After
Having Stewed A Week In A Paltry Inn, I Have Taken A Ground Floor
For Ten Months At The Rate Of Four Hundred Livres A Year, That Is
Twenty Pounds Sterling, For The Piedmontese Livre Is About An
English Shilling.
The apartments are large, lofty, and commodious
enough, with two small gardens, in which there is plenty of
sallad, and a great number of oranges and lemons:
But as it
required some time to provide furniture, our consul Mr. B - d, one
of the best natured and most friendly men in the world, has lent
me his lodgings, which are charmingly situated by the sea-side,
and open upon a terrace, that runs parallel to the beach, forming
part of the town wall. Mr. B - d himself lives at Villa Franca,
which is divided from Nice by a single mountain, on the top of
which there is a small fort, called the castle of Montalban.
Immediately after our arrival we were visited by one Mr. de
Martines, a most agreeable young fellow, a lieutenant in the
Swiss regiment, which is here in garrison. He is a Protestant,
extremely fond of our nation, and understands our language
tolerably well. He was particularly recommended to our
acquaintance by general P - and his lady; we are happy in his
conversation; find him wonderfully obliging, and extremely
serviceable on many occasions. We have likewise made acquaintance
with some other individuals, particularly with Mr. St. Pierre,
junior, who is a considerable merchant, and consul for Naples. He
is a well-bred, sensible young man, speaks English, is an
excellent performer on the lute and mandolin, and has a pretty
collection of books. In a word, I hope we shall pass the winter
agreeably enough, especially if Mr. M - e should hold out; but I am
afraid he is too far gone in a consumption to recover. He spent
the last winter at Nismes, and consulted F - at Montpellier. I
was impatient to see the prescription, and found it almost
verbatim the same he had sent to me; although I am persuaded
there is a very essential difference between our disorders. Mr.
M - e has been long afflicted with violent spasms, colliquative
sweats, prostration of appetite, and a disorder in his bowels. He
is likewise jaundiced all over, and I am confident his liver is
unsound. He tried the tortoise soup, which he said in a fortnight
stuffed him up with phlegm. This gentleman has got a smattering
of physic, and I am afraid tampers with his own constitution, by
means of Brookes's Practice of Physic, and some dispensatories,
which he is continually poring over. I beg pardon for this
tedious epistle, and am - Very sincerely, dear Sir, Your
affectionate, humble servant.
LETTER XIII
NICE, January 15, 1764.
DEAR SIR, - I am at last settled at Nice, and have leisure to give
you some account of this very remarkable place. The county of
Nice extends about fourscore miles in length, and in some places
it is thirty miles broad.
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