1804.]. Trip from Bayonne in Franee, to St. Sebaftian in Spain. 537 
_ It was during this negociation that 
Don Lewis, in converfation with a friend, 
made a remark on the Cardinal, preenant 
with important truth, and which ic is, to 
this day a conftant rule in Ufopia to in- 
{cribe in letters of gold, in the beginning 
of the Initruétions given to every amba{= 
fador and negociator, before he proceed 
on his miffion to foreign parts. 
*© The Cardinal,”’ faid the Spanifh mi- 
nifter, ** has one defect; but it isa ra- 
dlical defect, and the greateft a negociator 
can have: he is perpetually contriving hoav 
be may deccive thofe with whoin be has to 
treat.” 
In the fame little ifland took place the 
exchange of the chivalrous Francis I, 
who had been made a prifoner at the fa- 
tal battle of Pavia, in 1525, for his fons, 
who were to remain in the hands of 
Charles V. as hoftages, for the fulfillment 
of the engagements contracted by their 
unfortunate father. - 
Francis, after haftily embracing his 
children, was landed in his own domi- 
-nions, where inftantly mounting a charger 
rovided for him, he drew his fword, 
Rourifhed it over his head, and calling 
out, ** I am once more a king!” gallopped 
off in the midft of his enraptured .at- 
tendants. 
This {pot was, in days of yore, called 
the Ifle of Pheafants; certainly not from 
its having been a favourite abode of thofe 
birds: but fince the Peace of the Pyre- 
nees, it has retained the name of the Iifle 
of the Conference. 
_ _ Itis low and marfhy, and often over- 
flowed at high tides, or floods in the river. 
There was no refifting the temptation, 
we, therefore, by a {mall extra-payment, 
were allowed to ftep on it for a couple of 
minutes. 
At laft we were landed in Spain, and 
proce:ded down the river-bank for about 
a mile to Yruz, now a {mall town, but 
once, it is {aid, much more confiderable. 
It is cuflomary here for travellers to 
prefent themnfelves before the Alcalde, to 
have their paffports verified: but we had 
other reafons for waiting on this ma- 
eiftrate: we purpofed to return to France 
by Fentarabia, which Jies at the mouth 
of the Bidaffoa; and for this purpofe, a 
{pecial permiffion was neceffary, becaufe 
the cuftom-houle is eftablifned at Fruz. 
This permiffion we readily obtained, 
together with a licence to carry out of 
Spain a much Jarger fum of /pecie than 
we could poffibly want. 
Thefe matters being arranged, our 
guide conducted us to what he called a 
Montury Mac. No. 116, © 
good inn, which had much the air of a 
great bain, with an arched doorway in 
the end towards the ftreet. 
In one corner we put up our horfes; in 
another lay a fow with a litter of thirteen 5 
the third corner ferved as a kitchen ; and” 
in the fourth were placed the beds. Not- 
withitanding thefe unpromifing appear= 
ances, we made a hearty breakfaft on 
Spanith bread, Dutch cheefe, and French 
wine, all of excellent quality ; and about 
nine in the morning, purfued our journey 
for St. Sebaftian. 
At Frun we quitted the great road to 
Madrid, opened and kept up acrofs the 
Pyrenean ridges, with great fkill, and at 
a very confiderable expence. 
This road was throughout fo much im- 
proved, that, for the firit time, a diligence 
had been lately eftablifhed, to run regus 
larly between Bayonne and Madrid. 
Our route turned down weftwardly to 
the right, crofling a fucceffion of low 
hills and vales, covered with wood; but 
here and there prefenting a cottage in the 
midft of a fpot of cultivated ground. 
This road we were told was ufed only 
during fummer, and that in the winter, 
travellers generally took another route. 
Travelling three hours, ata flow pace, 
we came to Lefo, a village fituated at the 
S.E. extremity of the bay or harbour of 
Port Paffage. 
Here we fent the guide and horfes 
round the bottom of the Bay, to wait for 
us on the other fide, and embarked in a 
large boat, rowed by four qwomen, who, 
in half an hour, landed us in the town of 
Paffage. 
This bay, or harbour, is formed by the 
fea entering through a narrow winding 
inlet, acroisa high rocky ridge of hills, 
which line the fhore, from the mouth of 
the Bidaffoa to St. Sebaftian. ts name 
is Fay/quivel, a word meaning in the abo- 
riginal language of Bifcay, the fboulder of 
the mountain, as being a protubcrance from 
the Pyrenees, abutting on the fea. 
The mouth of Port Pafage lies in N. 
Jat. 43°. 20’. 10”. and in lone. E. from’ 
the marine obfervatory at Cadiz, 4°. 21’. 
30", The width, at the entrance, is about 
ninety fathoms; but it diminifhes in fome 
places to fifty, farther up the inlet, which 
lies, in general, in a direétion from 
N.N.W. to S.S. E. on alength of nearly 
2 of a mile. , 
The fea, after piercing through the 
ridge of Fayfquivel, {preads over a large 
treét of low ground, at the mouths of 
three rivulets, afluming the appearance 
of a bafon, entirely Jand-locked, This - 
4A bafon; 
