ce　has　indeed　much　to　say　of　the　wealth；　the　capacity　for　production；　of　France；　…　the　bright；　cheerful；　smokeless　industry　of　the　wonderful　country　which　produces；　above　all；　the　agreeable　things　of　life；　and　turns　even　its　defeats　and　revolutions　into　gold。　　The　whole　town　has　an　air　of　almost　depressing　opulence；　an　appear…　ance　which　culminates　in　the　great　_place_　which　sur…　rounds　the　Grand…Theatre；　…　an　establishment　in　the　highest　style；　encircled　with　columns；　arcades；　lamps；　gilded　cafes。　　One　feels　it　to　be　a　monument　to　the　virtue　of　the　well…selected　bottle。　　If　I　had　not　for…　bidden　myself　to　linger；　I　should　venture　to　insist　on　this；　and；　at　the　risk　of　being　considered　fantastic；　trace　an　analogy　between　good　claret　and　the　best　qualities　of　the　French　mind；　pretend　that　there　is　a　taste　of　sound　Bordeaux　in　all　the　happiest　manifes…　tations　of　that　fine　organ；　and　that；　correspondingly；　there　is　a　touch　of　French　reason；　French　complete…　ness；　in　a　glass　of　Pontet…Canet。　　The　danger　of　such　an　excursion　would　lie　mainly　in　its　being　so　open　to　the　reader　to　take　the　ground　from　under　my　feet　by　saying　that　good　claret　doesn't　exist。　　To　this　I　should　have　no　reply　whatever。　　I　should　be　unable　to　tell　him　where　to　find　it。　　I　certainly　didn't　find　it　at　Bordeaux；　where　I　drank　a　most　vulgar　fluid；　and　it　is　of　course　notorious　that　a　large　part　of　mankind　is　occupied　in　vainly　looking　for　it。　　There　was　a　great　pretence　of　putting　it　forward　at　the　Exhibition　which　was　going　on　at　Bordeaux　at　the　time　of　my　visit；　an　〃exposition　philomathique；〃　lodged　in　a　collection　of　big　temporary　buildings　in　the　Allees　d'Or1eans；　and　regarded　by　the　Bordelais　for　the　moment　as　the　most　brilliant　feature　of　their　city。　　Here　were　pyramids　of　bottles；　mountains　of　bottles；　to　say　nothing　of　cases　and　cabinets　of　bottles。　　The　contemplation　of　these　glittering　tiers　was　of　course　not　very　convincing；　and　indeed　the　whole　arrangement　struck　me　as　a　high　impertinence。　　Good　wine　is　not　an　optical　pleasure；　it　is　an　inward　emotion；　and　if　there　was　a　chamber　of　degustation　on　the　premises；　I　failed　to　discover　it。　It　was　not　in　the　search　for　it；　indeed；　that　I　spent　half　an　hour　in　this　bewildering　bazaar。　　Like　all　〃expositions；〃　it　seemed　to　me　to　be　full　of　ugly　things；　and　gave　one　a　portentous　idea　of　the　quantity　of　rubbish　that　man　carries　with　him　on　his　course　through　the　ages。　　Such　an　amount　of　luggage　for　a　journey　after　all　so　short！　　There　were　no　individual　objects；　there　was　nothing　but　dozens　and　hundreds；　all　machine…made　and　expressionless；　in　spite　of　the　repeated　grimace；　the　conscious　smartness；　of　〃the　last　new　thing；〃　that　was　stamped　on　all　of　them。　　The　fatal　facility；　of　the　French　_article_　becomes　at　last　as　irritating　as　the　refrain　of　a　popular　song。　　The　poor　〃Indiens　Galibis〃　struck　me　as　really　more　interesting；　…　a　group　of　stunted　savages　who　formed　one　of　the　attractions　of　the　place；　and　were　confined　in　a　pen　in　the　open　air；　with　a　rabble　of　people　pushing　and　squeezing；　hanging　over　the　barrier；　to　look　at　them。　They　had　no　grimace；　no　pretension　to　be　new；　no　desire　to　catch　your　eye。　　They　looked　at　their　visitors　no　more　than　they　looked　at　each　other；　and　seemed　ancient；　indifferent；　terribly　bored。
