let it go as it was written.-To treat the public like a friend, let them fee all, and truft to their candour for forgiving trifles. He reafoned thus: Depend on it, Young, that thofe notes you wrote at the moment, are more likely to please than what you will now produce coolly, with the idea of reputation in your head: whatever you frike out will be what is most interefling, for you will be guided by the importance of the fubject; and believe me, it is not this confideration that pleafes fo much as a carelefs and eafy mode of thinking and writing, which every man exercifes most when he does not compofe for the prefs. That I am right in this opinion you yourself afford proof. Your tour of Ireland (he was pleased to fay) is one of the best accounts of a country I have read, yet it had no great fuccefs. Why? Because the chief part of it is a farming diary, which, however valuable it may be to confult, nobody will read. If, therefore, you print your journal at all, print it fo as to be read; or reject the method entirely, and confine yourself to fet differtations. Remember the travels of Dr. and Mrs., from which it would be difficult to gather one fingle important idea, yet they were received with applaufe; nay, the bagatelles of Baretti, amongst the Spanish muleteers, were read with avidity. The high opinion I have of the judgment of my friend, induced me to follow his advice; in confequence of which, I venture to offer my itinerary to the public, just as it was written on the fpot: requesting my reader, if much should be found of a trifling nature, to pardon it, from a reflection, that the chief object of my travels is to be found in another part of the work, to which he may at once have recourse, if he wish to attend only to fubjects of a more important character. JOU RNA L. MAY 15, 1787. THE ftreight that feparates England, fo fortunately for her, from 'all the rest of the world, must be croffed many times before a traveller ceases to be surprised at the fudden and univerfal change that surrounds him on landing at Calais. The scene, the people, the language, every object is new; and in those circumstances in which there is most resemblance, a discriminating eye finds little difficulty in difcovering marks of distinction. The noble improvement of a falt marsh, worked by Monf. Mouron of this town, occafioned my acquaintance fome time ago with that gentleman; and I B 2 had had found him too well informed, upon various important objects, not to renew it with pleasure. I spent an agreeable and instructive evening at his house. 165 miles. The 17th. Nine hours rolling at anchor had fo fatigued my mare, that I thought it neceffary for her to reft one day; but this morning I left Calais. For a few miles the country resembles parts of Norfolk and Suffolk; gentle hills, with fome inclofures around the houfes in the vales, and a diftant range of wood. The country is the fame to Boulogne. Towards that town, I was pleased to find many feats belonging to people who refide there: How often are falfe ideas conceived from reading and report! I imagined that nobody but farmers and labourers in France lived in the country; and the first ride I take in that kingdom fhews me a fcore of country feats. The road excellent. Boulogne is not an ugly town; and from the ramparts of the upper part the view is beautiful, though low water in the river would not let me fee it to advantage. It is well known that this place has long been the refort of great numbers of perfons from England, whofe misfortunes in trade, or extravagance in life, have made a refidence abroad more agreeable than at home. It is easy to suppose that they here find a level of fociety that tempts them to herd in the fame place. Certainly it is not cheapness, for it is rather dear. The mixture of French and English women makes an odd appearance in the streets; the latter are dreffed in their own fashion; but the French heads are all without hats, with clofe caps, and the body covered with a long cloak that reaches to the feet. The town has the appearance of being flourishing: the buildings good, and in repair, with fome modern ones; perhaps as fure a test of profperity as any other. They are raising alfo a new church, on a large and expenfive fcale. The place on the whole is chearful, and the environs pleasing; and the fea-fhore is a flat ftrand of firm fand as far as the tide reaches. The high land adjoining is worth viewing by thofe who have not already feen the petrification of clay; it is found in the ftoney and argilaceous ftate, just as what I defcribed at Harwich. (Annals of Agriculture, vol. vi. p. 218.)