surface of many of the fields on each side, was very animating to the eye: from this vegetable, the country people express oil, and of the pulp of it make cakes, which the Norman horses will fatten upon. We had an early dinner at Ivetot, five leagues distant from Bolbec. In ancient periods this miserable town was once the capital of a separate kingdom.

It was in this town only that I saw a specimen of that forlorn wretchedness and importunity, which has been very incorrectly said to be general throughout this country.

In the shop of a brazier, a new leaden crucifix, about two feet and a half high, was exposed to sale; it had been cast preparatory to the re-inauguration of the archbishop of Rouen, which was to take place upon the next Sunday week, in the great cathedral of that city.

In consequence of the restoration of religion, the beggars, who have, in general, considerable clever. ness, and know how to turn new circumstances to advantage, had just learned a fresh mode of soliciting money, by repeating the Lord's Prayer in French and Latin. We were treated with this sort of importunate piety for near a mile, after we left Ivetot.

I have before mentioned, that the barbarous jargon of the Revolution is rapidly passing away: it is only occasionally that its slimy track is perceptible. The time is not very distant when Frenchmen wished to be known by the name of Jacobins; only, not to be a Jacobin was to be every thing but what was reputable it is now become an appellation of reproach, even amongst the surviving aborigines of the Revo lution; as an instance of it, a naval officer of rank and intelligence, who joined us at Ivetot, informed us, that he had occasion, upon some matters of business, to meet Santerre a few days before, that inhuman and vulgar revolutionist, who commanded the national guards, when they surrounded the scaffold

during the execution of their monarch; in the course of their conversation, in speaking of a third person, Santerre exclaimed, "I cannot bear that man; he is a Jacobin." Bravo! thou execrable changeling!!

This miscreant lives unnoticed, in a little village near Paris, upon a slender income, which he has made in trade, not in the trade of blood; for it appears, that Robespierre was not a very liberal patron of his servants. He kept his blood-hounds lean and keen, and poorly fed them with the rankest offal.

After a dusty journey, through a very rich and picturesque country, of nearly eighty miles, we entered the beautiful boulevards* of Rouen, about se◄ ven o'clock in the evening, which embowered us from the sun, the shade of which was delicious; they are finer than those of Paris: their noble elms, planted in four stately rows, are all nearly of the same height. Judge of my surprize-upon our rapidly turning the corner of a street, as we entered the city, I suddenly found coach, horses, and all, in the aisle of an ancient catholic church. The gates were closed upon us, and in a moment, from the busy buzzing of the streets, we were translated into the silence of shattered tombs, and the gloom of cloisters the only light which shone upon us, issued through fragments of stained glass, and apertures formerly filled with it.

My amusement, however, was soon tranquillized, by being informed, that this church, having devolved to the nation as its property, by force of a revolutionary decree, had been afterwards sold for stables, to one of the owners of the Rouen diligences.

An old unsaleable cabriolet occupied the place of the altar; and the horses were very quietly eating their oats in the sacristy.

We put up at the Hôtel de Poitiers- a rival house, which is situated in the beautiful boulevards already mentioned, and is part of a row of fine stone-built • Environs of a town, planted with stately trees.

houses. We were too tired to think of any further peregrinations; so we entered our bed-rooms, which, like most of the chambers in France, had brick floors without any carpeting; they were, however, clean; and, after ordering a good fire in one of them to repel the effects of the sudden and unusual frost, which, although the middle of summer was advanced, committed melancholy ravage throughout Europe at this time; and, after enjoying those comforts which weary wanderers require, we mounted our lofty beds, and went to rest.

The next day we presented our letter and ourselves to Madame G, the amiable mother of the gentlemen I have mentioned, who received us with great politeness, and immediately arranged a dinner party for us. It being rather early in the morning, we were admitted into her bed-chamber, a common custom of receiving early visits in France.

About eleven o'clock we saw a splendid procession of all the military and civil authorities to the hôtel* of the prefect, which was opposite to our inn.

The object of this cavalcade was to congratulate the archbishop of Rouen, (who was then upon a visit to the prefect, until his own palace was ready to receive him) upon his elevation to the see.

This spectacle displayed the interference of God, in thus making the former enemies of his worship pay homage to his ministers, after a long reign of atheism and persecution.

About twelve o'clock, the hour of parade throughout the republic, we went to the Champ de Mars, and saw a review of the 20th regiment of chasseurs, under the command of generals St. Hiliare and Ruffin, who, as well as the regiment, had particularly distinguished themselves at Marengo.

* Hotel, in France, means either an inn, or private house of consequence

The men wore mustachios, were richly appointed, and in general well mounted: they were just arrived from Amiens, where, as a mark of honour, they had been quartered during the negotiation.

The officers were superbly attired. St. Hiliare is a young man; in person, and it is said in abilities also, he much resembles his patron, and friend, the first consul.

Some of the horses were of a dissimilar size and colour, which had a bad effect; but I was informed, upon making the remark, that they had lost many in battle, and had not had time properly to replace them; but they were all strong and fiery, and went through their evolutions with surprising swiftness.

After our coffee, which, in this country, immedily succeeds the dinner, we went to view the bridge of boats, so celebrated in history. This curious structure was contrived by an Augustine friar named Michael Bougeois: it is composed of timber, regularly paved, in squares which contain the stones, and is about 1000 feet in length; it commences from the middle of the quay of Rouen, and reaches over to the Fauxbourg of St. Sever, and carries on the commupication with the country which lies south of the city. It was begun in the year 1626; below it are the ruins of the fine bridge of 12 arches, built by the Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I. of England. This ingenious fabric rests upon 19 immense barges, which rise and fall with the flowing and subsiding of the tide. When vessels have occasion to pass it, a portion of the platform sufficient to admit their passage is raised, and rolled over the other part. In the winter, when any danger is apprehended from the large flakes of ice, which float down the river, the whole is taken to pieces in an hour. The expense of keeping it in repair is estimated at 10,000 livres, or 4001. sterling per annum, and is defrayed by government, it being the

* The French feet are to the English as 1068 to 1000,

high road to Picardy. Upon the whole, although this bridge is so much admired, I must confess it appeared to me a heavy performance, unsuitable to the wealth and splendour of the city of Rouen, and below the taste and ingenuity of modern times. A handsome light stone structure, with a center arch covered with a drawbridge, or lofty flying iron-bridge, would be less expensive, more safe, and much more ornamental.

The view from this bridge up the Seine, upon the islands below mount St. Catherine, is quite enchanting. Upon the quay, although it was Sunday, a vast number of people were dancing, drinking, and attending shows and lotteries: here foreigners from various parts of the continent, parading up and down in their national habits and dresses, produced quite the effect of a lively masquerade. The river Seine is so deep at this place, that ships of three hundred tons burden are moored close to the quay, and make a very fine appearance. The exchange for the merchants is parallel with the centre of the quay, and is a long paved building of about 400 feet in length, open at top, having a handsome iron balustrade, and seats towards the Seine, and a high stone wall towards the town. Over all the great gates of the city, is written, in large characters, "Liberty, Equality, Humanity, Fraternity, or Death:" the last two words have been painted over, but are still faintly legible.

In the evening we went to the French opera, which was very crowded. The boxes were adorned with genteel people, and many beautiful young women. The theatre is very large, elegant, and handsome, and the players were good. I was struck with the ridiculous antics and gestures of the chief in the orchestra, a man whose office it is to beat time to the musicians. In the municipality box, which was in the centre, lined with green silk, and gold, were two fine young women, who appeared to be ladies of fashion and consequence: they were dressed after the