North from the hospice or workhouse, nea_The South of France—East Half

the Saône, is the church of St. Martin d’Ainay, which, with the

monastery, was founded by St. Badulph during the reign of Constantine,

on the site of a temple erected by the sixty nations of Gaul in honour

of Cæsar Augustus. The first church having been destroyed by the

Saracens, in the 8th cent., it was rebuilt in 1070, and consecrated in

1106 by Pope Pascal II. Since then it has been frequently repaired

and altered. The style belongs to what is called modern

Greek, introduced into France under Charlemagne. The cupola of the

chancel rests on circular pendentive arches springing from four granite

columns which stood formerly in the temple of Augustus. They were

originally 2, but were cut into 4. The fresco paintings in the apsidal

chapels are by H. Flandrin, a native of Lyons. To the

right is the sacristy or chapel of Saint Blandina, in which a short

stair leads down to the crypt and the dungeons, one on each side, where

Pothinus, first bishop of Lyons, and Blandina, a converted slave,

were kept before being tortured and put to death in a.d. 177, during the persecution under Marcus

Antoninus, the implacable enemy of Christianity. The crypt, about 12 ft.

square, was, as well as the dungeons, about 10 feet deeper, but on

account of the overflowing of the river the floors were filled up to

their present level.

Lyons: Parc de la Tête-d’Or.

The Parc de la

Tête-d’Or, or park of Lyons, is situated at the N.E. extremity

of the city, between the Brotteaux railway station and the left bank of

the Rhône. It measures 282 acres, and contains, besides an abundant

supply of varied walks, a large and excellent botanic garden with

hothouses, a lake with islands inhabited by aquatic birds, and a

dairy farm, whose produce is sent every morning into town for sale.

Adjoining the park are the rifle-butts and the racecourse. In the

Boulevard du Nord is the Guimet Museum, containing a collection of

objects from the extreme east, to facilitate the study of the history,

religions, and customs of the inhabitants of that part of the world. The

institution publishes essays and translations.

By the western side of the Brotteaux railway station are the large

barracks of the Part-Dieu and the Fort des Brotteaux.

Lyons employs 70,000 looms and 140,000 weavers in the manufacture of

silk; and here, as at St. Etienne, the work is principally performed on

the domestic system in the dwellings of the master weavers, each of whom

has usually from two to six or eight looms, which, with their fittings,

are generally his own property. Himself and as many of his family as can

work are employed on these looms, aided frequently by one or more

_compagnons_, or journeymen, who inhabit chiefly the suburb of La

Croix Rousse, to the north of the town, and that of Fourvières, on the

Saône. The silk merchants supply the silk and patterns to the owners of

looms, who are entrusted with the task of producing the web in a

finished state. The mean annual value of the silk goods manufactured is

estimated at £15,000,000.

The Dyeing of Silk—Origin of

Lyons.

The dyeing of the silk is also an important branch of manufacture.

Many experiments had been made to bring this art to perfection, and

in particular to discover a dye of perfect black that would retain its

colour. This a common dyer of Lyons at last invented, for which he

received a pension, besides being made a member of the Legion of Honour.

Prior to this the black dye which was used changed in a few days to a

brown, and came off the stuff when it was hard pressed by the hand.

Another improvement which was made consisted in procuring a silk of a

permanent white colour. The eggs of the worm which produced this silk

were brought from China, not, however, with the desired success. The

worm was afterwards purchased from a merchant of Alais, and distributed

in the southern departments of the country, where now a large number of

persons are engaged in silkworm hatcheries. The produce of white silk is

now very considerable and of great importance in the manufacture of

gauzes, crapes, and tulles. Extensive chemical works, breweries,

foundries, potteries, engineering works, printing establishments, and

hat factories represent the secondary industries of Lyons. A large

trade is carried on in chestnuts brought from the neighbouring

departments, and known as _marrons de Lyon_.

The earliest Gallic

occupants of the territory at the confluence of the Rhône and the

Saône were the Segusians. In 590 b.c.

some Greek refugees from the banks of the Hérault, having obtained

permission of the natives to establish themselves on the Croix Rousse,

called their new town by the Gallic name Lugdunum; and in 43 b.c. Munatius Plancus brought a Roman colony to

Fourvières from Vienne. This settlement soon acquired importance, and

was made by Agrippa the starting-point of four great roads. Augustus,

besides building aqueducts, temples, and a theatre, gave it a senate and

made it the seat of an annual assembly of deputies from the sixty cities

of Gallia Comata. Under the emperors the colony of Forum Vetus and the

municipium of Lugdunum were united, receiving the _jus senatus_.

The town, burnt by Nero in 59 a.d.,

was rebuilt by him in a much finer style, and adorned by Trajan, Adrian,

and Antoninus.

Mont-d’Or.

Among the most interesting, and at the same time easiest excursions

from Lyons is to Mont Ceindre, 4 m. from Lyons. Take the omnibus

starting from the Rue de la Platière to the village of St.

Cyr-au-Mont-d’Or, 3¼ m., time 1½ hr., by a road always ascending.

Fare, ½ fr. The omnibus office at St. Cyr, the inn, and the café, are on

a wide terrace commanding an extensive view. The village, pop. 2000, is

poor and dirty, and built on the side of the hill. To ascend Mont

Ceindre walk from the omnibus office up to the new church, whence ascend

by the telegraph posts, and then turn to the right. The ascent

and descent can be done easily in 80 minutes, in time to go back to

Lyons by the returning coach. On the top of Mont Ceindre are some

houses, an old hermitage, and a chapel surmounted with a statue of Mary.

The view is grand, embracing the valleys of the Rhône and the Saône, the

towns of Bugey and Beaujolais, the mountains of the Forez, the Dauphiné,

and the Alps. Mont Ceindre, 1532 ft. above the sea; Mont Verdun, 2020

ft.; and Mont Houx, 2008 ft., form together Mont-d’Or, a group of mountains

covered with vineyards and meadows.

Cheese.

The wine is thin, but the cheese is one of the best and most celebrated

in France. They are soft, round, and flat, about 5 inches in diameter

and half an inch thick, like round pancakes. They are made from a

mixture of cow and goat’s milk, and are said to derive their peculiar

flavour from the vine leaves on which the goats feed during a

considerable portion of the year. The cheeses of Mont Dore (likewise

famous) are thicker and smaller in diameter, and sold in small boxes.

The coach, on its way from Lyons to St. Cyr, passes by Roche-Cardon,

a favourite retreat of J. J. Rousseau. Another easy excursion

is to the Ile Barbe. Take any of the mouches (penny boats) going up the

Saône to Vaise station. Here change into the penny boat going to St.

Rambert, a rather dirty little town on the right bank, 1½ m.

above Vaise. Opposite, and connected by a bridge, is the town of Cuire.

In the centre of the river is the Ile Barbe, across which the bridge

passes. On the island there are a few uninviting country-houses, and the

tower of a chapel (private property) of the 12th cent. The sail is the

best part of the excursion, not the island.

For Lyons to Nîmes, by rail 172 m.

south by the west bank of the Rhône, see p. 81; Paris to Lyons by

Roanne and St. Etienne, p. 346; Paris to Lyons by Tarare,

p. 348; Lyons to Clermont-Ferrand by St.

Etienne, Montbrison, and Thiers, see p. 349, and map p. 27.

Vienne.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

338

199

VIENNE, pop. 27,000.

_Hotels:_ Nord; Poste; Jacquet. In this, the capital of the first

kingdom of Burgundy, there exist remains of important edifices, which

indicate that the citizens inhabiting it in the days of Cicero were no

strangers to the luxury and wealth preceding the Augustan age. The most

interesting of these is the Maison Carrée, an oblong temple of

the Corinthian order, dedicated to Augustus and his wife Livia, 55 ft.

high, 88 long, and 80 broad, situated a little way north from the

cathedral by the Rue St. Clementine. On a terrace fronting the chain

bridge is St. Maurice, a beautiful Gothic cathedral

commenced in the 12th cent., 315 ft. long, and the

roof of the nave 88 ft. high. It contains some fine glass, and near the

altar the skilfully-sculptured mausoleum of Cardinal Montmorin, who died

in 1723. At the main entrance are two ancient sarcophagi. At the other

end of the chain bridge is the Tour St. Colombe, built by Philippe

Valois. Up the Rhône, on the east side, at the top of the Quai Pajot,

near a stair leading down to the river, stood the Tour de Mauconseil,

where Pontius Pilate, who had been banished to Vienne by Tiberius, ended

his life (it is said) by throwing himself into the Rhône. About

¼ m. down the Rhône from the railway station, by the Marseilles

road, is the Pyramide de l’Aiguille, called also the tomb of Pilate. It

is 52 feet high, and rises from four arches resting on a square

basement. Columns with cushioned capitals ornament the four corners,

which cannot date earlier than the 4th cent. Vienne is a busy commercial

town, with important woollen manufactories. 3¼ m. S. by rail is

Vaugris, pop. 250. On the other side of the Rhône is Ampuis (p. 81). 6 m. farther S. by rail is Le

Péage-de-Roussillon. Roussillon, pop. 1500, is a straggling village

among vineyards, less than a mile E. from the station. From the Château

de Roussillon Charles IX. issued, in 1564, the decree that in future the

year was to commence with the first of January.

St. Rambert-d’Albon. Tain.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

356½

180½

ST. RAMBERT-D’ALBON,

junction with line to Grenoble 57½ m. E., by Rives 35 m., and

Voiron 42 m. E. Junction by bridge with Peyraud, 3¾ m.

W., on the opposite side of the Rhône, whence rail to Annonay (see page 81, and map pages

26 and 46).

5 m. S. by rail from St. Rambert is St. Vallier, pop. 4000.

_Inn:_ Merle. On the junction of the Galaure with the Rhône. In the

town is the restored castle of Anne de Poitiers, and up the valley of

the Galaure are the pass of the Roche Taillée, the ruins of a château of

the Dauphins, and the chapel of N. D. de Vals (see map, page 46).

PARIS

MARSEILLES

368

169

TAIN, pop. 3000. _Inns:_

H. Europe; Midi. A pleasant town on the Rhône, immediately

opposite Tournon (page 82), and at the foot of

the hill, whose vineyards produce the Hermitage wines. The red variety

has a fine perfume, and is gratefully stomachic. The white is a

luxurious wine, and will keep for a century, but the produce is small.

Omnibus at station for Romans, 13 m. on the rail between Valence

and Voiron (see map page 46), pop. 13,000.

_Inns:_ Europe; Midi. Situated at the confluence of the Isère with

the Savasse, crossed by a bridge of 4 arches which unites it with

Bourg-du-Péage, pop. 5000.

Valence.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

384

153

VALENCE, pop. 24,000.

_Hotels:_ Louvre; Croix d’Or; France. The first the most expensive.

Commodious Temple Protestant. Good Protestant schools. Suspension bridge

across the Rhône. Omnibus to St. Péray, 2½ m. west. Coaches daily

to Ardèche. Valence is a pleasant town on an eminence rising from the

Rhône, surrounded by broad boulevards on the site of the old

fortifications. The most handsome is the Place Championnet, on the site

of the citadel, commenced by François. It commands an excellent view of

the river and of the hills beyond. In the distance, to the right, on an

arid rock, is the castle of Crussol. In this Place is the statue “au

General Championnet, sorti des rangs du peuple. Hommage public de sa

ville natale.” Died at Antibes 1800.

To the left of the statue is the cathedral St. Apollinaire,

built in 1095, and restored in 1604 and 1730. The west portal and tower

were rebuilt in 1880. The other parts of the exterior have a venerable

appearance. The buttresses are shallow, and do not reach the eaves.

A delicate dentil cornice runs round the building, bending over the

round-headed windows and across the buttresses. Within, the church by

restoration looks as if it were modern. Tall piers, with attached

Corinthian columns and vaulting shafts, run up to the commencement of

the arches of the aisles and of the vault of the roof, all of stone.

From the semicircular chancel radiate 4 semicircular chapels, one being

occupied by the organ. At the right or S. side of the altar is the bust

by Canova of Pope Pius VI., who died at Valence in 1799. His

remains were removed to Rome.

Outside, opposite the N. transept, is Le Pendentif, a sepulchral

chapel (22 ft. square and 25 ft. high) of the Mistral family, built in

1548. On each side is a large round arch, over which rises a remarkably

flat dome. Close to the “Place des Clercs” is the Maison des Têtes,

built in 1531, covered with mutilated statues and medallions under

canopy work. The medallions, bosses, and groining in the passage leading

into the court are in a much better state of preservation.

The windows in the court are square-headed, but most have lost their

transoms. Among the other buildings are a Temple Protestant, 18th cent.,

and a picture gallery.

Vernoux. Coaches from Valence.

Rail to

Grenoble, 62 m. N.E., and to Chambery, 40 m. farther. Omnibus

daily to St. Péray (p. 82). Coach by St.

Péray to Vernoux, 18 m. W. Vernoux 1920 ft. above the sea, pop. 3100.

_Inns:_ Nord; Verd. Temple Protestant. One of the nicest towns in

Ardèche, situated in the midst of carefully-cultivated mountains and

valleys. A large proportion of the inhabitants are Protestants.

Valence is

one of the most convenient places for entering the Ardèche. Diligences

from Valence to St. Laurent-du-Pape, St. Fortunat, Les Ollières, St.

Sauveur, St. Pierreville, and Le Cheilard

(see page 83). The diligences from Valence, Soyons, Charmes,

Beauchastel, and La Voulte to St. Pierreville and Le Cheilard meet at

St. Laurent-du-Pape; whence the passengers are conveyed in two

diligences the length of St. Sauveur, by St. Fortunat and Ollières. At

Ollières, H. du Pont, they meet and correspond with the diligence

from Privas. From St. Sauveur one diligence runs westward by the Glaire

to St. Pierreville and Marcols, the other northwards to Le Cheilard.

Valence is 5 hrs. from St. Sauveur. Beauchastel and La Voulte, 4 hrs.