  XIX。
  There　is　much　entertainment　in　the　journey　through　the　wide；　smiling　garden　of　Gascony；　I　speak　of　it　as　I　took　it　in　going　from　Bordeaux　to　Toulouse。　　It　is　the　south；　quite　the　south；　and　had　for　the　present　narrator　its　full　measure　of　the　charm　he　is　always　determined　to　find　in　countries　that　may　even　by　courtesy　be　said　to　appertain　to　the　sun。　　It　was；　moreover；　the　happy　and　genial　view　of　these　mild　latitudes；　which；　Heaven　knows；　often　have　a　dreari…　ness　of　their　own；　a　land　teeming　with　corn　and　wine；　and　speaking　everywhere　（that　is；　everywhere　the　phyl…　loxera　had　not　laid　it　waste）　of　wealth　and　plenty。　The　road　runs　constantly　near　the　Garonne；　touching　now　and　then　its　slow；　brown；　rather　sullen　stream；　a　sullenness　that　encloses　great　dangers　and　disasters。　The　traces　of　the　horrible　floods　of　1875　have　dis…　appeared；　and　the　land　smiles　placidly　enough　while　it　waits　for　another　immersion。　　Toulouse；　at　the　period　I　speak　of；　was　up　to　its　middle　（and　in　places　above　it）　in　water；　and　looks　still　as　if　it　had　been　thoroughly　soaked；　…　as　if　it　had　faded　and　shrivelled　with　a　long　steeping。　　The　fields　and　copses；　of　course；　are　more　forgiving。　　The　railway　line　follows　as　well　the　charm…　ing　Canal　du　Midi；　which　is　as　pretty　as　a　river；　bar…　ring　the　straightness；　and　here　and　there　occupies　the　foreground；　beneath　a　screen　of　dense；　tall　trees；　while　the　Garonne　takes　a　larger　and　more　irregular　course　a　little　way　beyond　it。　　People　who　are　fond　of　canals　…　and；　speaking　from　the　pictorial　standpoint；　I　hold　the　taste　to　be　most　legitimate　…　will　delight　in　this　admirable　specimen　of　the　class；　which　has　a　very　in…　teresting　history；　not　to　be　narrated　here。　　On　the　other　side　of　the　road　（the　left）；　all　the　way；　runs　a　long；　low　line　of　hills；　or　rather　one　continuous　hill；　or　perpetual　cliff；　with　a　straight　top；　in　the　shape　of　a　ledge　of　rock；　which　might　pass　for　a　ruined　wall。　I　am　afraid　the　reader　will　lose　patience　with　my　habit　of　constantly　referring　to　the　landscape　of　Italy；　as　if　that　were　the　measure　of　the　beauty　of　every　other。　Yet　I　am　still　more　afraid　that　I　cannot　apologize　for　it；　and　must　leave　it　in　its　culpable　nakedness。　　It　is　an　idle　habit；　but　the　reader　will　long　since　have　dis…　covered　that　this　was　an　idle　journey；　and　that　I　give　my　impressions　as　they　came　to　me。　　It　came　to　me；　then；　that　in　all　this　view　there　was　something　trans…　alpine　with　a　greater　smartness　and　freshness　and　much　less　elegance　and　languor。　　This　impression　was　occasionally　deepened　by　the　appearance；　on　the　long　eminence　of　which　I　speak；　of　a　village；　a　church；　or　a　chateau；　which　seemed　to　look　down　at　the　plain　from　over　the　ruined　wall。　　The　perpetual　vines；　the　bright…faced　flat…roofed　houses；　covered　with　tiles；　the　softness　and　sweetness　of　the　light　and　air；　recalled　the　prosier　portions　of　the　Lombard　plain。　　Toulouse　itself　has　a　little　of　this　Italian　expression；　but　not　enough　to　give　a　color　to　its　dark；　dirty；　crooked　streets；　which　are　irregular　without　being　eccentric；　and　which；　if　it　were　not　for　the；　superb　church　of　Saint…Sernin；　would　be　quite　destitute　of　monuments。
