AIX EN PROVENCE, May 10, 1765.
DEAR SIR,--I am thus far on my way to England. I had resolved to leave
Nice, without having the least dispute with any one native of the
place; but I found it impossible to keep this resolution. My landlord,
Mr. C--, a man of fashion, with whose family we had always lived in
friendship, was so reasonable as to expect I should give him up the
house and garden, though they were to be paid for till Michaelmas, and
peremptorily declared I should not be permitted to sub-let them to any
other person. He had of his own accord assured me more than once that
he would take my furniture off my hands, and trusting to this
assurance, I had lost the opportunity, of disposing it to advantage:
but, when the time of my departure drew near, he refused to take it, at
the same time insisting upon having the key of the house and garden, as
well as on being paid the whole rent directly, though it would not be
due till the middle of September. I was so exasperated at this
treatment from a man whom I had cultivated with particular respect,
that I determined to contest it at law: but the affair was accommodated
by the mediation of a father of the Minims, a friend to both, and a
merchant of Nice, who charged himself with the care of the house and
furniture. A stranger must conduct himself with the utmost
circumspection to be able to live among these people without being the
dupe of imposition.
I had sent to Aix for a coach and four horses, which I hired at the
rate of eighteen French livres a day, being equal to fifteen shillings
and nine-pence sterling. The river Var was so swelled by the melting of
the snow on the mountains, as to be impassable by any wheel-carriage;
and, therefore, the coach remained at Antibes, to which we went by
water, the distance being about nine or ten miles. This is the
Antipolis of the antients, said to have been built like Nice, by a
colony from Marseilles. In all probability, however, it was later than
the foundation of Nice, and took its name from its being situated
directly opposite to that city. Pliny says it was famous for its
tunny-fishery; and to this circumstance Martial alludes in the
following lines
Antipolitani, fateor, sum filia thynni.
Essem si Scombri non tibi missa forem.
I'm spawned from Tunny of Antibes, 'tis true.
Right Scomber had I been, I ne'er had come to you.
The famous pickle Garum was made from the Thynnus or Tunny as well as
from the Scomber, but that from the Scomber was counted the most
delicate. Commentators, however, are not agreed about the Scomber or
Scombrus. Some suppose it was the Herring or Sprat; others believe it
was the mackarel; after all, perhaps it was the Anchovy, which I do not
find distinguished by any other Latin name: for the Encrasicolus is a
Greek appellation altogether generical. Those who would be further
informed about the Garum and the Scomber may consult Caelius Apicius de
recogninaria, cum notis, variorum.
At present, Antibes is the frontier of France towards Italy, pretty
strongly fortified, and garrisoned by a battalion of soldiers. The town
is small and inconsiderable: but the basin of the harbour is surrounded
to seaward by a curious bulwark founded upon piles driven in the water,
consisting of a wall, ramparts, casemates, and quay. Vessels lie very
safe in this harbour; but there is not water at the entrance of it to
admit of ships of any burthen. The shallows run so far off from the
coast, that a ship of force cannot lie near enough to batter the town;
but it was bombarded in the late war. Its chief strength by land
consists in a small quadrangular fort detached from the body of the
place, which, in a particular manner, commands the entrance of the
harbour. The wall of the town built in the sea has embrasures and
salient angles, on which a great number of cannon may be mounted.
I think the adjacent country is much more pleasant than that on the
side of Nice; and there is certainly no essential difference in the
climate. The ground here is not so encumbered; it is laid out in
agreeable inclosures, with intervals of open fields, and the mountains
rise with an easy ascent at a much greater distance from the sea, than
on the other side of the bay. Besides, here are charming rides along
the beach, which is smooth and firm. When we passed in the last week of
April, the corn was in the ear; the cherries were almost ripe; and the
figs had begun to blacken. I had embarked my heavy baggage on board a
London ship, which happened to be at Nice, ready to sail: as for our
small trunks or portmanteaus, which we carried along with us, they were
examined at Antibes; but the ceremony was performed very superficially,
in consequence of tipping the searcher with half-a-crown, which is a
wonderful conciliator at all the bureaus in this country.
We lay at Cannes, a neat village, charmingly situated on the beach of
the Mediterranean, exactly opposite to the isles Marguerites, where
state-prisoners are confined. As there are some good houses in this
place, I would rather live here for the sake of the mild climate, than
either at Antibes or Nice. Here you are not cooped up within walls, nor
crowded with soldiers and people: but are already in the country, enjoy
a fine air, and are well supplied with all sorts of fish.