St. Sauveur to Pierreville, 2½ hrs.; and to Le Cheilard, 3½ hrs. (see

also pages 93 and 94). Coach from Valence to La

Mastre, 21¼ m. W., passing by Champis, pop. 3380, at the foot of a

mountain, which during a part of the day intercepts the rays of the

sun.

ARDECHE

its vineyards and Extinct Volcanoes.

opp. 46

_For continuation northwards see map, page 167._

map of Ardêche

_For map of the Mountains of Ardeche see page

84.

For continuation southwards see map, page 56._

ARDÈCHE.

(See Map, page 46).

Ardèche should not be visited till June, and not later than September.

In the villages and hamlets in the pastoral districts most of the best

houses are inns or auberges, where a bed can be had, and abundance of

fare, in the shape of fried potatoes, butter, milk, eggs, coffee, bread

often of rye, and hard salt pork sausages. The national dish is potatoes

sliced very thin and fried with butter. They make also a pleasant soup

of herbs mixed with potatoes. The numerous inns are required for the

accommodation of guests during the fairs, of which each hamlet has at

least 2, while the larger villages and towns have from 4 to 8, besides

market-days. One of the prettiest sights in Ardèche is to see the people

flocking from every direction along the winding mountain roads to the

village where the fair is being held—many on foot driving small

parcels of pigs, sheep, goats, or cattle, or carrying baskets full of

eggs, cheese, and butter, and often an old hen; others with carts loaded

with potatoes; others travelling comfortably in their char-à-bancs; and

others on horseback, the women as well as the men being astride.

Many of the inns, and even of the owners, are at first sight forbidding,

but after a little kindly conversation the aspect of things improves

rapidly. In the higher regions the agricultural products are potatoes

and hay. In the next zone are wheat, chestnut, walnut, apple, pear, and

cherry trees, cultivated on terraces supported by low stone walls of

rough unhewn stones. Vineyards are in the lowest zone, on the sunny side

of the mountains. The cattle are of a goodly size, mostly cream-coloured

and light brown, with large bones and white horns generally tipped with

black.

At the fairs, besides every kind of country produce, girls and grown-up

women offer their hair for sale. The best do not yield above 8s., and

many only 2s. 6d. or 3s. When the bargain is made a woman shears it off

in the same way as sheep are shorn, leaving only

a little in front. It is all over in two minutes, twisted into a hank,

and thrust into a sack. Instead of receiving money, they usually take

the value in cloth and ribbons. The standard occupation of the females

during their long winters is lace-making.

Among the remarkable sights in Ardèche are the volcanic rocks, Mont

Mezenc and the Gerbier-de-Joncs, above the source of the Loire. The most

central station of the diligences is Le

Cheilard (see page 83).

After Valence the railway traverses some of the most picturesque parts

of the valley of the Rhône. At Mornas, 44½ m. S. from Valence and

23½ m. N. from Avignon, begins the region of the olives.

Livron. Crest.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

395

142

LIVRON, pop. 4500, on the

Drôme, at some distance from the station. Restaurants at station. Inns

in the town. On the other side of the Rhône, connected by railway

bridge, is La Voulte, 1¼ m. W. (see

p. 82).

A highway, partly by rail and partly by diligence, extends from Livron,

68 m. east, to Aspres on the line between Grenoble and Marseilles.

As far as the Pass de Cabres the road ascends the picturesque and

well-cultivated valley of the Drôme, where there is a large Protestant

population, nearly every village having its Temple Protestant (see maps,

pages 26, 46, and 56).

11 miles E. from Livron by rail is Crest, pop. 6000. _Hotels:_ Bonsans-Reboul, the

best; opposite the France; and on the promenade, by the side of the

river and the bridge, the inn Pont de la Drôme. The omnibuses of the two

hotels await passengers. Crest is situated partly on the Drôme and

partly on the steep sides of a high hill. At the foot, in the

market-place, are the parish church and the Bibliothèque. Straight up

from the bridge by the R. des Cordeliers, and a flight of 116 steps, is

the entrance to the poor church of N. D. de la Garde, attached to

the “Asile” for young children. A little higher up are the hospital

and church. Above the “Asile” is the entrance to the enclosure, on which

stands a huge structure, partly Roman and partly the remains of a castle

which was added to it in the 13th cent. The highest side is 170 ft.

above the ground, and the other three 148 ft., ascended by 260 steps.

Although so high, the view is limited by the high side, into which

visitors are not admitted. The concierge lives below in the town, near

the hotel. The best way up the hill is by the first narrow street, left

from the hotel, the Rue de la Carrière, which continue to a stone

lettered “limite de l’Octroi,” whence ascend by the path, right, to the

Calvary, where there is a splendid view of the valley of the Drôme.

Coaches daily from Crest to Montelimart, 22½ m. S.W. (see

Index); also to Beaufort, 12 m. N.E., on the Geroanne. From the

copious source of the Geroanne are occasionally thrown up blind trout.

3 miles from Beaufort is the picturesque gorge of Ombléze. Coach

also to Bourdeaux, 16 m. S., passing Saou, 9 m. S. from Crest

(see map, p. 56).

Saou.

Saou, pronounced Sou, pop. 1200,

is a poor dirty village on the Vebre. _Inn:_ H. Lattard. Mixed

up with and built into the surrounding squalid houses are the remains of

the abbey church and

buildings of Saint Tiers, founded in the 9th cent. The best parts are

the wall and square tower near the Mairie. The remains of the church are

within the court of a stable. Near it is the little parish church, 12th

and 13th cents. Saou is visited principally on account of the beauty of

the narrow valley of the Vebre, between two ranges of wooded mountains,

from 4000 to 5000 ft. above the sea, with sand and limestone strata

piled up into vertical cliffs and twisted into strange fantastic forms.

It is 8 m. long, and from a few yards to 2 m. wide. At the

commencement or west end, and on the right or N. side of the stream, is

the Roche Colombe, 4595 feet above the sea, and opposite, on the other

side, is the Roc, an isolated cliff like the shaft of a column. Mt.

Colombe has also a columnar cliff, and at the base a house called the

Donjon de Lastic, 14th cent., and a little farther down a square house,

with two round turrets, called the Château d’Eurre. The best parts of

the valley are this entrance and the east end, or its termination, where

the Roche Courbe or Veillou rises to the height of 5324 ft. above the

sea, and on which is the source of the Vebre. At the foot of Mt.

Pomeyrol, about a mile from the entrance, the valley becomes so narrow

that there is scarcely sufficient room for the stream to pass through.

2¼ m. farther up is the villa of Tibur, and, a little beyond,

the terminus of the valley.

Bourdeaux. Dieulefit.

Coach from Saou to Bourdeaux, 7 m. S. Bourdeaux, pop. 1800. _Inns:_ Blanc; Petit;

Temple Protestant. On both sides of the Roubion, 8 m. N. from

Dieulefit. On the left side of the river is the old town, composed of

squalid houses and execrably paved steep lanes, creeping up the hill,

crowned with the ruins of a large castle founded in the 8th cent.

Agriculture and the rearing of silkworms are the chief industries.

Although Bourdeaux is hardly 8 m. from Dieulefit the courrier

requires 2 hours to perform the journey, as a high mountain ridge, the

Dieu-Grace, intervenes between the two places.

Dieulefit, pop. 5000.

_Inns:_ H. du Levant; Temple Protestant. On the Jabron at the

foot of Mont de Dieu-Grace, 17½ m. E. from Montelimart, between

which two towns several coaches run daily. In the town are silk, cotton,

and cloth mills, and in the suburbs potteries where a coarse kitchen

ware is made. The principal towns passed on the road to Montelimart are

Poët-Lavat, 3⅛ m.; La Begude, 7½ m.; under

Châteauneuf-de-Mazenc and Montboucher, situated on eminences at a

considerable distance from the road (see map, page

56).

Die.

CREST TO ASPRES

(Maps, pp. 46 and 56).

_Crest to Aspres, 57 miles east by Die._—The road as far as

the Pass de Cabres follows the course of the Drôme. The first town

passed is Saillans, 9½ m. E. from Crest, pop. 1800. _Inns:_

Lambert; Latour. In a ravine of the Drôme, 6½ m. farther, is

Pontaix, similarly situated. 23 m. E. from Crest, and 34 m. W. from Aspres,

is Die, pop. 4000, the principal

town in the valley of the Drôme, which here receives the Mérosse.

_Inns:_ St. Dominique; Alpes—the coach stops between them;

Église Protestante. The Clairette de Die is a thin white wine, drank

during its first year;

in the second it is apt to deteriorate. Coach to Châtillon, 12 m.

S.E. Die, on the Drôme, is in a small plain surrounded by mountains, of

which the most remarkable is Mont Glandaz, 6648 ft. above the sea,

flanked by great buttress cliffs. On the top is an undulating plateau,

covered with _small_ stones and grass; 5 hrs. required for the

ascent. At the foot of the mountain is the rustic but not uncomfortable

establishment of Sallières-les-Bains; pension per day, with baths,

9 frs. The treatment is called “Sudations résineuses.” The bath

resembles a large oven, in which, after having been heated with resinous

fir-wood, the patients sit as in a Turkish bath. Open from 15th June to

15th September. The landlord is likewise proprietor of a large part of

Mt. Glandaz, whence he receives his supplies of fir-wood. On the top of

a hill on the other side of the Drôme is a similar establishment, called

the Martouret, pension 12 frs. The way to it strikes off the main road

opposite the eminence, on which is the chapel of Notre Dame, commanding

a very good view of the valley. At the entrance into Die from Crest, at

one of the old gateways, a road strikes off to the left, which

makes the tour of the ruins of the castle, amidst vines and mulberry

trees. At the other end of the town, near the viaduct, is a much better

gateway or Roman triumphal arch, fronting the “Place” St. Marcel. The

parish church has been rebuilt, excepting the narthex.

Luc. Aspres.

From Die the road to Aspres is continued by another diligence, which

changes horses at LUC en

Diois, pop. 940. _Inn:_ Du Levant; Église Protestante,

10½ m. S. from Die, or 23½ N.W. from Aspres. A poor town,

among vineyards and walnut trees, on the Drôme, at the foot of high

mountains. Nearly a mile up the river the narrow gorge becomes almost

closed by huge fantastic masses of conglomerate which have fallen from

the adjoining cliffs. 9½ m. farther up the valley is the village of

Beaurières (_Inn_, where the coach changes horses). The ascent is

now commenced by a beautiful and excellent road, of the Col de Cabres,

15 m. S. from Luc, and 4923 ft. high. On the pass, 2 m. from

Beaurières, is La Baume, with the cave of Baumette, and a waterfall 195

ft. high. 4½ miles from Baume, and 3 from Aspres, is St. Pierre

d’Argenson, with a sparkling acidulous chalybeate spring, grateful to

the palate and invigorating to the system, and forming a refreshing

mixture with the wine of Aspres, which is thin, and is at its best when

2 years old. Aspres, pop.

800, is situated on the railway, 126½ m. N. from Marseilles, and

77½ m. S. from Grenoble. The coach sets down passengers either at

the station or at the inn H. Ferdinand. The church has been

rebuilt, excepting the portal, which has on the tympanum a curious

representation of the Trinity.

Montélimart.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

412

125

MONTÉLIMART, pop.

12,000, situated at the confluence of the Roubion and Jabron with the

Rhône. _Hotels:_ near the station, the France; in the town the

Poste; the Princes. The office of the coaches for Le Teil, on the W. side of the Rhône; for Grignan, p. 49; Dieulefit, p. 47; Bourdeaux, p. 47; and Nyons, p. 50; is near the hotels Poste and Princes. Up

the Grande Rue is the principal

church. On the opposite side of it is the Place d’Armes, with the Post

Office, the Palais de Justice, and the Hôtel de Ville. At the top of the

first flight of steps in the Hôtel de Ville is a marble slab 1 yard long

and 2 ft. wide, bearing in Latin a charter of the town engraved in 1198.

At the end of the street, the Rue Porte-Neuve, off the “Place,” is the

Temple Protestant. Montelimart is famous for white almond-cake,

“Nougat,” of which the best is in the shops in the Grande Rue. On an

eminence on the side of the town farthest from the station are the

ancient citadel and the tour de Narbonne, 11th cent. Montelimart,

originally a city of the Seglauni, became a Roman settlement under the

name of Montilium, which was changed afterwards into Monteil-d’Adhemar

by a powerful family, who came into possession of it in the days of

Charlemagne. To the same family belonged also Rochemaure, on the opposite side of the Rhône (see

page 92, and map page 56).

Omnibuses to the sparkling chalybeate spring of Bondonneau,

2½ m. S.E.

Two coaches daily to Grignan, 15 m. S.E. from Montelimart; one by

Alan and Reauville, the other goes round by Donzère, 4½ m. longer.

(See map, page 56.)

According to Mr. Murray (p. 109) in the village of Alan, half-way between Montelimart and Grignan, “there

existed down to 1802 the first white mulberry tree planted in France. It

was brought from Naples by Guy Pope de St. Auban, seigneur of Alan, one

of the soldiers who accompanied Charles VIII. on his Italian campaign,

in 1494.” The mulberry tree occupies a much wider zone in the south of

France than the olive (see map, page 56).

Grignan. Marquise de Sévigné.

Grignan, pop. 1900;

_Inn:_ Sévigné, is built on the slopes of a hill on the top of

which, 100 ft. above the “Place,” are the gardens and ugly half-ruined

and half-inhabited castle where Mme. Sévigné died. The former Salle du

Roi has been converted into a picture-gallery, containing upwards of 300

paintings, among which the most interesting are—the portraits of

Madame and her daughter, by Mignard. About half-way up the hill is the

church, commenced in the 12th cent. In front of the altar a white marble slab, 2½ ft. long by

1½ wide, bears the following inscription:— “Cy Git Marie de

Rabutin Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné. Décédé le 18 Avril 1696.” Above

the well, in the “Place,” is a bronze statue of her with corkscrew

curls. About ½ m. from the town is what was one of her favourite

walks to an overhanging ledge of sandstone called the Grotte de

Roche-Courbière. To visit it, descend from the inn, then take the first

byeroad right, by a row of poplars to a short stair. A coach runs

from Grignan to Nyons, 20½ m. S.E. by Valréas and Taulignan.

