ty miles. A superb road might be made
along the margin of the sea from La Spezai, where the champaign country
of Italy opens, to Nice, where the Alps go off northwardly, and the post
roads of France begin; and it might even follow the margin of the sea
quite to Cette. By this road, travellers would enter Italy without
crossing the Alps, and all the little insulated villages of the Genoese
would communicate together, and in time, form one continued village
along that road.

May 3. _Luc, Brignoles. Tourves. Pourcieux. La Galiniere_. Long, small
mountains, very rocky, the soil reddish, from bad to middling; in
olives, grapes, mulberries, vines, and corn. Brignolles is an extensive
plain, between two ridges of mountains, and along a water-course which
continues to Tourves. Thence to Pourcieux we cross a mountain, low and
easy. The country is rocky and poor. To La Galiniere are waving grounds,
bounded by mountains of rock at a little distance. There are some
enclosures of dry wall from Luc to La Galiniere; also, sheep and hogs.
There is snow on the high mountains. I see no plums in the vicinities
of Brignoles; which makes me conjecture that the celebrated plum of that
name is not derived from this place.

May 8. _Orgon. Avignon. Vaucluse_. Orgon is on the Durance. From thence,
its plain opens till it becomes common with that of the Rhone; so that
from Orgon to Avignon is entirely a plain of rich dark loam, which is in
willows, mulberries, vines, corn, and pasture. A very few figs. I see no
olives in this plain. Probably the cold winds have too much power here.
From the Bac de Nova (where we cross the Durance) to Avignon, is about
nine American miles; and from the same Bac to Vaucluse, eleven miles.
In the valley of Vaucluse, and on the hills impending over it, are olive
trees. The stream issuing from the fountain of Vaucluse is about twenty
yards wide, four or five feet deep, and of such rapidity that it could
not be stemmed by a canoe. They are now mowing hay, and gathering
mulberry leaves. The high mountains just back of Vaucluse, are covered
with snow. Fine trout in the stream of Vaucluse, and the valley abounds
peculiarly with nightingales. The _vin blanc_ de M. de Rochequde of
Avignon, resembles dry Lisbon. He sells it, at six years old, for
twenty-two sous the bottle, the price of the bottle, &c. included.

_Avignon. Remoulins_. Some good plains, but generally hills, stony and
poor. In olives, mulberries, vines, and