The cathedral is a grand edifice; and what is most extraordinary respecting it is, that though it served as a barrack during a part of the revolution, no part of it received the least injury, except that all the aristocratical emblems and titles were carefully erased from the gravestones, and republican ones substituted. The bishop’s mitre was metamorphosed into the bonnet rouge; and instead of “ci-gît Monseigneur,” was read “ci-gît le citoyen évêque de ––.” The mitre has however again resumed its place; and the noble shades can no longer be offended by their names being prefaced with the republican epithet citoyen.

Poictiers is the chief town of the department of Vienne, and contains about eighteen thousand inhabitants. It had formerly some flourishing silk manufactures, but they are now almost abandoned, and there is little appearance of industry or business in the streets. It has a special school for the study of the law; and a lyceum, in which two hundred and fifty students receive board, lodging, and instruction, for about £30 a year. This city was the residence of Charles the Seventh, who removed hither the parliament of Paris during the wars with England.

Near Poictiers are the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre, in sufficient preservation to shew its shape and extent; also an aqueduct, and other antiquities.

March 6. Quitting Poictiers, I passed through a very beautiful country, highly cultivated, and enlivened by many respectable houses. The soil here changes from the loamy sand I had hitherto noticed, and which is chiefly preferable for vines, to a stiff clay. About a mile and a half from the city was fought the famous battle in l356, and a countryman, of whom I inquired, pointed out a meadow as the field of battle; but in its rear is a rising ground in the shape of a crescent, on which I suppose the French army was placed, as it would then have had the city behind it. I did not pass this spot without an interesting recollection of the renown gained here by our ancestors, more than four centuries ago, and consoled myself for the loss of our dominions in France, with the reflection that, had that dominion continued, instead of unadulterated Britons we should now perhaps be half French.

Pursuing my route, I crossed the river Vienne, by a handsome stone bridge, at the little village of Barres de Nintré, and arrived at Chatelleraut, on that river, which is here two hundred yards wide, and is navigated by sailing barges, which bring all bulky merchandize from Nantes by the Loire, entering the Vienne, where it falls into that river near the town of Chouze.

Chatelleraut is the Birmingham of France; but the hardware and cutlery fabricated here, though well polished, is wretchedly finished; and the steel of very bad quality. The iron with which the manufactories are supplied is procured from mines in the neighbourhood, as well as the coals for working it. I visited one of the most extensive manufactories, in which there was much bustle, but little work; nor did the labour seem to be divided to advantage, for one person performs two or three operations, which must not only diminish the product, but also reduce the specific profit. Adam Smith, in his Wealth of Nations, admirably explains the advantages of the division of labour, in the instance of the seemingly trivial operation of making a pin. “A workman,” says he, “not educated to this business, which the division of labour has rendered a distinct trade, nor acquainted with the use of the machinery employed in it, to the invention of which the same division of labour has probably given occasion, could perhaps with his utmost industry scarce make one pin in a day, and certainly could not make twenty; but, in the way in which the business is now carried on, not only the whole work is a peculiar trade, but it is divided into a number of branches, of which the greater part are likewise peculiar trades. One man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it, at the top for receiving the head; to make the head requires two or three distinct operations; to put it on is a peculiar business, to whiten the pin is another; it is even a trade by itself to put them into paper; and the important business of making a pin is in this manner divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which are all performed by distinct hands.”

Chatelleraut was formerly the property of the Comte de Clermont, and was purchased from him by Louis XV, in 1736, who established here some manufactories of fine woollens and ratteens, which, while assisted by government, were in a flourishing state, but since that assistance has been, withdrawn they have rapidly declined, and are now almost totally inactive, froze the want of capital and of confidence, which at this moment throughout France prevents any considerable mercantile speculation, either among individuals or associations. Nothing, indeed, can prove the commercial stagnation more forcibly than the short credit given to country dealers by the wholesale merchants, which never exceeds three months.

On quitting Chatelleraut, I was happy to find the road clear of carriages, which bad hitherto considerably annoyed me from the bad management of the horses, by which they formed a kind of echellon, that occupied the whole road, and obliged me often to perform the figure of a country dance, to extricate myself from them. At Chatelleraut, as I have before observed, the goods brought by land are embarked on the Vienne; and the road follows the course of this river, the banks of which are fertile, and well cultivated.

In the evening I reached the little village of Agron, two leagues from Chatelleraut, where I put up at a very indifferent auberge. In the morning (March 7) I observed several droves of very fine bullocks passing through the village, and, on inquiry, found some of them had been driven from considerable distances, and were going to Paris, which is seventy-eight leagues from this village. The expense of each bullock in this long journey is valued at twenty-five francs; but as the capital always offers a sure market at a fixed price, it is found more profitable to send them there than to dispose of them in the country.

On the morning of the 8th, I passed through the village of Ormes, near which is the magnificent château of the ci-devant Marquis de Voyé d’Argeuson, whose family has been famous in the political annals of France. The present representative of the family was long confined in the revolutionary dungeons, and all his property confiscated. Enough, however, was saved by his friends from the general wreck, to re-purchase this chateau and its domain, and its proprietor has deigned to accept the title of Count from Napoleon, and to fill the office of Prefect of Antwerp.

