Wednesday 27 June
Fine morning Fahrenheit 67 3/4 at 7 a.m. Ann up before 6 - went to sketch the church till after 9 - breakfast about 9 1/4 down stairs in the nice salle à manger - quite alone - our 2 rooms open into each other here au 1er. - very comfortable - but would rath[er] be farther out of Ann's hearing but she is in her best way this morning
Ann off again to Sketch the church at 10 1/2 and from 10 35/60 to 1 I wrote out the latter 1/2 of Monday the whole of yesterday and so far of today - had just inked over a little of accounts when Ann returned - had made a very nice little sketch of the church - best she has done so far
Off from Ruffec at 1 1/2 - our postillon à la basque, with his blue berret and crimson sash and shirt sleeves - (1st time) - rather hilly - charming drive to Nègres, single house - horses standing ready at the door - off in minutes - 1st time of being so quick since our landing this time on the continent - charming wooded country - hedges here and there - Ann thinks it like England all the way from Tours - At 2 40/60 descent upon Mansle - extensive and belle vue - corn and vines - at 2 3/4 la poste, and drove into the cour at one porte cocherè and out at another, second postillon à la basque but crimson instead of blue berret, - immediately cross 2 little stone bridges over little brooks or something and then high raised old narrow stone bridge over grassy-bottomed, shallow, winding, islandy, picturesque Charente into the pretty little old town of Mansle - pass thro' one long narrow ill paved ill or old-built stone - charming extensive plane, and excellent road and mount the hill - plain bland & delightful - Walnut and Spanish chestnut trees and vines - bled, and bled or Turquie and potatoes
We had felt at Ruffec that we were journeying southwards - the building stone of Mansle seems vraiment a calcaire compacte - charming air and day and country - the light sandy soil not more than 4 or 5 inches thick - rows of wheat between rows of vines on the high ground till forest of oak-copse - hilly or undulating road - charming drive - Sabot and descend upon the small good hameau of Charet - everywhere, Ruffec and everywhere housing hay (as much lucerne as hay grass) - George thinks, at Charet, the wheels very hot - wanted water - (no! not required) thought the wheels hot on the sun-side
From Charet, particularly left haies vives (quick hedges) of thorn, maple, hornbeam, &c. country beautifully boisé - vines, and corn, and, supposing the vines young hops, really like Kent - undulating beautiful country
At 4 3/4 from top of hill, Ann had had a peep before, fine view of Angoulême, built on the slope and ridge, and to the end of the side of the amphitheatre line of hill - apparently a churches 1 pointed-topped, tall, small square tower of cathedral far above all the rest - at 4 50/60 stone bridge over pretty winding wooded river Touvre and good hamlet of Pont-Touvre - ascent
Angoulême very imposingly situated and fine looking town from the top of the ascent out of Pont-Touvre - yellow rye (ripest I have seen -) much finer looking the other way - to one coming from Bordeaux, - Oxen began to be common here - hay very sweet and green and well got
At 5 good faubourg de l'Houmeau - at 5 5/60 turn left to wind up into la ville - very picturesque old walls and castle - pass tomb, right, under weeping willow - then gateway, but still steepish ascent into the town, and alight at La table Royale or Hotel Perigord, at the top of the hill and town, at 5 12/60 - had passed thro' narrow ill paved steep streets to the very porte cocherè of the hotel
Upstairs for a few minutes - good, large, double bedded room - seems a good house - Off at 5 20/60 with garçon to shew us the way to the cathedral - when in sight of it, on the boulevard, gave him -/75 and sent him back - turned towards the prefecture - colonade on the top of wall something like Gray's at Cliff Hill, - but divided into 3 by a wire trellis - arch in the middle left open the rest filled up with roses and creepers leaving the white columns bare - very pretty - It struck me as a good hint for Cliff hill, but Ann did not think so - very fine view - but no river seen from this side - here too workmen - making new road down from the boulevard to the faubourg below and in another place nearer the cathedral repairing the old walls and pushing out a little to get a little square bit of room at the top - workmen everywhere - Louis Philippe (like Napoleon) keeps the people employed
Cathedral very interesting - west front in the style of Civray and Ruffec but larger than the former - very handsome and interesting and Rouen like - Ann stood sketching the exterior (old west front) while I examined the interior - the most interesting I have ever seen? one nave - no aisles - short transepts, and not much nave, perhaps 1/4 of the whole, beyond them finished in an apse - nave roofed in domes, one over each large arcade - beautiful lantern, domed, tower the great high, tall small, old square a clocher quite apart from the nave - evidently an old Roman façade, and I should say in great part an old Roman interior - went into booksellers near - the woman said the cathedral was built by the English - no views of the cathedral published yet - but son would have some published in a week or 10 days - bought 2 plans 1/50 of la ville as it was 40 years ago the woman said she herself could well remember it 40 years ago - (she did not look 60) and a little Angoulême guide 1/60
Back at the Inn thro' better streets and grand Place, and past new handsome Palace de Justice, in the place, at 6 40/60 - the postillion would not take 1 3/4p. poste = 14/- that I had left with George - merely shewed the man the regulation in the livre de poste - he apologised - took the money said he was ancien postillon ce qu'il s'était trompé - did not wait a moment the maitresse d'hotel asked 1/- for our 3 or 4 minutes use of her room and I paid with a compliment on her house
Off from Angoulême, at 6 3/4 - passed all round by the cathedral, where we had walked and wound down the hill - beautiful descent leaving the beautifully shaded terrace walk round the town on our right and got down into the faubourg, very fine looking back upon Ann much given this way than the other, and by a fine excellent road to le Roullet at 7 40/60 - old ill rough, paved little town, but picturesquely situated with façade of church as if it had been originally a little in the style of Angoulême, but very plain, merely affecting the form - fine country - culture as before and well wooded and nice undulating road to Pétignac single house - red sandy thin soil
On reaching Barberzieux too dark to see to read my Card of the hotel - uncertain if hotel de France, yes!, or boule d'or - alighted and went into the kitchen of the 1st house and read the card - the house was an Inn - the woman wanted me to look at her rooms, but I thanked her and drove off to the hotel de France - Auberge-like, but the Inn recommended at Ruffec and printed on my Carte routière de Meurice
Arrived at 10 5/60 - and sat down to write at 10 20/60 and till dinner at 11 5/60, Ann tired and sick of waiting so long, wrote out nearly 1/3 of today - to amuse began at supper about Orleans cathedral and she got into ape! and went off to bed what a temper but really I don't mind it to much as I did at first
Sat at dinner (rather supper) 20 minutes after Ann left me, and came upstairs at 11 40/60 - very fine day - Fahrenheit 69 1/2 now at 12 10/60 tonight and at 12 1/2 heavy rain and thunder and lightning.
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