mingling their branches, shading beneath their foliage many a cheerful
group, the merchant's stone villas, seen amongst their bowers, the high
shelving grassy banks, and the lively bustle that is ever going forward,
has so animated an effect that the beholder cannot but catch the
infection and feel his spirits elevated by the enlivening spectacle. But
what a contrast on entering the city; the streets narrow, dark, and with
no foot pavement, have a mean and gloomy appearance, but many of them
being built mostly of wood, carved into fantastic forms, offer a rich
harvest to the artist, and those of our own country have amply profited
by the innumerable picturesque objects which Rouen presents. The
cathedral, built by William the Conqueror, is one of the most
interesting monuments of France; the Church of St.-Ouen is at least as
beautiful, and there are several others which well repay the visiter for
the time he may expend in visiting them. The statue of the Maid of
Orleans stands in the _Marché aux Veaux_, on the spot where she was
burnt as a sorceress under the sanction of the Duke of Bedford in 1431.
Above all, the traveller must not fail to visit Mount Catherine, which
rises just above the city, and commands a view equally beautiful and
extensive. The delightful environs of Rouen are displayed before him,
comprising almost every scenic beauty that a country can afford; even
the factories, which in most places rather deform the view than
otherwise, are here so constructed as to contribute to its ornament,
more resembling villas than buildings solely for utility. Hills, wood,
water, bridges, chateaux, cottages, corn fields and meadows are so
picturesquely intermingled, that every object which can give charm to a
landscape is here united. There are several hills round Rouen which
present prospects nearly equal to that which is witnessed from Mount
Catherine, and in fact it is difficult to imagine any situation which
affords so many pleasant walks and such enchanting scenery. Indeed, all
the way to Paris by this route (that is by what is called the lower