“I should be much obliged to you if you could send us recommendations to the Duke of Richelieu, the Marquis de Lorges, and the Intendant of the Province. Mr. Townshend assured me that the Duc de Choiseul was to recommend us to all the people of fashion here and everywhere else in France. We have heard nothing, however, of these recommendations, and have had our way to make as well as we could by the help of the Abbé, who is a stranger here almost as much as we. The progress indeed we have made is not very great. The Duke is acquainted with no Frenchman whatever. I cannot cultivate the acquaintance of the few with whom I am acquainted, as I cannot bring them to our house, and am not always at liberty to go to theirs. The life which I led at Glasgow was a pleasurable dissipated life in comparison of that which I lead here at Present. I have begun to write a book in order to pass away the time.” The world has no reason to regret this want of gaiety, for the book which Smith had begun in order to “pass away the time” was no other than the _Wealth of Nations_. At Bordeaux, Adam Smith, his pupil and the Abbé met Colonel Barré who wrote from that town to Hume on September the 4th:— “I thank you for your last letter from Paris, which I received just as Smith and his _élève_ and l’Abbé Colbert were sitting down to dine with me at Bordeaux. The latter is a very honest fellow, and deserves to be a bishop; make him one if you can.... Smith agrees with me in thinking that you are turned soft by the _délices_ of the French Court, and that you don’t write in that nervous manner you was remarkable for in the more northern climates.” From this time all went smoothly. Hume got them introductions from his chief, Lord Hertford, the British Ambassador, to the Duc de Richelieu and others. On the 21st of October they were again in Toulouse, and Smith wrote in good spirits to thank Hume for his kindness and the Ambassador “for the very honourable manner in which he was so good as to mention me to the Duke of Richelieu in the letter of recommendation which you sent us.” He adds:— “There was, indeed, one small mistake in it. He called me Robinson instead of Smith. I took upon me to correct this mistake myself before the Duke delivered the letter. We were all treated by the Maréchal with the utmost Politeness and attention, particularly the Duke, whom he distinguished in a very proper manner.... Our expedition to Bordeaux and another we have made since to Bagnères has made a great change upon the Duke. He begins now to familiarise himself to French company, and I flatter myself I shall spend the rest of the time we are to live together not only in peace and contentment, but in gayetty and amusement.”