Having engaged a place in the diligence, which took the way of Tours, in the afternoon of the 27th of October, I commenced my journey to Bordeaux, after bidding farewell “To the few, I might leave with regret.” In order to guard against the same irregularity of meals, which I had suffered from on my way to Paris, I took care to be provided with a tongue, fruit, and a bottle of wine. My companions were three Frenchmen, and of course I could anticipate little conversation, at least they were sure soon to find me a dead letter; but notwithstanding, I doubted not but that I should derive occupation and amusement from my own reflections, and determined to avail myself of all the opportunities of social intercourse which might offer themselves. As may be imagined, the afternoon passed off very silently on my part: at night I contrived to dose a little, and my companions accorded with me perfectly in this respect. On the following day we dined at Blois, where they gave us some of the finest grapes I had yet partaken of in France. In the evening the weather proved rainy; at midnight we arrived at Tours, from whence, after resting a few hours, we proceeded on our journey at five o’clock in the morning; at eight o’clock we halted at a small town for breakfast, where I derived some gratification from meeting with a person who could speak English, an Irish horse-dealer, travelling with his string of horses from Rochelle to Paris. We reached Poitiers for dinner, at the late hour of eight in the evening, but my companions did not appear to be annoyed at this late postponement of their favourite repast. It appears very immaterial to a Frenchman when he gets his meals, he is not only _toujours prêt_, but endures fasting with better grace by far than an Englishman. On the following day we passed through Limoges and Angoulême. In the afternoon of this day, we took up a woman and her daughter, aged about seventeen, with a child; these were the only females I had yet met with in a diligence in France, and I could not but feel irritated at the ungallant treatment they received from their countrymen. The young lady having placed herself in the seat of one of them, he very rudely insisted upon her restoring it: I regretted that I was unable to advocate her cause: but possibly this feeling might be dictated by some selfish motive, as a desire to resent certain indignities to which I had been subjected by the same individual, who frequently annoyed me with the fumes of his segar, and once had the impudence to puff them in my face; I felt not a little inclined to give him personal chastisement, but prudence restrained me.