first effect produced upon healthy strangers; and to congestive patients, therefore, the climate is injurious" (Dr. Taylor); but it is beneficial in cases of chronic indigestion, weak throats, and asthma.

The old Château includes four towers, with low peaked tops, and a square brick donjon, 115 feet high, in which Abd-el-Kader was confined as a prisoner (1848), till removed to Amboise; a broad stair-case, carved with arabesques; an elegant chapel, restored by Louis Philippe (who beautified the whole structure with chefs-d'oeuvre of tapestry and carvings); the presence chamber; the apartments of Marguerite of Navarre, or Marguerite the Pearl, sister of Francis I., and Henri's grandmother; and those of Henri's mother, Jeanne d'Albret (who was born here), with his own bed chamber, and the room in which he was born, 1553, containing his tortoise-shell cradle, and the carved bedstead of La Belle Gabrielle. The last fine room was occupied by the Emir's harem, who used to roast their mutton in the middle of its oak floor.

When his mother's time drew near, Henri's grandfather told her to sing,* that she might not give birth to a puling and crabbed infant. As soon as he was born, the old king showed him to the people, crying out "Ma brebis a enfanté un lion!" then, after rubbing his mouth with garlic, he made him drink a few drops of Jurançon wine, to ensure a hardy and robust constitution. That Henri possessed an excellent one is well known; but the wonder is that he survived such vigorous treatment. He was afterwards nursed by a peasant at Bilhère (to the northwest).

Calmness, according to Sir J. Clark and other authorities, is a striking character of the climate of Pau. Westerly winds are most prevalent; northerly are

*She sung, they say, an anthem to the Virgin, in the Béarnais, beginning

Nouste Dame defi cap deü poün,
Adyudat-me à d'aquest' hore;
Pregats au Dioii deii ceii

Qu'emboulle bié délioura leii

D'u maynat qu'em hassie lou doun.

Which, in modern French runs

Nôtre Dame du Bout-du-Pont, sécourez-moi à cette heure; priez le Dieu du ciel qu'il veuille bien me delivrez promptement; qu'il me fasse le don d'un garçon (Ask God to deliver me soon, and give me a boy).

The west part of this department includes the Pays Basque, and Bas, or Low, Navarre, a small part of a kingdom, which once included Navarra, Biscaya, &c., in north Spain, the country of the Vascones, or Gascons, who gave their name to Gascony and the bay of Biscay. What was left of it in France, after the seizure of the Spanish portion, by Ferdinand the Catholic, came to Henri, who was King of Navarre, before he succeeded, as Henri IV., to the crown of France. Both the Béarnais and Basque people wear the beret, or round Scotch cap; but the latter dress in gayer colours, and are further distinguished by a language of their own, one of the most ancient in Europe. It is full of long expressive compounds, and its purity is cited as a proof of the independence which the Basques have maintained for 3,000 years, in spite of the changes around them. They are a proud and boastful race, fond of their own customs, but hospitable, and so lively and active, that "léger comme un Basque" is a proverb. The late General Harispe was a Biscayan.

Coloured handkerchiefs, Béarn linens, carpets, woollens, &c., are made; and there is a trade in wine, Bayonne hams, salted goose legs, poultry, chesnuts.

Coaches daily to Tarbes, Toulouse, Bayonne (10 hours), and SPAIN, Oloron, St. Sauveur, Barèges, Bagnères-de-Bigorre (see Route 64), Eaux-Bonnes, &c. [At Morlaes (10 kil. north-east), on the Luy-de

France, was a château and mint of the Viscomtes of Béarn, called Forquie, on a hill of that name.] At Pau the roads branch off to Tarbes (39 kil., in Route 64) to Eaux-Bonnes, and to Eaux-Chaudes (A); and to Cauterets and Barèges (B). (A.) To Eaux-Bonnes and Eaux-Chaudes, 28 miles.

The first place,

GAU (8 kil.), like Jurançon and Gelos, which the road passes, is noted for its wine, and is in the beautiful valley of the Néez river, which falls over several little cascades.

REBENAC (8 kil.), at the head of the little Néez, above which is a château.

[At 16 kil. west-north-west is the sous-préfecture of OLORON, on a hill by the Gave d'Oloron, which is made by the union of the Gaves d'Aspe and d'Ossau. It was known to the Romans as Iluro, which being ruined by the Saracens (732) and Normans, was rebuilt by the Viscounts of Béarn. Pop. 6,458, inclusive of 4,400 in St, Marie, at the

up of groups of houses (pop. 1,351) spread over a beautiful and richly cultivated mountain valley. which extends to Pierrefitte. Mont Balandrau commands a good view over it.

