he luxuriance and
extent of its woods, rivals the forest of Fontainbleau. The place on
which it stands is varied by rising grounds, and the distance exhibits
beautiful vistas of forest scenery and gentle swells, adorned by rich
and varied foliage. It wants, however, those grand and striking
features, that mixture of rock and wood, of forest gloom and savage
scenery, which give so unrivalled a charm to the forest of
Fontainbleau.

From Villars Coterets, the road lies over a high plateau, covered with
grain, and exhibiting more than ordinary barrenness and desolation.
After passing over this dreary track, you arrive at the edge of a steep
declivity, which shelves down to the valley in which the Aisne wanders.
The appearance of this valley is extremely beautiful. It is sheltered by
high ridges, or sloping hills, covered with vineyards, orchards, and
luxuriant woods: the little plain is studded with villas and neat
cottages, embosomed in trees, or surrounded by green meadows, in which
the winding course of the Aisne can at intervals be discerned. When we
reached this spot, the sun had newly risen; his level rays illuminated
the white cottages with which the valley is sprinkled, or glittered on
the stream which winded through its plain; while the Gothic towers of
Soissons threw a long shadow over the green fields which surrounded its
walls. It reminded us of those lines in Thomson, in which the effect of
the morning light is so beautifully described:

"Lo, now apparent all,
Aslant the dew-bright earth and coloured air,
He looks in boundless majesty abroad,
And sheds the shining day, that burnished plays
On rocks, and hills, and towers, and wandering streams,
High gleaming from afar."

The descent to Soissons is through a declivity adorned by thriving
gardens and neat cottages, detached from each other, which afforded a
pleasing contrast to the solitary, uninhabited, though cultivated plains
through which our route had previously lain. The Fauxbourgs of the town
were wholly in ruins, having been totally destroyed in the three
assaults which they had sustained during the previous campaign. The town
itself is small, surrounded by decayed fortifications, and containing
nothing of note, except the Gothic spires, which bear testimony to its
antiquity.

On leaving Soissons on the road to Laon, you go for two miles through
the level plain in which the town is situated; after which you begin to
ascend