The potteries, which now form the stables of the château at Chaumont, are somewhat reminiscent of Franklin. M. de Chaumont had established a pottery here, where he had found a clay which had encouraged him to hope that he could compete with the English manufacturers of the time. Here the Italian Nini, who was invited to Chaumont, made medallions much sought for by collectors, among others one of Franklin, which was so much admired as a work of art, and became so much in demand that in later years replicas were made and are well known to amateurs. The family of Le Ray de Chaumont were extensively known in America, where they became large landholders in New York State in the early nineteenth century, and the head of the family seems to have been an amiable and popular landlord. The towns of Rayville and Chaumont in New York State still perpetuate his name. The two male members of the family secured American wives; Le Ray himself married a Miss Coxe, and their son a Miss Jahel, both of New York. From an anonymous letter to the New York _Evening Post_ of November 19, 1885, one quotes the following: "It was in Blois that I first rummaged among these shops, whose attractions are almost a rival to those of the castle, though this is certainly one of the most interesting in France. The traveller will remember the long flight of stone steps which climbs the steep hill in the centre of the town. Near the foot of this hill there is a well-furnished book-shop; its windows display old editions and rich bindings, and tempt one to enter and inquire for antiquities. Here I found a quantity of old notarial documents and diplomas of college or university, all more or less recently cleared out from some town hall, or unearthed from neighbouring castle, and sold by a careless owner, as no longer valuable to him. This was the case with most of the parchments I found at Blois; they had been acquired within a few years from the castle of Madon, and from a former proprietor of the neighbouring castle of Chaumont (the _calvus mons_ of mediæval time), and most of them pertained to the affairs of the _seigneurie de Chaumont_. Contracts, executions, sales of vineyards and houses, legal decisions, _actes de vente_, loans on mortgages, the marriage contract of a M. Lubin,--these were the chief documents that I found and purchased." The traveller may not expect to come upon duplicates of these treasures again, but the incident only points to the fact that much documentary history still lies more or less deeply buried. CHAPTER VI. TOURAINE: THE GARDEN SPOT OF FRANCE "C'est une grande dame, une princesse altière, Chacun de ses châteaux, marqué du sceau royal, Lui fait une toilette en dentelle de pierre Et son splendide fleuve un miroir de cristal." It is difficult to write appreciatively of Touraine without echoing the words of some one who has gone before, and it is likely that those who come after will find the task no easier.