I fhall conclude this letter with an anecdote of Cobler's family. a cobler's family of this town.-About a quarter of a league from Chamberry, a fine chateau, just built, attracted our notice. The master of which goes by the name of Jaques Mar (for he has no title), and is the fon of a cobler. In childhood, having quitted his country, he travelled into Spain (in as humble an equipage as many of his comrades who thrive on Pont-Neuf). Being arrived at Madrid, he had the good fortune to recommend himself as a marmiton in the Queen's kitchen; where, in process of time, he was promoted to be Chef de la Cuifine; and at length, fortune pushing himron, he became Entreprenneur de la Cuifine; in which capacity he had a fixed monthly allowance to provide victualing for all the household. Mean time, a brother of Jaques Mar's (who, to feek his fortune in England, had quitted Chamberry about the fame time) died in London, having realized ten thousand livres a year, which he bequeathed to his brother. Fame does not give fo accurate an account of the rife and progress of this Mar, as of Jaques. All I can learn is, that he ferved a London merchant (during his youth) who traded on the feas, and that at length he became confiderable, and carried on commerce on his own bottom. The Entreprenneur, Jaques Mar, planned and built the before-mentioned chateau, to which he is retired, with a yearly income in the whole of forty thousand livres *. He is not above fortyfive years old; is at prefent a widower, his wife

*Near 2000 l. English money.

Aiguebelle.

being lately dead, by whom he has two or three children. His coufin-german continues the familyftall, furnishing to the neceffities of the foles and heels of his neighbours, with as much humility as if there had been no chateau in the family.

Adieu. The poft paffes through here to-morrow morning, which will give you this letter; uninteresting as it is, you will be glad to hear we have got thus far, free from accident, and accompanied by fine weather.

I am, as ever, most affectionately, yours, &c.

LETTER VI.

Sept. 29th, 1770.

ERE we are at Aiguebelle, and here are we

HER

to fleep. We quitted Chamberry this morning, and had purposed leaving that town yesterday, but were obliged to poftpone our departure, not having been able to procure what is called, a good chaise and horses, to convey us to Turin, until this morning when a voiturin prefented himself with horfes and chaife for our approbation. It feems we were particularly lucky, for this voiturin is fupposed to have one of the best chaises and the best horses at Chamberry;-but after thofe of England, or even of France, it is not an easy matter to reconcile one's felf to a machine, which feems conftructed for the purpose of overturning its contents. It is fo extremely high and narrow, as to totter on plain ground; has but two wheels; its fhafts are tied over the back of the horse, after the

two

⚫ two extremities have been forced as near to each other as cords can bring them. The confequence of these shafts being raised up so high is, that the body of the chaise leans back; so judge of the eafy fituation of those who are thus happily conveyed. Nothing like a fpring to mitigate one's fufferings; but jolt upon jolt-now, by the unevenness of the road, lofing the equilibrium on one fide, till by a fudden rise one trembles for fear of being turned topfy-turvy on the other. The horse rode by the poftilion, is tied on with ropes to the fide of the chaife, the fhafts occupying the whole breadth. By the frequent breaking of thefe ropes, the chaise is stopped inceffantly to put them again in order. For this machine and three horses, including one for our courier, we are to pay fix louis and an half; and the voiturin is to convey our baggage and his chaife and horfes over the mountain *; (I certainly need not inform you, that there is no putting more than a pair of horses to a carriage in these roads.)-From Chamberry to Mont- Montmemelian the road is narrow, but not dangerous; and Savoy. the country fertile. The town and citadel of Montmelian (the latter now in ruins) are fituated upon a high and very fteep mountain, on the fides of which the vine is cultivated which yields that beverage fo much efteemed, and fo frequently mentioned by the Italian voyage writers +. The inn is

*Mount Cennis.

It is remarkable, that these vines have scarce any earth to grow out of. I do not believe that 12 cart loads could be collected from 15 acres of mountain on the weftern fide of Montmelian.

not

lian, in

not in the town, it is half a league on this fide, and was formerly a nobleman's chateau. But poor and humble must have been the times, when the great occupied fuch houses. An English farmer would not be thought unreasonable, were he to complain loudly of his landlord's having destined him fuch an habitation on his estate.

The afcent is fo steep from the inn, that we walked it up. Having gained the top, the country we had left behind appeared very charming; the river Isere washing the feet of the mountains, which from the bottom to the town of Montmelian are entirely covered with vines. The town is crowned by the citadel, now sufficiently ruinous to be a fine object of view. Higher again, and on all fides, rife up mountains, fome quite bare and barren, others clothed with wood; and great beds of fnow in the clefts of rocks, forming a ftrong contraft with the green pines. From Montmelian to Aiguebelle, after paffing the mountain abovementioned, the road lies in a very narrow valley, which winds inceffantly; there is no room in many places, but for the road and the river, the mountains on each fide approaching close to each other. The course of the river is frequently turned by the ftones that have fallen into it, and the road is in many places impeded by vaft fragments of rock that have rolled down from the adjacent mountains. Within a league or two of Aiguebelle the profpect opens, the country is well cultivated and peopled, and feveral villages appear on both fides,

half

half hid in trees; the fpires of their churches, covered all over with tin, gliften amidst the forefts of firs. Several ruined towers, moftly of a fquare form, crowning the brows of the mountains, feem placed there on purpose for the view.

Aiguebelle lies in a bottom clofely furrounded by mountains, whofe tops are covered with eternal fnows, which the peasants firmly believe have never melted fince their firft fall after the creation of the world. This is but a poor ftraggling village. The water here is delicious; it is clear, light, and sparkles in the glass like Champaign. The inhabitants pretend, this village has acquired its name from the quality of the fine fountain that rifes in it. The inn is tolerable; there are a few Sardinian cavalry quartered here. A female, who belonged to the troop, particularly attracted my attention; fhe was dreffed in the regimental uniform; a man's coat of blue cloth, faced with fcarlet, and filver buttons; the skirts very long; a petticoat, buttoned before and behind, of the fame materials, covering a small hoop beneath it. On her head a brown peruke, which I think is called a Ramilie, with a queue reaching down almost to her heels. In perfon, extremely tall; her face long and pale, her nofe aquiline, and to crown the whole, an exceeding fierce cocked laced hat.-M is gone to fee the remains of the village of Randan, which was de- Village of stroyed a few years fince in a wonderful manner; the Curé of the parish accompanies him: if the account he brings me proves in

I fhall certainly retail it to you.

any degree curious,

M

Randan.