[From Clermont to Puy de Dôme, to the west, you pass over a lava soil to Barraque, where the road turns off to Puy de Pariou, which is 4,000 feet above the sea; having a very regular crater, 300 feet deep, and 3,000 feet round the edge. After an ascent of 10 or 12 kil. altogether, you come to

Puy de Dôme, which gives name to the department, and overlooks all the other puys. Of these about sixty may be seen from the top, stretching in a line 18 miles long (north and south), besides the peaks of Mont Dore (further south), the fertile plain of the Allier, &c. It is 4,839 feet above the sea, or 656 feet higher than the Petit Puy de Dôme near it; and is composed of porous, crumbling stone, here called domite after the mountain, which takes its own name from its dome shape. Pascal experimented on the weight of the air from this peak; respecting which there is a common rhyme"Si Dôme était sur Dôme

On verrait les portes de Rome." Puy Chapine, Sarcoui, and de Côme, to the north, are respectively, 3,908, 3,436, and 1,273 feet high. The forests about here are great places for making Sabots, or wooden shoes, the men working at the business in the open air. Many millions are made in this quarter; and also in the forests round Valenciennes and Fougères, in the north of France.]

From Clermont, the next station, after passing up the fine valley of the Allier, under Gravenoire peak, and Mont Rognon, with its old castle of the Dauphins on the top, is

Sarlieve (4 miles), near Gergovia, a hill, with traces of a camp, where Cæsar was beaten by the Gauls under Vercingetorix.

Le Cendre (14 mile).

Les Martres-de-Veyre (8 miles), in a beautiful spot near Puy de Marman.

Vic-le-Comte (2 miles).

Coudes (44 miles), on the Allier, close to Mont Peyroux. Mont d'Or or Dore, and its range of peaks are on the left.

Issoire (6 miles), a sous-préfecture of 6,160 souls in a hollow, on the Creuze, having an old church of the 10th century. Copper kettles, &c., are made. It was the birth-place of Chancellor Duprat. Mont Dore-les-Bains, is 35 kil. to the left (see Route 51),

up the valley of the Creuse; passing the volcanie peaks and basalt cliffs, near Villetour spa and lake Pavin, which was once a crater, 350 feet deep. Not far from this is another lake, called Chambron (abounding with fish), above which rises the old feudal Castle of Murol.

Le Breuil (5 miles).

Le Saut-du-Loup (2) miles).

Brassac (3 miles), in department Haute-Loiré. Arvant (3 miles), where the line from Capdenac falls in (Route 52). Then

Brioude (6 miles further), an ancient town and sous-préfecture (department Haute-Loire), on the Allier. Population, 4,950. The Romanesque church of St. Julien, one of the oldest in Auvergne, was rebuilt in the 10th century by William of Aquitaine, with five chapels round it. A fine view from the hill on which the college stands.

LA VIEILLE-BRIOUDE (3 kil.) has a large singlearched lava bridge on the Allier, 181 feet span. [At 23 kil. to the east, on the St. Etienne road, is La Chaise Dieu, with the abbey church of Casa Dei, 302 feet long, in a fine Gothic style, begun by Clement VI. (a native) in 1343; and having a well-carved portal, 156 stalls, some old tapestry, the founder's tomb, &c., and a few remains of the abbey adjoining.]

St. Georges d'Aurac (18 kil.), near Chavagnac château, where Lafayette was born. Here the rail goes on to Lengeac, &c., for Alais and Nismes, as in Route 31. But the road turns off to

LIMANDRE (18 kil.), in a lava région, beyond which (at 13 kil.) is the ruined Château de Polignac, and its old church.

At 6 kil further is

LE PUY, on a volcanic peak (see Route 28).

ROUTE 46.

Moulins and Varennes to Roanne, St. Etienne, and Lyons.

By rail, from the Varennes junction to Roanne (60 miles); four trains daily.

Varennes-sur-Allier station, as in Route 45. Then to Crechy, where the line turns off, close to the river; the next station to which, is

St. Germain-des-Fossés (8 miles).

St. Gérand-le-Puy (44 miles.) Remains of a castle.

an old castle which belonged to Marshal de la Palisse (of the house of Chabannes), who is celebrated in a popular song. Boots and shoes for exportation are made. Hotel.-La Poste.

Arfeuilles (44 miles).

St. Martin d'Estreaux (9 miles). [BRIENNON (18 kil. east), on the Loire, was noted for the Clairvaux Abbey of Bénissons-Dieu, founded 1138, by St. Bernard. Its large and well preserved Gothic church remains, having a chapel cased with marble, and a portal between two elegant spires.]