  I　have　already　alluded　to　the　way　in　which　the　names　of　certain　places　impose　themselves　on　the　mind；　and　I　must　add　that　of　Toulouse　to　the　list　of　expressive　appellations。　　It　certainly　evokes　a　vision；　…　suggests　something　highly　_meridional_。　　But　the　city；　it　must　be　confessed；　is　less　pictorial　than　the　word；　in　spite　of　the　Place　du　Capitole；　in　spite　of　the　quay　of　the　Garonne；　in　spite　of　the　curious　cloister　of　the　old　museum。　　What　justifies　the　images　that　are　latent　in　the　word　is　not　the　aspect；　but　the　history；　of　the　town。　　The　hotel　to　which　the　well…advised　traveller　will　repair　stands　in　a　corner　of　the　Place　du　Capitole；　which　is　the　heart　and　centre　of　Toulouse；　and　which　bears　a　vague　and　inexpensive　resemblance　to　Piazza　Castello　at　Turin。　　The　Capitol；　with　a　wide　modern　face；　occupies　one　side；　and；　like　the　palace　at　Turin；　looks　across　at　a　high　arcade；　under　which　the　hotels；　the　principal　shops；　and　the　lounging　citizens　are　gathered。　　The　shops　are　probably　better　than　the　Turinese；　but　the　people　are　not　so　good。　　Stunted；　shabby；　rather　vitiated　looking；　they　have　none　of　the　personal　richness　of　the　sturdy　Piedmontese；　and　I　will　take　this　occasion　to　remark　that　in　the　course　of　a　journey　of　several　weeks　in　the　French　provinces　I　rarely　encountered　a　well…dressed　male。　　Can　it　be　possible　the　republics　are　unfavorable　to　a　certain　attention　to　one's　boots　and　one's　beard？　　I　risk　this　somewhat　futile　inquiry　because　the　proportion　of　mens　？？？　coats　and　trousers　seemed　to　be　about　the　same　in　France　and　in　my　native　land。　　It　was　notably　lower　than　in　England　and　in　Italy；　and　even　warranted　the　supposition　that　most　good　provincials　have　their　chin　shaven　and　their　boots　blacked　but　once　a　week。　I　hasten　to　add；　lest　my　observation　should　appear　to　be　of　a　sadly　superficial　character；　that　the　manners　and　conversation　of　these　gentlemen　bore　（whenever　I　had　occasion　to　appreciate　them）　no　relation　to　the　state　of　their　chin　and　their　boots。　　They　were　almost　always　marked　by　an　extreme　amenity。　　At　Toulouse　there　was　the　strongest　temptation　to　speak　to　people；　simply　for　the　entertainment　of　hearing　them　reply　with　that　curious；　that　fascinating　accent　of　the　Languedoc；　which　appears　to　abound　in　final　con…　sonants；　and　leads　the　Toulousains　to　say　_bien…g_　and　_maison…g_；　like　Englishmen　learning　French。　　It　is　as　if　they　talked　with　their　teeth　rather　than　with　their　tongue。　　I　find　in　my　note…book　a　phrase　in　regard　to　Toulouse　which　is　perhaps　a　little　ill…natured；　but　which　I　will　transcribe　as　it　stands：　〃The　oddity　is　that　the　place　should　be　both　animated　and　dull。　　A　big；　brown…skinned　population；　clattering　about　in　a　flat；　tortuous　town；　which　produces　nothing　whatever　that　I　can　discover。　　Except　the　church　of　Saint…　Serni