(ARRENS (12 kil. south-west), up the Auzun, near the junction of the Gave de Bun, is one of the highest villages (pop 1,200) in the Pyrenees, and stands under the Col or Pass of Azun, which leads over to Eaux-bonnes and Laruns, and is flanked by the Pic d'Arens (6,36 feet above the sea) and Pic de Gabisos (9,300 feet). An old disused chapel, with two towers above Arrens. called Pouey-la-Hou (i.e. the mountain of the gate), is used as a look-out by the douaniers against the smugglers.]

After passing the Gothic chapel of St. Savin's abbey, you come to

PIERREFITTE (7 kil), where the Gave de Pau is divided from that of Cauterets by the Pic de Viscos, 6,030 feet high.

CAUTERETS,

(10 kil, south-south-east,) or Cauterez, up a deep, narrow defile, 600 feet deep, between mountains 8,000 or 9,000 feet high, is important on account of its sulphur springs, but is a desolate place in the long winter, as it stands 3,190 feet above the sea. The season for invalids is from June to £ep ember. Lodgings, board, and the bath, may cost 10 to 12 francs a day. It has fourteen springs, dispersed in different directions above the town, under such names as Bruzaud, Pauze, Espanols (the hottest, 117), César, Railère (the largest, 23°), under a granite rock, Petit St. Sauveur (only 86°), du Pré, Maouhourat (near that fall), du Bois, &c. They are useful in most chronic complaints, the early stage of consumption, rheumatism, asthma, indigestion, diseases of the skin and nerves, &c.

Hotels.-De France; Du Lion d'Or; Paix; Paris; Ambassadeurs, &c. Dejeûner, 2 fr. 50c.; table d'hôte, 3 fr.; Maisons Meubles, 2 fr. 50c. to 5 fr. a day for a room with two beds. Café Larranian, Place St. Martin.

Higher up the pass is Pont d'Espagne (7 kil), a wooded bridge, where the Gaves de Gaube and Marcadaou join, at a fall over the granite rock. Thence, up the latter torrent, by the Val de Jaoret, brings you to the frontier pass (about 10 kil.), where there is a descent to Panticossa in SPAIN. Following the Gaube from the Pont d'Espagne, you come to the Lac de Gaube, one of the highest in the Pyrenees (5,870 feet), and upwards of 4 kil. round. in which an unfortunate English couple were drowned. Above it the pass enas in the Cirque de Vignemale, under that great frontier mountain, 10,900 feet high.

From Pierrefitte (as above mentioned) up the narrow defile of the Gave de Pau, past Viscos, Cheze, and Sazos, and over four or five bridges (one called Pont de l'Enfer), you come to

Luz (12 kit.), an old fortified post of the Templars on of the G.ve de Bastan with that of Pau, 2,100 (pop. 2,357), in a sort of triangular basin, at the junc feet above ea It has a battlemen ed church, with remaius of St. Michael's hermitage, and of the

Castle of Ste. Marie (a round and square tower joined together), which the Count of Claremont took from the English in 1404. d'Ardid-u rise over it. Silk and woollen fabrics, to which Barèges gives its name, are made here. From Luz up the difficult and rocky pass of Bastan, you go by Viella to BAREGES (7 kil).

The Pics de Viscos and

Hotels.- De France: L Europe: De la Paix (1 to 5 or 6 fr a-day for a room): Traiteurs: Dacomte: Neuve Troy; Fanqué; De Betas; Café de Paris; Des Pyrenees; De l'Union, &c.

A desolate spot in the heart of the Pyrenees, but noted for its valuable sulphur springs, which were brought into notice by Madame de Maintenon, 1676,

and made accessible by the road from Pierrefitte, 1744. It stands nearly 4,200 feet above the sea, and consists of a street of about 80 houses, which are mostly deserted in the long and rigorous winter, when it is hid under 15 or 20 feet of snow.

The waters are taken between May and September. There are eight springs, called Grand-Douche (the hottest, 131°), l'Entrés le Fond, Polard Dassein, Buvette (129°), Petite-Douche. Baius Neuf. and la Chapelle (the mildest, 102°), which feed twenty-one baignoires. They are aperient, diuretic, and essentially stimulant, and though greasy, and disgusting to look at, they work surprising cures in cases of rheumatism, stiffened tendons, old ulcers, gun-shot wounds.

A government Hospital for 500 invalids is established here. Lodging costs 1 to 3 fr. a day; the bath. 1 fr.; board, 3 fr.; a together, living, &c., may be 9 to 10 fr. In the season as many as 1,200 strangers collect here. The few objects of notice around are the Pics d'Ayreé and de Lisse (above 9 000 feet high), Liens mountain, the lac d'Escoublons, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, which is reached fom the Tourmalet pass over t» Grip (about 15 kil.)

