he vines and flowers of France
for her Scotch kingdom, "Dear, delightful land, must I indeed leave
thee! Gay, lovely France, shall I never see thee more!"

We reached Tours somewhat later than we expected. According to our
previous arrangement, we were to stay there only the whole of the
following day, but we again broke our resolution, and extended our time
from one day to three. I envy not that man's heart who can travel France
by his watch.

CHAP. XIII.

_Tours--Situation and general Appearance of it--Origin of the
Name of Huguenots--Cathedral Church of St. Martin--The
Quay--Markets--Public Walk--Classes of Inhabitants--Environs--Expences
of Living--Departure from Tours--Country
between Tours and Amboise._

WE remained at Tours three days, and though nearly the whole of this
time was occupied in an unceasing walk over the town and environs, I was
still unwearied, and my subject still unexhausted.

Nothing can be more charming than the situation of this town. Imagine a
plain between two rivers, the Loire and the Cher, and this plain
subdivided into compartments of every variety of cultivated land,
corn-fields studded with fruit-trees, and a range of hills in the
distance covered with vineyards to their top, whilst every eminence has
its villa, or abbey, or ruined tower. The cities in France, at least
those on the Loire, have all somewhat of a rural character; this may be
imputed to their comparative want of that trade and manufactures, which
in England, and even in America, convert every thing in the vicinity of
a town into store-yards. In France, trade has more room than she can
well fill, and therefore has no occasion to trespass beyond her limits.
There are few towns but have larger quays than their actual commerce
requires, and still fewer but what have more manufactories than they
have capitals to keep them in work.

The general appearance of Tours, when first entered by a traveller, is
brisk, gay, and clean; a great part of it having been burnt down during
the reign of the unfortunate Louis, nearly the whole of the main street
was laid out and rebuilt at the expence of that Monarch. What before was
close and narrow, was then widened and rendered pervious to a direct
current of air. The houses are built of a white stone, so as to give
this part of the town a perfect resemblance to Bath. Some of them,
moreover, are spacious and elegant, and all of them neat, and with every
external appearance of co