till this was over, though we took a carriage; for this garden is a very long walk from the Place Graslin, being some distance beyond the castle. Down the Rue St. Clément, which leads from the Place Louis Seize, are the two new churches of St. Clément and Notre Dame de la Sallette; but they are not equal to St. Nicholas. Most of the convents are in this street, and behind it, close to the Jardin des Plantes, is the cemetery of La Bouteillerie.

The gardens are most delightful. We entered through a screen of magnolias, and soon found a grand avenue of these beautiful trees covered with blossoms. The effect of this superb tree, with its broad satin-looking leaves with their hoary lining, and its large, delicious, creamy blossoms, growing on all sides in the open air, is very impressive. It is said that a plant of magnolia was first brought to Nantes from North America in 1711. At the end of twenty years it outgrew the conservatory in which it had been placed, and the gardener resolved to destroy it; but his wife, wishing to preserve the beautiful plant, placed it in the open ground where it had shelter from the north wind. It grew and prospered, and its offspring now adorn these interesting gardens.

One of the oldest magnolias is that at the end of the limewalk. There are forty-eight magnolia-trees in the great avenue; but, besides these, we saw all kinds of tender plants blossoming freely out-of-doors-the exquisite bluepencilled plumbago, the banana palm, and many others. There is water on every side, sometimes widening into a lake and sometimes a narrow stream, bordered by weeping willows and filled with rare flowering plants. Besides the flowers, which are abundant, there is a wealth of rare trees;

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and the heat was so intense that we found the refreshing shade under some of these most grateful. These gardens are indeed a very enticing retreat.

On our way back we passed the Lycée and the Archeological Museum, crossed the Place Louis Seize, and went up the Rue Royale. At the top of this is the Préfecture, built by Ceineray in 1763: it has a fine staircase. Farther on is the Museum of Natural History, on the Place du Port Communeau, and a little to the south of this the Hôtel de Ville. There is nothing to see here but a little casket which once held the heart of Anne of Brittany. by the Hôtel de Ville is the Society of the Frères Chrétiens; and a little way on, at 8, Rue St. Jean, is a remarkable old house, called the house of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. The statue of this saint, at one of the corners, is modern. In the Rue St. Vincent, leading from the Place St. Jean, are some curious old houses.

Close

The

Rue St. Leonard runs beside the Hôtel de Ville. At No. 23 in this street there is this inscription on a tablet on the wall: "Molière a joué la comédie dans ce jeu de paume."

We crossed the Erdre by the Pont de l'Ecluse so as to come out by the museum. We had not time to examine the collection of pictures, but it is said to be very good. Across the Place Bretagne the Rue Mercœur leads to the Palais de Justice; above the frieze is a group by Sue, a sculptor of Nantes, "Justice protecting Innocence against Crime." Here are the archives of Nantes, and among them are records of the fearful Reign of Terror. This entry seems almost incredible: "December 20, 1793.Twenty-seven executions took place on the Place du

Bouffay; seven of them women." Among these were "four sisters," demoiselles de la Métairie, or, as they are styled in the record, "Gabrielle Métairie, aged 28; Marguerite, 27; Claire, 26; Olympe; and their faithful servant Jeanne Ray." Their accusation is the having been found "les armes à la main." The executioner hesitated to fulfil his office, and three days after died of remorse. "L'imbécile s'est laissé mourir de peur," said Carrier, with a laugh.

In front of the Palais de Justice is the statue of Billault, and from here the Rue Lafayette, a street built of stone houses, leads into the Rue Crébillon. It is a pity these streets are not wider, for the houses in them, built of stone of Saumur, are very handsome.

Across the Cours Cambronne, from the Place Graslin, with the marshal's statue in the centre, one reaches the Quai de la Fosse. It might be very pleasant here, with its magnolias and chestnut-trees, if it were not spoiled, as the other quays are along the Loire, by the line of railway. The effect must have been imposing; but this has been sacrificed to utility, and one wonders how the Nantais could have consented thus to injure the look of their city.

At No. 5, the beginning of the Quai de la Fosse, Maison des Tourelles, Henri Quatre signed, in 1598, the famous Edict of Nantes, which granted the same privileges to those of the reformed religion as to Roman Catholics, and which gave a great stimulus to trade. Its revocation in 1685 caused an insurrection in the city which occasioned much bloodshed. There are other old houses besides this one on the Quai de la Fosse, although the quay itself seems the centre of modern bustle and life. At its farthest western

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LES SALORGES."

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extremity is an avenue of magnolias, with a sort of summerhouse commanding a very extensive prospect; and close by is the Escalier Ste. Anne, leading to the avenue and church of that saint, also commanding a fine view. At the top of the staircase is a statue of St. Anne.

The view over the Loire, its islands, the city, and surrounding hills is very fine from this part of the town, and is quite worth driving to see, for Nantes is spread out so far eastward and westward that the little carriages which stand for hire near the Bourse and the river Erdre are very useful, and might with advantage be more frequently stationed about the town. Near Ste. Anne is the gloomy granite building called Les Salorges, from which the noyades took place.

There is a great deal still to see in the manufactories beside the Loire, the largest magazines of conserves alimentaires in Europe; but so much lies before the traveller who means to explore Brittany that I think he will not feel inclined at the outset of his journey to stay very long in Nantes. The Passage Pommeraye, which connects the Rue Crébillon with the Rue de la Fosse, is very curious. It has three arcades of shops, one above another, connected by an immense double iron staircase. One of the remarkable features of Nantes is its enormous tobacco manufactory, near the Paris railway station. At certain hours the streets near the factory are thronged with the great number of persons employed, who seem to be chiefly women.

A very interesting excursion to be made from Nantes for those who have time to spare is to Clisson, to which the railway now goes. As it is in La Vendée, and not in Brittany, we did not visit it; but its ruined castle, once the

residence of the famous Constable, is very picturesque and well-placed, and the country around it is interesting. Not far from Clisson is the Château de la Seilleraye,

which Madame de Sévigné mentions in a letter to Madame de Grignan. This château was designed by Mansard, and the north side of the gardens was planned by Le Nôtre,