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J. 25

a little town of themselves. They are allowed to go in & out & have liberty to visit their friends for a fortnight, which must not be exceeded on pain of dismissal. Rich & poor enter upon the vows & no member has ever relinquished them though all are free to do so.

Thence to the Casino, a large & elegant building in a garden. The principal room is 360 feet long & lately held 10,000 flower potsat an horticultural show; it was built by a botanical society of 2000 members for that purpose, but is found not to be sufficiently large. An amphitheatre, or rather the half of one is at the back, in the open air for summer concerts. 1800 persons were present at one last night.

We met a Dominican friar; it was difficult to tell, from his large & full flannel petticoat to which sex he belonged. 6

An anecdote is told in reference to the Napoleon barge by which we travelled today, which relates that a [? ] was so delighted with the sumptuous dinners, cheap fares, the society etc. that he spent all his money in going backwards & forwards in this boat. An old writer very quaintly says of them – “Theire ordinary packe horses are formed of wood, carrying theire bridles in theire ?tails, and theire burdens in theire bellies; and a strong winde & stiffe gale are the spurs that keep them steady.

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