But let me not exclude my English friends from this expression of feeling. Mrs. W⸺ and Miss S⸺ are, in particular, entitled to my sincerest acknowledgments; and who were not only the first to receive me at Toulouse, but the last to take leave of me. They will ever retain a place in the recollections of a grateful heart.
CHAP. VI.
MONTPELLIER.
We left Toulouse in the afternoon, and travelling during the whole night, reached Narbonne on the following day for dinner; at nine o’clock in the evening we halted for a short time at Beziers, where we were left, under cover from a heavy rain, in a kind of stable-yard, while our conducteur transacted some business in the town. After this we again proceeded throughout the night, and at day-break arrived in sight of the Mediterranean Sea, afterward reaching Montpellier about ten o’clock.
On leaving the coach, I accompanied a gentleman with whom I had been acquainted at Toulouse, and who had been a fellow-traveller on the present occasion, to his lodgings in this town; but on his arrival, he met with the following disappointment. During his absence, on legal business, he had permitted some friends to occupy his rooms, one of whom happened to die in his best chamber. Now it is customary in France, on such an occasion, to burn the bedding and other furniture, and in case of this happening in lodgings, the friends of the deceased are expected to pay for them; the charge, in the present instance, was eight hundred francs, and the furniture had not been replaced; my friend, therefore, was induced to provide himself with fresh rooms: formerly this was not the only tax upon the property of a foreigner who died in France, for by the droit d’Aubaine, which has only been abolished since the return of Louis XVIII., his whole property became confiscated to the King, under the erroneous idea that it must have been acquired in his dominions.
For the first three days, I lived with this gentleman at his lodgings, having however my sleeping-room at the Hotel de Midi; after which time, I had the good fortune to place myself in the family of Madame the Countess de M⸺, who occupied a noble mansion, agreeably situated near the town, replete with every convenience, and comprising beautiful gardens, embellished with terrace walks, fountains, and a bosquet, where, to my surprise, the nightingale sang all day long. For some reason or other, Madame found it convenient to dispose of a part of her house; one portion was occupied by two French officers with their families, and another by a Russian officer. The suites of apartments were, however, perfectly distinct, and there was little intercourse between the above and her own family, which inhabited the better part of the house, and consisted of herself, two daughters, and a relative, M. de C⸺.
I was exceedingly happy in this family, and with the friend who accompanied me from Toulouse, made various excursions into the surrounding neighbourhood; we particularly enjoyed the walks on the banks of the river and lake, where the air was much cooler and more agreeable, than on the road, at this time becoming dusty and troublesome. The scenery, about two or three miles from the city, is said to be romantically beautiful. On our return, we used, occasionally, to take a warm bath, which was peculiarly refreshing, and with respect to which, I noticed a luxury, which I had never before remarked,—namely, a clean sheet thrown over the surface of the bath, which you descend into, and are enveloped in.
There are also some delightful public walks about the town, as the Perût, whence is a view of the Mediterranean, and Cevennes mountains; the esplanade; and the botanic gardens. The city is also surrounded by boulevards, of which I was able to make the tour in forty minutes. The markets at Montpellier are well supplied with meats and fish of all kinds; with poultry, vegetables, and fruits in abundance. The vin ordinaire of the country, is termed vin de St. George, which is good, and full bodied, and sold from the cask as low as five or six sous the full quart bottle, although, after bottling and refining, the wine merchant charges twenty sous for a small wine quart. There is, however, another sort, termed vin de Lednon, which is lighter, but highly flavoured, and consequently more estimated, selling at thirty sous the bottle. A variety of other wines may also be procured.
Montpellier has a theatre, to which it is singular that the officers in the garrison here, are obliged to subscribe, whether they attend it or not; besides the above, there are a great variety of other amusements.
Madame de M⸺, and her eldest daughter, went one evening to a ball given by general B⸺, where the young lady had the fortune to make a conquest of an officer, with whom she danced; on the following day he paid her a visit, and shortly after made his proposals in form, which were accepted; after this, according to the custom of that part of the country, he was considered as one of the family, which was an additional pleasure to me, as he was a sensible gentleman-like companion. The marriage, however, did not take place until after my departure from Montpellier.