My first day's journey in the Diligence was short and uninteresting. We
arrived to sleep at Avalon, a small town partaking, in common with most
others in France, of a degree of gloom occasioned by the want of those
shops which enliven most of our country towns. Here a few articles are
placed in a window, to indicate that there is a larger supply to be had
within. There are few towns in France which have not a _public place_ or
walk, which is generally planted with trees, and kept in good order.
Whilst supper was preparing, we took a few turns on the promenade of
Avalon, and found a considerable number of persons assembled there; but
were much shocked at the number and miserable appearance of the beggars,
who thronged around us. They are much too numerous in all parts of
France, and particularly here.
At an early hour next morning, we were summoned to resume our places in
the Diligence; these places are in general numbered, and each person
takes his seat in the order in which he has paid his fare, a regulation
which prevents any delay, and precludes disputes or ceremony.
We continued our journey through the small towns of Rouvray and Viteaux;
the country is diversified with hills, which are not of sufficient
magnitude to present any great obstacle to the progress of the
traveller.
There are vast numbers of vineyards, but there are few trees. In this,
as in all other wine countries, villages and country houses are more
numerous than in the districts producing only corn, either because the
lands which produce vines are more valuable, and consequently are
divided amongst a greater number of owners, or that the culture of the
vine requires more people than other species of tillage.
In one district, where corn was the chief crop, I enquired respecting
the usual mode of farming, and found that the land, which was this year
under corn, was intended to be sown next year with maize (of which
there is a vast quantity) and the year following to lie fallow, after
which it will be considered as again fit to produce corn.
I found also, that the direct land-tax through France was not less than
20 per cent, exclusive of the other taxes which fall incidentally on
landed property. There are also in many provinces _customs_ which
regulate the descent of land (often in a manner very different from the
disposition which the owner would wish) amongst the relations of the
last owner. These customs and the heavy taxes on land may account for
the seemingly small price which it in general sells for throughout
France.
The approach to Dijon is striking, and the Diligence arrived there
sufficiently early to afford us time to survey the city, which is one of
the best built and most considerable in France. It was formerly the
capital of the province, and the residence of the ancient sovereigns of
Burgundy, whose tombs are still to be seen at the Chartreuse, near the
city. It is now the chief place in the department of the Côte d'or, and
contains a population of about 22,000 inhabitants. It is situated
between the small rivers Ouche and Suzon, in a valley, which is one of
the most highly cultivated districts in France, and which is worthy of
its name of _Côte d'or_. The churches here are handsome structures, as
is also the palace of the Prince of Condé, where the Parliament used to
assemble. The square before it is spacious and well-built, and the corn
market is worthy of remark. The University of Dijon was formerly one of
the most considerable in Prance, but my stay was not sufficient, to
enable me to enquire with accuracy into its present state. Our company
next day was augmented by two French officers, who were going to
Besançon, and who intended proceeding in this carriage as far as Dole,
where smaller conveyances were to be had for those going to Geneva, &c.
as the Great Voiture went on to Lyons. These officers did not long
continue silent, and politics seemed the subject which occupied the
first place in their thoughts. They said that Belgium and the Rhine
were _indispensable_ to France, and were particularly violent against
Austria, for the part she had taken in the late contest. 'One of them
did not affect to conceal his attachment to the ex-emperor; but the
other, although he agreed with his companion in wishing, for a renewal
of the war, did not seem at all pleased with Buouaparte for having said
the French nation _wanted character_. They had both been at Moscow, and
acknowledged that the Emperor had committed a capital error in not
retreating in time from what he himself acknowledged to be such a
frightful climate.
If a public carriage has not all the comfort and expedition of a private
one, it certainly has this advantage, that one often meets companions
from whom may be derived amusement or information; and I think those who
travel with a view to either of those objects, would do well
occasionally to go in one of those conveyances. In a foreign country,
the attention of the traveller is continually attracted by a variety of
objects of a novel nature, which can be best explained to him by the
inhabitants of the country: besides, it is impossible to have any
correct idea of the manners and customs of foreigners, without
constantly associating with them, which, in general, English travellers
do not much desire. Whilst abroad, I would wish to accommodate myself as
much as possible, to the habits of the country in which I were to
reside, but if I found them irksome, I would certainly hasten my
departure.
We reached Dole about the French hour of dinner: here our company
separated, and, accompanied by a friend, I continued my journey to
Geneva. The road which we took is only practicable during four or five
months in the year, on account of the snow which is drifted from the
mountains of Jura. Near Auxonne we passed a plain, where a battle had
been fought between the French and the Allied forces. Many houses had
been destroyed, but the agriculture of the country did not seem to have
suffered by the contest. We passed through the village of Genlis, and
within sight of the Chateau, the property of the lady of that name,
well known by her numerous writings and compilations.
We arrived late at Poligny, a small town, surrounded by lofty mountains.
On leaving the place, one hill occupies three hours in ascending; but
the road is as good as the uneven surface of the country will permit.
