ents of nuns;
in one of which there are several English girls, sent hither for their
education. The smallness of the expence encourages parents to send
their children abroad to these seminaries, where they learn scarce any
thing that is useful but the French language; but they never fail to
imbibe prejudices against the protestant religion, and generally return
enthusiastic converts to the religion of Rome. This conversion always
generates a contempt for, and often an aversion to, their own country.
Indeed it cannot reasonably be expected that people of weak minds,
addicted to superstition, should either love or esteem those whom they
are taught to consider as reprobated heretics. Ten pounds a year is the
usual pension in these convents; but I have been informed by a French
lady who had her education in one of them, that nothing can be more
wretched than their entertainment.

The civil magistracy of Boulogne consists of a mayor and echevins; and
this is the case in almost all the towns of France.

The Lower Town is continued from the gate of the Upper Town, down the
slope of a hill, as far as the harbour, stretching on both sides to a
large extent, and is much more considerable than the Upper, with
respect to the beauty of the streets, the convenience of the houses,
and the number and wealth of the inhabitants. These, however, are all
merchants, or bourgeoise, for the noblesse or gentry live all together
in the Upper Town, and never mix with the others. The harbour of
Boulogne is at the mouth of the small river, or rather rivulet Liane,
which is so shallow, that the children wade through it at low water. As
the tide makes, the sea flows in, and forms a pretty extensive harbour,
which, however, admits nothing but small vessels. It is contracted at
the mouth by two stone jetties or piers, which seem to have been
constructed by some engineer, very little acquainted with this branch
of his profession; for they are carried out in such a manner, as to
collect a bank of sand just at the entrance of the harbour. The road is
very open and unsafe, and the surf very high when the wind blows from
the sea. There is no fortification near the harbour, except a paltry
fort mounting about twenty guns, built in the last war by the prince de
Cruy, upon a rock about a league to the eastward of Boulogne. It
appears to be situated in such a manner, that it can neither offend,
nor be offended. If the depth of water would admit a forty or fif