The Contrivance Is Simple And
Effectual, And The Passage Equally Safe And Expeditious.
The
boatman has nothing to do, but by means of a long massy rudder,
to keep the head obliquely to the stream, the force of which
pushes the boat along, the block to which it is fixed sliding
upon the rope from one side to the other.
All these rivers take
their rise from the mountains, which are continued through
Provence and Dauphine, and fall into the Rhone: and all of them,
when swelled by sudden rains, overflow the flat country. Although
Dauphine affords little or no oil, it produces excellent wines,
particularly those of Hermitage and Cote-roti. The first of these
is sold on the spot for three livres the bottle, and the other
for two. The country likewise yields a considerable quantity of
corn, and a good deal of grass. It is well watered with streams,
and agreeably shaded with wood. The weather was pleasant, and we
had a continued song of nightingales from Aix to Fontainebleau.
I cannot pretend to specify the antiquities of Vienne, antiently
called Vienna Allobrogum. It was a Roman colony, and a
considerable city, which the antients spared no pains and expence
to embellish. It is still a large town, standing among several
hills on the banks of the Rhone, though all its former splendor
is eclipsed, its commerce decayed, and most of its antiquities
are buried in ruins. The church of Notre Dame de la Vie was
undoubtedly a temple.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 519 of 535
Words from 138943 to 139194
of 143308