The people here begin to have quite a different appearance from the
French: wooden shoes are generally worn; and the projecting roofs of the
houses shew that the climate is more rainy and severe than in the
countries we had passed. In this vicinity are some of the finest forests
I had yet seen in France, and the views from the road are occasionally
interesting. About two leagues from Poligny is _Arbois_, famous for its
white wine. We had a bottle by way of experiment, and thought it not
undeserving of the reputation it had acquired. A Frenchman observed,
"_Le vin nest pas mauvais_," which phrase may be taken for a
commendation, as they seldom carry their praise so far as to say a thing
is positively good. The country between Poligny and Moray exhibits a
continued succession of fir-trees, unmixed with any thing to give
variety to the scene. The woods, however, seemed to afford shelter to
but few birds; and in most parts of the continent, even the
singing-birds are not spared, but included in the general proscription
to gratify the palate of the epicure.
We arrived to an _English breakfast_ at Moray; they told us its honey
was in great repute throughout France, and we thought it deserved more
than the ordinary commendation of a Frenchman. Every thing here was neat
and clean, and both the town and appearance of its inhabitants brought
_North Wales_ strongly to my recollection. This being a frontier place,
the French custom-house officers put _seals_ on our portmanteaus, for
which favour we paid two francs for each seal; these were cut off with
great formality on our arrival at Geneva. After having travelled for
many hours amongst a succession of gloomy mountains, which afford
nothing that can either interest or enliven, I never recollect feeling a
greater sensation of delight and astonishment, than when, from the
summit of one of the mountains of Jura, I first beheld the lake and city
of Geneva, backed by the mountains of Savoy, and by the Alps, which,
even at this vast distance, made all the other mountains we had passed
appear but trivial.
It is by contrast that all pleasures are heightened, and even the tour
which I afterwards made amongst the Alps, did not lessen the force of
that impression which the sudden appearance of this magnificent
spectacle had left upon my mind. The road down the mountain is an
astonishing work, and is part of the grand line of road made by
Buonaparte, to facilitate the passage of troops into Italy over the
Grand Simplon. A fountain near the road has an inscription to Napoleon
the Great; in one part the road winds through an excavation in the rock.
One cannot but here exclaim with the poet,
What cannot Art and Industry perform,
When Science plans the progress of their toil!
At Fernay we visited the Château, so long celebrated as the residence
of Voltaire. It is now the property and residence of M. de Boudet, who,
as we were informed, has made great improvements in the place since it
has come into his possession.
The saloon and bed-chamber of Voltaire are, however, preserved in
exactly the same state as when he occupied them. There are a few
portraits of his friends, and under his bust is this inscription:
"Son esprit est partout et son coeur est ici."
"His genius is every where, but his heart is here."
His _Cenotaph_, as it is called, has a miserably mean appearance, and
bears this inscription:
"Mes mânes sont consolés puisque mon coeur
"Est au milieu de vous."
"My manes are consoled, since my heart is with
you."
The formal taste in which the garden is laid out, but ill accords with
the stupendous scenery which is seen on all sides. The approach to the
Château from the road is through a double avenue of trees. Near the
house stands the parish-church, and also a Heliconian fountain in the
disguise of a pump, of excellent water, which we tasted, but without
experiencing any unusual effects. We had not leisure to prolong our
researches, as it was necessary for us to reach Geneva before the
closing of the gates. If the first and distant appearance of the city of
Geneva, of its beautiful lake, and of the lofty mountains by which it is
surrounded, produces the strongest sensations of delight in the
beholder, a nearer approach is not (as is too frequently the case)
calculated to do away, or, at least, greatly to diminish the impression
made by the distant view.
Having, after a long descent, at length reached the Plain, the traveller
cannot fail of being delighted with the richly cultivated scene which
surrounds him, with the neatness of the villages, and with the apparent
ease of the inhabitants of a country where property seems pretty
equally divided, and where he is not shocked (as he is unhappily too
generally throughout Europe) by the melancholy contrast between the
splendour of the opulent, and the extreme misery of the peasantry. Here
the peasant, as Goldsmith observes,
Sees no contiguous palace rear its head,
To shame the meanness of his humble shed;
Cheerful at morn, he wakes from short repose,
Breathes the keen air, and carols as he goes.
The situation of Geneva is as striking as can be well imagined. It seems
to rise out of the transparent waters of its lake. Some tourists tell
us, that, Naples and Constantinople excepted, no city in Europe can be
compared to Geneva in point of situation, and those who have ascended
the towers of its cathedral, will feel disposed to admit, that the
prospect of the lake, the junction of the river Rhone with the Arve, the
number of villas dispersed on all sides, the scene of cultivation which
the nearer mountains present, almost to their summits, and the imposing
effect produced by the more distant Alps, whose bases rest in Italy,
and whose tops, covered with perpetual snow, seem to unite with the
clouds, present a spectacle which it would be indeed difficult to
surpass.
