young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.
196
veiling are fometimes the accidents that crofs the moments prepared for enjoyment;and at others, the fyftem of a journey inconfiftent with the plans of deftined pleafure.
The 18th. To Hatning, through an uninterefting country.-28 miles.
The 19th. To Savern, in Alface : the country to Phalfbourg, a fmall fortified town,on the frontiers, is much the fame in appearance as hitherto. The women in Alface wear draw hats, as large as thofe worn in England ; they flicker the face, and fhould fe-cure feme pretty country girls, but 1 have feen none yet. Coming out of Phahbourg,there are fame hovels miferable enough, yet have chimnies and windows, but the inha-bitants in thelowefl poverty. From that town to Savern all a mountain of oak timber,the defcent fteep, and the road winding. In Savern 1 found myfe'.f to all appearancetruly in Germany ; for two days pall much tendency to a change, but here not oneperfon in an hundred has a word of French ; the rooms are warmed by Uoves; thekitchen-hearth is three or four feet high, and various other trifles fliew, that you areamong another people. Looking at a map of France, and reading hiltories of LouisXIV. never threw his conqueff or feizure of Alface into the fame light, which travellinginto it did : to crofs a great range of mountains ; to enter a level plain, inhabiteJ by apeople totally diffinft and different from France , with manners, language, ideas, preju-dices, and habits all different, made an impreffion of the injuftice and ambition of fucha conduct, much more forcible than ever reading had done : fo much more powerfulare things than words.-22 miles.
The 20th. To Strafbourg, through one of the richefl fcenes of foil and cultivation tobe met with in France , and exceeded by Flanders only. 1 arrived at Strafbourg at acritical moment, which I thought would have broken my neck ; a detachment of hor’e,with their trumpets on one fide, a party of infantry, w'ith their drums beating on theother, and a great mob hallooing, frightened my French mare ; and I could fcarcelykeep her from trampling on Meflfrs. the tiers etat. On arriving at the inn, hear theintereffing news of the revolt of Paris . — The Gardes Francjoifes joining the people;the little dependence on the reff of the troops ; the taking of the Baltile ; and the in-flitution of the milice bourgeoife ; in a word, of the abfolute overthrow' of the old go-vernment. 1 very thing being now' decided, and the kingdom in the hands of the af-fembly, they have the power to make a new conflitution, fuch as they think proper;and it will be a great fpedlacle for the world to view, in this enlightened age, the repre-tatives of twenty-five millions of people fitting on the conflru&ion of a new and betterorder and fabric of liberty, than Europe has yet offered. It will now be feen, whetherthey will copy the conflitution of England, freed from its faults, or attempt, from theory,to frame fomething abfolutely fpeculative : in the former cafe, they will prove a blef-fing to their country ; in the latter, they will probably involve it in inextricable confu-fions and civil w ars, perhaps not in the prefent period, but certainly at fome future one.1 hear not of their removing from Verfailles; if they flay there under the controul ofan armed mob, they muff make a government that will pleafe the mob ; but they will,1 fuppofe, be wife enough to move to fome central town, Tours, Blois , or Orleans,where their deliberations may be free. But the Parifian fpirit of commotion fpreadsquickly ; it is here ; the troops, that were near breaking my neck, are employed tokeep an eye on the people who fhew figns of an intended revolt. They have brokenthe windows of fome magiflrates that are no favourites ; and a great mob of them is atthis moment aflembled, demanding clamoroufly to have meat at 5s. a pound. Theyhave a cry among them that will conduct them to good lengths,—“Point d’impot &vivent les etats.”—Waited on Monf. Herman, profefibr of natural hiftory in the Uni-
6 verfity