II., MARSHES OF SAINT-GOND. =3rd day.=--After mounting the course of the Grand Morin as far as La Ferté-Gaucher _via_ Crécy, Couilly and Coulommiers, the tourist will lunch at Provins. In the afternoon he may visit the town, after which he will proceed to Sézanne to pass the night. =4th day.=--In the morning make the tour of the Marshes of Saint-Gond. In the afternoon proceed to Fère-Champenoise, Sommesous, ascending the valley of the Somme and spend the night at Châlons-sur-Marne. III., PASS OF REVIGNY (273 km.) =5th day.=--In the morning cover the distance from Châlons to Vitry-le-François and visit the latter town before lunch. After lunch leave Vitry for Bar-le-Duc where the tourist can dine and sleep. =6th day.=--In the morning the tourist may visit the lower town Bar-le-Duc and effect the circular tour which we indicate round the town. He will come back to Bar-le-Duc for lunch. In the afternoon the tourist will visit the upper town proceeding thence to Verdun. The latter town and the surrounding battlefields should be visited with the help of the separate guide which has been dedicated to them. IMPORTANT NOTE For details concerning hotels and garages see insides of cover. [Illustration: PLAN OF TOUR DESCRIBED IN THE PRESENT GUIDE] On the above plan, towns, of which a map is given in the present guide, are shown by a circle enclosed in a small square; the large rectangles indicate the boundaries of the coloured maps inserted in the guide, on which the reader will be able to follow the itinerary. I. THE OURCQ VISIT TO THE LOCALITIES in which were enacted the preliminary scenes of the BATTLE OF THE OURCQ from September 5 to 14, 1914 CHANTILLY (See map on next page) ORIGIN AND MAIN HISTORICAL FACTS Chantilly derives its name from that of the Gallo-Roman _Cantilius_, who was the first to establish himself in the locality. The Castle (a fortress during the Middle Ages) passed to the family of Montmorency in the fifteenth century and in the seventeenth to that of Condé. These two illustrious families brought Chantilly to a height of splendour which made it a rival of the royal residences. In 1830 the Duc d'Aumale succeeded the last of the Condés and at his death (1897) bequeathed the domain, with the Condé Museum, which he had installed in the castle (_see pp. 24-35_), to the 'Institut de France.' The town itself, built in the seventeenth century, was for a long time dependent on the castle. In our day it has become a big centre for horse training and racing, the great race meetings in May, July and September attracting huge crowds. CHANTILLY IN 1914-1916