----"While admiration, feeding at the eye
"And still unsated, dwells upon the scene."
Cowper.
The lake of Geneva (which, according to M. de Luc, is 187 toises, or
1203 English feet above the level of the Mediterranean Sea) is one of
the most considerable in Europe, being about eighteen leagues in length,
by about three and a half at its greatest width. Its waters are at this
season about six feet higher than in winter, and are of a beautiful blue
colour, derived from the nature of the soil beneath. Its depth, near
Meillerie, is 190 fathoms, that of the Baltic, according to Dr.
Goldsmith, being only 115 fathoms. This lake abounds with fish of
various kinds. I myself saw a _trout of twenty-three pounds_, and there
have occasionally been taken of nearly double that weight. These
extraordinarily large fish are often presented by the republic to its
allies, and are frequently sent as far as Paris or Berlin. The Rhone
issuing, with vast rapidity, from the lake forms an island which is
covered with houses, and constitutes the lower part of the city, which
rises to the summit of a hill, where stand the cathedral and many
elegant private houses. The city is, in general, tolerably well built;
but many of the streets have domes, or arcades of wood, which are
frequently fifty or sixty feet in height, and which have an inelegant
appearance, but are useful in the winter, and under some of them are
rows of shops, Containing every article of luxury or utility, in equal
perfection with those that are to be met with in some of the greatest
cities.
Here is every appearance of the activity produced by the revival of
commerce, after the long prohibition it suffered during the period
whilst Geneva remained united to France.
The chief manufacture of Geneva is that of clocks and watches; in the
period of the prosperity of Geneva, this trade was calculated to afford
employment to five or six thousand persons, but at present it is much
reduced. There are a considerable number of goldsmiths, and the
ingenuity of the Genevese, produces very curious musical-watches,
snuff-boxes, and seals, many of which are sent to Paris and London,
where they find a ready sale; they are sent likewise to Persia and to
America, there are considerable manufactures also of calico, muslin,
&c. and a good deal of banking business is transacted. Perhaps there is
no example of a city so _destitute of territory_, which has obtained
such commercial celebrity, and the persevering industry of its
inhabitants, enabled them to place large sums of money in the funds of
other nations, particularly of England. The revenues of the state are
much exceeded by those of many individuals; but, during the oppressive
government of France, the taxes of Geneva were nearly quadrupled.
The population of Geneva and its territory, having been so differently
stated as to leave the truth involved in ranch uncertainty, M. Naville,
a senator, who possessed every facility for making the necessary
enquiries, published a calculation, which assigns to the republic a
population of 35,000, of which number 26,000 resided in the city. This
is a very large number if we consider that the territory of this little
state is so limited as, according to M. Bourritt's Itinerary, to contain
only 3 7/100 square leagues; being about 11,400 inhabitants to each
square league. But, contracted as their territory certainly is, those
citizens of Geneva, with whom I have conversed, do not seem to wish its
extension. They fear the introduction of religious dissensions, as the
_Savoyards_, (on which side it could be most easily extended) are Roman
Catholics and by no means cordial with their neighbours, the _Hugonots_
of Geneva, as they call them. Nor would the nobility of Savoy wish to be
the subjects of so popular a government as that of Geneva. Religious
differences have, at all times, been productive of the worst species of
civil discord, and the Genevese (although they tolerate most fully all
religious sects) are undoubtedly stronger at present, with their limited
possessions, than they possibly could be with any increase of territory,
accompanied by the chance of such unfortunate dissensions.
All they seem desirous of, at present, is to see their little state
_consolidated_; it being at present intersected by the possessions of
France, the Canton of Vaud, &c. in such a manner as to oblige the
Genevese to pass over some portion of the territories of those states,
in visiting many of their own villages. But more of Geneva hereafter, as
although I had so recently arrived there, I was soon to quit it for a
short time.
I found at my hotel a party, consisting of two of my countrymen and a
French gentleman, who were waiting for a fourth person to join them, in
making an excursion to the celebrated scenes of Chamouny and Moutanvert.
This was an opportunity not to be neglected, particularly as my former
companion had determined on going into Italy, notwithstanding the very
alarming accounts of its disturbed state, given us by some travellers,
lately arrived from thence, who had themselves been robbed, and who
reported that the banditti, in many of the mountains, amounted to from
500 to 1500 men. The unsettled political state of Italy too, rendered
the present, in my opinion, by no means an auspicious moment, for an
excursion of curiosity into that country. To see Italy well would occupy
a longer portion of time than I had at my disposal, and if once across
the Alps it would be almost impossible to return without visiting Rome.
Under these circumstances, I resolved to content myself with seeing
Chamouny, and Mt. Blanc, and I had every reason to be pleased with my
determination, as the party were extremely agreeable, and we had the
good fortune of having fine weather for our excursion, an occurrence
which is rare amongst such lofty mountains nor were we disposed to
complain of the inconvenience of occasional showers, in a country where
it is not unusual for the rains to continue without intermission for
many days.
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