the south side, with the words “uraniæ sacrum" on it, indicative of her astrological propensities. An old Gothic tower remains, in which are the oubliettes, or dungeons. Another tower is called Château Regnault, because that place (18 miles off) is seen from it. The Salle des Etats, where the county deputies used to meet, is of the 13th century. This, and Francis I.'s Renaissance front, are now restored. The latter contains the Museum.

Near the castle stands the Cathedral of St. Louis, which was once part of the Jesuits' college, and rebuilt 1678, in a pseudo Gothic style. The bishopric was founded only in 1697, to control the Protestants who survived the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. They were obliged to conform and send their children to the Convent des Nouvelles Catholiques, or to go into exile. The bishop's palace was originally built by Gabriel, for Colbert, the minister, who married a Blois lady; its fine gardens command a view of great extent along the river, &c. The préfecture is in Grande Place; here Maria Louisa (with her son), Joseph Bonaparte, &c., met in order to form a regency, in 1814. At the Hôtel de Ville is a library of 17,000 volumes.

Other buildings are-the college, or seminary, at Bourg Moyen old abbey, where the two Thierrys were educated; hospital, at St. Laumer's old abbey, the church of which, now being renovated, is a curious building of the 11th and 12th centuries; theatre and abattoir; lunatic asylum (l'hospice des aliénés). There are also botanic gardens, with many public fountains, supplied by a reservoir

tside the walls, to which a so-called "Roman" aqueduct (styled Pont de César), half a mile long, bings the water. The best of the fountains, named after Louis XII., is near the castle. Above the town appears the Beauvoir Tower, the old seat of the seigneurs of that ilk.

Old houses worth notice are Hôtel d'Alluye, in Rue St. Honoré, in which Le Balafré resided; Hôtel Denis-du-Pont, in Rue Porte Chartraine; Petit Louvre, or Hôtel de Cheverney, in Rue St. Martin; Hôtel d'Amboise, in Place du Château, once the seat of Cardinal d'Amboise, &c. Château de St. Lazare, which was a priory, Victor Hugo resided with his father, General Hugo.

At

The Allées promenade is of great length, leading by the large forest of Blois. Each gate has an age of the Virgin, in remembrance of a deliver

ance from the pestilence, in 1631. Go to the bridge, from which you have a noble view up and down the Loire; its vast levées, or embankments, begin here. In the neighbourhood are the mineral waters of St. Denis-les-Blois, which are used in summer, and the châteaux of Beauregard and Cheverneythe latter the seat of Marquis de Vibraye.

Manufactures of good gloves, serge, glass, and hardware; and trade in wine, vinegar, eaux-de-vie, copper, &c.

Conveyances: By coach, to Bracieux (18 kil.), Château Regnault (33 kil.), Vendôme, St. Calais, Montrichard Castle (38 kil.), Oucques (27 kil.), Romorantin (40 kil., see Route 43), St. Aignan, Valençay, Chambord.

From Blois, along the railway to Tours, close by the north bank of the river, which increases in beauty as you descend, you pass

Chousy (5 miles); then

Onzain (4 miles); opposite which is

CHAUMONT-SUR-LOIRE, in a delightful spot at the foot of a wooded height, crowned by a fine old château, which is seen a long distance round. It has been carefully restored by Vicomte Walsh, its owner, and deserves a visit. Madame de Stael retired to it when exiled from Paris, by Napoléon. Limeray (6 miles).

Amboise (3 miles), in department Indre-etLoire, away from the line, on the south bank, is another fine spot, with a château above it. Population, 4,860. The Castle, an imposing pile, with its two large towers, stands on the site of a fort, built (so they say) by Julius Cæsar, who gives name to some excavations in the rocks below, called "Greniers de César" (Cæsar's granaries). Charles VII. began to fortify the castle when forfeited to the crown by the Counts of Berri; and his son Charles VIII. was born here, 1470. Here the conjuration d'Amboise was planned by the Prince de Condé and the Protestant party against the Guises, who discovered it in time, and took a bloody revenge. The Edict of Amboise, in favour of toleration, was issued three years later. Napoléon gave it to his colleague, Roger Ducos, who neglected it, but the chapel was restored by Louis Philippe. Abd-el-Kader was confined here 1848-52, until liberated by Louis Napoléon.