—24 miles. The 18th. The view of Boulogne from the other fide, at the distance of a mile is a pleafing landscape; the river meanders in the vale, and spreads in a fine reach under the town, juft before it falls into the fea, which opens between two high lands, one of which backs the town.-The view wants only wood; for if the hills had more, fancy could fcarcely paint a more agreeable scene. The country improves, more inclofed, and fome parts ftrongly refembling England. Some fine meadows about Bonbrie, and feveral chateaus. I am not professedly in this diary on husbandry, but muft juft obferve, that it is to the full as bad as the country is good; corn miferable and yellow with weeds, yet all fummer fallowed with loft attention. On the hills, which are at no great diftance from the fea, the trees turn turn their heads from it, fhorn of their foliage: it is not therefore to the S. W. alone that we should attribute this effect.-If the French have not husbandry to Thew us, they have roads; nothing can be more beautiful, or kept in more garden order, if I may use the expreffion, than that which paffes through a fine wood of Monf. Neuvillier's; and indeed for the whole way from Samer it is wonderfully formed: a vast causeway, with hills cut to level vales; which would fill me with admiration, if I had known nothing of the abominable corveès, that make me commiferate the oppreffed farmers, from whose extorted labour, this magnificence has been wrung. Women gathering grass and weeds by hand in the woods for their cows is a trait of poverty. Pafs turberries, near Montreuil, like thofe at Newbury. The walk round the ramparts of that town is pretty: the little gardens in the bastions below are fingular. The place has many English; for what purpose not easy to conceive, for it is unenlivened by thofe circumftances that render towns pleafant. In a short conversation with an English family returning home, the lady, who is young, and I conjecture agreeable, affured me I should find the court of Verfailles amazingly fplendid. Oh! how the loved France !-and should regret going to England if she did not expect foon to return. As fhe had crossed the kingdom of France, I asked her what part of it pleased her best; the answer was, fuch as a pair of pretty lips would be fure to utter, "Oh! Paris and Verfailles." Her husband, who is not so young, faid "Touraine." It is probable, that a farmer is much more likely to agree with the fentiments of the hufband than of the lady, notwithstanding her charms.-24 miles. The 19th. Dined, or rather starved, at Bernay, where for the first time I met with that wine of whofe ill fame I had heard so much in England, that of being worse than small beer. No scattered farm-houses in this part of Picardy, all being collected in villages which is as unfortunate for the beauty of a country, as it is inconvenient to its cultivation. To Abbeville, unpleasant, nearly flat; and though there are many and great woods, yet they are uninteresting. Pafs the new chalk chateau of Monf. St. Maritan, who, had he been in England, would not have built a good houfe in that fituation, nor have projected his walls like those of an alms-house. Abbeville is faid to contain 22,000 fouls; it is old, and difagreeably built; many of the houses of wood, with a greater air of antiquity than I remember to have feen; their brethren in England have been long ago demolished. Viewed the manufacture of Van Robais, which was established by Lewis XIV. and of which Voltaire and others have spoken fo much. I had many enquiries con→ cerning wool and woollens to make here; and, in converfation with the manufacturers, found them great politicians, condemning with violence the new commercial treaty with England.—30 miles, The The 21ft. It is the fame flat and unpleafing country to Flixcourt.-15 miles. The 22d. Poverty and poor crops to Amiens; women are now ploughing with a pair of horfes to fow barley. The difference of the cuftoms of the two nations is in nothing more ftriking than in the labours of the fex; in England, it is very little that they will do in the fields except to glean and make hay; the, first is a party of pilfering, and the second of pleasure: in France, they plough and fill the dung-cart. Lombardy poplars feem to have been introduced here about the fame time as in England. Picquigny has been the scene of a remarkable tranfaction, that does great honour to the tolerating spirit of the French nation. Monf. Colmar, a Jew, bought the feignory and estate, including the viscounty of Amiens, of the Duke of Chaulnes, by virtue of which he appoints the canons of the cathedral of Amiens. The bishop refifted his nomination, and it was carried by appeal to the parliament of Paris, whofe decree was in favour of Monf. Colmar. The immediate seignory of Picquigny, but without its dependences, is refold to