lytic at his arrival as to occafion his being helped out of his carriage by five men, in fix weeks after he had used the baths and drank the waters, got into his coach without affiftance, and is returned in perfect health to Geneva. Lepers bathe here, and, we are told, fome have been cured. The fecond fpring brings down with it a kind of ftuff or pafte in flakes, in colour and confiftence not unlike white of egg a little hardened, which flames and burns when applied to a lighted candle. Curiofity led me to tafte the water, of which having drank a glafs with feveral flakes in it; I was almost instantaneously feized with a fickness in the ftomach. It is used in confumptions, and all diforders of the breaft. I folded up in a paper fome of the most condensed flakes, which stuck about the fpring, and put them into my pocketbook to dry; but, an hour or two after, there was not the fmalleft veftige of them to be feen, nothing remained but an exceeding bad smell. However, they had covered a knife and fciffors, which were near them in my pocket-book, with ruft. The ftones, which receive the fpray of this fpring, are pafted over with a green coat refembling vitriol; and in the crevices, where the flakes are collected together, they have acquired a fubftance as firm as glaziers' putty. This is applied to corns as an infallible remedy. No doubt, it may be endued with many fuperior virtues; but its medicinal qualities have not yet been properly investigated. On one fide of the place, whence the the fecond fpring flows, is a hole in the rock, through which a perfon may creep. While we were trying to explore the course of this cavity, an old woman appeared with a lighted candle, in order to penetrate through this opening into a fubterraneous paffage, which fhe did with much ease. She had been fent by a phyfician to gather a quantity of the fubftance and incruftation mentioned above; but having advanced about nine yards, the great heat and fteam obliged her to make her retreat as fast as poffible. Probably this paffage leads to other baths within the mountain, of Roman construction; for, no doubt, the Ro mans were acquainted with thefe waters and their virtues. No fish, nor any reptile, as you may imagine, can exist in or near these springs.-The third fountain fupplies a bath of about twenty-two feet in diameter, of an irregular shape: it was built for Madame Royale. The water of this is green, and fo tranfparent, as to discover the fource bubbling up through the gravel at the bottom: but is not fo hot as the two fprings before mentioned. -About_two hundred yards higher up is another fountain, milk-warm only, that has fcarcely any tafte; this is called the refreshing fpring. Our guide affured us, it has the extraordinary quality of restoring in a few hours to their original freshness all forts of herbs and vegetables, though dried and withered. We had not time to make any experiments ourselves, nor further inquiry into the qualities of these waters: it is to be wished that fome CA fome good natural philofopher of England was to refide here for fome time, and to analyse them properly. I am fure the world would profit by his difcoveries.-There are no lodging-houses, nor any particular conveniencies for the fick. The inn indeed is not a bad one: and here those who come to Aix for their health are obliged to refide: its largest apartment is occupied at present by the Duke and Dutchefs de Gramont. The S's paffed the last summer, or part of it, here. We intend halting to-morrow to reft ourselves. This town is built like many of our old English country-towns, but inferior to most of them. Though, as I faid above, the best apartment in the inn is occupied, yet we are not ill lodged: the houfe is clean, and we are well ferved at three livres a head. WE LETTER V. Chamberry, Sept. 27th, at Night. E have been walking about this town all be feen, nor any thing curious. Abbé Richard, vol. i. p. 8, has faid more in favour of the architecture of the Church, than we think it deferves. Church. They fhew with great veneration a little chapel, in which the Sainte Suaire was formerly depofited: fince removed to Turin. Upon the wall hangs a long list of relics, confisting of above fixty different articles; fuch as St. John's reed, that was fhaken by the wind in the defart; two nails of the real cross; fragments of fome of the apostles' garments. But, unfortunately for the devots at Chamberry, all these precious realities have been removed to Turin, and the lift only remains. The old Castle Caftle. was deemed impregnable in bow and but is now commanded on every fide. arrow time, Two thoufand people were lodged within its walls in 1736 or 1737, at the marriage of the prefent King of Sardinia with Madame of Lorrain. The palace is in ruins. There are a few fmall pictures in the church of the Jacobins, which are tolerably well executed. The public walk admired by Lalande does not answer his description. Here are several fountains well fupplied with excellent water. The houses make a beggarly appearance, on the outside particularly, as the windows are of paper, and fre quently quently in tatters. In ftrolling about, we were accofted by a Jacobin monk, who informed us, Convents. that there are in this town fifteen religious houses, male and female communauté's, befides one convent of Jefuits, who, though confifting of no more than fourteen or fifteen in number, have a yearly revenue of thirty thousand livres (Piedmontefe). He added, that, to his knowledge, they had many concealed refources, but that they conducted themfelves and their affairs with the utmost secrecy and circumfpection, not chufing to converfe or affociate with any of the other religious orders. This man complained much of the rife and dearnefs of provifions. The measure of corn, which fold for four livres in 1767, cannot now be purchased under nine; and every other article of the neceffaries of life have gradually rifen, to the double of their former prices.-France used to fupply Savoy with a confiderable quantity of corn; but as this traffic is now prohibited, they are in constant apprehenfion of a scarcity. There may indeed be fome refource in their buck-wheat, which produces two crops, the second later than every other fort of grain. Several families of nobleffe refide at Chamberry,; and during the carnival they have a comedie and masked balls. The ladies here wear no rouge, excepting one old Marquife, who, I fuppofe, is a Frenchwoman.-Our hoft boafts much of a cer tain fish called lavaret, for which this river is famous; but he has not yet been able to procure us one of these delicacies. I shall |