Valréas (pronounce the “s”),

8¼ m. from Nyons and 22 from Orange, pop. 950; _Inn:_

H. du Nord, is partly surrounded with its old walls, garnished with

square towers and pierced by narrow gateways. Taulignan, 17 m. N.W.

from Nyons by Valréas and 11¼ m. by Rousset, _Inn:_ H. du

Commerce, pop. 1200, is also partly surrounded with its old walls.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

420

117

DONZERE. H. du

Commerce. Romanesque church with handsome spire. Four and a half miles

south is Pierrelatte station, and the terminus of the unfinished

railway to Nyons, 15 miles from Grignan.

Coach from Pierrelatte to St. Paul-Trois-Châteaux, fare 6 sous, time 45

minutes. This, the Roman Augusta-Tricastinorum, contains an interesting

cathedral of the 12th cent., restored. Many Roman relics have been found

in the neighbourhood.

La Croisiere.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

432

105

LA CROISIERE.

Two small inns at station.

Omnibus awaits passengers for Pont Saint-Esprit, H. de l’Europe,

3½ m. W. on the other side of the Rhône by an avenue of poplars.

Fare, 40 c. The bridge is 2756 ft. long, has 20 arches, was commenced in

1265 and finished in 1309. Till 1865 it had 21 arches, when the two at

the W. end were demolished and converted into one large iron arch for

the convenience of the steamboat to pass through. (For Pont Saint-Esprit, see page 98).

Diligence at La Croisiere station for Nyons, 29½ m. E. by the

valleys of the Lez and the Aigues, and the town of Bollène, pop. 6000.

_Inn:_ Croix Blanche, on the Lez, 4½ m. E. Manufactures

of fire-bricks and clay-tubing. 7½ m. E., Suze-le-Rousse, pop.

2200. Coach here to Mansis. 12 m. E., Tulette, pop. 1300;

_Inn:_ Vigne. Horses changed here. 15¾ m. E., St. Maurice,

pop. 1000; _Inn:_ Lion d’Or. Near the village of Vinsobres a

cross-road leads to the highway between Nyons and Vaison. At Nyons the

coach stops in the “Place” in front of the H. du Louvre; whence the

diligences start for Grignan and Montelimart (see map, page 56).

Nyons.

NYONS, on the Aigues, pop.

4000. _Hotels:_ Louvre, in the Place; Voyageurs, in a corner.

Temple Protestant next the hospital. Nyons, surrounded by high

mountains, is famous for its mild springs, and therefore eminently

fitted for those returning from the Riviera. The orange and palm do not

grow here, but abundance of mulberry, almond, fig, peach, and pear

trees. In the oak forests are remarkably fine truffles. Silk mills and

the preserving of fruit and truffles supply the principal industries.

The old town, called Les Forts, is built on an eminence partly

surrounded with its old walls garnished with square towers, 14th cent.

The vieux château, or centre tower, has been converted by the curate

into a chapel surmounted with an image of the “immaculately conceived.”

The part of the town below is called Les Halles, whose dirty streets are

bordered with thick heavy arches. The rest of the town, extending to the

Aigues, is called the Bourg. The bridge, built in 1341, is of one arch

and considerably higher in the centre than at the ends.

The Pontias Breeze.

Behind the old town is the ridge called the Col-du-Divès, on which is

the cavern, or rather hole, whence it is reported (most absurdly) that

the night-breeze called the Pontias issues. In winter this wind is very

cold, and blows from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. In summer it is pleasant, and blows

from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. The peculiarity is, that the degree of force is

constant, and never breaks out into gusts. To go to the cave, commence

from the foot of the tower of the church and ascend by the Rue

Pousterle, having on the left the old town-walls. Beyond the last tower

a path strikes off to the right, which take, and ascend to a small

chapel on the top of the ridge, passing at about half-way a pavilion.

Or, if preferred, continue the road from the tower to the part of the

ridge where there is a gap; whence take the path at the back of the

ridge leading to the chapel. Those who have ascended by this latter way

retrace their steps from the chapel by the same path for 116 yards;

while those who have come by the other go 116 yards beyond the chapel.

Then about 30 yards to the left of the path will be observed the thin

ledge of a rock overlying a small cavity, which is the entrance to the

Pontias hole, of great depth, but otherwise of insignificant dimension.

Among the neighbouring calcareous strata are several crevices. The view

of the valley of the Aigues from this hill is very beautiful. The ascent

takes 35 minutes.

NYONS TO SERRES.

Nyons to Serres (see map, p. 56), 41 miles

east by the valleys of the Aigues and Blème, bounded on both sides by

high mountains. Time, 7 to 8 hours. Fare, 7½ frs. Most of the towns

passed are at a considerable height above the road, and sometimes on

account of the steepness of the banks cannot be seen from it. The first

village passed is Les Piles, situated on the road 3¾ m. from Nyons,

and 3½ m. from the gorge “Des 30 Pas,” one of the excursions from

Nyons. A little farther E. is Curnier, on a hill on the S. side of

the river, here crossed by a bridge. Then follows Sahune, also on a hill

on the S. side of the river. The gorge now becomes very narrow and the

mountains precipitous, and, having passed under Villeperdrix, the road

crosses to the S. side of the river and arrives at the station for St.

May, where there is an inn, H. Marius. St. May itself is high up on

the opposite side of the river. The cemetery is on the point of a lofty

precipitous rock. After St. May the diligence crosses the river to the

village of Rémusat, 17 m. E. from Nyons on the Oule, at its

junction with the Aigues. The diligence now returns to the S. side of

the river, which it crosses for the last time at Verclause, 22 m.

from Nyons, and then proceeds to Rosans, 3½ m. farther or

15½ m. from Serres. From Rosans commences the ascent of the low Col

of Ribeyret, whence the road descends to Serres by the N. side of the

Blème, passing the villages of Epine and Montclus. Serres, pop. 1200.

_Inns:_ Voyageurs; Alpes. On the railway, 112½ m. N. from

Marseilles and 77½ S. from Grenoble (see p. 340).

Orange.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

444

ORANGE, pop. 10,300.

_Inn:_ H. de la Poste et des Princes. This, the Arausio of the

Romans, is situated on the slowly-running Meine. Close to the hotel is

the Triumphal Arch supposed to have been erected in honour of Tiberius

for his victory over Sacrovir and

Floras, a.d. 21. It stands E. and W.,

is of a yellowish sandstone, 75 ft. high, 64 wide, 27½ deep, and

consists of 3 arches, of which the centre one has a span of 17 ft. and

each of the other two a span of 10 ft. The soffits are ornamented with

six-sided sculptured panels. By the side of each arch is a grooved

Corinthian column. Over the small arches are sculptured trophies in the

shape of shields, boars, bulls, rostra, ropes, masts, dolphins, arrows,

etc. Over the main arch, on each side, is a group representing a

combat.

At the other end of the town are the cathedral and the Roman theatre

at the foot of the hill, crowned with an image of Mary. The

Cathedral of Notre Dame, 12th cent., is small, and resembles in

style the churches of the S.W. of France, of which the cathedral of

Perpignan is the great type. No transepts nor triforia. Lofty chapels

between the buttresses, and over the arches diminutive clerestory

windows. A plain and ugly square tower, in this case, at the east

end. Adjoining is the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, with a statue to

“Raimbaud II., Comte d’Orange, vainqueur à Antioche et à Jérusalem

en MXCIX.” In the promenade of the town, the Cours St. Martin, is a

statue to the Comte de Gasparin, a writer on agriculture, and a

native of Orange; where also he died in 1862. At the foot of the hill,

overlooking the town, are the grand and imposing ruins of one of the

most perfect Roman theatres. It is built in a semicircular form, has a

façade 118 ft. high and 384 ft. wide. The wall is 13 ft. thick, composed

of huge blocks of stone. The semicircular wall consists of five stages,

and included accommodation for 6500 spectators. The building has

recently been repaired and cleared of a quantity of rubbish.

Prince Of Orange and Orangemen.

In the 11th cent. Orange became an independent countship, probably

under Raimbaud I., whose successor, Raimbaud II., has just

been noticed. On the death of Philibert of Châlons, last of the third

line of princes, the inheritance fell to his sister’s son Count René

(Renatus) of Nassau-Dillenburg, who remaining childless chose as his

successor his cousin William I., stadtholder of the United

Netherlands. The title “Prince of Orange” was consequently borne by the

stadtholders Maurice, Frederick-Henry, William I.,

William II., and William III. After the Revolution in Ireland

of 1688, the English-Protestant party were designated Orangemen, from

the title of their leader, William III., Prince of Orange. Louis

XIV. seized the principality of Orange in 1672, but lost it by the peace

of Ryswick. On the death of William III. there were two

claimants—John William Friso of Nassau-Dietz, designated by

William’s will, and Frederick I, King of

Prussia, who claimed to be nearer of kin, and to have been appointed by

the will of Frederick-Henry. Thereupon Louis XIV. declared the

principality a forfeited fief of the French crown, and assigned it to

the Prince of Conti. The Parliament of Paris decided that this last

prince should have the _dominium utile_; and its finding was

confirmed by the treaty of Utrecht (1713), which, however, left the

title and coat of arms to the King of Prussia, who is still styled

Prince of Orange (Prinz von Oranien). John William Friso, however, also

took the title, and his successors the stadtholders and kings of the

Netherlands have all been designated princes of Orange-Nassau. Vast

numbers of silkworms are reared at Orange. Coach daily to Valréas 22 m. E., p. 49, and to Vaison

17½ m. N.E. (Map p. 56.)

Vaison. St. Quenin.

Vaison, pop. 3400.

_Inn:_ H. du Commerce. 5 m. N. from Malaucene,

17½ m. N. from Carpentras, 11¼ m. S. from Nyons, 13½ m.

W. from Le Buis, and 4 m. S. from Villedieu. Old or high Vaison is

on the left side of the Ouvèze, and new Vaison on the right. Both are

connected by a Roman bridge of one arch of 48 ft. span, having at the

left side a more elongated curve than at the right. The old town, with

its squalid streets and poor houses, covers the sides of a hill crowned

with the ruins of a castle built by Raymond VI., Count of Toulouse,

in 1195. It is a plain rectangular edifice, 20 yards square, with a

small square tower at one of the angles. A little below is the

parish church with round and early pointed arches and square tower at

S.E. end. The view from the terrace is beautiful.

The most ancient and most interesting buildings are in new Vaison, and

very near each other. Take the Villedieu road to just without the town,

where a byeway on the right leaves the main road at an acute angle.

Continue this byeway to two arches, which indicate the site of the Roman

theatre. The chapel seen to the N.W. is St. Quenin, while a little beyond is the

cathedral. The amphitheatre, or “les arènes” as they call it, is built

on the same plan, and in a similar position, as the theatre of Orange,

but far less perfect. Besides the two arches, there exist still five

tiers, but all the stone seats are gone, excepting those on the lowest

stage. Now it has become a vineyard and an orchard. Beyond, by a narrow

road, is St. Quenin, of which the east end is Roman, and may date from

the 4th cent., but the rest belongs to the 10th. The east end, or

apsidal termination, is in the form of an equilateral triangle, with an

attached fluted Corinthian column at the apex, and also at each of the

angles of the base. One of the pillars has figures on the capital. The

neat little round-headed window on each side of the triangle is

evidently a later addition. Bishop Quenin died in 578.

Of the Cathedral the best part is also the outside. Under the

eaves of the roof of the nave run a dentil moulding, and a frieze of

medallions connected by an undulating line of foliage. The walls are

pierced by small round-headed windows resting on spiral colonnettes.

The frieze of the aisles is plainer. In the interior, early pointed

arches of great span, rising from four massive piers of clustered

pilasters on each side of the nave, support a narrow-vaulted roof, also

pointed. This part of the church dates from the 12th or 13th cent.; but

the chancel, with its two Roman pillars, and arcade of blank arches on

colonnettes, is much earlier. Over the little chapel, at the N.E. side,

rises an elegant square tower. Next the tower is a very beautiful

cloister, 11th cent., bearing some resemblance to the cloister of St.

Michel in Brittany. It is 22 yards square, surrounded by an arcade of 13

arches on colonnettes in couples 3½ ft. high. At the corners is either a

massive stone pier, or the stone hewn into 5 colonnettes. All the Roman

antiquities Vaison has retained for itself are under this corridor. The

most perfect piece of sculpture is a skull. On the top of the hill

opposite the castle stands an image of the “Immaculée” on the capital

and part of the shaft of a Roman column. (Map p. 56.)

Sorgues. Carpentras.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

455

SORGUES, pop. 4000, on the

Sorgues, which rises at Vaucluse. Junction with line to Carpentras,

10½ m. eastwards. Carpentras, pop. 10,500, on an eminence

surrounded by avenues, rising from the Auzon. _Hotels:_ Universe;

Orient, both good, and in the large “Place” opposite, the Hôtel-Dieu,

built in 1760 by Bishop Malachie. In the Hôtel-Dieu are a portrait by

Rigaud of the Abbot Rancé, and a handsome staircase. In the centre of

the Place is a bronze statue of the benevolent Malachie d’Inguimbert.

From this “Place,” up the narrow street, the first public building is

the church of St. Siffrein, dating from 1405.

The square tower, with octangular cupola, attached to the north side of

the chancel, was part of a former church constructed in the time of

Charlemagne. The stair (89 steps) up to the roof, whence there is a

pleasing view, commences at the south side of the chancel, outside.