St. Germain l'Espinasse (9 miles). [About 7 kil. west, is Ambierle and its fine abbey church (founded 938) containing the tombs of the Seigneurs of Pierrefitte.

ST. HAOND-LE-CHÂTEL (7 kil. south-west) takes name from the old Château de Boisy, near it, which was one of the strongest places in Forez. The walls are still so thick that three carriages may ride abreast on them. In the time of Charles VII., it belonged to the famous Jacques Coeur, his Jeweller, and bore this inscription over the gate:

"Jacques Coeur fait ce qu'il veut,

Et le Roi ce qu'il peut."

here, to revenge the death of their father by the Duke of Burgundy; whose death they accomplished at Monterau.

CHÂTEAUNEUF (8 kil.) on the Loire, opposite the pretty village of Siglon (on south side), is so called from an old castle. The church has a fine tomb of M. de la Vrillière. Excellent matelotes (a mixed dish of fish), at the Ville d'Orléans hotel.

[LORRIS (22 kil. east), on the Canal d'Orléans, though a marshy spot, was a seat of the kings of France, where St. Louis signed a treaty which regulated a succession of the county of Toulouse. It gives name to the Coutumes, or Customs of Lorris, by which certain disputes were formerly allowed to be settled by duel; gentlemen using swords, and the bourgeois poignards.]

ST. BENOÎT (10 kil.), or Fleury-sur-Loire, on the north side of the Loire, takes name from one of the earliest Benedictine abbeys in France, of which the cruciform church (of the 9th century) remains, including St. Michael's tower over the entrance, with curious carvings about it. The interior is part Romanesque.

SULLY (7 kil.) on the south side of the Loire (at the suspension bridge to St. Père), near the old moated castle of the Trémouilles, which Henry IV. gave, with the title of duke, to his great minister

Tower. They show Henri Quatre's chamber; and it is said that Voltaire began the Henriade when staying here with his literary patron, the third

Bourges Station, as in Route 45.
Châteauneuf-sur-Cher (144 miles).

St. Amand-Montrond (14 miles), a pretty sous-préfecture in department Cher, on the Marmande, near its junction with the Cher. Population, 8,600. It has traces of Montrond castle, which belonged to Gaston de Foix (born here), the Duc de Sully, and the great Condé.

Hotels.-Le Boeuf (Bull); Croix de Fer (Iron Cross).

At 3 kil. from it is DREVENT, near remains of a Roman theatre, on the Cher, where statues, pavements, &c., have been found.

Vallon (16 miles).

Montlugon (144 miles) in department Allier, on the rail from St. Sulpice to Moulins; an old town and sous-préfecture of 16,210 souls, in the wine country by the Cher, on a hill, which has remains of a castle of the Dukes of Bourbon on the top. Here the canal from Vierzon, viâ Bourges, ends. Iron and looking-glasses are made. Hotels.-De France; Du Dauphin.

[The rail from St. Sulpice, viâ Guéret (see Route 49) to Montluçon, is carried towards Moulins, past Commentry (8 miles) where the direct line to Gannat parts off, as below; Doyet-laPresle (6 miles), where a branch comes in from Bézenet (3 miles), under Montaign, in the Puy de Dôme country; then Chavenon (9 miles), near Le Montel aux Moines; Noyant (14 miles); then

Souvigny (5 miles), the nearest station for the watering-place of BOURBON L'ARCHAMBAULT; on the Queune, has the large Benedictine abbey church of the Ducs de Bourbon, with their fine monumental effigies. The abbey was founded 913, by Aymard of Bourbon; the church is mostly of the 15th century. Parts of the town walls are left. Population, 3,000. At 8 kil. to the north-west is Menoux, on the Ours; and 8 kil. beyond it, the watering-place of BOURBON L'ARCHAMBAULT, in a pretty valley on the Barge, so called after Charles the Simple's favourite, Aymard d'Archambault, who built a château, which had 24 towers, three of which remain, with other parts. At the church is a piece of the "true cross," given by St. Louis

to his son Robert, when he married a Bourbon. The Romans called this place Aqua Borbonis. An Hôpital des Eaux stands on Place des Capucins, near the saline springs. They are three, viz., the Fontaine Bourbon, a hot spring (temperature, 122°), and the cold springs of Jonas and St. Pardoux, useful in paralysis, apoplexy, rheumatism, scrofula, diseases of the skin and bones, &c. There are bath-houses and assembly rooms; and the season is from June to August. This estate has lately been purchased by the Vicomte des Roys.

