COLIGNY, CONDE, MONTMOGERY, and MATIGNON.[159]

But for the Castle. It is situated at the extremity of an open space,
terminated by a portion of the boulevards; having, in the foreground, the
public library to the left, and a sort of municipal hall to the right:
neither of them objects of much architectural consequence. Still nearer in
the foreground, is a fountain; whither men, women, and children--but
chiefly the second class, in the character of _blanchisseuses_--regularly
resort for water; as its bason is usually overflowing. It was in a lucky
moment that Mr. Lewis paid a visit to this spot; which his ready pencil
transmitted to his sketch-book in a manner too beautiful and faithful not
to be followed up by a finished design. I send you a portion of this
prettily grouped picture; premising, that the woman to the right, in the
foreground, begged leave purposely to sit--or rather stand--for her
portrait. The artist, in a short time, was completely surrounded by
spectators of his graphic skill.

[Illustration]

The "_Cheval Blanc_"--the name of the hotel at which I reside--should be
rather called the "_Cheval Noir_;" for a more dark, dingy, and even dirty
residence, for a traveller of any _nasal_ or _ocular_ sensibility, can be
rarely visited. My bed room is hung with tapestry; which, for aught I know
to the contrary, may represent the daring exploits of MONTGOMERY and
MATIGNON: but which is so begrimed with filth that there is no decyphering
the subjects worked upon it.

On leaving the inn--and making your way to the top of the street--you turn
to the left; but on looking down, again to the left, you observe, below
you, the great high road leading to _Caen_, which has a noble appearance.
Indeed, the manner in which this part of Normandy is intersected with the
"_routes royales_" cannot fail to strike a stranger; especially as these
roads run over hill and dale, amidst meadows, and orchards, equally
abundant in their respective harvests. The immediate vicinity of the town
is as remarkable for its picturesque objects of scenery as for its high
state of cultivation; and a stroll upon the heights, in whatever part
visited, will not fail to repay you for the certain disappointment to be
experienced within the streets of the town. Portions of the scenery, from
these heights, are not unlike those in Derbyshire, about Matlock. There is
plenty of rock, of shrubs, and of fern; while another _Derwent_, less
turbid and muddy,