Among the pictures in the interior of the church, the best is a

“Salutation” by the Flemish painter Andreas Schoonjans. Behind the

pulpit is a picture by Mignard representing Mary giving some of her milk

to St. Bernard. At the commencement of the chancel, near the cupola, is

the chapel in which the reliquaries are kept. Among them are the skull

and bones of St Siffrein, and the nail that pierced the right hand of

J. C. on the Cross. In the chancel is a “Coronation” of Mary

painted on wood, 15th cent., and behind the altar another “Coronation”

by P. Veronese. In the foreground are Saints Laurence and Siffrein.

Adjoining is the Palais de Justice, 1640, with frescoes and a crucifix

in the “salle des assises.” Within the court, right hand, is a Triumphal

arch, erected by Diocletian between 284 and 305, 30 ft. high (but

originally higher), 25½ ft. wide, 14½ ft deep, and 10 ft. span. On the

N. side, between two attached fluted columns, is, in bold relief,

a Latin cross with the arms at obtuse angles. On each side stands a

prisoner, with his hands behind him, chained loosely to the cross. From

the cross are suspended swords, horns, and pouches. On the south side is

a similar cross, but not in

such a good state of preservation. The main beam resembles more the stem

of a tree. From the top hangs the dress of a warrior.

The continuation of the street from the church leads to the Porte

d’Orange, surmounted by a square tower 120 ft. high, of which only three

sides exist. It was built by Innocent VI., who also surrounded the

town with the ramparts, which now form beautiful Boulevards. From the

boulevard in front of the gate are seen to the left the canal aqueduct,

to the right the town water aqueduct, and in the distance, between the

two, beyond a smaller ridge, Mont Ventoux, extending from N.W. to S.E.,

with a slight bend. The aqueduct which brings water to Carpentras

crosses the valley of the Auzon by 48 massive arches. The canal, which

by irrigation fertilises the surrounding country, extends from the

Durance to the Ouvèze, a distance of 43 miles, and cost £90,000. In

the principal Boulevard, nearly opposite the manufactory of preserved

fruits of Eysseric, is the building containing the library and museum.

The library contains a valuable collection of manuscripts, explained in

a printed 4to volume, several rare incunables, and above 4000 vols., for

which there is not sufficient accommodation.

Carpentras: Museum.

In the “Musée” are a few good pictures, and Roman statuettes in bronze

and marble, all from Vaison, excepting a small Apollo found at

Carpentras. The gem of the antiquities is an Egyptian-Aramaic limestone

slab, 4th or 3d cent. b.c., 19¼ in.

long by 13½ wide and 1 thick, divided into three compartments by narrow

borders. In the principal compartment stands a young woman with uplifted

hands before Osiris, who is seated in front of a table on which are

sacrifices. Behind Osiris stands Isis. Below, in the second compartment,

is the embalmed body of the deceased, attended by the jackal-headed

Anubis and the hawk-headed Horus. Below the body are the four customary

funeral vases. Below this, in the third compartment, is an Aramaic

inscription in four lines, of which the last two are injured. The first

French opera was written in Carpentras by the Abbot Mailly in 1646.

Truffles.

Truffles or tuberous mushrooms are black, dark gray, violet-coloured, or

white. The last variety, principally found in the N. of Italy, has the

smell of garlic. About Carpentras, and in the department of Vaucluse,

they are black, and are found from 4 inches to 1 foot below the

ground, at the extremities of the fibrous roots, both of the common and

of the evergreen oak. The season for gathering them is from November to

the end of March, after which those which remain become soft and

decompose. They are at their best in January, when the rind is black,

hard, and rough, and the inside mottled black and white. In size and

shape the best resemble small round potatoes, of which the largest may

weigh ½ lb., although few are of that size. They are sought by means of

dogs and swine, both of a peculiar breed; the sow being the more

dexterous of the two, and continues efficient for its duty for upwards

of 21 years. It scoops out the earth with its powerful snout in a

masterly manner faster than any dog can do. When just about to seize the

truffle, the attendant thrusts a stick between its jaws, picks up the

truffle himself, and throws to the sow instead two

acorns. Without this reward each time, the sow would not continue the

search. Till the truffles are ripe, they have no odour.

Ortolans.

The ortolans, which

breed about the hills and woods of Carpentras, migrate in autumn. While

on the wing they are allured down to nets laid for them by ortolans

singing in cages. Those caught are put into dark rooms, where they are

fattened. In about a month’s time they become so plump as hardly to be

able to fly, when they are killed and sold, excepting a few kept for

alluring the others next year. The singing time of these is transferred

from spring to August, by pulling out the large feathers of the tail and

wings in April, and keeping them in a dark apartment till August.

Carpentras is also famous for its preserved fruits and “berlingots,”

a sweetmeat made of the syrup of a mixture of fruits, not unlike

barley sugar, but cut into pieces 1 in. square. The best maker is

Eysseric.

Carpentras is a good halting-place for delicate people returning from

the Riviera—the hotels are comfortable and the prices

moderate—excellent public library, pleasant walks, and in the

vicinity of many interesting places connected by roomy diligences.

Coach daily from Carpentras to Nyons 28½ m. N., by Vacqueyras

6½ m., and Vaison 17½ m. Also to Nyons 26 m., by

Malaucene 10 m. N.E., and Vaison 15 m. by this way. Coach to

Buis-les-Baronnies 23 m. N.E., passing through Malaucene. Coach

from Buis to Nyons 19 m. N.W. by Mollans. Courrier from Vaison to

Buisson 7½ m. N. on the Aigues. Coach to Sault 28½ m. E.

Omnibus several times daily to St. Didier 4½ m. S.E. Coach daily to

L’Ile 10½ m. S., convenient for visiting the fountain of Vaucluse.

Coach on market-days from Carpentras to Apt 28½ m. S.E., by

Venasque 7¼ m. S.E. (For these places see Index, and maps pages 56 and 66.)

THE PLAINS

between the ARDECHE,

the RHONE and the DURANCE.

opp. 56

[West End] _For continuation northwards see map,

page 46._

[East End] _For continuation northwards see map, page 327._

the plains

_For continuation eastwards see map, page 327._

[West End] _For continuation southwards see map,

page 66._

[East End] _For continuation southwards see map, page 163._

Bedoin. Mont Ventoux.

Coach daily to Bedoin 8¾ m.

N.E., 900 ft. above the sea, pop. 1300. _Inn:_ Hôtel de Mont

Ventoux. Station to ascend Mont Ventoux, 6274 ft., by a good road from

the south end of the ridge. The base is about 2 m. from the village

and the top 10 m. by the easy southern slope. Time to ascend, from

5 to 6 hours. Mule, 10 frs. No guide necessary. Before commencing the

ascent, go to the top of the hill by the side of the church and take a

general survey of the land. The road extending to the right, under those

mulberry trees, is the one to take. A little distance along it, at

a well with a cistern, a narrow road strikes off to the left and

ascends the mountain by a steeper and shorter way. The mountain offers a

splendid field for botanists. To see the sun rise from the top,

travellers generally start at 11 p.m.,

and await the appearance of the glorious luminary in the chapel of Ste.

Croix, on the summit. Mont Ventoux is the culminating point of the Lure

range, an offshoot from the Alps. Among the minerals it has quartz in

every form and colour, in nodules and in strata. Also beautiful jasper

and fossils such as ammonites and belemnites. The kaoline clay, “terre

de Bedouin,” is found in the plain between Bedoin and Crillon,

a village 2¾ m. N.E. At different parts in this

neighbourhood are strata of sandstone with fossils, overlying beds of

sand. These strata crop up at different parts of the department.

Resin Baths. Malaucene.

Four and a half m. S. by omnibus from Carpentras is the village of

St. Didier, with a good

hydropathic establishment in an old château. Rooms from 1½ fr. to

3 frs. Servants’ rooms, 1 fr. Meat, breakfast and dinner, both

with wine, 5 frs. Coffee in the mornings, ½ fr. Meat, breakfast and

dinner, for children and servants, 3 frs. Service, ½ fr. First

consultation, 10 frs. Every other consultation in the study gratis; but

in the guests’ room 1 fr. each time. The baths are in the style of

the Turkish baths, with the addition that the heated air is impregnated

with resin or is turpentinised (_térébenthiné_). It has a

beneficial effect on the lungs and muscular rheumatism. St. Didier is 2¾

m. W. from Venasque and 2 m. from Le Beaucet (map p. 56).

Two coaches daily from Carpentras to Buis-les-Baronnies, 23 m.

N.E., by Malaucene 10 m. N.E. The road from Carpentras, in crossing

the N.W. extremity of the Ventoux chain, passes by the village of Le

Barroux on a hill crowned with the ruins of a castle, 15th cent. At the

foot of Mont Ventoux, 5 m. S. from Vaison and 13 m. S.W. from

Buis, is Malaucene,

1000 ft. above the sea, pop. 3000. _Inn:_ Hôtel de Cours, in a

picturesque neighbourhood, of which there is a good view from the

calvary on an eminence in the town. At about ½ m. from the inn is

the spring Groseau, gushing forth from the base of a lofty calcareous

cliff, crowned with the ruins of the chapel of Groseaux, 11th cent. The

stream that issues from the spring is soon strong enough to set in

motion the machinery of paper, silk, and flour mills. Any one may visit

the silk mills. In 1345 Petrarch ascended Mont Ventoux from Malaucene.

The ascent from this place is more difficult, but more picturesque than

from Bedoin and requires 2 hours more. On the side of the mountain are

the springs—Angel, 3826 ft.; Puits de Mont-Serein, 4774 ft.; and

Font Filiole, 5866 ft.

The road from Malaucene to Buis follows the picturesque valley of the

Ouvèze. The most important village passed on the way is Mollans, with,

in the neighbourhood, a great cave, beyond which is a deep lake.

Shortly before arriving at Le Buis are seen, on an eminence, the bronze

statue of Bishop Trophime, and beyond, the cliff of St. Julien. No

public vehicle goes farther than Le Buis, although the road is good the

length of the railway between Marseilles and Grenoble, passing St.

Euphemie 7 m. E., St. Auban 10 m. E., Montguers 11¼ m.

E., Lacombe 13¼ m. E., and Laborel 27 m. E., after which the

road descends to the railway by the valley of the Céans.

Le Buis.

LE BUIS, pop. 2000;

_Inns:_ Luxembourg; Commerce; is situated in a hollow on the Ouvèze

surrounded by mountains covered with olive, mulberry, fig, peach, and

cherry trees. Schistose and shingle strata cover some parts; at others

there are calcareous rocks in every form, either in gigantic cliffs or

in countless strata of various thickness and at different angles. To go

to the statue of St. Trophime and to the top of St. Julien, having

crossed the bridge, ascend by the winding road to the valley, right

hand, which continue to the next

bridge. For the statue cross the bridge and go directly to the right:

for the cliffs, ascend by the back of St. Julien by the path on the

left, just before reaching the bridge.

Avignon.

see caption

sketch plan of avignon.

1. Palace of the Popes: the small building opposite is the

Consistoire de Musique; by the side of the palace is the church of

Notre-Dame Des Doms, and by the side of the church, on the top of the

hill, the beautiful promenade des Doms; whence a stair leads down to the

Rhone, near 23, the old bridge Bénézet. Below the promenade is,

2, formerly an archbishop’s palace, now a seminary. Below

the Pope’s Palace is B, the Place de l’Hotel de Ville, with the

H. de Ville and theatre. The street C C, extending southward

to the principal station, is called the R. de la Republique or Rue

Petrarque, its original name. Just behind, 3, the Hotel de

Ville is the church of St. Agricol, and a little farther S.W. is the Rue

Calade, with, at 4, the Musée Calvet, and at

5, across the Rue de la Republique, the Musée Requien,

a museum of natural history. Farther east is, 6, St.

Joseph’s College, with all that remains of the Church of the Cordeliers,

where Laura was buried. That large building at the east corner of the

town, 7, is the Hotel-Dieu or hospital; the gate, O,

beside it, is the Porte St. Lazare; while 8 indicates the

road to the cemetery. A short way E. from the Place de l’Hotel de

Ville is, 9, the church of St. Pierre. No. 10, not far

from the station, is the Penitentiary, formerly the Convent of the

Celestins, founded by Clement VII. in 1879; entrance from the Place du

Corps-Saint. No. 13, Convent du St. Sacrement. 14. Chapel

Bénézet on bridge. 15. St. Symphorien. 16. Sacré-Cœur.

17. Prison. 18. Mont-de-Piété. 19. Court-house.

20. Lyceum. 21. Prefecture. 22. Suspension Bridge.

23. Bénézet Bridge. A, Place du Palais. B, Place de

l’Hôtel de Ville. C, Rue de la République. D, Rue Calade.

F, Place du Corps Saint. G, Rue des Lices. H, Place Pie.

J, Vieux Septier. K, Rue du Saule. L, Rue Carréterie.

M, Porte du Rhône. N, Porte de la Ligne. O, Porte St.

Lazarus. Q, Porte L’Imbert. R, Porte St. Michael.

S, Porte St. Roche. T, Porte de l’Oulle.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

461

AVIGNON, pop. 39,000, surrounded with strong embrasured walls,

garnished with 39 towers, and pierced with 9 gates, is situated on the

Rhône, 2 m. above its junction with the Durance, and 20 m.

N.E. from Nîmes by the railway passing the Pont d’Avignon and

Remoulins. _Hotels:_ *Europe, near the Pont; *Luxembourg; Louvre;

St. Yves, in the centre of the town, near the Place Pie, the great

market-place. Temple Protestant in the R. Dorée, near the

Préfecture. Cabstands at station and in the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville,

2 frs. per hour. From the station, a beautiful avenue, the

Cours de la République, leads up to the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, with

statue “au brave Crillon,” the friend of Henri IV., “Louis des

Balbes-Berton duc de Crillon et Lieutenant-colonel de l’infanterie

française,” died at Avignon in 1615. To the right is the road leading up

to the *Palace of the Popes, the church of *N. D. des Domes, and

the promenade, *“au Rochers des Doms;” which, with the ramparts, compose

the principal sights of Avignon. The concierge of the palace lives just

within the entrance. Fee for party, 1 fr. Opposite gate is the

Conservatoire de Musique, built in 1610 for a mint. The churches are

closed between 12 and 2. The Musées are open to the public on Sundays

between 12 and 4.

