A tour through some parts of France, Switzerland, Savoy, Germany and Belgium, during the summer and autumn of 1814.

Front matter

A TOUR

THROUGH SOME PARTS OF

FRANCE, SWITZERLAND,

CHAP. I. PACEn

Introduction — On the opening of the Continent — Departure from London — Arrival in France — Different appearance of things — Large bonnets — Custom-house and passports — Of travelling in France — French dinners— Abbeville — Beauvais — Vines — Chantilly ; its ruined appearance — St. Denis and its Abbey ...... 1

Chap. II

Of the approach to Paris — General appearance of that city — Its bridges — Is inferior in comfort to London — Settled at an hotel — Population of Paris — Its markets — Badly supplied with water — Of its various divisions and their inhabitants — Palais Royal — Gamblers — Police — English papers — Rule to find one's way through Paris — The Tuilleries — The Louvre — Plans of improvement 14

CHAP. Ill*

Visit to the Gallery of the Louvre and Museum — To the Luxemburg— To theRoyal Library— To the Palais des Beaux Arts — To the church of Notre Dame— To the Pantheon— Protestant Church and Congregation— Cf

Vlll CONTENTS.

PAGE.

the number of English in Paris — Column in the Place Vendome — Gobelin Manufactory — Post Office — Botanic Garden — Lady and her Dog — Story of Dr. Moore — Of the Character of the Parisians — Their Loquacity — Of the Legislative Body — Heat of the Weather — Champs Elysees — Quarter of St. Antoine — Of the Revolution — Of the Boulevards — Of the Restaurateurs^ — Of Ladies frequenting Coffee-Houses, &c 28

Chap. IV

The Invalids — Elevation of different Buildings — Buonaparte desirous of Eclat — Champ de Mars — Place de Grenelle — Of the Plan of General Mallet and his Execution — Visit to the Museum of French Monuments — Infidelity of its Promoters — Of Colbert — Gardens of Tivoli — Great Numbers of Military Officers in Public Places — Of the Capture of Paris by the Allies — View of Paris from Montmartre — Vanity of the French — Their Love of Novelty — The Emperor Alexander's Entry into Paris — Of the Establishment of M. Delacroix — At the Tuilleries — Of the King — His regard for England — France still unsettled — Advice of Galba to Pis — Curious Glass Stair Case — Of the French Theatres, and their Italian Opera — Number of Bureau d'Ecrivains 43

Chap. V

Visit to the Royal Palaces— St. Cloud— St. Cyr— Malmaison — Versailles — Its Formality — Accuracy of Pope's Description of the Old Style of Decoration — Comparison of Windsor and Versailles— City of Versailles

CONTENTS. -IX

PAGE.

greatly reduced — Trianon — Sevres — Porcelain Manufacture — Barrier of Passy — Of the Harvest — Castle of Vincennes — Few private Carriages at Paris — Great Numbers of Fiacres and Cabriolets — Attend at the Foreign Office for Passports to leave Paris — Arrive at Fontainbleau — Memorable for the Abdication of Buonaparte — Reflections on the Captivity and Character of the Pope — Reflections on Buonaparte — At Montereau; Battle near the Town — Sens — Auxerre — Description of the French Diligence — Dinners, &c 56

Chap. VI

At Avalon — Public Promenades — Number of Beggars — Villages and Country Houses more numerous in Vine than in Corn Countries — Farming in this District — Land Tax and Customs of Descent — Dijon — A large and handsome City — Its Public Buildings — Company in the Diligence increased by the arrival of two French officers — Their political opinions — Advantage of the Diligence — Arrival at Dole — Battle near Auxonne — Genlis — Poligny — Vin d'Arbois — Woods, but without Birds — Moray — English breakfast — Resemblance to North Wales— Magnificent view of the lake of Geneva — Excellent roads made by Buonaparte — Visit to Ferney — Description of Geneva — View from its Cathedral — Its manufactures— Population — Territory— Determination to visit the Alps; and not to go into Italy . . 71

