was used by all wheel-carriages up to a recent date, the bridge having been too narrow to allow of their passage across. A monastery was founded here in 705 by Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne, from which time the town rose in importance until 957, when the Witenagemote which appointed Dunstan Bishop of Worcester was held here. In the 12th century a large church was erected here, of which the western part of the chancel and the southern wall of the nave still remain, forming a portion of the present parish church of the Holy Trinity. The tower, with a groined interior and a low spire, dates from the latter half of the 15th century. In the 13th century the woolen manufacture was established here, but did not reach perfection until the 17th century, when Paul Methuen, the leading clothier of the town, introduced spinners from Holland, who taught the mode of producing the finer textures of cloth, and thus greatly raised the character of the manufacture. The ruins of Farleigh Castle, consisting of two towers, a gate-house, and a portion of the wall, may be visited from Bradford. This building was held by the Hungerford family for a space of 300 years. It was at one time given to George, Duke of Clarence, whose daughter Margaret, the last of the Plantagenets, was born here. Here also one of the Hungerfords (of the time of Henry VIII.) imprisoned his third wife during four long years. A letter of this unfortunate prisoner, to be found in the "Collection of Letters of Royal and Illustrious Ladies," says: "Here I have byn these three or four years past without comfort of any creature, and under the custodie of my lord's chaplain, which hath once or twice poysoned me. He hath promised my lord that he would soon rid him of me,' and I am sure he intended to keep his promise; for I have none other meat nor drink but such as cometh from the said priest, and brought me by my lord's foole. So that I have been well-nigh starved, and sometimes of a truth should die for lacke of sustenance had not poore women of the country, knowing my lord's demayne always to his wives, brought me to my great window in the night such meat and drink as they had, and gave me for the love of God; for money have I none wherewith to FROME. pay them, nor yet have had of my lord, these four years, save four groats. This lady, however, outlived her lord, who was beheaded in 1540 for alleged treason, and later found a second and, it is to be hoped, a kinder mate. Trowbridge, the next station on our line, stands on a hill overlooking the River Biss, a tributary of the Avon, and was first built during the Norman period around a castle which occupied a site now called Court Hill. This castle is mentioned by the chroniclers of King Stephen's reign, it having undergone a siege by that king, during which the castle was held for the Empress Maud by Humphrey de Bohun. It is mentioned again in the time of Edward III., but in the reign of Henry VIII. had entirely disappeared. Cloth is manufactured in Trowbridge to a great extent. The railway from here continues up the valley of the Biss to Westbury, an ancient straggling town of 5751 inhabitants, chiefly engaged in the iron trade. Here there is little of interest to detain the traveler; near the railway, in a field called Ham, a number of coins and remains of Roman pottery have been discovered; and at Westbury Leigh, a place called Palace Garden is pointed out as the traditional residence of one of the Anglo-Saxon kings. Frome is a thriving market-town of 11,200 inhabitants, owing its origin to the foundation of a monastery here by St. Aldhelm in 705. It is built on the sides of a steep hill, and is rich in manufactures of various kinds, the most important being that of woolen cloth; there are also manufactories of edge-tools, iron-foundries, fulling-mills, card-mills, and dye-works. The parish church of St. John the Baptist is reached on the north by the Calvary steps and stations of the Cross, a series of carvings which occupy the steep ascent through the church-yard to the northern porch. In the interior notice the pulpit with sculptures of the eight great preachers: Noah, Moses, Elijah, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Chrysostom, and St. Ambrose; also the memorial window to Bishop Ken. He was one of the seven bishops who refused to read the Declaration of Indulgence, for which act he was committed to the Tower by James II. in 1688. He was deprived of his office in 1689 by William III. for having refused to take the oath of BRUTON. [ENGLAND.] TO PARIS. allegiance. He was buried under the east-End and City stations in London. Passing Witham Station we reach Bruton, where a monastery was founded in very early times by Ethelmar, Earl of Cornwall; the site of this was later occupied by a priory built by William de Mohun in 1142. This was granted at the Dissolution to Sir Maurice Berkeley, standard-bearer of Henry VIII., but was pulled down in 1786, after the extinction of the family. There is a free grammar-school, founded in 1520, and a good hospital, dating from 1617. Castle-Carey, situated in the midst of a most lovely country, is passed before reaching Yeovil. This is a thriving town, situated on a hill-side rising above the banks of the River Yeo, and containing 8486 inhabitants, mostly engaged in the manufacture of kid gloves. Passing through Maiden Newton, containing a church with some early Norman work, we reach Dorchester. Population 6823. Hotels, King's Arms and Antelope (see Route No. 106). The traveler having now exhausted the principal objects of interest in Great Britain, naturally next proceeds toward Paris, formerly the paradise of benighted Americans (many, however, now prefer London), but all must cross the Channel once in their lives. The quickest route is by the Southeastern Railway, than which