New-York tribune., 1882-02-19
A WINTER JOURNEY.
III.
TIE SOUTH OF FRANCE
or TIE TEiRINt'

.l,a
,rbcric moisture. Still II was 60 hc con.
hr,cbt ,;de from BcId'auA' W "o WI
amer '"' fi.b the chill damp of winter IN 'he
1r'n'e" Az ap,neGoc the town which has ac-
very C"P''" ! ,,e,ir association with sunshine
iureo DmpIcus troubad urs and beautiful
al" nov ,.I',ort narcants under balmy skies, love,
""i''"' ,,rtlv ccntcs;s # song, and elegant VIC
u .,,,,,,d with Ierfumed wTeaths. For hVe
'.1 ,,d fifty yeaTs--f the lou iousan legends
he CAV SCI, nee has been publicly hon
-, here by the competition of Ministries; and the
erol Games. as they are called from the nature OF
,1s,,i1es are sill annually celebrated In the city
l;cb witnessed their institution. But these eAer-
,ie,s have long ceased to have any literary impor-
,arce and Toulouse itself has lost whatever Joyous
ard aucl asI ect il may have worn III the sprlng
,ime of poetry. The general appearance of the city
uust be sombre at the best Of seasons, In spite OF
It's Interesting public cdiGces; being IN this respect
,be autitLesis of bordeaux aud Marscilles, which,
attn few important monuments, have nevertheless
an irresistible air Of guyety and brightness.
As the Characteristic feature OF Bordeaux is the
ouay and that OF Marscilles the Caunebiere so the
chief spot in Toulouse is the great square flace du
ronItole. with avenues radlatiug from il both at
1ght angles and diagonaIy, aud the most famous OF
the public buildings occupying the whole of one
mon 1t at night from the hotel windows. and the gas
burned dim III the mist. When looked again 10
he morning the sun was ont, and the place was
mil Of the hustle ant glowing color of market-day.
There were great baskets of fruit, mounds of spring
Ve,etables fesoons of CANDY kerchlets heaps OIL
,rown and yellow pottery, brOoms and basket-ware'
a,itb much of the show of fancy bazaar as well
,s o. e ordinary et2ck Of market. M"St OF Vhe
dealers sat under circular green awnings nea'iy
frinced and supported by a staff and nos; ana
when the market closed about IL o'clock they
va-hered their unsold goods, shut up the
awning like an umbrella, stuck theH
heads inside threw an over the pole TO balance
II. and trotted away. From al up er window the
motive power of this sudden dispersion was not
visible, and the appearance Of The square oecauie
exceedingly comic | when twenty OF thirty q g'gahuc
umbrellas seemed TO be walking Oh by themselves
Three side, Of the square are approprAied Ivy shops
hotels cafes and arcades; the fourth stards the
so-called Capitol whose imposing facade Is oina-
mented with columns of red marble. Here used to
o..enble the civic magistrates called cdP'touS,
elected nv the people from the twelfth century, or
rarbaps earlier down TO the end OF the seventeenh
INT the edlfce as II exists, has no nlstOTlcai
interest every part being modern In the iront are
the municipal Offices. some ancient poru"us lo-
main at the rear down to the present day. iouhu 'ne
last of them III course of demolition, new waI' Gh@
no and sign to warn the curious OIL the premises.
Far better worth seeing than the Capitol Is
the Church Of st. Saturninus, whose name Is uere
abbreviated to st. Serum, just az ~
Severinus in Bordeaux, becomes ST. Seurlh.
II is vast R0manesque buIlmg 81
The eleventh century; not that II is all
SO ancient as that but the LATER portions were added
in general harmony with the original design, and the
al nv th.l t4s
le-Duc, and sil in progress are admirable illusra-
tions Of the true method Of restoration, from which
we have SEEN especially in England, so many mel
aucholy departures The work OF the restorer Is not
t. transform but 10 repair; and he has dealt so rev.
erentlv and adrOtly with this noble monument that
some examination isnecessry To distinguish the an
cent masonry from the new. The material Is RED
brick with stone dressings-a combination which
lends itself beautifully to the Romanesque
style: aud the salient feature OF the exterior
Is magnificent Octagonal tower Tsing from the III
tersection of the and transepts, and formed OF
diminishing tiers of arches some pointed and others
round Within. the visitor IS struck by the elegant
nronor1iops of the long and lofty nave the double
aisles the richly adorned sanctuary and the apsica
altars. AT the time Of my visit masons and deco
rators were at work in some Of the chapels, ~hue
another was ablaze with lights and mass was
roinc on there behind an open grating. Worship
uers slipped IN by the gate ajar, and nropped upon
their knees apparently undlstuTbed by the noise Of
1he worknen sacrstan, who was deeply hurt 10y
nv disucLnation 10 inspect the treasures
in the crypt, assured me that this was
the richest church in the world; yes. Monsieur,
the richest in the world" But have heard the
same claim made, upon similar authority IN behalf
Of the 81 II more interesting and ancient church OF
ST. Ambrose at Milan.
The common use Of dull red brick al Toulouse in
stead of The light stone and stuccO which are pre-
ferred in so many other French towns, accounts
In part for the Inexpensive and cheercss aspect Of
the streets But suspect that, after all, the IN
pleasant impression which the city makes upon the
stranger Is owing cutie as much to the pavements
ns the architecture Nobody who trudges aloot
pver It's cobbe-stone sidewalks, which seem to have
been invented in order 10 make OF walking penl-
tentIa pi pigrimage, can long keep an equable mind
pr a capacity for enjoyment. Some of the principal
avenues indeed properly constructed; but IN
Uther streets and those not mean nor uIumportant
pne, the footway is merely narrow .glng OF cob
blc-stones or large sharp pebbles, soping toward
The road and separated from It by shallow and Ill
defined gutter, IN chronic state OF treshet. Walk
ing On such a path especially when wasl1ng-day or
n moist atmosphere has made 1t slippery, Is un-
s,eakably painful Many of the pedestrians, in
deed seek refuge in the middle Of the street; but
too close an ASSOCIATION with horses and wagons Is
bot favorable 10 sightseeing.
The road from Toulouse 20 Marseill;s is not less
attractive than the portions of the route which |
have already traced. Changing direction suddenly
from northeast southeast, 1t brings us once more
toward the base of the Pyrene"s and besides the
beautiful views of that range displayed on our right
aud we were soon able 10 enjoy prospect OF the
Cevennes our left. Three or four of the pctur-
esque towns by which passed have remark
able historical and antiquarian interest. Here were
enacted some of the bloodiest scenes o. the thiT-
teenth century crusade against the Abigenses, and
the dingy fortresses the heig gts could tell many
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