536 Trip from Bayonne, in France, to St. Sebaftian, in Spain. [July ; 
leaving between the two extremities, a 
paflage of 150 fathoms into the Bay, 
which might then eafily accommodate as 
far as twelve fail of the line, with a large 
proportion of frigates and other finaller 
veflels. 
Notwithftanding the difficulties and ex. 
pence of this undertaking, in June 1788, 
the eaft mole was carried out a little be- 
yond low-water-mark, and the weft had 
nearly arrived at a fimilar point. ; 
Hitherto the moles had advanced with 
fecurity, founded on ledges of rock run- 
ning out from each fide of the bay; but 
the nsoft arduous part of the work re- 
mained to be executed. Opinions were 
divided as to the beft made of accomplith- 
ing the object ; but the favourite fcheme 
was to eke out what had already been 
done, by ranges of comes, funk in the fea, 
at proper diftances one from another, as 
had been begun at Cherbourg, oppofite to 
Port{meuth. 
The works at St. John began now to 
feel the effects of the derangement of the 
finances of France, and of other caules, 
which foon after led to the eventful re- 
" volution of that devoted country. 
In 1788, only 250 men from the gar- 
rifon of Bayonne were employed there ; 
whereas, in the preceding year, a whole 
regiment had been regularly at work. 
The appearance of the fea in this cor- 
ner, during or after a gale of wind, was 
defcribed to us to be magnificently tre- 
mendous: but we had the mortification to 
view it after a long tract of {ummer calms, 
when not a lingle fhipwreck enlivened the 
fcene. 
The town of St. John, a fmall irregular 
place, lying on the bottom of the Bay, 
has gradually retired before the 2ffault of 
the waves. In 1782, the fea broke down 
a ftrong rampart or effacade, compacted 
of timber and ftone, which lined the fhore, 
at the ulual high-water mark, and level- 
led with the ground a convent of Urfuline 
nuns, with many other buildings, the ruins 
of which were ftill vifible among the 
fancs. 
The little river Nivelle comes down 
from the Pyrenees, and running through 
the town, is, by means of jetties, render- 
ed capable of admitting invall veffels at 
high water: but it is intended to take 
advantage of this fream, and of the low 
grounds through which it paffes, to con- 
ftruct bafons and docks for fhips of the 
greate(t bu:then. 
The ground within the Bay is, in ge- 
neral, iand; but, In many places, inter- 
fperied with rocks. 
The moles at the entrance, were about 
60 feet broad at the foundation, but dis 
minithed to 40 feet on the top, including 
the parapet on the outfide, 
The trade of St. John de Luz was but 
incenfiderable, conlifiing chiefly in a fhare 
of the Newfoundland fifhery. 
The road hitherto from Bayonne lay, 
in general, over fandy downs, in many 
places covered with heath and fern; but 
the eye was occafionally relieved by the 
view of a cultivated {pot, or a clump of 
trees. - 
The profpeét on the right hand extend- 
ed over the fea, until it met the lofty ir. 
regular coaft of Bifcay ; while that to the 
left, and in front, was clofely hemmed in 
by the majeltic Pyrenees, gradually ap- 
proaching the fore. , 
Beyond St. John the country is better 
peopled and cultivated, with {mall inclo- 
fures, {urrounded with hedge-rows of 
trees. 
Leavitig St. Jolin early in the morning, 
we travelled about eight miles over this 
tract, which, though ‘low, is not level, 
until we arrived on the banks of the B+ 
daffoa, here feparating France from Spain, © 
As we went down to the water’s edge, 
a French invalid advanced from his guard. 
houfe to examine our paffport, and to re- 
ceive the ufual prefent of a hhilling. 
The Bidafoa, being a boundary ftream, . 
is confidered as neutral, both French and 
Spanifh boatmen plying at the ferry. 
Each nation has, or claims, a privilege 
of wafting to the oppofite bank all tra- 
vellers proceeding from its own fide of the 
river. Thus, whilft we were ferried over 
to Spain by Frenchmen, another party 
were conveyed to France by Spaniards, 
On the Spanifh bank ftands a guard- 
houfe, with the arms of the kingdom on 
the frontifpiece. 4 
The river Bidaffoa, or Vidaffoa, (for 
the word is fpetled both ways, as the let- 
ters 6 and w, have, in the Spanith lan- 
guage, very nearly the fame found, and 
are trequently written and printed inter- 
changeably,) rufhes down with great ra- 
pidity from the Pyrenees, until it reach 
the flat country, at their feet, a fhort way 
up from the ferry: there it is divided 
into a number of channels inclofing fmall 
iflands, of which one has acquired fome 
celebrity in hiftory. 
In this {pot were held the conferences 
between Cardinal Mazariae and Don. 
Lewis de Haro, minifters of France and 
Spain, for arranging matters between the 
two countries, by what is called th 
Peace of the Pyrenees, 
I It 
