for sixpence. A fragment, of so little value to him, became a treasure to the celebrated Cuvier, as it afforded him a piece, or a variety, that was wanting for the recomposition of the skeleton of that animal, which he designates by the name of Paleotherium. Here also are found the jaw-bones of divers fish, several of which belong likewise to species that no longer exist.

What catastrophe could have thus united and heaped up together these ancient wrecks of animal life? What new revolution, or what long series of ages, could have again covered these wrecks with a bed of earth or rock above 100 feet thick? An inexhaustible source of conjectures and systems, a vast field of scientific researches, where man obtains no other certitude but that of his ignorance!» Between this village and Essone, we cross a plain which has received the name of Longboyau, because the trees which have been planted along the road run in a direct line for more than eight miles, and form an alley which, of course, extends farther than the eye can reach. The soil is sandy and bad. To the right of this road are the ruins of La Saussaye, an old abbey of Benedictines. At the extremity of the long avenue just noticed is the village of Fbmenteau, where is a companion pillar to that of Villejuif. The neighbouring country is extremely rich, and covered with parks, fine residences, and villages which indicate competence, animated by an abundant and variegated cultivation, bordered by the Seine,

which winds to the left, and intersected by rivulets which dispense general fertility; the whole forming a most interesting prospect. Leaving Fromenteau, we pass the Orge, over a fine bridge, of extraordinary height, and curious by its arches being built one above another. This fine work was executed in order to form the highway, which formerly passed through the village of Juvisy, but was dangerous and difficult on account of the steepness of the descent. The road, according to the new plan, was still to pass through Juvisy, but the Seigneur of the village refused to cede out of his park the ground that was necessary. Respect for private property got the better of considerations of public utility, and the high road was traced at a small distance from Juvisy, to the great prejudice of its inhabitants. The work was begun in 1722; the mountain was undermined and opened; and in order to unite the two hills, between which the little river Orge runs, this bold and singular construction was erected; consisting of two bridges, placed one above the other. The first, composed of seven arches, only serves to keep up the earth of the two hills; but it supports a second bridge, which has only one arch, over which passes the high road. This work, worthy of the Romans, was finished in 1728.

While the workmen were breaking up the rock, they discovered a spring which proved very troublesome; but it was soon determined to take advantage of it for the embellishment

of the bridge. Two fine fountains were constructed, which gave the place the name of Fontaines de Juvisy. These fountains are surmounted by groupes; one, by Coustou the younger, representing Time, holding a medallion of Louis XV; the other composed of children supporting a globe, on which were the arms of France. Each fountain has a large basin, and is adorned with a tablet, on which was the following inscription:

Ludovicus XV.

Rex christianissimus,
Viam hanc difficilem
Arduam ac pene inviam
Scissis dissectisque rupibus
Explanato colle

Ponte et aggeribus constructis
Planam, rotabilem et amænam
Fieri curavit.

Anno M.DCC.XXVIII.

These fountains are now, unfortunately, dry; and were much damaged, during the revolution, by the band of ruffians called the Marseillois, who passed this way on their road to Paris. The most agreeable views are now seen on both sides the road; on the right is Viry, celebrated for its excellent cheeses. Instead of monotonous plains, the prospect is changed to a pretty valley, through which, in the midst of meadows, winds the little river Orge, and bordered to the West by rising grounds covered with verdure. This eminence, which extends to the right for more than a league, exhibits one of the freshest and most

pleasing rural views in all France. There are many delightful country seats near Viry.

Before we reach Essone, we see on the left the ancient town of Corbeil, once famous for its ancient monuments, and one of the granaries of Paris. Two vast water-mills and several others less considerable, are constantly at work for the supply of the capital; there is also a great market-place and a superb magazine erected during the ministry of the famous abbé Terrai.

Essone, consisting of a fine long street, is situated on the Juine or Essone, and has manufactories of cotton, copper, and printed calicoes, where Berthollet and Chaptal's method of bleaching is pursued. The royal gunpowder manufactory is remarkable on account of its singular situation. The place in which the different substances are prepared for making the powder, is entirely blackened by the dust of the charcoal, and seems to the visitor to resemble the poetical descriptions of the infernal regions; he crosses a stream over a plank, and this may be called the passage of the Styx into the Elysian fields; for on the other side is a charming meadow, shaded by fine trees, and intersected by several branches of a small river, which serves to turn the machinery. Near this spot is the little hamlet of Moulin-Gallant, celebrated for the paper-mills, at which the famous vellum sheets are manufactured for the superb typographical curiosities of the brothers DiDoT. Farther on, to the left, is seen the chateau of

Sainte- Assise, formerly inhabited by the Duke of Orleans, and the park on the banks of the Seine.

About half a mile from Chailly, the post station, we begin to enter the noble forest of Fontainebleau, which contains more than thirty-four thousand acres, and is remarkable for the singularity of its prospects. On one side are seen black and shapeless rocks, surrounded with morasses, and on the other, strata of free-stone, disposed with the utmost irregularity. One part exhibits nothing but barren sands, while another contains lands covered with the finest wood, such as oaks, beech, and firs, whose lofty summits. expand in the air, or the trunks of which lie on the ground, while the whole affords the most picturesque views. Often, on leaving a fertile valley, the traveller finds himself in an uninhabited desert; but, on the other hand, many parts of the forest contain walks lined with trees, that extend farther than the eye can reach. The rocks of Fontainbleau furnish an excellent hard stone, with which, when cut into squares, many of the towns in France are paved, in a convenient and solid

manner.

The streets of Fontainebleau are broad and regular, and the houses are well built, both of brick and stone. But this place owes its chief celebrity to its ancient chateau, the residence of several kings of France, which offers to the eye a magnificent but confused pile of buildings, each bearing the character