Or all our toil is lost.”
It may be difficult to say, under what description of traveller I proposed to class myself. Sterne enumerates the following species of the wandering tribe. “Idle travellers; inquisitive travellers; lying travellers; proud travellers; vain travellers; splenetic travellers; travellers of necessity; the delinquent and felonious traveller; the unfortunate and innocent traveller; the simple traveller; and last of all (if you please), the sentimental traveller.” Now I do not think any of these titles strictly applicable to myself; I shall not, however, attempt to determine the point, but leave it to the courteous reader to apply that which he may consider most appropriate.
I reached Dover on the evening of the 14th of October, 1819, and on the following morning embarked with a fair wind for Calais. This day is the more remarkable to me, as being, in addition to the present incident, the anniversary of my birth, as well as the same day of the year in which, after my loss of sight, I first set out for Edinburgh, to commence a course of studies at that celebrated university. In little more than three hours we arrived off the harbour of Calais, when the tide not answering for our making the pier, a boat came out for the mail, and I availed myself of the opportunity of going on shore; for this earlier accommodation I was charged five francs, a sum nearly equal to half the fare across the channel.
Behold me, then, in France! surrounded by a people, to me, strange, invisible, and incomprehensible; separated from every living being who could be supposed to take the least interest in my welfare, or even existence; and exposed to all the influence of national prejudice, which is said to prompt this people to take every advantage of their English neighbours. To counteract these disadvantages, I had nothing but the common feelings of humanity, assisted by the once boasted politesse of the great nation, and which might be expected to operate in favour of an afflicted stranger.
My commencement however proved auspicious, for I found an English valet-de-place, or commissionaire, on the pier, who assisted me through the ceremonials of the Custom-house, where they did me the favour to take two francs as a remuneration for their trouble in inspecting my luggage. He then conducted me to the Grand Cerf Hotel; and after I had taken refreshment, went with me to facilitate my inquiries respecting the diligences to Paris, for which place I proposed setting off on the following morning. After this, we extended our walk through the town, and visited the ramparts and banks of the canal to St. Omer.
On returning to the Hotel, I partook for the first time of a French dinner; and, the commissionaire having left me, had the advantage of being waited upon by Paul the garçon, who did not understand one word of English; I had no little difficulty in getting through the routine of this important repast. Afterward I repeated my walk through the town, and on my return was surprised to learn that a person had been enquiring for me. It proved to be the waiter of the Hotel where I had breakfasted at Dover, who had crossed the channel in pursuit of a French gentleman who had taken his breakfast at the same table with me, and whom a friend of mine had endeavoured to interest in my favour. This gentleman had received from the waiter a ten pound note in exchange instead of a smaller one, and the latter was anxious to recover his lost property. I was sorry that I could give him no satisfactory information, for notwithstanding he had promised to shew me all possible attention before leaving Dover, and even regretted he could not give me a place in his carriage to Paris, he kept himself quite aloof after getting on shipboard, so that in short I heard no more of him.
In the evening Virginie, the fille de chambre, attended to put me to bed, and appeared literally to have expected to assist in the various operations of disrobing, &c. I was, however, enabled, through the medium of the commissionaire, to assure her, that it was quite unnecessary to give her that trouble. So, dismissing my attendants with the candle, I secured the door, and retired to rest.
In the morning I arose early, and inhaled the fresh breeze upon the pier, a wooden structure, which extends itself for a considerable distance into the sea. At the extremity near the town, is a pillar, erected by the loyal people of Calais, in commemoration of the landing of Louis XVIII. immediately after the first subjection of Napoleon, and near to it a brass plate, with the figure of a foot cast in it, fixed upon the very spot where this monarch first trod the French ground, after so long an absence from his affectionate subjects.
Breakfast was scarcely concluded, when it became necessary to take my place in the diligence for Paris; I occupied a seat in the cabriolet, which, in this coach, was unusually large, being sufficiently commodious to accommodate six persons, and where I had the pleasure of finding two of my countrymen, each with a son, proceeding to some school near Paris.