the Count d'Artois. At Amiens, view the cathedral, faid to be built by the English; it is very large, and beautifully light and decorated. They are fitting it up in black drapery, and a great canopy, with illuminations for the burial of the Prince de Tingry, colonel of the regiment of cavalry, whose station is here. To view this was an object among the people, and crouds were at each door. I was refufed entrance, but fome officers being admitted, gave orders that an English gentleman without fhould be let in, and I was called back from fome distance and defired very politely to enter, as they did not know at firft that I was an Englishman. These are but trifles, but they fhew liberality; and it is fair to report them. If an Englishman receives attentions in France, because he is an Englishman, what return ought to be made to a Frenchman in England, is fufficiently obvious. The chateau d'eau, or machine for supplying Amiens with water, is worth viewing; but plates only could give an idea of it. The town abounds with woollen manufactures. I converfed with feveral masters, who united entirely with those of Abbeville in condemning the treaty of commerce.15 miles. The 23d. To Breteuil the country is diverfified, woods every where in fight the whole journey.21 miles. The 24th. A flat and uninterefting chalky country continues almost to Clermont; where it improves; is hilly and has wood. The view of the town, as soon as the dale is seen, with the Duke of Fitzjames's plantations, is pretty.24 miles. The 25th. The environs of Clermont are picturefque. The hills about Liancourt are pretty; and spread with a fort of cultivation I had never feen be fore, fore, a mixture of vineyard (for here the vines first appear); garden, and corn. A piece of wheat; a fcrap of lucerne; a patch of clover or vetches; a bit of vines; with cherry, and other fruit-trees fcattered among all, and the whole cultivated with the fpade: it makes a pretty appearance, but must form a poor fyftem of trifling. Chantilly!-magnificence is its reigning character; it is never loft. There is not taste or beauty enough to foften it into milder features: all but the chateau is great ;, and there is fomething impofing in that, except the gallery of the Great Conde's battle, and the cabinet of natural history which is rich in very fine fpecimens, moft advantageously arranged, it contains nothing that demands particular notice; nor is there one room which in England would be called large. The ftable is truly great, and exceeds very'much indeed any thing of the kind I had ever feen. It is 580 feet long, and 40 bfoad, and is fometimes filled with 240 English horfes. I had been fo accustomed to the imitation in water, of the waving and irregular lines of nature, that I came to Chantilly prepoffeffed against the idea of a canal; but the view of one here is striking, and had the effect which magnificent fcenes imprefs. It arifes from extent, and from the right lines of the water uniting with the regularity of the objects in view. It is Lord Kaimes, I think, who fays, the part of the garden contiguous to the house should partake of the regularity of the building; with much magnificence about a place, this is almost unavoidable. The effect here, however, is leffened by the parterre before the caftle, in which the divifions and the diminutive jets-d'eau are not of a fize to correfpond with the magnificence of the canal. The menagerie is very pretty, and exhibits a prodigious variety of domeftic poultry, from all parts of the world; one of the best objects to which a menagerie can be applied; these, and the Corfican ftag, had all my attention. The hameau contains an imitation of an English garden; the tafte is but juft introduced into France, fo that it will not ftand a critical examination. The most English idea I faw 'is the lawn in front of the ftables; it is large, of a good verdure, and well kept; proving clearly that they may have as fine lawns in the north of France as in England. The labyrinth is the only complete one I have seen, and I have no inclination to fee another: it is in gardening what a rebus is in poetry. In the Sylvae are many very fine and scarce plants. I wish those persons who view Chantilly, and are fond of fine trees would not forget to ask for the great beech; this is the finest I ever faw; ftrait as an arrow, and, as I guess, not lefs than 80 or 90 feet high; 40 feet to the first branch, and 12 feet diameter at five from the ground. It is in all refpects one of the fineft trees that can any where be met with. Two others are near it, but not equal to this fuperb one. The foreft around Chantilly, belonging to the Prince of Condé is immenfe, fpreading far and wide; the Paris road croffes it for ten |