CHAP. VII. Departure for Charaouny — Bonneville — Valley of Cluse

Cascade d'Arpennas— St. Martin— Extravagant bill

Proceed on mules— Their astonishing safety— River

Contents

PAGE,

Arve — Pont de Chevres— Cascade of Chede — Extravagance of English travellers very prejudicial — Lake of Chede — Servoy and its mines — Visited by the empress Maria Louisa — Glaciers des Bossons — Definition of Glacier — Of the valley and village of Chamouny — Guides — Politics of the Savoyards — State of taxation — Ascent of Montanvert — Magnificent and awful spectacle of the Mer de Glace — Height of various mountains, compared with Mont Blanc — Simile from Pope — Return to Chamouny — Larch and fir mixed on these vast mountains — Their productions.- — The valley continually threatened with avalanches ....... 84

Chap. VIII

Leave Chamouny — Delightful situation of Valorsine— - Festival there — Of the Savoyard peasants — Anecdote from M. de Saussure — Country difficult to travel through — Trient — Magnificent view from the Fourcle — The French not so much disliked in the Valais as their cruelty deserved — Castle of la Rathia— Martigny — Unsuccessful attempt of two English gentlemen to ascend Mom Blanc — Less adventurous, we did not ascend Mount St. Bernard — Cascade of the Pisse Vache — Number of idiots and goitrous persons in the Valais — Opinion of Mr Coxe on the subject — Opinion of M. de Saussure — St. Maurice — Its strong position — Roman bridge and antiquities — Passports demanded here—Different colour of the Rhone here and at Geneva 98^

Chap. IX

Bex — Industry of the inhabitants of this country — Their eONTENTS. Xi

PAGE.

cottages and wandering lives — Salt springs — Aigle — Growth of corn — Villeneuve — Agitated state of the lake — Labours of the inhabitants often destroyed by the fall of rocks — Chillon — Clarens — Vevay — Magnificent view of its church — Of general Ludlow — Lausanne — Its singular situation — Its antiquity — Its cathedral — View from the church yard — Population &. manufactures — French manners prevail here — Gibbon — Pope Felix V. a singular character — Reformation — Morges — Festivity there — Rolle — Its Spay — Country seats — Delightful scene from the garden of its castle in the evening — Nyon — Chateau de Pranqui — Joseph Buonaparte — Vines — Swiss artillery — Copet — Anecdote of Mde. de Stael — Versoi — Return to Geneva .... 110

Chap. X

On the introduction of history into tours — Early government of Geneva — Reformation — Alliance with Berne and Zurich — A few laws peculiar to Geneva — Theatre — Town hall — Permission obtained to reside at Geneva — Lodging procured in consequence — Fortifications of Geneva not devoid of utility — Views from the ramparts — Maintenance of the allied troops very expensive to Geneva — Regret of the Geneveseat the destruction of some ancient avenues by them — Meet a person who gives a melancholy account of the state of Geneva under the French — State of society — Fete de navigation — Dress, &c. — Epigrame by a prince of Hesse — Rousseau — Voltaire — Raynal — Remarks of a Savoyard peasant — The college of Geneva — The Library — Of Calvin — Water works — Society of arts — Corn magazine — Churches, service, &c. at Geneva 123

XU CONTENTS.

PAGE-

Chap. XI

Excursion to the Perte du Rhone — Magnificent spectacle which it affords — Rise of the Rhone — Hope gardens Malt liquor badly made — Climute of Geneva — Of Switzerland in general — Opinion of Haller — Soil, grain and population of Switzerland — Quantities of cattle — Various plants— Visit to a watch-maker's warehouse — Its elevated situation — Great ingenuity, but want of what in England would be thought good taste — Circles of Genevese — Introduction to a French gentleman who had twice escaped the guillotine — Walks and rides — Junction of the Rhone and Arve — Coligny — Carrouge —St. Julian — Battle there — Inferiority of the Austrian troops to the French — French politics — Empress Maria Louisa — Lord Castlereagh at Geneva .... 136

Chap. XII

Regret at leaving Geneva — Lake of Joux — Coponex — Robbers— Lassera— Curious separation of a rivulet — Orbe — Face of the country — Price of land — Yverdun — Sea view — Spa — Anecdote of a conductor — Game — Bridge of Serrier — Neufchatel, said to resemble Naples — Description of its territory — Anecdote respecting the religion of Landeron — David Riri — Sketch of the history of Neufchatel—- Competitors for its sovereignty—Lake of Bienne— Island of St. Pierre— Singular government of Bienne — Great change on passing the Pont de Thiel— Charge of rapacity against the

» Swiss— Pleasant travelling — Extensive view from Julemont — Agriculture — Arberg . 144

C0KTEX1S. X11I

TAGE.

