think one cannot call 
them houfes) are excavated from the folid 
rock, which is here foft, and very ealy to 
be worked. It is therefore found as cheap 
to excavate as to build; and when the 
work is once done, it requires no repairs, 
and lafts fer ever. This village prefents 
to the eye of a ftranger a moft whimfical 
appearance. One is much furprized to fee 
doors, windows, chimnies, and every 
accommodation for the comfort of a 
number of families, among the bare rocks. 
Sometimes, indeed, the rock which roofs 
their habitations is covered with vines, 
‘which give a fingularly romantie and 
beautiful appearance to this remarkable 
village. if was much aftonifhed at this 
fight, the people were not le[s fo at per- 
ceiving my furprize. They tell me fuch 
villages are very common in France. I 
{uppote they do not lie-on the dire&t road 
of travellers making the Shap tour, or 
they muft have been before deferibed. 
From whatever caufe it may proceed, that 
this curiofity in architecture is fo little 
known, I feel a peculiar pleafure in having 
found out fomething that is new, to gra- 
tify your defire of information; in my 
next I fhall give you a particular defcrip- 
tion of the city of Bourdeaux, 
Original Letters by an American Traveller. 
[Sept.1, 
LETTER II. 
The City of Bourdeaux is fituated om - 
the fouth fide of the River Garonne, - 
about 60 miles from the fea. The river 
is navigable up to the town for veflels of 
fix or feven hundred tons burden. 
The quays are fpacious and commo- 
dious, and now almoft the entire length 
of tle city. 
Mott of the merchant-veffels He oppo- 
fite the quay called Les Chartrons, which 
is near a mile in length, and the principal 
feat of the foreign trade. On this quay 
many merchants in the American, Eng- 
lifh, and Irifh trade, have houfes, which 
are not only convenient for bufinefs, but 
very agreeable in point of fituation, as 
the view of the country on the other fide. 
of the river is highly romantic and beau- 
tiful. Natural beauties, however, will 
by no means content the eye of a Bour- 
deaux merchant; he leoks in vain for 
that commerce and for the number of 
fhipping which once animated and crowded 
this fine river. 
If, while the armies of the Republie 
are gathering /aurels in the fields of Ger- 
many or Italy, the vines of France droop 
for want of culture, he confiders that the _ 
acquifition of glory does not compenfate the 
nation for the lofs of itscommerce. The 
war has given the {pirit of maritime {pe 
culation in Bourdeawx another direétion— 
Bourdeaux has taken the lead of all the. 
towns in France in the number and fize 
of the privateers fitted out at this port; 
I am affured there are no lefs than 15@ 
belonging to this place, feveral of them 
having 24 guns, and fome more. As 
thefe veffels are conftruéted for failing faft, 
any merchantman they fall in with is almoft 
a certain prize, being as inferior in failing 
as in force. The profit of privateering 
is fome {mall compenfation to the mer- 
chants of Baurdeaux for the deficiency in 
the regular profits of commerce. — 
There is a principal Commiffary of 
Marine refident in Bourdeaux, and a large 
building called “ Bureau de la Marine,” 
which may be tranflated Admiralty-office, 
At prefent there are only a few old fri-— 
gates in the river. 
It is faid, however, to be one of the 
moft convenient places for preparing and 
fitting out. frigates and tranfports for 
their maritime expeditions; the neareft 
ports to Bourdeaux for men of war are 
Rochefort and la Rachelle. This city 
contains at prefent about 100,000 inhas 
bitants, which is lefs by at leait 20,c0e- 
than what it had before the revolution, 
when its commerce was flourithing. _ 
The 