BOURBON LANCY (36 kil.), in department Saôneet-Loire, on a hill-side on the Loire, under an old castle, begun by Henry III., was the Aquæ Nisinei of the Romans, on account of its mineral springs, which are much like those of Vichy. Of eight springs only one is cold; the others have a temperature of 68° to 140°, the hottest being that called Lymbe; they are all in Faubourg St. Leger. Roman coins, &c., have been found. The country round is rather fine.

Moulins (8 miles) as in Route 45.

The direct line from Montluçon to Gannat, 42 miles, opened in 1871, parts off at Commentry (8 miles), as above; and goes past Hids (6 miles), and Lapeyrouse (71⁄2 miles), where a short branch turns off to Saint-Eloi (5 miles); then Louron-de-Bouble (5 miles), Bellenave (5 miles), St. Bonnet de Rochefort (61 miles), to Gannat (6 miles), as in Route 45.] The road from Montluçon brings us to NERIS-LES-BAINS (8 kil.), a small spa in a healthy spot, was known (as Aquæ Neri) to the Romans, for its warm mineral baths, which were again brought into notice after 1821, and are used between May and November, in cases of paralysis, rheumatism, tumours, and nervous complaints. The springs are Puits de la Croix, Puits de César, Puets Carré, and La Source Nouvelle. They are not only used by visitors but are also supplied to the houses for cooking, &c. A large bath-room was begun 1834; and there is a hospital with 100 beds for the poor, gratis. The Jardin des Bains is on the site of a Roman amphitheatre, which can be plainly traced; columns, statues, coins, &c., have been found here. The old Norman church is of the 11th century. Hotels.-Grand Hôtel; Léopold.

MONTAIGUT (17 kil.), in the hilly department of Puy de Dôme, near Bezenet station, as above, has a castle on a pointed rock (aigu). Hotel.De l'Écu.

MENAT (15 kil.) is the next place, with its tripoli quarries, on the Sioule.

ST. PARDOUX (12 kil.) Then
Riom (23 kil.); and

Clermont (12 miles) on the Railway, as in Route 45.

ROUTE 49.

Châteauroux to Guéret, Aubusson, and Clermont-Ferrand.

By road, 212 kil., or 132 miles. Châteauroux station, as in Route 43.

LA CHÂTRE (37 kil.), a town of 4,700 souls, in department Indre, and a sous-préfecture, in a pretty spot on the Indre, with remains of a castle, of which a tower serves as a prison. There are some good points of view around. CHÂTEAUMEILLANT, about 15 kil. to the left, is a curious mixture of various styles, surrounded by a moat.

GÉNOUILLAC (27 kil.)

[BOUSSAC (12 kil. east-north-east), in department Creuse, is a small sous-préfecture finely seated on a rock, over the little Creuse (where the Veron joins it), among precipitous hills. Above the village are the large remains of its ancient castle. Population, 879. Coach to Châteauroux station (75 kil.)]

At 27 kil. further is Guéret, on the St. Sulpice and Montluçon line. (See Route 43.)

From Guéret, on the road to Clermont-Ferrand, you pass

LE MOUTIER (20 kil.)

Aubusson (16 kil.), a station on the branch from Busseau-d'Ahun (see Route 43).

LA VILLENEUVE (23 kil.);

PONT-AU-MUR (22 kil.), on a branch of the Sioule;

then

PONT-GIBAUD (18 kil.), on the Sioule, in the lava soil of Auvergne, whose dauphins built a château here, with walls of great thickness, and corner towers. In the neighbourhood are the seat of

CHALONS (13 kil.), in department Corrèze.
USSEL (15 kil.) Population, 4,320.
Hotels. - Du Dauphin; Nôtre Dame.

An old town and sous-préfecture, among bare hills, between the Diège and Sarsonne. Remains of a Roman camp and military way are seen.

LA CHAPELLE (14 kil.) Part of the line hence to Périgueux is in course of construction. ÉGLETON (15 kil.) has a market for corn. Population, 1,300.

LES CHAMPS-DE-BRACH (15 kil.), on the Corrèze, which the road now follows. From this it is 17 kil. to

TULLE,

A station on the branch from Brive, 16 miles distant.

HOTEL.-De Lyon.

Population, 12,410. Chief town of department Corrèze (formerly the province of Bas-Limousin), seat of a bishop, government factory for firearms, &c., in a nar. w valley on the Corrèze (where the Solane meets it), the rocky sides of which are terraced with houses in the Gothic and Renaissance styles, surrounded by picturesque hills. Sarrasin, or maize, is grown. There are pretty walks on the quays and bridges. An old square tower, said to be Roman, stands above the town, near the cemetery.

