Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808Pinkney, lieutenant-colonel (Ninian)
History
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808
Pinkney, lieutenant-colonel (Ninian)
France -- Description and travel
Throughout the morning's journey, the scenery was very nearly similar to
what I had previously passed, except that it was richer and more varied
with habitations. The peasantry, moreover, were occupied in the same
manner in getting in their hay-harvest, which, from reasons that I
cannot comprehend, seemed more backward as I approached to the
metropolis. This may partly, indeed, be owing to what will appear a very
extraordinary cause--the excellence of the climate. The French farmer
can trust the skies; he sees a cloudless sky in the night, and has no
fear that its serenity will be shortly disturbed. He is a total stranger
to that vicissitude of sunshine, rain, and tempest, which in a moment
confounds all the labours of the English husbandmen. The same sun that
shines to-day will shine to-morrow. In this happy confidence he stacks
his hay in small cocks in the field where it grows, and only carries it
away at his leisure. His manner of carrying is as slovenly as all his
other management. Annette carries an apron-full, Jeannette an
handkerchief-full, and Lubin a barrow-full. Some of it is packed in
sheets and blankets. Some of this hay was very bad in quality, and as
crops, still worse in quantity. Being too much exposed to the sun, it
was little better than so much coarse straw. Being merely thrown
together, without being trodden, when carried into the hay-loft, it
loses whatever fragrance it may have hitherto retained. I do not think
an English horse would eat it.
Chantilly totally disappointed my expectations. The daemon of anarchy has
here raised a superb trophy on a monument of ruins. The principal
building has been demolished for the sake of the materials; the stables,
and that part of the ancient establishment denominated Le petit Chateau,
are all that remain. I was informed by the people of the inn, that the
whole had been purchased in the revolutionary period by a petty
provincial builder, who had no sooner completed his installments, than
he began the demolition of the building, and the cutting down the trees
in the grounds. Buonaparte, fortunately for Chantilly, became Chief
Consul before the whole was destroyed; Chantilly was then re-purchased,
and is now the property of the Government.
The road now began to have some appearance of an approach to the capital
of the kingdom. I could not however but still observe, that there were
but few carriages compared to what I had seen within a similar distance
of London, and even of New York. The several vehicles were mostly
constructed in the same manner as vehicles of the same distinction in
England. The charette, or cart in common use, was the only exception on
the favourable side. This vehicle seemed to me so well adapted to its
purpose, as to merit a particular description.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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