accompanied my eye, and that sentiment mingled with the observation. The quays, piers and arsenal are very fine; they, together with the docks for small ships of war and merchandise, were constructed under the auspices of Louis XIV., with whom this port was a great favourite.

We met several military delinquents working in heavy chains. They were dressed in red jackets and trowsers, which are supposed to increase their disgrace, on account of their composing the regimental colour of their old enemy the English. When my companion, who wore his regimentals, passed them, they all moved their caps to him with great respect, to his no little mortification.

To the great injury of the commerce of Rouen, this town was most successfully blockaded, for near four years, by British commanders, during the late war, and particularly by Sir Sidney Smith. It was here, when endeavouring to cut out a vessel, which in point of value and consideration, was unworthy of such an exposure, that this enterprising hero was made a prisoner of war. The inhabitants, who never speak of him but with emotions of terror, çonsider this event as the rash result of a wager conceived over wine. Those who know the character of Sir Sidney, will not impute to him such an act of idle temerity.

Havre is not unknown to history. At the celebrated siege of it, in the time of Catherine de Medicis, that execrable princess distinguished herself by her personal intrepidity. It is said, that she landed here in a galley, bearing the device of the sun, with these words in Greek, "I bring light and fine weather"— a motto which ill corresponded with her conduct.

With great courage, such as seldom enters the composition of cruel and ferocious tyrants, she here on horseback, at the head of her army, exposed herself to the fire of the cannon, like the most veteran soldiers, and betrayed no symptoms of fear, although the bullets flew about her in all directions. When

desired by the duke de Guise and the constable de Montmorenci not to expose her person so much, the brave but sanguinary Catherine replied, "Have I not more to lose than you, and do you think I have not as much courage?".

The walk, through la ville de Sandwich, to the light-houses, which are about two miles from Havre, is very pleasing. The path lay through flax and clover fields.

Upon the hill, ascending to the cliffs, are several very elegant chateaus and gardens, belonging to the principal inhabitants of the town.

Monsieur B, the prefect de marine, has a beautiful residence here. We were accidentally stopping at his gate, to view the enchanting prospects which it presented to us, when the polite owner observed us, and with that amiability and civility, which still distinguish the descendants of the ancient families of rank in France, of which he is one, requested us to enter, and walked with us round his grounds, which were disposed with great taste. He afterwards conducted us to his elegant house, and gave us dried fruit and excellent Burgundy, after which we walked round the village to the light-houses. From him we learned, that the farmers here, as in England, were very rapacious, and had amassed considerable wealth during the war. The approach to the light-houses, through a row of elms, is very pleasant; they stand upon an immense high perpendicular cliff, and are lofty square buildings, composed of fine light brown free-stone, the entrance is handsome, over which there is a good room, containing four high windows, and a lodging room for the people who have the care of the light, the glass chamber of which we reached, after ascending to a considerable height, by a curious spiral stone stair-case. The lantern is composed of ninety immense reflecting lamps, which are capable of being raised or depressed with great ease, by means of an iron windlass. This large lustre, surrounded with

plates of the thickest French glass, is fixed in squares of iron, and discharges a prodigious light in dark nights. A furnace of coal was formerly used, but this has been judiciously superseded by the present invention. Round the lantern is a gallery with an iron balustrade; the view from this elevation upon the beach, the entrance of the Seine, Honfleur, (where our Henry III. fought the French armies, and distinguished himself by his valour,) the distant hills of Lower Normandy, and the ocean, is truly grand.

In the basins of Havre, we saw several rafts, once so loudly talked of, constructed for the real or ostensible purpose of conveying the invading legions of France to the shores of Great Britain. I expected to have seen an immense floating platform, but the vessels which we saw were made like brigs of an unusual breadth, with two low masts. The sincerity of this project has been much disputed; but that the French government expended considerable sums upon the scheme I have no doubt.