The half-Gothic Cathedral, marked by a fine slender spire, is in the Grand Place, where, also, is the Maison Sage, a turreted house of the 14th

century, ornamented with arabesque and other carvings. The public library contains 2,500 volumes; a district prison, a college, good hospital, &c., are also here.

The small-arms factory is at Souillac (2 kil.) on the Solane, a river bordered by fine granite rocks. Many remains of the Roman Tintiniacum, destroyed by the Vandals, exist on a plain 6 kil. north, near which you get a view of the Cantal chain. In a valley below is the Gordino fall.

Baluse, the historian, was born at Tulle; and here races (courses des chevaux) are sometimes held. Bougies, or wax candles, oil, nails, paper, and playing cards are made. Coaches to Clermont, Brive, &c.

[At 8 kil. north-east, near GIMEL (which has a finely carved Gothic cross and a feudal château), on the Montane, is one of the grandest Waterfalls in France. The river tumbles over the broken limestone rocks in a succession of five or six leaps (though not visible all together), one of which is 138 feet down and 15 wide; another is 85 feet down.

ARGENTAT (31 kil.), is on the Dordogne, at the new wire suspension bridge, built 1828, by Vilat, 328 feet long, and 49 feet above the stream. It belonged to Turenne's family, and had an abbey of the 12th century. AURILLAC, in department Cantal, is 54 kil. further, in Route 51.]

The stations from Tulle (opened 1871), down the Corrèze to Brive, are Cornil (5 miles) and Aubazine (5 miles), Brive (64 miles), where the Périgueux and Capdenac line is joined. (See Route 44.) From Brive, past Larche (9 miles), to Terrasson (6 miles), in Dordogne department, an ancient town on the Vezère, here crossed by a large new bridge. It was called Terracina. About 18 kil. south-west of it is MONTIGNAC, on the Vezère, above which is the ruined castle of the Comtes de Périgord. Population, 3,850. The remains of Olivoux, once a Roman town, are at hand. Thenon (12 miles); followed by Milhac (8 miles), near ST. CRÉPIN-D'AU-BEROCHE (21 kil.), where there is a marble quarry. Population, 900. [At 12 kil. south-east is

MIREMONT, with some of the largest caves in France; altogether, 4,600 yards long, and including 8,000 rooms and galleries, one of which

is like the Thames Tunnel. Near this is the so-called volcano of Meyssandrie, which they say burst out 1783. A little to the south-east, at Bugue, is the pit called Trou de Pomaissac, whence flames, or at least, sulphur vapours, have issued; and into which robbers used to throw their victims in old times.]

Niversac (5 miles), where the Agen line turns off. Hence 7 miles to

Périgueux station, as in Route 44.

ROUTE 51.

Clermont-Ferrand to Mont Dore-les-Bains, Mauriac, Aurillac, Capdenac, Rodez, Montauban, and Toulouse.

Clermont-Ferrand station, as in Route 45. From this there are two ways to Mont Dore; the first, and most direct, by way of Randanne, 40 kil.; the other, by way of Rochefort, the most usual, though longer route, 53 kil.

1. This route passes Puy de Gravenoire and its lava beds, 2,723 feet high, one of a range of Puys, varying from 2,790 to 3,350 feet in height, as Puy de Charade, de Thedde, de Barzet, de Chaptrat, de Duret, de Pasredon, and the village of that name, de la Meye, and de la Vache, near

Randanne, a spot brought into cultivation by Count Montloisir, who died, 1838, and lies buried in his park here. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly. Then follows a succession of higher peaks, from 3,600 to 5,400 feet high, all, like the first, evidently of volcanic origin: these are Puy de Mouchal, de la Toupe, d'Enfer, near CabanThen Puy de Pessade, de l'Aiguille, often covered with snow in summer, Puy Baladou, near a wild and marshy spot, Puy de la Croix Morand, and Puy de Tache, the highest around here, and close to Mont-Dore-les-Bains.

nes.

2. From Clermont, by the second route, passing under Puy de Dôme and Mont Serre, you come to Chamalière and its old church, near the valley of Royat.

ROCHEFORT (29 kil. from Clermont), is in a deep valley on the Sioule, under Puy d'Angére, with an old castle on the top, which belonged to the Counts of Auvergne. To the south of it is Murat-leQuaire, near the Bourboule spa, in a pretty spot on the Dordogna. Then past Laquaille and Queureille (24 kil.), to