On leaving the coach, I accompanied a gentleman with whom I had been acquainted at Toulouse, and who had been a fellow-traveller on the present occasion, to his lodgings in this town; but on his arrival, he met with the following disappointment. During his absence, on legal business, he had permitted some friends to occupy his rooms, one of whom happened to die in his best chamber. Now it is customary in France, on such an occasion, to burn the bedding and other furniture, and in case of this happening in lodgings, the friends of the deceased are expected to pay for them; the charge, in the present instance, was eight hundred francs, and the furniture had not been replaced; my friend, therefore, was induced to provide himself with fresh rooms: formerly this was not the only tax upon the property of a foreigner who died in France, for by the _droit d’Aubaine_, which has only been abolished since the return of Louis XVIII., his whole property became confiscated to the King, under the erroneous idea that it must have been acquired in his dominions. For the first three days, I lived with this gentleman at his lodgings, having however my sleeping-room at the Hotel de Midi; after which time, I had the good fortune to place myself in the family of Madame the Countess de M⸺, who occupied a noble mansion, agreeably situated near the town, replete with every convenience, and comprising beautiful gardens, embellished with terrace walks, fountains, and a _bosquet_, where, to my surprise, the nightingale sang all day long. For some reason or other, Madame found it convenient to dispose of a part of her house; one portion was occupied by two French officers with their families, and another by a Russian officer. The suites of apartments were, however, perfectly distinct, and there was little intercourse between the above and her own family, which inhabited the better part of the house, and consisted of herself, two daughters, and a relative, M. de C⸺. I was exceedingly happy in this family, and with the friend who accompanied me from Toulouse, made various excursions into the surrounding neighbourhood; we particularly enjoyed the walks on the banks of the river and lake, where the air was much cooler and more agreeable, than on the road, at this time becoming dusty and troublesome. The scenery, about two or three miles from the city, is said to be romantically beautiful. On our return, we used, occasionally, to take a warm bath, which was peculiarly refreshing, and with respect to which, I noticed a luxury, which I had never before remarked,—namely, a clean sheet thrown over the surface of the bath, which you descend into, and are enveloped in.