THE BEE, OR LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1791. Travelling Memorandums, continued from page 261. OCTOBER 8th. I was this day conducted to the very beautiful chapel of- There is one capital picture here by Rubens, Chrift just expiring on the cross, and Magdalen, a figure of wonderful beauty and affecting distress, at the bottom. To be charmed by true genius, and mafterpieces in painting, it is not neceffary that we be either artists or connoiffeurs.We ctoffed the river by the finest timber bridge I have feen,light, well proportioned, and fubftantial. We paffed through a de lightful alley of poplars, and then arrived at one of their greatest hospitals. All appeared decent, cleanly and orderly.They were at dinner on no other provifions but bread, milk, vegetables, or legumes-with every symptom of health, contentment, and even cheerfulness. In this great city, there is a numerous body of mars chands, moftly in retail-trade.Though few of their citi VOL. III Pp zens make large fortunes, many of them are in eafy circumftances. Monfieur Faye made mention of a famous Doctor, Monfieur, who, in twenty years practice, may have acquired twelve or fourteen thousand pounds Sterling. I proposed a confultation on my complaints, with a fee of two or three guineas, in our fashion. My friend told me, I fhould run no hazard of difcrediting my country, if I left, on the doctor's table, a fee of two pieces, of fix livres each, that is, ten fhillings Sterling. -My Scotch pride raised it to one Louis d'or, for which I had good advice" to use the best bark "I could find, moderately, and not habitually."-He gave the fame opinion precisely, which I had from our eminent old Doctor Clerk, more than thirty years ago,-" That my nervous complaints are not curable, "but may be mitigated and relieved, not by medi"cines, but by proper regimen, moderate exercise, "and change of air."He approved highly of Doctor G's opinion, with regard to regimen, and he bade me take for my motto, NEVER REST, and act according ly. He very highly commends the climate of Nice.He does not diffuade me from a temporary refidence at Hyeres, but makes one objection to it, that there is in that pleasant territory, a degree of dampnefs arifing from the nature of the foil. My esteemed landlady has made me acquainted with two very agreeable fellow-lodgersa Mr. P - from Ireland. I have rarely feen a more ingenious, well-bred, and promifing youth.-My other agreeable acquaintance is a Monfieur Clair,-a French gentleman advanced in years, but, in spirit, perfectly youthful,and in character, he appears un vrais philofophe.-I have occafion to obferve and to know, that he delights in offices of kindness and humanity, without any object of intereft.Though his incomes, from a fmall eftate in the neighbourhood, are very moderate, his habits of life are correfponding, frugal, fimple, and genteel;-and 66 66 -- he often fays, I believe fincerely, "Give me a ducal fortune, I will not, I cannot, alter my mode of living in any one article,-fo I have no motive of dif content, or défire for more than I poffefs." His Opinions are fenfible and liberal, untainted by any fort of prejudice, and improved by ftudies of literature:He prognofticates great changes in France. With generous fervour, he often faid nearly these words, which I shall not forget" The lights of human reason derived from God himself, are now generally pro"pagated in this country, and we defpife the supersti"tion of Papal power-fo that in ten years time, we may have Catholics-but we fhall not have one "difinterested Papift in France." 66 146 October 9th. I have paffed a very pleasant day in viewing fome of the most remarkable manufactories of this great place, in company with my two friends at the inn, and Monfieur Faye as our guide-The operations of the velvet manufactories are very nice and perfect-Though I cannot fet down any particular of fatisfactory defcription, I remark fome striking circumftances-The manufactories here are diftinguished for beauty and elegance-With small prospect of use of ornament to myself, I was tempted to make fome costly purchases What is called the Chinese manufactory of velvet is very remarkable-They have a curious and fingular art of dying little spots of various colours upon the filk threads, in fuch a manner, that when thofe threads are properly adjusted by the artist, and wrought in the loom, they produce the intended figure of each pattern for every piece of velvet, and there is no known mode of executing the fineft patterns fo perfectly as this-The art is ftrictly preferved as a secret among the operative artists, who teach it only to their own children or defcendants-At this manufactory, a common journeyman will earn at the rate of fix livres, or five fhillings fterling per day--If fuch wages were conftant through the year, it would be very extraordinary-but the matter was explained, that if an ordinary: weaver can finish a piece of this work in a fortnight, or three weeks-he may, for a month following, be without employment during which interval, they are preparing materials for another web. October 10th. We had this day a charming promenade through the most beautiful alley I ever faw, with the river Sapne on the one fide, and the Rhone on the other-It terminates at the noble confluence of these two rivers-On the Rhone we faw a number of very curious mills for corn, and various manufactories, erected by means of great beams of wood, by which two large boats in the body, and near the fide of the river, are fixed at a small diftance from each other, and fo placed, that the water confined between them makes a strong ftream to turn the wheels, for machinery of differ ent kinds-All this grand work has been lately executed at a vaft expence by a company who became bankrupt Though a hard, yet no unprecedented fate. to the first projectors and inventors of the most useful and valuable arts. The Hotel de Ville is a grand building, which contain's mary handsome apartments for the accommodation of all ranks of men in the offices of governmentThe Echevin, and Comodant, Procureur General, &c.The great hall is truly magnificent; the walls are covered round with portraits of diftinguished characters-fome of them remarkably fine paintings.-There are several elegant apartments ornamented in the fame manner for the chambers of justice, police, and commerce.-Anciently this city was a republic.-By degrees the monarch ingroffed, in effect, all power.-Still the community of merchants elect three perfons, and the king nominates one of them to be Echevin, or chief magiftrate.In the neighbourhood of this and all flourifhing cities in France, there are many fine villas, pof feffed not only by the nobles and perfons of affluent for. tunes, but also by thriving burgeffes of all denomina tions. My landlady informs me, that the military gentleman whom I met on the road, is le mellieur homme de monde*, a Monfieur Noye, of noble family and high rank in the army. Lyons enjoys advantages fingularly great, from its fituation, in a very temperate climate, in the heart of France, and on two great navigable rivers, which have a prodigious extent. I am affured, there are many known pro-teftants in this city, who live unmolested, and exercite their religion privately. The archbishop of Lyons holds very largerevenues, and great privileges-A prevailing labject of popular complaint is, that the prefent archbishop has used those privileges with improper rigour-which lately excited an infurrection of the common people, fuppreffed by military force.--Some very fine young fellows, the ring-leaders, were executed-and the prelate, an old politician, is detefted-It seems reasonable to believe, that fuch provincial infurrections, under established governments, rarely happen without real grievances or oppreffion, by men unworthily raifed to power and place. Lyons has filk and raw materials for their fine manufacture from Provence and the other fouther parts of France. It is ftrange, that we rarely fee the materials of industry wrought on the fpot that produces them best.—The manufacturers of Lyons alfo bring their raw materials from Italy, from Spain, and the finest of all from Turin and Savoy. My good friend Monfieur Clair, in conversation this day, expreffed a fentiment which I think is a real bon mot, and I cannot forbear to fet it down.--He faid, "Les bonetes gens font toutes de meme religiont;" and he added, "this "is the true Catholic church, which can only be form"ed by the confenting fenfe of the wife, unbiaffed " and enlightened part of mankind, without any other *The best man in the world. Men of fenfe are all of one religion. |
