The appearance of that which I saw at Calais was much against it; the one I met with here proved a very tedious conveyance, not going in general above three or four English miles an hour; which, however is as much as could be expected from a carriage which is scarcely less laden than many of our waggons. It was drawn by five horses, all managed by _one_ postilion, mounted on one of the wheel horses, and furnished with a vast and _unwieldy_ pair of _boots_, cased with iron, and a long whip, which he is perpetually employed in cracking. Another important personage is Monsieur le _Conducteur_, who has the care of the luggage, &c. The French in general adhere to old customs, as well as the postilions to their antiquated boots; their hour of dinner in general being from eleven to twelve o'clock, and seldom so late as one. This in England would be considered only as a _Déjeûner à la Fourchette_. The hour of supper is from seven to nine, according as the length of the stages may determine. If the _hour_ of a French dinner is singular to an Englishman, the order in which it is served up is not less so. The soup (that great essential to a Frenchman) is always followed by bouilli, which having contributed to make the soup, is itself very tasteless.--Fricassées and poultry succeed; then follow fish and vegetables, and last of all comes the rôti, which, as I before had occasion to observe, is so much done as not to be very palatable. The pastry and desert conclude their dinners, which certainly deserve the praise of being both cheap and abundant. The fruit is astonishingly cheap; I. have seen excellent peaches sell for a sous apiece. A traveller is not, however, in general disposed to criticise these singularities, either in the hour or order of the repast with too much severity, as the remark attributed to Alexander the Great, has probably been made by many of less celebrity, "that night travelling serves to give a better appetite than all the skill of confectioners." The general price of the Table d'Hôte in France, including the _vin ordinaire_, is about three francs, which are at the present rate of exchange equal to about a shilling each.--Those who call for better wine pay of course extra. The vin ordinaire, or common wine of Burgundy, is a pleasant beverage, little stronger than cider, but in many parts of France it is by no means palatable. The cider and beer in France are, with few exceptions, extremely indifferent, and consequently little used. * * * * * CHAP. VI.