young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

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that form the embouchure are low, which takes off from that greatnefs of the' effectwhich highlands give to the mouth of the Shannon. The fwelling bofom of the At-lantic boundlefs to the right. Savanal is poverty itfelf.-33 miles.

The 21 ft. Come to an improvement in the midft of thefe deferts, four good houfesof ftone and flate, and a few acres run to wretched grafs, which have been tilled, butall favage, and become almoft as rough as the reft. I was afterwards informed thatthis improvement, as it is called, was wrought by Englifhmen, at the expence of agentleman they ruined as well as themfelves.—I demanded how it had been done ?Pare and burn, and fow wheat, then rye, and then oats. Thus it is for ever and ever!the fame follies, the fame blundering, the fame ignorance; and then all the fools inthe country faid, as they do now, that thefe waffes are good for nothing. To myamazement find the incredible circumftance, that they reach within three miles of thegreat commercial city of Nantes ! This is a problem and a leffon to work at, but notat prefent. Arrive—go to the theatre, new built of fine white ftone, having a mag-nificent portico of eight elegant Corinthian pillars in front, and four others, to feparatethe portico from a grand veftibule. Within all is gold and painting, and a coup d'ailat entering, that ftruck me forcibly. It is, I believe, twice as large as Drury-Lane,and five times as magnificent. It was Sunday, and therefore full. Mon Dieu! criedI to myfelf, do all the waftes, the deferts, the heath, ling, furz, broom, and bog,that I have pafled for three hundred miles, lead to this fpeftacle ? What a miracle,that all this lplendour and wealth of the cities in France Ihould be fo unconnected withthe country ! There are no gentle tranfitions from eafe to comfort, from comfort towealth : you pafs at once from beggary to profufion,—from mifery in mud cabins toMademoifelle St. Huberti in fplendid fpeCtacles at 500 livres a night (21I. 17s. 6d.)The country deferted, or if a gentleman in it, you find him in fome wretched hole,

to fave that money w’hich is lavilhed with profufion in the luxuries of a capital.-20

miles.

The 22d. Deliver my letters. As much as agriculture is the chief objeCl of myjourney, it is neceifary to acquire fuch intelligence of the ftate of commerce, as can bebelt done from merchants, for abundance of ufeful information is to be gained, with-out putting any queftions that a man would be cautious of anfwering, and even with-out putting any queftions at all. Monf. Ritdy was very polite, and fatisfied many ofmy enquiries; I dined once with him, and w’as pleafed to find the converfation takean important turn on the relative fituations of-France and England in trade, particu-larly in the Weft-Indies. I had a letter alfo to Monf. Fpivent, confilier in the parlia-ment of Rennes , whofe brother, Monf. Fpivent de la Villelboifnet, is a very confi-derable merchant here. It was not poflible for any perfon to be more obliging thanthefe two gentlemen ; their attentions to me were marked and friendly, and rendereda few days refidence here equally inftruftive and agreeable. The town has that fign ofprofperity cf new buildings, which never deceives. The quarter of the comedie ismagnificent, all the ftreets at right angles and of white ftone. 1 am in doubt whetherthe hotel de Henri IV. is not the fineft inn in Europe : Deffein’s at Calais is larger,but neither built, fitted up, nor furniftied like this, w’hich is new. It coft 400,000livres. (17,500!.) furnifhed, and is let at 14,060 livres per annum (6t2l. ios.) withno rent for the firft year. It contains fixty beds for mailers, and twenty-five ftalls forhorfes. Some of the apartments of two rooms, very neat, are 6 livres a day ; onegood 3 livres, but for merchants 5 livres per diem for dinner, (upper, wine, and cham-ber, and 35s. for his horfe. It is, without comparifon, the firft inn I have feen inFrance , ana very cheap. It is in a fmall fquare dole to the theatre, as convenient for