e we took a carriage for Guerande, to visit that remarkable
district called the Canton de Croisic, and consisting chiefly of that
place and the Bourg de Batz. We first came to Escoublac, a corruption of
Episcopi lacus, deriving its name from a lake belonging to the bishop of
the diocese.

The old town has been entirely buried by the moving sands which have blown
over it, and, in 1779, its inhabitants transferred their houses to the
present site. Hills of sand surround it in every direction.

Here we left the high road, and turned off to the left to Poulignan, a
little white bay, as its name implies; a charming retreat, with beautiful
white sands and picturesque rocks. This is a favourite watering-place with
the Nantais. Its whole population appeared to be in the water. A row of
small wooden chalets are built along the shore for the bathers, no
machines are used.

From Escoublac begins the large extent of salt-pans in which consist the
riches of this country. They reach to Batz and Le Croisic, the peninsula
which forms this district having formerly been an island which gradually
has been transformed into a marsh.

[Illustration: 44. Salt-pans, with Le Croisic in the distance.]

These salt-pans, cut out into small squares, have the appearance of one
great chess-board, interspersed with occasional hamlets and woods. The
working of them employs the whole population of the district.

They consist of large basins, dug at different depths, into which the
water of the sea is introduced, and are divided into squares called
"oeillets." The salt-water is turned upon the marsh by canals styled
"etiers," edged with narrow paths or roads called "bossis," elevated, some
of them, three or four feet above the marsh; on these the newly collected
salt is generally laid. The water passes by a subterranean conduit, the
"coef," into the "vasiere," where the first evaporation takes place; and
then successively into the "cobiers," "fares," and "adernemetres," until
it flows finally into the "oeillets," where the salt is definitively
formed. Each "oeillet" is about 20 feet by 30. The heat of the sun and the
wind effect the evaporation, which the paludier assists by stirring the
water from time to time. The salt which forms on the surface resembles a
kind of white cream, and exhales an agreeable perfume resembling violets.
This is the finest salt; that which falls to the bottom of the salt-pan is
of a greyish cast. The salt when formed is