The mountains of Esterelles, which in one of my former letters I
described as a most romantic and noble plantation of ever-greens,
trees, shrubs, and aromatic plants, is at present quite desolate. Last
summer, some execrable villains set fire to the pines, when the wind
was high. It continued burning for several months, and the
conflagration extended above ten leagues, consuming an incredible
quantity of timber. The ground is now naked on each side of the road,
or occupied by the black trunks of the trees, which have been scorched
without falling. They stand as so many monuments of the judgment of
heaven, filling the mind with horror and compassion. I could hardly
refrain from shedding tears at this dismal spectacle, when I recalled
the idea of what it was about eighteen months ago.
As we stayed all night at Frejus, I had an opportunity of viewing the
amphitheatre at leisure. As near as I can judge by the eye, it is of
the same dimensions with that of Nismes; but shockingly dilapidated.
The stone seats rising from the arena are still extant, and the cells
under them, where the wild beasts were kept. There are likewise the
remains of two galleries one over another; and two vomitoria or great
gateways at opposite sides of the arena, which is now a fine green,
with a road through the middle of it: but all the external architecture
and the ornaments are demolished. The most intire part of the wall now
constitutes part of a monastery, the monks of which, I am told, have
helped to destroy the amphitheatre, by removing the stones for their
own purposes of building. In the neighbourhood of this amphitheatre,
which stands without the walls, are the vestiges of an old edifice,
said to have been the palace where the imperator or president resided:
for it was a Roman colony, much favoured by Julius Caesar, who gave it
the name of Forum Julii, and Civitas Forojuliensis. In all probability,
it was he who built the amphitheatre, and brought hither the water ten
leagues from the river of Ciagne, by means of an aqueduct, some arcades
of which are still standing on the other side of the town. A great
number of statues were found in this place, together with antient
inscriptions, which have been published by different authors. I need
not tell you that Julius Agricola, the father-in-law of Tacitus, the
historian, was a native of Frejus, which is now a very poor
inconsiderable place. From hence the country opens to the left, forming
an extensive plain between the sea and the mountains, which are a
continuation of the Alps, that stretches through Provence and Dauphine.
This plain watered with pleasant streams, and varied with vineyards,
corn-fields, and meadow-ground, afforded a most agreeable prospect to
our eyes, which were accustomed to the sight of scorching sands, rugged
rocks, and abrupt mountains in the neighbourhood of Nice. Although this
has much the appearance of a corn-country, I am told it does not
produce enough for the consumption of its inhabitants, who are obliged
to have annual supplies from abroad, imported at Marseilles. A
Frenchman, at an average, eats three times the quantity of bread that
satisfies a native of England, and indeed it is undoubtedly the staff
of his life. I am therefore surprised that the Provencaux do not
convert part of their vineyards into corn-fields: for they may boast of
their wine as they please; but that which is drank by the common
people, not only here, but also in all the wine countries of France, is
neither so strong, nourishing, nor (in my opinion) so pleasant to the
taste as the small-beer of England. It must be owned that all the
peasants who have wine for their ordinary drink are of a diminutive
size, in comparison of those who use milk, beer, or even water; and it
is a constant observation, that when there is a scarcity of wine, the
common people are always more healthy, than in those seasons when it
abounds. The longer I live, the more I am convinced that wine, and all
fermented liquors, are pernicious to the human constitution; and that
for the preservation of health, and exhilaration of the spirits, there
is no beverage comparable to simple water. Between Luc and Toulon, the
country is delightfully parcelled out into inclosures. Here is plenty
of rich pasturage for black cattle, and a greater number of pure
streams and rivulets than I have observed in any other parts of France.
Toulon is a considerable place, even exclusive of the basin, docks, and
arsenal, which indeed are such as justify the remark made by a stranger
when he viewed them. "The king of France (said he) is greater at Toulon
than at Versailles." The quay, the jetties, the docks, and magazines,
are contrived and executed with precision, order, solidity, and
magnificence. I counted fourteen ships of the line lying unrigged in
the basin, besides the Tonant of eighty guns, which was in dock
repairing, and a new frigate on the stocks. I was credibly informed
that in the last war, the king of France was so ill-served with cannon
for his navy, that in every action there was scarce a ship which had
not several pieces burst. These accidents did great damage, and
discouraged the French mariners to such a degree, that they became more
afraid of their own guns than of those of the English. There are now at
Toulon above two thousand pieces of iron cannon unfit for service. This
is an undeniable proof of the weakness and neglect of the French
administration: but a more suprizing proof of their imbecility, is the
state of the fortifications that defend the entrance of this very
harbour. I have some reason to think that they trusted for its security
entirely to our opinion that it must be inaccessible. Capt. E--, of one
of our frigates, lately entered the harbour with a contrary wind, which
by obliging him to tack, afforded an opportunity of sounding the whole
breadth and length of the passage. He came in without a pilot, and made
a pretence of buying cordage, or some other stores; but the French
officers were much chagrined at the boldness of his enterprize. They
alleged that he came for no other reason but to sound the channel; and
that he had an engineer aboard, who made drawings of the land and the
forts, their bearings and distances. In all probability, these
suspicions were communicated to the ministry; for an order immediately
arrived, that no stranger should be admitted into the docks and arsenal.
