ee crosses, the centre one
beautifully carved with St. John and the Virgin Mary by the side. The four
Evangelists are placed at each corner, and all the passages in the life of
Christ are represented by groups of little figures in the costume of the
sixteenth century. This singular monument bears two different dates, those
of 1581 and 1588.

Guimiliau is close to the railway, but there is no station there. We
returned to St. Thegonnec. The peasants along the road were threshing
their buckwheat on the open ground; women as well as men were at work.
They threshed in a circle, keeping good time with their strokes, and
laughing merrily while they flourished their flails,--they appeared a most
joyous party,--

"Ho! batteux, battons la gerbe,
Compagnons, joyeusement."

Buckwheat, their "ble noir," is the Breton's chief food, and is cultivated
to a large extent. With its coral-red stalks and snowy flowers it has a
very pretty appearance growing, and is the first care of the Breton
farmer--

"Ah! que la sombre nue aux funestes lueurs,
Planant sur la campagne,
Epargne les bles-noirs, les bles aux blanches fleurs,
Ce pain de la Bretagne."" --STEPHANE HALGAN.

This plant, a native of Asia Minor, was evidently, from its French name,
"sarrazin," introduced into Europe by the Saracens or Moors. We proceeded
by rail to Brest, passing under the foot of the abrupt rock upon which
stand the picturesque ruins of the ancient castle of La Roche Maurice and
the church of La Roche. The rail runs along the banks of the Elorn through
a narrow wooded valley; the windings of the river are very picturesque,
and formerly a steamer ran from Landerneau to Brest, affording the
opportunity of seeing them.

Brest, the first harbour in France, is Breton only in name and locality;
it is built in an amphitheatre on the slopes of two hills divided by the
river Penfeld, which forms the port. On the right is the suburb
Recouvrance, on the left Brest proper. This irregular site often causes
the second floor of the houses in one street to be on a line with the
ground floor of another. Brest is clean and well built, and consists of
three long parallel streets. The principal one, called the Rue de Siam, in
commemoration of the Siamese Ambassadors sent to Louis XIV., who landed
here, runs the whole length of the town, ending at the fine iron bridge
called the Pont Imperiale, the largest swing-bridge ever constructed. You