The Amasse runs into the Loire, which is crossed! by two bridges, resting on an island in the middle

Madame de la Vallière was born at Amboise, and Leonardi da Vinci lived at Clous, near this, before his death at Fontainebleau.

Hotels.-Du Lion d'Or (Golden Lion); Cygne;

Faisan.

The châteaux of Chanteloup (1 kil.) and Chenonceaux (4 kil.) are near.

[LOCHES (25 kil. south), an old town and souspréfecture (5,300 population) in department Indre-et-Loire, agreeably placed on the Indre, the arms of which are crossed by a line of bridges to Beaulieu. Above it, on a rock, stands the picturesque remains of the Castle, older than the ninth century, and now used as a gaol. King John gave it up to France, but Coeur-de-Lion retook it, 1194, though it was taken back, 1205. Louis XI. made it a state prison, and confined Cardinal Balue in one of its oubliettes, or iron cages, which the Cardinal had invented; Philip de Comines, the historian, was also a prisoner. This was in the great machicolated round tower. Its neighbour, the square Donjon tower, is 130 feet high, in four stories. That part called Charles VII.'s château (now the Mairie), was the seat of his mistress, the beautiful and amiable Agnes Sorel; its terrace commands a fine prospect; and in one of the pointed towers is the mausoleum of Agnes, brought here, 1809, from the ancient church of Nôtre Dame, or St. Ours. The latter, founded as far back as 450, and rebuilt in the 11th century, is worth notice for its four towers, 164 feet high, and an eight-sided vaulted roof, 85 feet from the ground. Money was struck here, as well as at Tours and Chinon. Linens and woollens are made. Hotels.-De France; De la Promenade. Coaches to Tours, Châteauroux, &c. neighbourhood are Loches forest, Liget Chartreuse, which Henry II. founded to Becket's memory, Chenonceaux château, &c.] Noisay (34 miles).

Vernou ((2 miles).

In the

Vouvray (24 miles), near the châteaux of Montcontour and Rochcorbon. Here the line bends to the river, and crosses it by a handsome viaduct, 85 feet high, 1,157 feet long, on 12 arches of 81 feet pan to

Mont-Louis ( mile), on the south side of the river; followed by St. Pierre-du-Corps (3) miles); and 24 miles further is

TOURS.

A buffet, 146 miles from Paris, 1214 from Nantes, 61 from Le Mans, 121 from Bordeaux. The embarcadère is in the Mail. There is a bifurcation at St. Pierre-le-Corps. Omnibuses to all the hotels. HOTELS.-Hotel de l'Univers, one of the best first class hotels in France.

Hotel du Faisan.-A house very highly spoken of; in a good situation.

Grand Hotel d'Angleterre.-Situated in the pleasantest part of the town; good and exceedingly comfortable.

The buffet at the station is good.
French Protestant church here.
Post Office, Rue de Scellerie.

OBJECTS OF NOTICE.-The Bridge-Cathedral-Château-Palais de Justice-Hôtel GouinStatue of Descartes-Plaises-les Tours.

Population, 42,450. An ancient town, the capital of department Indre-et-Loire, seat of a military division, of an archbishop, college, &c., in a flat but pleasant part of the Loire, on a tongue of land between it and the Cher. Several English families reside here on account of the cheapness of living and its agreeable climate.

It was the Roman Cæsarodunum, and the head of the Turones; afterwards of Neustria, &c.; and of the county of Touraine, which was held by the Plantagenets till Philippe Auguste took it from King John, 1202. The States-General were summoned here in the 15th century, when the Leaguers held possession of Paris; they met in St. Julien's abbey, Paris. It had a mint for coining "livres Tournois," or franc pieces, and still has one, ranking fifth (or letter E). Louis XI. established the silk manufacture here, and built his famous château, Plessis-les-Tours (in which he died, 1483), close by (2 kil.); parts of it are left, including his and Cardinal Balue's chambers and a brick donjon. It became the seat of the French Government in September, 1870, when M. Crémieux and the foreign ambassadors moved from Paris upon its investment by the Germans. Gambetta arrived here in October, after escaping from the capital in a balloon, and proceeded to raise the provinces.

It surrendered to the German armies December 21, when the Government retreated to Bordeaux.

