The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-21
A Travellers Visit to the Place-The
Difficulty in Finding It-An IN
interesting Ruin Without
q Place in the Local
Mind.
Written for the Sunday Democrat

and sorrowful Berengaria, of Navarro, Queen
OF Richard Coeur de Lion, one of the interest
ing heroines Of Walter SCOTS "Tales Of the
Crusades," as well as great historical char
acter. From lie Mans we iourneyed to the
celebrated town OF Tours. We learned from a
French guide-book that we were to approach
the city by a bridge, considered the finest in
all Europe, Of immense length, and dune
largeur etonna ate," so said the guide-book.
Now what does 1t mean translated into Its
exact measurement. 1t measured precisely
fifty-seven feet. We came at once to the con-
cluson not to trust to local guide-books no
more than we had concluded to believe valet
de place.
We descended toward Tours by wide
avenue Of fruit trees looking along this fa-
nous bridge; then across the Loire; through
the spacious and snowy Rue Royal, built by
Cardinal Mazarfn; and on the other side OF
the city, along another avenue on the road to
Poictiers The whole vista has vastly fine
effect.
We were at last safely housed at the
pheasant" After having lionized this de-
lightful and unique city we became intent on
making our pilgrimage to Piessis Les Tours.
| The Maitre d'Hotel had never heard OF the
place, the garcon was as ignorant, the con-
cierge had heard OF such place, but 1t was
not called Plessis les Tours. "Pierre, you
simpk,ton," cried the file de chambre, from a
two pair Of stairs window over our heads,
"the gentleman means LIE Grande Plessis.
Am not right, gentleman" We could but
answer, sMademoiselIe, 1t must be So
After good deal of laughter and chatter,
we gained the information that there was a
place called LIZ Grand Plessis somewhere
westward of the city.
4 In our despair and disappointment we ven
tured to accost French dragon officer III
the streets. He had heard OF a
place where there was ruin OF a
royal chateau, but 1t was called
Richie not Plessis, and he rather imagined
the way to 1t lay across the market place
We we're now bewildered; Plessis les Tours,
| alias LIE Grand Plessis, alias Richie, some
| where westward, across the market place!
4 Had Sir Walter Scott come here, he would have
found PIessis les Tours easier to write about
/ than to discover in reality as 1t seems to have
! been, from the following extract Of q letter TO
Constable, his publisher, dated in the year
1923:
. sit is a vile place. this village of PIessis leg
4 Tours, that can battle you and me. 1t Is a
place IdIUOuS III y, 10, eSs
your gazetteer assures us, village OF thou
sand Inhabitants. Yet have not found 1T on
any map, provincial or general, which have
consulted In the meantime am getting on,
and instead OF description holding the place
OF sense, / must try to make such sense as
can find hold the place OF description"
SO wrote the great magician when evoking
the spirits Of the past for the composition Oh
his Quentin Durward." Sir Walter never
succeeded, we suspect, In finding Plessis lee
Tours on a map, Tor 1t is the name of the
chateau only. How we Jared in our search we
will proceed to narrate.
From the market place we entered into the
Rue DIES Trois Paves Ronds, but that was not
westward. We then turned into the Rue des
Trois territories, and after many turning5 we
found ourselves In the open country. From q
high causeway we looked far over the sur.
rounding plain. We could discover nothing
mile distant. On nearing it, a long wall raj
on my left, and an old peasant seated beneath
Its shade soon convinced us that We nae
found the object OF our search. YES, sir,
said he, this is the old chateau OF one klna
Louis, about whom they tell terrible things
Before our great revolution 1t was wood o.
, walls hereabouts, but only three Of them are
left now" The chateau of Plessis les Tours
says the old chronicler, st. Wanduife, pre-
. sents at first sight three walls. rising one be
. hind the other, each higher than that before
it." The wall, the only one left entire is Ger
tainly very ancient. 1t Is OF considerable
thickness, but OF roughly hewn stone firmly
set together, and surrounds the chat, chateau q. Al
some two or three hundred yards distance, ID
closing within 1t a large space OF ground, u
2 appears the crumblings from the old walls
with other rubbish had been thrown aroune
, to prevent trees growing, 50 that az approach
ing enemy could be seen at distance.
We moved of the roadway somewhat u
? the right, without much fear now of having
our feet pierced by one Of those iron caltrops
or Of the Chaussee trappes, which, OF old
+ waylaid the wanderer from the single road q
the chateau. We said, after viewing AROUND
US, somewhere hereabout Maitre Pierr.
might have pointed out the palace to Quentin
, Outward" The outside OF the chateau callet
! up but little remembrance OF the forme
, greatness described by Scott, for saw befor
} me building OF no great size, two stories
high, with modern windows. We inquired Q
the Old peasant If he thought we would b.
permitted to see inside OF the building
ssNo," said he, 50 stranger from Languedoc,
believe, took it year since. He is foul
J tongued brute, a uillain chenois, and since n
. has been there he permits no one to com
{ near him." This did not deter US. we ma,
! found our enchanted castle, and although
. inside. We approached with caution. w
saw first the basement story and noticed tina
!, there were vaults under it and moats outside
! The vaults had villalnous appearance, an
# they had not served h as dung ssam
ing we found ourselves stoppe
BY wall which we had not before perceived
Q running at right angles to this front w
= halted, and, resting ourselves in the COZ
0 shade of the vaults, we stole luncheon
g grapes from the luxuriant vine. We the
! Boldly marched up to the gateway, pushe
!, it open and entered the inclosure. We bega
q to look around to decide upon our next move
9 when suddenly there appeared before us th
J, redotlbtable master Of the mansion himsel
e accompanied by a servant. We addressed tt
i master. with hat in hand, In the best Frenc
We could master. He reflected. We, replie
and be answered; but what was odd, all eli
iIIv enough. when we expected to be rattle
roughly treated; and what startled US mo
It wa bis French accent. which was might
{, strange At last, looking him full In the fac
t. one OF US said: "Are We not addressing
y came from Cork, and sure I Thought u
e were brother Britons or Americans" We
d, planned that some Of us were English 81