CHAP. X.
ST. ROSALIE.
My first object, on arriving at Nice, was to ascertain whether Mr. L⸺, lately one of my acquaintance at Aix, was yet at Nice, where he had been for a time residing, and of which I was doubtful, as I knew that he was about this time intending to proceed farther into Italy. I had been apprised that I should hear of him at the house of Madame M⸺ at St. Rosalie, about a mile and a half distant from the town; and, as I was aware that he had paved the way to an introduction for me to this lady, I procured a valet-de-place to conduct me thither. I had the happiness to find him still in the neighbourhood, residing at a very short distance from Madame M⸺, although on the point of proceeding on his proposed tour.
Through his recommendation, I was immediately received as an inmate in the family of Madame M⸺, consisting of herself, two daughters, and a young English lady, Miss T⸺.
The mansion of this lady was an attachment to the adjoining church of St. Rosalie, now fallen into disuse, except as a family storeroom; the bells, and other ecclesiastical articles, had been presented by Madame, to the neighbouring church of Cimea, formerly a Roman settlement, with still some interesting remains of an amphitheatre, baths, aqueduct, and a temple of Apollo; and amongst which, ancient coins are still occasionally discovered.
The domain of St. Rosalie is delightfully situated, and furnished with shady walks, which offer a cool retreat amidst the severest heats of summer: there was one formed of trellis-work, over-shadowed with the vine, which was peculiarly grateful; here we frequently walked during the heats of the day, or amused ourselves with the pleasures of reading; to gratify my inclination for which my amiable companion Miss T⸺ would kindly devote many hours of the day to the perusal of such authors as most interested me; indeed I can never express sufficient gratitude for the many sacrifices she made for my accommodation and amusement.
We here proposed to continue, until the nearer approach of winter, would make a town-residence more agreeable. Our time passed away in the most happy manner; Madame was busily occupied by the vintage, and in laying up a stock of fruits, preserves, &c. in which the young ladies occasionally assisted; nor could I remain an idle personage, and I proved myself far more dexterous in cutting down the bunches of grapes, than my companions were willing to have given me credit for. It was necessary that as little time as possible, should be lost in this operation, as exposure to wet, during the gathering of the grapes, injures the flavour of the wine: we succeeded in completing our task in two days.
The process of making the wine is as follows:—The grapes being selected and picked, are put into a large vat, where they are well trodden down by the naked feet; after which, the liquor is drawn off from below; the bruised grapes are then put into a press, and the remaining liquor extracted. The whole of the juice is now transferred into casks with their bungs open, and allowed to ferment, and discharge its impurities for twelve, fifteen, or twenty days, according to the strength of the grape; the waste occasioned by the discharge being constantly supplied with fresh liquor. The casks are then carefully closed, and in about a month the wine is considered fit for drinking.
When the grapes are of a bad, meagre kind, the wine-dealers mix the juice with quicklime, in order to give it a spirit which nature has denied, or, possibly, to take off acidity.
About this time, Dr. Skirving, an English physician, whom I had the pleasure of knowing in Edinburgh, and an intimate acquaintance of Madame M⸺, arrived with a view of establishing himself in practice at Nice. He had originally become known at this place, in consequence of having been detained in it by the illness of a friend, who in an intended voyage from Civita Vecchia to Marseilles, ruptured a blood-vessel on his lungs, by the exertions of sea-sickness, and was compelled to make this port, where, after lingering some months, he died. Pleased with the situation, and at the solicitations of his friends, he determined to make Nice his permanent residence, and having arranged his affairs in England, was now arrived to carry the plan into execution.
With a cultivated and liberal mind, Dr. S⸺ is possessed of superior professional abilities; I had the pleasure of witnessing an interesting recovery, under his care, in the person of a lady who had an abscess on her lungs. At one time she was considered so near dissolution, that some of her friends were importunate to have the last consolations of religion administered to her; but my friend, aware of the danger of agitating her mind at this critical moment, entreated that the measure might be deferred, and she was afterward restored to comparative good health. If any apology is necessary for this digression, it must be placed to the score of the warmest friendship; indeed, I should feel myself ungrateful, did I neglect to acknowledge this gentleman’s undeviating kindness to myself.