Part of the road from hence to Marseilles lies through a vast mountain,
which resembles that of Estrelles; but is not so well covered with
wood, though it has the advantage of an agreeable stream running
through the bottom.
I was much pleased with Marseilles, which is indeed a noble city,
large, populous, and flourishing. The streets of what is called the new
Town are open, airy and spacious; the houses well built, and even
magnificent. The harbour is an oval basin, surrounded on every side
either by the buildings or the land, so that the shipping lies
perfectly secure; and here is generally an incredible number of
vessels. On the city side, there is a semi-circular quay of free-stone,
which extends thirteen hundred paces; and the space between this and
the houses that front it, is continually filled with a surprising crowd
of people. The gallies, to the number of eight or nine, are moored with
their sterns to one part of the wharf, and the slaves are permitted to
work for their own benefit at their respective occupations, in little
shops or booths, which they rent for a trifle. There you see tradesmen
of all kinds sitting at work, chained by one foot, shoe-makers,
taylors, silversmiths, watch and clock-makers, barbers,
stocking-weavers, jewellers, pattern-drawers, scriveners, booksellers,
cutlers, and all manner of shop-keepers. They pay about two sols a day
to the king for this indulgence; live well and look jolly; and can
afford to sell their goods and labour much cheaper than other dealers
and tradesmen. At night, however, they are obliged to lie aboard.
Notwithstanding the great face of business at Marseilles, their trade
is greatly on the decline; and their merchants are failing every day.
This decay of commerce is in a great measure owing to the English, who,
at the peace, poured in such a quantity of European merchandize into
Martinique and Guadalupe, that when the merchants of Marseilles sent
over their cargoes, they found the markets overstocked, and were
obliged to sell for a considerable loss. Besides, the French colonists
had such a stock of sugars, coffee, and other commodities lying by them
during the war, that upon the first notice of peace, they shipped them
off in great quantities for Marseilles. I am told that the produce of
the islands is at present cheaper here than where it grows; and on the
other hand the merchandize of this country sells for less money at
Martinique than in Provence.
A single person, who travels in this country, may live at a reasonable
rate in these towns, by eating at the public ordinaries: but I would
advise all families that come hither to make any stay, to take
furnished lodgings as soon as they can: for the expence of living at an
hotel is enormous. I was obliged to pay at Marseilles four livres a
head for every meal, and half that price for my servant, and was
charged six livres a day besides for the apartment, so that our daily
expence, including breakfast and a valet de place, amounted to two
loui'dores. The same imposition prevails all over the south of France,
though it is generally supposed to be the cheapest and most plentiful
part of the kingdom. Without all doubt, it must be owing to the folly
and extravagance of English travellers, who have allowed themselves to
be fleeced without wincing, until this extortion is become authorized
by custom. It is very disagreeable riding in the avenues of Marseilles,
because you are confined in a dusty high road, crouded with carriages
and beasts of burden, between two white walls, the reflection from
which, while the sun shines, is intolerable. But in this neighbourhood
there is a vast number of pleasant country-houses, called Bastides,
said to amount to twelve thousand, some of which may be rented ready
furnished at a very reasonable price. Marseilles is a gay city, and the
inhabitants indulge themselves in a variety of amusements. They have
assemblies, a concert spirituel, and a comedy. Here is also a spacious
cours, or walk shaded with trees, to which in the evening there is a
great resort of well-dressed people.
Marseilles being a free port, there is a bureau about half a league
from the city on the road to Aix, where all carriages undergo
examination; and if any thing contraband is found, the vehicle,
baggage, and even the horses are confiscated. We escaped this
disagreeable ceremony by the sagacity of our driver. Of his own accord,
he declared at the bureau, that we had bought a pound of coffee and
some sugar at Marseilles, and were ready to pay the duty, which
amounted to about ten sols. They took the money, gave him a receipt,
and let the carriage pass, without further question.
I proposed to stay one night only at Aix: but Mr. A--r, who is here,
had found such benefit from drinking the waters, that I was persuaded
to make trial of them for eight or ten days. I have accordingly taken
private lodgings, and drank them at the fountain-head, not without
finding considerable benefit. In my next I shall say something further
of these waters, though I am afraid they will not prove a source of
much entertainment. It will be sufficient for me to find them
contribute in any degree to the health of--Dear Sir, Yours assuredly.