Avignon Palace.

The present Palace, commenced by Benedict XII. in 1336,

and finished by Gregory XI. in 1370, is an ugly huge structure,

consisting of plain walls 100 ft. high and 14 thick, strengthened by

long ungainly buttresses. Above the entrance, composed of a low archway,

are the arms of Clement VI.; and higher up, on two oriel turrets,

the balcony from which the Popes blessed the people. Within the gate is

the Cour d’Honneur, a vast quadrangular space between flat walls,

pierced by from 3 to 4 stories of windows, not on the same level nor of

the same size. From the court ascend the Escalier d’Honneur,

a groined staircase, of which the steps were formerly of marble, to

the Salle Consistoriale d’Hiver, with an elegantly-groined roof. Before

this hall was divided into two, it was 52 ft. high, 65½ wide, and 170

long. From it we enter the Salle d’Armes, with mural paintings by Simone

Memmi of Sienna. Ascending higher the grand staircase, we pass on the

left the small window for the Spies, and then go along a narrow lobby

tunnelled in the wall, to a succession of large bare halls, the Galerie

de Conclave, the Salle des Gardes, the Salle de Reception, and then

enter the Tour St. Jean, containing the Chapelle du Saint-Office,

or the chapel of the Inquisition, with mural paintings. In the

story immediately below is the chapel of the Popes. From the Tour St.

Jean, after passing through a large hall, we enter an octagonal room,

gradually narrowing towards the centre, till it forms a chimney-tower,

called the Tour Strapade. Some say this was the torture room; but it is

evidently more suited for a kitchen, which in all probability it was.

Adjoining is the Glacière, into whose underground cellars, now built up,

the democrats of 1791 flung the bodies of 60 men and women they had

murdered. From this we enter again the Place d’Honneur by the Tour

Trouillas, in which Rienzi was imprisoned five years, bound to a chain

fixed to the roof of his cell. During the time of the Popes, from 1305

to 1234, and till 1793, the half of Avignon was occupied by

ecclesiastical edifices, which tolled daily 300 bells, and had among

them a daily succession of religious processions.

Avignon: Rocher des Doms. Cathedral.

From the palace the road leads up to the highest part of the town,

the Rocher des

Doms; commanding a magnificent view, and laid out as a public

garden, with in the centre a statue of Jean Althen, who introduced, in

1766, the culture of the “garance,” the _Rubia tinctoria_, now

superseded, for the dyeing of red. From this terrace a stair leads down

to the Rhône near the Bridge Bénézet

(see page 63). In the middle of the river is the Ile de Barthelasse, and

on the other side are the Tour de Philippe le Bel, the town of

Villeneuve, and above it the Fort St. André. On the promenade is the

Cathedral Notre-Dame-des-Doms, 194 feet above the

Rhône, approached by a stair called the Pater, because originally it had

as many steps as there are words in the Lord’s Prayer. This church has

undergone many changes, and belongs to various periods. The portal and

lower part of the tower are of the 10th cent., and are due to

Fulcherius. The nave is two centuries later. The apse was added in 1671.

The most remarkable part of the structure is the cupola, terminating in

an octagonal lantern, and supported on pendentive arches. It bears

traces of frescoes painted in 1672. In the sanctuary is the marble

throne used by the Popes, in the sacristy the Gothic mausoleum of Jean

XXII., and in one of the side chapels the tomb of Benoit XII. In the

third chapel (right hand) is a Madonna in white marble, by Pradier. The

sacristan is generally in the small room next the main entrance. Fee, ½

fr. for showing the church and the tomb.

Now return to the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. At the foot or south end

a tram-car leaves every ¼ to the Pont d’Avignon station on the other

side of the Rhône, 2 sous; and another to St. Lazare at the

eastern end of the town near the cemetery, 2 sous. An omnibus starts

every hour from the corner of the theatre for Villeneuve, where it stops

at the east end of the church. Fare both ways, 4 sous.

Avignon: St. Agricol. Musée Calvet.

In the “Place” the principal edifice is the Hôtel de

Ville, built in 1862, on the site of the Palais Colonna, 14th

cent, of which all that remains is the handsome belfry called Jacquemard

and his wife, from the two figures which strike the hours. Next the

Hôtel de Ville is the theatre, built in 1847. Behind is the church of

St.

Agricol, 1340, the patron saint of Avignon. To the right on

entering is the tomb of the painter Pierre Mignard, d. 4th April

1725, aged 86, and third chapel on same side is a virgin and child in

wood by Coysevox. To the left of the entrance is an ancient and elegant

marble baptismal font. At the foot of the short street St. Agricol, in

the Rue Calade, is the Oratoire, built in 1730. At No. 65 of the Rue

Calade is the Musée Calvet, containing a valuable

collection of art treasures open to the public on Sundays from 12 to 4,

and a library and reading-room open every day except Sunday. Against the

wall of the inner court is the tomb of the donor of this museum, Claud

François Calvet, d. 25th July 1810, in his 82d year. On the right

is the monument erected by Sir Charles Kelsall in 1823 to Laura de Sade,

dead of smallpox in 1348, and buried in the church of the Cordeliers

(see p. 62). On the other side is the tomb

of the military strategist Folard, a native of Avignon. In the

outer court, and in the rooms and passages on the ground-floor, are

Roman altars, monuments, milestones, torses, amphoræ, and 170 Latin

inscriptions, found in the neighbourhood, but chiefly from Orange and

Vaison (p. 53). Among the sculptures in

relief, one represents a Roman chariot drawn by two horses with their

hoofs shod. There are 27 Greek inscriptions, 3d or 4th cent., from

Venice. The statuary and sculpture of the Middle Ages and the

Renaissance have been gathered principally from the suppressed churches

and convents. The most noticeable are: the mausoleums of Pope

Urbain V., of Cardinals Lagrange and Brancas, and of Marshal

Palice. Within railings are: Cassandra by Pradier, a faun by Brian,

and a bather by Esparcieux, all in the finest white marble. Upstairs is

a valuable collection of Roman glass and bronzes, and 20,000 coins and

medals, including a complete set of the seals and medals of the Popes

during their residence at Avignon, and the seal used by the Inquisition

while here. There are nearly 500 pictures, and a collection of drawings,

including the original sketches of Horace Vernet. Most of the pictures

have the artists’ names affixed. Those

in the great hall are by Albano, Bassano, Berghem, Bloemen, Bourdon,

Canaletto, A. Carracci, Caravaggio, Châlons, Coypel, Credi, David,

*Eckout (crucifixion), Sasso Ferrati, F. Floris, Gericault,

Girodet, Gros, Holbein, Lomi, Meel, P. and N. Mignard, J. and

P. Parrocel, Poussin, Euysdael, Salvator Rosa, Teuiers jun., Veronese,

Vigée-Lebrun, and Zurbaran. In the small room are the paintings by

Claude-Joseph, Horace and Carle Vernet, with a few by Paul Huet. The

marble busts of Horace and Carle are by Thorwaldsen. In the centre of an

inner room, containing the medals and engravings, is the famous ivory

crucifixion, 27 inches long, of one piece, excepting the arms,

a chef-d’œuvre of the sculptor Guillermin in 1659. It is said that

Canova stood in ecstasy over this delicate achievement in art.

Avignon: Musée Requien.

Continuing down the R. Calade to the other side of the

R. Petrarque or de la République, we have on the right the Museum

of Natural History in the church St. Martial, 15th cent. The greater

part of the specimens were bequeathed by M. Requien, d. 1851,

and of them the most interesting are those connected with the

neighbourhood, such as the flamingo and beaver of the Rhône, and the

fossils from Aix. In the eastern continuation of the R. Calade, at

No. 62 R. des Lices, is the Collége Saint Joseph, containing within its

grounds all that remains (the belfry and piece of the north aisle) of

the church of the Cordeliers; in which Laura was buried. The aisle has

been repaired, and is now used as a chapel. Visitors are freely

admitted. It is to the left of the entrance. Of the tomb there are no

vestiges, having been destroyed along with the church by an infuriated

mob in 1791. On the E. side of the R. Petrarque, by the narrow

R. Prévot, is the church of St. Dedier, 1355, containing, in first

chapel right from entrance, a relief in marble representing Christ

bearing his cross, executed by Francesco in 1481 at the request of King

René. Opposite, over second arch, 36 ft. above the floor, is a stone

pulpit with a sculptured pendant. The grave of St. Bénézet is under a

plain slab in the middle of the nave, in front of the high altar. Near

St. Dedier is the Hôtel Crillon, 17th cent.; and to the east of the

Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is the church of St. Pierre (9 in plan),

1520, with an elaborately-sculptured door and pulpit. The pictures about

the high altar are by N. Mignard, J. and P. Parrocel, and

Simon de Châlons. From the S.E. corner of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville,

the R. des Marchands and its continuation the Rues Saunerie and

Carréterie, lead to the Porte St. Lazare, with, to the right, the town

hospital (7 in plan), having a frontage of 192 yards, built

in the last century on the site of

the hospital of St. Martha, founded in 1354. Here, outside the

town-walls to the right, then by a broad road to the left, is the

Cemetery. The Protestant division is on the right side of the entrance.

Avignon: J. S. Mill.

In a corner at the end of a short avenue of pine trees is the white

marble monument to John Stuart Mill, b. 20th May 1806, d. 7th

May 1873. In the same grave is interred Harriet Mill, his beloved wife,

who died at Avignon in the Hôtel de l’Europe, Nov. 3, 1858.

A touching epitaph, recounting her virtues, occupies the whole

surface of the top slab. From the Porte St. Lazare, a walk may be

taken between the ramparts and the Rhône down to the bridge built in

1184, partly in the style of the Pont-du-Gard, by the shepherd, saint,

and architect, Bénézet, who before had constructed one

over the Durance at Maupas. This bridge, which stood 100 years, was 2952

ft. long and 13 wide, on 19 arches, of which four still remain.

On the second arch is the chapel of St. Nicolas, in which the relics of St. Bénézet

were kept till removed to the church of St. Dedier.

Villeneuve-les-Avignon.

Avignon to Villeneuve.

Every ¼, a tram crosses the bridge for the Pont d’Avignon station,

while every hour an omnibus crosses for Villeneuve-les-Avignon, pop. 3100,

2½ m. from the “Place,” or 1¼ m. from the Pont station. Near

the parish church, 14th cent., is the Hospital, containing, in the

chapel to the left, the mausoleum of Innocent VI., under a lofty

elaborately-sculptured canopy, rising in pinnacles to the roof. Upstairs

is the picture gallery, in two rooms. The most remarkable picture

belongs to the 15th or 16th cent., painted on wood, and represents two

subjects, Purgatory and the Judgment Day, apparently by two different

artists. Although stiff, the design is admirable, and all the heads,

even the smallest, are carefully executed. But the gem is the most

charming and bewitching portrait by Mignard of Mme. de Ganges attired as

a nun. She was born at Avignon in 1636, and when only 13 married the

Marquis de Castellane, with whom she frequented the court of Louis XIV.,

where she was called La Belle Provençale. After her husband’s death she

married the Marquis de Ganges, with whom she returned to Avignon, where

her sorrows commenced, caused by the conduct of her two brothers-in-law,

the Abbot and the Chevalier de Ganges, whose unlawful passion she

steadfastly resisted. At last the exasperated abbot having made her

drink poison, she threw herself out of the window, and while lying on

the ground in the agony of death, the chevalier pierced her seven times

with his sword. These two monsters were condemned by the parliament to

broken alive on the wheel. The other pictures in the collection by

Mignard are: Jesus before the Doctors, an Annunciation, and a St. Bruno.

Fee, 1 fr., given to the hospital. In the parish church, built in

the 14th cent, by Cardinal Arnaud de Via, there is nothing

extraordinary. Near it are the ruins of the

Chartreuse-du-Val-de-Bénédiction, and on an eminence Fort André, now

inhabited as a walled village. The omnibus for Avignon starts every hour

at the hour, from the apsidal end of the parish church of

Villeneuve.

Avignon is very much exposed to different winds, especially the

Mistral, yet perhaps they are necessary, for, according to the adage,

“Avenio ventosa, cum vento fastidiosa, sine vento venenosa,” the odours

from the drains in some of the streets being very offensive.

Till July 26, 1793, Avignon belonged to the Papal See, when it was

forcibly taken possession of by the Republican army under General

Cartaux, who owed his victory to the skill of his captain of artillery,

the young commandant Napoleon, who afterwards remained nearly a month in

this town for the establishment of his health, in No. 65 Rue Calade,

opposite the Musée Calvet, where he wrote “Le Souper de Beaucaire.”

Avignon to Nîmes.

Avignon is 1½ hour or 15½ miles N.E. from Nîmes by rail, starting

from the Pont-d’Avignon station on the west side of the Rhône. Those

wishing to visit the Pont-du-Gard on the way should take their tickets

for the Pont-du-Gard station, changing carriages at Remoulins. If with

luggage, it is better to take the tickets only to Remoulins; where,

without loss of time on arriving, take other tickets to the

Pont-du-Gard, leaving the luggage behind. Time will generally be saved

by returning from the Pont to Remoulins on foot, about 3 m. by the

road, but 5 m. by the rail. See Map,

p. 56. For Nîmes see p. 101, and for the Pont-du-Gard see p. 104. Consult the “Indicateur des

Chemins de Fer du Lyon” before starting.

L’Isle. Fontaine de Vaucluse.

Avignon to Vaucluse by L’Isle.

