vertheless, travel through
France with great safety, and always obtain a guard of the
_Marechaussee_, through woods or forests, or where they apprehend there
is any danger.

_P.S._ The following method of buying and selling the wine of this
province, may be useful to you.

To have good Burgundy, that is, wine _de la premiere tete_, as they term
it, you must buy it from 400 to 700 livres. There are wines still
dearer, up to 1000 or 1200 livres; but it is allowed, that beyond 700
livres, the quality is not in proportion to the price; and that it is in
great measure a matter of fancy.

The carriage of a queue of wine from Dijon to Dunkirk, or to any
frontier town near England, costs an hundred livres, something more than
four sols a bottle; but if sent in the bottle, the carriage will be just
double. The price of the bottles, hampers, package, &c. will again
increase the expence to six sols a bottle more; so that wine which at
first cost 600 livres, or 25 sols a bottle, will, when delivered at
Dunkirk, be worth 29 sols a bottle, if bought in cask; if in bottles, 39
sols.--Now add to this the freight, duties, &c. to London; and as many
pounds sterling as all these expences amount to upon a queue of wine,
just so many French sols must be charged to the price of every bottle.
The reduction of French sols to English sterling money is very plain,
and of course the price of the best burgundy delivered in London, easily
calculated.

If the wine be sent in casks, it is adviseable to choose rather a
stronger wine, because it will mellow, and form itself in the carriage.
It should be double casked, to prevent as much as possible, the frauds
of the carriers. This operation will cost six or eight livres per piece;
but the great and principal object is, whom to trust to buy the best;
and convey it safely. I doubt, it must not pass through the hands of
Mons. C----, if he deals in wine as he does in drapery, and bills of
exchange.

LETTER VII.

LYONS.

Upon our arrival at _Chalons_, I was much disappointed; as I intended to
have embarked on the _Soane_, and have slipped down here in the _coche
d'eau_, and thereby have saved my horse the fatigue of dragging us
hither: but I could only spare him that of drawing my heaviest baggage.
The _coche d'eau_ is too small to take horses and _cabriolets_ on board
at _Chalons_; but at _Lyons_, they will take horses, and coaches, or
houses, and churches, if they could be put on board,