A Tour through some parts of France, Switzerland, Savoy, Germany and Belgium | Page 5

stone.
The tide being out on our arrival before Calais, we could not get into
the harbour, and with that impatience to leave a ship, which is natural

to landsmen, we were glad to accept the offers of some boats which
hastened around the packet, to offer their services in landing us; this,
however, they did not exactly perform, being too large to get very near
the shore, to which we were each of us carried by three Frenchmen, one
to each leg, and a third behind. This service I had often had performed
by one of my fellow-subjects, and it seemed to verify the old saying,
that 'one Englishman is equal to three Frenchmen.'
Each Monsieur however insisted on a shilling for his services, and the
boatmen five shillings from every passenger. But I had travelled
enough to know, that extortion on such occasions is so general, as not
to be peculiarly the characteristic of the inhabitants of any country, and
if ever there is pleasure in being cheated, it is surely on such an
occasion as that of exchanging the misery of a ship for the comforts of
the most indifferent inn.
The arrival for the first time in a foreign country, of a person who has
never before quitted his own, is an epoch of considerable moment in
his life. Most things are different from those he has been accustomed to,
and the force of first impressions is then stronger than, perhaps, at
almost any other period. We are, in general, not much disposed to like
any custom, or mode of dress, which is greatly at variance with what
we have been long used to, and the enormous height of the bonnets in
France produces, in my opinion, an effect far from pleasing; the ladies,
by their strange costume, _out-top_ many of the military.
I found the town of Calais in a state of equal bustle with Dover, and
from the same cause. It is regularly fortified, and contains many very
good houses. The population is estimated at between seven and eight
thousand. The market-place forms a spacious square. The town-house
and church are handsome buildings, and altogether it must be allowed
much to surpass Dover as to appearance.
The search which ray portmanteau had undergone the day before in
England, was here renewed by the officers of the French Douane, but
with no better success on the part of the officers in being able to seize
any thing. They were, however, very polite, and their fees only
amounted to half a crown. My next care was, to attend at the town-hall,
and present my passport to the inspection of the mayor, who indorsed it
with his licence for me to proceed to Paris.
I accordingly determined on setting out without further delay, and

joined an acquaintance in hiring a cabriolet for the journey, to obviate
the trouble of changing our luggage at every post, and to avoid any
delay that might arise from not finding a carriage at every station,
which is by no means certain, as in England. We found the Cabriolet a
very pleasant conveyance, it is nearly as light as a curricle, and has a
head and windows, which exclude rain. It is drawn by two or three
horses, and proceeds at a tolerably good pace. The postilions are
provided with boots of a very inconvenient size, and with whips which
they are perpetually cracking, not much to the comfort of the ears of
their passengers.
Those who have never seen any thing but an English stage-coach,
cannot but feel some surprise at the different appearance which a
French Diligence presents. Most of them carry nine inside passengers,
and three in the cabriolet, and as much luggage behind, and in the
Imperial, as would load a tolerably large waggon. They are generally
drawn by four horses, which present a very different appearance from
those under the English carnages, and they are driven by one postilion,
who rides the wheel-horse. Occasionally, a second postilion and two
more leaders are necessary from the weight of the carriage, or the
heaviness of the roads. Carriages in France, in passing each other, take
exactly different sides of the road from what they are obliged to do by
our laws of travelling.
The country, for many leagues round Calais reminded me very strongly
of Cambridgeshire in its general appearance, being flat, well cultivated,
unenclosed, and abounding in wind-mills. About the villages there are
some trees and enclosures; but a few more church spires are wanting to
complete the resemblance. The distance from Calais to Paris is about
180 English miles, and may generally be considered as a flat country,
occasionally diversified by a few hills of no great magnitude.
Enclosures are rarely seen, but the quantity of corn is quite