Chap. XIII

Morat, famous forKirschwasser — monument commemorating" the defeat of the Burgundians removed by the French — Its inscription — Seedorf — View of the Island of St. Pierre— Beauty of the distant view of Berne — Its interior also handsome — Its fortifications — Stags and Bears kept in the trenches — Public Library — Botanic garden — Chemists' and Bakers' shops — Convicts chained in the streets — Beautiful public walks — Government of Berne — Opinion of Pope — Excursions to Hofwyl and Hyndlebanck — Extent of the Canton of Berne — Its population, productions, See. &c. — State of the Clergy — Departure from Berne — Village of Worb — Saw mill — Bleach greens — Care which the Swiss take of their horses — Sumiswald — Little wooden Inn — Zell— Castle of Haptalla-— Irrigation-- -Beautiful situation of Lucerne- --Its melancholy interior-- -General Pfiffer's model— Beautiful lake— Mount Pilate and Rigi — Visit two classic spots, and the small Canton--- Gersau— Intolerance — Lake and Canton of Zug— Swiss honey— Magnificent view of Zurich, described by Zimmerman—Considerations on the difference between the Swiss Cantons, &c. 156

Chap. XIV

Zurich — Its interior not answerable to its distant appearance — Population, buildings, &c Dinner at the Table d'Hote — Excursion on the Lake— Country and Villages, near Zurich — Winter there — Cascade of Lauffen— Its magnificent effect— Cyder — Bad vintage-- Schaff hausen — Its bridge — Population — Laws — Manufactures* &.C.— View of Mount Bunken— Chapsigve cheese— Swiss tea— Set out in the Diligence with a Doctor <ai

c xiv 00xVt£nts.

PACE

Leipzig 1 — His uncommon love of smoking 1 — Civility, dress, &c. of the Germans— Deutlingen — Pass the Danube — Taste of the Germans for music, preferable to the political arguments of the French — Passports — Subdivisions of Germany — Trade — Posts well conducted — Accident at Bahlingen — House of Hohenzollern. 170

Chap. XV

Tubing-en — Its University — Different from ours — Agree to post to Frankfort — Of German posting, and dinners — Feather-beds — Stoves — Stutgard — A handsome city. Palace, its decorations — Industry of the Queen — Council chamber — Royal stables — Garrison composed of handsome troops — Palace at Ludwigsburg — Waggons and traffic on the road — Heilbron — Escape from being overturned — Sinzheim— Cossack arrives there — Heidleberg — Its castle — Venerable in ruins — The Inn — Rich country — Quantity of potatoes — Manheim — Regularly built, but much deserted — Th^ Palace in decay — W alks— Darmstadt — Unfurnished and ill situated — Pa= lace — Handsome gardens — Frankfort a magnificent city — Inns — Opulence of its merchants— Population — Jews — Gates and fortifications — Cassino — Villas — Orchards — Hochst — Inscription — Hochheim — <Rhingau Wines— Mayence — Its strength — Handsome only at a distance — Its bridge— Cathedral — Population — Exportation of corn — Large cabba ge 181

Chap. XVI

Embark on the Rhine — Political rhapsodies ef two Frenchmen — Be aitiful scenery— Guiph of Bingerlock— Blighted state of the vines — Most distressing to the ihhabftants-~Boppart 'God save the kihg'— Bonfires-—

OONTENTS. XV

PAGE.

Size of Paris and London — St. Goar — Coblentz — Royal Saxon guards — Ruins oi Ehrenbreitstein — Ai.derrach — The Devil's House — Lowdersdorf — Linz — Bonn — 11- hlmthations, balls, &c — -End oi' picturesque scenery- Boat driven on shore — Walk to Cologne — A vast and gloomy city — Simile of Dr. Johnson's — Few country houses on the Rhine — Rubens — His excellence as a painter and his great modesty — Juliers — Aix la Chapelle — Its antiquity — Waters — Pleasant Situation- Population not equal to its extent — Burscheid — Manufactures of cloth, &c. — Cathedral — Sunday ill observed — Liege— A large and extremely dirty city — Booksellers — Cutlery — Distress of the manufacturers — Thieves — B A money — Expeditious public carriage- Axiom of Rousseau— St. Tron — Chimes — Tirlemont, its much reduced manufactures 195

