miles.  A superb road might be made along the margin of the sea from La Spezai, where the champaign country of Italy opens, to Nice, where the Alps go off northwardly, and the post roads of France begin; and it might even follow the margin of the sea quite to Cette.  By this road, travellers would enter Italy without crossing the Alps, and all the little insulated villages of the Genoese would communicate together, and in time, form one continued village along that road.

May 3. Luc, Brignoles.  Tourves.  Pourcieux.  La Galiniere.  Long, small mountains, very rocky, the soil reddish, from bad to middling; in olives, grapes, mulberries, vines, and corn.  Brignolles is an extensive plain, between two ridges of mountains, and along a water-course which continues to Tourves.  Thence to Pourcieux we cross a mountain, low and easy.  The country is rocky and poor.  To La Galiniere are waving grounds, bounded by mountains of rock at a little distance.  There are some enclosures of dry wall from Luc to La Galiniere; also, sheep and hogs.  There is snow on the high mountains.  I see no plums in the vicinities of Brignoles; which makes me conjecture that the celebrated plum of that name is not derived from this place.

May 8. Orgon.  Avignon.  Vaucluse.  Orgon is on the Durance.  From thence, its plain opens till it becomes common with that of the Rhone; so that from Orgon to Avignon is entirely a plain of rich dark loam, which is in willows, mulberries, vines, corn, and pasture.  A very few figs.  I see no olives in this plain.  Probably the cold winds have too much power here.  From the Bac de Nova (where we cross the Durance) to Avignon, is about nine American miles; and from the same Bac to Vaucluse, eleven miles.  In the valley of Vaucluse, and on the hills impending over it, are olive trees.  The stream issuing from the fountain of Vaucluse is about twenty yards wide, four or five feet deep, and of such rapidity that it could not be stemmed by a canoe.  They are now mowing hay, and gathering mulberry leaves.  The high mountains just back of Vaucluse, are covered with snow.  Fine trout in the stream of Vaucluse, and the valley abounds peculiarly with nightingales.  The vin blanc de M. de Rochequde of Avignon, resembles dry Lisbon.  He sells it, at six years old, for twenty-two sous the bottle, the price of the bottle, &c. included.

Avignon.  Remoulins.  Some good plains, but generally hills, stony and poor.  In olives, mulberries, vines, and corn.  Where it is waste the growth is chene-vert, box, furze, thyme, and rosemary.

May 10. Lismes.  Lunel.  Hills on the right, plains on the left.  The soil reddish, a little stony, and of middling quality.  The produce, olives, mulberries, vines, corn, saintfoin.  No wood and few enclosures.  Lunel is famous for its vin de muscat blanc, thence called Lunel, or vin muscat de Lunel.  It is made from the raisin muscat, without fermenting the grain in