the Rhone valley, and the
larger scale of the scenery, especially when the far more brilliant
lighting-up is considered. Nor does the Rhone yield to its rival, in
regard to the picturesque form and position of its castles and other
buildings; while its greater width, and handsome bridges, add an
additional feature.

The best scene of the day, and a fit climax for its termination, was the
approach to Avignon at sunset,--a superb Claude. A turn of the river
placed the castle--an immense mass crowning the city, and presenting an
irregular outline--directly between us and the sun, the sky doing away,
by its brightness, with all the details of the landscape. The principal
objects were, the broad expanse of water, and the mass of deep purple,
tracing its dark but soft outline on the blaze of gold at its back. On
turning to look in the opposite direction, a scene equally striking
presented itself. The mountains between which we had been winding during
the last half of the day, are, from this point of view, ranged in an
immense semicircle, extending round half the horizon, and at that moment
were tinged by the sun with a bright rose colour, while they scarcely
appeared at half their actual distance. It looked like the final scene
of an aerial ballet, when a semicircle is formed by the rosy sylphs who
have figured during the representation.

After the hurly burly of debarkation at Avignon, and forcing our way
through the army of luggage porters--a ferocious race, notorious, at
this place, for the energy, amounting often to violence, with which they
urge the acceptance of their kind offices--the picturesque look of the
place, and the necessary hour of waiting for dinner, led me to a scene,
which I accepted as a satisfactory greeting on my arrival in the land
of the troubadours. A group of half a dozen labourers, returned from
their day's work, were lolling in every variety of attitude, on some
large stones placed in front of the _chateau_. They were singing--and
with perfect precision of _ensemble_--each his part of the chorus. At
the conclusion of every _morceau_, the whole party made the facade of
the ancient palace echo with peals of laughter; after which they all
talked at once, until they had agreed on the choice of the succeeding
air.

The castle of Avignon--ancient residence of the Popes, shelters now a
different sort of inmates. It serves for barracks for a regiment of
infantry. At this moment the lamplighter had compl