Chap. XVII

Population of the Netherlands — Louvain — Its public buildings — University — Character of the Belgians — By some represented as the worst in Europe — 1 hat statement probably overcharged — Extortion — John Bull at Paris — French kitchens, &c. — Breweries — Roads — Taste in gardening — Canals not an agreeable mode of travelling— Heavy taxes — Unsettled political state — Vast numbers of English at Brussels — Its extent, population and appearance — The park — Anecdote of Peter the Great— Town house— Churches— Collections of paintings— Anecdote of Bassano— Hotels — Table d'Hotc, like the tables at Cheltenham— Expense of living— Houses— Jurourin— Forest of Sogne— House of correction compared with ours — Walk round the city — Fortified towns— Sieges of Ostend, Y.".lencicnncs,

*tl CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Troy and Azotus— Malines— Considerations on its- decline—Its siik— Population — Buildings — Manner of cutting- the trees near the roads— Antwerp, its importance— Docks— River— Riches of Belgium— Buildings at Antwerp— Accuracy of the Flemish painters— Appearance of the country — The inns not equally decorated with those in Germany — Wooden shoes . . 2Q~

Chap. XVIII

Ghent — Its great size — Decreased in population and consequence— Charles V —D'Arteville— Canals— Trade — Buildings — Prison — Land and water travelling — Ostein! and Bruges — Derivation of Bourse — Noisy and silent travellers — Proficiency of foieigners m English — Taste in bonnets — Sportsmen without game — Courtray — Dogs drawing — Boundary stone of Prance — Custom house — Passports, danger of being without — Lille —Fortified by Vauban — Population — Buildings — Theatre — Society — Economical residence — Remarkable view from Cassel — Berg — Fens — Canals — Dunkirk — First impressions — The origin of its name — Buildings and population — Flemish language— Of the union of Belgium with France — Political consideration — Dunkirk sold by Charles 11. — Lord Clarendon's house so called — Its fortifications demolished — Graveliue. — Its strong situation — Liberty and equality 1 — Cheap travelling — Calais the last English possession in France — Contrary winds — French officers displeased at the theatre — General jealousy of England — Embark on board a French packet — Loquacity of the French — Arrival in England — Its superiority to other countries 221

A TOUR

THROUGH SOME PARTS 0*

FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, &c.

Chap. I

I had long been desirous of visiting the Continent, bat the long continuance of the war, and the little prospect which lately appeared of its termination, seemed to afford no chance for the accomplishment of my wish. At a period, however, when that arbitrary power, which had so long held in subjection the. other nations of the Continent, sought to overthrow the only monarch who dared to oppose it, and to claim for his subjects the natural rights from which they had been excluded by the " Continental System" it pleased Divine Providence to destroy the fetters which enslaved the nations of Europe, as if to try, whether in the school of adversity, they had learned to merit the blessings of independence. These great

B unci glorious changes, the reality of which it was at first difficult to beiicve, having opened to the subjects and commerce of Britain, countries from which they had been for so many successive years proscribed, it was not long before numbers of British repaired to the continent to indulge that love of roving for which they had been always distinguished (and which a long war had suppressed but not eradicated) and to clairr; from ail true patriots, in the countries they visited, that friendly reception to which the long perseverance and vast sacrifices of England, during a ■struggle unexampled in history, had so justly entitled the lowest of her subjects.

The unsettled state in which most part of the Contmenl necessarily remained for a little time after the entrance of the Allies into Paris, did not afford the most favourable moment for the journey of one who was not a military traveller ; and I did not regret that business prevented my leaving England for a few months after the opening of the Continent, as I had {ho gratification of being a witness, in the British metropolis, to the exultation of all ranks of men ; first, at seeing the legitimate monarch of France arrive there in company with our illustrious Regent who having long contributed to lessen the afflictions of the exiled Count ds Lille^ had first the satisfaction (to which he, amongst all the sovereigns of Europe, was best entitled, by the great part, which under his government, England had performed for the cause of European liberty) of saluting him as King of France* amidst tho cheers of applauding thousands; and,* secondly, of witnessing- the arrival of the magnanimous Alexander, of that too long unfortunate monarch, Frederick William, of those chiefs, PiatofT and BIucher, whose exploits have ranked them amongst the first of heroes, and, at last, of seeing, in the person of a Vfdlington, a British marshal who had successively foiled the most renowned of the generals of Buonaparte, and who, like Turenne, was accustomed" to fight without anger, to conquer without ambition, and to triuvz^h without vanity."