Twelve gates surround the town, the old walls of which are replaced by a planted boulevardcalled "Boulevart Beranger" and the "Mail;" beyond are the four faubourgs of la Priche, St. Eloi, &c. A fifth, St. Symphorien, across the river, is joined to the main part by an excellent level stone bridge of 15 arches, each 80 feet span, built 1762-77; it is 1,752 feet long (174 less than the one at Bordeaux), 48 wide, and 39 above the water. A little above it are remains of the old bridge, built by the Counts of Touraine; and at equal distances above and below, are two new suspension bridges, one resting on 11 Entrépont, the other on Ile St. Simon. Two other bridges, of 17 and 8 arches, cross the Cher, in the neighbourhood of Tours.

From the end of the great bridge, where the Hôtel de Ville stands, the principal street, Rue Royale, runs through for half a mile to the Poitiers Road; straight, wide, and bordered with pavements, and good three-storey houses, of white stone, with slated roofs. Most of the hotels and cafés are here. At the bridge end is Nieuwerkerke's statue of Descartes, bearing for its motto, "Cogito, ergo sum,' ("I think, therefore, I exist "). The old streets out of Rue Royale, are narrow and dirty, but contain some ancient buildings. One of the fountains (de Baune), in the market-place, is a Gothic obelisk, with many carvings on it. Promenades are laid out on the quays; and in the neighbourhood, fruit gardens, vineyards, and corn-fields are

seen.

St. Gatien's Gothic Cathedral, begun in the 12th century, was finished 1550; and therefore comprises specimens of the Romanesque and Gothic styles in different stages, besides that of the later Renaissance in the tower. It has a wide, richlycarved west front, with a triple porch, a rose window, and two towers, 260 feet high, ornamented with statues and bas-reliefs (some grotesque), and built, they say, by Henry V. of England. It is worth while to mount the escalier royal for the view from the north tower. In the interior, which is 262 feet long and 88 high, are some beautiful stained windows, a fine choir, and the tomb of Charles VIII.'s two children. Some good carvings are seen in the cloisters.

The famous abbey church, founded, 347, by St. Martin de Tours, being burnt, 561, was restored by St. Gregory de Tours, and survived till the Revolution, when it was pulled down, except two towers, one called Tour de Charlemagne, the other used as a belfry. Alcuin was one of its abbots. St. Julien's abbey church, of the 11th and 13th centuries, after being used as an auberge, is to be restored for public worship. St. Clement's is now a corn market. At the barrack in Quai Royal, is the tower of the old château, built by Henry II. of England, from which the Duke of Guise, then a prisoner, escaped, 1591.

The archbishop's palace, the préfecture, the palais de justice, with its eight-column portico, are large and handsome structures. In the Préfecture is the bibliothèque of 40,000 volumes, besides valuable MSS. and illuminations; open 12 to 4, Tuesday to Friday; and at the Museum, in the Hôtel de Ville, is a collection of 200 pictures, specimens of natural history, antiquities, &c. There are also a college, a large general hospital, botanic garden, publ c baths, and a theatre, near the post-office. M. Gouin, formerly minister of commerce, lives in Louis XI.'s old Gothic chancellerie, Hôtel Gouin, in Rue de Commerce, which he has restored. Another house, in Rue des Trois Pucelles, is called Maison de Tristans l'Hermite; but it is not so old as Louis XI.'s provost-marshal. They show in the town a block of stone (a remnant of some Roman building), said to be the tomb of Turnus, its reputed founder. A Roman wall and an amphitheatre have been traced, by M. Courtigis. At St. Radegonde (3 kil.) are some remains of Marmoutier's abbey, founded in the 4th century.

Tours is the native place of Destouches, the comic writer; Duchesne, the geographer; Heurteloup, the mayor; Alfred de Vigny, &c. The famous Battle of Tours was fought, 732, some think at Mire (15 kil. south-west), near Artanes; here Charles Martel (i.e., Charles the Hammer) defeated Abd-elrahman and his Saracen hosts, who, having conquered Spain, had thus far overrun France. for this check, "the Koran (says Gibbon) might have been taught in the schools of Oxford to a circumcised people."

