The scenery is extremely diversified in the environs of Lyons, and in the city there is great appearance of wealth and splendour.  Lyons flourished greatly during the time of the continental blockade, as it was the central depot of the commerce between France and Italy.  Napoleon is much respected and regretted here, and with reason, as he was a great benefactor to this city.  The Lyonnese are too frank, too open in their sentiments and too grateful not to render justice to his great talents and good qualities, while they blame and deplore his ambition.  In fact an experience of a few days and some acquaintance I made here has given me a very favourable impression of the inhabitants of this city.  The men are frank in their manners, polite, well informed, and free from all frivolity.  The women are in general handsome, well shaped, and have much grace and are exceedingly well educated; they seem totally free from the Petite-maitressism of the Parisian women, and both sexes seem to possess a good deal of what the French term caractere.  Had the Parisians resembled the Lyonnese, Paris would never have fallen twice into the hands of the enemy, nor would the Lyonnese women have welcomed the entry of the invaders into their city with waving handkerchiefs, etc.  These qualities of the inhabitants, the beauty of the country, and the cheapness of all the comforts and luxuries of life, would make Lyons one of the most agreeable places of residence to a foreigner of liberal sentiments and principles.

Cloth and silk are the staple manufactures of Lyons, particularly the latter; I accompanied my friend Mr M——­ to see his fabrique of silk which is of considerable extent and importance, and everything appeared to me, as far as one totally ignorant of the business and its process could judge, admirably regulated and rapid in its execution.  The tournure of the grisettes of Lyons is very striking and they possess completely the grata protervitas, the vultus nimium lubricus aspici which Horace so much admires in Glycera.

I visited both the theatres here, viz.:  the Grand Theatre, situated near the Hotel de Ville, and the smaller one called the Theatre des Celestins.  At the former was some good dancing, and at the latter I was engaged in a conversation which I cannot forbear citing as it will serve to show the dislike the people have to the feudal system and the dread they have of its re-establishment, tho’ they can know nothing about it except by tradition.  The piece performed was called Le petit Poucet (Tom Thumb and the Ogre); but I missed my old acquaintance the Ogre and his seven-league boots of Mother Goose, and found that in this melodrama he was transformed into a tyrannical and capricious Seigneur Feodal.  There was a very pretty young lady about 16 years of age accompanied by her father in the same box with me, and I observed to her, “Ou est donc l’Ogre?