About the middle of July I left London and proceeded to Dover, a journey which, in the improved state of our roads and of our conveyances, is easily performed in one day; and often as I had before travelled the Kent road, yet I could not see without surprise, the astonishing number of public and private carriages with which it abounds, and which must have doubtless much increased within the last few T months. I became acquainted on the road with a French Abbe, who, accompanied by his sister, was returning home after an absence of twenty-two years, which he had spent mostly in England, but he could by no means express himself intelligibly in English. I therefore addressed him in his own language, which pleased him extremely, and I found him an amusing companion, as well as very grateful for some little services I rendered him in' arranging with the coachman respecting his baggage and that of his sister, as they took the whole of their property to France with them, including mamhousehold articles which I should not fcave thought worth the expense of carriage. We supped in the same appartment at Dover, but they had brought their provisions with them, which as I afterwards found was sometimes the practice in France, either from motives of comfort or economy. Such travellers, however, would not be much wished for at an English inn.

Next morning my first business was to attend at the custom-house ; and the officers, after a diligent search, finding nothing illegal amongst my baggage, permitted me to purchase a sufferance for it to be embarked for France. The rest of the passengers having likewise arranged their affairs and obtained sufferances, we proceeded on board the packet, and found that it was extremely full without this last reinforcement; but I doubt whether the captain was of that opinion. I found the charge ior the passage amounted to one guinea, which is the sum paid for the passage between Dublin and Holyhead, although that is nearly three times the extent of the channel between Dover and Calais. I was informed that the seeming disproportion in those prices was to be attributed to the heavy post dues at Calais, which for so small a vessel as the packet, amounted to 14 or 15/, although in the year 1793 they did not exceed eighteen shillings.

Amongst the passengers was a Swiss gentleman, who I found passed for a man of great importance amongst the sailors. His carriage perhaps contribu,- red not a little to this, as it had once been tlae property of the duke of Northumberland; and although the arms were defaced, yet the coronet, the garter, and the gilding with which it was still decorated, no doubt contributed to increase the expenses of a journey which, from its length, is a heavy tax on the pockets of the generality of travellers, however plain knay be their equipage.

We were above two hours on board before it wj s possible to extricate our vessel from the great number of transports (I believe not less than thirty- two) Which crowded the harbour, being engaged for some time in bringing home a large portion of our cavalry, who added to the military glory they had acquired in Spain and Portugal; by their forbearance in tolerating insults to which they were but too often exposed in their passage through France, by a people whose vanity forbids them to admire valour, except in Frenchmen, but whose conduct on those occasions served only to increase the obligations which they had in so many instances experienced from the humanity which always attends on British valour.

If we had to regret the delay we experienced in getting out to sea, that sentiment soon vanished before the favourable breeze which, in about four hours, brought us to the French coast. As the daywas hazy, we had not long to admire the venerable castle of Dover, and the cliff which Shakspeare has celebrated j and some time elapsed before we could, distinguish the shores of France, which differ entirely

b2 from those of England, rising gradually from the pater's edge, with the single exception of Scale* Cliff, which seems to correspond with some of those bulwarks which characterize our coast from Dover to Portland, where, I think, chalk cliffs are succeeded by masses of Rock and grey stone.

The tide being out on ouv arrival before Calais, we could not get into the harbour, and with that impatience to leave a ship, which is natural to landsmen, we were glad to accept the offers of some boats which hastened around the p?.cket, to offer their services in landing us; this, however, they did not' exactly perform, being too large to get very near the shore, to which we Mere each of us carried by three Frenchmen, one to each leg, and a third behind. This service I had often had performed by one of my fellow-subjects, and it seemed to verify the old saying, that ii one Englishman is equal to three French?nen."

Each Monsieur however insisted on a shilling fop his services, and the boatmen five shillings from every oassenger. But I had travelled enough to know, that extortion on such occasions is so general, as not to be peculiarly the characteristic of the inhabitants of any country, and if ever there is pleasure in being cheated, it is surely on such an occasion as that of exchanging the misery of a ship for the comforts oi the most indifferent inn.