there is no better managed line in England or on the Continent, and it is really surprising with what regularity the management make the trips in all weathers and with never an accident. This line was the first and for many years the only one to Dover, the first that introduced through-booking with the Continent, and possessed West 290 It has always carried the mails, by which trains, via Calais and Dover, passengers arrive and depart to the minute, in 10 hours 30 minutes; in addition to which line there are accelerated special tidal trains via Folkestone and Boulogne, which make the time between London and Paris only 9 hours 15 minutes. Crowned heads and distinguished personages are daily passing over this route. There is also a special additional night service at reduced fares, via Boulogne or Calais. The regular fare to Paris via Boulogne, first class is £2 16s. ; second class, £2 28. via Calais, first class, £3; second class, £2 5s. The company also issue return tickets available for one month, via Calais and Dover or Boulogne and Folkestone, first class, £4 15s.; second class, £3 15s. The fixed mail trains via Calais and Dover, with first and second class passengers, leave London regularly throughout the year, at 7.40 A.M.; Dover Pier at 9.35 A.M.; Calais, 12.35 P.M., arriving at Paris at 6.05 P.M. The evening (firstclass only) mail train leaves Charing Cross at 8.45 P.M.; Dover Pier, 10.40 P.M.; Calais, 1.50 A.M., arriving at Paris at 7.20 A.M. For the short route special tidal trains, it will be necessary to consult the company's monthly advertisements (which will be found in the reading-rooms of all first-class hotels), to known the hour of departure. The trains stop for refreshments at Folkestone harbor 10 minutes, and at Amiens and Boulogne stations fifteen minutes each. There are no small boats used in crossing the Channel, and they do not leave when the service is considered dangerous. The Company have a fixed mail service to Belgium, Germany, the Rhine, and Russia. Stations in London, Charing Cross and Cannon Street. France is situated on the western side of the European continent. It is bounded on the north by Germany, Belgium, and the English Channel; on the east by Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and part of the Mediterranean; on the south by the Mediterranean and Spain; and on the west by the Atlantic. It contains, since its two provinces were ceded to Germany, 206,474 square miles, or about four and a half times as large as the State of New York-nearly twice as large as Great Britain and Ireland. (Its provinces of Oran, Algiers, and Constantine contain 261,209 square miles.) Its population, previous to the war, was 38,192,064. Its present population is 37,000,000: it lost 1,597,228 by the cession of Alsace and Lorraine. The position of France commands most striking natural advantages. Its coasts are washed by the waters of the Atlantic and English Channel a distance of 590 miles, and by the Mediterranean 360. It is protected on the east by the Vosges, the Jura, and the Alps; on the south by the Pyrenees; on the north by an artificial line guarded by numerous fortresses. The greater portion of France forms a succession of gentle slopes and extensive plains. The chief rivers are the Seine, Loire, Garonne, and Rhone: the absence of high grounds between the different river-basins has facilitated the construction of numerous canals, which, with the various lines of railway that cross the country in every direction, has tended much to develop the internal commerce of the country. In the south the Canal du Midi unites the Garonne, which empties its waters into the Bay of Biscay, with the Mediterranean. The Canal du Centre connects the Loire, which also empties into the Bay of Biscay, with the Saône, which, uniting with the Rhone, empties into the Mediterranean. The Canal de Bourgogne unites the waters of the Saône with those of the Yonne, thereby connecting the basins of the Rhone and Seine; while the Canal du Rhone au Rhin effects a union between these rivers by means of the River Doubs. France has no lakes of any importance, GEOGRAPHY. with the exception of some small mountain lakes in the higher valleys of the Pyrenees, and Lake Geneva-France possessing that portion which bounds Savoy on the north, or nearly the whole of one side of the lake. There is considerable difference between the climate of Northern and Southern France, also in their products. In the north and northwest barley, wheat, rye, oats, apples, pears, hemp, and flax are the principal products. In the centre, or that portion of the country which comprises the basin of the Loire with the upper part of the valley of the Saône, the winter is of shorter duration, the atmosphere less humid, the weather generally more settled, and the vine is the general crop; wheat, oats, rye, barley, and maize are also grown. In the southern region, which includes the valley of the Garonne, the Rhone, and Mediterranean coast, the heat is much greater, and the winter of very short duration: maize here grows in every direction-wheat not at all; and barley, oats, and rye only on the higher grounds; the vine, olive, and mulberry are favorite objects of culture. While on the Mediterranean coast the orange and lemon are every where general; and the towns of Mentone, Nice, Cannes, Hyères, and Marseilles are favorite residences for invalids, or those who prefer a lovely summer climate in the depth of winter. The harvests in the south are generally three weeks earlier than in the north. France contains extensive forests, chiefly toward the central portion of the country; and over sixteen million acres, or nearly one eighth of its entire surface, is covered with wood. The principal trees are the ash, birch, beech, elm, and poplar; while in the higher regions the pine and fir tree reign