At day-break we seated ourselves in the diligence. All the carriages of this description have the appearance of being the result of the earliest efforts in the art of coach-building: a more uncouth, clumsy machine can scarcely be imagined. In the front is a cabriolet fixed to the body of the coach, for the accommodation of three passengers, who are protected from the rain above by the projecting roof of the coach, and by two heavy curtains of leather, well oiled, and smelling somewhat offensively, fastened to the roof. The inside, which is capacious and lofty, and will hold six people with great comfort, is lined with leather, padded, and surrounded with little pockets, in which the travellers deposit their bread, snuff, night-caps, and pocket handkerchiefs, all merrily. meeting in the same delicate depository. From the roof depends a large net-work, which is generally crowded with hats, swords, and band-boxes. The whole is convenient, and when all parties are seated

and arranged the accommodations are by no means unpleasant.

Upon the roof, on the outside, is the imperial, generally occupied by six or seven persons, and a heap of luggage; the basket is also filled with luggage, and presents a pile half as high again as the coach, secured by ropes and chains, tightened by a large iron windlass, a constant appendage upon this moving mass: the body of the carriage rests upon large thongs of leather, fastened to heavy blocks of wood, instead of springs, and the whole is drawn by seven horses; the three first being fastened to the cross bar, the rest in pairs, and all in rope harness and tackling. The near horse of the three first is mounted by the postilion in his great jack boots, which are always placed, with much ceremony, like two tubs, on the right side of his rosinante, just before he ascends. These curious protecters of his legs are composed of wood, and iron hoops, softened within by stuffing, and give him all the dignity of riding in a pair of upright portmanteaus. With a long lash whip in his hand, a dirty night-cap and an old cocked hat upon his head, hallocing alternately " à gauche, à droit," and a few occasional sacre dieus which seem always properly applied and perfectly understood, the merry postilion drives along his cattle. I must not fail to do justice to the scientific skill with which he manages, on horseback, his long and heavy coach-whip; with this commanding instrument he can re-animate, by a touch, each halting muscle of his lagging animals, can cut off an annoying fly, and with the loud cracking of its thong, he announces, upon his entrance into a town, the approach of his heavy and clattering cavalcade. Each of these diligences is provided with a conducteur, who rides upon the imperial, and is responsible, throughout the journey, for the comfort of the passengers and safety of the luggage. For his trouble the passenger pays him only thirty sols, and fifteen more for the different postilions, to be divided amongst them; for these the donor is thanked

with a low bow, and many "bien obligés," in the name of himself and his contented comrades.

Our horses were of the Norman breed, small, stout, short, and full of spirit, and, to the honour of those who have the care of them,' in excellent condition. I was surprised to see these little animals running away with our cumbrous machine, at the rate of six or seven miles an hour.

Our road lay through a charming country, upon the sides of whose acclivities, surrounded by the most ro. mantic scenery of woods and corn-fields, we saw ruined convents, and roofless village churches, through the shattered casements of which the wind had free admission.

We breakfasted at a neat town called Bolbec, seven leagues from Havre, where we had excellent coffee, butter, and rolls. All the household of our inn looked clean, happy, and sprightly.

This is the principal town of the province of Caux, the women of which dress their heads in a very peculiar, and, in my humble opinion, unbecoming manner. I made a hasty sketch of one of them, who entered the yard of the inn with apples for sale. Such a promontory of cap and lace I never before beheld. She had been at a village marriage that morning, and was bedecked in all her finery. The people of this province are industrious and rich, and consequently respectable. At the theatre at Rouen, I afterwards saw, in one of the front boxes, a lady from this country, dressed after its fashion; her singularity induced me to distinguish her from the rest of the audience, but excited no curiosity with any other person. Our breakfast cost us each fifteen sous, to which may be added two sols more for the maids, who waited upon us with cheerful smiles, in the full cushvois costume; our two sols also entitled us to kisses and curtsies. From this town, the road was beautifully lined with beech, chesnut, and apple trees. The rich yellow of the rape seed, that overspread the VOL. XXVII.