New-York tribune., 1880-06-27


BE ON YOUR GUARD WITH FRENCH LANDLORD.
Leaving Rochefort and the Atlantic coast at noon
one can ride that afternoon to Poters the scene OF
Charles Marteps victory over the Saracens, and Dy
10 o'clock the same evening will be at Limoges,
where several good hotels are to be found. Inc
price of lodging and breakfast at French hotel
depends to great extent upon the guest himseii.
Let him enter with the air of great selgneur. cal
for a good room without manifestlDg any interest
in regard to the price, aud retire with swarm OF
garcons and Wallets at his heels. it is morally GER
tain that before leaving in the morning he will be
called upon to pay bill In which not only the room
and breakfast are charged for at an exorbitant
price, but in which candles" "seryice," " omni'
bus" and all sorts of petty extras appear sweihng
the total to very respectable figure am not
speaking of Limoges landlords in particular, but OF
French landlords in general. One must always
make price with them in advance. and not hesi-
tate to be explicit about the extra charges other
wise they will certainly take advantage Of the
guests indifference. In this. as in almost every
other business in France there is fixed price for
anything. The sellers motto is "Get all you cam;
the buyers :" Pay as little as possible"
Fhe eastward bound morning train leaves Limoges
at quarter past T. and two hours later the passen-
geris among the mountains of Auvergne. The fan
ciful white caps worn by the peasant women OF
Potion and the Limousin have disappeared, anG in
their place unshapely straw bonnets resembling
are no longer vineyards wheat fields, long stretches
of carpeted uplands OF prairies watered with pop
lined brooks Instead arc rough clearings, with
here and there patch OF potatoes OF caoShSges Ia 2
to the mill-wheel in the hollow, and abrupt slopes
covered with thick growth OF patriarchai chest.
nuts. 1t was in THE Wild and rugged region tnat
the Roman conqneror of old met his most deter
mined and dangerous foe, ,Vermgetorix, whose hero
ism and fortitude are yet commencement Dy mon
ster statue in bronze on mountain top overlooking
the spot where he finally surrendered The people
of this thinly settled section are comparatively
poor leading toisome lives and barely are & gaining on
maintenance Women perform most of the work In
the fields, the men betaking themselves to the
towns in quest Of 9th. employment; from WHICH
they can gain at best bIS plttance. The mammoth
chestnut, known as the chafigne, Is the principai
product. and ground into flour, serves as material
-O The he most tedions portion of the entire jour-
ney a,ross France lies through this barren and in
hospitable, though at times picturesque. section.
city of 90 600 people, on the main line from Paris
to Marseilles. Hero life and animation are once
more apparent aud the traveller, II he be an Amer.
lean, may inyoluntariy lind himself humming the
old fashioned ditty "Pm right down glad to get out
Of the wilderness"
SCENES AT FRENCH JUNCTION"
The Moulins depot at almost any hour of the day
is perfect Babel Of noise and excitement. The
crowds of people ebowing each other at the ticket
Office or in the waiting rooms are plentifully be-
sprinkled with military uniforms, representing
almost every arm Of the French service. Moulins
might be An interesting place for days Stop. At
all events, Lord Clarendon. Of England. stopped
several years here In exile. and Sterne, of Tristan
Shandy fame, chose 1t as the scene OF one OF bis
stories. 1t is at Mouns. too that one changes cars
for Vichy. only an hour and half distant. The
Ill Il oAr nurxlrr
with mineral properties. ns, indeed.
the thirsty traveller who drinks too freely from the
hydrant in the depot may find to his cost.
Beyond Moulins the interest constantly freshens,
and the scenery grows more beautiful as the
traveller approaches the fertile vine growing prov
and only man Is vilen This is the very heart of
being geographically the centre or hub At half
past at night the train reaches Chagny. the juno
ton point with the MAN route from Paris to Lyons.
Thus successfully at Potiers, Moulins and Chagny
the route has intersected the three great lines
of railway running north and south from the
capital to Bordeaux, Marseiles and Lyons re-
Chagny is a quiet little burgh, with narrow.
crooked shady streets. an old Roman arch. and q
population largely composed OF railway employees:
But for it's being Junction point, no one outside OF
the arrondissement would probably ever have
heard of 1t. But the train that leaves Limoges at
7:15 in the morning comes to dead halt there at
bed IN the village. Indeed, they might go further
and fare worse.
AN IDEAL COUNTRY INN.
Ask anyone around the depot whether there is a
bote and he will answer that there several. but
that the Hotel de Bourgogne Is the best. Down at
the where the street leading from the depot
ntersects the principal street of the town you find
long. rambling two-story cottage, and by the flick
erng light of the street lamp read sign inscribed
with that name. You enter, and find yourself in a
sort of cupboard not over ten feet square, with pol
shed pots and pans adornng the shelves around the
wallis and fat phllanthropic landlady doing in an
easy chair In the corner On the left door leads to
a cafe with tables. ssnded floor and o flaming
chrome Of Gambetta in store clothes; in front @
narrow little breakneck staircase leads upward to
parts unknown and. to the right another doorway
opens off into dining-room, with white muslin cur
tains, snowy table covers and an air OF scrupuous
neatness and simplicity.
But there is good cheer here Ihave slept and eaten
at the best hotels in New-York, London and Paris
but never at either more comfortably than IN the
neat white-curtained bed, OF at the well-ordercd
table at the Hotel de BourgoGne at Chagny. Per-
hsps the journey had given an appetite for sleep
and for the wel-oooked breakfast which. like JOY
came after it in the morning. But at all events to
me, looking back over the long vista of bullets and
llntnB tne UP 8cIoSs FRANCE, CnhRny
must always be the bright oasis in memory. And
then such ridiculous prices. too-twenty-ive sous
for lodging and twenty-five more for breakfast at
which Blot or Soyer would not have dared to turn
up their critical noses Certainly Chagny is the
cheapest spot on earth.
morning train leaves there at half-past z for
one of the finest and handsomest provincial
cities in France, and the headquarters of the
Burgundy wine trade. The ancient palace
Of the Duke Of Burgundy stands in the
very heart of the CITY, and 10 now
used as Hotel de Vile, and for other public Offices.
Il commands the visitors admiration by its extent,
grandeur and architectural beauty.
King Rene Of Anjou was for years kept o prisoner
here, and the tOmbs of Philip the Bold. Marguerite
of Flanders his wife, and Jean sans Pear are to be
seen among the relics preserved In the really fine
museum which occupies a portion of the palace. As
q fact of moro modern historic interest 1t may be
that Garibaldi bad command of the
French troops comprising the garrison at this point
during the Franco-P Prussian war.
But Ouon dvested even Of all it's historical inter
ests, is 1--we modern city, With 10000 inhabitants