supreme. The mineral productions of France are extensive, especially iron: it occurs in abundance along the chains of the Vosges, Cevennes, and Jura, also in the peninsula of Brittany and the basins of the Garonne and Loire; silver, lead, and copper mines are worked to but a limited extent. Rock-salt is obtained in large quantities at the southern extremity of the mountain range of the Jura, aiso along the skirts of the Vosges Mountains. France previous to the Revolution of 1789 was divided into thirty-four provinces -many of them had at one time been independent states. It is now redivided into eighty-seven departments, named in most cases from the rivers by which they are intersected, or from the mountain ranges by which they are bordered. The departments are governed by a Prefect appointed by the general government. The departments are subdivided into arrondissements, cantons, and communes. About three fifths of the whole population of France is devoted to agriculture, full one half of the land being arable. About ten per cent. is pasture-land, and four per cent. devoted to the cultivation of the grape --which last is the most important and distinctive feature of French husbandry. The principal wine-growing departments are those bordering on the Garonne, and extending toward the shores of the Mediterranean and in the east, from whence come the Medoc or Bordeaux wines; the department of Ain, Côte d'Or, Saône et Loire, and Yonne, or the ancient province of Burgundy, from whence come the Burgundy wines; and the departments of Ardennes, Aube, Marne, and Haute Marne, or the ancient province of Champagne, from whence comes the Champagne. The vintage takes place during the months of September and October. For the description of the preparation of wine, see Index under heads of Bordeaux, Epernay, and Macon. France ranks second to Great Britain only in the extent and value of her manufacturing industry, but in the production of wine and silk she outranks all other countries; her productions of the latter are noted for their elegance of design, richness of material, and brilliancy of color. The towns in which the most extensive manufacture of silk is carried on are Lyons, Paris, Nimes, Avignon, Tours, and St. Etienne. manufacture of woolens is next in importance, and is most extensively carried on in Paris, Lyons, Louvers, Amiens, Rheims, and Abbeville. Linen, cotton, and lace are mostly confined to Valenciennes, Lille, Douay, Rouen, Cambray, Lyons, Paris, St. Quentin, Orleans, and Angers. Watches and jewelry to Paris; leather to Paris, Blois, and Grenoble. The SOVEREIGNS. On the death of Clovis, in 510, his kingdom was divided among his four sons, viz., Thierry 1., King of Metz; Clodomir, King of Orleans; Chil. debert, King of Paris; and Clothaire, King of Soissons, who became sole king in 558. Clothaire dying in 560, the kingdom was divided: Thierry II. and Gontran reigned at Orleans; Charibert reigned in Paris; Sigebert, Childebert II., Theodebert II., at Metz; and Chilperic I. and Clothaire II. at Soissons. Clothaire II. became sole king... Louis IV Lothaire. Louis V. A.D. 613 628 638 656 670 936 954 986 CURRENCY. Henry IV. Louis XIII. Louis XIV. Louis XV.. [FRANCE.] A. D. 1589 1610 1643 1715 Currency.-In France and Belgium the currency is francs and centimes: 1 franc= 100 centimes=184 cents. American travelers generally call one franc twenty cents; it costs them that. Although the franc and centime are the legal currency in all commercial transactions, the sou, which is about equal to one cent, is usual in ordinary trade. Twenty of them are worth one franc, and it will be well to note the difference. You hear of centimes, but hardly ever see them. Five of this coin make one sou. The French have adopted a decimal system of weights and measures. We give those parts of it which are of special use to travelers: Weights. The unit is the gramme, which is the weight of the 100th part of a metre of distilled water at the temperature of melting ice. It is equal to 15.434 grains Troy. Hence, 1 Gramme 15 grains Troy, nearly. ROUTES. 1 Myriametre (10,000 metres) = 6 miles, nearly. The metre is the basis of all measures of capacity; thus the litre is the cube of the tenth part of a metre, equal to 2 of a gallon a little less than a quart. The present debt of France is a little over 4524 millions of dollars; more than double that of the United States, and about one tenth more than that of Great Britain. The imports are about 630 millions, and the exports 615 millions. The annual receipts of the government are in round numbers 481 millions of dollars; the annual expenses, including interest on the public debt, 477 millions. The active force of the French army is 704,714 men; the reserve, 510,294; there is also a territorial army of 582,523, and a reserve territorial army of 625,633—making a total of 2,423,164. The navy consists of 154 vessels of different grades, and 78 reserve. The thermometers used in France are the Centigrade and Réaumer's, the freezingpoint of both being 0°; while the boilingpoint of the former is 100°, that of the latter is 80°. To convert Centigrade into Fahrenheit, multiply the degrees by 9, and divide by 5, adding 32 to the result: C. 10° R. 8° F. 18°+32° 50°. There are about 11,000 miles of railway in running order, and 27,000 miles of electric telegraph. Sixty-six pounds of baggage are allowed free on railways; and as all baggage is weighed and registered, the traveler should endeavor to be at the station twenty minutes before the starting-time, and if there is a likelihood of a large number of travel 1 Hectogramme (100 grammes) = 3ers, a full half-hour. ounces Avoirdupois, nearly. 1 Kilogramme (1000 grammes) 21 pounds Avoirdupois, nearly. 1 Myriagramme (10,000 grammes) = 22 pounds Avoirdupois, nearly. Measures.-The metre is the unit. This |