Chapter V: Part I: Paris to Marseilles (3)

The Palais des Arts contains also the Natural History Museum, the Mineralogical Collection, in which are represented the characteristic rocks and fossils of every department of France, and the copper ores from the mine of Chessy, near Arbrèsle; and a library containing 40,000 engravings and drawings, and 650 volumes treating principally on the arts and sciences. There are likewise 6 municipal libraries, open every evening from 7 to 10, and the Bibliothèque de la Ville.

Lyons: Place Terreaux. Hôtel de Ville.

On the north side of the Place des Terreaux is the Hôtel de Ville, built in 1665 by Maupin, at the cost of £320,000. The facade, flanked by domed square pavilions, is 160 ft. wide, while the building itself is 1150 ft. long. The back part, fronting the theatre, is the Préfecture. From the centre rises the clock-tower, 157 ft. high. On the façade over the entrance is an equestrian statue of Henri IV. in bold relief. Within the vestibule, to the right and left, are colossal bronze groups, by the brothers Coustou, representing the Rhône and the Saône. They stood originally under the statue of Louis XIV. in the Place Bellecour.

In 1642 Cinq Mars and De Thou were executed, by order of Richelieu, in the Place des Terreaux. In 1794 the revolutionary tribunal, sitting in the Hôtel de Ville, guillotined so many people in this square that it became so flooded with blood as to render it necessary to send the executioners to Brotteaux, near the present railway station, to finish this wholesale slaughter of Frenchmen by Frenchmen.

Lyons: Condition des Soies. Library. Bourse. Silk Museum.

Behind the Hôtel de Ville, up the Rue de St. Polycarpe, house No. 7, is the establishment of the Condition des Soies, where the bales of silk brought to Lyons are sent to be dried. They are placed on an iron grating, and subjected for twenty-four hours to a temperature of from 64° to 72° Fahr., and are weighed both before and after this operation. The same is done to the wool. The sample drying room is in the first story, left hand. Any one may visit it. A little higher up are St. Polycarpe built in 1760, and St. Bruno built in 1688. At the opposite end of the bridge of St. Clair is the English church.

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In the Rue de la République is the Bourse, a profusely ornamented edifice inaugurated in 1860. At the south end is St. Bonaventure, built in the 14th cent., and recently restored. At the north end is the Lycée with the public library, containing the great terrestrial globe made at Lyons in 1701, indicating the great African lakes, the rediscovery of which has been one of the events of the present century. There are 160,000 volumes and 2500 manuscripts,—about 600 of the printed works being incunabula, and 25 of the MSS. belonging to the Carlovingian period.

In the second story of the Bourse is the museum of the Art and Manufacture of silk. Open to the public on Sundays and Thursdays between 11 and 4. The great hall contains, in high glass cases, specimens of silk, satin, velvet, crape, and lace, arranged according to centuries from the 13th and 14th to the 19th. The 19th, which is by far the richest and most beautiful, is in two cases, representing the first and the latter half of the century. This collection is choice and highly artistic, displaying miniature portraits, superb embroidery, and lovely designs in charming colours, woven in the loom. At the entrance to the hall is a portrait (about 13 in. by 10) of Jacquard, in a sitting posture, woven in white and black silk, like those at St. Etienne. Also the Will of Louis XVI. In the next room are looms and models of looms from the time of Louis XI. The models are so perfect that each contains part of a web woven in it. Among them is the model of the famous loom made by Jacquard in 1804, by which a single workman was enabled to produce elaborate fabrics as easily as the plainest web, and by merely changing the “cartoons” to make the most different textures on the same loom. Near the loom is the first sewing machine. The inventor was B. Thimonier of Lyons in 1829, from which those now in use are improved copies.

The cases round the inmost room are devoted to the natural history of silk—displaying every variety of the silk butterfly, Bombyx mori, as well as of the allied species; cocoons of every kind and in every condition; eggs and caterpillars at every stage of their existence; and hanks of raw silk from every part of the world where it is produced. Adjoining is a room with drawings, many by the great masters.

Formerly Lyons manufactured only high-class silks, but the demand for these having been for some years on the decrease, the manufacturers, to hold their place in the market against especially their Créfeld rivals, have had to turn their attention to cheaper stuffs. This in some measure is owing to the rapid and violent changes of fashion, 39

which makes a silk dress good only for a few months, whereas formerly, with an occasional alteration, it was worn for years.

In the street behind the east side of the Bourse are the large covered markets; where many of the fishes of the Rhone may be seen alive in tanks, and good Mont d’Or cheese be bought. It makes capital railway travelling provision. (See page 42.)

Lyons: City Hospital and Workhouse.

Farther down the street, with the principal facade to the Rhône, and the other, containing the entrance, to the Rue de l’Hôpital, is the Hôtel Dieu, or general hospital, with 1500 beds, founded in the 6th cent. by Childebert and Ultrogotha his queen. The present building is principally the work of Soufflet, the architect of the Pantheon in Paris. Of the beds, about 1300 are free, the remainder pay from 1¼ fr. to 12 frs. per day. The rooms are lofty and well ventilated. The principal female wards are arranged in the form of a cross, with an altar in the centre under the small dome, in such a position that all the patients can see it from their beds. From the large dome extends the principal ward of the men, containing 100 beds, and a smaller one on the other side. The sick are tended by nuns. The hospital has a house on the heights of the Croix-Rousse, near the terminus of the rope railway, and another at Oullins for incurables.

In the first court left of the large court, Dr. Young buried Mrs. Temple, the Narcissa of his _Night Thoughts_, who died in 1730 at Montpellier, but was there refused burial. At that time what is now a built-up court was a cemetery. Fifty years ago it was a garden, now it is covered with buildings. All trace of the grave has disappeared.

Near the entrance to the hospital is the church, 18th cent., richly decorated. In a chapel, left, is the enormous gilt shrine, in 5 stages, of Sainte Valentine.

Farther down the Rhône is the Hospice de la Charité, founded in 1531, on the occasion of a great famine. It receives the poor of both sexes who have reached 70; sick children under 15, and young women about to be mothers. The church was built in 1617.

Lyons: St. Martin d’Ainay.

North from the hospice or workhouse, near the bridge of Ainay across 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 40

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 41

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 42

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 43

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.

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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.

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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 46

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 47

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; 48

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 49

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. 50

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 51

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 93 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 52

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 53

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. 54

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.