pear to compose a large proportion of the thirty thousand inhabitants. Swords and bayonets are seen glistening in all directions; the harbour is filled with ships of war; piles of cannon and balls cover the wharves; parades of troops, accompanied by bands of martial music, are witnessed at almost every hour of the day; and in a word, Toulon exhibits all the pomp and bustle of a fortified camp.

The old man who ascended the tower of the Cathedral with us, as a guide, was intelligent and well acquainted with the history as well as the localities of the place. He was here during the siege of 1793, when the military talents of Napoleon were first developed. The English and Spaniards took possession of the town, and held it from August till December of that year, garrisoning it with strong armies and naval forces, which they deemed impregnable. But the genius and daring spirit of the young Corsican, aided by the republican legions of France, achieved what to others would seem wholly impracticable. Batteries were planted in the fastnesses of the mountains, above the reach of annoyance from the harbour, and a cannonade opened upon the town, which compelled the allied invaders to retreat. A great battle was fought upon the shore, in which 18,000 of the enemy were left upon the field.*

Since the time of this memorable siege, the ramparts of the city have been raised and strengthened, so as to shield the buildings from batteries planted without the walls. The bulwarks, gates and bridges are massive and strong beyond any thing of the kind I have ever seen; and the inhabitants of Toulon might apparently bid defiance to the combined armies of Europe. From the parapet of the double wall to the bottom of the moat, is not less than thirty or forty feet, too solid to be battered down, and too high to be scaled by the most daring enterprise. As the amount of public property, in ships, naval stores

* The Harbour of Toulon has been alternately the theatre of disastrous and splendid events. At the evacuation of the British in 1793, its waters were illuminated by the blaze of the Arsenal and of twenty-four French ships of the line, set on fire by Commodore Hood. In 1798, the great expedition under the command of Napoleon, destined for the conquest of Egypt, sailed from this port. Barron Larrey, who was an eye-witness of the scene, gives the following animated notice of the sailing of the fleet:-"All the vessels of the squadron and convoy, which were in the Toulon Road, set sail on the 19th of May, to the sound of martial music, in the midst of lively acclamations, which expressed the general satisfaction on the departure of the flag-ship, Admiral Brucix, in which were Bonaparte the commander-in-chief, the principal members of the commission of arts, and the etats-major of the two armies, comprising the physicians and principal surgeons."-Memoirs of Military Surgery, Vol. I. p. 84.

and munitions of war, here deposited, is incalculable, the sums appropriated to these works of defence cannot be considered a useless expenditure. The government of France would suffer more from the capture of Toulon, than from that of the metropolis itself.

A fortunate accident, emanating from French politeness and hospitality, afforded us an opportunity of visiting, under the most favourable circumstances, the navy-yard, armories, arsenals, and other public works at this place, to which it is extremely difficult for strangers to gain admittance, even on letters of recommendation, which none of our party had taken. At the table of the hotel at Marseilles, we became acquainted with a Surgeon in the Royal Navy, who manifested as much kindness towards us, as he did coolness towards a British officer from Gibraltar, with whom he happened to come in contact while at dinner. The latter in the course of conversation several times flatly and rudely contradicted the former; and national antipathies proceeded to such lengths, that the affair seemed likely to end in a duel. Thinking, perhaps, discretion the better part of valour, the Englishman left the table, and afterwards took his dinner in his own room. On the evening previous to his departure, the Frenchman invited us to take coffee, and a glass of liqueur with him, proposing the health of General La Fayette, the friend of our respective countries. Such a toast manifested not only the liberality but the independence of this officer in the Royal Navy, as it might cost him his commission should it come to the ears of the government. In taking leave of our circle, he invited us to visit Toulon, and politely offered any facilities that his official station afforded-a favour which was very gratefully accepted.

Being notified of our arrival, this gentleman promptly called at the hotel and conducted us to his apartments, where we were requested to amuse ourselves with a new and splendid work on the ornithology of France, while he dressed himself in his sword and cocked hat, as a necessary preparation for entering the navy-yard. His uniform as Surgeon was remarkably neat, consisting of blue cloth, with trimmings of crimson velvet and gold lace. Even with his introduction, an hour was occupied in going through with the forms required before we could be admitted. Our names, residences, and other particulars were all registered at the Marine Department, and a written passport obtained, which was presented at the splendid arched gate leading to the naval depot, and forming the barrier between it and the rest of the town. The portals are lofty, and enriched with a profusion of ornament, consisting of sculptured devices and inscriptions.

The first objects which arrested our attention, on entering the navy-yard, were the crowds of galley-slaves, yoked together like c

tle, and employed in all kinds of servile offices. Nearly all the drudgery and hard labour, such, as carrying burdens, drawing carts, towing vessels, and tugging at the oar, is performed by these miserable beings, who are condemned to the most abject servitude for life. Their sun-burnt, sweaty, dusty, and demoniac features; their fantastic caps and party-coloured costumes; and the continual clanking of their heavy iron chains, present no faint idea of a pandemonium. Although exact justice may be meted out to them, and the wretchedness of their condition may not be disproportionate to their crimes, it is a painful image constantly obtruding itself upon the observation of the visitant. The number here imprisoned is about two thousand, a large proportion of whom were convicted of murder, distinguished from the rest by their green caps. We saw a hundred of these pass in procession, with severe but dejected countenances, on the way to their stalls, to partake of a coarse and scanty allowance. Their chains are differently worn, being in some cases fastened like fetters round the ankle, and in others, hung in festoons about the waist, loading down the poor wretches with a weight of iron, independent of their other burdens. They all wear their numbers painted upon their red flannel jackets. At night they are kept under hatches, in large hulks of vessels, called Bagnes, moored in the harbour. Some of them are ingenious mechanics and artists, who beguile the tedium of life in manufacturing baskets, boxes, and other ornaments, which they are permitted to sell for their own benefit. On the whole, with the exception of their chains, I could not perceive that they are worse used than the inmates of our own penitentiaries. An officer and commissioner of the American Navy, who passed a considerable part of the last winter at Toulon, for the express purpose of making such inquiries as might be useful to our own country, remarked to me, that he considered the employment of galley-slaves the worst feature in the French Marine, as the government of them is vexatious, and their labours by no means effective.