From Avignon the Fontaine de Vaucluse is 18 m. eastward, by the

village of Isle, on the line to Cavaillon. L’Isle, pop. 7000, a village on the Sorgues,

with decorated church rebuilt in the 17th cent. Handsome reredos over

high altar and several good paintings. The Tour d’Argent dates from the

11th cent. At the station the omnibuses of the Isle hotels, Petrarque et

Laure and St. Martin, await passengers and take them to Vaucluse and

back for 4 frs. each. From the village of Vaucluse, pop. 600, take for the fountain the road

the right bank of stream, but for the house and garden of Petrarch take

the left side, crossing the bridge. On the left side, against a cliff

near the cloth mill, is a small house on the site of Petrarch’s, of

which it is a copy. Before it, is still a piece of what was Petrarch’s

garden. On the other side of the Sorgue is a cigar-paper mill. There is

a little hotel at Vaucluse, the Hôtel Petrarch et Laure. Under a

stupendous cliff 1148 feet high is the source of the river Sorgue, the

placid Fontaine de Vaucluse about 30 yards in

diameter— “a mirror of blue-black water, so pure, so still,

that where it laps the pebbles you can scarcely say where air begins and

water ends.” During floods, however, the cavern being no longer able to

contain the increased volume, the water rushes over in a cascade into

the bed below. The poet’s modest house stood at the foot of the rock

crowned by the ruins of the castle in which lived his friend Cardinal

Philippe de Cabasole. Petrarch himself gives the following description

of the site:— “On one side my garden is bounded by a deep river;

on another by a rugged mountain, a barrier against the noon-day

heats, and which never refuses, not even at mid-day, to lend me its

friendly shade; but the sweet air reaches me through all obstacles. In

the distance a surly wall makes me inaccessible to both man and beast.

Figs, grapes, walnuts, almonds—these are my delights. My table is

also graced with the fish that abound in my river; and it is one of my

greatest pleasures to watch the fishermen draw their nets, and to draw

them myself. All about me is changed. I once used to dress myself

with care; now you would believe me a labourer or a shepherd. My house

resembles that of Fabius or Cato. I have but a valet and a dog. The

house of my servant adjoins my own. I call him when I want him, and

when I have no more need of him he returns home.”

Avignon: Petrarch.

On the 6th of April 1327 Francesco Petrarca saw in a church of

Avignon Laura the daughter of Audibert de Noves, for whom he conceived a

romantic but hopeless attachment. Incessantly haunted with the beautiful

vision of the fair Laura, he visited in succession the south of France,

Paris, and the Netherlands, and after an exile of eight months returned

to bury himself in the solitude of Vaucluse.

Vehicles are also hired at Avignon. Fare to Vaucluse and back, 12 to

18 frs.; time, 8 hours. Also for the Pont du Gard, same price.

20½ m. from Avignon by rail is Cavaillon

(p. 66), whence a branch line extends 20 m. E. to Apt, another

line 27 m. S.E. to Pertuis on the Marseilles and Grenoble line, and

another 22½ m. S. to Miramas

(p. 76), between Arles and Marseilles. (See map,

p. 66.)

Apt.

AVIGNON TO MANOSQUE BY APT.

40½ m. E. by rail from Avignon, by Cavaillon, is Apt, pop. 7000, on the torrent Calavon, in a sheltered

hollow surrounded by mountains and calcareous cliffs. _Hotels:_ The

*Louvre; des Alpes. The principal industries are agriculture, pottery,

and the making of preserved fruits. Fruit to be glazed with sugar, as

well as that on which the sugar is to be crystallised, is allowed to

soak from 2 to 8 months in a strong solution of white sugar, in

uncovered “terrines,” like small basins. Fruits with thick rinds, such

as oranges, are pricked before being immersed. The best pottery (Bernard

Croix) is near the station, to the left on descending the hill. The

clay, gray and reddish, is in thick beds close to the establishment, and

resembles that of Vallauris, near Cannes, in its power of resisting

fire, and is therefore principally used for the manufacture of kitchen

pottery. M. Croix has added artistic pottery and dinner and tea

services, of which the prices are extremely low. Opposite is the

establishment of L. A. Esbérard, who confines himself almost

exclusively to kitchen pottery.

The parish church of St. Anne dates from the 11th cent. To the left on

entering is the chapel of St. Anne, under a low octagonal domed tower.

Below the altar is a crypt, 10th cent., said to contain the bones of the

mother of Mary. Round about the town are pleasant walks, of which many

are shaded with Oriental plane trees. Coach daily to Manosque

(_Hotel:_ Eymon), 26 m. E., passing Céreste, 5¼ m. E.,

and Reillanne, on the top of a hill, 5 m. farther. Manosque is on

the rail between Marseilles and Grenoble. (See maps, pages 26 and 66.)

Cavaillon to Miramas, 22½ m. S. (see

map, p. 66), across a fertile plain, with

vineyards and groves of olive, almond, and apricot trees. Cavaillon (pop. 8000).

_Inns:_ Parrocel; Teston. Omnibus at station. Cavaillon is a

pleasant town, intersected by avenues, and situated on the Durance at

the base of great limestone cliffs. It possesses an ancient triumphal

arch and a cathedral dating from the 12th and 13th cents., with a

cloister of the 12th. Excellent melons are grown in the neighbourhood.

4¼ m. S. from Cavaillon is Orgon (pop. 3000. _Inns:_ Paris; Poste), on the

Durance. 11 m. farther S. is Salon (pop. 7100. _Inns:_ Poste; Croix de

Malte), on the canal Craponne. This town, dealing largely in first-class

olive oil, has still remnants of its old ramparts: a church, St.

Michel, of the 13th cent., another, St. Laurent, of the 14th, and a

castle of the same date. In the town is a fountain to the memory of Adam

de Craponne, the engineer of the canal. (For Miramas, see p. 75.)

Tarascon. Martha’s Tomb.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

474

TARASCON, pop. 11,000.

_Hotels:_ At the foot of the station stairs, the Luxembourg; in the

town, the Empereurs. Junction with branch to Nîmes, 17 m. W., and

31 m. farther Montpellier. Below the station is a large hospital

for old men and orphans, founded in 1761 by Clerc Molière. Tarascon is

an unimportant town on the Rhône, opposite Beaucaire, and connected with

it by a chain bridge

1450 feet long. In the church of St. Martha, built in the 12th cent., is

an ancient crypt, just under the spire, with the tomb of Martha, the sister of

Lazarus, whose mortal remains are said to repose here under the

peaceful-looking marble effigy which marks the spot. The tradition of

the place says she had come with her maid from Aix, at the request of

the inhabitants, to kill a terrible dragon with a body as thick as a

bull’s, and having succeeded, the inhabitants, out of gratitude to her,

after her death buried her in this place. A few steps from the

church, by the side of the river, rises the massive strong square

castle, begun in 1400 and finished by the Roi René, now used as a

prison. On the opposite side of the river, overlooking Beaucaire, are

the more picturesque ruins of the castle of Montmorency, whose adjoining

garden forms one of the many promenades of the people of Beaucaire.

Beaucaire is a poor town with poor houses. The formerly famous fair,

commencing on July 1, has become now of little importance. It is held in

the broad avenue between the castle and the Rhône.

THE MOUTHS OF THE RHONE.

opp. 66

_For continuation northwards see map, page

56._

[West] _For continuation see map, page 107._

see caption

_For continuation eastwards see map, page 123._

St. Remy. Les Baux.

9½ m. east from Tarascon by rail is St. Remy, pop. 6800. _Inn:_ Hôtel du Cheval

Blanc, a comfortable house, where carriages can be hired for Les

Baux, 6 m. S.W., 10 frs. Also for Arles by Les Baux and

Mont-Majour, 19 m. distant, 24 frs. A mile from the Hôtel

Cheval Blanc, by the high road, stood the ancient Glanum, one of the

commercial stations of the Phœnician traders from Marseilles, before it

fell into the possession of the Romans, who have left here two

remarkable monuments, of which the more perfect consists of an open

square tower standing on a massive pedestal, and surmounted by a

peristyle of ten columns surrounding two statues representing the

parents of Sextus and Marius, of the family of the Julii, by whom it was

erected. It is 50 ft. high; the faces of the statues look to the north.

The sculpture on the north side of the pedestal represents a cavalry

fight; the south, “sacrificing;” the west, a combat between

infantry; and the east, which is the most dilapidated, “Victory crowning

a wounded soldier.” Alongside stands a triumphal arch, of which the most

perfect portions are the coffered panellings of the soffit.

6 m. S.W. from St. Remy is Les Baux, the ancient Castrum de Baucis, pop. 100.

_Inn:_ Monte Carlo. The castle town of Les Baux, commenced in 485,

occupies a naked mountain of yellow sandstone, worn away by nature into

bastions and buttresses, and coigns of vantage, sculptured by ancient

art into palaces and chapels, battlements and dungeons. Now art and

nature are confounded in one ruin. Blocks of masonry lie cheek-by-jowl

with masses of the rough-hewn

rock; fallen cavern vaults are heaped round fragments of fan-shaped

spandrel and clustered column shaft; the doors and windows of old

pleasure rooms are hung with ivy and wild fig tapestry; while winding

staircases start midway upon the cliff and lead to vacancy. High

overhead, suspended in mid-air, hang chambers—lady’s bower or

poet’s singing room—now inaccessible, the haunt of hawks and

swallows. Within this rocky honeycomb— “cette ville en monolithe,”

as it has been aptly called, for it is literally scooped out of one

mountain block—live a few poor people, foddering their wretched

goats at carved piscina and stately sideboards, erecting their

mud-beplastered hovels in the halls of feudal princes. From Les Baux

road to Fontvieille, 7 m.; whence rail to Mont-Majour and Arles

(see map, page 66).

Arles.

opp. 68

[East]

plan of Arles

[West]

_Scale of ¼ Mile_

PARIS

MARSEILLES

483

ARLES, pop. 26,000.

_Hotels:_ Nord; Forum; near each other in the Place du Forum. Arles

is situated on the Rhône, near the Camargue, in a marshy place, as its

original name, Arelas, from the Celtic words, “Ar lach,” damp place,

indicates. It is said to have been founded 900 years before Marseilles,

700 years before Rome, and 1500 before the birth of Christ. The ramparts

and walls rising from the public gardens and the Boulevard des Aliscamps

are chiefly the work of the Emperor Constantine, who came to Arles with

his family and mother, Saint Helena. He built by the side of the Rhône a

superb palace, called afterwards “de la Trouille,” because opposite a

ferry-boat, which was pulled or dragged from one side of the river to

the other. Of this palace little more remains than the attached tower La

Trouille, constructed of alternate layers of brick and stone. On the 7th

August 312 his wife Faustina presented him with a son,

Constantine II., who succeeded his father in May 357. He commenced

the Forum, but was shortly after killed in battle defending himself

against his brother Constance, who usurped the throne and finished the

Forum. All that remains of this formerly splendid edifice are the two

Corinthian columns, with part of the pediment encrusted into the wall of

the Hôtel du Nord. It occupied the site of the Place du Forum, called

also the Place des Hommes, because labourers and men-servants used to be

hired in this “Place.”

In the Place de la République is the Hôtel de Ville, built in 1675 on

the site of the Roman baths constructed by the Emperor Augustus. The

spacious vaults under the Hôtel du Nord formed probably a part of these

baths, although in later times they seem to have been used as an

ossuary.

Almost adjoining the Hôtel de Ville is the church of St. Anne,

now the Archæological Museum, with a collection of inscriptions,

sarcophagi, urns, statues, columns, friezes, altars, and tombstones,

those of the Pagans having the letters D.M., _Diis manibus_. Also

some of the long lead pipes, with the name of the plumber, “C. Canthius

Porthinus fac.,” which helped to bring water from the fountain at the

foot of the hill on which Baux stands. At the inner end, right hand, is

a torse of Mithras of white Pharos marble, 3 ft. 2 inches high, found in

1598 on the site of the Roman Circus. A serpent is coiled round the

body, and between the coils are the signs of the Zodiac. In the opposite

corner is an altar in Carrara marble to the good goddess “Bonae-Deae,”

found under the church La Major. On the front face is a garland of oak

leaves and acorns, and 7 inches distant from each other two human ears.

Near it is a good head of Augustus, and a mutilated one of Diana. About

the centre of the room is a recumbent figure of Silenus, with a wine

skin under his arm.

In the centre of the “Place” is the monolith obelisk, 49 ft. high,

hewn by the Romans from the quarries of Esterel. It stood originally in

the Circus at the S.W. corner of the town; but of it no vestiges

remain.

Arles: St. Trophime.

Opposite St. Anne is the cathedral of St. Trophime, consecrated on the

17th May 626, and rebuilt in the 9th cent. The portal, erected in 1221,

consists of a semicircular arch resting on six columns, behind which are

statues of apostles and saints separated by pilasters. In the tympanum

is Christ, the judge of the world, with the symbols of the Evangelists.

In the interior the door on the S. side of the choir leads out to the

cloister, of which the N. side belongs to the 9th, the south to the

16th, the east to the 13th, and the west to the 14th cent.

Passing from the cloister into the street, and turning to the left,

we arrive at the Theatre, commenced during the dominion of the Greeks,

and finished before the Christian era. In the centre of this grand ruin,

originally 335 ft. in its greatest diameter, stand two Corinthian

columns 30 ft. high, and the base of other two, which formed part of the

proscenium. Opposite them is the semicircular space for the spectators,

with still many of the stone seats. The Venus of Arles, one of the most

valuable statues in the Louvre, was found here. The theatre is open to

the public, but the keeper endeavours to attach himself to

strangers.

Arles: Amphitheatre.