From Luz, az above described, passing a petrifying spring and Pont de Villelongue, you come (2 kil.), to ST. SAUVEUR,

another, but picturesque watering-place, in a Swisslike spot, near woods and falls, 2,500 feet above the sea. The houses stand on a ledge of the ravine, 300 feet from the river, and include hotels, a grand cercle or assembly rooms, a round church, and a pillar to the Duchesse d'Aug ulême. There are thirteen baths in five groups, at the Bathing House, called la Chapelle (only 86°), Terrasse, Bézégua, Chateguercy, and Milieu (the two last are the hottest, 95°). Snakes sometimes get into them, but they are harmless. As these waters are milder than those of Barèges, and

the situation infinitely more agreeable, they are much used by ladies for spasmodic, nervous, and other complaints.

From the Pic de Bergons above it, 6,120 feet high, there is a noble prospect, from the Val de Lavedan to Mont Perdu, above Gavarnie, to which an excursion may be made from St. Sauveur on horseback, or by chaises-à-porteur, or on foot.

The path leads along the face of a precipice in this romantic defile (with the river at the bottom) to Pragnières, and Gèdre (10 kil.), which stands in a basin, 3,460 feet above the sea, where you see a pretty fall, a grotto, and a plain church, with a single door and window in it.

[To the south-east is the narrow and rugged pass to Heas Chapel (5 kil.), to which a pilgrimage is made between 15th August and 18th September, or the Jour de la Nôtre Dame. It is 4,690 feet above the sea. About 8 kil. further, it ends at Mont Troumouse, in a vast natural circus called Oule de Héas (oule, or olla, a deep pate), 2,300 feet high up its sides, and 3 to 4 miles round-an amphitheatre, in which it has been calculated that ten millions of spectators might find places, as spectators of another three millions at the bottom.]

The path leads on by the Chaos landslips to a point where the snowy perks of Marboré (9,930 feet above the sea), Pré Blanc, Brèche de Roland, Vignemale, &c., are seen; then you come to the Gave d'Ossonne, and to Gavarnie church (4.860 feet above the sea), which belonged to the Knights of St. John. Here they show the skulls of Templars, who were beheaded when their order was proscribed. About 5 kil. higher

is the famous

Cirque de Gavarnie, as remarkable a work of nature as the Oule de Héas, but more regular From the side where the river breaks out you enter a vast area 3 kil. or 2 miles in circumference, strewed with broken rocks, and bounded b, enormous walls of darkish limestone, 1,600 feet high in some parts, and perfectly bare, except of the snow which collects on the ledges, and which, with the glaciers on the peaks above, feeds about a dozen cascades, which supply the stream below. One o them, called

The Fall of Gavarnie, or Marboré, tumbles down, in two leaps, from a height of 1,300 feet, (though it seems to be not more than 300 feet) and is lost in spray. It exceeds, by 300 feet, the fall of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, and, by 500 feet, that of Hungry Hill, in Ireland. On the side opposite, a steep and difficult path, for which a guide must be taken, leads up to the top, and thence over a glacier, with a slant of 45°, to the

Brèche de Roland, a gash or breach, 300 feet wide and high, and 50 thick, cut, as the story goes, in the sharp granite ridge, (9,770 feet above the sea) which here divides France and Spain, by the famous sword of Roland (Orlando Furioso, indeed!) when mounted on horseback in pursuit of the Infidels! From this breach or col, one used only by contrabandistes, an ascent may be made to Mont Perdu, the second pear in the Pyrenees (11,270 feet), and a descent to Torla in SPAIN.

ROUTE 66.

Bordeaux up the Garonne, to Agen, Montauban, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne, Bezieres, and Cette.

By rail, 297 miles, or 476 kil.; about 12 hours, by express. Embarcadère in the south of the city.

The line, opened throughout in April, 1857, follows the Garonne to Toulouse, and the Canal du Midi all the way.

Along the south bank of the river, to the first station,

Begles (3 miles), where are many country houses of the Bordeaux merchants, with a church of the 13th cent., and remains of Roman aqueducts, which ran to the old city of Burdigala. Pop. 3,290.

Villenave d'Ornon (62 miles), close to Villenave (i.e Villeneuve) de Rions. Here again is on old church, and further remains of aqueducts. The Pope Clement vineyards are near at hand.

Cadaujac (1 miles). Here the district of the Landes is left behind.

£t. Medard d'Eyrans (3 miles), is about 6 kil. from La Brede, which has a Romanesque church, and the old moated Chateau of Montesquieu, who hero wrote his "Esprit des Lois," and his "Causes de la Grandeur et de la Décadence des Romains." Here they show his library, chapel, several portraits, &c. Beautiran (3 miles). Remains of a Roman way and camp at Castres.

Portets (1 miles), is opposite the old Romanesque church, and ruined castle of Langoiran. The latter belonged to Pope Clement V.

Arbanats (2 miles), is near the ruins of Caster moron, which was destroyed in the religious wars White wine is produced here.

Podensac (2 miles), has a gravelly soll, on which white wines are raised. Its church was destroyed, 1562.

Cerons (1 miles), is the ancient Sirione, opposite CARDILLAC (pop. 2,290) to which there is a suspension bridge. The splendid chateau of the Duc d'Epernois