The arrival for the first time in a foreign country, of a person who has never before quitted his ©wn, is an epoch of considerable moment in his life

Most things are different from those he has been ac T customed to, and the force of first impressions is then stronger than, perhaps, at almost any other period. We are, in general, not much disposed to like any custom, or mode of dress, which is greatly at variance with what we have been long used to, and the enormous height of the bonnets in France produces, in my opinion, an effect far from pleasing ; the ladies, by their strange costume, out-top many of the military.

I found the town of Calais in a state of equal bustle with Dover, and from the same cause. It is regularly fortified, and contains many very good houses^ The population is estimated at between seven and eight thousand. The market-place forms a spacious square. The town-house and church are handsome buildings, and altogether it must be allowed much to surpass Dover as to appearance.

The search which my portmanteau had undergone the day before in England, was here renewed by the officers of the French Douane, but with no better success on the part of the officers in being able to seize any thing. They were, however, very polite, and their fees only amounted to half a crown. My next care was, to attend at the town-hall, and present my passport to the inspection of the mayor, who endorsed it with his licence for me to proceed to Paris.

I accordingly determined on setting out without further delay, and joined an acquaintance in hiring a cabriolet for the journey, to obviate the trouble of changing our luggage at every post, and to avoid any delay that might arise from not iinding a carriage at every station, which is by no means certain, as in England. We found the Cabriolet a very pleasant conveyance, it is nearly as light as a curricle, and has a head and windows, which exclude rain. It is drawn by two or three horses, and proceeds at a tolerably good pace. The postilions are provided with boots of a very inconvenient size, and with whips which they are perpetually cracking, not much to the comfort of the ears of their passengers.

Those who have never seen any thing but an English stage-coach, cannot but feel some surprise at the different appearance which a French Diligence presents. Most of them carry nine inside passengers, and three in the cabriolet, and as much luggage behind, and in the Imperial, as would load a tolerably large waggon. They are generally drawn by four horses, which present a very different appearance from those under the English carriages, and they are driven by one postilion, who rides the wheel-horse. Occasionally, a second postilion and two more leaders are necessary from the weight of the carriage, or the heaviness of the roads. Carriages in France, in passing each other, take exactly different sides of the road from what they are obliged to do by our laws of travelling.

The country, for many leagues round Calais, reminded me very strongly of Cambridgeshire in its general appearance, being flat, well cultivated, unenclosed} and abounding in wind-mills. About the villages there are some trees and enclosures ; but a few more church spires are wanting to complete the resemblance. The distance from Calais to Paris is about 180 English miles, and may generally be considered as a flat country, occasionally diversified by a few hills of no great magnitude. Enclosures are rarely seen, but the quantity of corn is quite astonishing. Agriculture appeared to me to be in a highly improved state : there are artificial grasses and meliorating crops. The appearance of the villages in general on this road is but little inferior to those in many parts of England. But the peasants, although not for the most part badly off, have no idea of that neatness, and of those domestic comforti which form the great characteristic of the same class of people in England.

An English farmer would laugh at the great cocked hat which is usually worn by the French husbandman* and would not be disposed to change his white frock for the blue one used on the Continent. Some wood is occasionally to be seen ; but Picardy is not famous either for the quantity or quality of its timber. The general fuel of the lower orders is turf, which, however, is not in any great quantity ; and in appearance it is inferior to that used by the Irish peasants. The roads are in general kept in good repair, and near Paris and some other great towns they are paved in the centre. They are flanked in many places by avenues of trees, which are for the most part cut with great formality ; but even where left to themselves, they do not add much to the ornament of the country or to the comfort of the traveller, affording but a scanty shade.

The whole of this road is without turnpikes ; they were, as I understood, abolished about three years ago, and the roads are now managed by the government. The French praise Buonaparte extremely for his attention to the state of their roads, and it must be owned that in this particular he merits the praise bestowed on him, which cannot be said with truth of many other parts of his conduct which seem to have been also approved of by the French. Buonaparte, it is true, made excellent roads, but he made them only for his soldiers, either to awe those who had submitted to his yoke, or to afford a facility of extending still further his conquests.

The drivers in France do not tax themselves at every public-house as with us, for porter or spirits, which they do not want ; they seldom stop, unless the stage is unusually long, and their horses require a little rest.