calcined by the flames, crumbled into dust on the third day. The modern cathedral is surpassingly ugly, and in the rebuilt streets there is absolutely nothing to be seen. We were heartily glad to leave the place and drive to Châteaubriant, where the great industry consists in the culture and crystallization of angelica. It, like vanilla, has a special and unique flavour. We visited several of the fields where it was grown, and learned how it should be dealt with. Unless immersed in melted sugar when quite young, it becomes fibrous and unserviceable.
About seven miles distant on the Nantes road is La Meilleraye, noted for its ancient Cistercian abbey founded in 1145, dissolved at the Revolution, but repurchased in 1817 by the Trappists, who had settled at Lulworth in Dorsetshire during the troubles. At the time of the Chouan fiasco, the Government suspected these silent monks of agitating in favour of the Legitimists, and gave them much annoyance, so that their number was reduced to twenty-five. When we were at La Meilleraye, we were informed that there were thirty. My father was very curious to go over the abbey. As he expressed it, he wanted to see those who voluntarily condemned themselves to so useless a life. But, as there were ladies in our party, he knew very well that they would not be admitted. As the event proved, neither was he, but no objection was raised to his visiting the farm.
The abbey is on rising ground and commands a fine view as far as to Nantes; there is much woodland about it. The reform of the Cistercians was due to the Abbé de Rancé, born in 1626, who died in 1700.
My father, though still regarding the monks as fools, was satisfied that they were not drones. They were the best agriculturists in all France, and introduced the English methods of managing stock and treating land. They imported horses from Dorsetshire, treated their cows and calves with hay tea, and astonished the natives with the perfection of their machinery and the neatness of all their arrangements, more especially the cleanliness of their vacherie and laiterie; and this was a point contrary to received custom.
The Trappists are far from popular in the neighbourhood. The farmers complain that they spoil the market by producing better butter and cheese than they themselves can make.