After quitting Ormes, I crossed the river Creuse, which unites with the Vienne near the village of Beauvais. Here I baited the horses, and dined off a pig’s ear in the kitchen of a cabaret, which was crowded with strange figures, with whom I amused myself so long, that it was night before I arrived at my destination, and a most violent rain and storm, with a pitchy darkness, rendered it difficult to keep the road. At length I reached a single house, called St. Catharine’s, the landlady of which was a perfect monster in appearance, and her manners did justice to her figure. While making me a fire, an old female servant let me into her mistress’s history; who, she acquainted me, had amassed considerable property in her business, and being now grown purse-proud, instead of being civil to travellers, to whom she owed every thing, she did not even thank them for the money they spent in her house; “ but,” continued my informant, with the air of having made a notable discovery, “ingratitude is too common in the world.” This old woman’s language was so far above her condition, that I could not forbear inquiring into her history, and learned that before the revolution she had possessed a considerable property in the town and neighbourhood of Chatelleraut, left her by her husband; that she had an only son, whom she bred up with the fondest care, but who, when all law had ceased, unnaturally seized on the property, and turned her out a wanderer on the world. She wrote to her husband’s brother, who came from Normandy, to endeavour to procure her justice; but the son being one of the sans culottes, denounced him to his fellow miscreants as a royalist; when he was seized, and without being permitted to vindicate himself, was cut off by the guillotine. The son still enjoys the property, and revels in luxury, while his aged mother has for twelve years been obliged to labour for a miserable subsistence. “Thus, Monsieur,” she concluded, “God knows I have experienced my share of ingratitude!” A call from without, obliged her to quit the room, and left me to ponder on the vicissitudes of human affairs, and on the effects of revolutions. The recollection of this being the anniversary of the landing of the British army in Egypt, roused me from these melancholy thoughts; but I had still to regret the want of society to celebrate that memorable day, and render palatable the very bad wine I was obliged to put up with.

March 9. Pursuing my journey the following day, through a flat and marshy country and over a paved road, I arrived at Tours, by a very fine avenue of trees, extending to the gates of the town. I had hardly got safely housed in the Hôtel de l’Impératrice, when I received a visit from Mr. Cane, a domiciliated Irishman, usually known by the appellation of Claret Cane, from his superior judgment in and excellent cellar of this wine. He was accompanied by Captain Gerrard, of the East-India Company’s service. With these gentlemen I spent a pleasant evening, and the next morning (March 10) was visited by several other English gentlemen, particularly Mr. Holland, a person of considerable property. I dined this day with Captain Gerrard, and found his wife an agreeable woman, surrounded by a delightful little family. At dinner was Mr. Wilkes, who, I believe, had been a priest, and who to his other knowledge, by his long residence in France, added that of all the distinguished families in the neighbourhood, and of their sufferings during the revolution. He entertained us with a lively and interesting sketch of the civil wars, which so long desolated this part of France during the contest between the Guises and the Condés. As I was well acquainted with the principal families of Tours, by having studied at the academy of Angers, I was gratified in hearing their histories; but I found that very few remained, and that Tours and its environs, from having been one of the most sociable parts of France, had become one of the dullest, every person being suspicious of his neighbour. All social intercourse was at an end, while the jealousy of the Government and the system of espionnage destroyed confidence even in the nearest relatives.

March 11. In the forenoon Mr. Gerrard accompanied me to visit the commandant of Tours, General Bonnard, whom we found writing in his office, and who had not even the civility to notice us, but continued to write on, or at least seemed to do so; for from his vulgar appearance one might doubt whether he could write or not. Captain Gerrard had with him a little terrier dog, of which the General took more notice than of his master, for he ordered one of his staff to turn him out of the room; but the latter being sufficient of a gentleman to know that an injury to a dog is considered as an insult to its master, replied, that it belonged to that gentleman, pointing to Captain Gerrard. “C’est égal,” said the General, “faites le sortir.” While examining the countenance and appearance, and observing the manners of this general officer, I could not help wondering how the French Emperor, who has the character of great penetration in the selection of his officers, could have made choice of such a fellow, whose manners scarcely fitted him for a shoeblack. It is indeed such upstarts that have brought discredit on the French military service since the revolution. By a haughty contemptuous manner, they doubtless think to inspire a high idea of their courage, but which, to those who have a knowledge of character, has a directly opposite effect. In the proud days of chivalry, courage and politeness were inseparable, and incivility and cowardice were almost synonimous terms. Disgusted with the rudeness of the General, I rose, and was departing without having spoken a word, when he followed me to the door, and inquired if I had any thing particular to say? I replied, that I had merely called to pay him a visit of attention; on which he muttered something I did not understand, and making a most formal bow, I retired, without uttering another word. I then mounted my horse, and rode along the south bank of the river, which was low, and, in several places, covered with water. The northern bank was covered with chalky and stony hills, rising like an amphitheatre from the river, and which are highly cultivated, and thickly dotted with villages. On this bank was situated the celebrated monastery of Marmoutiers, of which scarce a vestige remains.

