This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

66

waves, The same morning a boat, containing fifteen persons, in attempting to cross the water, had upset in the middle of the river, and every one in it perished. We saw the boat turned over, floating down the stream. This was a melancholy sight, yet ludicrously commented on by the batalier; almost the whole stock of whose French consisted in the word seulement. When we asked him what had happened, he answered, laying particular emphasis on this favourite dissyllable, C’est seulement un bateau, qui etoit seulement renversèe, et tous les peuples sont seulement noyès.

Mayence is one of the best fortified towns in Germany. The river, which