A short way N.E. is the far grander and more imposing Amphitheatre

or Les Arènes, said to have been commenced by the father of Tiberius

Nero, b.c. 46. It is elliptic, 459 ft.

long and 132 wide, surrounded by a double wall 60 ft. high, each with

two stages of

arches, and in each stage 60 arches. From around the arena rise 43 tiers

of stone seats, capable of containing 23,438 spectators. The stone steps

leading up to them were 1½ ft. high and 2 ft. 3 inches long. There were

besides above 150 rooms for the gladiators and men connected with the

theatre, and 100 dens for wild beasts. The three towers were added by

the Saracens in the 8th cent. Bull-fights are given in the building,

when a multitude of spectators, as in the time of the Romans, fill the

galleries. A splendid view of the amphitheatre, the city, and of

the commencement of the delta of the Rhône, is had from the western

tower. The entrance into the amphitheatre is by the north gate. The

doorkeeper lives in a house a little to the left of the gate. This grand

ruin should, if possible, be visited by moonlight; yet during the day

the beautiful masonry is more easily examined. It is the great sight in

Arles, and it is better to omit all the others than to do this one

hurriedly.

The Camargue or Delta of the Rhône, commencing at the outskirts of

Arles, is a triangular plain of 180,000 acres extending to the

Mediterranean, bounded on the west by the Petit Rhône, and on the east

by the Grand Rhône. It contains small villages and large farms, with

extensive vineyards and grazing ground for cattle, sheep, and horses. It

is best visited by the steamboat sailing between Arles and Port St. Louis on the

mouth of the great Rhône. (See p. 72, and map,

p. 66.)

Arles: Elysei Campi. Trophimus.

S.E. above the Promenade is the church of St. Cesaire, 9th cent., on

the site of a temple of Jupiter. From this to go to Alyscamps, walk down

the Boulevard Alyscamps to the canal Craponne, where turn to the left.

The first ruin passed is an old entrance into what was the domain of the

monastery of St. Cesaire. The Avenue of Alyscamps is lined on each side

by 33 large stone coffins with lids, and 120 smaller coffins without

lids. This, the Elysei

Campi, an ancient Roman cemetery, is now divested of all its

valuables and statues, of which a few are in the museum. As

J. C.Himself is said to have appeared during the consecration of

the cemetery, it was believed that at the resurrection it would be

especially favoured by Him; hence the efforts made by so many to bury

their friends here. It is said that up to the 12th cent. coffins with

their dead, and money for the funeral expenses, floated down the Rhône,

of their own accord, to be buried in this privileged spot. At the end of

the avenue is the church of St. Honorat, on the site of the chapel

founded by Trophimus the Ephesian, one of St. Paul’s

converts, who was sent to Arles to preach the gospel and to put an end

to human sacrifices. Among the first things he is

said to have done was to consecrate the Alyscamps and transform it thus

from a heathen into a Christian burial-place, and add to it a little

chapel. An old Arles writer alleges on his own authority that Trophimus

dedicated this chapel to Mary, who was then alive. After labouring 36

years in this diocese he died on the 29th of November 94, and was buried

in the little chapel he himself had built. Among the successors of

Trophimus were Ambrose in 160, who remained here 20 years; Augustine in

220, who died 10 years afterwards; Jerome in 230, who also died 10 years

afterwards; Marcien in 252, the originator of the Novatien sect; and St.

Cyprien in 253. Saint Virgil, one of the successors, founded in 601 the

church of St. Honorat beside the chapel of Trophimus. The present church

dates only from the 12th to the 14th cent. The best and oldest part,

excepting the foundations, is the apsidal termination, which is

semicircular, with 4 pilasters and a small window in the centre to give

light to the officiating priest. Over it rises a neat octagonal belfry

in two arcaded stages. Under the chancel is a small crypt. The keeper

calls a small chapel at the left hand corner of the chancel, the chapel

of Trophimus.

Arles: Picture Gallery.

The Picture

Gallery, or the Musée Reattu, is at No. 11 R. Grand Prieure,

near the Tour Trouille. The house and pictures were bequeathed to the

town by a cousin of the painter Reattu, b. at Arles 1760, d. 1833.

On picture 119 are portraits of himself, wife, and two cousins. Next the

picture gallery is the school of design.

Branch line from Arles to Fontvieille, 7 m. E., passing

Mont-Majour 4 m. E. Fontvieille is 7 m. S.W. from Les

Baux by a good road. Junction at Arles with line to Aigues-Mortes,

36 m. S.W., and to Montpellier, 58 m. S.W.; Cette is

17 m. farther. (See map, p. 66.)

Mont-Majour.

4 m. eastwards by rail from Arles are the ruins of the castle and

abbey of Mont-Majour, all in a good state of

preservation, excepting the domestic buildings, constructed in 1786. The

concierge lives in a house near the station. Fee, 1 fr. He

generally shows first the church, 11th cent., and the spacious crypt

below, 9th cent. Adjoining the church are the cloisters, 11th cent., of

the same kind as those of St. Trophime, but more interesting and more

perfect, and containing the tombs of some of the counts of Anjou. Next

is the beautiful square dungeon tower, nearly as perfect as when erected

in 1374. It is 262 ft. high, is ascended by 137 steps, and commands a

wide prospect. From this, a stair leads down the face of the hill

to the chapel and cell of St. Trophimus, principally hewn in the soft

limestone cliff. Standing apart at the base of the hill is St. Croix,

dedicated in 1019,

consisting of four semicircular sides, crowned with semidomes projecting

from a square tower crowned with a kind of pyramid spire. At Fontvieille

(Hôtel du Commerce) are important quarries of soft calcareous

sandstone.

Arles to Port Saint Louis, at the

mouth of the Great Rhône, 25 m. S. by steamer on the Great Rhône.

Time, 5 hrs. Fare, 2 frs. Railway unfinished (see map, p. 66). The steamboat passes by an important part

of the Camargue with large vineyards, rendered very fertile by

irrigation, the water being forced up from the river by steam engines.

Cattle, sheep, and horses are reared on the tufts of coarse grass which

cover the more arid portions. The population is so sparse that not a

village is seen during the whole journey. (See also p. 70.)

Port Saint Louis.

Port Saint

Louis (Hôtel Saint Louis), 6½ m. W. from Port Bouc,

consists of a straggling village between the Rhône and the basin of the

canal constructed to enable vessels to avoid the bar of the Rhône. This

canal is 2½ m. long, 196 ft. wide, and 22 ft. deep. To understand

the geography of this desolate flat region of land and water, exposed to

every wind, it is necessary to ascend the “tour Saint Louis,” whence the

plain, intersected by the Rhône and numerous canals, appears literally

like a map. The only villages seen in the vast expanse are Fos, on a

hill, and near it the Port Bouc.

Great expense has been incurred to make Port St. Louis a convenient

place for shipping, and attract to it some of the commerce from

Marseilles.

23 m. S.W. from Arles, and separated from Port St. Louis by the great

Etang Valcarès, is the port called Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, or

simply Les Saintes. The parish church, 12th cent., surrounded by

fortifications, contains the tombs of the Maries and some good

sculpture.

For Arles to Port Bouc, 29 m. S., see

p. 76. The steamer sails from the S.W. corner of Arles (see map, page 66).

St. Gilles. Lunel.

11¼ m. W. by rail from Arles is St. Gilles, pop. 7000. Hôtel du Cheval-Blanc.

A poor and ancient town on the canal of Aigues-Mortes, near the

Petit Rhône. The abbey church, founded in 1116, is considered a good

specimen of Byzantine architecture. The façade consists of a bald wall

with a plain tower on each side. Between these towers are three

semicircular recessed portals, below an entablature resting on two

single and two double columns. The capitals are Corinthian, but the

pedestals (considerably effaced) consist of lions and grotesque animals

in uncouth positions. Behind them, on the piers of the arches of the

portals, stand in bold relief statues of apostles and saints, separated

from each other by pilasters. The interior, consisting of a nave and two

aisles, is 290 ft. long, 88 wide, and 62 high. In the N. aisle a stair

of 33 steps leads down to the lower church, with semicircular arches on

short massive piers. From the centre 7 more steps descend to the tomb of

St. Gilles. All the characteristics of this church are equally well

represented in St. Trophime of Arles.

16¾ m. farther W., or 28 m. from Arles by rail, is Lunel, pop.

7300. _Inns:_ Palais; Nord; Tapis-verd; none good. A town of

narrow streets, with a park and promenade by the side of the canal. The

church is constructed after the pattern of those of Carcassonne and

Perpignan. On the surrounding plain an inferior wine is grown. The

first-class vineyards, producing the generous white wines from 17° to

18°, are all on the neighbouring gravelly eminences.

Aigues-Mortes.

8 m. S. by

rail from Lunel is the more interesting town of AIGUES-MORTES, “stagnant waters,” pop.

4300, 4 m. from the Mediterranean, and 4 ft. above it, and

connected with it by a navigable canal. _Inn:_ Saint Louis. It is

of great historical interest, and is surrounded by the most perfect old

embrasured wall in France, built in the form of a parallelogram, 596

yds. long by 149 yds. broad. It is 36 ft. high, and is flanked by 15

towers. On the western side rises the famous round tower of Constance,

96 ft. high and 72 in diameter, containing two vaulted superimposed

circular chambers, used by Louis XIV. and Louis XV. as prisons for their

Protestant subjects of both sexes, who here suffered such cruelties that

the Dutch and Swiss Governments were roused to interfere in their

behalf, and even Frederic the Great is said to have interceded for them,

but in vain. From the platform at the top of this tower is the highly

interesting view of the flat country at the mouth of the Rhône, whence

the traveller may judge for himself whether the sea has, or has not,

receded from the town since the time of Saint Louis—we think not.

Both the tower of Constance and the walls are the work of Saint Louis,

who had a predilection for Aigues-Mortes, as he considered it the most

suitable place in his kingdom from which to embark for Palestine. On

25th August 1248, after having heard mass in the church

Notre-Dame-des-Sablons (fronting his statue), he and his Queen

Marguerite sailed from Aigues-Mortes on their first expedition to

Palestine. On the 3d of July 1270 he again sailed from the same place;

and on that same year, on the anniversary day of his first expedition,

the 25th of August, he perished among the ruins of Carthage. 4 m.

S. from Aigues-Mortes by omnibus, or steamer by the canal, is the

bathing station of Port-Grau-du-Roi. _Inns:_ Pommier; Dubois (see

map, page 66).

49 m. N. from Lunel by rail is Vigan. (See page

105.)

96½ m. W. from Marseilles, 43 m. W. from Arles, 31 m. S.W. from

Nîmes, and 15 m. S.W. from Lunel, is

Montpellier.

MONTPELLIER, on

the sides and summit of an eminence 145 ft. above the sea and

7 miles from it. Pop. 56,000. _Hotels:_ H. Nevet, the

best and most expensive, at the commencement of the Esplanade. On the

same side, only a little farther up, is a block of handsome buildings

containing the Public Library, closed on Sundays and Thursdays, and the

Picture Gallery or Musée Fabre, open on Sundays and Mondays. Adjoining

is the Lycée.

In the Place de la Comédie, near the Esplanade, is the H. du Midi,

the next best hotel. In the Grande Rue, the H. Cheval Blanc,

frequented by commercial men. Opposite the station is the H. de la

Gare. In the fine broad street, the Rue Maguelone, leading from the

station to the Place de la Comédie, is the H. Maguelone, second

class. Their omnibuses await passengers.

Temple Protestant near station, in the Rue Maguelone. Telegraph Office

in the Boulevard de la Comédie. Post in the Boulevard Jeu-de-Paume. From

the Esplanade omnibus runs to Castelnau. From near the Place de la

Comédie coach to Mauguio. From the Boulevard de Blanquerie, below the

prison, coach to Claret and St. Hippolyte. (See map,

p. 66.)

Montpellier: Botanic Gardens.

The most modern part of the town is the Rue Maguelone, leading from the

station to the Esplanade, a delightful promenade bounded by the

citadel. At the N.W. angle of the Esplanade a stair leads down to a line

of boulevards, passing up by the “Hôpital Général” to the Botanic

Gardens, the earliest institution of this kind in France,

founded in the reign of Henri IV., and for some years under the

direction of the famous botanist De Candolle. It contains an area of 9

acres, divided into three parts: at the N. end is a nursery; at the S.,

in a hollow, surrounded by trees, the botanical part; and between these

two divisions the arboretum. Opposite the Botanic Gardens is the once

famous École de médecine, said to have been founded by Arab

physicians under the patronage of the Counts of Montpellier. It now

occupies the old bishops’ palace, built in the 14th cent., with

additions in the 17th. At the entrance are bronze statues of Barthez,

1734-1806, and La Peyronie, 1678-1747. Within the entrance are busts of

the most celebrated professors and divines connected with the college

and the church of Montpellier. In the same building are also valuable

anatomical and pathological collections, and a library with 55,000 vols.

Adjoining is the Cathedral of St. Pierre, 14th and 15th cents.,

but the choir is recent, though in the same style. White marble statue

of Mary and child by Canova.

Overlooking the Botanic Gardens is the beautiful promenade, the Place du

Peyrou, on an eminence at the western side of the town. In cold weather

invalids and nurses with their children frequent the lower terrace of

this “Place,” the promenade Basse du Midi. At the western end of the

Peyrou is the Château d’Eau, a hexagonal Corinthian building, which

receives and distributes through the town the water brought from the

fontaine de St. Clement, 5½ m. from Montpellier. The aqueduct,

which conveys the water across the valley from the opposite hill,

consists of two tiers of arches 70 ft. high and 2896 ft. long. The gate

at the end of the promenade was erected to commemorate the victories of

Louis XIV. Adjoining is the Palais de Justice, with statues of

Cambacérès and Cardinal Fleury. Eastwards, by crooked streets, are the

Mairie and the markets.

Montpellier: Musée Fabre.

A short way north from the Hôtel Nevet, by the Rues Ste. Foi and also on

the Esplanade, is a handsome modern edifice, comprising the Musée Fabre, the

Bibliothèque publique with 65,000 vols., and the “Collection de la

Société archéologique.” The Musée Fabre, open on Sundays and Mondays and

feast days, contains, among many works of inferior merit, some good

pictures by great artists, such as Berghem,

Fra Bartolommeo, P. C. Champaigne, Cuyp, L. David, G. Dow, Van

Dyck, Ghirlandajo, Girodet, Granet, Greuze, Metsu, Palma, P.Veronese,

Porbus, P. Potter, Poussin, Samuel Reynolds, Salvator Rosa, Rubens,

Ruysdael, Andrea del Sarto, D. Teniers, Terburg, Titian, and Zarg.

