s with us, it
must be delightful. The country through which we have
travelled is most uncommonly fertile, and skirted with
beautiful woods; but its present political situation is so
very uncommon, that I would give the world your Grace had
come over for a fortnight. France may be considered as
neither at peace nor war. Valenciennes, for example, is in a
state of blockade; we passed through the posts of the
allies, all in the utmost state of vigilance, with patrols
of cavalry and vedettes of infantry, up to the very gates,
and two or three batteries were manned and mounted. The
French troops were equally vigilant at the gates, yet made
no objections to our passing through the town. Most of them
had the white cockade, but looked very sulky, and were in
obvious disorder and confusion. They had not yet made their
terms with the King, nor accepted a commander appointed by
him; but as they obviously feel their party desperate, the
soldiers are running from the officers, and the officers
from the soldiers. In fact, the multiplied hosts which pour
into this country, exhibiting all the various dresses and
forms of war which can be imagined, must necessarily render
resistance impracticable. Yet, {p.055} like Satan, these
fellows retain the unconquered propensity to defiance, even
in the midst of defeat and despair. This morning we passed a
great number of the disbanded garrison of Conde, and they
were the most horrid-looking cut-throats I ever saw,
extremely disposed to be very insolent, and only repressed
by the consciousness that all the villages and towns around
are occupied by the allies. They began by crying to us in an
ironical tone, _Vive le Roi_; then followed, _sotto voce,
Sacre B----, Mille diables_, and other graces of French
eloquence. I felt very well pleased that we were armed, and
four in number; and still more so that it was daylight, for
they seemed most mischievous ruffians. As for the appearance
of the country, it is, notwithstanding a fine harvest, most
melancholy. The windows of all the detached houses on the
road are uniformly shut up; and you see few people,
excepting the peasants who are employed in driving the
contributions to maintain the armies. The towns are little
better, having for the most part been partia