1804.) 
moft carefully deftroyed. This {pecies of 
frantic malignity has even been extended 
to infcriptions which fimply announced the 
date of the foundation or improvement of 
the building; fuch was the ignorant and 
impotent frenzy of thefe dilapidators. 
France has never ceafed to boaft the fupe- 
riority of her civilization, and her natural 
love of the arts; but it may be juftly af- 
ferted, that in no other country of Europe 
would there have been found fo many per- 
fons actuated by the ferocious and vain ma- 
nia of wreaking their vengeance on ftones, 
which Time was rapidly wearing todecay. 
Vanity ftimulated them to trample on the 
works of art, thinking that by this they 
evinced themfelves fuperior to their authors, 
Great efforts, however, have been made to 
reftore this city to i's ancient fplendor; f{e- 
veral boufes have been built in the Faux- 
bourg deVeyle, and two or three very lofty 
ones in the city, on the banks of the Rhone; 
but it is not probable that the fuccefs of 
Buonaparté, in this refpett, wi'l equal bis 
 precurfor Nero. On this road the view is 
animated by the profpeét of fome country 
feats, which, although of no great beauty 
or excellence, are fo rare ia France, that 
one muft feel pleafed with the profpect of 
any rural retreat, however rude and tafte- 
lefs it may be. Approaching the town, 
and along the banks of the Soane, the views 
become more interefting and even fublime. 
On the one hand is the river with exten- 
five profpeéts of houfes, gardens, trees, 
&c. fcattered over the declivities of its 
lofty banks; on the other, are huge and 
awful arching rocks, part of Mont d’or, 
which in fome places are fufpended almoft 
acrofs the road; before you, are diftant 
views of the town and of one of its fuburbs. 
Entering, one crofles the Soane by a very 
old and {trait ftone bridge of four arches, 
very high inthe middle, and of very dif- 
agreeable paflage. There are two other 
bridges on this river, one of ftone and the 
other of wood, but which are nothing re- 
markable. Nor is the famous bridge on 
the Rhone,* fo celebrated for its length, 
of any great notoriety in modern times. 
It has fourteen large circular arches 
through which the water runs, and foar or 
five more ovey a marth, formerly the bed | 
of the river, in which is fituated the Faux- 
bourg de la Guillotiere, on the road to 
Avignon ; a fituation extremely unwhole- 
fome, and fufliciently adverfe to manufac- 
tures. The original foundation of this 
* Scarcely a rivulet that croffes any of 
the great roads in Spain, that has not a bridge 
more elegant and equally as great as this. 
Sketches of the prefent State of Lyons. 
283 
bridge however does great honour to the 
good fenfe of Pope Innocent IV. who, 
during his long refidence at Lyons, fold in- 
dulgences to eat meat on Fridays, and with 
the amount caufed this bridge to be ere@t- 
ed, and thus at once adminiftered to the 
health and the accommcedation of the pub- 
lic. Near the end of the bridge is the 
Cufom-houfe, a large, plain, fquare build. 
ing, which has no doubt more of utility 
than elegance. Adjoining is the large 
{quare called La Place de Louis le Grand, 
formerly Beile-courr. It has been mok 
erroneoufly called, for its extent and deco- 
ration, the molt beauriful f{quare in Eu- 
rope. It is but about goo fect long, and 
irregularly 609 broad; its principal, and 
‘indeed only beavty, is natural, and confifts 
in its commanding a view of the junétion 
of the Rhone and Soane. The furround- 
ing buildings are neither uniform nor ele. 
gant, and the ftatue of Lewis XIV. and 
other decorations are now no more. At 
the corner of the famé {quare is the Gene- 
ral Hofpital of Charity. In1531 there 
was a great fterility and famine, fo that 
the furrounding peafants emb irked in lit- 
tle boats on the Rhone, rather to be 
drowned than die with hunger. When 
they arrived at Lyons, the people took com. 
paffion on them, and nearly 8000 were hu- 
manely received and fuccoured by volun- 
tary contributions. Shortly afier the har- 
velt came and drew ali thefe un‘ortunate 
people to the country; when there remain- 
ed a iufficient fum to be employed in 
nourifhing the poor of the city, and to 
furniih them in future with the fame fuc- 
cour. For this it was neceflary to ere&t 
an edifice, and in 1613 the building of this 
hofpital and houfe of induftty was com- 
menced, It contains rine courts, one of 
which is larger in the middle, and was de- 
figned to anfwer every convenience ; but 
the proportions and divifions are neither 
pretty nor advantageous. The poor are 
feparared according to their age and fex, 
and thofe who are capable of working 
are occupied in the filk-manufadture, from 
which the houle fometimes draws a confi- 
derabie product, Its prefent tate, how. 
ever, is much more henourable to the ar- 
cbhiiect, than to the adminiftrators and 
doctors,* whofe negligence and ignorance 
cannot be too feverely reprehended. This 
‘hofpital, whether confidered as a public. 
* One of thefe has lately publifhed fix 
large volumes on the Praétice of Medicine, 
in which he gravely recommends for abating 
thirft, to drink copieufly of water or wine ! 
Pp2 edifice 
