they invariably imply their own province of Brittany; for, when they speak of Great Britain, they always employ the terms Grande Bretagne; and sometimes, especially in old works, the Armorican province is designated, La Petite Bretagne. And this mode of contradistinguishing the two countries, was generally used by the Latin writers of the later ages, in the terms of Major, and Minor Britannia. We also frequently see the same epithets in English authors, that is, Great, and Little Britain.

The Bretons likewise themselves make the same distinction in their ancient Celtic language, calling our island Breiz veur, and their own province Breiz vihan; words answering to the Welsh of Prydain vawr, and Prydain vechan. England they call Bro-zaos, that is, Saxon land: and France, exclusive of their own territory, they call Bro-Chall, the land of Gaul.

As this country is distinguished from its insular parent by the appellation of Little Britain, it is also divided within itself into two districts, that of Haute Bretagne, or Upper Brittany, called in the Breton language Breiz uchel, or Gorre-Vreiz; and that of Basse Bretagne, or Lower Brittany, whose Breton name is Breiz isel, or Gweled-Vreiz.

Haute Bretagne, or Upper Brittany, which comprises the eastern. division of the province, is, with regard to its external appearance, for the most part an exceedingly flat country, even when compared with the generality of France; but I do not hesitate to say, that it is one of the finest flat countries I ever saw; for, though there are vines enough in the southern part to mark the fertility of the soil, and warmth of the climate; yet there are not so many vineyards as to disfigure the face of the country and the land is equally divided between corn and pasture. The enclosures also are very small, rarely exceeding a few acres; the hedges are formed of tall trees, and every field is an orchard: so that, at a certain distance, the whole country looks like an interminable forest, and that without the deserted and inhospitable aspect of a real uncultivated woodland. This part of Brittany, therefore, having, in addition to the above circumstances, the advantages of a southern climate, the richest flats of England will bear no comparison with it. And this style of beauty does not extend merely for a few stages, as in England, but accompanies you on your journey for many days together. I am not surprised that CONAN MERIADOC, and his companions, should have chosen this land for their portion, as the remuneration of their services in the cause of MAXIMUS; there are few parts of the Roman dominions which that emperor could have bestowed upon his old confederates, possessing greater attractions to an army fatigued with the toils of war, and from long experience acquainted with the respective evils and advantages of the various countries of Europe, than this.

Where the exact line of demarcation between the two divisions NO. v.

E

of the province lies, I am not able to state; but, in conversing upon the subject, the natives express themselves as if they considered it to be an imaginary boundary, concurrent with the difference of language, the French being spoken for the most part in Upper Brittany, and the Breton in Lower Brittany; though, doubtless, there must be a territorial boundary, independent of language, the French and Breton having evidently changed their limits, in the course of time, as circumstances have contributed to the abolition of the one, and forwarded the introduction of the other. However, to speak in general terms, the division of Basse Bretagne comprises the western part of the province, as far as the promontory of Finistère. Why it is called Lower Brittany; I cannot discover, unless it is on account of its being the most remote from Rennes, once the capital and seat of government; as we say, down to Wales, down to Scotland, &c.; or else from the western situation, as we talk of going down channel, when sailing to the west, for certainly its epithet of Low, does not by any means apply, with reference to the elevation of the ground; because, though no part of the country can with propriety be called mountainous, yet the few hills which do at all exist in the province, are almost exclusively to be found in this lower division; which is altogether a much more elevated district than the other.

These hills, or mountains, as the French call them, which, to an inhabitant of Wales, would seem but mere rising grounds, do in reality possess a much greater degree of elevation than they appear to have. Some of the highest are upwards of 900 feet above the level of the sea. The Montagnes d'Aré, in Finistère, being 286 metres, and the Montagnes Noires not much less; but the gradual slopes by which they ascend, and the very slight undulation of their outline, greatly diminish their apparent altitude.

As there is no large river, or marked natural boundary, between Upper, and Lower Brittany, as may be supposed, the transition is not immediate from the character of the one region to that of the other; yet, on passing from one to the other, a few stages will remind us of a considerable change in the climate and aspect of the country, and as might be expected, in that of the inhabitants. Instead of the rich and luxuriant plains of the upper district, with its woods and orchards, Basse Bretagne, on the contrary, presents the appearance of a cold, hilly, and sterile region; the corn more scanty and later in ripening, a comparative deficiency of wood, and the trees that do exist, especially in high situations, stunted, and bending from the west wind. Of course there are exceptions to this general character, and there are many sheltered spots in which the influence of a southern climate is perceptible in the more favorable appearance of the vegetation; and not unfrequently spots of considerable beauty. But generally speaking, this country, from the elevation of the land, and its peninsular

situation, is more subject to rain than any part of France, and even than many parts of England. And doubtless it is to this ungenial state of the climate, that the dreary and naked appearance of the fences is to be attributed, which are for the most part formed of dikes or mounds of earth, unaccompanied by any hedges or trees. And as in so exposed a country, shelter is an important consideration, these imbankments are, in the absence of hedgerows, raised to the height of five or six feet. This circumstance, added to the diminutive size of the enclosures, which contain about one acre each, and their regular oblong square form, gives the face of the land a very singular appearance, and naturally suggests the idea of the difficulties which would attend the conducting of a campaign in this country, particularly if opposed by the natives. In fact, every field is a fortification, with its breastworks ready thrown up. It would require incredible labour to render it passable to artillery, or even to practise the regular movements of cavalry.