March 11. This day I dined with Mr. Holland, in company with several Englishmen, and among the rest Mr. Latter, a grave and sensible gentleman, but rather eccentric in his appearance and dress, the latter being far behind the fashion. His manners, which were quite gentleman-like, however, covered this singularity; and, besides, he possessed the character of benevolence and kindness.

March 12. In the morning I strolled through the town, which is the chief place of the department of the Indre and Loire. It is situated at the confluence of the Cher and Loire; the latter river is here very broad, and is navigated by sailing barges of sixty to seventy tons, which ascend from Nantes to Orleans, where they enter a canal that conveys them to Paris. The Loire is crossed at Tours by a handsome bridge of sixteen elliptical arches. The manufactures of this city are confined to a few of silk, which are in a languid state; and its principal trade at present consists in the quantities of prunes it sends to all parts of France.

The principal street of Tours is uniform and elegant, the fronts of the houses with cut stone, having been built by government; several are however still unfinished. The cathedral is a beautiful gothic structure. During the revolution it was converted into a Temple of Reason, for which use it was fitted up like a Roman theatre; and from a rostrum, in the place of the grand altar, the republican demagogues fulminated their anti-social and anti-christian doctrines. It is now restored to its original appearance and use.

Tours was anciently well fortified, and the ramparts which still remain afford a pleasant promenade, though the trees which formerly shaded them have been all cut down.

The tower from which the Duke of Guise made his escape, in the wars of the League 1591, still remains, and retains the marks of the artillery that played on it from the opposite side of the river. The manner of the Duke’s escape is thus related: having made his guards, who were ordered never to lose sight of him, partly drunk, he proposed to wager, that if they would give him so much distance, he would hop to the top of the tower by a winding staircase faster than they could run it; the wager being accepted, and the distance given, the Duke set out, and reached the top before his staggering followers; he there found a rope, prepared for him secretly by some of his friends, by which he descended, and swimming across the river, joined his army, and revived the hopes of the league.

The ruins of the ancient bridge are still seen opposite the town, where so many bloody battles were fought between the English and French.

On the right bank of the river, opposite the town, are several neat villages, and handsome country houses. On this side is also a perpendicular rock, against which houses are built in parallel rows above each other, so that some can only be reached by descending from the summit of the rock, and others only by ascending from its foot. These houses form a kind of suburb, extending a considerable way along the river, and are said to possess the advantage of being extremely cool in summer.

While I was getting my hair cut in a hair-dresser’s shop, the master of which entertained me with violent complaints of the hardness of the times, and of the many bankruptcies in consequence of, what he termed, le maudit décret de Berlin, a poor woman, who had lost her senses from being ruined by one of these bankruptcies, ran wildly into the street, and throwing herself under the wheels of a loaded waggon, was instantly crushed to death!

As I was returning home, I recollected wanting some cord to secure my trunks, and observing a kind of tent or booth with some hanging out, I entered it. The master was not above four feet and a half high, with his arms short in proportion to his height; and I found that he took advantage of his want of stature to increase his profits; for instead of using a regular measure he sold his goods by arm’s length, which he calculated, as is usual in a middle sized man, at six feet, although his did not extend more than four feet and a half. As he, however, sold his goods nominally cheaper, and was a most ridiculous and humorous fellow, people flocked to his booth to purchase his goods and laugh at his repartees. Thus Nature, ever bountiful, where she leaves a part of her work defective, compensates in another, and thus the world goes on, each contented with himself and with others.

I had a party to dinner this day, but all my rhetoric was insufficient to prevail on my landlady to serve it à l’Anglaise; that is, to give the fish and vegetables as part of the first course. Her obstinacy so put me out of temper that, to her great astonishment and mortification, I threw the whole of her first course, consisting entirely of French dishes, out of the window, dishes included; and, ordering up the second, we made a tolerable dinner off it.

March 13. This morning I found my host’s family in the greatest despair and consternation; and on inquiring of the daughter, a beautiful girl, into the cause, she informed me that her only brother had just been drawn for the conscription; and, weeping bitterly, added, that she loved him like herself, and that they had never yet been separated. The father and mother could not have expressed more sorrow, if they had just received the news of their son’s having been drowned in the Loire; and I learnt that this sorrow was not without reason, for on this only son, in whose education they had spared no expense, rested all their hopes and wishes. I was induced to visit the Hôtel de Ville, where the conscription was drawing, and witnessed the different feelings of mothers, sisters, and mistresses, in the countenances of the females on this melancholy occasion. The conscription is indeed considered by all ranks with the most profound horror: parents grasp with avidity at every means of saving their children from it, and hence arises impositions and roguery to a great extent; for swindlers, pretending to have influence, and the means of shielding youths, levy enormous contributions on their families; and though there is a severe fine and imprisonment attached to this violation of the law, yet it is too profitable not to be universally practised. Many instances are known of young men going a surer way to work, to escape the conscription, by previously cutting off one or two of their fingers.