1805.| ‘ 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
SKETCHES of the PRESENT STATE of 
ORANGE, AVIGNON, the VALLEY of 
VAUCLUSE, VIENNE, aud VALENCE. 
By an ENGLISH TRAVELLER, recently 
from the CONTINENT. 
YJ IENNE (Vienna Allabrogum), the 
ancient Capital of the Allobroges, 
is about fourteen miles fouth-eatt of Ly- 
ons, fituated on the declivity of a range of 
hills, which lead to the Lower Alps, on 
the banks of the Rhone, where the little 
river of the Jere joins this rapid torrent. 
Its fite, contiguous to rocks and rivers, 
declares its origin to be Roman ; and the 
mouldering fragments of the maffive walls, 
fome traces of which fill remain, are 
proofs of its ancient ftrength and impor- 
tance. At the decline of the : Roman 
power it became the capital of the Celtic 
Gauls, whoafterwards retired to Burgun- 
dy. According to Eufebius, its divines 
were celebrated for their Epilties to the 
Churches of Afia and Phrygia. On the 
revival of learning, feveral good public 
edifices were built. The total ruin of 
thefe by all-deftroying Time was fuper- 
feded by the favage ferocity of revolution- 
ary zeal. “The cathedral, an ancient and 
noble ftruéture, once approached the near- 
eft of any in France, except that of Bour- 
deaux, which was built by the Englith, 
to what is called the Gothic architecture, 
but which ought more properly to be de- 
nominated the Englifh, as it is no where 
feen {vu perfeét as in England. Some 
overhanging parts of the rvof and belfry 
only remain, ‘The craggy and tottering 
walls here and there contain an entire acute 
elliptic arch ; and the grand Gothic door 
and interior naked columns, would excite 
the joint feelings of reverence and regret, 
to fee fome of tne nobleft works of art fa- 
crificed by the rude hands of defroyers, 
did not the dej-Gted afpect and defponding 
condition of the miférable inhabitants ab- 
forb every other emotion in the fentiment 
of humanity. The confiderable afcent to 
the bale of this edifice, venerable in its 
ruins, contributes to the eff:ct of its an- 
cient magnificence. It is with lefs regret 
that we view the remains of the Abbey of 
St. Andrew, formerly an afylum for affaf- 
fins, the ruins of which evince much fini- 
Jarity to another in Cafiellon dela Plana, 
in Spain, which is fill deftined to proteét 
the guilty refugees. Four or five cther 
abbeys and convents have been deftroyed, 
and only two places are now fit for faying 
mafs in. All the ancient infcriptions 
have been almoft totally eradicated, as the 
Revolutionifts fuppofed, for they were too 
Monruty Maa, No 125. 
Prefent. State of Orange, Avignon, 
Sir. 9 
ignorant to afcertain the faét, that they 
were generally executed in the time of the 
Roman Emperors, and not during the Re- 
public. A very curious ancient kind of 
pyramid, unqueltionably of Roman con- 
ftruction, which ftcod at the extremity of 
the town, onthe road to Avignon, has 
been defaced, difmantled, and covered 
with mortar, in order to ere&t an iron bar 
of feven oreight feet long, with a piece of 
wood painted blue at the top, which they 
called the’ cap of liberty. Several other 
revolutionary ornaments are fill (May 
1804) feattered up and down among the 
venerable ruins of antiquity. The gene. 
ral afpect, however, of the town never has 
been agreeable, and ftill Jefs fo at prefent 
than formerly ; its narrow and continually 
dirty ftreets, low houfes, broken windows 
and doors, and their old, ragged, and 
woe-worn inhabitants, form objeéts at 
once pitiable and difgufting. : 
_AGRICULTURE aud COMMERCE» 
Were we to believe both the ancient and 
modern French Accounts of Vienne, we 
fhould fuppofe it a place of great fpirit,” 
induftry, and trade. The contrary is the 
fa&t ; and its prefent dilapidated and des 
populated walls, and their miferable in- 
mates, are no longer worthy of notice, 
were it not to demonftrate the aftual ruia- 
ous condition of many ancievt and once 
induftrious and refpectable towns of 
France. The agriculture of its environ- 
ing vallies, naturally fertile, is in avery 
low ftate. As ufual in that country, they 
are tilled, but, notwithftanding their na- 
tural fecundity, do not produce enough 
of barley and rye to make bread fora de- 
clining population. The reward, indeed, 
of labour is extremely low, and the gene- 
ral food is nothing more than hard, coarfe, 
black bread, campofed of a mixture of 
barley and rye, with a little very weak 
{weetifh wine. The culture of their wine 
(the Allobrogicum vinum of Cellus), once 
fo celebrated, has alfo degenerated, and 
is a proof that even very fweet grapes, 
badly managed, will yield a vapid and 
fpiritiels wine. It is indeed highly deii- 
cious, being moderately fweet, and will 
not readily intoxicate or leave nervous. 
headaches after ufing it liberally. The 
very few who are now employed in the 
manufacture of filk, are chiefly engaged- 
with the Lyons manufaéturers, who wilk 
not give them the raw materials but on the 
conditions of having them manufattured 
at {uch reduced prices, that the poor peo- 
ple find it extremely difficult io earn mo- 
ney fufficient to buy themfelves this black 
bread, fome garlic and vegetables for foup, 
B , with 
