, and the plains
almost bare--still gravelly. We found the Isere much swollen by the
rain. The contrivance for carrying over the carts and carriages, is
exceedingly simple and beautiful: Three very high trees are formed into
a triangle, such as we raise for weighing coals. One of these is placed
on each side of the river, and a rope passes over a groove at the top,
and is fixed down at each side of the river; to this rope that crosses
the river is attached a block and pulley, and to this pulley is fixed
the rope of the boat. The stream tries by its rapidity to carry the boat
down; the rope across prevents this; and it therefore slides across,
with a regular though rapid motion.

It appears to me that we are getting into a poorer country in every
respect; for the inns are worse, the food worse, the roads worse, &c.
There seems a want of poultry as well as butcher meat. Mutton here is
very poor. Our inn to-night is the best we have seen since we left
Lyons; it is at the Golden Cross, outside the town of Valence, and is
neatly kept and well served. The waiter here had served in the army for
six years. He says, there are indeed many of the soldiers who wish for
war; but that he really believes there are as many who wish for peace: I
have little faith in this. We observed this morning a large party of men
returning from the galleys, having passed the time of their
imprisonment. They were all uniformly dressed in red flannel clothes and
small woollen caps, and attended by gens-d'armes.----Distance 23
miles--to St Valence.

* * *

_Thursday_, the 23d.--We left St Valence well enough pleased with our
lodging at the Golden Cross. It is, however, an exception to the bad set
of inns we have lately been at. In the kitchen here, which I entered
from curiosity, as the ladies went up stairs to the parlour, I found, as
usual, a most extraordinary mixture of company. I listened, without
joining at all in the conversation. The theme of discourse was a report
that had been circulated, that all the young troops were to hold
themselves in readiness again to take up arms. The only foundation I
could find for this report was, _that a drum had been beat for some
reason or other that evening._ This was a good opportunity of attending
to the state of the public feeling here;--all and every one seemed
delighted at the thoughts of war, provided it was with the Austrians.
One man (a shopkeeper to appearance), said, that his son, a trumpeter,
wh