Our examination of the Navy-yard commenced with a visit to a large and splendid hall, used as an extensive repository of models in naval architecture. It has been long established, and contains a valuable collection of inventions and improvements, on all subjects connected with navigation. The number of articles is between one and two hundred, consisting of the most approved models of vessels and boats of all descriptions; docks; machines used in masting ships, and drawing them up for repairs. The American officer above alluded to examined this temple of the arts with minute attention; and if it contains any thing worthy of imitation, he will doubtless recom

mend it to the attention of our government. An hour was passed in glancing at a multiplicity of objects, which it would require days to examine in a satisfactory manner. The hall itself is not among the least curiosities. It is richly ornamented with bas-reliefs by Pujet, and with statues of Mars, Pallas, Bellona, and other martial divinities. Our polite and intelligent guide next conducted us to the RopeWalk, which is half a mile in length, consisting of three arcades, supported by massive stone pillars. The machinery for the manufacture of cordage is upon a large scale. That for twisting cables is turned by horses. A machine was observed, which was at least new to me. It traverses from one end of the rope-walk to the other nearly as fast as the men can travel, weaving the cord as it passes, and apparently saving much manual labour.

Adjacent to this establishment is the Grand Magasin, or warehouse for the deposit of naval stores of every description. It is a new and magnificent edifice, three stories high, built of a beautiful species of granite. Its front presents one of the finest façades I have seen in the South of France, both for the grandeur of its proportions and the elegance of its workmanship. A superb stair-case, fitter for a palace than for a storehouse, winds to the upper loft. The building is not yet completed, but already contains numerous articles, for the equipment of a fleet, which appeared to be of an excellent quality and in a good state of preservation. So far as our observations extended, the most rigid rules of economy are enforced, in taking care of the public property, through every department of this great national establishment. Naval armaments, which would suffer by exposure to the weather, are neatly housed, and nothing is abandoned to neglect and decay.

The Armory is on a scale proportioned to the other parts of this extensive depot. Two large buildings are filled with guns, bayonets, swords, pikes, pistols, and other implements of war, fancifully arranged so as to form different figures, in the same style as was observed in the Tower of London. Along the aisles formed by fluted columns of spears and muskets, are statues clad in ancient mail, bearing shields which are embossed with various historical devices. In the centre of the group stands the bust of his present majesty, Charles X.; a tutelary genius much less fitted than some of his predecessors, to preside over the works of war.

Our tour of observation was continued through the forges of the smiths, which are inferior in extent and management to those of our country at Washington; and thence to the ship-yard, where several large vessels are upon the stocks. The timber appeared to be of a

good quality, well wrought, and substantially put together; but the progress of the work is slow in comparison with the despatch of our own naval architects, who would build and equip a fleet, while the French were busy in planning one. Their ships, however, are both substantial and handsome, surpassed by none except those of the United States. The most ingenious plans have been devised for constructing dry-docks, in a harbour where there are no tides. A great effort is at present making to strengthen the navy of France. Two millions of francs are annually expended in building new ships at Toulon; and corresponding appropriations are authorised by the government for Brest and other ports of the kingdom. It is the opinion of an American gentleman who has paid particular attention to the subject, and whose judgment in these affairs is worth much more than my own, that the period is not distant, when the French naval force will be able to cope with that of any nation upon the globe, not excepting that haughty power which now claims to be mistress of the seas. In defence of this opinion, which modern history and the genius of the French people do not appear fully to authorise, it was urged that the resources of France are exhaustless; that her coasts bounding upon two oceans, and never obstructed with ice, are better fitted for training navies, than any of the more northern European states; that Frenchmen have at former periods manifested a capability of becoming as good sailors as soldiers; and that the government is now making as great an effort to acquire an ascendency by sea, as Napoleon made to be foremost upon land. But a greater than Charles X. or the Duke d'Angouleme, or the minikin Duc de Bordeaux, must arise before these schemes of maritime power can be realized. They may have talents to build fleets, but to direct their successful movements, requires more energy than is possessed by any of the degenerate race of the Bourbons.

The number of ships of war now lying in the harbour of Toulon cannot be less than one hundred. We went on board the largest of them, the Royal Louis, having three decks, and carrying 130 guns. She is a monstrous, misshapen pile; in her best estate a clumsy, heavy, unwieldy mass, now dismantled, laid up in ordinary, and rapidly going to decay. Her cabins exhibit all the splendid decorations of a French palace.

On our return from this visit to the Royal Louis, we traversed the mole which divides the old from the new harbour. The latter was constructed in the reign of Louis XIV. and is a gigantic work. It is connected with the former by two canals or channels, of sufficient width and depth for the passage of ships of the largest class, which