consisting of the Bourg with the parish church and the Ville, composed mostly of old houses. A great deal of lace and blond is made here.
11¼ m. N. is the manufacturing town of [Ambert], pop. 8000, 43 m. N. by rail from Vichy; whence the ascent is made, 3 hrs., of the culminating point of the Forez mountains, the Pierre-sur-Haute, 3882 ft. above the sea. 15 m. from Ambert, and 11¾ m. S. from Thiers, is Olliergues, pop. 2000, on a hill rising from the Dore. It contains an old bridge, some 13th cent. houses, and the ruins of a castle which belonged to the family of the Tour d’Auvergne. 13 m. farther N., or 8¾ m. S. from Thiers, is Courpière, pop. 4000, on the Dore, with some old houses and the ruins of the castle of Courte-Serre. 61 m. N. from Darsac, or 36¾ m. N. from Ambert, is Thiers, south from Vichy. For [Vichy] see p. 358; [Thiers], p. 367.
The next station west from Darsac by rail (see [map, p. 46]) is [Fix-St. Geneys], 18 m. from Le Puy, 3274 ft. above the sea, pop. 900. Inn: H. des Voyageurs, situated on a tableland above the valley of the Sioule, covered on one side with firs. 2½ m. farther is the station for the hamlet La Chaud, 2950 ft. above the sea, on the Sioule. 7½ m. farther is Rougeac, with a castle 1923 ft. above the sea.
St. Georges-d’Aurac. Monistrol.
The most westerly station on the line is [St. Georges d’Aurac], 1872 ft. above the sea, 86½ m. W. from St. Etienne, and 32 from Le Puy. 58½ m. N. by rail is Clermont, and 131 m. S. by rail is Nîmes (see [map, p. 26]). Near the station is the inn Lombardin. The village, pop. 500, is 2 m. S.E. Other 2 m. E. is the château Chavagnac, the birthplace of General Lafayette. 5½ m. W. is Voute-Chilhac, pop. 800, most picturesquely situated on a narrow peninsula formed by the Allier, opposite the mouth of the Avesne. The church was built in the 15th cent. by Jean de Bourbon, bishop of Le Puy. Passengers going north change carriages at the station of St. Georges d’Aurac. 4½ m. S.W. from St. Georges, 90½ W. from St. Etienne, and 36½ from Le Puy, is [Langeac], 1690 ft., 63 m. S. from Clermont, and 127 m. N. from Nîmes. All the trains halt here. Inns: H. Lombardin; Pascon. Their omnibuses await passengers. Langeac, on the Allier, is a pleasant town near the station, situated in a vast plain. The parish church dates from the 15th cent. To the N.E. of the town, in the valley of Morange, is a coal-basin of 1450 acres. ([Map, page 46].)
15 m. S. from Langeac is [Monistrol-d’Allier], 2000 ft. above the sea, pop. 1200. The station is on the E. side, and the town on the W. side of the river. Coach by a picturesque road to Le Puy, 17 m. N.E. by St. Privat, 2930 ft., pop. 1600, on the stream Rouchoux, which runs in a deep gully between high cliffs. A little way beyond the hamlet of Chiers the road attains its culminating point, 3739 ft. above the sea. 10 m. from Monistrol is Bains, 3235 ft., pop. 1300, with a very old church. 1¼ m. farther the road passes the picturesque rock of Cordes, 3012 ft., and then descends to Le Puy by La Roche, 2895 ft., and Mont Bonzon. Coach from [Monistrol to Saugues], 6½ m. W., 3116 ft., pop. 4000, on the side of a hill, rising from the beautiful valley of the Margeride. In the neighbourhood is a monument
called the tomb of the “English general.” It consists of a square vaulted roof of small stones resting on four round columns 13 ft. high and 6⅜ ft. apart. It has no inscription, and bears a resemblance to the mortuary chapel at Valence (see [p. 44]).
Le Pouzin. Privas.
LYONS
NÎMES 81 91 [LE POUZIN], pop. 3000, Inn: H. Lion d’Or, on the Ouvèze, which here enters the Rhône. The town has foundries and the remains of its old castle. Junction with line to Privas, 13¼ m. W. [Privas], pop. 8000. Inns: Croix d’Or; Louvre. On an eminence 1060 ft. above the sea, at the foot of Mt. Toulon, 838 ft. higher, and at the confluence of the Chazalon, the Mezayon, and the Ouvèze. The town, looking well from a distance, consists chiefly of narrow, crooked, steep streets, and dingy houses. From the promenade called the Esplanade, planted with plane trees, is an excellent view of the picturesque valley of the Ouvèze, and of the volcanic chain of the Coiron, especially of Mount Combier. 1¼ m. from Privas, on the plain of the Lai, is a house called the Logis du Roi, in which Louis XIII. established his headquarters in 1629, when, with Cardinal Richelieu, he besieged the Protestant inhabitants in the town, commanded by the brave Montbrun.
From Privas, coach daily, 11 m. N. to Ollières, on the Eyrieux. Inn: H. du Pont, comfortable. This coach meets at Ollières the coaches to La Voulte and Valence on the Rhône, and the coaches to Le Cheilard and to St. Pierreville. The latter is the coach to take for the [Source of the Loire] and [Mont Mezenc] (see pp. 84, 85). Coach also to Aubenas, 18 m. S.E. (See next page, and [map p. 46].)