The destinies of nations are often connected with other causes far more difficult of comprehension than those which appear most prominent in their immediate operation; otherwise here, in this land of intrenchments, the brave and loyal little band of the Chouans might have continued to keep the republican troops engaged until their friends had rallied in other parts of the king-. dom. But the revolutionary spirit had been too widely diffused, and too deeply imbibed, and numerous powerful, though hidden and unsuspected causes, had been too long in operation, to be then counteracted by a few local advantages and partial successes.

Whether it is the general humidity of the climate, which must make travelling less pleasant in this country than in the interior parts of France, or whether it is the difference of language, and the primitive and grotesque dress of the people; or perhaps an old hereditary grudge, occasioned by numerous ages of almost unceasing hostilities, that has impressed the French with the ideas they entertain of Basse Bretagne, I know not; but certainly, if we attended to their report of it, we should conclude it to be, with respect to the appearance of the country itself, and of the people who inhabit it, the most repulsive place upon the face of the earth. I had so frequently heard this description of its uninviting character from the French inhabitants of Paris, and of the interior, that previously to my visiting it, and making observations for myself, I had naturally adopted their ideas, and not only expected to see something very different from what is usually met with in the rest of Europe, but had actually made preparations for an expedition, such as I was given to understand would take me beyond the limits of the civilized world. And when about to commence my excursion thither, it was my fortune to meet, in the

city of Rennes, with a gay Parisian party, who so effectually succeeded in confirming my prejudices, that had I implicitly followed the advice they so liberally bestowed upon me, I should doubtless from thenceforward have most faithfully transmitted to others the same impression that had been communicated to myself. These savans, it appears, had just been making an excursion towards the borders of Basse Bretagne, but were then returning, as they said, completely disgusted, though they had only proceeded as far as the town of Dinan, which is not even within the limits of the country they were describing. And when I signified my intention of making a tour of the whole province, they most earnestly advised me to alter my plans, and occupy my time in visiting some other part of the kingdom; for they assured me, that all travellers who attempted Basse Bretagne, returned in disgust before they went more than a few stages into the country, for that its general aspect was that of desolation itself; the roads were impassable; and the people dirty, ragged barbarians, living in filthy huts, and clothed in sheepskins; that, in short, every thing was affreux.

Having, therefore, heard so many repetitions of this description, I must confess that I was, in a great measure, inclined to give it credence; of course, making due allowance for a few French metaphors, and for the ideas of rural life, which these good Parisians had acquired in the Champs Elysées and the Tuilleries Gardens, adding, moreover, that they had never seen the country themselves, but had undertaken to assure me of all this upon mere hearsay; yet, notwithstanding all this, such was the urgent persuasiveness with which this advice was given, and the convulsive shrug which accompanied the emphatic pronunciation of the word affreux, that I absolutely forgot that this province contained the great towns of Brest and l'Orient, &c., and that through it ran some of the finest high roads in France; and had gradually lapsed into that state of wondering expectation which a person would experience when about to land among the Caffres or Catabaws; and, when I approached the borders of the Bas Bretons, I constantly kept a look out for something egregiously outlandish and untamed, something between the Esquimaux and the Hottentot, which should concentrate all the distinguishing characteristics of the savage of both hemispheres. And while I was thus looking out for my Breton cousins, in their sheepskins and nose-rings, and figuring to myself the beau ideal of rags and beggary which I was shortly to see realized; when I heard the first words of Breton spoken, near Chatelaudren, I was not a little disappointed at not seeing the expected concomitants of war-mats and wigwams; and it must be admitted that I was doomed to endure the same mortification as far as the town of Morlaix, and even down to Brest itself. For the truth is, that the Bas Bretons, along this line of country, so far from being the arrant savages those French cockneys

would have us believe, on the contrary, they live in as comfortable farm-houses as the same class of people in any part of France, and, to outward appearance, as well constructed as those of the small farmers in many parts of England. Their houses, so far from being mere mud huts, are well built, and that generally of stone, having good barns and outhouses, all well covered with tile or thatch; though here, as in other countries, wherever building stone is scarce, and bricks not easily obtained, the usual substitute of earthen walls is had recourse to.

The inhabitants, it must be owned, appear a little grotesque in their dress, as they still retain the old costume worn in France, and some other countries, two centuries ago; and living upon coarse and scanty fare, they are of a spare habit, and of rather a sallow complexion, but they are by no means more ragged nor more dirty than their Frankish neighbours; though that is not saying much for them.

But although this accusation of barbarism is false, as implicating the general character of the Bas Bretons, yet it must not be concealed that there are some remote corners in the western department, on the sea-coasts and among the hills, in which the condition of the people seems extremely wretched, both with regard to their personal appearance and their mode of living; there, their dwellings are really mud cabins, ill built and dirty, and destitute of all that we understand by the comforts of life; but it is just as unfair to attach this character to the country in general, as it would be to include the city of London under the description of Wapping, or the new town of Edinburgh under that of the Canongate. But, even when the wretchedness of these poor creatures is seen and admitted in its full extent, there are many circumstances which, when rightly considered, will serve, if not to excuse, at least to explain its existence.

The only one which I shall now insist upon is the temperature of the climate; for the department of Finistère, though not so cold in winter as the interior, yet in summer is far less warm and genial, the thermometer seldom rising above 23 degrees, Reaumer, (not quite 84° Fahrenheit ;) in addition to which, from its position so far in the Atlantic, it is exceedingly subject to rain and tempests; the wind blowing from north-west to south-west, for three quarters of the year, so that it often rains for weeks together without intermission; in short, fine weather is very rare, even in summer, the sky being generally covered with clouds. The number of rainy days in the year is upon an average 220.

In such a state of unceasing rain, it is not surprising that the natives should acquire an indifference to the effects of wet weather; and as it would be utterly impossible to guard against it out of doors, so it would be inconvenient for them to be continually