Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-05-12

Mr.. Editor.-Avignon is chiefly noted a. the
residence Of seven popes in the fourteenth |
century. Then 1t was strongly fortified and |
abounded in palaces and churches. But Its en-
terprise departed with the papal robes, and 1t is
now sleepy as an English inn before breakfast Our
hotel Is an old monastery, and we dine in its
chapel Fasting is there now unknown. The |
walls and gates Of the city are well preserved, and
from the heights about the cathedral there is |
lovely view Of the town, the Rhone and the coun-
try around. The papal palace is now used for
barracks. The museum seems to better kept than
anything else, and 1t contains some good Roman
sculptures and inscriptions and few fine pictures
including Horace vernet's Mazeppa," and land
scapes by Dughet and Breughel. In an adjoining
garden is a monument to Petrarchs Laura"
and the vestibule Of the museum has on the same
block twin profiles Of herself and the poet This
city was the favorite residence Of John Stuart
Mill. Here his wife died and was buried and
here, despite the unhealthiness Of the climate and
the consequent circumstances Of his physicians,
he persisted in staying and followed her to pre-
mature grave.
From Avignon we follow the Rhone half an
hour to Tarascon, then cross 1t, and in forty min
utes by rail westward reach the old Roman
Nemansus, the modern Nismes. Here is an am
phitheater smaller than the Colosseum at Rome
and several others, but better preserved than any
other in existence except that at Verona, and hay
ing seats for 1900 spectators. The Musee
Carree is Roman temple Of the Corinthian order
and is more perfect than any ancient buildings Of
this style in Italy except the Pantheon and the
small circular temple of Vesta at Rome. Its col
umns, except in front, are half mbedded in the
walls and thus are called pseudo-peripteral, or en-
gagged columns. Close beside the city old Roman
baths and fountains have within half a century
been disinterred, and adjoining them is a ruined
temple called the Nympheum. Not less interest
ing are the fragments Of statuary and Of tablets
found in the vicinity. The next day we drive
through olive orchards-where women were CLEAN
ing the last of the fruit and where men were plow
ing, digging about the trees and planting young
stocks--iteen miles to the Pont du Gard, the finest
specimen of a Roman aqueduct-brdge now exist
ing 1t consists OF three tiers OF stone arches one
above another, the whole rising to the height OF
one hundred and eightytwo feet The first tier has
six arches; the second, eleven and the third,
thirty-three The channel at the top was three
feet high and two and half feet wide. Together
with the abutments it is about one-fourth OF
mile long, and is except the tunneled rock at one
end OF 1t, the sole remnant of magnificent aque-
duct twenty miles IN length which once supplied
the rich and luxurious Nemansus with pure water.
The great marvel of this structure is that with
the exception OF the waterway, which probably
was lined with cement, it is built of closely fitting
hewn stones without a particle of mortar. The
joints are so perfect as to be almost air-tight
Nismes knows no real winter, has commonly
;nat ba md md man
valids resort hither for the months that elsewhere
are hard to endure. Had our quest been mere
pleasure, we would gladly have tarried longer.
But we hasten to the sea and while waiting for
our steamer have thirty-six hours at Marseilles.
This city is the commercial metropolis OF France
Lines Of steamers run hence to every considerable
port OF the Mediterranean, to South America, and
by way Of the Suez canal to the chief seaports of
southern Asia, China and Japan. The piers and
streets adjoining are full of sailors. They are
motley crowd, French, Spanish, Algerines, Egyp-
tians, Nubians, Italians, Greeks and sprinkling
Of Chinese. But for a city with so large sea-
farng population, Marseilles Is well built and
well kept. The Bourse, the Custom house, the
theaters, the Museum, the Polytechnicum and
some OF the churches are fine buildings, many of
them of classic styles. The grass plots on the
parks were quite green early in January, and In
the afternoons half the people seemed to be stroll
ling. On several streets ropes are being made in
the open air, and on one Of the thoroughfares we
meet miniature street-car drawn by goats. by
mere chance we come upon the house in which
the historian Theirs was born. The fact is indi-
Gated by a tablet affixed to the wall. Towards
the close Of the afternoon we climb the hill east
OF the harbor and from the tower Of the cathedral
Of Notre Dame on its summit have magnificent
outlook over the city, harbor the white limestone
hills which stretch northward and eastward, and
wide expanse OF the sea. The hues OF crimson
and purple which sprang from the fiery sun as it
went down and mantled all the sky and shore
were gorgeous We descended mentally as well
as physically when we reached the door OF the
inner and lower sanctuary and read from notice
posted on the door that plenary indulgence would
on application to the parish priest, be granted to
those who had attended the services OF that
church for three years, and uho could offer TO
said priest a suitable consideration. What bid
for congregation Once besides in France we
noted similar invitation in the precincts of a
place Of worship o, We shades Of Luther Could
ye not rise from the dead to rebuke again this sin
and shame Of a so-called Christian church, Till
we saw it otherwise with our own eyes, we had
supposed that the Roman Catholic priesthood were
at least too shrewd to have recourse to such folly
In this enlightened and critical age.
Two days from Marsees brought us to Naples.
The ultimate goal Of our steamer was Shanghai,
China, but that was farther east than we had bar
gained for to begin with. Yet several passengers
were booked for the whole journey and one Of
them, who had been round Asia more than once