But

Manufactures of silk stuffs, or gros de Tours, which flourished till the revocation of the Edict of

Nantes (when the population fell from 80,000 to 33,000), ribbons, lace, carpets, muslins, &c. [By railway to Angers and Nantes, as in Route 36; and to Le Mans, as in Route 39. Also by rail to Vierzon, up the Cher, 113 kil. It passes Veretz (12 kil.). Then Chenon. ceaux (20 kil.), near a château in good condition, on a bridge over the Cher, near the abbey church of Aiguesvives. It belongs to Vicomte René de Villeneuve, and was the seat of his grandmother, Madame Dupin, who died here, in peace, 1799; Montrichard (7 kil.), once fortified; St. Aignan-Noyer (18 kil.), an old town on the Cher (population, 2,770), founded by the abbots of St. Martin de Tours, having cloth works and an ancient tower, called Tour d'Agar, of a castle, built 1019, by the counts of Blois. Selles-sur-Cher (9 kil.); Mennetou-sur-Cher (17 kil.); and Vierzon (16 kil., as in Route 43).]

Tours, you pass to the great viaduct across the valley of the Indre, 31,120 feet long, 70 high, on 57 arches.

Monts (8 miles), on the Indre. Coaches to Artannes (near the field of Miré, as above mentioned.) [MONTBAZON (5 kil. east), up the Indre, has an old castle, built in the 11th century, by Foulques de Néra, Count of Anjou. Near it are Couziers Château, where Louis XIII. was reconciled to his mother, Catherine de Medicis, and the Ripault powder and sugar works.] Villeperdue (5 miles). A little beyond is the old village of Ste. Catherine-de-Fierbras (so called from Guillaume Fier-à-bras, or strong arm, Count of Poitou), near the château of Comonacre, or Comacre, whither Joan of Arc went, 1429, to fetch the sword of Charles Martel, with which he slew the infidels. The Marquis de Lussac is proprietor. The church is in the Renaissance style of Francis I. St. Maure (7 miles) on a branch of the Vienne called the Manse, which is traversed by a short viaduct, 112 feet high, on 15 arches. There is a dolmen of six stones here. The old Château de Brau

is in sight. Coaches to Chinon (see Route 36), Courcoué, Latour-St.-Gélin, Ligneil, L'Isle-Bouchard, Richelier, St. Espain.

At Isle-Bouchard (13 kil.), near the Vienne, is another dolmen, and the curious Romanesque chapel of St. Leonard.

[RICHELIEU (25 kil. south-west), on the Amable, belonged to the father of Armand du Plessi, the famous Cardinal Richelieu, whose seat here, which he enlarged and beautified, was pulled down at the Revolution. It was made the head of a dukedom, 1631, and the town was rebuilt by him a little while after.] Port-de-Piles (6 miles), on the Creuse. [HAYE-DESCARTES (7 miles south-east), higher up the river, so called (since 1802) from the philosopher, Descartes, who was born here, 1596. They show the house, with his bust, &c. To the east of it is Gralmoont, the old seat of Louis XI.'s gossip, Tristan l'Hermite.] Les Ormes (3 miles), in department Vienne, has a fine château of the Argensons, surmounted by a column 80 feet high, with a staircase in it, whence there is a wide prospect over the Vienne, &c. [At PREUILLY (33 kil. south-east), beyond the Vienne, are the remains of the castle of the Premier Barons of Touraine, and a good abbey church, founded 1001. Population, 2,370.] Dange (2 miles), on the Vienne. Ingrandes (5 miles) up the same river. [GUERCHE (13 kil. east), on the Creuse, has the château of Agnes Sorel, and a church of the 16th century.]

Châtellerault (6 miles), a sous-préfecture in department Vienne (population, 14,210), and seat of the government arms-factory. Here about 20,000 fire-arms, and 3,500 armes blanches, i. e., swords and bayonets, are made yearly. Inferior cutlery, grindstones, paste diamonds, &c., are branches of local trade on the Vienne, which a good bridge crosses, with an old four-turreted gate at one end. stands among pleasant hills and gardens, and has the Gothic church of St. Jean, a salle-de-spectacle, &c. The Duke of Hamilton claims to be Duke of Châtellerault, through the title conferred on his ancestor, the Regent Arran, for negociating the marriage of Mary Stuart.

It

Hotels.-De l'Esperance (the Hope); De la Tête Noire.