The library contains some curious MSS. connected with, the Stuarts,

which belonged to Prince Charles Edward.

Montpellier produces a lovely coloured wine with good bouquet, called

St. Georges d’Orgues. The manufacture of verdigris, the preparation of

preserved fruits, dye works, chemical works, and distilleries, are the

principal industries.

From the railway station, opposite the Hôtel de Nevet, a line

extends through the lagoon Pérols, covering a surface of 3000 acres, and

yielding annually 2000 tons of salt, to the port of Palavas, 5 m.

south (pop. 1000), with a beautiful beach. At the Palavas terminus is

the Casino hotel, and on the Canal the Hôtel des Bains and the

Restaurant Parisien. A cabine (bathing-house), including costume

and linen, costs 1 fr. Leave the train at the Plage station.

3 m. from Montpellier, in the retired valley of the Mosson, is the

mineral water establishment of Foncaude. Water saline, unctuous, and

sedative. Good for indigestion and nervous disorders. 12½ m. north

from Montpellier is the Pic du Loup, rising from the village St. Mathieu

(pop. 500) to the height of 680 ft., commanding an extensive view, and

having on the top a chapel visited by pilgrims.

From Montpellier a line extends 43½ m. W. to Faugères on the line from

Beziers to Capdenac by Rodez. (See map,

page 27.)

Frontignan. Cette.

109½ m. from Marseilles and 4½ from Cette is Frontignan, pop. 3000. Possessing 570 acres of

vineyards producing rich amber-coloured, luscious, and spirituous wines,

made principally from the clairette and picardan grapes. The

neighbouring marshes yield annually about 50,000 tons of salt.

114 m. from Marseilles is Cette, pop. 29,000. At this point the Chemins de Fer

de Paris à Lyon system joins the Chemins de Fer du Midi, and

consequently carriages are often changed here. For Cette to Toulouse and

Bordeaux, see Table “Bordeaux à Cette” in the “Indicateur des Chemins de

Fer du Midi.” Cette is 271 m. east from Pau, 266 from Bordeaux, and

84 from Perpignan. Omnibuses and coaches await passengers.

_Hotels:_ Barrillon; Grand Galion; Bains; Souche. Cette makes a

pleasant halting-place. The best walk is to the top of Mt. Setius, 590

ft. Ascend by the Rue d’Esplanade, and when at the highest part of the

Public Gardens take the road to the right. The view is magnificent. In

front is the Mediterranean, and behind Lake Thau with its villages. At

the base of the mountain is Cette, and beyond Frontignan. The Port of

Cette is protected by a breakwater 548 yds. long, which encloses a

harbour of 210 acres, furnished with two jetties; the western,

constructed by Vauban, is 656 yds. long, and the eastern 548 yds. This

busy port, besides having an extensive carrying trade, has a large wine

manufactory, where above 100,000 pipes of imitations of all the

well-known wines are made annually, by mixing different wines with each

other.

From the first bridge over the canal (not including the railway bridge)

a small steamer starts three times daily for Balaruc and Meze, on

Lake Thau. Meze, like Cette, is entirely devoted to the wine trade.

Balaruc has a bathing establishment, supplied by intensely saline

springs, resembling strong sea-water, temperature 125° Fahr.

A quart contains 106 grains of chloride of sodium, 13½ of the

chloride of magnesia, and a fraction of the chloride of copper, 15

grains of the sulphate, and 13½ of the bicarbonate of lime. Pension, 8

to 9 fr., and the bath treatment 4½ fr. additional. The Canal du

Midi enters Lake Thau at Les Onglous, 11 m. W. from Cette. (See

map, page 27.)

Miramas. Port Bouc.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

503

MIRAMAS, pop. 900, south

from the station at the head of the Étang Chamas. At the station there

are a small inn and a large plantation of almond trees, which, when in

flower, exhale a delightful perfume. Passengers to Avignon by Cavaillon

and L’Isle change carriages here (p. 65). Also for Port Bouc, 16¼ m.

south.

MIRAMAS TO PORT BOUC.

Miramas to Port Bouc by rail through a flat plain (see map, p. 66). The two most important towns passed on

the way are: Istres,

6¼ m. from Miramas station and 10 N. from Port Bouc, pop. 4000,

founded in the 8th cent. on Lake Olivier, and possessing still part of

its ancient ramparts. The principal industry is the manufacture of salt

and of the carbonate of soda. 13¼ m. from Miramas is Fos (Fossae Marianae), pop. 1100, on a hill

crowned with the ruins of a castle, 14th cent.

At the foot of the hill, by the side of the Arles canal, are large tanks

for the manufacture of salt. From Fos, other 3 miles south by rail,

or 16¼ miles altogether from the Miramas railway station, or 29 miles S.

from Arles by the canal, is Port Bouc, pop. 1000. _Inns:_ near the

stations of the railway and the canal steamer, the Hôtel du Commerce;

near the jetty, the Hôtel du Nord. Port Bouc, on the Étang Caroute, near

the entrance to the great lake, the Étang de Berre, is an important

fishing-station with a large and well-protected harbour. At the end of

the jetty is a fixed light, seen within a radius of 10 m. At the

other side of the entrance is Fort Bouc with a massive square tower in

the centre and another lighthouse. About 7 miles west from Port

Bouc by the coast road is the Port of St.

Louis, page 72. (For Port Bouc to Martigues and

Marseilles, see p. 118.)

Port Bouc to

Arles, 29 m. S. by the canal steamboat; time, 5 hrs; fare,

3 frs. The canal is 62 ft. wide and 8 deep. The embankments are

very solid, and along a great part of them extends the railway between

Arles and Saint Louis. The only town the canal passes is Fos, about

½ m. E. The Miramas railway passes it on the other side.

Passengers drop into the steamer from the farmhouses. The steamer moors

at the S.W. corner of Arles. (See p. 72, and map

p. 66.)

Saint Chamas. Rognac.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

506½

30½

SAINT CHAMAS (Sanctus

Amantius), pop. 3000, about ½ m.

from the station. It is situated on the N. end of the Étang de Berre,

and on both sides of a short narrow ridge of soft sandstone pierced with

excavations. The Government have one of their most important powder

manufactories in this place. Hardly ½ m. E. from the Hôtel de Ville

is the Flavian Bridge, built by the Romans, across the stream Touloubre,

with at each end a kind of triumphal arch of 12 ft. span and about 22

ft. high. At each of the four corners is a grooved Corinthian pilaster

surmounted by a frieze and a projecting dentilled cornice. On the top at

each end stands a lion; the two on the east arch are apparently ready to

spring eastward, and the other two westward. The bridge is in a state of

perfect repair, but the sculpture and inscription on the two arches over

the entrances are slightly effaced. The road to it is by the Hôtel de

Ville and the parish church with a rudely sculptured “Pieta” over the

portal. The bridge is to the E. of St. Chamas, and is well seen from the

railway, especially when crossing the viaduct of 49 interlaced arches,

which carry the rail over the little valley of the Touloubre. 8½ m.

E. from St. Chamas is Berre station. The town, pop. 2100, is directly

south, on Lake

Berre, a sheet of water 14 m. long and 38 in

circumference.

PARIS

MARSEILLES

519½

17½

ROGNAC, pop. 900. Junction

with rail to Aix, 16½ m. E., passing under the Roquefavour aqueduct, 7½ m.

E. The canal, which brings 200 cubic ft. of water per second from

the Durance to Marseilles and the neighbouring plain, commences opposite

Pertuis, directly north from

Marseilles. It is 94 m. long, of which more than 15 are under

ground; it has a fall of 614 ft., traverses, by 45 tunnels, 3 chains of

limestone hills, and crosses numerous valleys by aqueducts, of which the

largest crosses the ravine of the river Arc at Roquefavour. This

aqueduct is 270 ft. high on three tiers of arches, is 1312 ft. long, 44½

ft. wide at the base, and 14 ft. wide at the water-way. It consists of

51,000 cubic yards of masonry, and cost £151,394, while the cost of the

whole canal from the Durance to the sea, near Cape Croisette,

a little to the east of Marseilles, has been £2,090,000.

A branch from the principal channel throws 198,000 gallons per

minute into the city, while five other ramifications fertilise by

irrigation the country around it. The canal water is purified in the

basins of Réaltort. The large reservoir for Marseilles is behind the

Palais de

Longchamp. (See p. 114, and for the course of the canal, maps

pp. 66 and 123.)

To visit the aqueduct, take the road to the left from the station,

pass under the railway bridge, and then ascend partly by a steep path

and partly by steps to the house of the concierge.

Aix. Hôtel de Ville.

16½ m. E. from Rognac, or 33 m. N. from Marseilles by Rognac, but only

18 m. N. by Gardanne, is Aix-en-Provence, pop. 29,000.

_Hotels:_ Negre-Coste, the best, in the Grand Cours; at the east

end of the Cours, Mule-Noire, and near it at the Palais de Justice, the

Hôtel du Palais; at the station end of the Cours, the Louvre and the

France; at the baths, the Hôtel des Bains; opposite the Hôtel de Ville,

the Hôtel Aigle d’Or. Best cafés in the Cours René. Post and telegraph

offices in the street behind the Cours, or behind the division opposite

the Hôtel Negre-Coste. Aix, formerly the capital of Provence, was

founded 120 b.c. by the Consul Sextius

Calvinus around the thermal springs, which he himself had discovered.

The temperature of the water is 95° F., and the ingredients, iron and

iodine, the carbonates, sulphates, and chlorides of soda and magnesia,

together with an organic bituminous matter strongly impregnated with

glairine. The establishment is situated at the extremity of the Cours

Sextius. Pension, 8½ frs. Each bath 1 fr. At the high end of the

Cours René is a statue, by David, of René of Anjou, “le bon Roi,” king

of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem; died in 1480 at the age of 72, and

buried at Angers, where he was born. He was endowed with every virtue,

was a poet, painter, and musician, and was skilled in medicine and

astronomy. During his reign in Aix the people were prosperous, and art

and science flourished. From the right of the statue streets lead up to

the principal square with a monument to Lodovico XV., the Palais de

Justice with statues of the jurists Portales and Siméon, and the church

of the Madeleine, built for the perpetual adoration of the host.

A little higher up are the Hôtel de Ville, built in 1640; the

Halle-aux-Grains, reconstructed in 1760 and adorned with bold and

spirited sculpture. Next the Hôtel de Ville is the great clock tower,

bearing the date 1512. In the centre of the court of the Hôtel de Ville

is a statue of Mirabeau, and on the staircase a white marble statue of

Marshal Villars, by Coustou. In the Hôtel de Ville is also the public

library with 100,000 vols. Among the MSS. is the prayer book of King

René, with illustrations said to have been done by himself. No. 569 is a

small 4to volume, with copies of letters written by Queen Mary Stuart.

The first 57 pages relate to her early history. At page 645 commences a

defence of her conduct, written by a warm partisan of the queen. The

street, ascending through the gateway of the clock tower, leads to the

university buildings, the palace of the archbishop, and the

Aix: Cathedral.

Cathedral of Saint Sauveur, built in the 11th cent., partly on

the foundations of a temple to Apollo. The tower, 195 ft. high, was

built in the 15th cent., and the chancel in 1285. The façade was

commenced in 1476, and the beautiful sculpture on the great entrance

door executed in 1503. It is generally covered by a plain outer door. In

the interior to the right is the Baptistery, an octagonal chapel with

six antique marble and two granite Corinthian columns about 30 ft. high,

each shaft being of one stone. The ornamental sculpture on the panels

and in the spandrels is by Puget. On the same side are two triptychs,

one by Crayer, “Mary worshipped by Saints,” and the

other by some artist of the Jean Van Eyck school, representing in the

centre Moses and the burning bush, with Mary up in a clump of trees. On

one wing is King René on his knees, attended by the Magdalene, St.

Maurice, and St. Anthony; and on the other wing is the king’s second

wife, Jeanne de Laval, attended by her patron saints. On the outside of

the shutters are the angel Gabriel and Mary.

On each side of the chancel is an organ case, but only the one on the

left hand has pipes. Under each is a large tapestry dating from 1511,

representing scenes in the life of J. C. Both pieces are said to

have belonged to St. Paul’s of London. Among the relics the church

possesses are: the skull of St. Ursula, the arm of one of her 11,000

virgins presented by Nicolas V. in 1458, a rib of St.

Sebastian presented by King René, and three thorns from the crown of our

Lord.

Aix: Picture Gallery.

The last street at the S.E. end of the Cours René leads directly to the

church of St. Jean and the Picture Gallery adjoining; free on Sundays and

Thursdays from 12 to 4. St. Jean was built in the 13th cent. by the

Princes of the house of Aragon for the order of the Knights of St. John

of Jerusalem. The spire is 220 ft. high. To the left of the altar is the

tomb of Raymond and wife, Comte de Provence.

On the ground-floor of the picture gallery are sarcophagi, inscriptions,

and statues ancient and modern. Upstairs is a large collection of

paintings, water-colours, and drawings; but few have either labels or

numbers.

The “Biscotins” seen in the shop windows are round sweet biscuits about

the size and shape of walnuts. The better kind, “Gallissons,” are flat

and diamond shaped. The olive oil made in the farms around Aix is

reputed to have a very fine fruity flavour. The reason alleged

is—the trees being small the berries are gathered, or rather

plucked, by the hand before they are quite ripe. Where the trees are

large, as in the more favoured parts of the Riviera, the fruit must be

allowed to ripen to allow of its being shaken down by long poles. The

trees are pruned in circles, leaving an empty space in the centre.

Rians. Meyrargues.

North from the hospice or workhouse, near the bridge of Ainay across