CHAP. VIII.AIX—MARSEILLES.
Mr. W⸺ pressed me to take up my residence at Aix with himself and his brother, but I was still too anxious to pursue my studies of the French language, and character, amongst the natives, to accept of his offer; notwithstanding, it was impossible that I could have been placed more satisfactorily to my feelings; his general information and good sense, highly qualified him to impart knowledge, and his uncommon urbanity of manners, made it particularly delightful to receive it from him.
“How much in every state man owesTo what kind courtesy bestows,To that benign engaging art,Which decorates the human heart;To every act it gives a grace,And adds a smile to every face;E’en goodness ’self we better see,When drest by gentle courtesy.”
“How much in every state man owesTo what kind courtesy bestows,To that benign engaging art,Which decorates the human heart;To every act it gives a grace,And adds a smile to every face;E’en goodness ’self we better see,When drest by gentle courtesy.”
“How much in every state man owesTo what kind courtesy bestows,To that benign engaging art,Which decorates the human heart;To every act it gives a grace,And adds a smile to every face;E’en goodness ’self we better see,When drest by gentle courtesy.”
“How much in every state man owes
To what kind courtesy bestows,
To that benign engaging art,
Which decorates the human heart;
To every act it gives a grace,
And adds a smile to every face;
E’en goodness ’self we better see,
When drest by gentle courtesy.”
I availed myself, however, of my friend’s kindness, until I succeeded in procuring accommodations in a French family, accustomed to receive students in the lawen pension. These gentlemen, however, only made their appearance at meal-times, nor did the resident family associate withus according to my expectation; I felt disappointed, and after staying ten days determined to change my quarters.
It was not easy to find a family like that of the Countess de M⸺, at Montpellier, particularly at this season, when every one who could afford to support the smallest establishment in the country, was, on account of the excessive heat, gone out of town. At length I fixed myself with Madame R⸺, the widow of an officer of dragoons, with three children, the eldest a girl of fourteen. A rich old gentleman, her cousin, M. B⸺, also resided with her, and they kept, in conjunction, two carriages and three horses, and occupied three different country houses.
I had the pleasure, one day, of accompanying Madame R⸺ on horseback, to visit one of her country seats, and was not a little surprised to find that she rode after the manner of gentlemen, with a horse-cloth doubled under her, instead of a saddle. It is, however, seldom that ladies in France ride on horseback, and they were not a little astonished, after the peace, to see our fair countrywomen riding in their usual manner with side-saddles, an accommodation they were not familiar with. I must acknowledge, I should not have liked exhibiting in the same way in Hyde Park; we did not, however, pass through the townin this manner, for our horses were led out of it before we mounted, and on our return, we dismounted before re-entering it.
A few days after my arrival, I commenced using the mineral baths of Aix, which I persevered in during my residence, and I think with much advantage, although I could not bear drinking the waters, which I fancied to be of a chalybeate nature; I endeavoured, but in vain, to get a correct analysis of them; the resident physician, appointed by government, either could not, or would not inform me; he referred me to a large octavo volume, sold at the baths, but I found it contain nothing except eulogies on their virtues, in almost every disease to which the human body is incidental. The temperature of the water is about 97° Fahrenheit.
The baths are situated in the Fauxbourg, or higher part of the town; the best situation for the invalid who wishes to take advantage of them, is near the Hotel de Prince, on the Coursé, which is the pleasantest part of the town.
The Coursé, is a double walk, with rows of lime-trees on both sides, and a carriage road between them; these walks form the fashionable promenade of the place on a summer’s evening. There are also good boulevards; Aix upon the whole, however, is defective in public walks, and thestreets are narrow and very dirty. It is far from being an agreeable residence in summer, as the town is empty and dull; and in winter it is cold, in consequence of its situation on an extensive plain, exposed to thevents de bisefrom the neighbouring mountains.
There is a line cathedral at Aix, one of the doors of which is considered an exquisite piece of workmanship; in consequence, it is preserved in a case, and a particular application required to get admitted to a sight of it. I attended the service of the cathedral one fête day, and heard some very fine vocal and instrumental music.
The college here is as famous for law, as that of Montpellier for physic; and there is a public library which contains some English books, presented by one of our countrymen. The town also possesses a museum of natural history, and some good private collections of paintings.
My intercourse was chiefly confined to the family with which I resided, and a few English friends; I am, therefore, unable to say much respecting the social habits of the place, but understood that it was by no means defective in these respects; although there are no public amusements during the summer, the winter brings with it theatrical, and other entertainments.
Provisions are abundant and cheap, and thebread is so excellent as to be sent in large quantities to other places.
I was anxious to visit the celebrated city of Marseilles, distant only fifteen miles, and proceeded with Mr. H. W⸺, and another gentleman, to put this design in execution; on our arrival we placed ourselves at the Hotel des Ambassador, in the Rue Beauveau, near the Place Moliere, where the theatre stands.
The commerce of this great mercantile city was at this time much depressed, owing to the heavy duties imposed upon goods imported by American vessels; which however they managed to evade, in some degree, by unshipping their cargoes at Nice, or Genoa, into French coasters.
We visited the coral manufactory; the corals used in which, are said to be very fine, and brought by the fishermen direct from the coast of Barbary; I should have been glad to have purchased some, but was apprehensive of imposition, and, moreover, found that I could not take them into Italy, and elsewhere, without paying very heavy duties, or incurring great risk of seizure.
It is customary at Marseilles, for the inhabitants in great numbers, to go to the outsides of the harbour early in the morning to bathe, for which purpose the females take the left hand, and the men the right. We were induced to follow thisgood example, and found the bathing delightful; we were carried by boats into about five feet water, with a fine sandy bottom, and steps were then thrown out to enable us conveniently to get into the water, and out again; but I preferred throwing myself from off the gunwale and diving for some yards, after which, I swam out to sea, to the astonishment of my friends and the surrounding strangers, who were rendered sensible of my loss of sight, by my occasionally calling out to ascertain the direction of the boat.
On the eve of our return to Aix, Mr. H. W⸺, a spirited young naval officer, determined to repeat his bathing in the close of the evening, and notwithstanding our solicitations to the contrary, insisted upon going alone, although quite unacquainted with the French language. His impetuosity led him into an adventure, which might have terminated in fatal results, and, at all events, compelled us to hasten our departure, under circumstances in some degree equivocal. On quitting his boat, he offered the man who belonged to it, the same remuneration he had on former occasions paid, which however was refused; my friend walked off, and the man followed him, talking loudly in an unintelligible manner; at length he laid hold of him by the skirt of his coat, when W⸺, turning round, knocked him down; a mobsoon collected, who taking the boatman’s part, proceeded to beat our young friend most unmercifully, and probably would have murdered him, had not some gentlemen interfered and extricated him; one of these had the kindness to accompany him home, and requested we would not venture into the streets, until the affair had been arranged with the police, to whom he offered to accompany us on the following morning. We acknowledged his kindness, but concealed our intention of quitting Marseilles at five o’clock in the morning; in short, we thought it better to avail ourselves of this chance of getting rid of the affair, not however, without some apprehension of being pursued.
In fact, in two or three days after our return to Aix, it was announced, that a person from Marseilles was enquiring for two gentlemen who had lately been at the Hotel des Ambassador, in that place; we immediately pictured to our imaginations, a police officer, with a warrant in his hand, but it proved to be one of the waiters, who had called to apprise us of a mistake of six francs, against us, in making out our bill, which we paid with much satisfaction, as flattering ourselves that we had now fully outwitted the police.
The month of September having considerably advanced, and the weather becoming sensiblycolder, I began to think of suspending the use of the hot baths, and removing to a milder climate. I had the pleasure, however, of thinking my health materially improved, my eyes in particular felt lighter, and I fancied that I could occasionally discern a flash of light from the under part of the left one. I selected Nice for my winter’s residence, and on the 14th of September left Aix in the diligence, for Antibes, taking leave of the last town in France, where I proposed making any extended residence.
It is not easy to describe my emotions in quitting a people, with whose language and habits I was now becoming well acquainted, and to whom I felt a degree of attachment, grounded, if not upon congeniality of sentiment, at least upon a grateful sense of repeated acts of kindness, and attention, which I had experienced from them.
It is true, that I was fully alive to all the anticipated enjoyments of a land of promise; the favoured Italy, highly gifted by nature and art; the cradle of genius; the birth-place of poets, orators, and warriors; and once the sole arbitress of the fate of the world.
I sought consolation in reflections of this nature, and in repeating the lines of a favourite poet.
“Hope must brighten days to comeWhile memory gilds the past.”
“Hope must brighten days to comeWhile memory gilds the past.”
“Hope must brighten days to comeWhile memory gilds the past.”
“Hope must brighten days to come
While memory gilds the past.”